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 34
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HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS OF GWYNEDD.
Yorkshire, England, "near Moor Land," 8th mo. 18, 1695.1 Their children were William, Margaret, Ann, m. Jacob Bell ; Elizabeth, Robert, Josiah, Grace, m. Jones, and Owen Thomas ; Hannah, m. Prichard ; Enos. Ann, the mother, d. 4th mo. 21, 1772.
Still another Robert Jones, " of Gwynedd, cordwainer," d. 1745, probably unmarried. He left bequests to his cousin John Evans, to his cousin Elizabeth Evans, wife of Thomas, his cousin Owen Evans, son of Thomas; to Edward, Thomas, Griffith, and John Evans, sons of Thomas; to Cousin Peter Evans, to cousin Thomas Griffith, to his cousins, the children of Joseph Williams, etc.
1 As she was the daughter of William Coulston, of Plymouth, this fixes the place whence he came.
XXVII.
Biographical Notices.
Doctor Cadwalader Evans.
[ TE was born at Gwynedd, in 1716, the son of the first John Evans and his wife, Eleanor. Contemporary accounts present him as one of the most eminent professional men of his day. He studied medicine under the direction of the famous Dr. Thomas Bond, of Philadelphia, and afterward at the University of Edinburgh, and in London, when, returning to Philadelphia, he settled there, and soon enjoyed a large practice. He became a friend and correspondent of Franklin, and was deeply interested in scientific and philanthropic work. (He was elected a member of the American Philosophical Society, in 1767. In 1770-71, he appears among the managers of the " society for the cultiva- tion of silk.") He married, January 22, 1760, Jane Owen, daughter of Owen Owen, of Philadelphia, but had no children. His wife died 1768. A paragraph in the Pennsylvania Gasette, of March 17th, in that year, says :
Yesterday se'ennight died Mrs. Jane Evans, the wife of Dr. Cadwala- der Evans, of this city, much respected and lamented by all who knew her. [The funeral was large ; her remains interred at the Friends' burial ground in this city.]
And the same journal, July 7, 1773, has the following obitu- ary paragraph :
On the 30th of last month died, beloved and lamented, in the 57th year of his age, Dr. Cadwalader Evans, one of the Physicians of the Philadelphia Hospital, after a lingering Illness, which he sustained with that
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HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS OF GWYNEDD.
Composure and Resignation of Mind which are a certain Evidence and a happy Consequence of having filled the Sphere of Life allotted to him with Rectitude and Integrity. He was justly esteemed an eminent, candid, and successful Physician ; his knowledge was deep and liberal, his Principles rational, improved by an extensive Practice, a diligent Observation, and a penetrating Judgment. In his Sentiments he was liberal, in Argument solid, acute, and facetious, but above all in his Friendships he was ardent, steady, and sincere.
His Remains were interred in Friends' Burying Ground at North Wales, amongst many others of his ancient and worthy Family, attended by a large Number of respectable People, both from the City and Country.
In his will, dated January 24, 1773, and probated July 17, he appoints Abel James and Owen Biddle, merchants, of Philadel- phia, and his brothers Rowland and John Evans, executors ; who are to sell all his property, real and personal, not specially devised. " I give all my plate, which belonged to my late dear wife Jane, unto her beloved niece, Ann Biddle, the wife of John Biddle. I give the China Jarrs, which was my said dear wife's, to the daughters of the said John Biddle, and Ann Morris, the daughter of Tacy Forbes. I direct my said Executors to have made two silver pint canns and a silver Cream Jugg, one of the said Canns and cream jugg I give to my sister Margaret Williams, and the other of them I give to my sister Eleanor Lewis." The residue of his property he divides into four parts, one for his brother Rowland, one for his brother John, one for his sister Elizabeth, and the fourth in trust for his sister, Jane Hubbs, and after her death, for her three daughters, Rachel; Ellinor, and Mary.
John Evans (Second).
The second John Evans, of Gwynedd, called John " the elder," is thus described by the late Joseph Foulke :
"Among the remarkable persons that I recollect in those
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BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES.
early days [about 1800] was John Evans, the elder. He was a tall, spare person, with a long visage, and very wrinkled face. He carried a smooth cane, with a carved head and natural curve. He wore loops in his hat, with the rim slightly turned up behind and at the two sides. He and two or three others of Gwynedd were among the first who took a firm stand against the use of ardent spirits. They banished it from their houses and harvest fields, though in the face of great difficulties. One of the last meetings that John Evans attended, he spoke on this subject, saying that 'where he had endeavored most he had effected least,' but urging his hearers to persevere."
Rowland Evans.
Rowland Evans (b. 1718, d. 1789), son of John and Eleanor, of Gwynedd, and brother to Dr. Cadwalader, was prominent in public affairs for many years. He was appointed a justice of the peace in 1749, 1752, 1757, and 1761. He was a member of the Provincial Assembly for Philadelphia County in 1761, and from that year on to 1771, inclusive (except 1764). His residence was first in Gwynedd, and in 1760 he owned part of his father's tract. At a later date (as early as 1766) he removed to Providence, and he was in business there for a number of years. The Philadelphia Gasette, June 30, 1784, contains his card, announcing that he " has lately removed from his former Residence in Providence Township, Philadelphia County," and that he is prepared to draw " Deeds, mortgages, articles of agreement, and other instruments of writing, at his house on the east side of Fourth street, a few doors below Race street." September 14, 1785, he was appointed one of the Commissioners of the General Loan Office of Penn- sylvania, and he held this place until his death, August 8, 1789. Like his brother Cadwalader, he took an interest in scientific study, and he was elected a member of the "American Society
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HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS OF GWYNEDD.
for the Promotion of Useful Knowledge," which was united with the American Philosophical Society in 1769. The Pennsylvania Gazette of Wednesday, August 19, 1789, contained the following notice :
On Saturday se'ennight died Rowland Evans, Esquire, of this city, in the seventy-second year of his age. Previous to the revolution this gentle- man was for many years a member of the Legislature and a Justice of the Peace, both of which he filled with great ability, dignity, and applause. And since the conclusion of the war, he was appointed one of the Trustees of the general loan office of this commonwealth, which he held to the time of his death, and on Sunday following a great assemblage of people attended at the deposit of his remains in the Quakers' burial ground in this place [Philadelphia].
Cadwalader Evans, junior.
Cadwalader Evans, jr., was the son of John and Margaret. He was born at Gwynedd, December 25, 1762, resided there until 1812, when he removed to Philadelphia, and died in the city, in 1841. He received a good education, and with unusual energy and mental vigor, made his mark early. He was trained as a surveyor, and for many years, in his own neighborhood and . elsewhere, followed his profession with success. In the mature and later years of his life he performed important work in sur- veying in distant parts of the State, especially the western coun- ties. In 1790 he was first elected to the Legislature, and he then entered upon a lengthened career as a member of the House. He was chosen continuously from Montgomery county for nine years,-1790 to 1798 inclusive,-his colleagues includ- ing James Vaux, Jonathan Roberts, Nathaniel B. Boileau, Fred- erick Conrad, and other prominent and able men. Among these, though he was under thirty when first elected, he at once took a prominent part, being placed on important committees in his
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first year ; his name appears in many places in the House jour- nal coupled with that of Albert Gallatin, and others of the most distinguished members in that period. In 1798, the last year the Legislature met in Philadelphia, he was unanimously chosen Speaker of the House. Again in 1802, and in 1805, he was elected from Montgomery county, and in 1814, after his removal to Philadelphia, he was elected one of the city members.
In 1816 he sold the old family homestead in Gwynedd to Charles Willing Hare, Esq., of Philadelphia. He was one of the local directors of the Bank of the United States, after its re- charter in 1816. In 1813 he had been among the first to ac- tively urge the construction of a canal along the Schuylkill, from Philadelphia to the coal regions, and he was elected the first president of the Schuylkill Navigation Company, and served in that capacity for many years. In 1830, when, on account of advancing age, he resigned the presidency, the stockholders, at their annual meeting, voted that he should be presented a silver · vase as a testimonial of their high appreciation of his services. Joseph Foulke, in his manuscript Reminiscences, furnished the author, says of C. E. :
He began his distinguished career about the 18th or 19th year of his age. One of his first engagements was surveying for the road jury, and laying out what is now called the " lower State road," at least the western section of it terminating in what is now the Bethlehem turnpike. This was in 1786. He was a man of quick and clear perception, of ready utterance, and a powerful disputant ; he was eminently gifted in conveyancing, and in drawing instruments of writing. The last office he filled, I think, was one of the electors that made Gen. Harrison President, in 1840. As a surveyor in old time, though a young man, he stood high, and great confidence was reposed in him. He, Robert Loller, and Archi- bald McClean did most of the surveying in our parts until about 1807, when Cadwalader Foulke came to Gwynedd and took a large portion of the business.
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HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS OF GWYNEDD.
Samuel Medary.
The prominence of Mr. Medary, for many years, in the political affairs of the State of Ohio, and the several important public places which he held, entitle him, no doubt, to be regarded as one of the most distinguished men born in Gwynedd or Montgomery. He was born near Montgomery Square, in 1801. His father, Jacob Medary, was a farmer, in very moderate circum- stances, who lived in Montgomery township for a number of years.1 The son's education, such as it was, was obtained at the free school at Montgomery Square. About 1819-20, says his old friend, William Chapin, " when I first made his acquaintance, he was teaching the school at Gwynedd meeting. He was fond of reading, and eagerly went through the newspapers at Edward Jenkins's store. The identity of the different writers awakened his curiosity, and aroused his desire to write, too. I encouraged him to try, and he did so, sending his first article to David Sower, at Norristown, for insertion in the Herald, over the signa- ture ' Sylvanus.' Much to his gratification, and somewhat to his surprise, it was promptly printed, and he then wrote frequently, sometimes contributing poetry over the signature of 'Arion.'"
About 1822, he left Gwynedd for the South, going to Mont- gomery county, Va. There he married, and later determined to try his fortunes in the West. On his way down the Ohio river, by advice of a fellow passenger on the steamboat, he determined to settle in Ohio. ("He came to Clermont county," says his daughter, Mrs. Nevins, " in 1826.") He soon became conspicu- ous by his writing, and speaking at political meetings, strongly
1 In April, 1820, as appears by an old document among the Cadwallader Foulke papers, he was in Gwynedd, a tenant on George Ingels' farm (now Mumbower's mill and W. M. Singerly's), and his goods were levied on by Constable George Neavel upon a landlord's warrant issued by Esq. Giffin, to satisfy Ingels' claim for a year's rent, $275, and also another execution for debt. The sale was stayed, upon an arrange- ment by which an assignment was made to Cadwallader Foulke and others.
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BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES.
maintaining the Democratic cause, as represented by General Jackson. He presently established a small newspaper called the Ohio Sun ; in 1831 he was elected to the Legislature, serving for two terms as Senator. He was now one of the most prominent among the younger Democratic leaders of the State. " Mr. [Samuel J.] Tilden said to me not long ago," says Mrs. Nevins, in a letter, 1883, "that though my father was several years his senior, they were both very young men during the administration of President Jackson, and that they met at his table at the White House, both being enthusiastic admirers, and in a manner protégés, of that remarkable man."
In 1837 he removed to Columbus, the capital of the State, and purchased (or established ?) the Statesman, which under his direction became the leading party newspaper, through which he exercised for years a commanding influence. As part of his re- ward, his party made him State Printer, and in 1853 President Pierce offered him the post of minister to Chili, but this he de- clined. Later, President Buchanan appointed him Governor of the Territory of Minnesota, and he served as such a brief term. When Minnesota became a State, and was admitted to the Union, 1858, the President transferred him to Kansas, as Governor of that then distracted Territory. He there remained until 1860, and then returned to Columbus, where he established The Crisis, and conducted it until his death, November 2, 1864. The cause of his death (says his daughter) was obscure. He had been one of those who appeared to be poisoned at the National Hotel, in Washington, at the time of Mr. Buchanan's inauguration, in 1857, and he never appeared entirely well after that mysterious occur- rence.
Mr. Medary had twelve children, most of whom survived him. These were : Virginia (Mrs. Wilson) ; Sara (Mrs. Massey) ;
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HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS OF GWYNEDD.
Kate (Mrs. Blair) ; Louise (Mrs. Smith, who died in 1861) ; Missouri, who died in infancy ; Samuel Adams ; Flora (Mrs. Nevins) ; Charles Stewart, William Allen, Frederick Henry, who died in July, 1883 ; Laura Willey, and Jacob.
" When General Hancock was appointed a cadet at West Point, in 1840," says Mrs. Nevins, " my father was one of the Board of Visitors, and the General has told me that when he ar- rived there with his father, the latter took him to see his old friend, my father, before presenting him to the officers of the Academy."
'Squire John Roberts.
'Squire John Roberts, born in 1750, was for many years one of the most conspicuous figures in Montgomery and Gwynedd. I have already mentioned his store-keeping at Spring-House. After selling out there he removed to his Montgomery farm, where he permanently remained. He had been appointed a justice of the peace, in 1791, by Governor Mifflin, his commis- sion authorizing him to act for the townships of Hatfield, Mont- gomery, and Gwynedd, and he continued to act in that capacity until his death, which occurred June 17, 1823. He was a man of very considerable force and energy, a marked character in whatever he undertook. Samuel Aaron, afterwards the distin- guished preacher and teacher, was "brought up" by him, and so was Benjamin F. Hancock. "Tom Wolf," afterward Dr. Antrim Foulke's faithful servitor, lived with him. He is remem- bered by one of the older Friends, now surviving, as coming to Gwynedd Meeting occasionally, in winter time, in his sleigh, a tall man, dressed in gray. He transacted a large amount of business, including the settlement of estates, etc. His executors were Cadwallader Foulke and William Foulke, and a very serious part of their duty was the settlement of his ownership of a tract
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BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES.
of 751 acres on Bentley's creek, Bradford county, near Towanda. 'Squire John had bought it, in 1808, of James Chapman, who held under a Pennsylvania patent, but the lands were occupied by settlers under the Connecticut claim, and the 'Squire was obliged in 1815 to establish his rights by suits of ejectment. It was not until 1830, seven years after his death, that the business was concluded. He was never married ; his estate, after some bequests, went to collateral heirs.
'Squire Job Roberts.
Job Roberts, who was seven years younger than 'Squire John, but who survived to a much greater age, was also a man of marked character. He was born, lived, and died in Whitpain, but close to the Gwynedd line, and for many years he was one of the most conspicuous figures in the business and social circles of Gwynedd. Born March 23, 1757, he d. August 20, 1851, hav- ing passed nearly half of his 95th year. Early in life he showed both mechanical and agricultural enterprise. He did much to improve the methods of farming, planted hedges, introduced the feeding of green fodder to cattle, instead of grazing, built a barn which was enormously large, according to the usual standard, but which he soon had full of crops, and introduced, almost if not quite as early as Judge Peters, the use of gypsum, or land plaster. In a volume which he published in 1804, called " The Pennsylvania Farmer," he said he had raised from 10 acres of land 565 bushels of wheat ; and afterward, about 1820, as he stated to the late Hon. Job R. Tyson, he secured 360 bushels from a lot of 6 acres. He was one of the first in Pennsylvania to introduce and breed Merino sheep, and during the movement to establish the manufacture of silk he was one of its most zeal- ous promoters. " Various articles of his silk manufacture, such as cloth, stockings, and other parts of dress," were still in exist-
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ence, in 1856, of a date as far back as the Revolution. In 1780 he drove to Gwynedd Meeting in a carriage of his own manufac- ture, and this, it is said, was the only carriage then, and for 25 years after, seen at that meeting.
In 1791, Gov. Mifflin appointed him a justice of the peace, and he continued as such until 1820, when he resigned. He dis- played in that office a judgment and discretion so remarkable that he was widely known, much consulted, and generally es- teemed. Altogether, his learning, his enterprise, his abilities, and his fine character made him a notable figure of his time.1
Cadwallader Foulke.
Though born at Richland, Cadwallader Foulke spent twenty- five years of his mature life in Gwynedd, and died there. He was, besides his primary occupation of farmer, a surveyor and conveyancer, and in the pursuance of these occupations he went in all directions into the neighboring, and even distant, town- ships of the county for many years. Few men of business were better known in this section, and few had so high a reputation for exactness, intelligence, and good judgment within the line of his undertakings. His surveys were carefully made; and his drafts, many of which are still in existence, are found to be valu- able whenever consulted.2 He was the son of Samuel and Ann Foulke, and was born 7th mo. 14, 1765. He died 3d mo. 22, 1830. He was apprenticed in his youth to Edward Ambler, of
1In 1856, Hon Job R. Tyson read before the Montgomery Co. Agricultural So- ciety an elaborate biography of Job Roberts, which was printed, nearly in full, in the Germantown Telegraph, of December 17th, in that year. Mr. Tyson's address has furnished the material for most if not all of the published sketches of 'Squire Job's life.
2 Esq. John C. Boorse, of Towamencin, in a communication to the North Wales Record, April, 1884, said he had followed in his surveys many drafts made by Cadw. Foulke, and had always found them unusually satisfactory and accurate. " It appears that he always must have had his chain correct, and his compass in proper adjustment, and noting all the variations."
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Montgomery, to learn weaving, and in 1792 he married his first cousin, Margaret Foulke, daughter of Theophilus. As such a marriage was against the rule of Friends, it was not accom- plished " according to the order of the Society," but in the pres- ence of his cousin Theophilus Foulke, a justice of the peace, and subsequently Richland Meeting had the case up as a matter of discipline for some time. Cadwallader, however, continued a Friend, and he was a valuable member at Gwynedd. At his death he left to his son Franklin Foulke's charge a large collec- tion of business papers, including his own accumulations, and many from the estate of 'Squire John Roberts and others, and these, which ultimately came into the hands of Algernon S. Jenkins (one of the executors of Franklin Foulke), have been of much use in compiling the facts stated in this volume.
Charles Roberts.
He was the son of Joseph, of Montgomery, and was born at the old homestead (" White Cottage Farm ") July 26, 1784. The death of his father threw him at an early age upon his own resources, and he turned his attention to the occupation of teaching. After having charge of schools in Whitemarsh (1799), at Buckingham (1800-02), at Springfield, N. J. (1803), and attend- ing Westtown school for six months (1802-03), he went to Philadelphia, where, in 1805, he took charge of the Pine Street Friends' School. This he conducted with much success until 1818, meantime applying himself with diligence to the improve- ment of his own education. In 1822 he was elected a member of the Legislature from Philadelphia, and served one term. He became identified with many benevolent and business under- takings. He was one of the original directors of the Franklin Fire Insurance Co., a director of the Ridge Turnpike Co., a director of the House of Refuge, a member and treasurer of the
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HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS OF GWYNEDD.
Board of Guardians of the Poor, for many years a manager of the Pennsylvania Hospital, a manager of the Pennsylvania Co. for Insurances on Lives, etc., etc. Having married, in 1810, Hannah, the daughter of Solomon White, a successful merchant, he was much engaged in the oversight of property, the adjust- ment of business, etc., in addition to the engagements already noted. In person he was a tall and robust man, "fully six feet high, and of very strong bodily frame." He had his stature at sixteen, and from that age, he said in after life, he supported himself. Among his strong characteristics, says a memoir by a member of his family, were his particular and methodical habits, his excellent health, his regular and temperate order of life, his integrity and uprightness, his rule " not a dollar for extravagance or dissipation," and his method, " without haste, without rest." He died in Philadelphia, July 9, 1845.
Joseph Roberts.
Joseph Roberts, brother of Charles above, was born at Mont- gomery, March 22, 1793, and went some years after his brother, to Philadelphia, where he engaged in teaching in the Friends' schools. In 1822-3-4 he had charge of the William Penn Char- ter School. A reference to the lists of those who sent their sons to him shows many of the most prominent citizens of that time -Wm. Rawle, Chas. J. Ingersoll, Francis Gurney Smith, Thomas P. Cope, Horace Binney, and others, his students including Horace Binney, Jr., Alfred Cope, Henry Reed, John A. Dahl- gren, and others who became distinguished men. He was deeply interested in scientific matters, and corresponded with Bowditch, and others of kindred tastes. He was a member of the American Philosophical Society, and he received in 1829 the honorary degree of A. M. from the University of Pennsylvania. He died August 25, 1835, unmarried.
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BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES.
Benjamin F. Hancock.
He was born in Philadelphia, the son of Richard and Anna Maria, October 19, 1800. Richard Hancock, the father, a sca- faring man, was one of those seized by the British upon the pre- text that he was an English subject, and he was for some time confined in Dartmoor prison ; later, having returned home, he went on another voyage, and died of ship fever at sca. Mean- while, his wife, left in low circumstances, placed her son Benja- min with 'Squire John Roberts, at Montgomery, and he was brought up there. He married Elizabeth Hoxworth, daughter of Edward and Mary, and while he was teaching "the free school " at Montgomery Square, in 1824, his twin sons, Winfield S. and Hilary B., were born. He had been occupying his leisure time with the reading of law, and having completed his studies under the direction of Hon. John Freedley, and removed to Norristown, he was admitted to the bar of Montgomery county in 1828. He there continued to reside until his death, February I, 1867. He was prominent in his profession, but not aspiring, and he held no public position of distinction. For twenty or more years he was one of the directors of the public schools of Norristown, and from 1866 to his death, he served as U. S. Col- lector of Internal Revenues. Early in the term of his residence at Norristown he was for some time district attorney of Mont- gomery county, by the Governor's appointment. His remains are interred in the Montgomery Cemetery at Norristown, with those of his wife.
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