French & Indian War
May 28, 1754 - February 10, 1763
(approximate time frame for "American" involvement in the conflict)
Updated 08/04/2023
The "French and Indian War" encompassed an approximate time period of 1754 - 1763 even though hostilities between new world settlers and Native Americans spanned a much larger time period. A portion of this conflict would be reflected in the activities related to Fort Lebanon (a.k.a. - Fort William or, unofficially, Fort Bohundy). No Auburn-area resident is known to have participated in this conflict, although several Auburn-area residents were victims of Native American attacks.
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Fort Lebanon
"Fort Lebanon, located about one and one-half miles from Auburn is another place of historic note. It was built by Captain Jacob Morgan in 1756. Fifty-three men were stationed there, under the command of Captain Morgan, to patrol the County to Northkill and Allemaengle. During an attack by the Indians, over one hundred people were seized and the Fort was burned." - ("History of Auburn" from the "Joseph Henry Zerbey History of Pottsville and Schuylkill County").
"On May 30, 1913, the D. A. R. of the Mahantongo Chapter erected, with public ceremonies, a monument at the site of this Fort. The monument is a large rough stone embossed with an iron tablet." - ("History of Auburn" from the "Joseph Henry Zerbey History of Pottsville and Schuylkill County").
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Partial listing of soldiers who served at Fort Lebanon:
Harry, David - Ensign
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Humphreys, (FNU) - Lieutenant
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Keplinger, Philip - Corporal
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Lindemood (or Lindenmood or Lindmood),
George - Corporal |
Matthews, E. - Sergeant
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Morgan, Jacob Jr. - rank uncertain at this time; military service during the French and Indian Wars is presumed based on a journal entry of his father's, Captain Jacob Morgan Sr., who was in charge of Fort Lebanon at the time of the entry which reads: "sent my son with journal and muster rolls...". A presumption is made that the son he mentioned was that of Jacob Morgan Jr., who would have been a young teenager at the time, and who would eventually have military experience, and who, years later, rose to the rank of Colonel like his father had. Captain Morgan's only other son was three years younger than Jacob Jr., so it seems likely the reference was to Jacob Jr.
Mention in a biography found on the website findagrave.com for Jacob Jr. states that he served as an Ensign for the British Army during the French and Indian War; and was stationed at Fort Augusta, (located within present day Sunbury), Northumberland County, PA. This is somewhat erroneous information since the French and Indian War ended by 1763, and yet Northumberland County wasn't created until 1772 out of portions of three other counties..Berks, Cumberland and Lancaster. The site of Fort Augusta does now exist in what is currently Northumberland County, PA. After the French and Indian War ended, Jacob Jr. returned to civilian life for a period of time. However, a little over a decade later, the Revolutionary War began, and on December 4, 1776, Jacob Jr. was appointed "Colonel and Commander of the 1st Battalion of Associators of the City of Philadelphia and Northern Liberties" (they did like their rambling titles back then); and later became Colonel of the 3rd Battalion, Philadelphia County Militia, which became part of General George Washington's Army. After the war concluded and independence was won, Jacob Jr. again returned to civilian life. According to the website findagrave.com, Jacob Morgan Jr. was born circa 1741 or 1742 in Caernarvon Township, Berks County, Pennsylvania; however, this entry again contains erroneous information since (A) Berks County wasn't created until 1752; so he it might have been possible that he was born in what was originally part of Lancaster County, PA and later became Berks County; and (B) Caernarvon Township was, and still is, part of Lancaster County, PA. Therefore, his exact place of birth is uncertain at this time. Jacob Jr. was the son of Captain/Colonel Jacob Morgan Sr. and Rachel Piersol Morgan. He was a brother of Benjamine (male) Morgan; Mary Morgan Hudson; Rebecca Morgan Price; and Sarah Morgan Jenkins. After the French and Indian War had ended, Jacob Jr. moved to Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, PA, and became a "successful merchant". Shortly after the war had ended, he married Anna Barbara Lesher Morgan Jenkins on 11/22/1763 in Saint Gabriel's Church (constructed in 1736, they were married within the original log structure; in the winter of 1831-1832, it was destroyed by fire), Morlatton Village (later renamed Douglassville), Berks County, PA. They had the following children: Elizabeth B. Morgan Sergeant; George Washington Morgan; Hannah Morgan; Jacob Morgan III; John Morgan (who only lived approx. 11 years); Rachel Morgan Ash; and Thomas Morgan. After a second stint in the military during the revolutionary war, Jacob Jr. again returned to Philadelphia and engaged in the sugar refinery business (one of the first in the country) with his son-in-law, Alexander Douglass (uncertain as to which of Jacob Jr.'s daughters married Alexander Douglass). Jacob Jr. died on 09/18/1802 and was interred within the Christ Church Burial Ground, Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, PA. |
Morgan, Jacob Sr. - Captain (during his command of Fort Lebanon); later promoted to Colonel; given command of Fort Lebanon by December 5, 1755 and its roster of fifty-three soldiers until circa late 1757; part of Colonel Conrad Weiser's regiment.
Prior to his military service, Jacob Sr. was engaged in farming, but when the French and Indian hostilities arose, he was commissioned as a Captain in 1755 by the provincial government and given command of Fort Lebanon (later renamed Fort William circa 1758 and unofficially called Fort Bohundy after the Bohundy Creek flowing nearby). He actively served in military service during the French and Indian War until 1760, when he returned home and resumed farming. For his service, the King of Great Britain proclaimed Jacob Sr. was entitled to 3,000 acres of land in the new colony, but Jacob Sr. did not actively develop the land, instead he willed it to his four surviving children when he died. When the Revolutionary War began, Jacob Sr. was nearly sixty years of age, yet he was selected to represent the county as a delegate to the provincial council, as well as a delegate to the provincial conference and convention. In 1777, he was selected by the council to become Lieutenant of several counties to effectively prosecute the war. By the time he resigned the position in 1780, he was elevated to the rank of Colonel. ***************************************************** Jacob Morgan Sr. was born November 7, 1716 in Caernarvon, Wales. He emigrated to Pennsylvania sometime prior to 1730; presumably with his parents and any siblings that may have already been born at that time. His father had been surveyed 400 acres of land which included the parcel in which Morgantown, Berks County, PA, (which at the time was part of Chester County) would later be founded. Jacob Sr. would eventually inherit this tract of land from his father circa 1740, upon which he would build a stone house that stands to this date, marked with his and his wife's initials and the date of erection. Jacob Sr. was the son of Thomas Morgan and Elizabeth Abrey Morgan. He was a brother of Francis Morgan and John Morgan. Jacob Sr. married Rachel Piersol Morgan circa 1739 and they had the following children: Benjamine Morgan; Jacob Morgan Jr.; Mary Morgan Hudson; Rebecca Morgan Price; and Sarah Morgan Jenkins. For the first period of his life, until he was almost 40 years old, Jacob Sr. was a simple farmer. During the French and Indian War in the mid- to late-1750s, he was commissioned into the military and served admirably. He resigned from military service in 1760 to return to his life as a farmer. On April 24, 1764, Jacob Sr. was commissioned as a Justice of the Peace for the southern district of Berks County. In 1769 Jacob Morgan Sr. came into possession of the 1200-acre tract which his father had willed to Jacob's brother, John. It was on this tract that Jacob Sr. laid out the plat for Morgan's Town in 1770. Lots were not sold, rather, they were leased in the English way and improvements required to be made by the lessee. Early land records refer to the village as "Caernarvon Town" and "Morgan's Town" in Lancaster County, now Berks County. Jacob Sr. was recommissioned as a Justice of the Peace in 1769, 1770 and 1773. He was also a delegate to the Provincial convention that framed the constitution in 1776. Jacob Sr. was to be summoned again into a command role of military service during the Revolutionary War as a Colonel of the Pennsylvania Militia. On October 9, 1784, he was commissioned as Judge of the Court of Common Pleas of Berks County, a position he filled until his death on November 11, 1792. A story of his courage, even at an advanced age, was told about Jacob Morgan Sr.. One night, when he was approximately 72 years old, and seated in his "sleeping room" on the first floor of the dwelling, three masked men entered the room and demanded either his money or his life. He "refused in a positive manner", resulting in one of the masked men striking him over the head with a club, causing him to fall under the bed, knocking over and extinguishing the lamp on the table wear he had been seated. At that moment, an indentured girl, Patty Barefoot, who had been hiding under the bed from fear, grabbed a sword that was hanging several feet above the floor and handed it to Jacob Sr.. Jacob Sr. went on the attack, slashing the sword violently left and right upon the heads and backs of the fleeing intruders, driving them back and causing them to leave the premises without any gainful compensation. Jacob Sr. died on 11/11/1792 in Morgantown and was interred within the Saint Thomas Episcopal Church cemetery, Morgantown, Berks County, Pennsylvania. |
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Moyer, George - rank uncertain at this time
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Price, Evan - Corporal
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Smith, Robert - Sergeant
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Auburn Area Historical Society Merchandise
relevant to the French and Indian War
"Indian Hostilities near Fort Lebanon" is a brief twenty page booklet outlining some of the most compelling events regarding the conflict between the Lenape Indians attacking early settlers of what would later become the Auburn area as well as the soldiers manning Fort Lebanon who were sent to protect those settlers. This booklet has a selection of color pictures as well as information pertaining to this period of history. From Indian attacks to child hostages to military retribution, this booklet makes fascinating reading and is available only through the Auburn Area Historical Society for a price of just $10.00!
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"Fort Dietrich Snyder: Fact or Folklore" is offered for sale in either a DVD format ($5.00) or an eighty-plus page booklet filled with facts, figures and pictures ($25.00). "Fort Dietrich Snyder" has a well-established reputation for having been a fortified stronghold near Auburn (south of Summit Station near the Berks/Schuylkill County border) during the French and Indian War. News articles have been written about it. History books mention it. Historic maps depict it. A large stone monument was erected with the approval of two county historical societies decades ago to commemorate its existence. But did it even exist? After extensive research and examining all of the "facts", the author of "Fort Dietrich Snyder: Fact or Folklore" is convinced that this "historic" fort was actually historic "folklore" and never truly existed! Follow this well documented investigation which first presents all of the "evidence" of in support of the structure's existence, then proceed with the author as he painstakingly dismantles the myth of Fort Dietrich Snyder's very existence. For historic controversy and debunking false perceptions regarding history, this booklet or DVD is well-worth the price!
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