State of Westmoreland
Encyclopedia
The State of Westmoreland was a proposed self-proclaimed state that would have seceded from Pennsylvania
.
Both Pennsylvania and Connecticut
claimed ownership of the lands between 41° N and 42° N, and this gave rise to a series of land-conflicts collectively referred to as the Yankee-Pennamite Wars
. By the conclusion of the American Revolutionary War
, the states had made conflicting land grants in the region and independently organized it politically, with Connecticut creating a County of Westmoreland, seated in the Connecticut-settled Wyoming Valley
, while Pennsylvania included the settled regions in its Northumberland County
. The Congress of the Confederation
was asked to decide on the legal owner. With the Decree of Trenton on December 30, 1782, the confederation government officially decided that the region belonged to Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania then ruled that the Connecticut settlers ("Yankees") were not citizens of the Commonwealth, could not vote, and were to give up their property claims.
In May 1784, the Connecticut settlers were force-marched away from the valley. In November, they returned with a greater force and captured and destroyed Fort Dickinson
. With that victory, Captain John Franklin proposed that a new state separate from Connecticut and Pennsylvania be created, to be called Westmoreland.
To avoid further armed conflict the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania reversed its earlier decision and agreed that Yankee property claims that predated the Decree of Trenton should be honored, with compensation in the form of fresh grants being awarded those holding conflicting Pennsylvania claims. Most Connecticut Yankees accepted the proposed compromise, part of which involved separating a sizable part of Northumberland County to create a new county. On September 23, 1786, the Pennsylvania General Assembly
created Luzerne County
, named for the French minister the Chevalier de la Luzerne. This newly created county encompassed a large area; Lackawanna, Wyoming, Susquehanna, and part of Bradford County would all eventually be separated out as independent counties. While this compromise brought an end to the proposed state, political discord associated with the conflict continued into the 19th century.
Note that both Westmoreland County, Connecticut and the proposed State of Westmoreland are unrelated to the current Westmoreland County
located in southwestern Pennsylvania, which was created by an Act of the Assembly and approved by Governor of Pennsylvania Richard Penn
on February 26, 1773.
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
.
Both Pennsylvania and 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...
claimed ownership of the lands between 41° N and 42° N, and this gave rise to a series of land-conflicts collectively referred to as the Yankee-Pennamite Wars
Pennamite-Yankee War
The Pennamite-Yankee War was the intermittent conflict between 1769 and 1799 between settlers from Connecticut who claimed the land along the North Branch of the Susquehanna River in the present Wyoming Valley, and settlers from Pennsylvania who laid claim to the same lands.-Grants to Connecticut...
. By the conclusion of the American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
, the states had made conflicting land grants in the region and independently organized it politically, with Connecticut creating a County of Westmoreland, seated in the Connecticut-settled Wyoming Valley
Wyoming Valley
Wyoming Valley is a region of northeastern Pennsylvania. As a metropolitan area, it is also known as the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre area, after its principal cities, Scranton and Wilkes-Barre....
, while Pennsylvania included the settled regions in its Northumberland County
Northumberland County, Pennsylvania
There were 38,835 households out of which 27.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.40% were married couples living together, 9.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.10% were non-families. 30.20% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.50% had...
. The Congress of the Confederation
Congress of the Confederation
The Congress of the Confederation or the United States in Congress Assembled was the governing body of the United States of America that existed from March 1, 1781, to March 4, 1789. It comprised delegates appointed by the legislatures of the states. It was the immediate successor to the Second...
was asked to decide on the legal owner. With the Decree of Trenton on December 30, 1782, the confederation government officially decided that the region belonged to Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania then ruled that the Connecticut settlers ("Yankees") were not citizens of the Commonwealth, could not vote, and were to give up their property claims.
In May 1784, the Connecticut settlers were force-marched away from the valley. In November, they returned with a greater force and captured and destroyed Fort Dickinson
Fort Dickinson
Fort Dickinson was a Pennamite fort with four small blockhouses, armed with four guns, manned by 100 men constructed as part of the Pennamite Wars....
. With that victory, Captain John Franklin proposed that a new state separate from Connecticut and Pennsylvania be created, to be called Westmoreland.
To avoid further armed conflict the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania reversed its earlier decision and agreed that Yankee property claims that predated the Decree of Trenton should be honored, with compensation in the form of fresh grants being awarded those holding conflicting Pennsylvania claims. Most Connecticut Yankees accepted the proposed compromise, part of which involved separating a sizable part of Northumberland County to create a new county. On September 23, 1786, the Pennsylvania General Assembly
Pennsylvania General Assembly
The Pennsylvania General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. The legislature convenes in the State Capitol building in Harrisburg. In colonial times , the legislature was known as the Pennsylvania Provincial Assembly. Since the Constitution of 1776, written by...
created Luzerne County
Luzerne County, Pennsylvania
- Demographics :As of the 2010 census, the county was 90.7% White, 3.4% Black or African American, 0.2% Native American, 1.0% Asian, 3.3% were of some other race, and 1.5% were two or more races. 6.7% of the population was of Hispanic or Latino ancestry...
, named for the French minister the Chevalier de la Luzerne. This newly created county encompassed a large area; Lackawanna, Wyoming, Susquehanna, and part of Bradford County would all eventually be separated out as independent counties. While this compromise brought an end to the proposed state, political discord associated with the conflict continued into the 19th century.
Note that both Westmoreland County, Connecticut and the proposed State of Westmoreland are unrelated to the current Westmoreland County
Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 369,993 people, 149,813 households, and 104,569 families residing in the county. The population density was 361 people per square mile . There were 161,058 housing units at an average density of 157 per square mile...
located in southwestern Pennsylvania, which was created by an Act of the Assembly and approved by Governor of Pennsylvania Richard Penn
Richard Penn (governor)
Richard Penn, Jr. served as the Lieutenant Governor of the Province of Pennsylvania from 1771 to 1773, and was later a member of the British Parliament....
on February 26, 1773.
Sources
- http://www.buckyogi.com/footnotes/natuz.htm#w Footnotes to history
- http://www.luzernecounty.org/living/history_of_luzerne_county History of Luzerne County
- http://www.co.westmoreland.pa.us/westmoreland/cwp/view.asp?a=1430&q=576537&westmorelandNav=%7c History of Westmoreland County