The three Weber Brothers applied for their land survey in an official or legal manner in 1721, they evidently purposely so arranged with the surveyor or in their application that a fine strip, of land nearly half a mile wide and over a mile and a half long between the lands of Jacob, on the south and the land of Henry on the north side, while the land of George formed a straight line, of the three on the east end thereof, causing their lands to be described as being. bounded by vacant land between them in the first survey in 1726. But it is evident that as soon as it was determined that David Martin, their friend and neighbor in Switzerland was coming they, in the name of David Martin, applied for a grant to him in the year 1726, as the warrant states, for this strip of land. David Martin arrived at the port of Philadelphia, in the ship, "Molley, on September 30 1727, and in the fall of the same year took possession of the land set apart for him and his family.

It is traditionally stated that his wife died enroute to America and records pieced together prove that tradition is correctly quoted, and that he soon was married to a young widow by the name of Elizabeth Miller, with one daughter, Susanna Miller, of Manor Township. But another traditional narrative that his first wife, who died at sea, was a sister to the three Weber brothers, and the reason that they so thoughtfully provided for David Martin's future home was that they desired to give her the best of their pioneer homes, has not been proven authentically, yet we join in the belief that all circumstances point to the correctness of that sad narrative, and that the development of this section was followed as planned by the Webers, and that David Martin and his descendants never disputed the right nor the propriety of the name of the vale, to be given to those, who first chose the site of their settlement.

Weaverland Meeting House and School Grounds, have had possession of the extreme southeastern corner of the David Martin tract of three hundred and seventy acres which with the usual allowances made it over four hundred acres, (400 A.) since the organization of the first congregation and the establishment of a separate house of worship, and school.

George M. Zimmerman, of the fifth generation from David Martin, and

Phares M. Zimmerman, of the sixth generation, his son by the mother of George M. Zimmerman, Barbara Martin, possess and occupy the eastern part of the original plantation, and that part which borders on the historic graveyard.

Martin L. Zimmerman, of the sixth generation owns and occupies the farm next westward. It is said that the original farm seat of David Martin was where these farm buildings were afterwards erected, by the Zimmerman family, near the place of the old original house.

Amos W. Sensenig, whose wife, Fianna Martin belonged to the fifth generation from David Martin, being the great-grand daughter of Bishop Henry Martin who spent his entire married life on the site of these farm buildings, own, and with their family occupy this beautiful home on an elevation on the west bank of Blue Ball Run. There is a spring of water flowing from the foot of the elevation, below the dwelling, which stood where the old house was destroyed by fire fifty-five years ago, which gives some credence to the claim of this family, that this was the place of the first family home of David Martin.

I well remember both of these old dwellings, but cannot decide in which one David Martin lived and died; but the old low ceiling, one and a half story house, on the Zimmerman farm, with its quaint low front porch without ceiling, with seed corn, flax, empty bee hives, fishing poles, threshing flails, apple butter stirrers, and what not stored and hung on the space above the joists, and the quaint low, straw thatched barn on these old premises, is one of the pictures of a primitive farm site in Weaverland, which I fondly hope shall never be effaced from my memory.

These three farms are the only ones within the scope of the original survey to David Martin, which have never been out of the direct lineage from David Martin. The entire two Zimmerman farms changed the family name, but not the direct line of descent, when George Martin of the fourth generation died, leaving no descendants, then his sister Barbara Zimmerman, made the ancestral home her dwelling place in 1880. The other place changed from Martin, to Sensenig, first in 1913.

On these two farms, is preserved the original plan of irrigating in its most simple and practical form and method as it was employed by the first settlers of this small valley, employing and harnessing the waters of Blue Ball Run to produce annually a luxuriant growth of natural grass for the owners of both farms. The irrigating plant on the Jacob Weber farm higher up on the stream, which was also used to operate a sawmill in its watering process several days in a week, on high, and at present dry ground on the Isaac Nolt farm was allowed to go to decay many years ago.

Aaron Z. Zimmerman, of the seventh generation by the line of his great-grandfather, John Martin, Spring, owns and occupies the farm seat of the ancestral home of Martin Martin (his history given by A. G. Wanner). He also finds his place in the seventh generation by the lineage through his grandmother, Anna Martin Zimmerman. This farm was out of the Martin lineage for a number of years, while it was owned by the late Adam H. Weaver, and his father, Isaac Weaver.

Israel Shirk, not in line with this Martin family, owns the next farm seat, on the Weaverland Road, West.

David W. Martin, of the seventh generation, son of David W. Martin, usually known as "Maryland David" owns a. farm, being a part of Bishop Henry's farm, (but is not of the lineage of Bishop Henry Martin) fronting on the old Paxton Road, now Route 5.

This section of the old plantation was out of the Martin lineage many years, until it was acquired by the father of the present owner.

Estate of Adam H. Weaver, and his family own and occupy another farm, which is partly taken from the original Martin Plantation fronting on Route 5. This tract was also out of the Martin's ownership many years.

David W. Martin, of the seventh generation, owns and occupies a private residence fronting the highway, (Route 5) having formerly been a part of the Bishop Henry Martin farm.

Harvey N. Hoover, being no lineal descendant of the family, owns and occupies the most southwestern corner or part of the original plantation, the farm buildings fronting on the Weaverland Road, West, which passed out of the Martin lineage when Peter Martin moved to Canada, from this farm in 1819.

John S. Burkhart, having no relationship with the Martin family, owns, and, with his sister, Mrs. Newswanger, occupies the most northwestern section of the original plantation, with other lands.

On these premises near the present dwelling, stands one of the oldest :houses in eastern Lancaster County. With its great fireplaces and large stone chimney at the gable end, its wide, double doors in front and with its wooden latches, stone doorsills, small square windows, mantles and narrow stairways, it stands as a living testimony, telling the present inhabitants of the valley how their ancestors lived and shifted for their living and comfortable existence; and all the more so since tradition tells us that while Peter Martin lived on these premises before he and his fourteen children moved to Canada, they operated this :farm, with the one now owned by Harvey N. Hoover, living in this house.

That they owned and operated the entire farm is a matter of record in old deeds, but whether or not they lived in this dwelling when their family had grown in numbers and to manhood, or whether they lived in a spacious stone dwelling which stood on the present farm site of the Hoovers, and which was already called an old dwelling fifty years ago, has often been questioned for many good reasons. It is believed by many reasoning people that Peter Martin and his family lived in the famous old house when their family was small, but when there were eighteen members in the family (two of them having married and remained there) it is more than likely that he erected the large stone dwelling for their comfortable living, and that the pioneer family moving to the Canadian forests, moved from that farm house instead of out of the small old house at the north end of the then large farm. Be that as it may, many descendants of Peter Martin and his wife, Anna Zimmerman, visiting in Lancaster County from Canada, inquire for the old house where their ancestors lived and from which they moved to Canada, with sixteen children in 1819, and they properly visit it with great respect, and wonder, many of them having made the remark that it is no wonder that they wanted more room and moved away.

The smooth board partitions in the old relic of a home have many names written and carved on them by these Canadian visitors, and hundreds of visitors make interesting entries in their traveling diaries about their visit to the place of their ancestral home.

Mrs. Lydia Newswanger, the caretaker of the quaint old place, provided a book in which visitors are kindly asked to enroll their names and addresses. It is being filled up with many names of visitors from the Dominion.

It may be of interest to note the dividing lines between the several plantations at the east end by stating that the private home of Christian M. Zimmerman, formerly the property of his aunt, Lydia Zimmerman, was taken from the Martin plantation; the next north from this one now the property of William G. Weaver, and the new brick dwelling grounds were taken from the Henry Weber plantation. But the others to the Conestoga were all taken from the original, George Weber plantation. The one nearest to the bridge was sold by Benjamin Weaver, to Frederick Mast, one hundred years ago, last spring.

Besides these nearly sixteen hundred acres which comprised the first settlements and the scope of this intended paper, there were three hundred acres lying directly east of the George Weber tract which were occupied by Christian Schneider, and Henry Martin, in 1730, but neither of them had any interest in the old graveyard. There were also over four hundred acres joining the Henry Weber tract on the north, lying north of the Conestoga, which was occupied by the Shirks from 1754, many of whom found their final resting place within the little enclosure on the Weber and Martin farms. Also a part of the large plantations granted to the Sensenigs, and the Witwers, to the west and northwest of these acres radiating from the little graveyard, were often included as belonging to and being a part of the original "Weber's Thal."