Profile of the Day: William Penn

Do you have early American ancestors? On this day in 1644, William Penn, the founder of Pennsylvania, was born in London, England.

Image: William Penn / New York Public Library

His father, Sir William Penn, was an English admiral and his mother, Margaret Jasper, was the daughter of a rich merchant.

An early advocate of democracy and religious freedom, Penn received a royal charter in 1681 to form a new colony in America. As a Quaker, Penn had been imprisoned several times for resisting the Church of England. He envisioned his new colony of Pennsylvania as a place for people to practice their religion in peace. Penn oversaw the planning and development of Philadelphia, which would serve as the Pennsylvania colony’s capital. Overtime, the city thrived and become one of the most populous colonial cities in the British Empire. By the American Revolution, it had become a center of commerce, science, medicine and politics.

Explore William Penn’s family tree on Geni and share how you’re related!

View William Penn’s Geni Profile