First Days, First Settlers in Union City
After a long journey through the Pennsylvania wilderness on horseback, Matthew Gray and his family stopped in the small clearing and gazed at the newly built log cabin. It stood beside a swiftly flowing stream which would its way through thick trees to French Creek, about a quarter of a mile away.
The woods of what later was to become Union City were almost impassable in the year 1797. Gray and his family had brought only as much of their goods as their horses could carry. The remainder would be floated down the Allegheny River by raft and then from the river to the south branch of French Creek as far as it was navigable. From there, they would be transported by horseback.
The entire family was tired after the long journey. Gray had deep lines in his face which made him look older than his 35 years. He absently mindedly fingered the dent in his right cheek which was the result of an ulcerated tooth he had suffered some years ago. He called to his wife “Betty” to help him unload the horses.
Elizabeth Gray or “Betty,” as Matthew called her, was not a pretty woman. Her hair was a mousy shade between brunette and blond and she had a large mole on her chin and another on her cheekbone. But there was an inner strength reflected on her face and she radiated kindness and serenity. She put her arm protectively around her three children. After they had unpacked their few belongings and arranged them in the cabin, Matthew prayed and dedicated their home to the love and service of God.
The Matthew Grays weren’t the only new settlers in the wilderness of 1797. Other families were coming into the area during this summer and building cabins at long intervals through the forest. Andrew Thompson and his family built their cabin about a mile and a half west of the Grays, and Hugh Wilson settled about two miles southeast of the Grays.
Matthew and his family didn’t see much of Hugh, though. Twenty-four-year old Hugh had left his wife back in Centre County, Ireland, and came to the Union City wilderness to build a home for her. All during that summer, fall and winter of 1797, he worked hard all day and spent the long, dark nights in his cabin alone. Hugh wasn’t afraid of being alone, though. He was 5 feet 10 inches tall and weighed over 200 pounds, so he didn’t have to fear being over powered. He was often asked to demonstrate his strength at public gatherings. He complied by taking a barrel full of whiskey, raising it on his chest, and turning it up and taking a drink out of it – all of the time standing up straight.
Hugh wrote to his father and mother in Ireland describing the beautiful virgin country he had located in and telling them that a man could secure title to 200 acres of land by living on it and making improvements. John Wilson, Hugh’s father, was very interested in his son’s letters. Presently, he was living on a 15 acre farm and was paying 20 English shillings rent per acre.
John Wilson made up his mind. He brought his wife, his two unmarried daughters and all of his worldly possessions to America. Hugh met them at Pittsburgh and guided them through the woods to his cabin in Union Township.
The summer of 1798 was eventful for Hugh, because his wife, Hannah, and their daughter Elizabeth, who was only a few weeks old, arrived at the cabin he had built for them. Nathaniel Frompton, her father, escorted them through the wilderness to Hugh.
Besides the Wilsons, John Richards and his grown family settled on the north side of French Creek. Jacob Shepard, a bachelor, settled with his widowed mother and two unmarried sisters two miles south of the Grays. Even though the cabins were several miles apart the Grays had a good start at civilization – neighbors.
(Based on David Wilson’s Pamphlet Early Times in Union Township)
The woods of what later was to become Union City were almost impassable in the year 1797. Gray and his family had brought only as much of their goods as their horses could carry. The remainder would be floated down the Allegheny River by raft and then from the river to the south branch of French Creek as far as it was navigable. From there, they would be transported by horseback.
The entire family was tired after the long journey. Gray had deep lines in his face which made him look older than his 35 years. He absently mindedly fingered the dent in his right cheek which was the result of an ulcerated tooth he had suffered some years ago. He called to his wife “Betty” to help him unload the horses.
Elizabeth Gray or “Betty,” as Matthew called her, was not a pretty woman. Her hair was a mousy shade between brunette and blond and she had a large mole on her chin and another on her cheekbone. But there was an inner strength reflected on her face and she radiated kindness and serenity. She put her arm protectively around her three children. After they had unpacked their few belongings and arranged them in the cabin, Matthew prayed and dedicated their home to the love and service of God.
The Matthew Grays weren’t the only new settlers in the wilderness of 1797. Other families were coming into the area during this summer and building cabins at long intervals through the forest. Andrew Thompson and his family built their cabin about a mile and a half west of the Grays, and Hugh Wilson settled about two miles southeast of the Grays.
Matthew and his family didn’t see much of Hugh, though. Twenty-four-year old Hugh had left his wife back in Centre County, Ireland, and came to the Union City wilderness to build a home for her. All during that summer, fall and winter of 1797, he worked hard all day and spent the long, dark nights in his cabin alone. Hugh wasn’t afraid of being alone, though. He was 5 feet 10 inches tall and weighed over 200 pounds, so he didn’t have to fear being over powered. He was often asked to demonstrate his strength at public gatherings. He complied by taking a barrel full of whiskey, raising it on his chest, and turning it up and taking a drink out of it – all of the time standing up straight.
Hugh wrote to his father and mother in Ireland describing the beautiful virgin country he had located in and telling them that a man could secure title to 200 acres of land by living on it and making improvements. John Wilson, Hugh’s father, was very interested in his son’s letters. Presently, he was living on a 15 acre farm and was paying 20 English shillings rent per acre.
John Wilson made up his mind. He brought his wife, his two unmarried daughters and all of his worldly possessions to America. Hugh met them at Pittsburgh and guided them through the woods to his cabin in Union Township.
The summer of 1798 was eventful for Hugh, because his wife, Hannah, and their daughter Elizabeth, who was only a few weeks old, arrived at the cabin he had built for them. Nathaniel Frompton, her father, escorted them through the wilderness to Hugh.
Besides the Wilsons, John Richards and his grown family settled on the north side of French Creek. Jacob Shepard, a bachelor, settled with his widowed mother and two unmarried sisters two miles south of the Grays. Even though the cabins were several miles apart the Grays had a good start at civilization – neighbors.
(Based on David Wilson’s Pamphlet Early Times in Union Township)