Page:Historical and Biographical Annals of Columbia and Montour Counties, Pennsylvania, Containing a Concise History of the Two Counties and a Genealogical and Biographical Record of Representative Families.pdf/302

 COLUMBIA AND MONTOUR COUNTIES Shakespeare and Thom as Fisher. M ost of these p erso n s w ere Q uakers who later remos'cd to points fa rth e r west, being follow ed by d is­ tinctively G erm an settlers, am ong the latter being the K a rig s, K unkels, Driesbachs, Houcks, llolstin cs, K rcish crs and Longcnbergcrs. IN O L'STIU ES

The ro ad to Reading runs directly through this tow nship from northwest to southeast, with a branch in the central part towards llazlctou, o v e r which a large tratfic w as done in the e ra o f settlement and development. T his road w as used fo r a time a fte r its im prove­ ment in 1 8 1 2 as a route fo r stagecoaches, but a few y e a r s Later the Reading road through IxKTUst tow nship drew all 0/ the trade from this section. The first mill in this township w as erected about the ye ar 1 8 1 6 by Jam e s Hibbs at (Ite site o f M ilt G rove, which is now ju st on the b o rd er liiie between Locust and R oaringcrcek townships. Hibbs also bought from Jtdin N ix o n and Ale.xander Foster, two m er­ chants o f P h ib d clp h ia, a tract o f land, having as Ilis p artn er Joseph Ham pton. T h e mill w as replaced by the one built by Ju d a h Cherring­ ton in 1850. P eter Sw ank w as the next owner, followed by J . W. H ibbs and David Lon g. It is now in the possession of the Chcrrington family, .-iiother mill w as built on M ill creek, some yc.ars a fte r the Hibbs mill, by Abner Hampton. T h is later came into the posses­ sion o f Willuam Heupka, who rebuilt it. Its la>( operator wa.s Jo h n M ourey. .' few houses were built around the Hibl>s mill and eventually the village o f M ill (irove Mas established. Ju d ah Cherrington opcncil tbe first store there in 1859, and his son, O . W. Cherringion. was Ihe first postmaster, in i8K(>. .- E. Chcrrington is the present successor o f (he >iorekee|)crs and postm asters of the past. SCHOOLS

The first school in this township w as opened in tHi6 in the home o f M ahlon Hibbs, at M ill (irove, and w as tauglit by Joseph Stokes. It was a subscription school, and ran fo r tw'o sessions. It w as reopened in 18 2 1 by Q iarles Breech, who w'as folk>vceen connected closely with the interests o f this township, particularly the schools. Samuel Chcrrin^on w as a locally fam ous m illwright,

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having built most of the gristm ills in tliis and neighboring townships. H e found his grow ing fam ily in need o f schooling and sent to Berks county fo r his father, who had taught schools there fo r thirty-six years. Thom as Cherring­ ton, the father, opened his school in 1 8 17 and taught it fo r fo u r years, being then succeeded by his son Sam uel. Thom as Cherrington w as a mathematician o f no mean attainments, and his descendants have in their |)Osscssion a man­ uscript treatise on mathematics by him tlu t gives evidence o f much knowledge of the sub­ ject. T he first schoolhouse in this township was huilt in 18 30 near M ill Grove. F o r twentythree years (his building w as (he Itome of the Methodist denomination. .At present there are five schools, attended by ninety-five scholars, in the township. T he school directors o f Roaringcreek town­ ship a r c : Owen Hughes, Ira Cherrington, W illiam Bem inger. John Feese, William llofTnian. PO PLI.A TIO S

T he ]X)pulation o f Roaringcreek township in 1840 w as 1.8 4 2; in 1830. a fte r the formation o f M ontour county anccn a M .aclntyrc previous to her m arriage and her father w as one of the founders o f Mctho«lism in C ataw issa township. .After the building o f (he schoolhouse meetings were held there regu­ larly until 1853. when the church building a short distance north o f M ill G rove w as erected. T h e trustees .at that time were W illiam Yocum, D avid Case, J . J . Thom as. W illiam Rhoads. T he first members w ere Phoclie D yer, I. J . Thom as, Joseph Yocum . Je sse Yocum, Ezra Yocum . Sam uel H orn. T h e ^xisiors who served this congregation in the lirst years o f its existence xvere Revs. Black, T agu c. Mcndenh,all, H aughaw aut, G earhart. Cleese. S a v ­ age. Brow n, Guilden. T h is church has been a charge under its own pastors fo r a number o f years. T lie present ^ s t o r is R ev. John H . Greenwalt. In 18 7 3 William Y ea g e r offerc<l $ 1 0 0 and