CHRISTOPHER PENNOCK
THE STORY AS I KNOW IT
The Pennock family was a leading
Quaker family in colonial Pennsylvania. The descendants
are numerous. Three known books have been written about
them:
The Pennocks of Primitive Hall by George Valentine
Massey II,
The Pusey Family by Pennock Pusey, and
Christopher Pennock Genealogy, compiled by Charles
A. Rudolph, 1959.
A note about the Quaker calendar. From the 12th
century in England the year began with the vernal
equinox, on March 25th. This lasted until January
1752 as the legal and civil year. However, from
the time of the Norman Conquest in 1066 A.D. the
first of January had been considered the
historical beginning for the year. It was
customary to use a system of double dating between
Jan 1 and March 25, giving both years i.e.
11-8-1747/48. In Pennsylvania, where friends
controlled the legislation for many years, the
numerical form of dating was commonly used and
sanctioned by law, i.e. eleventh month, 8th day,
which would translate to Jan. 8, 1748 in the new
calendar. Whenever dates were given with
The book Pennock Marshall Family's contains the statement that "Christopher was a native of Germany, went to England, thence to Ireland". We have a short piece entitled "Descendants of Christopher Pennock through William Pennock From a European Genealogy" It was given to us on a sheet of paper with no indication of where it came from. Follows is the complete piece:
The name Penneck or Pennock is Norman. Christopher Pennock was a gentleman of Cornwall. He came over to England from Normandy serving in the army of the Prince of Orange who afterwards became William 3rd, king of England (1650-1702). He also fought in the Battle of the Boyne (1690). During the following years he became a Quaker, a member of the Dublin, Ireland meeting and there his family lived (1683-1687) after he came to America, until he sent for them. Christopher was the first Pennock in America and had extensive holdings in Pennsylvania. A very early map of Philadelphia and vicinity shows the boundaries of the Christopher Pennock tract on the west bank of the Schuylkill River above Manayunk and probably opposite what is now Spring Mill. He also owned what is now Rittenhouse Square and property near Gladwyn. Along what is now Route 1. He owed land north of Kennett Square, Pa, around Primitive Hall a famous old Pennock landmark, near Chatham. The Pennock coat of arms was granted in 1712, the description of which was as follow: -"Ar on a chevron gules between three wrens heads erased proper as many escallops or Crest -A dexter arm embowed, sleeved gules, ouffed Or, the hand holding a wren proper". Christopher died in 1700. He had nine children.
The documentation of Christopher early years have
not surfaced to my knowledge. It is not until his
first marriage in Ireland that we can truly begin to trace
him.
Christopher was born about 1640 possibly on the continent
of Europe. William of Orange was sovereign of Holland.
Christopher was possibly in his service as a young man but
he could have been from any place in Western Europe
even Cornwall. The writer of Pennocks of Primitive
Hall suggest that Mary and Christopher went to Cornwall
briefly before their move to Pennsylvania.
By 1664 he was in Ireland where he had
married Dorothy Harwood. She bore him four
children:;
1. Christopher born 1664
2. John born 1665
3. Hannah Pennock born 1667 wed Mr. Goslin
before 1701
4. Sarah born May 1, 1669
Dorothy must have died shortly after Sarah
was born because in July 1672 Christopher married Mary Collett. She
was the daughter of a wealthy Quaker who lived in Clonmel,
County Tipperary. The Clonmel Meetings were held in
his home for many years. Mary and Christopher had 3
children:
1. Mary born 1673
2. Nathaniel born 1675, died single 5/10/1697
3. Joseph born Nov 18, 1677
The Christopher Pennock Genealogy lists a different daughter, Anne who died single in the 1690's. We don't know whether this is "Mary" or another daughter. We have no information on the other 2 children claimed in the article.
At any rate, the family was living near Clonmel when Joseph was born "at Killhouse"
George Collet, Mary's father was one of the original Penn Grant purchasers. When Christopher went to Pennsylvania in 1683 perhaps it was to lay claim to the land. According to the account written above, Mary and her children went to Pennsylvania in 1687. Paul Rodebaugh, historian, in a news article in the Kennett Paper, gave a slightly different account. I don't know his source. He states that the family went to Philadelphia in 1684 but returned to Ireland in 1686. Mary was either very unhappy there or there were problems with the marriage because she returned to Ireland with her children and raised them in Ireland.
George Collet died in 1699 leaving his estate in America.
Christopher Pennock died in 1701. There are two versions of Christopher's death. One stated that he died May 31, 1701 in Talbot County, Maryland. The other states that he died in Philadelphia. There may be a will in Philadelphia proved April 15, 1701. It names family still in Ireland, wife Mary, son Joseph and daughter Hannah Goslin. He had made application for a certificate to the Cork Quaker Meeting just a few months before his death. The will also says he was a Cardmaker. A card maker worked with wood and wire to make the tools for batting wool, ie the cards so that it would be spun into threads or used as filler. Rash's database of Pennock Descendants.
In 1701 Joseph set out to claim his land inheritance from his grandfather but was captured by a French war ship. He was a prisoner of war in France for nearly a year. Finally in 1702 he settle in Philadelphia to a long very respected life.
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Date created 2/4/1998
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