USA > Pennsylvania > Colonial and revolutionary families of Pennsylvania; genealogical and personal memoirs, Vol. I > Part 61
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78 | Part 79 | Part 80 | Part 81 | Part 82 | Part 83 | Part 84 | Part 85 | Part 86 | Part 87 | Part 88 | Part 89
437
SHOEMAKER
daughter, Sarah Shoemaker, subject to a life estate to his wife Joane. The latter died February 2, 1701-2, and the whole estate vested in the Shoemaker family. George Shoemaker was one of the commissioners appointed by the Pennsylvania Assembly to lay out the York road, from Philadelphia to Howell's and Reading's ferry on the Delaware in 1711. He erected and operated a tannery at Shoemaker- town, and was one of the largest landowners in Cheltenham township. Some of his children were educated at Francis Daniel Pastorius' famous school at German- town. His wife Sarah died, and he married, about 1711, Christiana Brown, who survived him. George Shoemaker died intestate and letters of administration were granted on his estate, July 7, 1740.
Issue of George and Sarah (Wall) Shoemaker:
ABRAHAM, b. July 15, 1697; m. Amelia Levering; of whom presently;
Isaac, b. Oct. 23, 1700; d. Oct. 23, 1741 ; m. Dorothy Penrose, who after his death erected the mill at Shoemakertown, known for a century as Shoemaker's Mills, of which an account is given later in this narrative;
Jacob, b. Dec. 16, 1703; m. Margaret Conrad, and settled in Plymouth twp., Mont- gomery co .;
George, b. 1705; d. Jan. 28, 1776; m. Grace White; settled in Warrington twp., Bucks co., where he d. leaving three sons and five daughters;
Richard, b. April 26, 1707; d. Jan. 24, 1790; m. Agnes Cleaver, and was a farmer in Horsham twp .;
Elizabeth, m. James Delaplaine.
Issue of George and Christiana (Brown) Shoemaker:
Catharine, b. 1712; m. May 15, 1745, William Thompson;
Sarah, d. Dec. 13, 1758; m. March 17, 1736, Anthony Williams, of Bristol twp., Phila- delphia co .;
Barbara, d. Nov. 10, 1812; m. April 20, 1736, John Roberts, of Oxford, Philadelphia co .; Susan, d. Feb. 13, 1780; m. Sept. 15, 1740, Joseph Phipps, of Abington; Arnold, d. July 14, 1775; unm .; in Phila .;
Mary, d. July 6, 1762; m. Nov. 18, 1746, Thomas Livezey;
Samuel, b. March 17, 1725; d. in Moreland, March 19, 1818; m. at Byberry Meeting, April 24, 1754, Agnes Comly, b. April 20, 1732, d. s. p., July 23, 1822.
ABRAHAM SHOEMAKER, eldest son of George and Sarah (Wall) Shoemaker, born in Cheltenham, Philadelphia county, July 15, 1697, died in Bristol township, Philadelphia county, October, 1753. He married, March 26, 1722, Amelia, daughter of William and Catharine Levering, of Roxborough, Philadelphia. William Levering was born at Muhlheim, Germany, May 4, 1679, son of John Wigard Levering, who married, in 1674, Magdalene Boker, and grandson of Rosier Levering, a native of England, of Norman ancestry, by his wife, Elizabeth Van de Wall, a native of Wesel, Germany. Abraham Shoemaker was a farmer in Bristol town- ship, and a member of Abington Friends Meeting, of which he was an overseer, and its representative in the Quarterly and Yearly Meetings for a number of years. His will was dated September 21, 1753, and probated at Philadelphia, October 11, 1753.
Issue of Abraham and Amelia (Levering) Shoemaker:
WILLIAM, b. 1722; d. May 8, 1804; m. Oct. 25, 1752, Susanna Richardson, (second) Han- nah Tomkins; of whom presently;
George, a farmer in Cheltenham, d. Dec. 14, 1798; m. Feb. 25, 1754, Martha Livezey, and had issue;
438
SHOEMAKER
BENJAMIN, b. 1727; d. March 16, 1811; m. Mary Comly; of whom presently;
Abraham, a farmer and later a storekeeper, d. in Germantown, 1767; m. June 3, 1762, Lydia, dau. of Abraham Dawes, of Whitpain;
Sarah, m. (first) Jan. 30, 1742, Daniel Pastorius, grandson of Francis Daniel Pastorius, the "sage of Germantown," (second) Daniel Macknett; d. 1795; Catharine, d. unm.
WILLIAM SHOEMAKER, eldest son of Abraham and Amelia (Levering) Shoe- maker, born 1722, Bristol township, Philadelphia county, married (first) at Abington Friends Meeting, October 25, 1752, Susanna, daughter of Aubrey and Margaret Richardson, of Cheltenham, granddaughter of Joseph Richardson, of Oleithgo, by his wife, Elizabeth Bevan, and great-granddaughter of Samuel Rich- ardson, Provincial Councillor. She died June 22, 1782, and he married (second) July 9, 1795, at Abington Friends Meeting, Hannah Tomkins, a widow, by whom he had no issue. He died May 8, 1804, in his eighty-second year.
Issue of William and Susanna (Richardson) Shoemaker:
ABRAHAM, b. Dec. 3, 1753; m. Deborah Musgrave; of whom presently;
Daniel, b. Dec. 11, 1755; was for a time a merchant in Phila., later removed to Logans- port, Ind .; d. there, Dec. 4, 1830; m. Anna Martha Scott, of Phila .;
Jesse, September 15, 1757; was engaged in lumber business at "High Bridge," Delaware river; m. Charlotte Gibbs;
Sarah, b. Jan. 11, 1760; d. unm .;
William, b. Sept. 8, 1761 ; merchant at Chester; d. there April 1, 1838; m. Sarah Miers Bowman;
Lydia, b. March 1, 1763; d. at Stroudsburg, Pa., June 15, 1849; unm .;
Joseph, b. Jan. 20, 1765; d. in Phila., Sept. 21, 1829; m. Mary Priest, of Phila .;
Susanna, b. July 5, 1769; m. Malachai Fisher ;
Malachai, b. Jan. 5, 1772; m. Schaeffer; d. s. p .;
Elizabeth, b. June 15, 1774; m. Daniel Stroud, son of Capt. John Stroud, of Stroudsburg, Pa .;
Mary, b. Feb. 10, 1775; m. James Updegraff.
ABRAHAM SHOEMAKER, eldest son of William and Susanna ( Richardson) Shoe- maker, born in Cheltenham township, December 3, 1753, removed to Philadelphia, before coming of age, taking a certificate from Abington to Philadelphia Meet- ing, dated February 24, 1772. He studied law and was admitted to the Philadel- phia bar, and practiced his profession and that of conveyancing, with office at 124 South Fourth street. He was a witness to the will of Dr. Benjamin Franklin. He was commissioned an Associate Justice of the Philadelphia Courts, 1803, and held that office until his death, May 27, 1818. He married, at Christ Church, March 3, 1780, Deborah, daughter of Joseph and Esther (Bennet) Musgrave, born April 23, 1762.
Issue of Abraham and Deborah (Musgrave) Shoemaker:
Joseph, b. 1781; d. Sept. 27, 1798;
Susan, b. 1782; m. Fishbourne Wharton;
Deborah, b. Dec. 18, 1783; m. William M. Wharton;
Abraham, Jr., b. 1785; d. Nov. 1, 1832; member of Phila. bar, and succeeded his father as Associate Justice, 1818; m. by Mayor Wharton, Jan. 14, 1823, Hannah Huddel; d. s. p .;
William Wall, b. 1788; d. Oct. 20, 1794;
Esther M., b. Jan. 12, 1791; m. Louis C. Vanuxem;
Lewis, b. 1793; m. Elizabeth Allen;
Francis, b. 1796; m. 1825, Maria Stokes;
4.39
SHOEMAKER
Henry, b. 1798; d. July 14, 1839; admitted to Phila. bar, July 20, 1819; commissioned Clerk of Court of Quarter Sessions, Dec. 2, 1823;
Elizabeth, b. Jan., 1800; d. 1876; unm .;
Mary Ann, b. 1804; became second wife of Fishbourne Wharton ;
Josephine, b. 1805; d. July 6, 1805.
BENJAMIN SHOEMAKER, third son of Abraham and Amelia (Levering) Shoe- maker, born in Bristol township, Philadelphia county, 1727, inherited from his father one hundred acres of land in Cheltenham, part of the tract purchased by his great-grandmother, Sarah Shoemaker, 1686, lying on the York road at the intersection of Grave Yard lane, and lived there until his death, March 16, 1811, aged eighty-four years. He married at Christ Church, December 29, 1753, Mary, daughter of Robert and Jane (Cadwalader ) Comly, granddaughter of Henry and Agnes (Heaton) Comly, and great-granddaughter of Henry and Joane Comly, who emigrated from Bedminster, near Bristol, England, 1692, and settled in Warminster, Bucks county. Also great-granddaughter of Robert and Alice Heaton, who settled in Middletown, Bucks county, at about the same date. Henry Comly was born at Bedminster, England, and died in Moreland, Philadelphia (now Montgomery) county, March 16, 1727, aged fifty-three years. His wife, Agnes Heaton, whom he married at Middletown Meeting, Bucks county, October 17, 1695, was born February 9, 1677, died December 30, 1743. Their son Robert was born June 12, 1704, in Byberry, Philadelphia county, died in Horsham town- ship, March, 1770; he married at Horsham Meeting, November 27, 1727, Jane Cadwalader, who was for many years an accepted preacher of the Society of Friends. She was a descendant of John Cadwalader, an early Welsh settler in Warminster, who was a very eminent minister among Friends. Robert and Jane (Cadwalader) Comly had six children; Robert, married Sarah Jones; Agnes, married Samuel Shoemaker; Jane, married Nathan Lukens; Grace, married Isaac Parry ; Martha, married David Parry ; Mary, married Benjamin Shoemaker. Mary died March 17, 1793.
Issue of Benjamin and Mary (Comly) Shoemaker:
Levi, b. Jan. 6, 1754; d. y .;
ROBERT, b. Dec. 29, 1754; m. Martha Leech; of whom presently ;
Nathan, b. July 6, 1756; a tanner ; m. Sarah Miller, and had seven children;
Abraham, b. Nov. 10, 1757; d. y .;
Benjamin, b. Sept. 10, 1759; m. Jane Allen, of Falls, Bucks co .;
Amy, b. May 6, 1761 ; m. Benjamin Harper, and had one child;
Mary, b. Jan. 1, 1763; m. Thomas Shoemaker, a grandson of Isaac and Dorothy ;
Samuel, b. Dec., 1765; d. in Phila., 1793; unm .;
Eli, b. July 25, 1766; a merchant in Phila .; d. March 9, 1798; m. Rachel, dau. of Henry and Rachel (Strickland) Comly, of Byberry ;
Jane, b. Oct. 30, 1768; m. June 30, 1798, Anthony Hallowell;
Jacob, b. Aug. 4, 1770; d. y .;
Rebecca, b. Dec. 16, 1771; m. Atkinson Rose;
James, b. July 19, 1773; d. y .;
Comly, b. May 28, 1776; d. June 23, 1843; m. Sept. 17, 1807, Sarah (Bird) Shoemaker, widow of George Shoemaker, son of George and Martha, and dau. of Albrick and Abigail (Tyson) Bird, of Abington; lived at "Pleasant Valley," on the York road, below Shoemakertown; no issue; Mrs. Shoemaker d. 1845.
ROBERT SHOEMAKER, eldest surviving son of Benjamin and Mary (Comly) Shoemaker, born in Cheltenham township, December 29, 1754, died in Philadel-
440
SHOEMAKER
phia, October 8, 1796, and is buried in the Friends' burying-ground at Fourth and Arch streets. He took a certificate from Abington Meeting to the Southern Dis- trict Meeting of Philadelphia, March 22, 1773; engaged in business in Philadel- phia, and died there aged forty-two years. He married at Trinity Church, Oxford, Philadelphia county, 1781, Martha, born October 8, 1760, daughter of Isaac Leech Jr. by his wife, Martha Thomas. After her husband's estate was settled, Martha, the widow, moved back to her native township of Cheltenham, with her children and lived there until her death, December 23, 1849. Though reared in the faith of the Episcopal church, she, after her marriage, joined the Friends and was many years a member of Abington Monthly Meeting.
TOBY or TOBIAS LEECH, great-grandfather of Martha Shoemaker, and the first of the name to settle in Pennsylvania, was a son of Toby Leech, of Cheltenham, Gloucester county, England, and was baptized at the Parish Church there, January I, 1652-3. The family of Leech was an ancient and honorable one and many of its members bore for arıns, "Ermine, on Chief indented gules, three crowns or." and Crest, "Out of ducal coronet on an arm erect ppr. grasping a snake environed around the arm." Burke notes that it is recorded in an old pedigree that "One of this ancient family, living in Berkshire, near Windsor, in ye time of King Edward the Third, entertained and feasted three Kings in his house, one ye King of England, ye King of France and ye King of Scots ; which two kings were at that time prisoners to King Edward; which King Edward to requite his good entertainment and other favoures, gave him three crowns on his chief indented gules, ye field Ermine, which coat is borne by the name and family, dispersed into many countays."
Toby Leech, baptized and reared in the faith of the Church of England, retained membership in that church throughout his life, was married December 26, 1679, at Gloucester Friends' Meeting, to Esther Ashmead, a member of that Meeting. He came to Pennsylvania early in 1682, with his wife Esther and at least one child and accompanied by his mother-in-law, Mrs. Mary Ashmead. In conjunction with John Ashmead, Richard Wall and Everard Bolton, he pur- chased 1,000 acres of land in Cheltenham township, Philadelphia county, which township was named for his native town in England. His share of the 1,000 acres was three hundred acres, the surveys to the several purchasers with him being made under warrants dated November 10, 1682. He erected a corn and fulling mill and became one of the substantial business men of that section, and also became a large landed proprietor, owning at the time of his death 2,700 acres of land, his home plantation of 600 acres, two other plantations of 500 acres each in Philadelphia, 500 acres in Chester county, and 600 acres in New Castle county. He maintained large hunting grounds, kept up by his sons and grandsons, which was said to have given the name to Fox Chase, located on one of his plantations in Philadelphia county. He does not seem to have taken any active interest in public affairs until 1713, when he was elected to the Provincial Assembly and became one of its prominent members, being regularly re-elected until 1720. He died at his seat in Cheltenham township, November 13, 1726, and is buried at Trinity Church, Oxford, of which church he was a member. His wife Esther died August II, 1726, and is buried at his side.
441
SHOEMAKER
Issue of Toby and Esther (Ashmead) Leech:
Toby, Jr., b. in England, about 1680; d. in Cheltenham, Nov. 23, 1726-7; m. Hannah , and had ten children, most of whom married into prominent families of Phila- delphia co., and have left numerous descendants ;
Esther, b. about 1682; d. 1713; m. (first) Capt. Bartholomew Penrose, (second) Nathan- iel Poole; by Penrose, she had one son, Bartholomew, and two daughters, Dorothy, m. Isaac Shoemaker, and Sarah, m. Richard Mather;
John, b. about 1683; d. 1745; was a "vendue master" in Phila .; m. Mary Harrison, and left descendants;
Hon. Thomas Leech, b. 1685; d. March 31, 1762; Clerk of Provincial Assembly, 1723-27; member of Assembly, 1730 to 1749, and from 1756 to his death, in 1762; speaker of Assembly, 1758-59; one of commissioners, appointed by Provincial Assembly, to con- sider project of bridging the Schuylkill at Phila., 1751, and report probable cost; treas- urer of Philadelphia co., 1759; one of committee who procured the "Liberty Bell;" member of board of trustees of College of Philadelphia; thirty-two years member of vestry of Christ Church, and just prior to his death active in founding St. Paul's Church, where he is buried; m. (first) Ann (Stacy) Moore, dau. of John Stacy, and granddaughter of Robert Stacy, one of the first English settlers at Burlington, N. J .; m. (second) Mary Rivers, and has several prominent descendants ;
ISAAC, b. 1692; d. Dec. 10, 1744; m. Rebecca Hall; of whom presently;
Jacob, b. 1693; d. Jan. 28, 1750; Captain in Col. Edward Jones, Phila. Reg., 1748; m. (first) Isabella, dau. of Joseph Fisher, Esq., (second) Eleanor, dau. of Andrew Robe- son, Esq .;
Two other children of Toby and Esther Leech d. y.
ISAAC LEECH, fourth son of Toby and Esther ( Ashmead) Leech, born in Chel- tenham township, Philadelphia (now Montgomery) county, 1692, died there December 10, 1744. He inherited from his father 366 acres of land in Chelten- ham and later acquired several other large tracts, and was a wealthy farmer and tanner. He was one of the prominent and solid business men of his time, and was one of the two men suggested by the electors of Philadelphia to the governor for sheriff, with Owen Owen, 1727, the latter receiving the commission. He was commissioned a Justice of the Peace and of the Courts of Philadelphia county, 174I, and served until his death. He married Rebecca, born 1709, daughter of Joseph and Rebecca (Rutter) Hall, who after his death married Rev. Richard Treat, minister of Abington Presbyterian Church, 1731-77. Joseph Hall, father of Rebecca (Hall) Leech, was second son of Jacob Hall, who emigrated from Macclesfield, county Chester, England, arriving in Maryland, in the ship, "Friend- ship," of Liverpool, "the 3d. Day of 12th. Month, 1684," with his wife Mary, and sister-in-law, Sarah Charlesworth, children, Jacob and Sarah, and servants, Ephraim Jackson, John Reynolds, Joseph Hollingshead, John Evans, William Fowler, Isaac Hill, John Jackson and Isaac Gibbons, "and afterwards transported to the Delaware River, where the family arrived the 28th. of 3d. Month 1685." A great number of other servants arrived later in the "Amity," "Richard and Michael" and "Francis and Dorothy." The "Register of Arrivals in Bucks County," from which the above information is quoted, gives also the birth of three of the children of Jacob and Mary (Charlesworth) Hall, as follows: "Jacob Hall, born 8th of 12th Mo., 1679: Sarah, born 23d. of 5th Mo., 1683 and Joseph born IIth. of 12th. Mo. 1686." Jacob Hall settled first in Bucks county but removed later to Tacony, Philadelphia ; was a Justice of Philadelphia Courts from 1693 to his death, 1700.
Joseph Hall, second son of Jacob and Mary Hall, born February II, 1686-7, married Rebecca, daughter of Thomas Rutter, Esq., and settled in Oxford town-
442
SHOEMAKER
ship, Philadelphia county, where he was a brewer and miller. He was a vestryman of Trinity Church, Oxford, for many years. Died in Oxford in 1731.
Issue of Joseph and Rebecca (Rutter) Hall:
Thomas, of whom we have no further record;
John, a Captain in the Provincial service; residence, Byberry, Phila .;
Joseph, a tanner; m. Jan. 18, 1733, Mary, dau. of Joseph Fisher, Esq .;
Theodorus, m. April 29, 1729, Gertrude Goodwin; removed to Kingwood, Hunterdon co .; miller; drowned in Delaware river ;
Jacob, a Captain in Provincial service, 1748, and several times commissioned Justice of the Peace and of Philadelphia Courts;
Rebecca, b. 1708; d. July 1, 1785; m. (first) Isaac Leech, (second) Rev. Richard Treat, D. D .;
Susanna, m. (first) Joseph Harvey, (second) John Rush, of Byberry, and became mother of the distinguished Dr. Benjamin Rush, of Phila., signer of Declaration of Independence, and of Hon. Jacob Rush, Justice of the Court of Common Pleas of Phila. and of the Supreme Court of Pa .;
Sarah, m. Sept. 26, 1744, Rev. Samuel Finley, president of College of New Jersey, now Princeton University;
Hannah;
Ruth, m. Elisha Hall, Esq., of Cecil co., Md .;
Mary;
Charlesworth.
THOMAS RUTTER, native of England, came to Pennsylvania with William Penn as a "Smith" and received a grant of two hundred acres of land for personal services to Penn as a smith. He was a man of marked intelligence and energy, and was exceedingly prominent among the public-spirited men of his time in the development of the material interests of the infant Colony, being the first manu- facturer of iron in Pennsylvania. As early as January, 1702, "Thomas Rutter and Company" were possessed of 762 acres of land, as shown by the records of the Commissioners of Property. He was a persistent prospector for iron and other minerals and his efforts were at last crowned with success, as shown by a letter written to Jonathan Dickinson, 1717, which stated, "The last Summer one Thomas Rutter, a Smith, who lived not far from Germantown, hath removed farther up the country, and of his own strength has set up making iron. Such it proves to be, as it is highly esteemed by all smiths here who say that the best Sweed's iron doth not exceed it." The point "farther up the country" was on Manatawny creek, present limits of Berks, then Philadelphia county, where he had erected a smelt- ing furnace, later known as the Colebrookedale Furnace, and operated for many years by Philadelphia capitalists among whom were Anthony Morris and George McCall. Rutter also built the Pool Forge, sometimes referred to as "Rutter's Forge" in which he retained an interest. He resided on his plantation in Bristol township, Philadelphia county, 1693, but subsequently removed to Germantown, where he was a bailiff in 1706. He was a member of Provincial Assembly, 1713-14, and 1727-28. He was identified with a number of Indian treaties and enjoyed the respect and esteem of the more prominent Chiefs of the Delawares. He was a member of Philadelphia Meeting, but became a follower of George Keith in his schism of 1692 and lost membership. He died in Philadelphia, March, 1730. He married at Penn's Manor House, January 10, 1685, Rebecca Staples, and they were the parents of the following children :
Anne, b. Oct. 25, 1686; d. Aug., 1760; m. (first) Samuel Savage, (second) Samuel Nutt; both ironmasters;
443
SHOEMAKER
Rebecca, b. Nov. 9, 1688; m. Joseph Hall, above mentioned;
Thomas Rutter, Jr., b. Oct. 26, 1690; buried July, 1734; an extensive ironmaster, in con- nection with his father; member Provincial Assembly, 1729; m. (first) Sarah (second) Catharine, dau. of Cæsar Gheslin;
John Rutter, b. 1693; d. Nov. 17, 1735; m. Mary - -; Mary, m. Edward Rees, of Amity twp., now Berks co .;
Martha, m. - Doughty;
Hester, m. Henry Hockley, of Chester co .; member of Provincial Assembly, 1749-51; his sons, Thomas and James, also members of Assembly, from Chester co .;
Joseph Rutter, of Amity twp., d. 1732; wife, Mary, and son, Thomas, mentioned in his will.
ISAAC LEECH, son of Toby and Esther Leech, by his wife, Rebecca Hall, whose ancestry is above given, had issue as follows :
ISAAC LEECH, JR., d. Feb. 20, 1763; m. Martha Thomas; of whom presently ;
Thomas Leech, d. s. p., 1804; m. March 31, 1774, Mrs. Hannah Tyson;
Samuel Leech, b. Jan. 6, 1736; d. May 27, 1822; m. Anne Stewart;
Rebecca, m. Samuel Erwin, Esq., d. in Phila., July 26, 1798, in 74th year; she d. 1804; Joseph Leech, d. s. p., in Lower Dublin, Philadelphia co., March 23, 1805; m. June II, 1755, Ann Thomas, sister to the wife of his brother, Isaac;
Jesse Leech, b. April 4, 1741;
Mary Leech, b. May 4, 1743; became second wife of Archibald McLean, one of the leading men of York co., March 11, 1777.
ISAAC LEECH JR., eldest son of Isaac and Rebecca (Hall) Leech, born in Chel- tenham township, Philadelphia (now Montgomery) county, prior to 1730, died at the family seat there February 20, 1763. He was a man of large estate, a suc- cessful tanner and farmer, and prominent in the business affairs of his time. He married, January 25, 1753, Martha, daughter of Evan and Rachel (Livezey) Thomas, of Lower Dublin township, who after his death married (second) Rich- ard Martin.
Issue of Isaac and Martha (Thomas) Leech:
Isaac Leech, b. March 12, 1754; d. June 26, 1834; m. Sarah, dau. of Richard and Mary (Harvey) Holcombe, of Amwell twp., Hunterdon co., N. J., and was a tanner in Cheltenham;
Rachel Leech, m. at Abington Meeting, July I, 1779, Thomas Mather ;
Rebecca Leech, m. Benjamin Austin, of Moreland;
Martha Leech, b. Oct. 8, 1760; d. Dec. 23, 1849; m. 1681, Robert Shoemaker, of Chelten- ham.
Issue of Robert and Martha (Leech) Shoemaker:
RICHARD M. SHOEMAKER, b. Dec. 6, 1783; m. (first) Sarah Cleaver, (second) Amelia (Bird) Hallowell; of whom presently;
Martha Leech Shoemaker, b. Aug. 5, 1788; d. May 16, 1871; m. April 4, 1820, Ezekiel Cleaver, d. s. p .;
Rebecca Shoemaker, b. Jan. 14, 1793; d. s. p., April 14, 1860; m. May 15, 1817, John B. Ackley.
RICHARD M. SHOEMAKER, only son of Robert and Martha (Leech) Shoemaker, born in Philadelphia, December 6, 1783, removed with his widowed mother to Cheltenham, soon after his father's death in Philadelphia, 1796. In 1805 he engaged in business at Shoemakertown, which he continued until 1846, when he sold his real estate there and retired to "Pleasant Valley" the old family seat on the York road, below Shoemakertown, on part of the tract purchased by his ancestress, Sarah Shoemaker, 1686, comprising a farm of one hundred acres. He
444
SHOEMAKER
was a member of Abington Friends' Meeting for over seventy years and took a prominent part in all its works. He was married at Gwynedd Meeting, February 13, 1816, to Sarah, born March 8, 1792, daughter of Ellis and Elizabeth ( Miller ) Cleaver. She died March 31, 1825 ; he married (second) March 8, 1827, at Abing- ton Meeting, Amelia (Bird) Hallowell, widow of James S. Hallowell, and daughter of Jacob and Catharine (Thomas) Bird, of Philadelphia, where she was born February 10, 1792. She was a lineal descendant of Phineas Pemberton, "Father of Bucks County," many years member of Provincial Council, by his wife, Phebe, daughter of James Harrison, friend and counsellor of Penn, and also a Provincial Councillor in 1683, and Justice of the Supreme Court in 1686. Abigail, daughter of Phineas and Phebe (Harrison) Pemberton, married at Abington Meeting, October 30, 1700, Stephen Jenkins, and their daughter, Sarah Jenkins, married, June 24, 1727, Isaac Tyson, whose daughter, Abigail Tyson, married, April 7, 1763, Aldrick Bird, and Jacob Bird, father of Mrs. Shoemaker, was their youngest son. Mrs. Shoemaker died in Cheltenham, February II, 1868, and her husband, Richard M. Shoemaker, January 20, 1870. Both are buried at Abington Friends' burying-ground.
Issue of Richard M. and Sarah (Cleaver ) Shoemaker:
ROBERT, b. Feb. 1, 1817; m. (first) Elizabeth Moore, (second) Ann Summers; of whom presently;
Elizabeth, b. Oct. 17, 1818; m. Atkinson H. Walton;
Ellis C., b. Aug. 12, 1820; d. Nov. 10, 1841 ;
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.