To understand and appreciate the hardships endured by and the skills and courage of George and Mary and their family, it is necessary to know some of the history of the region in which they settled. Also, it provides some clues as to their origin.
Time Line For Southwestern Pennsylvania
1738...Augusta County, Virginia created by act of the House of Burgesses. Included all land west of the Blue Ridge summit and south and west of the Fairfax Line and north of the present southern boundary of Virginia and Kentucky to the western limit of the Colony; the Mississippi River and the Great Lakes in Virginians' minds.
1740...A French expedition under General de Celoron traveled down the Allegheny and Ohio Rivers. The French began constructing forts at Chautauqua and Venango.
1741...France declared the boundary between French and English territories to be "the first ridge west of the Youghiogheny River"; must have meant west of the source because maps show it at the Laurel Ridge summit. To their later regret, the English acquiesced to this boundary declaration.
1747...The French Governor of Quebec sent Creaux Bozarth to establish residence in Delaware Indian territory on Eckerlin Creek (now Whiteley Creek), where the French Fort Louis I was established. Christopher Gist led Bozarth and his family and 20 Indian runners over the mountains from Philadelphia to the Monongahela valley.
1748...The French, frustrated by the Delaware's friendship with the English and antagonism toward them, organized a force of 14,000 northern and western Indians to attack and decimate the Delaware Tribe. An estimated 8000 Delawares and 3000 attackers were killed in the 2 day battle at Flint Top in present day Washington County.
1749...George Croghan was sent by Governor Hamilton of Pennsylvania of investigate French activities in the Allegheny and Ohio River valleys. Croghan negotiated a treaty at Logstown, present day Ambridge, with Tanacharison and Scarouady for three tracts totaling about 200,000 acres including 60,000 acres on the Youghiogheny River near the mouth of Big Sewickley Creek.
1750...Royal Charter was granted to form the Ohio Company. Christopher Gist surveyed the water courses and established a post at the mouth of Redstone Creek.
1750...Cumberland County, Pennsylvania was created on January 27th, extended westward to include all of southwestern Pennsylvania.
1752...The Governor of Virginia sent George Washington to Venango to inquire about French intentions. He was guided by Christopher Gist, a relative, who saved his life during an attack.
1752...Christopher Gist moved his family and slaves from his home on the Yadkin River in North Carolina via the James River Trail to a plantation located at present day Mt Braddock in Fayette County.
1753...George Croghan operated a trading house on the Allegheny River at Pine Creek.
1754...Ohio Company store was built at the mouth of Redstone Creek.
1754...Englishmen building a fort at the Fork of the Ohio were confronted by a strong force of French and Indians and forced to abandon the project. The French completed the fort and named it Fort Duquesne.
1754...The French drove William Stewart off his settlement on the Youghiogheny River at Stewart's Crossing, present day Connellsville.
1754...Washington, in command of Virginia Troops, attempted to advance to the mouth of Redstone Creek on the Monongahela. Alerted by Indian allies of an advancing French force, he constructed a stockade, Fort Necessity, at Great Meadows and cut a road to Gist's plantation. Washington led a force of his troops and Indians in a surprise attack on the French camp at Jumonville Glen. The French Commander, N. Coulon de Jumonville, the leader at the Battle of Flint Top, was killed. The French sent a larger force to attack. Washington negotiated a withdrawal to Will's Creek and surrendered Fort Necessity. During their return march to Fort Duquesne, the French burned all of Gist's buildings.
1755...English and Colonial Troops commanded by General Braddock march from Fort Cumberland to capture the fort at the Fork of the Ohio. They build a 12 foot wide road to accommodate a supporting wagon train that followed the old Nemacolin Indian Trail and went through Gist's plantation. The main body of troops are ambushed and routed 9 miles from their destination, near Turtle Creek, after making their second crossing of the Monogohela River. General Braddock was mortally wounded in the battle. Gist was so impressed by the General that he named his plantation "Mount Braddock" in his honor.
1755...Indians conducted all out attacks on settlers in the Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania frontier extending to the eastern slope of the mountains. Families were slaughtered or captured and homes burned.
1756...Pennsylvania Militia recruited from frontiersmen and commanded by Colonel John Armstrong attacked and destroyed the Indian city and stronghold at Kittanning on September 8th and ended the Indian rampage.
1757...George Weddell settled on land along the Youghiogheny River, across from the present town of Suterville.
1758...English and Colonial Troops under General Forbes marched from Carlise via Fort Bedford, established Fort Ligonier and captured the French Fort Duquesne at the Fork of the Ohio and renamed it Fort Pitt. The route of march became Forbes' Road.
1763...Royal Proclamation issued that forbid settlement west of the Allegheny Mountains.
1763...Pontiac, chief of the Ottawas, tried to organize all Indians in a unified attack on white settlers west of the mountains - "Pontiac's Conspiracy". The Six Nations of the Iroquois, except for the Senacas and their subject people, the Delawares, declined to join; thereby dooming the effort to failure.
1763...Highlanders under Colonel Henry Boquet routed Indians at The Battle of Bushy Run and relieved a besieged Fort Pitt.
1763...Christopher Gist led sixty-three families from Staunton, VA over the James River Trail to settle east of the Monongahela River on land that Gist had been granted by the French in 1746.
1765...King George III ordered the Governors of New York, Pennsylvania and Virginia to remove settlers from west of the Allegheny Mountains.
1766...Commissioners were sent to the Monongahela River basin to read the Royal Proclamation prohibiting settlement and ordered those there to leave. The Commissioners and the Proclamation were ignored.
1766...Hearing rumors that the boundary between Pennsylvania and Virginia was going to be the Monogohela River, all of the Gist settlers except George Wilson abandoned their land and moved to the west side of the river. Wilson was branded a traitor and his life threatened.
1768...The Treaty of Fort Stanwix purchased the land between the mountains and the Ohio River from the Iroquois.
1769...Pennsylvania land office opened for the sale of land west of the mountains.
1771...Bedford County, Pennsylvania was created from the western part of Cumberland County. Rostraver Township originally contained all land between the Monongahela and Youghiogeny rivers north of a line from the mouth of Redstone Creek to the mouth of Jacobs Creek.
1772...British garrison was withdrawn from Fort Pitt. Lord Dunmore, the Royal Governor of Virginia, appointed Dr. John Connally as military commissioner of the fort.
1773 ...Westmoreland County was created from Bedford County, included all of Pennsylvania west of the Laurel Ridge summit north to the present Clearfield County line, then on a line west to Kittanning, and down the Allegheny and Ohio rivers to the state boundary. It contained all of the territory claimed by Virginia.
1774 ...The Quebec Act of the British Parliament extended the boundary of Canada south to the Ohio River in an attempt to stem settlement. One of the "Intolerable Acts" that fueled the American Revolution.
1774 ...Lord Dumore's War. In retaliation for the massacre of white settlers, the Virginia Militia attacked Shawnee, Ottawa and other Indians west of the Ohio River. The Frederick County Militia under Major Angus McDonald raided the Indian towns along the Muskingham River. On October 10, the southwest Virginia Militia, commanded by General Andrew Lewis was attacked by Indians at Point Pleasant. The Indians were soundly defeated and Virginia gained unhindered access to and navigation on the Ohio River. The family of Chief Logan, a Christianized and friendly Mingo chief, was killed by whites; the murders recorded for all time in "Logan's Lament". Michael Cresap was blamed by Connally supporters for the murders, but John Cannon blamed Connally and his supporters for starting the war and for the murders.
1774 ...Dr. John Connally was arrested by Robert Hanna and taken to Hannastown to be tried by a Pennsylvania court. John Cannon sent 100 armed deputies to Hannastown to tear out the front of the jail and free Connally. It was part of the ongoing three-way hostility between Connally, Cannon and Hanna and the conflict between Pennsylvania and Virginia.
1775 ...In July Michael Cresap organized a rifle company of frontier marksmen at Fort Teegarden, present day Brownsville, to aid the Colonial force surrounding Boston. One had hit a two inch circle at 300 yards to be accepted into the company. Eighty men marched from the Monongahela valley to Hagerstown, MD where another other 60 were recruited. The company then marched straight through to Boston and arrived just 5 days after George Washington took command of the Continental Army.
1776 ...Yohogania County, Virginia was created from the West Augusta District and included all of present day Westmoreland County, those parts of Allegheny and Beaver counties south and east of the Ohio and Allegheny rivers, those parts of Fayette and Washington counties north of US 40 between Laurel Ridge and Washington, PA and a line northwest to Cross Creek and the West Virginia panhandle north of Cross Creek to the Ohio River. The county seat was at Augusta Town, near present day Washington PA. Court was also held at Andrew Heath's farm near present day West Elizabeth, PA. Ceded to Pennsylvania in 1785.
1778 ...Governor Patrick Henry of Virginia sent George Rogers Clark to conquer the Northwest Territory.
1778 ...Illinois County, Virginia was created and made up of the present day states of Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois and Wisconsin; ceded to the Federal government in 1784.
1779 ...Virginia and Pennsylvania reached an agreement on the boundary.
1780 ...Augusta Town, the Yohogania County, Virginia county seat, was burned on the night of June 12th by raiders from Hannastown. The last Virginia Court in the territory of Pennsylvania was held on September 18, 1780 in Razortown.
1781 ...Washington County created from that part of Westmoreland County west of the Monogohela River on March 26th.
1782 ......Hannastown, comprised of some 30 houses, was attacked and burned on July 13th by Senecas, led by Chief Guyasuta, aided and abetted by the British, and involving Simon Girty. Known as "The Hannastown Massacre"; it was the last notorious hostile act of the Revolutionary War. The planning of the attack has also been attributed to John Canon as retribution for the burning of Augusta Town.
1783 ...Fayette County created from Westmoreland County.
1784 ...The boundary between Virginia and Pennsylvania is surveyed and marked. A White Oak Post was set to mark the southwest corner of Pennsylvania.
1788 ...Allegheny County created in part from Washington and Westmoreland counties.
1794 ...President Washington sent Federalized Militia to quell the "Whiskey Rebellion" by settlers in western Pennsylvania who protested the Federal tax on their whiskey and threatened a western secession. The frontiersmen held Washington in high esteem and lost their enthusiasm for rebellion when it came to confronting their hero.
1796 ...Greene County created from Washington County.
1800 ...Beaver County created from Allegheny and Washington counties. Armstrong County created from Allegheny, Lycoming and Westmoreland counties.
1803 ...Indiana County created from Lycoming and Westmoreland counties.