Sarah Humphreys Murphy lived on Locust Street in Philadelphia, a Presbyterian woman whose Welsh Quaker ancestry stretched back through centuries of nobility to the earliest settlers of Pennsylvania. Though she had embraced Presbyterianism, Sarah carried within her bloodline the remarkable story of religious conviction and pioneering spirit that defined early America.

Sarah was the daughter of Charles Humphreys of Haverford, Pennsylvania, who had married Margaret Parry. Charles himself was the son of Hannah Martha Wynne, born around 1665 in Bodfari, Denbighshire, Wales, who lived until 1750 in Haverford, Pennsylvania. Hannah had married Daniel Humphreys of Haverford, establishing the Humphreys line that would continue through Charles to Sarah.

When Sarah married Daniel Murphy of Southwark, Philadelphia, she brought with her not just her personal heritage, but the legacy of one of Pennsylvania’s most distinguished founding families. Their daughter, Elizabeth Murphy McCloud, would carry forward this ancestral line—a direct descendant of Welsh royalty and Quaker pioneers.

The story of Sarah’s lineage begins with her great-grandfather, Dr. Thomas Wynne, Hannah Martha’s father. Born July 20, 1627, in Ysceifiog, Flintshire, Wales, Thomas became a self-taught surgeon who was later trained under Richard Moore. His life was marked by religious persecution—imprisoned for approximately six years in Denbigh “for ye Testimony of Jesus” as an early Quaker minister. Despite these hardships, he authored important Quaker texts including “The Antiquity of the Quakers” (1677) and “An Anti-Christian Conspiracy Detected” (1679).

Dr. Thomas Wynne’s significance in American history cannot be overstated. He co-purchased 1,000 acres in the Welsh Tract and emigrated on the ship Welcome with William Penn himself in 1682. He became the first Speaker of the Philadelphia Assembly, serving from 1682-83 and again from 1687-88, helping to establish the governmental foundations of Pennsylvania. His medical practice, initially conducted in London before emigration, continued in the New World until his death on January 17, 1692, in Philadelphia.

Thomas had married Martha Elizabeth Buttall, born July 20, 1627, in Wrexham, Denbighshire, Wales, who died in 1670 in Wales. Martha was the daughter of a family whose Welsh roots ran equally deep.

Going back another generation, Dr. Thomas Wynne was the son of Thomas ap John Wynne, born December 20, 1589, in Ysceifiog, Flintshire, Wales. Thomas ap John lived at the Brovedog estate and suffered greatly from the heavy taxes and fines that preceded the English Civil Wars, dying in October 1638 at Bron Fadog, Ysceifiog. He had married Catherine verch John Lloyd, born in 1589 in Wales, who died in 1635.

The Wynne lineage traces back through Thomas ap John’s father, John Wynne, born in 1570 in Ysceifiog, Flintshire. John was a man of considerable wealth and influence, prominent in county affairs. He married Grace verch Morgan on October 20, 1588, at Bodfari Church. Grace was born around 1570 in Wales and died between 1595-98.

John Wynne was the son of Rees ap John Wynne, born around 1538 in Ysceifiog, Flintshire, who died around 1592. Rees was assessed as a freeholder in Yskeiriog in 1592, indicating his substantial landholdings and social standing.

The family’s noble heritage becomes even more pronounced in earlier generations. Rees was descended from Harri ap Cynric, born around 1485 at Bronvedog, Yskeiriog. Harri was a man of considerable standing in his county and married Alice Thelwal, daughter of Simon Thelwal, Esq. of Plas-y-Ward. Alice’s lineage connected the Wynnes to other prominent Welsh families through her grandfather David Thelwal and her grandmother’s connection to Edward Langford of Ruthin.

Harri ap Cynric was the son of Cynric ap Rotpert, who held land in both the parishes of Bodfari and Yskeiriog. Cynric married first Angharad, daughter of Madoc Lloyd of Byrne-cunalt, and later moved to Caerways after a second marriage to another Angharad, daughter of Gruffyd Vychan.

The lineage continues back through Cynric’s father, Rotpert ap Iorwerth, who was living in 1339 and held lands in both Bodfari and Yskeiriog. His brother Gwynn was recorded as living in 1315. Rotpert married Adles, daughter of Ithel Tychan of Mostyn, who died in 1300. Remarkably, Adles was the sole heiress of Richard ap Cadwalader, Lord of Ceredygion, who died in 1172, connecting the Wynne family directly to medieval Welsh lordships.

Rotpert’s father was Iorwerth ap Ririd, who died in 1339 in the lands of Bodfari and Yskeiriog. He married Nest, who was both daughter and heiress of Iorwerth ap Grono ap Einion ap Seissyllt. Through Nest, the family connected to Grono, who had married Myddylis, daughter of Owain Cyfeiliog, Lord of Powys—one of the most powerful rulers in medieval Wales.

Going back further, Iorwerth ap Ririd was the son of Ririd ap Iorwerth, who married Tibot, daughter of Robert de Pulford, around 1240. This marriage represents one of the interesting Norman-Welsh connections in the family tree.

Ririd’s father was Iorwerth ap Madog, who held lands in Bodfari and Yskeiriog within the Lordship of Tegaingl. He married Arddyn, daughter of Llewllyn ap Owain ap Edwin. Notably, Owain carried the title “Vradwr” (traitor), suggesting complex political allegiances during the turbulent medieval period in Wales.

Iorwerth ap Madog was the son of Madog ap Ednowain Bendew, who held the title Lord of Tegaingl and lived in the parish of Bodfari. He married Arddun (also called Ardyn), daughter of Bradwen. Arddun was the sister of Ednowain ap Bradwen of Merionethshire, who was recorded as living in 1194.

At the apex of this remarkable lineage stands Ednowain Bendew, born around 1050 at Lleys-y-coed in the parish of Bodfari. Ednowain held the distinguished title of Lord of Tegaingl in Flintshire, North Wales, and was recognized as Chief of the Fifteenth Noble Tribe of North Wales—one of the ancient tribal divisions that governed medieval Welsh society.

From Ednowain Bendew in the 11th century to Sarah Humphreys Murphy on Locust Street in Philadelphia, this extraordinary lineage spans nearly seven centuries. It encompasses the transition from Welsh tribal chieftains to medieval lords, from Catholic Wales to Quaker persecution, from Old World nobility to New World democracy. Sarah’s daughter Elizabeth Murphy McCloud carried forward not just a family name, but the living legacy of Welsh independence, Quaker conviction, and American pioneering spirit—a bloodline that helped forge both Wales and Pennsylvania, connecting the ancient hills of Flintshire to the bustling streets of colonial Philadelphia.