Of Knights and Bishops: Part I

The Past Becomes Present

Our branch of the Wharton tree has proved to be surprisingly mobile—it can hardly be called a family tree at all. It's more like a river with wandering streamlets and tributaries. From the west side of the Pennine Hills of England in Westmoreland County to the east side at Gillingwood of Upper Yorkshire County; from England to Accomac County on the Virginia eastern shore and thence to Somerset County, Maryland; from Maryland all the way north to Fallsington, Bucks County of Pennsylvania; from Bucks County to Montgomery County and as we will see … to Chester County.

It didn't stop there. Our Whartons moved around Willistown, West Chester, Downingtown, Malvern … all over Chester County. Roots? Who needs roots?

Because we've moved around so much, perhaps the best way to trace our family from Isaac Wharton down is to follow the generations through their final resting places. While it appears a tad macabre, it seems the best way to approach it.

Gulf Mills, Upper Merion Township, Mintgomery County

Even though I found the oldest names in my father's Wharton Bible—Isaac and Mary Wharton—I had no idea where they lived or where they were buried. However, I knew that two of their grandchildren were buried in Gulf Christian Cemetery (behind the United Church of Christ), located in Gulf Mills, West Conshohocken (Figure 1). So, that seemed a good place to start. Little did I know that three generations of Whartons are buried there, beginning with, to my surprise, Isaac and Mary.

Figure 1—Gulf Christian Cemetery in Gulf Mills, PA.

Directions: From the intersection of Route 30 (East Lancaster Avenue), Interstate I-476, and King of Prussia Road, follow King of Prussia Road north approximately 1/2 mile to Matsonford Road. Turn right and follow Mastsonford Road 1-1/2 mile to Route 320 (Montgomery Avenue). Continue across intersection for 1/10 mile to Old Gulph Road. Gulf United Church of Christ is on the Northeast corner and the cemetery is located immediately behind the church.

 ⁶ Isaac Wharton [1784-1850]
      (¹Thomas II, ²Captain John, ³John Jr., ⁴Joseph Sr., ⁵Joseph Jr.)
         m. Mary Shearer [1790-]

Isaac and Mary had 5 children:

^6aMary Wharton
^6bRachel Wharton
^6cSarah Ann Wharton
^6dSusan Wharton [1812-1890]
^6eWilson B. Wharton [1826-1877]

We don't know much about Isaac and Mary, but there was one handwritten note in the family bible that mentioned Mary Shearer was born in Peoria, Indiana. We don't know where Isaac was born, but we can assume it was in Falls, Bucks County, since that's where his father Joseph was born and died. About the only thing we can say with assurance is that he died while living in Montgomery County because his will was probated in that county.

We know they left Bucks County for Montgomery County, but we don't know exactly where they settled. Since they were buried at Gulf Mills, we assume they settled near there, but where? It was a considerable distance to the Gulf Mills area (or possibly Plymouth Meeting), Montgomery County, so they must have had a good reason. There was an active Quaker community at Plymouth Meeting, and perhaps they chose to join their community, though I have found no indication in their records.

Then again, they may have left the faith voluntarily, or left due to being disowned. It didn't take much to be disowned, though that term has been, should I say … disowned itself by the Society of Friends. Today, they tend to use the term discontinued. What most people misunderstand, though, is that to these Quakers, this was a restorative action, not a shunning as in the Amish faith or an excommunication as in the Roman Catholic faith.

If discontinued, members could still participate in worship services, since such services are open to all. The only consequence seemed to be inability to sit at business meetings. Kuenning [1] puts it this way:

Friends, when they disowned a person, were not trying to do anything at all to that person. They were trying to define for the world's benefit what Quakerism was; in particular that it was not consistent with the type of behavior for which the person was disowned. The individual did lose a few rights (chiefly the right to sit in Friends' business meetings), but only to such an extent as was unavoidable if the Society was to maintain its self-definition; it was not done to make him feel bad, and he was in no worse position than any other nonmember.

The point of discontinuing a member was not to shame or reject a person. Instead it was a affirmation that a person's behavior did not conform with Quaker ideals. They could easily be restored once they modified their behavior. The difficulty arose when members didn't wish to modify their behavior, so they left the faith. They could be said to have left voluntarily, but it was generally a result of the rehabilitative action. Yet, they were never forced out.

A perfect example is if someone chose to marry outside of the faith, which was not allowed. Rather than put their spouse aside, they could choose to stay married, but leave the faith. It sounds voluntary, but it really wasn't. Another example was the case with one of our ancestors who chose to endorse the American Revolution. Since this supported the taking up of arms, he was discontinued. Rather than change his position, he chose to leave the faith.

We don't know if Isaac and Mary Wharton left the Quaker faith or not. Could they have been discontinued? Or, did they just choose to worship with a different community of Friends, which was not unheard of. All we know is that they moved to the Gulf Mills area and were not buried at a Friends burial ground. That may speak volumes.

Finding the paired grave markers for Isaac and Mary was truly serendipity. I went to Gulf Christian Cemetery in Gulf Mills to find several family members I knew to be there. Some of their graves were supposed to be at the far edge of the cemetery near Old Gulf Road, close to the juncture of Rebel Hill Road (Figure 2).

Figure 2—A view westward from the edge of the parking lot toward Old Gulf Road (hidden between the cemetery and the line of trees). The graves of Isaac and Mary are in the foreground.

From the edge of the parking lot at the back of the church, I stepped between two outward leaning gravestones as seen in the foreground of Figure 2. I was about to step around the two small gravestones I immediately came upon, when I happened to look down. There, inscribed on two small marble markers were the names of Isaac and Mary Wharton. I was overwhelmed and excited to have found them.

Another of the items I found in the Wharton Family bible was the handwritten will of Isaac's sister Rachel. It confirms all the family members except Wilson B., who obviously hadn't been born at the time of her death (Figure 3).

Figure 3—The handwritten will of Rachel Wharton, Isaac's sister.

It Reads (best guess):

I give and Bequeath unto my Niece Rachel Wharton Daughter of my Brother Isaac my Bed and Beding [sic] Bedsteads and the Curtains thereunto Belonging and one Pair Each of my Best pillow cases and sheets one of my best Bed Quilts and Also my Mahogany Bureau and Breakfast table my Large (unintelligible) And Silver teaspoons and also my Silk coat. Item I give and Bequeath to my Dear Mother my silver Watch. Item I give and Bequeath my Niece Susan Daughter of my Brother Isaac Wharton my spinning wheel. Item I give and Bequeath unto four Nieces Susan Rachel Mary and Sarah Ann Daughters of my Brother Isaac Wharton All the Remainder of my Bed Clothes and My Weaving Apparrel [sic] as well as all the other of my goods and Small Articles to be Equally Divided Between them share and share Alike And moreover that No unecessary [sic] cost may Acrue [sic] in the Distribution of the same I do Hereby Request that my Dear Brothers Jesse Joshua and Isaac Wharton will Consent to the Distribution of the foregoing goods agreeable to my will

 ⁷ Wilson B. Wharton [1826-1877]
      (¹Thomas II, ²Captain John, ³John Jr., ⁴Joseph Sr., ⁵Joseph Jr., ⁶Isaac)
         m. Mary Ann Trimble [1820-1889]

Wilson and Mary Ann had 2 children:

^7aJoseph Trimble Wharton [1858-1931]
^7bJames Haven Wharton [1860-1945]

Isaac and Mary's only son, Wilson B., was born several years behind his older sisters. More than likely, it's the reason his name wasn't mentioned in his Aunt Rachel's handwritten will. But he must have done quite well for himself because he married Mary Ann Trimble who is descended from two famous families—her father was a Trimble of Delaware County and her mother a Downing of Chester County.

Read more about the Trimble and Downing families.

A few steps up the driveway from the parking lot of the church at the Gulf Mills cemetery reveals a tilted headstone in the distance (Figure 4). It's at the edge of the slope in the center of photo beyond a small open area. This marks the Wilson B. Wharton family plot.

  
Figure 4—Location of Wilson B. Wharton and family grave markers

The single marker lists the names of five family members: Wilson B. and Mary Ann; their youngest son James Haven and his wife Sophie; and James and Sophie's only son Frank Herbert. Individual flat stones mark the graves in front of the large marker.

Very little is know of where Wilson B. spent the entirety of his life. All we know is that he is listed in the 1870 Business Directory as a farmer from Chester County. That, and in 1875, he bought a 32-acre farm with dwelling—the James Massey House (built abt. 1810)—situated in Willistown Township at 7037 Goshen Road (Chester County Deed Book Q8, p. 120). [2] Today it is know as the Buttonwood Valley Farm (Figure 5).

Figure 5—Farmstead Wilson and Mary Ann bought in 1875.

Wilson and Mary Ann's youngest son, James Haven Wharton, married Sophie M. Schroder [1861-1943], whose parents had immigrated from Hanover, Lower Saxony, Germany (halfway between Berlin and the Netherlands border). I have never found out where his middle name came from. It was unusual, and with one son named after Wilson's wife—Trimble—I always suspected that Haven was a family name as well. I just never discovered it.

James H. and Sophie had one child, Frank Herbert [1895-1973] who was born at White Horse, Willlistown Township. White Horse is the crossroads of Goshen Road and Providence Road. Willistown Township is 20 miles from Gulf Mills, so perhaps the only reason the family was buried there is because that's where Isaac and Mary were buried.

I remember meeting my Uncle Herbert—he was really my 1st cousin 2 times removed, but we called him uncle. One time was a very memorable meeting. My brother and I had set up a roadside stand selling vegetables at the end of our dirt and gravel lane from where we lived at Church Farm School. It was not a particularly economically sound venture and this particular day we were more than ready to pack it in. Along came Uncle Herbert for a visit and offered to help us.

How, you might ask? By letting us ride in our wagon tied to the back of his car. It was a 1/2-mile-long lane, and it had disaster written all over it. We made it about halfway down the lane when the wagon tipped over. Fortunately, I just rolled out, but my brother was not so lucky. His foot got tangled in the rope and he got drug along the gravel for a short distance, with both my brother and I screaming at the top of our lungs for Uncle Herbert to stop.

Nothing seriously came of it. My brother just had a lot of scrapes and bruises, but my mom and dad were not real happy with Uncle Herbert that day.

He died in Broward, Florida in 1973 while I was in college and was transported to Gulf Mills as well, by whom I don't know since he never married. Supposedly he had done some Wharton family research, but I never saw any of it and it must have gotten thrown out upon his death. How many valuable records have been lost that way.

 ⁸ Joseph Trimble Wharton [1858-1931]
      (¹Thomas II, ²Captain John, ³John Jr., ⁴Joseph Sr., ⁵Joseph Jr., ⁶Isaac,
       ⁷Wilson B.)
         m. Emma W. Baldwin [1820-1889]

Joseph T. and Emma Ann had 3 children:

^8aAnne M. Wharton [1883-1917]
^8bJames Wilson Wharton [1888-1968]
^8cHoward T. Wharton [1894-1913]

Looking down from the top of the cemetery toward the back of the church, two adjoining headstones are located ½-way up the hill next to the driveway (Figure 6). It's in the center of photo to the right of a large single gravestone.

Figure 6—View from the top of the cemetery.

Individual gravestones for Howard Wharton (left) and Anna Wharton (right), who were brother and sister, face the driveway to the right of a large grave marker for the Snyder family. A single stone for both Joseph T. Wharton and his wife Emma W. (Baldwin) Wharton butt directly against the back of the gravestones for Howard and Anna.

Both Howard and Anne died young, both single. Anne died at age 33 of Peritoitus resulting from a ruptured appendix. Howard died at age 19 of an unknown cause.

I never met either Anna or Howard, but it seems sad to me that Howard died so young. Perhaps my grandfather, James Wilson, felt the same way since he would have been 25 when his brother Howard died. I was told I was named for him (my middle name), so his death must have left a disconsolate imprint on the family.

There is no record of where Joseph T. was born, only that it was in Chester County. However, by the census of 1870, when he was 12 years old, he was living in Easttown Township, Chester County, obviously with his parents Wilson B. and Mary Ann.

Easttown is in the shape of a diamond, with it's northernmost point along Lincoln Highway in the Berwyn-Devon area. However, its southernmost point is barely half a mile from Goshen Road, so it's conceivable that they were living near Willistown Township, because by the 1880 census, when he was 22, he was living in Willistown Township, possibly on the James Massey Farm his father bought in 1875.

John Charles Nagy, in Acres of Quakers [3], mentions that in 1882, the year Joseph T. Wharton married Emma W. Baldwin, he bought the Isaac Yarnall House (built abt. 1795) on Goshen Road in Willistown Township, which included 57 acres (Chester County Deed Book P9, p. 106). It's located on Goshen Road adjoining Crum Creek.

Figure 7—Isaac Yarnall House bought by Joseph T. in 1882.

In 1890, Joseph and Emma purchased an additional 28 acres and dwelling—the Isaac and Jane Baker House (built abt. 1808)—on Goshen Road (Chester County Deed Book S10, p. 304). It was situated 1¹/₄ mile east of White Horse, Willistown Township. I suspect this was adjoining land because Isaac Yarnall had given a portion of his land to his daughter Jane Baker.[4]

Nagely describes the as follows:

The sloping ground bisected by a wandering stream of water spaced by an arched stone bridge, along with a stone springhouse and a stone and frame barn in the distance create and unusually handsome setting. The Pennsylvania bank barn is constructed of stone that is stable high, with vertical boards above. The forebay is completely enclosed by a stone wall and has a door at each gable eend.

Figure 8—Isaac and Jane Baker Farm bought by Joseph T. in 1890.

By the 1900 census, the household consisted of Joseph T. (age 41), Emma W. (age 38), Anne (age 16), James (age 11) and Howard (age 6). Then, in 1906, Jospeh and Emma sold all the property on Goshen Road (Chester County Deed Book E13, p. 121) [5]. The census of 1910 indicates he was still living in Willistown Township, but location unknown.

By 1920 Joseph and Emma had moved to London Grove, just west of Kennett Square. In 1931, he died living on the eastern side of Kennett Squae, in Pocopson (south of West Chester). They presumably lived with their son James (my grandfather) near Lenape because that's where my father said he was born.

Grove, West Whiteland Township, Chester County

As long as I can remember, the cemetery at Grove Methodist Church has been our family's cemetery. The first one that would have been buried there was my grandmother, Elsie May Garrett, though she died before I was born. I was never sure why they chose Grove, other than I think my aunts Katy and Ester attended as children—the family lived nearby in Green Lane. My sister, who died in 1990 was the last of my family to be buried there. I suspect my cousins, children of My Aunt Ester, will be buried there.

Figure 9—Grove Methodist Church Cemetery in Grove, PA

Directions: From the intersection of Route 100 (Pottstown Pike) and Route 322 (West Chester Bypass) north of West Chester, follow Route 100 north 1/2 mile past Oaklands Cemetery (Chestnut Grove Cemetery). Continue north on Route 100 up a hill 1/3 mile to Grove Road, which bears to the left. Follow Grove Road north 1-3/4 mile to the intersection of Grove and Boot Roads. The Church and cemetery are on the southeast corner of the intersection and the entrance to the cemetery is off Boot Road.

 ⁹ James Wilson Wharton [1888-1968]
      (¹Thomas II, ²Captain John, ³John Jr., ⁴Joseph Sr., ⁵Joseph Jr., ⁶Isaac,
       ⁷Wilson B., ⁸James T.)
         m. Elsie May Garrett [1890-1949]

James W. and Elsie May had 3 children:

^9aKathryn Emma Wharton [1919-2002]
^9bEster Mae Wharton [1920-1987]
^9cEarl Ramond Wharton, Sr. [1924-1996]

Looking from the entrance of the cemetery, the Wharton family grave markers are clustered near the second dogwood tree on the left—at the left center of the photo with the small American flag (Figure 10). The flag is for my Uncle Buddy Maas (married to my Aunt Kathryn Maas née Wharton). The photo was taken in 1999, so the dogwood trees may be gone.

Figure 10—View from the entrance of the cemetery next to the church.

James Wilson and Elsie May Wharton are buried directly behind the tree, if it's still there (Figure 11). The flat stone to the right marks where Uncle "Buddy" and Aunt Kathryn Maas are buried. Uncle Buddy was a corporal who served during WW II. I think he was an Army engineer.

Figure 11—Closer view of the family burial plots.

My aunt Esther Mae Scott and her son David (who died of Sudden Infant Death at just under three months of age) are in the third row (in the photo on beyond and to the right of the tree). As I write this, her husband Gilbert Scott is still living, but will be buried there.

Not pictured, but to the left, is a grave marker for William and Lena Elizabeth Fisher. Aunt Betty, which she always went by, was a sister to my grandmother, therefore a Garrett. Other than my grandmother, she is the only Garrett buried at Grove Methodist Cemetery.

My grandfather, James Wilson, was born in Willistown, but had moved to Pocopson Township with his father. My father was born there, he said in Lenape, though he never said exactly where.

In 1930, they were still living in Popcopson Township, but by 1935 they were living in West Goshen Township. The family farm was located in an unincorporated village called Hershey's Mill. It was situated at the crossroads of Boot Road and Greenhill Road, on the southeastern corner, today directly across from the Goshen Fire Company. It's built up now with country row homes. Mores the pity.

My grandfather was a tall and lanky man, just the kind of person you'd expect would farm the land (Figure 12). My father once said he was a bit of a scrapper when he was younger. My memories of him consist of a friendly smile and helpful hand around our country home. He would walk around with a wad of long-cut "Red Man" tobacco in his mouth singing "Turkey in the Straw."

Figure 12—James Wilson Wharton in his later years.

He became what my parents called senile towards the end of his life, though these days we would say he suffered from Alzheimers. He would sometime just take off walking up the road, headed for someplace only he saw in his mind.

He and I had such a good relationship that I was usually the one who would have to run after him and bring him back. Often, while absorbed in a typical child's activity, I would hear the cry, "Pop's headed down down the road again, go get him Ricky." (Yes, my nickname was Ricky growing up … we can move on now). I would always come up behind him, gently take his arm and turn him around. I was always met with a smile.

It hurt me deeply when he died of a brain hemorrhage in his sleep. I was 16 at the time and it was really the first time I had to deal significantly with the death of a loved one up close and personal.

I never knew my grandmother because she died in 1949, three years before I was born. All I had ever seen of her was a single picture where she was sitting in the back step of our house with my grandfather. Fortunately, she was a Garret who came from a big family that held family reunions every year. They helped fill in the blanks.

The Garretts came from Lansdowne, Delaware County, Pennsylvania, but they spread out over several counties and as many states. One relative, my 3rd cousin 5x removed, was none other than Thomas Garrett of Wilmington, Delaware, who was a Quaker abolitionist and leader in the Underground Railroad movement before the American Civil War. He helped more than 2,500 african-Americans escape slavery and even called Harriet Tubman friend.

Our part of the family was also famous locally, since they owned and operated the largest paper mill in the Philadelphis area (Figure 6). [6] And since we're on the subject of the Garretts, it's time to mention another of my father's family stories. He was always fond of saying that one of our Garrett ancestors was born on the Oregon Trail. Then he would pause and say with impish mirth … "On the way back!"

Figure 14—Garrett Paper Mill, Willistown Township, PA, 19th century.

It didn't take long to discover which Garrett that was. My great grandfather, Charles Henry Garrett, was born in Clackamas County, Oregon. He was the son of Edwin Thatcher Garrett who had decided in 1854 to leave his interest in the family paper-making firm, packed up his wife Alice and infant son John, and headed west to try his hand at farming on cheap land in Oregon.

With no railroads, the cheapest, though harshest, way to get there was over the Oregon Trail. Edwin Thatcher Garret and his family were one of the earliest homesteaders on the Oregon Trail. I can't imagine he hardships they faced.

So, that much of my father's story begins accurately enough—they went to Oregon.

Edwin did try his hand making a living from the land. The 1860 assessment for E.T. Garrett lists 320 acres, 9 cattle, 17 sheep, 5 hogs, and a wagon. No mention was made of mules, horses, or farming implements, so I suspect Edwin was raising livestock rather than farming. What's interesting, though, is that his past caught up to him more than 2,000 miles from where he had learned the paper-making trade.

That's because Edwin became part of Oregon history with the inception of the first paper mill in Oregon, the Pioneer Paper Company, though his contribution has largely gone unheralded. That notoriety has gone to two local Oregon entrepreneurs, W.W. Buck and William Barlow.

A key element that most historians miss when portraying the inception of the the Pioneer Paper Company is that they believed the project didn't have a trained paper maker. In fact, it did. When the paper mill project was first incorporated in 1865, alongside the names of Buck and Barlow, was E.T. Garrett.

Edwin supplied more than his expertise. A used paper-making machine was shipped at his behest, with the assistance of his brother Sylvester, who arrived that same year. However, It seems Sylvester's reasons for coming were not only to bring the paper-making machine, but to convince his brother to return to Pennsylvania.

By the end of the year, the Pioneer Paper Company had collapsed. No mill had been built, the paper-making machine had made it as far as San Francisco and ended up in storage at a warehouse, and Edwin Thatcher had returned to Pennsylvania with his brother.

Edwin may have became convinced by his brother, or perhaps it was the death of a son, Henry C., a year earlier. Then again, his sensibilities may have been shaken by the political infighting of Buck and Barlow. He was, after all, a Quaker of peaceful inclinations.

When Buck and Barlow tried again the following year, they eventually did get the mill built and operational, but it suffered without Garrett's experience and, ironically, the lack of proper equipment. The machine remained sitting unused in San Francisco. Barlow eventually forced Buck out and took over. Financial difficulties finally forced the mill to close in 1867 (Figure 15).

Figure 15—Pioneer Paper Company just after closure, Fall 1867. [7]

Meanwhile, back in Pennsylvania, Edwin Thatcher Garrett was fast becoming a successful paper maker. As Nicita notes [8]:

In 1866, while Buck was superintending the construction of the Pioneer Paper Mill, Garrett was superintending the construction of a paper mill in Newtown [Pennsylvania]. Later in 1872, he bought a mill in Lansdowne, which he ran as the Darby Paper Mill until his death in 1908.

As to my father's story, the Garrets did not return on the Oregon Trail. By 1865, Edwin Thatcher and Alice had seven children, Charles Henry the youngest of them. Edwin and Alice Garrett, their seven children, and Sylvester Garrett appear on the passenger list of the S.S. New York, arriving in New York Harbor on September 23, 1865.

So, the last part of my father's story is untrue. Charles Henry, born almost a year earlier, arrived by ship with his parents. Even if my father was still living, I don't think I would have told him. He got such a kick out of that story, I would have hated to disappoint him.

Be sure to check out more of the Garrett family history.

¹⁰ Earl Raymond Wharton, Sr. [1924-1996]
      (¹Thomas II, ²Captain John, ³John Jr., ⁴Joseph Sr., ⁵Joseph Jr., ⁶Isaac,
       ⁷Wilson B., ⁸James T., ⁹James W.)
         m. Nancy Jane Kendig [1923-2009]

E. Raymond and Nancy Jane had 3 children:

^10aEarl Raymond Wharton II [1950-2017]
^10bEric Howard Wharton [1952-]
^10cKaren Ruth Wharton [1956-1990]

Down the hill from the back of the church, at a curve in the driveway, are two similar markers—left and right center of the photo about 15 feet apart (Figure 16). The marker for my father and mother, E. Raymond and Nancy K., are to the left. That for my sister, Karen, is to the right, next to a gravestone for a William Yarnall.

Figure 16—Graves of E. Raymond, wife Nancy, and daughter Karen.

My father grew up on the farm at Hershey's Mill and attended West Chester High School. Today it's called Henderson after the principal that my father remembers well (read into that what you will). Evidently my father was not a very good student.

My mother attended Tredyffrin High School, which is now called Conestoga. I'm not sure how they met, but they used to go dancing at a club on the corner of N. Chester Road and Paoli Pike. Its an eating establishment now called the Pepper Mill.

   
Figure 7—Ray Wharton Nancy Kendig graduation pictures.

My father must have had a "Garrett" look. My cousin, Edwin "Eddie" Scott, Ester Mae's olden son, looked just like him. One day Eddie was riding a bus when a man asked him what his last name was. Eddie replied Scott, but the man said, "No you're not, you're a Garrett. You may be a Scott now, but you're a Garrett." He was, in fact correct, since his mother was the daughter of a—Elsie May, who married my grandfather.

My father and mother were married at the the Washington Memorial Chapel at the Valley Forge National Park. It was sparsely attended on purpose because my grandmother had just died. They wanted to postpone the wedding, but others insisted my grandmother would have wanted it to continue.

I'm unsure where they first lived. I seem to recall a quick comment once that they had a home down on Route 1—perhaps in the Pocopson area near where my father was born. My memory fails, so I can't be sure.

In any event, I know that shortly after they were living at a farm owned by a doctor in Downingtown on what is now Old Shadyside Road (near the homes now at 1221-1223 Old Shadyside Road). That's where they were living when I was born. At the time there was only the dairy barn near the bottom of the lane and a home at the top of the lane. These days they would be just below the Creagh Knoll homes.

My father ran the dairy for the doctor. Unfortunately, one night there was a fire and just about the whole heard was destroyed. My father did what he could, but evidently the fire was too intense. The owner decided not to re-establish the herd, and so my father was out of a job.

He then got a job as a farm hand at the Church Farm School in Glen Loch. Our family moved there on my 4th birthday in April, 1956. Eventually he worked his way up to be foreman of the farm and Head Herdsman for their dairy. It was from those positions that he retired.

My mother was a stay-at-home mom for most of their stay at the farm. After my sister graduated hight school, she got a job at National Liberty where she worked for many years.

My father died from lymphatic cancer at the age of 72. He was a smoker all his life, but strangely it was not lung cancer that he succumbed to. The family believes that, since he was the foreman of the farm and the one responsible for handling the chemicals sprayed on the fields, that he got cancer from that.

My mother died of complications from a stroke. She was living with my wife and I at our home on Piedmont Road in Downingtown at the the time. Oddly enough, our home was only about a mile from the where the farm used to be on Shadyside Road. Sometimes life circles back on itself.

¹¹ Eric Howard Wharton [1952-]
      (¹Thomas II, ²Captain John, ³John Jr., ⁴Joseph Sr., ⁵Joseph Jr., ⁶Isaac,
       ⁷Wilson B., ⁸James T., ⁹James W., ¹⁰E. Raymond Sr.)

So that's me, 11th generation American, descended from immigrant Thomas II of Gillingwood who settled on the Easter Shore of Virginia, and 20th grandson of Sir Gilbert Wharton of old Westmoreland County, England. My first name came about simply because my father liked it. My middle name came from my great uncle Howard T. [1894-1913].

I was born April 1, 1952—April Fools Day. We lived out in the country south of Downingtown with the closest Hospital at West Chester. My mother woke up in the middle of the night, ready to give birth. So, they flew to the hospital, but only made it to the hospital parking lot. I was born in the parking lot in an old Plymouth coup. April fools, Mom!

For years, I could go to the exact spot where I was born—something few people can say. However, when I left Pennsylvania in 2009, headed for Mississippi, the hospital had plans to build an extension of the hospital over that old parking lot. I'm glad I was gone before I saw that happen. A sad reminder that nothing stays the same.

Funny story, I was originally going to be named for my grandfather on my mother's side (Walter) and a familiar name on the Wharton side (Wilson). So I was going to be Walter Wilson Wharton (WWW). Kind of ignominious in the age of the internet, but thankfully my parents had a change of heart.

This is where the knight side of the family ends. Obviously, we are no longer knights, and for a while we leaned toward the bishops with belief in Quaker ideals, but there are considerably more bishops on my mother's side, which we'll get to in Part II.

———————

FOOTNOTES

[1] Kuenning, Licia. Our Understanding of Disownment   as historically practiced in the Society of Friends. The Religious Society of Friends, Friends Publishing Corporation, 1991. Accessed 30 March 2022.

[2] Nagey. John Charles. Acres of Quakers. An Architectural and Cultural History of Willistown Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania, from First Settlement Through 1900. Willistown Historical Commission. Malvern, PA. p. 300.

[3] ibid. p. 261.

[4] ibid. p. 263.

[5] ibid. p. 261, 264.

[6] Photo courtesy of Historic Sugartown, Inc.   Accessed 30 March 2022.

[7] Photo courtesy of Clackamas County Historical Society, taken by Carleton Watkins.

[8] Nicita, James J. The Mythic Machine of W.W. Buck   The Clackamas Review, 19 July, 2017. Accessed 30 March 2022.

COPYWRITE INFORMATION

Unless otherwise noted, individual relationships were developed on ancestry.com, Threads of the Wharton Sleeve, while biographical and common knowledge comes from publicly shared information on Wikipedia that is available to everyone or nearly everyone. It is used in the broadest sense that has been accepted as valid by multiple users; therefore complies with the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License   Permission is herby granted to redistribute any and all information, verbatim or modified, providing that you also comply with the terms of the Creative Commons Deed.