Lawrence and Ellen are my 2nd great grandparents and it has been a recent find. I often wondered the origin of the name Lawrence in the Worrilow family, for before Lawrence Slevin there were none. My great grandmother, Mary Ellen Slevin, daughter of Lawrence and Ellen, married my great grandfather, William G Worrilow and they named their last-born son, Lawrence Leo Worrilow. I haven’t found the origin of his middle name but that name may have also come from an earlier ancestor on the Slevin side. I haven’t yet been able to connect Lawrence Slevin with his parents, and I just recently found his entry in the United States. If I find additional information, I will make updates to this record as appropriate. If anyone reading this knows of additional information I would welcome it.

Lawrence Slevin was born Dec 1833 in Ireland. However, his birth year has not yet been confirmed because each source lists a different birth year so he may have been born prior to 1833. The 1900 Federal Census lists his birth month as December and his occupation as a Grocer. Lawrence arrived in the United States at the Port of Philadelphia on 12 Apr 1846 aboard the ship named North Star, which departed from Liverpool, England. All Census records and the ship’s manifest show his birthplace as Ireland.

Ellen was born about 1835 in Ireland and the 1900 Federal Census also shows her arriving in 1846. Very little is known about Ellen but the 1860 Federal Census shows her occupation as Weaver.

The Slevins resided in Philadelphia and Delaware Counties and owned several homes and a small grocery store in Chester, Pennsylvania.

As of November 1876, Lawrence was employed by the Patterson mill in Chester. Both Lawrence and Ellen attended the Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church in Chester. Lawrence died September 1910 and Ellen died 30 Apr 1912. They are both buried in the Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Cemetery in Linwood, Pennsylvania along with 3 of their 10 children.

Lawrence Slevin was not a stranger to controversy for on the night of Saturday, November 18, 1876 he had an altercation with someone he had other run ins with named, George McCouch. On this evening on his way home after shopping between the hours of 8 and 9 o’clock, Lawrence saw George McCouch following him and when both men reached the 3rd Street Bridge in Chester, George made a break for Lawrence. As soon as both men were face to face, “George pulled a small seven barreled revolver and discharged one of them at Lawrence with an aim which he intended should make a passage for the escapement of his life’s blood and a bleeding victim to the strong and uncontrollable jealous will of his would-be murderer.” Fortunately, after further struggle and a second discharge, Lawrence escaped his attacker unharmed. George was caught at Third and Edgmont by Officer Quinn and taken to jail. It seems that the feud between the two men had been long standing. George McCouch had accused Lawrence of having “improperly interfered with his family and breaking up his home, and thus making him miserable.” Lawrence, on the contrary said, “…he was never in his house but once, and then only a short time, several years ago.”

George McCouch was released on bail but didn’t show for his court appearance and was re-arrested and held without bail until his trial. His attorney said that George was insane and a doctor for the family also believed him to be insane. The jury in his case returned a verdict of not guilty by reason of insanity. No further information could be found on the fate of George McCouch.

Lawrence Slevin was active in the Citizen’s Building Association and caused somewhat of a ruckus at the annual stockholders meetings on 24 Mar 1878. He jumped up and yelled at the president, Mr. Jonathan Pennell, for nominating from the floor for different offices. He said, “This was a stockholders’ meeting” and accused Mr. Pennell of having things “cut and dried.” He wasn’t going to sit quietly by and see this “gag game” go on. His remarks were received with applause and such remarks as “hit him again, Larry,” “Give it to him,” and “Bravo, Larry.” He was also part of the South Ward Democrats and served as the club’s Secretary in 1880.

Lawrence Slevin applied for a building permit in August of 1883 for a two-story brick store and dwelling, 20 by 42 feet, situated on the northeast corner of Sixth and Butler streets. The address of the store and residences was 730 West Sixth Street, Chester, Pennsylvania.

Children of Lawrence and Ellen Slevin:

Margaret Ann Slevin was born 10 Nov 1852 in Nicetown, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Mary Ellen Slevin was born 9 Feb 1854 in Nicetown, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She married William G Worrilow on 1 May 1879. Mary died 31 Dec 1899 and was buried 4 Jan 1900 in Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Cemetery, Linwood, Delaware, Pennsylvania.

Edward Slevin was born 29 Oct 1855 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He married Mary Catherine “Kate” Minner. Edward died 22 Nov 1884 and was buried in Chester Rural Cemetery, Chester, Delaware, Pennsylvania. Since Edward’s wife Kate was Protestant, Edward’s wishes were to be buried someplace where is wife could also be so he rejected the Catholic Cemetery.

James Slevin was born 2 Jan 1857 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Hannah Elizabeth Slevin was born 25 Feb 1859 in Pennsylvania. Hannah married Charles R Wingert of Bayonne, Hudson, New Jersey. Charles and Hannah had 6 children. Hannah died 29 Oct 1912.

Henrietta Agnes Slevin was born 4 Dec 1860 in Haddington, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and died 8 Apr 1863.

Rose C Slevin was born 6 Feb 1863 in Hestonville, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Rose married James F Daley in the Immaculate Heart Catholic Church in Chester, Pennsylvania on 19 Nov 1896. She died in 1898 and is buried in Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Cemetery, Linwood, Delaware, Pennsylvania.

Isabella Henrietta Slevin was born 8 Feb 1865 in Hestonville, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and died 9 Jun 1865 in Pennsylvania.

Theresa Slevin was born 28 Jan 1867 in Pennsylvania. She and her brother Lawrence ran the family grocery store in Chester until her brother Lawrence died in 1945. Theresa never married and died 18 Oct 1949 and is buried in Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Cemetery, Linwood, Delaware, Pennsylvania.

Lawrence J Slevin was born 30 Apr 1870 in Pennsylvania. He and his sister Theresa ran the family grocery store. Lawrence never married and died 17 May 1945 and is buried in Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Cemetery, Linwood, Delaware, Pennsylvania.

Family Group Sheet PDF: Lawrence and Ellen Slevin

I came across a rare photo of me and my parents a short time ago. Anyone could tell by looking at it that it had special meaning to whoever carried it for it was well worn. It was most likely carried by my father in his wallet because any man knows that anything carried in a wallet for any length of time gets pretty battered. This photo was faded, bent and cut down so it would fit into a small place like a wallet.

I didn’t remember ever seeing it because it was the only one. However, I knew where and when it was taken because it was taken in front of a church and I had others like it without my parents. It was taken on the day of my baptism, June 29, 1958 at Holy Savior Church in Linwood, Pennsylvania, and I was 4-years old.

The reason this is such a rare photo is because my parents were almost never in the same picture together. I’m sure it’s like most families where Dad or Mom is behind the camera taking most of the photos. In this case it was my mother that took most of the photos. She never liked to be photography so she was almost always behind the camera.

I knew that this photo would never be suitable for framing because even an expert in Photo Shop couldn’t fix this one, for it was way beyond repair. I just had to find the negative and I had a whole box full of them, hundreds of them. So one morning I sat down with the box and started the search. I felt sure it was in the box because my parents never threw away anything. I was right and about an hour into my search I found it. It was in great shape and still in the paper envelope that store put them in. I ran to my scanner, set it up for negative scanning, and began the scan.

I Miss Them Both

My parents are both gone now. My father died on April 16, 1997 and my mother was taken from us much too early at the age of 56 in 1977. I’d have to say that I miss my mother the most and I felt closer to her. She was someone you could always talk to and was a great confidant and friend. My father was more distant and spent most of his time working. I didn’t come to know him until later in life. I’m glad that we had the time together in the end.

Larry

Thomas Henry Worrilow was the son of John and Alice Worrilow and was baptized on 26 Dec 1636 in the Parish Church of Haughton, Staffordshire, England. He was the first Worrilow to settle in the new world. He and his wife, Grace Perkes, had raised their family together in Haughton, and sometime after 1685 immigrated to Pennsylvania. It is known that of their 7 children, their daughter Grace and son Thomas died before emigration, for they are buried in Haughton the last being buried in 1685. Sometime before leaving their homeland, they joined the Religious Society of Friends.

The precise time of the family’s departure is not known but maps showing early grants and patents of Edgmont Township clearly show that one “Thomas Worrilaw” was in possession of 490 acres in the township as of 10 1st mo. (March) 1688/89. The map also shows Thomas acquiring an additional 200 acres in 1 6th mo. (August) 1693/94, purchased from Philip Yarnall. Additionally, Thomas transferred 250 to his son John as of 1 1mo. (March) 1690/91. No one knows for sure if the families of Edgmont knew each other prior to emigration but many of the Worrilows married into the families of their neighbors. Thomas named his new home in the new world, Brooznoll most probably after his home in England, Brasenhill. Brooznoll is the only property named on the map of the Township of Edgmont showing the early grants and patents of the area.

One close neighbor, Joseph Baker, along with Thomas Worrilow were appointed tax collectors of Edgmont on 3 8th mo. (October) 1689. In 1690 Thomas was a member of the Committee to collect funds for the Chester Meeting House. On 13 Jan 1694/94 he was also appointed constable of Edgmont, and on 12 Jun 1694, supervisor of roads in the township.

Thomas’ first wife, Grace, died sometime in 1700, and he next appeared at the Chester Monthly Meeting on 29 10th mo. (December) 1701, “desiring a Certificate of his clearness in relation to marriage.” A signed certificate was given to him by Friends at the meeting on 26 11th Mo. (January) 1701/02. On 30 11th mo. (January), Thomas and Susannah Bird Brightwen declared their intentions of marriage at the Philadelphia Monthly Meeting, “producing a certificate from Chester Meeting, the place of his late abode.” At the next meeting, on 27 12th mo. (January), the couple declared their intentions a second time, as required by the Friends discipline, “and nothing appearing to obstruct, they are left to their liberty to accomplish the same.”

According to his will, Thomas and is new wife lived in Philadelphia West of Third and North of Chestnut Street, which is now the site of a park and in the Society Hill district of the city. Benjamin Franklin’s Home and the First Bank of North America (built 1799) were situated in the block, but sometime much later after Thomas Worrilow’s death.

Thomas died sometime after 23 May 1709, the date of his Will. His Will was proved on 9 Dec 1709, and states:

I Thomas Worrilaw of the City of Philad in the Province of Pensilvania, Yeoman Being at Present but weak of Body and Sound & perfect mind & Memory do make this my last will & testament as ffolloweth/ viz/ first my will is that all my Just Debts and funeral Expences be paid & Discharged Also I Give unto my wife Susanna my Dwelling house I now live in Situate on the north Side of Chesnut Street and on the West side of the third Street in Philid with the Garden there belonging as far as the privet Hedge for and During her Natural life and after her decease I give & Devise my Dwelling House and the whole lott of Land thereunto Belonging with the New Building at Upper end of the Lott unto my Grandson Thomas Worrilaw his heirs & Assigns forever Provided always that if my Grandson shall happen to die without Issue by him Lawfully Begotten before he Attains his age of Twenty one years Then and in Such Case I give and Devise all in my house & Lott with the App’ces unto my Grandson Walter Worrilaw his Heirs & Assigns forever

Also I give unto my wife all Such Sums of money as I have heretofore given her papers to shew for Also I give unto my Grandson Thomas Worrilaw all the Goods in my Dwelling house which are Properly mine Except one feather Bed two feather Boulsters one Pillow one Rugg two Blankets & one pair of Sheets which I Give unto my Grandson William berks Also I Give unto my Son John Worrilaw all my household Goods he hath in his Possession Except one Jack to Turn the Spits I give to my Daughter Jane Hoopes And also I Give unto my Daughter Jane all my Goods which are at her husband Dan Hoopes’s House Also I give & Devise unto my Son John Worrilaw all my Land & Tenements & Hereditaments in the County of Chester To Hold to him his heirs & Assigns forever Upon condicon that he Shall Discharge my Son in law Dan Hoopes from all bills & Bonds whatsoever wherein the Dan Stands bound for the Proper debt of my Son John

Otherwise I will that my Execut of the Survivor of thee Shall Sell the Lands & premises and out of the Money raised by Such Sale Shall pay to my Soninlaw Dan Hoopes what he can make appear to be his and Also my will is that my said Executors Shall Sell the Clock in my Dwelling House And also that they Shall have Power to let the Uper Land of my lotts in Philid with the New Building there on Untill my said Grandson Thomas Worrilaw Attains his age of Twenty one Yeres And also if my wife dies Before my Grandson Tho: Worrilaw Attain his Age of Twenty one years That then my Executors Shall also have power to let my Dwelling House The lott as far as the Privet Hedge until my Grandson Attains his age and that they Shall dispose of the Rents and profits of my House lott unto my Son Johns Children as my Exect Shall think fit

Also my will is that Moneys Coming to me Either by Bonds or bill, and the Horses or Mares that I have in the Woods Shall go towards Payment of my Debts & funeral Expense And also all the rest and Residue of my Estate not hereinbefore disposed of after my Debts & funeral Charges Are paid I give & Devise unto my Son John Worriliv his heirs Exec’s & Assigns forever And lastly I make Ordain my Soninlow Daniel Hoopes and my friend John Maris Exec’s of my list will & Testament and I give to each of them the Sum of fiftey Shillings Currant money of this Province And further I give & Devise unto my Son John Worrilaw all my wearing Cloths & Apparrell wtsoever to his his Exec’s Ade & Assigns In Witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand & seal the 23d day of May Ano Dm 1709

Children of Thomas Henry Worrilow and Grace Perkes:

John Worrilow was born before 9 Aug 1664 at Haughton, Staffordshire, England and was baptized on 9 Aug 1664 at Haughton. He married Ann Maris on 14 Oct 1690 at Springfield, Delaware, Pennsylvania. He died 2 Jan 1726/27 at Chester, Pennsylvania.

Thomas Worrilow was born before 29 Jan 1666/67 at Haughton, Staffordshire, England and was baptized 29 Jan 1666/67 at Haughton. He died 12 Dec 1685 at Haughton, Staffordshire, England.

Walter Worrilow was born before 26 Apr 1669 at Haughton, Staffordshire, England and was baptized on 26 Apr 1669 at Haughton. He died before 1709 at Pennsylvania.

Elizabeth Worrilow was born before 15 May 1671 at Haughton, Staffordshire, England and was baptized on 15 May 1671 at Haughton. She married William Beakes, Jr. on 5 Jan 1690/91. She died 1769 at Haughton, Staffordshire, England.

Marie Worrilow was born before 25 May 1674 at Haughton, Staffordshire, England and was baptized 25 May 1674 at Haughton. She died before 1709 at Pennsylvania.

Jane Worrilow was born before 20 Sep 1675 at Haughton, Staffordshire, England and was baptized 20 Sep 1675 at Haughton. Jane married Daniel Hoopes on 10 Oct 1696 and had 17 children. She died before 1746 at Pennsylvania.

Grace Worrilow was born before 22 Aug 1678 at Haughton, Staffordshire, England and was baptized 22 Aug 1678 at Haughton. She died 17 May 1684 at Haughton, Staffordshire, England.

Individual Report PDF: Thomas Henry Worrilow

Actual Will PDF (large document): Thomas Henry Worrilow

About 60 miles northeast of Leominster, where the old market hall and its inscription can sill be seen today, lies the village of Haughton near the border between Staffordshire and Shropshire. Here lived one of those country gentlemen; Christopher Worrilow (often spelled Warrylow at that time). His wife Margery became a widow and a mother in the same year, as Christopher died in 1604, the year his son John was born. We cannot be sure whether Christopher could properly be termed a country gentleman, but he could certainly be called a yeoman or husbandman, and the hardest-working and most respectable of these, once they acquired land of their own, became gentlemen, a step below titled aristocracy. The Worrilows lived on the family farm, Brasenhill, (sometimes-spelled Brazenhill) about a mile north of the village church at Haughton. There is little known about Christopher, but he was probably one of those justices of the peace who had their fingers in many pies. At least, an ancestor of his, Robertus Warilow de Newhouse, was a justice (Newhouse was just east of Haughton), although the ancient court records show that in the year 1586 he did not attend court because he was sick. He was probably the father or grandfather of Christopher.

Excerpt from the book, One Man’s Family,
by Katharine Krell Hutchinson, 1997

Christopher Worrilow as born 1574 at Haughton, Staffordshire, England and died 4 April 1605 Haughton, Staffordshire, England. Not much is known about his wife Margery and it is believed that she was born about 1578 at Haughton, Staffordshire, England and died sometime between 1614 and 1615.

Kay Hutchinson, during a visit to England, says that Margery’s date of death was illegible and it is between 1614 and 1615. However, she also saw another Margery Warrilow, widow, buried at Haughton Feb 11, 1645. Kay speculates that this could be a re-copy of the illegible one with the correct date. If so, she may have outlived her husband by 40 years.

Based on the birth dates of the children, I believe they married before 1600. Additionally, I believe it likely that both Christopher and Margery were buried near their home site, Brasenhill (spelled Brazenhill to this day in England).

Brazenhill is a rural community north of the village of Haughton and Brazenhill Lane is a rural road which runs northwest and connects with Station Road. There are other properties and businesses that also bear the name Brazenhill in the area. Christopher’s grandson, Thomas Henry Worrilow named this home in Edgmont, Pennsylvania Brooznoll after his home in England.

Christopher and Margery had three children:

Jane Worrilow, born 1600 at Haughton, Staffordshire, England. She married John Leigh on 27 Nov 1624. Some sources list her birth in 1606, which is possible since her father Christopher died in April of the previous year. I find it unlikely and believe that she was the first-born.

Marie Worrilow, born 1602 at Haughton, Staffordshire, England. Some records show that she died 12 Jun 1626 Haughton, Staffordshire, England on the same day she married. She married Ralph Lownes on 12 Jun 1626. I tend to believe that this is somewhat unlikely and believe that someone used the date of her marriage as the date of her death. I have no basis for that belief and It’s likely we will never know.

John Worrilow, born 1604 at Haughton, Staffordshire, England and baptized that same year. He married Alice Winslow. He died 20 Mar 1635 Haughton, Staffordshire, England.

Family Group Sheet PDF: Christopher Worrilow and Margery

The Worrilow family were among the first settlers in the English colony of Pennsylvania. The Delaware Valley was explored as early as Jamestown and Plymouth and was colonized, soon thereafter, by Swedes and Dutch who fought over rights to the territory and were eventually succeeded by the English in 1664.

The first English settlers in the Delaware Valley were Quakers who emigrated to what is now New Jersey onto land granted by James, Duke of York, to a company whose trustees included William Penn. A few years later Penn, son of a Lord of the Admiralty who had been of great service to Charles II during his exile and restoration, received a large land grant on the west side of the Delaware, and a few of the New Jersey Quakers crossed the river to the original Swedish settlement of Upland, now Chester, PA. Penn busied himself with encouraging English Quakers to buy land in his new colony, which he first visited in 1683. He landed briefly at Chester, by then re-named by one of his English land agents, before continuing upriver to found Philadelphia.

Penn’s agent Edward Markham laid out land to the northwest of the Chester settlement which an early settler named Edgmont, and it was to this area that Thomas Henry Worrilow brought his family in about 1687. The Worrilows had been yeomen or farmers in the village of Houghton, Staffordshire, England. The Quaker sect had been formed during the Interregnum (the period between the defeat of the Cromwell Puritans and the restoration of the Stuart Charles II). By the 1680s, with King Charles back on the throne, the Society of Friends was looked down upon and persecuted by all the established religions, which was Penn’s reason for starting a colony for them. Since we do not know when Thomas Worrilow joined the Quakers, we cannot tell whether he emigrated because of persecution or whether he joined the sect in order to purchase land and come to the New World. We do know, however, that he had been a land owner and a justice of the peace in Staffordshire and no doubt sought refuge from the turmoil that was the English government at that time.

Thomas and his wife Grace Perkes Worrilow brought with them five of their children, including two sons. One son, however, died young, without marrying, so all the American Worrilows are descended from their son John or one of their three surviving daughters. Although those of us who are interested in the genealogy have tried to find as many descendants as we can, there must be thousands who do not bear the name Worrilow and have no idea of who their ancestors were.

Although there are few records of the family before emigration, there are many in the early Edgmont Township history. One of the first weddings performed in the village was that of Thomas’s son John Worrilow and Anne Maris, daughter of another prominent Midlands Quaker. John and Anne also had only one son who survived them, so that there are many other descendants of their daughters who married into several of the other well-known early families in the colony.

Grace Worrilow died in 1700, and Thomas married a Philadelphia widow named Sarah Bird Brightwen. By this time he had turned over the Edgmont farm to his son John, and he and Sarah lived in a house at Third and Chestnut Streets in Philadelphia until his death in 1709. Both Thomas and John were active in governmental affairs in the early colony and no doubt were well acquainted with the Proprietor William Penn and the other founding fathers of Pennsylvania.

Kay Hutchinson

This was a piece that my cousin Kay Hutchinson wrote over a year ago and I thought it would be a fitting first post for this new blog.  Kay really was the first person that sparked my interest in genealogy and the history of our family.  Her book, One Man’s Family, written in 1997, was, and still is, a valuable source of information and history of the Worrilow family.  I thank her for her work, council, and friendship.

Larry Worrilow