Newton Township first appeared in Cumberland county tax records in 1773 although it was organized by 1767.[1] In 1929, Newton divided into North Newton and South Newton Townships.[2] The early settlers in the area were Scots-Irish but German families began to move in toward the end of the 18th century.[3] By the time the township had formed, most of the land had been taken up and the area had a settled population.[4]
The recorded history of West Pennsboro Township began in 1735 when it was part of Pennsborough, one of two original townships in the North Valley. This preceded the formation of the county by fifteen years. By 1745, Pennsborough had divided into East and West Pennsboro. In the following years, the township boundaries changed as the population increased and the townships subdivided even more.
The provincial town of Carlisle was fortunate to have among its mist for a short period a political theorist and talented lawyer, James Wilson. Born in 1742 at Carskerdo near St. Andrews, Scotland, Wilson studied at St. Andrews, Glasgow and Edinburgh. Emigrating to America in1765, he first took a tutoring job at the College of Philadelphia. Next Wilson studied law under John Dickinson...