Our area has a high concentration of descendants of so called “Hessians.” This general term was applied to those soldiers from German-speaking regions whose rulers hired out their regiments to fight on the side of the British during the Revolutionary War. (Germany did not become a confederated nation until 1871,
The York County History Center has a treasure trove of newspapers going back over two centuries. Most have been microfilmed, making these outstanding historical sources easily accessible. I often use them as sources for blog posts and my York Sunday News columns. (Some, but not nearly all of the
It all started with a small piece in the June 28, 1887 York Gazette that read: A YORK ARCHITECT IN FREDERICK The Frederick City Daily News says: “Mr. J. A. Dempwolf, of York Pa., the architect, arrived in Frederick, Monday evening with the remainer of the plans for the new
Click here for the Library of Congress zoomable 1751 Fry-Jefferson map. I recently wrote about York County residents being recruited to move to Virginia in the 1870s. Click here to read that post. There were several paths, following very early roads, from South Central Pennsylvania to less populated lands.
Prosperity seems to have come to the York County of 140 years ago, if the ads in the December 31, 1867 issue of the York Gazette are any indication. Entrepreneurs and agents from New York, Philadelphia, Maryland, and Adams County were offering investment opportunities. Real estate was enticingly offered by