BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES. 



i03 



Presbyterian cliurch, who lesiiicd in 

 this county about forty years ago, and 

 who, thoup:h a man of not more than 

 ordinary ability, etl'ected much good by 

 his zeal and industry He was an 

 Irlsliman by birtli, and it is said his 

 early religious education was under 

 the auspices of the E()iscopal Churcli. 

 He was a great advocate for temperance, 

 and was instrumental in establishing a 

 Bible Society in Delaware County. It 

 was through his instrumentality that 

 funds were collected for building the 

 first erected Presbyterian Church in 

 Ridley, and the old Blue Church in 

 Aston^ Though his sermons were 

 often tiresome from their length he 

 made many converts to the cliurch, 

 anil improved the morals of the people 

 of the neighborhoods in which he ofiici- 

 ated. His death was occasioned by 

 his horse treading on him as he fell in 

 leading him to water. He lived but a 

 few days after the accident. 



Smith, Tho.mas, migrated from Cro.x- 

 ton, in the County of Leicester, England, 

 in 1084, with his wife Sarah and two 

 daughters, Ann and Dorothy, and settled 

 in Darby. They were all in membership 

 with Friends. Ann intermarried with 

 Robert Smith. Thomas died in 1705. 



Smith, Robfut, from Sawley, in the 

 County of Derby, England, settled in 

 Darby, now Upper Darby township, in 

 1691, and was married to Ann the 

 ' daughter of Thomas Smith of Darby, 

 in 1692. They continued to be mem- 

 bers of Friends' Meeting, until they re- 

 moved from the County in ItoS, 

 previous to which they had seven chil- 

 dren, viz : Thomas, Richard, Sarah, 

 Robert, Elizabeth, Mary and William. 



Spry, Thomas, was a lawyer, and 

 there are no records to show that any 

 of that profession practiced earlier on 

 the Delaware River. The following is 

 the manner of his admission to the bar 

 k of Newcastle County: " Uppon the 

 ^Petition of Thomas Spry that he might 

 bee admitted to pleade some people's 

 Causes, etc : — The Worpp" Court have 

 granted him liberty so long as the 

 Petitioner Behaves himselfe well and 

 Carrys himselfe answerable thereunto." 

 The next year an order was made by 

 the Justices that, -'the Cryer of the 



Court is to have for every Attorney that 

 shall bee admitted & sworiie in Court, 

 twelve gilders or halfe a bever." By 

 his early admission to the bar, Thomas 

 escaped this imposition in favor of the 

 Cryer, but it was soon afterwards de- 

 termmed "that pleading Attorneys 

 bee no Longer allowed to practize in 

 yc governm' but for y" depending 

 causes." Thomas was therefore obliged 

 to change his l)usines3, at least in part, 

 for very soon after the prohibition 

 against lawyers, we find him engaged 

 in the practice of the healing art ; still 

 he managed to be concerned in a i'cw 

 cases at the bar, being substituted for 

 the plaintiff by the assignment of his 

 claim. He was not unfrequently a 

 party or a witness in Court, and on one 

 occasion we find him acting as a Juror 

 in Upland Court. But the practice of 

 Medicine became the most lucrative 

 part of his business, though he occa- 

 sionally was obliged to make use of the 

 law in the collection of his claims for 

 " Physiq.'' Thus in New Castle Court 

 in 1679, we have "Thomas Spry 

 p'"fering in Court a peticon and ace' 

 against the Estate of WaUer Wharton, 

 deceased for Physiq administered unto 

 him the said Walter Wharton, the sume 

 of 262 gilders : desiering an order ag*' 

 y s'l Estate for s'^ sume — The s** Spry 

 haveing made oath to y-" Justness 

 thereof. The Court doe grant him an 

 order ag*' y*^ s'* Estate for y 8"^ sume 

 accordingly." He was also successful 

 in the jjrosecution of a claim against 

 " the Church Deacons or Poormasters 

 for 300 Gilders for curing Evert Bran- 

 ches Legge &c." In this case, how- 

 ever, he only received 100 gilders in 

 money, but it was ordered by the Court 

 " that y*^ s'' Deakons shall deliver unto 

 s"* Doctor Spry, y Corne belonging to 

 y<^ Poore at present upon half Increase 

 with bans Schner after y-' tyme shall 

 bee expired.'' Thus this early Doctor 

 of Law and of Medicine, harmonized 

 the two professions, to the manifest 

 benefit of his own pocket. 



Stacket, Moexs, a native of Sweden, 

 was the owner, and occupied a tract of 

 land in Calken Hook, as early as 1G77, 

 and was alive in 1G93. He was one of 

 the first supervisors of the highways 

 under the Government of William Penn, 

 and served in other public capacities 

 under his government, though rather 



