When we left off, Sam Hazlett had married Sally Campbell, the Campbells
and Hazletts had arrived at Beecher's Island, and the Blackwells arrival
was forecast.
Harry continued:
"Joseph bought a part of his brother's land at the big bend above the
Island, and his boys helped clear the land and build a big house. About
this time a family of Blackwell, English people, came and settled on
Pine Creek."
That would have been the 1748 Joseph buying from the 1761 John. We know
from CCC letters that it was a log house. There are many accounts on
the web of the "English Settlement" and the roles of the Blackwells and
Rev. John Hey in that. A good one can be found at
www.usgennet.org/usa/pa/county/lycoming/history/Chapter-46.html Also of
interest may be the version at
www.rootsweb.com/~patioga/deeds/blackwel.htm but it has Rev. Hey's name
wrong, and the "Haven Parish" instead of Avening error. There are many
others that deal with that part of Lycoming County's history.
"There were three girls. Mrs. Blackwell had married a man named Clench
and, after his death, married Enoch Blackwell. The daughters were Ann
Clinch, Mary and Sarah."
We know that Sarah Lugg was born in Gloucestershire in 1776/77, probably
in the village of Bisley, and died in Nelson in 1867. Her fist husband
was Thomas Clinch (not Clench), b. in England, d. 1805 on NYC. Sep. 9,
1805, in Jersey Shore, Lycoming Co., PA, Sarah m. widower Enoch
Blackwell, b. abt 1764 in Avening, d. June 3, 1816 in Jersey Shore, and
right after Sarah and Enoch maried sent daughter Ann Clinch to be raised
by one of Enoch's brothers, near New Hope, Bucks Co., PA. In 1818,
"Uncle Johnie" Campbell became Sarah's 3rd husband -- which Harry seems
to leave out of his account. Ann Clinch was Thomas' only child. As far
as I know, Sarah and Enoch had just two children: Mary Blackwell, b.
June 8, 1806 in Pine Twp., Lycoming Co., d. 1863 in Nelson; and Enoch
Blackwell, b. June 12, 1814 in Jersey Shore, d. 1884 in Nelson. Thus
Sarah had 3 children, but there is no indication anywhere I know of that
she had a 3rd daughter. Perhaps Harry didn't realize that "Mrs.
Blackwell" was a 'Sarah'. What seems very bizarre is that Harry never
mentions the 1814 Enoch. Harry was born in 1868 so presumably would
have encountered him. The younger Enoch was "Uncle Johnie's" heir, and
one of the most prominent citizens of Nelson.
"I believe that uncle Johnnie must have known the Blackwells in
Philadelphia and induced them to come to Pine Creek, and Joseph, Sr.
probably stopped on his way for a few days."
This gets to some issues I find fascinating. Ann Clinch was Christened
at the Anglican Holy Cross Church in Avening and apparently her parents
were married there also. It's a marvelous old building, built with
money from Wm. the Conqueror and his Queen, to salve her conscience for
seizing the lands and fatally torturing he local lord, who "rejected her
hand" when she was a teen ager. The Blackwells were Baptist, but
Avening is so small that the elder Enoch and Thomas and Sarah Lugg
Clinch are very likely to have known each other there. Enoch and his
children (and some of his siblings and their families) and Thomas, Sarah
and Ann -- seem to have come over together in 1804 on the same ship from
Bristol to Philadelphia. If so, they certainly would have know each
other well by the end of the voyage. As is also suggested by the speed
with which widow Sarah quickly married widower Enoch. We don't know
where Sarah and Ann were when Thomas Clinch died in NYC of yellow fever
pr how Enoch and Sarah located each other after leaving Philadelphia.
We know that one of Enoch's sons and the Rev. John Hey were in
Philadelphia in 1803 to work out the land purchase. We know that John
Campbell was a land agent in Philadelphia prior to 1800. We know nothing
about John between 1800 and his showing up at Sam Hazlett's farm near
Strodsburg, PA, in Oct of 1810 for the migration to Nelson. Did John
play a role in selling the Pine Creek land to Hey for :The English
Settlement"? Did the Blackwell son and Hey at least meet John Campbell
while they were making land inquiries? Had he given up the land agent
business for his tailor shop before then? We may never know. And there
would be no reason to think that "Uncle Johnnie" had ever seen or had
any idea how unsuitable for farming that land parcel was.
But if Harry's guess is correct, and John Campbell did meet one of the
Blackwell sons and Rev. Hey in Philadelphia, then it is very possible
that there was a visit when that branch of the Campbell-Hazlett
migration to Nelson passed through Pine Creek. And that would have been
when John Campbell 1st met future wife Mrs. Sarah Lugg Blackwell. Or
Harry may not have been just guessing. He may have heard some story
remnant.
When we resume, it will be with the marriage of Sarah Lugg's daughters,
Ann Clinch and Mary Blackwell, to her nephews, Joseph [the younger] and
James Campbell.