Ancestor Birthday - June 8th - Joseph Townsend - 1715

Joseph Townsend was one of my 5th great grandfathers. As the Quaker record shows he was the son of Joseph and Martha (Wooderson) Townsend, born the 8th day of the 4th month in 1715, so since before the calendar change it was June 8th. This was recorded at the Chester Monthly Meeting in Chester County, Pennsylvania.

His parents, Joseph and Martha, were from England and immigrated to Pennsylvania in 1712. They had been Quakers in England and brought a certificate from the Monthly Meeting at Newbury in Berkshire. Their oldest son, William, was born in England, but the other 7 children were born in Pennsylvania.

Joseph who was born in 1715 married Lydia Reynolds 17th day of 3rd month 1739, or 17 May 1739, as recorded at the Concord Monthly Meeting in Chester County, Pennsylvania, which is now Delaware County, Pennsylvania. I wrote about Lydia on her birthday 24 Apr 2017. There I named their 5 children and showed a portion of Joseph's will showing his bequest to his wife Lydia. He died rather young, at age 34 in Dec 1749.

His will did have bequests for his children when they came of age. The oldest son Francis was to receive the saw mill with 60 acres. Benjamin and Joseph were to get the other part of his plantation of about 152 acres. Benjamin would get the house and that would effect the division between the two. His daughter Esther was to get 50 pounds currency when she was 18. There was an unborn child when he wrote his will, so he designated that 20 pounds was to go to them when they were 21. Also if there was any money left over it would go to that child.

By reading his will we can deduce that Joseph owned a little over 200 acres and had a sawmill. He believed there was enough money to give cash in the future. As his oldest child was only 9 years old when Joseph died, I wonder if his wishes were followed, considering the amount of time before the children would be of age. All of the children did live long enough to be married.

Ancestor Birthday - April 24th - Lydia Reynolds 1716

It was 301 years ago when my 5th great-grandmother, Lydia Reynolds, was born, 24 Apr 1716 in Chester County, Pennsylvania. It was probably in Chichester Township, which was in the part of Chester County which became Delaware County in 1789. Her father, Francis Reynolds, was listed in the township in both 1715 and 1722. Francis had married her mother, Elizabeth Acton, in 1712at the Quaker Salem Monthly Meeting in New Jersey. Chichester Township was located along the Delaware River adjoining Delaware and across the river from New Jersey. Lydia had 1 older sister, 1 younger sister and 5 younger brothers.

The family were Quakers and Lydia stayed within the faith when she married Joseph Townsend Jun of East Bradford Township at the meeting house in Chichester as recorded at Concord Monthly Meeting. It was the 17th day of the 3rd month in 1739, which would translate to 17 May 1739.

She and Joseph had four children: Francis, Benjamin (my 4th great-grandfather). Esther and Joseph, before her husband Joseph died at age 34 in Dec 1749. Their 5th child, Elizabeth, was born in 1750. I find it interesting that Lydia and Joseph's children all seem to be named for family members:

Francis -- Lydia's father, Francis Reynolds

Benjamin -- Lydia's grandfather, Benjamin Acton

Esther -- Joseph's grandmother, Esther ( ) Wooderson

Joseph -- Joseph's father and himself, Joseph Townsend

Elizabeth -- Lydia's mother, Elizabeth (Acton) Reynolds

A portion of the will of Lydia's husband, Joseph Townsend, 1749

Joseph provided for Lydia generously in his will. Here I am quoting from a portion of it as best as I can transcribe that old handwriting. (See above.) "I give and bequeath to my beloved wife Lydia all the household goods that are now in Being which Shee brought me at Marriage and all the furniture that belongs to the room Over the Dwelling house Two pots and the warming pan and half a Duzon of platters and one Duzon of pewter plates half a Duzon of porringers one pewter _____the tea kettle and pewter cup and two silver tea spoons.....the full sum of Six pound a year and every year during her widowhood...."

Her father, Francis Reynolds, died in 1760 and Lydia was named as an heir in his will also. It was 8 May 1761 when Lydia married her 2nd husband, widower Joseph Talbot, who had 10 children by his first wife. It was just the next year on 8 Jul 1762 that Lydia's oldest son Francis married Joseph Talbot's 6th child, Rachel. So Lydia was Rachel's step-mother and mother-in-law at the same time.

I have not yet found the date for Lydia's death. But it is reasonable to believe that she had died before Joseph Talbot married for a 3rd time 21 Aug 1776.