Transcribed by: Karen Patterson. For an explanation and caution about this transcription, please read this page.
Link to a sketch of Jefferson Township from the Atlas of Butler County, G.M. Hopkins & Co., 1874.
Surnames in this chapter are:
ADER, ALWINE, ANDERSON, ARMSTRONG, BARTLEY, BAUER, BECK, BOWSER, BOYD, BRACEY, BRANER, BRUGH, BURBADGE, BYERLY, CALDWELL, COOPER, DETZER, DILWORTH, DOERR, DOUGAL, DOUGHERTY, DOUTHETT, DROLLINGER, DUFFY, EMERICK, ENGELDER, ENGRADER, FITZSIMMONS, FRAZIER, FRUTH, GALBRAITH, GATELY, GOLDEN, GRABE, GRAHAM, GRIBBEN, GRUNERT, GUTHRIE, HAMILTON, HARBISON, HARTENSTEIN, HAZLETT, HECKERT, HEIDRICK, HENDRICKSON, HENGIST, HUTCHINSON, HUTCHISON, IMBRIE, JOHNSTON, KENNEDY, KIRK, KNOCK, KONRUMPF, KRAUSE, KREY, LEDERER, LEFEVRE, LIMBURG, LINN, LOGAN, MARTIN, MAXWELL, McCURDY, McELVAIN, McFADDEN, McGUCKEN, McKEE, McNAIR, McNEES, MECHLING, MICHEL, MONTAG, MONTAGUE, MUDER, MULARKEY, OERTEL, OGDEN, O'NEIL, PATTERSON, PHIPPS, PILGRIM, PUGH, RADEMACHER, RHINEHART, ROBINSON, SCHWEITERING, SCHWEITZERBARTH, SEAMAN, SIEBERT, SHIELDS, SHRADER, SKEER, SMITH, SNYDER, STANLEY, STEINHAUSER, STEWART, STIMMEL, STRAWICK, SUTTON, SWEENEY, THOMAS, WAGGONER, WALKER, WALTER, WILHELM, WOLF, WRIGHT, WULLER
Jefferson township was organized in 1854. It lies southeast of Butler township, and is one of the richest agricultural subdivisions in the county. The elevation at the Great Belt depot, track level, is 1,260 feet above sea level, being fifty-nine feet higher than at Saxon Station, or about the same elevation as Saxonburg. Beyond the old coal mines of WELSH and of WAGGONER on Thorn creek, this township was for years dependent on outside mines for coal. The first explorations were made and the first mines developed the neighborhood of the WELSH farm. In an oil well drilled years ago by Thomas WELSH, to a depth of 292 1/2 feet, a thick bed of coal was found at thirty-nine feet below the surface; another bed at eighty-eight feet; cannel coal at 102 feet; a heavy bed of Darlington coal at 136 feet, and Kittanning at 174 feet. In the boring for oil at FRAZIER's mill an equally extraordinary arrangement of coals was made evident. The Thorn Creek gas well, below FRAZIER's mill, was drilled to a depth of 1,825 feet, or within seventy-five feet of the depth of the gas well at Freeport, and within thirty-seven feet of the gas well at Saxon Station, in Winfield township. Its location, two miles west of Saxonburg, led the owners to search for oil, but it proved a dry hole. The water wells of Jefferson Centre present interesting phenomena, together with an abundance of good water. For nearly forty years after the first settlement of the township pigeon roosts were common, the birds gathering here in such great numbers that in their coming and going they formed a flying cloud that almost shut off the sunlight. Deer, bears and wolves also found a refuge in these glades. During the hard winter of 1834 they flocked here by thousands.
In that year, however, the BRACEYS, the STRAWICKS and Thomas BURBADGE came into the township. The BRACEYS located on what is now known as the Samuel CALDWELL farm. Andrew STRAWICK settled northwest of Jefferson Centre, where he carried on blacksmithing and farming. BURBADGE built his cabin about four miles due north of FRAZIER's mill, resided there a few years, and, it is said, moved to Ohio. Benjamin THOMAS, who set out the first peach orchard near Saxonburg, was a pioneer of 1798. Late in the following year, William WRIGHT, one of the Irish pioneers of Allegheny county, came into the township, making his home here until his death in 1839. Two of his sons served in the War of 1812; while William, born in 1801, lived to see this division of the county fully developed. James MAXWELL, a soldier of the Revolution, located here about the same time. Bernard DOUGHERTY, another Irish settler, can.e [sic] in 1805, followed by Daniel MULARKEY.
Nathan SKEER, to whom many references are made in the chapter dealing with the transactions of the county commissioners, made his home at Hannahstown, and was the founder of the village in partnership with Abraham MAXWELL
Thomas WELSH, a native of Ireland, selected this township for his home in 1819, and purchased 4,500 acres of land near the southeast corner of the township, where he resided until his death in 1853. He was a prominent personage among the early settlers and one of the best citizens of the county. His son, George, a hale and hearty farmer of eight-five [sic] years, resides on the old place. John WELSH, a brother of Thomas, came in 1821. Michael HECKERT located near Saxonburg in 1812, as did also the WALKER brothers. The German settlers are mentioned in the history of Saxonburg, although many of them settled outside the borough limits.
The population of the township in 1860 was 1,457; in 1870, 1,234; in 1880, 1,533; and in 1890, 1,600. These figures include the population of Saxonburg, which was 295 in 1870; 319 in 1880 and 258 in 1890. The assessed value of the property in January, 1894, was $339,132; the county tax, $1,356.53 and the State tax, $284.62.
The saw mill built by George WELSH in 1845 occupied the site of FRAZIER's mill. Soon after he erected a grist mill, thirty by forty feet, which he operated until 1857. In that year, Thomas FRAZIER purchased the property, remodeled the [p. 462] building and introduced new machinery. In 1876 Thomas W. FRAZIER, his son, became owner. In 1886 B.H. BOWSER became a partner and in 1888 the greater part of the present mill was constructed and the roller system introduced. The capacity is fifty barrels of flour and two hundred bushels of feed a day. A good waterpower is derived from Thorn creek, while steam power is also used.
BAUER's mill was built in the forties, where Golden City afterwood [sic] stood, and opposite the great Rock well. Time imjured [sic] it, floods partly carried it off in 1858, and the waters washed away the dam.
The PILGRIM grist mill, erected by Andrew PILGRIM near the southeast corner of the township, in 1862, and subsequently operated by Charles LEDERER, under the title, "LEDERER's Mill," and later by RHINEHART & SMITH, was purchased in 1875 and opened in 1876 by Francis ALWINE. Mr. ALWINE is a descendant of German pioneers of York county, Pennsylvania, from which county his father, John, moved to Jefferson township, in 1853. The mill possesses a fine waterpower; but is not dependent on the water supply, as steam is also used.
The justices of the peace for Jefferson township from 1855 to 1894 are named as follows, the date being that of election: David LOGAN, 1855 and 1860; Simon P. WALTER, 1859; Charles A. STIMMEL, 1863; Joseph GRAHAM, 1865 and 1870; Daniel McFADDEN, 1867; James GRIBBEN, 1874; Thomas McGUCKEN, 1875; John KNOCK was elected but did not qualify; Thomas MARTIN, 1879; M.H. BYERLY, 1880; Eli GRAHAM, 1883 and 1888; John N. PUGH, 1885, 1890 and 1891; Frank FRUTH, elected in 1893, never qualified, and M.H. BYERLY, 1894.
[p. 463]
Jefferson Summit Presbyterian Church dates its organization back to April 24, 1864, when sixteen members of the old Middlesex church and four of the Butler church were dismissed to join the new society. Joseph GRAHAM and Thomas MARTIN were elected elders, and later John EMERICK, J.H. GRAHAM and George WELSH were elected. On June 22, 1867, the church building was completed and dedicated. Revs. BOYD, BRUGH and HAMILTON, ministers and school teachers of Butler, and Rev. E. OGDEN, served the church as stated supplies for years. On January 11, 1869, the society was incorporated, with John MARTIN and William WRIGHT trustees, under the title "Jefferson Summit O. S. Presbyterian Church." In April, 1888, the membership of the church was 147, Rev. Ephriam OGDEN, of Glade Mills, being then stated supply. John EMERICK, George WELSH and James H. GRAHAM are among the elders. In recent reports of the Butler Presbytery there is mention made of it as being in the appointment of Rev. Willis S. McNEES, of the Middlesex church, who became stated supply in December, 1890. There were eighty-six members reported in April, 1893, while the Sabbath school membership was placed at seventy-four.
[p. 464] Jefferson Centre Presbyterian Church was organized July 8, 1871, in response to a petition dated June 27 that year. Revs. E. OGDEN, J.W. HAMILTON and Carl LINN, with Elders James D. ANDERSON and Thomas MARTIN, the organizing committee, reported in October, 1871, that nine members formed the original society, while ten more were added prior to the date of their report. Rev. Carl LINN was stated supply for some time. In April, 1873, Rev. C.W. SEAMAN was called as pastor, and on the same day the name, "Jefferson Center Church," was adopted. It was incorporated October 31, 1873, with Edward MONTAG, Gottlieb STEINHAUSER and Frank FRUTH, trustees. The Presbyterian Home Mission and the Church Erection boards made liberal donations to this society; but, prior to 1888 withdrew financial support, owing to the poor prospects for increasing the membership. Rev. C.A LIMBURG filled the pulpit in 1886, 1887 and 1888, the elders being William MONTAG, George C. GRABE and Frank FRUTH. The number of communicants at the close of 1893 was twenty-eight, but the pulpit was vacant. A neat frame building south of the village speaks of the efforts made in the seventies to build up Presbyterianism among the Germans.
The Methodist Episcopal Church of Great Belt was organized February 25, 1877, when a church building, begun in 1876, was completed. This building was almost overturned by the frost forcing up the foundations; but the defect was remedied under the direction of Samuel CALDWELL, John HENRICKSON and Levi HEIDRICK, who were then trustees of the society. Within ten years the building was moved away, and the society disbanded.
Concordia Orphans' Home, near Delano, was dedicated July 29, 1883. It was practically founded by a Mr. OERTEL, a German settler, who bequeathed a farm of fifty acres of land north of Hannahstown, to the German Lutheran society at Hannahstown, for the purposes of a home for orphans and aged persons. The first house was erected in 1883, in 1885 the present school was built, and in 1890, the third building. The first superintendent was Rev. HENGIST, who cared for forty-eight children and two old persons. Rev. L. DETZER took charge in October, 1884; A. BRANER in 1885; Rev. G. RADEMACHER in 1888; Rev. M. KREY in 1889, and Rev. F. WILHELM, May 1, 1891. There are seventy -eight children and three old persons in the Home. The expenses, which are paid by the Mission Synod of the Lutheran church, range from $3,000 to $4,000 annually, in addition to the products of the farm.
Jefferson Centre may be said to have been founded in 1825, when Thomas WELSH established his saw mill there. In 1862 Thomas MARTIN opened a general store at that point and, in 1868, the MONTAG brothers and J.C. WELSH began the manufacture of threshing machines and other agricultural implements, carrying on at the same time a general store, now conducted by W. MONTAG & Company, and a large saw mill. In 1871 a blacksmith and wagon shop was opened by Frank FRUTH and the center of the township was really a manufacturing point of some importance. The agricultural implement factory is not the industry it was twenty years ago, the shops being devoted to repair work rather than to new machinery. The feed mill is a department of the MONTAG industries. The artesian wells at this point furnish water for manufacturing and domestic purposes. Beyond the erection of two or three modern dwellings and the improvement of farm homes in the vicinity, the busy little village of the seventies does not appear to have made much progress.
Great Belt was platted in 1876, for KIRK and DILWORTH, in and round Coyle's station, on the West Penn railroad, where a post-office was established in 1870, with Michael SWEENEY, postmaster. Parts of the Gottlieb WOLF and "Black" MICHEL farms were laid out in town lots. This, with the fact that M. and P. SHIELDS had previously built a hotel there, drew attention to the new town and several lots were sold to prospective builders. The idea that the location was in or near the oil belt, suggested the name. Postmaster SWEENEY established a general store there in 1870 and carried it on until 1880, when L. HARTENSTEIN became owner and has since conducted the business. The J.M. O'NEIL store is also a busy establishment.
Golden City was founded in 1884 around the ruins of the old BAUER mill, by GOLDEN and WULLER, of Butler borough, who were owners of the celebrated Rock well. The hunt for a name was finished when Mrs. Thomas W. FRAZIER suggested the title "Golden City," in honor of one of the owners. Like other oil towns, it was a transitory affair. Houses appeared in the valley as if by magic, and, when the production fell, disappeared in like manner; so that here as well as at Phillips City, the magician worked both ways. There are some fair producers in this part of the Thorn Creek field, the old Rock well still holding an honorable place.
Leota postoffice was established in July, 1888, with Eli GRAHAM postmaster. It is in the midst of a rich agricultural district.
[End of Chapter 35 - Jefferson Township: History of Butler County Pennsylvania, R. C. Brown Co., Publishers, 1895]
Previous Chapter 34--Penn Township
Next Chapter 36--Saxonburg Borough Table of Contents
29 Jan 2000, 14:02
