Bios: More Akers Family History: Brush Creek Township, Fulton Co

Contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by Michael Caldwell.
 msc@juno.com

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Transcriptions of two letters written to Bessie V. AKERS by Emory A.
SLAGLE, apparently in response to a request for genealogical information
on the Akers family.

Background information:
Bessie V. Akers was a daughter of Edward Dallum AKERS (30 Nov 1853-Feb
1921) and Mary Elizabeth TRUAX (3 Aug 1859-13 Apr 1943) who were married
21 Sep 1880. The Akers family lived in Brush Creek Township, Fulton
County, Pennsylvania.

Emory A. SLAGLE (b. Nov 1865) was a son of Andrew SLAGLE (b. ca 1831) and
Amanda A. AKERS (13 Feb 1833-23 Aug 1871).  Mr. Slagle wrote his letters
to Bessie V. Akers in August 1941 from Hanover, PA.

Any interested researchers may contact the submitter at msc@juno.com for
further information on the Akers family of Brush Creek Township, Fulton
County, Pennsylvania.
_____________________________________________________________

LETTER #1

Hanover, Pa.  Aug. 4, 1941

        Dear Miss Akers,
Your favor of the 2nd, instant at hand, I will try to answer your
questions to the best of my ability.  I am enclosing a crude pencil
sketch of Akersville, as I knew it from 1871 to 1881.  (I was born in
Nov. 1865) in the old house now falling down.  My parents then moved to
what we called the black house, about 75 yds. on down the road, a few
yards farther on was a wagon makers shop, on the old McElwain road we
called it.  We lived in the black house till my mother was stricken with
her fatal illness, when we moved back to Grandpa Akers' house so Grandma
could look after my mother.
        After my mother's death in Aug. 1871, Grandpa rented the farm to
Benjamin Hanks, who then married Angeline Akers.
        Ben Hanks still lived in the black house till Grandpa died and
your grandfather John Harvey Akers bought it at public sale.
        My crude sketch will give you an idea where Tom Schooley's house
and tannery stood.
        Your Grandfather occupied the stone house on the hill, and raised
his entire family there.
        The first person I recollect living in the Mill house was a Mr.
Truex, whom I presume was your maternal Grandfather.
        The next was a Mr. Grove, also a Mr. Clevenger, and there were
others but I have forgotten their names.  The last few years your
grandfather ran the mill himself.  Your father (Dallum Akers) lived there
when I left, if I recollect rightly.  He was just starting to practice
dentistry.  I have a vivid recollection of the negroes living in the old
School house.  Your grandfather had hired the man as a teamster, he was
black, a full blooded negro, his wife was probably a mulatto, as she was
quite light complected.  After they lived in the old school house a year
or so they had twins.  Your Aunt Louisa Akers (Mrs. Carpenter) was
teaching the school that winter.
        One day after the noon recess, she told us if we were good and
studied our lessons, she would take us over to see the twins.  Negroes
were a curiosity in that neck of the woods, so we were all agog, and were
somewhat disappointed when they looked just like the babies we were used
to seeing.
        As the church was build years before I always went to S.S. in the
church.
        The house and tannery were just a mass of ruins as far back as I
can recollect.
        There were no signs of any other houses on that side of the
Creek, but I have a hazy recollection of a house near where the creek
runs against a high bluff to the right.  This as I remember hearing
Grandma tell.
        My grandfather Israel Akers built and ran the carding mill to
about 1877.
        Ben Hanks and I ran it two summers, but business in that line had
fallen off so it was unprofitable to keep it going any longer.  People
did not spin and weave their own clothes any more.
        The barn at the creek behind the old house, on the old road to
the church was just a temporary affair, with room at each end for 4
horses or cattle if tied and narrow feeding entry between and a good
sized hay mow overhead.  The big log barn where we stored our crops and
kept the stock stood where your house now stands.  We had a straight road
down to the creek to water the stock.
        The reason I remember the new road behind the church so well was
when I was at a curious age, about 9 years.  They had to blast some rock
at the base of Owl Hill, I thought that was marvelous, so I had to try
it.  I found a big stone behind the old barn at the creek, and sneaked a
chisel at the shop and went to work, as I had seen the men on the road
do.  I had to be careful I did not get caught, so it took me a couple of
days to get a hole in the rock about 4 or 5 inches deep.  I then swiped
some powder from Grandpas old powder horn, then ran against the problem
of a fuse to set the powder off.  Finally I solved that by wrapping some
stiff paper around a slate pencil and filling it with powder.  I loaded
my hole with a charge of powder, a wad, then the fuse, and tamped it full
of clay as I had seen the men do on the road.  I was a little leary of
what might happen, but mustered up spunk enough to light the fuse and run
as fast as I could.  I got about ten ft. away when it let go and pieces
of stone rained down all around me.  Fortunately I was not hurt, but I
have no desire to build roads to this day.
        Wishing you success in your research of the Akers families.  I
am,

        Cordially yours,
        Emory A. Slagle

LETTER #2

Hanover, Pa.  Aug. 17, 1941

        Dear Miss Akers,
It is a lovely sunday morning, somewhat windy after a day of rain we
needed very much, as we had no rain since the 2nd week of July.
        We were fortunate here as I see in the Pittsburg paper that most
of the central and western part of the Old Keystone State had a regular
deluge coupled with a devastating windstorm.
        I don't remember ever hearing where John Wesley Akers lived while
in the old valley.  Grandma Akers often spoke of what good times they
used to have, right often.  She and Grandpa were married at a house that
stood at the extreme south west corner of the old place near the line of
the old West Asa Akers place, we used to call that field the back
orchard, as it had a few scraggly old apple trees in it.  I am wondering
now if that was John Wesley Akers' home.
        My mother died of that dread disease tuberculosis.
        The chair maker shop spoke of in the history of Akersville was a
surprise to me, as I had never heard it spoken of before.
        Grandpa and Uncle Benson and Milton Akers ran the sawmill in
winter and spring when water was plenty up to 1864.
        My father, (just married) then took over the saw mill till the
spring of 1872, when he returned to his native Adams County.  My mother
having died in Aug., 1871.  From that time on to Grandpa Akers death, Ben
Hanks ran the Sawmill and farm.
        The cardingmill was only run during warm weather, as the mill had
to be above 70 degrees of heat to get the proper results.  So that left
plenty of time during the fall and winter for the sawmill.  Grandpa was
like your grandfather J.H. Akers, a very versatile man.
        He had a turning lathe, a power operated cider mill, and a saw to
make plastering lath, out of the slabs from the saw mill, all in all in a
basement under the cardingmill.  He repaired furniture, made tables,
repaired wagons.
        Uncle Milton Akers was good with tools also, as long as he was at
home.  No one outside the family ever ran anything on the Israel Akers
place till Ben Hanks took over.  When Grandpa was too old and decrepit to
handle the business.
        The saw mill was the old up and down mill so prominent all around
that valley at the time.
        I remember well the curiosity and even unbelief when your
grandfather J.H. Akers built the first circular saw mill the most of us
had ever seen on the east side of the old grist mill.
        Many thought like the backwoodsman, when he saw his first
hippopotamus, "There ain't no sich animile."  When we saw it go through a
log nearly as fast as we could walk, it was just too much for the
imagination.  5 logs was a good days work for the old up and down.  The
circular saw handled that many in an hour.  Do you know there was an old
up and down saw mill on Brush Creek about 100 yds. upcreek from the
bridge on the McElwain road that runs behind the church and school house?
 They had an immense dam clear across the little valley that dammed the
water nearly up to the road along the hill.  Elijah Hanks ran it and the
lower Sproat farm as we knew it then.  Joe Foor ran the next farm, and
Writ Sproat the one next to the mountains.
        The farm buildings of these three farms were all that were on
that road when I left Akersville, you can imagine my surprise in Sept.
1937 my brother and I made an auto trip to the old home and drove down
that road from the Lincoln highway.  The new houses had me all mixed up.
I wish I were able to give you accurate answers to all your questions, as
Old Akersville has a warm place in my heart.  I have gradually become
almost deaf, so reading and recalling old times is my chief occupation.
Otherwise I am in good shape for 76.  Keep a good big lawn trimmed and
mowed, have a few tools and work bench in my cousin's garage where I make
flower stands and other things as the spirit moves me.
        Your Uncle James, and Elliot and Frank Akers, West Asa Akers,
were school mates and chums of mine.  We used to have great times
hunting, swimming, and shooting mark with the old long muzzle loading
rifles in vogue at that time.

        Oh the days gone by; Oh the days gone by;
        The music of the laughing lip, the luster of the eye,
        The children's faith in fairies and Alladin's magic ring,
        The simple soul reposing glad belief in everything.
        When life was like a story, holding neither sob nor sigh
        In the golden olden glory of the days gone by.

                                                 James Whitcolm Riley

Yours sincerely,
Emory A. Slagle