A look back at the Irish of Barclay Mountain
One of the most
mysterious and intriguing places in Bradford County is Barclay Mountain. It is
hard for people to believe that the mountain once had several major communities
and that today there is little or no evidence of any of those thriving villages.
I am no stranger to Barclay, as my grandmother, Kathryn O'Keefe Maloney, was
born in the town of Barclay in 1887. We spent a lot of time on the mountain as
children, especially at Sunfish Pond where we would spend hours fishing for
sunfish and bullheads (catfish). I can remember going with my mother and
grandmother to the site of old Barclay to pick berries.
Unfortunately there
is not much of written record on Barclay or any of the other towns on the
mountain. Much of what we know has been handed down over the years.
The life
of the communities on Barclay Mountain was short, but thousands of people can
claim some connection to the mountain due to an ancestor making it their home
for a period of time. Local history tells us that the town of Barclay had over
three thousand residents at one time in its existence.
The township of
Barclay was formed from Franklin in 1867. It was situated between the townships
of Franklin on the north, Monroe and Overton on the east, LeRoy on the west and
Overton on the south, being separated from the last named by Schrader creek. The
township was named in honor of Robert Barclay of London, England, who in 1794,
purchased 21,000 acres of land lying on what is now Barclay Mountain.
On the
western part of the mountain the summit reaches an altitude of 2041 feet. The
general slope is toward the southeast, drained by Coal Run and other small
streams flowing into the Schrader. This region, a section of the Towanda range,
known as the Barclay Mountains, generally was heavily timbered, even on the
slopes, with pine, hemlock and hardwood.
Coal was accidentally discovered by
Absalom Carr while hunting on the mountain in 1812 and the whole complexion of
the rugged country changed. In the beginning, coal was brought down the mountain
on sleds, but the demand quickly grew, different openings were made and then
coal was hauled away in wagons to supply blacksmiths in Northern Pennsylvania
and Southern New York.
No settlement was made in the township, however, until
1856, when upon the completion of the Barclay railroad **, the Barclay Coal Company
took men and equipment to the mountain and began working the original mine.
Growth from then on was comparatively rapid until 1875. When Barclay was at its
best, it had more than 2000 residents with stores, shops, churches, schools and
mills, and a spirit that made it a leader among the townships of the
county.
There were five sections to the settlement, the largest was Barclay.
The others, all close together, were Fall Creek, Graydon, Dublin and Foot of the
Plane. Carbon Run, a little further away across the mountain, on the line
between Barclay and LeRoy, also had several hundred inhabitants.
After
Barclay and Carbon Run began to decline in the latter part of the century, a
considerable settlement was established at Long Valley where mining operations
were continued until 1909.
An article in the Elmira Advertiser dated February
8, 1882 gave the following description of Barclay:
"For wild picturesque,
interesting scenery, there are few places that surpass the Barclay mining
regions. In summer, when nature asserts its rights to dress, hill and vale, she
is profuse in her dispensations to the mountainous region of Barclay. The town
proper is situated on a plateau on the summit of the Barclay Mountains, about
fifteen hundred feet higher than Towanda, although about fourteen miles from the
latter place. In winter the mountain presents a weird appearance, being thickly
wooded and snow capped between the hills, no sunshine until a late hour in the
morning. It is therefore much colder than many surrounding places, although very
healthy. The town is like all mining places, built up of cheap frame buildings,
the residences of the miners. However they are all well arranged and make
comfortable homes for the occupants. There is but one store in the town, and
that a very large and prosperous one, their sales amounting to over one hundred
thousand dollars annually.
The population of the village is about fourteen
hundred, with but very little change during the past five years. All are miners
or their families except officers of the mining company and the people of the
store and the post master and school teachers, of the latter there are four, all
of whom belong elsewhere. There are four schoolhouses with an average attendance
of about three hundred pupils.
That the teachers are overworked is evident
from the fact that one teacher, Miss Lyon, has charge of ninety-two pupils, a
number that is very safe to assume cannot be properly cared for without a severe
strain on the teacher. Therefore more teachers are necessary at Barclay. In
going to the place it is necessary to take the Barclay railroad from Towanda,
and ride to the foot of the plane, or if the visitor desires, he may go up the
inclined plane on the front end of a coal "dummy," but on reaching the level a
mile on the track must be walked before reaching the town. At the foot of the
plane are the new shops of the railroad company, where there are some
twenty-five men employed, making small repairs on the railroad company's
property.
Mr. F. F. Lyon is the genial painstaking superintendent of the
division, and right well are his duties performed. The mines, as are the
interests of the railroad, are the leased property of the Erie Railway, and the
producing capacity of the present force of miners is ten thousand tons a day,
although they are working about two-thirds time at present."As the mines
grew, more laborers were needed, and as it was with the North Branch Canal and
the railroad industry, the workers came from the British Isles and Europe. Many
of the miners came from Ireland. They saw the opportunities that could be
afforded them in America. Bradford County was no stranger to Irish laborers, as
hundreds and hundreds Irish men had already settled in the area due to the work
on the canal.
Barclay was in the Towanda parish of the Catholic Church and it
was early in the pastorate of Rev. Patrick Toner (1863-1876) that Saint
Patrick's Church was built at Barclay. It was a fine building for those days,
with the usual high steeple and cross. There were two galleries, one at each
end, and the altar was fixed beautifully. The church was also fitted with an
organ.
In connection with the church, the Catholics (most of them Irish) at
Barclay had a priest's house with a living room and a library. Usually the
assistant pastor at Towanda went to Barclay on the train on Saturday night and
held confessions there that evening. On Sunday he conducted Mass and taught the
large Sunday school, returning to Towanda on the train Monday morning.
There
is no sign of old Saint Patrick's church today. We know it was situated at the
corner of the Barclay cemetery, which can still be found, although it is not in
the best condition. The Bradford County Historical has in its collection two of
the Stations of the Cross from St. Patrick's which were safely kept by the
Sheehan family in Towanda. The last priest to record any marriages or baptisms
at Barclay was Father Morrison. He left Towanda in 1899 so it is safe to assume
that there was no activity at St. Patrick's Church after that time. Anne
Sturzen, daughter of the Sheehan's, gave the stations to the museum several
years ago.
A census of the Catholics in the Parish of SS. Peter and Paul in
Towanda conducted in 1889 listed 94 families as members of St. Patrick's church
with 427 total members. By 1899 when the parish conducted the next census, there
were 20 families listed as members with a total of 113 total members. You can
see by the dramatic reduction in membership in just 10 years that the lack of
work sent many of the miners to other locales to find work.
Like so many of
the Irish immigrants, some stayed on in the area and others moved on to find
work. I have done genealogical research on the following:
The Mannix
Brothers, Patrick, John and Matthew, were natives of Fleagle, County Clare,
Ireland. The three brothers came to the United States in 1863, all eventually
went to Barclay Mountain. John's family, while living on the mountain was
involved in the work of the mines. John is listed on the census of 1880 as a
track layer in the mines. His son, Michael, is listed as a driver in the mines,
while his son, Edward, is listed as bailing water in the mines.
After
leaving Barclay, John purchased a farm in Towanda Township and later a home in
Towanda Borough. He died at the home of his daughter, Mrs. John Connolly, 311
West Lockhart Street in Sayre, Oct. 27, 1912.
John was married to Margaret
Holland, probably in Ireland. Together they had seven children, Michael, Edward,
Mary, Hanora, Bridget, John and Matthew. Their son Michael married Ellen
Fitzpatrick of Barclay on March 2, 1886, they left Barclay when the mines
flooded in 1890 and went to Bloss Township in Tioga County where Michael worked
as a miner. The census lists them as having five children, Katie, Mary, Joanna,
Thomas and Agatha. The family eventually moved to Elmira where there are
descendants today.
Matthew Mannix and his wife, Susan Nealon, had four sons:
Michael, who moved to Rochester, N.Y.; Thomas of New York City; and Matthew and
Martin, who lived in Towanda. They also had a daughter, Minnie, who died a young
woman.
Patrick Mannix and his wife, Anna McNamera, had seven children,
Matthew, Margaret, Daniel, Catherine, Honora, Johanna and Ellen. Another
daughter, Bridget, is listed on their gravestone at SS. Peter and Paul's
Cemetery, North Towanda Township. The family of Patrick moved to Arnot, Pa.
Patrick, John and Matthew are all buried in SS. Peter and Paul's Cemetery in
North Towanda Township.
Patrick Sheehan, was born in County Kerry, Ireland on
March 17, 1820. He left Ireland at a young age and lived in England for several
years. It was during this time that he met and married Catherine O'Connell, who
was also a native of Ireland. Patrick and Catherine and their three sons (all
born in England) Edward, William and Stephen came to the Untied States in 1871.
They settled in Barclay and stayed there until 1890. (The mines in Barclay
flooded after the unusually snowy winter of 1889-90 and most of the workers left
at that time).
After leaving Barclay, the family became involved in the
wholesale liquor business on Bridge Street in Towanda. Edward stayed on in
Towanda until 1921 when he moved to Waynesboro, Pa., where he accepted a
position with the Flick Company, He was assistant shipping clerk and while
assisting in the work in the warehouse, a heavy casting fell over pinning him to
the floor. The casting was lifted from his body, but he lived for only a short
time afterwards.
William Sheehan married Miss Mary Kinney of Towanda in
September 3, 1891. He too was associated with his father and brothers in the
wholesale liquor business, but died very suddenly March 2, 1894. He left his
wife and a son, Paul. Stephen Sheehan left his father's business in1912 when he
purchased the American Hotel in Towanda. Stephen married Anna Dobbins on
November 3, 1891. The American Hotel had been owned previously by Anna's
Aunt. Anna was the daughter of Thomas and Mary McMahon Dobbins who were natives
of County Clare Ireland, Anna's mother, Mary, died October 20, 1884 and is
buried in St. Patrick's cemetery, Barclay. Her grave stone is one of the few
that survives today.
Mary Dobbins was the daughter of John and Margaret
McMahon. Stephen Sheehan died February 7, 1922. His wife, Anna, took over the
management of the hotel after his death. The business passed to their son,
Joseph Sheehan, who in turn passed the building on to his daughter, Anne Sheehan
Sturzen. The American Hotel building is still in the family today. Ann and David
Sturzen and their sons are successful business people in Towanda to this
day.
Redmond Roche, (pronounced Roke) was born in Ireland, the son of Redmond
and Margaret Hickey Roche. He and his wife, Bridget Howard, left Ireland and
settled first in Spring Water Valley in New York State. Redmond and his wife
came to Barclay and settled at Foot of Plain in the early 1860s with their
first two children, Patrick who became a Roman Catholic Priest and Margaret. The
rest of their 11children, Anna, Maria, Bridget, Redmond, Kate, Michael,
Winifred, Ellen and Bessie were born at Barclay. Patrick and Bridget Roche moved
to Tioga County probably when the mines failed at Barclay. Bridget died there in
1898. Patrick died in Scranton in 1915. Redmond Roche is listed as a stone mason
on his death certificate. Margaret and Anna were the only two of the children to
stay in the area. Anna married Hugh Hogan at St. Patrick's Church, Barclay on
January 1, 1877 they had 12 children. Descendants of this family are in the
Athens, Sayre area of Bradford County. Margaret Roche married William Ronan
January 1, 1878 at SS. Peter and Paul's Church, Towanda. William was a native of
Ireland; he came to Bradford County in 1867 when 17 years of age.
Margaret
and William lived on Mechanic Street in Towanda where they raised their seven
children, James, Raymond, William, Ellen, Mary, Katherine and Margaret. Margaret
entered the Sisters of Mercy and was for many years Principal of Saint Agnes
High School in Towanda; her name in religion was Sister Mary Amadeus. Margaret
Roche Ronan lived to be one hundred and two years old. She was honored not only
on her birthday but once again in 1954 when the Franklin Fire Company of Towanda
celebrated it's centennial. She was named "honorary queen" of the centennial and
appeared at every important event held in connection with the centennial. It was
William Ronan who in 1916 built the beautiful shrine of a grotto depicting Lourdes,
located on the lawn between Saint Agnes School and SS. Peter and Paul's Rectory
in Towanda. There are descendants of Mrs. Ronan living in Towanda
today.
Benjamin and Mary O'Callaghan O'Keefe, Natives of Dromagh (pronounced
dramuck) County Cork, Ireland. Benjamin was born January 15, 1853, the son of
Jeremiah and Mary Cashman O'Keefe. Ben and his older brother Jeremiah immigrated
to the U.S.A. in June of 1872 and went directly to Barclay to work the coal
mines. Ben had been matched before he left Ireland to Mary O'Callaghan, a school
teacher who was born March 10, 1856, also in Dromagh. She was the daughter of
Jeremiah and Catherine Drew O'Callaghan. Ben returned to Ireland in 1881 and on
July 21 of that year they were married. Ben and his wife then returned to
Barclay, where they raised their family. They moved from one mining town to
another: Dublin, Barclay, and Long Valley, until 1903 when they moved to
Towanda. Benjamin worked as a gardener after moving from the mountain. Benjamin
and Mary O'Keefe had six children, Jeremiah, who became a manager for the
Harrington Company in Towanda; Benjamin, who was a talented furniture maker for
the Frost Furniture Factory in Towanda; Kathryn, who before her marriage to
Edward Maloney was a forelady for the Berlinger Silk Mill; Henry, who worked as
a laborer in Towanda; Timothy, who was killed at age 15 while sledding on
Chestnut street in Towanda; and Mary, who was with the telephone company for
many years.
Some of the other Irish families of Barclay were: Higgins,
Falsey, O'Rourke, Carroll, Dobbins, Dalton, O'Herron, Walsh, Murphy, Burns,
McTigue, Daugherty, Holleran, Spellan, Sullivan, Sculley, and
Fitzpatrick.
The Irish who came to Barclay Mountain worked hard doing the
backbreaking work of coal mining, but no work was too hard for people who longed
to own their own property and give their children the opportunities they never
experienced.
I found it interesting to find that at the Guthrie Healthcare
System in Sayre where I work that there are descendants of the Mannix Family,
the Roche Family and the O'Keefe Family. Our families surely knew each other
more than 100 years ago.
