Page:Historical and Biographical Annals of Columbia and Montour Counties, Pennsylvania, Containing a Concise History of the Two Counties and a Genealogical and Biographical Record of Representative Families.djvu/41

CHAPTER II FOUNDING OF PENNSYLVANIA Two hundred and seventy years ago was born in the city of London the subsequent founder of the Province of Pennsylvania. He was the son of William Penn, of the County of Wilts, a vice admiral in the time of Cromwell, whom Charles 11 knighted for his successful naval services against the Dutch. The son, William, was a studious youth, and receiving religious impressions in his twelfth year was converted to the tenets of the Society of Friends by the preaching of Thomas Lowe, a Quaker leader. While in Oxford College he continued his religious practices, which the authorities condemned and for which they finally expelled him.

Young Penn's father vainly endeavored to turn him from his views on religion, hoping to persuade him to follow the profession of arms, but finding him obdurate gave him a severe beating and turned him from his home. His mother prevailed on the father to reinstate him and he later took up the study of law, graduated, and under the Duke of Ormond served as military aide in Ireland. There occurred the turning point of his life. He again came under the influence of Thomas Lowe, joined the Quakers, and was imprisoned for attending their meetings.

Again he disagreed with his father, the cause being his refusal to remain uncovered in the presence of the king and others. This rupture was permanent until just before the father’s death, when they became completely reconciled. The entire estate being left to the son he was now in position to devote his life to the cause of the persecuted sect. and such was his influence with the king that he obtained the patent for the Province of Pennsylvania, in consideration of his father’s services and a debt of £16.000 due the estate from the crown. After a long and searching course of proceedings, lasting from June 14, 1680 till March 4, 1681, the charter was granted, in which the boundaries of the Province arc thus prescribed: "Bounded on the east by Delaware River, from twelve miles distance northward of New Castle town (Del.) unto the three and fortieth degree of northern latitude, if the said river doth extend so far northward, but if the said river shall not extend so far northward, then by the said river so far as it doth extend; and from the head of said river the eastern bounds are to be determined by a meridian line, to be drawn from the head of said river unto the said forty- third degree. The said land to extend westward five degrees in longitude, to be computed from the said eastern bounds, and the said lands to be bounded on the north by the beginning of the three and fortieth degree of northern latitude, and on the south by a circle drawn at twelve miles distance from New Castle, northward and westward, unto the beginning of the fortieth degree of northern latitude, and then by a straight line westward to the limits of longitude above mentioned."

By a calculation of the contents of those charter boundaries the Province contained 35,361,600 acres. The present area of the State of Pennsylvania, according to the census of 1910, is 45,126 square miles, or 28,880,640 acres. The area was diminished by the subsequent adjustment of the boundaries between this and the States of Maryland, Virginia and New York. The impossible southern line, mentioned in the charter, caused much dispute between Penn and Lord Baltimore, which was at length permanently fixed by Mason and Dixon, who were eminent mathematicians and astronomers, between 1763 and 1766.

In December, 1774, the boundary line between Pennsylvania and New York was ascertained and fixed by David Rittenhouse on the part of the former, and Samuel Holland on the part of the latter, to be north latitude 42®. with a variation of 4* 20'. (This was the declination in 1790. It is now about 10®.) The forty-third parallel of north latitude, mentioned in the charier, extends through central New York. Messrs. Rittenhouse and Holland placed a stone on a small island in the western