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_The Fair Play Settlers of the West Branch Valley, 1769-1784: A Study of Frontier Ethnography_
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania THE PENNSYLVANIA HISTORICAL AND MUSEUM COMMISSION
THE PENNSYLVANIA HISTORICAL AND MUSEUM COMMISSION
MARK S. GLEESON MRS. HENRY P. HOFFSTOT, JR.
DAVID H. KURTZMAN, _ex officio Superintendent of Public Instruction_
PAUL W. MAHADY, _Senator_ ORVILLE E. SNARE, _Representative_
RAYMOND P. SHAFER, _Governor of the Commonwealth_
SYLVESTER K. STEVENS, _Executive Director_
WILLIAM J. WEWER, _Deputy Executive Director_
DONALD H. KENT, _Director Bureau of Archives and History_
FRANK J. SCHMIDT, _Director Bureau of Historic Sites and Properties_
WILLIAM N. RICHARDS, _Director Bureau of Museums_
In an Age when man's horizons are constantly being widened to include hitherto little-known or non-existent countries, and even other planets and outer space, there is still much to be said for the oft-neglected study of man in his more immediate environs. Intrigued with the historical tale of the "Fair Play settlers" of the West Branch Valley of the Susquehanna River and practically a life-long resident of the West Branch Valley, this writer felt that their story was worth telling and that it might offer some insight into the development of democracy on the frontier. The result is an ethnography of the Fair Play settlers. This account, however, is not meant to typify the frontier experience; it is simply an illustration, and, the author hopes, a useful one.
No intensive research can be conducted without the help and encouragement of many fine and wonderful people. This author is deeply indebted to librarians, archivists and historians, local historians and genealogists, local and county historical societies, and collectors of manuscripts, diaries, and journals pertinent to the history of the West Branch Valley. A comprehensive listing of all who have assisted in this effort would be too extensive, but certain persons cannot be ignored. My grateful appreciation is here expressed to a few of these; but my gratitude is no less sincere to the many persons who are not here mentioned.