I. John WAGGETT - b Oct 1797; d 9 Dec 1851 Barclay, Bradford Co, PA; m in England to Elizabeth HUNT; Ch were:

1. Elizabeth WAGGETT - b 10 May 1826 Shropshire, England; d 16 Apr 1893 Sheshequin, Bradford Co, PA; m 2 Aug 1848 to Silas Washburn PAYNE

2. John WAGGETT Jr - m Parney FASSETT; dau of Joseph FASSETT & Catherine ALBRO; Ch were: (a) Lottie WAGGETT (b) Henry WAGGETT (c) Kate WAGGETT (d) Rose WAGGETT (e) Anna WAGGETT

3. Jane WAGGETT - m John COUPE; Ch were: (a) Anna COUPE (b) Joseph COUPE (c) Mary COUPE (d) Hannah COUPE (e) Henry COUPE (f) William COUPE

NOTES:

In 1842, John Waggett and his brother-in-law, Henry Gatus, with their wives and families, left England for America. (John Waggett married Elizabeth Hunt and Henry Gatus married her sister, Sarah Hunt).

On the voyage to America, which required nine weeks, their daughter, Elizabeth, spent her sixteenth birthday. After an uneventful journey they landed at Philadelphia, PA on 1 July 1842. From there they went by rail to the end of the railroad at Williamsport and from there they went by wagon and horses to Barclay, arriving on the fourth of July. Coming from England, they could not quite understand the celebrations being carried out on this day.

Robert Barclay of London, England, in honor of whom Barclay was named, purchased between 16,000 and 21,000 acres of land on Barclay mountain and vicinity in 1794. These lands, after Robert's death, came to his son, Charles Barclay, and since it had been reported that a trapper by the name of Absalom (Abner) Carr had discovered coal on these lands in 1812, Charles was determined to open operations there in the hopes of large financial returns.

John Waggett, being a mining engineer in England, was persuaded by Charles Barclay, through the offer of 100 acres of coal land, to come to America and begin work in opening the mines for operations. While Waggett came in 1842, the deed for his promised land was not made out until 6 Dec 1848 and was recorded on 4 Sep 1850 at Towanda, PA, in Volume 33 at page 41 in the deed books at the office of the Register and Recorder. In this deed Charles was termed by his attorney as, "A Briton Gentleman from Middlesex, a part of Great Britton and Ireland". The deed calls for 106 acres and 43 perches of land in Franklin Twp., Bradford Co., PA. (Barclay was formed from part of Franklin Twp. in 1867).

The first few years at Barclay were trying ones; the first coal being taken out in wheel barrows and delivered on horse back to the many blacksmiths located in the area and into southern New York, by whom it was highly prized because of its high quality and heating capacity. Much of this first coal taken out was sold or traded in small quantities for food and the necessities of life, but as soon as the news of the mining operations and the fine quality of the coal for blacksmithing began to spread, more and more kept coming for the coal, that in a short time it was necessary to add more help to the mining force to produce coal to supply the added demand. Waggett thus became the first mine superintendent a Barclay.

Waggett and Gatus were among the first settlers of Barclay. Waggett is buried in the Barclay Cemetery and the inscription on his marker reads, "John Waggett died Dec. 9, 1851 aged 54 yrs, 9 mo". After his death, his son John took over the mining operations, but upon the formation of the Barclay Coal Company in 1853 by Edward Overton, John Ely and Edward Davis, Henry's widow, Elizabeth and the other heirs deeded the property on May 10, 1855 to John Waggett, who in turn deeded it to Edward Overton on May 12, 1855, the 106 acres being sold for $3,000 (Towanda Land Records).

II. Elizabeth WAGGETT - b 10 May 1826 m Silas Paine