Isaac Townsend and Rachel King

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Husband Isaac Townsend ^{1 2 3 4}

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           Born: 1763 - England 3
     Christened: 
           Died: 1837 or 1838 - ? Armstrong Co, PA 3 5
         Buried: 

       Marriage: 1780 4

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Wife Rachel King ^{4 6}

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            AKA: Mary King,1 7 8 Regina King 9
           Born: 
     Christened: 
           Died: 1847 10
         Buried: 

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         Father: Mathias King (      -1807) 11
         Mother: Christine Hartzell (      -      ) 6

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Children

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1 M John Townsend ^{4 6}

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           Born: 1786 6
     Christened: 
           Died: 1869 6
         Buried: 

         Spouse: Elizabeth Shoemaker (      -      ) 6

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2 M Isaac Townsend ^{4 7 8}

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            AKA: Israel Townsend
           Born: Abt 1789 - near Salina, Armstrong Co, PA
     Christened: 
           Died: 7 Aug 1866 - Westmoreland Co, PA 1
         Buried: 

         Spouse: Mary "Polly" Hill (Abt 1796-1846) 1

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3 M Robert Townsend ⁴

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           Born: 
     Christened: 
           Died: 
         Buried: 

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4 M Joseph Townsend ⁴

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           Born: 
     Christened: 
           Died: 
         Buried: 

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5 M Henry Townsend ¹²

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           Born: Abt 1795 - Kiskiminetas Twp, Armstrong Co, PA
     Christened: 
           Died: 
         Buried: 

         Spouse: Catharine Ulam (1794-      ) 13
           Marr: 2 Feb 1819 10

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6 M William Townsend ^{4 14}

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           Born: 1800 - Kiskiminetas Twp, Armstrong Co, PA 15
     Christened: 
           Died: 6 Apr 1884 15
         Buried: 

         Spouse: Elizabeth Shumaker (      -1889) 16

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7 F Polly Townsend ⁴

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           Born: 
     Christened: 
           Died: 
         Buried: 

         Spouse: Simon Turney (      -      ) 1

         Spouse: Charles Gantz (      -      ) 1

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8 F Susan Townsend ⁴

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           Born: 
     Christened: 
           Died: 
         Buried: 

         Spouse: Daniel Ulam (      -      ) 1

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9 F [Infant] Townsend ⁴

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           Born: 
     Christened: 
           Died: in infancy
         Buried: 

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10 F [Infant] Townsend ⁴

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           Born: 
     Christened: 
           Died: in infancy
         Buried: 

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General Notes: Husband - Isaac Townsend

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The Townsends were originally Quakers and said to have descended from Robert Townsend, of England, whose wife was Elizabeth Richards.

His father was once a heavy landowner in England, but lost all his property through speculation. On account of his father's losses, he came to the American colonies about 1775. He settled in what was then Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, but is now Kiskiminetas township, Armstrong County, where he bought 400 acres from George Wolf, for which he paid seventy-five cents per acre. This property developed into the most valuable land in the county. A many-sided man, he could do almost anything to which he bent his mind, and became extremely prominent in his locality, where he was called upon to settle numerous disputes among his neighbors, for his authority and level judgment were never questioned. After the organization of the Democratic party he adhered to its principles, and was elected on its ticket as auditor, assessor and road supervisor of his township. Although reared a Quaker, after marriage he became a member of the Lutheran Church, in which he was elder for many years.

He was born in Chester County, Pennsylvania, where his English ancestors, of the Friends' Society, had settled in the first part of the eighteenth century. About the year 1800 he removed to Kiskiminetas township, in Armstrong County, where he had purchased a farm on the Kiskiminetas River. Here with his sons he was largely engaged in the manufacture of salt, and shortly after he became thus engaged the river from Dam No. 3 to Apollo was lined with these works, where later was but the one owned by Mr. Gammill. He used to ship the salt by boats to Pittsburgh, and pack it by horses over the mountains to the East, and afterwards his sons wagoned it to the Eastern cities.

Early in the eighteenth century the English ancestors of this family settled in Chester County, Pennsylvania. They were members of the Society of Friends. Isaac Townsend was born in Chester County, and about 1800 removed to Armstrong County, where he became an extensive salt manufacturer. These early settlers had many narrow escapes from the Indians, and once Isaac, his wife and baby swam the Kiskiminetas river on a horse to escape capture.

He was the founder of the family in America, and emigrated, probably between 1770 and 1780, prior to the burning of Hannastown. He was one of three brothers who came to America and settled in the vicinity of Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. One of these later settled near Philadelphia, and Isaac Townsend acquired some three or four hundred acres of the lands near Salina, Armstrong County, Pennsylvania, which had been granted to the colonies. This was in the early days of the settlement, when the land was filled with Indians. Isaac Townsend cleared this land, converted it into a farm, and built a cabin on it. The night before the burning of Hannastown, the Indians, on their way to this work of destruction, encamped within a short distance of the Townsend cabin. Both Isaac Townsend and his wife died on this homestead farm.

According to one account, he is said to have come from Chester County, Pennsylvania, and according to another from England. He settled on the Kiskeminitas river in Armstrong County about 1800, where he engaged in farming and the manufacture of salt.

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General Notes: Wife - Rachel King

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She was called by the Indians, “The pretty black-eyed squaw.” She was in great fear of them and when they came, as they frequently did, on their begging expeditions, she always acceded to their demands and made liberal donations.

1 George Dallas Albert, History of the County of Westmoreland, Pennsylvania (Philadelphia, PA: L. H. Everts & Co., 1882), Pg 677.

2 John W. Jordan, History of Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, Genealogical Memoirs, Vol. II (Chicago, IL: The Lewis Publishing Company, 1906), Pg 487.

3 Samuel P. Bates, LL.D., Our County and Its People, A Historical and Memorial Record of Crawford County, Pennsylvania (W. A. Fergusson & Co., 1899), Pg 695.

4 —, Armstrong County, Pennsylvania, Her People Past and Present (Chicago, IL: J. H. Beers & Co., 1914), Pg 726.

5 —, Armstrong County, Pennsylvania, Her People Past and Present (Chicago, IL: J. H. Beers & Co., 1914), Pg 726, 856.

6 Samuel P. Bates, LL.D., Our County and Its People, A Historical and Memorial Record of Crawford County, Pennsylvania (W. A. Fergusson & Co., 1899), Pg 696.

7 John W. Jordan, History of Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, Genealogical Memoirs, Vol. II (Chicago, IL: The Lewis Publishing Company, 1906), Pg 488.

8 John W. Jordan, History of Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, Genealogical Memoirs, Vol. III (Chicago, IL: The Lewis Publishing Company, 1906), Pg 125.

9 —, Armstrong County, Pennsylvania, Her People Past and Present (Chicago, IL: J. H. Beers & Co., 1914), Pg 400.

10 —, Armstrong County, Pennsylvania, Her People Past and Present (Chicago, IL: J. H. Beers & Co., 1914), Pg 856.

11 —, Armstrong County, Pennsylvania, Her People Past and Present (Chicago, IL: J. H. Beers & Co., 1914), Pg 400, 882.

12 Robert Walter Smith, Esq., History of Armstrong County, Pennsylvania (Chicago, IL: Waterman, Watkins, & Co., 1883), Pg 611.

13 Robert Walter Smith, Esq., History of Armstrong County, Pennsylvania (Chicago, IL: Waterman, Watkins, & Co., 1883), Pg 573, 611.

14 Robert Walter Smith, Esq., History of Armstrong County, Pennsylvania (Chicago, IL: Waterman, Watkins, & Co., 1883), Pg 248x.

15 —, Armstrong County, Pennsylvania, Her People Past and Present (Chicago, IL: J. H. Beers & Co., 1914), Pg 925.

16 Robert Walter Smith, Esq., History of Armstrong County, Pennsylvania (Chicago, IL: Waterman, Watkins, & Co., 1883), Pg 615.