USA > Pennsylvania > Delaware County > History of Delaware county, Pennsylvania, from the discovery of the territory included within its limits to the present time > Part 52
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COCK, OTTO ERNEST, was an early Swedish inhabitant, and resided at dif- ferent places within the limits of what is now Delaware County, and at one time in Kingsessing, below the Blue Bell. In 1678 he resided at Tinicum, and in 1696 at Marcus Hook. Being one of the most intelligent of the Swedish settlers, his name occurs in connection with almost every public proceeding of the time in which he lived. He was a member of Governor Markham's Council, before the arrival of William Penn; was a Justice of the Upland Court , and was also one of the Justices com- missioned by Governor Markham for Upland County, and assisted in hold-
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ing its courts until the arrival of William Penn, and the erection of the County of Chester as a separate judicial district. He was also sometimes em- ployed as an interpreter. The earliest occurrence of his name, was as an arbi- trator, by appointment of an early Up- land Court, in 1673. He was alive in 1693.
COLLET, JEREMIAH, or JEREMY, Was settled in Chichester before the arrival of William Penn. In 1685 he owned and occupied a tract of land a little north of Marcus Hook. In 1684 he served the office of Sheriff for Chester County. In religious profession he was doubtless an Episcopalian, as he be- queathed £50 for the " better support of the minister officiating in the Chapel"-now St. Martin's Church at Marcus Hook. He died about the year 1725.
COLLIER, THOMAS, from Nottingham, England; settled in Darby, now Upper Darby township, in 1689, but had been in the country some time previously, as it appears by the records of Darby Meeting that he was married to Hannah Lownes in the early part of that year. So far as is known, their only children were Isaac and Hannah.
COATES, MOSES, with his wife, emi- grated from Carlow, in Ireland, and settled in Haverford in 1717. His wife was from Munster. They were both Friends, but do not appear to have con- tinued to reside at Haverford very long.
COATES, THOMAS, from Sprixton, in the County of Leicester, England, set- tled in Darby in 1686. He removed to Philadelphia, where he engaged in mercantile business, and died in 1719. He was in membership with Friends.
COBB, WILLIAM, a very early settler at Amesland, where he served the office of constable in 1683. He subsequently became owner, or part owner, of the Swedes' mill, near the Blue Bell, and doubtless carried on the milling busi- ness there. It was from him that the creek which turned his mill received its present name of Cobb's Creek.
COBOURN, THOMAS, with his wife Elizabeth, came from Cashel, in the
kingdom of Ireland, accompanied by their sons William and Joseph. They arrived at Chester a short time before the first visit of William Penn to his Province, and settled on a large tract of land in Chester township, which, after the death of his wife in 1688, he conveyed to his two sons. William was married to Mary, daughter of Joseph Baker, in 1686, and Joseph to Susanna Churchman, in 1690. Thomas, by trade was a carpenter, and in religious pro- fession, both he, his wife, and his two sons, were Quakers. The old man, for some time after his arrival, took a deep interest in the affairs of his meet- ing. About the year 1687, he built a mill-the second on Chester Creek- which gave offence to the proprietors of the Chester mills.
COOK, RICHARD. An early settler in Radnor township. He was a Friend, and came from the parish of Llangunlo, County of Radnor, Wales.
COOPER, JAMES, with Hannah, his wife, emigrated from Mayfield, County of Stafford, England, and settled in the town of Darby in 1684. He had re- moved from Lancaster to Mayfield ten years before. He was alive in 1701, and was a Friend.
COPPOCK, BARTHOLOMEW, SR. From Cheshire, England, with his wife Mar- garet and family, was among the early immigrants. He settled in Springfield in 1685, and two years afterwards pur- chased land in Marple township, on Darby Creek, of John Nickerson, on which he subsequently resided till his death in 1719, when he had attained the age of seventy-three years. He had a son Jonathan, who was deceased at the time of his death, a son Bartho- lomew, and four daughters, viz : Mar- garet, Rebecca, Sarah and Martha. They were all Friends.
COPPOCK, BARTHOLOMEW, JR., pro- bably a nephew of the foregoing, but not much his junior in years, settled near Springfield meeting-house, and the meeting that subsequently became Springfield Friends' Meeting was con- stantly held at his house until a meet- ing-house was erected. He probably immigrated with his uncle; but his
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business capacities were superior. He was for many years a member of the Provincial Council, and frequently re- presented Chester County in the As- sembly. His wife was Eleanor, the sister of Daniel Williamson. ITis only children were Mary, who was married to Richard Woodward, Deborah, who was married to William West, uncle of the great painter, and Hannah, married to Robert Williamson. Bartholomew died in 1720, and his wife in 1727.
CORNELISSEN, JAN, was a settler at Amesland as early as 1676. It was for his demented son that the Upland Court ordered a block-house to be built. He probably was a Dutchman.
CROSBY, RICHARD, came from London, and arrived at Chester about as early as the first visit of the Proprietary. He had purchased land before he left Eng- land, part of which he located in Mid- dletown township. After residing for some time at or near Chester he re- moved to the Middletown land, where he was residing when he purchased land in Ridley. He was not a Quaker, and on that account much less is known of him. He probably belonged to the national church. He was a man of some business qualifications, and ap- peared to increase his estate.
The Crosbys are descendants of Sir John Crosby of London, a member of Parliament, alderman, and sheriff of that city in 1471, who was knighted by Edward IV, and who was one of the wealthiest men of his day. The Eng- lish branch of the family is nearly or quite extinct. That of America is numerous, and embraces many persons of highly respectable standing.
CROSBY, JOHN, son of the above Richard, was a man of ability, and ex- hibited considerable energy in business affairs. He was a Justice of the Court, and one year represented Chester County in the Provincial Assembly. He resided in Ridley, and at the time of his decease in 1750, was half owner of a forge, which he devised to his son Richard. This is doubtless the forge mentioned by Peter Kalm, the Swedish naturalist, and noticed in the general narrative of this work.
CROXTON, RANDAL, from Chormely;
County Palatine of Chester, England, fixed his residence in Upper Provi- dence. He was an early settler, but it does not appear that he was one of the earliest. He was married in 1701, "ac- cording to the good order of Friends," to Sarah, daughter of William and Ann Garrett of Darby (now Upper Darby). Their children were John, Thomas, Randal, Samuel, and Jonathan. He was living in Upper Providence as late as 1734.
DARLINGTON, ABRAHAM, the son of Job and Mary Darlington of Darnhall, a small township in Cheshire, England, with his brother John, both very young, emigrated to America in the early part of last century. Their uncle, John Neild, had previously emigrated and settled in Aston township, and it is supposed that it was upon his invita- tion that the two young Darlingtons came to this country. This gentleman having recently married the widow of John Dutton, a large landholder of Aston, was in comfortable circum- stances, and it may reasonably be snp- posed that the two youths, for a time, made their home with him. John, however, soon removed to Maryland, but Abraham continued to reside in Aston, or possibly he may have re- moved to Chester, and for a short time carried on the business of a saddler in that town, having served an appren- ticeship to that trade before he left England. In 1712 Abraham was mar- ried to Deborah, the daughter of Joseph Carter, who did not long sur- vive her marriage, for in 1716 we find him contracting a second marriage with Elizabeth, the daughter of Tho- mas and Elizabeth Hillborn of Bucks County. He soon became a landowner in Aston, and continued to reside there till 1723, when he removed to Birming- ham, where he had purchased a farm on the Brandywine, beyond the limits of Delaware County.
Though a Quaker by convincement, he never became a very active member in the business affairs of the Society. In 1722 he was appointed one of three " Appraisers for the County of Chester," whose dnty it was to set a value on all property taken in execution; and in 1724, in pursuance of a then recent act of Assembly, he received the appoint- ment of " Searcher and Seuler of Leather."
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Besides the execution of these offices, and the management of a large farm, he devoted a considerable portion of his time to the practice of the healing art, in which tradition has given him the reputation of considerable skill, though he had received no regular medical instruction. His death oc- curred in 1776, at an advanced age.
It is not known that Abraham Darl- ington had any child by his first wife. By his second he had ten children, viz : Mary, Deborah, Elizabeth, Abraham, Thomas, John, Hannah, Rachel, Job and Rebecca. In 1853, when a general assembly of the " Clan Darlington" was held, the known descendants of the immigrant Abraham numbered 1500. This number, it is believed, includes all who bear the name of Darlington in this country.
DAVIES, MIRICK, an early Welsh set- tler of Radnor, was in religion an Epis- copalian. His name appears in the earliest records of St. David's Church. His son James, by his wife Mary, was born in 1720. He at one time lived in the Upper part of Haverford, near Darby creek.
DAVID, LEWIS, from Llandewy, in the county of Pembroke, Wales, was a large purchaser of lands before leaving his native country, a considerable por- tion of which was located in Haverford, by some of the earliest of the Welsh set- tlers, who had become purchasers under him before leaving their native country. He did not emigrate till about the year 1690, when he settled in Haverford. He died in 1708, leaving a son named James Lewis and one or more children in Wales. It does not appear that he was the father of the next following. He was a Friend, and according to Besse, suffered considerable persecution in his native country on account of his reli- gion.
DAVID, WILLIAM, was one of the early Welsh colonists who settled in Radnor. He had land surveyed to him in that township in 1685. In 1691, he was was married to Gwenlin Philips, of the same township, according to " the good order" of the Society of Friends. They had one son, William. He was at one time owner of the mill now owned by Tryon Lewis.
DICKS, OR DIX, PETER, with his wife Esther, emigrated from England to Pennsylvania and settled in Birming- ham about the year 1686. He was a member of the Society of Friends, and appears to have been in rather easy circumstances. He died in 1704, leav- ing seven children, viz. : Peter, Nathan, Hannah, Elizabeth, Sarah, Esther and Deborah. Hannah intermarried with Jonathan, the son of Richard Thatcher; Elizabeth with Richard Tranter, and Sarah with Joseph Pyle. Peter, the son, " was married by a priest," but still retained his membership with Friends, and in 1717 removed to Nether Providence. The widow, Esther, in 1708 intermarried with Benjamin Men- denhall, then a widower. The fact that the younger Peter visited Cheshire, England, " to settle some affairs," ren- ders it very probable that the elder Peter emigrated from that place.
DREWETT, MORGAN, (Mariner) with his wife Cassandra, came from London, and arrived at Burlington in 1677 in the ship Kent, in company with the West Jersey Commissioners, who were sent out to purchase lands from the natives, &c. Early in the next year he purchased land in Marcus Hook, where he resided till after the establishment of Penn's government in 1681, and perhaps a little later. He subsequently purchased a large tract of land on the river, just above " Boute Creek," which had been established as the boundary between Chester and Newcastle Coun- ties, where he resided in 1684, and where meetings were held at his house after the establishment of the circular line placed his property in Newcastle County. He served as a juror at the first Court held under the Proprietary government. He was strict in the per- formance of his duty as a member of the religious Society of Friends until his death, which occured in 1695, at the age of 66 years. His children were, Joseph, Benjamin, (born at sea, 1677,) Mary and Sarah.
DURBOROW, HUGH, was probably born in Somersetshire, England, about the year 1660. While young, he united himself with the Quakers, and was per- secuted for attending their meetings. as was usual in England at that time. He emigrated to Pennsylvania in 1684,
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and after some time settled in Thorn- bury township ; his certificate of mem- bership with Friends being from Ilces- ter. In 1686 he married Elizabeth, the sister or niece of John Taylor, then residing on Tinicum, and who had probably immigrated with him. For a time Hugh joined with the Kieth- ites, but soon returned to the true faith and became a minister of some note. His wife Elizabeth was also an approved minister in the Society. About the year 1693, they removed to Philadelphia, where he died in 1740, aged about, 80 years, Elizabeth died in 1722, aged 62 years. Hugh was imprisoned in England for attending a Quaker meeting. Besse spells his name Dulborow. They had eight children, viz. : John, Daniel, Hannah, Elizabeth, Isaac, Joseph, Mary and Jacob.
DUTTON, JOHN, with his wife Mary, arrived here from England with the Proprietary, when he made his first visit, or shortly afterwards. They set- tled in Aston. John did not live many years in the enjoyment of his new home. Besides a daughter, Elizabeth, who died about the time of their arri- val, they had two sons ; John, who in- termarried with Elizabeth Kinsman, and Thomas, who intermarried with Lucy Barnard. John and his wife were both Friends, but after his death his widow married John Nield, "who was not in profession of the truth." John Dutton probably came from Worcestershire.
EDWARDS, WILLIAM, an early settler of Middletown, with his son John and other children emigrated, as is believed by some of his descendants, from Gla- morganshire in Wales. It is supposed he was a widower at the time of his arrival. Be that as it may, in 1688 he was married to Jane Atkinson, a native of Yorkshire, according to the usages of the Society of Friends, of which they were both members. Wil- liam Edwards died in 1716. The names of his children are not all known. His eldest son and heir, John, in 1699 married Mary Ingram of Burlington, N. J., and occupied the original cabin of his father after his decease. In 1717, a daughter, Sarah, by the second wife, was married to Joseph Pratt. From this marriage it is believed the Pratt family descended. John Edwards
died in 1749 at a very advanced age, leaving nine children, viz., John, Mary, Elizabeth, Nathan, Hannah, Moses, Phebe, Joseph and Amos. His wife was living at the time of his decease.
EDWARDS, JOSEPH, son of Issachar and Rebecca Edwards, was born in Middle- town township, August 20th, 1796, and continued to reside with his parents till 1810, when he was placed in the count- ing-house of his uncle, Joel West, then residing in Baltimore. In 1812, he re- turned to his father, and the next year he was apprenticed to the wheelwright business. After learning his trade, he at first established himself in Edgmont township, and subsequently near the Buck tavern in Marple. In 1825 he removed to Camden, N. J., and com- menced the distillation of turpentine as a business. In 1831, he relinquish- ed the turpentine business on account of ill-health, when he again returned to the homestead in Delaware County. Here his health soon improved, when he commenced business in Philadel- phia, which he continued till the close of 1834. In 1836, he purchased part of the original Edwards' land in Mid- dletown, on which he built a neat dwelling. Here he resided till the close of his life. A short time before his death, which happened in July, 1858, he fractured one of his limbs. Great debility ensued, which soon after resulted in death. The mental endowments of Joseph Edwards were of no common order. He was possess- ed of a memory unusually retentive, and to use his own language, " with a mind active to a degree which admit- ted of no relaxation, assisted by a very slender education." But he had greatly increased his knowledge by a course of general reading and study, especially the study of history. In 1844, he became a member of the Delaware County Institute of Science, and the next year was appointed to make regular meteorological observa- tions. A very condensed summary of these observations will be found in an- other place in this volume. Monthly reports of his observations were made to the Smithsonian Institution, and re- ceived high commendations for their accuracy. In 1855, he was appointed by the Institute to write a History of Delaware County, in which work he
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was engaged up to near the time of his death. Mr. Edwards sometimes in- dulged his humor in writing poetry. One of his pieces, written a short time before his death, termed " The Voyage of Life," closes with the following lines :
" My voyage, with all its witchery, Its joys, its hopes, its woes, Has filled its line of destiny, And verges to a close."
ELLIS, THOMAS, was one of the most eminent of the Welsh settlers. He came from Pembrokeshire, and arrived here in 1683 with his second wife Ellen and family, and settled on one of two large tracts of land which he purchased and located in Haverford. His certificate, which is from the monthly meeting of Redstone, speaks of him as a man " of a tender spirit, often broken before the Lord, with the sense of the power of an endless being upon him." It also informs us, that " his testimony for the Lord, and his Trueth hath been very weighty, to the reaching of the consciences of many," and that he had " an excellent gift in opening deepe divine Misteryes." His imprisonments "had been many and difficult wth spoyling of goods on truth's accompt." Having escaped from a land of bitter persecution, his feelings prompted him, immediately after his arrival here, to compose " in British language" the following " Song of Rejoyceing," which " was turned into English by his ffriend John Hum- phrey :"
" Pennsylvania an habitation, With certain, sure and clear foundation ; Where the dawning of the day, Expels the thick, dark night away.
Lord, give us here a place to feed, And pass my life among thy seed, That in our bounds, true love and peace, From age to age may never cease.
Then shall the trees and fields increase, Heaven and Earth proclaim thy peace, That we and they-forever Lord, Shew forth thy praise, with one accord."
Though a resident of Haverford, Thomas Ellis spent much of his time in Philadelphia, where he held public trusts under the government. He also travelled in the ministry. At the time of his death, which happened in 1688, he held the office of Register General of Pennsylvania, with David Lloyd as his deputy. His wife died in 1692.
By his second wife he had but one
child, Rachel, who intermarried with Robert Wharton, in 1701. By a former marriage, he had one son, Ellis, and a daughter, Eleanor, who intermarried with David Lawrence. He was interred at Friends' burying ground, Haverford.
EDGE, JOHN, with his wife Jane and family, emigrated from St. Andrews, Holborne, in the County of Middlesex, England, and settled in Nether Provi- dence about the year 1685. He was an earnest member of the Society of Friends, and the monthly meeting was sometimes held at his house. His children were, Mary, intermarried with James Sharpless ; Abigail, with Edward Woodward; Jacob, with Sarah Jones of Merion, and John, with Mary Smed- ley of Westown. John Edge the elder, died in 1711, aged sixty-five years. He had been subjected to heavy fines and imprisonment in his native country, for refusing to act contrary to his con- scientious scruples, and on one occa- sion, was subjected to a public trial.
ELLIS, ELLIS, emigrated with his father, Thomas Ellis, in 1683, from Redstone in Pembrokeshire, Wales, and settled on part of the large pur- chase made by his father in Haverford township. In 1685 he was married to Lydia the daughter of Elizabeth Hum- phrey, who had also emigrated in 1683, but she with her family came from Merionethshire. He was a Friend and a good citizen. His children were, Rachel, Thomas, Elizabeth, Bridget, John, Joseph, Evan, William, Benja- min and Rebecca. He died in 1706, his wife surviving him.
ELLIS, HUMPHREY, was one of the earliest of the Welsh Friends who emi- grated to Pennsylvania. He was mar- ried to Gwen Rees early in 1684, their declaration of intention, having been made at the first (Haverford) Monthly Meeting of which there is any record. Gwen died early in 1686, leaving two children, Thomas and Lydia, (twins.) On the 19th of January, 1687, Hum- phrey married Jane David of Haver- ford, in which township he then resided. By his second marriage his children were Margaret, Jane, Rachel, Ellin, Humphrey, Sublinus and Jeremiah. His death occurred in 1741,-that of his wife, in 1745.
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EVAN, JOHN AP, (John Evan,) from Trererigg, Glamorganshire, Wales, emi- grated with his family to Pennsylva- nia, and settled in Radnor township in 1684. He was in membership with Friends, and meetings were held at his dwelling as early as 1686. David Evans married his daughter Mary Jones as his second wife. Another John Evan from the parish of Nantmel in Radnorshire, Wales, also settled in Radnor township very early, and it is difficult to distinguish between the subsequent transactions of the two.
EVAN, THOMAS JOHN, migrated from the neighborhood of Dolobran, Mont- gomeryshire, Wales, in 1683, and was among the earliest of the Welsh Friends who settled in Radnor township. In 1686 he married Lowery Johnes, of Merion, by whom he had four children, which, after a prevailing custom, were named as follows, viz : John Thomas, Rowland Thomas, Joseph Jones and Elizabeth Jones. He was himself frequently known as Thomas Jones. He died in 1707.
EVAN, DAVID, the son of Evan, ap William Powell, " with his wife Gainer and their younger children," came to America about the year 1684, and set- tled in Radnor. They were from Glamorganshire, South Wales. His wife could not have lived long after their arrival, as " David Evan, widower," was married to " Mary Jones, Spinster," in 1690. He died in 1710. His chil- dren were, Caleb, Joshua, Evan, David and Philip. They were all members of the Society of Friends.
EVAN, PHILIP, brother of the above named, David Evan, came from the same place and at the same time, but was unmarried. He was married to Sarah Thomas of Merion, at a Friend's meeting, held at the house of Hugh Roberts, in 1690.
EVANS, JOHN, was born in Radnor township, Delaware County, on the 13th of the 2d month, 1790, and died on the_ 15th of April, 1862. He was the son of David and Adah Evans. On the side of his father his ancestors were thoroughly Welsh, while on that of his mother they were partly so. His mother died in 1800, and his father six
years later. His early education was was limited, though he received rather more than was usual at that time in the neighborhood. Though there was a mill on the patrimonial estate, he preferred going to a larger establish- ment to learn the business of milling, which he had selected for an occupa- tion in after life. After he had learned the trade thoroughly he was employed as manager of a large flour mill, then (1812) recently erected on the Hudson river, near the present city of Troy. Here he remained three years much to the satisfaction of his employers.
With the exception of the town of Troy, then a mere hamlet, the country surrounding the mill was nearly in a state of nature, and, as is well known, was highly romantic. Being almost shut out from social intercourse, our young miller, after having attended closely to his business on week days, spent much of his time on Sundays, in rambling over the wild and romantic country that surrounded his mill-in traversing its streams, and in scaling its precipices. It was in this state of isolation from civilized society that the habits and tastes of John Evans under- went a change. It was in these soli- tary rambles that he laid the foundation of his character in after life. Here he became a devoted lover of nature, ac- quired the habits of close observation, and fitted himself for the successful study of the natural sciences.
After his return from Troy he re- sumed the milling business at the homestead mill, and in 1819 married Ann, the daughter of Benjamin Brown of Radnor, by whom he had six chil- dren. He subsequently engaged in the business of sawing lumber for the Phi- ladelphia market, which he continued till near the close of his life.
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