446 



BIOGKAPIIICAL NOTICES. 



and he soon afterwards became the 

 owner of it. He doubtless had resided 

 in the country some time previously. 

 In 1699, his wife died, and in 1703 he 

 married Jane Parker, by whom he had 

 one child, Samuel. His children by his 

 first wife were John, Joseph, William, 

 Sarah and Mary. John the younger 

 intermarried with Rose Smith ; Mary 

 with Job Harvey ; and Sarah with Oba- 

 diah Bonsall. The other children pro- 

 bably died unmarried. They were all 

 in membership with Friends, and in 

 the latter part of his life the elder John 

 was active and influential in meeting 

 atfairs. He represented the County of 

 Chester in the Provincial Assembly, in 

 1707, and died about the close of that 

 year or the commencement of the next. 



Bevan, John, or John Ap, as he was 

 sometimes called, was born in Gla- 

 morganshire, Wales, in 1646, being the 

 eldest of five children His parents, 

 who were wealthy, died while he was 

 quite young. Being the heir^ when he 

 arrived at age, he found himself in pos- 

 session of a large estate, while his 

 brothers were unprovided for — his only- 

 sister being dead. His strong sense 

 of justice at once induced him to "por- 

 tion all his brothers, and give them a 

 helpful subsistence in the world." In 

 1665 he was married to a religious wo- 

 man, a strict member of the Establish- 

 ed Church, who, when her husband 

 had shown a disposition to become a 

 Qualer, was distressed, and felt it to 

 be her duty to interpose her serious 

 objections. They argued the question 

 without result ; but the indiscretion of 

 the priest, in pronouncing the sentence 

 of excommunication.without previous 

 notice against the husband, in pre- 

 sence of the wife, so shocked her feel- 

 ings as to make her nearly faint away, 

 and after a time made her willing " to 

 search closely into the weighty work of 

 salvation.'' They both became Quakers, 

 and in the language of their certificate, 

 were regarded " as a nursing father 

 and a nursing mother to (the spiritually) 

 weak and young" of their neighborhood. 

 In 168;!, John Bevan, with his family, 

 removed to Pennsylvania, and settled 

 either in Mcrion or Haverford, his land 

 being located in both townships. He 

 had been a pillar of the Meeting he 

 left, he was equally so of Ilaveiford 

 Meeting, which he aided in establish- 



ing, and which was frequently held at 

 his house in its infancy. He stood high 

 as a preacher in the Society, and the 

 records of Haverford attest his con- 

 stancy and efficiency in the promotion 

 of works of benevolence and charity. 

 While in the country he traveled much 

 as a minister, and in 1704, visited his 

 native land on " truth's account," ac- 

 companied by his wife and his youngest 

 daughter, Barbara, who was also a 

 preacher. He never returned to Ame- 

 rica, but after suflering some persecu- 

 tion, being imprisoned in Cardiff gaol 

 in 1721, he died shortly afterwards. 

 He had four children married in Penn- 

 sylvania. His daughter Jane to John 

 Wood, of Darby, in 1687 ; son Evan to 

 Eleanor Wood,' of Darby, in 1693 ; 

 daughter Elizabeth to Joseph Richard- 

 son, of Philadelphia, 1696; and one 

 other. 



Beazer, John, one of the Commis- 

 sioners appointed by William Penn to 

 lay out the City of Philadelphia, was 

 a resident of Bishops Canning in Wilt- 

 shire. In consequence of his appoint- 

 ment he arrived before the Proprietary 

 made his first visit in 1682. He was 

 accompanied by his wife Susanna, or 

 she followed him soon afterwards. 

 They settled at Marcus Hook, where 

 John died in lb84. John was a public 

 Friend, and appears to have lived up 

 to his religious profession. Before 

 leaving England his business was that 

 of a maltster. He had been a Quaker 

 many years, and had suB'ered much 

 persecution, by imprisonment,whipping 

 and the stocks. It seems, however, 

 that he invited a part of this persecu- 

 tion, by speaking in the " Steeple- 

 house at Marlborough." So far as is 

 known, he had four children, viz. : — 

 John, Richard, Susannah, (who inter- 

 married with Nathaniel Lampleigh) and 

 Frances, (who became the wife of John 

 Hendrickson, John having first united 

 with the Society of Friends.) 



Beazer, Edward, a brother of the 

 above named John, came from Rowde, 

 in the county of Wilts, England, and 

 was a very early settler in Bethel. 

 Edward Pennick married his sister 

 Frances. He was a Friend, and monthly 

 meetings were held at his house in 

 1686. He died in 1688. By trade he 

 was a mason. He left a son Edward. 



