USA > Pennsylvania > Franklin County > Chambersburg > Historical sketch of Franklin County, Pennsylvania : prepared for the centennial celebration held at Chambersburg, Penn'a, July 4th, 1876, and subsequently enlarged by I. H. M'Cauley John M. Pomeroy, publisher. To which is added a valuable appendix by J. L. Suesserott, D. M. Kennedy and others, and embellished by over one hundred lithographic illustrations, drawn by W. W. Denslow > Part 13
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RES. OF SOLOMON W. SOLENBERGER GUILFORD TWP. FRANKLIN CO. PA. " FARMER'S DELIGHT"
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RES. OF DR. J.S. FLICKINGER. 2 MILES NORTH OF FANNETTSBURG PENNA.
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Historical Sketch of Franklin County.
State, was the order of the Court of Quarter Sessions of Lancaster connty, made at November sessions, 1735, as before stated, dividing the valley into two townships-the easternmost to be called Penns- borough and the western Hopewell. This was done before the ox- tinguishment of the Indian title to the land, which was effected by the treaty with the Fire Nations, at Philadelphia, October 11th, 1736. The government and the Indians had been npon good terms for years before, and both parties encouraged settlers to come hither, the agents of the Proprietaries giving them special licenses to take up lands as early as 1734.
The division line between Pennsborough and Hopewell townships, as has already been stated, crossed the valley at the "Big Spring," about where Newville now is, and all the land from Newville to the Maryland line was thereafter in Hopewell township, Lancaster county, until May sessions, 1741, when "upon the application of the inhabitants of the township, presented by Richard O'Cain, Esq., the Court of Quarter Sessions of Lancaster county erected the town- ship. of Antrim by dividing the township of Hopewell by a line substantially the same as that now dividing Franklin and Cumber- land counties, as has been hereinbefore shown. The territory thus formed into the new township of Antrim, was identical with that now embraced in our county, with the exception of the Little Cove, or Warren township, and the townships of Fannett and Metal.
I have personally examined the records of Cumberland county with great care, and I have had the records of Lancaster county examined in like manner, by a gentleman of the Bar resident there ; but we have been unable to obtain any satisfactory information as to the time when, or the territory out of which the townships of Lur- gan, Peters, Guilford and Hamilton were formed. I incline to the belief that Lurgan was created by order of the Court of Lancaster county, but no record thereof can be found. And if the other three townships were created by the action of the courts of Cumberland county, they must have been organized immediately after that county was erected, though no record of their formation has as yet been found. I therefore give but the earliest dates at which I have . been able to find mention of them.
ANTRIM-1741.
Antrim township was undoubtedly named after the county of Antrim, Ireland, from whenee many of the early settlers of this valley eame Out of its original territory all our townships, except Warren, Metal and Fannett, have been made, and still it is the larg- est and wealthiest township in the county. In the year 1734 Joseph Crunkleton obtained his license, and in the year 1735 he, Jacob Snively, James Johnston and James Roddy made settlements.
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Historical Sketch of Franklin County.
Mr. Crunkleton settled upon the lands now owned by Benjamin Snively and David Eshleman, about two mileseast of where Green- castle now stands. Mr. Snively upon the farm so long the residence of Andrew Shively, dee'd. Mr. Johnston on the lands now owned by Christian Stover and Henry Whitmore, and Mr. Roddy on the farm now owned by Andrew G. M'Lanahan, Esq., situated upon the Conococheague creek. They were among the first, if not the very first settlers in the township, and had many Indians for their neighbors when they first located.
The settlement early took the name of " The Conococheague Set- tlement," and being fed from the older counties and the Old World, was of rapid growth. A Presbyterian church was organized as early as 1737 or 1738, under the name of " The East Conococheague Pres- byterian Church." Their first church edifice, known as the " Rel Church," was erected at "Moss Spring," three-fourths of a mile cast of Greencastle, and there they worshipped until the erection of the present church in Greencastle, in the year 1830.
In the year 1772, or ten years before Greencastle was laid out, John .Crunkleton laid out a town on the road leading from the Conoco- cheague Settlement (now Greencastle) towards where Waynesboro now is, about two miles east of Greeneastle, and named the town CRUNKLETON. Lots were sold subject to an annual quit rent ; three honses were built, one of which was kept as a tavern by George Clark, and in another a store was kept by John Lawrence. James Clark, one of the former Canal Commissioners of our State, passed his youth there. The town never got beyond its three houses; two of these have been removed, the street and the town plot merged into the farm of Benjamin Snively, Esq. Its very name is almost for- gotten, and strangers pass over its site without seeing any evidences that there a town once existed.
LURGAN-1743.
I cannot tell certainly from what this township took its name. Most likely it was called after the town of Lurgan, in the county of Armagh, province of Ulster, Ireland, eighteen miles south-west of the city of Belfast, the birth-place of James Logan, the secretary of William Penn, and President of the Supreme Executive Council in 1736-'38.
It originally extended across the eastern end of our county, from the top of the South mountain to the top of the Kittatinny mountain, and embraced all the territory now within the townships of Lurgan, Letterkenny, Green and Southampton. The earliest date at which I could find mention of it among the records of Cum- berland county is in 1751, but an original deed for certain lands in Green township has been shown me, dated December 1, 1753, in
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RES.OF DAVID ESHLEMAN, ANTRIM TP.
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Historical Sketch of Franklin County.
which it is set forth that the warrant for the land therein mentioned had been issued in 1743, and that it was then in Lurgan township, Lancaster county. Whether it ever extended eastward further than the present boundary of Cumberland county, I cannot say. Being. the most eastern portion of our county, it was early settled. The original settlers were chiefly Scotch-Irish, though some Germans were also found in the township at a very early period. The "Mid- dle Spring Presbyterian Church" was organized about the year 1740. Their church edifice stands but a short distance east of the county Ime in Cumberland county.
A Scotch-Irishman of the name of Thomas Pomeroy was one of the earliest settlers in this township. One of his early ancestors was a French Huguenot, and, at the time of the massacre of Saint Bartholomew's day, in 1572, he was engaged in teaching a classical school in Paris. He escaped from the city on that terrible night, and with some other Huguenots crossed over to Ireland, where he settled. Nearly one hundred and fifty years afterwards Thomas Pomeroy, before mentioned, one of his descendants, left Ireland, the place of his birth, and removed to Liverpool, England, where he engaged in commercial pursuits. From thence he emigrated to America carly in the eighteenth century, and located if Lurgan township, about two miles east of where the town of Roxbury now stands, on a small stream, which rises in the neighboring mountains and is now known as Rebuck's run. He was the great-great-grand- father of John M. Pomeroy, Esq., of our town. There he raised a large family, and died about the beginning of the revolutionary war. His son Thomas, the great-grandfather of John M., was there born in the year 1733, and settled near the ancestral home, living happily, and prosperously with his increasing family. On the morning of the 21st of July, 1763, Thomas. Pomeroy lett his home for the purpose of hunting deer. Returning after a short absence he found his wife and two children dead, having been tomahawked and scalped by a small party of lurking savages, who were doubt- less concealed near by when he went away. A Mrs. Johnson, an inmate of the house, had an arm broken, her skull fractured, and the scalp torn off her head. She was left for dead, but showing signs of life, was removed to Shippensburg, where she received medi- cal aid. The bodies of these victims of fiendish cruelty were buried a short distance from the place of their murder, in a spot of ground on which the barn belonging to the late John A. Rebuek was sub- sequently erected.
PETERS-1751.
This township was evidently named after Richard Peters, who figured so conspicuously in Colonial times in this State as the Ser- retary of the Colonial Governors Thomas, Palmer, Hamilton, Mor-
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ris and Denny, from 1743 to 1762. It appears first in the records of Cumberland county in the year 1751, and was most likely created by the courts of that county after its organization in 1750. It then en- braced all the territory in the present townships of Peters and Montgomery, and also all that part of the present township of St. Thomas west of Campbell's run. Its earliest settlers were also chiefly Scotch-Irish, as is evidenced by their names, viz. : the Campbells, Wilsons, M'Clellands, M'Dowells, Welshs, Smiths, M'Kinneys, &c., &c., who were found in the township as early as 1730. A Presbyterian church was organized in the year 1738, under the name of "The Upper West Conococheague Church," embrac- ing all the territory now occupied by the congregations of Welsh Run, Loudon and St. Thomas. The church edifice stood abont two miles north-east of where the town of Mercersburg now stands, and was generally known as the "White Church." "Fort Loudon," so well known in "ye olden time," was in this township, and was built by Colonel John Armstrong in the year 1756. It was one of a chain of forts built by the colomal government after the defeat of . General Braddock, to keep the Indians out of this valley.
GUILFORD-1751.
This township also appears on the records of Cun erland county for the first time in the year 1751, and was most likely created by the court of that county. Its earliest settlers were mostly Irish, or Scotch-Irish, though there were some English among them. I know not from whence it derived its name. There is a town called Guildford, or Gilford in the county of Surry, England, and it is stated in history that some of the English non-conformists of that region, when perscented for their religions opinions, passed over to the Scots, in the province of Ulster, Ireland, and from thence re- moved to America. It may be that some of them, or their descend- ants were among the early settlers in this township, and that through them it got its name. On the records of Cumberland coun- ty, and in the carly records of our county, the name is spelled Gil- ford, or Gillford. I have not found that the boundaries of the township were ever different from what they now are. The town of Chambersburg as originally laid out, was wholly within this township. The Presbyterian "Congregation of the Falling Spring" was organized here about the year 1735.
HAMILTON-1752.
This township was undoubtedly named after James Hamilton, who was the Governor of the colony from 1748 to 1754, the very period within which it must have been created, and also from 1754
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Ilistorical Sketch of Franklin County.
to 1763, and from May to October, 1771. Its name first appears on the records of Cumberland county in 1752, and most likely it was organized by the order of the court of that county, about that time, or in the previous year, though no record thereof has been found. It originally embraced nearly all of the present township of St. - Thomas which lies east of Campbell's run. Its first settlers were mostly Scotch-Irish, who made their settlements at about the same time that settlements were made in the surrounding districts.
FANNETT-1761:
This township originally embraced the territory now within the township of Metal. Path Valley, in which the greater part of the township lies, was in old times called the "Tuscarora Path, " and the Indian title to the territory between the Kittochtinny moun- tains on the east, and the Tuscarora mountain on the west, was only extinguished by the treaty made with the Six Nations, at Easton, on the 23d of October, 1758. Long before that period, however, set- tlers had crowded into Path, Horse and Amberson's Valleys, at- tracted by the beauty of the lands within them. These intrusions are said to have commenced as early as 1744, but were in violation of the agreement between the Colonial authorities and ; he Indians, and the latter made complaint to the government, and threatened to redress their grievances themselves if the intrude.s were not promptly removed. The government called upon the magistrates of Cumberland county to redress the wrongs of the Indians by ex- pelling the settlers. Accordingly, in May, 1750, Richard Peters, the Secretary of the Governor, attended by Benjamin Chambers, Wil- liam Maxwell, William Allison, John Finley and others, magis- trates of the county of Cumberland, went over to Path Valley, where they found many settlements. They had Abraham Slack, James Blair, Moses Moore, Arthur Dunlap, Alex. M'Cartie, David Lewis, Adam M'Cartie, Felix Doyle, Andrew Dunlap, Robert Wil- son, Jacob Pyatt, Wm. Ramage, Reynold Alexander, Samuel Pat- terson, John Armstrong, John Potts and others brought before them, who were all convicted, and put under bond to remove at once out of the valley with all their families, servants and effects, and to ap- pear at court at Carlisle and answer such charges as might be made against them. Their houses, cabins, and other improvements were then all burned to the ground, by order of the magistrates. After the purchase of the land from the Indians some of these men re- turned and located lands in the valley, and their descendants are there yet.
The first mention that I have found of the name of this township (Fannett) in the records of Cumberland county is in the year 1761. It was undoubtedly organized by the order of the Court of Quarter Ses-
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sions of that county, most probably in that or the preceding year. Its original shape was that of a long, narrow point; and it is said that it was named by its early settlers, who were mostly Scotch- Irish, after "Fannett Point," a promontory and light house in the county of Donegal, Province of Ulster, Ireland.
Richard and John Coulter took up a large body of land in the upper end of the township, near Concord, in the year 1756, and Francis Amberson settled in the valley now called after him, "Amberson's Valley," in the year 1763. Soon afterwards Barnabas Clark, after whom "Clark's Knob" is named, John Ward, Cromwell M'Vitty and others also settled in the latter named valley, and their de- scendants are now among its most prominent citizens. There are two post offices, one large steam tannery, two churches, (one union and one protestant Methodist), one general store, three blacksmith shops, one cabinet-maker shop, three carpenter shops, one wheel- wright shop, and four good school houses in this little valley.
LETTERKENNY-1762. .
This township was formed out of the southern part of Lurgan township, by order of the court of Cumberland county, about the year 1760 or 1761, and then included the territory now in Greene township. The first mention that I find of it in the records of the Court of Quarter Sessions of that county was at March term, 1762. What it took its name from I cannot say. Some affirm that there is a town, or district, of the same name in Ireland, and that the early settlers being mostly Scotch-Irish, the township was called after it. But I have not been able to find that there is any such place in the "Green Isle," and therefore cannot say that this statement is either true or false. Settlements and improvements were made in that region of the county shortly after the year 1730, though the office rights issned and surveys made do not date back earlier than -1736, the year the Indian title was extinguished.
John B. Kaufman, Esq., our late county surveyor, who is a native of the township, and fully acquainted with the facts connected with its early settlement, says: "Several surveys were made and war- rants issued in 1736, 1744 and 1746, but they were not very numer- ous until 1750, though we find abundant evidences prior to this latter date that settlements had been made years before. When the French and Indian war became serious in 1755, and the settlers were burnt out, or massacred, and could not remain in safety, many of them abandoned their improvements and removed eastward into the older settlements. Emigration was checked and almost totally ceased until about the year 1760 or 1762. Then there was a large influx of settlers, and by the time the revolution broke out the
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farming lands both in this valley and in Horse valley were largely taken up. I cannot find either warrants or surveys in Letterkenny township prior to 1762."
"From this date the office rights multiply rapidly, especially after the cheaper rates of £5 sterling per hundred acres were inaugurated . under the application system. This system went into effect in 1766. All that was necessary, as long as this law was in force, was for the settler to make application to the Land Office for so many aeres, bounded by certain lands. An order of survey was then issued, and the applicant, for a small fee for his application and order of survey. could take up a tract not exceeding four hundred acres, without paying for the land a farthing, except the fees above named, and the expenses of surveying. It was expected that the land would be paid for after the return of the survey, and a patent then be taken out. This, however, was frequently not done, and the purchase money of many tracts has not yet been paid to the Com- monwealth. The land then cost twenty-two and two-tenths cents per acre ; hence it is not wonderful that as soon as the Indian trou- bles. ceased the lands in Letterkenny were rapidly occupied. As this township is mostly slate land, now considered by many as in- ferior to the limestone and freestone, or pine lands of Green, South- ampton, Guilford, Antrim, &c., it may seem strange that the first settlers selected the slate lands, which were often quite hilly, in preference to the others. But when it is remembered that the slate lands were heavily timbered, and had abundant springs and mead- ows, and were smoother and easily cultivated ; and the limestone lands were nearly all quite destitute of timber, were often poorly watered, were broken by ridges of rock, and were in other respects uninviting and barren, the reasons for their preference are easily seen."
"Some settlers who had taken out warrants at an early day at £15 10s. per one hundred acres, and paid a part of the purchase money, afterwards, when the rates were reduced, abandoned the old warrants and took out new ones and obtained patents on them. But as the Scotch-Irish of those days were actual settlers, and not speculators, whenever they went to the trouble to obtain evidence of title they generally lived on their lands and retained them."
"After the battle of Trenton some of the Hessians captured there found their way to this vicinity, and settling here, became useful and industrious citizens, and their descendants are amongst the most worthy and respectable of our people."
" So much has been said in praise of the Scotch-Irish pioneer that I will not spoil a subject so well handled and oft repeated by on- larging upon it. And concerning the 'Dutchman,' who has taken his place, in a great measure, he has done his part so quietly that there is not much to say about him. When the Germans first made
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their appearance the old pioneer did not always look upon them with much favor, and it is said that one of them who did not like ' Hans,' wondered, reverently, of course, 'what God Almighty meant in making the Dutchman and letting him have the best of the land besides.' "
" But the Scotch-Irishman, sturdy and strong, upright and fear- less, if not a very successful farmer, still performed a mission that cannot be easily overestimated, and as a descendant of a Swiss Ger- man, I can and do cheerfully give my meed of praise to the early settlers of the Cumberland Valley."
Major James M'Calmont, so famous in early times as an Indian fighter, was born near Strasburg, in this township. Because of the massacre of certain of his neighbors and acquaintances, he became the sworn enemy of the savages. He was peculiarly fleet of foot, knew every nook and corner of the country, was a sure shot, and had many hair-breadth escapes in his contests with the Indians, many of whom are said to have fallen by his gun. He is said to have been very modest when speaking of his exploits, and never admitted that he had killed an Indian. He would say : " I shot at him," and it was pretty well understood that when he shot at an Indian there was a savage that needed burial.
"The Rocky Spring " Presbyterian Church is within the bounds of this township. It was organized about the year 1738, and had a very large membership for many years.
WASHINGTON-1779.
This township was organized by an order of the Court of Quarter Sessions of Cumberland county about April term, 1779, out of An- trim township. At January term, 1779, a petition of the citizens of Antrim township was presented, praying for the division of that township, and James Johnston, Abraham Smith, Humphrey Ful- lerton, James M'Clenehan, Elias Davison and William Finley were appointed commissioners to examine and report upon the propriety of the division. I have been unable to find any record of the report of these commissioners, nor of the action of the court thereon. They should have reported to April term, 1779, and most probably did, as the name of the new township-Washington-appears upon the record of the court immediately thereafter. It was called after General Washington, who was then " first in the hearts of his countrymen," as the leader of their armies in the contest then going on for the independence of the United Colonies. The new township took from Antrim more than one-half the latter's area, and em- braced all that territory now within the township of Quincy.
Settlements were made in what is now Washington township as
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RES.OF ADAM FORNEY, WAYNESBORO, PA.
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SUMMER IRESORT CLERMONT HOUSE , SOUTH 14T BLUERIDGE SUMMIT, FRANKLIN CO PA
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RES. OF REV. J. F. OLLER. W. MAIN STREET, WAYNESBORO, PENNA.
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early as 1735-'40. The tract of land upon which Waynesboro now stands was taken up in 1749. The first road from what is now Ful- ton county (then Cumberland county ) through Peters and Antrim, and what is now Washington township, was laid out by order of the Conrt of Quarter Sessions of Cumberland county in the year 1768 .. At the April sessions of the courts of Cumberland county, in the year 1761, a petition of the citizens of Peters township was presented setting forth " that they have no prospect for a standing market for the produce of their country, only at Baltimore, and having no road leading from their township to said town of Baltimore, and flour being the principal commodity their township produceth, and having two mills in said township, viz. : John M'Dowell's and Wil- liam Smith's, they pray the court to appoint men to view and lay out a road from each of said mills to meet at or near the house of William Maxwell, and from thence to run by the nearest and best way towards said town of Baltimore until it intersects the " tempo- rury line," or the line of York county. The Court appointed Henry Pawlin, James Jack, John Allison, Joseph Bradner, John M'Clel- lan, Jr., and William Holliday, viewers, any tour of them to make report. No report was made until April term, 1768, when the view- ers reported in favor of a road, for the accommodation of the people of Peters, Air and Hamilton townships. The roads were to be "bridle roads" from the mills to the boundaries of Peters township. They were to unite at or near James Irwin's mill, in Peters town- ship, thence crossing the Conococheague creek at the mouth of Muddy run, thence through Antrim township to the Gap, commonly called "Nicholson's," in the South mountain, and thence to the town of Baltimore. This is substantially the route of the present turnpike from Mercersburg, by way of Greencastle and Waynes- boro, towards Baltimore, and the reason that none of these towns are named is because they were not then in existence.
MONTGOMERY-1781.
This township was formed out of the southern part of Peters township, by a decree of the Court of Quarter Sessions of Cumber- land county. At the October term, 1780, the petition for the division of the township was presented, and the court appointed James Maxwell, John M'Clellan, John Work, James Campbell, Adam Holliday and Thomas Campbell to examine and report upon the propriety of the division. They reported at January term, 1781, and their report was then confirmed, dividing the township as fol- lows, viz. : " Beginning at a pine on the Bedford county line, thence five hundred perches to the sonth branch of Smith's run; thence down said run an easterly course until where it empties into the
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