The Quaker meeting house was erected upon land from the fram of Ralph EARLE and that of his neighbor, Nathaniel POTTER, both of whose graves are within a few feet of the site of the old church. Ralph EARLE's interest in the society was so great that he made a trip to Philadelphia to visit William PENN, the best known Quaker in the country. PENN at the time was building a house at Pennsburg and it is said told EARLE that he would put his initials on the chimney. He stll retained the confidence of his fellow citizen for he as chosen March 22, 1736, to perambulate the line between Leicester and Worcester, with the committee from the other town, for which the own paid the munificient sum of 4 shillings. It is said that EARLE once owned Mount Hope, Rhode Island,but no deed od it can be found on record. His will was made May 25, 1750. Among the bequests to his wife is the negro boy Sharp; and he directs that if the negro be faithful and well behaved, he should have his freedom at her decease, if not, he may be sold. But before EARLE died, he himself manumitted the slave and April 6, 1756, gave him 30 acres of land on the southern declivity of Asnebumskit. The negro took the name of FREEBORN as a surname later. Children of Ralph and Mary (HICKS) EARLE were: #1William, born Nov. 12, 1690, married Anna HOWARD #2 John, born April 24, 1692, married widow Sarah BORDEN #3 Mary, born Oct. 24, 1693 married (?) SHEFFIELD #4 Elizabeth, born Dec. 24, 1696 married Robert LAWSON #5 Sarah, born Jan 18, 1698 married Stephen MANCHESTER #6 Martha, born Dec. 21, 1700 #7 Patience, born Nov. 24, 1702 married Benjamin RICHARDSON #8 Ralph, born March 14, 1704 #9 Robert, see forward #10 Mercy, born March 13, 1708, married Jonathan RICE #11 Benjamin, born March 14, 1711, married (1st) Abigail NEWHALL, mrried (2nd) Deborah (BUFFUM) SLADE (IV) Robert EARLE, son of Ralph EARLE (III) born March 2, 1706, in Freetown, Mass., married (1st) Mary NEWHALL, born Nov. 5, 1704, daughter of Thomas NEWHALL of Leicester, formerly of Malden, Mass., by whom hehad 10 children. He married (2nd), March 23, 1756 to Hepsibah JOHNSON, of Worcester, Mass. He died in 1796. He was 11 years old when his father moved to Leicester. When he was of age, his father gave him 2 tracts of land, on one of which he erected his house at the corner of Earle and Mulberry Streets, and resided there during all his married life. He sold the place to his grandsons, Pliny and Jonah EARLE, for 3,000 pounds, April 11, 1792. In the following year Pliny removed the old dwelling house to the opposite side of the road and erected upon the old site a new house, which with some changes and additions is till standing. Here Robert EARLE passed the remainder of his days wit the family of his grandson Pliny. END of Part 3