John of Lancaster County, PA 1716-1748
I need information about John Powell of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania in the 1700s.Here is what I have found so far.
Item 1.Source:http://samuelpowellpenn.blogspot.com/http://samuelpowellpenn.blogspot.com/, citing "Pennsylvania at the Jamestown exposition, Hampton Roads, Va. 1907", prepared by James H. Lambert, an executive officer of the Pennsylvania Commission (1908), at p. 218.
Petition For License For A Tavern Near Pequea Creek, Chester (now Lancaster) County, 1716.
The petition is on behalf of Albert Hendricks and is signed by Samuel Taylor, Francis Worley, John Powell, John ffarrer, Tobias Hamspoker, John Joans, Henrich Miller, William Sharrel, David Jones, Casper Loghoman, Hugh Lowe, Abraham Burckolter, Adam Sharwell, Heanerey Greyck, Rees Tannah, William Midlton, George Emrey, George Midilton, Soil Bian, John Rutar, Ouan Macatney. Manuscript owned by Mr. Gilbert Cope, West Chester, Pa.
Item 2.Source:http://www.chesco.org/DocumentCenter/View/5401http://www.chesco.org/DocumentCenter/View/5401
Name Category Township Year Prov/Cty Page
Powell John Landholder Pequea 1720/21 County 25
Powell John Landholder Pequea 1721 County 12
[DAB Note: Pequea Township became part of Lancaster County when it was formed from part of Chester County in 1729.For a topographical map showing Pequea Township, and the Conestoga River, see http://www.usgwarchives.org/maps/pa/county/lancas/usgs/pequea.jpg]http://www.usgwarchives.org/maps/pa/county/lancas/usgs/pequea.jpg]
Item 3.Source:http://www.orchestralibrary.com/sgen/williamsherwell.htmlhttp://www.orchestralibrary.com/sgen/williamsherwell.html
Conestoga Township of Lancaster County
Extracted and excerpted from"History of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania with Biographical Sketches of Many of the Pioneers and Prominent Men", edited by Franklin Ellis and Samuel Evans, Philadelphia, Everts & Peck (1883)
While the Pequea colony at Willow street were all Swiss Mennonites, the settlement on Conestoga consisted of a Scotch-Irish and English core, bordering on both sides of the river, surrounded by scores of Gerrnan-Swiss on all sides. Now who were these old Conestoga neighbors of Postlethwaite's time? Who lived within a radius of five or six miles from this place in the days when our first courts were held here, and before? Of English and Scotch-Irish residents, starting with John Postlethwaite and his grown-up son William, and passing up the Conestoga river on the eastern side, dwelling in consecutive order on or near the "Great Road," there were: James Hendricks, John Hendricks, Tobias Hendricks, Thomas Baldwin, Thomas Gale, George Gray, John Linvill, all owners of parts of the James Hendricks tracts: John Farrer, Richard Grist, John Grist, Wm. Hughes, Edmund Cartlidge,: John Powell, Thomas Doyle, Stephen Atchison, and James Lewis. The Scotch-Irish and English people across from the above Postlethwaite's on the Manor side were Thomas and Reese Price, Alex. and Saml. Ritchey, Joshua Low, Danl. McConnell and Alex. Beuse practically all of whose lands adjoined the stream. On the Conestoga side, going up the stream from Postlethwaite's there were Robert Wilkins, Thomas Wilkins, David Priest, James Dawson, Richard Carter, Patrick Keregan. Somewhat separated from the others and over toward Pequea creek, near Susquehanna, were Peter Kline, Peter Creamer, Francis Worley, Joseph Rebman and Robert Baker. Going down the stream on the Manor side there were Samuel Ritchey, Andrew Cornish and John Cartledge as English neighbors. Over to the east on Pequea creek the English and Scotch-Irish, beginning about the neighborhood of Marticville and going down the creek were: William and Robert Middleton, Albert Hendricks, William Sherrell, David Jones, Samuel Jones, John Robinson, John McCreary, practically all on the cast side of the creek; and Daniel Jones on the west side. Off to the west on and near Susquehanna river, beginning about Washington borough and extending up and down the river, the English inhabitants were Edward Smout, James Patterson, Moses Comb, Martha Bezelion (Bazeillon), James LeTort, Thomas and Robert Wilkins, Jonah Davenport, John Hendricks, and the Chartier descendants. About two miles southeastward from Postlethwaite's, extending along the southwest bank of Pequea creek from the neighborhood of the "Burnt Mill" below Marticville to near the Conestoga township line, there was a small Irish settlement consisting in succession, downstream, of Robert Ellig, Collum McQuire, John McDonald, and Francis McDonald. And about a miles west of John Cartlidge's farm was the village of the Indians, the Conestoga Indian town. There was another little Indian village in a loop of the Conestoga near Atkinson's.
Item 4.Source:http://www.phmc.state.pa.us/bah/dam/rg/di/r17-88WarrantRegisters/LancasterPages/Lancaster168.pdfhttp://www.phmc.state.pa.us/bah/dam/rg/di/r17-88WarrantRegisters/LancasterPages/Lancaster168.pdf
#21Powell, John survey 100 acres Nr. Conestoga Cr. 5 Oct 1736 returned 7 Feb 1736/7 for 77 acres;patented by Thomas Boyle, recorded Vol. A No 8 p. 111, survey at Book C155 p 67
Item 5.Source:http://genealogytrails.com/penn/lancaster/history/1843history.htmlhttp://genealogytrails.com/penn/lancaster/history/1843history.html, citing "History ofLancaster County, Pennsylvania", contributed by Nancy Piper[Source: Historical Collections of the State of Pennsylvania, by Sherman Day, Philadelphia, 1843, at pp. 387-416]
Among the early deeds may be found the names of Jacob Funk, Frederick Stroble, John Powel and George Gibson. Their deeds were dated in 1735, except Gibson's, . . . . .
Item 6.Source:http://books.google.com/books?id=pTkSbvYgIM4C&pg=PA139&lpg=PA139&dq=%22Robert+Buchanan%22+lancaster+sheriff&source=bl&ots=o-nzHCUVE7&sig=gxwO7Lj_B7YIl-iBZ3ZtDNAI5mg&hl=en&sa=X&ei=u5jQUeboAq6FyQGQ8oGIDg&ved=0CDsQ6AEwBQ#v=onepage&q=%22Robert%20Buchanan%22%20lancaster%20sheriff&f=falsehttp://books.google.com/books?id=pTkSbvYgIM4C&pg=PA139&lpg=PA139&dq=%22Robert+Buchanan%22+lancaster+sheriff&source=bl&ots=o-nzHCUVE7&sig=gxwO7Lj_B7YIl-iBZ3ZtDNAI5mg&hl=en&sa=X&ei=u5jQUeboAq6FyQGQ8oGIDg&ved=0CDsQ6AEwBQ#v=onepage&q=%22Robert%20Buchanan%22%20lancaster%20sheriff&f=false
“An authentic history of Lancaster county in the state of Pennsylvania”, by J. I. Mombert, at p. 139
We have again to chronicle a riot arising from the unsettled condition of the boundary line between the two provinces, [1735] as set forth in a deposition of John Powell, undersheriff of Lancaster County made before the Justices of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania in open court, where Daniel Dulany, Esqr., Attorney General of Maryland was present, as follows:“John Powell, Undersheriff of the County of Lancaster, in the Province of Pennsylvania, being solemnly Sworn on the Holy Evangelists maketh oath, that on Tuesday morning, the twenty-third of this instant, September, he accompanied Robert Buchanan Esqr., High Sheriff of the said County, and four others, to wit:Arthur Buchanan, Matthew George, John Mitchel, and Alexander Mitchel, who the day before went over Sasquehannah River, in a peaceable manner, and without any arms whatsoever, to execute His Majesty’s Writs on some debtors living on the West side of that River, inhabitants of the said County; that the said Sheriff having served a Writ on one Andrew M’Gill, who not being able to give bail to the action, was sent under custody of the two Mitchels to Lancaster Goal, he, the said Sheriff, with the others, went the day following to serve another Writ at the suit of William Branson, of the City of Philadelphia, Merchant, on one Jacob Lochman, Blacksmith, living about seven miles westerly from the house of John Hendricks, and about twenty-three miles to the Northward of the Octararoe Line, which this deponent is informed was run by the Grandfather of the present Lord Batlimore, as the Northern boundary of Maryland.That having served the said Writ on Lochman, who being likewise unable to give bail to the action, they were bringing him to Lancaster Goal, when within about two or three miles west of John Henrdrick’s house, one Mark Evans, planter, met them and asked the Sheriff where he was carrying Lochman; the Sheriff said he was carrying him to Goal unless he would give bail; to this Evans replied that he believed bail could be found, which he had no sooner said, than about twenty or thirty men on horseback, armed with cutlasses and clubs, appeared at a little distance advancing towards them, and coming up fell upon the Sheriff and his assistants, in a most furious and violent manner, and having beat and grievously wounded them, and rescued Lochman, the said Sheriff and his company were forced to betake themselves to flight; but the Sheriff’s horse failing him he fell again into their hands; upon which he, this deponent, with Arthur Buchanan and Matthew George, stopped at some small distance, and saw four men at once beating the said Sheriff with heavy clubs, who with his hands lifted up was endeavoring to save his head; that being overpowered by numbers and violently pulled off his horse, he was so cruelly used that Arthur Buchanan with this deponent, were resolved to go back and suffer with him; but as they drew near the Sheriff called out to his Brother, the said Arthur, not to hazard more lives, his own he hoped would be sufficient for them.And that hereupon some of those rioters pursued him, this deponent, and with a very heavy cudgel struck him so severe a blow across his back, that he has ever since been under very great pain.And that the said Arthur Buchanan and Matthew George were so extreamly beat and bruised likewise, that it was not without the utmost difficulty that they were able to escape.And this deponent further says, that when he left Sasquehannah there were no accounts of the High Sheriff, nor was it known whether he was dead or alive, but this deponent verily believes the said Sheriff is mortally wounded, or at least that he must be in a very languishing condition, having received many wounds and blows.That most of the persons who thus attacked the said Sheriff and his assistants are unknown to the deponent, except these seven following, to wit:Mark Evans, above named, Michael Rysner, Francis Clapsaddle, Christian Croll, Bernard Weyman, Nicholas Kens and Martin Schultz, who all live on the West side of Sasquehannah River, not above one mile to the Southward of the house of John Hendricks.Jo’n. Powell”
The deponent aforesaid being asked under what Government these people owned themselves,“Answered that he knows they call themselves Marylanders, because when he was some time ago over Suquehannah, he had taken a prisoner, one Francis Clapsaddle, by virtue of a Writ for Debt from Lancaster County, that one of the persons that rescued the prisoner in the deposition aforesaid mentioned, was one of the same persons who rescued the said Francis Clapsaddle, and the same time presented a gun at the deponent, and told him that they belonged to Maryland, and would not suffer any Officer of Pennsylvania to come over the river; and that in particular the man who presented the gun at the deponent when Clapsaddle was rescued, calling himself a Marylander, and was one of the persons who assaulted the Sheriff and this deponent, in the manner set forth in the aforesaid deposition.”
Item 7.Source:http://ftp.rootsweb.com/pub/usgenweb/pa/dauphin/history/local/runk-6.txthttp://ftp.rootsweb.com/pub/usgenweb/pa/dauphin/history/local/runk-6.txt
Commemorative Biographical Encyclopedia of Dauphin County,
Containing Sketches of Representative Citizens, and Many of the Early Scotch-Irish and German Settlers. Chambersburg, Pa.: J. M. Runk & Company, 1896, pages 56-77.
____________________________________________________
CHAPTER VI.Genealogical Notes.
Page 68: Powell, John, of Paxtang, d. November, 1748, leaving a wife Margaret, and besides other children, a daughter Nancy. Executors were wife Margaret and Thomas McKee and John Allison.
Item 8.Source:http://genforum.genealogy.com/mckee/messages/5087.htmlhttp://genforum.genealogy.com/mckee/messages/5087.html
1765Margaret Powel - 75 acres, 80 perches surveyed for warrant dated 23 August 1765 for land across Powells Creek in Paxtang (now Halifax) Township, Lancaster (now Dauphin) County. Parcel over the Blue Hills of Peters Mountain, near Forster’s Falls and near James Reed place including improvements made by John Powell while living 25 years on said property. This parcel on the eastside of Susquehanna River between land of Jacob Grebill to north and John Newbecker to the south; who acquired parcel in 1815. Application notes that she is widow of John Powel and acts for interest of herself and children. Originally the Powel parcel was 135 ac before lower half sold to Newbecker.
1765Thomas McKee on 17 October 1765 entered a Caveat (warning) with the Survey Office against the acceptance of a survey made for Margaret Powell in pursuance of her Application No. 608 of 23 Aug 1765 for 100 acres of land and improvements in Lancaster County. McKee alleged that he had purchased the premisses at a Sheriff’s Sale years ago and had possessed the same. Margaret Powel filed a legal action against Thomas McKee in 1767.
1766Thomas McKee took out application for 100 acres and Survey in Consequence of land left by John Powell will to wife and children because Powell Estate indebted to McKee (See Powell Will of 1747, proven after 1748.). This claim by Mckee was questioned in court.
From the above "raw data", I make the following inferences.
Item 1.The John Powell who signed the 1716 petition was almost certainly age 21 or older, but likely under 60.Therefore, a computed estimate of his birth would be 1656 to 1695.
Item 2.The John Powell who was on the Pequea tax lists for1720 and 1721 was probably the same John Powell as in Item 1.If he was under 60 in 1721, then he was born in/after 1661 (and before 1695).
Items 3, 4 and 5.The John Powell who received a warrant, survey and/or "deed" for land in Pequea ca. 1735-1737 was probably the same John Powell as in Items 1 and 2.If he was under 60 in 1737, then he was born in/after 1677 (and before 1695).
Item 6.The John Powell who was an under-sheriff in 1735 (and gave a deposition), was probably the same John Powell as in Items 1 through 5, but possibly not.It is my personal belief that a deputy of the sheriff (an under-sheriff) would likely be under age 50.If he was under 50 in 1735, then he was born in/after 1685 (and before 1695).I also believe that this John Powell would likely have been residing somewhere within about 15 miles of the town of Lancaster, in Lancaster County, and so the Pequea area fits.
Items 7 and 8.The John Powell who wrote a Will in 1747 and died in 1748, leaving a widow Margaret and seemingly minor children, was residing in Paxtang (a/k/a Paxton) Township, probably in the area of Powell Creek and the Powell Creek valley (Powells Valley or Powell's Valley), in modern-day Halifax Township of Dauphin County.According to Item 8, John Powell (and family) had been living there as early as 1740 (25 years before 1765).I have a THEORY that the children of this John and Margaret Powell included not only Nancy, but a John, William and Malachi, and that these children were likely born between about 1735 and 1747.Based on the births of his children, he was almost certainly born before 1721, and based on holding land ca. 1740, was likely born before 1718.If he was married and a father ca. 1735, then he might have been born between 1710 and 1715.If he was under 60 at death, then he was likely born after 1688.
ISSUE:Was the John Powell of Items 7 and 8 (who died in 1748) the same man as the John Powell of Items 1 through 6? Two possible answers.
Possible Answer 1.Yes, he was born between 1688 and 1695, had land in Pequea in 1716, married about 1734, served as under-sheriff in 1735, had children between 1735 and 1747, moved from Pequea up the Susquehanna River (North) to a creek that later bore his name, and died in 1748.Because his widow Margaret survived him by some 20 years or more, it is possible that she was substantially younger than he was, and she was perhaps born about 1715.
Possible Answer 2.No, the John Powell who died in 1748 wasborn 1710 to 1715.He MIGHT have been the son of the John Powell in Items 1 through 6, who was likely born 1677-1695.
The correct answer might depend on whether the under-sheriff of 1735 was a very young 20 to 25 (thus favoring Possible Answer 2) OR a more mature man of 40 or more (thus favoring Possible Answer 1).
Does anyone have any additional information about John Powell of 18th century Lancaster County?Or does anyone have different interpretations of the raw data above?If so, please share by posting here, or contact me directly at [email protected].
P.S.I no longer believe (as I did back in 2008) that the widow Margaret Powell of Paxtang (still alive in 1767) was the same as the Margaret Walton of Byberry Township, Philadelphia County, PA, who married a John Powell before 1736 (per her father's Will).
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Re: John of Lancaster County, PA 1716-1748
Larry Myers 7/21/13