USA > Pennsylvania > Colonial and revolutionary families of Pennsylvania; genealogical and personal memoirs, Vol. I > Part 16
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DR. SAMUEL POWEL GRIFFITTS, son of William and Abigail (Powel) Grif- fitts, born in Philadelphia, July 21, 1759, studied medicine in Paris, London and Edinburg, after graduation from University of Pennsylvania with degree of Bachelor of Arts, in 1781. Returning to Philadelphia he took up the practice of his profession and became one of the most eminent physicians of his time. He was Professor of Materia Medica at the University, 1791-6; was founder of the Philadelphia Dispensary; one of the founders of the Philadelphia College of Physicians, its secretary in 1788 and vice-president in 1818. He became a mem- ber of American Philosophical Society in 1785. He was a fine Greek and Latin scholar and spoke French fluently. His home for many years was at the old
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when the house was rebuilt the date of its original erection, 1686, with the letters "A. M." for Anthony Morris, the original builder, should be placed upon its gable. Dr. Samuel Powel Griffitts was of a retiring disposition, avoiding all ostentation both in the practice of his profession and in his extensive philan- thropic work, seeking to do the greatest amount of good with the least possible show. During the yellow fever pestilence of 1793, which carried away his dis- tinguished uncle, Samuel Powel, he stuck to his practice, as did he during the small-pox scourge of 1797-8-9 and the later pestilence of 1802-3. He died sud- denly in the old Morris Mansion, May 12, 1826. He was an elder of the Society of Friends. An obituary notice of him says truly :- "As a friend he was kind, sincere, and obliging, as a husband attentive and affectionate, and as a father fond and indulgent." He married, January 3, 1787, Mary, daughter of William and Elizabeth ( Tallman) Fishbourne, the "Polly Fishbourne" of "Sally Wistar's Journal", born 1760, and died September 21, 1842.
Issue of Samuel and Mary (Fishbourne) Griffitts :---
Mary, b. Oct. 25, 1787, d. Jan. 3, 1817; m., April 2, 1807, Redwood Fisher ; Abigail, b. Dec. 29, 1791, d. March 26, 1871; m. April 3, 1817, Richard W. Wells; Hannah, b. Dec. 9, 1793, d. Jan. II, 1862; m. Feb. 10, 1814, Thomas Waln Morgan ;
William Fishbourne, b. Oct. 5, 1796, d. Aug. 28, 1878; m. (first) May 18, 1824, Rebecca H. Smith, (second), July 21, 1842, Helen McDougall Smith ;
Sarah Emlen, b. April 20, 1798, d. Nov. 19, 1863; m. Dec. 30, 1828, William Alexander Smith ;
Hester, b. Dec. 26, 1799, d. June 8, 1867; m., Oct. 1, 1822, Ellis Lewis;
SAMUEL POWEL JR., b. Dec. 8, 1802, d. Jan. 25, 1849; m., Oct. 22, 1824, Mary Ann Whar- ton.
SAMUEL POWEL GRIFFITTS JR. married Mary Ann, daughter of Peregrine Hogg and Jane (Brown) Wharton. They had issue :-
Mary Fishbourne, b. Sept. 24, 1825, d. March 28. 1891, unm .;
Samuel Powel, b. May 7, 1827, d. Sept. 13, 1865 ; m., June 2, 1857, Eleanor Bird;
WHARTON, b. Nov. 21, 1828, d. Fch. 13, 1878; m., Jan. 26, 1860, Fannie Lewis Penington, of whom presently ;
Elizabeth Brown, b. Aug. 24, 1830, m. June 19, 1873, Theodore Herbert, M. D .;
William Fishbourne, b. April 18, 1832, m. June 26, 1855, Sarah Freeman Russell, and removed to Illinois ;
Franklin Peale, b. May 26, 1834, d. Dec. 17, 1888; m., Oct. 22, 1862, Josephine Lewis Penington, who d. April 7, 1896. Issue :
Frances Montgomery Griffitts, b. Philadelphia, March 29, 1865, m. June 6, 1894, Rev. Lewis Theodore Lampe.
David Stuart Griffitts, b. in Philadelphia, Nov. 24, 186 -; m., Oct. 1, 1889, Mary A. Wohlson.
WHARTON GRIFFITTS, son of Samuel P. and Mary Ann (Wharton) Griffitts, was born in Philadelphia, November 21, 1828, and died in Florida, February 13, 1878. He married, January 26, 1860, his cousin Fanny L., daughter of Edward and Elizabeth Ann (Lewis) Penington, and had issue :-
Fanny Penington Griffitts, b. June 24, 1861, d. June 22, 1863;
Joseph Lewis Griffitts, b. Oct. 10, 1862, d. July 30, 1864;
Wharton Griffitts Jr., b. March 3, 1865, d. June 29, 1865;
ELIZABETH LEWIS GRIFFITTS, b. April 18. 1866, m., Jan. 29, 1890, James de Waele Cook- man, and had issue :
Wharton Griffitts Cookman, b. Nov. 27, 1890;
Rodney Penington Cookman, b. Sept. 27, 1896.
Mary Wharton Griffitts, b. April 6, 1874, d. April 7, 1874. 8
HUDSON FAMILY
Almost as little is known of the ancestry of William Hudson of York, Eng- land, father of William Hudson who came to Philadelphia in 1686, as of that of the illustrious and intrepid navigator Henry Hudson, whom John F. Watson, the annalist of Philadelphia claimed was his relative. He was an early convert to the faith and principles of Friends, and suffered persecution for conscience sake, From Besse's "Sufferings of Quakers" we quote the following, "William Hud- son of York was committed to York Castle by a writ de excommunicato capiendo, on the Eighth of the Eleventh month, 1673, after a prosecution in the Ecclesias- tic Court for refusing to pay an assessment toward repairing the Steeple House, and was remaining a prisoner there upwards of nine years after." He died at York, 2mo. 14, 1713. He was thrice married, his first wife Mary, whose maiden name is thought to have been Head, died 9mo. II, 1681. He married (second), 5mo. 10, 1684, at Selby, Susannah Morley, a widow with children. She died 5mo. 14, 1700, and he married (third), 5mo. 8, 1703, Jane Waite, who died 12mo. 27, 1704-5. His children, all by his first wife, were :-
WILLIAM, b. at York, 4mo. 3, 1664, d. Philadelphia, 10mo. 16, 1742, of whom presently; John, d. at York, England, 1687;
Mary, d. at York, England, 1674, unm .;
Samuel, d. at York, England, 1690, unm .;
Timothy, brought certificate from York Meeting to Philadelphia, 1Imo. 6, 1688-9, but after a short visit returned to his native place.
WILLIAM HUDSON, son of William and Mary, of York, England, brought a certificate from York Meeting, without date, which is recorded at Philadelphia, and an examination of the minutes of York Meeting shows that it was granted 2mo. 2, 1686. He was a tanner, and came to Philadelphia "clear as to marriage." On the same date as that of the granting of his certificate, viz., April 2, 1686, he had purchased with John Cornwell, also of York, of William Cornthwaite, 500 acres to be laid out in Pennsylvania. They also purchased five hundred acres of Edward Atkinson, of Side, county York. This land was laid out to them by warrant dated 6mo. II, 1686, in East Bradford township, Chester county, now Birmingham township. William Hudson did not, however, take up his residence on this or his other purchases of large tracts of virgin land in Pennsylvania, but built a tannery on Dock Creek, in what was then known as "the swamp", and built a fine brick mansion, in which he lived, set well back from Chestnut street near Third street; and Hudson's Alley, opened for access to his tan-yard and other property, still bears his name. He sold his share of his Chester county lands to John Davies, December 30, 1709, and in February following purchased of his father-in-law, Samuel Richardson, 1160 acres in Willistown township, Chester county, which he later sold in smaller tracts to actual settlers, at a hand- some profit. A successful business man, and of good executive ability, he soon became identified with the affairs of the city and Province. He is named in the charter of 1701, as one of the Common Council of the city, then selected for life, or during good behavior, and was elected to Provincial Assembly in 1706. Octo-
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ber 4, 1715, he was named by Common Council as one of the Board of Alder- men of the City, and as Associate Justice of the City Court. In 1725, he was made Mayor of the city. He was made an Elder of Friends' Meeting in 1727, and was one of the most active members of the Yearly Meeting until within a few years of his death, when he was confined to his house by infirmities, and asked to be relieved from work on special committees in which he had thereto- fore been actively interested. He was one of the earliest advocates of prison reform, and took a keen personal interest in hospital and charitable work, taking especial delight in visiting and relieving the poor and sick. He died Iomo. 16, 1742, in his seventy-eighth year. He married (first), 12mo. 28, 1688, at Phila- delphia Meeting House, Mary, born in London 4mo. 19, 1673, daughter of Sam- uel Richardson, Provincial Councillor, by his wife, Eleanor, an account of whom and their descendants is given elsewhere in this volume. Mary (Richardson) Hudson died 12mo. 16, 1708-9, and he married (second) 12mo. 27, 1709-10, Hannah, widow of Robert Barber, of Darby, and sister of David Ogden, whose arrival in Merion from London, is noted in our account of the Ogden family. She survived her husband nearly seventeen years, dying 9mo. 16, 1759, aged ninety-nine years.
Issue of William and Mary (Richardson ) Hudson :-
Samuel, b. 7mo. 27, 1690, on plantation of his grandfather, Samuel Richardson, near Germantown, d. in Philadelphia, 1725. He was also a tanner; elected to Provincial Assembly 1724, but his health failing, he took an ocean voyage and was lost at sea. M. 1715-16, Mary, dau. of Arthur and Elizabeth (Guest) Holton, who m. (second), 1726, Joshua Emlen.
Issue of Samuel and Mary (Holton) Hudson :-
Elizabeth, b. 6mo. 24, 1721, m., 3mo. 8, 1740, John Jones ; William, b. 7mo. 6, 1722, d. 8mo. 26, 1722; '
Hannah, b. 8mo. 28, 1723, m., 3mo. 19, 1741, Joseph Howell; Mary, b. gmo. 6, 1724, m. 2mo. 15, 1746, John Head.
Mary, b. 12mo. 3, 1691-2, d. 1728; m. 1713, Joseph Cooper, of Pine Point, N. J .; Elizabeth, b. 4mo. 19, 1693, m. (first) Joshua Cockfield, of Philadelphia; had dau. Han- nah, m. William Moode, of Philadelphia. Joshua Cockfield, d. 4mo. 26, 1717, and she m., 1722, Thomas Coebourne, of Chester ;
Sarah, b. 4mo. 19, 1694, d. Imo. I, 1714, unm .;
WILLIAM, b. Imo. 31, 1696, d. 7mo. 22, 1752; m., 8mo. 29, 1717, Jane Evans; of whom presently ;
John, b. Iomo. 10, 1697, d. 3mo. 7, 1698;
Susanna, b. 12mo. 17, 1698-9, m. (first), IImo. 10, 1716-17, Robert Owen; (second), 3mo. 2, 1734, John Burr, of Northampton township, Burlington county, N. J .;
Eleanor, b. 6mo. 8, 1700, d. 6mo. 27, 1700;
John, b. 12mo. 25, 1701-2, d. circa 1730; m. Hannah -, who m. (second) in 1731, Abel Preston.
Issue of John and Hannah Hudson :-
Samuel, b. 1724, d. 6mo. 12, 1728; Rebecca, b. 6mo. 27, 1726, m. Oct. 18, 1744, Alex. Crookshanks;
William, b. 5mo. 26, 1728, d. IImo. 14, 1728; John, b. 5mo. 26, 1728, d. 6mo. 5, 1728; Rebecca, b. Imo. 5, 1729-30.
Hannah, b. Imo. 28, 1704, m. Jacob Medcalf, of Phila., later of Gloucester county, N. J., and had issue :-
Matthew, b. 2mo. 12, 1724;
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Hannah, b. 5mo. 12, 1726, d. y .;
Mary, b. 12mo. 21, 1727-8;
Rachel, b. gmo. 27, 1729, m., IImo. 16, 1732, Thomas Wharton;
Sarah, b. 2mo. 27, 1731;
William, b. 6mo. 12, 1732;
Jacob, b. 6mo. 12, 1732;
Susannah, b. 6mo. 4, 1734, m., Iomo. 15, 1767, William Wharton ; Hannah, b. 9mo. 4, 1735.
Rebecca, b. 3mo. 30, 1705, d. 7mo. 10, 1705;
Timothy, b. 5mo. 8, 1706, d. 7mo. II, 1708;
Rachel, b. 8mo. II, 1707, d. 9mo. 12, 1771; m., Iomo. 2, 1751, Samuel Emlen, b. 2mo. 15, 1697, d. 1783;
Timothy, b. 12mo. 13, 1708, d. Imo., 1709.
WILLIAM HUDSON, second son of William and Mary (Richardson) Hud- son, born in Philadelphia Imo. 31, 1696, followed the business of his father, that of tanning, and was a successful business man, leaving a large estate. He did not, however, participate so largely in public affairs as his distinguished parent. He married, at Evesham Friends' Meeting, New Jersey, 8mo. 22, 1717, Jane, daughter of William and Elizabeth Evans of Evesham, who was born in New Jersey 8mo. I, 1699, and died in Philadelphia 5mo. 15, 1759. William Hudson (lied 7mo. 22, 1752.
Issue of William Jr. and Jane (Evans ) Hudson :-
Sarah, b. 5mo. 30, 1718, d. 8mo. 5, 1780; m., Dec. 30, 1737, John Langdale, of Philadelphia, b. 1715, d. 9mo. 18, 1769, and had issue :-
Rachel, b. 3mo. 7, 1738, d. IImo. 1773;
Josiah, b. Iomo. 18, 1739;
William, b. 5mo. 22, 1741, d. 6mo. 10, 1741;
John, b. 7mo. 22, 1742, d. 12mo. 23, 1765; m., Iomo. 26, 1765, Alice Coates ;
Margaret, b. 7mo. 9, 1744, d. y .;
William Hudson, b. gmo. 22, 1747, d. 12mo. 1772;
Elizabeth, b. IImo. 13, 1749-50, m., 2mo. 9, 1797, John Balderston, of Solebury, Bucks county, Pa. ;
Margaret, b. 3mo., 1752;
Jane, b. Imo. 3, 1755, m., Aug. 15, 1777, Dr. Thomas Parke ;
Samuel, b. Iomo. 16, 1759.
Mary, b. 12mo. 22, 1719-20, d. 7mo. 1, 1795, unm .;
Elizabeth, b. 12mo. 20, 1721-2, d. 5mo. 22, 1783, an eminent minister among Friends; m. Anthony Morris;
Rachel, b. IImo. 26, 1723; m., Oct. 2, 1741, John Jorey; (second), IImo. 28, 1769, John Hunt ;
Jane, b. Imo. 4, 1725-6, d. 6mo. 22, 1768, unm .;
William, b. 8mo. 29, 1728, d. Imo. I, 1731-2, of smallpox ;
Susannah, b. 8mo. 30, 1729, d. 12mo. 25, 1731, of smallpox ;
Susannah, b. 4mo. 10, 1733, d. 7mo. 20, 1817, unm .;
Margaret, b. 2mo. 16, 1734, d. 5mo. 7, 1734;
Margaret, b. 5mo. 17, 1735, d. 6mo. 3, 1735;
Samuel, b. 8mo. 6, 1736, d. IImo. 2, 1793, m., 3mo. 5, 1761, Martha, dau. of Rees Lloyd. She d. Iomo. 3, 1780, aged 39 years.
SWIFT FAMILY
Among the adherents of the English Church who settled in Philadelphia in Colonial days were two brothers, John Swift and Joseph Swift, and their sister, Mary Swift, who married Matthias Keen, of Philadelphia.
Their father, John Swift, brought them from Bristol, England, about 1737 or 1738, to place them in the care of their uncle, John White, a successful merchant of Philadelphia, and then returned to England. John White, an Eng- lishman by birth, had formed a partnership with Abram Taylor, a fellow- countryman, as early as 1724. In their commercial undertakings they were very successful, and John White, with a view of offering a better business opening to the children of his sister, invited them to Philadelphia.
John White in 174I returned to his native land, leaving his nephews and nieces in the care of his partner. He established himself at first at Bristol and afterwards, when he had retired from business, at Croydon in Surrey. His portrait by Sir Godfrey Kneller is still in the family. John White's arms as painted on his china and engraved on the silver, are :- Gules, a bordure sable charged with eight estoiles or ; on a canton ermines, a lion rampant sable. Crest, -on the china, an ostrich, but on the silver a stork. John and Joseph Swift and their sister Mary, were the children of John Swift and Mary White, his wife. John was born in 1720, Mary in 1726, and Joseph on June 24, 1731. They were all born in England. The coat-of-arms of the Swifts was :- Or, a chev. barry nebulée ar. and az. between three rebucks courant ppr.
JOHN SWIFT, who was a young gentleman fond of society, in 1740 arranged a number of dancing parties or "assemblies," as they were called at that time. In 1743 he went back to England to join his uncle, where he remained until 1747, when he returned to Philadelphia. In this city he became a successful merchant and a prominent and influential individual in the affairs and the social life of the town. In the winter of 1748-9 he was primarily instrumental, together with Lynford Lardner, also an Englishman, and John Wallace and John Inglis, both Scotchmen, in planning and organizing a series of dancing parties, known as the "Assemblies." Thus was inaugurated a long series of balls that have become historic in the annals of Philadelphia, and are known to-day as "The Philadel- phia Assemblies." During the winter of 1748-9, six Assemblies were given under the management of four Directors; Lynford Lardner, John Inglis, John Wallace and John Swift. There is a tradition in the Swift family, that has come down in two different lines, that the first meeting at which the Assemblies originated was held at John Swift's house. There were fifty-nine subscribers in all, and as an invitation was extended to the family of every head of a family who subscribed, probably some two hundred persons were eligible to attend the dances. The subscription was two pounds sterling. Three manuscript relics of those gay festivities have come down to us: the rules to govern the dances, the list of the original subscribers, and the Treasurer's Account-book. Except the signatures of the subscribers, all three documents are in the handwriting of John Swift.
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On October 4, 1757, John Swift was elected a Common Councilman of Phil- adelphia, and so continued to serve until about the end of 1764, and in that office devoted much time to the service of the city. In 1762 he was appointed by the Crown, Collector of the Port of Philadelphia, and during the ten years that he served in that office, a large part of his time was occupied in preventing the landing of cargoes without the payment of duties. He had to cope with all sorts of subterfuges on the part of the smugglers in their attempts to avoid the payment of duties. For example, sometimes the clearance papers were altered during the voyage. And on two occasions the smugglers resorted to acts of piracy in the Delaware River to accomplish their purpose, as some of his letters in the collections of The Historical Society of Pennsylvania show.
John Swift married (first), May 29, 1749, at Christ Church, Magdalene (Kol- lock), widow of Jasper McCall, and daughter of Jacob Kollock; (second) Rebecca Kollock, a niece of his first wife. During the latter part of his life he lived at his country seat, "Croydon Lodge", Bensalem township, Bucks county, where he died. January, 1802. A portrait of him belonged, in 1855, to his granddaughter Magdalene Peel Swift.
Issue of John and Magdalene (Kollock ) Swift :-
John White Swift, b. Philadelphia, Jan. 30, 1749-50, graduated at Academy and College of Philadelphia, 1767, and received degree of A. M. at same institution in 1770; en- tered counting house of Thomas Wharton Jr., 1768; a merchant at Lisbon, 1771-4, and at Quebec, Canada, 1774-5; joined American army on approach of Gen. Montgomery, was wounded in the attack on Quebec, and was appointed Inspector of Accounts and Works at Montreal by Gen. Worster; resigned from army on declaration of inde- pendence, and became purser on the "Empress of China", first ship to enter port of Canton under American flag, in 1784; d. unm. in Bucks county, in 1818;
Alice Swift, b. Feb. 20, 1750-1; m. at "Croydon Lodge", Bucks county, Nov. 22, 1778, Robert Cambridge, son of Robert Livingston, proprietor of Livingston Manor, New York; and (second) James, son of Patrick Crauford of Ayrshire, Scotland, officer in British army;
Joseph Swift, b. Feb. 9, 1752; graduated at College and Academy of Philadelphia, 1769, and entered counting house of his uncle Joseph Swift, left to accept the captaincy in the Pennsylvania Loyalist Troop of Horse, Dec. 12, 1777, and served with it in British army until close of war, when he settled at Frederickton, Nova Scotia, and m. Ann, dau. of William Fowler, from New York; returned to Pennsylvania, 1799, and resided in Bristol, Bucks county; d. there 1810;
Charles Swift, b. Aug. 26, 1757; educated at College and Academy of Philadelphia; ad- mitted to Philadelphia Bar March 9, 1779; Register of Wills, Philadelphia county, May 19, 1800, to April 12, 1809; d. at "Croydon Lodge", Bucks county, Oct. 8, 1813, bur. at St. James P. E. Church, Bristol, Bucks county; m., Dec. 31, 1783, Mary, dau. of Thomas Riche, Esq., of Bucks county, who d. Feb. 7, 1790; (second) Mary Bad- ger Inman, dau. of Bernard and Susanna (Riche) Badger, and widow of Capt. George Inman of British Army, in 26th Regiment of Foot; d. at "Croydon Lodge", Bucks county, April 7, 1833. Was a founder of Philadelphia Academy of Fine Arts, in 1805;
John, son of Charles and Mary (Riche) Swift, b. Philadelphia, Jan. 21, 1790; graduated at Univ. of Pa., 1808; was admitted to the Philadelphia Bar March 16, 18II; was Captain of Second Company of "Washington Guards" in the War of 1812, and later Colonel; was one of committee in charge of "Military Birth Night Ball" given in Washington Hall on Washington's birthday, 1818; elected member of "State in Schuylkill", Oct. 12, 1822; Chief Marshal of the civic division, of the Lafayette parade, Sept. 21, 1824; Mayor of Philadelphia, 1832-41, and again 1845-9; one of the most popular and efficient chief magistrates of the city; on occasion of a revolt of the prisoners, in the old jail, at south-east corner of Sixth and Walnut streets, Mayor Swift, hearing the commotion, reached the jail in time to see several prisoners coming down the steps. He immediately shot one of them and drove the others back to their cells. He was an enthusiastic supporter of Henry Clay for the presidency, 1844, and the "great pacificator" was entertained at his house for several days, while making his campaign in Philadelphia. Mr. Swift d. Philadelphia, June 9, 1873. M. March II, 18II, Mary, dau. of Commodore Truxton of the U. S. N. His portrait, by Thomas Sully, shows a man of much force of character.
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JOSEPH SWIFT, younger son of John and Mary (White) Swift, born June 24, 1731, went to England in 1747, resided with his uncle John White at Croy- don, county Surrey, and attended school at Manchester, becoming a proficient French and Latin scholar. He returned to Philadelphia on completion of his education, and entered into the mercantile business with his brother John Swift. He was a signer of the Non-importation Agreement of 1765, and one of the committee of Philadelphia merchants which included Robert Morris, Tench Francis, and others, who secured the refusal of John Hughes (who was by royal commission to distribute the obnoxious stamps), to make any effort to enforce the provisions of the Stamp Act, and was honored by a vote of thanks by the Assembly of New Jersey, passed October, 1769, for their patriotic action in that behalf. Joseph Swift was elected to Common Council of Philadelphia October 6, 1767, and was chosen as one of Board of Aldermen for the city, under the Act of March 11, 1789. He was a vestryman of Christ Church for forty years, and represented that parish in the diocesan conventions 1785-1802. He became one of the first board of trustees of the Protestant Episcopal Acad- emy, in 1785, and filled that position until his death on December 26, 1806. He resided for many years on the west side of Front street, between Market and Chestnut, near his place of business, and later on the north side of Pine street, between Third and Fourth streets, and also had a country seat near Germantown.
Joseph Swift married at Christ Church, February 3, 1759, Margaret, born in Philadelphia, April 6, 1731, daughter of George McCall, one of Philadelphia's early Colonial merchants, and a prominent ironmaster, by his wife Anne Yeates, daughter of Jasper Yeates, Provincial Councillor of Pennsylvania, by his wife Catharine, daughter of James Sandelands, one of the earliest settlers at Upland, now Chester, Pennsylvania. Margaret McCall Swift died December 16, 1804. Issue of Joseph and Margaret (McCall) Swift :-
Eleanor Swift, b. Jan. 6, 1760, d. in Philadelphia, Sept. 19, 1787, unm .;
John White Swift, b. March 12, 1761, d. Nov. 19, 1761;
Anne Swift, b. July 19, 1762, d. Dec. 30, 1764;
George Swift, b. 1764, d. Sept. 19, 1794, unm .;
Joseph Swift, b. Dec. 14, 1765; several years merchant in Philadelphia, later resident of Lancaster county; m. and left issue;
John White Swift, b. March 5, 1767, d. May 15, 1852; merchant in Philadelphia; d. unm .;
Margaret McCall Swift, b. March 20, 1768, d. May 9, 1822, unm,;
Martha Swift, b. Oct. 30, 1769, d. July 2, 1793, unm .;
SAMUEL SWIFT, b. Jan. 12, 1771, d. Nov. 28, 1847; m. Mary Shippen; of whom presently;
Elizabeth Swift, b. April 1, 1772, d. Jan. 24, 1857, unm .;
Anne Shippen Swift, b. Nov., 1773, d. April 5, 1774;
Archibald McCall Swift, b. 1775, d. Dec. 5, 1779; William Swift, d. unm.
SAMUEL SWIFT, son of Joseph and Margaret (McCall) Swift, born in Phila- delphia, January 12, 1771, graduated at University of Pennsylvania, in the class of 1786, studied law with his mother's cousin Judge Jasper Yeates, later Chief Justice of Pennsylvania, and was admitted to Philadelphia Bar. He early manifested a lively interest in political matters, espousing the cause of the Democratic party, and advocating their policy in a number of articles published
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in Philadelphia journals, displaying considerable vigor, candor, and polish, and evidencing careful and intelligent research on the questions treated. He also possessed considerable poetic talent, which he cultivated and exercised up to the time of his decease, being the author of a number of poems of considerable merit. He lived at his country seat known as "The Grove", near Germantown, the greater part of his life, and died there November 28, 1847, and both he and his wife are buried at Trinity Episcopal Church, Oxford township, Philadelphia county, of which he was a vestryman.
Samuel Swift married, February 11, 1793, Mary, born in Philadelphia, May 17, 1773, daughter of Hon. Joseph Shippen, many years Clerk of Provincial Council, and later Judge of Court of Common Pleas of Lancaster county, by his wife Jane Galloway; granddaughter of Edward Shippen "of Lancaster" and niece of Chief Justice Edward Shippen. She was born in Philadelphia, May 17, 1773, and died June 2, 1809, and is buried at Trinity Church, Oxford, of which she and her husband were members.
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