Rural ridge-top farms, the Winslow and Bowers settlements, and the Hudson Post Office anchor this southeastern Jefferson County township along Mahoning Creek.
Tip: Add local names like Hudson, Bowers Settlement, Clover Run, or Ugly Run to catch mentions in histories, maps, and tax lists.
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When searching, try combinations such as Gaskill Twp., Hudson, Bowers Settlement, Clover Run, or Ugly Run along with your surname.
Use this timeline with county boundary histories and the Locality Guide to decide whether to search under Young, Gaskill, or Henderson for a given year.
Gaskill Township, the fourteenth township of Jefferson County, was organized in 1842 from a portion of Young Township and named for Hon. Charles C. Gaskill, agent of the Holland Land Company ⓘ. It occupies the southeastern corner of the county, bounded by Henderson to the north, Clearfield County to the east, Indiana County to the south, and Bell Township to the west.
The surface is generally high and heavily wooded, with rugged ravines carved by Ugly Run and Clover Run. In the southeast corner, Chestnut Ridge reaches nearly two thousand feet above sea level and forms the divide between waters flowing east toward the Susquehanna and west toward the Ohio. All surface drainage within Gaskill ultimately flows into Mahoning Creek ⓘ.
Geologically, the principal workable coal is the Freeport Upper coal, usually less than three feet thick, underlain by a substantial bed of Freeport Upper limestone some twenty-five to thirty feet below. This limestone is described as being of good quality and potentially valuable to farmers for soil improvement, though in the 1880s it was said to have received less attention than it deserved ⓘ.
Unlike some coal-heavy Jefferson County townships, Gaskill’s historical identity is more strongly tied to mixed agriculture and lumbering. Early lumber operations along Clover Run and other headwaters supplied pine, hemlock, and chestnut to regional markets, while families carved farms out of table land extending toward the Susquehanna watershed. By the later 1800s, the township contained several substantial farmsteads with orchards and improved buildings, alongside scattered sawmills, a shingle mill, and a single grist-mill.
The village of Hudson, situated on the old Winslow homestead, emerged as Gaskill’s small commercial center. By the late nineteenth century it hosted the township’s only post office, a general store, and a sawmill, with nearby schools and church activity serving a rural population spread across the Winslow, Bowers, Bowser, and related farms.
Summary based primarily on Scott (1888), with supplemental details from McKnight (1917) township and family sketches.
Early burials are associated with Bowers family grounds, Hudson-area plots, and several small private cemeteries. Use the county cemetery page for exact locations, alternate names, and transcription links.
Gaskill maintained multiple rural schoolhouses by the mid-1800s, including an early school in Bowers Settlement (c. 1844). By 1886 the township supported four schools with five-month terms, employing male teachers at roughly thirty dollars per month ⓘ.
Look for school board minutes, teacher contracts, and district maps that name pupils from Winslow, Bowers, Bowser, and neighboring families. These records can help place children in specific neighborhoods year-by-year.
The first church in Gaskill was built at Hudson around 1848, followed by additional meeting places and union services across farm neighborhoods. While no large town congregations developed as in Brookville or Punxsutawney, township families often appear in church records kept just over the line in adjacent townships and counties.
Track denominational ties through marriage records, cemetery inscriptions, and county histories, then follow those congregations into neighboring townships (Young, Bell, Henderson) and across county lines (Clearfield, Indiana).
For sacramental registers and congregational records, contact the Jefferson County Historical Society and regional denominational archives. Many Gaskill residents also appear in church records from neighboring Clearfield and Indiana Counties due to proximity to county lines.
The township historically had a very small postal footprint. Hudson Post Office, located on the Winslow homestead, was the central mail point, serving scattered farms and sawmill communities across Gaskill Township.
Gaskill has no large boroughs, but several named settlements and geographic corridors appear in histories, maps, and land records. Use these localities to connect farm families with specific neighborhoods and creek systems.
Begin with tax lists from 1842 forward under Gaskill Township, then compare with Young (pre-1842) and Henderson (post-1857) to track boundary changes and shifting jurisdictions. Pay special attention to Winslow, Bowers, Bowser, and allied surnames.
Cross-check Gaskill burials across USGenWeb, Find A Grave, and FamilySearch, especially for early family plots like the Bowers burial ground and Hudson-area cemeteries. Many stones reference Clearfield or Indiana County ties.
Because Gaskill sits at a three-county corner, families often appear in records for Jefferson, Clearfield, and Indiana Counties. Check deeds, mortgages, and estate files in all three counties for the same surnames.
Use atlases, USGS topographic maps, and lumber/railroad maps to locate Hudson, the Bowers Settlement, and sawmills at Hudson and Clover Run. Compare with county histories describing early lumber operations and shingle mills.