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James Family Archives

• Researching the Past

• Education for the Present

• Preservation for the Future

By 1699 William Penn had finally returned to Pennsylvania and began reasserting his dominance over the colony. Penn remained in the colony for two years and his efforts to reestablish control over the colony had mixed results. Just before his return to England in 1701, William Penn agreed with the Pennsylvania Assembly on a revised constitution called the “Charter of Privileges.” This governing document would remain the law of the land through 1776 and in addition to bestowing greater rights of self-governance upon the colony, the Charter of Privileges granted religious freedom and tolerance throughout the colony. Almost immediately following this proclamation the families of David James, Samuel Miles and Richard Miles departed from their Keithian division of the Quaker Church and then counted themselves among the founders of the Great Valley Baptist Church located in present day Devon, Pennsylvania.

Richard Miles became a Baptist shortly before 1701. Richard’s home, located in the heart of Radnor Township, is where the first Baptist congregation met prior to the construction of their Church in 1711. During this time period David James began the construction of a large stone house that would later become known as the “James mansion” thus bringing to an end nearly 17 years of continuous residence in their log cabin. The construction of the stone house marked a milestone in David’s immigration to Pennsylvania and by doing so he made a more permanent claim to the lands upon which he had settled.

In 1702, David’s daughter Mary James, who had previously been appointed David’s executrix transferred her father’s “Right,” Title & Interest to the 200 acres purchased in Wales before coming to Pennsylvania that had been “laid out” by the land commissioners to the south of where David actually settled to Stephan ap Evan. This transaction is recorded in Minute Book “G” entitled “Minutes of Property Commencing Ye 19th November 1701” and reported in 1890 in the Pennsylvania Archives published Volume 19 of their Second Series. An important element to the 1702 transaction reported in Minute Book “G” is that the Land Commissioners found that Stephan ap Evan owed Mary James 11 Pounds, and “rent-money” for the land from 1684, and ordered this all paid. Through this transaction Stephan ab Evan consolidated his legal interest in the lands to the south “laid out” for David James that Stephan had occupied since 1684 and that Stephan had previously purchased from David Meredith in 1689. These are the same lands that had been “cut” by Penn’s land commissioners from the original holdings of David James in 1687. Through this transaction David James cashed out all legal interest he held in the lands within Radnor Township. Nevertheless, David continued to occupy and cultivate the lands immediately to the north of Stephan ab Evan despite the fact that David Meredith now had a legal claim to these lands through the warrants granted to him by Penn’s land commissioners in 1687.

On May 1, 1704 Penn’s land commissioners finally got around to issuing a “patent”, that is “legal title” to David Meredith for the remaining two hundred and fifty acres that had been “cut” in 1687 from Radnor Township, the same land that was occupied by David James. In addition, the land commissioners found that the remaining two hundred and fifty acres had been underestimated and that this land actually contained an additional thirty-three acres. All this was “confirmed” and through the patent officially granted to David Meredith. Consequently, David James now found himself occupying lands that legally belonged to David Meredith.

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