John Chapman, my 8th great-grandfather, was born about 1635 in Stanhope, England. As a young man he converted to the Quaker faith, and for years suffered persecution for his beliefs. Finally, in 1660, he was confined in York Castle for refusing to take an oath.

On June 21, 1684, Chapman and his wife Jane, along with their five children, left Stanhope and boarded the ship Shield of Stockton. Four months later, the family landed safely in America, although a violent storm off the Virginia coast nearly dismantled the Shield. After a brief stay in Maryland, the family made its way to Bucks County, Pa., where Chapman had purchased 500 acres on the farthest reaches of the frontier. From then until his death 10 years later, he enjoyed the religious freedom denied him in England.