William Biddle and Sarah Kemp

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Husband William Biddle ¹

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           Born: Abt 1630 - ? Staffordshire, England
     Christened: 
           Died: 1712 - ? Pennsylvania 1
         Buried: 

       Marriage: Feb 1666 1

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Wife Sarah Kemp ¹

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           Born: 1635 1
     Christened: 
           Died: 8 May 1709 1
         Buried: 

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Children

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1 M William Biddle ¹

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           Born: 4 Dec 1669 1
     Christened: 
           Died: Abt 1743
         Buried: 

         Spouse: Lydia Wardell (      -      ) 1
           Marr: Abt 1695

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General Notes: Husband - William Biddle

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The name Biddle was identical with Biddulph, the difference in the letters of the two words arising from a carelessness in spelling at that time, which Macaulay refers to as "characteristic of the age." The family had lived in Staffordshire for many generations and received their surname from the village of Biddulph in that county, "of which," says Dr. Thomas, "they have been lords since the Conquest." Colloquially the two final letters of Biddulph are not sounded, so that the word has always been pronounced as if it were written Biddle.

... of London, formerly of Staffordshire, England. He was born about 1630 and emigrated to the Province of West Jersey in 1681. In early life he had joined the Society of Friends and had undergone persecution and imprisonment by reason of his connection with that Society. A few years prior to leaving England he had bought a large acreage of land in West Jersey under the conviction that persecuted Friends would there find a safe refuge. The first purchase by him is represented by a deed dated Jan. 23, 1676, which is believed to be the first conveyance that was executed by William Penn as trustee.
Shortly after his arrival in the Province he fixed his residence on the bank of the Delaware river, at what is now called Kinkora, about midway between Burlington and Bordentown. Here he acquired 500 acres on the mainland and an adjacent island containing 278 acres, long known as Biddle's Island. By various purchases he at length became the owner of 42,916 2/3 acres of land, the deeds for which with a transcript of his land account were long in the possession of his descendants. He was a personal friend of William Penn, who was prominent in the religious body to which they both belonged as well as in the Provincial government. He died in the early part of 1712, leaving a last will and testament which is on file at Trenton, in the office of the Secretary of State.

1 —, Biographical Annals of Cumberland County, Pennsylvania (Chicago, IL: The Genealogical Publishing Co., 1905), Pg 8.