Biographical Sketch of John CHALFANT (1881); Chester County, PA Contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by Candace Roth . *********************************************************************** USGENWEB ARCHIVES NOTICE: Printing this file within by non-commercial individuals and libraries is encouraged, as long as all notices and submitter information is included. Any other use, including copying files to other sites requires permission from the submitters PRIOR to uploading to any other sites. We encourage links to the state and county table of contents. http://www.usgwarchives.net/ *********************************************************************** From THE HISTORY OF CHESTER COUNTY, by Futhey and Cope (1881); pg. 495 CHALFANT, John, obtained a warrant, 10,22,1701, for 250 acres of land in Rockland Manor, where he had settled two years previously. This was in what is now the lower part of Birmingham. He died in August 1725, leaving sons, John and Robert. John, Jr. died about 1730, leaving sons John, Solomon, and Robert, who appear to have been then grown up. The children of Robert, Sr., were Mary, b. Nov 26, 1713, m. to ____ Shields; Elizabeth, b. Dec 29, 1715, m. ____ Barnet; Robert, b. Aug. 28, 1718, died young; Thomas, b. Jan. 13, 1721, died young; Ruth, b. Oct. 15, 1723, m. to ____ Frame, ancestor of the late Robert Frame of Birmingham; Robert, b. Feb. 12, 1725; Thomas b. March 2, 1729. The father died in 1767, leaving a widow, Martha. Robert Chalfant, supposed a son of John, Jr., married first Ann Bentley, daughter of John and Mary Bentley, of Newlin, and settled on land in that township. A house, said to have been built in 1732, upon which were their initials, was torn down about 1864 by George Young, the present owner of the property. Ann (Bentley) Chalfant left children,-John, Mary (Bonnal), Jane (Few), Ann (Ligget), Robert, and Elizabeth (Quay). The father married a second wife, Elizabeth, by whom he had children,-Jesse, Joseph, and Jonathan. He died in 1792. Whether all of the name are descended from the John first mentioned is unknown. Of course there is the usual tradition of "three brothers" in this case. Henry Chalfant, son of John, of West Marlborough, married, 8,15,1740, at Londongrove Meeting, Elizabeth Jackson, daughter of Thomas and Ann, and had children,-1. Jonathan, b. 4,8,1743, m. Ann Barnard, 12,24,1777. 2. Thomas, b. 11,20,1745-6, m. Phebe Hayes, 4,5,1775. 3. Henry, b. 5,1,1748, m. Susanna Swayne, 5,17,1775. 4. Ann, b. 12,12,1750-1. 5. Elizabeth, b. 2,2,1754, m. Joseph Dickinson. 6. Jacob, b. 1,11,1758, m. ____ Barnard and ____ McCorkle. 7. Mary, b. 8,8,1760. 8. Abner, b. 11,16,1762. 9. Caleb, b. 2,7,1766, m. Mary Dickinson, 5,25,1796. David Chalfant of Pennsbury, son of Thomas, married, 10,30,1783, Frances Dowdall, daughter of John and Mary, of Marlborough. They had one son, Goodwin Chalfant, born 9,8,1788, who married Hannah Windle, 10,14,1812, and resided in East Marlborough. Their children were David W., deceased; William, living near Unionville; Sidney, m. to Edwin James of East Bradford; Jane, m. to Joseph Dowdall of New Garden; Lydia, m. to Thomas F. Seal of Unionville. David Chalfant, the grandfather, died 10,3,1832, aged 72 years, 2 months, 16 days; and his widow, 7,4,1840, aged 85 years, 8 months, 13 days. William Chalfant married Esther Baker, daughter of Aaron and Mary, of West Marlborough, and had ten children,-Mary, Martha, Esther, Aaron, Phebe, Alice, William, Sarah, Elizabeth and Susan, -all of whom were married, and several of them went West. Aaron bought a farm in Londonderry in 1796, where he died, Aug. 29, 1808. His wife was a daughter of John Wilson, who married a Todd. William Chalfant, son of Aaron, born in April 1798, is now living at or near Chesterville, in Franklin township.