Richard Morrey was baptized in February 1675, in London, the son of Humphrey and Ann Morrey. He was baptized at the church of St. Bartholomew the Great in Smithfield. His parents would later become Quakers.1 He was the youngest of their known children and only one of two to survive to adulthood.2 He first came to New York as a child with his parents before 1683, then moved to Philadelphia with them. His father Humphrey was a successful merchant, and Richard may have gone back to England to be educated. About 1695 he married a woman named Ann, whose last name is unknown.3 There are no records of Richard Morrey in Pennsylvania until 1702, when he witnessed a deed of sale by his father Humphrey of a Philadelphia city lot.4 Was he acting as the English agent for his father’s trading business until then? The family owned a house in Tower Hill, London, where Richard and Ann could have lived. In 1708 the neighborhood had “many good new buildings, mostly inhabited by gentry and merchants.”5

By 1716 Richard and Ann were living in Cheltenham, when Richard inherited considerable land from his father Humphrey, sharing some of it with his cousin, the younger Humphrey.6 They shared the Cheltenham estate of at least 450 acres and another 400 acres in Gloucester County, West Jersey. Richard got a Philadelphia lot, probably the one on Mulberry Street, while Humphrey received the “water lot”, probably the Chestnut Street property.

Richard and Humphrey probated the will of the elder Humphrey in May 1716, and the next month they began to sell his land. In June 1716 they confirmed a deed of a lot on Mulberry Street sold by the elder Humphrey but never conveyed; they confirmed the sale to Richard Hill, a Philadelphia merchant.7 In October 1716, Richard sold part of his city lot to Sven Warner, cordwainer of Philadelphia, conveying the rest to Richard’s son Thomas.8 In 1717 Richard and his cousin Humphrey made a large land purchase of their own, buying rights to 2,000 acres to be laid out from the three daughters of Nathaniel Bromley, a First Purchaser of land from Penn.9 Two years later, in 1719, Richard, his wife Ann, and cousin Humphrey sold a lot in the city to Joseph Taylor, a Philadelphia brewer.10 It was the city lot that went along with the Bromley purchase.11 The next year the Morreys sold another lot from the Bromley purchase to William Branson, joyner, and in 1721 they sold yet another part of the lot to Hugh Cordry, pulley maker.12 In 1722 Richard and Humphrey partitioned the 2000 acres of the Bromley land, laid out in Wrightstown, Bucks County.13

In May of 1720 Richard and Ann Morrey made an unusual transaction that reveals something about their marriage and possibly Ann’s birth family.14 Thomas Turner of London had conveyed a credit from the stock of the East India company to Richard Morrey, supposedly in a will written on May 11, 1711. He conveyed one-third of a credit worth £325, a handsome bequest.15 What was Morrey’s relation to Turner? Given the terms of the 1720 conveyance, it is possible that Turner was Ann Morrey’s father. The money was clearly intended for Ann’s use. Richard and Ann conveyed the one-third part to Job Goodson and John Warder of Philadelphia, who were to invest the money for the use of Ann Morrey. Her husband was not to meddle with it, and it would be excluded from his estate. Ann was to dispose of the profits “at her own will and pleasure”. This unusual provision suggested that the profits were to be Ann’s because they came from her father.

Who was Thomas Turner of London? He was certainly well-off, possibly a merchant. According to the 1720 deed, he wrote his will on May 11, 1711. There was a Thomas Turner of St. Botolph, Aldersgate, London who wrote his will on May 11, 1711, but he named no family in the will except a cousin, left most of his money to charity and the poor, and did not name any stock credits.16 Other men named Thomas Turner died around 1714 to 1715, but did not name Richard Morrey in their wills, and none of them signed their wills in 1711.17 The Thomas Turner who made the bequest must remain unidentified for now.

In 1726 Richard bought 1,000 acres from Nathaniel Roberts of Kent County, England, for £30.18 This purchase may have overextended Richard’s funds, since in August 1729 he was in financial trouble. He turned again to Job Goodson, John Warder, and Samuel Preston, and set up a trust to cover his debts.19 He conveyed to them his house and 250 acres in Cheltenham, his land in Gloucester County, a house and lot on Front Street in the city, and several lots on Chestnut Street, including the rents.20 The properties were granted to the three trustees for a term of 60 years, they paying one peppercorn to Richard Morrey each year if it was demanded.21 From the income of the properties, the trustees were to pay Morrey’s debts, make a payment to Ann for her maintenance and that of their son Thomas, and pay a smaller amount to Richard for his “pocket expenses”.22 Richard also transferred to the trustees the 984 acres laid out for him on Manahatawny Creek in Philadelphia County with the intention that they should sell it. The question arises: why did Richard go through this complex deed instead of selling the some of the properties himself? It is possible that he could not find ready buyers or that his creditors were pressing for immediate payment. Richard may have been living beyond his means. In various records he is described as a gentleman, suggesting that he lived off the income from the rents of the city lots, and perhaps any profits from his rural land. This may not have been enough.

Richard may have been trying to speculate in real estate because his sister-in-law, brother-in-law, and nephew had been successful at it. Richard’s brother John, about nine years older than Richard, married Sarah Budd in 1689 under the auspices of Philadelphia Monthly Meeting.23 Sarah was the daughter of Thomas and Susanna Budd, wealthy Quakers who owned property in West Jersey and Philadelphia.24 After John and Sarah were married, he worked as a merchant. In early 1692 he requested two trees from the proprietor’s land to build a crane on his wharf.25 John died at a young age, in 1698, leaving Sarah with three young children, only one of whom would like to adulthood.26 After John’s death, Sarah began to buy and sell land with her brother John Budd and son Humphrey (after 1718 when he came of age). At one time or another she owned a share of land in Chester County, rights to 3000 acres in Philadelphia County, and land in West Jersey.27 Her son Humphrey would be even more successful as a land speculator (and as a distiller). With his uncle John Budd, Humphrey owned rights to 5000 acres to be laid out in Pennsylvania.28 When he died in 1735, Humphrey left legacies of over £1400, plus his extensive real estate holdings.29

In 1735, Richard lost three members of his family. The first to die was his nephew Humphrey, who made his will on 6 August and died about a week later. He left large sums of money to his cousins on the Budd side (his mother was Sarah Budd), and left his uncle Richard and cousin Thomas each £20 per year.30 The second loss was that of Jane Laurence, who probably died in late September. Jane wrote a will remembering Richard and Ann, their son Thomas, their daughter Matilda Kimble and three of her children, as well as Richard’s “Negro woman Mooney”.31 The inclusion of Mooney, also known as Cremona, strongly suggests that Jane was a member of Richard’s household.32 Some of the wealthier families of Philadelphia included an unmarried lady in their household, who helped manage the servants and the children.33 Jane Laurence must have filled this role for the Morreys for many years. Humphrey Sr. had named her in his will in 1716. She was a lady; her inventory included some silver spoons and a silk gown.34 She was obviously capable. In 1708 the administration of the estate of Richard Sutton, collar maker, was granted to her after his widow renounced. This was at a time when women were rarely administrators unless they were the widow. The final death in 1735 was Richard’s son Thomas. He made his will in September and died in late October.35 The fact that Jane and Thomas died so soon after Humphrey suggests that they were victims of an infectious disease. This was a time when malaria, smallpox, measles, pneumonia and other diseases could sweep through a community, especially in the summer months.36

Thomas’ will revealed some of his life and that of his family.37 He left to his father Richard any books he wanted. He left his mother Ann the rents of a house at Tower Hill, London, to be given after the death of his parents to cousins in Cheshire. He left 200 acres on Neshaminy Creek in Bucks County to his sister Matilda Kimbal and an adjoining 200 acres to her children. He left his microscopes to Christopher Witt, and money to his father’s servants and Negroes. He left £2 to the minister of St. Thomas Church at Whitemarsh to preach the funeral sermon. The picture is of an unmarried Anglican gentleman living a comfortable life with his books and scientific devices, fond of his family and generous to his servants. Christopher Witt was an especially interesting acquaintance for Thomas. He worked as a physician, cast horoscopes, and was a friend of the botanist John Bartram.38 His library in Germantown was filled with books on philosophy, “natural magic”, and divining. Perhaps he used Thomas’ microscopes to study the plants from Bartram’s garden.

By 1745 Richard’s finances were apparently mended, since he was able to make two generous gifts.39 The first was to his kinsman Leonard Morrey formerly of Buerton, Cheshire. Richard and Ann sold 700 acres in Cheltenham to Leonard for 5 shillings, a nominal sum to make it a legal contract.40 The land adjoined Richard’s other Cheltenham land.41

The other gift that Richard made that winter was unique in the early history of Pennsylvania. Richard had been involved in a long-time relationship with his Negro slave Cremona, known to the family as Mooney. It is not clear whether it was consensual on her part or whether his wife condoned the relationship. But the relationship produced five children and ended only when Richard freed Cremona. It is hard to believe that his wives, Ann and later Sarah, would not have known about it. In January 1746 Richard gave Cremona a tract of 198 acres in Cheltenham adjoining the land of Isaac and Rynear Tyson. She was to pay a rent of one peppercorn per year, but the land was hers and her heirs, “in consideration of the good and faithful service unto him done and performed”.42 This liaison, between an older man and his dependent slave, is unsavory, but at least he freed her in the end and made her financially independent. She did not marry for eight years, until after Richard’s death, suggesting that she had an emotional bond to him.43 By January 1754, she was married to John Frey, a freed slave. In 1772, after Cremona died, the land was put in trust for Cremona’s children, the five with Richard Morrey, and Joseph, the son with John Frey.44 A difference had arisen after Frey’s death and the family chose this way to settle it.45 The trustee was the Quaker farmer Isaac Knight of Abington. John and the children conveyed the land to Knight for 30s, to be held in trust until John Frey’s death, at which time Knight was to sell it for the benefit of the six children.

Ann Morrey died some time between 1735 and 1746. Administration on her estate was granted to her husband Richard.46 For some reason there is no record of the administration in Philadelphia, but it was noted in England, probably because the family still held property in London.47 She had made a will and left a legacy to Abington Monthly Meeting. The minutes of the meeting noted the legacy, “I give and bequeath unto Abington Monthly Meeting the sum of 5 pounds, the Which legacy this mtg is given to understand is in the hands of Henery Vanaken of Phila, wherefore James Paul our Treasurer is appointed to receive the said legacy of the said Friend and place it to the common stock of this mtg and to give a receipt in the name and behalf of this mtg for the same.”48

In June 1746 Richard married Sarah Allen, a widow, at Trinity Church in Oxford. Richard had been raised as a Quaker, but at some point he had fallen away. He does not appear in the records of Abington Meeting or Philadelphia Meeting. Sarah’s background is unclear, although much has been speculated about her. Her brother was John Beasley; he served as the executor of Richard’s estate.49 When she married Richard, she was the widow of an Allen.50

In 1752 Richard and Sarah went to court to solve a problem. His father Humphrey had left Richard the Philadelphia lots with their valuable yearly quitrents, but they were entailed in the male line. That is, Richard owned them but could not sell them; they could only be passed down to his male heirs. That must have seemed feasible in 1716 when Humphrey died, but after 1735, when both Thomas and his cousin Humphrey died, there were no male heirs in the Morrey line. Richard and Sarah went to the Court of Common Pleas for a common recovery, an elaborate legal fiction which circumvented the terms of the bequest. This involved a token sale of the property, a “straw man” who appeared in court briefly then disappeared, and a judgment from the court that the actual owner should recover the land in fee simple, with the right to sell, instead of fee tail.51 Now Richard and Sarah were free to sell the rents, and in January 1753 they sold them to Israel Pemberton for £550, a large sum.52 Pemberton, a wealthy merchant and philanthropist, was sometimes called the “King of the Quakers” for his wealth, power and influence.53 On August 1753, Richard and Sarah sold a lot “on the Northern Bounds of the said city” to William Chancellor for £500, as well as a property in Cheltenham.54

Finally, in August 1753, Richard Morrey made his will, after a long and eventful life. He was 78 years old, and outlived his first wife and his only son. He left all his property to his wife Sarah, and made her and her brother John Beasley the executors, with William Chancellor and Jenkin Jones as overseers.55 He died not long after. Joshua Harmer, a Quaker neighbor, was asked to be a bearer at the funeral. He refused, saying that there were younger men more fit for the purpose, but the sexton gave him a pair of gloves anyway, as was the custom for bearers at an Anglican funeral. Joshua was reported to Abington Monthly Meeting for taking the gloves against the rules of the Society of Friends, and he had to make acknowledgment of the fault.56

The inventory of Richard’s estate was taken on February 11, 1754. By then Sarah Morrey was also dead, her brother John Beasley acted as the surviving executor. The inventory shows the level of comfort that Richard and Sarah had enjoyed. In their main house, in northern Philadelphia, they had walnut leather chairs, prints on the walls, a clock and looking glass, a Delft punchbowl, a mahogany oval table, spice box, and ample linens.57 In addition, they still had a simple home in Cheltenham, sparsely furnished. After their deaths, the house was offered for sale in an ad in the Pennsylvania Gazette: “House where Richard Murray, dec’d, formerly dwelt, near the northern bound of Phila., bounded on W. by ground of George Royal and on E. by land of Jonathan Zane, for sale; apply to William Chancellor in Market St. (2 May 1754)58

Children of Richard and Ann:59

Matilda, m. Anthony Kimble about 1715. Nothing is known of Anthony’s background. He is not named in any Quaker records. They lived in Bucks County, where Anthony died before 1735. Matilda married again, possibly twice.60 She died in 1749 or 1750. Children of Anthony and Matilda: Mary, Ann, Rosa, Anthony, William.61

Thomas, born about 1698, died 1735 unmarried. He was a gentleman, who probably lived with his parents. He left a will, naming his sister and her children, as well as his parents. He left fifty pounds to St. Thomas (Episcopal) Church in Whitemarsh on condition that they maintain his tomb for “all times hereafter”. He requested that a brick tomb be built over his grave with a stone over it and six evergreen trees to be cut and trimmed in good order.

Richard and Cremona had five children. Robert used the surname Lewis; the others used Murray.

Children of Richard and Cremona:62

Robert, b. ab. 1735; apprenticed to a shoemaker, possibly neighbor Reynier Tyson63

Caesar, b. ab. 1737; apprenticed to a shoemaker

Elizabeth, b. ab. 1739. She was a maid for Nicholas and Sarah Waln; they wrote a letter of testimony for her in 4^th month 1773.64 Elizabeth later married Cyrus Bustill, a prosperous black businessman and founder of a school for black children. It is said that Cyrus donated bread for Washington and his troops, and that Bustleton is named for him. Elizabeth and Cyrus lived as Quakers but were unable to join as members because of their race. One of the descendants of Cyrus and Elizabeth was Paul Robeson, the actor and singer.

Rachel, b. ab. 1742, m. Andrew Hickey

Cremona, b. ab. 1745, m. 1766 John Montier, had four sons.

Humphrey Morrey was a wealthy Quaker merchant and the first mayor of Philadelphia. Although he lived in comfort to a ripe old age, there were disappointments in his family. He and his wife lost four children in infancy and another son died before Humphrey did. Humphrey wanted to leave a legacy of land to his descendants, but the family name was lost when his two grandsons did not marry. His two sons turned away from the Quakers and became Anglicans. While the family did not follow in Humphrey’s path, nonetheless he became wealthy and well-respected among the elite of Pennsylvania.

Humphrey was born about 1640 in England, and his first known child was baptized in 1661 in London. No records have been found of Humphrey’s birth, but his brother Leonard lived in Buerton, Cheshire, and it is probable that Humphrey was born there.1  He named his sons Humphrey, John, Leonard and Richard.2 The registers of Audlem, Buerton’s parish, show various Morreys with these given names, but no birth of Humphrey or Leonard in the right time.3 Humphrey’s family in Pennsylvania stayed in contact with Morreys in Buerton, even for two more generations. Thomas Morrey, Humphrey’s grandson, in his will of 1735 left a legacy to the children of John Morrey “on the Meer in Cheshire in old England”.4 Leonard Morrey, one of John’s children, came to Pennsylvania, since in 1745 Humphrey’s son Richard sold land to his cousin Leonard Morrey “of Buerton in the County of Chester now residing in Cheltenham Township”.5 The land was 700 acres of Richard’s property in Cheltenham, sold to Leonard for 5s in consideration of the “affection he hath for his kinsman”. A deed in 1757 from Leonard Morrey to Robert Greenway for part of the same land confirmed the relationships, naming Leonard as the son of John and grandson of Leonard, Humphrey’s brother.6

At some point Humphrey married a woman named Ann. A record of marriage has not been found, but the assumption is that she was the mother of his children. In the 1660s Humphrey and Ann were living in London, where several of their children were baptized at St Bartholomew the Great, in Smithfield. If this was their home parish, they were living north of the City in a suburb.

“London, in 1654, was a quaint mediaeval city, not a tenth the size of the present metropolis, but within its confined area densely populated. Surrounded by walls whose foundations had existed from the times of the Romans, its only entrances were through embattled gateways, jealously guarded by a local militia; within these it was a labyrinth of narrow lanes and winding streets…Looking beyond his city’s walls, the Londoner of 1654 found strong lines of distinction between what he knew as the city and those surrounding places now indefinitely merged within it. To him Islington, Hoxton, Homerton, Clerkenwell, Stepney, Shadwell, meant villages separated from his city wall and” ditch by pleasant fields…”7

Smithfield was not as far north as Hoxton or Islington, but it was northwest of the City proper. Life in the city was primitive by our standards.

“Few of our modern comforts were then known. The pavements, where any, were so rough that no carriages could go over them save at a footpace. Most of the sewers were open brooks that in storms rushed brawling in torrents to the Thames. There was no lighting of the streets at night, each one who ventured out after dark having to carry his own torch or lanthorn, and his own weapon of defence, for, except the trainbands or local militia, there were no watchmen. The tradespeople kept shop in open places unprotected by glass, and closed at night by doors or shutters. The citizens lived with but few of our social appliances; they fetched their own water either from the conduit or the public pump…”8

The baptisms of Humphrey’s children extended from 1661 to 1675, suggesting that he spent much of his young adult life there. It is possible that Humphrey and his brother Leonard were in business together in London. A Leonard Morrey, probably Humphrey’s brother, had a son Richard baptized at St. Martin in the Fields in December 1674, just two months before Humphrey’s son Richard’s baptism.9 In all Humphrey and Ann had five children baptized at the church of St. Bartholomew the Great, plus another son, John, who was apparently not baptized there.10

It was a difficult time to live in the crowded city. In 1665 London was struck by the bubonic plague, in its last major eruption in England. Over 100,000 people were killed.11 There are no records of children born to Humphrey and Ann during that year. They may have left London for the countryside, or a birth record in London may have been lost. If they left for Buerton, they would have had a week’s travel by horses; it was 170 miles north of London. The death rate from the plague peaked that summer and many people returned in the spring of 1666. In fact Humphrey and Ann were living in London in 1666 when another child was baptized at St Bartholomew. This was the year of the Great Fire, the second calamity to strike the city in two years.12 Much of the center city burned, but the suburban slums did not.

At some point Humphrey and Ann left London and moved to New York, presumably taking their two surviving children with them. It is not known when they became Quakers and little is known of their life in New York. Some have speculated that they lived in Oyster Bay, Long Island, where there was a small Quaker community.13 By early 1684 they were planning to move to Philadelphia. On February 11, 1683/4 Humphrey paid £50 for a house and lot on the south side of Chestnut Street between Front and Second.14 In a letter to William Penn in August 1685, Robert Turner wrote, “Humphrey Murray, from New York, has built a large Timber House with Brick Chimnies.”15 Apparently this replaced the earlier house. This property became the foundation of Humphrey’s wealth, as he eventually owned the entire block.

Humphrey was a merchant and distiller, and a land speculator. His account book shows that he sold wine by the bottle and barrel, “Canary wine, Madeira, claret and ‘cyder royall’.”16 He also sold provisions such as Indian corn. The wine was imported from London and Dublin and unloaded at his wharf at Front and Chestnut Streets.17

They obviously came with some capital, which they increased through land speculation. Humphrey himself owned property in the city, in Cheltenham and in West Jersey, while his sons and grandsons owned thousands of acres in the province. Humphrey bought, while still in England, rights to 250 acres to be laid out in Pennsylvania.18 This purchase entitled him to a lot in the city, but not on the Delaware waterfront, since 250 acres was considered a small purchase.19 This led to some confusion when he arrived in 1683 and asked for his land to be laid out. The 250 acres were laid out in Cheltenham, ten miles north of the city.20 The city lot was laid out on Mulberry Street between 4^th and 5^th streets from the river.21 Apparently Penn had promised Morrey that the lot would be on Delaware Front Street, probably in an effort to encourage merchants to settle and trade in the city.22 Four months later Penn sent another warrant to Holme for a lot for Morrey, this time on the waterfront, “by order of the governor”. However this warrant was apparently never executed.23 A note on the reverse said, “Vacat.. make void.” A few months later Morrey got what he wanted by buying a lot with 30 feet of frontage on the Delaware; he bought it from Mercy Jefferson for £50. It was on the south side of Wynne Street, later renamed Chestnut Street.24 In 10^th month 1688 Morrey bought the bank lot opposite this house. Front Street at that time lay along the waterfront, before later land fill moved it back. The Delaware front lots were on the west side of Front Street, while the land between the street and the river was known as the bank. With the purchase of the bank lot, he now had a way to build a wharf adjoining his house and lot on the other side of Front Street.25 He later bought another bank lot from the Commissioners of Property, but sold it in 1702 to Thomas Oldman.26

In 1684 Morrey added to his Cheltenham land by buying 100 acres from Thomas Fairman, one of Holme’s assistant surveyors.27
In 1686 he bought more adjoining land from Fairman, and in 1692 completed his Cheltenham tract with another 109 acres from John and Susanna Colley.28 At the same time Morrey was buying more land in the city. In 10^th month 1685 he bought a lot on Second Street from Richard Ingelo for £39.29 The next year he bought a lot, 49 feet by 300 feet, on Mulberry and Third Street.30 Morrey bought his West Jersey land in pieces, 315 acres on the Delaware River from William Steel and an adjoining 105 acres from Philip Richards.31

By 1692, just ten years after he had arrived in Pennsylvania, Morrey’s land holdings were at their peak. In Nicholas Wainwright’s Plan of Philadelphia, we see the location of Humphrey’s city lots.32 He owned a lot on Chestnut Street between Front Street and the Delaware River, and another on Chestnut between Front and Second, and one on Mulberry between Fourth and Fifth Streets. He owned over 500 acres in Cheltenham and over 400 acres in Gloucester County, West Jersey, on the Delaware River. His Front Street property was assessed for £500 in the tax list of 1693, and his Mulberry Street lot for another £30.33

After 1693 Humphrey began to sell some of his properties. He sold the Ingelo lot, on Second Street from Delaware, to Andrew Robeson and two other men.34 He sold his Mulberry Street lot to the tavernkeeper Adam Birch.35 In a complex and puzzling transaction in 1696 Morrey sold his four Cheltenham pieces, a total of 559 acres, to the merchant Samuel Spencer. But Spencer apparently did not pay as agreed, and the land reverted to Morrey.36 In 1702 Morrey sold the lot and brick house on Chestnut and Front Streets to Thomas Oldman.37 In 1707 Morrey sold 50 acres of the Cheltenham land to Matthias Tyson, of the Tyson family of adjoining Abington.38 Over several years he sold lots on the south side of Chestnut Street in four transactions, keeping the valuable yearly rents for himself.39 These rents eventually became the property of his son Richard.

As usual in the times, wealth brought influence in the government. The early government in Pennsylvania went through several changes because of disagreements between Penn and the leaders of the colony, and among the leaders themselves. In 1685 he pleaded with them, “”For the love of God, me, and the poor country, be not so governmentish”.40 One constant, from 1682 on, was the existence of two bodies: the Council and the Assembly. Their number and powers fluctuated, but the Council was always a smaller group with more executive power while elected Assembly was more legislative.41 Morrey served on both bodies. He was elected to the Assembly in 1687 and 1690, but was not active there. In October 1700 Penn appointed him to the Provincial Council, where he served for a year.42 In addition he was a Justice of the Peace for Philadelphia County in 1685 and 1686.

Finally, in 1691, when Philadelphia received a city charter, Humphrey was appointed as its first mayor. The position must not have been very powerful; several early council members were known to decline the honor. The Minutes of the Provincial Council for June 1691 gave one of Humphrey’s official acts as mayor. “Humphrey Morrey, the present Mayor of the city of Philadelphia, on behalf of the said city moves the Governor and Council to lay out and regulate the landing place near the Blue Anchor. Where upon was ordered that the said Mayor and the Aldermen of Philadelphia have notice to attend the Governor and Council about the 8^th hour in order to view the said landing.”43 It is interesting to remember that the entire government of the city of Philadelphia and colony of Pennsylvania lived in Philadelphia, probably a few blocks from each other.

In 1695 Morrey and other prominent men of the city presented a petition to the Assembly, stating their grievances about conditions in the city of Philadelphia. They complained about the “many ordinaries and tipling houses in this town of Philadelfia Kept by several as are not well qualified for such undertakings, tending to debauchery and corrupting of youth.” They wanted more law enforcement with “stocks, or cages be provided for the incarceration of drunkards or other violators of the good laws of England and this province, when taken up by the watch or constables”. They complained that the Indians were “reeling and bauling on the streets, especially by night, to the disturbance of the peace of this town”. And, as good Quakers, they wanted more social controls – “a check put to hors raceing, which begets swearing, blaspheming God’s holy name, drawing youth to vanaty, makeing such noises and public hooting and uncivil riding on the streets; also that dancing, fiddling, gameing, and what else may tend to debauch the inhabitans and to blemish Christianity and dishonour the holy name of God, may be curbed and restrained, both at fairs and all other times.”44 This was not his only activity on behalf of the city. He helped arrange for a prison, petitioned for the laying out of a street under the bank, and petitioned for laws regulating watercourses and wharfs.45

Humphrey and his wife Ann were not particularly active in Quaker affairs. The only time her name appears in the records of Philadelphia Monthly Meeting is a notice of her death. Humphrey and Ann were both middle-aged by the time they immigrated. She may have been in poor health. Humphrey did participate in the meeting affairs, but less often than many of his peers. He did not do routine work such as clearing young men for marriage. Typically he was called on for financial affairs, such as securing the estate of a widow who wished to remarry or settling a difference between two Friends (often the wealthy merchants such as John Jones or David Lloyd).46 Humphrey was a witness at several weddings between 1688 and 1699.47

Ann died in 8^th month (October) 1693.48 By then her son John was married and living in Philadelphia. John married Sarah Budd and had a son Humphrey. Ann’s other son Richard married twice and had three children with his first wife, as well as children with his long-term mistress Cremona. Humphrey (the elder) was still living in Philadelphia until about 1710, but in a deed in 1713 he was described as “Humphrey Murray late of the city (but now of Murray at Edge Hill in the twp of Cheltenham)”. He had retired to his country estate. This was an extensive landholding and valuable farmland.49 Did Humphrey own slaves as part of his labor force? His son Richard did. No slaves were mentioned in Humphrey’s will or the inventory of his estate.50 Many early Quakers, including William Penn himself, did own slaves; it took years before the Quakers condemned slaveholding by their members.

Humphrey lived in comfort in Cheltenham.51 As befits a good Quaker gentleman, he did not have an extensive wardrobe: two coats with plate buttons, a riding coat, a vest, an old hat, three shirts, stockings and shoes. He owned 14 coverlets and blankets, piles of sheets, table cloths and napkins. His furniture included beds, chests of drawers, tables, stools, and cane chairs. His kitchen was stocked with pans, tongs, kettles, pots, and a frypan. He ate off of pewter dishes and drank from a silver tankard, and drank his cocoa in cups trimmed with silver. His livestock included three horses, twelve cattle, 29 sheep and lambs. He still kept his house in the city, but with only one room of furniture: a bedstead and table, a case of drawers, a few dishes and some candlesticks.52

Humphrey died on the 28^th of second month 1716.53 In his will he named his brother Leonard and first cousin John, along with Mary Kimball, a friend Jane Laurence, his son Richard, two daughters-in-law (not named), and two grandsons Humphrey and Thomas.54 Nicholas Hickst was one of the witnesses.55

Much of Humphrey’s estate was tied up in his landholdings. In the will he left it to his son Richard and grandsons Humphrey and Thomas. The tract to Thomas was given to him in fee simple, that is to say, in outright ownership. The land to Richard and Humphrey included the Cheltenham estate “adjoining to William Harmer”, the lot in Philadelphia next to James Sickles, the water lot in Philadelphia, and the 400 acres in Gloucester, West Jersey. The land was given to them during their “natural lives” but it was entailed to their male heirs. The younger Humphrey died unmarried, and after Richard’s son Thomas died in 1735, Richard had no heirs through the male line.56 Eventually in 1748 Richard went to court to break the entail and enable him to sell the land.

In the will Humphrey asked his heirs to follow the Quaker way of arbitration. “If my son and grandson should not agree they shall not go to law but Apply themselves to the Monthly Meeting of Philadelphia and the Meeting shall appoint two men out of the meeting to end such differences as may arise between them and those men shall have reasonable satisfaction….So I warn you to take Joseph’s Council which he gave to his Brethren: fall not out by the way. If I see cause either to add or diminish of this my Will it shall not lessen nor break the value of it.” Humphrey remained a Quaker to his death, although his sons and grandsons became Anglicans.

Children of Humphrey and Ann:57 Humphrey and Ann are both named as parents in four of the baptisms; the Ann who died as his wife in 1693 is presumed to be the same woman and the mother of all the children.

Elizabeth, bapt. September 1661, daughter of Humphrey and Ann, no further record

Humphrey, bapt. August 1663, son of Humphrey and Ann, died in infancy

Humphrey, bapt. August 1666, son of Humphrey and Ann, no further record

John, born between 1665 and 1669, d. 1698 in Phila., married in 1689 Sarah Budd, daughter of Thomas and Susanna58. They had five children: four who died in infancy (John, Elizabeth, Thomas and another John), and Humphrey, who died unmarried in 1735. John and Sarah were extensive land speculators before his death.59 After his death she continued to buy and sell land with her brother John Budd.

Leonard, bapt. July 1671, son of Humphrey, died in 167660

Richard, bapt. February 1675, son of Humphrey and Ann, died in 1754 in Philadelphia.61 He married twice and left descendants, although none in the male line. His first wife Ann died before 1746, when he married the widow Sarah Allen. He had two children with Ann: Thomas, who died unmarried in 1735 (the same year as his cousin Humphrey), and Matilda, who married Anthony Kimble and left descendants. Richard also had a long-term liaison with his slave Cremona and had five children with her: Robert, Caesar, Elizabeth, Rachel, Cremona.

William Kimble was born in Buckingham, Bucks County, around 1730 to 1735, the youngest child of Anthony and Matilda Kimble.1 William grew up on land given to Matilda by her father Richard Morrey, of the wealthy Morreys of Philadelphia and Cheltenham. William might have known his grandfather Richard, who died in 1753. Richard and his children fell away from the Quaker faith and joined the Church of England. When William married Sarah Worthington in 1770, they married at Christ Church in Philadelphia.2

Sarah was the daughter of Samuel Worthington and Mary Carver, from two good Quaker families of Buckingham township, although they were falling away from the Society by this generation. One of Sarah’s sisters, Esther Worthington, married William’s brother Anthony. Samuel named his daughters Sarah and Hester Kimble in his will of 1775.3 The marriage in 1770 was a late one for William, but they nonetheless had a large family.

William and Sarah lived in Buckingham. The tax records for Buckingham Township, starting in 1761 and extending for years, include William Kimble and his brother Anthony.4 In 1763 William added to his farm by buying 92 acres in 1763 from his nephew Thomas Hicks. He also received land, another fifty acres, from his mother’s estate in 1750.5 This entire tract of 275 acres in Buckingham adjoined the land of Benjamin Worthington.6 In 1790 there were three Kimble households living close to each other in Buckingham: William, Anthony and John.7 There is also a William Kemble living in Abington, Montgomery County. This William appears in the census with two older males, two younger males, and two females, which would closely fit the profile of his family. This would also make it easy for William’s daughter Martha to meet her husband Peter Tyson of Upper Dublin. In the direct tax list of 1798 (the “windowpane tax”) William Kimble was listed as the owner of a stone house in Abington, 30 feet by 18 feet, with two floors but no outbuildings. The occupant was William’s son Jonathan. If this is the same William, then he must have been renting out the Buckingham land, since he still owned it.

William Kimble died in 1812 or early 1813. On February 1, 1813, letters of administration were granted to his son-in-law Peter Tyson. Sarah had died before him, since she was not named in the court record.8 The Orphan’s Court of Bucks County noted that he owned 264 acres in Buckingham.9

After William’s death, Richard Kimble sold the family homestead, placing an advertisement for it.

Plantation of 269 Acres in Buckingham Township, 24 miles from Philadelphia – and 4 ½ miles from Doylestown. The later Property of Wm. Kimble (dec.d) Adjoins land of Benjamin Worthington, Wm. Titus (Anthony Kimble’s homestead) and others. Improvements are – good two story Stone House. Well of excellent Water near Door. Log Barn with Stabling. The place is well watered and divided in 2 Farms by a Road leading from Doylestown to Newtown (Swamp Road). Apple Orchard is in Prime of bearing, with many other Fruit Trees. With the Buildings, is proposed to sell about 100 A. – with a sufficient proportion of Meadow and Timber. The remaining 169 A. the Principal Part of which is under Timber will be sold in Lots of 5 A or more as may suit the Purchaser.10

Children of William and Sarah:11

Jonathan, died 1852. He served as administrator of William’s estate along with Peter Tyson. He owned a tract of 150 acres in Plumstead. He died in 1852, unmarried and with no children.12

Martha, died 1832, married about 1793 Peter Tyson, son of Rynear and Mary. Peter and Mary lived in Upper Dublin, Montgomery County, and had children Rynear, William, Peter, Martha, Sarah, Mary, Rebecca and Jesse.13 After Peter died, the daughter Mary took care of Martha. Martha and Peter are buried at Upper Dublin Friends, although they were not Quakers. Peter had close relations with his Kimble in-laws. He administered William’s estate, sued Isaiah, borrowed money from Richard and Jonathan.14

Richard, born about 1775, died in 1843, married Mary Jane Kerr, lived in Moreland, Montgomery County.15 Children: Abel, Chalkley, Isaiah, Sarah, Owen, William and Richard.16 His sons Owen and Isaiah were the administrators.

John, married a woman named Charlotte. They lived in Montgomery Township, Montgomery County, where he died in 1812, leaving Charlotte with seven children under 21. Children: John, Sarah, Mary Ann, Martha, William, Isaiah, Azor. John did not leave a will, and his estate of 94 acres was handled by the Orphan’s Court.17

William, died before 1852, married Rachel Dungan in 1794.18 William was living in Northampton when he married Rachel at the Neshaminy Presbyterian Church of Warminster. Children: William, Garret, Sarah.19

Isaiah, married a woman named Anna Maria. They lived in Abington, where Isaiah died in 1848, leaving his widow and seven children: G. Washington, Tamysan, Harriet, Jonathan, Juliana, Isaiah, Mary Jane.20 Isaiah owned 120 acres in Abington, on the Welsh Road and Limekiln Road, which was sold in two pieces after his death, part to Owen Kimble and part to Isaiah Kimble.21

Christopher, alive in 1830 but died before 1852.22 Christopher was unable to manage his own affairs, and Peter Tyson was appointed trustee for him. “Peter Tyson was appointed trustee for his brother in law Christopher Kimble a lunatic, amount unascertained but supposed to be on the 18th June 1830 to be about 6831.00.”23

Sarah, alive in 1813, died before 1852. No further records.24

Frances, died before 1852.25

Matilda Morrey, daughter of Richard and Ann Morrey, married a man named Kimble between 1710 and 1720. His name is usually given as Anthony, but there are no contemporary records showing this.1 There are no immigration records, church records, marriage records, or birth records for any Anthony Kimble. The only reference to Matilda Kimble is a cryptic one. In 5^th month (July) 1710, Ann Kemble was buried in Philadelphia, the daughter of John and Matilda Kemble.

Although the burial record appears amid papers of Philadelphia Monthly Meeting, Ann was buried as a non-Friend.2 If in fact this was a daughter of Matilda Morrey Kimble, then the name John was either a mistake in the record or researchers have gotten the name of Matilda’s husband wrong.3 There is another record of a John Kemball in early Philadelphia.4 In March 1696/97, a long list of inhabitants of the city signed a letter to Governor William Markham complaining about proposed changes to the frame of government. Among the signers was a John Kemball.5 There were other Kimble or Kemball families in the area; the name was not unusual, but the name Matilda was rare at the time.6

Matilda and her husband were married about 1710. The marriage does not appear in any Quaker meeting records. Matilda’s grandfather Humphrey Morrey had been a Quaker, but his children fell away from the Society and became Anglicans. The Morrey family was wealthy, due to Humphrey’s successful land speculation. They were also well-connected, with marriages with prominent members of the “Philadelphia elite” such as the Budd family. However these connections did not continue into the next generation. Matilda and her family lived in Bucks County, instead of Philadelphia, probably because Matilda inherited land there from her father. The Kimble children married into families surrounding them in Buckingham, such as Carver and Worthington.

In 1735, Jane Laurence died in Philadelphia. She was a wealthy spinster and friend of the Morrey family. In her will Jane Laurence named Matilda and two of her daughters: Rose and Ann Kemble. The same year Matilda inherited 200 acres in Buckingham Township from her brother Thomas, while her children were to share another 200 acres. This land later passed to her children William, Anthony, Rose, Ann and Mary, along with additional land from Matilda’s father Richard and cousin Humphrey.7 After Anthony’s death, Matilda married a man named Carty, and later married again, to a man named Flannagan.8  She died in 1749 or 1750. She did not leave a will, and her heirs petitioned the Orphan’s Court to divide the land.

The court ordered four men to view and partition the land, “in the township of Buckingham of which Matilda Flannagin, late Matilda Carty and theretofore Matilda Kimble died seized”. The map shows the shares allotted to the five claimants: Thomas Watson, William Kimble, Mary Hickst, the children of Charles Hickst, and the children of Rosa Wilkinson. Watson got the largest share, because he had already bought one-third of the land from Anthony Kimble. Ann and John Bewley had sold their share to Charles Hickst.9

Children of Matilda and her husband: There are no birth records for them, but they must have been born about 1715 to 1735.

Mary, died 1758, married Charles Hickst by Sept 173610, had children Edward, Kimble, Matilda, and Thomas. They lived in Buckingham, on land given to Mary by her grandfather Richard Morrey.11 Charles died in 1753. He did not leave a will, but Mary did, naming her three sons.12

Ann, married 1739 John Bewley at Christ Church. They lived in Buckingham and had seven children: Anthony, George, Nathan, Isaac, John, Jesse, Christopher.13 Some of the children ended up in Virginia.

Rosa, married 1740 Josiah Wilkinson at Christ Church. They had two children, Matilda and Israel, before Rosa’s death.14 He then married Mary Carver, daughter of William Carver Jr. and Elizabeth Walmsley and had more children.15

Anthony, died 1796, married first by 1750 Esther Worthington, daughter of Samuel & Mary. Esther died in 1779 and Anthony married a woman named Sarah.16 Between his two wives, Anthony had ten daughters and three sons, named in his will of 1791, probated in 1796.17 The children were Phebe, Esther, Rachel, Matilda, Sarah, Ann, Mary, Elizabeth, Christopher, Cinthia, Tabitha, Anthony, and John. He left his son Anthony “the plantation whereon I now live”, conveyed from Richard Morrey in tracts of 100 and 40 acres. All of the ten daughters except Cinthia lived to marry.

William, born about 1735, died 1813, married 1770 Sarah Worthington, daughter of Samuel and Mary.18 They were married at Christ Church, Philadelphia.19 This was a very late marriage for William, but Sarah must have been considerably younger, since they went on to have nine children.20 For over twenty years starting in 1761, William and his brother Anthony were taxed in Buckingham township.21 By the time he died William was living in Moreland, Montgomery County and renting out his property in Buckingham. The inventory of his estate was taken in February 1813.22 Children of William and Sarah: Jonathan, Richard, Martha, John, Isaiah, William, Christopher, Sarah and Frances.23

William Jeanes was born in 1754, the son of Isaac Jeanes and Isaac’s second wife Mary Walton, Quakers of Moreland, Philadelphia County.1 William would not have known his father. Isaac died in 1757, leaving Mary with three children: William, Levi, and a daughter Mary from his first wife, Abigail Sands. Four years later the widowed Mary married James Tyson. But she died in 1762 or 1763, leaving James with the Jeanes children, and in 1764 James Tyson married Sarah Harper at Oxford Meeting. James and Sarah became the step-parents of the Jeanes children, and went on to have a large family of their own children. William may have lived with them, as one of the older children, or he may have been apprenticed out to another family.

In the tax assessment of Cheltenham for 1776 William was listed as a single man.2 He probably married Elizabeth McVaugh the next year, since he was disowned by Abington meeting in 11^th month 1778 for going out in marriage.3 From her last name and the name of her son Edmund, Elizabeth was from the McVaugh family of Montgomery County, but her parentage is not yet known.4 It is also not known where William and Elizabeth were married or when their children were born. William and Elizabeth were not members of a Quaker meeting, although two of their children applied to join as adults, and when their daughter Rebecca married the Quaker Seth Holt, it was contrary to discipline and Holt was disowned.5

William and his brother Levi inherited their father’s property in Moreland, over 170 acres. In 1788 Levi sold his share of the land to his brother for £100.6 William and Elizabeth probably moved into the house, if they didn’t already live there. In 1788 William paid taxes for the land with one dwelling, 3 horses and 4 cows.7 He was shown there in 1790 census, in the “windowpane tax” of 1798 (with a stone house 38 feet by 20 feet, assessed at $450) and in the 1800 census.8 In 1820 William is still in Moreland, in a household with 17 people.9 William died in March 1828, leaving no will. His estate was administered by Isaac and Isaiah Jeanes, two of his sons. The inventory was taken on March 20, and showed the usual household goods and farm tools, along with horses, cows, sheep and pigs.10 Isaiah Jeanes and Seth Holt petitioned the Orphans Court of Montgomery County for partition of a tract in Moreland of 189 acres. It was sold in two pieces, to William Hallowell and to Joseph Wood.11 After paying the usual charges for the funeral and estate, there was almost $8,000 to be distributed to the heirs. After setting aside a one-third share for the widow’s dower, each of the eleven children (or the husbands, in the case of the daughters) received $482.63. Elizabeth died intestate around 1847, in Abington. Her son-in-law Seth Holt administered her estate.12 She had outlived all but seven of her children.

Children of William and Elizabeth: (born between 1780 and 1800)

William Jr., born about 1783. He requested membership at Horsham Meeting in 9^th month 1807 and married Hannah Webster there in 3^rd month 1809. They were disowned later that year for fornication.13

Edmund, born about 1793, married Mary Eastburn. She was a distant cousin, daughter of David Eastburn and Elizabeth Jeanes.14 Edmund died 5 February 1828 of a “remitting fever”, possibly malaria.15 His estate was administered by his wife Mary, Seth Holt, Isaiah Jeanes and Joshua Jeanes.16 The account of Edmund’s estate showed that he was a grocer like some of his cousins. It included cigars, beeswax, raisins and currants, pepper, mustard, ginger, tea and coffee, soap, crackers, scrubbing brushes, wine and spirits.17 Edmund was not a Friend, but was buried at the Cherry Street burying ground because his wife was a member.18

Isaac, married and left a child.19

Benjamin, alive in 1830

Sarah, alive in 1847, no further information.

Isaiah, possibly born about 1799, married Sarah LNU, moved to New Garden, Chester County, and kept a store in Toughkenamon. He appeared in the 1850 census with Sarah and two children. He was in the census there in 1870 and 1880, but as a widower.  Children: Catherine and Joshua.

Hiram, born about 1802, died 1860, probably in Moreland. 20 John Smith was the administrator for his estate, because the widow Agnes renounced.21 Hiram and Agnes were members of Horsham Monthly Meeting and the names of their children were recorded there as Mary, Sarah, and Arthur.

Jonathan, a “lunatic”, died 1831 in Moreland. Seth Holt was the administrator of his estate.22

Mary, married Samuel Lloyd or James Lloyd.23 No further information.

Martha, died between 1807 and 1828.24

Elizabeth, born about 1785, married Aaron Richardson. By 1847 she was married to David McCartney.

Eleanor, born about 1795, died 1876, married Rynear Tyson, born about 1800, the son of Peter and Martha. Rynear was the oldest son of Peter Tyson and Martha Kimble. He and Eleanor married around 1818 and lived in Upper Dublin, where they had six children. Rynear died young, only a year after his father. Eleanor did not remarry and  lived with relatives in Montgomery County. Children: Edmond, Peter, Sarah Ann, William Jeanes, Seth Holt, Ephraim.25 Only Edmond and Ephraim married. Sarah Ann lived with Seth and Rebecca Holt before she died of consumption at age 40. Seth Holt Tyson, named for his uncle, headed west for the gold rush and died in California.

Rebecca, born in 1799, died 1883, married Seth Holt and lived in Philadelphia. Seth Holt was disowned at Philadelphia MM in 1824 for marrying contrary to discipline. In 1850 they were living in the Spring Garden ward where Seth was a confectioner. In 1860 they were in Plymouth, Montgomery County and in 1870 in Germantown. Seth died in 1876 and Rebecca died in 1883; both were buried at Laurel Hill with several of their children. Children: J. Franklin, Seth, Allan, Chalkley, Ann Rebecca, Sarah Cordelia.

Keziah, married in 1829 Thomas T. Webster. Thomas Webster was a birthright Friend but disowned in 4^th month 1829 by Frankford Monthly Meeting for marrying outside the Society.26 They were probably in the 1840 census in Lower Dublin, with three children under ten, and probably taxed in 1864 on Darkrun Road, north Philadelphia.27 Thomas was probably buried at 1889 at Belvue Cemetery, in north Philadelphia, just south of Frankford.28

According to lore passed down in the Jeanes family, Esther Brewer was one of the first white children born in Philadelphia.1 This suggests that her parents, whose names are unknown, arrived in the first rush of Quaker settlers in 1682.2 This is a fine story, although improbable given the ages of Esther’s children.3 When Esther grew up and married William Jeanes, the marriage was not recorded in Quaker meeting records, and their first child was baptized in the Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia in August 1713. However William and Esther remained Friends. At least four of their children married as Friends, and William himself got a certificate from Abington meeting when he married his second wife.

The family lore about William was that he was French, probably because of the sound of the name.4 “William Jeanes is believed to have come to this country with his father and two brothers from England, and settled at New Rochelle, Westchester County, New York– the family being originally from LaRochelle in France.”5 However the Jeans name is quite common in southeast England, appearing in Wiltshire, Dorset, Somerset, and Gloucestershire. It is more plausible for Quakers to move to early Pennsylvania from England than from anywhere else.6

There is some circumstantial evidence for William’s origin and parentage. His oldest son was named Joseph. In February 1713, William and Mary Jeanes were the administrators of the estate of Joseph Jeanes of Bucks County. Joseph was either William’s brother, or—less likely—his father. In either case—brother or father—it is plausible that William’s own father was named Joseph. In fact the baptismal records of Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, show a Joseph and Elizabeth Jeynes with four children born at the right time: Elizabeth in 1681, Joseph in 1683, William in 1687, Nathaniel in 1691.7 Tewkesbury had a Quaker community, with a cemetery reportedly dating to 1660.8 Jeanes is a common name in Gloucestershire, and there is no evidence yet that this is the family of the immigrant William, but the pattern fits well.9

The first record of William in Pennsylvania is not an immigration record, but rather the death of Joseph Jeanes in 1713. Letters of administration were granted to William Jeanes, of Bucks County, and Mary Jeanes. Mary was not William’s wife; she was probably Joseph’s widow and William’s sister-in-law. Joseph’s estate was small; the bond of administration was for only £50.10

William and Esther were probably married about the same time. There is no record of a marriage for them in Pennsylvania or England.11 By tradition her last name was Brewer. It is possible that they were Quakers who did not marry under the care of a Monthly Meeting. This often happened when the woman was already pregnant and they did not want to wait for the multi-step Quaker approval process. In any case the birth of their first child, a daughter Mary, was recorded at a Presbyterian Church.12 After that they either joined Abington Monthly Meeting or reconciled with the meeting, since the birth of their next child, Joseph, was recorded there in 1716. The births of later children were not recorded at the meeting, but it was common for Quaker families to omit the recording step. At least four of their children married under the auspices of Abington Meeting, and in 1739 Abington gave William a certificate to proceed in marriage with his second wife Elizabeth.

The first record of William buying land in Pennsylvania is in November 1732, when he bought a 142-acre tract in Moreland Township, Philadelphia County, from John Van Boskerck.13 William paid £88.19. In 1739 he extended his land by buying another 30 acres from Benjamin and Elizabeth Cooper. How was William making a living between 1713 and 1732? It is very likely that he was working for others as a farm laborer. The inventory of his estate shows no special tools of a craftsman, and in deeds he is listed as a yeoman, the typical description for a landowner.14 Since he was married, he was probably not an indentured servant. Hired labor was in demand at the time, and he probably saved up his earnings to buy his own land.

William and Esther had seven known children from 1713 to 1735. This suggests that Esther was born about 1690, so that she would be no more than 45 or so at the birth of her youngest child.15 She died in 1737 and William married Elizabeth Baker in 1739.16 He died in 1747.17 In his will he named his wife Elizabeth, children Joseph, James, Isaac, Jacob, Mary, Esther, and Rebecca, as well as grandchildren William and Esther Walton (the children of James Walton and Mary Jeanes). He left his plantation in the Manor of Moreland to Joseph, with a provision that Joseph should pay his brother James £25 “if he ever arrives in Pennsylvania”.18 William also left land to sons Isaac and Jacob, and money to the daughters, in the traditional legacy pattern of the time. He required Jacob to provide Elizabeth with “one-third of the grain and apples, the keeping of one horse and one cow the year through, the best chamber upstairs to reside in, necessary firewood, a part in the kitchen and at the spring house”. He left his son Joseph a suit with white metal buttons, but specified that Isaac should have the leather breeches, the great coat, and the “last wedding suit of worsted apparel”.19 The executors were the son Joseph and William Walmsley. The inventory showed the usual household goods and farm tools, much livestock including 9 horses, 40 sheep, 11 cows, 8 hogs, and 376 bushels of wheat.

Elizabeth lived until 1785, probably in the house with Jacob’s family. In her will she named her stepdaughter Esther Bond, and her step-son Jacob Jeanes as executor. The sons Joseph, Isaac and Jacob all lived in Moreland.

Children of William and Esther Jeanes:20

Mary, baptized 1713, married James Walton, son of Thomas and Priscilla in 9^th month 1730 under the care of Abington Monthly Meeting.21 They had two children, William and Esther, before James died.22 In 1745 Mary married Thomas Carrington, also at Abington. In 1755 they moved to Richland, Bucks County, but moved back the following year.23 Thomas bought land in Abington in 1758. In 3^rd month 1760, Mary and their son Thomas died within a day of each other. Thomas moved to Londongrove Meeting, Chester County, where he was approved as a minister. He married Mary Baker in 1762.24 Thomas died in 1781. In his will he named his wife Mary, sons Aaron and John, and six daughters.25

Joseph, born in 1716, died 1762, married 1738 Sarah Roberts at Abington Meeting.26 He bought land in 1752 in Moreland Township, and later lived in Whitemarsh, Montgomery County.27 Like his father and brothers, he was not very active in Abington meeting, but did serve on a few committees. Joseph wrote his will in 9th month 1762 and died the next year. The inventory of his goods showed a typical farmer. His heirs sold the plantation the next year, placing the customary ad in the Pennsylvania Gazette. It containing about “100 Acres of good land, about 25 or 30 acres of woodland, 10 or 12 acres of good meadow ground, but not all cleared, Water very convenient in every Field, a young bearing Orchard, a good Stone and Log house, with a Spring house near the Door, and a Log Barn”.28 In his will Joseph named his wife Sarah, and eight children: William, Esther, Joseph, Sarah, George, Abel, Daniel and Isaac.29 The son Daniel became a Loyalist, joining the “British Army when they were in possession of the city of Phila and continues to adhere to them by means whereof his one third part of the lands became forfeit to the Commonwealth”… and his share of the estate was sold in 1781 to Benjamin Harbeson.30

James, not in Pennsylvania in 1747 when his father wrote his will, no definite records of him.31

Esther, died 1809, married Joseph Bond, son of Joseph and Ann.32  Although Joseph and Esther were both from Quaker families, they were married in October 1750 at the German Reformed Church in Philadelphia. It is not known when Esther died. She is named in the will of her stepmother Elizabeth Jeanes in 1782. Her husband is probably the Joseph Bond, age 70, who died in 1803 in Philadelphia and was buried as a Friend.33 Children of Esther and Joseph: Elizabeth, Joseph, Rebecca, Sarah, Isaac, Mary, Esther, Rachel, Anna.34

Rebecca, born in 1725, living in 1759. Was she the Rebecca Jeans who was disowned in 1756 by Abington Meeting for marrying contrary to discipline?35 As Rebecca McVeagh, she signed a wedding certificate for her brother Jacob in 1759 and for James Tyson’s second marriage in 1764. Her husband cannot be placed in the family of Edmund McVaugh and Alice Dickinson, although he was probably a grandson of theirs. They were not Friends, and their descendants are poorly documented.

Isaac, born about 1726, died 1757,  married first, in 1749 at Middletown Meeting, Abigail Sands, daughter of Richard and Mary. Isaac married second in 1753 at Horsham Meeting, Mary Walton, daughter of Jeremiah and Elizabeth (Walmsley).36 They lived in Moreland, Philadelphia County on a 170-acre farm. Isaac died in 1757, leaving his wife Mary and three children: Mary, William and Levi.37 The inventory included typical household goods, farm tools, horses, cows, sheep, and hogs. After Isaac died, Mary married in 1761 James Tyson, son of Henry and grandson of Rynear and Margaret.38 Children with Abigail: Mary (married Timothy Roberts, son of William Roberts). Children with Mary: William (born 1754) and Levi (born 1757).

Jacob, b. 1735, d. 1812, m. 1) — Roberts39, 2) Priscilla Waterman in 1759 at Abington40, 3) 1768 Leah Harmer at Abington41; lived in Moreland, a cabinetmaker42^. Jacob Jeans had to turn in a paper of acknowledgement to Abington Meeting in 8^th month 1766, for fighting and marrying contrary to good order. Was this because of his first marriage? He was on the tax list of 1798 with two stone houses. He married Priscilla Waterman in 12^th month 1759 at Abington Meeting and married Leah Harmer in 1768, also at Abington Meeting. He died in 1812, age 76. Leah died 1833, age 87, as his widow. He and Leah had children: Isaiah, Elizabeth, Jane, William, Jacob, Leah, Rachel, Keziah, Anna. The son Isaiah married Anna Thomas and had eight children, including the wealthy philanthropist Anna T. Jeanes, who died in 1907.

Isaac was born about 1726 in Moreland, Philadelphia County, one of seven children of William and Esther Jeans. He was one of their younger children, and his older sister Mary probably helped take care of him. Isaac and the others grew up in Moreland, on land bought by their father William in 1732 and 1739. Isaac’s mother Esther died in 1737 and two years later William married again, to Esther Baker. William was a Quaker at this time, and he got a certificate from Abington meeting for the marriage. Most of the children, including Isaac, considered themselves Friends and married according to Quaker customs. In 1747 William died. He left his land to his three sons, Joseph, Isaac and Jacob. Isaac’s portion was 170 acres.

Two years later, in 1749, Isaac married Abigail Sands, daughter of Richard and Mary. She was a member of Middletown Monthly Meeting and Isaac got a certificate from Abington Meeting to show his clearness for the marriage.1 Isaac and Abigail probably lived on the land he had inherited, but their marriage was short-lived. Abigail died between 1750 and 1752, leaving Isaac with a baby daughter Mary. Isaac soon remarried, possibly as soon as the customary one-year mourning period allowed. His second wife was Mary Walton, daughter of Jeremiah and Elizabeth (Walmsley).2 They were married in 8^th month (August) 1753 at Horsham Meeting, probably the closest meeting house to Isaac’s farm in Moreland.3 The marriage was witnessed by Isaac’s stepmother Elizabeth, several of Isaac and Mary’s brothers and sisters, his Sands in-laws Richard and Mary.4 Mary was one of nine children, two of whom had died young. The Waltons were a large, well-established Quaker family, so she had many relatives.

Isaac and Mary had two sons, William and Levi.5 But in 1757, Isaac died, leaving Mary with three small children.6 He left a will, written a month before his death.7 He left the plantation to Mary until his two sons reached the age of 21, to support and school them. After they reached the age of 21, they were to have the plantation in Moreland to share, paying £20 to their sister Mary as her inheritance. The inventory of the estate included typical household goods, farm tools, horses, cows, sheep, hogs and hives of bees.8

Four years later Mary married James Tyson, son of Henry and grandson of Rynear and Margaret.9 James became the stepfather of the three Jeanes children. Mary died a few years later and James married Sarah Harper in 1764. In a chain of parenthood, James and Sarah were now the stepparents of Isaac’s children, and they added more children of their own.

Child of Isaac and Abigail:

Mary, born about 1751, married in 1772 Timothy Roberts, son of William Roberts10. They were married at St. Michael’s Church in Philadelphia. Timothy was a farmer. They lived in Moreland, Philadelphia County, where he wrote his will on 11 Nov 1786.11 It was proved 2 weeks later. His wife Mary was to stay on the farm until their youngest son Timothy reached 21. A Negro man Ishmael was to have his freedom after ten years, and to be maintained by the estate if necessary after that.12 The sons Timothy and Williams were to be placed out as apprentices, in trades suitable to their abilities and with respectable men who would use them well. The daughters were Martha, Catherine, Abigail, Elizabeth. Mary was the executor.

Children of Isaac & Mary:13

William, born 7th month 1754, died in 1828, married Elizabeth McVaugh, probably in 1778, since he was disowned by Abington meeting in 11^th month 1778 for going out in marriage.14 When William reached the age of 21, he inherited a tract of land, shared with his brother Levi. William bought out his brother Levi’s share in 1788. William died intestate in 1828, leaving his widow Elizabeth and children Edmund, Benjamin, Isaac, William, Isaiah, Hiram, Jonathan, Mary, Martha, Elizabeth, Eleanor, Rebecca and Keziah.15

Levi, born 3^rd month 1757, died in 1807, m. Hannah —, no surviving children. He wrote his will on September 2, 1807 and died three days later. He was buried in the Quaker cemetery at Mulberry and 4^th Streets, Philadelphia.16 His still-born daughter died the day after him and was probably buried on the same day, perhaps in the same plot.17 His will of 1807 named four of the  daughters of his brother William: Mary, Martha, Elizabeth and Rebecca.18 (William had other children as well.) Levi lived in the Northern Liberties section of Philadelphia County when he made his will.