Edward Foulke

The Foulkes of Richland have been an important element among its Friends since 1713, the probable date of the removal of Hugh Foulke, their ancestor, from Gwynedd to the Great Swamp. Hugh was the second son of Edward and Eleanor Foulke, the immigrants. In order to present a history of the family, it is necessary to refer to Edward, the progenitor of all the name at Gwynedd, Richland, and elsewhere, a reunion of whose scatted members it is proposed to hold a Gwynedd in connection with the bicentennial of the township. Edward Foulke, 5th-no 13, 1651, had left an account of himself and his family, dated 11th-month 14, 1702, and his coming from Wales to America. The following Foulke genealogy shows the generations of the family in Great Britian for several centuries, running back through female line to the Kings of England:

"Edward Foulke from Wales, settled in Gwynedd in 1698, was the son of Foulke ap Thomas, son of Thomas ap Evan, son of Evan ap Thomas, son of Thomas ap Robert, son of Robert Lloyd, son of David Lloyd ap David, son of David ap Ievan Vychan, son of Ievan Vychan of Llanuwchllyn, son of Ievan ap Gruffyd, son of Gruffyd ap Madoc, sone of Madog ap Iorwerth, son of Iowreth of Penilyn, Lord of Penllyn, son of Madig of Rhiwaegod, son of Rhirid Flaidd. "Robert Lloyd's wife was Mary, daughter of Lowry, daughter of Ellison, of Griffydd, son of Lowry, daughter of Owen Glendower Tudor, son of Eleanor, daughter of Thomas ap Llewellyn, son of Eleanor de Barr, daughter of Edward I, son of Henry III, son of John, King of England, born December 24, 1166, crowned May 27, 1216.

Notes: (It was the custom that formerly prevailed that the use of the connected 'ap' for 'son of' was done, i.e. the children of Robert were John ap Robert. In the couse of time, an "S" was added to the surname and the 'ap' dropped)

In Edward foulke's account of himself he says:

"When arrived at mature age, I married Eleanor, the daughter of Hugh, ap Cadwallader, ap Rhys, of the Parish of Spytu, in Denbighsire; her mother's name was Gwen, the daughter of Ellis, ap William, ap Hugh, ap Thomas, ap David, ap Madoc, ap Evan, ap Cott, ap Evan, ap Griffith, ap Madoc, ap Einion, ap Meredith of Cai-Fadog; and [she] was born in the same parish and shire with her husband. "I had by my said wife, nine children, who names are as follows: Thomas, Hugh, Cadwallader and Evan; Grace, Gwen, Jane, Catherine, and Margaret. We lived at a place called Coed-y-foel, a beautiful farm, belonging to Roger Price, Esq., of Rhiwlas, Merionethshire, aforesaid. But in process of time. I had an inclination to remove with my family to the Province of Pennsylvania, and in order thereto we set out on the 3rd day on the 2nd-month, A.D. 1698, and came in two days to Liverpool, where with divers others who indented to go the voyage, we took shipping with 17th of the same month, on board the "Robert and Elizabeth," and the next day set sail for Ireland, where we arrived, and stayed until the first of the 3d-month, May, and then sailed again for Pennsylvania, and where about eleven weeks at sea. And the sore distemper of the bloody flux broke out in the vessel, of which died five and forty persons in our passage; the distemper was so mortal that two or three corpses were cast overboard every day while it lasted. But through the favor and mercy of Divine Providence, I, with my wife and nine children, escaped the sore mortality, and arrived safe at Philadelphia, the 17th of the 5th-month, July, where we were kindly received and hospitably entertained by our friends and old acquaintances. "I soon purchased a fine tract of land of about seven hundred acres, sixteen miles from Philadelphia, on a part of which I settled, and divers others of our company who came of the sea with us, settled near me at the same time. This was the beginning of November, 1698, aforesaid, and the township was called Gwynedd or North Wales."

The home of Edward Foulke, whose first purchase of land in Gwynedd was 400 acres, but was patented 712 acres, was on the site of Penllyn, station, on the North Pennslvania railroad, occupied for many years by Jesse Spencer, and owned by D. Clark Wharton.

For additional materials, please refer to Howard M. Jenkins' "Historical Collections of Gwynedd."

Ben M. Angel notes:

The tombstone reads 1741, but I noted that in both birth and death dates that the month was off by two months in both cases compared to that of what is seen on Find A Grave:

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=30499060

In Quaker records, when this is the case prior to 1752, this means that the person recording the earlier date has misread the record. 11mo doesn't translate to November, but rather to January, as the Quaker calender prior to 1752 started in March, the same as with the English Calender prior to the Chesterfield Act. In this case, 1741 is correct in the old calendar reckoning, but given that the computer calendar operates in new calendar reckoning only, 1741 would be incorrect. Accordingly, he died January 8, 1742, gravestone notwithstanding.

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FamilySearch: Family Tree Edward Foulke Birth  13 July 1651 • Llandderfel, Merionethshire, Wales, United Kingdom Death  8 January 1744 • Gwynedd Township, Montgomery, Pennsylvania, United States Parents  Foulke ap Thomas • Lowry Verch Edwards • Thomas Lloyd Foulke Spouse  Eleanor Hughes Ap Cadwallader • Elizabeth Roberts Children  Cadwallader Foulke • Catherine Foulke • Evan Foulke • Grace Foulke • Gwen Foulke • Hugh Foulke • Jane Foulke • Margaret Foulke • Thomas Foulke

Lead confidence: 5 https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/96S5-CML

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Geni: Edward Foulke Children  Katherine Foulke Edward Foulke

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FamilySearch: Find A Grave Index Edward F. Foulke, "Find A Grave Index" Lead confidence: 5 https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVV1-Y6RG

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wikiTrees: edward foulke Birth  May 13, 1651 • Llandderfel, Merionethshire, Wales Death  1741 • Gwynedd, Montgomery, Pennsylvania, United States Parents  foulke ap thomas • verch lowry edwards Spouse  eleanor ellin hughes foulke https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/869178

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Findmypast: Historical Society of Pennsylvania, Deaths & Burials Edward Foulke Civil Deaths & Burials 1745 Gwynedd Township, Montgomery, Pennsylvania, United States

Lead confidence: 3 https://www.findmypast.com/transcript?id=US/BMD/PENN-BUR/01030389

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Findagrave Edward F. Foulke Birth: Jul. 13, 1651, Wales Death: Jan. 8, 1741 Gwynedd Montgomery County Pennsylvania, USA Edward was born in Coed-Y-Foel, Llanderfel, Merionethshire, Wales, the son of Foulke ap Thomas and Lowry verch Edward. Edward married Eleanor Hughes in 1682 in Wales. She was the daughter of Hugh ap Cadwalader. They and their nine children immigrated to the U.S. on the ship "Robert and Elizabeth" arriving in Philadelphia on 17 Jul 1698. Edward was one of the original settlers of Gwynedd, Pennsylvania where he purchased and settled on 712 acres of land. His land today would belocated in Lower Gwynedd township extending approximately from Brushtown Rd. to Pennlyn Pike, and from the Whitpain township line to Sumneytown Pike (except for a small rectangle of 110 acres belonging to Evan ap Hugh). Edward's lineage to Edward I, King of England, through Eleanor de Bar-le-Duc is found: Early Friends Families of Upper Bucks, Hugh Foulke's Ancestors, p 127. Edward's lineage to Edward I, King of England, through Lady Joan Plantagenet,who married Gilbert, Earl of Hertford, is found: Welsh Settlement of Pennsylvania, Genealogical Data, pp 298-300. Edward and Eleanor had 9 children all born in Coed-Y-Foel, Llanderfel, Merionethshire, Wales. 1. Thomas Foulke - b. 7 Aug 1783 2. Jane Foulke - b. 10 Jun 1684 3. Hugh Foulke - 6 Jul 1685 4. Margaret Foulke - 1687 5. Evan Foulke - Abt. 1689 6. Gwen Foulke - Abt. 1690 7. Cadwalader Foulke - 13 Jul 1691 8. Grace Foulke - Abt 1693 9. Catherine Foulke - 1697 Family links: Spouse: Eleanor Hughes ap Cadwallader Foulke (1651 - 1733) Children: Thomas Foulke (1683 - 1762)* Jane Foulke Hughes (1684 - 1766)* Hugh Foulke (1685 - 1760)* Evan Foulke (1689 - 1745)* Gwen Foulke Edwards (1691 - 1760)* *Calculated relationship Note: ORIGINALPOST DATE: May 24, 2007 (same date as wife Eleanor). I accidently deleted it while making some correctons. Put it back in right away but it now has the correction date listed instead of the original post date. Burial: Gwynedd Friends Cemetery Gwynedd Montgomery County Pennsylvania, USA Maintained by: DOUGLAS JOHN SHACKLEY Originally Created by: MomGisi Record added: Oct 11, 2008 Find A Grave Memorial# 30499060

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Rhiwaedog: Our Ancestral Foulke Treasure The Bloody Hill of the Red Wolf Originally published in the Foulke Family Herald, April 1991 Tucked away in the Berwyn Mountains, one and a half miles southeast of Bala, Wales, there is found physical evidence of the rich lineage shared by us, the descendants of Edward Foulke. This supreme treasure is in the form of a stone mansion known as Rhiwaedog (The Bloody HIll), in which generations of descendants of one of the most powerful 12th century Welsh Lords, our ancestor, Rhirid Flaidd, lived. So ruthlessly did he rule over his vast land in Northern Wales, that he was known to all as the Bloody Wolf, and this symbol is displayed in his Coat of Arms. This same Coat of Arms is the one that we display to this day. To enter the grounds of this structure,is to feel a great sense of awe, wonderment and feeling of being "in touch" with our ancestors who lived on this site from the 12th century to the 17th century. Access to this magnificent structure is gained through a stone gatehouse, 28 feet wide and 24 feet deep, with wooden steps leading to rooms on either side of the passage. This structure, the last of its kind to survive from the 17th century, consists of a slate-covered room of unusual beam and wind-braced construction, and gives support to two stone chimneys. That the gatehouse was used for passage rather than as a residence is evident from the four stone steps leading to the original studded door, and from the fact taht the passage is only four feet wide. Leaving the passage, and taking a short walk along a path of large stones, there stands the front door, over which carved in stone, the date 1664 looms out to meet the eye. Entering through the front door into the large stone foyer, one instantly experiences the feeling of warmth and hospitality. To the left is a hall leading to the kitchen; the right, a large room, and ahead, a few stone steps that lead onto a landing and then to massive stone stairs the floor above. Partitions can be found adroned with the various carvings that comprise the Coat of Arms of Rhirid Flaidd. Inspection of the cellar area reveals massive 15 foot thick walls, a well, and a subterranean passage from the mansion into neighboring hills, which once served as a place of refuge during previous attacks from rival Welsh Tribes upon the homestead. Not only does this structure reveal a wonderful sense of charm and antiquity, it holds its own very special history, some of which is tragic in nature. The "Brides Room" on the second floor is testimony to this. It was within this small stone and wood paneled room, with large ancient window, that a young bride-to-be, betrothed against her will, dressed for her wedding, and then chose to jump from the window to her death. There are many othercenturies-old traditions unique to Rhiwaedog. One tradition is the passing from generation to generation an egg-sized crystal, which, it was said, had the power to foretell the death of the head of the household when its brilliant color became clouded. This crystal, ond other Rhiwaedog treasures, are said still to be hidden. Many attempts have been made from time to time to find them, even with the aid of a magician searching on moonlit nights, but to no avail. These treasures, to date, still live within their secret chambers. To experience a visit to Rhiwaedog (now a Youth Hostel) causes oneto feel connected with those past souls from whom we are descended, as well as allows one to experience a re-discovery of our very own sense of self. Copyright © 1991 Foulke Family Association. Section last updated February 02, 2001

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Descendants of a Prominent Welsh Patriarch Meet Out at Gwynedd May 31, 1898 REUNION OF THE FOULKE FAMILY _____________________________________ Descendants of a Prominent Welsh Patriarch Meet Out at Gwynedd May 31, 1898 Philadelphia Inquirer V.138 Issue 151 p.2 ____________________________________ A GREAT GATHERING ____________________________________ Fully Five Hundred Persons Participate in Celebration and Discuss Family History ____________________________________ Two centuries after the arrival in this country of Edward Foulke, Eleanor, his wife, and their nine children, the descendants of this Welsh family assembled yesterday at the meeting house which stands upon the site of that in which he worshipped at Gwynedd, Montgomery county, and alongside of which lie his remains. To the number of fully 500 they assembled there, visited his home at Penllyn, viewed relics of his family and discussed the patriarch, his ancestry, immigration and descendants. Shortly after 9 o'clock yesterday morning a special train bearing between three and four hundred persons drew out of the Reading Terminal bound for Gwynedd. The train stopped at Penllyn, where the company alighted and proceeded to thehouse of Albert C. Caldwelll Jr., a portion of which was constructed by Edward Foulke and was his residence. Passing through the house, the minds of all were forcefully drawn to the fact that where they were walking at one time trod the pioneer from whom they were descended. Owen Roberts, of Philadelphjia, and Watkin Davies, of Wilkesbarre, sang and played Welsh songs, among which were "Hen Wlad y Menyg Gwynion," meaning "Land of Peace and Concord," and the national Welsh song, "Hen Wlad vy Nhadi," meaning "Land of My Fathers." EXAMINED RELICS Returning to the train, the party proceeded to the next station, Gwynedd, and were conveyed in coaches to the old meeting house, where they were joined by many more descendants of Edward Foulke who reside in the surrounding country. The morning was spent under the ancient trees on the large meeting house grounds, and in examining the exhibit of old letters, pictures and manuscripts relating to the Foulkes, which were displayed at the country residence of Mrs. Charles O. Beaumont, a short distance from the meeting house. A pretty ceremony followed about noon, when the assembled peopled planted on the meeting house grounds two trees, a white pine, commemorative of Edward Foulke, and a white oak, in honor of his wife. An address was made by Daniel Foulke Moore, of Phoenixville, and each of the Foulkes threw a shovelful of dirt about the tree. The entire party was photographed, and all then sat down to a dinner provided in a huge tent in the rear of the meeting house. The afternoon was devoted to addresses and papers. William Dudley Foulke, of Richmond, Indiana, the president of the Association of Descendants of Edward Foulke, opened the exercises in the meeting house with an address, in which he told how the love of ancestry influenced most people. This did not constitute all, however, and people whose lines of ancestry did not go back far were as great as those who could trace their lineage far back, if they were but true and good. Eleanor Foulke, of Quakertown, read an account of Edward Foulke's ancestry, a paper prepared by Charles M. Foulke, of Washington, D.C. In a paper on "Edward Foulke and the Narrative of His Removal," Howard M. Jenkins said that after two centuries had elapsed the record of Edward Foulke and the knowledge of him was remarkably clear. When he came to this country he was not a Friend, but became one soon after his arrival. He was a sober minded man, and courage, integrity, perseverance and faith were his characteristics. His 700 acres of land lay near Penllyn and to the east of it. Edward M. Wister, of Philadelphia, who has several times visited the farm, Coed-y-Foel, the home of Edward Foulke in Wales, gave a description of the place. A paper on "Edward and Eleanor Foulke's Descendants,"by Susan Foulke Lukens of Conshohocken, concluded the essays of the day. A CANE FROM WALES A handsome testimonial was given to Howard M. Jenkins for his efforts during months past to make the reuniona success. It was in the form of a cane made from a stick cut on the farm of Edward Foulke in Wales. The cane was inscribed with Mr. Jenkins name, the place where it came from and the name of the donors, the assocation. During a short period of general remarks a poem was read and a short paper presented on the derivation of the name of Foulke, which stated that it came from the French word Foulques, meaning a hen of the moor. The day's proceedings, which had been all too short for the assembled people, were concluded with the residing of "Edward Foulke's Exhortation to His Children," written by this patriarch a short time before he died. Samuel Emlen, of Germantown, read the staid old writing, and the exercises closed with a few minutes of silence on the part of those present. To-day the bicentennial of the settlement of Gwynedd township will be celebrated at the same place with all-day exercises. Edward Foulke was one of thirteen Welshmen who formed a company, purchased the entire township of Gwynedd and emigrated here in 1698. A cablegram from Colonel von Mont Be, of the German army, was read at yesterday's meeting. It read: "Proud to be members of the association," referring tothe Foulke association, and a letter was received from another member in Venice. Persons were present from New Jersey, Maryland, Illinois, Indiana and New York, beside all portions of Pennsylvania.

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Edward's Account of His Voyage http://www.foulke.org/ "... We lived at a place called Coed-y-foel, a beautiful farm belonging to Roger Price, Esq. of Rhiwalas, a Merionethshire, aforesaid. But in process of time, I had an inclination to remove my family to the Province of Pennsylvania; and in order there, to we set out on the 3d day of the 2d month, A.D. 1698, and came in two days time to Liverpool where, with divers others who intended to go on the voyage, we took shipping the 17th of the same month on board the Robert and Elizabeth, and the next day set sail for Ireland, where we arrived andstayed until the first of the third month, May, and then sailed again for Pennsylvania, and were about eleven weeks at sea. And the sore distemper of the bloody flux broke out in the vessel, of whichdied in our passage, five and fourty persons. The distemper was so mortal that two or three corpses were cast overboard each day while it lasted. "But through the favor of Mercy and of Divine Providence, I with my wife and nine children escaped that sore mortality, and arrived safe in Philadelphia, the 17th of the 5th month, July, where were kindly received and hospitably entertained by our friends and old acquaintances."

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Foulke Family Reunion - April 17, 1898 Foulke Reunion Plans Progress Descendants of Welsh Settlers to Have a Big Celebration April 17, 1898 Philadelphia Inquirer V.138 Issue 107 p.2 _________________________________________________ THE FOUNDER'S RECORD _________________________________________________ Extracts From the Family History of Edward Foulke Who Came to America in 1698 _________________________________________________ At the close of two hundred years after the arrival of Edward and Eleanor Foulke with their children in this country the descendants of their family are arranging a reunion which promises to challenge wide-spread attention and bring together hundreds of their descendants from all over the United States, including those who do and those who do not bear the family name. Scores of representatives of various branches of the family have expressed their great interest in the forthcoming reunion, and it is expected that members residing as far west as the Pacific coast will be in attendance. Gwynedd township, near the present Penllyn station, on the Reading Railway, was the location selected by Edward Foulke for his home, and the reunion as arranged will be held in the township at the old Friends' Meeting House, located a short distance from Gwynedd station, and in which Edward Foulke was in his time, much interested. Such a location is considered eminently fitting for the gathering of the family. Some of the descendants of the Foulkes are still connected with the Gwynedd Meeting, the house of which stand on the same location as that occupied by the first meeting house, located there several years after the arrival of the Welsh company of settlers of which the Foulkes formed a part. May 30 has been selected as the date of this bi-centennial celebration. It will be followed on the next day by a celebration of the bi-centennial settling of Gwynedd township. THE FOUNDER Edward Foulke laid the foundations for just such an event as is to take place four years after the arrival of the settlers in Gwynedd, on the fourteenth day of the eleventh month." At that time January, A.D., 1702, he wrote an account of his migration as well as a record of his ancestry. This forms the only explicit relation of the facts surrounding the voyage of the Welsh company from their native country and their settlement in Gwynedd that at this time is on record, and from this fact as well as others it is inferred that he was the best educated of these Welsh yeomen. It is also recorded that Edward Foulke was a good singer, and companies of his friends gathered at his home in his native land on Sundays to hear him sing together with others of a musical turn who joined him. A careful and thorough collection of these historical facts concerning these early settlers hasbeen made by Howard M. Jenkins, of Gwynedd, one of the descendants of Edward Foulke, and chairman of the Executive Committee of the reunion. He is a member of the Gwynedd meeting, which Edward Foulkehelped to organize. The account of this removal was written in Welsh and translated into English by his grandson, Samuel Foulke of Richland, who was a member of the Colonial Assembly. This account begins with a genealogical record of Edward Foulke in which he traces his lineage direct to Ririd Flaidd, Lord of Penllyn, a prominent personage in Welsh history. "I was born," he wrote, "on the thirteenth of fifth month, 1651, and when arrived at mature age I married Eleanor the daughter of Hugh-ap Cadwallader," continuing with a record of her ancestry, according to the Welsh manner of recording it. Further he states that he had nine children--Thomas, Hugh, Cadwallader and Evan; Grace, Gwen, Jane, Catheirne and Margaret. They lived at a place called Coed-y-foel, a beautiful farm belonging to Roger Price of Rhiwak, Merionshire. ELEVEN WEEKS AT SEA "But in process of time," he wrote, "I had an inclination to remove with my family to the province of Pennsylvania, and in order thereto we set out on the third day of the second month, A.D. 1698, and came in two days to Liverpool, where with divers others who intended to go to the voyage, we took shipping, the 17th of the same month, on board the Robert and Elizabeth, and the next day set sail for Ireland, where we arrived and staid until the first of the third month, May, and then sailed again for Pennsylvania, and were about eleven weeksat sea." On the voyage it is told by him that a plague broke out on the ship, from which forty-five persons died, but his family was spared from loss and all arrived safely at Philadelphia on the seventeenth of the fifth month (July), where they were kindly received and hospitably entertained by friends and old acquaintances. These were undoubtedly Welsh settlers in the country surrounding PHiladelphia, who had previously emigrated to America. In concluding he states that he soon purchased 700 acres of land about 16 miles from Philadelphia, on a part of which he settled, and others of the company which came across the sea with his family settled near them. This was the beginning of November, 1608, and the township was called Gwynedd, or North Wales. Edward Foulke died 1739 or '41, accounts differing. One authority states that he was 88 years and 5 months old when his life ended. His wife, Eleanor, died in 1733. Sally Wister, of revolutionary renown, made the old stone house on the Foulke estate, which was built some years after the settlement of the Welsh, famous by writing her much-read journal within its confines. JUDAH FOULKE, GENTLEMAN The descendants of Edward and Eleanor Foulke have achieved distinction in the adopted country of their ancestors. The first to become a public name man was Cadwallader, the third of their sons, who became a justice of the peace in Philadelphia. His son, Judah Foulke, was collector of excise for Philadelphia from 1715 to 1750, and Sheriff of the city and county of Philadelphia in 1770-72, and a document is on record stating that his "Excellency, John Penn, with the advice of the Council, constitutes and appoints Judah Foulke, gentleman, keeper of the standards of brass for weights and measures for the county of Philadelphia." John Foulke, son of Judah Foulke, became one of Philadelphia's leading physicians during Revolutionary times. he was one of the first elected members of the College of Physicians, and was also made a member of the American Philosophical Society in 1784 and in 1786 became one of its secretaries. He conducted a private medial school at his home. During his carious labors he came into close contact with Benjamin Franklin and the prominent men of his time. Coming to more recent times, William Parker Foulke, a grandson of Dr. John Foulke, was prominently identified with many leading enterprises of a philanthropic and education character. An ardent worker in the interests of the betterment of prison conditions in this State, his efforts with those of one or two others bore fruit in an act of the State Legislature in 1860. Among other things in which he was interested was the Pennsylvania Colonization Society. He was a promoter of the Hayes Arctic expedition, in recognition of which the water harbor of the explorers, in North Greenland, bears the name Port Foulke, and he was one of the three earliest promoters of the Academy of Music. He died in 1865. In another branch of the family several were representatives to the Provincial Assembly, and later to the State Legislature. In the meetings of the Friends they have taken prominent places, and in the present generation there are many prominent members of the family. Details of the reunion and celebration are rapidly being arranged and will include addresses, reading of papers and an exhibition of MSS.m coats of arms, portraits, silhouettes,marriage certificates and ancestral furniture. For the proper carrying out of the celebration the descendants of Edward Foulke have organized under the name of the Association of Descendants of Edward Foulke, and the following officers have been elected: President, William Dudley Foulke, of Richmond, Indiana; vice-presidents, Hugh Foulke, Philadelphia; Samuel Emlen, Germantown; Rebecca J. Foulke Corson, Philadelphia; Charles M. Foulke, Washington; Frances C. Day, Germantown, and Edward Foulke, Washington; secretary, Frank Foulke, Philadelphia; assistant secretary, Joseph T. Foulke, Philadelphia; treasdurer, Edward M. Wister, Philadelphia; and Executive Committee, including officers, Howard M. Jenkins, chairman; William G. Foulke, J. Roberts Foulke, Daniel Foulke Moore, Abigail Foulke Kent, Jane Foulke Rutter, Dr. Joseph K. Corson, U.S.A.; William Wister Comfort, James Emlen, Anna Foulke Bacon Neff, Charles F. Jenkins, Lydia A. Foulke Wilson and Joseph F. Foulke.

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Back to Our Roots: Coed-y-Foel Isaf http://www.foulke.org/ Written by Patricia and Robert (Bud) Foulke and originally published in the Foulke Family Herald, November 1991 The dream of finding the veryspot Edward and Eleanor Foulke left in 1698 finally came true for us. As we drove along through the rolling, partly wooded Welsh countryside we felt as if we had lived there before. Emigrants to America generally sought land that resembled home to settle in. Reversing the direction, we understood better why we had always loved hills and woods. The year was 1960. My husband and I were living near London as he finished up his year on a Fulbright scholarship. We drove our little Simca up the road and stopped before and immaculate stone farmhouse called Coed-y-Foel Isaf tucked into the hillside and occupied by the Tom Thomas family. Their daughter Eirlys Thomas came out to welcome us, and we went inside to meet her mother, Morfudd. Eirlys spoke beautiful English and translated Welsh for us sowe could talk with her mother. As we sat in the parlor, we couldn't take our eyes off her collection of lovely blue plates on the sideboard. In 1977, we again visited Coed-y-Foel with my husband's father, Robert W. Foulke, his sister, Phebe Jane Foulke Smith, her husband, Red Smith, and our children, David and Debbie Foulke. Robert and Bud posed for photos by the gate and Coed-y-Foel sign. Again we were greeted warmly by Eirlys who by then felt like a member of our family. Later we went to Eirlys' home where she made an elegant dinner for us. David was most impressed by a potato cutter she used to make fancy french fried potatoes, so we got one to use in our house in Cambridge, and he kept us supplied all year. In 1984, my husband and I visited Coed-y-Foel for a third time and met Thomas and Morfudd Thomas as well as their children. We enjoyed seeing the house again and admired their beautiful black Angus cattle. Eirlys was there also, and the three of us went out for dinner after visiting the house. Our next visit, in 1991, was the best ever. We picked up Eirlys at her house, went out for lunch and drove over to Coed-y-Foel. Luckily, Thomas and Morfudd had just arrived home and welcomed us inside. The same lovely blue plate collection rests on the sideboard and we had a chance to admire the other antique pieces they had recently purchased. An aerial photograph of the farm hangs on one wall. Most recently the Thomas' copied and sent us a guest book signed by many Foulkes who have visited Coed-y-Foel Isaf. Over the years, Eirlys, Thomas and Morfudd Thomas have opened their home to countless Foulkes wishing to experience their heritage. Each time they were gracious and hospitable, taking time to visit with each guest. We hope to be able to show them some of the same hospitality in 1998. Copyright © 1991 Foulke Family Association.

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Edward's Oral Family History As found at the website http://www.pennock.ws/surnames/nti/nti45406.html: "I, Edward " Foulke, was the son of Foulke Thomas, the son of Evan, the son of Robert, the son ofDavid Lloyd, the son of Madock, the son of Jerworth, the son of Madock the son of Ririd blaidd of the Poole, who was Lord of Penllyn, one of the northern divisions of Wales. My mother's name was Lowry, the daughter of Edward the son of David, the son of Ellis, the son of Robert, of the Parish of Llanvor of Merionethshire. I was born on the 13th day of the 5th mo, 1651, and when arrived to mature age, I married Eleanor, the daughter of Hugh, the son of Cadwallader, the son of Rees of the parish of Spyter, in derbyshire. ..... This account is by Edward, aged 85 years, and buried at Gwynedd, in 1741

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Edward Foulke -- Our Immigrant Ancestor Edward Foulke might have had second thoughts about immigrating to America while aboard the Robert and Elizabeth. The ship's voyage across the Atlantic took eleven weeks at sea, during which illness wracked the ship, killing 45 of Edward's shipmates. But Edward turned to God to endure the hardships, later thanking "Divine Providence" for granting safe passageto himself, his wife and his nine children. A descendant of ancient Welsh warlords through paternal lines and English kings through maternal lines, Edward had a valid claim to the family crest of Rhirid Flaidd, a Welsh knight of the 12th century. Despite his noble heritage, Edward was a simple farmer in Merionethshire, Wales. The third son of Foulke Thomas, also a third son, Edward's Welsh name was Edward ap Foulke, literally "Edward, son of Foulke." He farmed the verdant hills called Coed-y-foel that still go by that name today. Much of Edward's life in America is written, but the events leading to his departure were passed down by oral tradition until recorded in 1884 by Howard M. Jenkins. According to the family tradition, Edward attended a military drill, mandated by law, at which a relative's kneecap was struck off during broadsword exercise. The bystanders exulted the victory, while Edward was "shocked to consider that the barbarous occurrence was a natural outgrowth of the system under which they lived." His mind turned to emigration, but he was wary of uprooting his family. When he broached the topic with his wife, Eleanor, she believed the idea to have "Divine origin" anddeclared, "He that revealed this to thee can bless a very little in America to us, and can blast a great deal in our native land." But Edward still hesitated. Meanwhile, large groups began to gather at Edward's house on first days, Quaker meeting dates, to hear Edward sing. Edward soon found the people these performances brought into his house were of no advantage to him, a feeling Eleanor shared. They converted the impromptu concerts to scripture readings and only the "truest and most valuable" friends stayed. After some time, Eleanor reminded Edward of his plan to emigrate, telling him thatthe benefits they had found in observing the first days were evidence the divine spirit was with them. When they decided to settle in Pennsylvania, many of the friends who had read scripture with them went also. The family set out the third day of April 1698 from a Welsh port. In two days the family of eleven arrived at Liverpool. From an account of the journey that Edward wrote later, we know they spent almost a fortnight in Liverpool before departing on the Robert and Elizabeth for Ireland. The ship was docked in Dublin for another two weeks before beginning the intimidating journey across the Atlantic. While at sea, Edward writes, the "sore distemper of the bloody flux broke out," killing 45 aboard, the crew tossing two or three corpses overboard each day. But Edward made it safely to Pennsylvania, where he stayed with old friends from Wales. He purchased 400 acres of land about 16 miles to the north of Philadelphia (roughly-measured), and had built his home by November. The area was soon populated with the others who had come over on the Robert and Elizabeth, forming the township of Gwynedd. Edward's land, later resurveyed to be 712 acres, became the site of the old Foulke Mansion, which was built by his grandson William on approximately the site of Edward's first rough-hewn log home. The mansion was in the family for more than a century until it was sold in 1855, and it stood until the mid-1980s. The Penllyn station on the Pennsylvania & Reading Railroad, used in the 1898 Reunion, was also built on Edward's land, near the Foulke Mansion. Two hundred years later, Howard M. Jenkins described the land to the descendants gathered to celebrate the bicentennial: It is rolling land, mostly a light clay; sand lies in the knolls just across the turnpike to the south. Although religious, Edward had not been a Quaker in Wales. It is presumed he joined shortly after arriving, and he subscribed five pounds when the Society of Friends built a new meeting house in Gwynedd in1712. He was one of the overseers of construction, his son Thomas collected the money, and he was appointed one of the new overseers when the monthly meeting was established in 1718. Edward died in 1741 at age 90, having transplanted his family when he was forty-seven, and living to see another four decades in America.

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Descendants of Edward FOULKE, Introduction from Howard M. Jenkins (1897), chapter 15. Gwynedd Friends Meeting Historical Notes Descendants of Edward FOULKE Introduction from Howard M. Jenkins (1897), chapter 15. The details concerning Edward Foulke's ancestry, his removal, etc., have already been fully given. It is intended in this chapter to present what is known to the author concerning his descendants. [JQ - See also Thomas Allen Glenn, Merion in the Welsh Tract, pedigree, pages 92-95. Edward Foulke's Great Grandfather, Evan ap Thomas Lloyd of Nant y Friar, had a sister Mary who married Richard of Tyddin Tyfod who was the ancestor of Richard Price. This Richard Price was the father of Edward Rees of Merion, of Jane, the wife of the Quaker minister Cadwallader Morgan, and of Hannah, the wife of Rees John William.] Generation No. 1 1. EDWARD10 FOULKE (FOULKE AP THOMAS9 EVAN, THOMAS AP8, EVAN AP THOMAS7 ROBERT, THOMAS AP ROBERT6 LLOYD, ROBERT AP DAVID5, DAVID LLOYD AP4 DAVID, DAVID AP IEUAN3 VYCHAN, IEUAN VYCHAN AP2 IEUAN, IEVAN AP1 GRUFFYDD) was born July 13, 1651 in Coed y Foel Llanfor, Parish of Llandderfel, Merionethshire, Wales, and died November 08, 1741 in Gwynnedd Twp., Philadelphia Co. (now Montgomery Co.), Pennsylvani. He married ELLIN (alias ELEANOR) HUGH 1682 in , , North Wales, United Kingdom, daughter of HUGH CADWALADER and GWEN WILLIAMS. She was born 1653 in Parish Of Spytu, Denbighshire, North Wales, United Kingdom (Gwynedd), and died January 16, 1732/33 in Gwynedd, Philadelphia Co., Pennsylvania. Notes for EDWARD FOULKE: One of the original settlers in Gwynedd township in 1698. His land in today's Lower Gwynedd township extended, approximately from Brushtown Rd. to Pennlyn Pike, and from the Whitpain township line to Sumneytown Pike except for a small rectangle of 110 acres belonging to Evan ap Hugh. His grant was 712 acres. Links: Foulke Family Association; H.M. Jenkins chapter on his immigration From his grandson Joseph: "I have frequently heard my father relate a tradition concerning Edward and Ellin Fouke before their emigration to Pennsylvania being in substance as follows: Edward Foulke, with other subjects of the Prince of Wales, attendedfealty as he was required by law to do, and learn certain military tacticks; that while one of his relations was engaged in fencing and defending himself from a club in the hand of his antagonist, hehad the cap of his knee struck off - while this relation was suffering exquisite agony from his wound his antagonist was glorying in the victory, and their seconds parleying about the merits and demerits of the contest, Edward Foulke's heart was affected with grief at their unfeeling indifference about his suffering relation. This occurence led him to believe that it was not the will or design ofthe Just, Wise and Merciful Creator for one man (the Prince of Wales) to exercise such dominion towards his fellow men as to require them to meet and perform such acts of cruelty towards each other, and while he was calmly considering the matter, it occurred clearly to his understanding at the time that the devine will was that he should remove his family to Pennsylvania. This was very unexpectedand the Idea of parting with his friends and relations in Wales and settle in the wild wilderness of America among Indians and wild beasts was a great cross to his inclination, and the more he pondered on the matter the more a serious sadness seemed to be brought over him. But the subject continued steadily before him and at length he opened it to his wife in a serious and weighty manner for he had entertained a hope that it might pass away and that he might remain with his family in his native land. But his wife very unexpectedly to himself regarded it as an intimation or revelation of the Divine will to him for their good, and said to him that 'He that revealeth this to thee can bless a very little in America to us, and can blast a great deal in our own native land' and further cuationed him against reasoning it away." Edward Foulke's own words, translated from Welsh: "I was born on the 13th of Fifth month [July], 1651, and when arrived at mature age, I married Eleanor, the daughterof Hugh ap Cadwallader, ap Rhys, of the Parish of Spytu, in Denbighshire. I had by my said wife nine children, whose names are as follows: Thomas, Hugh, Cadwallader and Evan; Grace, Gwen, Jane, Catherine and Margaret. We lived at a place called Coed-y-foel, a farm belonging to Roger Price, Esquire, of Rhiwlas, Merionethshire, aforesaid. But in process of time, I had an inclination to remove with my family to the Province of Pennsylvania; and in order thereto, we set out on the 3d day of the Second month [April], A.D., 1698, and came in two days to Liverpool, where, with divers others who intended to go the voyage, we took shipping, the 17th of the same month on board the 'Robert and Elizabeth', and the next day we set sail for Ireland, where we arrived and staid until the 1st of the ThirdMonth (May), and then sailed again for Pennsylvania, and were about eleven weeks at sea. And the sore distemper of the bloody flux [dysentery] broke out in the vessel, of which died five and forty persons in our passage. The distemper was so mortal that two or three corpses were cast overboard every day while it lasted. But through the favor and mercy of Divine Providence, I, with my wife and nine children, escaped the sore mortality, and arrived safe at Philadelphia the 17th of the Fifth month (July), where we were kindly received and hospitably entertained by our friends and old acquaintances. I soon purchased a tract of land of about seven hundred acres, sixteen miles from Philadelphia, on a part of which I settled, and divers others of our company who came over the sea with us settlednear me at the same time. This was the beginning of November, 1698, aforsaid, and the township was called Gwynedd, or North Wales. This account was written the 14th of the eleventh month (January), A.D. 1702." Edward Foulke's Exhortation to his Children (from a Letter Written Near the End of His Life in 1741) Source: "Fair Land Gwynedd" by Phil Johnson Ruth (1991) "My dear children: There has been for considerable time, something on my mind to say to you by way of advice, before I return to dust, and resign my soul to Him who gave it: though I find some difficulty in delivering my thoughts inwriting. My first admonition to you is , that you fear the Lord, and depart from evil all the days of your life. Secondly, as you are brothers and sisters, I beseech you to loave one another, and your neighbors too. If any of your neighbors injures you, in words or deed, bear it with patience and humility. It is more pleasing in the sight of God and good men, to forgive injuries, than it is to revenge them. Rather pray for them, than wish them any evil: Lest that ext in scripture, which requires an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, come into your minds when you leave this world, and you befound wanting. For without doubt, he that is thoughtless and negligent all his days about the welfare of his soul, will some day or another, in the midst of his extremity, call on the rocks and mountains to secure him from the vengeance of an offended God. My dear children, accustom not yourselves to loose, vain talking, which the scriptures declare against. It was hurtful to me in my youth and stopped my virtue. The temptations of this world are very powerful, as Job said by experience. Be watchful over your evening conversation. Let pious thoughts possess your souls the moment before you close your eyes for sleep. If you do that, you will be more likely to find yourselves in the morning in a meek, humble posture before God, who preserved you from evil... I feel sorrow now in my old age,for want of being mroe careful and circumspect in my youth. Althought I did nothing that brought shame on myself, or grief on my parent; yet there was amongst the loose, inconsistent youth, too many things which they called innocent, without considering they were building on the sand; and I was often drawn to vain mirth with them... Let me entreat you, my dear children, assume not the appearance of religion, without a real possession of it in your hearts... One thing more comes into my mind, by searching myself; which is, that it had been better for me, if I had been more careful, in sitting with my family at meals, with a sober countenance; because children and servants have their eyes and observations on those who have the command and government of them... So my dear children, perhaps you may get some advantage by this. If you consider with attention this innocent simplicity of life and manners I have been speaking of, you need not fear but that God will preserve you in safety from the snares of the devil, and the storms of this inconstant world... Now I think I can with peace of mind conclude, with hopes that your prayers will be with us in the most needful time, especially on a dying pillow, when our time in this world comes to an end, that we may have a gentle passage to eternal rest." Burial: 1741, Gwynedd Friends Meeting, Montgomery Co., Pennsylvania. His descendants have put up a new stone for him. Ellin's ancestry is outlined by Edward Foulke (her husband) as cited in chapter 5 of H.M. Jenkins's book. A detailed discussion of her ancestry can be found on the Gwynedd MM web page dealing with the names Griffith, Hugh, Pugh and Morris. including a search of the originial Welsh records. She was a sister of Jane, the wife of William John, and perhaps also of other members of the Gwynedd community. There are some pages in Thomas Allen Glenn's Welsh Founders of Pennsylvania, that deal with her family and their lineage (pps 140-142). Children of EDWARD FOULKE and ELLIN (alias ELEANOR) HUGH are: 2. i. THOMAS FOULKE, b. July 07, 1679, Merionethshire, , Wales, United Kingdom; d. August 15, 1762, Gwynedd twp., Philadelphia Co. Pennsylvania. 3. ii. JANE FOULKE, b. January 10, 1683/84, Merionethshire, Wales, England; d. October 07, 1766, Oley Twp., Berks County, PA. 4. iii. HUGH FOULKE, b. July 06, 1685, Coed-y-Foel, Merionethshire, Wales, England; d. May 21, 1760, Richland MM, Bucks Co., Pennsylvania. 5. iv. CATHARINE FOULKE, b. 1686, Merion, Wales, England; d. April 13, 1745, Pennsylvania. 6. v. MARGARET FOULKE, b. 1688, Coed-Y-Foel, Llanderfel, Merionethshire, Wales; d. Pennsylvania. 7. vi. EVAN FOULKE, b. Abt. 1689, Wales; d. May 15, 1745, Gwynedd Twp, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 8. vii. GWEN FOULKE, b. Abt. 1691, , , Wales, United Kingdom; d. December 03, 1760, Gwynedd, Bucks, Pennsylvania. 9. viii. CADWALLADER FOULKE, b. September 13, 1691, Coed-Y-Foel, Merionethshire, Wales; d. September 17, 1743, Philadelphia, Philadelphia Co., Pennsylvania. 10. ix. GRACE FOULKE, b. Abt. 1693, Wales; d. January 04, 1733/34, Merion, , Pennsylvania. Sources for this document: Historical Collections of Gwynedd, by Howard M. Jenkins (1897, 2nd edition); Foulke Family Association web site; www.rootsweb.com Worldconnect, any and all data bases; Fair Land Gwynedd by Phil Johnson Roth (1991, published by Merck). Some information from Worldconnect may have crept into the later generations. Recently we have begun to update the files with records from Gwynedd Monthly Meeting, will abstracts from Philadelphia, Montgomery and Bucks Counties, County Histories, the Welsh genealogies by Thomas Allen Glenn and Charles Browning and the local histories written by Clarence Roberts. Jenkins' work is highly reliable, and the early generations follow him to the letter. Last updated April 2009.

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300 Years of Worship and Service at Gwynedd Monthly Meeting Section 1 1698-1798 THE CALL The closest thing we have to a primary source for information about these settlers are the recollections of immigrant Edward Foulke and stories originally told by Edward that have been passed down by his descendants. A few of these were reproduced in the 1864 Friends Almanac, published by Joseph Foulke. A relatively unknown story of Edward's explains why he, his wife Eleanor (sometimes called Ellin), their nine children, and a host of their neighbors emigrated. It started when Edward, an Anglican, attendeda military training day, as was required of all eligible men in Wales. During this training, he watched in horror as a man crushed the kneecap of one of Edward's relatives. As the man cried in agony,the attacker celebrated. Friends of the two men argued about who was to blame. The incident led Edward to the belief that God did not intend for someone like the Prince of Wales to have the power to command men to treat each other so cruelly. "While (Edward) was calmly considering the matter, it occurred clearly to his understanding at the time that the Divine Will was, that he should remove withhis family and settle in the Province of Pennsylvania. This was very unexpected, and the idea of parting with his friends and relatives in Wales and settle in the wild wilderness of America among Indians and wild beasts was a very great cross to his inclination, and the more he pondered on the matter, the more a serious sadness seemed to be brought over him." Edward did not share this opening fora while, in hopes that the startling idea might fade. When it persisted, he talked to Eleanor about it. He was certain she would reject the very thought. "But his wife very unexpectedly to himself regarded it as an intimation or revelation of the Divine Will to him for their good." Like many Welsh families, the Foulkes were in the habit of opening their homes on Sunday evenings to friends for a rousing night of singing and camaraderie. Both Eleanor and Edward seem to have grown uncomfortable with the rowdiness these nights encouraged. They decided to introduce Scripture readings to the Sundaynight gatherings, declaring that those people who stayed to listen were indeed their true friends. When the group "would indulge in merriment beyond the bounds of Christian gravity," Eleanor told Edward to "put away and get out the Bible." Which he did. There is no list of those friends of the Foulkes who came for singing and stayed for Scripture, but one might speculate that these were the families who later joined them on the voyage to America and hence, to Gwynedd. THE JOURNEY The earliest account we have of the voyage from Wales and the early days of the settlement is, again, a short piece written by Edward Foulke. This included a Foulke genealogy stretching back eleven generations. As this was not a retelling, but a transcription of Edward's words, the phrasing can be somewhat difficult for a late 20th century reader to understand. the text is summarized here. Edward and his family left their farm, called Coed-y-foel in Phiwlas, Merionethshire, Wales on April 3rd, 1698. They traveled north for two days until they reached the port city of Liverpool, England. In Liverpool, they met up with other families, including the Evans brothers: Robert, Owne, and Cadwallader, Hugh Griffith, John Hugh, John Humphrey, Robert Jones. (As Thomas Evans and his cousin William John had purchased the land in Philadelphia in March of 1698, it is extremely unlikely that they returned in time to accompany the other settlers back to Pennsylvania.) On April 17th, 1698, the immigrants left Liverpool for Ireland on the Robert and Elizabeth. They spent a few weeks in Ireland, then set sail for Pennsylvania in early May. The voyage to Philadelphia lasted eleven weeks. By contrast, the Pilgrims' voyage aboard the mayflower in 1620 took about 9 weeks. One is tempted to speculate that the weather during the crossing was less than ideal. A disease broke out aboard ship, "a bloody flux," or dysentery, which could have been caused by contaminated food. Approximately 32 people died from the disease, and their corpses were laid to rest in the ocean. The wharves and warehouses of the Philadelphia waterfront must have been a welcome sight when the Robert and Elizabeth docked on July 17th. In the narrative, Edward says he and his family "were kindly received and hospitably entertained by our friends and old acquaintances, until I purchased a tract of about seven hundred acres." Others from thecompany purchased adjacent tracts. By the beginning of November, it appears that the ten families had each constructed some sort of dwelling on their tracts, and had all moved out of Philadelphia. The forest of what is now Montgomery County must have seemed flat to the Welshmen. A description of their home published in 1720 described the county of Merioneth thus, "The Air is very sharp, the County being full of Mountains & barren, so extraordinary steep, that Persons may discourse from ye Top of one Mountain and be heard by those that stand on ye other. Here are great Flocks of Sheep, & Goats, Herds of Cattle, Deer, Fowl, Fish of all sorts, chiefly Herring in their Season." They did not find herring in Gwynedd. THE CONVINCEMENTS Of the original ten households that settled at Gwynedd, onlythose of Hugh Griffith, John Hugh and John Humphrey are known to have been Quaker. The others were all Anglican (Church of England). In the example of Edward Foulke, we find an Anglican who was quiteopen to Leadings in the manner of Friends. As the band of Gwynedd settlers were likely those friends of the Foulkes, who went from singing to Scripture reading on Sunday evenings, it may be that all were open to following the Light as was taught by George Fox. Originally, the households of John Hugh and John Humphrey met together in Quaker worship. The rest of the small settlement met at the house of Robert Evans. Robert's brother, Cadwallader, read the Bible and, though not an ordained minister, conducted a sort of Anglican service. One Sunday as Cadwallader walked to his brother's house, hestopped as he passed the path that led to the homes of the two Quakers. Jesse Foulke, whose grandfather was 18 years old at the time, wrote what happened next. "It seemed as though a voice said to his spiritual ear go down and see how the Quakers do." Cadwallader continued on to his brother's house and conducted his service as usual. At the end, he shared the message he heard on the path. "They one and all agreed to go to the Quaker Meeting on the next First Day - and being so well satisfied with their Mode and Manner of Worship - that they never met again in their usual form of church worship." Another grandchild of Edward Foulke gave a slightly different version of the story to Philadelphian historian John Watson. Susan Nancarro's version claimed that one of the Evans brothers had heardWilliam Penn speak, and it was Penn who convinced the Evans brothers to join the Society of Friends. Whatever the reason, by 1700, all were worshipping together in the manner of Friends, and worked together to build the first meeting house. EARLY YEARS The Quakers who worshipped at Gwynedd were taken under the care of Radnor/Haverford Monthly Meeting (The names Radnor and Haverford were used interchangeably for years.) Radnor had been founded earlier, as part of the larger and more populated section of the Welsh tract. Phildelphia Yearly Meeting placed the Quakers in Gwynedd under Radnor's care because "ye said people understood not ye English tongue." Many members of Radnor were themselves Welsh. The two settlements were connected by a road, which traveled near Norristown, passed by the smithy of Ellis Robert, nd crossed the Schuykill River at Swedesford. The bonds of culture, language, and faith led to marriages between members of Radnor and Gwynedd meetings for generations. The first mention of Gwynedd in the Radnor meeting records took place on April 14th, 1699. It was the last order of business noted, "There is a General meeting appointed at Gwynedd the second weekly third day of every month at the desire of friends there, beginning the next month." Eleven months later, Radnor/Haverford appointed Cadwallader Evans and John Hugh "to see that things be in good order and according to the truth among the friends of Gwynedd." Note that English came into use eight year after the Welsh Friends arrival in Pennsylvania. CREATION OF GWYNEDD MONTHLY MEETING [I am going to skip this section because no Foulke is mentioned.] THE ARRIVAL OF WELSH SETTLERS Two Welsh farmers, William John and Thomas ap Evan, representatives of a company of friends and neighbors in Wales who had decided to emigrate to Pennsylvania, were in Philadelphia at the end of the year 1697. Their presence there was due to a series of circumstances. Fourteen years before the great "Welsh Tract" of forty thousand acres, on the west bank of the Schuylkill, embracing what is now the townships of Lower Merion, Haverford, and Radnor, had been bought and in time occupied by Welsh people, many of them from the northern counties of Wales--principally Merionethshire, Denbigshre, Montgomeryshire, and Flintshire. This large body of immigrants, containing many persons of character, and quite a number of considerable means and cultivation, had prospered in the new colony. The "Welsh Tract," wisely located, including much fertile land, near to the markets of Penn's quickly rising city on the Delaware, became in ten years after its purchase, populous and attractive.

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Edward Foulke's Exhortation to his Children http://www.foulke.org/ Edward Foulke's Exhortation to his Children My dear children: There has been for a considerable time, something on my mind to say to you by way of advice, before I return to dust, and resign my soul to Him who gave it: though I find some difficulty in delivering my thoughts in writing. My first admonition to you, is, that you fear the Lord, and depart from evil all the days of your life. Secondly, as you are brothers and sisters, I beseech you to love one another, and your neighbors too. If any of your neighbors injure you, in word or deed, bear it with patience and humility. It is more pleasing in the sight of God and good men, to forgive injuries, than it is to revenge them. Rather pray for them, than wish them any evil: Lest that text in scripture, which requires an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, come into your minds when you leave this world, and you be found wanting. For without doubt, he that is thoughtless and negligent all his days about the welfare of his soul, will some day or another, in the midst of his extremity, call on the rocks and mountains to secure him from the vengeance of an offended God. My dear children, accustom not yourselves to loose, vain talking, which the scriptures declare against. It was hurtful to me in my youth, and stopped my virtue. The temptations of this world are very powerful, as Job said by experience. Be watchful over your evening conversation. Let pious thoughts possess your souls for the moment before you close your eyes for sleep. If you do that, you will be more likely to find yourselves in the morning in a meek, humble posture before God, who preserved you from evil. This will produce peace and calmness of mind, with a blessing in your outward affairs: as we read of Isaac, whose pious meditations in the field, was rewarded with outward and inward blessings. I desire you not to reject the least appearance of good which may arise in your minds as if it could be obtained at pleasure. Give speedy obedience unto God who begets this diving emotion in your hearts. For a man's abode in this world is very doubtful. It often happens that death comes without warning: yet we must go whether ready or not -- where the tree falls, there it must be. I knew a man in the land of my nativity, that went to bed with his wife at night and died before morning, unknown to her. Such things are designed, I believe, as a warning to us, that we may arm ourselves against the terrors of such a day. And of such as die after that manner, we have little to say, save that they died and were buried; placing the rest amongst the mysteries of the Almighty. Hence let us take a view of our own weakness, and judge of one another with charity. I feel sorrow now in my old age, for want of being more careful and circumspect in my youth. Although I did nothing that brought shame on myself, or grief on my parents; yet there was amongst the loose, inconsistent youth, too many things which they called innocent, without considering they were building on the sand; and I was often drawn into vain mirth with them. There is a vast difference between the two sentences, delivered to those who built on the rock, and those who built on the sand. Our Saviour said of the latter, their fall shall be great. Let me entreat you, my dear children, assume not the appearance of religion, without a real possession of it in your hearts. Our Saviour compared such as did so, to sepulchres, white without, but within, full of dead men's bones. Yet I have better hopes of you, though I mention this. I have known, at times, something pressing me to read good books, or to go aside in private, to pray: which, if I neglected, and took my liberty other ways, then indifference and hardness would prevail, which deprived me of those good inclinations for a considerable time after. I have also to tell you of my own experience, concerning attending week-day meetings. Whenever I suffered trifling occasions, or my outward affairs, and business, if not urgent, to interrrupt my going, a cool reflection and serious view, made me look upon it as a loss or injury done to my better part; and generally, the business done that day, did not answer my expectations of it in the morning. One thing more comes into my mind, by searching myself; which is, that it had been better for me, if I had beenmore careful, in sitting with my family at meals, with a sober countenance; because children and servants have eyes and observations on those who have the command and government of them. It has a great influence on the life and manners of youth. So my dear children, perhaps some of you may get some advantage by this. If you consider with attention this innocent simplicity of life and manners I have been speaking of, you need not fear but that God will preserve you in safety from the snares of the devil, and the storms of this inconstant world. By diligence also you shall obtain victory over the deceitfulness of riches. I fear there are too many of this age, who suffer themselves to be carried away with the torrent of corruption. And not only such as content themselves, as it were, in the outward porch; but also such as make greater pretences than those: even they who ere looked upon as pillars in the church, have, I fear, turned their backs upon it. I lay these things close to you, that you may be careful and diligent, whilst you have time left, lest by degrees, indifference creep upon you, under the disguise of an easy mind, and you forget, it is he who holds out to the end shallbe saved. And as for your father and mother, our time is almost come to a period. We have lived together above fifty years, and now in our old age, the Lord is as good and gracious as ever He was. Hegives us a comfortable living. Now in the close of our days, we have fresh occasion to acknowledge His benevolence and abounding goodness to us. Now I think I can with peace of mind conclude, with hopes that your prayers will be for us in the most needful time, especially on a dying pillow, when our time in this world comes to an eternal rest. I conclude in the words of the prophet Jeremiah, "Seethee up way marks, make thee high leaps, set thy heart toward the highway, even the way that thou wentest. Turn again, Oh Virgin of Israel, turn again to these thy cities."

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