Thomas Powell

Thomas Powell, Gentleman (c1640 - 8 Dec 1714) is said to have been born in Holt, Denbighshire, Wales. [Note: This is a simulated portrait of Thomas. This is not an actual lithograph.]

Thomas is said to have married a Jane Handley. A Thomas Powell married a Jane Handley of Woolstanwood in Nantwich Parish, Cheshire, England on 1 Jan 1679, according to Nantwich Parish records. The marriage license was applied for on 10 Dec 1678, according to the same record. If this is the same Thomas, he may not have joined with the Quakers, at least openly, until after he and Jane were married. That said, the timing of this particular marriage does not match the infromation provided by other researchers.

If the above mentioned marriage is correct, it is likely that Thomas Powell (b. 17 May 1680) and Sarah Powell (b. 28 Feb 1682) of Woolstanwood were the children of Thomas and Jane. The Nantwich Parish records indicate that the father of Thomas and Sarah was a Thomas Powell.

In 1679, Thomas Powell and possibly his brother a Joseph Powell were fined 20 pounds each, along with 20 other Quakers, for not attending their parish churches. At the time, Thomas resided in Rudheath Lordship, Cheshire, England, all according to "Cheshire notes and queries." Rudheath is just 27 miles northeast of Holt, so it is plausible that he was born in Holt. It was this persecution that led Thomas to purchase land from William Penn in order to take his family to America. [Note: Joseph may have been a Joseph Powell of Acton, which is located near Nantwich.]

Thomas arrived in America on 14 Aug 1682 on the ship "Friendship," captained by Robert Crossman out of Liverpool. During this long trans-Atlantic journey, his son Thomas Jr. died on 17 May 1682 and was thus buried at sea, according to "Early Church Records of Delaware County, Pennsylvania" by John Pitts Launey.

In Mar 1681, before journeying to America, 180 acres south of the Robinson land in Upper Providence, Chester Co., PA was surveyed to Thomas, according to the "History of Delaware County" by Henry Ashmead. On 22 Mar 1682, Thomas had purchased two lots of land from William Penn, 250 and 500 acres respectively, according to "Annals of Pennsylvania, from the Discovery of the Delaware" by Samuel Hazard. At that time William Penn was selling land at a bout 40 shillings per hundred acres, so Thomas Powell would have paid 15 pounds sterling for this land. [Note: A skilled craftsman during the late 1600s only made about 40 pounds a year.] In 1683, Philadelphia lots were drawn up and distributed based on how much land a person purchased. Thomas Powell was given back lots given that his land purchases were under 1000 acres; lot #5 in the back lots on the Delaware River side and lot #110 on the Schuykill River side of Philadelphia, according to "Digest of the Ordinances of the Corporation of the City of Philadelphia ." Also according to Hazard's book, on 19 Jul 1682, in the drawing of Philadelphia city lots, Thomas received plat #27 on Second St, plat #48 on Broad St, plat #16 on Fourth St, and plat #49 on Back St.

Philadelphia, 1683 (Thomas Powell land highlighted in enlargement.)

Thomas Powell 180 acres in Providence.

While Thomas' status in England is not yet known, in America his status was pobably that of a yeoman, or rather a prosperous farmer who held freehold or copyhold land. Given the wealth of yeoman, their children could enter the ranks of the lesser gentry through marriage to gentry families, by going to university, or through military service. That said his will listed him as a gentleman, while his sons in their wills were listed as yeoman according to "Wills of Chester County, Pennsylvania, 1713-1748" by Jacob Martin, Joseph Martin.

[Side Note: On 5 Feb 1688, Thomas subscribed to the position of not selling or trading alcohol to the indians, according to the above mentioned book by John Pitts Launey.]

On 2 Jul 1690, Thomas donated an acre of land to Peter Taylor and Randall Maylin in the behalf of several others to be used as a "Friends" cemetery, which is now known as the "Sandy Bank" graveyard located in Upper Providence, according to "History of Delaware County, Pennsylvania" by George Smith. In the same year, Thomas donated 2 pounds 10 shillings toward the building of a meeting house in Chester. However, on 2 Nov 1692, the meeting of friends declared that Randall Vernon and Randall Meallen should go and return to Thomas his money that he lent toward building the meeting house and for the land, most likely because of Thomas' departure to the schism of the Society of Keithians or Keithites, Quakers who followed the teachings of George Keith.

George Keith held his meetings at the home of Thomas Powell in Providence. Thomas was baptized into the Keithian division by Thomas Martin in 1697, according to "History of Chester County, Pa with Genealogical & Biographical Sketches" by John Smith Futhey, Gilbert Cope. Over a dispute about when the Sabbath should be, Thomas and his family, along wiht George Keith himself, left the Keithians and joined the Episcopal Church. As of 1703, George Keith was still holding meetings, but now as an Episcopalian, at the home of Thomas Powell, all according to Ashmead's book.

Thomas Powell's Last Will and Testament:

This the fourth day of December in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred & fourteen I Thomas Powell, Senr. of Upper Providence in Chester Co and Province of Pensilvania. Gentleman being very sick and weak in body but of perfect mind and memory thanks be given to God therefore calling unto mind the mortality of my body & knowing that it is appointed for all men once to dye. Do make and ordain this my last will and Testament(That is to say) principally & first of all I give and recommend my soul into the hands of God that gave it and for my body I recommend it to ye earth to be buried in a Christian like & decent maner at the discretion of my Executors nothing doubting but at ye Generall Resurrection I shall receive ye same again by ye mighty power of God and as touching such worldly Estate wherewith it hath pleased God to bless me in this life I give Devise & dispose ye same in ye following maner and form.

IMPRIMIS I give & bequeath unto the Church that is for the use of ye Church at Chester four Lotts of ground lying in James's Street over against the Church, they all joyn togeather. Item. I give & bequeath unto Anna my dearly beloved wife one half of my estate both real & personall during her life. Item. I leave my three sons John, Joseph & Thomas twelve pence a piece and no more. item. I leave to my son John Powell's children there being four sons of them Viz. Joseph Powell, John Powell, Jur. Thomas Powell & Benjamin Powell forty pounds, to each of them ten pounds a piece. Also I give & Bequeath to my son John Powell's two daughters Mary & Margaret Powell five pounds a piece. item. I leave to my son Thomas, after the decease of my wife Anna Powell the other half of my estate both personall & Recall it also my will & Testament. That ye above mentioned Legacies be paid within a twelve month & a day after my Departure in current money of the provinceof Pensylvania. Item. I leave Anna my dearly beloved wife and son John Powell Excecutors of this my last will & Testament and I do here by utterly disallow revoke and disannull all & every other former Testaments wills & Bequethed Ratifying & confirming this and no other to be my last will & Testament. In witness wherof I have hereunto set my hand and seal the Day & year above written.

Signed Sealed published pronounced & Delcared by the said Thomas Powell as his last will and Testament in the presence of us the subscribers; the word(Powell's) being interlined before signed and sealed.

John Humphreys Thomas Weston Joseph Elly

In 1714, Reverand Ross of St. Paul's Episcopal Church commended Thomas for his willed donation of lands that would be used for a "minister's house, garden and other conveniences," according to "Country Clergy of Pennsylvania" by Samuel Fitch Hotchkin.