12/30/2025
My New Years Reolution is...You are Never Too Old Waste Not Want Not.
William Penn's quote, "Time is what we want most, but what we use worst," highlights humanity's paradoxical relationship with time: we crave more of it yet often squander it on trivialities, distractions, or things that don't align with our deeper values, making it our most precious yet most wasted resource, urging us to use our finite moments more intentionally and wisely.
William Penn (24 Oct 1644 – 10 Aug 1718) was an English writer, theologian, religious thinker, and influential Quaker who founded the Province of Pennsylvania.
The son of English naval officer Sir William Penn, and Dutchwoman Margaret Jasper, who was widow of a Dutch sea captain and the daughter of a rich merchant from Rotterdam.
Admiral Sir William Penn (23 Apr1621 – 16 Sep 1670) was an English naval officer and politician who represented Weymouth and Melcombe Regis in the House of Commons of England from 1660 to 1670. He was the father of William Penn, the founder of the Province of Pennsylvania, which named the colony after his father.
William Penn first arrived in North America on October 27, 1682, according to the Old Style (Julian) calendar.
His arrival and early movements included:
Initial Landing: Penn arrived aboard the ship Welcome and first stepped ashore at New Castle (in present-day Delaware).
Arrival in Pennsylvania: On October 28 or 29, 1682, he traveled roughly 18 miles north up the Delaware River to land at Upland, which he promptly renamed Chester.
Arrival in Philadelphia: He is believed to have reached the site of his newly planned city, Philadelphia, for the first time on October 29, 1682.
Penn's journey from England took 57 days and was marked by a smallpox outbreak that killed nearly one-third of the roughly 100 passengers. He remained in the colony for approximately two years before returning to England in 1684.
William Penn had one child born in America, a son named John Penn.
John "the American" Penn (1700–1746): Born on January 28, 1700, at the Slate Roof House in Philadelphia, John was the only one of Penn's children born in the present-day United States.
His family gave him the nickname "the American" because of his birthplace.
Circumstances of Birth: William Penn traveled to America twice, but his children from his first marriage remained in England.
John was born during Penn's second visit (1699–1701) to the colony with his second wife, Hannah Callowhill Penn, who was eight months pregnant upon their arrival.
Legacy: Along with his brothers Thomas, Richard, and Dennis, John inherited the proprietorship of Pennsylvania upon his father's death in 1718.
Though born in Philadelphia, he spent the majority of his life in England, returning to Pennsylvania only briefly from 1734 to 1735.
While William Penn fathered between 14 and 17 children across two marriages, all others were born in Europe (primarily England or Ireland).
My 9th Gr-Grandmother was Christiana Penn (1607-1684)
Christian Penn (c. 1607–1684) was an early English settler in Plymouth Colony and a significant figure in Mayflower genealogy through her marriages to two Mayflower passengers.
Life and Arrival
Arrival: Christian arrived at Plymouth Colony in July 1623 aboard the "Ship Anne" as a servant to Alice Carpenter Southworth, who later married Governor William Bradford.
Background: She was born around 1607, likely in Birdham, West Sussex, England.
Death: She died on July 13, 1684, in Middleborough, Mass.
Marriages and Family
Christian Penn is notable for marrying two men who arrived on the original 1620 Mayflower voyage:
Francis Eaton: She became the third wife of Francis Eaton around 1624.
They had three children:
Rachel Eaton: Married Joseph Ramsden.
Benjamin Eaton: Born c. 1627/8.
An unnamed child: Referred to in records as "an idiot" (disabled) by William Bradford.
Francis Billington: After Francis Eaton's death in 1633, Christian married Francis Billington in July 1634. They had nine children, including Elizabeth, Martha, Mary, Dorcas, and Mercy.
Historical Significance
Settlement: In 1669, she and Francis Billington were among the 26 original purchasers and settlers of Middleborough.
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