Oliver Cass Sigworth and Mrs. Ludwig

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Husband Oliver Cass Sigworth ^{1 2}

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           Born: 27 Nov 1849 - Fryburg, Washington Twp, Clarion Co, PA 1 2
     Christened: 
           Died: Aft 1921
         Buried: 

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         Father: John Henlen Sigworth (1811-1866) 3 4
         Mother: Frances "Fannie" Neely (Abt 1809-1903) 3 5

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       Marriage: 1912 or 1915 2

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   Other Spouse: Agnes Zellars (1853-1912) 2 - 1872 2

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Wife Mrs. Ludwig ²

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           Born: 
     Christened: 
           Died: 
         Buried: 

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Children

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General Notes: Husband - Oliver Cass Sigworth

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He was a youth of seventeen at the time of his father's death, which left the care of a 150-acre farm on his shoulders, and he helped his mother until the younger children were grown. A sister later owned the old home farm. He had enjoyed the best common school advantages which the neighborhood afforded, but little attendance at select schools, though by making the most of his opportunities he qualified himself for teaching, and was so engaged for four terms in Clarion County, PA. There he remained until his removal to Venango County in 1878, when he came into possession of a farm on Warden run (a branch of Sugar creek), a tract of one hundred acres in Canal Township, seven miles north of Franklin. It was the site of the old Hastings mill, which had been abandoned ten years previously, and the property was greatly run down, the cleared ground grown over with brush and still “infested” with numerous stones, which he cleared out with a great deal of labor. He also cleared several more acres, setting about improving the place systematically and steadily, all the buildings being of his construction. He raised large quantities of garden truck, making a specialty of mar­ket gardening and dairying, keeping from eight to ten Jersey cows and making butter for regular customers, and also selling buttermilk. For a number of years he put up a popular brand of horseradish which was found in all the stores in Franklin, preparing some five thousand bottles each winter of “The Old Jigger's Horse Radish,” as it was called.
Under his nom de plume of “The Old Jigger from up the Creek” he and his writings became well known to all the residents of Venango County, he having started his contributions to the local press when but eighteen years old. He had the gratification of seeing them extensively copied, some of them by the Toledo Blade with complimentary comment on their similarity to the wartime articles of the famous Petroleum V. Nasby (David Ross Locke), former proprietor and editor of the Blade, then owned by his son. An article by Mr. Sigworth on the farmer's condition twenty years ago was considered worthy of quotation in the English Parliament. He was a prominent member of the Grange at Canal, Venango County, and a popu­lar contributor to various farm papers, an article on the high cost of living attracting particular attention. The Venango County Fruit Growers' Association was organized principally through his efforts, and he accomplished other good things by his influence and substantial encouragement. Always a student, and interested in current events, he kept up with the times in thought and action, devoting all his spare time to reading, and being an early riser he did much of his reading in the morning hours before commencing his farm duties. He frequently obtained books from the Frank­lin library, of which he was an appreciative patron. Mr. Sigworth took an active part in the work of the old-time Lyceums, participating in debates, preparing papers, etc., and he was the originator of the “Pumpkin Rige Debatin' Club,” many of whose members attained considerable reputation.
Mr. Sigworth was called upon for public service in the administration of township affairs, filling a number of offices, and he was also a valued campaign worker and orator, speaking in almost every schoolhouse in Venango County, as well as at public meetings in other counties in that part of the state. He did notable work for Congressman Sibley when he was the Congressional nominee. Though reared a Lutheran he was long a member of the Wesley Chapel M. E. Church in his home neighborhood, and he belonged to the I. O. O. F. lodge at Deckers Run. Sociable and broadly sympathetic, he took part in most of the activities of his fellow citizens in Canal Town­ship, but he never took any time for outdoor sports, his recreation being found mostly in mental pursuits. His neighbors and other friends honored him with a large surprise party on his sixty-eighth birthday.
Mr. Sigworth was a lover of children, and reared two grandchildren. In fact, for more than four decades he never lived in a house in which there were no children less than five years old. After he retired and moved to Franklin his interest in the country did not lessen and he put in most of his time choring around on the farm. To use his own words, he loved “to see things grow, commune with the horses and cows, and see the hogs eat, and, like lots of humans, try to get all four feet in the trough.”
Mr. Sigworth's outlook on his own future and that of the world in general is typical: “It is said in youth we live in the future, in old age in the past. I often dream of ye gud olden days, but would not return to them. This is the golden age of the world. The next twenty-five years will as truly witness the birth of a new world as the years following the time when the 'stars sang together,' and the shepherds of the Judean hills followed His star to Bethlehem, and Christ walked and taught in Galilee, witnessed the birth of a new world. Oh, to live and have a part in it will be heaven. I had thought when I got old, wife and I could sit under our own 'vine and fig tree' with a cat and collie dog sunning themselves at our feet; an old sow lying in the sun suckling a bunch of little porkers-oh, the contented curl of the tail, the happy tug at the fount of life of those little fellows; cows wading in the brook; a mare and foal stamping flies; with grandchildren crawling over her and petting the colt; and son or grandson driving the reaper. I could have it all. But alas, my dear old wife has gone on the long, long trail, and is waiting in the shade on the banks of the river Styx for the landing of my boat.
“I have written a great deal of wise and otherwise stuff, have stood for the right as God showed me the right, and if anything I have written has for a moment caused an overburdened heart to forget its cares and heartaches and smile I feel amply repaid for all my endeavors.
“Trouble, yes I've had my share and double;
But say, ain't it fine today?”
We quote below one of Mr. Sigworth's contributions to the local press, written in 1900 for a Franklin paper then publishing a series of biographical articles concerning well known citizens of the county:
“The editor has kindly allowed me to write my own biography. Of this I am glad, as it will not cause any of my friends to twist their consciences, and for once I dare tell the truth.
“About the dawning of the last century a young Dutchman emigrated from Germany and, with six fellow Dutchmen, settled at Fryburg, Clarion County. They were twenty miles from a neighbor, store or post office. I suppose he was as Dutch and dumb as the average Dutchman of that day. His progeny have improved somewhat. We mostly speak English now. In course of time-oh, yes, he was married to Rosanna Henlen, a Dutch lass. A son was born to them, whom they called Yohonnas Seigwart. This son mar­ried Frances Neely, a Yankee of Revolutionary stock; she had an uncle, Paul Neely, killed at Bennington. In stock breeding it is an established fact that in crossing two diametrically opposite families of the same genus the off­spring inherit all the vices and none of the virtues of either parent, and I guess it holds good in the human species, or at least a good many of my neighbors will subscribe to it. They built a log house and settled on a farm at Fryburg seventy-five years ago. The house, modernized, is still occupied and has never stood a day empty. Frances Sigworth occu­pied it for seventy years, dying at ninety-four years of age. To them was born a son. Being the seventh child he was undoubtedly looked upon, as in most cases is the fact, as an incumbrance, but, being God-fearing, they did not strangle the intruder, which a good many think was a mistake. In due time he was sprinkled by a good old Lutheran preacher and given the cognomen of Oliver Cass Sig­worth.
“His mother (mothers are partial) says he was a sweet baby and a good boy. The neigh­bors say he was a holy terror. I know he got a good many whalings at school and occupied the dunce stool, wearing a paper cap, most of the time. He played hookey, stole apples and watermelons, had the whooping cough, the itch, and was as lousy as the rest of the kids of his day and generation, went to Sunday school and church and after church went to Sandy swimming, sneaked at the dried berries (golly, but dried Juneberries were good!), ate the cookies and blamed it on the cat, soldiered when he was sent to hoe corn, was always counted a good hand at the table, and was never taken seriously. His motto seemed to be 'Let the old world wag as it will, I'll be gay and happy still.' He drove his mother's rig and drove like a Jehu, and the young ladies were all anxious to accept a proposal for a buggy ride, but to any other proposal they turned an icy shoulder. About thirty years ago he got mixed up with the anti-horse thief company of Linesville and thought best to move to Canal Township. At eighteen years of age he began writing for the local papers and has kept it up ever since. He has written the biggest snake stories, done more nature-faking and published more lies about the people of Canal Township than any other man that ever lived.
“Now, dang you, laugh. Ain't it the truth? Oh, didn't I tell you his age? Well, you'd hardly expect a widower who wears a wig and colors his beard to tell the truth along that line.
“Yours, frum up the crick,
“The Old Jigger.”

The following appeared in the Toledo Blade, in the Blade Book, by Blade Writers, and we quote the editor's comments as well:
“This week, a Man-Being contributes the third chapter to the Blade Book, and, by so doing, varies our pages, so far as we have gone, with wit and humor, 'A little nonsense, now and then, is relished by the best of men,' and women, too, for that matter, though women are not given credit for having much sense of humor. I know they have, because there are several thus blessed who are friends of mine. A sense of humor removes the tragedy from many a doleful occasion.
“ 'Laughter is the poor man's plaster.' It is better for aches and pains, no matter what their kind, breed, color or language, than any sticking plaster ever made, and so we are much obliged to The Old Jigger From Up The Krick whose laughter plaster follows:
“Dear Blade-Fur sumtime I hev thot uv riten to yu, but wuz not sure if yu kared to here from me. When I wuz a kid, I red The Blade, when Petroleum V. Nasby rote fur it, but I got married later, and hed uther things to du. Now I hev red it for several yeres and when it cumes, I sit in mi big chere an put mi fete on the cook stove an I am purty kosy while I rede the paper.
“We live up French Krick (which is in Venango County, Pennsylvany) a cuple uv miles from where it mixes with the Allegheny River on Punkin Rige. G. Washington went up the krick tu tell the French an Indians not tu cum down it or tha wud git a lickin. I wusent acquainted with George, but I no the oldest natives uv the Rige hez the pole he kild a polecat with, when he past the Korners.
“The hils are purty steep an hi an the sity people kum out an talk a lot about the butiful sites an ruds. Guess if tha hed tu work over them hills an ruds, tha wudent go krazy about them, but up the krick futher, the valy is awful wide and mity fine farms an lots of Jersey kows are kept an we git gud prices fur milk an buter, an we mostly belong to Granges an think if kongres wud take the tarif off uv mete and flour an wool an clothes, an not off uv things the farmer raises, it wud be beter for the poor man, but then, the Republicans wuz awful to fite and lie to the farmer, an I'm mity much afraid the other crowd is biger liars than the aforesaid, leastwise, thafs their record.
“We hev a debatin klub at the Rige where we mete tu give the boys an gurls a chanst tu bo each other home an the women a chanst tu sho thare nu hats. We hev sum purty smart peple belongin tu the klub. There's Mrs. Sam Oats, she wuz a sity girl when she married Sam. Sam hed a gud farm an a lot of Jersey kows an sum uv the ole mades on the Rige sed she jes married him fur the farm an kows. Guess tha wuz jelus, but she makes a mity gud farmer's wife. Sum sity gurls du, but all kuntry gurls make gud wives any place.
“Then Sol Kornstaks. Sol's awful kontrary, most as kontrary as the old man in Barriers Burned Away. He always fought with hisself an Hesekiar. He kepes the postoffis an a store at the Korners. We debate everything that kums up before the peple. Next week we debate the harem skirt, then I will tell about it.
“I gues Ide orter tel hu I am, an how old I am, but you must never ast an ole made, a widder or widderer thare ages. I try to kepe yung by readin gud buks an papers, by heavin boys an gurls cum to visit at our house, an then yu all no there ain't enything will make an old kros, krankty person fergit his kranks an akes like gran kidds, an I've got 2 uv them hu help me plow. Tha ride the hosses an so foth.
“I don't know how hi I am. I can't see tu the top uv mi hed, but when I fele up thar, it feles purty smooth, but I'm not gra heded. Sum men ain't at 60.
“I do considerable ritin fur the papers, in fact, I guess ef it wusent fur mi peces, a gud meny peple wudent take the papers, at least tha tel me when the paper cums, the furst thing tha luk fur is to see if there is eny pece in it writ by
“The Old Jigger From Up The Krick.”

“Along with this letter came a card to me. The face of it reads: 'For Sheriff, O. C. Sigworth, “The Old Jigger,” Canal Township.' On the back is written: 'My Dear Mrs. Ayres-If the day of woman's suffrage had dawned which will clarify the political sky from all things evil. I would solicit your vote.'
“It is my private opinion that this citizen would have my vote if I were a voter..... You Old Jigger From Up The Krick, come down the pike with your harem skirt screed, before harem skirts are a past fancy. We want to preserve your debate on this subject in the Blade Book, to hand down to posterity.-Elizabeth”

1 Charles A. Babcock, Venango County, Pennsylvania, Her Pioneers and People (Chicago, IL: J. H. Beers & Co., 1919), Pg 729.

2 H. W. Sigworth, M.D., Genealogy of Sigworth-Neely Families (Anamosa, IA: Metropolitan Supply Co., 1921), Pg 18.

3 John W. Jordan, LL.D., Genealogical and Personal History of the Allegheny Valley, Pennsylvania (New York: Lewis Historical Publishing Company, 1913), Pg 750.

4 H. W. Sigworth, M.D., Genealogy of Sigworth-Neely Families (Anamosa, IA: Metropolitan Supply Co., 1921), Pg 11.

5 H. W. Sigworth, M.D., Genealogy of Sigworth-Neely Families (Anamosa, IA: Metropolitan Supply Co., 1921), Pg 12.