James Family Archives
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Children of David James (circa 1660-
1. Mary James: born in Radnorshire, Wales prior to October 1682; married July 4, 1705 to John David/Davies, son of Ellis David; accompanied her mother and father from Wales in 1682 to Pennsylvania; nominated as executrix over her father’s estate in 1702; known children include: Elizabeth Davies, David Davies, Jane Davies and Susannah Davies.
2. Thomas James: born circa 1690 in Radnor Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania;
first marriage in 1738 to Mary Jones (1716-
3. Rebecca James: born circa 1705 in Radnor Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania; married circa 1730 in Pennsylvania to John Miles, son of Richard Miles and Sarah Evans; known children include: Rebecca Miles, Catherine Miles, Jane Miles, Sarah Miles, Enos Miles, James Miles, John Miles and Hannah Miles.
4. Sarah James: born February 13, 1710/11 in Radnor Township, Chester County,
Pennsylvania; married February 18, 1736/37 in Philadelphia, Philadelphia County,
Pennsylvania to John Thomas (1713-
5. Isaac James: born in Radnor Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania. Isaac is known to have at least one son: David James.
6. Evan James: born circa 1715 in Radnor Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania;
married June 8, 1739 to Margaret Jones (-
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Notes:
David James (circa 1660-
In 1660 King Charles II was restored to the throne of England heralding in a dark
period in English history known as the Restoration. This followed five years of
rule from 1653 to 1658 by Oliver Cromwell, Lord Protector and head of state of the
Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland. With the Restoration the Anglican
bishops were restored to their prior positions of power within Parliament launching
a period of strict Anglican orthodoxy and persecution of “non-
In 1681, within a year of his marriage to Margaret Jane Mortimer, David James (1660-
In 1692, a prominent Quaker by the name of George Keith and eight of his followers
including Thomas Powell, accused the Religious Society of Friends at the Yearly Meeting
in Philadelphia of "lax discipline and doctrinal impurity" and were disowned from
the Society. From 1692 to 1695 these separated "Keithian Quakers" held their meetings
at Powell's home at Ridley Creek, Edgemont Township, Chester County, with Keith as
their leader. They appealed to London for vindication, but in 1695 the English Quakers
also repudiated Keith, causing him to "quit" the Quakers and return to England, where
five years later he became an Anglican priest and missionary. The meetings at Powell's
continued, where a former follower turned Seventh Day Baptist minister named Able
Noble, convinced some of them to be baptized in June of 1697. Some settlers from
Radnor in the Welsh Tract, including Ann Miles' brothers Samuel and Richard Miles,
came there to be baptized before 1701. David James is believed to have been among
them as Samuel Miles was his brother-
On December 23, 1701, a resurvey of the lands granted to the settlers of the Welsh
Tract by Richard Davies on behalf of William Penn was ordered by Penn’s Quaker Land
Commissioners. This was performed to accommodate multiple conflicting land grants
by William Penn to the Welsh Settlers. The survey was made on February 16, 1702
and included the 100 acres granted to David James in 1681. This resurvey affected
lands in what were later to become known as Merion Township, Montgomery County; Radnor
and New Town Townships, Delaware County; and, Goshen Township, Chester County. Following
the resurvey, the lands settled by David James in Radnor Township were deemed by
Penn’s Quaker Land Commissioners to be the property of a prominent Quaker by the
name of David Merideth. The original 100 acres and additional 100 acres of “head
land” belonging to David James were determined to rest immediately south of the land
actually settled by David James, and, as of 1702 occupied by Stephan ab Evan. The
legal dispossession of David’s land by the Quaker Land Commissioners is believed
to have been in retaliation for David’s participation in the Keithian Schism and
subsequent conversion to the Baptist denomination. In that same year, legal title
to David’s lands occupied by Stephan ab Evan were conveyed to him by David’s daughter
Mary James who had remained a Quaker, acting as her father’s executrix. Mary was
also permitted to charge Stephan ab Evan “quit-
By 1718 David James was still occupying the 100 acres of land settled in 1682, the
same land determined in 1702 by Penn’s Land Commissioners to be the property of David
Merideth. That same year David increased his land holdings in Radnor Township, Chester
County, Pennsylvania to 253 acres by purchasing the land he had originally settled
in 1682 and an additional 153 acres of adjacent land from David Meredith. Thereafter,
legal title to the lands originally settled by David James in 1682 were secured.
The James family would continue to reside on this same land for over 140 years (1682-
Sources:
Records of the James Family Archives.
James/Claunch Family Bible of Violet Nadine Negus (1929-
Last Will and Testament of David James (1739) Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania, Will Book F, Page 117.
Last Will and Testament and Estate of Jane James (-
Record of Marriage of John Davies of Gwynedd and Mary James of Radnor dated May 4, 1705 at Radnor Meeting House, Witnesses, Col 4 under bride and groom: David Meredith, Stephen Evans, John Evans, Richard Moore, John Moore, David Jones, Mary Meredith.” [JQ], from List from Haverford Records (now Radnor MM), Historical Collections Relating to Gwynedd, by Howard M. Jenkins, Second Edition, 1897, Chapter 12. Early Monthly Meeting Records of Marriages: Other Lists of Marriages and Deaths.
Marriage Certificate of Evan James & Margaret Jones dated June 8, 1739, from “Memorial
of Thomas Potts, Junior, Who Settled in Pennsylvania, With an Historical-
Autobiography of Reverend Isaac James, M.D. (1869) Transcribed by Reverend Joseph F. DiPaolo, February 2006.
Early History of the James Family as Recorded by Isabella Batchelder James (1810-
“Welsh Founders of Pennsylvania” by Thomas Allen Glen; originally published in Oxford,
England 1911-
“Welsh Settlement of Pennsylvania” by Charles Browning; published in Philadelphia, 1912.
Biography of Thomas James (1690-
“Building America -
Thomas James (1690-
Mary (Jones) James (1714-
Sarah (James) Thomas (1710-
Evan James (1715-
Updated: January 18, 2021