Sometime during this 1750s or 1760s, Joseph William Shippen (1737-1795) was sent to "supervise" the Furnace Tract by his father, Dr. William Shippen, Sr. He was considered a bachelor without goals or skills. He was born in Germantown, Philadelphia, PA on 17 Oct 1737 and died at Oxford Furnace, Sussex/Warren, NJ on 13 September 1795. He and Martha Axford (1740-1801), who were not legally married, had seven children: William Joseph Shippen (1770-1848), John Beach Shippen (1771-1824), Joseph Shippen (1772-1811), Ann M. Shippen McMurtrie (1776-1854), Maria Shippen Blair (1778-1856), Susan Shippen Crisman (1784-1856) and Abigail Shippen McTeir (1786-1869). 

• It has been said that Joseph William Shippen served as "paymaster" during the Revolutionary War. This is in the process of being verified.
• According to "Proceedings of the NJ Historical Society", Vol. 1; Vol 34, 1916, pages 42-43, "All accounts agree that he [JWS] settled on his father's estate at Oxford Furnace, N.J., and that he was manager of the estate for 30 years" (42). It further states that there was an error that listed him as "unmarried". In his father's will, Dr. William Shippen, Sr. named all of his grandchildren, especially those of Joseph William and Martha. [It is believed that their relationship could be one of two scenarios: common-law marriage that is not legal or a Quaker marriage that was not documented in legal records. Either way, the book incorrectly labeled Martha as Joseph's "housekeeper". She was the only daughter of a wealthy family and was most likely brought on to be the house manager for Joseph William, who was a bachelor.]
• In Portrait of an early American Family: the Shippens of Pennsylvania across five generations by Randolph Shipley Klein (University of Pennsylvania Press, 1975), on page 68, it mentions that when Joseph William completed his formal education, his father put him in charge of operations. (Since Joseph W. had no prior experience as an iron master, it is more likely that he supervised the Furnace property (furnace, farms, mines) and lived at the Manor.] Both Joseph William and his younger brother John (who died in 1770 entered the Academy of Philadelphia in 1751. It is uncertain what Joseph W. studied. While John became a physician like his father and older brother, William (Jr.), Joseph did not.  Instead, he was a merchant for a time before coming to Oxford. In addition, it was written that Joseph William ceased to be a merchant by the 1760s and convinced his father that he could keep accurate ledgers, had matured and also had the skills necessary to manage a business (126). [Ancestry.com]

In the Cummins' book, page 51, it states that the Shippens were strong Tories from Philadelphia. That is partially true. Part of the family (Dr. William Shippen, Sr. and sons) were not diehard Loyalists as was stated. Peggy Shippen Arnold was the grandniece of Dr. William Shippen, Sr. and was a spy for the British. She eventually convinced her husband, General Benedict Arnold, that the American cause was not worth it-- and therefore Arnold's reputation as a one of the better generals of the war became tarnished. The Arnolds moved to England after the war and did not return to America.

 On 20 Nov 1778, Dr. William Shippen, Sr. was elected to the Continental Congress by the Assembly of Pennsylvania. He was reelected on 13 Nov 1779. [Balch, Thomas. "Dr. William Shippen, the Elder", The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 1, No. 2 (1877). University of Pennsylvania Press, 1877, 215]

According to an inventory, the following buildings were standing on the property at this time:

1. Wing on the north side of the main block of house
2. Frame store at southeast corner of manor property (burned and replaced by stone building in 1844)
3. Smokehouse, barn, wagon house, corncrib and other outbuildings

Porch on west side of wing constructed; probably replaced earlier one
Porch on east side of wing constructed

Sterling Galt Valentine (1862-1924), his wife Adele (1861-1936) lived at the Manor with their son Sterling, Jr. and daughter Katherine Adele ("Adele"), and her sister Kate (1894-1918). Sterling was the superintendent of the Empire Steel & Iron Co. iron works. He and Adele had four children (Sterling, Jr., William Hembleton Elliot, Margaret Grayson & Katherine Adele) who lived and/or visited the Manor.

• According to American Mining & Metallurgy Manual (1926), "S.G. Valentine, Oxford, New Jersey, Furnace Superintendent. 1 Blast Furnace. (85,000 tons) Four 2-Pass Hot Blast Stoves. 1300 HP. Steam Plant. 2 Steam Blowers and Turbo Blower. 100 Men" and is listed under Replogle Steel Company, Wharton (254).
• Sterling was born in Reading, Berks, Co., PA and was the son of Milton H. and Mary Margaret Grayson Galt Valentine. He married Adele Wehner Elliot on 2 March 1887. She was the daughter of William Sherwood Hambleton Elliot and Catharine Hentz Wehner Elliot.
• Sterling was the cousin-in-law to Edith Bolling Galt (1872-1961). After she was widowed, Edith married Woodrow Wilson (1856-1924) and became the First Lady of the United States after he became the 28th President of the United States. Mrs. Wilson often corresponded with Mr. & Mrs. Valentine during their tenure in Oxford.
• Their daughter, Katherine Adele ("Adele,") Valentine spent some time in Oxford with her parents. Her brother, Sterling, Jr. lived at the Manor and held a menial job at the furnace under his father's supervision. Before her death, Adele was visiting or moved to Asbury Park, but then became ill and died on 28 Nov 1918 (age 24) from "heart trouble" but her grandmother often told people she died from the flu. She was buried in Evergreen Cemetery in Gettysburg, PA.
• Sterling passed away on 27 September 1924 in Reading, PA and was buried on the 29th in Evergreen Cemetery in Gettysburg, PA.

 The Wood Family (Kenneth Hamilton Wood, Edith Jenckes/Jenks Wood (1912-1978) and their children Janet, Gary, Douglas, Keith (1935-2020), and Sally) lived in the Manor. The Wood family were the first private owners of the historic manor.