Biographical Sketch of Thomas NORBURY; Chester County, PA Contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by Lew Copyright. All Rights Reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/pafiles.htm ********************************************************* THOMAS NORBURY, late purchaser of 125 acres of land, obtained a warrant, 9-21-1683, to take it up between Crum and Darby Creeks. This land was located in Newtown township. About a year later he married Frances, widow of Stephen Hugh, who, by her first husband, had a daughter, Martha Hugh, b. 3-11-1684. Stephen Hugh, of Springfield, d. 11-21-1683. When Thomas Norbury and Frances Hugh declared their intentions of marriage the 2d time, 12-2- 1684,"The said Thomas Norbery doth hereby Ingage himselfe to ye meeting to Endeaver to bring up ye child of ye sd ffrances Hugh as his owne in ye feare of God & accord: to ye ordr & manner of Truth as also to secure & pay quitt rent for yt land (taken up in its fathers name) untill ye child come to the Age of sixteene yeares to Weh he subscribes his name. THOMAS NORBURY." The 50 acres taken up in right of Stephen Hugh was doubtless "head land," on account of his coming to this country as a servant, and it was located with the 125 acres of Thonas Norbury. The latter appears to have been rather unsuccessful in his struggles for a livelihood and in need of some assistance from his friends. At Chester Monthly Meeting, 8-2- 1693, "The friends appointed by the Last meeting to goe to vieu the Land Thomas Narbery dwels on, gives their Judgment that it is better for him to staye there then to remove, and with Less Charge to friends, And the meeting hath agreed to pay Daniel Williamson six pound for plowing & sowing his field. " A resurvey of his land, made 5-31-1702, proved there were 200 acres in the two tracts. His need of assistance is partly explained by the fact that ten children were born to him by the close of 1701, their names being Stephen, Jacob, Deborah, Thomas, John, Philip, Mary, Hannah, Sarah and Rachel. Jacob Norbury, b. 9-30-1687, m. Alice --- about 1721, but no mention of the marriage appears on the records of the meeting. She m. 2nd husband, Richard Farr, of Edgmont, 1727, and a 3rd husband, Thomas Hall, 1746; and in each instance William and Susanna Griffith sign as near relatives. The children of Jacob and Alice Norbury were Sarah, b. 6-27-1722, who m. John Warner and Samuel Hall, and Hannah, who m. 9-5-1741, at Middletown Meeting, John Matson, of Edgmont, and after his death George Smedley, as already stated. By her first husband she had children, Richard, Jacob and Joseph Matson. This file is located at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/pa/chester/bios/n/norbury-t.txt