Raftsman's journal. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1854-1948, 1859-06-22

| iy tree within our borders into which an axe
has been struck, that it might hereafter serve
as witness of the artists work upon the
| ground, with which he is not familiar. A life
of industry and privation has been his, and with
him must perish much information which can
only be gathered by those who follow his call
ing with assiduity and for long period of
time. - aE NAfts
1t may not be improper to remark here, that
prior to the settlement of this county, it had
been divided into different districts, and that
surveys had been made. Such was the char
acter of the country that no other evidence of
the appropriation of land could be made than
by marking upon trees. This, experience has
shown, has well served the purpose. 1t has
been said that ssfgures will not lie - brt no
| truer witnesses than the trees thus mark ed
| have ever been produced in Court, to testify to
| the date when survey was made. Every
year, after the tree has been wounded by the
axe of the surveyor, a new ring of wood forms;
and when blocks are cut out of the tree, by
counting the number of layers of wood from
the dark streak in the tree, caused by the
wound, outwards, the number of years which
of marking surveys may not be known to all
of our readers, We will describe it. Commen-
cling at tree, if there should be one at the
corner of the land, three notches are made in
| that side of the tree from which the surveyor
| intends running, and some saplings in its inn
mediate vicinity are also marked in the same
manner, on the side pointing towards the cor-
| ner. Having set the compass the proper
course, the surveyor selects some tree at dis
tance for a sight tree, which he marks with
two notches, or blazes. He then runs towards
this sight tree. blazing some trees ons or con-
venent to, the line. Reaching the sight tree,
he marks it on the opposite side in the same
manner, and thus continues on his course, un-
til he has run his contemplated distance, where
he again marks tree on the side he approach
es it, in the same way he did the first tree, and
also on the side from which he leaves it, to
serve as corner. Should there be no timber
standing at the corner, stake is driven, or
| stone laid, and ''witnesses" then marked so as
to point towards the corner.
Eiizabetk Ferguson, another child of John,
married Joseph Wiley, deceased. Mary was
married to Alexander Reed, known as ssRed
| Aeck,'' so called to distinguish him from
| Squire Reed. Her husband meeting with his
| death, from the accidental discharge Of gun
whilst hunting on Clearfield creek, she became
the second wife of Thos. Campbell, Esq, of
| Bell township. James Ferguson, the present
occupant of the homestead, was Treasurer, a
Representative in the Legislature, served one
term as Sheriff, afterwards became an Associ-
IaEo T,,I = Il
having Ferguson township named after him.
John is the name of another son, who has filed
several offices. William removed from here
to Clarion county with his family, and subse-
| quently located in Adams county, Ohio, where
lie now lives. Jane became the wife of Will
| liam Reed, and Margaret the second wife of
Thomas Reed. The last named daughters
are dead.
| We have incidentally mentioned the two
State roads laid out and opened through the
county, at an early date, one of which-the
Milesburg and LIE Beuff road-became subse-
quently an important and leading thorough
fare 1t was a road of the worst kind, laid out
| with very little skill, and made with a great
deal of dishonesty. 1t had but one bridge
at Mushannon-between Belefonte and An
derson's creek, and to avoid digging the hill
| side, Anderson s creek was crossed three times
IN less than two miles. Large quantities Of
merchandise passed over it, principally upon
pack horses, companies of which, exceeding
score in number, might often be seen tra-
versing it. Until the place of this road was
supplied by an artificial road located on or
near its bed, it was the principal road leading
to Erie and the Great West. About the time
the State road was supplanted by the Turn
pike, the almost forgotten Conestoga wagon,
with its heavy horses, walking leisurely along,
their tread measured by the jingling of bells,
afforded cheaper and better mode OF trans
portation for goods. A trip to Philadelphia
to purchase goods, or to s'see the sights OF
that village, was then quite an undertaking,
and called for weeks of preparation
We cannot leave the River settlement, to
glance at the other settl0ents which were
commenced at or about the same time, with
out adverting to one other road. Some OF the
settlers, conceiving that better road than the
blazed path from Ferguson's 10 Ogden's would
be more conducive to their comfort and pros
perity, presented petition to the Court OF
Centre county, praying that viewers might be
apnointed to view and lay out road between
tbe points named. This was about 1906. The
viewing of this road was quite an epoch in the
annals of Clearfieid county. Every member
ot the little community was excited in rela-
to-, IN IL The community divided itself In
% three partIes-one seeking its location on