AREA HISTORY: Biographical, Hanover, York County, PA Contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by Kathy Francis Copyright 2006. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/york/ _______________________________________________ History of York County, Pennsylvania. John Gibson, Historical Editor. Chicago: F. A. Battey Publishing Co., 1886. _______________________________________________ BIOGRAPHICAL – Page 592-593 GEN. JACOB EYSTER – Page 592 Gen. Jacob Eyster, eldest son of George Eyster and Mary Slagle (sister of Col. Henry Slagle), was born near Hanover, June 8, 1782, and was a descendant of John Jacob Eyster, of the kingdom of Wurtemburg. During the war of 1812 he was employed by the secretary of war (Armstrong) and the governor of Pennsylvania, to distribute arms among the militia of Pennsylvania. He was elected a member of the State senate in 1819, was re-elected and resigned in 1824, being chosen deputy surveyor general of Pennsylvania, and afterward became president of the bank of Harrisburg. He died in that city March 24, 1858. COL. RICHARD MCALLISTER, founder of the town of Hanover, was of Scotch descent. Mac is the Scotch name for son, hence Mac Allister, the original way of spelling the name, means son of Allister. Archibald McAllister and his brother, came from Scotland about 1732, the former settled near Big Spring, Cumberland Co., Penn., and the latter went to Virginia. The eldest son of Archibald and Richard, the subject of this sketch, who, on February 23, 1748, married Mary Dill, daughter of Col. Matthew Dill, who lived in the vicinity of the present town of Dillsburg, this county. Richard McAllister moved to the vicinity of Hanover about 1745. His children were Jane, born March 3, 1750, and married Robert White, of Georgetown, D. C.; Abdiel, born January 30, 1752; he was commissioned second lieutenant January 9, 1776, and went on Mongtomery’s expedition to Quebec, during the Revolution; Mary Ann, born February 12, 1754; Archibald, born April 17, 1756, great-grandfather of Dickinson McAllister, who now lives at Fort Hunter, Penn., married Elizabeth Carson, in 1785, and settled near Harrisburg; he was a captain in the Revolution, and commanded his company in the battle of Monmouth, in New Jersey, died 1831; Matthew, born May 4, 1758, married Hannah Gibbons, went to Savannah, Ga., and became the first United States district attorney of that State; judge of the superior court of the State, and mayor of Savannah during the war of 1812, and died May 9, 1823; Ward McAllister, of New York City, and Col. Julian McAllister, of the State Arsenal, California, are his sons; Nancy, born February 4, 1760; Elizabeth, born October 10, 1761; Richard, born August 28, 1763; Sarah, born April 28, 1765; Margaret, born February 22, 1767; Jesse, born December 23, 1768. In all, there were eleven children. Richard McAllister soon became one of the most prominent persons in York County. Early in the troubles between the colonies and England, he took an active part. He was elected one of the Committee of Observation and Safety in 1775; was chosen a member of the Provincial Conference, of June 18, 1775, which met in Carpenter’s Hall, Philadelphia; was next chosen a member of the Provincial Conference, of January 18, 1776, and next became colonel of the Second Battalion of the York County Associators; was elected by the general assembly of Pennsylvania county lieutenant; on June 4, 1778, to superintend the organization of the militia of York County, and afterward became one of the committee to settle the accounts of the county lieutenants of the State. He was a member of the Supreme Executive Council, of the State of Pennsylvania, during the years 1783-84-85-86, and was a member of the Council of Censors. He was foreman of the jury at the York County Court perhaps more frequently than any other person of his period. He was commissioned justice of the peace and justice of the court of common pleas under the colonial government in March 1771, and under the first constitution of Pennsylvania in 1776, and on September 17, 1784, became presiding justice of the court of the Common Pleas of York County. It will this be seen that he held many responsible positions and was held in high esteem for his administrative and executive abilities. He died in Hanover at 4 o’clock in the evening, October 7, 1795. His remains lie in Mount Olivet Cemetery. His wife died a few years before him.