Map 1: 1841 map showing 161 acre Hardin tract
The below is from the 1841 " Report of a survey and exploration of the coal and ore lands belonging to the Allegheny Coal Company: in Somerset County, Pennsylvania; accompanied by maps, profiles and sections" (large 3765 KB PDF) by Walter Rogers Johnson.
The map shows the location of a 161 acre Hardin tract which we now believe once belonged to Isaac Hardin, based on information presented below. The 1841 map has been annotated to identify the locations of a Hoyman tract, and several Korns tracts, as discussed in more detail on another web page. Click here to see a non-annotated version of the map. I believe that the road running through the Hardin tract is some predecessor to a now-abandoned portion of the Felty Hill road, and may include part of the Felty Hill road. It is definitely not some abandoned portion of the Palo Alto road, because the road is too far to the north. Click here to see a 1939 aerial photo that shows two different routes of the now-abandoned portion of the Felty Hill road (relevant details from 1818 and 1876 maps are also included). The eastern part of the route marked in yellow on the 1939 aerial photo seems to correspond to "Map 1" on this web page.
Map 2: Land warrant map
The land warrant map that follows below was provided by K. Davis. She provided enough information with this map to convince me that the 161 acre Hardin tract on the map above once belonged to Isaac Hardin. She wrote: "You'll see...the Catherine Wyman Tract of 402 acres at the left of this earlier map. Just to the east of Catherine Wyman's you see the tract of Joseph Rutlidge and immediately below is the tract of Patrick Burk.
I point out the Rutlidge and Burk tracts because there is an indenture of 2 Sep 1813 wherein Isaac Harden purchased, for $429.27, 165 1/2 acres from John F. Mifflin, Esq of the city of Philadelphia (attorney for John Anderson of the burough and county of Bedford) "the same being part of two tracts which were originally surveyed upon application entered in the land office in the names of Patrick Burk and Ralph Rutlidge dated the twenty second of August 1767".
The deed was recorded 16 Jan 1818 in Deed Book 9, pg. 350, 351 & 352[.] ".
The "Hyman" tract on "Map 1" above is obviously the "Catherine Wyman" tract on "Map 2" below. As described on another web page, the "Michael Korns Sr. 1829 Tract No. 1" on "Map 1" above was part of the 320 acre "Samuel Riddle to Michael Korns" tract on "Map 1" below. These two things, and what K. Davis wrote about the Rutlidge and Burk tracts, tell us that the 161 acre Hardin tract on the map above was on the Rutlidge and Burk tracts that are between the 402 acre Wyman and 320 acre Korns tracts on "map 2" below, and tells us that in 1813 Isaac Hardin bought property that was apparently on those two tracts. Click here to see a Hardin tract in that same area, along an old route of the Felty Hill road, on the 1818 Melish-Whiteside map. When compared to modern maps and the 1939 aerial photo linked above, the 1818 Melish-Whiteside map seems to indicate that in 1818, Hardin lived right where the present-day (2009) Palo Alto road comes out on Route 160. That location is part of the 161 acre tract shown on "Map 1" above. Even though Adam Lepley appears to have owned at least part of the 1841 161 acre Hardin tract in 1829 (as detailed below in conjunction with the Korns estate map), the Melish map suggests that the 1841 161 acre tract also included land from the 1813 Isaac Hardin land purchase described above in conjunction with the "Map 2" shown below.
Map 3: Michael Korn 1829 estate map
The next map is a photo negative of pages 32 and 33 of the 1949 book "The Genealogy of Michael Korns, Sr. of Somerset County Pennsylvania " by Dr. Charles Byron Korns. This map, which is discussed in more detail on another web page, is an 1829 draught of two tracts of land in Southampton Township, Somerset County from the estate of Michael Korns, Sr., who died November 5, 1824. The hand-written notation on the map reads "The above draught represents Michael Korns real Estate as the same was divided and appraised by an inquest to make partition or valuation held by Joseph Imhoff high sheriff of Somerset County on the 20th day of April 1829 the lines of tract No. 1 were partly taken from the deed and partly by actual survey those of tract No. 2 by actual survey by John Witt".
In regards to "Map 2" above, K. Davis also wrote " One more item that may help clear which 160 acres he owned...The land was adjoining lands of "F. Cox Jacob Witt's heirs and Peter Troutman".". The language K. Davis quoted is from page two of Isaac Hardin's 1848 estate document, which are linked on the Isaac Hardin index page. K. Davis's "160 acres" statement is apparently based on a now-corrected error in a typewritten transcript of part of the estate document on this website; in my opinion, the handwritten document clearly shows "161".
Map 3 on this web page (below) shows a Jacob Witt property at the western boundary of Michael Korn's 1829 estate tract 1. Based on "Map 1" above, we know that this tract would have also bordered the 1841 Hardin tract. One confusing thing on map 3 (below) is that Adam Lepley is clearly shown to own the tract that is equally clearly identified as the 1841 161 acre Hardin tract on Map 1 (above).
I hope we can eventually come to understand when Adam Lepley ceased to own the tract, and when it became the home place of Isaac Hardin. Because a 161 acre Hardin tract shows up on the 1841 map, because a Sherriff's inquisition on page four Isaac Hardin's estate documents indicates that a 161 acre tract was Isaac Hardin's home place at the circa 1848 time of his death, and because K. Davis's statement regarding map 2 (above) would seem to indicate that Isaac Hardin bought property at or near there in 1813, I believe that the 1841 Hardin tract belonged to Isaac Hardin.
It seems equally clear from map 3 that Isaac Hardin did not own all of the 161 acre tract in 1829, even though it seems clear that he bought property near there in 1813.
Return to Isaac Hardin index page
