The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1897-01-23
OLD CoNEwAGo LAND MARKS
From oonewago Collections.

In an old writing the Conewago land
and church are referred to as 'at the
Pigeon Hills, the deep woods seemed
but continuation of these mountain
spurs; also ''at Heidelberg, ''-Heidel-
berg Township, York Co., from 1850,
extending west to the Conewago Creek,
south to the Province of Md Mount
pleasant Township was one of the original
townships of Lancaster Co. to 1850, York
Co. to 1900, then Adams.
Historical data of colonial times is hid
den away in old deeds and records, await
ing sufficient interest for its discovery.
Old citizens and the traditions of their
fathers reach back to the early settlements.
If we take the life and ancestry of Vim
cent O. Bold it would carry us back to
1850, and his own history and reminis-
cences would form an interesting chapter
in the annals of Conewago. 1t is strange
coincidence that four generations of the
family each consisted of four children, =
Sebastian, Anthony, Ignatius, and Vim
cent having each had four children.
In Colonial days, missionary churches,
especially under the Jesuits, were desig-
mated as chapels, from their small begin
nings in rooms of private houses, and be-
cause of the penal laws forbidding public
places of Catholic worship; for the same
reason the name Father is seldom met
with in old books or papers; it was Mr..
Smith, Mr.. Gallitzin or Mr.. Pellentz, and
Rev. Mr. So strong was this custom that
old people used to speak of Mr.. De Barth,
Mr. Lekeu, and do yet Formerly Rev.
was applied to the secular clergy and
Father to the religious orders, but now
Catholics call every priest Father. Thus
Conewago Chapel is derived from the In
dian name Conewago Falls (creek) and
chapel missionary station, as at Port
Tobacco, Hickory, Bohemia, St. Inigoes,
White Marsh, Greek, &C., also known as
mass houses, manors, globes, &C., after
old English customs. In Virginia they
still call the poor house the glebe as grant
of land for public purposes. 1t is an old
English and Scotch law term peculiar to
the Church of England, though derived
from the Latin gleba, land, as the word
'missa, Mass, is to the Catholic Church,
from the last blessing of the priest, lite,
missa, est, depart, Mass is over, or you
are sent away, dismissed.
The O. Bold homestead, adjoining Nc
Sherrystown, has an interesting history.
The old parchment deed is as perfect, the
writing as plain, the ink as black, as the
day it was written; while later deeds on
paper are torn, worn and DIM 1t is called
a tri-partite deed, from Rev. John Lewis,
of Cecil Co., Commonwealth of Maryland,
to Sebastian o. Bold, (Opoldt, of Heidel-
berg Twp, York Co., Province of Pa,
dated May 4, 1856. The iudenture bears
date Nov. 6, 1775, between John Digges,
of Charles Co., gentleman, "only son and
heir at law of Edward Digges, of st.
Mary S CO., gent, etc, and Henry Neale,
of St. Mary's Co., gent, by which
they tgive, grant, remise, release, quit
claim and confirm unto the said John
Lewis, his heirs" &C., forever, 5484
acres of land, part of larger tract called
Digges' Choice; with further reference to
tri-partite deed of same date from VIM.
Digges, of St. Marys Co. and Catharine
his wife; Henry Digges, of Charles Co. /;
and Jane his wife; and Milford Neale and
Elizabeth his wife, of st. Mary Co., act
ing executors of the last will and testa-
ment of Edward Digges and Elizabeth,
''one of the daughters, heirs and devisees
named in the will, - to John Lewis for
1873 acres on Plum Greek, now the Samuel
farm.
This, then, is where the Jesuits came
into possession of the most Of the Conewa-
go Chapel land; the consideration is not
mentioned, only the title Of possession from
the Digges heirs to Rev. John Lewis, to
confirm the title he gave to Sebastian
o. Bold. The tradition that Patrick Nc
Sherry gave the Jesuits 100 acres of land
is unfounded, from the fact proved by these
deeds that his land did not adioin the
church lands; he bought $50 acres from
the Digges' Nov. 1863, and laid it out in
five acre lots, SO Lot No. 80, the old
tavern stand of Johns Adam Caster. now
Rebecca Hildt's property, East Main ST.,
was the last of the "Lots, called Nc
Sherrystown; he then owed large tract
in Mt. Pleasant Twp, the Geiselman and
Shorb farms, now Croninger' S, and the old
Weaver tracts, late Rimbaugh's and we
believe the latter was the old tavern stand,
owned by his son James There is
furthert tradition that the Digges' gave the
Jesuits land; whether this refers to the
1775 tract or earlier we have no means of
ascertaining. A stronger tradition is that
Col. Owings, a colonial surveyor under
Lord Baltimore, gave 100 acres where the
church now stands This is most likely;
Robert 0wings was born 1892, died 1859;