Early Geddes History
While a considerable amount has been written by early Geddes family members (John and William) concerning their lifestyles and communities in the 1800s, not so much is known about what America was like for our first immigrant family, that of James Geddes, his wife, and sons, who arrived on American shores in 1752. Written records only begin to appear in the 1780s, i.e. receipts found in the old family chest, and a couple of letters from the Revolutionary War days. The contents of these letters are general and do not specifically describe living conditions.
Research has revealed that the early Geddes family most likely did not move into Derry Township immediately upon arrival in America. Their whereabouts during the first ten years, from 1752 to 1762, remain a mystery. Perhaps they stayed securely in Philadelphia until the French Indian Wars of 1755-1765 were over and it was safe to move west. Or maybe they simply did not get involved directly with the local militia’s dealings with the Indians and government proceedings, thus their names do not surface. We do find that William Geddes (aka Geddis) was married to Sarah McCallen (of Derry Township) in 1762 and that their first son, James, was born in Carlisle, Cumberland County in July of 1763. Cumberland County is west of Dauphin County, and therefore as much a frontier and wilderness as was Dauphin.
A thick tome entitled, The History of Dauphin County, sheds some light on the events that were occurring on this frontier at the time. A search of the lists of names, however, of Dauphin County inhabitants who were involved in the turbulent times between 1754 and 1764 during the French-Indian Wars, does not reveal any Geddes, McCallen, or Sawyer names. The name “McClure” does appear several times. Robert MaCallen’s name appears on a list of people who were given “warrantees of land” in Londonderry Township. Robert’s name, the amount of land (70 acres), and the date Jan.7, 1771, appear in the list. (It is generally considered that the date of the warrant is not necessarily the date of settlement.) That would have occurred generally speaking several years previously. Robert McCallen was an uncle of Robert Geddis and raised him from the age of two years, when McCallen’s sister, Sarah, (little Robert’s mother) died. McCallen, who was childless himself, then gave his farm to his nephew upon his death.
James Geddes, his wife, and his descendants are buried in the Derry Church cemetery, they owned property in Dauphin County (previously Lancaster County), and their grandson, Robert Geddis, was born in Dauphin Co. in 1770. The history of this Scotch-Irish Geddes family begins sometime back in the 1500s when the Scots began to emigrate to Ireland.
The Scotch-Irish
According to The History of Dauphin County, in the 1500s, under the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, the Province of Ulster in Ireland, and in particular the counties of Downe, Londonderry, and Antrim, “was reduced to the lowest extreme of poverty and wretchedness, while its moral and religious state was scarcely less deplorable.” When James I took the throne in 1603, much land was seized through the false accusation of certain landowners, who were forced to flee the country. This was followed by a “supposed threatened insurrection,” which occasioned the Crown to seize more land. The suppression of this “insurrection” left Ulster “decimated and depopulated.”
To re-people the country, the English Crown invited Protestants from England and Scotland to settle the land and secure British rule in the area. The principal emigration was from Scotland, the coast of which was only 20 miles from Antrim, Ireland. The Scots brought their Presbyterianism, and their distinguishment for thrift, industry, and endurance. It was during this time that the Geddes family moved to Ireland from Scotland, as ancestor Paul Geddes was born near Randallstown, Antrim County, Ireland in 1660.
The Province of Ulster revived and advanced in prosperity for many years until 1661 when “bigotry and despotism controlled the English throne.” Persecution of “an oppressive nature” began in Ulster against the Scotch Presbyterians “to break down the attachment of the people to the faith of their fathers.” This persecution subsequently spread to Scotland. From 1670 until the accession of William and Mary, the “Covenanters” of Scotland worshipped in hidden places and at the peril of their lives…Many were treacherously and ruthlessly butchered and ministers were prohibited under severe penalties from preaching, baptizing, or ministering in any way to their flocks. During the years 1660-1668, 18,000 Scottish Presbyterians “were put to death in various ways.” Many Scots fled to Ulster to escape the persecution in their land. Despite what their title, “Scotch-Irish,” may hint at, as a general rule the Scots did not intermarry with the Irish.
Emigration to America
This oppression from the British Crown, partly religious, partly political, as well as oppressive taxation, eventually motivated the Scotch Irish to begin leaving Ireland before 1718. Extensive emigrations from northern Ireland occurred during two distinct periods. The first was from about 1717 to mid-century. The second occurred from 1771-1778. James Geddes and his family were among those in the earlier emigration. Most who emigrated were Protestants—generally Presbyterians, as were the Geddes’.
They landed principally at Newcastle and Philadelphia. A handful went to Kennebec, Maine, but the greatest portion settled in Pennsylvania. About 1740 “the influx of Scotch-Irish was so great that family after family removed down the valley to the Potomac and beyond to Virginia and the Carolinas.” This influx of immigrants continued until it was checked by the American Revolution in 1778.
The Scotch-Irish in Pennsylvania
It is generally believed that the Scotch-Irish settled in Pennsylvania because they were not welcome in New England. Because of their rough manners and “uncouth” lifestyle, the Yankees looked down their noses at them. William Penn, however, had a compassion for persecuted people and so his country was open to the outcasts. His compassion for the persecuted, however, was not passed on to his sons, who succeeded him as governors of the province. While the Germans and Swiss could settle anywhere, not so for the Scotch-Irish. At first, they settled in an area on the Susquehanna River called the Manor of Conestoga. This was a tract of land “containing sixteen thousand acres on the east side of the Susquehanna River from the mouth of Conestoga Creek northward.” But soon they were “removed by force, their cabins burned and told to go beyond the Conewago. The Germans occupied immediately the land from which the Scotch-Irish had been driven. Pushed across the Conewago and Swatara (Rivers) they were allowed to remain.”
Relations with the Indians
Relations with the American Indians in the area were at times peaceful, at other times very turbulent. William Penn was careful to cultivate diplomatic relations with the native Americans who resided in Pennsylvania. As a result, before 1755, there were few “Indian outrages” committed within the limits of Dauphin Co. But about that time, residents were becoming uneasy because of some incidents of violence in neighboring communities. The increasing frequency of Indian violence against settlers was being instigated by the French, who competed for the land with the English.
In July of 1754, a petition was laid before the governor of the Province of Pennsylvania containing 57 signatures of the men of Dauphin (at the time Lancaster) County. The petition was for protection from the “French Indians.” It states in part:
“The humble inhabitants of the townships of Pextang (Pastang) Derry, and Hanover, Lancaster Co., humbly showeth that your petitioners, being settled on and near the river Susquehanna, apprehend themselves in great danger from the French and French Indians, as it is in their power several times in the year to transport themselves with ammunition, artillery, and every necessary, down the said river; and their conduct of late to the neighboring provinces increases our dread of a speedy visit from them, as we are as near and convenient as the provinces already attacked, and are less capable of defending ourselves, as we are unprovided with arms and ammunition and unable to purchase them….We, your petitioners, therefore humbly pray that your Honor would take our distressed condition into consideration and make such provision for us as may prevent ourselves and our families from being destroyed and ruined by such a cruel enemy…”
While the French were actively engaged in applying themselves “to seduce the Indians from their allegiance to the English,” the Provincial government response required “much cunning diplomacy and expensive presents” to keep the Indians in favor of the Province. Much political wrangling entered into the picture in terms of the taxes required to pay for the “presents to the Indians, along with the erection of a line of forts along the frontier, and the maintenance of a military force.” Added to this were the pacifist principles of the Quakers and others in the ruling bodies. As a result of all these political complications, the petition and fears of the settlers went for the most part unanswered.
As the French stepped up their hostilities toward the English, plans were now in the works for a line of forts along the frontier. Meanwhile, atrocities were on the increase as sometimes whole families were brutally murdered by “French” Indians. The outlying settlements of family dwellings were often miles apart, which meant that help would not be immediately forthcoming if they were to come under attack. As a result, many settlers left their land and moved back closer to civilization. Others stayed and some were massacred. While an argument has been made that the Indians were justified in their anger at the encroachment of white settlers on their territory, the Indians were often used as pawns by both the French and the English (in this case the French) to do their bidding in furthering their ages-old conflict. And the Indians were not merciful to their victims. The murders were hideously performed on all—men women, children. Sometimes the women and children were carried off.
John Harris, the first settler in Lancaster County, and after whom the town of Harrisburg was named, was among those who signed the petition to the governor. He wrote in a letter to a friend at Lancaster, “We expect the enemy upon us every day, and the inhabitants are abandoning their plantations, being greatly discouraged at the approach of such a number of cruel savages, and no present sign of assistance…”
Meanwhile, the Governor of the Province of Pennsylvania was turning a deaf ear to the pleas of the Scotch-Irish settlers. “In reply to the earnest appeals for help and protection, [he] said he could give the frontiersmen no aid whatever, but commends their zeal and urges them to act with caution.” One Quaker member of the ruling Assembly expressed the prevailing prejudice against the Scotch-Irish in the following description: “A pack of insignificant Scotch-Irish, who, if they were all killed, could well enough be spared!” In defense of the Scotch-Irish, the writers of the History of Dauphin County state: “In the first place, no descendant of the Puritans can properly understand the character of the Scotch-Irish.”
In light of such indifference and hostility from their own countrymen, the Scotch-Irish felt compelled finally to take matters of their own protection into their own hands. Under the leadership of the Rev. John Elder, “the long and revered pastor of Paxtang and Derry Churches,” they formed a group that became known as “The Paxtang Boys.” About thirty volunteers from the area became rangers for the townships of Lancaster that were under threat of attack. They offered a form of frontier justice and protection that the government was unable and apparently unwilling to provide. While the rangers were government-approved, they were limited by the same in their range, i.e., they could not pursue the enemy beyond purchased land. Therefore they could not successfully guard the entire line of settlements.
As a result of this, during the harvest of 1763, “the reapers of Paxtang, Hanover, and Derry took their guns and ammunition into the fields to defend themselves from the sudden attacks of the enemy. On the Sabbath the trusty rifle was taken to the sanctuary, and the pastor of Paxtang had at hand his weapon of defense.”
The bloodshed continued on both sides of the battle. “Settlers were murdered, scalped and butchered in the most shocking manner, and their dead bodies inhumanly mangled…” The Paxtang Boys part, with the support of all the locals, carried out raids on suspected encampments of the murderous Indians. In one such raid, a whole settlement of Conestoga Indians was wiped out.
It was a much-politicized action, with one of the most vocal critics being Benjamin Franklin, himself. He circulated a pamphlet entitled, “A Narrative of the Late Massacre in Lancaster County of a Number of Indians, Friends of this Province,” and severely chastized the Paxtang Boys for their actions against the Cosnestogas. He accused them of brutally massacring helpless Indians, men, women and children. The Paxtang Boys defended their actions saying that had the Indians not resisted their attempts to arrest one murderous fellow, things would not have gotten out of hand.
In a later letter, Franklin admitted to a friend that he deliberately attempted to inflame the public against the Paxtang Boys, “rendering the proceedings of the rioters unpopular and odious”. He confessed he did this to try to strengthen the weak government, run by the Penn Quakers. As it turned out, this attempt backfired on Franklin and he lost favor with both the people and the government.
Cumberland County, Dauphin’s neighbor to the west, endured similar torment of danger and fear. The ten years between 1755 and 1765 saw scenes of “murder, burning houses and horrid massacres.” Stockades built of logs were constructed in the Cumberland Valley at Carlisle, Shippensburg, and Louden, each garrisoned by about seventy men. To these residents would flee. Many left their land and fled to the eastern parts of Lancaster and York Counties. A history of Shippensburg states, “The number of people in the valley slain, scalped, or carried away into captivity was very great. The whole valley was made one of desolation and blood. The ground was plowed, the seed sown, and the harvest gathered under the fear of tomahawk and rifle. Scarcely any outdoor labor was safely executed. With the signing of a treaty of peace with the French in 1763, many returned to their farms that had been laid waste. But again in July 1763, there was a terrible invasion of the valley. The Indians swooped down again. The whole countryside west of Shippensburg became the prey of the fierce savages. They set fire to houses, barns, corn and hay. People were massacred with great cruelty.” (“History of the Messiah Evangelical United Brethren Church, 1866-1966, Shippensburg, Pennsylvania” by Rev. D. Homer Kendall, Pastor.)
It was on July 22, 1763, in Carlisle, Cumberland County, PA, that William and Sarah Geddes became parents of James (who grew up to become the well-known and wealthy engineer who helped to design the Erie Canal). William’s farm was in the eastern part of Cumberland Co., about 6 miles west of Harrisburg, but it may be imagined that he had taken his pregnant wife to the safety of the Carlisle stockade because of the Indian attacks. We also know that William’s father, James (the first immigrant) owned land in East Pennsburgh in 1764 and that William’s younger brother Samuel also owned land in Cumberland County.
By 1765, at the end of the French-Indian War, most of the Indians had been moved out of the area, and thus things ought to have settled down. But many consider the issues that residents had been dealing with concerning the government over these years laid the groundwork for the Revolution which commenced officially in 1775. “Oppression, taxation without representation, and a host of other political evils kindled a feeling of animosity to the mother country in the breasts of the people of America” (pg.79).