Historical Collections Relating to Gwynedd

By Howard M. Jenkins

Second Edition

1897

Chapter 7. Number of the First Settlers: Growth of Population

From the first the Gwynedd settlement had a certain distinction. It was talked of and written about. Contemporary accounts mention it, and these mentionings are conspicuous in the meagre annals which have been handed down to us. In 1705, Samuel Carpenter, of Philadelphia, offering for sale, in a letter to Jonathan Dickinson, a large tract of land in Bucks county, near the line, describes it as being "about four miles from North Wales."

The reason for this, obviously, was the fact that the settlement was strong from the beginning. The arrival of the settlers in a body, their purchase and immediate occupancy of a whole township, made up a notable proceeding. The adjoining townships filled up slowly; families came by ones and twos; their growth was almost unperceived; but the Welsh company, composed of a dozen families or more, and moving with a concerted and harmonious step, commanded attention.

To estimate with confidence the number who arrived in the first immigration, and who, as the snow fell in November 1698, were at home in the township, is impossible. Yet I think it cannot have been far from one hundred persons, of all ages. In several families we know very exactly the number of sons and daughters born before 1698, and who therefore must have come with their parents in the immigration. Thus --

Edward Foulke expressly speaks of his wife and nine children as being on the Robert and Elizabeth and arriving safely

Thomas Evans' family included his wife and at least eight sons and daughters, who all appear to have been born in Wales

To Robert Evans are assigned, besides his wife, seven sons and daughters, all probably born in Wales.

Cadwallader Evans and his wife had one son and one daughter, both born in Wales.

To Owen Evans and his wife are assigned six children, born in Wales. (Two others, making up the eight named in our Genealogy of the family, were born in Gwynedd).

William John's will (1712) names his wife and six children, and all of the six were probably born in Wales.

John Humphrey's will (1736) names one son, and three daughters, all of them married, and some of them having children (to whom he leaves legacies). The comparison of dates, etc., inclines me to believe that all his children were born before 1698, and therefore were among the immigrants.

John Hugh's family was small; his son Ellis who was married in 1713, must have been born before 1698, and his daughter Gainor, married in 1723, may have been, --there is some reason for thinking that she was.

Hugh Griffith's son Evan was married in 1705; his son Griffith (called Griffith Hugh) was married in 1718. The former certainly, the latter probably, may be counted as among the immigrants.

As to the other families I do not attempt anything. The Pughs (ap Hughs) included several men, but the time of their arrival may not have been before 1699. Robert John was married in 1706, and probably had no family when he came into the township. Of Evan Robert's and Ellis David's families I have no data to present.

Summing up, however, what has been stated above, we have these figures:

Edward Foulke's family

11 persons

Thomas Evans' family

10 persons

Robert Evans' family

9 persons

Cadwallader Evans' family

4 persons

Owen Evans' family

8 persons

William John's family

8 persons

John Humphrey's family

6 persons

John Hugh's family

5 persons

Hugh Griffith's family

5 persons

 

__

Total

66

To this, if we add thirty-four to cover all the others, including the servants, --of whom I have no account, -- ample allowance will no doubt be made. The number who came into Gwynedd the first year was probably under rather than over one hundred.

A petition presented to the Court of Quarter Sessions, in Philadelphia, in June 1704 (asking for a road via Whitemarsh), and headed, "Petition of the Inhabitant of North Wales, in Philadelphia County," recites that "there are in said township above thirty families already settled." (I am inclined to think that those over the line, in what is now Montgomery, were included. I doubt whether Montgomery was then organized.)

In 1741, Gwynedd contained 93 taxables, and Montgomery township 54. Gwynedd was then one of the largest in taxable population in Philadelphia county; it was exceeded only by six others in what is now Montgomery county, as follows: Salford, 174, Providence, 146, Moreland 125, Manatawny, 111, Lower Merion 101, Upper Hanover, 97. Salford, it must be noted, then included both the present townships of that name, -- Upper and Lower; and Providence included Upper and Lower Providence. In the same year (1741, as above), all the townships adjoining and near to Gwynedd had a less number of taxables. Their numbers were as follows: Horsham, 80; Perkiomen and Skippack, 73; Plymouth, 46; Towamencin, 55; Whitpain, 56;, Worcester, 70; Upper Dublin, 77; Whitemarsh, 89.

In the table below I give figures from the censuses since 1800, as far as I have been able conveniently to obtain them. Of the census of 1830, I am able to give, however, some special details. Under 5 years there were 228; between 60 and 70 years, 52; between 70 and 80 years, 30; between 80 and 90 years, 10; between 90 and 100 years, 1. Montgomery township had 911 population, 472 male, 439 female; 4 of the total colored. In the two townships collectively there were 7 aliens, not naturalized, none blind, none deaf and dumb.

Population of Gwynedd by several Censuses

Year

Total

Male

Female

White

Colored

Native

Foreign

1800

906

470

427

897

9

   

1810

1078

           

1820

1221

648

573

       

1830

1401

701

701

1397

5

   

1840

             

1850

1571

807

764

1561

10

   

1860

1976

1018

958

1965

11

   

1870

2501

   

2477

24

2349

152

1880

3412

           

[Notes: In the figures for 1800, the numbers by sex are of whites only; the 9 colored persons must be counted in to make up the total 906.

The figures for 1870 include North Wales borough, 407 (native, 385; foreign, 22).

The figures for 1880 include North Wales borough, 673; and 500 of the population of the borough of Lansdale, --an estimate of that portion of borough's total (798), which was on the Gwynedd side of the township line.

The census for 1790, the first taken by the United States, cannot be given, as an examination of the original records in the Census Office, at Washington (kindly made for me by Mr. Chas. H. Ingram, of the Internal Revenue Bureau), shows that the return of Gwynedd township was not made separately.

Figures for 1810 and 1840 are left blank, because the Census Office has no copy of the printed complete returns for either year; and it seemed unnecessary to search out and tabulate the original returns.

Details of the native and foreign born were not ascertained in the censuses prior to 1850; and were not published until 1870.]

 

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