I thought I would pass this along... --Nick Sheedy *** 1796 Turkeyfoot Twp. Assessment (Laurel Messenger, May, 1983, pg. 80) Turkeyfoot Township was the second township formed in what is now Somerset County, Pa. In July 1773, when part of Brothersvalley Township became Turkeyfoot the new township comprised almost all the western half of the present county, and extended frrom the Maryland line into a corner of what is now Cambria County. By 1795, when Somerset County was formed, Turkeyfoot had been reduced in size and included what is now Addison, Upper and Lower Turkeyfoot. The township received its name from three streams which unite at the site of the present borough of Confluence and form what resembles a turkey's foot. George Washington is said to have visited this area. It is a historical fact that there were settlers in this area as early as march 1768. They were visited by the Rev. John Steele head of a Commission appointed by Governor Penn to go into the country west of the Allegheny mountian and explain that this land belonged to the Indians. The settlers were here illegally and were warned to leave. Names of nine have been recorded: Henry Abrahams, Ezekiel DeWitt, James Spencer, Benjamin Jennings, John Cooper, Ezekiel Hickman, John Enslow, Henry Enslow, and Benjamin Pursley. Settlement became legal after the Treaty of Fort Stanwix, Nov. 5, 1768. It is possible that these men had come from Virginia and may have thought that they were living in Virginia country. In the spring of 1770, a group of 18 or 20 families came from New Jersey and settled in what became known as the Jersey settlement. In 1775, they established the Jersey Baptist Church, one of the oldest congregations in the county. John Nickloe was the assessor for 1796 taxes for Turkeyfoot township. His assistants were James McMillain and Lewis Mitchell. John Mitchell was the first tax collector. There were 4,372 acres of cleared land, 222 horses, 255 horned cattle and 161 houses in the township. Alexander McClintock had 436 acres with 100 clear and was the highest taxpayer. His tax was $6.30. William Tissue with 429 acres of land with 61, cleared was second highest taxpayer with a tax of $6.18. Thomas Spences and David Ream followed closely with tax of $5.85 and $5.76 respectively. Many thousand of acres were held by non-resident persons, some were land speculators, such as Wilcox and Chew of Philadelphia. Following are the names of resident taxables in Turkeyfoot Township in 1796: Peter Augustine, David Ankney, Gabriel Abrams, Anthony and Jacob Brandebery, Widow Briminham, Joseph Biggs, Henery Bumbershime, Stephen, Jacob and Michael Bruner, Wm. Baker, George Barnet, Peter Bradford, John and Benjamin Bailey, John Cunningham, Robert Cockerton, James & Patrick Conner, John Collins, James Campbell, Robert Colburn, Lawrence Carney, John Clark, Oliver Drake, Isaac Dwire, Hugh Donley, Nathaniel Davis, John Drury, Henry and Peter Everly, Samuel Francis, Widow Forsha, Elias Flate, Richard & Thomas Greene, David Goodwin. Jacob Hartzel, Esq., Henry & Nicholas Hartzel, Thomas Huff Sr., Thomas Jr., Abraham & Caleb Huff; John & Charles Hayett, Geo. Hinebaugh, John Hoover, Widow Hall & James Hall, Peter Helmick, Edward Harnet, Michael Harmon, John Hamble, Andrew & John Harrider, Isaac Heston and Martin Hileman, George Iseminger is the only I. Benjamin Jennings, Amos and Wm. Johnston, John & James Jones; Edward Kamp Sr., John Kamp Sr., John Jr. Stephen, and Wm. Kamp; Christopher, David Thomas, Moses and John King; John Kirkpatrick, John & Michale Keever and Jacob Knave. There was James Lafferty, James Love, Elisha Lloyd, Nehemiah Letts, Wade & Jonathan Loughberry and John Lighliter. Robert & Alexander McClintock, James Sr., John & Wm. McMillen, John Morton, Peter Marks, James Moon, John McClean, Daniel McCarter, Jacob Miller, John, James Thomas & Lewis Mitchell; John Melick, Garret Methews, henry Sr., & Henry Myers, Joseph Mountain, Wm. McCloud, Samuel McLean, Matthias McGinnis and Burkett Minor. Hugh & Robert Nicholson, Henry Nail, John & henry Nichola, Jacob Nave and Patrick Nelson; William Ogg (wife Catherine Livengood d-o Peter); Peter Penrod, John Pringey, John Peck, James & John Porter, Bedwell Parnel, Wm. & Richard Pinkerton, Widow Ruple, Jacob & Nancy Ruple; Jacob, Henry, Benjamin Reed, Michael Racoway, Henry Ridgly, Samuel Rugg and Joseph Ringer, Robert Skinner Sr., Robert Jr., Samuel & Nathaniel Skinner; Thomas, William, James & Jesse Spencer; Jacob, Philip & John Smith; Daniel & Jacob Storm; Jacob Snider, John Sink, Conrad Silbaugh, Isaiah Strawn and Vaughn Sampson; William Tissue, George Turney and William Tannehill. Finally, we have Conrad Wable, Vachel White, James & John Wright, David & Samuel Woodmancie, Frederick Sr., & Frederick Jr., Weimer, Widow Wilkens, David Work and Jonathan Woodside; Frederick & Jacob Younkin and John Youman. Many of these family names, with sometimes slightly different spellings are still well known in this area of Somerset County and elsewhere in the United States. The occupation of most of the early settlers was that of farming. Other occupations listed are of interest. Joseph Biggs, Geo. Hinebaugh, James Love, James McMillen Sr., and George Pringey were Weavers. Tailors were James Conner and Tobial Ream; coopers were Thomas Huff Sr., and Jacob Nave. Oliver Drake and John Jones had grist and sawmills. David King had a gristmill and Henry Hartzell & Daniel McCarter had sawmills. Peter Everly, Henry Rush, Samuel McLean and James Jones were blacksmiths. George Camp Sr., had a smith shop and sawmill; George Iseminger and Jonathan Woodside were wheelwrights. John King and Michael Bruner were tanners; Peter Marks and and Richard Pinkerton were shoemakers; John McLean was a surveyor, Peter Penrod was a mason and John Smith a joiner (carpenter). There was indeed an interest in education for Robt. Cockerton and John Youman were listed as schoolmasters. The Braddock Road, later the National Road, passed through what is now Addison Twp. And was one of two main routes for travelers going to settlements westward even as early as 1796. The valuation of real estate and personal property was $69,366 and the tax collected amounted to $396.83 somwhat short of the amount of $487.75 which had been levied. Abstracted from microfilm copies of first assessment list and from History of Somerset and Bedford Counties, pub. 1906, Vol. II. -- Compiled by Marguerite L. Cockley. __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com