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Full text of "History of Bucks county, Pennsylvania, from the discovery of the Delaware to the present time"

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HISTORY 



OF 



BUCKS COUNTY 



W 



PENNSYLVANIA 



FROM THE DISCOVERY OF THE DELAWARE TO THE PRESENT TIME 

BY 
WILLIAM W. H. DAVIS, A.M. 

President of the Bucks County Historical Society, Member of the American Historical Society, the Historical 

Society of Pennsylvania, the New York Genealogical and Biographical Society, the Western Reserve 

Historical Society; Author of "El Gringo, or New Mexico and Her People, " " History of 

Gen, John Lacey: " " The Spanish Conquest of New Mexico ; " " History of the One 

Hundred and Fourth Pennsylvania Regiment;" ""History of the Hart Family;" 

" Life of Gen. John Davis;" "History of the Doylestown Guards;" "The 

Fries Rebellion; " " History of Do3lestown, Old and New;" Etc. 




SECOND EDITION, REVISED AND ENLARGED 

WITH A 

GENEALOGICAL AND PERSONAL HISTORY OF BUCKS COUNT\ 
Prepared Under the Editorial Supervision of 

WARREN S. ELY 

Genealogist, Member of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, and Librarian of the Buck^ 

County Historical Society, 

AND 

JOHN W. JORDAN, LL.D. 

Of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania. 



\ 



'^OLUME III — ILLUSTRATED 



NEW •)RK CHICAGO 

THE LEWIS JL,TIBLISHING COMPANY 

^?05 



•,'**f 




-^^ i l4Q 



Entered According to Act of Congress 

IN THE 

Office of the Librarian of Congress, in the Year 1905, 

BY 

The Lewis Publishing Company. 



INTRODUCTORY 



The present volume forms a fitting supplement to the ample historical nar- 
rative from the pen of General W. W. H. Davis. For its preparation especial 
thanks are due to Mr. Warren S. Ely, of more than merely local fame as a 
genealogist and historian. Out of his abundant store of material and through 
familiarity with the official records of Bucks and adjoining counties, he has been 
enabled to write with care and intelligence the genealogical history of various 
branches of leading families in Bucks county, and his sketches will be readily 
identified by all who are familiar with the methods which he has observed so 
successfully in making investigations into ancestral fields in response to many 
exacting requisitions by individuals and family associations. He has also, in 
this work, dealt largely with the personal history of leading men of affairs in 
his native county, and his facile pen can be readily traced by the great mass of 
readers in that region who for years have been familiar with his clear and cogent 
writings along the lines which he has pursued with that genuine enthusiasm 
becoming to one who holds in proper appreciation the sturdy race from whom 
lie sprang and among whom he was reared, and who possesses the ability of 
rightly weighing their lives and achievements. 

An earnest effort has been made to give an authentic history of most of 
the early settlers, as well as of those who later found homes in this historic 
county, and their descendants down to the present time, giving special attention 
to the part taken by them in its history and development. It has been impossible, 
however, to give as full an account of some of the old families as might have 
been desired, by reason of the paucity of data furnished, many families of more 
or less prominence in the aff'airs of the county, at different periods, being with- 
out exact records of their family line, and it being, of course, impracticable in 
a work of this general character for the publishers to undertake extensive and 
expensive researches in untrodden paths. Neither was it possible for Mr. Ely 
to revise and verify all the data furnished by the representatives of the families 
treated of in the work. It can be said, however, with reference to the bio- 
graphical matter contained in this volume that in its preparation the publisher^ 
have observed the utmost care as to accuracy and authenticity, so far as lay in 
their power. In all cases the sketches have been submitted to the subject, or 
present representative of the family, for correction and revision, and the pub- 
lishers believe that they are placing before the public, in the contents of this 
volume, a valuable adjunct t,'^ the narrative history of the events in this historic 
county, to which General Dcv'is has devoted nearly a lifetime of painstaking 



iv INTRODUCTORY 

and intelligent research, by giving some authentic account of most of the 
families that have participated in those events, and following these genealogical 
and historical sketches with some account of the present gei '.'ation, on whom 
and their descendants the grand old county must depend for the maintenance 
of the high standard of citizenship that has characterized her in the past. An 
effort has also been made to give some account of the descendants of Bucks 
county ancestry who have wandered from their alma mater and distinguished 
themselves in the various- walks of life in other sections. We believe, therefore, 
that we have rendered a lasting service to posterity in gathering together and 
placing in enduring form much valuable information that would otherwise soon 
have been irretrievably lost through the passing away of many custodians of 
family and other records, and the consequent dispersion of such matter. 

The publishers desire to express their appreciation of the assistance ren- 
dered them and their editors in the preparation of this work, by various persons 
wdio have placed at their disposal the result of valuable researches made on 
genealogical and historical lines for private purposes. As stated therein, much 
of the data in reference to the Holland families who w^ere the first actual settlers 
on the Neshaminy in Northampton, Southampton and adjoining parts of War- 
minster, Bensalem, Middletown and Bristol townships, is the result of more 
than twenty years of research conducted on these lines by R. Winder Johnson, 
of Philadelphia, very little if any of which has been heretofore published. 
Again, much of the data in reference to the early German settlers in upper 
Bucks, whose part in the history of the county has probably never received 
proper recognition, is the result of exhaustive researches made by Mr. Ely, in 
which he was materially aided by the Rev. A. J. Fretz, of ]\Iilton, New Jersey,, 
who has devoted years of unselfish work to these lines. ]\Iany others have con- 
tributed more or less to the value of the work by giving us the benefit of their 

valuable researches. 

THE PUBLISHERS. 



INDE 



PAGE 

Abbott, Francis.' *. I95 

Abbott, John I95 

Abbott, Joseph 195 

Abbott, Joseph D 195 

Abbott, Mary S 196 

Abbott, Timothy 195 

Adams Family T] 

Adams, James 7^ 

Adams, John 78 

Adams, Joseph \V 80 

Adams, Samuel 79 

Afflerbach, Abraham 532 

Afflerbach, George 531 

Afflerbach, John F 531 

Afflerbach, John H 532 

Alderfer, John K 597 

Alderfer, John Isl 597 

Alderfer, Joseph 597 

Allabough, David W 505 

Allabough, Henry 50^ 

Allabough, Henry S 505 

Althouse, Albert C i^d 

Althouse, Arndt 34° 

Althouse, Daniel 340 

Althouse, Elias 341 

Althouse, Elmer E 340 

Althouse, Frederick 341 

Althouse. "Milton D 341 

Althouse, Samuel K 367 

Altho ise, Tobias 366 

Andalusia 1 58 

Anders, Asher K 368 

Anders, INIatilda 369 

Anders, Solomon 369 

Anders, William 368 

Andres, William \\' 369 

Anderse, Paul 368 

Andress, Jacob 3^58 

Angeny. Davis F. . . . .' 424 

Angeny, Jacob 424 

Angeny, John 424 

Armitage, Amos 622 

Armitage, Amos, Sr 622 

Armitage. Samuel 622 

Atkinson Family 163 

Atkinson. Howard W 168 

Atkinson, Silas C 166 

Atkinson, Stephen K 167 

Atkinson, Thomas 6 

Atkinson, T. Howard 165 

Atkinson, Thomas 164 

\tkinson, William 6 

Atkinson, William H 166 



PAGE 

Bachofer, John C 618 

Bailey, Emily 504 

Bailey, George 503 

Bailey, George W 504 

Balderston, Charles S 573 

Balderston, David 671 

Balderston, John 573 

Balderston, John W 573 

Balderston, Oliver 573 

Balderston, Robert L 671 

Banes Family '/22 

Banes, Samuel T "22, 

Baringer, Henry 444 

Baringer, Irvin Y 410 

Baringer, William 410 

Barnsley Family -3^4 

Barnsley, John 243 

Barnsley, John 314 

Barnsley, Joseph 314 

Barnslej', J. Herman 243 

Barnsley, Lydia H 315 

Barnsley, Thomas 243 

Barnsley, William .314 

Barrow, John 615 

Bartheman, Francis 667 

Bartleman. Theodore 667 

Bassett, Samuel 4*^8 

Bassett, Samuel T 408 

Baum, Heinrich 235 

Baum Henry 235 

Baum, Joseph 235 

Baum, William , 234 , 

Bean, Henry W^ 

Bean, Wilson W 3?-> 

Beans, Nathan 349 

Beans, Stephen 349 

Beaumont, Andrew J 406 

Beaumont, Charles F 406 

Beaumont. John A 683 

Beaumont, Thomas B 683 

Beck, John B 593 

Beck, Joseph 593 

Bell, Frank F 264 

Bell, John 265 

Berger, Henry 640 

Berger, J. Fennell 640 

Bergey, Jonas G 645 

Bergey, Wilson S 645 

Beringer. Amos N 329 

Beringer, Amos S \^^ 

Beringer, John 329 

Beringer, Nicholas 32S 

Betts.' Charles IM 389 



^\ 



VI 



INDEX 



PAGE 

Betts, C. Watson 5 • 5 

Bctls, John . 389 

Betts, Stephen 5^5 

Betts, Thomas 5I5 

Betts, Wilham 5i5 

Biddle, Charles 15H 

Biddle Family 158 

Biddle, Nicholas 159 

Biehn, Michael M 334 

Biehn, Milton A 334 

Bigley, Adam 248 

Bigley. Charles. D 248 

Bigley, Isaac 248 

Birkey Family 625 

Birkey, Henry W 628 

Birkey, Isaac M 629 

Birkey, John 627 

Birkey, John W 629 

Birkey, John Y 625 

Birkey, Peter 626 

Birkey, feter 625 

Birkey, Samuel 625 

Birkey, Thomas H 627 

Birkey, William J. A., Jr 628 

Birkey, William J. A., Sr 627 

Bishop, John H 643 

Bishop, Samuel 643 

Black, Andrew A 427 

Black, Clarence R 259 

Black, George E 427 

Black, John 258 

Black, John P 258 

Black. Wilmer S 259 

Bloom, Peter D 598 

Bloom, William 598 

Bond, Cadwalader D 710 

Bond, Lewis R 709 

Boutcher, Benjamin 641 

Boutcher, Benjamin W 64T 

Boutcher, Joseph 641 

Boyer, Daniel M 436 

Boyer, John S 436 

P.raddock, Katherine 615 

Bradshaw, James 430 

Bradshaw. John W 429 

Bradshaw, Samuel 429 

Biadshaw, Thomas 429 

Bradshaw. William. Jr 43° 

\ Branson, Edwin R • 693 

vBranson, Isadore C 693 

I'ranson, Isaiah 692 

B/anson, Jacob 692 

Branson, James L 692 

Branson, Sarah E ; 693 

Branson, William 692 

Breen, James 3,^6 

Breen, Patrick 336 

Brinker, Aden H 588 

Brinker, John 588 

Broadhurst, Horace G 392 

Broadhurst. Samuel E 392 

Brooks, Abram 593 

Brot)ks, William L 593 

Brown. Benjamin 240 

Brown, Charles 240 

Brown, John 240 

Brown, Joseph 352 

Brown, Levi 352 

Brown, Robert 239 

Brown, Robert S ,, . . . 240 



PAGE 

Brown, Samuel 239 

Brown, Stacy 352 

Brown, William 683 

Brown. William B 352 

Brown, William H .- 683 

Brunner, Harvey S 484 

Brunner. Solomon 484 

Buckman, Abden 684 

Buckman, Benjamin 684 

Buckman. Edward H 233 

Buckman, Elihu S 233 

Buckman, Franklin 232 

Buckman. James R 684 

Buckman. Walter 233 

Buckman. Zenas 232 

Buehrle, Frederick F 377 

Buehrle, Josejjh 377 

Buehrle, William 377 

Bunting. Edwin M 185. 

Bunting Family 184. 

Bunting John S . . . . 186 

Bunting, Joseph 185 

Burges, Daniel 214 

Purges, Family 214 

Burges, Joseph 214 

Burson. Benjamin 614 

Burson, Edward 614 

Burson Family 614 

Burson, Joseph 614 

Burton, Anthony 22S 

Burton, Elwood 229 

Burton, John 228 

Cadwallader, Algernon S 604 

Cadwallader, Charles AI 375 

Cadwallader, Eli. Jr 718 

Cadwallader, Franklin 588 

Cadwallader. George S 588 

Cadwallader. Jacob 588 

Cadwallader. Jacob 663 

Cadwallader. James L 663 

Cadwallader. John 375 

Cadwallader. Samuel C 663 

Cadwallader. Washington 717 

Cadwallader, Yardly 376 

Candy, James B 528 

Candv. Thomas D 52S 

Carrel!, Ezra P 299 

Carrell, Ezra R 390 

Carrell, Jacob 300 

Carrell. James 300- 

Carrell. James .591 

Carrell, Joseph ,^or 

Carrell, Joseph 391 

Carrell, Joseph, Jr .3«/0 

Carter, James 61 g 

Carter. J. Harris 619 

Carver. A din (^185 

Carver. Charles H 084 

Carver. John 040 

Carver. Mahlon '>4f> 

Case. Alexander J 433 

Case. Peter 433 

Case. Theodore L 433 

Cassel, Isaac 27 f 

Cassel, Levi 271 

Cassin. Isaac S \99 

Cavanaugh, Francis 606 

Chambers, Alexander 508 

Chambers, Thomas P 5^7 



\ 



INDEX 



vii 



PAGE 

Chapman, AlM-ahani 380 

Chapman, Arthur 380 

Chapman Family 379 

Chapman, Henry 380 

Chapman, John 379 

Chapman, Joseph 380 

Christy, Alexander 615 

Christy, Henry 615 

Church, Eleazer F 501 

Church, Richard 501 

Church, Watson P 500 

Clarendon, Thomas 550 

Clarendon, Thomas, Sr 550 

Claxton, George 555 

Claxton, John B 555 

Claxton, Thomas B 555 

Clayton, Amos K 556 

Clayton, William B S56 

Clunn, Joseph F 652 

Clunn, Robert 652 

Clymer, Christian 1 236 

Clymer, Christian T 236 

Clymer, Eli L 270 

Clymer, Henry, Jr 270 

Clymer, Henry S 236 

Clymer, Jacob F 88 

Clymer, John H 2S^ 

Clymer, Lee S 86 

Clymer, Robert L 282 

Clvmer, William C 88 

Clymer, William H 87 

Comfort, Annie 203 

Comfort, George 204 

Comfort, George M 127 

Comfort, Henry W 126 

Comfort, John 203 

Comfort, Samuel 204 

Conrad, Charles 2,S7> 

Conrad, James 257 

Convent of the Blessed Sacrament.... 526 

Cooley, William J 281 

Cooper, Alfred M 330 

Cooper, John W 686 

Cooper, William B 330 

Cooper, William R 330 

Cope, Adam 567 

Cope, Addison C 566 

Cope, Amandus H _^22 

Cope, B. Frank 286 

Cope, Charles E 349 

Cope, George B 349 

Cope, Jacob 322 

Cope, John 567 

Cope, John 67S 

Cope, John F 678 

Cope, jNIilton L 678 

Cope, Tobias G 567 

Cope, William S 567 

Cornell, Adrien 52 . 

Cornell Family Sr 

Cornell, George W 53 

Cornell, Hiram 684 

Cornell, Ira H 684 

Cornell, James C 684 

Cornell, John S 237 

Cornell, John S., Sr 238 

Cornell, Joseph M 54 

Cornell, Wilhelmus 52 ~^ 

'Courter, Jacob 607 

*Courter, Jacob H 607 



PAGE 

Cox, Ezekiel B ^, 623 

Cox, Reeder 023 

Craven, Charles 712 

Craven, James R 71 j 

Craven, Joseph 248 

Craven, Linford R 247 

Craven, Thomas 712 

Cressman, Abraham S 579 

Cressman, Anthony 579 

Cressman, Anthony 079 

Cressman, David D 579 

Cressman, Henry 679 

Cressman, Henry 579 

Cressman, Jacob 405 

Cressman, Jacolj 579 

Cressman, Josiah L 405 

Cressman, Philip S 679 

Cressman, Tobias H 405 

Crewitt, Alfred 496 

Crewitt, John A 496 

Crewitt, Richard C 496 

Crispin, Silas 43 

Croasdale, Jeremiah W 546 

Croasdale, John W 546 

Croasdale, Roliert 546 

Croasdale, Robert M ..... 545 

Crouse, Andrew J 704 

Crouse Family 702 

Crouse, Frederick 703 

Crouse, Jacob W 703 

Crouse, Michael, Jr 703 

Crouthamel Family 55S 

Crouthamel, George 538 



Crouthamel, Jacob S. 



Crouthamel, Noah O. 

Crouthamel, Peter R 

Crouthamel, Washington O. 

Cunningham, Joseph T 

Cunningham, Matthew 

Cunningham, Matthew C. . 

Cunningham, Thomas 

Curley, John 

Curley, Thomas 



Dager, Charles T. . . 
Dager, Frederick 

Dager, John 

Dana, Anderson, Jr 

Dana, Richard 

Dana, Robert S 

Dana, Sylvester 

Darlington, Edward !*> 
Darlington, Hemy T. 
Darlington, Thomas 

Davis, John 

Davis, William W. H 
Deemer. Charles ... 

Deemer, Elias 

Deemer, George li.. 
Deemer, Johan G . . . . 

Deemer, John 

Deemer, John 

Deemer, Michael ... 
Deemer, Michael ... 

Deemer, Oliver J 

Delp, George 

Detweiler, Aaron C. 
Detweilef, Christian 
Detweiler, George . , 
Detweiler, Henry 



67 r 

558 
.S58 
67 1 

537 

5.36 
536 

.11)0 



325 
3-^5 
3^5 

5-'T 

5-2 ^' 

5-: I 
522 
510 
510 

Sro 
46 

45 
359 
470 

359 
358 
470 

47 1 
3> > 
47 f 
358 
731 
68.=^ 
.56 r 
677 



-iJ 



Vlil 



INDEX 



Delwciler, Henry . . . . 
Detwciler, Isaac C... 
Detweiler, Isaac H. . . 
Detwciler, Jacob . . . . 
Detwciler, Jacob L... 
Detweiler, John A... 
Detweiler, John C... 
Detweiler, Joseph . . . 
Detwciler, Mahlon C. 
Detweiler, Martin . . . 

Doan, Amos 

Doan, Harry P 

Doan, J. Oscar 

Doan, Wilson 

Dobbins, Joseph K . . . 

Doll, Charles M 

Dolton, Charles 

Dolton, Richard L... 

Dorland, John 

Doron, Thomas E. . . 
Doron, William E. . . 
Douglass, George . . . . 
Douglass, James . . . . 

Doyle, Charles C 

Doyle, Edward 

Doyle, Henry H 

Doyle, Joseph 

Doyle, Lemuel H.... 

Doyle, Samuel 

Doyle, William 

Drexel, Joseph W. . '. 

Drexel, Lucy W 

Du Bois, Charles E.. . 

Du Bois Family 

Du Bois, Jacob 

Du Bois, John L. . . . 
Du Bois, John L., Jr. 

Du Bois, Louis 

Du Bois, Louis 

] )u Bois, Peter 

Du Bois, LTriah 

Dungan Family 

lungan, Isaac 

)ungaiM /ames 

Dungan, Jesse , 

Dungan, John 

Dung?n, Thomas ... 
Dungan, Thomas . . 
Dungan, Wallace » . . 
Duvner, Charles E. . . 
Duiiicr, Charles F. . . . 



?AGE 

68 ^ 
677 
561 
631 
561 
561 
b77 
S6i 
631 

561 
685 
685 

323 
43S 
726 
348 
348 
496 
620 
620 
617 
617 
456 
454 
456 
455 
454 
455 
454 
525 
525 
194 
192 
192 
. 194 
194 
192 

193 
193 
193 

~2o6 
20S 
206 
20S 
207 
208 
206 
331 
331 



Eastburn, Charles T . . 19 

Eastburn Family 15 

Eastburn, H ugh B 17 

Eastburn, Joseph ... lO 

Eastburn, Moses \6 

Eastburn, .Robert 16 

Eastburn, Robert 15 

Eastburn, Robert 17 

Easlliurn, Robert K 21 

Eastburn, Samuel 21 

Eastburn, Samuel C ....,,.. 20 

Eastburn, William T 18 

Edwards, Benjamin R 335 

Edwards, Hugh 335 

Ellis, Charles • ■ . 5^4 

Ellis. Joseph A 564 

Ellis, Rowland ' 564 

i*' - Daniel 426 



PAGE 

Ely, Edward N 451 

Ely Family 127 

Ely, Heman 448 

Ely, Joseph 451 

Ely, Justin 448 

Ely, Warren S -. : 132 

Ely, William L 426 

Erdman, Andrew 305 

Erdman. Daniel 305 

Erdman, George 686 

Erdman, John ' 305 

Erdman, Milton K 686 

Erdman. Owen 305 

Erdman. William S 305 

Erwin, John 313 

Erwin. John 314 

Erwin, Joseph 314 

Erwin, Joseph J 313 

Evans, Caleb 388 

Evans, Wilson C 388 

Everitt, Aaron 413 

Everitt. David 413 

Everitt. Ezekiel 412 

Everitt. Jesse C 412 

Everitt, Samuel 413 

Fackenthal, Benjamin F 451 

Fackenthal, IMichael 451 

Fackenthal. Peter 451 

Fackenthal, Philip 450 

Faust, Alfred H 356 

Fell. Benjamin 186 

Fell, Benjamin 266 

F"ell, Byron ,M 266 

Fell, David 219 ■ 

Fell. David X 73 

Fell, Ely 266 

Fell, James. B 266 

Fell, Jesse 186 

Fell. Tohn 266 

Fell, John A 186 

Fell, Jonathan 219 

Fell, Joseph y^ 

Fell, Joseph 218 

Fell, Joseph "oo 

Fell. Lewis W 218 

Fell, Preston J 187 

Fell. Seneca 266 

Fell. Wilson D. .37 

Felty. Victor H ." -^i,7 

Felty, William 547 

Flack. Joseph, Jr ^7Z 

THack, Joseph. Sr :^72, 

Flack, Roland 37?, 

Flagler. George W 428 

Flagler, Peter 428 

Flower^, Amos S .^55 

Flowers, Thomas K 554 

Flowers, William 5.S4 

Flum, Frank H ' . . 272 

Flum, Frederic 272 

Folkir. Howard 205 

Forrester. George W 626 

Foulke. Benjamin G 90 

Foulke, Caleb 90 

Foull.e. Charles E o 'i 

Foulke, Eleanor ■.-. 1) 

I'Vudke. Everard i... o. ■ 

J'oulke Family Bf < 

Toulke, Hugh 9 ^ 



IXDEX 



IX 



PAGE 

Foulke. Hugh 89 

Foulke. Job R 91 

Foulke. Thomas QO 

Foulke. William H 91 

Freed. Henry 444 

Freed, Henry W 444 

Freed, John 444 

French, Bennett M 714 

French, J. Andrew 713 

French, William 714 

Fretz, Abraham 360 

Fretz, Abraham 401 

Fretz. Abraham J 401 

Fretz. Alfred E 307 

Fretz, Christian 401 

Fretz, Clayton D 307 

Fretz, Ely 433 

Fretz. H. Erwin 432 

Fretz. Henry L 3('r 

Fretz, Jacob 3>(^o 

Fretz, John 360 

Fretz, John 401 

Fretz, John E 146 

Fretz, John S. . : I47 

Fretz, Joseph H • 3f>o 

Fretz, Mahlon M 43-2 

Fretz, ?^Iartin 401 

Fretz, Oliver H i-'O 

Fretz, Philip H I43 

Fretz, Philip K 43-^ 

Fretz, Ralph J '. i47 

Fretz, S. Edward 30H 

Fretz, William 120 

Fulmer, Daniel 406 

Fulmer. Xoah 406 

Fulmer. Oliver A 406 

Garges. Abraham 257 

Garges. Edward 3 '6 

Garges. Henry 257 

Garner. Samuel 344 

Garner. Sannul J ' 344 

Garner. Samuel S 344 

Geil, John 15- 

Geil. Samuel I5- 

Geil, William E 15^ 

George, Jacob, Jr 43'^ 

George, Jacob. Sr 4.^8 

Gibson. Andrew 653 

GibsGii. Andrew J 653 

Gilbert Hiel 647 

Gilbert. Maris 647 

Gilke^on. Andrew W 345 

Gilkeson. Franklin 345 

"Gillam. Harvey, Sr 540 

Gillam, Simon 540 

Gilliam. Harvey H . 540 

Gilliam, William 54° 

Girton. Garret B 367 

Girton. James 5^8 

Gotwals. Daniel 581 

Gotwals. Jonas 581 

Gray. Dean (191 

Gray. John .\55 

Gray. John ]M 365 

Gray. Samuel 355 

Gray, Samuel S J56 

Gray, Thomas H (")i 

Greup, John +3' 

Griffee, Howard ^I ' >5-' 



PAGE 

Griffee, Peter 652 

Griffith, Amos 616 

Griffith, Austin E 616 

Griffith, John W 616 

Grim, Adam 301 

(irim, F. Harvey 301 

(irim, George M 306 

Grim, George W 301 

(irim, George W 306 

Grim, Webster 210 

Groff. Charles S 571 

Groff, Isaac S 477 

(iroff, Jacob • 477 

Groff, Jacob 571 

Ciroff, James E 477 

Groom, Ezekiel A 543 

Groom, Jonathan 543 

Groom, Thomas 543 

Groover. Andrew 711 

Gross, Daniel 209 

Gross, Henry W 209 

Gross, Jacob 362 

Gross, John 363 

r,ross, John A 362 

Gross, John L ;j63 

Gross, Joseph N 209 

Grundy, Edmund 365 

Grundy, Joseph R 365 

Grundy, William H 365 

Gruver, John 711 

Gruver, Jonas H 711 

Gulick. Christopher S 289 

Gulick h'amily 288 

(iulick. Hendrick 288 

(iulick, Joachim 288 

Gulick, Merari 289 

Gulick, Samuel 288 

Gulick, Samuel S 289 

Gumpper, John J i' 347 

(iumpper. Thomas K 347 

Hagerty, James 443 

Hagerty, John 44 ' 

Hagerty, Preston W 4'^ 

Haldeman, Abel G 6'^^ 

Haldeman, Charles (\^^ 

Haldeman. Daniel "^^ 

Haldeman. Edwin K ^^^ 

Haldeman. Tohn • ^~ 

Hall, C. Harry W2 o 

Hall Family I4T ' 

Hall, ^ifatthias H tji; 

Hall, William W 150 

Hancock. Charles W 516 

Hancock. John 516 

Hancock, Joseph L 5f6 

Hancock, Samuel 516 

Haney, Anthony 051 

Haney, Michael 65 1 

Haney, Michael G 651 

Haring, Charles C 611 

Haring, Charles C, Sr 611 

Harley. Jrjhn 647 

Harlcy, Jonas S 647 

Harpel, Amos 405 

Harpel, Conrad ^.05 

Harpel, Harvey F 404 

Harpel, John 405 

ITarrar. James S 240 

1 larrar, Joel J . 249 



INDEX 



PAGE 

Harris, Theopliilus 336 

Hart, B. Frank 42 

Hart, George 45 

Hart, George 320 

Hart, James 45 

Hart, James 319 

Hart. John 42 

Hart, John 318 

Hart, Joseph 45 

Hart, josnua 2t)4 

Hart, JosialT 320 

Hart, William 319 

Hart, William H , . 45 

Hartley, George W., Jr 279 

Hartley, William H 279 

Hartzel, Abram G 609 

Hartzel, l-'rancis D 609 

Harvey, George T 158 

Harvey, Joseph 488 

Harvey, Lydia A . 488 

Harvey, Theodore P 488 

Heacock, J^oel 636 

Heacock, Joel L 636 

Headley, Amos B 612 

Headley, Joseph J 612 



Headley, 
Heaney, 
Heaney, 
Heaton, 
Heaton, 
Heckler, 
Heckler, 
Heckler, 
Heckler, 
Heckler, 
Hedrick, 
Hedrick, 
Heinlein 
Heiulein, 
Heller, 
Heller, 
Heller, 
Heller, 
' leller, 
eller. 



Thomas 612 

Nicholas L 424 

Thomas 424 

Frank ■....; 727 

Mathias 72J 

Allen H 333 

Calvin F 33^ 

John R 333 

Nari F ■ ■ 333 

Samuel 33o 

David ■...-■ 646 

John K 646 

Family .' 308 

George . ■ 308 

David 310 



el Iyer, 
llyer, 
llyer, 
llyer, 



Jacob 310 

Johan M ■ • 310 

Josiah B 310 

William J .-• • 309 

Yost 310. 

Amos S 381 

Anderson 381 

Howard A -55^ 

Valmore M 381 

William -55^ 

485 

485 

Benjamin 495 

Cornelius 495 

Family 494- 

495 

496 

335 

335 



Edwin 
John 



r 

D 
Di 
Dv 

^^'-llyer, 
I:cmmerly, 
Hei.-rierly, 
Hendricks, 
Hendricks, 
Hendricks 
Hendricks, John C 
Hendricks, Joseph A 
Heritage, John B . . . . 
Heritage, John F. . . 
Heritage, Joseph B . 
Heritage, Joseph D.. 
Heston, George T. . 
Heston, Jesse S. . . 

Hibbs, James C 

Hibbs, John G . . . 
Hibbs, Si)encer H 
Hibbs, William . . 
Hicks, Fdward I' 
Hicks Family . . . . 
Hicks, George A . . . 



5^9 
5-^9 
532 
53-2 

576 
576 
576 
576 
1 12 
no 
112 



PAGE 

Hicks, Penrose 1 14 

Hiester, Maria C 87 

Hiester. William 87 

Hill. Harry C 469 

Hill. Humphrey 469 

Hill. John H 469 

llillborn, John 621 

Jlillborn, William 621 

Hillpot, Samuel S 231 

Hinckle, Casper 380 

Hinckle, Philip 380 

Hines, A. J 473 

Hines, William C 474 

Hhikle, Albert G. B 380 

Hinkle. Elias 707 

Hinkle, Joseph 381 

Hinkle, Tobias C 707 

Hinkle, William 381 

Hobensack, B. Frank 369 

Hobensack, Isaac 369 

Hobensack, Isaac C 720 

Hobensack, Wilkins 610 

Hobensack, William 719 

Hogeland, Abraham 396 

Flogeland, Daniel 395 

Hogeland, Derrick K 39c; 

Hogeland, Elias 396 

Hogeland Family 395 

Hogeland, Frank 396 

Hogeland, Horace B 397 

Hogeland, Isaac 396 

Hogeland. John 397 

Hogeland, JNIorris 398 

Hogeland. William S 397 

Hoguet, Louis A 241 

Holbert, Nathan 706 

Holbert, William 705 

Holbert. William M 705 

Holcomb. Isaac W 608 

Hplcomb. John 608 

Hoi combe, Charles 320 

Flolcombe, John 321 

Holcombe, IMary 320 

Holcombe, Oliver H 320 

Holcombe, Richard 320 

Holcombe. Sarriuel 321 

Hotchkiss, Clarence D 478 

Hotchkiss, George W 478 

Hotchkiss, Samuel 478 

Hough. Benjamin 12 

Hough. John 8 

Hough. John S 8 

Hough. Oliver 11 

Hough, Richard 5 

Plough. William H 74 

Howell. David 562 

Howell. Timothy ....". 562 

Hunsicker. Abraham 514 

Hunsicker. Isaac 514 

Hunsicker. Isaac ]\f . . 514 

Hunsicker. Jacob 514 

Hunsicker, Valentine 514 

Hutc-hinsr>tvEdward S ^44 

1 

i 'isinger. Albert 688 

1 iisinger. Edward 6SS 

Iredell. Charles T ■;63 

Ire.loll. Robert 364 

Ireland, Charles G 705 

Irif land. Rachael P 704 



INDEX 



\n 



PAGE 

Irwin, John 689 

Irwin, Nathan D 637 

Irwin, Mrs. N. D 637 

Ivins, Aaron ^_^^ 

Ivins, Aaron 62T 

Ivins, Edward A 344 

Ivins, Edward A 343 

- Ivins, Moses H 687 

Ivins, William ' H 621 

Jacoby, Benjamin 142 

Jacoby, Edwin J 589 

Jacoby, Henry S 141 

Jacoby, John 589 

Jacoby, Peter 142 

Jacoby, Peter L 142 

James Family 60 

James, Henry A ' 6^ 

James, Howard 1 64 

James, Irvin M 65 

James, Oliver P 66 

James, Thomas A 67 

James, Wynne 64 

Janney Family 54 

Janney, Randle j^. . ^z, 

Janney, Stephen T 50 

Janney, Thomas ^6 

Janney, William S 60 

Jarrett, Alvin J 661 

Jarrett, Solomon 661 

Jenkins, John [^34 

Jenkins, Joseph ^34 

Jenkins, Phineas 534 

Jenkins, Stcphei),' . 534 

Jenkirs, Wilii^m . 5*^4 

Jenkii Zirhary T 534 

Jet;'-- .'ctmily .. ' -^,S 

Jenks, George A \o 

Jenks, John S -^ 

Jenks, Phineas 39 

Jenks, Thomas -. 38 

Jenks, William H 41, 

Jenks, William P 41 

Johnson, Casper ! . . . 347 

Johnson, Charles ;^T^y 

Johnson, Clark 242 

Johnson, Edward W 98 

Johnson, Elmer L 242 

Johnson, H. Watson 221 

Johnson, Isaac S 102 . 

Johnson, Jesse L : . . . . 243 

Johnson, John 237 

Johnson, John R 237 

Johnson, Lawrence gS 

.Johnson, Martin 237 

Johnson. JNlilton 347 

Johnson. O. James 337 

Johnson, Richard M 347 

Johnson, R. Winder \36 

Johnson, Robert M 266 

Johnson, Samuel A 715 

Johnson.' William 254 

Johnson. William 266 

.Tones, Catherine J 667 

Jordan, Alexander 475 

Jordan, A. Hayes 474 

Jordan, Frederick. Jr 475 

■Jordan, Henry ^75 

"Kanll, George 6^8 

Kaiill, John H 6,^?> 



Keeler, 
Keeler, 
Keeler, 



Eli 
E. 



K. 



PAGE 

^ Wesley ^^q 

John ,75 

Kemi, Daniel D jgf, 

Keim, Daniel M ig6 

Keim, Nicholas 196 

Keith, Sipron C ocQ 

Keller, Abraham 509 

Keller, Christopher "' c;o9 

Keller, Joseph ;;;;' rog 

Keller, Lewis cnR 

Keller, Mahlon .... J', 

Kelly, William F.. Jr... . 387 

Kelly, William F., Sr [[[] 3X7 

Kerbangh, Benjamin F 642 

Kcrbaugh, Josiah ] * 642 

Kilcoyne, John J . . 242 

Kimble, Al)el ^^q 

Kimble, Richard 51^0 

Kimble, Seruch T 550 

Kimble, William 550 

King. John F 472 

King, John G 472 

King, ]\Lnrtin 472 

King, ^lorton 612 

King, Peter gj 

King, Samuel M 612 

Kirk, Amos W: 551 

Kirk, Charles '^-y 

Kh-k, Edward R ^^j 

Kirk, Isaac ^'c^i 

Kirk, Thomas \'^i 

Kiser, Edwin 479 

Kiser, Harvey S 478 

Kiser, Samuel 47Q 

Kline, George H 342 

Kline, Henry K 341 

Kline, Isaac 347 

ynight, Alfred ggi 

H-o -'ht, 'Amos 5g8 

KniglK r A iiej-, ggj 

Knight. 1 sirlc 7 s^gg 

Knight. Jonathan * . . c;gg 

Knight. ., Sarah J 660 

Knoll, Frank L ^4^ 

Knoll, Lewis ' / _ ,^^'- 

Kolb. Henry \j] 

Kooker, Henry ., ^j 

Kooker, Jacob , - , . 442 .^ 

Kooker, Peter ' 442 ^l^ 

Kramer, Abraham ,, ' 

Kramer, Samuel R 

Krause, Carl G 

Krause, Charles B 680 

Krauskopf, Joseph 276 

Kratz. Abraham 268 

Kratz. Abraham 689 

Kratz. David N 577 

Kratz. Henry M 268 

Kratz. Henry R 648 

Kratz. Jacob 268 

Kratz. John c,yj 

Kratz, John S . . 68g 

Kratz. Philip 1577 

Kratz. Valentine 268 

Kratz. William 648 

Kratz. William D 348 

Kreiss, Peter 5 f8 

Kreiss, Peter L 518 

Krusen, Wilmer 261 



•5" . 
()8o 



INDEX. 



PAGE 

Kulp, Abraham 316 

Kulp, Abraham' M 587 

Kulp, Harry N 410 

Kulp, Harvey S 586 

Kulp, Jacob H 586 

Kulp, Jacob S 411 

Kulp. John L 316 

Kunser, Andrew 553 

Kunser, Henry 553 

Kunser, ]\Iichael 553 

Lampen, Garret H 407 

Lampen. Michael 407 

Lampen, Michael, Jr 407 

Lamnen, Simon 407 

Landis, Isaac M 619 

Landis, George 354 

Landis, George M 354 

Landis, Henry 436 

Landis, Jacob 354 

Landis, Jacob S 619 

Landis, John M 693 

Landis, Michael A 436 

Landis, Samuel B 353 

Lapp, Abraham 594 

Lapp, Henry B 594 

Lapp, Jacob 594 

Large, Henry C 484 

Large, William M 484 

Larue, Albert C 282 

Larue. John B 282 

LaRue Family 180 

LaRue, Moses 182 

LaRue, Nicholas 183, 

LaRue, William H 183 

Larzelere, Benjamin 446 

Larzelere, Jacob 446 

Larzelere, Nicholas 446 

Larzelere, William 446 

Laubach, Anthony 499 

Laubach, Charles -, ■• 500 

Laubach, Christian . . /T" 498 

Laubach Family • • ' 49^ 

Laubach, Fredenv k 385 

Laubach. Joha/i ' G 499 

Laubach. Jobh G 499 

Laubach, Samuel H 498 

Lauderbach, Charles J 659 

Lauderbach, Harris V 659 

Li ar, George 385 

i.ear. Henry 386 

1 eatherman. Aaron 690 

Lcatherman. Eli 440 

Leatherman. Henry L 361 

.[>eatherman, Jacob 41S 

l-eatherman, Jacob Y 361 

Leatherman, Joseph 690 

Leatherman. Joseph 418 

Lehman, Arthur C 483 

Lehman, Harry C 483 

Lehman, Michael 483 

Lehman & Sons : 483 

Leidy. Cornelius W 4.15 

Leidy Family S87 

Leidy, H. Frank 588 

Leidy. Levi 435 

Leidv, Samuel G 587 

Leigli. Thomas 306 

Leigh, Wiliiam B 306 

Leister, John 53S 



P.^GE 

Leister, Johnas 539 

Leister, Thomas R 538 

Lengil, Peter 542 

Lengel, Samuel R 542 

Lerch, David 429 

Lerch, George W 429 

Lerch. Samuel 429 

Lewis, David M 324 

Lewis, Joseph M 324 

Lippincott, Joshua 668 

Lippincott, Theodore 668 

Livezey, Edward 728 

Livezey, Edward, Sr 728 

Lodge, Abel 607 

Lodge, John 607 

Longstreth, Daniel 302 

Longstreth, Edward 302 

Loux, Andrew 439 

Loux, Mathias i 439 . 

Loux. Mathias J 4.S9 

Lovett, Daniel 661 

Lovett, Henry 307 

Lovett. Jonathan 307 

Lovett, R. Pittield 661 

Lovett, William 307 

Lundy, J. Wilmer 114 

Lundy, Richard 114 

Lynn. Alexander 574 

Lynn, Lewis M 574 

Lynn, Victor V 574 

IMacKenzie, Farrell 610 

MacKenzie. Richard 610 

Alagill, Alfred 602 

Magill, Edward W 449 

iSIagill, C. Howard 601 

Magill, w atsoi. r" 4; 

M -.gill. William 449 

Magill, William 602 

IMarple, Alfred . 283 

]\[arple, Frank H 284 

^Larple, F. M 2^i 

Marshall, Alfred 501 

Marshall, Caleb H 502 

]\Iarshall, George M 447 

Marshall, Harriet P 44S 

]\Iarshall. Robert 502 

]\Iarshall. Se.th 447 

Marshall, Thomas 501 

Jklartin, Adam 37- 

Martin, A. Oscar 4S2 

:Martin, Allen S -'S'8 

Martin, George ,-72 

^Lartin, George ' ■r)2 

Martin. Jonas iSj 

]\Iartin, Michael '02 

Martin, Reul)en A r - 

Martindell, Edwin W -N i 

Martindell, John 507 

Martindell. Jonathan \V 580 

Mason, Ernest ' 3.^8 

]\Iason, Joel v-^ 

Mason, Joel M ...v^ 

]\rathew, Simon I'li 

^ilathews, Charles H i^'O 

]\Iathews, Charles H 1 ' 3 

Mathews. Charles J 417 

Matliews, Lawrence J 417 

Matlack. William .i<io 

Matlack. \\'i]liam. Jr 490 



\ 



INDEX 



xm 



PAGE 

Mawson, John B 654 

Mawson, William 654 

INIayne, David C 657 

jMayne, William C '57 

JMcbowell, Major 3>.| 

McDowell, Robert 374 

McDowell, William 374 

McTlhatten, D. J 3H7 

;McIlhatten, Samuel P 387 

]\IcKinstry, George 327 

McKinstry, Henry 246 

INIcKinstry, H. Martyn 247 

jMcKinstry, Jesse 328 

McKinstry, Nathan 246 

McKinstry, Nathan 327 

IMcKinsfry, Oliver 328 

McKinstry, Robert 246 

IMcKinstry, Samuel 328 

McKinstry, Wilson B 246 

McNair, James 637 

IMcNair, James M 637 

INIcNair, Solomon 637 

Mershon, Joab C 644 

Mershon. William C 644 

]\feyer. Christian 269 

jMeyer, Hans 224 

IMeyer, Henry 440 

Meyer, John 224 

IMeyer, "Samuel 269 

Meyers, Isaac 441 

IMeyers, John H 440 

IMeyers. John 44T 

Michener, Burroughs 367 

jMichener, Ezra 584 

INIichener, Isaiah 584 

]\Iichener, IMarmaduke 367 

Michener, Meschach 367 

IVIichener, Samuel 367 

]\Iiles Family 665 

Miles, Griffith 665 

Miles, Joseph 665 

Miles, Sanmcl 665 

Miles, William G 665 

TMill. George 589 

Mill, George G 589 

Mill, Solomon 589 

Miller, A. J 281 

Milnor, J. Cambv S7S 

Milnor, William "B 575 

Mininger, William H 232 

Minster, Ell wood W , 362 

INTinster, Nicholas 362 

INIinster, William S 362 

Mintzer, St. John W 411 

iMitchell, Allen R 520 

Mitcliell. Gove 520 

INIitthell, Henry 520 

IMitchell, Joim 520 

Mitchell, Pearson 520 

Moll, James D 435 

]\[oll. John 435 

Moll, John G 435 

Mollov, Harry F 262 

Molloy, John B 581 

TMolloy, Nicholas E 262 

Moon, Charles 602 

Moon, Daniel 215 

TMoon Familj . . 212 

Moon, James .... 602 



PAGE 

Moon, Mahlon 213 

Moon, Moses 213 

Moon, Moses 602 

Moon, Owen, Jr 214 

Moon, Roger ' 212 

Moon, William 214 

Moore Family 440 

Moore, Henry ■ 449 

Moore, Henry 11 579 

Moore, Jesse H 579 

Moore, Jesse P 579 

Moore, Mordeci 449 

Moore, Richard 449 

Morgan, Daniel 308 

Morgan, David 416 

Morgan, Enoch 416 

Morgan Family 308 

Morgan, John M 416 

Morgan, j^Irs. Lizzie Bell 311 

Morris, Effingham B 456 

Morris, Israel W 456 

Morris, Mrs. Robert J , 180 

Morris, Peter H 601 

Morris, Theodore 601 

Morris, William T 601 

Morrison, A. J 137 

Morrison, Joseph 138 

Morwitz, Edward 463 

Morwitz, Joseph 464 

Moyer, Abraham '. 269 

Moyer, Abraham D 234 

Moyer, Abraham G 220 

Moyer, Abram F 708 

Moyer, Allen G 219 

IMoyer, Christian 219 

Moyer, Harvey W 221 

Moyer, Henry A 1 70 

Moyer, Henry G 169 

Clover, Flenry 269 

IMoyer, Isaac H 708 ^ — 

Moyer, Levi S 2Sj 

Moyer, Peter 233 

Moyer, Samuel 220 

Moyer, Sanniel B 269 

IMoyer, William G 245 

Murphy, Felix A 67S 

Murphy, John 676 

Murray, Charles 357 

[Murray, Joseph D 331 

Murray, Mahlon 357 

Murray, William H 33^ 

T^Iyer, Benjamin 630 

Myer Family • 630 

Myer, Isaac 630 

Myer, Isaac, Jr 630 

Myers, Aaron F 359X-_ 

Myers. Abraham F 431 

Myers, Abraham G 25T 

Myers, Abraham M 2ST 

Myers, Christian 582 

Myers, Christian M 224 

Myers, Eliza B 226 

Myers, Emma E. B 259 

Myers, Francis F 25T 

IMyers, Henry 251 

Myers. Henry 431 

Myers, Henry F 725 

Myers. Jacob 582 

IVfycrs, Joseph F 359 



MV 



INDEX 



PAGE 

Myers, Newton 582 

Myers, Oliver 725 

Myers, Samuel 225 

Nase, Barndt 574 

Nase, Herbert S 574 

Nash, Abraham 423 

Nash, Abraham 571 

Nash, Abraham D 571 

Nash, Mary A 423 

National Farm School 276 

Naylor, Jesse P 662 

Naylor, William 662 

Neamand. Harry 403 

Neamand, John 403 

Neamand. William 403 

Negus, John 426 

Negus, Stephen W \ . . . 426 

Negus, Thomas C 426 

Newell, William C 157 

Nichols, H. S. P 138 

Nightingale, Charles R 464 

Nightingale, Henry B 465 

Nightingale, Samuel 464 

Nonamaker, Aaron 239 

Nonamaker, Henry 239 

Nonamaker, Noah S 239 

Ozias. George 700 

Ozias, John A 700 

Paddock, Naomi A 635 

Paddock, Phineas 635 

Paist, Andrew C 554 

Paist, James ]\I 553 

Paist, Jonathan 553 

Paist, Joseph H 553 

Parry, Benjamin 68 

Parry, Daniel yi 

Parry, Edward R 70' 

"^arry Family 67- 

Parry, George R 70- 

Parr}% Henry C 287 

Parry, Isaac 226- 

Parry, Isaac 227 

Parry, Isaac C 25(? 

Parry, Jacob 227' 

Parry, John , ; . . 68^ 

Parry, John 287 

Parry, Old Mansion 71 

Parry, Oliver 69 

Parry. Oliver P 71- 

Parry, Philip 287 

Parry. T?icliard R 70 

Parry, Thomas 67- 

Parry, Thomas 227 

ifarry, Thomas 287 

Parry. Thomas F 287 

Parry. William B 288,^ 

Parsons, Charles A > . 400 

Parsons Family 400 

Parsons, Isaac 400 

Patterson, Daniel T 50 

Patterson, James 513 

Patterson, James 411 

Patterson, Jesse 41 r 

Patterson, Samuel A. W 50 

Patterson, ThoiDas H SO 

P^.xsnn, AMiert S 693 

Paxson, Charles 693 



/ 

PAGE 

Paxson, Edward M 154 

Paxson, Jacol) 155 

Pax=on, James 154 

P' son, J. Warren 350 

xson, Mrs. J. Warren 349 

1 axson, Phineas 693 

Paxson, Thomas 754 

Paxson, Thomas 155 

Paxson, William 154 

Pemberton Family i 

Pemberton, Henry 4 

Pemberton. Phineas 4 

Penrose, Evan 699 

Penrose Family 293- 

Penrose, Jarret 294 

Penrose, Jonathan 382 

Penrose, Robert 293 

Penrose, Robert 294. 

Penrose, Samuel 294 

Penrose, Samuel J 296- 

Penrose, William 294 

Penrose, William 295 

Penrose, William 699 

Percy, Frank 434 

Percy, Thomas ^ 434 

Phillips, Francis M 339 

Phillips, Horace G 339 

Pickering, H. Augustus 530 

Pickering, Henry Y 517 

Pickering, Henry Y 669 

Pickering, Isaac, Jr 530 

Pickering, John 517 

Pickering, John 669 

Pickering, Jonathan C 531 

Pickering, Joseph 531 

Pickering, Thomas E 670 

Pickering, Yeamans 317 

Pickering. Yemans 670 

Pollock, James 480 

Poore, Daniel 697 

Poore, John B 696 

Poore, Robert A 698 

Praul, Amos T 447 

Praul, Elias 662 

Praul, Elisha C 569 

Praul, Francis 447 

Praul, Isaac 447 

Praul, John 447 

Praul, John 569 

Praul, William 662 

Preston, Albert W 666 

Preston, Joseph G 666 

Preston, Paul 666 

Preston, Silas 666 

Price, Daniel B 213 

Price, David 260 

Price, David 40^ 

Price Family - 1 3 

Price, James j.'v 

Price, John i .^ 

Price, John ^^^ 260- 

Price, John ^^^5 

Price, John N ^JBfck. 

Price, Nathan 

Price, Nathaniel 

Price, Samuel G .^o 

Price, Samuel G , 466 

Price, Smith 2U0 

Price, William H 665 

Purdy Family 45? 



IXDEX 



XV 



PAGE 

Purely, Harry R 460 

Purely, John 458 

Purdy, John M 459 

Purdv, Thomas 459 

Purdy, William 458 

Pursell, Brice 151 

Pursell, Howard 150 

Pursell, John 151 _ 

Quick, Armitage B 546 

Quick, Ezekiel 546 

Quick, Joseph G . 5.16 

Quinby, George H 386 

Quinby, Henry R 597 

Quinby, Isaiah 386 

Quinbj', James 386 

Quinn. Hiel G 55^ 

Quinn, John 558 

Radcliff, Elisha 453 

Radcliff, George W 660 

Radcliff, James 453 

Radcliff, Jarrves 660 

Radcliff. John 452 

Radcliff, John L 704 

Radcliff, Rachael P 705 

Radcliff, Samuel K 452 

Radcliff, Thomas S 704 

Ramsey, Edward 425 

Ramsey, John. Jr 425 

Ramsey, John, Sr 425 

Ramsey, William 425 

Randall. Amos 2^2 

Randall, Eber 253 

Randall, James V 2^2 

Reed, Andrew 468 

Reed, David 600 

Reed, George I\I 694 

Reed, Jacob 467 

Reed, Johann P 467 

Reed, Michael H 468 

Reed, Robert 600 

Reed. Willoughby H 467 

Reeder, Eastburn 22 

Reeder, Frank K 694 

Reeder. Joseph E 23 

Reeder, Mahlon H 694 

Reeder, Merrick 2,^ 

Renner, Adam 422 

Renner, Jr.cob • 422 

Renner, John 422 

Renner, William 422 

Rhoades. Charles H 25S 

Rice, Charles 569 

Rice, Hampton W 506 

Rice, Joseph 506 

Rice, Oliver J 568 

Rice, Robert 568 

Rice, Samuel H 506 

Rice, William 506 

RicharcKf .n, Edward 256 

Rich" -d -en, Joseph 256 

Richardson, Joshua 255 

Richardson Mary ; 256 

Rickert. Hei v R 713 

Rickert, Isasf^ 713 

Rickert. John • : 44° 

Rickert, Mary L 440 

Rickert. Reuben 1 713 

Rickey, John ' 727 



PAGE 

Rickey, ^largaret W 727 

Ricke}', Randal ^27 

Rickey, Randal H ^^27 

Ridge. Daniel 585 

Ridge, Lloyd 585 

Ridge, Louis A 355 

Ridge. William W 585 

Riegel, Ida J 423 

Riegel, John L 423 

Riggs Family 631 

Riggs, Joseph 631 

Riggs. Samuel 631 X^ 

Robbins, Isaac 1 570 

Robbins, John 57a 

Robbins, Joseph 570 

Roberts, Annie E ;i26 

Roberts, Edwin 326 

Roberts Family ;^26 

Roberts, Lewis 251 

Roberts, Robert ^^26 

Roberts, William P 251 

Rockafcllow, William 657 

Rockafellow, William H 657 

Rodman, John 162 

Rose, Edward B 712 

Rose, John 658 

Rose. OHver P 658 

Rose, Thomas 658 

Rosenberger, Abraham B 675 

Rosenberger, Artemus 418 

Rosenberger. Daniel 563 

Rosenberger. Harrington B 563 

Rosenberger. Henry 418 

Rosenberger. Isaac 67^ ■ 

Rosenberger, Isaac R }.6t, 

Rosenberger, Jacob D 419 

Rosenberger, Joseph 563 

Ross, George 81 

Ross, George 83 

Ross, Henry P 82 

Ross, John 82 

Ross, Thomas 81 

Ros^, Thomas S2 

Roth, Jacob B 258 

Rubinkam, G. W 393 

Rubinkam. Nathaniel 393 

Rufe. George 302 - 

Rufe, John 30:: 

Rufe, John Z 596 

Rufe, Reden 302 — 

Ruff. Jacob ^02 ^ 

Rumpf. Frederick 055 

Rumpf, Joseph F 655 

Rush, Jacob ^i 293 

Rush, William 293 

Ruth, Henry P 539 

Ruth. Joseph S 539 

Ryan, John 476 

Ryan, William C 4/6 

Satterthwaite. Giles 646 

Satterthwaite, Henry W 646 

Savacool, Aaron 291 

Savacool, Enos 291 

Savacool Family 290 

Savacool. Jacob 290 

Savacool, Jacob 291 

Savacool. W. Elmer 292 

Savacool. William P. 291 

Scarborough, Enos T) . I7S>' 



XVI 



INDEX 



PAGE 

Scarborough Family 1/5 

Scarborough Family 178 

Scarborough, Henry W 178 

Scarborough, Hiram 179 

Scarborough, Isaac 180 

Scattergood, Caleb 578 

Scattergood, William A 578 

Schaeffer, Andrew '. 624 

Schaeffer, John .' 624 

Schaffer, Conrad ' 681 

Schaffer, Gotfrey '575 

Schaffer, John . ' 575 

Schaffer, Joseph B 575 

Schaffer, Samuel 68r 

Scheerer, Christian 238 

Scheerer, Jacob 238 

Scheetz, Albert F 384 

Scheetz, Conrad 383 

Scheetz, Erwin 385 

Scheetz Family 383 

Scheetz, George 383 

Scheetz, Harvey '. 385 

Scheib, John 541 

Scheip, George \V 541 

Scheip, John L 541 

Schenck, Courtland 660 

Schenck, Joseph H 660 

SchloUer, Abraham 565 

Schmitt, Harry B 488 

Schmitt, Leonard 488 

Schneider, Jacob 583 

Scott, Abraham 512 

Scott. Joseph ]M 547 

Scott, Josiah 512 

Scott, Josiah E 512 

Scott, Josiah N 513 

Scott, Rachel 513 

Scott, Samuel 512 

Scoit, Thomas 346 

Scott, Wilford L 547 

Scott, William 346 

Search, Christopher 592 

Search, Jacob M 326 

Search, Jacob ]\I 592 

Search, Theodore C 592 

Sells, Holmes T,2y 

Sells, John D 327 

Shaddingcr. Abraham 653 

Sbaddinger, Andrew 653 

Shaddingcr, Edward E 572 

Sh;ddineer, Hannah G 653 

-iliacidinger. Henry R 572 

Sbaddinger, Jacob L 572 

Sbaddinger. John W 675 

Shamp, David 429 

Sliamp, Jonathan 429 

Shari)loss. Charles W 669 

Shearer, Jesse 488 

Shellenberger. Conrad 292 

Shellenberger Family 292 

Shellenberger, John L 292 

Shellenberger, Jacob S 293 

Shelly, Andrew B 200 

Shel ',y, Emanuel N 353 

Shcilv, PTenry S 58^ 

Shelly, Henry S 682 

Shelly, Jacob L 585 

Shell}', Joseph W 200 

Shell} , Samn. i t,^t, 

Sboll\ S;:mml qS; 



PAGE 

Shelly, Samuel D 353 

Shelly, Samuel M 682 

Shepherd, Carlile 480 

Shepherd, Cornelius 481 

Shepherd, Henry C 481 

Shepherd, John C 481 

Shepherd. Joseph 481 

. Sherm, John 677 

Sherm, John B 677 

Sherm, William H 577 

Sherwood Catharine J 667 

Sherwood, Harry M 596 

Sherwood, John 667 

Sherwood, William 595 

Sherwood, William E 595 

Shoemaker, Harry J 296 

Shoemaker, Isaac 297 

Shoemaker, James 297 

Shoemaker, James 298 

Shoemaker, Jesse 298 

Shoemaker, Peter 296 

Shoemaker, Peter, Jr 297 

Siddall, John E 556 

Siddall, Joseph H 556 

Siegler, Charles L 304 

Siegler, C. Louis 304 

Siegler Family 303 

Siegler, INIathevv .' 303 

Siegler. Peter 304 

Sine, Darius 542 

Sine, John 542 

Sine, Joseph 542 

Slack, Abraham 562"" 

Slack, Abraham 654 - 

Slack, Abraham 673 , 

Slack, Abram K 562 - 

Slack, Albert 6^9 - 

Slack, Albert E ■. . 673 

Slack, Cornelius 562 - 

Slack, Cornelius 654- 

Slack, David 639 . 

Slack, Edward M 654 - 

Slack, Edward T 639 _ 

Slack, Elijah T 673 ^ 

Slack, John 639 - 

Slotter. Jacoh 674* 

Slotter, J. Titus 67^ 

Slotter, John F 565 

Slotter, Samuel 565 

Smith, Charles J (134 

Smith, Charles B . 511 

•Smith, Fdnumd 618 

Smith, Elias E 5tt 

Smith, Horace T 6\y 

Smith, James 656 

Smith, James P 656 

Smith, John D 339 

Smith, Jonathan 635 

Smith Joshua ^118 

Smith, Joseph L 2O,- 

Smith. i\Iartin H. 339 

Smith, Robert fnr 

Smith, Thomas M>' 

Smith, Thomas S fii.^ 

Smith, William -'03 

Smith, William 635 

Snyder, y\mos H 591" 

Snyder, George 583 

Snydev, Henry H 583 

Snvdcr, John 19S 



INDEX 



xvu 



Snyder, John H 

Snyder, Martin L 

Snyder, Martin L 

Snyder, Robert B 

Solliday, Jacob 

Solliday, Peter 

Souder, Cliristopher 

Souder, Henry 

Souder, Henry H 

Springer, John 

StackhoTise, Amos 

Stack-house, Asa INI 

Stackhouse, Benjamin 

Stackhouse, Charles 

Stackhouse Family 

Stackhouse, Henry 

Stackhouse, Henry W 

Stackhouse, Isaac 

Stackhouse, Isaac 

Stackhouse, James R 

Stackhouse, John H 

Stackhouse, John H 

Stackhouse, Robert 

Stackhouse, Thomas, Jr 

Stackhouse, Thomas, Sr 

Stapler, John 

Stapler, John M 

Staplery Stephen 

Stapler. Susanna , 

Staplerl Thomas, 

Staveley, William 

Staveley, William R 

Steeb, Friedrich 

Stever, Abraham 

Stever, John 

Stever, John H 

Stever, Reuben B 

St. Francis Industrial School. 

Stintsman, Samuel 

Stintsman, Silas 

Stintsman, Thomas 

Stockton, Isaiah V 

Stockton, John 

Stockton. Lendrum 

Stonebach, Jacob T 

Stonebach, Sylvester H 

Stoneback, Robert 

Stoneback, Worman 

Stout, Abraham 

Stout, Abraham B 

Stout, Enos 

Stout, Jacob B 

Stout, Harrison C 

Stout, Henry H 

Stout, Jacob 

Stout, Lewis K 

Stout, Mahlon H 

Stout, Oliver 

Stout, Oliver A 

Stover, Abraham F 

Stover, Henry S 

Stover, Jacob 

Stover, Jacob 

Stover, John J 

Stover, Ralph 

Stover, Samuel . . 

Strawn, Charles F 

Strawn, Daniel 

Strawn, Johnson 

Strawn, Thomas ... ...... 



'AGE 

198 
197 
198 

591 

730 ■ 

730 

613 

613 

61S 

686 

489- 

489^ 

420 

420 

419 

682 

6S2 

419 

420 

682 

■420 

420 

490 ' 

419 

419 

4S6 

486 

4S6 

604 

486 

649 

649 

.^56 

402 

402 

40.> 

402 

414 
232 
232 
232 
600 
600 
600 
63s 
635 
676 
676 
84 
345 
203 

85 
345 
202 

84 
203 

84 
20 r 
203 
428 
582 
226 

583 
582 
428 
226 
590 
=;9o 
678 
500 



PAGE 

Strawn, Thomas 678 

St. Stephen Reformed Church 531 

Stuckert, Amos 278 

Stuckert, Henry 277 

Stuckert, Henry C 277 

Stuckert, William H 277 

Stuckert, William R 27S 

Summers Family 490 

Summers, ]\Iartin 491 

Summers, Philip 491 

Summers, Samuel 491 

Summers, William 492 

Swallow, Charles R 313 

Swallow, Francis R 313 

Swartley, Abraham M 267 

Swartlej^, George 439 

Swartley, Henry D 241 

Swartley, Henry S 267 

Swartley, John 222 

Swartley, John 223- 

Svvartley, John C 85 

Swartlc3% Levi 222 

Swartley, Levi M 223 

Swartley, Philip R 85 

Swartley, Philip 222 

Swartley, Philip 439 

Swartley, Philip C 240 

Swartz, Abram 680- 

Swart /c, Abram V 679 

Swart/C, Andrew 670 

Swartz, Jacob i I ! 230 

Swartz. Thomas I' 230 

Swartzlander. Frank 187 

Swartzlander. Frank B 189 

Swartzlander, Gabriel 18S 

Swartzlander, Jacob 188 

Swartzlander, Joseph R 190 

Swope, Reuben 276 

Taylor. Benjamin • 536 

Taylor, Benjamin J 109 ■ 

Taylor, Charles L 104- 

Taylor, Joseph ^;^~ 

Taylor, Timothy ^t,/ ■ 

Taylor, Thomas 104 • 

Taylor, William S 267 

Terry. Charles B, 603 

Terry, Millard F 603 

Terry, William 603 

Thatcher, Samuel B 716 

Thomas, .Abiah 494 

Thomas, Hiram 494 

Thomas, Job 40 .^ 

Thomas, Joseph 223 

Thomas, Oliver M 492 

Thomas, Thomas 403 

Thompson, Albert 66ji 

Thompson, Albert J 663 

Thompson, John 502 

Thompson, Warner C 663 

Tierney, J. J., Country Home 44S 

Titus, PYancis, Jr 437 

Titus, Jacob 437 

Titus, Oliver P 437 

Titus, Tennis 437 

Titus. William 437 

Tomlinson. Aaron 342 

Tomlinson, B. Palmer 714 

Tomlinson, George 343 

Tomlinson, Homer 675 



xvm 



INDEX 



PAGE 

Tomlinson, John 6y^ 

Tomlinson, Joshua 342 

Tomlinson, Richard 342 

Tomlinson, Robert K 714 

Tomlinson, William 342 

Torbert Family 724 

Torbert, James 72 y 

■Torbert, James, Jr 724 

Torbert, John K 725 

Trauch, Edward H 323 

Trauch, Peter . 434 

Trauch, William H 322, 

Trauch, William H 434 

Trauger, Elias 368 

Trauger, Xoah G 36S 

Trego, Amos K 35^ 

Trego, Edward 398 

Trego, Harry R 350 

Trego, Jacob 350 

Trego, James 35^ 

Trego, John 2,31 

Trego, John K 351 

Trego, Mahlon 398 

Trego, William 351 

Trego. William . . . .' 35 1 

Troemner, Eliza B 427 

Trumbauer. George 43 ^ 

Trumbauer, Henry 431 

Trumbauer, John 695 

Trumbauer, Micliael S 695 

Trumbauer, William P 43^ 

Turner. Mary A 166 

Twining, Amas H 7or 

Twining, Charles 4.09 

Twining, Cyrus B 624 

Twining, David 70 r 

Twining, Edward W 410 

Twining, F. Cvrus 624 

Twining, Jacob, Jr 62}, 

Twining. Sara E 701 

Twining, Stephen 409 

Twining, Stcohen B 408 

Twining, William. Jr ! 408 

Twining, Wilmcr A 623 

Umstead. David R 445 

Umstead. Jonathan R 445 

Umstead, William 4J5 

L'ndcrwood. Owen L 360 

Underwood, Reuben L 360 

V'anarlsdalen, Cyrus T 279 

^'an Artsdalen, Garret ?8o 

Van Artsdalen, Henry H 2X1 

Van Artsdalen, Isaac 28c 

Van Art-dalen, Tames 28r 

Van Artsdalen. James, Jr 281 

Van Artsdalen, John 2S0 

Van Artsdalen. Silas 2.8r 

Van Artsdalen, Simon 279 

Vandegritt. Charles S. 2>3 

Vandea:rift Family 3'^ 

Vandegrift Frederic B ?,?, 

Vandegrift, George V .36 

Vandegrift. John G 34 

Vandegrift. J. Wilson },7 

Vandegrift. Lewis H 3(J 

Vandegrift. Lemuel 34 

Vandegrift. Moses 34 

\'andegrift. Sanuiel A 35 



PAGE 

Van Hart, Charles 430 

Van Hart, Charles 670 

Van Hart, David 430 

Van Hart, Frank W 645 

Van Hart, Jacob 570 

\'an Hart. Jacob 645 

\'an Hart, IMichael A 570 

Van Hart. Michael A 645 

\3.n Horn. Christian 94 

Van Horn Family 92 

Van Horn. Henry 96 

Van Horn. Isaiah 96 

\"an Horn, Richard H 97 

\'an Horn, Samuel S 97 

Van Pelt Family 102 

Van Pelt. Joseph 104 

Van Pelt. Seth C 103 

\'an Pelt. William 104 

Van Sandt. Albert 26 

Van Sandt, Cornelius 25 

Van Sandt, Garret ■ 27 

Van Sandt, George 27 

Van Sandt, Jacobus . . . 26 

Van Sandt, Johannes 26 

Van Sandt, Stot^el 24, 

\'ansant Family 24- 

Vansant, Howard 28 

Vansant, James T 28 

Vansant, John F 261 

Vansant, John H 261 

Winsant, Martin Y. ^ 29 

Vansant. Nathaniel 29 

Void, Frederick R 329 

Void, Frederick, Sr 329 

Waidelich, John H 544 

\\'aidelich, Michael F 544. 

Walker. Edwin C 542 

Walker. Elias 542 

Walker. Holcombe 633 

\\'a!ker. Peter 542 

Walker. Phineas 633 

\\'alker, Rober-t 633 

Walker. William L 6,^2 

Wallace, James 462 

Wallace, James 463 

Wallace, John B 463 

AN'allace. Robert 462 

Wallace. William S j6r 

Walter. John 672 

Walter. John B 317 

Walter. Jo^^enh B 672 

WaUcr, Michael 672 

Walton. Heston J54 

Walton. Isaiah 255 

Walton. Jeremiah 254 

Walton. Thomas 25,=; 

Walton. William 298 

Wambold, Abraham H 404 

Wambold. Xoah 404 

Wanger. George 1.34 

Wans ?r. Irvinsr P 133 

Washhvrn. J. H 277 

Watson. Henry 1^7 

Watson. Henr}- ^^' 664 

Watson. Jenks G 620 

Watson. Josep'i 66a 

Watson, John 136 

Witson. Samuel \ 620 

\\'atson, William 136 



INDEX 



XIX 



PAGE 

Weaver, Brice 382 

Weaver, Isaac 382 

Weaver, Stacy L 382 

Weber, Frank 560 

Weber, George . . . ^ 560 

Webster, Hugh B.. 557 

Webster, Jesse G 557 

Weisel, Ehner P 729 

Weisel, Francis S 7:^^ 

Weisel, Henry 730 

Weisel, Oscar W 731 

Weisel, Samuel 730 

Weiss, George 44' 

Weiss, Henry W 441 

Wharton, Thomas L 525 

White,-^ Charles A 726 

White, George 698 

White, Howard P 244 

White, James , 638 

White, Jonathan 244 

White, I,ednum L 726 

White, Thdmas 658 

White, William 244 

White. William H 698 

Wildman, Alfred M 651 

Wildman. Charles 648 

Wildman, George K 315 

Wildman, John 657 

Wildman, Joshua 315 

Wilkinson, Abraham 421 

Wilkinson, Charles T 420 

Wilkinson, Eleaser 421 

Wilkinson, Frederick R 174 

Wilkinson. John 421 

Wilkinson, Lawrence 420 

Wilkinson. Ogden.D '. 171 

Wilkinson, Samuel 420 

Wilkinson. William 420 

Willard Family 398 

Willard. Jacob 695 

Willard, James V ^()S 

Willard, James V 399 

Willard, Jes-e 399 

Willard. J. Monroe 399 

Willard, Lewis ()95 

Williams, Anthony 701 

Williams, Barzilla \* 2~s 

Williams, Benjamin 272 

Williams, Benjamin 274 

Williams, Carroll R 273 

Williams. Charles 701 

Williams, Cyrenious 497 

Williams, Edward 272 

Williams Family 27 ^ 

Williams, Henry T 72S 

Williams, Jeremiah 273 

Williams, John 275 

Williams, John 728 

W^illiams, John S 272 

Williams, Neri B 497 

Williams. Samuel 272 

Williams, Thomas 497 

Williamson, Edward C 664 

Williamson Family 216 

Williamson. Jesse 664 

Williamson, John 218 

Williamson, Josephus 218 



PAGE 

Williamson, Mahlon 217 

Williamson, Mahlon . 664 

Williamson, Peter 217 

Williamson, William 217 

Wilson, Ebenezer C 378 

Wilson, Isaac 378 

Wilson, John D 205 

Wilson, Joshua ^78 

Wilson, Joseph H 378 

Wilson, Samuel 519 

Wilson, William E 519 

Wilson, William E 520 

Winder Family 100 

Winder. Jacob M loi 

Winner, Samuel 565 

Winner. William P 565 

Wismer. Christian 505 

Wolfingcr, Jacob D 6og 

Wolfinger. Reuben S 6og 

Wood. Benjamin G 715 

Wood, George 715 

Wood. Joseph 715 

Woodman, Edward 548 

Woodman. Henry 549 

^Voodman. Isaac N 548 

Worstall. Edward D 371 

Worstall, Edward H 191 

Worstall. George C 190 

Worstall. John igo 

Worstall, Joseph 190 

Worstall, Joseph 191 

Worstall. Josepli. Tr 371 

Worstall, Joseph, Sr 371 

^X^irthineion. Amasa 721 

Worthington, Amos S 352 

Worthington, Amy 672 

Worthington, Benjamin M 672 

Worthington. Elisha 559 

Worthington. Harriet L 559 

Worthiifgton, John 710 

Worthington. Joseph 559 

Worthington. Lewis 352 

Worthington. Lewis 710 

\\'orthington. T. S 721 

Wright. William P 650 

Wynkoop, Garrett 354 

Wynkoop, John 354 

Wynkoop. Philip 354 

Wynkoop, \Villiam 118 

Yardley, Achsah 604 

Yardley, Charles G88 

Yardley Family 122 

Yardley, John 122 

Yardley. Mahlon 688 

Yardley, Robert ^[ 125 

Yardley, Samuel 124 

Yardley, William 604 

Yardley. William 688 

Yardley. William W 688 

Yerkes, Harman 75 

Yerkes, Herman 75 

Yerkes, Stephen 76 

Yocum. Israel 599 

Yocum. Jonathan 599 

Yocum, William D 599 



BUCKS COUNTY. 



THE PEMBERTON FAMILY. Four 
miles south of Morrisville, Bucks county, 
Pennsylvania, on the mainland, near the 
Delaware river, opposite Biles' Island, 
there is an old family graveyard, dating 
back to the ninth decade of the seven- 
teenth century. It is one of the oldest 
graveyards in the county, if not in the 
state. Within its walls, measuring two 
rods square, lies the remains of four gen- 
erations of one family, all of whom died 
in the short space of fifteen years. There 
rest the five j'oung children of Phineas 
and Phebe (Harrison) Pemberton, as well 
as both the parents of these children. Near 
them also repose their grandparents. Ralph 
Pemberton, and James Harrison and Anne 
his wife; and adjoining lies the remains of 
their great-grandmother, Agnes Harrison, 
born in one of the last years of the reign 
of Queen Elizabeth. Not often, even in a 
well settled and long established country, 
is found such a number of generations, en- 
compassed by one enclosure. The early 
history of the family that lies buried in this 
ancient burying ground is so closely inter- 
woven with the history of the founding 
of Penn's colony on the Delaware and 
the causes that led up to that event, and 
so typical of that of most of the early 
families that formed the van guard of the 
Quaker emigrants to Pennsylvania, — ex- 
plaining, as it does, the motive that led 
these early settlers to leave the land of 
their birth' and seek homes in an unknown 
wilderness — that we wish to preface a brief 
account of the family with some account 
of the early sutTerings of the Society of 
Friends, of which they were representa- 
tive members. Let us take a glance at the 
condition of the Friends in England, prior 
to Penn's establishment of his colony in 
America. 

The development of Quakerism in Eng- 
land under, let us say, the reign of Henry 
VIII, would have been an impossibility: 
but the growth of popular government and 
freedom of thought which were so firmly 
established by the genius and power of 
Oliver Cromwell, rendered possible that 
which would have been entirely impossible 
a century earlier. All the force of gov- 
ernment, however, and all the power of 
the church were thrown against the So- 
ciety of Friends, and no means were spared 
1-3 



to persecute them and subject them to 
ignomy and contempt. No class of life- or 
society was spared in these persecutions. 
Many of the early converts to Quakerism 
were of noble birth or people of power 
and influence in the realm. William Penn 
was "the companion of princes and the 
dispenser of royal favors." Thomas El- 
wood was «of gentle birth, being nearly 
related through his mother to Lady Wen- 
man. George Barclay was of good stock 
and a fine classical scholar. Yet all these 
men, because of their religious convictions, 
were frequently imprisoned, sometimes 
herded with the lowest felons and vilest 
prostitutes — "nasty sluts indeed they were," 
says Elwood in his autobiography. "Re- 
member," said Phineas Pemberton, in an 
epistle that was intended as a preface to 
the "Book of Minutes of the Yearly Meet- 
ing of Friends," on the setting up of that 
body at Burlington, New Jersey; "Remem- 
ber, we were a despised people in our 
native land, accounted by the world scarce 
worthy to have a name or place therein ; 
daily liable to their spoil ; under great 
sufferings, by long and tedious imprison- 
ments, sometimes to the loss of life — ban- 
ishment, spoil of goods, beatings, mock- 
ings, and ill treatings ; so that we had not 
been a people at this day had not the Lord 
stood by us and preserved us." (Friends' 
Miscellany, vol. vii, p. 42.) His descrip- 
tion is not overdrawn : "Come out," they 
cried before Phineas Pemberton's door in 
1678 ; "Come out, thou Papist dog, thou 
Jesuit, thou devil, come out." He was 
several times imprisoned in Chester and 
Lancaster castles, being confined in the 
latter prison in 1669 nineteen weeks and 
five days, and this, too, before he was 
twenty-one years of age. 

James Harrison, who lies buried beside 
Phineas Pemberton and who was his 
father-in-law, was very active as a minis- 
ter among Friends and was imprisoned in 
1660, in Burgas-gate prison for nearly two 
months; in 1663 in the county jail of Wor- 
cester; in 1664, 1665 and 1666 in Chester 
castle : "But none of these things," says 
Phineas. were done unto us because of our 
evil deeds, but because of the exercise of our 
tender consciences towards our God." Nor 
were these cases exceptional ; to such a 
pitch of nervousness had the government 



HISTORY OF BUCKS COUXTV. 



been wrought by the various plots, and 
so great was the fear of Catholic ascen- 
dency among the people at that time, that 
later, in t6S6, when James 11 issued the 
general pardon to all who were in prison 
on account of conscientious dissent, over 
twelve hundred Quakers — perfectly inof- 
fensive and harmless subjects as they were 
— were released, "many having been im- 
mured in prison, some of them twelve or 
fifteen years and upwards, for no crime but 
endeavoring to keep a good conscience to- 
wards God." 

It was from this English barbarism and 
English oppression that William Penn in- 
vited his fellow Friends to join him in 
what he called his "Holy Experiment" in 
America. Accordingly, on the sth of the 
7th month (September), 1682, the Pember- 
tons and Harrisons, with other families, 
sailed from Liverpool in the ship "Sub- 
xnission" for Pennsylvania. As it may be 
of interest to their descendants we give 
below the list of passengers on the "Sub- 
mission." This list is taken ,from James 
Pemberton Parke's mss. account of the 
Pemberton family, 1825. It is from this 
>manuscript that the account of the family 
^published in the Friends' miscellany, vol. 
vii, is drawn. The latter, however, con- 
tains only a partial list of the passengers 
given below. Our list also contains some 
particulars not included in the list given 
:in the "Sailing of the Ship Submission" 
in vol. i, no. i, of the "Publications of 
the Genealogical Society of .Pennsylvania," 
Philadelphia, 1895. 

Passengers on board the ship "Sub- 
xnission." 

Ralph Pemberton, Bolton, Lancashire, 
age 72; servants, Joseph Mather, Eliza- 
beth Bradbury. 

Phineas Pemberton, Bolton, Lanca- 
shire, age 33 ; servants, William Smith, 
servant of Phineas Pemberton, came in 
Friends' Adventure, arrived 7th mo. 28, 
:l682. 

Phebe Pemberton, wife of Phineas, 
daughter of James Harrison, age 23 

Abigail Pemberton, daughter of Phineas, 
age 3 years. 

Joseph Pemberton, son of same, aged 
pne year. 

James Harrison, Bolton, Lancashire, 
age 57 years: servants, Joseph Steward, 
Allis Dickerson, Jane Lyon. 

Agnes Harrison, Bolton, Lancashire, 
mother of James, age 81. 

Ann Harrison, his wife, Bolton, Lanca- 
shire, age 61. 

Robert Bond, son of Thomas Bond, of 
Waddicar Hall, near Garstang, Lancashire, 
age 16; being left by his father to the tu- 
ition of sd. James Harrison. 

Lydia Wharmsby, of Bolton afsd., age 

42- 

Randolph Blackshaw, Hollingee, in the 
Co. of Chester, servants, Sarah Brad- 
bury. Roger Bradbury, and Elinor his 
wife and their children Hager, Jacob, 
Joseph, Martha, and Sarah. 



Alice Blackshaw, his wife, and their chil- 
dren, l^liebe, Sarah, Jacob, Mary, Neiie- 
miah, Martha and Abraham, the latter 
died at sea, 8 mo. 2d, 1682. 

Ellis Jones, and Jane his wife. Coun- 
ty of Denby or Flint, in Whales, and 
their children, Barbara. Dorothy, Mary 
and Isaac Jones. "Servants of the Gov- 
ernor Penn these came." 

Jane Mode and Margery Mode of Wales. 
daughters of Thomas Winn, and the wife of 
sd. Thomas Winn ; servants, Hareclif Hod- 
ges, servant of Thomas Winn. 

James Clayton, of Middlewitch, Chester, 
blacksmith, and Jane his wife, and cliil- 
dren James, Sarah, John, Mary, Joshua 
and Lydia. 

The list conforms to the account given 
in the original "Book of Arrivals" in the 
handwriting of Phineas Pemberton, now in 
possession of the Bucks County Historical 
Society. The list given in the Publications 
of the Genealogical Society, above referred 
to, gives, in addition to the above, "Rich- 
ard Radclif, of Lancashire, aged 21," and 
Ellen Holland, whose name adjoins that of 
Hareclif Jones ; "Joseph* Clayton, aged 5," 
and omits Joshua Jones ; and gives age of 
Barbara Jones as 13, gives "Margery and 
Jane Mede, aged 11 1-2 and 15, respective- 
ly. It also gives "Rebeckah Winn. 20 years," 
but omits the name of — Winn, wife of 
Thomas. In re, Winn and Mode, see "Pen- 
na. Magazine of History and Biography," 
vol. ix, p 231, also "Genealogy of Fisher 
Family, 1896, pp. 15, 199, and "Ancestry of 
Dr. Thomas Wynne," 1904. 

James Settle, captain of the ship "Sub- 
mission," was by the terms of his agree- 
ment to proceed with the ship to the "Del- 
aware River or elsewhere in Pennsylvania, 
to the best convenience of the freighters," 
but through his dishonesty they were taken 
into Maryland, to their very great disad- 
vantage where after a severe storm they had 
enconntered at sea, on 8 mo. 2. 1682, they 
arrived in the Patuxent river, on the 30th 
of October, and unloaded their goods at 
Choptank. Here James Harrison and Phin- 
eas Pemberton, his son-in-law, left their 
respective families, at the house of Will- 
iam Dickenson, and proceeded overland to 
the place of their original destination, the 
"falls of the Delaware," in Bucks county. 
William Penn, who had arrived on Octo- 
ber 24, was at that time in New York ; 
Harrison and Pemberton had hoped to meet 
him at New Castle. When they arrived 
at the present site of Philadelphia they 
could not procure entertainment for their 
horses, and so "spancelled" them and turned 
them into the woods. The next morning 
they sought for them in vain they having 
strayed so far in the woods that one of 
them was not found until the following 
January. After two days searching they 
were obliged to proceed up the river in a 
bont. Philadelphia was not then founded, 
and the country was a wilderness. 

James Harrison had received grants of 
5,000 acres of land of Penn, when in Eng- 







,GNES WIFE OF.iMMAilllEL,liAKHjSQ^„ 

- ■ • BORN: i.eCi-, 0iTO,AUGJ>687 

HER SON-- JAMES HARRISON . 

',.B.' fSgS-'- 0. ■0Ct.-8- IBB! ■'%:,':: 
HIS WIFE ANKE (H»TH1 HARRfSW^' 
,J^^^.fEB-J3- f623-4- D. March 5 168S-30: 

"^ ' HCmCHIta PHCEBE 
,;iFE^OF FHINEAS PEMBEHTON 
B. APRIL T J&60 0. Get. 30 (396 
RALPH PEMBERTON- 
B . JAN.3 l6(0-it :D: JULY'a.f687v , i,^ 

HiSSOHPHlHEASPEMBERTOffi 

B •£« 30 I649-50 D.MAR^.H I ll&rZ ^ 
IVE OF HJS CHIUBREN 

^'EST THEIR 




PUBLICLI3:^^.;^Y 



ASTON, LENOX AND 
TILCEN FOUNDATlCNS. 



HISTORY OF BUCKS COUNTY, 



land, a short time before his departure 
for America. Most of this land was sub- 
sequently located in Bucks county. In the 
following spring, 1683, Harrison and Pem- 
berton brought their families and house- 
hold goods from Maryland to this county, 
Harrison stopping at Upland, now Ches- 
ter, on the way south, to attend the first 
Assembly, to which he had been elected. 
Until Phineas could erect a house in Bucks 
county, he and his family stayed at the 
house of Lyonel Brittian, who had arrived 
in Bucks, 4 mo. (June) 1680. On 11 mo. 
ly, 1683, Phineas Pemberton purchased a 
tract of 500 acres on the Delaware, oppo- 
site Grecian's (later Biles') Island and 
built a house there. It must have been a 
satisfaction to him, after the storms at sea 
and wanderings on land, to have his fam- 
ily at last under his own roof-tree. This 
plantation he called "Grove Place." He 
appears, however, at first to have called 
it "Sapasse." since letters to him from 
friends in England in 16S4 were addressed, 
. "Sapasse, Bucks County." It was part of 
a tract of over 8,000 acres of land, pur- 
chased by Penn from an old Indian king, 
and had once been a royalty called "Sep- 
essain." (On Peter Lindstrom's map of 
1654, in Sharp and Westcott's "History of 
Philadelphia," vol. i, p. 75, the name ap- 
pears as "Sipaessing Land"). The old bury- 
ing ground before referred to was located 
on this tract. Being desirous of erecting 
• a more comfortable home for his family, 
Phineas Pemberton finished one in 1687. 
•On the lintel of the door was this inscrip- 
tion :, 



'P. 



P. 7 D. 2 mo. 1687. 



The initials signifying Phineas and Phebe 
Pemberton. This lintel is now in the pos- 
session of the Historical Society of Penn- 
sylvania, Philadelphia. This house Pem- 
berton moved after his second marriage to 
another tract of land five miles distant 
and more in the interior. It was taken 
' down in 1802 by his grandson, James Pem- 

■ berton. In the year 1687 a great deal of 
sickness prevailed in the colony, and Phin- 
eas Pemberton lost his father, Ralph Pem- 
berton, and his father-in-law, James Harri- 
son. Agnes Harrison, the mother of James, 
also died. Three years later Anne (Heath) 
Harrison, the widow of James died; and in 
1696 Phineas lost his wife Phebe, who 
died 8 mo. 30, i6g6, exactly fourteen years 
after her arrival in Patuxent river, Mary- 
land. 

On the i8th day of May, 1699, Phineas 

■ Pemberton married, at the Meeting House 
at Falls. Alice Hodgson, "of Burlington, 
in the Province of West Jersey, spinster, 
daughter of Robert Hodgson, late of Rhode 
Island, deceased." The following names, 
as witnesses appear on the marriage certifi- 
•cate : 



Ann Elett, 
Ann Jennings, 
Elenor Hoopes, 
Mary Baker, 
Abigail Sidwell, 
Eliz. Browdon, 
Sarah Surket, 
Mary Webster, 
Phebe Kirkbride, 
Sarah Jennings, 
Grace Lloyd, 
Mary Badcoke, 
Elizabeth Badok, 
Ann Borden, 
Elizabeth Stacy, 
Sarah Stacy, 
William Croasdell, 
George Browne, 
John Surket, Junr., 
Joseph Large, 
Peter Webster, 
Seth Hill, 
Edwd. Penington, 
Tho. Brock, 
Joseph Kirkbride, 
John Jones, 
Jeremiah Langhorn 
William Ellett, 
John Biles, 



Saml. Beakes, 
Arthur Cooke, ' 
John Simcocke, 
Saml. Jennings, • 
Thos. Duckett, 
Jos. Growdon, 
Mahlon Stacy, 
Henry Baker, 
Richard Hough, 
Will. Dunkin, 
Isaac Mariott, 
Peter Worrall, 
Edward Lucas. 
Abraham Anthony, 
John Cooke, -^ 
John Sidwell, 
Robert Hodgson, 
Philip England, 
Mary Yardley, 
Abell Janney, 
Jos. Janney, 
Mary Williams, 
Abigail Pemberton, 
Eliz. Janney. 
Joseph Pemberton, 
Israel Pemberton, 
Thomas Yardley, 
Rand'l Blackshaw, 
Joseph Mather. 



Alice Dickerson, 
Martha Drake, 



Joseph Borden, 
John Borradaill, 



The original certificate is in the posses- 
sion of p descendant. Mr. Henry Pember- 
ton, of Philadelphia. Phineas had no chil- 
dren by his second wife. After his death 
she married, in 1704, Thomas Bradford, 
being also his second wife. She died Au- 
gust 28, 1711. 

James Harrison was at an early date the 
friend and confidant of Penn. "He was," 
says Proud, "one of the Proprietor's first 
Commissioners of Property, was divers 
years in great esteem with him, and his 
agent at Pennsbury, being a man of good 
education and a preacher among the Quak- 
ers." In the library of the Historical So- 
ciety of Pennsylvania at Thirteenth and 
Locust streets, Philadelphia, (Penn mss. 
Domestic Letters) there are many original 
letters from Penn to Harrison, some of 
them written before Penn left England. 
They undoubtedly belong to the collection 
of Pemberton mss.* now owned by the His- 



*This collection, mounted in about one hundred 
volumes, extends over a period of about two hundred 
years from a date before the birth of Penn to within 
modern times. It was presented to the Society in 
1891 by Henry Pemberton, of Philadelphia, and com- 
prises mss. of the Pemberton, Harrison, Galloway, 
Rawle, Shoemaker, Clifford and other families. Two 
volumes of letters now in the " Etting Collection" of 
the same Society, belonged originally to this collec- 
tion as they are docketed on the outside in the liand-. 
writing of James Pemberton. Harrison was a member 
of the first provincial council, which met in Philadel- 
phia on tlie tenth day of the first month, 1682-3. In 
the same year lie was a member of the committee to 
draw up the charter of the colony. In 168.5 he was 
appointed by Penn as chief justice of the supreme 
court, but declined to serve: but the following year he 
accepted the position of associate justice. He was 
Penn's steward and agent in Pennsylvania until his 
death, on October 6, 1687. His daughter Phebe mar- 
ried Phineas Pemberton, the 1st day of 11 mo. ( Janu- 
ary ) 16T6-7. at the house of John Haydock, in Coppull, 
near Standish. Lancashire. England, under the super- 
vision of Hardshaw Monthly Meeting of Friends. 



HISTORY OF BUCKS COUNTY. 



torical Society, since they contain an index 
drawn in the handwriting of Phineas Pem- 
berton. Many of these letters from Penn 
are interesting in that they contain refer- 
ence to matters current in the earliest days 
of the colony, and also occasionally give a 
picture of political life in England. 

Phineas Pemberton took an active part 
in the public affairs of the colony as well 
as of Bucks county. He was a member of 
provincial council in 1685-7, 1695, and 1697- 
9; was a member of assembly 1689, 1694, 
1698 (the latter year he was speaker), and 
in 1700, and a member of Penn's council 
of state in 1701. But it was in the affairs 
of Bucks county, where he lived, that his 
activity and usefulness was the greatest 
and his work of the most value. He was 
beyond doubt the most prominent man of 
his time in the county and the most ef- 
ficient, as shown by the mass of records 
he has left behind him in his own hand- 
writing, and by the number of official po- 
sitions he filled. In addition to filling the 
local positions of register of wills, recorder, 
and clerk of all the courts, he held for a 
time the positions of master of the rolls, 
register general, and recorder of proprie- 
tary quit-rents for the province ; and the 
records of the county up to the time of his 
fatal illness are entirely in his handwrit- 
ing, and are models worthy of imitation 
by officials of our day. The records of the 
different courts left by him are invaluable 
to the historian, and greatly superior to 
those of his successors in office in the matter 
of lucidity and completeness. Many of our 
historians have noticed and acknowledged 
this fact, which is apparent to all that have 
had access to them. Buck, in his "His- 
tory of Bucks County," referring to the 
records left by Pemberton, ;says, "they 
comprise the earliest records of Bucks coun- 
ty offices, and, though they have been re- 
ferred to by different writers, comparative- 
ly little has been heretofore published from 
them. To us they have rendered valuable 
aid and we must acknowledge our indebt- 
edness for information that could, possi- 
bly, from no other source have been ob- 
tained." In like manner Battle, in his "His- 
tory of Bucks County," writing on the same 
subject, states. "From that period (i. e. 
1683) until disabled by a fatal illness, save 
an unimportant interval, the records of the 
county were written wholly by his hand; 
and in them he has left a memorial of him- 
self that will not be lost so long as the his- 
tory of the commonwealth which he helped 
to establish shall be read."* 

Phineas Pemberton died March i, 1701- 
2, at the age of fifty-two years, and was_ 



*The Records of Arrivals " published in vol. ix. of 
Penna. Mae. of History and Biography, was compiled 
by Phineas Pemberton. although through an editorial 
oversight it is not accredited to him therein. Tin's 
record has proved very vahiable in Keneali^siral and 
historical research. The original Kecord of .<\rrivals 
in Bucks County in Pemberton's handwritinK is in 
possession of the Bucks County Historical Society, 
while that of Philadelphia and elsewhere is in the 
possession of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania. 



buried in the old graveyard above referred 
to. "Poor Phineas," wrote Penn to Lo- 
gan on September 8, 1701, "is a dying man, 
and was not at the election, though he 
crept, (as T may say) to Meeting yester- 
day. I am grieved at it ; for he has not 
his fellow, and without him this is a poor 
country indeed." Again, in a letter from 
London to Logan in 1702, Penn writes, "I 
mourn for poor Phineas Pemberton, the 
ablest as well as one of the best men in the 
Province. My dear love to his widow and' 
sons and daughters." Samuel Carpenter, in 
a letter to Penn. quoted in J. Pemberton 
Parke's niss., writes, "Phineas Pemberton- 
died the ist mo. last, and will be greatly 
missed, having left few or none in these 
parts or adjacent, like him for wisdom, in- 
tegrity, and general service, and he was 
a true friend to thee and the government. 
It is a matter of sorrow when I call to mind 
and consider that the best of our men are 
taken away, and how many are gone and 
how few to supply their places." 

()f the nine children of Phineas and 
Phebe (Harrison) Pemberton, but three 
survived him for any length of time : Abi- 
gail, who married, November 14, 1704, 
Stephen Jenkins, and settled in Abington 
township — her descendants being the 
founders of Jenkintown — Priscilla, mar- 
ried, 1708-9, Isaac Waterman, and set- 
tled at Hohnesburg; and Israel, the 
only son, who lived to manhood, mar- 
ried 2 mo. 12, 1710, Rachel Read, 
daughter of Charles Read, a provincial 
councillor. He was an active and in- 
fluential Friend, and for nineteen consecu- 
tive years a member of colonial assembly. 
He left three sons: Israel Jr., born 1715; 
James, born 1723; and John, born 1727. Of 
these, John, who was a prominent preacher 
among Friends, left no issue, and James 
left only daughters, one of whom married 
Dr. Parke, and another Anthony Morris. 
Israel Jr. married Sarah Kirkbride of 
Bucks county, and had two* daughters, and 
one son, Joseph, who married Ann Gallo- 
way of Maryland, first cousin of Joseph 
Galloway, the Bucks county loyalist, and 
died at the early age of thirty-six, leaving 
a large family, of whom John Pemberton' 
born in 1783, was in 1812 the only male 
representative of the family in America. 
He married Rebecca Clifford, and left a 
large family, of whom Henry Pember- 
ton, of Philadelphia, referred to in this 
sketch, was the fifth. A complete geneal- 
ogy of the descendants of Phineas Pem- 
berton will be found in Glenn's "Geneal- 
ogy of the Lloyd, Pemberton and Parke 
Families," Phila., 1898. Isreal, James and 
John, the sons of Israel and grandsons of 
Phineas. were prominent in the religious, 
political, social and business life of Phlia- 
dclphia, where their descendants are still 
found. 

Further accounts of the Pemberton Fam- 
ily, may be found in Appleton's "Cyclo- 
paedia of American Biography," vol. iv, 
p. 706; Westcott's "Historic Mansions of 



HISTORY OF BUCKS COUNTY. 



Philadelphia," p. 494; Sarah E. Titcomb's 
"Early New England People," p. 52 j 
"Glenn's Genealogy;" and "Friends' Mis- 
cellany," vol. vii, both before referred to. 



RICHARD HOUGH AND SOME OF 
HIS DESCENDANTS. Richard Hough, 
Provincial Councillor from Bucks county, 
for many years one of the most prominent 
figures in the Provincial Assembly, as well as 
in all the affairs of the Province and Bucks 
county, justice of the county court, etc.. 
was a native of Macclesfield, in the county 
of Chester, England, and came to Pennsyl- 
vania in the "Endeavor" of London, arriving 
in the Delaware river 7th mo. 29, 1683 (O. 
S.), bringing with him four servants nr de- 
pendents — Francis Hough, (probably a 
younger brother or nephew), Thomas Wood 
(or Woodhouse) and Mary his wife, and 
James Sutton. He settled at once in Bucks 
county on land doubtless previously pur- 
chased, though patented later. This land 
consisted of two tracts fronting on the 
Delaware in Makcfield township, one of 
them in what became later Upper Make- 
field and covered the present site of Tay- 
lorsville, and the other' lying along the 
original (bift not the present) line of Falls 
township in Lower Makefield. On the lower 
tract fronting on the river about one- 
fourth of a mile and extending inland about 
three miles, Richard Hough made his home 
and erected his tirst and only I'ucks county 
home, a stone house, (one of the earliest 
to be erected of that material) from a 
quarry on his plantation which Penn con- 
sidered of so much importance that he or- 
dered a memorandum be entered in the 
land-office, "that ye great quarry in Rich- 
ard Hough's and Abel Janney's lands be 
reserved when they come to be confirmed, 
"being for ye public good of ye county." 
On this plantation lived six generations 
of the eldest male branch of the family, 
part of it remaining in their possession 
until about 1850, when they removed to 
Ewing township, Mercer county, New Jer- 
sey. 

Richard Hough took an active part in 
all the affairs of the county, political, so- 
cial and religious. He was a member of 
Falls Meeting of Friends and his character 
and attainments gave him an important 
place in its proceedings. Prior to the erec- 
tion of the Falls Meeting House, the Bucks 
Quarterly Meeting as well as meetings for 
worship were frequently held at his house. 
He was there, as elsewhere, intimately as- 
sociated with Phineas Pemberton, Thomas 
Janney, William Yardlej-, William Biles, 
Nicholas Wain, Joseph Kirkbride and 
others, who, with him, were the leaders in 
the affairs of the county and province, 
though some of them, notably William Biles, 
with whom he was intimately associated in 
private affairs, differed from him in provin- 
■cial politics. Biles being the Bucks county 
leader of the Popular party, with strong 



Democratic tendencies, while Richard 
Hough was a strong adherent of the Pro- 
prietary party headed by James Logan. 
Richard Hough began early to engage in 
public affairs, and represened Bucks county 
in the Provincial Assembly in 1684, 1688, 
1690, 1697, 1699, 1700, 1703, and 1704-5; 
and member of Provincial Council, 1693 
and 1700. He was one of the commission 
to divide the county into township in 
1692; was one of the justices of the coun- 
ty count, and appointed in 1700, with Phin- 
eas Pemberton and William Biles, by Will- 
iam Penn, a "Court of Inquiry" to inves- 
tigate the affairs of the province. This bare 
record of the positions filled by Richard 
Hough can give but a very inadequate 
idea of the real position he filled in the af- 
fairs of the county and province, careful 
perusal of the records of both disclosing 
that he was one of the foremost men of 
his day. William Penn in a letter to Lo- 
gan, 7 mo. 14, 1705, replying to one of Lo- 
gan reporting the death of Hough, says : 
"f -lament the loss of honest Richard Hough. 
Such men must needs be wanted where 
selfishness and forgetfulness of God's mer- 
cies so much abound." Richard Hough was 
drowned in the Delaware March 25, 1705, 
while on his way to Philadelphia from his 
home in Bucks county. By his will dated 
May I, 1704, his home plantation of 400 
acres was devised to his eldest son, Rich- 
ard, one half to be held by his wife Mar- 
gery, for life. His upper plantation, next 
the Manor of Highlands, went to his sec- 
ond son John ; 350 acres and his Warwick 
plantation mentioned as 570 acres, but real- 
ly nearly 900 acres, was devised to his 
youngest son Joseph; 271 acres, "next to 
John Palmer's," and 475 acres in Bucking- 
ham, purchased of his brother John, in 
1694, were to be sold. The Warwick tract 
was one originally taken up by his father- 
in-law, John Clows, and purchased by Rich- 
ard Hough of the heirs, and remained the 
property of his descendants for many gen- 
erations, some of it for nearly two centu- 
ries. His daughters Mary and Sarah were 
given their portions in monej'. His wife 
Margery, son Richard, and "friend and 
brother," William Biles, were made execu- 
tors. 

Richard Hough married 8 mo. 17, 1683T 
4, Margery Clows, daughter of John and 
Margery Clows, theirs being the first mar- 
riage solemnized under the control of Falls 
Meeting. John Clows and Margery his 
wife and their children, Margery, Rebec- 
ca and William, came to Pennsylvania in 
the same ship with Richard Hough, from 
Gawsworth, Cheshire. Three other chil- 
dren, John, Joseph and Sarah, had pre- 
ceded their parents, arriving in the "Friends' 
Adventure" 7 mo. 28, 1682. John Clows be- 
came a large landowner in Bucks county 
and represented the county in the Pt-ovin- 
cial Assembly in 1683 and 1684. He died 
7 mo. 4, 1687, and his widow Margery '' 
mo. 2, 1698. The eldest son John fV '^'"~ 

1683; Joseph married ElizabetK^^ ^ ^ ^^~ 
"" -^ ^ .800-67; was 



HISTORY OF BUCKS COUNTY. 



William. Sarah ITanfield; Sarah, John 
Bainbridffe, of New Jersey; Margery, Rich- 
ard Hough ; and Rebecca, John Lambert^ 
of Nottingham, New Jersey. 

The children of Richard and IMargery 
(Clows) Hough were: 

2. Marj' Hough, born 6 mo. i, 1685, died 
November ii, 1720; married April 6, 1690, 
William Atkinson, of Bristol, Bucks coun- 
ty, 'Pennsylvania. 

3. Sarah Hough, born 4 mo. 7, 1690, 
married first, 4 mo. 23. 1708, Lsaac Atkin- 
son, brother of William; and (second) 
Leonard Shallcross. in 1724. 

4. Richard Hough, married first, 171 1- 
12, Hester Browne, and (second) 7 mo. 
27, 1717, Deborah Gumley. 

5. John Hough, born 7 mo. iS, 1693, 
married, 1718, Elizabeth Taylor. 

6. Joseph Hough, born 8 mo. 17, i695_. 
died Mav 10, 1773; married 1725, Elizabeth 
West, daughter of Nathaniel and Eliza- 
beth (Dungan) West. 

Thomas Atkinson, father of William and 
Isaac Atkinson, was a minister of the So- 
ciety of Friends, and was born at Newby_. 
Parish of Ripon, West Riding of Yorkshire. 
England. He married Jane Bond at Knar- 
esborough Meeting. 4 mo. 4, 1678, and in 
1681, with his wife and son Isaac, born 
March 2, 1679, came to America and set- 
tled for a time in Burlington county. New 
Jersey, but soon after removed to Bristol 
township, Bucks county, Pennsylvania, 
where he bought a plantation. Thomas died 

9 mo. I, 1687, and the following year his 
widow Jane became the second wife of 
William Biles, before mentioned in this 
narrative. Another son, Samuel Atkin- 
son, married Ruth Beakes, widow of Will- 
iam Beakes and daughter of Mahlon Stacy_, 
of West Jersey. This family of Atkin- 
son held high rank in colonial times. An 
account of Thomas Atkinson was published 
in a "Collection of Memorials of Deceased 
Ministers and others" (Phila. 1787) and 
also in "The Friend." vol. 27. In vol. 28 
of "The Friend" is also a memorial of his 
wife, under the name of Jane Biles. 

William Atkinson was a resident of Bris- 
tol borough and a member of town council 
there ; was collector of excise eleven years, 
1738-1749. coroner of Bucks county 1721, 
I73I-5' and 1737-1740; county commissioner 
1722. He was for nearly thirty-three years 
an elder of Falls Monthly Meeting and a 
trustee for its real estate. He died in Bris- 
tol, October 29, 1749. The children of 
William and I\Iary (Hough) Atkinson 
were as follows : 

(l). Sarah, born i mo. 10, 1704-S, died 

10 mo. 1706. 

(2). Hannah, born January 25, i7o6-7_, 
died December 9. 1760; married May, 1734. 
John Hall, of Bristol, his third wife. John 
Hall was a son of Robert Hall from the city 
of Westminster, England, who was the first 
coroner of Bucks county, and by his sec- 
d. .jvife, Elizabeth, daughter of George 
possessu-om Buckleburv. Berkshire, Eng- 

while thai , ,- ,,„ . , ., ", 

possession d.cestor of the WhUe family of 



Bucks county. John Hall was a councilman 
of Bristol; member of Assembly 1717 and 
7740 to 1750; several times sheriff of 
Bucks county; a justice of the county 
courts, and succeeded his father-in-law, 
William Atkinson, as collector of excise. 
He was born 6 mo. 12, 1686. and died 11 
mo. 10, 1768; married first Rebecca Rad- 
cliffe, daughter of James Radcliffe, an emi- 
nent minister among Friends and an early 
settler in Bucks county, for whom Radcliffe 
street in Bristol is named. He married 
(second) January, 1715, Sarah Baldwin^ 
daughter of John and Sarah (Allen) Bald- 
win, and granddaughter of Samuel Allen, 
who came from Chew Magna, Somer- 
set, England, and founded a family of high 
standing in Bucks county and Philadel- 
phia. 

(3). William Atkinson, born 9 mo. 19, 
1707. married 7 mo. 24, 1734. Sarah Pawley, 
daughter of George and Mary (Janney) 
Pawley, of Philadelphia (see Janney fam- 
ily). William Atkinson, Jr., was one of 
the early shipbuilders of Philadelphia, an 
industry for which that city is famous. 

(4). Mary Atkinson, born 7 mo. 19, 1713, 
married July 9, 174S, at the First Presby- 
terian Church, Philadelphia. Daniel Bank- 
son, of Bensalem, son of Daniel and grand- 
son of Captain Andreas Bankson, one of 
the leading men among the early Swedish 
settlers at Philadelphia, whose descendants 
still hold a high place among the old 
families of that city. 

(5)- Joseph Atkinson, born 10 mo. 5,. 
1716, married first, 10 mo. 8, 1743, Janet 
Cowgill and (second) in 1762 Sarah Silver. 
He was a prominent man in Bristol borough, 
where his descendants are still people of 
high social standing. He succeeded his 
father as trustee of the real estate of 
Falls Meeting. 

(6). Sarah Atkinson, born 9 mo. 4. 1719, 
died 2 mo. 7, 1726. 

William Atkinson married (second) June 
5, 1722, Margaret Baker, daughter of Henrv 
Baker, well known in the early annals of 
Bucks county and had five children : Ra- 
chel, Rebecca, Samuel, Isaac, and Thom- 
as. Rachel, the eldest, born 2 mo. 23^ 
1723, died 5 mo. 8, 1803, married 10 mo. 
18. 1750, Thomas Stapler, son of John and 
Esther. (See Stapler Family). 

3. Sarah Hough married Isaac Atkinson,, 
another son of Thomas and Jane, born in 
Yorkshire, March 2, 1679, died in Bris- 
tol township, Bucks county, January 3,. 
1720-1, where he was a landowner. They 
had issue : Jane, born 6 mo. 6, 1709, married 
172S. John Wilson, of Middletown. son- 
of Stephen and Sarah (Baker) Wilson, 
and grandson of Henry Baker above men- 
tioned, and left numerous descendants in 
Bucks: (2) John; (3) Thomas. Sarah 
(Hough) .Atkinson married second in 1724, 
Leonard Shallcross, by whom she had nO' 
children. 

4. Richard Hough, eldest son of Richard 
and Margery, (Clows) Hough, inherited 
his father's home plantation of 416 acres 



HISTORY OF BUCKS COUNTY. 



7 



and lired thereon during his life. He sold 
ICO acres and his heirs about lOO acres 
more, the remainder going to his son Hen- 
ry, and from him it descended to his grand- 
son Phineas Hough, who sold it about 1850. 
Richard Hough, Esq. was one of the lead- 
ing men of his time in Bucks county and 
took an active part in public affairs at a 
time when they were almost entirely in the 
hands of his cla.ss of gentlemen of landed 
estate. He was a justice of the peace and 
of the county courts for many years, and a 
member of Falls Meeting. He married 
February, 1711-12, Hester Brown, daughter 
of Henry and Margaret (Hardman) Baker, 
before mentioned, who had been the widow 
of Thomas Yardley, and of William Brown 
of Chichester, Chester county, Pennsylvania. 
Richard and Hester had one child, Richard, 
who died young. He married (second) 7 mo. 
27, 'ijf?, Deborah Gumley, (widow of John 
Gumley, of Philadelphia, formerly New 
Castle county) and had issue as follows : 

8. William Hough, died without issue 
prior to 1755. 9. Deborah, married Thomas 
Davis, of Lower Makefield. 10. Margery, 
married Jonathan Saults, of Philadelphia. 

11. Henry Hough, born 8 mo. 11, 1724 (O. 
S.) died 8 mo. 27, 1796, married 10 mo. 
22, 174S, Rebecca Croasdale: see forward. 

12. Mary, born 1726, died 1802 ; married 2 
mo. 12, 1752 (O. S.) Anthony Burton, Jr., 
of Bristol. (See Burton Family). 

II. Henry Hough, son of Richard and 
Deborah, inherited 215 acres of the Make- 
field homestead and lived thereon the life of 
a country gentleman, taking little part in 
public affairs. He was a member of Falls 
Meeting. He married 10 mo. 22, 1748, Re- 
becca Croasdale, born 1727-8, died 1800, 
daughter of William and Grace (Harding) 
Croasdale of Newton township and had 
eight children as follows: 13. Sarah, born 
1751, married 1775, John Watson. 14. John, 
born 1753, married Hannah Watson and 
Mary Yardley. 15. Deborah, born 1755, 
died 1773, unmarried. 16. Mary, born 1759- 
17. Jesse, born 1761, died 1794, married 
Mercy Merrick. 18. Rachel, born 1764, 
died 1793, married David Heston. 19. 
Rebecca, born 1766, married Isaiah Ross, 
grandson of Thomas Ross, an eminent, 
minister among Friends and the ancestor 
of the eminent jurists, an account of whose 
family is given elsewhere in this work. 
20. Henry, born 1768. 

14. John Hough, born 9 mo. 16, 175,3., 
eldest son of Henry and Rebecca (Croas- 
dale) Hough, lived on his father's planta- 
tion in Lower Makefield. He was a mem- 
ber of Falls Meeting, but was married by 
the Rev. William Frazer, a Church of Eng- 
land minister, in 1782, to Hannah Watson, 
and they had one child, Beulah. He mar- 
ried (second) about 1790, Mary Yardley, 
daughter of Richard and Lucilla (Stack- 
house) Yardley, and a great-granddaughter 
of Thomas Janney, Provincial Councillor. 
(See Yardley, Stackhouse and Janney fam- 
ily sketches in this volume.) The children 
of John and Mary (Yardley) Hough, were: 



22. Phmeas, born 12 mo. 20, ijdo, died 
5 mo. 6, 1876; 23. Lucilla, born 12 mo. 24, 
1788, died 2 mo. 9, 1883, married Abraharti 
Bond nf Newtown, son of Levi and Hannah 
(Merrick) Bond, and a descendant of 
Phineas Pemberton, whom James Logan 
styles "The Father of Bucks County." (See 
Pemberton Family). 

Phineas Hough (22) inherited a part 
his grandfather's plantation in Lower Make- 
field and lived thereon until sixty years 
old ; selling it in 1850 he removed to Ewing 
township, Mercer county, and resided with 
his son William A. Hough until his death 
in 1875. He married Elizabeth Carlile, 
by whom he had no issue. On February 

25, 1819, he married Deborah Aspy, daugh- 
ter of William and Elizabeth Aspy, of 
Makefield, and had the following children: 
24. William Aspy Hough, born December 
4, 1819, died December it, 18S8, married 
Eleanor Stockton ; see forward. 25. John 
Hough, born November 26, 1879, became 
a Methodist minister and removed to Dela- 
ware, where he married Rebecca E. Dukes. 

26. Mary S., born July 7, 1824, married Ja- 
cob Hendrickson, of Mercer county. New 
Jersey. 27. Samuel Yardley Hough, born, 
February 14, 1827, died August, 1862, mar- 
ried Wealtha Allen, from Massachusetts, 
and removed to Kansas, where he died. 
28. Phineas, born January 24, 1830, died 
May 28, 1869, . in Philadelphia ; married 
Lizzie E. Lynn. 29. Benjamin Franklin, 
born March 16, 1833, lived in Philadelphia, 
unmarried 30. Edwin W., born April 27, 
1837, died in Philadelphia, April 30, 1863, 
of disease contracted in the army, having 
served in the celebrated Anderson Cavalry, 
i6oth Regiment, P. V. 

William -Aspy Hough (25) was born on 
the old homestead near Yardley, but in 
early life removed to property purchased in 
Ewing, New Jersey, and died there. He 
married Eleanor Stockton, of the disting- 
uished family of that name in New Jersey 
and they were the parents of five children : 
31. John Stockton, see forward.- 32. Will- 
iam Henry, died while a student at Rut- 
gers College. S3. Horace G., who inher- 
ited and is living on his father's plantation 
in Ewing. 34. Thomas J., and 35. Mary 
Emma, both died young. 

John Stockton Hough, M. D. (31) eldest 
son of William A. and Eleanor (Stockton) 
Hough, was born on the old Hough planta- 
tion in Lower Makefield, Bucks county, 
December 5, 1845, and while a child removed 
with his parents to New Jersey. His edu- 
cation was obtained in the Ewing school, 
1850-58; Trenton Academy, 1858-60; Mod- 
el School, Trenton, 1860-61 ; Fort Edward 
Institute, New York, 1861-62; Eastman's 
Business College, Poughkeepsie, N. Y., 
iS-'6?-63: Polvtechnic College, Philadelphia, 
civil engineering course, 1864-67; Univer- 
sity of Pennsylvania, Medical Department, 
1865-68 ; received degree of M. D. at the 
University in 1868, and of Master of Chem- 
istry at the Polytechnic in 1870. He lec- 
tured on botany, Philadelphia, 1866-67; was 



8 



HISTORY OF BUCKS COUXTY 



appointed adjunct professor of Chemistry. 
Central High School, Pheladelphia. i868_^ 
resident physician, Philadelphia Hospitalj 
1868-9; lecturer on Physiology, Wagner In- 
stitute, Philadelphia, 1868-69 Philadelphia 
Dispensary, 1869; Lying-in Charity Hospit- 
al, 1869; medical adviser U. S. Life Insur- 
ance Company, 1869-73 ! Berkshire Life In- 
surance Company. 1875 ; and practiced medi- 
cine in Philadelphia 1S69-74. While physi- 
cian at Philadelphia Hopsital he made orig- 
inal discoveries in reference to trichinae. 
He invented a plan for fireproof huilding 
construction in 1870, and was the inventor 
of various surgical instruments in 1868- 
70. He was the author of about thirty pa- 
pers and pamphlets on hygiene, biology, 
speculative physiology, social science, vital 
statistics, population and political economy, 
published in medical and scientific journals 
in this and foreign countries, from 1868 
to 1886. These papers attracted much at- 
tention, and some were translated, and 
published in foreign languages, and through 
them membership in various learned socie- 
ties was conferred on him. and a sketch of 
his life was published in Johnson's and 
Appleton's Encyclopaedias, and in the En- 
cyclopaedia Britanica. His magnus opus 
was a bibliography of medical literature 
of the fifteenth century, intended to be en- 
titled ''Incunabula Medica." He had lists 
printed of all the known medical books oj 
that time, of which there were about 1.500, 
and sent copies of it to public libraries 
and private collectors all over the world, 
with the request to mark on the list such 
books as they had copies of. and to make 
certain remarks about them and return the 
lists. He also visited many important li- 
braries and most of the famous Universi- 
ties in France, Germany, and Italy, and mas- 
tered the languages of these countries, mak- 
ing eleven voyages to Europe in connection 
with this mammoth work, and traveled 
extensively in this country. Before his 
death nearly all the lists sent out had been 
returned, but he had not finished the com- 
pilation (which, besides the matter con- 
tained in the lists, was to include biogra- 
phies of all the authors) when death over- 
took him. It is to be sincerely hoped that 
some day the work so well begun will be 
taken up and finished. During this period 
of his life he also gathered together a li- 
brary on medical and related subjects es- 
timated to contain lo.ooo titles. It was 
his desire that this library should be kept 
intact. I-iut leaving no will, it was sold by 
his administrators to the College of Physi- 
cians, who transferred about 1,900 volumes 
to the library of the University of Pennsyl- 
vania. He was much interested in local 
history and the history of old Bucks county 
families, and furnished considerable mater- 
ial for Davis's "History of Bucks County," 
first edition. 1876. In 1890 he purchased 
a property in Ewing township, where he had 
always retained his voting residence, and 
named it Alillbank, and spent the remainder 
of his life there. He also owned, with his 



brother Horace, a farm in Hopewell town- 
ship, and a half interest in the Ewing flour 
mill near his home. He took a deep interest 
in that section where his boyhood was spent, 
and devoted great efforts for work of road 
improvements in that section, capably serv- 
ing in the capacity of county supervisor of 
roads. 

John Stockton Hough. M. D., as eldest 
son, back to Richard Hough. Provincial 
Councillor, was the head of the Hough fam- 
ily of Bucks county, Pennsylvania. He was 
one of the revivers of the Aryan "Order of 
St. George, of the Holy Roman Empire in 
the Colonies of America, which was found- 
ed by Sir Thomas Forsythe, Viscount de 
Fronsac, a British-American officer, with 
the allies fighting the Revolution in France, 
who in 1798 was given authority by Em- 
peror Joseph II to organize the American 
families who were descended from noble 
European blood, or from officers holding 
royal commissions in the colonies. A num- 
ber of persons were admitted during the 
early j'ears of its existence, but it was not 
thoroughly organized until 1879. when some 
of the members met in Boston for that pur- 
pose, and it was more formally organized 
in the rooms of the IMaryland Historical 
Society. October 28, 1880. 

Dr. Stockton-Hough, as he styled himself, 
was a member of the Protestant Episcopal 
Church, being confirmed by Bishop Stev- 
ens in Philadelphia in 187^. He married 
first, January 29, 1874. Sarah Macomb 
Wetherill. daughter of Dr. William Weth- 
erill, of Fatland. Montgomery county. Penn- 
sylvania, a descendant of Christopher 
Wethrul. of West Jersey, ancestor of the 
well known Philadelphia family of that 
name. She died in Florence, Italy, in 1875, 
leaving an only daughter, Frances Eleanor 
Agrippina Etrusca Hough, who was born in 
Florence, December 30, 1874, and died un- 
married at Millbank, April 4, 1893. Dr. 
Hough married (second) June 30. 1887, in 
New York City, Edith Reilly, daughter of 
Edward and Anna Russun (Rogers) Reilly, 
of New York. Her father was a graduate 
of Yale, and a large mine owner in the west, 
and her mother's ancestors were prominent 
in Delaware and the eastern shore of Mary- 
land. Dr. Stockton-Hough was a member 
of the Grolier Club and University Club 
of New York. He died at Millbank, May 
6, 1900. 

DESCENDANTS OF JOHN HOUGH. 
SECOND SON OF RICHARD AND 
MARGERY HOUGH. 5. John Hough, 
second son of Richard and Margery 
(Clows) Hough, born 7 mo. 18, 1693. in- 
herited his father's upper tract adjoining 
the Manor of Highlands and included in 
Upper Makefield in 1737. It comprised 359 
acres. It is not known how he disposed 
of it, and he left no will, and none of his 
children are known to have resided upon 
it in later years. It is probable that he 
conveyed a portion of it to the Taylors, 
his wife's brothers, as a descendant of Mah- 
lon K. Taylor, who married Elizabeth 




JOHN STOCKTON HOUGH 



TILDEN FOUNDATIONS. 



HISTORY OF BUCKS COUNTY. 



Hough, a great-granddaughter of John_ 
Hough, inherited it and founded Taylors- 
ville. John Hough was a justice of the 
Bucks county courts for several years, and 
his death is said to have occurred while 
filling this position some time after 1733. 
He married 11 mo. 1718, at Falls Meeting. 
Elizabeth Taylor, daughter of Philip and 
Julianna Taylor, of Oxford township, Phila- 
delphia county. Her brothers removed to 
Bucks county and founded a wealthy and in- 
fluential family there. The children of John 
and Elizabeth (Taylor) Hough were: 

40. John, born 11 mo. 3, 1720, died 1797, 
married Sarah Janney ; see forward. 

41. Joseph, born 5 mo. 20, 1722, died 
1777; married 1746, Lydia Hurst, and their 
descendants removed to Loudoun Coun- 
ty, Virginia, w'here one of his children 
married a Washington. 

42. Benjamin Hough, born 4 mo. 14, 
1724, died 2 mo. 10, 1803, removed to Phila- 
delphia when a young man, accumulated a 
fortune, and spent the latter part of his 
life in traveling in the interests of religion. 
He lived for a time in Wilmington, Dela- 
ware, later at Nottingham, Cecil county, 
Maryland, and about 1771 located in Little 
Britain township, Lancaster county, where 
he died. He married first, 1748, Elizabeth 
West, daughter of Thomas, of Wilmington^ 
by whom he had three children, of whom 
only Benjamin survived his father. He mar- 
ried (second) 1781, Sarah Janney. widow 
of Isaac Janney, of Cecil county, Maryland. 
Their only child, John, died at the age of 
seven years. 

43. Isaac Hough, born 9 mo. 15, 1726, 
died 4 mo. 13, 1786, married Edith Hartj 
see forward. 

44. William Hough, born 11 mo. i, 
1727-8, married 1749, Sarah Blaker. daugh- 
ter of Samuel and Catharine of Warwick, 
Bucks county. 

45. Thomas Hough, born 11 mo. 2, 
1729-30, died 5 mo. 18, 1810; married 1857, 
Jane Adams; 1784, INIary (Bacon) Wistar. 
He removed to Philadelphia in early life 
and became one of the wealthy men of that 
time. He lived at No. 20 Pine street. By 
first wife had six children, all except two 
of whom died young; Elizabeth married 
James Olden, of the New Jersey family, and 
"Betsy Hough's wedding" is referred to in 
the "Journal of Elizabeth Drinker," one of 
Mrs. Drinker's daughters being a brides- 
maid. Jane, the other daughter, married 
Halladay Jackson, of the Chester county 
family, well known in Friends' annals. One 
of her sons was John Jackson, the min- 
ister. One of her descendants is Mrs. Isaac 
H. Clothier. Mary (Bacon-Gilbert) Wis- 
tar, the second wife of Thomas Hough, was 
a daughter of John and Elizabeth (Test) 
Bacon, of Bacon's Neck, Cumberland 
county. New Jersey. She married first, 
Thomas Gilbert, of Northern Liberties, 
Philadelphia, and (second) Richard Wistar, 
whose family is prominent in the social 
life of Philadelphia to this day. There 
was no issue by the second marriage. 



46. Septimus Hough, born 4 mo. 21, 
1731, died in Philadelphia 9 mo. 3, 1749. 

47. Elizabeth, born 12 mo. 15, 1732-3, 
married Nathan Tomlinson. 

48. Bernard, born ir mo. 15, 1734-Sj 
said by an old record to have died "in 
France." 

49. Martha, born 4 mo. 22, 1737, married 
David Bunting, son of Samuel and Priscilla 
(Burgess) Bunting, of the Bucks county 
branch of the descendants of Anthony 
Bunting, who came from Matlock, Derby- 
shire, and settled in Burlington county. 
New Jersey. 

50. Samuel, born 2 mo. 15, 1739. 

John Hough (40) eldest son of John and 
Elizabeth (Taylor) Hough, removed to 
Loudoun county, Virginia, where he became 
a very large landed proprietor, and built a 
fine mansion known as "Corby Hall." He 
was an elder of Farfax IMonthly Meeting, 
and represented his Quarterly Meeting in 
Philadelphia Yearly Meeting; was well 
known in northern Virginia, and held in 
high esteem not only by the members of 
the Society of Friends but by the "cava- 
lier" gentry of that section, with whom some 
of his children and grandchildren intermar- 
ried. When a number of prominent Phila- 
delphia Quakers were exiled to Winchester. 
Virginia, during the Revolution, by or- 
der of the supreme executive council, John 
Hough visited them and was active in se- 
curing their release. A number of his let- 
ters on this subject are preserved in the 
Pemberton mss. collection in the library of 
the Historical Society of Pennsylvania. He 
is mentioned in the diary of George Wash- 
ington, on the occasion of the latter spend- 
ing a night at Corby Hall, and in other 
places. John Hough married, in 1742, in 
Bucks county, Sarah Janney, daughter of 
Joseph and Rebecca (Biles) Janney, a 
granddaughter of Thomas Janney and of 
William Biles, both provincial councillors 
from Bucks county, and among the greatest 
of the founders of the county. Their nine 
children all married and reared families, 
most of them intermarrying with Virginia 
families, though some of the married into 
Bucks county families who had migrated 
to Virginia. They have left many disting- 
uished descendants, among whom may be 
mentioned, Emerson Hough, of Chicago, 
novelist, historian and journalist, author 
of "Mississippi Bubble," and "The Way 
to the West," etc. 

Isaac Hough (43) fourth son of John 
and Elizabeth (Taylor) Hough, removed 
early in life to Warminster township. Bucks 
county, where he purchased about 236 acres 
of land. He married, September 24. 1748, 
Edith Hart, born May 14, 1727, died March 
27, 1805, daughter of John and Eleanor 
(Crispin) Hart, of Warminster, and sister 
of Colonel Joseph Hart, of the continental 
army, county lieutenant ; member Bucks 
County Committee of Safety, etc., one of 
the most prominent figures in the Revolu- 
ionary struggle in Bucks county. (See Hart 
family). Her father, John Hart, was sheriff 



lO 



HISTORY OF BUCKS COUXrV. 



of Bucks county, justice of the county 
courts, coroner, etc. She was a granddaugli- 
ter of Thomas Holme, surveyor-general of 
Pennsylvania and sometime president of 
Provincial Council. of Pennsylvania, former- 
ly of the Parliamentary army in the civil 
war in England. Also great-granddaughter 
of Captain William Crispin, acting rear 
admiral in the British navy, and one of 
Penn's commissioners for settling the Col- 
ony in Pennsylvania ; and of Captain John 
Rush, also of the Parliamentary army, an- 
cestor of the celebrated Dr. Benjamin Rush, 
signer of the Declaration of Independence, 
etc. She was granddaughter of John Hart, 
from Witney, Oxfordshire, an early minister 
among Friends who joined the Keithians, 
and finally became a Baptist preacher, one 
of the most learned men of the colony, and 
of Silas Crispin who, through his mother, 
Anne Jasper^ was a first cousin to William^ 
Penn. Isaac Hough left the Society of 
Friends and joined the Baptists, to which 
sect his wife belonged. In 1775 he joined 
the Warminster Company of Associators, in 
the Second Battalion of Bucks County Mi- 
litia, Colonel John Beatty. In July, 1776, 
he was appointed by the County Committee 
of Safety one of the committee to distribute 
allowances to families in need whose hus- 
bands were in the military service. On Au- 
gust 29, 1777, he was appointed one of the 
members of the committee from Warminster 
to attend to the driving off of cattle to pre- 
vent them from falling into the hands of the 
British. The children of Isaac and Edith 
(Hart) Hough were as follows: 

60. Eleanor, born August 20, 1749, died 
March i, 1802; married 1766, Thomas Cra- 
ven, and had nineteen children. The fam- 
ily removed to Virginia during the Revo- 
lution. 

61. Elizabeth, born August 21, 1751; 
married 1771, Silas Gilbert, her first cousin, 
son of William and Lucretia (Hart) Gil- 
bert, and removed to Maryland. He was 
lieutenant in ist Battalion, Bucks County 
Militia, 1777. 

62. Susannah, born June 28, 1753 ; mar- 
ried 1773, Benjamin Jones, whose family 
furnished several members of Assembly 
and justices of Bucks county in colonial 
times. 

63. John Hough, born March 12, 1755 ;■ 
married 1774, Charity Vandoren. He was 
a member of Warminster Associators 1775, 
and afterwards in Virginia militia. He 
moved to Philadelphia after the Revolution, 
and .later to Moreland, Montgomery county. 

64. Mary, born May 19, 1757, died un- 
married. 

65. Isaac Hough, born September 15, 
1759, died March 17, 1801 ; member Warm- 
inster Associators; removed to Philadelphia 
after Revolution ; many years chief clerk 
of United States Mint. One of his descend- 
ants is Judge Robert T. Hough, of Hills- 
borough, Ohio, sometime solicitor of Intern- 
al Revenue at Washington, D. C, recently 
candidate for the Democratic nomination 
for governor of Ohio. Isaac married first 



Elizabeth Houghton ; second, Mrs. Elizabethi 
Eberth. 

66. Thomas Hough, born October 7, 
1761 ; removed to Philadelphia ; said to 
have been on otlficer in war of 1812; married' 
1790, Hannah Tompkins. 

67. Oliver Hough, born August 27, 1763^ 
died January 18, 1804; see forward. 

68. Rev. Silas Hough, born February- 
8, 1766, died May 14, 1823. Baptist minister^ 
also practiced medicine in Bucks and Mont- 
gomery counties. Married his cousin, Eliza- 
beth Hart, daughter of County Treasurer 
John Hart. 

69. Joseph Hough, born June 17, 1768, 
died July 3, 1799: married Elizabeth Marple. 

70. William Hough, born September 12, 
1770; died unmarried. 

Oliver Hough (67) son of Isaac and 
Edith (Hart) Hough, became a large land- 
owner in Upper Makefield, Bucks county. 
Hough's Creek, (formerly Milnor's Creek) 
took its name from him. In the latter part 
of his life he resided in Dolington. He mar- 
ried at Horsham Meeting, 4 mo. 16, 1790, 
Phebe Cadwallader, born 11 mo. 5, 177^, 
died 7 mo. 13, 1842, daughter of Jacob and 
Phebe (Radcliffe) Cadwallader, of War- 
minster. She was a descendant of Henry 
Baker before alluded to in this narrative, 
and from John Cadwallader, one of the 
prominent ministers among Friends, who 
died while on a religious visit to the Island 
of Tortola in 1742; also of Johannes Cas- 
sel and Thones Kunders, two of the princi- 
pal founders of Germantown, and from 
Jan Lucken, the founder of the Lukens 
family in America. Her brother, Hon. 
Cyrus Cadwallader, before referred to in 
this volume, was in state senate 1816-25. 
The children of Oliver and Phebe (Cad- 
wallader) Hough were; 71. Elizabeth, died 
young. 72. Rebecca, born 1792, married 
1820, Joseph Johnson. 73. Mary, born 
1794; married 1822, Samuel Yardley, a well 
known merchant of Doylestown, later of 
Philadelphia. 74. Elizabeth, born 1796, 
married 1817, Mahlon Kirkbride Taylor, 
founder of Taylorsville. 75, 76, 77. Isaac, 
Rachel and Phebe, all died young. 78. 
Oliver, born 2 mo. 14, 1804, died 7 
mo. 20, 1855 ; born at Dolington, lived 
there until his marriage, when he 
removed to the Doron farm in Middle- 
town township ; soon after removed to 
a farm just outside Newtown borough on 
Yardley turnpike, where five of his chil- 
dren were born. In 1842 removed to Doy- 
lestown, and in 1846 to Philadelphia. Dealt 
largely in real estate, owning besides Bucks 
county property, coal and timber lands in 
Upper Lehigh Valley, also in Michigan, 
Tennessee and elsewhere. He died in Au- 
gusta. Georgia, July 20, 1855, while on a 
trip to Louisiana to view the property of 
the Louisiana Canal Company, of which 
he was a director. He was a member of 
Spruce Street Friends' Meeting, Philadel- 
phia. 

Oliver Hough married. 3 mo. 15, 1832. 
Martha Briggs, daugiiter of Joseph and 



YORK 



ASTON, LENOX AND 
TILDEN FOUNDATIONS. 




OLIVER HOUGH 



HISTORY OF BUCKS COUNTY. 



1 1 



Martha (Dawes) Briggs, of Newtown, 
Bucks county, Pennsylvania, and had issue : 
Rebecca Jarrett Hough, died unmarried ; 
Phebe Alice, unmarried, member Civic 
Qub and Browning Society, Philadelphia, 
and of Bucks County Historical Society ; 
managing committee of Friends' Central 
School, Philadelphia ; ]\Iary Yardley Hough, 
unmarried; from 1876 to 1897 proprietor 
and editor of "The Children's Friend," a 
juvenile magazine; author of numerous 
short stories for children; Elizabeth Tay- 
lor, died in childhood. Martha Dawes 
Hough, unmarried, elder of Spruce Street, 
Meeting, manager of Friends' Home for 
Children. Philadelphia, and Friends' Board- 
ing House Association, Philadelphia. Oliver, 
died 1863 at Nashville, Tennessee, of camg 
fever, was a private in i6oth Regiment 
Pennsylvania Volunters, 15th (Anderson's) 
Cavalry. Isaac, see forward. The Misses 
Rebecca J., Phebe A., Mary Y. and Martha 
D. Hough lived for over forty years at 1340 
Spruce -street. Philadelphia. In April, 1904, 
they removed to the old William Linton 
Mansion, 24 South State street. Newtown, 
Bucks county, a picture of w'hich ap- 
pears in this volume. They inherited this 
house from their aunts Letitia and Fran- 
cenia Briggs. 

Isaac Hough, son of Oliver and Matha 
(Briggs) Hough, was born in Doylestown, 
Bucks county, Pennsylvania and moved to 
Philadelphia, with his parents when a child. 
He was a merchant, and engaged in the 
shipping trade with the West Indies. He 
was a charter member and director of the 
Maritime Exchange of Philadelphia, is a 
member of the Philadelphia Bourse ; direc- 
tor of the Finance Company of Pennsjd- 
vania, and member of the Philadelphia 
Fencing Club, the Merion Crick- 
et Club, of Haverford, Pennsylvania, 
and of the Union League. He married 
first, in 1867, Anna Alexander Duff, daugh- 
ter of Edward Duff, common councilman, 
and member of the board of health of Phila- 
delphia, by his wife, Mary Jane Diehl, a 
descendant of Captain Nicholas Diehl, a 
Revolutionary soldier and a member of the 
Committee of Safety of Chester county, of 
noble birth in Frankfort, Germany. Isaac 
and Anna A. (Duff) Hough were the par- 
ents of one child, Oliver Hough, 2d 
Lieutenant. Company 8.. 3d Regiment, 
Infantry. Penna. Vol. Spanish American 
war, T898. to whom we are indebted for 
the foregoing history of the Hough 
fam.ily as well as data on numerous 
other 'families published in this volume. 
He is a member of the Bucks county 
Historical Society and has contributed 
a number of valuable papers to its Ar- 
chives. He is the author of a number 
of papers on genealogy and local his- 
tory and is now- at work on an exhaust- 
ive history of the Hart and Atkinson 
families. Is a member of a number of 
patriotic Societies. Isaac Hough mar- 
ried (second) in 1877. Emilia Antionette, 
vsndow of Francis Thibault, of Phila- 



delphia, and had one son, John Boyd, who 
died in 1895. 

OLIVER HOUGH, son of Isaac and 
Anna A. (Duff) Hough, was born in 
Philadelphia, September 3, 1868, has lived 
in that city until the present time, and 
for about two years past has had a 
transient residence with his aunts, the 
Misses Hough, at the William Linton 
Mansion, at 24 South State street, New- 
town. He received his early education 
at private schools, and entered the Univer- 
sity of Pennsylvania in the class of '88, re- 
ceiving the degrees of B. S. and P. C. on 
completion of course. He has been presi- 
dent, vice-president, secretary and treasurer,. 
Class of '88, and two terms secretary of 
the University of Pennsylvania Cricket As- 
sociation. For thesis required for technical 
degree (P. C.) he made three original re- 
searches in chemistry, described under the 
titles : I. "An Attempt to Introduce Iodine 
into Parabroma-benzoic Acid"; II. Some 
Salts of Meta-nitro-para-bromo-benzoic 
Acid" ; HI. Some Compounds of Monochlo- 
ro-dinitrophenol". Nos. I and II were pub- 
lished in the "Journal of the Franklin In- 
stitute," December, 1891. No. HI resulted 
in the discovery of twelve previously un- 
known chemical compounds. 

.He has written a number of magazine 
and newspaper articles of historical or bio- 
graphical character, the principal ones be- 
ing: "Richard Hough, Provincial Council- 
lor," (Penna. Mag. Hist, and Biog., XV- 
III, 20) ; "Captain Thomas Holme, Sur- 
veyor-General of Pennsylvania and Provin- 
cial Councillor,"' (Penna. Mag. Hist, and 
Biog., XIX, 413. XX 128, 248) : "Cap- 
tain William Crispin, Proprietary's Commis- 
sioner for Settling the Colony in Penna." 
(read before the Historical Society of 
Pennsylvania, January 10, 1898, and pub- 
lished in Penna. Mag. Hist, and Biog.. 
XXII, 34) ; and "Thomas Janney. Provin- 
cial Councillor," (read before Bucks Coun- 
ty Historical Society, July 20, 1897, and 
published in Bucks county newspapers). 

In politics Oliver Hough has been secre- 
tary and chairman of the Seventh Ward 
Association, Municipal League of Philadel- 
phia ; a member of several committees in 
charge of independent candidates' cam- 
paigns (one of which resulted in the elec- 
tion of Alexander Crow, Jr., as sheriff of 
Philadelphia county) ; and from 1896 to 
date has represented the Fourteenth Divis- 
ion, Seventh Ward, in many conventions of 
the Republican party. ]\Ir. Hough joined 
the National Guard of Pennsylvania as a 
private in Company D, First Regiment, In- 
fantry, August 10, 1893 ; elected second 
lieutenant Company G, Third Regiment, 
Infantry, June 10, 1897. Served again 
with Company D, First Infantry, on 
riot duty at Hazelton, Pennsylvania, 
October, 1902. Is a member of the 
"Old Guard" of Company D. He was 
mustered into the United States service 
for the Spanish War as second lieutenant. 
Third Penna. Volunteer Infantry, July 



12 



HISTORY OF BUCKS COUNTY. 



22, 1898; detailed as acting assistant quar- 
termaster, A. A. commissary of subsis- 
tence, and A. A. ordinance officer ; served 
in camps at Fernandina, Florida, and Hunts- 
ville, Alabama ; mustered out October 22, 
1898. 

Mr. Hough is or has been a member of 
the following organizations : Society of Co- 
lonial Wars (by descent from Richard 
Hough, Thomas Janney and other early 
Bucks countians) ; Sons of the Revolution 
(by descent from Isaac Hough of the 
Bucks County Associators) ; Historical 
Society of Pennsylvania, and local historical 
societies of Bucks county, Montgomery 
county, Pennsylvania, and Harford county, 
Maryland ; Genealogical Society of Penn- 
sylvania (historian and member board of di- 
rectors) ; American Catholic Historical So- 
ciety of Philadelphia ; Friends' Historical 
Society (England) ; Society of Chemical 
Industry (Great Britain) ; Franklin Insti- 
tute of the State of Pennsylvania ; ]\Ierion 
Cricket Club of Haverford, Pennsylvania ; 
and Markham Club of Philadelphia. 



ANCESTRY OF BENJAMIN HOUGH, 
OF WARRINGTON. 

Joseph Hough, youngest son of Richard 
and Margery (Clowes) Hough, a sketch 
of whose life and distinguished services 
is given in the preceding pages, was born 
in Lower Makefield, Bucks county, Pennsyl- 
vania, September 19, 1693, and died in 
Warwick township, now Doylestown, May 
10) '^773- By the will of his father he inherit- 
ed the Warwick plantation, originally taken 
up by his grandfather, John Clows, and pur- 
chased by his father in 1702. It comprised 
841 acres as shown by a survey when di- 
vided between his two sons Joseph and John 
by deeds dated May 2, 1761, and lay on 
"both sides of the Neshaminy, on the lower 
line of the present township of Doyles- 
town, extending from the Bristol road to 
Houghville, or "The Turk." It was divided 
almost equally between the two sons in 
1761, the Neshaminy being the dividing 
line for about one-third of the distance. 
John getting the end next Houghville, and 
Joseph the western end. Joseph Hough, 
Sr., married "out of meeting," his wife 
being Elizabeth West, daughter of Nathan- 
iel and Elizabeth (Dungan) West, and 
granddaughter of the Rev. Thomas Dun- 
gan, who came from Rhode Island to Bucks 
county in 1683, and of Nathaniel West, of 
Rhode Island. Nathaniel West, Jr., was 
living at the time of the marriage of his 
daughter, on the Rodman tract, adjoining 
the Hough farm, which would imply that 
Joseph Hough had taken up his residence 
in Warwick prior to his marriage. A Jo- 
seph Hough was dealt with at Falls Meet- 
ing for marrying out of unity May 9, 1726, 
but whether Joseph of Warwick, or Joseph 
Hough, son of John and Hannah, who was 
about the same age, cannot be ascertained 
from the records. He evidently retained 



a nominal membership, as his son Joseph 
was considered a member at Buckingham at 
the time of his marriage in 1756. The 
children of Joseph and Elizabeth (West) 
Hough, were as follows : 

1. Sarah, married James Radcliffe. son 
of Edward and Phebe (Baker) Radcliffe, 
and grandson of James Radcliffe, the 
preacher, and of Henry Baker, whose dis- 
tinguished services have been previously 
referred to. 

2. Martha, born 1728, died 1785, married 
William Evans, son of Lewis Evans, a 
trooper in the battle of Boyne. For their 
children, see "Fox, EUicott & Evans Fami- 
lies," Chas. W. Evans, Buffalo, N. Y., 1882. 
Four married Ellicots. 

3. Mary, married Samuel Gourley, of 
Wrightstown, Bucks county. 

4. Rebecca, married (first) a George, and 
(second) Samuel Williams, of Gwynedd. 

5. Joseph, born 1730, died January 6, 1818. 

6. John Hough, second son of Jeseph 
and Elizabeth (West) Hough, lived on the 
414 acre tract conveyed to him by his father 
in 1761, as before recited, in Warwick 
township. Was probably not a member of 
the Society of Friends, though he adhered 
to their principles. His name appears on 
the roll of "Non-Associators" in 1775. He 
married, October 31, 1767, at St. Michael's 
and Zion Church, Philadelphia, Ruth Will- 
iams, and' had issue five children, viz: Jo- 
seph, who married Eleanor Miller, who 
after his death married John Meredith ; 
Thomas married (first) Ann Mathews, 
and (second). Lydia (Mathews) Drake, 
her sister: John, married Rebecca Thomp-. 
son ; Mary, married Robert Walker of War- 
rington; and Charlotte, died January 14, 
1 81 5, married John Meredith, who after 
her death married her brother's widow, 
Eleanor (Miller) Hough. John Thompson 
Hough, the wealthy inventor and manufact- 
urer of safes, Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, is a 
descendant of John and Rebecca (Thomp- 
son) Hough. 

7. Margery Hough, married Hugh Shaw. 

8. Elizabeth Hough, married Robert 
Tompkins. 

9. Hannah Hough, died April 18, 1819, 
married Simon Meredith, an uncle to John", 
who married Charlotte, daughter of John 
Hough. A grandson of Simon and Han- 
nah married Rebecca, daughter of Joseph 
Hough ; see below. 

5. Joseph Hough, Jr.. eldest son of Jo- 
seph and Elizabeth (West) Hough, born 
1730, lived on the 420 acres conveyed to him 
by his father in Warwick. He was a -mem- 
ber of the Society of Friends and was dis- 
owned for marrying out of meeting in 1756, 
but continued to adhere to their principles 
and was a "Non-Associator" in 1775. He 
married, in November, 1756. Mary Tomp- 
kins, daughter of Robert Tompkins, Esq., 
of Warrington. She died August 8, 181 1, 
at the age of seventy-five years. They had 
issue: i. Joseph, died 1796, married Re- 
becca Radcliffe, daughter of John and Re- 
becca (West) Radcliffe, niece of his aunt 



HISTORY OF BUCKS COUXTV. 



13 



Sarah's husband, and a descendant of Na- 
thaniel West, as was her husband. 2. John 
who died young. 3. Richard, who married 
Pamela Walton. 4. Elizabeth, who married 
Henry Ditterline. 5. John, who married 
Mary Meredith. 6. Robert, who married 
(first) Francis Martin, of Maryland, and 
(second), Rachel Hopkins, of the Johns 
Hopkins family of Maryland, lived and died 
in Baltimore, and has left many distin- 
guished descendants there. 7. Septimus 
Hough married Edith Wilson, daughter 
of Robert and Mary (Lundy) Wilson, of 
New Jersey. See Lundy Family. 8. Ben- 
jamin Hough. See forward. 9. Jacob, died 
young. 10. Lydia, who married Elias 
Anderson. 11. Charlotte, died unmarried. 
12 and 13. Isaac and Jacob died young, and 
14. Mary, married (1808) Dennis Con- 
rad, a descendant of Thomas Kunders, 
one of the founders of Germantown. 

John Hough, son of Joseph and Mary 
(Tompkins) Hough, was a prominent man 
in the community. He inherited a part of 
his father's plantation near Houghville. 
generally known as "The Turk," and when 
the county seat was about to be removed 
from Newtown laid out streets there and 
made a plan of a town, and offered the site 
for the court house and public buildings. 
He was a large land owner and owned 
the Turk Mills at Houghville, and exten- 
sive warehouses in Philadelphia. He donat- 
ed the land on which the Doylestown Acad- 
emy was built, and was one of the commis- 
sioners of the lottery authorized by the 
legislature to raise $3,000 to complete the 
Academy. He married Mary Meredith, 
daughter of Thomas and Rachel (Mathew) 
Meredith, and niece of Simon Meredith, 
who married Hannah Hough, and had 
issue : John, who married Eliza Stuck- 
ert, and Harriet Ann Pierce, and Mary, 
who never married. 

8. Benjamin Hough, son of Joseph and 
Mary (Tompkins) Hough, was born Janu- 
ary 25, 1770, and died May 16, 1848. He 
purchased from his father in 1797 and 1806, 
and later of his brother, Septimus Hough, 
portions of the old ancestral homestead, 
and at his death owned the greater part of 
the 400 acre tract, and lived thereon all 
his life. He was a prominent man in the 
community and filled many positions of pub- 
lic trust. He was a director of the poor 
in 1818, and served as a director of Doyles- 
town Bank in 1832. He married, August 
24, 1791, Hannah Simpson, born July 26, 
1770, died April 3, 1848, daughter of John 
and Hannah (Roberts) Simpson, of Hors- 
ham, Montgomery county, Pennsylvania, 
and a sister to John Simpson, the grand- 
father of General Ulysses Sirnpson Grant.* 
John Simpson, her father, was iDorn in 1738, 
and died August 16, 1804. His wife, Hannah, 



was a daughter of Lewis Roberts, of Ab- 
ington, and a sister to Colonel William 
Roberts, of New Britain, colonel of milit- 
ia during the Revolution and a sheriff of 
Bucks county. Hannah (Roberts) Simp- 
son died at the residence of her son-in- 
law, Benjamin Hough, in Doylestown 
township, January 22, 1821, aged seventy- 
nine. The children of Benjamin and Han- 
nah (Simpson ) Hough, were as follows: 
I. John Simpson, born 1792, married, 1818, 
Elivia Lunn. 2. Joseph, born 1798, mar- 
ried Jane Cowell, and lived for many years 
in Tinicum ; was brigadier general of Penn- 
sylvania Militia. 3. Anne, born 1794, mar- 
ried George Stuckert. 4. Benjamin, see 
forward. 5. Silas, born 1804 married 
Sophia F. Moser, and their son, John 
S. Hough, was a candidate for governor 
of Colorado on its admission in 1876. 7. 
Hannah, born 1807, married, November 16, 
1826, Daniel Y. Harman, member of Penn- 
sylvania legislature in 1836, etc. 8. William 
Simpson, born i8og. married Elizabeth 
Neely. 9. Samuel Moore, born 1812, mar- 
ried Elizabeth N. Harman, sister of Dan- 
iel Y., and (second) his wife's niece, Ara- 
minta Beans, daughter of Isaac and Biie»-'M7a^ 
U»^ (Harman) Beans. He was adjutant 
of 33d Pennsylvania Regiment, of which 
his brother, Joseph, was colonel. 10. Mary_, 
born 1814, married John Barnsley, of New- 
town. See Barnsley Family in this work. 

Benjamin Hough, Jr., son of Benjamin 
and Hannah (Simpson) Hough, was born 
on the old homestead in Warwick, now 
Doylestown township, January 25, 1801. He 
was a merchant and farmer, and at one 
time owned and conducted the store at 
Buckingham. He later purchased the Bar- 
clay farm, later the Radcliffe farm at War- 
rington, which then included the site of the 
present store at Warrington, across the 
turnpike from the farm, a small triangular 
piece of land, whereon he erected a store 
building and conducted the mercantile busi- 
ness there for many years. He also pur- 
chased the farm now occupied by his grand- 
son, Benjamin Hough, where he died in 
1853. He was married by the Reverend 
John C. Murphy, February 5, 1824, to Ma- 
ria Wentz, of New Britain, and they were 
the parents of ten children, viz : John, who 
removed to Valva, Illinois; Ellen, who 
married John S. Bryan; Silas, see forward; 
J. Finlay, who was a miller, lived first in 
Bedminster, later in Buckingham, died at 
Atlantic City, was the father of Dr. Hough 
of Ambler ; Mary Jane, who married Ed- 
ward Buckman, of Newtown, she died Sep- 
tember 27. 1905; Anna, for many years a 
school teacher, died at Newtown in Septem- 
ber. 1900; Simpson and Samuel H., twins, 
the former removed to Illinois and the latter 
for many years a miller in Warwick, War- 



*General U. S. Grant twice visited the section 
where his maternal ancestors resided, the first time 
soon after his graduation at West Point in 1843. The 
young cadet then was entertained at the liouse of his 
great-uncle and aunt, Benjamin Hough, Sr., and wife 
Hannah Simpson, and was conveyed thence to visit 



the old Simpson homestead in Horsham, where his 
grandfather , John Simpson, was born. In 1J<,53 he re- 
visited Bucks county and' stopped at the house of his 
relative, Robert McKinstry, vihose mother, Mary 
Weir, was a sister to Grant's grandmother, the wife of 
John Simpson. 



H 



HISTORY OF BUCKS COUNTY. 



minster and Hatboro, died in Hatboro in 
1903; Benjamin, a soldier in the civil war, 
died at Leadville, Colorado, March 13, 1890; 
Henry, for many years a teacher in Doyles- 
town and elsewhere, was appointed during 
President Grant's term to a position in the 
Pension office at Washington, D. C, and 
died there in 1901 ; and George, still liv- 
ing in Valva, Illinois. 

Silas Hough was born and reared on the 
Warrington homestead, and on his marri- 
age removed to the farm on which his 
son Benjamin now resides. He was a 
successful and prominent farmer, and filled 
many positions of public trust, frequently 
acting as guardian of minors and as execu- 
tor and administrator in the settlement of 
estates. In politics he was a Republican^ 
and took an active interest in the questions 
of the day, but never sought or held pub- 
lic office. He married, March 3, 1855, Han- 
nah Horner, daughter of James and Ann 
(Long) Horner, of Warminster, Bucks 
county, both of Scotch-Irish ancestry. Si- 
las and Hannah (Horner) Hough, were the 
parents of four children, of whom three 
died in childhood, leaving Benjamin Hough 
as only surviving heir. Hannah Hough 
died in 1890, and Silas in 1892. 

Benjamin Hough, only son of Silas and 
Hannah (Horner) Hough, was born on the 
farm on which he still resides, in Warring- 
ton township, March 12, 1854, and it has 
been his place of residence almost continu- 
ously to the present, covering over half a 
century. He acquired a common school 
education, supplemented by a course at the 
Doylestown English and Classical Seminary. 
He was reared to the life of a farmer, and 
on his marriage he brought his bride to the 
old farm which he conducted until 1883, 
when he removed to Chester county and 
spent two years there on an experimental 
farm. After the death of his father he re- 
turned to the homestead, having in the 
meantime gained new knowledge of modern 
farming methods which he adapted to the 
use of the home place. He made substantial 
improvements and greatly improved the ap- 
pearance of his beautiful home on the 
Doylestown and Willow Grove Turnpike 
and Trolley line, overlooking the beautiful 
valley of the Neshaminy. Mr. Hough is a 
Republican in politics and takes a keen in- 
terest in public affairs, but has never been 
an aspirant for office. He has filled the 
position of school director and other town- 
ship offices. He married, September 28, 
1876, Sarah Patterson, daughter of Jesse 
R. and Mary (Myers) Patterson, both na- 
tives of Bucks county, and granddaughter 
of William and Sarah (Rubinkam) Patter- 
son, the former a native of Pittsburg, and 
the latter of Bucks county. William Patter- 
son was of Scotch-Irish Presbyterian 
stock, and inherited the sterling as well as 
the genial qualities of his ancestors. He 
was a farmer in Bucks county, and reared 
a family of seven children, viz : Jesse, the 
father of Mrs. Hough; Mrs. Susan Bolin- 
ger, Margaret, William, of Doylestown : 



Sheridan T., a farmer near Peoria. Illinois; 
Joseph, who died in the army during the 
civil war; and Thomas, who died in Illi- 
nois. Jesse Patterson, father of Mrs. 
Hough, was reared on his father's farm and 
early in life learned the miller's trade which 
he followed for many years. He was at 
one time the owner of the mills at Edisob, 
Bucks county, which he operated when the 
mill was destroyed by fire. He rebuilt and 
operated the mill during the civil war, and 
later turned his attention to farming. In 
1880 he removed to Chester county, where 
he bought a farm and carried on agricul- 
tural pursuits until his death in 1885, at 
the age of fifty-eight years. His wife, Mary 
Myers, who was a daughter of Tobias My- 
ers, of German descent, died in 1901. Her 
mother, a Miss Puff, was of English de- 
scent, and her brothers were Philip Puff, a 
merchant of Philadelphia, and Henry Puff, 
a carpenter. Jesse and Mary Myers Pat- 
terson were the parents of three children, 
of whom the youngest died in infancy, Sa- 
rah, Mrs. ^ Hough, was the eldest. Her 
brother William is a prominent farmer in 
Chester county. Mrs. Hough is a member 
of the Baptist Church of Doylestown. 

Benjamin and Sarah (Patterson) Hough, 
are the parents of two children, Frederick 
F., born September 27, 1879, at present a 
school teacher in Bucks county, who was 
born on the old homestead in Warrington, 
and William P., who was born in Chester 
county, September 7. 1885. 

WILLIAM H. HOUGH. More than a 
century has passed since the Hough family 
was established in Bucks county, for here 
occurred the birth of Charles Hough, the 
grandfather of William H. Hough, his na- 
tal year being i8or. He followed farming 
throughout his entire life and gave his 
political support to the Republican party. 
He held the office of supervisor for a num- 
ber of years and was always faithful in 
matters of citizenship. The moral develop- 
ment of the community was also of deep 
interest to him. and his life was in harmony 
with his professions as a member of the 
Society of Friends. He married Miss Sus- 
an Neal, and they became the parents of ten 
children, six of whom have passed away. 
The living are: Rachel, the wife of Tames 
Lonsdale; Jasper, a carpenter of Lang- 
horne. Pennsylvania: Henry; and Martha, 
the wife of James Subers. 

Henry Hough, son of Charles Hough, 
was born in Edgewood, Pennsylvania, in 
1838, and when a lad of twelve j-'ears went 
with his parents to the farm upon which 
his son William now resides. There he as- 
sisted in the development and cultivation of 
the fields and continued to engage in agri- 
cultural pursuits until 1861, when he estab- 
lished a hardwnre business in Yardley. con- 
tinuing it for thirly-three years. In 1894 'le 
sold this and removed to Solebury. where 
he has since given his attention to farming. 
Throughout his mercantile career he en- 
joyed an unassailable reputation, and his 
business life has ever been characterized by 



HISTORY OF BUCKS COUNTY. 



.straightforward dealing and persistency of 
purpose. His efforts, too, have been directed 
along lines that have proved of value to his 
community, and at the same time have pro- 
moted individual success. He was one of 
the organizers of the Yardley Building and 
Loan Association, and for twenty-five years 
served as its treasurer. He was also one 
of the organizers of the Yardley National 
Bank. He held the office of school director 
for a number of years, the cause of educa- 
tion finding in him a warm friend; and his 
political allegiance has ever been given to 
the Republican party. He married Miss 
Elizabeth Parent, of New Jersey, and they 
l)ecame the parents of two children : Mar- 
tha, deceased; and William H. 

William H. Hough was born November 
17, 1856, and acquired his education in the 
•common schools of Yardley. When not 
occupied with his text books he assisted his 
father in the store, and was thus identiefid 
with mercantile interests for twenty-four 
years. In 1880 he opened a grocery store 
in Yardley, which he conducted with fair 
success for ten years. Since that time he 
has been engaged in the butchering busi- 
ness in connection with farming, and his 
"keen discernment and enterprise have 
brought to him very creditable and grati- 
fying success. Socially he is connected 
with the Improved Order of Red Men, No. 
170, of Trenton, New Jersey, in which he 
has passed all of the chairs, a fact which 
indicates his popularity with his brethren of 
the fraternity. William H. Hough was 
married to Miss Anna Ford, a daughter 
of George and Anna Ford, of West 
Chester, Pennsylvania. They becarne the 
parents of seven children, of whom one 
died in infancy. The others are : Bertha 
J., wife of William J. Wilson ; Edward T., 
Lillian I., Mabel C, Elsie and Bess, all at 
home. 



EASTBURN FAMILY. The name 
of Eastburn is an old and honorable one. 
It originates in Yorkshire, England, 
where the Manor of Esteburne, (East 
stream) was created early in the Elev- 
enth century. It comprised the par- 
ishes of BingJey and Thwaite-Keighly, 
from whence the Eastburns emigrated 
to America six centuries later. The 
name "de Eastburn" appears as a sur- 
name as early as 1200, and the more 
familiar names of Robert and John East- 
burn in 1583. The first of the name to 
migrate to Penn's Province was John 
Eastburn. of the parish of Bingley. who 
brought a certificate from Brigham 
Monthly Meeting of Friends to Phil- 
adelphia, dated 5 mo. 31, 1682. He pur- 
chased 300 acres of land in Southamp- 
ton towMiship, Bucks county, in 1693, and 
married Margaret Jones, of Philadelphia 
5 mo. 2, 1694. He died in Southampton 
about 1720. His children were: Eliza- 
beth, born 8 mo. 16. 1695: John, born 
■ 6 mo., 22, 1697; Peter, born i mo. 5, 1699; 



Thomas, born 9 mo. 22, 1700. Their 
mother died in 1740. There was also a 
daughter Mary, who married Thomas 
Studham. Elizabeth married Thomas 
\Valton. of Southampton. Thomas died 
in 1748, leaving a widow Sarah and 
daughter Margaret. The eldest son John 
left several descendants. 

ROBERT EASTBURN, probably a 
brother of John, at least son of another 
John, of the parish of Thwaite-Keighley, 
Yorkshire, married Sarah Preston, 
daughter of Jonas, of the parish of 
Rostick. near Leeds, England, 3 mo. 10, 
1693. Their children were: 

Esther, born 8 mo. 27, 1694, married 
1717. Jonathan Livezey, ancestor of the 
Solebury family. 

Benjamin, born 7 mo. 15, 1695, died 
,1741; surveyor general of Pennsylvania 
from 1733 to 1741, w'ho married Ann 
Thomas in 1722, but left no issue. 

John, born i mo. 12, 1697, married 
Grace Colston, and settled in Norriton, 
Montgomery county, Pennsj-lvania, 
where many of his descendants still re- 
side. 

INIary, born 11 mo. 17, 1698, died un- 
married. 

Samuel, born 2 mo. 20, 1702, died 
1785 in Solebury, Bucks county, Pennsyl- 
vania; married Elizabeth Gillingham. 

Joseph, born l mo. 21, 1704, died un- 
married. 

Sarah, born 12 mo. 10, 1706; married 
1734, Hugh Thomas, of Philadelphia 
county, Pennsylvania. 

Robert, born 2 mo. 7, 1710; married 
1733, Agnes Jones; was captain in 
French and Indian w-ar of 1756-8 under 
General Forbes, and was captured by the 
Indians in March, 1756, and carried to 
Canada and held until November, 1757. 
He, however, lived to render valuable 
service to Philadelphia Committee of 
Safety at the outbreak of the Revolu- 
tion. He was the father of Rev. Joseph 
Eastburn, founder of the Mariners' 
Presbyterian Church, in 1818, and sev- 
eral other children. 

Elizabeth, the youngest child of Rob- 
ert and Sarah (Preston) Eastburn, was 
born after the arrival of her parents in 
Philadelphia. 

The family as above given brought a 
certificate from Brigham Friends' Meet- 
ing in Yorkshire to Philadelphia, dated 
12 mo. 6, 1713, and removed to Abing- 
. ton in 171.-;. Robert died 7 mo. 24, 1755, 
and Sarah 8 mo. 31, 1752. 

Samuel Eastburn, third son of Robert 
and Sarah, born in Yorkshire, 2 mo. 20, 
1702, came to Philadelphia with hi^ pa- 
rents in 1713. In 1728 he married Eliza- 
beth, daughter of Yeamans Gillingham 
of Oxford, Philadelphia county, and re- 
moved to Solebury township, Bucks 
county, near Centre Hill, where he fol- 
lowed' his trade, that of a blacksmith, 
as well as the conduct of a farm of 250 
acres which he purchased in 1734. He 



i6 



HISTORY OF BUCKS COUNTY. 



brought a certificate from Abington 
Meeting, dated March 6, 1729, to Buck- 
ingham Meeting, of which he became 
one of the most active members, serving 
as overseer and clerk for several years. 
He was recommended as a minister m 
1770, and travelled in that capacity 
through various parts of this state, as 
well as in New Jersey, New York and 
New England. He was also a prom- 
inent man in the community in which he 
lived. He donated the land upon which 
the first school house was built at Cen- 
tre Hill, which was known for many 
years as "The Stone School House" be- 
fore Centre Hill was known as a vil- 
lage. He died in 1785. His children 
were: 

Benjamin, born 2 mo. 11, 1729, died 
II mo. 21, 1735. 

Joseph, born 12 mo. 18, 1730, died 10 
mo. 29, 1780; married 1753, Mary Wilson. 

Ann E., born 12 mo. 18, 1732; married 
1754, Joseph Pugh, son of Daniel, of 
New Britain. 

Mary, born 2 mo. 16, 1734; married 
William Edwards. 

Sarah, born 3 mo. 23, 1736; married 
1756, Benjamin Smith. 

Robert, born 6 mo. 23, 1739; married 
1763, Elizabeth Duer; 1784, Rachel Pax- 
son. 

JOSEPH EASTBURN, born 1730, 
died 10 mo. 23, 1780, inherited from his 
father one-half of the homestead, 125 
acres, and purchased considerable other 
land in Solebury, part of it being a tract 
of land purchased of Richard Pike in 
1763, a portion of which is still in the 
tenure of his great-great-grandson, 
Eastburn Reeder. He married, i mo. 
17, 1753. Mary, daughter of Samuel and 
Rebecca (Canby) Wilson, of Bucking- 
ham, and had by her eleven children, as 
follows: 

Joseph, born 7 mo. 16, 1754; married 
^777, Rebecca Kitchin, daughter of Will- 
iam and Sarah Ely Kitchin. 

Benjamin, born 7 mo. 4, 1756; married 
1778, Keziah Ross and removed to 
Maryland. 

Samuel, born 6 mo. 20, 1759; married 
1781, Macre Croasdale, and in 1786, Han- 
nah Kierkbride. 

John, born 4 mo. 28, 1760; married 
1788. Elizabeth Wiggins, and in 1808, 
Hannah Hillborn. 

Rebecca, born 4 mo. 4, 1762; married 
i8to. George Pierce. 

Thomas, born 5 mo. 14, 1764; married 
1795, Mercy Bailey. 

Mary, born 6 mo. 22, 1766; married 
1790. Joseph Phipps. 

James, laorn 8 mo. 27, T768, married 
1/91, Merab, daughter of John and Sarah 
(Simcock) Ely. 

Amos, born 12 mo. 25, 1770; married 
T7QS. Mary Stackhouse. 

David, born 4 mo. 7. 1773; married 
1801. Elizabeth Jeanes and removed to 
Delaware. 



Elizabeth, born 1776, died 1777. Mary, 
the mother, died 11 mo. 19, 1805. 

JOSEPH EASTBURN, born I7S4, 
died 5 mo. 16, 1813, inherited from his 
father the Pike tract of land in Sole- 
bury, and lived and died thereon. He 
married Rebecca Kitchin, 9 mo. 19, 1777, 
and had seven children, of whom only 
five, all daughters, grew to maturity, and 
only the eldest, Elizabeth, born 9 mo. 
13. 1778, married. She became the wife 
of Merrick Reeder, Esq., in 1802. An 
account of their descendants is given on 
another page of this work. 

ROBERT EASTBURN, youngest 
son of Samuel and Elizabeth Gillingham 
Eastburn, born 6 mo. 23, 1739, died 1816, 
married (first) 11 mo. 22, 1763, Eliza- 
beth Duer, and took up his residence on 
a part of the homestead farm where he 
was born, and spent the rest of his life 
there. His children by Elizabeth were: 
Sarah, born i mo. 12, 1766; married 
Thomas Phillips. Moses, born 4 mo. I, 
1768; married 1790, Rachel Knowles. 
Elizabeth, born 1770, died 1775. Aaron, 
born I mo. 10, 1773; married 1796, Mercy- 
Bye. Ann, born 12 mo. 27, 1775, married 
1798, John Comfort. Robert married 
(second) Rachel Paxson, a widow on 9 
mo. 16, 1784, and had two children: 
Letitia, born 1793. married 1816, Samuel 
Metlar; Samuel, born 1800, married 1821, 
Mary Carver. 

MOSES EASTBURN, born 4 nio. i, 
1768, died 9 mo. 28, 1846, married 10 mo. 
21, 1790, Rachel, daughter of John and 
Mary Knowles. Mary Knowles, the 
elder, was a daughter of Robert and 
Mercy (Brown) Sotcher, and grand- 
daughter of John and Mary (Lofty) 
Sotcher, Penn's faithful stewards at 
Pennsbury, and also granddaughter of 
George and Mercy Brown, and a cousin 
to General Jacob Brown. The children 
of Moses and Rachel Knowles Brown 
who grew to maturity were: John, born 
1791, removed to the west; Elizabeth, 
born 1793, married 1813, Samuel Black- 
fan; Robert, born 1794, removed to the 
west; Jacob, born 9 mo. 14, 1798, married 
1829, Elizabeth K. Taylor; Mary, born 
9 mo. 15, 1800, married 1829, Thomas F. 
Parry; Sarah, born 1804, married John 
Palmer; and Moses, born 5 mo. 9, 1815, 
married 1845, Mary Anna Ely. Rachel 
Knowles Eastburn died 4 mo., 1843. 

Moses Eastburn, son of Moses and 
Rachel, born 5 mo. 9, 1815, died 9 mo. 
27, 1887, was a worthy representative of 
this old family. He was possessed in a 
marked degree of the best elements of 
good citizenship, quiet and unassuming 
in demeanor, but determined and un- 
swerving in his devotion to principle 
and right. Though never holding any 
political office he held many positions of 
trust, and was always active in promot- 
ing and maintaining local enterprises 
for the benefit of the people of his na- 
tive county. He was for many years a 



HISTORY OF BUCKS COUNTY. 



17 



manager and afterwards president of the 
Bucks County Agricultural Society; one 
of the organizers and most active mem- 
bers of the Solebury Farmers' Club; a 
manager of the Farmers' and Mechanics' 
Mutual Insurance Association of Bucks 
County, probably the largest local in- 
surance company in the county, and 
for many years its president, (1877 to 
1886); a manager of the Lahaska and 
New Hope Turnpike Company, and its 
president for many years prior .to his 
death; a manager of the Doylestown and 
Buckingham Turnpike Company from 
1864 until his death; a manager of the 
Lambertville National Bank, and school 
director for many years. He was an 
active member of Solebury Monthly 
Meeting of Friends, being for thirty-tive 
years clerk of the Meeting, and in every 
position he discharged its duties with 
ability and fidelity. Few men have been 
more honored and respected for sterling 
qualities than he. He was married 4 
mo. 16, 184s, to Mary Anna, daughter of 
Hugh B. and Sarah M. Ely, of Bucking- 
ham, where she was born, 11 mo. 30, 
i8t6. She died in Solebury, 7 mo. 2, 
1879. Moses Eastburn inherited the 
farm upon which he was born and spent 
nearly his whole life there. It is now 
the property of his only son, Hugh B. 
Eastburn. The children of Moses and 
Mary Anna (Ely) Eastburn were: Hugh 
B., born 2 mo. 11, 1846; and Fannie, born 
10 mo. 27, 1847, died 1851. 

HUGH B. EASTBURN, of Doyjes- 
town, lawyer and banker, was born on 
the Solebury farm, 2 mo. 11, 1846. He 
attended the public schools of the neigh- 
borhood until 1859, and then entered the 
Excelsior Normal Institute at Carvers- 
ville. graduating in 1865. For two years 
he taught in the Boys' Grammar School 
at Fifteenth and Race streets, Philadel- 
phia, and subsequently in the Friends' 
Central High School. While there he 
began the study of law under the pre- 
ceptorship of Hon. D. Newlin Fell, now 
justice of the supreme court, and was 
admitted to the Philadelphia bar in the 
spring of 1870. In June, 1870, he was 
appointed by State Superintendent Wick- 
ershani to fill a vacancy in the office of 
county superintendent of schools in 
Bucks county, and was elected to that 
position in 1872, and re-elected in 1875. 
Mr. Eastburn resigned the office of 
county superintendent in 1876 and en- 
tered the law department of the Univj^r- 
sity of Pennsylvania, and was admitted 
to' the Bucks County bar in August, 
1877. In 1885 he was elected district at- 
torney on the Republican ticket, receiv- 
ing a handsome majority, though the 
county was at that time Democratic. 
Mr. Eastburn was one of the organizers 
of the Bucks County Trust Company in 
1886, and has been one of the board of 
directors since organization and its pres- 
ident since 1895, and trust officer since 
2-3 



1892. He has always been deeply inter- 
ested in educational matters, and his 
voice and pen have been potent in every 
movement for the advancement of -edu- 
cation in his native county and state. 
He was for several years a member of the 
board of trustees of the West Chester 
Normal School, and has been a member 
of the Doylestown school board since 
1890, and is now its president. In poli- 
tics he is an ardent Republican, and has 
taken an active interest in the councils 
of his party. He has been its represen- 
tative in many district, state and national 
conventions. 

He was married 12 mo. 23, 1885, to 
Sophia, daughter of John B. and Eliza- 
beth S. (Fox) Pugh, of Doylestown, and 
has two sons: Arthur Moses, born 9 
mo. 27, 1886; and Hugh B., Jr., born 2 
mo. II, 1888. 

ROBERT EASTBURN, of Yardley, 
Bucks county, Pennsylvania, was born in 
Solebury township, Bucks county, 3 mo. 
-J 1833, is a son of Jacob and Elizabeth 
K. (Taylor) Eastburn. Jacob Eastburn 
was a son • of Moses and Rachel 
(Knowles) Eastburn, mentioned in a 
foregoing sketch, and was born oh the 
old Eastburn homestead in Solebury, 
September 14, 1793. He married in 1829 
Elizabeth K. Taylor, who, like Rachel 
(Knowles) Eastburn, was a descendant 
of John and Mary (Lofty) Sotcher, 
through the marriage of their daughter 
Mary to Mahlon Kirkbride. 

On the marriage of Jacob Eastburn 
his father purchased for him the farm 
now owned by John H. Ely, adjoining 
the homestead, and he spent the re- 
mainder of his life thereon. Jacob East- 
burn was a prominent and successful 
business man and farmer. His elder 
brother Robert had heired a farm at 
Limeport, but, going west when young, 
had died without issue, whereby the 
farm descended to his brothers and sis- 
ters, subject to the life estate of the 
father, Moses Eastburn. During the life- 
time of Moses the farm, which was a 
valuable one, as it included the then 
profitable lime kilns, quarries and 
wharfage on the canal, was occupied by 
Phineas Kelly. At the death of Moses 
Eastburn, in 1846, Jacob, as the eldest 
surviving son, was induced to take 
charge of this valuable plant and man- 
age it for the heirs. He entered into a 
partnership with the late George A. 
Cook, who had been a clerk under Mr. 
Kelly, and the new firm built up a pros- 
perous and profitable business. They 
eventually purchased the interest of the 
other heirs and continued the business 
until the death of Jacob Eastburn, which 
occurred August 26, i860. Jacob East- 
burn was an active and prominent man 
in the community, though never holding 
any elective office other than school di- 
rector and was frequently called upon 
to act as guardian.' trustee or executor 



i8 



HISTORY Of BUCKS COUNTY. 



in the sclllcniciil of estates, ami held 
many positions of trust, lie was an ac- 
tive anil consistent member of Sole- 
bury Friends' Meeting. Jacob and Eliz- 
abeth Eastburn were the parents of ten 
children, viz.: William T. and Anna, 
both of whom died in infancy; Robert, 
the subject of this sketch; Ellen Y., 
wife of Samuel Hart, of Doylestown 
township, born 10 mo. 27, 1834; Mary 
Anna, born 2 mo. 29, 1837, now widow of 
J. Simpson Belts; George, born 11 mo. 
25, 1838, a prominent educator of Phil- 
adelphia; Elias and Timothy, twins, 
born 12 mo. 28, 1840 — the former, now 
deceased, was a sheriff of Bucks county, 
and the latter is still living in Solebury; 
Rachel, died in infancy; Sarah, born 10 
mo. 15, 1845, now deceased, was the wife 
of Mark Palmer, of Lower Makefie'ld. 
Elizabeth K. Eastburn the mother, died 
8 mo. 21, 1877. 

Robert Eastburn was born and reared 
on the Solebury farm, and received a 
good education. Arriving at manhood, 
he was married, 2 mo. 12, 1857, to Eliza- 
beth, daughter of Joseph E. and Letitia 
(Betts) Reeder, and in the following 
spring began farming on the Pownall 
farm at Limeport, purchased by his 
father-in-law. His wife Elizabeth died 
there 11 mo. 6, i860, and the following 
spring he sold oi.it and returned to the 
homestead. His father having died the 
preceding summer, he as eldest son and 
executor was occupied in the settlement 
of the estate and the conduct of the 
business for the next two years. These 
were trying times for the Quaker-bred 
youth of our section, the civil war hav- 
ing broken out, and excitement ran. high. 
Though bred and trained as non-com- 
batants, religious principles and parental 
injunction and restraint were insufficient 
to restrain many from responding to the 
numerous calls for men to go to the 
front in defense of our country. This 
family of four grown-up sons was no 
exception to the rule, and only the con- 
tention as to who should go and who 
remain at home to care for the widow 
and faim, probably prevented their early 
enlistment. Finally, when the rebels 
had entered our own state, the strain 
was too great, and three of the boys 
(Robert, George and Elias) enlisted in 
an emergency company formed at 
Doylestown, and started for the front, 
leaving Timothy to care for the home 
interests. Fortunately the tide of in- 
vasion was turned and the boys were 
gone but a few weeks, and came home 
to make peace with the grim elders of 
the meeting for their transgression of 
the discipline. In' 1866. one year after the 
close of the war by the active work of 
our late friend, John E. Kenderdine, a 
prominent and active worker in Sole- 
bury Meeting, assuming the position that 
the boys going to the front were no 



more guilty than those at home con- 
tributing to the war, an acknowledg- 
ment of their deviation from one of the 
cardinal points of their faith (that of 
opposition to war) by in any way giv- 
ing encouragement to the government 
in its armed support, was prepared and 
signed by forty-seven of the fifty male 
members of that meeting. Of that list 
but fourteen are living at this time. 

In the summer of 1863 Robert East- 
burn purchased the interest of his father 
in the lime business and removed to 
Yardley, where an ofifice for the sale of 
the lime had been long established, and 
formed a partnership with George A. 
Cook, under the firm name of Eastburn 
& Cook, which lasted several 3^ears. 
Later he embarked in the coal and fer- 
tilizer business at Yardley, which he 
continued until 1897. In addition to this 
business, having been elected a justice 
of the peace in 1874, he started a real 
estate and general business agency, 
which he has continud to the present 
time in connection with the settlement 
of many estates and the transaction of 
official business, Mr. Eastburn having 
held the oftice of justice until the pres- 
ent time, a period of thirty years, 

Robert Eastburn married (second) on 
Octootr 1:0, 1863, Elizabeth, daughter of 
Charles White, of Solebury, and took 
up his permanent residence in Yardley. 
His wife died 11 mo. 5, 1866, and on 8 
mo. 12, 1875, he married (third) Anna 
Palmer, who died 3 mo. 8, 1901. By his 
first marriage, with Elizabeth Reeder, 
Mr. Eastburn had two children: William 
T., born 8 mo. 31, 1859, married Alada 
Blackfan, and is now living at New 
Hope; and Jacob, born 11 mo. 6. i860, 
now living in New York city. By his 
marriage with Anna Palmer he has one 
son, Walter N., born 2 mo. 6, 1881, mar- 
ried II mo. II, 1902, Isabel Frances 
Stanbury, and now living in New York. 

WILLIAM T. EASTBURN, of New 
Hope, son of Robert and Elizabeth 
(Reeder) Eastburn, was born in Sole- 
bury, 8 mo. 31, 1859. At the death of 
his mother, 11 mo. 6, i860, he went to 
live w'ith his grandparents, Joseph E. and 
Letitia Reeder, and was reared in their 
h-^me in Solebury. He received a good 
ec'ucj.tion. and upon his marriage began 
farming at his present residence, where 
he has ever since resided. At the death 
of his grandfather in 1892 he was devised 
this pronerty and the farm upon which 
he was born at Limeport. Mr. Eastburn 
is a progressive and intelligent farmer, and 
has gradually improved the propertv since 
it came under his tenure. He is a 
member of Solebury Friends' Meeting. 
He was married 10 mo. 5, 1887. to Alada 
E., daughter of the late'William C. and 
Elizabeth (Ely) Blackfan, a lineal de- 
scendant of Edward Blackfan and Re- 
becca Crispin, the latter being a first 



/ 



HISTORY OF BUCKS COUNTY. 



19 



cousin to William Penn. William T. 
and Alada E. B. Eastburn have four 
children; viz.: Sybil Ethel, born 4 mo. 
6, 1890; William B., born 4 mo. 30, 1894; 
Edward B., born 2 mo. 9, 1898; and Jo- 
seph Robert, born 10 mo. 20, 1901. 



CHARLES TWINING EASTBURN, 
■of Yardley, Bucks county, Pennsylvania, 
one of the most active and successful 
young business men of Bucks county, 
w^as born in Newtown township, Bucks 
county, Pennsylvania, October 9, 1873, 
and is a son of Franklin and Mary Eliza- 
beth (Twining) Eastburn, both of whom 
-are descendants of the earliest English 
settlers in Lower Bucks. Mr. Eastburn' 
is a descendant in the seventh genera- 
tion from Robert and Sarah (Preston) 
Eastburn, who migrated from Yorkshire, 
England, in 1713, through their son 
Samuel, who settled in Solebury town- 
ship, Bucks county, in 1729. An account 
of the first three generations of this 
family is given above. 

Amos Eastburn, son of Joseph and 
Mary (Wilson) Eastbtirn, and grandson 
of Samuel, above mentioned, was born in 
Solebury township, 12 mo. 25, 1770, be- 
ing the ninth of eleven children. His 
father died when he was ten years of 
age. Early in life he learned the trade 
of a carpenter and joiner, and followed 
that vocation in connection with' fafm- 
ing in Buckingham and Solebury town- 
ships, until 181 1, when he removed to 
Middletown township and settled upon 
135 acres of land that had been the prop- 
erty of the ancestors of his wife since 
1699, nearly the whole of which is now 
included in the borough of Langhorne 
Manor, where he died 10 mo. 16, 1823. 
He married, 4 mo. 23, 1795, Mary Stack- 
house, born in- IMiddletown township, 
■daughter of Jonathan and Grace (Com- 
fort) Stackhouse. granddaughter of 
Isaac and Mary (Harding) Stackhouse, 
and great-granddaughter of Thomas and 
Ann (Mayos) Stockhouse, an account of 
whose arrival in Bucks county in 1682 
is given in another part of this work. 
The land upon which Mrs. Eastburn 
spent nearly her whole life was part of 
a tract of 350 acres taken up by her 
great-grandfather (the last named 
Thomas Stackhouse) in 1699. and had 
been successively occupied by her di- 
rect ancestors down to the death of her 
father, Jonathan Stackhouse, in 1805, 
when fifty-five acres thereof was set 
apart to her as her share of her father's 
estate. Her husband later purchased of 
the other heirs an additional seventy-six 
acres adjoining, and it was her home 
from 181 1 until her death, i mo. 31. 
1831. Amos and INIary (Stackhouse) 
Eastburn were the parents of three chil- 
■dren: Grace, born in Buckingham, i mo. 
29. 1796, died in Fallsington in 1875, 



unmarried; Jonathan, born in Bucking- 
ham, 12 mo. 25, 1797, died in Middle- 
town, 4 mo. 9, 1840, married Sidney Wil- 
son and had children: Mary Ann, Amos, 
Joseph Wilson and Isaac S.; and Aaronj 
born m Buckingham, 8 mo. 23, 1804, died 
in Newtown township, 2 mo. 6, 1889. 

Aaron Eastburn, grandfather of the 
subject of this sketch, was reared from 
the age of seven years on the Langhorne 
Manor farm. His father died when he 
was nineteen years of age, and he re- 
mained with his mother until 1828. when 
he purchased the farm where the subject 
of this sketch was born, in Newtown 
township, and spent his remaining days 
thereon, dying 2 mo. 6, 1889, in his 
eighty-fifth year. He was an active 
member of the Society of Friends, and 
a trustee of P^alls Meeting. He married 
5 mo. 22, 1831, Sarah Cadwallader, 
daughter of Cyrus and Mary (Taylor) 
Cadwallader of Lower Makefield town- 
ship, granddaughter of Jacob and Phebe 
(Radclifife) Cadwallader, great-grand- 
daughter of Jacob Cadwallader, and 
great-great-granddaughter of John Cad- 
wallader. a native of Wales, who wa= an 
early settler in \\'arminster township and 
a noted minister among Friends. Through 
her mother, Mary Taylor, she was a 
great-granddaughter of John and Mary 
(Lofty) Sotcher, William Penn's trust- 
ed stewards at Pennsbury. the former of 
whom was for many years a member of 
colonial assembly. 

Aaron and Sarah (Cadwallader) East- 
burn were the parents of five children: 
Mary C, born 5 mo. 10, 1832, married 
Charles Moon; Cyrus, of Lower Make- 
field, born 12 mo, 2, 1833, married Ase- 
nath Haines; Charles, died in infancy: 
Mercy, born 7 mo. 11, 1838, married 
Charles Albertson; and Franklin. 

Franklin Eastburn; father of the sub- 
ject of this sketch, was the youngest 
child of Aaron and Sarah, and was born 
on the Newtown homestead, 11 mo. 2, 
1842, and resided thereon until 1896 
when he moved to 2107 Chestnut street, 
Philadelphia, where he now resides. He 
married. 10 mo. 28, 1869. Mary Elizabeth 
Twining, daughter of Charles and Eliza- 
beth (West) Twining, of Yardley, Bucks 
county, Pennsylvania, and they are the 
parents of two children: Sarah C, born 
in 1871, now the wife of George William 
Balderston. of Trenton, New Jersey, and 
Charles. 

Charles Twining Eastburn was born 
and reared on the old homestead in 
Newtown township, and acquired his 
education at the public schools and at 
Friends' Central School at Fifteenth and 
Race streets. Philadelphia, and Stew- 
art's Business College at Trenton, New 
Jersey, leaving the latter February 28, 
1892. The day following his leaving bus- 
iness college he entered the employ of 
Stephen B. Twining, in the stone quarry 
business, at Stockton. New Jersey. Upon 



20 



IIISrONV Of BUCKS COUXTY. 



the death of Mr. Twining, in July, 1894, 
he assumed charge of the entire opera- 
tions. The following year he purchased 
the business, and has increased and ex- 
panded it from year to year until he is 
now the largest cleaier in his line of trade 
in Eastern Pennsylvania, operating ex- 
tensive quarries at Stockton, New Jersey, 
Lumberville, Yardley, Neshaminy Falls, 
and in Clearrteld, Elk and Jefferson 
counties, Pennsylvania, and filling large 
contracts for furnishing stone to the 
Pennsylvania and other railroad com- 
panies, and for many large public and 
private building operations all over the 
country, employing from four hundred 
to seven hundred men in the conduct of 
his business. He also owns and con- 
ducts the homestead farm in Newtown 
township. 

Mr. Eastburn married, January 8, 1903, 
Margaret B. Phillips, daughter of Theo- 
dore F. and Emma B. Phillips, of Lang- 
horne, Bucks county, Pennsylvania, and 
they are the parents of one child, Sarali 
P., born June 17, 1904- Mr. and Mrs. 
Eastburn are members of the Newtown 
Presbyterian church. Mr. Eastburn is a 
Republican in politics, and has taken an 
active interest in the success of his 
party. He is a member of Newtown 
lodge, No. 426, F. and A. M. 



SAMUEL COMFORT EASTBURN. 
Among the most enterprising business 
men of lower Bucks county is Samuel 
Comfort Eastburn, of Langhorne bor- 
ough. He is a son of Joseph and Eliza- 
beth (Comfort) Eastburn, and was born 
in Middletown township, Bucks county, 
August 2, 1848. An account of the first 
three generations of the paternal ances- 
tors of the subject of this sketch is given 
in other pages, he being a descendant in 
the sixth generation of Robert and Sarah 
(Preston) Eastburn, who came from' 
Yorkshire to Philadelphia in 1713. and 
settled near Abington. Montgomery 
county, Pennsylvania, a year later. Sam- 
uel Eastburn, the great-great-grand- 
father of Samuel C, removed to Sole- 
bury township, Bucks county, in 1729. 
His son, Robert Eastburn, and his first 
wife, Elizabeth Duer, were the great- 
grandparents of both the subject and 
his wife, Elizabeth (Maule) Eastburn. 

Aaron Eastburn, youngest son of Rob- 
ert and Elizabeth (Duer) Eastburn, 
born I mo. 10, 1773, married in 9 mo., 
1796, Mercy Bye, of Buckingham, and 
lived in Solebury, dying at the age of 
seventy-three years, 3 mo. 24, 1846, and 
Mercy, his widow, dying 2 mo. 21, i8j8. 
aged seventy-four years. They were the 
parents of ten children, seven daughters 
and three sons. Joseph Eastburn, the 
ninth child of Aaron and Mercy, and 
the only son who married, was born in 
Solebury township, 4 mo. 18, 1814. He 



was reared in his native township of 
Solebury, but on his marriage, 11 ma. 
19, 1846, to Elizabeth, daughter of Sam- 
uel and Elizabeth Comfort, of Middle- 
town, settled on a portion of his fath- 
er-in-law's farm in Middletown. At the 
death of Samuel Comfort in i860 this 
farm descended to his daughter, Eliza- 
beth C. Eastburn, and a part of it is 
the present home of the subject of this 
sketch. The children of Joseph and 
Elizabeth (Comfort) Eastburn were: 
Samuel C, born 8 mo. 2, 1848; Anna^ 
born 6 mo. 24, 1852, married John G. 
Willetts; and Thomas, born 8 mo. 21,. 
1853. Joseph Eastburn, the father, died 
10 mo, 31, 1891. 

The maternal ancestors of the subject 
of this sketch were among the early 
Quaker settlers of this section. John 
Comfort was a resident of Amwell tovvn- 
ship, Hunterdon county, where he died' 
in 1728. He brought a certificate from 
Flushing, ■ Long Island, to Falls Meet- 
ing, 12 mo. 3, 1719. In 1720 he married 
Mary, daughter of Stephen and Sarah 
(Baker) Wilson, and had by her three 
children: Stephen, Sarah and Robert. 
Stephen Comfort married Mercy Croas- 
dale, and settled in Middletown town- 
ship, where he acquired several large 
tracts of land. He died in 1772, leaving 
sons Stephen, John, Ezra, Jeremiah, 
Moses, and Robert; and daughters Grace 
and Mercy. Stephen Comfort (2), mar- 
ried Sarah Stevenson, and settled on his 
father's farm on the Neshaminy, near 
Parkland, and later purchased consid- 
erable adjoining land, most of which be- 
came the property of his son Samuel at 
the death of his father in 1826. The other 
children of Stephen and Sarah Comfort 
were, Stephen, David and Jeremiah. 
Samuel Comfort lived upon the Nesh- 
aminy homestead until about 1850, when 
he removed to the village of Attleboro, 
where he died in i860, leaving children: 
Mary Ann; Jesse; Elizabeth, wife of Jo- 
seph Eastburn, and Samuel. He was a 
prominent man in the community and 
filled many positions of trust. 

Samuel Comfort Eastburn was reared 
on the Middletown farm, and received 
his education at the Langhorne Acad- 
emy and at Westtown Boarding School. 
He later took a course at Crittenden's 
Commercial College, Philadelphia. He 
engaged in railroad surveying for a few- 
years, and then in the dry goods busi- 
ness in Philadelphia, where he remained 
for ten years. In 1880 he took an agency 
for the Provident Life and Trust Com- 
pany of Philadelphia, in the life in- 
surance department, and has been con- 
nected with it ever since, now holding" 
the position of general agent for Cen- 
tral Pennsylvania. Mr. Eastburn is an 
enterprising and successful business 
man. and has been closely identified with 
most of the vast improvements in and 
about his native town of Langhorne in 



HISTORY OF BUCKS COUNTY. 



21 



the last twenty-five years. In 1886 he 
organized and developed the Langhorne 
Improvement Company, purchasing for 
it the 620 acres of land upon which the 
present borough of Langhorne Manor 
is built. In 1887 he built the Langhorne 
water works, which now supply water 
to the three boroughs of Langhorne, 
Langhorne Manor and Attleboro, and 
in the same year he built the Langhorne 
brick works. In 1888 he organized the 
Langhorne Electric Light Company. He 
was treasurer and superintendent of the 
Langhorne Manor Inn, now the Foulke 
and Long Institute. Me has been largely 
instrumental in the sale and development 
of suburban real estate, and has been for 
many years a foremost advocate of the 
improvement of the public roads. He 
has always been an ardent advocate of 
progress and improvement, and has been 
a potent force along these lines in the 
communit)^ in which he lives. In religion 
he is a member of the orthodox branch 
of the Society of Friends. In politics he 
is a Republican, though never a seeker 
or holder of other than local office, be- 
ing for some years a justice of the peace, 
and filling other local offices. 

He married May 3, 1876, Elizabeth L.. 
daughter of Joseph E. and Sarah (Com- 
fort) Maule, of Philadelphia, who was 
torn 2 mo. 10, 1851. She is a grand- 
daughter of John and Ann (Eastburn) 
Maule, the latter being a daughter of 
Robert and Elizabeth (Duer) Eastburn, 
and a sister to Aaron Eastburn, the 
grandfather of the subject of this sketch. 
The children of Samuel C. and Eliza- 
beth (Maule) Eastburn are: Herbert 
Maule, born 3 mo. 25. 1877; Samuel 
Arthur, born 10 mo. 3. 1878; Joseph 
Maule, born 4 mo. 25, 1880: and Howard 
Percy,' born 2 mo. 15, 1887. Herbert is 
the general agent of the Penn Mutual 
Life Insurance Company at Trenton, 
New Jersey; Samuel A. is district agent 
for the Provident Life and Trust Com- 
pany at Williamsport. Pennsylvania; Jo- 
seph M. is superintendent of the Red- 
wood Lumber Manufactory, at Samoa, 
California, for Hammond & Co.; How- 
ard P. is a civil engineer in the em- 
ploy of the Good Roads Commission of 
Pennsylvania. All of the brothers are 
successful in their chosen careers, and 
all are single. 



ROBERT KIRKBRIDE EAST- 
BURN, Decea.sed, of Langhorne. Bucks 
county, Pennsylvania, was born in Mor- 
Tisville, Bucks county, January 20, 1825, 
and was a son of Samuel and Huldah 
(Wooley) Eastburn and grand-on of 
Samuel and Hannah (Kirkbride) East- 
burn, the last named Samuel being 
a son of Joseph and Mary (Wilson) 
Eastburn, of Solebury, Bucks county, 
g-randson of Samuel and Elizabeth (Gil- 



lingham) Eastburn. and great-grandson 
of Robert and Sarah (Preston) East- 
burn, who were married in Yorkshire, 
England, 3 mo. 10, 1693. An account of 
the first three generations of the de- 
scendants of Robert and Sarah (Pres- 
ton) Eastburn, and some account of 
their earlier antecedents in England, is 
given in the preceding sketches. 

Samuel Eastburn, son of Joseph 
and Mary (Wilson) Eastburn, of Sole- 
bury, was born in that township, 6 mo. 
20, 1759. He was reared on the old 
Solebury homestead, still in the tenure 
of the descendants of Joseph and Mary, 
and early in life learned the trade of a 
blacksmith, which he followed during 
the active j^ears of his life, in connec- 
tion with farming in -various parts of 
the county. His father died when Sam- 
uel had just arrived at the age ot twen- 
ty-one years, and prior to the death of 
the grandfather, who died in 1785. Under 
the will of the latter, Samuel acquired 
title to a part of the old homestead on 
the borders of the present borough of 
New Hope, and he followed his trade 
there until 1787, when he purchased a 
farm of loi acres adjoining the home- 
stead, which he conducted in connec- 
tion with his trade until 179^- At about 
this time, having sold his farm, he re- 
moved to White Marsh, Montgomery 
county, where he operated a smith shop 
until 1803, when he removed to Morris- 
ville, Bucks county, and purchased a 
portion of the Robert Morris tract and 
located thereon. He followed his trade 
in connection with farming at Morris- 
ville for some years, and died at that 
place, 4 mo. S, 1822, at the age of six- 
ty-four years. He was twice married, 
having married 4 mo. 12, T781, Macre 
Croasdale, who died 4 mo. 31, 1782; his 
son Joseph, by this marriage, horn i nio. 
13, T782, died in infancy. He married 
again, 5 mo. 15. 1788, Hannah Kirk- 
bride, daughter of Robert and Hannah 
(Bidgood) Kirkbride, of Doylestown, 
granddaughter of Mahlon and Mary 
(Sotchcr) Kirkbride, and great-grand- 
daughter of Joseph Kirkbride and John 
Sotcher. both of whom, as well as Mah- 
lon Kirkbride, were provincial pustices 
and assemblymen for many years, and 
the most prominent men of their time 
in Bucks countv. Samuel and Hannah 
(Kirkbride) Eastburn, were the parents 
of nine children, viz.: Robert, born i mo, 
31, 1789. died 7 mo. 28, 1796; Samuel, see 
forward: Jonathan, born 9 mo. 2, 1792. 
married first Beulah Gaskel. and second 
Sarah Crozier; David, born 2 mo. 23, 
1795, married Louisa Willing; Mahlon. 
born 9 mo. 9, T797. died unmarried, 12 
mo. 7, 1870; Hannah, born 12 mo. 7, 
1799, married Aaron Ivins, in 1839; 
Kirkbride, born i mo. 23, 1803, married 
Ann Reeves; Macre, born 2 mo. 14, 1806, 
died unmarried; and Ruth, born i mo. 
20, 1810, also died unmarried. 



22 



HISTORY OF BUCKS COUNTY. 



Sanuul Eastbiini. son of Sam- 
uel and Hannah, was born in Solebury, 
Bucks county, lo mo. 7, J 790. His early 
boyhood days were spent at White 
Marsh, where his parents resided until 
he was in his thirteenth year, the re- 
mainder of his life being spent in Falls 
township and Morrisville borough, 
Bucks county. He married, in 1813, 
Huldah Wooley, and they were the pa- 
rents of seven children, viz.: Lewis, born 
8 mo. 5, 1814; Elwood, born 11 mo, 22, 
1816; Robert K., the subject of this 
sketch; Caroline, born 3 mo. 17, 1832; 
Maria Ann, who married and removed to 
the west; Hannah K., born g mo. 13, 
1835; and Edward. 

Robert Kirkbride Eastburn, third 
son of Samuel and Huldah, was 
born and reared at Morrisville. 
At the age of nineteen years he 
became a school teacher and taught in 
the nearby townships of Bucks county 
for several years. He later removed to 
Philadelphia, and w-as engaged in the 
manufacture of furniture, after some 
years becoming a member of the firm 
of Reeves & Eastburn, in which he con- 
tinued for a member of years. His 
health failing, he was induced to accept 
a position as book-keeper for a mining 
company in New IMexico, and removed 
there with his family, and remaiped 
twelve years, entirely regaining his 
health in that delightful climate. While 
in New JNIexico his duties required him 
to make his home in a rough mining 
camp among a turbulent element, not al- 
ways controlled or animated by the re- 
fining influences of civilization, where 
every one except he went armed, and 
human life was held exceedingly cheap. 
Mr. Eastburn always refused to carry 
arms, and, by his fearless though kindly 
defense of right and justice, won an in- 
fluence among the rugged miners, and 
successfully enacted the role of peace- 
maker in many little disturbances in the 
camp, where he had the respect of all who 
knew him. He returned to Bucks county 
in 1894 and purchased a handsome 
home on Richardson Avenue, Langhorne, 
where he lived until his death on Febru- 
ary 26, 1897, and where his widow still 
resides. He held to the faith of the So- 
ciety of Friends, in which he and his 
ancestors had been reared, and his firrn 
though kindly disposition won the re- 
spect and esteem of all who knew him. 
Mr. Eastburn married, April 12, 1859, 
Aliriam Ivins, daughter of George Mid- 
dleton and Sarah (Buckman) Ivins, of 
Penns Manor, Bucks county, where her 
paternal ancestors had resided for sev- 
eral generations, she being a grand- 
daughter of Aaron and Miriam (Middle- 
ton) Ivins, and great-granddaughter of 
Aaron and Ann {"Cheshire) Ivins. On 
the maternal side she is a granddaughter 
of James and Sarah (Burroughs) Buck- 
man, the former of whom was a son of 



William and Jane I'uckman, and a de- 
scendant of William Buckman, who* 
came from England and settled at New- 
town in 1684, and the latter a daughter 
of John and Lydia Burroughs, and 
granddaughter of Henry and Ann 
(Palmer) Burroughs, who came from 
New Jersey and settled in Lower ]\Iake- 
field, being a son of John Burroughs,, 
who was born at Newtown, Long Island, 
in 1684, and died in Ewing, New Jersey,, 
in 1772, and the last named John being 
a son of John and Margaret (Wood- 
ward) Burroughs, of Long Island and 
a grandson of John Burroughs, who 
came from England to Massachusetts 
prior to 1639, and died at Newtown, 
Long Island, in 1678, at the age of sixty- 
one years. To Mr. and Mrs. Eastburn 
were born two children, both born in 
Philadelphia, viz.: Henry Kirkbride, 
born November 19, i86i; and Edward 
Ivins, born March 17, 1866. Henry K. 
Eastburn is now engaged in the wool 
business in Philadelphia; he married, 
January 17. 1884, Carrie Gideon, of Phil- 
adelphia. Edwin I. is also a resident of 
Philadelphia. 

Mrs. Eastburn, accompanied her hus- 
band to New Mexico, and spent twelve 
years in that territory. She now resides 
in Langhorne borough where she is 
highly esteemed by a large circle of 
friends. 



EASTBURN REEDER, one of 4he 
most prominent farmers and dairymen- 
in Bucks county, was born June 30, 
1828, upon the farm on which he now 
resides, and which had been the prop- 
erty of his ancestors for five generations 
from 1763. 

Charles Reeder, great-great-grand- 
father of the subject of this sketch, born 
in England, 6 mo. 24, 1713, came to 
America in 1734 and settled first near 
Philadelphia, removing later to Upper 
Makefield township, Bucks county, 
where he purchased 200 acres of land 
in 1765; he died there in 1800. He mar- 
ried in 1737, Eleanor Merrick, daughter 
of John and Eleanor (Smith) ]\Ierrick, 
of Lower Dublin township, Philadelphia 
county. John Merrick was a Friend, a 
native of Herefordshire, England, v«ho 
came to Pennsylvania and settled in 
Lower Dublin township. In first month, 
1702. he declared intentions of marriage, 
at Abington Friends' Meeting, with Elea- 
nor Smith, and was married the follow- 
ing month. He died in 1732. His eldest 
son John subsequently removed to 
Wrightstown, having married Ilananh 
Ilulme. and was the ancestor of the 
Merricks of lower Bucks. Charles and 
Eleanor (Merrick) Reeder were the pa- 
rents, of eleven children, viz.: Joseph, 
born mo. 3, 17.18, removed to New Jer- 
sey, (his son John is supposed to be the 
ancestor of the Rceders of Easton, 




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HISTORY OF BUCKS COUNTY. 



23 



Pennsylvania) ; Charles, born 6 mo. 15, 
1743; Benjamin, born 3 mo. 29, 1746, 
settled in NorthumberlancJ count3% Penn- 
sylvania; Jesse, born 8 mo. 25, 1748, was 
drowned in the Delaware river when a 
young man; David, born S mo. 3, 1750, 
married, in 1776, Elizabeth Montgom- 
ery; Abraham, born 7 mo. 8, 1752, mar- 
ried in 1780; Elizabeth Lee, of Wrights- 
town; Merrick, born 7 mo. 31, 1754, mar- 
ried in 1773, Elizabeth Collins; Hannah, 
born 8 mo. 15, 1756; Eleanor, born 2 mo. 

3. 1758; John, born li mo. 29, 1761; and 
Mary, born 9 mo. 15, 1764. 

Merrick Reeder, seventh son of 
Charles and Eleanor, was reared on the 
Makeficld farm, and on arriving at man- 
hood married Elizabeth Collins, and 
followed the vocation of a farmer. He 
was a tenant on the "Canaan Farm" in 
Upper Makefield for several years. Hi 
t8io he and several of his children re- 
moved to Muncy, Lycoming county, 
Pennsylvania. He had thirteen children, 
viz.: Benajah, born 11 mo. 30, 1774, mar- 
ried Elizabeth Pownall, of Solebury, and 
removed to Muncy, in 1810; Merrick, 
born 2 mo. 8, 1776, .was the grandfather 
of the subject of this sketch; Jonathan, 
born 6 mo. ID, 1777, married Sarah 
Palmer, and removed to Muncy; David, 
born 8 mo. 23, 1778, married Rachel 
Pownall, and removed to Muncy; Han- 
nah, born 4 mo. 11, 1780, married Sam- 
•uel Winder, and removed to Muncy; 
Mary, born 10 mo. 29, 1781, married John 
Robinson; Rebecca, born 5 mo. 20, 1783, 
died unmarried; Elizabeth, born 4 mo. 3, 
1785, married Thomas Osborn and re- 
moved to ]\Iuncy; Charles, born 4 mo. 
18, 1787, married Elizabeth Clark and re- 
moved to Baltimore. Maryland, where 
he has descendants; Andrew, born 6 mo. 
12, 1789, married Anna Kemble, and re- 
moved to Muncy: John, born 5 mo. 18, 
1791, married Rebecca Ellis, and re- 
moved to Muncy; Eleanor, born 11 mo. 

4, 1793, married John Ross, and re- 
moved to Muncy, Lycoming county, with 
her parents; Jesse, born 8 mo. 19, 1796, 
married first Elizabeth Fell, and (sec- 
ond; Mary Fell, her sister; settled in 
Buckingham and is the grandfather of 
E. Wesley Keeler, Esq., of Doylestown, 
Pennsylvania. 

Merrick Reeder, Jr., second son of 
Merrick and Elizabeth, born in Make- 
field, 2 mo. 8, 1776, was the grandfather 
of the subject of this sketch. He was 
reared on a farm in Upper Makefield, 
and received a good education. He came 
to Solebury as a school teacher in 1800, 
and in 1802 married Elizabeth, daughter 
of Joseph and Rebecca (Kitchin) East- 
burn. He was a man of good business 
ability, and was for many j^ears a justice 
of the peace in Solebury and New Hope 
borough. Soon after his marriage he 
settled on a portion of the Eastburn 
farm, (purchased by Joseph Eastburn, 
Sr., in 1763), and at the death of his 



father-m-law, Joseph Eastburn, Jr., in 
1813, it was adjudged to him in right 
of his wife, and is now the property and 
home of Simpson B. Michener, of New 
Hope. Merrick Reeder was a surveyor 
and scrivener, and an active and useful 
man in the community. P^is wife, Eliza- 
beth Eastburn, died 9 mo. 7, 1833, and 
he married (second) in 1836, Sarah 
Simpson. He died in i mo., 1851, aged 
seventy-five years. (For Eastburn an- 
cestry of subject of this sketch, see East- 
burn Family). Merrick and Elizabeth 
(Eastburn) Reeder were the parents of 
three children: Joseph E., born 3 mo. 
28, 1803; David K., born 10 mo. 29, 1804, 
married Elizabeth M. Reeder, a daughter 
of Charles M. Reeder; and William P., 
born 4 mo. 26, 181 5, married Mary 
Reeder, also a daughter of Charles M. 
Reeder. David K. Reeder heired his 
father's portion of the old plantation in 
Solebury and lived and died in that 
township in 1887. William P. removed to 
Philadelphia, and died in 1885. 

Joseph E. Reeder, son of Merrick and 
Elizabeth, born in Solebury township, 3 
mo. 28, 1803, was a farmer, and resided 
during his whole life on the parental 
acres. He married 4 mo. 11, 1827, Le- 
titia, daughter of Stephen and Hannah 
(Blackfan) Betts, of Solebury, who bore 
him two children; Eastburn, the subject 
of this sketch; and Elizabeth, born i mo. 
20. 1831, died November 7, i860, married 
Robert Eastburn in 1857. Joseph E. 
Reeder died 7 mo. 28, 1892. aged eigh- 
ty-nine years, and Letitia, his wife, died 
12 mo. 2, 1892, aged ninety-one years. 

Eastburn Reeder, born on the old 
homestead of his ancestors, June 30, 
[828, has spent his whole life thereon. 
He received a good education, and on 
arriving at manhood turned his whole 
attention to the farm. He married, 12 
mo. 15 1853, Ellen, daughter of John E. 
and Martha (Quinby) Kenderdine, and 
the following spring took charge of the 
home farm, which he conducted person- 
ally until 1898 a period of forty-four 
years, since which time he has retired 
from its active management. In 1872 he 
becv.me interested in the breeding of Jer- 
sey cattle, and his handsome herds were 
the pride of the county for many years. 
He has always taken an active interest 
in the elevation of the calling of a farrner 
and the improvement of methods of till- 
ing and utilizing the soil- He was one 
of the original thirty-three members of 
the Solebury Farmers' Club organized 
in 1871, and its first secretary, and is 
still one of its most active members. He 
was the representative of Bucks county 
in the State Board of Agriculture from 
1877 to 1893, sixteen years; was ap- 
pointed by Governor Robert E. Patti- 
son. May, 1893, State Dairy and Food 
Commissioner, the first commissioner 
under the law creating the office, and 
served until JuJy, i89S. He was active 



24 



HISTORY or BUCKS COUNTY. 



in the prosecution of the manufactures 
of oleomargarine and other imitations 
of pure food, and placed the office on a 
high plane of usefulness to the farmer. 
He is also the author of numerous pa- 
pers on farming and dairying, and has 
done much to influence legislation for 
the protection and betterment of the 
farmer. He was a member of the Sole- 
bury school board for nine years, from 
1865 to 1874, and its secretary for six 
years. In politics he is a Republican of 
the independent type. In religion is an 
active and earnest member of Solebury 
Meeting of Friends, as were his ances- 
tors. Since his retirement from the ac- 
tive management of his farms he has 
devoted considerable time to literary 
pursuits, and has published a book en- 
titled "Early Settlers of Solebury," and 
also a "History of the Eastburn Earn- 
ily." 

Eastburn and Ellen K. Reeder are the 
parents of four children: Watson K., 
born October 3, 1854, the present sta- 
tion agent for the P. & R. R. R. at New 
Hope, who married 1879, Mary C. 
Beans, of Johnsville, Bucks county, 
Pennsylvania; Elizabeth, born 6 mo. i, 
1857. married in 1880, Newton E. Wood, 
of Moreland, Montgomery county, Penn- 
sylvania; Letitia, wife of Dr. George 
W. Lawrence, of East Berlin, Connecti- 
cut, married in 1892; and Martha, wife 
of Charles Janney, of Solebury, married 
in 190.3. 



THE VANSANT FAMILY. The 
Vansants of Bucks county are descend- 
ants of a common ancestor, Gerret Stof- 
felse Van Sandt or Van Zandt,* (other- 
wise Garret Van Sandt, son of Stoffel 
or Christopher), who emigrated from 
the Netherlands, probably from Zaan- 
dani in North Holland, or Zandberg in 
Drenthe, in or about the year 1651, and 
settled in New Utrecht, Long Island, on 
the records of which town he is fre- 
quently mentioned as Gerret Stoffellse. 
He was one of the fourteen patentees 
mentioned in the patent from Governor 
Thomas Dongan, May 13, 1686, for the 
Commons of New Utrecht, "on behalf 
of themselves and their associates, the 
present freeholders and inhabitants of 
the said towne." His land was located 
at Yellow Hook, "under the jurisdiction 
of the town of New Utrecht." He was 
a magistrate of New Utrecht in 1681. 



* For much of the information contained in this 
sketch, more especially that pertaining to the early 
generations of the family, we are indebted to R. Win- 
der Johnson of Philadelphia, who has made extensive 
researches covering nearly twenty-five years pertain- 
ing to the ancestry of the Vansants and other Holland 
families from whom he is descended. He is himself 
a descendant of Garret Vansandt, through liis son, 
jacobus (') . and his fourth son, Isaiali X'iinsant. who 
married Charity VanHorn, and their daugliter. Sarah, 
who married Christian Van Horn, tlie descent being 
shown more in detail in the article in this volume on 
the VanHorn Family. 



By deed dated July 31, 1695, lie con- 
vej'ed his Yellow Hook plantation to 
Derick Janse Van Zutphen, and re- 
moved to Bucks countj', where Joseph 
Growdon on 12 mo. 10, 1698-9, conveys 
to him 150 acres in Bensalem township, 
and on the same date conveys a like 
tract adjoining to his son Cornelius. It 
is probable that he was located for a 
time in New York, as he had two chil- 
dren baptized at the Dutch Reformed 
church there in 1674 and 1676, respec- 
tively. It is generally conceded that he 
was twice married, as the record of the 
baptisms above mentioned gives the 
name of his wife as L3'sbeth Gerritz, 
while the later baptisms at New Utrecht 
and Flatbush churches give it as Lys- 
beth Cornelis. It is, however, possible 
that in one instance her father's sur- 
name is used and in the other his first 
name as was common on the Dutch 
records. Cornelius Gerrets was a mem- 
ber of the Dutch church at New Utrecht. 

Garret Vansand died intestate in Ben- 
salem township, Bucks county, Pennsyl- 
vania, prior to June 5, 1706, the date 
upon which his ten children make a con- 
veyance of his land purchased as before 
stated in February, 1698-9. The record 
of baptism of seven of his ten children 
appears at the Dutch church of New 
Netherlands, and will be given in con- 
nection with a sketch of each child, ta- 
ken in regular order of birth, later in 
this article. The names of the ten chil- 
dren were: I. Stoffell; 2. Cornelius; 3. 
Josias; 4. Harman; 5. Albert; 6. Johan- 
nes; 7. Jacobus; 8. George; 9. Jesina, 
and 10. Garret. (Harman was really the 
third child in order of birth, and Josias 
fourth). 

I. STOFFEL VAN SANDT, eldest 
son of Garret, was born in the province 
of New York about the year 1670, and 
took the oath of allegiance at New Ut- 
recht, Long Island, as a native of New 
Netherlands, in 1687. He probably re- 
moved to Bucks county at the same 
time as his fatlier, in 1699. He was a 
member of the Bensalem Dutch Re- 
formed church, with wife Rachel Cour- 
son ; having joined by certificate in 1710. 
He seems, however, to have become a 
member of Abington Presbyterian 
church at its organization in 1714, 
and was made one of its elders. 
He purchased of Henry Paulin on 
May 23, 1706, 300 acres of land in 
Middletown, 200 acres of which he con- 
veyed to his sons Garret and John, and 
died seized of the balance in 1749. He 
was a justice of Bucks county. 1715-18, 
1723-27, and a member of colonial as- 
sembly, 1710, 1712, 1714, 1719. His chil- 
dren were: i. Jannctje. baptized at 
Brooklyn, September 3. 1693, married 
November 3. 171 1, William Renherg. 2. 
Garret, baptized at Brooklyn. May 4, 
1695. probably died young, as the soii 
Garret, mentinned later, was ceriai^ily 



HISTORY OP BUCKS COUNTY. 



25 



a younger man. (These children above 
were by Stoffel's first marriage with An- 
netje Stoffels, who probably died prior to 
the removal to Bucks county.) The chil- 
dren of Stoffel by his second marriage 
with Rachel Corson, daughter of Hen- 
drick Courson, were eight in number 
and as follows: 

3. Joshua, married February 20, 1728, 
Catharine Johnston, and settled in Kent 
county, Maryland, on land conveyed to 
him by his father, October 28, 1728. 

— >4. John, who married Rebecca Cox, of 
Philadelphia, August 19, 1728, and set- 
tled in Middletown, on land conveyed 
to him by his father in 1738, and died 
there in 1750. leaving daughters Ann, 
Elizabeth, Catharine, Rebecca and Mary 
and one son, John. 

S. James, who was baptised at Abing- 
ton as an adult September 16, 1716, and 
had children, i. Rebecca, 2. Flora, 3, 
John, 4. Jacobus, baptized there 1719- 
1733- 

— 6. Garret, purchased land of his fath- 
er in Middletown in 1742, died there in 
1789. leaving large family of children; 
see forward. 

7. Elizabeth, who married John Enoch 
in 1718, and left a large family. 

8. Alice, or Alshe, married Samuel 
Rue and left a number of children. 

9. Rachel, married Lewis Rue, March 
24. 1736, and left children. 

ID. Je.sina. who never married. 

II. CORNELIUS VAN SANDT, son 
of Garret (i) was born in New York, 
probably about the year 1672. On 12 mo. 
ID, 1698-9. he purchased 150 acres of 
land adjoining his father in Bensalem 
township. Bucks county. On May 4, 
1714. he conveyed this tract to Thomas 
Stevenson. It was probably in exchange 
for land in Cecil county, Maryland, as 
on the same date Stevenson conveyed 
to him 1,035 acres on the west side of 
Elk river, in New Mnnster township, 
Cecil county, Maryland. He was bap- 
tized at Pennypack Baptist church, Sep- 
tember 14, 1712, and in 1714, with wife 
Dericka. was "dismissed to Welsh 
Tract" Baptist church in Pencader Hun- 
dred, New Castle county. This church 
was organized by a colony of Welsh 
Baptists at Milford Haven, wdien about 
to embark for America, in 1701. On ar- 
riving in America they located at Pen- 
nypack. where they remained until 1703. 
when they located in New Castle on 
land donated to them by James James, 
and were ever after known as the 
"Welsh Tract Baptist Church." Cor- 
nelius Vansarjt remained a member of 
this church, and was buried there May 
I. 1734- His will, probated in Cecil 
county, mentions wife Mary and chil- 
dren Cornelius, Garret and Rebecca, all 
apparently minors. He evidently mar- 
ried a second time after his removal. 

III. Harman' Van Sandt, son of Gar- 
rett and Lysbeth Gerritz, was baptized 



at the Dutch Reformed church of New 
York, June 10, 1674, and died in Bensa- 
lem township, Bucks county, in 1759. He 
purchased August i, 1704, 250 acres of 
land in Bensalem of Thomas Stevenson, 
and on April 26, 1712, 250 more. On May 
26, 1713, he purchased 125 acres which 
had belonged to his brother Johannes, 
and devised it in his will to his daughr 
ter Catharine, wife of Daniel Severns. 
On May 20, 1741, he purchased 100 acres 
for his daughter Gazina, wife of Jacob 
Titus. He also purchased in 171 1 56 
acres in Southampton, which he con- 
veyed to his brother Jacobus. Harman 
Vansant was three times married. His 
first wife, whom he married in New 
Utrecht, was Elizabeth Brouwers. He 
married (second) in 1733 Jane Joudon, 
and (third) oji November 9, 1738, Judith 
Evans, who survived him. She had been 
twice married before becoming the wife 
of Harman Vansant, first to Cornelius 
McCarty, and second to John Evans, 
both of Basalem township. The children 
of Harman Vansant were as follows, all 
probably by Elizabeth, his first wife: 

I. Garret, who died in 1755, leaving 
a widow Mary and four children — Har-'' 
man, Peter, Elizabeth and Garret. Har-" 
man, who married Eleanor Vandegrift, 
was the administrator of his father in 
I7SS> and executor of the will of his 
grandfather in 1759. He was devised by 
the latter 125 acres of the land whereon 
his father had lived, and subsequently 
purchased considerable other land in 
Bensalem where he died in 1815. His 
children were: Jacob, baptized at South- 
ampton church, July 7, 1754: Joseph; 
Mary Van Horn; Eleanor, wife of Rob- 
ert Wood; Sarah Cox; Ann Pleamess 
and Garret. Peter was devised 100 acres 
of land by his grandfather. Elizabeth and 
Garret were the ancestors of practically 
all the Vansants of Bensalem. 

2. Gazina, who married Jacon Titus 
and lived on land devised to her by her 
father. She died prior to April 30, 1772, 
leaving children; Elizabeth, who mar- 
ried Ephraim Phillips, of Burlington, 
New Jersey; Olshe. who married Joseph 
Seaborne, of Warwick, Bucks county; 
Catharine, who married John Baker, of 
Mt. Holly, New Jersey; Charity, wife of 
Samuel Sutton, of Byberry, Jacob. Se- 
ruch and William, of Bensalem; and Sa- 
rah of Byberry. 

3. Elizabeth, who married May 6, 1719, 
Volkert Vandegrift, and had nine chil- 
dren, and died before her father. See 
Vandegrift Family. 

' 4. Katharine, who married Daniel 
Severns and lived on land in Bensalem 
devised to her by her father. 

5. Harman, who married Alice Craven, 
daughter of James Craven, of Warmins- 
ter, Bucks county, and died in 1735, 
leaving four children, mentioned in his 
father's will in 1755. three of whom were 
James, Harman and William. James 



26 



HISTORY OP BUCKS COUXTY. 



was born in 1731, and died in Nortlianip- 
ton, January 31, 1798; he married Aug- 
ust 23, 1756, Jane Bennett, daughter of 
William and Charity Bennett, and set- 
tled in Northampton in 1764; James and 
Jane were the ])arents of thirteen chil- 
dren: Harman, married Alice Ilogeland 
and settled in Warminster; Charity, wife 
of John Corson, Esq.; William; Charles; 
Elizabeth; Eleanor, wife of John Brown; 
Richard; Isaac; John; Alice; James; 
Aaron, and Mary. Harman, son of Har- 
man and Alice (Craven) Vansant, mar- 
ried Catharine Hogeland, and died in 
Warminster in 1823; was many years a 
justice; he left but one child, Elizabeth, 
wife of James Edams. William died in 
Warminster in 1805 

IV. Josias Van Sandt, son of Garret 
and Lysbeth Gerritz, was baptized at 
the Dutch Reformed church of New 
York, October 29, 1676. but as we find 
no further record of him he probably 
died in childhood. 

V. ALBERT VAN SANDT, son of 
Garret (i) was baptized at Flatbush, 
May 13, 1681. He married November 8, 
1704, Rebecca Vandegrift, daughter of 
Leonard and Gertje (Ellsworth) Van- 
degrift. He probably removed with 
the rest of the family to Bensalem, 
Bucks county, as he joined in the deed 
conveying his father's real estate, but 
in 1708-9, in connection with his bro- 
ther-in-law, Jacob Vandegrift, purchased 
500 acres of land in St. George's Hun- 
dred, New Castle county. He seems also 
to have purchased land in Georgetown, 
Kent county, Maryland, which he con- 
veyed to his brother George, May 14, 
"^737- 111 1743 lie and his wife Rebecca, 
of St. George's Hundred, New Castle 
county, Delaware, joined in the deed for 
his father-in-law's real estate in Bensa- 
lem. After this date and prior to De- 
cember 16, 1751, the date of his will, he 
married a second wife, Sarah, who is 
named as executrix. His children were: 
Elizabeth, baptized October 3, 1705, mar- 
ried a Joudon; Leonard, baptized No- 
vember 5, 1707, probably died young, 
not mentioned in will; Harmanus; 
James; John; Garret; Christina, mar- 
ried a Dushane; Rebecca, married a Mar- 
tin; and Ann, who married a Brown. 

VI. JOHANNES (or John) VAN 
SANDT, born on Long Island, son of 
Garret (i), married at the First Pres- 
byterian church of Philadelphia, 12 mo. 
17, 1702, Leah Grocsbeck, probably 
daughter of Jacob Groesbeck, who ac- 
companied the Vansants from Long Isl- 
and .to Bensalem and purchased land 
there. John Vansand, as he signed his 
name, purchased August I, 1704, 125 
acres of land in Bensalem of Thomas 
Stevenson, but reconveyed it to Stev- 
enson, May 17. 1714, and the latter im- 
mediately conveyed it to Harmon Van- 
Sandt before mentiontd. On the same 
date Stevenson conveyed to him 500 



acrs of land on Elk River, Cecil county, 
Maryland. It is probable that his in- 
tention to move to Maryland was- 
frustrated by his sickness and death. 
His will is dated October 30, 1714, and 
was proved the sixth of the following 
January. It devises to son John forty 
shillings, and to his wife Leah his per- 
sonal estate and the use of his Mary- 
land real estate, if not sold, during life 
for "the educaticui and maintenance of. 
herself and children." Believing that it 
will be necessary to sell his Maryland 
real eistate, he empowers Stofifel Van- 
sand and Bartholomew Jacobs to sell it. 
If not sold, to be valued and divided 
between the two boys, they paying their 
sisters their equal shares. The only child 
mentioned was John. It is possible that 
the other of "the two boys" was Gar- 
ret, who had a number of children bap- 
tized at St. Stephen's church, Cecil 
county, beginning with 1721. A daughter 
Rachel was baptized June 5, 1711. 
TJ^'-ijACOBUS (or James) VAN SANDT, 
son of Garret (i), was baptized at Flat- 
bush, Long Island, February 15, 1685, 
and removed with his father to Bensa- 
lem, Bucks county, in 1699. He married 
at the First Presbyterian church of 
Philadelphia, on January 7, 1707-8, Re- 
becca Vandegrift, daughter of Nicho- 
las and Barentje (Verkerk) Vandegrift, 
who had come to Bensalem from Long 
Island at the same date as the Vansants, 
(See Vandegrift Family). Jacobus and 
his wife joined the Bensalem church, 
Neshaminy branch, at its institution in 
1710. On April 7, 1711, Benjamin Hop- 
per conveyed to Jacobus Vansand, of 
Bensalem, yeoman, 100 acres of land in 
Southampton, and on January I, 1712, 
his brother Harman Vansandt and Eli- 
zabeth his wife conveyed to Jacobus fif- 
ty acres adjoining the 150 which had 
been purchased by Harman of Ezra 
Bowen, June 13, 171 1. He later purchased 
144 acres of land of Cornelius Egmont, 
which he devised to his son Nicholas. 
The will of Jacobus Vansandl, of South- 
ampton, is dated December 12, 1744. a"fl 
was proven January 9, 1745- It devises 
to son Jacob the 150 acre farm on which 
he dwelt, reserving certain p-ivileges to 
his wife Rebecca: the Egmont farm to 
son Nicholas: mentions daughters Eliza- 
beth and Rebecca as having received 
their shares, the latter being ceceased; 
sons Jacobus, Garret and Isaiah, and 
grandson Charles Inyard, to have equal 
shares. The will names "kinsman John 
Vansand" and friend Nathaniel Brittian 
as executors, but they renouncing, as 
also did the widov/, letters were granted 
to the sons James and Nicholas. The 
will is signed "J. V." His widow Re- 
becca survived him two years, leaving 
will dated November 18, 1746, and 
])roved January 13, 1746-7. and men- 
tions the sanfe children, and grandson 
diaries Inyar<l. The cliildren of Ja- 



HISTORY OF BUCKS COUNTY. 



27 



cobus and Rebecca Vandegrift Vansandt 
were: Jacobus (or James) baptized De- 
cember I, 1708; married 10 mo, i, 1732, 
Margaret Rreece. daughter of Hendrick 
and Hannah (Field) Breece of Bensalem; 
see ancestry of Lewis R. Bond, in this 
volume. 

2. Elizabeth, baptized May 21. 17 10; 
married 4 mo. i, 1732, Charles Inyard, 
ef Warminster, and left one son, Charles 
Inyard. 

3. Garret, married May 13, 1739. Ann 
Groome of Southampton. 

4. Nicholas, baptized January i, 1711-12, 
married May 18, 1744, Mary Brittian. 

5. Rebecca baptized August 7, 1716, 
married Isaac Larue. 

6. Isaiah, married June 6, 1732, Char- 
ity (or Gertrude) VanHorn. 

7. Jacob. 

James, who married Margaret Breece. 
was a mason, and in 1734 purchased of 
Gidean de Camp 100 acres in Warmin- 
ster, which he sold in 1748. At about 
the same date he signed a release to his 
brothers-in-law, Hendrick, and John 
Breese for legacy left his wife by her 
father, and probably accompanied his 
brother-in-law Hendrick Breece to Har- 
ford county, Maryland. Garret, the sec- 
ond son, was a blacksmith in Southamp- 
jton. His will dated 9 mo. 29, 1779, is on 
file in the register of wills' office of 
Bucks county, but does not appear to 
have been proven. It mentions wife 
Ann and the following children: Will- 
iam; Phebe, who married ]\Iiles Strick- 
land, December 24, 1760; Mary and Re- 
becca Walton; Margaret Foster; "daugh- 
ter Elizabeth's three sons, Amos, Breece 
and Mahlon Vansant; John; Ann Rich- 
ardson; Esther Vansant and James. 

Nicholas, the third son. married Mary 
Brittian and had two children. Captain 
Nathaniel Vansant, of the Revolution; 
and Rebecca, who married January 9, 
1768, Daniel Boileau. Nicholas died 
about May i, 1801, and his widow Mary 
in March, 1808. 

Isaiah, the fourth son, rr\arried Gertje 
(or Charity) Van Horn, daughter of 
Peter and Elizabeth Van Horn of Mid- 
dletown. On March 18, 17^6-7, he pur- 
chased at sheriflf's sale 178^4 acres of 
land in Makefield township. In 1754 he 
purchased a small tract adjoining, and in 
1768 purchased of John Scott 100 acres 
in Upper Makefield. His children w^ere: 
Isaiah; Elizabeth, wife of Cornelius Van- 
degrift; Rachel, wife of George Merrick, 
married 4 mo. T2. 1769; Charity; Sarah, 
who married Christian VanHorn, June 
14, 1764; Mary, who married Gabriel 
VanHorn, January 18, 1772; Joshua; 
Peter, who married Elizabeth W^ollard 
April 8. 1778, and (second) Alethia Cur- 
tis; Gabriel; and Cornelius, who married 
Mary Larzelere. The will of Isaiah Van- 
sant is dated April 15, 1786, and 
was proved September 28, 1786. It 



devises to son Joshua the land 
bought of John Scott in Upper Make- 
field, and to Gabriel and Cornelius the 
home plantation, "reserving one-fourth 
of an acre for a graveyard, where I have 
began to bury, for myself and my rela- 
tions;" mentions Elijah, eldest son of 
Isaiah, daughter Rachel's three children; 
daughter Charity's four children, and 
daughter Mary, and her daughter Char- 
ity; and daughter tElizabeth. 

Jacob, the youngest son of Jacobus 
and Rebecca Vansant, inherited from his 
father the homestead in Southampton, 
and died there in 1812, devising ninety 
acres thereof to his daughter Elizabeth 
Vansant. His other children were: Jane, 
who married Samuel Dickson; and Mar- 
garet, wdio married Jacob Roads. 

VIII. GEORGE VAN SANDT, son 
of Garret (i) was baptized at Flatbush, 
Long Island, April 24, 1687, and re- 
moved with the family to Bensalem, 
Bucks county, in 1699. He married 12 
mo. 17, 1706, Micah Vandegrift. He 
joined his brother Jacobus in the pur- 
chase of his father's Bensalem farm in 
1706, and purchased his brother's inter- 
est on- April 2, 1711. On May 17, 1714, 
he and wife Micah conveyed this 150 
acres in Bensalem to Thomas Stevenson, 
and removed to Cecil county, Maryland, 
where he purchased of Gideon Pearce, 
February 20, 1721, a tract of land called 
"Forks and Revision," and in 1737 pur- 
chased of his brother Albert part of a 
tract called "Tolchester." On October 
17, "^733, he and wife "Mary" convey to 
his son Nicholas, a tract called "Nich- 
olas' Inheritance," and on same date, 
they convey to son George other lands. 
In 1745 they convey parts of "Tolches- 
ter" to sons Ephraim and Benjamin. 
From the w-ill of George Vansant, proven 
:\Iarch 22, 1755, we learn that his chil- 
dren were Nicholas, Cornelius, George, 
Benjamin, Ephraim, John; Elizabeth, 
wife of Peter Cole; Hester Newcombe, 
Resultah Salisbury, and Ann Smith. 

X. GARRET VAN SANDT, young- 
est son of Garret (i) was a minor when 
his father's real estate was conveyed in 
1706. He settled in Wrightstown town- 
ship, near Penn's Park, where he had a 
large plantation. He died in 1746, leav- 
ing a widow Claunchy, sons Garret and 
Cornelius, to whom he devised the plan- 
tation; and daughters Sarah Sackett, 
Rachel Dungan and Rebeclcah Vansant. 
the latter a minor. Cornelius married 
Mary Lee, December 6, 1748, and died in 
March, 1789, without issue. His wife 
Mary died in August, 1808. Garret, eld- 
est son of Garret and Claunchy, inher- 
ited one-half of the Wrightstown home- 
stead, and died there in June; 1806. He 
married April 30, 1760, Rebecca Evans, 
who survived him. She was possiblv his 
second wife. Their children were Eliza- 
beth Addis, Rebecca McClellan. and 
Marv, wife of Joseph Carver. Rebecca^ 



28 



HISTORY OF BUCKS COUNTY. 



daughter of Garret, Sr.. married a Brit- 
tian, whose son Joseph and grandson 
Cornelius are mentioned in the will of 
Cornelius Van Sant. 

Garret Vansant of Middlctown. son of 
Stophel, received by deed of gift from 
his father on October 21, 1742, gsYj acres 
of land, part of 300 acres purchased bj' 
Stophel of Henry Paulin in 1706, and on 
January 10, 1748, purchased 214 acres in 
Middletown of Charles and Ann Plumlj'. 
On June 25, 1789, he conveys the last 
mentioned tract in about equal parts to 
his sons, Garret, Jr., and John, and on 
July 31, 1789, he convej'ed to his son 
George the 95^ acres conveyed to him 
by his fatliei. No record appears of the 
name of his wife. A Garret Vansant 
married Leah Nixon at Churchville, 
April 15, 1747, which was probably this 
Garret, although it may have been his 
cousin Garret, of Wrightstown. The will 
of Garret Vansant is dated July 7, 1789, 
and was proven August 7, 1789, only a 
week after the couA'eyance of his land. 
It mentions the children of his son 
Jacob, and their mother Mary Vastine; 
daughters Rachel Harrison, Keziah 
Sweetman, Vashti Vansant and Sarah 
Hise; sons John, Garret and George, and 
grandson James Vansant. Jacob, the 
eldest son. married Mary Richardson, 
daughter of Joseph Richardson, and set- 
tled in Falls township, Bucks county, 
where he died in April, 1785. leaving chil- 
dren: Elizabeth, James, Catharine and 
Garret. His widow married Benjamin 
Vastine prior to 1789. George Vansant 
married Sarah Johnston, December 24, 
1783. He sold the old homestead to 
Joshua Woolston in 1794, and removed 
to Bristol township. John married Le- 
titia Leaw and died in Middletown in 
1812, leaving a son John, and daughters 
Ann Leah Lovett and Amelia Booz. Gar- 
ret Vansant. Jr.. remained on the home- 
stead purchased of his father in 1789 un- 
til 1822, when he convej^ed it to his sons 
James and John, and soon after removed 
to Newtown, where he died in 1842 at an 
advanced age. His wife Mary had died 
many years previously. The children of 
Garret and Mary Vansant were John, 
James, Martha: Jane, wife of Isaac Ran- 
dall; Rachel wife of Eber Randall; and 
Mary, wife of Jonathan Hunter. James 
died in Middletown in 1833, leaving a 
widow Amy and two children. Elizabeth, 
born March 11, 1821, and James born 
May I. 1826. 

JAMES TITUS VANSANT, of Mid- 
dletown township, son of John and Mary 
(Hunter) Vansant. and grandson of Gar- 
ret and Mary Vansant, last mentioned, 
was born in MiddletowMi township May 
-^• ^837. where he was educated at the 
public scliools. and has spent his whole 
life on the farm that has been the prop- 
erty of his direct ancestors since 1748, 
and part of it since 1704. On January 
21, 1863. he married Lucy Ann Carman, 



daughter of Samuel and Mary Ann 
(Brown) Carman, of Bensalem townships 
and granddaughter of Barzilla and Beu- 
lah Carman. Her maternal grandparents 
were Israel and Sarah (Hellings) Brown, 
the latter being a daughter of Nathan 
and Rachel Hellings, of an old Middle- 
town, Bucks county, family whose pro- 
genitor was Nicholas Hellings, an early 
settler in Northampton. Mr. and Mrs. 
Vansant are the parents of eight chil- 
dren, viz.: Samuel Jennings, born Au- 
gust IS, 1865. died February 28, 1904; 
William Carman, born May 14, 1867; 
John Andrew, born August 11, 1869; 
Howard, born September 12. 1871; Clar- 
ence, born August 22, 1873; James Mer- 
ton. born November 15, 1875. Joseph 
Winder, born January 10, 1879; Lucy 
Ann. born June 16. 1883. Samuel Jen- 
nings Vansant married August, 1891, 
Martha A. Tomlinson of Fox Chase, and 
they are the parents of three children — 
Roy. Arthur and Frederick. William 
Carman Vansant married January I, 
•1894, Melvina Search, and they have 
four children — Charles Search, James 
Merton, Mary, and Edward. Mrs. Mel- 
vina Search died in December, 1904. 
John Andrew Vansant married April 13, 
1900, Ella. Sickle, and had one child 
Esther Helen. Clarence Vansant married, 
January 25, 1898, Clara Worthington, 
and their children are: Harriet, born Oc- 
tober 21. 1898; and Samuel, born Octo- 
ber 19. 1901. James M. Vansant married, 
March 6, 1900, Ada K. Hibbs, and their 
children are: Albert Hunter, born De- 
cember 31, 1900; and Clifford Randall, 
born July 31, 1903. Joseph Winder Van- 
sant married June i, 1904, Matilda Pre- 
vost McArthur. 

Mr. Vansant is one of the prominent 
and successful men of the county, and 
has held many positions of trust. He 
owns a large amount of real estate, in 
dwellings and farms and takes a lively 
interest in the affairs of the county. He 
and his family are members of the Meth- 
odist church. In politics he is a Re- 
publican. He is a member of Nesha- 
miny Lodge, No. 422, I. O. O. F., of 
Hulmeville. 

HOWARD VANSANT. fourth son of 
James T. and Lucy Ann (Carman) Van- 
sant. was born in Middletown township, 
September 12, 1871. and received his ele- 
mentary education at the public schools. 
He graduated from Pierce's Business 
C>)llege in 1891. and for one winter filled 
the position in that institution as teacher 
in the banking department. He then 
accepted the position of bookkeeper for 
.Augustes Beitney, which he filled for 
six j-ears. and then entered into the em- 
ploy of Walton Bros., grain merchants 
of Philadelphia, as bookkeeper, and after 
a short time was promoted to the posi- 
tion of general superintendent, haying 
general charge of their large warehouse. 
The firm has for many years done a 



HISTORY OF BUCKS COUNTY. 



29 



large business, and is one of the largest 
dealers in that line in Philadelphia. In 
politics Air. Vansant is a Republican, 
and takes an active interest in the af- 
fairs of the town in which he lives. He 
has been for many years a member of the 
borough council, and is now filling the 
position of clerk of that body. He is a 
member of the Masonic fraternity, being 
affiliated with Bristol Lodge No. 25, F. 
and A. M. He is also a member of 
Neshaminy Lodge, No. 422, L O. O. F., 
of Hulmeville, of which he is a past 
grand. He married, November 12, 1895. 
Cora Wilson, daughter of Charles and 
Sarah (Snyder) Wilson, of Trenton, New 
Jersey, and a granddaughter of Chris- 
topher and Sarah (Snyder) Wilson. They 
are the parents of two children, Ella 
Praul, born February 23, 1900; and 
Elisha Praul, born March 9, 1904- 

ANCESTRY OF MARTIN V. B. and 
NATHANIEL VANSANT, of South- 
ampton. 

Captain Nathaniel Vansant, only son 
of Nicholas and Mary (Brittian) Van- 
sant, of Southampton, was born on the 
old homestead in that township, March 
13- 1745- At the outbreak of the Revolu- 
tion he was a resident of Bensalem town- 
ship having purchased a farm there in 
1777. He was commissioned first lieu- 
tenant of the Associated company of that 
township. From the very beginning of 
the arming for the conflict with the 
mother country, the Vansants were fore- 
most in oft^ering their services for home 
defense and militia service. Garret and 
Peter were members of the Bensalem 
company; Garret. of Southampton, 
brother of Nicholas, ^.nd uncle to Cap- 
tain Nathaniel, was second lieutenant of 
the Southampton company in 1775. and 
was second lieutenant of the Fifth Com- 
pany of the First Battalion in the re- 
organization of 1777- Nicholas, father 
of Captain Nathaniel, and Jacob, his 
brother were both members of the 
Southampton company in 1775. In i\Iid- 
dletown. George and John, sons of Gar- 
ret and grandsons of Stophel, were mem- 
bers of the Associated company of that 
township. James, son of Harman and 
grandson of Harman. Sr.. the only mem- 
ber of the family in Northampton, joined 
the Associated company there in 1775. 
Peter, of Lower Makefield, son of Isaiah 
and grandson of Jacobus, was captain of 
the company of that township, and his 
brother Cornelius was second lieutenanh^ 

The member of the family, however, 
who rendered pre-eminent service and 
suffered untold hardships in the defense 
of his country was Captain Nathaniel 
Vansant. of Bensalem. He was commis- 
sioned a captain January 5, 1776. in Col- 
onel Robert Magaw's Fifth Pennsylvania 
Battalion of the Flying Camp, in which 
there was a large number of Bucks coun- 
tians. who through the treachery of Ma- 



gaw's adjutant, were badly routed at 
Fort Washington, New York, on No- 
vember 16, 1776, and 2,700 American sol- 
diers were taken prisoners, including 
Magaw and almost his entire command. 
Captain Vansant was captured with the 
rest, and for two years suffered the hor- 
rors of imprisonment in the floating hells 
in New York harbor and the loathsome 
warehouses in the city. Many of the let- 
ters written home to his wife while a 
prisoner are in the possession of the 
Bucks County Historical Society and of 
members of the family. The quaint 
chapeau worn by him in the service is 
also in possession of the Historical So- 
ciety. 

Captain Vansant married August 27, 
1768. at the Dutch Reformed church of 
Southampton, Hannah Vansandt. There 
seems to be some dispute about the 
maiden name of Hannah Vansant; both 
the church records and that of the grant- 
ing of the license by the civil authorities 
give it as Vanzandt, while his descen- 
dants claim that her name was Brittian, 
the same as that of the Captain's mother. 
It seems to be conceded that she was 
his cousin, and it is probable that she 
was the daughter of his uncle, James 
Vansandt. who married Margaret, daugh- 
ter of Hendrick and Hannah (Field) 
Breece. Hannah was born January 16, 
1746, and died August 19, 1818. The chil- 
dren of Captain Nathaniel and Hannah 
Vansant were as follows: Harman, who 
died of yellow fever in Philadelphia dur- 
ing the epidemic of that disease in the 
city, about the close of the century; and 
Nicholas, born February 25, 1771. died 
April 19. 1850. 

Nicholas, as only surviving child of 
Nathaniel and Hannah Vansant, inher- 
ited the real estate of his father, who 
died August 8, 1825. intestate. He lived 
and died on the old homestead in South- 
ampton, which remained in the family 
for six generations and until 1889, when 
it was sold, a period of at least one hun- 
dred and fifty years. Nicholas married 
Alary Larzelcre. daughter of Nicholas 
and Hannah (Brittian) Larzelere of Ben- 
salem township. She was born Septem- 
ber 8, 1772, and died October 27, 1863. 
The children of Nicholas and Mary 
(Larzelere) Vansant were: 

1. Alary, born September 6. 1795, mar- 
ried Jacob Vansant, and had two chil- 
dren, Franklin, who married a Hogeland, 
and Angelina. 

2. Nathaniel, born April 14, 1797, mar- 
ried z\lice Vanartsdalen; see forward. 

3. Elizabeth, born February 24. I799, 
married Silas Rhoads, and had one child, 
Alary Ann, who married William Go- 
forth. 

4. Benjamin, born February 14, 1803. 
died June. 1869; married (first) Sarah 
Campbell, born Alarch 7. 1810, died 
Alarch to. 1853: and (second) Jane Lu- 
kens. The children of the first marriage 



30 



HISTORY OF BUCKS COUNTY. 



were: Lendrum L., born October 4, 
1832; Elizabeth R., who married J. Paul 
Knight; Harriet P., who married George 
Shoemaker; and Charles R., who mar- 
ried Carrie Saurman. The only child of 
the second marriage was Dr. Benjamin 
Vansant. 

5. Nicholas L., born September 7, 
1807; married Margaret Vandegrift, and 
had two children, Mahlon and Marj^ Ann. 

The children of Nathaniel and Alice 
(Vanartsdalen) Vansant, were: 

1. Mary Amanda, born March 26, 1824, 
married Anderson Leedom, and had 
three children: Thomas, deceased; Alice, 
wife of John Tomlinson; and Nathaniel, 
who married Martha Comly. 

2. Casper R., born April 3, 1826, died 
June 26, 1881, married Ellen Field, and 

had two children: Nathaniel, born Oc- 
tober 12, 1859; see forward; and Levi, 
who married Ida Sickle. 

3. Nicholas B., born January 28, 1828, 
went to California, where he probably 
died. 

4. Hiram R., born January 12, 1831, 
•died September 19, 1888. 

5. Jacob W., born March 7. 1833: mar- 
ried Esther Buckman, and had five chil- 
dren: Alice, who married William Brad- 
field; Watson, who married a VanReif; 
Howard, who married Lydia Stout; 
Leonard, who married Sarah Yerkes; and 
Mary who married Horace Blaker. 

6. Howard S., born February 13. 
1835; married Elizabeth Fetter. He died 
July 9, 1866. 

7. MARTIN VAN BUREN VAN- 
SANT, born on the old homestead in 
Southampton, February 4, 1839. He was 
reared on the old homestead and edu- 
cated at the public schools. He learned 
the trade of a miller, and was engaged in 
the milling business at Churchville for a 
number of years. At his father's death 
in 1883 he purchased the old homestead 
in Southampton, and subsequently sold 
it to Dr. Benjamin Baer, of Philadelphia. 
Mr. Vansant was never married. In pol- 
itics he is a Democrat. He never held 
other than local offices, having filled 
that of assessor, which office, by the way, 
was held by his great-great-grandfather 
under Colonial authority, the original 
commission being in possession of the 
Bucks County Historical Society. 

NATHANIEL VANSANT, son of 
Casper (4) and Ellen (Field) Vansant. 
was born at Somerton. Philadelphia 
county. October 12,. 1859, but was reared 
in Southampton township, Bucks county, 
and educated at the local schools. His 
father purchased a farm in Southamp- 
ton in 1870, which he conveyed to Na- 
thaniel in 1888, and he has always fol- 
lowed the life of a farmer. In politics 
he is a Democrat. He has filled the of- 
fice of school director for several years. 
He was married in September, 1888. to 



Wilhelmina Depew, and they are the 
parents of two children: Blanche, born 
March 10, 1890; and Viola E., born Oc- 
tober 8, 1892. 



THE VANDEGRIFT FAMILY is of 
Holland descent, their progenitor being 
Jacob Lendertsen Van der Grift (that is, 
son of Lenerd) who with his brother 
Paulus Lenertsen Van der Grifc, came 
from Amsterdam about 1644 and settled 
in New Amsterdam. Both of the Van 
der Grift brothers were in the employ of 
the West India Company. Paulus was 
skipper of the ship "Neptune" in 1645, 
and of the "Great Gerrit"' in 1646. He 
was a large landholder in New Amster- 
dam as early as 1644. He was a member 
of council, 1647-1648; burgomaster 1657- 
1658, and 1661-1664; orphan master 1656- 
1660; member of convention, 1653 and 
1663. On February 21, 1664. Paulus 
Leendersen and Allard Anthony were 
spoken of as "co-patroons of the new 
settlement of Noortwyck, on the North 
River." He had five children baptized ai 
the Dutch Reformed church, and he and 
his wife were witnesses to the baptism of 
five of the eight children of his brother 
Jacob. Paulus Leendertsen Van der 
Grift sold his property in New Amster- 
dam in 1671, and returned with his fam- 
ily to Europe. 

Jacob Lendertsen Van die Grifte, bot- 
tler, of New Amsterdam, in the service 
of the West India Company, on Septem- 
ber II, 1648, granted a power of Attor- 
ney to Marten IMartense Schoenmaker, of 
Amsterdam, Holland, to collect from the 
West India Company such amounts of 
money as he (Van die Grift) had earned 
at Curocoa, on the ship "Swol". em- 
ployed by that company to ply between 
the island of Curocoa and New Nether- 
lands. The early records of New Am- 
sterdam give a considerable account of 
this ship "Swol." It carried twenty-two 
guns and seventy-six men. In 1644 it 
was directed to proceed to New Amster- 
dam, and on arriving, "being old." it 
was directed to be sold. Another boat 
was', however, given the same name, be- 
ing sometimes mentioned as the "New 
Swol." 

On July 19, 1648. Jacob Lendertsen 
Van der Grist was married at New Am- 
sterdam to Rebecca Fredericks, daugh- 
ter, of Frederick Lubbertsen. On March 
7. 1652, he sold as attorney for his 
father-in-law, fifty morgens and fifty-two 
rods of land on East river. On Febru- 
ary 19, 1657, Jacob Leendersen V.nn die 
Grift was commissioned by the burgo- 
masters and schepens of New Amster- 
dam as a measurer of grain. To this ap- 
pointment was affixed instructions "that 
from now nobody shall be allowed to 
measure for himself or have measured 
by anybody else than the sworn meas- 
urers, any grain, lime or other goods 



HISTORY OF BUCKS COUNTY. 



31 



which are sold by the tun or schepel. or 
come here from elsewhere as cargoes 
and in wholesale, under a penalty of £3 
for first transgression, £6, for sec- 
ond and arbitrary correction for the 
third." In 1656 Jacob Leendertsen Van- 
dergrift was made a small burgher of 
New Amsterdam. In 1662 he was a resi- 
dent of Bergen, New Jersey, where he 
subscribed toward the salary of a min- 
ister. On April 9, 1664, he and his wife, 
Rebecca Fredericks, were accepted as 
members of the church at "Breukelen," 
upon letters from Middlewout, (now 
Flatlands); his residence on the west 
side of the river must, therefore, have 
been of short duration. On May 29, 
1664. then living under the jurisdiction 
of the village of Breukelen, Long Island, 
he applies to council for letters of ces- 
sion with committimus to the court, to 
relieve him from his creditors on his 
turning over his property in their be- 
half, he being "burdened with a large 
family, and on account of misfortune be- 
fallen some years ago, not having been 
able to forge ahead, notwithstanding all 
efforts and means tried by him to that 
end, etc." There are records of a num- 
ber of suits prior to this date, in which 
he appears either as plaintiff or defen- 
dant. In 1665 he was living on the 
strand of the North river, New Amster- 
dam, where he is assessed towards pay- 
ing the expense of quartering one hun- 
dred English soldiers on the Dutch 
burghers. On. October 3, 1667, he re- 
•ceived a patent from Governor Nicolls 
for land on the island of Manhattan, on 
the north side of the Great Creek, which 
he sold to Isaac Bedloe, in 1668. He 
probably removed at this date to Noord- 
wyck. on the North river, where he pur- 
chased in 1671 the land of his brother 
Paulus, who had returned to Amster- 
dam. In 1686 he appears as an inhabi- 
tant of Newton, Long Island, where he 
probably died, though the date of his 
death has not been ascertained. His 
widow removed with her children to 
Bensalem, Bucks county, Pennsylvania, 
in 1697, and was living there in 1710. The 
children of Jacob Lendertsen and Re- 
becca Fredericks Van der Grift, baptised 
at the Dutch Reformed Church of New 
Amsterdam, were as follows: 

1. IMartje. baptised August 29. 1649, 
married Cornelius Corsen. March^ 11, 
1666. He was baptised at New York, 
April 23, 1645. being the son of Cor- 
nelius Piterse Vroom. and Trynt.ie Hen- 
dricks. After the death of Vroom, 
Tryntje had married Frederick Lub- 
bertsen. the grandfather of Marytje, 
father-in-law of Jacob Lendeert=en Van 
der' Grift. Many descendants of Corne- 
lius Corssen and Marytje Van de Grift 
still reside in Bucks county. 

2. Christina Van de Grift, baptised 
February 26, 1651, married (first) Oc- 



a widower, by whom she had two chil- 
dren, Abraham and Jacobus. She mar- 
ried (second) April 14, i68r, Daniel 
Veenvous, from Beuren, in Gelderland, 
by whom- she had five children — Wil- 
helmina, Rebecca and Contantia; two 
others also named Rebecca died in in- 
fancy. 

3. Anna Van de Grift, baptised March 
16, 1653, married, September 29, 1674. 
*Jacob Claessen Groesbeck. They re- 

;^tober 9, 1678, Cornelius Jacobse Schipper, 
moved to Bucks county with the rest of 
the Vandegrift family in 1710, but little 
is known of them other than that he pur- 
chased land in Bensalem adjoining that 
of his brothers-in-law, and that two of • 
his daughters married into well known 
families of Bucks. Their children were; 
Rebecca, baptised June 23, 1673; Eliza- 
beth, baptised September 4, 1677; Leah, 
baptised February ir, 1680, married 12 
mo. 17, 1702, Johannes Van Sandt; 
Rachel, baptised November 21, 1682, mar- ' 
ried November 8, 1704. James Biddle; and •' 
Johanna, baptised August 9, 1685. 

4. Leendert (Leonard) Van de Grift, 
baptised December 19, 1655, died in 
Bensalem, Bucks county, 1725; married, 
November 20, 1678, Styntje Ellsworth. 
He, with his three brothers and two 
brothers-in-law, purchased land in Ben- 
salem in 1697 of Joseph Growdon, Leon- 
ard's purchase being two tracts of 135 
and 106 acres respectively. He subse- 
quently purchased seventy-four acres of 
his brother Frederick. He and his wife 
were received at Bensalem church in 
1710, and he was appointed junior elder. 
On December 30, 1715- he was commis- 
sioned a justice of the peace. Letters 
of administration were granted on his 
estate February 18. 1725, to his eldest 
son Abraham, known as "Abraham. Van- 
degrift, by the River." The children of 
Leonard and Styntje (Ellsworth) Van- 
degrift were: i. Jacob, baptised Septem- 
ber 20, 1679; 2. Christoffel, baptised Au- 
gust, 1681, married July 7, 1704, Sarah 
Druith; 3. Rebecca, baptised December 
15, 1683, married November 8, 1704, Al- 
bert Van Sandt; 4. Abraham, baptised 
July 4, 1686, married October 17, 1716, 
Maritje Van Sandt, died March, 1748, 
leaving six children — Leonard, of Ben- 
salem; Garret and Abraham, of Philadel- 
phia: Christine, wife of Yost Miller, of 
Salem county. New Jersey; Mary, wife 
of Mathew Corbet, and Jemima, wife of 
George Taylor, of Chesterfield, New Jer- 
sey. 5. Anneken, baptised April 7, 1689, 
married Andrew Duow. 6. Elizabeth, 
baptised at Brooklyn, October 8. 1691, 
married May 23, 1710, "Francis Kroeson. 
7. Annetje, baptised June 12, 1695, mar- 



*Nicholas (or Claes^ Groesbeck. father of Jacob: 
was a carpenter of Albany. New York, in 1662. On 
October 10. 1696 deoosed th^t he was seventv-»wo 
years old. His will dated January 3. 1706-7, mentions 
wife Elizabeth, son Jacob and others. 



32 



HISTORY Of BUCKS COUNTY. 



ried December 22, 1715, Cornelius King. 
Ail of the above children of Leonard 
Vandegrift removed to New Lastle 
count}', Delaware, prior to the dealh of 
their father, except Abraham, to whom 
they conveyed the real estate in Bensa- 
leni in 1743. The above named heirs of 
Abraham conveyed the same to Leonard, 
eldest son of Abraham, in 1761. 

5. Nicholas Vandegrift, baptised May 
5, 1658, married at New Utrecht, Long 
Island, August 24, 1684, Barentje Ver- 
kirk, daughter of John Verkerk. They 
settled at New Utrecht, where he took 
the oath of allegiance to James II in 
1687, and where he purchased land in 
. 1691. He removed to Bucks county with 
his brothers and bothers-in-law in 1697, 
conveying his Long Island land after his 
removal. On July i, 1697, Joseph Grow- 
don conveyed to him 214 acres in Ben- 
salem. He joined the Bensalem church 
in 1710, and became a junior deacon. The 
records of the Dutch Reformed church 
show the baptism of three children, viz.: 
Rebecca, baptised July 26, 1685, mar- 
ried II mo. 7, 1707, Jacobus Van Sandt; 
Jan, baptised January i, 1691, married 
]\Iay 5, 1721, at Abington Presbyterian 
church, Anna (or Hannah) Backer; and 
Deborah, baptised April l, 1695, mar- 
ried Laurent Jansen,* or Johnson. Nich- 
olas Van de Grift removed to Sussex 
county, Delaware, conveying his land in 
1713 to Jacob Kollock, whose .w'idow 
Mary in 1722 conveyed it to Folert, son 
of John Vandegrift. 

6. Frederick Vandegrift, baptised Au- 
gust 20, 1661. purchased of Joseph 
Growdon on July i, 1697, 106 acres ad- 
joining that of his brothers in Bensalem 
township, Bucks county, a part of which 
he conveyed a year later to Leonard 
Vandegrift. If ever a resident of Bucks 
count}', he probably remained but a 
short time. 

7. Rachel Vandegrift. youngest daugh- 
ter of Jacob, was baptised at New York, 
August 20. 1664, and. married, in 1689. 
Barent Verkerk, son of Jan, and brother 
to his brother Nicholas's wife. Barent 
Verkerk purchased in 1697 a tract of 
land in Bensalem adjoining his brothers- 
in-law, all the deeds being from Joseph 
Growdon. and bearing the same date, 
July I. 1697. He died in 1739, leaving 
children: Jacob: John; Mary, married 
Niels Boon; Constantina. married James 
fitchet; Dinah, married James Keirll; 
and another daughter, who married an 
Underwood. 

8. Johannes Vandegrift, youngest son 
of Jacob Lendertsen and Rebecca Fred- 
erics Van der Grift, was baptised at New 
York. June 26. 1667, and died in Ben- 



*Laurent Jansen, or Lawrence Johnson, was doubt- 
less son of Clans Jansen. who purchased several 
tracts of land in Bensalem some years earlier than 
the Vandegrifts. He died in 1723. 'devising his lands 
to his sons Lawrence, John and Richard. The fami- 
lies later intermarried. • 



salem township, Bucks county, Pennsyl- 
vania, in 1745- He married, September 
23, 1694, Nealkie Volkers, widow of Cor- 
nelius Cortelyou, who was living at date 
of his will in 1732, but died before 1740. 
He married (second) July i, 1741, Eliza- 
beth Snowden, a widow. He purchased 
196 acres in Bensalem of Joseph Grow- 
don, adjoining the tracts of his brothers 
and brothers-in-law, the deed bearing 
date July i, 1697. He was an elder of 
the "Sammeny" church, having joined it 
at its organization in 1710. His will 
dated March 16, 1732, proved March 28, 
1745, devises to son Abraham the farm 
he lives on, for life, and if he die with- 
out issue it is to go to his surviving 
brothers and sisters. Some years later 
the children of Johannes entered into an 
agreement by which the land was to 
vest in the heirs of those deceased, even 
though they did not survive Abraham, 
and inasmuch as Abraham died without 
issue in 1781, the subsequent conveyances 
of the land throw light on the family 
connections. In 1786 the representatives 
of Jacob, Rebecca, Christana, and Hel- 
ena conveyed the land, 160 acres, to Jacob 
Jackson and later a partition thereof 
was had between Jackson and Abraham 
Harman and Cornelius, sons of Fulkert. 
The children of Johannes and Nealke 
(Volkers) Vandegrift were: i. Fulkert, 
born 1695, died 1775; married May 6, 
1719, Elizabeth Vansandt. and (second) 
August 10, 174^, Marytje Hufte. He was 
a considerable landholder in Bensalem. 
He had five sons: Folkhart, Harman, 
Abraham, Cornelius and John; and three 
daughters: Alice LaRue, Elizabeth 
Krusen and Elinor, most of whom have 
left descendants in Bucks county. 2. 
Jacob, baptised at New York, October 
14, 1696, died in Bensalem in 1771, mar- 
ried Choyes Toulej^ October 23, 1716. 
3. Abraham, born 1698, died 1781, mar- 
ried, but had no issue. 4. Rebecca, mar- 
ried John Van Horn, died 1786. 5. Chris- 
tiana, married November 8. 1722, Joseph 
Foster. 6. Lenah, married a Fulton. 7. 
Esther, baptized in Bucks count}'. May 
10. 1710. 

Most of the Vandegrifts of Bucks 
county are descendants of Johannes and 
Nealke (Volkers) Vandegrift. Leonard, 
grandson of Leonard, remained in Ben- 
salem, and the land originally settled by 
his grandfather descended to his son. 
Captain Josiah Vandegrift. John, son of 
Nicholas, became a large landholder in 
Bensalem; he died in 1765, leaving sons: 
Nicholas. Jacob, John. Joseph, for many 
years an innkeeper in Bensalem; and 
daughters: Catharine Sands; Esther, who 
married John Houten; and Rebecca 
Vansciver. Of the sons, John married' 
Ann Walton, May 28. 1761. and had chil- 
dren: Joshua. Joseph, John, Jonathan, 
and ]\Iary. The father died in 1777. and 
the widow Ann married Charles Fetters 
a jear later. 



HISTORY OF BUCKS COUNTY. 



33 



Jacob Vandegrift, son of Johannes and 
Nealke (Volkers) Vandegrift, baptized 
at New York, October 14, 1696, was but 
an infant less than a year old when his 
parents settled in Bensalein township, 
Bucks county. He married, October 2;^, 
■ 1716, Charity Touley. He became a 
large landholder and a prominent man in 
the community. He died in 1771. His 
children were,! John, died 1805, in Ben- 
salem, leaving live children, viz. :i Jacob, 
who settled in Northampton township; 
( John;VjJane, who married a Johnson; 
_, Bernard, settled in New Jersey; and Ab-"" 
' raham, who married Catharine Vande- 
grift a granddaughter of Fulerd. 2. Ber- 
nard, who was devised 200 acres in Up- 
per Dublin township, and settled there- 
on; 3. Jacob, who was devised by his 
father 200 acres of land whereon he was 
living at his father's death. 4. Charity 
(or Catharine) who married John Praul, 
January 20, 1757. 5. Helen (or Elinor) 
who married Harman Vansant. 

Jacob Vandegrift, third son of Jacob, 
married first Catrintje Hufte, May 19, 
1753. and (second) Sarah Titus, Febru- 
ary 5, 1775, as before stated he settled 
on 200 acres belonging to his father 
which descended to him at his father's 
death. He died in May, 1800, leaving 

five children; Jacob, married Elinor ; 

David, married Sarah — '■ ; William 

Bloomfield, the grandfather of Senator 

Vandegrift; Mary married Bennett; 

and Elizabeth, who married Daniel La- 
Rue. William Bloomfield Vandegrift in- 
herited from his father considerable real 
estate. He was the youngest son, and 
had just arrived at his majority when 
the will of his father was proved in 1800. 
He married Christiana Saund ers. His 
death occurred in 1854! HTs' children 
were seven in number, viz.; Sarah Ann, 
married Charles Tomlinson; Eliza L., 
married Jacob Johnson ; Eleanor, married 
Enos Boutcher; Alfred; Charles Souders ; 
William M., married Eliza Boutcher and 
Susan, married Peter Conover. 

Alfred Vandegrift was born in Ben- 
salem township in 1807, and died there 
' in 1861. In 1849 his father conveyed to 
him and his brother jointly a store prop- 
erty at Eddington, where they conduct- 
ed a mercantile business until the death 
of Alfred in 1861. In 1849 he also pur- 
chased of his father 31^^ acres on the 
Buck road, which had been the prop- 
erty of his ancestors for several genera- 
tions. He married Catharine Gibbs, 
daughter of John Gibbs, and granddaugh- 
ter of Richard Gibbs, who was sheriff 
^of Bucks county in 1771, and a promi- 
nent public man. His children were: 
John Gibbs, born September 2, 1834; 
William Bloomfield; Elinor, wife of 
William Lynesson Sayre; Charles Soud- 
ers, Jr.; Augustus: Henry S.; Lewis H.; 
Susan ; Mary : Christina ; Alfred and Eliza- 
beth LaRue. 

33 



HON. CHARLES SOUDERS VAN- 
DEGRIFT, son of Alfred and Catherine 
(Gibbs) Vandegrift, is a worthy representa- 
tive of an old and eminent family. He was 
born in Bensalem township, August 20, 
1839. He was reared on his father's farm, 
and attended the public schools until fifteen 
years of age, when he entered Captain 
Alden Partridge's Military School at 
China Hall, in Bristol township, where 
he remained for two years. At the age 
of seventeen he entered the employ of his 
uncle and namesake, Charles S. Vande- 
grift, Sr., in the country store at Ed- 
dington, where he remained as clerk and 
proprietor until 1873, when he sold out 
the store, and in connection with J. and 
E. Thomas opened a lumber yard on the 
Delaware at Eddington. This partner- 
ship continued until 1890, when he re- 
tired from the firm. Since that time he 
has been employed in the settlement of 
estates and the transaction of public 
business. In 1882 he was elected to the 
state senate and served four years. He 
was an active member of the upper 
house, and served on the ways and 
means, agriculture and other important 
committees. In politics he is a Democrat, 
and has served as representative to Dis- 
trict, State and National conventions. He 
has always taken an active interest in 
local matters, and served his township 
officially at dififerent periods. He is presi- 
dent of the Good Roads Association of 
Bensalem township, and one of its most 
active and efficient members. He is a di- 
rector of the Farmers' National Bank; 
president of the Farmers' and Mechanics' 
Mutual Insurance Company of Bucks 
and Philadelphia counties; president of 
the Doylestown Publishing Company; 
and treasurer and trustee of the Vande- 
grift Burial Ground at Cornwells. He is 
a past master of Bristol Lodge, No. 25, 
A. Y. F. and A. M.; of Harmony Chapter, 
No. 52, R. A. M.: and St. Johns Coni- 
mandery. No. 4, K. T., of Philadelphia, 
and is the district deputy grand master 
for the eighth district. He is a member 
of The Netherlands- Society of Phila- 
delphia. 

Mr. Vandegrift married, March ir, 
1862, Mary Hannah Rowland, daughter 
of Charles Rowland, of Chester county, 
Pennsylvania. To this marriage have 
been born two children : Frederic Beas- 
ley, born December 22, 1862: and George 
Bloomfield, born May 22, 1864. The lat- 
ter died in infancy. Mr. and Mrs. Van- 
degrift are members of the Presbyter- 
ian church. 



FREDERIC BEASLEY VANDE- 
GRIFT, son of Senator Charles S. Van- 
degrift, was educated at the public 
schools of Philadelphia, and at Smiths' 
Commercial College, after which he en- 
tered the office of John W. Hampton, Jr., 



34 



HISTORY OF BUCKS COUNTY. 



custom house broker of Philadelphia, 
where he remained for eight years. He 
then entered into the business himself 
with offices in Philadelphia, New York 
and Chicago, and was also import freight 
agent. He continued to conduct the busi- 
ness of a custom house broker until his 
death. In 1893, feeling the necessity of 
a technical knowledge of the law in the 
transaction of his business, he entered 
himself as a student at law in the office 
of William S. Stanger, Esq., in Phila- 
delphia, and was admitted to the Phila- 
delphia bar in 1897, and was admitted 
to practice in the United States courts 
in January, 1899, but died on March 7, 
1899. 

Frederic B. Vandegrift made a close 
study of the tariflf on imports and be- 
came an expert on that subject. Among 
the papers prepared and published by 
him on the subject was one on the Mc- 
Kinley Tariff, and another on the Ding- 
ley Tariff. He received an order for 1,500 
copies of his work on the Dingley Tariff 
from the United States government, a 
copy of which was to be sent to every 
United States consul throughout the 
•world. He received the prize offered 
by the United States government for 
the most perfect paper on the tariff. Mr. 
Vandegrift became a distinguished mem- 
ber of the Masonic fraternity. He was 
made a Mason on March 8, 1884, by his 
father, Past Master Charles S. Vande- 
grift, and became master of Bristol 
Lodge, No. 25, in 1888; joined Harmony 
Chapter, R. A. M.. in 1889, and was 
elected king in 1899, which office he 
held at the time of his death. He joined 
St, Johns Commandery, K. T., in 1894, 
and held the office of captain general 
at the time of his death. He joined the 
Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite, 
January 18, 1895. and on June 21st re- 
ceived his thirty second degree, S. P. R. 
S. He was also a member of Lulu Tem- 
ple^ A. A. O. N. M. S., and was repre- 
sentative of University Lodge in the 
Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania at the 
time of his death. On November 16. 
1887, he married Harriet Elizabeth Har- 
vey, of Philadelphia. This marriage was 
blessed with four daughters: Gertrude, 
Evelina, Lorame and Genevieve, all of 
whom are being educated at the Friends' 
Schools of Philadelphia. 



JOHN GTBBS VANDEGRIFT, eldest 
son of Alfred and Catharine (Gibbs) 
Vandegrift, and brother to Hon. Charles 
S. Vandegrift. the subject of the pre- 
ceding sketch, was born in Bensalem 
township, Bucks county, September 2, 
1834. He was educated at the public 
schools, and later received an academic 
education. He was reared on the farm, 
^nd for several j'cars followed the vo- 



cation of a farmer. In /§73 he pur- 
chased the store at Eddington and fol- 
lowed the mercantile business there for 
the rest of his life. He was a 'justice 
of the peace for twenty years, and filled 
many positions of trust. He took a 
deep interest in educational matters, and 
was for many years a member of the 
school board, acting as its secretary. He 
was a vestryman of the Episcopal church. 
In politics was a Democrat, but never 
sought or held other than local office. 
He was a member of Bristol Lodge, No. 
25, A. Y. F. and A. M.; of Harmony 
Chapter, R. A. M.; and St. Johns Com.- 
mandery, K. T. Mr. Vandegrift married 
March 27, 1861, Mary Jane Creighton, 
daughter of Thomas and Rebecca Ash- 
ton Creighton. She was born May 10, 
1832, at Holmesburg, Philadelphia, and 
died May 4, 1895. John G. Vandegrift 
died April 11, 1901. Two children were 
born to Mr. and Mrs. Vandegrift, Kath- 
erine and Lemuel. 

Lemuel Vandegrift was born August 
13. 1864. He was reared on a farm and 
attended public school. At the age of 
seventeen years he entered his father's 
store to assist him in the business, and 
at his death succeeded him in its con- 
duct. He was also elected a justice of 
the peace to succeed his father. He is 
a vestryman of the Episcopal church. In 
politics he is a Democrat. He is a mem- 
iaer of Bristol Lodge, No. 25, A. Y. F. and 
A. M., Philadelphia Chapter, R. A. M., 
and St. Johns Commanderj^ K. T. Mr. 
Vandegrift was married, April 6, 1893, 
to Mary Ella Carey, daughter of Seneca 
and Mary Ella (Moore) Carey. They 
are the parents of two children: Lem- 
uel Creighton, born July 26, 1895, and 
Marian Katharine, born July 8, 1897. 
Their eldest child, John G.. Jr., died in 
infancy. These children are being edu- 
cated in the public school of Bensalem. 



MOSES VANDEGRIFT. In the pre- 
ceding sketch of the descendants of Ja- 
cob Lender tsen Van der Grifte, who 
came from Holland in 1644 to New Am- 
sterdam, where he married in 1648, Re- 
becca Fredericks Lubbertsen. is given an 
account of the baptism and marriage of 
Johannes Van De Grift, youngest son of 
Jacob and Rebecca, and of the birth and 
marriage of his children. From two of 
the sons of Johannes and Nealkc (Volk- 
ers) Vandegrift is descended the subject 
of this sketch. Folkhart, the eldest, and 
Jacob the second son. 

Folkhart (or Fulkerd) Van de Grift, 
eldest son of Johannes, was born in the 
province of New York in 1695. and was 
therefore but an infant when brought 
into Bucks county by his parents in 1697. 
He became a large landholder in Ben- 
salem, a man of importance in the Dutch 





'.^^Voa^cUc^^ 




^/Jlo-s^ ^m^id^^A.^^ 



^^ l>c.W 



'PUBil 



yoliK 



^^'^^Any 



ASTO-', L-,,. 
TlLDtlH Fr 



X Af-l 



.9 






HISTORY OF BUCKS COUNTY. 



35 



colony in Bucks, and a member of the 
Bensalem church. He was twice mar- 
ried, first on May 6, 1719 to Elizabeth 
Van Sandt, and second on August 10, 
1742, to Marytje Hufte. Neither wife 
survived him. He died in November, 
1775. Of his nine children, Fulkhart, 
Elizabeth, Harman, Alshe, Abrahaiii, 
John, Cornelius and Elinor, the first 
eight are mentioned in his will. 

Abraham Vandegrift, borrt about 1725 
married Femmentje Hufte about 1752 
and had six children. He died in Ben- 
salem township about 1800. The children 
were: Elizabeth, baptized at Southamp- 
ton church August 18, 1754, married John 
DeCoursey, and had eight children; 
Mary, married Benjamin Severns; Ab- 
raham; and Catharine, who married Ab- 
raham Vandegrift, her second cousin. 

Jacob Van de Grift, second son of Jo- 
hannes and Nealke, baptized at New 
Amsterdam, October 14, 1696, was the 
grandfather of Abraham above mention- 
ed. John Vandegrift, eldest son of Ja- 
cob, known as "John Vandegrift, Es- 
<iuire," to distinguish him /rom his cous- 
ins of the same name on the records, 
married November 14, 1750, Maria (or 
Mary) Praul, who died prior to 1786. 
He died in 1805; his will dated Septem- 
ber 7, 1804, proved May 3, 1805, devised 
to his eldest son Jacob, (baptized at 
Southampton, April 18, 1753) a stone 
house "I am now erecting"' and one 
acre of land, he having been "advanced 
400 pounds towards purchasing a plan- 
tation." This plantation was in North- 
ampton, where Jacob removed in 1783 
and died leaving a large family. The will 
of John Vandegrift further devises to 
his son John, \62Y2 acres on the Dunk's 
ferry road where the testator lived; to 
his daughter Jane Johnson a lot on same 
road; to son Bernard a tract of land in 
New Jersey purchased of John Long- 
streth, and to his son Abraham seventy- 
two acres, "part of the land where he 
now lives, beginning at brother Jacob's 
lane end." etc. 

Abraham, son of John and Maria 
(Praul) Vandegrift, was born in Bensa- 
lem in 1766. On his marriage his father 
set apart to him seventy-two acres of 
land and built a house for him thereon 
which has since been the home of his 
descendants. He was twice married; by 
his first wife he had a daughter Mary 
who married John Brodnax. His second 
wife was Catharine Vandegrift, daughter 
of Abraham and granddaughter of Fol- 
hart, as previously shown. By this mar- 
riage Abraham had two sons, John and 
Samuel, and two daughters: Elizabeth, 
who married Joseph Myers; and Phebe, 
who married Thomas Darrah. Abra- 
ham died in .May, 1800, leaving a will 
made eleven ' years previously, which 
was contested by the widow and daugh- 
ter Phebe, but proved in the court of 
common pleas in December of the same 



year. The bulk of the landed property 
mcluding the homestead descended to 
the son John. 

John Vandegrift was born on the old 
homestead August 12, 1806, and died 
there m March. 1878. He was a success- 
ful farmer, a Democrat, and a member 
of the Presbyterian church. His wife 
was Susanna Sipler. She died July 3, 
1898. John and Susanna (Sipler) Van- 
degrift were the parents of eight chil- 
dren: Jesse, who died young; Jesse (2); 
Moses; John; Philip, who served three 
years in the civil war and died January 
12. 1900, in his fifty-eighth year; Sam- 
uel; Letitia; and George W. 

Moses Vandegrift, the subject of this 
sketch, was born on the old homestead 
June 5, 1840. He was reared on the old 
farm and received his education at the 
Eddington school. On arriving at man- 
hood he settled on the old homestead 
that had been the property of his an- 
cestors for many generations, and has 
spent his whole life there. He is a mem- 
ber of the Presbyterian church and po- 
litically is a Democrat. He was elected 
supervisor of Bensalem township in 
1888 for two years and was re-elected in 
1900 for an additional term. He married 
January 26, 1879, Sarah Knight, daughter 
of Strickland and Caroline (Briggs) 
Knight, by whom he has six children: 
Eugene, born January 4. 1880; Walter, 
born January 5, 1882; Roland and Oscar, 
twins, born Maj^ 27, 1884, (Oscar died in 
infancy) ; Fannie, born November 4, 1885, 
and Russell, born November 8, 1887. 



SAMUEL ALLEN VANDEGRIFT. 
eldest son of the late George V. and 
Mary Ann (Allen) Vandegrift, was born 
at Bridgevvater, Bensalem township, 
Bucks county. Pennsylvania, March 21, 
18,30. 

The educational advantages enjoyed 
by Samuel A. Vandegrift were obtained 
in the common schools of the neighbor- 
hood, and he remained a resident on the 
paternal homestead until he attained his 
majority. He then settled on the Jon- 
athan Paxon farm in Bensalem town- 
ship, and after a residence of twenty 
years there located on the farm owned 
by his brother William A., remaining 
nine years, and the following six years 
he resicj'ed on the Thomas Hamilton 
farm. He then took up his residence on 
the farm in Byberry, owned by Colonel 
Morrell, remaining three years, after 
which he located on the farm in Ben- 
salem owned by his brother Frank, and 
in 1903 removed to the old Black farm 
in Bensalem township, owned by his 
son Charles, where he has since resided. 
Being practical and progressive in his 
methods of management, he met with 
a large degree of prosperity in the va- 



36 



HISTORY OF BUCKS COUNTY. 



rious localities where he resided, and 
his honorable and reliable transactions 
won for him an enviable reputation 
which he has always fully sustained. He 
is a firm advocate of the principles of 
Republicanism, and his support has al- 
ways been given to the candidates and 

^ measures of that party. 

On March 12, 1857, Mr. Vadegrift mar- 
ried Julia Ann Luck, born in Philadel- 
phia but reared in Bucks county, a 
daughter of Joseph and Margaret (Les- 
lie) Luck. Joseph Luck was a native of 
England, from whence he emigrated to 

y\ the United States, entered the service 
of the United States government, and 
for many years had, charge of the United 
States arsenal at Frankford, Pennsyl- 
vania. Four children were born to Mr. 
and Mrs. Vandegrift: George, born Jan- 
uary 28, 1858, engaged in agricultural 
pursuits in Bensalem township, married 
Julia Miller, of Philadelphia, and they 
are the parents of one child, Frederick 
Vandegrift; Joseph, who died at the age 
of four years; Mary Ann, born P'ebru- 
ary 19. 1863; Charles W., born December 
16. 1865. The mother of these children, 
who was a most excellent' woman in 
every respect, faithful and conscientious 
in the performance of her duties as wife 
and mother, died June 9, 1902. 



LEWIS HERBERT VANDEGRIFT, 
of Bensalem, Pennsylvania, was born at 
that place, October i, 1845, the son of 
Alfred and Catherine (Gibbs) Vande- 
grift. He was educated in the public 
schools of Bensalem, after which he en- 
gaged in farming, as an employe of his 
brother, John, with whom he remained 
until 1870, when he removed to the old 
homestead farm in Bensalem, which he 
purchased in 1892. After thirty years 
of farm life, he sold his farm and re- 
moved to Philadelphia, when he entered 
the employ of the Western Union Tele- 
graph Company, with whom he is still 
engaged. Mr. Vandegrift has been twice 
married — first, January 7, 1874, to Mar- 
garet, daughter of James and Margaret 
(Ballantyne) Harvinson. By this union 
four children were born: i. Alfred Eu- 
gene, born November 22, 1874, married, 
February 20, 1901, to Susannah Keifer, 
of Brooklyn, New York, daughter of 
John Colder and wife, Susannah (Jen- 
ninker) Keiffer. and they have one child, 
Margaret Susannah, born November 10, 
1902; 2. Clara May, born January 29, 
1877. married March 7, 1905, Eugene 
Gaskill, of Philadelphia; 3. Maud, born 
May 13, 1882; married, first Elwood E. 
Porter, by whom the issue was Milton 
Harvinson, born December i. 1899; sec- 
ond, to Frank Peabody Hedges, of 
Trenton, New Jersey, May i. 1904; 4. 
Bertha Irene, born May 20. 1883. Mrs. 



Vandegrift died February 13, 1888, andl 
for his second wife Mr. Vandegrift mar- 
ri-ed, January 14, 1892, Margaret Brown^ 
of Eddington, who was born May 4^ 
1854, daughter of Henry Jackson and 
Sarah (Staats) Brown, and the grand- 
daughter of Alexander and Elizabeth 
(Darrah) Brown; also the granddaugh- 
ter of Jacob and Maribel (Shaw) Staats. 
By his second marriage Mr. Vandegrift 
has one child — Lucy Eccleston, born Oc- 
tober 13, 1893. Each of the above chil- 
dren, except Lucy, were educated in Ben- 
salem. Alfred was graduated from 
Pierce's Business College of Philadel- 
phia, and Lucy is attending Lincoln^ 
Grammar School in Philadelphia. 

Mr. Vandegrift is a member of the 
Masonic fraternity, and affiliates with- 
Newton Lodge, No. 427, A. F. and A. 
M. Both Mr. and Mrs. Vandegrift are 
members of the clmirch of Christ (Epis- 
copal) of Eddington, where they are ef- 
ficient, earnest workers. Mr. Vandegrift 
has served on the school board very 
ably for three years, and has been its 
secretary. He has ever been much in- 
terested in educational matters, and is 
counted among the loyal citizens of his 
place. 



GEORGE V. VANDEGRIFT. The 
death of George V. Vandegrift, April 
24, 1853, removed from Bensalem town- 
ship, Bucks county, Pennsylvania, where 
he resided all his life, one of its promi- 
nent, influential and public-spirited citi- 
zens. His birth occurred in 1804, a son' 
of Joseph and Sarah (Byson) Vande- 
grift, and grandson of John Vandegrift. 
Joseph Vandegrift (father) was also a 
native of Bensalem township, Bucks 
county, the year of his birth being 1776. 
In early life he served an apprentice- 
ship at the trade of weaver, and this 
he followed successfully throughout his 
active career. He was a member of the 
Episcopal church, the service of which 
he attended regularly. By his marriage 
to Sarah Bankson the following named' 
children were 'born: Lydia, Rebecca, 
Mary, Amy, George V., Frances, Sarah 
Ann, Joseph, Julia Ann, and Jane. Mr. 
Vandegrift died in 1839, survived by his 
wife, who passed away in 1857. 

George V. Vandegrift attended the 
common schools adjacent to his home, 
after which he learned the same trade 
as his father, that of weaver, but after 
following this for a nimiber of years 
turned his attention to farming, which 
proved both a pleasant and profitable 
occupation. Upon attaining his majority 
he cast his vote with the Whig party, 
to whom he gave his allegiance up to 
the formation of the Republican party, 
and from that time up to his decease he 
advocated the principles of that great 
organization. 



HISTORY OF BUCKS COUNTY. 



Z7 



Mr. Vandegrift married, May 17, 1828, 
!Mary Ann Allen, who wasjjorn in Ben- 
salem township, October 26, 1808. and 
they were the parents of nine children, 
namely: Samuel Allen, born March 21, 
1830, a sketch of whom appears in this 
work; Joseph T., born August 24, 1832, 
was twice married and had two children 
ty each marriage, and died February 
16, 1904; Jesse S., born August 24, 1836, 
resides in the western section of the Uni- 
ted States; Georgianna, born September 
23, 1839, resides on the old Allen farm 
with her brother; William Allen, born 
June 23, 1841, resides in Philadelphia; 
Israel Thomas, born August 24, 1843. and 
resides in Philadelphia; George W., born 
August 24, 1845; Jonathan, born March 
25, 1848, died September I, 1888; 
and Benjamin Franklin, born June 18, 
1853, and resides in Philadelphia. Mr. 
Vandegrift and his wife held member- 
ship in the Neshaminy Methodist Epis- 
copal church. Their deaths occurred re- 
spectively April 24, 1853, and March 19, 
1864. 

Mrs. Vandegrift was a daughter of 
Israel Allen, born May 29. 1766, and his 
wife Elizabeth Titus, born December 14, 
1771. Isreal Allen was a son of Joseph 
and Sarah (Plumley) Allen. Joseph Al- 
len was a son of William and Mary 
(Walsh) Allen. William Allen was born 
at what is now Bridgewater, Bensalem 
township, on the site of the Bridgewater 
Inn, a son of Samuel and Jane (Wain) 
Allen. 'Samuel Allen was a son of Sam- 
uel and Mary Allen, who came from 
England in 1681 and settled on the farm 
now owned by William Allen Vande- 
grift, in 1682, and one hundred acres of 
the original tract has never passed out 
of the possession of the family. The 
members of the Allen family have al- 
ways adhered to the tenets of the Society 
■of Friends. 



J. WILSON VANDEGRIFT. Among 
the successful agriculturists of Bucking- 
Tiam is J. Wilson Vandegrift, who was 
born in that township January i, 1863, 
being a son of Bernard and Mary Ann 
(Folker) Vandegrift, and a grandson of 
Lawrence Vandegrift of Northampton 
township, Bucks county, where his fath- 
er Bernard was born June 30, 1829. The 
family is of Holland descent, being de- 
scendants of Jacob Lendert Van de Grift, 
who migrated from Holland in 1644, 
and settled on Long Island, from whence 
three of his sons (Leonard, Nicholas 
and John,) came to Bucks county in the 
latter part of the same century and set- 
tled in Bensalem, descendants of the last 
mentioned of whom settling in Northamp- 
ton township a century later. 

Bernard Vandegrift was a farmer all 
■his life. In 1877 he purchased the farm 
now owned and occupied by the subject 



of this sketch, and resided thereon un- 
til his death, in September, 1900. He 
married, December 27, 1851, Mary Ann 
Folker, daughter of James and Mary 
(Herlinger) Folker, of Buckingham, 
where she was born August 8, 1829. Her 
parents were both natives of Bucking- 
ham, her mother being a daughter of 
Captain Mathew Herlinger, who married 
the widow Else, whose husband died at 
sea on the voyage to America. Bernard 
and Mary Ann (Folker) Vandegrift 
were the parents of six children; Harry, 
of Elizabeth, Colorado; Susanna, wife of 
William Orem, of Buckingham; Wilmer, 
a wholesale commission merchant of 
Philadelphia; Mary, wife of William H. 
Atkinson, of Forest Grove, Bucking- 
ham township; J. Wilson; and Theodore, 
of Warwick township, Bucks county. 

J. Wilson Vandegrift was reared on the 
farm and acquired a good common 
school education. In 1885 he purchased , 
the home farm, which he has since suc- 
cessfully conducted. By industry and 
careful business methods he has acquired 
a competence. In 1899 he purchased an 
adjoining farm of 102 acres and in 1903, 
purchased a farm of 160 acres in War- 
wick township. He married, in Novem- 
ber, 1894, Olive M. Fell, daughter of 
Wilson D. and Mary Jane (Trunibower) 
Fell, of Buckingham. She was born on 
the Fell homestead in Buckingham that 
had been in the tenure of her ancestors 
for over a century, January 19, 1863. She 
is still the owner of the farm, which is 
a portion of a tract purchased by her 
great-great-great-grandfather. Benjamin 
Fell, in 1753. This Benjamin Fell was 
born in 1703 in Cumberland, England, 
and came with his parents Joseph and 
Bridget (Wilson) Fell to America when 
an infant. His son John, born in 1730, 
married Elizabeth Hartley, and their son 
Seneca born 4 mo. 5, 1760, married Grace 
Holt of Horsham, among whose chil- 
dren was Stacy Fell, the grandfather of 
Mrs. Vandegrift. He was born in Buck- 
ingham in 1790, and died there in 1864, 
He married 10 mo. 14, 1812, Elizabeth 
Kinsey, of Buckingham, who was born 
in 1791 and died in 1863. They were the 
parents of seven children, the young- 
est of whom was Wilson D., father of 
Mrs. Vandegrift, who was born 12 mo. 
2, T832, and died April 28, 1895. 

To Mr. and Mrs. Vandegrift have 
been born five children, Harry E. W., 
William Orem, Edwin Taylor, Wilson 
Fell and Gladys. Mrs. Vandegrift is a 
member of Doylestown Presbyterian 
church. 

Wilson D. Fell married Mary Jane 
Trunibower December i, 1854. She was 
the daughter of Philip and Catharine 
Trumbower of Bridge Point, nOvv' Edi- 
son, Bucks county, Pennsylvania. She 
was born April 11, 1833. and died April 
15, 1904. 



38 



HISTORY OF BUCKS COUNTY. 




^J^l^K^ 



JENKS COAT-OF-ARMS. 






THE J E .\ K S 
FAMILY is of 
Welsh origin and can 
be clearly traced in 
the county of Mont- 
gomery, Wales, and 
the adjoining couniy 
of Salop, or Shrop- 
shire, England, from 
A. D. 900 down to the 
middle of the seven- 
teenth century. On 
the records of the 
College of Arms, Lon- 
^j^ don, England, there 
'^ is an Act in the 
year 1582, during 
*i\\Q reign of Queen 
Elizabeth, by which 
"The Coat of Arms 
of the Anciente Family of Jenks, 
long in the possession of the same" at 
Wolverton Manor, Wales, was confirm- 
ed to them in the person of their repre- 
sentative. Sir George Jenks. of Salop, 
Gentleman, as certified by Robert Cooke, 
alias Clarencieux. one of the two first 
Provincial Kings-of-Arms, in England, 
whose jurisdiction of Clarenceux ex- 
tended to all of England south of the 
Trent, Norroy holding a like jurisdic- 
tion north of the Trent. 

The Jenks family of Bucks county, 
Pennsylvania, trace their descent from 
Thomas Jenks, of Shropshire, who, as 
shown by the will of John Penn. of the 
adjoining county of Montgomery, Wales, 
dated 1660. was a son of Thomas Jenks. 
Thomas Jenks the elder died 10 mo. 19, 
1680, as shown by the records of the 
Monthly Meeting of Friends in Shrop- 
shire. He was one of the earliest con- 
verts to the principles of George Fox, 
and "Besse's Sufferings'' gives a rec- 
ord of his arrest in 1656 as one of a 
party of Friends while attending a meet- 
ing of people of his faith. He was 
again arrested and fined in 1660. Thomas 
Jenks, son of the above, born in Shrop- 
shire, was married there and is supposed 
to have embarked for America with his 
wife Susan, and infant son Thomas, born 
January, 1699-1700. All that js definitely 
known, however, is that Susan Jenks. 
his widow, and her young son, Thomas, 
arrived in Bucks county soon after 1700, 
and located in Wrightstown. Susan 
Jenks married Benjamin Wiggins, of 
Buckingham, in 1708. and died soon after 
the birth of her son, Bezeleel Wiggins, 
in 1709. 

. Thomas Jenks was reared in the neigh- 
borhood of Wrightstown. We have little 
record of him until i mo. t, 1725-6. when 
he applied for membership in Wrights- 
town Meeting. He was doubtless a birth- 
right "member of the Society, but the 
death of his father while on the voy- 
age to America, or immediately preced- 
ing their sailing and the subsequent mar- 
riage of his mother to a non-member 



and her early death leaving him an or- 
phan at ten years of age, his birth- 
right privilege was no doubt neglected 
to be recorded. It was therefore neces- 
sary for him to be regularly admitted 
when he desired to become a member or> 
reaching manhood. 

Thomas Jenks married, 3 mo. 19, 1731, 
Mercy Wildman, daughter of John and 
Marah (Chapman) Wildman, of Middle- 
town. The former, born in Yorkshire, 
England, in 1681, came to America with 
his parents, Martin and Ann Wildman, 
in 1690, and the latter, a daughter of 
John Chapman, the pioneer settler of 
W'rightstown, had married first John 
Croasdale, John Wildman being her sec- 
ond husband. Thomas Jenks, on his mar- 
riage, settled first in his home in Buck- 
ingham and three years afterward re- 
moved to a tract of land in Middletown 
township, two miles southeast of New- 
town, along Core creek, containing 600- 
acres. Upon this tract he erected prior 
to 1740, a fulling mill one of the 
first in the county which was operated 
(by the family) until his death, doing a 
large business in dyeing, fulling and 
finishing the homespun goods of his 
neighbors, the early settlers of lower 
and middle Bucks. His ledger "C," ex- 
quisitely written and kept still in good 
preservation, is now in possession of his 
great-grandson, William H. Jenks. of 
Philadelphia. It covers the years 1743- 
56, and contains his accounts with near- 
ly all the early families of Bucks east 
of the Neshaminy. He was an active 
and energetic business man, and retained 
his mental and physical faculties in a re- 
markable degree to extreme old age. He 
died at Jenks Hall (erected by him ir» 
1734) from the effects of injuries re- 
ceived in being thrown from a wagon, 5 
mo. 4, 1797, in the ninetj'-eighth year of 
his age. He had in the truest sense of 
the word "grown up with the country."" 
Arriving in Bucks county w^hen far the 
greatest part of it was a primeval w-il- 
derness, still inhabited bj' the Indians,, 
he lived through its entire colonial per- 
iod, and saw his country recover frorr» 
the shock and trials of its war for in- 
dependence, and become a thickly settled 
prosperous and enlightened community. 
He w-as six years older than Dr. Frank- 
lin, and thirty-two years older than 
George Washington, yet he survived the 
former seven 3'ears. and the latter sur- 
vived him but little over two years, 
though both had lived to see the fruition 
of their long and noble struggle for 
their country's good. His wife Mercy 
died 7 mo. 26. 1787. aged seventy-seven 
years, after a married life of over fifty- 
six years. They were the parents of six 
children, as follows: 

T. Mary, born 4 mo. 20. ^JH- died 
1803: married Samuel Twining. 

2. John, born 5 mo. I. 1736. died 1791, 
married in 1785, Sarah W^eir. His son 



HISTOR]^ OF BUCKS COUNTY. 



39 



John Wildman Jenks, born 6 mo. 21, 
1790, studied medicine and removed to 
Jefiferson county, Pennsylvania, where he 
died 4 mo. 4. 1S50. He married in 1816, 
Mary Day Barclaj', who bore him ten 
children, most oi whom were distin- 
guished in their professions, the young- 
est, George Augustus Jenks, being a 
member of the Forty-fourth United 
States Congress, and the Democratic 
nominee for governor of Pennsylvania 
in 1898. 

3. Thomas, born 10 mo. 9. 1738. died 
5 mo. 30, 1799, married, in 1762, Rebec- 
ca Richardson, daughter of Joseph and 
Mary (Paxson) Richardson, of Middle- 
town. 

4. Joseph, born 12 mo. 22, 1743, died 
5 mo. 1820; married 6 mo. 22, 1763, Eliza- 
beth Pearson, daughter of William and 
Elizabeth (Duer) Pearson; see forward. 

5. Elizabeth, born 3 mo. 15, 1746, died 
12 mo. 30, 1808; married 12 mo. 23. 1762, 
William Richardson, son of Joseph and 
Mary (Paxson) Richardson. 

6. Ann. born 9 mo. 8, 1749. died about 
1812; married 2 mo. 20, 1770, Isaac Wat- 
son. 

Thomas Jenks, second son of Thomas 
and Mercy, was born and reared on the 
homestead in Middletown, and spent his 
whole life there. He was a prominent 
and influential man in the community. 
He served as a member of colonial as- 
sembly for the year 1775, and w^as a 
member of the constitutional convention 
of 1790, and was the first member of the 
state senate from Bucks under the con- 
stitution then adopted, and served con- 
tinuously in that body until his death. 
May 4, 1799. For the first six j^ears of 
his service the district which he repre- 
sented was composed of the counties of 
Delaware, Chester and Bucks, while dur- 
ing his last two terms the district con- 
sisted of Chester, IVIontgomery and 
Bucks. He was an active member of the 
upper house and served on many im- 
portant committees. He married, in 1762, 
Rebecca Richardson, and they were the 
parents of nine children, eight of whom 
lived to mature age. They were as follows : 

1. Rachel, born 5 mo. 23, 1763, died 
2 mo. 12, 1830; married 10 mo. 19, 1786, 
Thomas Story. 

2. Mary, born 3 mo. 12, 1765, died in 
infancy. 

3. Joseph R., born 9 mo. 16. 1767, died 
6 mo. 26, 1858: married first to mo. 10, 
1792, Sarah Watson; second, 6 mo. 6, 
1809, Ann West; and third. 2 mo. 29, 
T844, Ann Ely of Philadelphia, a widow. 
Joseph R. Jenks was a prosperous and 
prominent merchant in Philadelphia. 

4. Mercy, born 10 mo. 20. 1769. died 
10 mo. 19. 1836; married 10 mo. 18, 1792, 
Abraham Carlile. 

5. Thomas, born 2 mo. 4. 1772- died 2 
mo. 27. 1828: married first, in I797. 
Thomazine Trimble, and second, in 1816, 
Rachel Wilson. 



6. Rebecca, born i mo. i, 1775, married 
I mo. 15, 1801, Jonathan Fell. 

7. Mary, born 7 mo. 9, 1777, died in 
1854, unmarried. 

8. Phincas, born 5 mo. 3, 1781, died 
8 mo. 6, 1851, married first, Eliza Mur- 
ray, and second, Amelia Snyder, see for- 
ward. 

g. Ruth, born 8 mo. 19. 1788. died 2 mo. 
16, 1843, married 11 mo. 8, 1810, Joseph 
Dickson. 



DR. PHINEAS JENKS, eighth child 
of Thomas and Rebecca (Richardson) 
Jenks, was reared on the old homestead 
in Middletown. He chose the medical 
profession, and was a student of the cele- 
brated Dr. Benjamin Rush, and a gradu- 
ate of the University of Pennsylvania. 
He began the practice of medicine in 
Newtown, and continued to practice 
there until his death in 1851, becoming 
one of the eminent physicians of his day. 
He was the first president of the Bucks 
County Medical Association, and con- 
tinued at its head until his death. He took 
an active interest in the affairs of his 
county; state and neighborhood, and was 
one of the influential and prominent men, 
outside of his profession. He was a 
member of the state legislature for five 
years, 1815-19, and a member of the con- 
stitutional convention of 1837-38. He 
was one of the organizers of the St. 
Lukes Protestant Episcopal church at 
Newtown, of which he was rector's war- 
den for many years. He was a good 
extemporaneous speaker, and was al- 
ways counted on to lend his aid to any 
meritorious project in the neighborhood. 
He was twice married. His first wife 
was Eliza Murray, daughter of General 
Francis Murray of Newtown, wdiom he 
married 3 mo. 20, 1806. She died 3 rno. 
16, 1807, leaving one daughter, who died 
in' infancy. He married (second) on 3 
mo. 28, 1820. Amelia Snyder, daughter of 
Governor Simon Snyder. She was born 
June 21. 1791. and died August 6, 1859. 
They were the parents of seven chil- 
dren, three of whom, (Simon Snyder, 
Frederick A. and Henry L.) died in 
childhood, the latter being a twin broth- 
er of General A. Jenks. Esq. Those who 
survived were: Elizabeth M.. born July 
29. 1822, died March 29, 1887; married 
Rev. Joseph I. Elsegood, rector of Trin- 
ity Protestant Episcopal church of East 
New York, Long Island, who died in 
1884. William Wallace Jenks, born il 
mo. 2, 1825, a merchant in Philadelphia; 
he died 7 mo. 20. 1857. P. Frederick 
Jenks. born February 27. 1832, studied 
medicine and located at St. Louis, Mis- 
souri, soon after his graduation. At the 
outbreak of the civil war he enlisted in 
the First Missouri Light Artillery, and 
was in the battles of Fort Henry, Fort 
Donelson and Pittsburg Landing. He 



40 



HISTORY OF BUCKS COUNTY 



died at St. Louis, t mo. 9. 1863, from 
diarrhoea contracted in the service. 

George A. Jenks, Esq., the only surviv- 
ing child of Dr. Phineas and Amelia 
(Snyder) Jenks, was born at Newtown, 
October 9, 1829. He received his ele- 
mentary education at the Newtown 
Academy, and then entered the Univer- 
sity of Pennsylvania, from which he 
graduated July 4, 1850. He entered him- 
self as a student at law with James C. 
Van Dycke, Esq., of Philadelphia, then 
United States district attorney, and also 
entered the law department of the Uni- 
versity, where he took a full course, and 
on July 3, 1853, the degrees of Master 
of Arts and Bachelor of Laws were con- 
ferred upon him. 

On April 16, 1853. he was admitted to 
the bar of Philadelphia, and on October 
8, 1855, was admitted to practice in the 
circuit and district courts of Pennsyl- 
vania, having. been admitted to practice 
in the supreme court on January 13, 
1854. He practiced law in Philadelphia 
from 1853 to '1859, when he removed to 
Newtown, and was admitted to the bar 
of his native county, of which he is now 
the senior member. He is a careful stu- 
dent, and his thorough knowledge of the 
law and sound judgment have made him 
a safe counselor. In his long practice 
he has had many intricate cases to un- 
ravel, and in the vast number of dis- 
puted cases as to questions of law, re- 
ferred to him by the courts as auditor, 
he has seldom been reversed in either 
the lower or upper courts. He has filled 
the office of justice of the peace for 
forty-four years, and has served his bor- 
ough in the position of school director 
for nineteen y^ears ; and filled the ofiice of 
chief burgess for seven years. He has 
always been actively interested in all 
that pertains to the interest of the local- 
ity in which he lived, and has been con- 
nected with nearly all the meritorious 
local enterprises of his town. He is 
president and one of the directors and 
active supporters of the Newtown Li- 
brary, as was both his father and grand- 
father, George A. Jenks having served as 
a director for over forty years, and presi- 
dent for about thirty years. He is a 
member of the Bucks County Historical 
Society, and has always been actively 
interested in its work, and has furnished 
several historical papers for its archives. 
He is a member of Newtown Lodge, 
No. 427, F. and A. M., of which he was 
the first master, and Newtown Chapter, 
No. 229, R. A.-M., of which he was the 
first high priest, and served as district 
deputy grand master for the district for 
five years. He is a member of St. 
Luke's Protestant Episcopal church of 
Newtown, of which his father was one of 
the founders. He was married, June 15, 
i860, to Ella Davis, daughter of Jesse 
and Susan B. Davis, and they have been 
the parents of two children, Sylva P. 



and Elizabeth M., both of whom died in 
early childhood. In politics he has been 
a lifelong Republican, but has never 
sought or held other than local office. 

Joseph Jenks, third son of Thomas 
and Mercy (Wildman) Jenks, was boni 
and reared on the old homestead in 
Middletown. He married, 6 mo. 22, 

1763, Elizabeth Pearson, born in 1744, 
died 1768, daughter of William and Eliza- 
beth (Duer) Pearson, and granddaugh- 
ter of Enoch and Margaret (Smith) 
Pearson, of Buckingham, Enoch Pearson 
being a native of Cheshire, England, hav- 
ing come to Bucks county with his par- 
ents, Edward and Sarah (Burgie) Pear- 
son, in 1687. Joseph and Elizabeth 
(Pearson) Jenks were the parents of 
three children: Margaret, born 6 mo. 6, 

1764, died 1841; married li mo. 12, 1783, 
Samuel Gillingham. William, born 8 
mo. 12, 1766, died 12 'mo. 5, 1818; mar- 
ried 10 mo. 28, 1790, Mary Hutchinson. 
Elizabeth, born 10 mo. 21, 1768, died 1828, 
married, in 1787, Isaiah Shinn, of New Jer- 
sey, who was a general in the war of 
1812. Joseph Jenks married a second 
time, 4 mo. 25, 1770, to Mary Ingham, 
who lived but a few years after tlTe mar- 
riage, and he married a third time, on 
5 mo. 30, 1776, Hannah Davids; neither 
of the last two wives left issue. 

William, only son of Joseph and Eliza- 
beth (Pearson) Jenks, was a lifelong 
.resident of Bucks county, following the 
vocation of a farmer and miller on the 
homestead. He died at the early age of 
forty-two years, leaving a widow and 
ten children, six of whom were minors 
at the time of his death. His wife Mary 
was a daughter of Michael and Margery 
(Palmer) Hutchinson, of Lower Make- 
field township, a descendant of two old 
and prominent families of Makefield. 
The children of William and Mary 
(Hutchinson) Jenks, were: 

1. Joseph, born 9 mo. 12, 1792, died il 
mo. 19, 1869, married 5 mo. 29, 1827, 
his second cousin, Eliza Jenks, daughter 
of Joseph R. and Sarah (Watson) Jenks. 

2. Rebecca H., born I mo. 30, 1794, 
died 4 mo. 21, I797- 

3. Michael Hutchinson Jenks, born S 
mo. 21, 179s, died 10 mo. 16, 1867. He 
was a surveyor and conveyancer, as well 
as a justice of the peace, for very many 
years, and did an immense amount of 
local business, and was a very fine pen- 
man and draughtsman. He was county 
commissioner for the term of 1830-2, 
county treasurer in 1834, ^n associate 
judge of the county, and represented his 
district in the twenty-eighth congress, as 
well as filling a great number of other 
positions of trust. He was four times 
married; first, in 1821, to Mary Ridg- 
way Earl, who was the mother of his 
nine children. His third daughter, .^.nna 
Earl, became the wife of Alexander 
Ramsey, first governor of Minnesota, 
and United States senator from that 



r 




^ 



HISTORY OF BUCKS COUNTY. 



41 



rstate. His other wives were Mary Can- 
by, Ann Higgins and Sarah Leeclom. 

4. Eliza Pearson Jenks, born 2 mo. 14, 
1797, died 12 mo. 13, 1884; married 10 
mo. 13, 1825, George Yardley. 
• 5. Charles, born 12 mo. 31, 1798, died 
8 mo. 5, 1823; married 4 mo. 16, 1823, 
Mary Ann Newbold. 

6. Margery, born 8 mo. 5, 1800, died 
I mo. 31, 1802. 

y1 Hannah, born 6 mo. 17, 1802, died 9 
Ano. 17, 1822, unmarried. 

8. Mary Palmer Jenks, born i mo. 25, 
1804, died 2 mo. 15. 1875; married 12 mo. 
27, 1827, Edmund Morris. 

9. Margaret, born 9 mo. 24, 1806, died 
12 mo. 20. 1825, unmarried. 

ID. William Pearson, born 12 mo. 17, 
1807, die*d 9 mo. 17, 1886, married 5 mo. 
t6, 1837, Elizabeth Story; see forward. 

11. Ann, born 2 mo. 26, 1810, died 4 
mo. 15, 1870, married 10 mo. 12, 1831, 
Charles M. Morris. 

12. Susan W., born 6 mo. 3. 1812, died 
7 mo. 25. 1857; married 7 mo. 4, 1838, 
Franklin Fell. 



WILLIAM PEARSON JENKS, the 
tenth child of William and Mary (Hutch- 
inson) Jenks, was born and reared in the 
old homestead at Bridgetown, in Middle- 
town township. After finishing school he 
went to Paterson, New Jersey, where 
he learned the trade of a machinist. In 
1828 he became interested in the manu- 
facture of cotton yarns at New Hope, 
where he remained until 1832. In 1833 
he went to Madison, Indiana, in the in- 
terest of the firm in Paterson with whom 
he had learned his trade, and remained 
there two years, establishing a factory 
-for the manufacture of cotton goods. In 
1835 he accepted the position of man- 
ager of the Union Factories near Elli- 
cott's Mills, Maryland, then the largest 
plant for the manufacture of cotton 
goods south of New England. He re- 
mained there until the autumn of 1846, 
when he was obliged to resign his posi- 
tion on account of failing health, and 
took a trip to Brazil to recruit. He re- 
turned in the summer of 1847 and joined 
Tiis wife and three children in Phila- 
delphia. Having regained his health, he 
was desirous of again engaging in busi- 
ness, and in the fall of that year joined 
Evan Randolph and formed the firm of 
Randolph & Jenks, cotton merchants, 
and did an extensive and prosperous bus- 
iness. He retired from active participa- 
tion at the close of the year i860. The 
firm continued, however, under the same 
name, the present members being his 
two sons. John Story Jenks and William 
H. Jenks, Evan Randolph, his partner, 
who married his only daughter, Rachel 
Story Jenks, in 1864, having died 12 mo. 
3, 1887. William Pearson Jenks died 9 
mo. 17, 1886, aged nearly seventy-nine 
years. He was a man of marked ability 



as a merchant, and his life was full of 
active and intelligent energy. He pros- 
pered in his business and business enter- 
prises, and took an interest in many of 
the financial institutions in Philadelphia. 
His wife, Elizabeth Story, born 3 mo. 6, 
1807, was a daughter of David and 
Rachel (Richardson) Story, of New- 
town, and a great-granddaughter of 
Thomas Story, a native of Northumber- 
land, England, who came to Pennsyl- 
vania with William Penn on his second 
visit, in the ship "Centerbury," arriving 
at Chester 10 mo. i, 1699. He settled in 
Bucks county, and in i mo., 1718, mar- 
ried Elizabeth (Wilson) Buckman, widow 
of William Buckman, of Newtown, who 
bore him one son, John Story. Thomas 
Story died 9 mo. 10, 1753, at the age of 
eighty-two years. His son, John Story, 
was born 11 mo. 26, 1718-19. He married 
5 mo., 1747, Elizabeth Cutler, daughter of 
Thomas and Eleanor (Lane) Cutler, and 
lived all his life in the neighborhood of • 
Newtown. He died 11 mo. 10, 1804, at 
the age of eighty-six, and is buried at 
Wrightstown. His son, David Story, 
was born 4 mo. 20, 1760, and died 2 mo. 
23, 1833. He married 4 mo. 19, 1792. 
Rachel ^Richardson, daughter of William 
and Elizabeth (Jenks) Richardson. They 
had six children: i. Rebecca, born i mo. 

15, 1793. died 9 mo. 22, 1870; married 5 
mo. 20, 1824, Dr. Ralph Lee, of Newtown. 
2. Hannah, born 3 mo. 23, 1794, died 4 
mo. 13, 1876: married 5 mo. 16, 1837, John 
C. Parry, of New Hope. 3. John, born i 
mo. 15, 1796, died 10 mo. 22, 1844:. mar- 
ried 4 mo. 28, 1831, Esther A. Allibone. 4. 
William Story, born 9 mo. 10, 1797, died 
9 mo. 16, 1822. unmarried. 5. Mary, born 
3 mo. 23, 1800, died 5 mo. 22, 1846, un- 
married. 6. Elizabeth, born 3 mo. 6. 
1807, died I mo. 11, 1878, married 5 mo. 

16, "1837, William Pearson Jenks. 

John Story Jenks was born near Elli- 
cott City, Maryland,' 10 mo. 29, 1839, and 
came with his parents to Philadelphia 
in 1846. He married, 10 mo. 27, 1864, 
Sidney Howell Brown, and has three 
daughters, all of whom are married and 
reside in Philadelphia. 

William H. Jenks was born in Mary- 
land, II mo. II, 1842, and married in 
Philadelphia, 9 mo. 9, 1869, Hannah Mif- 
flin Hacker He has two sons, William 
Pearson Jenks and John Story Jenks, 
both of whom are business men of New 
York City, and two daughters who are 
married and reside in Philadelphia. 

John Story Jenks and William H. 
Jenks, as before stated, succeeded their 
father, William Pearson Jenks, in the 
firm of Randolph & Jenks, and now com- 
prise that firm. They have been pros- 
perous merchants, and are interested in 
many of the financial, beneficial, social 
and political institutions of the city. 
They are worthy descendants of their 
Bucks county ancestors, for whom they 
entertain the most profound love and re- 



42 



HISTORY OF BUCKS COUNTY. 



spect. They are both members of the Bucks 
County Historical Society, and take a lively 
interest and pride in the county where 
their first ancestors on all branches were 
early settlers, and where all their later 
ancestors were born and reared. 



B. FRANK HART, of 2010 Wallace 
street, Philadelphia, retired manufacturer 
and business man. was born in Warminster, 
Bucks county, Pennsylvania, March 22, 
1825, and removed to Philadelphia when a 
young man and engaged in manufacturing 
interests there, where he has since resided. 
He has, however, always kept in touch 
with the county of his birth, and takes spe- 
cial pride in his distinguished Bucks county 
ancestry. On the paternal side all his direct 
ancestors from his father, John Hart, to 
his great-great-great-grandfather, John 
Hart, were prominent officials of the countv 
and members of the law making body of 
the province and state, from Bucks county, 
making five successive generations to serve 
in tliat capacity. 

John Hart, the ancestor of the Warmins- 
ter (Bucks county) family of the name, 
was a son of Christopher and Mary Hart, 
of Witney, Oxfordshire, England, where he 
was born November 16, 1651. A brother, 
Robert, remained in England, a younger 
brother Joseph migrated to Jamaica, and 
the only sister Mary, born April i, 1658, 
accompanied her brother to Pennsylvania 
in 1682. The family were members of the 
Society of Friends, and John brought a 
certificate from Friends at Witney. He 
had purchased of William Penn, July 16, 
1681, 1,000 acres of land to be laid out in 
Pennsylvania. Of this 480 acres were lo- 
cated on the Poquessing, in Byberry, Phila- 
delphia county, and the balance in War- 
minster township, Bucks county. The for- 
mer was surveyed by virtue of warrant 
dated September i, 1681, and on this John 
Hart located on arriving in Pennsylvania, 
and erected a house on the banks of the 
Poquessing. The Warmin,ster tract was 
surveyey 7 mo. 25, 1684, and lay along the 
north side of the street road near Johns- 
ville. It became the residence of John Hart 
in 1697 and remained the home of his des- 
cendants for several generations. John 
Hart was early identified with public af- 
fairs. He was a member of the first as- 
sembly of the province, from Philadelphia 
county, and his name is attached to the first 
charter of government, granted by Penn to 
his colonists, dated at Philadelphia, Feb- 
ruary 2, 1683. He was a minister among 
Friends, and the earlj' meetings of the So- 
ciety were held at his house from 1683 to 
1686, when the meeting house was erected 
"near Takony." He was clerk of the meet- 
ing for many years. In i6gi he joined 
George Keith in his famous schism against 
Friends, and was one of his ablest advo- 
cates, and, when Keith's radical doctrines 
had carried him and his followers out of 
the Society, he united with the Baptists in 



1697, and became their preacher at the 
meeting house originally erected by the 
Friends. He later became assistant preach- 
er at Penncpack Baptist church, but was 
never ordained. He removed to Warmins- 
ter in 1697. selling his land in Byberry, ex- 
cept one acre which was reserved as a 
burying ground. He died in Warminster, 
September, 1714. in his sixty-third year. He 
had married in the fall of 1683, Susannah 
Rush, daughter of William and Aurelia 
Rush, who had come to Pennsylvania in 
1682 and settled in Byberry, and a grand- ■ 
daughter of John Rush, who commanded 
a troop of horse in Cromwell's army. Sus- 
annah, after the death of her husband, re- 
turned to Byberry and died there February 
27, 1725. John and Susanna (Rush) Hart 
were the parents of five children ; John, the 
ancestor of all of the name who remained 
in Bucks county ; Joseph who married 
Sarah Stout, April i, 1713, and died in 
1714, without issue; Thomas, who inherited 
a portion of the land and conveyed it to his 
cousin, James Rush, in 1731, and left the 
county ; Josiah, who removed to New Jer- 
sey, and ]\Iary, who died unmarried. 

John Hart, eldest son of John and Sus- 
annah (Rush) Hart, wa^ born in Byberry; 
July 16, 1684. He does not appear to have 
occupied so important a place as his father 
in public affairs, though he held many posts 
of honor and responsibility. He was sheriff 
of Bucks county, 1737-8-9. and 1743-4-5, 
and 1749; coroner of Bucks county, 1741 
and 1748; was commissioned justice June g, 
1752, and was succeeded by his son Joseph 
in 1761. When he was sworn in 1757, the 
record states he was "old. and impaired by 
apoplexy." He followed his father in mat- 
ters of religion and united with the Bap- 
tists and was baptized at Pennepack 
November 15, 1706, by the Rev. Evan Mor- 
gan, and was thereafter closely associated 
with the sect. He was one of the organ- 
izers of Southampton Baptist church in 
1746, and served as clerk, deacon &nd 
trustee, until his death ]\Iarch 22, 1763. 
He inherited from his father a large por- 
tion of the Warminster homestead and 
erected the family mansion there in 1750. 
He married November 25. 1708. Eleanor 
Crispin, daughter of Silas and Esther 
(Holme) Crispin, and grand-daughter of 
Thomas Holme, Penn's surveyor general, 
and oi Captain William Crispin, one of 
Penn's commissioners for settling the col- 
ony of Pennsylvania. Though the latter 
never reached Pennsylvania, he was so 
closely identified with Penn and his family 
as to be of interest to Pennsylvanians. 
He was born in England in 1610, and was 
commander of the ship "Hope" in the ser- 
vice of the Commonwealth, under Crom- 
well, in 1652. In May. 1653. he was sent 
with the expedition against the Dutch, as 
captain of the "Assistance." under Rear 
Admiral William Penn. the father of the 
founder, and remained the remainder of 
that year cruising on tlie Dutch coast and 
preying uiion their commerce. In 1654 'i^ 




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HISTORY OF BUCKS COUNTY. 



43 



was captain of the "Laurel," in the British 
squadron, sent against the Spanish pos- 
sessions in America, arriving at Bar- 
badoes, January 29, 1654-5. He partici- 
pated in the capture of jamica, May 17, 
1655, was named as one of the commis- 
sioners for supplying Jamica, and remained 
there when Penn returned to England, but 
following him soon after, and with him 
retired to Kinsale, Ireland, where he lived 
for about twenty years. On Penn re- 
ceiving the grant of Pennsylvania he 
named Captain Crispin as one of the three 
"Commissioners for the Settleing of the 
present Colony this year transported into 
ye Province," as stated in his letter of in- 
structions, dated September 30, 1681. Cap- 
tain Crispin, with his fellow commissioners 
John Bezar and Nathaniel Allen, sailed 
for Pennsylvania, but in different ships, 
Crispin sailing in the "Amity," which was 
blown off after nearly reaching the Dela- 
ware capes and put into Barbadoes for 
repairs. Crispin died there, and the 
"Amity" returned to England, and, return- 
ing to Pennsylvania in April, 1682, brought 
over Thomas Holme, Penn's surveyor gen- 
eral, who also succeeded Crispin as com- 
rnissioner. Captain William Crispin mar- 
ried Anne Jasper, daughter of John Jasper, 
a merchant of Rotterdam, and a sister to 
Margaret, wife of Admiral Sir William 
Penn, and mother of the great founder. 
William and Anne Crispin were the parents' 
of four children: Silas, above referred to, 
who came to Pennsylvania^ with Thomas 
Holme, and later married his daughter 
Esther; Rebecca, who married. August 24, 
1688, Edward Blackfan, son of John Black- 
fan, of Stenning, county of Sussex, Eng- 
land ; Ralph, who remained in Ireland 
and Rachel who married Thomas Arm- 
strong and also remained in Europe. 
Edward Blackfan prepared to come to 
Pennsylvania, where William Penn had 
directed land to be laid out to him, but 
died before sailing, in 1690. His widow 
Rebecca and their only son William came 
to Pennsylvania and located in Bucks 
county at Pennsbury, where she lived for 
a number of years. She married, in 1725, 
Nehemiah Allen, son of Nathaniel, the com- 
missioner. William, the son, married Elea- 
nor Wood, of Philadelphia, and located in 
Solebury, Bucks county. They are the 
ancestors of the now numerous family of 
Blackfan. Captain Crispin married a second 
time, and had eleven children, most of 
whom located in the West Indies. 

Silas Crispin, only son of the Captain 
by his first marriage, in 1684 located in 
Upper Dublin township, Philadelphia 
county, where he lived the rest of his life, 
dying May 31, 171 1. He married a second 
time. Mary, daughter of Richard and Abi- 
gail Stockton, and widow of Thomas Shinn, 
who after his death married a third time, 
September 11, 1714. Richard Ridgway, Jr.. 
son of Richard Ridgway, who was one of 
the earliest English settlers on the Delaware 
in Bucks county. Silas and Esther (Holme) 



Crispin were the parents of eight children^ 
six of whom lived to maturity: Sarah, 
married Lesson Loftus, of Philadelphia; 
Rebecca, married Joseph Finney ; Marie^ 
married John Collett ; Eleanor, married 
John Hart; Esther, married Thomas Rush; 
Thomas, married Jane Ashton, and lived 
on his father's plantation in Lower Dublin ; 
and William and Susanna who died young. 
By the second marriage Silas Crispin had 
six children ; Joseph, who removed to Dela- 
ware ; Benjamin, of Chester county; Abi- 
gail, married John Wright, of Chester 
county ; Silas ; Mary, married Thomas 
Earl, of New Jersey; and John. 

John and Eleanor (Crispin) Hart were 
the parents of ten children, viz :- 

T. John, born September 10, 1709, went 
to Virginia, where he was killed June ir, 
1743 by the accidental discharge of a gun. 

2. Susanna, born April 20, 171 1, mar- 
ried March 31, 1731. John Price, and died 
two years later, leaving an only child^ 
Joseph Price. 

3. William, born JMarch 7, 1713, died 
October 7, 1714. 

4. Joseph, born September r, 1715. died 
February 25, 1788; see forward. 

5. Silas, born May 5, 1718, removed in 
early life to Augusta county, Virginia. • At 
the organization of Rockingham county ht 
became a resident of that county, filling 
the position of judge, sheriff, etc. He 
died without issue October 29, 1795. 

6. Lucretia, born July 22. 1720, died 
December 15, 1760; was twice married, 
first, October 15, 1741, to William Gilbert, 
who died about 1750, and on March 5, 1752, 
to John Thomas ; had three sons by first 
marriage, and a son and two daughters by 
the last. 

7. Oliver Hart, born July 5, 1723, was 
for thirty years pastor of a Baptist 
church at Charleston, South Carolina, 
1749-80, and fifteen years at Hopewell, 
New Jersey; died December 31, 1795. 

8. Edith, born 1727, married Isaac 
Hough ; — see Hough Family. 

9. Seth, died at age of nine years. 

10. Olive, died in infancy. 

Colonel Joseph Hart, fourth child and 
eldest living son of John and Eleanor 
(Crispin) Hart at the death of his father, 
was born in the old family mansion in 
Warminster. September i. 1715, and died 
there February 25. 1788. He was an active 
member of the Baptist church of South- 
ampton, and a deacon from its organiza- 
tion in 1746. and succeeded his father as 
clerk and trustee in 1763. He entered into 
public life at an early age; was sheriff of 
Bucks county 1749-51 : justice of the county 
courts 1764 to the time of his death. He 
was ensign of Captain Henry Kroesen's 
company of Bucks County Associators in 
1747, and captain in 1756 of a Bucks county 
company. His most valuable services were 
however rendered during the Revolutionary 
contest, during which period to write of 
him is to write the history of the struggle 
in Bucks county, where he was in the fore- 



44 



HISTORY OF BUCKS COUNTY 



front from the "protest" at Newtown. July 
9, 1774, when lie was appointed one of the 
committee from Bucks to meet the "Com- 
mittee from the respective counties of Penn- 
sylvania" at Philadelphia, July 15, 1774. 
until independence was established, almost 
always representing his county in the var- 
ious conferences and conventions, serving 
as chairman of the committee of safety, 
county lieutenant, etc. He was commis- 
sioned colonel of the first battalion raised 
by the committee of safety, and took it 
through the Jersey campaign of 1776. He 
was vice-president of the convention that 
met in Carpenter's Hall. June 18, 1776, and 
was twice chairman of the committee of 
the whole in that famous convention. In 
1777 he was elected to the supreme exe- 
cutive council, and served until October, 
1779, when he became lieutenant of Bucks 
county. He was register of wills and re- 
corder of deeds of Bucks county, 1777 to his 
death in 1788, being the first person com- 
missioned for these offices by the surpreme 
•executive council. He was elected in 1782 
to represent Bucks county on the "board 
of censors," and on June 7, 1784, was 
commissioned by council as judge of the 
courts of common pleas and quarter ses- 
■sions. The records fully verify the truth of 
the lines inscribed on the tomb erected to 
the memory of him and his wife at South- 
ampton; "His long and useful life was 
almost wholly devoted to the public ser- 
vice of his country; while the lives of both 
■were eminent for piety and virtue." 

He married October 8. 1740, his cousin 
Elizabeth Collett, daughter of John and 
Marie (Crispin) Collett. and granddaughter 
of Richard and Elizabeth (Rush) Collett. 
She was born in Byberry, May 14, 1714, 
and died February ig, 1788, six days be- 
fore her husband's death. They were the 
parents of six children, all sons, William, 
John, Silas, Josiah. Joseph, and another 
Joseph, the first having died in infancy. 
William, the eldest died in 1760, at the 
age of nineteen, unmarried. 

John the second son of Colonel Joseph 
and Elizabeth Hart, born November 29, 
1743, was treasurer of Bucks county during 
the revolution, and was filling that position 
when the treasury at Newtown was robbed 
by the Doans and their gang of outlaws, 
October 22, 1784. He died at Newtown 
June 5, 1786. He married, September 13, 
1767, Rebecca Rees, daughter of David and 
Margaret Rees, of Hatboro, and they were 
the parents of five sons and two daughters, 
of whon three died in youth. His son 
William was a physician in Philadelphia; 
John was a merchant at Jacksonville for 
many years, married Rachel Dungan and 
left numerous descendants; Elizabeth mar- 
ried Dr. Silas Hough, see Hough family ; 
Joseph died unmarried. 

Silas, the third .son of Joseph and Eliza- 
beth (Collett) Hart, born October 4, 1747, 
was a farmer and lived and died in War- 
minster; married Mary Daniel, and had 
ten children : 



Joseph, the sixth son of Colonel Joseph 
Hart, born July 17, 1749, is treated of in 
the sketch of General W. W. H. Davis, 
whose grandfather he was. 

Joseps, the sixth son of Colonel Joseph 
and Elizabeth Hart, and the ancestor of B. 
F. Hart, was born in Warminster, December 
7, 1758. He was a man of liberal education 
and extensive information on public affairs, 
in which he took a deep interest, and always 
enjoyed the confidence of his fellow-citi- 
zens. During the famous Whiskey Insur- 
rection he was paymaster of Colonel Han- 
na's brigade, and accompanied the army 
in its march to western Pennsylvania. He 
was a member of the state senate 1804- 
1809, and as such in 1805 was chairman of 
the committee which reported favorably the 
bill for building an alms-house in Bucks 
county, and in 1808 introduced the first 
resolution in the senate for the removal 
of the county seat from Newtown to a 
more central part of Bucks county, and 
which resulted in the location at the pres- 
ent site, Doylestown, two years later. He 
enjoyed a wide acquaintance with the dis- 
tinguished men of his time in the state, as 
is evident by his correspondence. He mar- 
ried, December 25, 1783. Ann Folwell, of 
Warminster, whose family was one of the 
most respectable and influential in the 
county, and they were the parents of seven 
children, viz : Thomas, John, Charles, 
Lewis Folwell, Thomas, Eliza Ann, and 
Clarissa Maria. The first Thomas and 
Charles died in childhood. At the death 
of the father, on April 15, 181 1, the home- 
stead buildings and part of the home farm 
became the property of Thomas, the fifth 
son, who died in 1838, the balance being 
divided between John and Lewis F., who 
erected buildings thereon. The mother, 
Ann, died March 11, 1843. Eliza Ann, the 
eldest daughter, born December 8, 1797, 
married December 2, 1817, David Marple; 
and Clarissa Maria, the other daughter, 
married Joseph Carver. 

John Hart, the eldest son of Joseph and 
Ann (Folwell) Hart, born in Warminster, 
April 9, 1787, was a man of prominence 
in the county, and for many years had a 
considerable political influence. When the 
British threatened Philadelphia in 1814 he 
and his brothers, Thomas and Lewis, en- 
listed in Captain William Purdy's com- 
pany in Colonel Humphrey's regiment, and 
served in the fleld until December, when 
the danger having passed, they were mus- 
tered out of service. After the return of 
peace he took an active interest in the 
military of the county, serving at one time 
as colonel of militia. He served one ses- 
sion in the state legislature. 1832, and filled 
a number of local offices. He was a warm 
patron of Hatboro Library, founded in 
1755 by his grandfather and others. He 
married, IMarch 10. tSio, Mary Horner, 
daughter of John and Mary Horner, of 
Warminster, who was born May 3, 1790, 
and they were the parents of eight children 
as follows 




-.'blisTiing . C 



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"^ 



HISTORY OF BUCKS COUNTY. 



45 



Joseph, the oldest son of John and Mary 
(Horner) Hart, born January 21, 1811, 
receiving a liberal education and grad- 
uated at Jefferson College, Cannonsburg, 
Pennsylvania. He followed the profes- 
sion of teaching for many years, and was 
deeply interested in public affairs up to 
the time of his death in 1898. He married 
Jane, daughter of William and Ellen 
Vansant, and had four children, — George 
W., Charles H., Mary E., and Ella S. 
George W. followed the vocation of a 
farmer, married Jennie Valentine, had one 
child, Charles Vincent, who received a 
public school education, then graduated 
from West Chester Normal school, re- 
ceiving a scholarship to Dartmouth, grad- 
uated from that institution and afterward 
from Jefferson University, Philadelphia, 
Pennsylvania, and is now practicing in 
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Charles H. was 
also a teacher, and at the time of his 
death, in 1881, was principal of a school 
in the Twenty-third Ward, Philadelphia. 
He was also connected with several news- 
papers, and enjoyed the reputation of being 
a deep thinker. Mary E. died in infancy. 
Ella S. taught school in Horsham. Mont- 
gomery county, for a few years, then re- 
turned home to attend her father in his de- 
clining years. She now lives in Hatboro, 
Pennsylvania. 

William H., second son of John and 
Mary (Horner) Hart, was born April 23, 
1813. In 1845 he married Rachel Ayers, of 
Moreland, Tvlontgomery county. They had 
three children, all of whom died in 
infancy. 

James, the third son of John and Mary 
(Horner) Hart, born December 15, 1820, 
married Rachel, daughter of Isaac and 
Emilie Hobensack. With his family he 
moved to jNIaryland and located near IBalti- 
more, where as a farmer he continued to 
reside until the beginning of the civil war. 
Owing to the hostile feeling entertained 
toward northerners he was obliged to 
sacrifice his property and return with his 
family to Bucks county. He then enlisted 
in the First New Jersey Cavalry Regiment, 
in the company commanded by his cousin, 
Captain John H. Shelmire. In recognition 
of his bravery and courage he was 
promoted to major of the regiment, and at 
the same time held the commission as 
major in the United States army. He was 
repeatedly wounded, and finally killed, after 
the evacuation of Richmond, at the battle 
of Five Forks, Virginia, April i, 1865. 
His remains were brought home and in- 
terred in the Southampton Baptist burial 
ground, along with his kindred. He left 
a widow and six children, all of whom 
are living. 

George, the fourth son of John and J^Iary 
(Horner) Hart, born April 18, 1823, re- 
ceived a good thorough home education, 
and afterwards graduated at YalQ. In 1849 
he went to California, returned to Phila- 
delphia, became a partner in the mercantile 
house of Shunway, Hart & Co., married 



Louisa Webb, and had four children, one 
of whom is still living. 

B. Frank, the fifth son of John and 
Mary (Horjaer) Hart, and the subject of 
our sketch, born March 22, 1825, like- 
wise received a liberal education and 
taught different schools in his native county 
and also in Philadelphia. He then located 
in Philadelphia, and was for many years 
associated with John P. Veree's rolling 
mill in Kensington, then became exe- 
cutive officer and general manager of one 
of the city passengers railways. After 
many years of close attention to business 
he retired from active life, and now resides 
with his family at 2010 Wallace street, 
Philadelphia. He is a member of the 
Bucks County Historical Society, and takes 
a lively interest in the affairs of the county 
with whose history his distinguished an- 
cestors were so closely identified. April 
9, 1867, he married Anna H., daughter of 
Thomas Barnett, Philadelphia, and had 
five children. John Davis, born March 25, 
1868, died in infancy; Sarah, born May 23, 
1869; Mabel, born November 10, 1870, 
died March 14, 1873; Walter, born October 
5, 1874; and Lydia, born September 11, 
1876. Sara, daughter of B. Frank and 
Anna (Barnett) Hart, married Rev. Madi- 
son C. Peters, the distinguished preacher, 
author and lecturer of Philadelphia, and 
has three children, Dorothy, Anna and 
Frank H. Walter Horner, son of B. 
Frank and Anna (Barnett) Hart, gradu- 
ated from Colonel Hyatt's [Military School 
and is now one of Philadelphia's rising 
business men. Lydia, daughter of B. Frank 
and Anna (Barnett) Hart, remains at 
home with her parents. 

Thompson Darrah, sixth son of John 
and Jilary (Horner) Hart, born August 
14. 1827, went to Philadelphia, where he 
engaged in business. He married Susan 
Snedecar, and had one child. At the be- 
ginning of the civil war he enlisted as 
first lieutenant in his cousin's (Colonel 
Alfred Marple's) company in Colonel W. 
W. H. Davis's 104th Regiment, Pennsyl- 
vania Volunteers, and was later commis- 
sioned as lieutenant-colonel and commanded 
a brigade at the siege of Charleston, South 
Carolina. 

Ann Eliza, daughter of John and Mary 
(Horner) Hart, born January 17, 1817, 
died June, 1900. 

Mary Darrah, daughter of John and 
]\Iary (Horner) Hart, born July 18, 1818, 
died. 

GENERAL WILLIAM WATTS 

HART DAVIS, a veteran of two wars, 
author, journalist and historian, was born 
at Davisville, Southampton township, Bucks 
county, Pennsylvania, July 27, 1820, and 
comes of English, Welsh and Scotch-Irish 
ancestry, representing the commingling of 
the blood of these different nationalities to 
which we are indebted for many of the 
finest types of American citizenship. 

On the paternal side, his great-grand- 



46 



HISTORY OF BUCKS COUNTY 



father, William Davis, was an early settler 
in Solebury or Upper Makefield township, 
Bucks county, and while tradition makes 
Tiim of Welsh descent, his environment and 
associations indicate very strongly to the 
the writer of these lines that he was either 
a native of the north of Ireland, or a son 
of an Ulster Scot, who had made his way to 
Pennsylvania with the great army of Scotch 
Covenanters from the province of Ulster in 
the first quarter of the eighteenth century. 
He married, about 1756, Sarah Burleigh (or 
Burley) daughter of John Burley, of Upper 
Makefield, an Ulster Scot, who had settled 
in Upper Makefield about 1735 with the 
Torberts, IMcNairs and others with whom 
his family later intermarried. Little is 
known of the life of William Davis other 
than that he was a farmer in Solebury and 
Upper Makefield, and died in the latter 
part of the century. William and Sarah 
(Burley) Davis were the parents of seven 
children, viz : Jemima, born December 25, 
1758, married John Pitner, and removed 
with him first to Maryland and later to 
New Castle. Delaware ; John, the grand- 
father of General Davis, born September 6, 
1760; Sarah, born October i, 1763, married 
Lott Search, of Southampton, Bucks 
county; William, born September 9, 1766, 
became a sea captain and died at sea ; 
Joshua, born July 6, 1769, removed to 
Maryland about 1800; Marv, born October 
3, 1771, and Joseph, born March i, 1774, of 
whom we have no further record. 

John Davis, second son of William and 
Sarah (Burley) Davis, the grandfather of 
the subject of this sketch, was born and 
reared in Solebury, and at the age of six- 
teen years became a member of William 
Hart's company in the Bucks county bat- 
talion of the Flying Camp, under Colonel 
Joseph Hart, and participated with it in the 
New Jersey and Long Island campaign of 
1776. Returning with the battalion to 
Bucks county he participated with General 
Washington in the Christmas night attack 
on Trenton. In 1777 he enlisted in Caotain 
Thomas Butler's company in the Third 
Pennsylvania Regiment, later becoming a 
part of the Second Pennsylvania Regi- 
ment ; then transferred to Captain Joseph 
McClelland's company, was at the storming 
of Stony Point, and wounded in the foot at 
Fort Lee on the Hudson. 1780. He was in 
the Ninth, under IMcClelland. at the time of 
revolt in New Jersey, proceeded from there 
to York in January. 1781, and from there 
the company was ordered south under 
Lafayette and participated in the battle of 
Yorktown.- after which Davis was dis- 
charged on account of his disabled foot 
and returned to Bucks county. In 1782 he 
was commissioned ensign of Captain 
Neclev's company. Colonel John Keller's 
battalion, Bucks county militia, and was one 
of the members of that battalion to enter 
into active service for seven months. At 
the close of his military service John Davis 
married. June ■ 26. T783. Ann Simp'^on. 
daughter of William and Ann (Ilines) 



Simpson, of Buckingham, and rented the 
Ellicott farm in Solebury, where he lived 
until 1795, when he removed with his fam- 
ily to Ellicott's Mills, Maryland, where 
they resided until 1816, when he removed 
to Franklin county, Ohio, where he died 
January 25, 1832, at the age of seventy-two 
years. His wife, Ann, survived him, dying 
June 6, 185 T, in her eighty-seventh year. 
Her father, William Simpson, was born in 
Ireland in 17,32. and is said to have come 
to Pennsylvania about 1740 with his 
widowed mother and a- brother John, who 
was the great-grandfather of General U. S. 
Grant. William Simpson married Ann 
Hines, daughter of Mathew Hines, of New 
Britain, and lived for a time in that town- 
ship, removing later to Buckingham, where 
he died in 1816. The children of John and 
Ann (Simpson) Davis were: Sarah, born 
in Solebury, October 12, 1784; William 
born August 22, 1786; John, born August 7, 
1788; Ann, born November 6, 1790; 
Samuel, born 1792, died in infancy; Joshua, 
born in Maryland, June 27, 17^\ Samuel 
S., born September, 1798 ; Joseph, born 
January 27, 1803, and Elizabeth, born 
November 18, 1805. Most of these children 
removed with their parents to the banks of 
the Scioto, where they became useful and 
active members of the community and en- 
gaged in different • branches of business 
and professions. 

John Davis, the second son of John and 
Ann. born in Solebury. August 7. 1788. was 
the father of the subject of this sketch. He 
removed with his parents to Rock Creek, on 
the banks of the Potapsico, Maryland, at 
the age of seven years, and was reared' to 
the life of a farmer. At the age of sixteen 
years he began to drive his father's Cone- 
stoga wagon with produce to Baltimore, 
and before he was seventeen was sent with 
his father's team to remove the goods of a 
neighbor to Pittsburg, crossing the Alle- 
ghenies and passing through what was then 
a wilderness with scattering settlers ; tUe 
trip occupying about sixty days. In 1808, 
at the age of twenty, he bought his time 
of his father and began farming for him- 
self. His opportunities for an education 
being limited, he supplemented what schol- 
astic knovvledge he had gained in his boy- 
hood bv the reading of books and period- 
icals of the day in the midst of a life of 
business activity. He had a thirst for 
knowledge, and. possessing a retentive 
memory, became exceptionally well in- 
formed on history and the issues of Amer- 
ican politics of the day. On one of his 
visits to his uncle. Lott Search, in South- 
ampton township, he made the acnuain- 
tance of his future wife, Amy Hart, daugh- 
ter of Josiah and Ann (Watts) Hart, who 
was living with her widowed mother on the 
old Watts homestead in Southampton, and 
from that time until March 13. 1813. the 
date of his marriage, was a frequent vis- 
itor at his uncle's house. ' 

.^my Hart was born June 30. T784. and 
came of distinguished ancestry, her father. 



HISTORY OF BUCKS COUNTY. 



47 



Josiah Hart, being the fourth son of 
Colonel Joseph* and Elizabeth (Collet) 
Hart, born July 17, 1749, and died October 
25, 1800. He was captain of one of the 
Bucks county companies of militia during 
the Revolutionary war, under his father, 
who was commissioned colonel of the first 
battalion organized in Bucks county, in 
1776, for the Jersey campaign. Colonel 
Hart was one of the most prominent men 
of his day in Bucks county, serving as 
sheriff, 1747-1751 ; justice of the courts of 
Bucks county, 1764, to the time of his death 
in 1788, ensign of militia, 1747. In the 
Revolutionary struggle he was one of the 
leading spirits from the time he was ap- 
pointed on the committee of Bucks county, 
July 9, 1774, to attend "a meeting of the 
several committees of the respective coun- 
ties of Pennsylvania, to be held in Phila- 
delphia the 15th of July, instant," until 
independence was achieved. He was born 
September i, 1715, and died February 25, 
1788, and was a son of John and Eleanor 
(Crispin) Hart, grandson of John Hart, 
who came from Witney, Oxfordshire, in 
1682, and married Susanna Rush, of 
Byberry. On the maternal side Mrs. Davis 
was a granddaughter of Stephen, and great- 
granddaughter of Rev. John Watts, born 
at Leeds, England, 1661 ; came to Lower 
Dublin, Philadelphia county, 1686, and 
married Sarah Eaton. He become pastor 
of the Pennepack Baptist church, 1690, and 
died 1702. William Watts, brother of Mrs. 
Josiah Hart, was prothonotary, clerk of 
quarter sessions, and associate justice of 
Bucks county. Mrs. Hart, mother-in-law 
of John Davis, died in 1815, at Doylestown, 
of typhoid fever ; also William W. Hart, a 
young member of the bar, her son, and 
Mrs. Miles, another daughter of Mrs. Hart, 
all dying in the George Brock house, 
Doylestown, within a few days, of the 
same fever. 

Soon after his marriage John Davis 
settled on his mother-in-law's farm in 
Southampton, and, at her death, in 181 5, 
it was adjudged to him in right of his wife, 
and he resided in that immediate neighbor- 
hood the remainder of his long and active 
life. He at once became active in the af- 
fairs of his native county, to which he re- 
turned while the second war with Great 
Britain was in progress. On news of the 
burning of Washington reaching Bucks 
county, a meeting was called at Hart's 
Cross Roads, now Hartsville, on Thursday, 
September i, 1814, to raise volunteers to 
take the field. The list of the men enrolled 
is in the handwriting of William Watts 
Hart, brother of Mrs. John Davis, and John 
Davis's name heads the list. He became 
ensign of the company then formed, which, 
after two months' camp and drill at Bush 
Hill, Philadelphia, proceeded to Camp 
Dupont, in Delaware, where their three 
months' service was completed. Ensign 
Davis, soon after his discharge, entered 



* See preceding sketch. 



the volunteer militia of the county, became 
active therein, and was in constant commis- 
sion for thirty-four years, holding in suc- 
cession commissions as captain, brigade in- 
spector, major, lieutenant-colonel, colonel, 
and was three times elected major-general 
of the division composed of Bucks and 
Montgomery counties. General Davis was 
a natural politician, a Democrat from con- 
viction, and became a power in that party 
in Bucks county. Sturdy in the advocacy 
of what he conceived to be right and strong 
in the reasons and facts on which his con- 
clusions were founded, he became a strong 
and eloquent advocate and was "on the 
stump" in many of the political campaigns 
of his day. He was appointed by Governor 
Wolf, 1833, a member of the board of ap- 
praisers of public works and held the office 
three years. In 1838 he was elected to 
congress from the Bucks county district, 
and made a splendid record as a congress- 
man. His speech in favor of the passage 
of the Independent Treasury Bill, June 2/, 
1840, was commented on throughout the 
country as a masterly and able one. He 
served on many important committees and 
took an active interest in all that pertained 
to the best interest of his district and ,the 
country at large. On March 4, 1845, he 
was appointed surveyor of the port of 
Pniladelphia, and filled that position for 
four years. During the forty years from 
1820 to i860, General John Davis's 
position in the political arena was a 
prominent one and he was closely 
associated and in constant correspondence 
with the leading political lights of that time, 
A lifelong friend of James Buchanan, he 
used strenuous efforts to accomplish his 
election to the presidency. He, however, 
disapproved of Buchanan's Kansas and 
Nebraska policy, and refused to indorse it, 
and became estranged from many old-time 
comrades in the party. 

During all these years General Davis 
remained a resident of Davisville, where he 
operated a farm and saw mill for many 
years. In 1829 he built a store building 
there, and conducted a general merchan- 
dise store for many years, and filled the 
position of postmaster. He was an ex- 
cellent business man, frank and straight- 
forward in his dealings, and of unswerving 
public and private integrity. He and his 
family were members of the Baptist church, 
and he took a deep interest in religious and 
educational matters. At the outbreak of 
the Civil war he was amongst the very first 
to raise his voice in favor of maintaining 
the Union and putting down the rebellion 
with a strong arm. Had his age permitted 
would have gone to the front, as did his 
only son, in defense of the government he 
loved and served. 

Amy, the wife of General John Davis, 
died August 17, 1847, and he on April 8, 
1876, and both are buried in the old graver 
yard at Southampton Baptist church. Their 
children were : Ann, who married, Decem- 
ber 10, 183s, James Erwin, of Newtown, 



48 



HISTORY OF BUCKS COUNTY. 



whose only surviving child married Henry 
Mercur, of Towanda, Pennsylvania ; Re- 
becca, who married, January 5, 1840, Alfred 
T. Duffield, who succeeded the General as 
storekeeper at Davisville, and died in 
September, 1871, and his wife in 1884, leav- 
ing three children : J. Davis Duffield, T. II. 
Benton Duffield, and Amy, wife of Judge 
Gustav A. Endlich of Reading; Sarah, who 
married Ulysses Mercur, of lowanda, later 
chief justice of the supreme court of Penn- 
sylvania; Amy, who married Holmes Sells, 
a practicing physician at Dublin, Ohio, 
later a prominent physician and druggist 
at Atlanta, Georgia, where they resided 
during the Civil war; Elizabeth, who never 
married, and resides at the old homestead 
at Davisville; and an only son, William 
Watts Hart Davis, the subject of this 
sketch, who was named for his mother's 
brother, William Watts Hart, a member of 
the Bucks county bar, who was clerk of 
the orphans' court of Bucks county in 1814, 
and resigned to go in defense of his country 
when Washington was burned, and was 
adjutant of Colonel Humphrey's Bucks 
county regiment. At the close of the war 
he returned to Doylestown and died m 1815 
of typhus fever. 

William Watts Hart Davis was born at 
at Davisville, July 27, 1820. He was 
reared on ttie old homestead and his 
earliest educational advantages were ob- 
tained at a private school Kept by Miss 
Anna Longstreth, at the Longstreth home- 
stead nearDy; later he attended the cele- 
brated classical school at Southampton 
Baptist church, and the day school, a mile 
from Davisville, on the Bucks and Mont- 
gomery county line road. In 1832 he came 
to Doylestown and attended the Academy 
there, boarding at the public house of his 
father's old captain and friend, William 
Purdy; a few years later he attended the 
select school of Samuel Long, near Harts- 
viUe, and the Newtown Academy, finishing 
his elementary education at the boarding 
school of Samuel Aaron, Burlington, New 
Jersey. From the age of ten years the time 
not spent in school was spent behind the 
counter in his fathers' store, where he 
learned practical business methods and 
habits of industry from the best of teachers, 
by both example and precept. In 1841 he 
entered Captain Alden Partridge's Univer- 
sity and Military School at Norwich, Ver- 
mont, and concluded a three years' course 
in sixteen months, graduating in 1842 with 
the degrees of A. M. and M. M. S. In 
the same year he was appointed an instruc- 
tor of mathematics and commandant of 
cadets in the military academy at Ports- 
mouth, Virginia, where he remained three 
years. 

He then began the study of law in the 
office of Judge John Fox, at Doylestown, 
and in 1846, after his admission to the bar, 
entered the law department of Harvard 
University. On December 5, 1846, while a 
student of Harvard Law School, at Cam- 
bridge, Massachusetts, he enlisted in the 



First Massachusetts Infantry for the Mex- 
ican war ; was commissioned first lieutenant, 
December 31, 1846, of Captain Crowning- 
shield's company, Colonel Caleb Cushing's 
regiment; adjutant, January 16, 1847; aide- 
de-camp June I, 1847; acting assistant ad- 
jutant general, July 18, 1847; acting com- 
missary of subsistence, October 9, 1847; act- 
ing qtiartermaster and inspector, October 
29, 1847; captain. Company I, First Massa- 
chusetts Infantry, March 16, 1848, spending 
the winter of 1847-1848 with Scott's con- 
quering army in the Valley of Mexico. 
He was one of the officers who participated 
in the capture of General Valencia, in a 
night ride of seventy miles. He was mus- 
tered out July 24, 1848, at the close of the 
war. 

He now returned to Doylestown, where 
he practiced law until 1853, when he was 
appointed by President Franklin Pierce 
(with whom he had served in the Mexican 
war) to the position of United States dis- 
trict attorney of the territofy of New 
Mexico, and spent the next four years in 
that territory, during which time he filled 
the offices of attorney-general, secretary of 
the territory, acting governor, superintend- 
ent of Indian affairs and of public build- 
ings. While there he also published a 
newspaper at Santa Fe in Spanish and 
English, and, with the assistance of an in- 
terpreter and his clerk he saved the valuable 
Spanish manuscript in the secretary's office 
which afterward furnished him the material 
from which he wrote "The Spanish Con- 
quest of New Mexico," that was issued 
from the press of the "Doylestown Dem- 
ocrat" in 1869. While at Santa Fe he wrote 
his first work on New Mexico, entitled 
"El Gringo, or New Mexico and Her 
People," which Harper & Brothers puD- 
lished in 1857. While exercising the func- 
tions of government in our new territory, 
Mr. Davi^ met with some unique experi- 
ences. On one occasion, himself and party, 
while traveling on the plains, were cap- 
tured by the Arapahoe Indians, but, by the 
exercise of a little diplomacy, escaped seri- 
ous molestation. 

Returning to Doylestown in the fall of 
1857, lie purchased the "Doylestown Dem- 
ocrat," then as now the organ of the Demo- 
cratic party in the county, and owned and 
edited it until 1890, when he sold out to 
the Doylestown Publishing Company, but 
continued as its editor until 1900, since 
which time he has devoted his time to his- 
torical and literary work. 

General Davis raised and took to the 
front the first armed force in the county for 
the defense of the country in the civil war, 
known as the "Doylestown Guards," of 
which he had been captain since 1858 as a 
volunteer militia organization. He served 
with this company through a campaign in 
the Shenandoah Valley under General 
Robert Patterson, an account of which cam- 
paign he later published, and which is con- 
sidered an authority on that subject. The 
company was ordered to Washington in 



HISTORY OF BUCKS COUNTY. 



49 



1861, and was the first military force to 
pass through Baltimore after the riots of 
April 19, 1861. The company being mus- 
tered out at the end of their three months' 
service, Captain Davis, by order of the 
secretary of war, raised at Doylestovi^n the 
One Hundred and Fourth Regiment, Penn- 
sylvania Volunteers, and a battery known 
at its inception as the "Ringgold Battery," 
but later as "Durell's Battery," an excel- 
lent history of which has lately been writ- 
ten and published by Lieutenant Charles A. 
Cuffel, of Doylestown. Colonel Davis went 
to the front with his regiment November 6, 
1861, and served throughout the war as its 
colonel, though frequently filling positions 
and exercising commands commensurate to 
a much higher rank. His military record 
during the civil war, as briefly summed up 
from the records of the War Department, 
is as follows : Captain Company I, Twenty- 
fifth Pennsylvania Regiment (Doylestown 
Guards), April 16, 1861, in the Shenandoah 
Valley campaign; mustered out July 26, 
1861 ; colonel One Hundred and Fourth 
Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteers, Sep- 
tember 5, 1861 ; provisional brigade com- 
mander, November 11, 1861 ; commanding 
First Brigade, Casey's Division, Fourth 
Corps, November 30, 1861 ; wounded at 
Fair Oaks, May 31, 1862 ; commanded First 
Brigade, Second Division, Eighteenth 
Corps, January II, 1863 (Second Division, 
First Corps, March 10, 1863; commanded 
United States forces at Port Royal Island, 
South Carolina, May 27, 1862, post of Beau- 
fort, South Carolina, June 14, 1863; First 
Brigade, Terry's Division, July 8, 1863, at 
siege of Charleston, S. C. ; commanded U. 

5. forces at Morris Island, South Carolina, 
January 19, 1864; District of Hilton Head, 
Port Pulaski, St. Helena and Tybee 
Islands, South Carolina, April 18, 1864; 
First Brigade. Hatch's Division, July 4, 
1864; wounded at siege of Charleston, July 

6, 1864, losing fingers of right hand ; mus- 
tered out September 30, 1864; brevetted 
brigadier-general. United States Volun- 
teers, March 13, 1865, "for meritorious ser- 
vices during the operations against Charles- 
ton, South Carolina." In connection with 
the distinguished services rendered by Gen- 
eral Davis in the operations before Charles- 
ton we publish below a letter written by 
Major General Gilmore, then in command 
of the forces there, which shows in what 
light his services were held by his superior 
officers : 

"Headquarters, Department of the South, 
"Folly Island, S. C, Nov. 26, 1863. 
"Col. W. W. H. Davis. 104th Pa. Vol. Inf., 
Commanding Brigade, Morris Island 

S. C. 

"Dear Sir :— Although entirely unsol- 
icited by you, directly or indirectly, I deem 
it my duty, as it is certainly a pleasure, on 
the eve of your departure for a short leave 
of absence in the North, to express to you, 
officially, my high appreciation of the zeal, 
intelligence, and efficiency which have 
marked your conduct and service during 
4-3 



the operations against the defences of 
Charleston, still pending. Much of our 
service here has been trying, indeed, upon 
both officers and men, but I have been most 
nobly sustained by all, and by none more 
zealously than yourself. I wish you a suc- 
cessful journey and a safe return to us. 

Very Respectfully, Your Obt. S'vt., 
(Signed) Q. A. Gilmore, 

"Maj. Gen'l. Com'd'g." 

The above letter, received on the eve of 
his departure for a short visit to his family 
and friends in Bucks county, was an en- 
tire and gratifying surprise to the general 
and is -much prized by him. 

The One Hundred and Fourth passed 
through the thick of the fight, and rendered 
valiant service in the defense of the Union, 
and left many of its numbers in their last 
sleep under Southern skies. General Davis 
was largely instrumental in securing the 
erection of a monument to the memory of 
his fallen comrades at Doylestown. 

At the close of the war General Davis re- 
turned to the management and editorship 
of the "Democrat." He was honorary com- 
missioner of the United States to the Paris 
Exposition in 1878; was Democratic candi- 
date for congress from the seventh district 
in 1882, and for the state at large in 1884. 
In 1885 he was appointed by President 
Cleveland United States pension agent at 
Philadelphia, and filled that position for 
four years. In the midst of a life of busi- 
ness activity General Davis has devoted 
much time to literary and historical work. 
In addition to numerous lectures, addresses 
and papers on historical and other subjects, 
he is the author of the following publica- 
tions, "El Gringo," 1857 ; "Spanish Con- 
quest of New Mexico,"* 1869; "History of 
One Hundred and Fourth Regiment, Penn- 
sylvania Volunteers," 1866 ; "History of the 
Hart Family of Bucks County," 1867 ; "Life 
of. General John Lacev," 1868; "History of 
Bucks County," 1876; '"Life of John Davis," 
1886; "Doylestown Guards," 1887; "Cam- 
paign of 1861. in the Shenandoah Valley," 
1893; "The Fries Rebellion." 1899: "Doyles- 
town, Old and New," 1904, and a revised 
edition of the "History of Bucks County," 
1905. All of these publications are consid- 
ered the best authorities on the subjects 
treated and most of them now bring in 
the market double and treble their original 
subscription price. General Davis has been 

*The eminent historian, George Bancroft, read the 
entire manuscript of the " Spanish Conquest of New 
Mexico" prior to its publication, and in a letter to 
General Davis, from Berlin, under date of February 
17, 1869, said: "You are the only American I know 
who had the opportunity and the curiosity to investi- 
gate the subject, and our new acquisition is rising so 
rapidly in greatness and value that a new interest 
attaches to the romantic career of the adventurers who 
discovered it, and I trust that you will publish your 
valuable work." Thomas A. Janvier, author of the 
" Mexican Guide," and an extensive contributor to 
Spanish-American literature, in a letter to the General 
says: "Your history is one of the most scholarly and 
thoroughly satisfying works in the whole range of 
Spanish-American literature. It has the charm of 
style of the old chroniclers, and much of their charm 
of quaintness. with an exactneFS that is not, in all 
cases, an old chronicler's characteristic." 



5P 



HISTORY OF BUCKS COUXTV. 



president of the Bucks County Historical 
Society almost from its organization, and 
its success as an organization .is largely due 
to his untiring efforts in its behalf. Nearly 
his whole time since his retirement from 
the editorship of the "Democrat," in 1900, 
as well as a large part of his time prior to 
that has been spent in its rooms and in its 
service, and hundreds of books, pamphlets 
and curios on its shelves are of his con- 
tribution. At the age of eighty-five years 
his highest ambition is to live to see the 
Society successfully installed in its hand- 
some new building, for which it is largely 
indebted to his untiring zeal in that behalf. 

General Davis was married, June 24, 
1856, to Anna Carpenter, daughter of Jacob 
Carpenter, of Brooklyn. New York, and of 
their seven children three survive: Jacob 
C, of Doylestown, now in the employ of 
the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad 
Company ; Margaret Sprague, wife of Cap- 
tain Samuel A. W. Patterson, of the U. S. 
Marine Corps, son of Rear Admiral 
Thomas H. Patterson, U. S. N.. and grand- 
son of Commodore Daniel T. Patterson, 
U. S. N., who commanded the Naval forces 
at the battle of New Orleans, 1865; and 
Eleanor Hart, residing with her father. 

General Davis is a companion of the mil- 
itary order of the Loyal Legion, a member 
of the Aztec Club, Survivors oi the Mex- 
ican War, of the Pennsylvania Society of 
the Sons of the Revolution. Post No. i, 
G. A. R., Philadelphia, the American 
Historical Association and the Historical 
Society of Pennsylvania, and a member 
and one of the founders of Historical So- 
ciety of New Mexico. 



CAPTAIN SAMUEL AUCHMUTY 
WAINWRIGHT PATTERSON. U. S. 
Marine Corps, on board the United States 
battleship "Kentucky," of the North At- 
lantic squadron, U. S. N., was born at 
Washington, D. C, December 3. ^^>9, and 
is a son of Rear Admiral Thomas Harman 
Patterson. U. S. N., by his wife. Maria 
Montresor Wainwright. daughter of Colonel 
Richard D. Wainwright. first colonel of 
the United States Marine corps : and grand- 
son of Commodore Daniel Todd Patterson, 
U. S. N. 

Commodore Daniel Todd Patterson was 
born on Long Island. New York, in 1786. 
He entered the U. S. navy in t8oo, and was 
a mid'^hipman on board the frigate "Phila- 
delphia" in the expedition commanded by 
Captain William Brainbridge, engaged in 
the blockade of Tripoli. October 31. 1803, 
when the frigate ran upon the rocks and 
the vessel and entire crew were captured 
and held prisoners in Tripoli for three 
years, until peace was declared. On Janu- 
ary 24. TS07. he was promoted to the rank 
of lieutenanl, and on July 24. 1813. to 
master-commander. As commander of the 
naval forces he co-operated with General 
Andrew Jackson in 1S14-15 in the defense 



of New Orleans, lending such support as 
to assure the victory over the British, and 
received the expression of their apprecia- 
tion from the U. S. congress. He com- 
manded the expedition sent to capture the 
defenses of the corsair Lafitte, on the is- 
land of Grand Terre, in Batavia Bay, hav- 
ing been made captain February 28, 1815. 
He commanded the frigate "Constitution," 
1826-29, and was appointed navy-commis- 
sioner in the latter year, holding the posi- 
tion for four years. In 1832-36 he was in 
command of the Mediterranean squadron, 
and on his return was made commandant 
of the navy yard at Washington, which he 
held at the time of his death in 1839. 

Rear Admiral Thomas Harman Patter- 
son was born at New Orleans, May 10, 
1820, entered the navy from Louisiana as 
actmg midshipman April 5, 1830, was pro- 
moted midshipman March 3, 1837, passed 
midshipman July i, 1842. He spent the 
next five years on the frigate "Macedonia " 
the sloop-of-war "Falmouth," acting mas- 
ter and lieutenant on the brig "Lawrence," 
West India squadron, and on the brig 
'Washmgton," Coast Survey, from April 
17, 1844, to October, 1848, when he was 
commissioned master. He was commis- 
sioned lieutenant June 23, 1849. and served 
on the sloop-of-war "Vandalia," Pacific 
Squadron, until October 12, 1852. 

At the breaking out of the civil war he 
was serving on the steam sloop -'jMohickan," 
on the coast of Africa; returning home he 
was put on active duty; was commissioned 
commander of sham gunboat "Chocura," 
July 16, 1862, in Hampton Roads, Vir- 
ginia; and was present .at the siege of 
iorktown, and opened up the Pamunkey 
river for McClellan's army, co-operating 
with the Army of the Potomac. In Novem- 
ber, 1862, he was ordered to the South At- 
lantic Blockading Squadron in the steamer 
"James Adger," which he commanded untjl 
June. 1865. participating in the capture of 
a flying battery near Fort Fisher, in Aug- 
ust. 1863; captured the "Cornubia" and 
"Robert E. Lee," and the schooner "Ella" 
off the North Carolina coast. He 'was 
senior officer in the outside blockade off 
Charleston. South Carolina, September 15, 
1864; commanded the steam-sloop "Brook- 
lyn," flagship of the South Atlantic Squad- 
ron, from September 19, 1865. to Septem- 
ber 18, 1867. being commissioned captain 
July 25, 1866; promoted to commodore 
November 2. 1871, and commanded Wash- 
ington Navy Yard 1873-6; was commis- 
sioned rear admiral March 28. 1877. and 
commanded the Asiatic Squadron until 
1880, which completed his twenty-five years 
of active sea duty. He retired May ro, 
1882. He was elected Januarv 2. 1868. a 
member of the Military Order of the 
Loyal Legion of the United States. He 
died at Washington. D. C. after a, long 
and painful illness, April 9. 1889. He mar- 
ried Maria Montresor Wainwright. daugh- 
ter of Colonel Richard Wainwright. of the 
United States Marine Corps, who died in 



HISTORY OF BUCKS COUNTY. 



51 



1881. They were the parents of three sons 
and one daughter. 

Captain Samuel A. VV. Patterson entered 
the Naval Academy at Annapolis in 1876, 
and graduated in 1882, after making sev- 
eral cruises as a student. After gradua- 
tion he was attached to the flagship "Hart- 
ford," of the Pacific Squadron, where he 
served twcr years. He left the navy in 1884, 
and in 1885 was appointed as a clerk in 
the United States Pension Office at Phila- 
delphia under General W. W. H. Davis, 
pension agent, and filled that position for 
four years and six months. From 1886 to 
1896 he resided in Doylestown, Bucks 
county, Pennsylvania. In May, 1896, he 
entered the U. S. Revenue Cutter service, 
where he served until January 17, 1900. He 
Vfas in the blockading squadron at Cuba 
during the Spanish- American War. He re- 
entered the U. S. navy in January 1900, 
and was stationed at the Boston Navy 
Yard until ordered to China, June, 1900, 
as second lieutenant of the U. S. Marine 
Corps, and was promoted to first lieuten- 
ant, July, 1900, during the Boxer troubles 
in China, where he participated in the 
famous march to Pekin to relieve the im- 
prisoned legations. At the close of the 
Chinese imbroglio he was ordered to the 
Philippines, and served on the U. S. S. 
"New Orleans," at China and Japan, and at 
Cavite and Olongapo, Philippine Islands. 
After two years and eight months' service 
abroad he was stationed for a time at the 
New York Navy Yard, from whence he 
was ordered to the Isthmus of Panama, 
where he served for six months. Return- 
ing to the New York Navy Yard he was 
promoted captain in November, 1903, and 
is now (1905) cruising on board the U. S. 
battleship "Kentucky," of the North At- 
lantic Fleet. 

Captain Patterson. February 18, 1886, 
married Margaret Sprague Davis, daugh- 
ter of General W. W. H. Davis, of Doyles- 
town. Bucks county. Pennsylvania, a 
sketch of whose distinguished career and 
ancestry is given in this volume. Captain 
and Margaret (Sprague) Davis Patterson 
have been the parents of three children, 
Anna Davis, born December 27, 1886, 
died December i. 1894: Thomas Harman, 
born April 15. 1889. died August 12, 1889; 
and Daniel Walter, born April , 14, 1891, 
who survives. 



CORNELL FAMILY. Gulliame Cor- 
neille, (variously spelled. Cornele, Cor- 
nale, Cornelise. in the Dutch records 
of New Netherlands) wa<: of un- 
doubted French origin, probably a Hue- 
guenot. and possibly of the same family 
as Pierre and Thomas Corneille, the 
noted dramatists and poets of Rouen, a 
supposition strengthened by the fact that 
he named his eldest son Peter, the 
French of which would have been 
'"Pierre." He settled on Long Island 
•early in the seventeenth century, and 



died at Flatbush prior to July 17, 1666, 
at which date his son Pieter Guilliamse 
paid for the burial of both his father 
and mother, as shown by the town rec- 
ords. On August 9,-1658, he procured 
from Director Stuyvesant, a patent for a 
large plantation at Flatbush, and in 
i66r he and his son Pieter purchased a 
"bouwery" and several building lots in 
Flatbush. He left five children Pieter, 
Gulliam or Gelyam, Cornelis, Jacob and 
Maria, who have left numerous descen- 
dants in Kings county. Long Island, 
New York, New Jersey, and in Bucks 
county and other parts of Pennsylvania. 
The name for nearly a century was 
spelled Cornele, with the accent on the e. 

Pieter Wuellemsen, as he wrote his 
name, the eldest son of Guilliam Cornele, 
was a prominent man in the early history 
of Flatbush and Kings county. As above 
stated he was joint purchaser with his 
father of a large plantation in Flatbush, 
and later was alloted other building lots 
in the town. He was commissioned as 
"Pierre Guilleaum" on October 8, 1686, 
a lieutenant of the Flatbush company of 
Kings county militia. His will is dated 
May 23, 1689. He married in 1675 Mar- 
gueritie Vercheur, or Vernelle, as the 
marriage record gives it. and they were 
the parents of at least five children: 
Gulliame. born 1679; Cornelis, 1681 ; Ja- 
cob, 1683; Maria, 1686, and Pieter. 
Cornelis, the second son, married Jan- 
netje — and had children: Johannes, bap- 
tised September 21, 1718; Adrien, bap- 
tised November 19, 1721; Cornelis, mar- 
ried Anne Williams in Philadelphia in 
1746. and probably several others, some 
of whom are said to have settled in Bucks 
county. Pieter, the j^oungest son of 
Pieter and Margaret, married Catharine 
Lanning and settled in New Jersey. 
Adrien, son of Cornelis, is erroneously" 
confounded with Adrien, son of Guilliam, 
who settled in Bucks county; the former 
probably never lived in Pennsylvania. 

Gilliam Cornell, eldest son of Peter 
and Margaret, was born at Flatbush, 
Long Island, in 1679, married November 
4, 1714. Cornelia Van Nortwyck, daugh- 
ter of Simon and Folkertje Van Nort- 
wyck, of Blanckenbufg, in the Nether- 
lands, and remained until 1723 at Flat- 
bush. removing from there to New 
Utrecht, and is said to have accompan- 
ied some of his children to Bucks county 
prior to 1750. of which latter fact we 
have no proof, unless a tombstone, be- 
side those of his sons Gilliam and Wil- 
helmus. in the old Dutch Reformed 
burying ground near Feasterville. marked 
"Q x C," maybe considered as such. He 
purchased a. "house and lot in Flatbush as 
early as 1708. His children as shown 
by the records of the Dutch Reformed 
churches of Flatbush and New Utrecht 
and from the Bucks county records, 
were: Adrien: Jacobus, baptised October 
2, 1720: Wilhelmus, baptised July 29, 



52 



HISTORY OF BUCKS COUNTY. 



1722; Gilliam, baptised October 23, 1724; 
Johannes, baptistnl June 16, 1727, married 
May 23. 1750, Maria Lott, and remained 
in Flatbush; Simon, baptised July 13, 
1729; and Abraham, baptised October 10, 
1731. Margaretta Cornell, who married 
Rem Vandcrbclt, of Southampton, and 
had a son Gilliam baptised at South- 
ampton in 1742, is also supposed to have 
been a daughter of Gilliam. Of the above 
named sons of Gilliam and Cornelia Cor- 
nell, four (Adricn, Wilhelmus, Gilliam 
and Simon) came to Bucks county, and 
settled in Northampton and Southamp- 
ton, and where the first three left nu- 
merous descendants. Adrien was the an- 
cestor of most of the Cornells who now 
reside in Bucks, and a more detailed ac- 
count of him will be given below. 

^WILHELMUS CORNELL, born at 
Flatbush, Long Island, July 13, i7.-2f. 
probably came to Bucks county with 
his elder brother Adrien and their pa-- 
rents prior to 1740. He was married at 
the Southampton church, April 14, i744- 
to Elshe (or Alice) Kroesen. H'ls first 
purchase of land was in connection with 
his younger brother Gilliam in 1755, and 
consisted of three tracts of land near 
Churchville, eighty-two acres on the 
Northampton side of the Bristol road, 
and IIS acres opposite in Southampton, 
including the present site of the church. 
In 1762 he conveyed his interest in 
these tracts to Gilliam, and purchased 
of Jacob Duffield 2331^ acres in South- 
ampton, and subsequently acquired con- 
siderable other land there. He died Oc- 
tober 14, 1783, and his wife Elshe died 
October 8, 1802, at the age of seventy- 
seven years; they are buried side by side 
in the old grave yard af Feasterville. 
They were the parents of Seven children: 
Gilliam, born January 2, 1745, died Au- 
gust 17, 1755; John, born January, 1750, 
died January 24, 1811. leaving sons Gil- ; 
Ham, Wilhelmus, Jacob, John and Isaac, 
and daughters Elizabeth, wife of Henry 
Feaster, and Cornelia, wife of Gilliam 
Cornell; Cornelia, baptised February li, 
1753, married William Craven; Margaret, 
baptised December 14, 1755, married 
Henry Courson; Elizabeth, baptised June 
7, 1761; and Gilliam, baptised September 
17, 1758, married Jane Craven. The lat- 
ter was known locally as "Yompey Cor- | 
nell." He was buried on his farm at 
Southampton Station. 

Gilliam Cornel, born on Long Island 
in 1724, married there May 23, 1750. Mar- 
garet Schench, and removed to Bucks 
county. He purchased land as above 
recited in 1755 in connection with his 
brother Wilhelmus, and purchased the 
latter's interest therein six years later. 
He died in Northampton, July 17. 178=;. 
and his wife Margaret died September 
5, 1805. They had seven children: 
I. Phebe, who married her cousin Cor- 
nelius Cornell, the son of Simon. 2. 



Cornelia, baptised April 11, 1757, mar- 
ried William Bennett. 3. John, baptised 
December 31, 1758, married Catharine 
Sleght. 4. Abraham, baptised January 28^ 
1760. died August 31, 1801, married Agnes 
Bennett. 5. Gilliam, baptised August 27, 

1764, married Rachel and left 

Bucks county. 6. Margaret, baptised 1767. 
7. John, baptised June 12, 1774, died 
young. 8. Maria, baptised August 24, 
1778. 

Simon Cornell, born on Long Island 
in 1729, married Adrienne Kroesen and 
settled in the neighborhood of South- 
ampton, though probably in Philadelphia 
county; his sons Cornelius and John were 
baptised at Southampton church in 1761 
and 1772 respectively. The former mar- 
ried Phebe, daughter of his uncle Gil- 
liam, and had children Gilliam, John, 
Cornelius, Isaac, Jane, who married 
Peter Bailey, and Margaret. 

ADRIEN CORNELL, eldest son of 
Gelyam and grandson of Peter Guil- 
liamse Cornel, was born in Flatbush, 
Long Island, August 22, 1713, as shown 
by his family Bible now in possession of 
Thompson Cornell of Philadelphia, a 
great-great-grandson, and died July 28, 
1777. He was eldest son of Gelyam Cor- 
nell by the first marriage of Gelyam, who 
was a landholder in Flatbush as early as 
1708. Historians have erroneously stated 
that he was a son of Cornelis, the brother 
of Gelyam. Bergen, in his "Early Settlers 
of Kings County," makes that statement 
and gives the date of his baptism as 
November 19, 1721, but this is effectually 
disprove!! by the Bible record, as well as 
by the will of Gilliam of Bucks county, 
who is shown to be a son of Gelyam and 
Conelia, and makes "my nephew Gilliam 
Cornell, son of my brother Adrien," one 
of the executors of his wilj^' Adrien 
Cornell married Mattie Hegeman, born 
at Brooklyn. Long Island, November I, 
1718, daughter of Rem and Peternella 
(Van Wycklen) Hegeman, grand-daugh- 
ter of Elbert and Marytje (Rappalye) 
Hegeman, great-granddaughter of Jo- 
seph and Femmeltje (Remse) Hegeman,. 
and great-great-granddaughter of Adrien 
and Catharine Hegeman, who emigrated 
from Amsterdam in 1650, settling first at 
New Albany, but later removing to Flat- 
bush. Long Island, where Adrien was a 
magistrate in 1654 and died in April, 
1672. Adrien Cornell removed to Bucks 
county prior to June 7, X739, at which 
date he purchased 250 acres in North- 
ampton township, where he was already 
a resident. In 1751 he purchased sixty- 
one acres adjoining his first purchase 
and 205 acres additional in 1772. Tliis 
land was located in the heart of the 
Dutch settlement known as Holland, and 
much of it still remains the property of 
his descendants. He died on his plan- 
tation purchased in 1739. July 27. 1777, 
and his wife Mattie died July 4, 1790;; 




(^^'f //y 9Tt ^-^f^r? P-^-pf 



HISTORY OF BUCKS COUNTY. 



53 



both are buried at Richboro. Their cliil- 
dren were: Gilliam, born April 26, 1741, 
died March 2, 1809, married Jannetje 
Suydam, daughter of Lambert Suydam; 
and Rem, born June 9, 1744, died July 
18, 1825, married Peternelletje Hegeman, 
born 1751, died December 19, 1816. 

Gilliam and Jane (Suydam) Cornell 
were the parents of nine children: 
Adrien, born May 18, 1765, died Febru- 
ary 28, 1841, married Rachel Feaster; 
Abigail, born December 17, 1769, mar- 
ried Henry DuBois; Lambert, born July 
14, 1772; James, born October 20, '1774, 
died April i, 1850, married first Cynthia, 
daughter of Rem Cornell, and second 
Margaret Vandegrift; Rem, born April 
4, 1777, died young; Mattie, born April 
23, 1779, married Aaron Feaster; Jane, 
born May 15, 1781, married Christopher 
Vanarsdalen; John, born March 29, 1783. 
married Elizabeth Vandegrift; and Gil- 
liam, born May 13, 1785, married Eliza- 
beth Krewsen, November 16, 180Q. In 
the division of the real estate of Adrien 
Cornell between his two sons Gilliam 
and Rem, the/ latter retained 203 acres 
of the homestead tract of 250 acres, and 
forty-one acres of the Vanduren pur- 
chase adjoining, and conveyed to his 
brother Gilliam the balance of the home- 
stead, fifty-six acres, and 205 acres pur- 
chased by their father of Van Horn in 
1772. These lands were devised by the 
brothers to their respective sons, and a 
portion of both tracts still remain in the 
tenure of their descendants of the name. 
Gilliam divided the homestead between 
his sons Lambert, James and Gilliam, 
settling his son Adrian on eighty-five 
acres purchased in 1785 of William 
Thomson, and John on 100 acres pur- 
chased of Henry Dyer. 

Rem Cornell, second son of Adrien 
and Mattie (Hegeman) Cornell, born in 
Northampton in 1744, married Pet'er- 
neelitie Hegeman. and lived all his life 
on the old homestead in Northampton, 
acquiring later considerable other land 
in the vicinity./ He was an active and 
prominent man in the community, and a 
member of the Dutch Reformed church 
of North and Southampton. He died 
July 18. 1825, in his eighty-second year. 
His wife died December 19. 1816, in her 
sixty-fifth years, and both are buried in 
the old gravej-^ard at Richboro. They 
were the parents of three children: Mat- 
tie, born 1770, married John Kroeson; 
Cynthia, born 1776, died June 7. 1808, 
married her cousin James Cornell; and 
Adrien. 

Adrien Cornell, only son of Rem. was 
born on the old homestead in North- 
ampton in May, 1779, and, inheriting it 
from his father in 1825. spent his whole 
life there. He was a prosperous farmer 
and a good business man and acquired a 
large estate, owning at his death in 1857 
over 700 acres of farm land and a fine 
mill property in Northampton, and over 



400 acres in Upper Makefield township. 
His wife was Leanah Craven, daughter 
of James and Adrianna (Kroeson) Cra- 
ven, and Vas baptised at Churchville, 
February 21, 1779. The children of 
Adrien and Leanah (Craven) Cornell 
were as follows: i. James Craven, bap- 
tised November 4, 1804, died February 

I, 1865, married Judith S. Everett. 2. 
Eleanor, baptised January 10, 1807, mar- 
ried James Krusen. 3. John Leflferts, 
baptised January 10. 1807, died January 
14, 1836. 4. Ann Eliza, baptised August 
28, 1810, married James S. McNair. 5. 
Charles, baptised March 21, 1812. 6. 
Lj'dia, January 18, 1815, married Henry 
Wynkoop. 7. Cynthia, baptised August 

II, 1816, married William R. Beans. 
Adrian, see forward, and Mary Jane, 
wife of Frances Vanartsdalen. 

Adrien Cornell, youngest son of Adrien 
and Leanah (Craven) Cornell, was born 
on the old homestead in Northampton, 
December 21, 1818. He was reared on 
the farm that had been the home of his 
ancestors since 1739, and in the house 
erected by his great-great-grandfather in 
1747. This house he tore down in 1861, 
and erected the present mansion house. 
He was an active and successful business 
man. He was connected for many years 
with the Bucks County Agricultural So- 
ciety, of which he was for several years 
president, succeeding his brother James 
C. Cornell in that position. He married 
January 8, 1840, Mary Ann Van Horn, 
daughter of Abraham Van Horn, who 
survived him many years. He died on 
the old homestead, September 17, 1870. 

GEORGE W. CORNELL, only child 
of Adrien and Mary Ann, was born on 
the old homestead. October 17, 1841, and 
resided there until the spring of 1904, 
when he removed to Newtown borough, 
where he now resides. He was educated 
at the public schools of Northampton, 
supplemented by a three years course 
at the Tennent School at Hartsville, 
Pennsylvania. He married October 10, 
1871, Sarah C. Luken. who died May 23, 
1873. On June 6, 1877, he married Eliza- 
beth B. Camm. his prresent wife, who is a 
daughter of Joseph C. and Martha 
(Feaster) Camm. and a granddaughter of 
Aaron and Matilda (Cornell) Feaster, 
Matilda being a daughter of Gilliam and 
Jannetje (Suydam) Cornell. Her pater- 
nal great-grandfather, John Camm, was 
a native of England and located in Phil- 
adelphia, where his son William and 
grandson Joseph C, were born and 
reared. Her father, Joseph C. Camm. lo- 
cated in Northampton township. Bucks 
county, after his marriage, and Mrs. Cor- 
nell was born and reared in that town- 
ship. On the Feaster side she is of Hol- 
land descent. Her great-great-grand- 
father, John Feaster, was born on Long 
Island in 1798, and died in Northampton 
township, Bucks county, December 19, 



y 



54 



HISTORY OF BUCKS COUNTY. 



\77S. His wife Mary, born in 1706, died 
May 28, 1774. Their son David, born 
April 8, 1740, married Mary Hegeman, 
born March 8, 1743; he died September 
28, 1808, and his wife May 28, 1783. Their 
son Aaron, the grandfather of Mrs. Cor- 
nell, was born in October, 1772, and died 
July 18, i860. Mr. and Mrs. Cornell 
have no children. Mr. Cornell still owns 
the old homestead in Northampton, but 
lives retired in Newtown. In politics 
he is a Republican. He and his wife are 
members of the Dutch Reformed church. 

Gilliam Cornell, youngest son of Gil- 
liam and Jannetje (Suydam) Cornell, of 
Northampton, was born on the old home- 
stead May 30, 1785. He married Novem- 
ber 16, 1809. Elizabeth Krewsen, and 
settled on a portion of the old homestead 
purchased by his grandfather of the Van 
Horns in 1772, 103 acres of which Gil- 
liam inherited at his father's death in 
1809. His two children were: Jacob 
Krewsen, born September 28, 1810, and 
Martin H., born May 29, 1820. 

Jacob Krewsen Cornell was reared on 
the old Northampton homestead, but on 
his marriage purchased of Samuel Mc- 
Nair a farm in Southampton, at Church- 
ville, part of the land purchased in 1755 
by Wilhelmus and Gilliam Cornell, and 
settled thereon. He married January 7, 
1834, Elizabeth Finney, who bore him 
eleven children, seven of whom lived to 
maturity and raised families, viz.: 

1. Mary, born June 26, 1835, married 
Charles Van Artsdalen, January 10, 1856, 
and had one daughter, Alice, born De- 
cember I, 1856, who married James L. 
Cornell. 

2. Alice, born December 18 1837, died 
May 28, 1838. 

3. Jane M., born August 21, 1840, mar- 
ried December 26, 1861, Thomas Beans, 
and has three children — George, William 
and Howard. 

4. Alice L., born June 5, 1842, married 
(first) Henry McKinney and (second) 
Joseph J. Yerkes, and has a son Jacob. 

5. John Corson, born August 2, 1844, 
a prominent merchant of Oakford, Penn- 
sylvania, married April, 1870, Margaret 
J. Stevens. 

6. Jacob Krewsen, Jr., born June 10. 
1846, now deputy recorded- of deeds of 
Bucks county; married January 8. 1884, 
Alice E. Woodrufif; has no children. 

7. Charles F., born June 10, 1848, died 
August 8, 1848. 

8. Gilliam, Jr., born June 22, 1849; mar- 
ried Januar} 24, 1878, Jane, daughter of 
Joseph Hogeland; one son, Joseph Rem- 
sen, borrt January 8, 1885. 

9. Martin Harris, horn February 19, 
1851, married October 7. 1874. Mary H. 
Agin ; now reside in Doylestown ; one 
daughter, Carrie Ruth, Ixirn July 7, 1884. 

TO. Charles Finney, born t8s3, died 
1861. 

II. Henrietta, born 1857, died 1863, 



Jacob Krewsen Cornell married (s'ec- 
ond) Ruth Anna Morrison, daughter of' 
Judge Joseph J. and Ellen (Addis) Mor- 
rison, by whom he had the following chil-' 
dren : Joseph M., born December 18, 1862^ 
see forward ; Ella M., born October 4, 
1864, married January 14, 1897, J. Warner 
Cornell, and has two children — Ruth and 
Charles; Edith, born May 10, 1870; and' 
Albert, born October, 1871, died July, 
1872. 

JOSEPH MORRISON CORNELL 
was born on the old homestead at 
Churchville, Southampton township,. 
Bucks county, December 18, 1862, and is 
the eldest son of Jacob Krewson Cornell 
by his second marriage with Ruth Ann 
Morrison. He was reared on the farrn 
and acquired his education at the local 
schools. On arriving at manhood he fol- 
lowed farming five years in that vicinity,- 
and then purchased his father's farm, 
where he has since resided. He has 
always taken an active interest in the 
affairs of his native township, and has 
filled several local offices. He was for 
three years supervisor, and has also filled 
the office of township assessor. Mr. 
Cornell was married November 27, 1884, 
to Emma E. Fetter, daughter of John 
Carrel and Mercy C. (Lefferts) Fetter, 
and they have been the parents of two 
children: John Fetter, born December I, 
1887, died July 17, 1890; and Joseph M. 
Jr., born January 16, 1894. 

Mrs. Cornell was l3orn March 20. 1864,. 
and is one of the three children of John 
C. and Mary (Leffets) Fetter. Her 
great-grandfather, George Fetter, was 
one of twelve children, and was born 
January 13, 1768. His wife, Rebecca 
Wynkoop, was born August 28, 1868, and 
they were the parents of nine children,, 
of whom William, the eldest, born Oc- 
tober 7, 1797, was the grandfather of Mrs. 
Cornell. He married Sarah Carrell, De- 
cember 26, 1821, and had six children, of 
whom the eldest, John C, born August 
18, 1824, was the father of Mrs. Cornell. 
On the maternal side Mrs. Cornell is of 
Holland descent, being descended from 
LefTet Pieterse, who came to Long Island 
with his parents in 1669 from Haugh- 
wout. North Holland, and settled at 
Flatbush, Long Island. His son, Pieter 
Lefferts, born May 18, 1680. married Ida, 
daughter of Hendrick Suydam. and their 
son, Leffertse LefTertse, was the first of 
the family to settle in Bucks county, 
where he has left numerous dscendants. 



THE JANNEY FAMILY of Bucks 
county are descendants of the Cheshire 
family of that name who, according to- 
various authorities, "are supposed to be" 
or "considered to be" descended from 
the house of De-Gisne. or Gyney, of 
Heverland, Norfolk, who were of French 
extraction, and the name' to be derivect 
from Guisnes. near Calais. France. 



HISTORY OF BUCKS COUNTY. 



55 



The earliest lineal ancestor of the 
American family of Janney of whom 
there is any authentic record was Ran- 
dull Janne3% of Stiall, parish of Wilmes- 
lome, Cheshire, Enghvnd, who died about 
the year 1596, being mentioned in the will 
of his son Thomas Janney, made in 1602, 
as having left legacies to daughters of 
Thomas, the youngest of whom was 
baptised in 1595. Thomas Janney, before 
mentioned, was married at least twice, 
if not three times. Investigations re- 
cently conducted in Cheshire by Miles 
White, of Baltimore, indicate that he 
married first Ellen , who was bur- 
ied February 7, 1578, and by whom he 
had a daughter Alyce, who was baptised 
Novemoer 7, 1570, but as no further rec- 
ord of this Alice is found, and she is not 
mentioned in Thomas's will, there is no 
proof that the record above refers to 
'J. hom;iT of Stiall. 1 He married, Decem- 
ber 7. 1578, Jane Worthington, who was 
Duried August 10, 1589, and (second) on 
Movember 4, 1590, Katharine Cash, of 
Stiall. By the first marriage he had two 
sons, Randle and Henry, and daughters 
Margerie and Maud. By the second 
marriage he had six children, two at least 
of whom died in infancy. He was pos- 
sessed of a considerable freehold of lands 
in Cheshire, which he devised to his sons 
Randle and Harry, and personal estate 
to Thomas and daughters Maud, Mar- 
garet and Anne. 

Randle Janney, the eldest son of 
Thomas and Jane (Worthington) Jan- 
ney, was baptised February 23, 1579-80, 
and was buried October 30, 1613. He 
married, July 14, 1602, Ellen Abrodd, and 
lived and died at Stiall, Cheshire. They 
were the parents of four children: 
Thomas, baptised June 27, 1605, died 12 
mo. 17, 1677. married September 3, 1625, 
Elizabeth Worthington, who died 12 mo. 
19. 1681-2; Randle, baptised May 26, 1608, 
married July 16. 1636, Anne Knevet; 
Heine, baptised March 24, 1610, buried 
March 3. 161 1; and Richard, baptised 
February 20, 1613, settled in Ardwick, 
Lancashire, where he died in 1691, wife 
Mary. Of these four children of Randle 
Janney, of Stiall, only the two eldest 
has special interest to the Janneys of 
America, as through the two sons of the 
former, Thomas and Henry, and Will- 
iam, son of the latter, are descended all 
the Janneys who today are scattered 
over the United States. 

Thomas Janney, eldest son of Randle 
and Ellen (Alrodd) Janney, baptised 
June 27, 1605, was married September 3, 
1625, to Elizabeth Worthington, and 
both joined the Society of Friends soon 
after it came into existence, and are fre- 
quently mentioned in the early annals 
of the Society, meetings being frequently 
held at their house at Stiall, and later 
at Mobberly, Cheshire. He suffered 
distress of goods, was imprisoned, and 
otherwise persecuted on account of his 



faith as related in Besse's sufferings. He 
and others purchased and presented to 
the Meeting the land for the t)urial 
ground and meeting house at Mobberly. 
He was evidently possessed of consider- 
able property, and in his will made in 
1677 left a legacy to the poor of the 
town. He died 12 mo. 17, 1677, and his 
widow Elizabeth on 12 mo. 19, 1681-2, 
and both are buried in the Friends' bury- 
ing ground at Mobberly. His will is stfi' 
preserved at Chester, and his name 
thereto is spelled Jannej^ though men- 
tioned in the records as Janey. His will 
names the children mentioned below, 
his brother Richard, and William Janney 
of Handworth. The children of Thomas 
and Elizabeth (Worthington) Janney 
were: 

1. Mary, baptised March 19. 1625-6, 
died 7 mo. 3, 1698, married 12 mo. 3, 
T663-4, Robert Peirson, of Pownall Fee, 
Cheshire, and had a son Enoch, born il 
mo. 30, 1665, died 8 mo. 2, 1680-I. 
Thomas and Robert Pearson, who came 
to Pennsylvania in 1683 and 1682 respec- 
tively, were probably related to Robert. 

2. Margaret, baptised March 16, 1627, 
died II mo. 11, 1673, is buried at Mob- 
berly. 

3. Martha, baptised June 6, 1630, died 

2 mo. 4, 1702, married 12 mo. 12, 1672, 
Hugh Burges, of Pownall Fee, who died 

3 mo. 23, 1713, aged seventy-four years. 
Both are buried at Mobberly. It was at 
their house, that her brother Thomas 
Janney, of Bucks county, Pennsylvania, 
died in 1696, while on a religious visit 
to England. 

4. Randle, baptised December 16, 1632, 
died 3 mo. 17, 1674, buried at Mobberly. 

5. Thomas, the ancestor of tlie Jan- 
neys of Bucks county, baptised January 
II. 1634. died 12 mo. (Feb.) 12, 1696, and 
is buried at IMobberly; see forward. 

6. Henry, baptised January r, 1637, 
died at Eaton Norris, Lancashire, 6 mo. 
3. 1690. and is buried at Mobberly. He 
married at the house of Thomas Potts, 
Pownal - Fee. i mo. 3. 1674, Barbara 
Baguley, of Stockport, was a tailor and 
chapman or cloth dealer. His daughter 
Elizabeth, born 9 mo. 7, 1677. came to 
Philadelphia in 1698. and married in 1710 
Pentecost Teague. a distinguished Friend 
of Philadelphia. Mary, born 11 mo. I, 
1680, and Tabitha. born 7 mo. 29. 1687, 
also came to Philadelphia, the former 
marrying in 1708 Joseph Drinker, and the 
latter in 1709 William Fisher. A son 
Thomas and daughter Martha died in 
infancy. 

Before proceeding to give an account 
of Thomas Janney, the distinguished an- 
cestor of the Janneys of Bucks county, jt 
might be well to say a word or two in 
reference to William Janney, (son of 
Randle and Mary, and grandson of 
Randle and Ellen Alrodd Janney), 
whose two sons. Randle and Thorn'as, 
also came to Pennsylvania. 



56 



HISTORY OF BUCKS COUNTY. 



William Janney was baptised Decem- 
ber 8, 1641, died 8 mo. 4, 1724, and is 
buried among his kinsman in the old 
burying ground at Mobberly. He mar- 
ried 7 mo. 30, 1671, Deborah Webb, and 
was then living at liandforth; after his 
wife's death he removed to Morley. He 
was a prominent member of the Society 
of Friends, and suffered persecution for 
his faith. Meetings were frequently held 
at h's house. His son Randle, born 2 
mo. 10, 1677, in 1699 obtained a certifi- 
cate from the Meeting at Morley and 
emigrated to Philadelphia, where he be- 
came a prominent merchant, was a friend 
of Penn, and a large landowner in Penn- 
sylvania and Cecil county, Maryland. He 
married at Philadelphia, in 9 mo., i/OI, 
Frances Righton, daughter of William 
and Sarah Righton, of Philadelphia. 
Their only child died in infancy. In 1702 
and 1706 he visited England, and in 
1715 obtained a certificate to visit the 
Bermudas, but died before starting, 10 
mo. 7, 1715. His will mentions his 
brother Thomas and his sister Mary, wife 
of George Pawley, who had also come 
to Philadelphia, and their children, De- 
bora. Mary, Sarah and Thomas. 

Thomas Janney, brother of Randle, 
was born in Cheshire, England, 3 mo. 18, 
1679, and died in Cecil county, Maryland, 
about 1750. In 1702 his brother Randle 
obtained a certificate for him to Phila- 
delphia, which, with the one brought 
from the Morley Meeting by Randle in 
1699, is preserved among the records of 
Philadelphia Monthly Meeting. In 1706 
he went to England with his brother, and 
after his return settled in West Not- 
tingham township, Chester county, on 
land formerly owned by Randle, and 
later found to be in Cecil county, Marj-- 
land. His will was proven in Cecil 
county, March 22, 1751, and in it he men- 
tions his wife Magdalen, son-in-law Rob- 
ert Lashly, and children Jemima Janney, 
Debora Lashly, William, Thomas and 
Isaac Janney, who are the progenitors 
of the Janneys of Cecil county. Robert 
Lashly was Robert Leslie, who married 
Debora Janney, in 1740, and is the an- 
cestor of Charles Robert Leslie, R. A., 
the noted author and artist, and his"'tal- 
ented sisters. Deborah Pawlee, daugh- 
ter of George and Mary (Janney) 
Pauley, married 9 mo. 21, 1727, Samuel 
Siddons, son of Thomas and Lowrey 
(Evans) Siddons, who have descendants 
in Bucks county. Sarah Pawley, another 
daughter of George and Mary, married 7 
mo. 24. 1734, William Atkinson, Jr., of a 
Bucks county family. 

THOMAS JANNEY, second son of 
Thomas and Elizabeth (Worthington) 
Janney, baptised at Stiall. Cheshire, Eng- 
land, January 11, 1634, "was convinced 
of the truth as held by Friends" at the 
first preaching thereof in Cheshire in 
1654, and the next year took up the min- 



istry in that sect and traveled exten- 
sively in England and Ireland. He mar- 
ried, 9 mo. 24, 1660, Margery Heath, of 
Horton, Staffordshire. The marriage 
took place at the house of James Harri- 
son, in the township of Pownal Fee, in 
which Stiall the home of the Janneys 
was situated. Ann, the wife of James 
Harrison, was a sister of Margery, as 
was also Jane, the wife of William Yard- 
ley, both of whom came with their hus- 
bands to Pennsylvania and settled m 
Bucks county in 1682, as shown by an 
account of each family given in this 
volume. They lived at Stiall, where their 
four sons were born, until 1683, when 
they followed their brothers-in-law to 
Pennsylvania and settled on a tract of 
land in Makefield, Bucks county. Thomas 
Janney had purchased of William Penn, 
6 mo. 12, 1682, 250 acres of land to be 
laid out in Per .;sylvania, and it was laid 
out in Lower Makefield, fronting on the 
Delaware. He and his wife Margery, 
their four sons and two servants, John 
Nield and Hannah Falkner, arrived in 
the Delaware river in the Endeavor, 7 
mo. (September) 29, 1683. He eventually 
purchased other lands in the vicinity; the 
tract fronting on the Delaware below the 
present borough of Yardley containing 
550 acres was confirmed by patent in 
T691, and ancther tract of 1000 acres lay 
back of the "River Lots" and extended 
into Newtown and Middletown town- 
ships, wdiere the line between these 
townships joins the line of Lower Make- 
field. The latter tract was of irregular 
form and was well watered. Core creek 
running through it. A saw mill was 
erected on it soon after its occupation in 
1683, and Jacob Janney erected a grist 
mill near the old family mansion in 1816, 
which was in use until a few years since, 
that portion of the plantation still being 
owned and occupied by descendants of 
the name. Thomas Janney was related 
by blood or marriage to many of the 
most prominent settlers of the county. 
William Yardley, for many years a jus- 
tice of the county courts and a member 
of provincial assembly, and James Har- 
rison, Penn's confidential agent in Penn- 
sylvania, were, as before stated, his 
brothers-in-law. and Phineas Pemberton, 
called by Logan "the father of Bucks 
County." was therefore his nephew, and 
John Brock, another prominent oificial 
of the county, was his cousin. Thomas 
Janney was also an intimate friend of 
Penn, who entertained a high opinion of 
him and mentioned him lovinglj' in many 
of his letters. Thomas Janney continued 
his labors as a minister of the Society of 
Friends, but that did not preclude his en- 
gaging actively in civil affairs, and upon 
his arrival in America he at once took a 
prominent place in the affairs of the col- 
ony. He was elected to provincial coun- 
cil for a term of three 3-ears, and was 
qualified as a member i mo. 20. 1684, and 



HISTORY OF BUCKS COUNTY. 



57 



was again elected and commissioned in 
1691. He was also commissioned April 
6, 1685. one of the justices of the courts 
of Bucks county, which commission was 
renewed January 2, 1689-90. He was one 
of the commission of twelve men ap- 
pointed to divide the county into town- 
ships in 1690, and filled many other im- 
portant official positions. In the minis- 
try he visited Friends' meetings in New 
England, Rhode Island, Long Island, 
New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Maryland, 
and was an esteemed counsellor in all 
matters pertaining to the Society, as 
well as of the county and province. In 
the early part of 1695 he began to make 
preparations for a visit to Friends in 
England, executing a power of attorney 
to his eldest son, Jacob Janney, to trans- 
act business for him in his absence, and 
making his will, which is dated 3 mo. 
21, 1695. This will was doubtless proved 
and recorded in the county of Bucks, 
but the records of the county (with the 
exception of deeds) from 1693 to 1713 
are entirely lost, and it is only through a 
copy found among the papers of Samuel 
M. Janney. the Quaker historian, that 
we learn what its provisions were. He 
was accompanied on his visit to England 
by Griffith Owen, and they started by 
way of Maryland 3 mo. 31, 1695. Ean'ding 
in London, they traveled through Eng- 
land and Wales, visiting many meetings. 
Janney was taken sick in the spring of 
1696, while in Derbyshire, but. partially 
recovering, attended the Quarterly Meet- 
ing in London, and then started to pay a 
visit to his relatives in Cheshire, and, 
though detained in Hertfordshire by a 
severe attack, eventually reached Che- 
shire, and so far recovered as to visit 
meetings there and in Lancashire, and 
made preparations to return to Penn- 
sylvania in \i mo., 1696, but, being taken* 
seriously ill, returned to the home of his 
sister. Mary Burgess, where he was born, 
and died there the 12th of the 12th mo., 
(February) 1696-7, at the. age of sixty- 
three years, having been a minister for 
forty-two years. His wife Margery sur- 
vived him and died somewhere between 
1697 and 1700, Their children were six 
in number — four sons: Jacob, Thomas, 
Abel, and Joseph, who accompanied their 
parents to America; and two daughters, 
Martha and Elizabeth, who died in Eng- 
land. 

I. Jacob Janney, born at Pownall Fee, 
Cheshire, 3 mo. 18, 1662, buried in Bucks 
county, 8 mo. 6, 1708, married at Falls 
Meeting, Bucks county, 10 mo. 26, 1705. 
Mary Hough, born in Bucks county, 7 
mo. 6, 1684, daughter of John and Han- 
nah Hough, of Newtown. After her 
husband's death she married, 3 mo. 2, 
1710, John Fisher, by whom she had one 
child, Mary, who married in 1740 John 
Butler. The only child of Jacob and 
Mary (Hough) Janney was Thomas, 
born 12 mo. 27, 1707-8, died 4 mo. 8, 1788. 



2. Martha Janney, born at Cheadle, 
Cheshire, 5 mo. 17, 1665, died there 12 
mo. 4, 1665-6. 

3. Elizabeth, born at Pownall Fee, 11 
mo. 15, 1666-7, died 11 mo. 17, 1666-7. 

4. Thomas Janney, born at Pownall 
Fee, Cheshire, 12 mo. 5, 1667-8, died in 
Bucks county. He married 9 mo. 3, 
1697, Falls Meeting records, Rachel 
Pownall, born in Cheshire, England, 
daughter of George and Eleanor Pow- 
nall, of Bucks county. They had four 
children; Henry, born 4 mo. 20, 1699; 
Sarah, born 8 mo. 26, 1700, married 1722, 
Thomas Pugh; Mary, married 1725, 
Thomas RoutJedge; Abel, born in Bucks 
county, died there 1748, married June 5, 
1740, Elizabeth Biles. 

5. Abel Janney, born at Mobberly, 
Cheshire, 10 mo. 29, 1671, married in New 
Jersey, 1700, Elizabeth Stacy, born at 
Dorehouse, Yorkshire, 8 mo. 17, 1673, 
daughter of Mahlon and Rebecca (Ely) 
Stacy, of Trenton, New Jersey. They 
had seven children; Amos, born 11 mo. 
15. 1701-2, died in Fairfax county, Vir- 
ginia, 1747, married, 1727-8, at Falls, 
Mary Yardley, daughter of Thomas and 
Ann (Biles) Yardley; Rebeckah, born 9 
mo. 9, 1702, died at Wilmington, Dela- 
ware, married Joseph Poole, of Bucks 
countjs born in Cumberland, England, 
1704, died in Bucks county, Pennsyl- 
vania, 1767; Mahlon, born in Bucks 
county, 2 mo. 18, 1706; Thomas, married 
1735, Hannah Biles, daughter of William 
and Sarah (Langhorne) Biles; Jacob, 
born 4 mo. 10, 1710, died in Delaware il 
mo. 14, 1782. married Elizabeth Levis, at 
Kennett, Chester county, was a prom- 
inent minister: Abel, removed to Vir- 
ginia, 1742; Elizabeth, married 10 mo. 
22, 1737, John Stackhouse, and (second) 
David Wilson, both of Bucks county. 
Abel Janney. the father of the above 
named children, was a justice of the 
peace 1708-10, and a member of assem- 
bly 1710-21. 

6. Joseph Janney, born at Pownall Fee, 
Cheshire, i mo. 26, 1675-6, died in Bucks 
county, about 1729, married at Falls 
Meeting, 6 mo. 18, 1703, Rebeckah Biles, 
born in Bucks county, 10 mo. 27, 1680, 
daughter of William and Joanna Biles, 
and had six children : Martha, married 
Nicholas Parker and settled in 'New Jer- 
sey; Ann, died young; Abel, married at 
Falls, 8 mo. 2. 1733, Sarah Baker, and 
removed to Virginia; William, married 
at Falls, Elizabeth Moon, born 10 mo. 16, 
1719, daughter of Roger and Ann (Nutt) 
Moon, and removed to Virginia; Jacob, 
married at Falls, 1725, Hannah IngTe- 
dew, and removed to Virginia; Mary, 
married at Falls, 1720, John Hougji, of 
Bucks county and removed to Virginia; 
they are the ancestors of Emerson 
Hough, of Chicago, the novelist and His- 
torical writer, editor of "Forest and 
Stream." 

Thomas Janney, born 12 mo. 27, 1797-8, 



58 



HISTORY OF BUCKS COUNTY. 



only son of Jacob and Mary (Hough) 
Janney, is the ancestor of the Janneys at 
present resident within the county of 
Bucks. He married at Wrightsfown 
Meeting, Bucks county, lo mo. 28, 1732, 
Martha IMitchell. daughter of Henry and 
Sarah (Gove) Mitchell; the former a son 
of Henry and Elizabeth (Foulds) 
Mitchell, was born at Marsden Lane, 
Lancashire, and the latter was a daugh- 
ter of Richard Gove of Philadelphia. By 
the will of Thomas Janney, the pioneer 
and provincial councillor, he devised to 
his son "Jacob the house and plantation 
which 'we do live in and upon, with all 
the la7ids and appurtenances thereunto 
belonging," and, Jacob dying in 1708, it 
descended to his infant son and only 
child Thomas Janney, and has contin- 
ued to be the home of his descendants 
to the present day. On a visit to the 
old homestead in May, 1905, the writer 
of these lines was shown the old family 
Bible nearly a century old, in which was 
inscribed, in the quaint handwriting of 
long ago, the dates of the birth of the 
children of Thomas and Martha (Mitch- 
ell) Janney. Martha, the mother, died 
9 mo. 19, 1785, and Thomas, the father, 
4 mo. 8, 1788. Their children were: 
Jacob, born 8 mo. 15, 1733, died 3 mo. 
26, 1761, without issue; Thomas, born 2 
mo. 17, 1736, died 11 mo. 16, 1754; Rich- 
ard, born 8 mo. 22, 1738, died 9 mo. 5, 
1766, see forward; Mary, born i mo. 18, 
1741, died 2 mo. 24, 1795, married 3 mo. 
19, 1788, William Linton, no issue; Sarah, 
born 10 mo. 19, 1743, married 11 mo. 11, 
1762, Daniel Richardson, and had one 
son, Daniel; Alice, born 10 mo. 4, 1747, 
married John Dawes, and settled in New 
Jersey; Martha, born 9 mo. 11, 1750, mar- 
ried Isaac Warner. None of these sons 
survived their father, and the homestead 
was devised by his will to his grandson 
Jacob Janney, the only grandson of the 
name. 

Richard Janney, third son of Thomas 
and Martha (Mitchell) Janney, born 8 
mo. 22, 1738, married, in 1764, Sarah 
W^orth. daughter of Joseph Worth, of 
Stony Brook,' Burlington county. New 
Jersey. She was born in 1741, and died 
in Wrightstown township, Bucks county, 
August 20. 1833. at the age of ninety-two 
years, having been a widow for forty 
years, though three times married. Rich- 
ard Janney died 9 mo. 5, 1766, leaving an 
only child, Jacob Janney. born 4 mo. 10, 
1765. His widow married Stephen Twin- 
ing in T773, and had two children; Mary 
born September 16, 1774, died March 8. 
1815, married Joseph Burson; and 
Stephen Twining, born 1776, died 1849. 
Her second husband dying in 1777, Sarah 
married (third) 2 mo. 6, 1782, James Bur- 
son. 

Of the youth of Jacob Janney, only 
child of Richard and Sarah (Worth) Jan- 
ney, little is known. Tradition relates 



that he lived for a time in New Jersey. 
If this were true, it was probably with 
his maternal grandparents. As his moth- 
er's last two husbands both resided in 
Wrightstown, it is probable that he was 
reared there or on the old homestead in 
Newtown, with his grandparents, 
Thomas and Martha Janney. Certain it 
is that that was his residence at the time 
of his grandfather's death in 1788, when 
he is devised the plantation and made ex- 
ecutor of the will of his grandfather. He 
married, ii mo. 16, 1792, Frances Briggs, 
born 10 mo. 19, 1773, died 8 mo. 21, 1851, 
daughter of John and Letitia Briggs, and 
continued to reside on the old homestead 
until his death, 2 mo. 19, 1820. The 
children of Jacob and Frances (Briggs) 
Janney, all born on the old homestead at 
Newtown, are as follows: 

1. Thomas, born 8 mo. 9, 1794, died in 
Newtown borough, 3 mo., 1879, married 
10 mo. II, 1838, Mary Kimber, daughter 
of Emmor and Susanna, born 2 mo. 10, 
1807, and had two children: Anna, mar- 
ried a Bergner, and is still living in New- 
town; and Emmor Janney, of Philadel- 
phia. Thomas lived on the old home- 
stead until 1842, when he rented it to his 
youngest brother, Stephen T. Janney, 
and removed to Newtown. He was a 
large landowner in Newtown and Make- 
field. 

2. Richard, born 3 mo. 13, 1796, died 
in Lower Makefield, 8 mo., 1877, married 
(first) Ann Taylor, and (second) Ach- 
sah Yardley, and lived and died in Lower 
Makefield. He had seven children: 
Mercy Ann, married Heston Lovett, of 
Lower Makefield, and is deceased; Tay- 
lor, died unmarried; Susan, married 
(first) Lovett Brown, of Falls, and (sec- 
ond) Oliver Paxson, of New Hope, where 
she still resides; Franklin, died in Phila- 
delphia; Jacob, married Matilda Ely, of 
Lambertville, and is living in Philadel- 
phia; Frances, married Jonathan Scho- 
field, of Lower Makefield, and is de- 
ceased; and Mary, married William Lin- 
ton, of Newtown, and is deceased. 

y 3. Jacob, born 4 mo. 24, 1798, married 
Esther Betts, daughter of Stephena and 
Hannah (Blackfan) Betts of Solebury, 
and removed to Cecil county, 
Maryland, and after several years 
residence there returned to Bucks 
county. and later removed with 
his family to IMichigan. where he died 12 
mo., 1869. They had seven children: 
Hannah. married Amasa Atkinson; 
James Worth, married Loisa Beitzel; Ed- 
ward B., died single in Michigan; Fran- 
ces, married John Sumner, and is re- 
cently deceased: Elwood, married Al- 
meda Allen; Robert Simpson, married 
Urania Baldwin: Dr. Joshua Janney. of 
Moorestown, New Jersey, who married 
Amanda Eastburn, of Solesburj^. 

4. John L., born 5 mo. 31. 1800, died 
on his portion of the homestead, 4 mo. 



HISTORY OF BUCKS COUNTY. 



59 



12, 1872. He married Mary . Jenks, 
daughter of Thomas and Thomazine 
(Trimble) Jenks, of Middletown. (See 
Jcnks Family). By the will of Jacob 
Janney the homestead was devised to his 
sons Thomas and John L., and they in 
1829 made partition of it and a tract pur- 
chased by them adjoining, the new pur- 
chase and a small part of the homestead 
on the east going to John L., where he 
lived and died, and where his son Thomas 
and daughters Elizabeth and Thomazine 
still reside. The children of John L. and 
Mary (Jenks) Janney were: Charles, 
married first Anna Yardley, and second 
her sister, Julia Yardley, was a merchant 
at Dolington for many years, and died 
on a farm in Solebury in 1902; Thomas 
J., who was prothonotary of Bucks 
county, 1895-7, and is now cashier and 
accountant in the office of the Newtown, 
Bristol and Doylestown Electric Rail- 
way Company at Newtown; John L., Jr., 
married Matilda Wynkoop, and resides 
in Newtown borough, though still con- 
ducting the old homestead farm; and 
Elizabeth and Thomazine, before men- 
tioned. 

5. Martha, born 10 mo. 14, 1801, died 
12 mo. 6. 1876, married Robert Simp- 
son, of Upper Makefield, and had five 
children: Jacob, of Buckingham, de- 
ceased, married Elizabeth Johnson; 
William, of Upper Makefield, deceased, 
married Julia Johnson; Elizabeth, wife 
of Benjamin Smith, many years princi- 
pal of Doylestown English and Classical 
Seminary, now of Plymouth Friends' 
School; IMartha, wife of Albert Hibbs, of 
Kansas; and James, who married an Eis- 
inbrey, of Solebury, and died in Kansas. 

6. Benjamin, born i mo. 17, 180.^, died 
I mo. 8, 1806. 

7. Mary, born 6 mo. 8, 1805, died 7 mo. 
31. 1807. 

8. Sarah, born 10 mo. 21, 1806, died 10 
mo. 10, 1851; married Joshua Dungan, no 
issue. 

9. Letitia, born 9 mo. 25, 1808, died i 
mo, 22, 1813. 

10. William, born 3 mo. 31, 1810, died 
3 mo. 7, 1891, married 12 mo. 15, 1830, 
Rebecca Smith, daughter of William and 
Sarah (Moore) Smith, of Solebury, 
where she was born in 1810. He was a 
farmer in Lower Makefield for several 
years, and later lived retired in Newtown 
borough, where his widow and two 
daughters still reside. They were the pa- 
rents of nine children: Richard H., re- 
siding on the old Smith homestead in 
Solebury, married Mary Hibbs, of Pine- 
ville, and had three children: Dr. Will- 
iam Smith Janney, of Philadelphia, see 
forward; Sarah Smith, living with her 
mother in Newtown: Stephen Moore, of 
Newtown, married Elizabeth Nickelson, 
of Yardley; Oliver, of Wrightstown, 
married Hannah Willard, of Newtown; 
George, of Solebury, married Elizabeth 



Ellis, of Langhorne; Martha, wife of 
Harrison C. Worstall, a hardware mer- 
chant of Newtown; Rebecca Frances, 
died in infancy; and Mary Ella, living 
with her mother in Newtown. 

11. Joseph, born 9 mo. 19, 1812, died 
10 mo. 19, 1887, married li mo. 21, 1833, 
Mary Ann Taylor, daughter of David B. 
and Elizabeth, of Lower Makefield, lived- 
and died in Philadelphia. They had chil- 
dren: Barton Taylor, of Eniilie; Benja- 
min, Samuel and Joseph, of Philadelphia; 
Frances, wife of Joseph Lovett, of Emi- 
lie; Elizabeth, died in Philadelphia; and 
Emma, wife of Charles Walton, of Lang- 
horne. 

12. Mahlon, born 12 mo. 15, 1815, mar- 
ried Charlotte Brown, and removed ta 
the west where he died. 

13. STEPHEN T. JANNEY, young- 
est child of Jacob and Frances (Briggs) 
Janney, was born 11 mo. 15, 1817, and 
died II mo. 12, 1898, on the old home- 
stead where he was born and always re- 
sided. He was but three years of age at 
the death of his father, and remained 
with his mother on the homestead, and. 
was educated at an academy in Wilming- 
ton, Delaware. On his marriage in 1842, 
he rented the homestead of his brother 
Thomas, and purchased it in 1855, and 
continued to conduct it until his death. 
He married Harriet P. Johnson, born in 
Buckingham. 10 mo. 20, 1820, died 1891, 
daughter of William H. and Mary (Pax- 
son) Johnson, and granddaughter of 
Samuel and Martha (Hutchinson) John- 
son, all of Buckingham. (See ancestry of 
Hon. E. M. Paxson, where an account of 
the distinguished ancestry of Mrs. Jan- 
ney, maternal and paternal is given). 
The children of Stephen T. and Harriet 
P. (Johnson) Janney, were: Calvin D., 
born January 12, 1843, residing on the 
homestead, married March 8, 1892, Fred- 
erica, daughter of Frederick and Anna. 
M. Linton, of Newtown, who died at 
the birth of their only child. Frederick, 
December. 1892; Horace, born Septem- 
ber I, 1846, farmer and nurseryman at 
Newtown: William H., born October i, 
1849, a farmer in Lower Makefield, mar- 
ried February 3, 1873, Anna M. Torbert, 
daughter of James L. and Maria (Van 
Artsdalen) Torbert. of Lower Makefield, 
and had two children: Elizabeth, wife of 
Erwin J. Doan, of Philadelphia, who 
has three children — Frances J., Anna 
Jean and Harriet J.; and Harriet, wife of 
LeRoy Suber, of Newtown. Mrs. Anna 
M. Janney died 3 mo. 11, 1893. and Will- 
iam H. married (second) June 8, 1905, 
Ella J. Burroughs, daughter of Robert 
and Phebe (Beans) Burroughs of New- 
town. Marietta Janney, third child of 
Stephen and Harriet, is still single, and 
resides with her brother Calvin on the 
homestead. Frances J. Janney, the 
youngest daughter, married, September 



6o 



HISTORY OF BUCKS COUNTY. 



26, 1877, Wilmer A. Briggs, son of Theo- 
dore S. and Sarah B. (Leedom) Briggs, 
of Upper Makefield, and they reside at 
Glen Ridge, New Jersey. 

DR. WILLIAM SMITH JANNEY, of 
1535 North Broad street, Philadelphia,, 
Pennsylvania( second son of William and 
Rebecca (Smith) Janney, was born in 
Lower Makefield township, Bucks 
•county, Pennsylvania, August 12, 1833. 
He acquired his elementary education at 
the public schools, Newtown Academy, 
Bellevue Academy at Langhorne, and 
finished as a private pupil of Joseph Fell, 
of Buckingham. At the age of seventeen 
years he taught school at Brownsburg, 
Upper Makefield township, and later at 
Lumberville, in Solebury, at the same 
time taking up the study of medicine. He 
attended lectures at the Pennsylvania 
Medical College at Philadelphia in the 
winters of 1852 and 1853, and graduated 
in March, 1854. He practiced medicine 
at Tullytown, Bucks county, for two 
years, and in April, 1856, removed to 
Leavenworth, Kansas, just in time to 
tecome involved in the noted "Border 
War." Returning to Bucks county in 
the fall of the same year, he located at 
Woodsville, Mercer county, New Jerse3% 
where he remained until 1870. In the 
meantime, however, (in 1862, he enlisted 
in the army as assistant surgeon of the 
Twenty-first New Jersey Volunteers, and 
was promoted to surgeon of the Twenty- 
second Regiment. His regiment during 
its ten months service took part in the 
battles of Chancellorsville and Freder- 
icksburg, and the doctor had ample op- 
portunity for the use of his skill as a 
surgeon. Returning to Woodsville, New 
Jersey he resumed his practice, which 
continued until 1870, when he removed 
to a plantation in Caroline county, Vir- 
ginia, where he remained until 1874. 
when he resumed the practice of his pro- 
fession at Eighth and Oxford streets, 
Philadelphia, removing in 1877 to his 
present location, where he has since 
practiced. In 1880 he was elected cor- 
oner of Philadelphia by 20,000 majority. 
He was for sixteen years surgeon of the 
Philadelphia Hospital, and for the last 
fourteen years has had charge of the 
"hospital of Girard College, and stands 
deservedly high in his profession. He 
is a member of Post No. 2, G. A. R., and 
of the Loyal Legion, and in politics is a 
Republican. He married, in November, 
185s, Sarah Ellen Beans, born April, 
1835, daughter of Benjamin and Mary 
Beans, of Lower Makefield, Bucks 
county, Pennsylvania. They have been 
the parents of four children, two of 
whom, a son and daughter, died in in- 
fancy; those who survive are: Marianna, 
born November 2, 1873; and William, 
born February 18. 1876, a graduate of 
the University of Pennsylvania, both re- 
siding with their father. 



THE JAMES FAMILY. The James 
family of Bucks county is of Welsh orig- 
in, being descended from John James 
and Elizabeth, his wife, who with sons 
Thomas, William, Josiah, and Isaac, 
and daughters Sarah, Rebecca and Mary, 
migrated in the year 171 1 from 
the parish of Riddillyn, Pem- 
brokeshire, South Wales, and settled in 
Montgomery township, Philadelphia, 
(now Montgomery) county. They 
were Welsh Baptists, and the vanguard 
of the little colony of that denomination 
who eight years later organized them- 
selves into a church known as the Mont- 
gomery Baptist church, of which the 
James family were members for many 
years. New Britain and Hilltown Bap- 
tist churches were ofifshoots of this an- 
cient church. The James family con- 
tributed largely to the moral and finan- 
cial support of the New Britain church 
for many generations. 

Whether the family settled originally 
in Montgomery or in New Britain is 
problematical. According to Rev. Mor- 
gan Edwards, the great Baptist histor- 
ian, the Rev. Abel Morgan, pastor of 
Pennypack church, preached to the lit- 
tle colony at Montgomery prior to the 
organization of the church, at the house 
of John Evans, who arrived from Pem- 
brokeshire a year prior to the arrival 
of the James family, and the James fam- 
ily formed part of the assembly. At that 
period all the land on the Bucks county 
side of the line belonged to other than 
actual settlers, in large tracts, and it 
is more than probable that the James 
family were tenants on some of this 
land. In 1720 John James and his eldest 
son Thomas purchased one thousand 
acres in New Britain township, Bucks 
county, including a portion of the pres- 
ent borough of Chalfont, and extending 
eastward at least two miles, and north 
westerly at its western end nearly as far, 
being in the shape of the letter L. Be- 
tween that date and 1726, when they 
made a division of the land between 
them, they conveyed nearly one half of 
this tract to the other three brothers, 
William, Josiah and Isaac, and William 
and Thomas had purchased other tracts 
adjoining on the northeast until the fam- 
il}^ owned nearly if not quite 2,000 acres, 
extending from Chalfont far into what 
is now Doylestown township, and up 
across Pine Run and North Branch to 
the old highway leading through New 
Galena. Two of the brothers. Josiah 
and Isaac, do not seem to have left de- 
scendants in Bucks county, though both 
owned portions of the original 1,000 
acre purchase. Josiah married. May 21, 
T724, Elizabeth, daughter of Thomas 
Ferry of Great Valley Baptist church, 
Chester county, and a year later she was 
received as a member of Montgomery 
church, but June 16. 1727, they received 
a dismissal to Great Valley and prob- 



HISTORY OF BUCKS COUNTY 



6i 



ably settled in Chester county. Isaac 
James was a blacksmith, and resided in 
Montgomery township. He married, No- 
vember 26, 1729, Ann Jones. We have 
no further record of him other than his 
conveyance of his New Britain land 
about 1742. Josiah had received 235 
acres of the 1,000 acre purchase in 1722, 
and conveyed it to his brother in 1725. 
Of the daughters of John and Elizabeth 
James, Sarah, .the eldest, as shown by 
the records of Montgomery church, 
s married Benjamin Phillips, March 2, 
^f 1727, but in the will of her father twen- 
ty years later she is mentioned as Sarah 
Lewis. Rebecca, we learn from the same 
source, was married to a miner. Mary 
' was single at her father's death in 1749, 
K^ ' and was requested to live with her 
brother Thomas. Elizabeth James died 
prior to her husband. 

Thomas James, eldest son of John and 
Elizabeth, was born in Wales about 
1690, and died in New Britain in April, 
1772. As previously stated, he was one 
of the original purchasers of the 1,000 
acres of which he retained possibly 300 
acres, and in 1731, purchased over 200 
acres of the society lands of Joseph 
Kirkbride, most of which, however, he 
conveyed to his sons several years prior 
to his death. He married. May 15, 1722, 
Jane Davis, and she was baptized as a 
member of Montgomery church, No- 
vember 19, 1725. They had four sons 
and two daughters, Thomas, the eldest, 
lived and died on a portion of the old 
plantation in New Britain, but is said 
to have left no issue to survive him. 
Elizabeth, the eldest daughter, married 
Benjamin Butler about 1746, and had 
one daughter, Ann, who married (first) 
Thomas Morris, and (second) Moses 
Aaron. Benjamin Butler died about 1750. 
James James, second son of Thomas 
and Jane, married Elizabeth Eaton in 
1762. His father had conveyed to him 
in 1755, 167 acres, part of which is now 
the property of the estate of Eugene 
James, deceased, one-half mile west of 
New Britain, and here he lived until the 
close of the Revolution, when he ex- 
changed v/'th Peter Eaton for land in 
Rov.c.n ccuirty North Carolina, and re- 
moved thither taking with him three of 
the children of his brother John. 

John James, third son of Thomas and 
Jane, received by deed from his father 
in 1 761 a farm of two hundred acres, and 
lived thereon his entire life. He was a 
member of the New Britian Company of 
Associators in 1775, and a private in 
Captain Henry Darrah's company, when 
in service under Lieutenant Colonel 
(later General) John Lacey, November 
I, 1777. He died in March, 1779. John 
James was twice married, first on Au- 
gust 13, 1762, to Magdalena Keshlen, (or 
Keshler) a German woman, by whom he 
had two children; Margaret, born 1763, 



died March 3, 1821, married Morgan 
Jame,'-.. son of John, and grandson of 
William James; and Benjamin James, 
born 1765, removed to Bryant's Settle- 
ment, • Rowan county, North Carolina, 
with his uncle James James about 1785. 
John James married (second) June 14, 
1766, Edith Eaton, a sister to his brother 
James' wife, and had by her two children 
Catharine and James. In his will dated 
February 10, 1779, proved March 10,. 
1779, he directs that Catharine's share 
of his estate be left in the hands of her 
"Aunt Elizabeth James;" this was the 
wife of James James, with whom all 
three of the younger children removed 
to North Carolina. James, the young- 
est son, was devised 200 acres of land 
in Chestnut Hill township, Northamp- 
ton county. 

Samuel James, youngest son of Thom- 
as and Jane, received from his father a 
farm of about 150 acres just northeast 
of Chalfont, and died there in 1804. He 
married, April 8, 1765, Anna Keshlen, a 
sister to his brother John's first wife, 
and had five children; i. Samuel, who 
married Elizabeth Shewell, and removed 
to Maryland, where he died in 1847; 2. 
Levi, who married Rebecca Polk and 
was the father of Samuel P. and grand- 
father of Levi L. James, late a member 
of the bar, and father of Robert James, 
deceased, whose son Louis H. was also a 
lawyer, and Lydia, who married John 
G. Mann; 3. Elizabeth, married Isaac 
Oakford; 4. Margaret, married John 
Wolfe; and 5. Ann James. Levi married 
late in life Mary Polk, nee Good, who 
survived him many years. 

William James, son of the emigrant 
John James and Elizabeth his wife, from 
whom most of the family now residing 
in Bucks county are descended, was born 
in Pembrokeshire about 1692, and died 
in New Britain township, Bucks county, 
in 1778. He seems to have been the fa- 
vorite son. and was the largest land- 
owner of the family. In the year 1725 
his father and brother Thomas con- 
veyed to him 206 acres of the 1,000 acre 
purchase, and in the same year he pur- 
chased of his brother Josiah his allot- 
ment of 235 acres of the same. In 1738 
he purchased of John Kirkbride 207 
acres of the society lands, part of which 
is still the property of his descendants. 
He also owned other tracts of land near 
Chalfont. which became the property of 
his sons-in-law. He conveyed practical- 
ly all of his land to his children in his 
life time — in 1749 to John the 206 acres, 
and to Isaac the 207 acres; and in 1758 
to Abel the 235 acres. William James 
married in 1718. The name of his wife 
was Mary, but nothing more is known of 
her. She was baptized at Montgomery 
church in 1719 as "Mary, wife of Will- 
iam James." She died about 1765. Will- 
iam and Mary James had five children; 









^2 



HISTORY OF BUCKS COUNTY 



John; Isaac; Margaret, wlio married 
Henry Lewis; Abel; and Rebecca, who 
married Simon Butler, Jr. 

John James, eldest son of William and 
Mary, born 1719, died 1785, was a car- 
penter and joiner by trade, but, since he 
retained possession of his farm and re- 
sided thereon his whole life, it is to be 
supposed his principal occupation was 
the tilling of the soil. He married, May 
20, 1740, Elizabeth, daughter of Lewis 
' Evans, and was the father of ten chil- 
■dren, nine of whom grew to maturity, 
viz: I. Josiah, born 1741, died December 
II, 1816, married Elizabeth Evans. 2. 
AVilliam, born 1742, died May 10, 1828, 
married January 25, 1769, Rebecca Will- 
iams. 3. Isaac, born 1744, married Jemi- 
ma Mason, and removed to the state of 
Ohio. 4. Ebenezar, born 1746, died 1815, 
had no children. 5. Simon, born 1748, 
died 1814, married Elizabeth Hines. 
6. Morgan, born April 27, 1752, died 
April 18, 1816, married Margaret James, 
daughter of John, as before stated. 7. 
Elizabeth, married John Callender. 8. 
Mary, married Nathan Evans. 9. Alice 
married Thomas Mathias. Of the above 
Josiah and Elizabeth were the great- 
grandparents of Robert E. James, Esq., 
of Easton, Pennsylvania, and the chil- 
dren of William and Rebecca all re- 
moved to the west. The only one who 
left descendants in Bucks of the name 
was Morgan, and Margaret. 

Morgan James, sixth son of John and 
Elizabeth James, was born on the old 
plantation in New Britain, April 27, 
1752. At the breaking out of the Revo- 
lution he, with his brothers Josiah, Will- 
iam, Isaac, became members of the Asso- 
ciated Company of New Britain militia. 
Morgan was later a private in Captain 
Henry Darrah's company, and was in ac- 
tive service under General John Lacey. 
His brothers, Isaac, Ebenezer, Simon 
and William, were also in this company. 
Morgan James married, as before stated, 
Margaret James, daughter of John and 
Magdalene. Their children were: i. Ly- 
■dia, who married Mathew Thomas. 2. 
Benjamin, born November 28, 1786, 
died May 24, 1865, married Elizabeth, 
daughter of Moses Aaron, and widow of 
James Poole, left no issue. 3. Naomi, 
iDorn February 26, 1793, died November 
4, 1871, married Jacob Conrad. 4. Isa- 
iah, born August 27, 1798, died Septem- 
ber 23, 1886, married Caroline James, 
daughter of Abel James. 

Isaac James, second son of Williani 
and Mary James, born in New Britain 
about 1726, received from his father in 
1749 a deed for over 200 acres of land 
upon which he lived his entire life. He 
was constable of New Britain township 
for many years. He died very suddenly 
in 1766. aged about fifty years. His wife, 
whom he married in 1751. was Sarah 
Thomas, daughter of John Thomas, who 
•came to New Britain from Wales in 



1726 and died there in 1750. The chil- 
dren of Isaac and Sarah (Thomas') 
James were: i. Abiah, born 1745, died 
December i, 1834, married September 22, 
1773, Rachel Williams. 2. John, born 
1747- a soldier in the Revolution, mar- 
ried Dorothy Jones. 3. Abel, born 1749, 
died 1798, married Elizabeth Hines. 4. 
Nathan, born 1754, died 1845, married 
Sarah Dungan. 5. Samuel, born 1760, 
died 1848, married Elizabeth Cornell and 
removed to North Carolina in 1785. 6. Us- 
lega, born 1762, died 1844, married Jo- 
seph Morris. 7. William, born 1764, 
died 1854, removed to Reading, Berks 
county, Pennsylvania. 8. Benjamin, 
born 1766, died 1854, married Ann Will- 
iams. Tracy, died young. Of these, Ab- 
iah, Abel, Nathan, and Benjamin have 
descendants residing in Doylestown.and 
will be noticed later in this sketch. 

Abel, the youngest son of William and. 
Mary James, born about 1729, died Sep- 
tember, 1770, at Dover, Delaware, was in 
some respects the most prominent of 
the family m his generation. He re- 
ceived a liberal education and was pos- 
sessed of ample means and early evinced 
a taste for mercantile pursuits. He mar- 
ried Mary, daughter of Thomas Howell, 
of Warwick, in 1756, and entered into 
business in Philadelphia and Dover, Del- 
aware, and was for several years very 
successful. An unfortunate speculation 
ruined him. and the worry and strain 
of his financial difficulties brought on a 
fever from which he died while at Dover. _/;^ 
His plantation of 235 acres in New Brit- - 
ain had been heavily mortgaged to tide 
him over a financial speculation and was 
sold. He left five sons and four daugh- 
ters, viz: I. Daniel, the eldest son, was a 
clerk for his father at Dover at the time 
of the failure; after his father's death r 
he secured a position as clerk at Dur- 
ham Iron Works, then operated by Jo- 
seph Galloway. At the closing of the 
furnace in 1776 he returned to Delaware 
and joined Proctor's Delaware regiment 
as a lieutenant, was promoted to cap- 
tain, and served throughout the war. 2. 
William, the second son, was also a sold- "^' 
ier in the Revolution, first enlisting in 
Captain Edward Jones' company recruit- 
ed in Hilltown, and later serving in Cap- 
tain John Spear's company in the Elev- 
enth Pennsylvania Regiment. 3. Mar- .^ 
garet, married William Kerr, of War- »* 
wnck. 4. John James was a noted mill- ,J* 
wright, and lived and died in Lower ^ 
Dublin township, Philadelphia county."^ 
5. Mary, married Abel Thomas of Hill- 
town; they removed first to Harford 
county, Maryland, and later to Rock- 
bridge county, Virginia. 6. Martha, 
married Asa Thomas, brother of Abel.* 
Abel H., youngest child of ."Vbel and 
Mary (Howell) James, was born Jan- 

*Catharine, another dauehter. married Mr. Hilt, an 
iron master, having iron works in the extreme western 
end of Virginia. 



HISTORY OF BUCKS COUNTY. 



63 



nary i, 1771, a few months after his 
father's death. VV'hen quite a youth he 
went with his brother-in-law, Abel 
Thomas, to Maryland, and a few years 
later to Virginia, near the Natural 
Bridge, where he engaged in the trans- 
portation of produce down the James 
river. The boats were built at Lexing- 
ton, and on reaching tidewater were 
sold as well as the cargo, and a new one 
built for the next trip. He returned to 
Bucks county in 1803 to marry Cath- 
arine Owen, daughter of Griffith Owen, 
Esq., of Hilltown, intending to return 
with her to Virginia. He was, how- 
ever, persuaded to remain in Bucks 
county, and in 1804 he opened a store 
at what is now Hagersville, on the Beth- 
lehem road, above Dublin, which he 
conducted a few years when he opened a 
store at Lewis' Tavern, in Hilltown. A 
few years later he purchased the store 
property at Leidytown and remained 
there one year, when he purchased the 
tavern and store known as Lewis', at 
what is now Hilltown postoffice and re- 
mained there until his death, June 11, 
1838. His wife died August 12, 1810. and 
he married (second) Gainor Mathias, a 
widow. His children were: Caroline, 
born September 2, 1804, died Septem- 
ber 5, 1888, married Colonel Isaiah 
James, before mentioned; Mary, born 
March 6, 1806. died young. Owen, born 
1807. died young. John Owen James, the 
great Philadelphia merchant, born 
March 8, 1809, died June 26. 1883. Cathar- 
ine Owen, who married Abel H. James, 
•was born in Hilltown township, Bucks 
county, June 17, 1781. She was the eld- 
est daughter of Griffith Owen, Esq., and 
his wife Jane Hughes. 

Griffith Owen, the grandfather of the 
■Griffith mentioned above, was a native 
of Wales and came to America in 1721, 
settling in Hilltown. He was received 
into Montgomery Baptist church, and on 
June 30, 1731, married Margaret, daugh- 
ter of Thomas Morgan, who it is said 
accompanied him from Wales to Bucks 
county. Griffith Owen, Sr.. was one of 
the most prominent men of Hilltown. He 
was captain of the Hilltown company of 
Associators in 1747-8, raised for the de- 
fence of the frontiers and was a member 
-of colonial assembly from 1749 to 1760. 
He died October 18. 1764. He had three 
sons, Owen, Ebenezer and Levi; and 
•one daughter, Rachel Erwin. His eld- 
est son, Owen Owen, married Cathar- 
ine Jones about T756, and had eigJit chil- 
dren: Abel, Elizabeth, Griffith, Edward. 
Owen. Margaret. Sarah and Mary. Grif- 
fith, the second son. was born Febru- 
ary 0. 1758. He was one of the trustees 
of Hilltown Baptist church, and a very 
prominent man in the community. He 
was commissioned a justice of the peace 
in t8oi. and served in that office until 
prevented by the infirmities of age from 
■discharging its duties. He died Feb- 



ruary 5, 1840. His wife, Jane, was the 
daughter of Christopher Hughes, of 
Bedminster and was born September i, 
1759. died January 9, 1841. 

Isaiah James was a very prominent 
man in local and county affairs, a mem- 
ber of New Britain Church, he always 
took an active part in all its affairs and 
was a consistent member thereof. After 
his marriage he lived for a number of 
years in Hilltown township. In 1849 he 
purchased the New Britain farm, now 
owned by the estate of his son, Eugene, 
and made his home thereon for several 
years, conveying it to Eugene in 1870. 
Like all the family he was an ardent 
Democrat in politics and always took an 
active part in his party's councils. He 
was a member of the Assembly, 1834- 
1838, and Prothonotary of Bucks county 
1848-1851, The children of Isaiah and 
Caroline James were Abel H., born 
April 16, 1825, died September 20, 1850. 
He was a man of more than ordinary 
culture and fine ability. He served as 
Deputy Prothonotary during his fath- 
er's incumbency of that office up to the 
time of his death. Isabella, born August 
9, 1828, married Dr. Thomas P. Kep- 
hard; she is now residing in Doyles- 
town with her daughter Florence. Eu- 
gene, born March 31, 1831, died August 
22, 1896, married Martha J., daughter of 
Abiah J. and Miranda (James) Riale. 
Isaiah James, the father, was for many 
years a Colonel of militia, and was al- 
most universally known as Col. James. 

Abiah James, eldest son of Isaac and 
Sarah (Thomas) James, born in 1745, 
died December i, 1834. He accepted the 
222 acre farm of his father, under pro- 
ceedings in partition in 1789, but soon 
after' conveyed a portion thereof to his 
brothers. He married September 22, 
1773, Rachel Williams, and had six chil- 
dren, viz: I. Margaret, married Joshua 
Riale and had. Abiah J., who married 
Miranda, daughter of Joseph and Mar- 
tha (Mann) James; Rachel who married 
Joseph Evana; Elizabeth, who married 
Josiah Lunn, Ann, and Sarah who mar- 
ried David Stephens. 2. Col. Nathan 
James, a soldier in the U. S. army who 
served through the war of 1812. 3. Eliza- 
beth who married William Hines, and 
had children. Nathan. Dr. A. J., deceased, 
late of Doylestown, Elizabeth and Emily. 
4. Abiah, married Pamela Jones. 5. 
Martha, died unmarried, and Benjamin 
W., who married Elizabeth Black, daugh- 
ter of Elias and Cynthia (James) Black. 

Abel James, second son of Isaac and 
Sarah (Thomas) James, born 1749, died 
1798. married Elizabeth Barton, and had 
four children. Barton, who removed to 
Baltimore. Maryland. James, who re- 
moved to Ohio. John, who died unmar- 
ried and Cynthia, who married Elias 
Black, the latter being the parents of 
Elizabeth, who married Benjamin W. 
James. Benjamin W. and Elizabeth 



64 



HISTORY Of BUCKS COUNTY. 



had one son, Abiah R., who married 
Josephine Leavitt and is now livin<,' in 
Doylestown township. A sketch ot 
their only son Wj'nne James, Esq., will 
follow. Nathan James, third son of Isaac 
and Sarah (Thomas) James, born 1754, 
died 1845, niarried Sarah Dungan, and 
had four children, i. John D., for many 
years Court Crier, married Sarah Cline, 
and had Elizabeth who married Ashcr 
Cox, Nathan C, a life long member of 
the Bucks County bar, Sarah, who mar- 
ried Jacob Shade, and Henrietta. 2. Ann, 
or Nancy, married Jesse Callender. 3. 
Joseph, married, Martha Mann, and had 
Miranda, who married Abiah J. Riale, 
Wilhelmina, Charles, Joseph, Louisa, 
and Susan. 4. Simon, married Mary 
Meredith. 

Benjamin youngest son of Isaac and 
Sarah (Thomas) James, born 1766, died 
1854, was a farmer and resided in New 
Britain township. He married Ann or 
Nancy Williams, daughter of Benjamin 
Williams. She died in 1838. Their chil- 
dren were: i. Uslega, married Edward 
Roberts; 2. Isaac W., married Ann Mere- 
dith; 3. Abiah, married Charlotte Aa- 
ron; 4. Thomas C. never married; 5. 
Elizabeth M., died unmarried; 6. Sarah 
Maria, married (first) Hervey Mathias, 
(second) John G. Mann; 7. Abel, died 
unmarried; 8. Silas H. died immarried; 
9. Oliver P., M. D., and two daughters 
who died 3'oung. 



HOWARD I. JAMES, Esq., of Bristol, 
Bucks county, Pennsylvania, senior member 
of the firm of Gilkeson & James, is the sec- 
ond son of Eugene and Martha A. (Riale) 
James, of Doylestown township, whose an- 
cestry is given on other pages of this work, 
and was born on his father's farm in Doyles- 
town township. He was educated at the 
public schools and Doylestown Seminary, 
and read law with his brother, Henry A. 
James, Esq., and was admitted to the Bucks 
county bar May 9, 1892. He' opened an 
office at Bristol, Bucks county, and began 
the practice of his profession, forming a 
partnershipwith his brother Henry A., who 
had an office at Doylestown. In 1898 he 
formed a co-partnership with Hon. B. t. 
Gilkeson, of Bristol, under the firm name 
of Gilkeson & James. This firm was for 
many years the leading one at the local 
bar, and did an immense amount of legal 
business, the routine work of which de- 
volved largely upon Mr. James. At the 
death of Mr. Gilkeson, in 1904, Mr. James 
continued the business for the family, and 
on the admission of B. F. Gilkeson, Jr., to 
the bar about a year later, he became a 
member of the firm, the old firm name of 
Gilkeson & James being continued. Mr. 
James has been a successful practitioner, 
and is one of the leaders among the younger 
members of the bar, and highly respected 
by his fellow attorneys. 



WYNNE JAMES, lawyer and real es- 
tate agent, Doylestown, was born No- 
vember 2, 1865, in Doylestown town- 
ship, on a part of the plantation that 
had been in the tenure of his direct an- 
cestors for over a century, and where 
his father, grandfather and great-grand- 
father were born. He comes of the good 
old James stock. His great-great-grand- 
father Abel James, through his matern- 
al grandmother, was second lieutenant 
of Captain William Pugh's company, 
Fourth Battalion of Pennsylvania militia,^ 
and saw active service in 1777 under 
Lieutenant Colonel William Roberts. 
Several other members of the family 
were also in the service, among them 
John James and Isaac James, who served 
under Captain Henr}' Darrah, in the bat- 
talion of Lieutenant Colonel (afterward 
General) John Lacey, the former being 
a brother to Abiah James, the great- 
grandfather of the subject of this 
sketch. Abiah James was also a mem- 
ber of the militia. 

Abiah R. James, the father of the sub- 
ject of this sketch, as before stated, was 
born on the old homestead in Doyles- 
town township, formerly New Britain, 
being the son of Benjamin W. James 
and Elizabeth Black, the former being 
a son of Abiah James and Rachel Will- 
iams, and the latter a granddaughter of 
Abel James and .Elizabeth Barton. Abiah 
R. was educated in a school established 
on the home farm by his father, and 
where many prominent men were edu- 
cated under the tuition of Professor 
Clark, a graduate of Yale College, and 
an eminent educator. Arriving at man- 
hood he married Josephine Levitt, of 
Memphis, Tennessee, whose family had 
sought refuge in the north during the 
trying scenes of the civil war in their 
native state. At the death of his father 
he inherited the farm that had descend- 
ed from father to son for six generations, 
and still owns it. Failing health in- 
duced him to leave the farm and he and 
his wife live retired in Doylestown town- 
ship. He is a trustee of New Britain 
Baptist church, of which his ancestors 
have been members since its organiza- 
tion. In politics he is a Democrat, but 
has never sought nor held office. The 
subject of this sketch is the only child. 

Wynne James was educated at the 
public schools of his native township 
and at Doylestown English and Classical 
Seminary, where he graduated in 1885. 
He tangh't school in Doylestown town- 
ship for one year, in Southampton for 
three years, and again in Doylestown 
township for one year. In 1891 he en- 
tered as a student at law in the office of 
Nathan C. James, Esq., at Doylestown, 
and was admitted to the bar in March, 
1893, since which time he has practiced 
law and conducted an extensive real 
estate business, his practice being mainly 
in the orphans' court and in connection 



HISTORY OF BUCKS COUNTY. 



with real estate titles and conveyancing. 
He is a member of Doylestown Lodge, 
No. 245, F. & A. M.; Doylestown Chap- 
ter, R. A. M.; and Philadelphia Con- 
sistory; Doylestown Lodge, No. 94, L 
O. O. F. ; the Royal Arcanum and the 
Knights of the Golden Eagle. He was 
married in 1895 to Madeline Mai Gen- 
try, of Memphis. Tennessee, and has 
two children, Madeline A., and Wynne, 
Junior. 



HENRY A. JAMES, attorney and 
counselor at law, Doylestown, son of 
Eugene and Martha A. (Riale) James, 
was born in Doylestown borough, Octo- 
ber 22, 1865. Through the various in- 
termarriages of his ancestors, as shown 
by the preceding sketch of the James 
family, Mr. James is a descendant of 
two of the sons of the emigrant John 
James, viz: William and Thomas, and 
a lineal descendant of three of the sons 
of the former. 

Eugene James, the father of Henry A. 
James, was the son of Col. Isaiah and 
Caroline James, and was born at War- 
rington, Bucks county, where his father 
was at the time conducting a store, 
March 31, 1831. Most of his boyhood 
days were spent in Hilltown, where 
his father was engaged in the mercan- 
tile business. In 1849 his father pur- 
chased the old James plantation in New 
Britain, and Eugene, at the age of eigh- 
teen years, became its principal farmer, 
his father at the time being prothono- 
tary of the county. He remained on the 
farm until his marriage in 1864 to Maria 
A. Riale, daughter of Abiah James and 
Miranda (James) Riale, when he settled 
in Doylestown. His father-in-law, Abi- 
ah J. Riale, dying at about this time, 
Eugene purchased his interest in the 
mercantile firm of Bell & Riale, who 
conducted a store where George W. Met- 
lar, is now located, and became a mem- 
ber of the firm. He continued in the 
store business until the spring of 1870, 
when he purchased his father's New 
Britain farm and lived there until his 
death, August 22, 1896. He was an ac- 
ti'^e and prominent man in the commim- 
ity, and won the esteem of all who knew 
him. He held man}' positions of trust; 
was one of the directors of the Doyles- 
town National Bank, from January, 1884, 
until his death: president for many 
years of the Whitehall Fire Insurance 
Company; a director of the Whitehall 
Turnpike Company, and one of the man- 
agers of the Doylestown Agricultural 
and Mechanics Institute. Eugene and 
Martha A. (Riale) James were the par- 
ents of three children — Henry A.; How- 
ard I., a prominent member of the 
Bucks county bar; and Gertrude Miran- 
da, wife of Rev. Purdy Moyer. 

Henry .\. James was reared from 
the age of five years on the New Brit- 

5-3 



ain farm, and received his early educa- 
tion at the public schools. He later at- 
tended the Doylestown English and 
Classical Seminary, from which he grad- 
uated in 1884. In the following year he 
registered as a student at law in the 
office of J. M. Shellenberger, Esq., at 
Doylestown, and was admitted to the 
bar of Bucks county, January 30, 1888. 
For two years he remained in the office 
of his preceptor, and then opened an 
office for himself, and has since prac- 
ticed his chosen profession in all its 
branches, and has met with success. In 
politics he is a Democrat, and has taken 
an active interest in the councils of his 
party, frequently representing his home 
district in state, congressional and dis- 
trict conventions. He has been a mem- 
ber of the Doylestown school board for 
several years. He is a member of the 
Historical Society of Pennsylvania, and 
of the Bucks County Historical Society. 
He is one of the directors and counsel 
for the Whitehall Fire Insurance Com- 
pany, vice-president of the Fellowship 
Horse Company, president of the Doy- 
lestown Fire Company, and one of the 
board of censors and examiners of the 
Bucks County Bar Association. He is a 
member of Doylestown Lodge, No. 245, 
F. & A. M., and Aquetong Lodge, No. 
193. I. O. O. F. 

He married, April 30, 1902, Miriam 
Watson, daughter of ex-Judge Richard 
and Isabella T. (McCoy) Watson, of 
Doylestown. They have no children. 
Mr. and Mrs. James are members of St. 
Paul's Protestant Episcopal church, of 
Doylestown, of which Mr. James has 
been a vestryman and accounting war- 
den for a nuinber of years. 



IRVIN MEGARGEE JAMES, of 
Doylestown, was born in that town, No- 
vember 25, i860, and is a son of the late 
Nathan C. and Maria (Megargee) 
James, the former of whom was for 
many years a prominent rnember of the 
Bucks County bar, and died August 10, 
1900. 

Nathan James, the great-grandfather 
of Irvin IM., as shown bj' a preceding 
sketch, was a son of Isaac and Sarah 
(Thomas) James, and a great-grandson 
of John James, the emigrant ancestor 
of the family. He Avas an officer of 
militia during the revolutionary war, 
having been commissioned first lieuten- 
ant on ]May 6, 1777, of the Eighth Com- 
pan}\ Captain John Thomas, Second 
Battalion, Colonel Arthur Erwin, Bucks 
County Militia, and was promoted May 
May 10, 1780, to captain of the Seventh 
Company. Fourth Battalion. Colonel Mc- 
Elroy. Captain Thomas' company was 
in active service in August. 1777. Cap- 
tain James married Sarah Dungan, 
daughter of John Dungan, of New Brit- 



66 



HISTORY OF BUCKS COUNTY. 



ain, and had l\jur cliildrcn. viz: Jdlm 
D.; Nancy, wife of Jesse Callender; Jo- 
seph, and Simon, John Dungan James, 
son of Captain Nathan and Sarali ( Dnn- 
gan) James was the grandfather of Ir- 
vin James. He was an officer in the war 
of 1812-14, m the company of his consin. 
Captain Nathan James, as was also his 
brother Simon. John D. was crier of 
the courts of Bucks county for fort)' 
years. He married Sarah Cline. and 
had seven children; Elizabeth; Nathan 
C, above mentioned; Sarah, Silas. Hen- 
rietta, Mary Ann, and Elizabeth. 

Irvin Megargee James was born and 
reared in Doylestown. and was educated 
at the Doylestown Seminary and the 
Cheltenham Academy at Ogontz. Penn- 
sylvania. In 1879 he accepted a position 
as clerk in the wholesale dry goods es- 
tablishment of William B. Kempton & 
Co., of Philadelphia, where he remained 
for two years. The next three years he 
held a similar position with Riegel, 
Scott & Co., in Philadelphia. On July 
5, 1885, he was appointed a clerk in the 
United States pension office at Phila- 
delphia, which position he filled accept- 
ably for five years, four under General 
W. W. H. Davis, and one year under 
his Republican successor. Pension 
Agent Shelmire. In 1890 he entered the 
employ of the Philadelphia "& Reading 
Railroad Company, where he remained 
for one year, when he accepted a re- 
sponsible position in the offices of the 
Pennsylvania Railroad Company, where 
he remained until April, 1903. He now 
follows a general insurance and real es- 
tate business at Doylestown. 

Mr. James has been a member of the 
Doylestown school board for the past 
four years, and is now the secretary of 
the board: he is also clerk of the town 
council. He married, November 27. 
1889. Elizabeth C. Firman, daughter of 
the late Samuel A. and Hannah (Doan) 
Firman. Their only surviving diild is 
Marie Megargee. born July 5. 1893. Mr. 
and Mrs. James are members of St. 
Paul's Protestant Episcopal church of 
Doylestown, of which Mr. James has 
been a vestryman for a number of years. 



DR. OLIVER P. JAMES, late of 
Doylestown, deceased, was the young- 
est son of Benjamin and Nancy (Will- 
iams) James, and was born in New Brit- 
ain township, Bucks county, Pennsyl- 
vania, in 1815-. He was a descendant in 
the fifth generation from John and Eliza- 
beth James; who emigrated from Pem- 
brokeshire. Wales, in 1711, as shown by 
the preceding sketch. On the maternal 
side he is said to be a descendant of the 
Roger Williams family of Rhode Isl- 
and. 

Dr. James was reared upon the New 
Britain farm, on Pine Run, and received 



his education at the schools of the 
neighborhood. At the age of nineteen, 
believing that a mechanical trade was 
his sphere in life, he took up that of a 
carpenter. He did not bind himself as 
an apprentice, as was the custom in 
those days, but. after assisting in build- 
ing a house erected for his father in 
1834, lie went to Philadelphia and 
worked at the trade for two years. Be- 
coming convinced by that time that he 
had mistaken his calling, he abandoned 
the saw and plane, and in 1837 entered 
himself as a student of medicine in the 
office of his cousin. Dr. Robert E. James, 
of Upper Mount Bethel. Northampton 
county. Pennsylvania, father of Robert 
E. James, Esq., of Easton, and read 
the allotted time with the Doctor, and 
during the winter season attended lec- 
tures at the Jefferson Medical College, 
Philadelphia, where he graduated in 
March, 1840. During his studies it de- 
veloped that he possessed a peculiar 
aptitude for his chosen profession. Dur- 
ing the year succeeding his graduation 
his cousin and preceptor, Dr. Robert E. 
James, was serving a term in the state 
legislature and the young doctor took 
charge of his practice in his absence. 
Fie opened an office in New Britain, 
where he soon built up a large practice. 
In the first or second year of his prac- 
tice he was appointed physician at the 
Bucks County Almshouse, a position he 
retained for seventeen years. This po- 
sition attracted attention to the rising 
voung physician, and assisted in secur- 
ing him a large practice that soon ex- 
tended into the far surrounding sec- 
tions. He continued his residence in 
New Britain until 1859, when he re- 
moved to Doylestown. purchasing the 
present Ginsley property, on Main street, 
the former residence of General Sam- 
uel A. Smith. Soon after the war he 
purchased the handsome residence on 
North Main street, where he spent the- 
reniainder of his life, and where his 
widow and dai ghter still reside. 

Dr. James became very prominent in 
the practice of his profession. Prior 
to his retirement from active practice, a 
few years btfore his death, he was one 
oi the most prominent physicians of the 
county, and enjoyed an extensive and 
lucrative practice. He was always close- 
ly identified with the interests of his 
town and county, and in his prime his 
high ability, courtly manners and kind- 
ly nature commanded the highest re- 
spect and gave him a wide infiuence 
among men. , 

In politics he was a Democrat, and 
from early manhood he took an active 
mterest in politics. In 1864 he was 
elected to the state senate over his old 
neighbor. William Godshalk. by a ma- 
jority of 989 votes. In 1878 he was the 
candidate of his party for congress from 
the Seventh District, and. though he rah 



HISTORY OF BUCKS COUNTY 



67 



far ahead of his ticket in many of the 
precincts, was defeated by his old op- 
ponent, William Godshalk. In local so- 
cieties and institutions Dr. James took 
a deep interest. He was a member of 
Doylestown Lodge, No. 245, F. & A. M., 
and its treasurer for many years, hold- 
ing that position at the time of his 
death. He was president of the Doyles- 
town borough council for several terms. 
He was treasurer of the Doylestown Ag- 
ricultural and Mechanics' Institute from 
its organization in 1866 to its dissolu- 
tion in 1892. He was for twenty years 
a director of the Doylestown National 
Bank, and was a member of the board 
of directors of the Doylestown and Wil- 
low Grove Turnpike Company, and treas- 
urer of the company for many years. 

Dr. Jai-'.es died at his residence in 
Doylestown on the evening of Novem- 
ber 19, 1894. He had been in failing 
Tiealth for some time, being confined to 
the house for upwards of a month. The 
cause of his death was valvular disease 
of the heart. 

Dr. James was married in 1859, to Sa- 
rah A. Gordon, of Montgomery county, 
who survives him. Their only son, Oli- 
ver B., died when a young man. several 
years ago. Two daughters survive: 
Martha A., wife of Rev. George H. 
Lorah, D. D., of Philadelphia; and Sarah 
M., residing in Doylestown. 



THOMAS A. JAMES, of Doyles- 
town, son of Louis H. James, is de- 
scended from Thomas James, eldest son 
of John and Elizabeth, who accompanied 
his father from Wales in 1710 and joined 
him m the purchase of the one thousand 
acres of land in New Britain in 1720. 
He married Jane Davis, May 15, 1722, 
and lived all his life on the old farm 
plantation, and died there in 1772, leav- 
ing Thomas; Elizabeth, who married 
Benjamin Butler, and second, Moses 
Aaron; James, John and Samuel. 

Samuel James, born 1730, succeeded 
to one hundred and fifty acres of the 
homestead, and married Anna Kach- 
line, died in 1804, leaving three children: 
Samuel, Levi and Elizabeth, who mar- 
ried Isaac Oakford. 

Levi married Rebecca Polk, of an old 
Scotch-Irish family of Warwick, whose 
pioneer ancestor, Samuel Polk, came 
from Ireland, in 1725, and after her death 
married Mary Good. His children by 
the first wife were: Robert, Samuel, 
Elizabeth. Lydia Ann, and Isabella. He 
was a prominent man in the community. 
He died in 1857. 

Robert, the son, married Ann Bayard, 
a relative of the distinguished Delaware 
family of that name. He was almost a 
giant in stature, modest, unassuming, 
intelligent, a man of unquestioned integ- 
rity. He participated actively in the af- 



fairs of the county, both politically and 
socially. He was elected to the legisla- 
ture at the same election in which Fran- 
cis R. Shunk was made governor, and 
while at Harrisburg a warm friendship 
was cemented between the two men. He 
died in his eighty-eighth year, and was 
survived by his wife and five children: 
Louis H., Nancy C., Frank, Emma C. 
and Louise. 

Louis H. married Mary E. Laughlin, 
of Philadelphia, studied law in the of- 
fice of George Lear, and as a lawyer 
had a large clientage throughout the 
county. Like his father, he took a very 
active part in politics, and was one of 
the leaders of his parity. He died in the 
latter part of 1900, and was survived by 
his wife and six children: Robert C., 
Helen, Thomas A., Carrie Y., Margaret 
C, and Mary E. 



THE PARRY FAMILY OF NEW 
HOPE, PENNSYLVANIA. ("CORY- 
ELL'S FERRY" OF THE REVOLU- 
TION.) 

The Parrys herein mentioned are de- 
scended from an ancient and honorable 
family, long resident in Caernarvon- 
shire, Wales.- THOMAS PARRY, the 
founder of the family in Pennsylvania, 
was born in Caernarvonshire, North 
Wales. A. D., 1680, and came to America 
towards the close of the seventeentU 
century, settling in that part of Phila- 
delphia county — long afterwards set 
aside as Montgomery county, and still 
so called. In 1715 he married Jane Mor- 
ris, by whom he had issue ten children, 
all born between the years 1716 and 1739 
inclusive. Eight of these were sons, and 
two daughters, named Mary and Mar- 
tha. The eldest son Thomas having been 
born July 26, 1716. the third child, John, 
(ancestor of this branch) July 25, 1721, 
and Martha, the youngest, March 3, 
1739- 

THOMAS PARRY, THE ELDER, 
born 1680, was a considerable landholder 
and is recorded as having been owner of 
over one thousand acres of land in Mont- 
gomery county, Pennsylvania, to a part 
of which his son John, Parry, of Moorland 
Manor, subsequently succeeded. Of the 
above thousand acres, Thomas Parry 
conveyed 200 acres to John Van Bus- 
kirk, September 2, 1725;. and 300 acres 
he conveyed to David Maltby, December 
29, 1726. Thomas Parry was a man of 
most excellent good sense, and judg- 
ment, and he and his neighbor and ac- 
cmaintance. Sir William Keith. of 
Graeme Park. Governor of Pennsylvania 
under the Penns. consulted together 
about their internal local affairs, such as 
roads, etc., and certainly the roads were 
bad enough in their day, as Indian trails 
and bridle paths were frequently the best 



68 



HISTORY OF BUCKS COUNTY. 



that they had before. It is only since 
comparatively late years that there were 
turnpikes from Willow Grove, in Mont- 
gomery county to either Doylestown or 
New Hope, in Bucks county. The de- 
scendants of Thomas and Jane Morris 
Parry are to be found at the present day 
not only in Pennsylvania, but in parts of 
Ohio, Indiana, Tennessee, New Jersey, 
and Virginia. By intermarriage the 
Parrys have become allied with some of 
the oldest colonial families in the United 
States, such as Tyson, Randolph, Pax- 
son, Morris, Waldron, Gerrish, Winslow, 
and others of note. A paper, stamed 
yellow with age, found recently among 
some old family papers recites quaintly 
that "Thomas Parrj' dyed ye 30th day 
of ye seventh month, in the year of our 
Lord, one thousand seven hundred and 
Forty Eight." (7 mo. 30, 1748). His 
widow, Jane Parry, survived him many 
years, dying September 6, 1777, aged 
eighty-two years. Both Davis "History 
of Bucks County, Pennsylvania" 1876, 
and "Munsell's American Ancestry" Vol. 
7, page 21, note the coming to America 
of this Thomas Parry. 

JOHN PARRY, of "Moorland Manor," 
so styled to distinguish him from an- 
other John of the same name, the third 
child of Thomas Parry, born 1680, and 
Jane Parry, his wife, was born July 25, 
1721, married September 21, 1751, Mar- 
garet Tyson, daughter of Derick and 
Ann Tyson, and granddaughter of Re- 
nier (sometimes spelled Reynear) Ty- 
son, who, with Daniel Pastorius, the 
three brothers UpdegrafF, Jan Lukens, 
and others, came to America in 1683, 
from Crefeld in Germany, and were the 
original settlers of Germantown, Penn- 
sylvania. Renier Tyson was twice chief 
burgess of Germantown; he in early 
days, removed to Montgomery countjs 
then a part of Philadelphia county, ac- 
quired a large estate, and became ances- 
tor of the Pennsylvania and Maryland 
Tysons. John Parry and Margaret Ty- 
son Parry, his wife, had seven children: 
Thomas, John, Benjamin, Phebe, 
Stephen, David and Daniel, the eldest 
born August 20. 1752, and the youngest 
April 21, 1774. John Parry lived on the 
back road, near the present "Heaton 
station" of the North-East Pennsylvania 
Railroad, the road running into the old 
York Road at about this point. This 
estate was derived from his father, 
Thomas Parry and his house, a large 
double stone mansion, still stands, but 
has since that time been altered by car- 
rying the attic up square, making it now 
(1905) a double three-story structure, but 
losing in its colonial style, which was 
originally not unlike the "Old Parry 
Mansion" at New Hope, Pennsylvania, 
built in T784. John Parry was an elder 
in the Society of Friends, had many city 
acquaintances and, being a man of means 



and much given to hospitality, enter- 
tained largely in this ancient home in his 
day; it passed out of the ownership of 
the family, however a number of years 
ago. Several of John Parry's books 
containing his autograph and dated and 
an oaken and iron-bound wine chest 
once owned by him containing a num- 
ber of very thin bottles bearing curious 
cut devices and most of them unbroken, 
with the wine glasses and two small 
glass funnels, each dotted with cut stars 
gilt are still in existence and much val- 
ued by their owner, a great-grandson, re- 
siding at New Hope. Pennsylvania. .A 
stout gold-headed walking stick or cane 
of this John Parry's and engraved with 
his name and date, A. D., 1751, was also 
in the possession of his great-grandson. 
Judge William Parry, now deceased, and 
doubtless is still preserved in that branch 
of the family. John Parry, of Moorland 
Manor died November 10, 1789, his wife, 
Margaret Tyson Parry, surviving him 
for eighteen years and dying November 
24, 1807. 

BENJAMIN PARRY, a prominent and 
influential citizen of Bucks county. 
Pennsylvania, during the latter part of 
the eighteenth and early part of the nine- 
teenth centuries, was the third child of 
John Parry, of "Moorland Manor" and 
Margaret Tyson, his wife, and was born 
March i. 1757, and married November 
4> 1787, Jane Paxson, daughter of Oliver 
Paxson the elder, of "Maple Grove," 
Coryell's Ferry (now New Hope) Penn- 
sylvania, by whom he had issue, four 
children as follows: 

1. Oliver, born December 20, 1794 (and 
noted later on) died February 20, 1874, 
in eightieth year. 

2. Ruth, born January 4, 1797 and died 
October 28, 1885 in ninetieth year, un- 
married. 

3. Jane, born August 27, 1799, and died 
September 28, 1879, in eighty-first year, 
unmarried. 

4. Margaret, born December 7, 1804, 
and married C. B. Knowles, and had no 
issue. Died July 26, 1880, aged seventy- 
six years. 

Benjamin Parry is mentioned at con- 
siderable length in General Davis' "His- 
tory of Bucks County. Pennsylvania," 1876, 
in Hotchkin's "York Road, Old and New," 
Philadelphia. 1892, and in divers other 
published works. Under the chapter 
upon New Hope. General Davis in the 
historical pages of this work gives some 
account of Benjamin Parry and the old 
Parry Mansion, which is minecessary to 
repeat here. 

Benjamin Parrj^ was the original pro- 
moter of the New Hope Delaware Bridge 
Company and in 1810. first agitated the 
subject, with his friend, the Hon. Sam- 
uel D. Ingham of Solebury. secretary of 
the United States Treasury, under Pres- 
ident Jackson. At that early day, real- 




• -s • x-«^--.x->^" T 




'cmt^^ 




Bom Marc'h I 



f TlLD£N 



-U 



HISTORY OF BUCKS COUNTY. 



69 



izing the great importance of bridging 
the Delaware River at New Hope, these 
two men never rested until it was ac- 
complishd, in 1813-1814. Benjamin Parry 
headed the subscription list and Mr. Ing- 
ham signed, as second subscriber. The 
first public meeting towards organization 
was held September 25, 181 1, at the Tav- 
ern of Garret Meldrum in New Hope at 
which vigorous action was taken towards 
securing the building of the bridge. Ben- 
jamin Parry and Mr. Ingham were the 
commissioners, to superintend its con- 
struction as noted in the very interesting 
paper of the Reverend D. K. Turner, 
upon "Our Bucks County Congressmen" 
read before the Bucks County Historical 
Society, January 22, 1895. It was neces- 
sary to obtain charters from both the 
states of Pennsylvania and New Jersey, 
and charters were granted in both states 
in 1812 — about fifteen months after the 
first eventful meeting at "Meldrum's 
Tavern." The charters gave the bridge 
company banking privileges and acting 
imder the same, and the written opinion 
of their counsel, the Hon. George M. 
Dallas, once vice-president of the United 
States, a banking business was conducted 
and bank bills were issued, for many 
years and became largely the currency 
of the country,. both in Pennsylvania and 
New Jersey. The first president of the 
New Hope Delaware Bridge Company 
was the Hon. Samuel D. Ingham and 
Benjamin Parry was a member of the 
First Board of Managers in 181 1. It 
may perhaps be of some interest to note 
that in 1905, ninety-four years later, the 
family are still closely connected with 
this ancient corporation and one of its 
members (a grandson of Benjamin 
Parry) has been for a number of years 
president of the company. Daniel Parry, 
born April 21, 1774, a younger brothet 
of Benjamin, was its treasurer in 1814. 
The present treasurer is John S. Will- 
iams. From 1784 to about 1815 "Cory- 
ell's Ferry," (now New Hope) was ad- 
mittedly the most active and thriving 
town in Bucks county and the means, 
liand and influence of Benjamin Parry, 
were those which mainly guided the 
helm; so much so was this that in earl> 
times he was known and styled "the 
Father of Coryell's Ferry." Besides his 
linseed oil mills, flour and saw mills in 
Pennsylvania, Benjamin Parry was 
owner of flour mills in Amwell town- 
ship. New Jersey, on the opposite side of 
the river from New Hope and was inter- 
ested with his relatives, Timothy Pax- 
son (one of the executors of the rich. 
Stephen Girard) in the flour commission 
business in Philadelphia. A letter from 
the late Martin Coryell of Lambertville, 
New Jersey, states as follows, "Benjamin 
Parry had a very large and profitable 
trade, for the product of his flour mills 
■with the West Indies and other tropical 



countries, having in A. D., 1810, invented 
a process by which malt, flour, corn 
meal, etc., would resist the heat and 
moisture of voyages through tropical 
climates and remain sweet and whole- 
some" and "that the amount of produc- 
tion was the only limit for the demand 
in foreign ports." This patent from the 
United States to Benjamin Parry is dated 
July 10, 1810; and is recorded in both 
Washington and Philadelphia; the rec- 
ord in Philadelphia being in Book 25 
"L. W." of Miscellaneous Records, 
page 67, etc., Recorder of Deeds Office. 
It was long known as the "Kiln Drymg 
Process" and was not superceded by 
any different method for a period of 
nearly seventy-five years. Some of the 
business affairs of Benjamin Parry were 
conducted under the firm name of Ben- 
jamin Parry & Co., and others as Parry 
& Cresson. Some time between 1791 and 
1794. the name of "Coryell's Ferry" was 
changed and it became known as New 
Hope and a private map of the settle- 
ment, made for Benjamin Parry, bears 
the name of New Hope and is dated, in 
printed letters A. D.. 1798. Mr. Parry 
died as before stated, November 22, 1839, 
in his eighty-third year at "The Old 
Parry INIansion,"* New Hope, and he is 
buried with so many others of his name 
and race, in the family lot at Solebury 
Friends' burying ground, Bucks county. 

OLIVER PARRY, GENTLEMAN, of 
Philadelphia and Bucks county, Penn- 
sylvania, only son of Benjamin Parry, 
born 1757, was born at "The Old Parry 
Mansion," Coryell's Ferry, now New 
Hope, Bucks county, Pennsylvania, De- 
cember 20, 1794, and married May I, 
1827, Rachel Randolph, daughter of Cap- 
tain Edward F. Randolph, a patriot of 
1776, who had served in many of the 
principal battles of the Revolutionary 
war and who became an eminent citizen 
of Philadelphia. His portrait in oil, 
painted by Robert Street, hangs upon the 
walls of the "Historical Society of Penn- 
sylvania." at Philadelphia. Oliver and 
Rachel Randolph Parry had twelve chil- 
dren, four sons and eight daughters, all 
born between March 24, 1828, and Au- 
gust 17, 1848. Of the sons. Oliver Paxson 
Parry, born June 20, 1846, died in 1852, 
aged 6 years, and the others will be noted 
later. Oliver Parry, the elder, born 
1794, was a large landholder and his name 
appears upon the records of Philadel- 
phia county oftener perhaps, than that 
of any other person of his day. A part 
of his property was a large tract of the 
once famous "Bush Hill Estate" long 
the residence of Governor Andrew Ham- 
ilton, in colonial days. This property 
Mr. Parry owned jointly with his 



*An account and description of "The Old Parry 
Mansion" follows this narrative. 



■o 



HISTORY OP BUCKS COUNTY. 



nephew Nathaniel Randoljth. In Wat- 
son's "Annals of l'hilaclcii)hia, " nuich 
mention is made of "The Bush Hill Ins- 
tate." Rachel Randolph Parry, the wife 
of Oliver Parry, died at "The Old Parry 
iVIansion," New Hope, September g, 
iS66, his own death occurring February 
20, 1874, at his city residence, 1721 
Arch street, Philadelphia, and both are 
buried in the family lot at Solcbury 
Friends" burying ground, Bucks county, 
Pennsylvania. The close of an obituary 
notice of Oliver Parry in a Philadelphia 
newspaper of the day, thus pays tribute 
to his high character, and standing: 
"Born a member of the Society of 
Friends, he lived and died in that faith, 
walking through life with a singleness 
and direct honesty of purpose which 
made the name of Oliver Parry synony- 
mous with truth and honor." (E.dward, 
Richard, George and Oliver, the four 
sons of Oliver, are noted below.) 

MAJOR EDWARD RANDOLPH 
PARRY, U. S. army, born July 27, 1832. 
eldest son of Oliver Parry (born 1794) 
was a brave and gallant officer, who 
served from the beginning to the end of 
the Civil war of 1861. The following no- 
tice of him, appeared in many of the 
newspapers, after his death, which event 
occurred at "The Old Parry Mansion" 
April 13, 1874: 

Major Edward Randolph Parry, late 
of the United States army, died at his 
residence. New Hope, in this county, on 
the 13th of April, 1874, and was buried 
on the i6th, at Friends' Solebury burying 
ground. He was a son of the late Oliver 
Parry of Philadelphia, and was born at 
New Hope, July 27, 1832. In May, 1861, he 
entered the army as first lieutenant in 
the nth United' States Infantry, and 
served throughout the war, with great 
credit. In 1864 he was made captain in 
the nth; afterwards transferred to the 
20th, and on reorganization of the army 
was promoted to a majorality for j^allant 
service. He was in the terrible fighting 
along the line of the Weldon railroad, 
and before Petersburg, Virginia, com- 
manding his regiment in several actions. 
In 1865 he was assistant general of the 
regular brigade. Army of Potomac, and 
served upon the stalT of General Win- 
throp when he was killed. At Lee's sur- 
render he was attached to army head- 
quarters. In 1868 Major Parry com- 
manded Forts Philip and Jackson, at 
mouth of Mississippi river, and Fort 
Ripley in Minnesota in 1869. He re- 
signed on account of ill health in 1871. 
Major Parrj' was the grandson of Major 
Edward Randolph, who served from the 
beginning to the end of the Revolution- 
ary war. 

A portrait of Major Parry hangs upon 
the walls of the "Bucks Comity Histori- 
cal Society" at Doylestovvn, Pennsyl- 
vania. Major E. R. Parry married De- 



cember 17, 1863, at ]^>oston, Massachu- 
setts, Frances, daughter of General Jus- 
tin Dimick, U. S. A., and had three chil- 
dren. She, with one child, an unmarried 
daughter (named Katharine) survives 
him. The other two children, daughters, 
died in childhood 

RICHARD RANDOLPH PARRY, 

GENTLEMAN, of New Hope, Pennsyl- 
vania, second son of Oliver and Rachel 
(Randolph) Parry, was born in Phila- 
delphia, December 5, 1835, and married 
October 11, 1866, in Saint Luke's Prot- 
estant Episcopal church, Portland. Maine, 
Miss Ellen L. Read, of Portland, and 
they have issue, three children, as follows : 

1. Gertrude R. Parry, unmarried. 

2. Adelaide R. Parry, unmarried. 

3. Oliver Randolph Parry, born March 
29, 1873, married on October 15, 1898, in 
New York city, Miss Lida M. Kreamer 
and has one child, Margaret (born May 
3, 1901,) at "The Old Parry Mansion." 

R. R. Parry was educated at private 
schools in Philadelphia and at Haver- 
ford College, Pennsylvania. From 1856 
to 1862, he resided at Mankato, Minne- 
sota, where he was engaged in the bank- 
ing business. In "Neill's History of the 
Minnesota Valley" page 549, published 
in Minneapolis, 1882, and in "Mankato, iLs 
First 50 Years" published at Mankato 
1903, Mr. Parry is described as one of 
the early pioneers of the valley. In 1862 
he returned to Pennsylvania to live_. He 
is a member of the "Bucks County His- 
torical Society" and a life member of 
"The Historical Society of Pennsjdvania" 
since 1855. He is also a member of the 
"Pennsylvania Society of the Sons of the 
Revolution;" and a companion of the 
Military Order of the Loyal Legion of 
the United States, commandery of Penn- 
sylvania. He is senior warden of "St. 
Andrew's Protestant Episcopal Church", 
Lambertville, New Jersey, and for many 
years past has been president of "The 
New Hope Delaware Bridge Company." 
Mr. Parry is a man of literary tastes, 
and historical interests and has fre- 
quentl}^ contributed articles to the press 
and published works. He resides at the 
"Old Parry Mansion," in New Hope- 
borough, erected for his ancestor. Ben- 
jamin Parry in 1784. Two dififerent por- 
tions of this estate were occupied by the 
Continental troops, in December. 1776, 
just prior to the "Battle of Trenton" as 
more fully mentioned elsewhere in this 
volume. 

DR. GEORGE RANDOLPH PARRY, 

of New Hope. Pennsj'lvania ("Coryell's 
Ferry"), third son of Oliver and Rachel 
(Randolph) Parry, was born September 
3. 1839 in Philadelphia, and was edu- 
cated in private schools of that city. He 
began the study of medicine in the Phil- 
adelphia College of Pharmacy from 
which .In- graduated, in the class of 1862. 




V 




(jSc^_vL.^X,r-U-^ A 




'THEN 

'PUBLIC 






*SrOH, Lr-NQx AND 




OLD PARRY MANSION — INTERIOR VIEW 



L 



I l»ki>.V^ > 



HISTORY OF BUCKS COUNTY. 



71 



In 1864 he entered the Medical Depart- 
ment of the University of Pennsylvania 
and was graduated in 1867. For some 
years he practiced his profession in 
Cayuga county. New York. On return- 
ing to Pennsylvania in 1880 he located at 
the old homestead at New Hope, living 
at the ""Old Parry Mansion" until his 
death June 12, 1893. He enjoyed a large 
practice, and died much esteemed and 
lamented. Dr. Parry married March 2, 
1869, Miss Elizabeth Van Etten, of Van- 
ettenville. New York, whom he survived 
twelve years. They had two children, 
Elizabeth R. and Jane Paxson, the latter 
deceased. Dr. Parry was a member of 
the Medical Societies of Bucks county, 
Pennsylvania and Hunterdon county, 
New Jersey; and was also a member of 
the "Bucks County Historical Society" 
and a life member of the "Historical^ So- 
ciety of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia." He 
also was much interested in Free Ma- 
sonry and belonged to a commandery of 
Knights Templar in New York state. 

OLIVER PAXSON PARRY, fourth 
son of Oliver and Rachel (Randolph) 
Parry was born 1846. and died December 
13, 1852, in his seventh year. 

DANIEL PARRY, ESQ., of New 
Hope, Pennsylvania, son of John Parry, 
of "Moorland Manor" and Margaret Ty- 
son, his wife, was born April 21, 1774, 
and married Martha Dilworth of Dil- 
worthtown, Pennsylvania, having but one 
child, named for his grandfather, John. 
Parryville, Carbon county, Pennsylvania, 
an important point for shipment of coal 
on the Lehigh river, was named for this 
Daniel Parry, who was a gentleman of 
fortune and owned large tracts of land, 
in Carbon, Wayne, Luzerne and other 
counties of Pennsylvania; a part of which 
were obtained through the Marquis de 
Noailles of France. Daniel Parry died 
July 16, 1856, aged eighty-two years. 
Martha Dilworth Parry, his wife, died 
April 3, 1831, aged fifty-three years. Their 
son John died in childhood and all three 
lie buried in their family lot, at Friends 
burying ground in Solebury township, 
Bucks county. The Doylestown papers, 
in noticing the death of Daniel Parry, 
spoke of him as "a man of large benevo- 
lence, and a generous friend to the des- 
titute," and many poor persons indeed 
mourned the loss of a friend ever ready 
to help them. 



"THE OLD PARRY MANSION," 
New Hope Borough, Bucks County, 
Pennsylvania ("Coryell's Ferry," of the 
Revolution). 

The ancient colonial double stone r^an- 
sion still standing at the corner of the 
old York road and the Trenton or River 
road in New Hope borough, erected in 



1784 for Benjamin Parry, which has 
bravely stood in three centuries has long 
been known as "The Old Parry Man- 
sion" and has been the home of the 
Parrys of New Hope (Coryell's Ferry) 
for five generations. Two different por- 
tions of this property were occupied by 
troops of the Continental army, in the 
Revolutionary war. In 1776, just prior 
to the Battle of Trenton, a considerable 
bod}' of American soldiers under General 
William Alexander (Lord Stirling) were 
quartered here and the village placed in 
a state of armed defence by Stirlmg, 
who threw up a strong redoubt on top of 
the hill across the pond, in a southwest- 
erly direction from "The Old Parry 
Mansion," and a part of this estate. These 
earth works extended from where the 
yellow public school house now stands, 
in an easterly direction, a considerable 
distance towards the Delaware river, at 
the termination of the old York road at 
the river's brink above and below the 
Ferry landing. Upon another part of the 
Parry property, (purchased of the 
Todd's) entrenchments were erected and 
batteries placed. Lord Stirling also had 
another redoubt thrown upon the old 
York road facing the river at the cor- 
ner of Ferry street, and the present 
Bridge street, opposite where "the old 
Washington Tree," cut down November 
28, 1893, then stood and near the site of 
the present Presbyterian church. From 
this elevated position he Ifkewise com- 
manded the approach from the Delaware 
river. Such were the defenses of Cory- 
ell's Ferry at this period of the Revolu- 
tion, when it (then an important 
strategic point, and crossing of the 
Delaware) was saved to the American 
cause from British plans and designs. At 
page 175, Volume I of *Washington and 
his Generals" in speaking of General 
Alexander (Lord Stirling) it is stated 
"That in his new capacity of Major Gen- 
eral, he joined the army in its memorable 
retreat through New Jersey and took 
part in the operations on the Delaware 
river, where he again signalized himself 
by his successful defense of Coryell's 
Ferry." 

Lord Stirling's headquarters at New 
Hope, are said to have been in the old 
hip roof house known as "The old Fort" 
which then stood on the site of the pres- 
ent hipped roof home of Mr. P. R. Slack 
on the Old York road, just opposite the 
avenue and entrance to "Maple Grove" 
then and now owned and occupied by the 
Paxson family and where Benjamin' 
Parry's wife Jane Paxson was born Jan- 
uary 24, 1767, 

Looking backward through the long 
vista of more than a century and a quar- 
ter, it seems difiicult to realize that New 
Hope ("Coryell's Ferry") and the now 



♦Published by E. Meeks, Philadelphia, 1885. 



72 



HISTORY OF BUCKS COUNTY. 



peaceful highways about it once re- 
sounded witli the bustle of war, and the 
frequent tramp of armed inen, as our 
patriot sires hurried forward to do battle 
for their country or fell back in the sad- 
der marches of retreat. The years have 
come and gone since the days of the 
Revolution, bringing with them many 
changes, but the old settlement at 
"Coryell's" still remains, nestling close 
beside the noble river, at the "Ferry" 
which our forefathers defended in the old 
heroic days. Many of the boats used by 
General Washington on Christmas night, 
1776, to make that memorable crossing 
of the Delaware, now known the world 
over in history, as "Washington's Cross- 
ing" and made additionally famous by 
the artists' brush, were collected at New 
Hope ("Coryell's Ferry") and kept se- 
creted behind Malta Island, then densely 
wooded over and were floated by night, 
down the river to "Knowles Cove," just 
above Taylorsville, Pennsylvania, the 
point where Washington crossed 
to fight and win the Battle 
of Trenton. "Malta Island" has 
since filled up and become mainland, 
the present "Union Mills" paper manu- 
facturing company's plant at New Hope 
is just at the north end of Malta 
Island. Former mills here were owned 
many years ago by Daniel Parry Esq., 
(born April 21, 1774) a younger brother 
of Benjamin Parry. Many letters of 
General Washington and other of his 
prominent Generals, are at different 
times, during the Revolutionary War, 
dated at "Coryell's Ferry." 

In both Benjamin Parry's day and 
that of his son Oliver Parry, the "Old 
Parry Mansion" was the scene of much 
hospitality and its doors were thrown 
open wide upon many an occasion to bid 
hearty welcome to both city and coun- 
try guests and during the life time of the 
latter and his hospitable and popular 
wife, Rachel Randolph, this ancient 
homestead was often called by their 
friends "Hotel de Parry" and sometimes 
"Liberty Hall." Many distinguished per- 
sons have been entertained beneath its 
broad roof in the long period in which 
it has stood and had it lips, much it 
could speak of events in three centur- 
ies. Interesting mementos of bye-gone 
days have been sacredly treasured up 
and much old family furniture is yet pre- 
served in this home; some of it nearly 
(or quite) 200 years old, and brought 
from over the sea; the ancient high 
clock standing half way up the stairs, 
on the broad landing, has ticked in and 
out the lives of many generations of the 
family and still shows upon its familiar 
face the moon, in all its phases. In this 
connection it may be perhaps of some in- 
terest to note the occurrence of an event 
so unusual in its character as to become 
historic, and worthy of passing notice in 
the birth in this home, on May 3, 1901, 



of a daughter to Mr. and Mrs. Oliver 
Randolph Parry (named Margaret 
Kreamer Parry) in the same room in 
which her great-grandfather Oliver 
Parry was born in 1794, one hundred and 
eleven years ago, and in the same old 
mansion, in which her great-great-grand- 
father Benjamin Parry lived and died. 
Seldom do we find homes in the United 
States passed on beyond the second or 
third generations. Many sketches of 
"The Old Parry Mansion" have appeared 
from time to time, in various published 
works, and newspaper articles, a com- 
paratively recent one on July 15, 1901, 
issue of The Philadelphia Inquirer by 
its historical editor, being illustrated. In 
the "York Road, Old and New" by Rev. 
S. F. Hotchkin, published 1892 in Phil- 
adelphia, this old colonial home of the 
Parrys of "Coryell's Ferry" is thus de- 
scribed : "As viewed from the outside — • 
this ancient mansion, presents a quiet 
and dignified appearance, in keeping with 
the family for whom it was built; the 
quaint and handsome carved ornamen- 
tations, over the windows, small window 
panes, pointed corners, and hoods, be- 
token its age, and are charmingly at- 
tractive. Over the front door remains 
the ancient bonnet or hood of our fore- 
fathers' day, beneath which is the mas- 
sive old-fashioned door, with its trans- 
verse panels, brass knocker, cumbrous 
lock and huge iron hinges, which stretch 
across the whole width. This door opens 
into a wide wainscoated and paneled hall, 
running through the middle of the house 
and dividing the long parlor upon one 
side from the dining room and the parior 
or sitting room, on the other; in these 
rooms and in daily uso, are yet preserved 
the corner cupboards of a hundred 3'ears 
ago" now (1905) 121 years old. "The up- 
per floors are approached, by low broad 
steps and half way up the stairs on the 
broad landing, stands in one corner, 
relic of a past age — the old eight-day 
clock which has ticked in and out, the 
lives of so many of the family and still 
showing upon its familiar face, the moon 
in all its phases. Five bed chambers, 
most of thetn communicating upon the 
second floor, open out upon an upper 
hall, the full width of that beneath ; the 
inside shutters over the house — both in 
the main building and wing — -are secured 
for the most part by long wooden bars, 
stretching across, and fitting into the 
deep window frames. In most of these 
rooms may be seen great open mouthed 
chimneys and fire places, the brick floors 
of which are painted in bright tile col- 
ors; immense closets, with brass door 
knobs in one of these chambers fill up en- 
tirely one end of the room, taking sev- 
eral feet off its length but compensating 
by the additional convenience afforded 
the family. The rooms and halls of this 
old mansion contain much valued, hand- 
some and ancient furniture, belonging 



HISTORY OF BUCKS COUNTY. 



73 



to the family for several generations, 
much of it being carved in solid ma- 
hogany and walnut woods. In one of 
the rooms on the first floor is a trap 
door in the floor leading into a cellar, 
partitioned off and shelved as a wine 
cellar, but which may have been in- 
tended in earlier times, as a means of 
escape from sudden danger. In the great 
attic overhead the children, grandchil- 
dren and great-great-grandchildren oif 
the original owner, have often played 
and wondered at the contents of numer- 
ous chests, high cases of drawers and 
boxes, since found to have contained 
much linen-stuffs, and other articles of 
family value, and far up amid the ratters 
on the fourth floor, a dark secret room 
only reached by a long ladder (always 
removed after each visit) afforded a safe 
hiding place for papers, and such valued 
matter as seemed to require extra secur- 
ity and care in the time of the original 
owner, which was to his grandchildren, 
of course, a place of especial wonder, 
tinctured somewhat perhaps, with a spec- 
ies of fear. In the wing of the mansion, 
in a capacious fire place, still swings an 
ancient iron crane, with its outstretchea 
arm at rest after a long term of service, 
much prized by the family and shown 
visitors as a curious relic. A huge bake 
oven of an early period and no longer 
used in the kitchen adjoining was torn 
out a few years ago for the lost space 
which was needed. An elaborately cut 
stone circle in the north gable end of 
the house, under the roof, bears a tablet 
inscribed Benjamin Parry, A. D.. 1784, 
and to this home in 1787 he brought his 
wife Jane Paxson, as a bride" and here 
on December 20. 1794, was born their 
only son, the late Oliver Parry, Esq. 
whose son Major Edward P.andolph 
Parry of the United States army, died at 
"The old Parry Mansion" in 1874 of dis- 
ease brought on by hardships and ex- 
posure endured during the late terrible 
Civil war. Major Parry received a 
brevet from Congress "for gallant serv- 
ices during the war." This old mansion 
has never been out of the Parry family 
and name; it is now (1905) owned and 
occupied by Richard Randolph Parry. 
Of the male descendants of Benjamin 
Parry (of the name) in the next genera- 
tion, Oliver Randolph Parry, born March 
29, 1873, son of above Richard, is the only 
one living, at the present time. 



_ HON. DAVID NEWLIN FELL, jus- 
tice of the Supreme Court of Pennsyl- 
vania, was born in Buckingham, No- 
vember 4^ 1840, and is a son of Joseph 
and Harriet (Williams) Fell. 

Joseph Fell, the pioneer ancestor of 
the family, was born at Longlands, the 
seat of the family for several generations 
in the parish of Rockdale, Cumberland, 
England, October 19, 1668. In 1698 he 



married Bridget Wilson, and two sons, 
Joseph and Benjamin, were born to them 
at Longlands. In 1704 with his wife and 
two sons, he emigrated to America, and 
located for a short time in lower Bucks 
county, removing to Buckingham in 
1706, when he became a large landholder 
and a prominent man in the community. 
Two daughters, Tamar and Mary, were 
born to him in Bucks county. His wife 
dying when the latter was eleven days 
old, he married three years later Eliza- 
beth Doyle, daughter of Edward and 
Rebecca (Dungan) Doyle, who had come 
to Bucks county from Rhode Island in 
1683. Their seven children were John, 
Isaac, Titus, Thomas, George, Sarah, 
and Rachel. He died in 1748, his widow 
surviving him several years. 

Joseph Fell, eldest son of Joseph and 
Bridget (Wilson) Fell, was born at 
Longlands, Cumberland, England. June 
29, 1701. He married, March 4, 1735. 
Mary Kinsey, daughter of Edmund and 
Sarah (Ogborn) Kinsey of Buckingham, 
the former a native of New Castle, Dela- 
ware, for many years a noted minister 
among Friends at Buckingham. Joseph 
Fell, Jr., settled on a farm on the Dur- 
ham road above Mechanicsville. con- 
veyed to him by his father, which re- 
mained the property of his descendants 
until 1890, a period of one hundred and 
seventy-five years of continuous occu- 
pancy. He died there February 22, 1777. 
His children who lived to maturity 
were: Joseph; Sarah, who never mar- 
ried; Rachel, who married William Low- 
nes ; David ; and Martha, who married 
Edward Rice, Jr. Mary (Kinsey) Fell, 
the mother, was born in Buckingham, 
April 29, 1715, and died December 29, 
1769. 

Joseph Fell (3) son of Joseph and 
Mary (Kinsey) Fell, born October 31, 
1738, on the Buckingham homestead, 
married October 21, 1767, Rachel Wil- 
son, who was born in Buckingham June 
5, 1741. and died March 8, 1810. She 
was the daughter of Samuel and Re- 
becca (Canby) Wilson, the granddaugh- 
ter of Thomas Canby and Stephen Wil- 
son, both early pioneer Friends in Bucks 
county and a great-granddaughter of 
Henry Baker, a provincial councillor 
and one of the most prominent public 
men in the infant colony on the Dela- 
ware. Soon after his marriage Joseph 
Fell removed to Upper Makefield town- 
ship, Bucks county, where he purchased 
a farm and resided until his death, March 
26. 1789. He was the father of eight 
children, six of whom grew to maturity: 
Joseph, born 1768, married Esther Bur- 
roughs; John, born 1770, married Edith 
Smith; Martha, married Benjamin Scho- 
field; David, married Phebe Schofield; 
Jonathan, born 1776, married Sarah Bal- 
derston and returned to the Buckingham 
homestead, in 1831; and Rachel, born 
1783, married John Speakman. 



74 



HISTORY OF BUCKS COUXTV. 



David Fell, M. D., second son of Jo- 
seph and Rachel (Wilson) Fell, born in 
Upper Makeficld, Bucks county, July i, 
1774, was the grandfather of Judge Fell. 
He received a liberal education, and, hav- 
ing" chosen the medical profession, en- 
tered the University of Pennsylvania, 
from which he graduated with the degree 
of M. D. in 1801. He began the practice 
of medicine in Upper Makefield, but soon 
after removed to Buckingham, where he 
built up an extensive practice and be- 
came one of the prominent physicians of 
his day. He died February 22, 1856, in 
his eighty-second year. He married, 
March 16, 1803, Phebe Schofield, who 
was born September 26, 1774 and died 
January lo, 1858. She was the daughter 
of Samuel and Edith (Marshall) Scho- 
field, of Solebury, Bucks county, Penn- 
sylvania. They were the parents of five 
children: Joseph, born March 12, 1804; 
Edith Newlin, died unmarried in 1857; 
Sarah Ann, died unmarried in 1872; Bush- 
rod, died in infancy; and Elizabeth, mar- 
ried Ezra B. Leeds, of Germantown, and 
later removed to Columbiana county, 
Ohio. 

Joseph Fell, son of David and Phebe 
(Schofield) Fell, was born at Lurgan, 
Upper Makefield, Bucks county, Penn- 
sylvania, March 12, 1804, and died in 
Buckingham, March n, 1887. He was 
one of the best known and highly re- 
spected men of Bucks county. He began 
teaching at Union School, Buckingham, 
and was later an instructor in the school 
of John Gummere at Burlington, New 
Jersey. In 1830 he began to teach at the 
Friends School at Buckingham Meeting 
House, where he remained several years, 
making it one of the famous local 
schools. He later made a journey to 
Ohio and on his return purchased the 
Buckingham homestead, still owned by 
his grandchildren, and spent his remain- 
ing days there. During the winter for 
several years he continued his teaching 
at Tyro Hall and the Hughesian School. 

He was elected to the state legislature 
in 1837, and was prominently identified 
with the adoption of the common school 
law of Pennsylvania, and rendered effic- 
ient services in placing it in effect in his 
native county. He was a member of the 
first school board of Buckingham, and its 
secretary for many years. When the 
office of county superintendent was 
created in 1854 he was elected as the first 
superintendent of Bucks county, and did 
much to place the office on the high 
plane of usefulness it has since attained. 
After filling the position for three years 
he declined a reelection. In 1855 he held 
the first teachers' institute. Retiring to 
his farm in 1857 he devoted himself to 
the affairs of his farm and neighborhood, 
filling many important positions of pub- 
lic trust. He was for many years a trus- 
tee and director of the Hughesian Free 
School, and continued an active interest 



in educational matters during his whole 
life. He vv-a.': a lifelong member of the 
SocicLy of Friends, and an active, fear- 
less and outspoken Abolitionist, his 
home being one of the stations of the 
"Underground Railroad." He was a man 
of high intellectual ability, and kept in 
touch with the important public move- 
ments, and was fearless and outspoken 
in all his convictions on public questions. 

He married, March 28, 1835, Harriet 
Williams, born September 25, 1807, died 
March 28, 1890, a daughter of Samuel 
and Sarah (Watson) Williams, of Buck- 
ingham, and a descendant of Jeremiah 
Williams, who came to Tinicum town- 
ship, Bucks county, from Westbury, 
Long Island, about 1743, and they were 
the parents of five children: William W., 
born May 25, 1836, died unmarried, Jan- 
uary 4, 1874, was a lawyer of Philadel- 
phia; Emily C, born June 15, 1838, mar- 
ried William T. Seal; David Newlin; Ed- 
ward Watson, born September 27, 1843, 
married Elizabeth M. Kenderdine, and 
resided on the old homestead, died April 
30, 1900; and Lucy W., who never mar- 
ried. 

Hon. David Newlin Fell, born and 
reared on the Buckingham farm, was ed- 
ucated under the direction of his father, 
and graduated from the First Pennsyl- 
vania State Normal School at Millers- 
ville, in the class of 1862. In August of 
1862, he entered the army as lieutenant 
of Company E, I22d Regiment, Pennsyl- 
vania volunteers, the company being 
mainly recruited from the students of tKe 
school. 

He studied law in the office of his 
brother, William W. Fell, and was ad- 
mitted to the bar MarclT 17. 1866, and at 
once began the practice of his chosen 
profession at Philadelphia. After ■eleven 
years of successful practice he was ap- 
pointed May 3, 1877, by Governor Hart- 
ranft, as judge of the court of common 
pleas of Philadelphia county, and in the 
November following was elected to the 
same position for a term of ten years, 
and reelected in 1887, receiving on both 
occasions the nomination of both the 
Republican and Democratic parties. He 
has always manifested an active interest 
in the public aft'airs of the city of his 
adoption, and at the time of his appoint- 
ment to the bench was a member of the 
city council for the twentieth Ward, and 
was a member of the municipal commis- 
sion created by the act of legislature to 
devise a plan for the better government 
of the cities of the commonwealth. He 
i.c a member of Post No. 2, G. A. R., of 
Philadelphia, and has served as senior 
vice cfunmander and judge advocate gen- 
eral of the Grand Army of the Republic 
of Pennsylvania. He was elected to the 
Supreme Bench in 1893. 

He married, September i. 1870. Martha 
P. Trego, born July 31. ^846, daughter of 
Smith and Anna (Phillips) Trego, and 






A'-'^r 




. ph/lA- 




)%^-^^. 




HISTORY OF BUCKS COUNTY. 



75 



they are the parents of seven children: 
Joseph Williams, born June 24, 1871. died 
December 8, 1901; Anna Trego, born 
Februa,ry t6, 1873. married John H. 
Ruckman, April 26. 1900; David Newlin, 
born June 3, 1^75 ; Edith Newlin. born 
August I, 1879; Emma Trego, born De- 
cember 17, 18S1; Edward Watson, born 
August 22, 1888; and Alfred Moore, born 
January 30, 1891- Jvtdge Fell and his 
family have made Buckingham their 
summer residence for many years, he 
having erected a handsome residence on 
a part of the old homestead overlooking 
the beautiful valley of Buckingham. 



HON. HARMAN YERKES, of Doyles- 
town was born in Warminster township, 
Bucks county. October 8. 1843- He is ot 
French and Holland descent, being son ot 
Stephen and Amy Hart (Montayne) Yerkes, 
and sixth in descent from Anthony Yerkes, 
who emigrated from Holland about 1700 
and settled in Germantown. This pioneer 
ancestor of the Yerkes family in America 
was accompanied to our shores by "is wite 
Margaret and two sons Herman and Adol- 
phus The first record we have of him is 
m the year 1702, when he was burgess of 
Germantown, a position which he filled 
for three years. In 1709 fie purchased the 
plantation in the "Manor of Moorland, 
now Moreland township, Montgomery 
county, Pennsylvania. He married (sec- 
ond) Sarah (Eaton) Watts, widow of 
Rev. John Watts, pastor of Pennypack 
Baptist church. , . , j 

Hfrman Yerkes, son of Anthony and 
Margaret, born in Holland in 1689, died in 
Moreland in March, 1751- He was a farni- 
er and miller. He married February 8, 
171 1, Elizabeth, daughter of Rev. John 
and Sarah (Eaton) Watts, born April 15, 
1689 (Rev. John Watts was a native ot 
Leeds, England, and his. wife of Wales). 
Herman Yerkes pn^bably settled on his 
father's plantation in Moreland at its pur- 
chase in 1709. His father conveyed to 
him two hundred acres on Pennypack 
creek in 1723. In 1744, in conjunction with 
Walter Moore he erected a mill on Penny- 
pack and set apart nineteen acres of land 
therewith. This mill he devised to his 
sons, and it later became the property of 
Jacob and John Shelmire, and is to this 
dav known as "Shelmire's Mill." The 
chi'ldren of Herman and Elizabeth (Watts) 

Yerkes : 

1. Anthony, born November 28. 1712, 

died March 9, i79i- ,. , 

2. John, born February 21, 1714. died 
1790; married Alice McVeagh. 

3. Sarah, born July 15. I7i6, married 
Jacob Hufty. •. 

4. Josiah, born November 28, 1718, died 
1793; married Mary . 

5. Herman, born January iS. 1720. died 
November 29. 1804; married (first) Mary 
Stroud, and" (second) Ivlrs. Mary Clayton, 
and (third) Mrs. Eliza Tompkins. 



6. Silas, born February 15, 1723, died 
1795; married Hannah Dungan. 

7! Elizabeth, born January 29, 1725, died 
1793; married John Howell. 

8" Stephen, born August 3. 1727, died 
1811 ; married Rebecca Whitesides. 

9. Elias. born February 7, 1729, died 
January 17, 1799; married Rebecca Foster. 

10. Titus, born 1731, died 1762; married 
Margaret Paul. 

Harman Yerkes, fourth son of Herman 
and Elizabeth (Watts) Yerkes, was born 
in Moreland. January 18, 1720, and died 
there November 29, 1804. Like his fatlicr 
V!e was a farmer and miller. He also fol- 
lowed the mercantile business at Plymouth 
Montgomery county, in the years 1752-5. 
where he had purchased a tract of land 
from his brother John in 1747. In 1762 he 
removed to Warminster township. Bucks 
county, being the first of the family to 
make a home in this county. He purchased 
i8t acres of land near Johnsville. which 
still remains the property of his descend- 
ants. He returned to Moreland in 1788 
and died there November 29, 1804. He was 
an active supporter of the war for inde- 
pendence. His name appears on the list 
of Associators in Warminster in 1775, and 
he served on various committees under the 
committee of safety. His Warminster 
home witnessed some of the bloody car- 
nage and rout following the battle of 
Crooked Billet in 1778. An incident is 
related of an American soldier being saved 
from slaughter by four British soldiers 
who were pursuing him, by the strategy 
of Mrs. Mary Yerkes, the second wife of 
Harman, who, when the soldier had sought 
refuge in the house, conducted him to a 
rear exit and found him a place of con- 
cealment in a pile of buckwheat straw in 
a neighboring field. His pursuers entered 
the house and made a diligent search for 
the fugitive, thrusting their bayonets 
through" beds and up the chimney, to the 
terror of the women and children of the 
household. 

After locating at Plymouth, Mr. Yerkes 
became enamored of a Quaker lass, Mary, 
the daughter of Edward Stroud, of White 
Marsh, and uniting himself with the So- 
ciety, was married to her by the simple 
ceremony of the Society March 22, 1750-1. 
She died in 1771. and he married (second) 
Mary (Houghton) Clayton, widow of 
Richard Clayton. His second wife died in 
1785, and he married in 1787 Elizabeth 
(Ball) Tompkins, widow of John Tomp- 
kins, of Moreland. She was the proprie- 
tress of an inn on the Old York road, and 
his remaining years were spent as "mine- 
host" at this old hostelry. His widow died 
in 1819. The children of Harman and 
]Mary (Stroud) Yerkes. were: 

I.' William, born 1752, died in infancy. 

2. Elizabeth, born September 5. I753; 
married 1779 John Hufty. 

3. Catharine, born June 19. I755- died 
1821 ; married Major Reading Powell. 



76 



HISTORY OF BUCKS COUNTY. 



4. Edward, born April 19, 1757, a 
Revolutionary soldier and sea captain, died 
at sea. 

5. Sarah, born 1759, died in infancy. 

6. Stephen, born October 20, 1762, died 
1823 ; married Alice Watson. 

7. Mary, born January 5, 1765, died un- 
married. 

8. Harman, born July 25, 1767, died 
February 12, 1827; married Margaret Long. 

9. William, born July 25, 1769, died 
1823, married Letitia Esther Long. 

Harman, son of Harman and Mary 
(Stroud) Yerkes, was born in Warminster, 
July 25, 1767. He spent his whole life on 
the Warminster homestead, one hundred 
acres of which he purchased in 1793, upon 
which he erected the large stone mansion 
still standing. In 1800 he purchased the 
remainder of the 180 acres that had been 
his father's and later bought the Noble 
tract on the county line, making three 
farms which he devised to his sons. He 
married in 1790 Margaret, daughter of Cap- 
tain Andrew Long, of Warrington, born 
January 8, 1771, died March 4, 1849. He 
died February 12, 1837. 

The children of Harman and Margaret 
Long Yerkes were 10, viz : 

1. Mary, born 1791, died 1816; unmar- 
ried. 

2. William, born July 8, 1792, died 1826; 
married Penelope McDowell. 

3. Andrew L., born August 25, 1794, 
-died 1862 ; married Eliza Everhart. 

4. Edward, born July 11, 1797, died 1799. 
- 5. Elizabeth, born May 26, 1800, died 

1875 ; married John C. Beans. 

6. Clarissa, born October 2, 1802, died 
December, 1873 ; married Samuel Mon- 
tayne. 

7. Edwin, born November 28, 1804, died 
1864; married Catharine R. Williamson. 

8. Harman, born March 9, 1807, died 
1889; married Rebecca Valentine. 

9. Stephen, born May 19, 1809, died 
July 25, 1865; married Amy Hart Mon- 
tayne. 

ID. Margaret, born October 8, 1815, died 
December 29, 1815. 

Stephen, son of Harman and Margaret 
Long Yerkes, was born on the old home- 
stead in Warminster, May 19, 1809, and died 
there July 25, 1865. He commenced life as 
a farmer on the west side of the Yo;-k 
road, but at the death of his father in 1837 
he removed to the original homestead de- 
vised to him by his father. He later added 
to this two other farms now occupied by 
his sons. He married January 13, 1831, 
Amy Hart Montayne, daughter of Rev. 
Thomas B. Montayne, and great-grand- 
daughter of Jean de la Montaigne, who 
came to New York in 1624, and was direc- 
tor-general of New York under the Dutch 
government. Mrs. Yerkes was born Octo- 
ber 23, 181 1, and died March 22, 1856. The 
children of this marriage were : 

1. Thomas, born November 14, 1831. 

2. Harman, born February 8, 1833, died 
May 24, 1840. 



3. Stephen, born April 11, 1835; mar- 
ried Elizabeth Jamison, and is now living 
on the Warminster homestead. 

4. Adolphus, born January 31, and died 
February 31, 1837. 

5. Anna Margaret, born January 17, 
1841, died at Germantown, March 13, 1903; 
married Captain George H. Bucher. 

6. Harman, the subject of this sketchy 
born October 8, 1843; married Emma 
Buckman. 

7. Alfred Earle, born June 7, 1846; 
married Mary A. Hazlett, living in War- 
minster. 

8. Edwin Augustus, born October 24, 
1849, died May 21, 190D. 

Judge Yerkes' boyhood days were spent 
on the Warminster farm. He attended the 
public school of the neighborhood and la- 
ter the Tennent school at Hartsville, and 
then entered Williston College at East- 
hampton, Massachusetts, from which he 
graduated in the class of 1862. He read 
law with Thomas and Henry P. Ross, at 
Doylestown, and was admitted to the bar 
November 3, 1865, and at once began the 
active practice of his chosen profession. He 
was elected district attorney in 1868, and 
discharged the duties of the office with 
special ability. In 1873 he was elected to 
the state senate and was re-elected in 1876. 
He was a prominent figure in the upper 
house of the state, and served on many im- 
portant committees. He drew the laws 
regulating the separate orphans courts 
and the civil and criminal courts of' the 
state under the new constitution of 1874. 
He was a member of the state board of 
managers of the Centennial Exposition at 
Philadelphia in 1876, and took a prominent 
part in the management. He introduced 
the bill creating the Hospital for the In- 
sane at Norristown and was one of the or- 
iginal trustees to which position he has 
been a second time appointed. He has been 
a life long Democrat and has always been 
prominent in the councils of the party. He 
was chairman of the judicial committee of 
conference in 1869, and was a delegate to 
the judicial conventions of 187 1 and 1872. 
He was a delegate to the Democratic 
national convention at Baltimore in 1872, 
but was one of the twenty-one members of 
that memorable convention that refused to 
vote for the nomination of Horace Greeley, 
giving the vote to Hon. Jeremiah S. Black, 
of this state. He was a national delegate 
again in 1880, and delegate to the state con- 
ventions of 1873, 1874, 1877, 1878 and 1882. 
In 1883 he was elected president judge of 
the district and was re-elected in 1893, re- 
ceiving at that time the unanimous endorse- 
ment of the bar of the county. As a judge 
■Mr. Yerkes displayed remarkable ability, his' 
promptness in the despatch of business, his 
eminent fairness of his decisions, the deep 
study and wide research shown by the 
opinions rendered and his intense earnest- 
ness in the prosecution of the suits brought 
before him, made him very popular. He^ 
has frequently been called upon to hold 



HISTORY OF BUCKS COUNTY. 



77 



court outside the county, and was univer- 
sally considered a learned and able judge. 
He was one of six Democratic nom- 
inees for the superior court at the Will- 
iamsport convention in 1895, and received 
on the first ballot 349 out of a total of 
454 votes in the convention. 

In the election that followed, '.vhile he 
ran far ahead of most of the ticket, re- 
ceiving a handsome plurality in his home 
county, he was defeated by his colleague. 
Justice Smith, of Wilkesbarre. In 1901 he 
was the Democratic nominee for justice 
of the supreme court, and ran far ahead 
of his ticket. On the expiration of his sec- 
ond term as president judge he was unani- 
mously re-nominated for the position, but 
was defeated at the polls by Hon. Mahlon 
H. Stout. On retiring from office he at once 
'resumed the practice of law, associating 
himself with the grandsons of his old pre- 
ceptor, Thomas and George Ross, and en- 
joys a large practice. 

Judge Yerkes and his family are members^ 
of St. Paul's Protestant Episcopal Church 
of Doylestown, of which he is a member 
of the vestry. He is a member of Doyles- 
town Lodge No. 245, F. and A. M. ; of the 
Historical Society of Pennsylvania; the 
Bucks County Historical Society; the Col- 
onial Society ; the Society of the Sons of 
the Revolution, and the Pennsylvania Ger- 
mans' Society. He was extremely active 
in bringing about the erection of the Bucks 
County Historical Society building, and 
was largely instrumental in securing funds 
for the purpose, and as chairman of the 
building committee had principal charge of 
the erection of the building. He was mar- 
ried June 24, 1869, to Emeline, daughter of 
Monroe Buckman, of Doylestown, but has 
no children. 



THE ADAMS FAMILY. Among the 
earliest members of the Adams family who 
emigrated to America were Henry Adams, 
of Braintree, Massachusetts, and Robert 
Adams, of Oxford township, Philadelphia 
county, and Walter Adams, his brother, 
all of whom it is said were descended from 
Lord John Ap Adams, son of Ap Adams, 
who "came out of the Marches" of Wales. 
Thomas Adams, brother of Henry Adams, 
of Braintree, Massachusetts, was one of the 
grantees named in the charter of Charles 
I. in 1629. He was high sheriff and lord 
mayor of London. 

Henry Adams with his eight sons set- 
tled at Mount Wollaston, in Braintree, and 
Walter and Robert Adams were his broth- 
ers. It is thought, however, that they 
came to this country at a later date. They 
settled in Pennsylvania and, like the ma- 
jority of the early colonists of that state, 
Walter was a Quaker. 

The earliest record of the English branch 
of the Adams family is that of John Ap 
Adams, of Charlton Adams, in Somerset- 
shire, who married Elizabeth, daughter 



and heiress to Lord Gowrney, of Bevistorj 
and Tidenham county, Gloucester, who was 
summoned to parliament as baron of the 
realm, 1226 to 1307. In the upper part of 
a Gothic window on the southeast side of 
Tidenham church, near Chopston, the name 
of John Ap Adams is still to be found, to- 
gether with "arms argent in a cross gules, 
five mullets or," of Lord Ap Adams. The 
design is probably executed on stained glass 
of great thickness and is in perfect preser- 
v'ation. This church originally stood with- 
in the boundary of Wales, but at a later 
period the boundary line was changed so 
that it is now upon English soil. The arms 
and crest borne by the family are described 
as argent in a cross gules ; five mullets or, 
out of a ducal coronet a demi-lion. The 
legend is "Loyal au mort ;" a motto com- 
monly used by this branch of the family is 
"Aspire, persevere and indulgence," all 
other "sub cruce Veritas." 
,The following is the line of direct des- 
cent to the Adams family of the Lehigh 
Valley, (i). Ap Adams came out of the 
Marches of Wales. Lords of the Marches 
were noblemen who in the early ages se- 
cured and inhabited the Marches of Wales 
and Scotland, living there as if they were 
petty kings, having their own private laws. 
These laws, however, were subsequently 
abolished. (2) Sir Ap Adams, knight, 
lord of Ap Adams, married Elizabeth, 
daughter of Lord Gowrney. (3) Sir 
Thomas Ap Adam; (4) William Ap Adam ; 
(5) Sir John Ap Adam; (6) Thomas Ap 
Adams; (7) Sir John Ap Adam, Knight; 
(8) Sir John Ap Adam, who was the 
first to attach the letter "s" to his 
name; (9) Roger Adams; (10) Thomas 
Adams; (11) John Adams; (12) John 
Adams; (13) Nicholas Adams; (14) 
Richard Adams; (15) William Adams; 
and (16) Henry Adams, who is said to 
have emigrated about 1634. In February, 
1641, he was granted forty acres of land 
near Boston, of which Braintree is a part. 
His brothers were Robert, Thomas and 
Walter. The last named came to America 
by way of the Barbadoes, West Indies, and 
after living there for a time took up his 
abode in Pennsylvania. 

(i) Walter Adams married Elizabeth 

. Their children were: Richard, 

Anne, William, and Robert. Walter Adams 
was the brother of Robert Adams, of Ox- 
ford township, Philadelphia, who died in 
1719, leaving no children; he devised the 
estate of his nephews and nieces, the chil- 
dren of his brother Walter and Elizabeth, 
his wife. 

(2) Richard Adams, of New Provi- 
dence township, now Montgomery county, ^ 
Pennsylvania, died in 1748. His first wife^V<?S' y^<v<i 
namef is not known^ His second wife was 4<iU'Oi>-' 
Alice or Aishe Withers, and they were /^ -n^ <^^ 
married in 1726. His children were as fol- / 
lows: Abraham, married Alse ; Will- 
iam, of Braken township, Lancaster coun- 
ty ; Isaac, of Coventry township, Chester 
county; Susanna, married Conrad Custard, 



78 



HISTORY OF BUCKS COUNTY. 



or Kistard; Catharine, married Joiiii Mor- 
ris ; Mary, married Israel Morris ; Mar- 
garet, married Paul Casselberry ; Elizabeth, 
married Thomas Bull ; Ann, married Jacob 
Umstadt; Hannah, married Owen Evans. 

(3) Abraham Adams died in 1738, and 
letters were granted to Rachel, his daugh- 
ter, a spinster. There is mention of two 
children, Ann and Abigail. 

Walter Adams and his brother were 
brothers of Henry Adams, who came to 
New England and was a founder of the 
Adams family there, at Braintree, ]Massa- 
chusetts. Walter, his son Richard, and his 
son Abraham were Quakers. 

Conrad Custard, husband of Susanna 
Adams, (daughter of Richard), owned a 
large tract of land immediately adoining 
the tract surveyed to Ensign John Adams, 
of Nockamixon township, in 1763. 

John Adams and James Adams, possibly 
and probably brothers, lived in Nocka- 
mixon township, Bucks county. There are 
a few records at Doylestown, Pennsylvania, 
which bear James Adams's signature. He 
was also an ensign in the provincial ser- 
vice. Associated Companies of Bucks coun- 
ty, in 1747. (See Colonial Records, vol. 
v., p. 209 ; also Pennsylvania Archieves, 
second series, vol. ii., p. 505). This was 
nine years before John Adams held a like 
commission in the provincial service in the 
Associated Companies of Bucks county. 
There is nothmg to establish that James 
Adams and John Adams were related, nei- 
ther can be found any data of their former 
residence or whose children they were. 
The only solution is that they were both 
possibly sons of Abraham Adams ; the lat- 
ter having died intestate no list of his chil- 
dren is obtainable. The fact that John 
Adams held land adjoining that of Conrad 
Custer is a possible solution, he having 
been raised by his aunt Susanna. 

Richard Adams, of Providence town- 
ship, Philadelphia, whose will is dated 
February i, 1847-8, and probated March 
24, 1747-48, mentions son Abraham's chil- 
dren, Ann and Abagail, then letters were 
granted to Abraham's daughter Rachel. 
There at once seems to be some discrep- 
ancy which is most ditificult to explain. 

James' commission in the provincial ser- 
vice, as above stated, was dated in 1747, 
which tends to show that he might have 
been disinherited by his grandfather. Then, 
again, there is a possibility that James and 
John Adams are one and the same man, 
but this is very doubtful, as their names 
are mentioned distinctly and separately in 
the old records. 

(i) John Adams, ensign, Provincial 
Service, of Nockamixon township, Bucks 
county, Pennsylvania, died in Nockamixon 
township. May 22, 1807. He married Mary 
. He was buried in the old Nocka- 
mixon church graveyard. His will dated 
March 21, 1807, proved June 8, same year, 
is recorded in Will Book No. 7, p. 278, in 
the registrer of wills office, Doylestown, 
Pennsylvania. 



Jiilm Adams, of Nockamixon, served in 
llu' provincial service in 1756. He held a 
commission as ensign in one of the com- 
panies of the Associated Companies of 
Bucks county. (See Pennsylvania 
Archieves, vol. iii., p. 19; also Pennsyl- 
vania Archives, second series, vol. ii., p. 
531). Captain William Ramsey was cap- 
tain of the company in which John Adams 
served and held his commission as ensign 
in 1756, and was also from Nockamixon. 
township, Bucks county. John Johnson 
was the lieutenant of the company. John 
Adams of Nockamixon, and Mary his wife, 
had the following children : Mary, Eliza- 
beth, Margaret, George, Henry, John 
Jacob. 

George and Henry, sons of John Adams 
of Nockamixon, served in the Nockamixon 
Company of Associators in 1775. George 
was sergeant of the company, and the son, 
John was a soldier in the Continental army 
during the Revolutionary war. 

The first record that we have of John 
Adams of Nockami.xon owning any land 
is a warrant that was granted March 26, 
1754, to John Adams, for land in Nocka- 
mixon township, Bucks county, upon which 
a survey was returned for fifty-four acres 
and 113 peiches. A patent for this same 
land Wis granted April 26, 1726, to Abra- 
ham Fryling. John Adams had some 
trouble with this land, for on May 19, 1763, 
he entered a caveat against the acceptance 
of a survey made for Archibald Merrin, 
which took in the above mentioned land 
and improvements. (See Pennsylvania 
Archieves, third series, vol. ii., p. 275). The 
above land was surveyed by J. Hart, for 
which he gave a receipt, June 26, 1763, 
which is recorded in Doylestown, Pennsyl- 
vania, in Deed Book No. 32, p. 169. This 
vcceipt also mentions the date of the war- 
rant, March 26, 1754. 

(H) John Adams, private in Captain 
Samuel Watson's company, of Durham 
township, Bucks county, Pennsylvania, 
was a son of John Adams of Nockamixon 
township, Bucks county, Pennsylvania, 
born in Nockamixon township, November 
3- 1759, tlied in Durham township, Novem- 
ber J 2, 1826. He married Christina Klinker, 
December 15, 1789, at the Tohickon Ger- 
man Reformed church. Some time after 
the Revolutionary war he moved into Dur- 
ham township, where he lived until his 
death. He is buried in the old Durham 
church graveyard. Christina Klinker, the 
wife of John Adams, of Durham, was born 
in Nockf.mixon township August 15, 1770, 
died in Durham township October 2. 1847, 
and is buried in the old Durham church 
grc-.veyard. She was the daughter of John 
and Mary Klinker of Nockamixon town- 
ship, Bucks ^county, Pennsylvania. 

John Adams, of Durham township. Bucks 
county, Pennsylvania, was a soldier in the 
Cortinental army during the Revolution- 
ary war. He served as a private in Cap- 
tarn Samuel Watson's company of the Sec- 
ond Pennsylvania Battalion under Colonel 



HISTORY OF BUCKS COUNTY. 



79 



Arthur St. Clair. He enlisted February 12, 
1776. (See Pennsylvania Archieves, second 
series, vol. x, p. 98). Several of the mem- 
bers of his company were from upper 
Bvcks county. Captain Watson died at 
Three Rivers and was succeeded by 
Thomas L. Moore, who was promoted to 
major of the Ninth Regiment, Mav 12, 1779, 
and was succeeded as captain by John Hen- 
derson. The company was transferred or 
became a part of the Third Battalion, 
Twelfth Regiment, July i, 1778, and thus 
became associated with other companies 
of Bucks county. For his services he re- 
ceived from the state of Pennsylvania two 
hundred acres of "donation land" in Rob- 
inson township, Westmoreland county, 
Pennsylvania, which was returned for pat- 
ent October 9, 1786. (See Pennsylvania 
Archives, third series, vol. vrii, p. 7^3)- This 
land he sold to Hugh Hamill, November 
4, 1786. for i37 IDS. The witnesses to this 
deed were Thomas Delap (Dunlap). John 
Donnell and Jacob Glassmyer, all residents 
of Nockamixon township at that date. (Re- 
•corder's office,' Philadelphia. Pennsylvania, 
deed book D-17, p. 322.) John K.. son of 
John Adams of Durham, was a soldier for 
some time during the war of 1812-1814, 
private in Captain John Dornblaser's com- 
pany (Pennsylvania Archives, second ser- 
ies, vol. xii, p. 105). 

John Adams of Durham, and Christina, 
his wife, had the following children : 
Elizabeth, Mary, Margaret, John K.. Hen- 
ry, Jacob, Samuel, Susan, married Joseph 
Retfchlin, and Daniel. 

John Adams of Durham was quite a 
large land owner. In 1706 he owned one 
hundred acres of land and a grist and a 
saw mill in Nockamixon township. Bucks 
county, Pennsylvania. April 20, 1799, he 
bought of Solomon Lightcap 263 acres of 
land. (Bucks county deed book 30, p. 310). 
April II. 1808, he bought two tracts, one 
of 155 acres and the other of twelve acres. 
(Bucks county deed book 39, p. 135)- John 
Adams of Durham died without making 
a will. It is impossible to give the date 
when John Adams was mustered out of 
the service, for the muster rolls of the 
Twelfth Regiment have practically never 
been found. 

Tax lists of Nockamixon township 
show the holdings of John Adams, the 
father of the above John Adams, and his 
sons George and Henry, elder brothers of 
John. John Adams appears as a "single 
man'" first in the year of 1785, notwithstand- 
ing that he was of age in 1780. He there- 
foVe served, in all probability, up to about 
that date (1784-1785) in the Twelfth Penn- 
sylvania Regiment. Captain Samuel Wat- 
son's company records date to November 
25. 1776. only. 

(Ill) Henry Adams, of Durham town- 
ship. Bucks county, Pennsylvania, son of 
John Adams, was born in Durham town- 
ship June 17. 1806. and died there Decem- 
ber 15. 1838. He married Elizabeth Bitz, 
August 25, 1828, at her home in Spring- 



field township, Bucks county. Pennsylvania. 
He is buried in the old Durham church 
graveyard. Elizabeth Bitz, the wife of 
Henry Adams, of Durham, was born Sep- 
tember 18. 1811, in Springfield township, 
Bucks county, Pennsylvania, and died 
March 28, 1878, in Bethlehem, Pennsyl- 
vania. She was the daughter of John Bitz 
and Susan Riegel, his wife, of Springfield, 
Bucks ^ county, Pennsylvania. Henry 
Adams's will is recorded in Doyles- 
town, Pennsylvania. It is dated April 
28. 1838, and is proved December 22, 
1838. Henry Adams of Durham and 
Elizabeth, his wife, had the follow- 
ing children: John, Hannah, Catharine 
and Samuel. After the death of Henry 
Adams in 1840, Elizabeth Bitz was married 
a second time to Christian Nicholas. She 
had no children by this union. Christian 
K. Nicholas was born in Nockamixon 
township. Bucks county, Pennsvlvania, 
January 23, 1817, and died in upper Saucon 
township, Lehigh county, Pennsylvania, 
November 3, 1893, and was buried in Fried- 
ensville November 7, 1893, and body re- 
moved to Nisky Hill Cemetery, Bethlehem, 
December 16, 1899. 

(IV.) Samuel Adams of south Beth- 
lehem, Northampton county, Pennsylvania, 
son of Henry Adams, of Durham township, 
Bucks county, Pennsylvania, was born in 
Durham township July 25, 1837, and died 
in South Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, Febru- 
ary 22. 1902. He married Susie Weaver, 
September 14,. 1865. at her home in Allen- 
town, Pennsylvania. He is buried at Nisky 
Hill Cemetery, Bethlehem. Pennsylvania. 
Susie Weaver, wife of Samuel zA.dams, was 
born in Allentown, Pennsylvania, ]\Iay 5, 
1847. She was a daughter of Joseph Wea- 
ver and Salome, his wife, of Allentown, 
Pennsylvania. Samuel Adams and Susie 
Weaver, his wife, had the following chil- 
dren : John, Joseph W., Henry and Susie. 
Samuel Adams when quite a young man 
started out in farming, and then in iron 
ore mining. He entered the employ of the 
Thomas Iron Company of Catasaqua. Penn- 
sylvania, and was given charge of their 
mining interests. Mr. John Fritz induced 
him to come to Bethlehem and accept the 
position as his assistant in the Bethlehem 
Iron Company. Here he remained for 
nearly thirty years, and then had to re- 
sign on account of his health. He then or- 
ganized the Ponupo Mining and Trans- 
portation Company, Limited, and went to 
Santiago de Cuba as general manager of 
the company. Here he bought a railroad 
for the company, the Ferro-Carril de San- 
tiago de Cuba, and became its president, 
and also built an extension to the railroad 
to connect with the company's manganese 
mines. He remained in Cuba with his fam- 
ily for over two years, when he resigned 
and returned north. He was in Cuba part 
of the year 1892, all of 1893, and part of 
1894. After returning from Cuba he a.s- 
sisted in forming the Sheffield Coal. Iron 
and Steel Company of Sheffield, Alabama. 



8o 



HISTORY OF BUCKS COUMY. 



He stayed in Sheffield with liis family one 
year, then sold out his interest and came 
north. While with the Slieffield Coal, Iron 
and Steel Company he held the position- of 
general superintendent and assistant treas- 
urer, and also director of the company. He 
then retired from active business and de- 
voted himself to farming, having a tract of 
one hundred acres near Friedensville, 
Pennsylvania, about I3p acres above Bin- 
gen, Pennsylvania, and a tract of woodland 
along the P. & R. of forty acres, above 
Bingen, Pennsylvania. He was also inter- 
ested in and a director of the following 
companies at the time of his death : Pon- 
upo Mining and Transportation Company, 
Cuban Alining Company,- Jones and Bix- 
ler Manufacturing Company, South Beth- 
lehem National Bank. 

Henry, son of Samuel Adams, was a 
soldier during the Spanish-American war 
of 1898. He organized the first volunteer 
company in the state. He and his com*- 
pany were taken into the Ninth Pennsyl- 
vania Regiment to help make up the Third 
Battalion of that regiment. He was com- 
missioned as captain of Company K, Ninth 
Pennsylvania Regiment, United States 
Volunteer Infantry. The regiment was in 
the Third Brigade, Third Division, First 
Army Corps. 

(V.) Joseph W. Adams, of South Beth- 
lehem, Northampton county, Pennsylvania, 
son of Samuel Adams, was born in Beth- 
lehem, Pennsylvania, January 19, 1872. He 
married Reba Thomas, of Pittsburg, Penn- 
sylvania, daughter of David J. Thomas and 
Susannah Edwards, of Pittsburg, June 14, 
1899, at her home. Reba Thomas, the wife 
of Joseph W. Adams, was born in Pitts- 
burg, November ir, 1877. 

Joseph W. Adams was educated at the 
Moravian parochial school of Bethlehem, 
Pennsylvania, the HiH school of Potts- 
town, Pennsylvania, and the Lehigh Univer- 
sity of South Pennsylvania, where he joined 
the Delta Upsilon fraternity. He started to 
work in the drawing rooms of the Bethle- 
hem Iron Company. He went to Cuba 
with his father and was treasurer of the 
Ferro-Carril de Santiago de Cuba, 1892-93. 
He went to Alabama as assistant to the 
general superintendent of the Sheflfield 
Coal, Iron and Steel Company in 1895, and 
part of 1896. He returned home and took 
up his studies again at Lehigh University 
in metallurgy and mineralogy, and then 
read law for over a year. In 1899 he and 
his brother Henry formed the Cuban Min- 
ing Company, and he was elected secretary 
and treasurer of the company and also a 
director. He is connected with the follow- 
ing companies : Director and vice-president 
of the South Bethlehem National Bank ; 
director and president of La Paz Mining 
Company; director, secretary and treasurer 
of the Cuban Mining Company ; director 
and executive committee of Delaware Forge 
and Steel Company; director and commit- 
tee of Guerber Engineering Company ; 
director of Lehigh Valley Cold Storage 



Company; director, secretary and treasurer 
of the Roepper Mining Company; director 
of Valentine Fibre Ware Company; acting 
trustee of . the estate of Samuel 
Adams. He is a member of the fol- 
lowing clubs and societies : Society of 
Colonial Wars in the State of New 
York; Empire State Society; Sons of the 
American Revolution ; Pennsylvania So- 
ciety of Sons of the Revolution ; Pennsyl- 
vania German Society, and the local town 
and country clubs ; and of Masonic bodies — 
Bethlehem Lodge, Zinzendorf Chapter,, 
Bethlehem Council, Allen Commandery, 
Caldwell Consistory, and Rajah Temple. 
He is captain of commissary, Fourth Reg- 
iment Infantry, N. G. P. His children 
were : John, born January 23, 1901 ; David 
Samuel, born March 15, 1903. 

Henry Adams, captain of Company K, 
Ninth Pennsylvania Regiment, U. S. V. I., 
son of Samuel Adams, of South Bethlehem, 
Northampton county, Pennsylvania, was 
born in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, Novem- 
ber 2, 1873. He married Annette Talbot 
Belcher, of New London, Connecticut, July 
9, 1902. 

Henry Adams, mining engineer, was edu- 
cated at the Moravian parochial day school 
of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, the Hill 
school of Pottstown, Pennsylvania, and the 
Lehigh University of South Bethlehem, 
Pennsylvania, where he joined the Delta 
Upsilon fraternity. He started to work 
with Thomas Edison at Edison, N. J. He 
went to Cuba and was assistant superin- 
tendent and then superintendent of the Fer- 
ro-Carril de Santiago de Cuba. He went 
south to Alabama and was in charge of the 
coal and coke department of the Sheffield 
Coal, Iron and Steel Company at Jasper, 
Alabama. He went to Mexico and erected 
an electric light plant for the Mexican Na- 
tional Railroad, and then was supervisor 
of a division of that road. He resigned and 
was made constructing engineer for Tumer 
Nunn & Company of Mexico, Mexico, with 
headquarters in Pueblo. In December of 
1897 and January of 1898 he was in Cuba 
in the city of Santiago and the surrounding, 
countr}', and visited the insurgents sev- 
eral times. 

When war broke out with Spain in 1898 
he raised the first company of volunteers in 
the state, with the assistance of Colonel 
Wilson and Captain Juett of Bethlehem. 
He and his company were mustered into 
the United States service, and he received 
his commisison as captain of volunteers on 
July 6, 1898. His company was attached 
to the Ninth Pennsylvania Regiment, 
United States Volunteer Infantry, as Com- 
pany K, to help complete the Third Bat- 
talion. The regiment was in the Third 
Division, Third Brigade, First Army Corps. 
Company K, of the Ninth Pennsylvania 
Regiment of United States Volunteer In- 
fantry, is thus mentioned in the "Record of 
Events which may be Necessary or Useful 
for Future Reference at the War Depart- 
ment." 



HISTORY OF BUCKS COUNTY. 



8i 



"This company was organized in July at 
South Bethlehem, and mustered in at South 
Bethlehem, July 6, 1898, which company 
left by rail for Chickamauga Park, July 7, 
1898, arriving in camp July 19, 1898. Re- 
mained in camp until August 26, 1898, when 
company left by rail for Camp Hamilton, 
Lexington, Kentucky, arriving , in camp 
August 28, 1898. . Left Camp Hamilton for 
regimental headquarters at Wilkesbarre, 
September 17, 1898, arriving there Septem- 
ber 19, 1898. Company left by rail for 
home station, September 20, 1898, arriving 
same day, when company was verbally fur- 
loughed for thirty days." 

The above is taken from the muster-out 
roll of the company. The company was 
mustered into service on the 6th day of 
July, 1898, and was mustered out of the 
service on the 29th day of October, 1898. 
It was the first volunteer company formed 
in the state of Pennsylvania, and was taken 
to help fill out the Third Battalion of the 
Ninth Pennsj-lvania Regiment. The other 
companies were Captain Green's, of Read- 
ing; Captain Mercer's, of Summit Hill, 
above Mauch Chunk ; and Captain Moor's, 
of Towanda. 

On Friday evening, April 22, 1898, there 
was a meeting held in the Fountain Hill 
Opera House, and a call for volunteers 
made. These met in Doxon's Hall after- 
ward and elected Henry Adams, captain ; 
Leighton N. D. Mixsell, first lieutenant; 
and Dick Enright, second lieutenant. Mr. 
Enright failed to pass his physical ex- 
amination and was re-elected. A. Alison 
Mitchell, of Wilkesbarre, was appointed in 
his place. The South Bethlehem Market 
Hall was used as an Armory by the com 
pany. 

Henry Adams is a member of the Penn- 
sylvania German Society, 1899; a member 
of the Society of Foreign Wars, Pennsyl- 
vania Commandery, 1899 ; general manager 
of the Cuban Mining Company at Neu- 
vitas, Cuba, 1899-1902, and the mines of this 
company were discovered by him ; a mem- 
ber of the Empire State Society of the Sons 
of the American Revolution, and was pre- 
sented a medal of honor by the society for 
service in the Spanish-American war; and 
of Masonic bodies — Fernwood Lodge, No. 
543, Philadelphia, and Caldwell Consistory, 
32d degree. He was vice president and 
general manager of the San Domingo Ex- 
ploration Company and San Domingo 
Southern Railway Company, San Domingo, 
R. D., West Indies, 1902. 



HON. GEORGE ROSS, an eminent jur- 
ist and statesman, was born in Doylestown, 
August 24, 1841. He came of a distinguished 
and honored ancestry. His earlier ancestors 
were of the clan Ross, of the Highlands of 
Scotland. His great-great-grandfather 
Thomas Ross was born in the year 1708, in 
county Tyrone, Ireland, where his parents 
had sought a refuge from the horrors of civil 
6-3 



and internecine war in their native Scotia. 
Emigrating to America at the age of twen- 
ty-one he settled in Solebury, Bucks county. 
He joined the Society of Frien-ds and be- 
came a distinguished preacher. He was a 
man of superior education and intellectual 
ability, and traveled extensively in later life 
both in the American colonies and in Eng- 
land and Ireland. He died at the home of 
Lindley Murray, the great grammarian, in 
York, England, while on one of his relig- 
ious visits in 1786. He married Keziah 
Wilkinson in 1731, and had by her three 
children : John, Thomas, and Mary, who 
married Thomas Smith. John Ross mar- 
ried Mary Duer in 1754, and had seven 
children; Sarah, who died in childhood; 
Thomas; Keziah, who married Benjamin 
Eastburn ; John ; Joseph ; Isaiah ; and 
Mary, who died in infancy. 

Thomas, the great-grandfather of the 
subject of this sketch, as one of the execu- 
tors of his father's will, joined in the con- 
veyance of the Solebury homestead, pat- 
ented to his father in 1737, to Jacob Van 
Horn in 1787, and the latter conveyed it 
back to Thomas by deed dated two days 
later. In 1796 he conveyed it to his son 
Thomas, who by will in 1814 devised it to- 
his brother, Judge John Ross, of Easton, 
who devised it to his son Thomas, the fath- 
er of the subject of this sketch, who con- 
veyed it to Edward Vansant in 1853.. 
Thus the original homestead of the Ross 
family in Bucks county remained in the 
family for one hundred and sixteen years, 
notwithstanding the fact that for three 
generations the owners had been much 
more eminent as jurists than as farmers. 
John Ross, eldest son of Thomas and Ke- 
ziah, removed to Philadelphia. His son 
Joseph removed to the West. John be- 
came an eminent physician. Thomas mar- 
ried Rachel Longstrethand settled in West 
Chester. He was a lawyer, and had a 
large and lucrative practice. 

Thomas Ross, younger son of Thomas 
and Keziah. (Wilkinson) Ross, born on the 
old homestead in Solebury, was the great- 
grandfather of the subject of this sketch. 
He married (first) a Miss Clark, and (sec- 
ond) Jane Cliapman, who was the mother 
of his six children : Thomas, John, Will- 
ia'm, Cephas, Hugh and Samuel. He lived 
on the Solebury plantation until 1796, when 
he removed with his family to Newtown, 
where he died about 1814. His eldest son 
Thomas was appointed prothonotary and 
clerk of the courts of Bucks county in 1801, 
and held those offices for eight years. He 
was born in 1767 and was admitted to the 
bar of Northampton county in 1793, but 
practiced but a year or two, when he re- 
moved to New York city. He returned to 
Newtown in 1800 and practiced law until 
appointed prothonotary and clerk. His wife 
was Mary Lyons, of Long Island. He died 
in 1815, while visiting his brother John at 
Easton and left no children. Hugh Ross 
studied law with his brother John at Easton 
and on being admitted to the bar returned 



82 



HISTORY OF BUCKS COUNTY. 



to Newtown, later went to Trenton, New 
Jersey and finally settled in Milford, Pike 
county, Pennsylvania. Samuel, the young- 
est child of Thomas Ross (2) born 1779, 
■married in 1815 Mary Helena Wirtz, and 
settled in Philadelphia. He had six chil- 
dren. Cephas Ross, another son of 
Thomas (2) remained in Bucks county, 
■where he still has numerous descendants. 
-He died in Plumstrad in 1840. 

Hon. John Ross, the grandfather of the 
•"su"bect of this sketch, son of Thomas and 
Jane (Chapman) Ross, was born on the 
Solebury homestead. February 24, 1770. He 
received a liberal education, but it appears 
that his family were averse to his follow- 
ing a professional career. From a number 
'of letters written by him in 1790 to his 
benefactor, Richard Backhouse, it would 
seem that by reason of the difference with 
his parents as to his future career he was 
cast upon his own resources. These let- 
ters are now in the possession of the Penn- 
sylvania Historical Society. He commenced 
life as a school teacher at Durham, where he 
attracted the attention of Richard Back- 
house, then proprietor of the furnace. To 
Mr. Backhouse the youth confided his in- 
tention of going South to seek his fortune. 
Mr. Backhouse urged him to take up the 
study of law, and generously offered to give 
him sufficient financial aid to complete his 
studies and start him in the practice of 
law. Taking up with this generous offer, 
the embryo judge began the study of law 
with his cousin. Thomas Ross, of West 
Chester, then in the same judicial dis- 
trict as Bucks county, and he was admitted 
to the bar of the district in 1792. He set- 
tled at Easton. Northampton county and 
began the practice of law. and at once 
sprang into prominence. Hon. Henry P. 
Ross, his grandson, once said : "No 
member of the family approached him in 
ability," and his brilliant professional ca- 
reer warrants the assertion, superlative 
though it be. A born politician, he early 
launched into the , arena of politics. He 
was elected to the state legislature in 1800. 
In 1804 he was a candidate for congress, 
but the jealousies aroused by the rival 
claims of the three counties of Northamp- 
ton, Bucks and Montgomery, then compos- 
ing the district, caused his defeat. He re- 
newed the fight in 1808 and was then 
elected. At the expiration of his term he 
was appointed prothonotary of Northamp- 
ton county. Was elected to congress again 
in 1814. and re-elected in 1816 and resigned 
to accept the appointment of judge of the 
seventh judicial district, comprising the 
counties of Bucks, Montgomery, Chester 
and Delaware. January 25. 1818. He had 
married November 19. 1795. Mary Jenkins, 
whose family resided at Jenkintown, and 
on taking up the duties of his office he 
located there. The act of March. 1821, 
placed Montgomery and Bucks in one ju- 
dicial district and Judge Ross removed to 
Doylestown, then the county seat of Bucks. 



He purchased the old tavern stand where 
the National Bank now stands, and con- 
verted it into a residence, and it remained 
the home of his descendants until 1896. 
Judge Ross was appointed justice of the 
supreme cgurt April 16, 1830, after which 
much of his time was spent in Jenkintown. 
He died of apoplexy in Philadelphia Jan- 
uary 31, 1834, in his sixty-fourth year. 
While in Northampton county he had pur- 
chased a tract of 348 acres near the Wind 
Gap in what is now INIonroe county, and 
named it Ross Common. He set apart 
upon this tract a family burying ground. 
Here his favorite brother Thomas was bur- 
ied, and here the famous jurist and states- 
man himself lies buried. 

The children of Judge John Ross were : 
George, a graduate of Princeton, who stud- 
ied law with his father and was admitted 
to the bar in i8r8; (he became involved in 
a quarrel which resulted in a duel on the 
Delaware river, and he was never after- 
wards heard from) Charles J.; Lord; Cam- 
illa, who married General Peter Thrie, of 
Easton ; Serena ; John, an invalid, though 
he lived until 1886; Thomas; Jesse Jen- 
kins, who was at one time consul to Sicilv ; 
Adelaide, who married Dr. Samuel R. 
Dubbs. and Mary. Of these, George, 
Thomas, William and Jenkins all were col- 
lege graduates and all lawyers, though 
Thomas was the only one who continued 
to practice. William became a teacher. 
]\Iary Jenkins Ross died in December. 1845. 

Thomas Ross, the father of the subject 
of this sketch, was born in Easton. Decem- 
ber I,. 1806. He graduated at Princeton 
in 1825. studied law, and was admitted to 
the bar February 9. 1829. Inheriting the 
abilities of his distinguished ancestors, he 
was a fine pleader and a logical thinker 
and became one of the eminent lawyers 
of his day. He was elected to consress 
from the tenth district comprising Bucks 
and Lehigh in 1848. and re-elected in 1851, 
and the district was never more ably repre- 
sented. As an orator he obtained a na- 
ional reputation. He died July 7. 1865. 
His wife was Elizabeth, daughter of Levi 
Pawling of IMontgomery county, a member 
of the fiftieth congress, and £rrandauQ:hter 
of Governor Heister. The children of this 
marriage were Henry P., George and Mary. 

Henry P. Ross, born December 16. 1836, 
who became president judge of the seventh 
judicial district, graduated at Princeton 
in 1857. studied law with bis father and 
was admitted to the bar in December. 1859. 
He nracticed law with his father imtil the 
death of the latter in 1865. when he took 
his brother George into the firm. He w'as 
elected district attorney in 1862. He was 
a brilliant lawyer and an accomplished 
speaker. He was a leader of his party, and 
twice its candidate for congress. He was 
elected additional law^ judge in 1869. and 
succeeded Judge Chapman as president 
judge two years later. When the district 
was divided in 1874 he chose Montgomery 



HISTORY OF BUCKS COUNTY. 



83 



•county and, finishing his term there, was 
re-elected in 1881, but died at Norristown, 
April 13. 1882. 

George Ross, son of Thomas and Eliza- 
"beth (Pawling) Ross, was born August 24, 
1841. He obtained his preparatory edu- 
cation at the Tenent school at Hartsville. 
-conducted by the Rev. Alahlon anfi Charles 
Long, and at the Lawrenceville. New Jer- 
sey Academy, under the tutorship of Dr. 
Hamill. He entered Princeton in January, 
1858, and graduated in the class of 186 r. 
He at once began the study of law with his 
father and brother at Doylestown and was 
admitted to the bar of the county June 13, 
1864. At the death of his father the fol- 
lowing year he formed a partnership w^ith 
his elder brother, Hon. Henry P. Ross, 
which lasted until the elevation of the lat- 
ter to the bench in 1869. when he became 
associated with Levi L. James, under the 
firm name of George Ross & L. L. James. 
At the death of Mr. James in 1889, J. Ferd: 
inand Long became the junior partner. 

Mr. Ross, like his father and grandfather, 
was a trained and erudite lawyer, by years 
of study and patient industry he had mas- 
tered the great principles of common and 
statute law, and soon earned the proud 
distinction of being the recognize