Histories

Jehiel Beach was born at South Mountain, Smithfield Township, Bradford County, Pa., in 1808. He was well educated for that period of time and taught school when a young man. He married Sally Sherman of Springfield, Bradford County, who had lately moved there with her people from Massachusetts, her native state. It is rather an interesting fact that while Sally and her people were moving from Massachusetts in 1826, they passed through Quincy, Mass., at the time the first Railroad in the U. S. was being built.

After living in Springfield for quite a number of years, Jehiel, and family moved to Covington, Pa., where he and his eldest son John, were employed in a glass factory. In 1855 they moved to Elk Run and purchased the farm now owned by Benjamin McCracken, but which was then a veritable wilderness. There were two sons in the family, John S. and Edgar J., four daughters, Bethana, who died in infancy, Martha who became the wife of George Ballard, Rebecca, wife of Joshua Bernauer, and Mary, wife of C. E. Vermilyea, all deceased.

Soon after the Civil War broke out John entered the service and took an active part until he was taken prisoner toward the close of the war, and imprisoned at Salisbury, North Carolina, where he died. His health at the time did not permit him to endure the hardships of a rebel prison.

One time while coming home on a furlough he cut a cane from a yellow willow as he walked up Pine Creek. When he reached home he stuck the cane in the ground. From it sprung a very large willow tree still standing on the Ben McCracken farm.

Jehiel Beach passed away in 1878 while living on the farm. His wife Sally died at the home of her daughter, Mrs. Joshua Bernauer, in 1899 at the age of nearly ninety-one.

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Source:

History of Elk Run (Gaines), Tioga County, Pennsylvania

http://www.joycetice.com/bookst/gaines02.htm