McKean County Archives - Page 7 of 7 - Pennsylvania Genealogy

The Durfey Family of Venango County Pennsylvania

Old town hall, Allegheny City, torn down in 1863

This article traces the Durfey family from its Rhode Island Durfee origins through successive generations in Connecticut and western Pennsylvania, following the line from Thomas Durfee of Portsmouth to Benjamin Durfey, Joseph Durfey, and Benjamin (2) Durfey, a Connecticut legislator and manufacturer. It then follows Charles Averill Durfey, who moved to Venango County and later Bradford, where he managed oil and real estate interests and served in civic roles, and his son Frank Edward Durfey, who continued the family’s business and public involvement. The piece also includes the Kingsley line connected by marriage to Harmony Kingsley Durfey.

The Holbrook Family of Bradford, Pennsylvania

The name of Holbrook is ancient and distinguished, and is frequently met with in England and the United States. As early as the reign of Richard II. of England one of that name was admitted to the order of Knighthood and “A chevron between three mullets” assigned as his coat-of-arms. Many Holbrooks were early in New England. The name first appears at Weymouth, Massachusetts, 1640, when Thomas Holbrook settled in that part of Weymouth called “Old Spain.” His will, dated December 31, 1668, mentions wife Jane and children: Children (II) Thomas (2) Holbrook Thomas (2), son of Thomas (1) Holbrook, … Read more

The Schermerhorn Family of Venango County, Pennsylvania

This genealogical account traces the Schermerhorn line from Jacob Janse Schermerhorn, a prosperous 17th-century settler in New York’s Mohawk Valley, through successive generations in Schenectady, Herkimer County, and Pennsylvania. It highlights the family’s long association with farming, church life, and local civic affairs, along with notable early landholding and trusteeship disputes over the Schenectady patent. The narrative concludes with Edward Edgar Schermerhorn, an educator who became superintendent of schools in Bradford, Pennsylvania, and his family connections to the Gillespie and Harder lines, linking the old Dutch-American lineage to later life in Venango County and beyond.

The Harris Family of Bradford, Pennsylvania

This article traces the Harris line from early New England settlers through successive generations in Connecticut and New York to the family’s establishment in Pennsylvania, especially in Bradford and McKean County. It outlines the ancestry of Asa Harris and his descendants, including Delpha Harris and Marshall Delos Harris, while also connecting the family to the Moore and Edson lines through marriage. Alongside births, marriages, migrations, and occupations such as farming, shoemaking, lumbering, and business, the account places the family within broader regional history and notes their civic, religious, and military ties.

The Habgood Family of Bradford, Pennsylvania

This family long seated in England was founded in the United States by William Henry Habgood, father of Robert Patton Habgood, of Bradford, Pennsylvania, of the first generation born in the United States. (I) Robert Habgood Robert Habgood was a carpenter and builder of Gloucestershire, England, died in Cheltenham, England. By wife Mary he had children: Children His wife survived him and came to the United States, where she died and is buried at Bellefonte, Pennsylvania. Mr. Habgood and his wife were members of the established Church of England (Episcopal). (II) William Henry Habgood William Henry, only son of Robert … Read more

The Leasures of Bradford, Pennsylvania

This genealogy traces the Leasure family of Bradford, Pennsylvania, to the French Huguenot Le Sueur line and follows its migration through colonial New York, Pennsylvania, and the frontier settlements along the Susquehanna. It describes the family’s early occupations in farming and salt production, their Dutch Reformed and Presbyterian faith, and the hardships of frontier life, including Indian attacks. The article then focuses on George Leasure and his son James W. Leasure, outlining their careers in milling, oil, printing, insurance, and business, as well as James W. Leasure’s many inventions and civic affiliations.

The Fishers of Bradford, Pennsylvania

This account traces several generations of the Fisher family from German-born Joseph and Catharine Fisher to their descendants in Bradford, Lewisburg, Milton, and other Pennsylvania communities. It follows the family’s movement from early settlement near Catawissa through farming, milling, canal work, railroad service, and business ventures tied to the state’s developing industries. The article gives particular attention to Tunis Fisher and his son Jasper Strohecker Fisher, whose careers reflect the transition from canal and oil-era work to railroad and civic leadership in Bradford. Family marriages, children, and later residences are also noted in detail.

The Potter Family of Bradford, Pennsylvania

This article traces the Potter family from John Potter, an early English immigrant to New England, through successive generations in Connecticut and beyond, with detailed notes on marriages, children, occupations, and dates. It follows the line down to Eleazer Potter and his son George Hubbell Potter, who settled in Bradford, Pennsylvania, after military service and a career in the oil industry. Along the way, the narrative highlights physicians, sailors, merchants, and civic leaders, showing how the family moved from colonial Connecticut roots into nineteenth-century life in Illinois and western Pennsylvania.

The Melvin Family of Bradford, Pennsylvania

This genealogical sketch traces the Melvin line from early Massachusetts and New Hampshire roots to the family’s prominence in Bradford, Pennsylvania. It follows several generations, beginning with Patrick Melvin in Chester, New Hampshire, and highlighting Benjamin, John, and John F. Melvin, who became an important pioneer merchant and lumber dealer in McKean County. The article then focuses on Thomas Jefferson Melvin and John Parker Melvin, noting their roles in business, banking, law, and civic life. It also includes detailed family connections, marriages, children, and the related Laney family, placing the Melvins within the broader development of Bradford’s early community.

Warrantees of land in the several counties of the state of Pennsylvania

The lists of warrantees of land in the several counties of the Commonwealth are copied from the original record books in the Land Office of the Department of Internal Affairs. Only the names of the warrantees with number of acres and dates of warrant are given. They will serve however as a valuable guide to all desiring information from that Department.