The Stubbs Story
Chapter I
Thomas Stubbs was born in April 1692 in Eldersfield, Worcestershire, England. He was baptized on April 15 of that year in St. John the Baptist parish church where his father, Daniel Stubbs was church warden. Thomas was Henry Stubbs’ great grandfather.
Church wardens have responsibility for recording the property and movable goods in a parish and in Daniel’s case also for recording vital records including baptisms for each year in parish records, so his name is signed at the end of yearly list of baptisms for 1692 when Thomas was born.
When Thomas was about 21 years old, he emigrated to William Penn’s Quaker colony of Pennsylvania. It is not known when Thomas became a convinced Quaker, but his Anglican church warden father must have been very disappointed. When Thomas’ father, Daniel died in 1719 Thomas was not included in the will. Daniel’s property went to Thomas’ older brother (also named Daniel). Older brother Daniel was a maltster (brewer of beer or prepared malt for brewing) in the city of Bristol, about 40 miles south of Eldersfield.
According to Thomas’ grandson, William Penn Attmore:
“The first of this family I have had any record of was from the information my mother gave, who understood that my grandfather used to say my great great grandfather was a Captain of Horse in the Royal Army, in the war betwixt King Charles I and the Parliament.
My great grandfather, Daniel Stubbs, lived also in England. My grandfather, Thomas Stubbs, I well remember. He lived sometime in Chester Co. In the then Province of Pennsylvania, in the forks of the Brandywine Creek; afterwards removed to the south side of the south fork of Brandywine, in Newlin Township, and finally removed to Concord Township. There he died.
He was born in Worcestershire, in England, within 12 miles of the city of Worcester, between Malvern Hill and Clauslawn [Corse Lawn]. Those are 12 miles apart, alittle way from Severn River. He was about 20 or 21 years old when he came over to America. He took shipping at Bristol at a time when there was a cessation of arms in Queen Anne's Wars, in the ship Bristol Merchant, of sixteen guns mounted and had others not mounted. He had hired to work at Bristol about a year.
After he had been in Pennsylvania about six years, he married Mary Minor at Goshen in Chester County, about the year 1718, at Friend's Meeting House there.
It appears my Grandfather was born in the south west corner of Worcestershire, where there is a nook of land partly surrounded by Gloucestershire. There Malvern Hills, Cosse Court and Cosse Wood are laid down.
His eldest brother was named David. [actually named Daniel in the father’s will]
He (Thomas Stubbs) had in 13 years, nine children born, whose posterity in September 1792 were as annexed to their names.
1st Esther - she has had 10; now living 6
2d. Daniel: born 20th or 22nd of 7th Mo. 1722 14 do. 12
3d. Mary (born about 1 3/4 years after 1724) 3 " 2
4th Elizabeth 6 " 6
5th Anne (an Old Maid)
6th Thomas 5 2 7
7th John 14 13 10
8th Sarah
9th Joseph 1
9 children who had - 45 more; inc. 41 more and 17 more.
Thomas settled in Concord Township, Chester County (now Delaware County), Pennsylvania where he owned a farm on Brandywine Creek and attended Quaker Meetings at the Kennett Square Quaker meeting house where he married Mary Minor in 1720. According to the inventory of his estate, he owned 87 ½ acres, which were appraised at 178 pounds in 1763 after Thomas died.
In 1777 a major Revolutionary War battle was fought on Brandywine Creek where the 15,500 British and Hessian troops were able to cross the creek in the fog at an undefended ford and the Americans were forced to retreat allowing the British to occupy Philadelphia.
Four of Thomas’ children moved to the Quaker village of Wrightsborough, Georgia after living for a while in North Carolina.
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