By-Gone Days - Recollections of Sunbury by Dr. Robert H. Awl, 1899

 

"Stories Of The Days When Sunbury was not as Big as at Present - Recollections Of the Past"

In 1899, The Northumberland Democrat ran an article written by Dr. Robert H. Awl.  The article was long - spanning several columns over two issues of the newspaper.  

Dr Awl was a grandson of William Maclay.  He studied with Dr John Peal of Sunbury, and graduated from Philadelphia Medical College.  After practicing in Dauphin County for some time, Awl went to Ohio to work with his brother William Awl, who was superintendent of Ohio State Asylum for the Insane.

In 1849 Dr Awl returned to Sunbury Pa, where in addition to his general practice, he was prominent on the staff of the Mary Packer Hospital.  He had the distinction of being one of the oldest Masons in the State, having been initiated into the order in 1842.

The Dr  also, according to his obituary, "gained distinction as a writer on historical subjects."  For John F. McGinniss‘ various publications he furnished monographs of high merit on “Northumberland County Prisons,” “The Old Cannon,” “The First Duel in Northumberland County,” and “The Brady Family.”.

The article in the 1899 Democrat, written when Dr Awl was 80 years old,  begins with this explanation:

"The following incidents were current in this locality seventy-five and one hundred years ago, and their recital at the fireside during the long winter evenings formed pleasant entertainment.  Like all historical romances, the characters were living, actual beings, and whilst some of their deeds may seem to be overdrawn, it must be remembered that fine dress often makes rough characters more attractive, so it is with these desperadoes of early days."

The Log Cabin
Joe Disberry & his son Joe, and the story of Bloody Springs

For more about Bloody Spring, in Sunbury Pa:

https://susquehannavalley.blogspot.com/2020/12/how-bloody-springs-got-its-name-in.html

John Penn's Indian Walk

With mention of Oneida Indian Chigray, and the burial location of 'Scratch Gravel'

Chigray The Friendly Indian

With mention of Count Zinzendorf, The Delaware's & Shawnee Indians

The Cork Romance

James Watts

With mention of the Montour Family, and Fort Freeland

Girty's Cave

The Death Of Girty

SCHEIL-KRAETE
"The Ugly Step-Father Of Simon Girty"

With mention of the Brady's, Covenhaven, The Great Runaway...

The Ugliest Man

Joe Disberry

The man who was flogged in Sunbury's Market Street Square, for stealing a cow.

With mention of Weitsel's Mill, Robert Martin's Tavern, Packers Island.... 

The End Of The Old Dutchman 

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More Stories & History From Sunbury Pa

https://susquehannavalley.blogspot.com/2020/07/sunbury-pennsylvania.html

And more Stories & History From surrounding towns:

https://susquehannavalley.blogspot.com/p/history.html

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Dr Awl "gained distinction as a writer on historical subjects.  For John F. McGinniss‘ various publications he furnished monographs of high merit on “Northumberland County Prisons,” “The Old Cannon,” “The First Duel in Northumberland County,” and “The Brady Family.”  While the numerous acknowledgments to his assistance in the preparation of this work furnished ample evidence of his interest in other matters pertaining to local history."

From the obituary of Dr. Robert Harris Awl

Doctor Robert Harris Awl, the oldest male resident of Sunbury, died at his residence on Market Street at 6:30 Monday evening at the age of 85 years and 3 months.  Notwithstanding his great age his health had been fairly good during the past winter until last Wednesday, when a sudden decline of his vital powers occurred and he succumbed to a failure of heart action.

Doctor Awl descended from an old and distinguished colonial family.  His grandfather was William Maclay who was Surveyor general of Pennsylvania while it was a colony immediately preceding the Revolution, and subsequently took part in the revolutionary movements when Pennsylvania became one of the revolting colonies.  At the formation of the State government he was elected one of the first two United States Senators from Pennsylvania, the celebrated Robert Morris being the other.  As surveyor under the Penns he secured extensive tracts of land in this neighborhood, and his son-in-law, Samuel Awl, near the close of the last century, settled upon one of those properties, about two miles from Sunbury, where Robert Harris Awl, the subject of this obituary notice, was born on the 26 December 1919, being the youngest of a large family of children.  He was reared on the farm and received such education as the schools of the neighborhood afforded.  About the time he attained the majority he entered upon the study of medicine with Doctor John W. Peal, of Sunbury, was graduated from Philadelphia Medical College in 1842, and commenced the practice of his profession at Halifax, Dauphin County, in which he continued for some years until he joined his brother William Awl, Superintendent of the Ohio State Assylum for the Insane, as one of the assistants.  His health failing in consequence of arduous duties in that position he resigned it in 1849, and came to Sunbury where he resumed the practice of his profession, which he pursued here with great success and credit up to the date of his death, covering a period of 56 years.  In addition to his general practice he was prominent in the medical staff of the Mary M. Packer Hospital.

Dr. Awl also engaged quite prominently in public affairs.  In his younger years he was an ardent Democrat and quite an expert politician, he having come within a comparatively few votes of being elected to the Legislature, as a democratic candidate, from the strong Republican county of Dauphin.  Subsequently he was elected Treasurer of Northumberland County, and served in that capacity when the present court house was built.  For a number of years he served as the physician at the county prison, and filled the position of school director and councilman.  He had the distinction of being one of the oldest Mason in the State having been initiated into that order in 1842.

Doctor Awl was a brother of Mrs. Rohrbach, of this place, and an uncle to H. A. Rohrbach.

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DR. ROBERT HARRIS AWL - 

From -  A Comprehensive History of the Town of Gratz Pennsylvania, p. 748-749.

Robert Harris Awl was born 27 December 1819, a son of Samuel Awl and Mary [McClay] Awl.  He descended from prominent families in the Harrisburg area.  His mother was a daughter of William McClay, Esq., and a granddaughter of John Harris, owner of John Harris mansion.  Another ancestor, Jacob Awl, came to America from Ireland early in the 1700s.  He was one of the commissioners who helped lay out the town of Harrisburg. These early ancestors are buried in Old Paxtang Graveyard in Harrisburg.

When the father of Mary McClay Awl died in 1804, by his will, Mary received forty-nine acres of land on Little Shamokin Creek "in trust for her use."  The mother of Mary McClay Awl thought their daughter had been treated harshly by the father.  When she prepared her will, she specifically mentioned that Mary should have all her household goods, as well as her finger rings.  After settlement of the estate, any remaining money was to go to Dr. Awl's mother Mary as well.  Mary also received, by the will of her grandfather John Harris, a silver coffee pot.

Dr. Robert Harris Awl was born on the family farm along the old Reading Turnpike in Augusta Township, Northumberland County.  He was far removed from the environment of his relatives in Harrisburg.  He attended a school about one mile from his home.  It was a small one-story log, all-purpose building.  It was originally built for butchering, soap and apple butter boiling, and similar purposes.  It had one door and two windows and a large open fireplace.  It was not very large, as school was only held in the winter sessions.  The cracks in the sides made the ventilation too thorough for solid comfort.  The pupils occupied rough board seats without backs, which were placed in the center of the room.  The older pupils sat with their backs to the teacher, at a long desk-like arrangement along one side.  This was the beginning of Dr. Awl's education!

When he was about nineteen years old, Robert Awl decided on the medical profession for his life's work.  he studied under Dr. John W. Peal in Sunbury, and later became a student at the Medical College of Philadelphia.  He graduated in the Spring of 1842 and shortly after began a practice in Gratz, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania.  While he was living in Gratz, Dr. Awl married in 1843 Eliza Bower, a daughter of John Bower (1791-1847) and his wife Anna Bower (1793-1862) of Gratz. The Bowers are both buried in Simeon [Gratz Union] Cemetery.  Dr. Awl stayed in Gratz for about two years and then he and Eliza moved to Halifax.  While practicing in Halifax, he became the surgeon of the 16th Regiment of the Pennsylvania Militia.

On 28 July 1846, Eliza died, possibly of childbirth complications, or of contagious disease.  She was only twenty years old, and that same year, their two and one-half month daughter Ellen Ann Awl also died.  Both are buried in Simeon [Gratz Union] Cemetery.

After that tragedy, Dr. Awl sold his Halifax practice and moved to Columbus, Ohio.  There he became assistant to his brother, head physician at the Ohio Lunatic Asylum.  After three years his health became impaired because of the trying nature of his duties, so he resigned his position.  This was during the time of the gold rush excitement, so Dr. Awl started for California via the overland route.  But he was taken sick and returned to Pennsylvania in 1849.  He set up a practice in Sunbury, where he remained the rest of his life.  He was an excellent surgeon.  He served as physician to the inmates in the prisons and trained at least eight young men in the profession.  Dr. Awl married the second time to Rebeca A. Pursell on 21 November 1849.  He died 13 March 1905.

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