The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1880-01-07

and other animals had their homt
and ha bitation near. There was on
ly one family lived on Bear run: vii
liam Fowler lived near where Moxa
hala now is, John Fowler, Same
Mcclellan and James Comfy live,
where new Lexington now is, ant
shere were two or three houses closr
to where Rehoboth now is. Reho
both and New Lexington were no
laid out
4 bear once came and took ia
hog out of the pen near Mrs. Wright,
house, killed it and bid il in the leav
es. The bear returned in few DAYS
and got another bog from a man by
the naue of W. Lashley, who livet
where w Hammond now lives. The
neighbors were aroused aud all gath
cred ia with guns and dogs Unclt
Thomas Wright had two bullets il
bis gun, aud az the bear raised ar
from the dogs. he fred and killed it
They hung it in Lashley's house
raised the puneheons of the floor, anC
skinned and cleaned i: ia there, and
then divided the meat. When Jere
miab, one Of Mrs. Wright's Other
children, was a small boy, be was
sent 10 neighb0r's, beyond Roho
Doth, to gel u cheese hoop repaired
On his return, when be get to where
Nugent's coal switch is, and only
about quarter OF q mile from home
be espied two cub bears, end, boy
like, tried to catch them, when the
old bear raised up from behind "a log
aud put its front feet up on it-JerEy
made tracks fast enough toward home
and raised the alarn. Several men
gathered with gaGs and dogs, aoc
run the bear down % the creek close
10 where Ire Carfoll nov lives
There the bear elimed a tree, and oue
dog held on to il with his teeth uati
ne was lifted clear Oh ;he ground aaC
some distance up the tree. The beal
was shot and tumbled to the ground
Ever since then TIE creek near where
tue bear was killed has been called
Bear rua.
Aunt Peggy has en the mother
Of eleven children f q raised ten o.
them. She has eigt \ grsodchildrel
and ebout seventy1fe great-grand-
children. She has 20 five descend
ants Of the fourth &c erstion. Seven
Of her children are living, to-wit
jackson Wright, Csia Wright and
Julia Selvy, wife of Thomas Sel5y, oi
the vicinity OF New Lexington; Mrs
Mary Williams, widow Of the late
William Williams, OF Madison iowa
ship, Perry county; David Wright
snd Charlotte Rost, of Missouri and
James Wright and Susan Carroll,
wife Of Benjamin Carroll, of this pace.
Children, grandchildren and great,
grandchildren are intermurried with
the families of Williams, Selby, Nc
Clung, Wilson, Carroll, Groves, Yost,
Ream, Vsnatta, Arnold, Teal, Noel
Ter, Snider, Hull, Colborn, Bright,
Smell, Eversole, Zeigler, Guy, Barnes,
Koons, Hammond, aud fully as many
more, not known or not now remem-
bered by the writer. So it will be
readily observed, that q reunion of
Aunt Peggy's descendants could be
no small affair.
She united With the New Lexing-
ton Baptist Church in 1928, aud was
baptized in Comly's mill dam, close
to where III n. Frees new store
house is Rev. James Skinner was
the Pastor of the church at that time,
and administered the ordinance OF
Baptism. She attended meeting at
the residence of the late Samuel
Rush, one mile northwest of town,
where Mr. Nixon now lives, and car
ried her baby, a distance of three
miles from home. She said she
would rather walk than bother with
a horse.
Aunt Peggy is accustomed to say
that those early pioneer days were
the happiest in her life, when she had
plenty Of work to do, and the will
and strength to do it. She used to
milk twelve or fifteen cows, and
made plenty of butter and cheese.
She was liberal feeder of her stock,
and she says her calves didn't go
around with tails like chestnut burs.
She pitched wneat and taught her
husband how to build the first stack
he ever made. She had learned that
at home when a girl Bhe would
take her child to the field and lay it
on a bunch of fax, while she was
in binding and saving the
crop. For several years she did aIl
the sheep sbearing. On one occs-
sion, she got breakfast, did up her
work, clipped nineteen sheep in tine
fornoon, aud went TO the house 10
time to get dinner for the men.
Thomas Wright, the husband of
Aunt Peggy, died July 5tb, 1864, af-
Ter which she kept house about one
year, and then got her son, Jackson
to move into the house with her.
Rusts, CoddiDgtons. Hulls, Skin
ners, Thralls, and q number of 9TH
er families came to the neighbcr-
hood soon after the Wrights moved
down from Madisoa Township. Mrs.
Wright has one brother still living.
His name is David Ankeny, and he
resides on the old home place in
Pennsylvania Aunt Peggy thinks
that she is stouler than any of her
or grand daughters yet.
She never had any trouble with her
but always lived life of
peace, neighborship and good will
She says she always made it point
never to fuss with the "old man. {"
When things did not 60 10 suit her,
she just shut her eyes like an OK and
went straight ahead. 1t is seventy
years this month since Aunt Peggy
was bride, and she lived with her
husband nearly fftysix years, though
he has now been nearl v sixteen years
gone to bis rest.
We say and think ninety, years,
but we are slow to take in its full
meaning A few important dates
and eras will assist our memory.
Mrs Wright was born in the first
year of the first term of George
Washington, aud consequently has
lived under all Administrations of
the nnHernmeut When the hand