SARAH CHAMBERS
THE STORY AS I KNOW IT
The story of Sarah Chambers connects Quaker families
found around the London Grove Meeting in south eastern
Chester county PA. She is directly connected to the
Gregg, Sharp, Allen, and Miller families.
They all owned extensive properties in New Garden, Kennet and a
bit of Londongrove. The Chambers themselves were
large landowners near-by in Delaware. And from this group there
is a direct connection to the Pennock, Pusey and Hayes
families just found surrounding the Monthly Meeting site.
Sarah Chambers was born Nov. 20, 1740. Her parents were
Richard Chambers and Elinor
Miller. from page 70 New Garden Quaker
Monthly Meeting Records. The Chamber family
lived in White Clay Creek Hundred of neighboring
state of Delaware.
By the time Sarah was born, the family owned over
a 1000 acres along both sides of White Clay Creek. Now
all part of White Clay Creek State Park - the park is
very large and in both Delaware and Pennsylvania.
Delaware News Journal , June 1991, "19th Centruy farm house
opens doors to visitors" giving the early history of the
property owned by the Chambers family. copy found at
Delaware historical Society in the Chambers surname
file.
Benjamin Gregg son
of Joseph and Hannah Gregg married Sarah
Chambers 1763,11,24 at New
Garden Monthly Meeting. Henshaw
Index to Quaker Records of New Garden
MM. page 287
They had four children who were:
George Gregg, born 1764
Mary Gregg, born 1766
Isaac Gregg, born 1770, wed Emey Allen
Arron Gregg, born 1771
Joseph Gregg died July 26, 1770 in Chester
County PA, He was buried at Old Kennett Meeting House
Cemetery. His will was proved Oct. 4, 1770 Penn. Wills 1713-1825 file #2586.
The will named his wife Hannah,
daughter Mary
and (Son-in-law John Bason)
could be Beeson, She received 5 shillings
sons Benjamin
Gregg
– half of Joseph's plantation – of
200 acres
Isaac Gregg –
the other half of Joseph's plantation – 200 acres
Enoch Gregg –
land in New Garden
Solomon Gregg
– received “personal stuff”
I believe Joseph's
property was from the Delaware border north on both sides of
rt 82. I don't know how far. I'm sure that Benjamin
and his family lived there, possibly from the time they
wed.
Then disaster struck, Benjamin Gregg died in 1774. He was just 38 years old. Sarah appealed to Orphans Court of Chester County PA. Decedents list 1714-1781, naming his minor children George, Mary, Isaac and Aaron. George the eldest would have just been 10 years old.
An Inventory of the estate of Benjamin Gregg, late of Kennet Township, yeoman, died May 5, 1774. The estate papers were made and filed by John Pyle and Benjamin Sharp on Jan. 27, 1777. Chester County Estate Papers #2840. Nearly ten years later an executor's report was made by Sarah Sharp, late Sarah Gregg. After evaluating goods, counted the debts which were paid, there was a balance of 530 pounds.
It is not known
where Benjamin was buried, but it could have been Old
Kennett Meeting House cemetery, but could equally have been at New
Garden MM cemetery.
In September of
1774 Sarah Gregg filed estate papers for Hannah Gregg,
"late of Kennet Township" her late husbands mother. Who had
also died that year.
PA will and Probate Records 1700-1810, Estate Paper #
2759-2867. A hard year for the family
In 1775 Sarah
married George Sharp. He was a first cousin of Benjamin
Gregg, her deceased husband.
had also
been recently widowed and had two sons, ages 9 and 10.
The Sharps of Chester county by William Carossa Sharpe, page 8.
Sarah and George Sharp had 3 children. They were:
Abiah Sharp
born 1776/7
Eli Sharp born 1779 and his twin
Jesse Sharp
Another
confirmation, when Jesse Sharp died in 1853, there is a PA
Death Certificate, #321 and it lists his parents as George and
Sarah Sharp.
There are now 9
children in the household and only one of them is female.
All the children grew to be adults. This is the positive
part of the story.
We don't know where they lived, but land would have been owned by
both families. On a 1700-1730 map showing Lands
Around London Grove meeting.
land ownership is shown at that time. The Gregg
family had the 400 acres on both sides of the Red Clay Creek
officially in Kennet, and just next across the line into New
Garden 500 acres owned by the original Sharp
brothers. The next two items don't clear it up. One
puts them in Kennet, but the other in New Garden.
Again Sarah's
husband died unexpectedly and without a will.
from Chester Court Admin Records, file #3363 : George
Sharpe, of New Garden, Feb. 5, 1782, Admin Inventory
presented by Sarah Sharpe and Robert Cooper. George
probably died in 1781 as the process always takes some time.
I cannot find the Inventory on line, need to go to County
Archives.
Online family
trees about Sarah all have her dying in Dec. of 1781,
apparently 10 days after George, however, never any source
or documentation. I don't believe it. See below.
Once again Sarah
has to go to Orphans court, Libre 8, page 147, #258 of Chester
County PA. " Dec. 16, 1783, Petition of Sara Sharp
and Robert Cooper, admrs of George Sharpe,
deceased, Johnathan and James Miller are by this court
admitted and appointed guardians for Abiah, Eli and Jesse
Sharp, children of the said George Sharp, late of Kennett,
desd... who are minors and under the age of 14
years." Orphans court doesn't mean both parents had
died, just the father.
Sarah Chambers
Gregg Sharp is about 41 years old when George died
and she also probably owned 200 acres in Kennet and
some land in New Garden. There were 9
children in her care: George Gregg 17, Samuel
Sharp 17, Thomas Sharp 16, Mary Gregg 15,
Isaac Gregg 11, Aaron Gregg 10, Abiah Sharp 5,
Eli and Jesse Sharp 2 . Fortunately
the 4 older children were old an age to be helpful,
but I'm sure she also had outside help.
During this time
Pennsylvania was taking a Tax Census every 7 years of
households. PA Septenniel Census 1779 - 1863.
On the 1786 Census there is Sarah Sharp in New
Garden. I can find no other Sarah Sharp at that
time, so assume it is our Sarah.
The Chester
County Census 1790 roll 8, page 17, New Garden Sarah
Sharp has 1 female and 2 males under 16. That could be
Sarah and the twins. George Gregg and
Isaac Gregg are both on the same Census. George
is married but Isaac does not marry until 1792. This
Isaac Gregg has the following family, which doesn't quite
fit: Must be a totally different Isaac.
1 male over 16 - our Isaac
3 males under 16 - could be Arron Gregg and Abiah Sharp
5 females ??????
OR was there two
Sarah Sharps in New Garden and our Sarah was one of
the 5 females. still doesn't work.
Then there is a Chester
County PA Deed S-2, page 91 where in 1799 Sarah Sharp
of New Garden deeds 200 acres to Isaac Gregg and Aaron
Gregg. On the 1800 Census is Sarah Sharp,
as well as Isaac Gregg, and Aaron Gregg in
New Garden. I'm sure this is our Sarah Chambers sharing
family property.
On both the 1800
and 1810 New Garden Census Isaac Gregg has a female over
45 living with his family. It is possible this is our Sarah.
However, I can find no clear answer has to when she
died. If it was after 1810 she would have been over
70, possible. I would believe she was buried with her
first husband, Benjamin Gregg, but again we don't know.
RESEARCH QUESTIONS
If you know the answer please CONTACT US
Find documentation for marriage
of Sarah Chambers Gregg and George Sharpe.
Find date of George's death.
When did Sarah die and where is
she buried?
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created 7/14/2022
Date edited 11/10/2022