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

David Ketner

An old family name that was once well known in not only Plum Township, but Cherrytree Township and Titusville as well, was the Ketner name.
The Ketners were of German descent and were fairly early settlers in the Pennsylvania Dutch colonies of Union and Centre counties.

A very old Bible states as follows: “David Ketner departed his life on the 26th of December, 1822. He took it with a sore leg, and that was his death.
“Catherine Ketner departed this life the 13th day of July, 1826 – she took with the palsy in the arms about 10 o’clock in the morning and from that time she could do nothing anymore, and in the evening she was gone.”
One of their sons was William Ketner, born Feb. 21, 1799, and who married a girl of German descent, Miss Elizabeth Derr, a daughter of Christian and Magdalene Smelchner Derr. These families lived in Union County.
This early information is in files of Mrs. Mabel Borger of Fremont, N.C. and Mrs. Walter C.Neely of Franklin. Later data was given by Miss Ruth E. Cauvel of Saegertown, the late Norman C. Neely of Retsil, Wash., Clyde McIver of Guys Mills, RD 3, and Eugene Buchanan and George Zelinski, both of Diamond, RD 2.

Moved in 1837

William and Elizabeth Ketner moved into Centre County, residing there a few years, then moved to Cherrytree Township, Venango County, in 1837.
William first came here a year previous, having bought a tract of land from a man named Porter in Allegheny County. William engaged a man to clear a field near a spring. Then, in 1837 he brought his family and his goods. He found his field cleared all right, but not by a spring. Immediately he began clearing in another location, and that was the spot he selected for his house.
He was an accomplished man, having been a farmer, mechanic, carpenter, cabinet maker and a weaver.
His wife died Jan. 24, 1852, at the age of 53, and they had the following children: Mrs. Katherine Weikal, Mrs. Mary Ann Weikal, Mrs. Eliza Neely, Mrs. Julia Ann Deets, Mrs. Matilda Cauvel, David A. Ketner, Mrs. Abigail Thomas, Mrs. Harriet Neely and Mrs. Elizabeth Mark.
William again was married to Susan Miller, and they had one daughter, Mrs. Adeline Richey.
The old gentleman and his second wife were confronted by two masked robbers on the night of Oct. 16, 1874, who applied their rough hands at the throats of the couple. Susan seized one, got the revolver under the pillow and handed it to William. He tried shooting at one of the robbers but it wouldn’t discharge. They then retreated. It seems a boy employed on the farm had emptied the revolver that day, shooting at squirrel.
William died the next year, Aug. 30, 1875. Susan died Feb. 2, 1898, aged 86. They are buried in the abandoned Oakland Cemetery near Dempseytown.
William was apparently attached to the Evangelical Church. He willed money to the Missionary Society of Evangelical Association of North America.

Assisted on Farm

William’s only son, David A. Ketner, was born in Centre County on Dec. 26, 1828. He was only about nine when his parents came to Cherrytree Township. He received a common school education and assisted his father in clearing and improving the family farm.
On June 26, 1852, he was married to Miss Harriet Cauvel of Cherrytree Township, with William Boughner, Esq., performing the rites. Harried was a daughter of Daniel and Sarah Mallory Cauvel, the father a native of this state, and the mother of Vermont.
David and Harriet spent their first eleven years of married life in Cherrytree Township, probably in the old Ketner log house, while his father and step-mother lived in the new frame house.
In 1863 David and Harriet moved into the southeastern corner of Plum Township, at which time he bought 56 acres from James Richey. He later bought acreage from Samuel Richey and also from Robert Peebles until his entire farm amounted to 157 acres. This is the present farm of Mr. and Mrs. George Zelinski, though the acreage is slightly reduced. The Zelinski family bought the farm in 1926.
There were originally three old log houses standing on the place. One stood on the hill half way back to the woods; another was down past a knoll on a rather flat place; and the third was down over the hill and situated in Cherrytree Township. The boundary line between the two townships of Plum and Cherrytree is just a short distance from the buildings. Ketners lived in one of the log houses until the big frame house was completed.
David didn’t have his Plum farm too long until he constructed an elaborate large house. Then he built a large barn the following year. Israel Mark carpentered the house, and undoubtedly the barn, too. It is said that the rather ornamental staircase in the house is built of black walnut, and that Mark dressed the lumber for it by hand.
The large barn is approximately 50 by 76 feet. The timbers for it were hewn out of the woods of a neighbor, Conrad Sterling. At one time Ketner had the barn full of cattle.
Travelers occasionally stopped at the Ketner home and stayed overnight, though the place was not designed as a hotel. Their horses were stabled in the big barn.
There was a well at the house and a spring below the barn.

Made Wagons

David sold a lot of produce along Oil Creek during the days of the early oil developments. Besides his farming he also worked at wagonmaking. His wagon shop, probably 24 by 40 feet, stood west of the house.
He was on a committee from Plum Township to represent the old time Venango County Agricultural Society, which flourished for the benefit of early farmers.
The following ad was inserted in a Plum Township record book: “Stray cow. Came to the subscriber in Plum Township on or before Dec. 5th, 1867. Marked as follows – Speckled cow, white face, lined back. Supposed to be fifteen or sixteen years old. The owner is hereby requested to prove property and take her away. David Ketner.”
In 1865 David sold 25 acres to a trustee of the Merchants and Farmers Petroleum company of New York for $5,150. He bought this piece back in 1877 for $500! What a difference there was in the prices.
There was once a well put down in the early days on the top of the hill. It showed a good sign of oil. Oil flowed down to the road while the bit was still drilling through a sand – probably the grey sand at approximately 700 feet. However, the drillers had a squabble among themselves and they abandoned the well. It is too bad the well wasn’t given a chance at production.
David was a slender man, probably six feet in height and weighing 180 pounds. He was very humerous, enterprising, and had a keen sense of advantage.
Harriet was a fleshy woman. She weighed 200 pounds or more.
Their children were Augustus M. Ketner, Rella Z. Ketner, Helen E. Ketner, Harry W. Ketner, John S. Ketner, Frank W. Ketner, Abbie A. Ketner, Bertha D. Ketner, Urban G. Ketner and Herbert O. Ketner.
Augustus died March 17, 1854, at the age of five months.
Rella married Homer Meals and they resided on the old Plum homestead. She died in 1932. They have descendants in Florida.
Helen married E.H. Allison. They lived in Grundy Center, Iowa.
Harry married Miss Elizabeth Miller. They lived for many years in Titusville.
John lived in Iowa, and is thought to have died rather early in life.
Frank married a girl whose first name was Carrie May. They lived at Hudson, N.Y.
Abbie married Frank L. Peters. They lived at Saegertown.
Bertha married Clark O. Hornstein. They lived for years at Saegertown. She is said to be living in Erie, and is the only survivor of the children of David and Harriet Ketner.
Urban lived at Saegertown, then moved away. He was executor of his father’s estate until he died at an early age on July 15, 1902.
Herbert married a girl whose first name was Blanche. They lived at Saegertown.
In 1880 David and Harriet moved from Plum and onto the McGill farm in Woodcock Township, Crawford County. This was near Saegertown. He did, however, keep ownership of his old Plum farm, besides two farms in the state of Iowa, until his death.
He died at his residence near Saegertown on Wednesday, Dec. 22, 1897.
Harriet died of infirmities of old age at the old Plum farm about 20 years later while the Meals family lived there. They are buried in the Saegertown Cemetery.

A Later Article entitled: “Old Ketner Picture is Produced”

At the time that the Ketner sketch of the series of “Who Was Who in Plum Township” was published in January, a photograph of David A. Ketner could not be found.
Since then one has been found – way down in Fremont, N.C. It is possessed by Mrs. Mabel Borger, 88, whose uncle was David. It is herewith published.
Mrs. Borger said she recalled her mother often telling about her wearing her first short dress at the funeral of her grandfather, William Ketner, in 1875, when she was only a few months old.
The sketch listed nine children of old William Ketner, actually there were 12, two of whom died in infancy.
Two of David’s sons were dentists, Frank in Hudson, N.Y., and John in Philadelphia and the Dakotas.
Miss Irene Ketner of Bronxville, N.Y., a granddaughter of David, stated that Mrs. David Ketner was quite a wiry, healthy lady. When past 70 years of age, she went hunting once with her sons, Frank and Herbert, in Maine.
The last surviving child of David, Mrs. Bertha Hornstein of Erie, died last Oct. 28, at the age of 90.

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.