Newlin Township

Newlin Township, a subdivision of Chester County, was the birthplace of the Woolleys. It was bought by an Irishman, Nathaniel Newlin, although he did not live there himself, having previously purchased land in Delaware County. After the sale, there was quite a bit of trouble over its occupation because Newlin had apparently encroached on Indian lands,

Innkeeper

It appears that Thomas became an innkeeper. Benjamin R. Boggs' collection Inns and Taverns of Old Phildelphia, chapter 20, cites an article from the Philadelphia Gazette of April 18, 1745: "Thomas Woolley late of Marple in Chester County is this day moved into the City of Philadelphia to the sign of the White Horse in Elbow Lane..., with an intent to keep a public House of Entertainment, he having obtained License for this purpose.  It being one of the most convenient houses for the Market people, as well as Travellors in the said city, having good convenient stabling..."

Philadelphia

In 1745, Thomas moved his family to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where Benjamin Franklin was in the process of establishing his printing business and becoming involved in politics.  When "Friends" moved from one district to another, they would take a certificate or recommend to the new meeting. Thomas Woolley and his wife, Sarah, did this with the witnesses being Phebe Coppock and Bartholomew Coppock.

Thomas Woolley and the Quakers

Thomas Woolley and the Quakers



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Quakers

A year after the wedding, Thomas requested permission to become a Quaker. Since he was not a "Birthright Friend," he did not have a certificate from a meeting in New Jersey or England, which would have given some information as to where in England he may have come from.  But the conclusion from this information is that Thomas was a Protestant Episcopalian, and Sarah was a Quaker.

Thomas' wedding

Christ Church, in Philadelphia, was the place where members of the Continental Congress, members of the Constitutional Convention, George Washington, and Betsy Ross worshipped, and had a Protestant Episcopalian congregation.  Because this was where the wedding of Thomas Woolley occurred, it could point to the fact that Thomas was from England.  The original records are still in the Refectory Office, but only the names of the bridal couple are mentioned.

Thomas Woolley

The book, The Utah Woolley Family, by Preston W. Parkinson, states that John's father, Thomas Woolley, was first mentioned in the Chester Monthly Meeting in 1729.  He married Sarah Coppock, a Quaker and she acknowledged her "wrongdoing" in being married at Christ Church by a Priest.  The Friends would "read out of meeting" those who didn't live by the laws of the church, and even more for "marrying out of meeting."

Map

The map of the United States looked very different from the way it looks today.  In the book, Historical Atlas of the United States, by Derek Hayes, it is amazing to see how the state boundaries have changed from Revolutionary times, and shows each state's claims to lands in the west. William Penn arrived in 1682, and divided his land into 3 counties, Chester being one of them. This county was subsequently divided into Lancaster, Delaware, and Chester counties.  Chester is located in the southeast corner of the state.

Family Group Sheet Discrepancies

There was a discrepancy in John's birthdate on the family group sheets at World family Tree and Family Search.  Family Search had his birth 4 May 1740, but World Family Tree had it 4 May 1742.  All of the other sources looked at have supported the World Family Tree date.  John Woolley was born in Marple, Delaware County, Pennsylvania, and died 5 April 1800 in West Chester, Chester County, Pennsylvania.  On 22 April, 1773, he married Phebe Hoopes, in Springfield Meeting, Delaware County, Pennsylvania.  They were the parents of four children: Samuel, born 12 March 1774, Sarrah, born 19 July 1777, Phebe born 29 September 1775, and John, born 19 August 1779.

Family Research

I've always wanted to know about my New England ancestors. I chose John Woolley Sr. and his family to research, because he served in the Revolutionary War, and I have always had a keen interest in that period of our nation's history.

I began mt research by looking into the origina of the Woolley name. I first looked in the History and Genealogy of the Utah Woolleys from 1700 to 1936, by William George Woolley, which I found a the Family History Library. Woolley wrote that the name could have been drived from a couple of different sources, one being from the "Wools," which is a Saxon name meaning "the meadows." Since some of the early Wooleys were shepherds and tended their flocks on the "wools" of England, it would seem natural to call the family the Woolys.

www.southwickresearch.com
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