d the region
after the Revolution, but that penetration, although marked by some
conflict, was not vital to the development of a system of values on this
frontier during the period under study.[44] Furthermore, it was not
until well into the nineteenth century that other Protestant sects
established churches in the West Branch Valley.

The extent of that influence and the nature of this frontier faith were
central to the development of Fair Play society. Since there were no
organized churches in the area, the family was the key agency of
religious instruction and service. This fact, combined with the impact
of the Great Awakening, led to the freeing of the individual from the
communal covenant, resulting in a secularization of religion which
culminated in a kind of "predestined freedom."[45] Consequently, the
political implications of American Presbyterianism, which had the
largest church membership in colonial Pennsylvania and the strongest
affiliation on this frontier, were demonstrated in the democratic
radicalism which the frontier spawned. Political maturity, that is to
say, independence, was a logical evolution from religious
emancipation.[46]

In addition to the political implications of Presbyterianism, respect
for education was a significant factor in the value structure of this
frontier. The probate records of this period are filled with examples of
the great desire to see the "children schooled," and specific
educational instructions were often included in the wills.[47] The
Presbyterian emphasis upon an educated ministry suggests that this
reverence for education may also have been an education for reverence.
Morality, education, and political equality and freedom--these were the
basic tenets of this frontier faith.

Despite the high value placed upon education, the educational and
cultural opportunities on this frontier, as on others, were extremely
limited. Aside from home instruction and the occasional visit of an
itinerant pastor, formal education was a luxury which these pioneers
could not yet afford. However, earlier historians of the West Branch
refer to the existence of a "log school" at "Sour's ferry" in 1774.[48]
Instruction in the "three R's," enforced with strict discipline, was
given here a few months out of the year. A Presbyterian preacher who
came into the region and stayed was the first teacher. Educational
opportunity was extremely limited but education was highly respected.

Books, to