3758. Robert Heaton Jr & 3759. Alice Alis
{Yorkshire England, Middletown PA}
6/2/1637, Robert born in Wharfe, Clapham, Yorkshire, England, the s/o 7516. Robert Heaton Sr. & 7517. Hester Pearson.3/25/1642, Robert christened in Warfe, Clapham Parish, in the West Riding of Yorkshire, England.
1645, Alice born in Settle, Yorkshire, England.
4/1667–1670, Robert Jr and Alice joined ‘Settle’ Society of Friends. [Warfe is closer to Clapham than to Settle. This is the general setting of Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights.]
1670, Robert fined at at Settle Friends meeting; “suffered distraint of goods as punishment”.
1671, Robert fined at at Settle Friends meeting.
10/1678, Robert, “gentleman, of West Leigh who was a Quaker and religious dissenter” mentioned in the Lancashire, England Quaker sessions.
1/1679, Robert mentioned in the Lancashire, England Quaker sessions.
6/7/1682, Robert and Alice attend the Settle Monthly Meeting, Yorkshire, England. They were issued a certificate of removal.
6/1682, Robert “Eaton” shipped “1 pack qty. 350 ells English linen” on the ship Lamb of Liverpool to Philadelphia.
10/22/1682, Robert and family arrived aboard the ship “Lamb”, John Tench, Master. One of the ships of William Penn's fleet, it was a small ship of 130 tons. June 26 - July 17, 1682, the “Lamb” loaded at Liverpool, England and arrived in the Delaware River, October 22, 1682, bound for PA. The Liverpool port books for 1682 are in the Public Records Office, Kew, London. The document relating to the ship “Lamb” is E190/1345/11. The Lamb carried the following cargo: 36 cwt. of iron, 9.5 cwt. Nails, 2 chests of glass, 497 lbs. of shoes, 54.50 doz. Men’s hose, 15.50 doz. child hose, 60 gross of pipes, 2 cwt. of gunpowder, 73 cwt. of cheese, 2 calder grindstones. There were a number of families from Settle Monthly Meeting (which included meetings in other nearby areas of Yorkshire and Lancashire), including Croadsdales, Heatons and Stackhouses.
Robert settled his family on Neshaminy Creek in Middletown Township, Bucks Co.
1683, a Middletown monthly meeting of the Friends was held in Robert’s home.
1684, Robert a land owner in Middletown, PA. “Robert Heaton, one of the earliest settlers, and a landowner on Holme's map, built the first mill in the township.” Robert had 1088 acres.(S) Hist. of Bucks Co., see No.1878. The land was on Neshaminy Creek in Middle Township, and adjoined the land of his future son-in-law Thomas Stackhouse. (S) W R Stackhouse, Seattle Press 1907, P11.
5/1686, purchased from Robert Holgate, planter of Sussex County, 250 acres on the Neshaminy Creek in Middletown.
1686–1708, Robert appears 20 times on jury duty.
1687, Robert’s name appears on the Thomas Holme’s map, lumped in a bloc between Middletown and Newtown with “…, Widow Crosdal, …, widdow Bond, and Thomas Stackhouse”.
5/4/1690, Robert named to a committee to set out a burial ground.
10/2/1690, Robert contributed 5 shillings to the meeting house fund.
10/1692, Robert asked on to speak with John Swift, who had become disaffected from the meeting.
1693, Robert’s property valued at £20, the lowest of any freeholder.
4/1/1693, Robert appointed to receive contributions for the meeting house, graveyard, …
7/13/1693, Robert of Middletown Township, taxes collected on property valued at £20.
1/1/1694, There is some difference depending between Robert and the Friends that are inhabitants of Newtown about a road. [In his later years Robert’s his involvement in Middletown Meeting “alternated between duty and contention.”]
8/10/1695, Robert witnessed an agreement in court.
7/3/1696, Robert found disorderly in giving his consent to his son James Marriage.
1697 and following, Robert made a substantial profit on Bucks County real estate dealings. He bought something over 2,500 acres for £813 and sold all but 250 acres for £1,747.
3/1/1698, Robert intends to take a voyage to old England and requests a certificate.
6/8/1698, John Bagly of Philadelphia laid complaint against Robert concerning some difference between them about some land.
10/1698, Robert a member of the 8-person Assembly.
1698–1704, Robert was paid a small stipend for cleaning the meeting house, and making sure the fire was laid and wood furnished for it.
5/2/1699, Robert Heaton from Settle meeting in old England, free from marriage engagements. (S) W&W, Middletown Certificates, P240.
7/1/1700, “Friends have reviewed Rober Heaton’s accounts concerning Thomas Thwait, orphan, and the said Thomas to abide at Robert Heaton’s home for his table and be kept at school for a year or so long as the meeting may think fit with the approbation of the orphans court.”
10/1700, Robert a member of the 8-person Assembly of PA in a minor role to audit claims.
10/1701, Robert a member of the 8-person Assembly.
5/1/1702, John Cutler reports he has not got money enough to pay Robert Heaton and John Cowgill so he is to pay it as fast as he gets money..
6/3/1703, “There having been formerly some negroes buried in friends burying hard which they are not well satisfied with; therefore Robert Heaton and Thomas Stackhouse are ordered to fence off the corner”.
6/7/1704, Robert makes a complaint that Thomas Hough “doth detain some money due him.”
12/1/1704, Robert sold the 2 acres of land of the meeting house to the trustees for 5 shillings.
4/16/1706, Robert witnessed the will of Henry Huddlestone in Bucks Co., PA.
6/4/1706, Discourse with Robert Heaton concerning his committing adultery with his servant woman.
6/8/1706, Robert sold to his son Robert Heaton, Jr. and son-in-law Thomas Stackhouse land for building a mill in Middletown township between the Neshaminy Creek on the south, and Core Creek on the north. The agreement included permission to dam Core Creek. The Heaton grist mill at Bridgetown was up and running by 1709.
1709, Robert represented Bucks Co. at the 8-member Assembly.
11/2/1709, Robert deeded his son James land in Bucks Co.
1710, Robert had to post bond for his son James who was accused of stealing a hog.
5/5/1710, Robert and John Cowgill spoken to fulfill the order of a former meeting, and Robert refuses.
5/10/1711, Robert, makes complaint against James Streater for “keeping him out of a certain sum of money.”
10/1711, Robert a member of the 8-member Assembly.
2/2/1713, Johnathan Woolston reports that he is satisfied concerning the matter between him and Robert Heaton.
6/10/1716, “Jeremiah Bartholomew and Ellin Cutler intend to marry, and the said Ellin being Executrix to William Cutler, deceased, this meeting appoints Robert Heaton and John Stackhouse to see that matter settled.”
4/16/1716, Robert wrote his will. (S) See Family notes.
7/7/1717, Robert died in Middletown, Bucks Co., PA.
7/16/1717, Robert’s will proved. (S) Wills of Bucks Co., WB1, P33.
4/7/1727, Alice buried in Middletown Friends Graveyard.
(S) Bucks Co. PA Church Records of the 17th & 18th Centuries, Watring and Wright 1994. (S) The PA Genealogical Magazine: “The Robert Heaton Family of Wharfe, Yorkshire, England, and Middletown Township”, V66, N2, 1989, PP100. (S) W&W, Middletown Monthly Meetings, Acknowledgements. (S) W&W, Middletown Men’s Minutes.
Family notes:
• From the Collections of Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania, 1685-1795, Extracts of Wills Bk–1, P33: Robert Heaton of Middletown, Yeoman, dated April 16, 1716, proved July 16, 1717. Wife Alice sole executor - Sons Robert, James & Ephraim. Sons-in-law Thomas Stackhouse and Henry Comly - son Robert and Henry Comely, Trustees. Witnesses John Ledyard, Robert Heaton, Jr., Henry Comly. Each son and son-in-law received 5 shillings. Will filed at Court House, Doylestown, PA. No.173.
• Alice was active in the Women’s Meeting. She served on marriage clearness committees at least 15 times. Twice she was asked to serve on a committee to meet with women whose behavior gave the meeting cause for concern. During the Keithian controversy she was asked to speak with those women who had “fallen away”. Alice was appointed to “oversee” the meeting, a forerunner of the more formal office of overseer.
Children of Robert and Alice:
(S) W&W, Middletown Monthly Meeting, Births and Deaths, P198.
i. Grace Heaton ( 1879), born 3/14/1667 in England.
ii. Robert Heaton III, born 8/3/1671 in England.
Robert remained in England when his family immigrated to America.
Aft. 4/1699, Robert traveled to America to unite with his family.
3/8/1700, Robert married Grace Pearson, d/o Thomas & Grace Veepon.
1709, Robert elected to the PA Assembly.
1711, Robert elected to the PA Assembly.
4/16/1716, Robert given 5 shillings in his father’s will.
4/30/1719, Grace died.
10/1720, Robert married 2nd widow Susanna Griffith. [Their 1st child was born 6 months later.]
3/17/1743, Robert “Sr” wrote his will in Hamton Twp.
Bef. 7/23/1743, Robert died. (S) Will proved.
iii. James Heaton, born 2/25/1674 in England.
1695, James fined for having an “illegitimate” child by Mary Scaife [not a member of Friends.]
5/7/1696 in Middletown, PA, James married Ann Griffith, d/o John. [Sister of Susanna.]
4/16/1716, James given 5 shillings in his father’s will.
iv. Agnes Heaton, born 11/22/1677 in England.
8/17/1695 in Middletown, PA, Agnes married Henry Comly, born 10/25/1764 in England.
4/16/1716, Henry given 5 shillings in his fathering-law’s will.
1/16/1727 Henry died.
12/30/1743 Agnes died in Moreland, PA.
Children:
Mary Comly, born 12/12/1699 in Moreland, PA.
Henry Comly Jr, born 2/26/1702 in Moreland, PA.
Robert Comly, born 4/12/1704in Moreland, PA.
John Comly, born 3/20/1706 in Moreland, PA.
Agnes Comly, born 2/20/1713 in Moreland, PA.
v. Ephraim Heaton, born 8/17/1679 in England.
1/11/1703, Ephraim married Sarah Parker, d/o Humphrey of Dublin Twp., Philadelphia Co.
4/16/1716, Ephraim given 5 shillings in his father’s will.
