Binkerd Family Mentioned in Book “History of Armstrong County”
XXVII
Perry Township
Organization of the Township – The Pioneers – Their Work and their Hardships – Early Roads and Primitive Manufactures – The Pioneer Schools – Truby’s Mill – The Borough of Queenstown.
Perry Township was formerly a part of Sugar Creek. In 1845 it was organized as Parry, with the following limits: Brady’s Bend township on the south; Butler county on the west and the Allegheny river on the east, thus including all that part of the county lying north of Brady’s Bend township. In 1870 that portion lying north of Bear Creek was taken from Perry and erected into a township by the name of Hovey. The land lying west of the Allegheny river in the northern part of this county, on account of its rugged and hilly character, was little sought by the pioneers of Western Pennsylvania. consequently few settlements were made within the territory of Perry township until after other portions of the county had become considerably populated. The progress of settlement and improvement was very slow, and this part of the county remained the favorite hunting-grounds of the early settlers and the wandering Indians many years after the encroaching population had banished game from the surrounding neighborhoods.
A few courageous pioneers located in this township as early as 1796, and began the arduous task of subduing its stubborn soil. They subsisted largely upon game at first; but as years went by their strong arms and axes made perceptible inroads upon the forests, and here and there small fields appeared to brighten the monotonous aspect of the surrounding wilderness.
William Love was among the first settlers. He located on a 400-acre tract and made a small improvement, for which he received a deed for the land from its owner, Charles Campbell. Charles, James, Robert and Samuel Campbell each owned a tract of 400 acres. The land lay in a body, and was settled by Love, Truby and others. Love sold his right to the land to John Binkerd, who came to this township about 1798. Binkerd was a native of Virginia, who moved from Eastern Pennsylvania to Butler county, and thence with his father and mother to the tract above mentioned. The original farm is now mainly owned by his sons, Isaac and John K. Binkerd. Another son, Dr. A. D. Binkerd, now of Cincinnati, Ohio, is well known in this county, having practiced medicine in Parker several years, besides being long identified with t he interests of Perry township.
Source: Pages 571-574, History of Armstrong County, Pennsylvania by Robert Walker Smith, Esq. Chicago: Waterman, Watkins & Co., 1883.
Transcribed December, 2000 by Bonita O’Connell for the Armstrong County Smith Project.
Published 2000 by the Armstrong County Pennsylvania Genealogy Project.