What is an Ampersand?
This small, elegantly shaped symbol replaces the word “and” in written communications. The early Perry-Cumberland County tombstone carver, Crawford Duncan (ca. 1810-1850), used this symbol so frequently on his tombstones the temptation to dub him “The Ampersand Man” is irresistible! 1
Ernest Raymond Martin was born April 4, 1916, in Pennsylvania along with his twin, Frank, to their parents, Addison C. Martin and Grace May (Klink) Martin. Addison C. Martin was born in York County, Pennsylvania, in 1879, and Grace May Klink was born in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, in 1882.
John Armstrong has rightly been labeled "the First Citizen of Carlisle. "He was a justice of the peace, the principal official of local government in the British dominions; a county judge, chief land surveyor of Cumberland County, assemblyman, colonel of the colonial Pennsylvania Regiment, an original member of the Pennsylvania revolutionary committee of safety; brigadier general of the Continental Army, major general of the Pennsylvania militia, delegate to the Continental Congress, and an original trustee of Dickinson College.
In the early part of the 18th century, public schools did not exist in Pennsylvania. Affluent parents who wanted their child to have a formal education enrolled them in a private academy such as the Carlisle Grammar School or the Cumberland Valley Institute in Mechanicsburg. Private or subscription schools were very expensive but would prepare a child for college and the professions.
The Panic of 1819 was the first great depression in the U.S. In this bicentennial year, the article will first present background about the event. It will then attempt to answer four questions related to the Panic of 1819 and Cumberland County, Pennsylvania.