Early Bonsall Family of Delaware County, PA
The quoted information below1The Progress, Darby, Pa. 7/2/1797 was part of a larger article that discussed the earliest settlement of the area
….As the Bonsall family is now so widespread and especially so numerous in Delaware county and vicinity, it may be of interest to many readers of the PROGRESS who are of that name, or, at least, connected therewith by family relationship, to know something of a few early generations of the family name, who were among the early settlers of Darby.
Richard Bonsall was the pioneer of the now great family of Bonsalls in America. He came from Moldridge Grange in the parish of Bradboro, Derbyshire, England, and settled in Darby in 1683.
This was a time when the settlement was interspersed with Indian wigwams, and “white and red children played together about the village in Darby.” At this time the great extent of Pennsylvania, as it now exists, was unknown, and the whole State compromised only the three divisions of Chester, Philadelphia and Bucks counties.
Richard was granted a large portion of land in this vicinity by William Penn, and is dwelling house was situated at what is now the intersection of Darby road (Lansdowne avenue) and Providence road, in the Borough of Yeadon.
Mary, wife of Richard Bonsall, was the daughter of George and Hannah Wood, of the village of Bonsall, a small mining place, about three miles north of Wirksworth, in Derbyshire, England.
Richard and Mary (Wood) Bonsall had been married several years before they came to this country, and did not settle at the homestead before mentioned until some months after their arrival here.
They being members of the Society of Friends, brought with them a certificate of membership from their Meeting in England, which introduced them to the Friends Meeting at Darby, Pa. (I suppose the same may yet by found in the records of the Darby Meeting.) The following is a copy of said
CERTIFICATE:
“This is to certify to all whom it may concern, that Richard Bonsall, the bearer thereof, is, and hath been, since he came among Friends, of honest life and conversation, and in unity with Friends; and doth now remove himself to America, with his whole family, with the consent of Friends, being clear of debt and other things in relation to his testimony in the world. From our monthly meeting at Ashford, England, this the twenty-second of twelfth-month, 1682”
The above certificate was signed by sixteen members of Ashford Meeting.
Richard and Mary Bonsall brought with them six daughters, who were born in England. Their names were Elizabeth, Rachel, Ann, Abigail, Mary and Sarah. Obadiah Bonsall also came with them, in some way related, but there is no evidence that he was their son.
Richard Bonsall was engaged in farming and grazing for most of the sixteen years he lived in America, and at the time of his death, which was July 13, 1699, he had accumulated considerable property. Mary, his wife, died the previous year, June 24,1698.
Fortunately, for the perpetuation of the Bonsall name, three sons were born to Richard and Mary after their settlement in Darby.
The following were the children born in America: Jacob, born October 9, 1684, died Mary 10, 1739. Benjamin, born November 3, 1687, died January 6, 1752. Enoch, born November 2, 1692, died May 6, 1769. Elinor, born September 8, 1694, no record of death.
Of five daughters, born in England and one, Elinor, in America, there are records of marriages as follows:
Elizabeth, married Joseph Hunt, September 10, 1686. Rachel, married Daniel Hibberd, August 6, 1697. Ann, married Josiah Hibberd, August 7, 1702. Abigail, married Joseph Rho ads, August 7, 1702. Mary, married John Johnson, no record of date. Elinor, married _ Davis, no record of dates.
The sons of Richard and Mary Bonsall married as follows: Jacob married Martha Hood, daughter of Thomas and Sarah Hood, March 1716. One son, Abraham, was born to Jacob and Martha Bonsall; he married Sarah Levis December 12, 1739; was married the second time to Mary Hindle, October 15, 1767.
Benjamin Bonsall married Martha Fisher. The children of Benjamin and Martha (Fisher) Bonsall were: Richard, born May 13, 1714, died January 1, 1754. John, born August 28, 1716, no record of death. Sarah, born May 9, 1720, died November 27, 1761. James, born June 18, 1725, died March 1755. Benjamin, born February 4, 1728, died December 26, 1769. Hannah, born November 18, 1730, died March 8, 1802. Martha, born June 2, 1733, no record of death.
Benjamin Bonsall, was married twice, the second time to Elizabeth Horne, April 8, 1737. From this marriage, one son, Nathan, was born, January 12, 1739, he died 1807.
Enoch Bonsall, youngest son of Richard and Mary Bonsall, married Ann Hood, daughter of Thomas and Sarah Hood, April 26/717. (Ann was sister to Martha, the wife of Jacob Bonsall. Ann (Hood) Bonsall was born October 30, 1695, died October 20, 1759.
The children of Enoch and Ann H. Bonsall: Isaac, born February 3, 17178, died August 6, 17666. Sarah, born February 10, 1720, died July 7, 1743. William, born March 25, 1722, died July 10, 1742. Benjamin, born January 31, 1724, died December 24, 1807. Hannah, born December 7, 1725, Died September 2, 1790. Enoch, born January 5, 1727, died August 18, 1785. Joseph, born December 23, 1729, no record of death. Joshua, born June 9, 1732, died September 1, 1784. Jonathan, (1) born March 7, 1734, died December 14, 1736. David, born March 11, 1736, died February 5, 1778. Jonathan, (2), born September 3, 1738, died April 1814.
The foregoing includes all of the children of Richard Bonsall and all of the children of his three sons, and embraces as far as can be known all the names of the Bonsall family of the first three generations who lived in America…
Sources & Notes
- 1The Progress, Darby, Pa. 7/2/1797