USA > Pennsylvania > Dauphin County > Centennial : the settlement, formation and progress of Dauphine County, Pennsylvania, from 1785 to 1876 > Part 4
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Christian Indian? A murder of more than savage bar- barity was committed on the Susquehanna; the murderer was traced by the scouts to Conestoga; he was demand- ed, but the Indians assumed a warlike attitude, tomahawks were raised, and the fire-arms glistened in the sun; shots were fired upon the scouts, who went back for additional force. They returned, and you know the event-Cones- toga was reduced to ashes. But the murderer escaped. The friendly and unfriendly were placed in the work- house at Lancaster. What could secure them from the vengeance of an exasperated people? The doors were forced, and the hapless Indians perished. Were we tamely to look on and see our brethren murdered, and see our fairest prospects blasted, while the inhabitants of Philadelphia, Philadelphia county, Bucks and Chester, slept and reaped their grain in safety?
"These hands never shed human blood. Why am I singled out as an object of persecution? Why are the
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Historical Sketch of Dauphin County.
bloodhounds let loose upon me? Let him who wished to take my life-let him come and take it. I shall not fly. All I ask is, that the men accused of murder be tried in Lancaster county. All I ask is a trial in my own county. If these requests are refused, then not a hair of those men's heads shall be molested. Whilst I have life, you shall not either have me, or them, on any other terms. It is true, I submitted to the sheriff of York county, but you know too well that I was to be conveyed to Philadelphia like a wild felon-manacled-to die a felon's death. I would have scorned to fly from York. I could not bear that my name should be marked by
ignomy. What I have done, was done for the security of hundreds of settlers on the frontiers. The blood of a thousand of my fellow-creatures called for vengeance. I shed no Indian's blood. As a ranger I sought the post of danger, and now you ask my life. Let me be tried where prejudice has not prejudged my case. Let my brave rangers, who have stemmed the blast nobly and never flinched-let them have an equitable trial; they were my friends in the hour of danger-to desert them now, were cowardice. What remains, is to leave our cause with our God, and our guns.
"LAZARUS STEWART."
When the news of the transactions at Conestoga and Lancaster reached Philadelphia, the authorities removed the savages confined on Province Island, to the barracks in that city for greater safety. This was deemed neces- sary from the fact that large delegations of the frontier inhabitants, who determined that the Assembly should redress their grievances, were marching on Philadelphia, and whose hatred for the Indians was intense. This demonstration produced much alarm, in the city, as all sorts of rumors were afloat as to the objects of the set- tlers. The Governor fled to the house of Dr. Franklin, and unnecessary military measures were taken to repel
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Historical Sketch of Dauphin County.
the so-called insurgents. Finding that the excitement was great, upon consultation among themselves, the ma- jority of the Paxtonians concluded to return to their homes in Lancaster and Cumberland counties, leaving Smith and Gibson to represent them in the real object of the march on Philadelphia-a redress of grievances.
At various periods between 1752 and 1760 the Pro- vincial Government erected a line of forts between the Delaware river and the Potomac. Of these Fort Hunter, Fort Manada, Fort Brown, and Fort Halifax, were in the territory which subsequently became the county of Dau- phin.
Fort Hunter, which seems to have been of considera- ble importance, was situated at the mouth of Fishing creek, about five miles north of Harrisburg. The spot was originally settled by the Chambers, but is now well known as "McAllisters."
The precise locality of this fort is not known. Accord- ing to a letter of Edward Shippen, Esq., dated April 19, 1756, it stood five or six hundred feet from Hunter's house. It was surrounded by an entrenchment, which, however, seems to have been leveled in 1763. Rev. John Elder, who was also a colonel, writing to Gov. Hamilton, says: "I have always kept a small party of men stationed at Hunter's, still expecting that they would have been re- placed by 17 or 20 of the Augusta troops, as your honor was pleased once to mention; and if that post is destined to be maintained, as the entrenchment thrown up there in the beginning of the late troubles, is now level with the ground, it will be absolutely necessary to have a small stockade erected there to cover the men, which may be done at an inconsiderable expense."
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Historical Sketch of Dauphin County.
According to the Commissary General's returns, in November, 1756, the state of the garrison at Fort Hunter was as follows: "2 sergeants, 34 privates ; ammuni- tion-4 pounds of powder, 28 pounds of lead ; provi- sions-1,000 weight of flour, 2,000 pounds of beef ; 2 men's time up."
In August, 1757, in a petition to the Provincial Coun- cil the inhabitants of Paxton set forth "that the evacua- tion of Fort Hunter is of great disadvantage to them ; that Fort Halifax is not necessary to secure the commu- nication with Fort Augusta, and is not so proper a station for the batteaux parties as Fort Hunter; pray the Gov- ernor would be pleased to fix a sufficient number of men at Hunter's, under the command of an active officer, with strict orders to range the frontiers daily."
The Rev. John Elder backed this petition with the fol- lowing letter to Richard Peters, Secretary of Council:
"PAXTON, 30th July, 1757. "Sir :
"As we of this township have petitioned the Governor for a removal of the garrison from Halifax to Hunter's, I beg the favor of you to use your interest with his honor in our behalf. The defence of Halifax is of no advan- tage ; but a garrison at Hunter's under the command of an active officer, will be of great service ; it will render the carriage of provisions and ammunition for the use of Augusta more easy and less expensive ; and by encouraging the inhabitants to continue in their places, will prevent the weakening of the frontier settlements. We have only hinted at these things in the petition, which you will please to enlarge on in conversation with the Governor, and urge in such a manner as you think proper. 'Tis well known that representatives from the back inhabitants have but little weight with the gen-
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Historical Sketch of Dauphin County.
tlemen in power, they looking on us either as incapable of forming just notions of things, or as biased by selfish views. However, I am satisfied that you, sir, have more favorable conceptions of us; and that from the know- ledge you have of the situation of the places mentioned in our petition, you will readily agree with us and use your best offices with the Governor to prevail with him to grant it ; and you will very much oblige
" Sir, your most obedient And humble Servant, "JOHN ELDER."
Pending the consideration of this question in the Coun- cil, Commissary Young was called before that body. He stated "that Fort Halifax is a very bad situation, being built between two ranges of hills, and nobody living near it, none could be protected by it ; that it is no station for batteaux parties, having no. command of the channel, which runs close on the western shore, and is beside cov- ered with a large island between the channel and the fort, so that numbers of the enemy may even in day time run down the river without being seen by that garrison." He further said that though the fort or block house at Hunter's was not tenable, being hastily erected and not finished, yet the situation was the best upon the river for every service, as well as for the protection of the fron- tiers.
The Indians made several invasions near to Fort Hun- ter, and as we have already mentioned, killed a man in 1757. Bartram Galbraith says in a letter, dated Hunter's Fort, October 1, 1757: "Notwithstanding the happy condi- tion we thought this place in, on Capt. Busse's being sta- tioned here, we have had a man killed within twenty rods of Hunter's barn. We all turned out, but night coming on soon, we could not make any pursuit."
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Historical Sketch of Dauphin County.
When Col. James Burd visited Fort Hunter in Febru- ary, 1758, he says "he found Capt. Patterson and Levis here with eighty men. The captain informed me that they had not above three loads of ammunition to a man. I ordered Mr. Barney Hughes to send up here a barrel of powder and lead answerable. In the meantime borrowed of Thomas Gallagher four pounds of powder and one hundred pounds of lead. I ordered a review of the gar- rison to-morrow morning at 9 o'clock."
We continue from Col. Burd's journal :
"Tuesday, 19. Had a review this morning of Capt. Patterson's company, and found them complete-fifty- three men, forty-four province arms, and forty-four car- touch boxes-no powder nor lead. I divided one-half pint of powder, and lead in proportion, to a man. I found in this fort four months' provisions for the garrison.
"Captain Davis with his party of fifty-five men, was out of ammunition. I divided one-half pint of powder and lead in proportion to them. Capt. Davis has got twelve hundred weight of flour for the batteaux. Sundry of the batteaux are leaking and must be left behind. Capt. Pat- terson cannot scout at present for want of officers. I or- dered him to apply to the country to assist him to stock- ade the fort agreeable to their promise to his honor, the Governor. There are three men sick here."
Fort Hunter, or Hunter's mill, like Harris Ferry, was a great shipping point for provisions and military stores up and down the Susquehanna. As early as 1749, when Joseph Chambers resided there, the place was of some consequence. The Colonial Records mention several formal "talks" with the Indians at Hunter's Fort.
Fort Halifax was built at the mouth of Armstrong's creek, about half a mile above the present town of Hali-
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fax. There is nothing now to mark the place, except in a slight elevation of the ground and a well known to have belonged to the fort. The fort was built in 1756 by Col. Wm. Clapham. In a letter to Gov. Morris, dated June 20, 1756, Col. Clapham says : "The progress already made in this fort renders it impracticable for me to com- ply with the commissioner's desire to contract it, at which I was surprised, as I expected every day orders to enlarge it, it being yet, in my opinion, too small. I shall have an officer and thirty men with orders to finish it when I march from hence." In a postscript the colonel adds : "The fort at this place is without a name till your honor is pleased to confer one."
Gov. Morris replied to this letter, as follows :
"PHILADELPHIA, June 21, 1756.
"The fort at Armstrong-I would have it called 'Fort Halifax'."
Col. Clapham was under orders to proceed to Shamo- kin, and previous to embarking for that post, he wrote to Governor Morris, under date of July 1, 1756, as fol- lows: "I shall leave a seargeant's party at Harris, consisting of twelve men, twenty-four at Hunter's Fort, twenty-four at M'Kee's store (twenty-five miles above Fort Hunter), each under the command of an ensign; and Captain Miles, with thirty men, at Fort Halifax, with the inclosed instructions, as I have removed all the stores from Harris Ferry and M'Kee's to this place."
The instructions to Captain Miles, above mentioned, were as follows:
"FORT HALIFAX, July 1, 1756. "Sir:
"You are to command a party of thirty men at Fort Halifax, which you are to finish with all possible expedi-
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tion, observing not to suffer your party to straggle in small numbers into the woods, or to go any great dis- tance from the fort, unless detached as an escort, or in case of special orders for that purpose. You are to build barracks within the fort for your men, and also a store house, thirty feet by twelve, in which you are care- fully to lodge all provisions, stores, &c., belonging to the province. If the boards purchased for that purpose are not sufficient to finish the banquette, and execute the other designs herein recommended, your men are to be employed in sawing more out of the pine logs now lying near the fort. You are to keep a constant guard, and relieve regularly, to have continual one sentry in each bastion, and in case of attack, to retreat to the fort, and defend it to the last extremity.
"If anything extraordinary occurs, you are immediately to dispatch notice thereof to his Honor, the Governor, and to signify the same to me, if any relief or instructions may be necessary.
"WILLIAM CLAPHAM."
Besides these regular provincial forts, there were sev- eral others, built by the settlers themselves. Such were Forts Manady (near the present Manada Furnace) and Brown (near Adam Reed's, at the "big bend" of Swatara). Some of the more substantial dwelling houses of the settlers were also converted into block-houses, and, in times of danger, became rallying points for the people. The Colonial Records mention several of those as existing in Hanover and Paxton townships.
In a letter, dated October 29, 1755, John Harris writes: "I have this day cut loop-holes in my house, and am determined to hold out to the last extremity, if I can get some men to stand by me." He subsequently strengthened his defences by erecting a stockade, which is mentioned by Edward Shippen in a letter to Governor Morris, under date of April 19, 1756 .- "John Harris has
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Historical Sketch of Dauphin County. 53
built an excellent stockade around his house, which is the only place of security that way for the provisions of the army, he having much good cellar room; and as he has but six or seven men to guard it, if the Government would order six more men there to strengthen it, it would, in my opinion, be of great use to the cause."
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Historical Sketch of Dauphin County.
THE COUNTY DURING THE REVOLUTION.
The first murmurings of British exaction from Boston excited our population to action, and in nearly every set- tlement of Lancaster county, meetings of sympathy were held, and strong resolves adopted, responsive to the Boston complainings. The tax on tea and the stamp duties were trifles. The people of this county knew nothing of them, and probably cared no more. The principle of the movement was deeper-more fundamen- tal: the love of self-government; "the glorious privilege of being independent." The excitement was general throughout the county. Individuals opposed it, and from different, though equally pure, motives. Some supposed resistance to the laws to be hopeless at that time, and advised to wait for more strength and resources; others were influenced by religious considerations, just as pure and as potent as had influenced their fathers aforetime. But the county was nearly unanimous in its resistance to British claims, and saw in them the commencement of a colonial servitude, degrading, and threatening the future progress of the country in its destined path to wealth and glory.
The remote position of the county from the scenes of strife, and the march of armies, preclude the writer from describing battle-fields, victories won, or villages sacked, anywhere within its limits. We have no means of de- termining the amount of force in men or money furnished by the county in aid of the war. From the tone of the votes and resolves passed at the various meetings, and
.
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Historical Sketch of Dauphin County.
from the number of officers and men, continental and militia, who joined the army, we may venture the asser- tion, that no county in the State, of no greater population than this, gave more efficient aid in various ways, or man- ifested by its acts more devoted patriotism.
At an assembly of the inhabitants of Hanover, Lancas- ter county, (since Dauphin,) held on Saturday, June 4, 1774, Col. Timothy Green, chairman, to express their sentiments on the state of affairs, it was unanimously re- solved,
"Ist. That the recent action of the Parliament of Great Britain is iniquitous and oppressive.
"2d. That it is the bounden duty of the people to op- pose every measure which tends to deprive them of their just prerogatives.
"3d. That in a closer union of the Colonies lies the safe- guard of the people.
'4th. That in the event of Great Britain attempting to force unjust laws upon us by the strength of arms, our cause we leave to Heaven and our rifles.
"5th. That a committee of nine be appointed who shall act for us and in our behalf as emergencies may require."
The committee consisted of Col. Timothy Green, James Carothers, Josiah Espy, Robert Dixon, Thomas Copenheffer, William Clark, James Stewart, and John Rogers.
These individuals were all prominent men in Hanover township, and with the exception of Captain Copenheffer, they were Scotch-Irish. James Carothers served under Col. Armstrong at Kittatinny, and was wounded. His family emigrated to the west. The descendants of Jo- siah Espy yet reside in the county. Clark, Stewart and Barnett, it is thought, removed shortly after to the Buf- falo valley, and took a prominent part in the struggle for Independence.
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We have this minute of another meeting:
"July 25, 1776. This is to certify that we, the associa- tors of Derry township, in Lancaster county, province of Pennsylvania, in the Fourth Battalion, commanded by James Burd, Colonel, do bind ourselves in all the rules and regulations made by the honorable Congress for the militia of this Commonwealth.
Derry township, July 25, 1776. We, the undersigned, are willing to serve in the Fourth Battalion, commanded by Col. James Burd, agreeable to order of Congress, and agree to serve until the first day of November, 1776, in the land service of the country in favor of the flag of liberty.
FREDERICK HUMMEL,
SAMUEL RAMSEY,
ALEXANDER MONTGOMERY,
PETER GROVE,
DAVID HUMMEL,
MATHIAS HOOVER,
PHILIP BLESSING,
JOHN M'FARLANE,
PHILIP FISHBURN,
GEORGE LAUER,
HENRY MILLER,
THOMAS ROWLAND.
NICHOLAS ZIMMERMAN,
Frederick Hummel was afterwards captain of this company.
Contributions in support of the war were not confined to the payment of heavy taxes, but voluntary aid came from associations and individuals in every quarter.
John Harris, the first settler, and father of the founder of Harrisburg, was one of those who when independ- ence was agitated thought the Declaration premature. He feared that the Colonies were unequal to the task of combating with Great Britain. But when Independence was formally declared, he read the Declaration from a Philadelphia newspaper to his wife in the presence of their son. When he had concluded it, he remarked: "The act is now done, and we must now take sides either for or against the country. The war in which we are
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Historical Sketch of Dauphin County.
about to engage cannot be carried on without money. Now we have £3,000 in the house, and if you are agreed I will take the money to Philadelphia and put it into the public treasury to carry on the war. If we succeed in obtaining our independence we may lose the money-as the government may not be able to pay it back-but we will get our land." She consented, and he carried the money to Philadelphia and deposited it in the treasury, taking certificates in return. After the war he sold these certificates for 175. 6d. in the pound. After the debt was funded, certificates rose to 25s. in the pound.
A number of additional facts bearing testimony to the patriotism of our citizens during the revolution will be found, in Dr. Egle's Historical Sketch, in the Appendix.
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Historical Sketch of Dauphin County.
FORMATION OF THE COUNTY.
We commence our sketch of the formation of the county with a general history of the townships within that portion of the county of Lancaster, which was subse- quently set off to Dauphin, as well as the territory taken from the latter to form the county of Lebanon; the data, which is derived from a valuable work, now quite rare, prepared by Joseph Miller, Esq., formerly clerk to the County Commissioners, under whose authority it was published.
The Legislature of the Province of Pennsylvania, by an act passed May 10, 1729, erected the county of Lan- caster with very extensive limits, not necessary to de- scribe here further than to say, they embraced the pres- ent territory of Lancaster, Dauphin, Lebanon and part of Berks counties.
Among the records of the Court of Quarter Sessions, of Lancaster county, are the following entries:
"Boundaries of the townships in Lancaster county, as they were settled and agreed upon by the magistrates and inhabitants of the said county, the 9th day of June, and confirmed by the Court of Quarter Sessions the first Tuesday in August ensuing, Anno Domini 1729."
Then follow the names and boundaries of a number of townships, covering the territory of the county from its southern lines to the Kittatinny mountain, among which occur the names of Derry, Peshtank and Lebanon townships, which afterwards became Dauphin county, which are severally described as follows:
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Historical Sketch of Dauphin County.
"DERRY, 1729.
"'The township of Derry, beginning at the mouth of Conewago creek, thence up Susquehanna to the mouth of Swatara, thence up Swatara to the mouth of Quitopo- hollo, thence south on a direct line to Conowago, and thence down the same to the beginning.'
"The eastern boundary of this township as originally adopted, seems to be involved in some uncertainty; to pursue the letter of the foregoing order, to run south on a direct line from the mouth of the Quittopohilla creek to Conowago creek, would strike the latter something like seven miles lower down than the point which, from every- thing which can now be discovered, seems to have been originally adopted as the southeast corner of Derry township-that, instead of running the eastern line of the township south on a direct line, as the record calls for, the Quittopohilla creek, Killinger's run, and a line south- east from the head of that run to strike the Conowago creek, seems most probable, if not entirely certain. This is inferred from the following facts : First-All the ter- ritory which lay between the Susquehanna river and the castern boundary of Lebanon township, and between the Conowago creek and the mountain, was at the same time divided into three townships, viz: Peshtank, Derry and Lebanon. To adhere to a line directly south from the mouth of the Quittopohilla, would have left the territory of Derry township very limited as compared with that of the other two townships. By adopting the Quittopohilla, &c., as the eastern boundary of Derry, that township was still less than either of the other two; but of course, bore a better proportion to them. Second-In the year 1768 the inhabitants of Derry township applied to the Court for a division of the township, on the grounds that its boundaries were "very large and extensive," and asking that the division line might be a certain road "leading from Conowago creek, by the widow Hall's, to the Swa- tara creek at Felix Landis', senior." This prayer was granted by the Court, and that road adopted as the di-
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viding line, and the eastern division directed to be called Londonderry township. Now, if in the year 1768 a line directly south from the mouth of the Quittopohilla to the Conewago creek was considered as the eastern bounda- ry of Derry township, a division of it by the road before mentioned would have been most objectionable, as it would have left Londonderry township but a mere slip of territory, for some distance not a mile wide. And lastly- If the Quittopohilla creek, &c., was not considered in 1768 as the originally adopted eastern boundary of Der- ry township, how or when was the township of London- derry brought up to that line? There is no record or authority found, creating the township of Londonderry other than by the division of Derry in 1768 before men- tioned, nor any afterwards extending the limits of the former eastward, and yet it is certain that Londonderry extended eastward to the Quittopohilla and Killinger run line in 1799, when on the occasion of a division of Lebanon township, Londonderry was called for on that line as may be seen on reference to Annville township. Upon these grounds the conclusion, that the Quittopo- hilla creek, Killinger's run and a line southeast from the head of that run to the Conewago creek, was the origi- nally adopted eastern boundary of Derry township, seems to be warranted ; notwithstanding it must be ad- mitted that that line does not appear to be in strict ac- cordance with the foregoing record.
"PESHTANK TOWNSHIP, 1729.
"'The township of Peshtank, beginning at the mouth of the Swatara, thence up the river to Kohtohtoning hill above Peter Allen's, thence eastward by the south side of the said hill to the meridian of Quotopohollo mouth, thence on a south course to the mouth of the same at Swatara, and down Swatara to the beginning.'
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