Life History

Other facts

Notes

• U.S. and International Marriage Records, 1560-1900
  Richard Few
  Spouse Jane Whitfield
  Birth 1625 England
  
  "RICHARD FEW settled in the upper part of Chester Towenship, Chester County, where a list of landholdres for 1689 showed Richard Few owned 227 acres (J. Smith Futhey and Filbert Cope, History of Chester County, Pennsylvania (Philadelphia: Louis H. Everts, 1881) p. 31)   RICHARD FEW was probably born as early as 1625.  He married first JANE (also appears as JOAN) WHITFIELD and they were parents of five sons and one daughter.Jane Few, died 24, 4 mo. [April ?], 1674 and Richard married second JULIAN ___,  Louis Dale Carman, who has made a study of Few family history, wrote: "his second wife Julian and his son Isaac accompanied him to this country. They arrived in America prior to 12 September 1682 as on that date he was listed as one of the jurors at a court held at Upland (Records of the Courts of Chester Co., Pa., 1681-1697 (Philadelphia: Patterson & White Co., 1910), p. 20).  This was more than a month earlier than William Penn's arrival at this tiny Swedish settlement, 29 October 1682, which he renamed Chester after the city of that name in England."
  --  Descendants of Richard Few, Genealogy.com, http://www.genealogy.com/ftm/s/m/i/Walter-Smith-4/GENE5-0001.html
  
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  Richard Few, the first of the family in America, married Miss Mary Wheeler [confuses generations.  The original Richard Few, as mentioned above, married two wives, first Joan Whitfield, then Julian (name unknown).  One of his descendants, a William Few, later married Mary Wheeler.]. He was a Quaker, while his wife was a member of the Roman Catholic Church. The descendants of this couple were practically all Quakers until the coming of John Wesley, when the Few families joined the Methodist movement and rendered valient service in that cause, even down to the present day.
  
  Dr. Benjamin Franklin Few, like his great pioneer ancestors, was a true servant of his church and state; and he was always to be found alligned squarely behind the great moral and social causes of mankind. His community, his country and his state are richer that he lived.
  
  (original version) History of Greenville County, South Carolina, by James M. Richardson ©1930
  (also, copied in part) A History of the Upper Part of Greenville County, SC, by Mann Battson, ©1996
  --  Descendants of Richard Few, Genealogy.com, http://www.genealogy.com/ftm/s/m/i/Walter-Smith-4/GENE5-0009.html
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  Birth records of the children mention only Richard as the father.  All the chidlren mentioned in other sources were born in Lavington, Wiltshire, England.  Notably not in this list is another child some genealogies have name William born about 1849.  It is still possible that Richard and Joan were living in anoth4er location when the oldest child was born.  At least one of the other historical summaries however, refer to Richard as the oldest chidl.
  
  England & Wales, Quaker Birth, Marriage, and Death Registers, 1578-1837
  Joane Ffew daughter Birth 22 Jan 1651
  Richard Ffew sonne Birth 26 Dec 1653
  Walter Ffew sonne Birth 3 Sep 1656
  Daniell Ffew sonne Birth 20 Nov 1660
  Isaac Ffew sonne Birth 6 Apr 1664
  Joseph Ffew sonne Birth 21 Feb 1666
  Births in Lavington, Wiltshire, England, p 414 (scan p 33)
  Father Richard Ffew
  Quarterly Meeting of Gloucestershire and Wiltshire
  
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  Will of RICHARD FEW SR.:
  
  The tweifth day of the 6 month in the year one thousand six hundred eighty & sixe.It having pleased ye Lord to visit ne RICHARD FEW of Chester with a great fit of siknes yet in perfect sense & memory But not knowing how it may please ye Lord to dispose of me and willing to setell ye affairs of my outward estate do make this my last will and testament in manner and form following:
  
  First I do give & bequeath unto my son ISAAC all my purchased land conserning two hundred & twenty acres as allso my citey lot at Philadelphia with all apurtaning thereof to him my said Son ISAAC for him and his heirs forever he allowing my wife JULIAN the one half of ye said 2 hundred and 20 acres viz so much of it as is or shall be cleared & manuered during her naturell life, she allowing the one half of ye charge it shall be expended thereupon during her said naturell life.
  
  Furthermore my will is that my said Wife shall likewise have herr abode and habitation in ye house with my son ISAAC during her natural like allso unless at any time ye house should not be thought convenient or that they should not agree so as to live together that then my son ISAAC shall at his own proper cost & charge build for my said Wife a convenient house of stone of seven feet high in ye wall & 14 long within the walls & 12 feet wide withing ye walls with a convenient chimmey in it.
  
  I so allso give unto my said Wife ye one half of ye stock that is raised upon ye plantation and ye increase thereof during her naturell life also and at her death then it shall be given and disposed of to my children & grandcildren and that my Son's Wife shall have the disposing thereof as to which of them shall seem meet and most becoming.
  
  Alas my will is yt all my debts and other charges be born & defrayed equally between my said Wife & my said Son ISAAC and further my Wife shall have ye use of half of ye household goods & untensells of husbandry during her life also.
  
  But if my said Wife should marey again then my will is yt my said son ISAAC shall have ye whole estate real & personall as above & yt my said Wife shall at ye end of six months after ye day of her mareing go of the plantation, he my said son alowing her 10 pound ye said 10 pound to be paid her at or before ye end of six months after ye day of her so maring.
  
  Also my will is that my granddaughter SUSANA FEW shall be sufficienty brought up and maintened with sufficient meat drink and apparell & learning sutable for her ye charge of ye said maintainance & learning to be born equally between my said Wife and my said son ISAAC until she be 18 years of age.but if my Wife should mary as above yt then my son ISAAC should have ye care & EDUCATION of her my said grandchild.  [This seems toindicate that Susana's father, Richard's son Richard, has died before his father.]
  
  And also I do give unto my to said sons WALTER and DANIEL FEW & to my daughter JOAN FEW 5 pounds apiece to be paid or ordered to be paid to each particular or to whom each perticular shall order it to be paid in this province of Pennsilvania within 3 years after decease but if my said sons WALTER & DANIEL or my said daughter JOAN they or either of them should come into this province that then they or either of them yt shall so come shall have their particular proportion of 5 pounds as above to be paid them within a year after thoir or either of their so arrivall & my will is also yt those above said sums of 5 pounds apiece to be to my above said to sons and daughter by my son ISAAC & my Wife equally between them but if my said Wife should marey as above before ye 3 years after my decease be expired yt then my said sons & my said daughter ye aforesaid sums of 5 pounds apiece and at ye time above said but if either of my above said 3 children should dye before ye time of ye above said payment be expired yt then his or her 5 pounds as above shall be equally divided between ye other two & if 2 of them should dye before the time is expired the two of ye sons 5 pounds should be given to ye 3d but if they all 3 dye before ye said time for payment be expired yt then my said son ISAAC shall have ye whole sum of 15 pounds himself.
  
  Also & further I do give to ye use of poor friends ye sum of one pound to be paid within one year after my decease and to be disposed of as ye friends of ye monthly meeting at Chester shall think fit.
  
  And I do make my well beloved wife and my son ISAAC my lawful executrix & executor to carefully execute my last will & testament according to ye true intent and meaning thereof.
  
  And also I do make & constitute my friends THOMAS BRASIE & CALEB PUSEY my trustees to carefully to see the execution of it according to ye true intent & meaning thereof.
  
  In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand ye day and year above wrighten.
  Signed in ye presence of us whose names are under wrighten.
  Proven 26 March 1689 [not signed]
  --  Descendants of Richard Few, Genealogy.com, http://www.genealogy.com/ftm/s/m/i/Walter-Smith-4/GENE5-0001.html
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  More About RICHARD FEW:
  Burial September 1688, Pennsylvania [note the historical source above, on his will, has date of will proving in court as March 1689 (1688).]
  Church Quaker
  Emigration June 02, 1681, Left England
  Immigration Bef. September 12, 1682, Arrived in America
  Occupation Shoemaker
  More About JANE WHITFIELD:
  Burial April 1674, England
  More About RICHARD FEW and JANE WHITFIELD:
  Marriage Bet. 1640 - 1667, England
  More About RICHARD FEW and JULIAN UNKNOWN:
  Marriage England
  
  Children of RICHARD FEW and JANE WHITFIELD are:
  i.              JOANE FEW, b. January 22, 1650/51, Wiltshire, England; d. Unknown, Unknown; m. (1) UNKNOWN, b. Unknown, Unknown; m. (2) ROBERT SILVESTER, Unknown, Unknown; b. Unknown, Horsely, County of Glouchester, Mercer; d. Unknown, Unknown.
  Marriage Unknown, Unknown
  2.      ii.             RICHARD JR. FEW, b. December 26, 1653, England; d. Bef. 1682, Wiltshire, England.
  iii.            WALTER FEW, b. July 03, 1656, Wiltshire, England; d. Unknown, Unknown.
  iv.             DANIEL FEW, b. November 20, 1660, Wiltshire, England; d. Unknown, Unknown.
  3.      v.              ISAAC FEW,SR, b. April 06, 1664, Wiltshire, England; d. 1734, Kenneth, Chester County, Pennsylvania.
  vi.             JOSEPH FEW, b. February 21, 1665/66, Wiltshire, England; d. Bef. 1682, Wiltshire, England.  Burial Bef. 1682, England
  --  Descendants of Richard Few, Genealogy.com, http://www.genealogy.com/ftm/s/m/i/Walter-Smith-4/GENE5-0001.html
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  U.S., Sons of the American Revolution Membership Applications, 1889-1970
  Birth James Bailey Gordon
  SAR Membership 83156
  Application Date 6 Feb 1958
  Descended directly from Fews and Stanfields
  Earliest Ancestors cited Richard Few, died 1688 and wife Jane (maiden name unknown) [Joan or Jane Whitfield]
  Same generation ancestors:
  Francis Stanfield, b England, died 1692 Pennsylvania
  Grace (maiden name unknown), b England, died 1691 Pennsylvania
  Isaac Few, son of Richard and Jane, b 6 April 1664 in England, died 1734 in Pennsylvania
  Hannah Stanfield, dau of Francis and Grace, b 1683 in England, married 1697 or 1699
  Joseph Few, son of Isaac and Hannah, 20 June 1708, d 1761
  Mary Astor, no birth or death info, married February 1733
  Mary Few, dau of Joseph and Mary, b 12 September 1741, d 22 November 1808, mar 1 August 1759
  Joseph Buffington, b 20 July 1737 in Pennsylvania, d 12 August 1798 in Spartanburg, South Carolina
  Descends further from Mary Buffington, dau of Joseph and Mary, who married Thomas Gordon

Sources

• 1. Genealogy.com Trees
• 2. U.S. and International Marriage Records, 1560-1900
• 3. Wiltshire, England, Quaker Births, 1636-1837
• 4. England & Wales, Christening Index, 1530-1980
• 5. Family Data Collection - Births
• 6. U.S., Sons of the American Revolution Membership Applications, 1889-1970
• 7. Wiltshire, England, Quaker Deaths, 1542-1897