Monthly Archives: March 2019

Worthington

Watson Worthington and Elizabeth Cornell

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Watson Worthington was born on November 17, 1839, the son of Benjamin Worthington and Lydia Groom. His parents moved around, and Watson grew up in both Bucks County and Philadelphia County. In 1860 he was still living with his parents, at age 21. He married Elizabeth Cornell about 1867. She was the daughter of Alfred Cornell and Rebecca Jane Van Buskirk. Her lineage was quite different from his English Quaker background. She was from Dutch families that came from New York to Bucks County in the early 1700s, kept their own church and language for several generations, and only gradually married outside of their culture.

In 1870 he and Elizabeth were living in Warrington, Bucks County, with two children, Henry and Benjamin. in 1876 Watson’s father Benjamin died; Watson renounced the administration. In 1880 they were living on the Welsh Road in Bustleton, and had added Nellie to their family.1 In 1900 they were living on the Somerton-Bustleton Pike, with their daughter May.2 Watson was a gate keeper. They were renting their house.

At first Watson was a farmer or farm laborer. Later he became a toll gate keeper, first on Bustleton Avenue (earlier known as the Philadelphia Road), then on York Avenue at the Hatboro Gate. The life of a toll gate keeper was not an easy one. Typically they lived in a house next to the road. The gates were closed at night and opened early the next morning. On some mornings they were opened at two or three o’clock so that the farmers could deliver produce and animals to the city. In return for the toll which the users paid to ride on the road, the turnpike company maintained the road, which was an unpaved surface. The wagons wore deep ruts in the road, which needed to be smoothed periodically.

He was a toll gate tender for 25 years, first at Somerton gate, then at Hatboro gate at County Line.3 There must not have been any more need for him in Somerton when the Bustleton Pike was made a free road. Elizabeth died in June 1906, and Watson moved in with his youngest daughter.4 He died in 1919 and was buried in William Penn Cemetery, in Somerton.5

My grandmother Helen knew the children of Watson and Elizabeth; they were her aunts and uncles.6

Children of Watson and Elizabeth:

Harry Clayton, b. 5 May 1867, d. 26 March 1935.7 He married Isabella Allen, born in Scotland, the daughter of James Allen and Elizabeth Louthers. Harry and Isabella lived in Lower Moreland and had daughters, Elizabeth, Gertrude, and Daisy. Harry was a mailman.8 Isabella died July 21, 1933.9 Harry died two years later.

Benjamin Franklin, b. 1870, d. 1943. In 1895 he married Elizabeth Scott, the daughter of James F. Scott and his first wife Jennie. The story came down through the family that Jennie died when Elizabeth was an infant, and James’ second wife did not want the baby, who was then sent away to be raised in an orphanage.10 Unfortunately the story did not tell how Benjamin met Elizabeth. They lived in Lower Moreland and had three known children, plus one probable (the infant Joseph born in mid-1896). Benjamin worked as a farmer, and later as a night watchman.11 In 1911 Elizabeth died, leaving him with two children, Helen and William Emmor.12 By 1930 Benjamin was living with his son William in Horsham, close to the Tyson family. Benjamin is buried at Hatboro Cemetery, but has no tombstone.13 Children: Joseph (possible), Helen, William Emmor, Thomas.

Nellie, b. ab. 1877 or 1878, d. January 1964, m. William Pierce; he was a printer of magazines in  Philadelphia, according to the 1910 census.14. In the 1920 census they were on Sickles Street in Philadelphia, where he was a publisher. They are buried at William Penn Cemetery.15 They had no children.

Edna May, known as May, b. 1885, d. 1952, m. Wilmer Craven. In 1930 census Wilmer was the superintendent at a water company. They had children Walter, a knitter in a hosiery factory, and Shirley, 8 years old.16 In 1920 they were in Hatboro with a daughter Elizabeth Ann, age 13 and Walter, age 11. Wilmer died in 1969 and is buried in Hatboro Cemetery with Edna.17 Children: Elizabeth Ann, Walter, Shirley.

? Joseph Watson, b. 1896, died Jan. 1897, age 7 months. He was buried at William Penn Cemetery. This is a very late birth for Elizabeth, and is more likely a grandchild born too soon after the parents’ marriage and buried as a child of the grandparents. I suspect he was a son of Benjamin and Elizabeth, since in 1900 they told the census-taker that they had two children, one living (Helen). Joseph could have been the other.18

  1. Federal Census, 1880, Philadelphia County, Ward 23, Dist. 461, I 14, Watson, age 41, farm laborer, Lizzie, 34, Harry, age 13, Benjamin, age 10, Nellie, age 4; near Wm. Potts, John VanHorn, Franklin Margerum. ↩
  2. Federal census 1900. Watson was indexed as Walten Worthington. He was 62, born in born in November 1837; Elizabeth was 53, born in September 1846. They had been married for 25 or 26 years and had four children, all living. ↩
  3. His obituary, sent from a web source. ↩
  4. His residence at death is from his obituary. In 1910 Wilmer Craven was living in Moreland Township, Montgomery County. ↩
  5. Records of William Grant Funeral Home, on Ancestry, Pennsylvania, Church and Town Records, 1708-1985, image 3221. Watson was widowed, a retired toll gate keeper, the son of Benjamin Worthington and Lydia A. Groom. He was born Nov 17, 1839, died May 31, 1919 at Abington Hospital and buried June 4 at William Penn Cemetery, with “an auto instead of a horse for the hearse”. The funeral service was at Somerton M. E. Church and the funeral cost $153.20. ↩
  6. Personal communication, Helen Worthington Tyson. ↩
  7. Pennsylvania State Death Certificate. ↩
  8. Federal census 1910 through 1930, Montgomery County. ↩
  9. Pennsylvania state death certificate for her. ↩
  10. This was from my grandmother Helen Worthington Tyson, daughter of Benjamin and Elizabeth. It has not been substantiated, although James F. Scott did live in Philadelphia, where he was married three times. ↩
  11. Federal census 1930. ↩
  12. Joseph died at age seven months; Thomas died the day after his birth. ↩
  13. Personal communication from his daughter Helen Worthington Tyson. ↩
  14. In the 1910 census her name is given as Ella. ↩
  15. Burial records of William Penn Cemetery, in Ancestry, PA and NJ Church and Town Records, Phila County, Somerton, image 381. ↩
  16. Federal census 1930, Montgomery County, Hatboro, district 43, image 39. Helen W. Tyson remembered the youngest child as Dorothy, but in the census she is Shirley. ↩
  17. Findagrave, with a photo of their shared tombstone. ↩
  18. 1900 census, Montgomery County, Moreland Township, ↩
Worthington

John Worthington and Sarah Walton

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John Worthington, son of Benjamin Worthington and Hannah Malone, was born in 1777 and grew up in Byberry, Philadelphia County. He married in 1805 Sarah Walton, daughter of Joseph and Deborah. Their marriage was contrary to discipline and they were disowned from Horsham Meeting in 6th month 1805. They lived in Byberry and had seven known children there.1 In the 1850 census, they had no children still at home, but their son Walton lived next door with his wife Cynthia and four children. John was 72, Sarah was 68.2

John wrote his will in 1849. He provided for Sarah to stay in the house with an annuity. After her death the farm was to be sold and some of the proceeds to be used for the benefit of son Edward.3 The rest of the estate was divided among the other children. The inventory came to $304, but the expenses and his debts were more than that. John died in 1852; Sarah died in 1858.

Children of John Worthington and Sarah Walton:4

Edward, b. ab. 1806, married Susan Singley5. In 1870 he was a farm laborer, age 63, living with his sister Lydia Praul and her husband William in Northampton. Ten years later he was living with his niece Elmira Tomlinson and her husband Franklin in Somerton.6 Edward died on Aug. 23, 18887, a widower, age 82, died of dropsy and “general  debility”, lived on the Somerton Pike, buried at Byberry.8  Edward and Susan are not known to have any children.

Malvina, b. 1808, d. 1885, married Thomas Carter, son of James Carter and Phebe Tomlinson. They lived in Somerton, Phila. County in 1860, where Thomas was a farmer.9 By 1880, he had retired, at age 69. By then they had no children living with them. Thomas died in 1892. Both are buried at William Penn Cemetery.10 Children: Ann, Mary Louisa.11

Benjamin, b. 1813, d. 1876, m. Lydia Ann Groom, daughter of Evan Groom and Rachel Randall.  In 1848 he was keeping a store. In 1850 they were living in Bensalem, Bucks County, with four children. By 1860 they had moved to Moreland and had another child.12 By 1870 they had moved again, to Warrington Township, Bucks County, with children Rebecca, William, and Rachel.13 Benjamin died in 1876. In 1880 Lydia was living in Cheltenham, Montgomery County, with her daughter Annie and in the same household as her son Emmor and his wife Tamsen.14 In 1900 Lydia was living with Emmor and Tamysen, along with her daughter Rebecca.15 Lydia died in January of 1908, at the age of 89.16 She and Benjamin were buried at William Penn Cemetery. Children of Benjamin and Lydia: Watson, Elmira, Annie Rebecca, William Emmor, Rachel.

George W, b. ab. 1811, m. Harriet Comly, the daughter of Joshua Comly and Amelia Vansant.17 In 1850 they were living in Byberry where he worked initially as a farmer. By 1860 he was a bricklayer. George died in 1861, about fifty years old.18 in 1870, Harriet was living with daughters Mary and Ella.19 In 1880 Harriet was living with her daughter Ella and Ella’s husband James.20 She died on July 4, 1896, of “old age”, age 82, lived in Somerton, buried at William Penn21. Children: Elizabeth, Amanda, Mary, Ella.

Lydia, b. 1815, d. 1902, m. William Praul, lived in Northampton, Bucks County in 1880; he was a farmer. He was the son of John Praul and Martha Tomlinson.22 Lydia Praul died on Dec. 23, 1902, at age 86, a widow, died of “heart disease and debility”; living in Southampton, Bucks; buried at William Penn. William died in 1887 of apoplexy.23 Children: Edward, Lucinda, Theodore, J. Winfield, Thomas, William, Ida.24

Walton, b. 1818, d. 1902, m. Cynthia Tomlinson, daughter of Amos and Sarah. lived in Wrightstown, Bucks County in 1880.25 He died in Aug. 1902 at age 85, living in Wrightstown but buried at William Penn Cemetery.26 Cynthia died in 1889, age 72, also buried at William Penn. Children: Amos, Eugene, Louis, Amy and Sarah.

Asenath, b. 1820, d. 1901 of cerebral spinal sclerosis, m. Ezra Tomlinson, lived in Southampton, Bucks County in 1880. She and Ezra were cousins; he was the son of her aunt Martha Worthington Tomlinson. They lived in Southampton and Northampton, Bucks County. He was a farmer, and in 1860 a “restaurant keeper”.27  Ezra died in 1889 at age 69, married, a farmer in Bustleton, buried at William Penn.28 He left a will.29 The “house and garden at the corner” was to be sold to pay his debts, but his widow was to have “the house where I reside”. He wrote it in December 1881, and died in June 1889. He did not name any children; his seven children were grown by then. Asenath died in 1901 at age 85; widowed, living at Richboro; buried at William Penn.30 According to William Penn cemetery records she was living at Churchville. Asenath and Ezra had children Sarah, Martha, Mary, John, Hannah, Lydia and Francis (twins, Francis was a male).31

  1. In the census from 1810 to 1850. ↩
  2. 1850 census, Byberry, Philadelphia County, image 18. ↩
  3. The implication is that Edward was in need of special assistance, although he did marry. ↩
  4. Joseph Martindale, History of Byberry and Moreland, p. 368; Norman W. Swayne, Byberry Waltons, p. 207. ↩
  5. She has been proposed as a daughter of Andrew Singley and Rebecca Tomlinson, although Martindale does not list her as one of their children. (Martindale, 1867, p. 370-372. ↩
  6. 1880 census, Philadelphia County, ED #461, Image 11. ↩
  7. Philadelphia Death Certificates, index 1803-1915, on Ancestry. ↩
  8. Phila Death Certificates, 1803-1915, online on FamilySearch. ↩
  9. 1860 census, Philadelphia Co., Ward 23, Image 526 (There were many Worthingtons around them). ↩
  10. Findagrave. ↩
  11. Mary Louisa married her cousin Evan Jerome Groom, a brother of her aunt Lydia Groom. ↩
  12. 1860 census, Montgomery County, Moreland, Image 43. The children were Watson, age 21, Elmira, age 19, Rebecca, age 14, Wm. Emma (sic), age 12, and Rachael, age 6. The closest post office was Hatboro. ↩
  13. Warrington Township, Bucks Co., 1870 census, Image 13. The children were Rebecca, age 24; William E. age 21, Rachel, age 16. The farm was valued at $15,000, more than the others right around it. ↩
  14. Federal Census, 1880, E.D. #2, Image 53. ↩
  15. Emmor was indexed as Emmit or Emma. ↩
  16. Philadelphia County Death Certificate, named as Lydia Ann Worthington, b. 3/17/1818, d. 1/8/1908, age 89, died of “LaGrippe”, doctor in Bustleton, father Evan Groom, mother Rachel Randall, residence Bustleton Avenue in Somerton, 35th ward, buried from Bustleton Avenue at William Penn. ↩
  17. Norwood Comly, Comly Family in America, pp. 70-71. ↩
  18. Philadelphia Death Certificates index 1803-1915, on Ancestry. ↩
  19. Federal census 1870, Philadelphia Ward 14 Dist. 41 (2nd Enum.), image 6. ↩
  20. 1880 census, Philadelphia County, Enumeration Dist. 588, image 8. ↩
  21. Philadelphia Death Certificates index 1803-1915, on Ancestry. ↩
  22. Home page of the Billiou Descendants of Bucks County. He was the grandson of John Praul and Mary Ridge, as well as Thomas Tomlinson and Phebe Carver, all familiar Quaker names. The page referred to him as John William Praul. ↩
  23. William Penn Cemetery records. ↩
  24. Federal census 1850-1870. ↩
  25. Philadelphia Death Certificates, 1803-1915. ↩
  26. Byberry Waltons, p. 207. ↩
  27. Federal census, 1860. By 1870 he was listed as a farmer again. ↩
  28. Philadelphia Death Certificate. ↩
  29. Bucks County wills, Book 24, p. 207. ↩
  30. Philadelphia Death Certificate. ↩
  31. Federal census, Bucks County, 1850 through 1870. ↩
Worthington

John Worthington and Mary Walmsley

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My grandmother Helen told me a story about her Worthington ancestors, passed down to her from her aunt May. She said that we were descended from Captain John and Sarah Worthington who sailed up the Severn River in Maryland and settled on a plantation called Pendennis. These turned out to be real people, even though the dashing Captain John was not related to our quiet Quaker farmers.1

Worthington was a common name in the north of England, around Lancashire and Cheshire. Some of them became Quakers and they were persecuted for it. James Harrison, a prominent Quaker from Bolton, wrote in 1679 to Roger Longworth, a traveling Quaker missionary, “I and mine are very glad to here from thee and of thy welfare.  Soe are friends here and heareaways Ph: (?) Worthington desired me to remember his love to thee when I writ … a bad bad spirit hath been at work and it is in Cheshire.” He then gives details of the persecutions, especially of James Worthington.2 When Pennsylvania opened up as a refuge for the Quakers, some of the Worthingtons emigrated and settled in Byberry township, north of Philadelphia. The usual story is that there were three brothers, John, Samuel, and Thomas, who reached Byberry in 1705.3 Since the first record of them is the marriage of John in 1720, they probably came about then as young adults.4 Worthington was a very common name at the time.5 From the earliest times there were two unrelated families, one in Byberry descended from John and Samuel, and the other around Wrightstown, descended from Richard Worthington.6

First generation: The immigrant brothers7

John, b. ab. 1697, d. 1777, married about 1720 Mary Walmsley, daughter of Thomas and Mary, lived in Byberry.

Samuel, b. ab. 1700, d. 1775, married 1724 Mary Carver, daughter of William and Mary, lived in Byberry, then Buckingham.

possibly Thomas, found only in a list of 1734 landholders in Byberry.

John Worthington was born about 1697.8 He probably immigrated as a young man with his brother Samuel. John married Mary Walmsley, daughter of Thomas Walmsley and Mary Paxson, about 1720, and settled in the northern end of Byberry. The marriage was not recorded at Abington meeting. All of Mary’s brothers and sisters were married under the auspices of Abington meeting; this strongly suggests that John and Mary were married there too, possibly at a time when the records were in disarray.9

In 1721 John subscribed to the collection for the poor of Byberry. In 1734 he was on the list of landowners in Philadelphia County with 25 acres. This would not have supported a family; presumably he made his living as a weaver.10 In 1732 Samuel’s house in Byberry burned down and two years later he and Mary moved north to Buckingham, Bucks County.

In 1752 John was elected as an overseer of the poor. The job was “to provide the necessaries of life to all who are unable to procure them, and not let any suffer.”11 This is one of the few times he appears in the records for his meeting or for the township. He was not active in religious or public affairs. In 1754 Mary’s father Thomas Walmsley died, followed three months later by his wife Mary’s mother Mary. In his will Thomas left 60 acres in Byberry to his daughter Mary Worthington. They may have moved to that tract, since in his will John mentioned a tract of 50 acres in Byberry “whereon I now dwell”. He eventually owned four tracts in Byberry, one in Bensalem and one in Buckingham. In the tax list of 1769 and 1774, he was shown with 160 acres in Byberry, three horses and four cows.12

He and Mary had eleven children born in the next thirty years, with their births recorded at Abington Meeting.

The oldest daughter was the first to marry.  Elizabeth married Joseph Tomlinson at the First Presbyterian Church  in 1744. This was the first of a series of marriages out of meeting for John’s children. In 1751 Thomas married Hannah Duncan at Trinity Church, Oxford. In 1765 William was disowned for going out in marriage with Esther Homer; a few years later he moved up to Buckingham Township, where two of his brothers were already living.

Benjamin, the youngest son, was the only one of them to stay in Byberry, while the others moved to Buckingham.

Mary died in 4th month 1764.13 She buried two of her children, but lived to see four of them marry. John wrote his will in 1776, “somewhat disordered in body”. He was about 80 years old. He died the following March. In the will he named all his living children, distributed the household goods and referred to six separate pieces of land. In the typical pattern of the time he gave land to his sons and cash to his daughters. He provided for his unmarried daughter Mary. Four of the sons, William, Isaac, Joseph and Benjamin, were to build her a “suitable and convenient dwelling house”.

It is striking that of the ten marriages of their children, including the three of Joseph, only three were under the auspices of Friends meetings. John and Mary were not successful in keeping their children as Friends. Also, several married at an older age than usual, or not at all.

Children of John Worthington and Mary Walmsley:14

Elizabeth, b. 1st month 1721, d. 1761, married 1744 Joseph Tomlinson, at the First Presbyterian Church in Phila15. He was the son of Thomas Tomlinson and Joan Walmsley.16 In 1757 Joseph was on the list of members of Byberry Meeting.17 They had seven children before Elizabeth’s death in 1761. Joseph died in Bensalem but did not leave a will.18 Children: Rebecca, John, Thomas, Joseph, Francis, Mary, Benjamin.19

Mary, b. 12th month (February) 1723/24, died unmarried in 1785, provided for in her father’s will. She was called “honest old Mary Worthington” by Henry Tomlinson.20 She left a will naming her sisters, brothers, nieces and nephews.21

Thomas, b. 2nd month 1726, d. 1798, married 1751 Hannah Duncan at Trinity Church, Oxford.22 He moved to Southampton, and left a will proved in 1796, providing for Hannah and naming ten children.23 Children: John, Nathan, Rebecca, William, Joseph, Isaac, Benjamin, Thomas, Amos, and Mary.

Hannah, b. 12th month 1727/8, married her cousin Joseph Carver, son of William Carver and Elizabeth, in 1776 at Buckingham MM.24 It was a late marriage for her; he was twice widowed; they had no children.

John, b. 2nd month 1730, d. 6th month 1744.25

William, b. 7th month 1732, d. 1816, married in 1764 Esther Homer in the Presbyterian Church at Churchville.26 She was the daughter of William Homer and his second wife Mary Walton (daughter of Daniel). William and Esther had six children who lived to marry.27 He died in Buckingham and left a will, proved in 1816.28 He named Esther, and children William, Jesse, Benjamin, Hiram, Mary, and Esther. Esther died in 1832.

Isaac, b. 6th month 1735, d. 1800, m. 1760 Martha Carver at Christ Church, Philadelphia, daughter of William and Elizabeth. Isaac and Martha moved to West Goshen, Chester County, and died there. Isaac left a will naming Martha and most of the children.  Children: Mary, William, John, Amos, Eber, Elizabeth, Joseph.

Joseph, b. 6th month  1738, d. 1822, m. 1) Elizabeth or Esther Carver, daughter of Joseph, in 1767 at the Dutch church in Churchville29, 2) Sarah Malone (daughter of Patrick and Hannah) in 1773 at Buckingham MM, 3) Esther Kimble in 1778 , daughter of Anthony and Esther.30 Joseph had children with all three of his wives. He owned Indian Neck Farm, on the Neshaminy Creek31 and died in Buckingham, Bucks County. Joseph left a will, proved in 1822.32 He named his wife Esther, and ten of the children. Esther died in 1828.33 Children of Joseph and Esther/Elizabeth: Joseph, John.34 Children of Joseph and Sarah: Abner, Sarah.35 Children of Joseph and Esther: Anthony, William, Joel, Elisha, Amy, Hannah, Martha, Jesse, Esther, Isaac.

Martha, b. 1st month 1740/1, m. 1772 James Bonner. They were married by Justice of the Peace Wm Dewees.36 She was a member of Buckingham Friends but James was not, although he became a Friend later. He immigrated in 1764. She died in Buckingham, then he moved to Byberry, with a certificate from Buckingham and died there.

Benjamin, b. 12th month 1742/3, d. 1813, m. 1774 Hannah Malone37, daughter of Patrick and Hannah, at Buckingham Meeting.38 They settled in Byberry and had eleven children, two of whom died young. Benjamin made his will in 1811 and signed it, then wrote another one after Hannah died. The second one was unsigned, but admitted for probate.39 Children: Mary, Asa, John, James, Benjamin, Mahlon, Hannah, Joseph, Elizabeth, Enos, Martha.

Esther, b. 12th month 1749/50, d. 9th month 1754.40

  1. Captain John Worthington was born about 1650 near Manchester, England. In 1664 he came to Maryland, and rose to serve as a commissioner, coroner, judge, and member of the House of Burgesses and the Legislative Assembly. He was active in the Severn Militia and fought against the Nanticoke Indians. With his wife Sarah Howard he had six children. But we are not descended from any of them. ↩
  2. Hull, William Penn and the Dutch Quakers, p. 358. The spelling is modernized here. The original letter in a mss collection at the HSP is very difficult to read. According to W. W. H. Davis, History of Bucks County, the Worthingtons were from Standish Parish, Lancashire, where there is a town called Worthington. This must have been family folklore from someone whom Davis interviewed.  Without finding more records for John and Samuel, we cannot pin down their origin. ↩
  3. Joseph Martindale probably started this in his History of Byberry and Moreland, originally published in 1867, and many others have repeated it since. Samuel was known to be John’s brother, since he named John’s son Isaac in his will. Davis said that Thomas was received at Buckingham Meeting in 1732, but “shortly removed to Abington”. No records of him have been found, except a land record in 1734. ↩
  4. There was a John Worthington who died on the Friendship in January 1684/5, from the parish of Cheadle. He left a will, but the names of his siblings do not match the other known Worthington families. ↩
  5. There was another Worthington in Byberry, coincidentally, but not related to Samuel and John. The Pennsylvania Gazette reported on July 11, 1734 that, “The weather has been so excessive hot here for a Week past, that a great Number of People have fainted and falled into Convulsions, and several have died in a few Hours after they were taken.  From the Country round about we hear that a great many of the Harvest people faint in the Fields, and ‘tis said that in some Places a multitude of Birds are found dead. … Saturday Night last …  James Worthington of Byberry, as he was reaping drop’d down; and being carry’d into the shade dy’d in a few Minutes. (Pennsylvania Gazette, from July 4 to July 11, 1734, quoted in the PA Magazine of History and Biography, vol. 12, 1883.) Letters for James’ estate were not granted to John and Samuel, but instead to strangers, showing the lack of relationship. Could this James be the one referred to in the letter of James Harrison? ↩
  6. My grandmother Helen knew this and assured me that we had no connection to the Wrightstown Worthingtons. The oral tradition was remarkably accurate. Davis calls the family of Richard Worthington the Buckingham Worthingtons.  He calls Samuel’s descendants the Plumstead Worthingtons (Samuel moved from Abington to northern Bucks County in 1736). (Davis, p. 259.) My grandmother was descended from the Byberry Worthingtons, while her husband Raymond was descended from the Plumstead Worthingtons. She never knew this, although it would not have surprised her. ↩
  7. There is an Esther Worthington who married Robert Bryant in 1724 at the First Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia, and some researchers have included her as a sister of John and Samuel. There is no evidence to connect her to them, and it is unlikely that their sister would have married in any place other than a Friends meeting. ↩
  8. There are no birth records known for him. His wife Mary was born in 1701. ↩
  9. The early records were given to George Boone to copy in 1716; he finished around 1719. ↩
  10. It is often said that he is was a weaver, starting with Martindale. An original record showing this has not yet been traced. ↩
  11. Martindale, p. 141. ↩
  12. Proprietary Tax List of Philadelphia County and City 1769, 1774, 1779. ↩
  13. Byberry Meeting, Deaths 1736-1823. ↩
  14. Abington MM records at the Bucks County Historical Society; also Martindale. ↩
  15. Pennsylvania Marriages Prior to 1810, PA Archives, Second Series, vol. IX. ↩
  16. Martindale, History of Byberry and Moreland, 1867, p. 370. ↩
  17. Byberry Preparative Meeting, Minutes 1753-1792, image 293. ↩
  18. A different Joseph died in Upper Makefield in 1785 and two men named Joseph Tomlinson died in Philadelphia County in the late 1700s, none of them this Joseph. ↩
  19. Francis can be either a male or female name at this time, the only name of its type. This Francis was a male, who married his cousin Mary Worthington about 1785. ↩
  20. Tomlinson was interested in local history and kept a list of deaths of people in the surrounding neighborhood, both Quakers and non-Quakers. At some point his list was copied into Byberry Meeting records. (Byberry Monthly Meeting, Deaths 1736-1791). The clue that some are non-Quakers are the Dutch names such as Vandegrift and Praul. ↩
  21. Philadelphia County Wills, book T, p. 238. ↩
  22. Records of Trinity Church at the Bucks County Historical Society, Spruance Library, collection Chu 11. Martindale said that Thomas married Hannah Pritchet. ↩
  23. Bucks County Wills, book 6, p. 93. ↩
  24.   Buckingham MM marriages on USGenWeb Archives for Bucks County. ↩
  25. Abington MM, Minutes 1629-1721. ↩
  26. Marriages at the Presbyterian Church, Churchville, 1738-1810, in PA Marriages prior to 1810, vol. 1; also on USGenWeb Archives for Bucks County. ↩
  27. Their son Benjamin married Mary Welding and had a son Watson, confusable with another Watson Worthington with a father named Benjamin. ↩
  28. Bucks County wills, Book 9, p. 146. ↩
  29. Her name is given both ways in different sources; it is not clear which is correct. ↩
  30. She was his cousin, the daughter of his first cousin Esther Worthington Kimble. ↩
  31. William Worthington, “Indian Neck Farm”, manuscript. Indian Neck Farm is on a level floodplain of the Neshaminy, supposedly the site of a Lenni Lenape village. Many implements were found there such as stone darts and arrow heads. ↩
  32. Bucks County wills, book 10, p. 81. ↩
  33. Web sources, not confirmed. ↩
  34. They were named in the will of their grandfather Joseph Carver in 1790. ↩
  35. They were in the will of their grandfather Patrick Malone. ↩
  36. Post to Bonner surname board on Rootsweb, citing a book by Ruth E. Bonner ↩
  37. Some sources erroneously give her name as Sarah, but this is a confusion with her sister, who married Joseph Worthington. ↩
  38. Comly says Benjamin was born in 1746; however the diary of Lydia Ann Cleaver (FHC #0172927) says that Benjamin was born 19th of the 12th month in 1742. Either Comly had a mistake or there was another Benjamin who died young. ↩
  39. Philadelphia County estate records, City Hall. ↩
  40. Abington MM, Minutes 1629-1721. ↩
Families related to Worthington

Benjamin Worthington and Hannah Malone

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Benjamin Worthington was born in 1742, one of the younger children of John Worthington and Mary Walmsley. Benjamin grew up in Byberry, where his father was a weaver and his parents were members of Byberry Meeting. When Benjamin was about twelve, his mother died, leaving John with many children to raise. By then Benjamin was the youngest surviving child. By 1769 he was on the tax list in Byberry, along with his father John, and in 4th month 1774 Benjamin was given a certificate from Abington Meeting to marry a Friend of Buckingham. This was Hannah Malone, daughter of Patrick Malone and Hannah Beal.

After their marriage Benjamin and Hannah stayed in Byberry and raised their family. By 1800 they had 11 people in the house.1 In 5th month 1811, Benjamin wrote a will, providing for Hannah’s care after his death and  leaving legacies to the living children. But in 1811 Hannah died, and Benjamin rewrote his will. He never signed the second will before his death in April 1813, but it was admitted to probate.2

The earlier one provided for wife Hannah to have two rooms in the house, with firewood and an annuity paid by son Enos. Son Joshua was to have the plantation and provide for Hannah’s needs…”he must keep in good order winter and summer for his mother one horse one cow fit for her use, shall harness her horse, put him to her chair when as often as she may order it to be done, on her return shall take the necessary care of the chair and harness by cleaning and oiling them carefully when wanted. He my said son shall have liberty to use the horse moderately when his mother do not want to use him.” The other children received cash legacies, to be paid by Asa and Enos. The second will omitted those provisions, but Joshua still received the home plantation. The inventory was taken on April 20, 1813. It was divided by rooms: a bedchamber and three other chambers on the first floor, a parlor and a kitchen, a garret and a loft above, a cellar below. Outside there was a barn and a wagon house. The estate was valued about $750.

Children of Benjamin Worthington and Hannah Malone: 3

Mary, b. 1775, d. after one month, buried at Byberry

Asa, b. 1776, d. 1846, m. Rebecca Subers, disowned by Byberry Meeting in 1799.4 In 1st month 1799, Byberry Meeting complained that Asa was under suspicion of attending “places of divertion and dancing”, which was referred to the monthly meeting for discussion.5 They moved to Wrightstown; buried at Middletown Mtg. In 1st month 1819 Rebecca, wife of Asa Worthington, requested membership in Byberry Meeting.6 In 3rd month 1831 Middletown Meeting received a certificate from Wrightstown Meeting for Asa, Rebecca and their three minor children (Rebecca, Chalkley and Asa Curtis).7 They also had older children Amos and Adin.

John, b. 1777, d. 1852, m. 1805 Sarah Walton, disowned then by Byberry Meeting 8, daughter of Joseph and Deborah.9  In 1850 they were living in Byberry.10 He was 72; she was 68. In his will he left $90 yearly to Sarah out of the rent of his farm. She was to have as much house room as she wanted. The farm was to be rented out during her life, kept in fence and 120 bushels of lime to be put on it every year. An annuity was provided for his son Edward. The other sons named in the will were George, Benjamin, and Walton.

James, b. 1779, d. 1852. He was a butcher and lived in Southampton on a small lot. He married two or three times.11 His first known wife was Ann Maclay.12 They had two children before her death in 5th month 1815, reported by Byberry Meeting.13 He then married Elizabeth Groome between 1820 and 1824. Elizabeth was twenty years younger than James.14 She was part of the Groom family of Byberry and Southampton, possibly an undocumented daughter of John and Phebe of Upper Makefield. James and Elizabeth had five known children before his death in 1852.15 He did not leave a will, but the Orphan’s Court record listed his six living children. Elizabeth died in 1856 and left a will, leaving all her estate to her son Warren G, and naming her son-in-law Charles B. Terry (married to her daughter Margaret) as executor.16 Children with Ann: Franklin, probably Margaret. Children with Elizabeth: Evan G., William, John, Emily, and Warren G.17

Benjamin, b. 1780, m. 1809 Ann Walton, born 1792, a daughter of Joseph and Deborah; this was out of unity and they were disowned by Horsham Meeting in 8th month 1809.18 They had five children. Benjamin died in August 1849 in Byberry.19 Children: Amanda, Rebecca, Alfred, Abner, Mary.

Mahlon, b. 1782, m. Matilda Edwards, had a large family.20 He died in 1842 and was buried at Byberry.21

Hannah, b. 1784, d. 1823, m. Jonathan Walton in 1803 at Byberry meeting.22 He was one of three children of Isaac Walton and Susanna Kirk.23 Jonathan died in 1825 in Warminster, Bucks County.24 Hannah died two years before him. Children: Martha, Agnes, Emily, Hannah, Isaac, Benjamin, Josiah.

Joshua, b.  1786, d. 1866, m. 1814 Mary Tomlinson, daughter of John and Phebe. in 1850 a farmer in Byberry, by 1860 still there and calling himself a gentleman. He “lived on the homestead in Byberry”.25 He left a will, naming wife Mary and children Spencer, Comly and Adaline.26

Elizabeth, b. 1789, died 1797, buried at Byberry

Enos, b. 1791, m. Sarah Heaton, died in 1850 in Moreland of cholera. Left no will in Phila Co. Children: Thomas, Benjamin, Joshua and a daughter.27

Martha, b. 1794, m. John Tomlinson, son of Thomas Tomlinson and Phoebe Carver.28 John died in 1846; they had children Ezra, Stephen and others.

  1. Federal census, Philadelphia County. ↩
  2. Philadelphia County estate files, D22, City Hall. ↩
  3. Joseph Martindale, History of Byberry and Moreland, 1867, p. 368; Byberry Monthly Meeting, Births and Burials, 1810, on Ancestry, US Quaker Meeting Records 1681-1935, Philadelphia County, image 44. All the Quaker records in this account can be found on Ancestry. ↩
  4. Byberry Preparative Meeting, Member List 1797, image 34. ↩
  5. Byberry Preparative Meeting, Minutes 1792-1825, image 81. ↩
  6. Byberry Preparative Meeting, Minutes 1798, image 144. ↩
  7. Middletown Monthly Meeting, Minutes 1813-1837, image 119. A copy of the certificate is in Wrightstown MM, Removals, 1815-1836, image 22. ↩
  8. Byberry Preparative Meeting, Member List 1797, image 34. ↩
  9. Philadelphia County wills, Book 29, p. 385. ↩
  10. Federal census 1850, Philadelphia County, Byberry, image 18. ↩
  11. A James Worthington, possibly this man, was disowned by Byberry Meeting in 1806 for marrying a woman not in membership with Friends, by a magistrate. (Byberry Preparative Meeting, Member List 1797, image 34; Byberry Preparative Meeting, Minutes 1792-1825, image 189) If this is the same James, then he married three times—to the unknown wife in 1806, to Ann Maclay around 1814, to Elizabeth Groom between 1820 and 1824. ↩
  12. Joseph Martindale, History of Byberry and Moreland, 1867, p. 368. ↩
  13. Byberry Monthly Meeting, Minutes 1726-1825. ↩
  14. 1850 federal census, Southampton, Southampton, image 7. James was 71; Elizabeth was 51. They were living next to Warren Groom, a son of Evan Groom of Southampton. This is one of several connections between Elizabeth Groom Worthington and Evan Groom. Elizabeth named her first son Evan Groom Worthington. Her son John married and had a son Evan, born in 1850, who was living with the family of Evan Groom, son of John and Phebe, in 1860 as an apprentice. When James died he owed money to Evan Groom and Hazel Scott (Evan’s brother-in-law). The close connection between this family and that of the older Evan suggests that Elizabeth Groom may be an undocumented younger sister of Evan. She is not listed in the children of John and Phebe, and may be illegitimate or adopted. ↩
  15. Bucks County Orphan’s Court records, September Term 1852. His personal estate was not sufficient to pay the bills and the lot, about an acre and three-quarters, had to be sold. ↩
  16. Bucks County wills, Book 14, p. 59. Charles was a blacksmith. Charles and Margaret named their seventh child Ellen Groom Terry. (The well documented website of Dick and Maralyn Tolman, “Five generations of the Terry Family…”, accessed March 2019). They assume that Charles was the son of David Terry and Esther Groom, partly based on the name of their daughter Ellen. I assume that her Groom middle name came from Margaret, not from Charles. ↩
  17. Emily was not named in the Orphan’s Court record and probably died before 1852. ↩
  18. Norman W. Swayne, Byberry Waltons, 1958, p. 208. ↩
  19. Federal Mortality Schedule, 1850. ↩
  20. Martindale, p. 368. ↩
  21. Byberry Monthly Meeting, on Ancestry, PA & NJ Church and Town Records 1669-2013, Philadelphia, Quaker, Byberry MM, image 166. ↩
  22. Their certificate of marriage is online, misfiled on Ancestry, under New Jersey, Camden, Haddonfield MM, Marriage Certificates 1782-1813, image 94. ↩
  23. Byberry Waltons, p. 65. ↩
  24. Byberry Waltons, p. 143. ↩
  25. Martindale, p. 373. ↩
  26. Philadelphia County wills, Book 56, p. 525. ↩
  27. Martindale, p. 368. ↩
  28. Martindale, p. 373. ↩
Families related to Worthington

Benjamin Worthington and Lydia Ann Groom

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Benjamin Worthington was born in 1813, the son of John Worthington and Sarah Walton. He grew up in Byberry, Philadelphia County. His parents had been disowned by Byberry Meeting for marrying contrary to Quaker discipline. Around 1838 Benjamin married Lydia Groom, daughter of Evan Groom and Rachel Randall. Evan Groom was a well-off farmer of Bensalem, Bucks County.

In 1848 Benjamin was keeping a store, probably in Southampton. They sold land there to Evan, adjoining other land Evan already owned along the Poquessing Creek. By 1850 Benjamin and Lydia were living in Bensalem, Bucks County, with four children.1 By 1860 they had moved to Moreland, and had another child.2 By 1870 they had moved again, to Warrington Township, Bucks County, with children Rebecca, William, and Rachel.3

Benjamin did not leave a will at the time of his death in 1876. His son Watson and widow Lydia renounced their right as administrators in favor of William Brunner and William E. Worthington, Watson’s younger brother. The inventory of the estate gives evidence that Benjamin kept a store. It included  canned fruit, a barrel of pickles, tin pans, canned tomatoes, benches, barrels, potatoes, a Buffalo robe, feathers, three bags of beans, onions, a shotgun, a hay wagon and ox cart, tools and plows, 500 bushels of corn, 100 bushels of oats, 125 dozen brooms, 15 pair of pigeons, 3 horses, 12 head of cows, a bull, and winter grain in the ground. The house and land was sold to John Rhoads for $7700. Expenses against the estate included $30.66 for marketing the brooms and $1817.59 for loss of an outstanding debt due from Watson Worthington.4

In 1880 Lydia was living in Cheltenham, Montgomery County, with her daughter Annie R. age 33, and in the same household as her son Emmor and his wife Tamsen. He was described as a huckster.5 In 1900 Lydia had moved to the Bustleton area, Philadelphia County, living with Emmor and Tamysen, and her daughter Rebecca. Emmor was listed as a gentleman, which seems to mean that he was retired.6 Emmor and Tamsen probably did not have any children. Lydia died in January of 1908, at the ripe age of 89. She was living on Bustleton Avenue in Somerton at the time and was buried at William Penn cemetery.7 She left a will, naming her brother Evan J. as executor, and leaving her property to her children Rebecca, Watson, Elmira, Emmor and Rachel.8

My grandmother Helen Worthington Tyson remembered Watson’s siblings. They were her great-uncle and great-aunts. She said that they were Quakers and used the old thee and thy speech.9 They may not have been members of a Quaker meeting, but they still kept the cultural tradition.

Children of Benjamin & Lydia:10

Watson, b. 1839, d. 1919, m. Elizabeth Cornell, daughter of Alfred Cornell and  Rebecca Jane Van Buskirk; Watson was buried at William Penn. Elizabeth was of Dutch heritage, from families who moved down from New York to Bucks County in the early 1700s, had their own church and cultural heritage and intermarried for several generations. Watson and Elizabeth first lived in Bucks County, then moved to Somerton, where Watson was a toll booth keeper on the Bustleton Pike for twenty-five years. Elizabeth died in 1906 and Watson moved in with his youngest daughter. Children: Harry, Benjamin F, Nellie, Edna May.11

Elmira, b. April 1840, d. Nov. 10, 1926, m. Franklin Tomlinson, lived in Somerton on Tomlinson Road. 12. In 1880 they were living in Philadelphia County where he was a farmer. Edward Worthington, age 73, and Elmira’s uncle, was living with them and working on the farm.13 The daughter Anna married Harry Chapell.14 In 1890 Franklin was dead and Elmira was the head of household. Anna and Harry were living with her. Frank died in 1898 (born 1836).15 They were buried at William Penn.16 Children of Elmira and Franklin: Ellsworth, Anna, Franklin.

Annie Rebecca, known as Rebecca, b. 1845, unmarried, living with her brother William in 1910. She died on Dec. 13, 1914, at the age of 69. She had been keeping house on  the Bustleton Pike. The doctor stated that she died of Bright’s Disease, with a contributing cause a burn on her right arm, “not serious, clothing caught fire while she was lighting a lamp”.17 She was buried at William Penn Cemetery.

William Emmor, known as Emmor, b. Feb 1849, d. Dec 28, 1919, m. Tamyson H. Greaves18 He was a groceryman. An ad in the Bucks County Gazette for May 26, 1898 included him in a list of grocers who were “up to date” and sold Karang Java coffee. They lived in Somerton and were buried at Hatboro.19 His wife Tamyson died in 1932. No known children.

Rachel, b. March 5, 1854, d. 1934, married Edward Clark, lived in Norristown. In the 1900 census he was a train engineer and they had three sons: Edward, William and Albert. In 1910 he was working as a foreman in the paper mill.20 Rachel died in 1934 and was buried at Riverside Cemetery.21 Edward had died before her, in 1932.22

  1. 1850 census, Bucks Co., Bensalem Township, shows parents Benjamin 38 and Lydia 33, with children Watson 11, Elmira 10, Rebecca 5, and William 1, along with three others in the household, Michael Kane, 19, farmer, and Jane Connagh, 21, both from Ireland, and Samuel States, 23, mason.  Benjamin is described as a merchant, with real estate valued at $2,850. ↩
  2. 1860 census, Montgomery County, Moreland, Image 43. The children were Watson, age 21, Elmira, age 19, Rebecca, age 14, Wm. Emma (sic), age 12, and Rachael, age 6. The closest post office was Hatboro. ↩
  3. Warrington Township, Bucks Co., 1870 census, Image 13. The children were Rebecca, age 24; William E. age 21, Rachel, age 16. The farm was valued at $15,000, more than the others right around it. ↩
  4. Bucks County probate files, Bucks County courthouse. ↩
  5. 1880 Census, E.D. #2, Image 53. ↩
  6. Emmor was indexed as Emmit or Emma. ↩
  7. Phila. County Death Certificate, name as Lydia Ann Worthington, b. 3/17/1818, d. 1/8/1908, age 89, died of “LaGrippe”, doctor in Bustleton, father Evan Groom, mother Rachel Randall, residence Bustleton Avenue in Somerton, 35th ward, buried from Bustleton Avenue at William Penn. ↩
  8. Rebecca was actually Annie Rebecca, while Emmor was William Emmor. ↩
  9. Helen W. Tyson remembered the sisters as Annie, Rebecca, and Rachel. She said that Annie married a Tomlinson and had three children, while Becky was an old maid. Annie Rebecca must have used “Rebecca” or “Becky”. The Worthingtons lived around Somerton, near Byberry Friends. ↩
  10. According to Helen Worthington Tyson. Also from the death certificate of Watson Worthington, which shows the names of his parents.  This is important, since there is another Benjamin Worthington with a son Watson. ↩
  11. They buried a child Joseph at William Penn Cemetery in 1897, less than a year old. He was buried as the son of Watson and Elizabeth, but from the timing was more likely a grandson, born too soon after the parents married. ↩
  12. They lived near the Bustleton-Somerton Pike in 1880 (Census, E.D. 461, Image 11). Elmira’s uncle Edward Worthington was living with them, working on the farm. The census enumerator was a Tomlinson. ↩
  13. 1880 census, district 461, 23rd ward, image 11. ↩
  14. Helen remembered Harry as the husband of Anna. Annie died in 1935 and was buried at William Penn cemetery. ↩
  15. Findagrave. ↩
  16. Her Pennsylvania death certificate. ↩
  17. Philadelphia Death Certificate. ↩
  18. Helen Worthington Tyson claimed that he married Pamela Bready as his second wife. She said “We called her Aunt Pam.” But he is buried at Hatboro Cemetery with his wife Tamyson who died after him in 1932. This seems to rule out a second wife. Did Helen remember Aunt Tam as Aunt Pam? And mix up Greaves and Bready? ↩
  19. His Pennsylvania death certificate. ↩
  20. Federal census 1910, Montgomery County, Norristown Ward 6. ↩
  21. Her Pennsylvania death certificate, which gave the date of birth too. ↩
  22. His Pennsylvania death certificate. ↩
Families related to Worthington

William Walton and Sarah Howell

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William Walton was the youngest of the four Quaker Walton brothers of Byberry. He was renowned as a preacher at Byberry Meeting and as a traveling Friend, who visited meetings as far as Maryland and Carolina.1 In 1689 he married Sarah Howell under the auspices of Abington Meeting.2 They settled in Byberry, and had ten children, “most of whom migrated to Warminster, Warwick and Buckingham in Bucks County, and to the neighborhood of Horsham in Montgomery County.  His descendants are now widely scattered, but a greater proportion of them probably retained membership in the Society of Friends than the descendants of his brothers.  His grandchildren and those of his brother Daniel intermarried.”3

William first bought a tract in Byberry in 1688, adjoining the land of his brothers. He later added more holdings, one of 100 acres from John Holme and 555 acres from William Allen, both in Moreland Township. Pennypack Creek flowed through his lands, and Byberry Road cut across a corner of it.4

William was one of the elders of Abington Meeting. He was a representative many times to the Quarterly Meetings in Philadelphia. He also visited families in Byberry and went on ministerial visits to other areas. In the records of Abington MM he is sometimes referred to as the Preacher.

He may have been personally associated with Penn.5 In 1708 William Penn was in England, during a long absence from the colony and his manor house of Pennsbury. Penn wrote to his secretary James Logan and instructed him to “let William Walton, that comes from Bristol, keep all in order till we come.”6

Walton lived about fifteen miles south of Pennsbury, but he could have been in charge of the manor house, since there is no other known William Walton at the time and the second generation of Waltons would not have been old enough.7 (The alternative is that Penn was sending out a man named William Walton from Bristol in England to be his manager; he was known to send other servants from England.)

William died in late 1736 or early 1737 while on a missionary trip to Tortola Island. At the time Henry Tomlinson called him “a public Friend in good esteem.”8 In his will he named his wife Sarah, six children, and three grandchildren. His son William Jr. was the executor.

Sarah died before September 1749, when her will was probated. In it she named her daughter Sarah Alberton, two sons of her son Isaac, granddaughter Mary Mardon, and granddaughter Rachel Mardon. Sarah had outlived at least six of her children.

Children of William and Sarah:9

Rachel, b. 7th month 1690, d. 1718, m. 1714 Edward Parry, lived in Horsham. Edward had a daughter Sarah from his first marriage, to Jane Evans.10 Edward and Rachel had children Edward and Rachel, before Rachel’s death at a young age, possibly related to childbirth.11 Edward died in Horsham in 1726.

Isaac, b. 4th month 1692, d. 1755, m. 1) ab. 1713 Mary Parry, 2) 1728 Sarah Kennet, 3) 1737 Sarah Holt.12 He was in trouble with Abington Meeting for the marriage with Sarah Holt, being “indecently familiar” before the marriage. He was in trouble again with the meeting in 1755 for drinking to excess, but died before the meeting could give him a copy of the testimony against him.13 He died in Manor of Moreland, Philadelphia County, without a will. He had at least nine children, possibly by all three wives.

Jeremiah, b. 9th month 1694, d. Feb. 1740/1, married in 1718 or 1719 at Abington Elizabeth Walmsley, daughter of Thomas and Mary.14 “Most of the Waltons about Horsham are of this family.”15 They lived in Byberry, and raised a family of ten children. Elizabeth died in 1775.16 Children: William, Thomas, Rachel, Jeremiah, Jacob, James, Mary, Sarah, Elizabeth, Phebe. The children married into Quaker families such as Duncan, Kirk and Jeanes.

Jacob, b. 3rd month 1697, probably died young. He was not named in the wills of his parents.

Sarah, b. 1st month 1699, d. 1767, married 1724 Benjamin Albertson, son of William and Hannah. They were cleared to proceed in marriage by Abington meeting on 8th month 1724.  Children: William, Jacob, Josiah, Benjamin, Chalkley, Sarah. The children were alive in 1749 when Sarah’s mother made her will.17

William, b. 2nd month 1701, d. 10th month 1740, unmarried. Letters for his estate were granted to his brother Isaac.18

Abel, b. 10th month 1703, d. 1771, married 1731 Rebecca Walmsley, daughter of Henry and Mary. They were married under the auspices of Abington Meeting between 8th month and 10th month 1731. They lived in Moreland and had four known children. Abel died in 1771; Rebecca died in 1775.19

Job, b. 3rd month 1706, d. 1784, m. 1) Agnes Walmsley, dau. of Thomas and Mary, 2) 1757 Catherine McVaugh.20 He lived in Byberry. According to tradition he was a preacher at Byberry Meeting in 1752, but Abington meeting complained that he preached while drunk. He was finally disowned in 1755 for drinking to excess. He and Catherine were married at Swedes Church; she died 1800.21  Children of Job and Agnes: Isaac, Sarah, Job, Isaiah, Thomas, Mary, William, Elijah.22

Hannah, b. 2nd month 1708, d. 1741, m. 1) Thomas Walmsley, Jr., 2) Thomas Mardon. Hannah’s first husband, Thomas Walmsley, was the son of Thomas Walmsley and Mary Paxson. The younger Thomas died a few months after his marriage to Hannah by falling off a horse. About 1730 she married Thomas Mardon, a tailor, and bought out the time of his indenture.23 They lived in Byberry, where Hannah died in 1741 and Thomas in 1762. Children: Rachel, Mary, Jacob and Sarah.

Mary, b. 7th month 1710, d. 1732, m. in 1729 William Homer, son of William Homer and Elizabeth Walmsley. They were cleared by Abington to proceed in marriage in 2nd month 1729. Mary died a year or so later, and in 1732 William married Mary’s first cousin, also named Mary Walton, a daughter of Daniel and Mary Walton. William had two children with the first Mary and eight more with his second wife. Children: Elizabeth, William.24

  1. Profile of William Walton, The Friend, vol. 29, p. 380. These profiles were written years after the fact but sometimes contain useful information. ↩
  2. They were cleared to proceed in 4th month 1689. Online on Ancestry, US Quaker Meeting Records 1681-1935, Pennsylvania, Montgomery County, Abington Monthly Meeting, Minutes 1682-1746, image 9. All Quaker records cited in this account can be found on Ancestry. ↩
  3. Clarence V. Roberts, Early Friends Families of Upper Bucks, 1975, p. 574. ↩
  4. Norman W. Swayne, Byberry Waltons, 1958, p. 13. Swayne’s book is the best reference source for the family. He amassed much information for each of the early generations, particularly of their land dealings, although he did not give sources for each fact. Also see Clemmer, Abram, “Nicholas More and the Manor of Moreland”, Old York Road Historical Society Bulletin, vol. XXII, 1961. ↩
  5. Byberry Waltons, p. 12. ↩
  6. W. W. H. Davis, History of Bucks County, 1876, chap. 12. This is obviously a quote, yet I cannot find it in the Penn-Logan Correspondence, vol. 2, online at HathiTrust. ↩
  7. Oddly enough, only William of the four brothers is known to have named a son William, at a time when naming a son for his grandfather was common. ↩
  8. Henry Tomlinson’s book of deaths, at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania. He kept a detailed record of deaths in the vicinity of Byberry and Bensalem, which was apparently borrowed at some point by the clerk of Byberry Friends, since it is included in their records, for example on Ancestry, US Quaker Meeting Records. ↩
  9. Names and dates of birth from the Abington Meeting records and from Byberry Waltons, pp. 23-28, which has a biography of each of them. ↩
  10. Byberry Waltons, p. 23. ↩
  11. Byberry Waltons, p. 23. ↩
  12. Byberry Waltons, p. 24-25. Swayne has quite a bit of material on Isaac’s life, his land dealings, and the financial struggles of his third wife after his death. ↩
  13. Byberry Waltons, p. 24. ↩
  14. Abington minutes of 30 1st month 1719 reported that they were married. ↩
  15. Joseph Martindale, History of Byberry and Moreland, revised edition, 1705, p. 373. ↩
  16. Byberry Waltons, p. 26. ↩
  17. Byberry Waltons, p. 27. ↩
  18. Byberry Waltons, p. 27. ↩
  19. Byberry Waltons, p. 27. ↩
  20. Catherine may have been the widow of John McVaugh, son of the immigrants Edmond McVaugh and Alice Dickinson. A John McVaugh, possibly her son, was a witness for Job’s will in 1784. ↩
  21. Byberry Waltons, pp. 27-28. ↩
  22. Byberry Waltons, p. 28. ↩
  23. Byberry Waltons, p. 28. ↩
  24. Byberry Waltons, p. 28. ↩
Families related to Worthington

Richard Walton and Abigail Walmsley Comly

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Richard Walton was born in 1723, the son of Joseph Walton and Esther Carver of Byberry. His father died when Richard was an infant. The next year his mother Esther married Daniel Knight, whose first wife Elizabeth Walker was dead. Daniel and Elizabeth had three children together, one of whom died young. He married Esther in 1728, blending their two families and adding six more children together.1 Richard grew up as one of ten children in the family.

Richard married in 1753 Abigail, daughter of Thomas Walmsley. She was the widow of  Isaac Comly and eight years older than her husband. Isaac, one of nine children of Henry Comly and Agnes Heaton, worked as a blacksmith.2 He and Abigail were married in 1738 and lived in Somerton for ten years before he died, leaving Abigail with children Agnes and Isaac.3 She supposedly took her children and lived with her father for five years until she married again.4

Richard and Abigail were married at Trinity Oxford Church, for which they were reprimanded by the Abington Meeting and which they acknowledged.5  They continued to be Friends, and the births of two of their children were recorded in the Abington Meeting records. They lived in Byberry.  In 1775 Richard bought 128 acres on Byberry Creek from Benjamin Gilbert on which Gilbert had built a grist mill.6 In his will he left this to his son Joseph and son-in-law Ephraim Howell.

He died 10th month 6th, 1776, probably in the epidemic of camp fever which killed many people in Byberry that year.7 In his will he named his wife, children Joseph and Esther, and a grandson Richard Howell. The executors were son Joseph and “son-in-law” Isaac Comly (actually a stepson).8

Children of Abigail and Isaac (surname Comly):9

Agnes, b. 2nd month 1738, d. 1821, m. 1) 1759 John Duncan, son of William Duncan and Rachel Carver, married 2) 1793 Andrew Singley. Agnes and John were married on 12th month 1759 at Abington.10 Agnes and John had five daughters born between 1760 and 1767.11John died in October, 1772. Administration on his estate was granted to Richard Walton (Agnes’ father), William Duncan (John’s brother), Thomas Ridge (John’s brother-in-law) and Daniel Walton.12 Agnes married again, in 1793, to Andrew Singley Jr. of White Sheet Bay on the Delaware River. She died in 1821.13

Isaac, b. 1743, d. 1822, m. 1771 Asenath Hampton, daughter of John and Ann Hampton of Wrightstown. They settled in Byberry, raised a large family, and gained “considerable property”.14 Asenath became a respected elder of Byberry Meeting. She died in 1826. Children: Martha, John, Joseph, Isaac, Ezra, Ethan, Jason. The sons Joseph, John and Isaac were all interested in local history and much of the material in Martindale’s History of Byberry and Moreland came from Isaac’s notes.15

Children of Richard and Abigail:16

Joseph, b. 1754, d. 1821, m. 1780 Deborah Lee, daughter of John and Sarah.17 They lived in Byberry but later moved to Buckingham, Bucks County.18 They had eight or nine children. Children: Sarah, Abigail, Deborah, Asenath, Agnes, Ann, John, Robert, possibly Bernard. Five of the children married into the Worthington family.

Benjamin, twin to Joseph, died in infancy.19

Esther,  b. 8th month 1755, d. 1813, married Ephraim Howell in 1775 at Byberry Meeting. He was from Falls Meeting. The next year Ephraim inherited a grist mill from Esther’s father Richard. Children: Richard, Joseph, Rebecca, Elizabeth, Abigail, Mary, Ephraim, Deborah.20

  1. After Esther died he married Mary Wilson. Daniel died in 1782 at the age of 85. “Comly’s Sketches of the history of Byberry”, Memoirs of the Hist. Soc. Pa., Vol. II, 1827. ↩
  2. Joseph Martindale, History of Byberry and Moreland, 1867, p. 275-76. ↩
  3. There may have been another child as well, but these two are listed in Martindale, and he used a lot of material from the sons of this Isaac Comly. Isaac’s son, also named Isaac, was the chief historian and genealogist of the families of Byberry, along with his brother Joseph. This Isaac the historian died in 1847. (Martindale, p. 281). ↩
  4. Martindale. ↩
  5. Norman W. Swayne, Byberry Waltons, 1958, p. 47. ↩
  6. Byberry Waltons, p. 47. ↩
  7. Martindale, p. 61. ↩
  8. Philadelphia County wills, Book Q, p. 353. ↩
  9. Martindale. ↩
  10. Abington Monthly Meeting, Marriages 1745-1841, on Ancestry, US Quaker Meeting Records 1681-1935, Montgomery County, image 68. ↩
  11. Ancestry trees, no evidence. There should be records in the Philadelphia Orphans Court for the children’s estate after John’s death. ↩
  12. Philadelphia Administration files, 1772, online on Ancestry, image 209. ↩
  13. Martindale. ↩
  14. Martindale, 1867, p. 276. ↩
  15. Martindale, 1867, pp. 279-281. ↩
  16. The births of Joseph and Esther were recorded at Abington. Benjamin’s birth is from Byberry Waltons. ↩
  17. The record of Abington marriages, births and deaths gives his date of birth ambiguously as 1th month 1754. ↩
  18. Byberry Waltons, pp. 100-101. ↩
  19. Swayne. ↩
  20. Byberry Waltons, pp. 101-102. ↩
Families related to Worthington

Joseph Walton and Deborah Lee

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Joseph Walton was the son of Richard Walton and Abigail Walmsley of Byberry, Philadelphia County.1 Born in 1754, Joseph was a twin; his twin brother Benjamin died in infancy. Abigail had been married before, to Isaac Comly. When Comly died he left her with two children, Agnes and Isaac, who were much older than Joseph.2 Joseph, Agnes, Isaac, and Joseph’s younger sister Esther, all grew up in Byberry, where Richard owned a grist mill on Byberry Greek.3 When Richard died in 1776 he left the mill to Joseph and Esther’s husband Ephraim Howell. Isaac Comly, Joseph’s half-brother, was the executor.4

In 1780 Joseph married Deborah Lee.5 Deborah was born in 1754, the daughter of John Lee and Sarah Carr. Her parents both died while Deborah was still under age, and she was taken under the care of Wrightstown Meeting.6 When she and Joseph married, she was a member of Wrightstown Meeting, and he got a certificate from Abington Meeting for the marriage. They settled in Byberry and were members of Byberry Meeting, where the births of their children were recorded.7

In 1786 Joseph came down with smallpox. The son of his half-brother Isaac Comly wrote the story in a memoir. Joseph said, “early in 1786 Uncle Joseph Walton caught smallpox in town and as none of our family had it but mother [Asenath Hampton Comly], it was concluded she must go there to help nurse him, and that John and myself were to go and be inoculated and have it there, and we went.”8

They later moved to Buckingham.9 Joseph died in 3rd month 1821. He did not leave a will, and his estate was administered by two sons-in-law, Abner and Joel Worthington. They presented their account to the Orphan’s Court in March 1822, showing an inventory of $426 and a balance after debts were paid of $260. This is not a large amount for the time, but it does not include the value of any real estate Joseph owned at his death. During his life he owned at least eight tracts, some large.10 Deborah died in December 1840, aged 86.11 She did not leave a will.

Joseph and Deborah had seven children who lived to marry. Five of them married Worthingtons.

Children of Joseph and Deborah:12

Sarah, b. 1781, d. 1858, m. about 1805 John Worthington, son of Benjamin Worthington and Hannah Malone. The marriage was contrary to discipline and John was disowned as a member of Byberry Meeting.13 They lived in Byberry and had seven known children there. John wrote his will in 1849, providing for an annuity for Sarah. He died in 1852.14 Sarah died in 1858. Children: Edward, Malvina, Benjamin, Lydia, George, Walton, Asenath.

Abigail, b. 1783, d. 1863, m. in 1804 Abner Worthington, son of Joseph and Sarah, married under the auspices of Byberry Meeting.15 They lived in Buckingham, Bucks County, and had three children: Eber, Sarah, Joseph.

Deborah, b. 1785, d. 1877, m. Anthony Worthington, son of Joseph and Esther. She is probably the Deborah Worthington, late Walton, disowned by Byberry Meeting in 6th month 1805. Anthony and Deborah lived in Buckingham and had children: Joel, Anthony, Robert, Esther, Ann.16 Anthony died before 1850, but Deborah lived until an old age. In the 1850 census she was living in Buckingham with her children Anthony, Ann and Esther.17 She was still there in 1870, in her own household, living with just a housekeeper.18 Deborah died in 1877 and is buried at Buckingham Friends.19

Asenath, b. 1788, married in 1810 Benjamin Tomlinson, son of John Tomlinson and Phebe Malone.20 They had no children.21

Agnes, b. 1790, m. in 1809 Joel Worthington, son of Joseph and Esther. The marriage was contrary to discipline and she was disowned by Byberry meeting in 8th month 1809. The names of their children are not definitely known, but were probably Abner, John, Deborah, and Sarah.22

Ann, b. 1792, m. Benjamin Worthington, son of Benjamin and Hannah. They were married by a minister, as Horsham Monthly Meeting reported on 5th month 1809.23 Benjamin and Ann did not appear to defend their conduct and a testimony was written against them on 8th month. Benjamin died before 1850, and Ann lived with her daughters, still around Byberry.24 Ann died in 1874 and was buried at William Penn Cemetery.25 Children: Amanda, Alfred, Rebecca, Abner, Mary.26

John, b. 1795, m. Elizabeth Matchner about 1816, daughter of John & Elizabeth (Strickler). John Walton is possibly the one who died in 1824, with letters of administration in Phila. Elizabeth lived until 1870.27 Children: Joseph, Jacob, Mary.28

  1. Norman W. Swayne, Byberry Waltons, 1958, p. 100. ↩
  2. Isaac’s son, also named Isaac, was the chief historian and genealogist of the families of Byberry, along with his brother Joseph. This Isaac the historian died in 1847. (Joseph Martindale, History of Byberry and Moreland, 1867, p. 281). ↩
  3. Byberry Waltons, p. 47. ↩
  4. Philadelphia County wills, Book Q, p. 353. ↩
  5. According to Swayne, a Bible owned 1937 by Walter Earle Walton says Deborah was of the Lee family of Virginia. (Byberry Waltons, p. 100). This is not supported by the evidence. She was from a Quaker family of Bucks County. ↩
  6. Wrightstown Minutes, 3rd month 1767, on Ancestry, US Quaker Meeting Records 1681-1935, Bucks County. All the Quaker records in this account can be found on Ancestry. ↩
  7. Member List 1797, Byberry Preparative Meeting, Philadelphia County, image 33. ↩
  8. Quoted in Byberry Waltons, pp. 100-101. The original has not been traced. This passage is not in Martindale or in Isaac Comly’s “Sketches of the History of Byberry”, Memoirs of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, vol. 2, 1827, pp. 165- 203. ↩
  9. Byberry Waltons, p. 101. ↩
  10.  Byberry Waltons, p. 101. ↩
  11. Byberry Preparative Meeting, Births and Deaths, image 89. ↩
  12. Byberry Waltons, pp, 10-101 and pp. 207-210, also the Member List 1797 of Byberry Meeting, image 33) The Byberry meeting list does not include Robert or Bernard, who are included in Byberry Waltons. Swayne included Robert because of Joseph Comly’s account, presumably the reference to land of Robert Walton bordering the Comly homestead in Byberry in 1852. This is weak evidence; it could have been sold to Robert rather than bequeathed. He included Bernard based on the time and place. This is also weak evidence. By this time the Walton family was large, and Swayne admitted that there were other places Bernard could fit. The Byberry Meeting Member List of 1797 seems to be the best available evidence, written at the time by people who knew the family personally. Swayne has a lot of material on Bernard, nothing on Robert. (Byberry Waltons, pp. 209-210) ↩
  13. Horsham Monthly Meeting Minutes, 6th month 1805. ↩
  14. Philadelphia County wills, 1852, #171, on Ancestry, Pennsylvania, Wills and Probate Records, 1683-1993, Philadelphia, 1852, Wills 150-199, images 126-133, including the account and inventory. ↩
  15. Their marriage certificate is on Ancestry, wrongly indexed under NJ, Camden, Haddonfield MM, Marriage Certificates 1782-1813, image 99. The first signers after Abigail and Abner were Joseph and Esther Worthington (his third wife), and Joseph and Deborah Walton, followed by Tomlinsons, Waltons, Worthingtons, and other members of the Byberry meeting. ↩
  16. Byberry Waltons, p. 208. ↩
  17. 1850 Federal Census, Bucks County, Buckingham, image 35. Deborah was 65 years old. ↩
  18. 1870 census, Buckingham, image 20. ↩
  19. Findagrave. Anthony is apparently buried there too, but there is no date of death given for him. ↩
  20. Joseph Martindale, History of Byberry and Moreland, 1867. ↩
  21. Byberry Waltons, p. 208. There is a Benjamin Tomlinson who died in 1826, left a will in Montgomery County, but the name of his wife was not Asenath. (Ancestry, PA Wills and Probate Records 1683-1993, Montgomery County, Wills 6-7, image 190. ↩
  22. Byberry Waltons, p. 208. ↩
  23. Horsham Monthly Meeting minutes, 5th month 1809. Horsham was the parent monthly meeting for Byberry at that time. ↩
  24. 1860 and 1870 federal census. ↩
  25. Findagrave. ↩
  26. Ancestry trees, no evidence. ↩
  27. MyHeritage Family Tree, no evidence given. ↩
  28. Ancestry trees, no evidence given. ↩
Families related to Worthington

Joseph Walton and Esther Carver

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Joseph Walton, born about 1698, was the son of Daniel Walton and Mary Lamb, Quaker immigrants to Pennsylvania.1 He grew up in Byberry, Philadelphia County, with his parents and siblings. In 1719 his father Daniel died, and left the plantation in Byberry to his three younger sons, Joseph and Benjamin and Nathan, to share when they came of age. Until then they were to be diligent on the plantation and under the rule of their mother.2

In 1722 Joseph married Esther Carver, daughter of William and Mary, under the care of Abington Meeting. They were cleared to proceed in marriage in 10th month 1722.3 They settled in Byberry and had two children before Joseph’s death in 1727, at a young age. He did not leave a will, and letters of administration were granted to Esther on April 12, 1727.4

The inventory of his estate was taken on April 18 by John Duncan and Thomas Walmsley, two Quakers of Byberry who would have known Joseph and his family very well. It included very sparse household goods, just a little brass, earthen and iron ware and a frying pan. Could Joseph and Esther have been still living on the plantation with his mother? He owned some farming tools: hoes and axe, a harrow and plow and irons and the ubiquitous saddle and bridle for the riding horse. He owned three horses, some sheep and cattle and had corn in the ground. The total came to only about £50. Twenty years later the children of Joseph and Esther renounced any claim to the estate in favor of their mother and her second husband.5

At Abington Meeting the following year Esther married Daniel Knight, son of Giles and Mary.6 His first wife Elizabeth Walker had committed suicide. Daniel and Elizabeth were married in 1719. A few years later, while Daniel was at the meeting, she left her two children alone in the house and hung herself in the stable. “As no person had discovered before that she was uneasy with her situation, Daniel felt anxious to know the cause of an act so extraordinary, and for several evenings afterwards he sat alone in the stable where she was found, in hopes that something might present to explain this mystery. At length he said he was satisfied, but never would give any person the least information by what means he became so.”7 Daniel and Elizabeth had three children together, one of whom died young. He married Esther in 1728, blending their two families and adding six more children together. After Esther died he married Mary Wilson. Daniel died in 1782 at the age of 85.8

Children of Joseph and Esther:9

Richard, b. 10th month 1723, d. 1776, m. in 1753 Abigail Walmsley Comly, daughter of Thomas Walmsley and Mary Paxson, and widow of Isaac Comly.10 Richard and Abigail were married at Trinity Church in Oxford, but made an acknowledgment to Abington Meeting. She had three children with Isaac and three more with Richard. Richard died in 1776, supposedly of camp fever (typhus), and left a will, naming his wife and two living children. He left the plantation in Byberry to his son Joseph and left 26 acres with a grist mill to his son-in-law Ephraim Howell.11 Children of Richard and Abigail: Joseph, Benjamin (d. inf), Esther.

Rachel, b. 4th month 1727, m. 1) William Groom, son of William Groom, 2) Edmund Briggs; disowned by Abington MM for the Briggs marriage. Rachel and Edmund were the guardians for her children with William Groom: William, Hester, Thomas, Mary, and Mahlon. There was much contention about their handling of William’s estate, with accusations of mismanagement by her Groom in-laws.12 Rachel was still alive in 1774.

Children of Esther Carver and Daniel Knight: (surname Knight)13

William, b. 9th month 1729, d. 1782. “He was somewhat singular in his habits and would utter predictions which were afterwards so nearly fulfilled that many persons believed that he had a knowledge of future events and they looked upon him as more than an ordinary being.”14

Daniel, b. 7th month 1732, married Ann Wilson in 1754 at Abington. It was reported accomplished on 30th 12th month 1754.15 Is he the Daniel Knight Jr who died in 1757 at Byberry?16

Martha, b. 9th month 1736, married Henry Walmsley in 1759 at Byberry. The marriage certificate was signed by many Knights and Walmsleys as well as other members of the meeting like the Duncans and William Groom.17

Joseph, b. 1st month 1739, d. 1799, m. Elizabeth James. He was probably the elder of Middletown Meeting whose death was reported by Philadelphia Yearly Meeting as 3rd 10th month 1799, age 61.18 He left a will naming his wife Elizabeth, one son and five daughters.19

Ann, b. 12th month 1741/2, married in 1762 Daniel Walton, son of Daniel Walton and Elizabeth Cliffton. Daniel owned a saw mill in Byberry and died in 1776 of camp fever. Both Daniel and Ann were in trouble with Abington Meeting. Daniel was disowned for spreading “evil reports” and Ann was disowned for her irregular marriage after Daniel died. They had three or four known children. 20

Thomas, b. 7th month 1744, married in 1771 Sarah Walton, daughter of Benjamin Walton and Rebecca Homer.21 They were married at Byberry. Children: Amos, Rebecca, and Esther. Sarah died in 1807.

Children of Daniel Knight and his first wife Elizabeth Walker.22 (Surname Knight)

Mary, b. 11th month 1719/20, married in 1744 at Byberry David Buckman, son of William and Elizabeth. They lived in Wrightstown, Bucks County, where David was an elder. He died in 1791 but did not leave a will.

Joseph, b. 2nd month 1721, no further record, probably died young.

Jonathan, b. 8th month 1722, married in 1748 at Middletown MM Grace Croasdale. They lived in Southampton. Jonathan died in 1772.23 They had six sons.

  1. Norman W. Swayne, Byberry Waltons, 1958, p. 22. ↩
  2. Philadelphia County wills, book D, p. 119. The full text is online on FamilySearch, PA Probate, Wills 1682-1916, Books C-E, image 276-77. ↩
  3. Online on Ancestry, US Quaker Meeting Records 1681-1935, Pennsylvania, Montgomery County, Abington Monthly Meeting, Minutes 1682-1746, image 63. All Quaker records cited in this account can be found on Ancestry. ↩
  4. Philadelphia County Administration Book C, p. 78, No. 86. City Hall, Philadelphia. The full text of the administration, inventory, and quitclaim are available on Ancestry, Pennsylvania, Wills and Probate Records, 1683-1993, Philadelphia, Administration Files, No 32-38, 74, 100, 10, 39-45, 47-49, 51-78, 80-86, 87-113, 1726-1728, images 388-396. ↩
  5. It was signed by Richard Walton and his sister Rachel, then married to William Groom, who also signed. ↩
  6. Daniel was the son of Giles Knight of Nailsworth, Gloucestershire, and Mary English of Horsley, who came in 1682 and settled in Byberry. ↩
  7. “Comly’s Sketches of the History of Byberry”, Memoirs of the Hist. Soc. Pa., Vol. II, 1827, p. 190. ↩
  8. “Comly’s Sketches of the history of Byberry” ↩
  9. The births of the children were recorded by Byberry Meeting, on Ancestry under Philadelphia County, Byberry Preparative Meeting, Births and Deaths, image 13, also by Abington Monthly Meeting, Minutes 1629-1812, image 140, on Ancestry under Montgomery County. This is actually a record of births, not minutes. Abington Monthly Meeting was the parent meeting for Byberry Meeting. ↩
  10.  Byberry Waltons, p. 47. ↩
  11.  Byberry Waltons, p. 47. ↩
  12. Bucks County Orphans Court Records, file #240. William also owned 93 acres in Byberry, Philadelphia County. ↩
  13. Births at Abington Meeting, Births and Deaths, 1682-1809, image 71, on Ancestry. ↩
  14. Joseph Martindale, History of Byberry and Moreland, p. 329. ↩
  15. Abington, Men’s Minutes 1746-1756, image 89. ↩
  16. Byberry Monthly Meeting, Deaths 1736-1823. There were several men named Daniel Knight at this time. ↩
  17. Abington, Marriages, 1745-1841, image 66. ↩
  18. Philadelphia Yearly Meeting, Minutes 1731-1800, image 468. ↩
  19. Bucks County Wills, book 6, p. 215. ↩
  20. Byberry Waltons, p. 40. ↩
  21. Byberry Waltons, p. 51. ↩
  22. Births at Abington Meeting. ↩
  23. W. W. H. Davis, History of Bucks County, 1905, p. 598. ↩
Families related to Worthington

Jeremiah Walton and Elizabeth Walmsley

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Jeremiah Walton was born in 1694, the son of William Walton and Sarah Howell. His father was an eminent preacher for Byberry Meeting and a traveling friend. In 1712 William bought a tract of 555 acres in Moreland from William Allen, and four years later divided the land between his sons Isaac and Jeremiah. Pennypack Creek flowed through the tract.1

In 1719 Jeremiah married Elizabeth Walmsley, a daughter of Thomas Walmsley and Mary Paxson.  Jeremiah and Elizabeth lived on the Byberry Road in Moreland Township.  Years later, the Comly family recalled Jeremiah. “Jeremiah Walton married one of Isaac Comly’s aunts — Father of the chunky Waltons.  Lived at Horsham — his wife Betty Walmsley — children well ah! – William the oldest, Tommy, Jacob, Jeremy, three girls – one married.  Mary married. Sarah married Jeans, afterwards James Tyson, another Phebe remained unmarried.”2 He had Mary and Sarah mixed up, but had most of the names right.

Jeremiah died in 1740 and was buried at Horsham.3 Elizabeth lived on until 1787. She wrote her will, leaving her tract in Moreland to four children: Thomas, Jeremiah, Jacob and Sarah, to be shared. She left to her daughter Rachel Duncan £40 “if it shall be by her lawfully demanded as she now dwells at a great distance”; Rachel was probably living in Maryland. She also left a legacy to the three children of her son William deceased, and to the three children of her daughter Mary Tyson.4

Children of Jeremiah Walton and Elizabeth Walmsley:5

William, b. 12th month 1719, d. 1770, m. Phebe Atkinson in 1741 at Abington meeting. They lived in Moreland, Philadelphia County, where William died in 1770. He left a will, naming his wife Phebe and three children. Phebe died in 1773. Children: Rebecca, Phebe, Hannah, William, Elizabeth, William, Seneca, Phebe, John. Only the second Phebe, Hannah and John lived past childhood.6

Thomas, b. 8th month 1721, d. 1796, m. Mary Titus in 1754. They were married at Westbury Meeting, Long Island. They settled in Moreland, Montgomery County, where he died in 1796. He left a will, naming Mary and their living children. She died in 1799. Children: Sarah, Elizabeth, Mary, Silas, Phebe, Martha, Amy, Thomas, Jeremiah.7

Rachel, b. 1st month 1724, m. Joseph Duncan in 1744 at Abington MM, had a daughter Phebe Drinker.8 The Duncan family were Quakers of Byberry, descended from John Duncan, an elder of Byberry meeting, and his wife Margaret Crighton or Creighton. They were living “at a great distance” when Rachel’s mother Elizabeth wrote her will in 1775. Joseph was probably the son of George Duncan, who took a certificate in 1715 from Abington to Cecil Monthly Meeting in Kent County, Maryland.9 It is probable that Joseph moved his family there along with his father.

Jeremiah, b. 3rd month 1726, d. 1792, m. Mary Kirk in 1761 at Horsham Meeting, the daughter of Thomas Kirk and Mary Shaw.10 He was apparently a short, fleshy man, called Chunky Jerry.11 They lived in Moreland. He died there and left a will naming Mary and nine children.12 Children: Thomas, Susanna, Amos, Elizabeth, Joseph, Jeremiah, Jonathan, Jesse, Isaac.13

Jacob, b. 6th month 1728, d. 1799, m. Mary Conard in 1762 at Horsham Meeting. She was the daughter of Cornelius and Priscilla. He was taxed in Moreland in 1769 for 133 acres.  Jacob left a will, named his wife Mary and seven children. Mary died in 1814. Children: Enoch, Anna, Priscilla, Elizabeth, Isaiah, Charles, Martha, Jacob.14

James, b. 12th month 1730, died young.

Mary, b. 9th month 1732, m.1) in 1753 Isaac Jeanes, son of William and Esther, 2) 1761 James Tyson, son of  Henry and Ann. Isaac was first married to Abigail Sands and had a daughter Mary with her.15 After Abigail died, he married Mary Walton and they had two sons, William and Levi.16 Then in 1757 Isaac died, leaving Mary with the three children. In 1761 she married James Tyson, son of Henry Tyson and Ann Harker.17 James was born in 1738, six years younger than Mary. James and Mary had a daughter Elizabeth, born in 1762.

Sarah, b. 10th month 1734, m. James Spencer in 1761 at Horsham Meeting.18 They lived in Upper Dublin, where Sarah died in 1787. James married the widow Elizabeth Marple, but they had no children together. Children of James and Sarah: Josiah, Enos, William, Seneca, Ezra, Elizabeth, James, Abner.

Elizabeth, b. 5th month 1737, died young.

Phebe, b. 5th month 1740, died 1756 unmarried.

  1. Old York Road Historical Society Bulletin, vol. XXII, 1961. ↩
  2. Comly’s Notes on Byberry 1680-1852, Microfilm #20436, Family History Center, probably Joseph and Isaac Comly. ↩
  3. Theodore Bean, History of Montgomery County, 1884. ↩
  4. Philadelphia County wills, Book T, p. 483. The full text is available on FamilySearch, Philadelphia County, Wills, 1682-1916; indexes to wills, 1682-1924, Book T-U, image 273. ↩
  5. Norman W. Swayne, Byberry Waltons, p. 26. The births were recorded at Abington meeting. ↩
  6. Byberry Waltons, p. 59. ↩
  7. Byberry Waltons, p. 60. ↩
  8. History of the Richardson & Kimminau Families online. ↩
  9. Cecil Monthly Meeting minutes, 9th day 1st month 1714/15. ↩
  10. Byberry Waltons, pp. 60-61. ↩
  11. Joseph Martindale, History of Byberry and Moreland, 1876. ↩
  12. Montgomery County wills, Book 1B, p. 281. ↩
  13. Byberry Waltons, p. 61. ↩
  14. Byberry Waltons, p. 61. ↩
  15. Born about 1751, Mary married Timothy Roberts, son of William Roberts. She was named in her father’s will of 1757, and was named as a granddaughter by Richard Sands in his will in 1758. ↩
  16. Abington meeting records. William married Elizabeth McVaugh about 1780; Levi married but had no children. ↩
  17. Henry was the youngest children of Rynear Tyson and Margaret Opdengraff, the immigrants from Krefeld, Germany, who came on the Concord in 1683. ↩
  18. Byberry Waltons, p. 62. ↩