David Forster

Died in Pennsylvania It is believed, though not certainly known to be a fact, that David Forster, with some of his family, came from the North of Ireland about the year 1733, with the Scotch-Irish immigration of that period, and was among the first settlers of Donegal, Derry and Paxtang. He died in 1754, leaving a widow, Mary by name, and five sons, named respectively: William, John, David, James, and Robert. One of these sons, John Forster, the ancestor, became the owner, by purchase, of 271 acres of land situated in Hanover (then Lancaster) County, which had been surveyed to John Young under a warrant granted to him in 1740. This tract of land was confirmed to John Foster by a patent deed from Thomas and William Penn, bearing date the 17th day of November, 1752, and he resided upon the tract until about 1773 or 1774, when for some reason, probably with a view of bettering his condition and that of his family, he disposed of it by sale and became one of the pioneer settlers of Buffalo Valley. That delightful and charming Valley, then an almost untraversed forest of stately oak, hickory, walnut and pine, was within that part of Pennsylvania known as the last purchase made from the Indians by the Proprietary Government of the Colony in 1768.

(See biography for his son James). Name variants Forrester, Forster, Foster.

The Forster family genealogy begins with David's son John Forester who was said to be a native of Antrim, Ulster, Northern Ireland, and that his parents were of Scotch parentage and that they emigrated to Pennsylvania from Ireland before 1722. Because of the date of birth of John's son Thomas, he must have been born no later than ca. 1680, so John's  father David would have been born around 1660. They were originally Lowland Scots.  It is unknown where he was born; he may have been born in Scotland or was Scots-Irish born in Londonderry, Derry, Northern Ireland. The family definitely carried their love of Londonderry and county Derry, Ireland to the New World via their settlement name, and the name of his son's revolutionary frontiersmen, the Liberty Company of Londonderry 1775''' Associators'''.

Other Forster Notes:

The Forster clan in Scotland were well known Jacobites (Tom & Dorothy Forster of Bamburgh Castle fame) and the family sympathies for the Jacobite cause may have influenced their decision to begin emigration; they were supporters of James Francis Edward Stuart and his attempt to gain back the Scottish throne in 1715. An interesting bit of wording "Associators" was used in Scotland to describe a group of Jacobite noblemen similar to the Duke of Beaufort's circle.

Thomas Forster, a general who led the Jacobite Rebellion: Thomas Forster, (born c. 1675—died Nov. 3, 1738, Boulogne, France) English Jacobite and leader of the 1715 uprising in Scotland and northern England. Forster was a member of Parliament from 1708 to 1716, but his Jacobite proclivities became known, and in 1715 he was ordered under arrest by the House of Commons. He fled before this could be done, however, and at Greenrig in Northumberland on Oct. 6, 1715, he proclaimed the Old Pretender as James III. Forster assumed command of his small band of followers but proved a poor general. After failing to take Newcastle he allowed the rebellion to degenerate into a series of purposeless marches. He was joined by the rebels from southern Scotland under William Gordon, Lord Kenmure, and the combined force marched to Kelso in Roxburghshire, where on October 22 it was further reinforced by a detachment of Highlanders under Brigadier William Mackintosh of Borlum. Mackintosh had considerable military talents but was obliged to serve under the incompetent Kenmure in Scotland and the no less incompetent Forster once the rebels had crossed into England. Forster expected reinforcements from the Roman Catholic gentry of the northwestern shires of England, but these failed to appear. At Preston on November 17 he capitulated, despite the protests of his officers. He escaped from prison to France, where he died some 23 years later.

In 1717, most of the Jacobites still surviving in a variety of prisons were released by virtue of the Act of Grace and Pardon. 

The Forsters had significant holdings in Nova Scotia during the colonial period. Sir George Forrester, tenth chief of Clan Forrester was created a Baronet of Nova Scotia in 1633, however when he died the baronetcy became dormant and still awaits a claimant.[3] James and William Baillie who were the sons-in-law of the first Lord Forrester assumed the name and arms of Forrester and inherited the title under a re-grant of the peerage.[3] James was a royalist and was fined by Oliver Cromwell with his estates becoming burdened in debt.[3] In 1679 he was murdered by his mistress, Mrs Christian Nimmo and his brother who was mad then inherited the title.[3]

Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacobitism

"England, Cheshire Bishop's Transcripts, 1598-1900," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NCDJ-F8H : 3 December 2014), David Forster, 16 Feb 1730, Burial; citing , St, Michael's, Macclesfield, Cheshire, England, Record Office, Chester; FHL microfilm 1,656,950.

Sources:

Abstracts of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania Wills - 1732-1785.....

Page 63 2 September 1745 - 20 November 1745 Foster, David wife - Mary Children - David, William, James, Robert

Ex. Andrew Moor and John McQuoon (McKee, McQueen), Derry township

David Foster in the Pennsylvania, Land Warrants, 1733-1987

• Name: David Foster
• Acreage: 200
• Warrant Date: 27 Jul 1734
• Warrant Location: Lancaster