Forfeited Estates File, 1777-1790

About This Collection

Images of a record of estates forfeited by citizens of various counties of Pennsylvania because of their allegiance to the British crown during the Revolutionary War. Records specify the date of receipt, letter, order or notice, the area of land in question, and the county in which it was contained. Records also usually show the name and residence of the attainted individual and occasionally his occupation. Also mentioned is the detailed descriptions or drawings of boundaries of the property, an inventory of the property seized (with the date), and a record of the estates disbursement. In cases of land sales, there is a record of who bought and sold the land, agents involved and appointment of land appraisers to deal with estates forfeited by men under verdict of the Council. Also included are petitions by citizens who were unjustly accused of treason and like offenses or in danger of losing their land to the state, and letters and drawings from agents of confiscated estates reporting forfeited lands that were resurveyed.