History of Cambria County, Pennsylvania

county from Phillipsburg to the line of the county of Clearfield, near the Great Forks of Clearfield creek. That the ground is such as to admit of a good wagon road being made at a moderate expense." The viewers were Samuel McMullen, Zephania Weakland, William O'Keefe, Luke McGuire, David Todd and John Glass. They recommended it to be kept up by the supervisors of Allegheny township, and to be thirty feet in width. It passed through Loretto and the improvements of Delozier, Meloy's, Samuel McMullen, A. Anderson and Nugent.

On September 9, 1819, the Court appointed Peter Levergood, Isaac Proctor, Samuel Hildebrand, Shepley Priestly, Leavy Roberts and Christian Good viewers to lay out a public road between Johnstown and Ebensburg. The Northern pike was then in the course of construction. On October 9 they reported that they had laid out such a road to lead from "Johnstown to the Turnpike road at Bellewes Cabbins," to be thirtyfive feet in width. This is substantially the road which now connects with the old stone pike at Munday's. It has been the principal road for driving between these points, and is the best road at this date. The distance is eighteen miles, and many interesting tales are told of fast driving in the early days of sleighing, or in less than two hours when it was favorable. On one occasion within recent years, a Johnstown merchant desiring to get a writ of execution ahead of one which had been sent by mail on the morning train, employed J. C. Pender to drive him in a two horse buggy under contract to reach Ebensburg before the railroad train, which he did in one hour and ten minutes, and secured the first fieri facias and got his money, too.

After the completion of the Old Portage railroad the favored route from Johnstown was by railroad to Jefferson, now Wilmore, then driving to Ebensburg. However, since the completion of the Ebensburg branch in 1861, the best manner of traveling is by the Pennsylvania railroad via Cresson.

Prior to 1821, the only road between Ebensburg and Johnstown was via Croyle's road and bridge, now Summerhill, thence to the Frankstown road into the town.

On October 25, 1818, a road was laid out from the Somerset county line at Garrett Reams' to the south end of Franklin street-at that time at the Kernville bridge. What is now known as Franklin street through the Fifth and Sixth wards was named and known as Morris street. In 1821, January 2,

another road to lead from the Somerset county line, at or near Henry Miltenberger's to Johnstown was opened.

On June 3, 1817, the court appointed Adam Cover, William Spencer and A. Murphy viewers to meet viewers on the part of Somerset county to locate a bridge across the Stonycreek at or near Fox's Fording, which was near the Red bridge, or what is now known as Kring's. This was the first bridge across the Stonycreek river. In traveling between Somerset. and Beula or Ebensburg, the Stonycreek river was crossed at the Beula fording at the Franklin street bridge when fordable, but when the water was high it was necessary to cross at Fox's fording.

On the same day another board of viewers were appointed to locate a bridge across the Little Conemaugh at or near Johnstown. It is probably located a little north of the Walnut street bridge, but it was the first erected in the town. There were but two other bridges in the county-one at Croyle's and the other at Fox's fording prior to 1816. The order to locate a county bridge at Fox's fording, dated June 3, 1817, authorized the second bridge at that place. It was so selected on account of it being the most economical place for a bridge.

CHAPTER VII.

A POLITICAL REVIEW-THE POLITICS OF THE COUNTY, STATE AND NATION FROM 1808.

On National affairs, Cambria was substantially a Democratic county until 1893, when it became Republican.

The system of our government is a subject of much interest to all classes; therefore, it is necessary to a proper understanding of county politics, to acquire correct knowledge of the national parties and their leaders. The political organizations in the townships are a part of the great system which controls the federal government.

When the federal government was formed in 1789 there was but one party of any strength-the Federal party-of which Washington, Hamilton, Jay, Adams, Marshall, Roger Sherman, Richard Henry Lee, Pinckney, and Fisher Ames were the leaders. They continued in control until 1800, when a disagreement with John Adams caused the election of Thomas Jefferson. The differences had been smoldering for a long time, and being so far apart it was certain to cause the division. The Federalists advocated a central government, a protective tariff, a national currency, and many other policies which now prevail in the Republican party, or, in other words, it is better to have one nation than to have forty-six single states, each antagonistic to the other.

When Jefferson succeeded to the Presidency in 1801, he organized among the farmers and planters what was known as the Republican-Democratic party as against the industrial establishments, or the workmen of the shops and mills.

For a time, the Federalist was a northern party, and the Republican-Democratic, a southern one. So far as national politics were concerned, the former died about 1817, and locally throughout the north about 1823.

The party of Thomas Jefferson continued in control of the general government, with three exceptions-John Quincy Adams, Harrison-Tyler, and Taylor-Fillmore administrationsuntil the election of Mr. Lincoln; since that event, with one exception, 1893 to 1897-the presidency and congress have been

under Republican rule. It is true, Cleveland was president from 1885 to 1889, but the senate was Republican, and at times the Democrats had control of the lower house of congress, but the latter never had full control except under Cleveland's second term.

Jefferson was opposed to a war with England, and thereby he was humiliated by both England and France, especially by the former in the impressment of American seamen. Jefferson induced congress to pass the embargo act, which did more harm to America than to England. Notwithstanding these conditions, Madison, a follower of Jefferson, was elected president in 1808.

The first presidential election in Cambria county was held on Monday, November 7, 1808, and the election in 1812 was on Friday, October 30; as late as 1836, it was held on Friday, November 4, and in 1840 it was held on Friday, October 30, "being the fifth Friday preceding the first Wednesday of December."

A reference to the table of votes cast for this office shows that there were but 62 votes for Madison, and 7 for Pinckney, in the five polling places in the county; one at the house of Cornelius McGuire, in Allegheny township; one at the residence of John Braniff; one in the court house at Ebensburg for Cambria township; one at the dwelling of Mary Beatty, in Johnstown; and one at the house of John Grossnickle, near Geistown, for Conemaugh township.

PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES AND VOTE IN CAMBRIA.