When Francis King came to this area2, he came as an agent of John Keating and others to explore a vast area of northern Lycoming County. Keating’s group was considering the purchase of an extensive purchase from William Bingham, Esq., if the lands were found to be suitable. His report was evidently suitable as Keating’s group purchased a large tract of land.
In the spring of 1797, Francis King engaged a few men and hired a boat. They set out for a previously selected area, which they named Ceres. They traveled down the east branch of the Susquehanna to Northumberland; then up the west branch to the mouth of the Sinnamahoning, which was the last white settlement (present-day area of Sinnamahoning). They then proceeded to Driftwood and then overland to Canoe Place (Port Allegany). Canoes were made and they traveled down the Allegheny to the mouth of the Oswayo (now Portville, NY), then up the Oswayo to Ceres. The original site for Ceres is approximately one mile south of its current location.

At the Ceres site, land was cleared, planted and a cabin erected. Further exploration revealed three families at Dykes Settlement (now Andover, NY) and two more families on Pine Creek in Tioga County, PA. These people were the Kings’ nearest neighbors.

In the Spring of 1798 Francis King brought his family to Ceres. In September of that year, Mrs. King (formerly Kathrine Kenway3) gave birth to a baby girl, who lived but a few months. This would be the first birth, death, and burial4 in what is now McKean County, PA.

From http://www.paintedhills.org/MCKEAN/CERES/EarlyHistoryCeres.html
By Don Maxson