Judah Colt
Encyclopedia
Judah Colt was an early pioneer of Erie County
.
, Connecticut
. He left Connecticut in 1795 and moved to Erie County. He soon decided that the lake shore was inhospitable, so he looked to join earlier pioneers in the hill country south of Erie. In 1796, he attempted to buy thousands of acres of land from the Pennsylvania Population Company, but they declined, hiring him instead to replace Thomas Rees, Jr. as their agent, a job he held until his death in 1832.
Colt established Colt's Station in 1797 in present-day Greenfield
. That same year he built the "earliest road after the American occupation" in Erie County (after Old French Road) as a supply route from Lake Erie
. Soon goods that were traveling by ship from Buffalo, New York
to Erie were being transported overland to his settlement. He extended the road in early 1798 to French Creek
, where he established a boat landing
. He continued the road to the forks of the creek at Wattsburg
later that same year.
Colt's wife joined him at Colt's Station in May 1798. In the absence of a minister, Colt conducted the first Protestant
service in the county on July 2, 1797.
church in Erie that formed in September 1815, attending worship services in the old court house and soon becoming an elder
. He built a frame building on Sassafras Street, known locally as the "yellow meeting house", which became the first regular place of worship in Erie.
He served three terms as Burgess in Erie (1813, 1820-1821). Colt died in Erie on October 11, 1832 and is buried in the Erie Cemetery
.
Erie County, Pennsylvania
Erie County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of 2010, the population was 280,566. Its county seat is the City of Erie.- Geography :...
.
Hill country
Colt was born on July 1, 1761 in LymeLyme, Connecticut
Lyme is a town in New London County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 2,016 at the 2000 census. Lyme and its neighboring town Old Lyme are the namesake for Lyme disease.-Geography:...
, Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
. He left Connecticut in 1795 and moved to Erie County. He soon decided that the lake shore was inhospitable, so he looked to join earlier pioneers in the hill country south of Erie. In 1796, he attempted to buy thousands of acres of land from the Pennsylvania Population Company, but they declined, hiring him instead to replace Thomas Rees, Jr. as their agent, a job he held until his death in 1832.
Colt established Colt's Station in 1797 in present-day Greenfield
Greenfield Township, Erie County, Pennsylvania
Greenfield Township is a township in Erie County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 1,909 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of , of which, of it is land and of it is water.-Demographics:As of the census of...
. That same year he built the "earliest road after the American occupation" in Erie County (after Old French Road) as a supply route from Lake Erie
Lake Erie
Lake Erie is the fourth largest lake of the five Great Lakes in North America, and the tenth largest globally. It is the southernmost, shallowest, and smallest by volume of the Great Lakes and therefore also has the shortest average water residence time. It is bounded on the north by the...
. Soon goods that were traveling by ship from Buffalo, New York
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
to Erie were being transported overland to his settlement. He extended the road in early 1798 to French Creek
French Creek (Allegheny River)
French Creek is a tributary of the Allegheny River in northwestern Pennsylvania and western New York in the United States.- Etymology :...
, where he established a boat landing
Landing (water transport)
A landing is a water terminal which may receive ferry passenger or cargo traffic from marine vessels. They may characterized by long wharves if they handle a large volume of cargo....
. He continued the road to the forks of the creek at Wattsburg
Wattsburg, Pennsylvania
Wattsburg is a borough in Erie County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 378 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Erie Metropolitan Statistical Area.Wattsburg is along the banks of French Creek ....
later that same year.
Colt's wife joined him at Colt's Station in May 1798. In the absence of a minister, Colt conducted the first Protestant
Protestantism
Protestantism is one of the three major groupings within Christianity. It is a movement that began in Germany in the early 16th century as a reaction against medieval Roman Catholic doctrines and practices, especially in regards to salvation, justification, and ecclesiology.The doctrines of the...
service in the county on July 2, 1797.
City life
Colt realized that prosperity would be found near the lake, so he left Colt's Station for Erie in 1804. He joined the PresbyterianPresbyterianism
Presbyterianism refers to a number of Christian churches adhering to the Calvinist theological tradition within Protestantism, which are organized according to a characteristic Presbyterian polity. Presbyterian theology typically emphasizes the sovereignty of God, the authority of the Scriptures,...
church in Erie that formed in September 1815, attending worship services in the old court house and soon becoming an elder
Elder (Christianity)
An elder in Christianity is a person valued for his wisdom who accordingly holds a particular position of responsibility in a Christian group. In some Christian traditions an elder is a clergy person who usually serves a local church or churches and who has been ordained to a ministry of Word,...
. He built a frame building on Sassafras Street, known locally as the "yellow meeting house", which became the first regular place of worship in Erie.
He served three terms as Burgess in Erie (1813, 1820-1821). Colt died in Erie on October 11, 1832 and is buried in the Erie Cemetery
Erie Cemetery
Erie Cemetery is a prominent cemetery located in Erie, Pennsylvania. It is situated on of land bordered on the east by Chestnut Street, the west by Cherry Street, the north by 19th Street, and the south by 26th Street.- History :...
.
External links
- Judah Colt, Historical Markers, Explore PA History
- Judah Colt Daybook (1798-1799)
- Greenfield Twp Before 1810
- Erie Cemetery Association biography
- 200th Anniversary of the Presbytery of Lake Erie quotes Colt journal in 1801
- Turner, Orasmus. Pioneer History of the Holland Purchase of Western New York (Buffalo: Jewett, Thompson and Co, 1849), p. 372