William McDowell

1682 - 1759  (77 years)

• Name	William McDowell
  Born	1682	____, ____, Ireland, UK
  Gender	Male
  Land	9 Jun 1750	Wright's Ferry, Lancaster Co., PA
  	A-183 - 9 Jun 1750 - Arthur Forster of Lancaster Borough, Lancaster County, to Richard Peters, 5 pounds for a tract in Peters Township, Cumberland County. Nieghbors - William McDowell, William Clark, and Mathias Patten. Land surveyed to Arthur on 20 May 1750. .... Ack'd 20 Aug 1750 Thomas Cookson....Rec'd 20 Aug 1750 Edwin J. Reinhold.
  Died	12 Sep 1759	Wright's Ferry, Lancaster Co., PA
  Buried	Aft 12 Sep 1759	Donegal Presbyterian Church Cemetery, Mount Joy, Donegal Twp., Lancaster Co., PA
  	Tombstone Inscription reads: In memory of William McDowell late of Conecocheague who was a tender parent, careful instructor and an example of piety to a numerous progeny, when the Settlement was obliged to fly by the barborous Indian War. He deceased in these parts, so was interred here September 12th 1759. aged 77 years. Built McDowell's Mill on the east side of the west branch of the Conococheague, where is situated the village of Bridgeport, but now called Markes. The first mention of this mill was on the Colonial annals in the spring of 1755 when the road was projected from McDowell's Mill to the Three Forks of the Youghigheny, for the purpose of furnishing the Army under General Braddock with supplies. McDowell's became a rendezvous for the Indian fighters, there being as many as 400 men there at times, but the fort was not a strong one and Fort Loudon was built to replace it. (from Biographical Annals of Franklin Co., PA)
  Person ID	I10146	Pennsylvania Davidsons
  Last Modified	13 Aug 2013

  
  

  Family	Mary Irvine,   b. 1690, ____, ____, Ireland, UK ,   d. 17 Feb 1782, Mercersburg, Franklin Co., PA  (Age 92 years)
  Married	Abt 1714	____, ____, Ireland, UK
  Children	1. John McDowell,   b. 1715, ____, County Antrim, Ireland, UK ,   d. 6 Jun 1794, Chambersburg, Franklin Co., PA  (Age 79 years)   2. William McDowell,   b. 1722, ____, Chester Co., PA ,   d. 17 Sep 1812, Peters Twp., Franklin Co., PA  (Age 90 years)   3. Judge James McDowell,   b. 1728, New London Twp., Chester Co., PA ,   d. 5 Feb 1811, Peters Twp., Franklin Co., PA  (Age 83 years)
  Last Modified	10 Aug 2013
  Family ID	F10046	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Event Map

  Born - 1682 - ____, ____, Ireland, UK Married - Abt 1714 - ____, ____, Ireland, UK Land - 9 Jun 1750 - Wright's Ferry, Lancaster Co., PA Died - 12 Sep 1759 - Wright's Ferry, Lancaster Co., PA Buried - Aft 12 Sep 1759 - Donegal Presbyterian Church Cemetery, Mount Joy, Donegal Twp., Lancaster Co., PA  = Link to Google Earth

  
  

• Notes

  Biographical Annals of Franklin County, Pennsylvania, VOLUME 1 (1905), pp. 80-81 McDOWELL FAMILY William McDowell (Born in Ireland in 1680 - died at Wright's Ferry on the Susquehanna in 1759), the ancestor of the McDowell family in Franklin County, emigrated to Pennsylvania between 1714 and 1717, and settled in Chester county. About 1735 he removed to the Conococheague Valley and obtained a warrant for a plantation at the foot of Parnell's Knob, in what is now Peters Township, Franklin County. Here he lived in peace and comfort with his large family until the beginning of the French and Indian War, after Braddock's defeat in 1755. As his sons reached manhood they settled on farms in the neighborhood, some of which were occupied by descendants of the pioneer down to the present generation. Because of the Indian forays of 1755-1756, Mr. McDowell fled to the Susquehanna, and died there, his remains being interred in the graveyard of the Donegal Church, in Lancaster county. He married his wife, Mary, in Ireland. Her family name is unknown. She died Feb. 18, 1782. William and Mary McDowell had issue: 1. John (II). 2. William (III). 3. Nathan (IV). 4. James (V). 5. Thomas (died June 2, 1806) was first lieutenant of Capt. James Patton's company in Col. Samuel Culbertson's battalion, Cumberland County Associators, 1777-1780. 6. Sarah married William Piper (VI). 7. Jean married Archibald Irwin (VII). 8. Margaret (died Jan. 1803) married Robert Newell (died March 6, 1787); they had issue: John; Robert; William; Margaret, who married Duncan Campbell; Elizabeth, who married Rev. John Black; Mary; Agnes; and Martha. 9. Annabel died April 11, 1800. 10. Elizabeth married James Holliday (VIII). _______________ About the year 1730, there came into the lower part of the Cumberland Valley, the family of William McDowell. He settled at the foot of Parnell's Knob, about 10 miles west of Chambersburg, but was driven away by Indians, subsequent to Braddocks defeat. It was during this absence from home, that he died at the residence of friends near the Susquehanna and was buried at the old Donegal Church graveyard. (USGenWeb Archives). William McDowell was a refugee from the Conococheague Valley in Pennsylvania during the French and Indian War. A tombstone in this cemetery commemorates William McDowell, "In memory of William McDowell, late of Conococheague, who was a tender parent, careful instructor and an example of piety to a numerous progeny, when the settlement was obliged to fly (flee) by the barbarous Indian War. He deceased in these parts, so was interred here September 12, 1759 aged 77 years."