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John Beals |
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Mary Clayton |
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John Beals was of Nottingham in Chester County,
Pennsylvania PE7, and his surname was
spelled many ways, including
Beales, Bales, Bails, Bailes, and Beails.
He was in Pennsylvania as early as 1677, according to his own testimony in a
court case in December 1691 RE6. The Chester Monthly Meeting in Delaware County,
Pennsylvania, recorded the marriage intentions of John “Bales” and Mary Clayton
on October 2, 1682 and January 1, 1682/3 US11. The second time, the record stated, “John Bales and
Mary Clayton did propose theire Intentions of Marrage it being the second time and Nothing Appearing to
Obstruct freinds Left them to there Liberty to proseed
According to thee Good order of Truth” US11.
John
“Beales” was listed as a member of the Monthly Meeting of Chichester and
Concord in the year 1685 US11. On
January 11, 1685, he pledged or was expected to pay ten shillings for the
erection of a meeting house and the enclosure of the burial ground with a fence
TW2, US11.
He was a juror at court sessions held at Chester on
January 6, 1684, April 7, 1685, the first week of June 1688, the first week of
March 1688/9, and the first week of September 1690 RE6. Later,
as John “Bailes”, he was a juror at the Court of
Quarter Sessions held at Chester on December 13, 1692, then he served on the
petty jury at a court held at Chester on March 14 through 16 in 1693 RE6. As John
Beails, he was on the petty jury for Chester County
on March 13, 1693/4, and as John Beals, he served on
December 12, 1694 in the Court of Common Pleas RE6. As John
Beales, he was a juror on March 12, 1694/5 at the Court of Quarter Sessions for
Chester RE6, on March
10, 1696/7 at a court held at Chester RE6, and on March 10, 1697/8 on the petty jury for a court
held at Chester RE7.
John Beales was a member of the Grand Inquest for the Chester
County Court in the first week of September, 1687 RE6, the last week of August 1689 RE6, on
March 4, 1689/90 RE6 (he served with Joseph
Richards during these last two mentioned dates, in August 1689 and March
1689/90), sometime in March 1691 RE6, and
on December 13, 1698 RE7. As
John Bails, he served on the Grand Jury for Chester on February
24, 1701/2 and February 29 and March 1, 1703/4 RE7.
He and
four other men reported to the court on December 11, 1687 that they laid out a
highway “from Edgmond to ye Kings High way in Chester being a sixty foote road by vertue of an order
of Court bearing date ye 4th of October 1687” RE6.
In a
list of landholders of Chester County, which was created in approximately 1689,
John “Beale” was said to have owned a parcel of two hundred acres, and another
parcel of one hundred acres which had previously been held by William
Woodmansey FU2. His pasture was positioned along the route of a highway which
connected Astone and Edgmond
(Edgmont) road RE6. The Grand
Inquest, of which John Beals and Joseph Richards were
a part on March 4, 1689/90, called for several changes
regarding taxes, the construction of the courthouse and prison, the tax on wolf
heads, the allocation of funds to the poor, and the regulation and unification
of a measurement system for dry goods and liquids RE6. The Grand Jury desired an account of the taxes the people had
paid RE6. They
wanted an itemized account of the materials and labor costs for the
construction of the courthouse and prison, and an account of the tax which had
been gathered to pay for the courthouse and prison, and an account of the tax
for the wolves’ heads RE6. Further, the Grand Jury wished to be made aware of the wages
allowed to each councilman and assemblyman, how much
money was allocated for the poor, and which particular individuals received
that poor relief RE6. Unrelated to the account of the taxes, the Grand Jury wanted to
implement standardization for dry and liquid measurements, because “ther is great Diversity in Mesures
Som are to bige and others
are Something to Little we desire that all Mesurs be
Made by the Winchester Measure” RE6. Finally, the Grand Jury wished to post a table of fees in the
courthouse RE6.
John “Beale” and three additional men witnessed a deed
dated March 10, 1691, in which John Kinsman granted one hundred acres of land
in Chichester, Chester County, which was bounded by land owned by Humphry
Scarlett, to John Eyre BR19. In a
land boundary dispute case between David Lloyd and James Sandilands, John “Bailes” testified at the Chester Court on December 8 or 9,
1691 that he had ploughed land “fourteene years agoe” RE6.
He and
Albert Hendrickson acted as sureties for John Powell’s
good behavior when they were bound for forty pounds to the Chester Court on
June 22, 1693 RE6. John Powell had been
presented to the court for becoming drunk, swearing oaths, and attempting
bodily harm on women on June 13; he tried to “Ride over severall
Indian women and being with held Drew his knife thretned to rip them up” RE6. He was probably the John Powell of Aston Township who died later
that summer RE6. John Beales, Joseph
Richards, Sr., and other jurors determined that he drowned in Chester Creek on
August 5, 1693, and that his death was “wholey and soley an Accident and no wayes by
any forse or violence used A pon
him or A gainst him” RE6.
The
widow of Laurance Routh granted a deed of fifty acres of land in Chester
Township to John on December 13, 1693, which was recorded at the Court of
Quarter Sessions in Chester that same month RE6.
Based on the inventory of Laurance Routh’s estate, which included a section
entitled “An Acount of laying oute
of the mony for the 50 Accrs
of land sould to John Beals”,
John may have purchased this land for the sum of fourteen pounds RE6. On March 13, 1693/4, he and Humphry Johnson were ordered by the
Orphan’s Court for Chester County to become jointly and severally bound to the
court for the estate of Laurance Routh, in a penal bond for thirty-seven pounds
RE6. At the Orphan’s Court at Chester on October 2, 1694, he and
Humphry Johnson were allowed the thirds which belonged “to his wife from the
Estate of Lawrance Routh Deceased”, which probably
meant the widow of Laurance Routh RE6.
Humphry and John appeared at the Orphan’s Court on March 12, 1699/1700
regarding the bond for the estate of Laurance Routh, and the court ordered the
bond to be delivered RE7. The
widow of Laurance Routh may have been named Anne, for on May 28, 1705, Anne
Routh, by her attorney, Humphry Johnson, delivered a deed for fifty acres to
John, which had been dated December 13, 1693 RE7.
He was
elected as the constable of Aishtowne (Aston) for the
upcoming year on March 13, 1693/4 RE6. John
Beales was the plaintiff against Joseph Richards, Jr., the son of Joseph
Richards, in an action of trespass at the Court of Common Pleas in Chester
County on June 13, 1694 RE6.
Because of a defect in the declaration which needed to be amended, Joseph
Richards, Jr. “Craved A Referance” until the next
court session RE6. When the case was
called again on September 12, 1694, Joseph Richards, Jr. again stated that he
wanted to defer this case until the next court, but John Beales “Desierd to Come to tryall now,
but the Deft pleaded he was not Prepared Desierd It mite be Continued tell the next
Court” RE6. The court ordered Joseph Richards, Jr. to pay half of the
charges, and deferred the case again RE6. The
case, which was heard on October 2, 1694, has been partially transcribed below RE6:
The
Declaration was Red and the Defendants plea was to have the plantif
prove his Tytle to his land and the Plantifs Patern was Red and Aproved of to be lawfull and
good: Edward Carter was Called ffor an Evidence for
the plantif and being Attested Deposeth
that John Beals and Joseph Richards had A Diferance between them About their fences and that William
Brown and the Deponant went to see it and Did see
that Joseph Richards had fenced up to John Beals
fence.
William
Brown being Attested for the plt: Deposeth
that he went to see Joseph ffence how he had Joyned his fence to John Beals
and that the said Joseph Did seeme to be very ffaier and said that he would Remove it In three weeks Time and that he would make good one halfe of the ffence and that the Plantifs Answer was that he would not yeld
to It unles wrightings weare Drawen betwixt them.
The jury found for the
plaintiff, John Beals, and awarded him thirty
shillings in damage with the cost of the suit, but after this, John omitted the
thirty shillings “one [on] the Account that he will move his fence and that
they may live loveingly together for the future” RE6.
He acted as a witness to a land deed on January 5, 1695, in
which George Churchman granted fifty acres in Chester to John Churchman BR19. Four years after his case against Joseph Richards, Jr., he was
again the plaintiff against the same man on December 13, 1698, but because
Joseph had left the country, the Court of Common Pleas allowed this new case to
be continued at a later date RE7. On March 14, 1698/9, George Stroode
appeared for the defendant, Joseph Richards, Jr., and Joseph Richards, Sr.
brought forth papers to be read RE7.
David Loyd appeared for John Beales, and read a copy
of the Record of Philadelphia, which according to the court record, stated “the
said land was laid oute for William Woodmanse before Joseph Richards land was laid oute and after the several debates the said Defendants
friends or Attorneys refused to plead and went oute
of the Court” RE7. The court again ruled
in favor of John Beales, and granted him damages and
the cost of the suit, a sum of five pounds, fourteen shillings, and nine pence RE7. The court record dated June 14, 1699 itemized the penalty that
Joseph Richards, Jr. was required to pay John Beales, when on that date the
sheriff stated that, using the warrant he had dated April 21, 1699, he
delivered seisin of one half of an acre of marsh or meadow to John, and on May
23, 1699, he legally seized five ewes, six lambs, two wethers
(these are castrated male sheep or goats), and one ram which had belonged to
Joseph Richards, Jr., and delivered them to John on May 30, 1699 RE7.
As
John Bails, he testified at the Court of Quarter Sessions on September 10, 1700
that the son of John Corks complained to the Grand Jury that Edward Pritchett
“abused him sore” RE7. As a
standard procedure for impending Quaker nuptials, John Bales was appointed to
inquire into Thomas Dutton’s background and character on March 10, 1700/1 US11. He and five additional men were instructed by the court on
December 9, 1701 to construct a road from Chester to Henry Hollingsworth’s mill
in Upper Providence RE7. This
road was said to have been completed on February 7, 1701/2, but it extended
from the mill to Edgmont, not Chester RE7.
He was
a member of the Grand Jury on February 24, 1701/2, which presented the
townships of Chester, Ridley, and Darby for failing to repair the road which
linked Chester and Philadelphia County, and for the inconvenient scarcity of
bridges over the various creeks inside their boundaries RE7. The Grand Jury also presented Chester Township for the disrepair
of the road between there and Edgmont RE7. Lastly, the Grand Jury stated that the construction of a
courthouse and a prison was essential, but because there was little capital
available in the bank to fund these projects, the members of the Grand Jury
encouraged the collection of unpaid taxes RE7.
As John “Bales”, he was the recipient of one thousand acres of
land in the newly created settlement of Nottingham on the 17th day of the 1st month, 1701/2 TW2.
Nottingham is located near Octoraro Creek, about
halfway between the Delaware River and Susquehanna River, and when the
settlement of eighteen thousand acres was initially divided, the purchase price
per one hundred acres may have been eight pounds or two bushels of wheat each
year as rent TW2. A map of Nottingham Township which was
drafted in 1702 shows that John Bales held lots 36 and 3, which were combined EA4. John delivered a deed dated August 23, 1705 to Joseph Coburn for
132 acres of land in Aston, with all the improvements of the land; this record
was mentioned in the Court of Quarter Sessions on
August 28 or 29, 1705 RE7. John Beals and two others
witnessed a deed dated May 3, 1709, in which William Clayton, Sr. gave land in
Chichester to his son, William Clayton, Jr. BR19. Friends from the Nottingham Monthly Meeting requested
the Concord Monthly Meeting in Delaware County, Pennsylvania to elect John
Bales and an unknown person as overseers in place of William Brown and John
Churchman on March 13, 1709/10 US11.
John Beales was a landholder in East Nottingham, Chester
County when he was taxed in 1722, and again in 1724/5 as John “Bails” CH5. He
wrote his will on October 11, 1726 (“ye 11th of ye 8th mo: 1726”), which was
witnessed by James McMillan and William House and proved on December
17, 1726 PE7:
I John
Beals of Not…ham [Nottingham] In ye County of Chest[er] beeing Sick &
weak of body but of a Sound & [we]ll Disposing
mind & Memory do make this as my Last will & Testament rev[o]keing all other wills that have heretofore been Made or
done by me,
First
my will is yt my Just Depts & funerall
Charges be defrayed as Soon as posible after my
decease, & also yt my body be descently
buried
Secondly I
give & bequeath Unto my Eldest Son John Beals my
bed & all ye furniture there unto
belonging & five pound he paying to his 5 Children Sarah John Thomas Ann
& Phebe to Each of them Tenn Shillings when they
come at age,
Thirdly
I give unto my Son William Beals Eight pound he
paying to Each of his 3 Children Lydia Mary & ruth Tenn
Shillings when of age,
Fourthly
I give Unto my Daughter Mary Harrold Eight pound Shee
paying to Each of her Children …th [this first name
was mostly obliterated by a smudge, aside for the final two letters, but in a
transcribed copy of the will on page 206 of Chester
County Will Book A, Volume 1, the name was spelled out as “Elizabeth”] rachell Jonathan & richard Tenn Shillings when they come of age,
Fifthly
I give Unto my Son Jacob Beals
Twelve pound he paying to his 4 Children John Jacob Mary & william to Each of them Tenn
Shillings when of age,
Sixthly
I give Unto my daughter patience Jones ye Eight
pound fifteen Shillings yt is due from her husband by
Bond & five pound more to be paid by my Executors w…ing
[perhaps “willing”] Shee or her husband to [probably
“pay”, but the word is missing because the paper has ripped] Unto their 4
Children [the first and third names here are illegible because a crease has
marred the letters, but the copy, previously cited, stated the names of the
four children: “Judith Mary Sarah & Charity”] Mary… & Charity to Each Tenn Shillings all ye afsd
[aforesaid] Legacys to be paid unto ye sd
grand Children when they are deemed by law to be of age,
Seventhly
I give Unto my daughter Mary Harrold & patience
Jones my warming pan & Spice box Also; I give Unto James Wright fourty Shillings
Eightly I give Unto my Kins woman
Mary davis of Philadelphia Twenty Shillings Also my
will is yt my Son William Shall be paid his Legacy first my
Daughter Mary Harrold Next & patience her five pound next as ye Money yt is out upon Bond becomes due;
Lastly I ordaine & Constitute My Two Sons John & Jacob Beals Sole Executors of this my Last will & testament
witness my hand & Seal dated in notingham Afsd
ye 11th of ye 8th mo:
1726
Mary Clayton ★ (William, Prudence) was the twin to Elizabeth, and they were born
on August 29, 1665 in Rumbaldsweek,
Sussex, England EN4, EN16. Her twin sister
died when she was one month old EN5, EN17. She was also the
sister of Prudence Clayton, who married Henry Reynolds. Mary was the mother of John,
William, Jacob, Mary, and Patience.
John Baels was born on the 20th day, 1st month,
1685/6 in Chester, Delaware County, Pennsylvania US11. John Bales, Jr. of Nottingham, had a certificate to marry Sarah
Bowater which was dated September 10, 1711 and
which was granted on October 8, 1711 PE2. The New Garden Monthly Meeting in Chester County, Pennsylvania
states that John Baels, the son of John Bales “of Notingham In ye County of Chester & Province of Pensilvania Yeoman” and Sarah Bowater, daughter of Thomas
Bowater of Chester Creek, Chester County, Pennsylvania, married on the
fourteenth day of the ninth month, 1711 at the Chester Meeting House BJ1. The New Garden Monthly Meeting in Chester County, Pennsylvania
recorded that John Baels, Jr. and Sarah Baels were the parents of Sarah, born on the 29th day, 5th
month, 1713, John, born on the 17th
day, 2nd month, 1717, and Thomas, born on the 14th day, 1st
month, 1719/20 US11. He was named as the
eldest son in his father’s will dated October 11, 1726 in which his five minor
children, Sarah, John, Thomas, Ann, and Phebe, were also mentioned PE7.
William
Beales was born on the 1st day,
2nd month, 1687 in Chester, Delaware County,
Pennsylvania US11. William
Bales and Rebekkah Chambers, the daughter of John
Chambers of Chichester, declared their intent to wed on May 12, 1712; their wedding occurred on June 26, 1712 in Nottingham
Township PE2. The
New Garden Monthly Meeting in Chester County, Pennsylvania recorded that
William and Rebekah Baels were the parents of Lydia,
born on the 1st day, 6th month, 1719 US11. He
was named in his father’s will dated October 11, 1726 in which his three minor children,
Lydia, Mary, and Ruth, were also mentioned PE7.
Jacob
Baels, the son of John and Mary Baels, was born on the 28th day, 7th
month, 1689 US11. The
Nottingham Monthly Meeting recorded on June 24, 1714 that Jacob Bales married
Mary Bruckly PE2. The
New Garden Monthly Meeting in Chester County, Pennsylvania states that Jacob Baels, the son of John Bales “of Notingham
In ye County of Chester & Province of Pensilvania
Yeoman” and Mary Brooksby, daughter of John Brooksby, deceased of Maryland,
married on the June 20, 1714 in a public meeting BJ1. The New Garden Monthly
Meeting in Chester County, Pennsylvania recorded that Jacob and Mary Baels were the parents of John, born on the 11th day, 7th
month, 1715, Jacob, born on the 18th
day, 7th month, 1717, Mary, born on the 15th day, 9th
month, 1719, and William, born on the 16th
day, 9th month, 1721 US11. He
was named in his father’s will dated October 11, 1726 in which his four minor
children, John, Jacob, Mary, and William, were also mentioned PE7. Mary Baels, the
daughter of John and Mary Baels, was born on the 4th month, 24th
day, 1692 in Chester, Delaware County, Pennsylvania US11.
Patience
Beales was born on the 4th
month, 16th day, 1695 in Chester, Delaware
County, Pennsylvania US11. The
New Garden Monthly Meeting in Chester, Delaware County, Pennsylvania recorded
that Patience Baels, daughter of John Bales of
Chester County, married Joseph Jones of “Notingham In
ye County of Chester & province of pensilvania
Son of John Jone of worstersh”
on June 20, 1717 US11. The New Garden
Monthly Meeting in Chester, Delaware County, Pennsylvania recorded that
Patience and Joseph Jones were the parents of Judith, born on the 1st day, 5th
month, 1718 and Mary, born on the 2nd
day, 4th month, 1720 US11. Patience
Jones was named in her father’s will dated October 11, 1726 in which her four
minor children, Judith, Mary, Sarah, and Charity, were also mentioned PE7. Joseph and Patience Jones may have been the same Joseph and
Patience Jones who were enumerated in the 1776 census of Maryland in which
William Fisher, Jr. enumerated the Deer Creek Lower Hundred in Harford County CA93. In this census, Joseph was ninety-one years old, Patience was
eighty-one years old, and with them resided Rachael Jones, who was forty-one
years old CA93.
William
Brown, John Churchman, “Marry Balls” and Katherin
Brown were appointed as overseers of the Preparative Meeting at Nottingham on
May 13, 1706 US11. Because Mary was not
mentioned in her husband’s will, she very likely died
sometime before October 11, 1726.