Col. P. E. Judson

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Husband Col. P. E. Judson ¹

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           Born: 28 Apr 1807 - Woodbury, Litchfield Co, CT 1
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         Father: John P. Judson (      -1849) 1
         Mother: 

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Wife

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Children

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1 F Mary M. Judson ^{1 2}

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           Born:  - Erie Co, PA
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         Spouse: David Kinaman (1846-      ) 2

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2 F Rebecca Judson ³

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         Spouse: Francis A. Howe (1838-      ) 4
           Marr: 19 Nov 1869 4

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General Notes: Husband - Col. P. E. Judson

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In 1814 his father removed the family to Tioga County, New York, and located on the banks of the Susquehanna river, where they remained until 1823. When a little older, he helped to clear the land and assisted his father at carpentering.

Col. Judson, in his own language, thus details some of his early experiences: On a new farm back of the river, speckled mountain trout were plenty in Pipe Creek. I did love to fish, and would go two miles up the creek and fish down. There were wolves, catamounts and wildcats in the woods, and as I had to look after the cows and oxen, father had fixed a weapon of defense for me. It was a two-edged-knife, about six or eight inches long, two inches wide, with a sharp point set in a socket, with a handle four feet long. He directed me to always carry it out in the sugar camp when boiling sap, and on my shoulder, which I did. One afternoon when all alone, except for my plucky little black dog, weighing about twenty-two pounds, I saw a small deer run into a stream of water near by; the stream was high, owing to the spring thaw; the deer was trying to escape from a wildcat that was pursuing it; it got under the driftwood, being wounded and lame. About this time my dog," Nig," as I called him, smelled the cat, and started after it; I called him back, but he would not come, and as I was as faithful to him as he was to me, started after him; the cat wheeled for battle, struck at the dog, and I struck at the cat, and split his heart in two; he made one or two convulsive kicks. My father was quite proud of my wildcat episode; went to the town of Wappasena (now Nichols) and bought me a pair of cowhide shoes and a jack-knife, and for a while I was the biggest man on Pipe creek. In 1823, I went to Waterford, Erie County, Pennsylvania, and worked for Amos Judson, chopping and clearing land, on the Union road, in Waterford township. 1 also worked with Uncle Seth Judson. I took a job of Amos Judson of cutting five acres of heavy hemlock, pine, beech and maple, logging length, ample two roll piles to the acre. The price was to be five dollars per acre, two dollars in cash and three dollars in store pay; and what four-foot wood I cut he paid me thirty-seven and one-half cents per cord, one shilling cash and two shillings store pay. John A. Vincent helped me to cut the bass wood, six feet long, split fine, for which we got $1.25 per cord, one dollar cash and two shillings store pay. I next went to Warren to attend bar in the Mansion House, remaining one year. Three young men and myself then built a flat-boat and drifted down the Allegheny to Franklin, and from there I walked home, and took a berth in the Waterford Hotel, H. G. Davis, proprietor. Davis was absent two years, and after his return I worked at various places at farm work, later assisting in teaching a geography class, in which the only boy was Clark McSparren, of Erie, the class being composed of girls. I went to Erie and took the Steamboat Hotel, corner of Second and French streets. It had been kept by John Dickson, who went to Meadville, leaving the business in such a shape that I was very much perplexed by the debts, and had it not been for Jonas Gunnison I would not have remained there long. He helped me. Under the tall poplar trees that once stood in front of R. S. Reed's residence, seated on the slab seat, the venerable old man would direct me how to proceed. Among my pleasant acquaintances of that period were Commodore Morris, Capt. James Morris, Lieut. Morris, Capt. M. Conner, Capt. Knapp, Capt. Dobbins, Capt. Reed. I had to go on a trip to Pittsburg while at the hotel on business for Mr. Reed. I made the trip on horseback. Returning to Tioga County, New York, and later descended the Susquehanna on two rafts of boards and shingles for Columbia, Pennsylvania. There I took the chances of the river to Havre de Grace, the head of tidewater, on Chesapeake Bay. I made six of these trips, down one day and walking back the next day, forty-five miles. It took six men to man a single raft. I returned to Waterford, Pennsylvania, in company with an old man of 50 years, who lived at State Line. I next took charge of a boat-load of lumber for old John McKay, and sold it in Pittsburgh. Then I took down a boatload of bark, assisted by A. J. Bracken, who had run to Pittsburgh several times. At Pittsburgh I could not sell the bark, and as a pilot asked $2.50 per day, I went to a book store and bought a "Loggerhead" of the Ohio river. I finally landed it safely in Wheeling, Virginia, made a good sale, returning to Waterford by boat, on foot and in the stage. I took a berth in the Waterford Hotel as barkeeper, hostler, boot black, wood chopper, etc., and worked at anything, until I fitted up the old fort building as a hotel, and opened it the 8th day of May, 1830, having very slender means to fit it up. I still have two of the original twelve chairs that I first bought for the hotel, the rest having burned up in the fire of 1868. By this fire I lost $800 and broke up my business. I next acted as deputy sheriff of the county, and later bought the Eagle Hotel and made several improvements in it. This I conducted for twenty-two years, and three years ago rented it, owing to defective eyesight. In the month of September, 1826, on my way to Tioga County, New York, I stopped off at Niagara Falls, went over to the Canadian side, and saw the drill of British troops. Henry Clay, of Kentucky, was there at the time, in company with his brother-in-law, Gen. Stewart, and both dined at the same table at the Cataract House at which I sat. During the war I supplied the barracks with 100 pounds of meat per day, cut in half-pound pieces. I did all the work myself, in supplying this meat.
This does not embrace all the details of Col. Judson's very busy and active life, but gives an idea of the way people had to work in the olden time.

1 —, Nelson's Biographical Dictionary and Historical Reference Book of Erie County, Pennsylvania (Erie, PA: S. B. Nelson, Publisher, 1896), Pg 585.

2 —, History of Erie County, Pennsylvania (Chicago, IL: Warner, Beers & Co., 1884), BS 224.

3 —, History of Erie County, Pennsylvania (Chicago, IL: Warner, Beers & Co., 1884), Pg 223.

4 —, History of Erie County, Pennsylvania (Chicago, IL: Warner, Beers & Co., 1884), BS 223.