The founding legend about the Carver family of Byberry is that there were four brothers who came together from England: John, William, Joseph, and Jacob.1 Joseph moved to North Carolina and Jacob died unmarried. Whether the story is true or not, only John and William appeared in Byberry. They both immigrated in 1682. John came on the Welcome with his wife Mary.2 William came in 1682, possibly on the Samson.

Life was difficult for these early settlers. “The frank and generous hospitality of the Indians to the original settlers deserved a kind and generous return. The descendants of the original settler, (Carver), have told me of a striking case of kindness. When his family was greatly pinched for bread-stuff, and knew of none nearer than Chester or New Castle, they sent out their children to some neighboring Indians, intending to leave them there until they could have food for them at home; but the Indians took off the boys’ trousers, tied the legs full of corn, and sent them back thus seasonably loaded.”3

First generation: the immigrant brothers

John, d. 1714, m. Mary Lane in England before 1682. Lived on Poquessing Creek, where John was a maulster. Children: Mary, Richard, John, Ann, James.

William, d. 1736, m. 1) 1690 Joan Kinsey at Middletown MM, m. 2) about 1693 Mary —, m. 3) 1723 at Falls MM Grace Carter. Children: Sarah (with Joan); William, Joseph, Rachel, Esther, Rebecca, Mary (all with Mary); Hannah (with Grace).

John and Mary lived on a large tract on Poquessing Creek. He had bought rights to the land before leaving England; in the record he was listed as a maulster from Hedly in Southampton.4  The Philadelphia Monthly Meeting reported in 1692 that “John Carver lost most he had by fire that fell out while he and his wife were at their usual meeting.”5 A collection was taken up for him at the meeting at Richard Wall’s and at Germantown. They worshipped at Byberry Meeting, where John was an overseer in 1695. During the Keithian schism around 1692, both John and William stayed with the traditional Friends.

In 1697 John bought 700 acres of land jointly with Francis Searl, perhaps to provide for his three growing sons. John and Francis partitioned the land four years later.6 John and Mary had five children. Their daughter Mary became an approved minister among Friends. In 1713 John made his will, naming his wife Mary, sons James, John and Richard and a daughter Mary.7 He left his wife the use of two rooms in the house and liberty of the cellar and privilege to keep a horse and a cow and to take fruit from the orchards.8 The land on Poquessing Creek was passed down through six generations, all the owners named John.9

In 1701 John and William had a dispute with their neighbor, William Hibbs, who claimed that they had moved his boundary post. The matter was taken before the Commissioners who heard land disputes in Philadelphia.10

“William Hibbs having purchased of Thomas Ffairman a Tract of Land contiguous to the above; there has been for some Time past a Contest between him and the said John Carver and his Brother William Carver about a Corner Post which Hibbs complains has been taken away and thereby the Bounds altered, … the Surveyor General being present affirmed he had executed to the utmost of his Power, being present himself at the Survey; it was to be presumed the Lines as returned were the true ones, unless it could be made appear to the contrary, which William Hibbs was not sufficiently able to do.

…It is Ordered that J. Carver’s Patent be no longer delayed by be granted forthwith…

The bad feelings apparently lingered from this. In 1707 John Carver and George Duncan took Hibbs to court, “unadvisedly and contrary to ye practice of Friends appeared before Justice Fenny and John Carver delivered a paper of accusation against William Hibbs, to ye Scandalizing of truth, which this meeting do Condemn.”11 In 1709 the boundary between John Carver and the widow Hibbs was still at issue, and Abington meeting appointed six Friends to view the land and put an end to it.12

William was a member of Byberry Meeting for worship. He witnessed marriages there in 1685 and 1686.13 For business purposes Byberry Meeting was part of Abington Monthly Meeting, where in 10^th month 1689, William got a certificate to proceed in marriage with Joan Kinsey of Middletown Meeting. She lived near Neshaminy Creek. William and Joan duly “published their intencions of marriage by affixing a paper on the meeting house doore of the people called Quakers.” In January 1690 the marriage was recorded.14 William and Joan settled on his land in Byberry.

In 1^st month William and Joan were involved in a lurid scandal. 1690 Nathaniel Harding requested a certificate from Middletown Meeting to go to England, normally a routine process.15 The meeting consented to his request, but then word came of an evil report concerning him. He wrote a letter of acknowledgment, but the meeting investigated further and found that he had been involved in a disorderly proceeding with William and Joan Carver. Middletown sent a committee to Abington Meeting to inform them, and Abington requested a joint gathering of Friends from both meetings to settle the difference between William and Joan and Nathaniel. The joint committee met and issued a statement on 4^th month 1690.16

Whereas there has been great reproach and infamy concerning Nathaniel Harding Jane and also William Carver making agreement with him it was brought under the consideration of the two monthly meetings whereunto they belong who appointed James Dilworth, Henry Paxson, William Paxson, Giles Knight, George Walker, John Hart, Anne Dilworth, Grace Langhorne, Mary Ellis and Elizabeth Cutler to meet together with the aforesd parties and examine the matter

Whereupon it does appear that William Carver and his wife are guilty of looseness in suffering Nathaniel Harding to lodge in bed with them which probably did excite lust in him to lie with her as appears that he used endeavor to tempt and allude her there unto by salutations wantoness and unseemly discourse and behavior which had too much acceptance with her and a second time also he having a like liberty of lodging with them hardened him with expectation that he should prevail with her and inviting her to his house she went alone then he made a second attempt though she refused to fulfill his desire yet did yield to his salutations wantonness and the like and afterwards when known to her husband William Carver he proceeded with him requiring satisfaction for the aforesaid attempts as a husband to his wife whereupon they reached an agreement for a certain sum of money without having regard to the order of truth among friends, all which actions condemnable and more especially that corrupt spirit prevailing in Nathaniel Harding to sin against God and endeavor the ruin of the woman and her husband – then after deliberate consideration and due rebuke to each person respectively it was agreed that the agreement made between them ought not to stand it being unfast on William Carver’s part – then the time being spent it was referred to Henry Paxson and John Hart to meet with them again and make a conclusion. The parties submitted themselves to friends acknowledged their guilt and willing … all such practice, taking shame to themselves—in testimony thereof they set their hands the 9^th of 4^th month 1690.

All three of them signed—Nathaniel Harding, William Carver, Jane Carver.17 Nathaniel’s fault was clear. He tried to seduce Jane on several occasions. Her fault was more subtle. She encouraged him, perhaps what we would nowadays consider innocent flirtation, but not using good judgment as a married Quaker woman. William’s fault was against the Quaker rules for handling disputes. Instead of taking Nathaniel’s behavior to the monthly meeting to be judged, he pushed Nathaniel into paying him damages, an agreement that was “unfast”, either because William wanted to retract it or because it was made improperly to begin with.

Nathaniel sent another letter of acknowledgment after the meeting, expressing his shame even more explicitly. “… With humility and contrite heart I repent of the evil of my doings in offering lewdness with Jane Carver, also all wanton carriage, rude discourse and unseemly behavior. I do free condemn it… I desire to be one with you that I may enjoy the assistance and benefit of fraternity in the truth.”18 The meeting finally gave Nathaniel his certificate and that was the end of the matter, at least in the written records.

A few months later Joan and William had a daughter, named Sarah. She was their only child, since Joan died sometime between late 1690 and 1692.19 Around 1693 William married again, to a woman named Mary. Her last name is not known.20 They had six children together.21 The births of the first two were recorded at Abington Meeting, showing that William was still in good standing as a Friend.22 The date of Mary’s death is not known; she might have died soon after the birth of their sixth child, around 1704, or it may have been later. In any case, in 1723 William married for the third time, getting a certificate from Abington meeting. His wife was Grace Carter of Falls Monthly Meeting. She was the daughter of John White, a gentleman of Philadelphia, and the widow of John Carter. When she married William her three children with Carter were in their teens: Robert, Mary and Martha. The records of Falls Monthly Meeting show that “Care to be given to secure what was left to Grace’s children by her former husband.” This was routine, and does not show any special concerns about William. William and Grace had a daughter Hannah together. By then William must have been in his fifties, a decade older than Grace.23 In 1726, William and his wife Grace leased a lot in the city to Thomas Chase, merchant, on the bank of the Delaware river between Front and King Streets. This must have been property that Grace brought into the marriage.

William wrote his will in 1733 and died in 1736. In the will he named his wife Grace and seven living children. His son Joseph must have died by then. The five older daughters were married, as was William Jr, the only surviving son. He left five shillings to each of his daughters, a token amount, so they must have already received a marriage portion. He left a feather bed and furniture to his wife Grace, which was to be appraised by two men, one chosen by Grace and one by William Jr. The bulk of the estate was to be divided between Grace and William. It is not clear how they were to share the land or the house.24 William Jr was the executor.

The inventory of William’s estate was sparse for the time. Besides the furniture and kitchenware, he owned one old horse, two ewes and a lamb, two cows and a sow. The value of the estate was only £24.15.4. Either William had been unsuccessful as a farmer or else he had given much of his capital to his children before his death. Grace died a year after William. In her will she named her four children: Robert Carter, Mary Deane (Doane), Martha Beale and Hannah Carver.25 The three older children each got one shilling, while Hannah got the rest of the estate. The inventory of her estate showed a value of £33, more than William’s.

Children of William and Joan:26

Sarah, b. 1690, m. 1) 1707 at Abington, John Rush of Byberry, 2) possibly William Marshall before 1733.27

Children of William and Mary:28

William, b. 1694, d. 1759, m. 1719 at Abington MM Elizabeth Walmsley, daughter of Henry Walmsley.29 They lived in Buckingham, where William died in 1759. Elizabeth survived him and died in 1772. Her will named their sons Joseph, William and Henry, son-in-law Isaac Worthington, daughters Elizabeth Buckman, Mary Wilkinson, Rebecca Schofield, and Martha Worthington, and some of the Worthington grandchildren.30

Joseph, b. 1696, d. before 1733, may have died young

Rachel, b. ab. 1698, d. 1771, m. William Duncan. William was born about 1699, the son of John and Margaret. Rachel’s death in 8^th month 1771 was noted in the records of Byberry Meeting.31 Rachel and William had a large family.

Esther, m. 1) 1722 at Abington MM Joseph Walton, son of Daniel and Mary, 2) 1728 Daniel  Knight at Abington Meeting. Joseph and Esther had two children, Richard and Rachel. Joseph died in the spring of 1727; letters of administration were granted to Esther on April 12. The daughter Rachel was born less than a month later. In early 1728 Esther married the widower Daniel Knight.32 Daniel and Esther had six children together, making a household of ten children since each of them had two from their first marriage. After Esther’s death Daniel married Mary Wilson. He died in 1782. 33

Rebecca, b. ab. 1702, m. —Brock34. Her marriage was not recorded in the local monthly meetings and the name of her husband is not known.

Mary, m. Samuel Worthington by 3^rd month 1724. Later in 1724 Samuel produced a paper of acknowledgment to Abington meeting; the first child was born too soon after the marriage.  In 1736 they moved to Buckingham in 1736 with a certificate from Abington Meeting, at the same time as Mary’s brother William and his family. Samuel died in 1775 in New Britain, leaving a will naming his wife Mary and seven surviving children. Children: Jonathan, David, Samuel, Sarah, Hester, Rachel, Pleasant.35

Children of William and Grace

Hannah, unmarried in 1733. She may have later married into the Beal family.