Henry Walmsley was born in northern Lancashire, the son of Thomas Walmsley and Elizabeth Rudd, who were married there in November 1665. By 1682, when Thomas and Elizabeth immigrated to Pennsylvania, they had six children. As was the Quaker custom they asked their monthly meeting at Settle for a certificate to take with them, showing that they were members in good standing. This was normally written by the clerk of the meeting for an individual or one family, but in this case, the clerk wrote out one certificate for the entire group of several interrelated households. This Settle certificate, as it is known, is unusual, and was given because the group intended to travel together and because they were tightly connected by marriage.1 They came on the Lamb of Liverpool. Thomas Walmsley did not declare any goods, but it is said that he intended to set up a mill. He did not live long enough to build his mill. The Lamb was infected with disease, probably smallpox or dysentery, and the Walmsley family was hard-hit, losing daughters Margaret and Rosamund and probably also Mary.2 Some of those who did survive the voyage were ill when they arrived. This was probably true of Thomas, since he died of dysentery within a month after they arrived, leaving Elizabeth with the surviving children.3

When the Lamb landed in Philadelphia in October 1682, most of the Settle group chose to stay together in Bucks County. Thomas Holme’s map of 1687 shows many of them on “Neshameneh Creek”. “Widdow Walmsly” was on the west side of the creek. Her 250 acres on the Neshaminy were patented to her in 5^th month (July) 1683. She managed the farm, probably with paid help.4 Finally in 10^th month 1684 she probated Thomas’ estate, two years after his death, mostly to ensure the property rights of her children as she prepared to marry again. Letters of administration were granted to Elizabeth, and to her intended husband John Purslow, both of whom signed by mark, and to Nicholas Waln, who signed his name. Waln was keeping some land in trust for her sons Henry and Thomas. In 1686 he conveyed the land to them and brought the releases into court, to be held by Ezra Croasdale in trust until the sons were grown.5

John Purslow, who would become the stepfather of the Walmsley children, was an Irish Quaker who had arrived in 1677 on the Phoenix.6 He acted for the family in 1690 when he petitioned the Orphan’s Court on behalf of his stepson Henry, who was in the service of Nicholas Waln, “against the will of the relations.”7  Henry was about nineteen years old then, so it must have been a very long apprenticeship. By 1693, Henry paid his own taxes in Middletown, showing that he was by then over 21. He married Mary Searle in 1699 at Abington Meeting. Her father Frances Searle was a butcher who accumulated over 1,000 acres of land by the time he died in 1722, and left a solid legacy to his daughter Mary. In 1697 Searle bought a tract of land in Abington, jointly with the maulster John Carver, from the estate of Thomas Terwood. Searle and Carver partitioned this land in 1700, and Searle left his part to his daughter Mary in his will, along with 200 acres in Southampton and 200 acres in Horsham.8

Before Henry could marry Mary he had to satisfy the Middletown Meeting of his good standing. In 12^th month 1698 he went before them to condemn his negligence in attending meetings. The following 7^th month 1699 he and Mary announced their intention to marry. There were continuing concerns about Henry’s behavior, and the meeting appointed William Paxson and Thomas Harding to inquire. The following month Henry condemned his “remissness” and the marriage was allowed to proceed.9

They settled in Bensalem, and had a family of two sons and seven daughters.10 Both Henry and Mary lived to see all but one of them married. Although four of the daughters married sons from Quaker families like Walton and Carver, they did not all marry under auspices of a meeting and the youngest daughter, Grace, married Benjamin Herbert at Christ Church. This is somewhat surprising, since prosperous families were usually able to keep their children within the society in this early time.

Henry was still remembered several generations later. “He was above the middle size of men, and was a jovial, comical sort of person. He did not inherit much property from his father, and never became so wealthy as his brother Thomas.”11 Mary died in 1747, the year after the youngest child was married. Henry lived on to 1759, and was named in Henry Tomlinson’s list of “aged persons” as 88 years old.12 He did not leave a will, and letters of administration were granted on his estate to his sons Frances and Thomas and son-in-law Thomas Tomlinson.13 He left a tract of 220 acres in Bensalem, and after his death the seven married daughters sold their share of the land to their brothers Frances and Thomas.14 They were all living near Bensalem at the time of the deed, except for William Carver, Elizabeth’s husband, who died earlier that year.

Children of Henry Walmsley and Mary Searle:

Joan, b. 1702, d. 1772, married Thomas Tomlinson. They lived in Bensalem, where Thomas died in 1764. In his will he named Joan, sons Thomas, Joseph, Henry, and Francis, and daughters Elizabeth and Mary.15 Joan was to have the “stone room at the west end of the dwelling house” with its furniture, while the son Thomas received the plantation and the others got cash legacies.

Elizabeth, d. 1772, m. 1719 William Carver, son of William and Mary, settled at Buckingham. William died in early 1759. Children: Joseph, William, Jacob, Elizabeth, Henry, Rebecca, Mary, Martha. Elizabeth died in Warwick Township in 1772, and in her will named all the children except Jacob, plus three Worthington grandchildren.16 She was living with her son-in-law Isaac Worthington, and mentioned that he had supported her in a “tender and affectionate manner”. He was also the executor.

Mary, b. 1704, d. 1795, m. about 1725 William Ridge, who immigrated to Pennsylvania and settled in Bensalem, Bucks County. Children: Thomas, Grace, William, Mary, Henry. William died in 1776. Mary outlived William him by twenty years, and died in 1795, age 91.17

Thomas, b. 1706, d. 1788. He married and left children.18 His wife’s name is sometimes said to be Ruth, but this may be a confusion.19 Thomas died in Southampton in August 1788, “near 80 years”.20 In his will he named a son Henry, daughter Margaret, son Ralph, daughter Mary Reed, and two granddaughters, and left land in both Southampton and Bensalem.21

Rebecca, m. 1731 Abel Walton, son of William and Sarah. They were married at Abington Meeting in 1731. They lived in Somerton, Philadelphia County, where Abel died in 1771. Rebecca administered his estate, which amounted to only £27 when the inventory was taken.22 Children: William, Mary, Abel, Henry.23

Francis, named for his grandfather, died unmarried in 1760, probably in Bensalem.

Sarah, d. 1787, m. William Kinsey. Sarah died in 10^th month 1787.24 They were living in Bristol Township in 1759, when they received a legacy from Sarah’s father Henry.25

Ann, m. John Waters, living in Bensalem in 1759. John was probably not a Friend, as they do not appear in Quaker records.

Grace, m. 1746 at Christ Church, Benjamin Herbert, living in Bensalem in 175926. Herbert was supposedly from Harford County, Maryland, and he and Grace moved there and had six children.27