In the Home of Richard Few

My Search for My Roots

I've always had an interest in my family history. Like many folks who grow up in America with the surname of Few, I had read Florence Fruth's book Some Descendants of Richard Few of Chester County, Pennsylvania And Allied Lines. I had heard the stories of James Few, who was called by one historian "the first martyr to the cause of American Independence" and William Few, who signed the United States Constitution as a delegate from the state of Georgia, and Ignatius Alphonso Few, who was the founder and first president of Emory College, the parent institution of Emory University, Atlanta, and Dr. William Preston Few, the first president of Duke University. I was proud to be a Few, and I've long thought it would be fun to return to my "roots" and see the land from which my ancestors came. In 2008, the opportunity arose.

I learned a couple of years ago that I would be in Berlin, singing with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Chorus in 3 performances with the Berlin Philharmonic, May 15 - 17, 2008. My wife, Pronda and I began planning our trip there. Later, we learned that our son, Evan, a baroque violinist who lives in The Hague, Netherlands, would have a performance in London on May 18. Since we would be "in the neighborhood" anyway, we decided we couldn't miss that. So, with plans to be in England on the trip I began to expand my thinking.

Knowing I would be in England anyway, I became motivated to pursue a long-time but mostly dormant interest. I knew that my 8 greats grandfather, Richard Few, emigrated from the county of Wiltshire in England to Chester County, Pennsylvania, America in 1681-82. Richard was a Quaker and, although we have no record of the motivations for his move, it's safe to assume that he and his family, like many of the Quakers of his day, were in a search of religious freedom. Richard bought 500 acres from William Penn and in 1681, with his wife and one of his sons, he set sail for the New World. I began developing a plan to visit Wiltshire.

I began a search for information on the 4 grown children that Richard left behind in Wiltshire and their descendants. There's little information about Richard's descendants in England, but in my search I found the Wiltshire Family History Society (WFHS), which is an organization dedicated to providing resources to those in search of their roots in Wiltshire. I joined the WFHS, and thus began to realize many exciting and eye-opening discoveries! WFHS website: http://www.wiltshirefhs.co.uk/home.htm

Through the WFHS, I became acquainted with many wonderfully helpful people and my family history network began to grow. As my trip to Wiltshire grew near, I was corresponding with museum curators, historians and even one person who believes she's also descended from Richard (a cousin!?). I planned my trip, and began to look forward to my 3 days in Wiltshire!

What follows is a brief history of my trip, a recounting of what I learned, and thoughts about what I hope to accomplish in the future. I hope it is helpful to those who are also interested in this great Family, and that others would join in so that this is an ever expanding family history resource.

To England

First on our trip was a week in Berlin for exhilarating sold-out performances with the Berlin Philharmonic. We then traveled to London, anticipating our son's performance at St. Margaret's Church. St. Margaret's is a smaller church on the campus of Westminster Abbey. We attended the concert, in which he performed as a member of "The Wallfisch Band", named after its leader Elizabeth Wallfisch, one of the world's leading baroque violinists. The concert was part of the Lufthansa Early Music Festival. We were delighted by the performance and enjoyed spending time with Evan and his colleagues! We spent the next day, Monday, May 19, in London being tourists. One sure way to exhaust yourself is to try to see London in one day! We had a great time.

Joe, Evan and Pronda at the Tower of London

Off to Wiltshire

Tuesday, May 20 dawned, and I began my journey to Wiltshire. After saying goodbye to Evan and accompanying Pronda to Heathrow to catch her flight, I set out for Wiltshire.


The county of Wiltshire (Wilts) lies about 2 hours west of London. It's a lovely area, with rolling green hills and charming villages and towns. At the time of my visit the blossoms of the rape (or canola) plant were adorning the fields with bright yellow beauty. It was a lovely picture of peace to see the many sheep grazing on the rolling hillsides amongst such Spring beauty.

Rape (Canola) blossoms in Wiltshire

Wilts is rich in history and is probably best known as the home of Stonehenge and Salisbury Cathedral. In preparation for my trip, on the advice of friends I began reading the historical novel Sarum by Edward Rutherford. Sarum is the early name of the town that later became known as Salisbury. The novel tells the story of Wiltshire and its people from about 5,000 BC as the home to the first hunter gatherers, through modern times. Reading Sarum only added to my excited anticipation.

Salisbury Cathedral

My visit to Wiltshire coincided with the publication of the article in National Geographic detailing recent discoveries about Stonehenge. The experts are now saying that the primary purpose of the stone circle was as a burial ground of a wealthy, powerful Wiltshire family, beginning in roughly 3000 BC. http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/05/080529-stonehenge-cemetery.html

Through application to the organization English Heritage, I was able to join a small group to visit the 'henge in the off hours and actually walk amongst the stones (Normally, a visit is limited to viewing from a path 30 or so feet away). It was awe inspiring and even a bit eerie to walk the grounds and visualize people 5000 years ago lifting (somehow!) the massive stones in place as a monument to their dead. Also, with the obvious alignment of the 'henge to the summer and winter solstices (important milestones for an agricultural people), one can't help but wonder about the circle's mystical intent. I also can't help but wonder if one of the earliest Fews might have helped build it!

Joe at Stonehenge

Richard Few of Market Lavington, Wiltshire

In the late 17th century, the Church of England was the established religion and the reigning monarch, Charles II, did not look kindly on nonconformists. The Quakers, who believed that everyone should be regarded with respect and would not remove their hats even for the King, were particular targets of Charles' ire. Thus, for their disobedience, Quakers were often persecuted, flogged or imprisoned.

Richard Few and his family were members of the Quaker meeting in the Wiltshire village of Market Lavington. When he learned of William Penn's acquisition of land in the New World, and Penn's plans to remove the Quakers to a place where they could practice their religion without hindrance, Richard began to make preparations for his family's journey to the land that would become known as Pennsylvania.

A view of Market Lavington and the surrounding countryside

Littleton Panell is a tiny village just a stone's throw away from Market Lavington, and for that reason I chose the Littleton Lodge as my home for my 3 days in Wiltshire. It turned out to be a great choice, as it proved to be the perfect place for my stay: quiet, comfortable, and convenient to the entire area.

Littleton Lodge

I departed the Lodge, headed north for the town of Devizes. I was visiting Devizes to attend the a meeting of the Wiltshire Family History Society. I gave myself plenty of time and arrived in Devizes about 90 minutes before the meeting; enough time for a brief exploration of the town. While wandering the town I found a memorial to the "MEN OF DEVIZES AND ROUNDWAY WHO FELL IN THE WAR 1914-1919". On the accompanying plaque is the name of Alec W. Few. I've since learned, thanks to my new friend, Sandra Hanmer (more about Sandra in just a moment!), that Alec Few was born 1888, son of Elijah and Adelaide Few. He died in World War 1 aged 27 on 13 March 1915. He was buried in Ferme Buterne Military Cemetery, Houplines. He was a Lance Corporal in the 2nd Battalion, London Regiment (Royal Fusiliers).

Memorial to Lance Corporal Alec W. Few

I arrived at the Nurstead Centre, Devizes for the "Extraordinary General Meeting" of the Wiltshire Family History Society. About 75 members, all sharing an interest in family history, were present for the one item on the agenda: approval of amendments to the constitution. The meeting itself took about 5 minutes (as a new member of the society, I was pleased to be able to vote!). Then, a buffet of tasty treats and wine followed. It was really a tremendous opportunity to get to know many of the people who had been so helpful to me in preparation for my visit.

Officers of the Wiltshire Family History Center gathered for the "Extraordinary General Meeting

When I stumbled upon the website of the WFHS and began corresponding with some if its members I quickly discovered what a resource I had found. The WFHS keeps records of its members interests, and put me in touch with others who had done past research on the Few surname. Among those with whom I corresponded was Sandra Hanmer of Weston Super Mare in Somerset, the county to the immediate west of Wiltshire. (sandra.hanmer2006@tiscali.co.uk) Sandra's grandmother was Ellen Augusta Few, whom Sandra believes was descended from Richard. Sandra has not completed her research, but hopes to fill in the few remaining gaps soon. If it all comes together, it will show that Richard is her 8 greats grandfather (as he is to me), and that Sandra and I are cousins (but how far removed?!).

Joe with Sandra Hanmer at the WFHS meeting in Devizes

The resources of the WFHS are many, but most of the real work is done through a tedious search of surviving family records. Most of the surviving family records from Wiltshire (wills, baptism records, birth records, etc.) can be found at the Wiltshire and Swindown History Centre in Chippenham (http://www.wiltshire.gov.uk/leisure-and-culture/heritage/history-centre.htm). Although this trip did not present me an opportunity to visit the Chippenham Centre, I hope my next visit (2009?) will. Meanwhile, I'm counting on many of my new Wiltshire friends to help us out!

Also through the WFHS I made contacts with folks with a more direct interest in and connection with the central Wiltshire village of Market Lavington, which was at least the home of Richard's Quaker meeting and probably his last home in England. It was on my second day in Wiltshire that I spent time there and gained new insights into my family's history.

I had been given the name of Kay Taylor. Kay did her PhD thesis on the Quakers of Wiltshire during the 17th century (Kay S. Taylor, 'Society, Schism and Sufferings: the First 70 Years of Quakerism in Wiltshire'. Unpublished PhD thesis, University of the West of England, Bristol, 2006). Richard Few is not a name that she uncovered in her research, which could mean that he and his family did not suffer terribly from the persecution of Quakers (although not all instances of such suffering were recorded). Kay gave me a recommendation that was invaluable.

Kay suggested I contact Tom and Peggy Gye. Tom and Peggy founded the Market Lavington Museum and are descended from a Quaker family who lived there in the 17th century! On Kay's suggestion, I sent an email, hoping to reach the Gyes.

Market Lavington Museum

Unfortunately, the Gyes' health has prevented them from maintaining their commitment to curating the museum. Fortunately, though, their replacement, Roger "Rog" Frost, proved to be knowledgeable, helpful and, before long, a great friend. I arranged by email to visit the museum and to meet Rog there. Little did I know or expect that Rog would spend almost 4 hours with me at the museum and all over the villages of Market Lavington, Urchfont and Wedhampton before our day was finished! It was a remarkable day, one I'll not soon forget.

Rog Frost: rogfrost@gmail.com

Joe with Rog Frost, curator of the Market Lavington Museum

Upon arrival at the museum I was greeted by volunteer stewards Mr. and Mrs. McFadden and Rog, who had just arrived. Rog immediately took me in the museum and gave me information that he had on hand. He then told me that he had arranged for us to meet Peggy Gye. We departed for the Gye home.

As mentioned, Tom and Peggy Gye both come from long-time Market Lavington families that in Richard's day were Quakers. Certainly, when Richard worshipped in the Market Lavington Quaker meeting, he would have known the Gyes of that day. However, the name Few was a new name to Peggy and, because of that, she suspected that Richard was not actually a resident of the village, but likely lived in Urchfont (the village immediately to the East) or Wedhampton (the next village over). Available records would seem to support that, as the baptism of some Few (or "Fue") children occur in Urchfont, and there are references to "Richard Few (or "Fue") of Wedhampton. If indeed Richard lived in one of those other villages, he still would have worshipped in Market Lavington, and it's likely there he would have met William Penn.

Joe with Peggy Gye, descendent of Market Lavington Quakers and founder of the Market Lavington Museum

From the Gyes' home we set out to visit another family, but first a quick stroll through town to see the home that, in Richard's day, was the meeting place of the Market Lavington Quakers. While strolling down the street we happened upon Rog's friend, Margaret. Upon hearing the story of my family search Margaret joined us and enthusiastically shared her insights. As we approached the home/church, she made us aware that she suspected there was still an old graveyard surrounding the building. We took a look, and sure enough it appears that several gravestones lie around the building, covered in ivy.

This private home and artist's studio in Market Lavington was the meeting place of Quakers in the late 17th century, and was likely where Richard Few heard William Penn describe the religious freedom that awaited in the New World. There is still a small graveyard behind the fence on the right, which I hope to explore.

Margaret invited us to her home for a brief visit, where we met her husband Peter. Much of the their home was originally constructed in the 17th century, and you can see the exposed beams showing the construction of that day. It is amazing to be in a place with so much history in such unexpected places.

Rog with Margaret in her backyard garden

From Market Lavington we traveled to the nearby villages of Urchfont and Wedhampton, visiting other friends along the way. We learned that there was a Quaker meeting in Wedhampton, but likely only after the departure of Richard. The building housing the meeting burned in the early 18th century.

My trip to Wiltshire and making many new English friends has enthused me to pursue a more diligent search for the history of Richard Few, particularly his history before sailing to the New World. We plan to return in 2009 and continue the search for more clarity to many outstanding questions:

1. Where did Richard and his family live, work and worship?
2. What happened to the four children that Richard left behind in Wiltshire?
3. What really prompted Richard's move to the New World at the age of 56?
4. Who else of Richard's descendents is living in England today?

I'd love to hear from you if you have information about, or even just an interest in, the history of Richard Few of Wiltshire, England.