90 HISTORY OF 



CHAPTER II. 



Ferree family make preparations to emigrate to America — Procure certifi. 

 cates of civil and religious standing — By way of Holland and England 

 come to New York — Acquire the rights of citizenship — Settle in Lan- 

 caster county — Several documents of interest — Tradition of the ancestors 

 of the Ferrees, by Joel Lightner, Esq. — Tuscorora Indians unite with the 

 Five Nations. 



About the year 1709, as stated in a preceding chapter, 

 a large emigration from the Lower Palatinate to the 

 British colonies, took place. Among these were the well 

 known names, besides those mentioned in the last chap- 

 ter, of Weigand, Fisher, Kennan, Volck, Plettel, Gulch, 

 Hiibertson, Schaneman, Lefever, Ferree and others, as 

 they are at present spelled. Some of them located them- 

 selves and became permanent inhabitants of what is now 

 Lancaster county. It is certain that the Ferrees and Le- 

 fevers, who were what was called Walloons, did settle 

 and improved lands, taken up by Martin Kendig,* 

 which was part of ten thousand acres previously pur- 

 chased from the proprietary's commissioners, by him, a 

 member of a Swiss company ; and it is both interesting 

 and instructive to see with what carefulness and regard 

 for their own characters, both as citizens and christians 

 for the good opinion of the world, these sterling people 



*"At a meeting of the commissioners Sept. 10, 1712 

 — the late commissioners having granted 10,000 acres of 

 land to the Palatines, by their warrant dated 6th, 8th, 

 1710, in pursuance thereof there was laid out to Martin Kendig, 

 besides the 2,000 acres already confirmed and paid for, the like 

 quantity of 2,000 acres, towards Susquehanna, of which the 

 General Surveyor has made a return. The said Martin Ken- 

 dig now appearing desirous that the said land may be granted 



