Hi Rob, well my best knowledge agrees with yours - that GW recruited locally (to him). However given that we didn't know the boundaries of PA, MD, and VA in those days, and given that I have found a few guys in PA who served in VA troups, and given that nothing is rock solid, I thought I had better not say our PA SI ancestors "Didn't even serve" with GW. No one can make that statement as we don't have all the records. Plus as soon as I'd make such a statement, someone on the list would pipe up with their exception! I am sure they exist as no one thinks "oops, I donno if I am living in PA or MD or VA but because I am clairvoyant and I know that in 20 years they will decide this is PA, I can't go on the only interesting thing to happen here in my lifetime". Only a clairvoyant ancestor, living in the wrong place by 5 miles or so, could decide correctly. I did find one man who I believe lived in Berkeley Co, a McCormick (fer those who know "Dr. John", the early Scotch Irish settler in Fredericksburg area) who apparently joined up on the retreat (I think it was near Willis Ft). I think this man is Dr. John's son. He wasn't from the Williamsburg area. In reading the records, you do find men joining and then desserting on the way -- both ways. Some of the daily reports survive and it's there I found this man of interst. Though PA men were not fond of the Virginians, the border was not known and family alliances existed up the wahhhzooo between PA and MD and VA. I've found a number of PAers who married PA women in MD. We make too much of borders. He coulda been by the name the son of a man living near Chambersburg, but ..... I think Dr. John's family is more likely the source as they are Virginieees. However my theory on why my family rarely ever move south from the Allegheny Valley or even visit is them southernish parts in the Mon Valley are full of Virginians <grin>!!! We only go south of PGH to go to the airport. Linda Merle ---------- Original Message ---------------------------------- From: "Rob Hilliard" <rhilliard@mackinengineering.com> Date: Tue, 21 Feb 2006 10:25:02 -0500 > >Our ancestors might have served in G W's army when he went west. > >Not if they lived in PA. Washington's troops (specifically, 1754 at Ft. >Necessity and 1755 militia in Braddock's march) were raised in VA, >mostly in the vicinity of Williamsburg. It's possible that there may >have been a few PA militia in Braddock's march in addition to >Washington's Virginians, but I don't have that information in front of >me right now. > >As Linda correctly points out, there were virtually no European settlers >west of the Allegheny Mountains at the outbreak of the F&I War in 1754. >There was a single trader named (John?) Frazier with a cabin at the >mouth of Turtle Creek on the Monongahela River and a few straggling >traders at the Indian village of Logstown (current Freedom, PA) on the >Ohio. The total white population in what is now western PA amounted to >less than a couple dozen individuals at that time. > >By the close of the war in 1763, it was a slightly different story. >Fort Pitt was five years old, the town of Pittsburgh was growing up >around it, and Redstone Old Fort (current Brownsville, PA) was starting >to grow with new settlers further south on the Monongahela. Still, >though, you might only be talking about a couple hundred white settlers >and traders at that time. > >It was over the next 20 years that the population in western PA grew >abruptly. The relative security provided by the close of the F&I War >started the westward migration, along with economic factors such as land >speculation by the Ohio Company and the donation of lands to soldiers of >the Continental Army. Of course, this security was disrupted again and >again by Indian attacks - during the Revolutionary War (the Senecas in >this area allied with the British), during the post-Revolution Indian >Wars (ending with Anthony Wayne's 1794 defeat of the Indians at Fallen >Timbers), and during various and sundry attacks in between. > >This can be important to genealogists because you may find that your >ancestors moved west over the Alleghenies more than once - only to be >forced back East again when things got hot on the frontier. > >Rob > >-----Original Message----- >From: Linda Merle [mailto:merle@mail.fea.net] >Sent: Tuesday, February 21, 2006 9:59 AM >To: Scotch-Irish-L@rootsweb.com >Subject: Re: [Sc-Ir] Subject: History Alert > >It was interesting but our ancestors were not in Western PA during it. >The edge of civilization was about Chamberburg, though living there was >risky. There are places still called "Burnt Cabins". Our ancestors might >have served in G W's army when he went west. Apparently many >Cumberlanders were on the raid of Kittanning (which is now just up the >river from me!). > >"The Crucible of War" by Fred Anderson (Vintage Books), in cheap >paperback, is a good history of the Seven Years/French and Indian War. > >THe Cousins' Wars" by Kevin Phillips (Basic Books) presents a view of >British Civil War (and American involvement), the French and INdian, and >the American Revolution as three civil wars in the Anglo-British >universe. It's fascinating to see the forces that underlay all three. > >Linda Merle > > >---------- Original Message ---------------------------------- >From: ACMBJC@aol.com >Date: Mon, 20 Feb 2006 21:16:27 EST > >>Does anyone on the list know if or when the following is to be aired? >>I sure hope it appears again, since most of my family history evolved >>from western PA. >> >>TIA. >> >>Marybeth C. >>acmbjc@aol.com >> >>============================================================= >>In a message dated 2/19/06 12:26:06 AM, >>Scotch-Irish-D-request@rootsweb.com >>writes: >> >><< Subject: History Alert >> >>That PBS show on cemeteries of Allegheny County was great as was the >>one on the French and Indian War THE WAR THAT MADE AMERICA also WHEN >>THE FOREST RAN RED. Let's send an alert to the list when we know >>something good is scheduled for broadcast on PBS or the History Channel > >>Carolyn >> >> >> >> > > > > > >________________________________________________________________ >Sent via the WebMail system at mail.fea.net > > > > > > > ________________________________________________________________ Sent via the WebMail system at mail.fea.net