 He found it necessary to banish to Virginia several of his acquaintances and friends, most of them Quakers, because of the possibility that they were siding with the British.Although this action was thought prudent by the revolutionary authorities, it was not based on much evidence and Wharton's social connections suffered because of it.On May 22, 1778, with the Council still in Lancaster, Wharton died in Lancaster at the age of 42 or 43.