Pennsylvania USGenWeb Archives

1804 - 1904

Clearfield County's Centennial

Raftsman's Journal

Clearfield, Pa.

Pages 30 - 39

transcribed for the Clearfield County PA USGenWeb by

Ellis Michaels

1804 1904
CLEARFIELD COUNTY'S CENTENNIAL

CELEBRATED AT
CLEARFIELD, PA.
July 26, 27, 28 and 29.

Population Clearfield County
1804 685
1904 100,000
One Hundred Years Old

RAFTSMAN'S JOURNAL
Clearfield, Pa.

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     HON. G. R. BARRETT—One of the pioneer lawyers, was born 1815 and admitted to the bar in 1836. He was appointed Deputy Attorney General in 1837; elected to Legislature in 1840 and President Judge of the 22d Judicial District in 1855 and re-elected in 1865. He died; March, 1899.

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     A letter addressed to the Speaker from the commissioners of Clearfield County and certain proposals inclosed [sic] from Samuel Miles, directed to said commissioners, offering to convey a tract of land, for the seat of Justice in said County, were severally read and referred to the committee appointed the list inst. on that subject. (384).
     Feby. 25th, 1805. House Journal, 391.
     Mr. D. Mitchell presented a petition from sundry inhabitants of Clearfield County, praying that the seat of justice for said County may be established where the town of Chinglecamose formerly stood ; and said petition was read, and referred to the committee appointed on the 21st inst., on the same subject.

     March 11th, 18o5. Senate.
     The several proposals of land, for the scite of the County town of the County of Clearfield, read on the 28th Jany., the 19th and 23rd of Feby., were read again and referred to Mr. Harris, Mr. Pennell, et al., to consider and report thereon.

     March 13th, 1805. Senate Journal, 291.
     Mr. Harris, from the committee to whom were referred on the 11th inst. the several proposals of land for the seats of Justice of the County of Clearfield, made report of which the following is a copy, to wit.:
     "The committee to whom were referred the proposals made by Samuel Miles, Abraham Witmer and James Hamilton for fixing the seat of Justice of Clearfield County, as communicated by the Trustees for said County.
     "Report, That they have duly considered each of the aforementioned proposals, but from want of an accurate knowledge of the County generally, or of the comparative advantages of the several proposed places, conceive themselves inadequate to decide which would be most eligible and advantageous for the County, and are, therefore, induced to offer the following resolution, to wit. :
     "Resolved, That a committee be appointed to bring in a bill authorizing the Governor to appoint commissioners to view and determine on the most eligible and proper place for the seat of Justice of Clearfield Co."
 

     AN ACT authorizing the appointment of Commissioners to fix upon a proper scite for the seat of Justice in Clearfield County :
 

     Section 1. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, in General Assembly met, and it is hereby enacted by the authority of the same, That the Governor be and he is hereby authorized and required to appoint three disinterested commissioners who do not reside or own any land in the County of Clearfield, which commissioners, or a majority of them, shall meet at the house of Benjamin Patton, in the town of Bellefonte, on the twentieth day of May next, and from thence, proceed to view and determine on the most eligible and proper situation for the seat of Justice and public buildings for the said County of Clearfield, and make their report into the office of the Secretary of the Commonwealth on or before the first Monday of December next.
 

     Section 2. And be it, etc., That the aforesaid commissioners shall have power, and it shall be their duty to take assurance by deed, bond or otherwise, of any land, lots, monies or other property which hath been or may be offered for the use and benefit of the said County, either for the purpose of erecting public buildings, the support of an academy or other public use, and for the
 

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     G. B. GOODLANDER—A pioneer journalist, was born in 1827, and became editor of the Clearfield Republican in 1860, continuing the same until his death, in 1897.
 

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services aforementioned : each of the said commissioners shall receive three dollars per day for every day he shall be necessarily employed on the business aforesaid : to be paid by warrants drawn by the commissioners of Centre County on the Treasurer of said County out of the monies arising from the taxes levied, assessed and collected from Clearfield County. Approved 4th April, 1805.

     The Governor in obedience to the requirements of this last recited act appointed three commissioners for the purpose therein mentioned. The commission is as follows :—
     Pennsylvania, s.s.
     THOMAS MCKEAN
     Place of the Great Seal

     In the name and by the authority of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Thomas McKean, Governor of Said Commonwealth.
     To Roland Curtin, of the County of Centre ; John Fleming, of the County of. Lycoming, and James Smith, of the County of
Gentlemen :-
Sends Greeting :-
     Whereas, In and by an act of the General Assembly of this Commonwealth, dated the 4th day of April, instant, it is amongst other things provided that the Governor shall be authorized and empowered to appoint three disinterested Commissioners, who do not reside or own any land in the County of Clearfield, which Commissioners or a majority of them shall meet at the house of Benjamin Patton, in the Town of Bellefonte, on the twentieth day of May next, and from thence proceed to view and determine on the most eligible and proper situation for the Seat of Justice, and public buildings for the County of Clearfield—
     Now KNOW YE That having full confidence in your integrity, judgment and abilities, I have appointed and by these presents I do appoint you, the said Roland Curtin, John Fleming and James Smith, Commissioners for the purpose aforesaid; hereby requiring you, and each of you, with all convenient dispatch to proceed in the execution of the trust in you reposed, as aforesaid, and to make a full and accurate report in writing into the office of the Secretary of the Commonwealth on or before the first Monday of December next.
     Given under my hand and the Great Seal of the State, at Lancaster, this sixth day of April, Atmo Domini 1805, and of the Commonwealth, the twenty-ninth.
By the Governor :
T. M. THOMPSON,
Secretary of the Commonwealth.
     These Commissioners met, viewed the sites offered, determined upon the most eligible situation, and made their report, reading :-
     "SIR :—By virtue of an act of the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, entitled 'An Act authorizing the appointment of Commissioners to fix upon a proper site for the seat of Justice in Clearfield County'—
     "We, the subscribers, appointed by his excellency, the Governor, agreeable to the provisions of the above mentioned act, passed on the tenth day of April, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and five,—Report, That, agreeable to the provisions of the above mentioned act, we met at the house of Benjamin Patton, in the town of Bellefonte, on the twentieth day of May, one
 

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     JOHN M. CHASE--One of the pioneer lumbermen, was born in 1820, and became a leading lumberman of Woodward township. Enlisted in the service of his country in August, 1862, and was a member of the 149th, P. V. He was an active member of the Baptist Church and was ordained a minister of the same in 1870. He acquired a great deal of land and property. He died at his home in Clearfield, March 11th, 1899.

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thousand eight hundred and five, and after receiving the different proposals made by several persons, proceeded to view and determine on the most eligible and proper situation for the seat of Justice and public buildings for the said County of Clearfield, and do find that the old town of Chincleclamouse, in said County (the property of Abraham Witmer, of the township of Lancaster, in the County of Lancaster and Commonwealth of Pennsylvania) situated on the South side of the West Branch of the Susquehanna River, in the County aforesaid, is the most eligible and proper situation for the seat of Justice and public buildings in the said County; and we have laid out the said town (a plan of which is attached to the report), and we do also further report that we have received from the said Abraham Witmer his bond, which is hereto annexed, for the conveyance of certain lots and the payment of certain sums of money at the time and for the purpose therein mentioned.
     We are, with respect, your humble servants,
ROLAND CURTIN.
JNO. FLEMING.
JAS. SMITH.
 

To
Thomas McKean,
Thompson, Esq., Sec'y.
     The plan attached to the report included the territory bounded on the West by the river, on the South by Walnut Street, on the East by Fourth Street, and on the North by Pine Street, of the borough of Clearfield. It also included certain out lots.
     The bond which the commissioners received from Abrahams Witmer is dated November 5th, 1805, a copy of which appears in History of Clearfield County—Aldrich-1887, p. 67.
     The report of the Commissioners was confirmed as follows : "The Commissioners appointed by this act fixed the place of holding the courts, etc., on the lands of Abraham Witmer, at Chingleglamouch old town, on the West Branch of the Susquehanna, and the new county town is now laid out and called Clearfield." Hist. Clfd. Co.—Aldrich--p. 69.
     "Clearfield County was named after Clearfield- Creek." (Morse—Am. Gaz., 3d Ed., 1810) and the seat of Justice was now named Clearfield, after the county of which it was to become the capital town.

JUSTICES OF THE PEACE.

     The act of 25th March, 1805, provided "That the Justices of the Peace of the County of Centre are hereby declared not to have jurisdiction in cases of debts or demands recognizable within either of the county districts of Clearfield and McKean; any law or laws to the contrary hereof notwithstanding."
 

     This act gave to Clearfield County her Justices' Courts and the "County Squire." The Justices of the Peace of Clearfield County have, as a rule, been men of intelligence and of sound judgment. It would be an interesting chapter in the county's history if portraits of our "squires" could be given and some account of the early trials presented, but it will be impracticable to attempt to do so in this paper.
 

     WILLIAM TATE was commissioned a Justice of the Peace for this county on
 

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     S. J. ROW—Another early journalist, was born October 22d, 1822, he became publisher of the Raftman's Journal in 1861, continuing until 1890, when he retired. He died Jan. 29, 1898.

     JOHN W. BELL—Descendant of Arthur Bell, one of the first settlers of the county, was born July 12th, 1838, and died at his home in Greenwood Township on February 14, 1904.
 

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the 1st of January, 1806. (Commission Bk. No. 4, Office Secretary of State.) He was therefore the first Justice of the Peace of Clearfield County.

     William Tate, a member of the Society of Friends, was born in Chester County, afterwards lived at Half Moon, Centre County, and his first residence, in 1804, was a log cabin on or close to the Catholic Church lot in Clearfield Borough. He was one of the Trustees for Clearfield County, appointed by the Governor under the act of 26th March, 1804. The children of William Tate were Dinah, wife of John Solt; Samuel ; Lydia, wife of Wm. Irwin; Joshua; Martha, wife of Joseph Irwin ; George ; William ; Levi, and Jesse Tate.

     The order in which commissions issued to Justices of the Peace for the county, as given in the Commission Book, in the office of the Secretary of State, prior to the division of the county into townships, is as follows :-
     William Tate January 1st, 1806.
     Thomas McClure April 1st, 1806
     Arthur Bell April 1st, 1806
     Hugh Hall April 1st, 1806

TAXABLES IN 1806.

     The next step was to take an account of all the freemen and the personal property made taxable by law, with a just valuation of the same, and a valuation of all trades and occupations subject to taxation, and, for this purpose, the Commissioners of Centre County, in December, 1806, issued their warrant to Alexander Read, assessor of the township of Chincleclamousche, commanding him to make a return of the same to said Commissioners at Bellefonte, on or before 28th of January, 1807. Mr. Read, therefore, was the first Assessor of this county.
 

     The following list will show the names of the taxable inhabitants of Chincleclamousche township, made in compliance with the above warrant.
Robert Anderson

David Allen

Greenwood Bell

William Bloom, Sr.

Isaac Bloom

Samuel Beatty

Caleb Bailey

Robert Cresswell

Peter Clover
John Cline
Hugh Carson
John Carothers

Benjamin Carson

John Crowell

Robert Collins
John Dennis

William Dunlap

Alexander Dunlap

Nun England

Benjamin Fenton

Robert Askey

Arthur Bell

John Bell
William Bloom, Jr.

Thomas Brannen

Samuel Beer
John Cook

Paul Clover

Nicholas Cline

John Crea

Samuel Cochran

George Cowhart
Jude Cunningham

John Coulter

Anne Deal
Caleb Davis

Peter Erhard

Samuel Ewing

John Ferguson

David Flegal
 

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     HON. J. B. McENALLY—The oldest living member of the Clearfield bar, was born in Lycoming Co. in 1825; graduated from Dickinson College in 1845, and was admitted to the bar in 1849. He was appointed President Judge in 1868 to succeed Judge Lynn. He is still in active practice, and made an address on Pioneer Day.
 

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Valentine Flegal

Henry Fye
John Finall
John Gearhart

Robert Graham

Samuel Green

Frederick Haney

Abraham Hess

Hugh Hall
William Hanna

DeWalt Hess
Hugh Jordan

Benjamin Jordan

Andrew Kephart

Conrad Kyler

Thomas Kirk
David Lewis
Joseph Leonard
Jane Lathers (Lewis)

William Leonard

Thomas McClure

Joseph McCracken

John Moore
James McCracken, Jr.

Robert McCracken

Daniel Ogden
John Owens
Joseph Patterson

Abraham Passinore

Isaac Ricketts

Alexander Read, Sr.

George Reynolds.

Benjamin Smeal

George Shimmel

Elisha Schofield

Francis Severns

Samuel Turner

George Wilson

John Welch
Jacob Weiser

Thomas Winters
High Frazer
William W. Feltwell

Abraham Goss

James Gallagher

Martin Hoover

John Hall
George Hunter

Benjamin Hartshorn

William Hepburn

Henry Irvin
John Jordon
John Hiler
Henry Kephart

Leonard Kyler

David Ligat
Thomas Lewis

David Litz
Abraham Leonard

James McCracken

Thomas McCracken

Robert McCormick

Thomas Mapes

Robert Maxwell

Thomas McGee

Matthew Ogden

Joab Ogden
Absalom Pierce

William Robinson

Edward Ricketts

Alexander Read, Jr.

Nicholas Straw

Nicholas Smeal

John Shirey

Christian Straw

William Tate

William Underwood

John Weld
George Welch

John Weiser
George Williams

Peter Young-122

SINGLE FREEMEN.
Samuel Boyd

Andrew Bean
Andrew Beer, Jr.

Peter Clover
Solomon Cline

John Conneway
James Carson

David Dunlap
James Dunlap

David Flegal
 

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