m27p19wr

(continued) counties later created from it: Bedford, Franklin, Greene, Washington, Westmoreland,

Somerset, Cambria, Blair, Mifflin, Juniata, Perry, and Centre coutnies, and parts of Allegheny,

Armstrong, Beaver, Indiana, Clearfield, Clinton, Union and Snyder counties [Note M3 p.87], and

(1771) Bedford County, set off 9 Mar. 1771 from Cumberland County, with all of south-western

Pennsylvania (present-day Westmoreland, Allegheny, Armstrong, and other counties) [M3 p.30]

(1773) Westmoreland County created 26 Feb. 1773 from Bedford County [M3 p.261, 1790 p.266],

(and Virginia, extinct West Augusta District, 1773-1776, area in Westmoreland Co. (M3 p.273))

Conococheague Creek, and the word ‘Conococheague’

Conococheague Creek, a tributary of the Potomac River, is a free-flowing stream that originates in

Pennsylvania and empties into the Potomac River near Williamsport, Maryland. The West Branch

flows for 60 miles, almost the entire length of western (present day) Franklin County, joining the

main branch near Greencastle. The West Branch flows southwest along the Tuscarora Trail to

around Fort Loudon, then turns south, and finally southeast, joining the main stem about 5 miles

north of the Mason-Dixon line. It then flows south into Maryland and joins the Potomac near

Williamsport, where the Great Philadelphia Wagon Road crossed the Potomac at William's Ferry,

continuing on to Winchester, Virginia. Williamsport is located along the heavily traveled

"Indian Trail" (Great Indian Warpath, aka Great Indian War and Trading Path, or Seneca Trail),

and was once occupied by the Iroquois, Delaware, Catawba, Algonquin and Massawomeck tribes.

The settlement was known as Conococheague, an Indian name meaning "a long way" in Algonquin

or "river of many fish" in Massawomeck [Notes M4, M5]. Accepted pronunciations include

"KAH-no-KAH-cheek"or "KAH-no-KAH-cheeg", accent on the penultimate syllable [Note M6].

Ulster-Scots and Early Settlement along the Conococheague

In the eighteenth century Scots-Irish, sturdy and industrious, settled the Conococheague area

of south central Pennsylvania. The prominent families, all Presbyterians, were the Irwins who

had a mill on the Conococheague east of Mercersburg, the Findlays who lived at Church Hill,

the Smiths of Mercersburg who also had a mill, the McDowells who had a mill north of

Mercersburg, and the Ramseys who had a mill on the Conococheague close to Mercersburg.

Staunch Presbyterians, they built at Church Hill their house of worship, the Presbyterian Church

of the Upper West Conococheague, sometimes called the White Church, roughly equidistantly

from all of their homes to the church that was the nexus of their society. [Note M7]

______________________________________________________________________

Daniel McAninch 1776 Marriage, Cumberland Co., Penn. Copyright Frank McAninch

McAninch Family History Newsletter v.XXVII n.2 July 2019 p.2019-19