A 1732 map of New England, New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, from the Library of Congress. The map was drawn by Herman Moll, a London cartographer. The Susquehanna River is identified on the map, but very little detail is given about the area around the river, particularly on the eastern bank where settlement was taking place at the time.
In researching the history of what is presently Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, no single individual has been identified as the first “white” settler of that area. One version of the county history was published in 1877. In it, the author stated that the Scotch-Irish, which he referred to as a “race,” were the first white settlers. Little is said about the actual first inhabitants, except in mentioning their relinquishment of claims to the “lands south of the Blue Mountain” in 1736, their granting permission to men such as John Harris to settle there, and that the Lancaster County Court recommended “fit” persons to trade with them [the Indians] in 1729, John Harris named among them. However, a latter chapter on the French and Indian War goes into more detail about the clashes between the white settlers and the Indians.
The chapter on “First Settlement of the County” is presented in this blog post.
The text below is from George H. Morgan‘s Centennial of the Settlement, Formation and Progress of Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, from 1785 to 1876, published in 1877 by the Telegraph Steam Book and Job Printing House. The book is available as a free download from the Internet Archive.
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FIRST SETTLEMENT OF THE COUNTY
The first permanent settlers in the territory now forming the county of Dauphin were Scotch-Irish — an enterprising and daring race, who for many years defended the frontiers against the Indians, and were conspicuous in many of the sanguinary scenes of border warfare. The term Scotch-Irish is used to designate a numerous and honorable people, who immigrated to the Province of Pennsylvania at an early date.
A distinguished jurist of western Pennsylvania, describes the race, and how this distinctive appellation came to be applied to this class of early settlers in Pennsylvania:
The class of people to whom we give the appellative Scotch-Irish, are very different from the Irish. Neither are they Gaelic, nor a cross of the two races. Not a drop of Gaelic or Milessan blood lurks in their veins. They are as distinct to-day [1876] as they were 250 years ago; having maintained their Scotch lineage unalloyed…. As a race, they are only denizens of Ireland, to which they were transplanted from Scotland…. Moreover, the early Scotch colonists were a select stock. Many of them, though not lords, were lairds, and the bulk of them were men of grit, enterprise and above the average intelligence.
This emigration to Ulster, Ireland, began in 1636, was continued under the first Charles, 1642 — was increased in 1662; and under Anne, 1701, the migration to Pennsylvania commenced, which in 1729, had grown to such proportions as to alarm the proprietary officials, particularly as the emigrants settled on the “best lands,” commonly without consulting any of the provincial authorities. These Scotch-Irish and their descendants qave to the country some of the best soldiers of the Revolution, and the institutions and industries they brought with them, are with us until this day.
The first of these that immigrated to this country, settled near or about the disputed lands between Pennsylvania and Maryland. Large numbers settled in Donegal Township, Lancaster County, either prior to or soon after the origination of that township in 1722. Among these were [surnames] Semple, Patterson, Scott, Mitchell, Hendrick, Speer, Galbreath, Anderson, Lowery, Boyd, Alexander, MacFarlane, Pedan, Porter, Sterrit, Kerr, Works, Lytle, Whitehill, Campbell, Moor, Smith, McEwen, Ransay, Gibson, Cotter, McIntyre, Cook, Howard, Clark, McClellan, Clendenin, Brackan, Wilson, Allison, Hall, Stuart, Thompson, Hugh Linn, Brown, Collins, Andrews Corster, Banes, McConkey, Carothers, McClure, Marchet, Patton, Potts, Reas, Fulton, McCollock, Brewer, Kelly and Walker.
From Donegal the Scotch-Irish extended their settlements into Paxton, Derry, Londonderry, Lebanon and Hanover Townships, Lancaster County (now Dauphin and part of Lebanon).
It is impossible to determine with any degree of accuracy the name of the first permanent white settler, or the date of his settlement in the territory bow comprising Dauphin County. The claims of the Indians were not not relinquished to the land south of the Blue Mountain until 1736; yet it is certain that surveys were actually made by the Governors of Pennsylvania and Maryland, and settlements made in the Kittatinny and Cumberland Valleys as early as 1731. These settlements, however, were made by permission of the Indians, whom the first settlers conciliated. The credit of being the pioneer settler is generally awarded to John Harris, a native of Yorkshire, England, who in his capacity as an Indian trader is said to have located on the present site of the city of Harrisburg, “about the year 1717.” His first warrant for land, however, is dated January 1, 1726. We shall allude more at length to Mr. Harris in our description of the City of Harrisburg.
The permanent settlers, contemporary with Harris, were the Chambers family — James Chambers, Robert Chambers, Joseph Chambers and Benjamin Chambers — natives of Antrim, Ireland — who in 1726 took up land and built a mill at the mouth of Fishing Creek, now known as Fort Hunter. A few years later that removed up the Cumberland Valley, and became quite conspicuous characters in the early annals of that regions. Co. Benjamin Chambers laid out the town of Chambersburg.
Perhaps as early a settler as either of those was Peter Allen, whose house yet stands in excellent preservation, where it did on the ninth of June, 1729, when the “Township of Peshtank, Beginning at the mouth of Swatara, thence up the river to Kohtohtoning [Kittatinny] Hill, above Peter Allen’s, thence Eastward,” &c., was formed by the authorities of Lancaster County. To erect a stone house in 1876 takes some time, it may therefore be fairly inferred, that Allen’s house must have been erected before 1729; its owner probably the first permanent white settler north of Paxton Creek — and certainly, this particular house is the oldest building in Dauphin County.
There appears to have been an extensive body of settlers in parts of the townships of Derry, Hanover and Paxton in 1726, as the Presbyterian Churches existed in each of those townships soon after that period.
The earliest list of taxable we have been able to secure is that of 1725 — prior to the formation of Lancaster County and of the townships of Paxtang and Derry. It is a portion of Donegal Township, Chester County. These names are as follows:
James Letort, Jonas Davenport, George Stewart Esq., Rowland Chambers, John Allison, Thomas Mitchell, James Conik, David McCure, James Smith, William Brains, Ephraim Moor, Samuel Fulton, Patrick Campbell, John Harris, Thomas Wilkins, Robert Middleton, William Wilkins, Peter Allen, James Galbraith, John Galbraith, Andrew Galbraith, John Mitchell, Richard Allison, James Kile, James Cunningham, Widow Downing, James Brownlee, William Hay, James Rody, Hugh White, Thomas Black, John Black & Son, Gordon Howard, Joseph Work, Hugh McKeen, Alexander Hutchinson, Michael Kerr, John Taylor, John Marish, William Dunlap, Robert Bohannon, William Mebee, James Mitchell, Robert McFarland, John Sterratt, Robert Brown, Samuel Smith, Alexander McKeen, Robert Monda , William Bohannon, Michael Wood, John Burt, John Gardner.
At the August court, 1729, at Lancaster, James Patterson, Edmond Cartlidge, Peter Chartier, John Lawrence, Jonas Davenport, Oliver Wallis, Patrick Boyd, Lazarus Lowrey, William Dunlap, William Beswick, John Wilkins, Thomas Perrin and John Harris, were recommended to the Governor as fit persons to trade with the Indians.
The following is from the Commissioners’ Book of Lancaster county in the Secretary’s office at Harrisburg:
March 5, 1730. Ordered that Thomas Gardner, constable of Peshtank, be allowed 18 pence. Taxes assessed in said township for 1736 amounted to £22 10s. 7d. For 1737, £21 2s. 10d Samuel Montgomery was collector that year. For 1739, £13 5s. 9d. William McMullin, collector. For 1740, £9 13s. 8d. John Wilson, collector.
October 30, 1739. The county commissioners agreed to hold an appeal January 4, 1739-40 at Thomas Lenox‘s, in Paxton, for the upper end of Lancaster.
January 8, 1744. The commissioners held an appeal at the house of John Harris, in the township of Paxton.
December 30, 1947. The commissioners again held an appeal at the house of John Harris.
Some time previous to 1750 the townships of Derry, Paxton and Hanover were divided for taxable purposes, the former into “West End of Derry,” and “East End of Derry;” Paxton into “West side of Paxton,” “South End of Paxton,” and the “Narrows of Paxton;” and Hanover into “West End of Hanover” and “East End of Hanover.”
[Then followed the lists of names for each division. Presented below are the names of the three divisions of Paxton. For the complete list, refer to the free copy of the work available from the Internet Archive].
Paxton – South End.
William Kirkpatrick, Thomas King, Thomas Menys, William Steele, Robert Tyler, Hugh Stuart, Peter Fleming, John Shields, Kennedy Kanix, John Gray, William Harris, Richard McClure, John Wilson, Oliver Wiley, Samuel Galbreath, Martin Schultz, David Shields, Moses Dickey, H. McKinney, H. Sellers, Valentine Starn, Thomas Dugan, Alexander Brown, James Lusk, John Means, Andrew Hanna, George Shiets, Timothy McNight, William Shaarp, H. McElroy, John Johnson, Charles Cordon, John Montgomery, Timothy Shaw, Matthew Jordan, Andrew Huston, Samuel Words, John Welsh, Alexander White, John Morrow, James McNight, Francis Johnson, James Wilson, William Dickey, Patrick Kinney.
The “Narrows” of Paxton. The taxable and early settlers along the Susquehanna northward, were:
John Kelton, Mr. Murray, Robert Armstrong, Thomas Gaston, William Foster, Thomas Clark, John McKee, Robert Clark, Thomas Adams, Harbert Adams, john Watt, George Clark, James reed, James English, John Given, James Baskins, Thomas McKee, Charles Williams, John Mitchell, John Lee, a trader.
Paxton – West Side.
William Thorn, Hugh Montgomery, Robert Dugan, Thomas Sturgon, John Johnson, John Harris, James McNight, James Reed, James Armstrong, Robert Chambers, John Davis, James Harris, David Carson, William McCalley, Thomas Simpson, James Polke, James Potts, George Gillespy, Alexander McCay, John Cavit, Alexander Caldwell, John Scott, Samuel Price, Patrick Gillespy, Jeremiah Sturgeon, Robert Montgomery, John Caldwell, Robert Smith, Samuel Simpson, Samuel Martin, Thomas McArthur, James Collier, Thomas Larner, Andrew Stuart, Samuel Campbell, Alexander Sanders, Robert Curry, Moses Wain, Joseph Ross, John Smith, James Thorn, William Armstrong, Robert Porterfield, Matthew Thornton, William Rogers, William Thompson, Samuel Todd, George Johnson, John Brown, John McCavit, Thomas French, James French, James Finney, Thomas Sharp, John Sharp, John Dobbins, Mr. McCowen, John Hill, Philip Robeson, James Brown, William Erwin, Samuel Barnet, Alexander Montgomery, Thomas Bell, Samuel Robeson, john Henry, Thomas McClure, William Barnet, Andrew Wallace, Richard Johnston, Josias Wiley, John Snodey, John Cooper, Thomas Cooper, Francis McClure, Michael Neal, H, Hart, Robert Humes, James Robinson, James Rippert, Mathew Snody, John McCormick, James Wilson, John Strean, Robert Park, Hugh Wilson, James Wilson, Robert Wallace, Robert Snodgrass, William Laird, John Hutchinson, Samuel Young, James Finney, John McNealy, James McConnel, Thomas Russell, Charles McClure, John Wood, Matthew Tyler, Andrew Walker, Robert Martin, James Wilson, George Miller, John Miller, John McClure, William Cooper, Thomas Martin, John Stuart, Thomas Robeson, James Wallace, Michael Wallace.
The above lists represent nearly all the taxable inhabitants residing in the territory now covered by Dauphin County one hundred and twenty-six years ago. They were the fathers of our county — the men who climbed among the hills with their axes to cut away room for cabins sacred to family prayer and domestic duties; to sow for the good future to come; whose children foddered their cattle in the snows, and built stone fence while the corn was sprouting in the hills; where the good housewive made coats, cooked the meals, and in cased of necessity, handled the rifle in defence of her fireside; these are the men and women out of whom “we draw our royal lineage.”
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Corrections and additional information should be added as comments to this post.