Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1879-04-16
We have been asked. "Do YOU

We have been asked, "Do you
know who first owned tie land On
which Miffi.ntown is built- and the
chain of ownership to this present
time 3 to which we answer, "Yes,
and we will state it, in this issue Of
the SENTINEL AND REpUBIIcAN-except-
ing the chain of ownership of the
lots in town after the land WAS laid
out as town plot. We do not give
the names of lot owners.
The first owners, as far as we know,
were the Indians. By sundry op-
erations of Europeans, the title be-
came vested in the English govern
ment. That government owed the
father of William Penn quite a sum
of money. The debt to the Penns
was extinguished by the Crown Civ
ing a land grant to William Penn, the
founder of the Province, now the
State of Pennsylvania.
On the Sth day of September, 1855,
man named Alexander Lafferty
bought of the Penn's, and had pat
ented, by the same authority 275i
acres and allowance of per cent. OF
land, called Content, which is the tract
that Miffiintown now stands on, and
comprehends considerable extent OF
the land yet east of the town at this
day.
On the 31st of January, 1867, Laf-
ferty sold the tract Content to john
Cox.
On the 7th day OF March, 1767,
Cox sold Content to VIM. MaCiay.
On the 10th day of Iarch, 1867,
Richard Penn and Thomas Penn,
Proprietors, and John Penn, Lieu
tenant Governor, confirmed Content
to VIM. MaClay, and for the sum OF
f442-S2l0-forever released him of
all quit-rents, and so forth.
Content, at that time, was bounded
on the south by lands of Francis
West, ON the east by lands of VIM.
Corran and Vim. Mccoy, on the
north by lands of John Read, and on
the west by the Island, which was
known as Laffertys Island, now
Stambaugh's Island.
On the 2nd day of September, 1774
MaClay sold Content to John Harris
for the sum OF Il, ,2O0-S6,0O0.
In 1871, John Harris laid out g
town on the west end of the tract
Content, and called the town Miffiin
town, in honor of Governor Thomas
NIiffiin. The Harris town plot ex
tended eastward to an alley that runs
parallel with Third street. The ad
ditions to the town plot made since
the days of John Harris have all
been made from the tract Content
and were laid out by Lewis Burch
field and Samuel Davis, John Wright,
L. S. Parker, John j. Patterson, r.
c. Gallagher, and B. Z. Schweier-
After the death of John Harris, his
estate was partitioned by his chill
dren. His son James became owner
of large portion of Content, lying
east OF the town.
On the 10Th day of August. 1906,
James Harris sold 215 acres, east OF
and adjoining Miffiintown, to James
Burd for the sum of S5,746.56. On
the 18th day Of April, 1926, James
Burd sold a tract of 1874 acres, east
Of and adjoining lIiifiintown, to his
two sons, Allen and Edward Burd.
On the Gil of September. 1884, Ed
ward bought his brother Allen Buris S
interest in the tract mentioned, and
became its sole owner. On the 1si
of April, 1S41, Edward Burd sold
the farm to Jonas Kaufman, An
drew Parker, and Philo Hamlir.
At this date the larger pieces OF
the tract belong to George Jacobs,
ST., b. T. Schweier, Z. S, Doty,
Sr., and J. Fl. McAister. The addi-
tions to the borough plot of Parker,
Patterson, and Schweier, have been
from the Hamlin and Parker pur-
chases. All the town lots and land
Content have a chain of title extend
ing from the present date, from pro-
prietor to proprietor, to John Harris,
from Harris to MaClay, from MaClay
to Cox, from Cox to Lafferty, from
Lafferty to the PENIS.