Our story · community history
Hinsonville: land, farming, and a church
A deed trail near today’s Lincoln University points to a free Black farming community built through land ownership, family life, and a church.
Chapter 01
A farm with room for neighbors
The Chester County Archives dates Tilghman Valentine’s purchase of a 16-acre farm to April 1837. Valentine later sold parcels to other free Black residents, including four acres to Samuel H. Amos in 1840. Those recorded transactions offer one concrete starting point for a community taking shape through land, work, and relationships.
Chapter 02
Church land and community life
In 1843, Valentine sold the remainder of his Hinsonville property to Beal Howard and James Amos, identified by the Archives as a pastor and trustee of Hosanna African Union Methodist Church. The County’s account describes Black residents farming their own land, supporting families, and building relationships with neighbors. That is a history of community-making as well as a history of property records.
Chapter 03
A name leaves the map
By 1874, the village name no longer appeared on Chester County maps. The Archives notes that Hosanna Church still stands as a reminder of the community. The source does not explain why the place name faded from the maps; its absence should not be mistaken for proof that the people or their descendants disappeared.
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The Chester County Archives dates Tilghman Valentine’s purchase of a 16-acre farm in the Hinsonville area to April 1837.
Verified · 2026-10-02The County Archives records Valentine’s 1840 sale of four acres to Samuel H. Amos.
Verified · 2026-10-02The County Archives says Beal Howard and James Amos, a pastor and trustee of Hosanna African Union Methodist Church, bought the remainder of Valentine’s Hinsonville property in 1843.
Verified · 2026-10-02The County Archives describes free Black residents of Hinsonville as farming their own land, supporting families, and building ties with neighbors.
Qualified · 2026-10-02The County Archives reports that Hinsonville no longer appeared on county maps by 1874 and that Hosanna Church still stands.
Qualified · 2026-10-02