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Note: Fought in War of 1812 and may have worked in a foundry. He died in Shirleysburg around 1827. Source: Huntingdon Co. Records Wills, Deeds, Guardship papers; Pennsylvania Archives, various volumes including the 3rd Series, v.13; 5th Series, V.4, p 30-32; Obituary; McCalman, Glynn, McCalman, McCalmont, McCammant, McCammon, McCommon, (and their kin of other names and spellings) In the United States, 1996; Jordan, John Wolf, A History of the Juniata Valley, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, National History Association Incorporated, Volume 3, Biographical Sketches–"Who's Who in the Juniata Valley," p. 716, 1936; History of Delaware County and Ohio, O. L. Baskin & Co. Historical Publishers, 186 Dearborn Street, 1880; Lytle, A. R., History of Delaware County Ohio, Delaware, Ohio 1908.
Huntingdon Co. Records Wills, Deeds, Guardship papers, Orphan's Court; Pennsylvania Archives, various volumes including the 3rd Series, v.13; 5th Series, V.4, p 30-32; Obituary; McCalman, Glynn, McCalman, McCalmont, McCammant, McCammon, McCommon, (and their kin of other names and spellings) In the United States, 1996; Jordan, John Wolf, A History of the Juniata Valley, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, National History Association Incorporated, Volume 3, Biographical Sketches–"Who's Who in the Juniata Valley," p. 716, 1936;
7/13/1783 bought 212 acres in Shirley Tosnship (witnessed by John Jamison). Among the founders of Shirleysburg PA.; March 6, 1768 and May 9, 1769, members of Red Hill Presby. Church in Tinicum, Bucks co. PA
The McCammon family had a documented history of its presence in the Old World, of its immigration to North America, and of its travels in Pennsylvania. The McCalmont/McCammon family was descended from the Buchanan Clan of Scotland according to researchers, Dr. David McCalman and Glynn McCalman who compiled the book, McCalman, McCalmont, McCammant, McCammon, McCommon, (and their kin of other names and spellings) In the United States. An additional source, William Buchanan in his Historical and Genealogical Essay upon the Family and Sir Name of Buchanan, said that Thomas McCalmont's ancestor was Colman the third son of Anselan, and second Laird of Buchanan, who lived in Scotland. Burke, in Burke's Irish Family Records (1976), said that Thomas McCalmont left his homeland and traveled to County Antrim, Ireland.
According to McCalman and the Pennsylvania Archives, Thomas's grandson, Alexander McCalmont immigrated to Pennsylvania and became the owner of several tracts of land. On February 16, 1762, he and four others became trustees of land acquired from the London Company. On August 11, 1763, he received from William Penn's heirs a patent for 250 acres. On September 14, 1769, he acquired another 196 acres in Springfield Township. His will, made on May 18, bequeathed his plantation in Springfield Township to his son, Samuel. bequeathed his plantation in Springfield Township to his son, Samuel. Samuel McCalmont/McCammon married Christiana Jamison, a descendant of the Jamison and Baxter families He owned 194 acres in Springfield Township in 1779. On July 26, 1766, land was conveyed to Samuel McCammon and Daniel Jamison from the Presbyterian Church in Bucks County. McCammon then bought an additional 212 acres of land from the Warner family.
According to Jordan in the biographical section of his History of the Juniata Valley, Samuel McCammon might be considered a founder of Shirleysburg. On June 13, 1783, he had purchased the 212-acre tract of land which encompassed the Fort Shirley stockade. He built his house from the round logs of the old fort, which was deserted. He laid out the town of Shirleysburg and built the first schoolhouse and the first flourmill. Africa in his, History of Huntingdon and Blair Counties, Pennsylvania, said that he served as a supervisor for Shirley Township in 1791 and as an overseer of the poor in 1792.
The McCammon family had divided their land into lots. According to old property records collected by the Fort Shirley Historical Society, they had laid out a series of lots along what became the main street in Shirleysburg. In 1800 a log gristmill, the first in Shirley Township, was built on McCammon property. This was built on Fort Run, which drained from Germany Valley in the direction of the Purdue cabin. A branch of Fork Run went directly to the site of the Purdue log cabin and the family may have followed the trails along this stream into Shirleysburg. According to the Bicentennial Booklet Committee, Shirley's Times and Places, the McCammons must have been unusually easy-going for the Scottish. They did not worry too much about the financial arrangements (However Samuel had actually died and they may have been so easy-going because they were struggling and perhaps only some of them were literate).
Later, Samuel's wife Christiana informed the "Orphan's Court," that Samuel had died. On October 24, 1796, the Estate of Samuel "McCamin" was described as located in Shirley Township of Huntingdon County. Black Log Creek was referenced in the estate description (McCalman, 1996 and Harshbarger.
he McCammon children,John, Margaret, and Mary married into the local families. John married Catherine Purdue. Margaret married Rodney McKinstry. Jordan described the McKinstry family as an aristocrat family from Antrim County Ireland. Rodney came to America with considerable means and bought 600 acres of land from the sons of William Penn near what would become Shirleysburg around 1780. Later Rodney had a store in Shirleysburg and also served as constable. Another member of the McKinstry family was thought to have been the second merchant of Shirleysburg. The McKinstry estate included 542 acres along Aughwick Creek. Some members of the McKinstry family lived near the area of the Purdue log cabin and continued to have an association with John Purdue as was shown by McCalman and Murray and McCammon.
Esther, a daughter of Rodney McKinstry and Margaret McCammon married Samuel McVitty and they lived near Shirleysburg and in the area of the Purdue log cabin. McVitty became a noted tanner. McVitty formed a partnership with William Leas of Shirleysburg, and built a large sole leather tannery at Saltillo, Pennsylvania. They named their company Leas & McVitty. Mr. McVitty organized the Saltillo Baptist Church. Some sources said that at one time, the family had the largest tannery in the United States, for example, Doyle in Old Times in PA, said that their tannery at Saltillo, Pennsylvania was the most imposing concern of its kind in the country.
McVitty and Leas were instrumental in bringing the railroad from Mount Union to the coal region of Broad Top. This railroad brought hides to the area and was used to ship out the processed leather. It also transported the purified iron from the town of Three Springs to Orbisonia to be rolled. One McVitty daughter wrote to John McCammon and in her letters, she mentioned John Purdue.
Another McVitty daughter married Calvin H. Greene. Later Green bought the tannery at Salem, and renamed it Calvin Greene & Son. This company specialized in sole leather. Doyle said that they exported large quantities to all parts of the world. Green was an organizer and first president of the Lewistown Trust Company. He was also an organizer of the Union National Bank at Huntingdon in 1894 and later became a director of the Mann Edge Tool Company and the of Lewistown Ice and Storage Company. Green was a Baptist and a member of various civic organizations and took an interest in education. He was on the Board of Trustees of Bucknell University. He also had an interest in Texas land.
Mary, the other daughter of Samuel and Christiana McCammon, married Jacob Sharer, who came from a German family. Jacob became a supervisor for Shirley Township. The Sharer family also owned land in the area. One tract was located around a mile south of Shirleysburg (Africa, 1883).
The McCammon family seemed quite interested in education. The heirs helped to develop a second schoolhouse. In 1815, they sold land on the hill on the north end of Main Street to be used for the community's school. They stipulated that it could be used only for school purposes and for preaching the gospel. Africa said that the Baptist church first met in a schoolhouse and it is possible that this is the one. The Old Baptist Cemetery, where Margaret and Mary were buried, might mark this location today.
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