Discovery and Settlement

Discovery and Settlement. , The English explorer Henry Hudson became the first European to see this area in 1609. He paved the way for Dutch, Swedish, and English settlers. Settlers named the Delaware Valley for Lord de la Warr, the governor of the Virginia colony., In 1681, King Charles II granted William Penn the right to found the colony of Pennsylvania. It included present-day Thornbury. Penn, a pacifist Quaker, hoped to create a place where people could practice democracy and religious tolerance. He quickly sold large parcels of land to people who became known as First Purchasers., George Pearce was a First Purchaser in this area. His wife was from Thornbury, Gloucestershire, England. This is the likely origin of Thornbury's name., "My God that has given [Pennsylvania to] me through many difficulties will I believe bless and make it the seed of a nation." , From William Penn's letter to Robert Turner, March 5, 1681., [Illustrations, counterclockwise from top left, read] , . Portrait assumed to be that of Henry Hudson., . Full-scale operating replica of the Dutch ship that Henry Hudson sailed in the Delaware River and Bay in 1609., . King Charles II, . William Penn, Man of Vision · Courage · Action, 1933, N.C. Wyeth (1882-1945) Oil on canvas., . Thornbury Church and Castle in Gloucestershire, England., . "Penn's Treaty with the Indians," by Edward Hicks, ca. 1830-1840., [Timeline] , 1609 Henry Hudson explores the Delaware Valley. , Early 1600's Delaware County area settled by Dutch, Swedes, and English. , 1681 Penn sells land that became Thornbury for 100 pounds per 5,000 acres. , 1685 John Beller purchases land for Locksley Grist Mill, operated 1701-1938. , 1687 Thornbury Township officially incorporated.