John Ormsby (Pittsburgh)
Encyclopedia
John Ormsby was a soldier in the French-Indian War, Pontiac's Rebellion
, and the American Revolution
, and among the first settlers of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
. The son of the Anglo-Irish landed gentry, he emigrated from Ireland
to the Thirteen Colonies
in 1752. After Pontiac's Rebellion, he received a land grant from George III of England, and established a homestead on the banks of the Monongahela River
. He established extensive economic and merchant interests in Bedford, Pennsylvania and at the head of the Ohio River
.
, near the towns of Newton, Ballina, and Gore. Oliver Ormsby married Deborah Barry, the child of a junior branch of the House of Barrymore, whose founder achieved fame in the Eighty Years' War. Ormsby was educated at Trinity College
, in Dublin. Upon completion of his studies, he emigrated to the Thirteen Colonies
. There Ormsby established a small teaching academy in Philadelphia in 1753; the following year, he taught in Lancaster
and York
, Pennsylvania
and Alexandria
, Virginia
in 1754.
. Ormsby was "offered a captain's commission in the colonial contingent of General Braddock's army", but was unable to take any position in the army until 1758, due to a malarial fever lasting three years. When he could join the army, he fought under the command of John Forbes
and George Washington
to capture Fort Duquesne
from the French in 1758.
Ormsby served as King's Commissary as well as paymaster during the erection of Fort Pitt
under John Stanwix
from 1759 to 1760. He lived in Fort Pitt in 1761.
During Pontiac's Rebellion
in 1763, Indians
destroyed his property, stole his horses and goods, and murdered his employees, although there is some controversy about who actually destroyed his property. He later claimed that Stanwix had ordered his house and store destroyed because the Indians were using its provisions and the structures as shelter during their attacks on the fortifications. Ormsby aided in the defense of Fort Pitt during the rebellion. The Indians cut off all supplies to Fort Pitt and maintained a constant offensive. John Ormsby wrote of this as, "there was not a pound of good flour or meat to serve the garrison and a number of the inhabitants who joined me to do duty." English troops under the command of Henry Bouquet
arrived with food and munitions and defeated the Indians surrounding Fort Pitt.
, in return for his military service. Present-day communities that now occupy the land grant include South Side Flats, South Side Slopes, Mount Oliver
, and Carrick
.
, where Ormsby opened a trading store. The Ormsbys started their family on their 300 acres (121.4 ha) farm in Bedford, but in 1770 they returned to Pittsburgh, where Ormsby had land and business interests.
This land stretched from the present-day Smithfield Street Bridge
to Becks Run Road
along the Monongahela River; Ormsby called it Homestead Farms. Ormsby also received the first license to operate a ferry across the Monongahela River
, which connected Pittsburgh with his estates in the what is now called the South Side. He also established a brickyard and boatyard near his estate. This ferry was later operated by John Patch
and served as a contributor to the development and culture of the area in centuries following.
Dr. Nathaniel Bedford married John Ormsby's daughter Jane, and in 1811 Bedford "laid out a town on the flats extending from the south side of the Monongahela River. Although Bedford named the town Birmingham in tribute to his native city," he named four of the streets after the daughters of John Ormsby - Jane, Sarah, Mary, and Sidney. This area is now known as the South Side
.
in December 1805, He is buried in Trinity Churchyard in downtown Pittsburgh. In September 1840 a law suit was filed against Sidney Gregg, a descendant of Oliver and John Ormsby, for the land that had been John Ormsby's until his death and then Oliver's after John's death. The case was seen by the judge due to complications of death intestate but the land remained in the ownership of the Ormsby descendants by the court's decision.
is named for John and his family. Mount Oliver itself is named after John's son, Oliver.
Located right off East Carson Street, on 22nd Street, is a baseball field which bears his name.
Pontiac's Rebellion
Pontiac's War, Pontiac's Conspiracy, or Pontiac's Rebellion was a war that was launched in 1763 by a loose confederation of elements of Native American tribes primarily from the Great Lakes region, the Illinois Country, and Ohio Country who were dissatisfied with British postwar policies in the...
, and the American Revolution
American Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
, and among the first settlers of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
. The son of the Anglo-Irish landed gentry, he emigrated from Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
to the Thirteen Colonies
Thirteen Colonies
The Thirteen Colonies were English and later British colonies established on the Atlantic coast of North America between 1607 and 1733. They declared their independence in the American Revolution and formed the United States of America...
in 1752. After Pontiac's Rebellion, he received a land grant from George III of England, and established a homestead on the banks of the Monongahela River
Monongahela River
The Monongahela River is a river on the Allegheny Plateau in north-central West Virginia and southwestern Pennsylvania in the United States...
. He established extensive economic and merchant interests in Bedford, Pennsylvania and at the head of the Ohio River
Ohio River
The Ohio River is the largest tributary, by volume, of the Mississippi River. At the confluence, the Ohio is even bigger than the Mississippi and, thus, is hydrologically the main stream of the whole river system, including the Allegheny River further upstream...
.
Family
John Ormsby was born in 1720 in Ireland, the son of Oliver Ormsby and his wife Deborah Barry. The family was part of the Anglo-Irish gentry; Oliver Ormsby was the third son of Robert Ormsby and Mary Blakeney. The family held an extensive estate, Cloghan, in County MayoCounty Mayo
County Mayo is a county in Ireland. It is located in the West Region and is also part of the province of Connacht. It is named after the village of Mayo, which is now generally known as Mayo Abbey. Mayo County Council is the local authority for the county. The population of the county is 130,552...
, near the towns of Newton, Ballina, and Gore. Oliver Ormsby married Deborah Barry, the child of a junior branch of the House of Barrymore, whose founder achieved fame in the Eighty Years' War. Ormsby was educated at Trinity College
Trinity College, Dublin
Trinity College, Dublin , formally known as the College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, was founded in 1592 by letters patent from Queen Elizabeth I as the "mother of a university", Extracts from Letters Patent of Elizabeth I, 1592: "...we...found and...
, in Dublin. Upon completion of his studies, he emigrated to the Thirteen Colonies
Thirteen Colonies
The Thirteen Colonies were English and later British colonies established on the Atlantic coast of North America between 1607 and 1733. They declared their independence in the American Revolution and formed the United States of America...
. There Ormsby established a small teaching academy in Philadelphia in 1753; the following year, he taught in Lancaster
Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Lancaster is a city in the south-central part of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is the county seat of Lancaster County and one of the older inland cities in the United States, . With a population of 59,322, it ranks eighth in population among Pennsylvania's cities...
and York
York
York is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
and Alexandria
Alexandria
Alexandria is the second-largest city of Egypt, with a population of 4.1 million, extending about along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in the north central part of the country; it is also the largest city lying directly on the Mediterranean coast. It is Egypt's largest seaport, serving...
, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
in 1754.
Military career
John Ormsby was a soldier in the French and Indian WarFrench and Indian War
The French and Indian War is the common American name for the war between Great Britain and France in North America from 1754 to 1763. In 1756, the war erupted into the world-wide conflict known as the Seven Years' War and thus came to be regarded as the North American theater of that war...
. Ormsby was "offered a captain's commission in the colonial contingent of General Braddock's army", but was unable to take any position in the army until 1758, due to a malarial fever lasting three years. When he could join the army, he fought under the command of John Forbes
John Forbes (General)
John Forbes was a British general in the French and Indian War. He is best known for leading the Forbes Expedition that captured the French outpost at Fort Duquesne and for naming the city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania after British Secretary of State William Pitt the Elder.-Early life:Forbes was...
and George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
to capture Fort Duquesne
Fort Duquesne
Fort Duquesne was a fort established by the French in 1754, at the junction of the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers in what is now downtown Pittsburgh in the state of Pennsylvania....
from the French in 1758.
Ormsby served as King's Commissary as well as paymaster during the erection of Fort Pitt
Fort Pitt (Pennsylvania)
Fort Pitt was a fort built at the location of Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania.-French and Indian War:The fort was built from 1759 to 1761 during the French and Indian War , next to the site of former Fort Duquesne, at the confluence the Allegheny River and the Monongahela River...
under John Stanwix
John Stanwix
John Stanwix was a British soldier and politician.Stanwix entered the army in 1706, rose to a captain of the grenadiers in 1739, major of marines in 1741, and lieutenant-colonel in 1745, and was appointed equerry to Frederick, Prince of Wales, in 1749...
from 1759 to 1760. He lived in Fort Pitt in 1761.
During Pontiac's Rebellion
Pontiac's Rebellion
Pontiac's War, Pontiac's Conspiracy, or Pontiac's Rebellion was a war that was launched in 1763 by a loose confederation of elements of Native American tribes primarily from the Great Lakes region, the Illinois Country, and Ohio Country who were dissatisfied with British postwar policies in the...
in 1763, Indians
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
destroyed his property, stole his horses and goods, and murdered his employees, although there is some controversy about who actually destroyed his property. He later claimed that Stanwix had ordered his house and store destroyed because the Indians were using its provisions and the structures as shelter during their attacks on the fortifications. Ormsby aided in the defense of Fort Pitt during the rebellion. The Indians cut off all supplies to Fort Pitt and maintained a constant offensive. John Ormsby wrote of this as, "there was not a pound of good flour or meat to serve the garrison and a number of the inhabitants who joined me to do duty." English troops under the command of Henry Bouquet
Henry Bouquet
Henry Bouquet was a prominent British Army officer in the French and Indian War and Pontiac's War. Bouquet is best known for his victory over Native Americans at the Battle of Bushy Run, lifting the siege of Fort Pitt during Pontiac's War.-Early life:Bouquet was born into a moderately wealthy...
arrived with food and munitions and defeated the Indians surrounding Fort Pitt.
Land Grant
John Ormsby received a land grant from George III in 1763 for 3000 acres (12.1 km²) along the south shore of the Monongahela RiverMonongahela River
The Monongahela River is a river on the Allegheny Plateau in north-central West Virginia and southwestern Pennsylvania in the United States...
, in return for his military service. Present-day communities that now occupy the land grant include South Side Flats, South Side Slopes, Mount Oliver
Mount Oliver (Pittsburgh)
Mount Oliver is a south neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It has a zip code of 15210, and has representation on Pittsburgh City Council by the council member for District 3 . It is adjacent to, but distinct from, the borough of Mount Oliver...
, and Carrick
Carrick (Pittsburgh)
Carrick is a south neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in the United States. It is served by two zip codes, 15210 and 15227, and has representation on Pittsburgh City Council by the council member for District 4 with a part in District 3.Located between the suburbs of the South Hills and...
.
"Father" of the South Side
After receiving the land grant, John Ormsby married Jane McAllister in July 1764. The couple moved to Bedford, PennsylvaniaBedford, Pennsylvania
Bedford is a borough in Bedford County, Pennsylvania, west of the State Capital, Harrisburg. It is the county seat of Bedford County. Bedford was established in the mid-18th century. Population counts follow: 1890, 2,242; 1900, 2,167; 1910, 2,385. The population was 3,141 at the 2000...
, where Ormsby opened a trading store. The Ormsbys started their family on their 300 acres (121.4 ha) farm in Bedford, but in 1770 they returned to Pittsburgh, where Ormsby had land and business interests.
This land stretched from the present-day Smithfield Street Bridge
Smithfield Street Bridge
The Smithfield Street Bridge is a lenticular truss bridge crossing the Monongahela River in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.The bridge was designed by Gustav Lindenthal, the engineer who later designed the Hell Gate Bridge. The bridge was built between 1881–83, opening for traffic on March 19, 1883....
to Becks Run Road
Becks Run Road (Pittsburgh)
Becks Run Road is a street in the Pittsburgh metropolitan area. It connects Brownsville Road in the Carrick neighborhood of Pittsburgh with East Carson Street on the South Side. It is part of the Blue Belt road system...
along the Monongahela River; Ormsby called it Homestead Farms. Ormsby also received the first license to operate a ferry across the Monongahela River
Monongahela River
The Monongahela River is a river on the Allegheny Plateau in north-central West Virginia and southwestern Pennsylvania in the United States...
, which connected Pittsburgh with his estates in the what is now called the South Side. He also established a brickyard and boatyard near his estate. This ferry was later operated by John Patch
John Patch
John Patch was a Nova Scotian fisherman from Yarmouth, Nova Scotia who invented one of the first versions of the screw propeller.Patch was born in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia in 1781. His father was a Yarmouth sea captain who died in a shipwreck at Seal Island, Nova Scotia soon after John Patch's birth...
and served as a contributor to the development and culture of the area in centuries following.
Dr. Nathaniel Bedford married John Ormsby's daughter Jane, and in 1811 Bedford "laid out a town on the flats extending from the south side of the Monongahela River. Although Bedford named the town Birmingham in tribute to his native city," he named four of the streets after the daughters of John Ormsby - Jane, Sarah, Mary, and Sidney. This area is now known as the South Side
South Side (Pittsburgh)
South Side is an area in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA, located along the Monongahela River across from Downtown Pittsburgh. The South Side is officially divided into two neighborhoods, South Side Flats and South Side Slopes. Both the Flats and the Slopes are represented on Pittsburgh City...
.
Death
John Ormsby died intestate in Allegheny County, PennsylvaniaAllegheny County, Pennsylvania
Allegheny County is a county in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 census, the population was 1,223,348; making it the second most populous county in Pennsylvania, following Philadelphia County. The county seat is Pittsburgh...
in December 1805, He is buried in Trinity Churchyard in downtown Pittsburgh. In September 1840 a law suit was filed against Sidney Gregg, a descendant of Oliver and John Ormsby, for the land that had been John Ormsby's until his death and then Oliver's after John's death. The case was seen by the judge due to complications of death intestate but the land remained in the ownership of the Ormsby descendants by the court's decision.
Memorials and Legacy
Ormsby Street in Mount Oliver, PennsylvaniaMount Oliver, Pennsylvania
Mount Oliver is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is a largely residential area situated atop a crest about west of the Monongahela River. The borough is surrounded entirely by the city of Pittsburgh....
is named for John and his family. Mount Oliver itself is named after John's son, Oliver.
Located right off East Carson Street, on 22nd Street, is a baseball field which bears his name.