I am a subscriber also to Lanc. Co. PA rootsweb - PALANCAS - Came across this reference about a James HENDRICKS, and previous to that HUGUENOTS. My husb.'s HENDRIX ancestors purported to be Huguenot alerted my interest. ---------------------------------------------- James was born about 1665, his parents were Alburtus 2 and Helchey Hendricks. (For genealogical information on the Hendricks family see Carol Middleton's Hendricks page at <A HREF="http://home.att.net/%7Ec.middleton/Hendricks.html">http://home.att.net/~c.middleton/Hendricks.html</A> His parents came to the Delaware River about 1662 as indentured servants (people who agreed to work for someone for certain period of time). The family was Dutch and at that time, 20 years before Pennsylvania was founded, the area was controlled by the Dutch. James grew up along the Delaware River, then known as the South River, near what is now Chester, Pa. His parents owned a farm so he undoubtably worked on the farm as a young man, he was probably trained as a cooper since that was his father's occupation. (A cooper was a skilled wood worker who made wooden barrels). James couldn't read and write, he used his mark when he wanted to sign a document. His mark was J. H. 3 We shouldn't assume he wasn't smart because he couldn't read, in those days being able to read and write wasn't as important as it is today. You really didn't need to be able to read and write in order to make a living. James was smart enough to speak three languages, he served as an Indian translator 4 so he had to speak English and Delaware (the Indian language in the Philadelphia area) 12 and he probably spoke Dutch, the language of his parents and the one used when he was a child. James must have had an adventurous spirit, he first came into this area in 1690, hunting for mines. In 1714 he bought 1,000 acres from the Penn land office, paying 10 pounds for the land. 5, that's about 1/20th of the land area of the current Conestoga Township and would be worth millions of dollars today. James shows up as a taxpayer in Conestoga Township from 1718 to 1727. 6 This was on the Chester County tax list, Lancaster county was formed in 1729. --------------------------- There is quite a bit more, including ref. to his having accidentally shot his son, the reason for a deposition referenced. -------------------------------One of the references - 11Maryland claimed the 40th parallel as its northern boundry, this runs just south of Millersville. The discussion about Indian forts came about because Maryland claimed its northern boundry was at the location of an Indian fort, based on Augustine HerrmanÕs 1670 map which showed an Indian fort at Washington Boro, on the 40th parallel. James HendricksÕ interview was to dispute this claim and show the Indian fort was located on the Susquehanna at the Octorara Creek. Eventually this dispute was resolved in PennsylvaniaÕs favor and the famous Mason Dixon line was established. 12 Margaret Hastings Hendrix Climbing 'craggy block walls' in DE & MD ca.1750 Obadiah HASTINGS (d.1820-30); John BENNETT same area & era (need wives for both); also John CAMPBELL - m1. Cynthia FUQUA ca. 1822 5 ch; m2. Emily FORD - 7 ch. Ch b.(W)VA, IL, & MO. Oldest of the 12, Edw. Carrington Campbell, fa of Mary Minnette Campbell TOMLINSON. (John was NOT a bro. of Alex. of Disc. of Chr. Ch. - that seems to be a figment of orphaned Minnette's imagination. (I spent years researching Disc. of Christ Ch. Campbells to no avail.)