The Conestoga Area Historical Society

African Americans in Conestoga Twp., 1850


This lists the African American citizens of Conestoga from the 1850 Census. At that time Pequea was still part of Conestoga Township. There were about 130 Black citizens here and I wanted to make sure our web page included information about them. I thought the 1850 census to be the only reliable source of information about them but have since found more information which will also be included on the web page.

About these Pages: Most of the information presented here is pretty straight forward, the one exception is what I have labled Misc., this replaces three columns in the original census that asked "over 20 and can't read or write", "married in the last year"and attended school. I consolidated these three columns into one and also included the name of the head of household when an African American was living with a white family. When a White was living with an African American family he was just listed as part of the family. I've included the house and family numbers since family are sometimes split up because by break in pages, you can use the house and family number to determine if they are part of the same familly. It also gives you a sense of who was living nearby.

One shouldn't place too much stock in what is reported here, for example, the census takers instructions was to report all people over 20 who couldn't read or write but he often included children who couldn't read and write. This source isn't perfect but its the best we have in trying to get some understanding of African Americans from our area in this time period.

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House#/Family #NameAgeGender Race Occupation Property Place/BirthMisc.
                 
Page 252a
House 4 Family 4 Moses Maxwell 40 Male Black Carter100 Lancaster Co 
Jane Maxwell34 Fem Mul   Lancaster Co. 
Elizabeth Maxwel 11 Fem Mul   Lancaster Co. Attended School
Abraham Maxwell 9 Male Mul   Lancaster Co. Attended School
Margaret Maxwel 7 Fem Mul   Lancaster Co. 
Susan Maxwel 5 Fem. Mul.   Lancaster Co. 
Thomas Maxwel 2 Male Mul.    Lancaster Co. 
Anthony Maxwell 1 Male Mul   Lancaster Co. 
Joseph Frey 20 Male Mul. Laborer  Lancaster Co.  
James Cook 31 Male Mul. Laborer  Lancaster Co 
Fanny Casey 24 Fem. Mul   Lancaster Co  
Abraham Green 19 Male Black  Lancaster Co 
         
House 5 Family 5 Wm  Butler 23 Male Mul.  York Co.Married within Year
Margaret Butler 20 Fem  Mul   York Co. Married within Year
                 
Page 252b          
House 6 Family 6 Washington Cooper 43 Male Black Forgeman   York Co., Pa  
Rachel Cooper Unknown Fem  Black   Little Britain  
Solomon J. Cooper 2 Male Black   Conestoga  
Simon Richardson 36 Male Mul. Forgemen  Conestoga  
Anthony Halager 21 Male Black Appren. Forgeman Little Britain  
David Hallager 14 Male Black Laborer  Conestoga  
Alfred Webster 19 Male Black Appren. Forgeman   Little Britain 
Mary Jane Morris 17 Fem. Black   Marticville  
                 
House 10 Family 10 Elias Mathews Unknown Male Mul. Forgeman   Lancaster Co.  
Mary Ann Mathews Unknown Fem. Mul.    Delaware Co. 
Levi James 7 Male Black   Phila.  
Elizabeth James 5 Fem. Black  .Phila.  
                 
Page 253a
House 15 Family 15 Wm. Butler 27 Male Black Forgeman   Maryland 
Elizabeth Butler 27 Fem. Mul.   York Co.  
Theo. H. Butler 7 Male Black   York Co.  
Israel Butler 4 Male Black   York Co.  
Mary Ann Butler 3 Fem. Black   York Co.  
Lewis Butler 1/3 Male Black   Conestoga  
Theo. Butler 26 Male Black Forgeman  Unknown  
                 
Page 253b
House 19 Family 19Wm. Parker (or Packer)14 Male Mul. Laborer   Maryland Living with Samuel Harnish
                 
House 21 Family 21 Charles Wilson 34 Male Mul. Laborer   Lancaster Co.  
Elizabeth Wilson 32 Fem. Black   York Co.  
Charlotte Wilson 3 Fem. Black   Conestoga  
Jacob Wilson 2 Male Black   Conestoga  
Nancy E. Wilson 11/12 Fem. Black   Conestoga  
Anna E. Wilson 12 Fem. Mul.   Conestoga  
Ruth Ann Wilson 64 Fem. Mul.   Drumore  
                 
House 22 Family 22 Theo. M. Jay 39MaleBlackLaborer  Maryland can't read
Eliza Jay 21 Fem. Black   Penna.  
 Margaret Jane Jay 2 Fem.Black  York Co 
                 
House 23 Family 23 Richard Waters 19 Male BlackLaborer   MarylandCan't read-Liv. with Jacob Young
                 
Page 257b
House 137 Family 137 Jacob Turner 38 Male Mul. Post Maker 500 Lancaster Co. 
Ann Turner 80 Fem. Mul.   Lancaster Co.  
                 
Page 261a
House 137 Family 137Mary Saul60 Fem. Black  200 Lancaster Co.  
                 
House 140 Family 140 John Wanner 51 Male Mul. Laborer  Lancaster Pa.  
Susan Wanner 34 Fem. Mul.   Lancaster Co. Can't Read
Ann Wanner 33 Fem. Mul.   Lancaster Co. Can't Read
Jacob Wanner 21 Male Mul. Laborer  Lancaster Co.  
Barbara Wanner 19 Fem. Mul.   Lancaster Co. Can't Read
Elizabeth Wanner 16 Fem. Mul.   Lancaster Co. Can't Read
Harriott Wanner 13 Fem. Mul   Lancaster Co.  
Abraham Wanner 10 Male Mul   Lancaster Co.  
John Wanner 3 Male Mul   Lancaster Co.  
Leah Wanner 1 Fem. Mul   Lancaster Co.  
David Barringer 64 Male White Clock Cleaner 100 Lancaster Co.  
Christian Yellets 21 Male Mul Laborer  Lancaster Co.  
                 
House 142 Family 142 Barbara Hill 63 Fem. Mul.  150 Lancaster Co.  
Barbara E. Richardson 1/3 Fem. Mul.   Lancaster Co.  
Barbara Cooper14 Fem. Mulatto   Lancaster Co.  
                 
House 143 Family 143 David Malson 56 Male Mul. Carter   Lancaster Co. Can't Read
Harriot Malson 34 Fem Mul.  300 Lancaster Co.  
                 
Page 261b  
House 143 Family 143 Harriott Richardson 6 Fem. Mul.    Lancaster Co. Attended School
Joseph Richardson 2 Male Mul   Lancaster Co.  
Sarah Ann Helsinger 7 Fem. Mul.   Lancaster Co. Attended School
                
House 144 Family 144 Lewis Martin 58 Male Black Basketmaker 300 New JerseyCan't Read
Jane Martin 57 Fem. Mul.   Lancaster Co. Can't Read
Lewis Martin 28 Male Black Laborer  Lancaster Co. Can't Read
Aaron Martin 16 Male Mul. Laborer  Lancaster Co. Can't Read
Hiram Martin 6 Male Mul   Lancaster Co.  
                
House 146 Family 146 James Johnson 32 Black Laborer   York Co.Can't Read
Cordilla Johnson 33 Fem. Black   Lancaster Co. Can't Read
Simon M. Johnson 3 Male Black   Lancaster Co.  
Henry L. Johnson 1/12 Male Black   Lancaster Co.  
Ann Clark 12 Fem. Black   Lancaster Co.  
                
House 147 Family 147 William Casey (or Carey) 29 Male Mul. Laborer 100 Lancaster Co. Living with Frederick Combick
                 
Page 262a
House 153 Family 153 Nancy Wesley 70 Fem. Black    Lancaster Co.  
Hannah Carter 39 Fem. Black  100Lancaster Co.  
George Carter Jr. 19 Male Black Laborer  Lancaster Co.  
Eliza W. Carter17 Fem.Black  Lancaster Co.  
                 
Page 263b
House 172 Family 174 Jefferson Jay 18 Male Black Laborer  York Co. 
                 
House 173 Family 174 Elizabeth Pecoas 60 Fem. Black   Pa. Can't Read
Harriott Pecoas 25 Fem. Black   Pa. Can't Read
Samuel Bane 15 Male Mul.   Pa. Can't Read
George Smith 16 Male Black   Pa. Can't Read
Levi Smith 7 Male Black   Pa.  
Washington Smith 14 Male Black   Pa. Can't Read
Anthine Smith 20 Fem. Black   Pa. Can't Read
                 
Page 264b
House 192 Family 195 Anthony Sterret 53 Male Black Stones Mason 300 Maryland  
Nancy Sterret 70 Fem. Black  . Lancaster Co.  
Elijah Levi 27 Male Black   Lancaster Co.  
Nancy Levi 10 Fem. Black   Lancaster Co.Attended School
                 
Page 265a
House 200 Family 203 Stephen Levi 37 Male Black    Lancaster Co. 
Sarah Levi 56 Fem. Black   Lancaster Co.  
Abraham Boyyerd 9Male Black   Lancaster Co. Attended School
                 
Page 268b
House 249 Family 253 Jacob Holsinger 28 Male Mul Laborer   Pa.Can't Read
Leah Holsinger 26 Fem. Mul.   Pa. Can't Read
Urias Holsinger 5 Male Mul.   Pa   
Harietta Holsinger 4 Fem. Mul.   Pa   
George Holsinger 1 MaleMul.   Pa.  
Ann Wanner 24 Fem. Mul.   Pa.  
Jacob Stump 30 Male Mul. Laborer  Pa   
Martin Morris 22 Male Mul. Laborer  Pa.  
George Wilson 21 Male Mul. Laborer  Maryland Can't Read
                 
House 250 Family 254 Samuel Harly 36 Male Mul. Stone Quarrier   Pa.  
Sarah Harly 44 Fem. Mul.   Pa.  
John Wesley Harly 19 Male Mul. Laborer   Pa. 
Simon Harly 17 Male Mul. Laborer  Pa.Can't Read
Ellen Harly 13 Fem. Mul.   Pa.  
Sarah Harley 10 Fem. Mul.   Pa.  
Harriett Harley 8Fem. Mul.   Pa.  
William Harley 5 Male Mul.   Pa.  
Benjamin Cary 26 Male Mul. Laborer  Pa. Can't Read
                 
Page 277a
House 370 Family 374Wm. Hassgo 49 Male Black   Pa. Can't Read
Nagar Hassgo 50 Fem. Black   Pa. Can't Read
Melia Ann Hassgo 16 Fem. Black   Maryland Can't Read
Daniel Morgan 7 Male Black   Maryland  
Solomon Fisher 45 Male Black   Pa.  
Thomas Young 27 Male Mul.   Pa.  
                 
Page 282b
House 453 Family 458 James H. Battle 31 Male Mul. Laborer   Pa. 
                
Page 283a
House 453 Family 458 Ann M. Battle 21 Fem. Mul.    Pa. 
Mary M. Battle 2 Fem. Mul.     Pa.  
Henerietta Battle 4/12 Fem. Mul.   Pa.  
                
Page 287b
House 513 Family 519 Margaret Turner 45 Fem. Mul.    Pa.Can't Read/Lived with John Eaby
James Turner 39 Male Mul. Laborer  Pa. Lived with John Eaby
                 
House 536 Family 542 William Anderson 43 Male Mul. Laborer   Pa.Can't Read
Elizabeth Johnson 23 Fem. Mul.   Pa. Can't Read
                
House 539 Family 545 George Hood 46 Male Black Laborer   Virginia 
Margaret Hood 50 Fem. Mul.   Pa. 
Noah Hood 14 Male Mul.   Pa.  
Totals132

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