LANCASTER COUNTY. 135 



formed a church in 1723, under the charge of Peter 

 Becker. 



Among the early settlers on Mill Creek, were Conrad 

 Beissel, a man of some notoriety in the religious 

 history of the county, Joseph Shaeffer, Hans Meyer, 

 Henry Hoehn, and several Landises. 



The settlement near and around Lancaster, began to 

 increase. Francis Neff, Hans Henry Neff, Doctor of 

 Physic, who, and his descendants, are well known, Roody 

 Mire, Michael Shank, Jacob Imble, and others, having 

 settled here for some time. Lancaster was com- 

 menced about the year 1721, or 1722. " The settlements 

 about the Indian villages of Conestoga were considera- 

 bly advanced in improvements at this time ; the land 

 thereabouts being exceedingly rich; it is now (1721) 

 surrounded with divers fine plantations, or farms, where 

 they raise quantities of wheat, barley, flax and hemp, 

 without the help of any dung."* 



According to tradition, where Lancaster is now built, 

 was once an Indian wigwam ; a Hickory tree stood in its 

 centre, not far from a spring ; under this, the councils 

 met, and it was from one of these that a deputation was 

 sent to confer with William Penn, at Shackamaxon, 

 1683. The Indian nation was called Hickory, and the 

 town was called Hickory Town, before Lancaster was 

 laid outt "Gibson, tavern-keeper, had a Hickory tree 

 painted upon his sign, about the year 1722. His tavern 

 was situated near where Slaymaker's Hotel was for 

 many years, now occupied by the Hon. Benjamin 



•-Proud, II. 128, 



fAccording to Gordon, Lancaster was originally laid out in 

 1728, by James Hamilton, Esq. of Philadeldhia, at the request, 

 it is said, of the proprietaries, but certainly with a design on 

 the part of the founder to increase his estate. 



