The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1895-04-17
schrock farm. three miles east of somor-

De Witt. James Spenser, benjamin Jen-
ninrs. John Cooper, Ezekiel Hickman,
John Enslow, Henry Enslow, and Ben
iamin Pursley. Capt. Steele's mission
was failure. The settlers were there to
stay and they did stay.
Bedford was organized as county
under the act of March 9, l77L. Its first
court was held in the month Of April that
year. Brothersvalley township was or
ganized April 15, I77l. 1t was the first
township 10 he organized west of the Al
legheuy mountain in the province of
Pennsylvania; its original limits COM
prised all ofthe territory lying between
the summit OF the Allegheny mountain
and the Yougheogheny river and western
foot of Laurel Hill, which Was It's west
ern boundary. while it extended from the
Maryland line northward as far as the
river. Verify, our mother
township of Brothersvalley was princi-
pality within herself, and richly has she
endowed all her children, for all of them
have ample territory.
Abraham Cable, commissioned in lII3,
was the first Justice OF the Peace of the
new township, and As such he must have
sworn allegiance to King George, for this
was before the Revolutionary War. But
he was really Justice before that time,
for il Is matter of record (see Colonial
Records "a number of Germans set
tied in the Glades of StOnycreek and
Nougheogeny made petition TO the coun-
ell of the province for the appointment of
a Justice of the Peace-who would reside
in or near their settlement, their being
none nearer than thirty miies-the board
considering the said petition advised the
Governor 70 commissioned for that
purpose Mr.. Abraham Kable, who is
recommended as a man of property, rep
utation," lSc., and special commission
was accordingly issued to Cable Nov. %,
III.
The first assessment for Brothersvalley,
made in I772, shows ~ freeholding taxa
bles. and forty others who were probably
single freemen, as no lands are assessed
against them. Eight or nine Of these
were in the part that aflerward became
Elk Lick township. These % freehold
ers had 6aO acres of cleared land, an aver
age of only = acres each. OF course they
are returned As having larger tracts of
land. bjlt this was the number of acres
cleared. They had I59 horses, l62 cows.
There were also slaves. Richard Hong
land had the largest amount of cleared
af la
Turkeyfoot settlement had 50 acres, and
John Rice had b acres. Many, however,
had hut a single acre of cleared land.
This assessment shows the condition of
the settlements in Somerset county in
that day. Think of it! go acres of clear
ell land ont of700,000 acres that its area
covers. If space permitted giving the
names Of these early pioneers many Of
them woald be recognized as being still
well known among our people.
These early settlers suffered many hard
ships and priva,ions. Outside Of the one
road mentioned they We're confined to
bride paths and pac'S-horse trails over
which all needed nocessaries had to be
transported. Well authenticated tradi-
ton SAYS that when -four was wanted the
pioneer settlers had to go 10 mill as far
away Is Chambersburg, HaSerstown,
Nd, and later to Cumberland and Bed
ford. and that -four was really one OF the
luSuries OF life. Much of the grain was
boiled for food instead of being taken 10
mill. The first mills in the county ap-
pear to have been built in Brothersvalley
settlement. Il is alleged that the two
first mills were built by Jacob Fisher
and Simon Hay. There was also a tab
mill on Flougherty creek, near Meyers
dale. al about the same period.
The second township to be formed was
Turkeyfoot. This was done in July, l773.
Its original boundaries were: "commen-
cing where the Chestnut Ridge (this must
mean the Negro mountainl crosses the
Maryland line. thence along the summit
to where it crosses the great road leading
from Bedford to TT. Pitt. thence along
said road - where il crosses the Quema-
honing creek. thence down said creek tC
its junction with Stonycreell, thence down
Stonycreeh to the mouth Of the Little
Conemaugh, thence down the COnemaugl
10 where the line dividing Bedford from
Westmoreland is reached, thence along
said line until the provincial or Maryland
line is reached and thence to place of be-
ginning.
Quemahoning WAS the third township
organized, in April, l715. Its original
boundaries run as follows: beginning
where the great road which is laid
through the glades crosses the Allegheny
moIHt tain near Banks gap and along tn,
said road to where il crosses Laurel Hill
at Matthias Ditch's gap, then along the
| Laurel Hill by the Westmoreland county
| line 20 lhe head of Little Conemaugh the
| dividing ridge between the Susquehanna
and Little Coneinaugh TO the Allegheny
Mountain and 10y the same mountain to
the place of beginning" From this il
viii be seen that a large part of the orig
| inal township is now iii Cambria county.
The fourth township erected was Mil.
ford about the year l7sO, but the records
do not give either date or boundaries
The same may said of Elk Lick town
ship, which was formed about l7Sj.
Stoneycreek was erected into tswn-
ship about the year l792, and thue in the
order named were the six first townships
formed out OF our territory west of the
Allegheny mountains.
Ia the meanwhile the Revolutionary
War had come on and, of course, it had q
retarding effect on the growth of all these
infant settlements. 4 full company o
riflemen, under the command of CAPTAIN
Afterwards Col Richard Brown--went of
to the war; their departure weakened the
| settlements greatly and but few of them
ever returned. Then. too. the entire from
tier was exposed 10 the danger of Indian
incursionS and numbers Of the settlers
abandoned their improvements. Others
however, remained. Block houses wer,
built - some places for shelter in case o
alarm.
! There is well authenticated tradition thai
there was one of these on the farm which
another known as the ''Old Fort near the
Ferner farm, north of Somerset-still
another on the farm of Col. Richard
Brown. The writer, however, does moi
know the location OF the farm.
There appear 10 have been two forts
within the present limits of Brothersval-
ley. The one on the JOS Walker farm,
the other on the Nelson Walker farm.
| Whether any traces of them still exist i