James Cavet, Esquire

James Cavet, Esquire, son of John was born about 1742 in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, and died about 1798 in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania. He married (1) Mary Forster about 1769, daughter of James Forster and Elizabeth Moore. She was born About 1747, and died about 1796. He married (2) Sarah Unknown April 27, 1769 in Presbyterian Church, Paxtang, Lancaster County. She was born 1748, and died June 15, 1770. He married (3) Martha Unknown after 1796.

The Rev. John Elder recorded James' first marriage but did not fill in the wife's name. A grave for Sarah Cavet, age 22 when she died in 1770, in the Old Paxtang Graveyard makes one think she might have been James' wife. There is no proof for this statement. An LDS record names Sarah ___ as his wife, with no documentation.

The original Cavitt family came to Pennsylvania from Ireland between 1725-1750. They were Scots-Irish and belonged to the Presbyterian church. They first settled in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania and then the family split up with some going south and some emaining in Pennsylvania. About 1769 brothers James and John settled in Bedford County, of which the western portion of the county later became Westmoreland County .

These hardy pioneers lived in one -story log cabins with clapboard roofs. There was a nearby blockhouse to provide shelter from Indian attack. There is a small community near Pittsburgh today by the name of Cavetsville.

James and his brother, John, were among those on the tax list for Bedford County in 1772. The next year, Westmoreland County was formed from the western portion of Bedford County. In 1773, there were only 79 families living in Pitt Township, including those of John and James Cavet. James was named Bedford County Assessor April 1, 1771.

James Cavet was well respected in the community. In the book "Old Westmoreland" by Edgar W. Hassler, he was described on page 10 as one of the most prominent representatives of the Pennsylvania interest in old Westmoreland. It says he was "of the Sewickley settlement."

From 1773 to 1775 the area was in a boundary dispute between Pennsylvania and Virginia.

Gov. William Penn of Pennsylvania nominated James Cavitt as justice of the county court February 27, 1773. He was a member of the Board of Trustees appointed to select a county seat and was elected as one of the county's first county commissioners October 1, 1773.

On July 11, 1774, James  Cavet and Robert Hanna were chosen to represent Westmoreland County as delegates to the First Continental Congress in Philadelphia, which convened July 15. The Continental Congress resolved to raise an army, of which George Washington was chosen as commander-in-chief.

In 1775, James Cavet and Robert Hanna were were arrested Feb. 22, and imprisoned by Virginia authorities. ("Western Pennsylvania Historical Magazine" Vol. 12, No. 1, Page 93. and Vol. 11, No. 4, pp 99-100.) They served three months in jail for opposing Virginia's claim to land in Pennsylvania. A battery of Virginia militia stormed the Pennsylvania court at Hannastown, and sent the men to jail in Staunton, Virginia.

Although no record has been found indicating the Cavitts were involved in Indian fighting, they undoubtedly were. This is the time period when frontiersmen like Simon Kenton were exploring the Ohio River Valley and Fort Pitt was very busy with soldiers and Indian affairs. There were two blockhouses at Fort Pitt where settlers could gather in case of Indian attack. Settlers in the area were often besieged by Indian attacks. It should be remembered that the white man was encroaching on territory that had been used by the natives for hundreds of years.

James and Mary purchased more than 200 acres on Turtle Creek, Pitt Township. The land adjoined that of his brother, John.

Land records in Lancaster County indicate James may have held dual residency in Lancaster County until as late as 1786.

Children of James Cavet and Mary Forster are: Jesse, Elizabeth, Mary, James Forster, and John.