Rash's Surname Index
Notes for Thomas CANBY
From the History of Bucks County: Thomas was an orphan of 16 years of age when in 1683 he came with his uncle and guardian to Bucks county. The family were Friends, and the youth, in connection with his guardian and Bucks quarterly meeting, settled a claim of five years' service due in payment of
his passage over. After the expiration of this service young Canby settled near Jenkintown, Montgomery county, and in 1693 married Sarah Jarvis, by whom he had nine children. His wife died in 1708, and about two years thereafter he married Mary, daughter of Evan Oliver, who came from Radnorshire, in Wales. By her he had eight children. She died in 1721. He moved from Abington shortly after and purchased land below Centerville, in Bucks county. He remained there some time, but finally disposed of it and purchased three hundred acres on the Street road, in Solebury township. We find him again marrying his third wife, Jane Preston, a widow, and living at the mill on the Great spring above New Hope, on the Delaware. It does not appear that he had any children by his third wife. Some time afterward he removed to Wilmington, Delaware, where some of his children had located, but returned to Solebury, where he died in 1742, aged 75 years. In the life of Thomas Canby there is much to admire. Starting in the humble walks of life a poor and friendless orphan boy, we find him working his way by industry and perseverance into general confidence, while his sterling character, his usefulness as a citizen, and his many acts of Christian kindness and charity endeared him to the community at large. In the home circle and the religious society, of which he was an active member, his influence for good was
widely felt. He and his descendants served Buckingham monthly meetings as clerks almost continuously after its establishment in 1720 for a period of over one hundred years, and in important appointments in church matters the name of Canby often appears. The Canby name is not very common in our county at the present day. This is partly owing to the fact that of Thomas Canby's seventeen children twelve were girls. Most of them changed their names and were blessed with large families. The children of Thomas Canby by his first wife were: Benjamin who died young; Sarah married John Hill; Elizabeth, married a Lacey; Mary, married a Hampton; Phebe, married first, Robert Smith, and second, Hugh Ely, of Buckingham; Esther, married John Stapler; Thomas, married Sarah Preston; Benjamin, the second of the name in the family, left eight children; Martha, married a Gillingham. Of the children
by his second wife, Jane, the eldest, married Thomas Paxton, who was a grandson of James, through William. The late Thomas Paxton was a grandson through Jacob. Rebecca, another child of Thomas Canby, married a Wilson; Hannah died young; Joseph left no children; Rachel died single; Oliver,
married Elizabeth Shipley; Ann did not marry; and Lydia married John Johnson. Many of the above contracting parties settled outside of Bucks county, and their descendants under the various names have a large following in the states of New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Ohio and the far west. Bucks county retained her full quota, however, and travellers in central and lower Bucks will meet them on every hand; and to have come from the good old Canby stock" is a household word.
p.516: Thomas Canby, a native of Yorkshire, England, found his first
acquaintance with provincial life as the indentured apprentice of Henry
Baker, with whom he immigrated in 1683.
Source: WFT Vol 1, Tree 823.
Thomas Canby came to America on the "Vine of Liverpool" which arrived at
Philadelphia Sep. 17, 1684.
>From Thomas Canby Colonial Museum of Doylestown in Bucks County, PA.:
He was commissioned Justice of the Peace of Bucks county and Justice of
several courts. He served until his death. He served the Provincial Assembly from Bucks county in 1721-1722-1730-1733-1738. He arose from dire poverty to a wealthy honored man. In his will he left his mill property to Benjamin (3rd son of himself and Sarah Jarvis) which he owned jointly with Anthony Morris. Benjamin became an extensive land owner.
BORN: 9 Apr 1668 DIED: 20 Nov 1742
When about sixteen, Thomas Canby emigrated to Pennsylvania from Thorne, Yorkshire, England with Henry Baker, his maternal uncle, in the ship "Vine" of Liverpool, arriving 9th month, 17th, 1684 in the Delaware River. He sailed from Dolgelly, Wales. After completing the term of service to his
uncle in Bucks County (fixed by the Quarterly Meeting of Bucks County PA as five years, but served only six months), in return for his passage to America, he settled in Abington Township, Philadelphia County, (now Montgomery County near Jenkintown) where he went into the milling business.
>From the records of Falls Monthly Meeting, we learn that his house was burned in 1695, and the sum of 49 Pds. 10s was collected for him. After residing for a few years near Robert Fletcher, in Abington Township, he removed sometime before 1717 to Solebury Township, Bucks County PA, near
the present New Hope on the Delaware. There, with Anthony Morris of Philadelphia, be bought and operated the mills formerly belonging to Robert Heath. In 1717 he purchased four hundred forty-four acres of land lying along the Buckingham line, where he resided until 1729 when he purchased a
200 acre farm at the intersection of the Old York Road with the Durham Road at the present village of Buckingham where he lived until 1741 when he removed with his family to Wilmington on the Delaware taking his certificate (Friends') to Newark Friends Meeting. After a short stay there, he returned to his Solebury farm where he died. Ref: "Canby of Thorne, Yorkshire," 7; and Family History by William Seidal (?) Canby 16,17,18-22.
He was clerk of Buckingham Meeting, at it organization into a Monthly Meeting in 1720, and served for a number of years as clerk and overseer, and also "had a gift for the Ministry." On May 6, 1741, he took a certificate from Buckingham Meeting for himself and his family to "New Work Monthly Meeting in New Castle County," (Newark DE Monthly Meeting, now Kennett Monthly Meeting) and located at Wilmington, but remained less than a year, returning to Solebury farm, where he died Noveber 20, 1742. He was
commissioned a justice of the peace of Bucks County and justice of the several courts thereof, December 2, 1719, and regularly commissioned until February 23, 1723, from which date was regularly recommissioned until near the time of his decease, the last commission of which have record being
November 22, 1738. Serving in the Provincial Assembly from Bucks County, in 1721 and 1722, he was again elected in 1730, 1733, and 1738; and was succeeded in 1739 by his son Thomas Canby, Jr. Thomas Canby was a man of sterling integrity of character and enjoyed the confidence and esteem of
all with whom he came in contact, while his many acts of charity and Christian kindness endeared him to the community in which he lived.
Thomas Canby came to Wilmington in 1746 with his son Thomas Canby, Jr (by his first wife Sarah Jarvis), Thomas Jr.'s wife Sarah Preston, his third wife Jane Deyu Preston (mother of Sarah Preston) and his son Oliver Canby.
1718,3,7. Thomas & fam rocf Abington MM, PA dtd 1718/19,1,31 (EAQG v.2,
p.987 Falls MM)
More About Thomas Canby II:
Fact 1: April 19, 1668, Baptised in an Anglican Church
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