Mossmantown 

In the fall of 1797, an enterprising party of six men left Fayette county, Pennsylvania, to explore the unsettled parts of Allegheny county, then considered the Far West. At Pittsburgh, two of their number turned back, but the remaining four, consisting of Thomas and John Gillis, and Francis and William Herdman Mossman, whose spirit of adventure had instigated the enterprise, continued the journey. The latter was born near Belfast, Ireland, in the year 1765, and, in the year 1781, in company with his father, John Mossman, then in his eighty-second year, and one sister, emigrated to America, stopping in Baltimore county, Maryland, until 1795, during which time he married Sarah Gillis, and with her, his father, and sister, removed to Fayette county, where, leaving his family, he started upon his tour of exploration.

On leaving Pittsburgh, the travelers followed an old Indian trail north ward, until about half-way between the present locations of Greenville and Mercer, when they struck north-westward, where a bridle path, marked by blazes on the trees, indicated the course taken by some dusky travelers. Following this, they came to what is now West Salem township, and after a few nays spent in exploring the country, they each made selection of a claim, and proceeded to girdle a few trees and build a small cabin. Their pro visions were now becoming scarce, and, with anxious hearts, they turned their backs upon their new possessions and returned to their old homes, after an absence of about two months, having made the entire journey on foot, carrying their guns and knapsacks on their backs, and camping out for the most part at night. During the year 1798, they returned to establish more fully their titles, accompanied by several neighbors, who, after selecting claims, cleared one or two small patches, built several cabins, and then proceeded, about the first of October, 1799, to remove their families, consisting of the Melvins, Cherrys, Baylies, Laugheads, the Gillis', and Mossmans.

The journey was tedious, as they had no means of conveyance but packing on horseback. Each settler was furnished with an iron kettle for making maple-sugar, and these were closely packed with sacks of flour, in order to make the least possible bulk, which was a very important consideration, as the horse must frequently pass through narrow paths filled with brush and low underwood. But breaking a kettle or displacing a pack were of trivial importance, compared with the dangers of lying out at night surrounded by howling wolves.

Mercer county, at this time, had neither wagons nor wagon-roads, and even the best paths had not been selected, nor the most suitable places for crossing the streams. The journey occupied some two weeks; the men, with the exception of the infirm, walking and leading the heavily-laden horses. Upon their arrival, each betook himself to his own cabin. The Melvins and Cherrys were on the east, and the others on the west of what is known as the Big Hollow, on the Vernon and Greenville road. The Gillis’ were located in a cabin near the house now occupied by James J. Mossman. How the little colony spent that winter can only be imagined, there being no record of its weary days left. W. H. Mossman's family lived in the same cabin with the Gillis’, until the following spring, (1800), when they removed to their own home on a farm, where Mossmantown now stands.

This house, which was of the same type as all the others in the settlement, was about twelve feet square, with a smooth, ground floor, and bare walls of unhewn logs, and roof of chestnut-bark, its only door, being so low that an ordinary-sized person was obliged to stoop to enter, was made of clapboards, and hung on wooden hinges, and was fastened by a wooden latch on the inside, to which a tow string was attached, which passed through a hole in the door and hung upon the outside, and, as a token of hospitality, it was always found hanging out. When the inmates went from home, the door was locked by tying the string around a pin in one of the logs. In place of a window, there was an opening between two logs, and was closed, when necessary, by a board fitted to its size. The chimney was of the stick-and-mud pattern, rudely coursing its way upon the outside to the peak on the roof. The furniture was not of the most delicate designs, elaborately carved J and beautifully touched with French burl, but was of such material as could be conveniently split with an axe from the surrounding forest. The bedstead consisted of one post and two rails, and was built in a corner of the room, by boring holes in the wall about four feet in one direction, and six feet in another, and the rails were mortised to the post by tenons cut with the axe.

The table was formed by placing clapboards upon two sticks, driven into in the wall in the cracks between the logs. Rough stools served for chairs, and two wooden  

hooks above the door first constituted the gun-rack, but were afterward replaced by the more dignified material of deer-horns.

During the fall of 1800, the game seemed to have left the woods, and for nearly two months the settlers were forced to subsist upon corn, pumpkins, and potatoes, and the colony were on the point of despair, when, taking his gun for a final trial, W. H. Mossman succeeded in killing a wild turkey. Others were shot shortly after, and deer became abundant again, and no want was experienced during the remainder of the winter.

In 1802, the Mossmans were called upon to pay the last tribute of respect to their father, who died at the residence of his son, William, at the advanced age of ninety-three, and was buried on the farm of his son, Frank. The settlement at Kinsman, Ohio, in 1804, proved of great benefit to the settlers of West Salem, as the small store established there by Mr. Kinsman, provided them with many of the comforts of life, of which, for years, they had been deprived.

Wagon-roads were unknown until about the year 1806, when the State road between Greenville and Kinsman was opened, not, however, running direct, as at present, but passing from Greenville to Maysville, and thence through Mossmantown to Kinsman. It was what was then called a corduroy road, being almost entirely constructed of round logs. About the year 1811, Alexander Hunter located upon a farm still occupied by portions of his family, and, being a practical surveyor, his advent proved of inestimable value to the new country. Although the road was opened at the time stated, it was many years before it was in passable condition for wagons and carts, and any person, attempting such modes of conveyance, found it necessary to provide himself with an axe and handspike, for the purpose of extricating his vehicle from the trees and swamp, as occasion might demand.

A number [Indians] camped a little north of where the village of Kinsman, Ohio, now stands, and, on one occasion, one of their number presented himself at the door of William H. Mossman, his house being near the trail, and asked for something to eat. He had been out on a hunting expedition, and been benighted, and was very hungry and tired. Mr. Mossman invited him to a seat near the fire, as the weather was extremely cold, and there was about a foot of snow upon the ground; but he refused to come, showing, by signs, as best he could, that, if he came near the fire-place, his moccasins, which were frozen, would thaw out, and he would not have time to dry his feet before going home. At this, Mr. Mossman asked him to stay all night, and the suggestion seemed to impress him favorably, for he came in, and indicated that he would sleep on the floor, with his feet to the fire, which he did, remaining until morning, when he returned to camp.

Another time, as Mrs. Mossman was in the act of laying her infant in the cradle (which, by the way, consisted of a sugar-trough), hearing a rustling noise, she turned, and an Indian stood in the room. Taking a piece of johnny- cake from the shelf near by, she handed it to him, and he left, excusing himself for coming in, as the latch-string was out. We are told that their movements were as silent as the gliding of the snake over the ground, and, when they chose to approach quietly, not the rustling of a leaf or the sound of a footfall foretold their coming.

The pioneer would raise his head from his work to see a stalwart form before him, when, a moment before, there was no human being in sight.

Such was their habitual stealth and cunning.

In the midst of increasing prosperity, came the War of 1812, and numbers of the hardy pioneers left their homes, to hasten to the defense of their country. This prospect was not flattering, for many of them had families which they were obliged to leave with few supplies and little protection. Among those who took part in the struggle, may be mentioned: Peter Klingensmith, James Hunter, Adam Miller, Andrew Campbell, Francis James, and Hugh Mossman. 

History of Mercer County, 1877, pages 84 and 85

Return to Mossmantown