I recently obtained a photocopy of the will of William Commons from the Chester County Archives, and I've scanned and transcribed it and put it online: http://boards.ancestry.com/surnames.commons/99/mb.ashx (text) http://www.usgennet.org/usa/oh/county/guernsey/wills/commons_william.pdf (scans and text) The summary below contains one error. The second son of William's son Elisha is actually named Amos, not James. William spells it "ames", but there is no hint of a "J" in front of it, and his sister Ann's name isn't capitalized, either. Amos (clearly spelled) also appears in Elisha's will, which I'll post at a later date. (I showed both wills to a staff member at the Chester County Historical Society, who agreed, and noted this in their copy of “Pennsylvania Wills, 1682-1834”.) This also explains how one of Ann's sons came to be named Amos, a name that doesn't appear at all on her husband's side of the family. Scott On Monday, August 22, 2005 6:18 AM MT, Sandra Ferguson <[email protected]> wrote: >Wm Commons was included in the 1765 Chester County archives, and listed as >owning 100 acres in New London twp, along with 3 horses, 3 cows and 6 sheep. >He had no servants. . > The New Garden MM marriage records 1704-1799 contain several mentions >of various folks with the surname /Commons, but only one marriage.. >Robert Common, s. of WM and Sarah m Ruth Hayes, 1780 > I'm assuming this is his will, which I'll send in case you don't >have > >COMMONS, WILLIAM. New London.October 30, 1795. January 28, 1796.Provides for >wife Sarah. Plantation, etc. to be sold. To sons Robert, John, William and >Elisha £10 each. To son Joseph £30. Remainder of estate to Elisha's 5 >children by his first wife, William, Sarah, James, Ann and John, share and >share alike at 21.Executors: Isaac Jackson, Jr., Samuel Spencer.Letters to >Spencer, Jackson renouncing.Wit: Robert Correy, John McKee. > > Sandra >" My Commons were descendants of William Commons and Sarah Scarlett, both >born in Ireland and arriving in America in 1750 with two sons (three more >sons were born later). They settled in New London Twp. (adjacent to London >Grove Twp.), and were members of the New Garden Quaker meeting. I don't know >all of his descendants, particularly beyond grandchildren, so Amos could >easily be a descendant."