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Evans, Lewis

(Encyclopedia)Evans, Lewis, c.1700–1756, colonial surveyor and geographer, b. Wales. Evans carried out several assignments for Benjamin Franklin. His travels and studies of the colonies nearest him bore fruit in ...

Susquehanna Company

(Encyclopedia)Susquehanna Company, land company formed (1753) in Connecticut for the purpose of developing the Wyoming Valley in Pennsylvania. A tract of land was purchased from the Native Americans in 1754, and pr...

Wistar, Caspar

(Encyclopedia)Wistar, Caspar wĭsˈtər [key], 1761–1818, American physician, b. Philadelphia, M.D. Univ. of Edinburgh, 1786; grandson of Caspar Wistar (1696–1752), early Pennsylvania glassmaker. He taught (178...

Bradford, Andrew

(Encyclopedia)Bradford, Andrew, 1686–1742, colonial printer of Pennsylvania, b. Philadelphia; son of William Bradford (1663–1752). Andrew learned the trade in his father's shop in New York City and in 1712 went...

Bredero, Gerbrand Adriaenszoon

(Encyclopedia)Bredero, Gerbrand Adriaenszoon hĕrˈbränt ädrēänˈzōn brāˈdĕrō [key], 1585–1618, Dutch dramatist and poet. He is considered the major Dutch poet of his generation, particularly for his spo...

Swarthmore College

(Encyclopedia)Swarthmore College, at Swarthmore, Pa.; coeducational; founded 1864 by the Society of Friends. It maintains a cooperative program with Bryn Mawr College, Haverford College, and the Univ. of Pennsylvan...

Banda Islands

(Encyclopedia)Banda Islands, group of 10 volcanic islands, c.70 sq mi (180 sq km), E Indonesia, in the Banda Sea, in the Moluccas. The capital and commercial center is Bandanaira, a seaport on Bandanaira island. Th...

Potgieter, Everhardus Johannes

(Encyclopedia)Potgieter, Everhardus Johannes āvərhärˈdəs yōhänˈəs pôtˈgētər [key], 1808–75, Dutch critic, essayist, and poet. He was the first editor (1837–65) of and a major contributor to De Gids...

McClure, Alexander Kelly

(Encyclopedia)McClure, Alexander Kelly, 1828–1909, American journalist and political leader, b. Perry co., Pa. He edited and published the Juniata Sentinel of Mifflintown, Pa., before acquiring and editing (1850�...

Chapman, John

(Encyclopedia)Chapman, John, 1774–1845, American pioneer, more familiarly known as Johnny Appleseed, b. Massachusetts. From Pennsylvania—where he had sold or given saplings and apple seeds to families migrating...