William Kitchen

• Thomas Kitchen and Mary Mace
• Birth: 1690 in Solebury, Bucks County, Pennsylvania, United States
• Death: May 15, 1727 (37) in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, United States

Married

• Rebecca met her future husband when her uncle took in William Kitchin when William was unable to find work. William and Rebecca were married in 1713 in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, when she was about 22 years old - https://www.geni.com/photo/view/6000000007851655533?album_type=photos_of_me&photo_id=6000000087335043853

History

William Kitchin was born about 1690 probably in Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania to Thomas Kitchin and Mary Mace.William's father died in 1694 and his mother either remarried or died a few years later, possibly leaving William an orphan at age 7. W.W.H. Davis wrote in his book The History of Bucks County, Pennsylvania, that William “was the first of his name in Solebury.” This supports the theory that William was on his own at an early age. In the Early History of New Hope article on the New Hope, PA website, it gives us a glimpse of William’s early life. William, who was a weaver by trade, met John Wells one day by the roadside. William, a young man alone in a new town, was very depressed because he could not get work. John took him home with him and took him in said “If thou wilt stay with me, thou shalt never want.” This was the beginning of a new life and friendship for William. Living with the Wells family was Rebecca Norton, a niece of John Wells. William and Rebecca were married in 1713 and had five children.See Rebecca’s bio for more about the children.

In 1721, William purchased a strip of land totaling 150 acres from John Wells on the bank of the Delaware river, upon which he built a house. It is said, this was the first house in what would become New Hope, named because of his new hope for humanity, founded on John Well's kindness. This image is from the Pennsylvania, Wills and Probate Records, 1683-1993 collection on Ancestry.com. Click it to enlarge in a new window/tab. William Kitchin wrote his will on July 18, 1723. In it, he mentioned his wife Rebecca, left his son Thomas all his real estate, left his son William £5, and left £3 to each of his daughters Ruth, Olive, and Mary, when they reach 21 years of age. The text of the will, as best that can be transcribed by this researcher, reads as follows (some punctuation added):

“In the Name of God Amen, the Eighteenth Day of July in the year 1723, I William Kitchen, of Solebury, in the County of Bucks [?], being very sick and weak in Body, but of perfect mind & memory. Thanks be given unto God therefore calling unto Mind the mortality of my body, & knowing that it is appointed for all men once to dye, doe make and ordain this my last will and testament, that is to say, Principally & first of all, I give & recommend my soul unto the hands of God that gave it, & for my body, I recommend it to the earth, to be buried, at the discretion of my Executors, nothing doubting but at the generall resurrection I shall receive the same again by the mighty Power of God, & as touching such worldly estate wherewith it hath pleased God to bless me in this life. I give Devise & Dispose of the same in the following manner and form: Imprimis. I give and bequeath to Rebecca, my dearly beloved wife, all my personal estate, to doe with & dispose off as she may think fitt while she keeps in her widowhood, & then to have her Thirds of all & no more. Item. I give to my well beloved son, Thomas Kitchen, whom I likewise make, Constitute & ordain my only heir of this my last will and testament: all & singular lands & messuages by him freely to be possessed & enjoyed & that when he shall come to the age of twenty one years~

And Further I will & Bequeath five pounds to my son, William Kitchin & three Pounds Ruth Kitchin & three Pounds Olive Kitchen & three Pounds Mary Kitchen, all to be paid when they shall come to the age of twenty one years. All to be paid by my well beloved son, Thomas Kitchen. I Further will & ordain Joseph Ashton of the County of Philadelphia & John Wells, of Bucks County, to be my Executors to take care of my Children & to take care to put them to Trades & all the rest of my Children to be taken care off that they may have good Places if need require & I Doe hereby utterly Disallow, Revoke & Diesanull all & every other former Testament: wills & legacyes, Requests & Executors by me in any ways before this time named willed and bequeathed, Ratifyed & Coinprized this & no other to be my Last Will & Testament: In Wittness where of I have Here unto sett my hand & Seal the Day and year above written. William Kitchin (Seal). Signed, Sealed, Published, Pronounced & declared by the said Wm. Kitchen as his Last Will & Testament in the Presence of us, the Subscribers, John Holcombe & Samuell Coate.” John Wells was a co-executor of his will, which was proved by John Holcombe on May 15, 1727, in Solebury, Bucks County, Pennsylvania.

Source William Kester's Ancestors - http://jtbullock.com/Tree/WilliamKester.html

William Kitchin wrote his will on July 18, 1723, John Wells was a co-executor of his will, which was proved by John Holcombe on May 15, 1727, in Solebury, Bucks County, Pennsylvania

• William Kitchen’s Will, Page 1
• William Kitchen’s Will, Page 2

Sources

• WILLIAM KITCHEN (HISTORY OF BUCKS COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA, PAGE 534) - William Kitchen who settled in Solebury early in the eighteenth century where he died in 1727. He was a protege of John Wells, the first proprietor of the first ferry at New Hope and married in 1713 Rebecca Norton, a niece of Mrs. Wells, who bore him five children: Thomas, William, Ruth, Olive and Mary, who have left numerous descendants. Rebecca, the widow, later married Thomas Phillips, and from her are descended the Phillips family of Solebury, for several generations the proprietors of the mill that bears their name. Thomas Kitchen inherited his father's real estate in Solebury, but sold it soon after his marriage and removed to Philadelphia County - https://www.geni.com/photo/view/6000000000689124610?album_type=photos_of_me&photo_id=6000000087334562958
• History of Bucks County, Pennsylvania, Volume 3, page 554 - https://www.geni.com/photo/view/6000000007851655533?album_type=photos_of_me&photo_id=6000000087335043853&position=0
• Historical Narrative of the Ely, Revell And Stacye Families Who Were Among the Founders of Trenton And Burlington In the Province of West Jersey 1678-1683 (1910) - https://www.geni.com/photo/view/6000000007851655533?album_type=photos_of_me&photo_id=6000000087332653035&position=1
• History of Bucks County, Pennsylvania, Volume 3, page 538 - https://www.geni.com/photo/view/6000000007851655533?album_type=photos_of_me&photo_id=6000000087332727059&position=2

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GEDCOM Source

@R1303534025@ Ancestry Family Trees Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com. Original data: Family Tree files submitted by Ancestry members. Ancestry Family Tree http://trees.ancestry.com/pt/AMTCitationRedir.aspx?tid=158902902&pi...

GEDCOM Source

@R1303534025@ Ancestry Family Trees Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com. Original data: Family Tree files submitted by Ancestry members. Ancestry Family Tree http://trees.ancestry.com/pt/AMTCitationRedir.aspx?tid=158902902&pi...

GEDCOM Source

@R1303534025@ Ancestry Family Trees Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com. Original data: Family Tree files submitted by Ancestry members. Ancestry Family Tree http://trees.ancestry.com/pt/AMTCitationRedir.aspx?tid=158902902&pi...