USA > Pennsylvania > Lancaster County > History of Lancaster and York Counties > Part 40
USA > Pennsylvania > York County > History of Lancaster and York Counties > Part 40
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HISTORY OF YORK COUNTY.
And lastly, whereas, at a treaty held between the Indi- ans and me, the 15th and 16th of this inst., (June,) they did earnestly desire, and request me forthwith to cause a large tract of land, right against their towns upon Sus- quehanna, to be surveyed, and located for the proprietor's use only ; because, from his bounty and goodness, they would always be sure to obtain whatsoever was necessary and convenient for them, from time to time.
These are therefore, by virtue of the powers wherewith I am intrusted for the preservation of his majesty's peace in this Province, and with a due and perfect regard to the Pro- prietor's absolute title and unquestionable rights to authorize, empower and command you, the said Colonel John French, Francis Worley and John Mitchell, with such of the neigh- boring inhabitants as you shall think fit to call to your as- sistance, immediately to cross the river Susquehanna, and to survey, or cause to be surveyed, marked and located, the quantity of seventy thousand acres, or thereabouts, in the name, and for the use of the Honorable Springett Penn, Esq., which shall bear the name and be called The Mannor of Springettsbury; beginning your survey as near as you can upon the south-west bank of the river Susquehanna, over against the mouth of Conestoga creek; from thence by a line W. S. W. distance ten miles more or less; from thence by a line N. W. by N. twelve miles more or less; thence by a line E. N. E. until you meet with the uppermost corner tree of my Settlement called Newberry ; from thence S. E. by S. along my head line until you come at my Southern corner tree in the woods; from thence down the side line of my land E. N. E. until you come at the river Susquehanna, and from thence by said river's side unto the place where you first began, which line will be the fourth side of the said survey, and when it is done and finished, you are to make a return thereof upon the back of this warrant unto
-
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HISTORY OF YORK COUNTY.
the Governor and Council of Pennsylvania; for which this shall be unto you, the said Colonel John French, Francis Worley, and every one of you, a sufficient warrant and power and authority.
Given under my hand and seal, at Conestoga, the 18th day of June, in the eighth year of our Sovereign Lord George, Anno Dom. 1722.
Signed, W. KEITH.
In obedience to their instructions, French, Worley and Mitchell, surveyed the Manor, and made the following re- turn thereof.
May it please your excellency-
In obedience to the within warrant, to us directed, we did, upon the nineteenth and twentieth days of this instant, June, begin and complete the survey of the Manor of Springettsbury, upon the river Susquehanna, in manner fol- lowing, viz: From a red oak upon the said river, (by a run's side, called Penn's run,) marked S. P. west, southwest ten miles to a chestnut, (by a run's side, called French run,) marked S. P .; from thence northwest, and by north to a black oak, marked S. P., twelve miles; from thence east, northeast to Sir William Keith's western corner tree, in the woods, eight miles; from thence along the southeast and northeast lines of the said Sir William Keith's tract, called Newberry, unto the river Susquehanna again, and from thence along the river side to the place of beginning-the whole containing seventy-five thousand five hundred and twenty acres, according to a plan thereof hereunto annexed, all of which is humbly submitted by
Your excellency's Most humble and obedient servants, JOHN FRENCH, FRAN. WORLEY, JA. MITCHELL. 1
At Newberry, June 21, 1722.
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HISTORY OF YORK COUNTY.
Note .- James Hamilton, Lieut. Governor of Pennsylvania, issued a warrant, May 21, 1762, directing a re-survey of this Manor. The survey, as directed, was not made, at the time, on account of the still vexed question of the unsettled boundary between Maryland and Pennsylvania. After the disputed line was fixed, "James Tilghman, Secretary of the Land Office, wrote, May 13, 1768, to John Lukens, Sur- veyor General, requesting him to proceed with all expedi- tion on the re-survey." Lukens executed his instructions --- re-surveyed the Manor, between the 12th and 30th of June, 1768. The survey made by Lukens, is known as " Ham- ilton's Survey," or " Survey of '68."
November 27, 1779, the Assembly of Pennsylvania passed an Act, vesting the estates of the late proprietaries, in the commonwealth. The proprietary tenths, or Manors, sur- veyed and returned to the Land Office, prior to July 4, 1776, were reserved by the proprietaries, and by conse- quence Springettsbury Manor remained the private property of the Penns and their heirs; and, as such, it has been held, for the most part, down to our time .*
* Smith's Laws of Pa.,
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HISTORY OF YORK COUNTY.
CHAPTER II.
First English settlers west of Susquehanna-These removed by Gover- nor Gordon-Hendricks and others settle by authority-Policy to induce settlers-Samuel Blunston authorized to grant license, &c. -Maryland intruders-Hendricks and Marshall abducted-The no- torious Cressap, threatenings, &c .- With force and arms makes a Survey-Germans seduced-Apply to the government of Pennsyl- vania for protection-Maryland militia, &c .- Governor issues a proclamation to all to preserve the peace-A new scheme-Irish called on to help to remove the Germans from their homes-Farther aggressions-Cressap is arrested-Proceedings| between the Gover- nor of Pennsylvania and Maryland-The issue.
In the preceding chapter it has been shown, that Gover- nor Keith had agreed, in a treaty, held June 15 and 16, 1722, with the Indians, that those lands on the west side of the Susquehanna, (opposite Conestoga, and higher up,) should remain unsettled by Christians, and be for the benefit of the tawny sons of the forest-reserved to them for hunt- ing and planting ; but notwithstanding this positive agree- ment, some whites commenced to settle there, shortly after the treaty alluded to. These were, Michael Tanner, Ed- ward Parnell, Paul Williams, and Jefferey Sumerford, who settled near the Indian town, Coneshela. In 1728 the In- dians applied to Governor Gordon, of Pennsylvania, and re- quested him to remove them .* Towards the latter end of the year, these three intruders were removed, by order of the Pennsylvania government, and their places left vacant for the use of the Indians. These lands were afterwards taken possession of by a desperado, Thomas Cressap, who played a conspicuous part in his day, as will be seen from the sequel.
* Min. Prov. Council, iii., 512.
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HISTORY OF YORK COUNTY.
In 1729, Lancaster county was erected out of the upper part of Chester county-the same year settlements were made by persons under the authority of Pennsylvania, on the west side of the Susquehanna. John Hendricks and James Hendricks, Junior, and several others, settled about three miles north, whence Tanner, Parnell, Williams and Sumerford had been removed; and about that time, several other per- sons settled back from the Susquehanna, south-west from the Hendricks'es, on or near Codorus creek, to the distance of ten or twelve miles.
After obtaining the consent of the Indians, James Hen- dricks, in 1731, went to settle on part of the lands first set- tled by Parnell and his associates; but as he was going to view the lands, and to fix on a place to build his house, his gun accidentally went off and shot his son-this accident prevented him from settling there. Shortly after this oc- currence, Thomas Cressap, under a pretence of a right from Maryland, squatted upon these lands. Soon a number of Maryland intruders followed his example, and others settled here without authority.
"In order to counteract the encroachments by the Mary- landers, it was the policy of the proprietory agents to invite and encourage settlements on the borders. Such settlements were made within the Manor of Springettsbury. There was a contract that titles should be made to the settlers whenever the lands should be purchased of the Indians. Certificates or licenses were accordingly issued, furnishing patents upon the usual terms for which other lands in the county were sold. A commission was issued to Samuel Blunston, the 11th of January, 1733-34, to grant licenses to settle and take up lands on the west side of the Susquehanna. The first license issued by Samuel Blunston, is dated, January 24, 1733-34, and the last, October 31, 1737. All the nu- merous licenses prior to the 11th of October, 1736, were
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HISTORY OF YORK COUNTY.
for lands out of the Indian purchases; yet these grants, though at first very irregular, were of right to be confirmed by the proprietors as soon as the lands were purchased of the natives. Thomas Penn, son of William Penn, the elder, was at Lancaster in 1736-signed licenses or grants for set- tlements that had been previously made on the west side of the Susquehanna."*
Hundreds of individuals accepted of the invitations from the proprietary's agents, and soon a dense settlement was made along Kreutz or Kreis' creek. Many of the first settlers were Germans; some of whom were seduced by the notorious Cressap as to decline paying their rates to Penn- sylvania, and he prevailed upon them to acknowledge the Maryland jurisdiction for some time. To pursue this course, they were compelled, to prevent sudden ruin threatened upon them by Cressap.
The unsettled and undefined boundary line between the Province of Pennsylvania and Maryland gave rise, and en- couragement to desperadoes to commit acts of violence. While the commissioners, to fix the boundary line, were ne- gociating, Cressap, determined to keep possession, by force of the lands upon which he had squatted, began to imbrue his hands in blood. In January, 1733, he feloniously mur- dered one Daunt. In order to keep possession, " he, by fair promises of grants from the Maryland government, exemp- tion from taxes, and by force and threatnings to turn the German settlers out of their settlements and ruin them, did pre- vail on some few of his neighbors, so far only as to acknowl- edge the Maryland jurisdiction and to refuse to pay rates or taxes to the Province of Pennsylvania, and thus threw them- selves under the protection of Maryland-they were princi- pally Germans. They had been compelled to take this course in order to escape immediate ruin and destruction
* Smith's Laws, Pa., ii., 147.
4
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· HISTORY OF YORK COUNTY.
threatened them by 'Cressap and his associates. Having submitted to this without making forcible resistance. This neutrality encouraged the Deputy Governor, Mr. Ogle, un- der Lord Baltimore, to appear personally on this disputed ground, and abbetted Cressap by promising the German settlers sufficient warrants for their lands. He never re- deemed these promises; but, on the contrary Cressap, his nstrument, extorted from divers inhabitants several sums to a considerable value; besides, several of them were abducted, and imprisoned in the public goal at Annapolis-these were John Hendricks and Joshua Minshall, who had plantations several miles above Conestoga. The course pursued by Governor Ogle was illy calculated to settle disputes, but greatly encouraged Cressap and his associates to commit further aggressions. "John Wright, Esq., a justice of peace, residing in Lancaster county, having sown a field of wheat on the west side of Susquehanna river, opposite to the plan- tation (Columbia) where he lived, on the east side of the "same. Mr. Wright, with his servants, in the month of July, 1735, went to reap the same; but Thomas Cressap, with twenty persons, with guns, swords, pistols, blunderbusses, and drums beating, came, in a hostile manner, to the terror of the people, into the field, with wagons, with the intention to prevent Mr. Wright from reaping his field, and in order to carry off the grain. Cressap presented a drawn sword in one hand and a cocked pistol in the other, to Mr. Wright's breast. Mr. Wright, nothing daunted, commanded Cressap to keep the peace, at his peril; which had some weight with the company who were with Cressap; who, on their part, seemed unwilling to proceed to hostilities; but Cressap declared he was come to fight the Pennsylvanians, if they would think fit to engage."
Among these desperadoes or Maryland intruders, besides Cressap, were Mark Evans, Michael Risner, Francis Clap-
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HISTORY OF YORK COUNTY.
saddle, Christian Crowl, Barnard Weyman, Nicholas Kens, and Martin Shuts, all of whom lived not more than a mile to the southward of Hendricks'. These all called themselves Marylanders." *·
Some time in October, 1735, "Cressap declared, that if the Maryland Governor would allow him fifty men, he would go over into that part of Lancaster county, lying on the east side of the Susquehanna river, and would put Sam- uel Blunston and the inhabitants of Donegal, out of their houses; and would pass through the Province of Pennsyl- vania to Philadelphia-and Cressap desired persons to re- quest the Maryland Governor's people to assist him there- in." The Governor, in his folly, did assist him; for, in December, he did aid him not with fifty men only, but with three hundred men, in arms, for that purpose."
* September, Tuesday, 22, 1735, Robert Buchanan, Esq., high sher- iff of Lancaster, and the under sheriff, John Powell, accompanied by their assistants, viz : Arthur Buchanan, Matthew George, John Mit chel and Alexander Mitchel, crossed the Susquehanna, without any arms, to execute writs on some debtors, on the west side of the Sus- quehanna-upon Andrew M'Gill, Jacob Lochman, blacksmith, being about seven miles west from the house of John Hendricks-the writs were served at the suit of William Branson, of Philadelphia, mer- chant, M'Gill had been sent on to jail, and while the sheriff and three of his assistants were bringing Lochman to jail-and when they were about three miles west of John Hendricks' house-one Mark Evans met them, and asked the sheriff where he was carrying Loch- man ? The sheriff said, for the want of bail, he would carry him to jail ; to this Evans replied, bail could be given. At this instant, twenty or thirty well armed men, appeared on horseback, among whom, be- · sides Evans, were Risner, Clapsaddle, Crowl, Weyman, Kens and Schutz-they fell upon the sheriff and his aids, in a most furious and violent manner-they beat and wounded them severely-rescued Lochman-put the sheriff and his associates to flight; but the sheriff's horse failing him, he fell again into their hands, and was severely beaten-he escaped at the great peril of life .- Minutes of the Provin- cial Council, iii., 664, 665.
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HISTORY OF YORK COUNTY.
Cressap repeatedly declared, " if the sheriff and officers of Maryland could not remove John Wright, or cause him to abandon his improvements on the west side of the Susque- hanna, near John Hendricks' plantation, that he would burn Wright's house over his head." He further declared, in December, 1735, " that, before he was six months older, he would bring up cannons, and batter down the houses of some of the inhabitants in Lancaster county, on the east side of the river; and particularly Samuel Blunston's house, stand- ing opposite Wright's."
Cressap's threats were, hitherto, little regarded; but were, however, soon followed by more flagrant attempts by the Marylanders, upon the rights of the Pennsylvanians; for, on the 6th of May, 1736, Cressap, with about twenty men, armed with muskets, pistols, blunderbusses and cutlasses, escorted the Maryland surveyor, with his assistants, to make a survey on the Susquehanna, within the Province of Pennsylvania. Cressap declared this was done by the au- thority of Lord Baltimore. " The Pennsylvanians told him, that land had been surveyed long ago, and regularly re- turned into the Pennsylvania Land Office. They said they should not regard that. The Pennsylvanians asked them why they brought all those armed men. They bade him to ask Cressap. They did so. Cressap replied, he had orders from Governor Ogle to raise the militia, and guard the sur- veyor from the Pennsylvanians. The Pennsylvania people asked why they came so far north, beyond any of their usual extensions, for that now they were several miles north of Philadelphia; and told the surveyor, they themselves knew they were surveying land in Pennsylvania. The sur- veyor answered that was none of his business, he was to follow the Governor of Maryland's orders. Cressap, seeing more persons coming from Mr. Wright's, ordered his trum- peter to sound, and his men to draw together, and stand to
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HISTORY OF YORK COUNTY.
their arms, though none of the Pennsylvanians, who were come, or coming, liad any arms at all, except one gentleman, a hanger by his side. There came on, to Cressap's assist- ance, ten or twelve more of Cressap's men, mostly armed ; and insulted the Pennsylvanians; and the surveyor and his company proceeded, in that forcible way."
In the month of August, Gordon, the late Governor of Pennsylvania, died; soon after his death, the Marylanders pushed their invasions to an alarming extent-" About fifty or sixty persons, heads of the German families, addressed Governor Ogle, August 11, 1736, complaining of the op- pressions they had met with from Maryland-different from the Maryland tenants -- which made them conclude that the Governor and magistrates of Maryland themselves did not believe them to be settled in their Province; but that they had been seduced and made use of, first by promises, and then by threats and punishment, to answer purposes which were unjustifiable, and would end in their ruin; wherefore, they, with many of their neighbors, being at last truly sen- sible of the wrong they had done the Pennsylvania proprie- tors, in settling on their lands without paying obedience to their government, did resolve to return to their duty, and live under the laws and government of Pennsylvania, in which they believed themselves seated; and that they would adhere to, till the contrary should be determined by a legal decision of the disputed bounds; and their honest and just intention they desired to be made known to the Maryland Governor."
Two days after writing to Governor Ogle, forty-seven of them signed and sent a petition to Mr. Logan, President of the Council, at Philadelphia, setting forth that they had been deceived, through their ignorance, to settle under Ma- ryland; and had particularly been told that the river was the division-that they had been illy used-that they were 4*
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HISTORY OF YORK COUNTY ..
now informed that not the river, but an east and west line across the river, must be the division; and observing that the people on the east side of the river, inhabitants of Penn- sylvania, who live much more southward than they, enjoyed their possessions peaceably, without any claim from Mary- land, they saw they had been imposed upon, to answer some purpose from Maryland, and that they were not settled within that province, as made to believe; from a sense whereof, and of the wrong they were doing to Pennsylvania, they resolved to return to their duty, and prayed the Presi- dent of the Council to impute their late errors to their want of better information, and to receive them into protection of the Pennsylvania laws and government, to which they pro- « mised all faithful obedience for the future."
They were according to their own voluntary petition re- ceived as tenants of Pennsylvania .. This course exceedingly exasperated the Marylanders-they now resorted to sterner measures for the purpose of ejecting the "miscreants" from their possessions. Previous, however, to any further open ruptures, some correspondence took place between Governor Ogle and Mr. Logan.
" August 31, 1736, Governor Ogle wrote to President Logan, and inclosed him a copy of what had been sent him by the German settlers, and insinuated, that though he was unwilling to believe the Pennsylvania government would support such behavior, yet he apprehended it must have ta- ken its rise from the encouragement and prevalency of some magistrates of that government.
" Whereupon, the two principal agents who managed for all those persons, were examined before two justices, and solemnly declared that their return to Pennsylvania was made of the people's own mere motion and free will, without any previous persuasion, or threatening, or compulsion from the the magistrates, or any other person, to their knowledge;
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HISTORY OF YORK COUNTY.
and that the said letter to the Governor of Maryland, was written at their own request."
Cressap, it appears, was privy to all what was going on; ror he was heard to repeatedly declare, that he was waiting for a great many armed men from Maryland, to aid him in taking prisoners, all those who lived between John Wright' ferry and Codorus creek, because they refused to acknáre ledge themselves the tenants of Lord Baltimore, "and'te de- then, and till then, he would waylay both the roadev. Mr. der to take them-he declared that he would sus petition, flats and canoes that belonged to Wright, thagent-in all should come over the river to their assistangn settlements out threats made before, he exhibited some Inded with more he declared was to make matches with, i; the former."
the roof of John Wright's house, to Scheme had proceeded the people should fly thither for shehen of which, had too
In the meantime, " the militia jern in the event to act and mustered by Nathaniel Righscheme was, to pick up a for twelve hours; and the colc" other new-comers, who as common soldiers, in the Gove of their own; and to promise seemed unwilling, whereupc drive out these Germans, they want of duty to the Goveds, buildings and improvements !! number of men out of historrid and barbarous, this scheme, under a penalty of fifty 'and their wives and children out then next, with arms, covements, was to be executed as call, each man, to marer began, in the severe winters of by declared that if the je cold is most intense."
submit to Maryland, ther of men were picked up, and they
They had now prepa, by the help of Mr. Henderson, pe- sions. On Sunday the r lands, which, if he would grant up from Maryland, and defend the same, and Lord Balti- beating and trumpets ith their lives and fortunes, and Go- at Susquehanna, near
tenant vassal, by which he consents to re- men who came up, bla superior.
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HISTORY OF YORK COUNTY.
bances that had been in those parts, and said they were not obliged to fight against the Pennsylvanians in Cressap's be- half.
Cressap became exasperated, and swore " they were only afraid of their mother's calves-skins, and that it was la,ord Baltimore's right he was maintaining; and he disre- purtded them, for he had the Governor of Maryland's order withinhat he did." He frequently called Colonel Hall, who whereof; ded the three hundred militia, a "damned coward," they resolvtering him to fire with a blunderbuss upon the dent of the Cu people, who were coming over the river in a of better inform.
the Pennsylvaniacut leaden bars, and declared those were to mised all faithful obns-upon the company coming over the
They were accordifressap marched his men to the river in ceived as tenants of Pemblunderbuss. They seized two per- exasperated the Marylandas, under pretence there was some measures for the purpose ofinds reward against them. They their possessions. Previous,eople, but were refused. The ruptures, some correspondence"nd on their defence-the mi- Ogle and Mr. Logan. t and took pewter and linen
" August 31, 1736, Governorretence of some public dues Logan, and inclosed him a copy ol-and finding force and by the German settlers, and insinu¿ employed a person to go unwilling to believe the Pennsylvaabitants, and acquaint support such behavior, yet he apprehyland, he would engage ken its rise from the encouragement ale boundary line should magistrates of that government.
" Whereupon, the two principal agg on, the president and all those persons, were examined beclamation, commanding solemnly declared that their returnto in the meantime wrote of the people's own mere motion and nst these riotous pro- previous persuasion, or threatening, oletriment of the Penn- the magistrates, or any other person-hannah; declaring in
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HISTORY OF YORK COUNTY.
their letters to the Governor of Maryland, that the president and council "knew nothing at all, nor had the least hand in advising or influencing the attorment* of those Germans, but could obtain no sort of redress." Only a temporary stop of these violent proceedings followed.
So restless were they, however, on the part of Maryland, that a new scheme was put on foot-aggressive rioters are ever full of schemes. This scheme was started by the "de- puty governor and council of Maryland-by the Rev. Mr. Henderson, the first petitioner in the clergy's cross petition, and by Thomas Cressap, the ' great agitator'-agent-in all these troubles, still to get away these German settlements by force; and this scheme was to be attended with more shocking circumstances and cruelties than the former."
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