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WHO WAS WHO in PLUM TOWNSHIP
~ Titusville Herald ~ March 22, 1958
By H. W. Strawbridge

James Peebles

James Peebles was born in Tyrone County, Ireland, on May 2, 1799. The family was of the landed gentry class, and his father, being a very extensive farmer, owned a township of land. James had a sister named Jane. The family was Presbyterian in faith. James was educated in Baregh, his native town, and he lived there until 1825. He had no specific trade at the time of his marriage.
He met Miss Margaret Orr, born Feb. 22, 1807, and who was learning to be a seamstress. Her family was of Catholic faith. Her father was a second cousin of James Buchanan, 15th president of the United States. James and Margaret married on May 4, 1825, against the wishes of his family. Shortly afterwards the young couple left Ireland for the New World. They landed at St. John's, New Brunswick, where James worked for two years at shipbuilding. He ran an auger which was indeed hard work. In 1827 they moved to the States, arriving in Philadelphia where they remained only a short time. Then they journeyed to the Tuscurors Valley in Juniata County where they bought 100 acres and lived for 10 years.
They got the idea of thousands of others, considering the advantages of cheap lands in the "west", so in the spring of 1837 they journeyed to Plum Township, Venango County. It is said they walked the way with their first born children (five). James carried their "flittin" (few household articles) on his back and Mrs. Peebles carried the axe and rifle. Probably the older children carried the younger ones. When they reached their forested tract, Jams chopped out small logs, mortised the corners, and by the end of that first day they had the walls of their cabin high enough to keep the wolves out that night. The next day he finished it. This proves he must have been a good chopper. Perhaps his two oldest boys aged 11 and 9 respectively, helped too.
He bought this 200-acre tract for $752 from the heirs of the huge Samuel Dale estate. He received his deed twelve years later. This tract was on the extreme eastern edge of Plum Township with slightly over one-half of it in Plum and the remainder in Cherrytree Township. It was in the Fairview area. From the public road that led from the Fairview Church to the Fairview school, a long lane, three-eighths of a mile long, extended south to James' cabin. The cabin was not too far from the boundary line between the two townships. A spring was situated about 100 feet from the cabin. This spring has the reputation of not having been a good one. Apparently it went dry in droughts. Years later a well was dug 65 feet deep.
James was not used to the "western" customs at first, and not long after arriving in Plum he was invited by a neighbor to come to a "logging". This affair was when several pioneers gathered logs and rolled them onto a heap for burning. Margaret insisted that James dress up for this "social gathering", so he put on his white shirt, pressed trousers, etc., and away he went to the logging. He came home that evening quite disgusted with is clothes all soiled and nearly ruined. He plainly informed Margaret of what he thought of her decision to go all dressed up. No more loggings with Sunday clothes on!
They had ten children: Robert Peebles, Stewart C. Peebles, Mrs. Anna Belle Alcorn, William O. Peebles, Mrs. Catherine Pastorius, James L. Peebles, John M. Peebles, Mrs. Sarah Ellen McIntosh, Mrs. Mary E. VanSickle, and Mrs. Martha O. Carson. All these children had a good education.
James bought additional land until he had 1000 acres, most of which was in Cherrytree Township. To each of his five sons he gave a substantial farm. Later, after each son developed his own farm, James gave a deed to each in the following years: William, 1873; Stewart, 1876; Robert, 1876; John, 1876; and James L. 1879.
Eventually James built a frame house, mostly of cucumber lumber. Most of the timbers had been broad-axed out. It stood beside the log one. Also James built a large barn which was 100 feet long. It stood about 75 yards north of the house. Two separate approaches to the barn floor were on the north side.
James was a large, raw-boned man, and his wife was short and fairly heavy. He was assessor for Plum in 1847, and was Democratic in politics, which was naturally assumed since the family was related to President Buchanan. In their later years each of the couple had defective conditions - James became quite deaf and Margaret got nearly blind. But both maintained jolly dispositions. A true story is told of the old couple after their retirement in Wallaceville. Once while they were sitting on their front porch, one looked over towards the large flouring mill and jokingly said, "I see a fly on the side of the mill". The other promptly replied, "That's nothing, I can hear it walking!"
One time Mrs. Peebles made a little bobbin-knit white cap and gave it to a neighbor, Mrs. Elvira Strawbridge, for an expected baby who was to be Margaret Strawbridge (Lonctot), born in 1841. Mrs. Lonctot's daughter, Mrs. Carrie Peebles, and the latter's daughter, Miss Mary B. Peebles, both of Route 3 Titusville, still have this little cap, now about 117 years old and much darker with age.
In September, 1867, James bought two pieces of land containing 27 acres in Wallaceville from Squire William Gill for $5500. Therefore James became the owner of four homes and lots, the large flouring mill, and three cooper shops.
When the youngest of his children, Mary and Martha, reached their majorities, the old couple moved off the farm and into Wallaceville in 1869. Their home stood just east of the creek on the right-hand side of the road before it went uphill.
Sometime after moving to Plum Township, James and Margaret untied with the Cherrytree Presbyterian Church and were members there for years. After moving to Wallaceville it was quite a distance to go to church at Cherrytree so in June 1869, both transferred their memberships to the Sunville Presbyterian Church - considerably closer to home. Both remained faithful members there until their deaths. Two of their daughters, Mary and Martha, had joined the Sunville Church in February, 1866 - over three years before their parents transferred. Many of James' and Margaret's descendents were baptized in the Sunville Church.
After the old couple moved to Wallaceville, their son, James L., resided on the old homestead for years. His brother, John, lived a ways south at the present Donald Patterson place. Then they extended the old land entirely through to the Wallaceville-Toonerville road. It was one and one-fourths miles long, but very convenient to get to one place to the other.
Tragedy happened on this old lane on Wednesday night, Aug. 13, 1879. A certain John McKay worked for John Peebles. On this evening McKay walked up the lane to James L.'s place to get a large sack of apples, as there was quite a good orchard on the old place. A severe thunderstorm cam up. Instead of staying at James' all night, McKay started walking back the lane in the storm to John's place with the sack of apples over his shoulder. A bolt of lightning struck him, apparently causing instant death. His body was found the next day by James who was walking down to John's place. John's family had thought nothing of McKay's not arriving because they figured he stayed overnight at James' place.
On May 4, 1875, James and Margaret celebrated their golden wedding anniversary at their Wallaceville home with their children, grandchildren, one great grandchild, and personal friends, numbering sixty altogether present. Rev. William Elliot of Tionesta, a former Presbyterian pastor at Sunville, was present and made a few appropriate remarks. The ten children presented to each of their parents a gold watch and chain. A nephew, J.S. Peebles and wife of Sterling, Ill., presented their venerable uncle with a gold-headed cane and gave a gold breast pin to Mrs. Peebles. Other gifts included a god thimble given by a niece, Mrs. Sarah Gillan of Huntingdon County, and a pair of vases presented by a great grandson, Master Charles Gorsuch. An appropriate poem was read by a granddaughter, Maggie Orr Pastorius.
Orr, the maiden name of Mrs. Peebles, has been carried down through the family more than any other name, according to Mrs. Eleanor Whitman of Route 3, Titusville, who is a descendent and has a substantial record of the family history. The following people and generations have had the name, Orr: First generation - Mrs. Margaret Orr Peebles; second generation- William Orr Peebles, Mrs. Martha (Mattie) Orr Carter, Miss Margaret Orr Pastorius, Gaylord Orr Peebles, Mrs. Esther Orr Grove, and Orr Carson; fourth generation - Mrs. Millie Orr Miles Mark and William Orr Peebles.
One tiny anecdote is remembered by J.W. Beers, nearly 89, of Gaithersburg, Md. When 10 or 12 years old, his father went to Wallaceville to see Dr. C.N. VanSickle. While the father was talking to the doctor (who was a son-in-law of James and Margaret), the son sat inside talking to old Mrs. Peebles. She asked if he had a knife. He replied no. "Well you ought to have one", she said, and she fumbled in her pocket as though she was going to give him one, but such was not the case.
James Peebles died of dropsy at his Wallaceville home on July 25, 1881. A neighbor, James R. Grove, kindly volunteered to lay his body out for burial. Mr. Grove later remarked what a large man that Mr. Peebles was. Mrs. Peebles died Aug. 30, 1886. Both were buried in the Fairview Cemetery. They had 55 grandchildren altogether.
Their Wallaceville home burned down sometime during the 1880's. It may have been in the period of time between the deaths of the couple. Many household items burned up, including some of the golden wedding gifts.
Mr. Peebles had willed his wife the control and management of the old homestead farm during her lifetime, then it was to be given to their five daughters. About 1883 the son, James L., built a new home near the Fairview Church and moved from the old home into it.
Incidentally there never was a family death on the old farm. It was then rented for decades with James Pastorius as the overseer. A family named Howell lived there for years. While Colin lived there, lightning struck the big barn and burned it around 1905. He lost 1000 bushels of oats in the fire. His brother, James, also lost a lot of oats. Timbers smoldered in the ruins for several days. Another smaller barn was then moved there from the James L. Peebles place.
Mr. and Mrs. Clarence Hancox were the last people who lived on the old place. They were there three years, moving away in April, 1916. Shortly afterwards the old house was razed by Clinton Alcorn and son, J.C. Alcorn, and John H. Green. When they had removed everything but the frame, they couldn't find the place to start on the frame. Finally they found the place where the builders had finished. So they started tearing it down from that spot and removed it backwards from the way it was built. It seems that when the builders drove a peg into a timber, the next timber covered that peg up. Quite unusual to say the least.
The original James Peebles farm is now included in the State Game Lands.
One can still see a large yellow sweet apple tree 40 feet from the spring. It is over 100 years old and very much alive. Its circumference a few feet above the ground measures 6 feet 2 inches - indeed very large for an apple tree.

Transcribed by Penny Minnick
minnick862@verizon.net

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