Biles Island by Charles M. Biles History 368: Colonial and Revolutionary America Humboldt State University Spring Semester 2010 Professor Thomas Mays i Introduction The purpose of this paper is to describe the life of William Biles in colonial America. How did William Biles come to leave England and settle on Biles Island? How did William Biles contribute to the political and Quaker development of colonial Pennsylvania? The thesis of this paper is that William Biles was an early English settler who helped develop the political and religious way of life in colonial Pennsylvania. In particular, he helped determine the source of political power: proprietary or popular. Chapter 1 describes how I got interested in history and chose this topic. Chapter 2 describes why William Biles left England and came to America to settle on Biles Island. Chapter 3 describes the key events in the public life of William Biles, especially his activities in Pennsylvania politics and his Quaker ministry. In a certain way, the paper about William Biles was already written by Miles White in 1902.1 White’s 3-part series is the definitive published work on William Biles and details much of his life, including his arrival in America, the highlights of his political career, his activities as a Quaker, and his will. Rather than just writing a biography of this colonial settler, I have placed his life in the background of his times. In particular, I examine his actions and contributions within the forces of the newly developing colony of Pennsylvania. 1 Miles White Jr, “William Biles,” The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography 26, no. 1 (1902): 58-70; no. 2, 192-206; no. 3, 348-359. 1 Chapter 1 My Personal Invitation to History The Presidents While watching media coverage during the 2008 presidential campaign, the question occurred to me: What makes a great president? In pursuit of this question I bought some books that treated the presidents in sequence from George Washington to George W. Bush. I soon realized that my question was ill posed. The word great is too nebulous. I began to think in terms of which presidents gave this country a legacy. Using today’s moral judgment is a poor evaluator. How can one take as a role model a slave owner? But, I can appreciate a father of my country for inaugurating a road that led to where we are today. Rather than greatness, a search to explain how we got to where we are today is more enlightening. Jared Diamond I was examining a table of books at the bookstore when an elderly man walked up and asked, “Are you looking for something good to read?” I smiled and said, “Yes.” He picked up a book that was right in front of me. “Here, read this. It is disturbing, but profound. It will make you think.” He handed me Collapse by Jared Diamond.1 I read the back jacket cover and the testimonials enticed me to buy the book. When I got home I made some coffee and sat comfortably to read. Wow! For the next sixteen days I studied a chapter a day. Turned on, motivated, excited, interested are all terms that applied. I then studied another Diamond book, Guns, Germs, and Steel.2 Who we are and how we got here emerged as a comprehensible quest. I began to think about American history again and went back to the bookstore. This time no knowledgeable person appeared. I was intimidated by the shelves of American history books; so, I caved. I bought U.S. History for Dummies by Steve Wiegand.3 The Dummies book wasn’t bad for someone in my poor state of knowledge. It taught me that I needed to take a real course in American history. 1 Jared Diamond, Collapse (New York: Penguin Books, 2005). 2 Jared Diamond, Guns, Germs, and Steel (New York: W. W. Norton and Company, 1999). 3 Steve Wiegand, U. S. History for Dummies (New York: Wiley Publishing Company, 2001). 2 Cousin John Radford In April 2009 my wife Carolyn and I took a riverboat cruise in France during which a friendly couple approached me. “Biles, I’ve been looking for you.” I glanced at the man’s name tag: John Radford, Baton Rouge, LA. “I was hoping to find you because my grandmother was named Biles. What do you know about your family heritage?” he asked. Although he must have been disappointed that I knew virtually nothing, he and his wife were gracious and sociable. We would chitchat and call each other “cousin” whenever we met during the rest of the trip. About two weeks after returning home I got a package from John Radford. John is a genealogy aficionado and has researched every branch of his family tree. He sent me a wealth of information about the Biles heritage. We are indeed related; we are sixth cousins. We have a common ancestor, Thomas Biles, born 12 March 1710 in West New Jersey. John Radford is descended from Thomas’s third son, Daniel; I am descended from his eighth child, John Biles. Thomas was the grandson of William Biles who left England in 1679 and settled on Biles Island, Pennsylvania. A Google search of "Biles Island" gets 2,140 results; "William Biles" gets 14,100. I ravenously started reading about William Biles. I began fantasizing about living on Biles Island in 1679, and later welcoming my new neighbor who called his place Pennsbury. What was it like to live back then? HIST 110: United States History to 1877 I enrolled in beginning American history, History 110, at Humboldt State University. I could not help but feel somewhat anxious. Could I really do well in history despite a 50-year old warning by my Graduate Record Examination scores about my documented illiteracy in the humanities? All the planets were aligned correctly during the first week of class. After the usual first-day of class housekeeping features, Professor Mays explained his viewpoint of teaching American history: What was it like to live back then? In the next class Professor Mays began by talking about American history beginning as a meeting of cultures. Then he showed a video clip of Jared Diamond and his work. It made me believe my thinking was on track. With each character and event throughout the course, I was immersed: What was it like to live back then? As History 110 came to a close, I saw that next semester Professor Mays was teaching a course on colonial American history, which carries with it a research project. It was time to return to Biles Island. 3 Chapter 2 Departure and Arrival Dorchester, Dorset County, England April 4, 1679, must have been a wonderful day to travel. The ship Elizabeth and Sarah of Weymouth was in port at Weymouth in southern England, County Dorset.1 William Biles had just come with his family from Dorchester, the main town in Dorset County, 12 kilometers north of Weymouth. William brought his entire family, including his wife, Johanna, and their five children: Elizabeth, William, George, Jona Johanna, and John. He also brought his 23-year old youngest brother Charles and two indentured servants: Edward Hancock to serve 8 years and Elizabeth Petty to serve 7 years. William probably felt confident making this trip to America. Already well established by 1635 in Massachusetts were the towns of Dorchester and Weymouth, named after these English towns in County Dorset. A 1676 map of County Dorset is shown at left.2 The Rev. John White of Dorchester was famous for organizing efforts to America, including work in obtaining charters for the Dorchester, New England, and the Massachusetts Bay Companies.3 Travelling to America was a topic well discussed for decades in Dorchester. 1 Donna Speer Ristenbatt, The Elizabeth and Sarah, http://www.ristenbatt.com/genealogy/lizsarsp.htm. This website gives the passenger list for the Elizabeth and Sarah of Weymouth. The information is taken from Walter Lee Sheppard Jr., Passengers and Ships Prior to 1684, Penn's Colony Volume I, 1970. 2 http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~genmaps/genfiles/COU_files/ENG/DOR/morden_dor_1676 3 Michael Russel, Rev. John White (1574/5-1648), January 2010, http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~fordingtondorset/Files/DorchesterRevJohnWhite1575- 1648.html. 4 During the voyage William reflected on his reasons for going to America. Until recently his family was loyal to the Church of England. But when William was a boy of seven years, he witnessed a disturbing event. His grandfather, Alexander Biles I, had criticized Pastor William Benn of All Saints Parish. Pastor Benn’s wrath from this criticism fell on sympathetic ears. Alexander was stripped of wealth and title and forced into Napier’s Almshouse in 1651.4 Alexander Biles I had only one child, Alexander Biles II. Alexander Biles II married Dorothy Strong in Dorchester in 1643 at All Saints Church. They had seven children. William, the oldest, was born in Dorchester on 18 September 1644. The youngest, Charles, was born on 12 August 1665. Both William and Charles learned the trade of vile monger from their father. The old English term of vile monger comes from phial, later vial, meaning bottle. Hence, a vile monger is a merchant dealing in bottles and bottled goods. William also had obtained an advanced education that would serve him well in America. In 1660 at the age of 16 he matriculated at Cornwall, Exeter College. He earned his BA in 1664 and his MA in 1667.4 He was well versed in religion and law. In Dorchester, William married Joanna (English spelling) at All Saints on 6 May 1669.