Lower Daggett

Rufus Daggett, Sr.

Gristmill, Sawmill, and Tanyard

Part II

            The deed from Jeremiah Ayers to Rufus Daggett in 1832 reconveying the 133+ acres of land containing the gristmill and sawmill listed 6 conveyances out of the Moss Lot made by Rufus or Jeremiah.[i]  Part II of my history on Lower Daggett will focus on those conveyances.

            As you will recall, Rufus Daggett conveyed 131.8 rods (0.82 acres) of land to Jonathan Whittlock on June 2, 1827.[ii]

            I have found no evidence in the deed records that Mr. Whittlock owned any other land in Tioga County before his purchase of the131.8 rods of land.  Road Dockets indicate that he may have owned or operated a sawmill before buying the lot from Rufus Daggett.  I have not located that sawmill, but I feel certain that it was not in the Daggett area.

            The J.C. Whittlock listing in the 1830 census for Jackson Township shows a male age 40 to 50 years and a female age 40 to 50 years.  No children were listed.

            The 131.8 rods of land were located west of the road and west of the gristmill.  Its shape does not match the former Benjamin Smith cooper's shop lot, but it does appear to include much of the same area, now a part of the Curtis J. Voorhees property.[iii]

            Jonathan Whittlock died on February 19, 1835.[iv]  There is no record of his having conveyed the 131.8 rods during his lifetime, nor any record of him owning any other land at his death.  Therefore, I presume that he was living there at his death.  I do not know where he was buried.

            Mr. Whittlock died intestate (without a will), and court records indicate that his wife and some nephews were his next of kin.  His wife was said to have been insane, and therefore, not capable of administering his Estate.  The records do not name his wife or nephews.  The court appointed Erastus Kellogg and Dr. Hiram B. Roberts as administrators.

            I know nothing about Mr. Kellogg, and I made no effort to research him.  Dr. Roberts was an important figure in Lower Daggett, and he will be discussed when we talk about his store and the tanyard.

            On March 26, 1835, the administrators filed an inventory consisting of an extensive list of accounts, notes, and judgments that were owed to Mr. Whittlock together with a list of his personal property.

            The lists of accounts, notes, and judgments appear to be a list of the residents of the area.  Just about everyone owed him money.  The accounts, notes, and judgments were labeled as “good,” “doubtful,” or “bad.”  One particular list of bad judgments was attributed to judgments obtained by Rufus Daggett and transferred to Mr. Whittlock.

            There is nothing in the records to indicate the origin of the accounts, notes, and judgments, but their large number would suggest that Mr. Whittlock had been in business and had extended credit to a large number of people.

            Considering that some of the judgments had been transferred from Rufus Daggett, and given the location of his lot, I believe that Mr. Whittlock had been operating the gristmill and/or sawmill of Rufus Daggett.

            The dates on the accounts, notes, and judgments date from 1832 to his death in 1835.  Mr. Whittlock may have taken over the mills after Jeremiah Ayers had left.

            It is possible he was running the Roberts store, but the transfers from Rufus Daggett convince me he was running the gristmill and/or sawmill.

            The inventory included a sizeable amount of dressmaking material and supplies and plug tobacco.  The inventory was appraised by John G. Hubbell, the local tanyard owner, and Edward D. Roberts, a neighbor who was a tailor by trade.

            Polly Whittlock filed a trespass action against Dr. Roberts and Erastus Kellogg, and a summons was issued on February 23, 1839.  The case was dismissed due to the failure of the plaintiff to proceed with the action.[v]  Was this for the Whittlock property?

            On February 24, 1843, Polly Whittlock, widow of S.B. Whittlock, filed a petition requesting the court to remove Erastus Kellogg as administrator for his failure to complete the administration of the Estate of J.C. Whittlock.  The petition stated that Dr. Roberts was dead and that Mr. Kellogg had moved out of state.  Mrs. Whittlock signed the petition using her mark.

            Who was Polly Whittlock?  Was she the insane widow listed in the Estate papers?  She must have been.  The S.B. designation may have been a scrivener's error.

            The 1850 census for Jackson Township gives Polly's age as 60 years.  That puts her in the age range for the lone female listed in the Jonathan Whittlock listing in the 1830 census.  She had been born in New York.  The census numbered the dwellings visited and the families visited.  She was numbered as a separate family, but no number was listed for a dwelling for her.  I do not know what to make of that.  Her name was at the bottom of the page after the listing for a William White family.  Was she living in the same building but a separate household?  I do believe she was the widow of Jonathan Whittlock.

            The court revoked the letters of administration previously granted to Mr. Kellogg and appointed Benjamin B. Smith of Wellsboro as administrator.[vi]  There are no further records of any proceedings in the Estate.  This Benjamin Smith was a big shot from Wellsboro, not the Benjamin Smith that had previously owned the gristmill.

            Since Mr. Whittlock died without a will, the 131.8 rods of land passed directly to his heirs, but who were they?  Initial court filings indicate he was survived by an insane wife and some nephews but fail to name them.  If that was correct, his wife had a life estate in ½ of the real estate including the mansion house and ½ of the personal estate outright.  The remainder, both real and personal, went to the nephews.[vii]   Again, was Polly his surviving spouse, and who were the nephews?

            In 1836 Erastus Kellogg was assessed for the J.C. Whittlock lot.

            In 1837 Erastus Kellogg was assessed for a house and lot, but Dr. Hiram B. Roberts was assessed for a house and lot that was described as being the Whittlock lot.  Both Dr. Roberts and Mr. Kellogg may have been assessed that year for the Whittlock property.

            Polly Whittlock does not appear in the 1840 census for Jackson Township.  That census only names the head of a household.  If Polly was living with a family in Jackson Township but was not the head of the household of that family, she would not appear by name in that census.  The absence of her name in that census does not conclusively prove she was not here at that time.

            In 1840 Dr. Roberts lost a house and lot assessment, and a house and lot assessment began for Polly Whittlock.  I have no direct proof that the Polly Whittlock assessment was the former J.C. Whittlock property, but it seems logical that it was, especially since there is no record of Polly owning any other lands.

            The Polly Whittlock assessment continued for the years 1841 and 1843, but it disappeared after that.  She does, however, appear in the 1850 census for Jackson Township.  Her position in that census is not consistent with her living in Lower Daggett.

            I do not know what happened to her, when she died, or where she was buried.

            The lot seems to have disappeared in the deed and assessment records.  I cannot find a conveyance for the lot.  In any event, there is a big gap in the history of the Whittlock lot.  More will be said about the lot when I discuss Tract 1 of the partition of the Rufus Daggett lands in Part III of my history on Lower Daggett.

            On September 10, 1832, Dr. Hiram B. Roberts purchased from Jeremiah Ayers a ¼ acre lot on the west side of the highway out of the 133+ acres.[viii]

            The deed description referred to a storehouse Dr. Roberts was building on the lot.  When Jeremiah Ayers reconveyed the 133+ acres back to Rufus Daggett on November 5, 1832, that deed excepted the ¼ acres and described it as containing a store built by Dr. Roberts.

            The Richmond Jones store was supposedly started in 1834, and Joshua G. Spencer had his store by 1836.[ix]  Both were in the village of Daggett.  Richmond Jones is given credit for starting the first store in Jackson Township[x].  Historians may want to look at the store started by Dr. Roberts.  It may have existed by the end of 1832.

            Dr. Roberts made his first appearance in Tioga County in the Tioga area.  He was in Tioga by March 21, 1827, because on that date, he purchased a lot there on the north side of Wellsboro Street from William Willard, Jr.[xi]

            He sold the lot in Tioga on August 19, 1830, and he appeared in the 1830 census for Jackson Township.[xii]  His 1830 census listing had two males between 20 and 30 years of age, one male up to 5 years of age, one female between 20 and 30 years of age, and one female up to 5 years of age.

            Dr. Roberts was married to a woman by the name of Sally Ann.  She was born in 1809 and would have been around 21 years of age at the time of the census.[xiii]  I assume she is the older female in the census listing.

            The two children under the age of 5 years must have been their children.  Assuming the family came here just before the 1830 census, Dr. Roberts and Sally Ann may have been married elsewhere.  Perhaps, Sally Ann was from the Tioga area.  Likewise, their children were probably born elsewhere.

            I do not know the identity of the second adult male in the household.

            Dr. Roberts is said to have been the first resident physician in Jackson Township.[xiv]

            After Dr. Roberts moved into the Township, several other men with the same last name moved here also.  Their names were Dr. David W. Roberts, Henry Roberts, Zenas Roberts, Edward D. Roberts, and Seth S. Roberts.  The first two did not stay in the Township long, but the last three did.

            I have found records from Williamstown, Berkshire County, Massachusetts, for the births of children of Zenus and Elizabeth Roberts.  Their sons' names were Hiram B., Edward D., Henry Z., and Seth S.

            The son Hiram B. was said to have been born in 1814.[xv]  That date conflicts with the 1804 date calculated from the grave marker of the Hiram B. Roberts buried in the old Daggett cemetery in the village of Daggett.[xvi]  It also conflicts with the date of birth suggested by the 1830 census.

            The son Edward D. was said to have been born in March of 1808.[xvii]  An unpublished genealogy on the Garrison family gives the date of birth of the Edward D. Roberts that lived here as March 5, 1808.[xviii]  Jackson Township census records give his place of birth as Massachusetts.

            The son Henry Z. was said to have been born in 1812.[xix]  Was he the Henry Roberts that appeared briefly in the Jackson Township assessment records?

            The son Seth S. was said to have been born on September 11, 1823.[xx]  The Seth S. Roberts that lived here appears in the 1850 census for Coudersport, Potter County, Pennsylvania.  That census gives his age as 24 years.  Reverse engineering that age date gives him a date of birth around 1826.  That census also gives his place of birth as Massachusetts.

            The Zenas Roberts that lived here had a farm near the intersection of  Baker Road (SR 1016) with the Jennings Road (T-950).[xxi]  Census records for Jackson Township indicate he was born in Massachusetts.  He and two of his wives are buried in the old Daggett cemetery in the village of Daggett.  The name of the first wife was Elizabeth.  The grave markers of both wives spelled his first name as “Zenus.”

            I believe that the Dr. Hiram B. Roberts, Zenas Roberts, Edward D. Roberts, and Seth S. Roberts that lived in Jackson Township are the individuals named in the records from Williamstown, Berkshire County, Massachusetts.  Zenas was the father.  Dr. Roberts, Edward D. Roberts, and Seth S. Roberts were his sons.

            The records I found from Massachusetts were not the original handwritten records.  Was the difference in the dates of birth based upon an interpretation of the data in those handwritten originals?

             Dr. Roberts and Seth Daggett had at least one business venture together.

            Stephen Bates had purchased around 200 acres of land from the Bingham Estate in 1811.  I have been unable to locate the property.  Dr. Roberts and Seth Daggett acquired the property from Mr. Bates.  I do not know what they did with the 200 acres.  Seth was a lumberman so I assume they acquired the property for its timber.

             Money was owed to the Bingham Estate, and Dr. Roberts and Seth defaulted on the debt.  The Bingham Estate filed suit and forced the sale of the 200 acres.[xxii]

            Was the business venture a failure, or did Dr. Roberts and Seth timber the property and then let it go back?

            On the same day that Rufus Daggett conveyed the 133+ acres to Jeremiah Ayers, he conveyed two lots out of the property to John G. Hubbell.  The first one, a ¼ acre lot, was sold for $25.00.  It is described as containing a house that had been built by Mr. Hubbell.[xxiii]  The second lot, 2 1/8 acres of land, was sold for $104.00.  It is described as containing a tanyard that had been built by Mr. Hubbell.[xxiv]

            On March 1, 1836, Mr. Hubbell sold his house and lot to Joshua D. Naramore for $400.00.[xxv]  On the same day, he sold the tanyard to Mr. Naramore for $500.00.[xxvi]

            Mr. Naramore was listed in the assessment records as a shoemaker.  Perhaps, the tanyard primarily produced leather used in the making of shoes.

            A year later on March 1, 1837, Joshua D. and Saphronia Naramore sold the tanyard and the house and lot to Dr. Hiram B. Roberts.[xxvii]  Dr. Roberts was first assessed for the tanyard in 1838.

            I do not know the exact process used by the tanyard to produce leather.  I presume it was a vegetable tanning process.[xxviii]

             The hides were a combination of wild and domesticated animal hides.  As timbering in the area progressed, more and more wildlife was driven out of the area.  I presume domesticated animal hides were the predominate hides used.

             The hides were either brought to the tanyard or the animals skinned there.  I would guess that they were brought to the tanyard.

             The hides may have been packed in salt for a time.  The hides were then soaked to remove the salt, clean them, and soften them.

             The soaked hides would be pounded and scoured to remove any remaining flesh or fat.

             The next step would be to soak the hides in lime for a time to dissolve the hair and epidermal layer of skin.

             The hides were then scraped and perhaps something like vinegar was used to neutralize the lime.

            The hides were then put in vats to be tanned.  Tannins produced from local oak or hemlock bark were the most likely tanning agents.

             The whole process was a nasty, smelly business.  I remember from my days living in Westfield just how terrible the odor can be.  The tanyard may have been a breeding ground for mosquitoes as well.

            The process was labor-intensive.  I cannot picture a doctor working at this, so I presume Dr. Roberts hired the work done.

             Organic material and other waste left over from the process ended up in Seeley Creek either through the tail of the mill race or by direct dumping in the creek.

             Leather was important in all aspects of life during that time.  Today, it is hard to comprehend how important a tanyard was to local life.

             As I have shown in the section of my history on Chloe Daggett, Dr. Roberts acquired the southern half of the Miller Vaughan lands out of Lot 151 of the Bingham Lands in Jackson Township in 1833.[xxix]  The property he purchased from Miller Vaughan consisted of about 50 acres.

             Before his death, Dr. Roberts acquired an interest in Lot 152 of the Bingham Lands.  Lot 152 contained about 42.8 acres and was almost entirely in Bradford County.  It bounded the Miller Vaughan lot on the east side of that lot.  There is never a deed for Lot 152 to Dr. Roberts.  The Bingham Trustees eventually conveyed Lot 152 to Joseph Sedinger.  I believe Dr. Roberts had entered into a contract to purchase Lot 152 but never completed it.  Dr. Roberts combined the Miller Vaughan property and Lot 152 into a farm.

             Today, the southern half of the Miller Vaughan property is owned as follows:

                        All of Arthur, Jr., & Alice Bacon                    17/04.00/064

                       Joyce A. Rumsey                                 17/04.00/065

                       Vernon L. & Elnora L. McWhorter      17/04.00/65A

             Part of  Gene E. & Deborah Shalters              17/04.00/066

                         Vernon L. & Elnora L. McWhorter    17/04.00/067

                         Dawn Marie Norris                            17/04.00/072

             Lot 152 appears to be owned by Daggett Sand & Gravel, Inc.  It is designated as part of tax parcel 17/4.00/063. 

             Dr. Roberts was appointed by statute to be one of the commissioners charged to oversee the creation of the Tioga and Seely Creek Railroad Company in 1838.  The railroad was to run from Willardsburgh (Tioga) to the state line to connect with a railroad from Elmira.  That Railroad was never built.[xxx]

             Dr. Roberts' wife, Sally Ann Roberts, died January 5, 1835, at the age of 26 years.[xxxi]  She was buried in the old Daggett cemetery in the village of Daggett.  Mrs. Roberts, Jonathan Whittlock, Reuben Daggett, Sr., and Rufus Daggett all died within a short time of each other.[xxxii]  They all lived in or near Lower Daggett.  I believe they were the victims of some disease or illness.

             Her grave marker indicated that Sally Ann had two surviving infants.  If those two surviving infants were the two young children mentioned in the 1830 census, they were not infants as I understand that term.

             There were 7 people listed in the 1840 census for the H. B. Roberts family.  There were two males up to 5 years of age, one male 10 to 15 years of age, one male 20 to 30 years of age, and one male 30 to 40 years of age.  There was one female 10 to 15 years of age and one female 20 to 30 years of age.

             One family member was engaged in agriculture, one in manufacturing or trades, and one in a learned profession.

             Dr. Roberts remarried after the death of his first wife, but I do not know when.  Her name was Phebe.  Phebe was probably the female age 20 to 30 years in the 1840 census.  She may have been much younger than Dr. Roberts.  The two males up to 5 years of age were probably children of Dr. Roberts and Phebe.

             The male and female age 10 to 15 years of age were probably the children mentioned in the 1830 census and on the grave marker of Sally Ann Roberts.

             I have no idea who the male age 20 to 30 years of age was.

             Dr. Roberts was the family member engaged in a learned profession.  I do not know how Phebe or the other adult male figured in the agriculture or the manufacturing or trades designations.

             Dr. Roberts owned the tanyard.  The manufacturing or trade designation may have referred to the tanyard.  Perhaps, the second male worked at the tanyard or on the farm.

             Dr. Roberts died on April 1, 1842.[xxxiii]  He was buried next to his first wife in the old Daggett cemetery in the village of Daggett.  According to his grave marker, he was 38 years old.

             Miller Vaughan died on June 21, 1842, at the age of 57 years.[xxxiv]  His wife, the former Chloe Daggett, died June 28, 1842, at the age of 58 years.[xxxv]

             Sally Ann Roberts may have died as a result of an illness that was going around.  Were the deaths of Dr. Roberts and the Vaughans related?  Was there another round of illness going around?

             In 1842 Dr. Roberts was assessed for 63 acres of land, a tannery, a house and lot, and a storehouse.

             The 63 acres must have been for the Miller Vaughan property and Lot 152.  The acreage assessment was much less than what the deeds and the Bingham Map called for.  That may be because much of Lot 152 was in Bradford County and may have been assessed there.

             The house and lot assessment must have been for the tanyard house and lot.

             In 1843 Phebe was assessed for the properties.

             I do not know where Dr. Roberts lived while he was here in Jackson Township.

             He owned the tanyard house, and the store may have had living quarters.

             As you will see, his Estate sold the Miller Vaughan property and Lot 152 around 1849-50.  The legal notices of the proposed sale stated that the property contained a house.[xxxvi]  Miller Vaughan continued to live on the northern half of Lot 151 after he sold the southern half to Dr. Roberts.  I am assuming that Dr. Roberts had built the house on his half of Lot 151.

             The current Arthur Bacon, Gene Shalters, and Joyce Rumsey properties out of the southern half of the Miller Vaughan lot have houses on them.  According to my research, the Gene Shalters and Joyce Rumsey houses were built at a later time.  The Arthur Bacon house has long been the site of a house.  I believe that site is the house site of Dr. Roberts.  Does any part of that house date back to Dr. Roberts?

             The Miller Vaughan property is the most probable site of Dr. Roberts' last residence.

             Dr. Roberts died intestate (without a will), and Phebe Roberts, Zenas Roberts, Edward D. Roberts, and David Griswold, Jr., were appointed as administrators.[xxxvii]  David Griswold, Jr., lived just north of Lower Daggett across the county line in Wells Township.  I know of no relationship between Mr. Griswold and the Roberts family except as neighbor and possible friend.

             Dr. Roberts' Estate was a nightmare.

             Dr. Roberts was survived by his second wife and four children.  The 1840 census suggests that all four children were minors at the death of Dr. Roberts.  The records are not initially clear just who the mother was of each child.

             Eventually, you learn the names and parentage of the children.  Dr. Roberts and his first wife were the parents of Hiram D. Roberts and Sally Ann Roberts, who would later become Sally Ann Atwater.  Dr. Roberts and his second wife were the parents of Wagan Roberts and Reuben Roberts.

            Court records filed in Dr. Roberts' Estate indicate that his brother Seth Roberts was a stepfather to Wagan and Reuben Roberts and a husband to his widow, Phebe.  Do you think that was a source of conflict within the family?

             Seth and Phebe would move to Coudersport in Potter County, Pennsylvania, by 1850.  According to the 1850 census, Seth was 24 years old and Phebe was 36 years old, an age difference of 12 years.  Seth would have been around 16 years old when his brother died.

             Wagan Roberts was 12 years old or about 4 years old when his father died.  Reuben Roberts was 10 years old or about 2 years old when his father died.  Seth and Phebe had a 5 year old son DeWalton Roberts and a 2 year old daughter Phebe Roberts.  DeWalton's age suggests that Seth and Phebe had married within a couple of years after Dr. Roberts' death.

             Phebe would have been around 28 years of age when Dr. Roberts died.  There was an age difference of about 10 years between her and Dr. Roberts.

             As you will see, Hiram D. and Sally Ann were about 14 and 13 years of age when Dr. Roberts died.  They would have been substantially older than their stepbrothers and much closer in age to their Uncle Seth.

             While events were unfolding, you had two children of Dr. Roberts and his first wife, two children of Dr. Roberts and his second wife, and two children of his brother and his second wife.

             Rules were developed at common law in England to determine just who was entitled to the inheritable real property (real estate) which an individual died seised (owning).  Those that were entitled to inherit were related to the decedent by blood or consanguinity.    Elaborate rules were developed to establish a complex pecking order, just ask a first-year law student.  The issue of the decedent (children, grandchildren, etc.) was at the top of the list.  Those rules are known today as intestate laws or laws of intestacy.

             Husbands and wives were said to be related by affinity, not consanguinity, and were not covered by those early common law rules.  The concepts of dower and curtesy were developed to cover them.  Wives were covered by dower, husbands by curtesy.

             Under the rules of dower, if issue was born of the marriage, the surviving wife of a decedent had a life estate in 1/3 of the inheritable real property that the husband was seised during coverture.

             Some form of common law dower existed in Pennsylvania until 1833 when it was effectively abolished by Act 143.[xxxviii]    Act 143 did more than eliminate dower.  It also created a comprehensive statutory scheme of intestacy.  My research leads me to conclude that Act 143 was in force when Dr. Roberts died.

             I did not research the exact nature of dower in Pennsylvania before1833.  The statute may have just codified existing common law.

             Under Act 143, Phebe was entitled to a 1/3 interest in the real estate for life and a 1/3 interest in the personal estate absolutely.

             The four children were entitled to all the real estate, subject of course to the life estate of Phebe, and to 2/3's of the personal estate.

             There are no records that show how the parties divided up their interests in the real estate that Dr. Roberts owned at his death.

             Act 143 also provided that the administrators had the authority to petition the court for permission to sell real estate if needed to pay the debts of the Estate.        

             On May 15, 1843, Jacob Larison was appointed as a guardian for Hiram D. Roberts and Sally Ann Roberts.[xxxix]  I am not familiar with guardianship law covering that period.  Was Mr. Larison the guardian of the property only, or also the guardian of the person of the two minor children?  Did Hiram D. and Sally Ann continue to live with Phebe?  Was there a recognized conflict due to children born of two separate mothers.

            I do not know of any relationship between Jacob and the Roberts family.  Jacob had the current Musshafen farm at the time.[xl]

             An inventory was filed by the administrators on September 20, 1843.

             That inventory included a list of accounts that were owed to Dr. Roberts.  The accounts, in addition to naming the debtors, listed what the debtors owed the money for.  Some of the items listed included cloth (lots of calico), sheep shears, bowls, shoes, candlesticks, tools, ox yokes and irons, leather for shoemaking, lamps, beeswax, knives and forks, books, paper, blankets, buttons, hats, and pots and pans.  The accounts must have been for the store business.  Dr. Roberts offered a variety of goods for sale in his store including leather products from the nearby tanyard.

             I did not find any accounts that had been owed for medical services.

            Edward D. Roberts and Seth Roberts filed an accounting for the time they spent on the Estate.[xli]  It appears that collecting the amounts due on the accounts took a great deal of time.  They also worked in the tanyard grinding bark, drawing lime, and securing the leather in the vats.  Edward even had to provide housing for a tanner.

             Edward Roberts' accounting filed with the court was confirmed nisi which meant that it was approved subject to someone objecting to it.[xlii]  Exceptions were filed on November 25, 1843.  For unclear reasons, the accounting was never finally approved, and Edward Roberts withdrew his request to be discharged as administrator on February 21, 1844.

             A citation was issued on December 23, 1843, at the request of Wickham, Hutchinson & Co., a creditor of the Estate, to force an accounting.[xliii]  The action was discontinued by the consent of the parties.

             Wickham, Hutchinson & Co. was a business firm owned by Joseph Wickham, Henry Wickham, and Samuel Hutchinson.  Whatever agreement that had been reached in the Estate matter did not stop them from suing the Estate.  They obtained a judgment against the administrators on December 28, 1846, for $858.27.[xliv]

             Wickham, Hutchinson & Co. attempted to enforce the judgment in 1848.  The amount sought was $580.09.  Apparently, they had been paid a part of the original judgment.  They stopped the enforcement action before any steps were taken.[xlv]  Had they been paid?

             At the request of Seth and Phebe, the Court appointed Humphrey Mosher as guardian of Wagan L. Roberts and Reuben Zenas Roberts.[xlvi]   Mr. Mosher may have been the individual that Mosherville was named after.

             The Court then appointed William Ingalls as guardian of Hiram D. Roberts and Sally Ann Roberts.[xlvii]  I do not know why Jacob Larison had been replaced.

             Humphrey Mosher and William Ingalls resided in Wells Township.

             Seth Roberts was later appointed the guardian of Wagan L. Roberts and Reuben Zenas Roberts.[xlviii]

             In 1844 Seth Roberts was assessed for the properties with the acreage changed to 60 acres of land, and Seth was assessed as a merchant.  Was the change in assessment from Phebe to Seth due to their marriage? 

             In 1845 Seth Roberts was assessed for the properties with the acreage changed to 40 acres of land.

             In 1846 the properties were assessed to a John Credaford with the acreage changed back to 60 acres of land.  Seth was also assessed for 60 acres of land.  The two land assessments may have been duplicates.

             According to one account, Phebe operated the tanyard until 1844 when it was taken over by Seth.[xlix]  Seth operated it until 1849.  Again, was this changeover to Seth around 1844 evidence that Seth and Phebe had gotten married around that time? 

             What about the store?

             Are the 1843 through 1845 assessments evidence that Seth and Phebe took control of the properties?

             On November 2, 1846, Seth Roberts purchased a lot in the village of Daggett's Mills from Joshua G. Spencer.[l]  The property is part of the current William K. Walushka property.[li] I have found no record of a house being there before the purchase of the lot by Seth Roberts.

             Seth financed the purchase of the property by executing a judgment note in favor of Joshua G. Spencer.[lii]  Joshua entered the note as a judgment against Seth.  The note and judgment were assigned or transferred to Wickham, Hutchinson & Co.  They revived the judgment in 1851.[liii]  E.D. Roberts paid the judgment off and it was satisfied on December 19, 1851.  I do not know how this may have figured into the H.B. Roberts Estate.

             In 1847 Seth Roberts was assessed as an innkeeper, the owner of a house and lot, and the owner of a tavern house and lot.  I am guessing that either the house and lot or the tavern house and lot was on the property he purchased from Spencer.  Did he build the first house there?  Was it the tavern house or was he being assessed for the Spencer tavern?  I have not found any record of Seth owning any other property.

             In 1847, the H. B. Roberts Estate was assessed for 40 acres of land, two house lots and a tannery.

             The previous storehouse assessment was probably changed into a house lot assessment indicating that the store had been closed.

             I view the change in assessment from Seth to the Estate in 1847 and Seth buying property in the village of Daggett evidence that Seth and Phebe had vacated the Dr. Roberts properties.

             When John G. Hubbell conveyed the tanyard and tanyard house and lot to Joshua D. Naramore, he took back a mortgage in the face amount of $800.00.[liv]  The mortgage was secured by both lots.

            The mortgage was defaulted on, and Benjamin B. Smith, as Administrator of the Estate of John G. Hubbell, Deceased, initiated a foreclosure action at No. 120, September Term, 1847 in the Court of Common Pleas of Tioga County, Pennsylvania.[lv]  This was the same Benjamin B. Smith that had been appointed to replace Erastus Kellogg as the administrator of the Jonathan Whittlock Estate.

             The evidence tends to show that Phebe and Seth abandoned Dr. Roberts' properties and moved into the village of Daggett around 1846-47.  The Mortgage default probably had a great deal to do with Seth and Phebe moving out of Lower Daggett.

             The amount due on the mortgage was alleged to be $729.02.    The records indicate that there were two sales.  The process of the first sale did not start until around January 22, 1850.  The actual sale was held around February 25, 1850. The only property sold was the tanyard.  It was purchased by Robert G. White for $300.00.  Why the delay from the start of the foreclosure action?  Was there a dispute about the amount owed?

             On the face of the information contained in the court file, a second sale was held around November 20, 1851.  That sale was for the tanyard house and lot.  The process for that sale took place around November 20, 1851.  It was purchased by Robert G. White for $25.00.

             Why weren't both properties sold in the first sale?  They were both used to secure the mortgage.

             The reason for the second sale is obvious.  The first sale, on its face, did not clear the debt.

             There is a curious fact about the foreclosure that needs to be mentioned.  Notices of the Sheriff's Sales at the time did not name the party forcing the sales nor name the cases resulting in the sales.  They just described the properties and the name of the person that the property was being sold as.

             The notices I found that I assume were for the first sale listed the tanyard property as being sold as the property of Joshua D. Naramore.  Seth's lot in the village of Daggett was listed in the same notice as being sold as the property of S.S. Roberts.  The tanyard house and lot were not advertised.[lvi]

             The S.S. Roberts property was described as containing a frame house, barn, and some fruit trees.  That meant the current William Keith Walushka property had a house on it by that time.

            Why was Seth's property in the village of Daggett advertised for sale?  Was it mistakenly advertised instead of the tanyard house and lot, or was it the subject of another unrelated sale?

            I have found no evidence that Seth's property was the subject of any kind of sale.

             I also found no subsequent advertisement for the second sale.

             More will be said about the tanyard and the tanyard house and lot when we discuss Tract 1 of the division of the Rufus Daggett lands.

             The Sheriff's Deed for the first sale was acknowledged at the May Term of Court in 1851.[lvii]  The actual deed was never recorded.

             I found no subsequent acknowledgment for the second sale.

             There is no recorded documentation to substantiate the change in assessment in 1846 to Mr. Credaford.  There was a Joseph Credaford, who along with William Daggett, signed the Administrator's Bond as surety.  Joseph Credaford was assessed as a shoemaker in 1841 in Jackson Township.  I believe he lived in Lower Daggett and may have had some type of association with the tanyard.  Perhaps, Joseph and John were the same person, or at least, related, and maybe the change had something to do with protecting the interests of the sureties.

             While doing some title work in Coudersport, I discovered that Seth and Phebe did eventually move to Potter County.  As I stated previously,  the 1850 census has Seth and Phebe living in Coudersport, Pennsylvania.  His occupation was listed as an innkeeper.

             Seth S. Roberts became indebted to a John N. Elmore.  Seth executed a judgment note for $500.00 in favor of Mr. Elmore which was entered as a judgment on September 5, 1848.[lviii]

             On December 22, 1851, Seth S. and Phebe Roberts conveyed the lot in the village of Daggett to John N. Elmore of Elmira, New York.[lix]  The deed was notarized in Potter County, Pennsylvania.  Was this conveyance made in part to satisfy the Elmore judgment?

             Mr. Elmore would flip the property by conveying it to Hannah Roberts on October 27, 1852.[lx]  Hannah was the wife of E.D. Roberts.  Had E.D. Roberts been involved in taking care of Seth's debts after Seth left for Potter County?

             In 1848 the H.B. Roberts Estate was assessed for the tannery, two house lots, and 40 acres of land.  Seth Roberts was assessed for a house and lot, an inn or tavern, and a storehouse.  Was the storehouse the Dr. Roberts store, or was the Dr. Roberts store one of the two house lots assessed to the Estate?

             In 1849 the H.B. Roberts Estate was assessed for only one house and lot, the tannery, and 40 acres of land.  Seth Roberts was assessed for a house and lot and a storehouse.  The 40 acres were marked as transferred to H. D. Roberts.  Again, was the storehouse assessment for the old Dr. Roberts store?  If so, was the store still in operation?

             The Estate was no stranger to the court system.  There were 4 other lawsuits filed against the Estate besides the two I have already mentioned.[lxi]

             Unable to pay the bills, the administrators were forced to try and sell some of the real estate that belonged to Dr. Roberts.  On September 1, 1849, three administrators, Edward D. Roberts, David Griswald, Jr., and Zenas Roberts, petitioned the Court for permission to sell a 50-acre tract, a 45-acre tract, and a house and lot.[lxii]  Why didn't Phebe Roberts join in the petition?  Had she already moved out of the area?  Did she disagree with the petition?

             The 50 acres and the 45 acres were the Miller Vaughan property and Lot 152.

             The house lot was described as bounded on the east by the highway and all other sides by the heirs of Rufus Daggett.   The store or the tanyard house could have fit that description.  The foreclosure action against the tanyard properties had already been initiated.  Would that suggest that it was the store that was being sold?

             Was the length of time it took to sell the tanyard properties due to this sale? 

             Legal notice of the sale described the house lot as a ¼ acre lot containing a frame house and outbuildings.[lxiii]

             The southern half of the Miller Vaughan lot was described in the legal notice as containing 50 acres of which 35 were improved.  The 50 acres contained a frame house, a frame barn, and an apple orchard.  This is the first record I have found that shows a house on the 50 acres.

             The 45 acres was Lot 152, and the legal notice did not mention any buildings on it.

             The former Miller Vaughan lands and Lot 152 were sold to William Ingalls around February 21, 1850.[lxiv]  Notice the time distance from the date of death of Dr. Roberts.  The ¼ acre lot was not sold due to a lack of interested buyers.

             Mr. Ingalls had been the guardian of two of the Roberts children.  They were probably adults by the time of the sale to Mr. Ingalls.  Did he purchase the properties because he wanted them for himself, or did he purchase them because of Hiram D. and Sally Ann?

             By the end of 1851, the Estate had lost the tanyard and the tanyard house through a mortgage foreclosure and had sold the farm to raise cash.  It had only the store lot left.

             Did economic conditions spell doom for the tanyard and the store, or did mismanagement by Seth and Phebe cause the closing of the tanyard and store?

             Newspaper accounts show that the Elmira area was undergoing difficult economic times during the early 1840s. The 1840s saw the closing of many of the sawmills in the Daggett area.

             There is certainly an argument that economic conditions were the cause of the closing of the tanyard and store.  We know that Seth and Phebe took over control of the businesses.  Seth was fairly young and Phebe probably did not have much experience in running either business.  Both factors probably contributed to the closing of the businesses.

             In 1850 H.D. Roberts was assessed for 20 acres of land.  The H.B. Roberts Estate was assessed for a house and lot and 15 acres of land.  Seth Roberts disappeared from the assessment records.

             In 1851 the H.D. Roberts assessment was crossed off in the assessment book, and the H.B. Roberts Estate was assessed for a house and lot and 15 acres of land.

             The house and lot must have been the old store.  I have no idea about the 15 acres.

             In 1852 the H.B. Roberts Estate was assessed for a house and lot and the 15 acres of land.

             In 1853 the H.B. Roberts Estate was assessed only for a house and lot.  Edward D. Roberts was assessed that year for 15 acres of land that may have been the 15 acres previously assessed to the H.B. Roberts Estate.

             I found a published notice for a tax sale set for June in 1854.[lxv] 

             Among the properties listed were 30 acres of improved land, a house and lot, and 30 acres of wildland assessed to the administrators of H. B. Roberts for taxes that had been assessed in 1848.

             A house, lot, and tannery were listed as being assessed to W. S. Ingals guardian of the heirs of H. B. Roberts for taxes that had been assessed in 1848.

             A tannery and two houses and lots were listed as being assessed to the Estate of “?” B. Roberts for taxes that had been assessed in 1849.

             Twenty acres of improved land were listed as being assessed to Hiram Roberts for taxes that had been assessed in 1850.

             Five acres of improved land and ten acres of wildland were listed as being assessed to the Roberts Estate for taxes that had been assessed in 1850.

             Do those unpaid taxes represent confusion in the Estate or lack of funds?

             The listing for twenty acres assessed to Hiram may have been for Hiram D. Roberts.

            Where were the 15 acres?

                        I did not find any record of any properties having been sold at the sale.

             From 1853 to 1855, the H.B. Roberts Estate was assessed for a house and lot.  There was no assessment at all for the H.B. Roberts Estate from 1856 to 1868.

             An assessment in the name of A.B. Bryan for a house and lot began in 1853.  There was a lot between the tanyard house and the Roberts store.  We will be discussing that lot in greater detail when we discuss Tracts 1 and 2 of the division of the Rufus Daggett lands.  For now, that lot was out of Tract 2 and contained a house.  It had been conveyed by Cornelious Daggett to A.B. Bryan by deed dated September 15, 1851.[lxvi]  I believe that property contained the house that appeared in the 1853 assessment for A.B. Bryan.  I mention it now because it plays a part in discussing the tanyard house and the Whittlock house.

             Problems developed between the administrators and the heirs of the Estate.  The problems seemed to center around what Phebe was receiving from the Estate, and the Estate paying some of the expenses of the two businesses.

             Hiram D. Roberts and Sally Ann Atwater each tried to force the administrators into court around 1856.[lxvii]  You will remember that Hiram and Sally Ann were not children of Phebe Roberts.

            A citation was issued as a result of the petition filed by Hiram D. Roberts, but it appears that it was the petition of Sally Ann Atwater that was acted upon.  Sally Ann's petition was filed by her husband Addison Atwater on her behalf.  That petition provides proof of her husband's name.

             Allen B. Bryan filed an affidavit with the court stating that Phebe Roberts was the surviving spouse of Dr. Roberts and that his surviving children were Hiram D. Roberts, Sally Ann Atwater, Wagan Roberts, and Reuben Roberts.  It is not until that affidavit is filed that you have a definitive naming of Dr. Roberts' children.

             The administrators filed an accounting in response to the petitions on December 12, 1856.  The handwritten documents are hard to read, but it appears that that accounting showed the Estate to be insolvent.

             The accounting was confirmed nisi by the court, but exceptions were filed.  Again, the documents are hard to decipher.  There were several exceptions, but the only one I can read deals with accusations that Phebe had removed assets beyond what she had been entitled to and had refused to account for them.

             The court appointed an auditor on December 12, 1856.  The court appointed a replacement auditor on October 20, 1860.  It appears that the case dragged on several years.

             The court issued a final opinion, but it is difficult to read.  The court found that there was $1017.97 to distribute.  In the process, Hiram D. Roberts had conveyed his interest in the Estate to Edward D. Roberts and William Ingalls.  Edward, in turn, conveyed his interest to William Ingalls.

             I do not know how the judge resolved the exceptions.  I cannot read the opinion.

             After expenses, the court awarded 1/3 or $303.00 of the net to Phebe Roberts.  He awarded 1/6 or $151.50 to each of William Ingalls, Sally Ann Atwater, Wagan Roberts, and Zenas Roberts.  This was in line with the intestate rules of the time.  It appears that Phebe was the big winner.

             The accounting was confirmed nisi on December 15, 1860, and finally confirmed on February 16, 1861.  The court's decree was made on February 17, 1861.

             Dr. Roberts' Estate was not settled until almost 20 years after his death.

             There is one curious note about the final proceedings.  The judge was Robert G. White, the same Robert G. White who had purchased the tanyard house and tanyard at the Sheriff's Sale.

             The final proceedings did not affect the old Dr. Roberts store, but did William Ingalls acquire Hiram D. Roberts' interest in it?

             The 1862 Walling Map gives us the first look at the properties in Lower Daggett.  Starting at the north side of Eighmey's Bend on the west side of the road and going south to north, you had the Whittlock house and lot, the tanyard house and lot, the A.B. Bryan house and lot, and the Dr. Roberts store.  The 1862 Map should show 4 structures, but it shows only three.[lxviii]

             The first one is labeled S. Bennett, the second one Wm Daggett, and the third one Roberts Est.

             The gristmill is labeled as a steam gristmill.  Was that correct?  If so, the map is the first evidence I have found that the gristmill had been converted to steam.

             The Roberts Est. structure is the Dr. Roberts store.  As you will see in another section of my history, the Wm. Daggett structure is probably the A.B. Bryan house.  That means that either the tanyard house or the Whittlock house was gone by 1862.  I believe that it was the tanyard house that was gone by the time of the map.  Again, we will discuss this in another section of my history on Lower Daggett.

             As you will recall, Phebe Roberts had a 1/3 life estate in the real estate of her deceased husband.    His four children, Hiram D. Roberts, Sally Ann Atwater, Wagan Roberts, and Zenas Roberts inherited the rest.

             I have found no record of what happened to Phebe's life estate.  I have found no record that she ever relinquished it or conveyed it away.  It does not matter because it terminated upon her death.

           As previously shown,  Hiram D. Roberts sold his interest in his father's Estate to William Ingalls and Edward D. Roberts in the settlement proceedings.  In turn, Edward D. Roberts sold his just acquired interest to William Ingalls, giving Mr. Ingalls a ¼ interest in the Estate.  Did that include just the personal property or did it include the old store lot?

            Hiram D. Roberts was listed in the 1850 census for Wells Township, Bradford County.  He was listed as a separate household next to the listing for William Ingalls his former guardian.  He was married to a woman named Mary.  His age was given as 22 years of age.  That would make his date of birth to have been 1828.  That would have made his age to have been around  7 when his mother died and 14 when his father died.  What a tragic life.

             According to the census, he had been born in New York State.  That complicates the timeline of his parents moving from Tioga to here.  At some point in the process, did the Roberts live in New York State?

             Hiram D. Roberts was the oldest of the Roberts children.

             As has been shown, his sister, Sally Ann Roberts, married a man by the name of Adison or Addison Atwater.

             The 1850 census places the Atwaters in the Town of Ulysses in Tompkins County, New York.  Sally Ann's age was given as 21 years of age.  That would put her a year younger than Hiram D. Roberts.

             The census did not name her place of birth, but it did state that she had been married within a year of the census.

             The 1860 census has a listing in Bingham Township, Potter County, Pennsylvania, for an Addison and Sarah A. Atwater.  Their ages were given as 31 and 30 years of age.  He was born in New York, she in Pennsylvania.  Their ages in the 1850 census were 22 and 21 years of age.  He was born in New York.  I believe those two census records name the same people.  The age difference can be explained by the different dates that each census was done.  Sarah may have been Sally's proper name.  Somewhere I read that her mother's name was Sarah Ann, even though the name on her grave marker was Sally Ann.

             I have found no record of what happened to Sally Ann Atwater's interest in her father's real estate.

            On  March 25, 1868, Hiram D. and Mary J. Roberts of Ithaca, New York, conveyed a lot to John S. Smith.[lxix]  The lot contained 47.2 perches of land (0.295 acres) and was the Dr. Roberts store lot.  Did that conveyance mean that he had not conveyed his interest in his father's real estate to William Ingalls and Edward D. Roberts?

             Mr. Smith had purchased the gristmill property on June 29, 1867.[lxx]

             The description contained in the deed was based upon a new survey.  The lot appears to be about 1.8 perches (29.7 feet) more in depth than the original lot.  The roadway may have changed in the meantime.

             Enter Ellen Searles.

             Ellen was one of the more unique and colorful individuals I found during my research into the Daggett area.  Ellen owned what we know today as the Musshafen farm along the end of Church Street in the village of Daggett.[lxxi]

             She and her husband, Isaac, owned the farm which consisted of two parcels, one held by Ellen and one held by Isaac.  Isaac would execute judgment notes in favor of Ellen and Ellen's mother.  Ellen would use those notes to force a Sheriff's sale of Isaac's part of the farm which Ellen then purchased, giving her complete ownership of the farm.  Isaac would later die on the farm in a freak, and I think suspicious, accident.

             Around the end of the Civil War, Ellen would engage with the Methodist Church in the village of Daggett in a dispute over the ownership of the Church's parsonage lot.  The parsonage would be either partially or completely destroyed by fire.  Ellen and her mother would be indicted by a Tioga County Grand Jury and charged with arson.  Ellen would also be charged with assaulting a trustee of the Church.  Ellen would beat the wrap, presumably on the strength of her land claim.  She eventually wrested control of the parsonage lot from the Church.[lxxii]

             Now, she set her sights on the Estate of Dr. Roberts.

             On October 7, 1868, W(agan) L. and Louisa H. Roberts of Corry, Pennsylvania, by a quitclaim deed, conveyed the former Dr. Roberts farm and the store lot to Ellen Searles.[lxxiii]

             As you will remember, the administrators of the Dr. Roberts Estate received court permission to sell the farm at a public sale.  It had been purchased by William Ingalls.  Wagan Roberts was not one of the two Roberts children that Mr. Ingalls had been appointed guardian for.

             In 1865 a house and lot assessment appeared for the Seth Roberts Estate.  The assessment continued until 1867.

             In 1868  a house and lot assessment reappeared for the H.B. Roberts Estate.  The assessments for the Seth Roberts Estate may have been for the H.B. Roberts Estate.

             The H.B. Roberts Estate assessments continued until 1870 when it was transferred to John S. Smith.

             On March 12, 1870, Reuben E. and Mary E. Roberts of Harrisville, Michigan, conveyed to Ellen Searles all of Reuben's interest as heir in any real estate of his late father, Dr. Hiram Roberts.[lxxiv]

              At No. 13, November Session, 1871 of the Court of Quarter Sessions of Tioga County, Pennsylvania, John S. Smith charged Lucinda Lefler with forcible entry and detainer with regards to the old Roberts store.[lxxv]

             Mrs. Lefler was indicted by the grand jury on the charges, but it appears no trial was ever held.

             Mrs. Lefler was the former Lucinda Daggett a daughter of Rufus and Hannah Daggett.  Lucinda married Charles Lefler, and they were awarded Tract 5 of the Rufus Daggett lands.

            Silas Hall had acquired the southern half of the Miller Vaughan property from the Estate of William S. Ingalls on September 30, 1871.[lxxvi]

                 Silas accused Ellen Searles of threatening him with a gun around June 18, 1873.[lxxvii]  Assault charges were filed against her around December 1, 1873.  At the initial court appearance, she wanted the judge to release her without posting bail, but the judge thought better of it and imposed a bail of  $500.00.  Bail was posted, and it doesn't appear she spent any time in jail.  I do not know the final disposition of the charges.  She managed to escape the consequences of her actions in all of the preceding charges filed against her.  No doubt she did here.

             The charges must have centered around Ellen's efforts to gain control of Dr. Roberts' farm.  Silas was not going to put up with Ellen's crap.  Ellen had been accused of violence in the incident of the church parsonage.  Were violence and threats of violence part of her tactics, or was she just a violent person?

             This case was not the only criminal charge she faced around that time.  She had also been charged with Larceny.[lxxviii]  She was able to have that charge discharged on November 26, 1873.  I do not know the specifics of it.

             On October 16, 1873, the heirs of William Ingalls conveyed a ¼ acre lot to Lucinda Lefler.[lxxix]  The property was described as the red house lot and as the Hiram Roberts' claim of the Hiram B. Roberts Estate.  The reference to Hiram Roberts' claim must have meant the transfer from Hiram D, Roberts to Mr. Ingalls and Edward D. Roberts.  That conveyance was for the old store lot.  The heirs of Mr. Ingall certainly felt that Mr. Ingalls had acquired Hiram D. Roberts' interest in the old store.

             That deed meant that John Smith, Ellen Searles, and Lucinda Lefler each had a deed for the old store lot.

             John Smith sold the gristmill in 1869, and on March 5, 1874, John S. and Susan Smith of Elmira, New York, conveyed the old store lot to Ellen Searles by a quitclaim deed.[lxxx]

             John S. Smith was assessed for the house and lot from 1870 to 1874 when his assessment disappeared.

             The 1875 Tioga County Atlas depicts the old store as belonging to a Mrs. Lefler.[lxxxi]

             In 1876 Ellen Searles was assessed for a house and lot.  In 1877 Lucinda Lefler was assessed for a house and lot.

             The A.B. Bryan lot to the south of the Roberts store was conveyed on December 1, 1876, and on April 7, 1877.[lxxxii]  The old store lot was described in those deeds as being in possession of Lucinda Lefler and Ellen Searles.

             Lucinda Lefler was awarded Tract 5 of the division of the lands of Rufus Daggett.  Tract 5 contained 66.6 acres of land which were mostly in Wells Township.  Lucinda was assessed for 22 acres in Jackson Township which represented that portion of the property in Jackson Township.  Jackson Township assessment records did not separately assess a house to large acreages that contained a house.  So if you see an assessment for a large acreage and an assessment for a house and lot, the house and lot assessment was for a separate property.  Lucinda's assessments for a house and lot were in addition to an assessment for the 22 acres.  Tract 5 contained a house, but the house and lot assessment was for some other property.  I believe her house and lot assessments were for the old Roberts store.

             Lucinda Lefler was assessed for a separate house and lot in 1880 and 1881.

             Lucinda had died on February 21, 1880.[lxxxiii]  Her heirs divided up and conveyed the Tract 5 property.  There are no conveyances by her heirs of any house and lot.

             In 1882 her assessment for the 22 acres and a house and lot were split into a 7-acre land assessment to her son-in-law, James Smith, and a 15-acre land assessment to her son-in-law, Wallace Oakley.  The house and lot assessment followed the 15 acres to Wallace Oakley.

             Jackson Township assessment records played an important part in my research.  Most of my research took place some time ago when the public had access to them.  Since then, the records have been removed from public access.  I am hoping they still exist.  I was told they had been scanned and were available through the computer records at the Assessment Office.  They are not.  There are only about half a dozen of the Jackson Township assessment books available on a computer.  The rest are not.  Hopefully, the public will have access to them someday.

             My ability to trace the house and lot assessment of Wallace Oakley past 1882 ended with the loss of access to the assessment records.

            A subsequent conveyance of the A.B. Bryan lot was made in November of 1894.[lxxxiv]  That deed referred to the old store lot as belonging to the Searles Est.

             That must have been some valuable old store.  You had William Ingalls, John S. Smith, Ellen Searles, and Lucinda Lefler trying to gain control over it.  Things may have become heated at times evidenced by the charges filed against Lucinda Lefler.

             William Ingalls was a farmer from Wells Township.  He had been the guardian of Hiram D. Roberts and Sally Ann Roberts.  He had purchased Dr. Roberts's farm at the public sale.  I do not know what he would have wanted the store property for.

             John S. Smith was the local gristmill owner at the time.  He may have had some valid reason for wanting the old store.

             Ellen Searles probably wanted the property out of pure greed.  With all the turmoil in the Roberts Estate, she may have seen this as an opportunity to steal the old store. 

             What was Lucinda's interest in the property?

             In the 1850 census, she was listed as living with her husband in Lower Daggett probably on the Tract 5 property.

             In The 1860 census, her husband was listed as a head of household with the children, and Lucinda was listed as the head of a separate household by herself.  Did Charles and Lucinda separate?  Was Lucinda living in the old store?  Did she leave her husband or was she squatting on the old store property in an effort to bolster her claim to it?

             The 1870 census had her living again in her husband's household with the children.

            Is the deed description contained in the 1894 conveyance of the A.B. Bryan lot proof that Ellen ended up with the old store lot?

             Ellen died in 1883.[lxxxv]

             I checked the respective Estates of Lucinda and Ellen and found no records about the old store lot.  Neither did I find any conveyances of the property by their heirs.

             I do not know who ended up with the old store, but with Ellen Searles involved, things must have been lively at times.

            The old store lot next shows up combined with the old  A.B. Bryan lot.  We will continue the discussion of the old store lot when we discuss Tract 2.  The store building itself is gone, and the lot is now a trailer rental lot.[lxxxvi]

             I am guessing that the old store lot became rental property after the store went out of business.

             Dr. Roberts died in 1842.  The fighting over the store probably did not end until the deaths of Ellen and Lucinda.  People were fighting over his old store close to 40 years after his death.  What a mess.

             When Jeremiah Ayers reconveyed the 133+ acres of land back to Rufus Daggett, the deed description reserved a ¼ acre lot in possession of Elder Booth that contained a house built by Booth.  There is no recorded conveyance to Mr. Booth.  The lot was bounded on the north by Edward D. Roberts and the south by the tanyard.  The lot was on the east side of the road.

             Was “Elder” a name or a title?  Was it a religious designation?

             The Elmira Gazette of the times mentioned an Elder John Booth and an Elder Elisha Booth in connection with the performance of weddings in the Daggett and Wells Township areas.

             It was reported that the wife of Elder John Booth had died April 25, 1832, leaving her husband and eight children to survive her.[lxxxvii]

             Was this Booth family related to the Elder Booth that had purchased the lot and had built a house thereon?

            Were religious ceremonies held on the property?

             By deed dated November 4, 1833, Raymond Booth, Elisha and Phebe M. Booth, and Gifford Booth conveyed the former Elder Booth lot and house to Reuben Daggett, Sr.[lxxxviii] What was the grantors' relationship with Elder Booth?

             I believe Reuben, and possibly his third wife, moved onto the Booth lot.  He died there in 1835.

             In 1835 and 1836, the house and lot were assessed to Reuben Daggett, Sr.  In 1837 the house and lot assessment was transferred to Seth Daggett.  After that year, the assessment seems to have disappeared.

             No Estate was ever created for Reuben, nor any will probated.  Reuben's surviving spouse, if any, and his children were his heirs.  Reuben's children probably decided amongst themselves as to just who would end up with the house and lot.  Nothing was ever recorded.

             By deed dated September 7, 1832, Jeremiah Ayers had conveyed a ¼ acre lot to Edward D. Roberts.  That lot was the lot referred to as being north of and adjacent to the Booth lot.[lxxxix]

             Edward was a brother of Dr. Roberts.  Edward had a house on the lot and lived there for a time.  According to assessment records, he was a tailor by trade.  He may have had some connection with the store and tanyard.

             Edward married Hannah Garrison, and they had twelve children.[xc]

             You will see Edward's name used throughout this history because he was involved in many land transactions in various parts of the Daggett area and Wells Township.

             You can argue that his placement in the 1840 census shows he was living in Lower Daggett at that time.

            His placement in the 1850 census has Edward still living in Lower Daggett.

             We know by a deed conveyance dated October 27, 1852, that Edward was living in Wells Township by that time.[xci]

             In 1853 Edward D. Roberts was assessed in Jackson Township for three house lots.  As near as I have been able to determine, those assessments represented the house in Lower Daggett, the current William Keith Walushka house, and most of the current George D'Andrea house and lot.[xcii]

             The 1857 assessment reflected that Edward had sold the George D'Andrea property to William Updike.

             The 1860 assessment records assessed Edward for two house and lot assessments.  They were for the Lower Daggett property and the Walushka property.

             On June 6, 1860, Edward conveyed the Walushka property to a Mary M. Allen.  The deed stated that Edward was living in Elmira, New York, at the time.[xciii]

             The 1861 assessment records transferred a house and lot assessment to Mary M. Allen.  The second house and lot assessment disappeared.

             There is no record of Edward ever conveying the Lower Daggett lot.

             A William Beach obtained a judgment against Hannah Daggett for $300.00.  The claim had been assigned by Edward D. Roberts.  Hannah was the surviving widow of Rufus Daggett.

             The judgment was satisfied through a Sheriff's Sale of a ½ acre tract of land.  The property was described as bounded on the north and east by Lucinda Lefler, the south by the John G. Hubbell Estate, and the west by the highway.  The property contained 2 frame houses, one frame barn, and fruit trees.  The property was purchased by Miranda D. Lucas, daughter of Rufus and Hannah Daggett.[xciv]

             As I have shown, the Lucinda Lefler mentioned in the deed description was another daughter of Rufus and Hannah Daggett and was the owner of Tract 5 of the division of the Rufus Daggett lands.  By its description, the ½ acres were the Edward D. Roberts and Booth lots which had been excepted out of Tract 5.

             The proceedings took place on February 3, 1863.

             I believe that the Rufus Daggett family home was located where the current Kenneth Eighmey house is now located.[xcv]  The family continued to live there after the death of Rufus Daggett.

             The partition action filed by William Daggett may not have been amicable.  Cornelius Daggett was awarded the family home as a part of Tract 2.  Did that place Hannah in a difficult situation?  Was she willingly or unwillingly forced to vacate the family home?

             Hannah would have had a life estate in 1/3 of the real estate of her late husband.  How did that figure into what happened?  Did she assume ownership of the Booth lot in lieu of her life estate?

             The 1840 census had Hannah listed as the head of a household of eight.  There was one male age 10 to 15, one male age 20 to 30, one female age 5 to 10, 2 females age 10 to 15, 2 females age 15 to 20, and one female age 40 to 50.

             Hannah would have been around 44 years of age.[xcvi]

             Her son William would have been around 23 years of age, her son Rufus would have been around 21 years of age, and her son Cornelious would have been around 15 years of age.  It appears Rufus and Cornelious were living at home, and William was on his own somewhere else.  In fact, William Daggett was listed as the head of a separate household and probably married.

             Her daughter Hannah would have been around 19 years of age, her daughter Lucinda would have been around 17 years of age, her daughter Sally would have been around 13 years of age, her daughter Laura would have been around 12 years of age, and her daughter Miranda would have been around 7 years of age.

            It appears that all of her daughters were living with her in 1840.

              From 1842 to 1846, Hannah Daggett was assessed for a house and lot.  Was it for the Booth lot?

             From 1847 to 1850 she had no house and lot assessment. 

             The 1850 census had Hannah in a household with her daughters Laura, age 21 years old, and Miranda, age 16 years old.  The same census had Cornelious living in a separate household probably the Rufus Daggett house.  I view that census as evidence that Hannah had moved out of the old Rufus Daggett home onto the Booth lot.

             Edward D. Roberts had his problems with his brother's Estate.  At some point in time, I think he made a deal with Hannah to buy his ¼ acre house and lot.

             Hannah was assessed for a house and lot in 1851 and 1852.

             In 1853 Hannah was assessed for 65 acres of land.  There are no deed records to substantiate that assessment.

             In 1854 the Hannah Daggett assessment was transferred to a Burton.  I cannot make out the first name.  Hannah's daughter Laura was married to a Lyman Burton.[xcvii]  He was probably the Burton in the assessment.

             Hannah was not assessed from 1855 to 1858.

             From1859 to 1863 Hannah was assessed for a house and lot.

            Hannah never remarried.  Miranda married Furnam Lucas on February 12, 1854.[xcviii]  Did Furnam and Miranda live in one of the two houses on the ½ acres?

             Miranda and Furnam had a son, Joel D. Lucas, who was born in 1856.[xcix]

             Miranda filed a divorce action against Furnam around 1860.  She ran an ad in the Wellsboro paper giving notice of the filing and the date of June 4, 1860, set for hearing.  The published notice stated that the action had been filed by her next friend, Cornelious C. Daggett.  Cornelious was her brother, and the filing shows the state of women's rights at the time.[c]

             Such a public ad today would indicate that service of the proceedings could not be made upon Furnam because Furnam was no longer in the jurisdiction of the court and his whereabouts were unknown.  In other words, Furnam had deserted his wife and son.

             The 1860 census had Hannah and Miranda living in separate, but adjacent households.  They were probably living in the separate houses on the two lots.  Hannah was living with two minor Daggett children probably her grandchildren.  Miranda was living with her 4-year-old son, Joel.

             The 1862 Walling Map depicts three houses on the east side on the road in Lower Daggett north of the gristmill.[ci]  They are not adequately labeled.  The most northerly one is probably the house on Tract 5 of the division of the Rufus Daggett lands.  The other two are probably the Edward D. Roberts and Booth houses.  On the left side of the road “Mrs. Daggett” is printed with a line pointing to the east side of the road.  That reference is probably to Hannah Daggett.

            Miranda Lucas was assessed for 2 houses and lots in 1864.  Hannah had no assessment.  The 1864 assessment reflected the Sheriff's Sale.

             Miranda's sister Sally K. Daggett had married Samuel Criss in November of 1849.  Sally died on March 29, 1866.[cii]  She was buried in the Daggett cemetery by the Methodist Church.

             Miranda would marry Samuel Criss, but I do not know when.

             Samuel Criss purchased the bulk of Tract 2 of the division of the Rufus Daggett lands from Cornelious Daggett on April 22, 1869, and moved into the old house of Rufus Daggett.[ciii]

             The 1870 census had Miranda married to Samuel Criss and living with him on the Tract 2 farm.  Hannah was still living in one of the two houses on the combined Roberts and Booth lots.  She had a three-year-old Daggett girl living with her.

             Hannah is not mentioned in the 1880 census, and she is said to have died in Daggett's Mills on February 26, 1883.[civ]  She was about 87 years of age.  I do not know where she was buried.  Her husband had been buried in the old Daggett family cemetery.  My last trip to that cemetery was about two decades ago.  There were only 2 or 3 stones there then, but evidence of several more stones that been destroyed or removed.  I am guessing she was buried there near her husband.

             The Edward D. Roberts and Booth lots had been combined into one lot by the Sheriff's Sale.  There were two houses there that at some time were either removed and replaced by a single house or combined into a single house.

           The 1875 Tioga County Atlas depicts a single house belonging to a Mrs. Criss.[cv]  That would have been Miranda.  Had one of the two older houses been removed by then, or had both houses been replaced?

             Miranda continued to own the property up to her death on November 1, 1904.[cvi]  She was buried in the Daggett cemetery next to the Methodist Church. 

             Her son Joel B. Lucas died in 1914 and is also buried there.[cvii]

             I do not know what use was made of the property after Hannah's death.  If anything, the property was a rental property.

             Miranda's second husband, Samuel Criss, died July 7, 1896, and was also buried in the Daggett cemetery next to the Methodist Church.[cviii]

             Miranda joined with the other heirs of Samuel Criss in conveying the Tract 2 lands to Samuel Criss, Jr., on April 4, 1898.[cix]

             Did Miranda continue to live on the Tract 2 farm, or did she move onto the former Edward D. Roberts and Booth property after the death of her husband and the conveyance to Samuel Criss, Jr.?

             Miranda continued to own the combined lots until her death.

             Miranda's heirs conveyed the combined lots to Samuel R. Criss (Samuel Criss, Jr.) on February 5, 1906.[cx]  For some reason, probably a mistake, the acreage was given as  ¼ acres in the deed when it should have been ½ acres.

             According to the deed, her heirs were Joel B. Lucas, Frederick Criss, and Burt J. Criss.  They were probably her sons.  She must have had children with her second husband.

             Samuel R. Criss died still owning the combined lots.  His heirs conveyed the combined lots to my great grandparents John and Dora Eighmey on April 11, 1935.[cxi]  John was a son of George Eighmey the gristmill owner.  John had a farm in Wells Township and did not live on the combined lots.

             John and Dora Eighmey conveyed the combined lots to their son and daughter-in-law Bernal W. and Bernice L. Eighmey on July 10, 1945.[cxii]

             Bernice's maiden name was Lain, and she was related to the Lains that had lived in the village of Daggett and are buried in the Lain family section of the Daggett cemetery next to the church.

             Bernal and Bernice had one child, a daughter named Elnora.

             Bernal and Bernice used the property as their home.

             Bernal died April 1, 1991, and was buried in the Job's Corners cemetery.

             After his death, I had a chance to talk to Bernice about the house.  She did not know about its history, but she did tell me that it was in rough shape when they moved in.

             Elnora married Vernon McWhorter, and they put together a farm in the village of Daggett that is still in operation today.[cxiii]  You will see their names mentioned in several places in my histories of the Daggett area.

             On May 27, 1991, Bernice L. Eighmey, widow, conveyed the property to her son-in-law and daughter Vernon McWhorter and Elnora McWhorter.[cxiv]

             On April 13, 2008, Vernon and Elnora McWhorter conveyed the property to their son-in-law and daughter Jeffrey G. Wheeler and Kathleen Lanett Wheeler.[cxv]

             Bernice died February 1, 2009, and was buried in the Job's Corners cemetery.

             The Wheelers live on the property.  They have substantially added to the house and have replaced the old barn on the south end of the property with a new structure.  Was that old barn the barn mentioned in the Sheriff's Sale back in the 1860s.

             Jeff and Lanett have purchased the house and lot immediately north of their property.[cxvi]  They subdivided that property into two lots and added one of them as a lot addition to their existing property making the acreage of the former Booth and Roberts lots now to be 2.575 acres.[cxvii]

             Now that you have read the preceding details about Lower Daggett, let me throw something in I cannot explain.  Harvey Vaughan was the son of Miller and Chloe Vaughan.  As such, he was a cousin to the children of Rufus Daggett.

             From 1835 to 1848, he was assessed for a house and lot in Jackson Township.  According to the 1840 assessment, the lot was ¼ acre in size.  There are no deed records to substantiate the assessment.

             Harvey was listed in the 1840 census between Edward Roberts and Hannah Daggett.  It is a good possibility that his ¼ acre lot was located in Lower Daggett.

             In 1848, the Harvey Vaughan assessment was marked transferred to a Lefler, and a house and lot assessment appeared that year for Charles Lefler.

             Charles Lefler had married Lucinda Daggett on September 10, 1840.[cxviii]

             The Charles Lefler assessment continued until 1850 when it disappeared.

             Charles and Lucinda were awarded Tract 5 of the division of the Rufus Daggett lands around May 29, 1850.

             Charles was first assessed for the Tract 5 property in 1853.

             Harvey appears in the 1850 census for Rutland Township.  As I have shown, Charles and Lucinda were listed in the 1850 census as living in Lower Daggett probably on the Tract 5 property.

             Where were Harvey's house and lot located?

             I initially thought that Harvey may have moved onto the Booth lot after the death of his grandfather Reuben Daggett, Sr., but as I have shown, that is unlikely.

             Was the house one of the three houses mentioned, but not identified, in the Rufus Daggett Estate as being on the property of Rufus Daggett at his death?[cxix]

             Was the transfer of the assessment to Charles Lefler who would go on to own Tract 5 with his wife evidence that the house and lot were part of Tract 5?

            If so, does that mean there was a house there at least by 1835, and again, was it one of the three houses that Rufus owned at his death?

            I wished I knew more about the Harvey Vaughan house and lot.

                        The names in the assessment records are in alphabetical order.  The census records group names together roughly in the area where they lived.  By combining the two, you can get a rough picture of who owned what and who lived where in a given area.  That can supplement what you find in the deed records, especially in an area like Lower Daggett where many deeds were not recorded.

             At the end of the day, such a review of the assessment records and census records combined with the deed records leaves a kernel of doubt in your mind that you have an accurate picture of what happened in Lower Daggett during its early years.

             The best you can say is that there was a gristmill, sawmill, tanyard, store, and about 7 houses all in existence at the same time in Lower Daggett.  Most, but not maybe all, of the house sites are the sites of houses and mobile homes today.

 DCW 7/2019.

           

1.  Current Kenneth Eighmey house.  I believe it to be the site of the Rufus Daggett house.

2.  Current Mobile home site.  The site of the Dr. Roberts store.

3.  Current Mobile home site.  The site of the A.B. Bryan house.

4.  Current tenant house.  The site of the Tanyard house.

5.  Current Curtis Voorhees house.  The site of the Whittlock house and the cooper's shop.

6.  Area of Eighmey's Bend.

7.  Gristmill site.

8.  Area of the Tanyard.

9.  Tail of the mill race.

10. Site of the Booth house.

11. Site of the E.D. Roberts house.

12. Site of the house on Tract 5 of the division of the Rufus Daggett lands.

 

 

1a

 

2a