New London Township

Chester County, Pennsylvania

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New London Township municipal offices are located at 902 State Road, New London PA 19360.
Phone: 610‑869‑8658.

Neighborhoods

A Brief History [1]

The township of New London, as well as Londongrove and London Britain were doubtless so named because they were formed wholly or in part from the lands belonging to the London Company.

About the year 1704 some surveys were made to the westward of the London Tract for 2 or 3 persons, of whom Abraham Emmit was probably one. He purchased about a square mile of land, and had a mill on Elk Creek, which must have been one of the first in that neighborhood. 500 acres on the north side of this was surveyed for Robert Assheton. In 1714, a tract of 900 acres was surveyed for Michael Harlan, at Thunder Hill, afterwards owned by Robert Finney. While the line between the provinces remained unsettled, the Maryland surveyors frequently came into Chester County and laid out land for persons who claimed to be under the government of Maryland, and obtained agents therefrom for the same. This was the case with the Pleasant Garden tract of 740 acres though called 660 acres in the patent, to Robert Hodgson. This was partly in Nottingham (now Elk) Township, but mostly in New London, and lay nearly south of the Thunder Hill tract which joined it. Phineas Hodgson, a son of Robert, obtained about 400 acres of it, and this was divided between his sons, Robert, John and Able, in 1771. John Scott and John McKey also become the owners of parts of the original tract. In 1720 several surveys were made for the settlers in the NE part of New London, viz: Jeremiah Starr, 450 acres in the corner next to Londongrove, and south of this came Francis, Alexander, James and Patrick Moore, with 200 acres each; to the south of these, Susanna McCane obtained 300, William Reynolds 100, and Gabriel Alexander 100. Some of these are now in Franklin Township. In 1721 surveys were made for Thomas John, 150 acres, and Samuel Steel, 200. The last became the property of Francis Alison and is supposed to include the site of New London Village. In the central parts of the township lands were settled by Alexander Johnston, Hugh Cook, Roger Cook and John Cook. A little east of the Pleasant Garden tract was one of 100 acres, also held by patent from MD, called "Partners' Parcels." It belonged to the Hollingsworths, and by them was sold to Thomas Caldwell. In the northern part Samuel Campbell, James Shaw, Robert Mackey, Robert Finney, John Morrison and others held land. The possessions of Susanna McCane were on the road leading from New London to Kimbleville, and where it crosses the line of Franklin Twp. She was the grandmother of Gov. McKean, of this state.

In 1725 the township was divided, and London Britain taken therefrom. About 1833 the boundary on the north between Londongrove and Elk Creek was established, running from the NE corner of John Todd's land to the SE corner of Fagg's Manor, and thence to the creek. This was granted on petition of Wm McKeann, Wm Gillespy, John McClenachan, Samuel Steel, Lazarus Finney, George Correy, John Henderson, James Futhey, Josiah Emmit, John Todd, and several others. In 1775, George Corey and others presented a remonstrance against the petition from London Britain for taking some of the territory into the latter. In 1724 the assessment of New London included the territory of London Britain. In 1852 the township of Franklin was taken from New London, since which the latter contains none of the original London Company's land.

  1. Futhey, J. Smith and Gilbert Cope, History of Chester County, Pennsylvania, with Genealogical and Biographical Sketches, Philadelphia, Louis H. Everts, 1881

Nearby Towns: Avondale Boro • Elk Twp • Franklin Twp • London Britain Twp • London Grove Twp • Londonderry Twp • Lower Oxford Twp • Penn Twp • Upper Oxford Twp • West Grove Boro •



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