The Fay Family: John Burris Fay: maps
   
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John Burris Fay
and Pennsylvania
   
John Burris was born in Meadville, Crawford County. His mother was born in Lancaster County on the opposite side of the state. Her path to Meadville is discussed in the Harpst biography, and is shown here in a marked up version of a google map. From Lancaster, where the journey began, to Meadville is a distance of about 325 miles for the modern traveller; it took Sarah and her party a month and may have been over 600 miles. Following the google map is the 1835 map drawn by David Burr; I have marked the route on it. All of the communities mentioned in the biography are shown on this map, as well as the mountains where they would need to find a pass and the rivers they would need to cross.
   
April 5, 1827 to May 5, 1827
Lancaster,Harrisburg,Shippenburg,Chambersburg,Bedford,Butler,Mercer,Sheakleyville,Meadville
   
   
(antique map images copyright Cartography Associates and used with permission)
   
A closeup of Meadville in Crawford County, the stopping place of Sarah and her party, and Erie, Erie County, just north of Meadville, the party's original destination. Among those who settled in Erie County was Joel M. Fay, who moved there from New York. As far as we can determine, there is no link between Joel and John Burris Fay.
(Pennsylvania 1835, by David H. Burr)
   
Frank Fay, whose biography is included here, came from a family that is listed first in Huntingdon County and then in Blair County from 1850 on. Blair County was set off from Huntingdon County in 1846; the family did not move, but the county border did. On the left below, Huntingdon County in 1835 (David H. Burr); on the right, Blair County and Huntingdon County in 1856 (G. W. Colton).
   
   
The 1856 map by Colton shows the most important towns for this group. Here you can see Altoona, Williamsburg, WarriorsMark, Birmingham and Hollidaysburg among others.