Thomas Penn
Encyclopedia
Thomas Penn was a son of William Penn
, founder of the Province of Pennsylvania
, the English
North America
n colony
that became the U.S. state
of Pennsylvania
. Thomas Penn was born in Bristol, England after his father returned there in 1701 because of financial difficulties. Thomas Penn's mother was his father's second wife, Hannah Callowhill Penn
(1671–1726), daughter of Thomas Callowhill.
and Richard
on the death of their father William Penn, until 1746 when John died. Thomas continued as the Proprietor with Richard's son, John
, and his own son John Penn
until 1775. He tried to bring his family out of the debt that had plagued his father. He asserted his independence from the Quakers
, and tried to assert his control of the colony almost as a feudal lord.
On May 12, 1732 Thomas with his brothers John and Richard, as the proprietors of Pennsylvania, signed an order to create a commission. This order was directed to Governor Gordon
, Isaac Norris
, Samuel Preston
, James Logan
, and Andrew Hamilton
, Esquires, and to the gentlemen James Steel and Robert Charles. The commission, which was to be made up of at least three or more of these individuals, was given full power on behalf of the proprietors for the “running, marking, and laying out” of any boundary between Pennsylvania and Maryland
. This was in accordance to the agreement signed between the Penn brothers and Charles Calvert, 5th Baron Baltimore
on May 10, 1732.
Penn arrived in Pennsylvania in August, 1732, and organized the purchase some of the lands at the outskirts of the Pennsylvania colony. He met with some of the local Indian chiefs
and tried to keep the peace as immigrants poured into the countryside north and west of Philadelphia on the Susquehanna
, Schuylkill
, and Delaware
Rivers. Many of the Indians did not want to sell their land, and had not heard of William Penn's 1686 treaty. Finally in 1737 Acting Governor
James Logan
convinced several Indian Chiefs to confirm the 1686 deed, which according to the Penns had given them land west of the Delaware River
to the extent that a man could walk in a day and a half. Logan hired several men to walk the measure, but they walked west at a very fast pace, and the Indians felt cheated. Logan and the Penn sons including Thomas were later criticized for this fraudulent "Walking Purchase
" and their questionable treatment of the Indians. Part of the difficulty lay in the conflict with the French who laid claim on the back country west of Pennsylvania and the ensuing hostilities of King George's War
(1744–1748) and the French and Indian War
(1754–1763). Penn lobbied against Quaker efforts to make peace with the Iroquois
and Algonquian
tribes some of whom were allied with the French
. The proprietor Penn brothers became rich selling their newly and fraudulently acquired land to European
settlers, who as a result became resentful of the proprietors. The new land Penn acquired was not taxed by the Crown until it had been surveyed many years later.
Penn tried to stop the introduction of Roman Catholicism in the colony. In 1733 a Catholic chapel was built in Philadelphia, and in 1734 Penn attempted to suppress the movement, but the Quaker-led legislative assembly
protected the rights of Catholics to worship and build churches.
Penn visited the countryside of Pennsylvania to look for sites to establish towns and county seats. He appointed surveyors for the colony and for the "Lower Counties" which became Delaware
, including Joshua Fisher
, a prominent merchant in Lewes
at the mouth of Delaware Bay
. On one occasion in 1739, Penn visited the future site of Reading, Pennsylvania
, where he found only one cabin. As Proprietor he realized the site would be good for the layout of a county seat because it sat in the Schuylkill River valley with hills nearby. Although he never returned to the site, the knowledge he gained on this visit was helpful later when he drew up the plan for Reading. He planned the street map and the water system, and helped surveyors and realtors with suggestions about the sale of lots, from which he stood to profit. Penn took the name from Reading, Berkshire
, England
and established the town in 1748, and on creation of Berks County in 1752, Reading
became county seat.
Penn returned to England
and in 1751 joined the Church of England
and married Lady Juliana Fermor the daughter of George Fermor, 2nd Earl of Pomfret and Anna Maria Delagard. He did not hold many of the beliefs of the Quakers who had come to Pennsylvania, and lived the life of an aristocrat who had taken from the poor, identifiably different from his Quaker father who had tried to purchase land fairly from the Indians and live a life of peace.
The politics of the colony were complex, with the Quaker population declining and the legislature increasingly at odds with its proprietor. In 1756, Penn attempted to remove the Quakers from power in the colony by having a petition granted by Parliament
that would require an oath of loyalty in all colonial legislative assemblies. Because the Quakers never took oaths, they would be banned from power. The attempt failed and the colonial Quakers remained free of any oaths to Parliament.
Penn sent his nephew John Penn
to govern the colony in 1763. The new governor faced many problems: Pontiac's Rebellion
, disputes over the Penn family lands and taxation, and efforts of Pennsylvanians led by Benjamin Franklin
to have the Penn proprietary government replaced with a royal government. Thomas Penn died in England on March 21, 1775, soon before the American Revolution
brought an end to the Penn family's control of Pennsylvania.
William Penn
William Penn was an English real estate entrepreneur, philosopher, and founder of the Province of Pennsylvania, the English North American colony and the future Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. He was an early champion of democracy and religious freedom, notable for his good relations and successful...
, founder of the Province of Pennsylvania
Province of Pennsylvania
The Province of Pennsylvania, also known as Pennsylvania Colony, was founded in British America by William Penn on March 4, 1681 as dictated in a royal charter granted by King Charles II...
, the English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
n colony
Colony
In politics and history, a colony is a territory under the immediate political control of a state. For colonies in antiquity, city-states would often found their own colonies. Some colonies were historically countries, while others were territories without definite statehood from their inception....
that became the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
. Thomas Penn was born in Bristol, England after his father returned there in 1701 because of financial difficulties. Thomas Penn's mother was his father's second wife, Hannah Callowhill Penn
Hannah Callowhill Penn
As reported by Lauren Lizerbram, Hannah Callowhill Penn, was the second wife of Pennsylvania founder William Penn; she effectively administered the Province of Pennsylvania for six years after her husband suffered a series of strokes and then for another eight years after her husband's death...
(1671–1726), daughter of Thomas Callowhill.
Life
Penn inherited the position of Proprietor of the Colony of Pennsylvania for the Crown of England in 1718 along with his brothers JohnJohn Penn ("the American")
John Penn was a proprietor of colonial Pennsylvania. He was the eldest son of the colony's founder, William Penn, by his second wife, Hannah Callowhill Penn...
and Richard
Richard Penn, Sr.
Richard Penn was a proprietary and titular governor of the province of Pennsylvania and the counties of New Castle, Kent, and Sussex on the Delaware River....
on the death of their father William Penn, until 1746 when John died. Thomas continued as the Proprietor with Richard's son, John
John Penn (governor)
John Penn was the last governor of colonial Pennsylvania, serving in that office from 1763 to 1771 and from 1773 to 1776...
, and his own son John Penn
John Penn (writer)
John Penn was an Anglo-American writer, a part proprietor of the Province of Pennsylvania , and a governor of the Isle of Portland.-Life:John Penn was the son of Thomas Penn and his wife Juliana John Penn (aka "John Penn, Jr."[sic], "John Penn of Stoke") (22 February 1760, London, England – 21...
until 1775. He tried to bring his family out of the debt that had plagued his father. He asserted his independence from the Quakers
Religious Society of Friends
The Religious Society of Friends, or Friends Church, is a Christian movement which stresses the doctrine of the priesthood of all believers. Members are known as Friends, or popularly as Quakers. It is made of independent organisations, which have split from one another due to doctrinal differences...
, and tried to assert his control of the colony almost as a feudal lord.
On May 12, 1732 Thomas with his brothers John and Richard, as the proprietors of Pennsylvania, signed an order to create a commission. This order was directed to Governor Gordon
Patrick Gordon (governor)
Patrick Gordon was Deputy Governor of the Province of Pennsylvania and the Lower Counties on the Delaware from 22 June 1726 to 4 August 1736. He was deputy to the Proprietors of Pennsylvania, the heirs of William Penn, rather than to a governor...
, Isaac Norris
Isaac Norris
Isaac Norris was a merchant and prominent figure in provincial Pennsylvania, including mayor of Philadelphia in 1724.He was born in London, England, but his father, Thomas, moved to Jamaica when Isaac was seven years old...
, Samuel Preston
Samuel Preston (mayor)
Samuel Preston was a jurist, merchant, and mayor of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.He was brought up as a Quaker...
, James Logan
James Logan (statesman)
James Logan , a statesman and scholar, was born in Lurgan, County Armagh, Ireland of Scottish descent and Quaker parentage. In 1689, the Logan family moved to Bristol, England where, in 1693, James replaced his father as schoolmaster...
, and Andrew Hamilton
Andrew Hamilton (lawyer)
Andrew Hamilton was a Scottish lawyer in Colonial America, best known for his legal victory on behalf of printer and newspaper publisher John Peter Zenger. This 1735 decision helped to establish that truth is a defense to an accusation of libel...
, Esquires, and to the gentlemen James Steel and Robert Charles. The commission, which was to be made up of at least three or more of these individuals, was given full power on behalf of the proprietors for the “running, marking, and laying out” of any boundary between Pennsylvania and Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
. This was in accordance to the agreement signed between the Penn brothers and Charles Calvert, 5th Baron Baltimore
Charles Calvert, 5th Baron Baltimore
Charles Calvert, 5th Baron Baltimore, 3rd Proprietor and 17th Proprietary Governor of Maryland, FRS was a British nobleman and Proprietary Governor of the Province of Maryland...
on May 10, 1732.
Penn arrived in Pennsylvania in August, 1732, and organized the purchase some of the lands at the outskirts of the Pennsylvania colony. He met with some of the local Indian chiefs
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
and tried to keep the peace as immigrants poured into the countryside north and west of Philadelphia on the Susquehanna
Susquehanna River
The Susquehanna River is a river located in the northeastern United States. At long, it is the longest river on the American east coast that drains into the Atlantic Ocean, and with its watershed it is the 16th largest river in the United States, and the longest river in the continental United...
, Schuylkill
Schuylkill River
The Schuylkill River is a river in Pennsylvania. It is a designated Pennsylvania Scenic River.The river is about long. Its watershed of about lies entirely within the state of Pennsylvania. The source of its eastern branch is in the Appalachian Mountains at Tuscarora Springs, near Tamaqua in...
, and Delaware
Delaware River
The Delaware River is a major river on the Atlantic coast of the United States.A Dutch expedition led by Henry Hudson in 1609 first mapped the river. The river was christened the South River in the New Netherland colony that followed, in contrast to the North River, as the Hudson River was then...
Rivers. Many of the Indians did not want to sell their land, and had not heard of William Penn's 1686 treaty. Finally in 1737 Acting Governor
Governor
A governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...
James Logan
James Logan (statesman)
James Logan , a statesman and scholar, was born in Lurgan, County Armagh, Ireland of Scottish descent and Quaker parentage. In 1689, the Logan family moved to Bristol, England where, in 1693, James replaced his father as schoolmaster...
convinced several Indian Chiefs to confirm the 1686 deed, which according to the Penns had given them land west of the Delaware River
Delaware River
The Delaware River is a major river on the Atlantic coast of the United States.A Dutch expedition led by Henry Hudson in 1609 first mapped the river. The river was christened the South River in the New Netherland colony that followed, in contrast to the North River, as the Hudson River was then...
to the extent that a man could walk in a day and a half. Logan hired several men to walk the measure, but they walked west at a very fast pace, and the Indians felt cheated. Logan and the Penn sons including Thomas were later criticized for this fraudulent "Walking Purchase
Walking Purchase
The Walking Purchase was a purported 1737 agreement between the Penn family, the proprietors of Pennsylvania, and the Lenape . By it the Penn family and proprietors claimed an area of 1,200,000 acres and forced the Lenape to vacate it...
" and their questionable treatment of the Indians. Part of the difficulty lay in the conflict with the French who laid claim on the back country west of Pennsylvania and the ensuing hostilities of King George's War
King George's War
King George's War is the name given to the operations in North America that formed part of the War of the Austrian Succession . It was the third of the four French and Indian Wars. It took place primarily in the British provinces of New York, Massachusetts Bay, New Hampshire, and Nova Scotia...
(1744–1748) and the French and Indian War
French and Indian War
The French and Indian War is the common American name for the war between Great Britain and France in North America from 1754 to 1763. In 1756, the war erupted into the world-wide conflict known as the Seven Years' War and thus came to be regarded as the North American theater of that war...
(1754–1763). Penn lobbied against Quaker efforts to make peace with the Iroquois
Iroquois
The Iroquois , also known as the Haudenosaunee or the "People of the Longhouse", are an association of several tribes of indigenous people of North America...
and Algonquian
Algonquian peoples
The Algonquian are one of the most populous and widespread North American native language groups, with tribes originally numbering in the hundreds. Today hundreds of thousands of individuals identify with various Algonquian peoples...
tribes some of whom were allied with the French
French and Indian War
The French and Indian War is the common American name for the war between Great Britain and France in North America from 1754 to 1763. In 1756, the war erupted into the world-wide conflict known as the Seven Years' War and thus came to be regarded as the North American theater of that war...
. The proprietor Penn brothers became rich selling their newly and fraudulently acquired land to European
European ethnic groups
The ethnic groups in Europe are the various ethnic groups that reside in the nations of Europe. European ethnology is the field of anthropology focusing on Europe....
settlers, who as a result became resentful of the proprietors. The new land Penn acquired was not taxed by the Crown until it had been surveyed many years later.
Penn tried to stop the introduction of Roman Catholicism in the colony. In 1733 a Catholic chapel was built in Philadelphia, and in 1734 Penn attempted to suppress the movement, but the Quaker-led legislative assembly
Legislative Assembly
Legislative Assembly is the name given in some countries to either a legislature, or to one of its branch.The name is used by a number of member-states of the Commonwealth of Nations, as well as a number of Latin American countries....
protected the rights of Catholics to worship and build churches.
Penn visited the countryside of Pennsylvania to look for sites to establish towns and county seats. He appointed surveyors for the colony and for the "Lower Counties" which became Delaware
Delaware
Delaware is a U.S. state located on the Atlantic Coast in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It is bordered to the south and west by Maryland, and to the north by Pennsylvania...
, including Joshua Fisher
Joshua Fisher
Joshua Fisher was a prominent Philadelphia merchant involved in transatlantic trade and mapmaking as applied to nautical charts...
, a prominent merchant in Lewes
Lewes, Delaware
Lewes is an incorporated city in Sussex County, Delaware, USA, on the Delmarva Peninsula. According to the 2010 census, the population is 2,747, a decrease of 6.3% from 2000....
at the mouth of Delaware Bay
Delaware Bay
Delaware Bay is a major estuary outlet of the Delaware River on the Northeast seaboard of the United States whose fresh water mixes for many miles with the waters of the Atlantic Ocean. It is in area. The bay is bordered by the State of New Jersey and the State of Delaware...
. On one occasion in 1739, Penn visited the future site of Reading, Pennsylvania
Reading, Pennsylvania
Reading is a city in southeastern Pennsylvania, USA, and seat of Berks County. Reading is the principal city of the Greater Reading Area and had a population of 88,082 as of the 2010 census, making it the fifth most populated city in the state after Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allentown and Erie,...
, where he found only one cabin. As Proprietor he realized the site would be good for the layout of a county seat because it sat in the Schuylkill River valley with hills nearby. Although he never returned to the site, the knowledge he gained on this visit was helpful later when he drew up the plan for Reading. He planned the street map and the water system, and helped surveyors and realtors with suggestions about the sale of lots, from which he stood to profit. Penn took the name from Reading, Berkshire
Reading, Berkshire
Reading is a large town and unitary authority area in England. It is located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, and on both the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 motorway, some west of London....
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and established the town in 1748, and on creation of Berks County in 1752, Reading
Reading, Pennsylvania
Reading is a city in southeastern Pennsylvania, USA, and seat of Berks County. Reading is the principal city of the Greater Reading Area and had a population of 88,082 as of the 2010 census, making it the fifth most populated city in the state after Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allentown and Erie,...
became county seat.
Penn returned to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and in 1751 joined the Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
and married Lady Juliana Fermor the daughter of George Fermor, 2nd Earl of Pomfret and Anna Maria Delagard. He did not hold many of the beliefs of the Quakers who had come to Pennsylvania, and lived the life of an aristocrat who had taken from the poor, identifiably different from his Quaker father who had tried to purchase land fairly from the Indians and live a life of peace.
The politics of the colony were complex, with the Quaker population declining and the legislature increasingly at odds with its proprietor. In 1756, Penn attempted to remove the Quakers from power in the colony by having a petition granted by Parliament
Parliament of England
The Parliament of England was the legislature of the Kingdom of England. In 1066, William of Normandy introduced a feudal system, by which he sought the advice of a council of tenants-in-chief and ecclesiastics before making laws...
that would require an oath of loyalty in all colonial legislative assemblies. Because the Quakers never took oaths, they would be banned from power. The attempt failed and the colonial Quakers remained free of any oaths to Parliament.
Penn sent his nephew John Penn
John Penn (governor)
John Penn was the last governor of colonial Pennsylvania, serving in that office from 1763 to 1771 and from 1773 to 1776...
to govern the colony in 1763. The new governor faced many problems: Pontiac's Rebellion
Pontiac's Rebellion
Pontiac's War, Pontiac's Conspiracy, or Pontiac's Rebellion was a war that was launched in 1763 by a loose confederation of elements of Native American tribes primarily from the Great Lakes region, the Illinois Country, and Ohio Country who were dissatisfied with British postwar policies in the...
, disputes over the Penn family lands and taxation, and efforts of Pennsylvanians led by Benjamin Franklin
Benjamin Franklin
Dr. Benjamin Franklin was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. A noted polymath, Franklin was a leading author, printer, political theorist, politician, postmaster, scientist, musician, inventor, satirist, civic activist, statesman, and diplomat...
to have the Penn proprietary government replaced with a royal government. Thomas Penn died in England on March 21, 1775, soon before the American Revolution
American Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
brought an end to the Penn family's control of Pennsylvania.