"Father" of The South Side
After receiving the land grant, John Ormsby married Jane McAllister in July 1764. The couple moved to Bedford, Pennsylvania, where Ormsby opened a trading store. The Ormsbys started their family on their 300-acre (120 ha) farm in Bedford, but in 1770 they returned to Pittsburgh, where Ormsby had land and business interests.
This land stretched from the present-day Smithfield Street Bridge to Becks Run Road along the Monongahela River; Ormsby called it Homestead Farms. Ormsby also received the first license to operate a ferry across the Monongahela River, which connected Pittsburgh with his estates in what is now called the South Side. He also established a brickyard and boatyard near his estate. This ferry was later operated by John Patch and served as a contributor to the development and culture of the area in centuries following.
Dr. Nathaniel Bedford married John Ormsby's daughter Jane, and in 1811 Bedford "laid out a town on the flats extending from the south side of the Monongahela River. Although Bedford named the town Birmingham in tribute to his native city," he named four of the streets after the daughters of John Ormsby - Jane, Sarah, Mary, and Sidney. This area is now known as the South Side.
Read more about this topic: John Ormsby (Pittsburgh)
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