Robert Piper and Polly Reed

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Husband Robert Piper ¹

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           Born: 
     Christened: 
           Died: 
         Buried: 

       Marriage: 

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Wife Polly Reed ¹

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           Born: 
     Christened: 
           Died: 
         Buried: 

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         Father: Robert Reed (Abt 1730-      ) 1 2
         Mother: Mary Pomeroy (      -      ) 2

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Children

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1 M John Piper ³

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           Born: 3 Oct 1797 4
     Christened: 
           Died: 29 Jan 1877 4
         Buried:  - Salem Hills Presbyterian Cemetery, Westmoreland Co, PA

         Spouse: Margaret Piper (1799-1868) 4

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2 F Mary "Polly" Piper ⁵

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           Born: 1 Jan 1804 5
     Christened: 
           Died: 5 Apr 1862 6
         Buried:  - Mahoning U. P. Cemetery, Mahoning, Indiana Co, PA

         Spouse: James Reed (1801-1870) 7
           Marr: 1 Jan 1828 - near Indiana, Indiana Co, PA 5

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General Notes: Husband - Robert Piper

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He married and they lived first on part of the old Reed homestead, then at a stone house near Hill Side. The old stone house was still standing into the twentieth century, just across the railroad from Ridgeview Park.

The Pipers were old settlers in Ligonier Valley. Robert Piper, Sr., had married a daughter of Robert Reed, Sr., and was engaged as a tenant on the farm. In 1810 Robert Piper having lived there more than 21 years could of course get a lawful deed by presenting his claim. Although the Reeds had held undisputed possesion for some fifty years, they had never secured a deed and didn't seem to see any need of it. But it seems that the Pipers and Reeds took a notion that they did need a deed about the same time. In fact both got ready about the same time and the trip to Harrisburg was to be commenced next morning. In some mysterious way, Sally Reed, Robert's wife, discovered their tenant's plan the evening before. She hurried home and started her husband for Harrisburg and when Piper's horse was brought out saddled and bridled, Sally, then the mother of eight children, mounted him and rode five miles to Coal Hill, tied him in the brush and walked home, trusting in God and Robert Reed to do the rest. As no other horse was thought fit for the journey, and this one could not be tracked until morning, the start was delayed. As a consequence Reed arrived at Harrisburg in the evening and had his business attended to the next morning just as Piper dismounted his jaded horse. Well up to this time, the Reeds were Presbyterians and Piper was an Elder in the church. Sally was brought before the session for "spiriting" away Piper's horse. She was asked to acknowledge "that she was sorry for the act." She answered that "instead of being sorry she was thankful that God had made her the instrument in saving her property." But the minister said, "Mrs. Reed, unless you acknowledge that you are sorry for taking the horse and hiding him five miles from home in the night, you cannot commune nor have your children baptized as heretofore." Her answer was: "I am not sorry, nor I don't wish to belong to a church in which one of the Elders is as big a rascal as Bob Piper." Thereafter the Reeds were mostly United Presbyterians.

1 J. P. Lytle, The Reed Family (Marion Center, PA: Independent Office, 1909), Pg 6.

2 —, Biographical Annals of Franklin County, Pennsylvania (Chicago, IL: The Genealogical Publishing Co., 1905), Pg 248.

3 J. P. Lytle, The Reed Family (Marion Center, PA: Independent Office, 1909), Pg 11.

4 J. P. Lytle, The Reed Family (Marion Center, PA: Independent Office, 1909), Pg 62.

5 J. P. Lytle, The Reed Family (Marion Center, PA: Independent Office, 1909), Pg 10, 59.

6 J. P. Lytle, The Reed Family (Marion Center, PA: Independent Office, 1909), Pg 59.

7 J. P. Lytle, The Reed Family (Marion Center, PA: Independent Office, 1909), Pg 11, 59.