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MAP OF

COUNTY
PENNSYLVANIA.

THE

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY,.

PENNSYLVANIA,

jfrom its affrst Settlement.

BY

Laura G. Sanford.

flew anfc Enlarges B&itfon,

Fiest.Seal of Brie County, Made in 1808.

PUBLISHED BY THE AUTHOR.
1894.

Copyrighted by J. B. Lippincott & Co., in 1861,
and by Lauea G. Sanfoetj, in 1894.

PREFACE.
If in every State we had those who were unprejudiced and
truth-loving to examine and test the supposed history of their
respective localities, and to record the testimony of the aged,
^"before they go hence and be no more," truth would be vindi
cated, much that is interesting rescued from oblivion, and a
correct and minute history of our country secured.
For the encouragement of those attempting this duty, Sal-
lust says: "Among the different ways of employing one's
abilities, that of writing history is of eminent use ;. but I shall
say nothing of its excellence, because many have already
shown it, and lest I should be charged with vanity ,for ex
tolling what I am myself engaged in."
Grateful acknowledgments are due to the many friends who
have contributed to the History of Erie County by the use of
their libraries, by the loan of valuable unedited manuscripts,
and by their pertinent suggestions. Of these are Dr. U. Par
sons, of Providence, Rhode Island ; Madams William A.
Brown, Chas. Pollock, J. C. Eeid, J. H. Bliss,, H. Russel,
J. Dickson, and Miss I. Williams ; Gen. C. M. Beed, Capt. W.
W. Dobbins, William Nicholson, G. J. Ball, J. Sill, J. B.
Johnson, B. B. Vincent, J. C. Spencer, T. G. Colt, A.-H.
Caughey, and G. W. Starr, Esqs.; Bev. Wm. M. Blackburn,
and Bev. T. St. John, of Erie '; Bev. S. M. Eaton, Franklin ;
Mr. I. Eaton, Fairview ; Miss H. B. Cutler and Mr. R. Bar-
nett, Girard ; Miss Sarah "Vincent and Mrs. McGill, Water-
ford ; Bev. A. H. Carrier and Wm. E. Marvin, Esq., North
east ; and Mrs. M. Courtright, New York.
In this new edition we have given in the form of a supple
ment events of latter years only of main importance, the want
j>f space being our plea for not giving much that is worthy of
record.' ' The Editors of the county are entitled to many thanks for
their files, and for favorable mention of the work.

CATALOGUE OF WORKS CONSULTED.
American State Papers ; American Archives ; Proud'S His
tory of Pennsylvania ; Colonial History of New York ; Docu
mentary History of New York ; Pennsylvania Colonial
Records ; Pennsylvania Archives ; Western Annals ; History
of Western Pennsylvania; Thatcher's Lives of the Indians ;
Naval Monument ; Hennepin's Discoveries in America ;
Historical Collections of Pennsylvania ; Shea's Discovery of
the Mississippi ; Shea's Jesuit Missions ; Annals of America,
by Dr. Holmes ; Schoolcraft's Indian Tribes ; Conspiracy of
Pontiac ; Niles's Register ; Burgess's Account of Perry's
Victory ; McKenzie's Life of Perry ; Dawson's American
Battles ; Dr. Parson's Discourse ; Calvert's Oration ; Battle of
Lake Erie Monumental Association ; Bancroft's United
States ; Irving's Life of Washington ; Stone's Life of Brandt ;
Elements of History, by J. E. Worcester ; Historical Account
of Erie County, by Dr. W. M. Wood ; Dwight's Travels ;
Goodrich's History of the United States ; Smith's Laws of
Pennsylvania ; Howe's Historical Collections of the West ;
State Geologist's Report ; Poor's History of Railroads ; Files
of the Mirror, Erie ; Erie Gazette ; Erie Observer ; Girard
Republican ; Encyclopedia Americana ; Allegheny Magazine ;
Pennsylvania Gazetteer, by Thos. F. Gordon ; Pennsylvania
State Book, by Burrows ; Old Fort Le Bceuf, by a Waterford-
ian ; Inauguration of the Perry Statue, Cleveland ; History of
the 'Bailroad War, by Wilson Laird, Esq. ; Buffalo Express ;
Buffalo Commercial ; History of Erie County, published in
Chicago, 1884, Warner, Beers & Co- ; Illustrated History of,
Pennsylvania, by W. H. Egle, M.D. •; Old Portage Road, by
, H. C. Taylor, M.D. ; Ship-yard of the Griffon, by C. K. Rem
ington.

COMPLIMENTARY NOTICES.
The following note from the Hon. Geo. Bancroft explains itself,
and is indirectly a flattering tribute to the worth of the hook from
the very highest source : "New Yobk, February 3d, 1862.
" . . . Your charming work on Erie County has so much
merit, that I cannot bear to lie under your misapprehension of my
judgment on a point, which has cost me a good deal of research.
If you turn to page 163 of Vol. III., in the copy I sent to Erie, or
any edition since 1853, you will find that I put the first ship yard
at the 'Mouth of the Cayaga Creek.' It cost me a world of
trouble to find the authorities to correct my mistake, and I am
sorry yon charged upon me the sins of my earlier years, instead of
the revised opinion of mature study. " "Very truly yours, " Geo. Bancroft."
" The History of Erie County, Pennsylvania, by Laura G. San-
ford is in manibus. It is an interesting book to any one, being full
of Indian traditions, antiquarian gossip, and facts relating to co-
temporary American heroes, all connected together in a very
agreeable style. To a resident of Erie Couuty, we think the work
invaluable, comprising as it does the history of places and persons,
forming subjects of his own daily conversation and observation.
The tremendous ' War of the Gauges " has not received as much
attention from the fair historian as we could wish. She passes it
with a bare mention. Possibly a lady could not do justice to an
event which above all others requires a manly pen to portray."
From, Erie Gazette.
" ' History of Erie County.' This is the title of a neatly printed
and handsomely hound volume, just issued from the press of J. B.
Lippincott & Co., Philadelphia, for a copy of which we are in
debted to the authoress, Miss Laura G. Sanford, of our city. It
consists of 347 pages, and embodies much interesting and valuable

VI COMPLIMENTARY NOTICES.
information relative to the County, from an early date to the
present time. Biographical notices of well-known citizens form a
prominent feature — citizens like Seth Reed, R. S. Reed, P. S. V.
Hamot, Hon. Thos. H. Sill, Giles Sanford, Judah Colt, Rev. Robert
Reid, Daniel Dobbins, and Hon. John Galbraith, accompanied in
several cases by finely executed steel engraved likenesses. The
work bears marks of careful preparation, and is doubtless strictly
correct in its statements of material facts and events. We regard
it as quite creditable to the authoress and the publishers, and cor
dially recommend it to all who would possess a reliable ' History.
of Erie County.' It is thus spoken of by a gentleman long, and
favorably kno'wn here : "Pbovidbnob, R. I., October 8, 1860.
" It has been my privilege to be allowed the perusal of many of
the sheets of Miss Sanford' s History of Erie in manuscript, and I
cordially bear testimony to its great value as embodying about all
the material facts relating to that frontier city that such a work
should contain, sought out with great industry, and carefully and
candidly stated.
"Usheb Parsons."
From Providence (Rhode Island) Daily Journal,
" This is a valuable contribution to the history of our western
frontier. It begins with the history of the Indians and their sway
over the lake shores. It then gives us an account of the arrival of
the first French settlers from Montreal, as missionaries, on Lake
Erie and the upper lakes, and of the trappers and hunters who
soon followed in their train, their first landing after leaving Lake
Ontario being at this port. Here they established one of the first
forts west of Niagara Palls, and opened a road eighteen miles
south of Le Boeuf, now called Waterford, at the head waters of the
Ohio. At that place, Washington, a century after, commenced his
military^ career, at the age of twenty. Beyond this they estab
lished other forts at Venango and Pittsburg, and mpved on further
south; intending to secure the trade for Canada of the vast
regions west of the Ohio and Mississippi rivers. An account is
given of the first vessel that traversed the lakes and of the gradual
increase of shipping until the War of 1812, when Perry's fleet was
commenced and equipped. A faithful description is also fur
nished of the fleet's armament and crews, and of the celebrated
battle of the 10th of September, with portraits of some of the offi
cers (Commodore Perry and Dr. Parsons among them), and also of
mauy of the prominent citizens who first settled in Erie.

COMPLIMENTARY NOTICES. Vii
" Erie is now a beautiful city, its inhabitants having increased
from 300 or 400 at the time of the war to 12,000.
" The venerable Giles Sanford, Esq., who arrived there in 1810,
is the father of the author, and being engaged since then as a
prominent merchant and furnisher of supplies for the army and
navy, is better acquainted with the history and concerns of Erie
than any person living. He has been able to furnish his daughter
with many /of the materials of this valuable work, which we cor
dially recommend to the attention of all persons interested in the
times, localities, and events of which it treats. It is written with
great candor and truthfulness, and evinces a vast amount of in
dustry and patient research."
From the Crawford Democrat, February 25, 1862,
"This is a work of great value as a depository in which are
treasured up, so as to secure them in a permanent form, the facts
and incidents of the early settlement of the portion of our State of .
which it is the history. The accomplished authoress has done the
task she assigned herself in a way to deserve the thanks of the
whole country, but particularly the inhabitants of this State, and
most especially of the dwellers in Erie County. Her book will be
read with satisfaction and pleasure because of the important infor
mation it contains — information collected by much industry and
perseverance — and for the attractive manner in which it is imparted.
Erie County is fortunate in having one to write its history who is
so well qualified by possessing both the literary and scientific
ability and taste, and the love of the work necessary to success.
" The plan adopted — and, indeed, required by the subject — is such
as to give the ' History of Erie County ' more than a merely local
interest. Interesting sketches are given of various Indian tribes,
whose braves formerly roamed over this then great western
wilderness, following on the war path ; whose hunters pursued
their game through the vast forests that then, unbroken, covered
all this region ; whose young men and maidens whispered their
tale of love by the sparkling brooks in the waters of which the
speckled trout sported, while over them the green boughs meeting
formed Nature's sweet bowers ; and whose frail canoes were the
only craft which then furrowed the lakes and rivers. The diffi
culties met and vanquished by the hardy early settlers are well
narrated, and examples given. The naval operations on the lakes,
and the victories gained on them by American heroes, receive
attention. Besides these, other matters of general interest are
noticed — such as relate to the occupancy of this region by the

Viii - COMPLIMENTARY NOTICES.
French; the fortifications built hy them, and final surrender of
their claims to the English.
"A number of sketches of the lives of1 early settlers in Erie
County are given, which add much to the attractiveness and in
terest of the volume.
"Miss Sanford did not perform her work a day too soon. The
knowledge of the facts of the early history and settlement of this
part of our country is fast passing away along with those — of whom
so few yet remain — in whose memory that knowledge is stored. A
very few more years, and those facts, now, happily, secured,
would have perished from the living generations.
" I have said that Erie County is fortunate in having one so well
qualified and, at the same time, disposed to write its history. The
object of this notice of her hook, besides being to call attention^ to
a really meritorious work, is to ask, where is the historian of
Crawford County? It is necessary he, or she, shall appear very
soon, else it will be too late. Already, indeed, much that would
have been among the most valuable history of this county has
gone into the graves of the old settlers. Every year-.-every month
— something of importance is perishing.
" Crawford County affords material — has an unwritten history —
not less abundant, certainly, nor less attractive, than Erie ; and as
capable, in equally competent hands, of being made into a written.
history like that, in regard to interest, which is the subject of this
notice. Have we no one with both the mind and heart to do it ?
Let the historian of Crawford County appear, and quickly, too, be
fore those in whose memory it now lies pass away, and that
person — man or woman — will deserve and have the gratitude of
this and future generations.
" J. V. R."
" Mr. Fillmore, as President of the ' Buffalo Historical Society,'
accepts with pleasure and thanks the interesting History of Erie
County, Pennsylvania, from the author.
"Buffalo, July 186, 1882."

A Beacon Light-House.
B Land Light-House.
C Flash Ligh1>House.
D Life Saving Station.
E Soldiers' Home.
F Massassauga Point.
G Tracy Point.

MAP OT
ERIE HARBOR
(PRESQUE 'ISLE BAY)
From a Survey in 1888
By Ensigns H.Kimmel and
H. Helherington, U. S. N., of
the U. S.S. Michigan. Com
mander H. F. Picking,
U. S. N., command'g.

CONTENTS. CHAPTEB I.
An Account of the Eries— Traditions concerning them— Their
Destruction— Symbols found on Kelly's or Cunningham's
Island — Indian Remains  15
CHAPTEB II. '
La Salle— The Griffon— Relics— Gov. Shirley's Proposition—
Braddock's Advice — Gov. Delancy's Plan — Estimating
Presqu'ile — Hudson's Bay Company  24
CHAPTEB III.
T,he English and French Claims — Construction of Forts
Presquile (Erie) and Le Bceuf (Waterford)— Washington's
Visit— Condition of these Forts in 1756, '57, '58, and '59— Their
Desertion after the taking of Fort Niagara— Tradition in
Erie — Major Rogers takes Possession for the English in 1760. 29
CHAPTEB IV.
Pontiac— Destruction of Forts Presqu'ile and Le Bceuf, as de
scribed by Bancroft, Parkman, and Harvey — Col. Bradstreet
at Presquile, in 1764 — Col. Bouquet's Treaty — A Detachment
of British Soldiers and Indians embark at Chautauqua Lake
— Hannastown burnt — Mr. Adams's Suggestion  48
CHAPTEB V.
Penn's Charter — Boundaries of Pennsylvania — Mason and
Dixon's Line — Review of said Line by Col. Graham — Wes
tern Boundary of Pennsylvania fixed in 1786 — Boundary be
tween New York and Pennsylvania confirmed by Act of
Assembly in 1789— Purchase of Triangle, 1791 — Anecdote of
Mr. William Miles. .  56

X " CONTENTS.
CHAPTEB VI.
Arrangements for the Settlement of the Triangle — Pennsyl
vania Population Company — Act to lay out a Town at Presqu' -
ile ; afterward repealed— Block-house at Le Bceuf— Indian
Murders — Gov. Mifflin to the President— Attorney-General
Bradford's Opinion — Ransom's Deposition--Letters of Capt.
Denny — Andrew Ellicot and Gen. Chapin — Joseph Brandt —
Cornplanter — A Present of Land — Treaty of Peace at Canan-
daigua   62
CHAPTEB VII.
An Act to lay out the Towns of Erie, Waterford,. Franklin, and
Warren— To protract the Enlistment of Troops at Le Bceuf—
Deposition of Tho. Rees, Esq. — Actual Settlers — Memorial
to the Population Company— Deacon Chamberlain's Story — ,
Capt. Martin Strong to William Nicholson, Esq. — Louis
Philippe at Mr. Rees' s— Murder of Rutledge and Son — Mr.
Augustus Porter's Visit— Mr. Judah Colt's MS. Autobi
ography — Number of White Settlers on the Lakes west of
Genesee River — General Wayne's Death at Presqu'ile, 1796. 76
CHAPTER VIII.
Erie County from 1785 — Organization in 1803 — Its Geography,
etc. — Original Townships— Changes— Extent of Townships
and Population — Population decennially from 1800 — Census
Iteins— Vote of 1808 and 1860 — Receipts and Expenditures do.
—Extract from Auditor-General's Report — Post-offices in
, 1830, 1856, 1860— List of Judges— Members of Congress-
State Senate — Representatives — Prothonotaries — Registers
' and Recorders — Sheriffs— Coroners — First Section incorpo
rated — Courthouses — A°t for Public Landing — Borough
Charter altered in 1833 — Canal Basin — Peninsula — Poor-
house — Several Acts — Government of Erie changed to that
of a City — Present Population and Business — List of Bur
gesses and Mayors — Collectors of Customs — Postmasters in
Erie  , ... 91
CHAPTER IX.
First Road — Population Company Roads — Erie and Waterford
Turnpike— Salt Trade— Gen. O'Hara's Contract — Road to
Buffalo, — First Coaches — Erie Canal — Railroads — Erie or
Wattsburg Railroad— Sunbury and Erie— Erie and | North-

CONTENTS. Xi
east— Franklin Canal Company— Pittsburg and Erie Railroad
— Plank-roads  107
V CHAPTEB X.
Shipping— The Washington, the First Vessel built on the
South Shore of the Lake— Hudson's Bay Company— British
Government Vessels— American Government Vessels— The
Salina— Valuable Cargoes— Walk-in-the- Water— First Light
house—William Penn^First Steamer at Chicago— Cholera-
Tonnage and Number of Vessels in 1810-20-31-36-47-60— Lake
Disasters— Commerce of Port of Presqu'ile— Vessels and
Tonnage registered at Presqu'ile in 1860— United States
Steamer Michigan— Revenue Cutters  .123
CHAPTEB XI.
Banks — Gas Company — Insurance — Fire Companies — Volun
teer Military — Agriculture — Mutual Aid — Cemeteries — Moral,
Benevolent, and Literary Societies  132
CHAPTEB XII.
Newspapers — Common Schools — Academies — Normal School —
Sabbath School — First Protestant Missionaries West of Utica
—Moravians in Venango County, 1767 — First Religious
Service in Erie County — First Church Edifice — A Religious
Experience — Presbytery of Erie — Revs. Patterson and Eaton
— Extract from Rey. A. H. Carrier's Historical Sermon —
Rev.' R. Reid — Churches of different Denominations in Erie
— Revivals  - . 147
CHAPTEB XIII. '
Waterford — Edinboro— Northeast — Wattsburg— Girard — Union
Mills — Albion — Cherry Hill— WeUsburg — Cranesville —
Lockport — Pagevilie — Lexington — Fairview — Manchester —
McKean Corners — Wesleyville — West Springfield — Spring
field — Beaverdam — Concord Station  178
CHAPTEB XIV.
Biographical Sketches of Col. Seth Reed — Rufus Seth Reed —
Judah Colt— Dr. U. Parsons — Dr. John C. Wallace — Rev.
Robert Reid— Thos. Wilson— P. S. V. Hamot— Capt. D. Dob
bins— T. H. Sill— G. Sanford— Judge J. Galbraith  195

Xll CONTENTS.
CHAPTEB XV.
War declared — Commodore Perry — Capt. Dobbin's Corre
spondence — Commodore Chauncey, Mr. Henry Eckford, and
Noah Brown — Difficulties in fitting out the Fleet — Gen.
Mead— Capt. Perry at Fort George— Five Vessels brought
from Buffalo — Provincial Marine Corps — Difficulties in pro
curing men — Letters to Commodore Chauncey and* the Secre
tary of the Navy — A Providence recognized in the War —
Getting the Vessels over the bar — Commodore Barclay at
Port Dover — Seven of the Vessels make a Cruise — Officers
and Men from Lake Ontario — August 12, Perry sails for San
dusky — Interview with Gen. Harrison — They proceed to
Maiden — Kentucky Militia — Sickness — Letters from the
Secretary — Ohio dispatched to Erie— Strength of the British
Force — The American Force — Americans look in at Maiden — '
Corrected Instructions for the Battle.  214
CHAPTER XVI.
British Vessels appear — Commodore Perry remodels his Line,
and other Preparations— A brief Description of the Battle of
September 10, by Dr. Parsons — The Vessel's return to Erie
with the Wounded and Prisoners — Capt. Perry promoted —
His Reception at Erie — A Remark of McKenzie — President
Madison— Congress— Prizes  238
CHAPTER XVII.
Block-houses built in 1813-14 — State of Society — Buffalo burned
— Alarms at Erie — Capt. Sinclair arrives — Bird, Rankin, and
Davis executed — Disposition made of Government Vessels —
List of Commanding Officers at Erie from 1813 to 1825 —
Topography of Presqu'ile Bay and the Peninsula — Misery
Bay — Gen. Bernard and Maj. Totten's Survey — Appropria
tions made by the State and the United States — Changes
since 1813 — Rise and fall of Water in Lake Erie — A singular
Phenomenon — Lake Survey  246
CHAPTEB XVIII.
Geology from Professor Rogers — Character of the Soil — Calca
reous Marl— Bog Ore— Petroleum — Mineral Waters — Descrip
tion of the Sink -hole by Mr. R. Andrews— The Devil's Back
bone and Nose — Botanizing  255

CONTENTS. Xiii
CHAPTER XIX.
Miscellaneous Items, among which are: A Tradition— Gen.
Wayne— An Anecdote— Price of Provisions— Wm. W. Reed,
Esq.— First National Celebration— Churches— The Garrison
—A Relic— Saturday Afternoon— Game— Mrs. P.'s Reminis
cences— H. Russel's Journal— An Early Settler in Fairview—
La, Fayette's Visit in Erie— Cholera— Perry Monument— An
Informal Meeting— Speculation— Fires— Sad Accidents— Ex-
President Adams — Patriot War— Old Courthouse Bell— Pio
neers— Perry— Lieut. Yarnall— Survivors of the Battle of Lake
Erie— Perry Monument at Cleveland— Inventions— Mora
vian Lands— Omissions— Bankers and Exchange Brokers. . 270

SUPPLEMENT.

SECTION I.
The Shipyard of the Griffon — Northern State Boundary —
Ownership of the Peninsula — The Pontiac Conspiracy — Le
Boeuf— Letters of a Surveyor, etc. — Scenery. .'  303
SECTION II.
Magnitude of the Great Lakes— -Lake Currents— Fish Exhibit
— Hatcheries— Ancient Mariner— The Lighthouses — Flash
Lighthouse — Life-saving Station — Waterworks — War for the
Union — Soldiers and Sailors' Home  319
SECTION III.
Johnson Island Plot — United States Steamer Michigan — Rev
enue Cutters — Railroads — Rapid Transit — Liberty Bells-
Erie — Some Towns and Townships — Grapes — Postoffices—
Census — City Hall — Government Building — Petroleum — Gas
— The Weather — Parks — Massassauga — Height of Lakes. . . 341
SECTION IV.
Biographies of Dr. Usher Parsons— Capt. W. W. Dobbins (an
extract) — Oliver H. Perry — Maj. Andrew Ellicott — Two For-

XIV CONTENTS.
eigners— Dr. F. N. Thorpe— Rev. C. Dickson, D.D.— William
Wallace, Esq.— Wallace Family— Judge Converse— Rev. T.
H. Robinson, D.D. — Judge A. Tourgee — Bishop J. F.
Spaulding — Rev. Dr. Stuckenberg — Dr. Artemas Martin —
Rev. Dr. Chamberlain — Miss E. Ditto— Dr. and Ernest Inger
soll — Rev. K. Fullerton — Messrs. Perkins — Judge James
Thompson and family — Hon. William L. Scott — Visits of
Nine Presidents — Citizens mentioned . . ,  376
SECTION V.
Churches — Revivals — Missionary Annual Meeting — Public
Schools — Academy — Villa Maria — Lake Shore Seminary — St.
Benedict-Clark'S Business College— W. C. T. U.-,Y. M. C. A.
— Hamot and St. Vincent Hospitals — Home of the Friendless
—Three New Charities — Bequests of John Weis and R. Wil
cox — Sisters of St. Joseph  . . . 407
SECTION VI.
Water Commissioners— Hon. W. L. Scott— Palatial Residences
— The Wadena — Ore Docks — Trestle — Metric Metal — Railroads
—County Roads— Freight Report — Banks — Disasters — Storage
—Homeopathic Hospital — A Synopsis — World's Fair Awards. 434

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.

CHAPTEE I.
An Account of the .Eries— Traditions Concerning Them— Their De
struction—Symbols found on Kelly's or Cunningham's Island—
Indian Remains. " A noble race ! but they are gone,
With their old forests wide and deep,
And we have built our homes upon
Fields where their generations sleep."— Bryant.
At the beginning of the seventeenth century the fierce and
powerful Indian tribe called Erigas, Eries, Erie-honons, Mad
Spirits or Cat tribe, occupied the southern borders of the lake
now bearing their name. The same tribe was known to the
French as the Neutral nation or Chats, and to the Dutch as
Shaonons or Satanas. Champlain, in his first map, made no
mention of them, locating other tribes in their territory ;
subsequently he heard of them when in the Huron country.
The territory they occupied, according to Charleroix, was the
celebrated valley of the Niagara Biver. On its northern
margin they were found spreading both east and west on the
shores of Lakes Erie and Ontario, but not to any great dis
tance. Shea describes the localities of the tribes thus : "The
Wyandots, traders of the West, lay in their densely-peopled
villages, well fortified by ditch and palisade, on a small penin
sula in Lake Huron ; southwest lay their allies, the Tionon-
tates, whose luxuriant fields of tobacco won for them and
their fertile hills the name of Petuns ; and south and east of
these, stretching beyond the Niagara and its marvelous
cataract, lay the many clans of the Atiwandaronk, friends to
the Huron and Algonquin, friends, too, to the Iroquois, and
called by the French the Neutral nation ; east of these, in
15

16 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY. ¦ ./
New York, stretching from the Genesee to the mouth of the
Mohawk, lay the five clans of the Hohnnonchiendi, whose
name remains in the natural features of New York, and who
are now known collectively by the French name Iroquois ;
west of these, on the southern shore of Lake Erie, lay the far-
famed archers, the Eries nr Cat tribe, who have melted away
like a dream ; on the Susquehanna were the Andastes, or
Conastagues, friends of the Huron and Swede, few but brave."
The Eries at this time numbered twenty-eight villages, and
twelve large towns or forts ; these contained 12,000 souls, 4,000
of whom were fighting men.
In 1653, Le Moyne, an adopted Indian and priest, took his
departure from Quebec, and landing at Oswego proceeded to
the town of Onondaga. Here he was received with pomp,
and after offering the authorities presents from the French
governor, he commended to them peace and the faith of
which he was the minister. Captive Hurons, of whom there
were no less than a thousand in their midst, had prepared the
way for the missionary by their instructions, causing the
adults and children to desire baptism at his hands. Among
others, a chief setting out against the Eries, on the eve of hik
departure begged for baptism. The prudent missionary coun
seled him to defer the rite to a future time, when he would
¦visit them again. " Ah, brother ! " exclaimed the chief, " if I
have the faith can I not be a Christian to-day? Art thou
master of death, to prevent its striking me without thy order ?
Will the shafts of the foe be blunted for me? Must I, at
every step in battle, dread hell rather than death ? Unless
thou baptize me I shall not dare to meet the blows. Baptize
me, for I will obey thee, and give thee my word to live and
die a Christian." Such entreaties could not be resisted, and
Le Moyne being persuaded of the chieftain's fitness, baptized
him by the name of John Baptist, and the next day each set
out on his different career. The baptized warrior was success
ful. Inspired by his zeal, the braves when surrounded by
the Eries, invoked the God of the Christian, and vowed to
embrace the faith if victory were granted. The tide of battle
was changed, and the thousand braves of Onondaga drove an
Erie force, which quadrupled theirs, from a strong post and

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY. 17
won the day. Thus does even a corrupt Christianity inspire
its possessors, and thus may paganism ever fall before the
gospel. 1
A semi-educated Tuscarora, David Cusic, published a, pam
phlet of Indian traditions, in Western New York, in 1825.
This writing, though crude, ill digested, and generally obscure,
throws much light on the history of the Eries. In 1626,
among the first efforts made by New France to civilize the
Indians, the Eries were visited ; and the peculiarity for which
they are most celebrated was first brought into notice, that of
neutrality among fierce'and powerful tribes. Hence they are
called by the French the Neutral nation.
They were under the government of a queen, called Yago-
wanea, or as called by the French and Senecas, Gegosasa.
According to Cusic, she was a second Zenobia. The settle
ment of Canada by the French produced a division in" the
great Iroquois family— the Wyandots adhering to the Gallic
side, and the Five Nations to the Dutch and English. In this
feud of the Iroquois, the Algonquins or Adirondacks, who
were at war with them formerly, were glad to make allies of
the French and Wyandots. Between these the Eries occupied
a geographical position on the banks of the Niagara, and had
already become closely allied to the Wyandots and Five
Nations. Neutrality was their only salvation — they were in a
delicate position, and great wisdom was indispensable to its
preservation. Gegosasa was called the mother of nations,
and her wampum and peace-pipe were held sacred. Pro
tected by the sanctity of Gegosasa's character and office as
keeper of the symbolic house of peace, she received messen
gers and ambassadors from the Five Nations, Wyandots,
Mississaques, and others. Her authority extended much
farther than her territory, but one inconsiderate act brought
destruction to her nation after long and bloody wars. Two
Canandaigua warriors (Senecas) were announced at her lodge,
and began to smoke the pipe of peace, when a deputation
from the Mississaques was also announced. The object of
1 The name of Le Moyne is again found as a leader when Schenectady,
in 1690, was destroyed, and the most inhuman cruelties were perpetrated
by a party of Canadian French Indians, being one of the three parties
fitted out by Count Frontenao to distress the British Colonies.

18 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
their visit was soon made known, and their request, which
was to demand vengeance for the murder of their chief's son,
was immediately granted. Intelligence of this violation of
neutrality on the part of Gegosasa spread in every direction.
The queen dispatched messengers to explain her position to
Bagnatha (Buffalo), where the principal commander of the
Eries resided. She even undertook herself to execute the
commission ; but a meddling woman also stepped off quietly,
taking a canoe along the shore of Lake Ontario, and com
municated the death of the Canandaigua chief. Spies were
sent by the Senecas to ascertain the truth of the rumors, who,
without exciting suspicion, learned the facts from some boys
found hunting squirrels, and an army was raised in hot haste.
As a decoy, a man was dressed in bear-skin and directed to sit
in the path, and when pursued, to lead the way into ambush.
The plan succeeded, and the Eries were brought into the
midst of crouching Senecas, who sounded the war-whoop most
terrifically, but themselves, after a severe contest, were forced
to flee. Afterward they rallied and fought with great desper
ation, and the Eries were compelled to yield, leaving 600 slain
warriors on the battle-field.
In this first war of the Eries, which occurred in 1634, they
proved themselves no despicable enemy. In 1653 they again
engaged in war with the Iroquois. In this contest " Greek
met Greek," and the event, otherwise doubtful, was decided
by a pestilence which prevailed and swept off greater num
bers even than the club and arrow. After their defeat,
according to Seneca tradition, they fled down the Ohio, and
the once sacred peace-lodge of Yagowanea was demolished.
They were compelled to leave the land where Niagara pours
its echoes and animates to heroic deeds. The Iroquois they
found the worst of conquerors — inordinate pride, thirst of
blood and dominion were the mainspring of their warfare,
and their victories were stained with every excess of passion.
When their vengeance was glutted by the sacrifice of a
sufficient number of captives, they adopted the survivors as
members of their confederate tribes, separating wives from
husbands and children from parents, and distributing them
among different villages, in order that old ties and associa-

HISTORY OF ERIK COUNTY. 19
tions might be more completely broken. This policy, as
Schoolcraft informs us, was designated among them by a
name which signified "flesh cut into pieces and scattered
among the tribes." Jefferson says of them: "They fled to
distant regions of the West and South, and wherever they
fled they were followed by the undying hatred of the Iroquois.
In accordance with the threat of the Onondagas, their council
fire was put out, and their name and lineage as a tribe lost."
When the Jesuits visited the Onondagas, a Neuter was the
first adult baptized. They were living then among them as
helots, and bore their chains impatiently. They panted for
freedom, their numbers giving them confidence. At one time
they formed a plot to cut off their oppressors, but when aid
was refused them by the French missionaries to whom they
applied, they ceased to hope for deliverance. In 1674 the
Eries are mentioned as constituting a part of the Christian
village just then formed at La Prairie.
The various nations have long since fused into one, losing
all distinctive trace of origin, and no clue of names can enable
us to distinguish the Neutral element in the present Iroquois
race. In the history of the Jesuit missions we find several of
that order penetrated the country of the Eries or Neuters
from the year 1626 to the year 1640. Among them are the
names of Father Joseph De la Roche, D'Allyon, Brabceuf,
Noue, Chaumount, and Sayard. They were received with
coldness and distrust, in spite of which they remained some
months preaching in ten of their villages and endeavoring to
enter and obtain a knowledge of the country.
The efforts of De la Boche (who at first was quite a favorite)
to find the mouth of the Niagara, excited their jealousy, and
after they had robbed and beaten him severely, he was forced
to depart.
The missionaries described the country as being finer than
Canada, and producing an abundance of tobacco and grain.
Brabceuf and Chaumount, by the aid of a charitable and
intelligent native woman, compared the Huron and Neuter
dialects. The result is lost, but Chaumount, in his manu
script, makes the Neuters, Hurons, and Iroquois use parts of
the same language. They dressed in the most primitive

20 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
style. In their manners they resembled the Hurons, but did
not, like them, engage in commerce.
Brabceuf foresaw that the French must have a post among
thein in order to extend commerce and Christianity, but their
jealousy prevented his taking out his astrolabe to find the lati
tude of the Niagara River, and he had to content himself with
roughly estimating it at 42 degrees. The missionary, Sayard,
suffered at the stake, and the cognizance of the Jesuits was
from that time withdrawn from the Eries. When the valley
was finally opened it was in possession of the Senecas, and a
tradition was rife corresponding with that of Cusic, that the
Eries had been expelled in a bloody war and exterminated.
And these traditions extend down almost to our own day.
David Eddy, a resident of Hamburg, near Buffalo, and who
settled there in 1804, relates that in early times there was an
Indian living upon the reservation who probably was 115
years of age. He was a Christian, and had been a peace
maker through life, and related to Mr. Eddy the following :
That a nation called the Eries once inhabited all that region —
that they were a powerful, warlike people, dreaded and feared
by all other tribes, but were finally warred upon and their
country conquered by the Senecas.
Fortifications and mounds in Western New York indicate a
race more skillful and persevering than the Senecas or the
Indians known to the first white travelers. In many cases
the mounds have trees growing upon them, the circles of
which date them back a period of 300 years. Symbols of this
extinct race have been found on Cunningham's or Kelly's
Island, near Sandusky, Ohio. This island is about three
miles long and two broad, and in consequence of the fine air,
and its facilities for fishing and bathing, is a favorite summer
resort. It is now, also, highly cultivated, and noted for pro
ducing an abundance of the finest grapes. The island is
described as having a horizontal limestone basis like the main
land, and rises fifteen feet above the water level. Where the
rock is exposed, it appears to have been polished by diluvial or
glacial action. The Indian remains discovered there consist
of pictographic characters on the rocks, and earth-work em
bankments.

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY. 21
A drawing of these was made upon strong paper in 1851,
and transmitted to Mr. George Johnson, of Sault St. Marie, a
gentleman well versed in Indian languages, and by him was
submitted to the examination of Shingowank, or Little Pine.
The result of his inquiries was, that the island was the strong
hold of the Eries during their fierce and unsuccessful contest
with the Iroquois. On the south side of the island there is a
crest-shaped and irregular earth-work, which has the general
appearance of an embankment or circumvallation intended to
inclose and defend a village. The embankment is 1246 feet
around the crest-shaped part, and about 400 feet on the rock
brink of the island. Another embankment on the western
side is 614 feet front and 1243 feet around. Within these have
been found stone axes, pipes, perforations, bone fish-hooks,
fragments of pottery, arrow-heads, net-sinkers, and frag
ments of human bones. The arrow-heads were found in a
fissure of the rock in large quantities, were evidently new,
and had been concealed in this kind of rude armory ; with
them was found the largest species of axe figured, which had
been apparently used. Five small mounds or burrows were
also found on the southern and western parts of the island.
On the north shore, on a bay, there is a brief pictographic in
scription on a boulder, which has been reversed by the force of
the waters in a tempest.
The interest of this, however, is inferior to that excited by a
sculptured rock thirty feet by twenty-one, lying on the south
shore of the island, about 200 feet from the west angle of
the inclosure. The surface is smoothly polished, as well as
the deeply-cut inscription, apparently by glacial attrition.
According to Schoolcraft "it is the most extensive, and well-
sculptured, and well-preserved inscription of the kind ever
found in America." Its leading symbols are readily inter
preted, and tell a thrilling story, in which the European acts
a part. There are many subordinate figures which require
study. In some, the atmosphere and lake action have de
stroyed the connection, and others are of an anomalous char
acter. The whole inscription is manifestly connected with
the occupation of the basin of the lake by the Eries, the
coming of the Wyandots, and of the final flight of the people

22 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
which have left their name upon the lake. There is an
attempt to denote the position of Lake Erie ; pictures of two
brothers surveying a scene of carnage — a pipe reversed, which
indicates that they are despairing and agonized. They are
wild forest Indians, being drawn without hats. The date of
these inscriptions is placed at 1625.
The Eries were known to be in "the plenitude of their
power and barbaric boast of strength and influence" at the
period of the first discoveries of the French in the beginning
of the seventeenth century. From the French they learned
the use of firearms, and the Iroquois from the Dutch about
the same time.
About five miles south of Franklin, Venango County, or
nine by the river, on the left bank of the Allegheny, is a
large rock covered with symbols or hieroglyphics, known by
the present inhabitants as the "Indian God." Among the
figures may be distinguished a turtle, a snake, an eye, an
arrow, a sun, etc., symbols which undoubtedly record the
exploits and illustrious actions of departed and forgotten
nations. They have never been examined, that we are aware
of, by any one capable of deciphering them. Many Indian
graves are in the vicinity.
The only traces of an Indian village in Erie County are near
Waterford, where there is a burying ground, plum orchard,
and other evidences of the Indians having chosen the hills
around Lake Le Boeuf, and the beautiful creeks which flow
into and from it, for their homes and hunting-grounds. The
Six Nations were found in this region by the first white
travelers (in fact, it was purchased from them), and yet com
paratively few Indian remains are discovered. On the ridge a
mile south and east of Erie, in making excavations, perhaps
twenty years ago, a great number of human bones were found
and graves opened, so that Mr. Colt, the owner of the land,
considered it almost desecration to disturb them, and ordered
the workmen to desist, feeling that it would be more appro
priate to place a monument there.
An Indian mound was opened near the mouth of Walnut
Creek (in which vicinity many relics are found), and some,
fragments of decomposed human skeletons were all that could

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY. 23
be discovered. Two miles west of this mound is an embank
ment covered with the ordinary forest growth, which is
known as the Old Indian Fort. A small stream near by is
called Fort Run.
There are also remains of an Indian fort between Girard and
Springfield. From a grave in this vicinity, some years ago, a
thigh bone was exhumed which measured four inches longer
than that of a man with which it was compared, who was six
feet and two inches in height. About a mile south of Girard,
arrow-heads, pipes, pestles for pounding corn, etc., have been
found. Near Mr. Gould's, in Springfield, four or five years
since, more than fifty arrows, axes, etc., were found in one col
lection, just below the surface in the public road.
An ancient double fortification, inclosing about two acres,
-upon the Pomeroy farm, a mile or two northwest of Cranes-
ville, has been pretty much farmed over. On the top of the
bank, in 1830, oak trees four or five feet in diameter were
growing. Skinning-stones, arrow-heads, an enormous skele
ton, and many other relics were found within the fort. A
bed of coals a foot and a half below the surface appeared to be
the remains of the fire of the occupants.
About one hundred yards above, on the opposite bank of the
creek, was another fort, similar in appearance, and contain
ing about the same quantity of ground. They are supposed to
have been the encampments of two opposing armies.
In Scouler's woods, east of Erie, is an Indian burying-
ground. Mr. Fredrick Zimmerman described a very large
skeleton which was found there ; with it were two copper
bowls perforated at the edges and laced together with a buck
skin thong, which fell to dust soon after being exposed to the
air. The bowls, which would contain about a pint each, were
found filled with beads.
A year or two since, on the farm of Judge Sterrett, four or
five miles east of Erie, several skeletons were found in a
sitting posture, facing the east, with drinking vessels near
them. The same posture has been observed in other Indian
graves in this vicinity. We are not aware that any antiqua
rian has particularly examined these relics, or whether they
resemble in their general features those of New York and

24 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
Ohio, which are said to give evidence of a race more skillful
and persevering than the Iroquois. There is a tradition, as we
have seen, that the Eries two hundred years ago possessed our
soil ; and still another, that the Massassagufe had their hunt
ing-grounds and lighted their council fires near the head
waters of the Allegheny. It is difficult to realize that our
fair lands were so recently under the dominion of the hideous,
painted savages, and that but little more than two generations
have passed since heathenish rites and ceremonies prevailed,
and the bow and arrow gave place to the peaceful arts of civil
ized life.

CHAPTER II.

La Salle — The Griffon — Relics — Governor Shirley's Proposition —
Braddock's Advice — Governor Delancy's Plan — Estimating
Presqu'ile — Hudson's Bay Company.
Among the adventurers who sought fame and fortune in the
American wilderness, stood conspicuously Robert Cavalier,
Sieur de la Salle, a young man of eminence and learning. He
had received from Louis XIV. the rank of nobleman, a large do
main, and an exclusive trading privilege with the Five Nations,
but his ambition was far from being satisfied with these. To
extend the bounds of New France and to open commerce with
Europe seemed to be his great object, and to this end he pro
posed a plan which was carried out many years after — that of
establishing military posts on the waters of the Mississippi.
August 7, 1679, he launched the first wooden vessel that
ever floated upon Lake Erie and called it " The Griffon," in
allusion to the arms of Count Frontenac, Governor-General of
Canada, and who had honored La Salle with his friendship. 1
i There has been a diversity of opinions as to the locality of the Griffon
ship-yard. Schoolcraft says near Buffalo ; General Cass, at Erie ; Sparks,
on the Canadian side of the Niagara; Bancroft, in his first edition, at the
mouth of Tonawanta Creek (see his letter). Others, who have carefully
examined the subject, and have had the best opportunity for judging, are
firm in the belief that the keel was laid at the mouth of Cayuga Creek,
on the American side of the Niagara, about six miles above the Great
Falls. In the vicinity, it has long been known by the name of the "Old
Ship-yard." .La Salle is now a railroad station there. Bancroft's state
ment is in the first edition only of the History of the United States. See
Bancroft's note on the subject.

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY. 25
The Griffon was of sixty tons burden, and built at Cayuga
Creek, six miles above the falls, on the American side. The
Iroquois had gone to war beyond the lake while the Griffon
was building ; the few that remained manifested their dissatis
faction, and one, affecting to be drunk, attempted to kill a
blacksmith. They were advised that some Senecas intended
setting fire to the vessel while on the stocks, but a very strict
watch was kept constantly. The Senecas refused to sell them
Indian corn, and they had many fears of a failure of pro
visions, but Sunday exhortations kept up the courage of the
workmen. Two savages of the Wolf tribe were engaged to
hunt the roebuck, and other species of deer, for their use.
The workmen were stimulated by the impression that the
enterprise had sole reference to the glory of God, and the wel
fare of the Christian colonies. When the vessel was launched,
it was blessed according to the Church of Borne. It was a
moving fort, causing the savages to tremble wherever it was
known. The Griffon passed the violent rapids of Lake Erie
almost by miracle, the pilot himself having fears. They
spread all sail, the wind being stormy, and in the most diffi
cult places the sailors threw out lines which were drawn by
ten or twelve men on the shore. After having chanted
Te Deum, they fired all their cannon or arbesques in the
presence of the Iroquois warriors and the captives they had
Drought from Tin-ton-ha, or people of the prairie.
It was freighted with provisions, merchandise, and seven
small cannon, and had on board thirty-two passengers, being
mostly fur traders and priests. In twenty days this perilous
voyage was accomplished, and the pioneer vessel cast anchor
in Green Bay. On the passage they encountered a severe
storm. Among other tarryings, they gathered fruits, and
made wine of the wild grapes of Michigan, discussed the
question of planting a colony at Detroit, and established a
trading-house at Mackinaw. At Green Bay the vessel was
loaded with the finest furs, and again set sail for Niagara, but
was never afterward heard from with certainty. Hennepin
says : " It came to anchor at the mouth of the Lake Illinois,
where it was seen by some savages, who told us that they ad
vised our men to sail along the coast, and not toward the

26 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
middle of the lake, because of the sands that make the lake
dangerous when there are high winds. Our pilot, as I said
before, was dissatisfied, and would steer as he pleased, without
hearing to the advice of the savages, who, generally speaking,
have more sense than the Europeans think at first. But the
ship was hardly a league from the coast when it was tossed up
by a violent storm in such a manner that our men were never
heard from since ; and it is supposed that the ship struck
upon a sand, and was there buried. This was a great loss, for
the ship and cargo cost 60,000 livres. The rigging, anchors,
and goods were brought by canoes from Quebec and Fort
Frontinac, which is such a vast charge that the carriage of
every hundredweight cost eleven livres." Another author
says the Griffon was lost a few days after leaving the Bay of
Fetid. This and other misfortunes completely disheartened
the daring traveler, as evinced by the name "Crevecceur,"
which he gave his fort built the same winter. After seven
years of wanderings and adverse fortune, La Salle was basely
robbed and murdered by one of his own men, and left with
out sepulture on the prairie, to be devoured by the wild beasts.
Parkman says of La Salle : " Ten years of his early life had
passed in connection with the Jesuits, and his strong mind
had hardened to iron under the discipline of that relentless
school. To a sound judgment and penetrating sagacity, he
joined a boundless enterprise and an adamantine constancy of
purpose. But his nature was stern and austere — he was prone
to rule by fear rather than love — he took counsel of no man,
and chilled all who approached him by his cold reserve."
There was a tradition among the Jesuits that the Griffon was
driven ashore in a gale, the crew murdered, and the vessel
plundered. Judging from relics found at different times, this
may have occurred near Buffalo. In the Buffalo Commercial
Advertiser, of January 26, 1848, a communication appears from
James W. Peters, of East Evans, Erie County : " Some thirty-
five or forty years ago, on the Ingersoll farm, in Hamburg,
below the Eighteen-mile Creek, and on a high bank in the
woods, was found by Mr. Ingersoll a large quantity of
wrought-iron, supposed to be 700 or 800 weight. It was
evidently taken off a vessel, was of superior quality, much

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY. 27
eaten by rust, and sunken deep in the soil. A large tree had
fallen across it which was rotted and mixed with the earth.
There were trees growing over the iron from six to twelve
inches in diameter, which had to be grubbed up before all the
iron could be reached. About twenty-seven years since, a
man by the name of Walker, after a heavy blow on the lake,
found on the beach, near where the irons were found, a
cannon, and immediately under it a second one. I was there
not forty-eight hours after they were found ; they were much
defaced by age and rust, and filled up with sand. I cleared off
enough from one to lay a number of the letters bare. The
words were French, and so declared at the time. The horns
or trunnions were knocked off."
The venerable D. Eddy, of Hamburg, says : "In 1805 there
was found upon the lake shore, where a large body of sand
and gravel had been removed during a violent gale, a beauti
ful anchor. It was taken to Buffalo and Black Bock, and ex
cited a good deal of curiosity ; but no one could determine to
what vessel it belonged." A record of the loss of a vessel at
a later period than that of La Salle would in all probability
have been preserved, and we may reasonably conclude that
the iron, cannon, and anchor were those of the Griffon.
In the Maryland Gazette, August 23, 1759, we find the fol
lowing : " By a letter from Niagara, of the 21st ult., we learn
that by the assistance and influence of Sir William Johnson
there were upwards of eleven hundred Indians convened
there, who by their good behavior have justly gained the
esteem of the whole army ; that Sir William being informed
that the enemy had buried a quantity of goods on an island
about twenty miles from the post, sent a number of Indians to
search for them, who found to the value of eight thousand
pounds, and were in hopes of finding more ; and that a French
vessel, entirely laden with beaver, had foundered on the lake,
where her crew, consisting of forty-one men, were all lost."
This vessel, lost eighty years after the Griffon, we have no ac
count of elsewhere. The relics found at Hamburg were but
forty-six years after this time — not a sufficient period to cause
the appearance those relics presented, the anchor deeply im
bedded in sand and gravel, the timber growth, etc.

28 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
About 1750, Governor Shirley, of Massachusetts, in writing
to Secretary Robinson, proposed the plan of building one or
two vessels on each of the lakes — Erie and Ontario — with
which, and a few small fortified places of shelter upon the
Ohio, he expected to curb the French, who were at this time
the frequent occasion of difficulties and murders. Two years
after, General Braddock named Presqu'ile as a suitable place
to build vessels for securing the navigation of Lake Erie,
which, he says, " together with those designed for Lake
Ontario, would make the English masters of the great lakes
and the Ohio country, until the French can get a force upon
those lakes, which it seems very difficult, if not impossible
for them to do when our vessels are cruising upon them,"
General Braddock also requested that a magazine of pro
visions in the back of Pennsylvania be established, from
whence to supply himself by a road through the mountains to
the waters of the Ohio — " the road to extend to Venango and
Niagara, which would be of infinite use in subsisting the
troops, as that region abounds more with provisions than any
other colony in North America."
The estimation in which Presqu'ile was held one hundred
years ago will be seen in a letter dated August 7, 1755, from
Lieutenant-Governor De Lancy to Secretary Bobinson : " The
third method of distressing the French is by way of Oswego ;
to go thither we pass, as I observed before, through the coun
try of our Indian friends — by water it is a much less expen
sive carriage than by land — from Oswego we may go westward
by water through Lake Ontario to Niagara. If we become
masters of this pass, the French cannot go to reinforce or
victual their garrisons at Presqu'ile, Beeve Biver, or on the
Ohio but with great difficulty and expense, and by a tedious,
long passage. From the fort at Niagara there is a land
carriage of about three leagues to the waters above the falls ;
thence we go to Lake Erie, and so to the Fort Presqu'ile ; and
if we take that, the French can carry no supplies of pro
visions, nor send men to the head of Beeve Biver (Le Bceuf)
or to the Fort Du Quesne on the Ohio, and of^ course those forts
will be abandoned. The same batteaux which carry the train,
provisions, etc., for the army to Oswego may carry them to

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY. 29
Niagara, and being transported above the falls, the same may
carry them to Presqu'ile, the fort on the south side of Lake
Erie, so that it will be practicable to bring the expense of such
an expedition into a moderate compass — far less than the ex
pense of wagons, horses, etc., which are necessary in an expe
dition by land from Virginia to Ohio ; besides that, proceed
ing from Virginia to Fort Du Quesne, if it be taken, it is only
cutting off a toe, but taking Presqu'ile you lop off a limb from
the French and greatly disable them."
Relating to the commerce of Lake Erie, we find that as
early as 1669 the Hudson's Bay Company was incorporated,
and transported its goods, provisions, and peltries in batteaux
for many years after.
In 1789 the British had vessels on Lake Erie for the trans
portation of his Majesty's troops and effects. The subject of
commerce and shipping on Lake Erie is continued in Chapter
XI.

CHAPTER III.

The English and French Claims — Construction of Forts Presqu'ile
(Erie) and Le Bceuf (Waterford) — Washington's Visit — Condition
of these Forts in 1756, '57, '58, and '59 — Their Desertion after the
Taking of Fort Niagara — Tradition in Erie — Major Rogers takes
Possession for the English in 1760. >
The treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle, of 1748, which closed the war
in Europe, left the boundaries of the French and English
possessions in America undefined. In the opinion of the
French, the discovery of the mouth of the St. Lawrence and
of the Mississippi entitled their sovereign to the territory
watered by those streams. The abstract of Sieur de Cham
plain, 1612, claims for them the possession of all the countries
from Florida to Cape Breton prior to any other Christian
nation. Afterward this was renewed by Sieur de la Salle,
with thirty Frenchmen, among whom were Mons. Joliet,
priest and superior of the seminary at Montreal, and Father
Marquette, who made a tour of Lake Erie and took possession
of the circumjacent lands. Celeron de Bienville, with a com-

30 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
pany of 300 men, was sent out by the Governor of Canada in
1749 to make peace among the tribes and to renew the French
possession of the country. He dispensed presents to the In
dians, reminded them of their former friendships, and warned
them not to trade with the English. He also nailed leaden
plates to the trees, and buried them in the earth at the con
fluence of the Ohio and its tributaries. One of these plates
was found a few years since at the junction of the Great
Kanawha and Ohio, dated January 18 ; another at Muskin
gum the 16th of August ; and a third at Venango (Franklin).
The following is a literal translation of the one last named :
" In the year 1749, in the reign of Louis XV., King of France,
we, Celeron, commandant of a detachment by Monsieur the
Marquis of Galissoniere, commander-in-chief of New France,
to establish tranquillity in certain villages of these cantons,
have buried this plate at the confluence of Toradakoin, this
29th of July, near the Biver Ohio, otherwise beautiful river,
as a monument of renewal of possession which we have taken
of the said river, inasmuch as the preceding kings of France
have enjoyed this possession and maintained it by their arms
and by treaties, especially by those of Byswick, Utrecht, and
Aix-la-Chapelle. ' '
The Indians regarded these plates with suspicion, and said,
"They mean to steal our country from us" ; and these sus
picions were not groundless, for in a few years the French un
ceremoniously possessed themselves of their best tracts for
trading-houses and fortifications.
June 30, 1749, a letter was received by express from General
Clinton, purporting that two New England men, on their re
turn from Canada, where they had been to solicit the release
of some prisoners, reported that they saw an army of 1,000
French ready to go on some expedition, and they were in
formed it was to prevent any settlements being made by the
English on Belle Riviere ; whereupon it was determined to
dispatch a messenger to Mr. George Croghan, with a request
that he would go immediately to Allegheny, and on his
arrival send away a trader, or some person he could confide
in, to the lakes or to the eastward, to discover whether any
French were coming in those parts, and if any, in what num-

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY. 31
ber, and what appearance they made, that the Indians might
be apprised and put upon their guard.
January, 1750. — The Governor informed the council that
three several letters, of an extraordinary nature, in French,
signed "Celeron," were delivered to him by the French
traders who came from Allegheny, informing him that this
Captain Celeron was a French officer, and had the command
of three hundred French and some Indians sent this summer
to Ohio and the Wabash from Canada, to reprove the Indians
for their friendship to the English, and for suffering the
English to trade with them. The Governor sent one of the
letters to the proprietaries in London, and another to the
Governor of New York, that the same might be laid before
the ministry.
A letter from George Croghan, dated Logstown, in Ohio,
December 16, 1750, contains the intelligence that he arrived
the 15th, and was told by Indians that they saw Jean Coeur
150 miles up the river, where he intended building a fort.
The Indians he had seen were of opinion that the English
should have a fort or forts on this river to secure the trade.
They expected a war with the French the next spring.
February 6. — In a letter of Governor Clinton, dated Fort
George, January 29, 1750, is the following: "I send you a
copy of an inscription on a leaden plate stolen from Jean
Cceur, in the Senecas' country, as he was going to the Ohio."
The claim of England to this region was founded on a grant
of King James the First, dated 1606, and confirmed in 1620, to
divers of his subjects, of all the countries between north lati
tude 48° and 34°, and westward from the Atlantic Ocean to the
South Sea — not a right only to the seacoast, but to all the
inland country from sea to sea. England had, also, through
commissioners from Maryland, Virginia, and Pennsylvania,
purchased western lands from the Six Nations. This treaty
was held at Lancaster in 1744, between 252 Indians, with
Conrad Weiser as friend and interpreter, and the Governor of
Pennsylvania, with Col. Thomas Lee and Col. William
BeVerly, of Virginia. The commissioners of Maryland paid
for their purchase £220 in goods ; Virginia, £220 in gold and
the same amount in goods, with promises that more should be

32 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
paid as settlements increased. The chief subsequently dis
puted the sale of any lands west of the Warrior's Road, which
was at the foot of the Allegheny ridge. In reality the Indians
were intoxicated through the whole conference, and it was
only through much ingenuity and persuasion that they were
induced to sign a deed confirming the Lancaster treaty in its
full extent, which was effected at Logstown, seventeen miles
below Pittsburg, in 1752.
The year before, in 1751, it was rumored that the French
were aware of the difficulties they would have to encounter in
maintaining their position in New France, and were taking
measures to meet them. Capt. Lindsay wrote Col. Johnson,
to whom all such affairs were referred, ' ' that Bunt and Black
Prince's son with their fighters had come in, and that the
French had built two forts, one at Niagara carrying place,
and the other on the Ohio River by Joncaire ; that they had
heard a bird sing that a great many Indians from his castle,
and others from the Five Nations, were gone to Swegage ' ' ;
in fine, that the English would lose all the Indians if they
did not bestir themselves.
Early in 1753 the French sent out a detachment from Mon
treal to erect other fortifications, to make good their claim by
force of arms if they met with opposition, and to oblige all
English subjects to evacuate. Oswego they were instructed
not to molest in consideration of Cape Breton — any other post
the English had settled near or claimed was to be reduced if
not quitted immediately. A narrative of this expedition from
Montreal, and the building of Forts Presqu'ile and Le Bceuf,
is to be found in the following deposition of Stephen Coffin,
which was made to Col. Johnson, of New York, January 10,
1754. Coffin was a New Englander who had been taken
prisoner by the Brench and Indians of Canada, at Menis, in
1747. He had served them in different capacities until 1752,
when, being detected in efforts to escape to his own country,
he was confined in jail in Quebec ; on his release he applied
to Governor Du Quesne to be sent with the forces to Ohio.
In his own words — <' The deponent then applied to Mayor
Bamsey for liberty to go with the army to Ohio, who told
him he would ask the Lieut, de Ruoy, who agreed to it;

HISTORY OP ERIE COUNTY. 33
upon which he was equipped as a soldier and sent with a
detachment of 300 men to Montreal under the command of
Mons. Babeer, who set off immediately with said command
by land and ice for Lake Erie. They in their way stopped
to refresh themselves a couple of days at Cadaraqui Fort,
also at Taranto on the north side of Lake Ontario, then at
Niagara Fort fifteen days from thence.
"They set off by water, being April, and arrived at Chada-
koin (Chautauqua) on Lake Erie, where they were ordered to
fell timber and prepare it for building a fort there, according to
the Governor's instructions ; but Mr. Morang coming up with
five hundred men and twenty Indians, put a stop to the erect
ing a fort at that place, by reason of his not liking the situa
tion, and the River Chadakoin being too shallow to carry out
any craft with provisions, etc. to Belle Riviere. 1 The de
ponent says there arose a warm debate between Messieurs
Babeer and Morang thereon, the first insisting on building a
fort there, agreeable to instructions, otherwise, on Morang
giving him an instrument in writing to satisfy the Governor
on that point, which Morang did, and then ordered Mons.
Mercie, who was both commissary and engineer, to go along
said lake and look for a situation, which he found, and re
turned in three days, it being fifteen leagues to the southwest
of Chadakoin. They were then ordered to repair thither;
when they arrived, there were about twenty Indians fishing
in the lake, who immediately quit on seeing the French.
They fell to work and built a square fort of chestnut logs,
squared and lapped over each other to the height of fifteen
feet. It is about one hundred and twenty feet square, a log-
house in each square, a gate to the southward, another to the
northward, not one port-hole cut in any part of it. When
finished, they called it Fort Presqu'ile. The Indians who
came from Canada with them returned very much out of
1 Lieutenant Holland of the English fort at Oswego observed Morain (or
Morang) with his fleet pass that point on the fourteenth of May, and
dispatched letters immediately to Colonel Johnson and Governor Clin
ton. He stated to the latter that there were " thirty odd French canoes,"
and that common report in Canada made the French army to consist
of 6,000 men and 500 Indians of the Coyhnawagas, Scenondidies, Ono-
gonguas, Oroondoks, and Chenundies tribes, who would not engage to
go to war with the English, but would hunt at so much per month for
the army.

34 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
temper, owing, it was said among the army, to Morang's
dogged behavior and ill usage of them ; but they (the Indians)
said at Oswego it was owing to the French misleading them,
by telling them falsehoods, which they said they now found
out, and left them. As soon as the fort was finished, they
marched southward, cutting a wagon road through a fine,
level country twenty-one miles to the river — (leaving Captain
Derpontency with one hundred men to garrison the Fort
Presqu'ile). They fell to work cutting timber boards, etc., for
another fort, while Mr. Morang ordered Mons. Bite with fifty
men to a place called by the Indians Ganagarahare, on the
banks of Belle Biviere, where the River Aux Bosufs empties
into it. In the meantime, Morang had ninety large boats
made to carry down the baggage, provisions, etc. to said
place. Mons. Bite, on coming to said Indian place, was
asked what he wanted or intended. He upon answering said,
'it was their father, the Governor of Canada's intention to
build a trading house for them and all their brethren's con
venience ' ; he was told by the Indians that the lands were
theirs, and that they would not have them build upon it.
The said Bite reported to Morang the situation was good, but
the water in the Biver Aux Boeufs too low at that time to
carry any craft with provisions, etc.
" A few days after, the deponent says, that about one hun
dred Indians, called by the French the Loos, came to the Fort
La Biviere Aux Boeufs to see what the French were doing ;
that Morang treated them very kindly, aud then asked them
to carry down some stone, etc. to the Belle Riviere, on horse
back, for payment, which he immediately advanced them on
their undertaking to do it. They set off with full loads, but
never delivered them to the French, which incensed them
very much, being not only a loss, but a great disappointment.
Morang, a man of very peevish, choleric disposition, meeting
with those and other crosses, and finding the season of the
year too far advanced to build the third fort, called all his
officers together, and told them that, as he had engaged and
firmly promised the Governor to finish these forts that season,
and not being able to fulfill the same, he was both afraid and
ashamed to return to Canada, being sensible he had now

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY. 35
forfeited the Governor's favor forever. Wherefore, rather than
live in disgrace, he begged they would take him (as he then
sat in a carriage made for him, being very sick sometimes) and
seat him in the middle of the fort, and then set fire to it and
let him perish in the flames, which was rejected by the offi
cers, who had not the least regard for him, as he had behaved
very ill to them all in general. The deponent further saith,
that about eight days before he left the Fort Presqu'ile,
Chevalier Le Crake arrived express from Canada in a birch
canoe worked by ten men, with orders (as the deponent after
ward heard) from the Governor Le Cain (Duquesne) to
Morang to make all the preparation possible against the
spring of the year to build them two forts at Chadakoin, one of
them by Lake Erie, the other at the end of the carrying place
at Lake Chadakoin, which carrying place is fifteen miles from
one lake to the other. The said Chevalier brought for M.
Morang a cross of St. Louis, which the rest of the officers
would not allow him to take until the Governor was
acquainted with his conduct and behavior. The Chevalier
returned immediately to Canada.
" After which, the deponent saith, when the Fort La Riviere
Aux Bceufs was finished (which is built of wood stockaded
triangularwise, and has two log-houses on the inside) M.
Morang ordered all the party to return to Canada for the
winter season, except three hundred men, which he kept to
garrison both forts and prepare materials against the spring
for the building of other forts. He also sent Jean Cceur, an
officer and interpreter, to stay the winter among the Indians
on the Ohio, in order to prevail with them not only to allow
the building of forts over there, but also to persuade them, if
possible, to join the French interests against the English.
The deponent further says that on the 28th of October last, he
set off for Canada under the command of Capt. Deman, who
had the command of twenty-two batteaux with twenty men
in each batteau, the remainder being seven hundred ; and
sixty men followed in a few days. The thirtieth arrived at
Chadakoin, where they stayed four days, during which time
M. Peon, with two hundred men, cut a wagon road over the
carrying place from Lake Erie to Lake Chadakoin, being

36 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
fifteen miles, viewed the situation, which proved to their
liking, and so set off November the third for Niagara, where
we arrived the sixth. It is a very poor, rotten, old wooden
fort with twenty-five men in it. They talk of rebuilding it
next summer. We left fifty men there to build batteaux for
the army against the spring, also a storehouse for provisions,
stores, etc. Stayed here two days, then set off for Canada.
All hands, being fatigued Avith rowing all night, ordered to
put ashore to breakfast within a mile of Oswego garrison ; at
which time the deponent saith that he, with a Frenchman,
slipped off and got to the fort, where they were concealed
until the enemy passed. From thence he came here. The
deponent further saith, that beside the three hundred men
with which he went up first under the command of M. Babeer,
and the five hundred Morang brought up afterward, there
came at different times, with stores, etc., one hundred men,
which made in all fifteen hundred men, three hundred of
which remained to garrison the two forts, fifty at Niagara ;
the rest all returned to Canada, and talked of going up again
this winter, so as to be there the beginning of April. They
had two six-pounders and seven four-pounders, which they in
tended to have planted in the fort at Ganagarahare (Frank
lin), which was to have been called the Governor's Fort ; but
as that was not built, they left the guns in the Fort La
Biviere Aux Bceufs, where Morang commands. Further the
deponent saith not."
The Indians of New York and the Allegheny country, as we
have seen, were allied to Great Britian. A deputation of
seven French Indians had been sent to Onondaga, the head
quarters of the Six Nations, to conciliate them and to prepare
the way for this expedition from Canada. Although many of
the Indians favored the French, yet the deputation were in
formed promptly that they would not be allowed to settle upon
their lands. Andrew Montour, an Indian interpreter who
was present at the conference, having some commission from
the Governer of Virginia, on his return conveyed the intelli
gence to him, and also to Governor Hamilton of Pennsyl
vania. The latter addressed the Colonial Assembly on the
subject, urging the necessity of protection for the friendly

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY. 37
Indians, and suggesting the discomfort of having French
forts within the limits of the province, together with the
probability of the Indians deserting them for a power willing
to afford them protection.
The same year (1749) Celeron, in the name of Louis, took
possession of the Ohio valley. An association was formed by
twelve Virginians, among whom were found the names of
George and Augustus Washington, called the Ohio Company,
which petitioned the king for a grant of land beyond the
mountains. Their object was not so much to cultivate the
soil or promote settlement, as to monopolize the Indian trade,
to purchase and export furs, to sell goods, and erect trading
houses and stores. The government readily assented to the
project, as it promised quiet and prompt possession of the Ohio
valley, in opposition to the advances of the French, and granted
them 500,000 acres of land west of the Alleghenies. Of this
land, two fifths was to be selected immediately, the whole was
to be free from quit rent ten years, one hundred families were
to settle upon it, and a garrison was to be maintained at the
expense of the company as a defense against the Indians.
Christopher Gist was sent out to explore and report to the
corporation, and in 1752 he, with eleven other families, made
the first settlement west of the mountains. This was upon
land presumed to belong to the company, and is now called
Mount Braddock, being in Fayette County.
The news of the encroachments of the French having ob
tained, and the Ohio Company feeling aggrieved, applied for
aid to Governor Dinwiddie, who claimed the country as a part
of Virginia, and was also interested as a stockholder of the
company. In Gen. Washington, then but a youth, Governor
Dinwiddie saw one fitted to lead in this difficult expedition.
On the 30th of October, 1753, accompanied by Gist, the
pioneer, Van Braem, a retired soldier, who had a knowledge
of French, and John Davison, Indian interpreter, he set out
for the wilderness.
The instructions given Washington were to communicate at
Logstown with the friendly Indians, and to request of them
an escort to the headquarters of the French, to deliver his
letter and credentials to the commander, and demand of him

38 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
an answer in the name of the British sovereign, and an escort
to protect him on his return. He was to acquaint himself with
the strength of the French forces, the number of their forts,
and their object in advancing to those parts, and also to make
such other observations as his opportunities would allow.
The Indians were not well satisfied as to the rights of either
the French or English. An old Delaware sachem exclaimed,
" The French claim all the lands on one side of the Ohio, and
the English on the other ; now where does the Indian's -land
lie?" "Poor savages ! between their father the French, and
their brothers the English, they were in a fair way of being
lovingly shared out of the whole country." Three of the
sachems, Tanacharison, or Half-King, from his being subject
to another tribe, Jeskakake, and White Thunder, accom
panied Major Washington from Logstown, as they had been
directed by Governor Dinwidde, as well as for the purpose of
returning to the French commander the war belts they had
received from them. This implied that they wished" to dis
solve all friendly relations with their government. These
Ohio tribes had been offended at the encroachments of the
French, and had a short time previously sent deputations to
the commander at Lake Erie, to remonstrate. Half-King, as
chief of the Western tribes, had made his complaints in per
son, and been answered with contempt. " The Indians," said
the commander, "are like flies and mosquitos, and the num
bers of the French as the sands of the seashore. Here is your
wampum, I fling it at you." As no reconciliation had been
offered for this offense, aid was readily granted by them to the
English in their mission.
From Washington's journal we get the following particu
lars : On their arrival at Venango 1 (Franklin) they found the
l " The original drawing of Fort Venango by the French engineers is still
in existence, being in the possession of William Reynolds, Esq., Meadville.
In the vicinity of the fort several choice species of grapes are still growing, a
line of them extending from its center to the base of the hill. They have
been bearing so long that the minds of men ' runneth not to the contrary.'
No doubt the original shoots were brought from ' La Belle France.' "
The draft, it is said, was made in 1758 or 1759, and exhibited the stockade
on the embankment, the bastions and gates of the fort, together with the
very strong block-house in the center^ which had no less than sixteen
chimneys. Below the southeast corner of the fort stood a saw-mill, erected
on the little stream that passes it. The draft has no notes or explanations
annexed.

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY. 39
French colors hoisted at a house from which they had driven
John Frasier, an English subject. There they inquired for
the residence of the commander. Three officers were present,
and one Capt. Jean Cceur informed them that he had the
command of the Ohio, but advised them to apply for an
answer at the near fort, where there was a general officer. He
then invited them to sup with them, and treated the company
with the greatest complaisance. At the same time they
dosed themselves plentifully with wine, and soon forgot the
restraint which at first appeared in their conversation. In
this half-intoxicated state they confessed that their design
was to take possession of the Ohio, although the English
could command for that service two men to their one. Still
their motions were slow and dilatory. They maintained that
the right of the French was undoubted from La Salle's dis
covery sixty years before, and that their object now was to
prevent the settlement of the English upon the river or its
waters, notwithstanding several families they had heard were
moving out for that purpose.
Fifteen hundred men had been engaged in the expedition
west of Lake Ontario, but upon the death of the general,
which had occurred but a short time before, all were recalled
•excepting six or seven hundred, who now garrisoned four
forts, being one hundred and fifty men to a fort. The first of
the forts was on French Creek (Waterford), near a small lake,
about sixty miles from Venango, north-northwest ; the next
on Lake Erie (Presqu'ile), where the greater part of their
stores were kept, about fifteen miles from the other ; from
this, one hundred and twenty miles to the carrying place, at
the Falls of Niagara (probably Schlosser) is a small fort,
where they lodge their goods in bringing them from Montreal,
from whence all their stores are brought ; the next fort lay
about twenty miles farther, on Lake Ontario (Fort Niagara).
The second day at Franklin it rained excessively, and the
party were prevented from prosecuting their journey. In the
meantime, Capt. Jean Cceur sent for Half-King, and pro
fessed great joy at seeing him and his companions, and
affected much concern that they had not made free to bring
them in before. To this Washington replied that he had

40 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
heard him say a great deal in dispraise of Indians generally.
His real motive was to keep them from Jean Coeur, he being
an interpreter and a person of great influence among the
Indians, and having used all possible means to draw them
over to the French interests. When the Indians came in, the
intriguer expressed the greatest pleasure at seeing them, was
surprised that they could be so near without coming to see
him, and after making them trifling presents, urged upon
them intoxicating drinks until they were unfitted for business.
The third day Washington's party were equally unsuccessful
in their efforts to keep the Indians apart from Jean Coeur, or
to prosecute their journey. On the fourth day they set out, but
not without an escort planned to annoy them, in Monsieur
La Force and three Indians. Finally, after four days of
travel through mire and swamps, with the most unpropitious
weather, they succeeded in reaching Le Bceuf.
Washington immediately presented himself, and offered his
commission and letters to the commanding officer, but was
requested to retain both until Mons. Reparti should arrive,
who was the commander at the next fort, and who was ex
pected every hour. The commander at Le Bceuf, Legardeur
de St. Pierre, was an elderly gentleman with the air of a
soldier, and a knight of the military order of St Louis. He
had been in command but a week at Le Boeuf, having been
sent over on the death of the late general.
In a few hours Capt. Reparti arrived from Presqu'ile, the
letter was again offered, and after a satisfactory translation a
council of war was held, which gave Major Washington and
his men an opportunity of taking the dimensions of the fort
and making other observations. According to their estimate,
the fort had one hundred men, exclusive of a large number of
officers, fifty birch canoes and seventy pine ones, and many in
an unfinished state.
The instructions he had received from Governor Dinwiddie
allowed him to remain but seven days for an answer ; and as
the horses were daily becoming weaker, and the snow fast in
creasing, they were sent back to Venango, and still further to
Shannopin's town, provided the river was open and in a
navigable condition. In the meantime Commissary La Force

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY. 41
was full of flatteries and fair promises to the sachems, still
hoping to retain them as friends. From, day to day the party
were detained at Venango, sometimes by the power of liquor,
the promise of presents, and various other pretexts, and the
acceptance of the wampum had been thus far successfully
evaded. To the question of Major Washington, "by what author
ity several English subjects had been made prisoners?"
Captain Reparti replied, "that they had orders to make pris
oners of any who attempted to trade upon those waters."
The two who had been taken, and of whom they inquired
particularly, John Trotter and James McClochlan, they were
informed had been sent to Canada, but were now returned
home. They confessed, too, that a boy had been carried past
by the Indians, who had besides two or three white men's
scalps. On the 15th, the commandant ordered a plentiful store of
liquors and provisions to be put on board the canoes, and
appeared extremely complaisant, while he was really studying
to annoy them, and to keep the Indians until after their de
parture. Washington, in his journal, remarks : "I cannot say that
ever in my life I suffered so much anxiety as I did in this
affair. I saw that every stratagem which the most fruitful
brain could invent was practiced to win the Half-King to
their interests, and that leaving him there was giving them
the opportunity they aimed at. I went to the Half-King and
pressed him in the strongest terms. He told me that the
commandant would not discharge him until the morning. I
then went to the commandant, and desired him to do their
business, and complained of ill treatment ; for keeping them,
as they were part of my company, was detaining me. This
he promised not to do, but to forward my journey as much
as possible. He protested that he did not keep them, but was
ignorant of the cause of their stay ; though I soon found it
out : he promised them a present of guns, etc., if they would
wait until morning." Their journey to Franklin was tedious
and very fatiguing. At one place the ice had lodged so
their canoes could not pass, and they were obliged to carry

42 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
them a quarter of a mile. One of the chiefs, White Thunder,
became disabled, and they were compelled to leave him with
Half-King, who promised that no fine speeches or scheming
of Jean Cceur should win him back to the French. In this
he was sincere, as his conduct afterward proved. As their
horses were now weak and feeble, and there was no proba
bility of the journey being accomplished in reasonable time,
Washington gave them, with the baggage, in charge of Mr.
Van Braem, his faithful companion, tied himself up in his
watch-coat, with a pack on his back containing his papers,
some provisions, and his gun, and, with Mr. Gist fitted out
in the same manner, took the shortest route across the
country for Shannopin's town.
On the day following they fell in with a party of French
Indians, who laid in wait for them at a place called Murder
ing town, now in Butler County. One of the party fired upon
them ; but, by constant travel, they escaped their company,
and arrived within two miles of Shannopin's town, where
trials in another form awaited them. They were obliged to
construct a raft, in order to cross the river ; and when this was
accomplished, by the use of but one poor hatchet, and they
were launched, by some accident Washington was precipi
tated into the river, and narrowly escaped being drowned.
Besides this, the cold was so intense that Mr. Gist had his
fingers and toes frozen. At Mr. Frasier's, (Turtle Creek,)
they met twenty warriors going southward to battle, and at
the Monongahela, seventeen horses, loaded with materials
and stores for a fort at the forks of the Ohio, and a few fami
lies going out to settle. On the 16th of February Washington
arrived at Williamsburg, and waited upon Governor Dinwid
die with the letter he had brought from the French
commandant, and offered him a narrative of the most remark
able occurrences of his journey.
The reply of Chevalier de St. Pierre was found to be
courteous and well guarded. "He should transmit," he
said, "the letter of Governor Dinwiddie to his general, the
Marquis Du Quesne, to whom it better belongs than to me
to set forth the evidence and reality of the rights of the king,
my master, upon the lands situated along the Ohio, and to

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY. 43
contest the pretensions of the king of Great Britain thereto.
His answer shall be a law to me. . . . As to the sum
mons to retire you send me, I do not think myself obliged to
obey it. Whatever may be your instructions, I am here by
virtue of the orders of my general, and I entreat you, sir,
not to doubt one moment but that I am determined to con
form myself to them with all the exactness and resolution
which can be expected from the best officer. ... I
made it my particular care to receive Mr. Washington with
a distinction suitable to your dignity, as well as his own
quality and merit. I flatter myself that he will do me this
justice before you, sir, and that he will signify to you, in the
manner I do myself, the profound respect with which I am,
sir, etc."
Governor Dinwiddie and his council understood this evasive
answer as a ruse to gain time, in order that they might in the
spring descend the Ohio and take military possession of the
whole country.
This expedition may be considered the foundation of
Washington's fortunes. " From that moment he was the
rising hope of the country. His tact with the Indians and
crafty whites, his endurance of cold and fatigue, his prudence,
firmness, and self-devotion, all were indications of the future
man." Relating to the French forts, April, 1757, we have the
following : " Colonel Johnson, British Indian agent, residing
at Tribeshill, New York, received intelligence through sav
ages, that a strong detachment was ascending the St. Law
rence and entering Lake Ontario, and supposing it concerned
the Mohawk country, he assembled his militia and marched
to Palatine, where another company of eleven or twelve
hundred men joined him, sent out by the commandant at
Oswego. He intrenched himself and remained in camp
fifteen days, when he received intelligence that the French
detachment had passed by to reinforce Belle Riviere."
A year before, in 1756, a prisoner among the Indians, who
had made his escape, gave the following particulars : ' ' Buffa
loes Fort, or Le Bceuf, is garrisoned with one hundred and
fifty men and a few straggling Indians. Presqu'ile is built of

44 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
square logs filled up with earth ; the barracks are within the
fort, and garrisoned with one hundred and fifty men, sup
ported chiefly from a French settlement begun near it. The
settlement consists, as the prisoner was informed, of about one
hundred families." [This French settlement is not spoken
of by any other person. M. Chauvignerie, as will be seen,
states that there were no settlements or improvements near
the forts Presqu'ile or Le Boeuf.] "The Indian families about
the settlement are pretty numerous ; they have a priest
and schoolmaster, and some grist-mills and stills in the
settlement." In 1757, M. Chauvignerie, Jr., aged seventeen, a French
prisoner, testified before a justice of the peace to this effect :
" His father was a lieutenant of marines and commandant of
Fort Machault, built lately at Venango." [On the author
ity of an old map at Quebec, Fort Machault was the oppo
site side of the river from Fort Venango.] "At the fort
they have fifty regulars and forty laborers, and soon expect
a reinforcement from Montreal, and they drop almost daily
some of the detachments, as they pass from Montreal to
Fort du Quesne. Fort Le Bceuf is commanded by my
uncle, Monsieur de Verge, an ensign of foot. There is no cap
tain or other officer there, above an ensign ; and the reason
of this is, that the commandants of those forts purchase a
commission for it, and have the benefit of transporting the
provisions and other necessaries. The provisions are chiefly
sent from Niagara to Presqu'ile, and so from thence down the
Ohio to Fort du Quesne. Sometimes, however, they are
brought in large quantities from southward of Fort du
Quesne. There are from eight hundred to nine hundred,
and sometimes one thousand men between Forts Presqu'ile
and Le Bceuf. One hundred and fifty of these are regulars,
and the rest Canadian laborers, who work at the forts and
build boats. There are no settlements or improvements near
the forts. The French plant corn about them for the Indians,
whose wives and children come to the fort for it, and get
furnished also with clothes at the king's expense. Traders
reside in the forts, that purchase of them peltries. Several
houses are outside of the forts, but people do not care to occupy

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY. 45
them, for fear of being scalped. One of their batteaux usually
carries sixty bags of flour and three or four men. When
unloaded, it will carry twelve men."
Frederick Post's journal, dated Pittsburg, November,.
1758, says: "Just as the council broke up, an Indian
arrived from Fort Presqu'ile, and gave the following descrip
tion of the three upper forts. Presqu'ile has been a strong
stockaded fort, but is so much out of repair that a strong
man might pull up any log out of the earth. There are
two officers and thirty-five men in garrison there, and not
above ten Indians, which they keep constantly hunting, for
the support of the garrison. The fort in Le Bceuf River is
much in the same condition, with an officer and thirty men,
and a few hunting Indians, who said they would leave them
in a few days. The fort at Venango is the smallest, and
has but one officer and twenty-five men, and, like the two
upper forts, they are much distressed for want of pro
visions." On the 17th of March, 1759, Thomas Bull, an Indian em
ployed as a spy at the Lakes, arrived at Pittsburg. At Pres
qu'ile, he stated that the garrison consisted of two officers,
two merchants, a clerk, priest, and one hundred and three
soldiers. The commandant's name was Burinol, with whom
Thomas was formerly acquainted, and who did not suspect
him. He treated him with great openness, and told him
thirty towns had engaged to join the French and come to
war. He saw fifteen hundred billets ready prepared for their
equipment. He likewise understood that they were just
ready to set out, and were stopped by belts and speeches sent
among them by the English, but would decide when a body
of over-lake Indians would arrive at Kaskaskie. Burinol
described a conversation he had had with the Mingoes ; that
he had told them he was sorry one half of them had broken
away to the English. They replied that they had buried the
tomahawk with the French ; that they would do the same
with the English ; and wished that both would fight as they
had' done over the great waters, without disturbing their
country ; that they wished to live in peace with both, and
that the English should return home. Burinol replied, that

46 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
he would go home as soon as the English would move off.
Thomas Bull described Fort Presqu'ile "as square, with four
bastions. They have no platforms raised yet ; so they are use
less, excepting in each bastion there is a place for a sentinel.
There are no guns upon the walks, but four four-pounders in
one of the bastions, not mounted on carriages. The wall is
only of single logs, with no bank within, a ditch without.
There are two gates, of equal size, being about ten feet wide :
one fronts the lake, about three hundred yards distant, the
other the road to Le Bceuf. The magazine is a stone house
covered with shingles, and not sunk in the ground, standing
in the right bastion, next the lake, going from Presqu'ile to
Le Bceuf. The other houses are of square logs. They have
in store a considerable quantity of Indian goods, and but
little flour. Twelve batteaux they were daily expecting from
Niagara with provisions. No French were expected from
Niagara, but about five hundred from a fort on the north side
of the lake, in the Waweailunes country, which is built of
cedar stockades. The French were to come with the Indians
before mentioned. There were four batteaux at Presqu'ile,
and no works carrying on, but one small house in the fort.
Some of the works are on the decay, and some appear to have
been lately built." The officers made Thomas a present of a
pair of stockings, and he went on to Le Bceuf, telling them
that he was going to Wyoming to see his father.
Le Bceuf he describes " as of the same plan with Presqu'ile,
but very small ; the logs mostly rotten. Platforms are erected
in the bastion, and loopholes properly cut ; one gun is
mounted on a bastion and looks down the river. It has only
one gate, and that faces the side opposite the creek. The
magazine is on the right of the gate, going in, partly sunk in
the ground, and above are some casks of powder, to serve the
Indians. Here are two officers, a storekeeper, clerk, priest
and one hundred and fifty soldiers, and, as at Presqu'ile the
men are not employed. They have twenty-four batteaux, and
a larger stock of provisions than at Presqu'ile. One Le Sam-
brow is the commandant. The Ohio is clear of ice at
Venango, and French Creek at Le Bceuf. The road from
Venango to Le Bceuf is well trodden ; and from thence to

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY. 47
Presqu'ile is one half-day's journey, being very low and
swampy, and bridged most of the way."
A few months after this time, twelve hundred regular
troops were collected from Presqu'ile, Detroit, and Venango,
for the defense of Fort Niagara, which had been besieged by
the English under Gen. Prideaux. Four days before the con
quest, the general was killed by the bursting of a cannon, and
the command devolved on Sir William Johnson, who carried
out the plan with judgment and vigor, and the enemy were
completely routed. The utmost confusion prevailed at Forts
Venango, Presqu'ile, and Le Bceuf after the victory, particu
larly as Sir William sent letters by some of the Indians to the
commander at Presqu'ile, notifying him that the other posts
must be given up in a few days.
August 13, we find that the French at Presqu'ile had sent
away all their stores, and were waiting for the French at
Venango and Le Bceuf to join them, when they all would set
out in batteaux for Detroit ; that in an Indian path leading to
Presqu'ile from a Delaware town, a Frenchman and some
Indians had been met, with the word that the French had
left Venango six days before.
About the same time, three Indians arrived at Fort du
Quesne from Venango, who reported that the Indians over
the lake were much displeased with the Six Nations, as they
had been the means of a number of their people being killed
at Niagara ; that the French had burned their forts at Ve
nango, Le Bceuf, and Presqu'ile, and gone over the lakes.
At Venango, before leaving, they had made large presents to
the Indians of laced coats, hats, etc., and had told them, with
true French bravado, that they were obliged to run away at
this time, but would certainly be in possession of the river be
fore the next spring. They were obliged to burn everything
and destroy their batteaux, as the water was so low they could
not get up the creek with them. The report was probably un
founded, of the burning of the forts, unless they were very
soon rebuilt, of which we have no account.
A tradition has prevailed in Erie, that at this time treasures
were buried, either on the site of the fort or on the line of the
old French road. From the above account, we learn that

48 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
their hasty departure was made by water, and the probability
is that the company returned before winter. Spanish silver
coins were found twenty years ago, to the value of sixty
dollars, while plowing the old site for the purpose of making
brick ; but, from appearances, they had been secreted there .
within the present century. The wells have been re-excavated
time and again, but with no extraordinary results. Pottery
of a singular kind has been found, and knives, bullets, and
human bones confirm the statements of history.
In 1760, Major Rodgers was sent out by government to take
formal possession for the English of the forts upon the lake,
though it was not until 1763 that a definite treaty of peace was
signed and ratified at Paris.

CHAPTER IV.

Pontiac — Destruction of Forts Presqu'ile and Le Boeuf, as described
by Bancroft, Parkman, and Harvey — Col. Bradstreet at Presqu'ile,
in 1764 — Col. Bouquet's Treaty-^A Detachment of British Soldiers
and Indians embark at Chautauqua Lake — Hannastown burnt —
Mr. Adams's Suggestion.
At Detroit Major Rodgers first met with the Ottawa chief
Pontiac, who had the largest empire and the greatest author
ity of any chief that had yet appeared in our continent. The
chief treated him with distant ceremony, and intimated that,
though the French had been conquered by the English, he
had not ; but, at the close of the interview, they smoked the
pipe of peace, and afterward he rendered the English good
service in protecting their stores when passing through savage
tribes. How he became inimical to the English is not cer
tainly known. He may have feared their power, and also felt
with sadness the absence of French courtesy. Prejudice
arose, too, from the ill behavior and offensive conduct of
Irish and other convicts, who had been transported for their
crimes, and been bought and employed in carrying goods up
among the Indians. "When the French first arrived," said

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY. 49
a Chippewa chief, "they came and kissed us ; they called us
children, and we found them fathers. We lived like children
with them in the same lodge." . . . " If the English did
us no harm, they also manifested no interest in our affairs.
They gave us no missionaries, made us no presents ; they even
would not consent to trade ; and further, they were unjust to
our friends, the French."
Mr. Henry, an English traveler, who passed through Can
ada and the Indian territories, about 1760, was compelled to
disguise himself as a Canadian. At one time, when surrounded
by Indians, he was coolly addressed by a chief in something
like this strain : " The Enghsh are brave men, and not afraid
of death, since they dare to come thus fearlessly among their
enemies. You know that the French king is our father. You
are his enemy ; and how, then, can you have the boldness to
venture among us his children ? You know that his friends
are our friends." They delighted to extol the power of the
French, and to compare the king to an old man asleep, who
would shortly arouse himself and execute vengeance upon his
enemies. They also charged upon the English that, when
fighting for them, their young men had been slain, and that
the spirits of the slain had'not been satisfied. This, according
to their custom, could only be effected in one of two ways — by
pouring out the blood of the nation by which they fell, or by
covering the bodies of the dead, and allayingthe resentment of
the relations by presents. The English had never offered them
presents or treaty, and they must therefore be considered still
at war with them. But their hearts seemed to soften toward
Mr. Henry, who came among them unarmed, and they even
offered him a pipe, as a token of their friendship.
When Pontiac had formed his plan for restoring to his
people their homes and hunting grounds, and "had mused
until the fire burned," he determined to call around him his
own tribe, the Ottawas, and disclose to them his determination
to banish forever the proud, unconciliating Englishman. He
appealed with eloquence and art to their fears, ambition,
patriotism, and cupidity— the love and gratitude they owed
to the French, and their hatred of the English. He next con
vened a grand council of the neighboring tribes at the River

50 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
Aux Ecores, and invited them to action, by assuming that
the Great Spirit had recently made a revelation to a Dela
ware Indian as to the conduct he wished his red children to
pursue. He had directed them to abstain from ardent spirits,
and to cast from them the manufactures of the white man —
to resume their bows and arrows, and skins of animals for
clothing. "Why," said the Great Spirit indignantly to the
Delaware, " do you suffer these dogs in red clothing to enter
your country and take the land I gave you? Drive them
from it, and when you are in distress I will help you. ' ' A
plan of campaign was concerted on the spot, and belts and
speeches sent to secure the co-operation of the Indians along
the whole line of the frontier. The Ottawas, Chippewas, and
Pottawatamies were the most active of the tribes ; the
Miamies, Sac and Foxes, Monononomies, Wyandots, Missis-
sagu6s, Shawnees, Pennsylvania and Ohio Delawares, and the
Six Nations, participated, and all the British posts, from
Niagara to Green Bay and the Potomac, were comprehended
in the attack. So well arranged and executed were their
plans, that nine out of eleven of the forts were captured.
Bancroft, in his history of the United States, gives the
following account of the destruction of Fort Presqu'ile : " The
fort at Presqu'ile, now Erie, was the point of communication
between Pittsburg and Niagara and Detroit. It was in itself
one of the most tenable, and had a garrison of four and twenty
men, and could most easily be relieved. On the 22d of June,
after a two-days' defense, the commander, out of his senses
with terror, capitulated, giving up the sole chance of saving
his men from the scalping-knife. He himself, with a few
others, were carried in triumph by the Indians to Detroit."
A more detailed account is found in the "Conspiracy of
Pontiac," by Parkman. He says: "There had been hot
fighting before Presqu'ile was taken. Could courage have
saved it, it never would have fallen. The fort stood near the
present site of Erie, on the southern shore of the lake which
bears the same name. At one of its angles was a large block
house, a species of structure much used in the petty forest
warfare of the day. It was two stories in height, and solidly
built of massive timber ; the diameter of the upper story ex-

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY. 51
ceeding that of the lower by several feet, so that, through the
openings in the projecting floor of the former, the defenders
could shoot down upon the heads of an enemy assailing the
outer wall below. The roof being covered with shingles,
might easily be set on Are ; but, to guard against this, there
was an opening, through which the garrison, partially pro
tected by a covering of plank, might pour down the water
upon the flames. This block-house stood upon a projecting
point of land, between the lake and a small brook which en
tered it nearly at right angles. And now the defenders could
see the Indians throwing up earth and stones behind one of
the breastworks ; their implacable foes were laboring to under
mine the block-house, a sure and insidious expedient, against
which there was no defense. There was little leisure to reflect
on this new peril, for another, more imminent and horrible,
soon threatened them. The barrels of water, always kept in
the block-house, were nearly emptied in extinguishing the
frequent fires ; and though there was a well in the parade-
ground, yet to approach it would be certain death. The only
resource was to dig one in the block-house itself. The floor
was torn up, and while some of the men fired their heated
muskets from the loopholes to keep the enemy in check, the
rest labored with desperate energy at this toilsome and cheer
less task. Before it was half completed, the cry of fire was
again raised, and, at the imminent risk of life, they tore off
the blazing shingles and averted the danger. By this time it
was evening. The little garrison had fought from earliest
daybreak without a moment's rest. Nor did darkness bring
relief, for the Indian guns flashed all night long from the
intrenchments. They seemed determined to wear out the
obstinate defenders by fatigue. While some slept, others in
their turn continued the assault, and morning brought fresh
dangers. The block-house was fired several times through the
day, but they kept up their forlorn and desperate defense.
The house of the commanding officer sank into glowing
embers. The fire on both sides did not cease till midnight, at
which hour a voice was heard in French, calling out that
further defense was useless, since preparations were made to
burn above and below at once. Christie demanded if any one

52 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
spoke English, upon which a man in Indian dress came for
ward. He had been made a prisoner in the French war, and
was now fighting against his own countrymen. He said, if
they yielded, they would be saved alive ; if not, they would
be burned. Christie resolved to hold out as long as a shadow
of hope remained, and while some of the garrison slept, the
rest watched. They told them to wait until morning. They
assented, and suspended their fire. When morning came,
they sent out two persons, on pretense of treating, but in
reality to learn the truth of the preparations to burn the
block-house, whose sides were pierced with bullets and
scorched with fire. In spite of the capitulations, they were
surrounded and seized, and, having been detained for some
time in the neighborhood, were sent as prisoners to Detroit,
where Ensign Christie soon after made his escape, and gained
the fort in safety."
Mr. H. L. Harvey, formerly editor of the Erie Observer, a
gentleman of research and integrity, in a lecture delivered in
Erie, introduced the following account of the same event,
differing, as will be seen, from both the above-named ac
credited historians. He says: "The troops retired to their
quarters to procure their morning repast ; some had already
finished, and were sauntering about the fortress or upon the
shore of the lake. All were joyous in holiday attire, and
dreaming of naught but the pleasure of the occasion. A
knock was heard at the gate, and three Indians were
announced in hunting garb, desiring an interview with the
commander. Their tale was soon told. They said they
belonged to a hunting party, who had started for Niagara
with a lot of furs ; that their canoes were bad, and they would
prefer disposing of them here, if they could do so to advan
tage, and return, rather than go farther ; that their party were
encamped by a small stream west of the fort about a mile,
where they had landed the previous night, and where they
wished the commander to go and examine their peltries, as it
was difficult to bring them, and they wished to embark where
they were, if they did not trade. The commander, accom
panied by a clerk, left the fort with the Indians, charging his
lieutenant that none should leave the fort, and none be ad-

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY. 53
mitted, until his return. Well would it probably have been
had this order been obeyed. After the lapse of sufficient time
for the captain to visit the encampment of the Indians and
return, a party of the latter, variously estimated — probably
one hundred and fifty — advanced toward the fort, bearing
upon their backs what appeared to be large packs of furs,
which they informed the lieutenant the captain had pur
chased and ordered deposited in the fort. The stratagem
succeeded ; when the party were all within the fort, it was the
work of an instant to throw off their packs and the short
cloaks which covered their weapons, the whole being fastened
by one loop and button at the neck. Besistance at this time
was useless, and the work of death was as rapid as savage
strength and weapons could make it. The shortened rifles,
which had been sawed off for the purpose of concealing them
under their cloaks and in the packs of furs, were at once
discharged, and the tomahawk and knife completed their
work. The history of savage warfare presents not a scene
of more heartless and bloodthirsty vengeance than was ex
hibited on this occasion. The few who were taken prisoners
in the fort were doomed to the various tortures devised by
savage ingenuity, and all but two who awoke to celebrate
that day, had passed to the eternal world. Of these, one was
a soldier who had gone into the woods near the fort, and on
his return observing a party of Indians dragging away some
prisoners, escaped, and immediately proceeded to Niagara ;
the other was a soldier's wife, who had taken shelter in a
small stone house, at the mouth of the creek, used as a wash-
house. Here she remained unobserved until near night of
the fatal day, when she was made their prisoner, but was
ultimately ransomed and restored to civilized life. She was
afterward married, and settled in Canada, where she was
living at the commencement of the present century. Capt.
D. Dobbins, of the revenue service, has frequently talked with
the woman, who was redeemed by a Mr. Douglass, living
opposite Black Rock, in Canada. From what she witnessed,
and heard from the Indians during her captivity, as well as
from information derived from other sources, this statement
is made."

54 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
About the same time the fort at Le Bceuf was furiously
attacked by a large body of Indians, and the block-house fired
at night. While the enemy believed them consumed, the
ensign and his seven remaining men effected their escape, by
means of a secret underground passage, having its outlet in
the direction of the swamp adjoining Le Bceuf Lake. Tra
dition says that only one of these reached a civilized settle
ment. At Venango, a party of Senecas gained entrance
by stratagem, and massacred the garrison, after having
tortured Lieut. Gordon, the commander, for several nights
over a slow fire. Afterward they fired and consumed the fort.
It was not the stockaded garrison alone, at this trying
period, that suffered from the fury of the savages. Through
the whole West the tomahawk and scalping-knifemade fearful
havoc. More than one hundred traders were struck down in
the woods — the husbandman in the field and the child in the
cradle shared the same unhappy fate. Emigrants were com
pelled to leave their homes and planted fields, and by toilsome
journeys seek protection and shelter in distant settlements.
Nearly five hundred families from the frontiers of Maryland
and Virginia fled thus to Winchester, being destitute of every
comfort. The regions of New York were happily exempted
from similar outrages, through the influence of Sir William
Johnson. On the 12th of August, 1764, Col. Bradstreet and his army
landed at Presqu'ile, and there met a band of Shawnees and
Delawares, who feigned to have come to treat for peace. Col.
Bradstreet was deceived by them (although his officers were
not), and marched to Detroit to relieve that garrison. He
found Pontiac gone, but made peace with the Northwestern
Indians, in which they pledged themselves to give up their
prisoners ; to relinquish their title to the English posts and
the territory around for the distance of a cannon shot ; to give
up all the murderers of white men, to be tried by English
law ; and to acknowledge the sovereignty of the English gov
ernment. Soon he discovered, as the war still raged, that he
had been duped. He received orders to attack their towns •
but, mortified and exasperated, his troops destitute of provi
sions and every way dissatisfied, he broke up his camp and

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY. 55
returned to Niagara. Col. Boquet afterward met the same
deceptive Shawnees, Delawares, and Senecas, and succeeded
in bringing them to terms ; so that in twelve days they
brought in two hundred and six prisoners, and promised all
that could be found — leaving six hostages as security. The
next year one hundred more prisoners were brought in, be
tween whom and the Indians, in many cases, a strong attach
ment had sprung up, they accompanying the captives, with
presents, even to the villages.
The region west of the Ohio and Allegheny Rivers, prior to
the year 1795, was only known as the Indian country. On the
Canada side of Lake Erie there were a few white settlements.
On the American side Cherry Valley, New York, was the
most western settlement, and Pittsburg the nearest settlement
on the south.
In the year 17S2, a detachment, consisting of three hundred
British soldiers and five hundred Indians, was sent from
Canada to Fort Pitt. They had embarked in canoes at Chau
tauqua Lake, when information, through their spies, caused
their project to be abandoned. Parties of Indians harassed the
settlements on the borders, and under Guyasutha, a Seneca
chief, attacked and burned the seat of justice for Westmore
land County, Hannastown, and murdered several of the
inhabitants. In 1785, Mr. Adams, Minister at London, writes to Lord Car-
marthan, English Secretary of State : " Although a period of
three years has elapsed since the signature of the preliminary
treaty, and more than two years since the definitive treaty,
the posts of Oswegatchy, Oswego, Niagara, Presqu'ile, San
dusky, Detroit, Mackinaw, with others not necessary par
ticularly to enumerate, and a considerable territory around
each of them, all within the incontestable limits of the United
States, are still held by British garrisons to the loss and injury
of the United States," etc. As we do not hear from any other
source of the rebuilding of the fort at Presqu'ile or of a garrison
there, the probability is that Mr. Adams only had reference to
Presqu'ile as an important strategic point.

CHAPTER V.
Penn's Charter — Boundaries of Pennsylvania — Mason and Dixon's
Line — Review of said Line by Col. Graham — Western Boundary of
Pennsylvania fixed in 1786 — Boundary between New York and
Pennsylvania confirmed by Act of Assembly in 1789 — Purchase of
Triangle, 1791 — Anecdote of Mr. William Miles.
In the charter of Charles II. to William Penn, 1681, the first
section describes the boundary of his grant as " east by
Delaware Biver from twelve miles distance northward of New
castle town, unto the three-and-fortieth degree of north lati
tude, if the said river doth extend so far northward ; but if the
said river doth not extend so far northward, then by the said
river so far as it doth extend ; and from the head of the said
river the eastern bounds are to be determined by a meridian
line, to be drawn from the head of said river unto the said 43d
degree. The said land to extend westward 5 degrees in longi
tude, to be computed from the said eastern bounds ; and the
said lands to be bounded on the north by the beginning of the
three-and-fortieth degree of north latitude, and on the south
by a circle drawn at 12 miles distance from New Castle north
ward and westward unto the beginning of the fortieth degree
of north latitude, and then by a straight lino westward to the
limits of longitude above mentioned." Explicit as this
description appears, Maryland and Virginia disputed for many
years, each claiming to itself the whole space or extent of the
land south of the fortieth degree of latitude. The controversy
was at length settled in 1732, chiefly in favor of Maryland,
which rendered the real extent of Pennsylvania one hundred
and fifty-five miles instead of two hundred and eight, and
the square miles forty-one thousand, exclusive of the Triangle.
Lord Baltimore had, in 1683, petitioned King Charles II.
that no fresh grants of land in the territories of Pennsylvania
might pass in favor of William Penn until the said lord was
heard in his pretension of right .thereto. This petition was
5fi

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY. 57
referred to the committee of trade and plantation, which, after
many attendances and divers hearings of both parties, made
their report to King James II., who in 1685 determined the
affair between them, by ordering a division of the tract of land
between Delaware and Chesapeake Bays, from the latitude of
Cape Henlopen to the south boundary of Pennsylvania, in
two equal parts, of which the side of Delaware was assigned
to the king and Pennsylvania, and the Chesapeake side to
Baltimore. In 1732, commissioners were appointed both from
Pennsylvania and Maryland for the actual running, mark
ing, and laying out the boundary lines between both the
province and territories of Pennsylvania and Maryland,
according to articles of agreement concluded between Charles,
Lord Baltimore, the proprietary of Maryland, and John,
Thomas, and Richard Penn, proprietaries of Pennsylvania.
The boundaries between Pennsylvania and Baltimore were as
follows : That a due east and west line shall be drawn from
the ocean, beginning at Cape Henlopen, which lies south of
Cape Cornelius, upon the eastern side of the peninsula, and
thence to the western side of the peninsula, which lies upon
Chesapeake Bay, and as far westward as the exact middle of
that part of the peninsula where the said line is run. That
from the western end of the said east and west line in the
middle of the peninsula, a straight line shall run northward
up the said peninsula till it touch the western part of the
periphery or arc of a circle, drawn twelve English statute
miles distant from New Castle, westward toward Maryland, so
to make a tangent thereto, and there the said straight line
shall end. That from the western end of the last-mentioned
straight line drawn northward, a line shall be continued due
north, as far as to that parallel of latitude which is fifteen
English statute miles due south of the most southern part of
Philadelphia, and from the north end of the last-mentioned
north and south line, a line shall be run due west, across the
Susquehanna River to the western boundary of Pennsylvania.
Notwithstanding this agreement, the performance was long
delayed by disputes of the parties about the mode of doing it,
said to have been occasioned mostly by the proprietary of
Maryland, in consequence pf which the inhabitants on the

58 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
Pennsylvania side, near where the boundary line ought
long before to have been ascertained and marked out, were
sometimes exposed to unreasonable demands from Maryland
claims. It was not finally executed until the year 1762, when
these families or proprietaries agreed to employ two ingenious
English mathematicians, Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon,
after their return from the Cape of Good Hope, where they
had been to observe the transit of Venus, in the year 1761,
finally to settle and mark out the same, which was accord
ingly performed by them. :
At the end of every fifth mile they placed a stone graven
with the arms of the Pen us on the one side, and of the Balti
more family on the other, marking the intermediate miles
with smaller stones having " P " on one side and " M " on the
other. The stones with the arms were all sent from England.
This was done on the parallel of latitude as far as
Sideling Hill ; but here all wheel transportation ceasing, in
1766 the further marking of the lines was the vista of eight
yards wide, with piles of stones on the crests of all the moun
tain ranges, built some eight feet high, as far as the summit of
the Allegheny, beyond which the line was marked by posts,
around which stones and earth were} thrown the better to
preserve them. Of these stones, the one which marked the
northeast corner of Maryland became in the course of time
undermined by a brook, and was removed and used in a farm
house chimney. After this occurrence the Legislatures of
Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Virginia appointed a joint
commission for a new survey, and appointed Col. Graham of
the United States Topographical Engineers to superintend the
work, and review the line of Mason and Dixon as far as might
be judged necessary. Though their work was corroborated in
the main, better instruments and a more accurate knowledge
of the art enabled their successors to detect some errors. By
their corrections Maryland gained about two acres, and a
l After they had surveyed the distance of 2:i miles, 18 chains, and 21 links
from the place of beginning, and were at the bottom of a valley on Dun-
kard's Creek, a branch of the Monongahela, an Indian path crossed their
route, and their aboriginal escort informed them that it was "the will of
the Sioux nation that the surveys cease ;"and they terminated accord
ingly, leaving 36 miles, 6 chains, and 50 links as the exact distance remain
ing to be run west to the southwest angle of Pennsylvania.

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY. 59
gentleman who had served as a member of the Delaware
Legislature found his residence located full half a mile within
the State of Pennsylvania. Thus was established and perfected
the line, " having no breadth or thickness, but length only,"
which threatens to make " enemies of nations which had else,
like kindred drops, been mingled into one."
It is said the survey of Mason and Dixon cost the Penn
family nearly $100,000 ; and that an arc of the meridian meas
ured by them at that time is cited in works of astronomy,
having been one of the measurements by which the figure of
the earth was ascertained. Of these two mathematicians, to
whom political disputes have given a notoriety as lasting as
the history of our country, Dixon, it is said, was born in a coal
mine, and returned to his own country, Durham, where he
died in 1777. Ten years later Mason died in Pennsylvania.
It was not until 1786, after many difficulties between the
States of Pennsylvania and Virginia, that the western bound
ary of the former was surveyed by extending Mason and
Dixon's line five degrees west from the Delaware Biver, and
a meridian drawn from the western extremity to the northern
limit. In 1785 commissioners were appointed, on the part of
Pennsylvania and New York, to ascertain the northern
boundary of the former from the River Delaware westward to
the northwest corner. The commissioners first appointed
were David Bittenhouse on the part of Pennsylvania, and
Samuel Holland, on the part of New York. They proceeded
to act in pursuance of that appointment, and in December,
1 786, ascertained and fixed the beginning of the forty-third
degree of north latitude, erected suitable monuments there at
and near the River Delaware, but were prevented by the
inclemency of the weather from proceeding further in the
survey. The next year Andrew Ellicot was appointed a com-,
missioner for the above purpose, on the part of Pennsylvania,
and James Clinton and Simeon Dewit on the part of New
York. In 1787 they completed the running and marking of
this northern boundary 259 miles and 88 perches from its
commencement at the Delaware River to its termination in
Lake Erie, five or six miles east of the Ohio State line, and

60 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
marked the whole distance throughout by milestones, each
one indicating the number of miles from the Delaware River.
In addition to these stones there are also mile-trees marked in
the same manner. In 1789 an act of Assembly confirmed the
acts of the commissioners, and established the line run by
them as the boundary between New York and Pennsylvania.
The Indians being recognized as owners of the soil, the
whole was purchased from them by different treaties : one at
Fort Stanwix, now Rome, extinguished their title to the lands
of Western Pennsylvania and New York, excepting the
Triangle or Presqu'ile lands, which were accidentally left out
of Pennsylvania, New York, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and
Virginia, and were supposed at different times to belong to
each. Gen. Irvine discovered, while surveying the donation
lands, that Pennsylvania had but a few miles of lake coast,
and not any harbor, and in consequence of his representa
tions, the State of Pennsylvania made propositions for its
purchase to Phelps and Gorham, the reputed owners in the
year 1788. At their request the United States government
sent out the Surveyor-General, Andrew Ellicot, for the pur
pose of running and establishing lines. Mr. Frederick Sax-
ton, on behalf of Phelps and Gorham, accompanied Mr.
Ellicot. As the line was to commence at the west end of
Lake Ontario, there was some hesitation whether the western
extremity- of Burlington Bay or the peninsula separating the
bay from the lake was intended. It was finally fixed at the
peninsula, and by first running south, and then offsetting
around the east end of Lake Erie, the line was found to pass
twenty miles east of Presqu'ile. This line, as it was found to
comply with the New York charter, being twenty miles west
of the most westerly bend of the Niagara River, became the
western boundary of the State of New York between Lake
Erie and the old north line of Pennsylvania, and the east line
of the track known as the Presqu'ile Triangle, which was
afterward purchased by Pennsylvania of the United States.
The Massachusetts charter, in 1785, comprehended the same
release that New York had given, and that of Connecticut
which retained a reservation of one hundred and twenty
miles lying west of Pennsylvania's western boundary. On

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY. 61
the 6th of June, 178S, the board of treasury was induced to
make a contract for the sale of this tract described as bounded
"on the east by New York, on the south by Pennsylvania,
and on the north and west by Lake Erie." On the 4th of
September, it was resolved by Congress "that the United
States do relinquish and transfer to Pennsylvania all their
right, title, and claim to the government and jurisdiction of
said land forever, and it is declared and made known that the
laws and public acts of Pennsylvania shall extend over every
part of said tract, as if the said tract had originally been
within the charter bounds of said State." By an act of the
2d of October, 1788, the sum of £1200 was appropriated to
purchase the Indian title to the tract, in fulfillment of the
contract to sell it to Pennsylvania. At the treaty of Fort
Harmer, on the 9th of January, 1789, Cornplanter and other
chiefs of the Six Nations signed a deed, in consideration of
the sum of £1200, ceding the Presqu'ile lands of the United
States to be vested in the State of Pennsylvania, and on the
13th of April, 1791, the Governor was authorized to complete
the purchase from the United States, which, according to a
communication from him to the Legislature, was accom
plished in March, 1792 ; and the consideration — amounting to
$151, 640.25— paid in continental certificates of various de
scriptions. A draft annexed to the deed of the Triangle
shows it to contain two hundred and two thousand one hun
dred and eighty-seven acres.
An amusing anecdote, relating to the period of these sur
veys, is mentioned in " Pennsylvania Historical Collections :"
" When Mr. William Miles set off with a corps of surveyors
for laying out the donation lands, the baggage, instruments,
etc., w^ere placed in two canoes. Fifteen miles above Pittsburg,
at the last white man's cabin on the river, the party stopped
to refresh themselves, leaving the canoes in the care of the
Indians. On returning to the river, all was gone — canoes and
Indians had all disappeared. Mr. Miles asked if any one had
a map of the river. One was fortunately found, and by it they
discovered the river had a great bend just where they were.
Their compass was gone, but, by means of Indian signs, mosses
on trees, etc., they found their way out above the bend,

62 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
secreted themselves in the bushes, and waited for the canoes
to come up, which happened very soon. When the old chief
found he had been detected, he coolly feigned ignorance and
innocence, and, stepping out of the canoe with a smile, greeted
the surveyors with ' How do ?' ' How do ?'"

CHAPTER VI.

Arrangements for the Settlement of the Triangle — Pennsylvania
Population Company — Act to lay out a town at Presqu'ile ; after-
xoard repealed — Block-house at Le Bceuf— Indian Murders — Gov.
Mifflin to the President — Attorney-General Bradford's Opinion —
Ransom's Deposition — Letters of Capt. Denny — Andrew Ellicot
and Gen. Chapin — Joseph Brandt — Cornplanter — A Present of
Land — Treaty of Peace at Canandaigua.
Pennsylvania formed and adopted her Constitution Sep
tember 2d, 1790. The State had adopted the Constitution of
the United States and become a member of the Union Decem
ber 12th, 1787. In 1790, a committee, composed of Timothy
Matlack, Samuel McClay, and John Adlum, Esqs., was
appointed by Gov. Mifflin to examine the western rivers of
the State ; to proceed up the western branch to Cinnamahon-
ing, and thence to any creek that might discharge itself into
the Allegheny nearest the mouth of French Creek, and thence
examine French Creek up to Le Bceuf, and the portage to
Presqu'ile. They were also to examine and explore any nearer
and more convenient communication which might be effected,
by land or water, with Lake Erie, and to return down the
Allegheny and examine the same from the mouth of French
Creek to the Kiskiminetas. ... As a result of this exami
nation, in 1791, even before the completion of the purchase of
the huge cantle, or Triangle, an act passed the Legislature of
Pennsylvania to open and improve navigable waters and roads,
and included an expenditure of £100 for French Creek from its
mouth on the Allegheny up to the road leading therefrom to
Presqu'ile. In 1793, on the 8th of March, the Pennsylvania Population

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY. 63
Company was formed for purposes set forth in their articles.
The managers were John Nicholson, John Field, Theophilus
Casenove, and Aaron Burr, Esqs. The following provisional
plan of settlement was agreed upon :
"Whereas the said company have purchased considerable
bodies of land in Pennsylvania, on the waters of Beaver
Creek and Lake Erie ; and whereas there is some prospect
of a speedy termination of the Indian war, and the company
are desirous of encouraging the settlement of these lands, as
well for their own interests as for the following considerations,
viz. : —
" 1st. For promoting the interests of the State, by increasing
the population thereof.
"2d. For establishing a barrier along the extremity, so that
all the other unsettled parts of Pennsylvania, being within the
same, may be settled with greater rapidity, etc.
"3d. To encourage the industrious inhabitants, who may
encounter the difficulties always attending first settlements,
by liberal grants of land.
"Under the influence of these motives, the society aforesaid,
by their president and managers, offer as follows, viz. :
" 1st. To the firstten families who may settle on their lands
on the waters of Beaver Creek, one hundred and fifty acres
each. ' ' 2d. To the first twenty families on the waters of French
Creek, one hundred and fifty acres each.
"3d. To the first twenty families on Lake Erie territory,
one hundred and fifty acres each.
"4th. To the next twenty families (after the first ten) who
shall so settle on the waters of Beaver Creek, one hundred
acres each.
" 5th. To the next forty families (after the first twenty) who
shall so settle on the waters of French Creek, one hundred
acres each.
"6th. To the next forty families (after the first twenty) who
shall so settle on the lands of the company in the Lake Erie
territory, one hundred acres each.
"7th. That such settlement be made on such parts of the
lands of the company as settlers may choose. The parties

64 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
respectively so settling shall have their several deeds for the
land after two years' residence thereon, and having also
cleared at least ten acres thereof, and erected a comfortable
dwelling-house ; in case they, or any of them, should be driven
off by the Indians, no part of the aforesaid two years shall be
deemed to run during the time they shall be so expelled ; and in
case of their leaving the lands before they receive their deeds,
no title shall vest in them, their heirs and assignees, unless
they procure the residence of their assigns in like manner as
required of themselves, and in case of death, their successors to
reside in like manner.
" 8th. That the company will sell thirty thousand acres of
land to actual settlers, not exceeding three hundred acres
each, and those only at one dollar, paid at the choice of the
purchasers, payable one third in two years without interest,
and one third the next year, with one year's interest, and
the residuary third in the succeeding year, with two years'
interest. "9th. That the surveys be made under the direction of the
company, the expense of the surveys to be paid by the grantee
or purchaser. "By order of the Board.
"J. W. Nicholson."
A month after the formation of this company, an act passed
the Legislature for laying out a town at Presqu'ile, " in order
to facilitate and promote the progress of settlement within the
commonwealth, and to afford additional security to the fron
tiers thereof."
Gov. Mifflin transmitted to the President of the United
States a copy of this act, apprehending the difficulties which
soon manifested themselves. Prior to this he had sent to Capt.
Denny a commission, appointing him captain of the Allegheny
company, and instructing him to engage four sergeants, four
corporals, one drummer and fifer, two buglers, and sixty-five
rank and file, or privates, and to stipulate with the men to
remain longer than the appointed eight months, should the
state of the war require it. Early in the month of May,
Messrs. Irvine, Ellicot, and Gallatin were to engage in laying
out the town, with Capt. Denny's company to protect and

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY. 65
defend them. For the same object, a post had been estab
lished at Le Bceuf, two miles below the site of the old fort,
and all persons employed by government were particularly
cautioned against giving offense to the English or British
garrisons in that quarter. A letter from Gen. Wilkins, at
Fort Franklin, to Clement Biddle, quartermaster-general of
Pennsylvania, informs us of his arrival, with forty of Capt.
Denny's men and thirty volunteers from the county of Alle
gheny, and that the news was not favorable toward an estab
lishment at Presqu'ile. Those most conversant with the
Indians were of the opinion that they were irritated by the
British, and meditated an opposition to the government, and
that the question of peace or war depended upon a council
then convened at Buffalo Creek. To this council Cornplanter,
and other Indians on the Allegheny River, had been invited ;
a.^1 as the English had summoned it, the prospect was not
favorable for peace. He also adds that it is his intention to
proceed to Cassawago, and should a serious opposition seem
to be meditated by the Indians, he would proceed no farther
with the stores, until reinforced by more men and enabled to
establish himself at Le Boeuf. He also mentions the very low
water as a serious impediment. In a letter addressed to A. J.
Dallas, he says : " The English are fixed in their opposition
to the opening of the road to Presqu'ile, and are determined
to send a number of English and Indians to cut them off.
The chief Cornplanter communicated the same thing to the
commanding officer at Franklin. To heighten the excitement,
a friendly Indian was murdered by a dissolute man, named
Bobertson. The Indians were very much incensed that the
murderer was not given up to them, and fears were entertained
that some innocent person would be made to suffer in his
place. 'The English,' said they, ' always promise to punish
crimes, but have never done it.' The father of Bobertson sent
for John Nicholson to endeavor to appease the Indians, which
he effected by calling a council, and offering one hundred
dollars to replace, in an Indian way, the man that was dead."
May 24th, Gov. Mifflin applied to the President to order one
thousand militia from the western brigades, for the purpose of
supporting the commissioners, who were authorized to lay out

66 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
the town. The brigade inspectors of Westmoreland, Washing
ton, Allegheny, and Fayette accordingly made a draft for that
number, to co-operate with Capt. Denny's detachment, under
the command of Gen. Wilkins. The citizens of northwestern
Pennsylvania urged on improvements, and the President,
fearful of giving offense to the Indians, advised to a temporary
cessation. Gov. Mifflin, in writing to the Secretary of War,
says: "Some old grievances, alleged to have been suffered
from the Union, the inflammatory speech of Lord Dorchester,
the constant machinations of British agents, and the cor
ruption of the British tribes, had, in truth, previously excited
that hostile disposition, which you seem to consider the effect
of the measures pursued by Pennsylvania for establishing a
town at Presqu'ile  I desire to be clearly under
stood, that, on my part, no assent is given to any proposition
that shall bring in doubt or controversy the rights of the
States. . . ' . At the same time I am anxious to promote
the views of the general government, and to avoid increasing
the dissatisfaction of the Six Nations, or in any manner ex
tending the sphere of Indian hostilities." The bounty offered
to settlers by the Population Company was limited to those
who should actually inhabit and reside in the town before the
first of January, 1794 ; the time was consequently extended to
May 1st, 1795, by an act of the Legislature. Capt. Denny also
had orders to proceed no farther with his detachment than Le
Bceuf, where, under the direction of Brigadier-General Wil
kins, two small block-houses had been erected for the protec
tion of the commissioners.
Attorney-General Bradford having been written to by the
Secretary of War as to the constitutionality of raising four
companies of troops " for the port of Philadelphia and the de
fense of the frontiers," replied as follows : "There is nothing
in the Constitution, I apprehend, which prohibits the several
States from keeping troops in time of war. If peace shall be
made with the Indians, and the United States be engaged in
no other war, these troops cannot be constitutionally kept up
in Pennsylvania, although the war should continue to rage in
Europe." Some particulars of interest relating to the Indian difficul-

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY. 67
ties in this region will be found in the following deposition
and letters : Deposition of D. Ransom.
Allegheny County, ss.
"Personally appeared before me, John Gibson, one of the
Associate Judges of the above county, Daniel Ransom, who,
being duly sworn, deposeth and saith, that he, this deponent,
hath for some time past traded at Fort Franklin with the
Senecas and other Indians, and that a chief of the Senecas,
named Tiawoncas, or Broken Twig, came there and informed
him the time would soon be bad, and advised him to move off
his family and effects. On this he, this deponent, asked him
how he knew the time would soon be bad. The Indian then
informed him that the British and Indians had sent a belt of
wampum to him, inviting him to council at Buffalo Creek ;
that he had declined going, and that the messengers then in
formed him of the intended plans of the Indians ; they said
that the Cornplanter had been bought by the British, and had
joined them ; that he (the Cornplanter) intended soon to
come to Fort Franklin, on pretense of holding a council
respecting the Indian who was killed by Robertson ; that
then the British and Indians were to land at Presqu'ile, and
there form a junction with Cornplanter on French Creek, and
were then to clear it, by killing all the people and taking all
the posts on it ; that he was so much affected as to shed tears,
and said, ' What shall I do ? I have been at war against the
Western Indians, in company with Cap. Jeffers, and killed
and scalped one of them. If I now go back to the Indians,
after having discovered this, they will kill me.' He also in
formed this deponent that a number of cannon had been pur
chased by the British, and collected at Jurisadagoe, the town
where Cornplanter lives, for the purpose of conveying the
Indians down the river.
" He, this deponent, further saith, that the Standing Stone,
a chief of the Onondagoes, also informed him, at Fort Frank
lin, that he thought the times would soon be bad, and pressed
him very much to leave Fort Franklin, and assisted him. in
packing up his goods, etc. ; that from what he had heard and
seen from other Indians, he has every reason to believe the

68 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
above account to be true ; that seven white men came down
the Allegheny, a few days ago, to Fort Franklin, who in
formed him, they saw the above-mentioned cannon at Jurisa-
dagoe ; and the Indians appeared very surly, and had not
planted any corn on the river at their towns.
" Sworn and subscribed at Pittsburg, this 11th June, 1794."
A letter from Capt. Denny, dated Fort Franklin, June 14,
1794, says :
" Sir : — I have the honor of acknowledging your two
letters, dated the 9th and 11th inst. After receiving the first,
we concluded it would be best to proceed upon our march.
We arrived here the day before yesterday, all well. The
account of Ransom's people being killed was too true, but by
what nation of Indians is doubtful. Mr. Ellicot and Mr.
Wilkins have written and sent two runners from Cornplanter,
and they have requested me to wait the return of the express.
When they arrive you shall be informed of the success of the
message. I am suspicious the old fellow will not show him
self. The fact is, that the Indians about here, from twenty
downward, have been exceedingly insolent, treated the
officers, the fort, and every person about it, with the utmost
contempt ; but since our arrival they have altered their tune.
So says Lieut. Polhemus and Dr. McCray. We have written
to Le Bceuf and given the officers there a caution. The day
after to-morrow the runner is to be back. Van Horn and
Bales, the two men who brought your last letter, saw one
Indian on the plain, about twenty miles this side of Pittsburg,
and the trace of six or seven."
A second letter, dated June 16, says :
"Yours, inclosing a copy of Polhemus, came yesterday.
The Cornplanter's nephew arrived from the town about the
same time. He delivered a long speech from his uncle to
Lieut. Polhemus. Upon summing up the whole, we have not
a shadow of doubt but that a plan was formed to destroy all
the posts and settlements in this quarter. It was all done
upon the strength of the prospect of a war between the
British and  . That subsiding, the other, I am in hopes,
has also done so. There is no doubt but the English will urge

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY. 69
them to join the Western Indians, and have done everything
possible, and perhaps a few may ; but I rather think that,
unless we have a war with them, we'll have none with the Six
Nations generally. The Cornplanter has gone to another
council at Buffalo ; he set out at the same time the nephew
started for this place, and will return in about ten days. He
says he is very sorry for the mischief done lately, and is ex
tremely concerned at the account given of their going to take
up the hatchet. Says they were bad men that reported it ;
that it's a lie ; and insists upon knowing whom the informa
tion came from, as it is evident that a stroke was meditated,
but now perhaps dropped. Every apology which he can
possibly make won't be sufficient to clear him of the imputa
tion of a traitor. Some of the nation say the English have
bought O'Beil. We shall spend two days to come in helping
Mr. Polhemus to put his garrison in some state of defense ;
for should anything happen it, we should fare the worse
above. ' ' ANDREW ELLICOT TO GOV. MIFFLIN.
" June 29, Fort Le Bceuf.
"Dear Sir: — In my last letter to you from Pittsburg I
mentioned that you might expect to hear from me, both from
Fort Franklin and Le Bceuf ; but from a variety of circum
stances no opportunity occurred of writing at first. On my
arrival there, the place appeared to be in so defenseless a
situation that, with the concurrence of Capt. Denny and the
officer commanding at the fort, we remained there some time,
and employed the troops in rendering it more tenable. It
may now be considered as defensible, provided the number of
men is increased. The garrison at present consists of twenty-
five men, one half of whom are unfit for duty, and it is my
opinion that double that number would not be more than suffi
cient, considering the importance of the safety of the settle
ment on French Creek. At Fort Franklin, Gen. Wilkins and
myself wrote to Cornplanter to attend there, that we might
have an opportunity of explaining to him the nature of our
business, and of obviating any difficulties that might arise in
our proceedings. However, he did not come as we expected,
having gone some days before to a council of the Six Nations

70 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
at Buffalo. With this letter you will receive a copy of their
message, presented by Gen. Chapin and Mr. Johnson to Capt.
Denny and myself, with our reply to the same. I leave to
yourself to consider the propriety of a British agent attending
a considerable number of Indians, with a superintendent of
Indian affairs of the United States to order the people of Penn
sylvania to remove from those lands which have been ceded to
them by treaty, by the king of Great Britain, and since
that time regularly purchased from the Six Nations, and
punctually paid for. After repairing Fort Franklin, we pro
ceeded to this place, and are now beginning to strengthen the
works here, so as to render it a safe deposit for military and
other stores ; and in doing which, agreeable to instructions,
economy shall be strictly attended to. The line described by
the Indians on the map will take from the State of Pennsyl
vania the Cassawago settlement (Meadville), being part of the
purchase of 17S4, and the whole of the purchase of 1788. But
with respect to this claim they can be serious only so far as
encouraged by the British agents and the countenance shown
them by the late interference of the United States. The objec
tion made by Mr. Brandt to Gen. Chapin, that the establish
ment at Presqu'ile would cut off the communication between
the Six Nations and the Western hostile Indians, and thereby
diminish their joint strength, is the strongest argument that
can be urged in favor of that establishment. Gen. Chapin
and myself are of the opinion that all differences between the
State of Pennsylvania and the Six Nations might be accom
modated by treaty, which treaty ought not to be held in the
neighborhood of any British post, the United States, and this
State at present, and that Presqu'ile is the most eligible place
for such a treaty. Gen. Chapin, I presume, has communicated
his sentiments to Gen. Knox on this subject. Standing Stone,
a chief resident at Conyat, has informed us, since we arrived
at this place, that the late mischief on the Allegheny River
and Venango path was done by a party of eight warriors from
Huron River, which falls into Lake Erie about twenty-six
miles above Cuyahoga. One of his brothers saw them on their
way to commit these depredations. Those Indians are only to
be chastised by way of the lakes, but it is neither the interest

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY. 71
of the British, Brandt, nor the other agents to have them
punished— it is the interest of the United States ; and yet the
United States, by directing a suspension of the business at
Presqu'ile, have taken effectual measures for the security of
this nest of murderers, whose cruelties have for some years
past been severely felt by the citizens of this State. You must
recollect that I always had my doubts respecting the fulfill
ment of the contract for opening the navigation of French
Creek, and a road from Le Bceuf to Presqu'ile, and agreeable
to my expectations, have hitherto not been able to discover
anything done in that business. For the further security of
the frontiers of this State, it would be necessary to erect two
block-houses on the Venango path, between Fort Pitt and
Venango, and a third between Venango and this place. At
present, Mead's settlement appears to me the most proper
situation. "I am, with great respect, your real friend,
"Andrew Ellicot."
GEN. CHAPIN'S LETTER TQ THE SECRETARY .OF WAR.
" Fort Le Bceuf, June 26th, 1794.
" I left Canandaigua on the thirteenth of this month, in
order to attend a council at Buffalo Creek. I waited more
than a week after my first notification for my son to return,
that I might have an answer from you ; but the chief growing
impatient, kept constantly sending runners, and I was obliged
to set out at last, to my great disappointment, without having
received any information from you. On my arrival I found
the minds of the Indians much agitated with regard to the
movements made by the State of Pennsylvania. On the
eighteenth I met the Indians in general council, the proceed
ings of which you see here inclosed. At this council I
was requested to go to Presqu'ile (as you will see by their
speech), to desire those people to move off who had made
encroachments on their lands. I found that no excuse could
answer, and was finally obliged to comply with their request.
On the nineteenth I left Buffalo Creek, accompanied by a
delegation from the Six Nations, consisting of sixteen chiefs
and warriors. I arrived at Presqu'ile on the twenty-fourth,

72 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
but finding no person there, proceeded to Le Bceuf, where I
found Mr. Ellicot and Capt. Denny. After informing those
gentlemen of the business I came upon, I gave them a copy
of the speech which had been delivered me at Buffalo Creek.
The answer which they made I send you, inclosed with the
other speeches. Although the minds of the Six Nations are
much disturbed at the injuries which they say they have
sustained, they are still opposed to war, and wish, if possible,
to live in peace with the United States. They are much
opposed to the establishing of garrisons in this quarter, as they
think it will involve them in war with the hostile Indians.
They are likewise displeased with having their lands surveyed,
which they say were not legally purchased. In this critical
situation, would it not be best to have commissioners
appointed to treat with the Six Nations, that all difficulties
may be settled which subsist between them and the United
States, especially those that regard the State of Pennsylvania?
And it is the wish of the Six Nations that this treaty should
be held at their council fire at Buffalo Creek. I shall return
by Buffalo Creek," etc., etc.
A rumor prevailed that a large body of Indians, assisted by
the British, had been seen crossing the lake, the others, de
scending the Allegheny ; that their object was to take Fort
Franklin, destroy the settlement at Cassawago, and make an
establishment at Presqu'ile.
Capt. Denny removed to Venango with his men, and
ordered the brigades to be ready to be called out should the
reports appear well founded.
Three men on their way to Pittsburg, of the names of Wal
lace, Power, and Van Tickler, were overpowered by the
Indians. A party sent out by Lieut. Polhemus found them
shot, scalped, and tomahawked. '
Joseph Brandt, in a letter to the British authorities, dated
July 19, 1794, says: "In regard to the Presqu'ile business,
should we not get an answer at the time limited, it is our
business to push those fellows, and therefore it is my intention
l This statement is made on the authority of a public record, but is not
true. The name is Van Sickle. Mr. Jas. Van Sickle, a grandson, residing
at Albion, Erie County, says his grandfather was taken up for dead, but re
covered and lived for many years.

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY. 73
to form my camp at Point Appineau (a few miles above Fort
Erie) ; and I would esteem it a favor if his Excellency the
Lieutenant-Governor would lend me four or five batteaux.
Should it so turn out, and should those fellows not go off, and
O'Beil (Cornplanter) continue in the same opinion, an expe
dition against those Yankees must of consequence take place.
His ExceUency has been so good as to furnish us with a
hundredweight of powder, and ball in proportion, which is
now at Fort Erie ; but in the event of an attack upon Le
Bceuf people, I could wish, if consistent, that his Excellency
would order a like quantity in addition to be at Fort Erie, in
order to be in readiness ; likewise I would hope for a little
assistance in provisions."
At Buffalo Creek, June 18th, at a council of the Six Nations,
Gen. Chapin was addressed by O'Beil, or Cornplanter, in sub
stance as follows : — " That they depended upon the Americans
to do all in their power to assist them ; they wished Col.
Johnson, British agent (who slyly prompted them), and Gen.
Chapin to remove back over the line which they had laid
out. This line began at O'Beil's town, and in a direct line
crossed French Creek, just below Meade's, and on the head of
the Cuyahoga ; from thence to the Muskingum, and down the
Ohio and to its mouth, and up the Mississippi ; leaving a small
square for a trading house at the mouth of the rivers, and one
where Clarksville now stands. If this removal was attended
to immediately, they should consider them friends ; if not,
they must be considered enemies." Mr. Ellicot and Capt.
Denny desired an interval of an hour to prepare an answer ;
at the expiration of which they replied as follows : " By the
peace of 1782 the king of Great Britain ceded all the lands of
Pennsylvania which they claim, but from regard to justice
they desired to fairly purchase it from the Six Nations — the
real owners of the soil. The purchase north of the north
boundary of Pennsylvania, west of the Conawango River,
Lake Chautauqua, and the path leading from thence to Lake
Erie, and south of said lake, was made of your chiefs at Fort
Harmer (by Gens. Butler and Gibson,) and the money and
goods punctually paid them. They had also sold those lands
to such people as chose to settle and work them, and it was

74 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
their duty to protect them from depredations. Their military
preparations were intended as a defense from hostile Western
Indians, not supposing they needed any from the Six Nations,
whom they considered their friends and allies. They could
not consistently with their duty remove from the lands they
had purchased, unless directed to do so by the great council of
the people, to whom they would immediately send their
message. They had been ordered by the great council of
Pennsylvania to their present post, and they could not move
from thence until orders came for that purpose."
At another conference, held at the same place, the Indians
maintained that "they had decided upon their boundaries,
and wished for nothing but justice (forgetting their former
contract) ; they wanted room for their children ; it would be
hard for them not to have a country to live in when they
were gone. Congress and their commissioners had often
deceived them, and if these difficulties were not removed, the
consequences would be bad. A number of their warriors
were missing, and they supposed they had been killed by
the Americans. Big Tree was one of the number, and a
nephew of theirs (a Delaware) ; and it had been customary to
make satisfaction (to pay a sum of money), which had not
been done. If a garrison were established at Presqu'ile, the
Southern Indians might do injury, and the Six Nations be
blamed for it." Gen. Chapin replied that he was bound to
look to the interests of both the Indians and the United
States, and would accede to their wish, which was to accom
pany ten of their warriors and two chiefs to Presqu'ile, and to
send their message immediately to the President.
They made the journey to Presqu'ile by water, and finding
no one there (from fear of the Indians), they proceeded on
foot to Le Boeuf, where they made known their business,
which was to see the surveyors and forbid their running lines.
They were informed that they had shortly before left the
country by way of the river, and assurances were given them
that the whole matter should be laid before the President.
On their return to Buffalo Creek another council was held
when Cornplanter again insisted that their former request
should be granted ; they were determined the line should

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY. 75
remain. Capt. Brandt, a Seneca, the year before, at a council,
claimed the same line, the Muskingum. Where lands were
actually settled and improved they were to be circumscribed
by a line drawn around them, and no claim admitted beyond
such line. He added: "They must not suspect that any
other nation corrupted their minds ; the only thing that cor
rupted their minds was not to grant their request. There was
but one word said that they liked at Le Bceuf, that was the
gift of some land to O'Beil ; and to complete his wishes, he
desired they would give all the Six Nations land."
This refers to Mr. Ellicot, relating the particulars concern
ing the treaty at Fort Harmer, and informing the Indians
that the State of Pennsylvania had made these grants of land
to Capt. O'Beil. This present to Cornplanter was at the sug
gestion of Gen. Bichard Butler, who had been witness to his
usefulness in all the treaties since 1784. [He mentions that it
would be good policy to secure the chief's attachment ; and
that his ideas of civilization would make the present grate
ful — that it could be made in such a manner as not to excite
the jealousy of his own people, and wishes for the quiet and
interest of the State, as well as the merit of the man, had
prompted him in the liberty he was assuming.]
Gen. Chapin replied to Brandt that he hoped the Indians
frould " sit easy on their seats until they heard Gen. Washing
ton's voice," and that he would forward their speech to him
immediately. In reply to this, the President appointed a conference at
Canandaigua in October, for the purpose of establishing a
firm and permanent friendship with the Six Nations, and
appointed Timothy Pickering sole agent for this purpose.
Cornplanter was charged by his people at their council " with
having been bribed in the sale of Presqu'ile, and that he and
little Billy received $2,000 at Fort Harmer, and a like sum at
Philadelphia" ; but these and all other difficulties were
amicably settled. A large tract of land west of the Phelps
and Gorham purchase in New York was reserved to them,
with $14,500 in goods ; and fifty-nine sachems signed a treaty
of perpetual peace and friendship with the United States.

CHAPTER VII.
An Act to lay out the Towns of Erie, Waterford, Franklin, and
Warren — To Protract the Enlistment of Troops at Le Bceuf—
Deposition of Tho. Rees, 'Esq'. — Actual Settlers— Memorial to the
Population Company — Deacon Chamberlain's Story — Capt. Mar
tin Strong to Wm. Nicholson, Esq. — Louis Philippe at Mr. Rees's
—Murder of Rutledge and his Son — Mr. Augustus Porter's Visit
— Mr. Judah Colt's MS. Autobiography — Number of White Set
tlers on the Lakes west of Genesee River — Gen. Wayne's Death at
Presqu'ile, 1796.
All difficulties being removed, April 18th, 1795, an act
passed the Legislature to lay out a town at Presqu'ile, at the
mouth of French Creek, at the mouth of Conewango Creek,
and at Le Bceuf — being the towns of Erie, Franklin, Warren,
and Waterford.
Two commissioners were appointed by the Governor to
survey at Presqu'ile sixteen hundred acres for town lots, and
thirty-four hundred adjoining for out lots (the three sections
of about a mile each, only one half of which is now occupied),
to be laid out into town lots and out lots ; the streets not less
than sixty feet in width, nor more than one hundred ; no
town lots to contain more than one third of an acre ; no out
lot more than five acres ; and the reservation for public uses
not to exceed in the whole twenty acres. After the com
missioners had returned the surveys into the office of the
secretary, the governor was to offer at auction one third of the
town lots and one third of the out lots, upon the following con
ditions : that within two years one house be built at least
sixteen feet square, with at least one stone or brick chimney.
Patents were not to be issued till the same was performed, and
all payments to be forfeited to the commonwealth in case of
failure. (This condition was afterward repealed.) Exclusive
of the survey of in lots and out lots, sixty acres were reserved
on the southern side of the harbor of Presqu'ile for the accom-
76

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY. 77
, modation of the United States, in the erection of necessary
forts, magazines, dock-yards, etc.; thirty acres to be on the
bank, and the remainder below, comprehending the point at
the entrance of the harbor ; and upon the peninsula thirty
acres at the entrance of the harbor, and one other lot of one
hundred acres. The situation and forms of these lots were to
be fixed by the commissioners and an engineer employed by
the United States. Andrew Ellicot had previously surveyed
and laid out Waterford, and an act was now passed to survey
these five hundred acres for out lots, to reserve for public uses
not more than ten acres, and to give actual settlers the right
of pre-emption.
At this time, also, provision was made to protract the enlist
ment of troops at Le Boeuf, not to exceed one hundred and
thirty for the term of eight months. These were to protect
and assist the commissioners, surveyors, etc.; and if occur
rences should take place which, in the opinion of the Gover
nor, should make a greater force requisite than the aforesaid,
or Indian hostilities continue, and a defense be requisite for
the western frontier, a complete company of expert riflemen
might be raised.
Thomas Bees, Esq., for more than half a century a citizen of
Erie County, made a deposition in 1806, which contains much
information in a concise form. It is as follows: "Thomas
Rees, of Harbor Creek Township, in Erie County, farmer,
being sworn according to law, doth depose and say, as follows :
I was appointed deputy surveyor of District No. 1, north
and west of the Rivers Ohio, Allegheny, and Connewango
Creek, now Erie County, in May, 1792, and opened an office
in Northumberland County, which was the adjoining. The
reason of this was, all accounts from the country north and
west of the Rivers Ohio, Allegheny, and Connewango Creek,
represented it as dangerous to go into that country. In the
latter part of said year I received 390 warrants, the property of
the Penn. Population Company, for land situated in the
Triangle, and entered them the same year in my book of
entries. In 1793 I made an attempt to go ; went to the mouth
of Buffalo Creek to inquire of the Indians there whether they
would permit me to go into my district to make surveys.

78 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
They refused, and added that if I went into the country I
would be killed. At the same time I received information
from different quarters which prevented me from going that
year. In 1794 I went into District No. 1, now Erie County,
and made surveys on the 390 warrants mentioned above, in
the Triangle, except one or two for which no lands could be
found. Among the surveys made on the warrants above men
tioned, was that on the warrant in the name of John Mc-
Cullough. Before I had completed I was frequently alarmed
by hearing of the Indians killing persons on the Allegheny
River, in consequence of which, as soon as the surveys were
completed, I removed from the country and went to Franklin,
where I was informed that there were a number of Indians
belonging to the Six Nations going to Le Bceuf, to order the
troops off that ground. I immediately returned to Le Boeuf.
The Indians had left that place one day before I arrived there.
I was told by Major Denny, then commanding at that place,
that the Indians had brought Gen. Chapin, the Indian agent,
with them to Le Bceuf ; that they were very much displeased,
and told him not to build a garrison at Presqu'ile. '
" There were no improvements made, nor any persons living
on any tract of land within my district during the year 1794.
In the year 1795, I went into the country and took a number
of men with me. We kept in a body, as there appeared to be
great danger, and continued so for that season. There was no
work done of any consequence, nor was any person, to my
knowledge, residing on any tract within my district. In the
course of the summer the commissioners came on to lay out
the town of Erie, with a company of men to guard them.
There were two persons killed within one mile of Presqu'ile,
and others in different parts of the country ; such were the
fears that though some did occasionally venture out to view
the lands, many would not. We all laid under the protection
of the troops.
" I sold, as agent of the Pennsylvania Population Company,
during that season, 79,700 acres of land, of which 7,150 acres
were a gratuity. The above quantity of land was applied for
and sold to two hundred persons. That fall we left the
country. In the spring of 1796 a considerable number of

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY. 79
people came out into the country, and numbers went to the
farms that they had purchased from the Population Company.
The settlements during this year were very small.
"The latter part of this year, the opposition commenced
against the Population Company on the waters of Elk and
Conneaut Creeks, by an association under the title of  ,
which impeded considerably the progress of the settlements
under the Population Company. In the latter part of the
month of May or the beginning of June, 1797, a second asso
ciation made its appearance in opposition to the title of the
Population Company on the waters of French Creek, near the
New York State line, under the title of  ; and another
on the northeast corner of the Triangle ; and were active in
their opposition to the claims of the Population Company,
and to the exertions of its agents for the improvement and
settlement of the country. . . . They took great pains to
impress upon the minds of persons who came into the
country with the intention of settling in it, that the Popula
tion Company had no title to the lands which they claimed,
and induced all over whom they could gain any influence to
settle and claim in opposition to the Population Company."
Compromises were afterward effected with many of the
actual settlers, and their course was not unjustifiable until
after the decisions of the courts. To show the ground taken
by them I have inserted the following article: "Memorial
of  to the Pennsylvania Population Company, March 4,
1799. Agreeable to the encouragement held out to settlers in
the western part of the County of Allegheny, I moved in the
year 1795 within sixteen miles of Presqu'ile, on Lake Erie. I
entered into an article of agreement with a number of persons
in Northumberland County, previous to my moving to
Presqu'ile ; the purport of the article was that I was to go
and purchase or improve lands in that county, and that they
were to share equal with me in all purchases or improvements
that I should make.
" One very great encouragement to my going there was that
the Pennsylvania Population Company published in different
parts of Pennsylvania, offering, as an encouragement to the
first settlers that would go, one hundred and fifty acres of

80 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
land, valued at one dollar per acre, to each of the first settlers,
with the remainder to make up a tract of four hundred acres ;
which remaining part was to be bought. And in order to
give greater encouragement to settlers, the State of Pennsyl
vania offered, in a law passed in the year 1792, land at seven
pounds ten shillings per one hundred acres, and ten years to
pay it. Under these prospects I moved to that county, being
one of the first settlers. The law then existing provided that
an office would be opened in each district, which was not the
case when I moved there ; but I went and applied to Thomas
Rees, who was agent for the Pennsylvania Population Com
pany, and district surveyor, as I had the land improved.
Before my applying to Rees, I mentioned if the land belonged
to the company I would comply with their terms, and if the
land belonged to the State of Pennsylvania I would comply
with the terms the State held out to settlers. Finding no
surveys made I believed the land belonged to the State, and
improved upon it with these intentions, as being the proper
person who should hold it by virtue of my improvements. I
applied to Mr. Rees, district surveyor, and he entered my
name in a book kept for that purpose as a claimant for so
much land, and gave me a certificate for those lands, and had
them surveyed, and I paid him five dollars for each tract, for
surveying. "After I had lived two years peaceably upon the land,
without meeting with any opposition whatever, the agent for
the company came out and requested of me to know how I
wished or intended to hold the land. I answered, that I in
tended holding it upon the same principles that I made my
applications in 1795. He then asked me for the privilege of
building a vessel and storehouse upon my tract of land. I
told him that there were more persons concerned in this land
than myself, and if I granted any privilege of that kind, he
must consider that I did not intend him to hold any right of
any kind to the tract of land by making these improvements ;
and upon these conditions I granted him liberty to build the
vessel and storehouse. Afterward in my absence he took
possession of a mill-seat upon the same tract, and engaged the
millwright I had verbally engaged to build a mill upon the

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY. 81
same seat, and gave them possession. On my return, finding
he had abused those privileges I had granted him, I went and
discharged the millwrights and ship carpenters."
Deacon Hinds Chamberlain, of Le Roy, New York, in com
pany with Jesse Beach and Beuben Heath, journeyed to
Presqu'ile in 1795. Deacon Chamberlain describes the tour as
follows : "We saw one white man, named Poudery, at Tona-
wanda village. At the mouth of Buffalo Creek there was but
one white man, named Winne, an Indian trader. His build
ing stood just as you descend from the high ground (near
where the Mansion House now stands, corner of Main and
Exchange Streets). He had rum, whisky, Indian knives,
trinkets, etc. His house was full of Indians, and they looked
at us with a good deal of curiosity. We had but a poor
night's rest — the Indians were in and out all night getting
liquor. The next day we went up the beach of the lake to
the mouth of Cattaraugus Creek, where we encamped ; a wolf
came down near our camp, and deer were quite abundant. In
the morning went up to the Indian village ; found ' Black
Joe's ' house, but he was absent. He had, however, seen our
tracks upon the beach of the lake, and hurried home to see
what white people were traversing the wilderness. The
Indians stared at us ; Joe gave us a room where we should
not be annoyed by Indian curiosity, and we stayed with him
over night. All he had to spare us in the way of food was
some dried venison ; he had liquor, Indian goods, and bought
furs. Joe treated us with so much civility that we remained
until near noon. There were at least one hundred Indians
and squaws gathered to see us. Among the rest there were
sitting in Joe's house, an old squaw and a young, delicate-
looking white girl dressed like a squaw. I endeavored to find
out something about her history, but could not. She seemed
inclined not to be noticed, and had apparently lost the use of
our language. With an Indian guide provided by Joe we
started upon the Indian trail for Presqu'ile.
"Wayne was then fighting the Indians, and our guide often
pointed to the West, saying, 'bad Indians there.' Between
Cattaraugus and Erie I shot a black snake, a racer, with a
white ring around his neck. He was in a tree twelve feet

82' HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
from the ground, his body wound around it, and measured
seven feet and three inches.
"At Presqu'ile (Erie) we found neither whites nor Indians —
all was solitary. There were some old French brick buildings,
(why did they make bricks, surrounded as they 'were by stone
and timber?) wells, block-houses, etc., going to decay, and
eight or ten acres of cleared land. On the peninsula there
was an old brick house forty or fifty feet square. The penin
sula was covered with cranberries.
" After staying there one night we went over to Le Bceuf,
about sixteen miles distant, pursuing an old French road.
Trees had grown up in it, but the track was distinct. Near
Le Bceuf we came upon a company of men who were cutting
out the road to Presqu'ile — a part of them were soldiers and a
part Pennsylvanians. At Le Bceuf there was a garrison of
soldiers — about one hundred. There were several white fami
lies there, and a store of goods. Myself and companions
were in pursuit of land. By a law of Pennsylvania, such as
built a log-house and cleared a few acres acquired a presump
tive right — the right to purchase at five dollars per hundred
acres. We each of us made a location near Presqu'ile. On
our return to Presqu'ile from Le Bceuf, we found there Col.
Seth Beed and his family. They had just arrived. We
stopped and helped him build some huts ; set up crotches,
laid poles across, and covered them with the bark of the
cucumber-tree. At first the Colonel had no floors ; afterward
he indulged in the luxury of floors made by laying down
strips of bark. James Baggs and Giles Sisson came on with
Col. Beed. I remained for a considerable time in his employ.
It was not long before eight or ten other families came in.1
" On our return we again stayed at Buffalo over night with
Winne. There was at the time a great gathering of hunting
parties of Indians there. Winne took from them all their
knives and tomahawks, and then selling them liquor, they
had a great carousal."
Capt. Martin Strong, in a letter to William Nicholson, Esq.,
dated Waterford, January 8, 1855, says : "I came to Presqu'-
i This is double the number given in the article by Capt. Strong, whose
testimony from the circumstances ought to have the preference.

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY. 83
ile the last of July, 1795. A few days previous to this, a com
pany of United States troops had commenced felling the
timber on Garrison Hill, for the purpose of erecting a stock
ade garrison ; also a corps of engineers had arrived, headed by
Gen. Ellicot, escorted by a company of Pennsylvania militia
commanded by Capt. John Grubb, to lay out the town of
Erie. "We all were in some degree under martial law, the two
Rutledges having been shot a few days before (as was reported
by the Indians) near the site of the present Lake Shore rail
road depot. Thomas Bees, Esq., and Col. Seth Reed and
family (the only family in the Triangle) were living in tents
and booths of bark, with plenty of good refreshment for all
itinerants that chose to call, many of whom were drawn here
from motives of curiosity and speculation. Most of the land
along the lake was sold this summer at one dollar per acre,
subject to actual settlement. We were then in Allegheny
County. . . . Le Bceuf had a small stockade garrison of
forty men, located on the site of the old French fort ; a few
remains of the old entrenchment were then visible. In 1795
there were but four families residing in what is now Erie
County. These were of the names of Reed, Talmage, Miles,
and Baird. The first mill built in the Triangle was at the
mouth of Walnut Creek ; there were two others built about
the same time in what is now Erie County : one by William
Miles, on the north branch of French Creek, now Union ; the
other by William Culbertson, at the inlet of Conneauttee
Lake, near Edinboro.
"Half a century ago the winters were more regular, and
snows deeper than in late years, and I think are become
more favorable for vegetation."
When Mr. Rees was living in his tent on the bank of the
lake, " with plenty of good refreshment for all itinerants that
chose to call," he was honored with a royal visitor. Louis
Philippe, his younger brother, and an attendant, spent a day
or two with him, to refresh and rest themselves in their
travels. After expressing themselves delighted with the
lake scenery, they proceeded on their journey, Mr. Rees pro
viding them with an Indian guide to Canandaigua. The

84 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
brother, who was delicate and engrossed much of the care of
the others, was suspected of being the Dauphin, but it proved
otherwise. The two persons spoken of by Esquire Rees and Capt.
Strong, "as having been killed by the Indians, as was
reported," were a father and son, who were rather prominent
actual settlers. The site of the City Mills, near the "Lake
Shore Depot," was for a long time known as " Rutledge's
grave," and was the terror of the ignorant and superstitious.
The elder Rutledge was dead when found, the son scalped and
also shot, but still alive, and placed against a tree. He was
attended by Dr. Kennedy, a skillful physician, of Meadville,
but survived only a short time. A rumor was current at the
time that these murders were committed by white men dis
guised as Indians ; but no evidence admissible in a court of
justice was adduced. Several suits brought by the Population
Company against the actual settlers turned upon this point,
namely, that the company had been prevented from settling
their lands by the enemies of the United States, the purchas
ers considering it unsafe to bring their families out, or even
themselves to be away from the protection of the fort. The
murders were certainly fortunate, financially, for the Popul
ation Company, as under the most favorable circumstances
they could not have brought out fifty thousand families in the
two years alloted them. Had it not been for these depreda
tions, the company must have forfeited their lands.
The respectability of the managers would not allow us for a
moment to entertain such thoughts ; and when we consider
the strong inducements the actual settlers had for ferreting
out the iniquity, their whole property in many cases being at
stake, we must conclude that the murderers were what they
appeared to be — Indians.
In the " Holland Purchase " we find an account of a visit of
Augustus Porter, of Niagara Falls, made to Presqu'ile with
Judah Colt, in 1795. He says : "At that time, all that part of the
State lying west of Phelps and Gorham's purchase was occu
pied by Indians, their title not yet being extinguished. There
was of course no road leading from Buffalo eastward except an
Indian trail, and no settlement whatever on that trail. We

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY. 86
traveled on horseback from Canawagas (Avon) to Buffalo, and
were two days in performing the journey. At Buffalo there
lived a man of the name of Johnstone, the British Indian
interpreter, also a Dutchman and his family by the name of
Middaugh, and an Indian trader by the name of Winne.
" From Buffalo we proceeded to Chippewa, Upper Canada,
where we found Capt. William Lee with a small rowboat
about to start for Presqu'ile and waiting only for assistance to
row the boat. Mr. Colt, Mr. Joshua Fairbanks, now of Lewis-
ton, and myself joined him. Two days of hard rowing
brought us to that place, where we found surveyors engaged
in laying out the village now called Erie. Also a military
company under the command of Gen. Irvine, ordered there by
the Governor of the State to protect the surveyors against the
Indians. Col. Seth Reed (father of Rufus S. Reed) was there
with his family, living in a marquee, having just arrived. A
Mr. Rees was also there, acting as agent for the Population
Company. We returned in the same boat to Chippewa, and
from thence on horseback by way of Queenstown, on the
Indian trail through Tonawanda Indian village to Canan
daigua. " During this expedition from Buffalo to Erie, a very
remarkable circumstance presented itself, the like of which I
had never before seen, nor have I since witnessed. Before
starting from Buffalo we had been detained there two days by
a heavy fall of rain, accompanied by a strong northeast gale.
When off Cattaraugus Creek on our upward passage, about one
or two miles from land, we discovered, some distance ahead, a
white strip on the surface of the lake, extending out from the
shore as far as we could see. On approaching this white strip,
we found it to be some five or six rods wide, its whole surface
covered with fish of all the varieties common to the lake,
lying on their sides as if dead. On touching them, however,
they would dart below the surface, but immediately rise
again to their former position. We commenced taking
them by hand, making our selection of the best ; and
finding them perfectly sound, we took in a good number. On
reaching Erie we had some of them cooked, and found them
excellent. The position of these fishes on their sides in the

86 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
water placed their mouths partly above and partly below the
surface, so that they seemed to be inhaling both water and air;
for at such effort at inhaling, bubbles would rise and float on
the water. It was these bubbles that caused the white ap
pearance on the lake's surface. I have supposed these fish
had, from some cause growing out of the extraordinary agita
tion of the lake by the gale from the eastward, and the sudden
reflux of water from west to east after it had subsided, been
thrown together in this way, and from some unknown natural
cause had lost the power of regulating their specific gravity,
which it is said they" do by means of an air bladder furnished
them by nature. I leave others, however, to explain this
phenomenon." Mr. Judah Colt, in a manuscript autobiography, says : "In
August, 1795, Augustus Porter and myself set out from Canan
daigua for Presqu'ile, for the purpose of purchasing lands —
went on horseback to Niagara, where we left our horses and
took passage with Capt. Wm. Lee in a small shallop to Pres
qu'ile. On our arrival there we found a number of men
encamped in that quarter. The United States troops were
erecting a fort. Gen. William Irvine and Andrew Ellicot,
State Commissioners, were laying out the town of Erie, and
had in their service about one hundred militia troops. We
purchased and took certificates of four hundred acres of land
each — made but a short stay, and returned the way we came.
The season was extremely dry and warm. We suffered
much from heat, drought, and mosquitoes. Shortly after my
return I was taken sick with bilious fever, which reduced me
very low."
The next March, Mr. Colt being in Philadelphia, made an
offer to the Population Company of one dollar per acre for
thirty thousand acres of land off the east end of the Triangle ;
they declined selling in so large a body, but contracted with
him to be their agent at a salary of fifteen hundred dollars per
year, and all expenses paid by them. Powers of attorney and
letters were made out, maps of the country were furnished,
and money advanced to purchase provisions, hire labor, etc.
In the month of April he set out for the Geneseo, country ; at
New York laid in stores of provisions, sundry kinds of goods,

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY. 87
farming and cooking utensils such as are generally wanted in
a new country. They were shipped to Albany, thence across
the portage in wagons, from thence in batteaux up the Mohawk
River and through the lakes to Presqu'ile. On their arrival
at Oswego, they were stopped by the British garrison there,
and only an empty boat allowed to pass to Niagara and
obtain of Gov. Simcoe permission to proceed with their load
ing. Shortly after this they were informed of the treaty being
ratified by Congress, which was made by Mr. Jay with the
British government, and which had been for some time under
consideration. Mr. Colt says: "I arrived myself at the town of Erie on
the 22d of June, and my boats with the provisions the 1st of
July following, and shortly after proceeded to business. I
erected my tent or marquee near the old French garrison, and
continued to reside there through the summer. There was a
captain's command stationed at this village, in a garrison laid
out and builded in the summer of 1795. In August I rode
down to Pittsburg, and attended a vendue for the sale of parts
of the Erie Beserve ; visited the agent who had the superin
tendence of a portion of the company's lands on the waters of
the Beaver ; found the country new, with but few inhabitants ;
roads bad, and accommodations poor ; encamped at night, and
tied my horse head and foot. The journey was very fatiguing,
owing to the dry and warm season. Beturned to Erie in
safety, and in September went on horseback, principally
alone, through the wilderness to Canandaigua. After making
a short visit to my family, returned to Erie, where I continued
the business of my agency until the 1st of November. During
the season met with considerable opposition from adverse
settlers. After arranging the affairs of the company for the
winter, and leaving the agency in the care of Elisha and
Enoch Marvin, we set out again for Philadelphia (by way of
Canandaigua) on the 4th of November, and after about two
weeks of hard labor, and running much danger of losing our
selves, we arrived with our boat at the mouth of Genesee
River," etc.
It is said all the white inhabitants west of this river, on the
lakes, were those in the garrison of Niagara ; two families at

88 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
Lewiston ; a British Indian interpreter, two Indian traders,
and one family at Buffalo ; a few settlers and a garrison at
Presqu'ile ; a party of New England surveyors with two
families at Conneaut, Ohio ; one family at Cleveland ; a
French trader at Sandusky, and the settlement at Detroit.
The first settlers in Erie County were mostly, as in the case
of the Reeds, Colts, Strongs, Judsons, etc., from moral,
thrifty, intelligent New England ; or, like the Mileses, Vin
cents, Kings, Hamiltons, etc., perhaps a more numerous class,
of the illustrious, historic race of Scotch-Irish — "memorable
for their devotion to liberty and religion, and ever ready to
die upon the battle-field in the defense of the one, or to burn
at the stake as a testimony for the other."
The following touching story, which we have condensed, is
found in the Chardon Gazette. Those who emigrate from New
England to Ohio in these days (about 1830) when thirty-five
steamboats plow the waters of Lake Erie, and hundreds of
white sails are spread to the breeze, and pride themselves on
their enterprise and self-denial, would do well to consider a
case of real endurance and privation which occurred on the
Reserve in 1796.
Between Utica and the French settlement on the River
Raisin, there were not half a dozen white families, when we
except a few scattering infant settlements in Western New
York, and the military post at Presqu'ile. Mr. K., the father
of one of these families at Conneaut, had important business
with the Connecticut Land Company, and was compelled to
make the journey before winter. His family had subsisted on
provisions brought from New York, with fish and game, and
it was supposed a sufficiency was in store until his return.
The oldest male member of the family, a boy of fifteen,
having been placed in charge, he took his departure. On his
return to Buffalo the winter had fully set in, the snow being
two and a half feet deep. His absence had already been pro
longed — the family might be in a starving condition, and
there seemed to be no alternative but to venture into the
wilderness. Having loaded his horse with such necessaries as
could be procured for his family, he pursued his course on foot,
following the beach of the lake. At an Indian settlement on

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY. 89
the Cattaraugus he employed a guide, Seneca Billy, as the pro
jecting bluffs prevented his following longer the shore. After
camping out several nights on the snow, he reached Presqu'ile
and dismissed his guide. Here he purchased a bag of corn,
paying for it three dollars per bushel, and set out for home on
the ice. At a fire spring near the mouth of Elk Creek, the
horse broke through, and was so injured as to be of no further
use, and taking his corn upon his back he reached home the
same day. But it was only to consummate his grief, for the
family were nearly in a famishing condition. An infant
being deprived of its natural nourishment by the low diet of
the mother, slowly expired of starvation. The Connecticut
Company having a small store of provisions for the surveyors
at Cleveland, Mr. K. made a journey there on foot, and re
turned with a barrel of salt beef. This, with the assistance of
the man who related the story, he conveyed home on a hand-
sled. A circumstance worthy of note occurred in Erie, December
15, 1796, which was the death of Gen. Anthony Wayne at
the garrison. For six years the Indians northwest of the
Ohio, consisting of the Delaware, Shawnee, Miami, and other
tribes had greatly annoyed the United States, being instigated
by Great Britain. A peace was finally negotiated by our
Minister, Mr. Jay, and Lord Greenville, and signed at Green
ville in 1795. As the English were dispirited by the brilliant
achievements of Gen. Wayne, and the Indians had lost confi
dence in them, and withdrawn their assistance, the terms of
the treaty were advantageous to the United States, and the
peace establishment proved permanent. Gen. Wayne, on his
return home, was everywhere welcomed as the savior of his
country ; at Philadelphia all business was suspended, the
streets festooned with evergreens and flowers, and all classes
participated in the general joy.
The next year (1796) Gen. Wayne received an appointment
from Government to conclude a treaty with the Northwestern
Indians, and having accomplished this arduous task, em
barked at Detroit, in the sloop Detroit, for the purpose of re
turning to his home in Chester County. Soon after leaving port
he was violently attacked by his old malady, the gout, and the

90 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
usual remedy, brandy, through an oversight of the steward,
not being at hand, he became very much prostrated, and in
this condition was landed at Erie. As there was no resident
physician of any repute, Dr. J. C. Wallace, a skillful surgeon
of the army, then at Pittsburg, was sent for with the greatest
dispatch, but on arriving at Franklin, met a messenger with
the news of his death.
When Gen. Wayne was brought into the garrison, he ex
pressed a wish to be placed in the northwest block-house, the
attics of the block-houses being comfortably fitted up and
occupied by the families connected with the garrison. Capt.
Russel Bissell probably had command at the time, and it is
said the illustrious sufferer met with every possible kindness.
A fit death-bed and silent resting-place for a brave officer and
patriot was the old military post of Presquile and its pictur
esque bay. He named the spot for his grave at the foot of the
flagstaff. "A. W." on a single stone was placed at the head,
and a neat railing inclosed it.
The remains were removed in 1809 by a son, Col. Isaac
Wayne, of Chester County, and deposited in Badnor church
yard (St. David's Episcopal Church) which is fourteen miles
west of Philadelphia. Dr. J. C. Wallace superintended the
disinterment of the body, which was found in a remarkable
state of preservation.
On a monument erected by the Pennsylvania Society of the
Cincinnati is found the following : " Major-General Anthony
Wayne was born at Waynesboro, in Chester County, Penn
sylvania, in 1745. After a life of honor and usefulness, he
died in December, 1796, at Erie, Pennsylvania, then a military
post on Lake Erie, Commander-in-chief of the Army of the
United States. His military achievements are consecrated in
the history of his countrymen. His remains are here de
posited."

CHAPTER VIII.
Erie County from 1785 — Organization in 1803 — Its Geography, etc. —
Original Townships — Changes — Extent of Townships and Popula
tion—Population decennially from 1800 — Census Items — Vote of
1808 and 1860 — Receipts and Expenditures do. — Extract from
Auditor-General' s Report — Post-offices in 1830, 1856, 1860 — List of
Judges — Members of Congress — State Senate — Representatives —
Prothonotaries — Register and Recorders — Sheriffs  Coroners
First Section incorporated— Courthouses — Act for Public Landing
— Borough Charter altered in 1838 — Canal Basin — Peninsula —
Poor-house — Several Acts — Government changed to that of a City —
Present Population and Business — List of Burgesses and Mayors
Collectors of Customs — Postmasters in Erie.
We find Erie County, or rather that part south of the
"Triangle," included in Westmoreland County by act of
April 8, 1785. It reads as follows : " That all the land within
the late purchase from the Indians, not heretofore assigned to
any other particular county, shall be taken and deemed, and
they are hereby declared, to be within the limits of the
Counties of Northumberland and Westmoreland, and that
from the Kittanning up the Allegheny, to the mouth of Cone-
wango Creek, and from thence up said creek to the northern
line of this State, shall be the line between Northumberland
and Westmoreland Counties in the aforesaid late purchase."
September 24, 1788, we find the northwestern part of the
State, being parts of Westmoreland and Washington Counties,
constituting the new County of " Allegheny," with Pittsburg
for the seat of justice.
March 12, 1800, the Triangle having been purchased and
added in 1792, Erie County was erected into a separate county,
and Erie designated as the place of holding courts of justice.
At the same time, Crawford, Mercer, Venango, Warren, and
Erie were constituted temporarily one county, with all county
privileges, called Crawford, Meadville being the seat of justice.
91

92 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
April 2, 1803, Erie County was organized for all judicial
purposes ; this took place at the house of George Buehler, on
the corner of Third and French Streets. [This house is still
standing, though in ruins, and has been known for many
years as the "McConkey House." In 1813 it was Duncan's
and Perry's headquarters ; next the house was kept by Thomas
Bees, Jr., and lastly by James McConkey.]

McConkey House, 1861.
Judge Jesse Moore held the first court.
Erie County is 36 miles in length and 20 in breadth, with an
area of 720 square miles, or 460,800 acres ; its central latitude is
42° north, and longitude 3° west.
Its principal streams are Four Mile, Six Mile, Twelve Mile,
Sixteen and Twenty Mile Creeks ; west it has Walnut Creek,
Trout Run, Elk, Raccoon, and Crooked Creeks. Mill Creek
empties into the lake within the city limits. French and Le
Boeuf aCreeks empty into the Allegheny River. Conneaut
Creek flows through the southwestern part, and also, for a
short distance, Conneauttee.
These streams afford abundant water power for manufactur-

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY. 93
ing purposes ; and while the valleys and rivers are sometimes
wild and picture-like, as at Elk, Walnut and Twenty Mile
Creeks, the broken and unproductive acres in Erie County are
few indeed.
It has three small beautiful lakes : Conneauttee, in Wash
ington township ; Le Bceuf, in Waterford ; and Pleasant, in
Venango township.
The dividing ridge which crosses from southwest to north
east (particularly described elsewhere) marks a striking dis
tinction in the county on each side. The bank of the lake at
Erie and in the vicinity is about sixty feet in height, and the
surface rises gently from ten to twelve miles back, which is
the summit of the level between the waters of the lake and
the Allegheny River. The southern portion produces ex
cellent grass, but is not fertile in grain ; the northern, sloping
to the lake is well adapted to wheat. One hundred bushels of
corn, 30 bushels of wheat, 35 bushels of rye, 60 bushels of
barley, 50 bushels of rape, and 500 bushels of potatoes have
been raised to the acre.
The original townships were sixteen in number, namely :
Mill Creek, Harbor Creek, Northeast, Greenfield, Venango,
Brokenstraw, Union, Le Bceuf, Waterford, Conneauttee,
McKean, Beaverdam, Elk Creek, Conneaut, Springfield, and
Fairview. Brokenstraw, in 1820, was changed to Wayne and
Concord. Amity was taken from Union in 1826. Girard was
set off from Springfield and Fairview in 1S32, and received
its name from Stephen Girard, who had large tracts of land
in the neighborhood. Washington was changed from Con
neauttee in 1834 ; Greene from Beaverdam in 1840 ; Franklin
was formed of parts of McKean, Washington, Fairview, and
Elk Creek in 1844 ; and Summit, of Greene and McKean in
1854. In 1800 the population of Erie County was 1468 ; in 1810,
1358; in 1820, 8553; in 1830, 17,041 ; in 1840, 31,344 ; in 1850,
38,742 ; and in 1860, 49,697. From 1840 to 1850 the increase in
Erie was nearly 100 per cent.
In 1850 the cash value of farms was $4,782,858, and of farm
ing implements and machinery, $294,726. The number of
horses, 7014 ; of milch cows, 16,575 ; of sheep, 66,705 ; of swine,

AREA AND POPULATION OF THE TOWNSHIPS OF ERIE COUNTY.

Townships.

Amity 
Beaverdam 
Conneaut 
Conneauttee 
Concord 
Elk Creek 
Fairview village 
" township....
Greenfield 
Harbor Creek 
Le Boeuf. 
McKean 
Mill Creek 
Northeast 
Springfield 
Union 
Wayne 
Waterford 
Venango 
Girard 
Greene 
Summit 
Washington 
Franklin 
Erie 
Waterford Borough..
Northeast "
Girard "
Wattsburg "
Edinboro "
Albion "
Elgin "
Lockport "
Millvillage "
Union City 
Corry (city) 

Greatest Length.

Greatest
Breadth.

j4rea in
A.cres.

Population of Townships in

1820.

1830.

1840.

1850.

1860.

1870.

1880.

1890. 912

7

5

22,400

385

560

739

1016

924

1033

7

5%

24,640

142

443

8K
6
32,640
631
1324
1796
1942
1538
1546
1386
7
7
31,360
438
743
7
5
22,400
53
225
652
882
1255
1112
1171
991
8
7
35,840
288
562
1645
1535
1462
1564
1325
8
7
23,040
536
1529
1481
1760
1674
1482
305
6
5$
19,200
281
664
862
731
880
1039
1020
1432
8
23,860
555
1104
1843
2084
2033
1974
1781
1660
8
5
25,600
505
554
876
990
1483
1748
1420
1215
1%
7
32,280
440
984
1714
1921
1600
1427
1394
1330
V^
7
24,960
1017
1783
2682
3064
- 2745
3279
3279
7
fA
19,200
1068
1706
1793
2379
1900
2313
2152
2124
8
6
24,320
896
1520
2344
1916
1742
1792
1652
7
5
22,400
200
235
593
1076
1954
1334
1377
1366
7
5
22,400
197
738
1122
1224
1295
1306
1124
7
5
22,400
579
1006
1144
1545
1950
1884
1822
1537
6
fA
21,120
290
683
812
1019
1301
1370
1445
1351
6
2660
2443
2453
2018
2338
2280
5X
22,020
140
443
1081
1542
1450
1395
1531
1511
5
13,143
1038
1047
1047
903
6%
8
27,473
1551
1706
1943
1943
1880
1790
5
5
16,096
686
979
994
1020
963
635
1329
3412
5858
11,113
15,516
27,737
40,634
500
403
498
900
790
784
838
1
%
339
386
560
900
1396
1534
250
400
616
704
703
626
132
227
337
286
389
382
1
%
500
232
363
474443
801452
876433
1107 366
1
1,700
\
500
i,500 6,809
154
345
2,171
5,277
169240320
22615677
HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY. 95
15,417 ; and the value of live stock, $1,070,519. The quantity
of wheat raised in 1850 was 147,825 bushels ; of rye, 10,203 ; of
Indian corn, 433,692 ; of oats, 433,765 ; of tobacco, 8,000
pounds ; of wool, 179,103 ; of peas and beans, 3,141 bushels ; of
potatoes, 171,855 ; of sweet potatoes, 170 bushels ; of barley,
42,352; of hay, 69,422 tons ; clover seed, 1,720 bushels; grass,
1,253 ; hops, 1,260 ; flax, 3,729 ; flax seed, 860 ; buckwheat,
•27,272 ; orchard products, 17,327 ; 129 gallons of wine were
made, 252,843 pounds of butter, 754,452 of cheese, 333,748
pounds of maple sugar, 1,875 gallons of molasses, 23,239 of
beeswax and honey. The value of home manufactures was
estimated at $28,581.
In 1860 the farms in the county numbered 4,474 ; manufac
turing establishments, 383 ; dwellings, 9,759. The amount of
property subject to tax, fixed by revenue commissioners in
March, 1860, was $4,475,857.
In 1808 the full vote of the Icounty for Governor was 589 ;
345 for Simon Snyder, and 244 for James Boss, Federalist.
Erie and Mill Creek polled 156 votes.
In 1860 the vote for Governor was 8082 — for Andrew G.
Curtin, Republican, 5,613 ; for Henry D. Foster, Democrat,
2,469. One month later, the whole vote for President was
8,798—6,160 for Lincoln, 2,531 fusion, 90 for Bell, and 17 for
Douglas. In the report of the Auditor-General of Pennsylvania for
the year 1860, are the following items relating to Erie County :
Tax on real and personal estate  $ 11,006 91
Tavern licenses  315 00
Retailers' licenses  2,090 02
Brokers' licenses  228 00
Theater, circus, etc., licenses  76 00
Distillery and brewery licenses  254 28
Billiard room, bowling saloon, etc., licenses  • 105 00
Eating-house, beer-house, and restaurant licenses  671 00
Patent medicine license  67 00
Pamphlet laws  19 00
Militia tax  10 61
Millers' tax  65 10
Tax on writs, wills, deeds, etc  513 30
Tax on foreign insurance agencies  200 00
Common schools  3,514 44
Abatement of the State tax  536 84
Value of real and personal estate  4,475,857 00
Assessment of tax  11,501 42
Population  49,697 00
Taxables  11,335 00

96

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.

POST-OFFICES AND POSTMASTERS IN ERIE COUNTY IN 1830.
Beaverdam  .-  Samuel Smith.
Elk Creek  Joseph Wells.
Erie  James Hughes.
Fairview  W. W. Warner.
Gray's Settlement  Amos Graves, Jr.
Greenfield  Elijah J. Woodruff.
Harbor Creek  Daniel Goodwin.
Lexington  David Sawdy.
Northeast  las. Smedley.
Nort.hville  Orrin Wyllys.
Phillipsville  lames Phillips.
Springfield X Roads  J. P. Wood worth.
Union Mills  William Miles.
Waterford  Joseph Derrickson.
Wattsburg  Levi Wilcox.
Wesley ville  Almond Fuller.
Post-offices in Erie County, July 1, 1856, and the revenue in 1855, showing the
business importance of every town. The figures at the right hand show the
net revenue of the office to the Department ; left hand column the compensa
tion of the postmaster.

Post-offices.
Albion 
Belle Valley 
Carter Hill 
Cherry Hill 
Cook 
East Greene 
Edenville 
Edinboro 
Elk Creek 
Erie (C. H.) 
Fairview 
Franklin Corner 
Girard 
Greenfield 
Harbor Creek 
Le Bceuf. 
Lundy's Lane 
McKean 
Moorheadville 
Northeast, 
North ville 
Plat.ea 
Springfield X Roads
Sterrettania 
Stewart 
Swan Station 
Union Mills 
Waterford 
Wattsburg 
Wayne 
Well's Corners 
Wesleyville 
West Springfield 

Postmasters.

Comp. Rev'e.

Josiah Sullivan 
Joseph Vance (estab. in 1856)
David White 
Ira Harrington 
Harvey Davis 
Joseph Smith 
Robert H. Frisbee 
Marcus Saley 
Daniel M. Wood 
B. F.Sloan 
Daniel Weidler 
Ivory Hawkins 
Monroe Hutchinson 
Wm. P. Barbie 
Clarilla Stimson 
Pery G. Stranahan 
Wallace Sherman 
Titus D. Chillis 
J. T. Moorhead 
Mrs. Rebecca Brawly 
John Taylor 
Samuel Cisson 
Timothy S. Cowles 
Elias Brecht 
Robert McCrea, 4th 
Samuel Selden 
Roswell H. Brown 
Henry Colt 
W.B.Williams 
Roswell B. Adams 
Henry Hill 
Samuel L. Potter 
GilbertHurd 

$ 164 57

8 38
18 79
26 10
4 00

159 40
42 02
2000 00
165 11
10 32
345 04
11 93
78 01
9 29
73 58
86 38
33 27
318 48
50 51
113 95
153 92
13 04
1106
51 89
94 81
372 14
167 59
55 80
22 21
s:; *i
82 63

9 1 65
'"4"5i 9 87
12 64
2 50
"90 "61
26 81
2 59
63 23
5 26
267 00
7 58
36 19
3 96
41 86
32 06
8 47
224 46
21 56
39 22
75 22
7 16
3 21
27 05
39 48
234 21
71 93
23 65
9 66
23 83

In 1861 one other office was added, that of Oak Grove.
The distributing office at Erie was discontinued after Janu-

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY. 97
ary 1, 1838 ; afterward restored, and again discontinued in
1858. In order to defray expenses in 1860, the boxes were
rented at two dollars each per annum.
In 1808 the county treasurer reported $9,890.31 1- ; of this,
$4,055.84 J was in the treasury, December 31, 1807. The county
expenses amounted to $2,763.15. The same year $1,178.47J was
expended in building and materials for the courthouse, and
$20.20 appropriated to clear French Creek.
In 1860 the receipts of the county were $58,178.51, and the
expenditures $50,592.91.
Courts and Judicial Districts. — Erie being a part of Craw
ford, for all county purposes, from 1800 to 1803, it belonged to
the fifth judicial district.
By the judiciary act of February 24, 1806, Butler, Mercer,
Venango, Crawford, and Erie composed the sixth judicial
district. In 1818 Erie, Crawford, Mercer, Venango, and Warren com
posed the sixth.
In 1830 Erie, Venango, Mercer, and Crawford were the sixth ;
and afterward Erie, Crawford, and Warren became the sixth.
Jasper Yates held a circuit court in Erie on the 15th of
October, 1806 ; Judge Breckenridge one in October, 1807.
In 1839 Crawford, Erie, and Venango had a district court,
which was in 1841 extended also to Mercer County. Judge
James Thompson presided. The court expired by limitation in
five years.
David Derrickson was elected an additional president judge,
with the same associates, in 1856.
A session of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court was held in
Erie in 1854. Judges present : Lewis (president), Woodward,
Lowrie, and Knox.
President Judges of the Court of Common Pleas and Quarter
Sessions. — Judge Addison, 1800 ; Jesse Moore, 1803 ; Henry
Shippen, 1825 ; N. B. Eldred, 1839 ; Gaylord Church, 1849 ;
John Galbraith, elected in 1851. Judge Galbraith died in 1860,
and Rasselas Brown was appointed by Gov. Packer to fill the
vacancy until the next election. S. P. Johnson was elected in
1860 ; L. D. Wetmore, 1870 ; J. P. Vincent, 1874 ; W. A. Gal
braith, 1877 ; Frank Gunnison, 1887.

98 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
Associate Judges. — John Bell, John Kelso, John Cochran,
Wilson Smith, John Vincent, John Grubb, Myron Hutchin
son, John Brawley. In 1851 James Miles and J. M. Sterrett
were elected, and in 1856 Samuel Hutchins and John Grier.
Erie is annexed to the western district of the Supreme
Court. In 1810 Erie, Beaver, Mercer, Crawford, Warren, and Ve
nango constituted a congressional district. In 1820 Beaver
was apportioned to another district.
In 1830 Erie County, with Crawford, Mercer, Warren, and
Venango formed the Eighteenth Congressional District.'
In 1843 Erie, Warren McKean, Potter, Jefferson, and
Clarion were constituted the Twenty-third Congressional
District. It was styled the " Gerrymander," from Elbridge
Gerry, as it was supposed to have been thus divided for politi
cal purposes. The Whigs, notwithstanding, elected their can
didate, C. M. Beed, by a majority of forty the same year.
In 1852 Erie, Crawford, and Warren became the Twenty-
fifth Congressional District.
Members of Congress. — William Hoge ; Samuel Smith ;
Robert Moore ; Thomas Wilson ; Abner Lacock ; P. Farrelly,
1820 ; P. Farrelly died 1822, and T. H. Sill was elected to fill
his unexpired term of one year ; Stephen Barlow, 1824 ; T. H.
Sill, 1828; John Banks, 1830; John Galbraith, 1832-4; A.
Plumer, 1836 ; John Galbraith, 1838 ; A. Plumer, 1840 ; Chas.
M. Beed, 1842 ; J. W. Farrelly, 1848 ; James Thompson, 1845 ;
C. B. Curtis ; John Dick, 1852-54-56 ; Elijah Babbitt, 1858-62.
In 1801 the State apportionment included twenty-five Sen
ators, and Crawford, Venango, Mercer, Warren, and Erie
(forming one county under the name of Crawford, for all
county purposes) elected one member, the returns being made
at the courthouse in Meadville.
March 8, 1815, the State had thirty-one Senators, and
Mercer, Erie, Warren, Venango, and Crawford still were en
titled to but one. In 1830 Erie, Crawford, and Mercer consti
tuted the Twenty-third Senatorial District. In 1843 Erie and
Crawford became the Twenty-seventh, and entitled to one
member. An apportionment in 1856 gave the State thirty-
three Senators, Erie and Crawford being still entitled to but

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY. 99
one. In 1836 Erie and Crawford became the Twenty-first
District. Members of State Senate. — William McArthur, 1801 ; Wm.
Bell ; Wilson Smith, 1809 ; Joseph Shannon, 1813 ; Henry
Hurst, 1817 ; J. Herrington, 1821-22.
In 1820 the Twentieth Senatorial District was composed of
Erie, Crawford, and Warren. Jacob Herrington, 1821-22-23 ;
John Leach, 1825 to 1827 ; Thomas Cunningham, 1829 to 1836 ;
J. M. Sterrett, 1837 to 1839; J. W. Farrelly, 1842; Elijah
Babbitt, 1844 ; James D. Dunlap, 1845 ; J. B. Johnson, 1846 ;
J. H. Walker, 1849-51 ; James Skinner, 1852-54 ; Darwin A.
Finney, to 1860.
House of Representatives. — In 1800 Allegheny, Beaver,
Butler, Mercer, Crawford, Erie, Warren, and Venango jointly
elected two members.
The Assembly in 1801 consisted of eighty-six members, the
Counties of Crawford, Venango, Erie, Warren, and Mercer
being entitled to one member.
In 1815 it had ninety-seven members, and the representation
from Erie, Crawford, Venango, Warren, and Mercer was in
creased to three.
In 1843 Erie and Crawford were entitled to two members in
the House.
In 1856 Erie became entitled to two members.
Members of Assembly. — Samuel Ewatt, District of all the
Northwest, 1800 ; Alexander Buchanan, 1801 ; John Lytle,
Jr. , 1802 ; Wilson Smith, 1805 ; John Phillips and James
Herrington, 1808 ; John Phillips and Roger Alden, 1809 ;
John Phillips and Patrick Farrelly, 1811 ; James Weston and
James Burchfield, 1813 ; Jacob Herrington, James Weston,
and Balph Marlin, 1815 ; S. Hays, R. Marlin, and J. Her
rington, 1816 ; S. Hays, Thomas Wilson, and R. Marlin, 1817 ;
J. Herrington, James Cochran, and J. Hackney, 1818 ; W.
Smith, James Cochran, and William Connelly, 1819.
From the district composed of Erie, Crawford, Mercer, Ve
nango, and Warren — Wilson Smith, William McConnelly,
Jacob Herrington, 1820 ; David Brown, James Cochran,
George Moore, 1821 ; James Weston, 1822 ; T. H. Sill, from
Erie and Warren, 1823 ; Gen. John Phillips, 1824 ; Stephen

100 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
Woolverton, 1825-27 ; George Moore, 1828-29 ; John Eiddel,
1831 ; J. H. Walker, 1832-35 ; E. Babbitt, J. K. Miller, 183*6 ;
Charles M. Beed, David Sawdy, 1837; William M. Watts,
Samuel Hutchins, 1838 ; S. Skinner, J. D. Dunlap, 1840 ;
Stephen Skinner, L. Robinson, 1842 ; J. D. Dunlap, David A.
Gould, 1843 ; J. D. Dunlap, Mark Baldwin, 1844 ; J. B. John
son, L. Robinson, 1845 ; William Sanborn, D. A. Gould, 1846 ;
G. J. Ball, William Sanborn, 1847 ; G. J. Ball, T. Byman,
1848 ; J. C. Reid, L. Hart, 1849 ; J. C. Reid, A. W. Blaine, 1851 ;
C, W. Kelso, A. W. Blaine, 1851 ; C. W. Kelso, H. A. Hill, 1852 ;
W. Warner, G. J. Ball, 1853 ; G. J. Ball, James Thompson,
1854 ; G. J. Ball, M. Whallon, 1855 ; J. W. Campbell, W. Laird,
1858 ; J. Gunnison, H. Teller, 1859 ; H. Teller, G. J. Ball, 1860.
Previous to 1840, the offices of prothonotary and register
and recorder were united, and the incumbent appointed by
the Governor.
The first appointment was of Callender Irvine, 1803 ; James
E. Herron, 1808 (Major Herron, U. S. A., died in Syracuse in
1818) ; John Kelso; Thomas Wilson, 1820, who died in 1824,
and was succeeded by E. J. Kelso ; William Kelley, 1836 ;
James C. Marshall, 1839 ; Wilson King, 1842 and 1845 ; James
Skinner, 1848 ; Samuel Perley, 1851 ; Alfred King, 1854 ; James
Skinner, 1857 and 1860, and was re-elected and served to 1863 ;
Samuel Rea, 1866.
In 1839 E. D. Gunnison was appointed first register and
recorder, and held the office until after the fall election.
William Kelly was elected 1839 and 1841 ; Thos. Moorhead,
Jr. 1845 ; R. J. Sibley, 1849 ; D. McAllaster, 1851 and 1854 ;
William P. Trimble, 1857 ; Samuel Rea, Jr., 1860-61.
Sheriffs.— Wilson Smith, 1804 ; Jacob Carmack, 1809 ; Jacob
Spang, 1812 ; David Wallace, 1813 ; James Weston,1 1815 ;
acting John C. Wallace, 1818 ; Thomas Laird, 1822 ; Stephen
Woolverton, from 1816 and 1822-25 ; A. Thayer, 1826 ; A. W.
Brewster, William Fleming, Thomas Mehaffy, 1835 ; A. Scott,2
i James E. Herron received the same number of votes ; the Governor
being a Democrat, it was decided in favor of James Weston.
2 During Mr. Scott's term of office the sentence of the law was carried
out in the execution of Henry Francisco, whose death warrant was issued
December 12, 1837. This is the only instance of capital punishment in the
history ot Erie County, though others have doubtless been guilty of the
crime of murder.

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.

101

1838 ; E. M. W. Blaine, William E. McNair, M. W. Caughey,
1846 ; Peter E. Burton, 1849 ; Thomas Vincent, 1852 ; J.
Killpatrick, 1855 ; John W. McLane, 1858, and served to 1861.
Coroners. — Abraham Smith, October 26, 1803 ; John Milroy,
November 14, 1806 ; John Gray, November 17, 1807 ; John C.
Wallace, November 8, 1809 ; John McCord, December 21, 1813 ;
John Morris, April 23, 1816 ; Benjamin Russell, January 8,
1822 ; Rufus S. Reed, February 8, 1825 ; William Fleming,
1827 ; David Wallace, 1830 ; David McNair, 1833 ; Samuel
Keefer, 1836 ; J. K. Caldwell, 1839 ; H. Bates, 1841 ; Thomas
Dillon, 1845 ; S. L. Forster, 1848 ; S. Dunn, 1851 ; D. Burton,
1854 ; T. Dillon, 1857 ; R. Gaggin, 1860.
In July, 1805, the first section of the town of Erie was
erected into a borough, and the May following the first
borough officers were chosen.
In 1807 the sum of $2,000 was granted by the State to the

Courthouse Boilt in 1824.

commissioners, to expend in erecting buildings for county
purposes. This courthouse was destroyed by fire March 23,
1823, with all the records. Another was immediately erected

102 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
upon the same foundation, and after the same plan, which
was not superseded until 1853. This second building served
not only for courts and county purposes for thirty years, but
for all lectures and public meetings of the citizens. Almost
every church originated and held its meetings there, until
otherwise provided. The famous railroad convocations were
the last held there, and at that time it had become decidedly
a gloomy and out-of-date edifice.
In 1852 the corner stone of the present commodious and im
posing structure was laid. Judge John Vincent, who was
present at the ceremony, and had filled the office of associate
judge since 1805, remarked that he himself had selected and
purchased the ground for the county commissioners forty-
eight years before.
The ground plan of the building is sixty-one feet by one
hundred and thirty-two, and the height from the ground to
the top of the vane one hundred and twenty-eight feet. It is
of the Roman-Corinthian order, and was designed by Thomas
H. Walter. The whole cost of the building was between
$64,000 and $65,000.
March 20, 1811, an act passed the Legislature " that the beach
of the lake from the upper corner of the garrison tract, and
for twenty perches back from the water's edge, down the lake
to the out lots, and from thence down the same, including all
the land between the out lots and the water's edge to the tract
of land No. 38, shall be and remain a public landing for the
use of the inhabitants and others."
In 1833 the inhabitants of the borough petitioned for an
alteration in the law incorporating the borough, " stating that
on a fair experiment they had found the existing laws insuf
ficient to promote conveniency and good order and public
utility." This resulted in the alteration of the whole charter,
excepting a part of the tenth section.
In 1833 a fine was* imposed, of five hundred dollars or im
prisonment not exceeding six months, for cutting timber on
the peninsula or setting fire to the shrubbery. R. S. Reed
was appointed superintendent for five years.
In 1833 the third section, belonging to the commonwealth,
of in and out lots was granted to the borough of Erie to con-

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY. 103
struct a canal basin in the Bay of Presqu'ile opposite the
borough of Erie ; provided that one hundred acres of the said
land be reserved for the use of a county poorhouse, to be selected
by three persons appointed by the county commissioners.
The question of having a poorhouse was put to vote soon
after, and carried by a small majority. Suitable buildings
were soon after erected. The number of inmates during the
year 1860 was 107 ; the number of deaths, 4 ; 4 were bound out,
and 44 discharged. The receipts and cash in the treasury,
$10,375.94. Expenditures, which include some old debts and
expenses for a new building, $7,629.14. A requisition of $8,000
annually has been made on the county for several years past,
for the support of the institution.
In 1834 the bounds of the borough were extended north
wardly 1300 feet into the Bay of Presqu'ile.
In 1835 a resolution passed to proceed against any who might
erect any tenement on the peninsula or upon any part of the
wprk erected to deepen the entrance to the harbor, or to place
wood or other materials upon the public works or any sandbar.
Also, in 1835, Erie was authorized to borrow $50,000 to
supply the borough with water. This contemplated improve
ment was never carried out.
In 1841 Erie was supplied with water by wooden pipes com
municating with a spring a mile or two distant, the expenses
being paid by the consumers.
In 1838 a sale of one row of water lots in the second section
was authorized, to pay the expense of grading and improving
the streets and grounds of the second section.
In 1841 an act passed the Legislature to prevent the picking
or gathering of cranberries on the peninsula, between July
and October, with a fine of not less than ten dollars or more
than twenty-five against every person so offending.'
i The first day of October has been from that time denominated " cran
berry day," and in the popular sense has become an " institution." Whole
families cross, the night before, kindle a fire, and are in readiness by the
earliest dawn to proceed to the marshes where the cranberry abounds.
The uninitiated may search and wander the day long and scarcely find a
handful, while many a thrifty family has been provided with comforts for
the winter, or even their dwellings respectably furnished by this day's
profits. The number of boats be;ng limited, toward evening an undue
eagerness sometimes results in the swamping of boats and other accidents,
which are often aggravated by intemperance.

104 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
In 1843 an act passed the Legislature repealing the Nicholson
Court of Pleas, which had been instituted in 1840. Without
affording time for investigation, this court threatened to sell
many of the farms in Erie County, as well as in other parts of
the State, and dispossess those who had resided upon them
for more than forty years. John Nicholson, President of the
Population Company, was also State Treasurer and a de
faulter ; hence, a lien was supposed to rest on the lands, once
held by him. In the central part of the State the plea was
more plausible ; most of the lands in Erie County having
been purchased after John Nicholson was divested of all in
terest in them.
In 1851 the government of the borough of Erie was changed
to that of a city, and divided into the East and West Wards.
It now has four, bounded as follows : First Ward — East of
State, and north of Eighth Streets ; Second Ward — East of
State, and south of Eighth Streets ; Third Ward — West of
State, and south of Eighth Streets ; Fourth Ward — West
of State, and north of Eighth Streets.
Erie, in 1860, had 11,113 inhabitants within its city limits of
about four square miles ; thirteen churches (particularly de
scribed in Chapter XII.) ; two fine public schoolhouses ; a
flourishing academy, and several excellent select schools.
There are no incorporated banks in the county at present, but
six private banking houses. For manufactures in iron there
are two foundries, and the Eagle Furnace of Atchison &
Henry, just without the city limits. The "Erie City Iron
Works" of Liddell & Marsh employs 90 men, and manufac
tures steam engines, freight and passenger cars, drilling tools
and pipe for oil wells, agricultural implements, mill gearing,
farm bells, etc. They have also a planing mill and moulding
room in connection with the furnace. The "Old Furnace"
of Barr & Johnson employs 60 men, and manufactures stoves,
farming implements, and mill, building, and machinery cast
ings. There are four grist mills in the city : Fairmount Mills,
Crouch & Brother, has three runs of stone ; Erie City, C.
McSparren, four runs of stone ; Canal Mill, William Kelley,
three runs of stone ; and Beed's Mill, Mrs. R. S. Reed, two

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY. 105
runs of stone. Near the city are Elliot's Mill, J. Elliot, three
runs of stone ; Hopedale Mill, H. Gingrich, two runs of stone ;
six flour and feed stores, one wholesale.
There are three planing mills, two machine shops, two sash,
etc., two stone potteries, and several petroleum oil refineries in
different stages of progress. A piano-forte manufactory of
Wm. Willing sometimes employs twenty men ; the instru
ments are of a fine tone, and in demand. The pump manu
factory of L. W. Olds supplies the home market, and sends a
large number West. Besides this there are five breweries, one
brass foundry, one gun shop, five watch shops, five saddle and
harness shops, three for hats and caps, three coffinmakers,
five cabinet and furniture stores, two soap and candles, four
tin shops, four drugstores, two book, five hardware, eight
millinery, one shirt manufactory, four dentists, three confec
tionery, two carriage manufactories and several small wagon
shops, four daguerrean artists, four commission merchants on
the dock, eleven dry goods stores — wholesale and retail, eight
shoe stores, five clothing stores, five wholesale groceries,
twenty-one retail groceries, and ten dealers in bituminous
coal. The first borough election was held May 5, 1806, and re
sulted as follows : John C. Wallace, Burgess ; Judah Colt,
Rufus S. Reed, George Buehler, Robert Hays, George Schantz,
Town Council ; Robert Irwin, High Constable.
At the first meeting James E. Herron was appointed Town
Clerk ; Thomas Forster, Wm. Wallace, James Baird, Street
Commissioners ; Wm. Bell, Treasurer. Burgesses — Thomas
Wilson, 1807; George Buehler, 1808 and 1809 ; John C. Wal
lace, 1810 and 1811 ; Samuel Hays, 1812 ; Judah Colt, 1813 ;
George Moore, 1814 and 1815 ; Thomas H. Sill, 1816 and 1817 ;
George Moore, 1818 and 1819 ; Judah Colt, 1820 and 1821 ; John
Morris, 1822, 1823, and 1824 ; John C. Wallace, 1825, 1826, and
1827 ; Tabor Beebe, 1828 ; Thomas H. Sill, 1829 ; Wm. Johns,
1830 ; Geo. A. Elliot, 1831 ; Thomas Forster, chosen 1832, Tabor
Beebe acted instead ; Thos. H. Sill, 1833 ; J. M. Sterrett, 1835 ;
J. B. Laughead, 1836 and 1837 ; James L. White, March, 1838 ;
Wm. Kelley, 1839 ; Myron Goodwin, 1840 ; Rufus S. Reed,
1841 ; Thomas Stewart, 1842 ; Thomas H. Sill, 1843 and 1844 ;

106 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
Charles W. Kelso, 1845 ; Wm. Kelley, 1846 and 1847 ; Charles
W. Kelso, 1848 ; A. W. Brewster, 1849 ; B. B. Vincent, 1850 ;
Thomas G. Colt, first Mayor, 1851, from May acting Mayor ;
M. Whallon, April, 1852 ; A. King, March, 1853 and 1854 ; W.
Laird, 1855 and 1856 ; James Hoskinson, 1857 ; W. Laird, 1858 ;
S. Smith, 1859 and 1860 ; P. Metcalf, 1862 to 1865 ; F. F.
Farrar ; W. L. Scott, 1866 ; O. Noble, 1867 to 1871 ; W. L.
Scott; C. M. Beed until H. Eawle, 1874 to 1875; J. W.
Hammond, 1876 ; Selden Marvin, 1877 ; D. I. Jones, 1878 ; I.
J. McCarter, 1881 to 1882 ; P. Becker, 1883 to 1884 ; F. F.
Adams, 1885 ; F. A. Mizener, 1886 ; J. C. Brady, 1887 and
1888 ; Charles S. Clarke ; Walter Scott, 1893.
The first city officers were elected May 15, 1851.
Mayor-T. G. Colt.
High Constable — A. C. Landon.
Select Council — East Ward : A. W. Brewster, F. Sevin,
Clark McSparren. West Ward : S. M. Carpenter, John Zim-
merly, Wm. M. Gallagher.
Common Council — East Ward : P. Metcalf, L. L. Momeyer,
O. D. Spafford, J. D. Dunlap, A. A. Craig, Josiah Kellogg.
West Ward : James Skinner, Wilson King, Thomas Dillon, S.
W. Keefer, D. G. Landon, Adam Atchison.
Collectors of the Customs for the District of Presqu'ile —
Thomas Forster, 1801 ; Edwin J. Kelso, 1836 ; Charles W.
Kelso, 1845 ; William M. Gallagher, 1849 ; Murray Whallon ;
James Lytle, 1853 ; John Brawley, 1857 ; Murray Whallon ;
Charles M. Tibbals, 1859.
District of Presqu'ile embraces the whole coast line of the
State of Pennsylvania on Lake Erie ; it contains about forty
miles of shore, and has three shipping points — Erie, the port
of entry, Northeast, and Elk Creek, the business of the two
latter being principally the shipment of staves and lumber.
Postmasters in Erie — John Hay ; John Gray, 1809 ; Robert
Knox, 1811, who resigned after having filled the office to gen
eral acceptance seventeen years ; James Hughes, 1828 ; Robert
Cochran, 1833 ; Smith Jackson, 1840 ; Andrew" Scott, 1842 ;
Robert Cochran, 1845; T. H. Sill, 1849; B. F. Sloan, 1853;
Joseph M. Sterrett, 1861.

CHAPTER IX.
First Road — Population Company Roads — Erie and Waterford
Turnpike — Salt Trade — Gen. O'Hara's Contract — Road to Buffalo
— First Coaches — Erie Canal — Railroads — Erie and Wattsburg
Railroad — Sunbury and Erie — Erie and Northeast — Franklin
Canal Company — Pittsburg and Erie Railroad — Plank Roads.
The opening of the first road in Erie County, as we have
seen in Chapter III., was by the French, in 1753, from Erie to
Waterford. This is still a good road, and in use for seven
miles in a southerly direction from Erie ; it is then scarcely
traceable, but soon after is merged into the Erie and Water
ford plank road, the site of the "new Shun-pike." In 1795,
when the first settlers came to the Triangle, the traveled road
was in pretty much the same location, as they allude to trees
growing up in its path.1
The Pennsylvania Population Company made many of the
roads. T. Rees, Esq., their agent, opened one in Harbor
Creek in 1797, and Mr. Colt, who succeeded him, says : "June
3, 1797, set a number of men at opening roads leading to the
intended station, nine and a half miles south of the mouth of
Sixteen Mile Creek."
There was a road to Forster's mill (being the first erected in
the county on Walnut Creek) ; to Conneauttee Lake, where
Alexander Powers was located ; to Conneaut Creek, Col. Dun
ning McNair's station ; and to the headwaters of Beaver Creek,
where Mr. Jabez Colt was assistant agent.
August, 1801. — Mr. Colt says : "Gen. Paine called to obtain a
subscription in money for the purpose of opening a road from
i The first intention seemed to have been to make a military road, to
level the hills and elevate the valleys: and cavities where the roots had
been grubbed out, could be discerned for about half the distance from
Erie. Hence it has been called the grubbed road, not as is usually sup
posed from the families of the name of Grubb on its line. Cannon balls,
accoutrements, harness, and various implements were found along this
route as late as 1825. 107

108 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
the east end of the Triangle to Buffalo Creek, and presented a
letter from Mr. Kirtland, agent of the Connecticut Land
Company, on the subject." Mr. Colt waived the matter until
he should write to his principals, and after dinner Gen. Paine
was furnished with provisions to carry him through the
woods to Buffalo. The latter part of October a road was com
pleted from Buffalo, westward, eighteen miles, at the expense
, of the Connecticut Company.
In 1805 the first election was held at Waterford for officers
of the Erie and Waterford Turnpike Company. Col. Thomas
Forster was chosen President, and Henry Baldwin, John
Vincent, Ralph Marlin, James E. Herron, John C. Wallace,
Wm. Miles, James Brotherton, and Joseph Hackney, Mana
gers ; Judah Colt, Treasurer.
This road was completed in 1809, and was a desirable im
provement. Its location was less direct, and on higher
ground than the French road, for the purpose of accommo
dating the farmers who were large shareholders.
The Waterford Turnpike was a particularly useful improve
ment, as all the salt for Pittsburg, and even down to the Falls
of the Ohio (Louisville), passed from Erie to Waterford.
Besides this, manufactures of iron and glass, whisky and
flour from the Monongahela, and bacon from Kentucky, came
up the Allegheny to Waterford, and from thence to Erie,
which was then the depot for the lake country. The road
was from two to Ave miles wide, diversified with stumps,
logs, logheaps, and very deep mud holes. With such hin
drances by the way, and from four to six oxen to guide, it was
not unusual for a load of salt or provisions to be four days
crossing the portage of fifteen miles. Often a part of the
burden had to be abandoned. An instance is related of a bar
rel of whisky having been rolled at least half the distance by
one of our most persevering and wealthy citizens.
At the risk of losing " the thread of the discourse," a few
remarks will be introduced on the subject of the salt trade.
Vessels leaving Buffalo, for the West, from 1805 to 1810, were
freighted principally with salt. In 1808, 6,000 barrels were
registered at the custom house at Erie, and it is said 18,000
were at another season. It was the currency of the county.

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY. 109
In Mr. H. Russel's journal we find, "January, 1808, ex
changed a pair of oxen for eight barrels of salt." In the Erie
Mirror, dated January, 1809, is a well-written letter, signed
"An Old Salt-hauler." It had been questioned whether the
salt trade was beneficial to the county ; that perhaps it inter
fered with the cultivation of farms. In reply, he says the
farmers were obliged to haul salt to procure the comforts, if
not necessaries, of life, such as sugar, tea, coffee, wearing
apparel, etc., as salt seemed to be the current medium of trade
during the existence of the embargo. Indeed, it was the only
commodity they had for market or exchange, and in propor
tion to the increase of the traffic the farmers of the county
progressed in the improvement of the soil. Freightage from
Buffalo to Erie was 87J cents per barrel, and 12£ cents was the
charge for storage ; 12,000 barrels, in 1809, had been landed,
according to the collector's books, which would amount to
$12,000. The price of hauling from Erie to Waterford had
been hitherto §1.50, amounting, on the same quantity, to
$18,000. One dollar more was paid to convey it by water to
Pittsburg. These several items made the aggregate receipts
to the transporters of the county $42,000 in one year. The
newly-finished turnpike diminished the cost of transporta
tion to 50 cents per barrel : but it facilitated the carriage pro-
portionably, as a team on the road could transport thirty-two
barrels in the same time, and with greater ease than it
formerly had done six. Salt was ordinarily from four to six
months on the road from Salina to Pittsburg, and of one
hundred barrels leaving the springs, seventy-five were re
quired to pay the charges. Boats were built at Waterford
expressly to float it down the river, and their construction
was such as to prevent their return — this did not, however,
add to the expense, as families removing still farther down
were glad to purchase them.
The opening of the salt wells on the Kanawha and Kiski-
minitas, about 1813, by affording a supply to that region, after
a time, materially affected transportation here.
In Pennsylvania Historical Collections we find the follow
ing : " Gen. James O'Hara at an early day entered into a con
tract to supply Oswego with provisions, which he supposed

110 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
could be furnished cheaper than from the settlements on the
Mohawk. He had obtained correct information in relation to
the manufacture of salt at Salina, and had in his contract an
eye to supplying the Western country with salt.
" This was a project few would have undertaken, and fewer
still carried out. The means of transportation had to be
created : boats and teams must be constructed to get the salt
from the works to Oswego, a vessel built to land it below
the falls, wagons to carry it to Schlosser, and boats provided
to carry it to Black Rock ; there another vessel was required
to convey it to Erie. The road to the head of French
Creek had to be improved, and the salt carried across the
portage in wagons ; and, lastly, boats built to float it to Pitts
burg. "Mr. O'Hara packed his flour and provisions in barrels
suitable for salt, and these were reserved in his contracts.
Two vessels were built — one on Lake Erie, and another on
Lake Ontario. The plan succeeded : salt of a fair quality
could be sold at four dollars per bushel — half the price charged
for that packed over the mountains. The vocation of packers
was gone. Soon after, Onondaga salt was sold at twelve
dollars per barrel of five bushels."
A duty of four cents per bushel was paid the State of New
York, and it was forbidden by law to sell at the works for
more than sixty cents per bushel.
The journey from Erie to Buffalo by land was much dreaded
even to the completion of the railroad ; previous to 1815 or 1820
it was absolutely dangerous. Travelers finding the land road
through Cattaraugus woods almost impassable for wagons,
would be induced, if the weather was not very boisterous, to
pass around the point of rock projecting into the lake. Many
fatal instances are recorded of persons unacquainted with the
country being overwhelmed by the waves. The nature of the
soil through the woods would scarcely admit of a good road,
and a journey once made was scarcely forgotten, for passen
gers felt that then and there, they escaped narrowly with
their lives. In " December, 1829, the road from Buffalo to
Fredonia (in some places having been turnpiked late in the
season) was so bad that two yoke of oxen were attached to the

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY. Ill
stage to draw it through, and all the male passengers worked
their passage. The mail was three hours — more than a mile
an hour — coming from Buffalo."
The following advertisement is found in the Erie Gazette for
September 15, 1820 :
" Proposals will be received at the General Post-office for
carrying the mail on the following route, until the fourteenth
day of October next :
"From Buffalo, by Hamburg, Hanover, Fredonia, Portland,
Westfield, Ripley, and Northeast, to Erie, Pennsylvania, once
a week, ninety miles.
" Leave Buffalo every Saturday noon, and arrive at Erie the
next Monday by six o'clock in the afternoon. Leave Erie
every Tuesday at six a. m., and arrive at Buffalo the next
Thursday by noon."
The mail to Pittsburg and by Philadelphia was more
sure for the East. This, too, came in but once a week. The
day this was due, people were seen standing in the street
looking for "McGill," who, at first, with his mail came on
horseback ; afterward, the increased weight required a horse
for the mail alone, which he led by his side. On one occasion
the eager expectants looked and looked in vain ; a bear had
crossed the carrier's path, and the frightened mail horse fled
to the woods, where, after a search of two or three days, he
was found.
In the Erie Gazette for December, 1820, we find the follow
ing, being something new : that a stage for the conveyance of
passengers as well as the mail would run regularly once a
week from Erie to Buffalo and back, after the first of January.
It would leave Erie every Tuesday, and arrive at Buffalo on
Thursday ; leave Buffalo on Saturday, and arrive at Erie on
Monday. The proprietors (Messrs. Bird & Deming) did not
expect to make money in the business ; the convenience of the
public seemed to require the experiment to be made, and if it
met with support was to be continued and enlarged.
January 8, 1824, we find a stage had commenced running
twice a week between Erie and Cleveland. Arrangements
were also making for carrying the mail twice a week.
February 10, 1825, the mail coach commenced running

112 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
through in a day from this place to Buffalo. This may be
said to terminate the ancient history of highways and convey
ances in Erie County.
In the Erie Gazette, July, 1826, is an article intended to
arouse Pennsylvanians to the importance of a canal, and it
was well adapted to the purpose. It speaks of the wondrous
improvement in this region in the previous thirty years.
" Then the site of the village was a wilderness, and the path
of the Indian the only guide for the daring traveler. Now it
has upwards of a thousand inhabitants, and roads leading to
Buffalo, Cleveland, and Pittsburg, three great points of
intercourse equal to any in the western part of the Union.
From these three places we have twenty-seven arrivals of
stages every week, all of which remain here over night.
From Buffalo there are fourteen arrivals, from Cleveland
ten, and from Pittsburg three. Three years ago we had
three arrivals : once a week from Cleveland, in a one-horse
wagon ; once a week from Buffalo, in a two-horse wagon ;
and once from Pittsburg, in a hack. Now there is not a
vehicle enters our village for the conveyance of travelers but
post-coaches, with teams equal if not superior to any in Penn
sylvania. " In addition to this, three steamboats for the conveyance
of passengers enter and leave our harbor every week, and in a
few days there will be five. There are also from two to ten
schooners which enter and clear our harbor each week. What
an important point this would be to Pennsylvania, if she
would do her duty ! This unexampled increase of travel and
business owes its existence entirely to the New York Canal.
. . . Pennsylvania is waiting for experience. She will
soon have more of it than she wants in contrasting Philadel
phia with New York."
There was much delay in prosecuting the Erie extension of
the Pennsylvania Canal, for the want of decision as to the
route ; one of the first efforts at settling the question was the
appointment in 1823, of Thomas Forster, of Erie, James Her
rington, of Crawford, and William Marks, Jr., of Allegheny,
commissioners to explore the different routes, and report to
the Governor.

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY. 113
In 1825 a survey was made by Major Douglass, of the army.1
In 1835 an appropriation of $200,000 was made, and a loan of
$150,000 authorized should the appropriation be expended be
fore another could be had. In 1837 the Governor borrowed
$200,000, at an interest of four and a half per cent, authorized
by the resolution of 1835. In 1838 two appropriations were
made : January 9, one of $100,000, and April 14, one of $300,-
000. July 4, 1838, the breaking of ground for the canal was
united with the celebration of American independence. A
procession was formed under the direction of Capt. Dobbins,
consisting of the orator of the day (J. H. Walker), the clergy,
and committee of arrangements, forty or fifty of the earliest
settlers with plows, wheelbarrows, spades, shovels, etc., and a
large concourse of citizens. The breaking of ground was by
one of the pioneers, Capt. M. Strong, who had resided in Erie
County since 1795, and who related some very interesting facts
and reminiscences.
In 1838 the route from Conneaut Lake was not determined,
the commissioners insisting that the Legislature decide.
Shortly after the western one was chosen.
The Erie Canal Company was incorporated in 1843> and
accomplished the work which united the Ohio and the lakes,
and which had been talked of a quarter of a century. The
State had expended upon it upwards of $4,000,000, and but
$211,000 was required to complete the one hundred and thirty-
six miles, which was the shortest connection that could be
made between the Ohio and the lake, and which opened to
the market immense fields of coal of a superior quality.
The stockholders elected for managers of the company were
R. S. Reed, President ; T. G. Colt, Wm. M. Watts, B. B.Vincent,
J. A. Tracy, Erie ; M. B. Lowry, Crawford ; James M. Power,
Mercer ; C. M. Reed, Treasurer ; and Wm. Kelley, Secretary.
i The latter part of October, 1825, while the surveyors of the canal route
were engaged in sounding the lake off the mouth of Elk Creek, a mel
ancholy accident occurred. The boat, having in it four persons, was much
dashed by a fresh breeze, and began to fill. Mr. Cranch, a son of Judge
Cranch, ot the District of Columbia, being an expert swimmer, for the
purpose of lightening the boat deliberately plunged into the lake, having
first with care placed an elegant gold watch, which he highly valued, be
tween his teeth, to prevent its being injured by the water. He had gone
a few perches from the shore when he suddenly sank. He was immedi
ately taken out, but could not be resuscitated.

114

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.

December 5, 1844, the first boats came through to Erie.
First the R. S. Reed, Capt. Drum, laden with Mercer County
coal ; next, the packet boat Queen of the West, Capt. Arm
strong, her deck and spacious apartments literally crowded
with a dense mass of human beings, each desirous of being
numbered among the first passengers by canal packet to the
lake. When the Queen entered the harbor, the deep-mouthed
cannon gave out its thunder tones, and a shout, long, loud, and
hearty, went up from the multitudes. To W. Milnor Roberts,
chief engineer, special thanks were due for the early comple
tion of the work after its abandonment by the State. The
Wayne Greys paraded the streets during the day, and a ball at
the Reed House concluded the celebration.
In December, 1840, two tons of bituminous coal were brought
from Evansburg, Crawford County, a distance of forty miles,
partly by canal, and sold at five and a half dollars per ton, at
which it was thought cheaper fuel than wood at one dollar
per cord. The amount of coal received at Erie by canal is as
follows :

In 1845  15,000 tons.
" 1846  27,000 "
" 1847  51,000 "
" 1848  70,000 "
" 1849  79,613 "
" 1850  57,741 "
" 1851  72,943 '•
" 1852  76,650 "

In 1853  123,031 tons.
" 1854  95,611
" 1855  141,184
" 1856  112,811
" 1857  126,159
" 1858  99,924
" 1859  128.856
" 1860  129,807

The first coal ever sent to this city, by way of the canal,
was two boat loads, containing about one hundred tons,
shipped some twelve or fifteen years ago by William Fruit,
Esq., from a mine near Clarksville, Mercer County. It being
a new article of traffic, says the Meadville Republican, Mr.
Fruit found it difficult to dispose of his small cargo ; but after
running about, from one dealer to another, for two days, he
finally disposed of it to Gen. C. M. Reed, at less than cost,
taking a " slow note " for pay.
The officers of the Canal Company, 1860, were C. M. Reed,
President ; J. C. Marshall, A. Scott, P. Metcalf, D. McAllister,
J. A. Tracy, J. Hearn, Directors ; D. McAllister, Treasurer ;
A. H. Caughey, Secretary ; William W. Reed, Superintendent.

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY. 115
Tolls for 1858  $ 52,968 38
" " 1859  68,574 65
" " 1860  8104,336 12
Water rents  975 32
Total receipts for 1860  '  $105,311 44
Expenditures for repairs and supervision  $ 45,783 70
Building a new aqueduct over Walnut Creek  17,039 60
Salaries of secretary, treasurer, superintendent, and
collectors  6,370 50
Incidental expenses, including legal services, print
ing, rent, etc  1,185 38
Expenditures for 1860  $70,379 18
By a resolution of the directors, $25,000 were appropriated
to the payment of three per cent interest on the bonds and
interest certificates of the company for the year ending
January 1, 1861.
Railroads. — In 1831 a railroad convention met at Fredonia,
for the purpose of making arrangements for the construction
of a railroad from Buffalo to the State line of Pennsylvania.
Erie sent C. M. Reed, P. S. V. Hamot, and T. H. Sill, a dele
gation having been invited. The president of the convention
was Thomas B. Campbell ; secretaries, Oliver Lee and James
Mullet. It was understood that their road should be met on
the part of Pennsylvania.
In 1835 a railroad from Philadelphia to Erie was first talked
of ; it was to be laid out by way of Harrisburg, West Branch,
Clarion River, and Franklin, and it was thought to possess
the great advantage of not requiring one inclined plane.
A macadamized road was petitioned for about this time, to
connect Erie with the national road.
In 1836 books were opened, and the capital stock subscribed
of the Erie Railroad Company. This was to connect with the
Cassadaga Road, a branch of the New York and Erie, thirty-
five miles in length, extending from the mouth of the creek,
three miles from Jamestown, to the State line, three miles
from Wattsburg. The Erie Railroad would have been twenty-
three miles in length, but the New York and Erie was not
completed for many years, and consequently by that route
there could be no connection with New York. The Erie and
Northeast seemed to better meet the views of all parties.
In 1837 the Sunbury and Erie Railroad bill passed, and this
road was to form the last link in the chain of improvements

116 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
between Lake Erie and Philadelphia. From Harrisburg to
Philadelphia was completed ; from Harrisburg to Sunbury
was incorporated. At Erie and Warren the event was the
cause of rejoicings, and a new era seemed to dawn on Penn
sylvania. The stock necessary to secure the charter was
taken by the United States Bank. During the years 1838 and
1839 a corps of engineers, under Edward Miller, explored the
country between the points mentioned in the charter.
The whole distance from Sunbury to Erie is 270 miles ; from
Erie to Warren, 66 miles ; Warren to Lock Haven, 136 miles ;
Lock Haven to Williamsport, 28 miles ; Williamsport to Sun
bury, 40 miles. At this latter place three distinct railroads
from New York, Philadelphia, and Baltimore now converge.
This road is ninety miles less, in distance to the sea-board,
than the New York and Erie, and the local trade of the road
it is supposed will maintain it. An unsuccessful effort was
made in 1852 to have the road terminate at Cleveland.
In 1854 the City of Philadelphia subscribed $1,000,000, and
shortly after doubled the subscription. The City of Erie
subscribed $300,000 and 150 acres in water lots, and Erie
County $200,000. The State of Pennsylvania conveyed her
canals to the company for $3,500,000 of Sunbury and Erie
Railroad bonds.
December, 1854, the completion of the road to Williamsport
was celebrated by about five hundred citizens of Philadelphia,
including the president of the road, Hon. James Cooper, the
directors, city councils, etc. The party arrived at Erie via
Elmira and Niagara, and were hospitably entertained by the
citizens. At a ball and supper given them at the Reed House,
Hon. James Thompson presided.
The rails used upon this road are from the Montour and
Rough and Ready Mills at Danville, Pennsylvania, and the
Lackawanna Mill at Scranton. Lock Haven is the site of the
company's workshops.
The company in 1859 had just one half of the road (135
miles) ironed : eighty-one miles being on the eastern, and
fifty-four on the western division. More than half the work
on the remaining one hundred and thirty-five miles was
finished, and sixty-eight miles actually graded and ready for

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.

117

the superstructure. Liddell & Marsh, of the Erie City Iron
Works, constructed twenty-five or thirty cars for the western
division. A celebration, numerously attended, was held at Warren,
December, 1859, on the opening of the road from Erie to that
place. The earnings of the western division have equaled nearly
$3,000 weekly, or six per cent on the cost of construction.
The discovery of petroleum in Northwestern Pennsylvania
has added materially to the receipts of the Sunbury and Erie
Road, which has been a very great convenience in getting the
commodity to market.
Receipts of oil at the Erie station for

November  21 barrels.
December  304 "
1860.
January  63 "
February  115 "
March  414 "
April  980
May  1,159 "
June  772 "

July  1,432 barrels.
August  2,341
September  2,227 "
October  2,775 "
November  3,069 "
December  6,431 "
1861
January  15,092 "
February  9,421 •'
March  4,383 "
April  5,521 "

A bill supplementary to the act incorporating the Sunbury
and Erie Railroad Company was passed in the spring of 1861.
The first section changes the name of the company to the
Philadelphia and Erie Railroad Company.
The second section authorizes the company to issue five
thousand bonds, not exceeding in amount the aggregate sum
of one million pounds sterling or five millions United States
currency. The bonds are to draw six per cent interest per
annum, payable semi-annually, the principal to be paid in
twenty years. The bonds are not subject to taxation, and as
security for the payment of principal and interest the com
pany is authorized to execute in trust a mortgage of the whole
line of its railroad, finished and unfinished, from Sunbury to
the harbor of Erie, and its appurtenances, including all loco
motives and cars which may at any time be placed thereon,
together with all its real estate, rights, and privileges. The
mortgage to be delivered to trustees therein named, and re
corded in the several counties in which the property may be

118 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
situated, and shall remain the first mortgage on all the prop
erty therein described until fully satisfied, excepting the road
extending from Sunbury to Williamsport, on which a mort
gage of one million dollars now exists.
The third section authorizes the company to issue forty
bonds for $100,000 each, payable in forty years from the date
thereof, bearing six per cent interest from and after January
1, 1872. A second mortgage on the road to be executed to
secure the payment of said bonds, which bonds and mortgage
the company are to deliver to the commissioners of the sink
ing fund, to be retained as collateral security for payment of
the five per cent bonds for $3,500,000 now in the sinking fund.
The Treasurer of the Commonwealth shall cancel and sur
render all the bonds belonging to the company and deposited
in his office for safe keeping, under the provisions of the act
for the sale of the State canals.
Section fourth extends the time for the payment of the
$3,500,000, now in the sinking fund, till the maturity of the
$4,000,000, which when paid will be in full satisfaction of
the said $3,500,000 bonds : provided that the whole amount of
principal and interest so to be paid by the company shall not
be less than the debt now owing by the company to the State
with the stipulated interest thereon till the time of payment.
When this and other railroads in progress are completed, it
is expected that Erie will assume her true importance, so that
the census of 1870 will find it a flourishing, noisy, and am
bitious city, rivaling in size and trade the two large cities of
Cleveland and Buffalo, which have hitherto overshadowed it.
"Pennsylvania is blest in having three border outlets
through ports on the three great water ways — the Atlantic
Ocean, the Ohio River, and the great lakes. Philadelphia,
Pittsburg, and Erie City are the portals of the Common
wealth, all other ways of ingress and egress being only as
windows in the stately edifice. The public men of an earlier
generation purchased and annexed the Triangle which made
Erie City a harbor in Pennsylvania, and yet, down to this
day, there is no direct communications between that lake port
which was acquired and the seaport where the State was
cradled, although a route to the lakes was one of the objects of

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY. 119
the acquisition." [The Sunbury and Erie was incorporated
for this purpose, and in 1846, in the incorporation of the
Pennsylvania Central, a branch was authorized deflecting to
Erie.] " Here we have the proof that in the minds of men
devoted to the consideration of commercial subjects, and to
carrying lines, the thought was ever present, that the three
custom house cities should have direct and unclogged railroad
facilities, uniting each with the other, and opening from the
interior of the State to its border cities a cheap and con
venient transit." In its unfinished condition the Sunbury
and Erie Railroad is a double failure, for it fails to pay interest
on the bonds held by the State, and fails to meet public ex
pectations inasmuch as it is not all open for traffic.
The Erie and Northeast Railroad Company was incorpor
ated April 12, 1842, with a capital of $5,000,000. March 11,
1846, the capital stock was reduced to $600,000. Books for
subscription were opened October 19, 1846, and sufficient stock
subscribed to secure the charter. Letters-patent on the charter
were granted December 16, 1846. The first election was held
January 22, 1847, and resulted in the choice of C. M. Reed,
President ; William Kelley, Henry Cadwell, Smith Jackson,
A. W. Brewster, M. Courtright, James Williams, Directors ;
and G. Sanford, Treasurer.
In the spring of 1849 the road was surveyed under the
direction of M. Courtright ; July 26, 1849, contracts were made
for the construction of the road.
By an agreement entered into April 27, 1850, with the Dun
kirk and State Line Railroad, the Erie and Northeast agreed
to lay a six-foot track, that the cars of the New York and
Erie might run directly to Erie, and this city be virtually the
terminus of that road. Previously the Dunkirk and State
Line Road had adopted the Erie and Northeast to do their
business on the same, and by this arrangement expected to
have an advantage over their great rival, the New York
Central. This led to a warm controversy between the two companies,
and a parallel road was contemplated, which was the Sheri
dan Road, with a six-foot track, to connect with the Erie and
Northeast via Westfield and Fredonia, and stock sufficient to

120 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
secure the charter was taken. Finally, a compromise was
effected by which it was intended that neither company
should have the advantage, and a gauge foreign to both was
adopted, viz., the four foot ten inches, being the gauge of the
road constructing from Erie west to Cleveland.
The Erie and Northeast being laid according to agreement, a
six-foot track compelled two changes of all freight and travel
within nineteen miles, viz., at Erie and at the State Line.
The first cars came in on this road January 10, 1852. The
Franklin Canal Company had constructed a railroad to the
Ohio State line, and a connection through to Cleveland was
effected in November of the same year. The formal opening
of this road was November 23, 1852, when the cars left Erie at
nine a. m. for Ashtabula, and returned at three o'clock, with
their numbers greatly increased. A party of three hundred
partook of a sumptuous dinner at Brown's Hotel. Speeches
were made by Judge Galbraith, Alfred Kelly, Wm. S. Lane,
and M. B. Lowry, and a change in the gauge law (which law
compelled a break at Erie) was denounced.
The Franklin Canal Company was incorporated on the 27th
of April, 1844, for the purpose of reconstructing and repairing
the Franklin Division of the Pennsylvania Canal from the
aqueduct on French Creek to the mouth of that creek, it
having decayed and become dilapidated. On April 9, 1849, a
supplement was passed, authorizing the company to con
struct a railroad instead of repairing the canal, the graded
line or towing path of the canal to be the bed of the road, and
giving the company the privilege of increasing its stock to
$500,000, and extending northward to the lake and south to
Pittsburg. In the building of this road, Judge John Gal
braith was the influential manager.
A few months after the completion of the railroad from Erie
to Cleveland, the Pennsylvania gauge law was repealed, and
a contract was entered into November 17, 1853, between the
Buffalo and State Line and Erie and Northeast Companies, by
which the latter agreed to alter their track to one of four foot
ten, thereby making a continuous gauge from Buffalo to
Cleveland. The first attempt of the Erie and Northeast Company to

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY. 121
change their gauge occasioned the contentions of 1853 and
1854, better known as the "railroad war."
The particulars of this severe but bloodless struggle can
doubtless be more profitably discussed at a future period.1
The citizens of Erie felt highly aggrieved, and not less so the
railroad company and the traveling community. The loss
financially to each of these parties was immense. In the fierce
and prolonged excitement men grew prematurely old, and the
tax on temper and nerves to all concerned was not of small
account. In the course of time the courts settled the exciting
question ; the two breaks between Buffalo and Cleveland
have disappeared, and the city, once distracted by civil dis
cord, is again peaceful and prosperous.
An act of the Legislature, passed in January, 1854, annulled
the charter of the Franklin Canal Company, always con
sidered doubtful, and invested the Governor with plenary
power to make such a disposition of the road as in his judg
ment would best promote the interests of the State and the
great objects to be attained.
The same winter Gov. Bigler visited Erie in person, and
was received with the greatest enthusiasm, being met at the
depot by the military and firemen with torchlights, and a
large concourse of citizens.
In June, 1854, the Franklin Canal Company was merged
into the Cleveland, Painesville, and Ashtabula Railroad Com
pany. In 1855 an act passed the Legislature repealing the charter of
the Erie and Northeast Road, on the ground that it did not
come to the borough, as stipulated in the act of incorporation.
Hon. J. Cassey held it for the State, and afterward our late
Governor, Wm. F. Packer.
April 22, 1856, it was reincorporated, the directors being
required to subscribe $400,000 to the Pittsburg and Erie Road.
The earnings of the Cleveland and Erie Railroad for 1860
amounted to $1,063,405.23; operating expenses, $429,758.49.
The road paid during the year, as dividends, five per cent
in cash January 1, 1860 ; five per cent in scrip January 1, 1860 ;
and five per cent in cash July 1, 1860.
l See supplement.

122 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
Number of through passengers on the road  162,172
Number of way passengers  88,199
Total tonnage of freight carried over the road  254,594 tons.
Merchandise carried over the road  68,815 "
Lumber " " "  5,096 "
Iron " " "  2,004 "
Livestock " " "  74,712 "
Flour " " "  198,802 "
At a meeting of the stockholders of the Erie and Northeast
Railroad, held at the office of the company January 17, 1854,
the following named gentlemen were elected directors for the
ensuing year : John A. Tracy, Milton Courtright, John
H. Walker, Dean Richmond (of Buffalo), Prescott Metcalf,
Andrew Scott, and John Brawly.
The Pittsburg and Erie Railroad Company was incorpo
rated in 1850. C. M. Reed, President ; M. Courtright, William
Kelley, James Williams, A. W. Brewster, C. McSparren,
James C. Marshall, John A. Tracy, P. Metcalf, J. McClure, B.
B. Vincent, Smith Jackson, Directors ; and David McA llister,
Secretary. The road was made to Jamestown, sixty miles, in 1859, and
its final completion is soon expected.
Erie City Railroad was chartered in 1853, to extend from the
harbor at Presqu'ile to a point on the New York and Pennsyl
vania State line in Northeast, Greenfield, or Venango town
ships. This, as a communication with New York, will have
an advantage over the Dunkirk Road of twenty miles.
The first officers were M. Courtright, President ; C. M. Reed,
J. H. Walker, James Skinner, P. Arbuckle, M. W. Caughey,
J. O. Spencer, J. W. Hart, J. McClure, William M. Arbuckle,
J. A. Tracy, William C. Curry, and P. Metcalf, Directors ; J.
C. Spencer, Secretary and Treasurer. The road between
Little Valley and Jamestown was put under contract in 1852.
The Erie and Waterford plank road was completed in 1851 ;
Irvin Camp, President. The Erie and Wattsburg the same
year ; J. H. Williams, President. The Erie and Edinboro
plank road was completed December, 1852 ; John Galbraith,
President. The plank roads have all been a benefit to the country and
to the towns through which they pass. The one connecting
with Wattsburg has wrought a great change in the aspect of
the country. It was estimated in the summer of 1859 that one

¦<22?&&*t^c&i-^

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY. 123
hundred cords of hemlock wood were brought in daily, besides
large quantities of hemlock bark, which was shipped for the
West.

CHAPTER X.
Shipping — The Washington, the First Vessel built on the South
Shore of the Lake — Hudson's Bay Company — British Government
Vessels — American Government Vessels — The Salina — Valuable
Cargoes — Walk-in-the-water — First Lighthouse — William Penn —
First Steamer at Chicago— Cholera — Tonnage and Number of
Vessels in 1810-20-31-36-47-60 — Lake Disasters — Commerce of Port
of Presqu'ile — Vessels and Tonnage registered at Presqu'ile in 1860
— United States Steamer Michigan — Revenue Cutters.
Captain William Lee's vessel (name not known) pro
pelled by sails and oars, was the only one on the south side of
Lake Erie in 1795. Capt. Lee had no crew, and made trips
only when he could have " passengers enough able and willing
to man his boat." He resided at Chippewa, and it was in his
boat Col. S. Reed, family, and goods came up in the spring of
1795. Mr. Colt's journal says : "May 30, 1798, Mrs. Colt and my
self took passage at Fort Erie in sloop Weasle, Dennaw,
master. Set sail about two o'clock p. m. The wind con
tinuing from the east, we were under way until about twelve
at night, and lest we should run past the harbor of Presqu'ile,
the vessel was hove to, and lay in that situation until six
o'clock in the morning of Thursday.
" 31. — We found ourselves off Chautauqua Creek, about
twenty miles from our desired haven ; at evening arrived in
the harbor of Presqu'ile. We were much seasick during the
passage." In September, 1798, Eliphalet Beebe launched a sloop of
thirty-six tons at the mouth of Four Mile Creek (east of Erie),
called the sloop Washington. This was probably the first
vessel built on the south side of the lake. It was built for the
use of the Population Company, was sold in November, 1801,
to Joshua Fairbanks of Queenston, for land and salt, was taken

124 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
across the portage from Chippewa to Queenston, and lost on
its first trip on Lake Ontario.
In 1799 Capt. William Lee built the Good Intent, thirty
tons, R. S. Reed part owner, at the mouth of Mill Creek.
Lost at Port Abino in 1806, with all on board.
In 1800 Eliphalet Beebe built the Harlequin, which was lost
during her first season, with all on board.
In 1805 Thomas Wilson built a schooner of one hundred
tons at Erie, called the Mary ; in 1808 one half was sold to
James Rough and George Buehler, and the remainder to
Porter, Barton & Co. It was sailed by Capt. Rough until the
war, when it was purchased by the United States.
The Erie Packet, a sloop of twenty tons, was built by Capt.
William Lee, at Fort Erie, in 1796, for the Presqu'ile trade —
Presqu'ile being the principal settlement at that time.
In 1803 the Niagara, of thirty tons, was built by the United
States government, and bought by Porter, Barton & Co. Her
name was changed to the Nancy ; sailed by Capt. R. O'Neil.
In 1802-3 Porter, Barton & Co., contractors for the army,
built at Black Bock the sloop Contractor, of sixty-four tons.
Sill, Thompson & Co., at the same place, built the Catharine.
These were both purchased by the government in 1812 ; the
name of the former was changed to the Trippe, and the latter
to the Somers.
In 1808 Major Carter built a schooner at Cleveland (which
was the first built there) of forty-five tons, called the Zephyr.
She was sailed by Capt. Cummings.
We have alluded, in Chapter II., to the Hudson's Bay Com
pany and British vessels on Lake Erie in 1789. The Speed
well is heard of at Maiden in 1792, and in 1796 they had in
commission two armed vessels — the Ottawa, commanded by
Capt. Cowan, and the Chippewa, by Capt. Grant, each of
about ninety tons.
In 1804 they built the brig Camden, of one hundred tons
and six guns ; in 1806, the brig Hunter ; and in 1807, the
armed sloop Hope, which was lost near St. Joseph's, on Lake
Huron. In 1809 the Queen Charlotte was built, and in 1810
the armed schooner Lady Prevost. These vessels did not
belong to the royal navy, but to what was called the provincial

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY. 125
marine service ; or, as a London newspaper stated the matter
(and which was true before 1812) after Commodore Perry's
victory : " It may serve to diminish our vexation at the
occurrence to learn that the flotilla in question ivas not any
branch of the British navy, but was solely manned, equipped,
and managed by the public exertions of certain Canadians,
who had formed themselves into a kind of Lake Fencibles.
It was not the royal navy, but a local force — a kind of mercan
tile military." A fictitious consolation, truly ! Commodore
Barclay, Captain Finnis, etc., were not distinguished from
" mercantile military," in the editor's mind.
As to the American vessels, at the time Gen. Wayne took
possession of Detroit, in 1796, the quartermaster purchased
from a merchant the sloop Detroit, of fifty tons, for the use of
the government. It was the same vessel that conveyed Gen.
Wayne to Erie previous to his decease. She was wrecked the
next fall, near Erie.
The Wilkinson, of sixty-seven tons, is heard of in 1801.
In 1802 the government built two vessels at Detroit — the
brig Adams, of one hundred tons, sailed by Capt. Breevoort,
and the schooner Tracy, of fifty-three tons — the latter was
wrecked about 1809, on the reef off Fort Erie. The Adams
continued in commission until the war of 1812, and was taken
by the British at the surrender of Gen. Hull, and called the
Detroit. She was one of the vessels cut out from Fort Erie,
by Capt. Elliot, on the night of the 8th of October, 1812.
The British had in the merchant service, at an early day,
the sloop Nancy, thirty-eight tons ; the schooner Nancy,
ninety-four tons ; the Charlotte, eighty tons ; the Caledonia, a
brig of eighty-five tons ; the sloop Hunter, of forty tons ; and
schooner Thames, of eighty tons.
In 1809 Mr. B. S. Reed and Capt. Dobbins purchased a
schooner called the Charlotte, of ninety tons, from Alex.
Mcintosh, of Moy, Canada. Her name was changed to
Salina, and Capt. Dobbins sailed her until 1812. Being at
Mackinaw at its capture, this vessel was also taken by the
British, and its captain, crew, and Messrs. R. S. and Wm. W.
Reed made prisoners. She was converted into a cartel, and
sent down, in company with the Mary, with provisions to

126 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
Detroit. At Detroit Gen. Hull received her from Capt. Dob
bins, and she was included in the general surrender by him to
the British. Here Capt. Dobbins left her and returned to
Erie. While the Detroit and other vessels were building, the
British made use of the Salina to transport provisions and
stores from different parts of the lake. At last she was frozen
up in the ice near Maiden, in December, 1812, and being
abandoned, drifted down the lake, inclosed in ice ; was dis
covered opposite Erie, and, after having property taken from
her by the citizens to the amount of about $2,000, was set on
fire. In 1811 the Salina had a remarkable cargo for value,1 which
consisted of $120,000 worth of furs, at the Mackinaw valu
ation — at Montreal their worth would be doubled. The agent
of the Northwest Company, to whom the furs belonged, was
on board, and the furs were stowed upon deck as well as
below. The schooner Mariner, Capt. Blake, August, 1825, landed a
cargo at Buffalo still more valuable — that of furs belonging to
the American Fur Company worth $267,000. Usually the
finer furs were conveyed to Montreal by an inland route.
From Mackinaw they were taken to the mouth of Canadian
River, which communicated by portage with Grand River,
and thence down to the St. Lawrence in bark canoes. The
skins and coarser portions were taken in vessels to Fort Erie,
and by boats to Chippewa ; across the portage to Queenston,
and by vessels to Kingston ; thence down the St. Lawrence in
boats. May 28, 1818, the first steamboat on Lake Erie was launched
at Black Rock. This was the Walk-in-the-water, of three
hundred tons, and commanded by Capt. Job Fish. She was
not able to ascend the rapids with her engine, but was drawn
up by_ ten yoke of oxen. She was built by Noah Brown, of
New York, for Gilbert and J. B. Stewart, of Albany, and was
visited as a curiosity by the whole country.
i A modern costly cargo : " May 21, 1861. The steamer Illinois arrived at
Detroit yesterday, from Lake Superior, with a cargo second in value only
to that brought by the Mineral Rock, which arrived the day previous.
The Illinois cargo was composed entirely of copper, and was valued at
$101,452.80."

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY. 127
In the Detroit Gazette we find an account of her first passage
to that city. " The Walk-in-the-water left Buffalo at one and
a half p. m. and arrived at Dunkirk thirty-five minutes past
six on the same day. On the following morning she arrived
at Erie — Capt. Fish having reduced her steam in order not to
pass that place, where he took in a supply of wood." [The
boat was visited by all the inhabitants during the day, and
had the misfortune to get aground for a short time in the bay,
a httle west of French Street.] " At half-past seven p. m. she
left Erie, and arrived at Cleveland at eleven o'clock Tuesday ;
at twenty minutes past six p. m. sailed, and^reached San
dusky Bay at one o'clock on Wednesday ; lay at anchor
during the night, and then proceeded to Venice for wood ; left
Venice at three p. m., and arrived at the mouth of Detroit
River, where she anchored during the night.
" The whole time of this first voyage from Buffalo to Detroit
occupied forty-four hours and ten minutes — the wind ahead
during the whole passage. Not the slightest accident hap
pened during the voyage, and her machinery worked admir
ably; " Nothing could exceed the surprise of the ' sons of the
forest' on seeing the Walk-in-the-water move majestically
and rapidly against wind and current, without sails or oars.
Above Maiden they lined the shores and expressed their
astonishment by repeated shouts of ' Taiyoh nichee ! ' [An ex
clamation of surprise.]
"A report had been circulated among them that a 'big
canoe' would soon come from the ' noisy waters,' which, by
order of the ' great father ' of the ' Chemo Komods ' (Long
Knives or Yankees), would be drawn through the lakes and
rivers by a sturgeon. Of the truth of the report they were
perfectly satisfied."
The cabins of the Walk-in-the-water were fitted up in a
neat, convenient, and elegant style ; and a trip to Buffalo was
considered not only tolerable, but truly pleasant. Friday she
made an excursion to Lake St. Clair, with a party of ladies
and gentlemen, and returned to Buffalo in time to be again at
Detroit the following week.
Tradition has it that Capt. Fish was not particularly pleased

128 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
with the lake, and returned in a short time to his former
command on the Hudson — the Firefly, running between.
Poughkeepsie and New York ; that the pilot Davis being a
thorough and accomplished seaman (which Capt. Fish did not
profess to be) amused himself by exciting his fears and magni
fying the dangers of lake navigation. The pilot had the com
mand previous to the appointment of Capt. Jedediah Rodgers.
The first of November, 1821, the Walk-in-the-water stranded
on the beach at Buffalo, having a full and valuable cargo, at a
loss to her owners of $10,000 or $12,000. Her engine was
placed in the Superior, which was built by a chartered com
pany, and had an exclusive privilege in the navigable waters
of New York. This privilege was abandoned after a decision
of the Supreme Court of the United States.
The first steamboat launched at Erie was the William Penn,
of two hundred tons, May 18, 1826. She was ninety-five feet
keel, twenty-five feet beam, and eighty feet hold ; being the
sixth steamboat on the lake, and was built by the Erie and
Chautauqua Steamboat Company. The company was incor
porated the 10th of April, 1826, with Walter Smith, E. L.
Tinker, Charles Townsend, R. S. Reed, P. S. V. Hamot,
Josiah Kellogg, John F. Wight, Daniel Dobbins, and Peter
Christie, Managers. A supplement in 1831 provided that the
principal offices should be held by citizens of Pennsylvania.
In 1832 the company paid a dividend of ten dollars on each
share of the stock.
In 1832 the first steamboat visited Chicago. There were few
traces of civilization after passing the Straits of Mackinaw —
not a single village, town, or city being in the whole distance.
Four steamers — the Henry Clay, Superior, Sheldon Thomp
son, and William Penn — were chartered by the United States
government for the purpose of transporting troops, provisions,
etc. to Chicago during the Black Hawk war, but owing to the
fearful ravages made by the breaking out of the Asiatic
cholera among the troops and crews on board, two of these
boats were compelled to abandon their voyage, proceeding no
farther than Fort Gratiot. On the Henry Clay nothing like
discipline could be maintained. As soon as the steamer came
to the dock, each man sprang on shore, hoping to escape from

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY. 129
a scene so terrifying and appalling. Some fled to the woods,
some to the fields, while others lay down in the streets and
under the covert of the river bank, where most of them died
unwept and alone.
On the Sheldon Thompson, commanded by Capt. A. Walker,
with Gen. Scott aboard, eighty-eight deaths occurred by the
pestilence. Not one officer of the army nor any officer of the
boat was attacked with such violence as to result in death,.
though nearly one fourth of the crew fell a prey to the disease
while on the passage from Detroit to Buffalo.
In 1810, on Lake Erie, there were eight or nine vessels,
averaging sixty tons. In 1820, thirty vessels of fifty tons each,
and one small steamboat. In the summer of 1831 there were
one hundred vessels averaging seventy tons each, and eleven
steamboats, with an aggregate capacity of 2,260 tons. In 1836
there were on Lake Erie forty-five steamboats, with 9,119 tons,
and 217 ships, brigs, and schooners, of 16,645 tons ; that year
many vessels from Lake Ontario found employment on Lake
Erie, and still there was a demand for more. In 1847 there
were sixty-seven steamers, twenty-six propellers, three barks,
sixty-four brigs, and three hundred and forty schooners.
The marine register for 1860, including Lake Ontario,
numbers :
Craft. No. Tonnage. Value.
Steamers  138 69,150 82,720,200
Propellers  197 61,550 2,478,300
Barks  58 28,417 544,200
Brigs  90 25,047 423,200
Schooners and sloops  974 198,601 4,489,300
Total  1457 377,825 810,655,200
The loss of property on the lakes by disasters, in 1860,
amounted to $1,020,100, being an increase of $135,915 over the
year previous. The loss of life in 1860 was 578, being an in
crease of 473 over 1859.
At the port of Presqu'ile the importations for 1851, consist
ing principally of assorted merchandise, flour, fish, and
' manufactures of iron, amounted to
Imports coastwise  81,979,913
Imports foreign  3,455
Total importation  81,983,368

130

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.

The Chicago Republican says the loss of life by disasters on
the lakes, during the year 1865 was one hundred and seventy,
being an increase over that of 1864 of thirty-six. The largest
and most lamentable loss was that of the Pewabic, on Lake
Huron, by which it is generally supposed that not less than
one hundred persons found a watery grave.
The exports consist of wool, lumber, wood, bark, glass,
stoves, bar iron, coal, and merchandise received by canal, with
a small quantity of grain, the whole amounting to the follow
ing aggregate :
Exports coastwise  $2,207,582
Exports foreign  15,415
Total exportation  82,222,997
The entire commerce of the port in the same year amounts
to a total value of $4,206,483.
The licensed and enrolled tonnage amounts to 7,882 tons.

TONNAGE OF SHIPPING OWNED AT THE PORT OF PRESQU'ILE
IN THE SPRING OF 1860.

Class of Vessels.

Class of Vessels.

STEAMBOATS.
John B. White (tug) 
Queen City 
S. C.Brooks 
Keystone State 
Total steamboat tonnage
SAIL vessels.
Sch. Post Boy 
Sch. Silas Wright (scow)...
Sch. North Carolina 
Sch. Susquehanna 
Sch. Huntress 
Sch. L. D. Coman 
Sch. Mary M. Scott 
Sch. Mary Morton 
Sch. Hudson 

2362

1354

79

55

95 24
70 02
141171
270 ! 86
350 88
178 62
361 02
246 48
136 08
1850; 91

Brought up 
Sch. Arrow 
Bark American Republic...
Sch. Armada 
Brig Paragon 
Sch. M. Courtright 
Sch. Illinois 
Sch. St. James 
Sch. St. Paul 
Sch. Pacific 
iSch. W. A. Adair 
Sch. C. E. Williams 
Sch. Columbia 
Sch. St. Andrew 
Sch. W. M. Arbuckle 
2Sch. Washington Irving...,
Sch. M. G. (scow) 
Sch. Citizen 
Total tonnage sail vessels
Total tonnage 

1850 91
28128459 31
235 44
212 26
389:41 110 31
286 '47
303 69
186 30
8156
156 60
165,90
444 48
170 09
llll44 60 7
149 60

J

5656 42
8018,97

1 Schooner W. A. Adair sprang a leak on Lake Erie, ran ashore at Dun
kirk, and was a total loss. Her cargo was coal.
2 The Washington Irving, Capt. Vannatta, left Erie for Buffalo July 7,
and it is supposed foundered, as she was never again heard from. She had
seven persons on board, and was heavily laden with coal, iron, oil, etc.

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY. , 131
November 7, 1843, the United States steamer Michigan, of
five hundred and thirty-eight tons, was launched ; her ton
nage and force being regulated by treaty with England. She
was finished and accepted by government August 15, 1844 ;
built entirely of iron, excepting the spar deck, which was of
three-and-a-half inch pine plank ; drew eight feet when ready
for a cruise. She was pierced for twelve guns (32-pounders),
which, with two 68-pounder Paixham guns on pivots, upon
the quarterdeck and forecastle, made her broadside equal
to that of a vessel mounting sixteen guns. Her engines,
two inclined low-pressure ones, of the collective power of one
hundred and seventy horses, were designed by Charles M.
Copeland, United States engineer, and were very similar to
those of the Harriet Lane. The cost of her construction to
the United States was about $165,000. The contractors were
Messrs. Stackhouse and Tomlinson, of Pittsburg, and the
naval constructor, Samuel T. Hart. Her first officers were :
Commander, William Inman ; First Lieutenant, James Mc-
Kinstry ; Second Lieutenant, James McDougal ; Surgeon,
Dr. P. Christie ; Purser, William A. Bloodgood ; Chief Engi
neer, Andrew Hibbard. T. H. Stevens, a son of Lieut.
Stevens, in command of the Trippe in the battle of Lake Erie,
was a past midshipman and acting master.
In 1860 the Michigan was supplied with two new boilers of
the Martin vertical tubular description, and her machinery
thoroughly repaired under the supervision of chief engineer
Zeller. A commission was appointed by the Secretary of the Navy
to test, upon a large scale, the advantage or disadvantage of
using steam expansively. This was in consequence of ex
periments having been made upon a single horse engine by
Mr. Isherwood, and resulted in the decision that no economy
followed the use of expanded steam. A petition was sent to
Honorable Secretary Toucey, requesting the government to
have the experiment tested upon a larger scale. With com
mendable alacrity a board was appointed composed of B. F.
Isherwood, Theo. Zeller, Robert H. Long, and Alban C.
Stimer, chief engineers in the naval corps, and Capt. Joseph
Lanman, executive officer of the steamer Michigan. The

132 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
steamer Michigan, being in winter quarters at Erie, was
placed at their disposal.
Erie has always been the station for the revenue cutters. In
March, 1833, one was launched of sixty-two tons ; the col
lector gave it the name of Lewis McLane, but the Secretary
changed it to Erie. The Benjamin Rush, of thirty-five tons,
was launched September, 1828, being intended for the Upper
Lakes. Six revenue cutters were built in 1857, being one for each of
the lakes ; the Jeremiah Black, of Lake Erie, was commanded
by Capt. Ottinger.

CHAPTER XI.

Banks — Gas Company — Insurance — Fire Companies — Volunteer
Military — Agriculture — Mutual Aid— Cemeteries — Moral, Benevo
lent, and Literary Societies.
Ranks. — The act incorporating the Erie Bank passed in 1829.
The first officers were R. S. Reed, President ; P. S. V. Hamot,
Cashier ; J. A. Tracy, C. M. Beed, Samuel Brown, William
Fleming, Thomas Moorhead, Jr., E. D. Gunnison, and D.
Gillespie, Directors. The capital stock was not to exceed
$200,000, and it commenced business with $50,000. On the ex
piration of its charter, in 1850, its outstanding circulating
notes were redeemed and its business closed.
The United States Bank of Pennsylvania established a
branch at Erie in 1837, to be discontinued in 1850. The first
officers were T. H. Sill, President ; Josiah Kellogg, C. M.
Reed, Wm. Kelly, G. A. Elliot, Samuel Hays, William
Fleming, J. G. Williams, H. J. Huidekoper, Directors ; Peter
Benson, Cashier. When the parent institution at Philadel
phia failed, in 1840, William C. Curry was appointed to settle
the affairs of the branch in Erie.
The fine building erected for its use at an expense of $70,000,
was purchased by the government in 1849 for a custom house
and post office for $29,000. The banking-house is faced with
white marble, and has steps and columns made of the same
material.

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY. 133
The Erie City Bank was incorporated in 1753, with a capital
of $200,000. The first officers were Smith Jackson, President ;
C. M. Tibbals, W. A. Brown, D. S. Clark, C. Seigel, John
Brawley, James Webster, J. H. Fullerton, Ira Sherwin, M.D.,
J. D. Clark, Charles Brandes, J. C. Beebe, Directors ; J. P.
Sherwin, Cashier ; Brua Cameron, Bookkeeper ; S. E. Neiler,
Teller. Suspended, 1857.
Bank of Commerce (Erie City Bank revived) commenced
business in April, 1858. Directors — B. Grant, President ; G.
J. Ball, Cashier ; C. B. Wright, Vice-President ; W. F. Rin-
dernicht, James Hoskinson, B. F. Sloan, Charles Metcalf, A.
W. Blaine, G. F. King, J. W. Douglas ; A. W. Guild, Teller.
Suspended December, 1860.
The Erie Gas Company was chartered March 5, 1852, with a
capital of $60,000. This was to be divided into twelve hundred
shares of $50 each. The Board of Directors have the privilege
of increasing the capital from time to time, as they may deem
necessary, to $100,000.
The company purchased ten lots for $10,000, and expended
$50,000 on buildings, machinery, etc. ; the gas-holder is forty-
five feet in diameter and eighteen feet deep, and capable of
holding thirty thousand cubic feet. Pipe, the length of three
and a half miles, was laid in the streets ; it was first used
August 22, 1853, by thirty-one consumers ; at the end of the
year, by one hundred and fifty ; burners, six hundred.
Mr. Meredith superintended the construction of the works,
and Mr. P. Metcalf, who was the heaviest stockholder, con
tributed materially to the success of the enterprise.
Insurance.— Tn 1834 the Erie County Mutual Insurance
Company was incorporated (the business to be transacted at
Erie), with the following names, and those of any other per
sons that might hereafter associate with them in the manner
afterward prescribed : John A. Tracy, William Kelley, Peter
Pierce, J. W. Hitchcock, James Williams, Smith Jackson,
Samuel Low, Conrad Brown, Jr., B. B. Vincent, Bester Town,
Jabez Wight, David G. Webber, and Stephen Skinner.
The Farmers' Mutual Insurance Company of Harbor Creek
was incorporated 1857, with the following officers : John
Dodge, President ; Peter E. Burton, Vice-President ; Henry

134 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
Gingrich, Treasurer ; Robert Henry, Secretary ; John Dodge,
J. Y. Moorhead, John W. McLane, Calvin Leet, G. H.
Wagoner, Jesse Saltsman, Robert Sewall, G. J. Ball, Thomas
McKee, S. M. Brown, Henry Gingrich, Martin Warfel, and
P. E. Burton, Directors.
Fire.— Active Fire Company, formed February 22, 1826. B.
S. Reed, Chief Engineer ; E. D. Gunnison, Secretary ; John
Riddel, Treasurer.
Red Jacket, No. 1, was formed in 1837.
Perry and Eagle Fire Companies formed in 1839.
Mechanics' Fire Company, No. 3, E. B. S. Landon, Secre
tary, formed in 1844.
Vulcan, 1848.
Phoenix Hook and Ladder Company, 1852.
The Parade Street Fire Company was organized in Feb
ruary, 1861, in Cloughsburg. The councils entrusted to them
the engine Pennsylvania.
Officers of the fire department in 1859— William Murray,
Chief Engineer ; A. E. Yale, First Assistant ; Robert T.
Shank, Second Assistant ; Richard Dudley, President ; John
Constable, Jr., Vice-President ; E. D. Hulbert, Secretary ; G.
A. Bennet, Water Commissioner.
Military Companies. — The first military company formed in
Erie was the "Erie Light Infantry," in 1806; the names of
the officers and privates were as follows :
Officers — Captain, Thomas Forster ; Lieutenant, Thomas
Bees ; Ensign, Thomas Stewart ; Sergeant, Thomas Wilkins ;
Second Sergeant, John Hay ; Fifer, Rufus Clough ; Drummer,
J. Glazier.
Privates — Archibald McSparren, Simeon Dunn,1 Adam
Arbuckle, George Kelley, John Sloan, William Murray, Jonas
Duncan, John Woodside, William Duncan, George Slough,
John Eakens, George Russel (died in 1813), John Lapsley,
Peter Grawosz, Jacob Carmack, William Henderson, Robert
Irwin, Ebenezer Dwinnel, John Bell, Robert McDonnel,
Samuel Hays, Thomas Laird, Thomas Hughes, Robert
i Mr. Simeon Dunn was recommended to Commodore Perry in 1813 as
capable and trustworthy, and was in his employ carrying important ex
press to Buffalo.

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY. 135
Brown, John Morris, George Buehler, William Lattimore,
James Herron, Stephen Woolverton, Francis Scott, Thomas
Vance. This company tendered its services to the President, in the
war of 1812, and was accepted. The brigade rendezvoused at
the Flats, near Waterford, and chose Adamson Tannehill, of
Pittsburg, Brigadier-General. At Buffalo, where they were
ordered, Capt. Forster was made Brigade Inspector, and
James E. Herron chosen Captain.
This brigade of Pennsylvania volunteers was at Buffalo
during the winter of 1812-13, being the year before Buffalo
was burnt. Many of the volunteers deserted — sometimes by
whole companies. This was not true of the Erie Light In
fantry in a single instance.
In 1808 the Presqu'ile Bangers were in existence. William
Moore, Orderly Sergeant.
Erie Greens were organized in 1821.
The Washington Artillery, in 1824.
Erie Guards, in 1825. Thomas Forster, Jr., Captain.
An Artillery company, in 1831. C. G. Howell, Captain.
Cavalry, 1836. F. Strong, Orderly Sergeant.
About 1841 two spirited German companies were formed :
German Guards, Capt. Dutlinger, and the Washington Guards,
Capt. Erhart.
In 1842 the Wayne Greys were organized. John W. Mc
Lane, Captain ; William Curran, Orderly Sergeant.
In June, 1846, the Wayne Greys held a meeting, Lieut.
John Graham in the chair, and in consideration of a procla
mation of the Governor relative to the war with Mexico,
requesting all citizens, especially those having in their
possession public arms, to hold themselves in readiness to
respond to the call of the Executive of the Union at a
moment's warning, resolved to have themselves in readiness
for any order from the Governor of the State for their services,
and also to appoint a committee of four to procure an
armorer to put all the arms and accoutrements of the com
pany in complete order immediately.
Franklin Pierce Rifle Company was organized in 1858.
The Wayne Guards in 1859 : John W. McLane, Captain.

136 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
The Fairview Guards in 1858 ; T. Beckman, Captain.
Girard Guards, 1860 ; commanded by D. W. Hutchinson.
Erie Perry Artillery Company, Gustavus Jarecki, Captain,
organized in 1 859.
An agreeable incident in the history of the Wayne Guards
occurred in Cleveland at the dedication of the Perry Monu
ment, September 10, 1860. After the historical address by the
Hon. George Bancroft, the Wayne Guards were drawn up in
front of the stand, and, in behalf of the company, Capt.
McLane presented Mr. Bancroft with a beautiful cane. The
presentation was made with a few remarks in very good taste.
Capt. McLane said the cane was made of wood from Com.
Perry's flag-ship, the Lawrence. The Wayne Guards, he said,
were proud to honor the hero, and the historian whose grace
ful pen preserved untarnished the luster of the heroic deeds of
1813. Mr. Bancroft accepted the gift in a few felicitous remarks.
He was happy to receive the memento from the Guards, and
particularly as they bore the name of one ever to be revered,
brave in battle, correct and kind in private life. He should
keep the cane while he lived, and bequeath it to his son with
an injunction to cherish it, and remember that it came to him
with the benediction of the Guards. It would comfort the
few years of old age yet left to him.
The whole transaction passed off very pleasantly, and at the
close of Mr. Bancroft's remarks he was greeted by cheers,
which were repeated for the Wayne Guards.
The gold head of the cane was the work of Mr. T. M.
Austin, of Erie, and cost one hundred dollars, and was beauti
fully wrought. On one side was engraved " September 10,
1813. We have met the enemy and they are ours." On the
other, "Wayne Guards of Erie to Honorable George Bancroft,
at the inauguration of the Perry Statue, September 10, 1860.
' Perry's fleet was built at, sailed from, and returned to Erie.'
American patriotism embalms the memories of its heroes."
In November, the Guards had the pleasure of receiving from
Mr. Bancroft eight volumes of his History of the United
States, superbly bound in Turkey morocco and gilt, accom
panied by the following note :

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY. 137
" New York, October, 1860.
uCapt. John McLane, and the Wayne Guards of Erie :
" Dear Sirs : — The very great pleasure and enduring satis
faction which I derived from my friendly interview with you
at Cleveland, excites in me a strong desire to secure a perma
nent place in your memory. For that purpose, I beg your
acceptance of the volumes which accompany this note.
Accept, also, I entreat you, very sincere assurances of grateful
and affectionate regard from " Your friend,
"George Bancroft."
Agriculture, etc. — In 1820 a Mechanical Association was
formed, S. Ball, Secretary, the object of which was to improve
the condition of mechanics.
In 1822 an Agricultural and Mechanical Society was organ
ized, which held one or two fairs or exhibitions. The first
officers were : Judah Colt, President ; Charles J. Reed, Treas
urer^; G. Sanford, Secretary ; John Vincent, Waterford, R. S.
Reed, Erie, Wm. Miles, Union, Martin Strong, McKean, Ben
jamin Russell, Mill Creek, Elisha Marvin, Greenfield, Moses
Barnet, Fairview, John McCord, Northeast, Simeon Leet,
Harbor Creek, and Mathias Brindle, Springfield, Directors.
The members contributed one dollar each, and the county
fifty dollars ; seventy-eight dollars were paid out in premiums,
which were awarded for farming commodities and domestic
manufactures. The highest premium was eight dollars, which
was offered for the best two acres of wheat. In the words of
the Gazette, " the exhibition of stock was large, and we can
safely say was not surpassed in quality at any exhibition in
the State. But few articles of domestic manufacture were
offered, but these were worthy of notice."
The Mill Creek and Erie Agricultural and Manufacturing As
sociation was formed in April, 1842, Robert Cochran, Secretary.
The Agricultural Society was formed in 1848, and the fol
lowing offcers elected : John Brawley President ; J. C. Spencer
Treasurer, and J. D. Dunlap Secretary. The first fair was held
at the market house, and $150 offered in premiums. These were
increased every year. A flag was offered to the town entitled
to the largest number of premiums, which was found to be

138 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
Harbor Creek. Next, an agricultural library was offered on
the same conditions, and Harbor Creek again claimed the
prize, but generously donated the books to the County Society.
In 1860 this society was merged into a joint stock association,
chartered by the Court of Common Pleas, styled the Erie
County Agricultural Society for the promotion of agriculture,
manufactures, fine and useful arts, with $5,000 capital, to be
afterward increased as the society should determine. The
capital stock to be represented by shares of ten dollars each,
the first stock to be invested in the purchase and improvement
of thirty acres of ground. The land purchased was in East
Mill Creek, being a part of the farm of Mr. Ebersole. A build
ing designed to be a wing of the main building was completed
in 1860. When the first fair was held, $355 were awarded in
premiums. Hon. James Miles in 1855 made an offer of 200 acres of land,
situated in Girard township, to the State Agricultural Society,
provided that organization locate an agricultural college on
said land. To this was added an offer to sell land adjoining
at a reasonable rate if required.
The Pennsylvania Farm School was located in Centre
County, and in 1858 the Agricultural Society of this county
voted $1,000 to its support.
The Union Agricultural Society of Girard adopted its consti
tution July 15, 1856, and at its first fair in September offered
$170 in premiums. This society was intended as an auxiliary
and not a rival of the Erie County Society, and was instituted
in view of the distance of the western and southwestern town
ships from Erie. At the sixth annual meeting the following
officers were chosen : P. Osborne, President ; Wm. Cross, J.
W. Blair, J. Robertson, W. W. Eaton, Wm. Holliday, C.
Bowman, A. Frances, S. Washburn, C. Leet, A. Nicholson,
Vice-Presidents ; H. Ball, Treasurer ; J. McClure, Recording
Secretary ; H. Hart, Corresponding Secretary.
The Wattsburg Agricultural Society was formed in 1856.
Masons. — Wayne Lodge, No. 112, was instituted in 1813. G.
Sanford, Master ; T. Rees and Dr. J. C. Wallace, Wardens ; R.
S. Reed, Treasurer.
Presqu'ile Lodge was organized in 1852. H. Pelton, W. M.,

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY. 139
Dr. William F. Owen, of Spring, in February, 1861, was
appointed D. D. G. H. P. for the counties of Erie and Craw
ford. Presqu'ile Lodge (Odd Fellows), No. 107. In 1859, the
officers were William Mallory, N. G.; John Graham, V. G.;
John Sweeney, Recording Secretary ; G. A. Bennet, Financial
Secretary ; John Abell, Treasurer.
Philallelia Lodge, No. 299. Otis N. Gray, N. G. ; A. T.
Thomas, V. G. ; A. M. Tarbell, Secretary ; A. M. Guild,
Treasurer. Officers of the German Beneficial Society, in 1859, were A.
T. Fiesler, President ; F. Fiesler, Vice-President ; Michael
Koch, First Secretary ; and F. M. Wagner, Treasurer.
Erie Temple of Honor, No. 5, a temperance association, was
instituted in 1854, Wm. A. Galbraith, Esq., being the first
W. C. T. It was reorganized in 1859 as No. 9. In 1861 the
officers were A. H. Caughey, D. G. W. T. ; James Lytle, W. C.
T.; E. P. Bennett, W. V. T. and W. R; John Fairburn, W.
F. R. A lodge of the Good Templars, which had been in
prosperous operation for two or three years, was merged into
the Temple of Honor at its reorganization.
Exodus Lodge, No. 343, I. O. of G. T.; Edgar Olin, Degree
Master ; in existence at Girard in 1855.
Constellation Lodge, No. 210, I. O. of G. T., at Springfield.
In 1846 the society of Odd Fellows, still in existence, was
organized in Waterford ; there were also at one time organi
zations of the Temple of Honor, Sons of Temperance, and
Good Templars.
Northeast Odd Fellows' Lodge, No. 412, established in 1850.
Number of members, 92 ; of P. G., 17.
Albion Lodge, No. 376, I. O. O. F., was probably established
about the same time.
The St. George's Benevolent Society of Erie has for its
object charity to its sick members. Officers in 1861 — Jacob
Boty, President ; J. Singer, Vice-President ; M. Knoll, First
Secretary ; P. Rochenwald, Second Secretary ; P. Schotten,
Treasurer. Cemeteries. — On the 6th of July, 1801, a number of persons
collected at Greenfield to cut and clear off about an acre of

140 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
ground for a burying-place. These were Enoch Marvin,
Joseph Shadaek and family, Henry and Dyer Loomis, Samuel,
Hezekiah, and Philo Barker, Wm. Scott, Israel Wanever,
James Heaton, Stephen Hazelton, Joseph Webster, Thomas
Prentice,  Dagget, and one or two others.
In 1805 lots on the corner of Eighth and French streets were
set apart for a burying-ground. The trustees of the United
Presbyterian congregation paid the purchase money due the
State for them, and after removing the bodies to the city
cemetery, disposed of the ground to purchasers. At an early
day we observe an Obituary Association in existence, P. S. V.
Hamot, Secretary, which probably managed its affairs. Pre
vious to 1805, all interments were made on the bank of the
lake, east of the town, where also were buried many of the
soldiers of 1812.
About 1826 the Presbyterian Society purchased four lots on
Seventh and Myrtle streets for burial purposes. After the
Erie Cemetery was opened in 1851, the graves were removed
from this, and, by an act, the trustees of the First Presbyterian
Church disposed of the property.
The Episcopalians, Roman Catholics, and Lutherans also
had separate grounds.
The Erie Cemetery was incorporated in 1850, and is hand
somely situated south of the city. It embraces seventy acres
beautifully planned and ornamented with trees, shrubs, and
flowers, and also contains at this time many fine monuments.
The first managers were C. M. Reed, William Himrod, G. A.
Elliot, William Kelley, A. W. Brewster, J. Galbraith, and E.
Babbitt. G. A. Elliot was chosen President ; J. C. Spencer,
Treasurer ; and Wm. A. Brown, Secretary. Mr. Brewster,
who was in perfect health at the time he was made an officer,
was the first person interred there, having died of smallpox.
In the immediate vicinity the German Roman Catholics
consecrated a cemetery in 1853, and likewise St. Paul's Ger
man Evangelical Congregation in 1859.
The Northeast Cemetery was incorporated April 15, 1852.
The following corporators were elected May 8 : John Brawley,
John Schouller, James Smedley, Calvin Spafford, John Greer,
William Griffith, A. W. Blaine. Twelve and a half acres of

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY. 141
ground were purchased of the heirs of P. S. V. Hamot, to
which five acres were added that had been used as a burying-
ground for nearly fifty years. It is handsomely designed.
In Girard application was made by several citizens for an
act of incorporation to establish a cemetery at or near that
borough. The application was granted March 14, 1861.
Moral and Benevolent. — A Moral Society was organized at
Waterford, December, 1815. The object, as expressed in the
preamble, being to aid each other, and strengthen the hands
of the magistrates in the suppression of vice and immorality,
by every prudent, and, if necessary, by every legal method,
hoping to meet the approbation of God, and the assistance of
good men of every political sentiment and religious denomi
nation. Officers — Rev. John Mathews, Chairman ; Dr. Wm.
Bacon, Secretary ; Amos Judson, Treasurer ; George W. Reed
and Henry Woodworth, Corresponding Committee ; John
Boyd, Esq., John Way, Esq., Archibald Watson (elder), and
Capt. Martin Strong, Standing Committee.
The County Bible Society was organized in 1824, and has,
without intermission, fulfilled its duties to the present time.
The first officers were Rev. Johnston Eaton, President ; Rev.
R. Reid, Vice-President ; E. D. Gunnison, Treasurer ; G.
Selden, Secretary ; Managers, William Gould, Robert Porter,
John McCord, Col. Joseph Selden, Judah Colt, Robert Mc
Clelland, Gen. John Phillips, Rev. Oliver Alfred, Rev. R. C.
Hatton, James Flowers, Philip Bristol, and G. Sanford. At
the thirty-seventh annual meeting, in 1861, Rev. G. A. Lyon,
D.D., was chosen President ; S. S. Spencer, Secretary ; and
J. C. Seldon, Treasurer. The amount of receipts for the
year, $750.18 ; disbursements for the same period, $514.13 ;
balance in treasury, $522.28 ; value of Bibles and Testaments
purchased during the year, $134.60 ; amount sold and donated,
$120.43 ; amount in value at depository, $289.48.
In 1828 a Colonization Society was organized in Erie, but
was sustained only a few years. Rev. Robert Reid, President ;
G. A. Elliot, Secretary ; Rev. D. McKinney, Josiah Kellogg,
B. O. Hulbert, and G. Selden were a committee to solicit sig
natures. In the spring of 1860, Alex. Simms, wife, and eight
children, with eight other colored persons from Erie County,

142 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
left for Africa under the auspices of the Pennsylvania society.
In 1836 a Colonization Society was formed at Northeast.
Henry Frey, President ; John Brawley, Vice President ; J. D.
Dunlap, Secretary, and Clark Putnam, Treasurer. The same
year a County Anti-Slavery Society was formed, Col. James
Moorhead, President, and William Gray, Secretary ; and also
one at Northeast, Truman Tuttle, President ; James Duncan,
Vice-President ; Dr. E. Smedley, Secretary, and R. L. Loomis,
Treasurer. About the same time an anti-abolition meeting was called at
Springfield, H. G. Davis in the chair, and Daniel G. Webber,
Secretary. The meeting in its resolutions highly approved of
the Colonization Society, but not of a crusade against the
South. About 1824 a Female Tract Society was formed in Erie, which
was useful for many years. Mrs. J. Colt, Directress ; Mrs. G.
Sanford, Treasurer ; Miss E. Wight, Secretary.
At Wattsburg a Tract Society was formed in 1828, Rev. A.
McCreary, President ; James Nelson, Secretary, and Wm. K.
Black, Treasurer.
A society was formed in Erie in 1844 for abolishing capital
punishment. In 1845 a committee, composed of Irvin Camp,
W. H. Knowlton, Smith Jackson, Oliver Spafford, and Wm.
A. Galbraith, gave notice that they would meet a committee
who might be appointed to discuss the question, "Ought capi
tal punishment to be abolished in Pennsylvania?" The
question was discussed at the courthouse, and excited general
interest ; John Galbraith and Irvin Camp in the affirmative,
Elijah Babbitt and J. H. Walker, negative, and James C.
Marshall, Moderator.
A Lady's Benevolent Society was formed in 1843, which for
many years possessed the confidence of the public, and relieved
much suffering.
In 1845 a Sabbath Convention was called that resulted in the
organization of a Sabbath Association, which for several years
held meetings, and attempted to promote the better observance
of the Sabbath by travelers, on the canal, lakes, etc.
The Erie City Tract Society, which represented five evan
gelical denominations, and had for its object tract distribution

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY. 143
and aid to the poor, was active for seven years. It was formed
in 1854, with the following officers : D. S. Clark, President ;
W. F. Liddell and J. D. Dunlap, Vice-Presidents ; Rev. Joseph
Pressley, M. R. Barr, James Metcalf, C. Doll, and M. B. Cook,
Managers. Among so many efforts to repress vice, we are sorry to
record one attempt to promote immorality. In 1840 a petition
was sent to the Legislature from the county, signed by forty
persons, asking that the Sabbath might be abolished, to legal
ize blasphemy, and extend the privilege of giving testimony
in court to all persons, whether, believers or not.
Temperance societies were formed in Erie and Wattsburg in
1829, and in Wayne Township in 1832, which year the county
society had seven hundred and forty-two members. Judah
Colt, President ; R. McClelland, Vice-President ; R. O. Hul
bert, Secretary ; G. Selden, Treasurer ; G. Sanford, Hugh Wil
son, William Gray, John Cook, Chauncey Graves, Benjamin
Whitley, Ira Phelps, James Smedley, Samuel Beedy, James
Nelson, and Rev. Edson Hart, Managers.
In 1840 they had a temperance society in most of the town
ships. In 1842 the jailer complained (as his apartments were
vacant) that the temperance people had combined to injure
the business of the house.
In 1851 a Division of Sons of Temperance was formed,
which continued in operation for several years.
In 1852 a Harp and Shamrock Temperance Society was
formed. J. W. Duggen, President.
One hundred ladies of the first standing in Erie and in
Wattsburg petitioned for a prohibitory liquor law in 1853.
The same year, Cadets of Temperance appeared in Erie,
being a society of youths between twelve and eighteen years
of age, with rules similar to those of the Sons of Temperance ;
they were also to abstain from tobacco, profane language, etc.
The Carson League, formed in 1854, was an efficient aid to
temperance. The "Young Men's Christian Association " was formed in
September, 1860. A. McD. Lyon, President ; S. E. Blackall,
Secretary ; A. H. Caughey, Corresponding Secretary ; C. E.
Gunnison, Treasurer ; James Metcalf, Librarian. It numbered

144 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
about fifty members. Besides the usual religious work of
such a society, a course of first-class literary and scientific
lectures was sustained during the winter of 1860-61. A
general reading room was opened in May, 1861, for the free use
of the young men of the city, a subscription of $175 having
been raised for the purpose of establishing the enterprise on a
substantial basis. The library of the Irving Literary Insti
tute, consisted of about seven hundred volumes, and was
placed in their hands.
In 1828 quite a respectable contribution was made to the
Greeks from Erie and vicinity, and several public meetings
held. We regret that the particulars were not published.
In 1847, for the relief of Ireland, $150 from officers and sea
men of United States steamer Michigan, $50 from the revenue
cutter, and $79 from the other ship hands at the port were
acknowledged. Gen. C. M. Reed gave notice that he would
store and transport to Buffalo, free of charge, all grain in
tended for this object. A meeting was also called in Water
ford, and about $2,000 in provisions were shipped from the
port of Erie.
In February, 1861, $1,000 were collected in Erie for the
Kansas sufferers. For this benevolent object, Waterford sub
scribed $155 ; Girard, $100 ; Springfield township, $500 ; Belle
Valley, $15 ; probably in all $2,500 from Erie County.
Among the German Boman Catholics was a school society,
the object of which was to give educational advantages to
poor children. John Gensheimer, President ; C. Englehard,
Vice-President ; F. Schlaudecker, Secretary ; F. Peiffer, Treas
urer. Literary. — In 1806 thirty of the citizens of Erie formed
themselves into a library company, Judah Colt being Presi
dent ; Thomas Forster, James Baird, John C. Wallace, and
William Wallace, Directors ; and Thomas Forster, Librarian.
The company at first expended $200 for standard works, and
the institution was well sustained for several years. In 1821
an effort was made to revive it, but without success. The
books were loaned to the Irving Literary Institute.
In 1826 there was a Franklin Literary Association ; T.
Moorhead, Jr., Librarian.

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY. 145
In 1833 the Conneauttee Library Company (Edinboro) was
incorporated. In the winter of 1835, a lyceum held its meetings first at the
Erie Academy and afterward at the courthouse, interesting the
inhabitants by the debates and literary exercises of the mem
bers. The Apprentices' Literary Society originated about 1839,
with fifty members and a library of one hundred and ten
volumes, and soon after had a course of lectures. In 1841 an
Adelphic Literary Society existed ; A. King, Corresponding
Secretary. The Irving Literary Institute had a nucleus for an
excellent library. It was organized in 1843 by the union of
the Apprentices' and Adelphic Societies.
In 1859 a Young Men's Literary Association was formed at
Girard, and about the same time a literary union at Water
ford, which sustained courses of lectures.
At West Mill Creek an association called Custos Morum
(Guardian of Morality) was formed in April, 1860, with twenty-
five members ; Jackson McCreary, President. The object of
the society was to procure a library, and for intellectual cul
ture. A Youths' Literary Society at Northeast has existed since
1858. A County Medical Society was formed in 1829. Dr. William
Johns, President ; Dr. A. Thayer, Vice-President ; Dr. F. M.
Miller, Recording and Corresponding Secretary ; Dr. A. Beebe,
Treasurer ; Dr. J. Smedley, Dr. J. Vosburg, and Dr. A. N.
Molton, Censors.
In 1836 the Presqu'ile hospital was incorporated, the act to
continue in force for the term of twenty years. It was ex
pected a medical college and a medical society would form a
part of the establishment, with a lunatic asylum and an
asylum for the deaf and dumb. In consequence of the de
pression in business affairs soon after, the project was aban
doned. A County Geological Society was formed in 1843. G. San
ford, President ; J. D. Dunlap, Vice-President ; L. G. Olm-
stead, Corresponding Secretary ; William C. Kelso, Recording
Secretary ; and J. C. Spencer, Treasurer ; William Fuller,
Keeper of the Cabinet and Library ; Jacob Vosburg, Peter

146 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
Pierce, Galen Foster, J. B. Johnson, and Richard Sill, Mem
bers of the Executive Committee.
The objects of the society were commendable, and it is to be
regretted that it had an existence of but a year or two. As
stated in the constitution, the society were to thoroughly
survey the county in order to develop its mineral wealth and
resources ; for the advancement of geology and the collateral
branches of natural science, and the promotion of intercourse
between those who cultivated them.
In 1846 the citizens assembled in town meeting at the court
house, B. B. Vincent in the chair, and Carson Graham,
Secretary, and resolved that the public square be planted with
trees. E. Babbitt, W. C. Lester, C. McSparren, and S. Jack
son were appointed a committee to cooperate with the town
authorities in carrying out the resolution.
A reading room association was formed in 1850, B. B. Vin
cent, President, but, for want of adequate support, was discon
tinued in a few months.
In 1852 a city hall association was incorporated for the pur
pose of erecting a building for the accommodation of the city
authorities, as well as for lectures, benevolent societies, a read
ing room, etc.
A sacred music society was formed in 1858. John Galbraith,
President; Thomas Stewart, Sr., Vice-President; H. Catlin,
Secretary ; and J. L. Lints, Treasurer.
In 1852 the Erie County Education Society, for the advance
ment of education, was in existence ; C. W. Kelso, President,
and J. W. Wetmore, Secretary.
In 1855 the Girard Lyceum was formed ; Harmon D. Hunt,
Secretary. The Arion Musical Society was organized in Erie in 1860.

CHAPTER XII.
Newspapers — Common Schools — Academies — Normal School — Sab
bath School — First Protestant Missionaries West of TJtiea — Mora
vians in Venango County, 1767— First Religious Service in Erie
County — First Church Edifice — A Religious Experience — Presby
tery of Erie — Revs. Patterson and Eaton — Extract from Rev. A.
H. Carrier's Historical Sermon — Rev. R. Reid — Churches of
different Denominations in Erie — Revivals.
Newspapers. — The first newspaper, The Mirror, is dated
May 21, 1808, George Wyeth, printer. In size it was ten
inches by sixteen ; terms, two dollars semi-annually, in ad
vance. It advocated the Federal Constitutional Republican
party, whose candidates at that time were James Ross, for
Governor ; Alexander W. Foster, Congress ; and John W.
Hunter and William Wallace for Assembly. The Mirror was
discontinued after a two years' existence.
In 1813 R. J. Curtis established the Northern Sentinel (the
size of a sheet of foolscap), and in 1815 made arrangements for
removing his establishment to Detroit. For want of encour
agement he failed to accomplish his purpose, and in 1816 re
commenced business in Erie, having changed the name of his
paper to the Genius of the Lakes. The name of John Morris
was added as publisher. The "terms, two dollars and fifty
cents by post rider — if neglected to the end of the year, three
dollars." The Erie Patriot was issued in 1818 by Zeba Willis, and
continued one year. It was then removed to Cleveland, and
made the basis of the Cleveland Herald, Mr. Howe being
associated in its publication.
In 1819 Mr. Curtis enlarged his paper and called it the
Phoznix and Erie Reflector. This was soon removed to May-
ville, New York, and discontinued in April, 1820.
Mr. Curtis, in speaking of his editorial experience in Erie,
147

148 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
says : "For two or three years during the war I had a very
gopd support, but afterward it was poor indeed. The most of
my subscribers paid in produce. For six months I taught
school and printed my paper at the same time, with the
assistance only of an apprentice and my sister." We might
suppose a newspaper published in Erie during the war would
contain interesting information ; but it was not the case, as
the government prohibited the publication of facts which
might have been suggestive to the enemy.
In January, 1820, the Erie Gazette was published by Joseph
M. Sterrett. In 1822 James Buchanan was editor for six
months. In 1825 J. Hoge Waugh, for a short time ; and in
1836 John Shaner was associated in its publication. In 1842 J.
P. Cochran and G. W. Riblet took charge. I. B. Gara became
associated with Joseph M. Sterrett in 1846. In politics it has
been Anti-Masonic, Whig, and Bepublican.
The Erie Observer, a Democratic paper, was issued in 1830,
T. B. Barnum, editor. H. L. Harvey being editor in 1836,
issued a specimen daily paper, to be continued provided there
was sufficient encouragement. In 1848 a paper was issued tri
weekly for several months. Thomas Laird, H. Beebe, J. M.
Keuster, and S. W. Bandall were successively editors. In 1840
it passed into the hands of Durlin & Sloan. Mr. Durlin with
drew from the firm in 1855 and removed to Wisconsin. The
paper passed into the hands of Mr. Andrew Hopkins, Jan
uary 1, 1861.
The Erie Chronicle, a conservative Whig paper, was issued
by S. Perley in 1840. In 1855 the editor removed to Girard
and revived the Girard Republican.
The Girard Free Press was first issued in 1845, being neutral
in politics. S. D. Carpenter, editor. November 7, 1854, T. C.
Wheeler and William S. Finch purchased the interest of L. F.
Andrews in the Girard Express, and commenced the publica
tion of the Girard Republican. The conservative character
of the paper was indicated by the motto, "Independent on all
subjects, rabid on none." As we have mentioned, Mr. Perley
took charge of the paper in 1855.
In 1846 J. P. Cochran commenced the publication of the
Commercial Advertiser, which was Whig in politics. After

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY. 149
his death it passed in 1852 into the hands of A. H. Caughey,
who continued its publication for a year and a half and then
sold it to J. B. Johnson, who gave it the name of the Consti
tution. In 1855 the press was destroyed by a mob — an out
growth of the railroad excitement. The Constitution was
continued by R. L. White, and for a few months was issued
daily — being the first experiment of the kind. The Daily
Bulletin, as it was called, suspended issue in 1858. The large
number of weeklies issued in Erie probably accounted for the
want of success in daily or tri-weekly papers.
The Herald, a monthly temperance paper in quarto form,
was published at the office of the Commercial Advertiser
during the year 1852.
In 1853 the True American appeared, Compton & Moore,
editors. From the first this paper gave temperance and
anti-slavery a large share of attention. In 1855 this and the
Erie Chronicle merged into one ; James Perley and Henry
Catlin, publishers.
The Unsere Welt (Our World), a German paper, was first
published by Carl Benson, in 1851. Its name was changed to
Frei Presse about 1856. It advocated Fremont and Lincoln
for Presidents.
In 1852 the Zushauer (Spectator) appeared ; Mr. Scheufflen,
editor. In 1855 C. Moeser took charge, and in 1861, Ernst
Sturzneckle. This paper was at first Whig in politics, but
became independent. Both the German papers were under
Protestant influence.
In 1859 the Express appeared, with E. C. Goodrich editor ;
this was soon merged into the True American, afterwards ed
ited by H. Catlin.
The Waterford Museum, Mr. Lewis, editor, changed its
name to the Enquirer in 1857, Amos Judson, publisher and
editor ; in 1858 it suspended issue for a few months on account
of the ruinous rates at which it was afforded ; recommenced
with Judson and Lynn, editors ; afterward alone by C. R. H.
Lynn. The Northeast Guard was published for a few months in
1855. Two newspapers were issued in Edinboro in 1855 : the Gem

150 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
expired in 1856, and the Museum was removed to Waterford
the same year. The Edinboro Express appeared in 1859, at
fifty cents per year; Henry Lick, editor; "independent on
all occasions, neutral in nothing." Issued the last number
December 29, 1860, the materials having been sold to Mr.
Clute, who was expecting to publish a paper at Three Rivers,
Michigan. In 1851 the Waterford Dispatch was issued at Waterford ;
Joseph S. M. Young, editor. In 1856 the paper was removed
to Erie and called the Erie City Dispatch. It was independent
on all subjects, and was said to have a larger circulation than
any other paper in Northwestern Pennsylvania.
In 1855 we hear of the Native American, a monthly at
Edinboro. Schools. — April 2, 1831, a law passed the Legislature of
Pennsylvania introducing our present system of education for
all. At that time it was shown that out of 400,000 children in
the State, more than 250,000 capable of instruction were not
within a school the previous year. This was not for want of
effort in that direction.
In 1809 an act was passed to provide for the education of the
poor, and in 1824 an act that it was hoped would prove effec
tual, but which was repealed in 1826.
In 1834 an act was passed designating the Secretary of the
Commonwealth as Superintendent, and, including other
valuable provisions, stating that $546,563 had accumulated
under the act of 1831.
Next came the act of 1836, " to consolidate and amend the
several acts," to settle the mode of taxation, and the applica
tion of the whole for school purposes. The fund accumulated
since 1831 was set apart, and a fund from the State treasury
pledged for school purposes, and the system became a settled
fact as a part of the policy of the State.
In 1854 the election for county superintendents was provided
for in each county.
In 1848-49 the provisions of the law were extended over non-
accepting districts, as it had been previously optional.
In 1849 an act to provide for the training of teachers for the
common schools of the State was passed, and the State was di-

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY. 151
vided into twelve normal school districts — Lawrence, Mercer,
Venango, Crawford, and Erie were made the twelfth district.
William H. Armstrong, of Wattsburg, was elected to the
office of Superintendent of Common Schools in Erie County,
with a salary of $800, and was re-elected in 1857. In 1860 L.
Savage, of Springfield, was elected his successor.
According to the seventh census report, Erie County had, in
1850, 7 academies, with 13 teachers, 375 pupils, and an annual
income of $3,357. Public schools, 293, with 308 teachers, 9,928
pupils, and an income from taxes, etc., of $22,120. In 1857 the
number of schoolhouses in the county was 276 ; 34 were well
adapted to the purpose, 120 capable of being improved, and 102 to
be rejected. Erie had three graded schools, and Northeast one.
According to the eighth census report (which we have only
in part), Waterford borough had 2 schools ; Northeast
borough, 1 ; Girard borough, 1, and 1 academy ; Wattsburg
borough, 1 ; Union, 2 ; Wesleyville, 1 ; Girard township, 16 ;
Springfield township, 15, and 1 academy ; Franklin township,
10 ; Fairview township, 11, and about 500 pupils ; Summit
township, 8, and 160 pupils ; McKean township, 11, and 511
pupils ; Le Bceuf, 11, and 258 pupils ; Washington township,
14, and 642 pupils ; Greenfield township, 8, and 342 pupils ;
Amity township, 8, and 424 pupils ; Venango township, 10,
and 488 pupils ; Wayne township, 12, and 504 pupils ; Union
township, 12, and 752 pupils ; Concord township, 9, and 417
pupils ; Harbor Creek township, 17 ; Greene township, 8, and
450 pupils ; Northeast township, 16, and 1,083 pupils ; Water
ford township, 15, and 450 pupils.
The State Superintendent of Schools reports, for the year
ending June 4, 1860, as follows : Erie County —
Whole number of schools  288
Number yet required  6
Average number of months taught  6-8
Number of male teachers  j.  157
Number of female teachers  232
Scholars learning German  167
Average attendance of scholars  8195
Cost of teaching each scholar per month  80 51
Tax levied for school and building purposes  842,053 25
State appropriation  3,922 70
Received from collectors  35,747 95
Cost of instruction  35,696 44
Fuel and contingencies  4,040 25
Cost of schoolhouses  14,824 76

152 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
In Erie a fine schoolhouse for the East Ward was completed
in 1859, at a cost of $20,000. In this building there are ten
teachers and about five hundred scholars. German, algebra,
geometry, chemistry, and philosophy are attended to among
the higher branches.
The West Ward has, besides the principal school, a branch
in the upper part of the city which is considered and num
bered as such. In this ward there are eight teachers and
about five hundred and thirty pupils ; a library of three hun
dred and fifty volumes belongs to the school.
There is a school for boys attached to the German Boman
Catholic church, which is divided into two departments,
English and German, and has at present over one hundred
scholars. A school for girls was conducted by the Sisters of St.
Benedict, who in 1861 completed their new convent in con
nection with the church. It has three school rooms, well
arranged and provided with maps, globes, etc., and four
teachers, two being English and two German. The name
of the Prioress is Sister Scholastica Burkhard. The ordi
nary English branches are taught, with Christian doctrine,
sacred history, drawing, instrumental music, embroidery,
etc. In August, 1804, the lot in Erie, No. 1378, corner of Holland
and Seventh streets, where the East Ward schoolhouse now
stands, was purchased from the State for the use of Presqu'ile
Academy, in the name of James Baird. The only stock
holders known were Daniel Dobbins, Thomas Stewart, and
Samuel Hays. A school committee was in existence in
1805. In 1806 the first schoolhouse was built of hewn logs by John
Greenwood. Thirty dollars had been collected from citizens
for this purpose. Erie had about one hundred inhabitants
who resided mostly in that vicinity. The names of the
teachers were Mr. Anderson, Mr. Blossom, Dr. Nathaniel
Eastman, and, in 1812, Mr. Ebenezer Gunnison.
In 1811 Waterford Academy was incorporated. The trustees
appointed by the Legislature were John Vincent, John Boyd,
John Lytle, Aaron Himrod, Charles Martin, Henry Colt, and

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY. 153
Amos Judson.1 It was endowed with five hundred acres of
land near the village, and fifteen in-lots ; in 1816 eight other
in-lots were added.
By au act of February 24, 1820, the trustees were authorized
to sell five hundred acres at a price not less than ten dollars
per acre, and required to vest the proceeds in some productive
fund, the interest to be applied for the compensation of the
teachers. The trustees erected their building in 1822, and in 1826 it
was occupied as a school. LIST OF PRINCIPALS.

John Wood  1826
Irvin Camp  1832
William Boyden  1832
R. W. Starr  1833
E. W. Orr  1833
John Livingston  1834
E. R. Geary  1835
James Park  1836
J. W. Miller  1837
Irvin Camp.  1838
William Benson, Jr  1838
F.A.Hall  1839
L. S. Morgan  1840
Charles Woodruff.  1841
R. T. Stewart  1842

R. R. Nichols  ,  1843
Peter Wright  1844
A. O. Rockwell  1844
James C. Reed  1845
A.Davidson  1846
A.Davidson  1847
W. R. Marsh  1848
J. H. Reed  1849
C. J. Hutchins  1850
A. H. Caughey  1851
J. R. McCaskey  1852
S. S. Sears  1853
J. R. Merriman  1854-1857
J. P. Gould  1857
J. A. Austin  1857-1861

The present officers are John Wood, President ; William
Benson, Secretary ; William Judson, Treasurer ; C. C. Boyd,
David Boyd, Miles Barnet, J. L. Cook, and J. M. White,
Trustees. The permanent fund is $5,170.18 ; the common fund
is $1,874.66.
The legislative acts incorporating the Erie Academy were
approved March 25, 1817. At the same time the State donated
to the trustees of said Academy 500 acres of land in Millcreek
township, adjoining the borough, and later fifteen in-lots in
the borough of Erie and $2,000.
At the meeting of the Board of Trustees, June 10, 1817, it was
decided to divide the farm lands donated to the Academy into
pieces of not less than five nor more than fifty acres.
April 12, 1818, it was decided by a majority vote to lease
these lands for a term of 999 years to tenants.
i Mr. Judson held the office of treasurer from the beginning to December
81, 1858. He died in Waterford, November, 1860, aged eighty-seven, having
resided there since 1795. Of him it was said with truth " that he lived a
blameless life, and was honest, industrious, liberal, and devoted to objects
of public utility. "

154 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
On Saturday, April 25, 1818, the following notice appeared
in The Genius of the Lake, a newspaper then printed in Erie :
"Public Notice.
" That the Academy land situate on the Turnpike road, in the
township of Millcreek, Erie County, will be offered on lease in
convenient lots (with the exception of the one on which the
schoolhouse is erected) for the term of 999 years, at public
auction, at the house of Robert Brown, in the borough of
Erie, on the first Wednesday of June next, when the terms
will be made known. In the meantime, any person wishing
to lease may see a plot of the lots by applying to Thomas For
ster, Esquire, at Erie. " By order of' the Trustees.
"Thomas Forster, Sec'y."
There is an episode at this point in the affairs of the Erie
Academy that does not show the most friendly spirit in the
world to a rival school. The " Walnut Creek and Millcreek
School Association " had erected a school building on the
public land before it was donated by the State to the Erie
Academy. This association, as poor and struggling, no doubt,
as any in that early day of public schools, petitioned the Erie
trustees to set apart the fraction of a lot on which the school
building stood and confirm them in possession of it, that the
schoolhouse and land might remain. But the Erie trustees
passed a resolution leasing that particular tract of land for $20
per acre for 999 years ; and that the lessees bind themselves to
reimburse the association for the money actually laid out in
erecting the building.
On June 3, 1818, the auction sales of the lands took place
upon the following conditions : No bid to be considered that
fell under the valuations previously fixed by the trustees.
The bids to be for the lease of each acre or fraction for the
term of 999 years ; the legal rate of interest to be paid semi
annually on the amount of the bid, during the term of the
lease. Owing to an indisposition of some of the purchasers to take
their leases, or from a suspicion that they had bid too low, a
new sale was held May 4, 1819, and the lots were resold at
lower prices than the first bids.
The yearly interest on the pieces sold amounted to $451.44,

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY. 155
which was later increased by the sale of some pieces previously
unsold. This interest, which was to be paid semi-annually,
was the permanent educational fund of the Erie Academy.
Subsequent acts of the Legislature empowered the trustees to
give title to the lands of lessees, on payment of the price bid
by them.
At the next meeting of the Academy Board of Trustees,
composed as follows : Rev. Robert Reid, President ; Thomas
Forster, Secretary ; Rufus S. Reed, Robert Brown, Judah Colt,
John C. Wallace, Thomas Wilson, Giles Sanford, and Thomas
H. Sill, it was decided to begin the Academy work. Judah
Colt, Thomas Wilson, and Thomas H. Sill were appointed a
committee to take the matter under consideration.
It was decided that on October 1, 1819, the Erie Academy be
opened in Col. Forster's new house, with Rev. Robert Reid as
principal, and Mr. Brewster as assistant, the latter teaching
under the " Lancasterian system of school-keeping," the fad of
that day, embodying rewards and punishments, and so-called
"monitors," to report bad conduct of pupils. Before the day
set for beginning school, Mr. John Kelley, of Waterford, versed
in the "Lancasterian system," was engaged as a teacher.
On June 7, 1820, the trustees were notified that the State had
appropriated $2,000 for a school building.
It was found on examination that the fifteen lots donated
by the State were not conveniently located for the Academy
building, and the committee were instructed to examine other
available localities, including the "public square for the
purpose aforesaid." Plans for a building were also ordered
prepared of these dimensions : "60 feet in length and 30 feet
in width ; the lower story to be 12 feet in height ; the second
story to be 11 feet in height, the structure to be either stone,
brick, or frame."
October 21, 1820, the proposal to sell to the trustees the four
lots numbered 733-5, inclusive, owned by Enoch Marvin, at j
$75 each, payable in two years without interest, for an
Academy site, was accepted. The Legislature was asked for
and granted the trustees permission to sell the fifteen in-lots
donated for an Academy site, the money from the sale to be
used in paying for the new site.

156 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
Early in the spring a contract was made with Rufus S. Reed
for the building of a stone Academy, as per dimensions pre
viously stated, for the sum of $2,500, $2,000 of amount to be
collected from money due the State on lands sold, and the
other $500 to be paid after the building was fully completed
and accepted by the trustees.
In 1799, at the sale of reserved tracts adjoining Erie, Frank
lin, Waterford, and Warren, five hundred acres were set apart
for the use of schools and academies. To this fund fifteen
town lots and two thousand dollars were afterward added —
the latter to be collected by the trustees from debts due the
State for lands in this vicinity. In 1821 other lots in town
were added.
From 1819 to 1827 Erie Academy was conducted as an Eng
lish high school by the following principals : Rev. Robert
Reid, John Kelley, A. W. Brewster, George Stone, E. D. Gun
nison, A. S. Patterson, and John Wood. In November, 1827,
it became a classical school, conducted by the following as
principals :
A. E. Foster. A.M  November, 1827.
Richard Gailey, A.B  April, 1836.
James Park, A.M  July, 1836.
G. R. Huntington, A.M  April, 1838.
James Park, A.M  August, 1830.
Lewis Bradley, A.M  March, 1841.
John Limber, A.M  February, 1842.
Reid T. Stewart, A.B  September, 1843.
James C. Reid, A.B  October, 1845.
R. S. Lockwood  December, 1847.
J. H. Black, A.B  September, 1848.
J. A. Hastings, A.B  October, 1851.
Fayette Durlin, A.B  December, 1851.
C. L. Porter, A.B  October, 1853.
W. B. Carpenter  December, 1854.
W. C. Bissel  August, 1855.
G. W. Gunnison, A.M  April, 1856.
L. G. Olmstead, A.M  September, 1858.
E. W. Gale, A.M  September, 1860.
This academy purchased a fine library, and chemical and
philosophical apparatus, and a telescope seven feet in length,
magnifying six hundred times.
The number of pupils in attendance during the sessions of
1859-60 was two hundred and thirty-nine, of whom one hun
dred and fifteen were males and one hundred and twenty-four
females. A teachers' department has been connected with it,
in which preparation for the profession can be obtained.

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY. 157
In 1838 the Erie Female Seminary was incorporated ; Robert
Reid, G. A. Lyon, T. H. Sill, G. Selden, C. M. Reed, George
Kellogg, A. W. Brewster, Wm. Kelley, and James Williams,
Trustees. For a few years the State appropriated three hun
dred doUars annually to the support of the institution. Miss
E. D. Field, Rev. William Fuller and lady, and Madame
Sosnowski successively were teachers.
Springfield Academy, at Springfield Cross Roads or East
Springfield, is reputed to be one of the best institutions in
Northwestern Pennsylvania. B. J. Hawkins was the first
principal. The officers in 1858 were L. W. Savage, Principal ;
William Holliday, Thomas Webster, Dr. G. Ellis, J. Day, J.
Teller, William Warner.
West Springfield Academy was founded in 1853. The Trus
tees were Z. Thomas, S. Devereux, N. Gould, D. Mershom, S.
Rea, Sr., G. Ferguson, J. Eagley, P. Brindle, G. Hurd. W.
H. Heller was principal in 1857. In 1855 eighty-four males
and eighty-one females were in attendance. The second year
of the institution John A. Austin, with three assistants, had
charge. James H. Colt, of Waterford, held the office in 1858,
and C. C. Sheffield in 1859. In this institution pupils had
the privileges of a full college course at a moderate expense.
In December, 1859, the building was destroyed by fire, with
the furniture, books, etc.
Girard Academy was erected by a few enterprising citizens
acquainted with the wants of the community. The building
is of brick, finely arranged, ,and surrounded by spacious
grounds. A students' boarding-house, with rooms partially
furnished, has been provided. The school opened with 150
scholars. Mr. Pillsbury was the first principal, and N. J. Mc-
Connel succeeded, and in 1857 John A. Austin. In 1858 A. C.
Walshe had charge, who was succeeded by Mr. Couse in 1859.
There were in 1862 three teachers and about one hundred
scholars. The same year the Trustees were James Miles,
Homer Hart, Henry McConnel, L. S. Jones, George Porter,
L. Hart, G. H. Cutler, P. Osborn, and James Webster.
The Northeast High School, under the management of P.
H. Stewart as principal, two female assistants, and Professor
Heimburger, teacher of languages and music, at present offers

158 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
irare inducements for those desirous of securing a thorough
and finished education.
Edinboro has the most expensive school buildings in the
county. Ten acres of land eligibly situated were purchased,
and commodious buildings erected at the cost of $25,000,
contributed by citizens of the county. There are four build
ings, assembly hall, academy hall, and two boarding-houses.
The assembly hall is sixty-six feet by forty-four, and two
stories in height, and is occupied by the model or public
school, now numbering one hundred and twenty pupils.
The upper story is devoted to the purposes of a lecture hall,
and will accommodate a large audience. Academy hall is
forty by fifty feet, and two stories in height. The upper story
of academy hall has seven recitation rooms, and a library
valued at one hundred dollars. The two boarding halls are
three stories in height, and have accommodations for three
hundred students, the dormitories being partially furnished.
The trustees of the academy, in 1857, when the first frame
was erected, were P. Burlinghame, E. W. Gerrish, F. C.
Vunk, Lewis Vorse, C. Reeder, J. W. Campbell, and N. Clute.
The Board of Trustees of the Edinboro Normal School ap
plied, on December 3, 1860, to the Superintendent of Common
Schools, for inspection and recognition, under the "act to
provide for the training of teachers for the common schools of
the State." Hon. Joseph Bitner, of Cumberland County ; J.
R. McClintoek, Allegheny ; H. L. Diffenbach, Clinton ; J.
Turney, Westmoreland, were appointed Inspectors, and the
several county superintendents composing the Twelfth
Normal School District were duly notified to attend for the
inspection and examination of the school, on January 23,
1861. After a careful inspection of its arrangements and
facilities for instruction, the school was found to have fully
complied with the provisions of the act, and was officially
recognized as the State Normal School of the Twelfth Dis
trict, composed of the counties of Erie, Venango, Mercer, and
Lawrence, by the name of the Northwestern Normal School ;
is to enjoy all the privileges and immunities, and be subject to
all the liabilities and restrictions contained in the act and its
supplements. The institution is under the guidance and con-

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY. 159
trol of Prof. Thompson. The trustees had reasons to expect
an appropriation of $10,000 from the State — the Legislature,
however, appropriated to the institution but $5,000.
The first Sabbath school in the county was established in
. 1817, at Moorheadville, in a log schoolhouse, which was re
moved in 1857. Rev. Mr. Morton, now of Corning, New York,
and Col. James Moorhead were the founders.
As Erie has now a dozen Sunday schools and more than one
thousand scholars, it is interesting to note the small begin
nings of this excellent institution. Mrs. J. Colt, who had re
turned from a visit in New England where these schools were
being introduced, suggested the subject in Erie. Mrs. B. S.
Reed and Mrs. Carr were the first teachers, and the few girls
constituting the school met alternately at the houses of Mrs.
Colt and Mrs. Reed. The brothers of the girls soon asked to
be admitted. Fears were entertained that boys would be
difficult to manage, but these vanished and the school rapidly
increased in numbers. Col. Forster tendered for its use a
vacant room on his premises, which was accepted. In order
to systematize the matter and place it on a more permanent
basis, a call was made on the citizens to assemble at the court
house, March 25, 1821, for the purpose of forming a Sunday
school and moral society. The following gentlemen were
appointed a committee to draft a constitution, to be submitted
at an adjourned meeting, viz.: R. S. Reed, T. H. Sill, and G.
A. Elliot. The committee reported as follows :
" Whereas, the united testimony of all Christians confirms
the importance of instructing the rising generation in the
principles of religion, as they are contained in the Holy
Scriptures ; and as the most happy consequences have re
sulted from the Sunday schools established in Great Britain
and America, and wishing to see one of these excellent
establishments brought into operation among ourselves, there
fore, we whose names are annexed to this paper do cheerfully
unite and promise to adopt, as the basis of our union, the
following articles," etc. The substance of the articles was as
follows :
That a committee of three persons be appointed to provide
proper teachers and suitable books ; that the school be opened

160 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
and closed with prayer or reading a portion of Scriptures, and
singing, if convenient. Though the teachers and managers
are expected to render their services gratuitously, yet a small
fund for the purchase of books to be awarded by the com
mittee to meritorious scholars, will be required. Children
and adults are to be freely admitted without regard to denomi
nation, sect, or party, and parents and guardians requested to
visit the school, and to exert themselves for its prosperity.
Then follow the names of thirty citizens, with their contribu
tions for the purchase of books, amounting to twenty-eight
dollars and fifty cents.
From the first report it appears that the school commenced
in May, with sixty-four scholars ; that during the term of
six months the average attendance was eighty-one, and the
number of teachers eighteen.
The scholars had committed to memory and recited 16,525
verses of Scripture, 9,453 answers in the catechism, 1,625
verses of hymns, and the Lord's Prayer and Ten Command
ments. They reported also that among the scholars were
twenty-one persons of color, whose attendance and recitations
had been good.
The utmost harmony and good will had prevailed, and the
efforts of all had been to promote the welfare of the school.
The next six months (for the school for many years had an
intermission through the winter) the number of scholars
diminished, and the managers urged its importance with re
newed vigor — and it would seem successfully, for the institu
tion has continued and prospered to this time. One of the
most interested and useful citizens in the cause, for thirty
years, was Mr. George Selden. Horace Greeley, who was in
the printing office of the Erie Gazette, attended this school
near its commencement, and was in the class of Mr. Joseph
Chase. Asa E. Foster, long principal of Erie Academy, and after
ward of a high school, each Sabbath, for twenty-five years,
engaged in the Christian and self-denying work of giving in
struction and distributing tracts to the criminals in the county
jail. To show what a wilderness was New York, and not less

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY. 161
Pennsylvania, as well as to speak of the first Protestant
missionaries in this region, we make the following extract :
"The Bev. Gideon Hawley, with Deacon Woodbridge, in
1753 (the year Fort Presqu'ile was built by the French) made
a journey to Oquago, upon the Susquehanna, fourteen miles
from the village of Binghampton ; it is a beautiful valley,
from three to four miles in length, and was the ancient
dwelling-place of a tribe of Indians for a long series of years.
" Mr. Hawley had been solemnly set apart as an evangelist
among the Western Indians ; at Stockbridge he had a school
attended by many Indians who wintered there. May 22, he
set out with Mr. and Mrs. Ashley (the latter being an Indian
interpreter), and Deacon Woodbridge, upon the errand of
planting Christianity one hundred miles beyond any settle
ment of Christian people. Col. Johnson, Indian agent, who
resided near Utica, favored their mission, and kindly met
them in person. But they were not always so favored. A
drunken Indian, named Pallas, who was acting as guide, fired
at Mr. Hawley when the party were in a boat, on pretense of
aiming at a duck. Mr. Hawley providentially moved his
head just at the moment and was saved. The missionaries
showed the Indians their credentials, and, among other
things, preached temperance to them, at which they appeared
to be religiously moved, and even converted, and disclaimed
the ill-behaved Pallas as a foreigner."
In 1767 we hear of the Moravian missionary Rev. David,
Zeisberger, an unarmed man, of short stature, remarkably
plain in his dress, and humble and peaceful in his demeanor,
preaching to the Senecas at the mouth of the Tionesta, in
Venango County. He built a block-house, planted corn, and
gathered around him several huts of believing Indians. The
surrounding tribes were said not to be equaled for wickedness
and thirst for blood. Soon he retired from this hamlet called
Goshgoshunk, fifteen miles farther up the river, to the present
site of Hickorytown. Here he built a dwelling and chapel,
and suspended the first church-going bell in Northwestern
Pennsylvania. In consequence of broils with the Cherokees,
the station was removed to Butler County. In 1770 the
Christian colony again removed, setting out in sixteen canoes

162 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
for the mouth of Beaver Creek, and establishing a station in the
center of Beaver County, called Friedenstadt, or Town of Peace.
Sunday, July 2, 1797, we have an account of probably the
first religious service held in what is now Erie County. Mr.
Judah Colt, in his manuscript "Life," says, "About thirty
persons assembled at Colt's station, who gave decent and be
coming attendance while a sermon was read from Dr. Blair's
collection, ' on the importance of order in conduct ' : 1st
Corinthians, chapter xiv, verse iv. ' Let all things be done
decently and in order.' " The selection of the subject, "Order,"
was suggested by circumstances. Immediately preceding, we
find : " This season was one of much business, and, owing to
the opposition of adverse settlers, one of much trouble and
perplexity. We were compelled to keep from forty to eighty
or one hundred men in the service of the company to defend
the settlers and property. More than once, mobs of men, from
twenty to thirty, would assemble for the purpose of destroy
ing houses, and other mischief, some of whom I had indicted,
and bills were found against them by the grand jury of the
then Allegheny County, the courts being held in the borough
of Pittsburg."
Some of the earliest settlers in the county, who were located
at Northeast, were Presbyterians from Ireland, and brought
their Bibles with them. Among these was a ruling elder,
named William Dundass, and others of the names of Lowry
and Campbell. They held their meetings in private dwellings,
and in fine weather in the open air. An occasional mission
ary was sent out by the Ohio and Bedstone Presbyteries, but
this was of rare occurrence until after 1800. The first church
edifice erected in Erie County was at Middlebrook, near Low-
ville, two miles from Wattsburg, in 1801. It was built of logs
and is still standing, though not occupied as a church.1
To show the customs of the times with regard to religious
services, as well as to give an interesting event in the life of
one of the most enterprising as well as excellent citizens of
Erie County, we make the following extract :
i Mr Colt's journal, 1801: " Rev. Mr. Wood, from Washington County,
intended preaching at the Middlebrook church, but getting lost by taking
the wrong path, could not find the meetinghouse, and returned to Colt's
station after a fatiguing day's ride."

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.

163

"In 1801, in the course of the summer and fall, we were
visited by a number of clergymen who were sent out by the
Ohio and Redstone Presbyteries, who preached in a number of
places, and took much pains to collect and establish churches,
and to convene the scattering inhabitants for religious service.
Among those who came among us was the Rev. McCurdy,
who appeared a very zealous man and. well calculated to be
useful as a traveling minister. On the Sabbath of the 27th of
September (the first time the Sacrament was administered in
the county) it was appointed and agreed upon to have the
Sacrament of the Lord's Supper administered in the township
of Greenfield, on a plantation then occupied by William

Middlebrook church, Erected in 1801.
Sketched by Miss F. L. Spencer, in 1860.
Dundass, and a congregation of three hundred assembled.
The day was pleasant, I accompanied Mrs. Colt to the place of
meeting ; on our way the conversation turned upon religious
subjects, and my consort had come to the determination to
offer herself as a communicant, and to become a member of
the church — her mind appeared much occupied meditating
upon the subject. While conversing with her I became more

164 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
thoughtful than usual, and shortly after arriving at the place
of meeting, I became more and more impressed with the evil
nature of sin, and of the importance of leading a sober,
orderly, and religious life, and it was not long after service
that I found myself much distressed in mind, and my body
considerably agitated. Although I felt a load of guilt upon
me, I resolved to come forward and make a request to become
a member of the church, provided I could be admitted at that
late period. Accordingly, at the interval between those who
sat down at the first table and those who were preparing to
come to the second, I came forward and kneeled at the feet of
the minister and elders, and explained to them as well as I
could the situation I was in, and what I had a desire to do.
After asking me a few questions, and after having a short
conference among themselves, I was invited to rise, being
overwhelmed with grief. A token of admittance was given
to me by one of the elders — I arose and took my seat at the
table. So it was that I and my beloved consort were both
permitted to partake of the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper
on the same day, and I hope and trust it will be a day of
grateful remembrance while we live, and of unceasing praise
beyond the grave.
"The ministers present were Revs. McCurdy, Satterfield,
Wick, and Boyd, from the Ohio and Bedstone Presbyteries.
After service we were invited to go home with Mr. McCord,
and on Monday, being the last day of the feast, people were
again assembled and a sermon preached — it appeared a good
day to me. Toward evening, service being ended, they re
turned to their respective homes, this being a new epoch to
my life as it was a beginning of years."
From another source we find that this service was held at
Northeast, and that about forty persons sat down at the tables.
The Presbytery of Erie was organized April 13, 1802. The
enabling act was passed by the Synod of Virginia (under
whose jurisdiction the territory then was) at their meeting at
Winchester, Virginia, October 2, 1801. The first meeting was
held at Mount Pleasant, Westmoreland County, Pennsyl
vania, on the day above mentioned. Erie Presbytery then
embraced that portion of Pennsylvania west and northwest of

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY. 165
the Allegheny and Ohio Rivers, with a portion of the
Western Reserve. It now embraces Erie, Crawford, and
parts of Mercer, Venango, and Warren Counties. From it,
have been constituted Beaver, Allegheny, Allegheny City, and
part of New Lisbon Presbyteries. The New School Presby
tery of Erie held its first meeting at Meadville, Pennsylvania,
in June, 1838. It is proper to state, that at the time of the
division of the General Assembly in 1838, the New School had
the majority in the Erie Presbytery. At the meeting in June
following, the Old School members withdrew, taking all the
old records, as directed by the General Assembly. The New
School Presbytery now embraces Erie County, with a part of
Crawford. September 1, 1803, Rev. Robert Patterson, of Ohio Presby
tery, was ordained pastor of the church of Upper and Lower
Greenfield for two thirds of his time, and immediately after
arrangements were made by which he was to preach occasion
ally in Erie. The names of those who signed the call from
Upper Greenfield were Thomas Robertson, Judah Colt,
Timothy Tuttle, and Seth Loomis ; the salary for two thirds
of his. time was two hundred dollars. The ordination took
place at Mr. John McCord's bark house, Rev. Mr. Badger
preaching the sermon, and Rev. Mr. Tate giving the right
hand of fellowship. The Rev. Mr. Stockton was also present,
and the people, as was the custom, were favored with preach
ing for several days.
In 1806 Mr. Patterson petitioned the Presbytery of Erie and
desired leave to resign his charge. The reasons offered were
that his salary was insufficient, and "impediments in the
way of realizing any land as his own by purchase, embarrassed
and disturbed his mind so that he had neither leisure nor due
composure to engage in that reading, meditation, and study
which were necessary to a faithful and profitable discharge of
ministerial duties." With regard to the citizens, he says, "In
their intercourse I have found them respectful, obliging, and
friendly ; and though the dispensation of the Gospel and its
ordinances have not been attended by any remarkable
success, yet we are not without some encouragement and
dawnings of hope." Writing from Pittsburg, where he

166 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
established himself in 1807, in reference to his successor in the
county, Bev. J. Eaton, he says : " I would be rejoiced to be
informed that the prospect of their religious horizon is becom
ing brighter than it has ever yet been, for to me it appears
very nearly a land ' sitting in the region and shadow of
death.' " Rev. Mr. Patterson died in 1832, near Pittsburg,
where he had resided many years.
The Rev. Johnston Eaton preached a few Sabbaths at the
mouth of Walnut Creek (Manchester) in 1805. In 1807 he
returned, and was ordained in 1808 as pastor of the churches of
Fairview and Springfield. The services were held in the
barn of WiUiam Sturgeon, in what is now the village of Fair-
view. The first preaching by Mr. Eaton was at Swan's tavern, on
the east side of the mouth of Walnut Creek. This building
was removed but a few years ago, when it was said to be the
first house erected in the county.
In a year or two the congregation erected a log meeting
house opposite the dwelling pf R. L. Perkins, where still are
the remains of the burying-ground by which it was sur
rounded. Directly in front of the church was an Indian
mound about six feet in height and fifteen in diameter,
covered with grass, on which the hardy pioneers reclined at
the noon recess. The house of worship soon became too
strait, and it was enlarged, — even then, on fine days the ser
vices were conducted in the open air.
The first elders were Andrew Caughey, George Reed, and
Wm. Arbuckle. Of the twenty-five original members at Fair-
view, but five survive (1861) ; their names are Jane Caughey,
Agnes McCreary, Elizabeth Eaton, Jane Sturgeon, and Wm.
Arbuckle.1 The Rev. Mr. Eaton was appointed chaplain of the army at
Erie during the war of 1812-13, the most of his people being
called to the defense of their country. After this he preached
a part of his time in the Dunn settlement and in Northeast.
From the organization of the Presbyterian church in Erie, in
1815, he labored there a portion of the time until 1822. Mr.
i Mr. Arbuckle died in Mill Creek, February 25, 1862, aged 91 years, being
one of the earliest and most respected citizens of the county.

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY. 167
Eaton sustained the pastoral relation at Fairview until his
death in 1847, a period of nearly forty years. He was a
student of Rev. John McMillan, and a faithful servant, en
during hardships and encountering difficulties with indomi
table resolution, and with ardent devotion to the Master.
At Erie there was no preaching for several years excepting
by an itinerant or missionary occasionally. The inhabitants
attended church at Northeast or Fairview, particularly on
sacramental occasions. In 1807 the Rev. John Lindsay was
employed by the General Assembly of the Presbyterian
church for two or (if he preferred it) three months to preach
in the new settlements in the Holland purchase, and to go as
far as the town of Erie.
We need offer no apology for quoting largely from a histor
ical sermon of Rev. A. H. Carrier, preached at Northeast,
February, 1861, on the occasion of the occupancy of their old
meetinghouse for the last time.
"The church at Northeast was organized, under the name
of the church of Lower Greenfield, in the year 1801. The
spot upon which those who formed it assembled was a place
in the woods nearly in the rear of Amos Gould's residence.
The services of the occasion were held in the open air, and
they continued to be thus held until the log church was
built. The minister who organized the church was the Rev.
Elisha McCurdy. In Dr. Sprague's ' Annals of the American
Pulpit,' an interesting and detailed account is given of the
labors of this servant of Christ in Western Pennsylvania.
He was a native of Carlisle, Pennsylvania. At twenty-nine
he began preparation for the ministry, and pursued his
studies seven years, mostly at Cannonsburgh. He was
licensed to preach by the Presbytery of Ohio, in Washirigton
County, Pennsylvania, in 1799. For some time after his
licensure he was engaged in missionary labor in the region
bordering on Lake Erie. He had an important agency in
connection with the great revival in Western Pennsylvania,
which commenced about 1801-2. It must have been while
laboring in connection with that revival that he organized
the church of Lower Greenfield, as it was called. Mr. Mc-
Curdy's last days were spent at Allegheny. He died in the

168 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
triumphs of the Gospel on July 22, 1845, in the eighty-third
year of his age. Though the founder of the church at North
east, it does not appear that he labored either as its pastor or
stated supply. The church at its organization consisted of
twenty-five members, of whom none, so far as I am aware,
are surviving, with the single exception of the aged Mrs. ,
Moorhead,1 in Harbor Creek. The church did not enjoy the
services of religion each Sabbath, but through many years of
its existence divided with other churches the labors of such
ministers as could be obtained.
" In 1802 Rev. Robert Patterson accepted a call to take the
pastoral charge of the Presbyterian churches of Erie and Upper
and Lower Greenfield. In 1803, he was ordained and installed
pastor of Upper and Lower Greenfield. He continued their
stated pastor four years and a half, when he applied to the
Presbytery for a dismission, and was accordingly dismissed.
The church here consisted then of about forty members. After
this there was a long interval during which the church did
not enjoy the stated ministrations of any minister. In 1812 a
Rev. Mr. McPherrin was employed for six months, and then,
after another long interval, bringing us down to 1815-16, we
find that the Rev. Mr. Eaton was engaged to preach either
one third or one fourth part of his time at Northeast.
"Rev. Mr. Tate often labored at Northeast about these
years, during seasons of religious interest, and at four days'
meetings, held, as usual in those times, in connection with
communion seasons. Rev. Mr. Eaton's residence was at
Fairview, and his parish was somewhat extensive, consisting
as it did of the place of his residence, together with Erie and
the township of Northeast. There are several of the church
and congregation who distinctly remember Mr. Eaton as
their minister. In his day, worship was held in a log church
on Cemetery Hill. When this house (the log one) was built, I
have not been able to ascertain, but probably not long after
the organization of the church. Thither from all the country
round the people resorted, coming, not as now, over the best of
roads and in comfortable carriages, but through the mire of
swamps, and over stumps, treading their way upon horseback
i Died in December, 1861, aged 94.

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY. 169
or slowly moving in a cart drawn by oxen. The elder female
members of the church have told me of frequently taking a
child in their arms, and, upon horseback, riding eight, ten, or
a dozen miles over not the best of roads to attend preaching.
Sometimes the log church would be too contracted to hold all
who came ; then they would adjourn to the open air, and
under the shelter of the trees would worship God. Thus the
grove which adorns our attractive cemetery has often been
made to resound with praise, to hear the voice of prayer, and
to ring with the message of peace — the glad tidings of a
Saviour. " In 1818 it appears that Rev. Mr. Camp, a missionary, was
employed statedly, one month, in which time a revival com
menced which resulted in an addition to the church of about
twenty members.
" The old log church now began to be too strait for its occu
pants, and perhaps it was argued by some of the younger
members of the society that it was not 'up with the times.'
This would seem, however, to have hardly been a valid argu
ment, judging from the picture which one of our older
members gives me of the appearance of the present village
and surrounding country in those days. The few scattered
houses along the main street were built substantially of logs ;
and interposed between them were wide tracts of girdled
trees, which gave to the place the aspect of a harbor filled
with masts. The worthy people, however, with commend
able zeal for the cause of religion, determined that they would
have for the house of God something better than their own.
We are not in possession of any records stating precisely what
steps were first taken, what debates were had upon the subject,
what arguments were used in favor of the project, and what
objections were urged against it ; but I have heard it inti
mated that, with that tenacity of habit which generally
characterizes elderly people, much was said by the more aged
members against changing the location of the house. They
had become accustomed to climb the hill where the sanctuary
stood, the graveyard was there, their religious associations
clustered around that spot, and they were unwilling that
those associations should be disturbed. But the log village

170 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
prevailed. Its inhabitants considered themselves centrally-
located, and succeeded in securing the new structure as an
ornament for their street. The work undertaken was no
slight enterprise. The record of the mode by which it was
built proves under what difficulties it was prosecuted. Money
was an article which played but a small part in the erection of
the house which we desert to-day. The members of the con
gregation seemed to say in effect, by their contributions, what
Peter said to the lame man at the Beautiful Gate of the.
temple : ' Silver and gold have I none, but such as I have
give I thee,' The list of items constituting payments is a
perfect curiosity, very significant of the condition of the
times, and indicative likewise of much zeal that an excellent
house of worship should be built. As scarcely any could
furnish money, there was given what was equally serviceable
— lumber of all kinds, and such labor as was needed. But
besides this, unlimited amounts of grain and flour, and every
merchantable article, were furnished as equivalents for the
amount of subscription or for the price of the pews and slips.
Some items credited are calculated to excite a smile, such, for
instance, as 'bread and apple pies,' which were appropriated
to the object in a way not precisely explained. Our notions of
propriety, too, are somewhat startled, unless we understand
how the temperance question stood in those days, by finding
a more peculiar item credited. In one instance a barrel of
whisky, price eleven dollars, is set down as a part payment
for the price of a pew ! Where it went to, and what was
done with it does not appear. Our fathers unquestionably
apprehended no difficulty in the way of such a barter. We
may be thankful that the interval of years since then has
created a more enlightened conscience in regard to the use of
spirituous drinks.
"Through much labor and sacrifice the walls were at last
inclosed and the house covered, and then, while the seats
were yet not built, the people turned into the new house for
worship. Doubtless it seemed, notwithstanding its then un-
plastered walls, a luxurious place to those who had occupied
the old log house. All who had a hand in building it, or who
were interested in worshiping in it, considered themselves ex-

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY. 171
ceedingly fortunate in possessing so imposing a structure.
We who sit and shiver here these winter Sabbaths may do well
to let our imaginations run back to those days when stoves
for churches were not thought of, and when the congregation,
within unplastered walls, managed as they could to keep com
fortable. Not that it would be desirable to bring back those
times, when any method of warming a church was con
sidered a desecration of it, but it may be wholesome to
remember what experiences have preceded ours. Some, even
of the middle-aged members, have told me that they remem
ber to have seen the minister preaching, winter Sabbaths,
with hands well fortified against the cold in thick, woolen
mittens. "The work continued on the church, to a greater or less ex
tent, for several years. The galleries were finally erected and
the interior completed. At that day the building was con
sidered by the surrounding people an architectural wonder.
People, I am told, came long distances in order to see it.
Doubtless it excited more remark, and was regarded with
higher interest than is the case with our beautifiul new
edifice. And indeed it was, for that time, a most creditable
structure — in greater contrast with the dwellings of the
people, and indicative, therefore, it is possible, of more zeal for
the outward prosperity of Zion than the building which now
so eminently graces our village. Owing to the gradual man
ner in which it was constructed, this house was never
formally dedicated. The congregation were anxious to occupy
it while, as yet, they were unable to finish it ; and when
finished, it had been already dedicated by their long-continued
acts of worship, and, as we may hope, by the conversion
therein of many a soul.
" After the erection of the church, the first minister who
appears upon the records is a Mr. Ely, a licensed minister of
the Buffalo Presbytery, who was employed one half his time
for six months. This was in 1823. The church was com
menced about 1818, and finished in 1822. In 1824 Rev. Giles
Doolittle was invited, by regular calls, to take the pastoral
charge of the congregation in Northeast and Ripley, New
York. On April 15, 1825, he was ordained by the Pres-

172 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
bytery of Erie, and installed by them pastor of the united
congregations above named.
" The number of church members, when he took charge,
amounted to sixty-eight. The only elders, two in number,
at the time were John McCord and Thomas Robinson. The
oldest surviving members of the church are Edmund Orton,
Dr. James Smedley, and Harmon Ensign, who united at
about the same time, having come from the same town in
Connecticut ; and among the females, Mrs. Robinson, who
united about 1803, Mrs. Hall, and Mrs. Baldwin. Their con
nection with the church dates back to the times of the old log
meetinghouse. Of those who joined during the same periods,
some, however, are still surviving, but are connected now
with the church at Harbor Creek.
" Mr. Doolittle continued his labors with this church from
1825 to September 14, 1832. He died at Hudson, Ohio, at
which place he was laboring as pastor. In 1832 the church
was divided. Fifty-eight members, living in Harbor Creek
and vicinity, were constituted a church, leaving a member
ship here of one hundred and five.
"November 15, 1833, Rev. W. A. Adair was ordained and
installed over the congregations of Northeast and Harbor
Creek. It was during the years of prevailing religious
interest; — a period of revivals — that Mr. Adair was connected
with this church, and during his ministry, in connection
particularly with the labors of Rev. Samuel G. Orton, large
accessions were made to the church. In 1836 the membership
amounted to one hundred and eighty-three, and in April,
1838, to two hundred and fifteen — a larger number than are
now in communion with us. In June, 1838, Rev. Nathaniel
West commenced labors with this church. His pastoral
relation with it ceased July 17, 1841. January, 1842, Rev.
Miles Doolittle began to preach to the Presbyterian congrega
tion of Northeast, and continued their pastor until some
time in 1844. November of that year, Rev. Samuel Mont
gomery became their stated minister, followed by Rev. Mr.
Paine in 1848, who was succeeded by Rev. Mr. Cochrane in
1850. August, 1852, Mr. Cochrane gave place to Bev. D. D.
Gregory. During the continuance of Mr. Gregory with this

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY. 173
people, a lot was purchased and a parsonage built thereon.
March, 1859, the present minister took charge of the con
gregation. February, 1859, a meeting was called, and a com
mittee appointed to take into consideration the purchase of a
lot for a new church.
" The committee reported the twenty-eighth, were empow
ered to purchase March seventh, and March twelfth resolved
to build. The result of that resolution is the beautiful struc
ture which adorns our village."
In 1811 the Bev. Robert Reid, a minister of the Associate
Reformed denomination, organized a church in Erie, which
was incorporated as the " First Church of Erie." The con
gregation met in the schoolhouse until 1816, when they
erected a comfortable building near their present site — Eighth
Street, east of French. The frame, re-covered, is now occu
pied as a store, it having been removed to State Street.
The first elders of the church were Archibald McSparren,
Thomas Hughes, Alexander Robinson, and James Barr.
The Associate Reformed denomination in 1841 erected a
large and substantial church, and in 1845 called as pastor Bev.
Joseph Pressly.
In 1816 the Rev. Charles Colson, a Lutheran minister from
Germany who had settled in Meadville, organized four
churches in this vicinity, expecting to have the oversight of
them. One was at Meadville, another ten miles above, on
French Creek, a third at Conneaut, and a fourth at Erie. He
took a severe cold returning to Meadville, from the effects of
which he died the same year.
In 1824 the First Presbyterian church of Erie erected a large
and substantial building on the site at present occupied by
their new edifice. The trustees were Judah Colt, P. S. V.
Hamot, G. Sanford, R. McClelland, B. Russell, J. Evans, R.
Brown, S. Hays, T. Laird, G. Selden, J. Kellogg. At the
ceremony of laying the cornerstone, Rev. Timothy Alden
offered prayer, and Bev. Johnston Eaton made a few per
tinent remarks. Rev. David McKinney was ordained and
installed April 13, 1825. Rev. George A. Lyon was installed
September 9, 1829.
In June, 1859, the cornerstone of their rich and elaborate

174 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
structure was laid on the iite of the former building. Rev.
Dr. Chester, of Buffalo, Rev. C. J. Hutchins, and Rev. D. C.
Wright took part in the exercises. Its cost, exclusive of the
ground, is estimated at $25,000, and it is capable of seating
nine hundred persons. The organ of this church cost $2,000.
March 17, 1827, a meeting was held at Mr. Hamot's for the
purpose of organizing an Episcopal church. Col. Thomas
Forster was called to the chair, and P. S. V. Hamot appointed
Secretary. George Miles, G. A. Elliot, Taber Beebe, C. M.
Reed, Thos. Forster, Jr. , D. C. Barrett, Wm. Kelley, G. Knapp,
and J. A. Tracy were elected vestrymen. Rev. Charles Smith
accepted the office of rector, but resigned December 8. He
was succeeded by Rev. B. Hutchins, and afterward by Bev.
John W. James. Bev. Bennet Glover was next appointed,
July 17, 1828, and held the office until his death in 1838. St.
Paul's church was erected in 1831, on West Sixth Street.
The First Baptist church was organized in 1831. July 31,
1832, at a meeting held at the courthouse, Rev. Wm. H. New
man was called to the chair and O. N. Sage appointed secre
tary. The following gentlemen were nominated trustees :
E. D. Gunnison, Abijah Frost, O. N. Sage, Wm. Kelly, James
Lytle, Warren Foot (did not serve), Adonijah Fuller, George
Moore, and D. J. Lloyd. The first pastor was Rev. Wm.
Newman, and they erected their building in 1833, on the
corner of Peach and Fifth streets.
In 1838 the Methodist Episcopal denomination erected a
frame building on Seventh Street. In 1860 they dedicated
their new house of worship on the corner of Sassafras and
Seventh. This is one of the finest churches in the city. The
house and ground cost $17,000. Trustees : J. Hanson, J. S.
Sterrett, T. Willis, John Burton, Wm. Sanborn, A. A. Craig,
J. W. Ayers, A. Yale, N. Murphy. In 1858 the same denomi
nation completed a house of worship a short distance south of
the town, at a cost of $4,000, called the Simpson Church.
Messrs. E. Goodrich, Heman Jaynes, and Capt. Thomas Wil
kins were liberal contributors.
In 1841 the Lutherans built a church. Bev. Mr. Hartman,
pastor. In 1844 the Universalists organized a church, and in 1845

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY. 175
erected their building on Ninth Street. First pastor, Rev.
Henry Gifford. Trustees, Henry Caldwell, R. Huston, and
Porter Warren. S. H. Kelsey, collector.
The first Roman Catholic church erected in Erie was a
small frame building on German Street, in 1839. The corner
stone of St. Patrick's, on Fourth Street, was laid in 1850, and
about 1858 a dwelling for the bishop and a schoolhouse were
erected on the premises. In 1854 the diocese of Erie was
created, and the Rev. Joshua Young made bishop.
In 1854 St. Mary's, a German Catholic church, was com
menced, and completed in 1858. This is probably the largest,
as it is the most expensive church in the city, its cost having
amounted to $28,000. It has two spires 135 feet in height, and
is furnished with three bells, one weighing 1991 pounds,
another 1085 pounds, and the third 708 pounds. The bells cost
$1,400, and are remarkable for their clearness of tone ; they
were consecrated by the Rt. Rev. J. Young, April 15, 1860.
The church has an organ which cost $1,200, the Society of
St. Cecilia engaging themselves in the choir. The Benedic
tine Fathers have had charge of the congregation since July,
1859, Rev. F. Celestine Engelbrecht, pastor.
Two societies for the propagation of the faith are connected
with St. Mary's — St. Aloysia's for young men, and the Society
of the Blessed Virgin for young ladies — each of which has a
library. The German Methodists about 1845 erected a comfortable
house of worship near Fifteenth Street.
About 1850 the German Presbyterians erected a brick church
on South Peach Street.
In 1855 an Old School Presbyterian church was organized
by Rev. Wm. Willson, and immediately after the congregation
erected Park Church at a cost of $17,000. First Trustees : G.
Sanford, Joseph Arbuckle, J. C. Spencer, Wm. C. Curry, I. W.
Hart, J. Moore, D. W. Fitch. Treasurer and Secretary, D. B.
McCreary. In 1856 Rev. W. M. Blackburn was installed
pastor. The first attempt of the General Assembly (O. S.) to
establish a church in Erie was in 1842, when Rev. J. H.
Townley was sent as a missionary. In 1853 the Presbytery of
Erie made appointments for preaching for several months,

176 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
having previously named a committee to establish a church
when Providence should direct.
In 1847 the Wesleyan Methodist Society (colored) erected
their building on Third Street, in Jerusalem, the western part
of the town. The founders were H. E. Waters, John Clifford,
Amos Burgess, Luman Harris, and Wm. Messick. The
African Methodist Episcopals (also colored) formed a society
and erected a building soon after.
The Protestant Episcopal church, Bev. Mr. Abercrombie,
held services for a few months in 1858 in the Wesleyan
church, when it was not otherwise occupied, and organized a
Sunday school there. At the same time the Rev. Mr. Bow
man, of the same church, held services at the depot.
The first instance of Christian worship after the manner of
the Protestant Episcopal church, at Girard, was in June, 1858,
in the Methodist Episcopal church, a large audience being in
attendance. Rev. John Bowman officiated.
Girard township has five churches : one Protestant Metho
dist, three Methodist Episcopal, and one Roman Catholic.
Springfield township has six churches : two Methodist
Episcopal, one New School Presbyterian, one Universalist, one
Christian, and one Calvinistic Baptist.
Franklin township has no church edifice.
Fairview township has seven church organizations : one
Methodist Episcopal, one German Methodist, one Old School
Presbyterian, two New School Presbyterian (though but one
house of worship), and two German churches, the denomi
nations not known. In this statement are included the
churches of Manchester and Fairview or Sturgeonville.
Summit township has two churches : one Methodist Episco
pal that will accommodate three hundred persons, valued at
$850, and one United Presbyterian, seating four hundred, and
valued at $800.
McKean township has one Methodist Episcopal church,
seating1 five hundred, and valued at $1,500 ; and a Roman
Catholic, seating five hundred, which cost $1,300.
LeBoeuf township has one Methodist Episcopal church,
seating three hundred, and valued at $1,000; and a second
one, seating five hundred, and valued at $1,500.

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY. 177
Washington township has one Christian Communion
church, accommodating three hundred, valued at $1,200.
Concord township has one Methodist Episcopal church
with two hundred sittings, valued at $1,000.
Harbor Creek township has four churches.
Greene township has two Methodist Episcopal, and one
Presbyterian church.
Northeast township has three churches : one Presbyterian,
valued at $1,000, seating three hundred; one Methodist Epis
copal, valued at $3,000, seating three hundred and fifty ; and
one Baptist, valued at $3,400, that will accommodate four
hundred. Greenfield township has one Methodist Episcopal church.
Waterford township has six churches : one Roman Catholic,
seating three hundred persons, valued at $3,000 ; one Lutheran,
seating one hundred and fifty, valued at $300 ; one Presby
terian, seating two hundred, valued at $450 ; one Methodist
Episcopal, seating two hundred and twenty, valued at $400 ;
another of the same denomination, seating three hundred,
valued at §500 ; one Baptist, seating three hundred, valued at
$450. Amity township has one Methodist Episcopal church,
valued at $800, which will accommodate two hundred persons.
Venango township has one Methodist Episcopal church,
besides the churches in Wattsburg.
Wayne township has two churches : a Methodist Episcopal,
valued at $1,000, which will accommodate three hundred, and
a Presbyterian one valued at $800, seating two hundred and
fifty persons.
Union township has three churches : one Methodist Episco
pal, valued at $1,000, with three hundred sittings ; one Presby
terian, valued at $1,500, with three hundred sittings ; and a
Boman Catholic, valued at $800, with two hundred sittings.
The census statistics (which include those of the churches)
of Mill Creek, Elk Creek, Conneaut, and the West Ward of
Erie have not yet been published or filed in the Prothono-
tary's office, nor have they been aggregated, excepting in
population. Erie has been favored with revivals of religion at several

178 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
periods. In 1831 Rev. Mr. Stone held a series of meetings,
and more than thirty persons united with the Presbyterian
church. i
In 1834 Rev. Mr. Orton, a zealous evangelist, held a pro
tracted meeting, and about one hundred persons connected
themselves with the different churches.
In 1842 the Rev. Mr. Clark preached for several days in the
Presbyterian church — sixty-five persons united with the
church at that time. Again, in 1858, more than two hundred
persons united with the different evangelical churches in
Erie. Rev. O. Parker, an evangelist, labored successfully in the
Presbyterian churches of Girard and Edinboro in 1860. At the
latter place there were many converts in the Normal School.

CHAPTER XIII.
Waterford — Edinboro — Northeast — Wattsburg — Girard — Union
Mills — A Ibion — Cherry Hill — Wellsburg — Cranesville — Lockport —
Pageville — Lexington — Fairview — Manchester — McKean Corners —
Wesleyville — West Springfield — Springfield — Beaverdam — Concord
Station. Waterford, beautifully situated at old Fort Le Bceuf,1 the
history of which has been given in a former chapter, is distant
fourteen miles southeast of Erie.
In the act for laying out the towns of Erie, Franklin, War
ren, and Waterford, is to be found the following : " Whereas,
Andrew Ellicot lately surveyed and laid out a town, within
i Old Fort Le Boeuf being inland, was not ranked or fortified as a firsts
class station; yet, being situated on the "headwaters" of the Allegheny
River, and at the nearest point of water communication between Lake
Erie and the river, it was considered of much importance as a trading fort.
It afforded protection to traders, hunters, and to many adventurers who
passed between Canada and Fort Duquesne and the French possession
farther south. The portage between Presqu'ile and Le Bceuf being only a
little more than four leagues, the necessary goods, munitions of war, imple
ments of agriculture, etc., were conveyed overland from the lake, and at
Fort Le Bceuf embarked upon radeaux or rafts, to be transported to forts
to the south and west along the river.

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY. 179
the tract heretofore reserved for the public use at Le Boeuf,
near the head of the navigation of French Creek, and the draft
and plan of the said town being communicated by the Gover
nor to the General Assembly, was by them approved : there
fore, be it enacted by the authority aforesaid, that the said
draft and plan of the town so surveyed and laid out by the
said Andrew Ellicot, . . . being first recorded in the office
of the Secretary of the Commonwealth, and the original
thereof deposited in the office of the Surveyor General, shall
be, and the same is hereby, in all respects accepted, ratified,
confirmed, and established, as fully and effectually as if it had
been made by virtue of a law previously authorizing a town to
be surveyed and laid out at Le Bceuf ; . . . and the com
missioners hereinbefore directed to be appointed shall also
survey five hundred acres of land, adjoining the said last
mentioned town, for out-lots : and the same shall be divided
in such manner, and with such streets, lanes, and alleys as
the said commissioners shall direct, but no out-lot shall con
tain more than five acres, nor shall the reservation for public
uses exceed in the whole ten acres ; and the said last
mentioned town shall be called 'Waterford,' and all the
streets, lanes, and alleys thereof, and of the out-lots thereto
adjoining, shall be and forever remain common highways."
And in section thirteenth, "that it shall be lawful for the
Governor, with the consent of the individuals, respectively, to
protract the enlistments of such part of the detachment of
State troops, or such part as may be in garrison at Fort Le
Bceuf, or to enlist as many men as he shall deem necessary,
not exceeding one hundred and thirty, to protect and assist
the commissioners, surveyors, and other attendants intrusted
with the execution of the several objects of this act : provided
always, nevertheless, that as soon as a fort shall be established
at Presqu'ile, and the United States shall have furnished
adequate garrisons for the same, and for Fort Le Bceuf, the
Governor shall discharge the said detachment of State troops,
except the party thereof employed in protecting and assisting
the commissioners, surveyors, and other attendants as afore
said, which shall be continued until the objects of this act are
accomplished, and no longer."

180 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY. \
And section fifteenth, " that in order to defray the expenses
of making the survey at Fort Le Bceuf, and the various sur
veys and sales herein directed, and to maintain the garrison
at Fort Le Bceuf, there shall be, and hereby is, appropriated
the sum of $17,000, to be paid by the Treasurer on the warrants
of the Governor."
When Judge Vincent1 settled in Waterford in 1797, he says :
" There were no remains of the old French fort excepting the
traces on the ground, and these traces were very distinct and
visible." Fifteen years after, a cellar and a deep well were
the only visible remains. Cannon, bullets, etc., have been
found occasionally below the surface, and fragments of
human skeletons pervade the soil. From the first settlement
to the present time men have, at intervals, been searching for
treasures on the sites of Le Bceuf and Presqu'ile, with all the
helps afforded by the magnet and mineral rod. At Le Bceuf,
in 1860, a man, digging under the direction of the " spirits,"
discovered below the surface a stone wall laid up with mortar,
which would probably have a radius of one hundred feet.
Within this was the foundation of a blacksmith's forge, or in
dications of one — as burnt stone, cinders, pieces of iron of all
shapes, and of no conceivable use, guns, gun-locks, bayonets,
and parts of many implements of war.
Judge Vincent says further, on the same ground, in 1797,
stood a stockade fort built by Maj. Denny in 1794 ; it was com
manded by an officer of the army, Lieut. Marten, with twelve
or fifteen soldiers. The same year (1797) a new fort was
built, which is still occupied by a family, though very much
dilapidated, and some parts apparently ready to fall. This
blockhouse was at one time a storehouse ; in 1813 (after the
i Judge John Vincent was born in Newark township, Essex county,
New Jersey, February 4, 1772. The family were originally from France,
where his great-grandfather was born, in 1676. Several of the brothers
were residing at West Branch, Pennsylvania, and in Fort Freeland when
captured by the Indians.
Judge Vincent was appointed Associate Judge in 1805. He discharged
the duties of the office for more than thirty-four years, being absent out
twice from the sittings of the court. When he removed to Waterford in
1797, he found in the vicinity William Miles, Capt. Pollock, Capt. Martin
Strong, and Amos Judson ; and a strong friendship was engendered by
common dangers and privations, and which was interrupted only by
death. Judge Vincent was industrious, energetic, and persevering, and.
lived to enjoy the benefits his industry had accumulated. He died in
February, 1860.

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY. 181
battle of Lake Erie) a body of prisoners and wounded men
were there quartered ; it was next connected with other
buildings, the whole being weatherboarded, and a respectable
hotel constituted. The main street of the borough running
from north to south passes in front of the ' ' Blockhouse
Hotel," and over the same ground which was occupied by the
French and first American forts. The whole is now the
property of A. M. Judson, Esq.
In the neighborhood of the depot, two miles northeast of
the blockhouse, spikes, bullets, cannon balls, etc. have been
found. In another part of the town, a quarter of a mile from
the fort, a hillock is called "Washington's Mound," from
the fact (as tradition has it) that Washington, when on his
mission in 1753, spent a night there.
One of the first appropriations for the northwestern part of
the State, in 1791, was £400 for the improvement of French
Creek (besides £400 for the road from Le Bceuf to Presqu'ile),
and in 1807 we find five hundred dollars were to be set apart
from the sale of town and out-lots of the Commonwealth,
adjoining Erie, for clearing and improving the navigation of
Le Bceuf and French Creeks from Waterford to the south line
of the county.
Here it may not be out of place to give a short description of
French Creek. It was formerly called Venango Creek, or
rather, In-nan-ga-eh, and is a beautiful, transparent, and
rapid stream. For many miles from its confluence with the
Allegheny it is less than one hundred feet in width. At some
seasons its waters are navigable to Waterford for boats carry
ing twenty tons, yet for a few weeks of summer it cannot
usually be navigated by any craft larger than a canoe.
Washington, in his journal, calls Le Bceuf Creek the West
ern Fork, which is correct ; but besides this there are three
others, and these are now particularly so designated. In
addition to many small streams, in all directions, proceeding
northerly from the mouth of French Creek, its most noted
contributary waters, all of which have mill privileges and are
furnished with sawmills and gristmills, are Big Sugar Creek,
Deer Creek, Little Sugar Creek, the outlet of Conneaut, Casse-
wago, Woodcock, the outlet of Conneauttee, Muddy Creek,

182 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
and Le Bceuf Creek, on which Waterford stands, three or four
miles above its union with French Creek.
In the articles on roads and the salt trade Waterford is con
spicuous. Salt on its arrival from Erie was deposited in store
houses at the landing to await a freshet. There were four of
these large storehouses, being the property of Judge Smith,
Judge Vincent, Capt. Tracy, and Thomas King. Messrs.
Tracy and King did not build until 1815 or 1816. The last
load of salt carried down the river to Pittsburg was by Judge
Smith, in 1819, the boat containing four hundred barrels.
In the days of the salt trade Waterford contained no
churches, and the people assembled in the storehouses to hear
the word of God. On one occasion when Mr. Matthews was
preaching, the freshet reached the point that made it neces
sary, or at least desirable, to start the boats. The barrels were
rolled out and the boats filled in the midst of the service, and
the divine prayed for " the success of the boats that were
obliged to start on the Lord's day."
The keelboats gave employment to many, who seemed to
form a peculiar and vigorous class by themselves. An ' ' up-
the-river boatman" was quite a different specimen of the
genus homo from all others. " He could drink, swear, smoke,
and fight in a manner that would quite astonish his degen
erate great-grandchildren of these days. The race is nearly
extinct." It was the custom to give the men who went with the boats
every tenth barrel of salt for their pay. There was a Dutch
man by the name of Jacob Kitelinger (as it was pronounced),
who said to Judge Smith on one of his trips, " Judge, you are
an old friend of mine, and, I believe, a good one. Prove it by
giving me every twelfth barrel. I think I deserve it." The
Judge thought about it, and finally, for friendship's sake,
agreed to do it. Kitelinger was delighted, and when they
reached Pittsburg worked industriously, setting aside for him
self every twelfth barrel. But when he found that the others
received ten barrels for every hundred and he only eight, the
poor fellow was in despair. The Judge, however, was a man
of honor, and gave him his due, but Jacob could never under
stand it.

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY. 183
Keelboat fare has been pronounced, even by some epicures,
the very sweetest, owing, undoubtedly, to the fresh air and a
good appetite. A mass composed of flour and water was well
kneaded on the top of a barrel, the large loaf then placed on a
board before the fire, and when well browned the lower side
placed in the same position. Some slices of bacon were then
roasted on the points of sticks, to complete the variety. Their
drink was usually chocolate, with the bacon held over while
roasting, some drops of the fat imparting a richness and flavor
to the beverage.
To impel by poles against the current (as they were obliged
to do on their return) was a most laborious employment ;
keelmen not unfrequently at that day had the side flayed and
raw as a poor draught-horse long galled by the harness. "No
more going ahead, backward," was the expressive toast of an
old boatman at the Meadville canal celebration ; and well did
his class appreciate the improvement.
On April 8, 1833, the town of Waterford was erected into a
borough, being bounded and limited as follows : beginning at
a white ash at the northwest corner of the Waterford reserve,
adjoining lands of J. Vincent, Esq., on the north and west;
thence east 276 perches along the north side of Circuit Street,
adjoining lands of J. Vincent, Esq., and the heirs of A. Him-
rod, to a post at the northwest corner of G. W. Reed's land ;
thence south along the reserve line 159 perches to a post at the
southeast corner of said Reed's land ; thence east 69 perches
along the southern boundaries of the same and the reserve line
to a post ; thence south 26 degrees, east 125 perches, along the
eastern boundaries of out-lots numbers 30, 23, 22, 94, and 1, to
a post adjoining land of Amos Judson on the south ; thence
south 64 degrees, west along the line dividing the out-lots and
reserve tracts, 261 perches to a post at the southwest corner of
out-lot number 12 ; thence north 26 degrees, west 40 perches,
along the western boundary of said out-lot to a post on the
south side of Water Street ; thence south 64 degrees, west 126
perches along the south side of Water Street, to a post on the
west side of Circuit Street ; and thence north 422 perches along
the west side of Circuit Street to the place of beginning.
The first borough officers were elected in 1834. Amos

184 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
Judson, Burgess ; John Boyd, Henry Colt, William Benson,
John Tracy, Isaac M. White, Wilson King, Town Council ;
Charles C. Boyd, High Constable; B. B. Vincent, Town
Clerk and Treasurer ; Samuel Hutchins and Daniel Vincent,
Overseers of the Poor.
Waterford has a plank road connecting it with Erie and
with Meadville, and the Philadelphia & Erie Railroad, which
as yet has appeared to be of no advantage to the town.
It has four churches, of the United Presbyterian, New
School Presbyterian, Protestant Episcopal, and Methodist
Episcopal denominations. ' The Presbyterian church was
organized in 1,810, Rev. John Mathews being the first pastor,
and William Bracken, John Lytle, and Archibald Watson,,
the first trustees.
In 1832 the Presbyterians united with the Protestant Episr
copal denomination in erecting a church, which now belongs
to the latter exclusively. In 1835 they erected their present
house of worship.
The Associate Reformed church (United Presbyterian) was
organized in 1816, Rev. Robert Reid being the first pastor.
This is much the largest congregation in Waterford, and, like
the same denomination in Erie, composed almost entirely of
Irish Protestants. The founders were William Smith, Robert
Kincaid, and William Carson. A year or two since they en
larged and improved their building.
The Methodist Society was organized as early as 1814, but
did not erect a house of worship until 1854. Rev. Mr. Pad
dock, first pastor.
A Protestant Episcopal church was organized in 1827, and
they erected their building, as mentioned above, in 1832.
Rev. Bennet Glover was their first clergyman. Dr. M. B.
Bradley, Timothy Judson, Amos Judson, Martin Strong,
John Vincent, James Pollock, and John Tracy were the first
officers. Waterford Academy is the oldest institution of the kind in
the county, as we have mentioned.
Waterford has eight factories and one banking establish
ment. ,
The borough officers are William Judson, Burgess ; David

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY. 185
Boyd, William C. Smith, Samuel C. Stamford, J. L. Cook, J.
L. McKay, Owen McGill, Town Council ; J. M. White, Town
Clerk and Treasurer.
Edinboro, in Washington township, is twenty miles south
of Erie, and but two miles from Crawford County. It was
incorporated April 3, 1840, and is the most enterprising interior
town in the county. Mr. Culbertson built a mill here about
1800, being one of the first mills erected in the county.
Families of the name of Hamilton and Reeder were also
among the first settlers. It was formerly called Conneauttee
or Little Conneaut, an Anglicized aboriginal word.
Eight miles in a southwesterly direction from Meadville, is
a beautiful lake three or four miles in length and one in
breadth, called Conneaut, or as the Senecas pronounce it,
Kon-ne-yaut, "the snow place." The Indians of the neigh
borhood had observed the snow to remain some time on the
frozen lake after its disappearance elsewhere.
Here are church organizations of the Baptist, Methodist
Episcopal, and Old and New School Presbyterian denomina
tions. The Old School Presbyterians, under the pastoral charge of
the Rev. James Dickey, erected their building in 1855, at a
cost of $2,000. It has sittings for five hundred and fifty
persons. The Methodist Episcopal church will accommodate
two hundred and fifty persons, and cost $500. The New
School Presbyterian church cost $3,000, and will accommodate
five hundred. The Baptists are yet without a house of worship.
In 1833 the Conneauttee Library Company was incorporated.
Edinboro has the most expensive school buildings in the
county, and the citizens have exhibited a commendable spirit
•of liberality and enterprise in their efforts connected with the
•establishment! of the Normal School of the twelfth district in
their midst. About $25,000 have been raised by them in
subscriptions and expended in buildings and improvements,
and the success of the school promises to compensate for the
investment, and add to the population and prosperity of the
town. The Normal School has at present four teachers and
about eighty pupils. There is also one common school with
two teachers and one hundred and thirty-six pupils.

186 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
M. Saley was elected burgess in 1861. A plank road con
nects Edinboro with Erie and Meadville.
For manufactures there are two cooper shops, two for the
manufacture of sashes and blinds, one of shovel handles, three
of cabinetware, a tannery, gristmill, sawmill, and tin shop.
The water power of Conneauttee Lake, obtained by the
damming of the outlet, is one of unsurpassed excellence, and
many factories working wood and lumber are found along the.
stream below. This lake is noted for its double, white pond
lilies, which are exquisitely beautiful, and peculiar, we be
lieve, to the American continent ; springing from the bottom
of the lake, they expand their flowers when they reach the
surface and sunshine.
Northeast was formerly called Gibsonville, and later
Burgettstown, and is seventeen miles east of Erie, on the
Buffalo and State Line Bailroad. This vicinity has been long
settled, and is highly cultivated and populous. The inhabit
ants are mostly Eastern people, while in other parts of the
county the Scotch-Irish element predominates.1
Northeast has three churches, one public school, and a
flourishing high school, at present under the management of
P. H. Stewart, with three assistants. Rev. Mr. Carrier's very
interesting history of the Presbyterian church in this place is
found under the general head. The Methodist Episcopal
church was formed at an early day. The Baptists dedicated a
neat and commodious house of worship February 1, 1860.
For many years this people had maintained public worship
two miles east of the borough ; in July, 1858, a church was
organized denominated " The First Baptist Church of North
east." Officers: E. C. Heath, A. Partridge, Deacons; E. C.
Heath, A. Partridge, S. Malick, Trustees ; and H. Partridge,
Clerk. An account of Northeast cemetery is found elsewhere.
For manufactures it has four shoe shops, two tin and two
wagon establishments, one plow manufactory, a cabinet shop,
i The first brick building erected in the county was the residence of Mr.
Silliman in 1809 or 1810, which is still firm and good. It is said the con
tractor was to have so much a thousand for all the brick he put in, and in
accordance with a law of human nature, he used an enormous quantity,
which in the end has proved good economy.

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY. 187
ashery, etc. It has also one banking office. At Freeport, two
miles distant, the Franklin Paper Mill, owned by J. S. John
son, is in excellent order, with every modern improvement.
In 1860 they manufactured 4,000 reams of wrapping paper,
2,000 of writing paper, and 2,000 of printing. In 1838 a paper
mill on the same site, the property of Mr. W. S. Hall, was
consumed by fire, at a loss of $15,000.
In 1860 the borough officers were Philetus Glass, Burgess ;
J. M. Conrad, Richard Bran, John Greer, Bufus Loomis,
Levi Jones, and Harley Selkregg, Town Council.
Wattsburg, Venango township, is seventeen miles east of
southeast from Erie, at the forks of French Creek. Provi
sions and stores from Pittsburg were landed here for Colt's
Station and Northeast from their flrst settlement. There was
also a landing at Bissel's mill, seven miles above Wattsburg,
on French Creek, where at flrst provisions were landed for
Colt's Station, being but two miles distant. In 1797 Mr.
William Miles built "the upper storehouse," in which was
deposited a few dry goods for the convenience of the settlers,
and to exchange for furs, besides being a depot for provisions.
Mr. David Watts (of the company known at an early day as
Watts, Scott & Co.), from whom the town was named, owned
a tract of 1,400 acres in the vicinity.
In 1796 Adam Reed and a Mr. Tracy, with their families,
settled up the stream, a little above Wattsburg. Messrs.
Reed and Tracy built a small gristmill on the east branch of
French Creek at an early day.
In April, 1833, Wattsburg was erected into a borough, with
the following boundaries : beginning at French Creek where
the old State line crosses the same, being the south boundary
of Venango township ; thence east along said line 180 perches ;
thence north 180 perches ; thence west 180 perches (more or
less) to French Creek ; thence southwardly by the windings
of said creek to the place of beginning.
Wattsburg had, in 1840, one hundred and thirty-one inhabit
ants, and in 1860, three hundred and thirty-seven. It has
three churches, a select school, and a common school with two
teachers and one hundred and two scholars, which has a new
building in progress. The Presbyterian church was organized

188 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
at an early day — the church being of the New School branch
dedicated a house of worship in 1854. It is valued at $1,500,
and will seat three hundred persons. The Baptist and
Methodist Episcopal denominations have also churches ; the
Methodists completed a new one the past year at an expense
of $4,000, which will seat four hundred. The Baptist will
accommodate two hundred, and cost $1,200.
For manufactures it has two sash, door, and blind factories,
two boot and shoe shops, one tannery, one harness, one of
cabinetware, one ashery, etc.
This borough and the vicinity has been greatly benefited by
the building of the Erie and Wattsburg plank road. In 1836
a bill for a railroad called the "Erie and Wattsburg Bailroad "
(a connection being intended with the New York and Erie)
became a law, but for want of means the road was never built.
Wattsburg has a fine water power, an extensive flat and
bottom lands up both branches of the Creek, and on the main
stream. The forests are of pine, cherry, and other valuable
timber. The soil is productive, the water clear and whole
some, and the climate salubrious.
L. S. Chapin was elected Burgess of the borough, in 1861,
and Lyman Robinson, Justice of the Peace.
Girard was named from Stephen Girard, who, at the time
the village was laid out, had a large tract of land in Conneaut
township adjoining.
In 1814 the site of this pleasant borough was a part of the
farm of John Taylor, and his residence was the only building.1
It is fifteen miles south of west from Erie, and ten miles from
the Ohio State line, and overlooks some of the finest scenery
in the country. The valley of Elk Creek, winding toward
the east, has precipitous banks — the stream having worn its
bed in some places to the depth of two hundred feet. The
rocky formation here is a soft, friable slate, in which are
many fossil shells, and which appears solid, but on exposure
soon crumbles to clay. On the creek there are several mills,
and the water, power is sufficient for an indefinite number.
i The names of some of the earliest inhabitants in this vicinity were
Miles Taggart, Joseph Wells, James Laughlin, James Silverthorn, and
Willard Badger.

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY. 189
Around is a rich agricultural country, dotted with pleasant
farm houses and well-cultivated fields, and owned by a people
who are excelled by none in all the qualities of good citizen
ship. The borough was incorporated in 1846. The first officers
were Mason Kellogg, Burgess; John McClure, Jr., Lefferet
Hart, H. McConnell, and George H. Cutler, Town Council ;
L. S. Jones, Clerk. It contains four churches and a fine
academy capable of accommodating two hundred pupils —
this is particularly described elsewhere. Of the churches, the
Methodist was organized at a very early day ; the Presby
terians were organized in 1830, and after the division of the
General Assembly in 1837, the New School branch retained
the building. Three of the elders, Messrs. Bristol, Porter,
and Blair, remained with the Old School, and for some years
the possession of the church property was disputed by the
two parties. The Old School, for some time, had preaching in
the Methodist Episcopal church, and in 1852 erected a build
ing. The Universalist church was organized in 1853, and their
house of worship was erected soon after. A Roman Catholic
church (Irish) was consecrated in 1856. This is outside of the
borough limits.
The Erie Canal crosses the principal street on its west end,
thus increasing its business without marring its appearance.
The depot of the Lake Shore Railroad and the Pittsburg and
Erie Railroad is about two miles north of Girard ; from this
place to Erie both roads use the same track.
For manufactures Girard has two carriage shops, a steam
planing mill, and the requisite stores and shoj)s for the popu
lation of the town and vicinity.
The buildings and grounds of the citizens are quite tasteful ;
the streets and walks are delightfully shaded by elms, maples,
and locusts ; the society is cultivated, and altogether Girard is
quite a desirable place of residence.
West Girard has about twenty dwellings, Methodist, Epis
copal, and Baptist churches, three machine shops, a mill, etc.
Union City, or Miles's Mills, the third town in popu
lation, having 807 inhabitants, is situated twenty miles south
east of Erie, on the Philadelphia and Erie Railroad. Mr.

190 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
William Miles, from whom the place derived its name, was a
soldier in the revolutionary army, and at the capture of Fort
Freeland, on the West Branch, was taken prisoner and
carried to Canada, where he remained until the peace. He
then returned to Northumberland County, and in 1785, with
Mr. David Watts, was appointed (by Gov. Mifflin, we believe)
to survey the tenth Donation Tract.1 In June, 1795, he re
turned and settled on the flats of French Creek, in what is
now Concord township, Erie County. Accompanying him
were his wife and children, and Mr. William Cook with his
family. The manner in which Mr. Miles's children were con
veyed from Franklin, Venango County, is worthy of especial
notice. A sack was provided, partly open at the side, but
closed at the end. The sack was thrown across the horse and
a child placed in each side. Mrs. Miles carried her youngest
child before her on the horse. Mrs. Miles and Mrs. Cook, her
sister, were, next to Mrs. Reed, the first white women in the
county. Mr. Miles resided in Concord about five years, removing in
1800 to Union, where he erected the same year a sawmill and
gristmill, and a frame dwelling house, which, from its being
an unusual improvement, Mr. Judah Colt recorded in his
diary at the time its dimensions, being twenty by seventy feet,
and a story and a half in height. The nearest station was in
distance eight miles. All provisions, in 1795, were transported
by means of pack-horses, from Pittsburg to Concord ; shortly
after, they were brought up the Allegheny, and thence by its
tributaries to Union City.
In 1796 Mr. Miles commenced clearing land where Watts
burg now stands, and built, in addition to his dwelling house,
a store for provisions, where also a few dry goods were kept
to exchange for furs. Wattsburg was laid out by him some
i The provisions of the party being procured in Harrisburg, were packed
on horses and conveyed to a point near Wattsburg. An incident is related
of the Indian steward: "The duties of Messrs. Miles and Watts being
very severe, they hired an Indian, who was to act in the capacity of
general cook, furnish meat, etc. ' Mr. Indian,' as is natural to the race, in
time became remarkably lazy in his endeavors to procure meat, giving, as
his excuse, the scarcity of it in the wilderness ; but the trick was carried too
far, and Messrs. Miles and Watts becoming cognizant that he was deceiv
ing them, cut short his allowance of food, which brought 'the native of
the forest ' to a strict sense of his duty, which he never neglected after
ward."

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY. 191
thirty years after. Mr. Miles died in Girard township in
March, 1846, aged eighty-seven years. "As a pioneer he
was hardy, intelligent, and sagacious. Endowed by nature
with a mind of uncommon vigor, his talents were early called
into action by the settlers, who, for a series of years, gathered
around him as the guardian of their interests."
In the year 1796 families named Hurd, McCrea, Wilson, and
Findley settled in the neighborhood of Union Mills. Three
years ago Union Mills had but 293 inhabitants ; its real and
personal property was then valued at $98,217 ; it is now
estimated at $267,380, which is a greater proportional increase
than any other town in the county, and may be attributed to
the facilities afforded by the railroad, and the transhipment of
oil. For religious privileges it has a Presbyterian church (New
School), one Methodist Episcopal church, and one Roman
Catholic church. It has two schools.
The Penn Rock Oil Refining Company, Mr. Parsons, mana
ger, procured ground and erected a building, in which it is
estimated fifty barrels will be refined daily. Clark, Andrews
& Co. have established recently a factory for the manufacture
of oil and flour barrels, firkins, etc. In this establishment they
expect to manufacture eighty to one hundred oil barrels per
day, and twice that number of flour barrels. The whole cost
of machinery and buildings will be $4,000. The town has
three oil refineries, one steam shingle factory, one for fork and
shovel handles, one for wagons and sleighs, one sash, door,
and planing mill, one of tin and sheet iron ware, one boot and
shoe shop, and one cabinet shop.
Union township abounds in oak, white wood, cherry, second
growth of ash, pine, and hemlock timber.
Albion, Conneaut township, became a borough in 1860, and
elected officers in March. In 1861 Perry Kidder was elected
burgess. It is an active, thriving town, and in 1860 numbered
443 inhabitants ; has a Methodist Episcopal church, and an
academy with two teachers, and about seventy-five pupils in
attendance. Messrs. North and Denis manufacture at this place shovels,
forks, hoes, hammers, etc., on quite an extensive scale. The

192 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
power is steam ; the articles are made of steel, manufactured at
a branch of the firm in Central New York, whence they are
forwarded to this point, where handles are affixed to them for
the Western trade, while for the Eastern trade, handles are
forwarded to that branch of the concern. The articles are all
finished in the best style and defy competition. The number
annually manufactured is counted by the hundred thousand.
This enterprise has been long enough prosecuted to acquire
stability and permanence, and the management evinces a
skill and discretion that augurs well both for the proprietors
and the communities in which they are operating. A horse-
rake factory in the same vicinity is on quite an extensive
scale. It has also a machine shop and oar factory. The Erie
Canal and Pittsburg & Erie Bailroad pass through the place.
Cherry Hill, in the same township, has about one
hundred inhabitants, a church, one store, and several shops.
It has but lately come into existence, but has good prospects,
and ambition in abundance.
Wellsburg is a pleasant little place on the east branch of
Conneaut Creek, in Elk Creek township. It has 310 inhab
itants, one Free Baptist church, one Methodist Episcopal
church, and a Universalist church, erected in 1855. It has
the largest tannery in the county, twelve shops of different
kinds, and perhaps a dozen sawmills in the village and vicin
ity. The inhabitants are peaceful, temperate, and industrious.
Quite an unusual excitement prevailed within a few months,
on the cleaning of a salt well which had been opened forty
years since. An artesian well 300 feet deep three times vio
lently ejected gas, etc., giving indications of oil. The occur
rence brought to the locality many strangers and speculators.
Cranesville is a village very pleasantly located in Elk
Creek township. The first settlement was made here in 1796
or '97, by Elihu Crane, Sr., a veteran of the revolution. It
has about thirty dwellings, a tavern, and a few stores and
shops, one school, and a Methodist Episcopal church, midway
between the village and Wellsburg. It is twenty-four miles
from Erie and on the canal.
Lockport, in Girard township, is twenty-one miles from
Erie on the canal, and so named from having twelve locks in

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY. 193
the vicinity. It was laid out and settled at the time the Ex
tension Canal was being built. It has a Methodist Episcopal
church, a Baptist church, and two public schools, averaging
sixty scholars each. An extensive oar factory was built here
by Messrs. Page, being 180 feet in length, 60 feet wide, and
four stories high, but it is closed at present. It has several
stores and shops, a printing office, windmill, small furnace,
warehouse, etc., with a population of about 200.
Pageville is seven miles from Lockport, and has about
100 inhabitants, mostly employed manufacturing oars. Its
post office is Platea. This village was built up principally by
the enterprise of Mr. E. Page, near the edge of a large, dense
forest of heavy ash and oak timber, which he has manufac
tured largely into oars and sent to all parts of Europe as well
as the United States.
At Lexington (a few miles south of Girard) the Pennsyl
vania Population Company had a station about 1797, Col.
Dunning McNair being the acting agent.
Fairview, or Sturgeonville, is about twelve miles from
Erie, being near the Lake Shore Railroad and Pennsylvania
Canal. It has three churches, five stores, one carriage factory,
one brewery, and several other shops. The inhabitants are
mostly German, and are honest, diligent, and happy. It has
423 inhabitants. In 1814 there was but one dwelling where
this village stands, which was owned and occupied by Mr.
Wm. Sturgeon.
A contest between the Old and New School Presbyterian
churches arose in Fairview shortly after the division of the
General Assembly. Mr. Wm. Sturgeon died previous to 1837,
and bequeathed to the Presbyterian church of Fairview, after
the decease of his widow, about fifty acres of land and twenty
town lots for church purposes. A burying-ground and school-
house upon the premises were to remain undisturbed. Six
months after the decease of the widow, the church was to be
organized, and a house of worship erected within one year.
If these conditions were not complied with, the property was
to be a donation to the Presbyterian Board of Publication.
Both branches of the church erected buildings within the
stated time. The Court of Common Pleas decided in favor of

194 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
the Old School, and the Supreme Court confirmed the decision.
In 1860 the New School removed their building.
Manchester, at the mouth of Walnut Creek, has some
fine scenery and a few pleasant residences. There are two
paper mills here. The Keystone Mills, R. L. Perkins, pro
prietor, manufactures printing, colored, and manilla paper,
and employs six men and four girls. Adelphic Mills, J. C.
Perkins, proprietor, manufactures manilla and wrapping
paper, and employs four men and one girl.
McKean Corners is on the old State line. It has a Metho
dist church and parsonage, twenty or thirty dwellings, etc.
Wesleyville has 164 inhabitants, a Methodist church,
several shops and stores, and one gristmill.
West Springfield has a Methodist Episcopal church and
a Universalist church, an academy and boarding hall, de
scribed elsewhere. The Lake Shore Railroad passes near.
Springfield also has an academy and a Presbyterian
church. Beaverdam, in Wayne township, has a Methodist Episco
pal church, a Presbyterian church, and several shops and
stores. At Concord Station, on the Philadelphia and Erie Rail
road, the gristmill known as Hail's lately passed into the
hands of Norton & Miller, and has been repaired and re
modeled to equal any in the county. Mr. Bedient erected a
large turning and planing mill, and the carding machine of
Mr. Reynolds has given place to a large woolen factory. Mr.
Barry, late of Chautauqua County, recently erected a large
hotel ; and an oil refinery, with a capital of $2,500, is in pro
gress, being directed by Mr. Ensign Baker, an experienced
chemist from Fredonia, New York.

CHAPTER XIV.
Biographies of Col. Seth Reed — Rufus S. Reed — Judah Colt — Dr. U.
Parsons — Dr. J. C. Wallace — Rev. Robert Reid — Thomas Wilson
—P. S. V. Hamot— Capt. D. Dobbins— T. H. Sill—G. Sanford—
Judge J. Galbraith.
Colonel Seth Reed was a native of Rhode Island, but at
an early day removed to Uxbridge, Massachusetts. By pro
fession he was a physician, and served in the revolutionary
army at Bunker Hill with the rank of colonel. About 1790 he
removed to Ontario County, New York, where he came in
possession, probably by purchase from the Indians, of a very
valuable tract of land eighteen miles in extent, known as the
" Reed and Ryckman location." This he disposed of, and in
1795 removed with his family to Erie.
In Historical Collections of Pennsylvania we find : " Mr.
William Connelly, now of Franklin, came out to Erie in the
spring of 1795 with his cousin, Thomas Rees. They saw Col.
Reed land — the first white settler1 — who carne in a bark boat
with a quantity of groceries, liquors, and Indian goods. He
erected a log cabin, soon after made it a double one, and
called it Presqu'ile Hotel, where he entertained traders and
travelers on the lake shore." In the "Holland Purchase" we
find an extract from Deacon Hinds Chamberlain's journal,
being an account of a journey to Waterford in 1795. " On
our return from Le Bceuf to Presqu'ile we found there Col.
Seth Beed and his family. They had just arrived. James
Baggs and Giles Sisson came on with Col. Reed. I remained
for a considerable time in his employ."
Col. Reed's wife and sons, Manning and John Charles, came
with him ; Rufus Seth a few months after, and George with
i Mr. William Miles settled on the flats of French Creek, at a point
where two or more roads cross, a little northwest of the place where the
Stranahans now live, in Concord township, in the month of June, 1795.
195

196 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
the daughters, Mrs. T. Rees and Mrs. J. Fairbanks, the follow
ing year.
Col. Reed died March 19, 1797, aged fifty-three years. Mrs.
Reed (who was Hannah Manning, of Dedham, Mass.) died
December 8, 1821, at the age of seventy-three, having lived to
see great changes, and to tell those who came after of the trials
and hardships of life in the wilderness.
Rufus Seth Reed was the third son of Col. Seth Reed, and
was born at Uxbridge, Mass., Oct. 11, 1775. In 1798 he was
married to Dolly Oaks, daughter of Jonathan Oaks, Esq., of
Palmyra, who died the same year. In 1801 he was married to
Agnes Irwin.
Rufus S. Reed was long regarded as the father of the town,
his residence here being coeval with its settlement. From the
first efforts to dispel the gloom of the surrounding forest to the
hour of his death he was a master spirit, conspicuous for his
enterprise, perseverance, excellent judgment and penetration,
remarkable business talent and success.
As a man, Mr. Reed was kind hearted, entirely free from
ostentation, easy of approach, and took delight in a generous
action. "Early seeing the advantageous position of the lake
country as a theater of enterprise, he was one of the first to
lead off and plant the germs of a commerce that under his eye
attained a growth which equaled that of one third of the
Union. Possessed of a vigorous constitution, with an active
mind and body, he earnestly engaged in extensive business
undertakings which spread over a wide district of country,
and amply repaid him for his enterprise and labor, as evinced
by the immense estate he was in possession of at his death."
To his various commercial, banking, and mercantile employ
ments he added that of farmer, and applied himself with a
zest and with his usual success to agriculture.
After a protracted illness, his mind retaining its accustomed
clearness to the last, he expired on the first of June, 1846, aged
seventy years. Mrs. Reed and his only son and child, Gen.
C. M. Reed, still survive.
Judah Colt was born at Lyme, Conn., July first, 1761. As
his history is identified with that of the western country, a
brief sketch and some extracts from his journal will be given.

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY. 197
Until the age of twenty-three he assisted his father on the
farm, and the last three winters taught school in the neigh
boring towns. He then resolved to see something of the
world, and took passage in the sloop Betsy for North Carolina.
As they were driven off the shore by adverse winds, they
landed at the island of Bermuda, disposed of their perishing
cargo, and repaired the vessel. They then made the harbor of
Ocracock, N. C, and Mr. Colt visited the larger towns and
taught school in the vicinity until spring, when he returned
home after an absence of over six months. As was the cus
tom, the prayers of the church at home had been offered for
his safe return. In the autumn he made a tour to Vermont,
taught school in Williamstown, Mass., in the winter, and
next engaged himself as a clerk in the dry goods store of Mr.
Thomas Shelden, of Lansingburg, N. Y.
When he returned to the parental roof, after an absence of
eighteen months, his father made him proposals "such as a
kind parent would do," but having seen a better country for
obtaining an estate by labor, he excused himself from accept
ing his offer, and returned to Lansingburg to enter the em
ploy of Mr. Nathaniel Gorham, a respectable merchant. Mr.
Colt's father dying, he returned and settled his estate, spend
ing the winter there. Finally, after several other tours, in
1789 he, with thirteen persons, with their goods, farming
utensils, etc., set out for the Genesee country. At German
Flats their wagon broke, and they proceeded from thence on
horseback, each traveler carrying his own baggage. Through
the scattering Dutch settlements the accommodations were
poor. At Fort Schuyler (Utica) they crossed the Mohawk
where there were but one or two small log houses ; ten miles
west they put up at Mr. Blackman's ; from thence proceeded
through the Oneida castle, following a bridle path, and at
night encamped on the Canasaraga Flats. Here Mr. Colt's
horse failed to keep up with the company, and Mr. E. Curtis
agreed to move with him, as his horse could travel. Two days
after leaving Utica they reached Onondaga river, and put up
at Maj. Danforth's, near the salt spring, which was the only
white family they found after leaving Blackman's. (One
man resided in Oneida castle named Alburt or Talbut.) At

198 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
Cayuga Lake a family by the name of Richardson resided,
who ferried them and their horses over in two canoes lashed
together ; ten days from Utica they arrived at Geneva, and
put up at Gilbert R. Boney's, Mr. Colt's horse having failed
after crossing the outlet of Seneca Lake. After remaining a
day or two in Geneva he walked to Canandaigua and took
shelter in a cabin occupied by Gen. Israel Chapin, being much
fatigued. Provisions were brought in boats from Albany and
Schenectady, and there was a great scarcity of the necessaries
of life.
Mr. Colt contracted with O. Phelps, Esq., to survey a town
ship situated on the Genesee Biver, known as No. 11, Honeoye
township. On July 1, 1789, he purchased a town lot (forty
acres) of O. Phelps, cleared the timber, and afterward erected
a dwelling in which he resided for many years. He sowed
wheat upon three acres of his lot the same fall, which was the
first sown in that part of the country. N. Gorham and
others sowed large fields the same season. [Mr. Colt's yielded
twenty bushels to the acre.] In August a treaty was held for
the purchase of the Indian lands, attended by the chief, Red
Jacket, and 1,700 Indians, including women and children. The
payment was made them in cash and merchandise. Rations
of bread, meat, and occasionally rum were served out, and
they came and went hungry. One hundred head of cattle
were killed for them, but of flour there was a scarcity — one
barrel made into bread sold for one hundred dollars in silver
plate, of which various kinds of Indian ornaments were made.
Many horses died distempered during the treaty, and the
Indians fed on thenr freely, and also on the blood and
entrails of all the beef slaughtered. While the treaty con
tinued but little else was attended to, and although no serious
accident happened between the whites and Indians, there
were several narrow escapes in consequence of the Indians
making too free use of spirits, and the misconduct of the
white people, who were often the aggressors.
The winter following, Mr. Colt spent in Connecticut, his
health having become impaired by frequent attacks of fever
and ague. In September, 1790, he received the appointment
from Gov. Clinton of sheriff of Ontario County ; and on the

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY. 199
third of the same month a court of quarter and general
sessions of the peace was held at the dwelling-house of O.
Phelps; Oliver Phelps, Esq., presided as judge, and James
Parker and Israel Chapin as assistant justices.
In January, 1792, Mr. Colt was married to Elizabeth Marvin,
of Lyme, Connecticut. During the winter of 1794, he con
tinued in Canandaigua for the first time. The inhabitants
were under serious apprehensions of an invasion by the
Indians in the spring, if measures were not taken by the
general government to quiet them. Early in the spring, news
was brought to I. Chapin, Esq. (Geneva), superintendent of
Indian affairs, that Capt. Brant had assembled with his
warriors at Buffalo Creek, and was proceeding to Presqu'ile,
Pennsylvania, to prevent the survey of the Triangle. To
prevent serious consequences, Mr. Chapin repaired to Buffalo
Creek, Mr. S. Colt accompanying him as secretary, and
Horatio Jones as interpreter. The Indians were assembled,
and after consultation, a part of the young men were dis
missed, and a few of the chiefs took passage by water, with
the superintendent, secretary, and interpreter, to Presqu'ile.
From this they went on foot to Le Bceuf, where was stationed
a small command of State troops, under Capt. Ebenezer
Denny. On the Indians making their errand known, viz., to
see the surveyors and to forbid them running lines, etc., they
were informed that they shortly before left the country and
had gone down the river. The Indians agreed to return home
on assurances being given that the matter should be laid before
the President of the United States.
It was agreed to hold a treaty with them the ensuing fall.
Timothy Pickering, Esq., was appointed for that purpose, and
met them at Canandaigua, in the month of October, when all
matters of difference were amicably settled.
In August, 1795, Mr. Colt, accompanied by Mr. Augustus
Porter, visited Presqu'ile for the purpose of purchasing land ;
and February, 1796, Mr. Colt made a journey to Philadelphia
to confirm the purchase of his lands, as well as to make an
offer to the Population Company of one dollar per acre for a
tract of 30,000 acres in the eastern part of the Triangle. The
company declined to sell in so large a body, but appointed Mr.

200 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
Colt their agent, at a salary of $1,500 per year, besides ex
penses for traveling, board, etc. In 1798 the salary was in
creased to $2,500, a clerk furnished, and all reasonable travel
ing expenses paid. May, 1798, Mr. Colt brought his family to
Greenfield, where they resided until their removal to Erie in
1802. The history of Erie County, during its first thirty years
in business and society affairs, is closely interwoven with that
of its two most prominent citizens, Judah Colt and R. S. Reed.
In October, 1825, Mr. Colt was elected first elder of the First
Presbyterian church, and was distinguished for his piety and
benevolence, as well as esteemed and respected in all the vari
ous relations of life.
The evening of October 11, 1832, without the least premoni
tion, Mr. Colt suddenly expired, when seated with his family
by the cheerful fireside. Mrs. Colt died March 13, 1834, aged
sixty-six years ; they left no children, two sons and a daughter
having died in infancy.
Usher Parsons, M.D., formerly of the United States Navy
— the last surviving commissioned officer of Perry's squadron —
was a native of York County, Maine. When war was declared
with Great Britain in 1812, he was a surgeon's mate on board
of the John Adams. The officers and crew volunteered for
the lake service and joined Perry at Erie in June, 1813. Dr.
Parsons was attached to the flagship Lawrence, and, owing to
the illness of the two other medical officers of the squadron,
was the only acting surgeon on the bloody and eventful tenth.
Respecting his valuable services on that trying occasion, the
commodore made most honorable mention in a letter ad
dressed to the Secretary of the Navy.1 Soon after (1814), he
was commissioned full surgeon and sailed with the squadron
to Mackinaw, and was present at the disastrous attack on that
fort by Col. Croghan. Com. Perry was soon after ordered to
the command of the frigate Java, and allowed the privilege of
selecting his officers, when Dr. Parsons was appointed surgeon.
l " Of Dr. Usher Parsons, surgeon's mate, I cannot say too much. In
consequence of the sickness of Drs. Barton and Horsely, the duty of
operating, dressing, and attending nearly a hundred wounded and as
many sick, fell on him ; and it must be gratifying to you, sir, to know that
of the whole number only three have died. I can only say that in the
event of my having another command, I should consider myself particu
larly fortunate in having him with me as a surgeon."

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY. 201
In 1818 he again sailed to the Mediterranean in the Guer-
riere, commanded by Com. McDonough, and after one year
obtained leave of absence and visited the hospitals and medi
cal schools in France and England. On his return he had
charge of the hospital in Charlestown, Mass., for a year or
two ; afterward he was appointed to a professorship in Dart
mouth College, which he resigned the following year. Since
then Dr. Parsons has resided in Providence, Rhode Island, ex
cepting the winter of 1831, when he was Professor in Jefferson
Medical College, Philadelphia.
In 1822 he married Mary Jackson Holmes, a sister of Dr.
Oliver Wendell Holmes, the celebrated author and litterateur,
and daughter of Abiel Holmes, D.D., LL. D., of Cambridge
(author of Annals of America). Mrs. Parsons deceased in 1825,
leaving one son, Dr. C. W. Parsons, of Providence.
Dr. Usher Parsons resigned his commission in the United
States Navy in 1823. He was for some years connected with
Brown University as professor of anatomy and surgery. In
1852 he was chosen first vice-president of the National Medi
cal Association. He wrote the Life of Sir William Pepperell,
several medical works, Reforms in the Navy, and probably he
had a more complete knowledge of Indian traditions and his
tory than any other person.
Dr. Parsons combined not only eminence as a professional
man and scholar, but all the virtues and graces of a Christian
gentleman. The period he was stationed in Erie, and the
arduous duties which then devolved upon him, made a lasting
impression, and in its growth and prosperity, and in the friends
of those early and exciting times he ever manifested a warm
interest. Dr. John Culbertson Wallace, the first resident phy
sician in Erie, was born in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania,
February 14, 1771. He was a good classical scholar, and gradu
ated as Doctor of Medicine, at Philadelphia, under Rush and
other celebrated medical men. In 1796 he accompanied Gen.
Wayne as surgeon in the Indian war ; was stationed at Fort
Fayette, Pittsburg, and in 1801 went to Kentucky with Gen.
Wilkinson's command. The same year he was married to Miss
Margaret Heron, daughter of Capt. James Heron, of the army,

202 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
being a couple remarkable for personal grace and beauty. Dr.
W. resigned his commission as surgeon in the army, and
after a residence of three years in Franklin, removed to Erie.
Dr. Wallace commanded an Erie County regiment at the
commencement af the War of 1812, and was called into ser
vice with his regiment in the alarm that arose on the burning
of Buffalo. Dr. Parsons, of the navy, was acting-surgeon of
Col. Wallace's regiment for a short time. In attending upon
the wounded after the batttle of Lake Erie, Dr. Wallace
assisted Dr. Parsons at the hospital (courthouse) during the
months of November, December, and January.
Dr. Wallace was elected the first Burgess of Erie, in 1806,
and also held the offices of Justice of the Peace, County Com
missioner and coroner. He was possessed of very considerable
talents, being endowed by nature with unusual discernment,
which he exercised as well on ordinary occasions as in his pro
fession. He died December 8, 1827, being but little past the
meridian of life. The direct descendants in Erie are Maj. R.
A. Pollock and Miss Elizabeth Pollock (1893).
Rev. Robert Reid 1 was the son of James and Elizabeth
Craig Reid. He was born at Reid's Hill, Hillsborough, near
Belfast, Ireland, on November 5, A.D. 1781. Owing to the
troublous state of the times in their native country, his father,
James Reid, and the three sons, Robert, Isaac, and James,
then their sole family, the mother having died young, emi
grated to this country in the fall of 1798, during the political
troubles then raging ; in which, as most Protestants had done,
he and his connections had taken sides with the government
and Orangemen. This was not remarkable, as their ancestor,
Capt. John Reid, had emigrated to that country from England
under William of Orange, and was under him at the famous
battle of the Boyne over a hundred years before, and after the
final success of that struggle, remained in the country where
most of his descendants are still.
James Reid settled in Philadelphia, and died there in 1821,
and was buried in the then Spring Garden Cemetery. James
Beid, the son, removed to Boston, but died young in Philadel
phia, leaving an only daughter, Elizabeth, wife of Dr. Koch,
l Biography of Rev. Robert Reid, written by his son, James C. Reid, Esq.

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY. 203
the paleontologist, of St. Louis. Isaac Reid became a ship
owner and trader to the Guianas and South America. He
died in Philadelphia in 1854, leaving an only son now living,
Dr. Neville Craig Reid, of Philadelphia ; while Robert, the
oldest and subject of this sketch, deeply imbued with the
idea of religious duty, determined to devote himself to the
service of the Gospel of Christ. He entered, as a student,
the University of Pennsylvania, in Philadelphia, in 1801, and
graduated with honor in 1805, being appointed immediately
thereafter tutor in the chair of mathematics, which post he
continued to fill during the following year.
Then entering the Theological Seminary of the Associate
Reformed Presbyterian church, at that time located in the
City of New York, he continued his clerical and professional
studies under the presidency of the celebrated Dr. John
Mason. Having engaged in the necessary preparations for the
sacred calling with a zeal and perseverance characteristic
of him through life, his studies were deep and thorough.
Religion was in him not only practical piety, but a science as
profound as the great Author of the universe, into the work
ings of whose mind we might by means of it obtain some
faint glimpses ; while his study of the original languages of
the sacred writings continued and prosecuted they became
one of the main pursuits of his life — one hour of every secular
day when in his study being ever after devoted to the critical
study and examination of the Scriptures in the original, as
" containing the only rule of faith and practice," and as being
the emanations and teachings of the Divine Spirit. Having
completed the usual course and trials, he was licensed in 1809
under the authority of the Presbytery of Philadelphia, and
for the next two years the field of his labors was in Virginia,
Maryland, and Pennsylvania ; principally in and west of the
mountains, fulfilling Presbyterial appointments.
During his licentiate, he traveled over much wild and then
thinly settled country, and preached in many neighborhoods,
sometimes a sermon for each day in the week.
In the fall of 1811, in company with the Rev. Samuel Wier
(afterward his brother-in-law), also a licentiate of the same
Presbytery, under the authority of the Presbytery of Monon-

204 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
gahela, he arrived at Erie, and in 1812 he was regularly
ordained and installed as pastor of the Associate Reformed
Presbyterian church, then the only organized religious associa
tion in Erie.1
Some years after, another congregation of the same church
was organized in Waterford, and for many years thereafter he
continued to preach. During the war of 1812-13, he often of
ficiated as chaplain to Perry's fleet here and to the army on
shore, and in alarms, like most of our older citizens, was some
times on duty in the ranks.
He was married on April 11, 1816, to Elizabeth, daughter of
David Calhoun, Esq., of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, an
elder of the Associate Reformed church, who died young. In
1828, he was again united in marriage with Elizabeth, daugh
ter of Rev. Matthew Lind, an eminent clergyman of the
Associate Reformed church, and long pastor of the famous
Paxton church, near Harrisburg.
In 1819 the Erie Academy was incorporated, and he was
elected President of the Board of Trustees, the duties of which
office he continued to perform for twenty-five years, to the
close of his life. In him the cause of popular education from
the earliest times here, and during all that period, had a con
stant, efficient, and devoted friend ; and after the organization
of the Erie Academy, until a competent principal could be
procured, he occupied the position of the flrst principal of the
institution.2 After a service of more than a third of a century
in the ministry, he died on the 16th of May, 1844, in the sixty-
third year of his age.
i " On Wednesday, October 21, 1812, Rev. Robert Reid was ordained pastor,
the Rev. Messrs. David Kerr, Mungo Dick, and James McConnell were the
members of the Presbytery who were present. On Wednesday, April 21,
1813, the Rev. Mr. Galloway, of Mercer, and Mr. Junkin, ruling elder, assists
ing, Archibald McSparren, Thomas Hughes, and David Robinson were
ordained, and Alexander Robinson was installed, ruling elders, and James
Dumars ordained deacon of the congregation." — Copied from the original
records, pp. 83, 8U, of the Associate Reformed Church of Erie, Pennsylvania.
2 One of Rev. R. Reid's parishioners informed me that his custom was to
visit every family of his congregation once in six weeks. This, with
memorizing all sermons, in accordance with the practice of the denomina
tion, must have called for untiring industry. Two hundred and fifty
dollars, and at the utmost never more than three hundred dollars, was the
salary allowed for the support of the pastor and his family. Mr. Frank G.
Carpenter, the traveler and lecturer, of Washington City, is a grandson. l. a. s.

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY. 205
His published works are :
1. A Funeral Sermon on the Death of Lieut. Brooks, United
States Navy, published in 1813.
2. A Sermon, "The Reign of Truth and Righteousness
about to commence," in 1824.
3. A Tract, "Observations on Dr. Watt's Preface to the
Psalms of David," etc., in 1825.
4. " The Seven Last Plagues, being Dissertations on the
Prophecies of the Book of Daniel, and on the Book of Bevela-
tions." 1 Vol., in 1828.
5. "Helps to Christian Devotion"; consisting of critical
translations of, and dissertations on, the first twenty-three
Psalms. 1 Vol., in 1833.
6. Two "Tracts on Church Government," published in 1839
and 1841.
As a scholar, he was distinguished for a profound and crit
ical knowledge of the original languages of the sacred writings
and their cognates, and as a mathematician. To the study
of the exact sciences much of his leisure was appropriated,
and his occasional contributions to the scientific periodicals of
the day are still evidences of his extra-clerical lucubrations.
Thomas Wilson was born near Sunbury, Northumberland
County, Pennsylvania, in 1772. His father, John Wilson, who,
was one of the earliest settlers of Northumberland County,
died in 1774, and his sister Agnes soon after was married to
Gen. David Mead, the pioneer to the waters of French Creek,
and the first settler of the pleasant town which bears his
name. In 1782 a band of Indians entered the residence of
Mrs. Wilson, being led by a chief who had frequently been
fed there, and after emptying the ticks and filling them with
the most valuable household goods, departed with the mother
and Margaret, a little daughter, prisoners. Seeing one of
Thomas' garments on the grass, the chief angrily demanded
him also, but fortunately he could not be found. Before
evening they sent the mother back, but she feared to enter the
house lest the Indians should return, and remained through
the night in the stable. The child was redeemed three years
after at Detroit, and afterward married a Mr. Barry, of
Toronto. In 1802 Mr. Wilson was married at Waterford to

206 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY. •
Miss Mary Naylor, who resided with her brother, James
Nay lor, Esq., being stationed there as Issuing Commissary
for many years. Mr. Wilson removed to Erie in 1805. He
had, for many years, been in partnership with Mr. Oliver
Ormsby, of Pittsburg, in contracts for supplying all the
Western military posts from Niagara to New Orleans ; his last
contract, which was at the time when Louisiana was ceded to
United States, proved unfortunate, and involved him finan
cially beyond recovery. The year of his removal to Erie he
built two vessels, one on Lake Erie, called the Mary, and the
Fair American on Lake Ontario, being the best on those
lakes ; afterward he built the Lark at Erie.
Mr. Wilson was a man of remarkable business talent and
enterprise. His popularity in the county and among his
acquaintances was only equaled by his large hearted benefi
cence. He held various offices of trust in Erie with credit,
being successively Justice of the Peace, County Treasurer,
County Commissioner, member of the Legislature, and
member of Congress, and at the time of his death, in 1824, he
held the office of Prothonotary.
His eldest daughter, Jane L., who deceased in 1860, was an
agreeable and interesting writer, and the author of several
works published by religious societies. The titles of the prin
cipal ones are "Broken Cisterns," "Arthur Singleton," and
"Ruth Elmer."
P. S. V. Hamot was born in Paris, France, on November
28, 1784. His father was a captain in the French army, and a
royalist, and left France for Russia, where he resided during
the "reign of terror." Returning to France after the estab
lishment of the " Republic," he offered to procure for his son
a lieutenancy in the army ; but such a position not being in
accordance with his tastes, and his attention having been
turned to the new republic of the West, he preferred to come
to America and to try his fortune in a new and strange land.
His father consenting, he came to Philadelphia, with the
French consul, in 1802, as "l'ho?nrne de conflance," as ex
pressed in his passport. The consul died soon after his arrival,
leaving Mr. Hamot a friendless youth, and among a people
in whose language he was little versed. His self-reliance,

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY. 207
peculiarly a trait of his character, did not allow him to
despond. A mercantile situation offering, he started for the
West, as the clerk of a French house, in charge of a stock of
merchandise. The vessel on the route was wrecked on Lake
Ontario, but, with the goods recovered, he opened a store at
Niagara, Canada, and from thence removed to Lewiston,
and in 1805 to Erie. In 1810 he formed a partnership with
Messrs. E. & D. Alvord, of Salina, who dealt largely in salt.
This business connection continued many years. He was
also engaged in general mercantile business on his own
account, and was one of the first and most successful merchants
of the jflace.
Mr, Hamot held responsible and honorable offices under the
government ; being at one time Canal Commissioner, and at
another Superintendent of Public Works at Erie. He was the
first cashier of the Erie Bank and one of the principal stock
holders. As a business man, he was fortunate, and noted for
his activity and energy in the prosecution of his plans, and
for sound judgment. He engaged warmly in politics, his
sympathies and feelings being with the Democratic party ;
and his politeness and hearty hospitality won for him many
attached friends. Mr. Hamot was twice married : to Adeline
Woodruff, of Lewiston, New York, in 1818, who died in 1821 ;
and to Elizabeth Coltrin, widow of Dr. Asa Coltrin, and
daughter of George Keefer, of Thorold, Canada, in 1825. He
died October 17, 1846.
Capt. Daniel Dobbins was born near Lewistown, in
Mifflin County, Pennsylvania, January 5, 1776. He came to
Erie with Esquire Rees' party of surveyors in 1795, when all
was a wilderness. In July, 1812, while lying with his vessel,
the Salina, at Mackinaw, he was taken prisoner by the
British, it being his first intimation that war had been
declared. Having landed the night before on the north side of
the island, they took possession of the fort and the vessels in
the harbor. R. S. Reed and William Beed, of Erie, were on
the Salina as passengers, but were dismissed on parole. Capt.
Dobbins was also allowed to return home.
In Chapter XV. is found an account of Capt. Dobbins'
services in forwarding the construction of the squadron in

208 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
1813 ; and that through his discernment and perseverance
Erie became the naval station.
While in the navy as sailing-master, he was also engaged in
the merchant service. He had command of the Washington
in 1816, which the same year conveyed troops to Green Bay,
and was the first vessel which had entered that harbor, it
being a difficult task to navigate it. On this first visit, Wash
ington Harbor was called for the vessel ; Boyer's Bluff, for
Col. Boyer, who was aboard ; Chambers' Island, for Col.
Chambers, aboard ; Green Island, for an officer of the name,
aboard ; and the Captain's own name, Dobbins, was given to a
small group of islands.
In 1826 Capt. Dobbins was ordered to sea in the vessel fitted
out to bring home the remains of Com. Perry, and resigned
his commission. In 1827 he was engaged in constructing piers
at Ashtabula. In 1829 Gen. Jackson appointed him to the
command of the revenue cutter Rush, to which he was re
appointed by President Polk in 1845, and he left active service
in the revenue department in 1849.
Capt. Dobbins was possessed of sterling qualities, and being
a close observer, recorded many interesting incidents con
nected with the navigation of the lakes and life on the frontier.
He died at the age of eighty, February 29, 1856.
Thomas Hale Sill.1 — Among the early residents of Erie,
and belonging to that set of men who found it a frontier
settlement in what was then the distant West, and of those
who devoted their energies and talents to the building up of
the place, the development of its resources, and the welfare of
its inhabitants, the name of Thomas H. Sill may well be men
tioned. A daily familiarity with the city and harbor, their natural
advantages and all the improvements which skill has devised
and industry added, may indeed cause the present generation
to forget the unremitting and varied exertions, extending
through the past half century, by which those advantages,
now regarded as a matter of course, were first developed and
secured. Of the men who during this period thus actively exerted
i From the pen of his son, Hon. James Sill.

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY. 209
themselves, hardly a survivor remains ; and a history of Erie
County would be incomplete were no mention made of them.
Mr. Sill having in early life selected Erie as his home, and
become identified with its people and interests, and having for
nearly half a century participated in the vicissitudes, hopes,
struggles, and triumphs always incident to a settlement
through the various steps of its progress and development into
a city, the very incidents or events of the life of such a
citizen are inseparable from aud part of its history.
We give, therefore, from the Erie Gazette next succeeding
Mr. Sill's decease, the following biographical notice :
"This gentleman, who closed his earthly career at his resi
dence on Sixth Street last Thursday evening, was the senior
member of the Erie County bar as well as one of the best
known and most esteemed citizens of Northwestern Pennsyl
vania. He had so long and conspicuously figured in the
affairs of this section of the State, and particularly of our city
and county, that his name had become a household word —
and seldom was that name mentioned without deep-seated
respect. Aside from his qualifications as a lawyer, which were
of the first order, he possessed traits of character calculated to
inspire universal regard and admiration. His deportment was
unassuming yet dignified, his disposition kind and accommo
dating, his general course of conduct based upon principles of
acknowledged integrity. As a husband he was attentive and
affectionate ; as a father, kind and indulgent ; as a neighbor,
generous and sympathizing ; as a citizen, active, honest, and
true. In short, in all the relations of life, whether as a law
yer, legislator, friend, or neighbor, he exhibited a commend
able spirit of interest in the welfare alike of the county, State,
and country, ever sustaining his endeavors to promote and
secure the same by a strong and well-cultivated intellect and
ready and effective eloquence. ,
" Mr. Sill was born at Windsor, Connecticut, on October 11,/
1783. His father, Capt. Bichard L. Sill, served in the Bevolu-
tionary War, and occupied an honorable position in his day.
Graduating at Brown University, in September, 1804, and his
health failing him, he traveled in the Southern States and
made a voyage to the West Indies — at intervals, as health

210 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
permitted, studying law. Completing his law studies with
the Hon. Jacob Burnett, of Cincinnati, in 1809, he commenced
practice in Lebanon, Warren County, Ohio. His health
again failed, and after going back to Connecticut and return
ing to the West as far as Pittsburg, he was induced to locate
at Erie, then a naval station, where he arrived in July, 1813,
and remained until his death. From 1816 to 1818 he held the
office of Deputy United States Marshal. In 1S16 he married
Joanna B. Chase, daughter of Rev. Amos Chase, of Litch
field County, Connecticut. In 1819 he was appointed Deputy
Attorney-General for Warren County, and was present at the
opening of the first court — practicing from that time until a
recent period in the several courts of Erie, Warren, and Craw
ford Counties. The confusion occasioned by the burning of
the courthouse, with the records, in 1823, induced a general
movement in favor of sending him to Harrisburg in the
capacity of a representative. In compliance therewith he
relinquished his practice, and represented the district during
the session of 1823-24. By dint of earnest effort he procured
the passage of an act remedying the losses and inconveniences
resulting from the destruction of the county records, con
nected with an appropriation from the State to assist in
rebuilding the courthouse. He succeeded Hon. Patrick Far
relly in Congress in 1826, and was re-elected in 1828 — being
at that period the only anti-Jackson member from Penn
sylvania. He declined a re-election at that time. He was
appointed President of the United States Branch Bank in
1837, and held the office to the close of the existence of that
institution. At various times he was elected burgess of the
then borough of Erie, and for nearly thirty years filled the
office of trustee of the Erie Academy ; ever exhibiting a deep
interest in the educational affairs of the city and county. He
was elected in 1836 to the Convention to amend the Constitu
tion of Pennsylvania — a body composed of the ablest and best
men in the State — men like Forward, Sergeant, Meredith,
Chauncey, Chandler, and Reigert — and it is due to his memory
to say that in this body he acquired and maintained a position
of commanding influence. He was chosen Presidential
Elector in 1848, and, in accordance with the expressed voice of

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY. 211
the State, as well as his own preference, voted for Taylor and
Fillmore. Feeble health having, in a great measure, incapaci
tated him for the laborious practice of his profession, he was
appointed postmaster of Erie by President Taylor, on April
16, 1849. President Fillmore reappointed him, and he con
tinued to serve until June, 1853. He died February 7, 1856,
' full of years and full of honors.'
"Mr. Sill was confessedly one of the first members of his
profession. He excelled particularly as an advocate, never
failing, by his clear logic, smooth diction, strong sympathies,
and unvarying candor and courtesy, to produce a deep im
pression, and frequently carrying the jury with him against
the instructions of the court and the apparent law of the case.
In this respect he had few, if any, superiors, and was always
considered a dangerous competitor in the prosecution of im
portant suits. Taking him all in all, he was a great and good
man, enjoying the confidence and respect of all classes of
society, and dying without a known enemy."
Giles Sanford was born in Norwich Farms, now Franklin,
New London County, Connecticut, September 18, 1783, and
with his father's family removed to Herkimer County, New
York, in 1801. Mr. Sanford came to Erie to reside in 1810.
The family can be traced back directly to John Sanford,
President of Rhode Island in 1655. In 1637, having been
disarmed for sympathizing with Wheelright in his famous
opinions, in connection with Coddington, Hutchinson, and
other well-known colonial men of wealth and eminence,
Rhode Island was purchased. On the maternal side Giles
Sanford was descended from Richard Edgerton, who, in 1655,
was one of the thirty-eight original proprietors of Norwich,
Connecticut. In 1814 Mr. Sanford formed a mercantile partnership with
Mr. R. S. Reed, which continued until 1824. In 1823 the firm
in his name was contractor for supplying the military posts of
Fort Dearborn (Chicago), Mackinaw, St. Mary's, and Fort
Howard (Green Bay).
Mr. Sill and Mr. Sanford were delegates to the Canal Con
vention, which met at Harrisburg (in 1824, we believe), and
which convention gave the first impetus to internal improve-

212 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
ments in the State. The Board of Trade and the Natural
History Society he was the first to suggest.
Mr. Sanford was ever a zealous and disinterested friend of
public improvements, did much for the promotion of agricul
ture and horticulture in the county, and contributed liberally
to benevolent and Christian enterprises. In consequence of
his business connections, habits of observation and general
information, he has rendered valuable assistance in this work.
John Galbraith was born in Huntingdon County, Penn
sylvania, August 2, 1794. His father was a soldier of the
American Revolution, and took part in the battle of Long
Island, where he was taken by the enemy, and being, with
many others, imprisoned in New York, he there suffered hard
ships and privations, from the effects of which he never fully
recovered. He resided in Huntingdon County after the war,
when he removed with his family to Butler County, Pennsyl
vania, where he passed the remainder of his life. He gave to
his children such opportunities for learning as were attainable
in a new and thinly settled country. The subject of this
sketch early exhibited a fondness for study, and although the
facilities afforded to him were but meager and limited, he yet
managed to acquire a liberal education.
Like many others who have attained a prominent position,
he at one time, and when yet quite a youth, taught a country
school. He served an apprenticeship to the printing business
in the same office in Butler where James Thompson, afterward
Chief Justice, was employed. He married Miss Amy Ayres,
daughter of Rev. Robert Ayres, an Episcopal clergyman, of
Brownsville, Pennsylvania. He studied law in the office of
Gen. William Ayres, of Butler, at that day one of the leading
lawyers of Western Pennsylvania, and was admitted to the
bar in the year 1819. He began the practice of his profession
soon afterward at Franklin, Venango County. He soon took
I a prominent place as a lawyer and acquired a large practice.
In 1828 he was elected to the Pennsylvania Legislature, and
was twice re-elected. In 1832 he was elected to Congress, from
the district at that time composed of the Counties of Venango,
Crawford, Warren, and Erie. He was re-elected to Congress
in 1834, and again in 1838. On the expiration of his third con-

• f, ,«.«-•

^I^T^h-j

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY. 213
gressional term in 1840, he resumed the practice of the law at
Erie, to which place he had removed in the year 1837.
In 1851, the Constitution of the State having been so
amended as to require the election of judges by the people,
Mr. Galbraith was placed in nomination by the Democratic
party as their candidate for President Judge of the Sixth
Judicial District ; and, although his party was in a very de
cided minority in the district, he was elected by a large major
ity — a marked evidence of the great personal popularity he
always enjoyed. He continued to discharge the duties of his
new position until his death, which occurred from a stroke of
paralysis, on June 15, 1860.
Few men in the State had a wider circle of acquaintance
than Judge Galbraith. Of remarkably gentle disposition and
winning manners, he had a strong hold upon the popular
heart. He was always the friend of the poor.
As a lawyer, he was studious and learned, rather than bril
liant. He was never a fluent speaker, although very successful
as an advocate. As a judge, he was distinguished for his
thorough knowledge of the law ; but it was more particularly
in the administration of criminal justice that he was noted
for a humane and discriminating appreciation of his duties.
Avoiding the heartless and indiscriminate severity, which
appears by many to be regarded as indispensable in the treat
ment of offenders, he always sought to temper justice with
mercy, and, if possible, to reform as well as to punish.
It was as a judge of the criminal courts that his attention
was drawn to the defects in our present penal system, and
some of which he sought to remedy by his project of an Indus
trial Reform School. The charter for this institution was
obtained by his efforts, and its list of managers numbered
some of the most respected and honored names in the country.

CHAPTER XV.
War declared — Com. Perry — Capt. Dobbins' Correspondence — Com.
Chauncey and Mr. Henry Eckford — Mr. Brown — Difficulties in
fitting out the fleet— Gen. Mead — Capt. Perry at Fort George-
Five Vessels brought from Buffalo — Provincial Marine Corps —
Difficulties in procuring Men — Letters to Com. Chauncey and the
Secretary of the Navy — A Providence recognized in the War —
Getting the Vessels over the Bai — Com. Barclay at Port Dover —
Seven of the Vessels make a Cruise to Long Point — Officers and
Men from Lake Ontario — August 12, Com. Perry sails for San
dusky — Interview with Gen. Harrison — Squadron proceeds to
Maiden — Kentucky Militia — Sickness — Letters from the Secretary
— Ohio dispatched to Erie — Strength of the British Force — The
American Force — Americans again look in at Maiden — Corrected
Instructions for the Battle.
In June, 1812, during the administration of James Madison,
war was declared by the United States against Great Britain.
The grounds given in the Message were " the impressment of
American seamen by the British ; the blockading of the ports
of their enemies ; the orders in council ; and a suspicion that
the Indians had been instigated to acts of hostility by British
agents." The bill for a declaration of war passed the House of Repre
sentatives by a vote of seventy-nine to forty-nine, and in the
Senate by one of nineteen to thirteen. The day after the bill
passed the Senate it was signed by the President, and in five
days, as it afterward proved, the British orders in council
were repealed.
The minority opposed the war on the ground of its being un
necessary and impolitic ; that the aggressions of the French
had been greater than those of the English ; and they
entered a solemn protest against the measure. These views
had the sympathy of a considerable proportion of the people
of the United States, and the War was consequently prose-
214

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY. 215
cuted with much less energy and success than it otherwise
would have been.
Although hostilities had been meditated a long time, the
country was in an imperfect state of preparation, and by land,
the first year, the American arms were entirely unsuccessful.
In the attempt of government to conquer Upper Canada, Gen.
Hull and his army surrendered at Detroit, and Gen. Van
Benssalaer met with defeat at Niagara, thus leaving the
British in full possession of Lake Erie. Having five armed
vessels, they captured the Adams, a brig of 150 tons, and the
only armed vessel of the Americans,1 and at any time could
strike a fatal blow upon the South Shore settlements.
These disastrous expeditions urged the necessity of a naval
force upon the lake to cooperate with Gen. Harrison, who had
command of the Northwestern army.
The construction of this force was commenced in the autumn
of 1812, at Erie, and gained the following year a most brilliant
victory. Com. Oliver Hazard Perry, to whose judgment and
bravery it was mainly to be attributed, with the blessings in
volved, was a native of Rhode Island, and entered the navy as
a midshipman at the age of fourteen — this was on board the
General Greene, a frigate of twenty-eight guns, in 1799, his
father being in command. His ancestors were of the first
respectability, and the following anecdotes of his childhood
indicate that his mother was a woman of rare sense and excel
lence. On the removal of the family to Newport, "Oliver
was placed at the school of Mr. Frazier, under whose skillful
and judicious tuition he made rapid proficiency in all his
studies. The relaxed discipline of the country schools, where,
the numbers being small, everything was conducted some
what upon the principle of brotherly love, furnished but an
imperfect preparation for the sterner rule which the Highland
gentleman found it necessary to exercise among his more
numerous and heterogeneous disciples at Newport. The early
days of Oliver's admission into Mr. Frazier's school were sig
nalized by a very untoward occurrence — no less a one than his
i Some years ago, in a letter to a gentleman in Erie, J. Fenimore
Cooper claimed the honor of wearing the first navy button on Lake Erie,
being a midshipman on the brig Adams, which was not generally com
manded by navy officers.

216 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
receiving a broken head, one day, for some trifling, and per
haps unconscious, misdemeanor, from a heavy ferule hurled
by Mr. Frazier, in an ungovernable fit of passion, such as he
was often subject to. Seizing his hat, without leave asked or
granted, Oliver went immediately home, and told his mother
he could never enter that school again. Mrs. Perry was a
woman of strong feelings, eminently courageous temperament,
and commanding character. She was necessarily indignant at
the treatment of her child ; but she was not much edified by
Oliver's determinations as to what he would or would not do,
nor disposed to yield to them. She did not reply to his de
cision not to return to Mr. Frazier's school, but quietly bound
up his wounded head, and soothed him with expressions of
maternal solicitude. Had she consulted only her resentment,
it would have led her, at every hazard, to withdraw her child
from the authority of one who had abused it. She wisely re
flected, however, that Oliver being an unusually high-spirited
boy, and his father generally absent, as he happened to be at
that time, if she yielded to his wishes in this instance, he
might expect the same indulgence whenever he felt discon
tented with a school from motives less well founded. This
would not only be a disadvantage to him with regard to his
studies, but might tend to weaken her control over him. She
then wrote a note to Mr. Frazier, stating in subdued terms her
indignant feelings at the outrage upon her child, coupled with
the motives which restrained her from withdrawing him
from the school, and concluding by the expression of a hope
that she would not have cause to regret the mark of renewed
confidence which she thus gave to Mr. Frazier by again in
trusting her son to him. On the following morning, as the
usual hour came around, she called to Oliver as if she had
heard nothing of his declaration of the previous day, and told
him it was school-time ; at the same time she placed the note
for Mr. Frazier in his hand, and told him she did not think
he would receive similar treatment again. The proud boy's
lip quivered, and a tear stood in his eye, but the thought of
disobeying his mother had never entered his head, nor did it
probably ever do so until the day of his death. She lived to
rear five sons, all of whom entered the naval service of their

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY. 217
country, and whom she fitted to command others by .teaching
them thus early to obey. Mr. Frazier was conscious of his
own culpable violence, and alive to the good sense and magna
nimity of Mrs. Perry's conduct. He devoted himself unre
mittingly to Oliver's improvement, and became warmly
attached to him, and won his attachment in return — for
Oliver, though high tempered, was a stranger to vindictive
ness and cherished resentment. Newport was then an emi
nently commercial port. As many of the young men were
intended for sea, Mr. Frazier had an evening class for the
purpose of teaching mathematics, and their application to
navigation and nautical astronomy. He took a peculiar
pleasure in initiating Oliver into these sciences, and in the
intervals between school hours, and on holidays, would fre
quently walk to the beach with him, where a horizon could be
obtained, to take astronomical observations, and otherwise
render his lessons more practical. Before Oliver left Mr.
Frazier's school, the latter was wont to boast that he was the
best navigator in Rhode Island."
Another interesting circumstance of Perry's youth is related
by McKenzie. "When Oliver was but eleven years old,
Bishop Seabury came to Newport, in the course of an episco
pal visitation of the Eastern States, for the purpose of ordain
ing clergymen and confirming the young. Oliver's parents
scarcely considered him old enough to receive and appreciate
that solemn rite ; but the Bishop having been greatly pleased
by his appearance and manners, and by the maturity and
seriousness which his conversation indicated, requested that
he might come forward for confirmation. Afterward, when
the Bishop came to take leave of Oliver's parents, he laid his
hand upon the boy's head and blessed him in a manner so
solemn and emphatic as to make an indelible impression upon
all who were present. His mother was greatly touched by the
incident, and received the impression that the blessing had
been heard and answered, and would follow him through life.
Toward the close of the year 1797, Capt. Perry, having secured
a small competency, retired from his profession and settled in
the village of Westerly, in a remote part of the State. Oliver
was now entering his thirteenth year, his education unusually

218 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
advanced for his age — for he had been a diligent student at
Mr. Frazier's during the last five years — and an unbounded
fondness for books, kept up from the early period when his
mother had first taught him to read, had imparted to him an
unusual share of general information. Fortunately for the
youth of those times, novels were not so abundant nor so
universally diffused as now, and the reading of Oliver was
confined to Plutarch, Shakspeare, the Spectator, and works of
a similar character, suited to instruct and furnish the mind
and give force to his character." In after-life he was an
earnest student, particularly of mathematics and astronomy.
During his leisure hours his modesty and amiability, with his
fine personal appearance and conversational talents, made
him a favorite in intelligent and refined society. Though of a
quick and excitable temperament, he was not disposed to be
unreasonable or implacable. He was an elegant and fearless
rider, possessed a fine musical talent, and added to these the
more questionable accomplishment of playing an admirable
game of billiards, but without the taste for gambling too often
accompanying it.
At the age of twenty-two he was married to Miss Elizabeth
Champlin Mason, of Newport, a lady of extraordinary gifts
and loveliness ; and it was said by one who knew Capt. Perry
intimately, "that he was through life a model of every do
mestic virtue and grace."
Com. Rodgers had been his able instructor in seamanship ;
and previous to his command on Lake Erie, although then
but twenty-seven years of age, he had been in charge of a
flotilla of gunboats at Newport. Having the rank of com
mander, in November, 1812, he tendered his services for the
lakes, as he had before applied for a post where he might serve
his country and distinguish himself. On February 1, 1813, he
received a letter from Com. Chauncey, who had the command
of Lakes Erie and Ontario, stating that he had applied to the
Secretary of the Navy to have him ordered to the lakes ; and
added, " you are the very person that I want for a particular
service, in which you may gain reputation for yourself and
honor for your country." A few days after, he also had the
pleasure of hearing fron> his friend, Com. Rodgers, in Wash-

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY. 219
ington, that the new Secretary, Mr. Jones, had decided to
order him to Lake Erie ; and "you will, doubtless," he adds,
" command in chief; the situation, I think, will suit you ex
actly ; you may expect some warm fighting, and, of course, a
portion of honor."
On February 17, he received orders to proceed to Sackett's
Harbor with all the best men in the flotilla under his
command, where he would be further instructed by Com.
Chauncey with regard to his duties on Lake Erie. The same
day Capt. Perry sent off a detachment of one hundred and fifty
men and officers under the command of Sailing-master Almy ;
on the 19th, fifty men under Sailing-master Champlin ; and
fifty men on the 21st, under Sailing-master Taylor. His
object in thus dividing the men was that they might the
better procure conveyances and accommodations on the road.
On the morning of February 22, he set forward on his mission,
visiting his parents by the way, and taking with him his
brother Alexander, a midshipman, then but twelve years of
age. He arrived at Sackett's Harbor the evening of March 3,
having waited three days at Albany for Com. Chauncey. As
an attack was expected at Sackett's Harbor on the squadron
and vessels on the stocks, the Commodore detained him there
until March 16. On his journey to Erie (where he arrived on
the 24th), he remained one day in Buffalo, examining the
navy yard at Black Rock, then under command of Lieut.
Pettigru. He then made some arrangements to have stores
forwarded to Erie, and on the 26th set out himself in a sleigh
upon the ice. At Cattaraugus, where he spent the night, the
innkeeper informed him that he had recently been on the
Canada side, and there had been questioned as to the vessels
building at Erie, and the force stationed there, and his opinion
was that the British intended to make an attack when the
ice should break up. On the evening of the 27th, Capt. Perry
arrived at Erie, and immediately acquainted himself with the
state of affairs and the progress of the work. Here six
months before, Gen. David Mead, who commanded the
militia, had appointed Mr. Daniel Dobbins bearer of dispatches
to Washington. Mr. Dobbins, with his vessel, had been
taken by the British at Hull's surrender, and his experience

220 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
on the lakes gave him an acquaintance with its harbors, com
merce, and inhabitants. ' He received from the Navy Depart
ment the appointment of sailing-master, and was ordered to
repair immediately to Erie and commence building the fleet,
with instructions to draw upon the Department for funds to
meet the expense, and to report to Com. Chauncey at Black
Rock or Sackett's Harbor for further instructions. Accord
ingly, on his return he addressed the commanding officer, and
in reply received the following :
" Sir •— " BuFFAL0> °CT- 2> 1812-
" Your letter of the thirteenth ultimo, directed to Com.
Chauncey or the commanding officer on Lake Erie, I have
received, together with its inclosed, a copy of your instructions
from the Honorable the Secretary of the Navy, each of which,
together with a copy of this letter, I have inclosed to him for
his consideration. It appears to me utterly impossible to
build gunboats at Presqu'ile ; there is not a sufficient depth of
water on the bar to get them into the lake. Should there be
water, the place is at all times open to the attacks of the
enemy, and in all probability when ready for action will ulti
mately fall into the hands of the enemy, which would be a
great annoyance to our force building and repairing at that
place. From a slight acquaintance I have with our side of the
lake, and with what information I have obtained from per
sons who have long navigated the lake, I am under an im
pression that Lake Erie has not a single harbor calculated to
fit out a naval expedition, and the only one convenient I am
at present at, which is between Squaw Island and the main,
immediately in the mouth of Niagara River. I have no
further communication to make on the subject. Probably'in
a few days I shall be in possession of Commodore Chauncey's
impressions, when you shall again hear from me.
" With esteem, yours respectfully, "J.D.Elliot.
"Mr. Daniel Dobbins."
Capt. Dobbins replied as follows :
"Dear Sir:- " Erie, Oct. 11, 1812.
"Yours of the second instant is received. In regard to the

/^nx^^^^^^tA

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY. 221
idea entertained by you that this place is not a suitable one to
build gunboats at, allow me to differ with you. There is a
sufficiency of water on the bar to let them into the lake, but
not a sufficiency to let any heavy armed vessel of the enemy
into the bay to destroy them. The bay is large and spacious,
and completely land-locked, except at the entrance. I have
made my arrangements in accordance with my ¦ own con
victions, for the purpose of procuring the timber and other
materials for their construction. I believe I have as perfect a
knowledge of this lake as any other man on it, and I believe
you would agree with me, were you here, that this is the place
for a naval station. ' ' I remain, very respectfully, etc. ,
" Daniel Dobbins,
" Sailing-master U. S. N.
"To Lieut. J. D. Elliot, U. S. N., Black Rock."
The letter of Lieut. Elliot was the only information Mr.
Dobbins could get from that quarter ; not being satisfied with
this, he hastened to Black Rock, where he found Lieut. Angus
in command, and as he had not heard from Com. Chauncey,
or from any other quarter, of the building of gunboats at
Erie, he expressed himself at a loss what course to pursue.
Capt. Dobbins, however, employed Ebenezer Crosby as master
carpenter, which Lieut. Angus sanctioned, and returned to
Erie determined to urge forward the work with such house-
carpenters as he could procure.1
1 Extract of a letter from Capt. Dobbins to the Secretary of the Navy:
„ SlK ._ " Erie, Pa., Dec. 12, 1812.
" I have expected workmen, or orders to employ them, but have received
none, owing, in all probability, to the Commodore [Chauncey] not coming
on [to Black Rock] as was expected. I have, however, gone on with the
work, and at this time have two of the boats on the stocks, and will engage
to have them all ready by the time the ice is out of the lake if required.
"Their dimensions are 50 feet keel, 17 feet beam, and 5 feet hold, and I
think will be fast sailers. If it is desired that I should proceed with the
work, please authorize me to draw upon the Department, as I have already
expended a considerable sum over the $2,000 already drawn, the vouchers
of which expenditure I will forward by the next mail. I have found a mer
chant [R. S. Reed] in this place who will advance money on drafts. I have
negotiated those already received with him, and have continued to draw,
as I feel satisfied the Department do not wish the work to stop. It appears
the Commodore [Chauncey] has been so engaged on the lower lake as to
have taken all his attention ; but the ice will soon lock him, as it has the
harbor at this place, which forms a complete barrier against the enemy this
winter. I have not been able to make contracts for the construction, in ac-

222 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
Early in January Com. Chauncey and Mr. Henry Eckford,
his principal carpenter, came on and inspected and approved
the work, and gave instructions to get out timber for two sloops
of war. Mr. Noah Brown, a master shipwright from New
York, came on early in March with twenty-five carpenters.
In a letter from Mr. Dobbins to the Secretary of the Navy,
dated March 14, we find the following: "The keels of the
two brigs are ready to lay ; the gunboats are ready for caulk
ing. Although everything looks encouraging, yet I have my
fears of the secret incendiary as well as the prowhng spy of
the enemy, and that in a moment our labor may be destroyed.
I find I cannot raise any volunteers to guard the vessels, but
have made arrangements with the carpenters in the yard to
stand guard until I hear from you. Mr. Brown joins me in
my opinion in regard to the danger, and the course I intend
to pursue to secure a guard for the vessels." This guard, with
a well-armed volunteer company of sixty citizens, commanded
by Col. Thomas Forster, constituted for some time the only
protection of the town and vessels.
Capt. Perry immediately on his arrival dispatched Mr.
Dobbins to Buffalo for seamen and muskets, and, if possible,
two 12-pounders. After a most perilous and fatiguing expe
dition, Mr. Dobbins returned with one 12-pounder (having
left Buffalo with three), four chests of arms, ammunition, etc.
The difficulty of creating a squadron where most of the sup
plies must come from the seashore — the cordage, cannon, pow
der and balls — at an inclement season, through a half-settled
country, with miserable roads, can scarcely be conceived.
cordance with the wish of the Department, as the people in this country
are poor and would fail to comply. I have made individual contracts
with each workman. The iron I procure at Pittsburg, which comes high,
as the roads are bad and transportation expensive.
" Please send me instructions at your earliest convenience.
" I have the honor to be, very respectfully, etc.,
" Daniel Dobbins,
"Hon. Paul Hamilton, Secretary of the Navy." " Sailing-master U. S. N.
It still being urged at the Department that Black Rock was a more suit
able place for a naval station than Erie, Capt. Dobbins addressed a letter
to the Secretary on the subject, dated December 19, 1812, from which the
following is an extract : " In regard to the vessels cut down and lying in
an unfinished otate at Black Rock, there can be but little confidence placed
in their safety. The yard is within reach of the batteries of the enemy,
and if finished the vessels would be cut to pieces with their shot in passing
up the rapids into the lake."

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY. 223
On the evening of the 30th of March, Sailing-master W. V.
Taylor arrived from Sackett's Harbor with twenty officers and
men, and the next day Capt. Perry left for Pittsburg to pro
cure necessary stores, and to hasten, if possible, the coming of
the expected carpenters. He arrived there on the 4th of
April, and made arrangements to procure from Philadelphia
canvas for the sails of the squadron, and also passed two days
in visiting the different shops of the mechanics employed in
working for his vessels. Many of the articles they had never
before manufactured, and in such cases minute directions were
required. Capt. A. K. Woolley rendered him great assistance
in supplying necessary stores by loaning him four small guns
and some muskets, and in superintending the casting of the
shot. The carpenters, he found, had passed on to Erie, but
their tools were yet to come, and the blockmakers were equally
unfortunate. Having impressed upon the manufacturers the
necessity of all being completed by the first of May, he de
parted on the 7th of April, and reached Erie on the 10th. In
his absence he found the work had progressed rapidly.
At Capt. Perry's earnest request, Gen. Mead had stationed
five hundred militia at Erie, so that a defense could be set up
in case the British attempted the destruction of the vessels.
Two of the gunboats, the Porcupine and Tigress, were
launched the 15th of April, and were soon equipped for ser
vice. The Scorpion had been lengthened twelve feet by Mr.
Eckford's order, and was not launched until the first of May.
All "were built at the mouth of Lee's Run, near the foot of
Sassafras Street — afterward known as the "Navy Yard" —
the government having rented the ground for a term of
years and erected there a storehouse, hospital, and other
buildings. The two brigs that were laid down shortly before
Com. Perry's arrival were launched about the 24th of May.
The Lawrence and Niagara were built and rigged precisely
alike.1 Their frames were of white and black oak, and the
decks of pine. They were each 110 feet in length, and 260
tons burden ; were pierced for 20 guns, and carried 132 officers
and men. These, with the pilot boat schooner Ariel, were
i The Lawrence was the better sailer. Com. Sinclair, a year or two alter
the battle, suggested alterations in the Niagara which much improved it.

224 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
built at the Cascade, about one mile west of the town, where
there was a good depth of water.
On the 23d of May, Capt. Perry suddenly took his departure
for Lake Ontario, and was absent until the 17th of June.
Capt. Perry was promised the command of the seamen and
marines that might land when an attack was made on Fort
George, and accordingly when he heard that Com. Chauncey
expected to be at Niagara in a day or two, and the attack be
made, joined him immediately. Capt. Perry left Erie in a
four-oared boat at evening, and after a journey full of discom
forts and perils, rendered valuable service by superintending
the embarkation of the troops. Com. Chauncey, in his official
report, mentioned that "Capt. Perry was present at every
point where he could be useful, under showers of musketry,
but fortunately escaped unhurt." The capture of Fort George
led to the evacuation by the British of the whole Niagara
frontier, and Capt. Perry was enabled to return with five
small vessels of the government which had been detained in
Seajaguady Creek, back of Squaw Island, by the enemy's bat
teries on the Canada shore. One of the vessels, the Caledonia,
3 guns, 85 tons, Lieut. Elliot had surprised and taken from the
enemy ; the Somers, 2 guns, 65 tons, formerly the Catharine ;
the Trippe, 1 gun, 63 tons, formerly the Contractor ; the Ohio,
1 gun, 62 tons ; and the Amelia, formerly the Gen. Wilkinson,
built at Detroit, 1802, 1 gun, 72 tons, had been purchased and fit
ted for service by Mr. Eckford.1 On the 28th of May commenced
the laborious work of towing the five vessels against the cur
rent of the Niagara, which varied in strength from five to seven
knots. To aid Capt. Perry in the work, two hundred soldiers,
under command of Capts. Brevoort and Young, were detailed
by Gen. Dearborn ; he had also a party of officers and fifty sea
men, that remained with him until after the battle. At Black
Rock navy stores were taken aboard ; and after two weeks of
incredible fatigue the vessels passed the rapids. On the eve
ning of the 14th they set sail from Buffalo, and reached Erie
on the evening of the 18th without having been molested,
though the enemy had a force in the vicinity six times that of
i The Amelia was condemned, on examination, immediately after the
vessels reached Erie, and sunk in the harbor.

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY. 225
the Americans. The British ship Queen Charlotte and schooner
Lady Prevost lay at Long Point when the vessels passed up.
When hovering afterward around Sturgeon Point, they dis
covered a boat passing up the lake, which had left Buffalo
Creek the preceding evening loaded with valuable property.
The vessels immediately gave chase and fired several guns,
but the Yankee skipper was too wide awake for them, and ran
into Cattaraugus Creek and escaped. It is certain Capt. Perry
manifested as much his skill and address here, as his indefati
gable perseverance in stemming the rapids.
Previous to the war the English had upon the lakes what
was termed a Provincial Marine ; the vessels had a slight arm
ament, and were used to transport troops, Indian goods, and
sometimes the property of individuals. This squadron was
now commanded by Capt. Finnis, of the Royal Navy, and
consisted of the ship Queen Charlotte, 17 guns, between 200
and 300 tons ; the schooner Lady Prevost, 13 guns, 96 tons ;
the brig Hunter, 10 guns, 73 tons ; schooner Little Belt, 3 guns ;
and Chippeway, 1 gun. Several of these vessels, and those of
the Americans, were in sight from the same point on the bank
of the lake, and just as the last vessel entered the harbor the
enemy appeared in the distance. They must have greatly
underrated the spirit as well as the strength of their adversary,
and supposed they could be crushed without difficulty at any
moment. A letter awaited Capt. Perry on his arrival at Erie, from the
Secretary of the Navy, highly complimenting his conduct at
Fort George, as well as his exertions at Erie. In reply to this,
Capt. Perry expressed diffidence as to his own capabilities,
and says, " that no exertion should be wanting on his part to
promote the honor of the service." He informed the Secre
tary " that one of the brigs was completely rigged and had her
battery mounted, the other would be equally far advanced in
a week ; the sails of both vessels were nearly completed, and
on the arrival of the shot and anchors from Pittsburg, which
were confidently expected soon, all the vessels would be ready
for service in one day after the reception of the crews."
Lieut. Brooks, of the marines, was engaged in recruiting, and
had succeeded in enlisting thirty men at Erie and Pittsburg.

226 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
In place of an increase of forces which Capt. Perry so much
needed, Gen. Dearborn, in consequence of an order from the
Secretary of War, recalled the two hundred soldiers which
had been loaned from Fort George to assist in bringing up the
vessels. Capt. Brevoort, if it were agreeable to himself and
Capt. Perry, he consented might be retained, and, as he had
navigated the lakes, he would be particularly useful.
But five days after this reduction of Perry's forces, instruc
tions came from the Secretary of the Navy to cooperate with
Gen. Harrison in the Northwest for the recovery of Michigan.
This presupposed that the squadron was provided with officers
and men, and ready for action, when, in reality, Com.
Chauncey had retained the crews at Sackett's Harbor. The
plan of the Commodore appeared to be to overpower the
enemy on Lake Ontario, and then repeat the action in person
on Lake Erie. He seemed to forget the disadvantage of keep
ing officers and men strangers to one another and their vessel,
until they were to encounter the enemy, and that but a
handful of men, and these reduced by sickness, were ex
pected to equip the vessels. Capt. Perry immediately wrote to
Com. Chauncey, expressing a very great desire to have the
officers and men that were to join him, especially a com
mander for the second brig. He had but seldom the satisfac
tion of a direct reply from the Commodore, but it was
rumored that three hundred and fifty men would soon be on
the way, and accordingly two boats were dispatched to
Buffalo on July 18, in addition to the two that had conveyed
the Fort George men to their destination. The sailing-master
that had charge of the boats was directed to proceed with the
greatest caution on account of the enemy's squadron, which
was daily in sight of Erie, and nearly blockaded the port.
On their return they were advised to keep close in shore, and
call at Chautauqua and Twenty Mile Creek for instructions.
On July 19, Capt. Perry informed Gen. Harrison that he
had but one hundred and fifty men fit for service, with fifty
others on the sick list. On the same day he received a second
order from the Secretary of the Navy, to cooperate with Harri
son, under the belief that the squadron was manned, and also a
letter from Gen. Harrison, stating that the enemy would soon

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY. 227
launch their new ship, the Detroit, and that they had just
received a reinforcement of experienced officers and prime
seamen. Perry could only reply to the Secretary ' ' that the
enemy were then off the harbor, and the moment he had a
sufficient number of men he would be able to sail, and trusted
that the issue of the contest would be favorable." He then
wrote to Com. Chauncey as follows :
" Dear Sir :—
" The enemy's fleet of six sail are now off the bar of the
harbor. What a golden opportunity if we had men ! Their
object is no doubt either to blockade or attack us, or to carry
provisions and reinforcements to Maiden. Should it be to
attack us, we are ready to meet them. I am constantly look
ing to the eastward ; every mail and every traveler from that
quarter is looked to as the harbinger of the glad tidings of our
men being on their way. I am fully aware how much your
time must be occupied with the important concerns of the
lake. Give me men, sir, and I will acquire both for you and
myself honor and glory on this lake, or perish in the attempt.
Conceive my feelings ; an enemy within striking distance, my
vessels ready, and not men enough to man them. Going out
with those I now have is out of the question. You would not
suffer it were you here. I again ask you to think of my
situation ; the enemy in sight, the vessels under my command
more than sufficient, and ready to make sail, and yet obliged
to bite my fingers with vexation for want of men. I know,
my dear sir, full well you will send me the crews for the
vessels as soon as possible ; yet a day appears an age. I
hope that the wind or some other cause will delay the
enemy's return to Maiden until my men arrive, and I will
have them."
A day or two after this, the enemy were becalmed off Erie,
and Capt. Perry pulled out to the bar with three gunboats to
annoy them. A few shots were exchanged, and one of them
struck the mizzen-mast of the Queen Charlotte, when a breeze
springing up, they stood off.
On the 23d, Capt. Perry received another communication
from the Secretary, urging the importance of immediately

228 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
destroying the enemy's squadron. Again he replied, " that he
was fully aware of the importance of the object — that his
ships were ready but without crews." Had the men been
sent directly from Philadelphia, in place of having to undergo
what was familiarly called the "Sackett's Harbor examina
tion," the object would have been better and more speedily
effected. However, the same day that he replied to the Secre
tary, seventy men and officers arrived from Lake Ontario, and
Perry wrote Com. Chauncey acknowledging the receipt of his
letter and the seventy men, and earnestly requesting a full
supply of officers and men for his vessels.
About this time a concentration of the enemy's troops took
place at Long Point, directly opposite Erie, at the distance of
forty miles, and fears were entertained lest an attack should
be made upon Erie and the squadron destroyed before the
arrival of the crews. Great consternation prevailed among
the inhabitants of the village, many of them removing their
families and goods back from the lake. Maj.-Gen. Mead was
called upon for a reinforcement of the militia, who made a show
of defense by parading on the high bank when the enemy were
in sight. The officers were all kept aboard, and boats rowed
guard throughout the night. Capt. Perry apprised the Secre-
, tary of the Navy and Com. Chauncey of the fact, and also
that he had no apprehension for the fleet even though the
enemy should get possession of the town, which he did not
expect. It proved afterward that an attack had been planned,
but failed for the want of troops at the proper time.
On July 27, Capt. Perry received a letter by express from
Gen. Holmes, by order of Gen. Harrison, stating that the
enemy had invested Fort Meigs a second time with a heavy
force, and that the presence of the enemy's squadron off Erie
was unfortunate, unless Capt. Perry could either elude or
fight them. He urged in strong terms, for Gen. Harrison,
that Capt. Perry's great object should be to cooperate with the
army by sailing up Lake Erie, and concluded his letter with
"assurances of the perfect conviction of the General, that on
his part no exertion would be omitted to give the crisis an
issue of profit and glory to the arms of our country." Capt.
Perry immediately inclosed the letter of Gen. Holmes to Com.

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY. 229
Chauncey with the following, indicating his distress of mind
in being so unnecessarily hampered :
"Sir:— " I have this moment received by express the inclosed letter
from Gen. Harrison. If I had officers and men, and I have
no doubt you will send them, I could fight the enemy and
proceed up the lake. But having no one to command the
Niagara, and only one commissioned lieutenant and two act-
ing lieutenants, whatever my wishes may be, going out is out
of the question. The men that came by Mr. Champlin are a
motley set, blacks — soldiers, and boys. I cannot think you
saw them after they were selected. I am, however, pleased to
see anything in the shape of a man."
On July 30 he received from Lake Ontario an additional
reinforcement of sixty officers and men, and soon after opened
a rendezvous for landsmen, to serve four months or until after
a decisive battle, at ten dollars a month. He had now three
hundred officers and men to man two twenty-gun brigs (each
brig carried one hundred and thirty-two men) and eight
smaller vessels, and an aggregate of fifty-five guns. The men
were in general of an inferior description, and more than one
fifth incapacitated for duty by disease incident to a change of
climate. The able-bodied had been incessantly engaged in
duties not relevant to their essential ones in a naval engage
ment, as gunners, boarders, pikemen, sail trimmers, etc.
The disposition throughout the country to recognize a
Providence in the war deserves attention. Dr. Parsons says :
" On Sunday, July 18, two respectable missionaries, who were
passing through Erie, were invited by the Commodore on
board one of the large ships, where as many officers and men
as could be spared from all the vessels were assembled to hear
prayers that were offered up for the success of the expedition.
I shall never forget their fervent pleadings in our behalf, that
we might subdue the hostile fleet, and thereby wrest from
savage hands the tomahawk and scalping knife, that had
been so cruelly wielded against the defenseless settlers on the
frontiers, and that in the event of a victory, mercy and kind
ness might be shown to the vanquished."

230 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
Several of the States appointed days of "thanksgiving,
fasting, and prayers, that He in whose hands are the mighty,
would in the hour of battle be their strength and deliverance."
A resolution is recorded in the Pamphlet Laws of 1812, re
questing the President of the United States to recommend a
day of public humiliation. It reads as follows :
" It being a duty peculiarly incumbent in a time of public
calamity and war, humbly and devoutly to acknowledge our
dependence in Almighty God, and to implore his aid and pro
tection ; therefore,
"Resolved, By the Senate and House of Bepresentatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled, that a
joint committee of both houses wait on the President of the
United States, and request that he recommend a day of public
humiliation and prayer, to be observed by the people of the
United States with religious solemnity, and the offering of
fervent supplication to Almighty God for the safety and wel
fare of these States, his blessings upon their arms, and the
speedy restoration of peace. " H. Clay, Speaker of the H. R.
" Wm. H. Crawford, President of the Senate, pro. tern."
The bay of Presqu'ile, as before mentioned, had a bar of
light sand at its entrance, where the water (on an average
eighteen feet in depth) varied from six to ten feet, and some
times in a gale of wind was as low as five feet. Maj. James
G. Totten, who surveyed the harbor in 1824, says : "In con
tinuation of Presqu'ile, there is a sandbank under water,
nearly a mile wide, which runs in a southeast direction to the
shore of the main, a little eastward of the town of Erie,
reducing the depth of the water in this part (the mouth of the
basin) to about six feet on the average. A narrow and wind
ing channel runs through this bank, in which there is from
five to nine feet water." On Sunday, August 1, the large
vessels arrived at the bar, and were visited by Gen. Mead and
staff in full dress, about noon, and received a national salute,
fired by Lieut. Holdup, in an excellent style. The firing drew
people in from the country in great numbers, who lined the
shore of the lake, filled with astonishment, as they had never

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY. 231
before seen a square-rigged vessel. In the evening all hands
engaged in the work of lightening the vessels preparatory to
crossing the bar. The draught of the brigs required that they
should be lifted at least four feet, and Mr. Brown had planned
to effect this by scows or camels. Capt. Dobbins, who was
present and actively engaged, says : " There was less water in
the channel by three feet than the vessels required, and after
the guns and stores of the Laivrence had been taken ashore
(the guns being laid upon timbers on the sandbeach), the two
lighters or scows were placed one on each side of her and large
tiinbers#put across the vessel and secured to the lighters.
There were four holes in the bottom of the lighters, eight
inches square, and plugs fitted to them, which reached above
the tops of the lighters ; these plugs were taken out and the
lighters sunk. The timbers were then blocked upon the
lighters, the plugs placed in the holes, and the lighters
pumped and bailed out, which raised the vessel to the height
required to float her over. Before daylight on Tuesday, the
vessel was afloat ; by two o'clock, her armament was all on
board, mounted, a salute fired, and ready for action. The
same plan was the next day pursued with the Niagara, and
by incessant labor, day and night, she was in twenty-four
hours also ready for action. When the Nidgara was on the
bar with the lighters under her, the British squadron hove in
sight, standing in for Erie. It fortunately happened that the
wind caused the Lawrence to head in the same direction with
the Niagara on the bar, and the weather being quite hazy,
the enemy must have supposed Ihem both afloat. The head
most of the British vessels hove her main-top-sail to the mast,
and lay by until the rest came up, and, after having ex
changed signals, they hauled their wind and stood for Long
Point. Here they put a courier ashore to proceed to Maiden,
with orders to get the Detroit out as soon as possible."
"The entire management pertaining to getting the vessels
over the bar was of the most judicious kind, both in facilita
ting the work and protecting the Lawrence and Niagara when
aground. While the Lawrence was on the bar, the Niagara
and smaller vessels were moored inside, with their broadsides
toward the roadstead and within point-blank range of the

232 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
enemy, should they attempt to approach near enough to
destroy her. Besides this, three long twelve-pounders were
placed upon the bank about one hundred feet above the water
(where the lighthouse now stands), protected by an earthen
entrenchment ; this was not more than three hundred yards
from a line ranging directly over, and could have kept up a
destructive fire upon the enemy before they could have reached
the vessel."
It has been said that Com. Barclay lost the ascendency on
Lake Erie by attending a dinner given him and his officers at
Port Dover, which is situated on Ryerson's Creek, below Long
Point. It appears there was a dinner given the officers there,
about that time, and that Com. Barclay replied to a complimen
tary toast in rather boastful and contemptuous terms when
alluding to the "Yankee brigs hard and fast upon the bar."
The compliment of a dinner was undoubtedly accepted by the
British officers, but that the day of battle was deferred on that
account is scarcely worthy of belief. Capt. Perry had looked
forward with great anxiety to the passage of the bar. In a
letter dated July 27, to the Secretary, he says: "We are
ready to sail the instant officers and men arrive ; and as the
enemy appear determined to dispute the passage of the bar
with us, the question as to the command of Lake Erie will
soon be decided."
On the 28th of July another urgent appeal came from Gen.
Harrison. Capt. Perry replied : "I am of opinion that in
two days the naval superiority will be decided on Lake Erie.
Should we be successful, I shall sail for the head of the lake
immediately, to cooperate with you, and I hope that our joint
efforts will be productive of honor and advantage to our coun
try. The squadron is not much more than half manned ; but
as I see no prospect of reinforcement, I have determined to
commence my operations. . . . My anxiety to join you is
very great, and had seamen been sent me in time, I should
now in all probability have been at the head of the lake acting
in conjunction with you." A call was made for volunteers,
and a sufficient number offered to man the vessels for a cruise
to Long Point, where the enemy were supposed to be. At
three o'clock on the morning of the 6th of August the signal

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY. 233
was made for the squadron to weigh anchor, and at four the
vessels were all under sail. From daylight on the 2d to the
4th of August Capt. Perry, though in feeble health, had not
closed his eyes, and not an officer or man of the squadron had
enjoyed a moment's rest, excepting such as could be snatched
upon the deck. As they were in search of the enemy, the
vessels were cleared for action, and consequently there could
be little opportunity for repose. In twenty-four hours the
squadron returned to Erie without having seen the enemy,
and they afterward heard that they had sailed up the lake to
Maiden. The list of vessels and commanders on this cruise
were : the Lawrence, Capt. Perry ; Niagara, Lieut. D. Turner ;
Caledonia, Purser Magrath ; schooner Ariel, Lieut. J. Packett ;
Scorpion, Sailing-master S. Champlin ; Tigress, Master's Mate
A. McDonald ; Porcupine, Midshipman G. Senat. The Ohio
and Trippe were left behind for want of crews.
The evening of the 8th it was Capt. Perry's intention to set
sail for the head of the lake, but he was happily detained by the
arrival of officers and men from Lake Ontario. Mr. Hamble
ton, who was purser of the Laivrence, and Capt. Perry's con
fidential friend, has in his journal the following : "Went on
shore and transacted a variety of business ; paid off the volun
teers, so that we have none but the four months' men who
signed articles. Capt. Perry has just received a letter from
Gen. Harrison, informing him of the raising of the siege of
Camp Meigs, and of the unsuccessful attack on the fort at
Sandusky, commanded by Lieut. Croghan. The prisoners
taken there state that the new ship Detroit was launched at
Maiden on the 17th day of last month. Capt. Perry and I
dined on shore. After dinner, being alone, we had a long
conversation on the state of our affairs. He confessed that he
was now much at a loss what to do. While he feels the dan
ger of delay, he is not insensible to the danger of encountering
an enemy without due preparation. His officers are few and
inexperienced, and we are short of seamen. His repeated and
urgent requests for men have been treated with the most
mortifying neglect ; he declines making another. While thus
engaged, a midshipman, Mr. J. B. Montgomery, entered and
handed him a letter. It was from Lieut. Elliot on his way to

234 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
join him, with several officers and eighty-nine seamen. He
was electrified by this news, and as soon as we were alone he
declared he had not been so happy since his arrival." On the
10th the party from Lake Ontario arrived at Erie, numbering
one hundred and two souls, including two acting lieutenants,
eight midshipmen, a master's mate, and a clerk.
On August 12, Com. Perry's squadron again set sail from
Erie, with a few short of four hundred officers and men, for
the headquarters of the Northwestern army, which were then
at Seneca, on the banks of the Sandusky. The order of sail
ing established by Perry's squadron was in a double column —
the Lawrence, Porcupine, Caledonia, Ohio, and Ariel being on
the right, and the Niagara, Trippe, Tigress, Somers, and
Scorpion on the left. At first the Ariel and Scorpion, the
best sailers of the small vessels, were placed opposite the
enemy and near the Commodore ; in a situation to render
support in any part of the line. Afterward the Scorpion was
brought into the line, and the distance between the vessels
was fixed at a half-cable's length (three hundred and sixty
feet). Finally, there was an order of attack, in which each
vessel had an antagonist assigned to it in the British squadron.
Perry reserved to himself the privilege of fighting the largest
of the enemy's ships, and, accordingly in his diagram, placed
the Lawrence opposite the Detroit, and the Niagara opposite
the Queen Charlotte. Provision was made in case the vessels
should be separated in the night, to recognize each other by
the following signal : Hoist one light and hail the vessel to
windward; first answer "Jones," to which the leewardmost
would reply "Madison." These, with others, were well con
ceived to promote concerted action and prevent surprise,
and indicated judgment and forethought. On the 16th the
squadron arrived off Cunningham's or Kelly's Island, and on
the 17th the Scorpion, which was in advance of the squadron,
reconnoitering the islands, in looking into Put-in-Bay dis
covered a small vessel of the enemy. This was the Ottawa^ of
twenty-five tons, that had previously been captured at
Maumee. She at once attempted to escape, but was closely
pursued by the Scorpion, and would have been taken, but the
Scmpion grounded in rounding a point off Middle Bass

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY. 235
Island, and the little craft made good her escape to the
Canada shore. The squadron being under way at the time,
working up to the islands, had a full view of the chase.
" The fleet on the 17th sailed to the mouth of Sandusky Bay,
and on anchoring fired three guns, waited ten minutes, and
fired three more, which was the signal previously agreed upon
by letter between Capt. Perry and Gen. Harrison. Col. Gaines
the same evening came aboard the Laivrence with a number of
officers and Indians, and reported Gen. Harrison twenty-seven
miles distant with an army of eight thousand militia, regulars,
and Indians. Boats were sent to bring the General and his
suite ; the party arrived late in the evening, and consisted of
Generals Cass and McArthur, Col. Gaines, Maj. Croghan, with
his numerous staff, and twenty-six chiefs of the Shawnee,
Wyandot, and Delaware Indians. Among these were three
highly influential ones, Crane, Blackhoof, and Capt. Tommy ;
the Indians were brought that they might inform their
friends among the British of the great force of the Americans.
On the morning of the 20th a salute was fired in honor of the
General's visit. Gen. Harrison not being ready to advance at
this time, Capt. Perry resolved immediately to pursue the
enemy and offer battle. Gen. Harrison and the Commodore
spent the day in reconnoitering, and concerted a plan for re
moving the army to this point when it should assemble,
previous to invading Canada. On the 21st the General re
turned to his camp, and Capt. Perry proceeded to Put-in-Bay
and stood out for Maiden, where he discovered the British
squadron within Bar Point. At Put-in-Bay Gen. Harrison
had furnished Capt. Perry with a reinforcement of thirty-six
volunteers, which, after deducting a few deaths, carried the
total of his muster roll to four hundred and ninety souls. Of
the reinforcement a small number were river boatmen, and
were mostly to serve as marines. Many of them were militia
from Kentucky, and men who had volunteered from a love of
adventure, having never seen a vessel until their arrival at
Sandusky, and their astonishment and curiosity knew no
bounds. They unceremoniously visited every part of the
ship, from the masthead to the bottom of the hold, and ex
pressed themselves in rapturous and enthusiastic terms.

236 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
Dressed in the favorite Kentucky hunting-shirt of blue linsey-
woolsey fringed, they themselves were a curiosity to most of
the officers and men, some of whom had never before seen a
backwoodsman. After being allowed to indulge their curi
osity, Com. Perry stated to them their duties, which they
cheerfully undertook to perform. On their return from
Maiden, a few days were profitably employed in teaching the
ill-assorted crews their duty, and in training them in their
various evolutions preparatory to battle. They had returned
to Put-in-Bay, as the wind was not favorable to their entering
Maiden ; and they could here watch the enemy's movements.
They had also much sickness aboard. Capt. Perry had been
attacked with bilious-remittent fever ; but owing to his
strength of constitution it had not assumed a malignant
form. His surgeon, clerk, and brother were also seriously ill.
Dr. Usher Parsons, the assistant surgeon, though himself out
of health, was obliged to prescribe for the sick of the Lawrence,
as well as the small vessels. In the Commodore's case strong
remedial measures were successfully applied. " On August 28,
Dr. Parsons himself became affected with the prevailing fever
and though unable to walk, with a humane self-devotion
he continued at the bedside of the sick, to which he was
carried ; this was not only in the Lawrence, but the small
vessels — being lifted on board of them in a chair, and the sick
brought on deck for his prescription." By September 1, Capt.
Perry was able again to be on deck ; in the meantime the
British had rigged and equipped their new vessel, the Detroit,
and he was compelled to abandon all hopes of meeting the
enemy on an equal footing.
Capt. Perry received two letters at this time from the Secre
tary of the Navy, one begging him to retain the command on
Lake Erie (which he had resigned in consequence of some
misunderstanding), with many soothing and complimentary
expressions; the other full of fault-finding and bitterness,
which was wholly unmerited. In Capt. Perry's reply, he
vindicated himself in a mild and respectful manner from all
charges. On the 6th of September the Ohio, under command of
Sailing-master Dobbins, was dispatched to Erie for stores and

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY. 237
ammunition (where she had been the 22d of August on the
same errand), and was enjoined to make every exertion to
return with all practicable speed. Some citizens of Maiden,
as well as the family of Capt. Brevoort, who resided in Detroit,
informed Capt. Perry as to the force of the enemy, and also
that they were short of provisions 'and must engage our
squadron to open the way to Long Point. Their force con
sisted of the new, strongly-built ship Detroit, 19 guns, 298 tons ;
the Queen Charlotte, 17 guns, 260 tons ; the Lady Prevost, 13
guns, 96 tons ; the brig Hunter, 10 guns, 71 tons ; sloop Little
Belt, 3 guns, 60 tons ; schooner Chippewa, 1 gun, 35 tons —
making an aggregate of sixty-three guns, thirty-five of which
were long. The squadron was commanded by Capt. Robert
Herriot Barclay, a skillful and experienced seaman, who had
served with Nelson at Trafalgar ; the second in command was
Capt. Finnis, also a brave officer. The whole British force
numbered thirty-two officers and four hundred and seventy
seamen — in all five hundred and two. Of the American vessels,
the Lawrence and Niagara were each 260 tons, with 20 guns ;
Capt. Perry commanded the Lawrence and Capt. Elliot the
Niagara ; the Caledonia, 3 guns, 85 tons, Lieut. Turner ; the
Ariel, 4 guns, Lieut. Packet ; the Scorpion, 2 guns, Sailing-
master Champlin ; the Somers, 2 guns, 65 tons, Sailing-master
Almy ; the Trippe, 1 gun, Lieut. Holdup (Stevens) ; the
Tigress, 1 gun, Lieut. Conklin ; the Porcupine, 1 gun, Mid
shipman Smith — in all nine vessels, with fifty-four guns.
The whole force of officers and men, four hundred and ninety ;
of these, one hundred and sixteen were on the sick list,
seventy-eight being cases of bilious fever. The Somers, Trippe,
Tigress, and Porcupine were dull sailers. The officers of the
squadron were mostly young men from Rhode Island, and
the sailing-masters were fellow-townsmen of Capt. Perry,
taken from the merchant service. The superiority of the
enemy in physical force must have brought to mind an ad
monition of Com. Chauncey to Com. Perry, "never despise
your enemy " ; yet he thoroughly understood himself, and
felt armed in having a just cause.
On the 6th Perry sailed for Maiden, and finding the British
still at their moorings, returned to Put-in-Bay. He then sig-

238 HISTORY* OF ERIE COUNTY.
nailed all the commanders to the Laivrence, and furnished
them with corrected instructions for their government during
the battle. The battle-flag, which had been privately pre
pared by Mr. Hambleton before leaving Erie, with the last
words of the lamented Lawrence, " Don't give up the ship,"
in white letters on a blue ground, was produced, and its hoist
ing at the main-royal mast of the Lawrence was to be the
signal for action. Capt. Perry stated to them his intention to
bring the enemy from the flrst to close quarters, in order to
get the benefit of his carronades. His last injunction to them
was, in case of difficulty to follow the advice of Lord Nelson :
" If you lay your enemy close alongside, you cannot be out of
your place." The men had now become familiar with their
weapons, and every preparation seemed complete. The sick
ness continued, and on the 8th the other medical officers
ceased to perform duty, leaving Dr. Parsons, though but half
recovered, in sole charge of the sick of the whole squadron.

CHAPTER XVI.

British Vessels appear — Com. Perry Remodels his Line, and other
Preparations — A brief Description by Dr. Parsons of the Battle of
September 10 — The Vessels return to Erie with the wounded Prison
ers — Capt. Perry promoted — His Reception at Erie — A Remark of
McKenzie — President Madison — Congress — Prizes.
At sunrise of September 10, from the masthead of the
Laivrence, the British fleet was discovered on the northwest
ern board, standing for Put-in-Bay. The fact was immedi
ately reported by the officer of the deck, who ordered the
signal made, " Enemy in sight," " Under way to get." Soon
the whole squadron was moving out of the bay with a light
southwest breeze. The wind was very unsteady, and at ten
o'clock, having made little progress, Capt. Perry addressed his
sailing-master, Mr. Taylor, as to the time in his opinion it
would require to weather the islands. Mr. Taylor's reply
caused Capt. Perry to order the master to run to leeward of

HISTORY* OF ERIE COUNTY. 239
the islands. Mr. Taylor replied, " they would then have to
engage the enemy from the leeward." Capt. Perry said, "to
windward or leeward they shall fight to-day." The signal
was made accordingly ; but before it could be executed they
were relieved by the wind shifting to the southeast, which
enabled them to engage the enemy to windward, as they much
preferred. The newly-painted British vessels, with their un
folding banners in the morning sun, were an imposing and
gallant sight.
Com. Perry remodeled his line, as he found Com. Barclay
had placed the Chippeway in the van ; second in the line, the
Detroit; the Hunter third ; Queen Charlotte fourth ; Lady
Prevost fifth ; and Little Belt sixth. Capt. Perry placed the
Lawrence so as to encounter the Detroit, with the Scorpion
ahead, and the Ariel on his weather bow. The Caledonia
came next, to encounter the Hunter ; the Niagara next, to be
opposite the Queen; the Somers, Porcupine, Tigress, and
Trippe in the rear, to encounter the Lady Prevost and Little
Belt. It was now ten o'clock, and they were distant five or
six miles from the enemy, with a light wind from the south
east, so that the advance was at the rate of three knots ; and
Capt. Perry having called the crew about him elevated the
burgee, exclaiming, "My brave lads, this flag contains the
last words of Capt. Lawrence ! Shall I hoist it ? " " Ay, ay,
ay, sir ! " resounded from all quarters of the ship, and the flag
was swayed to the main-royal masthead. As the flag unfurled
and became visible to the other crews, hearty and enthusiastic
cheers responded throughout the line. A luncheon was now
served, and Perry carefully examined his battery, gun by gun,
to see that all was in order, exchanging a pleasant or encour
aging word with all. Seeing some of the Constitution's, he
said to them, "Well, boys, are you ready?" "All ready,
your honor!" was the brief reply, with a general touch of
the hat or handkerchief, which some had substituted. To
another group, "But I need not say anything to you ; you
know how to beat those fellows." Again, with a smile of
recognition, "Ah ! here are the Newport boys ! They will do
their duty, I warrant ! "
A silence of an hour and a half succeeded, during which the

240 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
squadron was slowly nearing the enemy ; this was spent in
various ways, as the cares and consciences of the men about
to engage in deadly combat might dictate. In the event of
his death, Capt. Perry gave Mr. Hambleton directions how to
act with regard to his private affairs, and a leaded package to
Dr. Parsons, with instructions from government and letters
from Mrs. Perry, to be thrown overboard.
At length a bugle was heard to sound from the Detroit, a
mile and a half distant, and loud cheers followed throughout
the British squadron. Soon after, at a quarter before twelve, a
single shot was fired from the enemy's flag-ship at the
Lawrence, which did not take effect. Signal was now made
for each vessel to engage her opponent as previously desig
nated. The dull sailers among the small vessels were a little
out of their stations astern, so that our line overspread that of
the enemy one thousand feet ; besides this, the inferior size of
our vessels gave the enemy a greater superiority than even his
nominal one. A brief description of the battle, by Dr.
Parsons, an eye-witness of high character and intelligence, is
as follows: "Perry made more sail, and coming within
canister distance, opened a rapid and destructive fire upon the
Detroit. The Caledonia, Lieut. Turner, followed the Lawrence
in gallant style, and the Ariel, Lieut. Packet, and the Scoriiion,
Mr. Champlin, fought nobly and effectively.
"The Niagara failing to grapple with the Queen, the latter
vessel shot ahead to fire upon the Lawrence, and with the
Detroit, aimed their broadsides exclusively upon her, hoping
and intending to sink her. At last they made her a complete
wreck, but, fortunately, the Commodore escaped without
injury, and stepping into a boat with his fighting flag thrown
over his shoulder,1 he pushed off for the Niagara, amid a
shower of cannon and musket balls, and reached that vessel
1 In a letter dated Providence, June 28, 1861, Dr. Parsons says : " I yester
day visited the naval school, in Newport, on board the Constitution, and
was delighted to see once more the identical flag, ' Don't give up the ship,'
which Perry hoisted on board the Laivrence on going into action, and took
with him to the Niagara when he had fought his own ship to the last. The
flag was immediately sent to Washington by Lieut. Forest, and has ever
since been preserved— of late years in the naval school— and is exhibited
only on particular occasions. The sight of it created such emotions and
reminiscences of the past that I could not refrain from shedding tears over
it."

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY. 241
unscathed. He found her a fresh vessel, with only two, or, at
most, three persons injured, and immediately sent her com
mander to hasten up the small vessels. Perry boarded the
Niagara when she was abreast of the Lawrence, and further
from her than the Detroit was on her right. The Lawrence
now dropped astern and hauled down her flag. Perry turned
the Niagara's course toward the enemy, and crossing the
bows of the Lawrence, bore down, head foremost, to the
enemy's line, determined to break through it and take a
raking position. The Detroit attempted to turn so as to keep
her broadside to the Niagara and avoid being raked, but in
doing this she fell against the Queen, and got entangled in her
rigging, which left the enemy no alternative but to strike both
ships. Perry now shot farther ahead, near the Lady Prevost,
which, from being crippled in her rudder, had drifted out of
her place to the leeward, and was pressing forward toward the
head of the British line to support the two ships. One broad
side from the Niagara silenced her battery. The Hunter next
struck, and the two smaller vessels, in attempting to escape,
were overhauled by the Scorpion, Mr. Champlin, and Trippe,
Lieut. Holdup, and thus ended the action after three o'clock.
" Let us now advert for a moment to the scenes exhibited in
the flag-ship Lawrence, of which I can speak as an eye
witness. The wounded began to come down before she
opened her battery, and for one, I felt impatient at the delay.
In proper time, however, as it proved, the dogs of war were
let loose from their leash, and it seemed as though heaven and
earth were at loggerheads. For more than two hours little
could be heard but the deafening thunder of our broadsides,
the crash of balls dashing through our timbers, and shrieks of
the wounded. These were brought down faster than I could
attend to them, further than to stay the bleeding or support a
shattered limb with splints and pass them forward upon the
berth deck. When the battle had raged an hour and a half, I
heard a call for me at the small skylight, and stepping toward
it I saw the Commodore, whose countenance was as calm and
placid as if in ordinary duty. ' Doctor,' said he, ' send me
one of your men' — meaning one of the six stationed with me
to assist in moving the wounded. In five minutes the call

242 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
was repeated and obeyed, and at the seventh call I told him
he had all of my men. He asked if there were any sick or
wounded who could pull a rope, when two or three crawled
upon deck to lend a feeble hand in pulling at the last gun.
" The hard fighting terminated about three o'clock. As the
smoke cleared away the two fleets were found mingled to
gether, the small vessels having come up to the others. The
shattered Lawrence lying to the windward was once more able
to hoist her flag, which was cheered by a few feeble voices on
board, making a melancholy sound compared with the bois
terous cheers that preceded the battle.
"The proud, the painful duty of taking possession of the
conquered ships was now performed. The Detroit was nearly
dismantled, and the destruction and carnage had been dread
ful. The Queen was in a condition little better — every com
mander and second in command, says Barclay in his official
report, was either killed or wounded. The whole number
killed in the British fleet was forty-one, and of wounded
ninety-four. In the American fleet, twenty-seven killed and
ninety-six wounded. Of the twenty-seven killed, twenty-two
were on board the Lawrence; of the ninety-six wounded,
sixty-one were on board the same ship, making eighty-three
killed and wounded out of one hundred and one reported fit
for duty in the Lawrence on the morning of the battle. On
board the Niagara were two killed and twenty-three wounded,
making twenty-five ; and of these twenty-two were killed or
wounded after Perry took command of her.
"About four o'clock a boat was discovered approaching the
Lawrence. Soon the Commodore was recognized in her, who
was returning to resume the command of his tattered ship,
determined that the remnant of her crew should have the
privilege of witnessing the formal surrender of the British
officers. It was a time of conflicting emotions when he
stepped upon the deck. The battle was won and he was safe,
but the deck was slippery with blood, and strewed with the
bodies of twenty officers and men, some of whom sat at table
with us at our last meal, and the ship resounded with the
groans of the wounded. Those of us who were spared and
able to walk met him at the gangway to welcome him on

HISTORY* OF ERIE COUNTY*. 243
board, but the salutation was a silent one on both sides — not a
word could find utterance.1
"And now the British officers arrived, one from each vessel,
to tender their submission, and with it their swords. "When
they approached, picking their way among the wreck and
carnage of the deck, with their hilts toward Perry, they ten
dered them to his acceptance. With a dignified and solemn
air, and with a low tone of voice, he requested them to retain
their side arms ; inquired with deep concern for Com. Barclay
and the wounded officers, tendering to them every comfort
his ship afforded, and expressing his regret that he had not a
spare medical officer to send them, that he only had one on
duty for the fleet, and that one had his hands full.
"Among the ninety-six wounded there occurred three
deaths : a result so favorable was attributable to the plentiful
supply of fresh provision sent off to us from the Ohio shore ;
to fresh air — the wounded being ranged under an awning on
the deck until we arrived at Erie, ten days after the action,
and also to the devoted attention of Com. Perry to every want.
"Those who were killed in the battle were that evening
committed to the deep, and over them was read the impressive
Episcopal service.
" On the following morning the two fleets sailed into Put
in-Bay, where the slain officers of both were buried in an
appropriate and affecting manner. They consisted of three
Americans : Lieut. Brooks and Midshipmen Laub and Clark ;
and three British officers : Capt. Finnis and Lieut. Stokes, of
the Queen, and Lieut. Garland, of the Detroit. Equal respect
was paid to the slain of both nations, and the crews of both
fleets united in the ceremony. The procession of boats, with
two bands of music ; the slow and regular motion of the oars,
striking in exact time with the notes of the solemn dirge ; the
1 In Dr. Parsons' address at Cleveland, on the 10th of September, 1860, is
the following interesting item : "Perry walked aft, when his first remark
was addressed to his intimate friend Hambleton, then lying wounded on
the deck. ' The. prayers of my wife,' said he, ' have prevailed in saving me.'
Then, casting his eyes about, he inquired, ' Where is my brother?' This
brother was a young midshipman of thirteen years. He had during the
battle acted as aid in running with orders to different parts of the ship— for
you must know that in the din and uproar of battle orders can hardly be
heard at three feet distance. We made a general stir to look him up, not
without fears that he had been knocked overboard, but he was soon found
in his berth asleep, exhausted by the exercise and excitement of the day."

244 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
mournful waving of flags and sound of minute-guns from the
ships, presented a striking contrast to the scene exhibited two
days before, when both the living and the dead now forming
in this solemn and fraternal train were engaged in fierce and
bloody strife, hurling at each other the thunderbolts of war."
On the eighth day after the action, the Lawrence, with the
wounded on board, was dispatched to Erie, where they were
cordially welcomed and most kindly cared for. Soon after
the British prisoners arrived in the Detroit and Queen Char
lotte, and after the wounded of their number had been care
fully attended, they were removed to Pittsburg for greater
security from desertion. Immediately after the battle, Capt.
Perry joined Gen. Harrison as a volunteer. The remainder of
the vessels conveyed the army to Maiden ; here the enemy,
under Gen. Proctor, had made a hasty retreat, but were pur
sued and captured.
Capt. Perry was promoted to the rank of post-captain, and
leave granted him, according to his request, to return to his
family ; he was to resume also the command of the Newport
station until a suitable ship should be provided for him. As
the British were checked in the Northwest, Gen. Harrison re
ceived orders to repair with a part of his army to Fort George,
and embarked with Capt. Perry on the Ariel ; Com. Barclay,
who was on parole, and on his return homeward as far as
Buffalo, was also of the party.
On the morning of October 22, the Ariel was descried by the
citizens of Erie, and preparations were immediately set on foot
for an appropriate and enthusiastic reception of the hero, the
magnitude of whose services they could better appreciate than
others. Though Com. Perry expected to land unobserved, a
large concourse of citizens with joyful acclamations met him
at the beach at the foot of French Street, and two field pieces
fired a national salute. The party, consisting of Com. Perry,
Com. Barclay, with his surgeon, and Gen. Harrison, with
Col. Gaines, came on foot up the steep hill to Duncan's tavern
(which is still standing, though in ruins), on the corner of
Third and French streets. In the evening the town was
illuminated and a torch-light procession marched through the
streets, bearing transparencies with the following devices :

HISTORY* OF ERIE COUNTY. 245
"Com. Perry, 10th September, 1813"; on another, "Gen.
Harrison, 5th of October, 1813 " ; on a third, "Free trade and
sailor's rights" ; on a fourth, "Erie" ; cannon in the mean
time being discharged at intervals of three minutes. During
the afternoon, the Niagara arrived ; and the next day the
Ariel, with its distinguished party, left for Buffalo, the com
mand at Erie devolving on Capt. Elliot. Capt. Perry's
journey to the East was one succession of enthusiastic demon
strations, and the cities vied with one another in expressions
of joy and gratitude for one who had restored tranquillity to
the frontier and whose modesty or bravery they knew not
which most to admire.1 It has been said, " Nelson triumphed
over Frenchmen and Spaniards ; Perry was called on to meet
the conquerors of these, led, moreover, by a veteran formed in
the school of Nelson, and bearing upon his person the marks
of Nelson's greatest victory. The battle of Trafalgar was won
by the whole British fleet over a part of that of the allies ; the
battle of Lake Erie was over the whole British squadron by
only a part of ours."
President Madison, in his message, calls it a victory never
surpassed in luster, however much it may have been in mag
nitude. Congress passed a vote of thanks to be presented to Capt.
Perry, and all the officers and men of the squadron, for the
decisive and glorious victory over a British squadron of
superior force. The President of the United States also pre
sented gold medals to Capt. Perry and Capt. Elliot, bearing
an emblematical device of the action between the two squad-
i An hour after the battle, Com. Perry forwarded by express two letters,
one to Gen. Harrison , the other to the Secretary of the Navy, as follows :
"Dear General:— We have met the enemy and they are ours; two
ships, two brigs, one schooner, and one sloop.
" Yours with great respect and esteem,
" O. H. Perry."
" United States Brig Niagara, off the Western Sister,")
" Head of Lake Erie, September 10, 1813, 4 p. m.J
" Sir :— It has pleased the Almighty to give to the arms of the United
States a signal victory over their enemies on this lake. The British
squadron, consisting of two ships, two brigs, one schooner, and one sloop,
have this moment surrendered to the force under my command, after a
sharp conflict. " I have the honor to be, sir,
" Very respectfully, your obedient servant,
" O. H. Perry.
" The Hon. William Jones, Secretary of the Navy."

246 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
rons ; and a silver medal to each commissioned officer either of
the army or navy service on board ; a sword to each of the
sailing-masters and midshipmen ; and also a medal to the
nearest male relative of Lieut. John Brooks ; and a sword to
the nearest male relative of Midshipmen Henry Laub, John
Clark, and Thomas Claxton, Jr., with the expression of the
deep regret of Congress for the loss of these gallant men.
Three months' pay, exclusive of the common allowance, was
voted to all the petty officers, seamen, marines, and infantry,
who supported the honor of the American flag under the
orders of their gallant commander on that signal occasion.
The British vessels were prized by a board of officers from
Lake Ontario, assisted by naval constructor, Henry Eckfordi
and purchased for 1255,000. Of this, Com. Chauncey was en
titled to one twentieth of the whole, being §12,750 ; Captains
Perry and Elliot each drew $7,140. As no portion of prize
money could be awarded to Capt. Perry for his general com
mand, Congress made a special grant to him of $5,000 ; $2,295
was the portion of each commander of a gunboat, lieutenant,
sailing-master, and captain of marines ; $811 for a midship
man ; $447 a petty officer ; and $209 for each marine and sailor.

CHAPTER XVII.

Blockhouses built in 1813-14 — State of Society — Buffalo burned —
Alarms at Erie — Capt. Sinclair arrives — Bird and Rankin shot,
and Davis hung — Peace — Disposition made of Government Vessels
— List of Commanding Officers at Erie from 1818 to 1825 — Topog
raphy of Presqu'ile Bay and the Peninsula — Misery Bay — Gen.
Bernard and Maj. Totten's Survey — Appropriations made by the
State and United States — Changes made by Time and Art since
1813 — Rise and Fall of Water in Lake Erie — A Singular Phenome
non. For the better defense of Erie, in the winter of 1813 and
1814, a blockhouse was built on Garrison Hill, and another on
the point of the peninsula. (The one on the shore was burned
in 1853, an occurrence much regretted by the inhabitants).

HISTORY* OF ERIE COUNTY. 247
Ten vessels, with their complements of men, were stationed
in the harbor, and a large body of militia quartered upon the
town. The winter is remembered by the old inhabitants as
one of unusual excitement and dissipation. Like the idola
trous Israelites, the people sat down to eat and drink, and rose
up to play. Victory and prize money, leisure and lax disci
pline were found to promote anything but peace and good
morals. Deaths by dueling, suicide, and mania a potu were
not unfrequent. As an instance of the folly of the times, au
officer by the name of B  s provided himself with blank
challenges in order to be in readiness, if insulted, to demand
"the satisfaction of a gentleman." Near the corner of Third
and Sassafras streets, a duel took place between Midshipman
Senat, who commanded the Porcupine during the action, and
Acting-master McDonald, which resulted in the death of the
former. The cause of the difficulty, it is said, resolved itself
into the number of buttons worn by McDonald. A singular
fact is related of McDonald. A few minutes after committing
the fatal deed, but before it was known, he addressed an
acquaintance with some ordinary inquiry, but was not recog
nized by him excepting by his voice ; and scarcely by that, so
unnatural and ghost-like was his countenance. It is almost
superfluous to add, that the legal authorities took no notice of
such infractions of the law.
December 30, 1813, Capt. Isaac Barnes, of the militia near
Buffalo, communicated to the commander at Erie the alarm
ing intelligence that the British had that morning landed
three thousand regulars, militia, and Indians, at Black Rock,
and forced Maj .-Gen. Hall's company of militia to retreat to
Buffalo, and afterward to surrender as prisoners of war. The
village and large vessels at Black Rock had been consumed —
the enemy had advanced eight or ten miles up Lake Erie
destroying everything as they passed, and purposed burning
the vessels at Erie. Full liberty was given the Indians to
plunder in order to encourage them in the nefarious business.
Capt. Barnes requested of Capt. Elliot men, arms, and ammu
nition, the communication being interrupted eastward by the
Indians. Upon this Capt. Elliot, January 10, informed Gen.
Mead that the Indians were collecting a great number of sleighs

248 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
and sleds, and as soon as the ice would admit, expected to make
an attack upon Erie — that the force of the British amounted
to three thousand, and the one at Erie to but two thousand.
Immediately the whole of the first brigade of Gen. Mead's
division was ordered into service, and proceeded to Erie,
which increased the force to four thousand. The boldness of
the British at this time was owing to the removal of troops
from Fort George, which left the frontier partially unpro
tected. False alarms were frequent in Erie during the winter
as to the progress of the enemy, and more than once the
whole village was astir at midnight packing goods and furni
ture for a hasty departure — assurances of safety and protection
from the commanding officer having no effect. The parades
of the militia at such times, in their begged, borrowed, or in
herited uniforms, were occasions of special gratification to the
young, and those fond of the ludicrous, the first brigade being
mostly in the hands of substitutes. These were often of the
lowest class, untaught and unteachable in manners and disci
pline. North and west of where the First Presbyterian
church now stands, the ground was covered with log huts
erected for a regiment of regular troops, and was familiarly
known as Stumptown ; most of the huts were afterward
destroyed by fire — one of the largest, however, for many years
served as a meeting-house. Among officers and men the all-
absorbing topic was the share of honor or otherwise Capt.
Elliot was entitled to in the battle of September 10. The
sailors of the Lawrence and Niagara were never expected to
meet peaceably. The following scene was often enacted : an
"Elliot" champion would maintain that the wind was light
and they could not get up; the "Laivrence man" would
allude to "the main-top sail to the mast, and the jib brailed
up," and immediately a trial of muscle would ensue, and
blood flow unless prevented by the by-standers. In the
spring Capt. Elliot left for Lake Ontario, and Com. Sinclair
came on to Erie in April. In the fall three men were executed
for desertion — Bird and Rankin, marines, were shot, and
Davis, a seaman, hung to the yard-arm of the Niagara. Bird
belonged to a volunteer company from Bellefonte. The com
pany occupied a small blockhouse at the Cascade — being unac-

HISTORY' OF ERIE COUNTY*. 249
customed to military discipline they were impatient and restive
under orders, and mutinied by shutting themselves up and
refusing admission to others. Lieut. Brooks, of the marines,
being much in need of men before the battle, these men were
told that their offense would be overlooked provided they
would enlist with him. Bird being a man of some standing
was made sergeant, and placed in charge of a storehouse at
the mouth of Mill Creek, and deserted from thence. He was
found guilty by a court-martial, the President approved the
sentence, and as it was thought on the frontier such an offense
could not be overlooked, it was carried out with all its hor
rors.1 When the war in Europe ceased, that of the United States
with Great Britain, as a branch, naturally fell to the ground,
and a treaty of peace was concluded and signed at Ghent,
December 24, 1814. The following disposition was made of
the government vessels on Lake Erie : The Laivrence was
repaired, and after making a cruise to Lake Huron was sunk
in Misery Bay for her better preservation. Two years ago her
stern was elevated and a portion secured for memorials. The
Niagara lies under water near the Lawrence. The Caledonia
was sold in 1815, called the General Wayne, and finally broken
up at Erie. In 1S14 the Ohio and Somers were cut out by the
British at Fort Erie ; the Scorpion and Tigress were taken the
same year on Lake Huron ; the Little Belt and Trippe were
destroyed when Buffalo was burned ; the Ariel went ashore
and was wrecked in Buffalo Bay, and the Porcupine was
transferred to the revenue department. The Detroit was sunk
in Misery Bay, near the Lawrence (sailors say she would float
off, and in spite of their efforts would keep at a respectable
distance) ; she was, in 1835, raised, and rigged a bark, by Capt.
George Miles, and navigated the lake some years ; lastly, she
was sent over Niagara Falls for a spectacle, and probably a
speculation, too, on the part of the hotel keepers. The Queen
Charlotte was sunk in Misery Bay, and afterward fitted out for
i The execution of Bird and the other deserters at Erie in 1814, constituted
the romance of the war among children and the lower classes. A ballad on
the theme, of not less than twenty verses, in the " gory" style, rehearsed or
rather screeched by a servant girl with a doleful countenance, made a
decided impression on a group of children.

250 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
the lake trade ; the Lady Prevost was sold to a Canada mer
chant in 1815.
In 1820 an order was received to reduce the naval station at
this place to a master commandant, one lieutenant, one
purser, one surgeon, one surgeon's mate, one captain's clerk,
one boatswain, one gunner, one carpenter, one armorer, one
purser's steward, five able seamen, five ordinary seamen. The
naval station at Erie was not completely broken up until 1825,
when the public property was disposed of by auction. The
following is a list of the commanding officers from 1813 :
Captains O. H. Perry, Jesse D. Elliot, Arthur Sinclair, Daniel
S. Dexter (who died in 1818, leaving Lieut. George Pearce the
senior officer), David Deacon, and George Budd.
Here it may not be out of place to give something of the
topography of Presqu'ile Bay, and the changes made by time
and art since 1812. The extreme length of the bay is about
five miles, and nearly two in breadth, with an area of from
six to eight miles, and is formed by a peninsula which ex
tends in a northeasterly direction, being much in the form of
a crab's claw. In some places the peninsula is three-fourths
of a mile in width, and susceptible of cultivation, but a larger
part is sand, and covered with a low growth of timber, the
wild grape, and cranberry. The neck or west side in 1812 was
two or three hundred feet in width ; afterward the action of
the waves and increased height of the water submerged it for
the distance of half a mile. By an appropriation of govern
ment a passage eight feet in depth was made through this
neck, so that vessels detained in the harbor by head winds
might depart, and a saving of distance to steamboats be made
of from four to six miles. This channel is again filled with
sand, which is wearing way on the northwest side. At the
east end of the peninsula sand has been and is accumulating,
and just within is Misery Bay, a convenient shelter for vessels
in a storm. This name was given it by Lieut. Holdup in 1814,
from the comfortless condition of the vessels at the time — the
weather being gloomy and the stock of falsely so-called good
cheer exhausted. The depth of water in Presqu'ile Bay
averages eighteen feet ; at the entrance, the bar or sandbank
under water has been removed, and the channel there is now

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY. 251
about fourteen feet deep. Immediately after the war the
opinion of Com. Perry was asked by the Navy Department on
the subject of removing the bar, and his reply was favorable
to the project.1 In 1824 Gen. Bernard and Maj. Totten sur
veyed the harbor, and in their report we find the following
interesting item : "The basin of Presqu'ile is situated so far
above the commencement of the falls into Lake Ontario, and
in so wide a part of Lake Erie that the current produced by the
escape of water at the falls is here insensible — the only current
here observable being entirely owing to the easterly or westerly
winds. These latter currents have, however, sometimes con
siderable rapidity, and a curious fact appears in relation to the
effect of these lake currents upon the waters of the basin, viz.,
that a strong current sets into the basin in direct opposition to
the westerly winds when they blow hard, and conversely, a
strong current sets out of the basin in direct opposition to
violent easterly winds : or, in other words, the current out of
or into the basin runs in a direct opposition both to the set of
the lake's current and the direction of the winds, whether
easterly or westerly.
"It is important to account for this before proceeding fur
ther, and in doing so we refer to the sketch herewith to make
the matter more intelligible. We must first suppose the
surface of the lake and of the basin to be of the same level, as
will always be the ease after a few days of calm weather, and
represent the level by 0° 0' 00" and 0'". An easterly wind
then setting in drives a part of the water of the easterly half
of the lake into the western, raising the surface at 0" and W" ,
and lowering it at 0' ; as the surface descends at 0' the water
in the basin must also descend by running out against the
wind, there being no issue at the west end of the basin.
" In like manner when a westerly wind heaps the water at
0' above the surface in the basin, it must rise in the basin by
running in against the wind, there being no entrance at the
west end. As the winds abate, the waters gradually take a
level common to both lake and basin, but not the same as
i In 1822 the State appointed a committee composed of Thomas Forster,
G. Sanford, and George Moore, to survey the Bay of Presqu'ile ; to ascertain
the depth of water in the bay, on the bar, and the anchoring ground out
side of the bar.

252 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
before ; for, the supply being nearly equable at all times, with
westerly winds more is forced out of the lake over the falls,
and with easterly winds less passes that way than when the
surface is at a mean elevation. The basin has, therefore,
higher to rise immediately after an easterly wind than it was
depressed by it, and lower to fall after a westerly wind than it
was elevated by that wind. But the return of the lake to its
level is slow and gradual, the elevation and depression of the
waters at its ends is sudden and violent, and amounts often to
several feet. It is to this latter operation that we are to look
for producing any "considerable effect." They then proceed to
recommend a plan carried out soon after, that of increasing
the current by closing the whole mouth of the basin with the
exception of a passage two hundred feet in width. By means
of sinking piles and removing the sand between them with a
dredging machine, as well as by the frequent passage of ves
sels, the object has been effected.
The different appropriations for the improvement of the
harbor have been as follows : By the State, in 1822, 910,000 ;'
by the United States, in 1824, $30,000 ; in 1828, $6,223 ; in 1831,
51,700 ; in 1832, §4,500 ; in 1833, $6,000 ; in 1834, $20,000 ; in 1835,
$5,000 ; in 1836, $15,000 ; in 1844, $40,000 ; in 1852, $30,000 ; for a
steam dredge, $20,000.
About 1813 there was a fine drive on the beach from State
Street to the Cascade, where there is not now even a footpath.
Toward the middle of the day this was often overflowed,
giving rise to the opinion entertained by Com. Perry and
others that the lake was affected by tides. The year of the
battle the water was unusually high, not only in the lake, but
in the Allegheny and French Creek, and it was remarked by
those well qualified to judge, that without this fortunate cir
cumstance, this extraordinary rise, the squadron could not
have been built, as it would have been impossible to transport
the ordnance and necessary equipments over land, such was
the state of the roads leading from Pittsburg.
In 1808 the water in Lake Erie was lower than it had ever
before been known ; in 1838 it was four and a half feet above
the water-mark of 1808. Some pine trees, killed by the inun
dation, were found by their rings to be over one hundred

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY. 253
years old, and from this it was inferred that the water had not
been at so great a height for a century. In 1858 it was ob
served at the Buffalo lighthouse that for some years a gradual
progressive rise of water had taken place, and the same year
at Lake Ontario the water was higher than it had been for
forty years. At Toledo the water gauged from two to six feet
higher than in 1S34. During the years 1815, 1816, and 1817,
which were cold and wet seasons, the water was high ; in 1818
it was higher still, but not equal to 1837-38. The summer of
1818 was very hot, and the evaporation reduced the height of
the lake two feet, when the fall was gradual for several sea
sons. From 1822 to 1828 it remained without change.
Some have supposed that there exists a regular and period
ical rise and fall of the waters of the lake once in seven years ;
but facts do not seem to favor this supposition. Previous to
1838 there had been six or seven uncommonly wet seasons,
with heavy falls of snow, and this fact, together with the sub
sidence of the waters after extremely warm and dry seasons,
would seem plainly to indicate the cause.
A singular phenomenon has sometimes been observed near
the shore, which is the sudden rise and fall of water in par
ticular localities without any apparent cause. May 30, 1823, a
little after sunset, while the weather was fine and the lake
calm, at the mouth of Otter and of Kettle Creek, being twenty
miles apart in Canada, the water rose with astonishing rapidity
and without the least warning — at the former place nine feet,
and the latter seven. In both cases, after three swells, the
lake seemed to have spent its force, and gradually subsided.
The same effect was observed at different places along the
shore ; but the high steep banks did not admit of the same
observation. Two other cases of this kind were witnessed and described
by a revenue officer ; one at Cunningham Creek, Ohio, in 1826,
which, in the space of five minutes, overflowed a bank fifteen
feet in height, doing much damage. The other observed by
him, was in 1830, at Grand River, Ohio, at three o'clock,
p. m. There was an unusual waving of the water and a tre
mendous sea. The revenue cutter Rush, lying at the wharf,
let go her anchor, and the current was so strong she drifted

254 HISTORY* OF ERIE COUNTY'.
with both anchors ahead, and would have been ashore but for
the man placed at the helm. The top of the pier when built
was about five feet above the water, but so deeply was it sub
merged at this time, from appearance, a vessel drawing eight
feet of water would have gone over it.
At the mouth of Sixteen Mile Creek, Erie County, Mr.
Thomas Crawford witnessed a similar phenomenon about
1820. Others have mentioned the same periodical flux and reflux
on Lake Ontario, recurring at intervals of a few minutes, and
ascribed it "to springs at the bottom of the lake, and the
shock of rivers discharging into it."
A waterspout was witnessed at Cleveland, October, 1841. It
was apparently the size of a large haystack, hollow and
inverted. The wind had been blowing a strong current from
the northeast, and suddenly changed to the west.
A few years before, three waterspouts occurred at the same
moment, twenty-five miles west of Cleveland ; ordinarily they
may be said to be of rare occurrence on inland seas.
A whirlwind visited Conneaut, September, 1839, and the
effects were felt both on sea and land. The waters were lifted
forty or fifty feet, a barn unroofed near the shore, and much
other damage sustained.
The Conneaut Reporter, 1859, has an article to this effect :
" That the water of Lake Erie was never higher. Many acres
of land that had borne crops were totally submerged, and Mr.
J. Gilbert had had more than thirty acres of land destroyed
by the encroachments of the water the last thirty years.
The complaint was general along the lake shore, and many
causes assigned : some believed it to be the back-water caused
by the Black Rock dam, on the Niagara River, and petitions
were circulated, asking of the Legislatures of Ohio and Penn
sylvania the passage of memorial to Congress for an appro
priation to pay the expense of a survey of Niagara River to
determine the matter."
A survey of the lakes is now (1861) progressing slowly but
steadily. An appropriation of $125,000 has been granted for
carrying on the work.
The report drawn up by Capt. George G. Meade exhibits the

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY. 255
following summary of the year's work : "A recapitulation of
the operations in the office and the field exhibits the projec
tion of twenty-nine manuscript sheets of hydrography, topog
raphy, and water levels ; the reduction of four charts for
engravings ; the drawing of one chart for the lighthouse
board ; the publication of two charts ; the reduction and tabu
lation of 140 monthly sheets of meteorological observations,
together with numerous other computations, astronomical,
and geotic ; the survey of 303 miles of lake shore, covering 313
square miles of minute topography and hydrography ; the ex
ecution of two triangulations, extending over 2,200 square
miles ; the sounding in deep water of 4,300 miles of lines ; the
determination of the latitudes of three, and the longitudes of
four points ; the observation of the magnetic elements at nine
points ; and finally, the continuation of the meteorological
water-level observations over the whole lake region."
The water-level and meteorological observations on Lakes
Erie and Ontario, though in an imperfect state, sum up as
follows : That the lakes are sensibly and rapidly affected by
winds and storms, depressing the water from the side whence
it blows, and raising it on the opposite side ; that, independent
of wind fluctuations, a change of level arises from rains and
draining of watersheds and from discharges arising from
evaporation and the flow through their outlets ; that, as a
general rule, these last fluctuations occur annually, the high
stage being in summer, and the low in winter ; that these
annual fluctuations vary in degree from year to year, being
the effect of various causes, and the extreme range as yet re
ported between the highest and lowest waters has amounted
to five feet five inches.

CHAPTER XVIII.
Geology, from Prof . Rogers — Character of Soil — Calcareous Marl —
Bog Ore — Petroleum — Mineral Waters — R. Andreio's Account of
Sink-hole — The Devil's Backbone and Nose — Botanizing.
A survey* of the State was commenced by H. D. Rogers,
State Geologist, in the year 1836, in consequence of an act of

256 HISTORY* OF ERIE COUNTY*.
the Legislature passed the same year. The law directed that
an annual report be made by him to the Legislature of the
progress of the work, with the various areas occupied by the
different geological formations represented on the State map,
and on the completion of the work a full account to be pre
pared of the Geology and Mineralogy of the State. On the
organization of the survey, it was estimated that it would
occupy at least ten years ; appropriations being withheld after
the sixth year, Mr. Rogers for three years pursued his ex
plorations, and prepared his final report at his own expense ;
this was, however, afterward repaid.
In 1851 the Legislature adopted and provided measures and
means to revise the field-work, in consequence of the rapid
development of the mining districts, and for the publication
of the reports, with the accompanying maps, etc. In 1858 the
final report was published at an expense of $16,000, Mr. Rogers
retaining the copyright and presenting 1,000 copies of the
work to the State.
In 1836 the sum of $6,400 was appropriated to the work :
$2,000 for the salary of the principal ; $1,200 for each of the as
sistants ; $1,000 for the chemist; and $1,000 for incidental ex
penses, should they occur.
In 1837 two other assistants were appointed, and $3,600
added to the future annual appropriation. In 1838 $6,000 was
appropriated, and in 1841 $10,200, for the purpose of completing
the mineralogical and geological survey of the State. Of this,
$4,000 was lost by the want of proper management in its publi
cation. It was required of the State Geologist, from the first, to
furnish specimens of all mineral products to the Secretary of
the Commonwealth, and also of the minerals of each county to
its respective commissioners (those for the counties seemed to
be waved). In 1842 the Legislature required the preparation
of three cabinets of all geological and mineral specimens for
the use of the State, to be severally deposited at Harrisburg,
Philadelphia, and Pittsburg. We have been informed that
Mr. Bogers also made a promise of a similar one for Erie, to
Mr. J. D. Dunlap ; but that it was not added to the list, lest
some might consider it favoritism. Such a cabinet might

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY. 257
awaken in our county an interest in geology, which would
manifest itself in the more general pursuit of that engaging
science, as well as in the more profitable management of
farms, and the opening up of its resources and mineral
wealth. According to Prof. Rogers, the northwest corner of the
State, embracing Erie County, a large part of Crawford, and
the north half of Warren, which he makes his seventh dis
trict, a mean breadth of forty miles, is much the simplest of
all the natural divisions of the geological surface of Pennsyl
vania, as to its variety of strata and their structural features.
It includes but two paleozoic formations, namely, the vergent
flags1 and vergent shales. - These strata (the most ancient or
lowest great division of the fossiliferous strata) retain very
nearly the horizontal position in which they were originally
deposited, sustaining but a trivial inclination toward the
southeast, which extends to the coal strata and gives them
their trough-like configuration. The surface descends rather
rapidly from the watershed to the lake by a succession of ob
scure, alternately gentle and steepish slopes. The declivation
of the ground may be inferred from the difference in the ele
vation of its two margins : that of the watershed, in which it
begins, being nearly twelve hundred feet, and that of the
lake, in which it ends, being only five hundred and sixty-five
feet above the level of the sea. This tract is cut transversely
by numerous sharp ravines and long tortuous valleys (evi
dently carved by a tremendous rush of waters), carrying its
streams to the lake ; and the borders of some of these afford
many small, pleasing bits of scenery. But the characteristic,
and altogether the most impressive pictures, are those of the
lake itself. The first view which the traveler gets of this
broad inland sea, as he passes the watershed, especially when
the surface of the lake, crisped into gentle waves by a light
western breeze, reflects the deep blue of the upper sky, never
fails to charm and surprise him.
1 Vergent flags— A. rather flne-grained gray sandstone in thin layers,
parted by their alternating bands of shale. It abounds in marine vegeta
tion. 2 Vergent shales.— A. thick mass of gray, blue, and olive-colored shales
and gray-brown sandstone. The sandstone predominates in the upper
part, where the shales contain many fossils.

258 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY*.
This inclined plane extends from Cattaraugus County, New
York, to Sandusky Bay, being a slope consisting rather of a
succession of low terraces, themselves a little inclined. These
terraces are made by the outcropping of the strata, and are
parallel with the lake shore. The average inclination of the
surface is about thirty-three feet to a mile ; from eight or ten
miles from the lake the downward sweep of the surface is
much more rapid.
This Lake Erie slope is bounded on the southeast border by
an abrupt, low, broken wall or escarpment, which constitutes
the verge of the bituminous coal region. Between the Clarion
and Tionesta, and also extending across the river southwest
toward Mercer and Beaver, it rises gradually toward the
northwest. The rise of the Allegheny River, from Pittsburg to Franklin ,
does not exceed 755 feet, and the rise of French Creek, from
its mouth to Meadville, is about 130 feet. The high dividing
ridge which separates the waters of the Allegheny tributaries
from Lake Erie crosses the New York State line near Colt's
Station, where it is about 1,000 feet above the surface of the
lake. It then passes in a straight line to Strong's on the turn
pike, ten miles from Erie, where it is from 850 to 875 feet above
the lake level. From Strong's southwestward it becomes less
distinctly marked and much depressed, and is altogether lost
previous to reaching Conneaut Creek. The summit of the
Erie Extension Canal is at Conneaut Lake, and is little more
than 500 feet above Lake Erie.
From this dividing ridge there are four tolerably well-
marked terraces to, and parallel with, the lake. These terraces
are higher and better defined near the New York State line,
and become much depressed on reaching Elk Creek and Fair-
view townships, with the exception of the lower one, which
extends into the State of Ohio. The streams which empty into
the lake frequently run within one of these terraces for a con
siderable distance before they find an opening through which
they can pass to a lower level — thus, Walnut, Elk, and Con
neaut Creeks head very far to the east of their respective final
outlets. Between Cattaraugus Creek and Sandusky Bay the whole

HISTORY' OF ERIE COUNTY. 259
lake coast displays only the upper or sandstone member of the
flag formation, called in the New York Geological Survey the
portage sandstones. This group of strata crossing Erie County
in a southwest direction, almost precisely parallel with the
bend of the lake coast, constitutes a belt ten or twelve miles in
width, its upper limit pursuing the general watershed of the
district. All the rocks between this line and the margin of
the coal field are referable to the vergent shales.
The vergent flag or sandstone formation, in the type which
the group wears upon Lake Erie, would not be recognized in
its lithological composition by those who are only familiar
with it in the Appalachian valleys. In the eastern and cen
tral tracts of New York the whole formation is far more
arenaceous, and the proportion of the sandstone layers to the
shales, or more purely argillaceous beds, is much greater, the
upper or terminal subdivision of the mass especially contain
ing, with a large amount of thin bedded or flagy sandstone, a
considerable body of more massive strata. But advancing
west the clayey element predominates, and in the belt of
country bordering on Lake Erie but comparatively little true
sandstone remains in the mass. The most arenaceous portion
of the formation is even here near the top, and where well ex
posed, as it is in several places about eight miles south of the
lake, where it is occasionally quarried, it may be recognized
by its marine vegetation, and especially by a vertical stem
like form or species of scolithus.
The vergent shales also on Lake Erie are more argillaceous,
and the two formations approximate so nearly in composition,
and even in their organic remains, that a separation is not
practicable. The whole vergent mass between the lake and the coal rock
is 1,900 feet thick, about 800 or 900 feet representing the thick
ness of the lower formation, and 1,000 or 1,100 the'overlying
vergent shales. The quarries near the road between Water
ford and Erie, at an elevation of 800 feet above the lake, in
dicate nearly the highest portion of tke inferior group. It
would appear from the researches of Prof. James Hall, that
the total thickness of the vergent flag formation or portage
group of New York, amounts, in the longitude of Chautauqua

260 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
Creek, to nearly 1,400 feet ; we are therefore to infer that in the
region of Lake Erie some 500 or 600 feet of the formation are
covered by its waters.
Ripple marks, so abundant in the vergent flags, are numer
ous in Erie and Crawford Counties. Concretions of various
shapes abound in the more calcareous varieties of the finer-
grained clay shales, particularly those of the lower or flag
group. The commonest forms are spheroids, generally much
flattened, and often curiously lobed by the addition of fresh
materials on one or more sides. When very calcareous, these
are seamed with little veins of carbonate of lime, filling cracks
in more central portions— they are, in other words, true
septaria. Among the concretionary structures is one 1 which, from its
singularity, and the doubts entertained by many in relation to
its mode of origin, deserves a more special mention. It is the
so-called " Cone-in-Cone " structure of the English geologist.
In England it is met with occasionally in the finer shales and
clay ironstones of the coal measures ; but in one vast series of
formations it is nowhere seen but in this particular horizon,
near the vergent flag formation. It usually occurs in flat
cakes of hardened calcareous shale imbedded in soft, mealy
shale, the conical structure occupying a thickness of one or
two inches on one surface of the cake. Its position in the
strata is near the lake shore, and perhaps the best localities for
it in Erie County are at the mouth ot Sixteen Mile Creek, and
at the Cascade near Erie ; but it is to be seen in a correspond
ing situation bordering on the lake at a great number of spots
throughout the entire length of the formation, from Chautau
qua Creek in New York, to Cleveland in Ohio, and Prof. Hall
speaks of it as abundant on the Genesee River.
A minute inspection of the strata, as disclosed on the lake
shore and in the ravines, shows the flrst two hundred feet to
consist of blue and olive-colored soft, calcareous clay-shales,
brown bituminous shale and slate, and their alternating layers
of fine-grained gray «calcareo-argillaceous sandstone. All
i This structure was first observed by Dr. Samuel L. Mitchell, a distin
guished geologist of New York, in 1827, and regarded by him with very
great interest. His specimens were labeled "Argillaceous Schist of a
peculiar conchoidal fracture."

HISTORY' OF ERIE COUNTY*. 261
these materials are in their beds, and in constant alternation,
their dimensions being from one fourth of an inch to twelve
inches. The carbonaceous shales and slates are the thinnest.
Some of the finer-grained shales extend with little change of
thickness over very considerable areas, while other beds
change their dimensions rapidly. The shales, but more
especially the sandstones, are slightly calcareous.
The level line of the shore enables us to detect, in the dip of
the strata, a slight lateral or northeast and southwest undula
tion — but this feature is only local and inconspicuous. At the
mouth of Elk Creek, and elsewhere, the strata exhibit even a
very gentle dip toward the northwest ; and when examined,
this feature is connected with a low anticlinal arching of the
rocks, the axis of elevation being near the bridge, half a mile
above the outlet of the stream, not far from Girard. If it were
practicable thus to refer all the inclinations of the strata to a
succession of horizons absolutely level, we should discover a
vast succession of very low but broad and obscure anticlinals,
conforming in their northeast and southwest trend to the flex
ures of the Appalachian chain, and indicating the last expir
ing swells in the crust transmitted with abating intensity
across the broad bituminous coal region, from the enormous
billows which lifted the Appalachian chain.
Organic remains are rare in the strata near the side of the
lake, but one slender layer, about three inches in thickness,
occurring on the shore near the borough of Northeast, con
tains the little Avicula speciosa and Ungulina suborbicularia,
the most abundant fossils of the formation. In other places
the faces of the slabs of slate, especially when in contact with
bituminous shale, are sometimes covered with fragments of
plants, chiefly a delicate species of fucoid.
Eight or ten miles back from the lake the terrace outcrops
consist of thinly-laminated olive and brownish shales, alter
nating with flagy layers of sandstone. These latter become
gradually more abundant as we ascend in the series. The
thickest arenaceous beds measure in some places twelve or
fifteen inches, and where a number of them occur together,
with only thin partings of shale, the mass is quarried as a
building material.

262 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY*.
A stratum of this kind appears about- midway between Erie
and Waterford, and has been quarried in an excavation
known as Vincent's, about one mile west of the turnpike, the
materials from it being used in the locks of the Erie extension
of the Pennsylvania Canal. Near Elk Creek, at Elisha
Smith's, east of Girard, and at Cranes' near Cranes' Mills, are
the most extensive quarries of similar masses. It is seldom
possible to trace a particular stratum of the sandstone for any
considerable distance, for the beds soon thin off or deteriorate
for economical uses, becoming too argillaceous. At an ele
vation of about 810 feet above the level of the lake there ap
pear, in the vicinity of Waterford, two or three thin layers of
calcareous sandstone, abounding in marine organic remains,
chiefly bivalve shells. These strata, easily recognized by the
profusion of their imbedded fossils, are to be seen at White-
man's, and also at Wilcox's, near the village, as likewise along
the streams at the head waters of Le Bceuf and Elk Creeks —
one locality being near the house of Martin Strong. The
species are characteristic of the vergent newer shales, the Che
mung group of New York.
Upon these fossiliferous beds rest several bands of sandstone,
the layers being from six to twelve inches thick. These
have been quarried for building-stone, but approaching
Waterford they deteriorate. East of the village occurs a
stratum of yellow sandstone, coarser than the beds of the for
mation generally, and differing from them in aspect. It has
been quarried on the borders of French Creek, where a good
building material was obtained. At Smith's quarry the bed
was about four feet thick. Upon it rest, flrst, thin bands of
pebbly rock, the pebbles having the size of large shot ; sec
ondly, shale ; thirdly, two layers of hard silicious sandstone,
sixteen inches thick, and above them slate and flaggy sand
stone. A similar section may be seen on the opposite side
of the stream at A. Middleton's.
In the Moravian quarry (near Waterford) the sandstone bed
is not so thick. At Carrol's quarry it is from four to six feet
in thickness, some thin layers of pebbly rock or coarse grit,
and other sandstone resting over it, separated by only a few
inches of shale. All these beds are embraced within a thick-

HISTORY' OF ERIE COUNTY. 263
n ess of ten or twelve feet. A little petroleum is found in all
of these quarries. We have already seen that many of the
clay shales are highly bituminous.
The greater part of the surface of the northwest district is
thinly strewed with Northern drift, and the valleys of all the
principal streams are deeply filled with it, presenting some
very instructive features in the forms of many bold terraces
into which the waters have brought it.
Character of the Soil. — The cadent and vergent rocks, of
which this northwest district consists, furnish by disintegra
tion a soil in which clay is the predominating ingredient. It
may be denominated a cold, clayey loam, better suited for
grazing than for growing wheat. That derived from the in
ferior, more argillaceous strata nearer the lake, is in many
belts a stiff clay, while that into which the sandy matter of
the upper parts of the formation enters as an element is looser,
and approximates to the character of a loam. A greater or
less mixture of the materials of the Northern drift or trans
ported gravel, with the proper soil of the region, modifies the
quality of the latter, and gives to many localities agricultural
peculiarities which the subsequent rocks themselves could
never impart. In nearly all the larger valleys the depth of
the drift is such as to confer on them a soil abounding in
gravel. Though this very heterogeneous covering contains
pebbles and sand derived from the limestones which outcrop
to the north and east of Lake Erie, mingled with the less fer
tile materials of the crystalline and silicious rocks yet farther
north, and with the fragments of the underlying shales, a soil
exists usually well adapted to the culture of wheat and the
finer kinds of grain.
The soil derived from the cadent and vergent rocks alone is
too generally deficient in calcareous matter to possess a high
degree of fertility, and, unfortunately for the domestic agri
cultural resources of the district, not a single bed or forma
tion of good limestone either within it or cheaply contiguous
to it, contributes to the land the element which it chiefly needs.
As, however, much good agricultural lime is procurable from
the immediate coast of the lake toward its west end, there
cannot be a doubt that ultimately commerce, in her inexhaus-

264 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY*.
tible power to benefit, will be enlisted to convey the requisite
quantity of this almost indispensable fertilizer not only to the
coast of Erie County, but by the canals, to all the contiguous
regions toward the southeast.
Calcareous Marl. — In the Pymatuning and Conneaut
swamps there are shallow but rather extensive deposits of a
soft calcareous tufa and shell-marl, the possible value of which
to the agriculture of the surrounding districts is not enough
appreciated. This is in Crawford County. Thus far we have
cited the State geologist.
In Erie County, at Beaverdam, west of Union, thirty years
ago, marl was burned for lime ; and at Walnut Creek, quite
recently, lime of the best quality was manufactured. At the
Sink-hole, in Waterford, we have reason to suppose the quan
tity of shell-marl inexhaustible. 1 Many cords of hard blue
limestone were quarried in excavating the canal in Erie. The
very superior quality of the wheat produced in the vicinity of
the lake confirms Prof. Roger's statement, that lime exists in
the sand and pebbles. It is sometimes too, observed in bricks,
in their disruption when the lime slackens.
For several years the blast furnace of Vincent, Himrod &
Co. was stocked principally with Erie County bog ore. - It
was brought from Laird's farm, Nicholson's, Elk Creek, etc.,
in the western part of the county. Near Cranesville there is
a bed which is burned and used as a mineral paint. The ore
yielded from fifteen to twenty, and sometimes even sixty per
cent of iron — some was found to be one-fifth limestone. At
the time the furnace discontinued operations, the supply
of ore was supposed to be exhausted.
Coal in small quantities has been found, and also sulphate
of alumina compounded with the sulphate of iron, from which
1 Prof. Austin, of the Waterford Academy, put the marl to the test, and
found it to be composed principally of lime ; and adds, " the time will
come when it will be extensively used as a fertilizer, and it can be burned
so as to form lime— but the lime will not be as good as if obtained from
some other source."
2 As a proof of the quality of the metal, we find in the Erie Gazette, 1843:
"An inspection of 1200 32-pound shot was made by the navy agent, at the
Presqu'ile Foundery, from Erie County ore, and a contract was finished
with government for 300 8-inch shot and 7,000 32-pounders, part of which
were shipped for Buffalo and Sackett's Harbor."
Many years ago considerable quantities were shipped at Massassaqufr
for a small furnace in Conneaut, Ohio.

HISTORY' OF ERIE COUNTY*. 265
the alum of commerce is derived. Salt springs have been dis
covered in various places, but probably not of sufficient
strength to justify the erection of works for the manufacture
of salt.
Petroleum. — Boring for oil has been prosecuted in different
parts, as yet not with any marked success. The well of C.
McSparren, in the southeastern part of the town, reached the
depth of 200 feet, mostly through rock. An abundance of gas
was found, but the work has ceased for the present. In Sum
mit township, Mr. C. Fronce bored a well on a branch of Le
Boeuf Creek to the depth of 200 feet without finding oil in pay
ing quantities. Afterward, near Strong's Mill, at a depth of
157 feet, a vein which it was thought would yield ten barrels
per day was found. P. G. Stranahan drilled 200 feet in Union ;
and on Sturgeon's farm, at Fairplains, 100 feet through a
stratum of coal four feet in thickness. Near the Springfield
Depot, on the Cleveland and Erie Boad, boring has been com
menced. Nearly a dozen companies are now prosecuting the
business in Conneaut township, on the banks of Marsh Bun.
Oil was found in that region twenty years ago, and collected
for medicinal purposes, and in quarrying stone the workmen
found it in small pools among the rocks. An old salt well
which had been opened forty years ago, in Wellsburg, having
become filled with rubbish, was cleaned, and jets of oil were
thrown at three different times. This is on the east branch
of Conneaut Creek. A company with a cash -capital of $1,000
was formed in February, 1861, at Waterford, to drill in that
neighborhood, and in Erie one hundred Germans formed an
association with a capital of $10,000, and immediately com
menced operations on Ninth Street.
The Germans carried on this work and drilled four hundred
feet. On February 26, 1862, they struck a vein of gas which
threw the water twenty feet into the air. About 9:30
the proprietor, Mr. Athof, and eight others visited the well
to examine, carrying a lighted lantern. When they were
within a few feet of the derrick, the gas took fire, and the whole
party were more or less injured and one survived but a few
hours. Several mineral springs have been discovered — a burning

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.

sulphur spring on the farm of Mr. Knox, south of the town,
at one time claimed attention and excited much curiosity.
Another burning spring is found on the Ohlwiler farm, on
Six Mile Creek. A mineral spring on the ground formerly
owned by P. P. Glazier, on Eighth Street, was, in 1840, im
proved and fitted up with baths for the benefit of invalids.
A specimen of the water was sent for analysis to Prof.
Booth, of Philadelphia. His experiments on one gallon of
60,000 grains resulted as follows : —

Chlorideof potassium  20.56
" sodium  110.16
" magnesium  45.36
•' calcium  8.88
" iron  2.88
Sulphate of lime  11.68

Total soluble matter  190.52

Carbonate of lime  19.12
" magnesia  0.96
" iron  1.44
Silica  0.48

Total insoluble  22.00

Prof. Booth explains insoluble matter to mean " the residue,
which will not redissolve in pure water after evaporation to
dryness. The carbonates in the insoluble portion are held in
solution in the spring water by a small quantity of carbonic
acid which escapes during the evaporation."
He adds: "It appears from the analysis that the spring
water is of excellent quality and bears comparison with many
European springs which have attained some celebrity." The
waters have been successfully tried by invalids ; but the prem
ises are now out of repair, and the water not to be obtained in
its purity and strength.
The unforseen and repeated sinking of the Philadelphia and
Erie track, at Le Bceuf swamp, near Waterford, attracted
much attention during the construction of that road, and
elicited the following statement in substance from Mr. R.
Andrews, one of the engineers. When the location was made,
the surface, excepting in a few places, appeared firm and
hard. Le Bceuf swamp, in which the sinking occurred, is
between two large mounds designated as the north and
south mounds, as they lie in that course with the railroad.
The level is about four feet higher than Le Bceuf Creek. The
surface soil is mostly made up of vegetable mould, varying
from three to seven feet in thickness, for the distance of 38,000
feet. The line of the railroad is perfectly straight through

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY. 267
this swamp, and the height of the bank above it averages
five feet.
The grading of the railroad was begun in 1856, at both ends,
and after making 100 feet of the bank near the south mound it
first showed symptoms of settling, and went from bad to
worse as the bank receded from the mound. At the north
end better progress was made, and there were no indications
that any settling would take place. When the work on the
road was stopped, in 1857, 1,000 feet were made on the north
end, and 175 on the south.
In 1858 the work was resumed, but little progress was made
until January, 1859, when the efficient and energetic con
tractors, Russel, Barnet & Co., took charge. Soundings were
made under the direction of the engineer through the swamp,
the length of which, by previous advancement, was reduced
to 2,600 feet. At the south mound no bottom could be found
for a distance of 300 feet — an iron rod having been made thirty-
five feet in length for the purpose. The soundings for the re
maining 1,300 feet averaged from 1 to 25 feet, striking a good
gravel bottom. The penetration of the rod in most places
through the crust was somewhat hard ; but when through, it
passed readily to the gravel.
There is every indication that at one time this was a large
lake, and that it has become filled up by drift, logs, etc.,
which, by decay and vegetable matter decomposing, has
formed the " crust" alluded to. For some time the two sides
settled very materially, but particularly the one on the south,
consuming an immense quantity of earth.
The height of the bank (as ascertained from a formula, the
amount of yards put in and the distance made being known)
is 55 feet, thus making a fill of this height when the original
section called for only 6 feet. Some idea may be formed of
the amount of work required to complete the south end, from
the following calculation based on actual measurement : "In
the month of February 7,500 yards were put in and only
gained 30 feet. Had the swamp not settled, and with the
original section, this amount of earth would have made some
thing over three fourths of a mile. The settling is very grad
ual, and when the bank once ceases to settle, it never varies

268 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY*.
afterward.1 A portion made up to grade in 1857 has not set
tled an inch, thus guaranteeing a good and safe bank, though
a costly one.
" Large night forces were put on this work — 200 men, 20
cars, and 18 horses worked day and night as faithfully as pos
sible. It presented a lively appearance at night to see the
fires and lanterns strung along the banks, and to hear the
voices of the men, and the rumbling noise of the cars breaking
the peaceful quietude."
To those in the vicinity who had never before witnessed
earth swallow earth, or suspected an old lake under cover, with
its gravel bottom forty feet below, it must have been a matter
of very great surprise.
Near Union a similar but smaller sinkhole was found ; and
also at Hartstown, Crawford County, on the canal, one of
twice the extent of the one at Waterford.
Meadows in the West have broken through and sunk, while
others have been so like a spring floor that the weight of a
cart was never hazarded upon them, but the harvest secured
by long pitchforks. "All belong to a class of which there
are myriads in the drift region of North America. The largest
Superior, and others that scarcely hold a gallon, as to supply
and position, are to be accounted for in exactly the same man
ner." The Devil's Backbone. — About three and a half miles south
east from the borough of Girard is a most remarkable place,
which deserves a better name than " The Devil's Backbone."
The country is very romantic and extremely hilly, rising ap
parently to a very great height. Beaching the farm of Mr.
Blair, one of the first settlers, the drive is along the edge of a
fearful ravine, the road lying frightfully near, and but for the
thick growth of trees on its border would be absolutely dan
gerous. Leaving the horses and carriage, a walk of a few
moments opens to view a magnificent prospect. Beneath, ap
pears a large hollow, the precipitous sides of which, as well as
the bank beyond, are covered with magnificent forest trees.
In the middle of this rises the " Backbone," a ridge of sancl
i This treacherous swamp occasioned difficulty after the cars commenced
running.

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY. 269
and slate one hundred feet in height, with a base of but sixty
feet. This is two hundred feet in length, one side being
partly covered with trees, while the other is entirely bare.
The top of the back, which is from one to twelve inches in
width, is a narrow but rather dangerous walk, but affords a
view truly grand, Elk Creek being around the point and on
both sides having worn its bed through the soil to a very great
depth. The abrupt height of the ridge, its narrow base, the
deep bed of the stream, with the beauty of the surrounding
scenery, compose the extraordinary landscape.
Half a mile distant is another pyramidal ridge covered with
grass, not so high or peculiar, called the "Nose." Here
there are forks in the creek, and the whole is wild and pic
turesque. The description is miserably unjust, but none could be fully
adequate — in the worn out words, " it must be seen to be truly
appreciated." As to the flora of this region, we cannot do better than to
quote a few words of Prof. L. G. Olmstead : "We
consider the county and immediate vicinity of Erie by
far the best botanizing district with which we are ac
quainted throughout a large district of country. We have
upon the peninsula a very great variety of plants, many of
which are not found on the main land, but are common only
to Western prairies. The marshes, ponds, bogs, etc., afford a
great variety of marsh and aquatic plants.
"Among the plants that some of our best florists would
travel many miles to see, are the Saracenia purpurea or pitcher
plant ; several varieties of Potamogeton, which are aquatic ;
Batschia canescens, Enchococinea, found on the Western
prairies ; Hydopeltis purpurea, and several species of Utricu-
laria." The sweetbrier, which has been much admired and particu
larly adorns the green banks of the lake in the western part
of the town, is not, like the wild rose, indigenous, the flrst
plant having been brought from Carlisle, by Gen. Kelso.
Some specimens of the double sweetbrier have been found on
the Peninsula.

CHAPTER XIX.
Miscellaneous Items, among which are : A Tradition — General
Wayne — An Anecdote — Price of Provisions — William W. Reed,
Esq. — First National Celebration — Churches — The Garrison — A
Relic — Saturday Afternoon — Game — Mrs. P.'s Reminiscences — H.
Russet's Journal — An early Settler in Fairview — La Fayette's
Visit in Erie — Cholera — Perry Monument— An Informal Meeting
— Speculation — Fires — Sad Accidents — Ex-President Adams —
Patriot War — Old Courthouse Bell — Pioneers — Perry— Lieutenant
Yarnall — Survivors of the Battle of Lake Erie— Perry Monument
at Cleveland — Inventions — Moravian Lands — Omissions.
A Tradition. — The Eries were alarmed when they heard of
the confederation of the Mohawks, Oneidas, Onondagas,
Cayugas, and Senecas residing in Central New York, and re
garded them as natural enemies. To satisfy themselves, they
sent a message to the Senecas, who resided nearest to them,
inviting them to select one hundred of their most active,
athletic men to play a game of ball against the same number
selected from the Eries, for a wager worthy of the occasion
and nation.
The message was received in the most respectful manner,
but the challenge declined. The next year the offer was re
newed and again declined. At the third offer, the young
Iroquois could be no longer restrained, the wise councils
which had hitherto prevailed were set aside, and the challenge
accepted. After the selection, the party being the flower of
the tribe, a most solemn charge was given them to acquit
themselves as the worthy representatives of a great and power
ful people, anxious to cultivate peace and friendship with
neighboring tribes. The party then took up the line of march
for Tu-shu-way (Buffalo), sent a messenger to notify the Eries
of their approach, and the next day made a grand entree.
They brought no weapon. The bat was a hickory stick,
about five feet long, bent over at the end, and thong netting
270

HISTORY* OF ERIE COUNTY. 271
woven into a bow. Their wager, which was matched by the
Eries, consisted of piles of elegant wampum, costly jewels,
silver bands, and beautifully ornamented moccasins. The
game began, and though contested with desperation and great
skill by the Eries, the Iroquois bore off the prize in triumph.
The Iroquois having accomplished the object of their visit were
about to return, when the Eries proposed a foot race between
ten of their number, at " Kanswans " or Eighteen Mile Creek.
The victor in the race was to dispatch his adversary with a
tomahawk and bear off his scalp as a trophy. This the Iro
quois accepted, secretly intending to waive the bloody part of
the proposition should their tribe be victors. The Eries were
again vanquished, but the Iroquois declined to execute their
victim. At this the chief of the Eries came forward, and,
quick as thought, himself dispatched the vanquished warrior,
who was dragged out of the way and another champion placed
in his stead. This was three times repeated, and the Iroquois
seeing the great excitement that prevailed, made a signal to
depart, and, gathering up their trophies, proceeded home
ward. The Eries knew no mode of securing peace but by the ex
termination of their enemies ; it being no part of their charac
ter to cultivate and strengthen friendship. They knew to
contend with them collectively would be useless. Immedi
ately they organized a powerful party of warriors — hoping to
be an equal match to their powerful neighbors by surprising
the Senecas, who resided on Seneca Lake. But a woman re
siding among them who had a stronger interest in the Iro
quois, secretly gave them warning, and five thousand war
riors were organized and marched out to meet them. The
two parties met at Honeoye, where a bloody and desper
ate battle was fought. The Eries were driven seven times
across the stream and as often regained their ground. But a
few of the vanquished Eries escaped to convey the news of
their terrible overthrow, and these were pursued, and all that
fell into the enemies' hands put to death. For weeks the pur
suit was continued, and it was five months before the victo
rious party of the five nations returned with their trophies,
having subdued their last and most powerful enemies. Tra-

272 HISTORY* OF ERIE COUNTY.
dition adds that the descendants of the Eries returned from
beyond the Mississippi and attacked the Senecas, then settled
in the seat of their fathers, Tu-shu-way ; and that a great bat
tle was fought, and the Eries slain to a man, near the site of
the (Cattaraugus) Indian Missionhouse.
General Wayne. — The following newspaper article, by Rev.
L. G. Olmstead, is copied partly for the purpose of adding a
word of explanation in reference to the disinterment of Gen.
Wayne, at Erie, in 1809 :
" On arriving at Erie, he (Colonel Isaac Wayne) employed
'Old Dr. Wallace,' so called to distinguish him from the
present Dr. Wallace, to take up his father's remains, pack the
boxes in as small a space as possible and lash them on to the
hinder part of his sulky. Dr. Wallace took up the remains and
found them in a perfect state of preservation, except one foot.
The body had been buried in full uniform, and the boot on the
decayed foot was also decayed, while the other boot remained
sound, and a man by the name of Duncan had a mate to it
and wore them out. Duncan's foot, like the general's, was
very large. Dr. Wallace cut and boiled the flesh off the
bones, packed them in a box, lashed them to the carriage, and
they were brought and deposited beside the rest of his family
in the above named churchyard.
" I visited Gen. Wayne's old residence in the summer of
1857, and found everything much as he had left it. The
house is an elegant, old two-story mansion, now occupied by
his grandson. The parlors and sitting-rooms are as they
were. There are portraits and engravings of men of the Rev
olution, hanging on the walls, as on the 3d of April, 1792,
when he was appointed to the command of the Western army.
Around the house and over the farm, while the fences and
buildings are in a good condition, yet they assured me it is
about as he left it. Everything appeared as though it had be
longed to a gentleman of the old school, a race now said to be ex
tinct. The premises looked, and I felt, as though the old hero,
whose very name was once a terror to the murderous red man,
might be expected back in an hour or so, and a dreamy im
pression seemed to steal over me that if I waited a little I
should see him. I should have liked much to have questioned

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY*. 273
him about Three Rivers, and Brandywine, and Germantown,
and Monmouth, and Stony Point, and Yorktown, and the
Indians, and how the city appeared when she was only a year
old. And I seemed to hold my breath and listen as many an
old Indian had done, for his footsteps and his fearful oaths ;
yet he did not come, and I passed on some three miles to his
final resting place."
G. Sanford, who came to Erie in 1810, and was well ac
quainted with Dr. J. C. Wallace, heard him more than once
allude to this circumstance. Mr. Sanford's impression is that
Col. Wayne put up at Buehler's hotel, and did not visit the
grave of his father, but sent for Dr. Wallace and made known
the object of his visit, requesting him to superintend the re
moval and place the remains in a suitable condition for the
journey. Dr. Wallace was a skillful surgeon of the army and
a man of the first standing, and Col. Wayne could not have
selected a more suitable person to carry out his design. Both
must have supposed the body, thirteen years after death, to
have returned to corruption. That Dr. Wallace pursued the
wisest course the nature of the case would admit of, none who
knew him would for a moment doubt. As a military man he
was accustomed to obey orders, but it was with his operations
as with other surgeons, not always an agreeable subject to dis
cuss minutely.
An Anecdote. — The details of the first year's residence of
a wealthy citizen of the county who settled near Waterford,
present a model of patience and industry worthy of study
and imitation. On landing, one of the few settlers offered
him employment in going to the woods to split puncheons, for
which he was to have fifty cents a day. This occupation con
sists in splitting fair chestnut logs two or three times and
smoothing them with an axe, to be used as a substitute for
boards in making a floor. After a week of hard work at the
puncheons (with hoeing potatoes before breakfast added),
reckoning day came, and he found he was charged seventy-
five cents per day for board ! Legal redress was not to be
thought of, as there was no law this side of Pittsburg, which
was then almost as difficult of access as Pike's Peak. He tied
up his effects in his yellow cotton handkerchief, and was about

274 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY'.
starting, when his employer called out, " Where did you split
the puncheons ? " (He had been called " the green Yankee.")
" You call me green, and I am ; but not green enough to tell
you that ! " was the spirited reply.
(Many years after he saw the decayed puncheons on the
spot where he left them, near the site of the courthouse).
The settler then walked six or eight miles to the location of a
farmer, and, finding no warrant upon the tract adjoining him,
he secured it, and immediately put in a crop of potatoes.
These, when the size of birds' eggs, he used for food, for he
had no other. In November the potatoes were gone, and after
having scooped out a log for a canoe, he floated down the
river, seeking employment. At Pittsburg no engagement
offering, he put himself up at auction, at the market, pro
claiming from a horseblock, that he " could do any work that
any other man could do," and a Dutchman gave him a bid of
three dollars a month and board. (This time he was careful
to mention the board). Here he remained three months, and
was offered for the future three dollars and fifty cents per
month, but he paid out his nine dollars for a barrel of flour
and poled himself up to Waterford ; from this he carried his
flour, thirty pounds at a time, to his farm three miles distant.
Price of Provisions, etc. — Among Esquire Rees's papers we
find a bill dated 1792, "For services in viewing the county,
$193.43." Another, " To Indians for hunting, $50."
Other accounts, dated 1797, show provisions at the following
prices : Potatoes, 12 shillings per bushel ; corn 16 shillings ;
oats, 12 shillings ; wheat, 20 shillings per bushel ; pork, $30
per barrel ; sugar, 33 cents ; loaf sugar, 87 cents per pound,
etc. In 1813-14 provisions commanded a still higher price ; corn
$4, and oats $3 per bushel.
The flrst white man born in the "Triangle" was William
W. Reed, son of John C. Reed, and grandson of Col. S. Reed,
in Erie, February 20, 1797. He became a merchant in Ashta
bula, Ohio, but had resided in Erie a few years previous to his
decease, September 9, 1851.
The First Celebration of our National Independence recorded
was the Fourth of July, 1797, near Colt's Station. Mr. Colt

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY. 275
says: " Tuesday being the twenty -second anniversary of the
Independence of America, at the expense of the Pennsylvania
Population Company we gave an entertainment to about
seventy-five people, settlers of the said company. A bower was
erected under two large maple trees, and when the hearts of
the people were cheered with good fare, sundry toasts were
drunk suitable to the occasion. After I had withdrawn, one
James Crawford offered the following : ' May Judah Colt,
agent of the Population Company, drive the intruders before
him as Samson did the Philistines ! Three cheers ! ' and the
woods rang with a roar of laughter for some time." l
First Court. — When the circuit court met for the first time
in the county, several of the citizens rode out to escort Judge
Yates into town, but were disappointed in not meeting him.
The court met in a room rented by the commissioners, on
French Street, between Second and Third Streets. As the
first day was election day, business was postponed, and in the
afternoon, in honor of the judge and strangers, a large sailing
party of ladies and gentlemen went over to the peninsula.
Churches. — Previous to 1811 there was seldom church to at
tend, but the few who could do so conveniently would ride to
Fairview or Northeast, where were church organizations and
settled pastors at an early day. Among the itinerants at a
later day was Rev. Mr. Judd, who periodically, for several
years, held meetings in Col. Forster's vacant room, on the cor
ner of French and Fifth streets. He was esteemed a man of
zeal and strong faith, but somewhat eccentric ; having been
connected with the Presbyterian, Baptist, and Methodist
churches, he was now free from all ecclesiastical rule. In the
selection of elders, with hirn piety was of no account — in
fluence was the indispensable qualification. Hence, his men
in Erie were Captain Deacon, the commanding officer, Purser
Carr, and Mr. Reed the wealthiest citizen. On one occasion,
after reading the hymn, no one appeared " to raise the tune,"
and he remarked that he wished "Captain Deb. was there,
and she could do it," meaning his wife. He then asked if
there was not some lady who would undertake it, when one
1 This refers to "actual settlers," and not Indians, as the agent often had
perils in dispossessing them.

276 HISTORY' OF ERIE COUNTY'.
kindly volunteered, and in due time all went on in a becom
ing and reverential manner. i
An anecdote is related which shows the class of people our
ministers had to deal with, even long after this. On one oc
casion the parson thought proper to exclude from the com
munion one of his members who had been guilty of intemper
ance, by the name of Folwell. In consequence of this a near
connection came to thrash the parson. After the matter had
been discussed, and the irritated avenger (who, for the preach
er's eye, had not been able to execute his threat) being some
what restored to reason, he exclaimed, " Faith, sir, and when
ye come till heaven ye'll find the Folwells theer!" With this
ultimatum of his rage he departed.
At an early day the garrison seemed to be the general resort
for citizens and strangers, an officer of the army having com
mand until about 1806. At the time Gen. Wayne's remains
were removed, in 1809, and previously, Captain D. Dobbins
was residing in the large building, in the center of the ground,
erected for the commanding officer ; one of the gates was down
and the works were going to decay. Gen. Wayne, when he
was landed in an almost dying state, chose to be tenanted in
the upper part of the east block house. It seems the attics of
the three were fitted up as dwellings. We have mentioned
elsewhere that these block houses were on the east side of the
creek, and built in 1795 for the protection of the State Com
missioners, General William Irvine and Andrew Ellicot, who
were laying out the town. Captain John Grubb brought on a
militia force at the time.1 The names of the officers who com
manded at different times were Captain Russel Bissel, in 1797 ;
Captain Cornelius Lyman, until 1801 ; Captain McCall, and
Gen. Callender Irvine. Captain Lyman is described as a per
fect gentleman, notwithstanding which he was court-martialed
in Erie, in 1 798, for a want of hospitality (in what particular in
stance is not recorded), but was honorably acquitted. In 1801
(Mr. Colt notes), "Col. Ham tram ck arrived from Pittsburg,
on his way to Detroit. On entering the garrison a salute from
the fort, of sixteen guns, was fired, and also one from the
i Captain Grubb was a worthy citizen. He received the appointment of
Associate Judge about 1813, and resided on his farm in Mill Creek until
his death in June, 1845.

HISTORY' OF ERIE COUNTY. 277
United States armed vessel Wilkeson, in the harbor ; at the
same time a large brig from Fort Erie, of two hundred tons,
came in." In April, 1802, a ball was given at the garrison,
which, Mr. Colt remarks, " was a very agreeable affair."
A Relic. — In 1804 or 1805 an iron cannon, a three pounder,
was found by Gen. Kelso, near the Cascade, partly imbedded
in sand. The probability is that it belonged to the French.
At the time of their occupation, and previously, there was a
road on the sand beach, and in transporting stores this might
have been for some reason abandoned. Gen. K. ok his heirs
disposed of it many years ago to a citizen of Black River,
Ohio. In a number of the newspaper Mirror, of 1808, we find that
the sum of forty-two dollars was paid William Davidson for
clearing the public square.
It has been remarked of Mill Creek, that in 1810 it contained
four times the quantity of water that it does at present and
was quite a large turbulent stream, and about Third Street
there was quite a pretty cascade. The gradual diminution of
streams has been remarked in all new countries. It is sup
posed to be the result of increased evaporation occasioned by
the removal of trees, and also by the plowed ground, which
absorbs large quantities of water.
Saturday Afternoon. — An early custom prevailed in Erie
that must have been highly unpopular with some — that of
calling out every man on Saturday afternoon to dig out
stumps in the streets. This was before 1810.
There was an ordinance also compelling citizens to dig three
stumps from the highivays of the town as a punishment for
every bacchanal revel they engaged in. This ordinance was
repealed at an informal meeting held in front of the Reed
House, in June, 1846, the principal object being in congratula
tion of the puplic benefit received by the adornment of the
public square with trees, and when it received the name of
Perry Square.
As to game, the early settlers found an abundance of deer,
rabbits, foxes, squirrels, opossums, etc. As late as 1804, Mr.
Hamlin Russel enters in his journal : " January 1 — Cloudy
morning ; clears off ; hunt bears, wolves, panthers, wild cats,

278 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
etc." Panthers are not often spoken of in Erie County. In
Buffalo we hear of one being shot, in 1827, one mile and a half
from the present courthouse.
In 1808 are to be found, among county expenditures, $80
paid for wolf scalps. The bounty was probably $10 per head —
afterward, for many years, it was $12. The few scalps pre
sented for bounty at that early day indicate the sparseness of
the population and their want of leisure for such pursuits.
In 1813 Mr. Bussel lost four sheep by wolves. In 1828 sheep
could not be kept at Colt's Station on account of their frequent
visits : $72.74 was paid by the county for scalps in 1834, $85.90
in 1836.
Probably the last of the wild cat species in the county was
shot by Mr. Abram Knapp, at Lake Pleasant, in 1857.
A copy of the Erie Gazette, dated August, 1820, has the fol
lowing advertisement :
1 ' A Hunting we will go ! — A party of gentlemen intend go
ing to the head of the peninsula, on Wednesday morning
next, if fair — if not, the next fair morning — for the purpose of
forming a line across it at the head and marching abreast
down to the point, where boats will be stationed to follow
game that may take to the water. A meeting will be held on
Monday evening next at the courthouse, for the purpose of
making the necessary arrangements."
Foxes are still abundant. J. W. Silverthorn shot twenty
in the neighborhood of Girard, in the winter of 1861, and many
other sportsmen were quite successful in the same way.
In 1862 several minks were found and sold as high as 14
shillings a piece.
Mrs. P.'s Reminiscences. — Mrs. P., who remembers Erie in
1803, says : The pickets were standing around parts of old
Fort Presqu'ile at that time. A ruined, peculiar looking
house of stone and timber was also standing, and near by
was a very deep well. Indian beads and other relies were
found on the ground.
When the fleet was building, a small party returned from
the peninsula very greatly excited, maintaining that they
had seen three British spies, in red coats, and made oath to
the fact before a magistrate. As fears were entertained of the

HISTORY' OF ERIE COUNTY. 279
destruction of the vessels while building, the militia were called
out until the square was filled. The Burgess thought advis
able, before proceeding further, to send over and make a strict
search, which was accordingly done, and nothing found to
justify the story unless it might be that three red oxen were
there quietly feeding.
Soon after Buffalo was burned, an express came with the
news that the British were eighteen miles west of Buffalo, on
their way to destroy Erie and the fleet. Merchants removed
their wares, and the greatest consternation prevailed. Fam
ilies were called up at midnight, and, hastily packing their
furniture and goods, fled from the lake, and many of them
remained absent until spring. The most anxious fears were
from the Indians, who had perpetrated such cruelties at Buf
falo. Commodore Elliot was, through the whole, firm in the
the opinion that the town and fleet were sufficiently protected.
The young people were very much amused, during such ex
citements, by the conduct of the militia, as well as by their
uniforms, which were made up of every variety of borrowed
and inherited garments and nonfits. Some went so far as to
maintain that they protected the town after the manner of
scarecrows, and that they were nuisances second only to the
British themselves.
In the Journal of Mr. Hamlin Russel, of Mill Creek, is the
following :
"June, 1812. — Gen. Kelso ordered Captain Foot to call out
his company of infantry for the defense of Erie. (Hamlin
Bussel volunteered).
"6th. — On duty. This day the general dismissed our com
pany ; so, for the present, myself and a number of my neigh
bors have volunteered to keep sentry at the head of the penin
sula, three by rotation to stand a tour of twenty-four hours ;
my tour will commence on the eighth instant.
" August 25. — Expresses were sent through the county to
call out the militia — a number of vessels being seen, apprehen
sions were entertained that a descent would be made at this
place. I went to town, as did all the country ; there heard
the disagreeable information that General Hull had sur
rendered himself and army prisoners to the British, together

280 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY'.
with the post of Detroit. The general voice pronounces Hull
a traitor. " May 15, 1813.— Go to town ; a great alarm ; 600 or 700
British and Indians land on the peninsula under cover of a
thick fog, and go off again without being seen by any one.
"July 26, P. M. — . . . Our harbor closely blockaded by
the British vessels ; the militia of this county are ordered out
en masse.
" December 31. — Thus ends the year 1813, in which the war
has been carried on in a manner becoming Democracy ; Wil
kinson's army is defeated and driven out of Canada, and likely
to starve this winter ; Fort George is evacuated ; the enemy
have burned Lewistown and Schlosser, surprised and taken
Fort Niagara without the loss of a man, and still retain pos
session of it. Hurrah for Democracy !
"January 1, 1814. — Go to town ; there learn that Thursday
last the British crossed at Black Rock, drove the militia be
fore them to the village of Buffalo, and then drove them
out of the village, which they reduced to ashes. Re
port says that the enemy, 3,000 strong, are eight miles in ad
vance of Buffalo, on the march for this place ; the citizens of
Erie are sending off their families and effects as fast as pos
sible. Come home ; make preparations to send off my wife
and babes, should worst come to worst.
"Sunday, 2. — . . . Find that it is not true that the
enemy are advancing to this, but in all probability they will
be here, or attempt to come, before spring (on the ice) ; ex
presses sent off in every direction to call in the militia.
"3d. — Receive orders from Lieutenant-Colonel J. C. Wallace
to appear immediately at Erie to perform the duties of my
office in the regiment.
"February 7. — Receive my discharge from my tour and come
home, having been engaged thirty-four days, during which I
have been at home but seldom, and never but a few hours at a
time, and expect now to be ordered out again shortly.
" May 18, 1815.— Went to Martin Strong's1 to the battalion
i Captain Martin Strong was one of the earliest inhabitants. In a letter
we find that he came to this county the last of July, 1795, when there was
but one family in the Triangle. Captain Strong was not only one of our
most prominent citizens, but a man of excellent sense.

HISTORY' OF ERIE COUNTY*. 281
review ; 200 or 300 bludgeoniers met ; hawed and geed about
under as brave officers as ever raised potatoes. Hurrah for the
militia of Pennsylvania!" [At this early day militiamen
practiced with broomsticks, handspikes, etc., the proper
weapons often not being obtainable.]
Reminiscences of an Early Settler in Fairview Township
are as follows : "In 1810 my father bought a four-hundred
acre tract of land in Fairview, ten miles west of Erie and one
mile and a half south of the ridge road, of Jacob Ebersole, for
five dollars per acre, on which were two cabins of round logs
so near to each other that it was considered but one dwelling,
the space between the two being the hall. There was also
what was considered a large barn in those days. About fifty
acres were partially cleared, much deadened timber yet stand
ing in the fields, and some peach and apple trees. The near
est neighbors were of the names of Vance, James Moorhead,
John Long, John Stewart, and Jacob Wise, all within the
bounds of three miles, which was then considered near neigh
bors. Many of their descendants reside on the same lands,
which have become quite valuable.
" It was seldom in those days that two improved lots joined
each other ; generally, they were divided or separated by at
least a strip of woodland. The dwellings were rude log cabins
which in many instances were taken from the forest and
erected into a dwelling in the space of two days, by the assist
ance of the neighbors. Some would be engaged cutting down
trees, while others would be hauling together, building, split
ting clapboards for the roof or puncheons for the floor, and
thus a tenement would be completed speedily, and with but
few nails or boards.
" Our crops were often injured by the depredations of bears,
raccoons, deer, and wild turkeys, which were numerous.
"Our house of worship was near the mouth of Walnut
Creek — the Rev. Johnson Eaton, pastor."
Memoranda of Mr. Richard Barnett. — "August 26, 1845. —
Oppressively hot and dry ; the Beaverdam Run dry in many
places, which was never known before by the oldest inhab
itants. [Beaverdam Bun empties into "Walnut Creek.]
"January 5, 1847. — A terrific storm of wind passed over

282 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
Fairview, and leveled fences, roofs, sheds, etc., and a great
many trees.
"December 16, 1850. — Steamboat May Flower beached above
the mouth of Elk Creek,
"December 31, 1852. — A steamboat passed up the lake. Jan
uary 10, 1853, another passes up. March 21, steamboat com
menced running ; navigation open most of the winter."
Gen. La Fayette's Visit to Erie. — On the 3d of June, 1825,
Gen. La Fayette, on his way from New Orleans to New York,
honored Erie with a stay of a few hours. A committee pro
ceeded to Waterford and there received the committee from
Pittsburg, with the illustrious guest, Gen. La Fayette, G.
W. La Fayette, and M. La Vasseur. Judah Colt, Esq., of the
Erie committee, in behalf of the citizens, gave him a cordial
welcome to the county, to which the General made a suitable
reply. After an early breakfast, the company, with a number
of citizens from Waterford, proceeded to Erie. When within
a mile of the borough they were received by a battalion of vol
unteers in full uniform, and a procession formed under the
direction of Gen. B. Wallace, Chief Marshal. The procession
passed down State Street to the public square ; then down
French to Third ; across Third to the foot of State Street,
where the General and suite alighted, and were received by
Captain Budd, U. S. N., commanding officer of the naval
station, Captain Maurice, of the engineers, and a number of
other naval and military officers, and proceeded to the bank.
The party being in full view of our beautiful harbor, a national
salute was fired from the navy yard, after which the proces
sion passed to the house of Mr. Dobbins, where accommoda
tions had been provided and where he was welcomed in the
name of the, citizens by Dr. J. C. Wallace, Chief Burgess.
Gen. La Fayette made a very appropriate reply, and was in
troduced to a great number of persons of every age, and then
proceeded to the house of Judah Colt, where a large number of
ladies were assembled, to whom he was severally presented.
Having returned to his quarters he was escorted at half-past
one to the bridge on Second Street, between French and State,
where a dinner had been prepared by Mr. Dickson. The
table extended the length of the bridge, one hundred and

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY. 283
seventy feet, in full view of the lake, and was covered by an
awning of the sails of the British vessels taken by Commo
dore Perry, and handsomely ornamented with flowers and
evergreens. Among the toasts drank standing, with three
cheers, were the " President of the United States," "Gen.
George Washington," "Ex-Presidents," "The Greeks," "Bol
ivar, the Liberator," "the surviving heroes of the Bevo-
lution," severally, and lastly, " Gen. La Fayette — In youth a
hero, in maturity a sage, in advanced life an example to the
present and future generations." After which, Gen. La
Fayette arose and gave the following : "Erie — A name which
has a great share in American glory : may this town ever en
joy a proportionate share in American prosperity and happi
ness." The General and his suite were then escorted from the
table to their quarters, and, after an affectionate farewell of
the citizens, at three o'clock stepped into the carriage and were
accompanied by a number of citizens to Portland, where the
steamboat Superior was in readiness to receive and convey the
party to Buffalo.
In 1827 the young men of Erie celebrated the tenth of Sep
tember on board of the Queen Charlotte, in Misery Bay.
The revenue cutter Dallas carried the company out with one
of the flags that was in the action floating from her mast.
Between the hours of three and four o'clock a national salute
was fired, being the hour the British surrendered. One of
Commodore Perry's officers took dinner with them, and one
of his seamen fired the cannon.
Cholera. — During the prevalence of the Asiatic cholera
throughout our country in 1832, a Mrs. Hunter was landed on
the peninsula, in the last stages of the disease, and died thir
teen hours after the attack. Her daughter who accompanied
her died in twenty-four hours. Great anxiety existed among
all classes lest the contagion should prevail. A board of health
was appointed, which made frequent reports to the public,
and through their exhortations to rigid cleanliness, cheerful
ness, and temperance in eating and drinking, no cases origi
nated in the town. This case of Mrs. Hunter, who was an
emigrant, was one of the first that originated in the country.
It will be remembered as the season when the disease pre-

284 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY*.
vailed so fearfully and fatally in many of the lake towns, and
on several of the steamboats.
Perry Monument. — In November, 1835, a public meeting
convened at the courthouse, to take into consideration the
propriety of erecting a monument to the memory of Commo
dore Perry. Bufus S. Beed was chosen President; George
Moore and Giles Sanford, Vice-Presidents ; and William
Kelley, Secretary. The meeting adopted several appropriate
resolutions, and appointed eleven persons to collect funds, pro
cure a site, etc., to fill vacancies in their own body, and to in
crease the number if necessary, and to attend to all business
relating to the accomplishment of the object.
The names of the executive committee were Col. Thomas
Forster, George Moore, R. S. Reed, P. S. V. Hamot, Giles
Sanford, Thomas H. Sill, William Kelley, Daniel Dobbins,
Robert Brown, John H. Walker, and Samuel Hays.
Buffalo made a move about the same time for the erection
of a Perry monument in that city, but the depression in
the money market, probably with both, prevented further
action. At an informal meeting of citizens, in front of the Reed
House (probably an imaginary one, as the chairman was the
" oldest citizen," and the secretary the man with the "Shaker
hat "), held June 2, 1846, in congratulation of the public bene
fit received by the "recent adornment of the Diamond, the
chairman christened the Park ' Perry Square,' and ex
pressed the hope that he might see a cenotaph reared on this
spot worthy of the fame of Perry. Let us formally consecrate
this ground to the memory of the gallant dead ; let it bear the
name of Perry, and, by-and-by, a patriotic people shall rear in
the midst of the rich foliage that surrounds us, an obelisk to
perpetuate his fame, and on which shall be inscribed the en
during record of his achievements. The remarks of the ven
erable chairman were greeted with enthusiastic applause,
amid frequent cries of 'We'll build the monument ourselves.' "
Order having been restored, the following resolutions were
introduced and unanimously adopted :
"Resolved, That the public ground in Erie, heretofore known
as the Diamond, be and the same is hereby named Perry

HISTORY* OF ERIE COUNTY. 285
Square, by which appellation it shall be known and designa
ted for all time to come.
"Resolved, That a monument to commemorate the brilliant
naval victory achieved September 10, 1813, by Commodore
Perry and his associates, on Lake Erie, be erected in this
square ; and for that purpose P. S. V. Hamot, Esq., Commo
dore S. Champlin, U. S. N., and Captain William W. Dobbins
are appointed a committee, and are charged with the execu
tion of the work, with power to appoint sub-committees
everywhere to collect funds for this patriotic project."
In 1857 a petition was circulated asking Congress to appro
priate $20,000 for a monument to Commodore Perry, to be
placed in Erie Cemetery. Provided this was successful, a
further appropriation was to be solicited from the State. We
trust the cause is not abandoned in the minds of our people,
and that the example of a neighboring city may be an ad
ditional incentive.
Speculation. — In the general stagnation of business, and the
speculating mania which prevailed throughout our country
about 1836, the inhabitants of Erie unfortunately participated.
The immediate completion of the canal ; the improvement of
the harbor, which would make it second to none ; a great
diagonal railroad from the West Branch Canal to Erie, the
route being perfectly practicable, and one hundred miles
nearer the seaboard than any other, and without an inclined
plane, being the Northumberland or Sunbury and Erie Boad ;
all contributed to the briliant prospects of Erie, and increased
the nominal value of real estate marvelously.
In February 1836, the sales exceeded $1,000,000, the pur
chasers being mostly Eastern capitalists and speculators.
Extracts from Erie newspapers, in 1830 and 1836, exhibit the
position of matters in a business point of view.
"January 12, 1830. — The spirit of speculation which has
wrought such wonders upon the line of the Erie Canal has
never visited this borough. No extensive business is done on
fictitious capital. The soil is owned by its occupants, and no
part of it is covered by foreign mortgages. No branch of
business is overdone, if we except, perhaps, one or two of the
professions. The growth of Erie has at no time exceeded that

286 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
of the surrounding country. Its increase has been commen
surate only with the increase of business. It has, conse
quently, never felt those reverses which always attend villages
of mushroom growth. Many men with small capital have be
come independent, and some opulent. Erie possesses advan
tages which must forever secure to it important and lucrative
business. Its harbor is decidedly the safest and best on the
lake. Our water privileges are equal to our present wants, and
an increase may be expected from the construction of the
Pennsylvania Canal.
"That Erie will be a successful rival of her sister villages on
the borders of the lake, we have not a shadow of doubt ; but
let not her growth be forced ; every doubtful or chimerical
speculation should be discountenanced, and, above all, let not
our village lots fall into the hands of those who calculate great
speculations on their rise. This is the bane which is most to
be dreaded in all our growing villages. We must construct a
wharf out to Mr. C. M. Beed's pier, where there is deep water.
" February 27, 1836.— Erie bank. We are informed that the
entire stock of $200,000 has been subscribed, and, we believe,
paid in. [News at the same time of probable passage pf ap
propriation in Congress for improvement of harbor.]
"February 27, 1836.— The receipt of positive news of the
final passage of the canal and (U. S.) bank bill at this place, on
Monday evening, gave a new impetus to the rise of real estate.
It advanced immediately about one hundred per cent, and has
since continued rising at the rate of from ten to twenty per
cent a day. Sales have been made this week amounting to
near half a million of dollars. The sales, too, are none of your
sham sales got up for effect — they are bona fide, and liberal,
almost invariably made by the purchasers, who are mostly
men of heavy capital from the East — Buffalo, Rochester, and
New York — and persons able to sustain prices, so far as they
buy for speculation, and to improve what they buy for use.
There is no danger of retrograde. The tide of prosperity has
set in favor of Erie, and it must go ahead. The Fates cannot
make it otherwise. Real estate will continue to rise, and we
would sincerely recommend any friend of ours who wishes to
purchase, to do so as soon as possible.

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY. 287
" March 1. — Real estate. Sales increase in briskness, and
prices still rising. The amount of sales on Saturday and yes
terday (Monday) amounted to over $300,000. Good bargains
are yet offered to any who have cash to invest for first pay
ments, and at prices which cannot fail of advancing in as
great a ratio as they have done for several weeks back.
" It is estimated that the sales in our borough, last week,
amounted to a million and a half of dollars. They are still
going on and daily advancing in prices.
" A company has bought land at the mouth of Twenty Mile
Creek, to construct a harbor there.
"A lot of ground sold in Erie, in February, for $10,000 — was
sold in March, in Buffalo, to a company, for $50,000.
" April 2, 1836. — For the sake of our numerous correspon
dents, who look with distrust on all excitement in the grave
business of laying out bona fide capital, we will briefly and
generally reply that there is no sham nor get-up to the land
transactions hereaway ; and that neither collapse nor the ordi
nary fever and ague need be apprehended for this place ; it has
grown steadily and slowly into public favor, and its present
towering prospects have a foundation in the nature of things
not only permanent and enduring, but natural and everlast
ing. Look at the position of Erie on the map ; read the re
ports of the United States Engineers as to the harbor ; above
all, at this crisis, observe the enlightened legislation of the
Commonwealth in anticipating the demand for commercial
facilities at this favored spot.
" June 11. — Twelve water lots of thirty-two feet front sold,
notwithstanding the severe pressure in the money market, at
an aggregate price of over $40,000."
In consequence of the failure of the United States Bank, and
delay in prosecuting projected improvements, prices gradually
declined, and the depression was so great in a few years that
property could scarcely be disposed of at the lowest rates.
These fluctuations have been succeeded by times of more re
liable and permanent valuation.
Fires. — January 22, 1839, Erie suffered from a destructive
fire, in which the " Mansion House" and several frame build
ings were consumed. Also the barn of Messrs. Hart and

288 HISTORY' OF ERIE COUNTY.
Bird, stage proprietors, containing eleven horses and seven
coaches. Loss estimated at $50,000.
April 1, 1851, the Eagle Hotel and several other buildings
and stores were consumed by fire.
In 1857 a whole block was consumed on the west side of
State Street and the public square. The buildings were prin
cipally wood, and much of the loss was covered by insurance.
The printing offices of the Dispatch and True American, and
about twelve shops and stores, were destroyed.
Sad Accidents. — The summer of 1841 was overshadowed by
gloom in consequence of two very melancholy accidents. The
first was the loss by drowning, under aggravated circum
stances, of two children of Mr. Josiah King, of Pittsburg, with
their nurse. Mr. K. and his family, which consisted of his
wife, three children, and mother-in-law, were anticipating a
visit to Mr. K.'s parents in Erie. On Saturday night they ar
rived at the public works in the steamboat Neiv England,
Captain Oliver, from Cleveland. The captain insisted that he
could not enter the harbor in safety. Mr. K. requested then
to be taken on to Buffalo ; but being assured that the yawl was
as safe as the steamboat, Mr. K., after consulting his family,
acceded to the captain's wishes. Three other passengers and
three deck hands, with Mr. K. and family, were then
committed to the small boat, which through unaccountable
negligence, had the plug removed. With the utmost exer
tions the boat succeeded in reaching the pier, but not without
imminent peril to the whole, and the loss of two lovely chil
dren and their nurse. The dead bodies were not recovered
until the third or fourth day.
The 9th of August, 1841, is noted for a most appalling calam
ity on Lake Erie, scarcely equaled in the number of sufferers
by any similar event. This was the burning of the steamboat
Erie, Captain Titus, being thirty-three miles from Buffalo, on
her way up the lake. It was estimated that two hundred and
forty-nine persons were, by this accident, launched into eter
nity in a few brief moments ; twenty-six of these were from
Erie County, among whom were Lloyd Gilson, clerk, Leander
Jolls, steward, six members of the brass band, wheelsman,
deck hands, etc.

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY. 289
The conduct of the wheelsman, Augustus Fuller, of Harbor
Creek, is far famed for its heroism. He was at the wheel when
the alarm of fire was given ; immediately headed the boat for
the shore, and continued at his post until the wheelhouse,
wheel, and his own person were completely enveloped in
flames. In the vicinity of the wreck, in the course of a week,
between one hundred and twenty and one hundred and thirty
of the dead bodies arose to the surface, and mourning, burials,
and funeral sermons sadly prevailed throughout the land.
The Erie had a cargo worth $20,000 ; the immigrants had
with them $180,000 ; the boat was valued at $75,000 ; making a
loss of little less than $300,000. The Erie was built by a num
ber of citizens of Erie, and launched in October, 1837. At the
time she was lost General C. M. Reed was the largest share
holder. Her tonnage was between six and seven hundred.
The coroner's jury certified that the destruction was acci
dental — that the fire was occasioned by the bursting of one or
more demijohns of spirits of turpentine standing on the boiler
deck — the boat having been newly painted, and the wind be
ing high, the flames were driven through the entire boat with
astonishing velocity.
Ex-President Adams.- — In 1843 the town was honored by a
call from Ex-President J. Q. Adams. The steamboat Gen.
Wayne, on which he was a passenger, remained from seven to
nine p. m. at the dock. The Wayne Greys and the three fire
companies escorted him to the Reed House. Hon. T. H, Sill
made him welcome in a short speech. The citizens in large
numbers took him by the hand, and he was introduced
severally to a number of the ladies, whom he addressed in a
brief and appropriate manner. As Mr. Adams held no office,
it was an expression of genuine, disinterested respect to a
great and good man.
During the Patriot War (as the rebellion in Canada has
been called) the arm-house in Erie was entered, and a quan
tity of muskets taken therefrom. They were discovered in
Buffalo, and identified by Capt. Homans, U. S. N., then resid
ing in Erie, by a peculiar kind of side-arm used by the com
pany. The steamer Gov. Marcy was chartered by the United
States government, and Lieut. Homans placed in command.

290 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY*.
The Old Courthouse Bell, which could be heard at a greater
distance than some of the larger bells that our city is favored
with at present, belonged to the ship Detroit when taken,
September 10, 1813. Commodore Sinclair had it afterward
on the Niagara for a ship bell. In 1821 this brig was dis
mantled, and the bell, with other goods, placed in the navy
storehouse at Erie. In 1825, when the station was broken
up and the property disposed of by auction, the bell was
bought by the county commissioners and placed upon the
courthouse. After the new courthouse bell arrived in 1854,
by a singular coincidence this old bell slipped from its hang
ings, and some mischievous persons purloined it. It was
recovered after a few months, and bought for $105 by the city
authorities. Among the Pioneers of Erie County we find the name of
James Tallmadge, who came in 1795, and died in McKean
township in 1855, aged eighty-two years.
Mr. James Blair, of Girard, also came to the county in 1795,
and died in 1855, at the age of eighty-one. He was an elder in
the Presbyterian church, and a man of rare worth, respected
and beloved.
Captain James Pollock died at Waterford, in May, 1857,
having lived in Erie County sixty years. He was one of the
members of the Convention to amend the Constitution of
Pennsylvania in 1836.
Mr. Giles Badger died at Lexington, a few miles south of
Girard, in 1857, aged eighty-nine years, having lived in Erie
County sixty years. Upon the surrender of Hull he entered
the army, and served under Gen. Harrison. " He enjoyed the
confidence and respect of his fellows, both as a member of the
Methodist Episcopal church and a citizen ; and in peace and
Christian hope passed away."
Mr. Stephen Oliver, a revolutionary soldier, died in Mc
Kean, in February, 1857, aged ninety -seven years. He was
one of the survivors of the massacre of Wyoming, his name
being inscribed upon the monument. He voted for Gen.
Washington and Col. Fremont, and at every intervening
Presidential election. He lived and died a Christian.
Mr. Thomas Dunn died in McKean, in 1854, aged eighty-

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY'. 291
two years. He came to Erie in 1797, and settled upon the
farm where he died.
Mr. Burrell Tracy died in 1853, having removed to Erie
County in 1797.
Perry's Squadron was but seventy days in building. The
timber was mostly taken from the third section. Captain
Daniel Dobbins claims to have cut the first stick of timber
with his own hands.
At a dinner given to Commodore Perry, before leaving Erie
on his momentous mission, he expressed his determination to
return a conqueror or in his shroud.
C&mmodore Perry had a propensity for fine horses. The one
he rode in Erie was a superior but not showy animal, which
he had purchased at Cattaraugus. Mr. Judah Colt bought him
when Commodore Perry left, and he always went by the name
of the " Commodore." He died in 1829 and was buried with
due respect, with his shoes on, near the garrison ground.
Peter H., a young gentleman of Meadville, came to Erie to
volunteer with Commodore Perry, but when the decisive
moment arrived and the squadron was to sail, altered his pur
pose and returned home. Wade, a law student of the same
place, made this conduct the occasion for a practical joke, and
in a week's time Peter H. received a communication through
the postoffice, which he opened with due formality. Inclosed
was a letter,- a bank bill, and a tract or little book about three
inches by four, such as the pious missionary, Mr. Osgood, dis
tributed among the people. The letter purported to be from
Com.. Perry, stating that they had met the enemy and con
quered — had killed Tecumseh and taken his private library,
and the little book was his apportionment, and the note (a
counterfeit of the broken Gloucester bank) his share of the
prize money.
Extract from a letter dated —
"Marion, O., November 13, I860.
. . " The last few years of his life (Lieutenant Yarnall's,
of Commodore Perry's flagship Lawrence), were spent in Nor
ton, a small town of Delaware County, where he earned a
a small pittance by prescribing a few botanical medicines to
the people of that vicinity, and telling fortunes or predicting

292 HISTORY' OF ERIE COUNTY*.
the future of those who would reward him for the same, and
pretending to be gifted with second sight, by which he could
tell the persons calling upon him where to find property that
had strayed away or been stolen from them. By these means
he procured a livehhood for a number of years, and won for
himself the name of old Pluto.
" He died about twenty years ago, and was buried with the
honors of war. Many of the old veterans of the war gathered
around the grave of the poor old man, when he was lowered
to his last home, where ' he sleeps his last sleep,-' and where
' no sound can awake him to glory again.' They shed tears
over his grave as they remembered the time when they fought
with him on the battle fields of their country.
" No monument, not even a slab, marks the last resting
place of the old veteran. But his name is remembered by a
people that know how to appreciate the liberty for which he
fought. J. N. S."
The survivors of the battle of Lake Erie as far as known
(1861) :
Stephen Champlin, sailing-master and commander of the
Scorpion ; now a post-captain, and residing in Buffalo.
J. B. Montgomery, midshipman in the Niagara; now a
post-captain, and in command of the Pacific squadron.
Hugh N. Page, midshipman in the Tigress; now a post-
captain, and resides in Virginia.
Thomas Brownell, sailing-master on board the Ariel, resides
in Newport, and is lieutenant.
Usher Parsons, acting surgeon of the flagship, and of the
squadron, resides in Providence, and is the last surviving
commissioned officer of the squadron.
Hosea Sargeant, a volunteer from Gen. Harrison's army,
was a gunner on the Lawrence ; lives in Boston.
W. T. Taliaferro, a volunteer from Harrison's army, now re
sides, as a physician, in Cincinnati.
Benjamin Talmon, gunner on the Caledonia.
John Tucker, powder boy of the Caledonia.
Benjamin Fleming, a sailor on the Niagara, lives in Erie,
Jonas Stone, carpenter on the Lawrence, resides near Mil
waukee.

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY'. 293
Alexander McClaskey, a volunteer from Erie, resides in
Illinois. Daniel Metzenburg resides in Erie ; volunteered on board
the Niagara; is now about seventy years of age, and has his
medal. J. Murray, a marine, resides in Girard.
The following, who were mostly volunteers from Harrison's
army, are believed to be still living, to wit :
Thomas H. Bradford, Nathan Holburt, John Norris, Wil
liam Blair, James Artus, Bowland S. Parker, and James Lan-
man. Extract from the account of "The Inauguration of the
Perry Statue, at Cleveland " :
" The cost of the Perry Monument was $8,000, as agreed in
the contract made with T. Jones & Sons. Nearly $5,000 of this
sum was obtained by voluntary subscriptions, and the City
Council, on the receipt of a communication from the Chair
man of the Perry Monument Committee, stating the balance
due to the contractors, September 25, 1860, passed the resolu
tion offered by Mr. Ballard :
"Resolved, That the sum of three thousand and eight dol
lars be appropriated from the city treasury to T. Jones & Sons,
in full of the balance due them on their contract for the erec
tion of the Perry Monument, the same to be paid one third in
six months and one third in twelve months. Adopted. Ayes,
18 ; nays, 1."
" October 30, 1860, the following action was had in the City
Council, on the receipt of a communication from Harvey
Rice, Chairman of the Perry Monument Committee, stating
that he has received from O. H. Perry, only surviving son of
Commodore Perry, a portrait in oil of the Commodore, copied
by Mr. Lawson, of Lowell, from the original painting by
Stuart. In compliance with the request of Mr. Perry, he
presented the portrait to the City of Cleveland. In the note by
Mr. Perry accompanying the portrait, he expresses his belief
that ' so patriotic a people as the citizens of Cleveland will
value the portrait of one they have been pleased to honor. '
" Received and filed.
' ' Resolutions of Mr. Clark :

294 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
"That the portrait of Commodore Perry, presented this
evening to the City of Cleveland, in the name, and at the re
quest of O. H. Perry, Esq., his only surviving son, be ac
cepted ; and that the City Clerk be directed to cause the same
to be handsomely framed and suspended in Council Hall.
"That the thanks of the City Council be, and the same are
hereby tendered to O. H. Perry, Esq., for so valuable and ac
ceptable a gift, and that the Mayor of the City be requested to
communicate to him a certified copy of the foregoing resolu
tions. "Adopted."
Inventions.— October 4, 1853, Ozias J. Davie and Thomas
W. Stephens, of the City of Erie, obtained a patent for a
punching and shearing machine. Improvements were after
ward made by them, and the machine exhibited at the Crys
tal Palace, where its operations attracted much attention.
Munn & Co., editors of the Scientific American, make mention
of it as one of the best inventions of the kind with which they
are acquainted. Liddell, Kepler & Co., of Erie, are proprietors.
A car spring was afterward patented by Walter F. J. Liddell,
which is considered a \'ery great improvement.
Captain Douglass Ottinger invented a lifeboat which was
exhibited at the Crystal Palace in 1853, and which is now in
general use. From humane motives he refused to have it
patented, but received, in 1858, a remuneration from Con
gress of $10,000.
J. W. Wetmore, Esq., invented a band railroad chair ; first
patent, April 19, 1859 ; second patent, December 27, 1859.
Sub-wedge railroad chair, which was first patented August 23,
1859, and a second time, May 15, 1860.
A legislative voting register, the object of which is to pre
vent the delay in taking the ayes and nays, was patented by
him April 3, 1860. The gravimotometer was patented Feb
ruary 16, 1858, the object of the apparatus being to test or
measure the effect of motion on attraction or gravitation. It
is constructed by having horseshoe magnets attached verti
cally flatwise unto a wooden globe.
Also letters patent were granted June 16, 1861, for improved
means of propelling vessels in shoal water. The model was

HISTORY' OF ERIE COUNTY*. 295
submitted by Mr. Wetmore to a committee in 1858, which con
cluded their article as follows :
" On the whole, this method of propulsion seems to us to be
practicable. In our opinion it is a valuable invention for the
use proposed. The advantages consist principally of a great
saving of power in the propulsion of boats and the extension
of the use of steamboats to rivers where navigation by paddle
wheel boats is now hardly practicable. The large appropria
tions expended or proposed for the improvement of the navi
gation of the various rivers of the country, and the difficulty
and expense of such improvements, show the utility and
necessity of successful efforts to overcome the impediment in
these channels of commerce. This plan seems to us to meet
the necessity, and to be the best improvement yet devised for
shoal water navigation.
" Douglass Ottinger, Charles M. Reed,
"M. Courtright, Joshua Follensbee,
" John A. Tracy, William A. Galbraith,
"P. Metcalf, A. H. Caughey',
"A. Scott."
In the Buffalo Daily Republic of March 20, 1861, we find an
article on the "Suspended Purchase," an invention of Mr.
William H. Brown, of Erie. The editor remarks: "To us
it seemed to be rather more than a purchase, it was really a
combination of purchases. Every part sustains such a deli
cate and positive relation to every other part, that it seems as
if human ingenuity could go no further in the development of
the idea which has lived in the brain of the inventor for over
eight years. To perfect machinery by which massive bodies,
or large quantities, should be lifted and transported to any
given distance, or deposited at points difficult to reach, has
been the great object of the inventor. That he has accom
plished his undertaking, no one who has seen the performance
of his model will undertake to question. . . . For quarry
ing purposes, bridge building, and unloading of vessels, the
1 Suspended Purchase ' is invaluable ; in fact, it would require
too much space to specify the purposes for which it may be
successfully and economically used. In the work of construc
tion, especially, it will be found by engineers to meet a neces-

296 HISTORY' OF ERIE COUNTY.
sity which nothing but rude muscle and great mental labor
have heretofore met. In the unloading of vessels Mr. Brown
guarantees to discharge 150 tons of iron ore or coal per hour,
with the number of hands necessary to keep up with the op
erations of his machinery."
Also, in the New York Times, July 29, 1861, under the head
" Improvised Army Bridges," after a statement by the editor
of the difficulties of making passable, at short notice, the or
dinary bridges of which the rebels have destroyed the super
structure, of rapidly transporting guns, stores, and horses
over chasms which cannot speedily be bridged, the time re
quired to construct rafts, etc., he adds : "A recent apparatus
(Brown's Suspended Purchase), which has been employed to
some extent in carrying and depositing the material of
bridges, and in raising ore and coal from vessels and dumping
it some hundreds of feet off— an apparatus indorsed by com
petent engineering authorities, seems to possess the features
required in military purposes. . . . There is evidently the
principle in this simple device for greatly aiding military op
erations by speedily repairing damaged bridges, improvising
bridges, etc., and it is obvious that something of this sort will
be specially useful in this campaign."
" The Society of the United Brethren for Propagating the
Gospel among the Heathen," was incorporated by the act of
Assembly, February 27, 1788. It is formed of members of the
Episcopal church of the United Brethren or Unitas Fratrum
— more generally known as the Moravian church.
April 17, 1791, an act was passed to grant this society 5,000
acres of land and allowance ; 2,500 acres to be located " on the
River Conneought near the northwestern corner of the State,"
and 2,500 acres " on the heads of French Creek."
The inducement thereto is stated in the act to be the fact
that the United Brethren had sent and supported missionaries
and teachers among the Indians since 1740, and in furtherance
of which the aforesaid society was incorporated in 1788. The
society asked for public aid because the missions had become
both numerous and expensive, and hitherto had been main
tained solely by the charitable contributions of the members of
the Moravian church. The request was granted on the ground

HISTORY' OF ERIE COUNTY. 297
that the Commonwealth was " disposed to encourage all pious
and charitable institutions, and the propagation of the Gospel,
and the erecting and supporting schools among the Indian
nations of America being of the first importance to this and
other of the United States, and by the blessing of God con
ducive to the peace and security of the inhabitants and set
tlers of our frontiers by turning the minds of the savages to
the Christian religion, industry, and social life with the citi
zens of the United States."
The patents are dated April 14, 1795.
The French Creek tract, called " Good Luck," contained
2,875 acres and allowance. Thirty-four pounds, eleven shil
lings and nine pence were paid for the excess above 2,500 acres.
The Conneaut tract, called "Hospitality," contained 2,797
92-100 acres and allowance, the payment being nineteen
pounds, twenty-three shillings and ten pence for the excess.
Both tracts were subdivided and leased on " Improvement
Leases," by the late William Miles, Esq., who for many years
was the society's efficient agent in the improvement of these
lands. Mr. Miles's health failing, his son, Judge James Miles,
succeeded him in the agency of the " Hospitality" tract, and
John Wood, Esq., in the " Good Luck" tract.
The lands were finally sold by the society in 1849, to N.
Blickensdefer, Esq.
To the efficient care and superintendence of these gentle
men, particularly the Messrs. Miles, who were pioneers in the
improY'ements, the society and the county are indebted for
reclaiming from a wilderness a large portion of the best lands
in Erie County — some 700 acres of " Good Luck" and 1,200 of
" Hospitality" having been brought into a good state of culti
vation up to the year 1850.
The terms of the leases were, in general, the use of the land
by the tenant for a series of years, usually seven, in considera
tion of clearing and fencing a small portion annually. Sub
sequently leases included agreements to build houses and
barns. The society were induced to sell principally from the con
sideration that the annual interest of the proceeds of sale
would be a more effectual and available aid to their work than

298 HISTORY' OF ERIE COUNTY'.
any system of farming by tenants. After its purchase by Mr.
Blickensdefer it was again subdivided and resold to actual
settlers, a few of the best tenants becoming purchasers. Both
tracts are now well improved in suitable-sized farms, and will
compare favorably with any lands in Erie County.
In Chapter IX. mention of an act to open a road from near
the Bald Eagle's Nest, in Mifflin County, to Le Bceuf, in the
County of Allegheny, was omitted. This act passed April 10,
1799, and appropriated $5,000 for the purpose.
The following on the subject of railroads, from Poor's His
tory, should be added: "In addition to the subscriptions
made to the Philadelphia & Erie Road was $500,000 to the
share capital by the Cleveland & Erie Railroad, at the time
the Legislature of Pennsylvania confirmed the rights of this
and the Erie & Northeast to the chartered privileges claimed
by them.
"The Erie & Pittsburg Railroad was chartered as the suc
cessor of the Pittsburg & Erie Railroad, on April 15, 1858. In
addition to the $400,000 subscribed to this by the Erie & North
east Road as one of the conditions by which it enjoys quiet
right of way through the State, it has a floating debt of
$250,000 (advances by the Buffalo & State Line Company), and
$30,000 from individual stockholders.
"In 1857 an act was obtained from the Legislature of New
York, authorizing the Buffalo & State Line Road to lease or
purchase, by exchange of stock or lands, the Erie & Northeast
Railroad. Under this act nearly all the share capital of the
Erie & Northeast has been exchanged for that of the Buffalo
& State Line Road. Bonds have also been exchanged to the
amount of $149,000. The funded debt of the Erie & Northeast
Road is $400,000, in details as follows : First mortgage, seven
per cent, coupon bonds $400,000, dated June 1, 1857, and pay
able, principal June 1, 1870, and interest semi-annually, June
1 and December 1, at New York. Of these bonds $149,000 have
been exchanged for bonds of the Buffalo & State Line Railroad
as a part of its own line ; its earnings and expenses are em
braced in those for that road. The same dividends have been
paid by the two companies."
At Junction (afterwards Corry), in Concord township, where

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY. 299
the Atlantic & Great Western Railroad intersects the Phila
delphia & Erie, quite a cluster of buildings has arisen in the
woods within the last three months. The Atlantic & Great
Western connects with the New York & Erie at Little Valley,
in Cattaraugus County, having the same gauge. A large
quantity of petroleum passed over this road on September 9,
1861 ; twenty-three car-loads were shipped at Junction for
New York City on that day.
March 1, 1781, the State of New York made a deed of cession
to the United States of lands lying between the northern
boundary of Pennsylvania and Lake Erie, or rather judged it
expedient to limit and restrict the boundaries of this State.
April 19, 1785, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts made a
similar deed of cession.
At the Assembly of Internal Commerce, in Philadelphia,
September 15, 1783, a resolution was carried to "examine the
navigation of the Susquehanna to the source of the same, and
ascertain, as near as conveniently may be, where the northern
boundary of this State will fall, particularly whether any part
of Lake Erie is within the State of Pennsylvania, taking par
ticular notes of the nature and geography of the country as to
the practicability of roads, water carriage; air, soil, natural
productions, etc."
September 20th William Maclay, James Wilkinson, and
William Montgomery, Esqs., were duly elected to perform the
duties prescribed in the resolution. These commissioners
arrived at Erie, October 8, 1787, and determined by scientific
observations that there was no lake harbor inside the State,
and also that the land was of a fair quality. On motion of
Gen. Irvine, in Congress, February 25, 1788, the Geographer of
the United States was directed to proceed to run a line and
ascertain the western limits of the States of New York and
Massachusetts, comformable to their acts of cession.
June 16, 1788, Tho. Hutchins, Geographer of the United
States of America, addressed Lord Dorchester, Governor-Gen
eral of Canada, for permission to survey the most westerly
bent or inclination of Lake Ontario, and to extend a meridian
line from thence south to Lake Erie, etc.
September 4, 1788, by act of Congress the United States

300 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
relinquished and transferred to the State of Pennsylvania "the
land contained in the interval betwixt a meridian line run
between Lake Erie and the State of Pennsylvania, and the
boundaries of the States of New York and Massachusetts, at
the rate of three quarters of a dollar per acre," bearing inter
est, when the quantity should be ascertained by actual survey.
An estimate of other expenditures that might be incurred in
the purchase from the Six Nations, amounting to £950, is in
details as follows : Various suitables articles, £375 ; provisions,
£100; wagonage, boat hire, etc., £150; pay of commissioners,
hire of interpreters, runners, etc., £250 ; presents to great
men, £75.
September 8, 1788, P. Muhlenberg, Vice-President of the
Board of Treasury, transmitted to Hon. Thos. Mifflin, Speaker
of the General Assembly, an act of Congress passed the 4th of
the same month, by which the United States relinquished and
transferred to the State of Pennsylvania all their right and
title to the tract of land on Lake Erie. September 13, 1788,
the State of Pennsylvania in General Assembly heard the
report of the committee and resolved to accept, on the part of
the Commonwealth, the contract made with the Board of
Treasury of the United States, and recommended to the suc
ceeding House of Assembly fully to pay and discharge the
consideration moneys due, at three fourths of a dollar per acre,
as soon as it should be surveyed. Some estimated the number
of acres (which proved to be 202,187) at 800,000, and others at
1,000,000. Provision was made immediately for the payment
of £950 for contingent expenses.
October 1, 1788, Gen. Richard Butler and Gen. John Gibson
were appointed by the Council of Philadelphia commissioners
to negotiate and complete the purchase of the Lake Erie tract,
and William Maclay and John Smilie to prepare and report to
the board a draft of instructions to said commissioners. These
instructions were in effect to make the purchase when they
should find the Indians in a proper temper — at that time they
were attending a convention at Muskingum.
The 9th of January, 1789, in open and public council,
twenty-four chiefs and warriors representing the Senacas,
Cayugas, Tuscaroras, Onondagas, and Oneidas, of the tribes of

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY'. 301
the Six Nations, for themselves, tribes, heirs, and sucessors,
and Richard Butler and John Gibson, Esqs., commissioners
for and in behalf of the State of Pennsylvania (Onas) on the
other part, made and concluded seven articles by which the
Indians renounced their claims, and the title of the Presqu'ile
lands vested in the State of Pennsylvania.
March 24, 1789, it was resolved by the General Assembly of
Pennsylvania, that not exceeding 3,000 acres be surveyed for
the use of the Commonwealth at each of the following points:
Presqu'ile, Le Bceuf, at the mouth of Conewango, and at the
fort of Venango. And also in the country of Lake Erie, 1,500
acres for Capt. O'Biel or Cornplanter, whose Indian name was
Gyantwachia. Bankers and Exchange Brokers in the City and County of
Erie, with amount of capital invested by each firm and indi
vidual respectively, as reported to the Auditor-General of
Pennsylvania, agreeably to act of Assembly passed A. D.
1861: Capital.
M. Sanford & Co., bankers, Erie City  $ 50,000
W. C. Curry, broker and private banker, Erie City  100,000
Vincent, Bailey & Co., Erie City  25,000
Neiler & Warren, " •'  5,000
Clark & Metcalf, " "  12,000
Benson & West, Waterford  500

SUPPLEMENT.

SECTION I.
The Shipyard of the Griffon — Northern State Boundary — Ownership
of the Peninsula — The Pontiac Conspiracy — Le Bceuf— Letters of
a Surveyor, etc. — Scenery.
La Salle, born at Rouen in 1643, was of a good family, and
at an early age evinced a taste for mathematics ; was for a
period a teacher, and expected to become a priest. Self-will
and ambition predominated, and he followed his longings for
adventure, discovery, and conquest. The influence of his
elder brother, a priest in New France, settled his purpose for
explorations, reciting his own adventures in the new dis
covered countries, and studying the habits and dialects of the
Indians. Mr. Orsamus H. Marshall, a lifelong resident of Buffalo, and
a painstaking historian, in a lecture February 3, 1863, says :
" Two leagues above the falls (on the American side) we find
the Cayuga Creek, a stream which answers perfectly Henne
pin's description, Opposite its mouth an island of the same
name lies parallel with the shore, about a mile long and two
or three hundred yards wide. It is separated from the main
land by a narrow branch of the river called by the early
inhabitants ' Little Niagara ' — wide and deep enough to float
a vessel of the tonnage of the Griffon. Into this channel and
opposite the middle of the island, the Cayuga Creek empties.
On the main shore, just above the mouth of the creek and
under shelter of the island, is a favorable site for a shipyard.
So eligible is the position that it was selected by the United
States government, in the early part of the present century, as
303

304 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY'.
a suitable point for building one or more vessels for the trans
portation of troops and supplies to the western ports. For
that reason it was known in early times as the ' Old Ship
yard ' ; and local traditions have been preserved in the memory
of the early pioneers of the anterior occupancy, for the same
purpose by the French. . . . The same site was selected by
the United States government about the year 1804 for the con
struction of a small sloop of fifty tons burden, called the
Niagara, which was used for conveying supplies to the west
ern ports. The owner of this estate is Mr. Jackson Angevine,
who has generously stated to me that it will be a pleasure for
him to donate land sufficient for the erection of a testimonial
commemorating the event."
The Erie Morning Dispatch of August 18, 1893, said: "A
conference will be held in New York City early next week,
when the agreement entered into yesterday at the Depart
ment of Internal Affairs between Col. Thomas J. Stewart,
chief of that department, and Martin Schenck, of New York,
who are charged with the duty of examining the boundary
line monuments between Pennsylvania and New York and
resetting and relocating them Yvhere it is found necessary, and
to commence work at once. Allen W. Carson, of Norristown,
the engineer who represented Pennsylvania in relocating and
resetting the monuments three years ago, has again been
chosen by Col. Stewart to act on the part of the Secretary of
Internal Affairs. It would not appear too soon to examine,
with a view to repairs, the work of one hundred and six years
ago. The report from the ' mile trees marked ' will also be of
much interest. The commissioners will travel on foot along
the entire line between the two States from the Delaware
Biver to Lake Erie, and are required to examine every monu
ment." [See page 59, chapter v.]
OWNERSHIP OF THE PENINSULA.
From The Erie Evening Herald, July 6, 1893.
Major John W. Walker a few days since received the follow
ing interesting public document from Henry W. Babbitt,
Esq., son of the late Elijah Babbitt, who represented the Erie
district in Congress a number of years ago. Mr. Henry Bab
bitt has been connected with the general land office for the

9. J

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY. 305
last thirty years, and the letter here given is an authentic
history of the purchase and sale of the land known as the
peninsula :
"Department of the Interior,"
"General Land Office,
"Washington, D. C, Dec, 16, 1889.
' ' Hon. W. C. Culbertson, House of Representatives, Washing
ton, D. C. :
"Sir — In reply to your verbal inquiry of December 7, 1889,
as to whether the title to the peninsula or island in Lake Erie,
near the City of Erie, Pennsylvania, known as ' Presque
Isle,' is vested in the State of Pennsylvania or the United
States, I have the honor to advise you that I find as follows:
In 1781 the State of New York ceded to the United States
its claim for that portion of the State of Pennsylvania known
as the ' Erie Purchase ' (' Public Domain,' page 65). April 19,
1785, the State of Massachusetts ceded to the United States
. . . . Also, ' a small portion on Lake Erie, just west of
New York, being a triangular piece of land, also claimed by
the State of New York, containing 315.91 square miles, which
was sold by the United States to the State of Pennsylvania,
March 3, 1792, for $151,640.25, or 75 cents per acre. The lands
are now in the County of Erie, State of Pennsylvania, and
patent was issued therefor by the President. It is known as
the 'Erie Purchase,' and contained 202,187 acres.' (Public
Domain, page 71).
"By act of Legislature of February 4, 1869, the State of
Pennsylvania conveyed the said ' Presque Isle ' to Marine
Hospital at Erie, Pa. (Congressional Record, 49th Cong., first
Sess., page 3,790). By act of the Legislature of Pennsylvania
of May 11, 1871, title to said Peninsula or Presque Isle was
tendered to the United States Marine Hospital at Erie, Pa.
(Ibid.) "By act of Congress approved August 5, 1886, (U. S. Stat
utes, v. 24, page 312), the Secretary of War is authorized and
directed to receive and accept title from said Marine Hospital
as tendered by said legislative enactment of May 11, 1871 ;
$37,500 being the sum appropriated to pay for the same.
"From the letter of December 7, 1889, on this subject from

306 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
Thomas Lincoln Casey, brigadier general, chief of engineers
U. S. A., to Hon. B. F. Gilkerson, second comptroler U. S.
Treasury Department, I am advised that the deed of said
Marine Hospital, coveying title to said Peninsula, or Presque
Isle, to the United States, is dated May 25, 1871 ; that the acting
judge advocate of the U. S. Army, on the 18th of November,
1886, rendered an opinion that the acceptance of said deed,
under the provision of said act of Congress of August 5, 1886,
might be signified by entering upon and taking possession of
the land in behalf of the United States ; that the honorable
Secretary of War approved this opinion and directed, Decem
ber 14, 1886, that the necessary action be taken. Accordingly,
in pursuance of this order, the land was entered upon, and
taken possession of, in behalf of the United States, by the
War Department.
" Very respectfully your obedient servant,
" George Red way, Chief Clerk.
" Per H. W. Babbitt.
" [The act of August 5, 1886, was introduced and pressed to
passage by the late Hon. W. L. Scott.]"
Dr. Thomas H. Robinson, D.D., in his "Family Memorial,"
published in Pittsburg in 1867, says : " Our ancestry settled at
their first arrival, it would appear, a few miles east of the
Susquehanna, in Hanover township. Their farms were on the
banks of the Swatara and its tributary creek, the Mavada.
Here dwelt and intermarried at an early day the Robinsons,
McCords, Blacks, Martins, Logans, Crawfords, with many
others, nearly if not quite all of them of Scotch-Irish origin.
The fort at Mavada gap, sixteen miles northeast of Harris
burg, sometimes is called Philip Robinson's, sometimes Sam
uel Robinson's — Samuel, as the eldest son of the household,
taking charge of the paternal estate. There were many other
forts in that neighborhood and throughout the country. We
learn elsewhere that this was in April, 1756, and that twenty-
seven persons were killed or captured by the Indians. Among
the captured was Ann McCord, wife of John McCord, who
was retaken from the Indians about five months later at the
celebrated battle of Kittanning, in September.
" The French and English war over, our fathers hoped now

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY. 307
for a long and undisturbed peace. The French were driven
from the continent. It was thought that the Indian tribes
were conciliated. The valley of the Susquehanna and of the
Juniata began again to wear the aspect of civilized life.
Cabins were rebuilt, settlers pushed their way deeper into the
forests and opened new farms. The militia of the middle and
southern colonies were disbanded. The frontiers seemed to
need protection no longer. The security of our fathers was
doomed to be speedily and terribly broken up.
" The Indians beheld their old allies, the French, driven out
of the whole country, yet scarcely had they received the rich
presents that accompanied the treaty of peace before murmurs
of discontent began to be audible among the tribes. A vast
conspiracy was formed, greater in extent, deeper and more
comprehensive in its design than any that before or since has
been conceived by a North American Indian. The bloody
belt of war was sent secretly from tribe to tribe, until every
where, from the falls of Niagara and the pine-crowned crest of
the Alleghenies to the forests of the Mississippi and the
borders of Lakes Michigan and Superior, all the Indian
nations had agreed to rise and attack the various English
forts, which extended then nearly to the Mississippi, on the
same day, and having massacred their garrisons, turn upon
the defenseless frontier and with all their warriors ravage and
lay waste the settlements, until, as the Indians fondly believed,
the English would be driven into the sea, and the whole
country restored to its original owners. Pontiac, the colossal
chief of the Northwest, was the mighty spirit of this for
midable conspiracy. The preparations for war were kept pro
foundly secret. Hatred of the English was excited to the
highest pitch by stories of their rapacity and cruelty. Sud
denly the terrible storm burst. An English party sounding
the entrance to Lake Huron was seized and murdered. Seven
Indians admitted into the port at Sandusky as friends, in an
unsuspecting moment, murdered the entire garrison, save its
commander, whom they carried away a prisoner. The fort at
the mouth of the St. Joseph was entered by Indians under the
guise of friendship, and in about two minutes all the garrison
except three men were massacred. At Mackinaw, with simi-

308 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
lar deception, the fort was seized and all were murdered or
borne away prisoners. The forts and garrisons at Lafayette,
Indiana, and at Presqu'ile met the same horrible fate. Fort
Le Bceuf, on the headwaters of the Allegheny, was attacked,
but in the night the commander and garrison escaped secretly
into the woods, while the Indians believed them all buried in
the flames of the burning fort. As the fugitives passed Ve
nango on their way to Fort Pitt, they saYV nothing but ruins.
The fort at that place was consumed, and not one of its garri
son was left alive to tell the story of its destruction. Eight
haggard and half-famished soldiers dying from fright and ex
haustion, the remnant of the men who escaped from Fort Le
Bceuf, staggered to the walls of Fort Pitt, bringing news of the
coming tide of savages. They roamed the wilderness massa
cring all whom they met. More than one hundred traders
were met in the woods, struck down, scalped, their bodies
horribly mutilated, and their life-blood quaffed in savage glee.
They laid siege to Fort Pitt, . . . but were beaten off after
a hard day's fighting. . . . Rumors of these disasters and of
the coming foe reached the country east of the mountains.
. . . On Sunday, July 3, 1763, a soldier riding express from
Fort Pitt galloped into Carlisle and alighted to water his
horse at a well in the centre of the place. A crowd of country
men were instantly about him to hear the news. ' Presqu'ile,
Le Bceuf, and Venango are taken, and the Indians will be
here soon,' he cried. Bemounting his horse in haste, he rode
on to make his report at the camp of Col. Boquet, who was
raising a force for defense. All was consternation and excite
ment. . . . Every pathway and road leading into Carlisle
was filled with the flying settlers flocking thither for refuge.
. . . The Indian war parties at length broke out of the
woods like gangs of hungry wolves, murdering, burning, and
laying waste on every hand, while hundreds of terror-stricken
families abandoning their homes fled for refuge toward the
older settlements. Outrages were perpetrated and sufferings
endured which defy all attempts at description. Cumberland
County, which at that time formed the western frontier of
Pennsylvania, was almost exclusively occupied by the de
scendants of the thrifty colony of Scotch, who for many

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY. 309
years had occupied the north of Ireland, and were Presby
terians. These acquitted themselves admirably in their own
defense. The march of Col. Boquet in 1764 and the victory of
Bushy Bun, some twenty-five miles from Fort Pitt, dispirited
the Indian warriors and caused a temporary lull. Afterwards,
when they saw they were in the power of Boquet, they
reluctantly sued for peace. Twelve days were given them to
deliver up all prisoners in their hands — Englishmen, French
men, women and children, and to furnish them with clothing,
provisions, and horses to carry them to Fort Pitt. They
hastened to fulfill the conditions, and upwards of two hundred
were collected at the camp of Boquet. Many affecting inci
dents are on record of those who had become enamored of the
wild forest life, and some even had to be borne back by force.
When the army reached Carlisle, people met them there in
great numbers to inquire for the friends they had lost. . . .
As the Indian tribes retreated, this hardy, freedom-loving race
moved forward and took possession of the country. In the
latter part of the eighteenth century we find them going
south into Virginia, west to Kentucky, and a few families to
the shores of Lake Erie. Dr. Thomas H. Robinson refers to
several of our prominent divines, as Rev. Dr. Matthew Brown,
at one time President of Jefferson College, Rev. D. H.
Riddle, D.D., Rev. Francis Herron, D.D., the Hon. J. G.
Blaine, and Col. Ephraim Blaine, of the Revolution, being of
the same family or having intermarried, as in Northeast the
families of Moorhead and Mills."
We have given this lengthy account to show what sufferings
the ancestors of some of the best Erie County people endured,
how a kind Providence preserved a remnant, and to contrast
those trying times with the peaceful present.
LE BCEUF.
A very interesting visit was paid to Col. P. E. Judson, still
landlord of the Eagle Hotel, Waterford, in the summer of
1892. A vestige of Fort Le Bceuf still remains, being the
cellar with remnants of its stone wall as originally laid (Maj.
Martin Strong selected a specimen with a shell impress for
a cabinet). A chapter of the " Daughters of the Revolution "

310 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
should have charge of it, though the quiet inhabitants
have been very kind — the charm is to see it in its un-
remodeled condition and full of tall weeds. When it was in
good condition in 1796 there were four block houses with no
light from outside, but an underground passageway crossed
the road diagonally to a spring. A picture of the fortifica
tions hangs in the hall of the hotel. Col. Judson has lived in
Waterford since he was fourteen years of age and for many
years has occupied the fort as a public house. A cannonball
that had served at his front door for seventy years was at last
stolen a few months ago, and now a sword, very rusty but
beautifully chased, is kept under lock and key ; a tailor's goose
also was found upon the premises and was gilded and de
posited with other relics of the olden time in Washington.
There is not a more beautiful drive than from Waterford south
to Cambridgeboro.
An Erie merchant writes : "Erie, Sept. 10, 1813.
" Dear Brother :
" I have been waiting all summer to get some news worth
relating, but have been disappointed in this. It has been
busy times here this summer. The Navy Department have
built two brigs of 400 tons, carrying 18-32 carronades each, and
four large gunboats carrying one and two long heavy cannon.
There has been stationed here one regiment of Pennsylvania
militia, about 800 men, and the militia have been called out
frequently from the country in cases of alarm. The British
squadron has been hovering round the mouth of the harbor
frequently through the summer, sometimes near enough to
exchange shots with the gunboats and batteries, but no dam
age has been done. Our squadron, consisting of ten sail, left
this on the 12th ult., and are now off Sandusky, probably,
waiting for Gen. Harrison to make a descent on Maiden,
which I think will be in a few days. I think it doubtful
which will carry the day, as the English are rather superior
on the lake and strongly fortified at Maiden, where the fleet
now lies." "Erie, March 4, 1814.
" Sirs: — Since my last, nothing of importance has transpired

HISTORY* OF ERIE COUNTY*. 311
in this vicinity until by the arrival of a gentleman on Monday
evening last from the westward, who brings us the news that
a considerable British force was on the march for Detroit.
My informant saw a man who left Detroit on the 16th ult.,
who states that on the night of the 15th, a corps of British
soldiers had crossed the St. Clair River about fifty miles from
Detroit, and were marching down. That about four hundred
Indians were coming down on the Canada side and that the in
habitants were in great confusion, endeavoring to save their
lives and property. The commanding officer, Col. Croghan,
would not permit any of the inhabitants to take shelter in the
fort, it being too small to protect the inhabitants and make
defense. An order had been issued to burn Maiden and Sand
wich, the first at ten and the other at eight o'clock on the
15th. From other sources we are informed that a heavy can
nonading was heard at the river Raisin and at Vermillion on
the 18th in the direction of Detroit. We were informed a few
days since by express from Sackett's Harbor that a British
regular force of 1,500 men and 500 seamen had passed that
place from the westward. These circumstances and others,
particularly that the most loyal inhabitants near Detroit
haY'e moved into the interior, leave but little room to doubt
that an attack has been made. Through an interposition of
Providence we have been permitted to remain unmolested thus
far (except by the patriotic militia from the neighboring coun
ties), the ice on the lake not having been strong enough for an
army to come here, and the winter is so far spent that we ap
prehend no danger until the spring opens."
" In answer to your note," writes a pioneer March 30, 1861,
" I would say that I know of no person nor can I learn of any
person who attemj>ted to reside in this county previous to the
year 1795. Mr. Wm. Miles, I believe, was the first — at least he
was the first settler so far as lean learn. Mr. Miles settled on
the flats of French Creek at a point where two or more roads
cross, a little northwest of the place where the Stranahans
now live in Concord township, in the month of June, 1795.
Accompanying him were his wife and children and Mr. Wm.
Cook's family. The irregular manner in which Mr. Miles'
children were carried is worthy of especial notice. A sack

312 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
was made, open in the side instead of the end ; the sack was
thrown across the horse, a child placed in each end of it, and
in this manner they were conveyed to Concord from Frank
lin, Venango County. Mrs. Miles carried her youngest child
before her on the horse. Mr. Miles resided in Concord town
ship about five years, removing in 1800 to a place which he
called Union Mills, from the fact of a saw and gristmill being
built there. The nearest station was eight miles distant.
All provisions in 1795 were carried by means of pack horses
from Pittsburg to Concord township. After the year 1795
provisions were brought up the Allegheny River, thence by its
tributaries to Union Mills. In the year 1796 families named
Hull, McCrea, Wilson, and Findley settled in the neighbor
hood of Union Mills. A Mr. Stephen Oliver settled near there -
in the latter part of 1795 ; but before I forget I would remark
that Mrs. Miles and her sister Mrs. Cook were the two first
white women in the County of Erie. Families by name of
Hamilton and Reeder settled in and about Edinboro between
the years 1795 and 1800. They were the first settlers at that
particular point. Lexington was first laid out by McNair
and others, the time I do not remember. In 1796 Mr. Wm.
Miles commenced clearing land, and built himself in addition
to his dwelling house, a store for the storing of provisions
on the tract of land where Wattsburg now stands. In the
same year families by the name of Tracy and Reed (Adam
Reed) built a small gristmill on the east branch of French
Creek, and surveyed the tract of land known as ' Tenth Dona
tion Tract.' Mr. Wm. Miles and Mr. David Watts were ap
pointed by the Governor of Pennsylvania (Mifflin, I think) in
the year 1785 to the survey. Their provisions being procured
in Harrisburg were packed on horses and conveyed to a point
near Wattsburg. An incident happened which might be
worthy of note. The duties of the surveyors being severe
they employed an Indian in the capacity of general cook and
to furnish meat, etc. Mr. Indian, as is natural to the race,
in time became remarkably lazy in his endeavors to procure
meat, giving as his excuse the scarcity of it in the wilderness,
but the trick was carried too far, and Messrs. Miles and Watts
becoming cognizant that he was deceiving them cut short his

HISTORY' OF ERIE COUNTY. 313
allowance of food, which brought the ' native of the forest ' to
a strict sense of his duty, which he neY'er afterwards neg
lected." An original surveyor writes :
" Franklin, February 6, 1862.
". . To your first query, 'How long were you making
survey?' etc., I answer, we were engaged all summer ; in the
fall I went home to my father's. To the second, I answer,
Rutledge and his son were out looking for land to settle, and
in going from Le Bceuf to Erie were by the Indians shot and
murdered within one mile or thereabouts from Presqu'ile and
on the path leading from Le Bceuf to Presqu'ile. The elder
Butledge was killed on the spot ; the young man was taken to
Le Bceuf and taken care of by the surgeon of the fort, Dr.
Thomas B. Kennedy, and lived but a few days. You ask, Why
did they venture so far from the fort ? It was common for
travelers to travel the path in small companies, but very often
dangerous on account of hostile Indians from the upper lakes,
prowling through the woods to plunder and murder. I often
saw signs of them when running lines in various parts of the
district. I will give you an anecdote. One night about eight
or ten miles from our main camp at P., we, our compass and
hands, had encamped as usual for the night ; after taking our
supper we lay down by a good fire. In about half an hour we
were alarmed by our dog running from the fire and barking
very fiercely. We were very apprehensive that Indians were
about, and concluded to move from the fire and lie down
where we pleased. Each one of us took his own course ; I
went about one hundred yards from the fire, and Yvith my
blanket around me laid me down by the side of a large log. In
about half of an hour the dog who had been near the fire, ran
with great speed from the fire after something, and directly
we found it to be deer, as they scented so as to satisfy me it
was so. I arose and called the boys to come to the fire; all
came and we fell fast asleep and rested quietly until morning.
But I often conversed with Seneca Indians who told me that
there were hostile Indians in the district  I will
mention one thing further : Shortly after we got to Erie,
perhaps in June or July, the State Commissioners came out to

314 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
lay out the town, and about the same time the United States
troops arrived to build the fort. However, I think it must
have been about the first of June that Butledge was killed. I
am sorry I cannot furnish you with more items. Your object
is a laudable one, and if you could give the circumstances of
the country, it would be interesting. The young people now
enjoying the blessings of civilization and refinement know
but little of the priY'ations the early pioneers suffered.
" William Connely."
We cannot do better than copy from the Erie Dispatch, 1891,
a description of the annual outing of the Natural History
Society for some of our boldest scenery: "On leaving the
morning Lake Shore train at Fairview station, Mr. G. I. How
ard's fourhorse vehicle was in waiting to take the party to his
residence and stone quarry at Fall's Run, about six miles south ¦
of Fairview. The route lay through a pleasant farming
country and over a succession of hills, rising higher and
higher until an elevation was reached of several hundred feet
above the surface of Lake Erie. The creek is the largest
stream in Erie County, and to members of the State Geo
logical Survey it has been the most interesting. It rises on
the highlands south of Erie City and runs in a westerly
direction fifteen or twenty miles to a point south of Girard,
where it forms a great oxbow curve around a long narrow
ridge of rocks one hundred feet in height, known as the
'Devil's Backbone,' and then runs north through Girard to
Lake Erie. The reason Elk Creek took a western direction
while other streams that rose near that line ran directly north
into the lake is because a high ridge lies between them, run
ning parallel with the lake shore and named by the Geological
Survey, 'First Divide.' From this watershed the rainfall on
the north side runs into the lake through Mill Creek and
other small streams, while the rainfall on the opposite side
goes south into Elk Creek. In this stream is the second and
most important subject of interest to the geologist, in having
cut a deep channel in the rocks with perpendicular walls
more than one hundred feet in height, and a personal inspec
tion of the vertical walls has been made and the result pub
lished by members of the State Geological Survey. This is

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY*. 315
also an interesting stream to sight-seers. Not only are the
great oxbow bend, the 'Devil's Backbone,' and further down
the creek the 'Devil's Nose,' a high promontory of ashen
gray rocks exhibiting that little-known mineral, cone-in-cone,
jutting out from the vertical walls, but also the deep valley
sloping gracefully away to the uplands which are, apparently,
above the universal horizon. Here numerous landscapes
along the entire water courses are as diversified with sheep,
horses, and grazing cattle, clumps of bushes and shade trees,
grain fields and farm buildings as any, perhaps, that may be
seen in Northern Pennsylvania. There are many places
where the air is fragrant with wild flowers, mint leaves and
wintergreen, spice bushes, coniferous trees, and sweet birches.
After crossing Elk Creek the party soon arrived at Fall's Run,
and were driven into the maple grove in front of Mr.
HoYvard's residence, where we were made welcome for the
day. Mr. Howard showed us his creamery, ice house, and
stone quarry, where we obtained many beautiful fossil shells
and fossil marine plants.
"This quarry," Mr. Howard said, "is the northern outcrop
of the Pennsylvania third oil sand about five hundred feet
above the surface of Lake Erie. A lady asked ' Why is there
no oil here ?' His reply was, ' These rocks are the highest part
of the strata, so hard and so fine that they can contain no oil.
As the stratum dips down under the surface toward the oil
fields it becomes softer and coarser and so porous that it can
hold an ocean of oil.' This corresponds with the Geological
Survey. Some time was spent in looking at the waterfall. It
is forty feet in height and sixty feet in breadth. The water
cascades beautifully over the brink and down through a dark,
narrow gulch about ninety feet in depth and pours itself into
Elk Creek, singing its own glad song as it goes. Near the
cascade is a mineral spring, clear, cool, and tasting fairly. It
is said to be very healthy. Mr. Howard is not only an intelli
gent farmer and dairyman and quarryman, but is also an
intelligent geologist. He did all he could to make our visit as
pleasant as possible, and he and his family have the thanks of
the entire company.
"There are hundreds of ravines in Erie County. The site

316 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
of Erie City was formerly gashed with them, but some are
now entirely obliterated by refuse earth and other materials
which have been deposited there from time to time, making
them level with the surrounding earth. Upon such a new
formed surface the City Hall and the Reed House square have
been built. One of the ravines outside the city is now being
used for another purpose. The Eighth Street motor car track
has been extended from the Catholic Cemetery, accross the
fields to a deep ravine situated about two hundred yards
southwest of the head of Presque Isle Bay. The track con
tinues on down through the ravine, where it curves around
toward the east to the Massassauga Hotel. The descent is
gradual, the rails are permanently laid, the gulch is cleared of
fallen trees and bowlders, and its sides are dense with forest
trees, twining vines, and flowers. A small crystal stream
chatters its rights of passage from a small spring at the head
down to the bay, where is a cool and refreshing lake breeze
and an enchanting view of the lake.
" At a depth of three or four feet below the upper surface of
the dark sand a fluid oozes out very slowly from a seam, hav
ing a metallic scum on the surface, tinged with a mixture of
iron, copper and zinc. This stratum descends also with the
track, showing how much the deposit was inclined toward the
lake when this part of the earth was two or three hundred
feet lower than it is now — so low that the high land along
Twenty-sixth Street became the shore of a broad ocean many
times wider than the waters of Lake Erie.
"T. D. I."
" Five miles from the Erie Union Depot the railway makes
a true curve on the very brink of a 100-foot gulf, through which
the Four Mile Creek descends to Lake Erie at the rate of about
100 feet per mile. The gulch is about 100 feet in depth and wide
enough to be called a valley. This location is unrivalled for a
picnic ; the horizontal branches, forty feet in length, afford
shade for the tables, the open, smooth grass plots are broad
enough for baseball, football, and tennis, while the even,
rocky bed of the meandering stream makes wading delightful
for many children. There is ample room for strolling in all
directions to enjoy the beautiful scenery. Passing a mile

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY. 317
further up the stream we find groY'es and open spaces and
reach the famous Wintergreen Gulch. In some places the
banks are sufficiently sloping for the growth of shrubbery and
forest trees, while the bank opposite is so precipitous and
rocky that no kind of vegetation can take root. The face of
the wall above shows the strata to be composed of alternate
layers of sandstone and shale each several inches in thickness,
but near the bottom the shale is several feet in thickness,
and caused by the elements to break into thin scales no larger
than the finger nail, which are washed away by every rainfall.
Here and there are great boYvlders in the valley and bed of
the stream. They are of different kinds of rock, and en
tirely unlike any of the foundation rocks in this part of the
country. They were formed in some past age of the world,
and transported to this locality from some foreign country.
There are, howe\Ter, other loose rocks which Yvere broken from
the foundation rocks of this country, and crop out one or two
miles south of these picnic grounds. They were brought
down the gulch by ice and powerful floods. Some of the
blocks are eighteen or more inches in thickness, and are filled
through and through with beautiful fossil shells. "T. D. I."
Lake Pleasant, in Amity township (and via Wattsburg
18| miles from Erie), is several hundred feet above Lake Erie,
which is a still greater height above the ocean, ridges and
valleys succeeding one another. As seen from high hills, the
landscape is exceedingly beautiful, and a great distance ap
pears between the observer and the horizon.
Lake Pleasant, near the corners of Venango, Green, Amity,
and Waterford, is a beautiful body of water about three fourths
of a mile long and a third of a mile wide, with a depth of
twenty-five to fifty feet. Its outlet is a stream about the size
of Le Bceuf Creek at Waterford, that never diminishes except
in the dryest season. After furnishing power to seY'eral mills
it falls into French Creek about three miles south, in Amity
township. The wooden bridge over the West Branch at
Wattsburg was the first bridge of the county and was origin
ally built by the County Commissioners in 1822, through the
influence of William Miles.

318 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
Dr. Ingersoll speaks poetically of the green woods and silent
Yvaters of the peninsula — Erie's wild natural park and pleasure
ground. Since permanent habitation upon Presqu'ile has
been forbidden by the United States government it has be
come wilder by the growth of plants in the trails made by
pedestrians. If it would now transform this water-bound
tongue of land into a public park with modern improvements,
it would become a charming resort for health seekers and
lovers of nature who live at a distance, as well as for those
who dwell in its immediate vicinity. In this secluded and
wild locality there is much that is interesting to the zoologist,
the botanist, and the sportsman. Wild birds of various
species visit the peninsula semi-annually for food and rest as
they migrate to and from distant parts of the country, both
north and south, and many are the victims of sportsmen. As
a variety of crafts and steamers in the warm season pass on
both sides, the views through the trees and open spaces
present pictures at various points of observation worthy of
transfer to caiiY'as and with exquisite color.
" Sixteen Mile Creek takes its rise in Greenfield township,
within a mile of French Creek, passes the borough on its west
side, and enters the lake at Freeport. Its length is about ten
miles, and its general course due north. About two and a
half miles south of the borough, Sixteen Mile Creek is joined
by Graham Creek, which rises in New York, and is perhaps
four miles long. At the point of junction there is a " hogs-
back " which is nearly perpendicular on the east side. The
gully at the "hogsback" is not far from two hundred feet
deep. The heads of Twenty Mile Creek are in Chautauqua
County, N. Y., and its mouth is near the northeast corner of
Northeast township, Pennsylvania. It enters the State
about a mile above the crossing of the Lake Shore Railroad,
and must have a length of ten or twelve miles. The deep gulf
of this stream, which attracts so much attention from travelers
begins three or four miles south of the Lake Shore Railroad
culvert, and continues nearly to the lake, some three miles
further by the windings of the creek. Its depth Yvhere the
railroad crosses is about one hundred feet. The culvert at this
point is a mammoth work and one of the finest pieces of ma-

HISTORY' OF ERIE COUNTY*. 319
sonry in the country. The Nickel Plate road has a fine iron
bridge some distance above. The gully on the headwaters of
Sixteen Mile Creek is nowhere as abrupt as that of Twenty
Mile Creek, except at the junction above referred to. From
Moorheadville to its mouth the Twelve Mile Creek has steep
banks. " A wonderful curiosity is to be found on Elk Creek where
it makes a great oxbow bend around a very high point of
rocks, hundreds of feet above the surface of Lake Erie. It is
seventeen miles southwest from Erie, and a delightful drive.
Arriving at the creek is a winding wagon path up to a plateau
owned by Mr. Blair, and through cultivated fields to the mid
dle of the bend where the promontory-like formation termi
nates in a long knife-blade ridge of bare rocks on which one
may balance himself with a foot over a precipice on each
side. Some are brave enough to attempt to walk the ridge
single-file, and succeed without accident, though life depends
on proper balance of the body — a single misstep would send
one headlong to the bed of the creek more than a hundred
feet below. This has been named the ' Devil's Backbone '
and on the other side of the creek is another high rocky point
called the ' Devil's Nose.' " — From History of Erie County,
1884. Published by Warner & Co. , Chicago.

CHAPTER II.
Magnitude of the Great Lakes — Lake Currents — Fish Exhibit —
Hatcheries — Ancient Mariner — The Lighthouses — Flash Light
house — Lifesaving Station — Waterworks — War for the Union —
Soldiers and Sailors' Home.
From the Marine Review.
The story of a captain who took a schooner across the At
lantic with a cargo of wheat from the lakes, and being unable
to get insured for the return trip, because no information of
the great lake ports was to be found, is well known, as is also
the one about English underwriters being surprised that lake
vessels were navigated at night instead of tying up along the

320 HISTORY' OF ERIE COUNTY'.
"bank," but a recent instance more interesting is given by a
New York engineer. He accompanied Mr. Johnson, the Eng
lish capitalist interested in the building of whalebacks in Eng
land, on his first trip up the lakes. While in the rivers Mr.
Johnson asked if they would not reach Duluth by nightfall.
When told he would haY'e to pass through two large lakes on
which he would be out of sight of land for several hours and
cover some 600 miles, he shook his head and wondered. Near
ing the end of his journey he ventured to suggest that it
couldn't be far from the Pacific Ocean, but subsided when
told that the halfway point in crossing the continent was still
several hundred miles west of him. Some foreigners, as well
as eastern business men, have had their doubts dispelled as to
the immense traffic of the lakes, but many are still woefully
ignorant of that as well as of their great area. The following
will give an idea of the magnitude of the great lakes :
" The water surface of Lakes Ontario, Erie, Huron, Mich
igan and Superior, and connecting waterways, is 95,275 square
imiles, while the area of Great Britain, England, Scotland and
Wales combined is only 88,781 square miles. The coast lines of
the great lakes contain more than half the fresh water on the
globe, and have a combined length of 3,075 miles. It is 1,279
miles from Ogdensburg to Duluth, and from the northern
shore of Lake Superior to the southern end of Lake Michigan
is 520 miles. The distance from Chicago to Liverpool is 4,500
miles, one half of which is covered by the great lakes and St.
Lawrence River. From the Straits of Belle Isle to Duluth,
at the head of Lake Superior, is 2,259f miles. From the
Straits of Belle Isle to Kingston, Lake Ontario, is 1,164 miles.
From Kingston to Duluth it is 1,186 miles, over one half of
the distance from the Straits of Belle Isle across the Atlantic
to Liverpool."
Observer W. B. Stockman, of the Cleveland Weather
Bureau, has received for distribution among vessel masters
and others interested in the welfare of the lake marine, a large
number of copies of the newly issued current chart of the
great lakes. This chart is the result of the effort put forth by
the department last season to ascertain the trend of currents
believed to exist on the vast sheets of inland water. At the

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY'. 321
suggestion of Dr. H. J. Peurod, then marine agent of the
Weather Bureau, with headquarters in Cleveland, a number
of bottles were purchased from a Pittsburg firm that manu
factured them to order. They much resembled what is known
as a pop or ginger beer bottle, save that they were fitted with
an ordinary cork. They were so blown that the weight was
such as to immerse the bottle except about half an inch of the
neck, leaving the smallest proportion possible to be affected by
surplus influences. The bottles were packed in boxes, each
box containing twenty-five bottles, and issued to masters of
lake boats. The masters were instructed to drop bottles over
board in certain localities, first filling out a blank containing
the date, hour, and location of the casting away of the bottle,
the paper being placed inside. Inside each bottle was another
blank, with a franked envelope, which the finder was requested
to fill out, naming the day and hour, and the spot where the
bottle had been found.
The plan was carried out thoroughly in all its details, and
the envelopes placed in three fourths of the bottles issued
eventually found their way to Washington. In fact, so many
more were returned than had been expected that the artist
found considerable difficulty in making clear use of the infor
mation contained, and this delayed the issue of the charts.
The charts just issued show excellent lithographic work.
They are of the same size as the wreck chart issued last year,
and give the outline of the lakes in blue upon an orange back
ground, .the degrees of latitude and longitude being very
plainly marked.
In the upper right-hand corner, on a salmon-colored back
ground, is a smaller map of the lakes, showing the general set
of the currents as indicated by the drifting of the bottles, and
giving a fair idea of the directions in which the water circu
lates. The light blue which indicates the water in the large
chart is adorned with what at first glance appears to be a
meteoric shower, in a darker blue. Small circles show the
localities where some of the bottles, selected for the purpose of
illustration, were thrown overboard, and lines follow their
course to the spot where the bottles were picked up, this
being indicated by an arrowhead. While the courses of the

322 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY'.
bottles were in many cases determined by the flow of the
water through the rivers, a surprisingly large number took
such apparently independent courses as to clearly argue the
existence of very definite and permanent currents. The
bottles cast overboard at Duluth started down Lake Superior,
but in seY'eral instances showed a decided inclination, after
passing Apostle Islands, to turn back toward Ashland. After
passing Keweenaw some drifted in toward Marquette ; others
took a more or less direct course for Whitefish Bay and the
headwaters of the Sault ; while by far the greatest proportion
were cast upon the inhospitable coast extending from Grand
Marais to Whitefish Point. Remarkable exceptions to all
these were noted, however, in bottles dropped overboard be
tween Keweenaw Point and Point au Sable, these taking a
northeasterly direction, and crossing the courses followed by
other bottles, drifting upon the Canadian shore north and
east of the Caribon Islands.
On Lake Michigan, bottles cast away between Beaver
Islands and the entrance to Green Bay drifted toward the
latter and found the shore for the most part at the north end
of Green Bay. At the south end of the bay the water had
little motion, and no bottles ever got out of it. The general
drift of the bottles showed a current up the west shore, but
steadily turning to the east shore and flowing back toward the
straits, passing out through the south passage almost exclu
sively. On Lake Huron the courses were the most Y*aried,
the principal drifts being southeastward or southwestward.
The bottles passed into Saginaw Bay at the lower side, then
turned and came out at the north side, explaining the con
stant rough seas found at the mouth of this bay. Many
bottles thrown overboard on the west side of Lake Huron
found their way through the narrow island passages into
Georgian Bay and were then washed ashore.
Bottles dropped in Detroit Biver showed currents setting
against the north shore to Point au Pelee, and against the
west shore far into Maumee Bay. Bottles coming through
the north passage found the shore between Lorain and
Buffalo. Those dropped overboard in midlake west of Lorain
took a southwesterly course. Bottles starting from the locality

HISTORY' OF ERIE COUNTY. 323
where the Woeoken foundered, even when dropped close to
the Canadian shore, drifted down past Long Point and ulti
mately reached the south shore. The drifting wreckage and
bodies from this steamer have constantly followed the same
course. Ou Lake Ontario the bottles have uniformly taken a south
easterly course, most of them drifting upon the New Y"ork
shore. Chief Mark W. Harrington, of the Weather Bureau, in
issuing his chart, expresses the hope that it may proY'e of
material value to those interested in lake navigation, and ex
tends the thanks of the bureau to the many persons, masters
of vessels and others, who have aided in the work. The study
of currents is to be continued, and the bureau hopes for the
same cooperation and assistance in the future as in 1892.
FROM PENNSYLVANIA'S FISH EXHIBIT AT THE YVORLD'S CO
LUMBIAN EXPOSITION.
By Col. John Fleeharty, of Erie.
Although Pennsylvania has but forty-five miles of frontage
on Lake Erie, its interests in the fisheries of these waters are
considerable, the City of Erie, a flourishing town on this
great waterway, doing the bulk of the trade.
Upper Mill Creek, Walnut Creek and Trout Run were noted
for their fine fishing in the memory of many now living. All
the streams in Erie County Yvere prolific in fish, and all of
them contained many brook trout. . . . Log canoes for
fishing purposes were as much a necessity to the early settlers
along the lake as log cabins to shelter their families, and each
went fishing as his wants required.
In 1796, some twenty or thirty Indian families belonging to
the Seneca tribe resided at the head of the bay, now known as
" the Head," or Massassauga Point, and were the first fisher
men on the lake in Northwestern Pennsylvania. This was
the last Indian Y'illage in Erie County. After their departure
the site Yvas occupied by a halfbreed negro named McKinney
who lived by fishing. He subsequently removed to the upper
Laird farm, and one of his daughters married Ben Flem
ing, who was the last survivor of Perry's fleet residing in

324 HISTORY* OF ERIE COUNTY.
Pennsylvania. Following him came Moses Muzzy, and then
Ben Fleming, both of whom made their living by fish
ing in the bay from log canoes. Black bass abounded, and
with all Y'arieties were taken with the hook prior to 1830.
David Fowzier at that time became the flrst seine fisherman.
The ponds in the peninsula and Pike Pond on the south side
of the bay near the harbor entrance were the spawning
grounds for a large variety of fish, particularly grass pike
and some fine turtles. They lay upon the bottom, in about
two and a half feet of water and were taken by shooting or
spearing ; some were of extraordinary size.
Hon. James Hoskinson contributed some interesting items
for Col. Fleeharty's article. About 1S24-26 small vessels went
from Erie to Mackinaw in the fall to fish for white fish and
trout. Having cured and packed them in barrels they re
turned to Erie and a good market was found for them, and
many were shipped to Pittsburg. There were eight or ten
vessels engaged in this trade for seY'eral years. Messrs. Seth
Beed, P. S. V. Hamot and Capt. John Dixon had vessels so
engaged. Capt. John Dixon built the first dock and ware
house, and from there all of the limited fish business was
transacted. For many years the names of Horton, Hunts-
burger and Buckingham also were connected with seine fish
ing. Little or no fishing was done in the lake, as the bay
abounded. Misery Bay and the mouth of Mill Creek have
always been fine places for rock bass fishing as Yvell as sunfish
and perch. The first white fishing at this point was in 1853 ;
the first shippers were George Witter and John Sutter & Co.
In 1867 there were only nine fish boats out of Erie, and the
first steam fish boat came to Erie from Ashtabula, Ohio, in
1874 or '75.
Capt. Clark Jones says: "Commenced gill net fishing in
1854 or '55. White fish was shipped east and west about 1856.
At that time sturgeons were considered of no use and were
taken to the peninsula and buried. Thousands have been
buried there and to-day they are worth two dollars and fifty
cents each. Smoked sturgeon is considered fully equal to
smoked halibut, and the roe makes an excellent 'caviare.'
Each fish yields from twelve to fourteen pounds. The meat is

HISTORY' OF ERIE COUNTY. 325
mostly sent to Sandusky, Ohio, for curing and smoking and is
worth from five to eight cents a pound for that purpose.
Though formerly thrown away this fish is now scarce and
valuable. The Dash family is a family of fishermen of four
generations. Capt. John Dash gave interesting items, as also
William Terry, Capts. Jones and Wick. They speak of black
bass, the gamiest fish in the lakes, becoming more and more
scarce ; herrings though plentiful are not as much so as for
merly, but a great many are salted along the lakes. The mus-
calonge used to be quite plentiful in this vicinity — the largest
one taken was sixty-two pounds — the average weight is
twenty-five to thirty pounds.
"Mr. E. D. Carter embarked in the business of fishing and
shipping fish in 1S74, and to him is given the credit of open
ing up a permanent market abroad. Shipments of fish pre
vious to this were at times when there was an overplus on the
market. Mr. Louis Strueber went into the business in 1877,
and the two were for years the only shippers from Erie.
Frank W. Bacon & Co. have also been large shippers for some
years. " On the 24th of September, 1892, the Erie Fish Association
was formed by consolidation of the following houses : E. D.
Carter, Louis Strueber, Frank W. Bacon & Co., and E. Knob-
lock & Co. The first day after the consolidation the catch of
fish was forty-eight tons. The statistical account on the lake,
in Pennsylvania for 1892 shows that 28 steam fish boats, 14
sail boats, 40 pound nets, boats, etc., employ $250,000 total
capital, and 500 men. An accurate account of the fish taken
for commercial purposes during 1892 has been kept, the total
number of pounds being 12,786,579. The herring was highest
in number, being 8,300,633, and blue pike the next, 2,968,659,
while black bass was only 4,286 and sturgeon 90,702, white fish
524,428, and trout 131,337." STATE FISH HATCHERY*.
In Erie is a beautiful cottage on the corner of Second and
Sassafras streets under the superY'ision of the Fjsh Commis
sion, and was opened in December, 1885, to propagate white
fish in Erie waters. As hundreds of thousands of dollars are

326 HISTORY' OF ERIE COUNTY'.
invested and a small army of men employed in the fish
ing business here, and there is also a wholesale destruction of
spawn by sturgeons, as well as in the natural way, this is
essential to keep up the supply. It is supposed one large
sturgeon will consume millions of fish eggs in a day, which if
undisturbed would be comparatively safe after hatching.
After entering a pleasant reception room the remainder of
the floor is devoted to propagating purposes. On several long
counters or tables are placed glass jars, each containing one
gallon. One quart of spawn is put in each jar, which is filled
with water and sealed airtight, excepting as two rubber tubes
with glass nozzles run in a supply of fresh water, which keeps
the whole in motion. By an ingenious plan all the " dead "
spawn is remoY'ed also by the discharge tube. On the second
floor a tank containing 1,000 gallons of Yvater affords pressure.
After hatching the small fry are kept in the jars about a week,
when they are liberated in the lake, perhaps ten miles out.
The Erie hatchery has the capacity for bringing out 30,000,000
small fry in a season. Rock bass, catfish, and when the season
closes for white fish, blue pike are sometimes placed in the
hatching jars.
The hatchery is under the supervision of the State Fish
Commission, one or more members visiting it monthly, and
the entire board makes an annual inspection. The Erie
hatchery is in charge of Mr. John Maher, an enthusiast in
fish culture.
"Ancient Mariner," 1S93.
In 1837 the steamboat Erie was built by the Erie Steamboat
Company at the foot of French Street, in the borough of Erie.
Thomas G. Colt and Smith Jackson, being the chief men of
the company, sold out in 1838 and 1839 to Gen. C. M. Reed.
August 9, 1841, she was destroyed by fire off Silver Creek, N.
Y., two hundred and forty-nine persons being lost, twenty -six
being residents of Erie. . . .
Previous to the completion of the railroads on both sides of
the lake, the New York Central and New Y^ork and Erie
railroads built a class of steamers which for speed, elegance,
and safety were marvels indeed. At the decline afterwaras of
passenger traffic, by the completion of railroads on the north

HISTORY* OF ERIE COUNTY. 327
and south shore, the propellers appeared which to-day are
fine, large, seaworthy vessels, built and equipped regardless of
expense, and in every respect fully equal to the best of ocean
steamers. Iron ship building was commenced in 1862. The
propeller and consort system was first established in 1870, and
has become a great factor in solving the question of cheap
transportation. The navy has but one ship on the chain of lakes, the
Michigan. The supply steamers of the lighthouse service are
under the control of the Navy Department. Capt. John
Richards built the first revenue cutter, Benjamin Rush, which
was commanded by Capt. Gilbert Knapp, who was succeeded
by Capt. Daniel Dobbins. The second was the Erie, which
was succeeded by the iron steamer Dallas. This vessel was
removed to the Atlantic coast by way of the Welland Canal
and the St. Lawrence River in 1848. The six small revenue cut
ters, being one for each lake, at the outbreak of the war of 1861
were moved to the Atlantic coast under the direction of Capt.
Douglass Ottinger by way of the Welland Canal. In 1864 the
Perry was built on Niagara River and equipped with Capt.
Whittaker's sidewheel propellers. She was remarkably fast,
making nineteen miles an hour on her trial trip, but was sold,
the present cutter Perry succeeding her.
THE LIGHTHOUSE.
On the mainland just within the eastern limits of the city
is the land lighthouse site, which has been occupied since 1818.
The first structure cost $3,000. In 1858 a new tower was built
of Milwaukee brick. The foundation proved defective and in
1866 it was replaced by one built of Berea stone at a cost of
$33,000. To secure a solid foundation an excavation twenty
feet deep was made and filled with Portland cement, oak
timber, and finely broken limestone. On this bed courses of
stone were placed aggregating eight feet in thickness. It is
sixty-seven feet in height from the Yvater table to the focal
plane of the lens, and one hundred and twenty-seven feet
above the lake's level. The lens was manufactured in Paris
and cost $7,000 when deliY'ered in New York. It is a fixed
white light and can be seen seventeen nautical miles. Min-

328 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
eral oil is used in the lamps. In 1880, on the recommendation-
of Commander G. W. Howard, U. S. N., Inspector of the
Tenth Lighthouse District, notwithstanding many protests,
the light was discontinued, and the same year the property
was sold for $1,800. The next session of Congress ordered its
repurchase and re-establishment as a light.
In 1828 an octagonal wooden tower was erected on the east
end of the pier at the harbor entrance, and fish oil used for
the lamps. This was carried away by a schooner being
thrown against it in a gale in 1857. In 1858 a cast iron skele
ton toYver weighing nineteen tons was erected. Lard oil was
then used and the lamps were the best. In 1880 this tower
was taken down and transferred to the extreme end of the
pier, which had been lengthened 2,000 feet. The light had
been fixed white and was changed to fixed red, and was visi
ble ele\'en miles — mineral oil being used. In 1830 a keeper's
dwelling was erected but was destroyed by fire in 1841 and a
larger one erected. In 1858 a neat residence was erected on the
beach. In 1878 a fog bell weighing 1,200 pounds Yvas placed on
the pier near the lighthouse, but has been of no practical
value to the merchant service.
The Flash lighthouse is a modern square tower of brick, with
a convenient keeper's dwelling attached. It Yvas erected in
1872 on the north shore of the peninsula at a cost of $15,000.
The light, varied with red and white flashes, is inside of a
fourth order lens, and is said to be the finest in the light
house service. Being isolated and on the sand with a back
ground of evergreens, it presents a picturesque appearance as
seen from passing vessels. The keepers of lighthouses must
not be over fifty years of age, and they are not subject to re
moval when a change of administration occurs.
In February, 1878, Commander W. R. Bridgman, U. S. N.,
Lighthouse Inspector of the Tenth District, and Capt. D. P.
Dobbins, Superintendent of Life-saving Stations, came to Erie
and selected a site for the station on the lighthouse premises.
In 1876, as the marine disasters usually occurred on the outer
shore of the peninsula, a building which had been placed three
miles from the beacon lighthouse, proved a mistake and was
moved on trucks and the crew located in the present quarters.

HISTORY' OF ERIE COUNTY. 329
Surfman William Clark was placed in charge and fulfilled
its duties until 1891, when he was drowned, after many years
of seiwice. YVATERWORKS.
Up to 1840 the ordinary cisterns and wells supplied the in
habitants of Erie with Yvater. The thickly settled parts were
then provided Yvith water from a large spring on the Reed
farm south of Eighteenth Street. The Erie Water and Gas
Company was incorporated in 1857, and in 1869 the works
Yvere completed at a cost of $675,000. The first engines were
the Cornish Bull engines, invented by James Watt. In 1887
a new engine house was completed, with the Gaskill engine,
pumping 5,000,000 gallons per day. This was purchased of
the Holly Company, of Lockport, N. Y., the contract price for
engine and foundation being $24,850.
The engine house is a solid brick structure, with stone foun
dation 30x35 feet, and 65 feet in height surmounted by an oc
tagonal turret 14 feet high. The boiler house is 50x60 feet, and
12 feet high ; smokestack 14 feet square at the bottom and
100 feet in height, with a draft of 25 feet. The standpipe
tower, built to enclose the standpipe, is octagonal in shape.
Forty-five feet above its foundation, throughout which dis
tance the tower is brick, a belt of stones 5 feet high is placed ;
thence upward it is a circular tower. Its total height is 217
feet, and its total elevation 2.37 feet above the surface of the
bay, while an additional 16 feet has been added to the stand-
pipe since its erection, making it 253 feet above the water
level, the highest standpipe in the world. In the interior a
spiral stairway ascends to the top of the tower, which is
suitably decked and enclosed by an iron railing. The visitor
may here obtain the finest view possible of the city and lake.
The reservoir on Twenty-sixth Street, between Chestnut and
Cherry, has a capacity of 35,000,000 gallons. In 1872 the
Water Commissioners purchased seven acres of land and con
structed a reservoir, the bottom of which is 210 feet above the
surface of the bay, while the water is kept at an average depth
of 25 feet. The construction account of the works up to 1888
amounted to about $1,000,000. The private street connections
number from 5,000 to 6,000, with 60 miles of pipe, 300 fire hy-

330 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
drants, and 550 stop valves. Some of the citizens who have
been most identified with the works are W. W. Reed, W. L.
Scott, H. Rawle, B. Whitman, George W. Starr, Messrs. Sel
den, Sherwin, Sloan and others. "In 1892 the new 12,000,000
gallon Worthington pump at the waterworks was started, and
the workings are smooth and perfect.
The first volume of the annual report of the Chief of En
gineers on the river and harbor improvements has been made
public. This volume contains the reports of the officers in
charge, which were suppressed by the chief last July. The re
port relating to Erie Harbor is as folloYvs :
" Erie Harbor — The original survey of the harbor was made
in 1819, at Yvhich time the channel was narrow and tortuous,
with a depth of only six feet. In 1823 a plan for the improve
ment was adopted and constitutes the present work at the en
trance to the harbor, excepting some changes which have
been required either on account of the age of the structures
already built or other causes. The piers have been extended
from time to time, and are now in pretty good order and con
dition. The north pier needs considerable repairs. The pres
ent project contemplates the extension of the piers to the
16-foot curve in the lake, and the maintenance of a channel
of navigable width, 16 feet in depth from the harbor, inside
to the lake outside. Operations have been prosecuted with
more or less interruption and suspension (no work was done
from 1838 to 1842, from 1846 to 1853, and from 1855 to 1864) and
have resulted in much benefit to the harbor and its channel
entrance. The work during the year consisted in the exten
sion of the north pier for 300 feet, of which five cribs were
sunk at the end of the year and the last since that date. The
total amount expended up to June 30, 1892, was $798,892.33.
The amount expended during the fiscal year ending June 30,
1893, was $4,609.47.
" Presque Isle Peninsula, Erie Harbor — In a report upon the
examination of Erie Harbor, made in 1885, it was recommen
ded that the neck of the peninsula be protected by a break
water, and the movement of sand around the eastern end of
the peninsula be prevented at an estimated cost of $173,044.50.
Work under this project was in progress until October, 1889,

HISTORY' OF ERIE COUNTY*. 331
when it was abandoned, it having been found that the struc
tures would not stand against the violence of the storms. No
further work is at present contemplated, but the sum of $20,-
000 has been reserved from the appropriation for the improve
ment of Erie Harbor to be used in case of necessity in closing
any breach which might occur. The total amount expended
up to June 30, 1890, was $60,000. Nothing was expended dur
ing the fiscal year ending June 30, 1893.
THE WAR FOR THE UNION.
When the thrilling tidings were received that our people
must resort to arms for the preservation of the country,
patriotism was universally manifested by all parties. Men of
all classes were united, and ministers of the gospel were
equally outspoken. The national flag was displayed from
hundreds of buildings in Erie and throughout the county, and
a solemn faith in the ultimate triumph of this righteous cause
prevailed. A meeting Yvas held in Wayne Hall, on French
Street, April 26, 1861, which was largely attended. William
A. Galbraith, a leading Democrat, presided, and speeches
were also made by John H. Walker, a leading Bepublican,
George H. Cutler, and George W. De Camp.
A movement had already been inaugurated by Capt. John
W. McLane to form a three months' regiment, which was
speedily filled, and a fund for the support of the families Yvas
provided. Seven thousand dollars was subscribed at this meet
ing, and $10,000 soon after was added. Three dollars and
fifty cents was allowed for the Yvife, weekly, and fifty cents
added for each child. Throughout the county similar meet
ings were held and funds provided.
This first regiment encamped at the southeast corner of
Parade and Sixth streets, being the grounds occupied by the
Agricultural Fair, and volunteers were more in number than
could be accepted, so that many returned home sadly disap
pointed. One hundred came from Waterford alone, and five
companies were recruited in Erie. The regiment left Erie May
1 for Pittsburg, Mehl's brass band accompanying it, and many
friends Yvere at the depot to give them a parting blessing.
The next morning they took up quarters in Camp Wilkins.
In many cases the companies exceeded their quota, and

332 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
members were discharged. A flag was presented them by the
ladies of Pittsburg May 5, in the presence of 10,000 spectators.
May 29 they received their arms and uniforms and were
carefully drilled each day, but returned to Erie July 20, not
being called into active service, much to the chagrin of both
officers and men. They met with an enthusiastic reception
on their return, and supper was prepared by the ladies at the
West Park. One member had died in their absence.
The Eighty-Third Regiment.— -The 24th of July, Col. McLane
received an order to recruit a regiment, the President having
issued a call for 300,000 men. Many of the three months' men
had volunteered and they were dismissed August 1st to await
an answer. Recruiting was active in the northwestern coun
ties, and a camp was established about two miles east of the
city by Capt. J. B. Bell of the regular army. Capt. Gregg,
a recruiting officer for cavalry, enlisted a number of young
men. The Perry Artillery of Erie offered its services and was
accepted, with C. F. Mueller as Captain and W. F. Leutje as
Lieutenant. An immense meeting at Farrar Hall was called
on the 24th of August to aid in raising men for Col. McLane's
regiment. The speakers were W. A. Galbraith, J. C. Marshall,
G. W. DeCamp, Col. McLane, M. W. Caughey, Capt. J.
Graham. In different parts of the county similar meetings
were held and addressed by A. King, Strong Vincent, W. S.
Lane, M. B. Lowry and Dan Bice. At Greenfield the Demo
crats and Bepublicans were united in a union pole raising.
At the same time recruiting for the navy was being prosecuted
by Lieut. T. H. Stevens, sixty persons from Erie recruiting,
and by September, seven hundred seamen were forwarded to
the seaboard at different times by Capt. J. C. Carter, of the U.
S. Steamer Michigan. A Ladies' Aid Society had been organ
ized in Erie and other towns to provide hospital stores and
comforts for wounded soldiers, and many boxes were for
warded during the war.
Col. McLane's regiment being full was ordered to Harris
burg on the 16th of September. Those who were witnesses of
its departure will never forget the scene. A flag was presented
it by the State December 21sjt, and it was officially known as
the Eighty-Third Begiment.

HISTORY* OF ERIE COUNTY. 333
The One Hundred and Eleventh Regiment. — Maj. M. Schlau-
decker of Erie, just before the departure, raised another regi
ment and occupied the same ground for his camp. This left
the 25th of February, 1862, with every company full. It was
presented with a stand of colors by Gov. Curtin, and took
rank as the One Hundred and Eleventh Begiment. Its de
parture was fully as affecting as the former ones. Zimmer
man's brass band accompanied the regiment.
A rumor of war with Great Britain prevailed in the early
part of 1862, and in anticipation a naval depot on the lake
was projected. The City Council urged the claim of Erie as
the site, and citizens visited Washington for that purpose.
March 8th newspapers were notified by the Secretary of War
that the publication of army movements was prohibited.
Money was raised in Erie for the wounded who might need
attendance, and war was the chief topic. Rebel prisoners were
taken through on the Lake Shore Railroad.
The Eighty-third suffered terribly in the battles around
Richmond. Col. McLane was killed, and grief was general and
mourning pervaded the community. Hospital stores for the
wounded were hastily forwarded. This Yvas in June, and in
July the President made a call for 300,000 more troops, and it
was announced that five companies of 100 men each was Erie
County's proportion. A meeting in Wayne Hall to urge enlist
ments asked of the County Commissioners the appropriation
of $100,000 to equip a new regiment. Discouragement prevailed
in consequence of the Virginia disasters, and greater induce
ments must be offered. A bounty of $50 was offered each
recruit by the City of Erie, and some townships followed their
example. Another call for 300,000 men caused the County
Commissioners to offer an additional bounty of $25,000. In
August another regiment, the One Hundred and Fifty-fifth,
was in camp at the same fairground. Recruits came forward,
and the regiment left for the seat of war September 11th. At
the same time the navy received many accessions, and the
cavalry companies of Capts. Lennon, Miles, and Roberts were
formed. From official reports Erie City alone had furnished
for the navy up to the 16th of August two hundred men. The
above cavalry companies were in camp at Pittsburg the 4th of

334 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
October. Notwithstanding great inducements to volunteers
the quota of Erie County was still short, and a draft seemed
inevitable. Insurance companies were formed, members pay
ing from $20 to $50 to procure substitutes provided their names
were drawn. Becruiting for both the army and navy went on
vigorously. At the call for minutemen to defend Harrisburg,
six companies, composed of many leading business men re
sponded to the call of the Governor. Happily their services
were not needed, and they returned the first of October. An
enrollment of militia had been made, J. B. Gara having been
appointed a commissioner. These proceedings were under the
State militia law. W. P. Gibson was appointed a Deputy
Marshal to prevent the escape to Canada of those liable to con
scription. The officers to manage the draft were B. B. Vin
cent and Charles Brandes, surgeon. Gov. Curtin gave notice
that volunteers for nine months would be accepted up to the
day of drafting.
The draft was held in the grand jury room of the courthouse
on the 16th of October, 1,055 being drawn for the whole
County, who were to serve for nine months. A blindfolded
man drew the slips from the wheel and read the name to the
anxious bystanders. In filling the wheel persons above forty-
five years were exempt : also ministers, teachers, and school
directors. Substitutes were to be found at prices varying from
$50 to $250. About 300 were exempted from physical disability,
and probably not more than 500 of the drafted went into the
army. In October and November about 350 men were for
warded. Andrew Scott was appointed Provost Marshal to
find delinquents. The Councils of Erie voted $45,000 for the
relief of their families, and the Ladies' Aid Society supplied
each family with a Thanksgiving dinner. Those who reached
the front soon returned without seeing much service. Prices
advanced, money became scarce from levies for bounties, and
silver and gold almost disappeared. The city issued scrip to
meet the demands for small change of 50, 25, 20, 10 and even 5
cents. Greenbacks, " shinplasters " and various checks and
duebills served as a medium of exchange. Political feeling
became intense about 1863, and though a patriotic spirit in
fluenced the large majority, still a fear of the results made

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY. 335
great jealousy of " copperheads" and those who gave aid and
comfort to the enemy, and fears of another class prevailed with
Democrats — it was happy that the " war Democrat " party Yvas
numerous. The Second Draft. — Early in 1863 Congress passed an act
taking conscription out of the hands of the States, all persons
being liable between twenty and forty-five and those exempt
from physical causes furnishing a substitute or paying $300.
Lieut.-Col. H. S. Campbell, late of the Eighty-third Regiment,
was Marshal ; Jerome Powell, of Elk County, Commissioner ;
Dr. John Macklin, of Jefferson County, Surgeon, to act for
this Congressional district. Headquarters were established at
Waterford, and a new enrollment made during May and June.
The government was now enlisting negroes, and bodies of
troops passed through Erie frequently. The news of the rebel
invasion of Pennsylvania and of the battles at Gettysburg pro
duced a deep and fearful excitement. The Governor appealed
for militia to defend the State, and it met with immediate re
sponse. June 15 a vast meeting was held, addressed by Messrs.
Walker, Lowry, Marvin, Sill, McCreary and others, earnestly
calling for the enemy to be driven from the State. About
400 citizens enlisted for the State's defense, but on reaching
Pittsburg, the news of Meade's victory, rendered their services
unnecessary, and they returned home. The Ladies' Aid Soci
ety forwarded stores to the wounded at Gettysburg. The fall
of Vicksburg was celebrated with great rejoicings.
In June Capt. Mueller was in Erie recruiting for another
battery, and large numbers of young men entered the navy.
The county was announced 1,400 short, and substitutes ran up
to $300. September 26, it is stated that 83 of the conscripts had
furnished substitutes, 245 paid commutations, 706 had been ex
empted and 127 were forwarded to Pittsburg. Impatience for
the return of peace was general. In October President Lin
coln made a call for 300,000 more men, and Gov. Curtin an
nounced Pennsylvania's quota to be 32,268, and he asked for
volunteers. A bounty of $402 was offered veterans. To this
sum the county added $300 more, and most of the districts $50
to $100 more. During a part of the season the United States
Steamer Michigan, which had been fully manned, guarded

336 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
Johnson's Island, where 2,000 rebel prisoners were confined,
and fears were entertained that they might escape. In
November a report was circulated that the rebels purposed an
invasion from Canada, landing in Erie. Six hundred troops
arrived from Pittsburg under the command of Maj .-Gen.
Brooks. The citizens were called upon to aid in an intrench-
ment to be thrown up on Block House Bluff, and about 1,000
responded with picks and shovels. The rumor proved to be
false, and the troops left for the South, the battery remaining.
On the 14th of January, 1864, the One Hundred and Eleventh
Begiment returned to recruit its ranks, and after a grand re
ception, were given by the ladies a sumptuous repast at
Wayne Hall. They went into camp until February 25, when
they returned with ranks nearly full. Many members of the
Eighty-third, whose term had expired, came home in January
and were received with deserved cordiality, and 75 more ar
rived in March.
Several negroes were accepted to supply the quota of Erie
County and five or six were released from prison at May ses
sion on condition they would join the army. To the general
joy no draft was needed, though a few names were drawn for
the other counties of the Congressional district.
Another call from the President in July, 1864, was for 500,000
more men. Erie subscribed $20,000 to induce volunteers, be
sides the United States, county, and district bounties. The
quota of the county was 1,289, and the city's share 150.
Negroes were taken as substitutes, and Asa Battles, John W.
Halderman, and Richard M. Broas were deputed to go to the
southwest for this purpose. Ensign Bone shipped men by the
hundred for the navy. About 1,000 entered the service
through this channel, receiving a bounty of $400. The price
of substitutes ranged from $550 to $700. President Lincoln
was re-elected in November after a severe contest.
A last call for 300,000 men was made in January, 1865. The
Councils of Erie offered to increase their bounty $150, and
ultimately it was increased to $400. A draft took place at
Ridgway March 6, where the Provost Marshal's office had
been removed and 2,010 names were drawn from Erie County.
Girard borough was the only district that escaped. The price

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY. 337
of substitutes arose to $1,500 at times, and the Legislature had
passed an act authorizing any district to pay a bounty of $400.
Of the drafted men, some had guard duty assigned them at
forts near or at Washington.
April 9 came the glad news of the surrender of Gen. Lee,
which was hailed as the termination of the war. Rejoicings in
Erie were more demonstrative than before in its history and
manifested by illuminations, firing of cannon, the ringing of
bells, and display of bunting, with shouts for the Union and
the gallant soldiers. On the 12th, joy was turned to mourning
and the deepest sorrow, by the assassination of President Lin
coln. On Saturday all places of business were closed, and em
blems of mourning were eY'erywhere for the martyred Presi
dent. A special train conveying the remains to Springfield
passed through on April 27 and thousands gathered at the
depot out of respect to the honored dead.
Remarks. — The Eighty-third Regiment was assigned to the
Third Brigade of Porter's division, under Gen. Butterfield.
It was highly complimented by Gen. McClellan, and awarded
one of the French uniforms and equipments imported to pre
sent to the most proficient in drill. It was engaged in twenty-
five battles, "more by two than any other Pennsylvania,
infantry regiment." Col. McLane fell at Gaines' Mills the
27th of June, 1862, lamented not by his own men alone, but
by the whole corps. Col. Strong Vincent, who succeeded him,
and was in command of the whole brigade, fell mortally
wounded at Gettysburg July 2, 1863. His appointment of
Brigadier-General did not reach the regiment until after his
death. After Gettysburg the members of the regiment were
reduced by sickness and battle to 200, but later received
accessions by draft and substitutes to the number 2,600, and
disbanded July 4, 1865.
The One Hundred and Eleventh Regiment. — This third
regiment was commanded by Col. Mathias Schlaudecker for
three years' service. It reached the State capital January 27,
1862. In its first serious engagement at Cedar Mountain,
August 9, it lost nineteen killed, sixty-one wounded, and
thirteen missing. Until the regiment was transferred to
Tennessee, September 24, 1863, it participated in the battles of

338 HISTORY' OF ERIE COUNTY'.
Virginia and Maryland, including Antietam, Chancellorsville,
and Gettysburg. While stationed at Acquia Creek it was
one of fifteen regiments specially commanded by Gen. Hooker
in his general order of March 3. Col. Schlaudecker was honor
ably discharged in November, 1862, and the other field offi
cers were promoted. The regiment joined Rosecrans' army
and took part in the movement upon Lookout Mountain.
After most of its members enlisting for a second term, they
were given a furlough to come home, reaching Erie January
14, 1864. On returning to the southwest they took part in the
march upon Atlanta, being one of the first to enter the city.
Before reaching Atlanta Col. Cobham was shot, and died
on the field of battle. Afterwards it joined the main body of
the army in Sherman's famous "march to the sea." At
Goldsboro, N. C, the One Hundred and Ninth and One
Hundred and Eleventh were consolidated, with 885 members,
retaining the name of One Hundred and Eleventh. It was
mustered out July 19, 1865, and the northwestern portion
reached Erie the 27th, the gallant veterans meeting a grand
reception. The One Hundred and Forty-fifth Regiment. — Its rendezvous
was the same as that of the Eighty-third and the One Hun
dred and Eleventh, having been organized September 5, 1862.
There was time for little training in military duty. After
being furnished with arms they were in two days within
sound of the enemy's guns at Antietam. About noon on the
17th they joined the extreme right of the Union line, and
aided in preventing a flank movement of the enemy. After
the battle the duty of aiding to bury the dead, some having
lain four days on the field of battle, told seriously on the
health of the regiment, two or three hundred being laid aside
from duty, and many died. The One Hundred and Forty-
fifth was assigned to the First Brigade, First Division, of the
Second Corps. On December 13 it took part in the charge at
Fredericksburg, under Gen. Hancock. Of the 5,000 of that
division, 2,000 fell in that single charge. Of the 556 in the
One Hundred and Forty-fifth, 226 were either killed or
wounded. At Chancellorsville, a detail of 150 men failing to
receive an order to retire were mostly captured. At Gettys-

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY. 339
burg the regiment entering 200 strong, lost in killed and
wounded upwards of 80. Returning to Virginia it partici
pated in most of the engagements until the close of the
campaign in 1863. May, 1864, found the regiment recruited
almost to its original strength. From this date the history of
the army of Virginia, with its constant marches, was also the
history of this. There were no braver men or better officers.
In the charge in front of Petersburg about fifty were killed
and wounded and ninety were captured. The remainder of
the regiment was almost constantly under fire the rest of the
season. In the spring campaign of 1865 it did good service
with Sheridan, and was mustered out May 31, and returned to
Erie on June 5, Yvhere they received a Yvell merited and
enthusiastic welcome. The colonel of the One Hundred and
Forty-fifth was H. L. Brown. Of other officers we may say a
few are at the present time in honorable and useful positions,
as D. P. McCreary, J. W. Reynolds, and the Chaplain, Rev.
J. H. W. Stuckenberg. THE SOLDIERS AND SAILORS' HOME.
June 3, 1885, a bill was introduced into the Legislature by
Hon. Isaac B. Brown, member from Erie County, and was
approved by the Governor. The location of the Home was
left to a commission composed of the Governor, State Treas
urer, the Auditor-General, one Senator, and two members of
the House of Representatives, and five honorably discharged
soldiers appointed by the Grand Army of the Republic.
After considering various sites the building known as the
Marine Hospital at Erie was selected. Being nearly ready
for occupancy and owned by the State, it was a matter of
economy to use it. No more appropriate place could be
chosen, for " it has echoed to the tramp of armed men for more
than two centuries. Its location on the bluffs above the lake
commanded the entrance to the harbor, and the fighting men,
both among the original red men and more recent occupants,
looked upon it as the point of advantage, and no other por
tion of the State has been the scene of so many battles and
sieges as the garrison grounds on which the Home is built."
On February 26, 1886, the institution, having been repaired

340 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
and furnished, was open for inmates. Eight veterans pre
sented themselves and were admitted. The commission
appointed under the act were : Gov. Robert E. Pattison, Hon.
William Livsey, Hon. J. B. Niles, Hon. W. F. Aull, Col. T. I.
Stewart, Hon. C. R. Geutner, Gen. J. A. Beaver, Col. B. B.
Beath, Hon. I. B. Brown, Col. J. M. Vanderslice, and Gen.
L. Wagner.
The citizens of Erie being anxious to secure the Home, pur
chased a piece of land and promised in the matter of streets
and sidewalks to render aid. The building originally was
three stories high, with basements, the main building 56 x 153
feet, with a wing westward 40 x 130, and a shorter building
two stories high to be used as a chapel. Extensions have been
made in different directions and the capacity will be for 650
inmates when completed. There are 141 rooms now under the
roof and a dining-room 44 x 100 feet, seating 500 people at table.
The infirmary is a two-story building, with all the latest
appliances for the care of twenty-eight patients at one time.
A corridor 180 feet long connects this with the main building,
and serves for a conservatory in winter, being filled with rare
plants, and is an agreeable resort for invalids at all times.
Maj. William Webster Tyson is the commander of the Sol
diers and Sailors' Home. He was born at Baltimore, Md.,
August 1, 1834, and by his judicious management it is an
honor to the city and the State. It is not in any way con
nected with politics, but its tone is "clean, morally, bodily,
and financially." Beligious services are held in the chapel on
Sundays ; Thursday evening a prayer meeting and lecture is
conducted by the chaplain. " Contemplating all these com
forts of our brave defenders, one cannot help but say : God
bless the Commonwealth."
Soldiers' Home Trustees 1893. Gov. Pattison, President ;
Gen. Robert B. Heath, Vice-President ; Gen. Louis Wagner,
Treasurer ; Thomas J. Stewart, Secretary ; Building Com
mittee, Wagner, Brown, Morrison, and Nesbitt ; Pension
Committee, Gobin, Wagner and Lull; Legislation, Gobin,
Nesbitt and Lull.
The amount now paid by the State has been reduced to
$40,000 per annum, owing to the fact that a very liberal contri-

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY. 341
bution is made each year by the national government. There
are at the present time 330 inmates at the Home, 116 of whom
are hospital cases. The population of the institution has been
reduced 150 on account of the receipt of pensions from the
national government.

SECTION III.

The Johnson Island Plot — 77. S. Steamer Michigan — Revenue Cut
ters — Railroads — Rapid Transit — Liberty Bells — Erie, some Towns
and Townships — Grapes — Postoffices — Census — City Hall — Govern
ment Building — Petroleum — Gas — The Weather — Parks — Massas
sauga — Height of Lakes.
THE JOHNSON ISLAND PLOT.
During the war for the Union an attempt was made at
Sandusky to capture the United States Steamer Michigan by
the Confederates, and release the prisoners at Johnson's
Island. The Philadelphia Press of February, 1882, published
a breezy story continued in three numbers, entitled "Pirate
Cole's Conspiracy," which was founded on facts. A Confed
erate officer in the guise of a wealthy oil man from Philadel
phia, with his lady, made a six weeks' stay at the hotel in
Sandusky ; he was apparently loyal to the government, and
there was nothing tangible to justify suspicion. He dined and
wined the junior officers, probably when off duty, for Capt.
Carter never had met him personally until he made him his
prisoner. Cole gave a supper as a decoy at the hotel and the
same day at 12 o'clock Capt. Carter received a telegram from
Detroit saying, "Thirty suspicious looking men have em
barked on the steamer Philo Parsons to engage on a certain
railroad in Ohio ; look out for them." At the same time a
dispatch was received from the Secretary of the Navy, re
peating the same received from Detroit and saying : " We
have reason to think your crew have been tampered with."
Capt. Carter's prompt answer was, " Let them come ; I am
ready." Those dispatches and certain suspicious circum
stances connected with a champagne supper to be given by
Cole that night at the hotel, caused Capt. Carter to order En-

342 HISTORY* OF ERIE COUNTY.
sign Hunter to fully man and equip his boat, go to Sandusky,
arrest Mr. Cole and bring him on board ship. On meeting
Mr. Cole at the hotel the first salutation was, "You have come
to the supper" (for it was then 4 o'clock p. m.). Mr. Hunter
answered: "No, I cannot come, unless you go off to the
ship and ask the captain, for I am an officer of the day, and we
shall just have time before dark." Mr. Cole instantly caught
at the bait, going with the officer to his room to get some
money, where some of the drugged wine was politely refused
by him under the protest of having a headache. An affection
ate leave was taken of his wife, they embarked on the return
trip, and a three mile row was probably never more vigorously
accomplished. When Mr. Cole was landed on the quarter
deck he turned to the officer and said: "You must intro
duce me ; I do not know the captain." When the orderly
opened the cabin door and Capt. Carter met the Confederate
Cole with, " I arrest you in the name of the government," he
dropped into a chair and then divulged the plot. At 9 o'clock
he was to fire a photograph building as a signal for the Philo
Parsons and her Confederate crew to take the Michigan, re
lease the prisoners on Johnson's Island and make good their
escape with all on board the Michigan.
In a letter written by Cole after his capture he says : " But
for the vigilance and timely arrival of Capt. Carter, who had
been ordered to Washington on official business, our plot
would doubtless have succeeded."
In this connection I would add that letters were received by
Com. Carter from ex-Governor Cox, of Ohio, and Gen. Dix
commending the late Commodore for his loyalty on all oc
casions, his remark being, "In early manhood my allegiance
was given to my country, not my State, and to it I earnestly
adhere." Mr. Whitman's history of Erie (1884) in substance
says : During a portion of the season the United States
Steamer Michigan, which had been fully manned again, was
guarding Johnson's Island, in the upper part of the lake,
where about 2,000 rebel prisoners Yvere confined, when rumor
accused of a design to escape. In November there were re
ports of a proposed rebel invasion from Canada, Erie being
named as the landing place. This was the most startling news,

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY*. 343
in a local sense, that had arisen out of the war, and citizens
were greatly agitated. While the excitement was at its height,
600 troops arrived from Pittsburg with a battery, under
the command of Maj. -Gen. Brooks. The latter directed in-
trenchments to be thrown up on the Block House Bluff, and
called upon the citizens to lend him their assistance. Some
thing like one thousand obeyed his summons, with picks and
shovels, on the first day, but the workers dwindled woefully
in number on the second day. The rumor, which Yvas absurd
from the start, unless explained by the above story, soon
proved to be false, the work was abandoned, and the troops
left for the South in a few days, with the exception of the
battery. The successive commanders of the United States Steamer
Michigan were William Inman, Stephen Champlin, Oscar
Bullus, — Biglow, — McBlair, — Nicholas, Joseph Lanman,
John C. Carter, Francis A. Roe, A. Breyson, James E. Jouett,
George Brown, James Gillis, — Wright, Charles Cushman, G.
W. Hayward, Albert Kautz. The officers in 1892 are : Captain,
Geo. E. Wingate ; Lieutenant Commander, F. M. Symonds ;
Lieutenants, G. R. Clark, G. H. Stafford ; Ensign, V. O.
Chase ; Past Assistant Engineer, C. F. Nagle ; Surgeon, L. B.
Baldwin ; Past Assistant Paymaster, J. H. Chapman.
THE UNITED STATES STEAMER MICHIGAN.
Some newspaper extracts will describe the experiences of
the Michigan the last two years.
Boilers Condemned — (March 21, 1892.) That the United States
Steamer Michigan may never be allowed to take another cruise
from this port is somewhat surprising, even as a possibility.
It is learned that an inspection by line officers some time ago
resulted in a report that the vessel was O. K. but that a recent
commission has condemned the boilers in a report to the de
partment and that as a result of their inspection, action by the
authorities at Washington will utimately be an order to put
the vessel permanently out of commission.
There is added color of probability given to unofficial state
ments by reason of a public desire that the great lakes should
have a more modern vessel of war to display in the naval

344 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
demonstration at the dedicatory exercises inaugurating the
World's Fair. Under existing treaty arrangements the Michi
gan is the only war vessel allowed in these waters. If she
were out of the way it is thought that a substitute or substi
tutes might be available in time for exhibition, as well as
usefulness thereafter. Of course a report from the department
alone will determine the reliability of rumors.
On the other hand it may be stated that the last outside
scraping of the Michigan in dry dock revealed no weakness,
and the Swedish wrought iron of Yvhich the hull is made ap
peared to be good for years to come in fresh water, and her last
cruise down the lakes, although a rough one, did not bring out
any Y'isible rottenness of material.
The Michigan in Port.— (April, 1893.) The United States
Steamer Michigan, which had wintered in Buffalo for the pur
pose of undergoing necessary repairs, and which has been
expected here for several days, steamed into the harbor yester
day afternoon, resplendent in a covering of dazzling white
with gold trimmings, to be in conformity with the rest of the
"white squadron." The news of the old "man-of-war's"
arrival soon spread about the city, and quite a number of peo
ple visited the docks despite the disagreeable weather, to gaze
upon the " iron steamship," as she was formerly called here.
The Michigan is under orders from the Secretary of the
Navy to proceed to Chicago, where she will remain during the
World's Fair, and will probably stay but a day or two in Erie
harbor. The vessel is at present officered as follows :
Lieutenant Commander R. M. Berry, commanding ;. Lieu
tenant C. P. Bees, Executive Officer and Navigator ; Lieuten
ant J. M. Helm ; Ensign, V. O. Chase ; Chief Engineer, J. L.
D. Borthwick ; Surgeon, L. D. Baldwin ; Past Assistant Pay
master, James H. Chapman.
The press and people of Erie extend a hearty welcome to
the Michigan and her gallant officers and crew, and look
forward with pleasure to the time Yvhen the steamer will
return here " for good."
Return of the Michigan. — Wednesday morning, November
22, 1893, dawned dark, drizzly, and dreary. Storm signals
were fluttering in a northwest breeze from the top of the gov-

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY. 345
ernment building and pedestrians hurried along the streets
with their great coats buttoned to the chin and collars up
turned to their ears. Up to 11 o'clock the rain continued to
come down, not in the stereotyped buckets full, but in a sort
of fine Italian hand manner that had a tendency every once
in a while to become congealed and take the form of snow. It
was a hard outlook for enthusiasm and no mistake. To make
matters worse a rumor was in circulation that Mayor Scott
was confined to his residence on account of illness and would
not be able to participate in the proposed reception to the
Steamer Michigan.
It had been authoritatively announced that the celebrated
boat would arrive outside the harbor and be ready to receive
its escort at precisely 2 o'clock at the harbor entrance. The
escort was to consist of all the available flotilla in the harbor,
preceded by the tugs Scott and Erie, which boats were to con
tain all the city officials and committee on reception. Then
the batteries, one located at the Soldiers' Home and the other
at Lake View Park, were to boom out a 21-gun salute each,
and a whole lot of other pleasing episodes were to take place.
Old man Neptune, however, disarranged all this, for at 11:30
the good ship steamed into the harbor and cast anchor a little
way out from the public dock. Her arrival was announced to
the astonished citizens by the wild tooting of whistles. As
soon as it was known that the Michigan had surely arrived
and cast anchor, a large crowd rushed for the docks to see her.
It was the intention of the commander of the man-of-war to
remain outside the peninsula until- 2 o'clock to await the re
ception committee, but the wind was so high that it was
necessary to enter the harbor and cast anchor.
From the time the vessel arrived until 2 o'clock a steady
stream of people had been marching down State Street, so
that when the band and reception committee reached the
dock they found several thousand there to assist in extending
greeting to the Michigan's crew.
Arriving at the dock the committee, accompanied by Koh-
ler's Band, boarded the tug W. L. Scott and were conveyed to
the Michigan. The water was very rough and the passengers
were nicely sprinkled by large Yvaves that dashed over the

346 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
craft. The committee was taken aboard the Michigan from
the tug by one of the small launches belonging to the old war
vessel. They were cordially received by Capt. Berry and other
officers of the ship. The band played a couple of selections
and was returned to the dock by the Scott. It was altogether
too rough for all on board the tug to reach the Michigan.
After the committee, consisting of Mr. Benjamin Whitman,
Capt. John Fleeharty, City Treasurer Hanley, Mr. N. Leus-
chen and J. J. O'Brien, had been received, Mr. Whitman
addressed Capt. Berry and his men as follows :
Mr. Whitman's Address. — "Capt. Berry: In the absence
of the Mayor, whom illness has prevented from being here,
I extend to you, and through you to your officers and crew,
on behalf of our citizens and public authorities, a heartfelt
welcome to our home. I use the word "home" because,
although this may not be the actual place of residence of
some of you, it is the home of your ship — the place of its
birth, its station for more than half a century, and, we sin
cerely hope, its home port during the remaining years of its
life. None of you may know or can fully appreciate the in
terest with which our people have followed the Michigan dur
ing the many months in which she has been gone from Erie
Harbor. To the people of Erie she is more than a ship — more
than a mere structure of wood and iron. She is very much
like a member of our family, whose return we hail as we
would that of a long-lost son or daughter. Welcome, then,
sir — a thrice hearty welcome. Welcome to your gallant offi
cers and crew, and a special welcome to the staunch old craft
that has weathered the wind and waves of fifty years of
difficult lake navigation. We trust that your return will be
as agreeable to all of you as it is to our citizens, and that every
one of you may be with us as long as the rules of the Navy
Department will permit. May your stay with us be one round
of pleasure, and may the Erie girls continue to find as warm a
place in the hearts of your bachelor officers as they have done
in the past." J
To this address of welcome Capt. Berry responded very
i It is said of the officers of the Michigan nearly twenty have married in
Erie.

HISTORY' OF ERIE COUNTY. 347
happily, expressing the appreciation of the commander and
officers and men of the vessel of the kind feeling shown by
the citizens of Erie upon their arrival. His response was
brief and to the point.
Remarks Yvere also made by City Treasurer Hanley and Mr.
O'Brien. These gentlemen coincided with all that Mr. Whit
man had said. They joined in the welcome to the officers and
crew and said that it afforded the people of Erie great pleasure
to have the boat return to Erie.
Lieut. Reese, of the Michigan, made a few remarks. He
said that Capt. Berry voiced the sentiments of the naval offi
cers in his kind reference to Erie and its people.
Had the weather been favorable the demonstration would
have been a grand success. Much credit is due Capt. Fleeharty
for his ceaseless effort in arranging the details for the reception.
The first revenue cutter was the Benjamin Rush, of thirty
tons, built at Erie by Capt. John Richards about 1827, and
first commanded by Capt. Gilbert Knapp, who was succeeded
by Capt. Daniel Dobbins. The second was the Erie, of sixty-
two tons, built at Erie in 1832-33. The Erie was succeeded
in 1846 by the iron steamer Dallas. This vessel was removed
to the Atlantic coast by way of the Welland Canal and the St.
Lawrence River in 1848. In 1857 the Treasury Department
built six small revenue cutters, being one for each lake. At
the outbreak of the Civil War these vessels were removed
to the Atlantic coast under the direction of Capt. Douglass
Ottinger of the revenue service, by way of Welland Canal and
River St. Lawrence. In 1864 the Perry was built on Niagara
River and was equipped with Capt. Whittaker's sidewheel
propellers, which Yvith the steamer Baltic are the only pro
pellers of the class ever used. She was remarkably fast, having
developed on her trial trip a speed of over nineteen knots an
hour for more than two hours. This vessel was sold, the
present cutter Perry succeeding her.
In the spring of 1893 the revenue cutters Grant and Perry
were ordered to Puget Sound to suppress opium smuggling.
The Perry is esteemed one of the handsomest and staunchest
of the vessels in the revenue marine service. Capt. A. A.
Fenger is in command.

348 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
The Perry is a topsail-schooner-rigged steamer of 282 gross
tons. Her principal dimensions are : Length, 165 feet ; beam,
25 feet ; depth, 11 feet 2 inches ; draught 9 feet 10 inches. She is
a single-screw steamer mounting two three-inch breechloading
rifles. The complement of the Perry is seven officers and
thirty-one men. Her speed is about twelve knots an hour.
Speaking of the removal Revenue Collector Glazier said
that in his opinion a mistake was being made. Instead of
moving the Perry from the great lakes, said Mr. Glazier, there
is greater need of an additional boat here. The Perry has been
cruising Lake Erie and Ontario as well and her services have
been constantly in demand. The object of the boat on the
lake is not merely that of revenue service, but it is sup
posed to render assistance to vessels in distress, and as is well
known there has been much need of this.
RAILROADS.
The announcement of the contemplated change of gauge of
the Erie & Northeast Railroad created the utmost indignation
with a large majority of the citizens, as they had hoped that
Erie might become the terminus of the New York & Erie
Railway, and not a mere railway station. The facts stated in
Warner's edition of " History of Erie," 1884 (Chicago), are in
substance as follows : December 7, 1853, a large number
gathered at the depot and tore down the bridges over State
and French streets and removed the track across each street
east of Sassafras. At Harbor Creek the same day the track
was torn up in three places, and on December 28, while the
railroad men were relaying the track, a fracus took place in
which a pistol was fired by a train conductor and two citizens
were slightly wounded. The excitement that ensued was the
most intense ever known in the county. (The railroad ques
tion obliterated party lines to a great extent, and in each of
the years 1854, 1855, and 1858, for the first time in a long
period, one of the two legislative representatives elected from
the county was a Democrat.) An appeal was made to the
courts and the State and United States officials interposed.
This state of affairs continued for two years, and the two
months in which passengers were transferred by stages and

HISTORY' OF ERIE COUNTY. 349
wagons between Harbor Creek and Erie, at an inclement
season, and unprepared, were trying indeed. April 16, 1856,
the anti-railroad party, being embittered by the court legaliz
ing the new gauge, and the newspaper Constitution expressing
sympathy, or perhaps it was through some private grievance,
a tumultuous crowd burned the office. The court afterwards
awarded $3,000 damage for the loss, and the closing scene of
the railroad war ended. An officer who had been through the
war for the Union pronounced the railroad war, which he
had also experienced, the more exciting of the two. A para
graph in the Erie Gazette of January 12, 1854, indicates the
state of feeling at that date: "Never in the history of our
city have we witnessed popular excitement equal to that
which now prevails. God grant that it may speedily sub
side." Extracts from Railroad Official Documents. — During the
time that the track was up, from December 7, 1853 to February
1, 1854, the passengers, baggage, mail, and express were con
veyed between Erie and Harbor Creek in wagons and sleighs,
at a cost of $17,000 to the railroad company. ... It was a
war in which both parties expended large sums of money,
. employed the best legal talent of the country, and exhausted
the courts and Legislature. At first local in its character, it
grew in importance until on one side was arrayed practically
the whole people of Pennsylvania, its courts and Legislature,
and on the other the citizens of adjoining States, east and
west, backed by the urgent demands of the trade and com
merce of the country. And yet it was all for the purpose of
maintaining what has since proved to be a mere shadow, as
the broad treadwheel has quietly solved the problem ; and
since that a universal uniform gauge prevails.
First Report of the Directors to the Stockholders of the Erie
and Northeast Railroad Company. — The Erie & Northeast
Railroad is about twenty miles in length, commencing at Erie,
Pa., and running to the State line of New York, and is a link
in the South Shore Railroad between Buffalo and Cleveland,
connecting the Central New York and the New York and
Erie roads with the roads running to Cincinnati, St. Louis,
Chicago, and other portions of the West. The road was opened

350 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
for business about one year since, and was the first road com
pleted in Western Pennsylvania. It is straight nearly its
entire length, being but forty-seven feet longer than an air
line, with no grades exceeding fifteen feet to the mile — runs
mostly through material composed of gravel and sand, is well
ballasted and now in perfect order.
There have been taken over this road since its opening in
January last, 73,476 passengers without any accident or injury.
The receipts from the 10th of January to the 1st of July last
were $31,260 ; the expenditures for repairs and supervision dur
ing the same time were $10,007.24 ; leaving for net earnings the
first six months $21,253.65, sufficient to pay the interest on
the indebtedness of the company and a dividend of three per
cent on the stock which was made and paid in July last.
On the receipts for the first six months, all but about $5,000
was collected before the opening of lake navigation in the
spring, at which time the road west of Erie was not completed,
and there being no communication between Erie and the
West except by stages, all through business was driven on
the lake.
The receipts from July 1 to the 1st of January, inst., were
$31,119, of which about $16,000 was collected since the 20th of
November last, and after the completion of the road west to
Cleveland. . . . The stock of the company, all of which
has been taken and paid up, is $600,000. The present indebted
ness of the company is $131,950, to which it is estimated it
will be necessary to add for additional rolling stock, extension
of depot buildings, etc., $18,050. Making the whole cost of the
.road and fixtures complete $750,000.
The net earnings of this road are somewhat les
sened, and all the trade and travel passing between us and the
seaboard are subjected to a greatly increased expense and most
serious inconvenience and delay in consequence of the track of
the Buffalo & State Line Railroad Company — which connects
this road with the New York & Erie and Central New York
line of roads, being different in width from either of the roads
mentioned, and different from all other roads in the State in
which it has been introduced. The Erie & Northeast Yvas the
first commenced and the first road completed on the lake

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY*. 351
shore. It was made a six-foot track in accordance with a eon-
tract between this company and the Dunkirk & State Line
Company, the latter having been got up by the New York &
Erie, interest to be used for the purpose of making a six-foot
connection with this road at the State Line, which connection
the New York & Erie Company by a written agreement with
this company guaranteed should be made. The Buffalo &
State Line Company being identified with the Central line of
New York roads, the gauges of which are four feet eight and
one half inches, complained that our laying the six-foot track
only, would be doing injustice to them. This company, there
fore, with the consent of the New York & Erie Company
agreed to furnish a track for each of the roads mentioned, cor
responding to their respective tracks, six feet and four feet
eight and one half inches. Thus matters remained for some
weeks, when, for reasons best known to themselves, without
notice or any consultation Yvith this company, the New York
& Erie argued with the Buffalo & State Line companies, the
former in violation of their contract with this company, and
both regardless of the wrong they were inflicting on the pub
lic, to introduce between this road and theirs a four-foot ten
inch track — a track different from all the roads with which it
connected, and between which it only formed an intermediate
link, thus compelling all freight and passengers passing be
tween the East and the West to change cars both at the State
Line and at Dunkirk or Buffalo, as the case might be. What
ever inconvenience or expense, therefore, is incurred in conse
quence of these two changes, is solely attributable to the
Buffalo & State Line Company, sanctioned by the New York
& Erie Company. Much complaint is justly made on account
of the unnecessary obstructions, and none regret their
existence more than this company. It was out of the power of
this company to prevent them, and is therefore out of its
power to remove them — they can only be remoY'ed by those
who placed them there. It is thought by some of our friends
in Buffalo and Cleveland, that Congress, in the exercise of its
power to establish post roads, may remove such nuisances. If
so, it is but reasonable to suppose that the Buffalo & State Line
Company will be compelled to change their imported gauge to

352 HISTORY* OF ERIE COUNTY.
one of their own State, and thereby remove the obstructions
they have made on this important thoroughfare.
This being the first report of the directors to the stock
holders, and a desire to place this company in its true position
on the question of gauge alluded to, we trust will be consid
ered a sufficient justification for this somewhat lengthy state
ment. By order of the Board of Directors,
Erie, January 18, 1853. J. C. Spencer, Sec'y.
As to the Philadelphia & Erie Bailroad, fears having been
entertained by the stockholders that the enterprise could not
be completed in consequence of the war alarm, the road was
leased in 1862 to the Pennsylvania Railroad Company for a
term of 999 years. Work was vigorously prosecuted by the
lessees, and in October, 1864, the first passenger train came
through with a large party of excursionists. A magnificent
entertainment was given them by the City of Erie at a cost of
$3,000, one half being the bill for wines alone.
The first General Superintendent of the road was Joseph
D. Potts, 1864 ; A. L. Tyler, 1865 ; W. A. Baldwin, 1870 ; B.
Neilson, 1881. The Superintendents of the Western Division
have been S. A. Black, 1859 ; W. A. Baldwin, 1862 ; J. W.
Reynolds, May 1, 1868. The general offices were at Erie until
1874, when they Yvere removed to Williamsport.
Evening Herald, July 7, 1893.
Fastest time on record. — The Fast Mail on the Lake Shore
Railroad gave that line an opportunity yesterday to show that
in the matter of speed it is able to make as good a record as
the best. The train consisted of seven mail cars and a bag
gage car, drawn by engine No. 568, with Engineer Charles
Allen in charge. It left Buffalo 2 hours and 15 minutes late
and was brought into Erie, 88 miles, in 1 hour and 48 minutes.
This time is two minutes faster than that of the Exposition
Flyer, and the run with such a heavy train makes it re
markable. A stop was made at Dunkirk for water.
November 26, 1893. — The crowd that was at the Union
Depot Saturday to get a look at the exhibition American and
English railway trains on their way through Erie numbered
fully 2,000 people, and they patiently endured the chilly
blasts in their long wait for the arrival of the trains. The

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY. 353
Wagner vestibule train, drawn by the fleetest piece of wheeled
machinery in the world, the famous "999," steamed into the
station at 1:30 P. M., and was at once surrounded by the eager
throng, who gazed with admiration upon the magnificent
piece of mechanism. The engine was uncoupled and run over
to the roundhouse to be oiled up and the tank filled with
water for the run to Buffalo. After the engine was detached
the crowd availed itself of the courtesy extended by the offi
cials and passed through the vestibuled cars, admiring their
magnificent appointments and the comfort they afforded the
traveler. Attached to the rear of the train was a flat car upon
which was arranged the De Witt Clinton train of an engine
and three carriages, not unlike the oldtime stage coach. This
train was the same that made the trip from Schenectady to
Albany in 1831, and afforded the spectators an illustration
of the revolution in railway travel that sixty years has
wrought. At 2 o'clock the English train, drawn by the "Empress-
Queen," steamed in on the south side of the depot. It con
sisted of two English coaches, which the crowd at once de
clared were not to be compared with the Wagner or Pullman
cars for elegance or comfort. The engine Yvas an odd looking
affair to the American eye, lacking the familiar " cowcatcher,"
and having a headlight no larger than those Erieites are ac
customed to see displayed upon bicycles. The bell instead of
being forward of the cab, is perched midway upon the tank,
and the Yvhistle of the "Empress-Queen," sounds more like
the toot of the small boy's Christmas horn than the ear-split
ting shriek that denotes the approach of the American loco-
motiY*e. The train was in charge of Mr. C. A. Baratoni, gen
eral passenger and freight agent for America of the London &
NorthYvestern Bailway, and he afforded the crowd all the op
portunity the short stay allowed to inspect the train.
The "999" drew away from the depot first, the English
train folloYving a "block" behind. The three vestibule cars
attached to the latter train were occupied by a party of Erie
gentlemen who aY'ailed themselves of the invitation extended
by the railway official to ride- as far as Bipley, where they
were picked up and brought back to Erie by train No. 9.

354 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY*.
The old courthouse bell Yvas lost for a time after 1854, then
was used at the fire engine house, at which place according to
one version it became cracked. For many years it was in
possession of the antiquarian P. Osborn, Esq., eventually
coming into the hands of the Young Men's Christian Associa
tion, where it remained until a few days previous to the visit
of the Liberty Bell of Independence Hall on its way to the
World's Fair at Chicago. April 26, 1893, the city had a half
holiday and on that occasion was visited by multitudes at the
depot — and the Erie Liberty Bell was hung in the corridor of
the City Hall to remain permanently.
For several years previous to the War of 1812 this bell was
used in Fort Erie, Canada, where it was rung three times daily
— 7 A. M., 12 M. and 9 P. M. — as it was after being placed on
the old courthouse in this city, where it remained until the
building was torn down. It also has another war record which
can be verified by many of our citizens. It was used to call
the people together during the railroad war, and it only re
quired three taps of this silver-toned relic to bring out hun
dreds of ablebodied men armed with guns to intimidate the
railroad laborers. The bell Yvas rung with more violence than
it could stand in that exciting campaign, and became cracked
in consequence.
September, 1893. It may be of interest to speak of the new
Liberty Bell east to the order of the Daughters of the Ameri
can Revolution at the foundry at Troy, N.Y. It attracted gen
eral attention at the World's Fair, though not the reverence
paid the old Liberty Bell in the Pennsylvania State building.
There are three inscriptions on the bell, one at the top ridge,
another in the center, and one at the lower edge.
The upper one reads : "Glory to God in the highest ; on
earth good will toward men."
The central inscription is : "A new command I give unto
you, that ye love one another."
The lower is : " Proclaim liberty throughout the land and
unto the inhabitants thereof."
The bell is one of the finest castings eY'er made. Not a
flaw is in the metal. It is composed of a curious compound of
precious and base metals. More than $10,000 worth of old gold

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY'. 355
and silver ornaments, coins and jewelry was contributed by
the patriotic members of the order.
An old cent which Yvas worth $100 from its historical associ
ation was contributed. The tone is very sweet because of the
quality of the easting and the metal.
It Yveighs six and a half tons — 13,000 pounds. Although it
is one of the large bells of the Yvorld, it does not approach in
size that of the enormous bell at Moscow, which weighs
25,000 pounds.
The bell is six feet high and eighteen feet in circumference
at the mouth. It has a bright lustre of a brassy nature.
The City of Erie has 105 64-100 miles of streets opened and in
use. Area of city, 6,916 square miles, and contains 4,426.69
acres. Population per acre, 11.
The electric motor cars run each way on the streets below
named, according to the following schedule — subject to the
fluctuations of business : On State Street every four minutes ;
on Peach Street every ten minutes ; on Fourth Street every
eleven minutes ; on Sixth Street every eleven minutes ; on
Eighth Street, to city limits, every twelve minutes ; on
EleY'enth Street every eleven minutes ; on East Eighteenth
Street every ten minutes ; on West Eighteenth Street every
ten minutes ; French and East Twenty-sixth cars leaY'e corner
of State and Eighteenth streets every ten minutes; the East
and West Eighteenth Street cars, as well as the main line
cars, run on State Street.
Street Lighting. — The streets and public grounds of the city
of Erie are lighted by 496 gas lamps at $21.50 each per annum,
$10,664 ; and 220 electric arc lamps at $120.45 each (1,200 candle
power) per annum, $26,499, making a total of $37,103.
Length of all sewers in the city. — Brick, 10.056 miles ; cost
$244,721.79. Tile, 21.131 miles ; cost, $236,799.03. Total, 31.-
187 miles ; cost, $481,520.82.
Total paved streets in city. — Stone, 6.865 miles ; asphalt,
7.981 miles ; total, 14.846 miles.
Mayors since 1860— Hon. Sherburn Smith, 1859-1861 ; Hon.
Prescott Metcalf, 1862-64 ; Hon. F. F. Farrar, 1865 ; Hon. W.
L. Scott, 1866 ; Hon. Orange Noble, 1867-70 ; Hon. W. L.
Scott, 1871 ; Hon. Charles M. Reed, 1872-73 ; Hon. Henry

356 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
Rawle, 1874-75 ; Hon. J. W. Hammond, 1876 ; Hon. Selden
Marvin, 1877 ; Hon. D. I. Jones, 1878-80 ; Hon. Joseph Mc-
Carter, 1881-82; Hon. P. A. Becker, 1883-84; Hon. F. F.
Adams, 1885 ; Hon. F. A. Mizener, 1886 ; Hon. J. C. Brady,
1887-88 ; Hon. C. S. Clarke, 1889-93 ; Hon. Walter Scott,
1893-96. Prior to and including the year 1878, the term of office of the
Mayor of Erie was one year ; from 1879 to 1888 inclusive, two
years ; 1889, one year ; 1890 to date, three years. The salary
of the Mayor is $2,000 per year.
President Judges of Court of Common Pleas and Quarter
Sessions since 1860. William A. Galbraith, 1876 ; Frank Gun
nison, 1886. SOME TOWNS AND TOWNSHIPS.
Summit Township is the smallest of the county and the last
organized. Its name was given from its containing "the
divide" between the waters of Le Bceuf and Walnut creeks,
the first flowing into the Gulf of Mexico, via the Ohio and
Mississippi ; the latter into the Gulf of St. Lawrence, by way
of Lake Erie.
Many years ago Col. Norris gathered oil from his quarry
and sold it for medicine. This is known as Reynolds's quarry,
being the nearest to Erie. A well was drilled for oil, but only
yielded an abundance of gas. William Liddel has a smaller
quarry. The First National Bank is erecting a brownstone structure
at Northeast. Northeast has now three banks, three news
papers and large manufacturing interests. A new national
bank was organized August 1, 1893, with G. W. Blaine as
president. The old bank of thirty years ago had the same,
with A. W. Blaine, the father of G. W. Blaine, president.
St. Paul's German Evangelical church was organized in 1864,
and erected its church building in 1867.
The German church of the Evangelical Association of
North America completed their house of worship in 1871.
The Protestant Episcopal mission of the Holy Cross Yvas
organized in 1872, and erected a handsome church in 1879.
St. Gregory's Roman Catholic church was erected in 1870.
A parsonage adjoins the church, and Father Riordy entered

HISTORY' OF ERIE COUNTY'. 357
upon the duties at first in connection with the church at
Girard. Edinboro was incorporated in 1840, and included 500 acres
of high, gravelly land at the foot of Lake Conneauttee. The
third gristmill (the others being at Walnut Creek and Union)
in Erie County was erected by William Culbertson in 1801, and
he added a sawmill in 1802. The cemetery, which includes
three acres, was the gift of William Culbertson, and has been
in use seventy years. A Presbyterian church was organized
there prior to 1819.
Waterford was the site of an Indian village, traces of which
were Y'isible thirty-five years ago.
A Mammoth Dairy Farm is at Belle Valley. It has 75 cows
in very comfortable quarters. Twenty-five years ago Mr. H.
H. Russell commenced selling milk in Erie with 17 cows.
Then there were but two milk wagons in the city, A. Sullivan
& Son's, and now Mr. Russell runs two wagons daily, or rather
his three sons, N. W., Warner, and W. H. Russell.
A bridge of iron has just been finished to supply the place
of one carried away by the flood. It is expected ere long that
a new Presbyterian church will supersede the present one
built about forty years ago.
Union City. — At a special meeting of councils of Union City,
Nov. 17, 1893, a board of health was appointed by the Mayor,
and his nominations confirmed by the councils are as follows :
Frank P. Hatch, to serve one year ; S. M. Hayes, two years ;
Prof. N. R. Luce, three years ; G. Gary Smith, four years, and
Dr. L. D. Rockwell, five years. The board at once held a meet
ing and elected the following officers : Dr. L. D. Rockwell,
president ; Dr. W. J. Humphrey, secretary and treasurer, and
ex-Mayor Jonathan Canfield, health officer. The sanitary
laws of the State are to be strictly enforced, and the board is
made up of the right kind of material to do it.
Corry is near the east line of the county, and in both Con
cord and Wayne townships. It was named from Hiram Cory
or Corry, in consideration of his liberal dealing at the time of
the purchase of his farm of fifty acres by Mr. Hill, superinten
dent of the railroad. It had been selected as a site by W. H.
L. Smith, and was laid out in town lots by Eugene Wright,

358 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
and is at the junction of the Philadelphia & Erie, the New
York, Pennsylvania & Ohio, and the Oil Creek and the Cross
cut railroads, from Titusville to Brocton, now called the
Buffalo, Pittsburg & Western. Corry was organized as a
borough in 1863, became a city in 1866, and in 1870 the pop
ulation Yvas 6,809 ; in 1880 it was but 5,277. Until the panic of
1873 it was considered by some as bidding fair to rival Erie in
the northwest. Samuel Downer, a wealthy oil refiner of Bos
ton, selected Corry for refineries, as obviating the necessity of
transporting crude oil to a distance. Thousands flocked to
this as to the whole oil region, real estate increased rapidly in
value, and at this time a part of Wayne township was in
cluded, tripling its size. It has few equals and no superior as
an inland city. Having three important railroads passing
through, and being in direct communication with bituminous
and anthracite coal regions, as well as oil, it has rare facilities
for manufacturing. Freight trains are almost constantly
passing, and at times more than twenty passenger trains
arrive daily. The Downer Oil Works originated the city
in one sense, and Clark & Warren are thus spoken of in the
Oil, Paint and Drug Reporter : " One of the best appointed
oil refineries in the United States and of their painstaking
and improved methods of manufacturing superior oils. The
firm holds many patents on the construction of stills, etc."
Other prominent manufactories are of woodenware, iron
works, novelty, radiator, and many others.
Corry has three fine brick school structures and two smaller
ones ; three newspapes, two jsublic halls, and three banks.
Its churches are twelY'e in number, and it has an unusual
number of secret societies. The State fish hatchery is about
one mile west, in Wayne township, having nine acres, and
fine cool springs which supply all the water requisite. Streams
in all parts of the State to which they are adapted are sup
plied Yvith fish. Mr. Seth Weeks, who is particularly quali
fied, has had charge from the commencement. In the words
of an official, "It is the finest in the State. It has more
ponds, better water, covers more ground, and does more busi
ness than any other in Pennsylvania. They hatch trout,
brook trout, and other kinds of fish."

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY. 359
The board of directors of Young Men's Christian Associa
tion of Corry present the following statement for three
months ending September 30, 1893 : Total attendance at the
rooms 1,089 ; total attendance at meetings only 453; average
daily attendance 12 ; total attendance at gospel meetings 375 ;
the membership now numbers 225.
Benevolent Societies. — June 3, 1893, a Children's Aid Society
was formed in Corry, the object being to provide homes for
children who may have no friends able to take care of them.
The annual meeting of the State society is held in Pittsburg,
where methods of Yvork are discussed. The aim is to have but
one society in each county. Mrs R. G. Lindsey was elected
president and Miss B. King secretary. A Children's Temper
ance Society was also organized in the Congregational church,
Rev. Mr. and Mrs. Barnett, officers.
GRAPES.
When the French were at Franklin, Venango County, one
hundred and fifty years ago, they introduced delicious grapes,
and the vines were flourishing and bearing fruit not very long
ago.1 Wild grapes abounded in the Yvilds and after frost they
were quite palatable. Sweet water and Malagas were found in
a few gardens sixty years ago. About 1830 the Isabella and
Catawba were cultivated to some extent, but the season was
usually found too short for them to ripen well. From Kelly's
Island, near Sandusky, the choicest Catawbas reached the
market, and were disposed of at large prices. About twenty-
fiY'e years ago grapes were introduced suited to our region —
the Concord, Delaware, Salem, and Niagara. We have found
that the Pennsylvania grape belt in some places is forty miles
wide ; the length is said to extend from Harbor Creek, six miles
east of Erie, to Silver Creek, New York. We may quote from
Phillip D. Armour, of Chicago, who could not be said to have
local prejudice. A present of a basket of mixed grapes from
Mr. J. H. Phillips, of Maple Grove Vineyard, was sent him,
which resulted in his ordering fifty baskets more, "and that
i Eight hundred bunches of grapes, off the famous vine at Hampton
Court Palace, England, have been sent to Windsor, Osborne, and Balmoral.
There were in all 1,200 bunches as the growth of the present year. The
fruit is, however, what would be called meagre in size, this being due to the
depleted strength of the parent stem, which is no less than 125 years old.

360 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
they were the finest he had ever eaten." We cannot do better
than give some reliable newspaper items which have ap
peared. The Chautauqua and Northeast Grape Union sent a car of
grapes to Seattle, Washington. The freight amounted to
$754.40. During the grape season one car is to be sent weekly.
"No one now doubts that the Chautauqua and Northeast
Grape Union is a success in the largest sense of the word, be
cause it has proved the claims made for it by its projectors
early in the history of the movement. The union has shipped
over 2,000 cars of grapes and has 600 or 700 yet to ship as the
fruit is demanded. Not a basket has been sold for less than
eighteen cents, and the fruit has been sold on the cars and not
consigned. " It is not generally known that the fruit commission men
in the large cities attempted to combine to force down prices,
and were aided by a few enemies among the grape growers,
but the movement was abortive and failed of effect. At the
present time all the growers along the grape belt recognize the
benefits that have come to them through organization.
" The total amount of cash that has come into the Chautau
qua and Northeast grape belt from the sale of grapes this
season will not fall short of one and a half millions of dollars.
In consequence' of the great profit this year on vineyards the
value of grape lands has gone up appreciably, and there is a
strong demand for them as an investment. Probably no other
form of producing property in Chautauqua County has yielded
anything like the rich returns that have been received by the
owners of vineyards on the lake shore.
" A private letter from a London (England) commission
house to its representative in Ripley states that its customers
say the grapes are bitter at the core. Growers here think that
all that is indicated by this complaint is that the English
buyers chew the pulp and seeds.
"Northeast, Nov. 10, 1893.— The secretary of the Chautau
qua and Northeast Grape Union has received a telegram from
Great Britian of great interest to all along the Chautauqua
grape belt. The Dispatch has already noticed the fact that
two car loads of grapes were sent to England as an experi-

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY. 361
ment or trial trip across the Atlantic. The Liverpool car sold
for 39 cents per basket and the London car from 45 to 57 cents.
The freight from here there was about 15 cents a basket, nearly
10 cents less than it cost to Seattle, Washington. It goes with
out saying that the success of the Liverpool and London ex
periment is of much importance to the grape growers along
the lake shore. The Jbi'oad new field for marketing grapes
must certainly have a tendency to enhance the future price in
the Chautauqua belt.
"The sale in Europe will net some 6 or 7 cents more per
basket than the fruit marketed this season in America.
"More than a quarter of a century has gone by without a
single failure of the grape crop in Northeast, and now
there is a good showing for a fine yield of fruit this coming
fall. " Never were real estate transfers so lively here as during the
past winter and spring,, Never was there so much building
and rebuilding and beautifying of private residences as at
present." Another correspondent advises caution as folloYvs : "All
along the lake shore and especially in this locality thousands
of acres of good bearing apple orchards are being torn out to
make room for vineyards. Peach, pear, and plum orchards are
going the same way, and it is an undeniable fact that all fruit
excepting grapes will be at a premium the coming fall. A
prominent Fredonia shipper of small fruits said yesterday :
" Everything is giving away to grapes, and unless we can
get into the English markets and get there to stay, the
grape growers of this section will be sadly disappointed.
Last year the grape union had to hustle to secure a market
for the product at eighteen cents per basket. This season
we will have nearly 2,000 acres more of bearing vines, and
next year over 2,000 acres ; this spring nearly 2,000 acres
of new vines will be set out, and fully as much a year hence.
The grape industry is being overdone, and those who are
tearing out good bearing orchards to make room for vineyards
will see their mistake in a year. The grower will receive
about fifteen cents per basket for his product the coming fall,
and should the price drop one cent below this figure it will

362 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
certainly mean disaster and ruin to this entire section of
country. " The business men in different towns in the grape belt are
becoming alarmed, and are awake to the necessity of pushing
the grape crop into the English market. To this end they
now propose to establish a fund, taking the money from their
own pockets, to be used exclusively for the purpose of secur
ing the English market. They are aware that should the
grape industry go down it would not only ruin the growers and
the business men, but the property of this entire section,
now considered so valuable, would be a drug upon the market.
All classes of people are watching just now with deep interest
the movement of the grape union in this important mat
ter." " Northeast, January 4, 1893. — A conference was held here
yesterday afternoon between the grape growers of this section
and Mr. J. C. Walker, chairman of the Pennsylvania World's
Fair Horticulture, Viticulture and Floriculture Committee,
and Mr. Benj. Whitman, member of the Pennsylvania
World's Fair Executive Board.
" Mr. Walker said the object of the meeting was to give an
opportunity to make a display of grapes and wines at the
World's Fair, and that there is no reason why Pennsylvania
should not be at the top at the great Chicago Exposition.
Erie County is doubtless the banner county of the State, and
although'New York is older in her grape industry and has a
larger area, it is believed by good judges that the territory here
is equal if not superior to any in the grape belt.
" He said the State is willing to meet the grape men half way
in whatever is necessary to make a creditable display, and the
result of the conference showed that the grape men are ready
to do their part. Mr. Whitman made a number of practical
suggestions and was very patriotic to Erie County and Penn
sylvania. Both gentleman, in fact, Walker and Whitman,
took a very lively interest in planning for a fine display of the
products of the vine of Pennsylvania.
"By a unanimous vote the following was adopted: Resolved,
That the grape growers of Erie County will join with the
board of World's Fair Commission of Pennsylvania in mak-

HISTORY' OF ERIE COUNTY. 363
ing an exhibit of grape culture and grape products such
as will be creditable to the State and an object of interest to the
World's Fair.
"Resolved, That the president of the meeting be authorized
to appoint a committee of five to act in co-operation with the
committee of viticulture of the board of World's Fair Com
mission of Pennsylvania for the purpose of carrying out the
objects of the above resolution."
"The president, Mr. James H. Phillips, appointed from
Northeast, Robert Dill, Charles H. Mottier, John B. Scouller,
John A. Stetson ; Harbor Creek, Charles Leet. It was decided
to ask for one thousand (1,000) square feet of space at the
Chicago Exposition.
"Mr. Foil stated that the South Shore Winery would have
a display of wines at Chicago."
Northeast, October 5, 1893. — The Grape City Packing Com
pany is putting up 10,000 baskets a day. There are two forces,
each working ten hours. The proprietor, Mr. Morse, has
12,000 tons yet to pick, pack, and ship. There was no time
last season when the grapes came into the different depots as
fast as they have for the past few days, but the quality is fine,
and there is a ready market.
The idea has been conveyed that the yield for this season is
the greatest in the history of the grape industry, but this is a
mistake. The crop in almost every Y'ineyard will be found less
than the estimate of three months ago. Old vineyards are not
yielding on an average much more than three fourths what
they did last year, oYving to hail and wind in the different
parts of the belt. The season Yvill probably close two or three
weeks earlier. The fruit is exceptionally fine, the clusters
large and compact, with a beautiful bloom. At Dunkirk the
grape crop this year is unusually large, the fruit large and
sweet, and the weather favorable. Grapes are being put out at
the rate of fifty or sixty car loads a day. The Ohio crop has
just gone out of the market, and for that reason good prices
are expected in this section.
At the close of the season of 1893 we find that more than a
million of baskets of grapes were shipped at Northeast —
which does not include those marketed in wagons. Some of

364 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY'.
the vineyards have yielded so bountifully that the fruit has
brought over a hundred dollars an acre.
Messrs. Ryckman, Fuller & Fay, of Brocton, N. YT., gave the
following interesting statistics regarding the shipments by the
Grape Union last season, and including transient shipments
as far as it has been possible to obtain the figures :
OTHER
UNION. SHIPMENTS. TOTAL.
Northeast  225 167 392
Ripley  209 204 413
Westfield  308 137% 445%
Portland  512 479 991
Pomfret  326 172% 498%
Dunkirk  70% 70%
Sheridan  74 16 90
Hanover  183 11 191
Totals  1837 1257 3094
The Northeast report includes Harborcreek, Ripley, North-
ville, State Line, and Forsyth ; Westfield, West Portland,
Portland, Pomfret, Brocton, Concord, Prospect ; Pomfret,
Fredonia, Laona, Van Buren, and a part of Dunkirk ; Han
over, Silver Creek, Forestville, and Perrysburg.
In filling small orders, 3,000 baskets were taken for a carload.
The Grape City Packing Company will erect a house two
hundred feet long, also a new depot will be built by the
Nickel Plate Bailroad Company on the McNeil property,
which was recently purchased for $5,000, Mr. C. H. Morse
negotiating the sale.
In Washington, according to the Northeast Sun, they talk
of putting a strong internal revenue tax on wine made from
domestic grapes. This will interest this section. California is
reported to be arranging to oppose it. The grape unions here
and in the neighboring States should confer regarding it.
POSTOFFICES.
Erie is a postoffice of the first-class, having the salary $3,200.
Corry is of the second class, with salary $2,300. Union City is
of the third class, with the salary $1,700. Edinboro is also third
class, with salary of $1,200, and Northeast has a salary of $1,700.
Erie, Corry, Northeast, and Union City are known as
" Presidential offices," the incumbents being appointed by the
President, and confirmed by the Senate, the others are ap
pointed by the Postmaster General.

HISTORY' OF ERIE COUNTY*.

365

The money order offices are : Albion, Corry, East Spring
field, Edinboro, Erie, Fairview, Girard, Lundy's Lane, Mill
Village, Northeast, Union City, Waterford, Wattsburg, West
Springfield. Erie is the only letter carrier office.

POSTOFFICES IN ERIE COUNTY*.

Albion.Arbuckle. Avonia.Bascobel.Belle Valley.
Cherry Hill.
Clipper.Corea.Corry. Delhil.
East Greene.
East Springfield.
Edinboro.Elgin.
Elk Creek.
Erie.Fairview.
Ferdinand. Frances.Franklin Corners.
Girard.
Godard. Greenfield.

Hammett.Harbor Creek.
Hatch Hollow.
Hornby.Itley. Juva.Katan.
Kearsarge. Keepville.
Lake Pleasant.
La very.
Le Boeuf.
Little Elk.
Lovells Station.
Lowville. Lundy's Lane.
McKean.
McLane. McLallen Corners.
Miles Grove.
Mill Y'illage.
Moorheadville. Mystic.

Northeast.North Springfield.
Northville.
Ovid.Pennside.Philipsville.Platea. Pont.
Sampsonville.Sterrettania. Swanville.Tracy." Union City.
YVaterford.
Wattsburg, YVesleyville.
West Greene.
West Mill Creek.
West Springfield.
Wheelock.
YVashby.

CENSUS OF ERIK COUNTY, 1890, BY MINOR CIVIL DIVISIONS.
The cities, wards, boroughs, townships and villages, as
shown by the census, compared with that of 1880 : (From
Census Buletin No. 105.)

Albion borough 

1S90. 366 912
991
1,386
5,677 1,107 169
1,325
40,634 305
1,295 963626

1S80. 433
1,033
1,1711,546
5,277 876154
1,564
27,737 425
1,482
1,020 703

eluding Miles Grove

1890.
2,280 1,511
1,432 1,6601,215 240
1,330 195
3,279 320
1,5382,1241,642 903
2.261 1,3661,351
1,790 838
1,537 382
1,124

18S0.
2,338 1,531
1,0201,781 1,420 345
1,394 210
3,279 388
1,3962,1521,7921,0472,1711,3771,4451,880 784
1,822 389

Concord township 
Conneaut township ...

Miles Grove village 570
Greene township 
Greenfield township .
Harborcreek township
Le Bceuf township
Lockport borough
McKean township
Middleboro borough...
Millcreek township
Millvillage borough
Northeast borough
Northeast township ...
Springfield township..
Summit township 
Union City borough
Y'enango township
Washington township
YVaterford borough
YVaterford township..
Wattsburg borough.
Wayne township 

Ward 1st 957
Ward 2d, 1,357
Ward 3d, 1,737.
YVard 4th, 1,626.
Edinboro borough 
Elgin borough 
Elkcreek township .
Erie City 

Ward 1st, 6.492.
Ward 2d, 9,985.
Ward 3d, 7,318.
Ward 4th, 7,292.
Ward 5th, 4,360.
Ward 6th, 5,187.
Fairview borough 
Fairview township 
Franklin township....

Girard township, in

1,306

74,688
366 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
It will be seen that outside of Erie City the only minor
civil divisions that have gained population are Corry, North
east borough, Edinboro, Elgin, Union City, and Waterford.
Millcreek township shows no change ; all of the remaining
divisions outside of the city show a loss.
The City Hall is located on the southwest corner of Peach
Street and the West Park. It is a substantial and elegant
edifice, and not surpassed by any other municipal building in
Western Pennsylvania. The hall is 124 feet on Peach Street,
64 on the Park, 88 from the basement to the ridge of the roof,
and 156 from the foundation to the top of the main tower.
The basement is occupied by the police department, City
Engineer, Street Supervisor, and Health Officer. There are
sixteen cells strongly constructed for temporary confinement
of prisoners.
The first floor has the offices of the Mayor, City Treasurer,
Solicitor, Comptroller, and Water Commissioners. The second
floor has council chambers and city clerk's office. The third
floor has two halls, one 56 x 56, and the other 32 x 38 ; also
committee rooms and the office of the fire department.
The cornerstone was laid with Masonic ceremony in July,
1884. Mr. D. K. Dean was the architect, and Erie contractors
did most of the work. The iron cells were constructed by
Cleveland parties, and the massive vault by Diebold & Co.,
Canton, Ohio. The brown stone trimmings (for it is built of
brick) are of superior quality, from Twinsburg, Ohio. The
foundation and entrance are of Medina stone. The heavy
plate glass was from a Pittsburg manufactory. The joiner's
work is of hard wood, the floors of marble, and the cells have
boiler iron sides, and the floors are of solid stone. The best of
ventilation is secured. Bath rooms, drinking fountains, and
gas jets abound.
The entire cost of the building Yvill be about $200,000. In
the cornerstone were deposited the city ordinances, news
papers, a photograph of the edifice, this History of Erie
County — but a copy of the Bible was not mentioned, though
we trust its principles Yvere included. Hon. William A. Gal
braith, being introduced by Maj. P. A. Becker, made a fine
oration.

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY. 367
The Government Building. — This the most elegant public
building in the city, is on the southeast corner of State Street
and the Park, which was purchased at a cost of $36,000. In
1882 an act was passed appropriating $150,000 for anew govern
ment building in Erie, which was afterwards increased to a
limit of §250,000. Ground was broken for the foundation in
April, 1885. The basement is of Maine granite, and the super
structure is of Amherst, Ohio, sandstone. The basement stone
work Yvas done by an Erie contractor, Mr. Henry Shenk ; and
the superstructure by Messrs. Straub & Schmidt, of Buffalo.
The roof is of tinned copper, and the plumbing was done and
steam heating apparatus put in by Mr. J. W. Butler. Mr.
Jacob Bootz served as superintendent. The basement is used
for heating and storage — the entire first floor for postofflce
purposes, with main entrances on State Street and the Park.
The offices of Collector of Customs, Internal Revenue Col
lector, United States District Attorney, United States Com
missioners, etc., are on the second floor. The third floor has
two court rooms with judge and jury rooms, and the fourth
is occupied by the United States Signal Service. A large
clock in the tower on the corner was purchased by the
citizens. The entire structure is absolutely fireproof, and the vaults
provided for the postal service are burglar proof. Broad, easy
iron stairYvays lead to the different stories, with the walls
wainscoted with highly polished American marble. The
whole building is beautifully finished and furnished, without
exceeding the appropriation. Its dimensions are 114 feet on
the Park, and 72 on State Street. The postofflce has 723 lock
boxes. In 1887 a sad accident occurred, resulting in the untimely
death of two of the workmen, Andrew Guenther and Mark
Shannon, who fell from a lofty height and were instantly
killed. "It will not be long before an elevator will be in full operation
at the government building, and people having business with
the signal officers will no longer have to climb up four flights
of stairs for that purpose. The elevator, of the hydraulic
passenger variety, is now being built by Eaton & Prince, of

368 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY*.
Chicago. A representative of the firm took the necessary
measurements yesterday. The elevator will cost $6,800, and
will be run by steam, which Yvill keep the building uncom
fortably hot during the summer season. Those best able to
judge are of the opinion that a dynamo should ha\'e been put
in and electricity used as a motive power."
GAS COMPANIES.
The officers of the Pennsylvania Gas Company are C. N.
Payne, President ; J. P. Jefferson, Vice-President. General
office at Warren, Pa. Offices at Jamestown, N. Y., Erie, Pa.,
Corry, Pa., and Clarendon, Pa.
Main line from the wells to Erie 82 miles ; low pressure lines
in the city 38 miles ; service lines in the city 26 miles ; gas
turned into low pressure lines Thanksgiving 1886. First ap
plication for natural gas in Erie made by Mr. Frank E.
Woods ; first consumer Dr. H. A. Spencer. Begulation
meters were introduced in 1889. Number of consumers, about
4,000. The Pennsylvania Gas Company furnishes fuel in Erie for
9,000 fires. The gas is piped from the Ludlow field, near
Kane, and on the main line there is a pressure of 125 pounds.
New wells are constantly being bored to keep up the supply.!
A letter, "Erie's big card," in the Gazette of 1870, alludes to
our advantages over Pittsburg as a location for manufactories.
Some newspaper clippings on the subject are as follows :
" At that city, coal is com*enient and cheap, but at the best
it is a never-ceasing item of expense, and every year the sup
ply will become more scarce and costly. Here our fuel lies
right underneath our feet, is brought to surface at a cost that
bears no comparison to that of opening a coal mine, and when
once reached the expense ceases. In respect to shipping
facilities Pittsburg has no better railroad conveniences than
Erie, while we have the great lake in addition, where the
' Smoky City ' has nothing but an uncertain river."
A company of Pittsburg capitalists have leased several
hundred acres near the location of the old Bootes well on
French Creek, and will put down a well immediately. Mr.
John M. Arters, of Pittsburg, was in Waterford looking after

HISTORY' OF ERIE COUNTY'. 369
the company's interest. This is an old field, and the Bootes
well that was drilled years ago Yvas a paying gas well, but that
was before natural -gas was used to any extent, so the territory
was not developed.
" A few days ago Janitor Avery, of the courthouse, noticed
that all the grass Yvithin a radius of four feet in the rear of
the yard had been killed. A little investigation proved that
natural gas was escaping through the ground in small quan
tities. Some of the older men at the courthouse then remem
bered that in 1869, while Gen. Thomas Walker Yvas acting
Sheriff of Erie County, a well had been drilled in the jail
yard to the depth of 700 feet.
" A small vein of gas was struck, but it was not obtained in
paying quantities. A little investigation Yvith a shovel
brought to light the end of the pipe which Yvas placed in
position nearly tYventy-five years ago. A plug through which
a half-inch pipe was inserted was placed in the end of the old
casing and as a result there is a small flame which is allowed
to burn night and day at the end of the pipe."
" Mr. Colt's gas well at the corner of Ash Lane and Sixth
Street, is now doYvn 800 feet. The drillers say Mr. Colt has
now all the gas he can use in his house, but the drilling will
be continued."
" Union City*, April 20. — Mr. Rice, of Waterford, who has
been drilling a well for oil or gas on Oak Hill, three and a half
miles west of this city, has found the latter at a depth of
about 800 feet in sufficient quantities to feed the boiler, and
to-morrow will make the necessary attachments. The indica
tions for a big well are said to be first-class, the sand resem
bling that found in the best gas territory. As soon as the boiler
connections are made the drill will be again started and will be
run night and day until the well is completed."
June, 1893, Mr. Casper Doll, who is building a house at the
corner of Cherry and Eighth streets, has struck a very heavy
flow of gas for this territory. The drill at 100 feet got a good flow
and every ten or fifteen feet found a new vein. At 500 feet, the
drill struck a vein of gas, the pressure of which was so heavy
that it threw a shower of stones out of the hole. It is the in
tention to go down to 800 feet as soon as the pressure eases up.

370 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
Dr. Francis N. Thorpe says: "One matter has interested
me in the History of Erie County : it is the effect of the
discovery of oil. It is known that the climate and soil of
the lake shore region are both the same as in the oil
region. As soon as oil was made profitable, many of the best
families in the oil country, selling their farms for much
money, moved into the lake shore country, purchasing farms
at advanced prices, locating in Erie, Northeast, etc., and
there building costly and superior dwellings. The effect
was to raise all values in Erie County along the lake ; im
provements were at once begun, the grape interest received an
impetus and schools and churches were improved. Manufac
tures followed and social changes, incident to an influx of
wealth and energy, at once were obseiwable. It is an inter
esting phase of the country's history."
In 1850-56, while the railroad difficulties were pending in
Erie, not far distant in Northwestern Pennsylvania another
important matter was developing in the oil region of Venango
County. In 1854 "Brewer, Watson & Co.," for the sum of
§5,000, sold to Messrs. Eveleth & Bissel, for ninety-nine years,
the territory where the principal oil springs were located.
Prof. Silliman, of Yale College, had reported favorably on the
value of the oil, and Col. E. L. Drake became superintendent
of the "Pennsylvania Bock Oil Company."
Col. E. L. Drake was furnished with all necessary funds,
but it required strong courage to bore the earth or solid rock —
for he had no precedent, and was looked upon as Noah was by
the antediluvians. It Yvas supposed by some that the manu
facture of salt was the main object. Bock oil was the princi
pal one, and faith was rewarded by success when at a depth of
seventy feet, on August 28, 1859, a cavity in the rock was
reached Yvith evidence of the pressure of oil in large quan
tities. At first ten barrels a day was the yield, soon after,
forty. This was near the upper springs, in the northern por
tion of Venango County. Thousands rushed to the scene and
speculators abounded in Franklin, Tidioute, up French Creek,
the Two-Mile Run, and Oil Creek region. Companies were
organized, lands leased or bought, machinery invented, and
now the influence on general trade could hardly be overesti-

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY. 371
mated. Its importance to the manufacturing interests of the
country was great. New branches of mechanical business
have been called into existence and all branches stimulated to
new life and energy. For instance, the steam engines that
were required, the cable and rope, the establishments in Pitts
burg for the manufacture of lamps and chimneys — of the
latter 4,000 dozen being made weekly. The influence upon
the ocean trade has been felt in two ways : lessening the
whale fisheries and building up the carrying of petroleum to
foreign parts.
Dr. Mills Eaton describes a flood that visited that region on
March 16, 1865, which was unexampled in modern times.
Not only had snow fallen in quantities at the headwaters of
the Allegheny and French Creek, but on the 16th rain
descended in torrents and as though the clouds were rent
asunder. The Allegheny was absolutely frightful — fifty
houses, derricks, oil tanks, lumber, . staves, and oil barrels
floated down. A bridge in Franklin was lifted up in two
pieces ; Oil Creek bridge and Sugar Creek also. Oil City was
completely inundated and the railroad swept away. The
flood of 1806 was of much smaller dimensions. The loss in
money was many millions, and yet only a temporary sus
pension of business ensued.
"Millions in Petroleum " is the title of the following article
from the Erie Morning Dispatch, of October 10, 1893 — eighty-
two years after the discovery : ' ' Fifty-nine freight steamers
are now employed in transporting petroleum to foreign
countries. The capital in Pennsylvania wells and lands is
estimated at $87,000,000, and $65,000,000 is invested in plants
for producing the crude petroleum. This is exclusive of such
accessories as pipe lines, tank cars, refineries, docks, fleets of
vessels, etc., and an estimate of $300,000,000 as the total valua
tion of all branches of the industry is not excessive."
The Navigator of 1811 gives as follows :
"Among the natural advantages of the waters of the Alle
gheny, is Oil Creek, which empties .into that river about 100
miles from Pittsburg. This creek issues from a spring on the
top of which floats an oil similar to that called Barbadoes tar,
and is found in such quanties that a person may gather several

372 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
gallons a day. The oil is said to be very efficacious in rheu
matic pains, rubbed on the parts affected. The troops sent to
guard the western posts halted at this spring, collected some
of the oil and bathed their joints with it ; this gave them great
relief from the rheumatic complaints with which they Yvere
afflicted. They also drank freely of the water, which operated
on them as a gentle cathartic. This oil is called Seneca oil in
Pittsburg, probably from its flrst having been discovered and
used by a nation of Indians of that name. It is a wise plan
in Nature to generally place an antidote where she has plan
ted a poison. No climate perhaps is more subject to pains
of the rheumatic kind than ours, arising from the sudden
transitions from heat to cold, and vice versa; and if it be true
that the qualities of this oil are so effectual in the cure of
diseases to which we are more or less subject, from the nature
of our climate, it is equally true that Nature in her wisdom
has not been unmindful of her general plan of providing a
good for an evil in this particular instance."
The following statement from The Navigator also will
show the increase in the article of salt at the port of Erie
from 1800 till 1809, as registered by Mr. Foster, collector of the
of the port, December 25, 1809 :
"In the year 1800, 723; 1801, 396; 1802, 834 barrels of salt
were entered at this port and distributed along the lake in the
States of New York, Pennsylvania, and Ohio, and a few bar
rels sent to Pittsburg.
" In the year 1803, 2,736 ; 1804, 3,778 ; 1805, 7,589 ; 1806, 7,261 ;
1807, 6,774 ; 1808, 9,349 ; 1809, 14,346 barrels of salt Yvere entered
at this port for the consumption of this neighborhood and
Pittsburg market, not including the supplies to the States of
New York and Ohio, making 52,776 barrels, or 263,880 bushels
of salt, besides other articles of merchandise, though of less
importance, yet to a considerable extent."
An extract from Rev. Dr. McKinney's "Family Treasure,"
1866, gives the following list of provisions furnished by the
contractors, Messrs. Reed & Sanford, for the inhabitants of
Chicago in 1823. There were one hundred men garrisoned in
Fort Dearborn, under Capt. I. Green. According to the con
tract they were required to deliver in June, 1823, and October,

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY*. 373
1824, " 120 barrels of pork, 250 barrels of fine flour, 1,400 gallons
of whisky,' 110 bushels of beans, 1,760 pounds of soap, 860
pounds of tallow candles (with cotton wicks), 28 bushels of
salt, and 450 gallons of vinegar." The same year three times
as much of each of these commodities was consumed at
Green Bay, and more than twice as much at Sault de Ste
Marie, and the same merchants had contracts for these places
also. But Chicago has now left them both far in the back
ground. The arrival of six barrels of salt would be no great
event for Chicago now. The 430 pounds of tallow candles to
their present gas and electricity could not "hold a candle " for
one night only, and as for Chicago importing 250 barrels of
fine flour from Erie, and living upon it sixteen months, so
small a matter has not been heard of from them the last
seventy years. "Where we are we know, whither we are
going no man knoweth."
A Retrospective Glance of February Weather of the last
Nineteen Years. Compiled by Weather Observer Wood. — The
mean or normal temperature during nineteen years (which is
the length of time this station has been established) has been
28 degrees, the warmest in February, 1882, with an average of
37 degrees, and the coldest in 1875, when the average was only
10 above zero. On February 16, 1883, the temperature was 70
degrees above, and on February 9, 1875, 16 below zero— the
two extremes noted. In precipitation (rain or melted snow)
the average has been 3.43 inches, with an average of seventeen
days in February of each year on which the precipitation was
.01 of an inch or more. The greatest monthly precipitation
was 8.50 inches in 1887, the least, 0.33 inches in 1877.
The month has averaged four cloudless, ten partly cloudy,
and fourteen cloudy days during this term of years, and pre
vailing winds have been from the south. Their greatest veloc
ity was sixty-four miles per hour, in 1875.
For nineteen years the mean or normal temperature in
Erie has been 33 degrees. The warmest December was in
1889, averaging 41 degrees, and the coldest was in 1876, with
an average of 22 degrees. The highest temperature during any
December was 70 degrees, on December 29, 1889. The coldest
was 11. degrees below zero, December 30, 1890. The average

374 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY*.
monthly precipitation has been 3.36 inches ; the greatest
monthly precipitation, 6.44 inches, occurring in 1881, and the
least, .75 inches, in 1876. The average number of cloudless
days per month was three ; partly cloudy, seven ; cloudy days,
twenty-one. The prevailing winds have been from the south
west, and the highest velocity of the wind was southeast fifty-
two miles on December 24, 1875.
Parks. — Glenwood Park, just outside of the city limits
between two much-traveled roads leading towards Waterford,
is appropriately named. The Central Parks in the center of
the old first section at the intersection of Sixth and State
streets are the glory of the city. Lake Side, between State
Street and French, has expended its appropriation by the city
of $1,500, and is assuming an aspect of beauty ; and Cascade
will doubtless in a completed state creditably add to the num
ber. These are mere breathing spots, but Glenwood has
93 acres from the Bobert Evans farm, and enough from the
John Elliott and Henry Shannon farms to aggregate 115 acres,
with a fine mansion, a commodious barn, excellent spring-
house and drinking water. Thirty acres are covered with
forest trees, some being very fine and imposing. A gas Yvell
for many years past has enlightened the Yvhole vicinity.
Enjoyments of an unobjectionable nature are promoted, but
nothing of a demoralizing tendency is allowed. The full
board for the first year is composed of J. F. Downing, A. H.
McMullen, William Spencer, William A. Galbraith, M. H.
Taylor, George Selden, F. F. Adams, Richard O'Brien, Frank
V. Schultz, William N. Nicholson, F. Brevellier, W. J. Sands,
H. F. Watson, I. Sobel, Joseph Metcalf. Through their
efforts $25,000 has been subscribed. Mr. J. F. Downing sub
scribed $5,000, Judge Galbraith, $2,000, and several others of
the board $1,000. Much money is required for improY'ing the
grounds. Dedicatory exercises Yvere held October 19, 1892.
Massassauga Point is at the head of Presqu'ile Bay, and is
now a delightful summer resort, having been purchased in
1833 by Hon. William L. Scott. In 1796, twenty or thirty
Indian families resided there, of the Seneca tribe, being the
last Indian Y'illage in this vicinity. In 1800, Eliphlet Beebe,
a ship carpenter, took up the land under the laws of the State,

HISTORY' OF ERIE COUNTY'. 375
for a shipyard. It was next the farm of Thomas Laird.
Jame3 C. Marshall and E. J. Kelso owned farms adjoining
that had been Indian cornfields. The name Massassauga is
supposed to have been that of a tribe having relations with
the Eries. A short, thick rattlesnake also bore that name,
which species disappeared before civilization. The Massas
sauga Hotel was burned in 1882, It is still a charming resort,
and the electric cars as they pass through a wild ravine and
descend to the lake level present a bit of scenery of unusual
grandeur. An iron ore bed was discovered many years ago in
the Y'icinity, and was quarried by a furnace at Conneaut, Ohio,
and was used at the blast furnace of Vincent, Himrod & Co.,
but was exhausted after a few years. The road from the
schoolhouse to the shore of the bay was laid out for hauling
the ore to the vessels. At present sand has accumulated and
Yvould render an approach to a vessel impossible.
Some of Erie's wealthy citizens are erecting summer resi
dences on the lakeside. Judge William A. Galbraith, about
1880, built a pretty villa at the mouth of Six Mile Creek,
where is a park, bathing, and boating. Mr. Charles H.
Strong has a costly log cabin on the bluff at the mouth of
Cascade Creek. Ex-Congressman Griswold and Mr. H. F.
Watson have beautiful sites at the mouth of Miles Run, seven
miles west of Erie. On the Ball farm is a clubhouse, fishpond,
etc. At "Harts' Farm" many Pittsburgers, as Yvell as our
own citizens, have picturesque, romantic summer retreats.
Chautauqua Lake is generally supposed to be the highest
navigable body of water on the globe. It is well then to get
at the facts and figures. Lake Canadohta, located 17 miles
south of Union City, is 84 feet higher than Chautauqua
and is naY'igable. The relative height of all the lakes in
this Y'icinity is as folloYvs : Erie, 573 feet above the sea ;
Conneaut Lake is 1,070 ; Lake Le Bceuf, at Waterford, is
1,180 ; Conneauttee, 1,196 ; Chautauqua, 1,305 ; Lake Pleasant,
1,325 ; Lake Canadohta, 1,389. These levels Yvere taken by
Prof. J. C. White, under the employ of the State, and are en
dorsed by Peter Lesley, State geologist.

SECTION IV.
Biographies of Dr. Usher Parsons — Capt. W. W. Dobbins (an ex
tract) — Oliver H. Perry — Major Andrew Ellicott—Two Foreigners-
— Dr. F. N. Thorpe— Rev. C. Dickson, D.D. — William Wallace,
Esq. — Wallace Family — Judge Converse — Rev. T. H. RobinsonT
D.D. — Judge A. Tourgee — Bishop J. F. Spaulding — Rev. Dr.
Stuckenberg — Dr. Artemas Martin — Rev. Dr. Chamberlain — Miss
E. Ditto — Dr. and Ernest Ingersoll — Rev. K. Fullerton — Messrs.
Perkins — Judge James Thompson and family— Hon. William L.
Scott — Visits of Nine Presidents — Citizens mentioned.
MEMOIR OF USHER PARSONS, M.D., OF PROVIDENCE, R. I.
By his son, Dr. Charles W. Parsons.
It is well known that a ' controversy arose between Com.
Oliver H. Perry and Jesse D. Elliott in relation to the conduct
of the latter in the naval battle of September 10, 1813; and
that long after Perry's early death, the credit of victory was
claimed for Elliott by himself and his friends. Dr. Parsons
took a warm and active interest in this dispute. He was
strongly attached to Perry and convinced that Elliott's con
duct was disgraceful. In conversation, by newspaper articles,
by contributions to writings published by others, and, lastly,
in a public historical address, he vindicated the claims of
Perry and the truth of history, as he understood it, often in
terms reflecting severely on Elliott and his defenders.
In January, 1836, Tristam Burges read a discourse before the
Bhode Island Historical Society, in which he gave a vigorous
account of the battle. In 1839 this was published with copious
notes and diagrams of the battle in different positions. Some
of these notes were furnished by Dr. Parsons. The "extract
from the logbook of the Lawrence" was taken from his diary.
He contributed many notes to the "Life of Commodore
Perry," published in 1840 by Alexander Slidell Mackenzie.
In 1852, having been invited to deliver the stated annual
discourse before the Rhode Island Historical Society, he chose
376

HISTORY' OF ERIE COUNTY*. 377
for his subject, the history of the battle of Lake Erie. "I
have made this choice," he says, "first, because this battle is a
part of Rhode Island history and, therefore, appropriate to the
occasion ; secondly, because I could speak of it from personal
knowledge ; and, thirdly, because a very inaccurate and per
verted account of it has been written and imposed upon the
public by the late J. Fenimore Cooper, Esquire." He nar
rates the circumstances which led to the formation of a fleet
on Lake Erie, the difficulties under which it was created and
got afloat, and the reasons why it is regarded as belonging to
Rhode Island history. He relates the incidents of the battle
quite fully, and then attacks Elliott and Cooper in a style of
indignant sarcasm. In the words of Mr. Arnold : " He has
done this in a style that leaves nothing to be said upon the
points in dispute. His own testimony is direct and incontro
vertible. His reply to the assaults of Cooper is comprehen
sive and complete. A certain irony pervades this portion of
the address, which is the appropriate weapon wherewith to
treat mendacity of statement when brought to the support of
cowardice of conduct and infamy of character." Dr. Parsons
always had a fondness for written controversy, and could
handle the caustic pen as well as the scalpel or saw.
In his more advanced life, he became well known in the
growing cities along the southern shore of Lake Erie, and
often visited this region. The importance of Perry's victory
was more appreciated and there were Y'arious plans for the
erection of monuments. Dr. Parsons was the only surviving
officer of the battle who had cultivated historical tastes and
the powers of writing and oratory.
In 1858 the anniversary was celebrated at Put-in-Bay Island,
near Sandusky, where Perry's fleet had anchored the night
before the battle. There was a very large assemblage, and
a brilliant display of yachts and steamers. Hon. Salmon
P. Chase presided at the ceremonies on the island. Three sur
viving officers appeared on the platform ; Capts. Charnplin and
Brownell speaking briefly, while Dr. Parsons read an elaborate
narrative discourse. This Yvas received with a great deal of
interest by the large audience and published in the principal
newspapers of the region. He afterward wrote in his note-

378 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY-
book, "This anniversary was among the most delightful of
my life, as well as the most interesting."
Two years later the forty-seventh anniversary was celebrated
at Cleveland. That city alone successfully carried out the
plan of erecting a monument to Perry, which on that day was
dedicated. It stands in the park at Cleveland, and consists of
a statue of Perry, and of other appropriate sculptures. The
dedication, September 10, 1860, was very largely attended.
The Governor of Rhode Island, with many of her civil and
military Officers, were present by special invitation. The two
most important features of the literary exercises of that day
were the oration by Hon. George Bancroft and a historical
address by Dr. Parsons.
These three discourses relating to the battle of Lake Erie all
give the story in essentially the same way, and show some
unaY'oidable repetition. The two delivered at Put-in-Bay and
Cleveland are not, however, controversial.
In his later journeys along Lake Erie, Dr. Parsons was re
garded as a guest of the public, and was passed and enter
tained as such on the steamboats and railroads. These various
acknowledgments of his early services, and the kind reception
of his historical discourses, after he had passed the age of
seventy, gave him the keenest pleasure.
In 1838, he revisited Erie, after an absence of nearly
twenty-four years. In his diary he writes: "I called on
Capt. Dobbins, who was a sailingmaster in the war, now com
mander of the revenue cutter. I went with him to the
Peninsula, [Erie was formerly called Presqu'isle] and trod
once more the deck of the Lawrence, now a hulk resting about
east a quarter of a mile from the old blockhouse. Her deck is
in a sound state ; but the water comes nearly up to it, so that
I could not see her hold. In this vessel I sailed in 1813, and
was in battle. She was repaired the following year, and I
went in her to Mackinac with troops under Col. Croghan. She
was sunk and remained so till within the last two or three
years, Yvhen she was raised and proved to be perfectly sound.
Took some pieces from her to make canes of. This visit to
Erie gave me indescribable pleasure. The thousand associa
tions . . . the pleasure afforded in taking old friends by

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY'. 379
the hand after a separation of twenty-four years ; . . . the
grave yard, where lie the bodies of great numbers of early
friends ; the changes and vast improvements about the city —
elegant houses and churches where there were then but a few
humble dwellings — all, all tended to render my stay there one
of the most intense interest, on many occasions so powerful as
to take from me the power of speech. But what shall I say of
the protecting mercy of Him Yvho, through dangers seen and
unseen, perils by land and perils in the deep, has surrounded
my path, and preserved me to the present moment ? May the
remainder of my days be more devoted to His service."
After a decline of some months, Dr. Usher Parsons died
on Dec. 19, 1868, aged 80 years. " Loved in life and honored
in death, his memory Yvill be revered by all who value these
high qualities of manhood which were united in his character."
When Capt. George Miles purchased the Lawrence, Detroit,
Queen Charlotte, and Niagara of Mr. B. H. Brown, he raised
the vessels, intending to fit them up for the merchant service.
The two prizes were found in tolerable condition, but the
Lawrence required thorough repair, and was too shallow in
the hold for a merchant vessel — being but nine feet. She
was allowed to sink again and Yvas brought to the surface,
only to be Y'iewed as a curiosity and cut into fragments to
serve as relics. A part of the ship was transported by railroad
to Philadelphia and placed on exhibition on the Centennial
grounds in 1876. Capt. William W. Dobbins wrote in pam
phlet form a "History of the Battle of Lake Erie," which
accompanied it. The title of the owners is as follows :
Bill of sale from Benjamin H. Brown, of Rochester, New
York, to A. Q. D. Leech (who transferred to George Miles), of
Lawrence, Niagara, Detroit, and Queen Charlotte ; said bill of
sale being made to George Miles separately, bearing date as
per acknowledgment, June 20, 1835. (Signed) B. H. Brown.
Acknowledgment by George Mumford, Commissioner of
Deeds.
Letters of Col. Thomas Forster, Collector of Customs for the
District of Presqu'ile (Erie), to the Secretary of the Navy, in
regard to any claim the government might have to said

380 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY'.
vessels. The inquiry being made for information enabling the
collector to grant papers to the brig Queen Charlotte, then
to be fitted out for the merchant service, bearing date April 7,
1835. Also, answer of Mahlon Dickinson, Secretary of the Navy,
disclaiming any interest of the government in said Y'essels,
bearing date April 23, 1835.
Also, transfer of all right, title, and interest of George Miles
in said vessel to Leander Dobbins, bearing date December 9,
1857. (Signed) George Miles.
Also, transfer of hulk of Lawrence to Thomas J. Viers and
John Dunlap, bearing date September 10, 1875.
(Signed) Leander Dobbins.
Oliver Hazard Perry was born at South Kingston, Rhode
Island, Aug. 23, 1785. His father, Christopher Raymond
Perry, was born in the same place in 1761, and was a post-
captain in the naY'y until the reduction in 1801, when he
received the appointment of collector at Newport. He mar
ried Sarah Alexander in 1784, and of a large family descended
from them almost every male member serY'ed with dis
tinction in the naY'y. Mathew Calbraith joined in the Japan
expedition in 1852 ; he Yvas a brother ten years younger than
the "Hero of Lake Erie." Oliver Hazard Perry entered
the navy as a midshipman in 1799 ; served in the Tripolitan
war ; had charge of a flotilla of gunboats in New York Har
bor in 1812, and in 1813 he served under Chauncey on Lake
Ontario. Then, being only master-commander, he superin
tended building the fleet at Presqu'ile (Erie), and September
10, 1813, gained the complete and brilliant Y'ictory over the
British squadron at Put-in-Bay, Sandusky. He receiY'ed a
vote of thanks from Congress for his bravery, and a gold
medal, and was promoted to a post-captain. Late in 1813
he assisted Gen. Harrison in retaking Detroit. In 1815 Perry
commanded the Java, of Decatur's squadron in the Mediter
ranean, and in 1819 was appointed to the command of a squad
ron for the coast of Columbia. In July, he ascended the
Orinoco to Angostura, and on leaY'ing the riY'er was seized
with yellow feY'er, which terminated fatally the day his vessel

HISTORY' OF ERIE COUNTY*. 381
arrived at Port Spain, Trinidad, West Indies, being the 23d
of August, 1819. His remains were buried there, and in 1826 a
sloop-of-war removed them to Newport, R. I., where they were
re-interred Yvith great ceremony. The State of Rhode Island
erected a fine granite monument to his memory. In 1860 a
handsome marble statue of him by Walcutt was erected in a
public square in Cleveland, O., with imposing ceremonies. At
the unveiling Hon. George Bancroft, the historian, delivered
an address ; Dr. Usher Parsons, who was the surgeon at
the battle, read a historical discourse, and at a dinner after
wards, about three hundred surviving soldiers of the war of
1812-15 sat down. The average of their ages was about seventy
years, and the aggregate of the Y'enerable company was about
20,000 years ! — Collated from Lossing.
Maj. Andrew Ellicott. — The subject of this sketch devoted a
long life to the service of his country, and illustrated in an
eminent degree the valuable aid intelligence and learning can
render in the settlement of a new country. He was born in
Bucks County, Pennsylvania, January 24, 1754. His attain
ments in science soon drew public attention to him, and from
the Revolution to the day of his death he was employed in
the fulfilment of trusts conferred by the general of the State
governments. Though belonging to the society of Friends, he
commanded a battalion of Maryland militia in the Revolu
tion. In 1784 he was employed on behalf of Virginia in fix
ing the boundary line between that State and Pennsylvania.
In 1786 he was commissioned by the Supreme Executive
Council of the State to run the northern boundary line of
Pennsylvania, and in 1788 he was directed to make a survey of
the islands in the Allegheny and Ohio Rivers within the
bounds of the State. In 1789 he was commissioned by the
United States government to locate the western boundary of
New York State and ascertain the validity of the claim of
that State to the site upon which Erie now stands. He
located the line, after much hardship and trouble, some
twenty miles east of Presqu'ile ; his valuable service in this
important and responsible survey seems to have been duly
appreciated by Washington, for he writes in the year of its
completion : "Gen. Washington has treated me with atten-

382 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY'.
tion. The Speaker of Congress and Governor of the State
have constantly extended to me most flattering courtesies."
In 1 790 he was employed by the United States government to
survey and lay out the District of Columbia and Washington
City ; in 1796 he was appointed by Washington commissioners
to fix the boundary line between the United States and the
Spanish Possessions. One important trust succeeded another,
for more than forty years, and up to the time of his
death he was constantly employed in some public capacity.
His high character and superior intelligence elevated him
without special effort ; he had an exalted sense of duty, and a
well-sustained conception of personal responsibilities. In
March, 1801, he Yvas appointed by Jefferson surveyor-general
of the United States, which office he accepted upon conditions
imposed by himself. In 1813 he was appointed professor of
mathematics in the military academy of West Point, and
removed there with his family, and there he died August 28,
1820. He left a widow and nine children ; Col. John H.
Bliss, of Erie, is his grandson. President Hale, in his memoir
of Maj. David Bates' Douglass, the son-in-law of Andrew
Ellicott, says: "The memoir of the late Andrew Ellicott,
when written, will form a valuable addition to the history of
our country, taking us away from the beaten ground of battle
fields and Senate chambers and cabinets to the services which
science can render in the settlement of a new country in a
civilized age. — Extract from Stuart's "Civil and Military Engi
neers of America."
Two distinguished foreigners are connected by marriage
with Erie families : Richard Claverhouse Jebb, LL.D., regius
professor of Greek at the University of Cambridge, England ;
the other, George H. Darwin, F.B.S., LL.D., of the Plumian
chair of astronomy at Cambridge University, England. He
has also the honor of being the third son of the eminent
naturalist, Charles Darwin, whose investigations and writings
have made a new epoch in the scientific world, and is himself
a scientist of world-wide reputation, and an authority in his
special department. Prof. Darwin was married in Erie, July
22, 1884, to Miss Maud De Puy, by Rev. G. A. Carstensen, of St.
Paul's P. E. Church, at the house of her sister, Mrs. William

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY. 383
Spencer, No. 143 West Eighth Street, having an elegant en
tertainment and costly presents from friends on both sides of
the ocean. " The fair representative of America who has
drawn across the ocean this bearer of a distinguished name is
the daughter of Charles M. Du Puy, of Philadelphia, whose
Huguenot ancestors have been prominent in the past, and en
title him to the position he holds at the head of the Pennsyl
vania branch of the American Huguenot Society."
Prof. Jebb, above mentioned, in 1874, married the widow of
Lieut.-Col. Slemmer, U. S. A.,1 who is a sister of Maj. J. W.
Reynolds, Superintendent P. & E. R. R., and aunt of Mrs.
Darwin. Prof. Jebb has frequently visited our country. In
1892 he delivered the second annual course upon the founda
tion named the " Percy Trumbull Memorial Lectureship in
Poetry," by special invitation of Johns Hopkins University.
After completing the course on the Greek language and litera
ture there, a similar course was delivered in Chicago. Maj.
Reynolds and Mr. Spencer met him in Baltimore, and the
party occupied the private car of Vice-President Thompson
over the P. & E. road.
Of the published works of Prof. Jebb, "The Complete
Works of Sophocles" has received very many favorable
notices from reviewers. Other publications are "Theophrastus
Characters," "Modern Greece," "Life of Bentley," "Eras
mus," and many lectures.
Francis Newton Thorpe Yvas born in Swampscott, Essex
County, Massachusetts, April 15, 1857, and is descended from
Miles and Bose Standish, who were of the Mayflower com
pany. In 1865 Mr. Thorpe's parents moved into Erie County
and settled at Northeast. He passed through the public
schools of this place and in 1875 completed the four years'
course of study in the Lake Shore Seminary, an institution of
learning that flourished in Northeast from 1869 to 1883.
Among his class-mates in the county are Mr. A. E. Sission
and Mr. Walling, district attorneys ; and Mr. J. M. Force.
After graduation he began teaching in the High School at
i Gen. Slemmer was famed for saving Fort Pickens after the Federal
forces found it impossible to hold the Pensacola navy-yard. Pickens was
the one stronghold on the mainland from the Chesapeake to the Rio
Grande, over which the flag of the Union never ceased to float.

384 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY'.
Pleasantville, Pennsylvania, and continued his studies. A year
later he was elected teacher of the schools at Northeast and
soon after put in charge of them. By his efforts a course of
study was adopted which fits for college, and the schools soon
took high rank in the county. In 1880 he traveled in Europe.
Three years later he completed the post-graduate course in.
history at Syracuse University and received the degree of
Doctor of Philosophy from that institution. The subject of
his doctor's thesis was "The Federal Principle in American
Government." Having registered for the study of law in
1879, with Judge John P. Vincent, of Erie, Mr. Thorpe
entered Judge Vincent's law office in 1884, and in June, 1885,
was admitted to the bar. On the day of his admission he was
elected to the Fellowship in History and Political Science, in
the Wharton School, in the University of Pennsylvania, and
in September of that year he entered the law school of that
university and began special studies in American history
with John Bach MeMaster, the historian. 1886 he was re
elected fellow, and elected professor of History and Social
Science in the Central Manual Training School of Philadel
phia. In 1889 appeared his work entitled "The Government
of the People of the United States," designed as a text-book
on American institutions and which immediately was favora
bly received, passing through eight editions in the next four
years. In 1891 appeared his "Story of the Constitution,"
written for the Chautauqua Literary and Scientific Circle, and
in 1893 appeared his next work involving vast labor, entitled
"Benjamin Franklin and the University of Pennsylvania,"
printed by the government of the United States. This is a
critical account of Franklin as an educator, and of Franklin's
influence in the United States, together with the history of
the University of Pennsylvania (of which Franklin was the
founder) from 1740 to 1893.
While at Oxford University in 1880, Mr. Thorpe conceived
the idea of a school wholly devoted to the study and investi
gation of American history and institutions, and in 1886 he
entered upon the foundation of such a school at the Univer
sity of Pennsylvania. For five years he collected moneys,
books, rare MSS., and material for the equipment of such a

HISTORY' OF ERIE COUNTY. 385
school. It was a noble conception and it was successfully
carried out. In describing the schools in the history of the
University, Mr. Thorpe writes : " The school was established
in 1891 by the trustees of the university, as a result of the
cooperative labors of William Pepper, M.D., LL.D., Provost
of the University ; Joseph D. Potts, John B. Gest, and Hon.
S. W. Peunypacker, of the board of trustees ; Charles Elmer
Bushnell, Ferdinand J. Dreer, Hon. Thomas Cochran, Joseph
G. Rosengarten, Richard L. Austin, John Bach MeMaster,
and Francis Newton Thorpe." The library of the school is
specially rich in United States public documents, second in
completeness to the collection in the British Museum.
In 1891 he resigned the chair of history in the training
school and was elected professor of American Constitutional
History in the University of Pennsylvania. In 1889 he was
admitted to practice in the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania.
Since 1885 he has rapidly won distinction and recognition in
his chosen specialty, American constitutional history and law.
He is Yvidely known as a lecturer on these subjects and he has
written on them for The Century Magazine, The Atlantic, The
Chautauquan, and for numerous educational magazines. He
has been closely identified Yvith the growth of University Ex
tension in this country. He is a member of several learned
societies and is one of the council of the American Academy
of Social and Political Science.
His library of rare originals and works on State constitu
tional history is not surpassed by any of the kind in this
country. He spends a portion of his summers at Northeast, and takes
great interest in all pertaining to the history of Erie County.
He is fond of music, art and literature ; is a constant con
tributor to the press on questions of the day ; is fond of assist
ing young men in their educational efforts, and is identified
with many useful undertakings.
Rev. Cyrus Dickson, D.D., for eleven years one of the secre
taries of the Presbyterian Home Missionary Society, and one
of the most eloquent pulpit orators and successful pastors of our
country, was a native of Erie County. His father, Elder Wm.
Dickson, commenced life for himself in the southern part, and

386 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
in 1801 removed to the head of French Creek — afterwards to
the northeast township, one mile and a half from the lake.
Dr. Dickson was born Dec. 20, 1816. His mother was Christina
Moorhead, daughter of James and Catherine Moorhead.
Though quiet and unassuming, " she was a woman of princi
ple and of conscience, and in some things much in advance
of her neighbors." Her heroic conduct at a barn-raising in
her husband's absence has been much and deservedly
published, and resulted in generally banishing spirits on such
occasions. Dr. Dickson graduated at Jefferson College, and
was licensed to preach by Erie Presbytery in 1839. His first
pastorate was at Franklin, Venango County. In 1848 he
had a call to Wheeling, West Virginia, where he remained
until 1856, when he was installed in the Westminster
Church of Baltimore. After his appointment as secre
tary in 1870 he with his family resided in New Y'ork. He
was married in 1840 to Miss Delia McConnell, of Girard, Pa.
In 1858 he received the honorary degree of Doctor of Divinity
from Washington College. His continuous labors made re
laxation desirable, and he planned a journey abroad, but the
disorded state of that country prevented traveling in Pales
tine. In 1877 he attended as a delegate the Pan-Presbyterial
Council, in Edinburgh, Scotland. Dr. Dickson was permanent
clerk of the General Assembly from the reunion of the Old
and New School branches until his decease, September 11, 1881.
William Wallace, Esq.,& brother of Dr. J. C. Wallace, the
first burgess of Erie, was a lawyer of prominence who came
to Erie from Harrisburg in 1800, as the attorney for the
Pennsylvania Population Company. He married in 1803
Rachel, daughter of Dr. A. Forrest, who died in Erie in 1804.
In 1806, he married Eleanor Maclay, of Harrisburg, and re
turned there to reside in 1810. He resumed his profession, was
elected the first president of the old Harrisburg Bank, and
Yvas burgess of Harrisburg at the time of his death. He was a
polite, urbane man, of slight frame and concise address. His
only daughter, Mary Eleanor, married Rev. W. R. De Witt,
D. D., long the pastor of the Presbyterian church of Harris
burg. Dr. William M. Wallace, the prominent physician of
Erie, and Irwin M. Wallace, Esq., his sons, were among our

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY'. 387
most valued citizens for over half a century. Miss Julia A.
W. De Witt, a grandchild, is the author of " How he made his
Fortune," and "Life's Battle Won," and is a frequent and
able contributor to church papers, Rev. John De Witt, D.D., a
professor of Princeton Theological Seminary, and the gifted
preacher is also a grandson.
The Wallace and Heron families in the Army and Navy.
By Elizabeth Pollock, a descendant. (By request.)
Mr. Benjamin Wallace was in the War of the Revolution ;
was born in 1727, and died in 1803.
Dr. John C. Wallace was a Surgeon in the U. S. Army,
came to Erie with Gen. Wayne, and resigned to settle here.
Benjamin Wallace (brother of Dr. J. C. Wallace), was a
Major in the U. S. Army, commissioned in 1813.
James Gordon Heron was in the War of the Revolution,
and afterward was a Major in the U. S. Army.
Margaret Heron married Dr. John C. Wallace, of the army.
Hannah Heron married Capt. Daniel S. Dexter, of the U.
S. Navy. After his death she married Maj. Nelson, of the U.
S. Army.
Nancy Heron married Lieut. Hopson, of the U. S. Army.
Jane Wallace (daughter of Margaret Heron) married Capt.
Otis Wheeler, of the U. S. Army.
Hannah Foster, (daughter of Jane Heron) married Gen.
Crosman, of the U. S. Army.
Hannah Irvine (daughter of Mary Ann Heron) married
Lieut. Cutts, of the U. S. Army.
Otis W. Pollock (grandson of Margaret Heron Wallace), is
a captain in the Twenty-third Infantry, U. S. Army.
Alexander Crosman (grandson of Jane Heron Foster) was
lieutenant in the U. S. Navy.
Frederick Crosman (grandson of Jane Heron Foster) was
lieutenant in the U. S. Army.
Mary E. Cutts (granddaughter of Mary Ann Heron Irvine)
married Col. William Craig, of the U. S. Army.
Calvin De Witt (grandson of William Wallace, who was
a brother of Dr. J. C. Wallace and Benjamin Wallace) is a
Surgeon in the U. S. Army.
Lieut. S. K. Allen, U. S. N., and grandson of Col. Ethan

388 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
Allen married Miss Eleanor Wallace, daughter of J. M. Wal
lace, Esq.
All these I have mentioned were in the regular service of
the United States, but when it comes to volunteer and militia
service, a much larger list could be named.
Benjamin Wallace, son of Dr. J. C. Wallace, was a volunteer
in the army of Texas, with the rank of major, in 1835 and
1836, when Texas fought for her independence from Mexico.
He was taken prisoner by the Mexicans, and by the order of
Santa Anna was, with other prisoners, shot in cold blood, at
the massacre of Goliad.
Charles Crozat Converse, the son of Manning Converse, and
grandson of Jacob, [whose distinction it was to unite, by
his marriage, the lines of the Winthrop and Robinson settle
ments in America, as, after graduation from Brown University
in 1790 he married Miss Ellen Robinson, of Plymouth, Mass.,
of the family of the Puritan leader, and whose ancestress,
of the same name, was an heir of Capt. Miles Standish] is
well known by his contributions to general literature and
his success in his profession of the law. He also ranks as one
of America's leading orchestral composers. " While pursuing
his literary and legal studies in Germany, he took a course
of instruction in musical composition under the great harmo
nist Richter, and his professional confreres, at Leipsic. Spohr,
Mr. Converse's orchestral mentor, Liszt, and other composers
highly praised his orchestral works, which embrace overtures,
symphonies, cantatas, etc. His "American Concert Over
ture," for full orchestra, was played at the Boston Peace
Jubilee, it being chosen from thirty works there offered. His
" Im Frueling" has been played several times in New York
under the direction of Theodore Thomas, and his "Psalm
Cantata," on the 126th Psalm was performed at the concert of
the Music Teachers' National Convention in Chicago, July
1888, under the same direction. The American overture on
"Hail Columbia," which was played at the World's Fair
on the Fourth of July, was enthusiastically received. The
Overture numbers fifty-eight printed pages. Its singular his
toric value concerning the formation of a school of American
music is recognized by the purchase of its score, and the first

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY. 389
proof copy of it in print for preservation with the collection of
Columbia mementos now being formed in Chicago.
It was after examining this work that Spohr, Mr. Converse's
musical mentor, made the notable prophecy that " If its com
poser devotes himself to musical composition, America need
not look to Europe for Yvorks of the higher class."
" The words and music of Charles Crozat Converse's Ameri
can national hymn, 'God for Us,' was one of the many spe
cial features of the Mail and Express souvenir Washington
centennial edition to-day. This noble hymn is growing
steadily in popularity and frequently makes its appearance at
national and patriotic celebrations. It possesses every essen
tial for a national song and has become a favorite in Grand
Army circles. The Mail and Express printed 250,000 copies
of ' God for Us ' for its centennial souvenir."— A merican Art
Journal. The popular hymn " What a Friend we have in Jesus" has
been translated into many languages and may be heard in
strange lands.
Mr. Converse married Miss Lida Lewis, of Alabama, on
January 14, 1858. Their only child and son, Clarence, is known
as an author, his articles being published in Youth's Com
panion, Little Men and Women of Boston, Argosy, Godey's
Magazine, The World, etc., and occasionally in Philadelphia
and Chicago papers. He has been urged by New York critics
to devote himself entirely to parlor comedies, and has been
highly praised as a dramatic writer. He would seem " to in
herit literary gifts which have marked his illustrious line, in
which the names of Rev. Dr. Thomas Carter and Count Rum-
ford are conspicuous."
Because of Mr. Converse's devotion to philology he has been
engaged to assist Rev. Mr. Gregory, editor-in-chief of the
"Standard Dictionary" now preparing, in that line of musical
definition with which he is especially familiar.
A synopsis of a paper adopted and put upon record by
the Presbytery of Erie. Taken from the Memoir by Rev.
A. H. Caughey, Ph. D. :
Samuel John Mills Eaton was born at Fairview, Erie County,
Pa., April 15, 1820. His father, Rev. Johnston Eaton, was

390 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
one of the pioneers, and his mother, Eliza Cannon, was of the ,
family that founded Cannonsburg, Pa., the seat of Jefferson
College. He was educated partly at home and at Erie
Academy, and entered the sophomore class at Jefferson Col
lege in 1842, graduating in 1845, being esteemed the finest
essayist of his class. He spent three years at the Western
Theological Seminary, and Yvas licensed by the Presbytery of
Erie in 1848. The same year he was ordained and called to
succeed Bev. Cyrus Dickson at the churches of Franklin and
Mt. Pleasant. November 5, 1850, he was married to Miss
Clara J. Howe, who still survives, and in 1855 he devoted his
whole time to the church of Franklin, which was his
only pastorate, continuing there thirty-four years, until Feb
ruary, 1882. When he commenced his work there the church
had 74 members ; when he resigned the last name on the roll
was numbered 772. During the revival of 1867, 111 persons
were added to the church on examination. In 1869 Washing
ton and Jefferson College gave him the title of Doctor of
Divinity. In 1871 he visited Europe and the East, devoting
himself particularly to the study of the Holy Land, and after
wards published the result of his observations under the titles
of " Jerusalem " and " Palestine." He became stated clerk of
the Presbytery of Erie in 1853, and held the position through
life, and for many years held the same position in the old
Synod of Erie. He was a member of the Board of Trustees of
Washington and Jefferson College, and of the Western
Theological Seminary. Was appointed chairman of a com
mittee to investigate the workings of the Presbyterian Board
of Publication, and made a valuable report to the Assembly
in 1886. Dr. Eaton was identified Yvith Chautauqua from
its commencement, and at his death held the largest num
ber of seals for courses of study mastered of any Chautau-
quan. He lectured there on "Palestine and Jerusalem," and
Yvas also a popular and valuable author. His works were
"History of Petroleum," "History of the Presbytery of
Erie," "Lakeside," "Ecclesiastical History of Centennial Mis
sionary Work," " Memorial of Dr. Cyrus Dickson," " Chapters
in the History of Venango County, Pennsylvania," "Bio
graphical Catalogues," etc.

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY*. 391
Dr. Eaton died suddenly at his home in Franklin July 16,
1889. It would be difficult to overestimate the character
and work of Dr. Eaton. He was preeminently a manly man
and a noble Christian.
Dr. Thomas Hastings Robinson, professor of Sacred Rhet
oric, Church Government, and Pastoral Theology, in the
Western Theological Seminary, at Allegheny, was born Jan
uary 30, 1828, in Northeast township, Erie County. He
graduated at Oberlin College, Ohio, in 1850 ; taught in public
and select schools — was principal of the Academy at Ashta
bula, Ohio, and was for six months principal of the Normal
School at Farmington. He entered the Western Theological
Seminary in 1851 and graduated in 1854, receiving a call soon
after as colleague pastor of the Market Square Presbyterian
church at Harrisburg, Pa., Dr. William R. De Witt, pastor,
and was ordained and installed January 21, 1855, by the
Presbytery of Harrisburg. After Rev. Dr. De Witt's with
drawal in 1864, and his decease in 1867, Dr. Robinson con
tinued in sole charge of the church, a pastorate of thirty
years, until his resignation to accept of the professorship
at Allegheny.
Rev. Dr. Robinson in 1856 married Mary Wolf Buehler,
daughter of Henry Buehler and Anna Margaretta, only
daughter of Governor Wolf of Pennsylvania. We find also in
"Pennsylvania Genealogies" Scotch-Irish and German, that
Thomas Robinson, the father of Rev. Dr. Robinson, married
Mary McCord, whose father, William McCord, removed to
Erie County in the early days, and died there in 1806. The
Blaines and Mooreheads were from central Pennsylvania, set
tling east of Erie, and their descendants formed a large com
munity of thrifty and intelligent farmers, organizing two
Presbyterian churches. Annie-Robinson Tuttle married, in
Northeast in 1885, William H. Jeffers, D.D., LL.D., professor
of Old Testament Literature, Ecclesiastical History, etc., in
the Western Theological Seminary, Allegheny, Pa. JohnF.,
David, William, several of the brothers went to Pittsburg
about 1850 and formed the banking firm of Robinson Brothers,
now for many years well known, honored, and successful.
Albion Winegar Tour gee, Ph.D., LL.D., American author

392 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
and jurist, was born at Williamsfield, Ohio, May 2, 1838. He
studied at Rochester University, 1859-61, then entered the
Union Army as private in the Twenty-seventh N. Y. V. I. ;
was severely wounded at battle of Bull Run, in consequence
of which he was discharged from the ser\'ice ; in 1862 was
commissoned Lieutenant of Co. G., One Hundred and Fifth
O. V. I. ; resigned in 1864 on account of wounds ; on editorial
staff of the Erie Dispatch, and principal of Erie Academy,
1864-5. Removed to Greensboro, North Carolina, in 1865 ; was
a member of the North Carolina Constitutional Conventions-
of 1868 and 1875 ; was one of the commission to codify and
revise the State laws. Was elected Judge of the Superior
Court of the State in 186S, and held that position until 1874.
Was editor of The Continent Magazine, New York, 1882-4.
Has been a professor of the Buffalo Law School since 1889. Is
the author of several professional works, — "The Code with
Notes" (North Carolina) 1878; "A Digest of Cited Cases"
(North Carolina) 1879 ; " Statutory Decisions of the North Car
olina Beports," 1879. Is the author of the folloYving novels :
"Toinette" (now entitled "A Royal Gentleman ") 1874 ; "A
Fool's Errand," 1879; "Figs and Thistles," 1879; "Bricks
without Straw," 1880 ; " John Eax," 1882 ; " Hot Plowshares,"
1883 ; "Black Ice," 1885 ; " Button's Inn," 1887 ; " With Gauge
and Swallow," 1889; " Pactolus Prime, " 1890; " Murvale
Eastman," 1891; "A Son of Old Harry," 1892; "Out of the
Sunset Sea," 1893. Author also of the following miscellaneous
books : " An Appeal to Csesar," 1884 ; " The Veteran and His
Pipe," 1885; "Letters to a King," 1887. Since 1880, his resi
dence has been at Mayville, on Lake Chautauqua, Chautau
qua County, N. Y.
The Rt. Rev. John Franklin Spalding, D.D., the second
Missionary Bishop of Colorado and first Bishop of the
diocese of Colorado, was born in Belgrade, Maine, August
25, 1828. He graduated from Bowdoin, 1853 ; the Gen
eral Theological Seminary, 1857. He was ordered deacon
at St. Stephen's, Portland, Maine, July 8, 1857, by Bishop
Burgess, by whom, also, he was advanced to the priest
hood July 14, 1858, in Christ church, Gardiner, Maine. He
was missionary at St. James' church, Old Town, Maine, for

<ui~. n-. #•• at^ui^A^f/ii.rji,

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY. 393
two years, afterwards successively rector of St. George's
church, Lee, Mass., assistant minister Grace church, Provi
dence, B. I., and rector of St. Paul's church, Erie, Pa., until
his eleY'ation to the Episcopate. He was consecrated in that
church, December 31, 1873, by Bishop McCoskry, assisted by
Bishops Bedell, Talbot, Coxe and Kerfoot. Upon the erection
of the jurisdiction into a diocese he became its diocesan.
His bishopric included Colorado, Wyoming, and New Mex
ico. In 1874 he seconded the letting off of New Mexico, in
1886 of Wyoming, in 1892 of Western Colorado. In 1880 the
Cathedral in Denver was built— in 1886 Mathews Hall— in 1S8S
JarY'is Hall and Wolf Hall. These are the Divinity School,
the schools for boys and for girls. The two former were at
first located in Golden, but in 1878 were destroyed by fire. St.
Luke's Hospital was founded in 1881 and its present fine build
ings were erected in 1891. The growth of his work has fairly
kept pace with that of the country. The diocese of Colorado
was formed in 1887 and admitted into union with the General
Convention in 1889 and is one of the leading dioceses of the
West. Bishop Spalding has published various works, the prin
cipal ones are: "The Church and its Apostolic Ministry,"
"The Best Mode of Working a Parish" and "Jesus Christ
the proof of Christianity."
In 1864 he was married in Erie to Lavina D., daughter of J.
C. Spencer, Esq. Mrs. Spaulding's services for the church,
in the Bible class and mother's meetings are well known, and
by reason of her persevering efforts she will eY'er be indentified
with St. Luke's Hospital in Denver. — Partly from The Church
Standard, June 10, 1893.
John H. W. Stuckenberg, D.D., member of the Philosoph
ical Society of Berlin, etc., was born in Bramsche, Germany,
January 6, 1835 ; came to the United States at the age of four ;
graduated in the classical and theological departments of
Wittenberg College, and studied in the University of Halle,
Germany, from the autumn of 1859 till the spring of 1861, de-
Y'oting his attention chiefly to theology and philosophy. Re
turning to the United States, he became the first pastor of the
English Lutheran church of Erie in 1861. When the One
Hundred and Forty-fifth Regiment of Pennsylvania Volun-

394 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
teers was formed he Yvas appointed chaplain, joining the regi
ment in September, 1862, on the battlefield of Antietam, Yvhere
some days were spent in the burial of the dead. He was with
the regiment in the battles of Fredericksburg, Chancellors
ville and Gettysburg. The church in Erie being in urgent
need of his services, he resigned his position as chaplain after
being thirteen months in the army. At that time but few of
the original members of the brave regiment were at the front,
having suffered terribly in the battles mentioned, particularly
during the heroic charges at Fredericksburg and Gettysburg.
After returning to Erie in the autumn of 1863 he took an
active interest in the religious and public affairs of Erie. He
resigned his pastorate in 1865 and returned to Germany to
study in the universities of Gottingen, Berlin, and Tiibingen,
remaining abroad eighteen months. After supplying a pulpit
in Indianapolis he organized the Messiah Lutheran church in
Pittsburg, and was called to Wittenberg College in 1873 as
professor of sacred philology. Being anxious to devote him
self more fully to a specialty than was possible in this position,
he resigned in 1880 and returned to Berlin for the purpose
of using the royal library. Soon after his arrrival the man
agement of the American Chapel was committed to him,
and in 1887 he organized the American Church of Berlin, of
which he is still pastor. This church is a union of different
denominations, and is attended largely by American students
in Berlin. Besides his work in behalf of this church he has
kept up his studies and has been engaged in literary pursuits.
Among the works published by him are the following :
"History of the Augsburg Confession," "Christian Sociol
ogy," " Life of Immanuel Kant," "The Final Science," " In
troduction to the Study of Philosophy," "The Age and the
Church." In German he wrote : " Grundprobleme in Hume."
For a number of years he conducted the European department
of the Homiletic Review. He has also been an extensive con
tributor to the Andover Review, Our Day, and numerous other
journals in America and England. He has retained his deep
interest in Erie, and numbers many of its citizens as his warm
friends. In his various labors he has been efficiently aided by
his cultivated wife, a daughter of Henry Gingrich, of Erie.

c^^*^^ ^y(CL

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY. 395
Artemas Martin, M.A., Ph.D., LL.D., the subject of this
sketch, Yvas born August 3, 1835, in Steuben County, New
York. He is the only son of James Madison Martin and
Orenda Knight (Bradley) Martin.
In 1837 his parents removed to Pennsylvania, and for many
years resided near Franklin, Venango County.
He had no schooling in his early boyhood except a little pri
mary instruction while very young, and from that time until
in his fourteenth year he was never in a schoolroom as a pupil,
but had learned reading, writing, and geography at home, but
knew nothing of arithmetic. In his fifteenth year he com
menced the study of arithmetic in Dr. Daniel Adams'
Scholar's Arithmetic, but did not master the four rules of
addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division the first
Yvinter. He attended district schools three winters, com
mencing the study of algebra the last winter. When seven
teen years of age he attended a select school in Franklin for
six months, studying algebra, geometry, natural philosophy,
and chemistry, walking two and one half miles night and
morning. Three years afterwards he attended the Franklin
Academy about two months and a half, studying algebra and
trigonometry. This, at the age of twenty, finished his
schooling. He taught district schools four winters in Ve
nango County. In summer he usually worked at farming,
and studied mathematics during his spare moments — evenings
and rainy days. He also worked in the oil regions at drilling
oil wells — mostly in the winter.
Early in 1869 Mr. Martin removed with his parents to Erie
County, Pennsylvania, and resided near Erie and in that city
until he went to Washington, D. C, in October, 1885.
He began his mathematical career when in his eighteenth
year by contributing solutions of problems to the Pittsburg
Almanac, and soon afterward contributed problems to the
" Riddler Column" of the Philadelphia Saturday Evening
Post, and was one of its' principal contributors for about
twenty years. In the summer of 1864 he commenced con
tributing problems and solutions to Clark's School Visitor,
afterwards Our Schoolday Visitor, published in Philadelphia.
In June, 1870, he took charge of the " Stairway Department"

396 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY".
as editor, the mathematical part of which he had in fact con
ducted for some years before. He continued in charge as
mathematical editor till the magazine was sold to Scribner &
Co. in the spring of 1875 and merged into St. Nicholas.
In September, 1875, Mr. Martin was chosen editor of a de
partment of higher mathematics in the Normal Monthly,
published at Millersville, Pennsylvania, by Prof. Edward
Brooks, and held the position until the Monthly was discon
tinued in August, 1876. He published in the Normal Monthly
a series of sixteen articles on the Diophantine Analysis, the
most extensive that had been published in this country.
In the spring of 1877 he issued the first number of his
Mathematical Visitor, Yvhich he still publishes at irregular
intervals. In January, 1882, he issued the first number of his
Mathematical Magazine, which he continues to publish.
Although he had never served an hour as apprentice in a
printing office to learn the " art preservative," he has done all
the type-setting for his publications except for the first three
numbers of the Visitor and part of the last page of Vol. I.,
No. 2, of the Magazine, and has printed several numbers of the
Visitor and one of the Magazine on a self-inking lever press,
only 6J by 10 inches inside of chase. The numbers he has
printed are considered by competent judges to rank among
the finest specimens of mathematical printing ever executed.
In June, 1881, he was elected professor of mathematics in
the Normal School at Warrensburg, Missouri, but did not
accept the position.
His ability and achievements in the science of mathematics
have been recognized by three colleges which have conferred
on him honorary degrees ; Yale College giving him the degree
of M.A. in 1877 ; Rutgers College, Ph.D., in 1882 ; and Hills
dale College, LL.D., in 1885.
In 1878 he was chosen a member of the London Mathemati
cal Society ; in 1884, member of the Soci6te Mathematique de
France ; in 1885, member of the Edinburgh Mathematical So
ciety ; in 1886, member of the Philosophical Society of Wash
ington ; in 1889, member, and in 1890, fellow of the American
Association for the Advancement of Science; and in 1891,
member of the New York Mathematical Society.

HISTORY* OF ERIE COUNTY. 397
In November, 1885, through the influence of Hon. William
L. Scott, Dr. Martin was appointed to a position in the office
of the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey, and has
since resided in Washington, D. C.
Dr. Martin has contributed mathematical problems, solu
tions, and papers, to the Analyst, published at Des Moines,
Iowa ; to the Annals of Mathematics (successor to the
Analyist) ; to the Illinois Teacher (1865-1867) ; to the Iowa In
structor (1865-1867) ; to the National Educator; to the Yates
County Chronicle ; to Barnes' Educationcd Monthly ; to Edu
cational Notes and Queries; to the Wittenberger (1876-1880);
to the Maine Farmers' Almanac; and to the Mathematical
Monthly, published over thirty years ago. He contributed to
the Wittenberger (1877-1879) a series of thirteen articles on
"Average," believed to be the first articles on that subject
published in this country.
Dr. Martin has also contributed to the following English
mathematical periodicals : The Lady's and Gentleman's Diary
(1868-1871) ; the Messenger of Mathematics ; the Educational
Times and its Reprints (1868-) ; and the Quarterly Journal of
Pure and Applied Mathematics. The Reprint contains a
large number of his solutions of difficult " average " and
"probability" problems.
Outside of the time devoted to editing and printing his
magazines, Dr. Martin devoted himself for some years to culti
vating vegetables and conducting a market-garden near Erie,
Pa., and was a regular attendant at the Erie market. He
was careful to plant only the best varieties, and prized his
skill and reputation as a gardener as highly as he did his fame
as a mathematician.
Dr. Martin is not a graduate of any institution of learning,
and is almost wholly self-taught. He has a large and valuable
mathematical library containing rare and interesting works.
His collection of American arithmetics and algebras is one of
the largest priY'ate collections in the country.
He has also a large miscellaneous library, including many
early and scarce school books, among which is a large collec
tion of English grammars.
Rev. G. W. Chamberlain, D.D., was born in Waterford, Pa.,

398 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
in 1839. He was educated at Delaware College, and afterwards
at Princeton, but was obliged to give up study on account of a
difficulty with his eyes. He went to Brazil in 1862, not intend
ing to enter missionary work, but the condition of the ignorant
people so appealed to him, he has remained, and was licensed
by the Presbytery of Rio. He is a missionary of the Presby
terian Board, and has organized many schools and churches
at Sao Paulo, Bahia and Rio Janeiro, and has been remarkably
successful in his field of labor. He is also an able and interest
ing contributor to our missionary magazines. A sister also
went with him in 1876, purposing to teach, but her health
failed after two or three years and she returned. His oldest
daughter has lately joined the mission under appointment of
the Board. The Rev. Pierce Chamberlain, long pastor of the
Presbyterian Church of Waterford, was his father.
The author of "One Little Injun," Miss Margaret Emma
Ditto, of Wellesley, Massachusetts, was born in Nunda,
Livingston County, N. Y., about the time the Genesee Valley
Canal had its inception. Her father had the contract for
building that canal, and moved his family from New York
City into the then far west of the State, where they resided
some years. In 1861 Miss Ditto graduated at Mt. Holyoke
Seminary (now college), and came to teach in Erie Academy
about 1866, where she remained nine years. In her own
words, "Hundreds of Erie boys and girls passed through
my hands, and I hope are none the Yvorse for it. I remember
them all." We can say we do not doubt but they all remem
ber her with the greatest affection. Since that time her chief
interest has been in writing for the press, and she is best
known as a Yvriter of short stories for boys. These have ap
peared in the Youth's Companion, The Independent, and The
Congregationalism At one time she wrote quite regularly for
Harper's Young People, and some for the Bazaar and the
Weekly. She says : "I have also done some humerous writ
ing, besides my Indian tracts and Bible studies. I prefer the
Bible studies, and I feel that to make known the facts and
principles of the Bible is the only permanent use to which
literary talent can be put. Life seems a very deep reality to
me, and those things which do not make for eternal life do

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY. 399
not seem to me worth living for. I have studied the Bible
a good deal, and I find that it is a scheme of truth in Yvhich if
we abide the Yvorld and all its doings become belittled almost
to extinction. I have a deep conviction that the end of the
age is near at hand when our Lord will return in glory to
reign, and this truth drives out others, and I cannot write on
common themes with zest." Of her humerous writings she
says: "They were like foam on the water — a sparkle and
gone. They were in the papers under a good many different
signatures ; as during some years I wrote not under my own
name. But Harper used to advertise or notice them as hum
erous, and I believe had the idea to bring me out in that line.
But I hardly think I shall write any more such."
Mr. William C. Kelso, deceased in April, 1892. As a life
long resident of Erie, the senior member of the bar and the
oldest communicant of St. Paul's Episcopal church, his form
was well known and his name a household word. As the
youngest and sole surviving member of the historic family
of Gen. Kelso, whose coming to Erie County was almost
identical with its settlement, there was an added interest,
especially as his own life had almost bridged the century and
his career had been cotemporary with three generations. He
was the youngest of seven children of Gen. John and Sarah
(Carson) Kelso, and born in Erie about seventy-nine years ago.
Gen. Kelso came with his family from Cumberland County in
1798, and to the town of Erie in 1806. He made his home in
the square west of State and north of Second Street, where
his house and grounds were long a conspicuous landmark,
especially as they were adorned by choice vines and shrubs for
the first time introduced by them when the family came to
Erie. Gen. Kelso was a large landowner and conspicuous,
patriotic citizen. He was Associate Judge, Prothonotary,
Recorder, and Commissioner of Sales. In the War of 1812 he
was brigadier general in active command in charge of the
place in repelling invasion and guarding the frontier, espe
cially during the construction of Perry's fleet. He died in
1819, and his widow in 1842. On the 10th of May, 1839,
W. C, Kelso was admitted to the bar, after studying with his
brother-in-law, Mr. Babbitt. Subsequently he formed a part-

400 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY*.
nership with that renowned lawyer, by which Arm a large
practice was successfully conducted. In 1862 he was ap
pointed an assistant United States Assessor of the nineteenth
collection district of Pennsylvania, and rendered efficient
and conscientious service in that important office. After
the close of his official duties he never resumed active practice
to much extent. He was for probably half a century assidu
ous and untiring in the discharge of his church duties. These
were his life work. As warden, vestryman, and secretary
of St. Paul's Episcopal church he was conspicuous. The
two latter positions he occupied till his death. Not only
was he the oldest member of the church, but as regular in
attendance on Sunday and at the week-day services as the
rector himself.
Ernest Ingersoll, the naturalist and author, is the son of
Dr. Timothy Dwight Ingersoll, of Erie, but was born at
Monroe, Mich., March 13, 1852. His taste for natural history
was apparent when a lad, and caused him to pursue the study,
in spite of obstacles. After a desultory course at Oberlin,
he became by his own exertions a student in the Musuem
of Comparative ZoOlogy at Harvard, where he made a special
study of birds, and supplemented this with a season's work at
Prof. Agassiz's seaside school on Penikese Island. After
Prof. Agassiz's death in 1874, Mr. Ingersoll was appointed to a
position on the United States Geological Survey as naturalist
and collector, exploring the remotest parts of the southern
Rocky Mountains. This appointment was received through
the influence of his friend, Prof. S. T. Baird, secretary of the
Smithsonian Institute. His work in popular science is, per
haps, best known through his collected essays, "Friends Worth
Knowing," and "Country Cousins," and the two volumes,
"Old Ocean," and "Birds Nesting." "The Ice Queen" and
" Silver Caves " are bright examples of success in the difficult
rOle of story telling for young people. He has written also a
number of excellent guidebooks ; one on the Canadian West
is worthy of a more dignified classification, as it embodies
large study and experience which he acquired while in charge
of the advertising business of the Canadian Pacific Bailway
in 1887 and 1888. He has delivered many lectures, been for

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY. 401
many years correspondent of the London Field, and has done
a large amount of unsigned work. Mr. Ingersoll lives in New
York City, and is at present one of the editors of the " Stan
dard Dictionary," attending to the department of Zdology,
and having charge of the illustration of that great work. He
is assisted by his daughter Helen, who excels as a botanist
and an artist.
Dr. Timothy Dwight Ingersoll was born in Lee, Mass., July
4, 1817, but removed with his parents to northern Ohio. His
father, Theo. Ingersoll, was a leading citizen and abolition"
ist, and one of the founders of Oberlin College. His mother,
Lydia B. Ingersoll, died at her home in Berea, O., July 25,
1893, at the advanced age of one hundred years and nine
months. Dr. Ingersoll is a direct descendant (being in the
fifth generation) of the celebrated divine and metaphysician,
Dr. Johathan Edwards, who was born in Windsor County,
Connecticut, in 1703. He entered the dental profession in 1850,
married Miss Eliza Parkinson, and returned to Erie in 1876.
Dr. and Mrs. Ingersoll, Prof. G. F. Guttenberg, and Mr. J.
Miller founded the Erie "Natural History Society," which has
been a nucleus of thought and inspiration here for several
years. Dr. T. D. Ingersoll's essays and frequent newspaper
articles on scientific subjects and descriptions of scenery in our
locality, some of which are found in this work, have awakened
much interest. His skill as a dentist has not only been recog
nized at home, but has a wider reputation through his articles
in the dental journals.
The Rev. William M. Blackburn, D.D., author of several in
teresting Yvorks, now President of Pierre College, Dakota, was
the first settled pastor of Park church.
Rev. Kemper Fullerton has been appointed provisional in
structor in Hebrew and Greek in Lane Theological Seminary
at Cincinnati, O., and becomes the successor of Prof. Henry
Preserved Smith, D.D. He is the second Erie boy to attain such
a position among the instructors of the Presbyterian church,
Rev. Augustus S. Carrier having for two or three years filled
the like professorship of Hebrew in McCormick Theological
Seminary at Chicago, after a like high grade of scholarship at
Union Seminary, and a like post-graduate period of study

402 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY*.
in Europe. Erie may justly be proud of two who have at
tained such honorable positions. Both are sons of former well
beloved Erie pastors, Bev. A. H. Carrier, D.D., having been
pastor of the First Presbyterian church, and Bev. Thomas
Fullerton, D.D., of the Park church. " Erie, Pa , May 11, 1893.
" To the Editor of the Dispatch.
"I find in the May number of the Literary Northwest, pub
lished simultaneously at St. Paul, Minneapolis and New York,
several poetic contributions from W. R. Perkins, son of R. L.
Perkins of this city. They are entitled ' Song of the Lily, '
'Song of the Rose,' and 'Song,' each beautiful in thought
and tender and smooth in expression. Indeed, they evince
true poetic feeling, serving to show on the part of Mr. Perkins
rich gifts in this direction.
"Mrs. Mary J. Reid gives in the same number of the Liter
ary Northwest a finely rendered criticism upon Mr. Perkins as
a poet of true genius and growing reputation. ' Eleusis and
Lesser Herns ' of Mr. Perkins, issued in the form of a modern
volume, are critically and eulogistically reviewed, and the
author awarded distinction, not as a magazine writer of Y'erses
to catch the multitudes with rhymes that touch simply upon
passing events, but a poet who has for years studied his art
with a high and lofty aim.
"It may be added that William L. Perkins Yvas born in
Erie in 1847 ; was graduated in 1868 at Western Reserve Col
lege, Ohio, teaching thereafter in his alma mater, and devoting
his spare hours to the study of law. In 1879 he was appointed
assistant professor at Cornell University, N. Y. , Yvhere he re
mained six years. At the expiration of that period he went
to Europe, where he attended the Universities of Berlin and
Bonn. Upon his return, he was called, to the chair of history
in the State University of Iowa, Iowa City, a position he still
holds. In 1888 he was elected delegate of the Eighth Cente
nary of the University of Bologna, Italy, thus visiting Europe
a second time."
" The several narratives of the resurrection of Christ as con
fined to the day on which he rose from the dead, in which
some have supposed discrepancies to exist, and used them to

HISTORY' OF ERIE COUNTY'. 403
discredit the truthfulness of the testimony, and to bring in
question the inerrant inspiration of the gospels, have been
clearly harmonized by a little work, the mechanical execution
of which is equal to the beauty of the literary style, written
by Rufus Lord Perkins, an elder in the Park church at Erie,
Pa. The closing pages of this book contain some forcible
thoughts specially adapted to the present, when the plenary in
spiration of the Scripture is denied by some within the pale of
the Christian church, and the authority of the Bible is put on
a level with fallible reason and a fallible church, leaving no
solid footing for a soul that turns an anxious gaze toward the
solemn future." — New York Correspondence.
Samuel Gustine Thompson, appointed by Gov. Pattison
to fill the vacancy on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court bench
caused by the resignation of Chief Justice Paxson, has been- a
prominent member of the Philadelphia bar for thirty years,
being a superior corporative lawyer. He was born in Frank
lin, in 1837, his father being judge of the Court of Common
Pleas in Venango County. Judge James Thompson was
elected to the Supreme bench in 1858 where he officiated for
fifteen years, the last six as Chief Justice. The family re
moved to Philadelphia upon the election of the father to the
Supreme Court, and there the son, who had graduated at the
Erie Academy, and made himself proficient in several modern
languages, took a partial course at the University of Pennsyl
vania, studied law and was admitted to practice in 1861. He
is a director of the Philadelphia & Erie Railway Company.
Judge James Thompson died suddenly in 1874, Yvhile making
an argument before the Supreme Court. — Condensed from
American Press Association.
A Dispatch reporter was told recently by a resident of Erie
that in the summer of 1845 he met Rev. Nathaniel and
Mrs. Snowden, grandparents of Col. J. Ross Thompson. Mr.
Snowden then stated that he heard the old bell ring on
the 4th of July, 1776, as independence was proclaimed from
Independence Hall, Philadelphia. At the same interview he
learned that Mrs. Snowden was among those who escaped —
as a child in her mother's arms— at the Wyoming massacre a
little later.

404 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
Mr. and Mrs. Snowden were then visiting the family of
their daughter, Mrs. Judge Thompson, at the corner of Ninth
and State streets. The aged minister and the genial old lady
were clear in their recollection and positive and entertaining
in their statements of the thrilling events each had witnessed.
Their memories bridged a longer period than the nation's life.
Each survived for some years and witnessed not only the mar
velous advance of the State but the leading positions taken by
various members of their family in both judicial and legisla
tive, in the federal and State service. Judge Samuel G.
Thompson, of the Supreme Court, and A. Loudon SnoYvden,
minister to Greece, are also grandsons of the same persons.
Judge Thompson was Chief Justice of Pennsylvania and J.
Ross Snowden Treasurer and Director of the United States
mint. Erie has been visited by nine Presidents of the United States,
viz : William H. Harrison in 1813, as General of the Western
Army, in company with Com. Perry, immediately after the
battle of Lake Erie ; James Buchanan in 1840, to speak at a
political convention ; Ex-President John Q. Adams being on a
steamer, tarried from 7 o'clock to 9, and was welcomed by
Hon. T. H. Sill in the name of the citizens ; President Zach-
ary Taylor making a journey for recreation on the lakes, be
came too ill to proceed farther, and remained ten days at the
residence of Dr. W. M. Wood, of the U. S. Navy ; Vice-Presi
dent Fillmore, whose home was in Buffalo, came up to meet
him and remained for a day ; Gov. Johnson, of Pennsylvania,
Surgeon Ward, and Col. Bliss of the army accompanied him
in his travels, which he was obliged to abandon and return
to Washington, where he died in less than a year. Stephen
A. Douglass visited Erie when he was a candidate and made a
speech in the West Park. President Lincoln passed through
Erie on his way to Washington and made a few remarks from
the balcony of the depot just before his inauguration. His
remains passed over the Lake Shore road in 1865. Erie was
favored by a speech from President Johnson, Yvho was ac
companied by Gen. Grant and W. H. Seward ; the latter also
spoke. Horace Greeley during the campaign of 1872 made a
lengthy address to his former townsmen from a window of the

/f^u^^^ <&c ^>^^d

HISTORY* OF ERIE COUNTY'. 405
depot. Gen. Garfield made frequent visits to Erie, and during
the canvass of 1878 made an address at the courthouse, and in
1880 was a few minutes at the depot, and Benjamin Harrison
accompanied him. Father Mathew, the apostle of temperance
discoursed in the Pro-Cathedral of St. Patrick's on East
Fourth Street.
Hon. William L. Scott was born in Virginia, July 2, 1828,
being the son of Maj. B. L. Scott, U. S. A. In 1848 he came
to Erie through the influence of Gen. C. M. Reed, and after
wards was in partnership with Messrs. M. B. Lowry and John
Hearn in the coal and shipping trade. He contracted to build
the Pittsburg & Erie Railroad, was the principal owner
and the president during his life. He also built the coal docks
and established the coal depot at the mouth of Cascade Run.
During the war Mr. Scott gave liberally to the Union cause,
and aided in the enlistment of troops, and was widely known
as a Yvealthy and energetic citizen. He made also liberal dona
tions to orphan asylums and churches. In 1866 and 1871 he was
elected Mayor, and in 1866 and 1876 was member of Congress.
In 1876 and 1880 he was a delegate to the National Democratic
Conventions. Mr. Scott married Mary Matilda, daughter of J.
A. Tracy, Esq., and granddaughter of Capt. Daniel Dobbins.
He died at Newport, September 19, 1891. Prominent as a
politician and a citizen of great wealth, his funeral obsequies
were fitting and more notable than those of any that had pre
ceded him. We copy from the newspapers of the day in
another part of this work. Rev. James Scott, of the Church of
England (but being of Scotch descent), was his great-grand
father who graduated at Aberdeen University, was ordained
and licensed to preach in Virginia by the Lord Bishop of Lon
don in 1735. His grandfather, Gustavus Scott, was educated at
Kings College, Aberdeen, and studied law in London, at No.
4 Essex Court, Temple Bar, having entered in 1767 and com
pleted his studies in 1771. Beturning to America he settled in
Maryland residing in Annapolis and Baltimore. He was a
member of the Continental Congress and held many offices of
distinction in Maryland. In 1794 he went to Washington as
president of the commissioners for laying out the city of
Washington. He built and occupied the fine residence

406 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY".
"Kalorama," and died there. The father of Hon. W. L.
Scott was also born there. This elegant residence in Presi
dent Madison's day is now within the city limits and being
rapidly built up.
Hon. J. H Forster, of Houghton, Michigan, having been
called to Erie by the death of his sister, recalled some matters
of interest concerning his grandfathers, Col. Thomas Forster,
and Associate Judge William Bell. Mr. Forster is a cousin of
W. B. and J. W. Hayes and William E. Bell, of this city.
His father, Thomas Forster, resided on the northeast corner of
State and Fourth streets; his grandfather, Col. Thomas For
ster, at southeast corner of French and Fifth ; his grandfather,
Judge Bell, corner of French and Sixth. Col. Forster was
appointed collector of the port by President Adams, and held
the office thirty-six years, until his death. His grandfather
Bell was a judge of the Erie courts. Leaving Erie when
a boy, Mr. Forster has been much in the public service. He
assisted in running the boundary line between the United
States and Mexico under the treaty of peace of 1848 — the
famous Guadalupe-Hidalgo. He himself fixed the initial
point for placing the monument at the north of the Gila on
the Pacific Coast, under Commissioner Weller. His uncles,
Gen. Sumner and Gen. Wright, of the army, are well known.
The latter and his wife were drowned en route to California.
Many prominent Erie citizens have passed away since 1861,
of which our limited space will allow mention only. Of these
are C. M. Beed, Milton Courtright, J. H. Walker, M. B.
Lowry, J. C. Spencer, G. A. Elliott, Drs. Stewart and Wallace,
M. Sanford, E. Babbitt, A. Scott, P. Metcalf, J. A. Tracy, Rev.
Dr. Lyon, B. B. Vincent, Messrs. Tibbals, Grant, Hearn,
Follansbee, Gunnison, Cleveland, Selden, Wallace, Mans,
Faulkner, Ryan, Neil, and many others.

SECTION V.
Churches — Revivals — Missionary Annual Meeting — Public Schools
— Academy — Villa Maria — Lake Shore Seminary — St. Benedict
— Clark's Business College— W. C. T. U. — Y. M. C. A. — Hamot and
St. . Vincent Hospitals — Home of the Friendless — Three New Char
ities — Bequests of John Weis and R. Wilcox — Sisters of St. Joseph.
The Central Presbyterian church was organized February 23,
1871. David Shirk and J. A. French Yvere chosen elders by a
membership of fifty-four persons. Rev. C. C. Kimball was
the first pastor. Rev. Solon Cobb, the present incumbent,
was ordained December 27, 1878, Mr. Kimball having accepted
a call to Kansas City, Mo. The church has been unusually
prosperous and fruitful. During the first twelve years of its
existence its expenses and charities amounted to about $95,000.
Mr. C. C. Shirk has been the superintendent of the Sunday
school since its commencement. It has 565 names enrolled.
The church built in 1872 Yvas destroyed by fire, but it Yvas
replaced in 1890 by a beautiful and commodious structure.
The Chestnut Street Presbyterian church originated in
1870 from a Sunday school held in the dwelling of Mr. C. W.
Brown, through the efforts of three lay members of the First
and Park Presbyterian churches. It was under the Y. M. C.
A. until December 1, when Park church had full charge. In
order to put in some practical and useful form their quota of
the $5,000,000 memorial fund which the Presbyterian church
in the United States had resolved to raise as a thank offering
to God for the cordial reunion of its dissevered branches,
this new church, then Sunday school, Yvas erected and dedi
cated August 2, 1871. Rev. J. R. Wilson was the first pastor,
the church having been organized January 1873. In 1879 he
resigned to accept of the chair of Greek Professor in Parsons
College, Iowa. Revs. A. C. Wilson, J. D. Kerr, W. J. Haslett
and Rev. R. S. VanCleve have succeeded as pastors. In 1890
a beautiful new brick church and chapel were erected.
The United Presbyterian church erected a handsome parson-
107

408 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
age about 1875. Revs. Robert Reid, Joseph Pressley, and Rev.
Dr. J. C. Wilson, for more than eighty years were the only
ordained pastors. The First Presbyterian church, in 1891
added to its fine property the Selden Memorial chapel, being
largely a donation from Mr. George Selden.
About 1878 Park Presbyterian church built a commodious
and beautiful chapel. In 1892 the church was repaired and
reseated. This church also organized a Sunday school, and
erected a suitable building in East Eighteenth Street, in
1887, in which church services are now being held.
The several Lutheran churches are St. John's German
Evangelical Lutheran and Reformed church on Twenty-
third and Peach streets, Rev. A. L. Benze, pastor, dates from
1815. A new impulse was given about 1834, when Mr. Conrad
Brown donated the Yvhole square between Peach, Sassafras,
Twenty -third and Twenty-fourth streets, and the church was
erected on the same site now occupied. The German Evan
gelical church (Salem) was built in 1843 and rebuilt in
1873. It it is on the corner of Peach and Twelfth streets, Rev.
Ernest Koehne is pastor. The Luther Memorial church,
Eleventh Street and Peach, the Rev. J. O. Baker, pastor, was
organized in 1862, and has a mission on the corner of Twen
tieth and Poplar streets. The German Evangelical Lutheran
Trinity church, on Eleventh Street near Chestnut, was or
ganized in 1881, and has a parsonage and day-school. Rev.
C. C. Morhart Yvas for many years pastor, before his call to
Washington City, where he now resides. The English Evan
gelical church is on Twenty-first Street and German, and there
is an English Lutheran church on Nineteenth and Poplar
streets. St. Paul's German Evangelical was organized in 1851
and is on Peach Street, between Tenth and Eleventh. It has
a parsonage ; Rev. Val. Kern is pastor.
St. Paul's Protestant Episcopal church erected its rich stone
structure in 1860. In 1868 St. John's Protestant Episcopal
church was built in South Erie, and about 1870 Cross and
Crown and two other Protestant Episcopal churches or mis
sions, Trinity and Grace.
Tenth Street Methodist Episcopal church was built in 1873 ;
Wayne Street Methodist Episcopcd in 1891, and Simpson Metho-

HISTORY' OF ERIE COUNTY'. 409
dist Episcopal, in South Erie, in 1893. Evangelical Mission is
on Twenty-first and German streets.
A Methodist Episcopial church has lately been built on
Brown Avenue, near Cascade Street.
The African Methodist Episcopal church on Seventh Street,
between Holland and German, suffered from the flood, but has
been thoroughly repaired.
SeY'eral Baptist churches have been erected within the last
fifteen years. Rev. Cyrus Thorns, pastor of the First Baptist
church was noted for his zeal and actiY'ity. The North Star
Mission on East Sixth Street, was commenced as a union
work thirty years ago. Wallace Chapel, on West Eighteenth
Street was so called from the land having been donated by
Irvin M. Wallace, Esq., and a Baptist church on Seventh and
Cascade streets was organized about the same time. On Ash
Lane and Twenty-third streets is also a Baptist church and
Sunday school, and a German Baptist church on Seventeenth
Street. The First Baptist commenced April 1831, with a
meeting of ten persons. To-day, sixty years later, they have a
fine church and chapel, with five missions, and have admitted
as members twenty-five hundred persons.
Christian Science service and Sunday school is held on the
corner of Sixth and Holland streets ; also the Bethel on Front
and French streets has preaching, and at 2:30 the Himrod
Sunday school meets.
The United Brethren have a church on the corner of Cherry
and Tenth streets.
A Swedish church (Protestant) was erected about 1886 on
East Tenth Street. ReY'. H. Hagstrom is pastor.
A Christian church on the corner of Seventh and Chestnut
streets was erected about 1889.
The Church of Christ Yvas organized in 1889, and meets in
the Tabernacle on Peach Street, between Ninth and Tenth
streets. Rev. B. Hayden pastor.
Hebrew— Anvchai Chesed Reform Congregation Synagogue
on West Eighth Street, near Sassafras Street. Rabbi, Rev.
Nathan Rosenan. Services every Friday evening at 7:30, and
Saturday at 10 A. M. Sabbath school Sunday from 10 to 12 ;
Wednesday from 3 to 6.

410 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
I
Many church improvements have been made in the county
the last few years. St. Paul's Protestant Episcopal in Erie has
added, through the liberality of Hon. C. M. Beed, a fine rec
tory ; the First Presbyterian church, largely by the gift of Mr.
George Selden, a fine convenient chapel. Park Presbyterian
church has been improved and remodelled, and has erected a
mission chapel on Eighteenth Street. At Girard a beautiful
new Presbyterian church has just been dedicated.
St. Joseph's Roman Catholic (German) is on Twenty-fourth
Street, near Peach ; St. John's German Roman Catholic is on
East Twenty-sixth ; St. Andrew's Roman Catholic is on West
Sixth and Baspberry. St. Peter's Cathedral, on Tenth and
Sassafras, was commenced in 1874, and consecrated August 2,
1893, with great ceremonies. This was also the fiftieth anni
versary of Bishop Mullen's ordination to the priesthood. It is
220x130 feet, and its cost is estimated at $250,000. Cardinal
Gibbons and Archbishop Ryan were present, and the largest
religious procession ever seen in Erie promenaded the streets;
with torches and fireworks during the evening. The churches
and its appointments are scarcely equalled in Western Penn
sylvania. St. Michael's Roman Catholic church, on Cherry and Seven
teenth streets ; St. Stanislaus Roman Catholic (Polish) Wallace
and Thirteenth streets ; an Italian Roman Catholic church,
Seventeenth and Walnut streets, with one on TwentyTsixth
and the other on E. Avenue and Tenth streets, make a total of
eleven Roman Catholic churches in Erie recently built. Reg
ular services are held in five languages, owing largely to our
foreign population in the shops and factories.
Hoffman's Roman Catholic Church Directory for 1893 states
that Erie diocese has as follows : Bishops, 1 ; clergy, secular
57 ; regular, 17 ; total 74 ; churches, 105 ; stations, 35 ; chapels,
11 ; secular students, 14 ; colleges, 1 ; academies, 5 ; parochial
schools, 58 ; children attending parochial schools, 5,687 ; or
phan asylums, 1 ; orphans, 155 ; charitable institutions, 3 •
Catholic population, 60,000.
During the pastorate of Rev. George F. Cain in Park church,
Yvhich terminated in 1870, there was great religious interest
The Rev. E. P. Hammond, Maj. Whittle, and Mr. Rine, the

HISTORY' OF ERIE COUNTY*. 411
latter about 1876, held series of meetings that were greatly
blessed. For many days one of our largest churches was filled,
and many business men during business hours held open
Bibles and studied under Maj. Whittle. We find in The Pres
byterian, Philadelphia, the following concerning the revival
work of Bev. Dr. Wilbur Chapman in Erie.
"A blessed series of meetings, under the leadership of Rev.
J. Wilbur Chapman, D.D., have just been concluded in Erie,
Pa. Several churches were united in the movement. Dr.
Chapman came to take charge of the work on the 21st of Nov.
1892. He began his work Yvith the Christians : Discouraging
impressions had been abroad concerning the religious character
of the Erie churches. Erie was pronounced a hard place to
move. Early in the course of the meetings it became ap
parent that such judgment would not stand. The Christians
showed interest and willingness to work. A very gratifying
spirit of unity was manifest from the beginning to the end of
the associated movement.
"Asa result, Christians are warmed and stimulated. There
is now a more general interest in the cause of the Master.
Where there Yvas an appearance of being ashamed of the Mas
ter, there is little of that appearance now.
' ' The Bible has become a book of greater interest. The
Evangelist was blessed in making that Book of Books appear
full of sweetness and preciousness. He called out the Chris
tians to witness for God's promises in that Book. It was
glorifying to God to hear how many there were who could
testify to the fact that promises had been tried and proved.
"To many there is a greater reality in prayer. Christians
have united in prayer, which was made specific, and prayers
have been answered, greatly to the strengthening of the faith
of all in the presence of such evidence.
" So great did the interest become that the largest building
in the city could not hold all the men who turned out to hear
the gospel preached. At one service there were about twenty-
five hundred men — possibly more— all that could be packed in
the Opera House, and then many were turned away. Men
of all creeds and no creed were there — Jews and Romanists,
believers and unbelievers. On Tuesday, December 4, the busi-

412 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY*.
ness houses of the city closed at 3:30, and there was a crowded
Opera House service at 4 P. M. ¦ No one building could ac
commodate the throngs of people that rushed for entrance.
" There were many inquirers. Nearly a thousand inquirers'
cards were signed. Many haY'e become greatly interested who
did not sign a card. It is to be regretted that the meetings did
not continue somewhat longer, for the power was reaching out
beyond the general extent of church influence, and, doubtless,
would haY'e reached out more and more.
"The results of the work have exceeded the most sanguine
expectation. There are reasons, which are plain, for the great
success. The perfect union and sweet Christian fellowship be
tween the churches could not but result in great good.
"The Evangelist proved himself a very wise man, full of
power and the Holy Ghost, and just suited to the work in this
field. He was free from sensationalism, and preached the
gospel in loY'e and earnest simplicity. He drew the ministers
to him and builded on their support.
"Dr. Chapman has not only gone away with the love of all
the people, but with the approbation and esteem of all the
ministers, without exception. He has left behind him a
greater love for Christ, for Christ's ministers, for the Bible and
the Church, and stronger faith in the word of promise, and in
prayer. " Ex. Com."
a REMARKABLE ACHIEY'EMENT.
Morning Dispatch, Nov. 15, 1892.
" With the meetings of this day and evening the Evangel-
list, Bev. Wilbur F. Chapman, closes his labors in Erie. If
any one had predicted three weeks ago that prayer meetings
at 8:30 o'clock in the morning would be held and be largely at
tended in all sections of this city ; that preaching in the morn
ing and afternoon would draw out audiences completely filling
the largest Protestant churches ; that the Opera House would
not hold the people who assembled at a given hour to hear the
gospel story, and two overflow services had to be arranged ;
that 200 business places in Erie would shut up their stores after
3 P. M. on a week day so near the holidays, in order that a
religious service might have uninterrupted right of way ; that
the Opera House would be filled with men only, interested

HISTORY' OF ERIE COUNTY. 413
to hear the words of a preacher and the singing of hymns ;
that in less than twenty days, more than 1,000 persons in the
city of Erie would signify their desire and determination to
lead a Christian life — that prophet might have been ridiculed.
" But that and more than that has been done in this city of
Erie, and it has been a pleasure to the Dispatch to detail as
completely as possible the progress of the great movement
which has proved of so much interest to many people in this
city and whose influence of good for the community cannot
be questioned. Systematic method, thorough organization,
and the co-operation of church forces under experienced
leadership of exceptional ability have accomplished what
doubtful means or sensation-dealing could never have done.
It is to this superior, active organization, in our view, that is
due much of the phenomenal success achieved."
ReY*. B. Fay Mills says of He\. J. Wilbur Chapman, who re
signed the pastorate of Bethany church, Philadelphia (best
known in the country as JohnWanamaker's), with the press
ing demand for evangelists of the best sort. " Dr. Chapman's
general methods are beyond criticism. His temperament is
one of exceeding gentleness, and in his private life he is very
attractive and winsome." He Yvas persuaded to visit Erie
in this capacity in the winter of '92 and '93 and by so doing
brought blessings to hundreds of our citizens. He was the
immediate successor of Dr. A. T. Pierson, and entered upon
his duties in 1890. Was born in Indiana in 1859 ; studied
at Oberlin and Lake Forest University, and his theological
course at Lane Seminary, Cincinnati, where he graduated in
1882, and there manifested his zeal and earnestness Yvith a large
measure of God's blessing.
The Twenty-third annual Assembly of the Woman's For
eign Missionary Society of the Presbyterian church met in
Erie at the First Presbyterian church, April 1893. Mrs.
Charles P. Turner, of Philadelphia, the president, reviewed
briefly the work of the society. Hundreds of ladies from the
States of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland,
Ohio, West Virginia, Tennessee and the District of Columbia
were present. Bev. Dr. John Gillespie, of New York, and
at least eight returned missionaries from the foreign field,

414 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
made the meetings, which continued for three days, remark
ably interesting.
Erie School Statistics for 1892-93.— -The population of the city
according to the census of 1893, by William P. Atkinson,
Esq., is 47,500. The whole number enrolled in public and
parochial schools, 9,335 ; this includes 416 in night school and
40 in mechanical drawing school ; the Yvhole number of regu
lar teachers is 187, with salaries varying from $300 to $1,560 and
assistants $250 ; library $1,000 ; total value of public school
property is $592,900 ; increase of attendance over previous year
is 249. Speaking of the night schools of this year and the last,
thirty per cent of the enrollment for both years were foreigners,
who could neither read, nor speak English at all, or beyond
a few words. These Yvere Germans, Swedes, Italians, Poles,
Danes, Finns, Norwegians, Russians, and French. Thirty
per cent also were boys from the shops, who had but little or
no knowledge of arithmetic beyond the fundamental rules.
As usual with night school pupils the average attendance per
night was about forty per cent of the whole enrollment.
Many could not come every night, and to some, who came
under compulsion, a minstrel show, a "dance," or the dime
museum was oftentimes more attractive than the school.
The ages ran from eleven to thirty-nine years ; and the occupa
tions of all represented every trade and calling in life.
The high school moved into its new quarters in the central
school building in September, 1891.
The public schools were closed by the School Board as fol
lows : One in the fall of 1891 for two weeks, without sug
gestion from the health officer because of the presence of
ten cases of diphtheria in that school district ; one in April
without suggestion of the health officer, for three weeks im
mediately after the spring vacation, because during the vacation
fourteen cases of diphtheria appeared in that district; one for
three weeks in May, because of the appearance in the district
of twelve cases. All the schools of the city were closed by
order of the Board on May 27, 1892, though at that time five
schools had already been closed, leaving eleven districts free
from diphtheria so far as public school children were concerned.
Columbus Day, Oct. 21, 1891, in honor of the four hundreth

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY. 415
anniversary of the discovery of America by Columbus, was
celebrated as in other cities, and was a day never to be for
gotten, 7,944 children being in line. Erie never witnessed
such a display. Oct. 1, D.J. Waller, Jr., State Superinten
dent of Public Instruction called upon all school principals to
see that trees were planted on Columbus Day.
The officers of the School Board for 1893-94 are : H. W.
De Witt, President ; R. G. Newbegin, Secretary ; George P.
Colt, Treasurer ; John S. Rilling Solicitor ; H. C. Missimer,
Superintendent ; W. G. Arbuckle, Superintendent of Build
ings. The Teachers' Institute of November 1893, held in Erie, was
largely attended, and many fine lecturers from a distance as
sisted. Among the number was Mrs. Mary Hunt, who has in
troduced temperance teachings in the public school course.
The magnificent central school building finished the last
year is worthy of a full description did our space allow.
Report of Public Schools of Erie County. — See page 151 for
State Superintendent of Schools' report for 1860. We submit
the following statistics for 1892 :
Whole number of schools  520
Average number of months taught  834
Number of male teachers  107
Number of female teachers  532
Average attendance of scholars  10,492
Cost of teaching each scholar per month  $ 1.34
Taxes levied for school purposes  197,817.33
State appropriation  32,060.67
Total receipts for school purposes  329,197.53
Cost of instruction  143,408.58
Fuel and contingencies  62,517.72
Cost of schoolhouses  114,899.89
This table shows that while the attendance has increased
128 per cent over that of 1860, the combined outlay for instruc
tion, buildings, fuel and contingencies has been increased to
588 per cent.
The proportion of female teachers to the whole number
in 1860 was 60 per cent ; in 1892 it was 89 per cent. The in
crease in the proportion of female teachers was first caused
by the necessities of the case at the beginning of the late Yvar,
from the absence of so many of our best male teachers in the
army. But what was begun from necessity has been con
tinued from choice, the ladies having proven quite as satisfac-

416 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY*.
tory as teachers as the men, if not more so, and having in this
matter secured to themselves the greatest advance in the scope
of their influence, usefulness and their opportunities for wage-
earning. The Erie Academy is under the care of Prof. J. A. Wiley,
M.A., Yvith Miss S. King and Mrs. Pratt as assistants. It has
a kindergarten and is in a prosperous condition.
St. Benedict's Academy has Sister M. Clara, Directress.
The Villa Maria Academy, being a large ladies' school oc
cupying a whole square on Plum and Eighth streets, was com
pleted and dedicated the 30th of May, 1892. It is in charge of
the Sisters of St Joseph. Also there is a parochial school on
Fourth between Holland and German streets.
Lake Shore Seminary, established in Northeast in 1870,
though undenominational, was to a certain extent, under the
control of the Methodists, having a fine four story brick build
ing in the best vicinity. It did not prosper financially, and
was sold at public sale first to the People's Savings Institution,
and afterwards, on February 1, 1881, to the Redemptorist Fath
ers of Annapolis, Md. The price paid was $10,000, and it is
used as a preparatory school for young men about to enter the
Roman Catholic priesthood, having been dedicated as St.
Mary's College.
Clark's Business College. — This organization was established
in 1883 and incorporated in 1890. Prof. H. C. Clark, President ;
Prof. S. M. Sweet, Secretary and Treasurer. Board of man
agers : H. C. Clark, Hon. Joseph McCarter, Hon. J. F.
Downing, J. Foster Hill, Hon. S. M. Brainard, D. C. Weller,
S. M. Sweet. This is an exceedingly popular and well patron
ized institution. It has just presented to the public its tenth
annual illustrated catalogue, and has removed to new quar
ters in the Downing Block, occupying the entire sixth flour of
that elegant structure.
M. G. Benedict, A.M., Ph.D., is principal of the State
Normal School at Edinboro. It has fine buildings, but has
suffered much loss in consequence of dissensions with regard
to Prof. Cooper, who was at the head of the institution for
nearly thirty yetirs. Many lawsuits and much bitter feeling
prevailed which now happily is in the past.

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.. 417
Dr. N. C. Schaeffer, the State Superintendent of Public In
struction, Yvrites editorially in the current number of the
Pennsylvania School Journal (1893) :
"A visit to the State Normal School at Edinboro reY'ealed
an attendance of over 160 students. Of these 110 are prepared
to teach and the rest are in the model school. The students
are earnest and exceedingly well behaved. The professors are
enthusiastic and harmonious. Among them is Miss Anna
Buck bee, whose fame as a teacher has reached all parts of the
Commonwealth. The superintendent of the model school re
ports that pupils from the town schools are seeking admission
into his department. Edinboro is a beautiful town, free from
the temptations of large cities, and well adapted to be the seat
of a flourishing school. The buildings and the discipline have
been much improved in recent years."
AN APPEAL FROM NINETY-NINE LADIES OF THE BEST CLASS.
Taken from Erie Gazette, September 8, 1853.
An appeal to the voters of Erie County :
We, the undersigned mothers, Yvives, sisters, and daughters,
present this petition to those who hold in their hands the
power to drive the demon of intemperance from among us, by
procuring the passage of a prohibitory liquor law. We are
not politicians, nor do we ask for the right to vote, but we
appeal to you as our protectors and the protectors of our sons
and brothers, who are not yet old enough to have a voice
themselves, to nominate temperance candidates for the ensu
ing election. We want men without reference to party poli
tics, who are known to feel deeply and decidedly on this most
important subject, Yvho are not actuated by selfish interests to
call themselves temperance men, as a last resort of getting the
nomination. We want men nominated who have worked for
the cause, and are themselves examples of sobriety. We, who
are the greatest sufferers, because the weakest party, appeal to
you Yvhom both God and our country have appointed our pro
tectors. Shall we not be heard ?
Mrs. L. Sanford. Miss M. McCracken. Mrs. William Hays.
" G. A. Lyon. Mrs. Gilson. " P. Faulkner.
" W. Davenport. " C. M. Reed. " R. Faulkner.
" L. M. Richards. " Carsen Graham. " Ingersoll.
" Eliza Clark. " Emily Ottinger. " M. A. Adkins.

41S

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY*.

Mrs. T. B. Vincent.
" L. M. Smith.
" H. C. Hoppen.
" David B. Derby.
" H. J. Skinner.
" M. H. Parsons.
" S. L. Gillen.
" J. Constable.
" R. Todd.
" E. Babbitt.
" M. C. Foster.
Miss S. M. Foster.
" Eliza Dunn.
" Letitia Dunn.
Mrs. C. Otis.
" Marg. Graham.
" Jane McCracken.
" H. J. Lowry.
Miss C. M. Zimmerman.
Mrs. E. A. G. Lane.
" E. W. Marshall.
" F. Weatherby.
Miss M. W. Marshall.
" Hamot.
Mrs. W. Himrod.
" Elizabeth Hamot.
" Capt. Dobbins.
" J. F. Hampson.

Miss Virginia Ottinger.
" R. Watkinson.
Mrs. Sophia Camp.
" F. D. Galbraith.
Miss Sarah Davenport.
Mrs. Harriet Vincent.
" A. Tomlinson.
" S. Jackson.
Miss M. Jackson.
Mrs. A. A. Galbraith.
Miss S. M. Wright.
" E. G. Wright.
Mrs. A. M. Low.
" John L. Brown.
" James C. Reed.
Miss Calista Ingersoll.
" Anna E. Casca.
Mrs. J. E. Riblet.
" H. Towner.
Miss Ellen Towner.
" Susan Eddy.
Mrs. E. H. Smith.
Miss Lizzie Martin.
Mrs. O. H. Irish.
Miss E. Hannah.
" Nella Mc. Wade.
" Mary Carter.
Mrs. Wm. Truesdall.

Mrs. J. S. Carter.
" Anna McCann.
'¦ Dr. Vosburg.
" Pierce.
" J. Sill. '
" J. Kellogg.
" T. G. Colt.
Miss E. Lyman.
Mrs. S. M. Brewster.
Miss Mary Brewster.
Mrs. Harriet Hulbert.
" Kennedy. .
Miss Mariah Kennedy.
Mrs. B. Hubley.
" H. B. Haverstick.
Miss F. Diffenbaugh.
" Diantha Brown.
Mrs. Lucinda E. Irish.
" Nancy Carter.
" L. Moore.
" Mary Metcalf.
" Mary Willing.
" Eleanor Davis.
" Elisa Vanhausen.
" S. M. Kellogg.
" C. E. Gunnison.
" C. H. Seymour.

"An appeal to the voters of Erie County," signed by one
hundred ladies, given in a subsequent column, Yvill be found
worthy of attention. It is a settled truth that any cause em
bracing the moral and social Yvell-being of society the ladies
take hold of in good earnest, always, sooner or later, succeeds.
The passage, therefore, of a prohibitory liquor law, in Penn
sylvania, may be classed with the " certainties " of the future.
The ladies of Wattsburg, it will be perceived, make a similar
appeal. The Temperance Sentiment (1853). — We observe in the last
number of The Herald, a monthly temperance periodical pub
lished in this city, a resolution signed by a goodly number of
Yvell-known Whigs and Democrats pledging themselves to
support no man for the Legislature Yvho is not " in favor of
the enactment of a prohibitory liquor law similar to the
Maine law, and who will not, if elected, use all his influence
to secure its passage." It cannot be disguised that there is
abroad a deep-seated, determined feeling upon this subject.
We have scarce a doubt, from the spirit exhibited in the
several counties of the State, that a majority will be chosen to
the Lower House favorable to the passage of a prohibitory

HISTORY' OF ERIE COUNTY'. 419
law. We are opposed to the introduction of temperance into
systematic political action, but we are free to say we are per
fectly willing that the proposed measure should have a trial.
If it can remove the monstrous evils which the sale of intox
icating drinks have entailed upon society, why, in the name
of all that's just and good, let us have it. We repeat, if it can
effect the all-important object contemplated, let us have it.
We stand ready to accept any panacea for a scourge so dread
ful, so desolating, so blasting to human happiness, so detri
mental to public and private morals.
The Women's Christian Temperance Union was organized
in 1874. Miss Belle Sterrett (afterwards Mrs. Hall) and
Miss Stewart took the first active measures. At a meeting
September 24, 1874, in the First Methodist Episcopal church
Mrs. Longstreet was chosen President, Miss Belle Sterrett,
Vice-President ; Mrs. J. J. Sterrett, Treasurer, and Miss Abbie
Low, Secretary. Mrs. Carrier and Mrs. Ramsey, together
with Miss Sanford, were a committee to draft a constitution
and report at the next meeting. Miss B. Sterrett was Presi
dent of the meeting, and Miss L. G. Sanford elected first
President. A mass meeting was appointed for November
1874. Mother Stewart lectured in 1875, April 12. Mrs. Judge
Marvin, Mrs. C. M. Briggs, Mrs. Wallace Sherman, Misses
Burwell and Wittich, Dr. M. A. B. Woods and many other of
our ladies have served as officers the last twenty years. Much
good has resulted from its efforts, though never as much
as desired. The best lecturers have been secured, literature
distributed, petitions and remonstrances signed, unfermented
wine for communion recommended, pledges given, fountains
erected, etc. Several attempts have been made to establish
a coffee house, but without much success. Throughout the
county many societies exist, as Wattsburg, Girard, Northeast,
Waterford, Miles GroY'e, Harborcreek and Edinboro. A small
newspaper, The Crisis, edited by Mrs. Dr. Taylor, of Edin
boro, has done a good work. The report of Mrs. H. S. Jones
of the jail committee is as follows :
During the year ending April 1, 1889, 694 prisoners have been
confined in the Erie County jail, of whom thirty-seY'en Yvere
women, and 104 were boys from nine to twenty years of age.

420 HISTORY' OF ERIE COUNTY.
Religious services have been held every Sunday at 3 o'clock
P. M., until January, when the time was changed to 9:45 A.
M. by request of Sheriff Mehl. By this new arrangement we
have been deprived of the valuable services of our assistants
who are engaged in Sunday school work at that hour and can
not meet with us. We seldom apply to ministers of the city,
as their time is fully occupied with their regular church work
on that day. During each week a large package of literature,
mostly on temperance, is distributed among the prisoners,
Yvhich appears to be Yvell received and read with some degree
of interest.
During the year scores of prisoners have pledged themselves
to abstain from strong drink — men who voluntarily asked for
pledges and expressed a desire to lead a better life.
Many affecting as well as heartrending stories of temptation
and struggles to be "free from the bondage of appetite have
been told me. Many who have been incarcerated within the
walls of Erie jail have struggled heroically to free them
selves from the effects of the blighting curse of drink, while
they are assailed on every hand by the almost irresistible
fascination of open saloons. To-day I recall the despairing
cry of one who said " O, madame, I sometimes think I must
do something desperate, that I may again be placed behind
the bars out of the reach of the demon that is pursuing me at
every turn." A boy only sixteen years of age sent to the
Morganza prison reform school for stabbing another with a
knife, Yvhile frenzied with drink, came to me after his release
last month, saying : " What shall I do ? they met me at the
depot and wanted me to drink." I kept him at my own home
until a place was found for him to work out of town. He
writes me that he is doing Yvell and trying to lead a better life.
These unfortunates are not all from the lower walks of life.
No ! no ! This scourge of despair and death has crossed and is
daily crossing the portals of homes of wealth and refinement,
striking down and bearing away many of the noblest and
best. This skeleton dances behind the tapestry and upon the
velvet-covered floors of some of the most beautiful homes in
Erie. We have nothing but words of commendation for our
jail officials. Sheriff Mehl and Warden Perry Sedgwick, as

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY'. 421
Yvell as ex-Sheriff Gifford, have done and are doing all they
can for our convenience in advancing the work.
The W. C. T. U. donated the city the substantial drink
ing fountain on the corner of State and Tenth streets. Mr.
George D. Selden also presented the large and costly marble
fountain in the West Park, to the city in 1883. The two
beautiful jets, in the East and West Parks and the Soldiers'
monument are evidence of the taste and public spirit of our
citizens. The Union Ice Company, Messrs. Briggs & Kelsey proprie
tors, generously placed for the season, a tank of ice water,
with a faucet and cup (which served also as a sign) in front of
their office, 620 State Street, with the legend " Help yourself"
— and many hundreds have had reason to thank them.
W C. T. U. officers for 1893 : President, Mrs. Mary Hubble ;
Vice-President, Mrs. M. A. B. Woods ; Secretary, Mrs. G. L.
Young, Cedar betYveen Seventh and Eighth streets ; Treasurer,
Mrs. Titus Berst.
Call for a County Constitutional Temperance Amendment
Convention at Erie, March 1, 1889, at Biblet's Hall, corner of
Twelfth and Peach streets.
The Legislature having submitted the long sought Temper
ance Amendment to our Constitution to be adopted, as we hope,
the 13th day of June next, it now remains for the good people
of every class to unite forces and means to secure success at the
polls. Our flrst work is to complete a county organization,
and we, the undersigned, do appoint and call a county con
vention to assemble at 10 o'clock A. M., March 1, in the city of
Erie, in Biblet's Hall, corner of Twelfth and Peach streets.
We cordially invite to meet with us all temperance people,
irrespective of sex or party, on a thoroughly non-partisan basis.
ERIE. UNION. SOUTHEAST. M'KEAN.
S. T. Pollock. E. W. Hatch. D. D. Loop, M. D. Davld stanclift.
Jas. G. Patterson. H. G. Smith. J. Higgins. j (j Grimier
Geo. D. Selden. W. T. Everson. Z.Rogers. LB Clark
D. S. Clark. J. H. Laubender. Carl Pierce. jf Havford
Solon Cobb. F. W. Burnham. Geo. W. Moore. ¦»' tj Rivie
W. E. Magill. W. W. Shrew. Thos. Porter M.D. w f Stafford
Robert Williams. J. E. Thompson. E.J. Hunter M.D. *'•"*• """',,u'u-
N. Luccock. T. A. Edwards. YV. O. YVing. gieakd.
C. A. Gaither. Edwin P. Clark. Wm. E. Marvin,
M. A. Dunning. Oscar Glezen. C. A. Pease. Rev.C.L.Shipman
Owen Wiard. L. D. Rockwell. N. H. Clark. C. F. Rockwell.

422

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY'.

G. E. Barger.
I. B. Gara.
J. C. Thorns.
H. G. Schabacker.
M. G. Sterrett.
F. H. Ellsworth.
J. C. Wilson,
S. S. Caughey.
J. C. Sims.
E. L. Pelton.
J. Boyd Espy.
E. L. Frazier.
Wm. Hard wick.
J. W. Wakefield.
P. B. Sheldon.
J. L. Stratton.
ALBION.
P.D. Flower, M.D.
S. A. Saunders.
L. H. Salisbury.
J. Pelton.
D. G. Spaulding.
G. Runyon.
R. A. Barnes.
Wm. Thornton.
G. V. B. Thomas.
J. Wells.
D. E. Perry.
E. Davenport.
D. E. Flower,
YA*. Alderman,
E. C. Palmer.
F. C. Callaghan.
D. Sanford.

D. G. Smiley.
C. W. Dabney.
J.W.Sproul.C. N. McLean.
FAIRVIEW.
Dr. W. J. Weeks.
J. C. Miner.
T. M. Ryan.
Geo. S. Stone.
Rev. H. Webster
A. J. McCreary.
Chas. Galliard.
B. A. Landis.
J. G. Ziegler.
Allen Sturgeon.
J. A. Daggett.
Elias Bayle.
C. M. French.
Wm. Caughey.
MILL VILLAGE.
S. M. Clark.
F. N. Runnels.
J. S. Ross.
J. N. Reane.
J. R. Hunter.
P. T. Manross.
Wm. McCray.
B. K. Range.
C. S. Edmunds.
S. Beardsley.
Chas. Mitchell.
W. H. Frisbee.
L. M. McKinley.

M. L. Seikregg.
C.C.Hall, M.D.
EAST MILLCREEK.
C. N. Stark.
W. YV. Conrad.
H. H. Miller.
G. J. Russell.
F. Fuhrmann, Jr.
G. B. Russell.
J. C. Wood.
Rev. J. P. Irwin.
H. Drown.
Chas. Miller.
R. D. Beardsley,
S. S. Conrad.
WEST MILLCREEK.
C. B. Evans.
J. M. Dunn.
E. Warner.
George Booth.
George Reed.
G. W. Haybarger.
J. G. Reed.
J. C. Munn.
W. SPRINGFIELD.
S. D. Ware.
E. F. Mallory.
N. W. Jones.
C. M. Reed.
F. P. Jones.
S. M. Nickle.
0. W. Anderson.
W. I. Potter.

Dr. O. Logan.
J. M. Ealy.
J. E. Pratt.
EDINBORO.
Joseph Taylor.
I. N. Taylor.
John Proudflt.
F. A. Temple.
H. Lewis. WAYNE.
J. G. Kincaide. ELGIN.
Wm. R. Wade.
HARBORCREEK.
G. W. Cleaveland.
Wm. Henton.
T. M. Dodge.
CORRY.
Isaac Colgrove.
Rev. R.M.Warren
Dr. J. A. Marsh.
J. C. Wales.
E. SPRINGFIELD.
John Hughes,
W. T. Manus.
W. M. McMullen.
MILES GROVE.
Chas. Pettibone.

The contest is upon us. Let no friend of temperance fail in
the crisis. Only by early, thorough and constant work can
we hope for success. The campaign must be planned wisely
and prosecuted boldly. The aim of this convention is to in
augurate the movement. We, therefore, appeal to everyone
in Erie County Yvho loves his country and his fellow-man to
respond to this call in person and to co-operate in this work.
" Pennsylvania expects every man to do his duty."
The returns June 30, 1889, showed a majority of about 193,360
votes against the amendment ; Erie County's majority, 3,815.
The number of licenses granted for the sale of intoxicating
drinks in 1893 in the county of Erie, 163 ; in the city, 121.
Applications denied or refusals to grant, 48.
Woman's Work. — (March 10, 1893.) — In response to the call
of the chairman, the members of the Erie County Committee,
Board of World's Fair Managers, met at her residence this
morning.

HISTORY" OF ERIE COUNTY*. 423
The main object of the society, organized a little over a year
ago, having been accomplished, and Erie County compli
mented upon the display to be made, the subject of joining
"The Pennsylvania Association for Women's Work" was
discussed, and the idea warmly advocated by the ladies
present. At a meeting of delegates from the Congressional districts
of Pennsylvania, convened at Philadelphia for the purpose of
considering the representation of work of Pennsylvania wo
men at Chicago, it was suggested that the present county
auxiliary committees form the nucleus Of the permanent or
ganization, which shall be known as the Pennsylvania Asso
ciation for Women's Work, having for its object the uniting
of women of this State for philanthropic and patriotic en-
deaY'ors and the fostering of all interests of women throughout
the Commonwealth. In addition to regular work, it is a part
of the liberal plan that in case of any calamity or emergency
this association can be relied upon for immediate assistance.
The whole idea is based upon a broad foundation, quite in
proportion to the great State it represents. Any woman in
the State interested in woman's work, can become a member
on the presentation of her name by other members, condi
tions being the same that secured appointments on the auxil
iary committee, i. e., good social standing and the proY'en ca
pacity to excel in some one line of usefulness.
The membership fee is placed at one dollar per annum.
Meetings are to be held yearly, convening by turns in the
larger towns. Each county will hold, at its discretion,
monthly or quarterly meetings.
The Secretary was requested to notify the State Secretary of
the decision of the Erie County Committee, and would re
quest the members absent from to-day's meeting, to kindly
send their names and initiation fee ($1) to 138 East Twelfth
Street, should they feel disposed to join also.
In regard to ordering the medallions, it was decided to defer
the matter until the chairman could send for one for inspec
tion. They are of beautiful workmanship and unique design.
The meeting adjourned subject to the call of the president.
Emma Bbevillier, Secretary.

424 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
Humane Society. — At a preliminary meeting a vote of
thanks was extended to Dr. George A. Bell, the humane
agent of the Western Pennsylvania Society, for his work and
able report. He was appointed on the 10th day of January,
1891. During the year complaints and investigations made
were 448. in number : Domestic animals, 320 ; children, 110 ;
aged persons, 18. For the year 1892 the total was 372 : Do
mestic animals, 280 ; children, 84 ; aged persons, 8.
From the result of investigations there were thirty arrests
made and brought before aldermen of this city. They were
all fined from ten to twenty dollars each and costs. A few
were let off, being very poor, by paying the costs and promis
ing to "do better in the future. There were no appeals to a
higher court, which can be done when the fines exceed ten
dollars. February, 1893. — Those interested in the organization of a
local branch of the Northwestern Pennsylvania Humane
Society met at Y. M. C. A. Hall. The attendance was good,
many ladies being present. A permanent organization was
formed and the following officers and board of managers
elected for the ensuing year :
President— F. F. Adams ; Vice-Presidents— L. M. Little,
J. . F. Downing, and Robert J. Saltsman ; Managers — Mrs.
Willis Churchill, Mrs. J. F. Downing, Mrs. Thomas Baird,
Mrs. Myron Sanford, Mrs. W. T. Black, Mrs. J. M. Glazier,
Mrs. C. V. Gridley, Mrs. T. D. Ingersoll, Mrs. W. L. Erwin,
Mrs. Frank Keplar, Mrs. A. K. McMullen, Mrs. John Walker,
Thomas Pickering, James McBrier, Rev. B. H. Hayden,
Thomas Brown, Capt. J. S. Richards, W. N. Wilson ; Secre
tary — Mrs. George Talcott ; Acting Treasurer — F. A. Bliley.
Dr. Bell was chosen agent for Erie City ; F. A. Bliley,
solicitor. The adoption of a constitution and code of by-laws
followed the election of officers. The annual election of
officers will be held on the third Monday of February of each
year. Regular meetings will be held on the first Monday of
each month. The membership fee was placed at $1 for ladies
and $3 for gentlemen.
The Erie Humane Society met in the Y. M. C. A. Hall in
monthly session, with Hon. F. F. Adams presiding.

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY. 425
Dr. Bell, the humane agent, made a report of the work of
the society during the month of October as follows : Abuse
of horses and animals investigated, sixty ; children reported
to have been neglected, sixty-eight ; old ladies neglected or
abused, three ; and one young man reported to have been
badly treated. Two of the old ladies were sent to the alms
house, and the young man was sent to the almshouse in
firmary. The report for the month of November shows that ninety-
seven reported cases of abuse to animals were investigated
and a number of prosecutions were brought. Seventy chil
dren were looked after and their condition improved. Four
old ladies were placed amid better surroundings.
Dr. T. D. Ingersoll read a paper on the intelligence of the
horse, and the paper was a very philosophical dissertation.
Dr. Bell, in this connection, stated that in the matter of the
senses of seeing, hearing, and smelling they were a great deal
more acute than those in the human race. The meeting was
one of the most interesting held since the organization of the
society in this city.
Dr. Bell, who will in all probability be continued as agent
of the Erie branch of the Humane Society, concluded his re
marks with the following words :
" In conclusion, I must thank the press, police, and citizens
in general for the valuable assistance they have given me the
past two years. Let every lady and gentleman do all they
can to put down cruelty of every nature. There is enough for
all of us to do. It is impossible for the agent to be all over
the city at one time. Every good citizen has a right to stop
any form of cruelty, and then he can report to the agent
either by telephone, mail/ or in person. All informations are
strictly confidential in every respect."
At next Monday's meeting officers will be elected and a con
stitution and by-laws adopted. Let the good work go on, and
the meeting be largely attended, for there is a large and
fruitful field in the midst of us for just such a society as the
one about to be organized.
A day nursery or creche was incorporated in 1892. The
large frame house at No. 235 East Sixth Street was opened De-

426 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
cember 1st, and a matron installed. The officers were t Mrs.
T. C. Gridley, President ; Mrs. Wm. T. Black and Mrs. Jno.
T. Boyd, Vice-Presidents ; Mrs. Chas. Davenport, Treasurer ;
and Mrs. Wm. Brewster, Secretary. Together with the Hu
mane Society and Bureau of Charities, Erie is much better
provided than formerly to help those in want, and it is for
tunate that they are popular and funds are amply provided.
The flood of May, 1892, made large demands, which were
greatly increased by the financial depression a few months
later. The Young Men's Christian Association was organized in Erie
August 20, 1860, by a meeting held in Park Hall (609 French
Street Park), with Mr. E. L. Pelton as chairman. At the
meeting of August 27th, Mr. A. McD. Lyon was elected Presi
dent. After holding their meetings in the lecture rooms of the
different Protestant churches for one year, rooms were fitted
up for them in the Beatty Block, West Park. Mr. A. H.
Caughey was elected President, and $175 was expended for
books and a few periodicals for a reading room. The remains
of the Trying Institute Library, consisting of 700 volumes,
were entrusted to their keeping. In 1862, Mr. G. S. Berry hav
ing an official position in Harrisburg was empowered to ap
ply for a charter, which was granted the ensuing year ; also a
course of lectures was maintained. The association consists of
four departments : First, the general department, providing
for the intellectual, social, physical, and spiritual wants of
young men, as literary societies, lectures, Bible classes, devo
tional services, companionship for strangers, gymnastic privi
leges, etc. ; second, the railroad branch, which offers railroad
people gospel services, religious literature, with attention to the
sick and injured ; third, the German branch, providing the
German-speaking with meetings in their own language ;
fourth, the boy's branch, which is conducted with special ref
erence to the wants of that age — practical talks on religious
and secular topics, also mechanical, scientific, and other inter
esting subjects.
The association purchased about 1878, a fine three-story
brick building on the corner of Tenth and Peach streets, and
in 1889 made a large addition for a lecture room and gymna-

iyWj

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY. 427
sium. The 'library now contains about 6,000 volumes, with
seventy-five newspapers and periodicals in the free reading
room. The number of members is about 500, being of two
classes, active and associate. The former hold office or vote in
the management, being connected with some church. For a
small fee yearly, all the privileges of the institution can be
enjoyed — the library, baths, gymnasium, etc. There is also a
ladies' auxiliary, which is very useful, with Mrs. F. A.
Mizener, President, which has for its work a supervision of the
building, refitting, and decorating.
The chairman of the library committee, Mr. (now Bev.) A.
H. Caughey, in the Erie Dispatch, 1887, recounts one of their
past trials, as follows : " It was not until the early part of the
year 1867 that the work of soliciting was undertaken with real
zeal, and pushed to completion  Two or three
thousand dollars had thus been subscribed, Yvhen the late
Myron Sanford set down his name for one thousand dollars,
with this limitation, namely : ' Provided ten thousand dollars
is subscribed and paid in to the treasurer on or before May 25,
1867.' The soliciting committees were delighted, astonished,
and — discouraged  We were in sight of the goal,
but it was not reached, and the 25th of May had come. Mr.
Sanford kindly extended the time. We worked for a month
longer, but were still several hundred dollars short of the full
sum ; when our generous helper handed us his check for
§1,000, and bade us rest from our labors."
Prof. H. S. Jones, Mr. A. L. Littel, and Bev. A. H. Caughey
have been effective and untiring in their efforts for the library.
The names of W. R. Davenport, C. C. Shirk, N. J. Clark,
George D. Selden, James Metcalf, H. L. Sanford, and of Sec
retaries Simms, Gordon, and Hatch are recognized as among
its active friends. The President (1893) is Mr. L. M. Little,
the General Secretary, Mr. W. D. Fellows, and there are
twenty-four managers from the different churches. A gospel
wagon has the past year been added to the facilities for preach
ing the Word in points distant from churches. Messrs. Eddy,
DeWitt, and I. M. Wallace have aided by their efforts and
means. Hamot Hospital had its origin in a remark made by Rev.

428 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY'.
James T. Franklin, and was formally opened July 1, 1881.
The property at the foot of State Street, valued at §12,000, was
presented to a corporation by the heirs of P. S. V. Hamot for
the sole use of a general hospital, being one of the most val
uable gifts as yet made for a public purpose. A house physi
cian and a medical board from our first physicians, with a
superintendent, a graduate from a New York school for
trained nurses, officiated. A ladies auxiliary, representing
every Protestant church in the city, is in aid of the regular
board of managers. An enlargement of the building was
demanded in a few years, and it is now amply equipped and
provided. The expense was met by subscription and a small
State appropriation. It can now accommodate forty to fifty
patients, and is supported by fees from able patients, volun
tary donations from business houses, societies, and individuals.
It has one yearly income of §500 from a generous citizen ; also
one perpetual free bed by a donation of §5,000, being the
Myron Sanford memorial. Mr. George Selden has bequeathed
to the hospital §20,000 provided it ceases to be sectarian. By
its constitution the Rector of St. Paul's Protestant Episcopal
church is its president and a majority of the managers must
be from the same church.
The report of the training school for 1893, which Yvas estab
lished in 1889, principally by the efforts of Mrs. Charles H.
Strong, is as follows : Eight nurses were sent out, and many
calls were refused, as nurses could not be spared from the hos
pital. There are now three graduates doing private nursing
in the town, and one is acting as office nurse to a physician.
Four have graduated the past year.
The St. Vincent Hospital was erected in 1875-76 ; a hand
some four story brick structure well fitted for hospital pur
poses. It is under the care of the Sisters of St. Joseph, be
ing presided OY'er by Sister Ambrosia with a large corps of
well-trained nurses. It is one of the most popular institutions
of its kind in this region and is on the corner of Twenty-
sixth and Sassafras streets.
Home of the Friendless. — This popular and well-established
institution, first occupied (Nov. 2, 1871) the "Reed home
stead," which was on the southeast corner of State Street and

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY*. 429
South Park Row, having been tendered its use by Gen. C. M.
Reed. The next year it was removed to the Marine Hospital,
now the Soldiers' Home. The managers authorized them to
occupy it until the State authorities should direct its use for
other purposes. In November, 1875, the Home Yvas removed
to its permanent quarters, the Hon. M. B. Lowry haY'ing do
nated the fine property on the corner of Twenty-Second and
Sassafras streets. In 1875 the neYv brick building was com
pleted through much effort to collect funds on the part of its
friends. Hon. W. L. Scott made a donation to the institution
on Christmas, 1880, of §5,000. Mr. P. Metcalf presented a lot
of fifty feet added to the south side. Ten years from its com
mencement it had a convenient building large enough to ac
commodate eighty persons, and a property Yvorth §18,000. In
1884 Mr. Dunning's property adjoining on Twenty-Third
Street was purchased for §5,000 for an old people's home, an
improvement which had been contemplated from the first. A
large addition was made on Twenty-Third Street. Thousands
of children have been sheltered and cared for, and the ladies
of the Protestant churches feel richly rewarded in their labor
of love. Mrs. I. B. Gara, Miss Kate Mason, and Miss Sarah
Reed have successively held the office of President.
The Old Ladies' Home, under the Home of the Friendless
board of managers, commenced in 1886 by the purchase of the
"Dunning" place, has proved a very acceptable institution,
and will probably soon be enlarged.
St. Joseph's Orphan Asylum is in charge of the Sisters of St,
Joseph. Also in charge of the same Sisters is the Old Folks'
Home corner of Twenty-sixth and Ash streets.
A Charity Society was organized in 1881, mainly through the
efforts of Mr. W. L. Scott. J. F. Downing, President ; W. S.
Brown, Secretary and Treasurer. Objects : To bring into har
monious cooperation with one another and with the overseers
of the poor, the various churches, charitable agencies, and in
dividuals in the city,, and thus, among other things, to check
the evils of the overlapping of relief ; to obtain from the people
charities, suitable relief for deserving cases ; to provide Y'isitors,
who shall personally attend cases needing counsel and help,
and to procure work for poor persons who are capable of being

430 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY*.
wholly or partly self-supporting ; to assist from its own funds,
as far as possible, all suitable cases for which assistance cannot
be obtained from other sources ; to repress mendacity by the
above means and by the prosecution of imposters ; to promote
the general welfare of the poor by social and sanitary reforms,
and by the inculcation of habits of providence and self-
dependence. This society was very useful, particularly in
1891-92 Yvhen the diphtheria prevailed, but has been super
seded by the Bureau of Charities, which was incorporated in
1892. The applicants were Harriet V. Gridley, Ella R.
Griffith, Filinda W. Walker, Katharine Clark, Minnie Dun
ning, Emma J. Carroll, Charlotte M. Brevillier. The names of
those chosen to act as an advisory board were as follow : Hon.
Matthew Griswold, Hon. J. F. Downing, Hon. William A.
Galbraith, Rev. John Huske, Rev. Solon Cobb, Rev. H. C.
Hall, Hon. Walter Scott, and Messrs. Frederick Brevillier,
Charles Jarecki, J. H. Davie, William S. Brown, F. A. Bliley,
C. P. Cody, Dr. John Doll and Veterinary Surgeon George W.
Bell. The membership fee was placed at §1 for both ladies and
gentlemen. Commissioner Riblet stated that the board had much to be
thankful for on account of the Bureau of Charities, a new or
ganization, which is Yvorking in unison with the Commis
sioners and furnishes the board regularly with a list of persons
who have received aid from it. The Commissioners in return
furnish the bureau with a similar list.
The total amount expended by the Commissioners during
October for groceries and fuel was $299.70 against $243.60 for
the same period last year. At present the board is aiding 107
families, an increase of 26. In September of this year, §285.64
was the amount expended in their relief. Every precaution is
taken that only worthy persons receive assistance.
The total poor expense last year amounted to $37,151.34, and
out of the appropriation §5,450 remained in the treasury at the
beginning of the present year. The custom has been to carry
over about this amount from year to year, but if 1893 keeps
pace with former years with a natural increase in the expense
account of §2,000, which it bids fair to do, there will not be

HISTORY* OF ERIE COUNTY. 431
much of the $34,000 appropriation made for this year left
in the treasury next spring. The amount remaining in the
treasury at the present time is $15,000.
Mr. Bobertson Wilcox, of Girard, bequeathed §5,000 to a
public library in that borough. The amount is to be kept as a
reserve fund, and used for the purchase of books and period
icals from year to year. The citizens are erecting the library
building, and will meet the running expenses. It will be of
brick and two stories high. Nearly §2,000 has already been
subscribed. The following persons were selected as incorpo
rators, whose names will appear upon the charter : Mrs. C.
F. Bockwell, W. C. Culbertson, A. M. Clark, Mrs. R. S. Bat
tles, A. R. Smith, S. S. Ely, Mrs. U. P. Rossiter, and J. C.
Murphy. Five directors to serve for the ensuing year Yvere
elected, viz. : Frank May, C. F. Rockwell, R. S. Battles, Geo.
W. Kibler, and O. D. Van Camp. The directors will select a
building committee, president, secretary, etc., and have gen
eral supervision of the affairs of the association.
The cornerstone of the Wilcox Library was laid the 17th of
October. After the singing of "America" by the public
school children, prayer was offered by Bev. C. D. Shipman,
and appropriate remarks were made by Dr. O. Logan. Mrs.
C. F. Rockwell read a list of the contents of the box to be de
posited under the stone. A contractor of Greenville has
charge and good progress may be expected.
Mr. Wilcox contributed largely to the M. E. church of
Girard, in which he was a trustee. He had a good common
school education and much business capacity, and largely in
vested in real estate in Erie and Chicago. The Wilcox House
in Erie was owned by him. He was born in New London,
Conn., in 1811, but came to Girard about 1834, and did a large
business working at his trade, which was coopering.
Mr. Wilcox also donated §10,000 for an annex to Allegheny
College. The foundation is nearly complete, and, if the work
goes on without interruption, the building may be ready for
occupancy by the opening of the winter term.
The funds for the building were obtained partly by bequest
and partly by subscription. Mr. Robertson Wilcox, formerly
of Girard, Pa., left the sum of $5,000 to the college for this

432 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
purpose, and in honor of him the building will be known
as the Wilcox Hall of Science. It is to be devoted entirely to
the departments of physics and chemistry, and is being built
on a plan especially chosen for the purpose. It will be 40x61
feet on the ground floor, and two to four stories in height.
The basement will contain shops ; on the other floors are lab
oratories, recitation rooms, and a lecture room, seated like a
medical lecture room, so that every student can look down
upon the experiment table. This will seat about one hundred
students. In all there are to be twelve rooms above the base
ment, and the cost will be between §10,000 and §12,000.
Would that many wealthy citizens would imitate his noble
example !
John Weis, a highly respected citizen of West Millcreek,
died in 1892, leaving an estate estimated at from §50,000 to
§75,000. By his will he provides that a library be built and
furnished within the boundaries of Fairview township, or
McKean or in West Millcreek. The ground is to be purchased
and library opened as soon as possible. The best of books
must be provided. Like many of his generation, he felt the
absence of an early education, and it was his aim to do all in
his power for the education of the young. After the expenses
connected with the library are met, the trustees were directed
to use the income to assist young people in literary and scien
tific pursuits. No sum to be paid greater than §100 per year for
each person. His father, Jacob Weis, was a typical representa
tive of the Pennsylvania German, and came to Erie from Lan
caster about 1797, with the first settlers. First he resided at
West Millcreek, but afterwards purchased the Moses Barnet
farm, in Fairview township. The site thought the most de
sirable for the Weis library is in the southern corner of Mill
creek, a very healthful as well as beautiful locality. It was
undoubtedly the intention of the testator to locate it there.
Attorney Henry Riblet was his counsel and near friend. His
mother was Elizabeth (Ebersole) Weis, and his sister, Mrs.
Hershey, alone survives. John Weis was born January 7, 1819.
In 1888 the Erie Herald Publishing Company issued an il
lustrated, choice paper, " City of Erie, Pennsylvania," and
among other items said Erie never had a hurricane, a cyclone,

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY. 433
an earthquake or a flood. We trust the flrst two calamities
never may visit us.
The Flood of May 15-18, 1893.— Mill Creek was swollen and
raging from the constant and heavy rains of the previous few
days. A boy thirteen years of age, Jacob Heberla, was
drowned on the 16th, near Twenty-fourth and State streets
while attempting to grapple some floating wood. The force of
the powerful current drew him into the stream before he real
ized his danger or could release his hold. A rope was thrown
him, but he disappeared at Twenty-third Street culvert, and
his body was not found for some days. His recently widowed
mother had also lately lost a child by diphtheria, making a
grievous affliction. At midnight many Yvomen, children, and
some invalids were removed to places of safety in a pouring
rain. Buildings Yvere picked up, swung around, and carried
down stream, often blocking the way. In Erie, French and
Holland streets Yvere receptacles for overflow waters. Lakes,
pools, and canals Yvere found in unheard of places, and nu
merous wet cellars and ruined foundations were the result.
Sewers at Eighth and Poplar, Eighteenth and Cherry, Tenth
and State, Eighteenth and Poplar, Yvere greatly damaged.
The Hook and Ladder Company was at E. Eighteenth Street
and at Twenty-sixth succeeded in breaking up a jam after
midnight. A skating rink on Tenth Street, being an immense
structure, Yvas turned about and twisted in an extraordinary
manner. Watson's Paper Mill, City Iron Works, Jarecki's
and Stearns' Yvere closed for repairs for some days, or iso
lated by the Yvater and unapproachable, though boats and
rafts were useful and in demand. Some rowed over their
hitherto beautiful gardens, and many used for entrance and
exit second-story windows. Much soil was plowed, and car
ried down by the rush of waters. Railroad travel was in
terrupted for days, and the electric car tracks impeded.
Bridges and abutments in Glenwood Park disappeared at
a great loss. Garrison, Trout, and Brandy Runs, and Elk
Creek, Gingrich, and Culbertson dams were partly carried
away. Through the county the loss was great at Northeast,
Waterford, Wellsburg, Albion, Girard, Lockport, and Fair-
view. Fortunately there was no loss of life to record, except-

434 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY'.
ing in one case. Many animals, however, perished. The loss
of property to the county and city taxpayers, to individuals,
for foundations, cave-ins, interruptions in business, railroad
companies, etc., was unparalleled.
About 1878 Mr. Jas. Dodsworth and a daughter fifteen years
of age, living in a cottage on Eighth Street, were with the
house carried down Mill Creek during the night, and the bodies
not found until some days after. The storm and overflow were
of very short duration, and the catastrophe scarcely had wit
nesses. Union City, June 5, 1892, suffered by the flood which
was so disastrous to Oil City and Tittisville. The citizens of
Erie made a collection of §6,229.77, $3,736.87 being donated to
Titusville and $2,492.90 to Oil City. At Oil City 105 houses
Yvere destroyed and many damaged. Titusville and Oil City,
according to figures, lost 129 persons in the fiery deluge. It is
said the loss to Erie was equal excepting the loss by fire.
The greatest rainfall recorded in the history of Erie com
menced on the night of the 15th of May 1893, and ended at
about 6 a. m. on the 18th, 6.33 inches of rain having fallen
during that period — about fifty-five hours. During the flood,
4.71 inches of rain fell in twenty -four hours.. However, tYvo
inches of rain fell in Erie in two hours, viz.: from 7:40 to 9:40
a.m., August 25, 1873.

SECTION VI.

Water Commissioners — Hon. W. L. Scott — Palatial Residences —
The Wadena — Ore Docks — Trestle — Metric Metal Co. — Railroads —
County Roads — Freight Report — Banks — Disasters — Storage —
Homeopathic Hospital — A Synopsis — World's Fair Aioards.
The Board of Water Commissioners realize the importance
of bettering the supply of drinking water which is used by
the citizens of Erie, and, as true servants of the public, are
doing the best they can to obtain it. An intercepting sewer
from the vicinity of the Villa Maria Academy to the water
front and thence east to the neighborhood of the Soldiers'

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY*. ' 435
Home property at a cost of less than §100,000, was proposed as
a measure of immediate relief. A vote for increase of debt
for defraying the expense of constructing such a sewer re
sulted as follows : 1,833 in its favor, and 2,194 against ; ma
jority opposed, 361. Judging from this vote (and it was the
second upon the subject) the people are not thoroughly aroused
to its importance. Notwithstanding the health officer and
physicians have recommended to boil the city water used for
drinking purposes. Several citizens have written ably upon
the subject, and we do not doubt but that a plan will be de
vised ere long by which the difficulty will be corrected. May
it shortly prove an exception to the poet's lines,
" 'Twixt truth and error, there is this difference known,
Error is fruitful, truth is only one."
FUNERAL OF WILLIAM L. SCOTT.
From the Evening Herald.
Mayor C. S. Clarke issued the following proclamation :
"The death of Hon. William L. Scott, a former mayor of
this city, has occasioned universal sorrow in the community,
and in view of his eminent services as an official, citizen, and
business man, it is fitting that all due honor should be paid to
his memory.
"Therefore I, Charles S. Clarke, mayor, request that all un
necessary business be suspended in this city from three to six
o'clock on Thursday, September 24, the day of, the funeral, in
order that all may have an opportunity to participate in the
burial services.
' ' Given under my hand and the seal of the city of Erie
this twenty-third day of September, A. D. 1891.
"Charles S. Clarke, Mayor."
The Rev. John Huske and Rev. William Price conducted
the funeral services of the Episcopal church. A quartet
composed of Mrs. F. W. Britton, of Cleveland, Mrs. Eggleston,
Messrs. Little and Barnhurst, sang "Nearer My God to Thee."
The honorary pall-bearers were ex-President Grover Cleve
land, Gov. Robert E. Pattison, Mr. George B. Roberts, Mr.
Marvin Hughlett, Mr. E. S. Chapin, Mr. John W. Sterling,
Col. Daniel Lamont, Gen. McClelland, Mr. James McCrea,

436 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
Mr. Robert Neilson, Capt. John P. Green, Mr. Joseph Wood,
Mr. Charles Watts, Mr. J. Twing Brooks, Mr. J. M. Kimball,
Capt. Orris A. Browne, Mr. John B. Larkin, Mr. F. F.
Marshall, Hon. G. A. Allen, Maj. J. W. Reynolds, Hon. F. F.
Adams, Mr. A. R. Lee, Mr. John W. Little, Mr. John Clem
ens, Hon. E. Camphausen, Hon. C. M. Reed, Col. J. Ross
Thompson, Maj. John W. Walker, Hon. F. A. Mizener, Mr.
John R. Saltsman, Mr. C. F. Allis, and Mr. Robert J. Salts-
man. The active pall-bearers were Capt. J. S. Richards, Mr. Henry
Shannon, Mr. W. S. Brown, Mr. L. M. Little, Mr. M. H.
Taylor, Hon. Joseph McCarter, Mr. W. BreYvster, and Mr. F.
B. Whipple.
Col. J. Ross Thompson addressed the city councils after reso
lutions of respect had been passed for the loss of " Erie's fore
most citizen."
The floral tributes were the finest ever seen in this section of
the country and were mostly furnished by Thorley, of New
York, who sent his representatives here to look after the
flowers. The emblems which came from Thorley's are as follows :
A four-foot floral mat composed of lilies of the valley, pink
roses, Yvhite roses, maiden hair ferns with a large white rib
bon bow, bearing the card, " From the surviving members of
the firm." The casket cross of orchids and lilies of the val
ley with a lavender knot bearing the name of Mr. John S.
Richards. Flat bunch of American beauties with a bow knot
of Yvhite ribbon from Mr. John E. Payne. A large crescent
and wreath of lilies of the valley, la France roses and Scotch
heather, tied with lavender ribbon from the Second National
Bank. Five Sago palms and violets tied with lavender ribbon from
Hon. Joseph McCarter. A cross from Mr. and Mrs. Geylan,
of Philadelphia. Large wreath of white roses from Maj. J.
W. Walker. Twelve loose bunches of flowers from Messrs.
E. S. Chapin, J. W. Sterling and others of New York.
Those from the Erie florists were a large sheaf of wheat
with a ribbon bearing in gilt letters the legend : " Erie Dem
ocratic Society, We have lost the leader of Our County." A

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY. 437
pillow from W. F. and F. M. Hayes, a crescent of Yvhite pinks
and Marechal Niel roses from Mr. F. F. Marshall, a pair of
palm leaves and bunch of white roses from Dr. and Mrs. C.
U. Gravatt, U. S. N., a wreath from Mr. H. C. Shannon,
an anchor from the trestle employees, a lyre from the Erie
Maennerchor, a harp from the Erie Liedertafel, a wreath from
the Mueller Battery, afterwards known as Battery B.
The Philadelphia & Erie Express brought the casket
in which Hon. William L. Scott's remains will repose. The
coffin, which is from an original design, required the united
efforts of the entire force of workmen of the undertaker to
complete it in twelve hours. In the construction of it seventy-
six pounds of solid silver were used, forty yards of broadcloth,
about thirty pounds of silk, and ten pounds of eiderdown.
The casket, which is made of Florida red cedar, has straight
sides, and heavy fluted columns at the corners. The entire
casket, columns, molding, and all, is covered with the heaviest
grade of fine black broadcloth, tightly stretched. Along the
entire length of each side extend heavy bars of solid oxydized
silver. Each one of these bars contains 2SJ pounds of pure
coin silver. At each end are shorter bars of the same material
and design, each one weighing 91 pounds. The plate on top,
which is also of solid silver, is handsomely engraved Yvith the
inscription :

Born July 2, 1828.
William L. Scott.
Died September 19, 1891.

The casket is lined throughout with Bengaline silk. This
material is draped with what is known to the professional
undertaker as "artistic carelessness." The filling in and all
the upholstering is eiderdown.
Thousands of people who followed the remains of Erie's
distinguished citizen to their last resting place looked
for the first time with wonder upon the imposing edifice
he had built for himself and family for their last sleep.
The mausoleum, covering 1,000 square feet, rises majestic-

438 HISTORY* OF ERIE COUNTY'.
ally and stands fifty feet high. The beautiful Gothic
structure has the form of a Greek cross and Yvas en
tered from the east. The granite approaches from the east
terminate in a portico which is supported by polished pil
lars. The ashlar faced Hallowell granite walls, supported by
massive buttresses at the corners, rise to the height of seven
teen feet. The wings are finished in Gallic panels. The ex
terior above the buttresses shows a rise of receding granite
slabs, one above another till they reach the dome of the
mausoleum. This dome is of most exquisite design and on
each side has two Gothic niches or windows with polished
colufims. The dome is in pyramidal shape, terminating in a
purely-executed cross-shaped finial. The beautiful polished
columns, 22 in number, about the base and at the top of the
structure, with their composite capitals in darker granite than
the main structure, give the edifice a grandeur that is strik
ing. At the entrance of the rotunda are two standard
solid bronze doors. The rotunda, which is eleven feet square,
has arranged on the right and left the catacombs, 24 in num
ber. At the west side over the altar there is an apsis of
colored designs, and through these a soft light streams down
upon the rotunda. Light also admitted from the dome Or
ventilator shows with fine effect the geometrical patterned
marble floor. The walls and wainscot in Florentine, French,
African, and native marble are strangely beautiful and artistic.
Erie has palatial residences which merit particular descrip
tion, as those of Mrs. C. H. Strong, H. F. Watson, M. H. Taylor,
H. Shenk, and more than twenty others. Its many business
houses and societies must also be passed by for want of space.
The pleasure yacht Wadena of Cleveland called for a day at
Erie, having crossed from Port Colborne on account of thick
and heavy weather. The Welland was passed on November
21, 1892. During an absence of over a year the Wadena made
a voyage of over 25,000 miles. After a winter spent in the
Mediterranean, the Wadena left for the North Sea. While
lying outside of Hammerfest harbor the party, at midnight on
July 24, saw the setting sun skirt the horizon and begin to
rise again. North Cape, the farthest point to the north, Yvas

HISTORY- OF ERIE COUNTY. 439
reached on the following day, and after a visit to the Holland
fiord, with its famous black ice, 180 years old, Mr. Wade and
his guests turned southward again, skirting Europe, and
reaching Gibraltar on September 6. Returning across the
Atlantic, Charleston, S. C, was the first United States port
touched. This was on October 12, and on the 18th the yacht
arrived at Brooklyn. A week later she left for Cleveland.
The trip was leisurely taken, stops being made at Halifax,
Port Mulgrave, and Quebec — the latter port being reached on
October 30. Other stops, generally over night, were made at
Charlotte, Valley Field, Cornwall, Lachine, Farran's Point,
Morrisburg, and Odgensburg, the yacht being pontooned
through the St. Lawrence canals. At Oswego, Fairhaven, and
St Catherines, calls were made. The Wadena, the property of
Com. Wade, of the Cleveland Yachting Club, is about the size
of the pleasure yacht Mystic of this port.
The Pittsburg Docks in Erie Harbor. — No. 1, the middle
dock of the group, so called because first built, is 1,050 feet
long, 190 feet wide, and was built in 1864 ; much of it has
since been rebuilt, and the channel on each side deepened and
widened. No. 2 is the west dock, and second built (1868), with trestle
and shutes to load soft coal. This practice was abandoned in
1878, trestle and shute taken away, dock Yvidened and ex
tended 500 feet, making its length 1,500 feet, and the width
150 feet. This was in 1882.
No. 3 is the shore dock, running between Nos. 1 and 4, and
is 550 feet long by 250 wide, and was built in 1870. This has
also been rebuilt, and the channel and basin dredged and
deepened. No. 4, or what is called the Carnegie dock, was built in 1870
and 1871 ; it is 1,100 feet long, and 350 feet wide. This, how
ever, is but one half the size which the Pennsylvania Com
pany intend to make this dock, as the original plan called for
1,100 feet by 741 feet, and when there is a demand for the other
half it probably will be built.
Heavy Ore Shipments. — (1892) — "The work of shipping ore
from the Carnegie docks in this city, which was almost sus
pended during the long strikes of the summer at the Carnegie

440 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
mills, has been resumed. The daily shipments are about 10O
cars. Sometimes it is out of the question to get cars, and
the shipments are then retarded. The force of men at work
on the Carnegie docks is about eighty, and they will have
work all winter, something rather unusual at the ore docks.
The shipments from the Erie & Pittsburg docks are sIoyv, and
do not run over eight or ten cars a day. There are almost a
million tons of ore on both docks at the present time, but it
is the intention of the Carnegies to get their ore all off the
docks before the opening of navigation. The new donkey
hoists on the docks are a great assistance in the handling of
ore, and make the work comparatively light.
" The season of navigation, now about closed, has been one of
the most notable in the history of this port. During the sea
son the officials of the Pennsylvania Bailroad announced their
intention of expending §2,000,000 in this city in betterment of
their tracks, yards, and dock facilities. An elevator for the
receipt and shipment of grain was also promised. The com
pany did expend §200,000 on the extension of the ore docks,
and another §60,000 on the ore docks at the Philadelphia &
Erie terminus. The fact that the company has, or is about to
put up, double-track iron bridges over the western division of
the Philadelphia & Erie, and is opening up and extending all
its sidings, confirms the report that ere the close of another
season the Philadelphia and Erie will have a complete double
track. The yards at the lake front are being extended, and
everything indicates good faith on the part of the Pennsyl
vania, and the fulfillment of the predictions of its officials.
"The receipts of freight here during the season were 37,491
tons, mostly from Chicago and Milwaukee. The receipts of
corn were 5,595,740 bushels, 112 per cent more than last year.
The receipts of wheat were 7,930,788 bushels — a slight falling
off from last year, but with that exception the largest ever
received in Erie. The receipts of barley were 80,000 bushels,
an increase of 60 per cent. The receipts of rye were 414,779
bushels. The flour receipts reached the unprecedented total of
2,000,000 barrels, being more than double last year's, and
largely from Duluth. Of flaxseed there were 314,640 bushels,
and pig iron 3,940 tons, a slight falling off.

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY'. 441
" The advent here of the Carnegies, who occupy the new
dock built by the Pennsylvania Company at the Erie & Pitts
burg docks, boomed ore receipts largely, and they reached
6,404,434 tons, as against 394,347 tons last year. The receipts of
lumber were 12,918,000 feet, 33} per cent heavier than last
season. House-furnishing establishments received 4,850 tons,
and building stone from Kelly's Island amounted to 1,023 tons.
The copper receipts fell off to 7,704 tons, and plaster from
Lake Superior to 1,784 tons.
" Shipments were correspondingly heavy, as follows :
Freight, mostly machinery, to Chicago, 110,592 tons ; hard
coal, 378,067 ; soft coal, 103,693 ; brick, 220, and railway iron,
400. There was an increase in foreign shipments from Canada
this year in the matter of lumber, and it was for fine house-
finishing woods. The imports of white pine were 1,395,0S7
feet ; maple for veneering pianos and for house trimmings,
9,405 feet; lath, 1,047,550; stave bolts for tobacco pails, 345
cords." The Big Trestle of the Scott Coal Company. — The area
covered is 220x400 feet, all under one roof, being the most com-
plete concern of the kind in the country. The machinery is
of new design and to be operated by electricity. Coal will be
transferred at a cost below any price heretofore, and will
not exceed \\ cents per ton. The Nickel Plate and Lake Shore
cars run into the yards, where thousands of tons of coal will
be stored at all times, and the trestle is one of the largest in
the United States.
Erie's Coal Shipments (Dec, 1893). — " The last cargo of coal by
lake has left this port for this season, being taken by the
Schuylkill a few days ago.
"The shipments of hard coal from this port this season
Yvere about 440,000 tons, and about 100,000 tons of soft coal,
mostly for fuel in the early part of the season, and latterly
for the Chicago markets.
" The shipments of coal this season exceed those of last
season, especially of soft coal, there being fully 50,000 tons
shipped more than last year.
" The new coal trestles at the junction of the Philadelphia
& Erie and Lake Shore roads are now in very actiY*e use,

442 HISTORY* OF ERIE COUNTY.
and the hard coal is being run in on the Philadelphia &
Erie Railroad and transferred from the cars into the pockets,
or into the general storage in the centre of the building. The
pockets are so arranged that cars can be loaded directly from
the pocket into the car, saving a great deal of handling by
the automatic arrangement.
" The rates for carrying coal this year have been very low.
The running rates from this port were 60 cents on hard coal
and from 35 to 40 cents on soft coal — that is to Chicago. The
rates to Lake Superior have not been so high. Some coal has
been carried to Duluth this season for 25 cents a ton, but that
was mostly when the coal was wanted for ballast."
Industrial. — November of 1891 the Metric Metal shops were
opened, making a great addition to Erie's industries. Many
car loads of machinery were transferred from the old plant at
Beaver Falls, besides the new machinery from the E. W. Bliss
Company, of New York. Twenty acres of ground had been
purchased from Hon. C. M. Beed just outside of the eastern
limits of the city. The factory is three stories high, in the
shape of the letter L, being 201 feet along Ninth Street and
210 feet along the eastern city limit. A switch from the Phil
adelphia & Erie will be run in along East Tenth Street until
it clears the west part of the works, arid thence northwest to
near Ninth Street, where it will end.
The company is putting in a sewer seven eighths of a mile in
length on Payne Avenue from the shops lakeward, and laying
pipes to a gas well about a mile distant Yvhich they purchased
from Mr. Fleming to supply heat for soldering furnaces and
light throughout the establishment.
A new residence for the superintendent is under roof north
of the buildings. The company opens up Ninth, Tenth, and
Twelfth streets, with spills, or drainage, and Hess Avenue,
parallel to Payne, is being worked into shape, as is Gilson
Avenue still farther east, and real estate has greatly increased
in value in the eastern part of the city.
The company will manufacture meters for natural and illu
minating gas, iron for natural, and tin for illuminating. The
shops will have a capacity of 250 meters a day. That will
mean 250 workmen, for by calculation it takes a man to each

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.

443

meter. When running 135 men at Beaver Falls the average
output was 135 meters a day. President, C. N. Payne ; Superin
tendent, J. B. Wallace ; Secretary and Treasurer, F. H. Payne.
Jan. 30, 1893, a great surprise greeted Erie people, the failure
of the Car Works, throwing 300 men out of employment. After
seY'en months the whistle was again heard — the Lake Shore
road having leased the property for twenty years, with the
prospect of purchasing them at that time.
Erie City's five railroads are : Pittsburg, Shenango & Lake
Erie ; Lake Shore & Michigan Southern ; New York, Chicago
& St. Louis (commonly called the Nickel Plate) ; Philadelphia
& Erie, and Erie & Pittsburg. At Union City we find the
Philadelphia & Erie ; New York, Pennsylvania & Ohio, and
Western New York & Pennsylvania. At Corry is the Western
New York & Pennsylvania, formerly called the Oil Creek
road ; the New York, Pennsylvania & Ohio, and the Phila
delphia and Erie.
Bituminous coal reaches the city at a low charge by way of
the New York, Pennsylvania & Ohio road from Mercer and
Butler counties, and the Philadelphia & Erie gives it the
benefit of competition in securing anthracite from the Eastern
Pennsylvania fields.
The Philadelphia & Erie and New York, Pennsylvania &
Ohio Railroads both cross the township from Le Bceuf to Con
cord. A third railroad, the Union & Titusville, comes in from
Crawford County and connects with the Philadelphia & Erie
at Union City.
It is confidently expected that motor cars will connect Edin
boro with Erie in the course of a few months. Maj. Hoyt and
Mr. G. E. Byckman, of Brocton, N. Y., are said to have it in
charge. (Season of 1893). The dockets at the Custom House show
the following receipts from the coastwise trade :
Wheat, bu  3,659,858
Corn, bu  6,630,347
Rye, bu  :... 191,100
Oats, bu  221,887
Barley, bu  156,656
Flour, tons  105,571
Flaxseed, bu  287,427
Iron ore, tons  499,278
Lumber, ft  8,562,000

Lath  405,000
Limestone, cords  2,362
Package freight, tons  20,948
Copper, tons  1,169
SHIPMENTS.
Hard coal, tons  353,612
Soft coal, tons  71,261
Package freight, tons  45,918

444 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
There was a very heavy falling off in the receipts of package
freight, which were 17,000 tons less than last season.
The receipts of corn were 1,100,000 bushels more than last
season. Wheat fell off 4,000,000 bushels ; barley receipts
showed an increase of 700,000 bushels, or about fifty per cent.
This was due to the excellent products of the Northern
Minnesota and Dakota farms, which are just now springing
into popularity on account of their choice barley. The rye re
ceipts fell off about 300,000 bushels. There were at least a
million barrels less of flour received this fall, and the flaxseed
fell off 30,000 bushels.
The ore receipts were 150,000 tons less than in 1892 , lumber
fell off 4,000,000 feet. The receipts of stone were double those
of last season, owing to the extension of the north pier. The
copper shipments came this way in smaller shipments by 400
tons than in 1892.
Despite the heavy shipments to Chicago early in the spring,
the package freight forwarded fell off 60,000 tons. The hard
coal shipments fell off 30,000 tons, and the soft coal shipments
increased 50,000 tons.
It was observed in this connection, however, that the falling
off in the lake traffic was not as great as it was in other lines
of business this year.
A local paper has the following of country roads in the
spring of 1893 : "If there is such a thing possible as the enact
ment of any law that will improve our main thoroughfares, it
is to be hoped the next Legislature will do so, for the Buffalo
road is almost impassible. This should not be so with this
road in particular, as it is one of the very oldest in this end of
the State, and one of the most traveled. It should have been
macadamized long ago. Mr. Carl Walbridge, our efficient
road commissioner, is doing all that the road funds on hand
will permit, but we must have a law that furnishes more
money and a different system of working the roads."
"Good Roads, a matter of Finance" was decided by the
bankers at the convention at Chicago. Conservative and re
liable statisticians estimate the cost of bad roads in this
county at more than §250,000,000.
The First National Bank was organized in February, 1863,

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY'. 445
with a capital of §150,000. J. C. Spencer, President ; M. San
ford, Cashier ; J. L. Sternberg, Teller. In February, 1883, the
bank Yvas reorganized for twenty years. Surplus fund §155,-
000. Present officers are : President, William Spencer ; Vice-
President, Hon. Charles M. Beed ; Cashier, J. L. Sternberg ;
Directors, William Spencer, Charles M. Reed, M. Griswold,
William E. Marvin, and J. L. Sternberg.
The Second National Bank was established in 1864. Capital
stock, $300,000 ; surplus, $200,000 ; undivided profits, $94,456.
President, Joseph McCarter ; Cashier, C. F. Allis ; Assistant
Cashier, W. M. Walla'ce ; Directors, Joseph McCarter, M. H.
Taylor, D. D. Tracy, John W. Walker, J. S. Bichards, W. S.
Brown, Charles H. Strong. The first officers of this bank
were : President, William L. Scott ; Vice-President, Joseph
McCarter ; Cashier, W. C. Curry.
The Keystone National Bank. Capital, §250,000. President,
MattheYv Griswold ; Vice-President, J. F. Downing ; Cashier,
F. V. Kepler ; Assistant Cashier, F. M. Lamb ; Directors, J.
F. Downing, Matthew Griswold, William E. Marvin, George
T. Churchill, J. I. Town, F. V. Kepler, F. M. Lamb.
The Marine National Bank. Capital, §150,000. President,
F. F. Marshall ; Cashier, C. E. Gunnison ; Assistant Cashier,
Harry Gunnison ; Directors, F. F. Marshall, H. Beckman, C.
E. Gunnison, Harry Gunnison, John Clemens.
The Erie Dime SaY'ings and Loan Company. Cash capital
paid in §150,000 ; surplus, §50,000 ; authorized capital $500,000.
President, William A. Galbraith ; Vice-President, Hon. J. F.
Downing ; Treasurer, F. F. Curtze ; Teller, F. H. Schutte ;
Directors, Hon. William A. Galbraith, Hon. J. F. Downing,
Hon. G. W. Starr, Benjamin Whitman, C. C. Shirk, Davis
Bees, John W. Galbraith, Frank Fairbairn.
According to statistics compiled by the Chicago Herald, the
season just closed on the great lakes has been uncommonly
disastrous. One hundred and twenty-three lives were lost,
and fifty-three vessels, with an aggregate tonnage of 24,257,
and valued at $1,040,400, passed out of existence, while partial
losses by stranding, collision, and fire bring the total of losses
up to $2,112,588. The greatest loss of life was on Lake Erie.
Increased storage is required in Erie for grain and fruits of

446 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
the Northwest. Buffalo is amply provided and millions of
bushels are sold in the West for delivery at that point. It is
of the greatest importance that Philadelphia should have the
benefit of the business done at Erie. The Beading system will
soon put Philadelphia in possession of the completest facili
ties for dividing with the Erie Canal and the New York rail
ways the immense business in Buffalo, and bringing hither a
part of the grain, ore, and lumber-. There should be a share
of Philadelphia business done through the splendid port of
Erie, but there is not one tenth of the needed storage.
December, 1893, application was made to the Court of Com
mon Pleas for the incorporation of a hospital, dispensary, and
training school for nurses. The name of the corporation is to be
"The Homeopathic Hospital and Dispensary Association of
Erie," and its purposes are for the establishing and maintain
ing of a hospital, dispensary, and training school for nurses.
The corporators are Drs. W. K. Cleveland, Edward Cranch,
Herman C. Galster, J. Louis Ireland, John F. Flint, Joseph R.
Phillips, M. A. Wilson, J. C. M. Drake, H. E. Flint, and R. T.
Marks, of Erie ; and H. L. Stem, of Union City, and W. S. Hub
bard, of Albion. The corporation is to be managed by a board
of directors consisting of twelve members. The charter and
certificate of incorporation were approved by the court, and
the Homeopathic Hospital and Dispensary Association is now
a matter of fact in organization, and will soon be in operation.
Synopsis. — Some facts concerning Erie haY'e been concisely
stated as follows : Erie is built on a bluff overlooking the
finest harbor and bay on the chain of lakes. It is one of the
healthiest cities on the continent. Altitude, 800 feet. Cli
mate unsurpassed. Has 30 churches, 20 public schools, State
Soldiers and Sailors' Home, 40 hotels, 6 banks, 5 daily papers,
5 railroads, natural gas, electric light and poYver, 15 miles of
paved streets, 27 miles of electric street railroad, water sys-
system with 77 miles of mains. Home city in every sense of
the word. Has most picturesque surroundings. Is a beautiful
summer resort. Has pretty parks. Land-locked bay, 4}xlJ
miles in extent. Is in the midst of the great lake shore grape
district, and profits by an immense lake trade in lumber, ore,
coal, grain, etc.

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY. 447
Erie is a manufacturing city with 50,000 population. There
are 200 manufactories, employing 8,000 men, with annual out
put of $18,000,000. Erie enjoys the proud reputation of mak
ing more boilers and engines than any city in the world ; has
two large piano factories, immense paper mills, 47 iron and
brass manufactories, brass works employing 1,000 men, 9 lum
ber yards and planing mills, 5 large flouring mills, freight car
works, lake fishery with 26 steam and 16 sail boats. A State
fish hatchery is located in Erie. Bicycles, brick, beer, brooms,
barrels, baskets, brushes, car heaters, cements, chemicals, con
fectionery, electric motors, malt, pails, hollow ware, sleeve
pulleys, rubber goods, pearl buttons, stoY'es, soap, spring beds,
novelty show cases, meters and appliances, wringers, mouse
traps, and matches, are manufactured and the industries are
all prospering.
The following Erie manufacturers received awards at the
World's Fair on Thursday, October 12 : Ball Engine Com
pany, high speed, compound condensing engine ; Jarecki
Manufacturing Company, Limited, exhibit of brass goods and
iron fittings ; Stearns Manufacturing Company, automatic,
high speed engine, Gill water tube boiler ; N. A. Watson, Ex
celsior boiler feeder. The newspaper of the day describes the
first named as follows : " The Ball Engine Company has
completed the giant 700-horse-power engine for the World's
Fair. The engine will be one of eight, from different parts of
the United States, which will furnish the motive power in
machinery hall at the great Fair. All of these engines will be
painted a pure white. The engine will attract considerable
attention at the Fair."
The Metric Metal Company has received an award at the
World's Fair for spring scales.
The highest honors Yvere awarded the Colby Pianos, at the
World's Columbian Exposition.
Why he took the Confederate Flag. — October 20, 1893. Maj.
I. B. Brown, who took down the Confederate flag from the
Southern locomotive " General," in the Transportation build.
ing at the World's Fair says':
" I have no particular hostility to the men who carried the
flag during the war, but why any one, twenty-eight years

448 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
after the war, should deliberately display a flag in the loyal
State of Illinois, or, indeed, anywhere else, which never did
and never can mean anything but treason, rebellion, and
human slavery, I could not understand. I have learned since
that it is claimed that the flag was simply hoisted as a relic.
The story is hard to believe ; but even if there is any truth
in it, we can get along without any exhibitions of such relics.
There are enough Union soldiers with empty sleeves, wooden
legs, crutches and broken constitutions to answer any reason
able demand for relics. I believe the flag was placed in posi
tion in defiance of the patriotic sentiment that ought to find
a place in the heart of every loyal citizen, and such belief
compelled me to take it down."

INDEX.

Abercrombie, 176.
Academies, 153, 160, 210.
Actual settlers, 275.
Adams, 55, 289, 356, 395.
Adair, 172.
Adlum, 61, 62.
Addison, 97.
Adelphic Society, 145.
Agassiz, 400.
Agricultural societies, 137, 138.
Alfred, 141.
Allen, 387.
Albion lodge, 139.
Allis, C. F., 445.
Algonquin, 15.
Alvord, 207.
Althof'i 265.
" Amelia," 224.
Amity township, 77.
Amendment, 421.
Angus, 221.
Andrews, 266.
Angevine, 304.
Andastes, 16.
Anti-abolition, 142.
Appalachian, 259.
Appropriations, 62. 113. 116.
" Ariel," 233.
Armour, 359.
Arnold, 377.
Argillaceous Schist, 206.
Arbuckle, 166, 415.
Artus, 293, 368.
Arion musical, 146.
Associate judges. 98.
Ashtabula, 274.
Asiatic cholera, 283.
Atkinson, 414.
Atiwandaronk, 15.

Aull, 340.
Austin, 163, 385.
Average, 397.
Avery, 369.
Avicula Speciosa, 261.
Ayers, 212.
Ayres, 212.
Baratoni, 353.
Babeer, 38.
Babbitt, 98, 140, 306, 399, 406.
" Backbone," 268.
Balmoral, 359.
Badger, 188.
Bancroft, 24, 137, 378.
Baldwin, 172.
Banks, 98, 445.
Ball, 137.
Baltimore, 56.
Barnett, 137, 359.
Bahia, 398.
Bacon, 141.
Bailey, 301.
Baird, 400.
Barry, 194, 205.
Baker, 194, 408.
Barclay, 232.
Barger, 422.
Barnhurst, 435.
Barlow, 98.
Barnes, 275.
Baldwin, 352, 343,344.
Barker, 140.
Battles, 336.
Beach, 81.
Beaver, 99. 340.
Becuent, 194.
Beebe, 374.
Belle Riviere, 30.
Benedict, 416.

449

450

INDEX.

Benson, 163, 184, 301.
Benze, 408.
Becker, 356, 366.
Bell, 98, 99, 332, 406.
Berea, 327,
Bernard, 246.
Beath, 340.
Berry, 344, 346.
Biddle, 65.
Biglow, 343.
Bird, 246, 249.
Bissel, 276.
Black, 164, 306.
Blaine, 140, 309, 356.
Blackburn, 401.
Blair, 290.
Black Rock, 219, 221.
Bliss, 312.
Bolivar, 283.
Bologna, 402.
Booth, 266.
Boquet, 48, 55, 309.
Bothwick, 344.
Boyd, 141, 164.
Boyden, 163.
Bowman, 176.
Boyer's Bluff, 208.
Boyer, 208.
Brady, 353. >
Brandywine, 271.
Braboeuf, 20.
Brewster, 119, 140.
Brewer, 370.
Bracken, 184.
Brown University, 200.
Broboa, 19.
Brotherton, 108.
Brindle, 137, 164.
Britton, 435.
Brandt, 70, 75.
Brawley, 137, 140.
Bradstreet, 54.
Bradley . 164.
Breckenridge, 97.
Brainard, 416.
Brevillier, 423.
Bristol, 141.
Bracken, 184.
Bradford, 293.

Bridgman, 328. .
Broas, 336.
Brooks, 205, 225, 246, 336, 343, 396.
Brandes, 334.
Brown, 97, 140, 222, 309, 339, 343.
Breyson, 343.
Buckingham, 324.
Bullus, 343.
Butterfleld, 337.
Butler, 300, 367.
Burgess, 176, 376.
Bull, 48.
Burinol, 45.
Burlinghame, 158.
Buehler, 92.
Burnett, 210.
Burchfleld, 99.
Buchanan, 404.
Buckbee, 416.
Campbell, 335.
Cadwell, 119.
" Caledonia," 233, 249.
Cascade, 224.
Carnegie, 440.
Cassawago, 70.
Camp, 163, 169.
Canal, 114.
Carpenter, 164.
Carr, 159.
Carter, 332, 341.
Carmarthan, 55.
Carrier, 167, 186, 401.
Canfleld, 357.
Canadohta, 375.
Carstensen, 382.
Carson, 184,304,399.
Casey, 306.
Caughey, 114, 163, 332.
Cattaraugus, 219.
Celeron, 29.
Chadakoin, 33.
Chambers, 208.
Chambers Island, 208.
Champlin, 219, 233, 343.
Chamberlain, 81, 397.
Chapin, 435, 436.
Chase, 210.
Chandler, 210.
Chippeway, 225.

INDEX.

451

Chicago, 211.
Chauncey, 210, 218, 220, 221, 221, 226,
343.
Chapman, 343, 344, 410, 412.
Chute, 158.
Christie, 52.
City Hall, 366.
" Cisterns, Broken," 206.
Clark, 178, 246, 301, 329, 343, 393, 416.
Clarke, 435.
Cleveland, 406, 433.
Claxton, 246.
Clay, 230.
Clinton, 31, 59.
Clifford, 176.
Cooper, 377, 416.
Confederate flag, 447.
Converse, 388.
Courtright, 119, 406.
Cory, 357.
Corry, 358.
Connely, 314.
Cobham, 338.
Coddington, 211.
Colson, 173.
Cochrane, 172.
Cook, 312.
Cole, 341.
Colt, 22, 76, 107, 108, 113, 111, 165, 173,
326.
Colt's Station, 274.
Coltron, 107,
Congress, 246.
Conklin, 237.
Conneaut, 265.
Conrad, 187.
Conestagues, 16.
Cone-in-Cone, 260.
Coffin, 32.
Courthouse bell, 290, 354.
Cornplanter, 61.
Coxe, 342.
Crane's Mills, 262.
Cranch, 113.
Crawford, 230,306.
" Crevecoeur," 26.
Croghan, 30, 233.
Crosby, 221.
Crossman, 387.

Curtin, 334.
Cushman, 343.
Culbertson, 185, 305, 357, 431.
Curry, 301.
Cusic, 17.
Cutler, 189.
Dabney, 422.
Daggett, 140.
Dallas, 65.
Day, 165.
Day nursery, 425.
Daniel, book of, 205.
Darwin, 382.
Davis, 246.
Davison, 37, 163.
Davenport, 422.
Deacon, 250.
Dean, 366.
DeCamp, 331.
DeLancy, 28.
Dearborn, 224, 226.
Dearborn, Fort, 372.
Deman, 35.
Denny, 68. p
DePuy, 382.
DeWitt, 59, 386, 387, 415.
Derrickson, 97.
" Detroit," 233.
Devereux, 165.
Dexter, 250, 387.
Devotion, Christian, 205.
Dickey, 184, 185.
Ditto, 398.
Dinwiddie, 37.
Dill, 363.
Dickson, 385.
Dixon, 324. .
Docks, 439.
Doll, 369.
Dodsworth, 434.
Dobbins, 207, 208, 219, 221, 222, 236, 285,
328.
Douglas, 53, 382, 404.
Downing, 416.
Dodge, 422.
Dreer, 385.
Drake, 370.
Drum, 114.
Duncan, 272.

452

INDEX.

Dunn, 290, 422.
Dundass, 162.
Dunlap, 137, 256, 380.
DuQuesne, 28.
Dutch, 22.
Durlin, 164.
Duluth, 322.
Dunning, 421.
Eagley, 165.
Eagle Hotel, 288.
Ealy, 422.
Eaton, 141, 281, 371
Ebersole, 138.
Eckford, 222, 223, 246.
Edgerton, 21.1.
Eddy. 20, 27.
Edwards, 421.
Edmunds, 422.
Eggleston, 435.
Elliot, 140, 220, 221, 233.
Ellicot, 59, 62, 77, 78, 381.
Ellsworth, 422.
Eleusis. 402.
Ellis, 165.
" Elmer, Ruth," 206.
Ely, 171.
Ensign, 172.
Eries, 270.
Erie Bank, 207,
Erie, Canal, 285.
Erie & Northeast, 119.
Erwin, 424.
Espy, 422.
Evans, 26, 374, 422.
Everson, 422.
" Exposition Flyer," 352.
Fay, 364.
Fairplains, 265.
Fairbanks, 85, 196.
Farrar, 355.
Ferguson, 165.
Fetid, Bay of, 26.
Fillmore, 211.
Findley, 312.
Finnis, 225.
Fleeharty, 324, 346.
Fleming, 292, 324.
Flowers, 141, 422.
Folwells, 276.

Force, 383.
Forest, 240.
Forster, 112, 222, 284.
Foster, 162, 164.
Fort George, 225, 248.
Fowzier, 324.
Frasier, 42.
Frazier, 215.
Franklin, 22.
Frontinac, 17, 24, 26.
Fronca, 265,
Gale, 164.
Gara, 334, 422.
Garfield, 405.
Gaines, 244.
Gailey, 164.
Galbraith, 97, 140, 212, 213, 331, 355, 366,
375.
Garrison Hill, 246.
Geylan, 436.
Gerrisb, 158.
Geary, 163.
Geodetic survey, 397.
Genesee River, 260.
Gest, 385.
Gibson, 67, 334.
Gilbert, 24.
Gillis, 343.
Gillespie, 413.
Gilson, 288, 300.
Glass, 186.
Glover, 184.
Glazier, 348.
Glenwood Park, 374.
Gordon, 54.
Gobin, 340.
" Good Luck," 291.
Gould, 141, 163, 165.
Green, 372.
Greenwood, 152.
Grant, 404, 406.
Graham, 58, 332.
Gregory, 172, 389.
Greeley, 404.
Grapes, 359.
Grubb, 83, 276.
Greer, 140, 187.
Griffith, 140.
Guenther, 367.

INDEX.

453

Gunnison, 97, 164.
Hackney, 108.
Hall, 163, 187, 283.
Hagstrom, 409.
Hamilton, 36, 222.
Hayden, 409.
Hamot, 140, 206, 207, 285.
Hancock, 338.
Hamburg, 20.
Hammond, 356, 410.
Halderman, 336.
Hambleton, 233.
Hamtranck, 276.
Harrison, 226, 310, 404.
Hartstown, 268.
Harrington, 323.
Hart, 189.
Harvey, 52.
Harris, 176.
Haslett, 407.
Hastings, 164.
Hanley, 346.
Hatton, 141.
Hart & Bird, 287.
Hay ward, 343.
Hays, 284. +U Jt r //)' / 3 L
Hayes, 357, 406. J
Hazelton, 140.
Hearn, 114.
Heaton, 140.
Heath, 186.
Helm, 343.
Henry, 49.
Herrington, 112.
Herron, 108, 309, 387.
Himrod, 140.
Homeopathic Hospital, 446.
Holland, 33, 59.
Holland purchase, 84.
Hooker, 338.
Howard, 315, 326.
Holmes, 228.
Hopson, 387.
Holdup, 230, 250.
Holliday, 164.
Homans, 289.
Home of the Friendless, 428.
Honeoye, 271.
Hoyt, 443.

Horton, 324.
Hoskinson, 324.
Hulbert, 141.
Huske, 435.
Hudson's Bay, 29.
Hughlett, 435.
Hunter, 225, 283, 342.
Hurd, 165.
Humphrey, 357.
Huntington, 164.
Hunt, 415.
Hutchins, 163, 184.
Humane Society, 424.
Huntsburger, 324.
Indian Mound, 22.
Ingersoll, 26, 318, 424.
Iroquois, 15, 271.
Irvine, 60, 276, 387.
Irwin, 196.
Jackson, 326.
James 2, 52.
Jay, 89.
Jefferson, 368.
Jeffers, 67, 391.
Jebb, 383.
" Jones," 234.
Jones,. 187, 189, 219, 324, 356, 422.
Johnson, 21, 43, 97, 186.
Johnson's Island, 342.
Judson, 88, 141.
Jolls, 288.
Jouett, 343.
Joliet, 21.
Jean Cceur, 31.
" Kalorama," 406.
Kautz, 343.
Kanswans, 271.
Kelso, 399.
Kelsey, 421.
Kelley, 140.
Kelly, 284.
Kellogg, 141, 189.
Kennedy, 84.
Kern, 408.
Kewenaw, 322.
Kincaid, 184.
Kidder, 191.
Kirtland, 108.
King, 288, 332, 359.

454

Knox, 70, 97, 266.
Kohler, 345.
La Force, 40.
Lady Prevost, 225.
LaFayette, 283.
LaVasseur, 282.
Lanman, 343.
Lane, 332.
Laird, 323.
Ladies' appeal, 418.
Lake Pleasant, 317.
Laub, 246.
Laughlin, 188.
Lawrence, 231, 233, 239.
Lawson, 293.
Leech, 379.
Leet, 137, 363.
Lee, 31.
Lee's Run, 223.
Le Moyne, 16, 17.
Lennon, 334.
Leuschen, 334, 346.
Leutje, 332.
Lesley, 375.
Lewis, 97, 389, 422.
Lincoln, 335.
Liddell, 117, 299.
Lindsay, 32, 359.
" Little Belt," 225.
Limber, 164.
Liszt, 388.
Little, 435.
Livingston, 163.
Livsey, 340.
Long Point, 228, 232.
Long, 281.
Longstreet, 419.
Loop, 421.
Logstown, 32.
Loomis, 140, 187.
Lossing, 381.
" London Field," 401.
Logan, 306.
Lowry, 97, 332.
Louis XIV., 24.
Luce, 357.
Luccock, 421.
Lull, 340.
Lyman, 276.

Lyon, 141, 406.
Lytle, 184.
Lockwood, 164.
Laubender, 421.
Mackenzie, 376.
Macklin, 335.
Marshall, 303, 374.
Maher, 326.
Magill, 421.
Mansion House, 287.
Madison, 214, 234, 238.
Machault Ft., 44.
Maiden, 236.
Marlin, 108.
Marshall, 114.
Marsh Run, 265.
Mason, 218.
Marion, O., 290.
Marks, 112.
Marsh, 163, 422.
Marvin, 140, ,421.
Mason & Dixon, 58.
Matlack, 61.
Mavada, 306.
Malick, 186.
Mallory, 422.
Manross, 422.
Mathews, 141, 184.
" May Flower," 282.
McAllister, 114.
McBlair, 343.
McCray, 68.
McCall, 276.
McCarter, 356.
McClelland, 114.
McClure, 189.
McConnell, 186.
McClay, 61.
McCaskey, 141.
McConkey, 92.
McCullough, 78.
McCurdy, 167.
McCord, 137, 141, 172.
McClay, 299
McCord, 306.
McCreary, 339.
McCrea, 315.
McClellan, 337.
McDonald, 233.

INDEX.

455

McKenzie, 217, 238.
McKinney, 141, 323.
McLane, 332, 334.
McMillan, 167.
McMullen, 874.
MeMaster, 385.
McNair, 107.
McPherrin, 168.
McSparren, 265.
Metzenberg, 293.
Metcalf, 297.
Messick, 176.
Mershom, 165.
Merriman, 163.
Metcalf, 114.
Mead, 219, 223, 230, 248.
Meade, 254.
Meigs, Ft., 228.
Mehl, 331.
Mississaques, 17.
Middleton, 262.
Miles, 61, 10S, 249, 297, 334, 379
Miller, 163, 194, 422.
Mills, 413.
Mifflin, 65. '
Mitchell, 283, 422.
Missimer, 415.
Mizener, 356.
Mohawks, 270.
Mohawk, 16.
Morgan 163.
Morhart, 408.
Moore, 97, 284, 421.
Montour, 36.
Moravian Quarry, 262.
Montgomery, 233.
Moorhead, 281, 386. lOl
Munn, 422.
Mueller, 332, 335.
Muhlenberg, 300.
Muzzy, 324.
Nagle, 343.
Navy yard, 223.
Naylor, 206.
Noble, 355.
Normal school, 185.
Norton, 194.
Nesbitt, 340.
Neilson, 352.

Neutral, 15.
Niagara, 231.
Niagara Falls, 249.
Nichols, 163.
Nicholson, 64, 343.
Niles, 310.
Oaks, 196.
Oak Hill, 369.
O'Beil, 73.
O'Brien, 340, 374.
O'Hara, 109.
Ohio, 233.
Oliver, 290, 312.
Olmstead, 164. 269, 272.
Oneidas, 270.
Onondagos, 270.
Ore, 439.
Ormsby, 206.
Orton, 178.
Orr, 163.
Osborne, 354.
Osgood, 290.
Packer, 97.
Paddock, 184.
Page, 193, 292.
Parsons, 236, 292, 377.
Parker, 178, 293.
Parkman, 26, 50.
Park, 163, 164.
Parkinson, 401.
Partridge, 186.
Pamphlet laws, 230.
Patriot war, 289.
Pattison, 340, 435.
Patterson, 164, 165, 421.
Paxson, 403.
Payne, 368, 436, 443.
Pease, 421.
Pearce, 250.
Penn, 56.
Peon, 35.
Perkins, 194, 402.
Penrod, 321.
Penikese, 400.
Pelton, 422.
Petroleum, 265, 389.
Pennypacker, 385.
Pepper, 385.
Perry, 223, 224, 225, 226, 233.

456

INDEX.

Perry Square, 284. •
Peter, 290.
Pettibone, 422.
Pettigru, 219.
Peters, 26.
Petuns, 15.
Phelps & Gorham, 60.
" Philo Parsons," 341.
Phillips, 141, 359.
Philippe, Louis, 76.
Pioneers, 290.
Pierson, 413.
Pickering, 75.
Picken's Fort, 383.
Pierce, 421.
Port Dover, 232.
Porter, 141, 164.
" Porcupine," 233, 247, 249.
Pollock, 387, 421.
Potts, 352, 385.
Power, 72, 113.
Powers, 107.
Prentice, 140.
Proctor, 244.
Provincial marine, 225.
Pratt, 416.
Polhemus, 68, 72.
Pontiac, 50.
Prizes, 238.
Proudflt, 422.
Put-in-Bay, 236, 238.
Pymatuning, 264.
Rawle, 329.
Range, 422.
Ransom, 67.
Reed, 85, 114, 140, 163, 187,326, 329, 422.
Redway, 306.
Reane, 422.
Rees, 80, 92, 107, 344.
Reid, 141, 164, 173.
Redstone, 163.
Reynolds, 38, 339, 385.
Riddle, 309.
Rice, 327.
Riordy, 356,
Roberts, 114, 334.
Rockwell, 163, 421.
Robinson, 306, 309.
Robertson, 165.

Rosengarten, 59.
Rogers, 264.
Runyon, 422.
Ryan, 410,422.
Russel, 422.
Rush, 253.
Rutledge, 76, 84.
Sackett's Harbor, 219, 223, 228.
Saltsman, 424.
Salina, 207.
Saley, 186.
Sands, 374.
Sandusky, 20.
Sanford, 141, 211, 271, 284, 301, 406. '
Saracenia, 269.
Sargeant, 292.
Satanas, 235.
Satterfleld, 164.
Savage, 165.
Saxton, 60.
Schoolcraft, 21.
Schaeffer, 416.
Scorpion, 233.
Scouler, 23, 140, 363.
Sohenck, 304.
Schlaudecker, 333, 338.
Schultz, 374.
Scott, 114, 140, 397, 405, 406, 437.
Seattle, 361.
Seabury, 217.
Sears, 163.
Selden, 141, 329, 406.
Senecas, 24.
Senat, 233. ,
Seward, 404.
Shannon, 367.
Shadach, 140.
Shaonons, 15.
Sheffield, 165.
Shenk, 438.
Sherwin, 329.
Shippen, 97.
Shingowank, 21.
Shirk, 407. '
Shirley, 28.
Shunpike, 107.
Sieur-de-la Salle, 24.
Bill, 208, 209, 211, 335.
Silliman, 186, 370.

INDEX.

457

Silverthorn, 1S8.
Simms, 141.
Simcoe, 87.
Sinclair, 206.
Sisson, 383.
Slemmer, 383.
Sloan, 329.
Smith, 184, 262, 35, 387.
Smedley, 140, 172.
Snowdon, 403.
Society Natural History, 212.
Societies, 429, 430.
Spafford, 140.
Spencer, 137, 140, 141, 352, 383, 392, 406.
Spalding, 392.
Spohr, 388.
Sterrett, 22, 422.
Stetson, 363.
Stafford, 343.
Standard Dictionary, 401.
Storage, 445.
Starr, 163, 330.
Stevens, 332.
Stewart, 163, 186, 281, 304, 340, 406.
Stephens, 294.
Stone, 178, 292.
Stony Point, 271.
Stockman, 320.
Sterling, 436.
Stranahan, 265.
Strong, 76, 82, 141, 438.
Stuckenberg, 339.
Stumptown, 248.
Sturgeon, 193, 422.
St. Vincent, 428.
Superior, 322.
Sumner, 406.
Sunbury, 116.
Sutter, 324.
Sweet, 416.
Swatara, 306.
Symonds, 343.
Synopsis, 446.
Talmage, 290.
Talmon, 292.
Tate, 168.
Taylor, 211, 219, 223, 238, 438.
Te Deum, 25.
Tin-ton-ha, 25.

Teller, 165,
Thorns, 422.
Thompson, 97, 116, 403.
Thomas, 165.
Thorpe, 370, 384.
Thorley, 436.
" Tigress," 233.
Titus, 288.
Toledo, 253.
Tor-a-da-koin, 30.
Tourgee, 391.
Totten, 246,
" Trippe," 233.
Tracy, 114, 187, 290, 405.
Trestle, 441.
Triangle, 91, 274.
Trade, Board of, 212.
Tuttle, 165,391.
Tucker, 292.
Tu-shu-way, 270, 272.
Turner, 237.
Tuscarora, 17.
Tyler, 352.
Tyson, 340.
Vanderslice, 340.
Van Tickler, 72.
Van Braem, 37.
Vance, 281.
Viers, 380.
Vincent, 97, 108. 113, 184, 332, 334, 337.
Vorse, 158.
Wade, 422.
"Wallace, 272, 386, 406.
Walker, 27, 284, 304, 331, 335, 406, 436.
Wadena, 438.
Walling, 383.
Waibridge, 444.
Watts, 113, 186, 312.
Watson, 184, 370, 375.
Waterford, 22.
"Washington's visit, 29.
Waters, 176.
Walter, 102.
Way, 141.
Wayne, 90, 113, 186, 271, 272.
Wagner, 340.
Warner, 165, 422.
Wanever, 140.
"Warren, 422.

458

INDEX.

Ware 422.
Weller, 406.
Weis, 431.
Weeks, 422.
West Branch, 317.
Wetmore, 97, 294.
West, 297.
Weather, 373.
Webster, 140, 165, 422.
Wells, 188, 422.
Weiser, 31.
Williams, 421.
Whittle, 411.
Whitman, 329, 342, 346.
Wilson, 205, 206, 312, 407, 422.
Wingate, 343.
Wilcox, 431.
Wing, 421.
Wilkinson, 280.
Wilkins, 65, 69.
Wise, 281.

Wick, 164,
Wood, 162, 163, 164.
Woods, 368.
Woodruff, 163, 213.
Woolley, 223.
Wintergreen Gulch, 317.
Woodward, 97.
" Wocoken," 323.
Woman's Work, 422.
W. C. T. U., 419, 421.
Wright, 343, 406.
White, 375.
World's Fair, 447.
Wyandots, 15, 17, 21.
Wyoming, 403.
Yates, 97.
Yarnall, 290.
Yagowanea, 18.
Zimmerman, 23.
Zenobia, 17.
Ziegler, 422.

INDEX. 457
A
Acts, 76, 77. Adams, 424 Addison, 97 Aquia Creek, 338 Allen, 344, 352, 436
Albert, 197, 460 Adkins, 417 Allis, 436 Arbuckle, 460 Alderman, 422 Atchison,
104 Austin, 136 B
Barton, 200. Bacon, 323 Barnum, 148 Baldwin, 344, 352 Battles, 431 Baggs,
82 Barr, 104 Babbitt, 418 Beckman, 136 Bell, 430, 424 Berry, 426 Beebe, 148,
105 Berst, 421 Beach, 81 Benson, 149 Blaine, 309 Black, 352 Blackman, 197
Bliss, 442, 382, 460 Brewster, 418 Bone, 336 Boney, 198 Boyne, 436 Booth, 422
Boyd, 426 Boquet, 309 Brownwell, 292 Browne, 436 Brown, 407, 447, 429
Briggs, 419, 421 Breevort, 224 Brady, 106 Bradford, 293 Brandes, 133 Butter-
field, 337 Buchanan, 148 Burgesses (Erie), 105
c
Cassey, 121. Catlin, 149 Camphausen, 436 Camp, 418 Campbell, 335
Canasaraga, 197 Canawagas, 85 Calhoun, 204 Cameron, 133 Carpenter, 148,
204 Carr, 275 Caughey, 422 Carter, 325, 418 Cain, 410 Caviare, 324 Chapin, 70
Chapman, 412, 413, 343, 344 Chamberlain, 398 Colegrove, 422 Constable, 135
Chicago, 372 Churchill, 424, 445 Cochran, 148 Conrad, 422 Colt, 106, 418
Compton, 146 Confederate Flag, 447 Clark, 417, 431 Conneought, 296 Cody. 430
Cleaveland, 422 Cobham, 338 Cooper, 215 Cook, 311 Clute, 150 Cleveland,
446 Cornplanter, 75 Clemens, 44s Crouch, 104 Curtis, 197 Curtze, 445 Cur
tin, 334 Curran, 135 D
Dash, 324. Davenport, 418, 427 Danforth, 197 Davie, 430 Dearborn Ft.
226 DeWitt, 426 Denny, 70, 66 Derby, 418 Dick, 204 Deacon, 275 Doll, 430
Dobbins, 328, 418 Douglass, 347 Diffenbaugh, 418 Downing, 429, 430 Dodge,
133 Duggen, 143 Dwinnell, 135 Dunn, 134, 434, 422, 418 Dunning, 421, 429
E
Ely, 431. Eddy, 418, 426 Ellicott, 72 Eakens, 134
F
»Farrar, 106. Faulkner, 417 Fellows, 427 Finnis, 243 Findley, 312 Fleeharty,
324 Fleming, 332 Flower, 422 Floods, 433 Findley, 312 Flint, 446 Foster, 418
Forster, 406 Follensbee, 295 Franklin, 384, 386, 391, 428 Franklin Ft., 69
French, 422 Frazier, 215, 422 Frisbee, 422 Fuihman, 422 Fullerton, 401
c
. Garrison Hill, 83. Gara, 429 Gaegin, 101 Garland, 243 Gaither, 421 Gallo
way, 204 Gallagher, 106 Galliard, 422 Galloway, 204 Galbraith, 418, 430 Gib
bons, 410 Gilson, 417 Gilkerson, 306 Gillen, 418 Gingrich, 394 Gorham, 197
Glezen, 421 Goodrich, 149 Goodwin, 105,96460 "Good Roads," 444 "Gerry
mander," 98 Griswold, 430, 44s Grant, 124 133 Gravatt, 437 Graham, 417
Grimier, 421 Guttenberg, 401 Gridley, 430 Gunnison, 418 Grawoz, 135
Guild, 133 H
Hay, 105, 106, 134. Hayes, 105 Hayford, 421 Harmer Ft, 75 Hamilton,
312 Hancock, 338 Haverstick, 418 Hannah, 418 Hammond, 106 Hambleton •

458 INDEX.
240, 243 Harrison, 228 Harvey, 148 Hayden, 424 Harrington, 323 Hershey,
432 Henry, 104 Heath, 81 Heberla, 433 Higgins, 421 Himrod, 418 Hoskin-
son, 324 Homeopathic H., 446 Howell, 135 Holdup, 230 Holburt, 203 Hors-
ley, 200 Holmes, 201, 228 Howard, 314, 328 Hubley, 418 Hubble, 421 Hut
chinson, 136 Hulbert, 418, 135 I
Ireland, 446. Ingersoll, 400, 401, 418 Irish, 418 Irwin, 13s
J
Jarecki, 430. Johnstone, 85 Johnson's Island, 336 Judson, 309, 310 Junkin,
204 Judd, 273 K
Kelley, 105. Kennedy, 313, 418 Kerr, 204 Kepler, 445 Keefer, 101 Kitelinger,
182 Kibler, 431 Kochne, 408 Knapp, 327 Knox, 106 Kellogg, 418
L
Laird, 106. Lacock, 98 Lamont, 435 Lakes, 375 Larkin, 436 Lattimore-
135 Lawson, 293 Lee, 337 Liedertafel. 337 Lewis, 149 Lennon, 333 Lind'
204 LeBoeuf, 46, 69, 309 Littel, 427 Little, 427, 436 Logan, 431, Low, 418
Lowry, 429 Lowrie, 97 Lick, 150 Lynn, 149 Lyman, 418.
M
Marlin, 98. Maennerchor, 436 Machault Ft., 38, 44 Martin, 395, 446 Mar
shall, 445 Mason, 429 Massassauga, 323 Mead, 205 Metcalf, 133 May, 441
Manning, 196 Moorhead, 309 Moore, 105, 149, 418 Morris, 105 Moeser, 149
Montg&mery, 233 Morang, 33 Macklin, 33s Marine Hospital. 305 Mills, 309
Miles, 311 Muller, 410 Murphy, 413 Mizener, 427 Middaugh, 85 McLane,
333 McCrea, 312 McClure, 122 McCreary, 338 McClelland, 337, 43s McKin-
ney, 173 McSparreu, 204 McCarter, 106, 445 McCracken, 418
N
Neilson, 436. Newbegin, 415 Nickle, 422 Nicholson, 104
o
Oneida Castle, 197. Ocracock, 197 O'Beil, 69, 75 Opera House, 133 Ottin
ger, 327, 295, 418 Olds, 105 Otis, 418 P
Parsons, 379. Parker, 203 Perley, 100, 149 Pelton, 426 Pepperell, 201 Pe
troleum (Seneca Oil) (Kerosene) 372 Perry, 378, 380 Pike's Peak, 373 Pierce,
133 Polemus, 68 Pike Pond, 324 Potts, 352 Powell, 335 Price, 435 Pressley,
408 Presqu'ile, 34 Puget Sound 347 R
Reid, 141, 204. Rees, 445 Reeder, 312 Reynolds, 352 Riblet, 432 Richmond,
122 Rilling, 415 Rine, 410 Rice, 332 Richards, 327, 347 Roberts, 333 Rock
well, 431 Robinson, 204 Rossiter, 431 Ross, 422 Rough, 124 Ryckman, 443
s
Sanford, 422, 424, 427. Salisbury, 422 Schutte, 445, Scott, 135 Schcnk, 304
Schuyler Ft,, 197 Selden, 330 Seymour, 418 Seward, 404 Seigel,i33 ill, 460 Sloan
329,330 Slemmer, 383 Smith, 35, 182, 184, 262, 387, 431, 418 Smedley, 140, 172

INDKX. 459
Snowdon, 403 South Erie, 411 Societies, (Charitable), 429, 430 Society of Nat
ural History, 212 Spafford, 140 Spaulding, 392 Sprague, 167 Spohr, 388
Spencer, 137, 140, 141, 352, 383, 392, 406 Stafford, 343 Standard Dictionary, 389
401 Starr. 163, 329, 330 Scott, 429 Simms, 141, 422 Silverthorn, 188 Simcoe, 87
Sinclair, 206, 248 Sisson, 383 Scheuffler, 149 Sister Ambrosia, 428 Shaner, 148
Shank, 427 Shelden, 197 Sherwin, 330 Shipman, 431 Shirk, 427 Skinner, 418
Steuber, 325 Stevens, 332 Stewart, 163, 186, 281, 304, 406 Stearns, 433 Stephens,
294 Storage, 445 Stancliff, 421 Stark, 422 Sternberg, 445 Sterrett, 22, 148, 422
Stuerznickel, 149 Stem, 446 Stone, 178, 292 Stetson, 363 Stony Point, 271
Stokes, 243 Stockman, 320 Sterling, 435 Stranahan, 265 Strong, 76, 82, 141,
428, 438 Stuckenberg, 339 Stumptown, 248 Sturgeon, 193. 422 St. Vincent, 428
Superior, 322 Sumner, 406 Sunbury, 116 Sutter, 324 Sweet, 416 Swatara, 306
Symonds, 343 Synopsis, 446

Taliaferro, 292. Talmage, 290 Talmon, 292 Talcott, 424 Tate, 168 Tanne
hill, 135 Taylor, 211, 219, 223, 238, 438 Te Deum, 25 Tibbals, 133 Tin-ton-ha, 25
Temperance, 417, 422 Teller, 165 Thorns, 422, 409 Thompson, 97, 116, 403 thon,
460 Thomas, 165 Thorpe, 370, 384 Thorley, 436 "Tigress,"233 Titus, 288 Todd,
418 Toledo, 253 Tor-a-da-koin, 30 Tourgee, 391 Totien, 246, 230 "Trippe,"
233 Tracy, 114, 187. 290, 405 Trestle, 441 Triangle, 79, 91, 274 Trade, Board of
212, Tuttle, 165, 391 Tucker, 292 Tu-shu way, 270, 272 Turner, 237, 240, 413 -
Tuscarora, 17 Tyler, 352 Tyson, 340 V
Vanderslice, 340. Van Tickler, 72 Van Sickle, 74 Van Braem, 37 Van Ren-
salaer, 215 Vance, 281, 135, 96 Van Camp, 431 Viers, 380 Vincent, 97, 108, 113,
184, 332. 334i 333. 337. 4*8 Vorse, 158 Vosburg, 418, 445
w
Watson, 184, 370, 375, 433, 447. Water Works, 329 Waters, 176 Walter, 102
Watts, 113, 186, 312, 436 Wallace, 272, 386, 406, 409 Waller, 415 Wade, 422
Waterford, 22 Watkinson, 418 Walker, 27, 284, 304, 331, 335, 406, 436 Wadena,
438 Walling, 383 Wallbridge, 444 Way, 141 Wayne, 90, 113, 186, 271, 272
Wagner, 340 Warner, 165, 422 Wanever, 140 Warren, 422 Ware, 422 Weller, 406
Wealher, 373 Weis, 431 Weatherby, 418 Weeks, 422 West Branch, 317 West,
297 Weiser, 31 Whallon, 106 Wetmore, 97, 294 Whittaker, 327 Williams, 421
Whittle, 411 White, X49 Whitman, 329, 330, 342, 346 Wilson, 205, 312,407, 422,460
Wingate, 343 Winne, 85 Wilcox, 431 Wing, 421 Willing, 105, 418 Wilkinson,
280 Wilkins, 65, 69 Wise, 281 Wick, 164, 324 Wood, 162, 163, 164, 436 Woods,
368 Woodruff, 163, 213 Wooley, 223 Wolverton, 135 Woodward, 97 "Woco-
ken,'323 Woman's Work, 422 World's Fair, 447, 344, 354 World's Columbian
Exposition, 447, 323 Wright, 343, 406 Wyoming, 403 Wyandots, 15, 17, 21
Y
Young, 150, 421. Yates, 97 Yarnall, 290 Yale, 134 Yagowanea, 18
z
Zimmerman, 23, 418. Zenobia, 17 Zeigler, 422

460 ADDENDA.
Page 83. Read in parenthesis seventh line "The corner stone of Erie is
now in the keeping of Col. J. H. Bliss for preservation." Also, "The
site of Ft. Presqu'ile is a few feet east of where corner stone stood." G.
Dallas Albert, Esq., of Latrobe, is of a committee appointed recently by
the legislature to mark by tablets the sites of Pennsylvania's Forts (es
pecially those erected previous to 1783).
Mrs. Mary Snowdon and Major Martin Strong, of Waterford, have re
ported on Ft. LeBoeuf. In Erie, Col J. H. Bliss, Messrs. J. Sill and J.
S. Goodwin have reported to the author that Ft. Presqu'ile was bounded
north, by Erie Harbor; east, by Mill Creek; south, by Second street and
west by Parade street, the site now owned and occupied by Paradine &
McCarthy as a brick yard.
Page 106. It is said the name of Thomas Wilson is given as first Post
master in Erie in the records at headquarters. In Mr. Wilson's biography
(page 206), contributed by his widow, this does not appear.
Page 389. Precedi ng these words " because of Mr. Converse' s devotion.' '
etc., read " He proposed in 1858 the word thon, as a contracted and solidi
fied form of that one, which word is now to be found in the Standard Dic
tionary." Page 393. For "Lavina," read "Lavinia."
' Page 410. Read before Mr. Rine, "Dr. Wells."
Page 411. After the word Philadelphia insert "Written by Rev. J. C.
Chapman, of Park Church."
Page 429. After "President," insert "Mr. Wm. M. Arbuckle and Miss
L. G. Sanford were its early, efficient friends."
Page 443. In the seventh line substitute "for twenty years, with the
prospect of purchasing thern at that time," with this, "but in 1894 the
works were destroyed by fire, the First National Bank holding a mortgage
against them for $90,000."

Providence, R. I., October 6, 1894.
Miss Laura G. Sanford.
Dear Madam: — At a meeting of this Society (the Rhode Island Histori
cal Society) held on the 2d instant, you were unanimously elected a cor
responding member, and it affords me pleasure to be the medium of com
munication thereof.
When your name was brought forward by our committee, the president
of the Society, Judge Rogers, paid a marked compliment to you as an his
torian, expressing thanks for what you have done to honor the memory of
worthy Rhode Island citizens.
Very respectfully yours, Amos Perry, Secretary.
The above has reference to the officers and men engaged in the war of 1812, who were
largely from Rhode Island. The Buffalo Historical Society paid a similar compliment. The
Mathematical Magazine, Washington, D. C, and many editorials commend it in the high
est terms.

' "¦"'.. • ' . ' ..' '" ¦¦'¦>,¦ ' " '