Map of Unionville, PA
(Later Penryn, PA) FRH 1
(Taken from 1875 Lancaster County Atlas)
Penryn, Penn Twp., Lancaster Co., PA FRH 1, FRH 2
European occupants probably started settling the village as early as 1730. The original settlers were mostly "Palatinates" from Germany and Switzerland who emigrated to escape religious persecution. They were primarily farmers.
The first land owners in the village were probably the two church congregations, Reformed and Lutheran. In 1766¹ the Penns granted a tract of land, consisting of over twenty-six acres, for a burying ground and school house. It appears that the school doubled as a church until a church building was put up in 1832.
The village was first called White Oak¹ until a railroad station was built a few miles away and that station was called White OakFRH 4, and still is. Unionville was the new name for Penryn until postal service was established in 1891, when the present name was adopted. (Unionville had already been used elswhere.)
In the late 1700's a road, Newport Road, connecting the Susquehanna River and the Atlantic Ocean in Delaware was built and passed through Penryn. It bisected the village and still does. The community prospered from the transportation of raw materials to the South Mountain Iron furnaces and the finished metal to the eastern states. At least two hotels and a coach works were built in Penryn.²
¹ In the early 1920's school children were told that it was under the mammoth white oak trees that shaded the Reformed and Lutheran Church Yard and parking lot that William Penn signed a treaty with the Indians for land in the area.
² History of Lancaster County by Ellis and Evans, Vol. II, 1883
FRH 1 Used by permission. Adapted from "Biemesderfer, Diehms and Webers" by Herbert Weber Yeagley, et. al.
FRH 2 A somewhat more detailed account of the founding of Penryn can be found in "The Yeagleys of Penryn, PA", Myers, Ronald D. and Yeagley, H. W., 1998.
FRH 3 On map note the 4th property to left of the church - "Susanna Witmyre" (sic). This is my Great Grandmother and mother of Jeremiah Hummer Witmeyer and Henry (Harry) Hummer Witmeyer. Henry left home about 1869 when he became an apprentice cigarmaker. Jeremiah remained with his mother until about 1878.
FRH 4 The "Widow Wittle" (whose property is shown in lower right of map) was the mother-in-law of Aaron Witmeyer (Whitmeyer), brother of Great Grandfather David Witmeyer.
FRH 5 The grist mill (and perhaps a saw mill) at White Oak Station were purchased and run by my Grandfather Jeremiah Hummer Witmeyer in 1894. Their residence originally had been on the same side of the road as the mill and the pond (the pond is no longer there). Because of the recurring spring floods the entire house was moved across the road to the 'high' side. (Circa 1902±) When this was done the kitchen was separated from the main house and reattached on the opposite side. (Rememberances as related by Anne Witmeyer Haus.)
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Unionville (Penryn), PA - 1875
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