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Author Unknown - Submitted by J. Kelsey Jones |
The first man to make a permanent settlement within the present limits of Wells Township was a Presbyterian minister named John Smith. He settled where the village of Mosherville now stands. In Mr. L. C. Shephards garden there is a little grave where Rev. Smith buried one of his children who died during his sojurn in Wells. After a few years Rev. Smith moved to the west. (He came to Wells in 1792)
Probably the first to make a settlement on the Aspinwall Corners were the Seeley Brothers. Strong and Adam Seeley. The exact date of their coming is uncertain. They only stayed a few years. Among others who came soon after were the Ingalls brothers; Samuel, William, and Square. One of them lived near the Nobles place. Square Ingalls lived on the James Frease place.
John Van Wert and his sons John and William settled the Morris Shephered place. A man named Gifford settled the Judd Killgore place and the Smith brothers the John Ayers farm. One of the Smith brothers is buried under an old apple tree above the John Ayers barn. Hirum Warner settled in the town. Treman Warner the Mark Warner place and James Warner the Sturdivant place.
Samuel Edsall settled the Frank Brown farm and built the first farm house in Wells Township in 1812. The house is still standing. Across the road from this house and a little below Mr. Lew Brown's barn is the old cemetery in which many of the early settlers were buried.
An incident in the early history of this house might be out of place here. It was the custom of the Aspinwall neighborhood to meet on the 4th of July and clear a little patch of ground and sow it with turnips. In the fall they would meet again and harvest and divide them. On the 4th of July they met at the home of Samuel Edsall. A large fire place was in the basement and a welsh dinner was being cooked. A little child of Solomon Soper fell into the fire and was burned to death.
Jesse Edsall settled in the place where M. C. McLane lives. He also owned the farms where Geo. Knapp and Glenn Barrett now live. John Wolf settled the Alfred McClure place.
Rev. Joseph Beaman and his cousin, David Haswell came from New Jersey in 1806 and made a clearing on the Beaman and Al Walker farms respectfully. The next year they returned to New Jersey and brought back to their wilderness homes, their brides. Rev. Beaman was the first Baptist clergyman. His circuit extended as far west as Cherry Flats, Tioga County and as far north as Elmira, New York. He was interested in the education of the children of the settlement and very early established a school in a vacant house on his farm. Soon after he built the red school house which stood on the north west cornev of the Beaman corners. It served also as a place of worship.
A family named Bradley lived on the farm where Harry Warner now lives, and another by the same name lived on the E. A. Killgore place while the Ingersalls settled the next farm below Mr. Killgore. George More settled the farm where his son Elisha lived for many years and near him lived the Swayzes. Peter Knapp settled the farm just north of the Edd Swayze farm while Thomas Wright settled the farm where the Robinson brothers now live. James Wright settled the John McClure place. The Judson brothers settled on Judson Hill but soon went west. Scubral Rowley a soldier of the War of 1812 lived on Rawley Hill as did William and John Osgood. Thomas Ferguson settled the farm where Charles Roberts now lives and Harris Ward the Dayton Shephard place (where Burt Tears now lives). Albion Budd settled at Budd Corners. His brother settled the David Chamberlain place.
The Columbia and Wells Presbyterian church was organized at a meeting held in the log school house that stood very near if not quite on the present Aspinwall school house on Feb. 22, 1832.
Author unknown. One page typed copy in possession of J. Kelsey Jones. Aspinwall is now known as Coryland.
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April Session 1813 the aforesaid Commissioners Report in favor of the Petition but that the sixty seventh mile stone should be the north east corner of the township, thence running south to the north line of Smithfield thence west said line to Tioga County thence northerly on said county line to the north line of the state thence east to the place of beginning.
Bradford County Road Docket, Vol I, p. 98:
At a court of Quarter Sessions of the Peace of said County held at
Meansville on the second Monday of May AD 1817 Before the Judges of the
same Court was read the Petition of Levi Osgood and other inhabitants of
Wells & Athens townships & setting forth that they have great difficulty
in attending town business “by reason of distance & want of roads &
therefore praying the Court to take measures for the erection of a new
township to be called “Ridgebury” to be set off from the sixty fifth &
seventy second milestones on the State line and contain parts of the townships
of Athens & Wells aforesaid.
Whereon the Court appoint Samuel McKean, Ebenezer Kendall, & John Barber to enquire into the propriety of granting the prayer of the Petitioners & order that they or any two of them make a plot or draft of the township proposed to be erected & laid off together with lines of the said adjoining townships from what is to be divided all what they or any two of them shall Report to the next Court of Quarter Sessions of said County.
September Session 1817 Order Continued.
December Session 1817 the aforesaid Commissioners Report favorably to wit.
To the Hon Judges above named the under signed do report that in pursuance of the above order we have viewed the location of the different townships & believe that it will be of great utility to erect a town according to the above order ie to begin at the 72nd mile stone on the north line of Springfield township thence East along north line of Springfield & Smithfield townships seven miles thence north to the 65th mile stone on the north line of the State thence west along State line to the place of beginning to be called Ridgebery. John Barber, Ebenezer Kendall. Dec. 6, 1817.
February 9th, 1818, Report confirmed.
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