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Places
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My immediate Burwell, McArthur, and Warren Families lived primarily in Pennsylvania.There are
several land documents for Riley and Maude Warren in the Pennsylvania area
where they were dairy farmers in the early 1900’s. This documentation causes me to consider that the “theory” of
being connected to the Virginia Burwell’s may not be accurate.
Our vacation in 2007 included trips to Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Virginia to follow our Ancestors history.
The Commonwealth
of Pennsylvania (IPA: /ˌpɛnsəlˈveɪnjə/) is a state
located in the Middle Atlantic region of the United States of America. As of 2005 the
state has the 17th largest economy in the world.[2] One
of Pennsylvania's nicknames is the Quaker State; in
colonial times, it was known officially as the Quaker Province,[3] in
recognition of Quaker[4] William
Penn's First Frame of Government[5]
constitution
for Pennsylvania that guaranteed liberty of conscience.
Penn knew of the hostility[6] Quakers
faced when they opposed rituals, oaths, violence, and what they viewed as
ostentatious frippery.[7] Pennsylvania
has also been known as the Keystone State since 1802,[8] based in part upon its central location among the
original Thirteen Colonies forming the United States.[8] It was also a keystone state economically,
having both the industry common to the North, making such wares as Conestoga
wagons[9] and rifles,[10] and the
agriculture common to the South, producing feed, fiber, food, and tobacco.[11] Pennsylvania
has 51 miles (82 km)[12] of
coastline along Lake Erie and 57 miles (92 km)[13] of
shoreline along the Delaware Estuary. Philadelphia
is Pennsylvania's largest city and is home to a major seaport and shipyards
on the Delaware River.[14] Climate
Main article: Climate of Pennsylvania Pennsylvania's
diverse geography also produces a variety of climates. Straddling two major
zones, the southeastern corner of the state posses the warmest climate.
Greater Philadelphia lies at the southernmost tip of the Humid continental climate zone, with some
characteristics of the Humid subtropical climate that lies in Delaware and Maryland to
the south. Moving toward the mountainous interior of the state, the climate
becomes markedly colder, number of cloudy days increases, and winter snowfall
amounts are greater. Western areas of the state, particular cities near Lake Erie
can receive over 100 inches (250 cm) of snowfall annually, and the
entire state receives plentiful rainfall throughout the year. History
Main article: History of Pennsylvania Further information: List of Pennsylvania firsts Further information: List of people from Pennsylvania Before
the Commonwealth was settled, the area was home to the Delaware (also
known as Lenni Lenape), Susquehannock, Iroquois, Eries, Shawnee, and
other Native American tribes.[22]
In
1681, Charles II granted a land charter[23]
to William
Penn, to repay a debt of £20,000 ($20,000,000 in today’s money) owed to
William's father, Admiral Penn. This was one of the largest land
grants to an individual in history.[24] It
was called Pennsylvania, meaning "Penn's Woods", in honor of
Admiral Penn. Penn
established a government with two innovations that were much copied in the
New World: the county commission, and freedom of religious conviction.[24] Writer Murray
Rothbard in his four-volume history of the U.S., Conceived in Liberty, refers to the years of
1681–90 as "Pennsylvania's Anarchist Experiment."[25] Between
1730 and when it was shut down by Parliament with the Currency Act of 1764,
the Pennsylvania Colony made its own paper money to account for the shortage of
actual gold and silver. The paper money was called Colonial
Scrip. The Colony issued "bills of credit" which were as good
as gold or silver coins because of their legal tender status. Since they were
issued by the government and not a banking institution, it was an
interest-free proposition, largely defraying the expense of the government
and therefore taxation of the people. It also promoted generally employment
and prosperity since the Government used discretion and did not issue too
much to inflate the currency. Benjamin Franklin had a hand in creating this
currency, of which he said its utility was never to be disputed, and it also
received the high praise of Adam Smith.[citation needed] After
the Stamp Act Congress of 1765, Delegate John Dickinson of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania wrote the Declaration
of Rights and Grievances. The Congress was the first meeting of the thirteen colonies, called at the request of the
Massachusetts
Assembly, but only nine colonies sent delegates.[26]
Dickinson then wrote Letters from a Farmer in Pennsylvania, To the
Inhabitants of the British Colonies, which were published in the
Pennsylvania Chronicle between December 2,
1767, and February
15, 1768.[27] When
the Founding Fathers of the United
States were to convene in Philadelphia in 1774, 12 colonies sent
representatives to the First Continental Congress.[28]
The First Continental Congress drew up and signed the Declaration of Independence
in Philadelphia,[29] but
when that city was captured by the British, the Continental Congress escaped
westward, meeting at the Lancaster courthouse on Saturday, September
27, 1777, and
then to York. There they drew up the Articles of Confederation that formed
13 independent colonies into a new nation. Later, the Constitution was written, and
Philadelphia was once again chosen to be cradle to the new American Nation.[30] Pennsylvania
became the second state to ratify the U.S. Constitution on December
12, 1787,[31]
five days after Delaware became the first.
The "Redbrick Capitol", used from 1821 until it burned in 1897 Dickinson College of Carlisle was the first college founded in
the United States. Established in 1773, the college was ratified five days
after the Treaty of Paris on September 9th, 1783.
The school was founded by Benjamin Rush and named after John Dickinson, President of
Pennsylvania and a signer of the Constitution. For
half a century, the Commonwealth's legislature met at various places in the
general Philadelphia area before starting to meet regularly in Independence
Hall in Philadelphia for 63 years.[32]
But it needed a more central location, as for example the Paxton
Boys massacres of 1763 had made them aware. So, in 1799 the legislature
moved to the Lancaster Courthouse,[32] and finally in 1812 to Harrisburg.[32]
The legislature met in the old Dauphin County Court House until
December 1821,[32]
when the Redbrick Capitol was finished. It burned down in 1897,
presumably due to a faulty flue.[32]
The legislature met at Grace Methodist Church on State Street (still
standing), until the present capitol was finished in 1907.[32] The new state Capitol drew rave reviews.[32] Its dome was inspired by the domes of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome and the United
States Capitol.[32] President Theodore Roosevelt called it the "the
most beautiful state Capitol in the nation", and said "It's the
handsomest building I ever saw" at the dedication. In 1989, the New
York Times praised it as "grand, even awesome at moments, but it
is also a working building, accessible to citizens ... a building that
connects with the reality of daily life."[32] Pennsylvania
accounts for 9% of all wooded areas in the United States James
Buchanan, of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, was the only
bachelor President of the United States.[33]
The Battle of Gettysburg — the major turning
point of the Civil War — took place near Gettysburg.[34] An
estimated 350,000 Pennsylvanias served in the Union Army
forces along with 8,600 African
American military volunteers.[35] Pennsylvania
was also the home of the first Commercially drilled oil well. In 1859, near Titusville, Pennsylvania, Edwin L. Drake
successfully drilled the well. It led to the first major oil boom in United
States History. Economy
Further information: List of people from Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania's
2005 total gross state product (GSP) of $430.31 billion[45] ranks the state 6th in the nation. If
Pennsylvania were an independent country, its economy would rank as the 17th
largest in the world, ahead of Belgium, but behind the Netherlands.
On a per-capita basis, though, Pennsylvania's per-capita GSP of $34,619 ranks
26th among the 50 states.[45]
Bethlehem Steel's closed manufacturing facility
in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. This site will
become the site of a new multi-million dollar casino in 2007. Philadelphia
in the southeast corner and Pittsburgh in the southwest corner are urban
manufacturing centers, with the "t-shaped" remainder of the
Commonwealth being much more rural; this dichotomy affects state politics as
well as the state economy.[46]
Philadelphia is home to 10 Fortune 500 companies,[47] with
more located in suburbs like King of Prussia; it's a leader in
the financial[48] and
insurance industry.[49]
Pittsburgh is home to six Fortune 500 companies, including U.S. Steel,
PPG
Industries, H.J. Heinz, and Alcoa.[47]
In all, Pennsylvania is home to 49 Fortune 500 companies.[47] Manufacturing
Pennsylvania's
factories and workshops manufacture 16.1% of the Gross State Product (GSP);
only 10 states are more industrialized.[50] While
Educational
Services is only 1.8% of the Commonwealth's GSP, that's twice the national
average; only Massachusetts, Rhode
Island and Vermont
outrank Pennsylvania.[50]
Although Pennsylvania is known as a coal state, mining only
amounts to 0.6% of the Commonwealth's economy, compared to 1.3% for the
country as a whole.[50]
Farming near Klingerstown, Pennsylvania. Agriculture
Pennsylvania
ranks 19th overall in agricultural production,[51] but 1st
in Mushrooms,
3rd in Christmas trees and layer
chickens, 4th in nursery and sod, milk, corn for silage, grapes grown
(including juice grapes),[52] and
horse
production. They are also 8th in the nation for wine
production, have the two highest wineries east
of the Rocky Mountains and was home to the nation's
first commercial grapevine nursery in Montgomery County.[52] Only about 9,600 of the Commonwealth's 58,000 farmers
have sales of $100,000 or more, and with production expenses equaling 84.9%
of sales, most not only have a net farming income below the $19,806 that
marks poverty for a family of four,[53] but are
liable for a 12.4% self-employment tax as well.[54] The
average farmer is 53 and getting older,[55] as young
Pennsylvanians find low farming income a tough row to hoe.[56] Many
farms in the southeastern part of the Commonwealth have been sold to housing
developers in the past years. This is largely due to rising taxes and land
prices, reflecting high demand for land in the nation's fifth largest
metropolitan area. Bucks and Montgomery counties were the first to
suburbanize, but this trend is now extending to Chester, Lancaster, Berks,
and Lehigh counties.[52] Tourism
Pennsylvania state welcome sign Pennsylvania
draws 2.1% of the Gross State Product from Accommodation and Food Services.
Only Connecticut,
Delaware
and Iowa have
lower numbers. Nevada
generates 14.2% of its' GSP that way.[50]
Philadelphia draws tourists[57] to see
the Liberty
Bell, Independence Hall, the Franklin Institute and the steps
of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, while The
Poconos[58] attract honeymooners, golfers and fishermen, and the Delaware Water Gap[59] and Allegheny National Forest appeal to
boaters, hikers, and nature lovers. Another attraction are the many covered
bridges in the state, as Pennsylvania has more covered bridges than any
other state.[60] Fourteen slots casinos, the majority of which are
either in the process of being awarded licenses from the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board
or are under construction, are expected to make up a good portion of tourism
in the Commonwealth.[61] The
Commonwealth launched an extensive tourism campaign in 2003 under the
direction of the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic
Development. An extensive website[62] has
been established to promote visits to the state and new license plates
feature the VistPA.com website.
Recent PA state tourism campaign logo. Main article: Pennsylvania Dutch Country The Pennsylvania
Dutch region in south-central Pennsylvania is a favorite for sightseers.[63]
The Pennsylvania Dutch, including the Old Order Amish,
the Old
Order Mennonites and at least 35 other sects,[64] are
common in the rural areas around the cities of Lancaster, York, and Harrisburg, with smaller numbers
extending northeast to the Lehigh
Valley and up the Susquehanna River valley. The
term "Dutch," when referring to the Pennsylvania Dutch, means
"German" or "Teutonic" rather than
"Netherlander." Germans, in their own language, call themselves
"Deutsch," which in English became, misleadingly, "Dutch."[65]
The Pennsylvania Dutch language is a
descendant of German, in the West Central German dialect family. The
language is only very rarely used as a first language among Pennsylvanians;
however, in eastern and south central areas of the state it is a common
second language and greatly influences dialect and accent. Politics
Further information: List of people from Pennsylvania Government of the Commonwealth
Pennsylvania
has had five constitutions during its statehood:[66]
1776, 1790, 1838, 1874, and 1968.
Prior to that, the province of Pennsylvania was governed for a century by a Frame of Government, of which there were four
versions: 1682, 1683, 1696, and 1701.[66]
The capital of the Commonwealth is Harrisburg. The legislature meets in the
new State Capitol there.
The current Pennsylvania State Capitol in downtown
Harrisburg. The
current Governor is Ed Rendell,
a former head of the Democratic National Committee who
began as a popular District Attorney and mayor in
Philadelphia.[67] The
other elected officials composing the executive branch are the Lieutenant
Governor Catherine Baker Knoll, Attorney General Tom
Corbett, Auditor General Jack
Wagner, and State Treasurer Robin
Weissman.[68] See
also: List of Pennsylvania state
agencies Pennsylvania
has a bicameral legislature set up by
Commonwealth's constitution in 1790. The original Frame of Government of
William Penn had a unicameral legislature.[69] The General Assembly includes 50 Senators[70] and 203
Representatives.[71]
Joseph B. Scarnati III is currently President Pro Tempore of the State Senate,[72]
Dominic
Pileggi the Majority Leader,[73] and Robert
J. Mellow the Minority Leader.[74] Dennis M. O'Brien is Speaker of the House of Representatives,[75]
with H. William DeWeese as Majority Leader[76]
and Samuel Smith as Minority Leader.[77]
The 2006 election resulted in the Democrats regaining control of the House
and the balance remaining unchanged in Republicans' favor in the Senate. Pennsylvania
is divided into 60 judicial districts,[78]
most of which (except Philadelphia and Allegheny Counties) have
magisterial district judges (formerly called district justices and justices
of the peace), who preside mainly over minor criminal offenses and small
civil claims.[78]
Most criminal and civil cases originate in the Courts of Common Pleas, which
also serve as appellate courts to the district judges and for
local agency decisions.[78] The
Superior Court hears all appeals from the Courts of Common Pleas not
expressly designated to the Commonwealth Court or Supreme Court. It also has original jurisdiction to review warrants
for wiretap surveillance.[78] The
Commonwealth Court is limited to appeals from final orders of certain state
agencies and certain designated cases from the Courts of Common Pleas.[78] The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania is
the final appellate court. All judges in Pennsylvania are elected; the chief
justice is determined by seniority.[78] The
state holds 21 electoral votes.[2] Sales tax
provides 39% of Commonwealth's revenue; personal income tax 34%; motor
vehicle taxes about 12%, and taxes on cigarettes and alcohol beverage 5%.[79] Counties,
municipalities, and school districts levy taxes on real estate. In
addition, some local bodies assess a wage tax
on personal income. Generally, the total wage tax rate is capped at 1% of
income but some municipalities with home rule
charters may charge more than 1%. Thirty-two of the Commonwealth's
sixty-seven counties levy a personal
property tax on stocks, bonds, and similar holdings. |
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Last updated: January 2008