Hi Dana, Here's the information on Christian Lesnett. I don't think we link any later than this. Good luck. Brian CHRISTIAN and CHRISTIANNA LESNETT Christian Lesnett was born in 1728 in Hesse-Kassel, Germany. (1) Married Christianna. (See below) Frederick, born 1758. Frank, born 1760. Sophia (Rowley), born 1762. Christopher, born 1765. Margaret (Boyce), born 1767. Christian Jr., born 1769. Christianna (Neal), born 1774 or 1775. George, born 1777. Christy, as he is called in many records, immigrated to the United States in 1752, according to the book “Christian Lesnett Genealogy,'' upon which much of this account is based. (2) As in the case of many Germans, his name was anglicized and appears in a variety of ways, including: Lisnett, Listnet and Lesneet. Also aboard the ship that carried Christy to America was a young married couple. During the stormy 90-day voyage across the Atlantic, the husband died and the wife, Christianna, gave birth to a girl, Nancy Agnes. (3) The colonists landed in Baltimore and moved west to Frederick, Md.,where they settled. In 1757, Christy married Christianna. Her maiden name and the name of her first husband are unknown. (4) Christy was a cabinetmaker and had a shop in Frederick. But after a few years, the shop burned down and the Lesnetts moved to Hagerstown. Although the French and Indian War was over, hostilities still flared up at times. In 1763, Pontiac, an Ottowa chief, organized a series of surprise attacks at strategic points from Detroit to Fort Pitt, the present site of Pittsburgh. The English sent a relief force under Col. Henry Bouquet to western Pennsylvania. The force included some rangers from Maryland, but it was primarily made up of British regulars. (5) Christian joined this force and was assigned to help repair and defend the wagons, according to the Lesnett genealogy. The force traveled along the Forbes Road until Aug. 5, when it was attacked by Indians at Bushy Run, about 25 miles southeast of Pittsburgh. The English forces held off several attacks by the Indians the first day. On the second day, Col. Bouquet's men faked a retreat and drew the Indians into a trap. The Indians were decimated and the soldiers made it safely to Fort Pitt. (6) While the little army was stationed at Fort Pitt, Christy saw the possibilities of the country. After a peace treaty was signed in 1768, he took the first opportunity to settle there. When Christy returned to western Pennsylvania to settle, he brought his two oldest sons - Frederick and Frank - and a man named Gillion. (7) They cleared the land, built a cabin and planted rye, turnips and corn. In the fall, the men returned to Maryland to gather their families. However, Christy was detained as a witness in a lawsuit and they were unable to travel to western Pennsylvania until the following spring. The boys stayed on the homestead that winter. In the 1760s and 1770s, the area surrounding Pittsburgh was claimed by both Virginia and Pennsylvania and both colonies sent settlers there. Both colonies established local governments - Pennsylvania called the area Westmoreland County and Virginia called it West Augusta, Ohio and Yohogania counties. This led to quite a bit of party strife. Following the Revolution, Pennsylvania was granted most of the land. (8) Most of the settlers favored Virginia because of it allowed more land to be claimed. Family tradition recorded in “Christian Lesnett Genealogy,'' says the the Lesnetts favored Virginia and they were very upset that the territory was granted to Pennsylvania. The Lesnetts appear in Yohogania County, Va., court records in an unspecified lawsuit on July 27, 1778. (9) Although many took out official claims with the colonies, others, Christy among them, took out “tomahawk claims.'' This was done by deadening a few trees near a spring and marking the bark of others with the initial of the person staking the claim. Christy claimed 1,000 acres but under Pennsylvania law was able to retain only 414 acres, 20 perch. A 400-acre warranty for Christy and a 150-acre one for his son Francis are dated Sept. 3 and 16, 1785, respectively. (10) Christy was unable to attain a patent for the land until Feb. 13, 1800. The area in which Christy settled later became South Fayette Township in Allegheny County. “History of Allegheny County, Pa.'' credits him with being the township's first permanent white settler. (11) Indians still presented problems for the settlers, especially during the Revolution and immediately thereafter. During the Revolution, the British and their sympathizers, such as Simon Girty, turned the Indians against the white settlers. While the war in the East was fought between armies, the war on the frontier was fought by all. It also took on a much more ruthless character as atrocities were committed on each side. (12) Each spring, Indian war parties gathered for raids to kidnap or kill settlers. If good weather lasted into the fall, more attacks came - hence the term “Indian summer.'' Settlers banded together to build small blockhouses or stockades for their protection. Families fled to these blockhouse as soon as word of an Indian raid spread. Isabel Lesnett, Frederick's wife, described how they had to flee to George Morgan's blockhouse during a raid. The Indians besieged the place all day and she helped the women make bullets, while the men shot. Isabel said things looked hopeless and they thought the Indians were sure to break in when help arrived from Elizabethtown and the Indians were driven off. Since the attacks threatened everyone, each man was expected to serve in the militia. The Lesnetts were very active in the militia, with their names appearing frequently in the “Pennsylvania Archive” lists of rangers and militiamen. Christy served several units during the Revolution: Capt. Stockley's company from 1778 to 1783 (13); Capt. Charles Bilderback's company (14); and Capt. Andrew Swearingen's company from March 10 to Nov. 5, 1781 (15). The service with Swearingen's company included extensive campaigning following Indians raids that swept across much of western Pennsylvania. (16) The service with Bilderback's unit was on the ill-fated campaign led by Col. William Crawford in June 1782. Christy and his sons Christian and Frank were on this mission against the Indian villages near Sandusky, Ohio, believed to be the source of attacks on the settlements. However, the Indians received word of the troops' approach and were able to evacuate the villages. A battle did erupt and the militia held its own during fighting on June 4. But the next day, the Indians were re-enforced and Crawford decided to withdraw. While the militiamen prepared to retreat, the Indians attacked and scattered them. Many were captured and killed. Col. Crawford was captured, scalped and burned at the stake. (17) The Lesnetts returned safely. The Indians continued to be a threat until 1794, when they were vanquished by troops under Gen. Anthony Wayne. (18) Following the Revolution, farmers in western Pennsylvania protested taxes on whiskey, a primary source of income. The most dramatic encounter of the Whiskey Insurrection was on July 15, 1794, when rebels burned some buildings at the farm of the man responsible for collecting the tax, Gen. John Neville, who lived near the Lesnetts. According to the Lesnett genealogy, that day a group of the rebels passed the field the Lesnetts were working and asked the them to join. The Lesnetts replied that Neville was a neighbor and they didn't want to get into a squabble that might make things unpleasant. Christy died in 1807. (19) He is buried in St. Luke's Cemetery, Woodville, Pa. Christianna died in 1813 and is buried beside Christy. (1) This date comes from “Christian Lesnett Genealogy,'' page 7. “Daughters of the American Revolution Lineage Book'' Vol. 83, page 40, and Vol. 159, page 278, say he was born in 1726. (2) This account generally follows the 1931 Lesnett genealogy. It has been edited for length and clarity. Items from other sources have been noted. (3) Their arrival in America was in 1745, according to “A Genealogical and Biographical History of Allegheny County, Pa.,'' page 484. This is an earlier record and undoubtedly also came from family sources. (4) “Daughters of the American Revolution Lineage Book'' Vol. 83 says the marriage was in 1751. Vol. 159 says it was in 1747. “A Genealogical and Biographical History of Allegheny County'' says “about 1752.'' (5) “The Battle of Bushy Run.'' (6) “History of Allegheny County, Pa.,'' pages 50 to 55. (7) Or Richard Gilson, according to “A Genealogical and Biographical History of Allegheny County, Pa.'' A George Gilson lived near Christy in 1790, according to that year's U.S. census. (8) “History of Allegheny County, Pa.,'' pages 61 to 74. (9) “Records of the District of West Augusta, Ohio County and Yohogania County, Va.,'' page 248. (10) “Pennsylvania Archives,'' Series 3, Vol. 26,page 576. (11) “History of Allegheny County, Pa.,'' page 22. (12) “Notes on the Settlement and Indian Wars of Western Virginia and Pennsylvania and Indian Wars of Pennsylvania.'' (13) “DAR Lineage Book'' Vol. 83. (14) “DAR Lineage Book'' Vol. 159. (15) “Pennsylvania Archives'' Series 6, Vol. 2, page 94. (16) “The Indian Wars of Pennsylvania,'' page 728. (17) “A History of Northwestern Ohio,'' pages 29 to 42. (18) “Indian Wars of Pennsylvania,'' pages 710 to 715. (19) 1804, according “DAR Lineage Book'' Vols. 83 and 159. However, the will is dated June 27, 1806 and proved on Oct. 10, 1807, according to “Christian Lesnett Genealogy,'' page 17. ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com