News
Events
Blogs
Lightfoot family papers
Samuel Lightfoot, son of Thomas and Sarah (Wyley, Wiley, Wily), was born in Northern Ireland in 1701. Faithful followers of the Quaker religion, the Lightfoot family began to immigrate to Pennsylvania at the beginning of the eighteenth century in pursuit of religious freedom. It is believed that S...
Saved in:
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Collection: | Lightfoot Family Papers |
| Collection Number: | 0371 |
| Format: | Manuscript |
| Language: | English |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | Link to finding aid |
| Physical Description: |
8.0 Linear feet 13 boxes, 21 volumes, 54 flat files |
|---|---|
| Summary: |
Samuel Lightfoot, son of Thomas and Sarah (Wyley, Wiley, Wily), was born in Northern Ireland in 1701. Faithful followers of the Quaker religion, the Lightfoot family began to immigrate to Pennsylvania at the beginning of the eighteenth century in pursuit of religious freedom. It is believed that Samuel and other family members accompanied Thomas Lightfoot in this pursuit sometime in 1716. Most of the family settled in Chester County. It was there that Samuel started a family and began a career as a deputy surveyor during the height of land settlement in the Province of Pennsylvania. He is responsible for mapping much of the land in Lancaster and Chester Counties. Samuel’s sons, Benjamin (1726-1777) and Thomas (1728-1793), followed their father in this lucrative endeavor. Other descendents of the Lightfoot family who surveyed lands in Pennsylvania were Thomas (1742-1821), Thomas Jr. (1779-1817), Benjamin Head (1787-1824), Jacob (1793-1857), and Jesse Lightfoot (1818-1894).
The majority of materials in this collection relate to surveys completed by Samuel, Benjamin (1726-1777), Thomas (1728-1793), Thomas Jr. (1779-1817), Benjamin Head (1787-1824), and Jacob Lightfoot (1793-1857). Papers include land records such as warrants, surveys, orders to survey, and indentures. Also included are correspondence, field books, and receipts that document the work of Samuel, Benjamin, Thomas (1728-1793), and Thomas Lightfoot Jr. (1779–1817), as well as their associates Benjamin Parvin, Benjamin Jacob, Andrew Lytle, and Mordecai Yarnall. There are also land and surveyor records for Thomas Lightfoot (1742-1821), Jesse Lightfoot, and Thomas Montgomery Lightfoot. Peppered throughout the surveyor records are personal correspondence, land papers, and records for estate administration. Also included is a brief journal describing the religious experience of Ruthanna Rutter, which passed into the Lightfoot family through Sarah Lightfoot Hughes. |