David Furnier was born in France. He left France to escape the persecution of the Protestants by the Catholic church. He first settled near Hagerstown, Md. At what particular time he came to Western Pennsylvania we cannot ascertain. He must have settled on Speers run or in the vicinity about the year. 1771-'72, as his dealings with Henry Speer the older will show. Among other lands Henry Speer held a right to a tract of land with a river front of 29 perches, at the mouth of Speers run, and in the aggregate on each side of said ran including 94 acres, which was granted by letters patent to Regina Speers, widow and executrix of Henry Speers deceased, dated June 21st, 1774, and the said Regina Speers in order to fill a contract made by her husband in his life-time, by her deed dated March 31st, 1798, did convey a part of said tract to David Furnier to whom Noah Speers, one of the heirs of Henry Speers by deed dated May 30th., 1798, did also convey an adjoining part. Near the Monongahela river and just where boats are now being built, the old log house was erected and stood for many years after it ceased to be occupied. Whether this house was built by Henry Speers or David Furnier we do not know, but as land was held pretty much by tomahawk right prior to the first issuing of patents by the state and as Speers had a mansion a short distance below this house, it is altogether likely that Furnier had this log house erected even before the tract was patented or deeded to him, under the contract spoken of above. A verbal contract was sacredly held inviolate in early days.Besides this tract, Furnier owned additional land up the said run, most of which is now the property of the heirs of Levi Johnson. The title of much of this land was in dispute and has been the source of much. litigation. The original tract of land on the river was deeded by the heirs of Furnier to Solomon Speers in 1823, and in after year's Solomon sold it to L. M. Speers, and is now the property of S. F. & Wm. Jones. On this river tract was built in a very early day a flouring mill, which stood just below the present stone house owned by Samuel McKean. It was a log mill run by water power. From all we can learn the firm of Eliott & Williams erected this old mill and had. a store in connection therewith, but sometime prior to 1790, David Furnier became sole proprietor of both mill and store, yet there is no record to show that Elliot & Williams ever owned by deed the mill. The probability is that they erected this mill on a lease for a term of years, which was no uncommon custom in those days. On Furnier assuming the control of the mill and store with his distillery attached thereto, the whole concern was carried on under the name of “The Barter Mills” as is shown by the day book, running through the years 1790 - 91, in the possession of the writer at this time, the said book being kept by Jacob Bowman, David Furnier's clerk. Jacob Bowman was a poor boy when he entered first into the ernploy of David Furnier, in time he became one of the most wealthy and influential men of Brownsville, Pa.
The term “Barter Mills” arose from the fact that in the change of the owner of the mills, there was some kind of a trade or barter. The mill, distillery, store and farm made up a large business. The books were kept in the money denomination of pounds, shillings and pence. This was the first store in this vicinity and at the same time he had one at what was known as Devore's ferry, opposite Monongahela City. Furnier's books show considerable trading with this last store as well as one in Pittsburgh, known in the day book as the Pittsburgh store. He also traded with the store at Beckets, now known as Dagg’s ferry. Grain from all the surrounding country was brought to Furnier. The rye was made into whiskey, and the wheat into flour, and sold in Pittsburgh to which place it was taken by trade boats and over land in wagons.
July 2, 1791, store at Pittsburgh, Dr. to sundries, including 142 barrels of fine flour, 84 do of superfine, 5 quarts of whiskey for the boatmen, 10 pounds bacon,, 1 tin cup, 16 pounds bread, 1 blanket, all shipped on board the Enterprise under the direction of Mr. John Bartlett, the whole
amounting to £323 or $1,615 in federal money. We can thus see what an extensive business this "Barter Mills” carried on.Among the customers in the day book we may name Reasoner, Reeves McLaugllin, Shepler, McCoy, Cummings, Cissley, Speers, Corwin, Kerr, Ellis, Stewart, Hall, Pattterson, Cook, Hilleryhand, Leard, Sphar, Bonchom, Hill, Albin, Barkhammer, Lippincott, Fulton, Springer, Fell,
Houseman, Frye, Robinson, Burgan, Bigham, West, Cunningham, Rutan, Crawford, Quimby, Cooper, Beazell and many other of the early settlers. This was perhaps the largest business firm in the valley at that time. The distillery was situated some distance up the rum above the log mill. It gave way to the stone still house. that stood near the present green house of Samuel McKean. We have no information of what disposition Furnier made of the store before his death, which occurred in the fall of 1807. His will dated September 15th, 1807, does not mention particularly any disposition of property only in a general way. The old log mill gave way to the large brick mill erected in 1803. This mill stood near the present stone bridge across Speers run, and not far from the residence now occupied by Mr. Curl. This mill was torn down in the years 1836 -37 and a part
of the brick remain to this day in the old school house in Gould's hollow. The saw mill which stood near the site of the brick mill, was no doubt erected by Solomon Speers after he became owner of the land.David Furnier had brothers, Henry, John and James. James was unmarried, lived with Henry in Washington county, and died of sunstroke.
John, too, never married. He had a tannery on the farm now owned by John Irons, below town, then belonging to one of the early Reeves. He had a store at Becket’s, now known as Dagg's ferry. He boarded with Becket while running the store, and rode on horseback between his two places
of business. He sold out his business and went west, where he died long ago This man, Joseph Becket, Jacob Bowman and Polly Furnier were the executors and executrix named in Furniers will, which was witnessed by Dr. Bela Smith, Daniel Burgan and Manasseh Reeves, all well known in
early days.The remaining brother of David Furnier, Henry, built the stone part of the house near the river, in Allen township, Washington county, in which his son Simeon, died in 1848 and now owned by Philip Johnson. Henry had quite a large family, among whom the best known in this neighborhood
were Simon and David. Simeon married Jane Stout; his children were Henry, Jesse, John W., William, Simeon and Mary.Henry's oldest son, David, married a Dunlevy, sister to the late Andrew Dunlevy. Her mother was a Crawford, and sister to the wife of the distinguished Colonel Edward Cook of the Rehoboth valley. This David Furnier had also a large family, among whom we call to mind Andrew, of Allenport, David, deceased in 1893, of the vicinity of lock No. 4, and Matilda, wife of the late Apollos Speers, who for years was a cabinet maker in Bellvernon.
David Furnier, the older, had two sons and two daughters. Bella died when quite young; Matilda never married, and lived and died on the old homestead; Lucinda married Judge James Fuller of Perryopolis in Fayette county, both are dead. They were the parents of the well known Fuller
boys, who have been for years extensive cattle dealers in Philadelphia. They own the old Fuller homestead near Perryopolis, together with an additional large tract adjoining it. It has the reputation of being the best improved farm in the county.Furnier's son Bowman, named after Jacob Bowman, lived on part of the Furnier homestead. He is deceased. He married a Miss Ebbert, who has been dead a number of years. Bowman had three daughters and six sons. Mary married the late M. F. Cook. Priscilla never married and remains at home. Matilda, the wife of James French, who was a fixture in Bellevernon for nearly half a century; both are dead. Thornton entered the army in the late war and never returned home. David is a mill-wright and resides near Dawson, Pennsylvania. Levi remains a part of his father's home, Volney is in California. John was a resident of Bellevernon, now dead, and Hugheson died when twelve years old of congestion of the brain. Polly, widow of David Furnier, married Robt. Johnson The only issue of said marriage being Levi Johnson, deceased, a few years since. Mrs. Johnson died May 24, 1851, many years after the death of her second husband, and forty-four years after the decease of David Furnier, her first husband. Furnier, Johnson, Polly, their wife, and Levi and his wife, are buried at Rehoboth.