BIOGUAI'HICAL NOTICES. 



.17 



pert und ready penman. He was mar- 

 ried in 1685 to Issabell Daiiinson 

 [Davidson], who emigrated from the 

 County of Darl)y, and ])rohal)ly came 

 in the same sliip with lier hushand, 

 hrinj^ing with iier a certificate of good 

 character, which was fully sustained in 

 after life. Slie died, in 1709, at the age 

 of (ifty-four years. Thomas lived till 

 1731. In 1G97 he represented Chester 

 County in the Provincial Assembly. 

 The descendants of this couple are nu- 

 merous and respectalile; those bearing 

 the name being mostly settled in Ches- 

 ter County, wliere he had purchased a 

 large tract of land. He was one of the 

 original purchasers of land in England. 

 His son Thomas removed to Bradford, 

 17.39. 



Wright, John, was born in Lanca- 

 shire, England, about the j'ear 1667, of 

 pious parents, who were among the ear- 

 liest to embrace the doctrines of George 

 Fox. He was educated for the medical 

 profession, but declined the practice of 

 it, and entered into trade, which he t 

 pursued in his native country til! the 

 J'ear 1713, when, with his wife Pru- j 

 deuce and four children, he migrated 

 to Philadelphia, but before the close 

 of 1714 removed to Chester. His cer- 

 tificate was from the Monthly Meeting 

 of Hartshaw. Lancashire, and testifies 

 as well to the excellency of his charac- 

 ter as to his services in the ministry. 

 The people of Chester County were not 

 slow to discover the merits of this nev 

 comer among them. He was appointed 

 a justice of their Court, and also chosen 

 a member of the Provincial Council. 

 About the year 1726 he removed to the 

 banks of the Susquehanna, at that time 

 almost a perfect wilderness. When 

 Lancaster County was organized in 

 1729, he was the presiding justice of 

 the first Court, and continued to hold 

 that office till 1741. About this time, 

 among the arbitrary measures adopted 

 by Governor Thomas, was the enli.il- 

 menl of servants into the military ser- 

 vice. Against this the honest Quaker 

 spoke so freely as to induce his Excel- 

 lency to determine upon his removal 

 from office. Wright, learning the in- 

 tention of the Governor, in his charge 

 to the Grand Jury, took occasion to 

 discuss the principles of government. 

 This document, remarkable for its 

 abilitv. closes in these words : 



" And now to conclude, I take my 

 leave in the words of a judge of hrael: 

 ' Here I am, witness against me ; whom 

 have I defrauded; whom have I op- 

 pressed ; or of whose hands have I re- 

 ceived any l)ribe to blind my eyes 

 therewith? and I will restore it.'" He 

 died in 1751, aged eighty-four years, 

 highly esteemed as a member of the 

 community and as a preacher in the 

 Society of Friends. 



Yarnall, Peteu, was the son of 

 Mordecai Yarnall, a worthy Quaker 

 preacher of Philadelphia. After re- 

 ceiving a moderately good school edu- 

 cation, he was placed out to learn a 

 trade; but, differing with his master, 

 at the age of eighteen years, he left 

 him, and enlisted in the military ser- 

 vice, from which, after some trouble, 

 his friends obtained his release. After 

 arriving at age, he commenced the 

 study of medicine; but upon the revolt 

 of the American Colonies in 1776, he 

 entered the American service, acting 

 generally as Surgeon's mate in various 

 divisions of the army and in several 

 hospitals. Towards the close of 1718 

 his health failed to such a degree that 

 he was dismissed from the service at 

 his own request. He again resumed 

 the study of medicine ; and in February, 

 1779, the College of Medicine of Phila- 

 delphia conferred on him the degree 

 of Doctor of Medicine. lie immedi- 

 ately resumed his connection with the 

 military service, and sailed as Surgeon's 

 mate on board of the privateer ship De- 

 laware. He returned in the following 

 June, and attended strictly to the prac- 

 tice of the Pennsylvania Hospital. A 

 change now came over his religious 

 feelings, he again united himself with 

 the Quakers, and in 1730 appeared in 

 the ministry. About this time he re- 

 moved to Concord township, and e^^ta- 

 blished himself in the practice of medi- 

 cine. In 1782 he married Hannah, the 

 daughter of Benjamin Sharpless, of 

 Middletown* He continued to reside 

 in Concord till 1791, when he removed 

 to Horsham, Montgomery County, where 

 bis wife died in 1795. In 1797 he mar- 

 ried Hannah Thornton, of Byberry, but 

 died in 1798, aged forty-five years. 

 Peter Yarnall was a man of ability, 

 was skilful as a physician, and became 

 eminent as a minister of the gospel 

 among Friends. 



