Historical Collections Relating to Gwynedd

By Howard M. Jenkins

Second Edition

1897

Chapter 8. The First Settler's Homes; Personal Details

Deeds were made to the other settlers by William John and Thomas Evan, within a few months after the settlement, when it had been decided how much land each should take. The plots were marked off, however, upon the supposition that the township contained the area assigned to it in the purchase from Robert Turner, 7,820 acres, whereas its actual area was about 50 percent greater. Thus William John was presumed to have 1,900 acres in his large tract, but really had 2,866; Evan ap Hugh's title was for 700, whereas his plot contained 1,068. Cadwallader Evan had title for 500, and received 609. Edward Foulke for 400, and received 720; John Humphrey for 450, and received 574; and so on throughout the list. (The patent of Thomas Evan, cited in the preceding chapter, shows that his purchase was 700 acres, and that his tract contained 1,049 acres).

[Note 1. Ten of these deeds are dated 4th mo. (June) 5, 1699, and the others also appear to have been executed; except William John's conveyance to Thomas Evan, and the latter's conveyance to the former, which are dated 6th mo. (August) 30, of that year. These deeds show that the township was actually divided up among the settlers. William John and Thomas Evan paid Robert Turner "508 pounds, current money of Pennsylvania, " for it; and in the distribution each colonist was charged at this rate, --6 pound 10 shillings for each one hundred acres. Thus, the conveyances from John and Evan were as follows:

Robert Jones, 500 acres, 32 pounds, 10 shillings

Cadwallader ap Evan, 500 acres, 32 L, 10 s

Robert ap Evan, 500 acres, 32 L, 10 s

John Hugh, 500 acres, 32 L, 10 s

Thomas Evan, 700 acres, 45 L, 10 s

William John, 2150 acres, 139 L, 15 s

Owen ap Evan, 400 acres, 26 L, 0 s

Edward Ffoulk, 400 acres, 26 L, 0 s

John Humphrey, 400 acres, 26 L, 0 s

H. & E. Griffith, 300 acres, 19 L, 10 s

Hugh David, 220 acres, 14 L, 6 s

Evan Hugh, 100 acres, 6 L, 10 s

Total, 6670 acres, 433 L, 11 s

The list is not quite complete; the other conveyances (which I did not readily find on the records) will make up the 7,820 acres, and 508 pounds. (John Humphrey, above, is assigned 400 acres; the patent gives him, of first right, 450; also Wm. John's two tracts, above make 2,150 acres; but in the two patents he is allowed 1,900 and 150, making 2,050. Perhaps the Evan Robert tract, 100 acres, is included in the 2,150 above.)]

These facts were developed by re-survey, made in pursuance of a general law, passed by the Pennsylvania Assembly about 1701. There had been a re-survey of all recently patented lands. Penn, in leaving the colony for England, in November, 1701, had particularly urged the matter on the attention of James Logan. To perform the work in Gwynedd, David Powell, the Welsh surveyor, who had run the lines in Merion, when that township was taken up, and who had since been an assistant to the Surveyor-General of the province, was assigned. He came over from Merion, and was engaged in Gwynedd at different times in the year 1702. (The patent to Thomas Evans shows that a general warrant for the re-surveys was issued by Penn's Commissioners of Property, on September 29th, 1701, and the date of the patent is March 8th, 1702. Between these dates, of course, David ran the lines. Other records show that the order for the survey of William John's tract was made 7th mo. 29th, 1702, and that he made his return to the "General Surveyor's Office," 10th mo. 2d, ensuing; in John Humphrey's tract he made return of re-survey, 10th mo. 25th, 1702.)

The re-surveys being completed, the Commissioners issued patents to the holders of the several tracts in the township. These patents confirmed the title acquired through Turner, and they also conveyed the overplus land in excess of the amount to which he had a right. The plan of doing this was not illiberal. Each settler was confirmed not only the amount he had bought, but ten per cent additional, and for the remaining acres a moderate price was charged. Thomas Evans' patent shows that after confirming his 700 acres, he was allowed 70 more, and for the remaining 279 was to pay 61 pounds, 8 shillings, 3 farthings.

A statement of the amounts in the several tracts, as shown by the re-surveys, may be made as follows:

 

First Purchase

Area patented

Thomas Evan

700

1049

William John

1900

2866

Evan ap Hugh

700

1068

Robert John

500

720

Robert ap Hugh

200

232

Robert Evan

500

1034

Cadwallader Evan

500

609

Owen Evan

400

538

Edward Foulke

400

712

Evan ap Hugh (lower tract)

100

110

John Humphrey

450

574

William John (lower tract)

150

322

Robert Evan (lower tract)

200

250

Hugh and Evan Griffith

300

376

Ellis David

220

231

Evan Robert

100

110

John Hugh

500

648

Total

7820

11,449

The location of the several tracts is shown by the skeleton map of the township given herewith. William John's large tract occupied the upper end, and extended downward to a point below Kneedler's tavern. The road leaving the turnpike at the toll-gate and running south-westward by West Point station, must have been very nearly his lower line.

The lower line of Thomas Evan's tract was very nearly, or exactly, the present Swedes' Ford road. The lower line of Edward Foulke's tract was along the present road from Spring House to Penllyn, and the eastern corner of his property was almost precisely at the former place. John Humphrey's tract joined him, therfore, at or close by the Spring-House, and John's north corner, on the township line (Welsh road), must have been on the top of the hill, above John Stong's old smithshop, just about the point where is the corner-stone of Gwynedd, Horsham, and Montgomery townships. From this point extended south-westward across the township the lower line of Owen Evans, and it must have crossed the turnpike near the bridge over the Treweryn. Robert Evan's main tract, bounded on the upper side by the Swede's Ford road, must have extended, down the turnpike, to about where the road to Gwynedd station now crosses, just above Ellen H. Evans's. Robert's line adjoining his brother Cadwallader's land passed a short distance north-east of the meeting-house. Going up the turnpike, from the Swedes' Ford road crossing, Thomas Evan's tract must have extended nearly to the top of the hill, about where the old St. Peter's burying-ground now is; and Robert John, adjoining above, took in most of the site of North Wales borough. Above him, and extending to William John's line, near Kneedler's, was Evan ap Hugh's tract.

Where the settlers lived is in part definitely known, and in part surmised. The residences of the four Evans brothers fall in the former category. There is preserved by their descendants a genealogical sketch of the family, several copies of which have come to my notice during my searches for the facts contained in this volume. This genealogical sketch , it is stated on one of the copies was compiled from materials furnished in October, 1797 by John Evans, Sen. (son of John; grandson of Cadwallader), and his sister Elizabeth. John was then 67 years old, and his sister 71. The data were taken down by Cadwallader Evans, of Philadelphia (son of Rowland), and a memorandum on the copy now in the possession of Jonathan Evans, of Germantown, says that "some additions" [have been] mad since by Charles Evans, but no alterations.

On this old document, the statement is made of the residences of the four brothers. It is as follows: --

"Thomas Evans lived where __ Heist now keeps tavern by the run, half a mile above the meeting-house.

"Robert Evans lived where George Roberts now lives, half of mile west of George Maris's late residence.

"Owen Evans lived where his grandson Thomas Evans now lives, by the Great Road, one mile below the meeting-house."

"Cadwallader lived where his grandson John Evans lately lived and died, and where his son Cadwallader now lives, near the meeting-house."

The localities here mentioned are all easily identified. Thomas' house, where Heist kept tavern ninety years ago, is on the turnpike just above Evans' Run, -- the house occupied within my recollection by George Wagner, John Preston, Silas H. Land, William Rowland, and others, and now owned by James D. Cardell. Robert's house was that now owned by Silas White, lately William J. Linnard's place, and long before his ownership belonging to George Roberts. (The present house, though antiquated enough, I do not suppose was Robert Evan's, or any part of it; more likely it was built by Amos Roberts. Ed. note 2009, an article written in 1927 by an architect disagrees with Howard Jenkins here. In 1927, the house was restored to its eighteenth century condition and many features like a steeply pitched roof and an 11 foot wide hearth were found to be like those in Wales and probably dated to Robert Evans the emigrant. A picture of the house taken in 1927 is HERE.) Owen Evan's place was that now occupied by Ellen H. Evans; his house probably stood between her present house and the turnpike, where there used to be marks of an old well and of a building.

(It may be remarked here, that the Ellen H. Evans farm has come down to herself and children directly through the inheritance of her husband, Cadwallader, from his ancestor Owen, and has never been out of the family. I know of no other such instance in the township. No single acre of land in Gwynedd, I believe, except this, is now owned by any direct descendant of an original settler, with a family title directly down.)

Cadwallader's house, of course, was that which he and his descendants held for over a hundred years, which then passed (after a shore ownership by Charles Willing Hare) into the possession of Evan Jones, and now belong (1896) to the Hollingsworth estate. The mansion house --not the other and smaller dwelling --stands on the site where Cadwallader lived.

It was at Thomas Evan's house, according to the tradition preserved by his son Hugh, that William Penn stayed overnight when he visited Gwynedd. The story of this visit was first printed by Watson, in his "Annals", and he had it from Susan Nancarro, the granddaughter of Hugh Evans. His account is thus: "Mrs. Nancarro had often seen and conversed with her grandfather, Hugh Evans, who lived to be ninety years of age. When he was a boy of twelve he remembered that William Penn, with his daughter Letitia, and a servant (in the year 1699 or 1700), came on horseback to visit his father, Thomas Evans. Their house was then superior in that it was of barked logs, a refinement surpassing the common rank. The same place is now E. Jones's, near the Gwynedd meeting-house. At that house William Penn mounted steps on the outside to go to his chamber; and the boy of twelve, being anxious to see all he could of so distinguished a man, went up afterwards to peep through the apertures at him; and there he well remembered to have seen him on his knees praying and giving thanks to God for such peaceful and excellent shelter in the wilderness. **** I heard Mrs. D.L. say that she had also heard the same fact from Hugh Evans."

"There was at this time a great preparation among the Indians near there for some public festival. Letitia Penn, then a lively young girl, greatly desired to be present, but her father would not give his consent, though she entreated much. The same informant says she ran out chagrined, and seeming to wish for something to dissipate her regret, snatched up a flail near some grain, at which she began to labour playfully, when she inadvertently brought the unwieldy instrument severely about her head and shoulders; and thus was quickly constrained to retreat into the house, with quite a new concern upon her mind. This fact made a lasting impression upon the memory of the lad aforesaid, who then was a witness."

The time of this visit Watson fixes as above, in 1699 or 1700. That it was in 1699 is possible, but very improbable, for it was until the 1st of December, the former year, that Penn reached this country (on his second visit), and came ashore at Chester. The excursion to Gwynedd doubtless occurred in 1700 or 1701.

The allusion to the material of which Thomas Evans's house was built, --barked logs, --and the statement that this was superior to the houses of the other settlers, give us sufficient light on the subject of their general character, fixing them as log cabins, with the bark unremoved. Such, no doubt, the first dwellings of the township were.

Besides the four Evans dwellings, we can fix with certainty the home of Edward Foulke. The house at Penllyn station, for many years Jesse Spencer's lately the property of D.C. Wharton, and now occupied by members of his family, is on the site of Edward's house. Thomas Foulke, his eldest son, settled, when he married, in 1706, on a part of his father's lands, and the house which was long occupied by William Foulke, his great-great-grandson, afterwards sold to D.C. Wharton, and lately part of his estate, was Thomas' residence. Joseph Foulke's book says: "A stone milk-house is yet standing (1846), in good repair, dated

F

T G

1728

(i.e. Thomas and Gwyn Foulke, 1728).

John Humphrey's house, one of the two places at which the Friends held their meetings, was near the Spring-House, at the place known in recent time as Reuben Yocum's, up the Bethlehem turnpike, north of the hotel, --such, at least, is the well-preserved tradition. John was a somewhat notable person. A brief memorial of him, by Gwynedd monthly meeting, is preserved in the John Smith manuscript collection as follows: "John Humphrey arrived here from Wales in the year 1698, was one of the first settlers of Gwynedd, and an elder several years. He departed this life 13th of 9th month, 1738, and was buried at Gwynedd, aged 70 years."

His will is on record in Philadelphia. It is dated 7th mo. 3, 1736, and was proved December (10th mo.) 2d, 1738. He appoints as "overseers" of the will "my cousin John Jones, and my friends John Jones, carpenter, and John Evans." The witnesses are Rowland Roberts, who signs his name with his mark, "R. R."; Thomas Evans (Owen's son, no doubt), who signs with a mark "T. E.", joined in a monogram; and Isaac Cook, who makes his initials only "i. c.". John Humphrey himself signs with his mark, "I. H." in rude letters. The contents of the will are of some interest. He leaves 30 pounds to his sister Elizabeth Thomas, 5 pounds to the children of Evan Griffith, 5 to his son-in-law Cadwallader Jones, 5 to his son-in-law Hugh Jones, 5 to his niece Catherine Lloyd. To Gwynedd preparative meeting he leaves 50 pounds, the interest to be applied to the relief of its poor and indigent members, but he expresses the hope that if any of his relations, members of the Society, though not of this meeting, should be in want, their claims will be considered. To his grandson John Jones he leaves 30 pounds, and his riding horse, --to receive them when he is 15 years old. To his grandson Humphrey Jones he leaves 30 pounds, and to his granddaughter Jane Jones 25 pounds and a case of drawers, which she is to receive at the age of 18. To his granddaughter Sibill Jones he leaves 27 pounds, with a brass kettle, which she is to have at 15, and to his granddaughters Elizabeth and Gainor Jones 30 pounds apiece. But as to these legacies to his grandchildren, he particularly say that they are to receive nothing unless "by their good conduct they recommend themselves worthy and deserving." He gives a legacy to his daughter-in-law Katharine Jones, and to his son Humphrey Jones all his remaining estate, real and personal, appointing him executor.

The number of these legacies and their amounts indicate that John Humphrey was comparatively rich. Upon this point, however, we get more light from the inventory filed with his will. This exhibits him as an extensive money lender. He must have been the banker of the neighboring country. The total of the inventory (personal estate only) is 1,027 pounds 9 shillings, of which but 80 pounds 18 shillings is for household or other goods, the remainder being made up by a mortgage of Robert Hugh, 60 pounds, and by "obligations", --which we may assume to mean bonds and notes, --numbering no less than eighty-two altogether. The list of debtors who had given these obligations is a long one, and includes many of the second generation of the Gwynedd people, with others in Montgomery and elsewhere. Five of the notes are by Rowland Roberts, four by William Mellchor, three by John Clayton, two by William Williams, two by Hugh Foulke, two by Barnard Young, the others generally one each by different persons.

That his interest in money-lending had been regarded as somewhat absorbing may be inferred by the very guarded memorial of the monthly meeting; but Joseph Foulke, in his Journal, records a statement as coming from his mother, Ann Foulke (born Roberts), which is still more distinct. She describes him as having been, at one time, a very exemplary Friend, meek and humble, enduring suffering and persecution, etc. and then she adds: "But when he became settled at Gwynedd, and was well rewarded for his industry and economy, he became rich, his bonds and mortgages increased, and as they did so the fine gold became dim, and his usefulness in the church declined apace." A Friend from Richland attended the monthly meeting at Gwynedd, and in the afternoon rode to his home, twenty miles distant, under great exercise of mind concerning John Humphrey. He passed a restless night at home, and rode back to John Evans' (the son of Cadwallader), in the morning. Arriving there, he would not eat or drink until he had delivered his message, so, taking John Evans with him, they went to John Humphrey and told him "he had better burn all his bonds and mortgages than preserve them; that it would be much better for himself and his posterity, and this was the word of the Lord to him." The Friend then returned with John Evans, ate and drank, and rode home to Richland with a peaceful mind!

It will be observed that John Humphrey's son is called Humphrey Jones. This was following the ordinary Welsh usage of the time, keeping no family name, but changing it with each generation, by adopting as the surname the first name of the parent. This custom existed among the Welsh immigrants, at the time of their arrival, and it was followed by them after coming, in a number of cases, though generally the English usage of preserving a family name was adopted. The five brothers Roberts (whose genealogy is elsewhere given in this volume). Were the sons of Robert Cadwallader. John Griffith, of Merion (who married Edward Foulke's daughter Jane), and his brother, Evan Griffith, were the sons of Griffith John. The children of Evan Pugh of Gwynedd appear to have generally taken the name of Evan, and not Pugh; at any rate, the meeting records show the marriages of Jane Evan, daughter of Evan Pugh, in 1709; Hugh Evan, son of Evan Pugh (to Mary Robert, daughter of Robert John), in 1716; Catherine Evan, daughter of Evan Pugh, in 1717; and Cadwallader Evan, son of Evan Pugh, in 1722. The marriage lists show several other instances: Edward Jones and Evan Jones, who both married daughters of Thomas Evans, of Gwynedd, were sons of John Evan, of Radnor; Robert Hugh, son of Hugh Griffith, is recorded as marrying, in 1717; Griffith Hugh, son of Hugh Griffith, in 1718; and John Roger, son of Roger Roberts (of Merion), in 1717.

A curious instance of the effect of this change of surname is seen in the case of the four brothers Evans, of Gwynedd, and the Owens, of Merion, --descendants of Robert and Jane. The father of the Evans brothers, and the father of Robert Owen, were brothers, being the sons of Evan Robert Lewis, of Fron Goch, in Wales. They were named respectively Owen ap Evan, and Evan ap Evan, and the children of the former, having come to Pennsylvania were known thereafter as Owens, while those of the latter were known as Evanses.

Humphrey Jones, John Humphrey's son, married, in 1719, Catharine, the daughter of William John. Her father was then deceased, having died in 1712. It seems likely that he was a man advanced in years, and older than his wife, Jane, for she survived until about 1740. The place of his residence is not certain, but Mr. Mathews thinks, and this is likely, that he lived at the place owned for many years by George W. Danehower, and occupied in recent times by Frank Myers, on the West Point road, just south-west of the toll-gate by Kneedler's. The house is old, and there are plain date marks upon it of the year 1712. It stands within the southern limit, --though very close to the line, -- of William John's tract, and the probability is strong that it is William John's house; and though it will be noted that the year of its erection was the same year in which he died, yet as his will is dated in August, and proved in November, he may have been the man who built this house.

Dwelling for a moment on William John and his family, --as they will not come into any of the genealogies hereafter to be given, --he was the richest man in the township, if we may judge by the size of his tract, which was nearly three times as large as any other. I cannot trace what relation he was, if any, of Robert John, or to Griffith John, of Merion, but that they were related is indicated by the fact that in several instances they signed marriage certificates in a group, --a slight evidence of relationship, as it was the usage for relatives of the marrying parties to sign by families, in the order of their nearness of connection.

William John had several children, including at least five daughters and one son, as follows:

  1. Gwen, m. 1704, William Lewis, of Newtown Chester County; d. before 1717-1718, when her husband remarried.
  2. Margaret, m. 1st, 1705, Robert Ellis, of Merion; and 2d, 1709, David Llewellyn, of Haverford, widower.
  3. Gainor, m. 1714, Abraham Musgrave, "son of Thomas, late of Halifax, Yorkshire, Great Britain, yeoman, deceased."
  4. Catharine, m., 1719, Humphrey Jones.
  5. Ellin.
  6. John, m. Margaret __.

All these children were living at the time of William John's death, and they or their husbands are all named in his will. The son John being appointed executor with the widow, Jane, may have been older than some of his sisters, --for instance, Gainor and Catharine, who were single then, and for some years after. To John was left 1400 acres of land, with the dwelling, plantation, etc., which the testator had made, life-right of one-half being reserved to the widow. To Gainor, Ellin, and Catharine was left the detached tract of 322 acres in the lower end of the township, adjoining Edward Foulke's at Penllyn.

Next below William John's tract was that of Evan ap Hugh. His life at Gwynedd was brief. In May, 1703, he received the confirmatory patent for his land from Penn's commissioners, and on nearly the same date made his will. His death occurred soon after. Of the 1068 acres which his tract proved to contain he had sold 454 (200 acres of it to Meredith David, and 150 to John Roberts), and by his will he divided the remaining 614 acres equally between his two sons, Hugh the elder and "heir at law", and David, the younger. The will provided, however, that Hugh should have the end of the tract containing "the house and settlement" which the father had made. This house must have been just above North Wales, and on the eastern side of the turnpike, but the tract of Hugh, on which it stood, lay chiefly on the other side of the present road, extending for some distance, while the 307 acres that David got adjoined, and reached over to the line of Worcester townships. Both the brothers, in a few years, sold their tracts: Hugh his, in 1718, to Cadwallader Foulke (Edward's son), for 180 pounds; and David his to Humphrey Bate, who had married their mother, Ann, the widow of Edward ap Hugh.

The Bates, Humphrey and his wife, left the township, probably about 1720, and we find them recorded as of Philadelphia county; and in 1723 they, with David and Hugh Pugh, joined in a deed for David's tract to William Lewis, of Newtown, Chester county. This William was, no doubt, the one who married William John's daughter Grace, as recorded above. She had, however, died before this purchase of 1723, and he had married, at Gwynedd meeting, in March, 1717-18, "Lowry Jones, widow", whom I take to be Lowry, daughter of Thomas Evans, who in 1711 had married Evan Jones, son of John Evan of Radnor.

Of Robert John, who owned the tract next below Evan ap Hugh, we know considerable from the records. He was one of the richest of the first settlers, as is indicated by the character and extent of the inventory of his personal property at the time of his death, in 1732. My impression is that he had been in Merion, before 1698, and that he came from there to Gwynedd. He was, it appears by his will, a nephew of Thomas Evans, and of Cadwallader Evans, [and] my cousins Evan Evans, Owen Evans [the sons of Thomas], John Jones, carpenter, and John Evans" [son of Cadwallader], to be overseers of his will. The relationships disclosed in this lead to the conjecture that Robert John was the son of Evan John, of Merion, who was brother to Reese John, and that Evan John's wife was the sister of the four Evans brothers. In this way Robert would be first cousin to John Jones, carpenter (son of Reese John), and to the sons of Thomas and Cadwallader Evans.

We know, further, that Robert John, of Gwynedd, married, in 1706, Gainor Lloyd, of Merion, widow, and that, at his death, in 1732, he left two children, John and Ellin. The records of Gwynedd meeting show:

  1. John, b. 5th mo. 8th, 1707.
  2. Ellin, b. 4th mo. 19th, 1709.

In his will, Robert John (now calling himself Jones) appoints his widow and his son John executors. He gives John "the plantation I now live on," containing 300 acres, and also "all that part of the tract of land lately bought of Cadwallader Foulke, which lyeth the east side of the great road, containing by estimation about 185 acres" with its buildings and appurtenances. To Ellin he leaves the remainder of the Cadwallader Foulke tract, "being divided from the other part by the great road, containing 150 acres." He also gives Ellin "one case and drawers, and the table belonging to the same, both standing in the new house chamber."

Robert John, in the deed to him, by Cadwallader Foulke, is called "gentleman". He was a justice of the peace for many years, and was a member of the Provincial Assembly, --altogether a useful and excellent citizen.

Thomas Evan, whose house we have definitely located as on the site of the old Heist hotel (now Cadell's), had besides daughters, who will be fully mentioned in the Evans Genealogy, four sons:

  1. Robert, "of Merion", "eldest son and heir," d. 1754.
  2. Hugh, "of Merion", d. 1771, aged 92.
  3. Evan, of Gwynedd, preacher, b. 1684, d. 1747.
  4. Owen, of Gwynedd, d. 1757.

Among these four sons, Thomas Evan seems to have divided up the whole of his tract, during his lifetime, and not many years after the first settlement. They had something like equal shares, and their lands lay in this order: Evan on the Whitpain line, then Robert, then Owen, then Hugh, reaching to the Montgomery line. (But Robert and Hugh and their father were concerned at different times in conveyances of the lands they held, and I have not thoroughly sifted out these transactions.) The sale of 236 acres by the father to Evan took place in 1713; and in December, 1715, he made a deed for 306 acres to Owen. The latter's plot lay near the middle of the original great tract, the deed showing that it must have been on both sides of where the turnpike now is, and have included the Meredith farm (now Jonathan Lukens' estate), and part or all of that of the late Algernon S. Jenkins. On the south-western side was property of Robert Evan, and on the north-eastern that of Hugh Evan, corresponding to the statement made above.

Of these four brothers, Evan and Owen lived and died in Gwynedd. The former, a preacher, will be referred to more fully in a subsequent chapter. Owen lived on the Meredith place, and I think the old house there, still standing, was built by him. It was very old, Margaret Meredith says, when her father, Dr. Joseph Meredith, bought it in 1814. Owen Evans was an active Friend, and has a short memorial in the John Smith manuscript collection. He was a store-keeper by occupation, was a justice of the peace, and for many years a member of the Provincial Assembly; and was twice married, and died in 1757.

The other two sons, Robert and Hugh, appear to have lived mostly in Merion, where they both died. Both were men of considerable property. In deeds, 1705 and 1709, Robert is located "of Merion." Further details wil be given concerning him and his brother Hugh in the chapter on the Evans Genealogy. Concerning their father, however, it may be here stated that in 1722 he married, for his second wife, Hannah Davies, of Goshen, Chester county. She was then a widow for the second time. Her first husband was Reese John, of Merion (the Reese John William repeatedly mentioned in this volume; by him she was the mother of John Jones, carpenter, of Montgomery, and other children); her second husband, whom she married about 1702, and who died about 1720, was Ellis David, of Goshen; and for her third she took, in 1722, our Gwynedd chief of the clan Evans. He was then 71 years old, and she 66. After his marriage he removed to Goshen, and the Friends' records show the certificate of Gwynedd meeting, given for his removal, in which he is called "our antient friend Thomas Evans;" and while it speaks of him very highly, it adds that "many of us were more willing if he could find his way clear to have finished the remainder of his days where he was more conversant."

Thomas, however, lived out his span of life at Goshen. They made him an overseer of the meeting there, from 1735 to 1737; in 1738, the 12th of 10th month, he died, aged 87 years. His widow survived him until 9th month 29th, 1741, when she died aged 85. Her will is on record in Philadelphia, and she leaves bequests to her several children, and to various other persons.

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