Margaret (Atkinson) Hillborn (1691 - abt. 1743)

Born 7 May 1691 in Scotford, Lancashire, England

Ancestors

Wife of Samuel Hillborn Sr — married 8 Sep 1711 (to 15 Dec 1714) in Newton, Bucks Co., PA

Wife of John Jones — married 25 Feb 1718 in Gwynedd Quaker Meeting-house, Chester County, PA

Descendants

Died about 1 Apr 1743 at about age 51 in Germantown, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

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Biography

Margaret was a Friend (Quaker)

Margaret was born May 7, 1691 in Scotsforth, Lancashire, England. She died in 1714 in Chester Co, Pennsylvania.

She was the daughter of Christopher Atkinson and Margaret Fell. Margaret and Samuel Hillborn announced their intention to marry at the Middletown Monthly Meeting on 8 Nov 1711.^[1] After Samuel Hilborn died in 1714 she married a John Jones.

Question [Hopkins-2925] Her Mother's widowed husband John Frost left her sister Isabel a substantial legacy, including the remaining years owed him by his indentured servant, John Jones in 1716. Is this the same John Jones who Margaret married?

1) Hough, Oliver, Atkinson Families of Bucks County, Pennsylvania, Reprinted from the Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography, Vols. 30 and 31, pp. 86-91:

CHRISTOPHER ATKINSON, son of William and Ann, was born no doubt at Scotford, and probably about 1657, but no record of his birth has been found. He lived in Scotford until 1699, in which year, shortly after the middle of May, he, with his wife and children, accompanied by his brother John and family, and some sisters-in-law of John's, embarked on the ship Britannia, from Liverpool, for Pennsylvania. There was much sickness on this ship, and in the month of July Christopher Atkinson died. Mr. Jenkins says of this voyage: "The 'Brittania' reached Philadelphia the 24th of Sixth Month (August) 1699, and immediately the Friends of Philadelphia and of the nearby meetings addressed themselves to the nursing of the sick and the care and oversight of the widows and orphans. In many families the sorrowful voyage is still traditionally remembered, and the 'Brittania' is recalled as 'The Sick Ship.' One-fifth of those who had so hopefully set out for the new world had found a grave in the ocean's deep. It would be difficult to fully realize the state of mind of the Widow Margaret, landing in a strange land with so many dependent on her and having undergone so many and so severe trials. Her sorrows however were not yet at an end, for during her stay in Philadelphia, her only son, William, together with Thomas Procter, a servant, was drowned."

Christopher Atkinson was a member of the Society of Friends and had obtained a certificate of removal for himself and family dated 2 mo [April] 3, 1699, from Lancaster Monthly Meeting addressed to Friends in Pennsylvania; this, his widow, Margaret Atkinson, presented to Neshamina (afterwards Middletown) Monthly Meeting in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, on 9 mo. [Nov.] 2, 1699. On that date Margaret Atkinson presented three certificates to that meeting, one as above, one for the children of her husband's brother John, (both he and his wife having also died on the voyage), and the third possibly for John Atkinson's sisters-in-law Mary and Alice Hynde though the minutes of the meeting do not specify as to that.

Christopher Atkinson made his will on board the Britannia; it was dated July 1, 1699, and proved Sept. 6, 1699, after the vessel's arrival in Philadelphia; in it he described himself as " late of Scotforth in County of Lancashire, husbandman." He left half of his 1900 acres of land to his only son, William, and the remaining 500 to his wife, Margaret, to enable her to bring up their other children, Hannah, Margaret, Isabel and "ye child unborn." He also left her £40 in money, twenty to be paid out of his effects on board the Britannia, and twenty out of property, which, he says, "I left in England." All residue of his personal estate in England or elsewhere to be equally divided between his wife and children, William, Margaret, Hannah, Isabel and child unborn. His wife Margaret was made sole executrix. The inventory made in September estimated his personal estate at £209, a considerable sum as estates went in Pennsylvania before 1700. The will shows which of their children were living and accompanied them on the voyage. Besides those named in the will they had three others, Alice, Deborah and Joseph; we have a record of Deborah's death in Lancashire in 1690, long before they started; if Alice and Joseph lived to embark with their parents, they must have both died very early on the voyage, before July 1, the date of the will, but no doubt both had died before 1699. Of the children mentioned in the will, William and Hannah both died in 1699, the former in September and the latter in October, while "ye child unborn" either remained unborn or died in infancy, as it does not appear in the settlement, of the estate.

By deeds of lease and release dated March 17 & 18, 1698, (1698/9?) William Penn conveyed to Christopher and John Atkinson, of Scotforth, Co. Lancaster, England, 1500 acres, "clear of Indian encumbrances," between the Rivers Susquehanna and Delaware, in the Province of Pennsylvania. Of this 1000 acres was Christopher's and 500 John's. After Christopher'e death and his widow's arrival in Pennsylvania, she proceeded to have her husband's land laid out, and obtained a warrant dated 3 mo. 17, 1700, for the 1000 acres to be surveyed in Buckingham Township, Bucks County. In the List of "Old Rights," in Penna. Arch. 3 ser., vol. III, page 54, under Bucks County, occurs: 20. Margaret Atkinson, return for 500 acres, dated 7 mo. 6, 1700.

On 4 mo. 8, 1702, Margaret Atkinson, of "Bellemont," in Bensalem Township widow, relict and executrix of Christopher Atkinson, sold Joseph Gilbert, of "Weskickels," also in Bensalem Township, 500 acres, 73 perches in Buckingham Township, part of 1500 acres granted to Christopher Atkinson, by William Penn, by deeds of lease and release, dated March 17 & 18, 1698, and laid out to Margaret Atkinson by warrant of 3 mo. 17, 1700. At the session of the Board of Property held 2 mo. 3, 1704, it was stated that the Proprietary by warrant dated 3 mo. 17, [1700], had granted Margaret Atkinson in right of her late husband Christopher Atkinson 500 acres which were surveyed 6 mo. 23 following, and that Margaret as executrix of her husband, by deed of 4 mo. 8, 1702, had granted the same to Joseph Gilbert, of Bensalem, who requested a patent. The patent was ordered for him with special restriction to be in right only of Christopher and John Atkinson of 1500 acres, reference being made to the patent to William Atkinson [John's son] dated 8 mo. 12, 1702. Joseph Gilbert, by his will dated April 15, 1707, devised his whole estate after his wife's death, half to his son Thomas, and half to his daughters Sarah and Mary. And by deed of Nov. 22, 1715, Margaret Hillborn, of Newtown, widow, and Isabel Atkinson, of Newtown, spinster, daughters and co-heiresses of Christopher Atkinson, confirmed the said 500 acres, 73 perches to Thomas Gilbert, Sarah Stackhouse, (wife of Benjamin),and Mary Gilbert. This tract is shown on Cutler's survey (1703) map of Buckingham Township, under the name of "Margaret Atkinson now Jos. Gilbert."

By deed of 1 mo. 8, 1702/3, Margaret Atkinson, then of "Bellemont," sold the other 500 acres of her husband's land to William Cooper, of Buckingham Township. The deed states that it was in right of Christopher and John Atkinson, purchasers from William Penn, that Christopher had left his wife Margaret 500 acres by will dated July 1, 1699, and that it was laid to the said Cooper 6 mo. 25, 1700, under warrant of 3 mo. 17, 1700; (Margaret Atkinson must therefore have sold Cooper the warrant before this deed was made; a not unusual procedure). This tract is shown on the Cutler survey map of 1703 above mentioned, in Buckingham Township, in the name of "Wm. Couper." William Cooper by will dated 11 mo. 30, 1709 [Jan. 30, 1709/10], proved Feb. 17, 1709/10, left the greater part of this in a somewhat indefinite manner to his son Joseph (who died 7 mo. 14, 1712), and directed some to be sold. Part of it seems to have come back in some manner to the heirs of Christopher Atkinson, for on Sept. 27, 1739, Samuel Hillborn, (son of Margaret, daughter of Christopher Atkinson), and Abigail his wife, conveyed 150 acres of the same tract to David Dawes.

Christopher Atkinson married 8 mo. [Oct.] 8, 1679, at Height, in the parish of Cartmel, Lancashire, Margaret Fell, daughter of Christopher Fell, of Newton in Cartmel. Her father was a member of the Society of Friends, who suffered persecution for his religion, as mentioned in Thomas Atkinson's The Christian's Testimony against Tythes. Christopher Fell, of Tarnegreen, died 12 mo. 2, 1705, [Feb. 2, 1705/6], and was buried 12 mo. 6 at Height. Though we have not been able to exactly locate Tarnegreen, it was surely in the same locality as Height and Newton, perhaps the name of a small estate, and there can be little doubt that this Christopher Fell was father of Margaret (Fell) Atkinson. Newton and Height were in the Township of Upper Allithwaite; Baines (History of the County Palatine and Duchy of Lancaster, 1836, iv, 735) says: "At a place called Height, above the village of Newton, is a Friend's meeting-house, coeval with the establishment of that body in North Lonsdale." Neither of these places is of sufficient importance to be described in Lewis's Topographical Dictionary.

Christopher and Margaret (Fell) Atkinson had issue, all bom in Lancashire, and probably all at Scotford, (births of [i], [iii], [iv] and [v] from register of Lancaster Mo. Mtg.):

[i] ALICE ATKINSON, b. 4 mo. 28, 1680; probably died young, before her parents started for America, as she is not mentioned in her father's will, July 1, 1699.

[ii] DEBORAH ATKINSON, b. ____, d. 1690, bur. 9 mo. 24.

[iii] HANNAH ATKINSON, b. 8 mo. 1, 1685, d. 8 mo. 9, 1699. She survived the voyage which proved fatal to so many of her relatives, only to die shortly after her arrival in Philadelphia, or just after reaching Bucks County.

[iv] JOSEPH ATKINSON, b. 12 mo. 22, 1687, died young, before his parents embarked for Pennsylvania.

[v] MARGARET ATKINSON, b. 5 mo. 7, 1691, d ____. She accompanied her parents to Pennsylvania, living there with her mother, first at "Bellemont," in Bensalem Township, Bucks County, and afterwards in Newtown, until her marriage. She and her sister Isabel were the final surviving co-heiresses to their father's estate; their deed of confirmation of the sale of the 600 acres, 73 perches to the Gilbert heirs, on Nov. 22, 1715, has been mentioned above.

She married first, 9 mo. 3, 1711, at the house of Stephen Twining, in Newtown Township, Samuel Hillborn, son of Thomas and Elizabeth Hillborn, of Newtown Township. They had only one child, a son, Samuel Hillborn, (born 6 mo. 13, 1714) who married in 1736, Abigail Twining, daughter of Stephen and Margaret (Mitchell) Twilling, of Newtown Township, and granddaughter of the Stephen Twining, at whose house her husband's parents were married. Samuel Hillborn, Sr. died in 1714 and was buried 10 mo, 15. "The death of Margaret Hillborn's husband about this time and the fact that her sister-in- law, Elizabeth Hillborn, had married another Aston settler, Abraham Darlington, no doubt induced her to follow her sister Isabel to Chester County. In the fall of 1717 Margaret Hillborn, Isabel Carter and Elizabeth Darlington applied for certificates of membership from Middletown Meeting. A committee of the meeting was appointed to assist Margaret in settling her affairs" (Jenkins.)

Margaret (Atkinson) Hillborn, then of Aston Township, Chester (now Delaware) County, married second, 2 mo. 10, 1718, at Gwynedd Meeting-house, John Jones, a widower, of Gwynedd Township, Philadelphia (now Montgomery) County. At the Gwynedd Monthly Meeting held 12 mo. 25, 1717, [Feb. 25, 1717/8], John Jones requested a certificate to Chester [Mo. Mtg,] in order to marry Margaret Hillborn; this was signed for him 1 mo. [March] 25, 1718. At the women's meeting held 4 mo. 24, 1718, "Margaret Jones having Produced a Certificate from Province Monthly Meeting relating to her Life and conversation which was Read att this Meeting approved of and orderd to be recorded." (Minutes of Gwynedd Mo. Mtg.) _

[vi] WILLIAM ATKINSON, b. ____, d. 7 mo. [Sept.], 1699, buried 7 mo. 30. He was drowned in Philadelphia, about a month after his arrival there; Thomas Procter, a servant, being drowned at the same time. The 500 acres his father had left him, being not then laid out, was inherited by his mother and sisters.

[vii] ISABEL ATKINSON, b. ____, d. Co-heiress, with her sister Margaret, to her father's estate. Probably born about 1695. Accompanied her parents on the voyage to Pennsylvania, and on arriving there lived with her mother at "Bellemont and in Newtown, Bucks Co., until her marriage. She married 3 mo. [May] __, 1716, John Carter, of Aston Township, Chester (now Delaware) County, son of Robert and Lydia (Walley) Carter, and grandson of Edward Carter, formerly of Aston, in the parish of Hampton, Oxfordshire, England, who had settled in Aston Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania. Isabel had a certificate from Middletown Mo. Mtg., which she presented to Chester Mo. Mtg., 10 mo. 30, 1717. John Carter died in June, 1760. His father Robert Carter, was a member of the Pennsylvania Assembly 1698, 1699 and 1703, and his grandfather, Edward Carter, 1688. John and Isabel had 6 or 7 children.

(2) Jordan, John W., Colonial Families of Philadelphia, New York: The Lewis Publishing Company, 1911:

John Atkinson (ancestor of Wilmer Atkinson) and his brother Christopher, both original purchasers of land in Pennsylvania from William Penn, were residents of the town of Scotforth, near the city of Lancaster, England, and were among the early converts to the principles and faith of the Society of Friends. Christopher, the elder of the brothers, was married at Lancaster Monthly Meeting of Friends, 6 mo. (August) 1, 1679, to Margaret, daughter of Christopher Fell, of Newton, Lancaster; and John was married at the same Meeting, 2 mo. (April) 8, 1686, to Susanna, daughter of Richard Hynde, of Scotforth, and the records of this meeting give us the date of birth of four children of John and Susanna, and seven of Christopher and Margaret.

Christopher and John Atkinson, having purchased 1500 acres of land of William Penn, by lease and release dated March 16 and 17, 1698-9, embarked for Pennsylvania in the ill-fated "Brittanica" in which so many emigrants bound for Penn's Colony died before they reached the promised land, where they sought religious liberty. Both Christopher and John Atkinson died on the voyage, as well as Susanna, wife of John, and probably several children of Christopher and Margaret, as only two daughters survived the voyage. Three surviving children of John and Susanna, William, Mary, and John, who sailed with their parents, survived the voyage and reared families in Bucks county. The two families had secured from Lancaster Monthly Meeting a certificate dated 2 mo. (April), 1699, which was deposited at Middletown Monthly Meeting, Bucks county, where the orphan children took up their residence. ==

This biography is a rough draft. It was auto-generated by a GEDCOM import and needs to be edited.^[2][3][4]

Sources

1. ↑ Swarthmore College; Swarthmore, Pennsylvania; Minutes, 1700-1779; Collection: *Philadelphia Yearly Meeting Minutes; Call Number: MR-Ph 305.
2. ↑ Atkinson-48 was created on 14 September 2010 through the import of 124-DeCoursey.ged.
3. ↑ WikiTree profile Atkinson-1627 created through the import of SMITH-29881-4c1e61.ged on Aug 1, 2012 by Bob Smith.
4. ↑ WikiTree profile Atkinson-1384 created through the import of Kingsbury-Avery Family Tree.ged on Nov 3, 2011 by Andrew Simpson. Source given: Ancestry.com user submitted tree: http://trees.ancestry.com/pt/AMTCitationRedir.aspx?tid=31531331&pid=190

See also:

• "England and Wales Non-Conformist Record Indexes (RG4-8), 1588-1977," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FQJX-JG9 : 11 December 2014), Margaret Atkinson, 07 May 1691, Birth; citing p. 99, Cumberland, Yorkshire & Lancashire, record group RG6, Public Record Office, London.
• Find a Grave

Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/185558136/margaret-jones: accessed 27 October 2022), memorial page for Margaret Atkinson Jones (7 Jul 1691–Apr 1743), Find a Grave Memorial ID 185558136, citing Germantown Preparatory Meeting of Friends Cemetery, Germantown, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania, USA; Maintained by L Evans (contributor 47540766) .