USA > Pennsylvania > Lancaster County > History of Lancaster and York Counties > Part 17
USA > Pennsylvania > York County > History of Lancaster and York Counties > Part 17
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James Annesly, with a farmer on the Lancaster road. From some cause he ran away from his master ; and was caught and confined in the jail at Columbia. He was a fine singer, and the neighbors frequently visited the prison to hear him sing. The events of his life furnished the ground work for "Roderick Random," and the popular novel of "Florence McCartey." The facts concerning this singular case are taken from the evidence given on his trial and may be relied on as authentic.
"Arthur Annesley (Lord Altham) married Mary Sheffield, natural daughter of the earl of Buckingham. By her, in the year 1715, he had a son, James, the subject of these remarks. In the next year, the parents had some differences, which ter -. minated in separation. The father, contrary to the wish of the mother, took exclusive possession of his son James, and man -. ifested much fondness for him, until the year 1722, when he formed some intimacy with Mrs. Gregory. His wife died about the same time. Miss Gregory expecting now to become
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" SADSBURY .- The township of Sadsbury, by the county line at the mountain which divides Octoraro and Pequea, thence westerly along the said mountain, to the north- west corner of John Kyle's land, thence by said land to the south-west corner, and from thence south 200 perches, thence east to Octoraro, thence up the said county line, and along the said line to said place of beginning.
MARTOCK .- The township of Martock, beginning at the mouth of Muddy run, thence up Sasquehanah to Pequea, thence up Pequea to the mouth of Great Beaver creek, thence up the said creek to Sadsbury line, thence by the said line to John Kyle's corner aforesaid, thence by Drumore township to the place of beginning.
CONOSTOGA .- The township of Conostoga, begin- ning at the mouth of Pequea, thence up Sasquehanah, to said mouth of Conestogoe creek, thence up the said creek to the mouth of Mill creek, thence by a direct line
his wife, exerted herself to alienate his affections from his son, by insinuating that he was not his lawful child. She succeeded to get him placed from home, at a school in Dublin. In No- vember, 1727, Lord Altham died; and his brother Richard wishing to possess the estate and title, took measures to get rid of his nephew, James, by having him entered on board of an American vessel which sailed from Dublin in April, 1728. He was landed at Philadelphia, then in his thirteenth year, and ยท sold as a redemptioner! and actually served out twelve years of his time in rough labor, when a seeming accident, in the year 1740, brought him to such acquaintances as led, in the next year to his return home. The case was as follows :- Two Irishmen, John and William Broders, travelling the Lancaster road in 1740, stopped at the house near the forty mile stone, where James was in service with an old German. These coun- trymen entering into conversation perceived that they were severally from Dumaine, in the county of Wexford, and that James Annesly was the son of Arthur. The two Broders vol- unteered to go back to Ireland, and testify to the discovery,
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to Pequea at the mouth of Beaver creek, thence down Pequea to the place of beginning. *
HEMPFIELD .-- The township of Hempfield, beginning at the mouth of Conestoga, thence up Sasquehanah to, Chickasalunge, thence up the said creek to Peters' Road by the Log Cabins, thence to Little Conestoga, and down the same to the Manor line, and thence down the said line to Great Conestoga, and down the same to the place of beginning.
DONEGAL .- The township of Donegal, beginning at the mouth of the Chickasalunge, thence up the East Branch to Peters' Road, thence (taking in the present inhabitants) on a northerly course to Conewago, thence by the same and the said river to the place of beginning.
DERRY .- The township of Derry, beginning at the mouth of Conewago, thence up Sasquehanah to the which they had made, and actually kept their word, and ap- peared as witnesses at the trial which afterward occurred. James subsequently stated his case to Robert Ellis, Esq., of Philadelphia, who compassionately heard his case, procured a passage for him to Admiral Vernon, then in the West Indies, . by whom he was afterwards. landed in England. But shortly after James had arrived in London, he unfortunately killed a man, for which he had to stand a trial. He was acquitted not- - withstanding the efforts of his unnatural uncle to have him convicted. An action was then brought against the uncle, Lord Altham, and went to trial in November, 1743, and the verdict was given in favor of James, our redemptioner. The uncle appealed to the house of Lords; and while the case was pending James died, leaving his uncle in quiet possession of his ill-gotten estate, and who while he continued to live, which was not long, exhibited the spectacle of the finished villain in the Irish nobleman."-Columbia Spy, vol. 2d, No. 35.
*NOTE .- Conestoga was originally organized, about 1712 -- prior to 1719, it was divided into East and West Conestoga. David Ferree was the first Constable of East Conestoga, and James Hendricks, of West Conestoga.
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mouth of Suataaro, thence up Suataaro to the mouth of Quetopohello, thence south on a direct line to Conegawo,. and down the same to the place of beginning .*
PESHTANK .- The township of Peshtank,t beginning at the mouth of Suataaro, thence up the river to Keh -- tohtoning hill above Peter Allens, thence eastward by the south side of said hill to the meridian of Queto- pohello mouth, thence on a south course to the mouth of the same at Suataaro, and down Suataaro to the place of beginning.
LEBANON .- Lebanont township, beginning under the aforesaid hill at the north-east corner of Peshtank, thence by the said hill easterly to the meridian of the west line of Tolpehockan manor, thence southerly and by the said line to the hills bounding Warwick township, thence by the said hills and township westerly to the corner of Derry on Conewago, thence northerly by Derry and Peshtank to the place of beginning.
EARL .- Earl township, beginning at Peters' Road by Conestogoe creek being a corner of Leacock township, thence up Conestogoe creek and up Muddy creek to the Indian Path, thence along the southern branch of said creek to the brow of Turkey hill, thence southerly in a direct course to the north-east corner of Thomas Ed- wards' land and by the said land southerly over Cones- togoe creek to another corner of said land, thence on a direct course to the corner of the west line of Nathan Evans' land, thence by the said land and along southerly to the top of the mountain, thence westerly along the
*Now in Dauphin county. +Now in Dauphin county ..
#Now in Lebanon county ..
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said mountain by Salisbury line to David Cowen's west corner, thence to Peters' Road and along the same to the place of beginning.
WARWICK .- Warwick township, beginning by Cones- toga creek at a corner of Manheim township by Peters' Road, thence up by the west side of Conestoga to Hans Graff's mill, thence up a northerly branch to David Preist's mill, thence westerly along the hills by Lebanon township to Derry, thence southerly by Donegal to the aforesaid road, thence along the said road easterly to the place of beginning.
MANHEIM .- Manheim township beginning by Peters' Road at a corner of Donegal and Warwick townships near the head of Little Conestoga creek, thence down the said road by Warwick township to Conestoga creek, thence down the said creek to the Old Doctor's* Ford, thence westerly by Lancaster township on a direct line to Little Conestoga at the upper side of Peter Bom- garner's land, thence up the said creek to the place of beginning. +
LANCASTER .- Lancaster township, beginning at the Old Doctor's Ford, thence down the west side of Cones- toga to the Manor line, thence by the said line to Little Conestoga, thence up the said creek by Hempfield township, thence by the said township to the place of beginning.
LEACOCK .- Leacock township, beginning at the mouth of Beaver creek, thence up the east side of Pequea to Philip Feire's lower corner, thence west by Lampeter township to Conestoga creek at the upper corner of George Bard's land, thence up the said creek to Peters' Road, thence easterly along the said road by Earl town- ship to David Cowen's land, thence southerly and wes-
*Hans Henry Neff, Doctor of Physick.
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terly by Salisbury, Sadsbury and Martick townships to the place of beginning.
LAMPETER .- Lampeter township, beginning at the mouth of Mill creek at a corner of Conestoga township, thence up the east side of Conestoga creek to Leacock township, thence easterly by the said township, Pequea, thence down Pequea by the said township, Beaver creek, thence by Conestoga township to the place of beginning.
SALISBURY .- Salisbury township, beginning at the county line at the north-easterly corner of Sadsbury township, thence northerly along the said line to the mountains at Brandywine head, thence westerly by Caernarvon township along the said mountain to a corner of Leacock township by David Cowen, thence by the said township southerly to the east line of Thomas Story's land, thence continuing by the said township along another mountain to Sadsbury line, thence to the said line easterly to the place of beginning.
CAERNARVON .- Caernarvon township, beginning at the county line at a corner of Salisbury on the moun- tains, thence northerly along the said line to the north- east corner of Cadwaleder Elis's land, thence westerly by - township along a ridge of mountains to Earl township at the north-east corner of Thomas Edwards' land, thence southerly by the said township to the corner of Leacock and Salisbury township, thence easterly by Salisbury and along the said mountain to the place of beginning.
Several extracts from the early court records are presented, which will, it is believed, be read with some interest.
At a court of General Quarter Sessions of the
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Peace held at the house of John Postlewhait* in the township of Conestoga, for the county of Lancaster, the fifth day of August, in the third year of the Reign of our Sovereign Lord, the second by the grace of God of Great Britain, France and Ireland, King, Defender of the Faith, &c. Before John Wright, Tobias Hendricks, Andrew Cornish, Thomas Read and Samuel Jones, Esquires, Justices of our said Lord, the King, the peace of our same Lord, the King, in said county, aforesaid, to keep, as also divers felonies, tresspasses, and other mis- demeanors, in the said county, committed to hear and determine assigned, &c.
The court being opened, the sheriff, to wit, Robert Barber, Esq., returns the writ of Venire Facias to him directed, with the panel thereunto annexed, and the following persons were sworn and affirmed on the. Grand Inquest, viz: James Mitchell, George Stuart, Edward Smout, Edmund Cartlidge, James Patterson, Andrew Galbraith, John Hendricks, James Hendricks, Thomas Baldwyn, James Roddy, Francis Jones, Samuel Taylor, Patrick Campbell, William Hey, John Gail- braith, Matthew Atkinson, Ephraim Moor.
DOMINUS REX, US. MORRIS CANNADY.
And now, at this day, Morris Cannady, being indicted by the Grand Inquest for this county, for having feloni -.
. Postlewhait's, in Conestoga township, 7 S. W. from Lancas- ter, now Jacob Fehl's. On John Postlewhait's decease, Charles Norris, and other persons, Trustees for the General Land Office, sold Postlewhait's farm to Joseph Pugh, of Lancaster, in June 1756. Pugh sold to Tobias Stoneman the same month, to whom the children of Postlewhait, namely, Susana, married to Benjamin Price, John, Samuel and Edmund, released, Oct .. 28th, 1761. Stoneman sold in 1762 to Andrew Foehl, grand- father of Jacob Fehl, Esq. This farm has been held rising of 80 years by the Fehls.
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ously taken and carried away fourteen pounds, seven shillings, the goods and chattels of Daniel Cookson, was brought to the bar in custody of the sheriff, and being asked how he would hereof acquit himself, pleaded thereunto instantly not guilty, and for trial put himself upon the country, and Joseph Growdon, Jr., Esq., who, for our Sovereign Lord, the King, this behalf prosecutes in like manner; and thereupon a jury being called, im- mediately came in, viz: John Lawrence, Robert Black- shaw, Thomas Gale, John Mitchell, Joseph Burton, Edmund Dougherty, Richard Hough, Joshua Minshall, Richard Carter, Joseph Worke, David Jones, Lawrence Bankson, who the truth of and upon the premises being duly elected, tried, sworn or affirmed upon their oath or affirmation, respectively do say, that the said Morris Cannady is guilty of the felony as in manner and for as he stands indicted; and thereupon it is considered by the court that the said Morris Cannady pay to the Go- vernor, for the support of this Government, (the money stolen having before been restored unto the said Daniel Cookson, the right owner thereof) the sum of fourteen pounds, seven shillings, and that he further pay the costs of this prosecution, together with two pounds, eighteen shillings, by the court allowed, the said Daniel Cookson, for his loss of time, charges and disbursements in the apprehending and prosecuting the said Morris Cannady, and that the said Morris stand committed to the custody of the sheriff of this county, until he make satisfaction for the same aforesaid by the court in manner aforesaid adjudged, and moreover shall be publickly whipped * on his bare back with twenty-one stripes well laid on.
Upon the petition of Morris Cannady, setting forth that he hath no estate or effects whatsoever, to satisfy the
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fine to the Honorable, the Governor of this province, and to discharge the costs of prosecution against him, and humbly praying the relief of this court in the premises; it is therefore ordered per curia, that the said Morris be sold by the said sheriff of this county, to the highest bidder for any term not exceeding six years, and that the money thence arising be applied for or towards payment of the fine and costs aforesaid; and that the sheriff make return of his doings herein to the next court.
1730, November 3 .- At a court held at Lancaster .- Robert Barber, late sheriff of the county, reports to the court, that pursuant to a former order he had sold Morris Cannady for the time limited by said order to one John Lawrence, of Peshtank, for sixteen pounds, of which sum he had only received the value of fourteen pounds, five shillings, and the said John being insolvent, the remainder could not be had; he, therefore, prays this court would order the costs of suit and other charges against said Canady to be settled and the state thereof represented to the Governor that the said sheriff may be no further liable than he hath effects to answer.
Ordered, per curia, that Tobias Hendricks and An- drew Galbraith, Esqrs., settle the said accounts and certify their proceedings to the Governor in behalf of said sheriff, according to his prayer.
To completely organize the townships after their erection, the court, at the session for August, 1729, made the following appointments, viz: For Hempfield town- ship, Joshua Low, for John Brubaker, constable; Ed- mund Smout, over-seer of the poor; Joshua Law and Henry Neiff, supervisors. Conestoga, Albert Hendricks, constable; David Jones, over-seer of the poor; John Linville, supervisor. Martock, George Littleton, con-
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stable. Drumore, Patrick Ewings, constable. Sads- bury, Robert Young, constable. Leacock, Henry Jones, for Hans Good, constable; Israel Robinson and Daniel Fiere, supervisors. Lampeter, John Wall, for Wendel Bowman, constable ; Stephen Atkinson, over-seer of the poor; Edmund Cartledge and Adam Brand, supervisors. Manheim, Thomas Gall, constable ; Thomas Thornbury and John Mire, supervisors. Salisbury, James Gaut, constable. Warwick, Richard Carter, constable. Co- calico, Edmund Carpenter, constable. Earl, Martin Grove, constable. Lebanon, John McCurry, constable. Robinson, Francis Hughes, constable. Tulpehocken, Michael Shaver, constable. Carnaervon, George Hud- son, constable. Peshtank, Thomas Garner, constable; Peter Allen, overseer of the poor. Donegal, Patrick Campbell.
Petition presented to court by the subscribers, "pray- ing that they may be recommended to the Governor as suitable persons to trade with the Indians," was allowed per curiam.
James Pattison, Edmund Cartledge, Peter Chartier, John Lawrence, Jonas Davenport, Oliver Wallis, Patrick Boyd, Lazarus Lowry, William Dunlap, William Bes- wick, John Wilkins, Thomas Perrin, John Harris.
At the same session petitions were presented to the court praying to be recommended to the Governor as . proper persons to keep public houses of entertainment, which were severally granted per curiam, in favor of John Postlewhait, John Miller, Jacob Funk, Christian Stoneman, Jacob Biere, Edmund Dougherty, Samuel Taylor, Francis Jones, Mary Denny.
Upon the petition of divers inhabitants of this county setting forth the necessity of a high-way through Hemp- field township, from the first unsurveyed land near Sas-
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quehannah to Christian Stoneman, his mill, and from the said mill to Daniel Cookson's, at the head of Pequea and praying that fit persons may be appointed to view and lay out the same accordingly. It is ordered per curiam that Edmund Cartledge, William Hughes, Charles Jones, Henry Neiff, John Brubaker and James Pattison, do view the place, and if they, or any four of them are satisfied that there is occasion for the said road, they lay out the same and make return by course and distance under their hands to the next court.
WHEREAS, At a meeting of the magistrates and others at the house of John Postlewhait, on the ninth of June past, (1729) it was agreed that for the present supply of this county, the sheriff should erect a building sufficient to hold prisoners and should be allowed towards defraying the expense, the sum of five pounds, public money-which building is now nearly built. It is there- fore agreed and ordered by this court that the said sheriff shall with all expedition finish the said building which when finished shall thenceforth be reputed the common jail of the county of Lancaster, till the prison be built, and with this order the sheriff agrees.
November 4, 1799 .- The court appointed, ordered that, Tobias Hendricks and Andrew Galbraith, view the prison and make report to the county and assessors, accordingly, &c.
From the following extracts-May term, 1730-it will be seen that Lancaster county had, at an early day, a good supply of places to "to sell rum by the small''- these are the words of the petitioners.
List of those licensed, May 5th, 1730, and rate of license.
Jacob Bear, 40 shillings; Francis Jones, 10 s. ; James Patterson, 40 s .; James Cook, 20 .; Andrew Cornish,
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40 s .; Erasmus Bachman, 20 s .; Martin Harnist, 20 s .; John Harris, 40 s .; John Postlewhait, 60 s .; Christian Stoneman, 50 s .; Edward Dougherty, 30 s .; John Steel, 25 s .; Christopher Franciscus, 20 s .; John Miller, 20 s .; Samuel Bethel, 40 s .; John David, 30 s .; George Stuart, 20 s .; Thomas Armstrong, 20 s .; Jacob Funk, 30 s .; William White, 10 s .; Thomas Baldwin, 30 s .; Peter Allen, 40 s .; Edward Cartledge, 30 s .; Jones Daven- port, 30 s .; Henry Baily, 20 s .; William Dunlap, 20 s .; William Clark, 20 s .; Henry Snevely, 20 s .; Michael Mire, 20 s .; John Wilkins, 20 s .; Lazarus Lowry, 20 s .; Michael Shank, 20 s .; Casper Laughman, 40 s .; George Haynes, 30 s .; Isaac Miranda, 20 s .; John Hen- dricks, 20 s.
At a court of General Quarter Sessions of the Peace, held at LANCASTER, the third day of November, in the fourth year of his Majesty's Reign, Anno, 1730, before John Wright; Thomas Edwards, Tobias Hendricks, Andrew Cornish, Andrew Galbraith and Caleb Pearce, Esqrs., Justices of our Lord, the King, the peace of our said Lord, the King in the county aforesaid, &c.
The court being opened, the sheriff, to wit: John Galbraith returns the writ of Venire Facias to him directed with the panel thereunto annexed, and the following persons were sworn and affirmed on the Grand Inquest.
Edward Smout, Jr., James Patterson, John Kile, Randel Chambers, Hatwell Varnon, Ephraim Moore, Richard . Hough, George Stites, Christian Vanlere, Daniel Cookson, John Jones, John Musgrove, Jr., James Galt, James Whitehill, Thomas Johnston, William Wil- kins, William Richardson.
Robert Barber, late sheriff of the said county, re- turned to this court by indenture under the hands and
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seals of six free-holders of the said county, Gabriel Davis, John Caldwell, Joshua Low, Emanuel Carpenter, Walter Denny and Thomas Wilkins, for assessors, and John Davis commissioned for the ensuing year. :
We have introduced a brief notice of one whose name is intimately associated with the history of Lancaster county, and the early history of the United States.
CONRAD WEISER, an active, enterprising man, con- spicuous in the annals of this county from its organiza- tion till 1760, was born in Germany, 1696. At the age of 13, in 1709, he left his Vaterland, accompanied by his father and seven brothers and sisters, with three or four thousand other Germans, they went to England ;* thence they sailed for New York, where they arrived, the 13th June, 1710. In the fall of the same year, the father of the subject of this notice, and hundreds of German families, were transferred at Queen Anne's expense to Livingston District, where many of them remained till 1713; that year about one hundred and fifty families moved to Schoharie to occupy lands pre- sented to Queen Anne by a Mohawk chief, for the benefit of these Germans. While residing here, Conrad Weiser's father, in 1714, became acquainted with Quag- nant, a chief of Maqua or Mohawk nation. Quagnant proposed to the father to take Conrad with him into . his country, and to teach him the language spoken by his nation; the father consented, and Conrad accom- panied the chief to his house in the autumn of 1714 .- Here his sufferings, according to Weiser's own journal, were almost intolerable. He was exposed to the in- clemencies of a severe winter, "pinched by hunger and frost," menaced with death by the inebriated Indians; to escape which, he had often to flee and conceal himself
*See page 182-184.
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LANCASTER COUNTY.
till reason was restored, and "a second sober thought," restrained their threats. Having spent eight months among them, and acquired the principal part of the Mohawk language, he returned to the German colony, where, as interpreter, he acquired a competent knowledge of the language, in a very short time.
Owing to a defect in the titles to their lands which involved them in difficulties, this German colony was dispersed; some remained at Schoharie, among these was Weiser, the interpreter, others left, in search of a new home; these wended their course in a south-wes- terly direction till they struck Susquehanna, where they made canoes, freighted these with their families and goods; floated down the river to the mouth of Swatara creek, thence they worked their way up till they reached a fertile spot in Tulpehocken, where they settled amidst the Indians, in 1723.
Weiser, as stated, remained at Schoharie, till 1729, when he, his wife and four children left, and followed his relations and friends to Tulpehocken, where they were all cordially received. Here he took up a tract of land within a few miles of the site of Wommelsdorf.
He, as occasion demanded it, acted as interpreter between the Indians and the German settlers. Though he had determined to spend his remaining days in private, his talents soon attracted the attention of the Government, and his services, as interpreter, were re- quired, by the Hon. Patrick Gordon, Lieut. Governor of Pennsylvania, as early as 1631; for that purpose, Weiser accompanied Shekellany and Cehachquey, In- dians, who had returned from the Six Nations, to Phila- delphia .* He was called on repeatedly to act as
*Col. Rec. 452.
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interpreter while pursuing the improvement of his farm.
He was a man of unbounded benevolence, and dis- posed "to hope all things"-it was through him the Moravian brethren were made attentive to Indian natives, especially the Iroquois, or Six Nations. Mr. Spangenberger received the first account of them from Conrad Weiser, a justice of the peace, and interpreter to the Government in Pennsylvania .* The Governor and Proprietor of Pennsylvania had sent him in the winter of 1736, to treat with the Iroquois, concerning a war ready to break out between them and the Indians of Virginia, and to endeavor to settle the dispute amicably. On this journey, of nearly five hundred miles, he suffered great hardships. The weather was uncommonly severe, and he had to force his way, mostly on foot, through deep snow, thick forests, brooks and rivers, carrying provisions for several weeks on his back.t
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