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WHO WAS - Nicholson Sharp
in Plum Township
Venango County, Pennsylvania
By H. W. Strawbridge October 18, 1957

Nicholson Sharp, an old patriarch of Chapmanville, was born in Beaver County, Pa., onJuly 29, 1818. He was the fourth of a family of ten children of Joseph and Ann C. Sharp. One record gives his mother’s maiden name as Neely, while another states it as small. The Sharps were of Scotch-Irish descent.

Hardly anything is known about Nicholson’s young life. When he was about four yearsold, his parents came to Lawrence County. Well after Nicholson reached his maturity, hehad 30 acres and a gristmill which he operated just outside Princeton, which is near NewCastle.

Nicholson married Miss Sarah Munnel, who was a daughter of James and Martha ElderMunnell. Sarah was born May 25, 1819. The Munnels were Irish. Sarah’s grandmother,Jane Wallace Munnel, was a direct descendent of Sir William Wallace of military fame. The Munnels located in Washington County, Pa. James, after attaining his majority,emigrated north into Mercer County. Nicholson, or “Nick” as most knew him, and Sarahlived several years in the Princeton area, and it was there that all their children were born.

On April 6, 1854, Nick’s wife died of the German measles. Nick was in the process ofmoving his goods and stock from his old home to Plum Township when she died, leavingan infant daughter six months old.

When he was looking for a place up this way, he had a chance to buy the present Mitchellplace north of Cooperstown but too much money was involved so he bought the SamuelMatthew’s farm south of Chapmanville for $1,500. Nick and his boys drove his flock ofsheep up.

Gives Baby to Sister
After his wife died, the baby daughter was given to Nick’s sister, Rebecca, who hadmarried James H. Munnel, a brother of Nick’s first wife.

There were six children born to Nick and Sarah, who with their birth years were: JamesSharp (1840), Joseph Scott Sharp (1842), William Sharp (1845), Martha Ann Sharp(1847), Cynthia Jane Sharp (1850) and Sarah Margaret Sharp (1853).

James was a carpenter. He had dark hair, eyes and complexion, and was 5 feet 81/2 inchestall. He enlisted in Company I of the 57th Regiment of Penna. Infantry on Oct. 16, 1861. He was eventually transferred to Company D of the same regiment. He was captured bythe Rebels at the Battle of Gettysburg on July 2, 1863, and was confined in a Rebel prison. He had about halfway dug his way out when he got caught. He died of starvation onChristmas Day, 1863. Sources differ on which prison he died in. One says Libby, anotherBelle Island, and the other, Andersonville.

Joseph was also a veteran of the Civil War, having enlisted in the same company andregiment early in the war. He, too, took part in the Gettysburg battle. He was musteredout in June, 1865. He married Miss Juliette Holder in Chapmanville on Aug. 1, 1865. They lived their first 25 years of married life on the Duffield farm southwest ofChapmanville. In 1890the family moved to Enterprise. He then engaged in the lumberbusiness. Mrs Sharp died in 1915. He died at the home of a daughter in Woodville, O., ofpneumonia on Dec. 30, 1928. They had ten children, seven of whom reached maturity.Three are living today. They are Mrs. Martha Blanchard of Woodville, O., Mrs. JestaTerrill of Blooming Valley, and W. Ellsworth Sharp of Titusville. A granddaughter ofJoseph, Mrs. Juliette Hovis of Titusville has a Bible which contains old Sharp familyrecords.

William, too, served in the Civil War at a later period. he enrolled in Company A, 179thregiment of N.Y. Infantry Volunteers in September, 1864, and was discharged in June,1865, near Alexandria, Va. He married Miss Esther Ann Armagost on May 18, 1867. William farmed for many years on the present James A. Sharp place south ofChapmanville. Then he moved into the place in Chapmanville now occupied by Mr. andMrs. Freeman Proper Sr. He moved at last to Titusville. He died suddenly while sitting inBattin’s Grocery, Titusville, on March 23, 1921. She died in 1926. they had 12 children,10 of whom reached maturity. Three are now living. They are James A. Sharp ofChapmanville, Nick Sharp of Titusville, and Mrs. Hazel Woods, now of Pittsburgh. Agranddaughter, Mrs. Wilda Proper of Chapmanville, has William’s Civil War Discharge.

Couple Built log HouseMartha Ann married William Ellis Williams on June 20, 1865. they first lived in theChapmanville vicinity, then moved on a farm in Troy Township during the decade of the1870’s. On this place was a log house in which they lived several years, then they laterbuilt a frame house. Mr. Williams died in 1916, and Martha died Feb. 3, 1935. they hadnine children, eight of whom lived to maturity. Only one is living today, Mrs. AlmedaNoel of Akron, O. Her last surviving sister, Mrs. Maude Theubet, was buried at EastTroy just this past Aug. 31. Cynthia married Nathaniel Morse Jr. of Chapmanville on Jan.8, 1867. As a girl, Cynthia carried drinking water to the men who were erecting the firstPlum and Troy Baptist Church in 1860 and 61. The minister, Rev. Cyrus Chreve,promised her that she would always have a free pew. After her marriage she andNathaniel lived near Chapmanville, then moved to New York State where they continuedfarming and where they lived the remainder of their lives. Their home was at Levanna. Nathaniel died in 1899, and Cynthia died on July 31, 1935. They had nine children, eightof whom survived into adulthood. Two are living: Mrs. Nellie Palmer of Madison, N.J.,and Frank N. Morse of Moorestown, N.J. A granddaughter, Mrs. Bessie Lee, lives at thehome of Levanna, N.Y.

Sarah Maraget was only six months old when her mother died, and she was reared by anaunt and uncle. She married on Jan. 1, 1872 to James Alfred Blair. They lived their livesat Princeton, Pa. He died in 1926, and Sarah died in 1942, aged 88. She was the lastsurviving child of Nicholson Sharp. The Blairs had nine children, two of whom still live. They are Mrs. Bertha White and Mrs. Blanche Myers of Princeton.

The father, Nicholson Sharp, married a second time. She was Miss Catherine McGee,who was from the New Castle-Princeton area. She assumed the Sharp household dutiesas a good woman would. Nick and she had two children, who were John N. Sharp (1855)and Samuel G. Sharp (1859). John died in May, 1861 aged five. Samuel Married MissEffie Bender of Chapmanville on Jan. 18, 1882. In 1885 he built a new house nearlyacross the road from his father, and that remained the family’s home. It is the place nowowned by Mrs. Mancie Gray. Mrs. Gray is a granddaughter of the above named WilliamSharp. Samuel Sharp served in the National Guard for several years. He was primarily afarmer. His wife died in 1923 after a long illness, and Samuel died April 10, 1931. Theyhad a son, Charles, who died in July 1925, aged 28.

Nick’s farm first had a log house which had a ladder situated straight up into the loft orattic. His son, James, built a new plank frame house for the family before he departed tothe ill-fated war. The second frame house at Chapmanville was a story-and-a-halfstructure. The kitchen part was added on years later. The new house had the old fireplacewith a crane to hang kettles on for cooking. Sometime after the war they got a cookstove.

The farm had many apple, chestnut, butternut, walnut, hickory and maple trees. Thechildren and grandchildren delighted in picking the fruit and nuts from these trees. Theymade plenty of maple syrup and sugar.

Nick bought other chunks of land too. He purchased well over 100 acres from the JosephFree heirs around the time of the Civil War, and he turned over a portion to Joseph andanother portion to William to cultivate and build up as their own.

In 1867, Nick bought 50 acres northwest of Diamond from Abel Williams. About 1874 hedisposed of this chunk to Jared and Caroline Welsh.

During part of the winter of 1880 Nick owned and operated the Chapmanville store. Hebought it from Ira C. Crowther, then shortly afterwards sold it to George M. Winchesterfor the same price he paid for it, $2,000. This included a barn and cooper shop on the lot.

Noted as Sheep Grower
Nick raised fine sheep. He was noted as one of the best sheep growers in the northernpart of Venango County. He would put sheep out on shares to different neighbors and,consequently, helped these neighbors to start a flock for their own use.

Nick served as a Plum school director around the time of the mid-1870’s. He visited theChapmanville school often and gave a speech each time. While speaking, he would rollone of his hands over the other.

Perhaps the best known characteristic of the old gentleman was his faithful adherence tothe Christian Church. While living in the Princeton area, he and his second wife weremembers of the Mt. Harmon Church. In 1856 they took their memberships in thePresbyterian Church of Sunville. Later they took an active part in the Plum and TroyBaptist Church, to which Mrs. Sharp transferred in 1863. Nick gave the ground for thischurch (first church edifice) and the Chapmanville Cemetery.

About 1873 Nick joined the young Chapmanville Methodist organization. He and Josephhelped build the church edifice in 1878. It was in this church that he maintained hismembership until his death. He served as a steward and trustee for years. This churchonce had what was known as the “Amen Corner”, the southwest corner. Four elderly menwho sat in this grand old corner of religion were Nick, John Armstrong, Hiram Battin andJohn oles.

Nick also gave a nice contribution towards the building of the East Troy MethodistChurch in 1874.

He became a regular attendant of the Diamond Free Methodist Church after it organizedin 1893. He also attended the Diamond UB Church regularly. For some time he sat in anarmchair on the platform in this church to hear the sermon. The reason was due to hishearing which was going bad.

One day a certain lady let her curiosity get the best of her, and she asked Nick: “Mr.Sharp, why have you attended so many churches through the years?” He answered with asimple but sage reply: “I want to be on the ship that sails the fastest.”

Hence Nick was quite commonly called “Deacon” Sharp, sometimes more often than“Nick.” He always said grace at the table. One time he went to the home of agranddaughter, Mrs. Charles Hawbaker, for dinner. She had previously told her son,Donald Hawbaker, not to eat before the old gentleman said grace. Came dinner, and allwere waiting at the table. Donald thought it a long wait and said, “Grandpa aren’t yougoing to say grace?” “I”m glad you mentioned that.” Nick said, and reached in his pocketand gave a nickel to Donald, and said grace.

Nick was tall and slender. This photograph of him is possessed by a great-granddaughter,Mrs. Minnie Battin of Chapmanville.

Nick’s second wife, Catherine, died the night of Jan. 12, 1886, from a stroke. She was 67. That night was terrible stormy and snow was very deep. Mrs. Jesta Terrill, 83 ofBlooming Valley, remembers that because she was there when that death took place. Nick took Mrs. Terrill over to her parents’ place on a large horse’s back to let them knowof the death.

Nick married a third time. The new Mrs. Sharp was a nice lady from Gresham, Mrs.Hannah Armitage Fisher. Her first husband, Silas Fisher, died in 1879. Hannah never hadany children, but she reared these relatives: Mrs. Anna Kightlinger, Mrs. Mearl Wood,Lon Fisher and Mrs. Ella Aiken.

Rebuilds Fence in DayJames A. Sharp of Chapmanville recalls a feat his grandfather did on his 80th birthday. Hetore down a lengthy stretch of rail fence along the road, then rebuilt all of it again, makingit higher and of course more satisfactorily. He did all this in one day!

The Sharp families would generally have parties for the old gentleman on his birthday, July29. His 90th birthday was observed in 1908 with a large gathering of relatives and friendspresent. Remarkably enough, five generations were present. Then, in 1909, his 91st wasobserved with another party.

On July 29, 1910, his 92nd birthday, he was only able to come to the door and greet thefolks, as he was failing considerably. Only two or three weeks previous, he helped loadhay in the field.

On Wednesday, Aug. 10, he was lying in bed, breathing fast. About noon he died. Hewas buried in the Chapmanville Cemetery, which was practically beside his home, on Aug.12, following service in his home.

Hannah lived on the place a few years, then lived at the home of her niece, Mrs. AnnaKightlinger at Diamond, which is presently the home of Mr. and Mrs. RaymondKightlinger. Hannah died there on May 16, 1924. having suffered a stroke a weekprevious. She was 86. Her church membership had been with the Diamond UB Church.

After she left the Sharp home in Chapmanville, no one ever lived in it again. James Sharptore down the house in 1925, and no buildings are on the place anymore. Brush andseveral walnut trees grow around the old cellar today.

Transcribed by Dr. Harry Sharp
NY & FL
patroon@ibm.net

Disclaimer:there may be errors due to transcription ofinformation from both early and late (current contributors) work.