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/514

 COLUMBIA AND MONTOUR COUNTIES lowing, lakcn from a liislory of the county ublUhcd a quarter o f a century ago. is so ighly typical of the times and so interesting a part of the M aus history that it is worthy o f rqK tition : “ H is experience in digging his mill race w as varied, one portion being dug by the Catholics and the other by the Protestants; and several limes M r. M aus had to take pos­ session of the clubs and shillalahs o f both par­ ties to prevent their being used over bloody heads. T his w as called thcir amusement, and by way o f explanation of these theological dtsaission s it m ay be stated that these men consumed eleven barrels o f whiskey while at the w ork and play o f digging the mill race. "T h e experiences of the M aus fam ily arc a graphic illustration o f what were the .sources o f pastime and work o f a respectable, intelli­ gent and well-reared people. H ow completely w ere they thrown upon thcir own resources 1 O nly when they had raised their sheep could they clothe themselves in woolen goods in the winter. For summer they made linen goods of the flax they raised. Woolen or linen, the men wore ‘hunting shirts' much after the style to l)c seen in the pictures o f Datiiel Boone, riic Maus fam ily cultivated, early, two acres o f flax. There w as a Scotch fam ily in the settlement that did mo.st of the weaving. Be­ fore the era o f flax and wool they dressed deerskins and hides o f other animals, and of these made clothing. Rabbitsktn caps were quite an elegant luxury at one time. W c arc told that in the M aus home during the long winter evenings, by the light of lard oil iron lamps, they read books o f devotion, ‘Cook’s V'oyagcs,’ W eems's ‘ L ife o f Washington,’ and then, oh, rare treat, they sometimes took turns and read Goldsmith’s 'Deserted Village,’ 'V’icar o f W akefield,’ and even ’ Don Q uixote.’ These were read aloud, and sometimes Mr. M aus would contribute immeasurably to the enjoyment by apportioning the dramatis per­ sonae among them. “ When the fam ily reached the possession o f an ample fortune a fam ily carriage was purchased; it w as of the style o f Louiv X IV. Nothing ever created a greater sensation in the valley than the arrival o f this fam ily car­ riage. It is said to be the first in what is now Montour county. T he two Montgomerys had a gig each, and these three were the only pleasure carriages in the county for many miles around.’’ A fragment o f a letter from M rs. Maus dated "Northumberland. 178 3.” is so full of interest that we give all that part o f it con­

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tained in the torn portion of the origiiu l let­ ter, as fo llo w s; Y o u r bruttier G eorge likes ib is place very w ell. W h en you c o n e, <lo not fa il t o b rin g lo o W liitc Chapcl needles and tw o o r three ounces o f thread suitable fo r M w in g calico and home-spun linen. G iv e m y lo ve to you r grandpa and grandm a, and tell her 1 wish her t o com e with you and see us; w c w ill arran ge fo r her jo u r iK y to Ix b a n o n and back. Y o u w ill see R e v. S to y 's palace.T e ll her the P coin ton 's bouse up Race Street is nothing to com pare to it and D r. S lo y lives o n ly seventy-live m iles fro m us. .* * * T e ll the g irls tliat Susy and the young girl.i here take a canoe am i g o into the r iv e r lisbing by th em selves; the r iv e r is as clear as a spring and not h a lf a ya rd deep. T liis ts a m ost beautiful and picturesque place.W e have the w ild deer not h a lf a m ile fro m us, skijqiing about the hills w here the boys g o to fetch tl>e cows. A our lo v in g mother, F k a n c u M .s u s.

I’ hilip M aus married Frances Heap, a na­ tive o f England, " a most estimable wife, mother and friend,” and children xvere bom CO them as follow s: George, 17 5 9; Elizabeth. 1 7 6 1; Philip, 17 6 3; Susan, 17 6 5; Samuel, 1767 (he w as a watchmaker and jew eler at rhiladelphia. in 1 8 3 1 ); I-ewis, 17 7 3; Charles, ‘ 7 7 5; Joseph. 17 7 7; Jacob. 17 8 1. Lew is M aus, bora in 17 7 3 . bought an e x ­ tensive tract o f land in Valley township (in what is now Montour county), at that time all a wilderness. H e ran the first keel l ^ tom boat on the Susquehanna. H is w ife, Catherine Bachman, w as o f French descent, and her father w as a soldier in the Revolu­ tionary w a r; the gun he carried passed into the possession o f his grandson, Andrew Ja c k ­ son Maus. T he Bachmans were also an old Pennsylvania family. M r. and M rs. Lew is Maus had ten children, nine o f whom grew to maturity, among them being David D. and Andrew Jackson, the latter the youngest of the family^. David b. M aus w as born at the old home­ stead now ownwl by his daughter (A irs. Jones) in October. 18 18 . Hy trade he was a machin­ ist. and with his brother. L ew is H. Maus, built the first threshing macliinc in this part of the State. He also followed fanning. Mr. M aus married .Agnes Shoemaker, who w as bora in May, 18 33. in Hughesville, P a., daugh­ ter o f Jaco b and S fa rjo ty (M cConnell) Shocnukcr, o f Muncy, this S ta te : M r. Shoemaker was a farm er and also engaged in milling. Mrs. M aus diml N ov. 19. 1895. Mr. Mans 1 -eb. 12 . 1898. T hey had only one child. Catherine Bachman, bora Nov. 26, 1862. at the place where she now lives, the widow of Horatio C. Jones. She received an excellent