Troublesome Times Continue

Troublesome Times Continue Gleanings 20061122


Grandpa’s Gleanings Revived
Wednesday, November 22, 2006 No. 3


I want to continue the story taken from the “History of the Church of the Brethren in the Middle District of Pennsylvania, 1781—1925. pp 22ff.” Yes, I have the book here in front of me. So far as I know, it is out of print. I used to have another copy. It may be on one of your book shelves.

My father told me this story when I was just a lad. I can remember him pointing out the site, but I no longer remember it was.

The Cove area [Martinsburg, Fredericksburg, et al., PA] the writer talks about is where the Brumbaugh [my mother’s line] and the Glass [Dad’s side] families lived in these early days. Both sides of my grandparents lived in this area. The Brumbaugh homestead sits across the valley facing the Brumbaugh Cemetery on the hill. Several years ago mom [Arlene] and I bought a couple lots from my cousin, Lois Miller. They are just to the left of the entrance. We should have a nice view of the valley.
An old map of the area shows several houses marked ‘Glass’ south of the cemetery and on the side of “Tussey’ [Tuscarora] mountain.

Thanks for reading,
Junior Glass
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The Story continues…

“The band of Indians, after the Dunkard massacre, worked their way toward the Kittaning war path, leaving behind them some few stragglers of their party whose appetite for blood and treasure had not been satisfied. Among others, an old and a young Indians stopped at Neff’s Mill. Neff was a Dunkard; but he was a single exception so far as resistance was concerned. He had constantly in his mill his loaded rifle, and was ready for any emergency. He had gone to his mill in the morning without any knowledge of Indians being in the neighborhood, and had just set the water wheel in motion when he discovered two Indians lurking, within a hundred yards, in a small wood below the mill. Without taking much time to deliberate how to act, he aimed through the window, and deliberately shot the old Indian. In an instant the young Indian came toward the mill, and Neff ran out the back door and up the hill. The quick eye of the savage detected him, and fired, but missed his aim. Nothing daunted by the mishap, the savage followed up the clear patch, when both, as if by instinct, commenced reloading their rifles. They stood face to face, not forty yards apart, on open ground where there was no possible chance of concealment. The chances were equal; he that loaded first would be the victor in the strife, the other was doomed to certain death. They both rammed home the bullet at the same time—with what haste may well be conjectured. This was a critical juncture, for, while loading, neither took his eye off the other. They both drew their ramrods at the same time, but the intense excitement of the moment caused the Indian to balk in drawing his, and the error or mishap proved fatal, because Neff took advantage of it, and succeeded in priming and aiming before the Indian. The latter, now finding the muzzle of Neff’s rifle bearing upon him, commenced a series of very cunning gyration and contortions to destroy his aim or to confuse him, so that he might miss him or enable him to prime. To this end he first threw himself upon his face; then, suddenly rising up again, he jumped first to the right, then to the left, then fell down again. Neff, not the least put off his guard, waited until the Indian arose again, when he shot him through the head.

“Neff, fearing that others might be about, left the mill and started to the nearest settlement. A force was raised and the mill revisited; but it was found a heap of smoldering cinders and ashes, and the dead bodies of the Indians had been removed. It is altogether likely that the rear of the savage party came up shortly after Neff had left, fired the mill, and carried away their slain companions.

“For the part Neff took in the matter he was excommunicated from the Dunkard society. Nevertheless, he rebuilt his mill; but the Dunkards, who were his main support previously, refused any longer to patronize him, and he was eventually compelled to abandon the business.

Brother Sell speaks of the incident as follows:
“Daniel Ullery was the original owner of Roaring Spring. He built the first mill. Jacob Neff was his miller. During the Indian massacre of 1777 he shot an Indian. He was counseled by the church for his violation of her peace principles. He did not plead justification. He admitted that it was wrong to take human life but said his deed was done under strong temptation and excitement. He was excused, but required not to speak of his act in company in a boasting or justifying way. This restriction he frequently violated and he was expelled from the church.

“This story has been repeated and exaggerated and the church through it misrepresented so that we take this opportunity to tell the story as we have it from our own traditions. The history of Juniata Valley says that when Neff rebuilt his mill the Brethren refused to patronize him. This is not correct. The chain, or abstract of title shown that Neff never owned the mill, did not build it in the first palce, did not in the second place. Ullery built and rebuilt it. It was a necessity in the new settlement.”

But it is due the reader to have another glimpse of trials and suffering of earlier days. The value of the data lies in the fat it was written in 1855, a quarter of a century before Howard Miller, thought to make his “Record of the Faithful.”

The author* declares he writes purely as an historian and without prejudice. He says:
“The Great Cove, Little Cove and Canolloways’ are mentions frequently in government papers as far back as 1749, Indian traders having penetrated them at a much earlier date than that. . . . For fertile limestone land, beautiful scenery, and splendid farms, few valleys in the State equal—none surpass—the Great Cove now known as Morrison’s Cove.

“About 1755, a colony of Dunkards took up the southern portion of the Cove, and their descendents hold possession of it to this day. They have unquestionably the finest farms as well as the most fertile land in the State, and right glad should we be to end their portion of the chapter by saying so, or even by adding that for thrift and economy they stand unsurpassed: but a sense of candor compels us to speak of them as they are,—nothing extenuate, not set down naught in malice!”

“In the first place let it be understood that we are in no particle indebted to them for one iota of the blessings of government we enjoy. They are strict non-resistants; and in the predatory incursions of the French and Indians, in 1756-63, and, in fact, during all the savage warfare, they not only refused to take up arms to repel the savage marauders and prevent the inhuman slaughter of women and children, but they refused in the most positive manner to pay a dollar to support those who were willing to take up arms to defend their homes and their firesides, until wrung from them by the stern mandates of the law, from which there was no appeal.

“They did the same thing when the revolution broke out. There was a scarcity of men. Sixty able-bodied ones among them might readily formed a cordon of frontier defense, which could have prevented many of the Indian massacres which took place between 1777 and 1780, and more especially among their own people in the Cove. But not a man would shoulder his rifle; they were non-resistants! They might, at least, have furnished money, for they always had an abundance of that, the hoarding of which seemed to be the sole aim and object of life with them. But, no, not a dollar! They occupied neutral ground, and wished to make no resistance. Again: they might have furnished supplies to those who were risking their lives to repel the invaders,—but it was only when the almighty dollar accompanied the demand.

“After the massacre of thirty of them, in less than forty-eight hours Colonel Piper, the lieutenant-colonel of Bedford County, made a stirring appeal to them. But it was to no avail; they were non-resistants; and evidently determined to remain such.

Of the peculiar religious tenets of these primitive people we do not profess to know anything; hence our remarks are unbiased. We are solely recording historical facts.

“As a curious anomaly in the history of the present generation, it may be stated that, although they performed that part of the compact between government and a good citizen which relates to paying taxes, they never vote, neither can the most seductive persuasions of politicians bring them to the polls.

“Like their forefathers, they are non-resistants—producers, but not consumers.

“During the Indian wars of 1762, quite a number of murders were committed in the Cove, and many captives taken but the particulars were too vague for history.

“The first Indian depredators, or at least the greater portion of them, were seen at a camp-fire by a party of hunters; and if the proper exertions had been made to cut them off, few other outrages would have followed. The supposition is that there were two parties of about fifteen each, who met at or near Neff’s Mill in the Cove. On their way thither, the one party killed a man named Hammomnd, who resided along the Juniata, and the other party killed a man named Ullery, who was returning from Neff’s Mill on horseback. They also took two children with them as prisoners.

“The alarm was spread among the inhabitants and they fled to the nearest forts with all dispatch; and on this first expedition they would have had few scalps to grace their belts, had the Dunkards taken the advice of more sagacious people, and fled too; this, however, they would not do. They would follow but half of Cromwell’s advice;—they were willing to put their trust in God, but they would not keep their powder dry. In short it was a compound they did not use at all.

“The savages swept down through the Cove with all the ferocity with which a pack of wolves would descend from the mountain upon a flock of sheep. Some few of the Dunkards, who evidently had the latent spark of the love of life, hid themselves away; but by far the most of them stood by and witnessed the butchery of their wives and children, merely saying, “Gottes wille sei gethan.”**

“One cannot help but admire such devotion to the principle of non-resistance as the foregoing reveals. Yet insistent upon the mind is the thought;—what a pity these dear forebears were not just as eager to provide avenues for the culture of the minds and hearts of their young people through the Sunday-school and educational institutions as they were to make such splendid sacrifices. In a couple generations thereafter, as this history reveals, this training came.
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* U. J. Jones’ History of the Early Settlement of the Juniata Valley, 1855, Chapter XVIII

** "God's will be done." This sentence was so frequently repeated by the Dunkards during the massacre, that the Indians must have retained a vivid recollection of it. During the late war with Great Britain, some of the olderIndians on the frontier were anxious to know of the Huntingdon volunteers whether the "Gotswiltahns" still resided in the Cove. Of course our people could not satisfy them on such a vague point.