Chester County PA Archives Biography of the SWAYNE Family, 1881 Contributed to PAGenWeb Archives by Diana Quinones [audianaq@msn.com] ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/pafiles.htm ************************************************ Futhey and Cope, History of Chester County, 1881. pp.725-782. Chapt XIII F SWAYNE.— Among they earliest Quaker families that settled Chester County was that of Francis Swayne (who by an old deed is styled practitioner of medicine). He was the son of William Swayne, of Ockingham, Liberty of Wilts, Berkshire, England, who died in 1693, leaving two sons and a daughter,— Francis, the emigrant, Judith, and William. To the latter he left by will his house and lands in Ockingham: to his daughter, house and ground called the Harpe-bien, Bienfield, and to his son Francis, "All that house & Land, and the Store in the common field of Bienfield, by the wayside going to Bienfield church," and making him whole executor of "All my goods, cattle, corn," etc. Francis Swayne married Elizabeth Milton, and had removed from Bienfield to East Hampstead Park some years previous to coming to America, and his son William records that "about the year 1704 my father and mother and myself were convinced and received the truth." William Swayne, eldest son of Francis and Elizabeth, was born the 30th of 1st mo., 1689, in the parish of Bienfield, and when about eighteen sailed from Bristol "on board a ship called the ‘Saulsbury,’" and in about five weeks landed at Philadelphia on the 15th of 9th mo., 1708, and in about a year and a half thereafter Francis and Elizabeth, with their remaining children,— Francis, Edward, Elizabeth, Jane, and Sarah,— landed at New Castle, on the Delaware, where they were met and welcomed by their son William, who had preceded them. They went to what is now East Marlborough township, Chester Co., and purchased and settled on one of the lots of land joining the south side of Marlborough Street, containing 425 acres, it being then an uncultivated wilderness. The deed of conveyance to Francis Swayne bears date 12th day of September, A.D. 1711. Francis and his son William were both prominent and active members of the Society of Friends. In the year 1713, Francis went on an extended religious visit to Massachusetts and New Hampshire. Starting from Philadelphia, holding meetings by the way, to Flushing, Newport, Dartmouth, thence to Nantucket, Rochester, Falmouth, Barnstable, Sandwich, Yarmouth, Plymouth, Scituate, Boston, Salem, Lynn, Marblehead, Hampton, Amesbury, Newburyport, Portsmouth, etc. Several of these places were visited twice. During the journey, which occupied three months, from 7th mo. 24th to 10th mo. 21st, about seventy meetings were held. When we take into account the difficulties of traveling in those early days, we are led to conclude that the emigrant ancestor of the Swaynes was possessed of a fair share of the zeal which characterized the early Friends. While in Nantucket he met with a family of the same name as his own, who had settled there in 1662, from some town east of Boston. They proved to have been of the same family in England. There is a family tradition that Francis, while resting for lunch, in the harvest-time, under the shade of some particular tree, remarked that he would like to be buried there; his wish was remembered, and when, in 1721, 9th mo. 30th, he died, he was interred on the spot selected by himself, the place was inclosed with a wall, and for upwards of eighty years was used as the family burying-ground. Francis Swayne during his lifetime conveyed to his eldest son William, the pioneer, by deed dated 9th mo. 8, 1717, 195 acres of his original purchase, bordering on the Marlborough Street. William, on 7th mo. 29, 1720, at the age of thirty-two, married Elizabeth Dell, daughter of Thomas and Mary, of Ridley, now Delaware County. He died in 1735, at the age of forty seven. Elizabeth died in 1743. Their children were,— 1. William (2), b. 4, 11, 1721; m. 10, 1, 1743, Ann Pusey, daughter of Caleb and Prudence, of East Marlborough; died 9, 8, 1785. Ann, born 4, 2, 1723; died 8, 27, 1802. 2. Francis, b. 12, 18, 1722; m. 3, 18, 1748, Betty Baily, daughter of Joel, of West Marlborough. Betty, born 1, 8, 1728; died-----. 3. John, b. 8, 27, 1724; d. 2, 28, 1755, unmarried. 4. Thomas, b. 9, 19, 1726; m. 3, 18, 1749, Mary Sharpless, daughter of John, of Ridley; d. 12, 23, 1792. 5. Mary, b. 3, 29, 1728; m. 4, 15, 1748, Thomas Pusey, son of Caleb and Prudence, of East Marlborough. She died 4, 18, 1802. 6. Elizabeth, b. 8, 22, 1729; m. 2, 11, 1751, Israel Howell, son of Evan, of Edgmont. She died 4, 29, 1757. 7. Samuel, b. 12, 13, 1730; m. 6, 16, 1756, Hannah Hayes, daughter of William and Jane, of East Marlborough; d. 7, 25, 1808. Hannah, b. 1, 1, 1736; d. 9, 13, 1799. 8. Joseph, b. 6, 22, 1732; died in infancy. 9. Ann, b. 3,— , 1735; m. 4, 10, 1754, George Webb, of Kennet, son of Daniel. She died 4, 24, 1764. The descendants of William and Elizabeth Swayne are numerous, and mostly have lived in Chester and Delaware Counties, and are to be found among many of the old families of the two counties, having intermarried with (besides those before mentioned) the Woodwards, Copes, Marshalls, Jacksons, Pennocks, Phillipses, Thomases, Wickershams, Seals, Bailys, Woods, Barnards, Houses, Bancrofts, Noblets, Hornes, Yarnalls, Waltons, Hadleys, Taggarts, Grays, etc. Joel Swayne, late of East Marlborough, a grandson of William (2), and son of Benjamin and Susanna, was born 5th mo. 22, 1804, married, 10th mo. 11, 1827, Lydia Ann Jackson, daughter of Israel and Sarah, of West Grove, and died 5th mo. 9, 1840. He was a public-spirited man and active in the cause of education and reforms, and, together with the late William Jackson, an uncle by marriage, strongly advocated a thorough public-school system. In 1839 he was elected one of the members from this county to the State Legislature, and died while a member of that body. He was an indefatigable student, and possessed a large fund of scientific and literary learning, and the papers and periodicals of the day frequently contained productions in prose and poetry from his pen. He possessed poetic talents of a very high order, his home feelings and attachments were of the strongest, and his admiration of the beauties of nature, particularly in his native county, were intense, and beautifully expressed in his poem entitled "Home": "Where beauteous streams rich valleys part, ’Mid Pennsylvania’s cultured hills, What marvel that a minstrel’s heart— Where feeling’s pulse with fervor thrills, Spontaneous to life’s joys or ills— Should feel the tide of rapture start When gazing on such scenes as these, Adorned by Home’s sweet witcheries?" Edward Swayne, son of Benjamin and Sarah P., who was the son of Caleb, who was the son of William (2), was born 1st mo. 15, 1826, and died 11th mo. 18, 1846, before he had reached his twenty-first year. He possessed a poetic temperament of the highest order, and had he lived would no doubt have taken a prominent place in the literary world. His feelings were intense, and his expression of poetic images vivid and true to nature, and his flow of language required a swift pen to keep pace with it when the poetic mood was on him. His poems are mostly short, and addressed to friends or contained in letters. It is to be hoped that they may yet be collected and published in book form. Lieut. Joel J. Swayne, the youngest son of William and Mary Ann (Marshall), who was the son of Benjamin, the son of William (2), was born-----, 1837, in Pennsbury township. When the war of the Rebellion began he was engaged in business in East Marlborough. Being impressed that the war was to be a protracted and desperate one, he urged the importance of promptly organizing military companies, and with Col. Fred Taylor and one or two others raised and organized the Kennet Rifle Company, which was afterwards incorporated with the 1st Pennsylvania Rifles, or "Bucktail" Regiment. Joel, who with characteristic modesty did not aspire to the position of a commissioned officer, though deserving it, was made sergeant, but was afterwards elected second lieutenant of the company. He remained continuously with the men from the time the company was organized, laboring assiduously, by drill- exercise, to perfect them in that discipline which he considered of most importance in the effective soldier. The Kennet Rifles were present at the battle of Dranesville, the opening engagement of the war, and proved their training by their coolness under fire. Subsequently, Lieut. Swayne was appointed adjutant of a battalion of the "Bucktails," detailed for service in the Shenandoah Valley. He was fatally wounded at Harrisonburg, June 6, 1862, and died at the hospital in Harrisburg about three weeks thereafter. Of his character we will let his comradesin-arms speak for him: "He has fallen in the holy cause of Liberty and Union, and yet he lives in the cherished record of a bright and heroic example. He has indeed left among us a name all bright,— without stain or blemish in great things or small. He had entire command of his own spirit. He was gentle yet firm, amiable yet decisive, respectful to all, yet commanding obedience from his men at will. He had that admirable finish to his character which enabled him to act with discretion and self-possession on all occasions. Hence he obtained the entire confidence of men in all he attempted to do. "Swayne’s proficiency was far from being accidental: he was a most diligent military student. He not only aspired to excel, but he toiled with mind and body to become an accomplished soldier and officer, and he succeeded well. "The steady balance of his mind, his patient industry, his conscientious performance of duty, may doubtless be largely attributed to the sound principles of morality and justice instilled into his mind in early life. The foundations of his character were laid sure. A strong love of free institutions and firm regard for the rights of man formed the motive-power which moved his soul to action and made him capable of the noblest deeds." Francis Swayne (2), son of Francis and Elizabeth, was born in East Hampstead, Berkshire, England, came to America in 1710, married, 4th mo. 10, 1724, Hester Dicks, daughter of Peter, of Providence, (now) Delaware Co.; date of death unknown. They resided in West Caln. Their children were John, who died unmarried, Joshua, Caleb, Sarah, Deborah, and Ann. Of these, Joshua (1) married, about the year 1748, Phebe St. Clair, daughter of William and Phebe. They resided in West Caln, where they both died in 1760. Their children— Samuel, Susannah, John, Joshua (2), and Esther— were born between the years 1749 and 1758, in West Caln. Joshua (2), born 6th mo. 19, 1755, when of a suitable age, was apprenticed to an ironsmith, who removed to Virginia, taking young Joshua with him. After serving his time out he settled in Jefferson County, near Harper’s Ferry, where he became possessed of one of the finest farms in that region. The children of Joshua (2) and Rebecca (Smith) were Samuel, John, Thomas, Joshua, and Noah H. The family removed from Virginia to Ohio, where they were prosperous farmers. Noah H., the youngest, studied law, and during Jackson’s administration was appointed a United States attorney for Ohio. He practiced law there successfully for a number of years, and on Jan. 25, 1862, was appointed by President Lincoln a justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, a position which he honorably and acceptably filled till January, 1881, a period of nineteen years, when advancing age and a desire to complete some literary undertakings induced him to resign the position. Judge Swayne was born Dec. 7, 1804. He married Sarah Ann Wager, of Virginia; they have four sons and a daughter. The eldest son, Gen. J. Wager Swayne, distinguished himself in the late war, and was appointed at its close an assistant commissioner of the Freedmen’s Bureau. Deborah, daughter of Francis (2), married Enoch Butler, son of Noble, of Uwchlan. Caleb Swayne, son of Francis (2), was born about the year 1727, married, 12th mo. 1, 1749, Lydia Bruce, daughter of James, of East Caln. Their children were Francis, and James, born about 1751–2, who married, 11th mo. 17, 1773, Hannah Swayne, daughter of Francis and Betty. Their children were Francis, b. 12, 8, 1774; Caleb, b. 10, 4, 1776; Eli, Betty, Lydia, Orpha, Hannah, and Susanna. Francis Swayne, son of Caleb and Lydia, is presumed to be the Gen. Francis Swayne, the friend of Gen. Muhlenberg, to whom the latter willed his silver cigar-case. He was said to have been a drummer-boy in the Revolutionary war, and a general in the war of 1812. He died at Reading, Pa., June 17, 1820. Francis and Sarah left a daughter, Jane. Eli Swayne, son of James and Hannah, married, 10, 14, 1807, Deborah Woodward, daughter of Thomas and Mary, of East Marlborough; their descendants removed to Philadelphia. Edward Swayne, third son of Francis (1) and Elizabeth, was born in East Hampstead, Berkshire, England, in the year 1703, came to America with the family in 1710, married, 2d mo. 25, 1728, Sarah Fincher, daughter of John, of Londongrove. They lived on part of the original purchase made by his father, which they inherited from him. Edward died 4, 24, 1776, aged about seventy-three years; Sarah died 11th mo., 1804, in her ninety-sixth year. She was the last one buried in the family burying-ground. The children of Edward and Sarah were Edward, Jonathan, Isaac, Jesse, Robert, Jane, Hannah, Sarah, Elizabeth, and Martha. The only male descendants of the name in this branch are from Jesse, who left three sons,— Jesse, Edward, and Ishmael. Some of the living descendants of Edward and Sarah are in the vicinity of Doe Run, Chester Co. Some have intermarried with the Masons, Whites, Haydons, Harlans, Marises, Yarnalls, Englands, etc. Elizabeth Swayne, daughter of Francis (1) and Elizabeth, was born in East Hampstead, Berkshire, England, came to America in 1710 with the family, married Thomas Barnard, son of Richard (1), died without issue. Jane Swayne, daughter of Francis (1) and Elizabeth, came to America with the family, 1710, married, 3, 4, 1719, John Jackson, son of Ephraim and Rachel, of Edgmont. They had one daughter, Elizabeth, who married John Wilson, of East Marlborough, in the year 1741, 10th mo. 24th. Their descendants are numerous, and have intermarried with the Thompsons, Phillipses, Barnards, Hilleses, Puseys, etc. Sarah Swayne, daughter of Francis (1) and Elizabeth, born in England, came to America in 1710 with the family, married, 8, 5, 1722, Robert Lamborn, son of Josiah and Ann, of Berkshire, England. They settled about half a mile west of where Londongrove meeting-house now stands. It is related of Robert that he and young Francis Swayne were devotedly attached to each other in England, and that when the Swaynes came to America, Robert, not being able to content himself without his friend, determined to follow him. His father endeavored to dissuade him at first, but, seeing he was determined, paid his passage to America. He landed at Philadelphia, not knowing where the Swaynes lived, but while walking along the streets, unresolved yet what to do to find them, he espied old Francis Swayne; following him at a distance, he at last saw him enter a house, and, not daring to follow him in, remained at the door till the old man came out again, who, on seeing him, exclaimed, good-humoredly, "Why, Bob! what brought thee here?" Francis knowing that he would have to take care of him, brought him home behind him on horseback, and when within a short distance of his house he left Robert under a tree and proceeded home. He then directed his son Francis to go to the place where he had left Robert, not telling him what for, but to go there. He went, and to his surprise there met his friend, whom he had supposed was yet in England. That their mutual surprise and joy was great we cannot doubt. They repaired to the house, and young Lamborn afterwards married his friend’s sister. For this sketch of the Swayne family we are indebted to William Marshall Swayne, of New Garden, who, in addition to his genealogical taste, is an artist of no mean rank. His busts of Gen. Wayne and Dr. William Darlington are noticed elsewhere.