Would you like to join the William Penn and Early Pennsylvania Settlers project? [closed]

+29 votes
2.6k views
The William Penn and Early Pennsylvania Settlers covers the earliest Pennsylvania settlers who arrived before 28 October 1701.  If you have any ancestors who arrived or were born in Pennsylvania before this date, or who were passengers on one of the William Penn Fleet ships, you may want to join.  We are also looking for project volunteers who can help add resources, help to categorize profiles, for other items.

To join, and get the badge, post an answer (not a comment) to this thread.

Also, you can add the sticker to your ancestor's profile - see the project page at: https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Project:William_Penn_and_Early_Pennsylvania_Settlers.

You should add the tag "Penn" to your followed tags to be apprised of any updates.  Be sure to tag any G2G posts about this project or project profiles with the tag Penn.

We are working to update the project page, parameters, and to expand the project.  You can read more about some of these efforts here: https://www.wikitree.com/g2g/633257/changing-scope-william-early-pennsylvania-settlers-project

thank you and we hope to see you there!
closed with the note: This post retired in favor of new post: https://www.wikitree.com/g2g//896017/would-like-join-william-early-pennsylvania-settlers-project
in Requests for Project Volunteers by SJ Baty G2G Astronaut (1.2m points)
closed by SJ Baty
I have a paternal line AND a maternal line connected to William Penn's  "Early Pennsylvania Settlers"!

I'd like to join! :)
Thanks for joining, Ron!
I too have a paternal & maternal connection! I am a descendent of Arnold Kuster of Kaldenkirchen, Germany. He was part of Penn's Pennsylvania community. Also, Oliver Cope.
I too would like to join.  My ancestors Nicholas Newlin and his son Nathaniel Newlin both served on Penn's Provincial Council and George Maris also was one of the early settlers in Penn's colony, among other ancestors whose names I can't think of right now.
That's interesting about the Copes and Kusters, Claudia. Thanks for joining.
Thanks for having me.
My Lehman lineage came during the 1st diaspora of Williams Penn's experiment. They immigrated during the first diaspora (Mennonites, Quakers, and Amish... aka Pennsylvania Duch) into William Penn's Pennsylvania.

My Gregg/Gragg lineage came around the second diaspora, as Scot's Irish from Northern Ireland. John Gregg, and his sons fought during the French and Indian wars, the American Revolution and the War of 1812.

Amazingly enough, both lines (Lehman's and Gregg's) worked their farms, not all that far apart in Cumberland County Pennsylvania. After that, my line of Lehman's worked their across Pennsylvania, thru Ohio to Iowa ( now the rust belt corridor), thru the mid-west to Wyoming, Idaho (where my Grandmother was born) then down to Fallon Nevada (where my grandmother met and married my grandfather, a recent immigrant from Germany).

My Gregg line sold their farms in Cumberland Pennsylvania and used the money from that and their land grants (from the wars) to pioneer and settle in the Shenandoah Valley (Rockingham and Augusta Counties) in Virginia. This is where my lineage verges with the Harrison's, Lincoln's and Boone's. The "Tunis Hood Book" ~ Dellmon O. Hood and the "Settlers by the Long Gray Trail" ~ John Huston Harrison really  helped a LOT with source and reference materials (amongst other sources)

When Virginia split, part of my family was in Virginia, and part in West Virginia. Then my line moved from there to North Carolina. After North Carolina was split into other states, part of the family was in North Carolina, and part (my line) was in Tennesee. There is a Gragg North Carolina in Avery County, not Coffee's there :)

My line was in Greene County Tennesee. Also on the border of Tennesee and North Carolina. Across from Avery County.
I have a Nicholas Newlin in my ancestor list.  His sister married a Mead.  It would be a couple generations from the father and son mentioned.
All set, Marie!
Hi, cousin! Fellow descendant of Arnold Doors Kuster!
You are all set to go with your PENNs, Veronica!
I would like to join. My maternal line is through the Ferree Family.
Welcome Melanie. I'll ask Maggie to send you a badge and I'll forward some project instructions shortly.
Welcome Melanie!
Thank you! I am hoping to connect with some cousins or  such from the Ferree Line! They are the founders of Paradise PA,
My maternal grandmother's paternal side were among the Pennsylvania settlers.

My question to join: John Hart and sister, Mary Hart which I am about to add, I have as both coming with William Penn to Pennsylvania. I need to verify this yet. John is my spouses 9th great-grandfather.

A story I hope you may find interesting? I was born in Philadelphia, raised eventually in the suburbs. My husband all over the world as an Air Force dependent. I through my research, found a lot of this information out last year after 26 years of marriage. His family that worked with William Penn and whom he is related to through marriage, settled the area I grew up in 400 some years ago! One of his great grandmothers from back then had the surname FOULKE. There is a Quaker meeting house 5 minutes from our home there in Pennsylvania and they have a retirement community called, Foulkeways, where I had my very first job at age 16. It was named after the Foulke family from 400 some years ago. Now, 2300 some miles and 400 some years later, I married a descendant, what’s the chances?

I also have this:

Sealed agreement with William Penn

July 11, 1861

John hard entered a sealed agreement July 11, 1861 to purchase land from William Penn At this time, John was 32, a preacher and had wealth.

Can I please join? I think I might have something to offer?

Welcome!  We're looking forward to your contributions!
Thank you very much! Looking around to see what items are here, looks like a wealth of info. Darn how I wish I had taken pictures of that Meeting House but I saw it every day and just didn’t cross my mind. It sits on a very, very busy intersection and I don’t know if visiting is permitted anyway.
??
I'm a bit confused as to what significance there might be to purchasing land from a William Penn (obviously not *THE* William Penn, founder of PA) in 1861? What do you think this indicates?
If I understand correctly, Penn owned most all of the land; almost everyone bought their land from "THE" William Penn or from someone who bought it from him.
I must have entered the date incorrectly as yes, it was from “The” William Penn if my mind serves me correctly. He was related to my husband via marriage I believe.

I also think the other reply was probably correct too, most everyone probably did but their probably from William Penn.
Curious as to why the ship "Canterbury" is not on the "List of Ships" carrying Penn and his followers to America.  There is a category for it on WikiTree,  Category: Canterbury (1699) "https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Category:Canterbury_(1699)" with sources (30).
The Ferree line has an annual reunion. Are you already involved in that? They are listed online.
I have attended the reunion since 2013. That year it was in September which allowed me to go. They are in July, and I run a bed and breakfast in Northern Michigan -so July is our peak season, so its not possible to get away. My grandmother was a Ferree from York, PA
===Posted here requesting to join by mistake===
I would like to join this group since my sixth great-grandfather, John Meade Sr. (circa 1700-1754), has been identified as part of William Penn's Pennsylvania Settlers community.

My DNA testing links me to John Meade Sr.

Kenneth Williams

San Diego, California
Hi Ken, you are free to join - just enter your request as an answer (not a comment) to this thread.

I looked at John Mead's profile, he was born in 1703 - the cutoff for profile inclusion to this project is 1701.  I have removed the project box from his account.
Wow. There is considerable debate on whether he was born in 1693, when his mother would have been 33; or 1700, when she would have been 40; or 1703, when she would have been 43. If you have found documentation on his actual birth, I would appreciate the link.
Just based on the profile.  But even if born in 1693, the project criteria is born in or migrated to PA before 1701.
I am connected to Christopher Atkinson and Margaret Fell Atkinson. I would love to join.
I am not sure I qualify as most of my Pennsylvania ancestors are noted in the 1700s. However almost every one of them has no known origin, so they may have been in the area earlier. I cannot be sure.

The one that causes us the most grief to track is the ancestor with no certain first name mentioned(but we suspect may be John?) McClarin of the Fair Play Men of 1776. I know this is beyond the parameters but what we CAN’t figure out is where he’s from or who his parents are. May have been born in 1740 Surry, VA, but no solid evidence.

73 Answers

+9 votes
 
Best answer
Sounds interesting, but I don't believe I quite qualify. My earliest Penn. ancestor, Johannes Steiner, was a Swiss Anabaptist preacher, who immigrated first to Germany, then the Netherlands, and finally, to Pennsylvania--according to family legend with a personal invitation by William Penn. However, his immigration to Pennsylvania was sometime between 1711 and 1718.
by Alison Gardner G2G6 Mach 8 (82.2k points)
selected by Cynthia Coletti
Alison, you may qualify. Double-check with SJ Baty, the coordinator.
+10 votes
I would like to join.
by Michelle Enke G2G6 Pilot (417k points)
Welcome to the project!  I believe that Maggie has connected with you via email.
+10 votes
I would like to join. My wife's ancestor from this community was Yeamans Gillingham (b1674 England, d 1722 Philadelphia).

Tom Myers
by Thomas Myers G2G Crew (500 points)
Hi Tom, and welcome aboard.  I'll send a PM to Maggie to get you badged.  We hope to see you around!
Got your badge on, Thomas. Thanks for joining.
Yeamans Gillingham is an ancestor of Sidney Gillingham who married Samuel Stewart Griscom, one of my distant cousins. One of their sons was Yeamans Griscom.
+11 votes
I would like to help as well. Some of my Hiestand family ancestors came over from Switzerland, Austria and Germany...
by Theresa Shaffer G2G3 (3.8k points)
Theresa,  were they early Palatinate settlers? Thanks for joining.
+10 votes

I would like to join. My ancestorial family were the Beals of Nothingham Pennsylvania. They came to the colonies from Chichester, Sussex,, England

by Michael Jones G2G Crew (500 points)
All set, Michael. Thanks for joining.
+9 votes
I would like to be a part of this project as well. Blackshaw, Bradshaw, Wharton ancestry.
by Vernon McNear G2G2 (2.5k points)
Hi Vernon, you are now a member of the Early Penn project. Thank you.
+9 votes
My Yerkes family begins with Anthony in late 1680's. I would like to join.
by
Thanks for joining, Louise.
We share an ancestor--Anthony Yerkes, my 8g-grandfather.
+9 votes
My ancestor arrived before Penn, so yes, I would like to join.
by Kelly O'Leary G2G2 (2.1k points)
Kelly, welcome to the program, looking forward to your contributions.
Kelly and Louise, that's interesting about your Yerkes surname. Let me know if you need help connecting Anthony Yerkes to your trees.
+9 votes
i'd like to join.  I have several families that came with William Penn, i.e. Moon, Ratcliff, Beal, Clayton and more.
by
Susan, I can't seem to find your profile to put your badge on. Can you contact me?
Oh I'm Susan Lynette Bolander  (married name Ross)
+10 votes
I would like to join if I may. My husbands 8x great aunt was William Penn’s wife.

Patt Hucks
by Patti Waitz G2G Crew (480 points)
Hi Patti!  Welcome!
+10 votes
I would like to join the the Penn project. My ancestors are William Clayton, the first acting Governor of Pennsylvania appointed by William Penn, Bowater and Beal’s family.
by Joyce Artz G2G Crew (820 points)
Hi Joyce, welcome to the project!  Looking forward to your contributions.

Regarding William Clayton, we have been actively researching him here at Wikitree and we have learned that he was not the Governor, nor "acting" Governor of Pennsylvania.  He was on the Provincial Council and was chairman (president) of the council for a brief time.

His Wikitree profile has been updated with much of this information:

https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Claiton-7

You can also track much of the progress of the research of his profile here:

https://www.wikitree.com/g2g/628663/william-clayton-pennsylvania-provincial-council-ancestry
+9 votes
I see I posted a comment above, when I should have posted in answers.  I too would like to join, my ancestors Nicholas Newlin, Nathanial Newlin were on Penn's Provincial Council.  I have lots of Quakers in the family who were in Penn's colony.
by Vicki Kennedy G2G5 (5.3k points)
Welcome!
Vicki, thanks for joining! Many Newlins here, I think.
Thanks, Maggie! Glad to be able to join.
Thank you!!
+10 votes

I can offer up this: Jones family. Merion, PA. Morning Star

by Michael Barnard G2G Crew (500 points)

This image is privacy protected. Only the thumbnail is open.

You'll need to change the privacy level to open for the photo.

Updated.
Are Calwaladers Quakers too?
Can't answer that definitively, but an assumption that being the brother of John (who was a quaker) would make it possible that the Cadwallader's were as well.

The top of the tree and down (John ap Thomas) were quakers. John died prior to boarding Morning Star. Katherine and family made it over on Morning Star.

John was of Llarthgwm Township in Pennllgn Merionshire, Wales

The (B) references Boat/Morning Star

(M) means there's a marriage certificate in the folder

(H) means they were revolutionary militia members

One line below the photo is Simeon. He is buried at Merion Meeting House.

Leedom House was built by Gerrad.

Clicking on the photo should open up the whole photo and not just the thumbnail. A lot is hidden with the thumbnail.

This is part of a file of documents my grandfather assembled of his extended family in 1997. We have never been able to go beyond John ap Thomas.
You are lucky your Grandfather got a good start on that research, Michael.
+9 votes
I would like to join. My ancestors were the Cassills, Op Den Graefs and Van Bebbers who came in the 1600's. They were also contemporaries of Penn's in the Old Country.
by Lori Smith G2G6 (7.8k points)
Hi Lori, welcome to the project!
+9 votes
I'm embarrassed to say that I joined this project in 2016 and never quite knew what to do to help. William Rittenhouse (1644-1708) is my 9th great-grandfather. Hendrick Pannebecker was married to my 9th great aunt, Eve Umstat. The Thomases of Hilltown, Bucks County, are among my Welsh ancestors. No one came over with Penn, as far as I can tell, but they were all in Southeastern Pennsylvania. Please let me know if I can be any use to the project.
by Linda Steiner G2G5 (5.8k points)
Hi Linda, it seems like some interest in the project is building.  I will probably add a section to the project page or build a free space page for volunteer coordination and work that needs to be accomplished.  I will post links to it on all the threads when it is set up.
+9 votes
My Bailey family were early Pennsylvia Dutch before they moved onto Iowa. I would like to join please and leave more about these early settlers.

Thank you
by Melona Gallagher G2G6 (6.5k points)
Thanks for joining, Melona!
+9 votes
I would like to join.  My paternal seventh great grandfather was William Rodney II who was the first Speaker of the Pennsylvania House and close friend of William Penn.
by Daniel Payton G2G Crew (470 points)
Daniel, did you build you tree here yet? I think we can connect you to his profile that's already on here.
You need to finish your membership at WikiTree! Let the greeter know you want to be a member, Daniel.
No, I built my tree with Family Treemaker and Ancestry.com aong with a lot of individual research.
+9 votes
I'm descended from Andrew Job, who worked with Penn setting up the Nottingham settlement in southern Maryland.  Count me in.
by Marcie Ruiz G2G6 Mach 5 (59.5k points)
Thanks for joining, Marcie. One thing that's amazing about studying Penn genealogy is how it expanded to other states, like the Nottingham settlement!
+9 votes
Would like to join ,have many relative German immigrants that stayed in Penn before settling  else whwere and Wm Penn helped get settlers to the Virginia settlements where I am from.
by Lesli Wall G2G1 (1.6k points)
Lesli, you are good to go!
+10 votes
I would be interested in joining.  I have Mendenalls and Piersons in both maternal and paternal sides of my family.  Also Coate and Coppock, Hall, North plus more.  These lines were ones that settled in the Miami County Ohio area.   Thomas Pierson was a surveyor of Wm Penn's and his portrait is depicted in the painting of Penn and Indians signing the treaty.
by Barbara Herbst G2G Crew (500 points)
Barbara, as soon as you finish your Wikitree membership, I would love to have you join us. Put PENN down as one of your "tags" and let the greeter know you want to be a member.

Related questions

+5 votes
2 answers
+12 votes
3 answers
+14 votes
2 answers
+14 votes
3 answers
3.8k views asked Apr 28, 2013 in Policy and Style by Liz Shifflett G2G6 Pilot (626k points)
+9 votes
1 answer

WikiTree  ~  About  ~  Help Help  ~  Search Person Search  ~  Surname:

disclaimer - terms - copyright

...