George Bishop

The George Bishop (1728-1793) of Chester Co., PA. was the son of Joseph Bishop (1698-1781), not Thomas. Joseph Bishop named his sons, Thomas, Samuel, & George in his will. That George was was born Chester Co., PA and lived his entire adult life in Edgemont Twp, , which later became part of Delaware Co., PA. He appears on the 1790 census, there. That George left a will naming his wife Mary (Hawes) and children, Joseph, George, Thomas, Phebe, Margaret, Mary, Sarah, Jane (deceased). Notice that none of these children is named Lawrence.

The Chester & Delaware Co. George Bishop was NOT the father of Lawrence. Nor was Mary Hawes his mother. Following is a short summary of research that has been done on Lawrence's father. (I will put information about the Chester & Delaware Co. George Bishop in a separate comment.

. We know that Lawrence Bishop’s father was named George, as Lawrence named him in his pension application. Lawrence also stated that he was born in Bethel Twp, a part of Cumberland Co., PA that later became Bedford Co. (and is now in Fulton Co.) The logical place to look for Lawrence’s father, would be in Bethel Township, and there we find him. Following is a list of records for George Bishop in Cumberland and Bedford Co., PA and one record in Bullitt Co., KY.

1767 – Tax List of Cumberland Co., PA, 50 acres unwarranted land, 1 horse, 1 cow

1768 – Tax List of Cumberland Co., PA, 50 acres located, 3 acres clear, 1 horse, 1 cow

1769 – Tax List of Cumberland Co., PA, 30 acres warranted, 3 acres clear, 1 horse, 1 cow

1770 – Tax List of Cumberland Co., PA, 50 acres located, 10 acres clear

1771 – Tax List of Cumberland Co., PA, 30 acres located, 4 acres clear, 1 horse, 1 cow

1774 – Receives an Acceptance Warrant for 98 acres of land in Ayr & Bethel Townships of Bedford Co., PA

1776 – Tax List of Bedford Co., PA, Bethel Township, 100 acres, 14 cleared, 2 horses, 2 cows

1779 – Tax List of Bedford Co., PA, Bethel Township, 90 acres, 3 horses, 5 cows

1782 – Tax List of Bedford Co., PA, Bethel Township, 50 acres, 1 horse, 2 cows

1787 – Tax List of Bedford Co., PA, Bethel Township, 50 acre Improvement, 1 horse, 1 cow

1788 – Tax List of Bedford Co., PA, Bethel Township, 50 acres, 1 horse, 1 cow

1789 – Tax List of Bedford Co., PA, Bethel Township, 50 acres improved land, 2 horses, 1 cow (Lawrence also on this list.)

1790 – Federal Census in Bedford Co., PA, 1 male 16 & up, 2 males under 16, 2 females (Lawrence also on this census, listed on the same page.)

1791 – Tax List of Bedford Co., PA, Bethel Township, 50 acres, 2 horses, 1 cow (Lawrence also on this list.)

1793 – Tax List of Bedford Co., PA, Bethel Township, No land details, only tax amount (Lawrence also on this list.)

1795 – Sold 300 acres of land in Bedford Co., PA to John Fletcher, with stipulation that he had until 1 Apr. 1796 to give up possession of the land; no wife mentioned in the deed, indicating that she is likely deceased.

1795 – Tax List of Bedford Co., PA, Bethel Township, on the list but amounty of tax marked out (had sold land)

1799 – Tax List of Bullitt Co., KY, designated as Senior., no property (no real estate included on this list. Lawrence also on this list.)

No further record has been found of George Sr.

There was another George Bishop who came to Jefferson Co. as early as 1789. He seems to have had ties with Lawrence's family, as he purchased land the same day as Lawrence. Remember, Lawrence's father, George, was still back in PA. I believe that this other George was one of Lawrence's brothers, because in 1799, the tax commissioner designated one as George Jr. & the other as George Sr. There was another Bishop named Daniel who lived in Jefferson & Bullitt Counties. When Lawrence's oldest son, Daniel, came of age & began appearing on the tax lists, the commissioner named him Daniel Jr. & the other Daniel Sr. More than likely, Daniel Sr. was another of Lawrence's brothers.