From the Family Archives

Unknown Ancestors

This old photo was in a trunk donated by a family member.

       Not sure who or where , but it depicts a scene typical of our area's early history when lumbering was a big business in the early to mid 1800's.               

       Fox-Weston-Bronson and the Harrower-Mersereau families owned considerable property in the Lindley area where they carried                      out the lumbering business.   Colonel Lindsley had the 1st local sawmill.                                                                   

                                                                        .                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             

                                                                                                                                                                                           

      Numerous sawmills were located along the Tioga River and even a small railroad in the vicinity of the present Young's family farm carried      logs to the Tioga River . The logs were floated to the Gang Mills -a large     type of  saw. Hence the place became  known as Gang Mills .                       

                                                     .

    Other logs, lumber, grain, produce, etc. were floated on arks down the local rivers to the Chesapeake Bay Area. When the lumber supply became depleted locally, Fox, Weston , Bronson who had become the largest lumber company in the country moved to the woods in Michigan .                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 .                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

Lots of  40 acres of  land  locally now became available for sale.  Many of the  local families  followed  the industry to Michigan where their              descendants can trace them in their genealogical files                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                .                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              

                                                

 The Mersereau family had become associated with the Weston family and together they opened the first sawmill on the Allegany River near  the         present  town of Weston. The Mersereau family genealogy shows members of this family later involved in the lumber industry in the State                    of  Washington.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      

.   

Gradually the tree growth returned, but for years the local hills were labeled 'denuded'  much like the ones where clear forest  cutting is exercised today.