Editing Sharpsburg, Pennsylvania (section)

===James Sharp and the initial settlement===
In 1826, a man named James Sharp rode into this area and purchased over {{convert|257|acre|km2}} of land for $1,337.37 in what was then Indiana Township, building a log cabin for his wife, Isabella L. Sharp. The original deed, recorded on October 10, 1826, can be found in the Allegheny County Department of Real Estate at deed book volume 35(K2), page 156. Opening the land to settlers, Sharp built a school and church while continuing to donate his land for the growing needs of the community. On December 14, 1841, the borough applied for incorporation, and received its charter March 14, 1842. The charter was recorded on March 26, 1842.

James Sharp was born near Chambersburg, Franklin County, Pennsylvania on February 10, 1784, of Scottish descent. His colonial ancestor and grandfather was Captain James Sharp (Third Battalion, Pennsylvania Regiment), a veteran of the Forbes Campaign. Captain Sharp was present in 1758 at the capture of Fort Duquesne and served under Gen. Hugh Mercer and Col. William Clapham. His father, Matthew Sharp, was a veteran of the Revolutionary War, having served as a private in the Eighth Battalion, Cumberland County, Pennsylvania Militia. In 1780 he married Elizabeth (Lindsay) Culbertson and together they had three children: Rosana, James, and Mary.<ref>Colonial and Revolutionary Families of Pennsylvania, John W. Jordan (1911).</ref>

With his family, young Sharp moved to Pittsburgh in 1797 and remained in Pittsburgh until 1826 when he purchased land at Sheriff's Sale, formerly owned by Gen. John Wilkins, "being number Thirteen in Cunninghams district containing two hundred and fifty seven acres and eighty seven perches on which are a square log dwelling, a good orchard and about fifty acres of cleared land, with fine meadows, a coal bank, and one of the best springs in the County." Sharp moved permanently to the land, part of which would later become the Borough of Sharpsburg. Sharp's first marriage to Sarah Thompson ended with the death of Thompson a few years after their nuptials. He later married Isabella Stockman, with whom he had six children. During his lifetime, Sharp was described as a gentleman: courteous in manners, affable in disposition, and generous in hospitality. Sharp was an abolitionist, a zealous advocate for universal education, a member of the temperance movement, and a member of the Presbyterian Church. Sharp died on March 12, 1861.<ref>History of Allegheny County Pennsylvania, L.H. Everts & Co. (1876).</ref>