The Early Settlement and Population
of Lancaster County and City.
It is to be regretted that our fathers
and grandfathers were so indifferent
to the important events of their time,
to the many stirring scenes and occur-
rences of that early period, as not to
have put them on record for the in-
struction and entertainment of those
who were to come after them. Among
them were men strong of mind, vigor-
ous of intellect, students of history
and well equipped in every way to
picture for us the many stirring inci-
dents and experiences that must have
fallen into their lives. And yet, the
fact is, that of all the men who lived
and died in this city and county be-
tween 1730 and 1825 there is hardly
one who has left behind him an auto-
biography, memoir or diary of the
events that fell into the first hundred
years of our recorded history.
There is so much that we would like
to know, so much of interest to us
now, but which must ever remain un*
revealed, that I sometimes feel that I
cannot forgive those old-time worthies
for their indifference to the needs and
wants of their posterity. It is very
true that much has come down to us,
but indirectly and unintentionally.
They led busy lives, each one in his
chosen path, but when the times and
the occasion demanded it lent their
services to the public weal and it is
through official letters and public
documents that most of what we know
concerning them has reached us.
Blot out, in your imagination, all
the Court House records, all the offi-
(152)
cial papers written by citizens of Lan-
caster before, during and after the
Revolutionary War, and what worth
the reading would there be left to us?
The remainder would hardly be worth
the preservation. We fail to under-
stand why those intelligent men did
not, for their own private satisfaction,
as well as for ours, their descendants,
pass down to us in tangible form the
story of their lives and times. The
student of our early local history is
confronted all along the way with un-
settled questions, matters merely
hinted at and doubts without number,
the solving of which will always re-
main to vex and puzzle him.
Indeed, I may almost say that we
have more direct information concern-
ing our ancient burg through the
notes and journals of strangers who
passed through the place or spent a
few days here than we have from
the men and women to the manner
born. How satisfactory, for example,
is the old journal of Witham Marshe,
of Maryland, written at the time of the
big treaty here, in 1744, or the follow-
ing extract from the diary of Lieuten-
ant Anbury, of the British Army, who
was brought here as a prisoner and
related what he saw. The following
extract, copied for me by Mr. Sener
from the manuscript diary In the
library at Harrisburg, will serve to
show how we appeared in the eyes of the
foreigners and what they had to say
about us:
Lieutenant Anbury's Account.
"December, 1778. At Lancaster met
with a curious reception. Story afloat
that the country round about was to
be given to Baron Reidesil as a reward
for his services. People excited and
had to be convinced to the contrary.
Lancaster was the largest inland)
town in the United States, containing
( 153 )
about 3,000 Germans and Scotch-Irish.
Most of the houses had an elevation
before the front door and were entered
by ascending high steps, resembling a
small balcony, with benches on both
sides, where the inhabitants sat and
took in the fresh air and viewed the
people passing. Many mechanics.
Three or four churches (7). Largest
pipe organ in America, built at Lititz,
now in use at the Lutheran Church.
Some of the officers went to see this
wonderful piece of mechanism, and
sent descriptions of it to their homes.
Manufacturer had made every part of
it with his own hands. It had not
only every pipe and stop, but had some
pipes of amazing circumference and
had keys to be played by the feet, in
addition to the regular keys." Such
contemporary details are historical in
the fullest sense of the word, and of
exceeding interest and value.
The story of our early local history
has been so often and so well told that
the subject has been worn almost
threadbare. In reality there is little
left to tell and my only intention in the
paper I am about to read is to en-
deavor to make clearer some few
points relating to the early settlement
and population of the county and city,
concerning which I have frequently
found there is, no little misapprehen-
sion. I have little regard for a class
of men, who, for want of a better
name, I may term hair-trigger his-
torians, who accept tradition for facts,
who jump at conclusions and so con-
found fiction with facts as to cast sus-
picion on all they say. Truth is said
to lie at the bottom of a well, but no
one knows how deep that well is until
he tries -to hoist the truth into the
light.
With this introduction, I shall now
proceed to take up the subject proper
of this paper, which deals with the
(154)
early settlement of the county and city
and the population of the same.
Confusion in Early Accounts.
Connected with early Lancaster
county is an interesting question that
deserves attention, not only because
it is germane to the location of the
county seat itself, but also because it
does not appear to have received the
attention its importance deserves.
We all know that Lacastern town was
laid out in the year following the erec-
tion of the county, that is, in 1730. We
are also aware that, prior to that time,
the best known man in the place was
a tavern-keeper, George Gibson by
name, whose place was rear a spring,
a big hickory tree standing near by it,
with a representation of the same on
the tavern sign. But who knows who
George Gibson was, where he came
from and when he came or even the
origin of the little information we
have concerning him and his tavern,
and much else connected with the
town, its name, settlement and popula-
tion? Whenever you come across
statements bearing on these questions
they appear with quotation marks at-
tached to them, indicating they have
been taken from some ancient author-
ity which is not mentioned, and is now
unknown.
Is there anywhere an authority,
written or printed, that clears up these
questions or even throws any light
upon them? I confess I have been
unable to discover any. Hazard, Day
and Rupp and Mombert all quote the
story, but they all give it at second
hand. The first named says: "When
first laid out there was one house in
it and that was a tavern, the occupant
being a man named Gibson." 1 That
is such a glaring misstatementastobe
'Hazard's Register, vol. 4, p. 391.
V 155)
almost ridiculous, as can be easily
proven. Again Hazard says: "When
Lancaster was laid out Governor Ham-
ilton offered two places, one known
as 'High Plain,' or 'Gibson's Pasture,*
and the other as the 'Roaring Brook,'
which was on the west. Both sites
were final ./ united and there was a
Black Swamp running through it" 2
That "Roaring Brook" was a con-
siderable water course in early times
may be inferred from the fact that a
stone bridge was thrown across it on
West King street by Councils in 1771,
which was the first bridge built within
the borough limits. Even as late as
1825 it must have been a brook of
some importance, for in that year
City Councils granted to Samuel Fah-
nestock, for a period of twent"-five
years, the use of the water in the
stream for some establishment he
was about to erect on lot? 335, 336,
337 and 338 fronting on Water street;
the water to be conveyed in pipes not
to exceed one foot in diameter and be
laid in the middle of the stream; with
the further privilege of erecting dams
12 inches high across the waterway. 3
Let me now direct your attention to
a quotation from Rupp's History of
the County, which is a-lso marked as
having been taken from an earlier
authority. He says: "Governor Ham-
ilton made an offer of two places, the
'Old Indian Field/ 'High Plain,' 'Gib-
son's Pasture,' 'Sanderson's Pas-
ture;' the other, 'Waving Hills,' em-
bosomed in wood, bounded by 'Roar-
ing Brook,' on the west. Gibson re-
sided near a fine spring with a large
hickory tree before his door. This
was the favorite tree of the Indian
tribe who lived in the vicinity, and
were called by the whites from that
^Hazard's Register, vol. 8, p. 60.
3 See ordinance passed by City Coun-
cils, on April 15, 1825.
(156)
circumstance the 'Hickory Indians.' " 4
There is confusion here which is
not easily straightened out. Were
these names, "Old Indian Field," "Gib-
son's Pasture," "High Plain" and
"Sanderson's Pasture," all applied to
the same piece of ground or did they
represent distinct parcels named after
different owners or after some other
special locality? And who was San-
derson himself? Hazard clearly says
the "High Plain," or Gibson's Pas-
ture," which would indicate that the
two names were applied to the same
piece of ground. Both Hazard and
Rupp agree in saying that Governor
Hamilton offered two places or sites
for the erection of the Court House
and Jail. Here again there is a con-
flict of authorities. The site finally
agreed upon for the public buildings
was found to be still vested in the
Penn heirs. How, then, could Gov-
ernor Hamilton have been able to
offer them to the county authorities
for their uses? However that may
be, the lands known by the above
names were evidently very small
tracts, because we know pretty defin-
itely that Gibson's tavern was located
on East King street, not far from the
Square, while "Roaring Brook," which
was the Water street creek, bounded
the second tract offered, "Waving
Hills," on the west. These two offer-
ed sites were not more than two
blocks distant from each other. The
inference, therefore, is that these
various "pastures" or fields were
merely small clearings in the woods
that then covered most of the Lancas-
ter-town site. Perhaps if we could
trace these early descriptions and
designations to their original sources
we would know more about them, but
that seems impossible at the present
Rupp's "History of Lancaster
County," p. 243.
( 157)
time. It is not improbable that both
Hazard and Rupp during their
searches among the State Archives
found some document or authority
from whence they drew their informa-
tion. It is well known that many doc-
uments have been lost or stolen from
the Archives, and there are still thou-
sands that are now being carefully
overhauled and bound, and this miss-
ing link may yet turn up. Until that
time comes we will, no doubt, con-
tinue to wander among these uncer-
tainties; for the present we have to
leave the question as we found it.
Town Site Occupied Before Gibson's
Time.
The common belief is that Gibson
was one of the earliest settlers, but
the belief also prevails that he was
not there long prior to the organiza-
tion of the county, that is, in 1729.
This latter view I do not believe ten-
able, Rupp says he kept tavern in 1722.
Gibson was undoubtedly himself a
squatter. It can not have been other-
wise, else his "Pasture" lot could not
have been in the ownership of the
Proprietaries, as the Commissioners
reported, nor could Hamilton have of-
fered it to the county for building pur-
poses. The fact is, Gibson disappears
as an innkeeper before 1729. His
name is not one of the nine who were
granted licenses at the August Quar-
ter Sessions in that year. Indeed, he
does not appear as a landholder until
1740. He was County Treasurer in
1730, and later a prominent member
of St. James' Episcopal Church.
It must not be inferred that, be-
cause Lancaster was not laid out un-
til 1730, there were no people living
here before that time. Such a view
is wholly erroneous. The Mennon-
ites, as we know, made their first set-
tlement on the Pequea in 1709, but
(158)
two years later they were followed by
other settlers, who went westward
beyond them, so that as early as 1712
there were already lands taken up on
whalt later became Lancaster town-
stead. That was at least ten years
before George Gibson and his Hickory
Tree Tavern appear on the scene. In-
deed, what use could there have been
for a tavern but the accommodation
of the traveling public, and that there
was a traveling public as well as a
stationary one to cater to I think can
be satisfactorily shown. The evi-
dence 'is overwhelming that as early
as 1717-1718, not only on the lands of
the site of Lancaster, but in the ad-
joining districts, on every side, there
was a thrifty and prosperous agricul-
tural population.
No White Settlers Before 1700.
It is a well-known fact that prior to
the year 1700 no white men had set-
tled within the territory now known as
Lancaster county. There were Indian
traders, however, who, under license
from the Proprietary Government, had
established trading posts at various
points for traffic with the aborigines. It
is sufficient for my purpose to name
only a few of the earliest of these
traders. The earliest were Canadian
Frenchmen, who, from their acquaint-
ance and relations to the Five Nations,
gradually found their way as far south
as Lancaster county, where some of
them established their headquarters.
Among these were Martin Chartiere,
his son, Peter, a troublesome fellow,
James Le Tort and Peter Bezallion.
Later the Scotch-Irish took up this line
of trade and some of the best known
names in our history were engaged
in it.
It was not until 1711 that we find
the first official recognition of the
planting of a colony of white men
( 159)
within the present borders of Lancas-
ter county. In June of that year, Gov-
ernor Gookin and several members of
the Assembly visited the Indians at
Conestoga, and the Governor made
the following brief address to the red
men assembled, after having made
them presents of powder, bullets and
cloth: "Governor Penn upon all occa-
sions is willing to show how great a
regard he bears to you; he, therefore,
has sent this small present (a fore-
runner of a greater one to come next
spring) to you, and hath required me
to acquaint you that he is about to
settle some people upon the branches
of the Potomac, and doubts not but the
same mutual friendship which has all
along as brothers passed betwixt the
inhabitants of this Government and
you, will also continue betwixt you
and those he is about to settle; he in-
tends to present fine belts of wampum
to the Five Nations, and one to you
of Conestoga,and requires your friend-
ship to THE PALATINES SETTLED
NEAR PEQUEA." To this the Indians
made answer that they were well
pleased with the Governor's speech,
but were afraid if the people spoken
of were settled near the Potomac, they
would not be safe, as they would be
between them (the Indians) and the
Tuscaroras, with whom they were at
war, and added, "As to the Palatines,
they are, in their opinion, safely
sealed." 5
Settlements Rapidly Developed.
From that time onwara the settle-
ment of Lancaster county progressed
with great rapidity. I shall direct at-
tention to the extent and the direc-
tion it took in order to show that
when George Gibson and Lancaster
town loomed up the county throughout
the greater part of its extent was
& Colonial Records, vol. 2, p. 533.
(160)
dotted with the farms and homes of
German, Scotch-Irish and Quaker set-
tlers.
One Rudy Mayer squatted on what
is probably the yery ground where
we are gathered to-night, as early
as 1712, and he had a number of
neighbors, Michael Shank, Jacob Im-
ble, Jacob Hostetter, John Mayer and
Henry Bare. Conestoga township
was organized and had regularly ap-
pointed officials in the same year. As
early as 1714 the tide of immigration,
following up the eastern side of the
Susquehanna, had reached the valley
of the Chiquesalunga, and the Done-
gal Presbyterian congregation was
organized in that year. 6 In 1715, the
Rev. Mr. Gillespie, of Chester county,
extended his pastoral labors as far
westward as Paxtang, near Harris-
burg. There was a burying ground
there as early as 1716, showing that
the frontier settlements had at that
early period gone far beyond Lancas-
ter. 7 East Donegal received its first
settlers in 1716, and seventy heads of
families were located there prior to
the erection of the county in 1729.
Settlements were made in Earl town-
ship as early as 1717, and in the same
years Lancaster township began filling
up. In that year Peter Lemon had
settled on the very land which now
comprises the County Poorhouse
farm. In the same year Dr. Neff, so
far as known, our first regular physi-
cian, located in the county.and erected
a mill. As early as 1717 as many as
5,000 acres of land had been applied
for in, and immediately around, the
site of Lancaster by German immi-
grants, and in that year Michael
G West's "Origin of Donegal and Car-
lisle Presbytery," quoted by Ziegler in
his "History of Donegal Church," p. 9.
7 Egle's "History of Paxtang Church,"
p. 5.
8 Ellis & Evans' "History of Lancas-
ter County," p. 905.
(161)
Shank, Theodorus Eby and others had
patented large tracts of land on the
town site. 9
Indians Become Alarmed.
So numerous had the settlers be-
come that in 1718 Conestoga town-
ship was cut off from Chester county
and erected into a township embracing
all the portions west of the Octorara
creek and along the eastern branches
of the Conestoga. The list of the
heads of families and single men is
still to be seen in the Commissioners'
office, and includes about 120 names.
In the same year, on a petition of the
inhabitants on and near the Cones-
toga, a road was laid out from that
stream to Thomas Moore's and the
Brandywine. At a conference held at
the Conestoga Indian villages, with
the Six Nations, in June, 1719, the
chiefs of that noted delegation ex-
pressed dissatisfaction with the
numerous settlements of whites made
along the Susquehanna. 10
Conrad Beissel and a few com-
panions had erected their huts on
Mill Creek, in the neighborhood of
Bird-in-Hand, as early as 1721. Others
were there still earlier.in 1719 and 1720.
The Bunkers were all along that
stream and the Cocalico in those
years.
The heads of families in old Cones-
toga numbered 250 in 1724, indicating
a population of perhaps 1,000 at that
time, in that single district. By 1721
settlers had already crossed the Sus-
quehanna and taken up lands in the
territory claimed by Lord Baltimore,
the proprietary of Maryland, and in
1722 the warrant for the survey of
Springettsbury Manor, in York county,
was issued the largest of all the
9 Ellis & Evans' History of Lancas-
ter County, p. 360.
10 Colonial Records, vol. 2, pp. 47-48.
( 162 )
Penn Manors. Proud, the early his-
torian, tells us that "the settlements
about the Indian villages of Conestoga
were considerably advanced in im-
provements at this time (1720) ; the
land thereabouts being exceedingly
rich, and is now surrounded with
divers fine plantations, or farms,
where they raise quantities of wheat,
barley, flax and hemp." 11
The London Land Company.
In fact, so numerous had the set-
tlers become in the valley of the Con-
estoga and its tributaries at the time
of the founding of Lancaster Town,
and in many cases, I fear, without pay-
ing the slightest attention to the legal
requirement of procuring land from the
Proprietary Government, or any one
else, that in 1730 the London Land
Company, part of whose lands lay in
this county, through its agent, Henry
Hodge, Esq., on June 30, issued a
hand-bill, which was widely dis-
tributed throughout the region where
these lands lay, among the squatters
who had located upon them without
consulting or paying for the same to
the company, warning them to leave
within one month of the date of the
notice. Application was at the same
time made to the local Court to eject
them from the lands on which they
had settled. As no further action is
recorded, it is likely that these peo-
ple complied with the demands of the
owners and made payment for the
lands they had taken without first se-
curing right and title by purchase." 12
"Proud's "History of Pennsylvania,"
vol. 2. p. 128.
12 The following is a copy of the cir-
cular alluded to above:
"Philadelphia, 20th of the 6th Month,
1730.
"WHEREAS divers PERSONS have
(illegally) settled themselves and fami-
lies on several Tracts of Land, known
by the Name of the London Companys
Land, and that to the Damage of the
Owners thereof:
(163)
A Large Population by 1729.
When, therefore, the act of May 10,
1729, was passed for the erection of
the new county to be called Lancaster,
there was already a large body of set-
tlers around the little hamlet which
was made the shiretown, and, perhaps,
fifty families in the place itself. Nine
years after the county was organized,
the number of taxables in it was 2,560,
indicating a population of perhaps
11,000. We shall, therefore, be not far
from the mark if we put the popula-
tion of the county at the period of its
organization at about 11,000 souls. An-
other evidence of a numerous popula-
tion at that period is the fact that at
the May term of the Court in 1730, no
fewer than thirty-six tavern licenses
were granted.
Under the act passed for the erec-
tion of Lancaster county, four men,
John Wright, Caleb Pierce, Thomas
Edwards and James Mitchell, or any
three of them, were empowered to pur-
chase for the use of the county a con-
venient piece of land whereon to
build a Court House and Prison, and
they certified to Governor Gordon that
they had done so, the land agreed
upon for the purpose lying on or near
a small run or water course between
the plantations of Roody Mire, Michael
Shank and Jacob Imble. This also
shows that lands already occupied
"THESE therefore to give Notice to
all such Persons, that if they (within
one Month after the Date hereof) shall
refuse or neglect to make Satisfaction
for the damages already done, and shall
presume hereafter to cut any Timber-
Trees or Underwood, etc., they may
expect to be proceeded against accord-
ing to a Law of this Province, made
and provided in that Case.
"HENRY HODGE.
"Attorney."
A fac-simile of the original ap-
pears in Sachse's "German Sectarians
of Pennsylvania, 1708-1742," of which
the above is a copy.
(164)
were selected to build the public build-
ings upon. The circumstance that
further investigation brought to light,
the fact that the title of the selected
plot was .still vested in the proprietary
Government, and that the men who
had settled upon it had not purchased
it nor even located it by warrant, does
not change the fact that the town site
had been occupied years before there
was any thought of locating the shire-
town on this spot. 13
I3 "At a meeting of the Provincial
Council, held at Philadelphia, Feb'y. 19,
1729-30. The Governor (Gordon) ac-
quainted the Board that, whereas, by
the law Erecting Lancaster County,
John Wright, Caleb Pierce, Thomas Ed-
wards & James Mitchel, or any three
of them are empowered to purchase
for the use of the said County, a con-
venient piece of Land, to be approved
of by the Governor, & thereon to
build a Court House and Prison, and
that now the said John Wright, Caleb
Pierce & James Mitchel, have by a
Certificat under their hands, signified
that they have agreed upon a Lott of
Land for the Uses aforesaid, lying on
or near a small Run of Water, between
the Plantation of Roody Mire, Michael
Shank and Jacob Imble, about ten miles
from the Sasquehannah River, and
prayed his approbation of the same.
The Governor therefore referr'd the
matter to the Consideration of the
Board, whether the Situation of the
Place those Gentlemen had pitched on
for a Town might be fitt to be con-
firmed. & that a Town should accord-
ingly be fixed there. But the Question
being asked to whom the land they had
made choice of now belongs, & who
has the Property of it. because it may
be in such hands as will not part with
it, or at least on reasonable terms for
that use, & this not being known by
any of the Board, it was deferr'd till
such a time as that Point could be
ascertained. But as it is presumed for
anything that is vet known, to be un-
surveyed Land, & that the Right is
only in the Proprietor, It is the
oninion of the Board that it is more to
be granted by the Proprietor for such
uses, than by any other Person.
"Mem. The Governor having under-
stood that the Right of the Land
Ditched upon for the Townstead of Lan-
caster remains yet in the Proprietaries,
was advised to approve of the Place
agreed on by Messrs. Wright. Pearce
& Mitchel, & the same was con-
firmed accordingly, by a Writing dated
May 1st. 1730." Colonial Records, vol.
3, pp. 380-381.
(165)
Population of Lancaster City.
There can be no more interesting
subject connected with our local his-
tory than the population of Lancaster
during the successive periods of its
history from the time of its becoming
the county seat until the period of the
first national census in 1790. I have
'long tried to ascertain with some de-
gree of accuracy what the figures
really were. I have found eight esti-
mates, made at six different periods by
different individuals. All are guesses
except the last, which was the first
census, and, therefore, correct. Rupp
says that the population at the time
the town was laid out was 200. He
does not say whence he derived his
figures, or what degree of confidence
should attach to them. It would in-
dicate a village of about forty or fifty
houses, and my own opinion is. the
guess or statement is reasonably cor-
rect. At the same time it confirms
what I earlier said about there being
a considerable population on the town-
site long before George Gibson comes
along. Long enough before 1729 hardy
pioneers had pushed beyond, as I
have shown, and Gibson had been sup-
plying them with prevent for man and
beast years before. It was this very
considerable migration passing into
the western part of the county that
called Gibson's tavern into existence.
A country tavern, located on a high
road where there is much travel, will
naturally attract the unsettled portion
of the community, and in that way a
small town was gradually built up
around the locality where all the
travel between the Delaware and the
Susquehanna passed.
It seems a very reasonable guess,
therefore, that between 1720, or earlier,
and 1730 this town of forty or fifty
houses and 200 population had already
been built when the town was laid out
(166)
in the latter years under the auspices
of James Hamilton, who was the prin-
cipal owner. 14
Twelve years later, in 1742. the
place was incorporated into a bor-
ough. No doubt it had grown very
considerably since it became the
county seat. That fact alone must
have had a stimulating effect on the*
increase in population. Another
cause, and perhaps the most potent one,
was the easy terms on which building
sites could be procured. The land
could be had without the payment of
a dollar in cash and subject to a
ground rent only.
Had Not the Gift of Prophecy.
One writer of that period tells us
that this was a real injury to the bor-
ough because the growth was abnor-
mal and not genuine. His words are
as follows: "When Lancaster was laid
out it was the desire of the proprietor
to raise an annual revenue from the
lots; no lots were, therefore, sold of
any large amount, but settlers were
encouraged to build and receive a lot,
paying an annual sum as ground rent
Hence the large number of persons
in indigent circumstances who were
induced to settle in Lancaster. The
Lancaster town was, therefore, too
large (in area) at an early period in
proportion to the population of the
surrounding country and its inhabit-
ants suffered much from a want of
employment; as from its local situa-
tion, remote from water, it was not,
NOR COULD IT EVER POSSIBLY
14 Two men were employed in the
work of surveying the site of Lan-
caster-Town. The County Commis-
sioners employed John Jones, who, ac-
cording to Ellis & Evans' History of
Lancaster County (page 360), completed
his work in May, 1730. Hamilton had
his tract surveyed by Roger Hunt, of
Downingtown, who also built the first
house in the town after it had been
plotted. "Day's Historical Collections,"
p. 397.
(167) ^
BECOME, a place of business. The
proprietor was, therefore, wrong in
forcing the building and settlement
of Lancaster. The town outgrew its
strength and looks (in 1754) dull and
gloomy in consequence." 15 That old
writer has, no doubt, reflected the
prevailing opinions of his time, but
he lacked the power of casting his
vision 150 years into the future. The
Lancaster of to-day tells a different
story. There is a statement, whence
derived I know not, that at the period
of incorporation into a borough the
town had 300 houses. If we accept
that estimate, then about twenty or
more houses must have been built an-
nually between 1730 and 1742, bring-
ing the population up to about 1,300.
There is every reason to believe, from
all the circumstances bearing on the
case, that the estimate is too high;
1,100 would probably be nearer the
number.
Another authority, the Rev. Mr.
Lock, an Episcopal minister, in 1746,
reported the place as containing 300
houses. That would give us about
1,200 inhabitants, a very fair estimate,
in my opinion. 16
Our next authority on the popula-
tion of the borough came along in
1754, in the person of Gov-
ernor Thomas Pownall, of New
Jersey, who in that year made
a tour of the Province. He
says in the journal which he kept:
"Lancaster, growing town and mak-
ing money a manufactory here of
saddles and pack-saddles, also of
guns it is a stage town 500 houses
two thousand inhabitants." Here
is noted an increase of 200 in the
number of houses and 800 in the num-
unknown writer quoted by Sher-
man Day in his "Historical Collections- -
of the State of PeifTiy^ 1 vttuki-^-p. 398,. _
16 Rev. Wilson Waters' "Sketch of St.
16 Rev.
James' Parish," p. 18.
( 168 )
ber of inhabitants during the twelve
years since its incorporation and the
year 1754. I am inclined to believe
that estimate too high. Governor
Pownall tells what he was told. The
pendency then was, no doubt, the
same as now: the people of every
town show a disposition to exaggerate
somewhat in the matters of popula-
tion and progress. We magnify our
municipal importance. Owing to
many persons buying lots from the
Hamilton estate in all narts of his
tract, the houses were much scatter-
ed, and the place consequently ap-
peared larger and more populous than
it actually was. It is true, there may
have been something resembling a
boom between 1742 and 1754, but after
weighing all the evidence I do not
think the population in the latter year
exceeded 1,800, and most probably
did not reach that number.
It deserves to be noted that the
character of the buildings at this
period, and for a long time after, even
down to 1800, was not of a high order.
The houses were mostly built of wood,
generally of logs and weather-board-
ed. A few were of stone. A man of
eighty, writing in 1838, says that about
the time of the Revolution or earlier
one-story stone houses occupied the
four corners of our Centre Square. 17
The next estimate of Lancaster's
population is by the Rev. Thomas
Barton, pastor of the Episcopal
Church, ~n 1764, just ten years after
Governor Pownall's estimate, he
states tkat the place had 600 houses,
an increase of 100 in ten years. He
does not hazard a guess at the number
of inhabitants, but, allowing four to a
house, as in the previous estimates,
we get a population of 2,400. That,
also, is coo high, as we shall presently
see in the light of more reliable fig-
l7 "Day's Historical Collections," p.396.
(169)
ures which will be presented. And
yet Mr. Barton, who was an able and
cultured man, should have been able
to give us very nearly accurate figures
on these points.
The Taxables in 1771.
I find preserved in the State Ar-
chives at Harrisburg a list of the
taxables in Lancaster borough for the
year 1771. Their number was 511;
that is, there was that number of per-
sons in the town at that time who
owned real estate of some kind. It is
presumable that all, or nearly all, the
real estate owners also had their
own houses. If a few had not, their
lack was, no doubt, compensated for
by others who owned more than one
house, so the balance may fairly be
struck at the number of taxables,
that is at 511. That would give us
about 2,050 inhabitants at that time.
Bight years later, in 1779, I find the
number of taxables had increased to
556. That was in the very heart of
the Revolutionary period, and would
indicate a population of 2,224, and, I
believe, may be taken as a fairly
approximate estimate of the popula-
tion at that time.
During the Revolutionary period no
statements or estimates were made
of the population, so far as is known.
It was not until 1783-84 that we come to
the first post-revolutionary statement. 18
It is by a German traveler, John David
Schopf, who made a tour of the Mid-
dle States in those years and publish-
ed an account of the same. He says:
"Among the interior cities of all
North America, Lancaster is the most
important. Although hardly eighty
18 The full title of this scarce book is:
"Reise durch einige der mittlern und
Sudlichen vereinigten nord-amerikan-
ischen Staaten nach Ost-Florida und
den Bahama-Inseln unternommen in
den Jahren 1783 und 1784. Mit einem
L/anchartchen. Erlangen: bey Johann
Jacob Palm. 2 vols.. 8 mo."
(170)
years old (it was only about sixty) it
has already 900 houses." A foreign-
er, making a hurried tour through the
country, was not likely to investigate
for himself nor to secure accurate
hearsay evidence. His estimate of 900
houses and of 3,600 inhabitants (al-
lowing four to a house) is, therefore,
far out of the way, as both the preced-
ing and subsequent facts clearly
show.
Lancaster's Bid for the National
Capital.
I come now to the last unofficial
estimate I have been able to find. After
the Revolution, as is well known,
there was a vigorous contest among
various towns to secure the National
Capital. Among the rest, Wrights-
ville, on the Susquehanna, opposite
Columbia, came near being successful.
Lancaster also put in a bid. This lat-
ter fact was not known until a recent
period. It turns up in an old docu-
ment prepared by the prominent citi-
zens of Lancaster borough in the year
1789, and 1 now in possession of Mr.
George Steinman, of this city. Ac-
companying the document was a map
of the country lying immediately
around Lancaster, embracing an area
of ten square miles. The map was
drawn by William Richenbach, an
eminent mathematician and sometime
professor of mathematics in Franklin
College. The original map is in the
possession of the Linnaean Society, of
this city. The document itself is of
great historical value, inasmuch as it
gives, no doubt, accurately, many
minute details relative to the borough
and which are not to be found else-
where. Fortunately, for our purposes,
it states that an enumeration of the
dwelling houses was actually made in
1786, "and the number then built was
678, which, since that period, has con-
(171)
siderably increased." The document
further states that "according to the
best computation we can make, there
are within this borough about 4,200
souls,." Now, if we allow the increase
of houses alluded to to have been 20 per
year between 1786, when their count
was made, and 1789, when their ad-
dress to Congress was written, we get
738 houses, and, allowing four and one-
half persons to every house, we get a
population of 3,321. When the first
census of the country was made, that
for 1790, but which was, perhaps,
taken in the fall of the preceding year,
the exact number of the inhabitants
was found to be 3,373, instead of 4,200,
as they had computed them to be in
that year. And yet, they were not
further from the true figures than most
of those who had made their estimates
in earlier years. In the foregoing cal-
culations I have allowed for an in-
crease of from 15 to 20 houses per year.
That calculation should be qualified. It
is hardly likely that the building
operations were the same in every
year or decade. There were periods of
activity and periods of depression, no
doubt, but in the end the situation
evened up itself to something like the
uniform rate allowed in these esti-
mates. A general summary, there-
fore, presents the following figures,
each, except the last, being allowed a
small variation above or below the
figures given:
ESTIMATED POPULATION AT VARI-
OUS PERIODS.
Year. Houses. Inhabitants.
1730 About 40 or 50 200
1742 About 275 1,100
1746 About 300 1,200
1754 About 400 1,600
1764 About 475 1,900
1771 About 511 2,044
1779 About 556 2,224
1783-4 About 650 2,600
1789-90 About 750 3,373
1800 5,405
Report of the Secretary for 1904-1905.
January 6, 1905.
To the Officers and Members of the Lancaster
County Historical Society:
The Constitution of our Society calls for an an-
nual report from the Secretary, and, in compliance
with that mandate, I beg leave to present the fol-
lowing statement of the operations of the Society
since our last annual meeting one year ago.
It gives me much pleasure to state that the past
twelve months have in every way been among the
most encouraging in our history. Ten regular meet-
ings were held during the year, those of July and
August having, in accordance with our usual custom,
been omitted. The attendance at these meetings
was the largest we have had for years, which seems
to show a growing interest on the part of the mem-
bers and the community in general in our work.
At these meetings fourteen original papers of length
and several shorter ones, and all prepared for the
Society, were read. Our last volume was a book of
275 pages. Volume IX, upon which we entered with
the September number, has thus far fully main-
tained the reputation of its predecessors. Five num-
bers have already been issued, containing seven
papers, and I hope the members will see to it that
the succeeding numbers will not fall behind either
in interest or volume.
The Work the Society Has Done.
And right here I may be allowed to say a few
words in commendation of the work our Society has
done. Have any of our members ever gone over the
eight volumes we have completed and published?
If not, I will say for their information that they
contain 124 original papers, illustrated with 63 cuts,
such as maps, portraits and buildings, and, many
of them, of great interest. Those eight volumes con-
tain 1,864 pages of printed matter, and much of it
is of great value. Indeed, we forget how well we
have wrought, and it is only by going over these
pages that we get a proper idea of what we have
done. Much important data has been brought to
light. Many obscure points have been cleared up.
I have frequently found it necessary to refer to
them for facts not to be obtained anywhere else.
(173)
I may be accused of speaking too partially of our
labors, but all I have said has again and again been
corroborated by outside parties, thoroughly com-
petent to pronounce judgment on our work, and the
anxiety of large libraries to have full sets of our
publications shows the esteem in which they are
held. It is not too much to say, therefore, that our
Society stands in the very forefront of the County
Societies of the State in the amount and quality of
the work it has during its brief existence given to
the world. It shows what we are capable of doing,
and, I hope, is only a promise of what we will do in
the years to come.
Good, But Might Be Better.
In some other respects our progress has not been
as great as it should have been. Our library and
museum have not been augmented as rapidly as
there was reason to hope. It is true, a new and
well-filled book-case has been put in place since our
last meeting, but our collections are too small by
far. They ought to grow more rapidly, and, I be*
lieve, would if we all made extra exertions in that
direction. This will, perhaps, continue to be the
case until something else occurs, of which I now
propose to say a few words.
Necessity for Permanent Quarters.
The membership will bear witness that I have
more than once in my annual reports urged upon
them the importance, yea, the necessity, of secur-
ing suitable permanent quarters, owned by the
Society. So long as we are compelled to move to
and fro, here to-day and somewhere else to-morrow,
we can hardly expect that great donations, either
of money or books, will be dropped into our meta-
phorical lap. Such things go as a rule to where
such things already are. Men who have things of
value to give would like to be assured that a perma-
nent home and abiding place is given them. It is
not enough that we believe we can do this now;
we must be able to persuade others of this fact
also. We are behind some of our fellow-societies
in this particular. The Berks County Historical
Society is not as old as our own, but during the
past year it bought and paid for the building in
which it is now housed, and still has nearly a thousand
dollars in its treasury. Its membership is not
greater than our own, but they have liberal givers
over there, and that brought the answer. The York
County Society, which is also our junior, has been
given fine, capacious quarters, in the County Court
House, and has a membership exceeding ours sev-
(174)
eral times over. It has a large contributing mem-
bership, and is able to pay a Curator a large salary,
who earns it by collecting several times what he
costs. The Bucks County Society is about to erect
a fine home for itself, and has about $25,000 to pay
for it, much of which sum was raised by subscription.
The Dauphin County Society had elegant quarters
fitted up for it in the Court House by the County
Commissioners, and now has very valuable and
rapidly-increasing collections. I was informed but
yesterday by a member of the Washington County
Historical Society that the County Commissioners
fitted up rooms in the Court House, at a cost of
$8,000, and photographs of these rooms showed a
splendid equipment. Let it not be said that the
people of this city and county cannot do as much.
I hope that the new Executive Committee which is
to be elected to-night will consider it one of their
first duties to give this important question serious
consideration. Let us show the faith that is in us
by our works. It is well enough to wait, but the
time to ask also comes along, and that time is now.
I am pretty well persuaded that if we depend upon
the generosity of some liberally-inclined friend, our
wait will be a long and weary one. We have tried
that plan nearly nine years without satisfactory
result. The Lord is said to help those who help
themselves; suppose we try that plan, also, for a
change.
The Librarian's Report.
The librarian will tell you of the increase to his
department. It has been very gratifying during the
year, but I believe our volumes would be augmented
by scores where they now are by single volumes, if
we had ample rooms and cases for their display,
all in our own home.
Our Finances.
The Treasurer's report will make you acquainted
with our financial resources. The enlightened liber-
ality of the County Commissioners has been con-
tinued through the past year, and has enabled us
to procure and do several things which we otherwise
could not have done. Still, we cannot complain.
All our bills have been met when presented, and we
have money in our treasury.
The propriety of holding one or two of our monthly
meetings at suitable points in the county, outside
the city, giving the members an outing at the same
time, and allowing more time for social intercourse
and opportunities of becoming better acquainted,
commends itself strongly to my judgment. We had
something of this kind in the month of June last
when about fifty members and others took an after-
(175)
noon jaunt to the Cloister town of Ephrata. It was
thoroughly enjoyed by every one, and was considered
a success by those who were present.
Change of Literary Year.
I also direct the attention of the Society to the
discrepancy, or rather, the irregularity, between
what I may term our fiscal and literary year. As
you all know, the January meeting begins our regu-
lar year; in other words, we elect our officers then
and the annual subscriptions are payable at that
time. But our literary year begins with the Sep-
tember meeting and closes in June of the follow-
ing year, which is the last meeting prior to the
summer vacation. It would be far better, if it could
be so arranged, that our annual volume of Papers
and Proceedings were also to begin in January and
close in December. It could be easily arranged if
the present volume was allowed to run to next
January, when a fresh start could be taken and our
literary year run from January to January, as our
fiscal year does. Under the existing arrangements,
there is a good deal of confusion at times, which
would be done away with under the plan proposed.
All of which is respectfully submitted.
F. R. DIFFENDERFFER,
Secretary.
Report of the Librarian.
Another year having passed by, it becomes our
duty as Librarian to present to the members of the
Lancaster County Historical Society a resume of the
work done in the library since the last annual
meeting. The past year has been a very successful
one so far as donations of books, pamphlets, etc.,
has been concerned, and a number of volumes have
been secured through exchange with a number of
historical societies, our society giving its publica-
tions in exchange for theirs. The increase in the
number of bound volumes received during the past
year has been mainly due to the gift of "The New
Era" and Mr. Diffenderffer, from whom were re-
ceived about 200 volumes in all, consisting of a set
of the "Rebellion Records," and a large number of
odd volumes and atlases of the Second Geological
Survey of Pennsylvania and of the eleventh census
of the United States. For the accommodation of
the 130 volumes of the "Rebellion Records" a hand-
some book-case was purchased, the Society now
owning four such cases.
The aggregate of additions to the library during
the year were 397, consisting of 273 bound volumes,
66 pamphlets, 15 rarities, 3 manuscripts, 10
curios, 10 pictures, some of them being framed; 14
maps and miscellaneous articles, 6 newspaper files
and 2 old newspapers. The Society receives ex-
changes from 23 sources, in the nature of maga-
zines, either monthly or quarterly, and annual re*
ports of societies or from governmental sources,
among the same being the Congressional Library,
State Libraries of Pennsylvania and New York, the
Wisconsin, Kansas and Pennsylvania State His-
torical Societies, a number of public libraries and
about a dozen Historical Societies in this and ad-
joining States.
During the past year a number of the members
have availed themselves of the use of the books of
the library by taking them home and reading them
at their leisure, whilst a score of visitors from out
of town have used the books whilst visiting this city
and engaged in making historical researches. As
there has never been any set rule in reference to
the circulating feature among our members, I would
recommend the adoption of the following resolution:
"Resolved, That no county history or book of
special reference be kept from the library shelves
for a longer period than one month by a member
borrowing the same, unless by special vote of the
Society in case the party is engaged in compiling
UT7)
some book or other, in which instance said member
may require the use of said volume for a longer
period."
During the year there have been a number of
purchases made of books of special value, and a
number of completed historical magazines have been
bound.
Your librarian greatly deplores the cramped quar-
ters under which he labors in order to make a
creditable display of the books and belongings of
the Society, and heartily concurs in the recommen-
dation contained in the report of our Secretary that
the Society endeavor to secure a home of its own,
that is owned and controlled by it exclusively. Did
we own such a building, where the permanency of
the Society would be assured for a long period,
there are a large number of persons who would
give us donations of books and curios which are
withheld from us simply because we do not own our
own home. Another item which your librarian de-
plores most sincerely is the habit of residents of
this county giving outright or placing on special
deposit with other societies not in this county of
books and curios, which rightly belong to Lancaster
county, and this may be due to the fact that we do
not own a permanent home. Your librarian ex-
presses the hope that some day we will own per-
manent quarters, and would respectfully urge and
beg such parties to either place their collections
with us or keep them until our Society is in a posi-
tion to receive and properly display the same. Don't
let these priceless things go out of "Old Lancaster."
Your librarian expresses the hope that much good
may result from the Pennsylvania Federation of
Historical Societies, which was organized in Har-
risburg on Thursday and of which this Society is
an accredited member. One of the objects of the
Federation may be of much use, viz., the exchange
between societies of duplicate volumes owned by
them. The preparation of a bibliography of the
State, which will result in time from the combined
efforts of all societies under the direction of the
Federation, will be a grand work.
The Society's library and accumulations are be-
coming of such volume and character that a cata-
logue of them would be desirable, and with that
object in view the recommendation is made that
the librarian be authorized to catalogue the same
in the card index system, which seems to be the
most desirable and acceptable one, and to procure
a cabinet containing at least four thousand cards
for that purpose, the cabinet and cards being pro-
curable at an expense of about $15.
All of which is most respectfully submitted.
S. M. SENER,
Lancaster, Jan. 6, '05. Librarian
Report of the Treasurer.
Lancaster, Penna.,
January 6, 1905.
To the officers and members of the Lancaster
County Historical Society I make the following re-
port for the year 1904:
Amount in Treasury Jan. 1st, 1904 $190.09
Received during year 1904 for initiations and
dues 210.66
Received from County Commissioners 200.00
Total $600.75
Paid for rent (donation) $ 25.00
Paid for printing, postage, books, book-
cases, hauling and miscellaneous
expenses, as per vouchers $275.83 $300.83
Leaving a balance in the Treasury of $299.92
This amount will be reduced somewhat by unpaid
bills and donation to Y. M. C. A.
J. W. HOUSTON,
Treasurer.
Minutes of the February Meeting,
Lancaster, Pa., February 3, 1905.
The usual monthly meeting of
the Lancaster County Historical
Society was held to-night (Friday) in
its rooms, in the Young Men's Chris-
tian Association Building, President
Steinman in the chair. The roll of
officers was called and the absentees
noted. The reading of the minutes
of the January meeting was dispensed
with, they having been printed in the
Society's bulletin, copies of which
were distributed among the members.
The following persons were elected
to membership: Mrs. James D. Lan-
dis and G. Howard Werntz, Lancas-
ter; Arthur K. Reist Lititz; and Chas.
O. Lynch, Bausman, Pa.
The following applications for mem-
bership were received: Messrs. L.
B. Herr and John H. Fry, of Lancas-
ter. Under the rules, the applications
lie over until the next meeting.
The donations consisted of a copy of
"Washingtoniana," by Eli G. Reist,
of Marietta, and printed in Lancaster
in 1802; American Historical reports
for 1900 and 1901 from Hon. H. Burd
Cassel; an old document, signed by
John Hubley, presented by D. M.
Swarr, and the usual number of ex-
changes from libraries and historical
societies. Thanks were extended to
all the donors for their gifts.
The paper of the evening was pre-
pared by the Secretary, F. R. Diffen-
derffer, and read by S. M. Sener, Esq.
The subject was, "The Early Settle-
ment and Population of Lancaster
County and City." The paper was in-
tended to correct certain erroneous
(180)
impressions that prevail relative to
the population of the county at the
period of its organization, and also
sought to reach a fairly accurate es-
timate of Lancaster town and bor-
ough from the time it was laid out,
in 1730, until the first census was
taken, in 1790. The various early es-
timates were quoted, and the errors
of some pointed out. The reading of
the article was followed by a long
discussion, relating principally to the
earliest citizens of Lancaster, the lo-
cation of "Gibson's Tavern," and the
erection of some of the best-known
old houses. The thanks of the So-
ciety were extended to the writer of
the paper, and it was ordered to be
printed as usual.
There being no further business,
the Society, on motion, adjourned.
There was again a good attendance,
the ladies being present in strong
numbers, despite the inclemency of
the weather.
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