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Hannas Town was founded in 1773 as the county seat of the newly created Westmoreland County.

It was located along Forbes Road, the main route west into the Ohio country from the east, and

named for Robert Hanna, an early settler whose tavern also served as the county's first courthouse.

A pioneer foothold on the Allegheny frontier, Hannas Town had the first English courts west of

the Appalachian Mountains; the town was an oasis for travelers, settlers, and those seeking justice

and order in the often chaotic environment of the western Pennsylvania frontier. Hannastown was

settled primarily by Irish and Scotch-Irish ("Ulster Scots" is the preferred terminology today),

though the surrounding area was mostly Pennsylvania Dutch. [9]

Derry Township was created in April 1775 by the Court of Quarter Sessions at Hannastown. [8]

Despite the British surrender at Yorktown in 1781, conflicts on the western frontier continued.

In one of the final actions of the American Revolution, Hannas Town was attacked and burned on

July 13, 1782, by a British military detachment from Fort Niagara and their native Seneca allies.

The village was rebuilt, but after Forbes Road was rerouted through Greensburg, the town never

recovered, and the county seat was moved to Greensburg in 1786. [9]

Salem Township and Washington Township, Westmoreland County

Henry Bouquet led the 42nd regiment (the Black Watch Regiment) recruited from the American

Colonies against a contingent of native Indian warriors led by the famed Ottawa chief, Pontiac.

The battle raged on for two days in 1763, and, with casualties on both sides, the natives retreated.

This was the last major stand for the natives, who eventually moved further west. Bouquet moved

on to secure Fort Pitt and thus opened the western part of Pennsylvania to colonial settlements.

A colony of Americans heading west started the "Salem settlement" near Bushy Run in 1765. [10]

Washington Township, along the Allegheny River, was founded in 1789, from Salem Township.

The Township is named after George Washington. At that time, Washington Township included

the present-day areas of Allegheny, Lower Burrell, Upper Burrell, and most of Bell townships.

Two villages, North Washington and Poke Run, were established at the junctions of the best roads

of the time. The census of 1790 showed 134 households with a population of 705, but it must be

remembered that this included the entire western part of Westmoreland County, an area that was

later to be divided into five townships (in 1796 and subsequent years). [11]

Eleven early McA/Ninch men in western Pennsylvania

There were six different ‘First Generation’ McA/Ninch men in early western Pennsylvania,

and at least another four different ‘Second Generation’ McA/Ninch men in the same area. [12]

The six different ‘First Generation’ McA/Ninch men (in chronological order by date of birth):

1G:1. Daniel McAninch, born ca.1750 (1748-1752), in Ireland (prob. County Antrim, Ulster);

1G:2. John McAninch, born ca.1760, Ireland (prob. born in Ulster Province, (northern) Ireland);

1G:3. (continued on the next page)

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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 2024-03