John HOWELL

                   Historical and research information in notes.

1697- America with children. He was a mason. Lived near Philadelphia PA. until his death . It is believed his wife died before coming to America. The founder of this Howell line in America.
The following info comes from the book: " A Memorial History and Genealogical Record of The John Howell and Jocob Stutzman Families and A Complete Family Record of The Lineal Descendeants and Those Related to Them by intermarriage from the Year 1697 to 1922" Compiled by Johathan S. Howell, Rushville, Illinois. John Howell, the progenitor and founder of one of the prominent brances of the Howell family under consideration in America. He was a native of the ancient walled city of Aberysthwyth, Gardiganshire, a provience of Wales. He emigrated to America in 1697, accompanied by his three children, two sons and a daughter, Jacob, Evan, and Sarah Howell. They settled near the center of Philadelphia, in the province of Pennsylvania, where he continued to reside until his death, January 26, 1721. His remains were interred in the Quakers burial ground at the southeast corner of Fourth and Arch streets, Philadelphia, close to Independence Hall. Both the father and children having been identified with th e Society of Friends prior to their removal to Pennsylvania, and throughout their residence there. He left no will, and letters of administration were granted on his estate June 21 1721 , to his son Evan Howell, of Chester county, Pennsylvania. He was a mason by trade and probably followed that occupation while in Philadelphia. The name of John Howell's wife has not come down to us. As far as we know, she died prior to the emigration of her husband to America, as we find no mention of her in the records of the family. John Howell ( Welsh Founders of PA by Thomas Allen Glenn. General Pub.Co., Baltimore, 1970. { Emigration and Immigration }England in the 17th Century was a religious turmoil.Beginning with the militant Puritans under Oliver Cromwell (Regicide of Charles I in 1649), followed by the conquest of Catholic Ireland in about 1652 and the restoration of Anglican Charles II in 1660, the inspiration of George Fox with his Inner Light and the founding of the Society of Friends must seem like a footnote. It was trivial to England, but not to these impoverished Welshmen who chose at some unknown time to follow him. An inquiry to the Welsh National Library (1998) produced no new information on John Howell, his ancestors, his wife, or children so we are left with the 1697 emigration date, his 3 children, and the Howell book. After the death of Charles II in 1685, Catholic brother James III came to the throne and, besides seeking a more tolerant attitude toward dissenters, particularlly Catholics, demanded that Parliament repeal. The Test and Corporation Acts which excluded Catholics and Protestant dissenters from participating in central and local governments respectively. This and other bold acts cost him his throne, not to be recovered even at the Battle of the Boyne (1689), and was complicated by the birth of his Catholic son and the prospect of a Catholic dynasty. At the invitation of Parliament, Calvinist William(III) and Mary came to the throne (^*(). W ith all this religious froth, it is no wonder that Quaker John Howell decided to come to the new colony of religious freedom founded by William Penn in 1682. We have no idea of why it was timed to 1697 (Queen Mary had been dead for two years) and quite possibly John's wife had died (last child 1692), at any rate she did not come. Another possible scenario is that John's conversion to Quakerism was quite late and she didn't agree with the new faith.Member of Society of Friends;to center of Philadelphia 1698; accompanied by two sons Jacob and John; ref. The LADD Family by Warren Ladd, 1840.--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Note from Rick SwayneChar, The following is from the History of Chester County, Vol. 2, p. 765 (re. my ancestor Daniel Williamson). "His sister Mary was the wife of John Howell, and married a second husband, Walter Marten, of Chichester." I have no more evidence of Mary's marriages. The information regarding Walter Marten seems a little suspicious, as I think 
 John Howell lived to 1721. I suspect that the Mary Williamson who married Walter Marten was not the one who married John Howell. According to the Sharpless Genealogy, Mary Williamson, wife of John Howell, came from England in 1684 with Robert Taylor's wife and children. The oldest child of John Howell and Mary Williamson, Hannah, appears to be the same Hannah Howell who married abt. 1700 Thomas Taylor, son of the aforementioned Robert Taylor. This Hannah's birthdate is variously reported as 1675/6 or 1679/80. I don't know which is correct. According to my grandfather's notes, the Sharpless Genealogy sheds some additional light on these relationships. Rick Swayne