OF LAXCASTER COUNTY. 421 



in Pennsylvania, some to Conestoga, some to IMill Creek, some to Oley, some to Skiiv 

 pack, some remained at Germantown, -niiere they fonnecl a church in 1723, under the 

 charge of Peter Becker. 



Among the early settlers on Mill" Creek, were Conrad Beissel, a man of some noto- 

 riety in the religious history of the county, Joseph ShaefTer, Hans ]\reyer, 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 

 Avas commenced about the year 1721, or 1722. " The settlements about the Indian vil- 

 lages of Conestoga were considerably advanced in improvements at this time; the land 

 thereabouts being exceedingly rich; it is now (1721) surrounded with divers fine plan- 

 tations, or farms, where they raise quantities of wheat, barley, flax and hemp, without 

 the help of any dung." 



Andreas, Benjamin and Christian Hersiiey, were early settlers in tins County. 

 They were natives of Switzerland and went with their father to Friedensheim, in the 

 Palatinate, who, with his two sons, Andreas and Benjamin, emigrated to America and 

 settled in Lancaster County in 1719; Christian, the third brother, had to stay on the 

 farm in the Palatinate until 1739, when he also came hither. These three brothers were 

 preachers among the Mennonites. Andrew, l)orn in 1702, died in 1792, leaving twelve 

 children. Christian, Andreas, Johannes, Benjamin, Jacob, Abraham, Isaac, Ilcinrich, 

 Peter, Catharina, Maria and Odti. 



John Brubacher, a Swiss, and founder of the numerous Brubacher family, was one 

 of the earliest settlers, and is said to have located in Hempfield To^Aniship, on the Little 

 Conestoga, and to have built the first mill in Lancaster County. The family registei-, 

 from which this notice is drawn, mentions neither the date of his arrival, nor the exact 

 locahty where he built the mill. 



About the year 1723 a number of Germans, who had been living for ten years at Scho- 

 harie in New York, settled on the Swatara and Tulpehocken creeks. Among these was 

 Conrad Weiser, whose descendants are numerous, and include the Muhlenberg family. 



Donegal was organized in 1722; David Jones was appointed constable. The first 

 settlers were chiefly Irish; among them occiu- the names of Temple, Patterson, jVIitch- 

 ell, Hendricks, Speer, Galbraith, Anderson, Scott, Lowrey, Pcdan, Porter, Sterrit, Kerr, 

 Work, Litle, Whitehill, Campbell and others. 



In 1726 Kobert Barber, John Wright and Samuel Blunston commenced a settlement 

 on the Susquehanna; they were Quakers Barber took np and bought 1000 acres, 

 bounded north by Chicques Hill and extending down the river to the present site of 

 Columbia. He and his friends actually settled on their lands in 1727. 



For an account of early settlers on the land back of the river see page 363. 



In the northeastern part of the county, a settlement was commenced about tlie year 

 1733 or 24, by Eberhart Ream, whose descendants still reside in the village called after 

 the fii-st settler and proprietor. This place, Uke many others, was occupied solely by 

 the Indians, at the time Mr. Eeam located here. He ventured with his wagon and 

 horse into the woods, where he unloaded his "fixtures and furniture," imder a largo 

 oak tree that spread its extended boughs over him and his small family till he had put 

 up a rude log cabin, which he built upon what is now Lesher's fann. His nearest mill 

 was on the Brandywine, and his nearest neighbors, the Miilbachcrs, then living on :Mill 

 creek. After clearing a small spot, he procured a warrant and located about four hun- 

 dred acres; in 172.'5 he received a patent for the same. 



Some of his first or early neiglibors, who had been attracted by the improved spot 

 and fine water, were Bucher, Huber, Walter, Keller, Schwarzwalder, Leader, Schneider, 

 Killion, Dock, Forney, Rupp, Balmer, :May, [Mayer, Hahn, Resler, Beyer, Leet, Schlott, 

 Graf, Wolf, Feierstein, Weidman and others. 



