Fletcher Cabin

Bedford County , Pennsylvania

Monroe Twp., Locations

The Fletchers of Southern Bedford County

"In 1793, Jacob Fletcher, Jr., tailor, father and now Revolutionary War veteran, moved his wife and
ten children - Philip, Jacob, John, Baltzer, Michael, David, Daniel, Elizabeth, Mary, and Barbara -
to their new home in Bedford County, Pennsylvania." - David Fletcher 1998

Just as the Sparks Family had done before them, the Fletchers moved to Bedford County
from Maryland. More specifically from the Taneytown, (now Carroll County) Maryland
area. Many families would continue following this same path as the years passed.

Some assume that when a move of this type is made, the father and oldest sons initially travel
to the new location and visit with perhaps old neighbors who have already established themselves
in this new country. Perhaps the Sparks Family could have been that old neighbor in Maryland.
A new location is found and perhaps it is "staked out" or maybe a cabin is started before returning
for the rest of the family.

If this was the actuality in the move of 1793/94, Jacob would probably have brought his oldest sons
to help with this task. His 7 sons would have ranged in age from 5 years to about 25 years, with
the 6 of them being old enough to be of great assistance. It would still have been difficult.
"Soon they had created a log cabin and cleared enough acreage to farm." - David Fletcher


The Fletcher Homestead - (1793 - 1999)


"Their homestead, modified over the years, and now in total desrepair - -" David Fletcher

The old Fletcher home that was originally built by Jacob Fletcher and his sons
sometime during the years 1793-1794, still stands (with it's modifications).
It was used by the Fletcher family for many years. The last Fletcher occupant
was Clymer Fletcher who died in 1915.

The home stood unoccupied for many years and was weathering quite well until
a storm several years ago took a portion of the roof off of the main part of
the structure and deterioration began to increase much more rapidly after that.





This has revealed some of the construction details of the early log cabin built so long ago
by Jacob Fletcher and his sons.





The original logs were covered at a later date with a horizonal siding that helped keep out the cold
winter drafts as well as to protect the logs beneath them. The chimney, while attached to the
original log cabin probably was not the original chimney, but could have replaced the original
after a few years, when there was more time to finish it. The stone appears to have come from
a local outcropping or quarry.



Fletcher Homestead (viewed from the back)


While some of the children of Jacob Fletcher moved to the Boro of Bedford or Bedford Twp.,
and Philip eventually returned to MD (Allegany County), most of the Fletcher Family
remained in what now is Monroe Twp. and practised farming. As the family grew, and the
children matured and married, additional farm land was acquired to support them.





The old Homestead was home to many Fletchers before it finally passed to Clymer
Fletcher who was a great- grandson of Jacob Fletcher, who built the original cabin.
Clymer's grandfather was John Fletcher who finally acquired about 1000 acres in the vicinity
of the old homestead. Jacob Fletcher (1818 - 1887) and Susan O'Neal were Clymer's parents.
(Jacob was first married to Susan's older sister Rachel, who died in 1863.)



Clymer & Bertha Bowman / Fletcher (photo courtesy of David Fletcher)


Clymer married Bertha Bowman and they lived in the Fletcher homestead from the early 1890's
until his death. He found that the farm contained an area, not far from the house, that was quite
good for growing apple trees and began an orchard.


Sara Barkman, the only daughter of Herman Barkman and Clara Irene "Bessie" Mearkle
remembers visiting the Clymer Fletcher Home when she was still just a very young girl -
"I remember Clymer Fletcher. I always liked to visit them. We always had a good time.
He was a very nice man!"

When it came time to make out his will, Clymer used his Fletcher Orchard stationary.


(Copy of Will supplied by David Fletcher)


Soon after Clymer Fletcher's death (1915- 1916), the young girl and her brother were among
several that were asked to pick apples at the Heacock Farm. The Heacock Family lived
on a property that at one time belonged to the Fletcher Family, and the trees were those
planted by Clymer Fletcher. Sara Barkman, and one of her six brothers, Floyd Barkman
spent a day picking apples for the Heacocks.

Sara remembers the day quite well. "They were paying 5 cents a bushel to pick the apples,
and I worked all day at it and I earned $5.00. Floyd picked 200 bushels and he got $10.00.
We felt like we were the richest people in the world. It was a big job for me to pick 100 bushels
of apples in one day, but we did it!"



Photo published in the Bedford Gazette - April 16, 1984 (Courtesy of Velma Defibaugh)

(Sara is shown in the center of the front row - above)

This is the same Sara Barkman who would later marry her long time childhood friend and
Fletcher School friend, Melvin Mills, son of Nathan Mills and Barbara Fletcher. Sara and Melvin
were married for over 60 years and were friends for more than 20 years before that. Melvin passed
away just a few years ago. He is, and will always be missed greatly. Sara and Melvin Mills were
(and are) a major part of the Fletcher Cemetery project. Sara (and her fellow members) approach
the Fletcher Cemetery task the same way a much younger Sara approached the task of picking
100 bushels of apples - "It was a big job - - - - - - - but we did it!"

The Jacob Fletcher Family Homestead was the starting point of many promising lives and
futures in southern Bedford County. The family grew and intermarried with their neighbors
and now the extended family reaches across the entire country.

As David Fletcher has written - "offspring with names like Barkman, Bowman, Kinzer, Means,
Mills, Roland, Snyder, Miller, Weimer, Von Stein, and Fletcher, lived out their lives. They farmed,
sold drygoods, entered the ministery, taught school, raised children, in short, they were the legacy -"
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