The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1895-07-10

ming Of the War of Independence Cas-
pes -;atler left his home i'm Lancaster
county aud moved out alOns the
Forbes road. lie located at point
near the top Of the Allegheny noun
tain on is western slope. The follow
ing account o. this place IS by hi5 son,
the late Samuel SLGIier, 81:
''iroa about l7s5 / can rcc0l.cct
events very readily. oar place Was
quite public; scarcely night passed
that We l;ad not dodgers. soldiers,
packers, traders, emigTants and travel
ers frequently stopped with us Large
bodies of soldiers passed up during ~.
Clair's and Wagoner's expeditions
against the Indians on the western
frontier"
The Federal troops on their way 10
suppress the whisky insurrection
passed Statler's place, and on their re-
turn halted there u few days Among
the prisoners they had in charge were
Robert Philson and Herman Husband.
After the turnpike was finished the
SSatiers opened another establishment
for the accommodation of increasing
travel which the new road brought,
waich became widely known as the
">tatler' stand in the days of wagon
ing and staging from forty to fifty
years ago.
The Lambert family, connected with
the Statler family, came into the north
of the county about the same time
y man by tine name of Burket also
came about the same tiEe and settled
on what is now the Pittsburg pike, at "a
point near the FORBES road.
Shortly after these parties had come
10 this county, Frederick MostolIer
came from Northumberland county
along the Forbes road and settled at
a point near Freidens Station, Somerset
township, where George Reitz lived.
lie was the father of John MostOIler,
who afterwards represented the county
several times in the Legislature, and
the great grandfather of David and
John MOstOileT, who are living, and the
latter of whom received "a medal for
distinguished services in the late war.
Among the first settlers in the north
Of the county was John Bell, father Of
David Bell. who was an honored citizen
of this county and who died several
years ago, at an advanced age. John
Bell came from York county, settled in
the wilderness at a place which after
wards became the Griffith settlement
and lived there number OF years, an
Iil another family followed from the
same county. They did not know OF
any person living in that section, ex-
ccpt Il family living near where Sloye--
town now Is and another family acrJ,,
the mountain near what is now Schell,-
burg. These two families they learned
10 know hy having To go Ia Bloody
Run, now Everett, eight miles east OF
Bedford, at which point w.ls their near
est grist-mill. The trip generally took
them three days and at night they had
10 lie down under a tree at "a place
where there was grass for their horses.
They had no meat, but wild game, for
Il number Of years.
Bell sold his place 10 the family that
followed him from York and about the
year 1900 moved to place north of
Sipesville where Jacob J. Bowman now
resides. 1t was here my informant Wis
tied him about lSi1 and % whom he
related much Of his experience in his
wilderness home.
This was his second improvement
and the buildings were of course better
than those Of the first, and are thus de-
scribed. The house was large, consist
ing of two buildings of hewed logs.
one-half used as a kitchen and the
other half a. a sitting room and bed
room, with three windows Of four lights
and passageway between the two
buildings, with door on either side.
All the floors were laid with hewed
square logs nicely fitted together, and
u ladder 70 20 10 the lOft. \ clap
board roof, kept in place by poles aad
props from pole topole. Wooden doors,
put together with wooden pins and
wooden hinges and wooden latches.
Not q nail or bit of iron in the whole
structure. There was 40 need ola duty
on iron those days. The barn was
made Of l0gs and in it were found the
old Windmill, wooden mOuld-bOard
pIow, pack saddle and Dutch seythe.
1t must be remembered that all this
was great improvement on the first
cabin home. The experience Of the
Bell family in going to mill was the
same a. experienced 10y all the early
settlers.
Daniel Stoy was the founder of the
ancient village of S-oystOwn, aud lived
and died about one mile west Of that
place. He was among the first settlers
in the north Of the county and lived to
a good old age and was fond Ofrelating
the many interesting and exciting in
cidents of his life in the wilderness.
Among the early settlers in the south
of the county was James Hanna, who
was the father of Hon. John Hanna,
who was an associate judge of our
courts and who i now deceased, and
of Major Alex. Hanna, who is also de-
ceased. He was a member of the Leg
islature and always Travelled to and
from Harrisburg on horseback, and on
one occasion he was taken sick AT BeT-
lin and had 10 he carried home on a
stretcher. He was native of Ireland,
came to this country about 1870, died in
1919 and has left many descendants in
the county besides those | have named.
such were the conditions under
which the first settlers occupied this
section Of the country. y location
fixed upon after a long and tedious jour
ney over hills, valleys and mountains,
a lonely life in the wilderness, in an
humble cabin. We can readily under
stand the patience, the courage, the
toll and pTivations they had to undergo
Bat this simple, primitive mode of
living was dear TO them - with stout
hearts they hoped and with strong
hands worked for better state of things
for themselves and families. In all con-
3ition.s nf life and I'm all Quarters of the