The direct tax of 1798 was imposed by the United States Government on dwellings, lands and slaves, with the aim of raising $2 million, primarily for the purpose of providing the funds necessary to increase the strength of the armed forces during a time of

The direct tax of 1798 was imposed by the United States government on dwellings, lands and slaves. To carry out the taxation program, every structure, lot, and tract in the country had to be accounted for in tax listings, in which each was described and given an assessed value. The result was a housing inventory so complete that it has not been surpassed to this day. This book is a compilation of these tax lists for the area of present-day Cumberland County, Pennsylvania. Over 2,000 county properties are listed herein, and approximately 5,000 separate structures are described in these...