James Franklin Newlin  1791-1876

   James was born on Sept. 21, 1791 in Middletown Twp, Chester County, Pennsylvania, the son of Joseph and Mary Baker Newlin.  In 1812,  he married Sarah Phipps, who was  born Dec. 2, 1790, the child of Elisha and Elizabeth Pusey Phipps.   For some unknown reason (at least to me) they were married Dec. 24, 1812, at the First Baptist Church, in  Philadelphia, although they were both, at least later, members of the Fallowfield Meeting  .  James and Sarah were both children of families that owned mills in the area.  Shortly after James and Sarah married they moved to Doe's Run, and  then in 1819 bought 184 acres on Buck's Run.  James then acquired other property in the valley, and  built mills that did extensive business in both grist and paper, with a sawmill at yet another site, and by the 1830s there were 5 papermills within a few miles of the family home.  Among his 5 sons,  Henry and James Jr. learned the papermaking trade, and a grandson, Edmund Esrey, operated the Beaver Dam Paper mill located a mile down the valley.  By 1870, James was no longer listed as the owner of the mills, but  when he died in 1876, he left an estate valued at $223,500 in today's money.  James and Sarah are both buried in the Fallowfield MM cemetery with other family members.  James left money in his will for the upkeep of this cemetery.

    James and Sarah had 10 children.  Elisha Phipps Newlin, my ancestor, and the following siblings.

• Henry Baker Newlin, born in 1813, who married Louisa Elkins(1814-1891),dau of George and Susannah Howell, of Philadelphia.  Henry died in 1866 and Louisa in 1891.  There children were George, Edward, James, Ellis, Melvina, Matilda, Alverda, Miriam, John, Emma, amd Eveline.
• Elizabeth Newlin who married James Humphrey, son of Major Humphrey and died in Pottstown, PA, 1888. Their children were Rebecca, Sarah Louise, thomas, John, Mary, James, Frank, Hannah, Ellen, Kate, Lizzie., George and Martha
• Mary Newlin married Matthew Hamill and lived in Parkesburg, and their children were Sarah, and Jane Ann.
• Sarah Newlin married Peter Myers and died in 1881, Pottstown.  Their children were Elizabeth, Jesse, Clarissa, Rittenhouse, Millard, and Bayard.
• Abigail Ann Newlin married James Brannan, the son of John and Catharine Murphy Brannan, of Christiana Hundred.  Their children were George, William, Newlin, Franklin, and John, all born in Delaware.  Abigail died in 1863.
• Ellen Louise Newlin married Jacob Chalfant, a miller at Barleywood Mills on the Brandywine, at Dupont.  They had one child, Ellen, before Ellen Louise died, and Jacob married a second time and went west.
• John Newlin was born in 1829 and married Sarah Miller, daughter of  Jonas Miller of Christiana's Hundred, in 1852.  Their children were Jonas, Frank and his twin William, Jane, Sarah, J. Alfred (drowned in 1890 in Beaver Dam on the Buck Run.
•     James Newlin, born in 1831, married Anna Maria Miller and Kezia Hanway.  James's children were Georgie, and Cora. 
• Frankin Newlin was born in 1834 and married Hannah Wells.  Their children were George, Annie, Sallie and Hettie..  Franklin died in Pottstown, in 1900. 

will..James Newlin proved May 11, 1876 will book Y Vol 24 page 417
I, James Newlin, considering the uncertainty of this mortal life and being of sound mind and memory, do make and publish this, my last will and testament, in manner and form following, that is tosay,1st, that after all my just debts and funeral expenses are paid and discharged, I give and bequeath my property as follows. to my son Henry Newlin, I give and bequeath the sum of 1000 dollars. To my daughter, now Elizabeth Humphrey, I give and bequeath 1000 dollars. I also give and bequeath to my daughter-in-law Ruth Newlin and her children, 1000 dollars, being the share of my son Elisha Newlin (deceased) to be divided equally amongst them after first deducting the amount due to my estate from my said son Elisha. I give to my grand daughter, Jane Ann Jefferis, 800 dollars, by deducting from the amount what she owes the estate. I give and bequeath to my daughter Sarah Meyers, 1000 dollars. To my grand-children, children of my daughter Abby Ann Brannon, deceased, I give and bequeath the sum of 900 dollars to be divided equally amongst them. I give and bequeath to my grand daughter Sarah Ellen Chalfant 800 dollars. I give and bequeath to my son John Newlin 1100 dollars and to my son Franklin Newlin 1000 dollars. I give to my son James Newlin, Jr 1000 after deducting from said sum the amount due from him to my estate. I also give and bequeath to Fallowfield Meeting the sum of 25 dollars. And lastly, as to all the residue and remainder of my property, both real and personal if any there be, I give and bequeath the same, to be divided amongst my above mentioned heirs in the same proportion as that already disposed of.
executors...my 3 sons Henry, John and Franklin Newlin and my neighbor Edwin Walton

Inventory: will 1876
166 acres of land with mill $16,000
13 acres, Beaver dam property & 260.00 

personal property
clock
table and oilcloth
lounge
cornor cupboard
chair/bed, bed clothes and matting
earth closet
wash stand
coal stove
revolving light
2 benches 
gold watch
buggy
blankets
post digger, pick and crow-bar
cant hook
bars and axe
chest and contents
foot-lathe
large lathe
vise
several baskets
fanning mill
large chest
box and contents
sledge
3 cross-cut saws
2 circular saws
old word (?)
monkey wrench
horse
contents of paper-mill
water wheel
2 chsts 2 iron bars
bay-wagon
scales
chest and contents
2 seives
bushel, half bushel,contents of mill room
contents of mill office and loft
contents of mill garrtet
log carriage
log chains
mill burrs (?) and old lumber
carriage harness and check lines
saddle
horse cart and harness
15 shares of Penn & Del. Railroad Stock
______________________________

The background on this page is  the barn built in 1810, by James Newlin, adjacent to  his home on Buck's Run.


Sarah Phipps Newlin's headstone...Fallowfield MM Cemetery

James Franklin Newlin's headstone in the Fallowfield MM Cemetery...he left money in his will for cemetery upkeep.

Fallowfield MM Cemetery

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