Mercer County Genealogy

Places Lackawannock Township     

To understand the origin of this geographical division of the county, it is necessary to refer again to the fact that in 1801 the southwest quarter of the county was called Neshannock township, that in 1805 this extensive territory was itself divided into four quarters, the northeast quarter becoming Lackawannock, the northwest quarter Shenango township, while the south quarters were included in that territory which subsequently was annexed to Lawrence county.   

Lackawannock township in 1805 contained all the territory of the present townships of Lackawannock, East Lackawannock and Wilmington. In 1846 the south part of Lackawannock was detached to form Wilmington township, and in 1849 occurred the division which produced Lackawannock and East Lackawannock.

The Cozadd and Young families seem to dispute the honor of pioneer settlement in this township, though both came here from Washington county in 1798, Nathaniel Cozadd and James Young were the pioneers, and made their homes in the northeastern part of the township. The civil jurisdiction of the townships was not well defined at that time, and boundaries were known only in a general way. This seems to account for the fact that both these settlers are given in the list of taxables for Salem township in 1801, while James Gilkey, who settled near Wilmington, was included in the list of Cool Spring. James Gilkey gained his chief renown for growing a new kind of potato, which was sometimes called by his name.

Samuel Blackston was founder of another pioneer family in this township. Members of this family have been active citizens of the township to the present time, and were also among the organizers of the Unity Presbyterian church at Greenfield.

Greenfield is a little village that grew up on the Middlesex-Mercer road. A schoolhouse was erected here in 1834, several years later a store was opened, and churches also appeared.

The building of the Sharpsville Railroad to New Wilmington and the opening of the coal mines gave much industrial activity to this township. 

Twentieth Century History of Mercer County, 1909, page 166