The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1881-05-11
WHOLE NO. 1867.


/ The following interesting reminis.
cepse of the early history of Pitts
burgh are extracted from a paper
read by President Bigham, OF the
Old Residents Association, at a re-
cent meeting Of that society. About
ten years prior to the America
Revolution the Penn family had
surveyed TO their own use about g.
600 acres, since generally known rs
the minor OF Pittsburgh. This
tract all lay south Of the Allegheny
river, nearly one-half between two
rivers, and the remainder south OF
the Monongahela. Shortly after
independence was declared the peo-
pie Of the new State-latc colony Of
Pa.,-began to inquire If the reten-
ton Of one halt, or perhaps three
lourths, Of the surface Of the State
in the ownership OF one lamily was
consistent with o Republican form
OF government. The people Of that
day were terribly earnest. The
records Of our courts show over GJ0
cases entered to enforce the coufis-
cation OF the estates OF Tories, as the
parties unfriendly to the revolution
were called. The Legislative as
sembly of 1779 passed an act, the
18th section Of which was rs fol-
lows:
"That the sum ofe130,010, money
of Great Britain, be paid out Of the
State Treasury of this State to the
devisees and legatees Of Thomas
Peen, aud Richard Penn, late pro-
prietors Of Pa and to the widow
and relations Of SAID Thomas Penn
in such proportions as shall By the
Legislature be deemed equitable
and Just upon q full investigation
Of their respective claims" In adj
dition to this amount Of money the
Penn heirs were allowed TO retain
all manors surveyed prior to July,
1776. and all real estate individual
members Of the Penn family might
hold. Shortly after this the British
Government granted an annuity of
f4,000 to the Penn family ia con
sideration of their losses IN Pa
The annuity has been paid until
very lately, when the last member
of the Penn family IS said TO have
died. The family IS now extinct
1t is very rarely IN civil revolution,
that both parties contribute 20 re-
imburse losses.
The Manors, Of Pittsburgh was
one of those retained by the Penn
family, and shortly after the close
of the Revolution sold their benefit.
Tench Francis, agent Of ao PeHls
on the 9Th of April, 17s Tlarcd
Col. Geo. Woods, Of Bedford, e. pro-
ceed to Pittsburgh to lay ou Gle
Manor of Pittsburgh into OWE lots
and Manor farms, and to lsce; .lin
the claims Of real or pre-, -ie,. set
tiers on any part Of the same. The
delegation Of pOWe- was IN ,ua
DLUdQtSt ifD--4 4lJit tcl HIS Ntt. W Npt-'
on his ARRIVAL IN 1888 found about
four squares between Liberty aud
Market streets, on the Moa0ugaheil
bank, occupied By settlers-havin-
erected shanties and claiming pos
session under some military order.
as they alledged. Col. Woods as
sembled the whole community at
the mouth of market street and eX-
planned his orders to them. They
finally agreed not to interfere, pro-
vided he adopted their plan Of four
squares and would not widen their
streets, and would allow them to
purchase their lots at low figures.
Col. Woods wished to have made
Market street of great width, after
the Penn model of PHILADELPHIA,
but the sovereiens having , or 3
shanties erected thereon would not
permit any change.