William Harkness and Priscilla Lytle

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Husband William Harkness ^{1 2}

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           Born: 1 Oct 1739 - the north of Ireland 1 3
     Christened: 
           Died: 4 May 1822 - ? Cumberland Co, PA 3 4
         Buried:  - Silver Spring Church, Cumberland Co, PA

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         Father: William Harkness, Sr. (      -      ) 1
         Mother: 

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       Marriage: 1771 1

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Wife Priscilla Lytle ^{1 3}

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           Born: 1751 3
     Christened: 
           Died: 31 Oct 1831 3 4
         Buried:  - Silver Spring Church, Cumberland Co, PA

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Children

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1 F Mary Harkness ³

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           Born: Apr 1791 3
     Christened: 
           Died: 28 Dec 1880 - Carlisle, Cumberland Co, PA 3
         Buried: 

         Spouse: Maj. Robert Lamberton (1787-1852) 5 6
           Marr: 20 Apr 1815 3

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2 F Jane Harkness ^{7 8}

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           Born: 
     Christened: 
           Died: 
         Buried: 

         Spouse: William Bryson (      -1818) 7 8

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3 M William Harkness ¹

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           Born: 
     Christened: 
           Died: 1851 1
         Buried: 

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General Notes: Husband - William Harkness

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When quite a boy he immigrated with his father, William Harkness, Sr., and settled among the Presbyterians of Donegal, in Lancaster. He married Priscilla Lytle, of the same Scotch-Irish stock, and living in the same settlement. After the close of the harassing Indian wars (by the treaty of Col. Bouquet) which ravaged the Cumberland Valley until 1764, William Harkness, Jr., bought of the proprietaries, on August 1, 1766, land now in Allen Township. The Indian titles having been extinguished, and the boundary difficulties with Maryland adjusted, the proprietary advertised that the office for the sale of lands west of the Susquehanna would be opened on August 1, 1766, the settlers prior to that holding their lands under license certificates. Judge Huston said the number of applications issued on that day was 669. The application of William Harkness was number thirty-eight. The survey was on January 24, 1767, and patent issued subsequently.
Prior to this he and his neighboring settlers were often engaged in defending their homes against the native enemy, and in the work of the harvest-fields there, and in the Sherman's Valley, carried their rifles with them. They were armed agriculturists. The name of William Harkness is found on the list of taxables of Cumberland County as early as 1753. Later, in 1776, he entered the colonial service as an ensign, and together with Mr. Lytle, his brother-in-law, was a participant in the conflicts at Brandywine and Germantown. At the latter place Mr. Lytle was killed by his side.
After the war Mr. Harkness, by purchase, added to his property until he possessed a large estate of some 700 or 800 acres. On it he erected a large stone dwelling house, among the first of that kind in the valley, and othor buildings, and devoted himself to agriculture and other business pursuits. His house was famous for its hospitality.
At this time there was slavery in Pennsylvania. In the registry of the last 297 slaves registered under the requirements of an act to explain and amend a former "Act for the gradual abolition of slavery, etc., in Pennsylvania," passed the 1st of March, 1780, among the records of Cumberland County we find the well-known names of Armstrong, Buchanan, Butler, Carothers, Crawford, Clarke, Craighead, Bryson, Duncan, Blaine, Dunlap, Irvine, Galbreath, Gibson and others, and that William Harkness returns those born on his estate. Some who desired it he afterward manumitted at the age of twenty-one, seven years before the time fixed by law, having previously sent them to school and in other ways given them preparation for self-dependence. Others lived long afterward on his estate-the children of some until the death of his son, William Harkness, in 1851.
William Harkness died May 4, 1822; Priscilla, his wife, October 31, 1831. Both are buried in the old grave-yard at Silver Spring. Their daughter, Mary, became the wife of Major Robert Lamberton, of Carlisle. [HCC 1886, 357]

He was born in Ireland. In 1750 he came to America, and about the year 1765 settled in Allen township, Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, where he lived until the time of his death.

He was a soldier in the war of the Revolution. He was ensign of Capt. John Mateer's company, Col. Chambers' regiment, which was a part of Gen. James Potter's brigade. Potter's brigade served with distinction in various engagements about Philadelphia: At the battle of the Brandywine it was on the extreme left; at Germantown it was on the right, where in driving in the opposing forces it advanced farther than the center of the line; at Chestnut Hill, under Gen. Irvine, it helped to check the British advance, and, although Gen. James Irvine was wounded, and his troops driven back, Howe's attempt to surprise the Americans was frustrated. When Washington took up his march from White Marsh to Valley Forge, he sent Potter's brigade down the west side of the Schuylkill to guard his left flank. In his reconnoitering Potter came upon a detachment of British under Cornwallis, who had crossed at Middle Ferry, and in a spirited engagement which ensued between them retarded the British sufficiently for Sullivan's brigade, which had crossed the river at the Gulph, to recross in safety. A day or two afterward Washington crossed the river higher up without interference, and after reaching Valley Forge, he issued general orders in which he thanked Potter's brigade for the splendid services it had rendered.

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General Notes: Wife - Priscilla Lytle

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from Donegal, Lancaster Co, PA

1 —, History of Cumberland County, Pennsylvania (Chicago, IL: Warners, Beers & Co., 1886), Pg 357.

2 —, Biographical Annals of Cumberland County, Pennsylvania (Chicago, IL: The Genealogical Publishing Co., 1905), Pg 19, 32.

3 —, Biographical Annals of Cumberland County, Pennsylvania (Chicago, IL: The Genealogical Publishing Co., 1905), Pg 32.

4 —, History of Cumberland County, Pennsylvania (Chicago, IL: Warners, Beers & Co., 1886), Pg 358.

5 —, Biographical Annals of Cumberland County, Pennsylvania (Chicago, IL: The Genealogical Publishing Co., 1905), Pg 31.

6 S. J. M. Eaton, D.D, Memorial of the Hon. Robert Lamberton (Franklin, PA: Privately published, 1885), Pg 23.

7 William Henry Egle, M.D., M.A., Pennsylvania Genealogies; Chiefly Scotch-Irish and German (Harrisburg, PA: Harrisburg Publishing Co., 1896), Pg 131.

8 —, Biographical Annals of Cumberland County, Pennsylvania (Chicago, IL: The Genealogical Publishing Co., 1905), Pg 19.