The New Bloomfield, Pa. times. (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1877-188?, 1877-02-06
For The Bloomfield Times
A Short History Of Perry County

A subscriber condenses the following
facts regarding Perry county, which we
think will be of interest to our readers:
81 A S your valuable paper is printed
IA in Bloomfield, the County Seat
of Perry county. II might be Interesting
to its readers to know something Of the
early history of Perry county, which
was part of Cumberland until an act
of the Legislature passed March 22nd,
1920 organized 1t into separate county.
1t Is bounded on the North, by Junlata
county, East, by the Susquehanna river,
South, by Cumberland and West, by
Franklin, owing to its natural bounde-
ries of mountains and streams enclosing
IL In the form of triangle. Its length
Is 3S miles; breadth, 12 its area Is $50
square miles. Its population In 1920 was
but II 342.
The first Court of Common Pleas in
Perry county, was held in Landisburg,
on the 4th of December, 1920. Hon.
John Reed, President Judge; William
Anderson and jeremiah Madden, Esqs.,
Associates Daniel Stambaugh, Esq,
High Sheriff.
The following lawyers were admitted
to the bar shortly after the organization
of the county: George Metzger; John
Creig; William Ramsey David Huling;
Nicholas B. Woods; Frederick M.
Wadsworth; Samuel Alexander; An
drew Carothers; William N. Irwin;
James Hamilton John ID. Mahon; Isaac
y. Parker; e. i. Benedict; William II.
Breckenridge; Alexander Mahon; Will
liam Mcclure; George A. Lyon; Alex
ander A. Anderson John Williamson;
Samuel Riddle; Charles B. Penrose;
Charles A. Davis.
The following is list Of the first
Grand Jury: William English of
Juniata township; Andrew Linn of
of Tyrone township; Henry Beslin of
Juniata Peter Moses Of Tyrone; Jacob
Weibley of Juniata; Conrade Rice Of
Saville; William Brown of Juniata
Philip Fusselman of Tyrone; Christian
Simons of Tyrone Samuel Willis of
Rye; VIM. Albigost of Greenwood;
VIM. Potter of Buffalo John Milligan
of Saville; Daniel Matter of Toboyne;
Henry Nipple of Tyrone; Thomas Mil
ligan of Saville; Moses Oatly of Saville;
Jacob Bird of Saville; Nicholas Bird of
Toboyne; Jacob Hogan of Toboyne;
Joshua Jones of Juniata Thomas Ken
nedy of Tyrone; John Eaton of Tyrone;
Jacob Kiser of Saville.
List of Constables, same time; John
Fetterman, Buffalo township; John
O'Brien, Greenwood township; Thomas
Martin, Juniata twp; Daniel McAlister,
Rye twp; Matthias Meyer ,Saville; John
Cree, Tyrone, twp.,; Abraham Kistler
Tyrone James McKinn, Toboyne;
The first board of County Commits
sioners consisted of Robert Mitchell
Thomas Adams Jacob Higgins.
The first Prothonotary was William
B. Mitchell.
The surface of this county is truly di-
versified, viz: mountainous, hilly,
broken, undulated and level. This va
riety also gives character to the soil
the richest and the poorest is to be met
with in this county.
Perry county lies between two prom
inent ranges of mountains, the Blue or
Kittatinny on the South and Tuscarora
on the North, and the face of the county
between these mountains is broken by
number of hills and ridges. The soil
where it is not too much broken by
stony ridges is generally productive, and
when carefully cultivated amply repays
the husbandman by abundant crops.
The following table exhibits the guam
tity of different kinds of soil:
Limestone cleared and uncleaTed l9iGi acres.
Slate cleared and unelealed.... J. 1Sh acres.
Gravel cleared and uncleared... 747ln acres.
Sand cleared and unceared 80. 0i0 acres.
Mountain or roeK................ 6S,2S0 acres.
Total number of acres in county 2G2,27O
In 1910 there were In the county s
furnaces, 2 forges, employing $50 men,
consuming 1852 tons of fuel and pro-
ducing 4,251 tons of cast and bar iron.
There were % tanneries, employing 5S
men, which tanned 9,720 sides of sole,
4,814 upper leather. Thirteen distil-
leries which produced 81 AS gallons;
"a Touring mills which manufactured
II 200 barrels of -four; l20 saw mills
fulling mills; woollen factories;
potteries; printing offices; rope
walk; lumber yards; 81 retail dry
goods &grocery stores. Amount of capi-
tai invested in manufactures $264, ,02i. 90.