PARRY Family History

Parrys in Pennsylvania

Please note that I am not personally researching this family. It is therefore hoped that other researchers will contribute to the information shown here, both with regard to further sources for information and with original references for any of the events. [At the moment, none of the information shown here has been confirmed from original sources.]

My interest arises from the claims by some researchers that the first Thomas Parry in Pennsylvania was the son of Love Parry of North Wales. Since Love Parry's family is one that is featured on this website, it seems appropriate to include the Pennsylvanian Parrys as a subject for discussion.

If you do have any comments concerning this page, or can add any information to the pedigree, then please contribute to the discussion through the PARRY mailing list (see the Parry List information page for details of how to subscribe.) Once details have been proved (or confirmed as much as is ever possible with genealogy!) then the "established pedigree" will be shown on a separate page.

The Descendants of Thomas Parry

The reference numbers alongside each individual are purely arbitrary, in order to allow easy identification during discussions. A "GW" next to an individual reference number means there is further information under the PAGenWeb additions below. Items from one generation which are repeated in the next are greyed so that the new information can be easily identified.

This therefore agrees with the initial generations of the tree as given in Glenn's book. [But did one copy the other?]

Further details on the family can be extracted from the Parry pages available on the Bucks County PAGenWeb. These are said to contain the text from certain pages of W. W. H. Davis's History of Bucks County, Pennsylvania. However, an online version of that on the USGenWeb does not appear to show the same information so it is possible that other sources were used as well.

Pages 69-70 - Oliver Parry

Page 70 - Edward R. Parry

Page 70 - Richard R. Parry

Pages 70-71 - George R. Parry

Page 71 - Oliver P. Parry

Page 71 - Daniel Parry

Pages 226-7 - Isaac Parry (x2), Jacob Parry, and Thomas Parry

It is not actually apparent from the details whether this family connects to the previous one. If they are related, then it is still not possible to say how - it might look as if the sequence "Thomas, Thomas, Jacob" [68, 69, 70] are the same people as [2, 6, 15]. However, some researchers indicate that the two Thomas's are those numbered [6] and [8], with Jacob[70], being a son of Thomas[8].

The information about the "old homestead" and the "home farm" are also unclear - was the original homestead in Warminster but the "current" one the one purchased from Jonathan Conard, or does Isaac now own both?

Pages 287-8 - Henry C. Parry, John Parry, and William B. Parry

It is here that a major difference occurs between the two sources (Glenn, and Davis). Thomas Parry, who is still recorded as marrying Jane Philips and having ten children, is now the son of Love Parry of "Wanfour". This causes the problem over the linkage of the "Thomas, Thomas, Jacob" sequence mentioned above, since the Thomas[2] no longer appears in the pedigree.

As well as the change to Thomas's parentage, it can also be seen that a different date has been given for his death.

The Parry family of Madryn, and Wern Fawr

• The first Thomas Parry in Pennsylvania marries a Jane Morris in 1715, instead of a Jane Philips.
• Another statement refers to the "Thomas Parry who came from Wales and settled in Moreland township, where he married Jane Walton", (and had ten children, just as the other Thomas and Jane's are said to have done).
• Philip, son of Thomas and Jane Walton, married a Mary Harker, as opposed to the Philip, son of Thomas and Jane Philips, who married a Rachel Harker.

The coat of Arms quoted by Davis, although described as for the Parrys of Madryn in some books, is attributed by Siddons to Llywarch Howlbrwrch (Vol II, page 338), who was reputed to be the ancestor of a tribe in Denbighshire. Nicolas describes it as the coat of the Hughes family of Cefnllanfair, and the pedigree for the Hughes family of "Cevn Llanvair", printed in Dwnn, does show that they claimed descent from "Llowarch Howlbwrch". Since Love's mother was Margaret, daughter and heir of Hugh Hughes, of Cefn Llanfair, it would be through her that the Parry family then inherited use of this coat. A memorial to Margaret describes her father, Hugh Hughes, as "armigeri" and appears to show the arms of both Madryn and Hughes (the Madryn Arms possibly descending to Margaret through her grandmother, a coheir of Thomas Madryn). Margaret's husband, and Love's father, "Galfridi Parry de Rhydolion" (Jeffrey Parry of Rhydolion) was not described as "armigeri" on Margaret's memorial - the possible implication being that he did not bear arms of his own.

According to Siddons, Richard Parry, Bishop of St Asaph, used the coat of Arms of Cynwrig Efell (Gules, on a bend Argent a lion passant Sable), and was descended from Bleddyn ap Cynfyn. His family were from Flintshire and again, so far, I have found no evidence of a link between the two Parry families. Likewise, the family of Sir Edward Parry the arctic navigator, whose family originated in Pembrokeshire and does not appear to connect to either of the other two families.

In view of these factors, it seems clear that all of the details given above for the pedigree should be confirmed from original sources initially, before any further attempt is made to trace the ancestry back to the UK.

Supporting evidence

1880 census

The first section relates to people from the TAG pedigree, along with the additions from pages 69-71 of the PAGenWeb

Person Refs: 36, 35, 33

Person Refs: 38, 37

Person Refs: 40, 39

Person Ref: 43, 62 - widow and daughter of Edward R Parry?

Person Refs: 45, 46, 57, 58, 59

Person Refs: 48, 49 - Unable to identify, but at least 48, George Parry, should be recorded in the census.

Person Refs: 50, 51

Person Refs: 55, 56

This second section relates to people from pages 226-227 of the PAGenWeb

Person Refs: 84, 85, 86, 87, 88

Person Ref: 80, Lydia Parry formerly Conard?

Person Ref: 89

Person Refs: 90

Person Ref: 75

Person Refs: 94

Person Refs: 95

This third section relates to people from pages 287-288 of the PAGenWeb

Person Refs: 123

Person Refs:

Person Refs: 133, 134

Sources

Main sources

TAG - Merion in the Welsh Tract, with sketches of the Townships of Haverford and Radnor. Historical and genealogical collections concerning the Welsh barony in the Province of Pennsylvania, settled by the Cymric Quakers in 1682, by Thomas Allen Glenn

GW - Bucks County PA USGenWeb pages. These were derived from History of Bucks County, Pennsylvania, Vol III, by William W H Davis [New York-Chicago: The Lewis Publishing Company, 1905].
If anyone has access to the original source, in order to check the accuracy of the online transcriptions, it would be appreciated.

Other references