Crawford County, Pennsylvania

TROY TOWNSHIP NOTE: This township has not yet been indexed.

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TROY was formed in 1830. It lies upon the south border of the county, east of the center, and contains 17,581 square acres. It is watered in the western and central parts by the north and east branches of Sugar Creek, which unite near the south-west corner. Oil Creek crosses the north-east corner. The Oil Creek & Allegheny Valley, Union & Titusville and Pennsylvania Petroleum railroads cross the north-east corner of the township in close proximity. Among the manufacturing establishments are S. B. Hayes’ saw mill, which is located on the east branch of Sugar Creek, employs two men and is capable of sawing 4,000 feet of lumber and 10,000 shingles per day; A. T. & J. C. Burns’ saw and shingle mills, which are located on the west branch of Sugar Creek, and are capable of sawing 1,500 feet of lumber and 5,000 to 8,000 shingles per day; Albert F. Newton’s steam saw mill, which is situated on Oil Creek and the line of the P. P. R. E., and saws 8,000 feet of lumber per day; and the saw and stave mills of Johnson & Boush of Meadville, which are located in the western part of the township, give employment to twenty-seven men, and are capable of sawing 10,000 feet of lumber and 10,000 staves and heading per day. The timber is brought from the woods to the mill upon a tram-way one and one-half miles in length.
The population of the township in 1870 was 983, all of whom were white, 954, native and 29, foreign.
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During the year ending June 3,1872, it contained ten schools and employed ten teachers. The number of scholars was 277; the average number attending school, 214; and the amount expended for school purposes, $1,165.87.
TROY CENTER, (p. o.) situated on the east branch of Sugar Creek, near the geographical center of the township, contains a school, grocery, cooper shop, wagon shop and ten houses. Peter Keyes was the first white man to build here, though when he came a negro known as “Black Francis” was living there in a log hut.
NEWTONTOWN, situated in the eastern part, on the line of the P. P. E. R., contains a school, hotel, grocery and saw mill. It derives its name from Edmond C. Newton, who located here Jan. 6, 1847, and purchased of Samuel Sinclair, who is thought to have preceded him by thirty years, his property, consisting of 200 acres of land, only four of which were cleared, a log hut and a saw mill. Newton came from the town of Gerry, Chautauqua county, N. Y., at the age of thirty-three years, and died at Newtontown, Dec. 5, 1872. Wm. McGinnis and John Reynolds were early settlers in this locality.
Settlement was commenced by James Luse, who came from Essex county, N. J., about 1795, and located on the place now occupied by his grandson, Robert A. Luse. His wagon is said to have been the third one which left Pittsburgh for Meadville. When he came no one was living within nine miles of him. Jacob Rishel came with his father from Cooperstown, N. Y., about 1833, with a yoke of oxen, having at that late day to cut their own road a distance of nine miles. They settled upon the place now occupied by the former, on road 12 (see map.) Peabody Faunce came in March, 1838, and located at “Fauncetown,” in the western part, upon a tract of land purchased of John McKenzie, who left the place a few years before and went to Cooperstown, and is supposed to have settled it five years before Faunce bought.

¹ Hamilton Child, comp., Gazetteer and Business Directory of Crawford County, Pa., for 1874 (Syracuse, N.Y.: By the comp., 1874), pp. 118-19.