500 



BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES. 



he -was dealt with and disowned as a 

 member by the Society of Friends ; in 

 his own opinion unjustly. He was 

 elected a member of the first assembly 

 after the revolution, but being opposed 

 to the principle of vesting the legislative 

 power in one house, he declined serving 

 in that body. He was a member of the 

 Convention that formed the Constitution 

 of Pennsylvania in 1789, and in the 

 following year he was elected to repre- 

 sent the County of Delaware in the 

 State Senate under that Constitution. 

 He was subsequently appointed an 

 Associate Justice of tlie County Court, 

 but declined serving. In 178G he was 

 chosen a member of the American 

 Philosophical Society and tooli an 

 interest in its proceedings. His death 

 occurred in 1804 at the age of 75 

 years. 



Sharpless, John, emigrated from 

 Hadderton, County of Chester, England, 

 and landed at Upland (now Chester) 

 on the 14th of the 6th month (August) 

 1682, more than two months before the 

 arrival of William Penn. He was ac- 

 companied by his wife, Jane, whose 

 maiden name was Moore, to whom he 

 had been married 20 years, and their 

 children, Phebe, John, Thomas, James, 

 Caleb, Jane and Joseph, the eldest 

 being 19 and the youngest 4 years of 

 age. Thomas died on the passage. 

 John Sharpless was one of the original 

 purcluisers of land in England. He 

 bouglit 1000 acres, which was located 

 in three tracts (See map of first settlers,) 

 and settled on the Ridley tract, be- 

 tween Crum and Ridley Creeks, his first 

 dwelling being the shelter afforded by 

 the branches of a large fallen tree. In 

 six weeks a cabin was erected against 

 the perpendicular face of a large rock, 

 which served at once for a side of the 

 dwelling and the back of the chimney. 

 The rock still bears the date 1682. 

 This cabin was the family residence for 

 about 20 years, when their youngest 

 son Joseph having learned the carpen- 

 ter trade, built a dwelling house wliich 

 is still standing. The two daughters, 

 Jane and Phebe, and their father, the 

 elder John, all died in 1685 within two 

 weeks of each other, and the son Caleb 

 the ne.\t year, his death being occa- 

 sioned l)y the bite of a venomous snake. 

 Jane, the mother died in 1722 aged 84 

 years. John Sharpless the elder was 



about 61 years of age at the time of 

 his death. He had suffered persecution 

 in England by distraint of his goods for 

 attending the meetings of the Friends 

 and for absenting himself from the 

 national worship. (Besse i. 105, 108.) 

 It does not appear that during the short 

 period his life was spared after his 

 arrival in this country, that he took 

 any active part in public affairs or in 

 those of his meeting. From John 

 Sharpless have descended all who bear 

 that name in this part of the country, 

 and many others. 



Sharpless, John, Jr. oldest son of 

 the above named John was born in 

 England in 1666 and immigrated with 

 his parents. In 1692 he married Han- 

 nah the daughter of Robert Pennell of 

 Middletown, and continued to reside 

 with his mother in the primitive dwell- 

 ing erected against the rock. Their 

 children were, Caleb, Jane, Hannah, 

 John, Phebe, Rebecca, Margaret, Ann 

 and Daniel, all of whom it is believed 

 continued in membership with Friends. 

 Hannah, the wife of John Sharpless 

 Jr., died in 1721, while he survived her 

 till 1747, when he died at the age of 

 81 years. 



Sharpless, Jaiies, the third son of 

 the elder John Sharpless, was born in 

 Cheshire, England, 5th of the 1st mo. 

 1671, and was only 11 3'ears of age at 

 the time of his arrival here. In 1698 

 he was married to Mary the daughter 

 of John Edge, who did not survive her 

 marriage but three months. In 1700 

 he married Mary the daughter of Ralph 

 Lewis of Haverford and settled in 

 Providence. His children by this mar- 

 riage were, Lydia, Mary, James, Rachel, 

 Thomas, David and Esther. Mary the 

 second wife of James Sharpless was 

 born in Glamorganshire, Wales, on the 

 loth of the 5th mo. 1674. 



Sharpless, Joseph, the youngest son 

 of the colonist John, was a child at the 

 time of the immigration of his father. 

 In 1704 he married Lydia the daughter 

 of Ralph Lewis and sister of the second 

 wife of his brother James. They at 

 first settled in Nether Providence, but 

 sometime afterwards removed to Mid- 

 dletown. Joseph died in 1757 and 

 Lydia in 1763. Their children were, 

 Susanna, Joseph, Benjamin, Samuel, 



