Woodstown register. [volume] (Woodstown, N.J.) 187?-1892, 1883-10-09
For THE REGISTER.
JONATHAN P. CAWLEY.
BY THOMAS SHoURDs.

Conspicuous anu uSCiui ny tHclI Soou
works. Such a man as the late Jonathan
z. Cawley of Pilesgrove, was worthy to
be remembered for his industry and per-
severance in his calling. He carried on a
large farm within two miles of the Borough
OF W~oodstown; said farm he inherited
from his father. Upon the death of his
cousin William Cawley, who was the chief
surveyor and c~onveyancer in Woodstown
and surrounding country, Jonathan-who
was a good mathematician, (which he in
herited from his mothers family, the
Whites) took the vacant place and soon
became a prominent surveyor, not only in
his own, but in adjacent townships.
J~onathan's wife was Hannah Allen, a
woman well calculated to understand and
appreciate him, and to make his home
happy. He visited me a short time pre-.
vlous to his death 1.-THE first time I had any
conversation with him) and 1 soon discern.
cd that he was more than an ordinary man
In general intelligence. He informed me
that a poor widow in his section believed
that she had been cheated out Of her right
70 some real estate that her parents owned
He said he had promised her that he would
make inquiry in regard to the property for
her, not expecting any compensation for
MS trouble it was not long after that &C.
cufence that l heard of his death. / felt
the shock, though comparatively a stranger.
1t was a loss to the community in which
ne lived that could not easily be filed, for
ne was in the prime of life, had the con-
fldence of the public IN a large degree and
full OF hopes for the present and future:
but the dark cloud called Death oyershad-
owed him, and he is no more,
1t is natural to some minds to refer back
to the ancestry of such men as Jonathan P.
Cawley. The Petit family belonged to
France. They espoused the Protestant
faith i ia their native country, and after the
revocation of the Edict of Nantes, in the
reign of Louis XIV, they with thousands
OF their countrymen fed to England. How
long the Pettits remained in that county I
have no data /; but they left England and
landed on Long Island. Three of the
sons of the French emigrant came to Tuck
erton, in Little Egg Harbor, about 1880.
Their names were Jonathan, Adam and
Jacob Petit. All three of them married
and settled at that place. Jonathan, the
eldest, joined the Society of Friends; he
married Mary Shourds, the eldest daugh-
ter of Samuel Shourds, ST., by his first
wife. Samuel Shourds the father of Mary
was the son of Christopher Shourds, who
Came from Holland and landed at Phila-
delphia, in 1854, in company with Pastor
lus and company. Christopher, before he
died, became a large ~landholder in PENIS
Manor. He and his wife. Sophia Weimer,
had FIVE children - Samuel, Catharine,
Esther, Sarah and Sophia Shourds. All
OF them, except the youngest, were born
in Holland. After the death of their fa-
Their, Samuel Shourds, Sr., became the
owner of 900 acres of land in PENIS
Manor, but sold the land that he had In
-herited from his parents and purchased a
Touring mill at Bristol, in Bucks county.
He married Sarah Harrison of Phlladel-
phla. In 1884 he purchased a grist mill
of Jacob Andrews. He left Bristol about
that time and removed with his family to
Tuckerton. He then had his wife and
four OF his children-Joseph, Daniel, Sus.
anna and Mary. His eldest son, Samuel,
was born in 1918. He became a clock
and matchmaker at Bordentown, Burling-
ton county. He married Thomasson Pan
coast, daughter of John Pancoast ; they
had several children. Benjamin, their
son was born in 1852. After he came Of
age he came to Salem county subse-
quently he married Mary, daughter of
William ard Rachel Silvers of Pilesgrove.
They had children - Samuel, Rachel,
Rhoda, William, Mary and Benjamin.
The eldest and youngest died minors.
I have been more particular in following
Samuel Shourds, Jr.'s, family, on account
of Leah Blackman, the eminent historical
writer of Tuckerton. who wrote that Thorn
asson Shourds died a widow, and her chill
dren were not relations of Samuel Shourds,
ST., who settled at Tuckerton.
know but little of Samuel cawley or
his ancestry. Tradition says he was a
Welchman. By industry and economy
he accumulated considerable means. At
the time of his marriage with Amy Petit,
in the year 1878, he was a merchant Of
considerable standing. in the town of
Tuckerton. David Smith married Han
nah, the second daughter of Jonathan and
Mary S. Petit. Joseph Petit, son Of the
same parents, married Sarah, daughter of
Elisha and Mary Bassett, of Warrington.
All of Joseph and Mary Pettit's children
left Egg Harbor, and settled in Salem
county.
Samuel Cawley and his wife Amy came
to Pilesgrove. He purchased a fine tract
of land within about two miles of Woods
town. Their children were Lydia, Sam
uei and Jonathan. Samuel Cawley, Sr.,
had the misfortune to lose his wife in his
old age. He af.erward married Sarah
Brown of Salem. Lydia Cawley, daugh-
ter OF Samuel and Amy Cawley married
Joseph Willets. They have children
Louisa, their daughter, married Archelaus
Ridgway Pharo. He was for many years
the leading man of Tuckerton. He and
his wife Louisa have -four children living
Louisa p, Lydia, Ella and Walter Pharo.
Samuel, son of Samuel and Amy Petit,
married a young woman of Woodstown,
whose maiden name was Milford. They
had 'children. The late William Cawley
was their son. Jonathan Cawley the
SON of Samuel and Amy Petit Cawley,
was married three times his first wife was
Hannah Bassett, daughter of Joseph and
Mary Bassett of Warrington. She died
a young woman, leaving n child, Amy
Cawley. His second wife was Maria
Cramner, they had four daughters, she
died at middle age. His third wife was
the daughter of Benjamin and Hannah