1 62 



HISTORY OF BUCKS COUNTY 



Island of Barbadoes, in 1686, leaving a 

 widow Elizabeth, sons Thomas and John, 

 and daughters Ann Thwaite and Kath- 

 arine Brandeth. The sons Thomas and 

 John removed to Newport, Rhode Island, 

 Thomas in 1675, and John in 1682. 

 •>'Dr. John Rodman, the second son of 

 John and Elizabeth, born in 1653, be- 

 came a freeman of Newport, Rhode 

 Island, in 1684, and was prominent in the 

 affairs of that colony for five or six 

 years. He later removed to Block 

 Island, having purchased a three-six- 

 teenth share of the Island. In 1691 he 

 removed to Flushing, Long Island, but 

 returned to Block Island later. He died 

 September, 1731, at the age of seventy- 

 eight years. He was a prominent physi- 

 cian, and a minister among Friends for 

 forty years. In 1686 he purchased one 

 thousand acres of land in Burlington 

 county. New Jersey, where some of his 

 descendants later lived. He married 

 Mary Scar^^jjiion and had twelve children, 

 as follows :\rohn, born in Barbadoes May 

 14. 1679, see forward; Mary, died at New- 

 port in 1683; Samuel, died in New York 

 city in 1720; Joseph, born August II, 

 1685, died September, 1759, married 

 (first) Sarah Lawrence, (second) Helena 

 Willett; William, born May 20, 1687, 

 died jNIay 23, 1704; Anne, born August 

 II, 1689. died 1715, married Walter New- 

 berry; Thoma?, born 1692, died October, 

 1693 ; Mary, born December 20, 1693. 

 married John Willett; Elizabeth, died 

 young; Thomas, born January 9, 1698, 

 married Elizabeth Scott; Hannah, born 

 August 6, 1700. married (first) Jonathan 

 Dickinson, and (second) Samuel 

 Holmes; and Elizabeth, born at Flushing 

 in 1702, married Thomas INIasters, of 

 Philadelphia. 



'b Dr. John Rodman, eldest son of Dr. 

 John and Mary (Scammon) Rodman, 

 born in Barbadoes. ]\Iay 14, 1679. was 

 reared at Newport, Rhode Island, where 

 he became a freeman in 1706. removed to 

 Block Island, and from there to Flush- 

 ing. Long Island, in 1712. In 1726 he 

 purchased land in Burlington county, 

 New Jersey, and settled there. He was, 

 like his father, a prominent physician and 

 a member of the Society of Friends. He 

 was a member of provincial assembly 

 1727-9, member of governor's council 

 1738. and commissioner to treat with the 

 Indians in 1741. He owned 1300 acres of 

 land in' Burlington county, and in 1703 

 purchased 3000 acres in Warwick town- 

 ship, Bucks county, comprising nearly 

 the whole eastern side of the township, 

 which at his death in Burlington county, 

 July^,T3. 1756. was devised to four of his 

 sons," John. William, Scammon, and Sam- 

 uel. Dr. Rodman married (first) Mar- 

 garet Grosse. daughter of Thomas and 

 Elizabeth Grosse. of Boston, who died at 

 Flushing. I-ond Island, June 2, 1718. He 

 married (second) July 7, 1719, Marj^ 



Willett, daughter of William Willett, of 

 Westchester county, New York, grand- 

 daughter of Thomas Willett, a native of 

 Bristol, England, who married in 1643 

 Sarah Cornell, daughter of Thomas Cor- 

 nell, of Cornell's Neck, Westchester 

 county. New York. The children ot Dr. 

 Kjohn 2.n(l Margaret (Grosse) Rodman 

 were :n John, born at Flushing, Long 

 Island, 1714, died 179S; Thomas, born 

 1716, died in Burlington, New Jersey, 

 1796, married Elizabeth Pearson; Mary, 

 married John Johnson, of Bucks county. 



The children of Dr. John and Mary 

 (W^illett) Rodman were: William, born 

 May 5, 1720, see forward; Anna, born 

 1722, died 1763, married October 20, 1759, 

 William Lister, of Essex county, New 

 Jersey; Scammon, born March 8, 1723, 

 died January 4, 1762, unmarried; Han- 

 nah, born July 4, 1726, died October 7, 

 175s; Samuel, born May 30, 1729, died 

 July 4, 1761; and Margaret, born Aiigust 

 6, 1731, died October 18, 1752, married 

 October 10, 1751, Charles Norris. 



William Rodman, eldest son of' D.r. 

 John by his second marriage with Mary 

 Willett, came to Burlington county. New 

 Jersey, from Flushing at the age of six 

 years. In 1744 his father sent him to 

 Bucks county to take charge of six hun- 

 dred acres of land in Bensalem township, 

 called Rodmanda, later named by him 

 after his birthplace. Flushing, where he 

 lived until his death, January 30, 1794. He 

 was one of the most prominent men of 

 his day in Bucks count}'. He was a jus- 

 tice 1752-57, and a member of provincial 

 assembl}', 1763-76. He married Mary 

 Reeve, of New Jersey, September 6, 1744, 

 and they were the parents of eight c-bil- 

 dren; Sarah, did at the age of four years; 

 Mary, born July 23, 1747. died Decem- 

 ber I, 1765. married, June 27, 1765, 

 Phineas Buckley; Gilbert, born July 21, 

 1748. died August 21, 1830. married Sarah 

 Gibbs. daughter of Richard and Mar- 

 gery Gibbs ; Hannah, born 1751, died 

 1775. married John Howard; Margaret, 

 born September 20. 1752. died February 

 22, T7S1. married Dr. William Mcllvaine; 

 Elizabeth, died unmarried; William, born 

 October 7. 1757, died July 27, 1824. mar- 

 ried Esther W^est; and Rachel, born De- 

 cember I, 1759. died September I. 1783, 

 married September 20, 1782. Samuel 

 Gibbs. 



Gilbert Rodman, born at Flushing, 

 Bucks — cmwity; July 21. 1748. died in 

 Bucks county, August 21. 1830. He was 

 a major in the continental forces during 

 the Amboy campaign of 1776. and was 

 disowned from the society of Friends for 

 his military services. He inherited from 

 his father. William Rodman, the farm on 

 which the Bucks county alms house is 

 now located in Doylestown township, it 

 being part of the tract purchased by his 

 grandfather of John Gray, alias Tatham. 

 in 1703. He lived on this plantation until 



