Joseph Sharp (1682 - 1746)

Born 2 May 1682 in Dublin, Ireland

Ancestors

Husband of Mary (Pyle) Sharp — married 4 Sep 1713 in Concord Pa

Descendants

Died 1746 at about age 63 in London Grove Township, Chester, Pennsylvania

Biography

Joseph was a Friend (Quaker)

Joseph Sharp was born in Dublin, Ireland, in 1682, one of the only surviving sons of Anthony Sharp, a prominent Quaker wool trader and minister.^[1] He was a rebellious youth; in 1701 the minutes of the Dublin Meeting record his 'scandalous behaviour and great disobedience to his parents'.^[2]

In 1711, Irish Quaker families arrived from Province of Leinster, and the Province of Ulster; presenting their certificates of removal to "Newark Monthly Meeting"; and settling in that part of the Manor, calling it New Garden, after their New Garden Monthly Meeting in County Carlow, Ireland.^[3]

Joseph Sharp of Newark or Kennett MM, tanner, came from Ireland about 1711; no removal certificate has been located. He eventually settled in London Grove twsp., Chester Co., Pennsylvania; ^[4]By deed of March 25, 1714, he purchased 2 tracts of land, each containing 200 acres in New Garden.^[5]

In about 1712, the friends of New Garden, requested their own meetings outside of the recently attended Kennet MM; which was eventually approved, and land deeded, in which the New Garden Monthly Meeting, formed from the Newark Monthly Meeting, in 1718, included the meetings of New Garden, Nottingham, London Grove, and was first convened the 5th month, 12, 1718.^[6]

Joseph married the 9th month, 4, 1713, Mary Pyle, daughter of Nicholas and Abigail Pyle at the Concord Meeting, in Chester County, Pa., in 1713^[7]

Children: Ten children were born to Joseph and Mary Sharp; only 4 survived into adulthood^[8]

1. Abigail (1); b. 5 mth, 26, 1714; d. 9 mth, 27, 1726 (12 yrs old)
2. Elizabeth (1); b. 5 mth, 25, 1717; d. 10 mth, 1719 (2 yrs old)
3. Mary (1); b. 7 mth, 17, 1710; d. d. 10 mth, 1719 (9 yrs old)
4. Elizabeth (2); b. 12 mth, 19, 1720; married Jeremiah Douglass {Ch: Joseph, Mary, Elizabeth)
5. Sarah; b. 6 mth, 5, 1723; died 10 nth, 22, 1723 (infant)
6. Joseph; b. 8 mth, 19, 1724; married Deborah Miller; moved to South Carolina
7. George; b. 9 mth, 4, 1726; died young
8. Abigail (2); b. 2 mth, 1729; m. (1) William Sharpless; (2) Moses Palmer
9. Mary (2); b. 6 mth, 21, 1731; died 6 mth 30, 1731 (Infant)
10. Samuel; b. 8 mth, 30, 1734; d. about 1819; m. Mary widow of Isaac Starr; daughter of Richard and Abigail (Harlan) Flower

In 1714, Joseph Sharp is named as an Irish Quaker friend, recently settled from Ireland, most likely Dublin; who along with other Irish families, acquired lands in the "Manor of Stenning", later called "New Garden township", of 800 acres divided between himself and John Sharp, most likely a brother; with 200 acres on White Clay Creek^[9]

1715; Myers states that of the 22-persons taxed in New Garden, in 1715, fifteen were Irish Friends; Joseph and John Sharp names were in those counted.^[10]

1723; Joseph Sharp, a tanner by trade, was appointed as one of the overseers of the poor in the newly organized township of London Grove. Joseph's son Samuel Sharp, a resident in London Grove, served as a member of the Continental Congress^[11]

1724; Joseph Sharp was a taxable in London Grove; and in 5 month, 11, 1724; Joseph along with other friends is appointed to resolve issue concerning birth-year of a member^[12]

Joseph died in 1746, London Grove twp., Chester Co., Pa^[4] His will was dated 4th month (June) 21, 1746; he bequeathes the following:

To his daughter Abigail Sharp, the tenant right of 350 acres of the London Company's land, in Sadsbury township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, and money at age 18

To son Samuel, the homestead , 300 acres, partly in New Garden township; his Uncle Sam to have care of him until age 21

Sources

1. ↑ Ireland, Society Of Friends (Quaker) Family Lists, image, FindMyPast (https://search.findmypast.ie/record/browse?id=ire%2fquaker%2fmm11m-11%2f0022 : accessed 02 May 2020), birth of Joseph Sharp in Dublin on 2d 3mo (May) 1682, father: Anthony, mother: Anne; citing Dublin MM Family lists 1655-1699, Religious Society Of Friends In Ireland Archives.
2. ↑ Ireland, Society Of Friends (Quaker) Congregational Records, image, FindMyPast (https://search.findmypast.ie/record?id=IRE%2FQUAKER%2FMM11A-3%2F0270&parentid=IRE%2FQUAKER%2FCONG%2F216426 : accessed 02 May 2020), minutes of Dublin Men's Meeting of 15d 2mo (Apr) 1701; citing Dublin Men’s Meeting Minutes 1691-1701, Archive reference MM II A3, Religious Society Of Friends In Ireland Archives.
3. ↑ Immigration of the Irish Quakers into Pennsylvania 1682-1750; retrieved from https://archive.org/details/immigrationofiri00myer/page/130
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1} Pg 182; (Cope) Genealogy of the Sharpless family; retrieved from: https://archive.org/details/genealogyofsharp00cope/page/182
5. ↑ Myers; pg 334; retrieved from https://archive.org/details/immigrationofiri00myer/page/334
6. ↑ Myers; pgs 138-139; https://archive.org/details/immigrationofiri00myer/page/138
7. ↑ Pg 15; Third Generation; Palmer Division; genealogical record of the descendants of John and Mary Palmer of Concord, Chester (now Delaware) Co., Pa; retrieved from: https://archive.org/details/genealogicalreco00byupalm/page/n51
8. ↑ Myers pg 334; retrieved from https://archive.org/details/immigrationofiri00myer/page/334
9. ↑ Myers Pgs 133-134; https://archive.org/details/immigrationofiri00myer/page/133
10. ↑ Myers; pg 136; retrieved from https://archive.org/details/immigrationofiri00myer/page/136
11. ↑ Myers pg 142; retrieved from https://archive.org/details/immigrationofiri00myer/page/142
12. ↑ Myers; pg 229 https://archive.org/details/immigrationofiri00myer/page/229

See also:

• Myers M.L., Albert Cook (1902) .Immigration of the Irish Quakers into Pennsylvania 1682-1750 with their early history in Ireland. {https://archive.org/details/immigrationofiri00myer/page/n7}

• Cope, Gilbert, etal (1887) "Genealogy of the Sharpless family, descended from John and Jane Sharples, settlers near Chester, Pennsylvania, 1682, together with some account of the English ancestry of the family, including the researches by Henry Fishwick, P.H.S., and the late Joseph Lemuel Chester;and a full report of the bi-centennial reunion of 1882"

• Palmer, Lewis (1910) "A genealogical record of the descendants of John and Mary Palmer of Concord, Chester (now Delaware) Co., Pa. : in two divisions, Palmer-Trimble. Palmer division, embracing also, largely, the surnames: Almond, Arment, Baker ... and others; Publisher: Chester : Press of Chester Times