Caleb Bailey was born in Lycoming county, on the 27th of September, 1797. When Caleb was twelve years of age his father removed to Clearfield county, and located on a tract of land, (now owned by David Way,) about a mile and a half from the present site of Curwensville.

At sixteen years of age, such was his reputation for honesty and industry, we find him carrying the mail from Bellefonte to Northumberland. His employer, at this time, was the noted mail contractor, Robert Stewart, of Bellefonte. After eighteen months experience with Mr. Stewart, he was engaged by William Rice, of Lewiston, as the post rider from Lewiston to Northumberland, via Bellefonte.

The roads, or rather trails, were rough; the route was long, and a week was allowed to make a trip. He remained with Mr. Rice two years, and then re-entered the service of his former employer. His new line was from Bellefonte to Franklin, Venango county, via Clearfield county. The latter was almost an unbroken wilderness, and the lone cabin of the hardy pioneer was rarely seen by our trusty post-boy as he sought his lonely course over the mountains.

This was the only opportunity the citizens of this section had for communication by mail with the outside world. Once each week his coming was looked for with far more interest than the performance of similar duties secures today. Oft times our brave courier went hungry, for regular meals were not on the bills of fare in those early days.

In 1820, before the expiration of two years employment on this route, he settled in the woods, about two miles west of New Washington, and commenced the seemingly never-ending work of clearing. His tract contained three hundred and ninety-nine acres of timber, and the toil for preparing this land for cultivation would appear almost superhuman to any one save those reared in a similar rugged region.

In 1826, having cleared twenty acres, he sold the land and removed to his present residence, in Union township. Here, with his son, Samuel M. Bailey, he enjoys the comforts of a happy old age. His faithful wife, Jemima, passed away at the ripe old age of eighty-two years. The old pioneer enjoys the respect and veneration of all who know him, and in his declining years cannot but feel that his life work has been well and faithfully performed.1898
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Caleb came here [Pike Township] with his father in 1809. At the age of 16 years he was appointed to the responsible position of mail carrier. He first carried the mail on horseback from Lewistown to Northumberland, by way of Bellefonte. In 1816 he was transferred to a route extending from Bellefonte to Franklin via Clearfield county. At this time this route was an almost unbroken
wilderness, and the log cabins of the pioneers few and far between. Some places there would be a stretch of wilderness for twenty-five miles unrelieved by a single civilized habitation. The route was long and the roads, if such they could be called, were extremely rough. A whole week was required to make the trip one way, so our forefathers had the luxury of a weekly mail, one week
from the east, the next from the west. These weekly visits from the postman were the only means of communication the early settlers had with the outside world, and his visits were looked forward to with an eager anticipation which at this time can scarcely be imagined.

Caleb Bailey, Jr., was married to Miss Elizabeth Harriot. He settled on what is now called the Neiper farm. Later he moved to Union township, where he died. The only one of his descendants now living in Pike is his granddaughter, Jemina Bailey, who is married to Milo Lawhead.3473

Note: Married Elizabeth Harriot? Jemima married to Mile Lawhead?3
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Caleb established his homestead adjacent to the Nathan Lines farm.

These two and a few others were the founding pioneers of that part of Clearfield County, then known as Brady Township, which was later formed into the new township of Union, the boundary of which was specially laid out to include Caleb Bailey's farm (the Lines farm was on the side that fell inside the boundaries of the new township).3470
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In connection with the history of the Bailey family the following well authenticated anecdote is related.

Previous to 1830 oxen were the only beasts of burden used by the settlers. One day James McNeel, one of the pioneers of Jordan township, and the ancestor of the numerous and influential McNeel family, Caleb Bailey and Benjamin Bloom, Sr., all happened to meet, with their ox teams, at the old grist mill near Curwensville.

While waiting for their grists they got into a conversation regarding their respective teams. McNeel, who was a very large man just from the “ould sod,” was the possessor of an unusually large yoke of oxen, while Bailey, who was a very small man, had a small yoke. During the conversation McNeel made some disparaging remarks about the diminutive size of Bailey’s oxen. Bailey, who was a Quaker, replied: “Friend, if my yoke of oxen are smaller than thine, they can outpull them.” To this assertion McNeel replied in a very positive manner that “one of his oxen could outpull both of Bailey’s.”

But as Bailey insisted upon a test, his yoke was hitched to one end of a rope and McNeel’s to the other. “Is thee ready?” asked Bailey. “Yes,” replied McNeel. Both now spoke to their oxen. Bailey’s oxen being smaller were of course much quicker, and at the command made a quick jump forward before McNeel’s slower team had begun to move.

The result was that McNeel’s team was thrown back upon the ground and lay there for the time completely disabled. McNeel was somewhat angered by this unexpected termination of the affair and threatened to wreak summary vengeance upon Bailey and was proceeding to carry his threat into execution, when Benjamin Bloom who was also a very large man, stepped up and soon appeased the wrath of McNeel. They then loaded up their grists and started homeward the best of friends.3474
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The political history of Clearfield county is singular in this respect: While the first third of the century passed without the county assuming a position of any importance in the politics of the State, in the latter part of the century she has exercised a commanding influence in at least one of the great political parties of the State.

The first election that tradition gives us was held in the year 1804, when Thomas Jefferson was elected president of the United States. The officers of that election were John Bloom, Matthew Ogden and one other whose name has been lost. The issue in the election appeared to be confined to the prejudice that then existed between the tory element and the patriots of the Revolution. A riot occurred at the poll, there being but one election district in the county at the time. As the story of the election was told by one of the officers, the participants in the riot on the one side were Bloom and Ogden, assisted by their compatriots. The leaders on the other side were Caleb Bailey, Benjamin Hartshorn and others.

From that time down to 1832, there appeared to be no party division or party organization. Candidates for office were compelled to stand on their own merits, and if elected, it was done without the aid of party organization.3475
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Caleb Bailey is named in December of 1806 among the 155 taxable inhabitants of Chinklacamoose/Chincleclamousche township, (Centre County) which [at the time] included all of Clearfield county.1919,1005
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Thomas McClure, during the Presidency of James Monroe, was appointed Postmaster on 1818. The office was called Pikeville and the only postoffice on the river from Clearfield to Cherry Tree, remaining so till 1821, when Curwensville also had a post office-Pikeville (or McClure's) continued for some time after the Curwensville office was established.

Caleb Bailey Jr., in 1816, carried mail from Bellefonte to Franklin via Clearfield County.1003
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The following names were all on deeds belonging to Robert Askey [1768-1851]: Caleb Bailey, Abraham Passmore, Benjamin Bloom, John Irvin, Job England and Issac Bloom.759