Rees Cadwallader    

Rees Cadwallader was then the first permanent settler in what is now the borough of Bridgeport. His residence was on the bank of Dunlap’s Creek, and farther up that stream he built a mill, where the “Prospect Mills” of William H. Miller now stand. The race started from the creek, at a log dam (located where the present dam is), and ran round the foot of the hill to the mill. Another mill was built soon afterwards by Jonah Cadwallader at the point where Harvey Leonard’s saw-mill now stands, on the creek at the borough line.

In 1783, Rees Cadwallader acquired by purchase the claims of both Angus McDonald (which in the mean time had passed through several intermediate hands) amid of Capt. Lemuel Barrett to the lands now embraced in the borough of Bridgeport. He had already taken steps to obtain a title under the State of Pennsylvania, and received a warrant of survey which secured it, but the patent did not issue to him until Oct. 1, 1787. The name of the tract, as mentioned in the warrant and patent, was “Peace,” a very appropriate designation to give it in token of the final settlement of the conflict of claims to it and contiguous territory…

The town of Bridgeport was laid out by Rees Cadwallader in 1794. The first sales of lots in the town were made by him, late in the year 1795, and after that they were sold with considerable rapidity.

Rees Cadwallader died a few years after the commencement of the present century [early 1800s], and a large number of town lots then remaining unsold passed to the possession of his heirs. His sons emigrated to Zanesville, Ohio, some years afterwards, and none of his descendants are now living in Bridgeport or vicinity.

History of Fayette County, Pennsylvania : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men Philadelphia: L.H. Everts & Co., 1882, page 466. View the image of this page online - Free Trial  More Fayette County History Books  Search Hundreds of 1880s-1890s Pennsylvania County History Books for biographies and historical information on your ancestors.  View the book page images on line and print them out for your genealogy file!  Free Access to the old history books - plus birth & death records, census images and ALL other records at ancestry.com

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