USA > Pennsylvania > Washington County > History of Washington County, Pennsylvania : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men > Part 50
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" .. . Colo. Hayes, who was present on Committee, was Zealous to proceed against all opposition, but all to no purpose, other than to en- rage the Mob still more; they proceeded to dare us to trial of their Resolution aud intention. I have just now been with General Irwin, who is well disposed to render every Service in his power, but as a Con- tinental Officer he cannot interfere without instructions for that purpose. In short every measure has been taken that might be thought prudent but to no purpose. Their obstinacy is such that they will never submit until destruction overtakes them.
" I have therefore to request that you will devise some mode that it may be accomplished speedily, as the Enemies of this State are daily
10 Ibid., 533, 549.
11 Ibid., 562.
12 Ibid., 554.
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CIVIL AND LEGAL-THE RUNNING OF THE PERMANENT BOUNDARY.
encreasing, and I find it is out of my power, unless a Commissioner from Virginia should appear, to proceed without open war, which, if you are determined upon, you'll please to give me instructions agreeably, together with the Necessary Powers. I am just now informed that a meeting of some of the former subjects of Virginia has been lately Re- quested to choose Officers to resume the Government in this place, the Result of which I am not able to inform you."
With the foregoing report was the following record of the conference had with the " Mob or Banditti of Villains" referred to :
" MOUTH OF DUNKARD CREEK, June 10th, 1782.
" At a meeting of the Commissioners on the Part of Pennsylvania, the 10th Day of June, one Thousand Seven Hundred and Eighty- Two.
" Present Alexander McClean, Esq., Commissionera
and Samuel McClean, Asst. Surveyor. f for Running the Line.
" With the Several Drafts of the Militia of the 3d and 4th Battalions of Westmoreland County, under the Command of Col. Benjamin Davis, etc.
"When a number of the Inhabitants of Washington County, holding themselves yet under the Jurisdiction of the State of Virginia, appeared in Opposition to us under Arms. And as the meeting of Parties in such cases Inraged with Passion are frequently attended [with ?] Evil Conse- quences it was thought Proper to appoint a Committee to Confer on the Causes or Reasons of said Opposition ; on which Henry Vanmeter, Jesse Pigman, and George Newland, of the Opposite Partie, were appointed a Committee to Confer with us; and Christopher Hays, Henry Beason, and Alexander McClean, a Committee on behalf of Pennsylvania. After Producing the Several Papers and Instructions, Together with Corresponding Letters of the Council of Virginia, The said Committee on part of Virginia Refuse to Concur with the Committee of Pennsyl- vania in the Measure, until finally Determined or Proclaimed to be agreeable to the State of Virginia, other than through forceable or Dangerous Measures, Which might be attended with Consequences truly Evil.
" In Witness that it is the full Intention of the Party we represent, We, as a Committee, do Sign our Names for them the Day and year aforesaid.
"HENRY VANMETER, " JESSE PIGMAN, "GEORGE NEWLAND.1
" True Copy, "E. COOK."
The executive of Pennsylvania having received the Virginia resolution of June 1st, and Mr. McClean's report of June 27th, on July 18, 1782,2 appointed the "4th day of November next to run the line between the States of Pennsylvania and Virginia, agreeably to said resolution, and that a guard of one hundred militia be ordered to attend the Commissioners while on that duty." Governor Harrison on August 1st appointed Col. Joseph Neville" as " the surveyor on the part of this State to extend the boundary Line of the two States, agreeable to the Resolution of our Assembly, and [ I] have ordered one hundred Militia from the County of Hampshire to attend them as a Guard."
On the appointed day and in the required manner, with "chill November's surly blasts" soughing among the forests and hills along the southern boundary of Washington County, did Alexander McClean and Joseph Neville with their guard of two hundred militia perform the duty assigned them of running
and marking a temporary line, according to the terms agreed upon, on the south and west between Penn- sylvania and Virginia. Mr. McClean made report of the proceedings on Feb. 19, 1783, and on March 26th following, John Dickinson, the 1783. then president of the Supreme Executive Council, issued his proclamation,4 giving notice to all persons within the Pennsylvania jurisdiction, no longer in doubt, "to take notice of the proceedings aforesaid, and to pay due obedience to the laws of this Commonwealth."
The Running of the Permanent Boundary .- The General Assembly of Pennsylvania, on March 22, 1783,5 had approved the report and confirmed the temporary line as run by Messrs. McClean and Neville, which action was communicated by President Dickin- son to Governor Harrison on March 27th, the day after the issuance of the foregoing proclamation. One would have thought that the two contending States, having run and marked a temporary line which all perhaps must have known could not have been far from the true boundary as had been agreed upon, the jurisdictional controversy would have ended with peace among the people. Not so. There were two causes still existing productive of continued dis- sension. One was disputes of the bitterest nature arising out of conflicting claims to the same lands by settlers on account of "improvements" made under the laws of one or the other of the two States. The fierceness of this contention, when the hand of the executive power lay lightly, can easily be conceived. Another serious difficulty was the entry of prosecu- tions in our courts against the Virginia militia offi- cers, who, with severe rigor, enforced the compulsory service of persons drafted by them for Gen. Clarke's expedition in 1781.6 Remonstrances were made to the Virginia government by her late adherents com- plaining that the compact made upon the subject of private rights in the boundary agreement was not ob- served, and that the Pennsylvania government was persecuting by criminal suits the officers of militia who had but obeyed executive instructions. On June 12, 1783, Governor Harrison wrote to President Dickinson,7 transmitting the remonstrance and call- ing attention to the nature of the charges made. This communication received the consideration of the Council, and a reply was made on July 3d,8
1 All residents of Washington, now Greene County. See subsequent letter from McClean, IX. Penn. Archives, 585.
2 XIII. Col. Records, 334.
8 IX. Penn. Archives, 607.
+ XIII. Col. Records, 541.
6 X. Penn. Archives, 8.
6 Col. James Marshel wrote President Reed, Aug. 8, 1781, with refer- ence to elections for the organization of the Pennsylvania militia: "I Judged it most prudent to postpone the Election until that event [the running of the line] Should happen, or until the departure of the armed Banditti Under the General [Clarke] that then awed the good people of this County, and were Chasing such of the Inhabitants as Pentecost, Shepherd, and Evans, the Lieutenants of Youghagaini, Monongalia & Ohio, were pleased to point out by way of drafting as fit to go with the general. . . . "-IX. Penn. Archives, 343; II. Ibid., 78, 80.
7 X. Penn. Archives, 56.
8 XI. Ibid., 499.
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HISTORY OF WASHINGTON COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA.
promising that, "As the Honor of Pennsylvania requires the strictest attention to the obligations of publick Faith, we shall take such Measures as shall be judged most proper to demonstrate the purity of | INSTRUCTIONS TO THE PENNSYLVANIA COMMISSIONERS.G our intentions and the rectitude of our proceedings." | " IN COUNCIL, PHILADELPHIA, March 26th, 1784. " GENTLEMEN,- Immediately afterward Thomas Scott, the prothono- tary and clerk of Washington County, was informed " With this letter you will receive a Certificate of the act of Council respecting your appointment duly authenticated. of the proceedings, the letter of Governor Harrison " We confide in your abilities and attention, that the very transmitted to him, and a full report on the facts was , important business committed to your charge will be performed 1784. requested. This report,1 which clearly showed that in the best manner. there had been no just ground for complaint, having been received, was laid before the General Assembly " Your first employment after the necessary astronomical observations, we presume, will be the Extension of Mason's and Dixon's line, due West five degrees of Longitude. This extended line we desire to have marked by Stones properly prepared and fixed in the ground, at the dis- tance of five miles from one another, every stone to be inscribed with its distance from the River Delaware. The southwest corner of the State should be marked with a large Stone, well fixed, and by a consid- erable heap of smaller stones around it. The bearings and distance of near & remarkable objects around it should be taken & be mentioned in the Report of proceedings. The line from thence to the Northern Limit of the State should be marked as the Southern boundary is to be, com- puting the distance to be inscribed upon each Stone therein from the Southwest Corner. of Pennsylvania, which body, on Aug. 28, 1783,2 pro- nounced the remonstrance and complaints frivolous and unwarrantable, and adopted a resolution requir- ing the Supreme Executive Council to correspond with the executive of Virginia upon the subject of the permanent boundary line and the mode and time for establishing the same, and authorizing the imme- diate appointment of commissioners to act with others to be appointed on the part of Virginia in running said line, "this house being sincerely disposed finally to ascertain the boundary between the two States as speedily as possible."
On Sept. 11, 1783,3 the Supreme Executive Council proceeded to act upon the foregoing resolution. It was determined to appoint four commissioners imme- diately, with directions to provide the necessary astronomical apparatus, and to correspond with those to be appointed by the State of Virginia for the same purpose. The same day Rev. John Ewing,. D.D., David Rittenhouse, Esq., the State treasurer, John Lukens, Esq., surveyor-general, and Thomas Hutch- ins, Esq., were appointed the Pennsylvania commis- sioners. The Governor of Virginia, on November 10th, responded to a notification of this appointment, and named as the commissioners appointed on the part of that State Rev. James Madison, Rev. Robert Andrews, Hon. John Page, and Thomas Lewis.4 It will be observed that two of the commissioners on each side had been members of the Baltimore com- mission in 1779. The time agreed upon for running and marking the line was the 1st day of June next, and as it was the intention to run the meridian line, which would extend north of the Ohio River, notice was given to Congress of the time and place of meeting.5
All things now seem auspicious for a final termina- tion to the long controversy. The American Revo- lution is become a fact accomplished, a definite treaty of peace has been made, and henceforward there is an end to border troubles arising out of the boundary controversy. As the actual running of the permanent line is a matter of great interest, scientific as well as political, and as that line formed the southern
boundary of Washington County for fifteen years after its organization, it will be proper to give the official record of the proceedings :
" We hope that such a peace will be established with the Indians be- fore you arrive at the Ohio in running the Western boundary, that you may safely proceed in that work to its northern Extremity. In that Case, we wish you to ascertain the Northwestern Corner of this State by astronomical observations in the Latitude of forty-three degrees, and to mark that as the Southwest Corner is to be.
" We have given Notice to Congress of your appointment as Commis- sioners to make these surveys; and if any should be appointed on their part, you will be pleased to act in conjunction with them. As you Gen- tlemen in the Execution of this Commission, will travel over many parts of the Country, We cannot but ardently wish that you may em- brace the opportunity of making every observation and obtaining all possible information concerning the situation and courses of Rivers, Streams, Hills, and Mountains, that may be of the least use in assisting the publick Councils, on the very interesting subjects of forming the most advantageous communications by roads and canals between the different parts of the State.
"We have appointed Colonel Andrew Porter to attend you as Com- missary under your direction. He is to purchase before you set out the articles of which a list is enclosed,7 except such as can be obtained from the publick stores, procure provisions at the places of operation, hire necessary labourers, and to render a just and true account of the Monies expended.
" I am Gentlemen, " with great Esteem and Regard, " your obedient and very humble Servant, " JOHN DICKINSON."
PENNSYLVANIA COMMISSIONERS TO PRESIDENT DICKINSON,8
" SIR,
"We have considered the proposals made to us, by the Executive Council, and are unanimously of opinion that it will be inconsistent with the business for us to have anything to do with providing Necessaries for ourselves, or with being dependent on the Humor of a Commissary, so that unless it be part of his duty to provide for us, we cannot under- take the Work. And when we reflect upon the accuracy necessary for the accomplishment of the Work, the constant attention to the obser- vations both Night and Day, the frequent interruptions of our natural Rest, the daily Fatigue we must undergo, the Danger of losing our Health and above all the regard we ought to have to our Characters with all the Gentlemen of Astronomical Knowledge in Europe, whose Eyes will be turned upon us, and who will expect from us all that Pre- cision, that can be derived from the greatest astronomical Discoveries that have yet been made; We expect that the Supreme Executive Coun-
1 X. Penn. Archives, 65, 72, 78, 80, 171, 174.
2 X. Penn. Archives, 95; XIII. Col. Records, 672, 685. 3 XIII. Col. Records, 685.
4 X. Penn. Archives, 145. 5 Ibid., 223.
6 Ibid., 230.
7 This list included 120 gallons spirits, 40 gallons brandy, and 80 gal- lons Madeira wine, 200 pounds loaf sugar, 2 dozen hame, with a liberal supply of other articles .- X. Penn. Archives, 573. The commissioners must have lived well.
9 X. Penn. Archives, 233.
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CIVIL AND LEGAL-THE RUNNING OF THE PERMANENT BOUNDARY.
cil will enable us to meet the Commissioners from Virginia upon oqual Terms: which, we have good Reason to believe, is for Six Dollars per Day, and all their Expenses paid by the State.
" We are with greatest Respect, Sir,
"your very humble Servanta,
" JOHN EWING.
" DAV. RITTENHOUSE.
" JOHN LUKENS.
" THOMAS HUTCHINS.
" PHILADELPHIA,
"30th March, 1784."
PENNSYLVANIA COMMISSIONERS TO SUP. Ex. COUNCIL.1
" GENTLEMEN,
" The time of our Departure from Philadelphia drawing near, it is necessary that the Commissary should be employed in looking out for the articles that may be wanted. As the Council have signified to us that they would be glad to know who would be agreeable to us in this Expedition, we would inform them that it appears probable to us, that Coll. Porter, from his long Experience in the army, and his knowledge of the most Economical and ready way of supplying a number of Men with the Necessaries would auswer the Expectations of the Council and of the Commissioners, as well as any Person they can think of at present. He has informed us that if the Council will appoint him, he will go with us, and he is acquainted with the Terms which you have proposed.
" With Respect to the Provision to be made for the Commissioners, we have expressed our Sentiments fully in our last letter to Council, and we have agreed to undertake the Business, and hope to accomplish the Work in such a manner as will give satisfaction to the State and answer the Expectations of Gentlemen of science in Europe, if the Council do not wish to have Men of greater abilities employed; in which Case we will cheerfully resign the Business into the Hands of any others that may appear to the honorable Council to be better qualified for the Work, or more eligible on the whole.
" An anxious Desire to gratify the astronomical World in the per- formance of a Problem which has never yet been attempted in any Country, by a Precision and Accuracy that would do no Dishonour to onr Characters, while it prevents the State of Pennsylvania from the Chance of Losing many hundred Thousands of Acres, secured to it by our agreement at Baltimore, has induced us to suffer our Names to be mentioned in the accomplishment of the Work. We assure you that the lucrative motives that might have Influence with us, in other Cir- cumstances, have not sufficient Weight to engage us in so difficult a Work, that will separate us from our Families for half a year, and sub- ject most of us to Fatigues to which we have not been accustomed.
"And we cannot persuade ourselves that the State of Pennsylvania will avail itself if this Desire, to subject us to the mortifying Circum- stance of meeting with the Commissioners from Virginia upon any unequal Terms. However, we submit the whole affair to the consideration of the honorable Council, and if upon our Return from the work it should be found that the Commissioners from Virginia have been employed on the same Terms, we shall perfectly acquiesce; as we look for no more than an Equality with them.
" We are, Gentlemen, " with great respect, " your most obed't h'ble servants,
"JOHN EWING. " DAV. RITTENHOUSE. " THO. HUTCHINS.
" PHILADELPHIA, April 7th, 1784."
REPORT OF PENNSYLVANIA COMMISSIONERS."
" To his Excellency JOHN DICKINSON, ESQ., President of the State, & To the honorable the Supreme Executive Council of the Commonwealth of Penn- sylvania.
" The Commissioners appointed for ascertaining the Length of five De- grees of Longitude and for determining and fixing the Boundary Lines between this State and Virginia by Astronomical Observations, beg Leave to Report,
" That after procuring the necessary Instruments, according to the Directions of Council in the preceding Spring, we sett off for our respec- tive Places of Observation about the Beginning of June, Messrs Ritten- house and Lukens to Wilmington, and Ewing and Hutchins to the South Western Corner of the State.
"The observers at Wilmington completed their Observatory, and furnished it with the necessary Instruments, so as to begin their astro-
1 X. Penn. Archives, 236.
2 Ibid., 375.
nomical Operations, in Conjunction with Memy Page and Andres .. Commissioners from Virginia, about the Beginning of July; where they continued observing the Eclipses of Jupiter's Satellites, UH the 29th of September, that they might have a sufficient Number of them, both be- fore and after his opposition to the Sun ; And altho' the Summer proved very unfavorable for astronomical purposes, they were fortunate enough to make, amongst them, near 60 observations of these Beliggen, hessen many other Observations of the other heavenly Bodies for the Regula- tion of their Clock and fixing their Meridian Line; so that they were well ascertained of their Time to a single Second.
" In the mean Time, the other Observers, setting out from Philadelphia, pursued their Rout, to the South Western Extremity of the State, where they arrived about the middle of July, having been greatly retarded by the Badness of the Roads through that mountainous Country. There they met with Messrs Mudison and Ellicott, the Commissioners from the State of Virginia, who had arrived about the same Time. With all pos- sible Dispatch, they erected their Observatory on a very high Hill at the place where the Continuation of Mesers Mason and Dixon's Line by Messrs. Neville and McClean Ended; supposing that this place would prove to be near to the Western Extremity of five Degrees of Longitude from the River Delaware. After erecting their Instruments, which had not sustained the least Damage, by the Carriage through so long a Jour- ney, and the most unfavorable Roads, they began their astronomical Ob- servations about the middle of July, and they continued them Night and Day till the 20th of September following. Although they were fre- quently interrupted and disappointed by an uncommon quantity of Rain and Foggy Weather, which seems peculiar to that hilly Country, yet by their Attention to the Business of their Mission, they made between 40 and 50 Observations of the eclipses of Jupiter's Satellites, many of which were correspondent with the Observations made by the other Astrono- mers at Wilmington ; besides innumerable Observations of the Sun and Stars for the Regulation of their Time Pieces and the marking of their Meridian with the greatest Precision.
" In this part of their work, situated near 30 miles beyond any of the Inhabitants, the Commissioners were greatly assisted by the Diligence and indefatigable activity of Coll. Porter, their Commissary, to whose Industry in providing every Thing necessary, and prudence in managing the Business of his Department with the utmost Ĺ’Economy, the State is greatly indebted.
"The Astronomical Observation, being compleated on the 20th of Sep- tember, the Eastern astronomers set out to meet the other Commissioners in the West, in order to compare them together. Messrs. Rittenhouse and Andrews carried with them the Observations made at Wilmington, while Messrs. Lukens and Page returned home, not being able to endure the Fatigues of so long a Journey, nor the subsequent labour of running aud marking the Boundary line. Mr. Madison continued with the Western Astronomers till the arrival of Messrs Rittenhouse and An- drews, when the affairs of his Family and publick Station obliged him to relinquish the Business at this Stage, and return Home, after concur- ring with the other Commissioners as to the principles on which the matter was finally determined.
" Upon Comparison of the Observations made at both Extremities of our Southern Boundary, your Commissioners have the pleasure of as- suring you, that no Discouragements arising from the unfavourable State of the Weather, or the unavoidable Fatigues of Constant application by Day and frequent Watchings by Night, have prevented them from em- bracing every opportunity, and making a sufficient Number of Astro- nomical Observations, to determine the Length of five Degrees of Lon- gitude with greater precision than could be attained by terrestrial Measures of a Degree of Latitude in different places of the Earth: and furtber, that they have completed their Observations with so much ac- curacy and certainty as to remove from their Minds every degree of doubt concerning their final determination of the South Western Corner of the State.
"In the Result of the Calculations, they found that their observatories were distant from each other twenty minutes and one second and an eighth part of a Second of Time. But as the Observatory at Wilming- ton was fixed at 114 Chains, 13 Links West of the Intersection of the Boundary Line of this State with the River Delaware; and as 20 Minutes of Time are equivalent to five Degrees of Longitude, they made the nec- essary Correction for the said 114 Chains, 13 Links, and also for the said one Second and one eighth part of a second, which is equal to 19 Chains and 96 Links; and accordingly fixed and marked the South Western Corner of the State in the manner mentioned in the joint agreement and Report of the Commissioners of both States under their, Hands and Seals, which we have the Honour of laying before the Council.
" After these calculations were made, the Commissioners proceeded
202
HISTORY OF WASHINGTON COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA.
with all convenient Dispatch to the place where Mason and Dixon form- erly were Interrupted by the Indian Nation in running the southern Boundary of this State, in order to extend the said Boundary Westward to the length of five Degrees from the River Delaware. Being prevented by rainy weather for near a week from making any astronomical obser- vations in order to ascertain the Direction of the Parallel of Latitude, which we were to extend we concluded, to save Time and Expense, that it would be eligible to take the last Direction of Mason and Dixon's Line, and to correct it, if necessary, when we should have an opportunity of a serene Sky. Upon extending the Line in this Manner 195 Chains from the place where they ended their work, we found by astronomical observations that we were 32 feet and five inches North of the true par- allel, and we accordingly made the necessary Correction here and marked a Tree with the Letters P. on the North side and V. on the South, From thence we assumed a new direction, which we again corrected in like manner at the distance of 575 Chains where we found our line to be 73 feet and 6 inches North of the Parallel of Latitude. We made the offset accordingly and planted a large post in the true parallel marked as above. From thence we found another direction by calculation, which beginning at the said post should at the Distance of eight Miles from it, intersect the said Parallel, making offsets at convenient distances, and planting Posts in the true Parallel. This direction being continued 33 Chains farther than the eight miles above mentioned, fell 23 inches South of the Parallel, where we also planted a post in the true Boundary marked as before; and from thence to the South West Corner of the State we assumed a new direction which being continued, fell two feet and eight inches South of the said Corner. This correction therefore being made, we planted a Squared White Oak Post in the said Point, and marked its bearings from Different Objects, as mentioned in our joint report. Besides the Marking of the Boundary Line by the Posts and Stones above mentioned ; your Commissioners took care to have a Vista of 20 or 30 feet wide cut over all the most remarkable Ridges which were in the direction of the Parallel.
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