Peter Lester, *

1660 - 1742  (82 years)

• Name	Peter Lester  [1, 2, 3]
  Suffix	*
  Birth	1660	Leicester, Leicester Unitary Authority, Leicestershire, England   [3, 4]
  Gender	Male
  Birth	1660
  Arrival	1682	Pennsylvania   [5]
  Name	Peter Lester Sr  [2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16]
  Residence	Delaware, Pennsylvania   [2]
  Residence	27 Oct 1740	Montgomery, Pennsylvania   [2]
  Death	6 Jun 1742	Richlandtown, Bucks County, Pennsylvania, United States of America   [3, 4]
  Person ID	I14438	Ancestrees
  Last Modified	3 Mar 2026

  
  

  Father	Samuel Leycester, *,   b. Bef 1638, Leicestershire, England d. 13 May 1700, Dunstan, Stepney Middlesex, England (Age > 62 years)
  Relationship	natural
  Mother	Elizabeth Burcott,   b. 1638, Leicestershire, England d. 1692, Northamptonshire, England (Age 54 years)
  Relationship	natural
  Marriage	10 Dec 1657	London, England   [17]
  Family ID	F4643	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family 1	Sarah Scott,   b. 1660, Leicestershire, Leicestershire, England, United Kingdom d. 1740, Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania, USA (Age 80 years)
  Marriage	27 Oct 1740	Montgomery, Pennsylvania   [2, 3]
  _MARRIED	N
  Family ID	F5007	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	3 Mar 2026

  
  

  Family 2	Mary Duncalf, *,   b. 1662, Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania, United States of America d. 6 Jun 1742, Richland, Bucks County, Pennsylvania Colony (Age 80 years)
  Marriage	2 Jun 1685	Delaware, Pennsylvania   [2]
  _MARRIED	N
  Children	1. Priscilla Lester,   b. Aft 1692   d. Yes, date unknown  [Father: natural]  [Mother: natural]   2. Elizabeth Lester,   b. Aft 1694   d. Yes, date unknown  [Father: natural]  [Mother: natural]   3. William Lester,   b. Aft 1691   d. Maryland, USA  [Father: natural]  [Mother: natural]   4. Catherine Lester,   b. 1691, Chester, Philadelphia, PA d. 28 Aug 1764, Richland, Bucks, PA (Age 73 years)  [Father: natural]  [Mother: natural]   5. Peter Lester, *,   b. 1697, Richlandtown, Bucks County, Pennsylvania, USA d. Aft 13 Mar 1741, North Carolina (Age > 44 years)  [Father: natural]  [Mother: natural]   6. John Lester, Sr,   b. 1689, Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States of America d. 27 Jan 1771, Richland Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania, United States of America (Age 82 years)  [Father: natural]  [Mother: natural]   7. Hannah Lester,   b. 1686   d. Yes, date unknown  [Father: natural]  [Mother: natural]
  Family ID	F5008	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	3 Mar 2026

  
  

  Marriage	6 Apr 1685	PA, Pennsylvania, USA   [3]
  Family ID	F8446	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	3 Mar 2026

  
  

• Photos

  Peter Lester's Signature.jpg

  
  

• Notes

  "Peter Lester, the founder of the family of that name in Pennsylvania and a pioneer of the Richland Settlement, came to Pennsylvania about 1682 with William Penn's group from Leichestershire, England. He was first given 1 squaref land on Market St. by William Penn in Philadelphia. He sold this for 30 pounds. It probably was the 125 acres he purchased in England prior to coming to the colonies from William Penn. This is the smallest size lot that appears to have been sold by William Penn. (C-228e) He was a member of the Society of Friends and declared intentions of marriage at Chester Monthly Meeting with Mary Duncoff, 6 mo. 6, 1685. He was accompanied to this country by at a close relative, as the will of George Lester, probated at Philadelphia Dec. 14, 1695, mentions him as a kinsman and makes him executor." (C-247) A William Lester who dies in 1691 lists Peter as a cousin and George as a Kinsman. Peter Lester apparently settled in Springfield Twp., Delaware Co., Pennsylvania. "Springfield is first mentioned as a governmental entity in 1686. In that year Peter Lester was named as constable by the court at Chester." He purchased 316 acres of land in 1699 in the Manor of Moreland, Philadelphia (now Montgomery Co.) where he lived until 1712. He sold his land and then moved his family to the Great Swamp on a 600 acre farm in Richland, purchasing that land on June 24, 1712. He and his family were amongst the first to settle in Richland Co., Pennsylvania His own property was called, "Friends in the Swamp," later being named Richland. Monthly Meetings where they participated included Abington and Gwynedd. Abington was a distance from where they lived in Richland, so when Gwynedd was finally formed in 1716, they received certificates of removal to join it instead. Since the monthly meetings were taking place on the property of Peter Lester from 1715 through 1723 according to Robert's Early Friends Families of Upper Bucks, I conclude that the Gwynedd Monthly Meetings were actually on their property. They apparently built a small log cabin near his residence for these meetings. When they asked for certificates of removal on 8/29/1716 from Abington, Elizabeth is the only daughter listed with Peter and his wife. To me, that implies that their other sons and daughters have married and moved out by that point in time. (C-247) Soon after this meeting was formed several other families moved to the area, including two son-in-laws that bought property next to his, Abraham Griffith and John Ball. Peter, in fact, sold 200 acres of land to son-in-law, John Ball in 1717, 200 acres to Jane McVeigh in 1718 and his final 200 acres to his son, Peter in 1721. His wife, Mary, died by 1739. He married again in the Gwyned Monthly Meeting to Sarah Scott in 1740 and probably died sometime between then and 1742. No death records were preserved for that area at that time. (C-1875) The name Lester is a phonetic spelling of Leicester where the family is from in England. Another possible relative/brother to this Peter is Thomas. He came to America in 1689. He returned three years later to Scotland, married, had 16 children. He returned to Pennsylvania with several of these children. They lived in PA, NC, and possibly Virginia. (C-705)

  
  

• Sources

  [S20] Ancestry Family Trees, (Name: Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com. Original data: Family Tree files submitted by Ancestry members.;), Ancestry Family Tree. [S111] Ancestry.com, U.S., Quaker Meeting Records, 1681-1935, (Name: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.; Location: Lehi, UT, USA; Date: 2014;), Swarthmore College; Swarthmore, Pennsylvania. [S25] Ancestry.com, Geneanet Community Trees Index, (Name: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.; Location: Lehi, UT, USA; Date: 2022;). https://gw.geneanet.org/kmangin?n=lester&oc=&p=peter [S1036] Ancestry.com, Global, Find a Grave® Index for Burials at Sea and other Select Burial Locations, 1300s-Current, (Name: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.; Location: Lehi, UT, USA; Date: 2012;). https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/33453984/peter-lester [S336] Ancestry.com, U.S. and Canada, Passenger and Immigration Lists Index, 1500s-1900s, (Name: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc; Location: Provo, UT, USA; Date: 2010;), Place: Pennsylvania; Year: 1682; Page Number: 206. [S3302] Rhodes Family Organization Webpage (http://carl.rhodesfamily.org/Thomas/d942.htm#P3003). [S288] Mildred Moore Huntsman to Linda Coate Dudick Letter dated Oct. 4, 1983 at Rt. 1-H Box 3, Emerson, Iowa 51533 In L. Dudick files (C-148). [S2549] Harriet M. Blythe to Linda Coate Dudick Letter dated July 21, 1986 at 242 El Cielo, Newberry Park, CA 91320 In L. Dudick files (C-253). [S2550] Harriet M. Blythe to Linda Coate Dudick Letter dated June 4, 1986 at 242 El Cielo, Newberry Park, CA 91320 In L. Dudick files (C-251). [S285] Diller, Corinne Hannah, Immigrant Ancestors of Miami Valley, Ohio, Quaker Families (Genealogical Aids Bulletin). [S4] Ancestry Family Trees, (Name: Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com. Original data: Family Tree files submitted by Ancestry members.;), Ancestry Family Tree, 1,1030::0. [S76] Clarence Roberts, Early Friends of Upper Bucks, Pennsylvania (1925). [S1042] Ancestry.com, Pennsylvania, U.S., Land Warrants and Applications, 1733-1952, (Name: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.; Location: Provo, UT, USA; Date: 2012;). [S897] Ancestry.com, North America, Family Histories, 1500-2000, (Name: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.; Location: Provo, UT, USA; Date: 2016;), Book Title: The Hurlbut genealogy; or, Record of the descendants of Thomas Hurlbut, of Saybrook and Wethersfiel. [S334] Lineages, Inc., comp, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania, U.S., Will Index, 1682-1819, (Name: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.; Location: Provo, UT, USA; Date: 2000;). [S247] Ancestry.com, Cheshire, England, Select Bishop's Transcripts, 1576-1933, (Name: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.; Location: Lehi, UT, USA; Date: 2014;). http://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/NHD6-Y92 [S1173] Ancestry.com, London, England, Church of England Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1538-1812, (Name: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.; Location: Lehi, UT, USA; Date: 2010;), London Metropolitan Archives; London, England; London Church of England Parish Registers; Reference Number: P69/Pet3/A/001/Ms05721/002.