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Did an ancestor travel the '''Minsi Path''' of New York and Pennsylvania? Learn about this settler migration route, its transportation history, and find related genealogy sources.
=== History of the Minsi Path ===


=== History  ===
The Minsi Path was named after the Minsi Indians. &nbsp;Like many other North American trails, its origin extends back into antiquity as a path used by Native Americans for thousands of years. The trail extends from the Blue Mountains in Pennsylvania to land in the south. <br> It was used by early European settlers as their population expanded through Pennsylvania. <br> Today the trail is known as Bethlehem Pike. Bethlehem Pike is a historic 42.21 mi (67.93 km) long road in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, connecting Philadelphia and Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. It began as a Native American path called the Minsi Trail which evolved into a colonial highway called the King's Road in the 1760s. Most of the route later became part of U.S. Route 309, now Pennsylvania Route 309.<ref>Wikipedia - Bethlehem Pike[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bethlehem_Pike]</ref>


The '''Minsi Path''', also known in part as the '''''Bethlehem Pike''''', ran about 187 miles (301 kilometers) from '''[[Kingston, New York]]''' to '''[[Philadelphia, Pennsylvania]]'''.<ref>''Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed.'' (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), 850-51. [http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/50140092 WorldCat entry];  {{FSC|1049485|item|disp=FS Library Book 973 D27e 2002}}.</ref> The Ancient Indian trail was named after the Minsi Indians. Pioneers used this route by 1766 to go from New England and New York to Pennsylvania, and vise versa. The '''''Minsi Path ''''' was a pioneer connection from the [[Ulster and Delaware Turnpike]] in New York to the [[Great Valley Road]] in Pennsylvania.
This was an important route from New England and New York to the southern United States. An alternate route to the southern United States was the [[King's Highway]].
 
[[Image:Lehigh and Lackawanna Paths and Minsi Path map.png|center|638px|Lehigh and Lackawanna Paths and Minsi Path map.png]]
 
<br>This is one of the main routes connecting New England and New York to Pennsylvania and the southern United States. An alternate route to the southern United States was the [[King's Highway]].
 
'''Pre-turnpike era.''' New England residents gradually began moving into central New York on foot or horseback by 1753. In 1790 the opening of the Military Tract in modern Cayuga, Cortland, Onondaga, and Seneca counties began attracting Revolutionary War veterans, their families, and other New Englanders and Pennsylvanians into central New York. In 1792 a mail route (and probably a stage line) was established on the Catskill Road.<ref>Almyra E. Morgan, ''The Catskill Turnpike: a Wilderness Path'' (Ithaca, NY : DeWitt Historical Society of Tompkins County, 1971), 2-3. Tompkins County Public Library [http://tcpl.org/local-history/documents/nys-cny/Catskill_Turnpike.pdf digital pdf copy]; {{WorldCat|63600251|disp=At various libraries (WorldCat)}}.</ref> The Minsi Path route was already a pioneer pathway, and probably was a wagon road before that mail service was started just to the north on the Catskill Road.
 
'''Stages.''' Stagecoaches generally began regular transport of mail and passengers on long trips in the American colonies in the 1760s.<ref>Frederic J. Wood, "The Twelfth Massachusetts Turnpike" in ''The Turnpikes of New England and the Evolution of the Same Through England, Virginia, and Maryland'' (Boston: Marshall Jones, 1919), 26-27. [https://archive.org/stream/turnpikesofnewen00woodrich#page/79/mode/1up Internet Archive version online].</ref> They made regular trips between '''''stages ''''' or stations where travelers were provided food and rest.<ref>[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stagecoach Stagecoach] in ''Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia'' (accessed 30 October 2014).</ref> Where available, stagecoaches became a preferred way for settlers to travel to a new home.
 
'''Toll roads.''' As traffic increased along a roadway American political leaders turned to toll roads (turnpikes) to raise money to improve, clear, and repair their local highways.<ref>Wood, 33-36.</ref> Toll revenue from stagecoaches, drovers, and other travelers was used to maintain the roadbeds and bridges, and, if there was enough left over (rarely happened), to pay a turnpike stockholder dividend. If turnpike revenue decreased too much, the roadway maintenance was typically turned over to the state, and the path was made a free public road. 
 
The Bethlehem Pike charged tolls between Philadelphia and Bethlehem from 1804 to 1904.<ref>[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bethlehem_Pike Bethlehem Pike] in ''Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia'' (accessed 10 November 2014).</ref>
 
'''Railroad competition.''' The heyday of wagon roads in Pennsylvania and New York was the early 1800s before the coming of the railroads in the 1840s and 1850s.<ref>[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hudson_and_Boston_Railroad Hudson and Boston Railroad]] in ''Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia'' (accessed 23 October 2014).</ref> Railroads were faster, less expensive, and safer to use than overland wagon roads. As railroads entered an area, the long distance overland wagon roads (especially the toll roads) normally became less used by migrating settlers.  


=== Route  ===
=== Route  ===


The '''Minsi Path''' connected '''[[Philadelphia, Pennsylvania]]''' to '''[[Kingston, New York]]''' through the following places:<ref>''Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed.'' (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), 851. [http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/50140092 WorldCat entry];  {{FSC|1049485|item|disp=FS Library Book 973 D27e 2002}}.</ref>  
The '''Minsi Path''' connected '''[[Philadelphia, Pennsylvania]]''' to '''[[Kingston, New York]]''' through the following places:<ref name="HBG">''Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed.'' (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), 851. [http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/50140092 WorldCat entry];  {{FHL|1049485|item|disp=FHL Book 973 D27e 2002}}.</ref>  


*'''[[Kingston, New York]]''' including the [[Ulster and Delaware Turnpike]], Hudson River, and [[Albany Post Road]].  
*'''[[Kingston, New York]]''' including the [[Ulster and Delaware Turnpike]] and Hudson River.  
*[[Ulster County, New York]]  
*[[Ulster County, New York]]  
*[[Sullivan County, New York]]  
*[[Sullivan County, New York]]  
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*[[Montgomery County, Pennsylvania]]  
*[[Montgomery County, Pennsylvania]]  
*[[Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania]]  
*[[Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania]]  
*'''[[Philadelphia, Pennsylvania]]''' including the [[Forbes Road]], [[Great Valley Road]], [[King's Highway]], and Delaware River.
*'''[[Philadelphia, Pennsylvania]]''' including the [[Forbes Road]], [[Great Valley Road]], [[Fall Line Road]], [[King's Highway]], and Delaware River.


'''Connecting routes.''' The '''''Minsi Path''''' connected with several other migration routes:  
'''Connecting routes.''' The '''''Minsi Path&nbsp;''''' connected with several other migration routes:  


'''''Kingston connections:'''''  
'''''Kingston connections:'''''  


:*[[Ulster and Delaware Turnpike]] from the ''Salisbury and Canaan Turnpike'' at [[Salisbury, Connecticut]] to [[Kingston, New York]] to the ''[[Catskill Turnpike]]'' at [[Bainbridge, New York]].  
:*[[Ulster and Delaware Turnpike]] from the ''Salisbury and Canaan Turnpike'' at [[Salisbury, Connecticut]] to [[Kingston, New York]] to the ''[[Catskill Turnpike]]'' at [[Bainbridge, New York]].  
:*Hudson River.
:*Hudson River
:*a ferry ride to the ''[[Albany Post Road]] '' from [[New York City New York genealogy|New York City]] to [[Albany, New York]].


'''''Northampton County, Pennsylvania connection:'''''  
'''''Northampton County, Pennsylvania connection:'''''  
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'''''Philadelphia Connections:'''''  
'''''Philadelphia Connections:'''''  


:*[[King's Highway]] (aka New York City - Philadelphia Post Road) southwest from [[Philadelphia, Pennsylvania]] to [[Charleston, South Carolina]].
:*[[Forbes Road]] west from [[Philadelphia, Pennsylvania]] to [[Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania]].  
:*[[Forbes Road]] west from [[Philadelphia, Pennsylvania]] to [[Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania]].  
:*[[Great Valley Road]] southwest from [[Philadelphia, Pennsylvania]] to Knoxville, Tennessee.  
:*[[Great Valley Road]] southwest from [[Philadelphia, Pennsylvania]] to Knoxville, Tennessee.  
:*[[King's Highway]] (aka New York City - Philadelphia Post Road) southwest from [[Philadelphia, Pennsylvania]] to [[Charleston, South Carolina]].  
:*[[Fall Line Road]] southwest from [[Philadelphia, Pennsylvania]] to Montgomery, Alabama.
:*Delaware River.
:*Delaware River
 
=== Settler Records  ===
 
Settlers along the Minsi in Pennsylvania and New York are most likely to have originally come from either Philadelphia, or from Massachusetts or Connecticut, especially areas near Springfield, Boston, or Hartford. But people from almost every part of the eastern seaboard and Europe also were common in the area.
 
No complete list of settlers in Pennsylvania and New York who used the '''Minsi Path''' is known to exist. However, many of the earliest settlers in the area would have used this turnpike to reach their new home. The Minsi Path would have attracted nearby settlers because it helped them reach markets for buying and selling goods and services. Therefore, the land records, tax records, and histories of the earliest settlers along the route would list the names of people likely to have used this pathway.


=== References  ===
=== References  ===
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{{Pennsylvania|Pennsylvania}} {{New York|New York}}  
{{Pennsylvania|Pennsylvania}} {{New York|New York}}  


[[Category:Migration_Routes]] [[Category:US_Migration_Trails_and_Roads]] [[Category:New York Migration Routes]] [[Category:Pennsylvania Migration Routes]] [[Category:Ulster_County,_New_York]] [[Category:Sullivan_County,_New_York]] [[Category:Orange_County,_New_York]] [[Category:Pike_County,_Pennsylvania]] [[Category:Monroe_County,_Pennsylvania]] [[Category:Northampton_County,_Pennsylvania]] [[Category:Bucks_County,_Pennsylvania]] [[Category:Montgomery_County,_Pennsylvania]] [[Category:Philadelphia_County,_Pennsylvania]]
[[Category:US_Migration_Trails_and_Roads]]

Revision as of 11:59, 10 November 2014

Back to Pennsylvania to New York

History of the Minsi Path[edit | edit source]

The Minsi Path was named after the Minsi Indians.  Like many other North American trails, its origin extends back into antiquity as a path used by Native Americans for thousands of years. The trail extends from the Blue Mountains in Pennsylvania to land in the south.
It was used by early European settlers as their population expanded through Pennsylvania.
Today the trail is known as Bethlehem Pike. Bethlehem Pike is a historic 42.21 mi (67.93 km) long road in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, connecting Philadelphia and Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. It began as a Native American path called the Minsi Trail which evolved into a colonial highway called the King's Road in the 1760s. Most of the route later became part of U.S. Route 309, now Pennsylvania Route 309.[1]

This was an important route from New England and New York to the southern United States. An alternate route to the southern United States was the King's Highway.

Route[edit | edit source]

The Minsi Path connected Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to Kingston, New York through the following places:[2]

Connecting routes. The Minsi Path  connected with several other migration routes:

Kingston connections:

Northampton County, Pennsylvania connection:

Philadelphia Connections:

References[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ Wikipedia - Bethlehem Pike[1]
  2. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), 851. WorldCat entry; FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
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