JOURNAL OF THE COMMISSIONERS. The Governor of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania having appointed and commissioned Isaac Smith of Lycoming County, Matthew Roberts of Montgomery county and George Harrison of Bucks County, Commissioners to execute an act of Assembly, entitled "an act for the purpose of adjusting the title to lands in Bedford and Ulster townships, in Luzerne and Lycoming Counties, passed the 19th day of March, 1810.” They, by previous arrangement, met at Williamsport, in Lycoming county, and took the oath of office, as prescribed by the ninth section of said act, before John Turk, Esq., one of the Justices of the peace in said county. Whereupon the original commission was recorded in the Recorder's office of said county, and the original delivered to Isaac Smith, Esq., one of said Commissioners. The said Commissioners proceeded to the township of Ulster, where they commenced the business of their mission June the 11th, 1810. William Wilson haveing been appointed surveyor on the fifth instant, took the oath prescribed by law, and his compensation was fixed at three dollars p'. day. Neal McDuffee and Daniel McDuffee were appointed chain carriers, and their compensation fixed at Eighty-seven and half cents p' day each. Francis Tyler was appointed marker, and his compensation fixed at Eighty-seven and an half cents p' day; all of whom were severally sworn, as the law directs, by George Harrison, one of the Commissioners. From the best information that could be obtained by the Commissioners, relative to the situation of the township of Ulster, as originally granted, under the rules and regulations of the Connecticut Susquehannah company, in Lycoming county, from the examination of documents and verbal information it appeared that there was a grant by the committee of the Susquehannah company to Asabel Buck and others, in the year 1775; Beginning on the west side of the Susquehannah river, at two miles below the junction of the Tioga with the main branch, and extending west five miles, thence north five miles, thence East five miles to the main river, thence down the same to the place of beginning; no survey or allotment was ever made in pursuance thereof; which grant was superceded by a second grant on the 12th day of September, 1785, but no survey or allotments being made under the same, the said second grant was superceded by grants for two townships, the one called Athens, which is dated the 9th day of May, 1786, and was surveyed and alloted in the fall of the same year, as follows (viz): Beginning at a stake, marked, standing on the north line of the Susquehannah purchase, at one mile west of the Tioga branch, thence East on said line, crossing the Tioga and Susquehannah rivers, five miles to a pine tree, marked, thence south five miles to a black oak, marked, thence west five miles, crossing said Susquehannah river to a white oak, mark'd, thence north five miles to the place of beginning. The other called the township of Ulster, which grant is dated the 21st day of July, 1786, and surveyed and allotted in the fall of the same year, And is as follows (viz): Beginning at a tree, marked, standing on the west side of the Susquehannah river opposite to the head of an Island about three quarters of a mile below the mouth of Tioga river, thence west two miles to a corner, thence south five miles to a corner, thence East five miles to a corner, thence north five miles to a corner, thence west three miles to the place of beginning. Whereby it appeared that the said townships of Athens and Ulster were surveyed and laid down on the tract of land which was partly covered by the original grant, and so much thereof as was allotted under the grants and surveys of the said townships, which haveing been made prior to the 28th day of March, 1787, was adjudged to fall within the provisions of the act of assembly. June 12th. The claimants not being able to procure the old grant of the township of Ulster at this time, by reason of its being heretofore delivered to Thomas Cooper, Esq., one of the former Commissioners, the present Commissioners proceeded to ascertain the boundary lines of said township as originally granted by the Susquehannah company on the best information that could be obtained; several of the inhabitants attended and declared the place of beginning to be on the south side of the Tioga river, where the waters of that river and the Susquehannah river form a junction, and from thence south two miles, thence west five miles, thence north five miles, thence east five miles, thence south three miles to the place of beginning, computed to contain sixteen thousand acres. The surveyor, by direction of the commissioners, proceeded to run the boundary lines accordingly. Haveing fixed the above mentioned bounds, or exterior lines of the old township of Ulster, the commissioners proceeded to give publick notice that they were ready to receive applications and evidence of title from the several claimants, which notice was in the following words: Notice. All persons comeing within the provisions of an act of assembly of the commonwealth of Pennsylvania, entitled “An act for the purpose of adjusting the titles to lands in Bedford and Ulster townships in Luzerne and Lycoming Counties ;” owning or claiming lands within the township of Ulster, as originally laid out under the rules and regulations of the Susquehannah Company, are hereby requested to lay their claims with all possible dispatch before the undersigned Commissioners appointed to execute said act. They are prepared at the house of Doct'. Hopkins, in the town of Athens, to receive all such applications. ISAAC SMITH, Athens, June 12th, 1810. June 13th. Joseph Kingsbury was appointed Clerk to the commissioners, and took the oath of office administered by George Harrison in due form. Elisha Satterlee made application, as Connecticutt claimant, for lot No. 17 in the township of Old Ulster, containing one hundred acres, in the third division of lots in said town, and exhibited his title for the same, which was adjudged to be satisfactory. Surveyed June 14. Stephen Hopkins made application as Connecticutt claimant for lot No. 16 in the 34 division of lots in the old township of Ulster, containing one hundred acres and exhibited his title for the same, which was adjudged to be satisfactory. 37-VOL. XVIII. June 14th. The lot in the 2a division, in the Possession of the Penna, claimant. The claim to the undivided right admitted, on the deposition of Col. Franklin, as having been possessed prior to the 28th of March, 1787. Elisha Saterlee made application, as Connecticutt claimant, for a lot of land in the township of old Ulster, in the second division of lots, the same originally drawn by Uriah Stephens, for which he exhibited a title. And also for the one fifty-third part of the undivided land attached to the right of the said Uriah Stephens, included in the same conveyance as exhibited for the above. Whereupon the surveyor and Commissioners proceeded to survey and examine the premises. This claim more fully established. See pages 23 & 24. Abraham Snell made application, as a Connecticutt claimant for part of lot No. 18 in the 3a division of lots in the township of old Ulster and drawn in the name of Oliver Bigelow, and said to be conveyed by him to Jacob Snell, and fell to the present applicant, partly by heirship and partly by purchase, and produced a title under the Connecticut Susquehannah Company, from Daniel Snell, one of the heirs to the estate of the said Jacob Snell; said deed bearing date June the 11th, 1805. Surveyed June 15. Lockwood Smith made application as Connecticutt claimant, for lots No. 4 & 5, as originally laid out in the old township of Ulster, his title derived from an old proprietors right in his own name entered in said township, which claim is fully established. Surveyed June 15. William Curry applied as Connecticutt claimant for a part of lots No. 8 & 9, laid out in the old township of Ulster, under a title derived from William & Elijah Buck, original proprietors, in said township purchase, by a regular conveyance, dated Feb. 5th, 1794, and June 15th, 1802, which claim is supported and admitted. Daniel Miner, as Connecticutt claimant, made application for lots No. 6 & 7, as originally laid out in the township of Ulster, on a claim derived on a title from Elijah Buck, an ori ginal proprietor, by deed dated Nov. 19th, 1792. June 15th The claims of Lockwood Smith, William Curry and Daniel Miner, adjudged to be correct by the Commissioners, and the surveyor directed to survey the same, accompanied by the Commissioners for the purpose of classing and valuing the premises. Surveyed June 18. 37 acres 134 p. of this tract transferred by Elijah Buck to Daniel Miner, and surveyed to him July 4 Elijah Buck made application, as Connecticutt claimant, for the remaining part of his land in the old township of Ulster not sold to William Curry and Daniel Miner; by the evidence of his papers, his title appears to be derived from old original rights in the Susquehannah Company, regularly entered in the old township of Ulster, in the name of his father, and in his own name, as early as the year 1775. Claim admitted. Surveyed June 19. Claim admitted same day. John Franklin applied for a lot of land under the Connecticutt title, called a town lot, and known by lot No. 25, within the old town of Ulster, and drawn in the name of Nathan Dennison, and by said Dennison conveyed to the applicant, by deed bearing date the 18th Decembr, 1789. And also about 22 rods in width of lot No. 1. in the second division of lots within the bounds of old Ulster; said lot extending from the road leading thro' Tioga Point to the Tioga river; said two tracts claimed supposed to contain about three and half acres, more or less; and the last tract laid out and drawn in the name of the present applicant, on the 10th day of June, 1786. Claim admitted. Surveyed June 27. The Heirs of Abraham Decker, deceas'd, apply for lot No. 10, in the 2a division of lots within the bounds of old Ulster, said lot containing ten acres; claimed under the Connecticut title; drawn in the name of Benjamin Allen; from him transferred to John Shepard; from John Shepard to Ira Stephens and from Ira Stephens to Abraham Decker, under whom it is now applied for by his heirs. Saturday, June 16th. Claim admitted. Surveyed June 19. Clement Paine applied for two acres of land within the bounds of the town of old Ulster, under the Susquehannah |