The design of this work is to lay before the people of the West Branch Valley, and adjacent country, as full and accurate a history of the difficulties and privations endured by the early settlers, as we possibly can at this late day. It is to be regretted that the work was not undertaken years ago, when the old pioneers were living, and in the full enjoyment of their intellectual faculties ;when all the facts could have been collected and arranged with comparative ease and accuracy. But the enterprise has been neglected, till all, with two or three exceptions, of the survivors of the Revolutionary period, have been consigned to the tomb. Few people now living in this beautiful and romantic vale, are aware that it has been the scene of some of the most thrilling and bloody events in the early history of Pennsylvania ;and that it is a fruitful field for the researches of the historian, and possessed of sufficient material to make an exciting and entertaining work. The vale of Wyoming has been immortalized in song and story the poet and the historian have given it a world-wide notoriety: the Valley of the blue Juniata, where wild roved an Indian girl, has been the theme of polished pens, and is known throughout the Union; but the picturesque Valley of the Otzinachson, as prolific as any of them in material, has been neglected, and is comparatively unknown. (Typographical errors above are due to OCR software and don"t occur in the book.) About the Publisher Forgotten Books is a publisher of historical writings, such as: Philosophy, Classics, Science, Religion, History, Folklore and Mythology. Forgotten Books" Classic Reprint Series utilizes the latest technology to regenerate facsimiles of historically important writings. Careful attention has been made to accurately preserve the original format of each page whilst digitally enhancing the aged text.