You are here:   Cambria > Books > History of Cambria County, V.3

	HISTORY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY.	115
Rhoda Boyd were sent to Carlisle, Pennsylvania, by Colonel Boquet, in 1764. Rhoda afterward married Robert Smiley, who in 1780 settled on Quemahoning creek, in what is now Jenner township, in Somerset county, where still further Indian troubles were in store for the family. At that time the settlers lived far apart, and the nearest neighbor of the Smileys was eight miles away. This neighbor was afterward killed by the Indians, and Mr. Smiley and his family were twice driven from their home. On the first of these occasions they spent the winter at Carlisle, returning to their cabin in the spring, and on the second they found refuge for the winter on Conococheague creek, in what now is Adams county. This, however, was the last of the Indian depredations in the neighborhood, and afterward the Smiley family was permitted to live in peace.     Robert Smiley and his wife Rhoda had six children--Agnes, George, Sarah, John, James and Robert Smiley. In 1791, when she was seventeen years old, Agnes Smiley married Moses Freame, who came from Hagerstown, Maryland, and was four years older than his wife. In 1792 they settled half a mile west of the Smiley clearing, and in that locality Moses Freame became the owner of twelve hundred acres of heavily timbered land lying on both sides of Quemahoning creek. In 1813 he built a saw mill, and also a cabin on the creek, and set about the work of lumbering and clearing the land for farming purposes; and several fine farms are now included within the tract which Moses Freame opened for settlement almost a hundred years ago.     Moses and Agnes Freame had twelve children, among whom was Mary Freame, fifth in the order of birth, and who was born on the 13th of October, 1801. When she was sixteen years old she married William Dalley, who was born in Somerset county, New Jersey. After marriage they settled near the saw mill, and in that year (1817) erected a small log building and put in it a carding machine and fulling mill. This cloth mill was the first establishment of its kind in the region, and was well patronized by the settlers of the surrounding country. In 1827 the log building was replaced with a more pretentious three-storied frame woolen mill, twenty by thirty feet in size, and a spinning machine and several looms were added to the machinery. In 1834 William Dalley died, leaving besides his wife, eight children. After his death his widow remained in possession of the mill and property for several years, and in 1842 she married Owen Morgan, a native of Neath, South Wales, and who purchased the property from the Dalley heirs. Here he carried on an extensive business for many years, and died in 1871, at the age of sixty-two years. His widow survived him and died in 1880, aged seventy-nine years. Additions were made to the mill in 1858, 1867 and 1879. On the 17th of May, 1882, the building was burned, but by the 1st of November following a new mill had been erected and equipped and was again in operation, then, however, under the proprietorship of Hon. William S. Morgan, son of Owen Morgan.     William Smiley Morgan was the only son of Owen and Mary (Dalley) Morgan, and was born on the 16th day of May, 1843. Several years before his father's death he had succeeded to his business interests, and was engaged in the manufacture of lumber and woolen foods at Quemahoning, also conducted a large general store, in which was located the Post Office. He also had one of the best equipped farms in that section, four hundred acres virgin timber lands. He was an energetic and straightforward business man and held an influential position

Title Page

Contents

Image