Historical collections relating to Gwynedd, a township of Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, settled, 1696, by immigrants from Wales, with some data referring to the adjoining township, of Montgomery, also settled by Welsh, Part 13

Author: Jenkins, Howard Malcolm, 1842-1902
Publication date: 1897
Publisher: Philadelphia, Pa., The author
Number of Pages: 496


USA > Pennsylvania > Montgomery County > Gwynedd > Historical collections relating to Gwynedd, a township of Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, settled, 1696, by immigrants from Wales, with some data referring to the adjoining township, of Montgomery, also settled by Welsh > Part 13


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The origin of the Evans family, in Wales, is indicated by notes given on a following page by the late Mrs. William Parker Foulke, the ancestress 2 of her husband having been the daughter of Robert Evans. Her facts are drawn from a very elaborate family document prepared by the late Rowland E. Evans, son of Cadwalader of Philadelphia. It traces the descent of the four brothers of Gwynedd back to Mervyn Vrych, King of Man, who was killed in battle with the King of Mercia, A. D. 843. Mervyn married Essylt, daughter and sole


1 This and the Genealogies immediately following are inserted at this place in the volume because they begin with the first settlers, and present a large part of the availa- ble details in relation to them and to the early history of the township. The fact that they continue to the present time is unavoidable, and probably not seriously objection- able,- even if a more strenuous attempt had been made to give a strictly consecutive arrangement to all the contents of the book.


2 Mary Foulke, wife of Cadwallader.


148


HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS OF GWYNEDD.


heiress of Conan Tyndaethwy, King of Wales (who d. 818 or 820). Both Mervyn and Essylt traced their descent from Lludd, King of Britain, brother of Caswallon, the chief who resisted the invasion of Cæsar, before the Christian era.


Passing over, however, a number of intermediate genera- tions,1 from Mervyn Vrych, the following may be noted :


I. David Goch, of Penllech, appears to have been a lessee of crown lands in Caernarvonshire, in the 18th year of Edward II., and to have been living on November 9, 1314. He m. Maud, dau. of David Lloyd (who traced descent from Owen Gwynedd, Prince of Gwynedd), and had three sons, one being


II. Ievan Goch, of Graianoc and Penllech, who appears as one of the jury to take the extent of the hundred of Cymytmaen, in 1352 .- His ownership of certain lands is shown in titles of that period. He m. Eva, dau. of Einion ap Cynvelyn (who traced descent from Bleddyn, Prince of Wales) ; and had two sons, the eldest being


III. Madoc, who appears in the Cwn Amwlch pedigree as "ancestor of the gentlemen of Ysbitty Evan," in Denbighshire. His son was IV. Deikws ddu, who m. Gwen, dau. of Ievan ddu (who traced his descent to Maelor Crwm, head of the 7th of the noble tribes of Wales), and had a son,


V. Einion, who m. Morvydd, dau. of Matw ap Llowarch, and had a son,


VI. Howel, who m. Mali, dau. of Llewellyn ap Ievan, and had a son,


VII. Griffith, who m. Gwenllian, dau. of Einion ap Ievan Lloyd, and had four children, the third being


VIII. Lewis, who m. Ethli, dau. of Edward ap Ievan, and had six chil- dren, the fourth being


IX. Robert, who m. Gwrvyl, dau. of Llewellyn ap David, of Llan Rwst, Denbighshire, and had by her six sons and six daughters, the fourth being


[] Mr. Thomas A. Glenn, in his volume " Merion in the Welsh Tract," 1896, gives all these at length, and also very fully the generations which are here summarised, David Goch to Evan Robert Lewis .- Note, 1895.]


149


EVANS FAMILY GENEALOGY.


X. Ievan, known as Evan Robert Lewis. He was living, probably a young man, in 1601. He removed from Rhiwlas (or its neighbor- hood), in Merionethshire, to Fron Goch (probably in Denbigh- shire), and there passed the remainder of his life.1 He had five sons, all taking for themselves, in the Welsh manner, the sur- name ap Evan :


I. John ap Evan.


2. Cadwalader ap Evan.


3. Griffith ap Evan.


4. Owen ap Evan.


5. Evan ap Evan.


XI. Evan ap Evan was the father of the four brothers who came to Gwynedd in 1698 (and of Sarah, their sister, who came with them, and m. Robert Pugh). He was twice married ; by his first wife he had two daughters, by his second four sons, -the Gwyn- edd settlers.


From the other sons of Evan Robert Lewis, others of the Welsh settlers in Pennsylvania were descended. John ap Evan, it is stated, had several children, and one account2 says that two of them were William John, of Gwynedd (the purchaser, with Thomas Evans, of the township), and Griffith John,3 of Merion, (who d. 1707). This would make William John and Thomas Evans first cousins, and such a relationship is very probable.


Cadwalader ap Evan, the second son of Evan Robert Lewis, it is stated, left no children. "Of Griffith ap Evan nothing is known." The descendants of Owen ap Evan are very numer- ous; they form the Owen Family, the posterity of Robert (and


1 In the Genealogy of the Owen Family, descended from his son Owen, it is said he was "an honest sober man," and was born "near the end of the reign of Queen Elizabeth."


2 A MS. in the possession of Hannah Evans, Moorestown, N. J.


3 Griffith John was the father of John Griffith, who m. Grace Foulke, dau. of Edward, and of Evan Griffith, who married John Humphrey's step-daughter, Jane Jones.


150


HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS OF GWYNEDD.


Jane) Owen, of Merion,1 who came from Wales in 1690, and d. 1697 ; and the Cadwalader family are his descendants also, in the female line.


Beginning, then, the account of the Evans family in this country,2 and making the immigrants the First Generation, we have the following


Genealogical Sketch.


[NOTE -The surname, in this Genealogy, of all whose names are given with Arabic figures on the left, is EVANS, except where otherwise explicitly stated. Female lines are not followed out. The character {, at the end of a paragraph, means that the son mentioned is again taken up as the head of a family, and fuller details given concern- ing him. The Roman numerals at the beginning of paragraphs, and at the head of lists of children, show the generation ; the Arabic numbers, running through the Gene- alogy, are distinctive, each person having his own, by which he may be identified wherever named subsequently ]


Children of Evan ap Evan, of Wales :


I. Thomas ap Evan. ₺


2. Robert ap Evan. ₺


3. Owen ap Evan. ₺


4. Cadwalader ap Evan. ₺


5. Sarah ap Evan. ₺


1 I have consulted freely a MS. Genealogy of the Owen Family, belonging to George S. Conarroe, Esq., of Philadelphia. (It is a copy of one originally made by Rowland Evans.) Owen ap Evan had three sons, Robert, Owen, and Evan, and two daughters, Jane, who m. Hugh Roberts, the Merion settler and preacher, and Ellen, who m. Cadwalader Thomas. Their son, John Cadwalader, " schoolmaster," came to Merion, from Pembroke, Wales, and m., 1699, Martha Jones, dau. of Dr. Edward Jones, of Merion. His son was Dr. Thomas Cadwalader, of Philadelphia, father of General John, and Lambert, of the Revolution. [See Genealogy of Owen Family, in T. A. Glenn's Merion in the Welsh Tract .- Note, 1896.]


2 Several copies of the Evans Family Record (mentioned on p. 58), begun in 1797, by Cadwalader Evans, son of Rowland, are extant. They vary in the extent of the information they present (having been added to, probably, each by its own copyist), but they differ very little, if any, on points of importance. One of these is in the possession of Charles J. Wister, Jr., of Germantown ; another, of Jonathan Evans, of Germantown ; a third, somewhat different, of Mr. Allen Childs, of West Philadelphia ; a fourth was furnished the writer by Susan Y. Foulke, of Norristown ; and still others would no doubt be brought to light by more extended search. Some of the facts given in them refer to a later date than 1797, and have evidently been added subsequently.


151


EVANS FAMILY GENEALOGY.


I. (1.) THOMAS EVANS, eldest of the four brothers, son of Evan ap Evan, immigrated from Wales, 1698. His first wife was ANN, who d. in Gwynedd, Ist mo. 26, 1716. He m., 2d, at Goshen meeting, Chester county, 10th mo. 14, 1722, HANNAH DAVIES, widow, of Goshen. HANNAH was then the widow of Ellis David, or Davies, of Goshen, who died Ist mo. 17, 1720. But before marrying him she was the widow of Reese John William, of Merion, who d. I Ith mo. 26, 1697. (See Jones Genealogy, in this volume.) In 1723, THOMAS EVANS removed from Gwynedd to Goshen, and died 10th mo. 12, 1738, "aged 87 years,"- which would make his birth in 1651. His wife survived until 9th mo. 29, 1741, when she d., "aged 85 years." All the children of THOMAS EVANS were by his first wife, as follows :


II. Children of Thomas and Ann :


6. Robert, d. 1754, m. Jane-, and Sarah Evans.


7. Hugh, d. 1772, m. Catharine Morgan, Alice Lewis, Lowry Lloyd. ₺


8. Owen, d. 1757, m. Ruth Miles, Mary Nicholas. ₺


9. Evan, d. 1747, m. Elizabeth Musgrave.


IO. Ann.


II. Lowry, m. Evan Jones, son of John, of Radnor, dec'd, at Gwyn- edd m. h., 4th mo. 8, 1711.


12. Ellin, m. Rowland Hugh, yeoman, of Gwynedd, widower, at Gwynedd m. h., 5th mo. 31, 1712. (Rowland's first wife was Catharine Humphrey, of Merion, whom he m. 8th mo. 8, 1708).


13. Sarah, m. Edward Jones, son of John, of Radnor, dec'd, at Gwynedd m. h., 6th mo. 25, 1715.


I. (2.) ROBERT EVANS, of Gwynedd, brother to Thomas, son of Evan ap Evan, immigrant from Wales, 1698. He was a preacher among Friends. His wife's name was ELLEN.1


1 I should feel uncertain as to this, but I have for it the authority of so careful an investigator as the late Mrs. William Parker Foulke.


152


HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS OF GWYNEDD.


He died in the first month (March), 1738, " aged about 80 years," which would have made his birth about 1658, and was bd. at Gwynedd. There is a brief memorial of him in the John Smith MS. collection of Philadelphia (Orthodox) Yearly Meeting, and numerous details concerning him are given elsewhere in this volume.


II. Children of Robert and Ellen :


14. Hugh, d. 1734, m. Margaret Roberts.


15. Evan, " father of Edward Evans, late of South st. [Phila.], and of Jane Much." (Family Record, 1797-1815.)


16. Lowry, m. at Gwynedd m. h., 5th mo. 28, 1701, Thomas Siddon, son of Anthony Siddon, of Upper Dublin. " She left a daughter, Susanna Swett, lately deceased in Phila., and Anthony Siddons, lately deceased, was a grandson of said Thomas." (Family Record.)


17. Mary, m. Cadwallader Foulke, Thomas Marriott. (For details of her line, see Foulke Genealogy.)


18. Ann, m. William Roberts, blacksmith, son of Edward, of Merion, dec'd, at Gwynedd m. h., 6th mo. 25, 1715. "She was the · mother of Robert Roberts and Evan Roberts, both dec'd about 1789 or 1790 in North Wales" [Gwynedd].


19. Sarah, m. Ioth mo. 2, 1714, at Gwynedd m. h., Richard Kinder- dine, " son of Thomas, late of Abington, dec'd." "She was the mother of Sarah Morgan, widow of Enoch Morgan, dec'd. Some of her children are now [1797] living in or near North Wales." 20. Jane, m. at Gwynedd m. h., 8th mo. 6, 1710, Edward Parry.


I. (3.) OWEN EVANS, of Gwynedd, third of the brothers, son of Evan ap Evan, immigrant from Wales, 1698, d. 10th mo. 7, 1723, in his 64th year, which would make his birth 1659. His wife's name was ELIZABETH. His will is dated 10th mo. (December) 4, 1723, and was proved December 20 ; he gives his son John a tract of 160 acres, "being on the south-west end of my land, with the house and plantation thereunto belonging." He makes bequests to his children,


153


EVANS FAMILY GENEALOGY.


Cadwallader, Elizabeth, Evan, Robert, Thomas, and Mary, and mentions Jane as dec'd. He names two grandsons, Owen, the son of Robert, and Owen, the son of Thomas. He appoints his wife Elizabeth executrix, and for overseers "my two brothers Robert and Cadwalader, my two sons, Evan and Robert, and my two cousins [nephews] Evan, son of Thomas, and his brother Owen."


II. Children of Owen and Elisabeth :


21. Thomas, d. 1760, m. Elizabeth Griffith.


22. John, d. unmarried, 1762. His will was probated Sept. 26. He leaves legacies to his sister Elizabeth Richards, his nephews Row- land and Samuel Richards, his sister-in-law, Elizabeth Evans, and her daughter Mary, his nephews Edward, Thomas, and Griffith Evans. He appoints his nephew, John Evans, executor and residuary legatee.


23. Robert, d. September, 1746, m. Ellen Griffith, Ruth Richards. ? 24. Cadwallader, d. unmarried. (The Family Record calls him "Cadwallader Owen ".)


25. Evan, d. 1728, aged 44, m. Phoebe Miles.


26. Mary, m. Ist, 3d mo. 3, 1708, Ellis Pugh, jr., of Plymouth, eldest son of Ellis Pugh, of Merion ; 2d, 9th mo. 16, 1736, William Roberts. She survived her second husband, and her will was made 3d mo. (May) 1748, and proved in August. She mentions her grandsons Ellis and Elijah Pugh, her granddaughter Mary Pugh, her "only daughter" Sina Walker (Abel Walker, of Tredyffrin, m. Sina Pugh, of Gwynedd, 4th mo. 13, 1727) ; her grandson, Isaac Walker, the daughters of her son, Ellis Roberts, her brothers John, Cadwallader and Thomas.


27. Elizabeth, b. 8th mo. 20, 1700, at Gwynedd, m., 2d mo. 21, 1726, Samuel Richards, son of Rowland, of Tredyffrin.


28. Samuel, m. 4th mo. 20, 1724, Hannah Walker, dau. of Lewis, of Merion.


29. Jane, d. before 1723. (As appears by her father's will).


I. (4.) CADWALADER EVANS, of Gwynedd, son of Evan ap Evan, youngest of the four brothers, immigrant 1698, b. in Merion-


154


HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS OF GWYNEDD.


ethshire, Wales, in 1664, d. at Gwynedd, 3d mo. 30, 1745. He m. in Wales, ELLEN, dau. of John Morris, of Bryn Gwyn (White Hill), Denbighshire. He was a preacher, after joining the Friends. A memorial concerning him, by Gwynedd monthly meeting, has already been cited (p. 85).


II. Children1 of Cadwallader and Ellen:


30. John, b. 1689, d. 1756, m. Ellen Ellis. ₱


31. Sarah, m. at Gwynedd m. h., 10th mo. 11, 1711, John Hanke, of Whitemarsh, yeoman ; and had issue several children : John, b. 1712 ; William, b. 1720 ; Samuel, b. 1723 ; Joseph, b. 1725 ; Jane, b. 1714, m. John Roberts (see Roberts Genealogy) ; Eliza- beth, b. 1716 ; Sarah, b. 1728. John Hanke made his will Dec. 12, 1730, and it was proved in May, 1731 ; he leaves his wife, Sarah, executrix, and mentions his " seven children," all named above ; also his cousin John Hank, to whom he leaves 8 pounds. He appoints his brother [in-law] John Evans, and his friends, Thomas Evans, son of Owen, of Gwynedd, and Jonathan Robe- son, trustees. His will indicates that he had real estate in White- marsh.2


I. (5.) SARAH EVANS, sister of the four brothers, dau. of Evan ap Evan, m. ROBERT PUGH (the marriage, doubtless, in Wales). She appears to have come over with her brothers.


II. Children of Robert and Sarah (surname Pugh):


32. Sarah, m. Samuel Bell. "They left one daughter, Hannah, who m. Evan Rees, of Providence township, near Perkiomen ; and had several children, one of whom, Samuel, m. a daughter of Colonel Jacob Stroud, of Northampton county ; he [Samuel] lived lately in Providence, and was a few years ago a member of


1 Two children, a son and daughter, died on the voyage from Liverpool to Phila- delphia, in 1698.


2 This John Hanke, or Hank, I think may have been of the same family as the mother of Abraham Lincoln. See some data relating to this, post.


155


EVANS FAMILY GENEALOGY.


Assembly for Montgomery county1, he now lives beyond the Blue Mountains, in Northampton county, where his father-in-law, Stroud, lived. His brothers, Evan and Daniel, and sister, Sarah, still live in Providence, and are of the Baptist church."(Doc. 1797.)


33. Evan. " He went to Virginia to live. One of his sons became a Baptist minister, and one a justice of the peace, in good circum- stances." (Doc. 1797.)


34. Ellen. "She m. first, John Rogers, and was the mother of Sid- ney Pickering, a Public Friend." (Doc. 1797.) Gwynedd records show marriage of "John Roger, son of Roger Roberts, of Merion," and Ellen Pugh, dau. of Robert, of Gwynedd, at Gwynedd m. h., 4th mo. 21, 1717. The will of Roger Roberts, 1720, mentions his son John Rogers (above) as then living.


35. Mary, m. Rowland Roberts. " They had a son Eldad, who was the father of John Roberts, Esq., now a justice of the peace, in Montgomery township." (Doc. 1797.) (See Roberts Genealogy.)


II. (6.) ROBERT EVANS, " of Merion," son of Thomas, b. in Wales, lived for some time in Gwynedd, moved to Merion, and d. there late in 1753 or early in 1754, "aged about 80." In June, 1705, his father conveyed him 298 acres in Gwyn- edd (part of his tract, and apparently the part adjoining Montgomery), which subsequently he sold to his brother Hugh. In these and other conveyances he is called " eldest son and heir," and " son and heir apparent " of Thomas, and in the later deed (conveying to Hugh) the recital, after stat- ing his purchase from his father in 1705, says he "built a messuage and other edifices, and made a plantation and other improvements " on the tract. In 1705 he is recorded as " of Gwynedd, yeoman." In 1709, however, in a con- veyance from his father, he is described as " of Merion," so that apparently he moved there between 1705 and 1709.


1 He was a member in 1805. (This illustrates the information later than 1797 con- tained in this document.)


I56


HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS OF GWYNEDD.


He appears to have been twice married : first, to JANE - -; and, second, to SARAH EVANS, of Merion, 4th mo. 4, 1705. (Haverford Records). His will, dated May I, 1753, was proved Jan. 22, 1754; he mentions his daughter Catharine Evans, his daughters Anne Tillbury and Jane Roberts, his son Cadwalader, his grandsons Robert Evans and Amos Roberts, and his granddaughters Sarah and Catharine Evans, daughters of Thomas. He appoints his oldest son, Thomas Evans, executor, and leaves him the farm he now lives on, in Merion, 315 acres. He appoints his brother Hugh and his friend Robert Roberts, "both of Merion," and his brother Owen, of Gwynedd, overseers.


III. Children of Robert and (Ist wife) Jane :


36. Elizabeth, b. 9th mo. 3, 1703. (Gwynedd Records.)


Children of Robert and (2d wife) Sarah :


37. Jane, b. Ist mo. 20, 1706, m. 8th mo. 31, 1723, Robert Roberts, son of Edward, of Gwynedd ; and had issue a son, Amos, whose son, George, occupying the old Robert Evans place, d. about 1831.


38. Thomas, b. 1707, m. Katherine Jones. ₹


39. Cadwalader, b. 4th mo. 7, 1709, d. about 1770, m. Ann, dau. of Joseph and Alice Pennell.


40. Catharine, b. IIth mo. 28, 1710, d. unm., in Philadelphia. Her will is dated in 1749, and was probated Feb. 2, 1758. She appears to have been housekeeper for her father, who lived in Philadelphia at the time of his death. Her will makes bequests to her sister Anne Tillbury, her nephew Robert Evans, son of Cadwallader ; her niece Catharine, dau. of Thomas ; and resi- due to her brothers Thomas and Cadwalader. She appoints Owen Jones executor, and Anthony Benezet and Isaac Zane trustees.


41. Hugh, b. 3d mo. 6, 1715.


42. Ann, b. Ist mo. 23, 1717, m. Thomas Tillbury, of Philadelphia, baker.


157


EVANS FAMILY GENEALOGY.


II. (7). HUGH EVANS, of Merion, son of Thomas, b. in Wales, lived for many years in Gwynedd, d. in Philadelphia, 4th mo. 6, 1772, aged 90 yrs. 2 mos. In 1716 he is recorded as " of Gwynedd, yeoman," and his removal to Merion must have been later. A minute of Gwynedd monthly meeting, Ioth mo. 27, 1715, says : "Our friend Hugh Evans, who Lately took a Trading Voyage to Great Britain, being re- turned, brought a Certificate from Haverford-West, which was read and gave a good acc't of his life and Conversation whiles in them parts." It was HUGH who related the inci- dent of seeing William Penn on his knees at prayer, as men- tioned elsewhere. He was a member of the Provincial Assembly, in 1722, and from 1746 to 1754 continuously. His will, dated 10th mo. 18, 1771, describes him as " of the city of Philadelphia," and "far advanced in years." He mentions his daughters Ann Howell and Susanna Jones, his grandson Hugh Howell, and granddaughter Abigail Howell, and appoints Samuel Howell and Ann executors. (June 25, 1772, his two sons-in-law took out letters of administra- tion, also). He m., Ist, Sth mo. 4, 1706, CATHERINE MOR- GAN (d. 6th mo. II, 1708), dau. of Cadwallader, of Merion ; 2d, 6th mo. 25, 1710, at Merion, ALICE LEWIS, dau. of James, of Pembrokeshire, Wales; and, 3d, 12th mo. 13, 1716, LOWRY LLOYD, of Merion, widow of Robert Lloyd, and dau. of Reese John William. Of his children by his first wife, if any, we have no account.


III. Children of Hugh and Alice :


43. James, b. 6th mo. 29, 1711.


Children of Hugh and Lowry :


44. Ann, b. Ist mo. 23, 1718, m. Ist mo. 8, 1744-5, Samuel Howell, son of Jacob, of the Boro' of Chester, and had issue : Hugh, Samuel (or Jacob?), Ann, m. Aaron Ashbridge ; Deborah, m. Daniel Mifflin.


158


HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS OF GWYNEDD.


45. Susanna, b. IIth mo. 25, 1719-20, d. May 4, 1801, m. May 30, 1740, Owen Jones, Sen. (b. Nov. 13, 1711, d. Oct. 9, 1793), son of Jonathan 1 and Gainor (born Owen), of Merion. The children of Susanna and Owen were as follows, surname Jones :


I. Jane, b. 1741, m. Caleb Foulke. (See Foulke Genealogy.)


2. Lowry, b. IIth mo. 30, 1742, m. May 5, 1760, Daniel Wister,2 merchant, of Philadelphia, (b. Feb. 4, 1738-9, d. Oct. 27, 1805), son of John and Anna Catharina; and had issue nine children, including Sally,3 Elizabeth (" Betsy ") ; John, m. Elizabeth Harvey; Susan, m. John Morgan Price ; Charles J., m. Rebecca Bullock.


3. Owen,4 b. Ist mo. 15, 1745, m. Ist, Mary Wharton, and had issue six chil- dren, all d. in infancy ; 2d, Hannah Smith, widow, who had by her former marriage four children.


4. Susanna,5 b. Sept. 4, 1747, d. Feb. 5, 1828, at Burlington, N. J., m. Sept. 2, 1779, John Nancarro ; and had issue John, jr., who m. Miss Quarles, of Baltimore.


5. Hannah, b. 1749, m. Amos Foulke. (See Foulke Genealogy. )


6. Rebecca, m. John Jones, of Lower Merion ; no issue. (J. J. had chil- dren by a former wife.)


7. Sarah, m. Samuel Rutter, and had issue : Thomas, Martha, m. Howell Hopkins ; and Rebecca.


8. Martha, d. unm.


9. Ann, d. unm.


IO. Jonathan, m., Ist, Mary Potts, of Plymouth, who died about a year after her marriage; 2d, Mary McClenaghan, widow (dau, of William Thomas, of Lower Merion), and had issue : Owen Jones, who was member of


1 Jonathan Jones was born in Wales, in 1680, the son of Edward Jones, " chirur- geon," and Mary Wynne, dau. of Dr. Thomas Wynne, one of the first settlers in Merion. Edward d. 1737, aged about 92 ; Jonathan lived to be over 90 .- See Dr. Levick's paper on old Merion families, Penna. Mag., Vol. IV. His son, Owen Jones (Senior), was a distinguished citizen, Provincial Treasurer from 1769 to 1776; his name was placed with those of Samuel Miles and William Wister, on much of the Provincial paper money. He died of yellow fever in Philadelphia in the terrible visitation of 1793. " General Washington pronounced him the handsomest and most venerable gentleman he had ever seen."-See portrait and sketch in C. J. Wister, Jr.'s, Memoir of Charles J. Wister.


2 See details Daniel Wister and his progenitors, Penna. Mag., Vol. V., p. 385.


3 It is her Revolutionary Diary, kept at Gwynedd, that is given elsewhere in this volume.


4 In September, 1777, he was one of the Friends arbitrarily arrested in Philadel- phia, and sent to Winchester, Va .- See Gilpin's Exiles.


5 She is repeatedly quoted by Watson in his Annals.


159


EVANS FAMILY GENEALOGY.


Congress 1857-59, and Col. of the Ist Penna. Cavalry, 1861-63. Owen's son, J. Aubrey Jones, Esq., now occupies the old Jones homestead, Wynnewood, Lower Merion.)-[Note, 1896; he is since deceased.]


46. Abigail, prob. d. unm. (In 1745, she signs the certificate of the marriage of her sister Ann.) As she is not named in her father's will, she was prob. d. before 1771.


II. (8). OWEN EVANS, of Gwynedd, son of Thomas, b. in Wales, d. at Gwynedd, 3d mo. 1, 1757, "aged 70," which would fix his birth in 1687.1 A brief memorial of him in John Smith's manuscript collection says : "His education was amongst Friends. He was of an honest and sincere disposi- tion, a lover of truth . . . zealous, active, and serviceable in our meetings of discipline. He was an elder about 14 years." In a deed to his son Samuel he describes himself as "storekeeper." His will, dated 2d mo. 18, 1754, was proved May 2, 1757. He leaves his son Samuel a lot of land, "adjoining a tract that I have already conveyed to him, containing 82 acres." To his " eldest son " Amos, he leaves a small legacy, " having provided well for him before." He mentions his daughter Margaret (a minor), and his granddaughters the children of Amos. He appoints his wife Mary executrix, with his " loving cousins" Thomas Evans, jun., Rowland Evans, and Evan Jones, overseers. OWEN was for many years a justice of the peace, by appointment of the Governor : his first commission appears to be that of August 25, 1726, and he probably served (by numerous re-appointments) to 1752, though it is not easy to distinguish him (in the record in the Penna. Archives) from Owen Evans, of Limerick, who was contemporary and also a J. P. OWEN was also a member of the Provincial Assembly, from


1 " He died," says one of the Evans MS. genealogies, " where Caleb Foulke, sen., now lives " (1797),-i.e. the old Meredith house ; now (1884) the estate of Jonathan Lukens.


160


HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS OF GWYNEDD.


1739 to 1750 inclusive. He m., Ist, at Radnor m. h., IIth mo. 3, 1715-16, RUTH MILES, dau. of Samuel and Margaret of Radnor ; and, 2d, at Philadelphia m., 2d mo. 29, 1736, MARY NICHOLAS, dau. of Samuel, yeoman, deceased. MARY survived him ; she d. 5th mo. 20, 1769, and was bu, at Gwynedd. She was a preacher, and the memorial of Gwyn- edd m. m. concerning her is in the Collection of 1787. " She was born in Philadelphia, in or about the year 1695, her father dying when she was young." After her hus- band's death, " she lived some years with her daughter, who was married and settled in Philadelphia, but returned back again within the compass of this meeting. Her last illness was lingering."




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