Site of Midland from a Painting by Andrew J. Poe--About 1870.
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In the year 1815, Nathan Lufborough of the district of Columbia, by his attorney, James Ross, of Pittsburgh, PA, sold and conveyed to John Hoge four tracts of land in Beaver County on the north bank of the Ohio river extending from what is now Cook's Ferry to Georgetown Island, a distance of more than two miles, and from the river to the top of the hill, for the sum of $700. (Mr. Lufborough had obtained the said land from the government, through government patents, by four men taking out land claims. See deed book D. No. 4, page 294.
There were about twelve hundred acres of land in the four tracts conveyed by deed and purchase to John Hoge by Nathan Lufborough. The said tract of land being high bottom ground, and Mr. Hoge being the sole owner of it at that time. It has since oft-times been called Hoge's bottom.
In later years, after a stretch of timber had been taken off it, through the center east and west, and the township road laid through it, commonly went by the name of "the glades." (By transfers and sales of the land prior to the year 1880 the land in that year was in the hands of Thomas Minesinger, J.A. Neel and William Cook, Daniel Kaine, Winfield McCoy, C. McMasters, James Bray, James Harsha and William Cook (later Stephen Rogers). Each owned a tract of land, or farm, extended from the river to the top of the hill).
One thousand acres, the west part of the twelve hundred acres of land was retained by John Hoge till his death. (Anne Hoge was his wife's name). No children having been born to him, the one thousand acres, after his decease, was apportioned among certain creditors-Mary Ann Irvin, Daniel Hoge and others.
On November 20,1855, the parcel of land, 397 acres and 38 perches, apportioned to Mary Ann Irvin after John Hoge's death, with the 225 acres and 20 perches, apportioned to Daniel Hoge (he now being deceased) was deeded and conveyed to Eliaz J. Kaine, the wife of Daniel Kaine of Uniontown, Fayette County Pennsylvania, in payment of $1,800 ro Mrs. Anne Hoge, Eliaz J. Kaine being the daughter and only heir of Mrs. Mary Ann Irvin's estate. (See deed book, vol 34, page 401).
These two tracts of land, about six hundred and twenty-five acres in all were the upper part of the one thousand acres.
Later, Eliaz J. Kaine sold one hundred and ninety-six acres of the six hundred and twenty-five to Winfield McCoy, a lawyer living near Service, PA. Mrs. Kalne retained two hundred and seventy-four acres, the upper part of the said land. Mr. McCoy's purchased land joined this two hundred and seventy-four acres on the west.
At a very early date Joseph Meinsinger purchased 130 acres or more of land being sold at Sheriff Sale for the payment of a debt which had accrued against Anne Hoge et a]. (John Hoge then deceased). This was the lower part of the one thousand acres.
In the year 1859, J.A. Neel, a coal operator and river man from above Pittsburgh, (McKeesport) purchased 194 acres of land in Ohio township from William Waugh, this being a part of the one thousand acres of John Hoge's property joining Meinsinger's on the east side of the Meinsinger's property, for the sum of $5,820.75.
In the year 1864, J. A Neel purchased 101 acres of land from Jesse Smith, and in 1866 he purchased another 101 acres from Jesse Smith. This 202 acres joined the east side of the other 194 acres. These purchases constituted what was afterward spoken of as the Neel farm, which joined the Winfield McCoy farm on the west side of the McCoy farm, the Industry and Ohio township line being the dividing line between the J.A. Neel and the Winfield McCoy properties, the line running north and south. After purchasing the land, Mr. Neel hired men to clear off the land, that is, the timber, using part of it for fencing off his land into fields. He had several houses built for his hired hands to live in. He then built a large fine house out on the bank facing the river, for himself. He also had built five large barns for his hay and grain.
The land was very fertile. In one year he grew about 1,600 bushels of grain, wheat, oats, etc. On thirty-two acres of land west of what is now the seventh street school grounds, 900 bushels of wheat were taken off in one year. Mr. Neel planted several large orchards of fine varities of apples, two on the bank facing the river, and two over next to the hill.
After these trees had grown to full size and were bearing fine apples, I remember of him taking off in one year, about 1,500 barrels of apples and shipping them to commission men in Pittsburgh and to McHattie Bros. in Beaver Falls and to Jas L. Keech of Indianapolis, Indiana. In that same year with a steam cider press on his farm he made more than 400 barrels of cider and sold it to a man in East Palestine, Ohio, for two dollars per barrel. The lower end of his farm being sandy was noted for its growth of canteloupes or musk melons, which were shipped to Pittsburgh by rail in barrels.
