From Gillingham Family Descendants of Yeamans Gillingham, Compiled by Harrold Edgar Gillingham, Gillingham Family Descendants of Yeamans Gillingham, (Patterson and White Company, Philadelphia, 1901), p 3-6: The first record of Yeamans in Pennsylvania is from the Middletown Monthly Meeting Records, where he is mentioned as being a witness to the marriage of William Smith, of Yorkshire, England, to Mary Croasdale, at the house of John Chapman, in Bucks county, September 20, 1690.
Yeamans is said to have come from the south of England (doubtless from Kent or Dorset. If from Dorset, he many have been the son of one James Gillingham, who seems to have had some connection with the Yeamans and Taylor families, of Dorset and Kent, and whose will was proved 1676), supposed some time between 1683 and 1690. He bought 100 acres in Oxford township, and what is not the center of Frankford, Philadelphia, bounded by Frankford Creek, Church street, Frankford road to the Arsenal or River road on the east. The deed from William Penn's commissioner, Thomas Fairman, to Yeamans Gillingham, dated August 31, 1691, is recorded in Book I, 5, page 228, October 7, 1699. In 1712 he purchased another lot of ground in the same locality from John Worrell (Deed Book I, 3, page 527, Philadelphia).
He is on the tax list for Oxford township as having paid six shillings tax in 1693. He was one of the overseers of Abington Meeting, August 31, 1720.
From Biographical, Genealogical and Descriptive History of the First Congressional DIstrict of New Jersey, The Lewis Publishing Company, New York and Chicago, 1900, p 86: The 100 acres Yeamans purchased in Osford township, now Frankford, from WIlliam Penn in 1696, and afterward sold that property to Thomas Bristol, who, on November 11, 1786, sold it to Henry Paul, and the last named sold it to Yeamans Gillingham, the grandson of Yeamans Gillingham, first. The latter transaction occurred March 9, 1793. His property included all the land enclosed by the road leading from the United States arsenal around to the Friend's meeting-house, thence northwest to the Black Run, thence by nearly a straight line from Sacony creek to the river and the arsenal road again.
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WILL OF YEAMANS GILLINGHAM
Probated in Philadelphia July 21, 1722
Book D, No. 252, page 324
In the name of God, Amen. The ninth day of May, Anno Domini One Thousand Seven Hundred and Twenty-two. I, Yeamans Gillingham, of Oxford township, in the county of Philadelphia, in the province of Pennsylvania, being very, very sick and weak in body, but of perfect mind and memory, - thanks be given unto God there for, - calling unto mind the mortality of my body and knowing that it is appointed for all men once to die, do make and ordain this my last will and testament. That is to say, principally and first of all, I give and commend my soul into the hands of God that gave it, and for my body I recommend it to the earth to be buried in a Christian-like and decent manner at the discretion of my executors. And as touching such worldly estate wherewith it hath pleased God to bless me in this life, I give, devise and dispose of the same in the following manner and form:
Imprimis, I will that all my honest and just debts be known and to be paid as soon as may be after my decease out of my estate, and in order thereto I will that my estate be sold as soon as may be after my decease and all my funeral charges to be defrayed as soon as may be after my decease.
Item, I give and bequeath to Mary, my dearly beloved wife, all my estate, both personal and real, to be disposed of as she pleaseth and by her freely to be possessed, and enjoyed by her, her heirs and assigns forever, excepting, if the estate will admit, after debts defrayed, fifty pounds to each of my dearly beloved sons, James and John, and I do will the said moneys to be put out with good security till they do come to age.
I do likewise constitute, make and ordain my said dear and loving wife my executrix of this my last will and testament, and also I do make, ordain and constitute my two sons-in-law, Henry Paul and James Wilson, executors with my said wife jointly of this my last will and testament.
Lastly, I do hereby utterly disallow, revoke and disannul all and every other former testaments, wills, legatees and executors by me named any other time before this time named, willed, bequeathed. Ratifying and confirming this to be my last will and testament and none other.
In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and seal the day and year first above written.
Yeamans Gillingham.
Sealed, signed, published, pronounced and declared by the said Yeamans Gillingham to be his last will and testament in the presence of we, the subscribers,
Paul Wilmerton
James Parsons
Nathaniel Holton, Jr.
