Harbor Creek Township [sys58]

Resources

Township History from Bates 1884

1896 Township Map

Census Records

Church Records

Cemetery Records

Harbor Creek Cemeteries - General Info
Harbor Creek Township Cemetery Index
Clark Family Cemetery aka United Brethren
Gospel Hill Cemetery (off-site)
Hoag Cemetery aka Backus Family Cemetery
Ohel Jacob Cemetery aka Jacob Cemetery aka Chesed Shelmas
Eaoun Bohoslov Cemetery aka St. John Devine aka Russian Cemetery
South Harborcreek aka Harborcreek Methodist Church Cemetery
Wintergreen Gorge Cemetery [1/18/05]
Presbyterian Cemetery aka Harborcreek Presbyterian
Wesleyville Methodist Cemetery
Whispering Pines Cremation Gardens

Early Families

The Lowry Clan Part 1 [Revised 2/4/03]
Descendants of George and Margaret Lowry [2/4/03]
Rees' Pieces - Part One (Background and Introduction to Thomas Rees) [3/27/03]
Rees' Pieces - Part Two (Other Rees Names in Erie Co) [3/27/03]
Rees' Pieces - Part Three (Geography, Occupations, Churches, etc.) [3/27/03]
Rees' Pieces - Part Four {Rees' Neighbors) [3/27/03]
Rees' Pieces - Part Five (Conclusion) [3/27/03]

Other Records

Harbor Creek Names Index to Erie Co Histories [12/24/02]

Pictures

School Related

Harbor Creek High School Faculty 1939 [New: 11/07/07]

Family Websites

Boroughs and Villages

Wesleyville

Harborcreek

Moreheadville

Related Links

Trees of Harbor Creek

A Window Opens to Erie's Past (Judah Colt Daybook)

WELCOME TO HARBOR CREEK TOWNSHIP!

Hello, I am Beth Simmons, and I have agreed to be your township coordinator for Harbor Creek.

Harbor Creek is properly TWO WORDS, not one, as the United States Post Office would have it. The original harbor of the Pennsylvania Development Company was located at the mouth of Four-Mile Creek. In 1797, the company built their major transporting ship, the thirty-five ton Sloop Washington, there. From that port they transported pioneers and settlers from Buffalo to Erie County, and particularly to the "Lower Station" (what we now call "Freeport" at North East).

Thomas Rees was the first settler in Harbor Creek. Reese Road, although misspelled, was named in memory of him after the original Rees Road was renamed Hannon Road. Read about the history of the early western half of the township in a story entitled "Rees’ Pieces" which has been posted in five parts. See the links to the left under Early Families.

The Moorheads, Bairds, and Scott’s settled the eastern part of the township near Twelve-Mile Creek where James Foulk erected a gristmill in 1806. That mill lasted almost into the 20^th century. Foulk had built the first gristmill in the township in 1802 which was on Six-Mile Creek, but it was flooded out. The first sawmill was at Four-Mile Creek and provided lumber for the ship and houses for the local settlers.

Between the Moorheads and Rees, the Saltsman’s settled along Four-Mile Creek where they built a mill in 1815. Andrew Elliot settled along Elliott’s Run in Harbor Creek. The Fiddle Inn is probably one of his original buildings. Amasa Prindle settled along the stream that parallels Davison Road. Descendants of all of these families, except for Rees line, still live in Harbor Creek today. Our goal is to plot all of the family trees into a family forest. Several years ago I wrote an article about the real trees and forest of Harbor Creek that can be read to perhaps help understand some of the early settler's life styles.

A little about myself - Beth Simmons. I was brought up and lived in Harbor Creek Township on the family farm called Evan-Acres on Hannon Road, my entire life until the fall of 1994, when I relocated to Colorado. I am presently teaching college classes in geology and working on my Ph.D., a historical study of a Colorado mining family, through the Union Institute in Cincinnati. Prior to relocating to Colorado, I founded the Harbor Creek Historical Society in 1994. I am actively researching many of the families in the western half of the township. Being a Cass descendant on my mother’s side and an Evans descendant on my father’s side places me and my brother, Neil Evans, in direct lineage from Harbor Creek settlers.

This Harbor Creek page will link to Harbor Creek related web sites constructed by Harbor Creek historians from around the country. Shortly, we will offer cemetery lists, the 1800 census list, and the Judah Colt Day Book List. For a good read, take a look at the story written by Beth Simmons of the Judah Colt Day Book. We will also offer the names listed in the Harbor Creek Township Road Book and eventually all page listings in County biographies of Harbor Creek residents.

The Harbor Creek Historical Society offers a number of short vignettes, including Shirley Anderson’s history of the Clark Family. If you are looking for a Cass relative, Perry Smith just completed "The Cass Chronicles", the complete history of the John Cass descendants.

December 2003 (posted 1/6/2004) - New Discovery - Journals of John Robert Smith surface in Denver. Please go to this announcement page - John Robert Smith Journals - for background and details.

Beth Simmons . . . . . .