The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1905-04-26
O Il ID IT O w NJ.
BY SAMUEL ID. IRWIN.
Continued from last week.)
REV. HEZEKIAH MAY,

history. We now come TO the man with
whom the history of Oldtown is insepara-
bly, connected and who gave 1t the name.
Rev. Hezekiah May WAS born at Haddam,
Conn, on Dec %, 1873, aud died at Tio-
nesta. Pa, July 4, lSi3 The life of this
pioneer was indeed an eventful one. In
youth he witnessed the closing scenes OF
the Revolutionary war. In early manhood
he graduated with honor at Yale college,
and was particularly gifted as linguist,
being proficient IN the Latin, Greek and
Hebrew languages as we'll as German. His
ability as linQuist was Of great service 10
him, studied theology and was ordained as
a minister, preaching At Marblehead,
Mass, from whence he was sent as mis-
sionary to the early settlers and the Pen
obscot Indians of Maine, and was stationed
at Bangor in that province, for 1t was not
state. 1t was there his eldest son, BenJa'
min was born Sept 8, 1903. Benjamin,
who lived until Jan. 10, 1901, used TO say
that he was mot born in any state Of the
union but in the province OF Name The
commission under which Mr.. May was
sent forth was issued by "The New Eng
land Society for the Propagation of the
GOSPEL In the District OF Maipe," as the
caption to 1t indicates. He remained at
Bangor, preaching there aud in the vicin-
ity to the settlers and the Indians several
years with great acceptance. Ten miles
above Bangor, on the Penobscot river, was
An old Indian town called 0ldtown, which
was famous place among the aborigines
at that time, which was the principal
place OF station where he preached TO the
natives. Afterwards town was built on
the same site by the whites and can be To-
Gated on any good map Of Name. About
1915, wishing TO educate his children, he
removed from "the wilds of Maine" TO
Binghamton, N. Y, remaining there but
short time he had call 10 Oswego and
Painted Post, N. Y, preaching over large
district of country, but being ordered by
the New England society he was directed
TO establish churches down along the Sus'
quehanna in Pa, and his journal shows he
went down as far as Northumberland, and
organized churches all along the upper
SusQuehsnns. In looking over his journal
the writer has b en- amazed at the ground
covered on these missionary trips. After
leaving Painted Post with his family we
Hnd him in the vicinity of Tionesta in
"
came about the year 1920, The records of
the Erie Presbytery by the Rev. DR.. Eaton
show that he was at Franklin, Pa, preach
/ ing there and at Unity church lSS0-Sl.
These churches were very small and weak,
and the support quite inadequate, having a
large family to support and raise, and he
still under the auspices of the New England
society mentioned, his friend, the celeb rat
ed Elias Boudinot, the founder of the
American Bible Society, understanding
his needs and difficulties had before this
given him a tract of land Of about 1000
acres at what is known as Oldtown, three
miles above Tionesta, this was about 1920.
1t was not long after this date that finding
. cleared patch of ground on what Is now
known as the farm Of Hon. @. A. Randall,
on which he moved until he went to his
land on the creek above. There was some
confusion over the land lines in that vicin-
ity, as the lands were run out, or supposed
to have been, about 1894. So to precisely
locate the warrant, Mr.. May obtained the
services of Hon. John Irwin, who was ar
eminent surveyor and engineer and whC
was then deputy state surveyor. irwin
came along with his nephew, Richard Ir-
win, young surveyor who afterwards
married the eldest daughter of Mr.. May
They arranged the lines amicably among
all concerned. Seeing the remains of the
old Indian town on the place he called i
Oldtown, after Oldtown in Maine. Man!
traces of Indian occupations are visible Il
this day. He lived at the place for while
The upper part of the tract was fnel!
timbered, so Benjamin, II. H., and Selder
T. May, his brothers, established and bull
fine sawmill TO T those days on the trac
owned by their father which was know
all over the secti on as Oldtown mill. Th,
brothers afterwards built and operated
larger mills further up the same stream
Sslden T. at Minister, Huntington II. al
Buck Mills. About this time Benjamin
married Annie Sturdevant Holmes of Ros-
ton, Mass, moved on the place and farmed
| 10 Tod fhn lafh Ul
mill. Mr.. May, after leaving Oldtown tc
his boys, returned to the village of Tio-
nesta and purchased from John Range Jr
the land ON which the north part of Tio
nesta is now built, on which he lived with
his family until the time of his death il
1913. After his settlement at Tionesta the
German settlers began to arrive and settle
ON the wild lands surrounding the place
Among their leaders was Herman Blum
an old soldier of the Napoleanic campaign
man of considerable ability and culture
In him Mr.. May found congenial frienC
and acquaintance, especially as Mr.. MAY
and his son William could talk German a
voluably as "a native to the manor born.
Consequently he not only acted as spir
itual advisor to the Germans coming int
the country, but was also their trustet
temporal advisor too, keeping thus clear o
litigation, shielding them from imposition
In short he was regarded by these as al
oracle, his word being both law and gospel
Du ring the life of this excellent pionee
his four sons, BENZ Huntington, Seldoi
and William cleared up the land at Old
town. For many years Benjamin ant
Selden managed the place and kept "Bach