The township of Whiteland was organized about the
year 1704, and is therefore among the oldest townships in the county. Its
first constable was David Jones, who is mentioned on the court records 12th
mo, 1704-5.
Whiteland is the
northwestern part of the original Welsh tract of 40,000 acres, which was laid
out to that people in 1684, with the expectation that they should be a
separate barony, with liberty to manage their municipal affairs in their own
way. It appears they also desired to retain their own language; but the
tide of subsequent events rendered the whole scheme impracticable. The
north and west lines of this survey are still chiefly retained as lines of
townships, some slight alterations having been made in the northern line; but other
surveys encroached on the south, so that the other lines are obliterated.
If the reader will examine the map of Chester County*(1881), he will find the
northern line of this Welsh survey to be that which separates Tredyffrin and
the Whitelands from Schuylkill, Charlestown, and Uwchlan and the western line
that which separates West Whiteland, West Goshen and West Chester from East
Caln and East Bradford, its northwest Corner being the NW corner of West
Whiteland Township
In what is now West Whiteland a
series of surveys appear to have crossed the valley, beginning with Morgan
David, Thomas Evan, and Richard Anderson on the east then, in succession,
David Meredith, Evan Lewis, Griffith Howell, David Howell, John Morgan, Adam
Baker, Richard Thomas, Thomas James, Thomas Morris and John Spruce.
In 1743 the citizens petitioned for the appointment of 2 sets of supervisors, one for the east and the other for the west end, stating that for several years they had agreed upon a division of the roads at the east line f the land late of Thomas Evans. The township was divided, finally, by court decree, Feb. 26, 1756.