#78- Mapping the Moves of Reynier /Reynear Tyson

Reynear Tyson & Margaret Strypers
Where Did They Live?

On the 11th of Jun, 1683 (William), Penn conveyed to Govert Remke, Lenart Arets, and Jacob Issace Van Bebber one thousand acres of land each, providing  that a certain number of families should go to Pennsylvania within a specified time.  

Very soon thirteen men, with their families, comprising thirty-three persons, nearly all of whom were relatives, were ready to embark from Rotterdam for London.  Through James Claypoole, a Quaker merchant in London, passage had been engaged for them and the money paid in advance.

Krefeld, Germany

The ship "Concord" sailed from England 7 mo. 24, 1683, and arrived in Philadelphia on 10 mo. 6, 1683.  

One member of this little band was Reynier Tyson, a young man, and believed to have been unmarried.  

With his companions he settled in Germantown, and later removed to Abington. 

When in Germantown, under the Penn Charter, he was one of the Burgesses, 1692, 1693, 1694, 1696.  

Base of Founder's Statue, annotated

He was one of the signers of the certificate, issued by the Quarterly Meeting in Philadelphia, addressed to the London Yearly Meeting, which Samuel Junnings bore with him to London, 1693, concerning the Keith controversy.  

In Abington he was a large landowner and an active businessman.

In a memorial published in the "Friend," Vol, XXX., page 229, it is recorded that: 

"Reynier Tyson was born in Germany in the year 1659.  

He was convinced of the truth whilst living there, and for his faithfulness thereto suffered persecution. 

He removed to Pennsylvania a few years after William Penn first obtained the Province, and settled himself within the limits of Abington Monthly Meeting, then called Dublin. 

He continued faithful to the manifestations of truth received, and grew in the esteem of his friends to a father in the church.  In the year 1725 he was appointed an elder, and continued faithful in fulfilling the duties of the station until prevented by age and indisposition.  His friends say he was innocent and inoffensive in life and conversation, and diligent in attending his religious meetings. 

He lived, beloved and honored, to a good old age, dying on the 27th of the seventh month, 1745, aged about eighty-six years." 

----------------------------

In the drawing for lots which took place in the riverbank cave of Pastorius, Reynier Tyson drew No. 5. 

He had purchased fifty acres in the Germantown township and lot No. 5 was laid out along the east side of the Main Street of Germantown, extending southwardly from where Bringhurst Street has since been opened. It reached in front of the highway 231 feet and extended back to the township line. It contained about 18 acres, undoubtedly his first home was erected on this lot. 

To the north of him was the home of Leonard Arets, from whom he had bought, and next towards the city was the lot of Jan Lucken.

Toward his fifty acres he was also given the corresponding No. 5 of the “side lots towards Bristol,” which contained twenty-two acres, lying just north of the present Washington Lane, and extending from the present Chew Street to Stenton Avenue, which was the township line. (See Map in History of Old Germantown). 

To complete the fifty acres there were 18 ¾ acres “broad thirteen perches and twelve feet” in the side land towards Pymouth betwixt the said inhabited part and the land of Jonas Potts.

This land Tyson held by virtue of a deed of sale from Leonard Arets, a first purchaser of 250 acres. 

Tyson's Lot in Germantown, PA 

The deed was dated October 10, 1683, and acknowledged in open court in Germantown, held Eighth Month 8th 1692. These three tracts Tyson sold in 1708 to one Isaac Van Sintern of Philadelphia for one hundred pounds (Philadelphia Deed Book E 5, Vol 7, p. 78).

Reynier Tyson, as he prospered, bought other lands in Germantown.

1st: Two parcels of land adjacent one to the other being both in breadth 14 perches and four feet and in length 11 perches and fifteen feet, being bounded southeasterly with the lot once of John Streipers and now Reiner Tison, westerly with the land of the liberties of the City of Philadelphia, and northward with the lot formerly of Herman op den Graeff and eastward with the eleven acres of Dirck op den Graeff. (Bought November 20, 1692, and November 13, 1683, and sold to John Henry Kuston, April 30, 1709.)

2nd: Two other pieces: “One situated in the inhabited part of the said town, being the very first lot of the same on the west side, containing 23 1/2 acres, making both 50 acres. (Bought of the Trustees of John Streipers, Crefeld, Germany, confirmed on open court in Germantown 12th Mo. 8th, 1703/4. 

Sold April 30, 1709, to John Henry Kuston. (Philadelphia Deed Book E 5, Vol. 7. p 205, etc.)

3rd: Two tracts in Crefeld in the German township, fifty acres of which he bought of Herman op den Graeff 3rd Mo. 1684, and sixty-six acres likewise in Crefeld which he bought of Dirck op den Graeff, 9th Mo. 27th, 1683. 

These were sold to William Strepers, "Leather Dresser" for 35 pounds, January 16, 1699 (Recorded Philadelphia Deed Book G, Vol. 10, p. 301, etc.)

 Reynier Tyson Moves to Abington

On Holmes Great Map of 1684, in the section which is easily identified as the modern Abington Township, is a five hundred acre tract extending from the Cheltenham Township line to the Susquehanna Street Road and labeled “Isaac Hobbs.” 

This is roughly described as being along certain lines of marked trees 480 perches, just a mile and a half in length, and 167 perches, or a little over one-half mile in width. This was patented to Hobbs in 1684 (Patent Book A, Vol 1, p. 259) 

This tract Hobbs sold in 1699 to John Colley, a hatter of Philadelphia, and he, in the following year, sold the half of it lying next to Cheltenham Township to “Reynier Tyson of Germantown, Yeoman.” (Penna. Archives, Second Series, Vol XIX, Minute Book “G,” p. 423.)

Just when Reynier Tyson moved from Germantown to Abington is not clear. 

It was not until 1708 and 1709 that he sold his home and the considerable other property he had accumulated in the Germantown Township, and the presumption would be that he moved to Abington about that time. 

He continued to live on his Abington farm the remainder of his years. 

His family became closely identified with the social life of Abington Meeting and most of his children intermarried with the members and attenders of that Meeting.

In 1727 he and his wife Margaret conveyed the Abington farm to their son Isaac, reserving to themselves, in the quaint language of the deed, “One room, commonly called the stove room, and also the kitchen, and free ingress and egress to the rest of the rooms in the said messuage, during the remainder of their lives.” 

This home farm descended from Isaac to his son Isaac (see Partition proceedings, Orphans Court, June 11, 1770), and again to an Isaac and his sister Sarah who in 1830 sold it out of the family to Samuel Schofield. 

This land may be roughly identified as lying north of the Germantown and Willow Grove Turnpike (or the Plank Road), and extending from Cheltenham Township line on the northwest to the road leading from Jenkintown to Fritzwatertown, called in some of the deeds, Jenkintown Road, on the southwest. 

The growing village of Glenside was spread over its western portion, and old property lines have long since disappeared. The land lay gently to the south on the lower slopes of Edgehill, and is underlaid with limestone. 

The lime which was used to build the State House in Philadelphia is said to have come from the kilns on the Tyson place, whether this is some other Tyson farm in Abington is unclear. A little stream crosses it southwestwardly, flowing eventually into Frankford Creek.

In the tax list of 1734 are the following assessments in Abington Township:

John Kirk -----250 acres

Isaac Tyson---100 acres

Rynier Tyson  100 acres

John Tyson -----60 acres

Peter Tyson ----200 acres

Abraham Tyson—60 acres

In Upper Dublin, Dirick Tyson –100 acres

In Northern Liberties, Richard Tyson—100 acres

In Perkiomen & Skippack, Matthias Tyson ---200 acres

Rynear Tyson’s Will

I, Rynear Tyson, of Abington in ye County of Philadelphia in ye Province of Pennsylvania, yeoman, being tho’ the Divine Mercy in Health of Body and of sound Mind and Memory & calling to mind that is is appointed for men once to die do make this my last Will and Testament, revoking & hereby disannulling all & every will & wills, Testament & Testaments heretofore by me made & declared either by Word or Writing and this only to be taken for my Last Will & Testament and none other & touching such Temporal Estate as it has pleased God to bless me with. I do hereby order, give & dispose of ye same in manner & form following. 

That is to say: First I will that all my Just Debts & funeral Expenses be honestly paid & discharged out of my Estate by my Excr, hereinafter named. 

Then I give, devise & bequeath unto my Grandson Matthew Tyson (son of my son Matthias Tyson) the sum of six Pounds current money of Penna. to be paid unto him out of my Estate by Executors at ye end or expiration of one full year after my decease which said Six pounds shall be in full  Barr against all or any of my said son Matthias Tyson’s Heirs claiming any further right to any other part of my estate. 

My Said Son Matthias Tyson having allredy in his life received of me his full share of my Estate. 

Then I give, devise, and bequeath unto my sons John Tyson, Abraham Tyson, Derick Tyson & Peter Tyson ye sum of Six pounds current money of Penna to each of them to be paid unto each of them, their Heirs or Assigns out of my Estate by my Executor at ye End and Expiration of one full year after my decease. 

Item. I give unto my son Henry Tyson the sum of Eight pounds of like lawfull money the aforesaid which said Eight pounds is to be allowed by him to be the Eight pounds that I answered for him to Benjamin Lay. 

Item. I give unto my Daughters Elizabeth Luken and Sarah Kirk ye sum of Six pounds Lawfull money of Pennsylvania to each of them to be paid unto them or their assigns by my Executor at ye Expiration of one full year after my Decease and over and above what is above Devised I give unto my daughter Elizabeth Luken all my Dutch [Deutch?] books. 

Also my mind and will is that all goods Remaining in ye Stove Roome (except ye stove) shall be equally divided between my sons John, Abraham, Derick, Peter and Henry and my Daughters Elizabeth Lukens and Sarah Kirk. 

Share and Share alike and further it is in my mind and will that on ye receipt of the aforesaid legacies or sums by me bequeathed hereby, that all and all manner of writings that in any wise belongeth to me or that is in any wise relating to any affairs of mine being in ye hands or keeping of any of my aforesaid Children shall without delay be given and delivered up unto the hands of my Executor. 

Item. I give unto my Granddaughter Abigail Tyson my Riding hors to ye use of her and her assigns forever and my mind and will also is that what Remains of my estate over and above ye aforesaid Legacies by me here in before bequeathed that the same shall be and continue in ye hands of my Executor to be ye use of him and his Heirs and Assigns forever.

And lastly, I do hereby nominate, constitute and appoint my son Isaac Tyson to be my Executor of this my Last Will and Testament. In Witness Whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal the twenty first day of December in ye year of our Lord 1741.

Be it known y’t: it is ye mind of y testator that no more of his goods but what is in ye Stove Rooms is to be divided among ye above Legatees inserted before signing.

His

   Reynour       ✘       Tyson (seal)

Mark

Published pronounced and declared

by ye sd. Reynour Tyson

SOURCES for this post:

1 The settlement of Germantown, Pennsylvania, and the beginning of German emigration to North America by Hon Samuel Whitaker Pennypacker, LLD; Printed: William J Campbell, Philadelphia, 1899, New Era Printing Company, Lancaster, PA  (Internet Archive.org; Sept 2020)

2  Genealogy of the Shoemaker family of Cheltenham by Shoemaker, Benjamin H, 1827 Pub 1903, J. B. Lippincott, Philadelphia PA pp 13 and 14 (Internet Archive, Sep 2020). 

3 Reynear Tyson's Will: from Ancestry.com (accessed Sept 2019)

4 Descendant Information from: FamilySearch.com; Ancestry.com and Archives of Margaret B Walmer and Edwin C Tyson

Descendants of Reynear Tyson

Reynear Tyson & Margaret Streypers

Their children

Mathias 1686–1727

Isaac 1688–1766

Elizabeth 1690–1765

John¹  1692–1775

Abraham 1694–1781

Derrick 1696–1776

Sarah 1698–1780

Peter 1700–1791

Henry 1702–1738

 John Tyson¹ (1692–1775) M Priscilla Naylor (1697–1760)

Their children

Reynear Tyson 1721–1797

*John Tyson 1730–1768

Susanna Tyson

Mary Tyson

Sarah Tyson

Margaret Tyson

Elisabeth Tyson

 John Tyson² M. (1730-1768) M Hannah Cleaver (1737–1811)

Their children

*John Tyson Abt 1760 Abington, Philadelphia, PA D 1794

Rebecca Tyson 1763–

Isaac Tyson 1765–1835

 John³ Tyson 1760-1794 M Mary Kirk B Aug 1757

Their children

*John Tyson 1787–1847

Mary Tyson 1789–

Seth Tyson 1792–

Hannah Tyson 1794–1875

John⁴ Tyson 1787-1847 M. Sarah Comly 1787-1818

Their children:

John K Tyson 1813

Calvin Tyson 1811 (?)

*Edwin Comly Tyson 1809-1886

 

My 3^rdgreat grandparents

Edwin Comly Tyson 1809-1886 M Susan (Susannah) Griffith 1807-1875 

Their children:

Seth Tyson 1835-1835

Isaac Griffith Tyson 1833-1913

Rachel Griffith Tyson 1836-1874

Ruth Anna Tyson 1840-1913

*Charles John Tyson 1838-1906

Rebecca Watson Tyson 1842-1923

2nd great grandparents

Charles John Tyson  M Maria Edith Griest 1840-1927

Their children:

Edwin Comly Tyson 1864-1945 

William Cyrus Tyson 1879-1953

Mary Anna Tyson 1866-1931

*Chester Julian Tyson 1877-1938

Great Grandparents

Chester Julian Tyson 1877-1938 M Bertha Charity Hawxhurst