HISTORY: Commemorative Biographical Encyclopedia, Chapter 7, Hulings, Dauphin County, PA Contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by Judy Bookwalter Copyright 2007. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/dauphin/ http://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/dauphin/runk/runk-bios.htm _______________________________________________________________ Commemorative Biographical Encyclopedia of Dauphin County, Containing Sketches of Representative Citizens, and Many of the Early Scotch-Irish and German Settlers. Chambersburg, Pa.: J. M. Runk & Company, 1896, pages 118-121. _______________________________________________________________ MARCUS HULINGS AND HIS FAMILY. From data in our possession we are able to give the year of the location of an early settler at the mouth of the Juniata, that of Marcus Hulings in 1753. Day and Rupp, relying upon tradition, give the time "possibly as early as 1735." It is a matter of history that all the settlers on Shearman's creek and the Juniata had been removed by the sheriff, Andrew Work's posse in 1750, and the houses of the settlers burned; so that it was not for two or three years at least afterwards that the hardy frontiersman ventured to build his rude cabin on the forbidden land. It is stated by Watson that Marcus Hulings came from Marcus Hook on the Delaware. Nevertheless, the Hulings were among the earliest settlers on that river, locating there long before the founder came over and constituted the grand old Commonwealth called for him. The name is spelled Uhling, Hewlings and Hulings, and is Swedish. A few years after locating on the Juniata came Braddock's defeat, and all the horrors of an Indian war followed. In the spring after (1756) the savages had reached the Susquehanna; but the few scattered frontiersmen were unequal for the conflict, and were obliged to flee. Some lingered too long, for the wily red man came down suddenly and the tomahawk and scalping-knife were reek- DAUPHIN COUNTY 119 ing with the life-blood of the hardy, but unfortunate pioneers. Mr. Hulings, on being apprised of the near approach of the savages, hurriedly packed up a few valuables and, placing his wife and youngest child upon a large black horse (the other children having previously been removed to a place of safety) fled to the point of the island, ready to cross over at the first alarm. Forgetting something in the haste, and thinking the Indians might not have arrived, Mr. Hulings ventured to return alone to the house. After carefully reconnoitering, he entered, and found, to his surprise, an Indian upstairs "coolly picking his flint." Stopping some time to parley with the savage, so that he might retreat without being shot at; the delay, to his wife, seemed unaccountable and, fearing he had been murdered, she whipped up her horse and swam the Susquehanna. The water was quite high, but, nowise daunted, she succeeded in reaching the opposite shore in safety. Mr. Hulings soon appeared, and finding the animal with his wife and child had disappeared, in turn he became alarmed, but a signal from the eastern shore of the stream relieved his anxiety, and he himself, by means of a light canoe, was safe from pursuit. The fugitives succeeded in reaching Fort Hunter, where the Baskins and others of their neighbors had congregated and the inhabitants of Paxtang had rallied for a defense. It was not until the fall of fort Duquesne, and the erection of Fort Pitt, that Marcus Hulings returned to his farm with his family. A year after, however, we find him at the forks of the Ohio, where he took up a quantity of land. In the meantime, encroachments were being made upon his lands on the Juniata, and in 1762 we have the following letter, protesting against the same: "Fort Pitt, May the 7th, 1762. "To William Peters, Esq., Secretorey to the Propriatorries in land office in Philadelphia, &c.: "The Petitioner hereof humbly showeth his grievance in a piece of uncultivated land, laying in Cumberland County, on the Northwest side of Juneadey, laying in the verry Forks and point between the two rivers, Susquehanna and Juneadey, a place that I Emproved and lived on one Year and a half on the said place till the enemeyes in the beginning of the last Warrs drove me away from it, and I have had no opertunity yet to take out a Warrant for it; my next neighbour wass one Joseph Greenwood, who sold his emprovement to Mr. Neaves, a merchant in Philadelphia, who took out a warrant for the s'd place, and gave it into the hands of Collonel John Armstrong, who is Surveyor for Cumberland County; and while I was absent from them parts last Summer, Mr. Armstrong runed out that place Joyning me, for Mr. Neaves; and as my place layes in the verry point, have encroached too much on me and Take away part of Improvements; the line Desided between me and Joseph Greenwood was up to the first small short brook that empyed into Susquehanna above the point, and if I should have a strait line run'd from the one river to the other with equal front on each River from that brook, I shall not have 300 acres in that survey; the land above my house upon Juneaday is much broken and stoney. I have made a rough draft of the place and lines, and if Your Honour will be pleased to see me righted, the Petitioner hereof is in Duty bound ever for you to pray; from verry humble serv't, "MARCUS HULINGS." With the foregoing he sent the following note to Mr. Peters: "May ye 17th, 1762. "SIR: I have left orders for Mr. Mathias Holston living in Upper Merrion of Philadelphia county, to take out two warrants for me, one for the Point between the two Rivers, and one for the Improvements I have in the place called the Onion bottom on the south side of Juneadey right apposite to the other, where I lived six months before I moved to the other place; from your humble servant, MARCUS HULINGS." Directed to "William Peters, Esq., Secretorey to the Propriatories land office In Philadelphia." With these letters is the "rough draught" of the land at the mouth of the Juniata, which would be worth reproducing, as no description we can give will convey an accurate idea of it. Three islands are noted. One now known as Duncan's Island is marked "Island" and house as "Widdow Baskins." The large island in the Susquehanna known as Haldeman's Island containing three houses-the one to the southern point "Francis Baskins" one-third further up, on the Susquehanna side, "George Clark," while about the center that 120 HISTORICAL REVIEW of "Francis Ellis." On the north point is the word "Island." Almost opposite, on the east bank of the Susquehanna, is "James Reed's" house; while between the center of the island and the western shore is a small triangular "Island," so marked. On "the point" between the "Susquehanna River" and the "Juneadey River," near the bank of the latter stream, is "Hulings' house." Some distance from "the point" is a straight line running from river to river on which is written "this is the way I want my line;" while beyond on the west Branch of the Susquehannah nearly opposite "James Reed's" house is "Mr. Neave's house." Farther up the river, opposite a small island is "Francis Ellis'" house. A circuitous line denominated "Mr. Neave's line," crosses the straight line referred to which included "Part of Hulings' Improvement." On the south side of the Juniata below the mouth thereof is "William Kerl's" house; opposite the point of Duncan's Island, "James Baskins'" house, while "Hulings' house" (another improvement) is farther up - in what is named the "Onion bottom." Beyond this on the same side of the Juniata is a house marked "Cornelius Acheson, who has encroached upon Hulings' Improvement in the Onion bottom - settled there last Spring." Opposite the islands on the east bank of the Susquehanna are "Peter's mountain" and "narroughs." We suppose Mr. Hulings was "righted," as he desired. Becoming discontented with the situation at Pittsburgh, Hulings sold his claim for L200 and returned to his home at the mouth of the Juniata, where he made considerable improvements. He established a ferry, and built, says Watson, a causeway at the upper end of Duncan's Island for pack horses to pass. Marcus Hulings' home was lately in the possession of Dr. George N. Reutter. He originally owned all the land between the Susquehanna and Juniata below New Buffalo, and had also a tract of land at the mouth of Shearman's creek, then in Rye township, Cumberland county, but now Penn township, Perry county. Mr. Hulings died in September, 1788, and is buried in a graveyard near Losh's Run. Mrs. Hulings, who maiden name has not come down to us, was a remarkable woman, and on more than one occasion forded the mill at Fort Hunter with a small bag of grain-when waiting til it was ground, she hastened homeward. This, however, was only in the first years of their pioneer life, for shortly after a grist mill was erected on Shearman's creek. She was a brave and intrepid pioneer woman, and a noble wife for the hardy frontiersman. She died prior to the Revolution and is buried in the same graveyard with her husband, but their graves are unmarked. They had five children who survived their parents: I. MARCUS, the eldest, born in 1747, possibly never returned with his father from Fort Pitt. He erected a large stone tavern and established a ferry on the south side of the Monongahela river, opposite the foot of Liberty street, Pittsburgh. It was afterwards, says Mr. Isaac Craig, for half a century known as Jones' ferry house, and as frequently noted in the journals of travelers about the commencement of the present century. He seems to have been quite prominent on the western frontiers and is frequently made mention of. Gen. Richard Butler, one of the commissioners appointed to hold treaties with the Northern and Western Indians, in his journal of October 1, 1785, says: "I fortunately recommended the employment of one Mr. Hulings, who I find to be a very useful, active and ingenious man, he goes ahead with a small canoe to search out the channel, which we find to be very crooked." This was no doubt Marcus Hulings. In the journal of Gen. Joseph Buell, the arrival at Fort Harmar of "Uhling, a trader on the river," is mentioned three times, November 5 and December 3, 1786, and on the 4th of January, 1787. For more than ten years subsequent to 1790, Marcus Hulings was employed by Major Isaac Craig, quartermaster at Pittsburgh, in transporting military stores up the Allegheny to Fort Franklin and to Presqu' Isle, and down the Ohio and Mississippi to the military posts on those streams. Major Craig's letter-books and papers contain ample evidence that Marcus Hulings was a faithful and reliable man in all his undertakings. We have no knowledge as to his subsequent career, although we are informed that he died in Tennessee. He left descendants. II. MARY, b. in 1749; m., 1st Thomas Simpson; 2d, on January 18, 1780, William Stewart. They had four children. She d. February 22, 1790. Mr. Stewart afterwards m. Mrs. Martha Espy, widow of James Espy. DAUPHIN COUNTY. 121 III. SAMUEL, b. in 1751, also located on the Ohio. He owned an island in the Allegheny called Hulings', and we presume is yet known by that name. Samuel Hulings married and left issue. IV. JAMES, b. in 1753; we have no knowledge whatever. V. THOMAS HULINGS, youngest son of Marcus Hulings, who succeeded to the paternal estate, b. March 3, 1755; d. in Buffalo township, Perry county, March, 1808. He was a prominent man in the locality, and served on several important State commissionions. He was twice married; 1st, to Elizabeth, daughter of Gen. Frederick Watts, of the Revolution, and Jane Murray, his wife, b. July 7, 1749; d. July 15, 1801. They had issue: i. Rebecca, b. March 25, 1789; m., May 21, 1811, Robert Callender Duncan, son of Judge Duncan, of Carlisle, from whom Duncan's Island derives the name. She died in April, 1850, leaving two children: Dr. Thomas Duncan, who d. in 1879, without issue; and Benjamin Styles Duncan, who d. in 1870, leaving four children now residing on Duncan's Island. It may be here remarked that Mrs. Duncan, in her will, says, "of Isle Benvenue." ii. Marcus, b. February 11, 1791; removed to the South; m. and left issue. iii. Frederick-Watts, b. March 9, 1792; m. and settled in Tennessee, where he became quite prominent, being at one time speaker of the House of Representatives of that State. He was a captain in the Confederate army, and while attempting to get on a train of cars during the Rebellion was severely injured, from the effects of which he died at his then residence, New Orleans. He left issue. vi. David-Watts, b. 1793; m. Maria Patton of Lewistown. He studied law and was admitted to the Dauphin county bar April 21, 1823. He became the possessor of the old homestead, but afterwards disposed of it and purchased largely near Lewistown. He bought Hope Furnace, which he greatly improved. He represented Mifflin county in the Legislature. Subsequently he removed to Baltimore, where he died leaving children, Thomas, Maria, Ellen, Mary and Lizzie. Thomas married a daughter of General Thomas, of Washington, D. C.; was a colonel in the Civil war, and killed in the battle of the Wilderness. Maria married Lloyd Williams, a lawyer, of Baltimore. Ellen married Charles Denison, of Wilkes-Barre. Mary married Goodwin Williams, of Baltimore, and Elizabeth married Chauncey Reynolds, of Wilkes-Barre. The latter are both widows, residing at Baltimore. v. Mary, b. May 8, 1798; m. James S. Espy, of Harrisburg, and had two children, both of whom are deceased. Thomas Hulings married, secondly, Rebecca, daughter of Andrew and Rebecca Berryhill, of Harrisburg, and had issue: vi. Eleanor, b. 1803; m. John Keagy, of Harrisburg, and had issue: Thomas and Rebecca, both residing at Baltimore. After Mr. Keagy's death, she married Dr. Joseph Ard, of Lewistown, whom she survived. She died at Baltimore in June, 1880. vii. Elizabeth, b. 1805; m. James Dickson, of Lewistown, and had issue: Annie and William. The latter died in Philadelphia in 1875, leaving Annie, who resides at New Bloomfield. Mrs. Dickson, the last surviving child of Thomas Hulings, died at New Bloomfield on the 25th of July, 1881. viii. Julia, m. William Bringhurst, of Clarkesville, Tenn., and had issue, three boys and three girls; two of the former are dead, the remaining children married and are residing in Tennessee.