First Pioneers

by Karen Helbing

The James McGuire Family

The first Irish Catholic settler in what is today known as Daugherty Township, Pennsylvania, was James McGuire. He arrived in America in 1793 after fleeing the political turmoil in Ireland with his friend Hugh White.

Hugh was the author of several pamphlets that severely criticized the government and existing conditions in Ireland. When soldiers found the pamphlets hidden in the thatched roof of the White family factory, James and Hugh fled to a nearby blacksmith’s shop. With the help of friends, the two men were hidden in large crates that were to be exported to the United States.

Once the men were safely smuggled on a cargo ship, friends opened the wooden crates to secure their freedom. The men arrived in the United States and spent a few months in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, before James moved his family to western Pennsylvania.

He bought tracts 96 and 97, consisting of 500 acres. Upon tract 96 he built a log cabin south of Mercer Road below the reservoir.

Records show that on November 19, 1800, Mr. McGuire walked and his wife rode on horseback to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. There they purchased a third tract of land, number 98, extending northward to the Eastvale dam.

The McGuire’s were blessed with the following children: James Jr., Hugh, Nancy, Margaret and Elizabeth.

James McGuire Jr. descendants were well known boat builders in Bridgewater, Pennsylvania.

Hugh McGuire lived his entire life on his father’s farm. He married Mary Daugherty, a daughter of Edward Daugherty.

Nancy McGuire married Edward Daugherty, a son of John D. Daugherty.

Margaret McGuire married William VanKirk.

Elizabeth McGuire married John Graham. Their union was blessed with a daughter, Greta C. and son, Louis E. Graham.

Edward and Alice Morrow Daugherty

Edward Daugherty was an Irish Catholic from Londonderry, where he was associated with the McGuire, White and Black families through the Bovevagh Parish in the Derry Diocese, Ireland.

In 1796 Edward Daugherty left Ireland with his wife, Alice, and three young children. Upon their arrival in the United States they lived for a year in Delaware County, Pennsylvania. There he met Mark Wilcox, a lawyer in Concord Township, who was selling land in the Leet District, surveyed by Daniel Leet, one of the Deputy Surveyors of District 2, within the tract of land appropriated for the redemption of the Depreciation Certificates by an act of Assembly passed on March 12, 1783. Mr. Wilcox was the highest and best bidder when the Leet District tracts went up for public auction.

Mr. Wilcox described the layout of tract No. 88 to Edward, explaining the 224 acres of prime farmland, would be a good investment. He would be getting more land for the money than if he stayed in Delaware County and bought a spread of the same size.

The men agreed on a price of $4.00 an acre, which totaled $896.00. Mr. Wilcox drew up an Article of Agreement where Edward agreed to make a payment, once a year after the crops were harvested, while living on and farming the 224 acres of land. He would own the tract free and clear when the mortgage was paid in full.

By the spring of 1797, Edward packed up his family and belongings in a covered wagon, and departed city living for a life on the western Pennsylvania frontier.

After weeks of traveling they arrived at tract No. 88, east of New Brighton, in New Sewickley Township, in what today is known as Daugherty Township.

He cleared the land and erected a log cabin, planted a small orchard and started farming.

In 1801 tragedy struck the Daugherty household. Edward, and brothers John (he settled in North Sewickley Township along Bennett’s Run) and Manassah, were helping friend, John Black, build a log barn. During construction Manassah was crushed to death by a falling log. Since there was no Catholic cemetery in area at the time, Edward donated one-half acre of his farm to become a Catholic burial ground. While burials continued in the cemetery, it wasn’t until after Edward’s death that his heirs officially donated the land to the Pittsburgh Diocese in 1844.

On January 25, 1802 Edward, whose debt to Mr. Wilcox was paid in full, went to the Beaver County Courthouse to secure a deed to the farm. The deed included all improvements to the land, buildings, waterways, buildings and mine rights, and the deed was recorded in Vol. Q, Page 418.

According to the 1802 through 1808 Beaver County Tax Records for New Sewickley Township, Edward was listed as owning 224 acres, two horses, one cow and a yoke of oxen. After 1810, Edward acquired an assortment of livestock including sheep, cows and horses.

Court records show Edward and his son, John D., were land speculators who bought and sold tracts of farmland throughout the area. Edward owned over 400 acres from 1808-1830. He also acquired an assortment of livestock including sheep, cows and horses.

From 1802-1821, John D. Daugherty owned between 200 and 300 acres in New Sewickley Township.

On March 3, 1808, Edward petitioned in the Beaver County court to become a naturalized citizen of the United States before the Honorable Samuel Roberts.

To the left is the actual petition on file in the Beaver County Courthouse in the Prothonotary’s Office.

Here is page two of the petition. It is a statement from Joseph Irwin who appeared before the court to testify on behalf of Edward.

The fee charged for filing the petition for Naturalization was $2.00 and due at the time of filing.

 A Murder Trial

 

The following is the court account of a murder that happened in what is today Daugherty Township that was held at the Beaver County Courthouse in 1821.

In April Term of 1821 Edward Daugherty, his son John D., daughter Mary Agnes, and his son-in-law James Black were called as Witnesses for the Defense in the murder trial Commonwealth vs. Charles McLaughlin.

Witnesses for the State included Edward’s son-in-law Hugh McGuire.

Mr. McLaughlin was indicted for murder at the trial on April 11th. The prisoner pleads Not Guilty.

After the jury deliberated for over two hours, the verdict was bought into the courtroom and handed to the Honorable William Wilkins, president. The jury found Mr. McLaughlin Guilty.

On motion of the Prisoner’s Counsel for a new trial, on argument the Court directed the verdict be set aside and the prisoner to be remanded for a new trial.

Mr. McLaughlin was arraigned for murder again on August 28, 1821. For the second time he plead Not Guilty.  James Black, Edward, John and Mary Agnes Daugherty were among the Witnesses for the Defense and Hugh McGuire for the State. Mr. McLaughlin’s trial started on August 30th and concluded a day later.

After deliberating for three hours, the jury rendered the verdict of Guilty of Murder in the Second Degree; Mr. McLaughlin was sentenced to confinement in the Gaol and Penitentiary house of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, for 14 years. For two years of that period he was placed and kept in the Solitary Cells on a low and coarse diet. The court ordered he do hard labor for 12 years and pay the costs of prosecution. His court cost totaled $10.01.

What was interesting about the trial transcripts was there was never any mentioned the name of the person Mr. McLaughlin was guilty of murdering.

The Estate of Edward Daugherty

Edward Daugherty was a devout Catholic. He was well known and respected throughout the community. He died on July 31, 1830 at the age of 90. He is buried in the Daugherty Cemetery on the farm he called home for over 30 years.

After Edward’s death, his widow, Alice, and his children, agreed to appoint and authorize Eli Evans, Joseph Irvin, William Wallace, David Boice and Robert Darragh, Esquires, to make an estimate of the goods and chattels, rights and credits, real and personal property from Edward’s estate. They were bound by the decisions of the lawyers, whose job it was to put a value on the estate.

After discussing the matter, the heirs mutually agreed division or apportionment of the estate. They were bound jointly to each other and they agreed to pay a sum of $500.00 to the law firm for their services.

John D. Daugherty, Daniel Daugherty, Hugh McGuire, James Black, Henry Good, Ellen Daugherty and widow, Alice Daugherty, signed the settlement on February 15, 1831.

The lawyers confirmed the agreement, which met the wishes of the heirs and the widow of Edward. After hearing the claims of the interested parties and a careful examination of the estate, real and personal, of the late Edward, the lawyers submitted conclusions and made the following apportionments amongst the widow and heirs:

First: We sell of to John D. Daugherty 60 acres and allowance of six per cent, for roads to be laid off the south end of the tract of land on which his late father resided. He was sold the land for ten dollars an acre, totaling $600.00. John acquired 53 acres (the one half) of land purchased from Henry Laurence for ten dollars an acre.

Second: We sell off to Daniel D. Daugherty, heir to the balance of the tract of land on which his father lived which consists of 164 acres, at a cost of ten dollars an acre.

Third: Amount of notes and outstanding debts due the estate amount to $1,877.00.

Fourth: Of this sum of $1,877.00 Hugh McGuire, James Black, and Henry Good will receive $449.48 each and Ellen Daugherty will receive $528.54.

Fifth: The sum of $720.57 paid by John D. Daugherty to Hugh McGuire, James Black, Henry Good and Ellen Daugherty as follows: on the first day of May next, and $100.00 on the 15th day of May succeeding until the whole is paid.  The document stated Daniel Daugherty shall in the like manner pay to the said heirs, $100.00, in the terms set forth for John, until the whole is paid and when paid in full, John and Daniel would receive a quit claim to all their property.

Sixth: Set apart to Alice Daugherty, widow of Edward, that during her natural life, ten acres of land including the house she now occupies with a sufficient quantity of wood for fuel.  And to fence in the said tract with one good set of bar posts and bars.

Seventh: The legatees John D. Daugherty, Daniel Daugherty, James Black, Henry Good, Hugh McGuire and Ellen Daugherty shall each pay Alice Daugherty, widow, four dollars and twenty-five cents for and during her life each and every year on the first day of May.

John D. Daugherty transferred the 60-acre property to his son; Edward, by deed dated August 8, 1832, and recorded in the Beaver County Courthouse Recorder of Deeds, Vol. R, page 61. Edward farmed for 22 years, until he sold the land to John C. Irvin by indenture dated December 28, 1854, and recorded at the Beaver County Courthouse in Deed Book 33, Page 453.

In 1855, there was a dispute among John D. Daugherty’s heirs including son Edward Daugherty, Samuel Majors and his wife, formerly Ellen Daugherty, John Irvin, Hugh Irvin and Elizabeth Daugherty, involving 92 acres in Pulaski Township, Pennsylvania.

The petitioners were summoned to Beaver County Court for an inquest into the matter in January 1855. All sides presented their case but still no agreement could be reached. The petitioners were requested to appear in open court on August 17, 1855 to resolve the matter but all the parties refused to accept the amount set per acre of land. The court then ruled that the matter would be turned over to the Beaver County Sheriff.

Acting on a Writ of Partition ordered out of the Court of Common Pleas of Beaver County and directed to Sheriff James Darragh, being that in his opinion that said real estate could not be parted or divided without prejudice to or spoiling the whole, valued the same at the sum of $45.00 an acre. Sheriff Darragh was ordered to offer the property at public sale. The property was sold on September 12, 1855 to Hugh Irvin for the sum of $4422.00. Deed recorded in the Beaver County Courthouse Deed Book 43, page 400.

In 1857, Daugherty siblings, Elizabeth Black, Ellen Tait and Unity Good bought back the 60 acres from John Irvin, in Pulaski Township, that was sold by John D. Daugherty’s son Edward in 1854.  They paid one dollar for the land.

Alice Daugherty, widow of Edward, died about 1841. She was buried next to her husband in the Daugherty Cemetery, Daugherty Township, Pennsylvania.

Daniel Daugherty and his wife, Elizabeth, farmed the 164 acres of the original 224 acres in Lot 88 purchased by his father in 1802, until Daniel’s death on June 14, 1874.

After Daniel’s death his children divided his property. His heirs kept the farm together by passing it from generation to generation. The Daugherty family owned the tract of land, along Rochester and Harmony road, upon where Edward Daugherty built his log cabin in 1797, until 1935 when Adele Rowley, great great granddaughter to Edward, sold the remaining 100 acres to George Goldbertson.

Children of Edward and Alice Daugherty

John D. Daugherty was born 1787 in Londonderry, Ireland. He married Mary Boggs, born February 19, 1785. She was a daughter of John and Aletha Boggs. Their union was blessed with the following children: Edward, date of birth unknown, Ellen, date of birth unknown (she married Samuel Majors), and Elizabeth, born in 1822 in New Sewickley Township, she never married. John D. died on August 22, 1869 age the age of 82. He is buried in the Daugherty Cemetery, Daugherty Township, Pennsylvania.

Daniel D. Daugherty was born 1790 in Londonderry, Ireland. He married Elizabeth Black, daughter of John and Mary Black. Their union was blessed with the following children: Alice M., Mary Ann, Edward B., and Daniel M. Daugherty.  He died on June 14, 1874 at the age of 85.  In Pulaski Township, Pennsylvania, and is buried in the Daugherty Cemetery, Daugherty Township, Pennsylvania.

Mary Agnes Daugherty was born 1792 in Londonderry, Ireland. She married Hugh McGuire. Their union was blessed with the following children, Hugh Jr. (married Anna Reel); James and Marie (married Joseph Whistler).

Ellen Daugherty was born February 15,1801 in New Sewickley Township. She married John Tait, born February 20, 1803. To their union were born the following children, Edward, Martha, David, Eliza, and Catherine. Ellen and John and their children farmed Ellen’s share of her father’s farm. John died December 15, 1875. Ellen died three years later on September 3, 1878. They are buried in the Daugherty Cemetery, Daugherty Township, Pennsylvania.

Unity Daugherty was born 1805 in New Sewickley Township. She married Henry Good on June 26, 1825. Their children were: John, Edward, Rosanna, Henry M., Nicholas, Daniel, Mary E., James, Jerome, and Hugh. They resided in New Sewickley Township before moving to Pine Township, Allegheny in 1850. Later they moved their family to McCandless Township, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania.Elizabeth Daugherty was born 1802 in New Sewickley Township. She married James Black, son of John and Mary Black. Their union was blessed with the following children, Mary Jane, John, Ellen Lucinda, Eunice, Margaret Elvira, Edwin R. and James Fernando. She died on April 6, 1878, at the age of 84. She is buried in the Daugherty Cemetery, Daugherty Township, Pennsylvania.

Manassah & Catherine Daugherty

Manassah Daugherty, younger brother of Edward, came from Ireland to Delaware County, Pennsylvania, in 1796. He met and married Catherine O’Grady, daughter of William and Mary Catherine O’Grady, a few months after his arrival in the states.

Manassah brought his young wife to western Pennsylvania in 1800. He built a small log cabin on his brother, Edward’s, farm that he shared with John and Mary Black.

Manassah and Catherine were blessed with a son, William and daughter, Eunice.

Manassah was killed when a log fell on him while helping neighbor and friend, John Black, build a barn. He was the first Catholic to die in what is today Beaver County, Pennsylvania. Since there were no Catholic cemeteries, Edward Daugherty donated one half acre of his land to be a burial ground for area Catholics. Manassah was laid to rest in 1801.

What happened to Catherine and the children following the death of Manassah is unclear. It is possible they went back to Delaware County, Pennsylvania, to live with her parents.

John and Mary Black

John and Mary Black, Irish Protestants and close friends of the Daugherty families, were married on April 14, 1789 at St. Andrew’s Church in Dublin, Ireland.

They traveled with Manassah Daugherty from Ireland to Delaware County, Pennsylvania, in 1796. On what ship they arrived is unknown but like Edward Daugherty and James McGuire, it is believed political turmoil brought them here.

John and Mary traveled by covered wagon with Manassah and his new wife, Catherine, on their trip to western Pennsylvania in 1800.

By a deed dated April 10, 1804 and registered in Deed Book A, page 299 at the Beaver County Courthouse Recorder of Deeds office, John purchased Lot 90, a tract of 200 acres, lying southeast from New Brighton in the Leet District, from

Thomas Shield, in New Sewickley Township, what is known today as the Gulbranson, Ridgeway and McLean plans in Daugherty, Rochester and Pulaski townships. He immediately built a small log cabin and began planting orchards and crops.

John farmed the land and operated a gristmill located on the farm (valued at $1,000 on tax records) until his death in December 1807.

According to his will, registered at the Beaver County Courthouse in Will Book A, page 17, his 200 acre farm was divided into two tracts, giving 100 acres on the South side to his son, James Black.

The 100 acres on the North side would be divided into 50-acre tracts for his daughters, Elizabeth and Margaret. He left his youngest daughter, Marion, $300. out of his personal estate to buy land for her at a later date.

In John’s will, he ordered his executors to lease his plantation until his children could care for the land, and that his wife, Mary, would receive the rent and profits for the supporting of the children and herself as long as she shall live.

Mary Black continued to raise her children in the log cabin built by her

husband until son James was able to farm the land. Her later years were spent living with her sister, Euphemia Alcorn’s children, who had farmland along what is today known as Wise’s Grove Road in Daugherty Township.

Mary died in 1860 at the 94. She was buried in the Alcorn Cemetery on the Alcorn-Phillis farm. Some years later, Mary was reinterred at Grove Cemetery in New Brighton.

The log cabin built by John Black still exists today on Beaver Street, Rochester Township, Pennsylvania. The original log cabin is not visible from the outside of the house today, as construction over the years has completely covered the log structure.

Part of the original 200-acre farm, in what is today Pulaski Township, is still owned by John Black’s descendants.

Children of John and Mary Black

Elizabeth Black, was born 1802 in New Sewickley Township. She married Daniel D. Daugherty, a son of Edward and Alice Daugherty. Their union was blessed with the following children: Alice M., Mary Ann, Edward B., and Daniel M. Daugherty.

Margaret Black was born 1803 in New Sewickley Township, She never married and later in life moved to Neshannock Township, Lawrence County, Pennsylvania. On July 5, 1864, she sold her share of the farm to her brother-in-law, Daniel D. Daugherty, for the sum of $400.

Marion (Mary) Black was born in 1805 in New Sewickley Township. She married North Evans. Their children were Oliver, Hiram, North, Margaret, Elizabeth, Kirby, Anne, Francis, Eli and Elmira Evans.

James Black was born April 26, 1801 in New Sewickley Township. He married Elizabeth Daugherty, a daughter of Edward and Alice Daugherty, on June 2, 1825.  Their union was blessed with the following children: Mary Jane, Eunice, John, Ellen, Margaret, James and Edwin R.

According to the 1816 New Sewickley Township tax records, James owned 250 acres, one horse, one cow and a gristmill that was not running.

James died on April 9, 1867 at the age of 66. He was buried in the Daugherty Cemetery, Daugherty Township, Pennsylvania.

The original 100-acre tract of land, inherited from his father, was left to his surviving children, John, Edwin R., and Eunice. His daughter, Mary Jane Black Helbling, preceded him in death. Her portion of the farm was later deeded to her children, James and Ellen Helbling.

Children of James and Elizabeth Black

(grandchildren of John and Mary Black & Edward and Alice Daugherty)

Mary Jane Black was born on March 22, 1826 in New Sewickley Township. She married Christian Helbling on February 1, 1852. They had a son, James A. Helbling and a daughter Ellen Helbling, both born at Allegheny City, Pennsylvania.  Mary Jane died on March 19, 1855 at the age of 28. She was buried in the Daugherty Cemetery, Daugherty Township, Pennsylvania. Her husband gave their two young children to her parents, James and Elizabeth, to raise.

John Black was born December 18, 1827 in New Sewickley Township. He died on October 12, 1854 at the age of 27. He was buried in the Daugherty Cemetery, Daugherty Township, Pennsylvania.

Ellen Lucinda Black was born on February 21, 1830 in New Sewickley Township.  She died on June 6, 1853 at the age of 22. She was buried in the Daugherty Cemetery, Daugherty Township, Pennsylvania.

Eunice Black was born June 18, 1832 in New Sewickley Township. She married John McLean. Their children included Louis R., Sula G. (married Perry Smith), Elizabeth, and Eunice M. (married a Mr. Blocher). Eunice Black McLean died on June 25, 1907 at the home of her daughter, Sula Smith, on Marion Hill, New Brighton, Pennsylvania. She was 67 years old. Her funeral was held at St. Joseph Church, New Brighton, and internment was in Daugherty Cemetery, Daugherty Township, Pennsylvania.

Margaret Elvira Black was born March 7, 1838 in New Sewickley Township. She died on June 2, 1843 at the age of five. She was buried in the Daugherty Cemetery, Daugherty Township, Pennsylvania.

Edwin R. Black was born April 17, 1835 in New Sewickley Township.    After the death of his mother, Elizabeth, Edwin took on the responsibility of raising his nephew, James Helbling and niece, Ellen Helbling. He died on October 19, 1890 at the age of 55. He was buried in the Daugherty Cemetery, Daugherty Township, Pennsylvania.

James Fernando Black was born on September 22, 1841 in New Sewickley Township. He died on May 31, 1843. He was buried in the Daugherty Cemetery, Daugherty Township, Pennsylvania.

Daniel D.  and Elizabeth Black Daugherty’s children

(grandchildren to Edward and Alice Daugherty and John and Mary Black)

Alice M. Daugherty was born July 23, 1825 in New Sewickley Township, Pennsylvania. She was baptized at the age of 13 months, on August 12, 1826, at St. Patrick’s Church, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Mary Ann Daugherty was born on August 21, 1828 in New Sewickley Township, Pennsylvania. She married Patrick. Coyle. Their children were Elizabeth A., Daniel, Henry J., and Alice M.

Patrick and Mary farmed the land she inherited from her father for many years. Patrick died October 4, 1897 and is buried in the Daugherty Cemetery, Daugherty Township, Pennsylvania. A few years after Patrick died, Mary Ann moved to New Brighton where she died at her home at 700 Seventh Avenue on April 28, 1913. She was laid to rest beside her husband in the Daugherty Cemetery. The family farm in Daugherty Township, inherited from her father, was divided between her four children. The house on Seventh Avenue in New Brighton was left to her daughter Elizabeth.

Edward Black Daugherty was born on October 22, 1832 in New Sewickley Township, Pennsylvania. He was baptized on December 14, 1834 at the age of two, at St. Paul Catholic Church, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He was a well-known attorney and when Daugherty Township, Pennsylvania, was formed it was named in his honor. He died on March 31, 1896 at his home in Beaver, Pennsylvania. He married Mary Cunningham on May 5, 1870. They were blessed with two children, Samuel Wilson Daugherty, born March 26, 1871, and Mary Daugherty, born July 1876. She married Charles Green. They had three children. Samuel E. Green, Mary Nina Green and Mary Kathryn Green.

Daniel M. Daugherty was born in May 1855 in Pulaski Township, Pennsylvania. He married Annie E., maiden name unknown, in 1888. Their children were James J., born November 1889; William J., born September 1892; Margaret C., born February 1895 (she married M. Conrad); Viola M., born 1896; and Thomas L., born 1909.  Daniel and his family lived in Frackville, Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, where he was employed on the railroad.

Children of Patrick H. and Mary Ann Daugherty Coyle

(grandchildren to Daniel and Elizabeth Daugherty)
(great grandchildren to Edward & Alice Daugherty and John & Mary Black)

Elizabeth A. Coyle was born in 1860 in Pulaski Township, Pennsylvania. She died January 16, 1934, from complications resulting from injuries sustained in an automobile accident on December 23, 1933.  She is buried in the Daugherty Cemetery, Daugherty Township, Pennsylvania.

Daniel Coyle was born in 1861 in Pulaski Township, Pennsylvania. He died on August 25, 1935 in the Providence Hospital in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania. He willed the family farm to his niece, Adele Rowley upon his death. He is buried Daugherty Cemetery, Daugherty Township, Pennsylvania.

Henry J. Coyle was born in 1865 in Pulaski Township, Pennsylvania. He studied medicine under the direction of Dr. Constantine T. Gale, a physician in New Brighton, Pennsylvania. Later he entered the Jefferson Medical College at Philadelphia, from which he graduated when he was 21 years old. He had a private practice in Canton, Ohio, for a few years. Due to health problems, Dr. Coyle gave up his practice and moved to New Brighton. He resumed a practice there and was a member of the Beaver Valley General Hospital. Dr. Coyle never married and died on January 15, 1909 at the age of 43. His funeral was held in St. Joseph Catholic Church in New Brighton. The pallbearers were six physicians, Dr. J.K. White, Dr. William F. Beitsch, Dr. J.F. Elder, Dr. J.S. Louthan, Dr. B.C. Painter and Dr. J.C. Fish.  He is buried in the Daugherty Cemetery, Daugherty Township, Pennsylvania.

Alice M. Coyle was born in 1868 in Pulaski Township, Pennsylvania. She married William J. Dick. They had a daughter Adele, who married Earl Rowley and they resided in New Kensington for many years. Alice died on July 11, 1934. According to her will, registered in the Beaver County Courthouse in Will Book 31, page 285, she devised her tract of land to her brother, Daniel Coyle, to live out his life and then after his death the land would go to her daughter, Adele Dick Rowley.