A Genealogical and Biographical Record OF THE PEDRICK FAMILY OF NEW JERSEY 1675-1938 ♦ Traud and Asumbltd by HUBERT B. SHOEMAKER OF PHILADELPHIA. PA. Member- Pennsylvania Historical Society Gloucester County Historical Society Author Salem County Historical Society The Shoemaker Family of Cape May County Historical Society Gloucester and Salem Counties P&INTllr> IN U. S. A. BY TDIPUI TYPICMl'TIRS PHILADl!I.PHIA. PA. SIPl'IIIOl!lt NINllTBl!N nu&TY-l!IGHT THE PEDRICK COAT OF ARMS The College of Arms of London, England, granted this coat of arms to Percy Vivian Giles Pedrick in 1928. The shield or field for bearings is azure (the clear blue of the sky) with two bezants (a gold coin of Constantinople in use from the 6th to the 16th Century) and two sickles erect, blades inward of the field, a bezant between two escallops (a mollu.c:k or shell fish having a ribbed shell with a wavy edge). The crest or bearing set not upon the shield but about the helm as ornamentation consists of a wreath of the colors containing sickles representing work and balls representing play and shells, and the motto assigned is "Work.hard, Play hard." The presumption why no ·early grant of coat of arms to this name was made is because some family search in England disclosed that the Ped­ ricks landed in that country as pirates from Norway where there are .now people of the name carrying on the work of bankers. Nothing more has been learned about any work on this subject by anyone abroad. ~ebrick During the interim between the purchase of the above land in London in 1673 and the time of Fenwick's sailing in 1675 he set about interesting various people in the enterprise, with the view of purchasing for speculation or of immigrating to Sf.ttle in America. There were merchants and others able and willing to bargain for large tracts with no thought ,of coming themselves, but for tbe most pa.rt those agreeing to buy land were like William Penn and John Feuwick., recent adherents to the Society of Friends, and were being persecuted on account of their religion. They were willing to break ties witb the rnotbet iand and seek freedom in America. AnkJes of Agreement were drawn, 6-24-1675, and signed as follows: 1 ' John Fenwick with John Eldridge, Edward Dude, Ed\\'llfd Wade, Joshua Berkstead, William Shippree, John Smith, Joseph Helmsley, Thomas Hutchinson (by J. K), Roger Pedrick, Richard Morgan, Wil­ liain Hughes, Thoma:. :Mainwaring, Edmund Warner, Richard Noble, Roger Huckings, John Maddocke, Edward Bradway, Thomas Ander­ !!Oll, John Spooner, Edward Champneys, Richard Rickston, William Hancock, and John Barkstead, purchaseni, proprietors. freeholders, ad­ venturers and planters m Fenwick's colony in New Jersey;- that the records of their deeds shall be in law to all intents and purpose!; as effectual as if they were in actual possession of the land and that every one of them shall upon going to said colony be satisfied with the plots Jaid out in Lots 20, Z11 26, Z7, 36, 47, SO, 57, 62, 72, pl'0\7ided that any such purc:hasers ............. dissatisfied with the allotments made shall be debarred from further claim." Jobn Eldridge acting for Fenwick .:hen proceeded to deed the land agreed upon to be later aDoted and surveyed upon arrival. in America. Roger Pedrick was a first purchaser as shown by the following. "On June 7, 1675, deeds were made by Johll Eldridge, of Parish of St. Paul, Shadwell. County of Midlesex, tanner and wife Elizabeth to John Smith of St. Paul's Parish for 1000 acres, Rit.bard Morgan of St. Paul's 500 acres, Edward Matthews, of St. Paul's, 500 acres, and Roger Pedrick, of St. Paul's, Shadwell, lighterman, and wife, Rebecca, 1000 acres." There was one patent issued in London on above initial date by Fen­ wick to a merchant there for ZCOO acres. If the old parchment deed of Roger Pedrick could be located it might show if bis was actually the first one drawn for tht abo,;e first purchasers, Smith, Morgan, Matthews and Pedrick. His wife, Rebecca, was included as a joint purchaser and of the quartet the others were probably single. The next date of deeds was June 9, 1675, in London. Of the above narnes that of Roger Pedrick is the only one appearing in the list of first imrnigramnts on the Griffin and Maty. VIII On the same date patent was issued from John Fenwick to Vices­ samus Nettleshlp, of London, citizen. salter, ZO00 acres; 6-9-1675, to Thomas Clarke, London, 1000 acres; 6-10-1675; deed to Edmund War­ ner, London, citizen and poulterer, and John Mason, of Wincomb, County of Gloucester, farrier, 5000 acres each; 6-17-1675, to John Bark.stead, London, 2000 acres, and the next day, 6-18, Barkstead again for 3000 acres. John Fenwick was prominent and lived in Lon­ don and transacted his business there mostly with merchants, while Eldridge lived in Shadwell not many miles east and acted as hls agent for people there. Now nearly all of these patents and deeds were issued to people of London or of the County of Middlesex which is contiguous to London to the north, east and southeast and the town of Shadwell is now a part of Lopdon proper. It is reltvant in proceeding with this history in order to add inter­ est to include some information regarding the Quakers of that day, since it is probable that had not Fenwick and Pedrick, et al, become allied with .:be Society of Friends, no Pedrick genealogy would needs be searched. The Quakers under George Fox who was bom in 1624 originally called themselves "Professors" or "Children of the Light." It was Cer­ vasse Bennet the magistrate signing the Mittimus when Fox was first arrested at Derby who gave to the sect in derision the name of "Quakers" because Fo,: bade him and those present to "Tremble at the Word of the Lord." (Sewell's history of the people called Quakers.) Bennet, a sturdy Puritan and Roundhead, was not in the habit of trembling at anything. The name stuclt; it is usually the case with sects and parties that they get their most enduring titles from the lips of opponents. (Scharff & Westcoat.) Edward Bourne Quaker in 16S1 was closely confined in prison "for no evil e.iccept it be an evil to exhort, advise :ind persuade people to dwell together in love and to live in the fear of th~ Lord and t<.- obey His voice by whom we are called upon to follow PoZ.Ce and Holiness with all men, which is his call unto all with­ out which no ma:o shall see tbe Lord though they make mentiori of H'JS name and call upon Him ever so often." (Sufferings of the Quakers, Besse.) Buckinghamshire 1666, an account of imprisonments of Quakers who refused to swear and were taken out of religious meetings amongst others, "John Fenwick, William Aldridge, besides several taken at meet­ ings were committed on the Act for Banishment to wit;- Philip Ford, Samuel Budd, Richard Peader," etc. (Besse.) IX The Quaker influence was strong in the formative days of New Jersey. Major John Fenwick serving as Major in the Parliamentarian Army of England became a member of the Society of Friend~ in 16i3- 1674, and then boui,bt a hslf interest in the New Jersey colo.,y from Lord Berkeley. He associated with Edward Billynge, also a Friend, with the purpose of establishing an American home for the sect. In time disputes arose between them as to title and William Penn was agreed upon to arbitrate. He awarded Fenwick one-tenth with some money and Billynge nine-tenths. The latter later became embarrassed and sold his entire undivided tract to William Penn, Gawen Lawry and Nicholas Lucasall, Friends, in trust for the benefit of· creditors. They afterwards became possessed of Fenwick's interest also. Fenwick, how­ ever, persisted in colonization efforts and in 1676 laid out "The Liber­ ties of Cohansen and Alloways" and undertook the :;c:ttlement of Salem. Finally Fenwiclt sold all his interests and practical!y disappears." (Lewis Publishing Co., New York, 1911.) On a bronze plaque set in the wall of the Court House at Salem by the Society of Colonial Wars in the State of New Jersey in 1825 are inscn"bed these words "To keep in perpetual remembrance the name of John Fenwick, 1618-1683, Major in the Army of Oliver Cromwell, 1648, Proprieter of the Salem 10th, founder of Salem, 1675; member of the Assembly of New Jersey, 1681. That said Colony and all the planters within the same may be secured in the Love of God and in that peace which becomes all our great professions of being Christians." Fenwick executed deeds to various London merchants in June, 1675, and it is evident he set sail for Ameri::a in July to take. posses­ sion of his lands. He came as previously stated in the ship Griffin which sailed up Salem creek three miles where they disembarked and he named the spot Salem. It is difficult for us to vision now the aspect of the country at that time. Various accounts banded down show a veritable wilderness of forests and swamps, impassable except by In­ dian trails and abounding with wild animal life of every description even to wolf, panther, bear and buffalo. The waters swarmed with fish from the smallest to the sturgeon, porpoise and whale, while the air and the trees were filled with birds of every kind.