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WHO WAS WHO in PLUM TOWNSHIP
~ Titusville Herald ~
By H. W. Strawbridge

William C. Kitelinger

William C. Kitelinger was born about 1831, and was a son of Michael Kightlinger who lived in the Sugar Lake region prior to his removal into Plum Township during the earlier years. William, or Bill as he was popularly known, had several brothers and sisters – Samuel, John Abram, David, George, Andrew, Mrs. Catherine Proper, Mrs. Mary Kerr and Mrs. Riley Davidson. Possibly there were more sisters.
The correct way to spell the family name is Kightlinger. However Bill spelled it as Kitelinger. A look at his own signature proves this fact.
Bill married Miss Sarah Ann Grove on Feb.2, 1860. The marriage ceremony took place at Chapmanville and was performed by Rev.Cyrus Shreve, pastor of the Plum and Troy Baptist Church. Sarah Ann was born Nov.21, 1823, probably in Plum Township, and was the fifth child of a family of seven children of John and Mary (Polly) Welsh Grove.
Bill and Sarah Ann probably began housekeeping in Plum Township. Just where it was is now lost by time. In 1862 she bought some land from her brother-in-law, R.D.Guild. She sold it a couple of years later, though.
On Oct.16, 1862, Bill joined the Civil War ranks and served nine months as a private in Company C. Adams Davis’ 169th Regiment of Pennsylvania Infantry. He joined at Pittsburgh. He was honorably discharged at Harrisburg on July 26, 1863. Sometime during his term in the army he took ill with a fever which affected his spine to a certain extent, and which bothered him occasionally during his life.

Netted Large Fortune

After arriving back home from the army, Bill then took great interest in the oil development and bought up land. He would sell the land at fabulous prices and consequently, netted a fortune for himself.
Estimates of the amount of his fortune varied, some saying he was worth over $100,000. He owned land near Pleasantville and sold it later, making a few thousand dollars on it. It is said he sold land at Pithole, too. Various figures of the prices of the lands that he sold have been handed down. Prices such as $40,000 and $80,000 are said to have been acquired by him.
The late D.O. Kightlinger of Diamond used to tell about the time that Bill had 200 acres in the vicinity of Red Hot, an oil boom town. Bill wanted to sell it to oil speculators for a fat price, but he wished to reserve one acre right in the middle of the tract. The buyers would not accept this condition and refused to buy. Soon the anxious fellows came across and bought it with Bill reserving the lone acre. Oil was struck on their land all around the single acre, and Bill sold it for a mighty price.
Bill also owned at least three farms in the East Troy vicinity. They were the present Melvin Proper farm, the present Floyd Campbell place and the present Frank Adams place. One of the places Bill sold for a high price. He owned and sold his lands in the decade of the 1860’s.
Bill lived in a high and fast manner with his fortune, quite similar to a better known figure of oil history, Coal Oil Johnny Steele. Bill traveled and spent his money in different ways. He would light his cigars with ten and twenty dollar bills, then throw the flaming bills away.
In January, 1869, he bought the main portion of the present Homestead Farm at Diamond and he and Sarah Ann lived in a house that then sat down in the field in a southerly direction. He went to the state of Texas and bought many longhorn cattle and arranged to have them shipped up here by the carloads. It is thought he had them on his farm at Diamond where he put them out to pasture. Apparently he made but very little money on this enterprise. These may have been the first longhorn cattle in this region.
Bill also kept wonderful horses. He went somewhere in New York state and purchased them. He was a good horse doctor, learning the trade while in the army. He and his son used to go around the area and attend to young colts.
While Bill lived on his farm at Diamond, he kept two or three teams of horses. One team was large, fat, charcoal-black horses. He fed them all they would eat. While plowing or working with them, Bill would say in a quick but gentle voice: “He, Dandy” (The one horse’s name was Dandy.) It would then prance right along fairly on the tips of its hooves. Bill generally had a canteen slung over the side of one horse.
Bill Kitelinger was tall, having been at least six feet in height, and was a raw-boned individual. He was a strong man and was quite a talker. He was a good looking man.
Sarah Ann was of average size and had sandy colored hair before it turned gray in her later years. She was a member of the Plum and Troy Baptist Church, having joined on Sept.30, 1864.
The couple had one son, Daniel B. Kitelinger, who was commonly called “Danny”. The boy had a crippled right arm. He had no right hand. There was a stub just below his elbow which had two or three little growths the size of beans on the end of it. However, he was quite handy and could do lots of work like pitching hay, etc. He was short and stocky built.

Had Gone Through Fortune

In October, 1876, Bill sold his Diamond farm to Mr. and Mrs. James R. Shriver. Just where he then lived isn’t known for sure, but a few years later he lived on a place across the hiss from the famous Benninghoff Farm. The Carter family now owns this place Bill lived on. By this time Bill had entirely gone through his fortune and didn’t have much of anything.
Then he moved on what was called the Nickademus place in Cherrytree Township. It was located a distance southwest of the Buxton Corners. There was a small house which had a huge stone fireplace that could take logs five or six feet long. Bill lived here a few years then moved farther west in the township on what was the Wilson place (later Frank Voorhies place). Here again was a small house, and here Bill lived his last two or three years. It was while living here that he finally secured a pension from his war service.

James Hancox, 82, who lives south of Stone Springhouse Corners, his late brother Minard Hancox, and the late Roy Guild used to cut and haul chestnut stubs up to Bill’s place, and Bill and Danny would cut them up for firewood. Jim also worked for Bill occasionally, plowing his oats patch and garden.
William D. Campbell, 81, of Blooming Valley and who has been court crier at Meadville for years, recalls Bill Kitelinger. One Christmas Mrs. Campbell sent young Bill Campbell over to Kitelinger’s place with a basket of food. He recalled there was an old pot-bellied stove in the dwelling. Mr. Campbell’s younger brother, Floyd Campbell, lives just north of Stone Springhouse Corners.
William C. Kitelinger died in his home at 3 p.m., Saturday, Oct.5, 1895. His illness was not of long duration. On account of their small house, his remains were taken to the home of Marshall Kerr, prior to the service which was in the East Troy Methodist Church on Monday forenoon.
Sarah Ann lived in several places. She once lived in a little house located on the “Y” corner near the George Beers farm. She kept a large wooden loom in the main room. She once wove a large carpet for a neighbor, Mrs.Mary Jane Richey.

Didn’t Like Toads as Present

She worked and kept house a while at the Benjamin Morse place near Chapmanville. She was there both before and after Mrs. Morse died. While there she once got antagonized at young Will Morse who dumped some toads inside the door just to taunt her. She took after him, but couldn’t catch him.
She lived a while with her brother, W.H. Grove; also in the present Clarence Rieb house; then at the present O.C.Noel place; at the present Earl Hancox house beside the Chapmanville school; and in an old house which stood where the present Williams Funeral Home is situated. While living at this last named place, she hired O.G. Noel, then a boy, to carry in her firewood each evening for 10 cents an evening.
While living beside the Chapmanville school, some older boys annoyed her one night and she soon put an abrupt stop to this by stepping out and shooting her .38 revolver into the air. Also, while at this place, a tame red squirrel stayed in her yard trees. It would venture across the road to a hickory nut tree for nuts. Neighborhood boys would stone the squirrel and anger Sarah Ann.
Probably about 1903, Sarah Ann moved east of Diamond where she lived her last years. She bought a sturdy, long shanty which had been built by Jim Shreve, a lumberman and which stood back in the present Charles Stevenson farm. Six teams of horses pulled the long shanty out a lane, across the public road and up to the Guild family orchard just east of the Guild house. When they crossed the public road they got hung up on the opposite bank, so they tore the half off on the tail end and proceeded up to the orchard with the front half of the shanty. The teams belonged to Charles Strawbridge, Victor Guild, Oliver Strawbridge, Ben Strawbridge, Elmer Sterns and Grove Guild.
Thus the Guild family looked after Sarah Ann during her last years. She suffered a stroke of paralysis on Sept.7, 1909, and died on Sept. 9.
Their son, Danny, never married. He died probably about 1918. The three are buried at East Troy.

Transcribed by Paula Harry
dharry@pa.rr.com

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