| Simon Hadley |
| The descendants of Simon Hadley the second, the ancestor of the Quaker Hadley's in Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Indiana, etc., are doubtless more interested in his coming to America than in the preceding general data. While the records of Simon Hadley the second and his family are not numerous, sufficient has been preserved to give some idea of his life and activities. Simon Hadley the second was born about 1675 and married Ruth. There is a belief that his wife's family name was Miller, but no substantiating record of this has been found. Simeon Hadley and his family were members of Moate Meeting of Friends, County West Meath, Ireland, which was near the Kings County boundary line. They came to Pennsylvania in the year 1712, but may have been uncertain in their plans to remain there, as their certificate of removal was not received from Moate Meeting until 6 mon. 4, 1716. The disturbed conditions in Ireland, and especially the persecution directed toward the Quakers for their refusal to pay tithes, take oaths, etc., doubtless led Simon Hadley to become interested in Pennsylvania-that promised land for Friends, as were hundreds of other Friends in Ireland and England. Many Friends from Ireland sailed from that land to Pennsylvania on the ship "Sizargh" of Whitehaven, Jeremiah Cowman, master, but we find no record of Simon Hadley's voyage. It seems usual for American families of the same name to claim descent from on of three brothers who came together to America. Such statements have been made concerning Simon Hadley, but they are unfounded. The Massachusetts Hadley's, whose ancestor was George Hadley, came directly from England to Ispwich, Mass., in the year 1639. There may have been some connection between the Quaker Hadleys of Pennsylvania and the Massachusetts Hadleys at some earlier time. in his genealogy of the New England Hadleys, the author, D. L. Tappan, says: "The Quaker Headless of Indiana and North Carolina are descended form Sion Hadley, who came to America in 1712 from Kings County, Ireland, where his English ancestors had settled. The two branches doubtless came from common stock in England as indicated by the repeated us of certain names which seem to be a family inheritance." Simon Hadley was accompanied to Pennsylvania by his wife and children, of whom six were born in Ireland. Including two children who were born later in Pennsylvania. On his arrival in Pennsylvania Simon Hadley purchased a large tract of land in what was then the Manor of Steyning, later New Garden Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania. This Manor contained over 15, 000 acres of fertile land, some thirty miles south of Philadelphia, and among the owners neighbors and perhaps old friend of Simon Hadley were the Lindleys, Starrs, Huttons, Rutledges, Millers, Bowlands, and Johnsons. All of these families were of English origin as were all the Friends who went to Pennsylvania from Ireland with exception of tow families, it is said. Many of them had been friends in Ireland and others were related by blood or marriage. Simon Hadley's tract of land was a considerable one and a large part of it extended down into New Castle County, afterwards part of Delaware. In 1713 Friends in Steyning Manor built a meeting house and Simon Hadley was one of four trustees names to hold six acres of land for the Meeting until it was transferred some years later. Simon Hadley probably built a house on this plantation in Steyning Manor as did his neighbors about him, whose first houses were more or less temporary. In 1717, however, he erected a house that must have been a pretentious one for it's day and so well was it put together that now after two hundred years of existence it is still a comfortable, well built structure. The old house is on a slight eminence nearly a quarter of a mile back from the road, and the nearest railroad station, Southwood, is on what probably was once part of the place. The old house is a two and one-half... |
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| Information on Simon Hadley gathered from www.hadleysociety.org |
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