History: Family: Cummings/McCune Families: Fayette County, PA

Cummings Family History:  
 Relates to early settlement of Fayette County, PA  

Copyright   2000 by Barbara Shultz. This copy contributed for use the 
USGenWeb Archives. bshultz@hhs.net

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         SCRAP OF HISTORY RECALLED

"Two Early Pioneer Families and Their Posterity"
by A.H. Harbaugh in Mountaineer 
published by request from The Mill Run Advance,
vol. 1, number 8, November 25, 1909, published by the
Franklin Printing Co., Mill Run, PA

    A well-known pioneer was Alexander Cummings who came to
America from County Down, Ireland, and located in eastern
Pennsylvania.  He served as a soldier in the Revolutionary War and was
married, but his wife dying, he soon married Jane Livingstone of Little
York; and to this union were born five sons and four daughters.  His
sons were Robert, James, Alexander, Samuel, and William.  Of his
daughters, Mary, known as "Polly", never was married. Margaret
married Samuel McCune; Sarah married R. Rush; Nancy married
Captain James B. Morris.  Cummings' settlement was one of the first in
the township and was originally composed of two tracts, having 150
and 148 acres in Bullskin Township.  The survey made for Alexander
Cummings April 23, 1788, was called "Little Hopes" and the land was
described as being one mile north of the Turkeyfoot road where it
crosses Indian Creek.  His home was on land now owned by George
Kern, and where stands the old orchard.  He owned lands directly
southeast of Normalville, now known as the Sherbondy, Kern, Davis,
Hall, and Prinkey tracts.  Cummings was a man of considerable ability
and possessed many fine traits of character which gave prominence
among the pioneers.  During the Whiskey Insurrection in Western
Pennsylvania in 1794, a detachment of Washington's soldiers on their
way stopped at Cummings' home and Mrs. Cummings prepared a
bountiful dinner for the hungry troops, when one of the soldiers, it is
said, predicted that the shy and frightened boy baby in the cradle would
"some time be a congressman."  The infant, James, grew up to
manhood and moving west, served two terms in the Ohio legislature. 
In the year 1798, Alexander Cummings was one of the supervisors of
highways, and in 1801, he was one of the overseers of the poor.  He
was a Presbyterian, as were other members of his family.  His wife died
July 30, 1824, at the age of 62 years.  Her remains were deposited in
the private burying ground on the old farm.  Mr. C. moved into the old
log house on the Hall farm, then occupied by his son William and
daughter "Polly" and after a career of usefulness, at the age of 93 years,
he departed this life, Jan. 9, 1842, and his remains placed beside his
beloved companion.  Samuel died Jan. 8, 1834, aged 26 years. 
William died Dec. 18, 1851, while sitting by the fire at the Springfield
Inn, at the age of 40 years.  The house was owned by Levi Miller, and
was kept by Moses Coughenour at the time.  The probable cause of
death was heart trouble, as he had been ailing.  The bodies of the two
sons named lie beside the parents at George Kern's place; the lot
enclosed is in plain view of all passers along the road.  Mary, or
"Polly," after living many years with Captain Morris, died Jan. 5, 1862,
aged 92 years.  Margaret McCune died Nov. 19, 1868, aged 71 years. 
Nancy Morris died Jan. 10, 1880 at the age of 87 years.  These three
sisters were buried at the Bigham graveyard at Mill Run, as also are the
husbands of the two latter.  Captain Morris, a gentleman of some note,
having lived on the S.M. Hutchison farm, formerly McCune and after a
residence of many years in Springfield where he once kept store, and
held important offices, whose sons were A.C. and L.W. Morris.  A.J., a
son, died younger and after the death of his wife, he married Sarah S.,
the youngest daughter of "Judge John Kern, leaving no issue.  He died
Sept. 23, 1890, at the age of 80 years.  

The father of Samuel McCune and the grandfather of James McCune
of  this township, was James McKeown, Esq., who located on the other 
side of Indian Creek from where lived Alexander Cummings.  He
located  by building a public house on the eastern slope where lives
Iverson Morrison.  He was of good reputation and was one of the
earliest justices of the peace.  He too, like his neighbor previously
described, came from County Down, Ireland in 1792.  He was married
to Martha Russell in 1790, and to this union were born two
sons--Samuel and John R.  A daughter, Ellen, died in infancy.  Squire
McCune (formerly McKeown) also operated a small distillery.  While
entertaining the public on the Turkeyfoot Road, he boarded many
employees of the St. John Furnace.
  
    Samuel and John R. made the first illuminating gas possibly in
this state about the year 1800, John R. being the leader in the
experiment when 14 years of age; Samuel was 2 years his senior. 
Having conceived the idea from reading Goldsmith, they procured an
unused teakettle, and filling it with coal, they made air tight by
enclosing in a fireclay covering; attaching a tube to the spout and
placing the retort into a coal fire in the grate, the gas generated in the
kettle and steamed forth from the end of the tube which when ignited,
made a large, brilliant flame, enabling the boys to pursue their studies
during the evening hours.  John R. went to Ohio and was married to
Mariah King.  His father also spent his last days with his son at Athens,
Ohio, dying in 1852, aged 94 years.  Born in Lycoming County, John R.
McCune died Nov. 15, 1890, aged 95 years. 

    Samuel McCune was the father of four sons and seven daughters. 
sons:  James, John, Samuel and William A.  Daughters:  Mary or
"Polly" married W.W. Hickman; Martha married Prof. John Bolton;
Jane married Johnson Eccles; Margery, Maggie, and Nancy never
married;  Ella died young. The family were generally useful members
of the Presbyterian Church. Samuel McCune was killed in a coal bank
Jan. 17, 1844, at the age of 52 years.  His widow survived him nearly
25 years.  (Maggie, Margery, and James have died since the above was
written.)