Goshen Meeting began officially when some Friends newly arriving in the area asked Chester Quarterly Meeting on 2 Twelfth Month February 1701/2 to allow them to settle a meeting for worship. It was referred to the next Quarterly Meeting, when Friends cautiously agreed there could be worship every other First Day at the house of Griffith Owen. Since Griffith Owen lived in Philadelphia, it is thought that Robert William and his wife Gwen Cadwalader and their family were living in the house. " http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~paxson/graphics-pax/mtghse.html#Goshenmtg
Robert “King of Goshen” William, 9thgreat grandfather to my son and daughter, son of Ellis and Ellin Williams, was born in about 1647 in Marion, Pembroke, Wales.
Sometime prior to 1691, Robert had immigrated to Pennsylvania, United States. Robert married Gwen Cadwallader, daughter of John and Sarah Ellin (Roberts) Cadwallader, on 19d 4m 1691 at the home of Hugh Roberts, Merion, Merion Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, USA. Gwen may have been born in Pennsylvania after her parents immigrated to the USA or may have immigrated with her parents to Pennsylvania from Wales sometime prior to 1691.
They settled in Goshen, Pennsylvania about 1700, most likely on land then owned by Griffith Owen. Sometimes called the ‘King of Goshen’ he is believed to have been the first settler in the township as he was a ‘first purchaser’ in the Welsh Tract. Historically, it has been said their first home was a cave and in the event that their fire went out, he would travel seven miles to refresh it. It is also believed that the first Goshen Friends Meeting occurred at Robert’s house.
Various land records indicate several transactions by Robert William, including 76 ¼ acres in Goshen in 1701; purchased from William Edward on January 21, 1703, 75 acres in Goshen; and the purchase of 300 acres from Edward Jones, who was a surgeon, in 1707. In 1715 the family lived in Uwchlan Township and the Goshen homestead was conveyed to their son, Ellis.
Considering their parents had immigrated to the United States as a result of religious persecution in Wales, he and his family remained devout Quakers.
The children of Robert and Gwen are John (b. 1685), Elizabeth (b. 1691), Richard (1692-1797), Ellis (1694-1756), Lewis (1696-1753), Ann (1700-1717), William (b. 1704), Grace (d. 1785), Hannah (b. 1710), Sarah (1712-1796).
Robert died in 1734 at 87 years of age.
Robert and Gwen’s son Lewis Williams was 8th great grandfather to my children. He was born in Chester County, Pennsylvania and he married Ann Thomas, the daughter of James and Mary (Smith) Thomas, about 1720.
As recorded in the Blunston License Book in the Pennsylvania State Archives, Lewis Williams and Thomas David applied for 800 acres of land on Muddy Creek and the Licking Run on September 7, 1737. This land, adjoining the land of Andrew Blair at Clay Lick, Montgomery Township, Franklin County, Pennsylvania, was later surveyed and found to be 1000 acres.
In 1750, Lewis Williams lived in Little Cove, Franklin County, probably the same land for which his son Enoch Williams secured a warrant in 1755.
Sadly, Lewis Williams’ home was destroyed by Indians on February 29, 1756. Reportedly, after they were successful in taking the fort, the Indians split into several parties and ravaged the valley. Although the Williams family had been warned and several had escaped, one Mrs. Williams (most likely a daughter-in-law to Lewis Williams due to the age of her and her child, and the date of the event) determinedly stayed behind to finish churning butter, was discovered to have been slain a short distance from her house, most probably having just set out for the fort. Since it had snowed the afternoon of February 29, 1756, the bodies of Mrs. Williams and her small daughter were not found until seven weeks later when the snow had melted.
Sources:
- Family Data Collection – Births; Williams, Lewis, b 1696.
- Family Data Collection – Individual Records; Williams, Lewis b 1696.
- Family Data Collection – Births; Williams, Lewis Jr. b 1724.
- US and International Marriage Records; Williams, Lewis; 1560-1900.
- Family Data Collection – Individual Records; Williams, Ann b 1700.
- Family Data Collection – Individual Records; Williams, Grace b 1707.
- Family Data Collection – Individual Records; Williams, Elizabeth b 1691.
- Family Data Collection – Individual Records; Williams, Ellin.
- Family Data Collection – Individual Records; Williams, Ellis.
- Family Data Collection – Individual Records; Williams, Hannah b 1710.
- Family Data Collection – Individual Records; Williams, John b 1685.
- Family Data Collection – Individual Records; Williams, Richard b 1692.
- Family Data Collection – Individual Records; Williams, Sarah b 1712.
- Family Data Collection – Individual Records; Williams, William b 1704.
- Family Data Collection – Individual Records; Cadwallader, Gwen b 1670.
- Family Data Collection – Births; Cadwallader, Gwen b 1668.
- Records of Merion Meeting Graveyard, Rootsweb.com online. [http://ftp.rootsweb.com/pub/usgenweb/pa/chester/cemeteries/merion01.txt], accessed.
- Gary N. Cadwallader, “A Cadwallader History – Cadwallader Early Ancestors in Wales,” [http://wc.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=mosgrove&id=I0460].
- Burial Record of Merion Meeting Graveyard (1682-1706), Montgomery County, PA, Rootsweb.com online [http://ftp.rootsweb.com/pub/usgenweb/pa/chester/cemeteries/merion01.txt], accessed.
- Biographical Sketch of Robert William (1881); Chester County, PA, Rootsweb.com online [http://ftp.rootsweb.com/pub/usgenweb/pa/chester/bios/william-r.txt], accessed.
- Rootsweb.com, compiler, Records of Merion Meeting Graveyard (1707-1724), Montgomery County, PA [http://ftp.rootsweb.com/pub/usgenweb/pa/chester/cemeteries/merion02.txt].
- Records of Merion Meeting Graveyard, Rootsweb.com online [http://ftp.rootsweb.com/pub/usgenweb/pa/chester/cemeteries/merion01.txt], accessed.
- Record of Merion Meeting Graveyard (1747-1765), Montgomery County, PA, Rootsweb.com online [http://ftp.rootsweb.com/pub/usgenweb/pa/chester/cemeteries/merion04.txt], accessed.
- Futhey and Cope, “The History of Chester County, PA,” PA-Roots [http://www.pa-roots.org/data/read.php?221,502727,502727#msg-502727].
- Samuel T. Wiley, “Biographical and Portrait Cyclopedia of Chester County, Pennsylvania, comprising a historical sketch of the County,” Gresham Publishing Company Philadelphia, PA, 1893, pp 444-446 (US GenWeb): http://files.usgwarchives.net/pa/chester/bios/w/Williams-g.txt.
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