An American Family History

Stephen Watts

Bucks County, Pennsylvania is one of three original Pennsylvania Counties and was formed in 1682. Originally it was a large territory that included all of what would later be Berks, Northampton, and Lehigh.

Early European settlers in the American colonies were mostly farmers and craftsmen. They had to work hard to provide daily neccesities for themselves.

Stephen Watts was born in Upper Dublin Township, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania on February 6, 1699/1700. His parents were the Reverend John Watts and Sarah Eaton.

He was a prominent member of the Southampton Baptist Church, where he was the ruling elder for many years.

In 1734 he received a patent from Thomas Penn, John Penn, and Richard Penn for a plantation of one hundred and forty-nine acres of land in Southampton Township.

He married Elizabeth Melchior. Elizabeth was born in 1707.

Stephen and Elizabeth's children included:
Hannah Watts Smith (married James Smith),
Arthur Watts (October 29, 1733, married Sarah Folwell),
Rachel Watts Watts (June 29, 1736, married her cousin, John Watts)
Elizabeth Watts Folwell (August 23, 1738, married Thomas Folwell),
Stephen Watts (February 5, 1741, married Francis Assheton), and
Sarah Watts Shaw.

Stephen died in Southampton Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania, in 1784. Elizabeth died March 16, 1794

A land patent is an exclusive land grant made by the government. The certificate that grants the land rights is also called first-title deed and final certificate. In the United States, all land can be traced back to the original land patent.

Old Style Calendar
Before 1752 the year began on Lady Day, March 25th,. Dates between January 1st and March 24th were at the end of the year. Old Style (O.S.) and New Style (N.S.) are used to indicate whether the year has been adjusted. Often both dates are used.

Children of John Watts
and Sarah Eaton
Silas Watts

Elizabeth Watts Yerkes

John Watts, Jr.

Mary Watts Shull

Sarah Watts Davis

Deborah Watts Engle

Stephen Watts

Baptist churches were found in early colonial settlements and grew out of the English Separatist movement and the doctrine of John Smyth who rejected infant baptism.

It was common for bequests to include wearing apparel.

divider

Historically an esquire (Esq. or Esqr.) was the title of a man who ranked below a knight in the English gentry. Later it designated a commoner with the status of gentleman and was used by attorneys.

The History of Bucks County, Pennsylvania from the Discovery of the Delaware to the Present Time by W. W. H. Davis, A.M., 1876 and 1905

Stephen Watts, the youngest son of the Reverend John Watts, and the fourth in descent from Gregory, married Elizabeth Melchior, born 1707, and died March 16, 1794. Mr. Watts was an influential man in the community and prominent in the Southampton Baptist church, of which he was a ruling elder for many years. The farm Stephen Watts purchased of Thomas Callowhill, in 1733, is still in the family, being held by Rodney A. Mercer, Esq., through his mother, a great-great-granddaughter of the said Stephen Watts.

The following were the children of Stephen and Elizabeth (Melchior) Watts:
Hannah Watts married, June 14, 1750, James Smith, of Philadelphia;
Arthur Watts (19), born October 29, 1733, died October 9, 1809, married Sarah Folwell;
Rachel Watts, born June 29, 1736, died November 11, 1765, married as first wife, her cousin John Watts;
Elizabeth Watts, born August 23, 1738, died August 22, 1824, married, May 29, 1764, Thomas Folwell, of Southampton, Bucks county, born October 7, 1737, died September 13, 1813, son of William Folwell by his wife Anne Potts;
Stephen Watts, born February 5, 1741, died in 1788, married Francis Assheton;
Sarah Watts, married ----Shaw.

H O M E	Colonial Maryland	Colonial New England	Colonial Virginia & North Carolina	Colonial Virginia & West Virginia	Quakers & Mennonites	New Jersey Baptists
German Lutherans	Ontario Settlers	Ohio Pioneers	Watauga Settlement	Pennsylvania Pioneers	Midwest Pioneers	Californians	Jewish Immigrants

©Roberta Tuller 2020
tuller.roberta@gmail.com
An American Family History is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program,
an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.