| In the early years of Pennsylvania, the Penn | | | | convince Germans to migrate to the eastern part |
| family invited settlers of all kinds to colonize the | | | | of the state and the Irish to migrate westward. |
| state. To this call, responded many Irish, mostly | | | | Large parts of York County were settled by |
| from the northern Irish provinces. The massive | | | | these migrating Irish, and later many of the |
| Irish emigration was unexpected and they were | | | | settlements became a part of Adams County |
| not the most respected people. But it was too | | | | which is largely Irish today. A little later they |
| late to retract the open immigration policy. | | | | began migrating west along the Juniata River and |
| The Irish settled in the counties of Chester, | | | | over the Alleghany mountains. Since this was prior |
| Lancaster, Northampton and Northumberland. As | | | | to land settlement agreements reached between |
| well, a large population settled along the Maryland | | | | the Penn family and the native Indians, this caused |
| line in the area disputed between the Penns and | | | | more disturbances between the Irish and the |
| Lord Baltimore. This land was suitable to | | | | Indians. |
| squatters, which many of the Irish were, because | | | | Eventually one disputed area after another was |
| it was not yet for sale and was considered hard | | | | settled, and treaties made, much of the time just |
| to govern, given the land dispute. | | | | after very violent skirmishes between the Irish |
| Beginning in the early 1700's German emigration | | | | and the Indians. It seemed that as soon as an |
| from the Palatinates on the Rhine brought large, | | | | area was officially settled, the Irish would again |
| strong, community orientated, industrial groups to | | | | migrate westward to yet more unsettled |
| the same Pennsylvania counties of which the Irish | | | | territory. When the Pennsylvania counties west of |
| had already immigrated to. These Germans were | | | | the Allegheny River were official declared and |
| known for prejudice against the Irish whom they | | | | mapped, the Irish had already been there for |
| considered not suitable to be colonist. As well, the | | | | some time. During this same period, many of the |
| Quaker proprietors of Pennsylvania considered | | | | Irish joined military ranks and fought in the |
| most of the Irish to be stubborn squatters, as | | | | Revolutionary War. They were known as tough |
| many of them truly were. Quarreling was | | | | and ready fighters. |
| abundant. | | | | In 1795, owing to a ratified treaty made by |
| The Irish, bowing to some of this pressure, as | | | | General Wayne and the Indians, it became safer |
| well as being generally hardy, stubborn and bold | | | | to cross the Allegheny River and settle lands |
| people, gradually began migrating west or | | | | there. The bold, ever curious Irish were the first |
| south-west. The Irish were known for being | | | | to rush into this area in mass and begin families |
| intolerant of Indians, as well as for others who | | | | and farms. It wasn't long until most of western |
| had any prejudice against them, and so disputes | | | | Pennsylvania, near the Ohio border, was |
| were many. In the mid 1700's the disturbances | | | | predominantly Irish and Scotch-Irish. The migration |
| between Germans and Irish encouraged the | | | | of the Irish across the state was complete. |
| Pennsylvania proprietors and administrators to | | | | |