History of Chester County, Pennsylvania, with genealogical and biographical sketches, Part 190

Author: Futhey, John Smith, 1820-1888; Cope, Gilbert, 1840-1928
Publication date: 1881
Publisher: Philadelphia, L. H. Everts
Number of Pages: 1162

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Nathan Sharpless (30), then of West Caln, married, 10, 10, 1741, at Birmingham Meeting, Hannah Townsend, daughter of Joseph and Martha, of East Bradford, born 6, 9, 1718, died 12, 31, 1790. They removed, perhaps in 1743, to part of her father's land, and in 1747 purchased 203 acres near by or adjoining, in Goshen, now a part of West Chester. Hannah married (second), 4, 13, 1758, Charles Ryant, and they resided on the farm of her former husband, in Goshen, until her son became of age. Chil- dren of Natban and Hannah : 51. Joseph, b. 1, 24, 1754, d. young ; 52. Martha, b. 9, 16, 1745, m. Jacob Haines ; 53. Lydia, b. 7, 27, 1746, d. unmarried; 54. Nathan, b. 9, 29, 1749, d. unmarried ; 55. William, b. 1, 9, 1752 (N.S.), d. 10, 11, 1817; 56. Hannah, b. 11, 15, 1753, m. Abel Otley.

Abraham Sharpless (32) married, 8, 2, 1751, Ann Young, daughter of John and Mary (Barber) Young, of Chester, by whom he had nine children,-Mary, Phineas, Phebe, Esther, Abraham, Lydia, Grace, Rebecca, and Enoch. Abraham, Jr., born 10, 16, 1758, married Dinah Flower, daughter of Richard and Alice, of Londongrove, and left four children,-Lewis, Ann, Jesse, and Alice. Lewis died in East Bradford, 7, 2, 1865, leaving three children.

Jacob Sharpless (33) married, 9, 23, 1748, at Concord Meeting, Ann Blakey, daughter of Charles and Susanna, of Philadelphia. She died in 1811, supposed to be about the eighty-sixth year of her age. They resided in Concord. Children : 57. Jobn, b. 9, 28, 1749 (O.S.), d. 10, 29, 1834 ; 58. Susanna, b. 5, 23, 1751 (O.S.), died young;

59. Nathan, b. 9, 28, 1752, d. 1, 9, 1837 ; 60. Lydia, b. 12, 31, 1754, m. David Dutton; 61. Joseph, b. 6, 12, 1757, died young; 62. Jesse, b. 11, 6, 1759 ; 63. Ann, b. 12, 28, 1761, m. James Carter and A. Jefferis; 64. Jane, b. 10, 23, 1764, m. John Haines ; 65. Martha, b. 10, 4, 1767, m. Joseph Pyle; 66. Hannah, b. 12, 8, 1770, m. William Phillips.

William Sharpless (34) m. 10, 30, 1747, Abigail Sharp, of New Garden, daughter of Joseph and Mary Sharp, and settled at Newlin's Mill, in Concord; Abigail married (second), 11, 22, 1752, Moses Palmer. Children : 67. Abraham, m. Phebe Valentine and Catharine F. Wistar ; 68. William.

Joshna Sharpless (38), of Middletown, married, 12, 15, 1768, at Middletown Meeting, Edith Yarnall, daughter of Nathan and Rachel Yarnall, of Edgmont, born 3, 13, 1743, died 1, 18, 1787, having been a minister twelve years. They settled at first in Kennet, within the limits of New Garden Monthly Meeting, and remained about ten years, after which Joshua purchased a farm in East Brad- ford, now Birmingham, and became a prominent member of Birmingham Meeting. He married (second), 5, 20, 1789, Ann Trimble, daughter of William and Ann Trimble, of Concord, born 1, 19, 1752, died 9, 30, 1827.

In the spring of 1800 they removed to Westtown Board- ing-School to superintend that institution, and remained till the fall of 1811, when they returned to the farm. Chil- dren by both wives : 68. Benjamin, b. 8, 24, 1769, d. 2, 1, 1852; 69. Rachel, b. 5, 3, 1771, m. Benjamin Cope; 70. Nathan, b. 12, 18, 1772, d. 4, 11, 1863; 71. Martha, b. 4, 27, 1775, m. Cheyney Jefferis ; 72. Edith, b. 6, 15, 1777, m. Thomas Kite; 73. Joshna, b. 8, 12, 1779, d. 12, 21, 1860; 74. Isaac, b. 9, 28, 1781, d. 11, 12, 1822; 75. Eli, b. 12, 30, 1783, d. 9, 12, 1784; 76. William, b. 1, 15, 1791, d. 3, 5, 1793; 77. Phebe, b. 3, 22, 1793, m. Nathan Middleton.

William Sharpless (55) was but little over three years old when his father died. He served an apprenticeship with John Marshall, a cabinet-maker, who lived in East Bradford, on 32 acres, which William's grandfather Town- send had given his mother. When of age he took pos- session of the homestead, and built a shop on the Wilming- ton road. Later in life he kept a store in West Chester, at what is now the residence of Wm. W. Jefferis, adjoining the Bank of Chester County. He married, 10, 7, 1773, at Birmingham Meeting, Ann Hunt, daughter of William and Sarah (Fred) Hunt, of Westtown, b. 1, 15, 1755, d. 11, 5, 1820. Children : 78. Sarah, b. 7, 30, 1774, d. 2, 10, 1832, m. Philip Derrick ; 79. Lydia, b. 8, 8, 1776; 80. Nathan H., b. 5, 18, 1779, d. 3, 22, 1838 ; 81. William, b. 6, 9, 1783, d. 6, 10, 1784; 82. Hannah, b. 11, 6, 1785, m. Isaac Rogers ; 83. Rebecca, b. 6, 9, 1789, m. David Townsend ; 84. Nancy, b. 11, 10, 1792, d. 4, 30, 1806.

John Sharpless (57) married, 1773, Elizabeth, daughter of Nathan and Susanna Yearsley, of Thornbury, and settled in Concord. She died 7, 31, 1796, and he married (second), 9, 28, 1798, Hannah Smith, daughter of Joshna and Lydia (Yearsley) Smith. She died 3, 31, 1843. Children: 85. Nathan, b. 8, 19, 1774, d. 1, 13, 1833; 86. Jacob, b. 12, 23, 1776, d. 11, 24, 1777; 87. Jesse, b. 4, 8, 1779, d.

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HISTORY OF CHESTER COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA.

6, 22, 1866; 88-9. Esther and Ruth, b. 4, 8, 1782, d. same day ; 90. Susanna, b. 8, 28, 1783, m. Emmor Hick- man; 91. Edith, b. 12, 22, 1785, m. Anthony Taylor ; 92. Sarah, b. 6, 29, 1789, m. Jesse Scal; 93. Hannah, b. 1, 24, 1794, m. Eli Lewis; 94. John, b. 7, 8, 1799, d. 9, 8, 1872 ; 95. Smith, b. 9, 28, 1802; 96. Samuel, b. 7, 29, 1804, d. 2, 22, 1872.

Nathan Sharpless (59), then of East Bradford, married, 4, 24, 1783, at Uwchlan Meeting, Rachel Baldwin, daughter of Joshua and Rachel Baldwin, of East Caln, and about ten years later removed to her father's farm, of which he became the owner. Children : 97. A son, b. 3, 22, 1784, d. in infancy ; 98. Mercy, b. 8, 22, 1785, d. 8, 20, 1786 ; 99. Blakey, b. 6, 21, 1787, m. Mary Offley, and was the father of Edward, of Medford, N. J., and of Daniel O. Sharpless, who with his wife and two children was drowned at Atlantic City, 7, 10, 1874; 100. Joshua B., b. 6, 24, 1789, d. 2, 21, 1866, father of Nathan J. Sharp- less, of Penn, and of J. Clemson Sharpless; 101. Jacob, b. 8, 3, 1791, d. 2, 18, 1863; 102. Isaac, b. 7, 28, 1793, d. by accident ; 103. Ann, b. 10, 15, 1795, m. James Yar- uall ; 104. Mercy, b. 1, 30, 1798, m. Jordan Harrison ; 105. Rachel, b. 7, 7, 1801, m. Thomas Maule.

Jesse Sharpless (62) married, in 1784, Joanna Town- send, daughter of John and Joanna, of East Bradford, and settled in Philadelphia. They had ten children, of whom Dr. John T. Sharpless is yet living. Their son Townsend established the large dry-goods store at Eighth and Chestnut Streets. He was the father of Samuel J.' Sharpless, of Thornbury.

Benjamin Sharpless (68) married, 3, 27, 1794, Abigail Cope, daugher of Nathan and Amy, of East Bradford, b. 9, 6, 1767, and died 3, 22, 1823, without issue. Ben- jamin married (second), 2, 6, 1834, Sidney, widow of Abra- ham Hoopes, and daughter of Benjamin and Rebecca Jones, of Westtown. She had four children by her first marriage, and by the last a son, Benjamin, b. 10, 29, 1835, who married, 6, 5, 1873, Annie T., daughter of Norris M. and Susan Y. (Walter) Hannum, of West Chester, b. 12, 1, 1851. They reside at the homestead in Birmingham, and have children,-Mary Hoopes, b. 3, 3, 1874; Benjamin, b. 3, 26, 1876, d. 8, 12, 1877 ; Margaret Hannum, b. 1, 25, 1879.

Joshua Sharpless (73) married Philadelphia Drinker, and settled at first near the Market Street bridge, Philadelphia ; afterwards removing to London Britain, Chester Co., where some of his children and descendants reside.

Isaac Sharpless (74) married, 5, 30, 1805, Sarah Gar- rett, daughter of Aaron and Rachel, of Willistown, and set- tled on part of his father's farm. Their children died young, except Abigail, who married James R. Greaves, of Philadelphia, and Aaron, who was born 2, 13, 1809, and died 1, 14, 1876, at the homestead in Birmingham, now the residence of his widow and son Thomas. He was also the father of Isaac Sharpless, of Haverford College.

Nathan H. Sharples (80), of West Chester, married, 10, 11, 1804, Martha, daughter of Philip and Rachel Price, of East Bradford, born 11, 3, 1785, died 9, 11, 1852. He inherited the homestead of 110 acres in the southern part of the borough. He carried on the brick-making business

for several years, and in connection with his brother-in- law, Philip Derrick, established The Literary Museum, a monthly magazine, which, being in advance of the age, sur- vived but a short time. Children : Hannah, b. 10, 4, 1805, m. Edward Darlington; William P., b. 2, 12, 1808, d. 5, 21, 1879, a well-known commission merchant on Broad Street, Philadelphia ; Philip P., b. 4, 26, 1810, residing in West Chester, and for many years prominently connected with our first railroad. He is the father of Stephen P. Sharples, of Boston, State assayer of Massachusetts ; Henry P., b. 9, 16, 1813, a builder, of West Chester ; Ann, b. 4, 24, 1816, m. Stephen Paschall ; Alfred, b. 4, 3, 1822, m. Elizabeth, daughter of Lewis Sharpless, of East Brad- ford, and is well known under the name of " John Plough- share"; Samuel Emlen, b. 7, 28, 1828, is of the firm of Sharples & Hall, dealers in lumber and coal, and adheres to the original spelling of the name.

SHEEDER, JOSEPH .- Henry Sheeder was born in Germany, Oct. 23, 1745, and married, Aug. 16, 1774, Dorothea Helfenstine, born May 24, 1741, and to them were born the following children : Caroline, Frederick, Catharine, Henry, Philip, and Louisa. Henry, with his

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family, arrived in Philadelphia on Nov. 26, 1793, the first year of the yellow fever. He died Dec. 2, 1807, and his wife, Dorothea, Aug. 17, 1823. His son Frederick was born Feb. 20, 1777, in Nassau, Saarbrücken, Ger- many, and married, March, 1798, Anna, daughter of Nicholas Halderman, and who was born Nov. 6, 1778. Frederick was several years a tailor in Philadelphia, and there often saw and personally knew President Washington. He was a close reader, and familiar with all the events of our country from the time of his arrival to his death. He participated in the war of 1812, and was encamped at Marcus Hook. He wrote in 1846 a history of Vincent township, from which information has been obtained for

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BIOGRAPHICAL AND GENEALOGICAL.

this work. On March 4, 1860, he and his wife celebrated the sixty-third anniversary of their marriage, from which came up to them ten children, forty-seven grand- and thirty- seven great-grandchildren. Frederick erected over two dozen buildings on his and other farms. He died Sept. 18, 1865, and his wife, Anna, July 29, 1860. Their chil- dren were Frederick, dec'd; Henry, dec'd; Mary, m. Joshua Yeager ; Samuel, dec'd ; Philip; Caroline, dec'd; Catharine, m. Elhanan John, and dec'd; Sarah, m. Wil- liam Culley ; Joseph ; and Benjamin, dec'd. Of these, Joseph Sheeder was born in West Vincent township, May 11, 1820. He spent his boyhood days on the farm, aud was educated in the common schools. He was married, March 5, 1846, to Catharine E., daughter of Thomas Mc- Clune, of West Nantmeal township, and has had four chil- dren, viz. : Margaret K., J. Fred, Anna Mary, and Vic- toria. He resides on the old homestead place, and is a good farmer. He belongs to the Lutheran Church, with his family. He is a Republican in politics, but has never sought office. His farm is finely located in a beautiful re- gion of country, and on it he has a splendid farm-residence. He operates a saw- and his son J. Fred conducts the paper-mill on his real estate, situate in the extreme southern part of the township, and where his father, Frederick, settled at the beginning of the century.

SHERER, WILLIAM, tanner, lived in New London, on Big Elk Creek, where he held considerable land. He was perhaps the son of David Sherer, who died in 1750, leaving a wife, Ann, and children, John, William, David, Francis, ' and Mary. William married Rachel Mackey, daughter of John Mackey, Esq., who died Sept. 8, 1824, and he Jan. 18, 1828. Their children were James, b. Aug. 22, 1773; Rachel, Agnes, Mary, Isabella, Dorcas, William, John, Eliza, Catharine, Martha, and Robert M. John was the father of William Sherer, who lives on a part of his grand- father's possessions. Robert M., soon after his father's death, began the erection of "Spring Lawn" paper-mill, which he carried on in connection with store-keeping and farming. The farm is now owned by John E. Leonard, and the paper-mill by the Megargees, of Philadelphia.

Rachel Sherer married Robert Blackburn and went to Ohio; Dorcas married James Gibson, of New London ; and Catharine married Thomas Ramsey.

SIDWELL, HUGH, with Elizabeth, his wife, came from Letcomb Regis, in Berkshire, England, and settled in West Nottingham, where he died in the summer of 1729, leaving sons Richard, John, and Hugh. To the first he devised the homestead, on which were a brick house and barn. Richard, born at Letcomb Regis, 2, 9, 1704, died 9, 10, 1740. Hugh Sidwell, Jr., died 9, 8, 1740, leaving wife, Anne, and children,-Henry, Richard, Hugh, born 7, 25, 1725; Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Ann, Joseph, and Mary.

John Sidwell had a daughter Mary, who married Richard Griffith, 10, 6, 1738, and a son Hugh, who married Han- nah Berry, 8, 28, 1741.

Richard Sidwell, son of Hugh and Anu, married, 8, 4, 1744, Anne Job, and was the father of Elisha, Job, Lydia, and Abraham. The last, born 1755, married, 6, 10, 1789, Hannah Brown, daughter of Joseph and Hannah. Abra-

ham died 10, 12, 1836, and his wife 8, 28, 1820. Their son Richard, born 4, 4, 1790, died 10, 29, 1866, married Mary, daughter of William and Alice Griffith, and had children,-Reuben, Hannah (married Owen Reasler), Ste- phen, Sarah, Ruth, and William.

Hugh Sidwell (3), son of Hugh and Ann, born 7, 25, 1725, married, 1, 7, 1750-1, Anne, daughter of Joseph Haines, of West Nottingham. Their son Job, born 10, 11, 1768, married, 11, 4, 1790, Rebecca Wilson, daughter of Benjamin and Lydia, of East Nottingham, Md. Job and Rebecca lived in East Nottingham, Chester Co., and had the following children : Esther, b. 8, 23, 1791 ; Oliver, b. 8, 22, 1793, d. Oct. 6, 1870; Joseph, b. 4, 14, 1795 ; Na- than, b. 6, 8, 1797; Rebecca, b. 9, 1, 1799 ; Job, b. 6, 29, 1801, d. 1877 ; Anne, b. 5, 2, 1803; Wilson, b. 10, 20, 1805 ; Lavina, b. 3, 31, 1808. Of these, Oliver was the father of Oliver Sidwell, Esq., of the Chester County bar.

SMEDLEY, GEORGE, migrated from Derbyshire, Eng- land, in 1682 or 1683, in company with several of the Friends who settled at Darby. In 1687 he was married to Sarah Goodwin, whose maiden name was Kitchen, the widow of his intimate friend, John Goodwin. The mar- riage was accomplished "at the meeting-house upon the front of the Delaware." His wife had one child by her first marriage, but it died in its minority. Shortly after his marriage, George Smedley removed to a tract of land he had purchased from the proprietary, and which was sur- veyed to him in 1684, in the township of Middletown. Here he erected his dwelling-house on the west bank of Ridley Creek, about one mile northwest of the present town of Media. The mansion farm is still in possession of his descendants. His wife, Sarah, died in 1709. About the year 1721, after having settled his son George on the mansion farm, he removed to Willistown, where he re- sided with his son Thomas until his death, in 1723. He had five children,-Thomas, who married Sarah, the daughter of Joseph Baker, of Edgmont, 8, 26, 1710 ; Mary, who first married John Edge, Jr., and afterwards John Yarnall, of Willistown; George (a minister among Friends), who married Jane Sharples in 1717, and after her death, Mary, the daughter of William Hammans; Sarah, who married John Williamson, of Newtown ; and Alice, whose first husband was John Allen, of Newtown, and the second, Edward Woodward, of Middletown.

George Smedley did not incline to be active in public affairs, but was frequently appointed to various services by the meeting, in which he uniformly maintained a good standing.

The children of Thomas and Sarah Smedley, of Willis- town, were Francis, John, Mary, Sarah, Thomas, and per- haps others, of whom John, b. 11, 22, 1714, died 8th mo., 1793, married Susanna (Dawson) Cowgill. She saw her great-great-grandfather, William Clinkenbeard, who was one hundred and eight years old when he died, and also saw her own great-great-grandchildren. John Smedley, son of John and Susanna, married Rebecca, daughter of Nathan and Amy Cope, of East Bradford, and was the father of Ben- jamin Smedley, of Willistown, Enos Smedley, of West Chester, and others.

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HISTORY OF CHESTER COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA.

William Smedley, son of the second George, married Elizabeth, daughter of Peter Taylor, and had several chil- dren, of whom the eldest, Peter, married Phebe, daughter of Samuel and Jane Sharples, and settled in Uwchlan. Their children were Elizabeth, Joel, Jane, Peter, William, Isaac, Samuel, Phebe, and Lydia. William F. Smedley, a grandson of Peter, Jr., is a rising young artist, whose pen- cil has been employed in illustrating various periodicals and publications.

From William Smedley, son of William and Elizabeth, above named, are descended James Smedley, hatter, of Philadelphia; William Smedley, late connected with the Provident Life and Trust Company ; and Samuel L. Smed- ley, chief engineer of Philadelphia, who has spent much time in collecting the family history.

SMITH, JOHN, son of Eleazer and Ruth, was born 4, 22, 1681, at Dartmouth, N. E., and when a young man suffered fines and imprisonment for refusing to perform military service, being also impressed on board a war vessel and cruelly beaten for not taking part in the duties as- signed him. Finding him of no use on the vessel, the commander allowed him to go upon land in England with- out orders to return, and about the year 1705 he came to Philadelphia. He became a resident of Chester, and mar- ried there, 1, 5, 1706-7, Ann, daughter of Caleb Pusey. In 1713 he removed to East Marlborough, and the next year a meeting was established at his house, which after- wards became Londongrove Meeting. By his first wife he had a daughter Lydia, who married Thomas Jackson, and by the second wife, Dorothy Windle, to whom he was mar- ried 6, 6, 1728, he had Anne, John, Ruth, Thomas, and Sarah. He died 10, 24, 1766, and was buried at London- grove. Memorials concerning him have been published at different times.

ROBERT SMITH was of Scottish descent, and near the end of the seventeenth century his grandfather lived in the northeastern part of Ireland. Among the first of the Scotch-Irish emigrants to Pennsylvania were the parents of Robert Smith,-John and Susanna,-who left their homes in 1720, one year after the enforcing of " the Test," and whose special grievance was not the raising of the rent of their homestead, but the absolute refusal of their landlord to renew their lease unless they would comply with the re- quirements of that hated act. With her brother John came Mary Smith, who married Alexander Fulton, removed to Little Britain, Lancaster Co., and to whom in due time was born a grandson, Robert Fulton, who has indissolubly linked his name with the history of steam navigation. John Smith died Dec. 19, 1765, aged seventy-nine years, and his wife Susanna, Dec. 24, 1767, age seventy-six years. They were the parents of fifteen children. Three elder brothers having sought their fortunes elsewhere, the home- stead in Uwchlan fell to Robert, who was born at sea during the voyage to this country, and who had married, Dec. 20, 1758, Margaret, daughter of John Vaughan, of Red Lion, Uwchlan township. Sergt. Robert Smith is reported in the public records of the time as " going to Reading to be quali- fied," when, in 1757, the war between the French and Eng- lish made the Indians restless and aggressive on the whole Pennsylvania border, and called out large bodies of militia

in the heretofore peaceful colony. His next appearance is in the commencement of the Revolution, in August, 1775. The colony had but a small navy, and the chief reliance for the defense of Philadelphia was on obstructions to be placed in the channel of the Delaware River. Numerous plans were offered, and after discussing them thoroughly it was decided to place a line of chevaux-de-frize across the channel east of the upper end of Hog Island, one and a quarter miles below Red Bank, N. J.

At the date last mentioned, Robert Smith was thanked by the Supreme Executive Council of Pennsylvania for a model of a machine for handling chevaux-de-frize, and was soon after directed by the same body to report on the merits of the rival plans of Govett and Guion for building them, and to take charge of the works. He remained in charge of them one year, and planned the land fortifications, which were included in the same line of defenses. While thus engaged, he was called and sat in the Convention which, on Sept. 28, 1776, adopted the first State constitu- tion of Pennsylvania, having been elected a delegate from Chester County. On March 12, 1777, the Supreme Ex- ecutive Council appointed him lieutenant of Chester County. This office, whose name and duties were analo- gous to those of the king's lieutenants in the counties of the mother-country, gave him, with the rank of colonel, the charge of raising, arming, and provisioning the mili- tary contingent of his district, and in every way preparing the troops to take the field. They remained under his com- mand till they were called into the field. The selection proved a good one. The Scotch-Irish were of the best fighting material, and the circumstances under which they had left their old homes made them have no hesitation in taking up arms against the British government. From them and the Welsh the military strength of the county had chiefly to come, and as Col. Smith's wife, Margaret Vaughan, was of a Welsh family, his influence extended among them also. He had had some experience in mili- tary affairs, and in administration, and would no doubt have taken the field but that he was somewhat past the prime of life, and had grown too large (weighing over two hundred and fifty pounds) to undergo the fatigues of service at the front. What service he could do his country could com- mand, and the sequel showed him to be a most capable and zealous officer. March 29, 1777, he took the oath and re- ceived his commission as sheriff of the county. In Octo- ber, 1783, he was one of the two persons elected by the people, as the custom then was, for the office of sheriff, but the Governor, in whom rested the final choice, selected William Gibbons, the other caudidate. On assuming the lieutenancy, one of Col. Smith's duties was to ascertain the capabilities of his district, and on April 12, 1777, he re- ported that it contained 5000 men capable of bearing arms, and promised to use his utmost exertions to get his contin- gent in the greatest possible state of forwardness. The raising, equipping, and provisioning of a large number of troops called from Chester County into military service during the Revolutionary war required the expenditure of large sums of money, and liberal appropriations passed through his hands. They were all properly accounted for, as is proved by the fact of the report of the comptroller of

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the State, who, June 25, 1785, near. the close of Col. Smith's career as county lieutenant, reported that there was a balance due him to April 1, 1785, of £106 4s. 10d. This report being approved by the Supreme Executive Council, an order was drawn in his favor for the amount. He retired from this position March 21, 1786 (which he had held for nine most eventful years), and from all pub- lic offices except that of trustee of the State loan-office, which he retained for about a year after this time. He served for one term in the State Assembly in 1785.

In the latter part of 1787 he retired to his farm, twelve years of uninterrupted public life having led him to covet the quiet of home, and his private affairs, which had been so long neglected, requiring his attention. He was a stanch Presbyterian, an elder and pillar in the church of which Rev. John Carmichael was pastor, and he brought up his family after the most approved Scotch fashion. He was in his later years remarkable for the sweetness and evenness of his temper; was a great reader and lover of books, Young's "Night Thoughts" and Pope's translation of Homer's " Iliad," then comparatively new books, being his chief favorites. He owned two very fine farms in Uwchlan, on the Conestoga road where it crosses Black Horse Creek near its confluence with Marsh Creek, both streams being tributaries .to the north branch of the Brandywine. He died in 1803, aged eighty-three years, and his wife died in Philadelphia in 1822, at the age of eighty-seven. Of their children, Jonathan was for many years honorably and prom- inently connected with the First and Second United States Banks and the Bank of Pennsylvania as their cashier; John was an iron-master, owning Joanna Furnace, near the line between Chester and Berks Counties; and Joseph was an iron and shipping merchant of Philadelphia.

Jonathan's son-Gen. Persifor Frazer Smith -- was a brilliant officer of the United States army, and died in Utah in 1859. He was the grandson of Col. Robert Smith, and also a grandson, on the maternal line, of Col. Persifor Frazer, of Chester County, a distinguished officer of the war of the Revolution.

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History of Chester County, Pennsylvania, with genealogical and biographical sketches, Part 190

Author: Futhey, John Smith, 1820-1888; Cope, Gilbert, 1840-1928 Publication date: 1881 Publisher: Philadelphia, L. H. Everts Number of Pages: 1162

Author: Futhey, John Smith, 1820-1888; Cope, Gilbert, 1840-1928
Publication date: 1881
Publisher: Philadelphia, L. H. Everts
Number of Pages: 1162