------------------------------------------------------------------ FORWARDED MESSAGE - Orig: 31-Jan-99 17:20 Subject: Early Roads VI ------------------------------------------------------------------ Roads Folder -Pennsylvania to Canada ============================================================ VI. THE ROADS USED BY THE BRETHREN FOR MIGRATION Merle C Rummel [I consider three things to have the greatest effect on people and events of history. There is the struggle for power: which results in wars or various types of struggle and conflicts; there are economics: depressions or hard times, good times and peaceful living, and the attendant results; there is movement and transportation: ease or difficulty of movement, including travel and commerce. There are other things that effect people and history (famines, severe weather or climatic changes, natural disasters of various kinds, and epidemics), but even most of these end with some result in the above three.] Early America used the rivers and waterways for much of its travel and transportation. Roads were worse than poor. Even Benj. Franklin, Poor Richards Almanac, complained about the pot holes and hog wallows, in Philadelphia. No road beyond the cities, was more than a pair of worn tracks through open land, usually with grass growing up in the center. The traveler was lucky if it was smooth, bad weather from storm or the thawing of spring would leave deep ruts, which dried into shaking and jaring to the steel-rimmed wagon. The roads of necessity wound around the huge forest trees, and the roots of such would lay huge bumps across the road. Trees were cut, to open the road, and the stumps left standing in the road. Ravines, gulleys, streams and rivers meant a descent to the bottom, and a climb out on the far bank, if not worse. But America moved west. Land travel was slow, seldom over 10 miles a day, often half that. It was considered that the children would easily keep up, walking nearby, and in the process find much to keep themselves entertained. (Nowhere like todays problems taking children in a long automobile trip.) The team of horses might travel a little faster, but long distance was with the ox team, which traveled even slower than a walk, but could keep going, with less food, long after the horses would quit. The normal trip took days and often months. These Roads I have traveled, some of them not in one solid stretch, and in occasion, missing some section. ========================================================= THE CANADA ROAD The early Brethren moved north on the Susquehanna River into Northumberland Co PA near or soon after the time of the Revolutionary War. There was a trace along the River, there were also a couple traces from the Tulpehocken and from Reading across the ridge into the Shamokin Valley. In 1800, the King opened up settlement in Upper Canada (now Ontario). The land was available cheap, in "Lots" of 200 acres, by Concessions of 35 lots, in each of a number of townships and counties. There was considerable Mennonite, Brethren and River Brethren migration to Lincoln County (between Lake Erie and Lake Ontario -next to the Niagara Falls); Vaughan twp, York Co (north-west of Toronto); and near Kitchener. Many Brethren from Brother's Valley (Somerset Co), Northumberland Co (Shamokin, West Branch and Lycoming Valleys) and Southern Pennsylvania areas went up. In the east, there are two known mainly parallel roads, used to go to Canada. [Mennonite Quarterly Review, January 1929] a notebook by Joseph Bowman of Waterloo ONT ------------------------------- Description of the road from Reading to Waterloo Township, Halton County, Upper Canada. Joseph Bowman, started September the 4th, 1817, and arrived in Waterloo, October the 2nd 1817. From Reading to: miles (located) Kergerstown .................... 10 (?near Hamburg PA) Orwigsburg .................... 11 (east of Pottsville) Sunbury ....................... 47 Northumberland ................ 2 Milltown ...................... 12 (Milton PA) Bensborough ................... 14 (?Muncy PA) Muncy Creek ................... 2 Williamsport .................. 12 Heur's tavern ................. 17 (?Roaring Branch PA) Blockhouse .................... 14 (?Covington PA) Peters Camp ................... 12 (?Tioga PA) Widow Berry ................... 18 (?Presho NY) Addam Hart .................... 6 (?Gang Mills NY) Thomas Mayberry ............... 20 (Bath NY) Robert Patterson .............. 6 (?Avoca NY) Mulhollans tavern ............. 20 (?Wayland NY) Dreisbachs tavern ............. 3 (?Springwater NY) Bigtree ....................... 15 (Hemlock NY) Genasee River ................. 7 (Avon NY) Calladony Town ................ 7 (Caladonia NY) Davis' tavern ................. 4 Leroyl ........................ 3 (Le Roy NY) Battavia ...................... 11 Richardson's tavern ........... 11 (?Pembroke NY) Hersy's tavern ................ 15 (?Harris Hill NY) Buffalo ....................... 14 Blackrock ferry ............... 2 John Boyer .................... 10 (?Black Creek ONT) Falls ......................... 8 Jacob Myer .................... 20 Carpenter's tavern ............ 13 (?Stoney Creek ONT) Dundass ....................... 18 (edge of Hamilton) John Erb's Mill (Preston) ...... 23 --------- Miles ................ 429 The western road went from Reading to Sunbury (PA 61), followed the West Branch of the Susquehanna (PA 405/I took I-180), then up the Lycoming Creek from Williamsport to Roaring Branch (US 15/PA 14), and across the mountains to Blossburg (mountain road, good), to Tioga, to Corning NY (US 15). In New York, the west route followed the wide valley of the Chemung River, going northwest (NY 17/NY 415) to Wayland where they turned north along Hemlock Lake to "Big Tree" -probably Hemlock NY, on the north end of the Finger Lake (NY 15A). >From Hemlock NY it went to Avon, to Caladonia (NY 5), to Batavia, to Buffalo NY (NY 33) were they ferried the Niagara River above the Falls. West of there, above the Escarpment (the cause of the Falls) was the settlement of the Brethren and River Brethren. For those going on, the road went along the River to beyond the Falls, where it angled northwest to St Catherines ONT and on to Hamilton. Those going to Kitchener followed ONT 8 directly from Hamilton. For those going to Vaughan, they followed the lake shore to beyond Mississauga and headed north on the Royal York Road and Jane Street. Vaughan twp was mentioned as 20 miles from the docks at Toronto, which is a considerable distance by horse. ------------------ Joseph Bowman started from Waterloo, February the 9th, 1819, and arrived in Reading, February the 27th 1819. >From John Erb's Mill to Jacob Myer .................... 60 (going to be hunting Cadareenstown (St Cathrines) ... 8 these locations next Queenstown .................... 12 week when I go up to Morehous's tavern ............. 25 Buffalo) Olarged Creek ................. 13 `Tillanson's tavern ............ 28 Rochester ..................... 11 Pitsford ...................... 8 Cannandaigua .................. 21 Benyang (Penn Yang) ........... 22 (Penn Yang NY) Head of Sennaka Lake .......... 30 (Watkins Glen NY) Coryell's tavern .............. 7 (?Milport NY) New Town ...................... 15 (Elmira NY) Lowman's tavern ............... 7 (Lowman NY) Tioga point ................... 14 (Greens Landing PA) Shaw's tavern ................. 6 (?Ulster PA) Brown's tavern ................ 27 (Browntown -Wyalusing) Smith's Ferry ................. 30 (?Eatonville PA) Wilksberry .................... 20 (Wilkes-Barre PA) Rack's tavern ................. 17 Mirwein's tavern .............. 16 Dreisbach's Mill .............. 6 Lehigh Water Gap .............. 12 (?Palmerton PA) Richard's Tavern .............. 8 Kutstown ...................... 6 (Kutztown PA) Reading ....................... 17 --------- Miles ............... 458 Spending Money ........... $22.53 ------------------------------------------- The eastern road went from Reading to Allentown PA to Wilkes- Barre, where it followed the Susquehanna River (US 6/US 220) to Elmira NY. (well -the reverse direction!) It went north from Elmire to the head of Lake Senneca (NY 14), then angled west to Penn Yang (NY 14A) to Canandaigua at the mouth of Lake Canandaigua (?NY 364), to Pittsford (US 20/PA 64) and into Rochester NY. >From Rochester NY, it went west in the Lake plains (probably staying below the Escarpment, but not necessarily) to Lewiston NY on the Niagara River (possibly NY 104, the old Ridge Road). Lewiston was a regular ferry point across the Niagara River below the Falls, going to St Catherines and the shore road to Hamilton ONT. From there it followed various routes to the destination desired. (I followed the western route, plotting the locations: 1998) ============================================================ Merle Rummel Church Historian ==== BRETHREN Mailing List ==== !^NavFont02F1DCF0007NGHHdD04683