HISTORY: Historic Huntingdon, 1767-1909, Chapter 10, County Formation, Huntingdon County, PA Contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by Nancy Lorz Copyright 2007. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/pafiles.htm _____________________________________________________________________ Historic Huntingdon, 1709-1907. Huntingdon Old Home Week, September 5-11, 1909. Souvenir Edition. Huntingdon, Pa.: Historical Committee of the Old Home Week Association, 1909. _____________________________________________________________________ 62 CHAPTER X. Formation of Huntingdon County. STANDING STONE, afterwards known as Huntingdon, on the Juniata and on the trader's road, became in a few years a point of considerable importance. Settlements were made along the river in adjacent valleys. Population in the northern half of Bedford County had so increased as to warrant the inhabitants in demanding from the Assembly the setting off of a new county, and a bill for that purpose was introduced into the Assembly in 1787. When under consideration, on the 19th of September, it was opposed by Messrs. Whitehill, of Cumberland, and Findlay, of Westmoreland, and advocated by Messrs. D. Clymer, Fitzsimmons, Canan (of Bedford) and G. Clymer. Mr. Findlay failed in an effort to have the measure postponed and on a test vote, reached that day, it was passed by a decided majority. It appeared in the discussions that twelve hundred and fifty of the inhabitants of the proposed new county, prayed for its erection, and sixty-nine remonstrated against it. On the next day, September 20, the bill was compared and finally enacted. A part of the text of the bill is as follows: "Sec. I. Whereas, It hath been represented to the General Assembly of this state, by the inhabitants of that part of Bedford County which lies on the waters of the Frankstown Branch of Juniata, the lower part of the Raystown Branch of the same, the Standing Stone Valley, part of Woodcock Valley, the waters of the Aughwick Creek, and other the north- easterly parts of said county of Bedford, that they labor under great hardships from their distance 63 from the present seat of justice, and the public offices for the said county, now in the town of Bedford; for remedy whereof, Sec. II. Be it enacted, etc., That all and singular the lands lying within the bounds and limits, hereinafter described and following, shall be, and are hereby, erected into a separate county, by the name of Huntingdon County; namely, beginning in the line of Bedford and Franklin counties, where the new State road, (by some called Skinners road), leading from Shippensburg to Littleton, crosses the Tuscarora Mountain; thence in a straight course or line, to the gap in the Shade mountain, where the road formerly called Potts' road crosses the same, about two miles north of Littleton; thence by a straight line to the old Gap, in Sidling Hill, where Sidling Hill creek crosses the mountain; thence in a straight line by the northerly side of Sebastian Shoub's mill on the Raystown Branch of Juniata; thence on a straight line to the Elk Gap, in Tusseys Mountain, computed to be about nineteen miles above or southwesterly of the town of Huntingdon (formerly called the Standing Stone), and from the Elk Gap in a straight line to the gap at Jacob Stevens' mill, a little below where Woolery's mill formerly stood, in Morrison's cove; thence in a straight line by the southerly side of Blair's mill, at the foot of the Allegheny mountain; thence across the said mountain, in a straight line, to and along the ridges dividing the waters of Conemaugh from the waters of Clearfield and Chest Creeks, to the line of Westmoreland county; thence by the same to the old purchase line, which was run from Kittanning to the West Branch of Susquehanna River; and along the said line to the said West Branch and down the same to the mouth of Moshannon Creek, and along the remaining lines of boundaries which now divide the county of Bedford from the counties of Northumberland, Cumberland and Franklin, to the place of beginning." The town of Huntingdon, on the river Juniata was fixed upon as the seat of justice for the new county, and Benjamin Elliot, Thomas Duncan Smith, Ludwig Sell, 64 George Ashman and William McElevy appointed trustees, who, or any three of whom, were authorized to take assurance and conveyance of and for the land and grounds proposed to be appropriated in said town for the site of a court house and jail. Courts were to be held on the first Tuesday in the months of December, March, June and September. The voters of the county were authorized to choose one representative to serve in the General Assembly. It becomes a matter of some interest at this day, more than a century after the passage of the bill to create this new county, the eighteenth of the commonwealth, to note the views thereon expressed by contemporaneous writers. In "Pennsylvania Packet and Daily Advertiser," a leading paper of Philadelphia, in the issue of September 21, 1787, under the heading "General Assembly, Wednesday, September 19th" the measure was thus treated: "The bill for erecting part of Bedford county into a new county which was under consideration yesterday, was resumed, when it was argued that it was too late at this time to pass the bill into a law; as it would be impracticable to warn the county against the approaching election. Upon general principles, indeed the bill was thought to be inexpedient and premature. It would be the means of increasing the burthens of government by erecting an additional number of representatives, a member for the executive council, and two members for the council of censors; and it would increase the expenses of the county by introducing the necessity of a double pannel of jurors, and all other officers incidental to county establishments, when it was evident that the charges were already as great as could be well borne by the people. It is true twelve hundred and fifty petitioners have solicited the division of this county, but if we could even be assured that these were all taxable in-inhabitants, it would be a number too small to bear the weight of a separate establishment, and smaller than have ever yet prevailed upon the Legislature in so important a measure. We know, however, that petitions are easily 65 obtained and when the views of a particular district are to be accomplished, we are sure to find a greater number of inhabitants than are ever to be found when a tax is to be levied. Upon the whole, we conceive that we are not bound to comply with every petition that is presented to us but are to judge upon the propriety of the measure proposed as it respects the general interests of the commonwealth. If we acquiesce upon this occasion we must be prepared to acquiesce with every similar request, and experience will teach us to anticipate an indefinite train of divisions and subdivisions in every county. "The friends of the bill observed that it had originated in the first sessions of this house, and if it had been at all disagreeable to the citizens who were to be affected by it, counter petitions would certainly have been presented. But, in truth, it was a measure highly favored by the people and would be equally advantageous to the State at large and to the particular district comprised within the proposed boundaries to the state, by improving our internal commerce and facilitating our trade with the western countries; to the people (who in some instances were obliged to travel eighty miles to the country town), by bringing the courts of justice nearer to their homes. With respect to the expense incurred by the State upon the division of Counties, that was an evil engendered by the constitution, which ought not to counteract the rights and conveniences of the citizens, and the expense incurred by the county would be counterbalanced by the advantages. It was surely sufficient upon that head that those who were to defray the cost did not object to it, and in the present instance the burthen would be considerably diminished, as Dr. Smith presented a lot of ground for the scite of a court house and gaol, and the greater part of the money necessary to erect these buildings would be furnished by a voluntary subscription. "The question being put, the bill was taken up by paragraphs, and after a few amendments in describing the boundaries of the new county, called Huntingdon, it was ordered to be engrossed." 66 An Act to Alter a Certain Line Between the Counties of Mifflin and Huntingdon, on the River Juniata. Sec. I. Be it enacted by the Senate and house of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in the General Assembly met, and it is hereby enacted by the authority of the same, that so much of the county of Mifflin as is contained within the following boundaries, shall be and the same is hereby annexed to the county of Huntingdon, that is to say, crossing the river Juniata one hundred and sixty perches below Drakes ferry house, on the northern side of the river Juniata, thence from the bank of the river north one hundred and sixty perches, thence at a right ankle to the said line to Jack's mountain, to intersect the present line of Huntingdon county, and the said part of Mifflin county shall thereafter be part of the county of Huntingdon, and be in all respects subject to the jurisdiction thereof as fully as if it had been originally part thereof. --Passed 30th March, 1812. Early Election Districts. At the time of the separation from Bedford county the territory of Huntingdon was embraced in three districts, to wit: The third, fifth, and sixth. The fifth and sixth were divided in the formation of the new county, but the voting place for each fell within its limits. The fourth district was formed in 1794, and consisted of the townships of Woodberry and Frankstown and that part of Allegheny township that lies west of the Widow Edington's. The elections were to be held at the store house of Alexander McDowell in Frankstown township. The third district was to comprise Franklin, Tyrone and Morris townships and that part of Allegheny that lies east of the Widow Edington's, and the elections were to be held at the house of Capt. Alexander Ramsey in Franklin township. The fifth and sixth districts were formed in 1797. The former embraced Woodberry and Morris townships, and the place of elections fixed at the house of Robert 67 Smith, in Williamsburg; the latter included all the territory of the county lying between Sidling Hill and Tussey's Mountain and south of the following bounds to wit: From the path on the summit of said mountain leading from Hartsocks fort, by a straight line to and including John Freate's house; thence by a straight line to Forshey's Gap in Terrace Mountain; thence northward along the summit of said mountain to the wagon road leading from Little Trough Creek to Huntingdon; thence by a straight line so as to include the inhabitants of Little Trough Creek to the summit of Sidling Hill. Isaac Crum's house, on the Raystown Branch, was appointed as the place for holding elections. Barree and West townships in 1798 were made the seventh district, and the elections directed to be held at the house of William Murray. That portion of Morris township lying northeast of the Fox Tavern Run was taken from the fifth and added to the third district. The eighth district, formed in 1799, was to consist of Shirley township and that part of Springfield lying west of the Black Log Mountain. John Palmer's house in Shirleysburg was named as the voting place. Dublin township, and the remaining part of Springfield was thereafter to form the second district, and the right of suffrage was to be exercised at the house of George Hudson. The ninth district, erected in 1800, consisted of that part of the township of Allegheny lying west of the summit of the Allegheny Mountain. Cornelius McGuire's house was named as the voting place. At the same time that portion of the sixth district lying northeastward of the following lines, to wit: Beginning in Forshey's Gap in Terrace Mountain, thence by a straight line to the mouth of Little Trough Creek; thence up the Big Trough Creek to Philip Curfman's saw mill; thence by a straight line to the line of the eighth district so as to include the house of Joshua Chilcoat, Jr., was added to the first district, and the elections ordered to be held in the court house in the borough of Huntingdon. A part of West township was also added to the first district, being the part lying south and 68 west of the following bounds, to wit: Beginning at Tussey's Mountain opposite the head of Nelson's Run, thence down said run to Shaver's Creek; thence up said creek to the road leading from McCormick's mill to the borough of Huntingdon. Thence along said road to the line of Huntingdon township.