OF LANCASTER COUNTY. 413 



bold. Pennsylvania fomul in him a "good and faithful sen-ant.*' His Hoi)ort,«, the 

 second of the Pennsylvania series, immediately suteecdinf,' Mr. Dalhi-s'. ......r. .• .'.■.••.. 



honor upon him, both as an author and a lawyer. 



EARLY SETTLERS.i 



Many foreigners had, prior to the issuing of Anne's pmcliiiuaiion, (ii'tenniiicd to 

 seek refuge in America. The Canton of Bcni, in Switzerland, had einiiluycd 

 Christopher de Graftenried and Lewis ^litchel or ^lichelle, as pioneers, with instnic- 

 tions to search for vacant lands in Pennsylvania, Virginia or Carolina. One of 

 these, Michelle, a Swiss miner, had been in America, prior to 1704 or 170."(. tnivei-sing 

 the country to seek out "a convenint tract to settle a colony of their people on." Ho 

 was among the Indians in and about Conestogo during 170(i and 1707. ''in search «tf 

 some mineral or ore;" and, "it is believed, he and his associates built a foil not far 

 from Connejaghera, many miles above Conestogo." 



In the year 1707 a few Quaker pioneers settled in Kennet, Chester county. Among 

 others were Vincent Caldwell, Thomas Wickersham, Joel Bailey, Thomas Hope and 

 Guyan ]\Iiller. 



No actual settlements had been made prior to 1708 or 1709 in Lancaster county: 

 but a few whites had abodes among the Indians on the Sus(,nehanna. These were 

 Indians traders, and all Frenchmen. Their names— Bezalioii, Chaitier. .Tessop and Lo 

 Tort. Chartierhad, prior to 1704, lived long among tlie Shawanah Indians, and uih.ii 

 the Susquehanna. 



Of the above Indian traders, Bezalion was the only one licensed. 

 Ibout the year 1706 or 1707, a number of the persecuted Swiss Mennonites went to 

 Eno-land, and made a particiUar agreement with the Honorable Proprietor. ^\ dham 

 Peun, at London, for lands to be taken up. Several families, from the Palatinate, de- 

 scendants of the distressed Swiss, emigrated to America and settled hi Lancaster county 



"'TheteacUtions, respecting the flrst visit to the place of subsecpient settlement are 

 discrepant. From public documents and some private papers in the posses.sion o Abra- 

 ham Meylin, and others, residing in West Lampeter township, we may eoi.hden ly state 

 that the Meimonites commenced a settlement in 1709 or 1710, at the place wheiv the 

 Herrs and Meylins now reside, near Willow Street. , . , ., , . ., , , ^^.„ 



,. A Swiss company, to emigrate to America, and settle m tl- -ildernes>. h.wl W 

 organized, but who the projector of it was, we cannot state. The Ij :''-;- ^ 

 Mevlin h s son Martin, and John Hans Herr, John Rudolph Bun.lol^. > . tin K.u.h 

 l'!o^imeriZ^nOhorl.oU^, Hans Funk, Michael Oborholtz, Wen.le liow.naii and 

 the"o^;^^^^^^^ conestogo in 1709, selected a tract of ten ^or^^^^^^^^^^^ 

 on the north side of Pequea creek, and shortly afterwards, Vrocmea..^^^^^ 



same. It is dated October 10, 1710-the -----^^ ^-,7^;;^ t "e Ir^'^H ^ 

 the 23d of the same month. The 27th of Apnl, 1.11, the ^"^^y^-^ ^^ "'^^^J.^. „^ 

 request of the first purchasers, subdivided the said ten thousand acie.s n.to so many 

 parts as they had previously agreed upon." j 



It appears' from tradition and other --^^^^f^J^^^^^^^^^^^^ 

 agreement with William Penn, and by permission of the ^^ » J^^^*^ ;;^. .,^ j^^„^.,,^ „,.,! 

 Gookin, they commenced making improvements be ore a ^^ ' !* ;\ ;;\^,,,, ,,,„t 

 that while some were felling trees, removing /"«^^;^^-"f''^;"^^^'"^;if"Vhe following 

 to Philadelphia to obtain a wanant for their choice tract of .oo.ls. The 

 documents strengthen the tradition to be correct in the mam fact.. 



rrnn, Mr Rui.p-s HIstury of Lancajter connly and bU 



1 Most of the particulars given are taken from Mr. Kupp s nui > 



Collection of Thirty Thousand Names. 



