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WHO WAS -Elijah Bearce
in Plum Township
Venango County, Pennsylvania
By H. W. Strawbridge

A family that has been on American soil for more than 300 years is the Bearce family. Austin Bearce came to America in the ship "Confidence of London" in the spring of 1638. He had left Southhampton, England, near where he was born 20 years previously. He settled at Barnstable, Mass., where his family of 11 children was reared.

The Bearce families principally remained in Massachusetts for at least five generations. Eventually some wandered into New Hampshire and Connecticut. One of Austin's great-great grandsons, Jonathan Bearce married Salome Bridgeman of New Hampshire, and they reared their family of seven children in that state.

Their fourth son, David Bearce, married Miss Phebe Simmons, a native of Maine. David, Phebe, and their family, and also David's brother, Isaac Bearce, left New England in the early 1840s and settled at Fredonia, Mercer Co., Pa.

David and Phebe had a family of 11 children, the tenth of whom was Elijah Bearce, principal subject of this sketch. Elijah was born July 14, 1844, at Fredonia, where he grew to manhood.

After the Civil War had broken out Elijah entered the service on Oct. 30, 1861, as a captain in Company F, which was recruited in Mercer County. Apparently Elijah's service in that hitch was brief because record states he enrolled as a private in Company H of the 15th Regiment of Infantry on Sept. 12, 1862. His term in this regiment was also very brief.

His main Civil War service commenced on Feb. 22, 1864, when he joined Company K of the 105th Regiment of Pennsylvania Infantry at Meadville. He took part in the battle of Cold Harbor in early June, 1864. On June 15 he received a severe wound in his foot when he was struck by a minie ball near Petersburg, Va. He was hospitalized at Washington, D.C. for one week, then transferred to a hospital at West Philadelphia, Pa, where he remained for quite awhile.

During his service he was transferred into a couple other regiments. He also served in Company K of the 63rd Penna. Infantry, and Company K of the 99th Penna. Infantry.

Two or three anecdotes of Elijah's war service are written down in the family records. He once paired with a Dutchman and they scouted together considerably. One day there were out and detected a Rebel sitting upon a hill cooking his dinner. The Dutchman said he bet he could shoot the Rebel's hat off, and Elijah said he couldn't. The Dutchman (with intentions of not harming the Rebel) aimed and fired. The Rebel rolled down the hill, and the shocked Dutchman exclaimed: "Mine Gott, Elijah, I shot too low!"

Another time Elijah was with a bunch of fellows who were trying to find something to eat. All of them went into a farmyard and saw a chicken running around. They chased it and tried to bayonet it. An old woman opened the door and wrung her hands, saying: "My God, there goes the last chicken!"

Elijah was with Grant's army when Lee surrendered at Appomattox, and Elijah later told how the Union fellows went wild. They threw their hats into the air, whooped and hollered, shot their guns and really had a big time.

Elijah was discharged near Washing, D. C., on July 11, 1865. The soldiers had to get back home the best way they could. Elijah and others "hoofed" it back to Mercer County, and they had some time doing it.

After the war Elijah was married. His wife's name is thought to have been Miss Fiance Canon, daughter of Samuel and Nancy McClure Canon. Nothing is known about his first wife. They may have lived at Fairview, Mercer County.

His first wife apparently died young. They had one son, Henry Bearce, who eventually went to the state of Oregon. No trace of him or his family exists today.

Around 1870 or 71 Elijah was married to Miss Isabelle DeWoodie of Mercer County. Isabelle was reared from a small girl by her uncle, Johnny Braden, and his wife, "Aunt" Belle.

Elijah and Isabelle lived at North Sandy, Mercer County, where Elijah was a mail carrier for 21 years. He carried mail with a horse and two-wheeled cart between North Sandy and Sandy Lake, five miles apart, three times a week. Sometimes Isabelle took the route. Finally Elijah was underbid for the job by his best neighbor who was said to be postmaster at the time.

The house where the former postoffice of North Sandy was situated is still standing. It was a locality formerly called "Deemer's Mill Dam."

The house where Elijah and Isabelle lived at North Sandy is gone now. They had seven and one-half acres in their property. It is now owned by Mrs. William Haylett.

Elijah and Isabelle had four sons who were as follows: John Braden Bearce, David Wilson Bearce, Judd Bearce and Charles H. Bearce. All were born at North Sandy.

John was born Feb. 2, 1872. He was noted as a whistler, and often as a young fellow he whistled the Mockingbird Song at parties. He married Miss Pluma Hipple of near Chapmanville on Aug. 11, 1892, at Franklin. They lived at Diamond and Thompson's Mills for some time. They had two children: Clyde J. Bearce and Hughie Bearce. Clyde worked in the Coates Garage in Titusville for years. He died in September, 1955. His son, Leroy Bearce, an employee at The Titusville Herald, gave fine co-operation toward information for this sketch. Little Hughie Bearce died of typhoid in 1900 at the age of two. John was married a second time to Mrs. Kate Wheeler of Grand Valley. They eventually lived at Franklin where John worked as a teamster. He died March 6, 1932, and is buried at Cochranton. She died at Erie in 1935.

David was born June 10, 1874. He was married to Miss Altha Proper of Diamond on Oct. 27, 1897, at Sunville by Squire Gilliland. They lived for a few years with her parents, Mr. and Mrs. George Proper. This is the place presently occupied by Mrs. Jessie Proper and Mr. and Mrs. Frank Root. They also lived west of Diamond on the place presently owned by the Albin Sagan family. During that time David farmed. They later lived in Titusville where he worked on the railroad out of the city. She died June 16, 1930, and he died in Randolph Township on May 31, 1936. They are buried at Diamond. They ad one daughter, Mrs. Irene Church, who was known to be living in Erie a number of years ago.

Judd was born about 1877. He was a medium sized lad with light yellow hair, and had a nice personality. He was mechanically inclined. He and a chum got hold of old telegraph keys and a coil of wire and they strung it from Elijah's house to the other boy's home. They became very adept at sending messages back and forth, and prepared to secure jobs as telegraphers on the railroad. Then Judd and his mother took ill with typhoid. The last message that Judd sent to his friend was the news of his mother's death. Judd died the day after his mother's funeral, which was about Oct. 29, 1895. He was 18. Judd, his younger brother, Charles, and their mother were so against liquor that they wouldn't even consider touching sweet cider.

Charles was born June 20, 1881. He was married about 1900 to Miss Mary McKay. For a time they resided in Titusville and worked in the radiator plant there. Around 1902 he took a job as brakeman with the railroad and his family resided with his cousin at Mahoningtown. On Jan. 26, 1906, he was instantly killed at Neshannock Falls, Lawrence County, when he apparently lost his footing and fell beneath the wheels. His body was mangled terribly. He was buried in the Diamond Cemetery following a service in the U.B. Church. He and Mary had two children, William and Isabelle Bearce. Isabelle was later placed in a children's home in Warren, Ohio, and adopted out to persons unknown. William presently resides near Ripley, N.Y.

Mrs. Isabelle Bearce, Elijah's wife, was a strict Presbyterian, and all her children were baptized as soon as she thought proper. She probably belonged to the North Sandy United Presbyterian Church. She died of typhoid on Oct. 26, 1895. She and Judd are buried in the abandoned McIntyre graveyard near North Sandy. A man named Herbert Gilliland now owns the land on which the graveyard is situated.

Elijah Bearce's first acquaintance with Diamond was likely made when visiting his nephew, Wilson (Billy) Bearce, who had arrived in this region in the early 1880's to work firing a boiler at Byham's sawmill at Maple Hill. Billy met a Diamond girl, Miss Imelda Proper, and they were married. They were the parents of Jackson M. Bearce who presently resides just southeast of Diamond.

Thus Elijah and his sons got more acquainted while visiting in the Diamond area. Elijah and a Diamond widow, Mrs. Eliza Ann Sterns, got acquainted to the extent that they were married in Franklin on Oct. 29, 1896.

They resided on her place just north of Diamond. That was the former house that stood below the house that the Ed Hoban family now resides in. Eliza died Feb. 16, 1899, at the home of her son, John Sterns, near Tryonville.

Elijah then lived with his son and daughter-in-law, David and Altha, west of Diamond. His byword was something like "hayges." It is said he was always afraid to die. Every time he became sick he would get everybody up (if in the night). Yet at his last sickness he was not afraid when his time came to go. He was a very temperate man and wasn't known to take a drink.

Elijah was a little taller than average, and weighted 180 pounds anyway. He was a raw-boned individual with square shoulders. He had white hair and a bushy white mustache. He was a very obliging and good-hearted man, and would give anything anyone might ask for.

He had had a limited education. He was a good visitor and liked young people very well. If he drove by and recognized someone, he would shout greeting to that person.

He didn't have very good health his last years, and he mainly lived off his war pension. He did the family gardening and busied himself with some little thing most of the time. One time he carved his initials on a large beech tree alongside a run on the back of Dave's farm. During a period of time in 1905-06 he lived at Hartford, O., then he came back to Dave's farm at Diamond.

During the winter of 1909 Elijah took ill with an infection of the kidneys, and he failed steadily. Finally a horse-drawn ambulance from Titusville came out and took him to the City Hospital. Floyd B. August of Titusville, who at that time lived next to Elijah's home, recalls of riding from Titusville to Diamond in that ambulance the evening it went out to fetch Elijah to the hospital. Mr. August also visited Elijah a couple of times in the hospital.

The old veteran died in the hospital the afternoon of March 1. He was buried at Diamond by E. W. King, than a funeral director of Titusville.

Transcribed by Penny Kulbacki Minnick
minnick862@verizon.net

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