WHARTON, THOMAS, governor, was born in 1735 in Chester county, Pa. He was one of the twenty-five citizens that formed the committee of safety in Philadelphia in 1775. In 1777 he was elected president of Pennsylvania, which office he held till his death. He died May 22, 1778, in Lancaster, Pa.
Thomas William Herringshaw, Encyclopedia of American Biography, p.996
Thomas Wharton, Jr. was so called to distinguish him from his Uncle Thomas Wharton who died without issue. Technically speaking he was the President of the Supreme Council of Pennsylvania but his duties were clearly that of our early Governors. There is extensive material on Thomas Wharton including copies of his correspondence with then General George Washington. For those who are interested these transcripts can be found at American Memory Collections search under Wharton. Since at this site we are primarily interested in the genealogical relationships of Thomas, Jr. I have left a good deal of the historical data out of these pages. If you are interested in greater detail you can email me at swhynes@aol.com and I would be glad to provide you with what I have.
Thomas's first wife was Susannah Lloyd whom he married November 04, 1762, at Christ Church, Philadelphia, PA. Susannah was the daughter of Thomas Lloyd who also figures prominently in Pennsylvania's early history. From this marriage their where five children born:
Susannah, died 1773, buried February 02, 1773
Lloyd, born 1764, died February 10, 1799, Bordontown, NJ m.
Mary Rogers
Kearney born 1766, died January 04,
1848 m. Maria Salter
William Moore, born June 24, 1768,
died August 14, 1816, m. Mary Waln(1), Deborah
Shoemaker(2)
Sarah Norris, born 1772, died 1836
m. Benjamin Tallman(1), Samuel Courtauld(2)
With Susannah Lloyd's death October 24, 1772, Thomas married Elizabeth Fishbourne December 07, 1774. The Fishbournes are another important family in PA history and Elizabeth was the daughter of William and Mary Tallman. THis union produced three children:
Mary born September 07, 1775 died June 1799
Thomas Fishbourne born November 10, 1776, died January 1865
Fishbourne born August 10, 1778,
died December 03, 1846, m. Susan Shoemaker
Elizabeth died after Thomas on April 24, 1826 in Philadelphia. Thomas fled Philadelphia with the government when the British took the city, moving the capital to Lancaster where he contracted quincy and died May 22, 1778. He was interned in the Trinity Luthern Church, not because he had become a Luthern but because they were the only church to offer to take the remains. For a full description of Thomas's death and funeral go to The Hon. Thomas Wharton - Funeral