Samuel Gettys
Samuel Gettys (1725–15 March 1790) was a settler and tavern owner in south-central Pennsylvania during the late 1780s. The borough of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, which was founded in 1786, was named after him.[1]
Formative years
[edit]Born in 1725 in Randalstown, County Antrim, Ireland, Samuel Gettys was the husband of Isabella (Ramsey) Gettys (1731–1815), the sister of Reynolds Ramsey, grandfather of historian J. G. M. Ramsey.[2] Their children were: Mary (Gettys) Linn (1752–1823), William Gettys (1757–1813), and James Gettys (1759–1815).
American Revolution
[edit]Samuel Gettys gave funds to the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War, but, soon after it won, he was rich in land but poor in cash; so he decided to sell off his plots of land in order to achieve financial stability. In 1786, his son James bought his land and sold it off in 210 parcel lots,[3] and is thus considered the founder of Gettysburg.[4]
Death and interment
[edit]Gettys died in Gettysburg on March 15, 1790, and was buried at Black's Graveyard in that city.
References
[edit]- ^ gettysburg-pa.gov Archived 2016-02-11 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Autobiography of J. G. M. Ramsey, cited by Heiskell, Samuel Gordon (1920). Andrew Jackson and Early Tennessee History. Vol. 2 (2nd ed.). Nashville, Tennessee. p. 91. LCCN 20010625. Retrieved 31 December 2012.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ "The Gettysburg Experience". The Gettysburg Experience. Archived from the original on 2013-02-04. Retrieved 2012-12-27.
- ^ "Gettysburg, Pennsylvania". Advisory Council on Historic Preservation.