USA > Pennsylvania > Welsh settlement of Pennsylvania > Part 2
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But, to go back a little of this story of Welsh interests in Pensylvania.
The principal missionary of introduction of the teachings and belief of Friends into Wales was one John ap John, of "Plas Ifa" (Plas Eva, or Plas Evan), at Trevor, a ham- let near Ruabon and Wrexham, in Langollen parish, Den- bighshire, then a pastoral country, but now given over to
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brickyards. He was born at Trevor Issa, about 1625-30, and baptised at the parish church, and became a member cf a non-conforming congregation in the parish of Wrex- ham, in Denbighshire. In some way, the tenets and teach- ings of the learned apostle of Quakerism, George Fox, had reached this assembly in fragments. The meager reports of the lectures of this eminently successful minister seemed plausible and pleasing, but to be better instructed, the min- ister of the congregation, the Rev. Morgan Lloyd, sent this John, of "Plas Ifa," with a companion, to attend some of the meetings and make himself familiar with the precepts taught by Mr. Fox, and report them to it. Telling of this John ap John, Mr. Fox says he had been a "minister." IIe was probably of the Parliamentary party, and may have been a chaplain at "Bewmarres," or Beaumaris, where he lived, in the army in the latter years of the Protectorate.
The result of this mission is thus noticed by Mr. Fox in his "Journal," (p. 123, of London, 1694, edition) : "When these triers came down among us the power of the Lord overcame them, and they were both of them convinced of the Truth, they returned into Wales, where John ap John abode in the Truth, and received a gift in the ministry, to which he continued faithful."
Thus it came about that John ap John was the founder of the Society of Friends in Wales. Small Meetings were organized everywhere by him and co-laborers, at first se- cretly, but it was not till after the "toleration" act of Par- liament was passed, that the Society became regularly or- ganized into "Quarterly Meetings," and irregular "Yearly Meetings" were held at Swansea, in 1681, and at Redstone, near Narberth, in Pembrokeshire, on 5 2mo, 1682. But the first Yearly (or Half-Yearly) Meeting regularly organ- ized according to Friends' rules was held at the house of Ellis Morris, at Dolgyn, near Dolgelly, in Merionethshire, on 7, 3mo, 1683. In 1684, the Yearly Meeting was at Hav- erfordwest, at which William Humphrey, of Llanegryn,
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Merioneth, promised and undertook to write up the "suf- ferings" of the Welsh Friends, in the years past. A subject so enlarged, subsequently, by Friend Besse, that it is only contained in two large printed volumes, since he records the sufferings of Friends in all lands. At the Yearly Meeting at Garthgynvor, near Dolgelly, in 1685, there were in at- tendance these "gentlemen," who had a part in the found- ing of the Merion Meeting. Charles Lloyd and Richard Da- vies, from Montgomeryshire; Roger ap John, and John ap John, and Richard Davies, from Denbighshire. The dele- gates to the great Yearly Meeting, at London, in 1688, when the Welsh Friends were first represented were Richard Da- vies, representing North Wales, and James Lewis, South Wales.
And of this John the son of John, the late Dr. Levick, of Philadelphia, said in an address delivered before the His- torical Society of Pensylvania, 13 month, 1893 *: "He was the Apostle of Quakerism in Wales," and he "was the direct agent, under Providence, in bringing about changes which resulted in the settlement so largely by Welsh emigrants of the Township of Merion."
And this is the good authority for John ap John, the first minister among Welsh Friends, having been the Father of the "Welsh Tract" in Pensylvania, and of the variously called Merion, Haverford, or Radnor Monthly Meeting, in it, and it was natural that he should head the committee of Welsh Friends who first interviewed Penn about buying some of his land in America, and removing thither, and as this was but shortly after he had entered into possession, it is possible that John was in Penn's confidence, and had the earliest information of the consummation of his bargain with the King, and suggested to the Welsh to secure the best lands.
*Pensylvania Mag., XVII, 385, etc.
tSee further as to John ap John in The Journal of the Friends' His- torical Society, London, Supplement, No. 6, 1907.
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The material inducements to purchase his land, and re- move to it, that Penn offered, no doubt was made to the Welsh Friends through John ap John, and they can be im- agined. Surely they were sufficiently attractive, for a com- mittee, probably gotten together by John, and representing Monthly Meetings of a half dozen Welsh shires, decided upon going to London to interview him personally before investing, for the Welsh were ever a cautious race.
The gentlemen,-who may, or may not have gone in a body,-who sought this conference with Penn on the part of themselves, and the Meetings of which they were members, is the first Roll of Honor connected with "New Wales," "Cambria," or "The Welsh Tract," as the lands, in Penn's Province, in which they became interested, were variously known at first.
These delegates, on the part of the Welsh Friends, who went on this mission, gentlemen all according to land deeds, were:
John ap John, of Ruabon, Denbigshire. .
Dr. Thomas Wynne, of Caerwys, Flintshire.
Richard ap Thomas, of Whitford Garne, Flintshire.
Dr. Griffith Owen, of Dolserre, Merionethshire.
Dr. Edward Jones, of Bala, Merionethshire.
John ap Thomas, of Llaithgwm, Merionethshire. Hugh Roberts, of Llanvawr, Merionethshire. Thomas Ellis, of Dolserre, Merionethshire.
Charles Lloyd, of Dolobran, Montgomeryshire.
Richard Davies, of Welshpool, Montgomeryshire.
John Bevan, of Treverigg, Glamorganshire.
Lewis ap David, of Llandewy Velfry, Pembrokeshire.
There were others, among them Edward Prichard, Wil- liam Jenkins, and John Burge, who went to talk with Penn about the same time, but the list aforesaid includes the leaders in the movement for Pensylvania land (although there is evidence that John Roberts and Robert Owen, who
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came over to Pensylvania, were also present), and who had the interview with Penn, in London, in May, 1681, of which, unfortunately for the Welsh, no written report was kept, and was, as will be explained, the cause of a serious misun- derstanding subsequently.
Of these gentlemen, the three "practitioners in physics," and Messrs. Bevan, Roberts, Ellis and Owen, removed to Pensylvania and aided in settling the Welsh people on the lands purchased from them.
What Penn particularly promised these gentlemen, if they would induce the members of their Monthly Meetings to buy his land, and settle upon it, other than its fine qual- ity, and his liberal guarantee of freedom from certain an- noyances they had to put up with in Wales, was shortly, and is yet, partly a matter of conjecture and surmise as to its details and particulars, for Penn's promises to them were only verbally made. But these certain great expectations, with which these Welsh gentlemen claimed Penn had lured them to America, had vouching only by slender circumstan- tial evidence, and hearsay, his English lieutenants and al- leged friends in Philadelphia held. Nevertheless, the Welsh- men averred, and stuck to it, though little good it did them, as we shall see, that Penn's encouragement was, in part, they should have their whole purchase, the "Welsh Tract," as a "Barony," or State, as it were, within his Province, "within which all causes, quarrels, crimes and disputs might be tried and wholly determined by officers, magistrates, and juries of our language."
However, this committee having engaged to take and try to dispose of by sale to the other Welsh Friends, 40,000, or more acres, of Penn's land, returned to their several Month- ly Meetings, and reported, and published Penn's "Articles of Conditions and Concessions" concerning his Province, to which they had subscribed before leaving London,-ideas of settlement he had re-written from the "Articles of Freedom and Exemption" compiled by the Dutch West India Com-
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pany for a like purpose. So alluring were their statements, based on Penn's promises, fresh in their recollections, they had no trouble in getting Friends to subscribe immediately, till their sales, and the lands they themselves would take, amounted to 30,000 acres, and thus it was that these well known, reliable gentlemen, in six Welsh counties, became the first Pensylvania real estate agents.
The men who interviewed Penn, and those concerned with them, were nearly all of the highest social caste of the landed gentry of Wales, as has been frequently proved in recent years on investigation, for it is well known that in Wales the upper class readily embraced Quakerism, through the teachings of John ap John, one of themselves, while in Eng- land the gentry did not, as there converts were confined en- tirely to the "plain people"-the small lease-holding, the yeomandry, farmers, tradesmen, and shopkeepers,-and this fact has occasioned the astonishment that William Penn, an aristocrat by birth and association, against the wishes of his family, became a Quaker. So it may be understood that the committee of Welsh Friends were equals and peers of Penn, and for this reason he may have readily agreed to any propositions they made, though afterwards he certainly was most jealous of concessions.
Surely, he must have been pleased to have the Welsh gen- try head his list of grantees, and promise to remove their families to their purchases, for it would have a good effect on his sales, especially when it became known that the best class of the Welsh were going, carrying refinement and edu- cation into his Province, for his was a tremendous proposi- tion to undertake single-handed, and the countenance of his scheme by gentry was a great help to him.
It was a great disappointment to all, but John ap John, of "Plas Ifa," who was indirectly the progenitor of the Haver- ford Monthly Meeting, did not remove to Pensylvania. Concerning him, the late Dr. Levick said in an address, that after a long search he learned that John died on 16, 9mo,
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1697, at the residence of his son-in-law, John Miller, of Whitehough Manor, and was buried in Friends' ground at Bashford, near-by, in Staffordshire, where no stone, or me- morial marks the grave of this first apostle of Friends' teachings in Wales. He also learned that in 1712, the Friends' Yearly Meeting, of North Wales, desired to collect and acquire his MSS. to preserve them, but they could never be found. Since Dr. Levick's investigations and death, the interest in John ap John, which he started, has continued, and the following further data has been discovered of him.
He married about 1664, Catharine, either daughter of John Trevor, of Trevor Hall, and Valle Crucis Abbey, or daughter of Roger ap John, of Ruabon. About 1653, Roger ap John and John ap John were signers of a positive denial that certain Quakers came into Wrexham to gain proselytes at their meetings, and that "after a long silence, sometimes one, sometimes more, fell into great and dreadful shakings, with swellings in their bodies, sending out skreekings and howlings !"
An extant paper, at the Devonshire House, London, (Gib- son Bequest MSS. II, 33), has been discovered, signed by John ap John, saying that, in the year 1653, his "under- standing was opened." And, "In my Jvgment I have byn perswaeded vnto the Establishment & setelment thereof & as occasion served, both in Words & praodies J denied ye paement of tithys & becos of ye same Denial i cam to siffer ye loss of corn, hay, lams, peegs, yieves, kids & mvch thret- nings with pikyls and other waes."
In another paper he mentions his conversion to Quaker- ism as follows: "The 2 day of the 5 month, 1673. This time 20 years Agoee was ye time that I John Ap John was at Swart Moore with George ffoox in Lankashire. Yt was ye ffvrst time yt I soe Go ffox."
From sundry mention of him, it is learned that sometimes with Mr. Fox, but more often alone, he traveled all over Wales, preaching to any that would listen to him. But he
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did not accompany Mr. Fox in England. At Brecknock, in 1657, he "was moved of the Lord to speak in the Streets," which occasioned a tumult. At Tenby, he "went to the Steeple House" to speak, which was not unusual at that time, as, when the "priest" had finished his services, the church could be used by Presbyterians, or Independents, but John was arrested and jailed till Mr. Fox got him re- leased. At several other places he was arrested for "speak- ing through the Town," and at his sometime home, Beau- maris, he was imprisoned "for public speaking." John also traveled through Wales preaching with John Burnyeat, in 1674, after Burnyeat's second return from America. To- gether, they attended a Quarterly Meeting at the home of Charles Lloyd, at Dolobran. Besse's "Sufferings" of the Quakers, of course, tells more of John ap John's experiences as a minister among Friends, and his are the earliest in- stances of persecution and annoyance in Wales.
John ap John had only one child, Phoebe, who married, 8, 3mo. 1689, John Mellor, or Miller, of the manor of Whitehongh in Staffordshire, at the home of Richard Da- vies, in Rhuddalt. John ap John, as above, died at White- hough, where he lived after the decease of his wife, Catha- rine, who died at Rhuddalt, 9, 11mo., 1694, and was buried at Trever. Mr. Mellor died 3, 1m, 1718, aged 66 years and his wife Phoebe died 22, 8mo, 1734, at Leek, aged 60 years. Both buried at Basford. They had six children.
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WELSH LAND COMPANIES
The patentees for 30,000 acres of the "Welsh Tract" lands granted by William Penn, to whom deeds were made out, may be considered self-constituted heads of seven "com- panies" for the division and sale of this land to the Welsh whom Penn and they hoped would be actual settlers on it, were, with the number of acres each "company" had for sale, as follows :
Co. 1. John ap Thomas, of Llaithgwm, Merioneth- shire,
Dr. Edward Jones, of Bala, Merionethshire. 5,000 Co. 2. Charles Lloyd, of Dolobran, Montgomery- shire,
Margaret Davies, widow, of Dolobran ... . . 5,000
Co. 3. John Bevan, of Treverigg, Glamorganshire. 2,000 Co. 4. John ap John, of Ruabon, Denbighshire,
Dr. Thomas Wynne, of Caerwys, Flintshire. 5,000 Co. 5. Lewis ap David, of Llandewy Velfry, Pem- brokeshire, 3,000
Co. 6. Richard ap Thomas, of Whitford Garne, Flintshire, . 5,000
Co. 7. Richard Davies, of Welshpool, Montgomery- shire 5,000
It was one of Penn's earliest intentions to sell his land in blocks of 5,000 acres, he having adopted the Dutch plan of "patroon concessions." He certainly made his offer attractive to the Welsh by this "concession." It may not have been stated in so many words, but the purchaser of such block was a "patroon" after the Dutch idea, since those with whom he divided the land settled with him, in his grant, and looked on him as their leader, and it was
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not necesary he should remove to, and reside with them on his purchase.
It may be seen that nine of the party of Welsh gentle- men who interviewed Penn, in May, 1681, and engaged to take 30,000 acres of land in his province, became con- cerned in these "companies," and real estate agents. The balance of 10,000 acres conditionally engaged by them and others present, was disposed of subsequently by Penn himself, or his agents, in small lots to actual settlers, and to parties who bought for speculation only, and 10,000 acres reserved in addition, also in the "Welsh Tract," were taken up in a few years by Welshmen, making their total purchase of 50,000 acres, the extent of this "Welsh Tract."
Excepting for names and amount of land, the patents to the first purchasers from "William Penn, of Worming- hurst, in the county of Sussex, Esq.," were nearly all of even date, namely, "the Fifteenth Day of September, in the year of our Lord One thousand six hundred Eighty and one in the CCCIII yeare of the Reigne of King Charles the Second over England".
But there was an important difference in the deeds to these "first purchasers," which turned out to be the cause of considerable trouble in after years, as we may see, and was particularly disappointing to the heads of "Companies" No. 1 and 4, and their grantees. From the deeds of "Thomas & Jones," and "John & Wynne" to their grantees, it appears that they and others made up by subscription the purchase money for the two blocks they took, and that they were only "trustees" in the matter of the purchase, and, like the other subscribers' purchase money, only interested to the amount contributed, whereas the heads of the other five "companies" bought on their own accounts, hoping to sell off what land they did not wish to retain. But Penn, and his representative in Pensylvania, considered all the heads of these companies to be "trustees," and treated them alike, and if they had not been Quakers there would
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have been much litigation over land claims. As it was, Penn's commissioners, and the Board of Property, had much difficulty adjusting them. 1199559
Penn's deeds to the "trustees" cite the date and consid- eration, the location of the territory, etc., granted to him, by Royal Letters Patent, 4 March 1681, from which he conveyed to them the various amounts of their purchases, of course, without giving their locations, and the conditions and restrictions under which he made the conveyances. The consideration being £100 sterling for each tract of 5,000 acres located in one lot, "if possible, in his province, and subject to quit-rent of one shilling for every hundred acres of the said five thousand acres att or upon the first day of March for ever."
The deeds to the "companies," as well as those from them to those who bought of them, were long afterwards recorded in Philadelphia County, and were confirmed by Penn's land commissioners. At first, much to their aston- ishment and disappointment, half of the land called for in "Welsh Deeds" was laid out to the "first purchasers" in the townships of Merion, Radnor, and Haverford, and sub- sequently the balance was laid out in the townships of Goshen, New Town, or Uwchland in the Tract.
For two years and a half this method obtained, and Penn had given no order to survey the 30,000 acre tract bought, so the Welsh could know exactly its bounds, and if they lay within their rights. Urged by them to do this, Penn gave finally the following warrant for survey, to Thomas Holmes, his surveyor general :-
"Whereas divers considerable persons among ye Welsh Friends have requested me yt all ye Lands Purchased of me by theos of North Wales and South Wales, together with ye adjacent counties to ym as Herefordshire, Shorp- shire, and Cheshire, about fourty thousand acres, may be lay'd out contiguously as one Barony, alledging yt ye number allready come and suddenly to come, are such as
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will be capable of planting ye same much with in ye pro- portion allowed by ye custom of ye country, & so not lye in large useless vacancies.
"And because I am inclined and determined to agree and favour ym wth any reasonable Conveniency and privil- edge :- I do hereby charge thee and strictly require thee to lay out ye sd tract of Land in as uniform a manner as conveniently may be, upon ye west side of Skoolkill river, running three miles upon ye same, and two miles backward, & then extend ye parallel with ye river six miles, and to run westwardly so far as this ye sd quantity of land be Com- pleately surveyed unto ym.
"Given at Pennsbury, ye 13th 1 mo. 1684."
Under instructions from the surveyor-general, dated 4. 2mo. 1684, his deputy, David Powel, laid out the tract, "in method of townships lately appointed by the Governor, att five thousand acres for a township." But it was not until 25. 5mo. 1687, that the bounds of the Welsh Tract were defined, and publicly known.
The next item found concerning the "Welsh Tract," three years later, is a minute of the Commissioners' meet- ing, held "in ye Council Room at Philad'a ye 25th of ye 5 Mo. 1687". It mentions the "Tract of Land, about 40,000 acres, w'ch was laid out by vertue of a warrant from the proprietary and Governor, bearing Date ye 13th day of the first month, 1684, for the Purchasers of North and South Wales and adjacent Counties of Herefordshire, Shorpshire, and Cheshire, it is bounded :--
Beginning at the Skoolkill [at the Falls], thence run- ning West [by] South West, on the City Liberties, 2256 Perches [a little over seven miles, along Township, or City Line Road] to Darby Creek.
Thence following up the several courses thereof [i.e. Darby Creek] to New Town, 988 Perches [a little over three miles], to a Corner post by Crumb Creek.
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Thence down the several Courses thereof [Crum Creek], 460 Perches, [not quite a mile and a half ].
Thence West and by South, by a line of Trees, 2080 Perches [six miles and a half].
Thence North [by] North West, by a line of Trees, 1920 Perches [six miles].
Thence East, and by North, by a line of Trees, 3040 Perches [nine and a half miles].
Thence East and by South 1120 Perches [three and a half miles].
Thence South [and by] South East 256 Perches [about a mile and a quarter ].
Thence East [and by] North East 640 Perches [not quite a mile and a half].
Thence South [and by ] South East 1204 Perches [a frac- tion over three and a half miles].
Thence East [and by] North East 668 Perches [a little over two miles] to the Skoolkill.
Thence down the several courses thereof [Schuylkill river] to the Place of beginning."
This tract covered 621/2 square miles.
So it was not till six years after the Welsh gentlemen engaged to take 40,000 acres, that the tract was surveyed for them. There is a plot of the tract in the Surveyor General's office, at Harrisburg, but it does not agree with the bounds given above. The survey included the town- ships of Lower Merion, a portion of Upper Merion, Haver- ford, Radnor, Tredyffrin, Whiteland, Willistown, East Town, Goshen, and part of West Town.
But in all these years, the Welsh were not idle, nor was Penn. All interested were "booming" the land. The Welsh trustees had disposed of their trusts, and Penn had sold a million acres.
This was not the only "Welsh Tract" in Pensylvania. Subsequently lands were sold to other Welshmen, and we
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had "Welsh Tracts" in Chester Co., and at Gwynedd, or 'North Wales," and then in New Castle Co. (Delaware). The Carolinas also had "Welsh Tracts," but with these Penn was not concerned.
The material side of immigration was made as attractive as possible by nicely gotten up pamphlets issued by Penn, or his agents, setting forth, in addition to his advertis- ing, in glowing terms, the general recommendations of his Province and land, the social advantages gained by removal there, and the approximate outside cost of it; in detail, just how to conduct a farm in the new country and make it pay. One of his advertising papers, addressed "to such persons as are inclined * * * to the Province of Pensyl- vania,"* tells attractively what expense a man with £100 cash would be under if he bought from him 500 acres, and transported himself, wife, a child, and two men servants to his purchase. It being understood that "500 acres of uncleared land is equivolent to 50 acres of cleared English, or Welsh land."
By taking along to Pensylvania certain small articles, cloth, clothes, harness, implements, etc., and selling them there the land would be paid for by the 50% profit derived. The transportation of the party would cost not more than £38.2.6, with new clothes, "Shurtes, Hatts, Shooes, Stokins, and Drawyers," a ton of things to sell, and "four gallons of Brandy, and 24 pounds of Suger for the Voyage." Ar- riving at the purchase in early summer, encamping and clearing fifteen acres for plowing, cutting out best timber for house, according to directions, planting, erecting the log-cabin, and getting in the crops, brings the experience of this party up to winter, when the prospect is not pleas- ant, as they have only green wood to burn. The barn is built, and in the spring stock is bought, and first crop sold.
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