The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1902-01-09
VOLUME 3.
The Last One Has Fallen.
The death of Wilson Bergstres-


last member of the old Lewis
Bergstresser family.
April, 1645, he, with his father,
Lewis Bergstresser, Sr., and
family, moved from near Shir-
leysburg, Huntingdon county, to
Waterfall-then almost a wilder
ness-on a farm along Sideling
Hill creek, having on it a story
and a-half log house and log barn
both of which are standing yet.
The house roof consists of white
pine shaved shingles put on over
sixty years ago.
His father, being y eood mill
wright, had discovered on this
farm before he bought it, fine
water power, and he intended
pusolng up grist mill, but dying
within month after moving, his
plans were frustrated.
During the years 1S47-8, Will
son Bergstresser spent an ap-
premiership with his uncle, Dan
iel Snyder, at Bradys Bend, Cla-
rion county, Pa, which was then
a wild section of pine and hem
lock forests, and many wild
beasts. Mr.. Snyder having
butchered some sheep, hung the
hides in an upstairs floor of the
mill, and the wild cats having
scented them, made their way in
to the mill at night after the
sheep hides.
Returning from his uncle's
mill at Bradys Bend, he took
charge, in 1849, of Adam Wade
man. s mill at Dublin Mills, this
county. During 1851 he had
charge of the Stone Mill at the
2 furnace at Carrick, in Franklin
county. At the close of 1851, he
was employed by Judge Eyster d
Sons, and took charge of their
large stone Touring mills, in
Chambersburg, Pa, where he re-
manned until the spring of 1859.
July, 1854, he was married in
Kittanning, Armstrong county,
Pa, to Miss Sarah Wright, took
his young bride with him to
Chambersburg, and went to
housekeeping.
To this union were born four
children-three boys and one
girl-Frank A., residing in Chat
tanooga, Tenn, engaged in the
real estate business; Mary, mar
ried to A. e. Witter, merchant at
Waterfall, this county; Mead,
died 1884, aged 81 years, and
Harry H., teaching the home p' b
lie school.
March, 1859, Wilson Bergstres-
ser with his wife and two chill
dren, moved from Cham bers-
burg, where he had been for so
many years employed in the
Eyster Co.'S. Mill, to what is now
Waterfall, Fulton county, Pa
at that time the greater part be-
ing in woods-there being but
one dwelling, ,hRuse on the place
and ne and lis family took up
their abode in that house with his
brother Lewis, who then owned
the old farm.
He proceeded at once to carry
out the purpose of his father,
when fifteen years before, he had
bought the property. The spring
and summer of 1859, he employed
number of good, true, working
men to dig mill race three-quar-
ters of mile in length, and with
his own work, being we'll skilled
in handling edged tools, having
knowledge of carpenter and mill.
wright framing, he was, as it is
often said, head and shoulders
above many others; and with the
aid of carpenters he soon had a
saw mill erected, the timber of
which was taken from the stump,
for he had prepared himself with
a seven-p pound double bit axe to
fell the many great oaks and
pines in the imme diate section
for the building of the saw mill
and the grist mill. In 1859 the
race was dug and the saw mill
built, and in 1860 the grist mill
was built,and started grinding in
April, 1S6l-about the time of the
firing upon Fort Sumter.