Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1881-05-25
SETTLING PENN'S ESTATE.
The Remnants of the Grant Made by
Charles IT. to Penn-A Curious
Discorery-An Interesting
DOcuG ent.

DaSc0rery-An Interesting
DOcu. emit
The last ofthe line of William Penn,
bearing his name, being dead, accord
ing to the authorities on the subject,
the agents of the property in Phila-
dclphia, says the Times, have been
gradually settling up the estate, until
now there is very little left Four lots
in Sunbury Manor. the only large pro-
prietary tract remaining; four more
small tracts in Luzerne county, one of
which is given up as lost through a
long standing squatter's title, and
few irredeemable ground rents on i'm
proved property in this city-the larg-
est one of $500 year, on the square
on the north side of Race street, be-
tween Twenty-frst and Twenty-second
streets constitute the only remaining
portion of an estate which once in
cluded the whole of Pennsylvania and
what is now the State of Delaware.
The property never brought much in
come to the Penns even in its palmiest
days, ana William Penn himself, as all
acquainted with his history are aware,
was imprisoned for debt upon his re-
turn to England What is now the
State of Pennsylvania was part of a
grant to William Penn by Charles II,
ostensibly in consideration of the serv-
ices to the Crown of Admiral Penn,
his father, but really in consideration
of large sums of money owed him.
Two beaver-skins year were requir-
ed as rent, and the receipts for these
skins by officers of the household at
| Windsor Castle up to the time of the
Revolution can be seen now at the
rooms of the Pennsylvania Historical
Society.
A remarkable and in some sense a
ludicrous circumstance has been dis
covered within few days. 1t is that
the paper treasured with great care in
the archives at Harrisburg as the
original charter of Charles III, to Will
liam Penn is not that document at all,
hut copy of it, made very long after
wards. This supposed original paper
has been photographed and lithograph-
ed and reproduced in all its details ct
great expense, which strikes great
many Philadelphia arch@ologists as
extremely funny. Members of the
Pennsylvania Historical Society are on
the track of the original and are trying
to trace it up.
From 1888 down to the Revolution
sixty-seven manors in Pennsylvania
were surveyed and reserved for them
| Il L L.
proprietors of the soil Tie other prop
erty was sold at fixed rates and immi-
grafton encouraged. Penn, thinking
his estates in Ireland the most valuable,
left them to his children of his first
wife All his territories and rights in
America he left to his second wife,
Hannah, and his children by her and
their heirs Thus the property remain
ed in the family by tail male general
as long as that lasted, and then by
tail female general going to the chill
dren of grand-daughters until the Rev
olution, when the government of Penn
solvania seized all the lands belonging
to the proprietors except the reserved
manors and voted in compensation the
loss to the heirs Parliament passed an
act granting an annuity of ga, COCA year
to Penn's heirs-at-law forever. In late
years the Radicals in Parliament have
been trying to do away with this and
other perpetual annuities, but it is still
paid, although an effort will be made in
the present parliament to keep it from
~ xxyhn
ed to the Penn estates, but whose
standing as heir-at-law has been ques-
toned. The last of the name of Penn
died childless and insane in 1869. His
two sisters were married, the elder to
Earl Ranfurly and the younger to
Archbishop Stuart of Armagh. The
Countess of Ranfurly had daughter.
but William Stuart, the present Colonel
Stuart's father and eldest son of the
Archbishop of Armagh, succeeded to
the estates.
A remarkable paper now in the Su-
preme Court of Pennsylvania, being a
confirmation of all existing titles by q
deed from William Stuart, was drawn
up by w. Brooke Rawle. Thus it is
that there is practically nothing left of
the estate once containing the whole of
Pennsylvania, and there are none of
the name of Penn living who are de-
scendants of the founder of the State.
Some property in Philadelphia decided
by William Penn was parted with con-
ditionally, and upon violation of the
conditions the property, now hundred
Inc q
gave it, would revert to bis heirs. In
the case of the Friends Meeting House
and grounds at Fourth and Arch
streets there is proviso that if at any
time the practices or doctrines shall be
at variance With London Yearly Meet
ing the property will revert to PENIS
heirs.
While nothing definite is known as
to whether the project to have Penn's
remains removed to Philadelphia and
reinterred there at the approaching BIZ
centennial celebration will be success
ful. the Pennsylvania Historical Socie-
ty have determined, in any event. to
make the occasion as great one as
possible, and are taking steps to secure
that result. John G. Whittier has con-
sented to write poem, and great
many other interesting features are
being arranged Ex-Minister. Welsh
is now in communication with the Lon
don Yearly Meeting of Friends to Sc
cure permission for the removal of the
remains
The following we overheard yester-
dav Lizzi-Why, George; how ex-
quisitely you do smell George-Yes;
l am wearing a Days Kidney Pad.
A Boston paper says that May is an