Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1903-05-14
Butler County Land Titles.


trict. and was purchased-in part at
| least-by certificates issued in lieu Of
the deprecated currency of Revolution
ary times; while the greater part OF the
county to the north of this line came
within the First and Second Donation
districts, ie territory set apart, sur
| yeyed into tracts, and drawn by lot by
the Pennsylvania soldiers of the Revo-
lutionary War.
The southern part of the county
which was the first disposed Of is diyid-
ed into five large districts, named after
the surveyors employed by the state.
Joshua Elders District took in terri
tory that is now divided into Buffalo.
Winfield Clearfeld and part OF Donegal
| twps.
James Cunningham District com
prised territory that is now divided in
| to Middlesex, Clinton, Penn. jefferson.
| Butler. Summit and half of Centre and
Oakland twps.
An unnamed district comprised terri
tory that is now DIVIDED into Adams,
Forward, Connoquenessing and part oil
Franklin twps while VIM. Alexander
district and Samuel Nicholson's district
comprised Cranberry, Jackson, Lancas-
ter and part Of Muddycreek twps -di-
vided into equal parts by a north and
south line. These districts likely ex-
/ tended into the adjoining counties, and
were divided into tracts for farms or
| settlements by north and south, and east
| and west lineF, excepting the unnamed
| district in which the lines run 1rregu-
larly-those of the Chew district to the
| west of the present location of Renfrew
| runnin0 of As degree angles.
| The Cunningham district was twice
| the size of any of the others, and the
| Cunningham brothers came here, and
| were instrumental in having the county
| seat located where ii is, and named af-
| Col. Butler, who was killed at st. Clair 5
defeat
The First Donation district, included
| n strip. about five miles wide, across the
| county, north of the line mentioned
/ and the Second Donation district
another strip Of same dimensions to the
! north of it. These districts were also
| surveyed into tracts of various dlmen-
sions, and drawn by lot by the Pennsyl
vania soldiers of the Revolution, and
either settled by them or transferred TO
others. For instance we notice tract
! in the First district, drawn by Col.
David Broadhead, who was one of the
leaders Of the Whisky Insurrection; and
| in the Second district one drawn by Maj.
| Gen. A. S. Hall, and transferred to
| James Thompson; other tracts were
drawn by Lit. Col North, Col John
/ ston. Brig. Gen. Hand, etc. Part of the
northeastern corner of the county was
condemned as being unfit for settlement
they knowing nothing Of oil and ges
| in those days.
| A little history il not out of place in
noting the land titles The defeat OF
| st. Clair in 1891 spread CONSERVATION 70
| the early settlers Of this section, many
of whom abandoned their settlements,
and retired across the rivers, and it was
not until after Wayne's victory in 1884.
and the treaty with the Indians at
| Greenville, o.. that they felt safe in
venturing back
The Whisky Insurrection" which
occurred during the period, 1874,
also helped to populate this county. as
some of its refugees-men who fled to
escape arrest-settled here but men
were as good judges Of land then as they
are now, and the rich valleys of the
streams in Ohio and Indiana which
empty into the Ohio, filed up with
settlers faster than this country did
During that period, also number Of
great land companies were formed IL
the eastern cities. and among them was
that of the North American Land Co
of Philadelphia under the Management
Of Robert Morris, John Nicholson and
James Greenleaf, which secured some
tracts of land in this county.
The title to all the lands in Pennsyl
vania was vested in VIM. Penn and his
heirs by royal charter in 1851. but the
Pennsylvania Legislature of 1919, Gi-
vested this charter. excepting the pri-
vate estates of the Penns; confirmed the
titles of all third parties acquired before
the 4th of July, 1875, and reserved all
vacant lands for defraying the expenses
of the war and rewarding the soldiers
Of the state in the war of the Revolu-
ton.
| Connecticut at one time claimed q
| strip across Pennsylvania and into Ohio
| but released it to the United States and
| by it to Pennsylvania. and the "trian-
| gle," an overlooked tract along Lake
| Erie, was purchased by the national
| government from the Cornplauter In
| dians for !, 200 pounds and sold 10 Penn
sylvania for $3.50, ,G40.25.
| Virginia, too, at one time claimed
western Pennsylvania south Of the Ohio,
and for several years there was conten-
| ton between the two states as TO the
ownership of Pittsburg, which, in 1885.
| had a population of 1 400.
The division Of Western Pennsylva-
MIA, north OF the Ohio and west Of the
Allegheny into the two great districts,
called the Depreciation lands and tho
Donation lands; and the disputes re
gariing land titles that followed is set
| forth in James X. Albachs "Aunals of
the West, published in Pittsburg IL
1856, as follows
During the Revolution and cspec-
tally between the years 1777 and 1881,
the value Of the bills of credit issued by
the state Of Pennsylvania, as well as
those issued by the Continental Con
gress, continued gradually to depreciate
until they fell TO mere nominal value.
Great losses were, in consequence, aus-
tanned by the holders Of these certifi-
| Gates, especially by the officers and sol
diers OF the State troops. who received
them in payment Of their services, and
| lncessant disputes arose in relation to
| the deductions to be made from the face
of the bills. TO remedy this inconven-
/ ience, the Legislature. by the act OF the
Sd Of April. 1881, fixed scale OF depre-
citation, varying from one and half to
seventy five per cent. for each month
between the years 1777 and 1881 accord
| ing to which the accounts of the army
should be settled The State, other
wise unable to pay the officers and sol
diers Of the State establishment. gave
them certificates in conformity with the
prescribed scale, and these. which were
| called depreciation certificates. were
made receivable in payment for lands
sold by the state.
In order TO provide for the redemp-
| ton Of these depreciation certificates, it
was enacted by law OF the 12th Of
March, 1888, that for the more speedy
and effectual complying with the in
tention Of the law aforesaid, there be.
and hereby is, located and laid off a GER
tain tract Of land az follows Beginning
| where the weetern boundary of this
State crosses the Ohio river thence up
the said river TO Fort Pitt, thence ~
| the Allegheny river TO the mouth of
Magulboug (Mahoning) creek,
thence by a west line TO the western
boundary Of this State, thence south by
the said boundary to the place Of begin
ming reserving to the use of the state
| three thousand acres, in an oblong Of
not less than one mile in depth from the
| Allegheny and OHIO rivers, and extend
| ing up and down the said rivers, from
opposite Fort Pitt, as far rs may be
necessary TO include the same; and the
further quantity Of three thousand acres
! on the Ohio. and on both sides OF Bea-