Granted The Day Land Office Opened

Did you know? On February 3, 1755, the land office opened for the entry of lands in the new purchase, and that same day Barnabas Barnes was granted a tract of land in what is now Tell township.

A number of settlers had come into the Juniata valley in the latter part of 1754 and the early part of 1755. About two weeks after the Tell grant, Barnes received a warrant for a tract in what is now Wayne township, Mifflin county.

Africa's 1883 county history points to the county's Land Lien Docket, where a right granted to Barnabas Barnes on February 3, 1755, for a tract in Tell may be found. Just where the tract lay, or whether Barnes ever settled on it, the history says it was unable to find out. It adds that many tracts were taken up by people who never saw the land and knew its value only through their agents.

Checked 2026-10-30 · County histories and primary sources, read in full

← All stories from Tell township

Have something to add to this story, or a photograph of it? Send it here →