Several generations of the Penn family were proprietors of the British colony of Pennsylvania. It was given to William Penn (1644-1718) in 1681 by Charles II of England in repayment of a debt owed to his father, Sir Admiral William Penn (1621-1670). Under Penn's directive, Pennsylvania was settled by Quakers escaping religious torment in England and other European nations. Three generations of Penn descendants held proprietorship of the colony until the American Revolution, when the family was stripped of all but its privately held shares of land. "Book A" is a record of deeds granted between April 24, 1784, and March 22, 1793, by members of the Penn family to various purchasers of those proprietary lands retained by the family after the American Revolution, located between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.