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