My Genealogy Hound

(I) WILLIAM BIDDLE (m. February, 1666, to Sarah Kemp, b. 1635, d. May 8, 1709), of London, formerly of Staffordshire, 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.

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.

Shortly after William Biddle’s 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, still 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 are 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.

(II) William Biddle 2d (m. about 1695 to Lydia Wardell), the oldest son and residuary devisee of the preceding, was born on Dec. 4, 1669, and died intestate about 1743, having; in his lifetime distributed among his children the principal portion of a large landed estate.

(III) William Biddle 3d (m. April 3, 1730 to Mary Scull, d. May 9, 1789), the oldest son of the preceding, was born about 1697 and died in 1756. He and his youngest brother John removed to Philadelphia prior to 1730 and are the progenitors of a majority of the large number of Biddles now resident in that city. His wife was the daughter of Nicholas Scull, surveyor general of Pennsylvania from 1748 to 1761, who, in connection with Thomas Cookson, a deputy surveyor, laid out the town of Carlisle in the spring of 1751. In Franklin’s Autobiography, Nicholas Scull is referred to as one “who loved books and who sometimes made verses.” His daughter Mary inherited his poetic faculty and a number of her metrical productions are still preserved.

(IV) Lydia Biddle (m. Dec. 3, 1752, to Capt. William Macfunn, of the British navy, and Governor of the Island of Antigua, d. about 1767), the oldest daughter of the preceding, was born in 1734 and died subsequent to 1800.

(V) William Biddle Macfunn (m. 1797 to Lydia Spencer, b. Jan. 16, 1766, d. March 28, 1858), the only son of the preceding, was born about 1765 and died in 1809. At the instance of his maternal relatives, he changed his name to William Macfunn Biddle. His wife was a daughter of Rev. Elihu Spencer, D. D., of Trenton, N. J., who was graduated from Yale College with honors on September 3, 1746. Issue:

(VI) Lydia Macfunn Biddle (m. Oct. 17, 1815, to Samuel Baird, d. July 27, 1833) was born July 4, 1797, and died June 3, 1871. She had issue:

(1) William Macfunn Baird (m. Dec. 2, 1847, to Harriet Holmes), died Oct. 19, 1872. Issue: (a) Robert Holmes Baird. d. Sept. 7, 1897. (b) Mary Leaming Baird (m. June 17, 1890, to Hugh Silas Stuart, d. June 17. 1899). Children: Joseph Alexander Stuart. William Baird Stuart. Harriet Holmes Stuart. Christine Biddle Stuart.

(2) Sanmel Baird. d. Oct. 12, 1884.

(3) Spencer Fullerton Baird (m. Aug. 8, 1846, to Mary Churchill, d. Sept. 23, 1891), died Aug. 19, 1887. Issue: Lucy Hunter Baird.

(4) Rebecca Potts Baird.

(5) Lydia Spencer Baird, d. June 3, 1871.

(6) Mary Deborah Baird (m. June 1, 1854, to Henry Johnathan Biddle, d. July 20, 1862, from wounds in battle), died Dec. 3. 1900. Issue: (a) Johnathan Williams Biddle, killed in battle Sept. 30, 1877. (b) Lydia Macfunn Biddle (m. April 22, 1880, to Moncure Robinson, d. Dec. 13, 1896). Children: Lydia Spencer Moncure Robinson, (c) Spencer Fullerton Baird Biddle (m. November. 1897, to Mary Davids), (d) Christine Williams Biddle. (e) Henry Jonathan Biddle (m. in 1887 in Germany). Children: Rebecca Baird Biddle. Spencer Biddle.

(7) Thomas Baird (m. Jan. 24, 1872, to Mary Bill), died March 29, 1897. Issue: William Macfunn Baird, Lydia Spencer Baird, Henry Jonathan Biddle Baird, Caroline Richards Dey Baird.

(VI) Valeria Fullerton Biddle (m. March 16, 1824, to Hon. Charles Bingham Penrose, d. April 6, 1857) was born January, 1799, and died Nov. 15, 1881. She had issue: (1) William Macfunn Penrose (m. July, 1858, to Valeria Merchant) was born March 29, 1825, and died Sept. 2, 1872. Issue: (a) Sarah Merchant Penrose, (b)
Valeria Biddle Penrose. (c) Ellen Williams Penrose, (d) Virginia Merchant Penrose.

(2) Richard Alexander Fullerton Penrose, M. D. (m. Sept. 28, 1858, Sarah Hannah Boies, d. March 30, 1881), was born March 24, 1827. Issue: (a) Boies Penrose, United States Senator, (b) Charles Bingham Penrose, M. D. (m. Nov. 17, 1892, Katharine Drexel). Children: Sarah Hannah Boies Penrose, Charles Bingham Penrose, Boies Penrose, (c) Richard Alexander Fullerton Penrose, Jr. (d) Spencer Penrose, (e) Francis Boies Penrose, (f) Philip Thomas Penrose, d. June 8, 1901.

(3) Sarah Clementina Penrose (m. Sept. 1854, William Sergeant Blight, d. May 9, 1903) was born Oct. 11, 1829, and died March 24, 1897. Issue: (a) Charles Penrose Blight, d. July 4, 1895. (b) William Sergeant Blight (m. Dec. 6, 1890, Cornelia Taylor Blight), (c) Elihu Spencer Blight, (d) Lydia Spencer Blight (m. Dec. 7, 1886,
John F. Hageman. Esq., d. July 1, 1893).

(4) Clement Biddle Penrose, Judge (m. Sept. 30, 1857, Mary Linnard), was born Oct. 27, 1832. Issue: (a) Emily Linnard Penrose, (b) Valeria Fullerton Penrose, (c) Charles Bingham Penrose. (d) Stephen Beasley Linnard Penrose (m. June 17, 1896, Mary Deming Shipman). Children: Mary Deming Penrose, Frances Shipman Penrose, Nathaniel Shipman Penrose, Clement Biddle Penrose. (e) Helen Penrose (m. Oct. 17, 1901, Thomas Leiper Hodge). (f) Elizabeth Colegate Penrose (m. Feb. 3, 1891, Rev. Henry Evertson Cobb). Children: Dorothy Penrose Cobb, Oliver Ellsworth Cobb, Emily Linnard Cobb, Clement Biddle Penrose Cobb, (g) Lydia Baird Penrose, (h) Mary Clementina Penrose.

(5) Lydia Spencer Penrose was born June 3, 1835.

(6) Charles Bingham Penrose, Major (m. Dec. 29, 1870, Clara Andairese), was born Aug. 29, 1838, and died Sept. 18, 1895. Issue: (a) Charles Bingham Penrose (m. Sept. 30, 1903, Gibb). (b) Clement Andairese Penrose (m. Dec. 14, 1904, to Helen Stowe).

(VI) William Macfunn Biddle (m. Jan. 27, 1825, to Julia Montgomery, d. Feb. 24, 1883) was born July 3, 1801, and died Feb. 28. 1855. He had issue:

(1) Lydia Spencer Biddle (m. Feb. 7, 1850, to Lieut. W. D. Smith, U. S. A., d. about 1863) was born Nov. 3, 1825, and died Nov. 11, 1855.

(2) Thomas Montgomery Biddle (m. Dec. 10, 1857, to Margaret E. Irvine) was born July 9, 1829, and died Jan. 28. 1864. Issue: (a) Emily Duncan Biddle (m. 1886 to Lieut. Sidney A. Stanton, U. S. N.) died March, 1892. (b) Lydia Spencer Biddle. (c) Sarah Duncan Biddle, died June, 1877.

(3) Edward Macfunn Biddle (m. Feb. 2, 1860, to Mary I. Leiper) was born Aug. 25, 1832, died April 17, 1888. Issue: (a) William Macfunn Biddle (m. Jan. 3, 1889, to Florence Moen Huntington, d. Jan. 20, 1897) was born Nov. 16, 1860, died July 3, 1893. (b) Mary Lewis Biddle. (c) Thomas Montgomery Biddle (m. September, 1893, to Nancy Denny Risher). Child: Thomas Montgomery Biddle. (d) Edward Macfunn Biddle. (e) Sara Newbold Biddle.

(4) Mary Montgomery Biddle (m. Oct. 18, 1855, to DeGarmo J. Whiting, d. June 24, 1864; 2d m. Henry A. R. Moen, d. October, 1887) was born Oct. 10, 1834, and died July, 1887.

(5) William Macfunn Biddle, born Feb. 13, 1837, died May 14, 1877.

(6) Julia Montgomery Biddle (m. Nov. 10, 1863, to Charles Stuart Huntington, d. Aug. 20, 1890) was born July 14, 1840.

Issue: Florence Moen Huntington (m. Jan. 3. 1889, to William M. Biddle, d. July 3, 1893; 2d m. to Owen A. Connor) was born Sept. 1, 1864, and died Jan. 20, 1897.

(VI) Mary Elizabeth Dagworthy Biddie (m. April 27, 1826, to Major George Blaney, U. S. A., d. May 15, 1835) was born April, 1805, and died Sept. 4, 1879. She had issue:

(1) Valeria Biddle Blaney (m. Aug. 20, 1856, to Brig. Gen. Washington L. Elliott, U. S. A., d. June 29. 1888) died May 6, 1900. Issue: (a) Katharine Blaney Elliott, (b) Frances Vaughn Elliott, (c) George Blaney Elliott, d. Jan. 7, 1894. (d) Mary Biddle Elliott (m. June 5, 1895 to Herbert George Pouting). Children: Mildred Spencer Pouting, Arthur Elliott Pouting.

(2) Katharine Mears Blaney (m. Dec. 19, 1854, to Alexander Brady Sharpe, Esq., d. Dec. 25, 1891).

(3) William Biddle Blaney, d. Feb. 18, 1862.

(4) Lydia Spencer Biddle Blaney (m. May 18, 1854, to Col. William B. Lane, U. S. A., d. June 28, 1898). Issue: (a) Mary Biddle Lane (m. Feb. 15, 1883, to Lieut. Col. Joseph L. Garrard, U. S. A.). Children: Valeria LaConte Garrard, and Lucy Lees Garrard, (b) Susan Bartlett Lane (m. Dec. 21, 1887, to Major John Francis Guilfoyle, U. S. A.). Children: Christine Spencer Guilfoyle and Suzanne Lane Guilfoyle.

(VI) Edward M. Biddle (m. Jan. 14, 1836, to Juliana Watts, d. Aug. 9, 1899) was born July 27, 1808, and died May 13, 1889. He had issue:

(1) David Watts Biddle, born Oct. 28, 1838, died Aug. 8, 1902.

(2) Lydia Spencer Biddle.

(3) Charles Penrose Biddle, born July 21, 1847, died March 25, 1890.

(4) Frederick Watts Biddle, born Oct. 5, 1849, died Aug. 21, 1900.

(5) Edward William Biddle, Judge (m. Feb. 2, 1882, to Gertrude Dale Bosler), was born May 3, 1852. Issue: Herman Bosler Biddle and Edward Macfunn Biddle.

(6) William Macfunn Biddle, born Sept. 24, 1855, died Dec. 8, 1903.