Barnett Township, Forest County, Pennsylvania.
Barnett Township juts out to the border of Jefferson county between Elk and Clarion. Millstone creek flows through the northwest corner, and, apart from this, the eastern half of the township boasts of only a few rivulets. The western half is a region of small rivers. Maple creek heads up north of Marienville, but assumes some pretensions in the northwest corner of this township, whence it flows south to Clarington, where it enters the Clarion river, receiving Huling's run and a few rivulets in its course. Paralleling it on the west are Coleman and Troutman runs, each the drainer of beautiful valleys. At Redclyffe the elevation is 1,615 feet-- high enough to warrant the existence of coal; but up to 1884 little or nothing was done toward developing its deposits. Sandstone is found here, as in other sections. In 1889 the oil fever reached this township, when experienced oil men were sincere in their opinions that petroleum existed in commercial quantities.
The population of 1880, including the inhabitants in Cooksburg, was 615. in 1888 there were 105 Republicans, 79 Democrats, and 1 Prohibitionist recorded as voting, or a total of 185, representing a population of 925.
The township officers chosen for 1890, are as follows: Constable and collector, J. B. Campbell; treasurer, Jacob Mays; clerk, J. E. Cosgrove; road commissioner, E. A Kuhn; judge of election, Wm. Crossman; overseer of the poor, A. Cook; auditor, James Gray; school directory, Clarence Pratt and R. W. Brenneman.
The owners of personal property in Barnett township in 1852, were John Agnew, J. M. Adams, William and W. A Arthurs, Alphonzo Vaubiot, W., W. Andrews, Isaac Attlebarge, T. Anderson (carpenter), Anderson {Agnew}, (mason), George Agnew, Thady Armstrong, William Allen, Jacob Braden, Arch. Black, Oran Butterfield, D. Burk, James Brandon, John Brandon, Jesse Burchfield, Horace Byham, Robert Black, James Black, John Blacklock, Daniel Black, Daniel Berlin, Daniel {Cook}, John Jr.{Cook}, William {Cook}, Andrew {Cook}, Jeremiah {Cook}, George {Cook}, David {Cook} and John Cook, Simon and William Chapman, W. R. and James Coon, Samuel Consanus, Adam Cupler, A. Coventry, E. Cline, C. Smith, Patrick Kearney, Wm. and Ed. Collins, Alex. Craig, R. Custard, James U. {Daniels}, Jeptha {Daniels}, Henry {Daniels} and W. R. Daniels, Elijah Davis, W. M. Davis, John Dodge, J. Donaldson, Joseph Dunlap, Hiram Drake, John C. David, R. H. and William Downey, Y. Eshelman, John Fitzgerald, E. Forsyth, Jesse Ferry, Sam Fulton, James Forest, John Grant, Milton Gibbs, John Gordon, W. L. Gould, John Houston, W. P. Hutcheson, Nelson Haight, Robert Huling, William Hayden, Lewis Herring and son, Joseph Herring, John Hasley, Peter Hasley, Sol. Hallman, Peter Hicks, William Hottell, Squire Horton, Stephen Hill, A. Jeffries, James Irwin, John Irwin, Chas. C. and Henry Johnson, Christian Kuntz, John and Peter Knight, Phil. Keller (blacksmith), Thomas Kerr, William Kerr, John Kellogue, F. Kennedy, Sam. Long, James Law, A. Lucas, Noble Lucas, D. Motherell, Dave Munn, John Andrew, William and Thomas B. Maze, Henry Moody, Jr., John Moore, John McNaughton, Tom McKay (tailor), Sam Mitchell, Moses McCallum, Alex. Murray, David Munn, Jr., Joseph Martin, John McNeil, R. Moodie, Pascal Moodie, John McMichael (millright), W. P. Miller, John McKenney, H. Mimm, William Martin, A. McCutcheson, Sylvester Nolton, John Nolton, George Nealy, J. C. Nolton, Asa Nichols, James Phipps, George Painter, G. W. Pratt, Sedate Porter, A. J. Platt, Dave Powell, Dan. Poff, J. R. Reynolds, James Rogers, Joseph and William Reynolds, Grove Reed, Rets & Co., Rust & Co., Amos Richards, the Ralstons (3), Ellis Russel {Smith}, William Roberts {Smith}, Eli {Smith} and Amos Smith (carpenters), Shippen, Morrison & Co., John Snyder, W. J. Spence, D. Stowe & Co., John Spafford, Jonah Slocum, R. Smith, George Swarm, W. Stewart, William Shields, A. Strominger, James Truby, William Titus, Dan. Titus, David K. Torney (one watch), Oramill Thing, W. H. Thompson, Elihu Wing, Homer Wing, Charles Wing, Joseph Wallace, Dan. Wolford, Robert Wallace, Dan. Whitman, Jo. Wagoner, James Wallace, Lenni Weaver, (cabinet maker), Sam. N. Warren, James Wing, Benj. Wing, Palmer Worden, John Wright and Charles Yeomans. In March, 1852, William Titus was appointed collector. The value of unseated lands was $72,516, and of seated lands, $40,304.
The pioneers, many of whom are named above, came into this wilderness to hew out homes for their families, and win from the forest that independence which an older civilization denied. Many of them succeeded in this peculiarly American design, and around Cooksburg and Clarington, names connected closely with the first development of this section are found to-day.
Clarington, twelve miles from the railroad at Brookville, is the market town of Barnett township. J. B. Pearasll & Co. and the Shields brothers were general merchants in 1884, and Peter Hesley was grocer.
~ History of McKean, Elk and Forest Counties, by M A Leeson, J.H. Beers & Co, 1890, Pages 901-902
Barnett Township juts out to the border of Jefferson county between Elk and Clarion. Millstone creek flows through the northwest corner, and, apart from this, the eastern half of the township boasts of only a few rivulets. The western half is a region of small rivers. Maple creek heads up north of Marienville, but assumes some pretensions in the northwest corner of this township, whence it flows south to Clarington, where it enters the Clarion river, receiving Huling's run and a few rivulets in its course. Paralleling it on the west are Coleman and Troutman runs, each the drainer of beautiful valleys. At Redclyffe the elevation is 1,615 feet-- high enough to warrant the existence of coal; but up to 1884 little or nothing was done toward developing its deposits. Sandstone is found here, as in other sections. In 1889 the oil fever reached this township, when experienced oil men were sincere in their opinions that petroleum existed in commercial quantities.
The population of 1880, including the inhabitants in Cooksburg, was 615. in 1888 there were 105 Republicans, 79 Democrats, and 1 Prohibitionist recorded as voting, or a total of 185, representing a population of 925.
The township officers chosen for 1890, are as follows: Constable and collector, J. B. Campbell; treasurer, Jacob Mays; clerk, J. E. Cosgrove; road commissioner, E. A Kuhn; judge of election, Wm. Crossman; overseer of the poor, A. Cook; auditor, James Gray; school directory, Clarence Pratt and R. W. Brenneman.
The owners of personal property in Barnett township in 1852, were John Agnew, J. M. Adams, William and W. A Arthurs, Alphonzo Vaubiot, W., W. Andrews, Isaac Attlebarge, T. Anderson (carpenter), Anderson {Agnew}, (mason), George Agnew, Thady Armstrong, William Allen, Jacob Braden, Arch. Black, Oran Butterfield, D. Burk, James Brandon, John Brandon, Jesse Burchfield, Horace Byham, Robert Black, James Black, John Blacklock, Daniel Black, Daniel Berlin, Daniel {Cook}, John Jr.{Cook}, William {Cook}, Andrew {Cook}, Jeremiah {Cook}, George {Cook}, David {Cook} and John Cook, Simon and William Chapman, W. R. and James Coon, Samuel Consanus, Adam Cupler, A. Coventry, E. Cline, C. Smith, Patrick Kearney, Wm. and Ed. Collins, Alex. Craig, R. Custard, James U. {Daniels}, Jeptha {Daniels}, Henry {Daniels} and W. R. Daniels, Elijah Davis, W. M. Davis, John Dodge, J. Donaldson, Joseph Dunlap, Hiram Drake, John C. David, R. H. and William Downey, Y. Eshelman, John Fitzgerald, E. Forsyth, Jesse Ferry, Sam Fulton, James Forest, John Grant, Milton Gibbs, John Gordon, W. L. Gould, John Houston, W. P. Hutcheson, Nelson Haight, Robert Huling, William Hayden, Lewis Herring and son, Joseph Herring, John Hasley, Peter Hasley, Sol. Hallman, Peter Hicks, William Hottell, Squire Horton, Stephen Hill, A. Jeffries, James Irwin, John Irwin, Chas. C. and Henry Johnson, Christian Kuntz, John and Peter Knight, Phil. Keller (blacksmith), Thomas Kerr, William Kerr, John Kellogue, F. Kennedy, Sam. Long, James Law, A. Lucas, Noble Lucas, D. Motherell, Dave Munn, John Andrew, William and Thomas B. Maze, Henry Moody, Jr., John Moore, John McNaughton, Tom McKay (tailor), Sam Mitchell, Moses McCallum, Alex. Murray, David Munn, Jr., Joseph Martin, John McNeil, R. Moodie, Pascal Moodie, John McMichael (millright), W. P. Miller, John McKenney, H. Mimm, William Martin, A. McCutcheson, Sylvester Nolton, John Nolton, George Nealy, J. C. Nolton, Asa Nichols, James Phipps, George Painter, G. W. Pratt, Sedate Porter, A. J. Platt, Dave Powell, Dan. Poff, J. R. Reynolds, James Rogers, Joseph and William Reynolds, Grove Reed, Rets & Co., Rust & Co., Amos Richards, the Ralstons (3), Ellis Russel {Smith}, William Roberts {Smith}, Eli {Smith} and Amos Smith (carpenters), Shippen, Morrison & Co., John Snyder, W. J. Spence, D. Stowe & Co., John Spafford, Jonah Slocum, R. Smith, George Swarm, W. Stewart, William Shields, A. Strominger, James Truby, William Titus, Dan. Titus, David K. Torney (one watch), Oramill Thing, W. H. Thompson, Elihu Wing, Homer Wing, Charles Wing, Joseph Wallace, Dan. Wolford, Robert Wallace, Dan. Whitman, Jo. Wagoner, James Wallace, Lenni Weaver, (cabinet maker), Sam. N. Warren, James Wing, Benj. Wing, Palmer Worden, John Wright and Charles Yeomans. In March, 1852, William Titus was appointed collector. The value of unseated lands was $72,516, and of seated lands, $40,304.
The pioneers, many of whom are named above, came into this wilderness to hew out homes for their families, and win from the forest that independence which an older civilization denied. Many of them succeeded in this peculiarly American design, and around Cooksburg and Clarington, names connected closely with the first development of this section are found to-day.
Clarington, twelve miles from the railroad at Brookville, is the market town of Barnett township. J. B. Pearasll & Co. and the Shields brothers were general merchants in 1884, and Peter Hesley was grocer.
~ History of McKean, Elk and Forest Counties, by M A Leeson, J.H. Beers & Co, 1890, Pages 901-902
