Cumberland ~ formed from Lancaster County in 1750 |
Cumberland county was, when erected, the sixth county in Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Bucks, and Chester having been established in 1682, Lancaster 1729, and York 1749. Among other inhabitants of North or Cumberland Valley, were James Silvers and William Magaw, who presented petitions to the Assembly praying for the establishing of a new county. An act for that purpose was passed January 27, 1750. The commissioners appointed to carry out the provisions of the act of Assembly were Robert McCoy, Benjamin Chambers, David Magaw, James McIntire and John McCormick. The act provided, establishing Cumberland, formed of part of Lancaster county, says: "That all and singular lands lying within the Province of Pennsylvania, to the westward of the Susquehanna, and northward and westward of the county of York, be erected into a county, to be called CUMBERLAND; bounded northward and westward with the line of the Provinces, eastward partly with the Susquehanna and partly with said county of York; and southward, in part by the line dividing said province from that of Maryland." To the end, that the boundaries between York and Cumberland may be better ascertained, it was further enacted that commissioners on the part of York county should be appointed to act in conjunction in the premises with the commissioners of Cumberland. The commissioners of York county were Thomas Cox, Michael Tanner, George Swope, Nathan Hussey, and John Wright, Jr.
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Cumberland county was named after a maritime county of England, bordering on Scotland. the name is derived from the keltic, Kinbriland. The Kimbrie,or keltic races, once inhabited the County of Cumberland in England.
