WILLIAM AND SARAH NICHOL McWILLIAMS - Chapter Five

 

A Baker’s Dozen (Thirteen Children)

Sarah and William were far more fortunate in rearing healthy children than most families who lived before the age of modern medicine. Disease, accidents, infection, lack of medical care and even poor nutrition left more than one empty chair at the table of nearly every family at the turn of the nineteenth century. Against those odds, the McWilliams raised thirteen children who lived to adulthood.

Sarah and William were undoubtedly devoted and caring parents who sacrificed the time and energy necessary to nurture their large family. Sarah dedicated twenty-six years of her life to childbearing, welcoming a new infant every two or three years between 1771 and 1797. She must have worked from sunrise to sunset to provide food and clothing for her growing brood.

Details about the lives of some of their children have proven to be elusive. The following information about their offspring is as accurate as possible based on limited documentation.[i]

Hannah McWilliams Black Headstone

Hannah – born October 3, 1771; died July 12, 1847. Hannah married John Black and resided in Derry Township, Montour County, PA. Hannah had at least one son, William Renolds, who was named in her father’s will. Hannah was buried in Chillisquaque Cemetery. Her tombstone was inscribed “IN MEMORY OF HANNAH BLACK, Wife of John Black who died July 12^th, 1847. aged 76 years 10 mo. & 6 d.”

James – born September 27, 1773; death date unknown. James was one of the executors of his father’s estate. Neither a wife nor children were located.

Thomas McWilliams Headstone

Thomas – born January 30, 1775; died January 20, 1833, just a few days before his 58^th birthday. Thomas joined James as an executor of William’s estate. Thomas married Elizabeth Davis, the daughter of one of the McWilliams’ neighbors. They raised a large family, but the number of children was not determined. Thomas and Elizabeth were also buried in Chillisquaque Cemetery. His headstone was inscribed, “THOMAS McWILLIAMS DIED Jan. 20, 1833 AGED 57 yr. 11 mo. & 20 d.”

Mary Agnes – born October 3, 1777; died about 1821. Mary wed Benjamin Crusen, who was related to her brother John McWilliams’ wife, Mariah. Mary may have had a daughter named Jane, and her father mentioned “her children” in his will. Her burial place was not located.

Eleanor McWilliams Scout

Eleanor- born February 3, 1780; died January 1, 1861, at age 80. Eleanor married John Scout and had three daughters. She raised her daughters alone after her husband died in 1826 when her girls were ages 8, 5 and 4. Her tombstone in Oak Grove United Methodist Cemetery in Paxinos, PA, was inscribed, “Our Mother Eleanor Wife of John Scout b. 1780 d. 1/9/1861.”

William McWilliams Jr. Headstone

William Jr. – born April 21, 1782; died November 21, 1853. William married Eleanor M. Cemore (or Cemunn). They raised a large family in nearby Delaware Township. William, Eleanor and some of their children are buried in Warrior Run Church Cemetery. The inscription on William’s monument is faded but appears to read, “In memory of WILLIAM McWILLIAMS, who departed this life Nov. 21, 1853. He was 72 years of his age.”

John McWilliams Headstone

John – born June 28, 1784; died July 30, 1849. John married Mariah Cruiser. He had a family of eight children. He, Mariah and several of their children were buried in Chillisquaque Cemetery. His headstone was inscribed “IN Memory of JOHN McWILLIAMS who was born June 28, 1784. Died July 30, 1849. Aged 65 Years 1 Month & 2 Days.” (John is my third great-grandfather.)

Samuel B. McWilliams Headstone

Samuel B. – born August 13, 1786; died July 19, 1867, less than a month before his 81^st birthday. Samuel married Margaret Hershberger. They had at least twelve children. Samuel left Pennsylvania around 1815 and settled in Ohio. He and Margaret were buried in the Old Burying Ground Cemetery in Greenfield, Highland County, OH. His tombstone reads, “SAM McWILLIAMS Born in Northumberland Co. Pa. Aug. 13, 1786, DIED July 19, 1867, aged 80 yrs 11 mos. 6 ds.”

Phillip McWilliams

Phillip McWilliams Headstone

Phillip – born October 21, 1788; died November 25, 1875, at age 87. Like his brother Samuel, he went to Ohio in 1815. Apparently, Phillip was well-educated, as he was employed as a school teacher in both Pennsylvania and Ohio before becoming a full-time farmer. He married Eleanor Murray Collier on July 6, 1815 in Ohio. They had twelve children. Phillip was a founding member of the First Presbyterian Church in Greenfield and served 53 years as a ruling elder in the congregation.[ii] He, Eleanor and several of their children were buried in the Old Burying Ground in Greenfield, Highland County, OH. His gravestone was inscribed, “McWILLIAMS PHILLIP McWILLIAMS Oct. 21, 1788 Nov. 25, 1875 Son of William & Sarah BORN IN NORTHUMBERLAND CO. PA.” He was the only child whose photograph has been found.

David McWilliams Headstone

David – born January 19, 1791; died July 2, 1856. David married Jane Craig (sister of Margaret who married Robert.) They settled in nearby Elysburg. He, Jane and several of their nine children were buried in Pine Hill Cemetery in Elysburg, Northumberland County, PA. His extremely weathered tombstone appears to read, “DAVID McWILLIAMS Born Northumberland Pa. Jan. 19, 1791 Died July 2, 1856 Aged 65 Years 6 months (illegible)”

Robert N. McWilliams Headstone

Robert N. (may have been “N” for Nichol) – born February 3, 1793; died September 27, 1857, at age 64. Robert married Margaret Craig (sister of Jane who married David) and settled in Elysburg. He, Margaret and some of their six children were buried in Pine Hill Cemetery in Elysburg, Northumberland County, PA. The tombstone he shares with his wife and daughter was engraved, “McWILLIAMS ROBERT N. 1793—1857”

Sarah Johnston McWilliams Shipman Headstone

Sarah Johnston – born March 25, 1795; died September 10, 1868. Sarah married Jacob Shipman. She spent her entire life in Northumberland County and was buried in Oak Grove United Methodist Cemetery in Paxinos, PA. She had at least one child and several step-children. The writing on her headstone was difficult to decipher, but appeared to say, “SARAH J. SHIPMAN died September 10, 1868 AGED 76 years, 6 mo. & 15 d.” An additional sentence is partially buried from settling of the stone and is unreadable.

Joseph Watt – born June 17, 1797; died about 1855 in Marion County, IA. Joseph followed two of his older brothers to Ohio and married Jane Elwood in Highland County on August 16, 1825. After spending many years in Ohio, he moved his family to the Iowa frontier in Marion County by 1847. He and Jane were the parents of nine children. His grave was not located.

 NEXT - THE CHURCH IN THE WILDWOOD

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[i] Headstone photographs, dates of birth and death; accessed at www.findagrave.com and Floyd, J.L. & Co., Genealogical and Biographical Annals of Northumberland County Pennsylvania, Chicago, IL, J.L. Floyd & Co., 1911, p. 224, William McWilliams; accessed https://archive.org

 

[ii] Collier, Rutherford, Newspaper Clipping found in a private Collier Journal 1899, owned by Alan Collier Todd, location unknown; accessed www.ancestry.com

 

WILLIAM AND SARAH NICHOL McWILLIAMS - Chapter Four

 

FEATHERING A NEST

 

New Purchase Agreement Signed at Fort Stanwix 28 July 1769
Between Thomas & Richard Penn and Leaders of the Six Nations
Purchase Price was $2000

The Penn family’s “New Purchase” of territory from the Indians opened additional land for settlement farther north in the province in 1769. William McWilliams bought a tract in Northumberland County on January 24, 1774, from George Shaafe, the original owner of the land warrant.^[i] William obtained a mortgage document dated January 25, in which he was identified as a Yeoman (farmer and landowner) from Chanceford Township in the County of York. He secured the mortgage totaling 125 pounds, with a down payment of five shillings. Perhaps Sarah’s inheritance made it possible for them to make the purchase. The mortgage was paid in five installments to Frank Allison and James Biddle of Philadelphia.^[ii]

 

William McWilliams Land Warrant 25 January 1774

William McWilliams Land Patent 
26 January 1774, Northumberland County, PA

William McWilliams Mortgage 25 January 1774
Transcription 1815, Columbia County, PA

Their “plantation,” named Shaafesburg, contained 306 acres and 30 perches.  The location was surveyed, mapped and described as “on the head of Limestone Run [a creek] north of Chillisquaque Creek to extend down the said Run in the Forks of the Susquehanna.” The property adjoined land belonging to Peter Burnes, Cornelius Atkinson and Samuel Boone, who was likely a relative of Daniel Boone, a Pennsylvania native.^[iii]

 

The McWilliams’ new real estate was located nearly one hundred miles north of their York County home. River travel up the Susquehanna could have been utilized to make the trip. William may have gone ahead to his plantation to clear land for crops and build a cabin before the rest of the family followed. Their first child, Hannah, was born October 3, 1771, and their first son, James, was only four months old when they purchased their farm.^[iv]

 

Creating a home in the wilderness was a daunting undertaking for William, or any man. Although the soil was fertile, it was covered with native forest which had to be cleared before planting could be done. William had to remove the underbrush, girdle the bark of mature trees and wait for them to die and fall, or cut the trees down and burn any wood that could not be salvaged for heating, cooking or building.^[v] Crop cultivation required enormous physical stamina just to produce enough food for subsistence. William had to walk eight miles behind his horse or team of oxen at a speed of about one and one-half miles per hour to plow just one acre of land. Planting, cultivating, and harvesting also required similar time and effort.^[vi] Of course, William also had to choose and cut trees to provide suitable lumber for construction of a log cabin and simple log furniture for his family. All these tasks had to be done with only hand tools powered by William’s muscles or by his farm animals.

 

William would have guided his wooden plow, pulled by horses or oxen, to dig a furrow four or five inches deep. A wooden harrow was then pulled over the plowed field twice to smooth the soil for sowing crops. Grain with small seed such as wheat or oats was broadcast by hand, while corn was planted in holes dug with a grubbing hoe. The same hoe was also used to remove weeds as the corn grew. Beans were sometimes planted among the corn plants allowing the stalks to become natural supports for the bean vines. Most settlers planted apple, peach and cherry orchards as soon as possible, because the trees would not bear fruit for a few years.

 

At maturity, wheat, oats and similar grains were harvested by cutting the stalks at about half their height with scythe or sickle and cradle and then stacked in sheaves to be threshed with a flail during the long winter months. Hay was mown with the same tools and was left in large stacks in the fields. Corn was harvested by pulling the ears of corn from the stalks.^[vii] Children were often given the task of shelling the corn from the cobs by hand.

 

Sarah and William relied on their farm produce, native fruits and wild game for food.  Potatoes, turnips, pumpkins and cabbages were staple vegetables grown in gardens in Northumberland County. They stored well when placed in a cellar, or buried in a pit or barrel and dug out as needed during the winter. Apples also kept well, especially when sliced and dried in the sun.

 

Wheat, oats, corn, and buckwheat were common cereal grains on most farms in Turbot Township. As the population grew, Pennsylvanians took their grains to a nearby water-powered grist mill for grinding into flour and cornmeal. Bread, oatmeal, cornmeal and buckwheat cakes were baked in a Dutch oven in the kitchen hearth, while most other foods were boiled over a fire. Of course, the firewood had to be replenished at regular intervals and the old ashes had to be removed to keep the fire burning. Wild honey, maple syrup harvested from maple trees, and molasses made from sorghum were used for sweetening food. Dandelion greens were gathered to eat when green vegetables were not in season.^[viii]

 

The McWilliams kept a cow or two as a source for milk and butter.^[ix] It is likely that William also raised swine for consumption, because they required little care, their meat was easily preserved, and they produced large numbers of offspring. Pigs often roamed and foraged freely in the woods during the spring and summer where they fattened before fall when many were butchered. William probably supplemented his food supply by fishing and hunting wild poultry, rabbits, squirrels and deer to provide fresh meat for roasting and stewing.

 

Sarah’s chores as a farmer’s wife were no easier than her husband’s labors. In addition to housekeeping chores, food preparation, and bearing and rearing their children, she probably partnered with William in the care of their livestock. Women of her generation typically tended the family’s swine and poultry, and used cream from their cattle to churn into butter. Until their sons were old enough to assist William, Sarah probably helped with butchering the hogs, preserving the meat by salting or smoking, and rendering the fat into lard for cooking. She may have raised chickens or guinea hens for eggs and meat. She also could have helped William harvest their grain and hay.^[x]

 

Most women made all the clothing for their family from wool or flax produced on their farms. Sarah was no doubt adept at spinning wool, weaving and sewing. The Scots-Irish grew and processed flax to use as fiber for linen cloth, a skill that was almost universal among former residents of Ireland. Mending and laundering by hand added more chores to the long list of responsibilities that Sarah must have shouldered. She probably even made candles to light their home in the evenings.

 

The McWilliams’ home was probably located near a dependable water source, such as a clear stream or natural spring. Sarah and the children most likely carried water to the house in buckets or barrels for cooking, drinking and household chores.

 NEXT - A BAKER'S DOZEN (Thirteen Children)

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[i] Pennsylvania, Land Warrants and Applications, 1733-1952, Harrisburg, PA, Pennsylvania State Archives, Land Warrants, William McWilliams (1774), 24 January 1774; accessed www.ancestry.com, Northumberland, 1774, image 574 

[ii] Columbia County, Indexes to Mortgages, Wills and Administrations, and Miscellaneous Records, 1773-1833, Columbia County, PA, page 4, William McWilliams (1774), Mortgage, 25 January 1774; accessed www.familysearch.org, Pennsylvania Probate Records, 1683-1994, Columbia, filmstrip 955505, DGS 5544891, image 254           

[iii] Pennsylvania State Archives, RG-17, Records of the Land Office, Copied Surveys, 1681-1912, series #17.114, George Shaafe, No. 1467, 5 September 1769, Berks County; accessed www.phmc.pa.gov, Images of Each Survey, Full Alphabet Volumes: A to Z, volume M, page M-214 and reverse

[iv] Floyd, J.L. & Co., Genealogical and Biographical Annals of Northumberland County Pennsylvania, Chicago, IL, J.L. Floyd & Co., 1911, p. 224, William McWilliams; accessed https://archive.org

[v] Gagliardo, John G., Germans in Agriculture in Colonial Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography, volume 83, issue 2, April 1959, pages 207-208, accessed https://journals.psu.edu/pmhb/article/viewFile/41466/41187

[vi] Brandon Knapp, “How Steam Power Revolutionized the Farm in America,”
Yesterdaystractors.com, accessed at www.yesterdaystractors.com/articles/artint226.htm

[vii] Gagliardo, pages 208-213

[viii] Youmans, Martha Follmer, “Journal of Anna Margaret Follmer 1775-1781,” Special Issue Historical Leaflet Series Publications of the Columbia County Historical Society, pages 7, 8, 10, 18, August 1976, Bloomsburg, PA; accessed Northumberland County Genealogical Library, Sunbury, PA

[ix] Northumberland County, PA, Board of County Commissioners, Tax Records, 1774-1843, Turbut Township, 1787-1825, Family Search, filmstrip 1449349, DGS 7857877, William McWilliams, accessed at familysearch.org.

[x] “Agriculture and Rural Life,” Stories from PA History, accessed at explorepahistory.com/stories.php

WILLIAM AND SARAH NICHOL McWILLIAMS - Chapter Three

 

THE MILLER’S DAUGHTER

Goldenrod Blooming on the Bank of Muddy Creek in York County
photo by Cindy Cruz, 2021

 

William probably became acquainted with other Scots Irish settlers in his “neighborhood” in York County at worship meetings and other community gatherings. William Nichol lived nearby and operated a mill, most likely a grist mill, on the forks of Muddy Creek which crossed his land. William may have taken his grain to the Nichol’s mill to be ground into flour. While at church services or doing business at the mill, the Nichol’s young daughter, Sarah, might have caught his eye.

 

McWilliams and Nichol Properties in York County

 

William McWilliams owned plat 314 which was less than five miles away from plats 304 (Nabs Narrows) and 306 (The Deans) owned by William Nichol. James Nichol, William Nichol’s oldest son, owned plat 305 (Saw Pitts) purchased in 1774.[i]

 

William Nichol and his wife Mary Johnston Nichol were also Scots-Irish Presbyterians who most likely followed a path to the New World similar to that of the McWilliams family. Their involvement in church sacraments and the words in William’s will indicated that they were devout Christians. The Nichols were in York County by June 10, 1753, when their oldest son, James’, baptism was recorded in the diary of the traveling minister, Rev. John Cuthbertson.[ii] Rev. Cuthbertson had the distinction of being the first Reformed Presbyterian minister in the American colonies. 

 

Rev. Cuthbertson was probably well acquainted with both the Nichol and McWilliams families. He kept a diary of his travels on horseback, the scriptures he used for sermons, and the sacraments he performed in colonial Pennsylvania between 1751 and 1791. William Nichol was mentioned several times in Rev. Cuthbertson’s writings. He preached sermons at the Nichol home, baptized the Nichol children and presided over William and Sarah’s marriage ceremony. It is likely Rev. Cuthbertson even lodged with the Nichol family while riding his ministry circuit. He also traveled to the home of John McWilliams, who may have been the brother who immigrated from Ireland with William.[iii]

 

Sarah, the Nichol’s only daughter, was born sometime before her baptism was recorded on September 19, 1756. Unverified sources stated her date of birth as January 11, 1754. She was surely born between 1753, when her brother James was baptized, and the date in 1756 when she and another brother, William Jr., were both baptized on the same day.[iv] Her age at death in 1806 has been read and recorded as 62 from the inscription on her tombstone, but upon close examination of the faded numbers, it could read “52” instead.[v] This would indeed have placed her birthdate around 1754. Two more sons completed the Nichol family. Hugh was baptized on April 16, 1758,[vi] and Samuel was baptized on April 20, 1760.[vii] Hugh must have died in childhood because he was not included as an heir in his father’s estate.[viii] 

 

Sarah’s baptism was performed on the Sabbath after Rev. Cuthbertson preached messages from three scriptures:

Psalms 91: 1-7; He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust. Surely, He shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence. He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under His wings shalt thou trust; his truth shall be thy shield and buckler. Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day; Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday. A thousand shall fall at thy side and ten thousand at thy right hand but it shall not come nigh thee.

Matthew 3: 13; Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordon unto John, to be baptized of him.

Psalms 146: 7; Which executeth judgment for the oppressed: which giveth food to the hungry. The Lord looseth the prisoners.[ix]

 

Main Branch of Muddy Creek in York County
photo by Cindy Cruz, 2021

William Nichol filed a warrant for 60 acres of land on the forks of Muddy Creek, called “Nabs Narrows,” on March 1, 1757.[x] The plat covered the corners of three townships; Chanceford, Fawn and Hopewell (called Shrewsbury in the application). It is possible he lived on the property prior to the date of his warrant because filing paperwork required long-distance travel and payment of fees to secure a claim.  A formal copy of the warrant requesting a survey was filed on July 15, 1762.[xi] He took out a mortgage on the land for three hundred pounds on December 15 of the same year. The terms of the mortgage stipulated that he would repay the principal and legal interest within five years, on December 15, 1767.[xii]

 

Muddy Creek Forks in York County
photo by Cindy Cruz, 2021

William’s milling business must have been successful and profitable because he purchased an additional 226 acres for five hundred pounds on June 25, 1770. The parcel, named “The Deans,” adjoined his other plat and had been warranted to George Erwin on March 7, 1767.[xiii] It was described “on a branch of muddy Creek below a Survey made for Thomas Morgan in the Barrens of York Co.”[xiv] A note on the survey stated the property had been “Improved about 8 years.”[xv]

 

Mary Nichol may have been bold and enterprising for a woman in her time and place. She applied for a warrant on 36 acres of land “joining Land surveyed for William Nichol in Fawn Township in the County of York” on September 28, 1771. She was required to pay “the Rate of Five Pounds Sterling, or Value thereof in Current Money of this Province for every Hundred Acres” within six months “and also to pay the yearly Quit-Rent of One Penny Sterling for every Acre” in the terms of the warrant.[xvi] Not only was Mary a landowner in her own right, she would also act as executrix of her husband’s estate. Many colonial women forfeited this responsibility and named a male relative or friend to complete the settlement of their late husband’s affairs. She was an active participant in the sale of her property after William’s death.

 

William’s name was listed in at least two books concerning the history of York County. The Thomas Johnston named in the first excerpt may have been related to Mary Nichol.

 

Scotch-Irish in the Lower End.

It is not possible to name all the Scotch-Irish who came into the lower end of York County, but many can be enumerated, and the approximate time indicated at which they crossed over from Lancaster County. Among the families settled in Chanceford … arriving before 1770, as follows: … Thomas Johnston … William Nichol …[xvii]

 

Lower Chanceford, York County.

This place is situated about twenty-two miles southeast of the city of York, and in the section of country known as “The Barrens.” The rev. John Cuthbertson preached at Chamber’s tavern, York, December 9, 1751, and three days afterward preached at Chanceford, at the house of William Wilson… He frequently visited this society, for it was a large one …The names of the principal members previous to 1774, were … William Nichol …[xviii]

 

 

A WILDERNESS WEDDING AND FUNERAL

 

Rev. Cuthbertson served a large circuit as a traveling minister. The infrequent church services in each location were probably lengthy due to the needs of the attending congregation. William and Sarah were married at a “session” or church council meeting held by Rev. Cuthbertson on March 27, 1771. He lectured on scripture taken from Ephesians 4:7; But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. The service included the McWilliams’ marriage, the ordination of two ministers, and the baptism of a baby.[xix] William was 32 years old and Sarah was 17 when they were joined in matrimony.

 

Sarah’s father was probably only in his early forties when he became “Very Sick and Weak in body” and prepared his last will and testament on July 9, 1773. He was indeed near death and his will was entered for proving only seven days later on July 16 in the county seat at York. The words in his will professed his faith in the Resurrection and his love for his family. It also gave a glimpse into the property he owned and his most-valued possessions. It was of interest that he willed “little John, the bound boy” to his wife. John was probably an orphan or child of parents who could not support him and William “purchased” his service for a term of indenture or apprenticeship that would end when he reached the age of twenty-one. It was possible, but unlikely, that he was a “slave” because of the wording William used to describe him.

 

Copy of William Nichol's Will 

William owned cattle, sheep, hogs, and at least one kid which he specifically mentioned in regard to the division of his assets. He must have placed considerable value on his pistol, as he stipulated that it should be given to his son William Jr. He directed that his property be sold at public auction and the proceeds be equally divided into four shares for Mary and his three sons. Sarah received her Bible, her bed and bedding, one kid, a white-flecked cow, and forty shillings.[xx]

[Transcription]                                                 164

Last Will and Testament of William Nichol 

In the Name of God Amen this Ninth Day of July 1773: I William Nicol of Chnceford Township York County & province of pennsylvania. Being Very Sick and Weak in body but of perfect mind and memory thanks be Given Unto God therefor Calling unto mind the mortality of my body and knowing that it is Apointed for all men to Die do Make and Ordain this my Last Will and testament that is to Say principaly and first of all I Give and Recommend my Soul Unto the Hand of Almighty God that Gave it and my body I Recommend to the Earth to be Buried in A Desent Christian Buriel at the Discreation of my Executors Nothing Doubting but at the General Resurrection I Shall Receive the same Again by the Mighty power of God and touching Such Worldly Estate Where With it hath pleased God to Bless me in this Life I Give Dismiss and Dispose of the Same in the following Manner and form Impromise I Order and do Desier that all my Whole Estate of Lands Mill Improvements With all the Buildings and Apertenances there Upon and Likewise all Houses Cows Sheep and Hogs With all my Whole Effects Real & Moveable be Sold at Publick Vandue but What is Hereafter Mentioned and Willed as follows and first of all that I may have A Desent Buriel and Next that all my Just and Lawfull Debts may be Honestly paid out of the Whole & that my Minde and Desier is that What Remains After funeral Charges and all my Legal Debts are Legaly paid off that it Shall all be Equily Divieded In four Shares Amongst them But out of the Whole I do Give and Bequeathe to Mery my Dearly beloved Wife little John the bound boy & one big White faced Cow With two beds and Beding & Just A fourth Share Equely Divided With Each one of my three boys and no more and I Give And bequeath to my Sun James Nicol A big Ridish brown Cow and A fourth Share as his mother and two brothers his and no more he Shall have & I Give & bequeathe to my Sun William Nicol my pistel and his Devided fourth Share With the Rest and I do Give & bequeathe to my Sun Samuel Nicol his Equel fourth Share Equel With his Mother and brothers and no more and I do Give and bequeathe to my doughter Sarah McWilliams her bible her bed and beding and one kid and White flecked Cow & forty Shilling pennsylvania Currincy & no no more and Likewise I do Hereby Nominate and Apoint for Gardeen over my Children William Gemmill and I Do hereby Nominate and Apoint Mery Nicol my Wife and Samuel Nielson Executors or Administrators of this My last Will and testment hereby Revoakeing & Do Dissanul all & Every other former testments Wills Legasies and Bequeathements & Executors by me Any Waise before Named Willed and Bequeathed Retifying and Confirming this and no other to be my last Will and testment in Witness Whereof I have hereunto Set my Hand Seal day and Year Above Writtin

Sined Sealed published and Delivered                the words Interlined little John the bound boy &c

in the Preasants of Us Who have hereunto  }    Dun before Acknowledged

Subscribed our Names in the preasants of                                                             William Nicoll {Seal}

the testator                                                            

Samuel Patterson

David Gemmill              

                                                          York County ss Before me Samuel Johnston Esquire Deputy Register for the Probate of Wills and Granting Letters of Administration in and for the County of York in the Province of Pennsylvania personally appeared Samuel Patterson and David Gemmill the two subscribing Witnesses to the within Instrument of Writing and the Said Samuel Patterson and David Gemmill on their solemn Oaths taken on the holy Evangelists of Almighty God do respectively say they were personally present and heard William Nicoll the testator within named publish pronounce and declare the within Instrument of Writing to be his last Will and Testament that at the time of doing thereof the Said William Nicoll was of sound disposing Mind memory and understanding according to the best of these Deponents knowledge and belief that they Subscribed their Names as Witnesses to the same in the presence of the Said Testator and at his request-

Sworn & Subscribed before me at York the                                                                    Samuel Patterson

16^th Day of July 1773                                           }                                                        David Gemmill

              Sam^l Johnston Dept Reg^r

A true Copy compared with the Original at York                                             Sam^l Johnston Dept^y Reg^r

Roller Mill on Land Once Owned by William Nichol
photo of Cindy Cruz, 2021

A series of mills were operated on William Nichol's land for over two hundred years, from at least 1757 until 1951. A living history site now occupies Muddy Creek Forks. The farm, general store, roller mill railroad depot, and several other buildings once owned by A.M. Grove are open to the public and a steam passenger train runs on a seasonal and holiday schedule.

NEXT - FEATHERING A NEST

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[i] Hively, Neal Otto, Original Colonial Warranted Lands Beginning in 1724, Chanceford Township Established 1747 Lower Chanceford Township Established 1806, York County, Pennsylvania, Map #25 - Original Pennsylvania Land Records Series ISSN #1066-0100, United States, N.O. Hively, 1997; accessed Dallas Public Library

[ii] Fields, S. Helen, Register of Marriages and Baptisms Performed by Rev. John Cuthbertson Covenanter Minister 1751-1791 with Index to Locations and Persons Visited, Lancaster, PA., Lancaster Press, Inc., 1934, page 209; accessed https://babel.hathitrust.org

[iii] Fields, S. Helen, Register of Marriages and Baptisms Performed by Rev. John Cuthbertson Covenanter Minister 1751-1791 with Index to Locations and Persons Visited, Lancaster, PA., Lancaster Press, Inc., 1934, page 209-219; accessed https://babel.hathitrust.org

[iv] Fields, pages 209-210 

[v]Finney, Rev. William Gardner, The History of the Chillisquaque Church, 1926, Pennsylvania, Church and Town Records, 1708-1985, page 79, Historical Society of Pennsylvania; Historic Pennsylvania Church and Town Records; Reel: 236, accessed www.ancestry.com   

[vi] Fields, p. 211

[vii] Fields, p. 212

[viii] Pennsylvania Probate Records, 1683-1994, York County, Wills, Volume C, 1770-1776, William Nichol, page 164-166; accessed www.ancestry.com, image 412-413

[ix] Fields, page 210

[x] Pennsylvania, Land Warrants and Applications, 1733-1952, Harrisburg, PA, Pennsylvania State Archives, Land Warrants, Wm Nicholl, (1757), 1 March, 1757; accessed www.ancestry.com, York, 1757, image 116-117 

[xi] Pennsylvania, Land Warrants and Applications, 1733-1952, Harrisburg, PA, Pennsylvania State Archives, Land Warrants, William Nicholl, (1762), 15 July, 1762; accessed www.ancestry.com, York, 1762, image 538-539

[xii] Recorder of Deeds Office, York, York County, PA., Mortgage, William Nichol, 15 December 1762, Deed Books, volume B, 1763-1764, page 75-76; accessed www.familysearch.org, filmstrip 7856719, DGS 22096, page 75-76, image 400-401 

[xiii] Recorder of Deeds Office, York, York County, PA., Deed, William Nichol, 25 June 1770, Deed Books, volume D, page 280; accessed www.familysearch.org, filmstrip 8067700, DGS 22097, page 280, image 434 

[xiv] Pennsylvania State Archives, RG-17, Records of the Land Office, West Side Applications: Numeric Listing of Applications, 1766-1769, series #17.40, page 25, No. 3012, George Erwin, 7 March 1767, York County; accessed www.phmc.pa.gov , Numeric Index of West Side Land Grant Applications, page begins with #3005, page 25

[xv] Pennsylvania State Archives, RG-17, Records of the Land Office, Copied Surveys, 1681-1912, series #17.114, William Nichole, No. 3012, 12 July 1770, York County; accessed www.phmc.pa.gov, Images of Each Survey, “B” Volumes: volume B-1, page B-1-92 and reverse

[xvi] Pennsylvania, Land Warrants and Applications, 1733-1952, Harrisburg, PA, Pennsylvania State Archives, Land Warrants, Mary Nichol, 21 September 1771; accessed www.ancestry.com, York, 1771, image 110-111 

[xvii] Prowell, George R., History of York County Pennsylvania, Volume 1, Chicago, Illinois, J.H. Beers & Co., 1907, p. 125; accessed https://play.google.com/books

[xviii] Glasgow, W. Melancthon, History of the Reformed Presbyterian Church in America…, Baltimore, Maryland, Hill & Harvey, Publishers, 1888, p. 257; accessed https://archive.org    

[xix] Fields, page 219

[xx] York County, Pennsylvania, Register of Wills, Courthouse, York, Pennsylvania, Wills, volume C, page 164-166, William Nichol; accessed www.familysearch.org, Pennsylvania Probate Records, 1683-1994, York County, Wills, Volume C, 1770-1776, images 412-413