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/462

 408

COLUMBIA AND MONTOUR COUNTIES

miles from the Rhine. He married Susanna W eaver, and their children w ere: Philip^ Daniel, Frederick* Charles, Matthias, and three daughters. Philip Maus* a native o f Prussia, bom in 17 3 1, came to the New W orld with his parents in 17 4 K the family landing at Philadelphia, where they settled. He attaidcd school there, and soon learned to write and sneak Eng­ lish fluently, as well as German, n 17 50 he was apprenticed to learn stocking manufac­ turing, and within five years he had estab­ lished liintscif in the business, in which he met with substantial success, continuing it for about twenty years, until the troubles in­ cident to the prepress of the Kevolutionar)’ war made it necessary for him to suspend opcr^ions. During the w ar liis familiarity with the business enabled him to lie o f great service* fo r he was an earnest upholder of the Colonial cause and made many sacrifices in its interest. H is means were ani[>lc for the time* and he invested Largely in furnishing clothing for the soldiers* taking his pay in Continental money* o f which he had between forty and fifty thousand dollars when it be­ came worthless. The late f’hilip F . Maus, one o f his descendants, father o f Philip Eu ­ gene Maus, had baskets full o f this old cur­ r e n t (most o f it is now in the possession of V. £. M aus). A letter written by Philip Maus during this period, and still preserved, is o f interest in this connection: Philadelphia. 9 Octo. 1776. M r. Sam uel UpdegralT. S i r :— B y ihc hearer. Mr. Joseph Kerr* 1 send you the balUnce of the price of K doz pairs o f buckskin breeches. I houghi o f you* having paid you fp in advance* the baUancc being ii4 3 j s . which he w ill pay you on delivering him the goods. I f you h ave any more tn dtsmise o f he will ccmlraet with you fo r them, and 1 shall be glad if you and him can agree. Vi>ur humble servant.

P n iu r M.ws.

Incidental to his activities during the Rev­ olution M r. Maus formed the intimate ac­ quaintance with Denjamin Franklin and Rob­ ert M orris which lasted to the end of their davs. O f Mr. M aus’s three brothers* Fred­ erick* Charles and Matthew, the last named became prominent as a surgeon during the Revolutionary war, serving throughout the conflict, w as with General Montgomery on his expedition into Canada* and when the (V ncral fell before Quebec aided Colonel Burr in carrying aw ay his body. One Daniel Maus w as in* Washington’s army. Several years before the Revolution Philip M ans had* invested some suqilus capital in 600 acres o f land in wbai is now Montour

county, in the rich and fertile section o f V al­ ley township. The (xatetus* from Thomas and John Penn, are dated A pril 3* 1769, among the earliest issued from the county, as soon as it was possible to obtain titles in the ne%v Indian purchase* w'hich included all this part o f Pennsylvania. The proprietaries reserved a (Krpctual quit rent o f twopence per acre, W'hich was paid until the Commonwealth com­ pensated the Penns and became the proprie­ tor of the lands* A t the time M r. Maus made the contract this tract was on the outer fringe of the settlements* and no improvements were made on the property until after the Revolu­ tion. When the war ended his fortune had been so reduced* by the stoppage o f his regular business and the unfortunate deterioration o f Continental currency* with which he had been paid for the material w hich he bought to m ake garments for the army, that he turned his a t­ tention to his land* and as soon as |>eace und safety }>crmittcd brought his family hither. With the brief exception mentioned below, it was his home for the next thirty years. D an ­ ville was an incipient (ow n. then called M ont­ gom ery's l.anding, founded by the brothers Daniel and William Montgomery a few y e ars before, and consisting ot a few log cabins occupied by h alf a dozen families, nearly all from southeastern Pennsylvania and western New Jersey. Breeches* moccasins and hunt­ ing shirts of leather were generally worn, and all the surrotmdings and conditions of living were exceptionally primitu'c. The M au s tract* stretching along the northern base of Montour Ridge, with the Mahoning creek flowing through it, was overgrown with tim ­ ber and brush. It was typical of the n u n and his custom o f doing things systematically that when he and hts son Philip came to pre­ pare the home he brought two carpenters w ith lim from Philadelphia* and his cabin w as the first erected in what is now* Valley townshi|i. It stood on the right bank of the stream, h alf a mile above the homestead, and nearly half a mile from the present stone mi]], i f c and his son Philip comnKoccd to clear the forest immediately around the house prcparator)' to cultivating the land, and he intcncfed to have the other part of the tract cleared. But the Indian troubles commenced before any gn ^t progress had been made, and as there w*cre no provisions for protecting the settlers here they were compelled to go to Northumber­ land. .Articles they could not conveniently carry, tools, implements, etc., were buried to secrete them from the Indians, and Mr. Maus rented his place, the tenants agreeing to take