These notes are directed to my cousins; the grandchildren of William Perry Haworth and Abigail Chawner Haworth.
This is how it happened:
In 1933 the grandparents passed away. (they had been married more than 63 years.) Among the things which came to me, via my mother, were some letters written from England in 1845 by grandmother's father, Chalkley Chawner; a few pictures, some books and especially a large muslin sheet of Haworth genealogical data and outlines.
In 1961 I retired. In 1962 and 1966 Helen and I made extended trips to Europe- five months in 1962 and six months in 1966. From the latter we returned home on October 28.
On this second trip we spent seven weeks in Britain and ten days in the home of an "authentic" cousin in Barley, Lancashire. She is Jessie Haworth Barlow. She and her husband, James, are retired. With them as guides and in our American car we toured Haworth and Quaker country. It was truly a journey into the past.
At Bacup we visited Rockcliffe Hall. This was the home of James and Isabel Haworth, the parents of our ancestor George, the immigrant of 1699. We were at Marsden Quaker Meeting where the Haworths were members. In the County archives we saw the original minutes of Marsden Monthly Meeting and noted that James Haworth was an active member.
At Cheadle in Staffordshire we found evidence of the Chawner family. There were two family burial vaults in the yard of St. Giles Church. Inside was a memorial plaque to William Chawner, a surgeon. He was a great uncle of Abigail Chawner Haworth, our grandmother. No one with the name of Chawner now resides in Cheadle.
signed, Gerald H. (for Haworth) Wood
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Our grandparents passed away in 1933; he on January 27 and she three days later on January 30. To quote the obituary; "They were one in death as in life". They had been married more than sixty-three years and had spent most of their active, adult lives as Quaker ministers and missionaries. They were buried in Ottawa Indian Cemetery near Miami, Oklahoma, where many years before they had served as missionaries.
We have had in our possession for thirty-five years, a large muslin sheet on which grandfather had drawn a genealogical chart of the Haworth family. This sheet had presumably been displayed at two Haworth reunions called by him: at Noblesville, Indiana in 1899; and at Kansas City, Missouri in 1902. A booklet of eighty-five pages, THE HAWORTHS IN AMERICA, was published to record these meetings. Presumably, each of the five children of William Perry had a copy of this book. Now, but two are available; one in the possession of THELMA LEPLEY, the other by TOM GRIFFITHS. (Thelma has typed the entire booklet and furnished copies to all members of her family.)
In 1961 we retired and the following year spent five months in Europe. This included a few days in England, a quick trip to Lancashire and a brief stop at Bacup--The town from which George Haworth had migrated in 1699. There in a small shop on Burnley Road, we by chance met and visited with Mrs. Richard Haworth. As we had opened no other channels of communication with English members of the family, we wrote the Richard Haworths after our return to America. In that letter we gave some of the available family information and invited correspondence. Mrs. Haworth gave the letter to a local newspaper and it was published. As A result, we received a number of helpful letters; two of which were obviously and probably from persons in our Haworth line.
One letter was from James R. Haworth of Huntington, West Virginia, who had received a clipping of our letter from a friend in England. We had a fruitful correspondence with him and in 1965 he inscribed and sent us a copy of his book, GEORGE HAWORTH AND SOME OF HIS DESCENDANTS. James R. Haworth was descended from John of Generation III.
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His book is especially valuable in detail and documentation concerning the early life of George the Emigrant in America. (We have information from England that James R Haworth died in February 1969.)
The second letter was from Jessie Haworth Barlow who is descended from James, a brother of George the Emigrant.
What began as a casual interest has developed into a major project of genealogical research. From many sources, Helen has organized, tabulated and indexed information. There are well over one thousand names involved and in the process she has discovered that we are sixth cousins. (Gerald descended from James of Generation III, Helen from Stephanus of the same generation.)
In 1966 we made a second extended trip to Europe, spent days as guests of James and Jessie Barlow in Barley at the foot of Pendle Hill. These ten days, with Jim and Jessie as guides, we visited scenes of family interest and shared experiences around the evening fireplace. Our conversation was a mixture of Lancashire and Mid West dialects.
Again, we called on the Richard Haworths at Bacup and on others who had responded to our request for help, with a "thank you" to all.
This chart is an attempt to show all the members of each of the eight families in direct male descent; from and including James, the father of George the Emigrant, to and including the children of William Perry Haworth.
Five names are underscored for emphasis.
1. George the Emigrant, was the first of our line to come to America. (G. II)
2. George of Quaker Point, (G. IV), is the ancestor of most of the Haworths in the West.
3. Caleb Haworth of England, communicated with the American branch of the family and preserved many significant documents.
4. William Perry Haworth - - our grandfather - - through his life long interest in family history, was able to preserve much data.
5. Jessie Haworth Barlow, with her husband, introduced us to places of family interest in England and furnished data on the English branch of the family.
Due to lack of space on the chart, much is omitted, such as dates. However, we can furnish this information in many cases. Should you want more data in special areas, let us know.
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Caleb Haworth of England wrote an account of the family, speculating on the origin of the name and giving a brief history of both the English and American descendants of James and Isabel to about 1817. This account was published in England and with some variations appeared in America. It can be found on pp. 32-35 of HAWORTHS IN AMERICA. Caleb Haworth says that he was unable to establish a positive record of descent earlier than James and Isabel of Rockcliffe, Bacup in 1650. This date and place puts them at the center of the Quaker movement. Nothing is of record concerning the birth dates of this generation. James is reported to have died in 1684, which would remove him as the James mentioned in the Marsden Meeting records of 1698. There were other James in the family. William of Generation I had a son James who may have been the cousin who came to America and was mentioned by George the Emigrant in his letter of May 13, 1701. It is of record that Isabel married John Ormerod as a second husband.
Mary Haworth Myers (or Miers) and her husband John came to America in 1697 or 1698. They first settled near the mouth of the Delaware Bay some 100 leagues from Philadelphia at a place called Harbills or Hurbells (James R. Haworth identifies it as Whorkill). This is the sister to whom George refers in his letter of August 26, 1699. We have no information on the Myers' descendants.
The daughters, Sarah and Susannah, married and remained in England where there are many of their descendants.
James married a cousin, Elizabeth Haworth, the daughter of Henry of Generation I. They were the ancestors of Caleb and Jessie Haworth Barlow.
In none of the records, English or American, can one find the name of the married sister who was on the ship with her brother George. On the voyage, she gave birth to a child, but all died--mother, infant and husband.
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"I grew up under the impression there were three brothers who emigrated and that they came and settled in Pennsylvania, Virginia and North Carolina. (However) I do not find any genealogical record that gives but the one emigrant who came with William Penn in 1699."
The above quotation is from remarks by William Perry Haworth and recorded on page 13 of HAWORTHS IN AMERICA. The idea of three emigrating brothers was widely believed. It can not be assumed that no other Haworths migrated from Lancashire, but our line is clearly descended from the one emigrant--George the Emigrant from Rockcliffe, Bacup. Also there is often repeated, "he came with William Penn in 1699." If "with" means on the same ship, that is impossible. George Haworth and William Penn sailed from different ports on different ships on different dates in 1699. There is no evidence that they ever met or knew each other.
The Britannia had been chartered on behalf of the Lancaster Quaker Meeting out of Liverpool for Philadelphia. Many from nearby meeting, including Marsden, sold their estates and embarked with their families for Pennsylvania. In spite of various Toleration Acts in England which permitted nonconformist religious meeting, the system of compulsory tithes was still enforced.
The dates of sailing or arrival in America can not be determined, except that arrival was previous to August 26, 1699, which is the date of George's first letter home. The Britannia was a large ship, carried 140 passengers and was a dull sailer. The season was reported as hot and dry, even at sea. George described the hazards and suffering of the journey.
"We were about fourteen weeks at sea--were thronged in the ship--many died at sea, about fifty six and at shore there died about twenty--many distempers among us as fevers, flux and jaundice--having salt beef we were much athirst--for the seamen stowed the hold so full of goods that they had not room enough for water and beer."
George debarked somewhere near the Delaware Capes and as he had been "very weakly at sea" found his sister Mary Myers and spent a week with her before continuing to Philadelphia.
In the record of Marsden Meeting we noted, that on August 20, 1698, Thomas Pearson had stated his intentions of removing to Pennsylvania in America with his family. Thomas Pearson and his wife Grace were among those who died on the Britannia leaving two young daughters. Most numerous victims
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of the journey were men, next women, and least affected were children and young persons.
In the summer of 1699 there was an epidemic in Philadelphia and vicinity presumed to have been yellow fever. In ten weeks about 200 died among Quakers. This was coincident with the arrival of the Britannia. The monthly Meetings of the area took care of the numerous orphans, among them the two Pearson daughters.
In the Quarterly Meeting records of February 4, 1700 we saw the following: "that all Friends who are concerned in transporting people into foreign parts take care not to crowd them together in ships to prejudice their health or endanger their lives."
For some years thereafter no Friends from Lancashire again attempted the crossing.
In none of the Haworth records had we found any information about the ship that brought George to America. It seemed that this narrative should at least include its name. Letters to Liverpool and Falmouth brought no result. Finally in published letters of some Philadelphia Quakers to friends in Lancashire in 1699 we found the name of the ship they termed "that sick ship from Liverpool." It was the Britannia.
When George migrated, he must have been about twenty years of age. At his marriage in 1710 he was about thirty or thirty-one and at his death in 1724 or 1725, near forty-five. Some records give the date of his will, which is unlikely. It is best to say that the exact date is unknown.
Between his arrival in 1699 and his death in 1724 or 1725, George wrote at least eight letters to his family in England. These letters must have been preserved and handed down from Generation I to Caleb of Generation V who arranged for their publication. Jessie Haworth Barlow of Generation VII remembers them in the home of her father Wilson Haworth until his death in 1941. However, they now seem to have been lost. Two of the Emigrant's letters and both of unusual interest were published in HAWORTHS IN AMERICA. All eight were published by James R. Haworth.
In 1702 or 1703 George purchased two tracts of land, the first of 200 acres was for a consideration of twelve pounds. The second of 250 acres, joined the first tract and cost twenty two pounds. George is listed in the deeds as a laborer of Bristol Township.
This land was largely primeval forest and was located four miles northeast of Doylestown in Buckingham Township of Buck Country Pennsylvania. As there is little reference
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in Bucks county to the principal points of the compass; the land can be described as lying in a Southwest to Northeast direction for its greater length of about two miles. Bounding it on its Northwest side is the present Carversville Road which meets the Durham Road at a right angle. Within this angle and lying North and East of the intersection is the site of the Haworth farm.
George and Sarah Haworth did not live on this farm until 1722 which was shortly before his death.
(please click on thumbnail, to see the author's sketch"
"It was on this branch trail over the hill that George Haworth and Samuel Pickering courted John Scarborough's two eldest daughters during long walks and talks." This was an ancient Indian trail and made an ideal lovers lane. There were big chestnut trees, huckleberry and wild honeysuckle bushes on both sides. This trail was near the John Scarborough farm in Solebury Township, the present site of the borough of Lahaska. (The quotation is from PLACE NAMES IN BUCKS COUNTY by George MacReynolds.)
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On September 28, 1710 at Falls Quaker Meeting in Buckingham Township, Bucks Country, Pennsylvania; George Haworth of Makefield Township married Sarah Scarborough of Solebury Township according to the manner of Friends. Sarah was the daughter of John and Mary Scarborough. The certificate is signed by thirty seven witnesses.
After their marriage George and Sarah lived on the John Scarborough farm in Solebury Township near the site of Lahaska. A log cabin was built for them. It is said that a peach tree now grows on the site which is near a stone house still standing. All of George the Emigrant's children were born on the Scarborough farm, where the family lived until they moved to the 450 acre Haworth farm. This was in 1722, shortly before the death of the Emigrant. Parents and children were members of Falls Monthly Meeting until the Buckingham Meeting was established about 1720.
John Scarborough, father of Sarah, was a boy of fifteen years when he came with his father from London. This was in 1682, the date of the earlier settlements in Pennsylvania. The father returned to London to get his wife, but she refused to come to America. The son was left in the care of friends, but he rebelled against their harshness. He ran away and for ten years lived with the Indians and learned their language. Often he served as interpreter and negotiator between them and the English settlers. John Scarborough was an unusually competent man much respected. Many of his descendants are still in Pennsylvania.
John Scarborough's parents never came to America. His wife was Mary, but her last name is not know. It is even speculated that she may have been an Indian maiden.
Note: Our grandfather seems to have been mistaken when he attributed the name of Mary to John Scarborough's daughter who married George the Emigrant. In other records, including her signature on the marriage certificate, she is Sarah Scarborough. He also must have been mistaken when he spells the family name in the abbreviated form of Scarbro.
Enclosed is a facsimile copy of the beginning and end of the original will, also a typed rendering of the same to show the spelling of the time. Note the double dating used in the will which also appears in other Quaker documents of the period.
George died sometime between the signing of the will and May 6, 1725, when witnesses Ambrose Barcroft and Lawrence Pearson certified it before a court official. The nature of his illness is not recorded. James R. Haworth suggests that
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he may have been buried on the Haworth farm.
Sarah Scarborough Haworth, for a second husband, married Matthew Hall by whom she had a number of children.
Our grandparents were married December 29, 1869. As the one hundredth anniversary approaches, it might be of interest to share some of our recollections of them through the channel of these narratives. They celebrated their fiftieth anniversary at Miami, Oklahoma, which a number of us attended--some as small children.
How many ways can you spell Haworth? We suggest at least 12 variations which we have noted--including "Howard."
We have a letter from Mrs. James R. Lilienthal, 1964 Juniper Street, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87544. She is a daughter of James R. Haworth whose book has been so useful. The book gives the complete text of the Emigrant's eight letters home, the deeds to his Bucks County farm, his marriage certificate and his will. It also has a plot of the Haworth farm showing its division among the heirs, and a map of the Haworth and Scarborough holdings in Virginia. The price is $2.00 per copy.
(Editor's note: Mrs. James Lilienthal, her son and grandson, all attended the 300 year reunion)
Helen Fe Jones' husband "William C." is retiring after many years at University of Oregon. He is taking a visiting professorship for next year at Emory and Henry College in Emory Virginia 24327. They have sold their home in Eugene, Oregon, and plan a trip to Europe next summer.
As some of you know, we are equipped to copy old pictures, to make prints and enlargements. In the cooler weather of Fall and Winter we can share with you, pictures of general family interest. Do you have pictures you would like to share?
It is ironical that for the purpose of genealogical identification, the most important facts are dates of birth and death. What about the seventy years--more or less-- between these events?
We have a letter from Alfred Haworth which reports that he has a copy of HAWORTHS IN AMERICA. It had belonged to his father. He enclosed an abstract from the Davis Pamphlets which had been made by Wm. A. Haworth of Canby Oregon and had perhaps been sent to his father, Charles C., many years ago. Helen has already fitted it into our other information.
(Editor's note; The "Davis Pamphlets" as noted by the authors later in this book, were actually titled "The Haworth Record". In connection with the 1999 reunion, we obtained and preserved every issue of this publication by Chas Davis. The grand daughter of Chas Davis, said she had helped "set the letter type " used in the offset printing of the publication. Ron Haworth)
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In 1652 George Fox had his prophetic "openings" on Pendle Hill and a vision of a great people to be gathered. Various of his followers traveled through the Marsden area the following year and by 1655 it had become a "pocket of Quaker enthusiasm".
The Quakers taught the principle of the "inner light", a mystical concept of religion, a direct and personal contact with God. The character of the moorlands of North England may have contributed to this idea. The new religion came into conflict with the state and the established church. Quakers refused to attend services, but held meetings of their own in the fields, on the fells, (hills) or in homes. They refused to pay the legal tithe which they called, "steeple house dues", refused to take oaths as a reflection on personal integrity and most conspicuously refused the oath of allegiance to the king. There were many interruptions of Quaker meetings by local officials, assualts on individual Quakers, confiscation of property, trials and imprisonments at Lancaster castle.
The name Haworth appears among those under arrest for nonconformist practices. One, a George Haworth, died in Lancaster Castle after many months of privation and imprisonment. His friends carried his body on their shoulders, over the moorlands to burial at Marsden.
The first Haworths, as shown on the chart, were contemporary with George Fox and adopted his teachings. This Quaker influence has continued among many members of the family even to our generation, a fact which has simplified our research. In 1966 we visited the Lancashire archives at Preston and were told that the file of Quaker records of the seventeenth century were among the best of historical sources. As non-conformists, relative to the established church, and to support their attitudes, the Quakers kept precise records of births, marriages, deaths, burials, which are the data of genealogical research.
Among items we were privileged to see at Preston, were the original hand-written minutes and burial records of Marsden Meeting in l698. There was a James Haworth whose name appeared with frequency, and he could have been "our" James of Generation I. Though Rockcliffe Hall, the Haworth home at Bacup, is some ten miles from Marsden; there might have been a "meeting for worship" there; which was in turn a part of the larger "monthly meeting" at Marsden. That method of organization was then, and is still, practiced in England.
We did not find a firm confirmation that this James Haworth was our line, nor that there may have been a Quaker meeting at Bacup. However, we did find that Isobel, the wife of James of Rockcliffe Hall and mother of George
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the Emigrant, was married at Marsden. We do not know the burial place of James the father.
James and Jessie Barlow are members at Marsden and twice we attended with them. Also one Quarterly Meeting at Crawshawbooth, which is a part of Marsden Monthly Meeting. Meetings are held in the traditional Quaker manner without formal programs or ministers.
The first Marsden Meeting House was build about l690. This building was sold and is now a private residence. The present meeting house was completed in 1763.
On the second attendance at Marsden, we presented to the Meeting, a bible which has been given our grandfather by the Ottawa Indian congregation in 1893. We had this presentation in mind when we went to England in 1966.
James Barlow made a case of wood into which the bible was snugly fitted. A citation was printed on the box referring to William Perry Haworth's descent from members of the Marsden Meeting and thus its continuing influence "over the world and over the centuries."
Rockcliffe Hall, the traditional home of George the Emigrant, is upon a hill overlooking the city of Bacup. It is now of manor house proportions, but shows evidence of major alterations. Parts, however, are very old and one can only speculate as to its original size and appearance. In the principal front gable is a stone which bears the initials J. E. H. and the date 1752. The initials are said to be for James and Elizabeth Haworth of a later generation.
With James and Jessie Barlow, we were privileged to see the interior of Rockcliffe Hall, which is in excellent condition and the home of a local banker. The kitchen area is perhaps least changed -- overhead are the ancient hand hewn beams of chestnut or oak and an old spiral stone stairs leads to the second story.
The Haworths of 1652 were of the class called yeomen, that is landed but not gentry. They were farmers and sheep raisers. The economy of Lancashire was much depressed -- there was as yet none of the industry now so typical of the area -- but home manufacturing, especially weaving, was practiced. George the Emigrant was a skilled weaver. He had a measure of financial independence as shown by his coming to America "free" rather than indentured. In his first letter home after his arrival in America, he warned against the problems of the indentured servant.
In our next letter we will tell something about Generations I and II, the journey of George the Emigrant to America, his marriage, his farm in Bucks Country, Pennsylvania, and his death.
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Loving Mother
My dear love to thee hopeing these lines may find thee in good health as I am at present, the Allmighty be praised for it and hath been mostly since I left you but last Winter I had the Fever and ague 5 months, I received your tokens which was half a crown from thee, and a shilling from my loving Brother, which I received very gladly, but I should have been more glad to have received a letter with it, I do much admire that I never received no Letter from you since I came here it makes me think you have all most forgotten me; I am very sorry and sore troubled that you so neglect writing to me, I desire you to write to me by the next opportunity and not to fail. Remember my love to my loving Sister Sarah and to Brother James and to my sister Susannah and all my Relations and to Friends and neighbours. Two Months ago I was with my Sister Mary where she doth dwell, and she was in good health and her Husband and their children, They have had six children but the youngest is dead, John, Mary, Sarah, James, and Elizabeth, but George died of the Small pox. they live about 172 miles from me near Maryland upon the Sea coast and I live up the country near Delaware river 20 miles above Philadelphia. And as for the Country affairs I have writ in my former Letters, only Corn is cheap, but I could gladly wish as many of you as desire to come here were well settled here. And if any of you come here or any of your acquaintance come, come free, it is a great deal better living here than in England for working people, poor working people doth live as well as here, as landed men doth live with you thats worth 20L a year, I live a single life and hath builded a Shop, and doth follow weaving of linnen cloth, but I have bought 450 acres of land in the Woods, but doth not live on it yet, so no more at present, but I rest with my love to thee, desiring thy health both in this world and thy Souls health in the World to come my own hand writing.
From thy loving son
George Haworth.
(Hand written here is a note ) The above Letter appears in: Jas. R. Haworth; "George Haworth and Some of his Descendants"
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MEMORANDUM THAT I GEORGE HAWORTH OF BUCKINGHAM IN YE COUNTY OF BUCKS A PROVINCE OF PENNSYLVANIA BEING SICK OF BODY BUT OF A PERFECT MIND & MEMORY THANKS BE TO GOD FOR THE SAME I CALLING TO MIND YE MORTALLITY OF MY BODY & KNOWING IT IS APOINTED ONCE FOR ALL MEN TO DYE I DO MAKE & ORDAINE THIS MY LAST WILL & TESTAMENT RECOMMENDING MY SOULE UNTO GOD (WHO) GAVE IT ME & BODY TO BE BURYED DECENTLY AT THE DISCRETION OF MY EXECUTORS HEREAFTER NAMED & I DISPOSE OF MY WORLDLY ESTATE AS FOLLOWETH--- --- -- ---
FIRST I WILL THAT MY FUNERALL EXPENCES & MY JUST DEBTS BE PAYED & DISCHARGED-- --- -- ---
ITEM I WILL THAT MY LOVEING WIFE SARAH HAYWORTH HAVE & ENJOY MY PLANTATION WITH ALL MY WOOD LAND & PERSONALL ESTATE AFTER MY JUST DEBTS BE PAYED UNTILL SHE SHALL MARRY OR DYE -- -- -- -- --
IN WITNESS WHEREOF I HAVE HEREUNTO SETT MY HAND AND SEALE THIS TWENTY SEVENTH DAY OF THE 11TH MONTH CALLED JANIWARY IN YE YEAR OF OUR LORD ONE THOUSAND SEVEN HUNDRED & TWENTY FOUR OR FIVE 1724/5
GEORGE HAWORTH
SIGNED SEALED AND
PUBLISHED IN YE PRESENCE OF US
JOHN SCARBROUGH
ANMBROSE BARCROFT
LAWRENCE PEARSON
JOSEPH SIDELL
Helen and I may visit our son in Dayton, Ohio this Fall. We will try to get some family data at Willmington College. George of Generation IV moved to that area in l803 from Greene County Tennessee. Also we will stop in Vermillion County Illinois. Perhaps we can add to our inadequate picture of great-Grandfather Eli.
(Editor's note: At this point this page is signed by Gerald Haworth Wood and Helen Hester Wood) Both signatures appear to be penned by the same hand )
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