The Founding Families of Chester County, Pennsylvania

During the first couple of years I got into Genealogy, I found 2 books- "First Families of Chester County, Pennsylvania- Vol. 1 & Vol.2," written by John Pitts Launey

(I purchased both on Amazon)

~Surnames listed in Volume 1:

• Allen
• Baldwin
• Bonsall
• Green
• Hibberd
• Maris
• Marshall
• Mendenhall

(Mendenhall is my mother's family name. In this book, there is HUGE typo that has since been recognized. The chapter pertaining to Moses Mendenhall (page 61) describes Moses as a widower who came to Philadelphia from England following his son John and accompanying his daughter Margery. This is completely incorrect. Moses was John and Margery's brother, not their father. You can read more about their immigration here.)

• Newlin
• Palmer
• Pyle
• Roman
• Sharpless
• Townsend
• Trimble
• Vernon

~Surnames listed in Volume 2:

• Ashbridge
• Bailey
• Bennett
• Cloud
• Garrett
• Gilpin
• Harvey
• Hollingsworth
• Hoopes
• Meredith
• Painter
• Pierce
• Way
• Woodward
• Yarnall

Many of the founding families married among each other- of course- but this kept on for generations!

~Founding families marrying Mendenhall's: 

 ~The Bonsall Family- 

Richard Bonsall, a widower, arrived from Derbyshire, England on 22 Dec 1682/3. He and his wife had 4 children: Obadiah, Rachel, Elizabeth, Ann.

Ann Bonsall (1676-1749) married Josiah Hibberd (d. 1744) in 1698. They had 11 children. Their eldest son John Hibberd (1699-1766) married Mary Mendenhall (1717-1760) on 30 Nov 1745. She is my 2nd cousin, 10x removed. John & Mary had 7 children: Deborah, Lydia, Mary, Jacob, Martha, Amos & Abraham.

~The Hibberd Family-

Josiah Hibberd (mentioned above) (d. 1744) arrived in Chester County in 1692. He began purchasing and clearing land in Darby to establish a plantation. He married Ann Bonsall (1676-1749). 

Josiah & Ann's 6th son was Benjamin Hibberd (1707-1785). He married Phoebe Sharpless (1701-1772) on 25 Feb 1732 in Chester County. Phoebe's mother Hannah Pennell (1673-1721) was first married to Benjamin Mendenhall (1662-1740), who was one of the Mendenhall Immigrants. 

Benjamin and Phoebe had 7 children: Josiah, Jane, Hannah, Joseph, Benjamin, Caleb, Phebe

Benjamin & Phoebe's son Joseph (1738-1820) married Jane James on 30 Apr 1767 and they had 9 children: Hannah, Aaron, Allen, Jane, Sarah, Joseph, Silas, Phebe, Benjamin.

Their son Aaron Hibberd (b. 1769) married Martha Mendenhall (b. 1772) on 07 Feb 1798. They didn't have any children that I know of.

Martha Mendenhall was the great-granddaughter of Mendenhall Immigrant John Mendenhall (1688-1765) (my 9th great-grandfather).

~The Maris Family-

George Maris (1632-1705) arrived from Inkberrow, England around 1682/3. On 06 Mar 1683, he presented his certificate to Darby Monthly Meeting (Quaker faith) in Chester County for himself, his wife and their six teen-age children. In England, George was a shoemaker, but upon his arrival, he purchased 1000 acres in Springfield Township granted by William Penn on 28 Nov 1683. The following year, he added 580 acres. On this land, he built a manor house called "The Home House". He served as a provincial council to William Penn. 

George & his wife Alice Wilsmith (1632-1699) had 6 children: Elizabeth, Alice, Ann, John, George and Richard.

George and Alice's daughter Elizabeth Maris (1665-1691) married John Mendenhall (1659-1743) (my 9th great-grandfather & Mendenhall immigrant) on 13 Jun 1685 in the Darby Meeting House. Elizabeth and John had 3 sons: Aaron, John and George.

~The Marshall Family-

John Marshall (1665-1729) arrived from Elton, England in Derbyshire on 23 Jun 1686 aboard the ship named Desire and settled on 110 acres. He married Sarah Smith (1664-1749) on 19 Oct 1688 at the Darby Meeting House. Sarah had arrived from Leicester, England with her brother Thomas Smith. John & Sarah Marshall had 3 sons: John, William and Thomas.

John & Sarah's 3rd son Thomas Marshall (1694-1740) married Hannah Mendenhall (1696-1768) on 24 Feb 1718 in Concord. She was the daughter of Benjamin Mendenhall (1662-1740) (a Mendenhall immigrant). Thomas and Hannah had 10 children: Moses, Thomas, John, Hannah, Martha, Sarah, Ann, Benjamin, Martha, Mary.

Thomas and Hannah's 2nd child was Thomas Marshall (1727-1759). He married Edith Newlin in 1752. They had no children that I know of. Edith Newlin was the great-granddaughter of Nathaniel Newlin (1665-1729) & Mary Mendenhall (1663-1728). Mary Mendenhall was a Mendenhall immigrant who came to America with her brothers.

~The Newlin Family-

Nicholas Newlin (1634-1699) and his family arrived in Chester County aboard the ship named Levee of Liverpool from Queen's County, Ireland in 1683. He settled in Concord Township, built a small house and mill and lived until his death in May 1699. He and his wife Elizabeth (1625-1717) had 4 children: Rachel, Elizabeth, Nathaniel, and John.

Nicholas and Elizabeth's 3 child Nathaniel Newlin (1665-1729) married Mary Mendenhall (1663-1728) on 17 Apr 1685 in Concord. (I mentioned them above- she was a Mendenhall Immigrant). Nathaniel and Mary started a mill in 1704 near Concordville and the mill actually was in business until 1941! They had 7 children: John, Nicholas, Nathaniel Jr., Keiza, Mary, Jimima, Elizabeth.

The Family Home
Still stands today!

Newlin Mill Complex, also known as the Newlin Grist Mill
built in 1704, operated commercially until 1941

The mill is located in Glen Mills, Pennsylvania near Concordville. 

Nathaniel & Mary's 3rd son was Nathaniel Newlin Jr. (1690-1768). He married Jane Woodward on 12 Dec 1710 at the Chester Meeting House. They had 9 children: Joseph, Mary, Martha, Jane, Elizabeth, Nathaniel III, Nicholas, Rachel and Nathan.

Nathaniel Newlin III (1735-1766) married Esther Metcalf on 15 Mar 1735 in the Sadsbury Meeting House. Esther and Nathaniel had 10 children: Jane, Thomas, Cyrus, Abigail, Esther, Tabitha, Nathaniel IV, Mary, Rebecca and Edith. 

After Nathaniel died in 1766, Esther married Robert Mendenhall (1713-1785). 

Nathaniel III & Esther's daughter Tabitha Newlin (1754-1845) married John Mendenhall (1748-1836)- John was the son of Robert Mendenhall (Esther's 2nd husband) and Phebe Taylor (1715-1761). Tabitha and John had 5 children: John, Cyrus, Anna, Esther and Martha.

~The Pyle Family-

(Two different Pyle families helped found Chester County- brothers- Nicholas & Robert Pyle. They immigrated from Wiltshire, England)

Brother #1: Nicholas Pyle (d. 1717) of Bethel first appeared in Concord in 1686 with his wife Abigail Bushell. Nicholas and Abigail had 7 children: Mary, Edith, Nicholas Jr., Samuel, James, Joseph and Sarah.

Nicholas & Abigail's daughter Edith (b. 1695) married Nicholas Newlin (1689). They had no children that I know of. Nicholas Newlin was the son of Nathaniel Newlin and Mary Mendenhall (Mendenhall Immigrant). 

Nicholas & Abigail's son Nicholas Newlin Jr. (1697-1734) married Sarah Worrolaw. They had one daughter: Mary Pyle. Mary Pyle married John Newlin Jr. (1716-1805) on 13 Sep 1745. John Newlin Jr. was the son of John Newlin and the grandson of Nathaniel Newlin & Mary Mendenhall (Mendenhall Immigrant). 

Brother #2: Robert Pyle (d. 1730) of Bethel, married Ann Stoby on 16 Sep 1681 at the Concord Meeting House. Robert and Ann had 8 children: Sarah, Robert Jr., William, John, Mary, Jacob, Joseph, and Daniel. 

Robert & Ann's 6th child Jacob Pyle (1691-1717) married Alice Bowater (1692-1734) on 08 Apr 1713. They had no children that I know of. After Jacob's death, Alice married Moses Mendenhall (1694-1731) on 18 Apr 1719. Moses was the son of Mendenhall Immigrant Benjamin Mendenhall (1662-1740). Moses and Alice had four children: Moses, Caleb, Phebe, and Alice. 

~The Sharpless Family-

John Sharpless Sr. (1624-1685) arrived a yeoman from Hatherton, England with his wife Jane Moor (1638-1722) and 6 of their 8 children aboard the ship named Friendship in August 1682. In April 1681, William Penn granted John a tract of land containing 1000 acres in the province of Pennsylvania. John and Jane had 7 children: Phebe, John, Caleb, Thomas, James, Jane, and Joseph.

John & Jane's 2nd child was John Sharpless (1666-1747). He married Hannah Pennell (1673-1721) on 23 Sep 1692. She was previously married to Benjamin Mendenhall (Mendenhall Immigrant). John & Hannah Sharpless had 7 children: Caleb, Jane, Hannah, John, Phebe, Rebecca and Margaret. 

John & Hannah Sharpless' 4th child was John Sharpless (1699-1769). He married Elizabeth Ashbridge (d. 1767). John & Elizabeths' great-granddaughter was Sarah Sharpless (b. 1809). She married Nicholas Mendenhall (b. 1804) on 17 Apr 1831 and they had 3 children. Nicholas Mendenhall's 3x great-grandparents was Benjamin Mendenhall (Mendenhall Immigrant) & Hannah Pennell.

John Sharpless & Jane Moor's 7th child was Joseph Sharpless (1678-1757). He married Lydia Lewis (1683-1763) on 31 May 1704. They had 9 children: Susanna, Joseph Jr., Benjamin, Samuel, Lydia, Nathan, Jane, Jacob and William. 

Joseph & Lydia's 3rd child Benjamin Sharpless (1710-1785) married Martha Mendenhall (1724-1812) on 21 Mar 1746 in Concord, Pennsylvania. Martha is the granddaughter of Benjamin Mendenhall (Mendenhall Immigrant) & Hannah Pennell.  Benjamin and Martha had 13 children together.

Joseph & Lydia's 4th child was Samuel Sharpless (1710-1790). He married Jane Newlin (1715-1798) on 25 Mar 1736. Jane was the granddaughter of Nathaniel Newlin and Mary Mendenhall (Mendenhall Immigrant). Samuel and Jane had 11 children: Mary, John, Thomas, Lydia, Abigail, Samuel, Hannah, Susanna, Phebe, Rachel and Joel. 

Samuel and Jane's youngest- Joel Sharpless (1760-1795) married Hannah Mendenhall (1762-1797) on 26 May 1784. Hannah's parents were both Mendenhalls (cousins). Her great-grandfather's were Benjamin Mendenhall & John Mendenhall (brothers- Mendenhall Immigrants). 

John Sharpless & Jane Moor's last and 8th child was Joseph Sharpless (1707-1769). He married Mary Pyle (1723-1812) and they had 2 sons- Joseph and Caleb. Caleb's grandson Caleb Sharpless (1808-1846) married Ruth Anna Mendenhall (1812-1891) on 07 Oct 1833 and they had 7 children. Ruth Anna's 3x great-grandparents were Benjamin Mendenhall (Mendenhall Immigrant) & Hannah Pennell. 

(Caleb Sharpless' (1808-1846) mother was Phebe Pennock Way. Her 2nd great-parents were Benjamin Mendenhall (Mendenhall Immigrant) and Hannah Pennell). 

~The Trimble Family

Joseph Trimble Sr. (1711-1787) arrived from Ireland as a new farmer and wagoner. He married first to Sarah Churchman and then a second time to Ann Chandler (1721-1793) on 22 Feb 1753 in East Nottingham Meeting. Ann Chandler's aunt was married to Moses Mendenhall (1694-1731), son of Mendenhall Immigrant Benjamin Mendenhall and Hannah Pennell. Joseph Trimble and Ann Chandler had 6 children: Joseph Jr., Thomas, Jacob, Sarah, ELisha, and James.

Joseph & Ann's 6th child James Trimble (1762-1831) married Sarah Job (1769-1807) on 12 Mar 1788. They had 7 children: Joseph, Job, Thomas, Ann, Rees, Reuben and James. Their son James Trimble (1799-1888) married Hannah Mendenhall (b. 1810) on 31 Oct 1838. They have no children that I know of. Hannah Mendenhall's 2nd great-grandparents were Benjamin Mendenhall (Mendenhall Immigrant) & Hannah Pennell.