Page:Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography (1900, volume 4).djvu/750

706 His publications include " Sermons on Several Sub- jects " (New York, 1788); "Practical Discourses" (1741) ; "Salvation by Grace, through Faith" (1741) ; and "Occasional Sermons" (Boston, 1771).

PEMBERTON, Phineas, colonist, b. in Lan- caster, England, 31 Jan., 1650; d. in Bucks county. Pa., 1 March, 1702. He was of Quaker parentage, was apprenticed to a grocer, and afterward began business on his own account at Bolton, England, where he subsequently served as an overseer of the poor. On account of his Quaker principles, he suf- fered persecution, being fined and several times im- prisoned. In 1682, accompanied by his family and his aged father, Ralph Pemberton, he emigrated to Pennsylvania, where he purchased a large plantation in Bucks county on the banks of Delaware river, naming it Grove Place. In 1683 he was appointed deputy register of Bucks county, and commissioned by Penn clerk of the courts of the county, which latter office he held until his death, and in 1684 he became the register of the county. In 1685 he be- came a member of the provincial council, serving in this office most of the time till his death, and he was for many years a member of the assembly. In 1686 he was appointed deputy master of the rolls, and in 1696 succeeded Thomas Lloyd as mas- ter of the rolls. He ranked among the chief men in the colony. On hearing of his death, Penn wrote from England : " I mourn for poor Phineas Pem- berton, the ablest as well as one of the best men in the province." See " Annals of the Pemberton Family " in " Friends' Miscellany " (vol. vii.). — His son, Israel, merchant, b. in Grove Place, Bucks CO., Pa., 20 Feb., 1685 ; d. in Philadelphia, 19 Jan., 1754, was carefully educated, and came to be one of the wealthiest and best-known merchants of his time. He served for nineteen years in the pro- vincial assembly, and held numerous other offices. He occupied a position of great importance in the affairs of the Friends, was largely employed in looking after its property, in watching over the interests of its schools under its care, and in adjusting differences between its members. In 1729 he was chosen an elder, which post he held until his death. His house was the general resort of Friends from Europe. His mansion was large, and was the scene of a hospitality that was unll- valled in the province. — Israel's son, Israel, philanthropist, b. in Philadelphia in 1715 ; d. there, 22 April, 1779, received a liberal education, and en- gaged in business with his father. He was called the king of the Quakers, and stood in the forefront of those who sought to maintain Penn's peace pol- icy against some of the governors. Owing to his outspoken ciiticism of Gov. Thomas, a wari'ant was issued by the governor for Pemberton's arrest, but he obtained a writ of habeas corpus from the supreme court, and was released on bail. The gov- ernor declared this " the first instance of a habeas corpus being granted to take a person suspected of endeavoring to disturb and break the peace of the province out of the hands of an officer before examination," and he caused a second warrant of arrest to be issued, but it does not appear that Pemberton was taken into custody under it. Pemberton was a friend of the Indians, and the people dubbed him King Wampum. In 1756, when a majority of the people were calling for a war of extermination against the Delawares and other Indians, Pemberton, with others, went on a mission that resulted in a conference at Easton, where a treaty of peace was formed. He was one of the founders of the " Friendly association for regaining and preserving peace with the Indians by pacific measures," was active in establishing the Pennsylvania hospital, being a member of its first board of managers, and was also a manager of the Society for the cultivation of silk. To these, and to many other benevolent organizations, he- gave liberally of his means. His Quaker principles led him, with others, to look with disfavor on the war for independence, and in 1777 congress, suspecting that their influence would be exerted against the colonies, recommended their arrest and imprisonment, wliereupon, by order of the supreme executive council of Pennsylvania, he, with his brothers James and John and a score more of the wealthiest and most influential Quakers in the city, were arrested, and, without a hearing or trial, sent into Virginia, where they were kept in exile for eight months. See " Exiles in Virginia," by Thomas Gilpin (1848). — Another son, James, merchant, b. in Philadelphia, 26 Aug., 1723 ; d. there, 9 Feb., 1808, after completing his education in the Quaker schools, entered on a successful mercantile career. Although not so distinguished a man among the Quakers as his brother Israel, he wielded a large influence in both church and public affairs. He was one of the founders, and a member of the board of managers, of the Pennsylvania hospital, was early interested in the negroes, and became one of the organizers of the Pennsylvania abolition society, of which, on Benjamin Franklin's death in 1790, he was chosen president. During the Indian wars he united with his brothers to restore peace. Many of the Indian chiefs that came to Philadelphia enjoyed his hospitality. An important object with him during his life was the distribution of religious and instructive books, for which he gave- liberally. In 1756, while holding a place in the assembly, he resigned his seat because the service, involving the consideration of military measures, was incompatible with his principles. In the following year he published "An Apology for the People called Quakers, containing some Reasons for their not complying with Human Injunctions and Institutions in Matters relative to the Worship of God." He was among those that, in 1777, were exiled to Virginia. His country-seat, on Schuylkill river, was occupied by some of Lord Howe's officers when the British held Philadelphia. It passed into the possession of the National government, and is now the site of the U. S. naval asylum. — Another son, John, Quaker preacher, b. in Philadelphia, 27 Nov., 1727; d. in Pyrmont, Westphalia, Germany, 31 Jan., 1795, received a good education, and engaged in business as a merchant. In 1750 he made a voyage to Europe for his health and the prosecution of some business matters. Shortly after his arrival in London, Pemberton accompanied his friend, John Churchman, on a religious tour. He subsequently travelled with Churchman, preaching the doctrines of the Friends, through England, Ireland, Scotland, and Holland, and after three years returned to this country. He took a deep interest in the Indians, and was active in his efforts to maintain peaceful relations between them and the whites. In 1777 he was among those Quakers who were arrested in Philadelphia and sent in exile to Virginia. His journal, containing an account of the same, is printed in " Friends' Miscellany " (vol. viii.). In 1782 he made another religious visit to Great Britain and Ireland, which continued until 1789, his meetings being frequently held in barns and in the open air, because other places could not be had. " An Account of the Last Journey of John Pemberton to the Highlands and other Places in Scotland in the Year 1787," written by his companion, Thomas Wilkinson, is printed in " Friends'