A place to gather and share information about the Thomas Willcox and Elizabeth Cole Willcox Family of Ivy Mills, PA. For more information see the Home page link above or contact Deniane Kartchner at Denianek@gmail.com. My husband is a descendant of Thomas and Elizabeth's son James who married Prudence Doyle. Their son John's daughter Prudence married John Christopher Kartchner.

Note: This is a work in progress! I am trying to verify everything before I post, but feel free to send me corrections and/or suggestions. It’s also not a complete history of Ivy Mills or a website for current operations, although I will gladly try to answer any questions and/or lead you to the right information.

I'm currently working on tracing this family back to England through this link:

http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/

Tour of Ivy Mills and St. Thomas the Apostle

Photos taken by Deniane Kartchner

As part of a trip back East our family was able to visit Ivy Mills and take a tour of the Willcox family homestead and Saint Thomas the Apostle. Our guide, Mike Squyres, is a volunteer with Friends of Old St. Thomas who leads free, guided tours once a month in the summer. Mike was so gracious to meet us at the homestead on a Friday morning and tell us about the Willcoxes, William Penn and the beginnings of Pennsylvania, Ben Franklin, paper making, and how they all tie together. We then traveled down the road to the church where we and our children enjoyed learning more about the Catholic faith. 

IVY MILLS
This is what remains of the mill. It almost felt like a monument in honor of the Willcoxes hard work as paper makers and prominent citizens of Pennsylvania.

Clerk's house. 

The painting above shows the relationship of the mill to the clerk's house (which has been maintained and currently (2012) has tenants living there.)

Stairs leading to the entrance of the home.  I love the lions' expressions. 


Front and rear views of the Willcox Mansion built by James M. Willcox.  Most of the original home was torn down when the new home was built; the section on the right in the back is original to the home that Thomas Willcox built.

Front porch. 

Inside the front door ... pictures of several generations of the Willcox family.  On the far right is Joseph Willcox who wrote the family histories I have found.

Located by the window you can see the altar used when Ivy Mills was the home of "St. Mary's Chapel" (Catholic Mass held in the Willcox home, part of the Saint Thomas the Apostle parish.)

A close-up of the altar. A tag reads: "Early Ivy Mills Alter prepared for Mass celebrated at Ivy Mills November 8, 1997. Archdiocese of Philadelphia Collections". 

They had just had a celebration before we came (June 2012) and brought the alter back to Ivy Mills on loan for the occasion.

The portrait over the mantle is of James M. Willcox. 
 
Looking upstairs ... and downstairs.
The home is a restoration in progress. Following are some of the period pieces they have collected.






The following photos were taken in the original portion of the Willcox mansion (built by Thomas Willcox). Notice the oven!  
 


Of course, the bar isn't original. 





ST. THOMAS THE APOSTLE

This is the only picture I took of the outside of the church and it is terrible. :( It's such a beautiful church. 







Mike and our daughter ringing the bell.

This stained glass window was placed in memory of Mark and Ellen Willcox.

Placed in memory of James M. Willcox






Willcox section of the cemetery at St. Thomas.





THE RECTORY

 
 
  


And the restoration goes on upstairs!


During the restoration of the rectory they found this doorway ... which had been filled in by a wall.




Thanks to Friends of Old St. Thomas for the tour! If you would like to learn more about what they've accomplished and how they have helped preserve Ivy Mills, go to this link: http://www.friendsofoldstthomas.org/










11 comments:

  1. UnknownJanuary 6, 2013 at 5:20 PM

    So...what is the relation to the property on Stonybank in Chester Heights that is currently under contract with Toll Brothers? There are long stone walls....remnants of the Glen Mills?

    Babs562 at gmail

    ReplyDelete
  2. papapepeDecember 17, 2016 at 11:49 AM

    Very nice report on the Willcox estate, thank you for making and posting it. - My great-great-great-grandmother, Juana Ferreira Carman, was buried at St Thomas the Apostle, downhill from the Willcox plot, in 1865, her stone is still legible, on a sunny early morning. - Joseph N. DiStefano, Wilmington, Del.

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    Replies
    1. Horacio CarmanMay 15, 2019 at 5:28 AM

      I thank the Willcox for putting me in touch with you, Joseph. My great-great-grandfather James Carman was Juana's brother-in-law. My family tree is a work-in-progress and I would love to hear from you.

      Delete
  3. BWMillerAugust 19, 2018 at 4:24 PM

    New to the Glen Mills area and really enjoying the local history. Ivy Mills is a perfect example of the rich historical significance of the area. We drove through the Ivy Mills property on Pole Cat Rd last week - it is equally stunning and wistful. Thanks for putting this page together and sharing your experience.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Horacio CarmanMay 15, 2019 at 5:35 AM

    Excellent blog post! I'm actually a practicing Catholic enjoying learning more about the Protestant faith. Part of my ancestry comes from Pennsylvania, and I really enjoy an ecumenical spirit. Keep it up!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Rain KingJune 7, 2020 at 5:12 PM

    I am a direct descendant of James Willcox through the Mcdevitt line.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. DenianeSeptember 9, 2020 at 12:38 PM

      That's awesome! I'd like to know more about your line if you'd like to email me at denianek@gmail.com

      Delete
  6. brownjana87@gmail.comFebruary 1, 2021 at 8:27 AM

    I have just learned that I am a descendant of the Willcox family. My great-grandmother was Bessie Willcox Thompson of Eastman GA. Her dad was Norman Willcox and his dad was George Willcox(I think!). This is so exciting for me! I can't wait to come up there to visit Ivy Mills. I was up in the Wilmington, Delaware area a few years ago before I learned this. I visited the Brandywine area, which was probably close to the Willcox home.
    Jana Brown

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  7. AnonymousMay 1, 2022 at 6:32 PM

    I love that you have kept this blog up! I am a direct descendant of oh John willcox, through the willcox/Purvis line. My great grandfather was Phillip Willcox.

    ReplyDelete
  8. AnonymousMay 24, 2023 at 7:55 AM

    Just want to make you aware that the Borough of Chester Heights has just issued a permit for the demolition of the old rectory. The current pastor is hellbent on seeing it torn down. It is only 16 ft from the old church, and there's a concern the church could be damaged during the rectory's demolition.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. DenianeMay 24, 2023 at 10:12 AM

      This is really sad news. I don't understand why! They went to such work to restore it and it's such a beautiful historic home!

      Delete

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