THE PENNSYLVANIA GENEALOGICAL MAGAZINE Before 1948 called Publications of the Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania Volume XXIV —No. 4 1966 Publications Committee JOHN INSLEY CODDINGTON WALTER LEE SHEPPARD, JR. MRS. F. SPENCER ROACH RALPH DORNFELD OWEN Editor HANNAH BENNER ROACH The Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania 1300 Locust Street Philadelphiv 19107 TABLE OF CONTENTS Esther King of Philadelphia and Bucks Counties and Her Bowyer, Lynn and Elf reth Children 245 Dorothee Hughes Carousso Lynn Family Record 289 Bucks County Quakers and the Revolution 291 They Went West: Pennsylvanians in Ohio 300 Carl Thurman Smith Book Reviews 303 Mrs. Katherine M. Taylor 307 Officers, Directors, Fellows, Staff and Members of the Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania 308 Index of Names in this Volume XXIV 317 Illustrations Lynn, Bowyer and Elfreth Properties, "North End" of Philadel- phia, 1691 - 1763 250 A Portion of A Map of Philadelphia and Parts Adjacent, N. Scull and G. Heap, post 1752 ..... . 277 Esther King of Philadelphia and Bucks Counties and her Bowyer, Lynn and Elfreth Children DOROTHEE HUGHES CAROUSSO STHER KING is of more than average interest in genealogical re- E search because of her multiple marriages. In an era when a man often outlived two or three or more wives, it is unusual to find a woman who outlived four husbands. Born in England about 1650, she came to Philadelphia at about the same time as William Penn, with her first hus- band, John Bowyer, by whom she had four surviving children. Her second marriage was to a man surnamed Lynn, by whom she had one son, Joseph Lynn. By her third husband, Josiah Elfreth, she had one son, Jeremiah Elf reth. Her fourth marriage was to Richard Willson of Bucks County. There appear to have been no children of this last mar- riage. There is some evidence to support the speculation that Esther may have been related to Walter King, an original purchaser from William Penn, and a member of the Free Society of Traders. Letters of admin- istration granted in Philadelphia on the estate of Benjamin King 3 2m 1689, to Esther Bowyer, "his sister and next of kin," establish her maiden name as King.' The evidence suggesting that she bore some relationship to Walter King is that most of the property in Pennsylvania acquired by her first husband, John Bowyer, was "taken up in the right of Wal- ter King." In his original grant from William Penn 26 July 1681, Walter King was described as being "of Haveyard in the Parish of Reinton," County Somerset, England.' A search of English records translates this location as being in Havyatt, Parish of Rayton, County Somerset. His original Philadelphia Administration Book A, 62, #1211688, estate of Benjamin King. Unless otherwise stated, all wills, administrations and I.d records hereinafter cited are Philadelphia County records. 2 Exemplificatical Book 8, 573 1 26 July 1681, William Penn to Walter King. 245 246 The Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine purchase of land to be taken up in Pennsylvania was for a thousand acres, but these were laid out in several parcels in different locations. Unlike many original purchasers, Walter King did come to live in Pennsylvania. He was a member of the Philadelphia Monthly Meeting of Friends.' He was also a member of the Pennsylvania Assembly in 1682/3.' In December 1687, he was a resident of Philadelphia County, but it seems that he returned to England shortly thereafter.' If he was, as supposed, related to Benjamin and Esther, he appears to have returned prior to Benjamin's death, since the administration of Benjamin's estate was to his sister as "next of kin." In a letter of attorney dated 24 October 1694, and signed with his mark, King appointed Israel Hobbs, a Bristol carpenter, his attorney to collect several debts in Pennsylvania; King was then described as being "of flayland in the County of Somerset."' Among English Friends' records for Bristol and Somerset appears the death record of one Wal- ter King on 11 5m 1703, a resident of Fayland, Parish of Wraxall, and a member of the North Division Monthly Meeting.' Judging from the date of birth of Esther's eldest child, John Bowyer, Jr., in 1671, her first marriage to JOHN BOWYER must have occurred about 1668 or 1669, presumably in England where her four surviving Bowyer children were probably born. There is no indication that the Bowyers came to Philadelphia through any association with the Society of Friends, although succeeding gen- On 1 fin 1684, Walter King and Dennis Rochford laid before the Philadelphia Monthly Meeting "a matter of difference depending between them touching payment for a servant" whom King had sold to Ruh- ford. Original Philadelphia Monthly Meeting Minutes, examined at Friends' Record Department, 306 Arch St., Philadelphia. "Votes and Procudings of the House of Representatives of the Province of Pennsylvania," Pennsylvania Archives, ath Series, I, 13. King was a representative for Philadelphia County at the first session which opened 12 1m 1682/3. The reader should bear in mind that until Smtember 1752, the legal year in NMI- sylvania began 25 March, called first month (1m) by Friends, although the historical year began 1 January, eleventh month (11m), ucording 00 Friends' reckoning. Dates between 1 January and 24 March were there- fore double-dated, via: 1 January (urn) 1682/3 to 24 March (24 1m) 1682/3, but 25 March veas 25 1m 1683. In August 1688, Walter King gave a letter of attorney to John Parsons and others, and by July 1689, was "late" of Philadelphia Co. By 25 Ins 1690, he was of "Portburile in the County of Somerset," England. SEC recitals in Deed Books E-1-5, 613: 13 10m 1687, Walter King to Francis Gamble; H-8, 357: 6 5m 1689, Benjamin Chambers to Rebecca Stanley; E-2-5, 258: 25 101 1690, John Claypoole to John Parsons OS al. Deed Book 54-5, 348: 24 Oct. 1694, Walter King to Israel Hobbs. ', Digested Copy of the Registers of the Quarterly Meeting of Bristol and Somersetshire, Collect -ions of the Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania (GSP), show the marriage at Bristol Meeting 6 7m 1663, of a Wal- ter King and Margaret Prince, who, as the Widow Margaret King, resident of Bristol, was bur. at Portishead 9 2rn 1704. A daughter Florence King, b. 18 Nov. 1667, appears in the registers of Bruton, Somersetshire Father Bowyer, b. ca. 1650, could not have boo,, daughter of Margaret (Prince) King, though Esther and her brother Benjamin nught have been children of Walter King by a previous marriage. Esther King of Philadelphia and Bucks Counties 247 erations of the family did become Friends. Other contemporary Bow- yens came to Philadelphia at about the same time, but no conclusive evi- dence of any relationship has been found.' John Bowyer, although an early settler in Philadelphia County, was not one of William Penn's original purchasers. As previously stated, all of his earliest land holdings were "in the right of Walter King" who was an original purchaser. The earliest record of John Bowyer in Philadel- phia is a warrant for a "city lott" to be located "between the front and second streets att Skullkill," granted in the right of Walter King by a warrant dated 11 8m 1683. The lot was surveyed a week later, south of Walnut Street between the present Twenty-second Street (then Schuylkill Front) and the present Twenty-first Street.° He obtained a patent for the lot from the Commissioners of Property 30 5m 1687, and two months later assigned it to Peter Sharbanow for £6." Another patent to John "boyer," dated 13 July 1687, was for a tract of 200 acres "in the Manor of Springetsberry" and County of Phila- delphia, adjoining land laid out for Edward Lane and the land "belong- ing to the German Town." As shown on the Map of the Province of Pennsylvania charted by Thomas Holme, the location of this property was in old Bristol Township, and extended from the east line of Ger- mantown, now Stenton Avenue, to the present Cheltenham Avenue, in the vicinity of Washington Lane. The land was granted by a warrant from the Proprietor on 26 4m 1684; it was laid out by the Surveyor General's order on 11 9m 1684, also "to John Boyer in right of Walter King." 00 On 5 June 1688, John Bowyer sold fifty acres of this land to Edward Lane.' After John's death, his widow (then Esther Elfreth), with his son John Bowyer, Jr., sold the remaining 150 acres to William Wilkins of Philadelphia, for D1." 8 Among these were Hannah "Boyer" who appears as an adult in the Philadelphia Meeting minutes 08m 1685; Thomas Bowyer, on whose estate letters of adtmnistration were granted in Philadelphia 20 April 1708, to Edward Lane, the widow Martha Bowyer having renounced. Thi.s Thomas Bowyer may have been a brother of John Bowyer. , See Warranta and Surveys of the Province of Pennsylvania, 1682-1719, 111, 248, Municipal Archives, Department of Records, Cry Hall, Philadelphia. ' , Exemplification Books, 154: 30 5rn 1687, Patent to John Boyer; Deed Book E-1-5, 594: 1 7m 1687, John Boyer to Peter Sharbanow. He is not to be confused with the John Powyer, tanner of Wales, who, although an original purchaser from Penn, did not come to Pennsylvania. Nor is John Bowyer to be con- fused with the Jill Boyear who was an early resident of Newcastle County. 11 Exemplification Book I, 170: 13 July 1687, Patent to John Boyer. 1. Deed Book E-1-5, 594: 5 June 1688, John Bowyer to Edward Lane.