Historical Society of PA Presidential Docs

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The Historical Society of Pennsylvania helps preserve important artifacts from our nation's past so that they will be accessible to future generations. Donate to HSP today and help conserve and protect America's historical record.

The Township of Nottingham c.1702

 

Lots in the

Township of Nottingham

 Cecil County, Pennsylvania

c. 1702

 

(Source:  History of Cecil County, Maryland)
 

Above, on Lot 35, is Andrew Job -

our 7th Great-Grandfather

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1720 Marriage Record of Christian Casteel of Christ Church, Philadelphia

Seen on pg 43 of the publication is Christian Castill (sic), daughter of Edmund DuCastel and Christian Bom:

The complete alphabetized index to the Christ Church marriage records as published by the Pennsylvania Archives can be viewed on Google Books HERE

The 1722 Inventory of Andrew Job's Estate

       

An Inventory of ye Goods & Chattels of 
Andrew Job Lately Deceased 
Being of ye Township of Notingham In ye County of Chester
To his wearing Apparell .......................09 16 00 
To Sundry goods in ye Parlor ..............26 00 06 
To Sundry goods in ye Closet.............. 03 11 00 
To Sundry Utensils in ye Midle Room 04 09 00
To Sundry Goods up Staires................ 08 04 11 
To Sundry Utensils in ye Cellar ...........02 17 00 
To Sundry Moveables In ye Kitchen.... 05 12 00 
To Sundrys In ye Shop .........................03 00 00 
To Sundry Utensils About ye Plantation 09 10 08 
To his Stock of Cattle, Horses & Hogs 
Upon His Plantation............................ 62 03 00 
To ye Corn growing Upon ye Ground 30 00 00
                                    Sum Total 165 04 01 
Notingham, ye 9th day 
of ye 4th mo 1722
              A True Appraisement By us
                        William Brown Senior 
                        Samuel Little 
                        John Churchman

Historical Maps of Pennsylvania

 Historical Maps of Pennsylvania is a wonderful site that contains over a thousand map images organized chronologically beginning with the 16th century and continuing though the 21st century.  It also gives direction to where additional maps can be found.

1715 -  MAP OF THE DOMINIONS OF THE KING OF GREAT BRITAIN ON YE CONTINENT OF NORTH AMERICA CONTAINING NEWFOUNDLAND, NEW SCOTLAND, NEW ENGLAND, NEW YORK, NEW JERSEY, PENSILVANIA, MARYLAND, VIRGINIA, AND CAROLINA.

This Date in History: The Battle of Germantown

The Battle of Germantown, a battle in the American Revolutionary War was fought on October 4, 1777, in Germantown, Pennsylvania, located just north of Philadelphia.  As part of the Campaign for Philadelphia, George Washington decided to attack the British garrison in Germantown in hopes of surprising the British and Hessian armies.  If Washington's plan had been successful, it might have brought the war to a quick end. But, instead, the British victory in this battle ensured that Philadelphia would remain in British hands throughout the winter of 1777–1778.
               

 Artist's rendition of the Battle of Germantown (October 1777)

          (Oil, date unknown, by Xavier D. Gratta, Valley Forge (Pa.) Historical Society.)

 
British Regiments :
Light Dragoons ( 16th or 17th)
Two Composite battalions of grenadiers
Two Composite battalions of light infantry
Two Composite battalions of Foot Guards (1st, 2nd & 3rd Guards)
5th Foot later Northumberland Fusiliers and now the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers
25th, (King’s Own Scottish Borderers)
27th Foot (Inniskilling Fusiliers and now the Royal Irish Regiment)
40th Foot (South Lancashire Regiment and now the Queen’s Lancashire Regiment)
55th Foot (Border Regiment and now the King’s Own Royal Border Regiment)

American Units:
Wayne’s Pennsylvania Brigade
Weeden’s Virginia Brigade
Muhlenburg’s Virginia Brigade
Maxwell’s Light Infantry
Colonel Bland’s 1st Dragoons
Stephen’s Division
Stirling’s Division
Pennsylvania Militia
Maryland Militia
New Jersey Militia

(click image for larger view)

PA-Roots Resource

                                 
PA-Roots provides free genealogy research resources available on the internet for Pennsylvania and the Mid-Atlantic region.
PA-Roots is a Pennsylvania Non-Profit Corporation consisting of a volunteers who are dedicated to providing free genealogical and historical data on-line.

What was I able to locate on this site?
Under Statewide Data  >  Abstracts of General Loan Office Mortgages

The record dated June 5, 1723, shows a reference to our ancestor Edmund duCasteel's property in Philadelphia.  It indicates that the senior Edmund DuChastel /Du Casteel whose will was proved Mar. 25, 1713/14 did indeed pass his property onto his son Edmund Casteel II.

                                    

Cornelius Bom's 1685 Missive

Above is a the title page of our ancestor Cornelius Bom's 1685 pamphlet published in Dutch giving an attractive account of life in their new home in Pennsylvania. This pamphlet, along with others published in German, French, and English, were widely distributed through the Low Countries and Germany to attract settlers to this new land.

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Footnote's Free Treasures - Treasure Chest Thursday

Footnote.com  provides access to numerous historical record collections, several of which are free to view without subscribing.  Browse through their Original Documents list and you will see many of the collections  marked free.  History buffs beware - you will easily be sidetracked.

One of these collections, The Pennsylvania Archives, contains essential records relating to one of America's earliest colonies, Philadelphia, from 1664 to 1780, including military, tax, marriage, and land records, as well as documents from American history covering the Revolutionary War and the Whiskey Rebellion.

 Patience is the key to searching these records.  Different search combinations yield varying results.

So what did I find in this collection regarding our ancestors? 
....Request Denied...  I guess running a tavern wasn't meant to be for our Quaker baker from Holland:
Located in the Minutes of the Provincial Council, pg 125:

Meeting of the Council dated 9th of 2d mo, 1686, contains:

plus a reference to the marriage of his daughter, Christian, in series 2, Vol III, Pennsylvania Marriages Recorded, pg viii

Tombstone Tuesday - Revolutionary War Veteran Thomas King

Thomas King

Born 17 Mar 1754 in Pennsylvania

Married Susan Ann Sharp

Veteran of the Revolutionary War

Died 18 June 1847

Buried in New Bethel Presbyterian Cemetery

in Piney Flats, Sullivan Co., TN
 - - -

Do You Research in the State of Pennsylvania?

From the The Historical Society of Pennsylvania:

Yesterday the Pennsylvania Senate passed a bill that would eliminate all funding for arts and culture grants in the 2009-2010 state budget. If the Senate version prevails, there will be no arts and culture grants in the state of Pennsylvania starting on July 1 of this year (which includes $14 million for Grants to the Arts).

In addition, Governor Rendell proposes to completely cut the funding of the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission's Museum Assistance Grant. The elimination of this funding will cause HSP and many of our peer institutions in the history and heritage community to cut programs and services or even shut down completely!

And finally, we have learned that the Department of Education's Multicultural Heritage/Ethnic Studies program may be cut from this year's budget. This program contracts HSP as a provider of curricular support to the state's K-12 educators on the subject of Pennsylvania's immigrant/ethnic history. The elimination of this funding would be a huge blow to HSP's interpretation and outreach for the coming years. Here are a few ways you can protest these funding cuts: 1. Click on the following link to send an electronic letter to your state legislators. You can personalize the letter by adding a story about a personal experience with an arts and culture organization or you can send it in its current form.

2. Write a personal letter or make a phone call to your local representative stressing the importance of the arts and culture community to the state of Pennsylvania. The addresses of your local representatives can be found by using the Legislator Lookup at www.philaculture.org/action/legislator. The arts and culture sector is vital driver of the state's economy and education. To cut this funding entirely sends a message that our state law makers do not care about Pennsylvania's history and heritage and place no importance on passing-on the lessons of the past to our children and future citizens. This is not in keeping with the wishes of the people. According to a recent Penn State-Harrisburg survey, 91% of respondents surveyed said that they would support public funding for historical sites and museums.
Please take the time to support Pennsylvania's non-profit arts and culture organizations.