Good morning, My Ralph Forrester lived in Chester County early times and can be found in all the records. What I have never seen is...where was he buried when he passed on?   He was married to Sarah Hemphill and they were both of Irish descent and Quakers.  He was also once a teacher.  I am from their line via Aaron Forrester. Any pointers in the direction of where they are would be appreciated. Scottie in Florida

You need to always include some sort of a date with any query.....what were 'early times' is a subjective thing - what seems early to some may seem 'late' to someone else, so a date, even if approximate, must always be part of any query. After you send that along, we'll go from there. Sandra "My Ralph Forrester lived in Chester County early times and can be found in all the records. What I have never seen is...where was he buried when he passed on? He was married to Sarah Hemphill and they were both of Irish descent and Quakers. He was also once a teacher. I am from their line via Aaron Forrester."

I looked in THE HISTORY OF CHESTER COUNTY PA, by Futhey and Cope, and the earliest entry I find is for after the Am. Rev. War, where Ralph was requesting reparation for loses in Goshen Twp during the war I looked in IMMIGRATION OF THE IRISH QUAKERS INTO PA 1682-1750, by Myers, but he must have emigrated sometime after the dates included in the book, as there was no mention of Ralph. (However, I think you'll find that if he was indeed a Quaker who emigrated from Ireland, he was NOT Irish. This term often confuses people unfamiliar with the fact that the Irish were Catholics, and I've never read of someone of Irish descent, becoming a Quaker and emigrating to PA. The so-called Irish Quakers were, in reality, generally Englishmen and women who had moved to Ireland in an attempt to escape the religious persecution that went on there...however, it was as bad in Ireland as in England - thus the move to the Quaker Commonwealth established by Wm Penn. So, while the Quakers may have lived in Ireland, they were definitely NOT Irish! Another distinct possibility is that he was a Scots Irish...that is, a protestant who was of Scottish descent and the family lived in Ireland, before emigrating. In either case, neither were Irish...just happened to live there. I looked in all my mm records and find nothing for Ralph...nor a marriage or even attending the marriage of others. What sort of documentation do you have that he was a Quaker? It would be helpful to know that, as a clue to know where to look next. Futhey and Cope give no indication that they were Quakers. the 1765 Chester Archives ; Forrister, Ralph. owned 66 acres in Goshen twp, had 1 horse, 3 cows and 5 sheep I'm including, below, the extracted bio inFuthey and Cope's history; (You'll note that he was not married to a Hemphill..wife was well documented as Tamer Gregory) ...Ralph Forrester...from Ireland...m Tamer Gregory, dau John and Mary Gregory, of Caln twp. Their children were; Ezekiel 1744-1770; Ralph b 1746; Margaret b 1749; Mary b 1752 m Joseph Hoopes; Tamer b 1754 m Mr Brown; Lydia b 1757 m Mr Fitzgerald; Aaron b 1759; Ruth b 1762 m Israel Hoopes; John b 17 64 d same day. here are family wills....the first if of Ralph's father-in-law...note a son married at Old Swedes, indicating he wasn't a Quaker GREGORY, JOHN.September 27, 1727.Adm. to Mary Gregory.(William Nichols and wife Mary, widow and adm. of John Gregory of Caln file accounts June 29, 1734; charge for bringing up dau. Rebecca for 18 months, daus. Thamer and Ann 3 months. other children were Wm. Gregory, Sarah Strong and Esther Gregory. Tamer m. about 1743 Ralph Forrester an Irish schoolmaster and lived in Goshen. Wm. Gregory and Margaret Lowe m. April 16, 1736, Swedes Church, Wilmington.] Could this be Ralph's? (probably his son, Ralph) ....not a will but adm papers. FORRESTER, RALPH. Goshen. October 15, 1796. Adm. to Catharine Forrester and Randal Malin. I couldn't find a will or adm papers for Aaron Forrester/Forester/Forrister, before around 1835, or any mention other than in Ralph's bio. I found the following, in a biography written by Joseph Townsent; "THe school house was built of logs and filled in with mortar, and furnished with a few tables and benches. (John Townsend) employed Ralph Forrester as a teacher of the school. He occupied the old dwelling of David Haines till the son came of age,....The teacher was an Irishman and had married Tamer Gregory after his arrival in this country. They with their family had resided for some years previous near Goshen meetinghouse." (this doesn't sound as if Ralph was a Quaker....generally they were referred to as Friends, or even Irish Quakers or Irish Friends...but not Irishmen). Sandra "My Ralph Forrester lived in Chester County early times and can be found in all the records. What I have never seen is...where was he buried when he passed on? He was married to Sarah Hemphill and they were both of Irish descent and Quakers. He was also once a teacher. I am from their line via Aaron Forrester."