Generation 2 of my Loghry Line—Joseph Loghry

Building upon the story of William Loughry (c. 1743-1837), the narrative turns to his son, Joseph Loghry (Loughry). While William’s generation cleared the thick Pennsylvania timber to forge an initial foothold in the wilderness, Joseph and his sister belonged to the second generation — the builders who transformed isolated homesteads into the industrial engines of new American communities.

Moving North to the Pulteney Estate

By 1808, Joseph joined his father family, including father William and sister Mary, as the family migrated north from Pennsylvania across the state border into Steuben County, New York.

At the turn of the 19th century, Steuben County was a heavily forested frontier being actively opened to settlement through the Pulteney Estate. As the local economy evolved beyond subsistence hunting and small-scale farming, the dense white pine and hardwood forests presented an immense economic opportunity for families willing to supply timber for growing settlements downstream.

Harnessing the Canisteo: Sawmilling at Brown's Crossing

Setting down roots in the Canisteo River valley, the Loghry family quickly immersed themselves in the region's defining industry: lumber milling.

Joseph partnered with an Andrew Loghry (relationship unknown) to build and operate a sawmill at Brown’s Crossing. Together, they tackled the grueling work of turning raw logs into finished lumber:

• Water Power: The mill relied on the swift flow of the Canisteo River to turn water wheels and drive heavy vertical saw blades.
• River Logistics: Once cut, lumber rafts were assembled directly on the river banks and floated downstream during high water season toward southern markets along the Susquehanna watershed.
• Community Hub: Brown's Crossing served not only as an industrial work site but as a key geographical marker for the family—the location where Joseph's parents, William and Nancy, would eventually be laid to rest.

Bridging the Frontier Generations

Joseph Loghry’s life reflects the shift from raw backwoods survival to established rural enterprise. Where his parents endured extreme isolation, Joseph helped establish the trade networks and industrial foundation of early 19th-century New York. Through the phonetic shifts in public records—from Loughry to Loghry—Joseph's work on the Canisteo River anchored the family legacy firmly in the soil and history of Steuben County.

Sources & References

Blog & Family Research Records

Jorgenson, D. (2026, March 16). Generation 1 of my Loghry Line — William Loughry. Queen Shake and Bake’s Kingdom. https://queenshakenbake.blogspot.com/2026/03/generation-1-of-my-loghry-line-william.html

Census & Tax Records

 U.S. Census Bureau. (1790). First Census of the United States: 1790 (NARA Microfilm Publication M637). Luzerne County, Pennsylvania.

 U.S. Census Bureau. (1800). Second Census of the United States: 1800 (NARA Microfilm Publication M32). Pennsylvania.

 Luzerne County Board of Tax Commissioners. (1796). Tax Assessment Rolls for Tioga Point (Athens, PA). Pennsylvania State Archives, Harrisburg, PA.

Land & Local Administrative Records

 Steuben County Clerk's Office. (c. 1808–1830). Tax Assessment Rolls and Deed Index (Township of Canisteo). Bath, NY.

 Pulteney Estate Office. (c. 1792–1815). Pulteney Land Office Records and Timber Conveyances for the Southern Tier. New York State Library Manuscripts and Special Collections, Albany, NY.

Local Histories & Regional Gazetteers

 Clayton, W. W. (1879). History of Steuben County, New York, with Illustrations and Biographical Sketches of Some of Its Prominent Men and Pioneers. Philadelphia, PA: Lewis, Peck & Co.

 McMaster, G. H. (1853). History of the Settlement of Steuben County, N.Y., Including Notices of the Old Pioneer Settlers and Prominent Men. Bath, NY: R. S. Underhill & Co.

Cemetery & Burial Transcriptions

 Brown’s Crossing Cemetery (Canisteo, Steuben County, NY). Headstone Records and Transcriptions for William Loughry (1743–1837) and Nancy Loughry.