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m. Est 1728
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[edit] Related[edit] OverviewMargaret is generally said to have been born in 1694, probably in Ireland. The identity of her parents is not known, but are probably numbered among the Pequea Creek Cowans or Octoraro Creek Cowans. She is believed to have married John Gass in Lancaster County about 1728, as the only confirmed child of this couple, person:David Gass (1), is said to have been born in 1729.(Original source documentation for these data are needed.) . [1] John and Margaret probably lived close to the Donegal Presbyterian Meetinghouse, near Mt. Joy, Lancaster, on the east side of the Susuquehannah. According to one source [2] James Cunningham was one of the pioneers who settled near Donegal meeting-house in 1723. He took up several hundred acres of land adjoining the glebe land on the north. On the 10th day of March, 1730, he sold to John Gass, whose executors, in 1736, sold to William McClelland and Michael McCleery, who, in 1739, sold to James Kerr, who sold to Andrew Kerr, William Wilson, and William Kerr. It seems likely that Margarets parents were living in this area at the time of marriage. Shortly before his death John Gass obtained a Blunston license of land in what is now Cumberland County. [2]
While the second license ("for the use of the Minister") may be in the Mt. Joy area, near Donegal Meeting House, the other two license' are clearly in what is now Cumberland County. John died soon after the licenses were issued,. In his will he stipulates that he wished to be buried in the Donegal Cemetery. This may indicate that they couple had recently moved to the Conodoguinet area, and that with death imminent, John sought comfort in being buried in familiar surroundings. Whether this happened or not is not known, as a gravestone for him is not found in the Donegal Meeting House cemetery. Interestingly, soon after John's death Margaret Gass secured a warrant for land on the north side of Conodoguinet Creek. This may be one of the parcels for which John secured a Blunston license. The entry for this warrant in the PA Archives, does not show that the land was ever surveyed. [edit] Footnotes
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