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Thomas Penn, son of William Penn and his second wife Hannah Callowhill, was born 20 March 1702 at the home of his maternal grandfather in Bristol, England.[1]
When William Penn [founder of Pennsylvania] died in 1718, sons Thomas, John, and Richard inherited the Proprietorship of Pennsylvania. Thomas traveled to Pennsylvania in 1732 and remained there through 1741. During that time, he visited various locations, acquired more land through dealings with the Delaware Indian tribe, and established counties and county seats.[2][3]
Thomas Penn, along with his brother John, and their agents were responsible for the infamous "Walking Purchase" on Aug. 25, 1737, which swindled the Lenape Indians out of more than one million acres (400,000 ha) of Pennsylvania.[4][5]
In 1733, believing that Pennsylvania's Charter of Privileges granted Catholics the freedom of religion, a Catholic chapel was built in Philadelphia. The Charter, however, "limited its privileges to what was not 'inconsistent with the laws of England'." Governor Thomas Penn, in an address to the provincial council in July 1734, opined "the public exercise of that religion to be contrary to the laws of England." The legislative assembly reviewed the Charter and most recent laws and, finding the enforcement of the laws impracticable, the Governor was "left to consult 'our Superiors at home,' if he thought fit."[6]
Thomas married Lady Juliana Fermor, daughter of Thomas Fermor and Henrietta Louisa Jeffreys,[7] on 22 August 1751.[8] They seem to have had at least eight children.[9] In a vault at the church in Penn parish is a child's coffin identified only as "P." Other coffins in the vault belong to infant children of Thomas and Juliana and to Thomas' brother Richard.[10]
In 1756, Penn attempted to remove the Quakers from power in the colony by having a petition granted by Parliament that would require an oath of loyalty in all colonial legislative assemblies. Because the Quakers never took oaths, they would be banned from power. The attempt failed and the colonial Quakers remained free of any oaths to Parliament.[11]
Thomas Penn died in England on March 21, 1775,[12] soon before the American Revolution brought an end to the Penn family's control of Pennsylvania.
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