The morning times., 1896-04-06
MADE RICH BY OIL FARMS
Hayseed Millionaires Who Lived
in Pennsylvania.
Farms Which at First Brought Wealth
TO Their Owners Sold Later
for Almost Nothing.
putsJ,.ro Dispatch.

All Interesting BOOh tOuiu
said an oEl-timc oil man, about the farm
ers who grew fa5ulousIy rich in few
years from the product of their farms
lying on Oil Greek, if anybody would take
the trouble 10 collect the information about
what became OF them.
1T is curious fact that in the sixties
most OF the money in the Oil business was
made by men who began with nothing, and
the farmers came in for a very large share
of ii.
II myself could tell many stories or men,
owning nothing but the land, out OF which
they made very poor living, who in a
very few years after Col Drake drilled the
first oil well in the United States were
worth hundreds OF thousands of collars. Most
of them afterward died poor. and their
farms are now owned by persons not OF
their kith and kin.
The only exception ] recall TO the rule OF
the farms having passed entirely out OF
the possession OF the families who owned
them at the time the oil excitement began
is that of the farm of james MacCray, "A
little distance back from Oil Geek, who
made his living and that of his family from
il, adding a little 10 his income from the
farm by getting out occasional RATS OF
lumber and floating them down the creek
TO the Allegheny River.
Mr.. MacCray lived in log house, ard
the other buildings on his place were far
from the finest. He and his family
probably saw very little ready money.
but within five years from the time
his farm was leased TO oil producers he was
worth at least 500, 900, and WIS living
in q very fine mansion at rankin
He and his wife have both been dead IL
number of years. and left considerable
wealth to their sons. one Of whom, /
believe, still owns the old place.
''MacCray's farm was one OF the first
leased. and soon after the McElhaney farm
near it was leased by man named Funk,
who made an immense fortune out OF it.
Funk probably had $4,000 when he began,
and he was soon worth at least 81 900, 900.
He died few years after he had amasSed
this immense fortune, leaving it to his
family. The owners of the farm also
became very rich. as IN those days the
royalty paid TO the owner OF the land
was often one-half in addition Ia a bonus
of 81 900 an acre.
"One OF the most celebrated farms in
the Oil Greek region was that OF George
Washington McCIintOCk. Like others liv-
ing in that region. Mr. McCHntOck had n
good farm with few poor buildings or it.
and was glad 10 make a little extra money
floating RATS OF logs To- the river. His
farm was leased by Brewer and Watson.
He only got One-fOurth royalty, believe
but in few years H. WAS worth at least
half a million. He moved to MeadvilIe
where. ! think, some OF his family are
still living.
AT least 900 persons made larger or
smaller fortunes out or the oil prDduced
from this farm. The Central Petroleum
Company was formed OF persons Interested
in it, and is Stin in existence. though it
does not now control this property. Al
though in a few years following brakes
discovery. and preceding the day of oil eX-
1T a oil fr1 frf- N
30 cents to SiI a barrel. still nearly every
body who started i'm a small way made
money, and the fun history OF this farm
would furnish some very noticeable in
stances or IL.
one somewhat amusing one is OF an
acre in which Mr.. MeClintock traded his
interest, probably on the chance or the
wells on IL being busters, for an old
horse. The owner OF the horse was a
| man named Killen. and the animal was Not
| worth more than 500. but a FEW mont hS
| after the transaction a Well came in ON
| KHlen's acre which enabled him to sell
! out for $1,000. never heard what KiIlen
did with his money, but the next day
| the man who purchased sold fer $40, goo.
AID four or five days later the second
purchaser got $4,000 for his holding.
Another instance, somewhat OF this
| character. though the scene of il was an-
| other farm, which cane under my obSer-
q Il
He borrowed 81 900 To- purchase a one
sixteenth interest IN the royalty on a well
which was being d drilled and which amounted
| to one-tbirty y-Second OF the product or the
well itself. 1t came IN n 400-barrel well
| and sixty da Us later the clergyman sold out
| for SIS 900 and toek trip to Europe
! think the trip was IOT his health and il
not, the object must have been equally
| praise worthy for he came back and con
| tinued To preach the Gospel till the day
/ of his death. and while he was preaching
| he spent the money he had made out of
| oil i'll doing good.
John Stevenson was another Oil Creek
| farmer. no richer than the others / have
| mentioned. when the leasing of territory
] on oil Greek began, bat who became richer
| than most OF the others. i think he must
| have been worth at least a million. when
| he removed to Ohio a few years after the
| first we'll was put down on his place. /
| never learned how he employed his wealth.
The WIiIIaII>- Story farm was one out
| OF which perhaps aS 7seany fortunes were
made aS any other. There weT2~400 acres
of il. and the Columbia Oil Company, CJ5I--z
| posed mainly OF PittSbuTg PARTIES, was
formed To- operate il. The owner. like the
| owners of other farms which a ftw years
| before the oil period would net much more
| than sustain the people living on them.
| of course became immensely rich. The
| Buchanans were another family whom the
| oil excitement found living in a log cabin
| and in few years made worth hundreds
OF thousands of dollars james Farr is
| another of those whose names recur to
| me because of the attention their suddenly
acquired riches attracted 10 them. Knight
| mention a dozen or two mere, but in many
| cases il would be unkiEd 10 do even that,
because their wealth proved anything bat
| a blessing to them, and they would have
| lived longer and died far happier if they
| had been allowed TO lead the IaboriOus
| and simple lot to which they were born