/ST 
 
 2. 
 
MY FIRST RECOLLECTIONS 
 OF RROOKVILLE, PA. 
 
 When my feet were bare and my cheeks were brown. 
 
 MSWNffiww 
 
 &#* 
 
 
 WESTERN ENTRANCE TO BROOKVILLE, 1840. 
 
 BY- 
 
 w'.'j. Mcknight, m. d. 
 
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 t 
 
 1 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 At the repeated solicitation of Maj. John McMurray, 1 wrote these, my ''Recollec- 
 tions of Brook ville in 1840-1843," for his newspaper, the JEFFERSONIAN Democrat. 
 The articles appeared weekly, and were about a column in length, running from July 
 19, 1894, until December 6, 1894. After the first article was published Maj. McMurray 
 further suggested that the type, after being used in the paper, he weekly set aside and 
 reprinted in pages for a small pamphlet, and that 1 publish a limited number of these 
 for distribution among friends and neighbors. This we have done. While no apology 
 is offered for the pamphlet, it is but just to the reader of it to say, that the articles were 
 not written with the seclusion and care of a historian, or to appear in a book, but were 
 written from my own childhood remembrances of that period, and penned tor the 
 JEFFERSONIAN DEMOCRAT at times when I had a little leisure from business and 
 professional duties. Yours, * 
 
 \V. J. McKxiuht. 
 Brook ville, Pa., January 1st, 1895. 
 
MY FIRST RECOLLECTIONS OF BROOKVILLE. 
 
 By OR. W J. MeKXmilT. 
 
 I was born in Brookville when wolves 
 howled almost nightly on what is now- 
 known as our "Fair Ground :" when the 
 pine in its lofty pride leaned gloomily over 
 every hill-side ; when the shades of the 
 forest were heavy the whole day through ; 
 when the woods around our shanty town 
 was the home of many wild animals, such 
 as panthers, bear, wild cats, foxes, deer, 
 elks, rabbits, turkeys and pheasants ; when 
 the clear sparkling waters of the North 
 Fork. Sandy Lick and Kedbank creeks con- 
 tained choice pike, many bass, sun, horned 
 chubs, trout, and other fish : when the wild 
 "bee trees" were quite numerous and full 
 of luscious sweets tor the woodsman's axe. 
 As you will see. choice meals for hunters 
 and nimrods could easily be obtained from 
 the abundance of this game. 
 
 The conditions and circumstances of the 
 country made every man a hunter, and 
 each and every one had his gun, bullet 
 moulds, shot pouch and powder horn for 
 any and every emergency. It was fre- 
 quently found necessary before going to 
 church on Sunday to shoot a wild turkey 
 or a deer to "keep them off the grass." 
 The "mighty hunters", though, were 
 "Mike' 1 ,- "Dan", John and "Bill" Long! 
 Dan was murdered on the Clarion river, 
 near Raught's mill. John was the father 
 of Hon. .las. E. Long. in winter these 
 hunters wore a white garment, called 
 a "hunting shirt", buckskin breeches, and 
 
 moccasin shoes. Animals were ruthlessly 
 killed for their skins. Deer were thus 
 slaughtered, only the "saddles," or hind 
 quarters, being saved for food. If a his- 
 tory of these Longs could lie truthfully writ- 
 ten — a full narration of their adventures, 
 perils, coolness and daring while on the trail 
 of bear, wolves and panthers — it would per- 
 haps make a book, equally as interesting as 
 the "Life of Dan'l Boone and Simon Girty." 
 In the way of a preface to these imper- 
 fect reminiscences of Brookville and our 
 dear fathers, I simply ask of you this: 
 
 Let not ambition mock their useful toil, 
 These homely joys and destinies obscure, 
 Nor grandeur hear with a disdainful smile 
 These short and simple annals of the poor. 
 My first (dear and distinct recollections 
 of our town and the people in it are in the 
 years 1840 to 1843. The ground where the 
 Democrat is now printed was then covered 
 with pines. Then Brookville was a town 
 of 40 or ."><) "•shanties" and 8 or 10 business 
 places, including the "old brick court 
 house" and the "old stone jail". The 
 number of people in the town was about 
 two hundred. These "shanties" were 
 principally all on Main street, and extended 
 from Judge Truman s residence in the east 
 to where Judge Clark now lives in the west. 
 There were a few scattered shanties on Jef- 
 ferson street. A gieat, deep gully, crossed 
 Main street about where the Brookville 
 National Hank now stands. 
 
A common sign in those days was, 
 "Cakes & Beer For Sale Eere"— a bottle of 
 foaming beer in a glass in the corner. The 
 The first of these signs which I remember 
 was one on John Brownlee's house, now the 
 Truman mansion, and one on John Show- 
 alter's house (the late gunsmith), now the 
 property of John S. Moore. The calces 
 % were made of New Orleans molasses, and 
 were delicious, more so than any you can 
 make or buy now. They were sold for a 
 cent apiece. The beer was home-made, 
 ami called "small beer." It was made of 
 hops, ginger, spruce, sassafras roots, wheat 
 bran, molasses, yeast and water. About 
 every family made their own beer. Mrs. 
 Judge Henderson, Mrs. Showalter, and 
 other old ladies living in the town now, 
 I venture to say have made "barrels" of it. 
 The hotels in the town then were tour in 
 number. First, the "Red Lion", located 
 then where Frank P. Rankin has his hard- 
 ware store now. This hotel was kept by 
 John Smith, the step-father of David Eason. 
 The second was the "Jefferson House," 
 then kept by Thomas 1 Castings, now occu- 
 pied and kept by Phil. J. Allgeier. In 
 this hotel the "light fantastic toe" was 
 tripped to the airs of "Munney Musk", 
 "Virginia Reel", French Four", and 
 "Pinecreek Lady". The orchestra for these 
 occasions was- George Hayes, a colored fid- 
 dler of the town, who could play the violin 
 behind his back as well as before his face. 
 with his left or right hand, and asleep or 
 awake. I could name quite a number of 
 ladies in the town now whom 1 used to see 
 enjoying themselves in this way. Thf 
 third was the "Franklin House"', built by 
 John Gelvin. and then kept by John Pierce. 
 The Central Hotel, owned by S. B. Arthurs, 
 has been erected on the ground occupied by 
 the Franklin. The fourth w as on the cor- 
 ner of Main and Burnett streets, erected by 
 John Dougherty. It s\\ ung the sign - 
 
 "Peaceand Poverty, by John Dougherty.'' 
 
 In 1840 it was occupied and kept by John 
 Gallagher. Each of these hotels had 
 license, and sold whiskey at three cents a 
 drink, mostly on credit. You could have 
 your whiskey straight, or have brown 
 sugar or "tansy bitters" in it. The bars 
 had to be opened regularly on Sunday 
 for "morning bitters." Single meals were 
 given for twenty-live cents, a "check" or 
 cold meal for a "leven penny bit", and a 
 a bed for ten cents. Yon could stop over 
 night, have supper, bed, morning bitters 
 and breakfast, all for fifty cents. 
 
 Tlie Susquehanna and Waterford turn- 
 pike was completed in 1822 and 1823. It 
 was a good road, and was kept in fair re- 
 pair. In 1840 it passed from under State 
 control, and the magnitude of the travel 
 over it was great. The stage line was 
 started in 1825. Morrow started his team 
 in 1835, and cattle and other droving com- 
 menced in 1835. All this I am told: but 
 I know the stage was a big factor in 1840. 
 Morrow was on time, and droving was im- 
 mense. I have seen passing through Brook - 
 ville on their way east from four to six 
 droves of cattle in a day. The droves were 
 generally divided into three sections. At 
 the head of the first would be a man lead- 
 ing a big ox, his extra clothing strapped 
 on the ox's head, and the man would be 
 crying out ever and anon, "K-o, b-o-s-s;" 
 •"Come, boss." I have soon two and three 
 droves of sheep pass in a day. with occa- 
 sionally a drove of hogs sandwiched be- 
 tween them. Horse droves were numer- 
 ous, too. I have scon a few droves of colts, 
 and a few droves of turkeys. I could not 
 give an estimate of the number of these 
 droves I have seen passing our home in a 
 day. The business of droving began in 
 June of each year, and ended in November. 
 There was no other way to take this mer- 
 chandise east than to drive it. 
 
 But you must not think everybody was 
 going east. A big lot of people were going 
 
3 
 
 west, including their cousins and their 
 aunts. This 'pike was the shortest line 
 west. We lived where T. L. Templeton now 
 lives, and every few days all through the 
 summer months I would see, nearly oppo- 
 site the Baptist church, in the middle of the 
 street, two men and a dog, and one of the 
 men usually carrying a gun. They were 
 the advance guard for an "emigrant train." 
 In a few minutes from one to six wagons 
 would come in sight, and stop — all stopping 
 here for a short rest. "Where are you go- 
 ing?" was the usual inquiry. "Going 
 West; going to Ohio." The wagons were 
 heavy, wide-tracked, covered with hoops 
 and a white canvas, had a stiff tongue and 
 iron pole chains. The horses wore heavy 
 harness, with iron trace chains. An occa- 
 sional emigrant would locate in our county, 
 hut the great majority generally struggled 
 on for the far West — Ohio. 
 
 The usual mode of travel for the people 
 was on foot or on horseback; hut the most 
 interesting mode was the daily stage, which 
 "brought" and "took" the mail and car- 
 ried the passengers, who were going east 
 or west. This was the "limited mail," 
 and the "day and night express" of these 
 days — a through train, only stopping 30 
 minutes for meals. Of course this "limited 
 mail," this "day and night express," over 
 this "short route, " eclipsed and overshad- 
 owed every other line and mode of travel. 
 It was "grand, startling, and stupendous." 
 There were no through tickets sold, to he 
 
 "Punched, punched with care, 
 
 Punched in the presence of the pass o iij?aire." 
 
 The fare was six cents a mile in advance, 
 and to be paid in "bi-metalism." When 
 the officials made their usual tour of in- 
 spection over this "road" they had ex- 
 tended to them the genuine hospitality of 
 
 everybody, including that of the landlords, 
 and free whisky. President Roberts of the 
 Great Pennsylvania Line is a small potato 
 to-day in contrast with the Chief Manager 
 of our line in that day; for our line was 
 
 then the vanguard of every improvement a 
 passenger might desire or a traveler wish- 
 for. 
 
 The coaches were made in Concord, New 
 Hampshire, and were called "rockaway 
 coaches."' Each coach had heavy leather 
 belt springs, and was a handsome vehicle, 
 painted red, with gold stripes and letters, 
 and was drawn by four horses. The coach 
 win; made to carry nine passengers, but I 
 have often seen it with a dozen inside, two 
 on the. seat with the driver, and some on 
 to]). Trunks were carried on the top and 
 in the "booti" Every driver carried a 
 horn, and always took a "horn." When 
 nearing a "relay," or a postoffice, the val- 
 leys and hills were made to echo and re- 
 echo to the "er-r-a-h, er-r-a-h, tat, tat, 
 t-a-h, tat t-a-h," of the driver's horn, which 
 was to attract the attention of the landlord 
 or postmaster, by night or by day. 
 
 The prominent stage drivers in 1840 
 were Gabriel Vasbinder, Bill Adams, Joe 
 Stratton, and others. The great pride of a 
 driver was then to turn a "coach-and-four" 
 with the horses on a "complete run. " Bill 
 Adams was good at this. Each driver car- 
 ried a whip made as follows: A hickory 
 stock, and a buckskin lash ten or twelve 
 feet long, with a silk cracker on the end. 
 These whips were handled with a marvel- 
 ous dexterity by drivers, and were made 
 to crack over the horses' heads like pistols. 
 A laughable incident occurred in one of 
 these turns on Main street. The driver 
 was showing oft' in his usual style, and in 
 making the turn with the horses on a com- 
 plete run the coach struck a stone, which 
 upset it. The weight of all the passengers 
 coming against the coach door burst it 
 open, and the passengers, one and all, were 
 thrown out and literally dumped into the 
 hotel barroom. This was a perfection in 
 stage driving not easily attained. 
 
 In 1840 Brookville merchants purchased 
 their goods in Philadelphia. These pur- 
 
chases were made in the spring and fall fed in a box lie carried with him called his 
 It took about two and a half days continu- "feed trough." The harness was broad 
 ous traveling in the "limited mail" day and heavy, and nearly covered the horses, 
 and night stage coach to reach Lewistown, and they were "•hitched up" to the wagon 
 Pa., and required about one day and a with iron ' 'pole" and "trace chains. " The 
 half traveling over the canal and railroad Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers, the 
 to reach Philadelphia from that point. Switchmen's Union, the 'American Rail- 
 From Brookville to Philadelphia it required way Union." and all the Sovereigns and 
 some four or live days constant traveling. Debs's put together, had no terrors for Joe. 
 Our merchants carried their money on these for lie had but one employe, a "brakeman" 
 trips as well as they could, mostly secreted for his second wagon. Joe was the em- 
 in some way on or aboul their persons, ployed and tin- employer. Like a "trans- 
 After purchasing their goods in Philadel- portation king, " like a "robber baron," he 
 phia they were ordered to be shipped to sat astride a wagon saddle on the hind lead 
 Brookville as "heavj freight." over the horse, driving the others with a single line 
 great corporation freight line of "Joe Mor- andablacksnake whip, to the words, "Gee," 
 row." Joewas a "bloated corporationist," "Jep," and ••haw." Morrow always re- 
 a transportation monopolist of that day. mained in Brookville four or live days, to 
 He was a whole "trust" in himself. He buy our products and load his train for the 
 owued and managed the whole line and had home trip. He bought and loaded clover, 
 no opposition, on this end at least. His timothy and flax seed, feathers, old rags, 
 line consisted of two Connestoga wagons, tar. beeswax, wheat, rye. chestnuts, furs, 
 the bed on each at least four feet high and and dried elderberries. The western ter- 
 sixteen feet long. Each wagon was painted minus of his line was Shippenville, Clarion 
 blue, and each was covered with a white county. Pa., and on his return from there 
 canvas, this covering supported by hoops, was when he bought up these products. 
 Thewagonwas always loaded and unloaded Morrow 's last trip to Brookville with his 
 from the rear end. Thetireson the wheels train was about the year 1850. He was an 
 were six inches wide. Each wagon would Irishman, slim. wiry, industrious, and of 
 carry over three tons of freight, and was business habits. He was killed by the 
 drawn over good roads by six magnificent kick of a horse between the years 1850 and 
 horses, and over bad roads by eight of such 1860. J remember that he usually wore a 
 horses. This was the "fast" and heavy spotted fawn skin vest, made from the skin 
 freight line from Philadelphia to Brook- with the hair on. The merchants in Brook- 
 ville until the canal was built to Lewis- ville of that day who are still living, and 
 town, Pa., when Morrow changed hishead- tor whom Morrow hauled goods, as far a.s I 
 quarters from Philadelphia to Lewistown, can recollect, are Uriah Matson, Harry 
 and continued to run his semi-annual Matson, Judge Henderson, Samuel Truby, 
 '•freight train" from Lewistown to Brook- Wm. Rodgers and W. W. Corbett, who now 
 ville. Morrow's advent into town was al- reside in or near the town: Captain John 
 ways a great event. He always stopped Hastings of Punxsutawney, and W. F. 
 his "train" in fiont of the Red Lion hotel, (lark of Maquoketa, Iowa, and S. M. 
 then kept by John Smith. The horses Moore of Minneapolis, Minnesota. 
 were never stabled, but stood day and The town was laid out in 1830. My 
 night in tha street, three on each side of father moved here in 1832. Hetaughtthe 
 the stiff tongue of the wagon, and were second term of the school in the town, in 
 
5 
 
 the winter of 1832. He was major in the 
 militia, a justice of the peace, and was 
 county treasurer when he died, in 1837, 
 at the early age of twen ty-seven years, leav- 
 ing my mother in this wilderness, a widow 
 with three small children to support and 
 rear. In 1H40 my mother taught a summer 
 term of school, in what was then and is 
 now called the Butler school house. This 
 school house is on the Ridgway road, in 
 Pinecreek township, two miles from town. 
 I was small, and had to go and come to 
 and from this school with mother. We 
 came home every Saturday to remain over 
 Sunday, and to attend Presbyterian church, 
 service being then held in the old brick 
 court house. The Presbyterians then 
 called their church "Bethel." In 1842 it 
 Avas changed to Brookville. We had no 
 choir in the church then, but had a "clerk" 
 who would stand in front of the pulpit, read 
 out two lines, and then sing them; then 
 read two more and sing them, and so on 
 until the hymn or psalm was sung, the 
 congregation joining in as best they could. 
 Of these clerks the only ones I can now 
 recollect were Thomas Lucas, Samuel Mc- 
 Quiston, and John S. Lucas. I have no 
 recollection of David's Psalms being used 
 other than is found in Watts' version, in 
 combination with the hymns. I recollect 
 
 two of the favorite hymns at that time with 
 this church. The first verse of each hymn 
 was as follows : 
 
 "When I can read ray title clear 
 
 To mansions in the skies, 
 I bid farewell to every fear, 
 And wipe ray weeping eyes." 
 The first verse of the second hymn was: 
 "There is a land of pure delight, 
 Where saints immortal reign ; 
 Infinite day excludes the night. 
 And pleasures banish pain." 
 
 One by one, one by one, these early pio- 
 neer Christians have left for this "land of 
 pure delight,'! to occupy these "mansions 
 in the skies." I hope and pray that each 
 one is now — 
 
 "In seas of heavenly r;st." 
 
 After returning home from the Butler 
 school house one Saturday, I remember 
 I asked my mother for a "piece." She 
 went to the cupboard, and when she got 
 there the cupboard was not bare, for, lo ! 
 and behold, a great big snake was therein, 
 coiled and ready for fight. My mother in 
 horror ran to the door and called Mr. Lewis 
 Dunham, a lawyer, who lived in the house 
 now occupied by R. M. Matson, Esq.. 
 Mr. Dunham came on a run, and tried to 
 catch or kill the snake with our "tongs," 
 but it made good its escape through a big 
 hole in the corner of the cupboard. Rep- 
 tiles, such as blac--, rattle, house and other 
 snakes « ere very plenty then in and around 
 Brookville, and dangerous, too. 
 
 In a former article I called Brookville a 
 town of shanties. And so it was; but there 
 was one exception, there was one solid build- 
 ing, a dwelling occupied by a man named 
 Bliss, on Water street, on or near the lot at 
 present owned and occcupied by Billy Barr. 
 It was built of logs. The other shanties were 
 solid enough, for they were built in a differ- 
 ent mannei from shanties now, being put to- 
 gether with "frame timbers," mortised and 
 tenoned, and fastened with oak pins, as iron 
 and nails were scarce, people being poor and 
 having little or no money. Every building 
 bad to have a "raising," and the neighbors 
 hud to be invited to help "raise." Cyrus But- 
 ler, a bluff, gruff Yankee, was the captain at 
 all raisings. He would stand off by himself, 
 crving out at the proper time, "All together, 
 men, he-o-he, he-o-he." 
 
 No dwelling in the town was then com- 
 plete withont having in .the back yard an 
 "out oven, an "ash hopper," a "dye kettle," 
 and a rough box fastened to the second sto- 
 ry of the necessary, iu which to raise early 
 cabbage plants. At the rear of each kitchen 
 was a hop yine with its pole, and each fam- 
 ily raised its own catnip, peppermint, sage 
 and tansy. 
 
 The hand of the reaper 
 
 Takes the leaves that are hoary, 
 But the voice of the weeper 
 Wails manhood in glory. 
 
In 1840 there was a law requiring the en- to the soldiers from a bucket with a dipper. 
 
 rollment of all able bodied men between 21 Anybody could sell whisky and anybody 
 
 and 45 years of age in the militia. These could drink it. It was worth from 12 to 20 
 
 were formed into companies and battalions, cents a gallon. The more brawls and fist- 
 
 and organized into brigades, each brigade fights, tbe livelier, belter and greater was 
 
 to meet once a year in "encampment," for a consider* d the muster. The bad blood be- 
 
 period of three days, two days for "muster tween neighbors was always settled here. 
 
 and drill," and one day for "review." The Each party always resolved to meet the other 
 
 encampments were held in May or June, and on review day, to fight it out, and after the 
 
 for some reason or other these soldiers were fight to meet, drink together and make tip 
 
 called the "corn stalk militia." No uniforms their difference. "Pugilism was practiced 
 
 were worn in most cases. The soldier wore in lhat day, not on scientific principles, but 
 
 his home-spun or store clothes and each one by main strength. The terror of all public 
 
 reported with his own pike, wooden gun, ri- gatherings was a man called "Devil John 
 
 fie or musket, and under the inspiring infiu- Thompson." He lived in Indiana county, 
 
 ence of his accoutrements, discipline and and came here always on reviews. Each 
 
 drill, military company had a fifer or drummer, 
 
 Each bosom felt the high alarms seldom a complete band. I have seen the 
 
 And all their burni .g pulses beat to arms, late Judge Taylor blowing his fife, the only 
 
 For non-attendance by a soldier at these musician of and for one of these companies. 
 
 encampments a fine of fifty cents was imposed This occurred on Main street, in front of 
 
 foi every day's absence. This fine had to be our hou-e; and when I look nack on this 
 
 paid in cash, and was quite a severe penalty soldier scene, it seems to me these soldiers, 
 
 in those days of no money, county orders, from their appearance, must haye been ccm- 
 
 and store barter. posed of the rag-tag and bob tail of creation. 
 
 The first encampment I remember was An odd and comic s ght it really was. To 
 
 held on what is now called Granger (Jack) tie an officer or captain in one of these com- 
 
 Heber's farm. Brig. Gen. Mercer was the panies was considered a great honor, and 
 
 commander then. He rode a sorrel horse, something which the recipient was in duty 
 
 with a silver mane and tail, and a curled bound to thank God for in his morning and 
 
 mustache. His bridle was ornamented with evening prayers. I cannot do this subject 
 
 fine leather straps, balls and tassels, and the justice. Such was the Pennsylvania militia 
 
 blue saddlecloth was covered with stars and as I saw it, and all that remains for me to 
 
 spangles, giving the horse the appearance of say is, "Great the State and great her sons." 
 
 a "fiery dragon." The General would oc- In 1840 we had two big men in the town, 
 
 casionally dismount, to make some inspec- Judge William Jack, who was sent to Con- 
 
 tion on foot, when the army was drawn up gress, and who built and lived in the house 
 
 in line, and then a great race, and frequent- on Pickering street, now owned and occu- 
 
 ly a fight, would occur among the small boys, pied by Joseph Darr, Esq., anri Gen. Levi 
 
 for the possession of the horse. The reward G. Clover, who lived on Main street, in a 
 
 for holding him at this time was a "fippeny- house that was burned down, which stood 
 
 bit." The camp grounds were alive with on the lot now owned by Mrs. Clarissa 
 
 whisky sellers, ginger bread and small beer Clements, ami is the place of business of 
 
 dealers. Whisky was to be had from bar Misses McLain and Feizer. Clover was a 
 
 rels or jugs, in large or small quantities, big man physically, a big man in the militia, 
 
 When the army was in line it was dealt out a big man in politics, and a big man in 
 
business. Like most big men in those days 
 he owned and ran a whisky still. This dis- 
 tillery was located on or near the property 
 of Fred. Starr, in what is now Lilchtown. 
 I used to loaf occasionally in this distillery, 
 and I have seen some of our old citizens 
 take a pint tin cup and dip it full of whisky 
 from out of Cloyer's copper kettles, and then 
 drink this whole pint of whisky down ap- 
 parently at one gulp. I might pause to say 
 right here, that in drinking whisky, racing, 
 square-pulling, swearing and fighting, the 
 old settler was "right in it." The wrestling 
 and lighting ground then lor the men and 
 boys was the ground now occupied by the 
 Jenks machine shop, and the highway to 
 and from these grounds was down the alley 
 between Ed. Snyder' u blacksmith shop and 
 C. A. Carrier's store. I have had business 
 on that ground with some boys myself. 
 
 In the woods in and around Brookville in 
 1840, there were many sweet singing birds 
 and beautiful wild flowers. I remember 
 the laurel. We used to adorn our mantels 
 and parlor iireplaces with these every spring. 
 I remember the honeysuckle, the wild rose, 
 the crab-apple tree, the thorn, and others. 
 The aroma from many of these flowers was 
 delightful. House plants were unknown. 
 The garden flowers of that day were the 
 pink, ( "a flower most rare,") the lilac, the 
 hollyhock, the sunflower, and the rose. 
 Each garden had a little bed of •'sweet- 
 williams'* and johnny-jnmp-ups. " The 
 garden rose was a beautiful, sweet flower 
 then, and it is a beautiful, sweet flower to- 
 day — and it ever will be sweet and beauti- 
 ful. My mother used to sing to me this 
 song as a lullaby: 
 
 How fair is the rose, what a beautiful flower, 
 
 In summer so flagrant and gay ; 
 But its leaves are beginning to fade in an hour, 
 
 And they wither and die in a day. 
 
 Yet the rose has one powerful virtue to boast, 
 Above all the flowers of the field; 
 
 When its leaves are all dead and its fine colors lost, 
 Still how sweet a nerfume it, will vield. 
 
 So frail are the youth and the beauty of men, 
 
 Though they look gay, and bloom like the rose, 
 Yet all our fond care to preserve them is vain, 
 
 Time kills th' m as fast as he goes. 
 Then I'll not be proud of ray youth or my beauty 
 
 Since both will soon wither aud fade, 
 But gain a good name by performing my duty, 
 
 This will scent like thf rose when I'm df ad. 
 
 In 1840 there was no church building in 
 the town. Our Presbyterian preacher in 
 the town was the Rev. David Polk, a cousin 
 to President Polk. The token was then 
 given out on Saturday to all those who were 
 adjudged worthy to sit at the Lord's table. 
 These tokens were taken up on the follow- 
 ing Sunday while seated at the table. Fri- 
 day was "fast," or preparation day. We 
 were not allowed to eat anything, or very 
 little, until the sun went down. I can 
 only remember that I used to get hungry 
 and long for night to come. Rev. Polk 
 preached half of his time in Corsica', the 
 other half in Brookville. He lived on the 
 'pike in the hollow beyond and west of 
 Roseville. He preached in the court house 
 until the Presbyterians completed the first 
 church building in the town, in 1843. It 
 stood where the church now stands, and 
 was then outside of the borough limits. 
 The building was erected through the efforts 
 ot a lawyer then residing in Brookville, 
 named C. A. Alexander. The ruling elders 
 of the church then were Thomas Lucas, 
 John Matson, Sr.. Elijah Clark. John Lat- 
 timer. Joseph McCullough, and John 
 Wilson. 
 
 Other preachers came to town occasion- 
 ally in 1S40, and held their services in 
 the court house. One jolly aged Welsh- 
 man, was called Father Thomas. He. was 
 a Baptist, a dear old man, and a great 
 
 singer. I always went to his church to hear 
 him sing. I can sing some of his songs 
 yet. I will repeat a stanza from one of his 
 favorites : 
 
 Oh, then I shall be ever free, 
 
 Happy in eternity, 
 Eternity, eternity, 
 Happy in eternity. 
 
Dear old soul, he is in eternity, and I 
 have no doubt is happy singing his favorite 
 song there. 
 
 A Methodist preacher named Elijah Cole- 
 man came here occasionally. Methodist 
 headquarters were at David Henry's, and 
 at Cyrus Butler's. The first Methodist 
 prayer meeting held in town was at Cyrus 
 Butler's. It was held in the little yellow 
 house occupied for years by Mrs. Rachel 
 Dixon, and torn down by C. C. Benscoter, 
 Esq., in 1887, in order to erect his present 
 dwelling. 
 
 The physicians in the town in 1840, were 
 Dr. George Darling, father of the late Paul 
 Darling, and Dr. Gara Bishop, lather of 
 Mrs. Edmund English. Dr. Bishop was 
 also a Presbyterian preacher. 
 
 In 1840 Jefferson county contained a pop- 
 ulation of 7, 253 people, and embraced nearly 
 all of Forest and Elk counties. Ridgway 
 was then in the northeast corner of our 
 county, and Punxsutaw oej was a village 
 of about fifteen or twenty dwellings. 
 
 The politics of the county was divided 
 into Whig and Democrat. The leading- 
 Whigs in Brookville, as I recollect them, 
 were Thomas Lucas, Esq., James Corbett, 
 father of Col. Corbett, Benjamin McCreight, 
 father of Mrs. Dr. Hunt, Thomas M. Barr, 
 and Samuel H. Lucas. The leading Dem- 
 crats were Hon. William Jack, Gen. L. G. 
 C?over, Judge Joseph Henderson, John 
 Smith, Daniel Smith, Jesse G. Clark, father 
 of Judge Clark, D. B. Jenks, John Dough- 
 erty, Richard Arthurs, and Thomas Hast- 
 ings. Politics ran so high that year that 
 each party had its own Fourth of July cel- 
 ebration. The Whigs celebrated at Port 
 Barnett. Nicholas McQuiston, the miller 
 who died at Langville a few years ago. had 
 one of his legs broken at this celebration, 
 by the explosion ot a log which he had 
 filled with powder. The Democrats cele- 
 brated in Brookville. in front of the Frank- 
 lin Hotel, now the Central. I was big 
 
 enough to have a fall run and clear view 
 of this table and celebration. The table 
 was covered with small roasted pigs, roasted 
 turkeys, venison, pies, gingerbread, "pound 
 cake,"' ere. I was not allowed to partici- 
 pate in the feast, although my father in his 
 lifetime had been a Democrat. Boys and 
 girls were then taught modesty, patience 
 and manners by parents. Children were 
 taught and. compelled to respect age, and 
 to defer to the wishes of father and mother. 
 Now the father and mother must defer to 
 the wishes of children. There was more 
 home and less public training of children, 
 and as a result children had more modesty 
 and patience, and less impudence. In 1840 
 children slept in "trundle beds," and were 
 required by their mothers to repeat every 
 night before going to sleep this little prayer: 
 Now I lay uie down to sleep ; 
 I pray the Lord my soul to keep. 
 It 1 should die' hefore I wake, 
 I pray the Lord my soul lo take 
 
 This home training was a constant build- 
 ing up of individual character, and I believe 
 a much more effectual way for good than 
 the present public way of building charac- 
 ter collectively. 
 
 In 1840 our congressman was Judge Jack 
 of Brookville, and our member of the legis- 
 lature was Hon. James L. Gillis of Ridg- 
 way township, Jefferson county. The 
 county officers were : Prothonotary. Gen. 
 Levi G Clover; sheriff', John Smith; treas- 
 urer, Jesse G. Clark; commissioners, Daniel 
 Coder, Irwin Robinson and Benjamin Mc- 
 Creight. The county was democratic by 
 one hundred and twenty-five majority. 
 
 The postmaster in Brookville was John 
 Dougherty, and Joseph Henderson was 
 deputy U.S. marshal for Jefferson county. 
 He took the census of 1840 for our county. 
 
 Of the above named politicians and offi- 
 cials. Judge Henderson is the only one now 
 living. Every day yet the Judge can be 
 found at his place of business, pleasant, 
 cheerful and intelligent — a line old gentle- 
 
9 
 
 num. In his many political contests I al- In 1640 every housewife in Brookville 
 
 ways admired, defended and supported cooked over a fireplace, in which a crane 
 
 him. Une thing I begin to notice, "he is was fastened 'so as to swing in, out, off, on, 
 
 not as young as he used to be." and over the tire. Every fire-place had a 
 
 Oh tell mt the tales I delighted to hear, wooden poker, a pair of tongs to handle 
 
 Long, long ago, long, long ago; burning wood, and a shovel to remove the 
 
 Oh sing me the old songs s. full of cheer, ashes _ The fuel used was woo d— pine, 
 
 Long, long ago, Ion , long ago. , , . . , , , . , .„ 
 
 maple, oak, birch and hickory. To every 
 
 In 1840, we boys amused ourselves in the tire there had to be a "back log," and the 
 winter months by catching rabbits in box- smaller or front pieces were supported on 
 halts—the woods were full of them— skat- "andirons," or common stones. Matches 
 ing on Geer's pond, a small lake then, were not in use, hence fires were covered at 
 located where Allgeier's brewery now night, so as to preserve some live coals for 
 stands, (this lake was destroyed by the the morning fire. Rich people had a little 
 building of Mabon's millrace), skating on pair of bellows to blow these live coals into 
 Han's (now Litch's) dam, and coasting a blaze, but poor people had to do the best 
 down the town or graveyard hill. In the they could with their mouths. After hav- 
 sumnier and fall months the amusements ing nearly smoked my eyes out trying to 
 were alley ball behind the court house, town blow coals into life, I have had to give it 
 ball, over ball, sock ball, fishing in the up and go to a neighbor to borrow a shovel 
 streams and in Geer's pond, riding floats of fire. Some old settlers used "spunk," a 
 of slabs on the creek, swimming in the flint,, and a barlow knife to start a fire in an 
 "deep hole," and gathering blackberries, emergency like this. When matches were 
 crab apples, wild plums, and black and first brought around great fear was enter- 
 yellow haws. But the amusement of all tained that they might burn everybody out 
 amusements, the one that was enjoyed of house and home. My moth. er secured a 
 every day in the year by the boys, was the tin box with a safe lid to keep hers in. For 
 cutting of firewood. The wood tor heating some reason they were called locofoco 
 and cooking was generally hauled in matches. 
 
 "drags" to the front door of each house The crane in the fireplace had a set of 
 on Main street, and there cut on the "pile" rods with hooks on each end, and they were 
 by the boys of each house. The gathering graduated in length so as to hang the ket- 
 of hazel nuts, butternuts, hickory nuts and tie at the proper height from the fire. In 
 chestnuts, was an agreeable and profitable addition to the kettles we had the long- 
 recreation. My boy associates of tliose days handled frying pan, the handle of which 
 — where are they ! I can only recall the had to lie supported by some one's hand, 
 following, who are now living in Brook- or else on a box or a chair. Then there 
 ville- David Eason, VY. C. Evans, Dr. C. was the three-legged, short-handled spider. 
 M. Matson, Thomas E. Espy, Thomas P. It could support itself. And I must not 
 McCrea, Daniel Burns, Clover Smith, W. forget the griddle for buckwheat cakes. It 
 C. Smith and W. R. Ramsey. I under- had to be suspended by a rod on the crane, 
 stand John Craig, Fred, and Lewis Dun- Then there was the old bake-kettle, or 
 ham, Elijah and Lorenzo Lowell, and Alex, oven, with legs and a closely fitted cover. 
 Barr live in the State of Iowa, Richard In this was baked the "pone" for the fam- 
 Espy in Kentucky, and John L. and Anson ily. I can say truthfully that pone was not 
 Warren in Wisconsin. used more than thirty days in the month. 
 
11) 
 
 This was a hard way to cook. Women 
 would nearly break their backs lifting these 
 heavy kettles on and off, burn their faces, 
 smoke their eyes, singe their hair, blister 
 their hands, and "scorch" their clothes. 
 
 Our spoons were pewter and iron, knives 
 and forks were iron with bone handles. 
 Otherwise the chinaware was about as it is 
 now. 
 
 The every -day bonnet of women then was 
 the "sun-bonnet" for summer, and a quilt- 
 ed "hood" for winter. The dress bonnet 
 was made of paper or leghorn, and was in 
 shape something like our coal scuttles. 
 
 In 1840 nearly every wife in Brookville 
 milked a cow and churned butter. The 
 cows were milked at the front door on Main 
 street. Every wife caught water in barrels 
 or tubs from the house roof to wash clothes 
 and do the scrubbing with. Scrubbing the 
 floors of a house had to be attended to reg- 
 ularly once a week. This scrubbing had to 
 be done with powdered sand and a home- 
 made "split broom." Every wife had to 
 make her own soap, bake her own bread, 
 sew and dye all the clothes for the 
 family, spin the wool for and knit the 
 mittens and socks, make the coverlets, 
 quilt the quilts, see that the children's 
 shoes for Sunday were greased with tallow 
 every Saturday night, nurse the sick, give 
 "sheep saffron" for the measles, and do all 
 the cooking. About every family had a 
 cow, dog, cat, pig, geese and chickens. 
 The town gave these domestic animals the 
 right to "life, liberty, and the pursuit of 
 happiness." Of course, under these sani- 
 tary conditions the town was alive with 
 fleas, and every house was full ot bedbugs. 
 Bats wery numerous, and the "public opin- 
 ion" then was that the bats brought the 
 bedbugs. This may be given as an illus- 
 tration of the correctness of public opinion. 
 However, we were contented and happy, 
 and used to sing, 
 
 Home, home, sweet, sweet home, 
 Be it ever so liumble, there's no place like hon e." 
 
 In 1840 there were doubtless many tine 
 horses in Jefferson county, yet it seemed to 
 me nearly every horse had stringhalt, ring- 
 bone, spavin, highstep, or pole-evil. Horses 
 with pole-evil were numerous then, but the 
 disease has apparently disappeared. It was 
 an abscess on the horse's head, behind the 
 ears, and was doubtless caused by cruelty 
 to the animal. If a horse did not please 
 his master in his work it was a common 
 thing for his master to knock him down 
 with -a handspike, a rail, or the butt end of 
 a blacksnake whip. Poor food and these 
 blows undoubtedly caused this horrible dis- 
 ease. Sick horses were treated in a barbar- 
 ous manner. When sick they were not 
 allowed to lay down ; hence they were 
 whipped, run, and held upon their feet. I 
 have seen horses held up with handspikes, 
 rails, etc. The usual remedies were bleed- 
 ing and drenching with filthy compounds. 
 "Bots" was the almost unfailing disease. 
 
 The cattle were home stock, big horned, 
 heavy bellied, and long legged. They 
 could jump over almost anything, and 
 could outrun the "devil and his imps." 
 They were poorly fed, received little care, 
 and had little or no stabling. In the spring 
 it was common for cows to be on the "lift." 
 The common trouble with cattle was "hol- 
 low horn," "wolf in the tail," and loss of 
 "cud." These were little else than the 
 results of starvation. I have witnessed 
 consultations over a sick cow, when one 
 man would declare positively she had hol- 
 low horn, and another declare just as posi- 
 tively it was wolf in the tail. After a 
 spirited dispute they would compromise In- 
 agreeing to bore her horn and splk her 
 tail. If they had called it hollow belly 
 and wolf in the stomach they would have 
 been nearer the truth. A better remedy 
 would have been a bucket of warm slop, a 
 good stable, and plenty of hay. The rem- 
 edy for "hollow horn" was to bore a gimlet 
 hole in the hoin near the head and then 
 
11 
 
 saturate a cloth with spirits of turpentine 
 and wrap it around the horn. The cure 
 for wolf in the tail was to split the tail near 
 the end with a knife, and fill the cut with 
 salt and pepper. The cure for "lifts" was 
 to call the neighbors, lift the cow to her 
 feet, and prop her up so she could not lie 
 down again. The cures tor loss of "cud" 
 were numerous and filthy. A ' 'sure cure, ' ' 
 and common, too, was to roll human excre- 
 ment in dough and force it down the ani- 
 mal's throat. The same remedy was used 
 lor ' 'founder. ' ' If the critter recovered the 
 remedy was the right one; if it died the 
 reason was the remedy had heen used too 
 late. Ot course these conditions were all 
 imaginary. They were only diseases re- 
 sulting from exposure and want ot nourish- 
 ing food. A wild onion called "ramp," 
 and a shrub called "tripwood," grew in 
 the woods and were early in their appear- 
 ance each spring. These, of which the 
 cattle ate freely, were often their only de- 
 pendence for food. 
 
 The hog of that time was a racer, and 
 could outrun the average horse. His snort 
 when startled was something terrible. He 
 was of the "razor-back" variety, long 
 bodied, long legged, and long snouted. By 
 means of his snout he could plow through 
 everything. Of course he was starved in 
 the winter, like all the other animals, and 
 his condition resulting from his starvation 
 was considered a disease and called ' 'black 
 teeth." The remedy for this disease was 
 to knock out the teeth with a hammer and 
 a spike. 
 
 Ignorance was the cause of this cruelty 
 to animals. To the readers of this article 
 the things mentioned are astonishing. But 
 I have only hinted at the barbarities then 
 inflicted on these domestic animals, which 
 had no rights which man was bound to 
 respect. Not until 1866 was any effort 
 made in this country to protect dumb ani- 
 mals from the cruelty of man. In that 
 
 year Henry Berg organized the American 
 society in New York, and to-day the move-«. 
 ment is felt throughout a great portion of 
 the world. In 1890 there were 547 societies 
 in existence for the prevention of cruelty to 
 animals, 223 of them in the United States. 
 The work of humane organizations is not a 
 matter of mere sentiment. ' 'The economic 
 necessity for the existence of societies hav- 
 ing for their ohject the better care and pro- 
 tection of animals, becomes manifest when 
 it is considered that our industries, our 
 commerce, and the supply of our necessities 
 and comforts depend upon the animal world. 
 In the United States alone, it is estimated 
 that there are 14,000,000 horses valued at 
 $979,000,000. There are also 2,330,000 
 mules, 16,000,000 milk cows, 36,800,000 
 oxen and other cattle, 44,000,000 sheep and 
 50,000,000 swine. The total domestic ani- 
 mals in 1890 were estimated at 165,000,000, 
 valued at over $2,400,000,000." To-day 
 every good citizen gives these humane 
 societies or their agents his support, and 
 almost every one is against the man or men 
 who in any way abuse dumb beasts. 
 
 Along about 1840 the winters were very 
 severe and long, much more so than now. 
 Regularly every fall, commencing in No- 
 vember, 
 
 Soft as the eider cown, 
 
 Light as the spider gown, 
 
 Came the beautiful snow, till 
 
 Over the meadow lots, 
 
 Over our garden plots, 
 
 Over the ponds and the lakes, 
 
 Lay only beautiful flakes. 
 
 Then with this snowing, 
 
 Puffing and blowing, 
 
 Old Boreas came bellowing by, 
 
 Till over the byways, 
 
 And over the highways 
 
 The snow-drifts were ever so high. 
 
 The snow was several feet deep every 
 winter. It came early and remained till 
 late. 
 
 I have made frequent reference in these 
 articles to the old court house. As I find 
 
12 
 
 there is some confusion in regard to its size, them over night, by slave captors. Inl- 
 and as I find our county history contains prisoning men for no other crime than de- 
 this error: "'The court house, a one-story siring to enjoy life, liberty and the pursuit 
 brick building, was finished in 1 H32, ' ' I of happiness ! There was a branch of the 
 
 deem it of sufficient importance to correct underground railroad for the escape of 
 these errors, and to state that the court slaves running through Brookville at that 
 house was a two-story building, with a one- time. As many as twenty-five of those un- 
 story wing on the west extending along fortunate creatures have passed through 
 Main street. This wing was divided into Brookville in one day. Judge Heath, then 
 two rooms, the first for the prothonotary's living in our town — a great Methodist and 
 office and the other for the commissioners' an abolitionist — bad to pay a line of two 
 office. The main building was two-storied, thousand dollars for aiding two slaves to 
 with an attic and belfry. The second story escape from this old stone jail, a big sum 
 was divided into four good sized rooms, of money to pay for performing a christian, 
 called jury rooms. The southwest room humane act. Was it not? In this stone 
 was used by the Methodists for a long time jail men were imprisoned for debt, and 
 for their Thursday evening prayer meeting, kept in it until the last penny was paid. 
 Alex. Fullerton was their janitor. The I have seen some of the best men of that 
 Union Sunday school was held here tor day in our county imprisoned in this old 
 years also. The northwest room was used jail for debt, or bail money. I have seen 
 as an armory by the Brookville Kitles — a Thomas Hall, than whom I knew no better 
 volunteer company. The other two were man. no better christian, an elder in the 
 used as jury rooms. 1 have played in every Presbyterian church, incarcerated in the 
 room of the old building, and know every old stone jail for bail money. He ha 1 
 foot of it. The building cost three thousand bailed a relative for the sum of fifty dollars, 
 dollars. The contractors were John Lucas and his relative let him suffer. Honest, 
 and Robert 1'. Barr. It was torn down in big hearted, generous, christian Thomas 
 1806, to make room for the present line Hall ! Thank (rod that the day for such 
 structure. Our alley-ball games were all inhumanities as those stated above are gone 
 played tor years behind theold court house, forever. This old jail was rented, alter 
 Our first jail was a stone structure., built the ne one was erected, and used as a 
 of common stone, in 1831. It was two butcher shop until it was torn down to make 
 stories high, was situated on the northeast room for the present court house 
 corner of the public lot, near Joseph Dare's In these days of fine carriages and Brook- 
 residence, and fronting on Pickering street, ville wagons, it might be well to describe 
 Daniel Elgin was the contractor. The the wagon of 1840. Itwas called the Penn- 
 building was divided into eight rooms, two sylvania wagon, was wide tracked, and had 
 down stairs and two up stairs for the jail wooden axles with iron skeins on the spin- 
 proper, and two down stairs and two up dies. The tongue was stiff, and reached 
 stairs for the sheriff's residence and office, about three feet ahead of the horses. The 
 The sheriff occupied the north part. The horses were hitched to these wagons by iron 
 early church services in this building were trace and long-tongue chains. In rough 
 held in the jail part, up stairs. This old roads I used to think every time the tongue 
 jail has a history, not the most pleasant to would strike a horse on the leg it would 
 contemplate or write about. It was used break it. Old team horses understood this 
 to imprison runaway slaves and to lodge and would spread out to avoid these leg- 
 
13 
 
 blows. The wheels were kept in place by 
 means of an iron strap and lynch pin. 
 Every wagon carried its own tar on the 
 coupling pole under the hind axle. The 
 carriage of that day was called a Dearborn 
 wagon. I am unable to describe them, al- 
 though I used to see them. The making 
 of tar was one of the industries then. It 
 retailed at 20 and 25 cents a gallon, and 
 brought from three to four dollars a barrel 
 at Pittsburgh. These old wagons would 
 screen fearfully if they were not kept prop- 
 erly lubricated with this tar. 
 
 Big political conventions were held in 
 those days, and a great custom was to have 
 a young lady dressed in white to represent 
 each of the different states, and have all 
 these ladies in one wagon, which would be 
 drawn by four or six horses. 
 
 In the hotels of that day the "bar" was 
 constructed for the safety of the bartender. 
 It was a solid structure with a counter iu 
 front, fioni which a sliding door on iron 
 rods could be shoved up and locked, or 
 shut down and locked; hence the hotel man 
 could "bar" himself in and the drunken 
 men out. This was for safety in dispen- 
 sing whiskey, and is the origin of the word 
 "bar" in connection with hotels. In 1810 
 all our hotel bars were so made. 
 
 Lumbering in 1840 was one of our prin- 
 cipal industries. We had no eastern out- 
 let, and everything had to be rafted to 
 Pittsburgh. The saw mills were nearly all 
 ' 'up and down" mills. The ' 'thunder gust' ' 
 mills were those on small streams. All 
 were driven by flutter wheels and water. 
 It required usually but one man on one of 
 these mills. He could do all the work and 
 saw from one to two thousand feet of boards 
 in twelve hours. Pine boards sold in tho 
 Pittsburgh market then at three and four 
 dollars per thousand; clear pine at ten dol- 
 lars per thousand. Of course these sales 
 were on credit. The boards were rafted in 
 the creek in "seven platform" pieces, by 
 
 means of grubs. The oars were hung on 
 what was called thole pins. The front of 
 each raft had a bumper and splash-board as 
 a protection in going over dams. The 
 creeks then were full of short bends, rocks 
 and drift. Cables were unknown here and 
 a halyard made from hie ory withes was 
 used as a cabteto tie up with. "Grousers" 
 were used to assist in tieing up. A pilot 
 then received four dollars to the mouth, 
 forehands two dollars and expenses. The 
 logging in the woods was all done with oxen. 
 The camj) and mil boarding consisted of 
 bread, flitch, beans, potatoes, or'eans mo- 
 lasses and sometimes a 'itt e butter and cof- 
 fee or tea without cream. Woodsmen were 
 paid sixteen dollars a month and boarded, 
 and genera 1 ly paid in store orders, or trade. 
 
 We usually had three floods on which to 
 run this lumber, spring, June and fall At 
 these times rafts were p'enty and people 
 were scarce, and as time and tide wait for no 
 man, so whenever a flood came everybody 
 had to turn out and assist to run the rafts. 
 The boy had to leave hisschoo', the minis- 
 ter his pu'pit, the Dr. abandon his patients, 
 the 'awyerhis briefs, the merchant his yard- 
 stick, the farmer his crops or seeding. And 
 there was one great compensation in this, 
 nearly everybody got to see Pittsburgh. 
 
 "Running do n the cree and gigging 
 back" was the business language of every- 
 body. How many trips have you made, &c. 
 It took about twelve hours to run a raft 
 from the neighborhood of Brookville to the 
 mouth, or the Allegheny river, and ordina- 
 rily it recpaired hard walking to reach home 
 the next day. Some ambitious, industrious 
 pilots would "run down in the day time 
 andwal back the same night. " James T. 
 Carroll has made four of these trips in suc- 
 cession, Joseph Shobert five, and William 
 Green four or five. Of course these pilots 
 remained down the last night. This ex- 
 traordinary labor was accomplished with- 
 out ever going to bed. Although some may 
 
14 
 
 be incredu ous, these are facts, as the par- 
 ties interested arc sti a ive. Pi ots some- 
 times ran a'l night. Joseph Shohert has 
 started from Broo vi e at 5 o'c oc , p. m., 
 and reached the month at 5 o'c oc , in the 
 morning. Other pi ots have done this a so. 
 
 Pine square timber was ta' en out and 
 marketed in Pittsburgh, No other timber 
 was mar etah e, and then on y the best 
 part of the pine cou d be hewed and ratted. 
 often but one stic won d be used from a 
 tree. In Pittsburgh this timber brought 
 from four to eight cents a tout, running 
 measure. 
 
 The lumbermen could contract with hew- 
 ers for the cutting, scoring and hewing of 
 pine timber, complete, ready to be hauled, 
 for from 4 to If cents per foot. All timber 
 was generally well faced on one side, and 
 was railed with lash-poles of iron wood or 
 whiteoak, and securely fastened in position 
 by means of whiteoak bows and asli pins. 
 Bows and pins were an article of merchan- 
 dise then. Bows sold at 75cents a hundred 
 and ash pins brought oil cents a hundred. 
 Grubs for board rafts sold at two dollars 
 and fifty cents a hundred. Oar stems were 
 then made from small sapling dead pines, 
 shaved down. Pine timber, or wild lands, 
 could then lie bought at from one dollar to 
 ( wo dollars per acre. 
 
 As there has been considerable agitation 
 over my paragraph on poll-evil in horses, I 
 reprint here a slip -that has been sent me: 
 AN OLD-TIME CUKE FOR POLE-EVIL. 
 
 Ed. SPIRIT: — I am moved by your quo- 
 tation from Dr. McKnight's article in the 
 Brook ville DEMOCRAT on the old-time non- 
 sense in relation to poll-evil in horses to 
 say that the Doctor's explanation ot the 
 cause of that severe affliction on the poor 
 brute's head, is in part correct ; but it was 
 mainly owing to the low doorways and the 
 low mow timbers just above the horse's 
 head as he stood in the stall of the old-time 
 loo- stables. The horse oil en si ruck his 
 
 head on. the lintel of the low doorway as he 
 passed in and out ; and as he stood 111 the 
 stall, when roughly treated by his master, in 
 throwing up his head it came in violent 
 contact with the timbers, and continued 
 bruising resulted ultimately in the fearful, 
 painful abscesses referred to. There were 
 those in that day who had reputations for 
 skill in the cure of poll-evil, and their 
 method was this - The afflicted animal 
 must be brought to the doctor before the 
 break of day. An ax was newly grounu. 
 The doctor must not speak a word to any 
 person on any subject after the horse was 
 given into his hand until the feat was per- 
 formed. Before sun rise the doctor took the 
 ax and the horse and proceeded out of sight 
 of any human habitation, going tow aid the 
 cast. When such a spot was reached, he 
 turned toward the animal, bent down ils 
 head firmly and gently, drew the sharpened 
 blade of the ax first lengthwise, then cross- 
 wise of the abscess sufficiently to cause the 
 blood. to flow, muttering meanwhile some 
 mystic words; then, just below where the 
 head of the horse was, he struck the bloody 
 ax in the ground, left it there, turned im- 
 mediately around, walked rapidly away, 
 leading the animal, and not at all looking 
 back until he had delivered it into the hand 
 of the owner, who was waiting at a dis- 
 tance to receive it, and who took it home 
 at once. The next morning at sunrise the 
 ax was removed, and in due time the cure 
 was effected. Ax Old-Timer. 
 
 Smicksburg, Pa., September 7. 
 
 The Hist known person to live within 
 the confines of the present borough was Jim 
 Hunt, an Indian of the Muncy tribe, lie 
 was here as early as 1797, and was in ban- 
 ishment for killing a warrior of his own 
 tribe. By an Indian law he was not al- 
 lowed to live in his tribe until the place 
 of the warrior he had slain was filled by 
 the capture of another male from white 
 people or from other Indians. In 1808, 
 
15 
 
 Jim's friends stole a white boy in West- 
 moreland county, Pa., and had him ac- 
 cepted into the tribe in place of the warrior 
 Jim had killed. Jim Hunt's residence, or 
 cave, was near the deep hole, or near the 
 Sand Spring, on Sandy Lick, and was dis- 
 covered in 1843 by Mr. Thomas Graham. 
 After 1812 Jim Hunt never returned. He 
 was a great bear hunter, having killed 78 
 in one winter. He loved "lire water, " and 
 all his earnings went for this beverage; yet 
 he never dared to get so drunk he could not 
 run to his cave when he heard a peculiar 
 Indian whoop on Mill creek hills, liis 
 Indian enemies pursued him and his Indian 
 friends looked after him and warned him 
 to flee to Ins hiding place by a peculiar 
 whoop. 
 
 The first white person to settle in what 
 is now Brookville was Moses Knapp. He 
 built a log house about 1801, at the mouth 
 of North Fork creek, on ground now owned 
 by Thomas L. Templeton, near Christ's 
 brewery. The first white child born with- 
 in the limits of what is now Brookville, 
 was Joshua Knapp, on Mr. Templeton's 
 lot, at the mouth of the North Fork, in the 
 month of March, 1810. He is still living, 
 in I'inecreek township, about 2 miles from 
 the town. About 1806 or 1807, Knapp built 
 a log gristmill where the waters of North 
 Fork then entered into Kedbank. It was 
 a rude mill, and had but one run of rock 
 stones. In 1818 he sold this mill to Thos. 
 Barnett. James Parks, Barnett's brother- 
 in-law, came to run this mill about 1824, 
 (Barnett having died), and lived here until 
 about 1830. Parks came from Westmore- 
 land county, Pa., and brought with him 
 and held in legal slavery here a negro man 
 named '"Sam.," who was the first colored 
 person to live in what is now called Brook- 
 ville. 
 
 Joseph B. Graham, Esq., of Eldred town- 
 ship, informs me that he carried a grist on 
 horseback to this mill of one half bushel of 
 
 shelled corn for this Sam. to grind. Mr. 
 Graham says his father put the corn in one 
 end of the bag and a big stone in the other 
 end to balance the corn. That was the 
 custom, but the 'squire says they did not 
 know any better. Joshua Knapp, Uriah 
 Matson, and John Dix\son, all took grists 
 of corn and buckwheat to this mill for 
 ''Sam," the "miller," to grind. 
 
 Happy the miller who lives by the mill, 
 For by the turning of his hand he can do what he 
 will. 
 
 But this was not so with "Sam." At his 
 master's nod he could grind his own "peck 
 of meal," for his body, his work, his life 
 and his will belonged to Parks. Many set- 
 tlers in early days carried corn to the grist 
 mill on their own shoulders, or on the neck- 
 yoke of a pair of oxen. I have seen both of 
 these methods used by persons living ten 
 and fifteen miles from a mill. 
 
 The census of 1830 gives Jefferson county 
 a population of 2,003 whites, 21 free colored 
 persons, and one colored slave. This slave 
 we suppose was "Sam." 
 
 Brookville was laid out as the county seat 
 in 1830, but it was not incorporated as a 
 borough until April 9th, 1834. (See pam- 
 phlet laws of 1834, page 200. ) The first 
 election held in the new borough for offi- 
 cials was in the spring of 1835. Joseph 
 Sharpe was elected constable. Darius Car- 
 rier and Alex. McKnight (my father) 
 were elected school directors. The first 
 complete set of borough officers were elected 
 in 1835, and were as follows: 
 
 Burgess, Thomas Lucas; council, John 
 Dougherty, James Corbett, John Pierce, 
 Samuel Craig, Win. A. Sloan; constable, 
 John McLaughlin (this man McLaughlin 
 was a great hunter, and could neither read 
 nor write; he moved to Brockwayville and 
 from there went west); School directors, 
 Levi G. Clover, Samuel Craig, David Hen- 
 ry, C. A. Alexander, Wm. A. Sloan, James 
 Corbett. 
 
16 
 
 In 1840 the borough officers were : 
 
 Burgess, William Jack; council, Elijah 
 Heath, John Gallagher, Cyrus Butler, Levi 
 Cx. Clover, John Dougherty, Win Rodgers; 
 constable, John Dougherty. 
 
 Of these early lathers the only one now 
 living is Maj. William Rodgers. He re- 
 sides about a mile from town, on the Cor- 
 sica road. 
 
 In 1H40 the "itch" was in BrookviUe, 
 and popular all the year round. As bath- 
 tuba were unknown, and family bathing 
 rare, this itch was the seven year kind. 
 Head lice among the people and in the 
 schools were also common. Had I been 
 familiar with Burns in my boyhood, many 
 a time while seeing a louse crawl on and 
 over a boy or girl in our schools I could 
 have exclaimed, 
 
 O, Jenny, diuna toss your heal 
 An ' set your beauties a' abraed, 
 Ye little ken what cussed .speed 
 The beast's a makin'. 
 
 The only cure for lice was to '"rid" out 
 the hair every few days with a big, 
 coarse comb, crack the nits between the 
 thumb nails, and then saturate the hair 
 with "red precipity," using a fine-tooth 
 comb. The itch was cured by the use of 
 an ointment made of brimstone and lard. 
 During school terms many children wore 
 little sacks of powdered brimstone about 
 their necks. This was supposed to be a 
 preventative 
 
 In 1840 the only music books we had 
 were "The Beauties of Harmony,"- and 
 "The Missouri Harmony" Each of these 
 contained the old "buckwheat" notes of 
 me, fa, sol, la. Every one could not afford 
 one of these books Music teachers traveled 
 through the county and taught classes. A 
 class was twenty-six scholars, a term thir- 
 teen nights, and the tuition tee fifty cents 
 for each scholar Teachers used "tuning 
 forks," and some played a violin in con- 
 nection with the class singing The teacher 
 opened the singing by exhorting the class 
 
 to "sound your pitches : "Sol, fa, la " 
 
 In 1840 Billy Boo, an eccentric, intelli- 
 gent hermit, lived in a hut on the farm in 
 Rose township now occupied by William 
 Hughey. Although he lived in this hut he 
 spent most of his wakeful hours in Brook- 
 viUe. He was a man of good habits, and 
 all that he would tell, or any one could 
 learn of him or his nativity, was that he 
 came from England He was about 5 feet 
 5 or 6 inches high, heavy set. and stooped 
 shouldered He usually dressed in white 
 flannel clothes Sometimes his clothing, 
 from being darned so much, looked as if 
 it had been quilted He lived upon the 
 charity of the people, and by picking up a 
 few pennies tor some light gardening jobs 
 He died as a charge on BrookviUe borough 
 in 1863. 
 
 Indian relics were found frequently on 
 our hills and in our valleys in 1840 They 
 consisted of stone tomahawks, darts, arrows 
 and flints 
 
 Prior to and during 1840 a form of legal- 
 ized slavery was practiced in this state and 
 county, in regard to minor children Poor 
 or destitute children were "bound out," or 
 indentured, by the poor overseers, to mas- 
 ters or mistresses, boys until they were 21 
 years of age and girls until they were 1« 
 Parents exercised this privilege also All 
 apprentices were then bound to mechanics 
 to learn trades. The period of this inden- 
 ture was three years The law was severe 
 on the children, and in favor of the master 
 or mistress Under these conditions cruel- 
 ties were practiced, and children and ap- 
 prentices tried to escape them Of course 
 there were bad children who ran away from 
 kind masters and mistresses The master 
 or mistress usually advertised these runa- 
 ways 1 have seen many of these in our 
 papers. I reprint one of these advertise- 
 ments, taken from the Gnzetteand Columbian, 
 published by J Croll & Co , at Kittanning, 
 Armstrong county, Pa , on August 8, 1832. 
 
17 
 
 $5 Reward. 
 
 RUN away from the subscriber living in the bor- 
 ough of Kittanning, on the 22d inst., an indented 
 apprentice lo the Tailoring business, named Henry 
 P. Huffman, between 18 or 19 years of age, stout 
 made and black hair, had on when he went away a 
 light cotton roundabout, and pantaloons of the 
 same, and a new fur hat. Whoever apprehends the 
 said runaway and delivers him to the subscriber in 
 Kittanning shall recdve the above reward. 
 Kittanning, July 25, 1832. John Williams. 
 
 In the 40's the election for Stateofficers was 
 held on the 2d Tuesday of Octoher ot each 
 year, and in the ahsence of telegraphs, rail- 
 roads, etc , it took about four weeks to hear 
 any definite result from an election, and 
 then the result was published with a tail 
 to it— "Pike, Potter, McKean and Jeffer- 
 son to hear from " It is amusing to re- 
 call the reason usually given for a defeat 
 at these elections by the unsuccessful party. 
 It was this : "The day was fine and clear, 
 a good day for threshing buckwheat; there- 
 fore our voters failed to turn out." The 
 editor of the defeated party always pub- 
 lished this poetic stanza for the consolation 
 of his friends : 
 
 Truth crtishpd to earth will rise again, 
 Tne eternal years of God are hers, 
 
 While error, wounded, writhes in pain, 
 And tlii s amidst, her worshipers. 
 
 In a presidential contest we never knew 
 the result with any certainty until the 4th 
 of March, or inauguration day. 
 
 In 1840, according to the census, the 
 United States contained a population of 
 17,062,666 people, of which 2,487,113 were 
 slaves. The employments of the people 
 were thus divided : Agriculture, 3,717,756; 
 commerce, 117,575; manufactures and 
 trades, 791,545; navigating the ocean, 
 56,025; navigating rivers, canals, &c, 
 33,067; mining, 15,203; learned profes- 
 sions, 65,236. 
 
 The Union then consisted of twenty-six 
 States, and we had 223 congressmen. The 
 ratio of population for a congressman was 
 70,680. In this computation five slaves 
 would count as three white men, although 
 the slaves were not allowed to vote. Our 
 
 territories were populated thus: District 
 of Columbia, 43,712; Florida, 54,477; Wis- 
 consin, 30,945; Iowa, 43,112. The chief 
 cities and towns were thus populated: 
 
 Mew York 312,710 
 
 Philadelphia 228,691 
 
 Baltimore 102,313 
 
 New Orleans 102.193 
 
 Boston 93,393 
 
 Cincinnati 46.338 
 
 Brooklyn 35 234 
 
 Albany 33,721 
 
 Charleston 29.261 
 
 Washington, 23,364 
 
 Providence 23,171 
 
 Louisville 21,210 
 
 Pittsburgh 21,115 
 
 Lowell 20,796 
 
 Rochester 20,191 
 
 Richmond- 20,133 
 
 Buffalo 18,210 
 
 Newark 17,293 
 
 St. Louis 16,469 
 
 Portland 15,218 
 
 Salem 16,083 
 
 Brookville 276 
 
 Household or family goods were produced 
 in 1840 to the amount of $29,230,380. 
 
 Total amount of capital employed in 
 manufactures, $267, 726, 579. 
 
 The whole expenses of the Revolutionary 
 war were estimated, in specie, at $135,- 
 193,703. 
 
 In 1840 it was the custom for newspapers 
 to publish in one of their issues, after the 
 adjournment of the legislature, a complete 
 list by title of all the enactments of that 
 session. 
 
 In 1840 "shingle weavers" brought their 
 shingles to Brookville to barter. A shingle 
 weaver was a man who did not steal tim- 
 ber; he only went into the pine woods and 
 there cut the clearest and best tree he could 
 find, and hauled it home to his shanty in 
 blocks, and there split and shaved the 
 blocks into shingles He bartered his 
 shingles in this way: He would first have 
 his gallon or two gallon jug filled with 
 whisky, then take several pounds of Balti- 
 more plug tobacco, and then have the 
 balance coming to him apportioned in New 
 Orleans molasses, flitch and flour. Many 
 a barter of this kind have I billed when 
 acting as clerk. 
 
 Timothy Pickering & Co.. Leroy & Link- 
 lain, Welhelm Willink, Jeremiah Parker, 
 Holland Land Co., Robert Morris, Robert 
 Gilmore, William Bingham, John Nichol- 
 son, Dr. William Cathcart, Dr. James 
 Hutchison, and a few others owned about 
 all the land in Jefferson county. This goes 
 
18 
 
 a great length to disprove the demagogery 
 you hear so much nowadays about the r ew 
 owning and gobbling up all the land. How 
 man j' people own a piece of Jefferaon county 
 to-day ? 
 
 In 1H40 tlie only newspaper published in 
 Jefferson county, was the Backwoodsman, 
 published in Brookville by Thomas Hast- 
 ings & Son. Captain John Hastings, who 
 is still living in Punxsutawney, was the 
 Son. The terms of this paper were one dol- 
 lar and seventy-five cents in advance, two 
 dollars if paid within the year, and two 
 dollars and fifty cents if not paid within 
 the year. Hastings & Son sold the paper 
 to William Jack. Jack rented the paper 
 to a practical printer by the name of Geo. 
 F. Humes, who continued the publication 
 until after the October election, in 1848, 
 when he announced in an editorial that his 
 patrons might go to h — 11 and be would go 
 to Texas. Barton T. Hastings then bought 
 and assumed control of the paper, and pub- 
 lished it uutil lH4(i as the Brookville Jeffer- 
 nonian Mr. Hastings is still living in 
 Brookville. 
 
 I reprint here a large portion of the pro- 
 ceedings of an old-time celebration of the 
 Fourth of July in 1843, in Brookville. We 
 copy from the Backwoodsman, dated August 
 1st, 1843, then edited by Geo. F. Humes. 
 The editorial article in the ackwoodsman 
 is copied entire. The oration of 1). S. Deer- 
 ing, all the regular toasts, and part of the 
 volunteer toasts are omitted because of 
 their length. Editor Hurnes's article was 
 headed, 
 
 FOURTH OF JULY CELEBRATION. 
 
 The citizens of Brookville, and vicinity, 
 celebrated the 67th anniversary of American 
 Independence in a spirited and becoming 
 manner. The glorious day was ushered in 
 by the tiring of cannon and ringingof bells. 
 At an early hour the ' 'Independent Greens, 
 commanded by Captain Hugh Brady, formed 
 into parade order, making a line appear- 
 
 ance, and marched through the principal 
 streets, cheering and enlivening the large 
 body of spectators, whose attention ap- 
 peared to be solely drawn to their skillful 
 rehearsals of military tactics ; and, after 
 spending some time in a course of drilling, 
 joined the large assembly, without dis- 
 tinction of party or feeling, under the organ- 
 ization and direction of John McCrea,'Esq., 
 president of the day j and Samuel B. Bishop 
 and Col. Thomas Wilkins, marshals: when 
 they proceeded to the court house, where 
 the Declaration of Independence was read 
 in a clear and impressive tone by L. B. 
 Dunham, Esq., after which David S. Deer- 
 ing, Esq., delivered an address very appro- 
 priate to the occasion, touching with point 
 and pathos upon the inducements which 
 impelled our fathers to raise the flag of war 
 against the mother country. The company 
 then formed into line, and proceeded to the 
 hotel of Mr. George McLaughlin, at the 
 head of Main street, where they sat down 
 to a well-served, delicious and plentiful 
 repast, the ladies forming a smiling and 
 interesting "platoon' - on one side of the 
 table, which added much to the hilarity 
 of the celebration. After the cloth was 
 removed, and the president and committees 
 had taken their seats, a number of toasts 
 applicable to the times, and as varied in 
 sentiment as the ages of the multitude, 
 were offered and read, accompanied by re- 
 peated cheering and a variety of airs from 
 the brass band — thus passing the day in 
 that union and harmony so characteristic 
 of Americans. It was indeed a "Union 
 celebration." 
 
 VOLUNTEER TOASTS. 
 
 By John McCrea. — Our Brookville Cele- 
 bration — A union of parties, a union of 
 feeling, the union established by our revo- 
 lutionary fathers of '?(i — may union con- 
 tinue to mark our course until time shall 
 be no more. 
 
19 
 
 By W. W. Corbet, — Liberty, regulated 
 by law, and law by the virtues of Ameri- 
 can legislators. 
 
 By Win. B. Wilkins.— Henry Clay— A 
 man of tried principles, of admitted com- 
 petency, and unsullied integrity — may he 
 be the choice of the people for the next 
 presidency in 1844. 
 
 By Evans R. Brady.— The Democrats of 
 the Erie District — A form, locked up in the 
 chase of disorganization; well squabbled at 
 one side by the awkward formation of the 
 district. If not locked, tight by the side- 
 sticks of regular nominations, well driven by 
 the quoins of unity, and knocked in by the 
 sheep's foot of pure principles, it will be 
 battered by the points of whiggery, bit by 
 the frisket of self-interest; and when the 
 foreman comes to lift it on the second Tues- 
 day of October, will stand a fair chance to 
 be knocked into pi 
 
 By Michael Woods. — Richard M. John- 
 ston of Kentucky — A statesman who has 
 been long and thoroughly tried, and never 
 found wanting: his nomination for the 
 next presidency will still the angry waves 
 of political strife, and the great questions 
 which now agitate the nation will be set- 
 tled upon democratic principles. 
 
 By Hugh Brady. — They Citizens of Jef- 
 ferson County — They have learned their 
 political rights by experience; let them 
 practice the lesson with prudence. 
 
 By B. T. Hastings.— The Hon. James 
 Buchanan — The Jefferson of Pennsylvania, 
 and choice for the presidency in 1844; his 
 able and manly course in the United States 
 Senate on all intricate and important sub- 
 jects entitles him to the entire confidence 
 and support of the whole democracy. 
 
 By Andrew Craig. — Henry Clay — A 
 worthy and honest statesman, who has the 
 good of his country at heart, and is well 
 qualified to fill the presidential chair. 
 
 By A. Hutcheson. — American Independ- 
 ence — A virtuous old maid, sixty-eight 
 vears old to-day. Cod bless her. 
 
 By David S. Deering.— The Declaration 
 of Independence — A rich legacy, bequeathed 
 us by our ancestors; may it be transmitted 
 from one generation to another, until time 
 shall be no more. 
 
 By the Company. — The Orator of the 
 Day, David S. Deering — May his course 
 through life be as promising as his com- 
 mencement. 
 
 By D. S. Deering. — The Mechanics of 
 Brookville— Their structures are enduring 
 monuments of skill, industry and perse- 
 verance. 
 
 By George F. Humes. — The American 
 Union — A well adjusted form of twenty-six 
 pages, fairly locked up in the chase of preci- 
 sion by the quoins of good workmen; may 
 their proof sheets he well pointed, and their 
 regular impressions a perfect specimen for the 
 world to look upon. 
 
 By John Hastings. — James Buchanan — 
 The able defender of the rights of the peo- 
 ple, and the high wages candidate for the 
 presidency in 1844; his elevation to that 
 post is now without a doubt. 
 
 In 1840 the mails were carried on horse- 
 back or in stage coaches. Communications 
 of news, business or affection were slow and 
 uncertain. There were no envelopes for 
 letters. Each letter had to be folded so as 
 to leave the outside blank, and one side 
 smooth, and the address was written on 
 this smooth side. Letters were sealed 
 with red wafers, and the postage was 6\ 
 cents for every hundred miles, or fraction 
 thereof, over which it was carried in the 
 mails. The postage on a letter to Phila- 
 delphia was 18J cents, or three "fippenny 
 bits." You could mail your letter with- 
 out prepaying the postage, (which was a 
 great advantage to economical people), or 
 you could prepay it at your option. Post- 
 age stamps were unknown. When you 
 paid the postage the postmaster stamped 
 on the letter "Paid." When the postage 
 was to be paid by the person addressed the 
 postmaster marked on it the amount due, 
 thus- "Due 6\ cents." 
 
20 
 
 House furniture was then meager, and The candles used in our houses were 
 
 rough. We had split-bottom chairs, and either "dips" or "moulds. - ' The "dips" 
 
 rope-corded bedsteads. There were no were made by twisting and doubling a 
 
 window blinds, and but lew carpets. Well- number of cotton wicks upon a round, 
 
 to-do people whitewashed their ceilings and smooth stick at a distance from each other 
 
 rooms. No papering was done. Mrs of about the desired thickness of the candle. 
 
 Winslow's Soothing Syrup and baby car- Then they w ere dipped into a kettle of 
 
 riages were unknown. Food was scarce, melted tallow, when the ends of the sticks 
 
 coarse, and of the most common kind, with were hung on the backs of chairs to cool, 
 
 no canned goods or evaporated fruits. To- The dipping and cooling process was thus 
 
 matoes were not eaten, and neither ice nor repeated till the "dips" attained the proper 
 
 refrigerators were known in domestic life thickness. This work was done after the fall 
 
 No napkins were used, no machine-made hutchering. "Moulds" were made in tin or 
 
 pins, and no blotting paper. There were pewter tubes, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 or 12 in a frame, 
 
 no analine dyes, no electric lights, no anes- joined together, the upper part of the frame 
 
 thetics and painless surgery, no gun cotton, forming a trough, into which the moulds 
 
 no nitroglycerine, pneumatic tubes, or type opened, and from which they received the 
 
 writers, no cooling soda water, or ice cream, melted tallow. To make the candles, as 
 
 and no garden hose. There were no plant- many wicks as there were tubes were 
 
 ing machines, no mower or reaper, no hay doubled over a small round stick placed 
 
 rake or hay fork, no corn sheller, no rotary across the top of the frame, and these wicks 
 
 printing press, no sewing maching, no India were passed down through the tubes and 
 
 rubber coats, or shoes, no grain elevator ex- fastened at the lower end. Melted tallow 
 
 cept man, no artificial ice, no steel pens, was poured into the trough at the top till 
 
 no telegraph or telephone, no street cars, all the tubes were filled. The moulds were 
 
 no steam mills, no daguerreotypes or photo- usually allowed to stand over night before 
 
 graphs, no steam plows, no steam thresher the candles were "drawn." The posses- 
 
 — only the old flail. No ocean steamships, sion of a set of candle moulds by a family 
 
 no elevated railroads, no ocean cables, no was an evidence of some wealth. These 
 
 phonographs, no steam lire engines, no candles were burned in "candlesticks," 
 
 audiphones, no electric motors, no electro- made of tin, iron or brass, and each one 
 
 plating, no vestibule cars, and not half a had a broad, flat base, turned up around 
 
 dozen millionaires in the United States, the rim to catch the grease. Sometimes, 
 
 Pitch-pine knots, tallow dipped candles when the candle was exposed to a current 
 
 burned in iron or brass candlesticks, or on of air, it would "gutter" all away. A pair 
 
 blocks of wood with nails driven in them of "snuffers," made of iron or brass, was a 
 
 so as to hold the candle, and whale oil necessary article in every house, and had 
 
 burned in iron lamps, were the means for to be used frequently to cut away the 
 
 light in stores, dwellings, etc. And most charred or burned wick. Candles sold in 
 
 of the great discoveries of the last fifty years the stores at 12 to 15 cents per pound One 
 
 were either made or perfected by Americans, candle was the number usually employed 
 
 in 1840 nearly half of our American peo- to read or write by. and two were generally 
 
 pie could neither read nor write, and less deemed sufficient to light a store— one to 
 than half of them had the opportunity or , . , ,, ... , , ., 
 
 . ,,• .. , , vr ' carry around to do the selling by, and the 
 
 inclination to do so. Newspapers were ' & ' 
 
 small affairs, ami the owners of them were other t() stand on 1,H ' ,kjsk to ,lu the charge 
 
 poor, and their business unprofitable. ing by. 
 
Watches wen- rare, and clocks were not 
 numerous in 1840. The watches I remem- 
 ber seeing in those days were "English 
 levers." and ' 'cylinder escapements, " with 
 some old "'bull eyes." The clocks in use 
 were of the eight-day sort, with works of 
 wood, run by weights instead of springs. 
 Somewhere along in the forties clocks with 
 brass works, called the "brass clock," came 
 into use. A large majority of people were 
 without "timepieces." Evening church 
 services were announced thus: "There will 
 
 be preaching in this house on evening, 
 
 God willing, and no preventingprovidence, 
 at early candle-lighting." 
 
 In 1^40 the judge of our court was Alex- 
 ander McCalmont, of Franklin, Venango 
 county. Gur associate judges from 1H41 to 
 1843 were James Winslow and James L. 
 Gillis. Our local or home lawyers were 
 Hugh Brady, Cephas J. Dunham. Benj. 
 Bartholamew, Caleb A. Alexander, L. B. 
 Dunham. Richard Arthurs, Elijah Heath, 
 D. J!. Jenlcs, Thomas Lucas. D. S. Deering, 
 S. B. Bishop, and Jesse G. Clark. Many 
 very eminent lawyers from adjoining coun- 
 ties attended our courts regularly at this 
 period. They usually came on horseback, 
 and brought their papers, Arc., in large 
 leather saddlebags. Most of these foreign 
 lawyers were very polite gentlemen, and 
 very particular not to refuse a "drink." 
 
 Elijah Graham was our first court crier, 
 but I think Cyrus Butler served in this 
 capacity in 1840. 
 
 In 1840 there was no barber shop in the 
 town. The tailors then cut hair, &c, for 
 the people as an accommodation. My 
 mother used to send me for that purpose to 
 McCreight's tailor shop. The first barber 
 to locate in Brookville was a colored man 
 named Nathan Smith. He harbered and 
 ran a confectionery and oyster saloon. He 
 lived here for a number of years, but finally 
 turned preacher and moved away. Some 
 high old times occurred in his back" room. 
 
 which 1 had better not mention here. Hu 
 operated on the Major Rodgers lot, now the 
 Eddleblute property. 
 
 Then "Hollow Eve." as it was called, 
 was celebrated regularly on the night of 
 the 31st of ( )ctober every year. The amount 
 of malicious mischief and destruction that 
 was done on that evening in Brookville, and 
 patiently suffered and overlooked, is really 
 indescribable. 
 
 The first exclusively drug store in Brook- 
 ville was opened and managed by D. S. 
 Deering. Esq., in 1849. It was located in 
 a building where MeKnight ec Bro's build- 
 ing now stands, on the spot where Mc- 
 Knight & Son canyon their drug business. 
 The first exclusively grocery store in 
 Brookville was opened and owned by 
 W. W. Corbet, and was located in the east 
 room of the American Hotel. The first 
 exclusively hardware store in the town was 
 opened and owned by John S. King, now 
 of Clearfield, Pa. Brookville owes much 
 to the sagacity of Mr. King for our beauti- 
 ful cemetery. 
 
 In the forties, the boring of pitch pine 
 into pump logs was quite a business in 
 Brookville. One of the first persons to 
 work at this was Charles P. Merrinian. 
 who moved here from the East. By the 
 way. Merrinian was the greatest snare- 
 drummer I eVer heard. He also manu- 
 factured and repaired drums while here. 
 He had a drum-beat peculiarly his own, 
 and with i! he could drown out a whole 
 band. He introduced his beat by teaching 
 drumming schools. It is the beat of the 
 I Sow dishes, the Bartletts. and the Schnells. 
 It consists of single and double drags. I 
 never heard this beat in the army or in any 
 other locality than here, and only from 
 persons who had directly or indirectly 
 learned it from .Merrinian. Any old citi- 
 zen can verity the marvelous and wonder- 
 ful power and skill of Merrinian with a 
 drum. No pupil of his here ever ap- 
 
proacbed him in skill. Thenearest to him 
 was the late Capt. John Dowling of the 
 105th Regiment. Pa. Vols. It was the cus- 
 tom then fox the different bands in the 
 surrounding townships to attend the Fourth 
 of July celebrations in Brookville. The 
 Monger hand, father and sons, from War- 
 saw township, used to come. They had a 
 peculiar, open heat, that old Mr. Monger 
 called the 1812 beat. The Belleview hand 
 came also. It was the Campbell band, 
 father and sons. Andrew C. and James, 
 after going through the war, are still able 
 on our public occasions to enliven us with 
 martial strains. The Lucas band, from 
 Dowlingville, visited us also in the forties. 
 Brookville had a famous lifer, in the person 
 of Harvey Clover. He always carried an 
 extra fife in his pocket, because he was apt 
 to burst one. When he "bkrwed" the fife 
 you would have thought the devil was in 
 it sure. 
 
 In 1840 the town had water works — the 
 enterprise of Judge Jared B. Evans. The 
 spring that furnished the water was what 
 is now known as the American Spring. 
 The conduit pipes were bored yellow pine 
 logs, and the plant was quite expensive, 
 but owing to some trouble about the tan- 
 nery, which stood on the spot where the 
 American barn now stands, the water plant 
 was destroyed. Judge Evans was a useful 
 citizen. He died some three years ago. 
 
 In 1840 ths church collection was either 
 taken up in a hat with a hankerchief in it. 
 or in a little bag attached to a pole. 
 
 H. Clay Campbell, Esq., has kindly fur- 
 nished me the legal rights of married women 
 in Pennsylvania from 1840 until the present 
 date. The common law was adopted by 
 Pennsylvania, and has governed all rights 
 except those which may have been modified 
 from tinieto time by statute. Blackstone's 
 Commentaries. Book 1, page 44\J, says: 
 By marriage, the husband and wife are one 
 person in law; that is, the verj being or 
 
 legal existence of the woman is suspended 
 during the marriage, or at least is incor- 
 porated and consolidated into that of her 
 husband — under whose wing, protection 
 and cover she performs everything. 
 
 You see the rights surrendered by a wom- 
 an marrying under the common law were 
 two: First, the right to make a contract: 
 second, the right to property and her own 
 earnings. To compensate for this she ac- 
 quired one right — the right to be chastised. 
 For as the husband was to answer for her 
 misbehavior, the law thought it reasonable 
 to intrust him with the power of restrain- 
 ing her, by domestic chastisement, with 
 the same moderation that a man is allowed 
 to correct his apprentice or children 
 
 In 1840 married women had no right to 
 the property bequeathed to them by their 
 parents, unless it was put into the hands of 
 a trustee, and by marriage the husband 
 became the immediate and absolute owner 
 of the personal property of the wife, which 
 she had in possession at the time of mar- 
 riage, and this property could never again 
 revert to the wife or her representatives. 
 She could acquire no personal property 
 during marriage by industry, and if she 
 obtained any by gift or otherwise, it be- 
 came immediately by and through the law 
 the property of her husband. This condi- 
 tion prevailed until the passage of an act. 
 dated 11th of April, 184H, which in some 
 slight degree modified this injustice of the 
 common law*. By that act it was provided 
 that all property which belonged to her 
 before marriage, as well as all that might 
 accrue to her afterwards, should remain 
 her property. Then came another modifi- 
 cation by the act of 1855, which provided 
 among other things, that "whenever a hus- 
 band, from drunkenness, profligacy, orother 
 cause, shall neglect or refuse to provide for 
 his wife, she shall have the rights and privi- 
 leges secured to afeme-sole trader under the 
 act of 1718.' 1 Modifications have been 
 
23 
 
 made from year to year, granting)additional 
 privileges to a wife to manage her own 
 property, among which may be noted the 
 act of 1871, enabling her to sell and trans- 
 fer shares of the stock of a railroad com- 
 pany. By the act of May, 1874, she may 
 draw checks upon a bank. During all 
 these years of enlightenment the master has 
 still held the wife in the toils of bondage, 
 and it was with great grudging that he 
 acknowledged that a married woman had 
 the right to claim anything. The right to 
 the earnings of the wife received its first 
 modification when the act of April, 1872, 
 was passed, which granted to the wife, if 
 she went into court, and the court granted 
 her petition, the right to claim her earn- 
 ings. But legally the wife remained the 
 most abject of slaves until the passage of 
 the "married woman's personal property 
 act" of 1887, giving and granting to her 
 the right to contract and acquire property; 
 and it was not until 1893 that she was 
 granted the same rights as an unmarried 
 woman, excepting as to her right to convey 
 her real estate, make a mortgage, or become 
 bail 
 
 The higher education of women in the 
 seminary and college is of American origin, 
 ami in 1*40 there was an occasional young 
 ladies' seminary here and there throughout 
 the country. These isolated institutions 
 were organized and carried on by scattered 
 individuals who had great persistency and 
 courage. Being of American origin its 
 greatest progress has been here, and at 
 present there are more than 200 institutions 
 for the superier education of women in the 
 United States, and fully one half of these 
 bear the name of college. The women who 
 graduate to-day from colleges and high 
 schools outnumber the men, and as a result 
 of this mental discipline and training wom- 
 en are now found throughout the world in 
 every profession, in all trades, and in every 
 vocation. 
 
 Preferring sense from chin that's bare 
 To nonsense 'throned in whisker'd hair. 
 
 Women are now admitted to the bar in 
 nine different States of the Union, and by 
 an act of Congress she may now practice 
 before the United States supreme court. 
 
 In 1«40 women had but one vocation for 
 a livelihood, viz, marriage and housekeep- 
 ing. Then female suffrage Avas unknown. 
 To-day women vote on an equality with 
 men in two states. Colorado and Wyoming, 
 and they can vote in a limited form in 
 twenty other states and territories. 
 
 In 1840 women had no religious rights. 
 She did not dare to speak, teach or pray in 
 public, and if she desired any knowledge 
 in this direction she was admonished to ask 
 her husband at home. The only exception 
 I know to th's rule was in the Methodist 
 church, which from its organization has 
 recognized the right of women to teach, 
 speak in class meetings, and to pray in the 
 public prayer meeting 
 
 in 1840 women had no industrial rights. 
 I give below a little abstract from the cen- 
 sus of 1880, fourteen years ago, which will 
 show what some of our women were work- 
 ingat then and are working atnow : 
 
 FEMALE WORKERS. 
 
 Artists. 2,010: authors. 320: assayists. 
 chemists and architects, 2,136; barbers. 
 2,902; dressmakers, 281,928; doctors, 2,433; 
 journalists. 238; lawyers, 75; musicians, 
 13,181; preachers. 165; printers, 3,456; 
 tailors. 52.098; teachers, 194,375; nurses. 
 12,294; stockraisers, 216; farmers, 56,809; 
 in government employ as clerks, 2,171: 
 managing commercial and industrial inter- 
 ests, 14,465. And now in 1894 we have 
 6,000 postmistresses. 10,500 women have 
 secured patents for inventions, and 300,000 
 women are in gainful occupations. I con- 
 fess that this statement looks to the intelli- 
 gent mind as though ■"the hand that rocks 
 the cradle" will soon not only move but 
 own the world. 
 
24 
 
 The earliest schools established by the Thefirsf school master in Jefferson county 
 settlers of Pennsylvania, wen- the home was .John Dixon. His first term was for 
 school, the church school, and the public three months, and was in the year 1803 or 
 subscription school, the most simple and 1804. The firs! school house was built on 
 primitive in style. The subscription or the Ridgway road, two miles from Brook- 
 public school remained in force until the ville, on the faim now owned by 1>. B. 
 law of 1809 was enacted, which was in- McConnell. 1 give Prof. Blose's deserip- 
 tended for a State system, and which pro- tion of this school house: 
 vided a means of education for the poor, "The house was built of rough logs, and 
 but retained the subscription character of had neither window sash nor pane. The 
 pay for the rich. This 1809 system re- light* was admitted through chinks in the 
 mained in force until 1834. The method wall, over which greased paper was 
 of hiring '•masters" for a subscription pasted. The floor was made with puncheons, 
 school was as follows : A meeting was and the seats from broad pieces split from 
 called by public notice in a district. At logs, with pins in the under side, for legs. 
 this gathering the people chose, in their Boards laid on pins fastened in the wall 
 own way, three of their number to act as a furnished the pupils with writing desks, 
 school committee. This committee hired A log fireplace, the entire length of one end. 
 the master and exercised a superintendence supplied warmth when the weather was 
 over the school. The master was paid by cold." 
 
 the patrons of the school, in proportion to The era of these log school houses in .)l'{- 
 
 the number of days each had sent a child ferson county is gone — gone forever. We 
 
 to school. A rate bill was made out by have now school property to the value of 
 
 the master and given to the committee. $269,300.00. We have 196 modern school 
 
 who collected the tuition money and paid houses, with 262 school rooms. 295 schools. 
 
 it to themaster. The terms of these schools and the Bibleis read in 251 of these. There 
 
 were irregular, but usually were tor three is no more master's call in the school room, 
 
 months. hut we have 131 female and 149 male teach- 
 
 The studies pursued were spelling, read- ers — a total of 280 teachers in the county. 
 
 ing, writing and arithmetic. The daily The average yearly term is 6£ months. The 
 
 programme was two or four reading lessons, average salary for male teachers is $39.50, 
 
 two spelling lessons — one at noon and one and for female teachers ^:>o. Total wages 
 
 at evening — the rest of the time being de- received by teachers each year, §564,913.20. 
 
 voted to writing and doing '•.sums" in arith- Number of female scholars, 5,839; number 
 
 untie. It was considered at that time of male scholars, (i.OTij. The amount of 
 
 (and even as late as my early schooling) tax levied for school purposes is $56, 688. 23. 
 
 that it was useless and foolish for a girl to Received by county from State appropria- 
 
 learn more at school than to spell, read and tion. $4"2.75!).72. 
 
 write, of course there was no uniformity The act of 1809 made it the duty of as 
 
 in, text hooks. The child took to (lie school sessors to receive the names of all children 
 
 whatever hook he had. hence there was. and between the ages of live and twelve sears. 
 
 could be, no classification. Blackboards whose parents were unable to pay for their 
 
 were unknown. When any information schooling, and these poor children were to 
 
 was wanted about a ••sum." the scholar be educated by the county. This law was 
 
 either called the master or took his book very unpopular and the schools did not 
 
 ami went to him. prosper. The rich were opposed to this 
 
25 
 
 law because they paid all the tax bills, and large number by the master. Other ami 
 
 the poor were opposed to it because it ere- milder modes of punishment were in vogue, 
 
 ated a "caste" and designated them as such as the dunce block, sitting with the 
 
 paupers. However, it remained in force girls, pulling the ears, and using the ferule 
 
 for about twenty-five years, and during this on the hands and sometimes on where you 
 
 period the light over it at elections caused sit down, 
 
 many strifes, fueds, and bloodynoses. This What is man, 
 
 was the first step taken by the State to If his chief good and market for his time 
 
 evolve our present free school system. The Be but t0 slee P aml leed? A beast - no ,uore - 
 
 money to pay for the education of these In 1840 the country master boarded round 
 
 "pauper" children was drawn from the with the scholars, and he was always given 
 
 county in this way : "The assessor of each the best bed in the house, and was usually 
 
 borough or township returned the names fed on doughnuts and pumpkin pie at every 
 
 of such indigent children to the county meal. He called the school to order by 
 
 commissioners, and then an order was drawn rapping on his desk with his ferule. 
 
 by the commissioners on the county treasurer During fche twenty . five years of the exist . 
 for the tuition monev " 
 
 >> 
 
 ence of the pauper schools, the agitation 
 One of the most desirable qualifications for a better system was continually kept up 
 in the early schoolmaster was courage, and by isolated individuals. This was done in 
 willingness and ability to control and flog various ways, at elections, in toasts to a 
 boys. Physical force was the governing "Free School System" at Fourth of July 
 power, and the master must possess it. celebrations, and in conventions of direct- 
 Nevertheless, many of the early masters rs. The first governor who took a decided 
 were men of intelligence, refinement, and stand in favor of the common schools, was 
 scholarship. As a rule the Scotch-Irish John A. Shultze. He advocated it in his 
 master was of this class. Goldsmith de- message in 1828. Gov. Wolf, in 1833, found 
 srribes the old master well : that out of four hundred thousand school 
 He was kindly, and if severe in aught, children of the legal age, twenty thousand 
 The love he bore to learning was in fault. attended school — that three hundred and 
 The village all declared how much he knew, eighty thousand were yearly uninstructed. 
 
 'Twas eeitain he could write and cipher too. mi, -__+y,__ ;„ !,•_ „,„„„„„„ 4.„4.i i ■ i , 
 
 ', 1 herelore, in his message to the legislature. 
 In arguing the parson owned Ins skill, ° 
 
 For e'en tho' vanquished he would argue still. lle strongly recommended the passage of a 
 
 law to remedy this state of affairs. Wra . Aud- 
 
 enreid, a senator from Schuylkill county, 
 
 introduced a bill during the session of the 
 
 legislature of 1833, which became what is 
 
 no buzzing — and the punishment for sup- , ,, , . , »..,-.„,/, 
 
 ,,.,,. . a . , -, known as the school law of 1834 — the es- 
 
 posed or real disobedience, inflicted on .... . ~ ., , 
 
 , , , „ , . . tablishment of the common school system, 
 
 scholars before, up to, and even in my time „ „ . . , , „ , ,. . , . 
 
 , ' . ., Our first superintendent of public instruction 
 
 was cruel and brutal. One punishment 
 
 , , . , , , ,, ,, , was appointed under this law. His name 
 
 was to tie scholars up by the thumbs, sus- 1 1 
 
 pending them in this way over a door. was Thomas H. Burrows. The first State 
 
 "Spare the rod and spoil the child," was aid for schools in Jefferson county was in 
 
 the master's slogan. Whippings were fre- 1835, and through Mr. Burrows. The 
 
 quent, severe, and sometimes brutal, amount received was one hundred and four 
 
 Thorn, birch, and other rods were kept in dollars and ninety-four cents. 
 
 The government of the early masters was 
 of the most rigorous kind. Perfect quiet 
 had to be maintained in the school room — 
 
:W 
 
 "Barring the master out" of the school 
 room on Christmas and New Years was a 
 custom in vogue in 1840: The barringwas 
 always doneby four or five determined boys. 
 The contest between the master and these 
 scholars was sometimes severe and pro- 
 tracted — the master being determined to 
 get into the school room and these boys de- 
 termined to keep him out. The object on 
 the part of the scholars in this barring out 
 was to compel the master to treat the 
 school. If the master obtained possession 
 of the school room, by force or strategy, he 
 generally gave the boys a sound flogging; 
 but if the boys "held the fort," it resulted 
 in negotiations for peace, and in the master 
 eventually signing an agreement in writing 
 to treat the school to apples, nuts, or candy. 
 It took great nerve on the part of the boys 
 to take this stand against a master. I know 
 this, as I have been active in some of these 
 contests. 
 
 In 1840 a woman could teach an A, B, C, 
 or "a-b ab" school in summer, but the man 
 that desired to teach a summer school was 
 a lazy, worthless, good-for-nothing fellow. 
 Cyrus Crouch taught the first term in Brook - 
 ville under the common school law of 1834. 
 
 In the forties the school books in use 
 were the New England Primer, Webster's 
 Spelling Book, Cobb's Spelling Book, the 
 English Reader, the New England Header. 
 the Testament and Bible, the Mate Braun 
 Geography. Olney's Geography. Pike's 
 Arithmetic, the Federal Calculator, the 
 Western Calculator. Murray's Grammar. 
 Kirkliam's Grammar, and Walker's Dic- 
 tionary. A scholar who had gone through 
 the Single Pule of Three in the Western 
 Calculator was considered educated. Our 
 present copy-books were unknown. A 
 copy-book was then made of six sheets of 
 foolscap paper stitched together. The copies 
 were set by the master after school hours, 
 at whicb time lie usually made and mended 
 the school pens for the next day. Our 
 
 pens were made of noose quills, and it was 
 the duty of the master to learn each scholar 
 how to make or mend a goose-quill pen. 
 One of the chief delights of a mischievous 
 boy in those days was to keep a master 
 busy mending his pens. 
 
 The first school house in Brookville that 
 I recollect of was a little brick on the alley 
 on the northeast side of the American Hotel 
 lot. Mrs. Pearl Roundy was the first 
 teacher that I went to. She taught in this 
 house. She was much beloved by the 
 whole town. I afterwards went to the late 
 Paul Darling and others in this same house. 
 
 When the first appropriation of seventy- 
 five thousand dollars was made by our 
 State tor the common schools, a debt of 
 twenty-three million doliars rested on the 
 commonwealth. A great many good, con- 
 servative men opposed this appropriation, 
 and "predicted bankruptcy from this new 
 form of extravagance." But the great 
 debt has been all paid ; the expenses of the 
 war for the Union have been met; and now 
 the annual appropriation for our schools 
 has been raised to live and a half million 
 dollars. This amount due the schools for 
 the year ending June 5th, 1893, was all 
 paid on November 1st, 1893, and our State 
 treasurer had deposits still left, lying idle, 
 in forty-six of our banks, amounting to six 
 and a half million dollars, which should 
 have been appropriated for school purposes. 
 and not kept lying idle. This additional 
 appropriation would 'nave greatly relieved 
 the people from oppressive taxation during 
 these hard times. 
 
 The act of May 18th, 1893, completes 
 the evolution in our school system, from 
 the early home, the chureh, the subscrip- 
 tion, the 1809 pauper, the 1834 common, 
 into the now people's or free school system. 
 
 This free school is our nation's hope. 
 Our great manufacturing interests attract 
 immigrants to our land in large num- 
 bers, and to thoroughly educate their 
 
27 
 
 children and form in them the true Ameri- 
 can mind, and to prevent these children 
 from drifting into the criminal classes, will 
 task to the utmost all the energies, privi- 
 leges and blessed conditions of our present 
 free schools. In our free schools of Penn- 
 sylvania the conditions are now equal. 
 The child of the millionaire, the mechanic, 
 the widow and the day laborer, all stand 
 on the same plane. We have now for the 
 first time in the history of our State, free 
 school houses, free desks, free fuel, free 
 blackboards, free maps, free teachers, free 
 books, free paper, free pens, free ink, free 
 slates, free pencils, free sponges, and free 
 schools. 
 
 In 1840 our houses and hotels were never 
 locked at night. This was from careless- 
 ness, or perhaps thought to be unnecessary. 
 But every store window was provided with 
 heavy outside shutters, which were care- 
 fully closed, barred or locked even 7 night 
 in shutting up. 
 
 Then every merchant in Brookville was 
 forced, as a matter of protection, to sub- 
 scribe for and receive ;; weekly bank note 
 deteeter. These periodicals were issued to 
 subscribers for two dollars and fifty cents 
 a year. This journal gave a weekly report 
 of all broken banks, the discount on all 
 good bank notes, as well as points for the 
 detection of counterfeit notes and coin. 
 The coin department in the journal had 
 wood cut pictures of all the foreign and 
 native silver and gold coins, and also gave 
 the value of each. 
 
 Money was scarce then, and merchants 
 were compelled to sell their goods on credit, 
 and principally for barter. The commo- 
 dities that were exchanged for in Brook- 
 ville stores were boards, shingles, square- 
 timber, wheat, rye. buckwheat, flaxseed, 
 clover seed, timothy seed, wool, rags, bees- 
 wax, feathers, hickory nuts, chestnuts, 
 hides, deer pelts, elderberries, furs, road 
 orders, school and county orders, eggs, but- 
 
 ter, tow cloth, linen cloth, ax handles, 
 raiting bows and pins, rafting grubs, maple 
 sugar in the spring, and oats after harvest. 
 
 In those days everybody came to court, 
 either on business or to see and be seen. 
 Tuesday was the big day. The people 
 came on horseback or on foot. We had no 
 book store in town, and a man named 
 Ingram, from Meadville, came regularly 
 every court and opened up his stock in the 
 barroom of a hotel. An Irishman by the 
 name of Hugh Miller came in the same way 
 and opened his jewelry and spectacles in 
 the hotel barroom. This was the time lor 
 insurance agents to visitour town. Robert 
 Thorne was the first insurance agent who 
 came here, at least to my knowledge. 
 
 In 1840 every store n town kepi pure 
 Monongahela whisky in a bucket, either 
 on or behind the counter, with a tin cup in 
 or over the bucket for customers to drink 
 free of charge, early and often. Every 
 store sold whisky by the gallon. Our mer- 
 chants kept chip logwood by the barrel, 
 and kegs of madder, alum, cobalt, copperas, 
 indigo, &c, for women to use in coloring 
 their homespun goods. Butternuts were 
 used by the women to dye brown, peach 
 leaves or smart weed for yellow, and cobalt 
 for purple. Men's and women's clothing con- 
 sisted principally of homespun, and home- 
 spun underwear. Men and boys wore 
 wanmsses, roundabouts and pants made of 
 flannels, buckskin, Keiituck} 7 jean, blue 
 drilling, tow, linen, satinet, bed ticking, 
 and corduroy, with coonskin, sealskin, and 
 cloth caps, and in summer oat straw, or 
 chip hats. The dress suit was a blue broad- 
 cloth swallow-tail coat with brass buttons, 
 and a stovepipe hat. "Galluses" were 
 made of listing, bedticking, orknit of woolen 
 yarn. Women wore barred flannel, linsey- 
 woolsey, tow and linen dresses. Six or 
 eight yards of "Dolley Yard en" calico 
 made a superb Sunday dress. Calico sold 
 then for fifty cents a yard. Every home 
 
: 
 
 had a spinning wheel, sonic families had 
 two — a hig and little one. Spinning par- 
 ties were in vogue, the women taking their 
 wheels to a neighbor's house, remaining 
 for supper, and after supper going home 
 with their wheels on their arms. Wool 
 carding was then done by hand and at 
 home. Every neighborhood had several 
 weavers, and they wove or customers at so 
 much per yard. 
 
 About 1840 Brook ville had a hatter, John 
 Wynkoop. He made what was called 
 wool hats. Those that were high-crowned 
 or stovepipe Were wreath-bound with some 
 kind of fur, perhaps rabbit fur. These 
 hatters were common in those days. The 
 sign was a stovepipe hat and a smoothing 
 iron. There was a standing contest be- 
 tween the tailors, hatters and printers in 
 drinking whiskey. ( doctors barred. ) 
 
 Then, too. coopers were common in every 
 town. These coopers made tubs, buckets, 
 and barrels, all of which were bound with 
 hickory hoops. Ours was a Mr. Hewitt. 
 His shop was on the alley, rear of the Com- 
 mercial Hotel lot. These are now two lost 
 industries. 
 
 In 1840 there was but one dental college 
 in the world — the Baltimore College of 
 Dental Surgery, established in Baltimore, 
 Md., in 1839 — the first dental college ever 
 started. Up to and in that day dentistry 
 was not a science, for it was practiced as an 
 addenda by the blacksmith, barber, watch- 
 maker and others. In the practice no 
 anatomical or surgical skill was required. 
 It was something that required muscular 
 strength and manual dexterity in handling 
 the '"turnkey.'* With such a clumsy, rude 
 condition of dentistry, is it any wonder that 
 Tom Moore wrote these lines : 
 What pity blooming girl that lips so ready for a 
 
 lover. 
 Should not beneath their ruby casket cover one 
 
 tooth of pearl, 
 But like a rose beneath a churchyard stone, 
 Be doomed to blush o'er many a mouldering bone. 
 
 All the great discoveries and improve- 
 ments in the science and art of dentistry 
 as it is to-day. are American. Dentistry 
 stands an American institution, not only 
 beautified, but almost perfected upon a firm 
 pedestal, a most noble science. Through 
 the invention of Charles W. Peale, of Phil- 
 adelphia, of porcelain teeth, our molars 
 shall henceforth be white as with milk. If 
 Moore lived to-day, under the condition of 
 American dentistry, he might well exclaim 
 in the language of Ackenside : 
 
 What do I kiss? A woman's mouth, 
 
 Sweetei than the spiced winds fro u i lie So'ith. 
 
 In 17!)."). when Andrew Barnett, the first 
 
 white settler in Jefferson county, trod on 
 the ground where Brookville now stands, 
 slavery existed throughout all Christendom. 
 Millions of men. women, and children were 
 held in the legal condition of horses and 
 cattle. Worse than this, the African slave 
 trade — a traffic so odious and so loudly re- 
 proved and condemned by the laws of re- 
 ligion and of nature — was carried on as a 
 Legal right by slave dealers in and from 
 every christian nation. The horror with 
 which this statement of facts must strike 
 you. is only proof that the love of gold and 
 the power of evil in the world is most form- 
 idable. The African slave trade was de- 
 clared illegal and unlawful by England in 
 1806-7. by the United States in 1808, by 
 Denmark, Portugal and Chili in 1811. by 
 Sweden in 1813, by Holland in 1814-15, 
 by France in i 315, and by Spain in 1822. 
 
 When Andrew- Barnett first trod the 
 ground where Brookville now stands, the 
 curse of slavery rested on Pennsylvania : 
 for in that year 3,737 human beings were 
 considered "property" within her borders, 
 and held as slaves. 
 
 In 1840 slavery still existed in Pennsyl- 
 vania, the total number being seventy-five, 
 distributed, according to the census of that 
 year, as follows: Adams county 2. Beiks J. 
 Cumberland 25, Lancaster 2, Philadelphia 
 
29 
 
 2, York 1, Greene 1, Juniata 1. Luzerne 1. 
 Mifflin 31, Union 3, Washington 2. West- 
 moreland 1. Fayette 1. 
 
 It will be seen there was no slave held 
 or owned in Jefferson county. There is 
 not to-day a slave in all Christendom — after 
 a struggle of nearly two thousand years. 
 "Little by litle the world grows strong, 
 
 Fighting the t>atile of Right and Wrong 
 
 Little liy little the Wrong gives way ; 
 
 Little tiy little the Right has sway ; 
 
 Little by little the s< eds we sow 
 
 Into a beautiful yield will grow." 
 
 In 1840, according to the census, there 
 
 wen- fifty-seven colored people and no 
 slaves in • Jefferson county. The most 
 piominent of these colored people who lived 
 
 in and around Brook\ille. were Charles 
 Sutherland, called Black Charley ; Charles 
 Anderson, called Yellow Charley : John 
 Sweeney, called Black John, and GeoTge 
 Hays, the tiddler. Charles Sutherland 
 came to Jefferson county and settled near 
 Brookville in 1812. He came from Vir- 
 ginia, and was said to have held General 
 Washington's horse at the laying of the 
 corner stone of the national capitol at 
 Washington. He was a very polite man. 
 a hard drinker, reared a family, and died 
 in 1852, at the advanced age of nearly one 
 hundred years. 
 
 Charley always wore a stovepipe hat 
 with a colored cotton handkerchief in it. 
 He loafed much in Clover's store. The late 
 Daniel Smith was a young man then, and 
 clerked in this store. Mr. Smith in his 
 manhood built the property now owned 
 and occupied by Harry Matson. Charley 
 Sutherland, if he were living now, would 
 make a good congressman, because he was 
 good on appropriations. '- raeday there was 
 no one in the store but Smith and Charlie. 
 There was i a crock of eggs on the counter. 
 Smith bad to go to the cellar, and left the 
 store in the charge of Charlie. On return- 
 ing he glanced in the direction of the eggs, 
 and discovered that Charlie must have pil- 
 
 fered about a dozen of them. Where were 
 they V He surmised they must be in Char- 
 lie's hat ; so stepping in front of Sutherland 
 he brought his right fist heavily down on 
 his hat, with the exclamation, "Why the 
 h — 11 don't you wear your hat on your 
 head ?' ' M ueh to the amusement of Smith 
 and the discomfort of Sutherland, the blow 
 broke all the eggs, and the white and yel- 
 low contents ran down over Charlie's face 
 and clothes, making a striking contrast 
 with his sooty black face. 
 
 The lives of many good men and women 
 have been misunderstood and clouded by 
 the thoughtless, unkind words and deeds 
 of their neighbors. Good men and women 
 have struggled hard and long, only to go 
 down, down, poisoned and peisee;rttd all 
 their days by the venomous and vicious 
 slanders of their neighbors; while, strange 
 to say. men and women who are guilty of all 
 the vices, are frequently apologized for, 
 respected and are great favorites with these 
 same neighbors. 
 
 Chiirles Anderson, or, as he was called, 
 ' • Yellow Charley, ' ' came to Brookville abou t 
 1832. From his first entry into the town 
 until his death he was a public and famil- 
 iar character. A kind of family visitor. 
 He was the pioneer coal merchant. He 
 was the first man to mine, transport and 
 sell coal in this city. He mined his coal 
 on what is now the John Matson property. 
 opposite Samuel Truby's, on the Sigel total. 
 He dug this coal from the spring ravine where 
 our school building receives its supply of 
 water. The vein of this mine was about 
 two feet thick. Anderson stripped the 
 earth from the top of the vein, dug the coal 
 tine, and transported it in a little, old, 
 rickety one-horse wagon, offering, selling 
 and retailing the coal at each family door 
 in quantities of a peck, half-bushel and 
 bushel. The price per bushel was 12* cents. 
 I had a free pass on this coal line, and rode 
 on it a great deal. To me it was a line of 
 
30 
 
 ".speed, safety and comfort." Anderson 
 was a "Soft Coal King," a baron, a robber, 
 a close eorporationist, a capitalist, and a 
 monopolist. He managed his works gen- 
 erally so as to avoid strikes, &c. Yet he 
 had to assume the role of a Pinkerton or a 
 coal policeman at one time, for "there was 
 some litigation over the ownership of this 
 coal bank, and Charley took his old flint- 
 lock musket one day and swore he would 
 just as soon die in the coal hank as any 
 other place. He held the tort, too." 
 
 Charley was a greatly at) used man. Ev- 
 ery theft and nearly all outlawry was 
 blamed on him. Public sentiment and 
 public clamor was against him. He tried 
 at times to be good, attend church, &c, 
 but it availed him nothing, for he would be 
 so coldly received as to force him back into 
 his former condition. As the town grew, 
 and other parties became engaged in m ning 
 coal, Charley changed his business to that 
 of water carrier, and hauled in Ins one- 
 horse wagon washing and cooking water 
 in barrels for the women of the town. He 
 continued in this business until his death, 
 which occurred in 1874. In early days he 
 lived on the lot now owned by Dr. T C. 
 Lawson. He died in his own home near 
 the new cemetery. 
 
 It is unfortunate enough to have been 
 painted black by our Creator in these days, 
 hut in 1840 it was a terrible calamity. A 
 negro then had no rights : he was nothing 
 but a "d — d nigger;" anybody and every- 
 body had a right to abuse, beat, stone and 
 maltreat him. This right, too, was pretty 
 generally exercised. I have seen a white 
 bully deliberately step up in front of :; 
 negro, in a public street, and with the ex- 
 clamation, "Take that, you d — d nigger." 
 knock him down, and this too without any 
 cause, word or look from the negro. This 
 was done only to exhibit what the ruffian 
 could do. Had the negro, even. after this 
 outrage, said a Avoid in his own defense, 
 the cry would have been raised, "Kill the 
 d — d nigger." I have seen negro men 
 stoned into Redbank creek for no crime, by 
 a hand of young ruffians. I have seen a 
 house in P.rookville borough, occupied by 
 negro women and children, stoned until 
 every window was broken, and the door 
 mashed in, and all this for no crime save 
 that the\ were black. It used to make my 
 blood boil, bid I was too little to even open 
 my mouth. A sorry civilization was this ; 
 w as it not ? 
 
:;1 
 
 WESTERN ENTRANCE TO BROOKVILLE, 1840. 
 
 This is Brookville as I first recollect it — 
 from 1840 to 1843— a town of shanties, and 
 containing a population of two hundred 
 and forty people. This cut is made from a 
 pencil sketch drawn on the ground in 1840. 
 It is not perfect, like a photograph, would 
 make it now. To understand this view of 
 Main .street, imagine yourself in the middle 
 •of the 'pike then, street now, opposite the 
 Union or McKinley Hotel, and looking 
 eastward. The first thing that strikes 
 your attention is a team of horses hauling 
 a- stick of timber over a newly laid hewed 
 log bridge. This bridge was laid over the 
 deep gully that can be now seen in G. B. 
 Carrier's lot. Looking to the left side of 
 the street, the first building, the gable end 
 of which you see, was the Presbyterian 
 church, then outside of the west line of 
 tin- borough. The next, or little house, 
 was Jinimie Lucas's blacksmith shop. The 
 large house with the paling fence was the 
 residence and office of John Gallagher, 
 Esq., and is now the Judge Clark property. 
 The next house was east of Barnett street, 
 
 and the Peace and Poverty hotel. East of 
 this hotel you see the residence and tailor 
 shop of Ben.j. McCreight. Then you see a 
 large two-story house, which stood where 
 the Commercial Hotel now stands. This 
 building was erected by John Clements, 
 and was known as the Clements property. 
 Then there was nothing until you see the 
 court house, with its belfry, standing out 
 two stories high, bold and aloue. East of 
 this, and across Pickering street, where 
 Harry Matson now resides, was a large 
 frame building occupied by James Craig as 
 a storeroom for cabinet work. Rev. Gara 
 Bishop resided here for a long time. Next 
 to this, where Guyther& Heuderson's store 
 now stands, were several brick business 
 buildings belonging to Charles Evans. 
 Next came Maj. Wm. Rodgers's store, on 
 what is now the Edelblute property. Then 
 came Jesse G. Clark's home; then the Jef- 
 ferson House, ( Phil. Allgier's house, ) and 
 the present building is the original, hut 
 somewhat altered. Then across the alley, 
 where Gregg's barber shop now is, was the 
 
32 
 
 Elkhorn or Red Lion Hotel, kept )>y John 
 
 Smith, who was sheriff of the county in 
 1840. The next house was on the Mrs. 
 Clements property, and was the home and 
 blacksmith shop of Isaac Allen. Then 
 came the Matson row, just as it is now 
 down to the Brownlee house, corner of Main 
 arid Mill streets, now Judge Truman's 
 residence. 
 
 Now please come hack and look down 
 the right hand side. The first building, 
 the rear end of which only can be seen be- 
 hind the tree, was the first foundry built 
 in town. It stood near or on the ground 
 where Fetzer's brick btiilding now stands, 
 and was built and owned by a man named 
 Coleman. It was afterwards the Evans 
 foundry. When built it was outside the 
 borough. The second house, with the gable 
 next the street, was the home of James 
 Corbet, Esq . father of Col. Corbet, and it 
 stood where the gas officenowis. The next 
 and large building, with the gable end next 
 the street, was called the. lames Hall build- 
 bag, and stood on the ground now occupied 
 by the Bishop buildings. This building 
 was used for day school and singing school 
 purposes. I went to day school here to 
 Miss Jane Clark then, now Mrs. E. H. Dar- 
 vah. It was also used by a man named 
 Wynkoop, who made beaver hats. The 
 next building was a house erected by a Mr. 
 
 Sharpe, and was located on the ground 
 where the National Bank of Brookville now 
 stands. Tin- building having the window 
 in the gable vna facing you was the Jack 
 budding, and stood on the ground now oc- 
 cupied by McKnight & Son in their drug- 
 business. P^ast of this, on the ground now 
 occupied by R. M. Matson's brick, stood a 
 little frame building, occupied by John 
 Heath, Sr. It cannot be seen. East and 
 across Pickering street you see the Franklin 
 House and its sign. Here now stands the 
 Central Hotel of S. B. Arthurs. East of 
 the Franklin House, but not distinctly 
 shown on the picture, were the houses of 
 Craig, Waigley, Thomas M. Ban-, Levi (;. 
 Clover, Mrs. McKnight, (my mother. ) Sny- 
 der's row, and Billy McCullough's house 
 and shop, situate on the corner of Main and 
 Mill streets, or where the Baptist church 
 now stands 
 
 The buildings on each side of Pickering 
 street east of the court house, you will see, 
 are not very plain or distinct onthepicture. 
 
 While much more could be written of 
 those early days, this ends what I have to 
 say. I leave any further work in this direc- 
 tion to other and more capable persons. I 
 thank the newspapers for the many kind 
 notices they have given these articles I 
 also thank the people for the many kind 
 expressions to me personally. Good bye. 
 
UBBABV OF CONGRESS H 
 
 lllVlllw" 
 
 001*313 269 9 ,