Grace and John were Quakers and in 1721 they changed from Abington Meeting to North Wales.
Grace and John's children included: Samuel Eastburn (about 1723),
Mary Eastburn Brooke (about 1725, married Jonathan Brooke),
Joseph Eastburn (about 1727),
Grace Eastburn Stephenson (married John Stephenson/Stevenson)
Sarah Eastburn Miller (about 1729) Robert Eastburn (about 1731, married Esther Franks),
Rachel Eastburn Coates (about 1735, married Aaron Coates), and
Benjamin Eastburn (about 1743).
In 1732 they purchased 150 acres in Norriton Township and 100 more in 1740.
In 1741 John and his brother bought 200 acres in Upper Merion Township.
John died in 1772 in Upper Merion, Montgomery County. He wrote his will on July 28, 1772 and it was probated on September 19, 1772.The executors of his will were his grandsons David Norman, Benjamin Eastburn and Jesse Roberts. The witnesses were Jonathan Roberts and Lindsay Coates.
Grace died in 1776.
Norriton Township was created in.1730. It was in Philadelphia County, but is now in Montgomey County, Pennsylvania. The Township included Norristown. In 1909 it was split into East and West Norriton.
Early Quakers were persecuted. In the Massachusetts Bay colony, Friends were banished on pain of death.
Estate inventories give us a glance into the home life of Colonial Americans.
William Penn (1644-1718) was a Quaker philosopher and real estate developer. He was the founder of the Province of Pennsylvania.
The Eastburn Family
by Hettie Ann Walton, Eastburn Reeder, Harry Speight
John Eastburn, son of Robert and Sarah Preston Eastburn, was born in England, 7-15, 1697. He came to Philadelphia with his parents in 1713, when he was 16 years of age. He married Grace Caulston, daughter of William and Elizabeth Caulston, at Abington Meeting, 1-16, 1721.
John and Grace C. Eastburn removed their certificate from Abington to North Wales 12-26, 1721.
John Eastburn purchased 150 acres of land along the Schuylkill river in Norriton township, Montgomery County, of Isaac Norris, 1-25, 1732, and 11-17, 1740 he purchased 100 acres adjoining the heirs of Isaac Norris—Deed book 11, Vol. 9 page 401 Philadelphia record.
On 5-1, 1760, John Eastburn and Grace, his wife conveyed 150 acres of this land to their son Benjamin Eastburn. This land Benjamin Eastburn, and Jane, his wife conveyed 10-28, 1766 to Arthur McFarland. The balance of the Norris tract of land was owned at this time, by his son Robert Eastburn.
John Eastburn, and his brother Benjamin purchased of the heirs of William Penn 200 acres of land in Upper Merion township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, in 1741, where he died in 1772, aged 75 years.
His wife Grace Eastburn survived. The farm of 200 acres of land in Upper Merion was devised by him in his will to his grandson Benjamin Eastburn, son of his son Samuel Eastburn.
John and Grace C. Eastburn had 11 children, whose names have been ascertained from his will, dated, 7-28, 1772 and probated 9-19, 1772, recorded in Philadelphia, Book P, page 302, from which the following is an abstract.
To my grandson, Benjamin Eastburn, son of my son Samuel Eastburn the plantation and tract of land I now live on, containing 200 acres; he to pay his brother John Eastburn 100£, and also pay his grandmother 18£ yearly - keep her a cow, give her choice of room in the house, find her firewood, &c.
To my son Robert Eastburn, 50£.
To my son, Joseph Eastburn, the ground rent of my lots in Philadelphia, on Sixth and Seventh streets, the income thereof for his maintance.
To my son, Benjamin Eastburn, 50£.
To my daughter Mary Brooks, 100£.
To my daughter, Sarah Miller, 6£ a year during her life.
To my daughter, Rachel Coats, 10£ a year during her life.
To my grand-daughter, Mary Norman, 100£. [daughter of Grace]
To my grand-daughter, Sarah Ellis, 50£.
To my grand-daughter, Hannah Shoemaker, 50£. [daughter of Grace]
To my grandson, Jesse Roberts, 300£.
To my grand-daughter, Elizabeth Eastburn, daughter of my son, Robert Eastburn, 50£.
To my loving wife, Grace Eastburn, 200£.
To my three grandsons, Nathan Brooks, Samuel Roberts and Benjamin Coats 10£ each.
To my three grandsons, John, Jonathan and Samuel, sons of my son, Robert Eastburn, 10£ each.
To my two grandsons, John and Robinson Eastburn, sons of my son, Benjamin Eastburn, 10£ each.
The executors of this will were his grandsons David Norman, Benjamin Eastburn and Jesse Roberts.
The witness[es] were Jonathan Roberts and Lindsay Coats.
Samuel Eastburn, son of John and Grace Colston Eastburn, married. Two children.
Benjamin Eastburn, b. 1751. m. Margaret Abraham in 1778.
John Eastburn, b. M. Miriam Abraham.
Robert Eastburn, son of John and Grace Colston Eastburn, married Esther Franks at Plymouth Meeting, 5-22, 1755. Nine children.. .Robert Eastburn died in 1779.
Benjamin Eastburn, son of John and Grace Colston Eastburn, married Jane. Two children.
John Eastburn, b.
Robinson Eastburn, b.
Mary Eastburn, daughter of John and Grace Colston Eastburn, married Brooks. One child. Nathan Brooks, b.
Sarah Eastburn, daughter of John and Grace Colston Eastburn, married Miller. No children mentioned.
Rachel Eastburn, daughter of John and Grace Colston Eastburn, married Coates. One child. Benjamin Coates, b.
A [grand]daughter [Mary Stephenson] of John and Grace Colston Eastburn married Norman. Two children.
Mary Norman, b.
[following not correct] David Norman, b. M. Mary Stevenson at Plymouth Meeting, 5-24, 1764.
A daughter of John and Grace Colston Eastburn married Ellis. One child. Sarah Ellis, b.
A [grand]daughter [Hannah Stephenson] of John and Grace Colston Eastburn married Shoemaker. One child.Hannah Shoemaker, b.
A daughter of John and Grace Colston Eastburn married Roberts. Three children.
Hannah Roberts, b.
Samuel Roberts, b.
Jesse Roberts, b.
Cattle were vital to a household and an important legacy.
Unweaned cattle are calves.
Female cattle are heifers and cows (had a calf).
Male cattle are steers (castrated) and bulls.
Oxen are trained draft animals and are often castrated adult male cattle.
American colonists continued to use British monetary units, namely the pound, shilling and pence for which £1 (orli) equalled 20s and 1s equalled 12d. In 1792 the dollar was established as the basic unit of currency.
Hannah Stephenson who married Peter Shoemaker: Gwynedd MM, 10th-mo. 20, 1768. Peter Shoemaker, son of Isaac, of Upper Dublin township, Philadelphia county, and Hannah Stephenson, daughter of John, of Upper Merion. At a public meeting in Plymouth.
Witnesses, Isaac and Hannah Shoemaker, John, Grace and Esther Eastburn, David Norman and 18 others.
Gwynedd Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania was founded in 1698 by Welsh Quakers. The township split into Lower and Upper Gwynedd in 1891.
