William Biles: An American Quaker Pioneer

Early Life and Education
Born in Dorchester, Dorsetshire, England in 1644, William Biles hailed from a family with a strong tradition of religious dissent. His maternal grandfather, the Rev. William Strong, was a well-respected preacher and supporter of the Parliamentarians during the English Civil War. Biles received his education in law at Exeter College, at Cornwall in 1660, obtaining his B.A. in 1664, and M.A. in 1669.

 Emigration to America
In 1679, seeking refuge from religious persecution in England, William Biles brought his wife, Joanna (Hellard), and their five children to America. They settled in what would later become Falls Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania, before William Penn received his charter. William worked as a "vile monger" - a seller of glass containers such as drinking glasses, and bottles for perfumes or medicines.
William Biles quickly established himself as a prominent figure in early Pennsylvania. He served as a Justice of the first Provincial (Supreme) Court from as early as 1681, and he was a member of the Pennsylvania Provincial Council from 1683 to 1700. Biles also held a seat in the Legislature from 1686 to 1708, contributing significantly to the early governance of the colony. Biles was a land speculator and owned substantial tracts of land in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, amassing over 50,000 acres in what is now Salem County, New Jersey. He was qualified as a proprietor of West New Jersey and played a pivotal role in its development. 
William was outspoken and made enemies with a number of powerful people including Lieutenant Governor John Evans and William Penn. After a particular outburst at the Assembly or Pennsylvania, William Penn wrote the following about William Biles: 

"Much is said of the lewdness of Pennsylvania. I beg of thee to have regard to my character and give not that advantage against me, either with God or good or bad men, whose ill use of it I most fear on a public account. I have just now received thine of 5th, 5th month and am very sorry that wicked man, D. L. could blow up any of his mermidons to such a pitch as thy account of William Biles relates that is a meer vox et praetara nihil, a cox comb and a pragmatic ingraine. That fellow's plantation is a robbery on Pennsbury and if there be a grant, was not a purchase from me nor toward land write for me was surveyed long before and done in my absence, formerly and Judge Monpresson can tell if I may not be deceived in my grant as well as the Crown, be it King or Queen Since if confirmed it was on. Surprize and rattle an Inquisition about his [William Biles'] ears if not a prosecution. And know when the time is expired of session, as he may be taken to task. Since the service he may pretend he was to attend is over. And do first complain to the Friends and if they won't or can't bow him to make satisfaction, take it by law, thyself. Pray mind what I say be secret, which is discreet and fall on him or any other such unruly people at once and make someone such an example to terrify the rest. Thou hast not only my leave but my liking and encouragement whether called Quakers or not. --[signed] William Penn"

 

 Religious Contributions
William Biles continued his family's tradition of religious dedication and became a prominent Quaker minister in the region. He played a crucial role in establishing the first Quaker meetings west of the Delaware River. The first known Quaker meeting was held at his home below the Falls of Neshaminy in 1683, setting the foundation for the establishment of Falls Meeting House in 1690. In addition to his local contributions, William Biles traveled back to England in 1701 and 1702 to be a voice for Quaker interests. He was a committed supporter of the Society of Friends and engaged in gospel work, making several journeys to New England colonies to promote Quaker beliefs. 

 Later Life and Legacy
Joanna died in 1687. Fifteen months later he remarried Jane (Boyd) Atkinson, widow of Thomas Atkinson. William and Jane traveled in America, Ireland and England in the working for the Society of Friends. Jane passed away in 1709. After she died he continued his public and private endeavors, and his land holdings continued to expand, encompassing around 20,000 acres in New Jersey, 300 acres in Delaware, and 1,000 acres in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, by the time of his death. William Biles passed away on May 19, 1710, at the age of 66. His legacy lives on in the early history of Pennsylvania and the Quaker community. His son, William Biles Jr., also became a notable figure in Pennsylvania politics, serving as Speaker of the Pennsylvania Provincial Assembly in 1724. William Biles Sr. left behind a lasting impact as both a religious leader and a key participant in the development and governance of the Pennsylvania colony during its formative years.

William Biles (1644-1710)

Johanna Biles (1675-1775)

Abraham Beeks (1703-1732)

Abraham Beeks (1731-1788)

Samuel Beeks (1752-1814)

Francis Marion Beeks (1786-1861)

Nettie Jane Beeks (1812-1882) Migrated to Cherry Creek with husband Joshua Smith

Francis M Smith (1840-1916)

W F Smith (1882-1916)

Oda Zelle Smith (1908-1975) - My great grandmother

Sources:

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Biles

• Biles, B. W. (1950). The Biles Family: How Green Was Our Valley. Altus, Okla. https://archive.org/details/bilesfamilyhowgr00bile

• Ancestry.com. Pennsylvania, U.S., Compiled Marriage Records, 1700-1821 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2011.

• Ancestry.com. U.S., Quaker Meeting Records, 1681-1935 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2014.

Surname Sunday - Beeks

 William and Mary Beakes, with their sons in tow, arrived in Pennsylvania aboard the "Bristol Merchant" sailing up the Delaware River in December 1682. Before arriving, William had deeds of lease (tenancy) and release (relinquishment of landlord's interest in the property) of 1000+ acres of land purchased from William Penn. Part of this land was in the region of Bucks County near the Delaware River. He also had lots in the city of Philadelphia. 

The Beakes were Quakers and are listed in many Quaker meeting notes. 

William's son, Samuel (my 9th great-grandfather), married Johannah Biles, daughter of American judge attorney, legislator, sheriff, land speculator and merchant, William Biles. 

William Beakes
Samuel Beaks 1667-1732
Abraham Beeks 1703-1732
Abraham Beeks 1731-1788
Samual Beeks 1752-1814
Francis Marion Beeks 1786-1861
Nettie Jane Beeks 1812-1882
Francis M Smith 1840-?
W F Smith 1882-?
Oda Zelle Smith, my great grandmother

Sources:

• Genealogies of Pennsylvania Families
• U.S. and International Marriage Records, 1560-1900
• U.S. Quaker Meeting Records, 1681-1935
• U.S. and Canada, Passenger and Immigration Lists Index, 1500-1900

The Newberry Davenports

 

Francis Davenport 1718-1803
 by Thomas Hudson

Francis Davenport was born in 1718. The son of Isaac Davenport Phoebe Eva Sawyer, his grandparents, Francis (b. 1626) and Sarah Davenport migrated from Derbyshire, England with the Society of Friends (Quakers) and settled in Chesterfield, New Jersey. Francis Sr. was the spiritual leader for this congregation at Chesterfield. He was also a kept a local store. His son, Isaac, married Phoebe Eva Sawyer and moved to Newberry, SC.

Francis Davenport was a Patriot in the Revolutionary War (DAR Ancestor #: A029985). He married (1st) Ann Whaley and had Isaac, James, Jonathan, William, David, Francis, Sarah, Abigail, Nancy, Martha, and Fannie. His daughter, Sarah, married Samuel Beeks.  Their granddaughter, Nettie Jane Beeks Smith, was one of the first settlers in Pontotoc, MS. 

Sources: 

• Davenport, John Scott, Newberry Davenport Data, 2000
• U.S. Sons of the American Revolution Membership Applications, 1889-1970, Ancestry.com, 2011, Provo, UT, USA
• Moss, Bobby G., Roster of the South Carolina Patriots in the America Revolution, Genealogical Publishing Co., Baltimore, MD, 1983

The Photo Was the Key

It has been so long since I've posted but I have been busy! I mentioned previously that I was able to get copies of close to 250 old family photos. I have been slowly going through and trying to identify

Beulah Mae Spees Smith

as many of them as possible. Some of them are complete mysteries. It seems as though my gg grandmother, Mae Spees, was very interested in correspondence. She was born in Missouri in 1882 and moved with her family to Lee County between 1895 and 1900. She kept in contact with all of her family and friends in Missouri and her husbands family and they sent many photos back and forth.

 Some of the photos have clues on the back but many of them do not. The photo I am writing about today did have a name on the back and it led me down a rabbit hole that led to some wonderful discoveries!

First let me give you some background information. Mae's first husband, my gg grandfather, was born about 1882 in Pontotoc, MS. This is unfortunate because there is no 1890 census. And I have not been able to find him on the 1900 census so the first record we have of him is on the 1910 census.

                      W F Smith      28 - Head of household

                                     Frank Smith    69 - father of head of household
May Smith      28 - wife

      Oda Zell Smith  1 - daughter

In the 1920 census, Mae is married to her second husband, Zach. I have not been able to find any information on his death or tombstone. The 1910 census does give me something, his father's name: Frank Smith. Of course it's only the most common surname in America! How hard can it be? This is all information I found out 10 years ago when I first began researching. After looking for a long time, I found a Smith family in Pontotoc that was likely Frank's family. He was listed as Francis Smith, son of Joshua and Jane Smith on the 1850 and 1860 census. My DNA test confirmed this connection many times over. But who was W.F.'s mother, Frank's wife? What happened to Frank between the 1860 census and the 1910 census?  Did W.F. have any siblings? What does W.F. stand for? In my mind I've always called him William Franklin but I have no reason to think this. SO MANY QUESTIONS!

Fast forward to me combing through old photographs. I pulled this photo up and noticed how young the children were compared to the adults. Also, that I didn't recognize any of the people. On the back I saw that there were indeed grandparents and grandchildren (so sweet) and that I definitely did not recognize the names. Luckily, Arch is not a terribly common name so a quick search on Ancestry for Arch and Emma Duncan and there was a match in the 1900 census!

James Archie and Emma Smith 

Now I just have to find the connection! In the Ancestry search I looked for trees that had this couple. I was so pleased to see that there were several - and, bonus, Emma's maiden name was SMITH! I seriously could not believe it! I reminded myself that Smith is a very common name and the two might not be related. I had to find proof. Another look at the trees that she was in told me that her descendants were unsure of her parentage. She was born in Mississippi in 1871 and died in Alabama in 1955. Then I found a record in the Alabama, Deaths and Burials Index, 1881-1974 that had a clue: her father's name was Frank! Coincidence? Maybe but it was looking unlikely. My next step was to look through my DNA matches to see if I was matched to any of her descendants. I found one confirmed. I do not consider one match as conclusive so I had to consider one more important piece of evidence....the fact that this photo has been passed down. In other words, why else would my great-great grandparents have this photo? All together, I am convinced that Emma Jane Smith is W.F.'s older sister.

Francis M Smith Pin

This new piece of information opened up a flood of discoveries. I found Frank's marriage record. He married M.A. Robertson 20 Jun 1866. I found his tombstone and confirmed it with the photo of his pin from the Civil War that I got from a cousin. I found his Civil War file. I found Francis and Martha Smith in the 1870 census in Pontotoc. They had a daughter named Frances. Another sister! The census also told me that Martha  was born about 1846 in South Carolina. I have not been able to find her family yet but I am still working on it. I honestly never thought I would find this much information about Frank. And all of it was because of one forgotten photograph.

Tombstone Tuesday - Joshua Smith

Today's Tombstone Tuesday features Joshua Smith. This one is a big deal to me. I have long suspected that my Smith line was descended from Joshua but I had no way to prove it until I had my DNA tested. I still hope to learn more about this family but for now I'll share what I know.

Joshua Smith was born July 23, 1812 in Newberry, South Carolina. This is fascinating because I have several unrelated ancestors who all came from Newberry. I wonder if they at one time new each other. What would they have said if they were told that their descendants would one day all be connected? Joshua's parents were probably James Smith and Sarah Teague. This conclusion comes from them having come from the same area at the same time as Joshua. 

Joshua and his wife, Nettie Jane Beeks were among the first settlers of Pontotoc County, MS. They had nine children. 

1850 U.S. Census

Their fifth child, Francis, is my second great-grandfather.  Joshua died on July 5, 1880. He is buried in Cherry Creek Cemetery.

Bravest Soldier of All

I had forgotten about this amazing story until my mother reminded me of it this weekend. I thought about paraphrasing it but I love the language the J.C. Spees uses.

This is an excerpt from the book  "The Geneology of the Spees Tribe" by J.C. Spees

   "Miss Lucy Wright had seven brothers in the Revolutionary War, but she was the bravest soldier of all. One day during the War of Independence in the United States of America the Indians surrounded Red Stone Fort, now Brownsville, in Washington county, Pennsylvania, where the old men, mothers and children of the soldiers in Washington's army were stationed in stockades for protection from the Indians, there was a call for two volunteers to try and reach Washington's army, which was twenty-two miles away, to notify them of the critical condition of the Fort. Out stepped little [sic] curley headed Lucy Wright, about 18 years of age, followed by her young lady chum. 

     Time was precious as the Indians could be seen gathering wood for their camp fires for the night. The sun was getting ready to set in the western sky and pin her [sic] murkey curtains of night with the evening stars. Two horses were made ready for the girls to try and run the gauntlet of the Indian lines. On the backs of these horses sprang Lucy Wright and her girl friend, whose name father had forgotten as he was but a small boy of 8 or 10 years when his old Grandmother Young told him of the hardships of her childhood days during the war. The gate of the Fort swung open and out dashed these girls, coming onto the Indians so sudden that they stood spell-bound with the wood in their arms hardly realizing what was going on until horses and riders were out of reach. On dashed the ladies, following the trail of glazed trees as their guide by moon light until they reached the outer edge of Washington's picket line, where the horse that Lucy Wright rode dashed sideways against a snag of a tree and tore off the calf of one of her limbs. The great grandmother of J.C. Spees, her grandson, the scar and say, "Brice, if you do as much for your country as your grandmother did you will be a brave boy.  

     This ride of twenty-two miles was made in less than three hours through the forests of Washington county, Pennsylvania. The best horses were selected and soldiers went to help save Red Stone Fort and its occupants, and they reached the Indian camp before all the powder and balls had been consumed in the Fort. Great was the joy when those old fathers, mothers and children heard the sound of guns around the Indian camp, for they then knew the girls had reached the camp of Washington's army."

I am still learning more about Lucy Wright and who she was. In other parts of the book Spees refers to the Wrights as "curly headed people" and "very energetic". Lucy certainly sounds like someone I'd like to meet.
In genealogy things aren't always certain. There is a Lucy Wright born about the same year as my Lucy who married and died in Madison County, AL. However, I am almost certain they are not the same person. She would have had to be married to remarried and moved to Alabama yet the Spees book mentions calls her "old Grandmother Young" at one point. There another Lucy Wright recorded as being born that same year but her parents died when she was young and her trail goes cold. I am going to keep digging and hopefully find my Lucy.

Lucy Wright Young is my 6th great-grandmother. Lucy - Mary Young Spees - Joseph Carter Spees - Newell Birkett Spees - Beulay Mae Spees - Oda Zelle Smith Spearman.