The next destination on my Virtual Hike was Eldersville, Pennsylvania.

The previous destination on my virtual hike was Canonsburg, Pennsylvania.

The virtual hike route from Canonsburg went through rural areas and rolling hills.

The route crossed over small creeks in the valleys.

The hike passed through Cross Creek as it neared Eldersville. This is a historic spot where one of the first Presbyterian churches in Western Pennsylvania was located. It was here where in 1782 a document know as “A Religious Agreement” was signed by about 100 people including my 6th Great Grandfather Samuel Leeper. He is buried in the cemetery shown above.

It is also here where Joseph Smith formed a log cabin school in 1785 which included James McGready as a student. McGready later had a big influence on Barton W. Stone in North Carolina and Kentucky.

There are many things that could be written about this area, but for now I am going to continue on to Eldersville.

Eldersville today is still just a small community. It was the town where the post office was for many that lived in the area. Samuel Leeper lived about a mile west of the town on the border of what is now West Virginia. The surrounding area is alternately known as Eldersville or Cross Creek depending on the source.

My 4th Great Grandfather Absalom Leeper was born in Eldersville in 1798 and later was one of the first Reformation Movement preachers in Iowa.

The next destination on my Virtual Hike is another location with a family connection.

I have been setting shorter distances between destinations for better motivation for my daily walking and so far it has been working. I have been walking more each day and have made good progress on my Virtual Hike. I am still a few stops behind on my posts.

I am now heading west and have some interesting stops planned that are family or history related.

Steven

Images in this post are from Google Maps and Street View

WWRI – Written With Real Intelligence