from History of Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, Limerick Township edited by Theodore Weber Bean
Limerick Township
...Limerick in 1741 contained 58 taxables ...
Limerick Square is situated nearly in the centre of the township....The road through here was laid out quite early, showing that it was an old settlement. Widow Lloyd kept an inn here at the forks of the road at least as early as 1758 and down to 1769. ...
Limerick—so called after a city and county in Ireland—was formed into a township at least as early as 1722. Matthew Brooke, who evidently then resided here, was appointed by the county commissioners, in February, 1718, collector of taxes for "Manatawny," then embracing a considerable extent of thinly-settled territory, thus clearly showing that this township could not have been then formed or known by its present name.
Application was made at June Sessions of court, 1726, to have the same recorded on account of its having been duly formed several years before as "the township of Limerick." At March Sessions, 1709, a petition was sent from John Henry Sprogell, who then resided below the present Pottstown. and also signed by Mounce Jones and others, for the laying out of a road from Edward Lane's to Manatawny. The court accordingly ordered it to be speedily opened, and it is the same now known as the Reading road, commencing at the Perkioinen Creek.
About this lime the first settlements were commenced, which by 1734 had increased to twenty-one residents and landholders, whose names were as follows:
Edward Nichols, 600 acres;
John Davy, 300;
Enoch Davis, 300;
John Kendall, 300;
Owen Evans, 400;
William Evans, 300;
Joseph Barlow, 400;
Peter Umstead, 250;
Oliff (or Adolph) Penny-packer, 250;
Henry Reyner, 100;
William Woodly, 150;
Jonathan Woodly, 300;
Wiilliam Malsby, 200;
Henry Peterson, 200;
Peter Peterson, 100;
Nicholas Custer, 7;
Hironemus Haas, 250;
Lawrence Rinker, 50;
Stephen Miller, 170;
Barnaby Coulson, 50;
Martin Kolh, 160.
...(or Adolph) Penny packer was the son of Henry, the ancestor of the family, whose wife was Eve, a daughter of Peter Umstead. The former was born about 1708 and died in May, 1789. As Henry Pennypacker resided in this township for some time, it is very probable, according to the Penn Papers, that he made his purchase here the 3d of First Month, 1719, for five hundred acres of land. In the assessment of 1776 are found the names of Adolph and John Pennypacker.
John Brooke, with Frances, his wife, aud two sons (James and Matthew), arrived from Yorkshire, Kngland, in 1699. He had purchased seven hundred and fifty acres of William Penn, and on his death his sons took up the aforesaid tract in Limerick, on which they settled. It occupied the central part of the township, to the northwest of Limerick Square, and included the lot and burial-ground on which the old church is locited, near which the brothers erected their buildings. ...
Owen Evans was an early settler, and took up here four hundred acres of land. He was appointed a justice of the peace in 1732, and continued to hold the office until his death. He appears to have been a prominent man, and died in 1754, aged fifty-five years....
Gunner Rambo, who was rated for 170 acres no doubt moved up here from near Swedes' Ford. .Moses Rambo, mentioned as a single man, was probabiy his son.
Francis Hobson removed in 1743 from New Garden township, Chester Co., into Limerick, on a purchase of two hundred and sixty-eight acres of land. This tract, in 1748, descended to his son Francis...
Among the early township officers here we find Matthew Brooke a collector in 1718, and Barnabas Coulson in 1742...
...Limerick Union Church.—John Brooke obtained from William Penn, in 1699, a grant of seven hundred acres, which was to be located in one tract beyond the Perkiomen Creek. In that year he came to America with his sons, James and Mathew, leaving one son, Jonathan, in England. He was detained in quarantine at Gloucester, below Philadelphia, and there died. His will bears the date of 25thof Eighth Month, 1699, directing that his property should be divided between his three sons. James and Mathew Brooke settled upon the tract when located, and were among the very earliest settlers beyond the Perkiomen.
About this time the Swedes had made a settlement at Douglasville and several Germans in New Hanover. A road was laid out through the wilds from German town to the Swedish settlement, and at an early date, another called Lewis' road, from where the church now stands to the Schuylkill at Rover's Ford.
The settlers soon felt the need of a burial-place, and James and Mathew Brooke set apart a piece of ground for that purpose at the northwest corner of the junction of the two roads. It was measured eighteen rods square, containing two acres and four perches of land. The use of this burial-ground was allowed to all who would unite in bearing the costs of maintaining its proper inclosure. No deed was given at first, but after the death of the grantors, their sons, William and George Brooke, made a title in trust to the following persons, who were entitled to the right of burial there. It is dated July 12, 1738, and is to
Jonathan Woodley
John Kendall
Robert May
William Evans
John David
Peter Peters
Jerome Hause
William Maulsby
John Jordon
Henry Coulston
John Umstadt
Barnabas Coulston
Henry Hoven
Nicholas Custer
Peter Umstadt
Claus Brown
David Jones
Owen Evans
George Evans
David Evans
Henry Coulston
Enoch Davis and
Michael Hitter,
for the consideration of five shillings, to them and their heirs forever, subject to a yearly rent of one peppercorn, if demanded.
