The Surveyor and the Silversmith: Land Speculation on the Frontier of Western Pennsylvania

Neither the Leni Lenape nor the Iroquois called the land their own; for thousands of years, it had been inhabited by a mysterious people for whom they had no name. And, yet, white men like Daniel Leet, William Crawford and George Washington surveyed dense forests with measuring chains, tomahawks at the ready, to claim hundreds of thousands of acres simply because they could, because it was all God’s bounty, because, like silver or gold, it would provide wealth far greater than any civilization had known before. It was an ideal few would realize. But then, one day, two families laid roots in the wilds of western Pennsylvania...

This is a story of genocide, righteous faith, and brazen greed. It is the story of two men, David Leet - the surveyor and Thomas Shields - the silversmith, who saw that America's fortunes were not to be created by the gentry, but by the farmer. Not by the statesman, but by the setter. Not by currency, but by sweat. It's a story of their children who marry and who, despite all odds, create a dynasty that became western Pennsylvania. It's the story of Washington, Beaver, Sewickley and Edgeworth and not before now has it been told.

Chapters
Part One: 1748-1775 - World powers and pioneers pierce America's wild frontier while trying to keep peace with the Natives.

Part Two: 1776-1782 - A young country fights two bloody wars at the same time yet promises free land as bounty.

Part Three: 1782-1799 - Cheap land becomes prohibitively expensive to those whose greed has no boundaries.

Part Four: 1800-1819 - A people settle down to apply industry for the common good but discover the evils they hath wrought.

Part Five: 1820-1907 - Religion takes center stage, a country takes sides and an American family takes root.

Hardback, 2022, 6” x 9”, 471 pages, numerous b/w photos, maps and illustrations, bibl, index, $34.95.