COLUMBIA AND MONTOUR COUNTIES T he second church w as built in 1877. The pastors have been: Revs. John Sutton. Theo bald Miller, Jacob Rodenbaugh, J . J . H arvey, I. G . Noble, Zephaniah EUis, £ . £ . O rvis, D . M. K in ter. J . V. Mc.Namara, H . L . Waltman, G. P . M orse, R . H . Saw tclle, Vernon H arring ton, J . P. Topping and W. I. Burrell, most o f whom have also had the Benton charge. T he first Keform ed preacher in this section w as Rev. Jacob Dieffenbach, who occasionally preached in private houses near the old Pealer and Bellas graveyard, next to where St. Jam es' church is now located, in 1820-32. From then to 18 2 5 Rev. J . N . Zciger preached in the same place. From then until 1 ^ 0 the congregation worshipped at New Columbus, Montour county. In 1840 they moved to the Creveling crossroads schoolhouse. and in 1852 the St. Tames church w as built near Fishing creek, between Stillwater and Forks, at what is now Z a n e r station. Rev. Isaac Shellhammer w as th eir pastor until 1858, Rev. H . Funk the next. R e v . W. Goodrich the next. R ev. E . B . Wilson the next, Rev. A . Hout* fo r forty years, and R e v . W . S. Gerhard until Rev. A . M . Shaffner succeeded him, in October. 1914. Zion Reform ed congregation w as formed in 1&42 by R ev. D . S . Tobias in the Stucker schoolhouse, near Van Camp, where he con tinued to preach until 1857, when Zion church w as dedicated there. O lher pastors o f this church have been the same as those o f St. Jam es.
331
SCHOOLS
Christopher Pealer taught the first school in this township at his home near the site o f Zaner station, in connection with his weaving, about the year 1790. 'D ie first schoolhouse w as later built near here, and Jonathan Colley taught there. H enry H ess came to Stillwater in 1794 to oversee some land for his father, and later opened a school there. T he second school in the township was built near Zion church. In 1885 there were nine schools in the township, in operation fo r six months, and attended by 249 pupils. In 19 14 there were also nine schools, but although the term w as seven months in length only 200 were in at tendance. T he school directors o f Fishingcreek tovmship a r c : J . C . K a m s, O . J . Hess, A . S . M c H enry, George Van L icw, A . F . Arnold. T he school directors o f Stillw ater a r e : W il liam J . Smith, A . B . M cH enry, E . B . Beish line, Lloyd Bender, 0 . D . Hagenbuch. POPULATION
in in in in
The population 1820 w as 50 2: 1850, I, n o; in 1 8 ^, 1,4 4 7 : in 19 10 . 1,0 3 1.
o f Fishingcreek -township in 1830. 5 ^; in 1840, 902; i860. i, 2 &; in 1870, 1.37 0; 1890, 1 4 4 7; in 1900, 1, 1 8 1;
C H A P T E R X X IV F R A N K L I N T O W N S H IP T h is toivnship was formed in 1843 from C ataw issa township, and included the town sh ip o f M ayberry, in Montour county, at the tim e. When that county was separated from Colum bia in 1 8 ^ Franklin township was taken alon g, but in i% 3 a division w as made which le ft the present area within Columbia county, an d gave to Montour the part now called M ay b e rry township. T his section w as settled after the Catawissa valle y w as populated. In 178 3 Jcssc Cleaver, a Q uaker, came here from Chester county to visit friends, and liking the site bought a tract on the hills west o f Roaring creek, near the Susquehanna. H e had intended to buy land on the north side of the river, but the great floods o f that year deterred him. H e brought
his fam ily here the following year. The Clay tons, another Q uaker fam ily, also soon came to this section. Frederick Knittle, o f Berks county, settled on the Esther Furnace road, and in 179 5 Daniel Knittle bought the adjoin ing tract. John and Peter Mcnsch settled near the river, north o f Roaring creek, Michael H oover on the hill road to Danville, and Chris tian H artley (o r A rtley) near the site of the present village o f W illowvalc. INOUSTKIBS
T he only industries past and present in this township are the gristmills on Roaring creek, near the edge o f Cleveland township. One of these mills w as built by Washington P arr
bv
