Historical sketch of Franklin County, Pennsylvania

I. H. [From Old Catalog] M'Cauley, The Library Of Congress

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feiplt.Class Book COPYRIGHT DEPOSITHISTORICAL SKETCH OP Franklin County, Pennsylvania. PREPARED FOR THE CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION, HELD AT JulyGhambersburg, Pa., 4, 1876. By II.I. M'CAIILEY. 'Incompleteness pervades all things human."—Dryden. SECOND EDITION—ENLARGED. HARIIISBURG, PA.: PATRIOT PUBLISHING COMPANY. 18t8.Entered according to of Congress, byact in the year 1878, I. H. M'CAULEY, In the OflBce of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington, D. C.Hl^ PREFATORY. has not at-The undersigned, in the following "Sketch," History of our county. He hastempted to give a complete sought, chiefly, to bring to notice those matters which have escaped the attention of former writers. In doing this, his the loss of Publiclabors have been greatlyaugmented by the Records the county, and the destruction of private papers,of in the great fire of July 30th, 1864. He trusts, however, that withhe has brought together many things connected the Past, the general reader and in thethat cannot fail to interest ; 7c] Lists jngressional, Judicial and other Public Oflicers ofof C , times, he believes the people will find a Record both3t iful and interesting. returns his sincere thanksThe undersigned hereby to Hon. hn B. Linn, Deputy Secretary of the Commonwealth ; xiiomas M'Camant, Esq., his Chief Clerk,^ and B. F. Chand- ler, Esq., of the same office 0. H. Miller, Esq., State Libra- ; assistant; M.rian, and J. R. Orwig, Esq., his B. Nead, Esq., Auditor General's Office Dr. Wm. H. Egle, of Harris-of the ; burg Robert M. Agnew, Esq., of Lancaster Hon. Edward; ; Maclay, Dr.M'Pherson, of Gettysburg; Dr. C. T. Wm. C. Dr. Wm. Boyle, and the various gentlemen ofLane and H. the local committees of our county, and others of our citizens, for the valuable aid given by them in furnishing information of his labors.and materials needed in the prosecution I. H. M'CAULEY, 1876. Chambersburg, Pa.November,a SKETCH.HISTORICAL I. BEFORE THE COUNTY'S FORMATION. inThe discover}' of Americaby Christopher Columbus 1492, greatest value to the rulers of Europe, in that itwas of the of getting rid, for the time at least,furnished to them a means dangerous spirits frequent-ofmany of the restless, unruly, and discoverying their Courts, by sending them off on voyages of new world. Such enterprises always possessed attrac-to the alluring character to such persons, as theytions of the most in plunder and untold increase of honor.promised ricli rewards lands of theThe mode of acquiring title to the unknoAvn moreWest, then in vogue, had in itmoreof form thanof fact— might than of right. It consisted in authorizing some boldof warrior, to seize upon and claim fornavigator, or renowned acting, any andthe sovereign under whose authority he was all imsettled countries he might find, and the mode of opera- sometion, is well known, was to land upon the coast, or inas emblazoned with the insignia of hisbay or river, plant a cross claim all the regions aroundnationality, unfurl his flag, and claimants.for his own monarch, to the exclusion of all other In this consisted the vaunted "Right of Prior Discover}'"— kingly "squatter sovereignt}'"—a term much knownkind of free States into and quarreled over by the people of these years not long since passed away. It seems as if the discovery of America was made in ad- necessities of the world, for near two centuriesvance of the passed away before the vast territories thus opened up to forsettlement and cultivation became available any real good to the mass of mankind. During tliese long years the New World witnessed many a scene of rapine and bloodshed, com- the followers of those knights of the sword andmitted by pistol, themusquetoon and the cannon, whom the discoveriesby were made. The French, the Spanish, the Germans, and the English contended for the supremacy all along the coast fromHISTORICAL SKETCH OF FHANKLIN COUNTY.6 Mexico, and their monarchs lavishlyLabrador to the Gulf of domains to favorite courtiers, or togranted awa}' princely for friendship, and at othertroublesome subjects, sometimes always in greattimes for monc}^, of which "latter they were need. GRANT TO WILLIAM PENN, Charles of EnglandActing upon both these principles, II. ofon the 4th day of March, primarily for a debt £16,-1681, (or about of our money) owing by his father,000 $80,000 Admiral Sir William Penn, deceased, the fatherCharles I., to the latter a district of countryof William Penn, granted to Ij'ing west of the Delaware river, and corresponding very nearly to the territory embraced in the present State of Penn- sj'lvania or"Penn'sWoods"—whichname theKingbestowed— of the father of the new proprietor, andupon it in honor Thus our whole Commonwealth,against his protestations. ofcontaining over twenty-eight millions of acres, (28,362,880) the most beautiful and valuable land on the continent of America was l^artered away b}' King Charles for a sum not present price of half a dozen farms in our valley.equal to the of England, wasThe Duke of York, afterwards James II. then the owner of the territory now embraced in the State of Delaware, under a grant from his brother, King Charles II., and Penn, who wished to have free access to themade in 1664, his new possessions, purchased it from him in the suc-sea from for many afterceeding year. Thus it came that years the es- tablishment of Penn's government here, Delaware, or the three lower counties of "Xew Castle, Kent and Sussex," were in- formed part of the territory of Pennsylvania.cluded in and his grant fromWilliam Penn, at the time he received King Charles II., was about thirty-seven years of age. He was a man of elegant presence, of large wealth, of fair education, deeply imbued with the principles of his religious sect.and persecuted time and again because of his religiousHe had been fined, and had appealed,opinions had been imprisoned and ; without success, to Parliament for toleration and protection for his co-religionists and for himself. Despairing of success at home, Penn was the mord anxious home for his persecuted brethren in the Newto secure a numbers them had alreadyAVorld, to which considerable of