USA > Pennsylvania > York County > History of York County, Pennsylvania : from the earliest period to the present time, divided into general, special, township and borough histories, with a biographical department appended > Part 64
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Ninth District .- Composed of the town- ships of Dover and Conewago: John Sharp, commission not recorded; John Bull, De-
cember 3, 1799; Henry Stover, February 15, 1809; William Caldwell, January 20, 1814; John McCreary, June 10, 1823; John Aughen- baugh, December 9, 1823; Ross Bull, Decem . ber 13, 1823.
Tenth District .- Composed of the town- ship of Paradise: William Ziegler, August 25, 1796; Henry Meyer, June 11, 1809; Ja- cob Ernst, June 11, 1810; Henry Buse, April 4, 1823.
Eleventh District .- Composed of the town- ships of Manchester and West Manchester: Yost Herbach, December 19, 1794; George Philip Ziegler, May 21, 1799; Andrew Rit- ter, December 3, 1799; John Weyer, June 18, 1800;Frederick Eichelberger, January 7,1808; John Quickell, December 19, 1808; Adam Wolff, March 24, 1817; John Weyer, April 2, 1818; Jacob Smyser, June 12, 1822; Charles Bishop, March 26, 1824; Anthony Dessen- berger, February 6, 1833; Samuel C. Bon- ham, March 25, 1838.
Twelfth District .- Composed of the town- ships of Hellam and Windsor and part of Spring Garden: Henry Tyson, April 10, 1793; Samuel Jago, June 20, 1797; Jacob Leibhart, December 10, 1799; Henry Leibhart, June 18, 1800; Christian Rathfon, January 2, 1804; Anthony Hines, April 1, 1806; Matthias Baker, March 13, 1809; John Welschans, March 29, 1813; William Wilson, March 2, 1818; William White, March 2, 1821; Chris- tian Hamaker, March 2, 1822; Samuel John- son, March 26, 1824; Jacob Fries, March 26, 1824; John Ruby, February 25, 1828; Adam Paules, August 3, 1829; George Addig, June 7, 1830; George Shenberger, May 23, 1833; Samuel Landes, July 18, 1834.
Thirteenth District .- Composed of the township of Hopewell: William Smith,* Andrew Duncan, (commission not recorded); Thomas Jordan, August 10, 1800; John Smith, August 16, 1821; Adam Ebaugh, Feb- ruary 6, 1834; Henry Fulton, February 11, 1834; Sampson Smith, April 2, 1834.
Fourteenth District .- Composed of the townships of Fawn and Peach Bottom: John Gibson, (commission not recorded;) John Boyd, March 17, 1799; William Ander- son, March 29, 1808; James Walton, March 29, 1808; John Livingston, December 20, 1810; Samuel Jordan, December 5, 1815; James Wilson, January 24, 1818; James
*Esq. Smith is mentioned in the report of the commissioners October 27, 1803; and they describe his residence as heing nearly in the central part of Hopewell Township. When his commission as a justice of the peace for Hopewell was issued, cannot be found; hut on December 7, 1764, he was for the first time commissioned as a judge of the courts of York County, and after the revolution he was commissioned to the same on June 10, 1777, and on September 17, 1784. This upright magistrate, and unshaken friend of his country in the days of her darkest adversity, died in October, 1818, in the eightieth year of his age.
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Johnson, March 1, 1820; Robert Cunning- ham, March 31, 1823; William Coulston, December 9, 1823; Joseph James, March 26, 1824; James Ramsey, March 5, 1830; Samuel Irwin, July 8, 1830; Joseph Bennet, April 4, 1832; Thomas Henderson, February 20, 1834. .
PUBLIC INTERNAL IMPROVEMENTS.
TRADERS' ROUTES.
B EFORE permanent settlements were made by the whites west of Susque- hanna, there were traders' and missionary routes, crossing this country from north to south, and from east to west. These generally followed the Indian trails, of which there were several through the present limits of York County. One of these trails extended over what is now McCall's ferry road; another over the line of what after was known as the Monocacy road, through York and Hanover westward. One from the mouth of Fishing Creek, at Goldsboro, through the valleys to the mouth of Yel- low Breeches. Pack horse travel was very common in early days of York County. For nearly half a century after first settlements were made, much of the transporting of goods was done by means of pack horses. Huge sacks, wallets and baskets or panniers were constructed for such purposes. In this way produce was taken to Lancaster, York, Balti- more and Philadelphia. Horsemen would be seen almost surrounded with poultry, flax, butter, pork, etc .; even live calves and sheep were thus "taken to market." Much of the merchandise was transported in the same manner. An old record says as many as 500 pack horses were at one time in Carlisle, and possibly nearly the same number in York, at a very early day, all on their way westward or southward.
Some of them carried "bars of iron, crooked over and around their bodies; barrels or kegs were hung on either side of these. Pack horses were generally led in divisions of ten to fifteen horse, each horse carrying about 200 weight, going single file and managed by two men, one going before the leader, and the other to the rear of the last horse. Pack horses generally had bells on them, which were kept from jingling during the daytime, and were put on them at night while at pasture.
Wagons came into use very early in
southern Pennsylvania. Of course they had been in use for centuries in Europe, but they were too expensive to transport. It will be noticed in an article to follow this, that wagon roads were opened in York County as early as 1745. Sleds were put into promi- nent use during the winter season; hundreds of them came to York at one time as early as 1760. There was much opposition to the opening of wagon roads by owners of pack horses. As an evidence however that wagons were abundant in York County very early, from official records it is known that in 1755 Benjamin Franklin, then postmaster general of Pennsylvania, obtained 150 wagons, 250 pack horses in York, Lancaster and Cumber- land Counties for Braddock's expedition to Fort Duquesne, now Pittsburgh.
Many of the first wagons made by our fore- fathers, were entirely of wood; the wheels formed by sawing the trunks of huge gum, hickory or white oak trees.
EARLY ROADS.
The road from Lancaster to the plantations of John Wright (Columbia) was laid out in 1734. An Indian trail and a route for pack horse travel and for missionaries was used, which extended across the territory, now em- braced in York County, to western Maryland and Virginia many years before 1739. It was during that year however, that, under the authority of the Lancaster court, this route, long known as the Monocacy road, was opened upon the petition of numerous settlers west of the Susquehanna in the present limits of York County.
The viewers to locate this important road were Joshua Minshall, Francis Worley, Henry Hendricks, Christian Crawl, Michael Tanner and Woolrich Whisler. The road began on the line between the lands of John Wright, Jr., and Samuel Taylor (now Wrightsville); thence west 500 perches, south 72°, west 562 perches to Crawl's Run, south 70°, west 430 perches to a marked white oak, west 76 perches to Canoe Run, south 68°, west 454 perches, west 994 perches to west branch of Grist (Kruetz) Creek, west 544 perches to Little Codorus (Stoney Run), west 684 perches to Big Codorus (York, not yet laid out), continuing westward across Perrin's Run, 1} miles southwest of York, & mile farther to Springer's field, 1} miles farther to the " point of a steep hill;" thence west to Loreman's Run, to Christian Oyster's (Eyster's, near Wolf's Church) land, to Nicholas Coucher's Run, to west branch of Codorus Creek, to John Link's Run, by "the Barrens" to Conrad Low's plantation, west
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HISTORY OF YORK COUNTY.
41 miles to Adam Forney's land (now the site of Hanover); thence nearly due southwest by Kitzmiller's mill, on Conewago Creek, to the provincial line. The entire length of the road was 34 miles, 290 perches. It soon be- came a prominent highway of travel from the east to the south and southwest. This route was taken by Gen. Wayne on his trip with his 900 American patriots on their way to Yorktown, Va., during the Revolution, and the route taken for transporting Hessian and British prisoners to Maryland during the same war; also the course of Gens. St. Clair and Wayne, in 1792, on their way to Ohio to quell the Indian troubles there. During the war of 1812, when the British Army occupied Washington and were threatening Baltimore, immense trains of wagons, conveying cotton from Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, and other points in the South, used this route on their way to Philadelphia and New York.
It was the first road laid out within the present limits of York County under the au- thority of Pennsylvania.
A petition of citizens of Manheim and Heidelberg, 1766, sets forth that "the road from Conewago Settlement (now Hanover) to Baltimore Town was laid out thirty years be- fore, or in 1736, by order of Baltimore Coun- ty Court, before the temporary line between the two provinces was run, and this was then thought to belong to Maryland; since the running of which line there is abont ten miles on north side of line of as useful a road as perhaps any in the Province of Pennsylva- nia, and not on record in this province."
Henry Slagle, Esq., Michael Danner, Rich- ard McCallister, Cooper Reineka, Christian Millheimer and Marks Forney were appoint- ed by the court "to view the road that it might be recorded." It began at the dwell -. ing house of Michael Carl, north of Hanover, and extended nearly due south over the line of the present Hanover & Baltimore turn- pike. Being laid out first in 1736, it was the first road in the county.
At the November session of court at Lan- caster in 1741 a number of inhabitants near Codorus Creek petitioned for a road the near- est way from "the new town on the Great Codorus (York) to William Smith's patented land under Maryland." Smith's land was ten miles and thirty nine perches south of York. The wishes of the petitioners were granted, and the court appointed Woolrich Whisler, Mi chael Krieger, Michael Tanner, Michael Rolke, Adam Miller and George Copel to view and lay out the road. Their report was confirmed in February, 1742. The road began at a Spanish oak on Smith's land, extended nearly
due north by way of Woolrich Whisler's mill, which was about two and one fourth miles south of York, and must have been one of the first mills in the county. From thence it ex- tended to the "end of the street, leading to the place intended for a court-house in the town of York, and joining the road to John Wright's ferry." This road was laid out the year after the founding of the town of York.
On the 4th day of May, 1742, in answer to petition, Robert McClure, Benjamin Cham- bers, Hance Hamilton, Patrick Carson, and William Bayley were appointed, and soon af- ter laid out a road (the report of which was confirmed), extending from Walnut Bottom, now in Cumberland County, across the Yel- low Breeches Creek at present site of Lisburn to Nathan Hussey's ferry, near the site of Goldsboro. Its entire length according to draft was thirty miles. During August of the following year the report of John Noblet, Joseph Bennett, Joseph Green and James Crawford was confirmed, laying out a road "seven and three-fourth miles in length, from Nathan Hussey's ferry to Thomas Wilkin's ferry, over the Susquehanna below the mouth of Conewago Creek."
Upon receiving two petitions signed by many citizens from the Marsh Creek settle- ment (Gettysburg) and vicinity, William Rud- dock, Richard Proctor, John Sharp, Benjamin Chambers and James Ruddock were appointed to view and lay out a road to York and Lan- caster. It was soon after opened, and corre- sponded very nearly to the route of the pres- ent York and Gettysburg pike.
The following petition is for the first pub- lic highway southward to the town of York. It was long known as "the Newberry Road."
The Humble Petition of the Inhabitants of New- berry and Manchester and others of the West Side of the Sisquehanna river to the Honorable Bench, the Justices now Sitting att Lancaster most humbly Sheweth.
Whereas We your humble Petitioners, having great need of a Wagon road to york-town, therefore we humbly pray the Honorable court that we may have a road Laid Out the nearest and best way from John Day's Mill to ye said york-town and we your petitiouers, as in Duty bound, Shall Pray.
10 mo., 12 da., 1745.
Nathan Hussey, Robert Hodgin,
John Day, John Hussey,
John Garretson,
Charles Jonas,
Joseph Bennett,
John Snell,
Peter Stout,
Bartholomew Maul,
James Frazer, Adam Niller,
Thomas Rogers, George Allbright,
Patrick Carson,
George Swope,
Andrew Rodgers.
This road started thirteen miles north from York, at John Day's mill crossed the townships of Newberry and Manchester to
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York. It passed William Ewing's mill eight miles from York.
John Day became the first president court justice of York County. He was a Quaker, Nathan Hussey, also of the same religious faith, became one of the commissioners to lay off York County.
Upon the petition of sundry inhabitants of Warrington, Monahan, Dover and Man- chester townships for a road from Isaac Rutledge's mill to the town of York, the Lan- caster Court appointed Francis Worley, Matthew Lambert, Peter Cook, Baltzer Knetzer and Henry Clark to view and lay out the road. They made their report to the court which was confirmed at the October Quarter Session, 1747. The road began at Rutledge's mill on the Yellow Breeches (the first mill in that section). From that point to Street (Straight) Hill, in Warrington Town- ship, with devious courses was ten miles. It continued from thence across Conewago Creek and top of mountain to York, and corresponded nearly to the present road through Dover, Wellsville and Dillsburg and what is since known as the State road.
In 1748 a joint petition, with many signers of the "townships of Hallam and Donegal, was presented to the Court at Lancaster for a road from Anderson's Ferry (Glatz') to join the road from John Wright's ferry to York." On the petition the names of all signers from Donegal are Scotch-Irish, and all except two of Hallam, German. The viewers ap- pointed to open the road were George Swope, John Kelly, Lazarus Lowry, Martin Schultz, and James Patterson. The road was sur- veyed and opened by order of the Lancaster Court April, 1749.
In January 4, 1810, in pursuance of an act of assembly, John G. Bull, Anthony Hinkle, and Anthony Slaymaker were appointed com- missioners to view the road from John Park's House in Chester County through Strasburg, Lancaster County to McCall's Ferry on the Susquehanna, thence southwest to Mary- land. It was opened as a State road, and was intended as a through route from Phila- delphia to Baltimore and Washington. A route very similar to this one had been opened as early as 1748 from Stevenson's ferry (McCall's) to Potapsco, now Baltimore.
The following is a petition for what after- ward became the first road from the south- east toward York. It was the last of the roads laid out by the authority of the Lan- caster Court.
To ye Worshipfull Justices of the County of Lan- caster now sitting the Borough of Lancaster:
The petitioners Having frequent occasion to The Town of New York (meaning the new town of
York) and No roads Being Made Amongst us, it is very Difficult for your Petitioners To Travell Es- pecially in ye Winter for Reason of ye Swamps and Savannahs, That is hetwixt us and said Town of York. Therefore we your petitioners, Humbly crave That your Worships Would Be Pleased To Grant an order for laying out and making of a Road from John Nelson's ferry to ye 4 said Town of New York.
Therefore, your Petitioners Pray that your Wor- ship your Wisdom would be pleased to Take the Pettition into Consideration, and order your Petition- ers What you shall Think Proper, and your Peti- tioners as in Duty Bound shall Pray.
May Sessions, 1749.
Daniel Laverty, John Nelson,
Paul Martin, Alex. Nelson,
John Campbell, Morton Mahaffey,
Edward McMahon, Finley Gray,
Manasa Lamb, James McCartley,
Thomas Carson, Benjamin Saylor,
John Carson,
Daniel Johnson,
William Buchanuan, Thomas Johnson,
Charles Caldwell, James Anderson,
Hugh Ross, William Anderson,
Matthew Long,
George Baughman.
The names of these petitioners are all of English or Scotch-Irish origin, except the last one, which is, doubtless, German. They were some of the first settlers, having only been living there a few years. The petition asks for a road from Nelson's ferry (now Mc- Call's) to York. Action was taken by the court, during the May sessions of 1749, and Charles Caldwell, John Campbell, Robert Smart, William Buchanan, Robert Morton and Nathaniel Morgan appointed to view and lay out the road. Their report was made and confirmed at the next session of the Lancaster Court. Its courses and distances nearly correspond to the present Peachbot- tom public road.
The Honorable pettition of the people, the Inhab- itants on the Branches of the Burmudian, in Mona- han Township.
To the Honorable, the court at Lancaster, now Sitting. we, your humble pettitionars take leave to inform you of our great Disadvantage we labor un- der, for want of a Road being Made or opened from our settlement to York Town. it being our Nighest & best way to Lancaster &-Philadelphia, our places of market, & likewise our Court. We humbly peti- tion your Court, that you would grant us an order from your court to open said Road sufficient for wagons to Travel between Archibald McAllister's Mill and York, and that you would appoint such men as you see best, as prospectors and overseers of said road. We remembering the favours granted to us by your honours already Comfort our selves in the hope of your granting in this favor, & we, as in Duty bound, shall Ever pray.
April 7, Anno Domino 1749. John Griest, James Pettit,
Audrew Miller, Edward How.
Henry Wilson, Joseph Dennis,
Charles Coulson, John Douglass,
Matthew Dill,
John Lease,
Tho. Dill, Mathew Mellon,
Wm. Underwood, Edward Robbards,
John Hendricks, Rich'd Cox,
Thomas Pettit, Alexander Underwood,
Caleb Hendricks,
Jacob Beals,
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HISTORY OF YORK COUNTY.
John Jesper, William Beals, James Hendricks, Samuel Cox, Abraham Nesbitt,
John Powell,
John Brandon.
This petition being made the same year that York County was formed, the Lancaster Court deferred the matter, whereupon a simi- lar petition, which was the first presented to the York Court upon its organization after the erection of the county, was granted, and the road ordered to be opened from "McAllister's mill, on the Bermudian Creek, to the town of York." The viewers were John Beales, Will- iam Cox, John Greist, Abraham Lerew, John Lease and James Pettit. This route is what is at present known as the "Shippensburg road." McAllister's mill was in what is now Adams County. The names were all signed in well written English.
Upon the petition of Joshua Lowe and others, a road was laid in April, 1750, from his ferry, at what is now York Haven, from Lancaster to Shippensburg. It passed through the site of the present villages of New- berry, Lewisberry and Lisburn. In early history it was a prominent route of travel. In 1794 many of the soldiers, going to quell the whisky insurrection in western Pennsyl- vania, passed over it.
In January, 1752, Nathan Morgan, John Griffith, Alexander Wallace, Hugh White- ford and Archibald White were appointed to "view and lay out a road from Peach Bottom ferry, so called, to York. They reported at the June session of court that, after viewing said road, are of the opinion that there is a necessity for such road; but the season of the year being so unfit for tak. ing the courses and distances, and being a very busy time for farmers, they asked to have the return of the report made at next session of court. The same year the order was granted to open a road to York to join a road from Chanceford to same point already laid out. A temporary private road was laid out from Peach Bottom Ferry to join the Ashmore Ferry road, in 1749, to York under the authorities of the Lancaster Court before the formation of York County.
The road above mentioned, extending south from York to Smith's patented land, was declared "to be crooked and hilly, and a good wagon road was needed over more level ground." A petition was pre- sented to court in 1765 to extend it to "the temporary line toward Joppa and Potapsco." Joppa, now a small village on the Gunpowder River, a few miles east of Baltimore, was then the most important town in Baltimore County, and the county seat.
The same year, 1752, a road was laid out
from George Crogan's place, near the mouth of the Yellow Breeches, to Cesna's fording place by Frazer's mill on same creek; length, three and one third miles. A road was peti- tioned for in 1752 to pass through Newberry and Warrington from Frazer's mill through the gap in the mountain to intersect the road leading from Rosebury's mill to York between the creeks of Beaver and Conewago. Henry Willis, Allen Robinet, John Farmer, Thomas Heald and Joseph Bennet viewed and opened it.
Jacob Miller and sundry inhabitants in and around York petitioned, for a road from his mill to York Town. The mill was located about one mile northeast of York.
In 1753, the inhabitants of Warrington and Paradise secured the opening of a road from " Christopher Hussey's mill in Warrington, to John Lane's mill, and from thence through the Pidgeon Hills so as to fall in the road that leads to Potapsco." Pidgeon Hills were named after Joseph Pidgeon, an English sur- veyor from Philadelphia County, who assisted in laying off the first townships in York County. Potapsco is now Baltimore.
Alexander McCandless, Nathaniel Morgan and Hugh Whiteford in 1753 laid out a road from Robert Morton's plantation, in Chance- ford, toward Rock Run and the temporary line. Upon the petition of Peter Wolf and sundry persons, the Monocacy road was changed from its course in 1754, to avoid hills, at a distance five miles west from York, where it forks with the Marsh Creek Road.
On September 27,1754 Conrad Holtzbaum, Baltzer Spangler, Henry Hendricks and Hugh Low presented to the court at York, Patrick Watson president justice, a report of a road review from York, through the townships of York and Shrewsbury to the temporary line between the provinces of Pennsylvania and Maryland. The length of this road accord- ing to their survey was 183 miles. Beginning "at the court house door," it extended nearly in a due south direction. The report was confirmed.
Abraham Burkholder established a ferry across the Susquehanna in the year 1762. In 1766 he petitioned for a road from his ferry "to William Nicholson's mill at the forks of Muddy Creek, and thence to the road lead- ing to Potapsco." The viewers were Thomas Scott, David Kirkpatrick, John McCall, Will- iam Edgar, and William Gemmill. A road had been laid from Stevenson's ferry (now McCall's) to Read's mill, thence to Leeper's mill, about ten years before.
In October 1765 "a bridge road was opened from Nicholas Wierman's mill to the great
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road leading through Warrington from Car- lisle to Baltimore, and along said road to the old Friend's meeting house road and along said meeting house road unto Rev. Samuel Thompson's meeting house."
Petitions, in 1769, from a number of peo- ple called Quakers of the townships of New- berry, Warrington, Huntingdon, Tyrone and Menallen, were presented for a road leading westward through the different townships mentioned, for them to pass and repass to and from their different places of worship; to be- gin at McGrew's mill, thence along by the meeting houses at Huntingdon (York Springs) and Warrington, and to intersect the road leading from Low's Ferry to Car- lisle, at or near the Newberry meeting house. The road was opened by John Blackburn, Ellis Lewis, Charles Coleson, Robert Nelson, and James Rankin. It terminated near the present village of Newberry. A petition of sundry inhabitants of York County was pre- sented to court January, 1769, for a road for the passage of large wagons from Tate's ferry and William Willis' mill, into the great road from Carlisle to York near widow Noblet's house, which would be some miles nearer for the Baltimore trade."
The same year a petition was presented for division of Chanceford and Windsor town- ships, and from parts of both to form a new township, to be called Rossel Township; not granted.
In April, 1769, inhabitants of Hellam, Windsor, and Chanceford requested that a road be inade from Hellam Forge at mouth of Codorus across said townships toward Rock Run and Baltimore Townships and join the road already laid out to John Fin- ly's tavern. Viewers were appointed and road opened. It is still known as the "old Baltimore road."
In 1769 citizens of York and Codorus townships asked for the opening of a road in behalf of Thomas Usher and Joseph Donald- son, who, "at a great expense, had erected a merchant mill on the land formerly owned by Zachariah Shugart near lands of David Jami- son, Esq., Henry Spangler and Michael Hanks. This road would be of great advan- tage to the town of York." The road was opened.
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