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Daniel McAninch and John McAninch in the 1790 Census

Daniel McAninch, born ca.1750 (1748-1752), and John McAninch, born ca.1760, were both

born in (British Colonial) northern Ireland, although there is no known connection between these

two contemporaries, and they probably did not know each other. In 1790, in the First Census of

the United States, both men and their families were enumerated in different townships on the

Allegheny River frontier in Westmoreland County, south-western Pennsylvania. [Notes] [1] [2]

Westmoreland County on the Allegheny Frontier

The Road West - Forbes Road, from Bedford to the Allegheny Frontier

Forbes Road was a military road built in 1758 by the British army, to cut through and around the

Appalachian Mountains and wilderness during the French and Indian War. The road was built to

allow quick and safe passage for British soldiers and artillery west to the French Fort Duquesne,

at the forks of the Ohio, now known as Pittsburgh. The road was named for Brigadier General

John Forbes, who commanded the British expedition. From Carlisle, Pennsylvania, they built

Fort Loudoun, Fort Lyttleton, Fort Bedford and Fort Ligonier on the way west to Fort Duquesne.

After the defeat of the French, new land on the Allegheny River frontier was open for settlement,

and the military road that Forbes cut through the forest became the main path to the west. [3]

Westmoreland County 1780s-1790s

George Dallas Albert’s History of Westmoreland County book [1882, Note 4] is the main

source on the early history of this area. The "old road" (Forbes Road) had deteriorated down to

just a "pack mule train" route, and in September 1785 the Assembly in Harrisburg authorized the

new "State Road" from Cumberland County to Pittsburgh; it was surveyed in 1789, and was not

finished until the mid-1790s [4 (pgs.182-183)]. Westmoreland was on the Allegheny River

frontier, and it was considered unsafe for families west of the Allegheny until 1796 [4] (pg.190)].

Indeed, in May 1792 a party of natives, about 40 in number, attacked Reed’s Station, on the

Allegheny River about 4 miles below the Kiskiminetas. Also, in 1792, a raiding part of natives

known as "cornplanters" came down as far as the lower part of Derry Township next to the

Loyalhanna river [4] (p.192). Clearly, Westmoreland County was a dangerous place in 1790!

Relevant sections of Albert’s book include Chapter XXXVI, The Last of the Border Commotions

[4] (pgs.187-196); Derry Township (established in 1775) [4] (pgs.583-590); Salem Township

(established ca.1785) [4] (pgs. 619-621); and Washington Township (established in 1789, set off

from Salem Township [4] (pgs.606-608). [Westmoreland Notes] [4] [5] [6] [7]

Hannas Town and Derry Township, Westmoreland County

The first settlements in Derry township were created by soldiers from Forbes' army in 1762.

To protect the citizens of Derry township from Indian attacks, Fort Barr and Fort Wallace were

built in 1774. Other dangers that early settlers faced included bears, panthers, and foxes. [8]

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"Daniel McAninch and John McAninch in the 1790 Census", Copyright Frank McAninch

McAninch Family History Newsletter, v.XXXII (32) n.1 / June 2024 / page 2024-02