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HISTORIC HOMES AND INSTITUTIONS

AND

GENEALOGICAL AND PERSONAL
MEMOIRS

OF

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

PENNSYLVANIA.

EDITORS OF GENEALOGICAL DEPARTMENTS:
CHESTER COUNTY,
GILBERT COPE.
DELAWARE COUNTY,
HENRY GRAHAM ASHMEAD.

"Knowledge of kindred and the genealogies of the ancient families deserveth the highest praise. Herein
consisteth a part of the knowledge of a man's own self. It is a great spur to virtue to look back on the
worth of our line." — Lord Bacon.
"There is no heroic poem in the world but is at the bottom the life of a man." — Sir Walter Scott.

ILLUSTRATED.

VOL. II.

NEW YORK ... CHICAGO:
THE LEWIS PUBLISHING COMPANY
1904.

INDEX

Abraham, Daniel, 194.
Abraham, Daniel C, 194.
Agnew, Thomas E., 316.
Alden, Martha W., 190.
Aldred, Thomas M., 470.
Alexander, William C., 125.
Allen, Davis E., 347.
Anderson, Archibald, 182.
Appleby, David, 89.
Armitage, The Preparatory and Fin
ishing School, 204.
Arnold, Walter J., 53.
Arthur, Rebecca J., 237.
Ash, Mathew, 109.
Ash, Robert F., 108.
Ashbridge, J. Davis, 438.
Ashmead, Henry G., 138.
Baker, Amos S., 386.
Baker, Enos L., 244.
Baker, George L., 364.
Baker, Harry S., 245.
Baker, John P., 483.
Baker, William H, 242.
Balderston, John L., 551.
Baldt, Frederick, 92.
Baldwin's, Miss, School for Girls, 314
Bane, John M., 407.
Barnard, Enos P., 513.
Barnard, Eusebius R, 459.
Barnard, Isaac D., 565.
Barnard, Jeremiah, 454.
Bartleson, Henry C, 189.
Bartram, John H., 567.
Bartram, Mordecai T., 543.
Battin, Thomas F., 84.
Beatty, Edwin H., 224.
Beatty, Ella M., 225.
Beatty, Robert W., 205.
Becker, Joseph, 348.
Bell, Samuel R., 89.
Bernard, Reuben, 387.
Berry, William H., 95.
Biles, Charles C, 256.
Binder, William, 349.
Bishop, Joseph, 214.
Bittle, Walter S., 171.
Black, George F., 213.
Black, J. Frank, 68.
Blaine, Edward, 79.
Bolmar, Antoine, 565.
Bonsall, 27.
Bonsall, Charles, 29.
Boon, Jacob, 231.
Booth, Osborn, 285.
Briggs, Isaac, 254.
Broomall, Henry L., .131.
Broomall, John M., 126.

Broomall, William B., 129.
Broome, Charles A., 330.
Brosius, J. Howard, Z77-
Br'ower, William, 471.
Brown,J3eorge T.; 524.
Brown, George W, 253.
Bruner, David J., 496.
Buffington, James G., ,436.
Bullock, Ulysses G., 529.
Bunting, -David S., 96.
Bunting, Samuel S., 239,
Burnley, Michael, 266.
Bushong, Henry, ^540.
Butler, George '£>.,' 419.
Butler, James, 437.
Byer&, Robert, 471.
Byrne, Th6rrias F., 584.
Caldwell, Charles, 233.
Caldwell, David L., 597.
Caldwell, Robert W., 503.
Caldwell, William S., 305.
Caldwells, The of Morton, 233.
Caley, Samuel, 147.
Calhoun, William, 220.
Callanan, John M., no.
Campbell, James A. G., 93.
Campbell, W. John, 545.
Carey, Edward, 143.
Carney, Thomas, 393.
Carr, Franklin P., 228.
Carr, Lewis W., 492.
Carr, Samuel T., 221.
Carr, William H., 229.
Carter, John I., 386.
Carter, John W., 284*
Cassatt, Alexander J., 411.
Chadwick, Robert, 50.
Chalfant, William, 549.
Challenger, John F., 314.
Chambers, Charles W., 370.
Chambers, David J., 366.
Chambers, Morris E., 367.
Chambers, Richard B., 375.
Chandler, Edwin A., 526.
Chandler, Isaac F., 448.
'Cheyney, 292.
Cheyney, Alice, 400.
Cheyney, George S., 405.
Cheyney, John P., 453.
Cheyney, William G., 294.
Cheyney, William I.. 119.
Childs, Joseph H, Sr., 201.
Clark, Morgan H., 497-
Clark, Walter M., 484.
Clark, William C, 265.
Clayton, The Family, 395-
Clevenstine, Henry, 494-

Cloud, P. Allen, 489.
Cloud, Thompson M., 330.
Cloud, William P., 487.
Clymer, John W., 260.
Coates, George, 484.
Cochran, Archibald A., 75.
Conard, Alfred F., 428.
Conard, Joel P., 317.
Conard, Samuel, 232.
Conard, The Family, 317.
Conard, Thomas P., 304.
Conner, John, 200.
Conrad, William C, 213.
Cook, Marcellus S., 382.
Cooper, Pennock, 381.
Cooper, The Family, 358.
Cooper, Thomas V., 44.
Cope, 425.
Cope, josiah, 427.
Cornogg, Ulysses G., 275.
Cox, George, 506.
Cox, John, 530.
Craig, Jacob, Jr., 94.
Crager, Nathan P., 585.
Crossan, Calvin J., 520.
Crossan, Marshall S., 300.
Crossan, Thomas E., 519.
Crothers, Samuel R., 73.
Crozer, Edward, 10.
Crozer, John P., 6.
Crozer, J. Lewis, 10.
Crozer, Samuel A., 8.
Crozer, The Family, 5.
Crozer Theological Seminary, 1.
Crozier, J. Eli, 566.
Culver, Sanford, 566.
Cunningham, George A., 401.
Cunningham, Susan J., 154.
Dale, Charles, 408.
Darlington, Henry C, 482.
Darlington, Isaac, 565.
Darlington, Lamartine, 500.
Davis, Charles W., 497.
Davis, Harry M., 183.
Davis, Isaac P., 462.
Davis, Morgan R., 183.
Davis, William H. H., 474.
Davis, William L.-, 465.
Deery, John E., 586.
Deshong, Alfred O., 65.
Deshong, The Family, 64.
Detwiler, Isaac, 472.
Dewees, Jacob H., 399.
Dewees, Thomas B., 494.
Dickinson, Maurice M., 212.
Dickinson, William, 212.
Dolbey, Conrad K., 234.

IV

INDEX.

Dorian, Mary J., 324.
Drake, Frank M., 273.
Drayton, George, 166.
Duffee, John H., 217.
Dunmore, Edward D., 583.
Durnall, Edwin J., 161.
Eachus, Edwin E., 215.
Ebright, Jacob, 258.
Eckfeldt, Adam C, 241.
Edwards, George Y., 228.
Edwards, Samuel, 30.
Eisenbise, Henry A., 84.
Elfreth, Jacob R., 177.
Elliott, John, 518.
Ellis, Nathaniel M., 589.
Embree, 431.
Embree, Lydia, 433.
Emery, Eugene C, 356.
Emery, Thomas W., 326.
Epright, Hannah, 323.
Epright, The Family, 324.
Erskine, James, 248.
Esrey, David R, 70.
Esrey, James, 165.
Essig, C. J., 271.
Evans, Franklin G., 537.
Evans, George D., 188.
Evans, Jesse B., 421.
Evans, John, 146.
Evans, J. Engle, 142.
Evans, Joseph H., 103.
Evans, Lewis H., "516.
Evans, William, 510.
Everhart, James B., 337.
Eves, William D., 307.
Ewing, J. Hunter, 258.
Ewing, William B., 445.
Fahey, John, Jr., 556.
Fairlamb, Horace W., 91.
Faucett, Casper P., 569.
Faucett, Ebenezer, 502.
Faucett, Emlen C, 501.
Faucett, George S., 511.
Faucett, Henry, 280.
Fell, Herbert D., 304.
Felton, Samuel M., 80.
Fetters, Horace A., 440.
Fetters, Isaiah, 498.
Finkbiner, Jahn E., 460.
First National Bank of Media, 136.
Fisher, John P., 439.
Flagg, J. Foster, 166.
Flower, Charles, 135.
Flower, John R., 114.
Forsythe, Lewis, 451.
Fox, James G., 402.
Frame, William E., 456.
Freeborn, James, 203.
Freemann, John S., 259.
Friday, Christian, 355.
Friday, John W., 348.
Friday, William, 495.
Fry, Edward S., 87.
Fulton, Ambrose C, 406.
Fulton, James, 298.
Fulton, John M., 398.
Fulton, Joseph, 406.
Fulton, J. Whittier, 485.
Fulton, The Family, 398.
Fulton, William T, 319-
Funderwhite, John C, 329.
Funk, Henry, 460.
Fussell, Morris, 507.

Gallagher, Harry K., 291.
Garber, Henry O., 543.
Garretson, James E., 185.
Gartside, Benjamin, 62.
Gartside, James, 63.
Gawthrop, Emmor D., 576.
Gawthrop, Joseph R., 559.
Geissinger, Freeman J., 223.'
Gibbons, Joseph, 212.
Gilbert, Edwin, 384.
Gilkyson, Hamilton H., 488.
Gilroy, Henry E., 104.
Good, George, 456.
Good, Lewis P., 365.
Gough, Rufus W., 72.
Graham, Wesley M., 413.
Grant, Charles P., 264.
Gray, Jerome B., 480.
Green, no.
Green, Daniel H, 199.
Green, Frank D., 112.
Green, Horace P., 158.
Green, Robert, 194.
Green, William H., Jr., 52.
Green, William H., Sr., 51.
Greenfield, Henry C., 478.
Griffith, Davis, 439.
Griffith, Horace S., 262.
Griffith, Morris F., 358.
Griffith, Thomas W., 515.
Habbersett, Jacob, 270.
Habbersett, The Family, 270.
Hackett, M. F., 590.
Hadfield, Edward J., 482.
Haines, Townsend, 564.
Haines. Wilmer J., 367.
Hall, B. T., 80.
Hamilton, John, 87.
Harlan, Henry, 398.
Harlan, The Family, 398.
Harper, John, s8d.
Hartman, David R., 343.
Hartman, John S., 586.
Hartman, William D., 339.
Harvey, Rolph M., 283.
Hause, Horace, 417.
Haverford College, 168.
Hawley, Joseph W., 137.
Hawthorne, John L., 66.
Hayes, Isaac I., 338.
Heacock, Jonathan, 206.
Henderson, David I., 219.
Henderson, Isaac N., 572.
. Hepburn, Robert H, 370.
Hetzel, George C, 88.
Hibberd, Jacob, 155.
Hibberd, John, 104.
Hibberd, John, 220.
Hibberd, Henrietta L., 104.
Hibberd, Walter T„ 263.
Hickman, Edward S.. 65.
Hickman, Jesse J., 568.
Hickman, John, 564.
Hickman, Marshall B., 466.
Hicks, Francis W., 362.
Hicks, John H, 393.
Hiestand, Amos, 461.
Hiestand, Reuben, 446.
Highley, Evan, 342.
Hinkson, Henry M., 47.
Hippie, Elijah G., 542.
Hippie, Harry L., 269.
Hippie, Henry, 236.
Hippie, Jesse, 239.
Hires, Charles E, 415.

Hodgson, Robert H., 295.
Hoffman, Elizabeth J., 157.
Hoffner, Henry M., 184.
Holman, Joseph W., 594.
Holman, Leon E., 587.
Holmes, Richard, 216.
Hood, James P., 388.
Hoopes, Henry H, 443
Houston, Howard H, 451.
Houston, Thomas J., 41.
Howard, Baldwin, 240.
Howard, Frederick A., 61.
Howard, William E., 61.
Howell, Charles H., 582.
Hower, Frank A., 173.
Hughes, Robert G., 593.
Hughes, Thomas, 174.
Hull, James D., 155.
Hull, William I., 154.
Hunt, H, L., 312.
Hunt, Mary J., 312.
Hunter, Samuel R., 121.
Hutchison, James N., 308.
Ingram, Alexander H., 306.
Ingram, H. G., 114. .
Ingram, Marshall A., 284.
Irving, William A., 312.
Jackson, James C, 160.
Jackson, John G., 160.
Jackson, Letitia, 316.
James, Alfred, 198.
James, Levi G., 82.
James, Washington W., 187.
Jefferis, Jesse P., 442.
Jefferis, Joshua, 555.
Johnson, Alexander, 208.
Johnson, Charles E., 273.
Johnson, David M., 45.
Johnson, Isaac D., 557.
Johnson, Thomas W, 326.
Johnson, William A., 193.
Johnson, William S., 17.
Johnston, George J., 217.
Johnston, Wallace B., 76.
Jones, Isaac T., Jr., 180.
Jones, Isaac T., Sr., 179.
Jones, John, 422.
Jones, Richard L., Jr., 261.
Jones, Richard L., Sr., 265.
Jones, Samuel M., 379.
Jones, William, 404.
Jones, William D., 267.
Keech, James, 409.
Keech, The Family, 409.
Keeley, Horace W, 511.
Keenan, William I., 434.
Keenen, The Family, 433.
Kelly, Patrick J., 264.
Kelton, William N., 573.
Kennady, John W., 448.
Kennady, William S., 522.
¦ Kennedy, William D., 191.
Kent, Henry T., 26.
Kent, Mary A., 27.
Kent, Samuel L., 27.
Kent, Simmons, 165.
Kent, The Family, 24.
Kirk, Thomas, 430.
Knight, William H., 561.
Kromer, James F., 235.
Lamorelle, Paul, 596.
Langley, Edward, 488.

INDEX.

LaRoche, Maximillian F., 222.
Latshaw, Daniel B., 463.
Latshaw, Jesse J., 401.
Lawrence, Henry, 172.
Lawrence, Samuel H, 429.
Lawrence, The Family, 429.
Lawrence, Thomas D., 172.
Leamey, Isaac W., 227.
Leamey, W. Walter, 228.
Lee, Robert N., 176.
Leedom, Charles, 202.
Leedom, Joseph, 210.
Lees, Daniel, 274.
Lees, T. Frank, 275.
LeFevre, W. Harry, 373.
Lewis, David E., 272.
Lewis, John R., 211.
Lewis, Phineas, 412.
Leys, James F., 14.
Lindecamp, John A., 481.
Lindsay, George B., 48.
Little, George, 446.
Lloyd, Horace H., 365.
Lloyd, Truman B., 512.
Lobb, Preston W., 414.
Locke, Samuel D., 182.
Logan, Elizabeth, 223.
Long, Charles R., 313.
Lorenz,. Albert G., 108.
Lownes, Francis, 161.
Lownes, Joseph, 205.
Lownes, William H., 237.
Lowry, Walter B., 224.
Lukens, Levi, 181.
Lutz, John M., 192,
Mackereth, Fred T., 529.
Mackey, A. Wilson, 527.
Mackey, David, 477.
Mackey, Joseph Q., 391.
Mackey, William C, 342.
Mackey, William S., 525.
MacPherson, Campbell, 200.
Maddock, Israel M., 34.
Maddux, Daniel P., 76.
Magill, Edward H, 151.
Makiver, Harry J., 131.
Maplewood Institute, 115.
March, J. Frank, 425.
March, John F., 333.
Maris, Edward, 101.
Maris, John M., 100.
Marley, Joseph, 381.
Marshall, Hoopes, 428.
Marshall, John, 216.
Marshall. Margaretta, 406.
Martin, Isaac, 449.
Marvel, Howard T., 286.
Mathues, Allen C. W., 148.
Mathues, William L., 346.
Matthews, Alfred H., 186.
May, 'Addison, 338.
McCall, George A., 334.
McClellan, Joseph T., 175.
McClure, Alexander K., 344.
McClure, William J., 109.
McCullough, Allan, 268.'
McCullough, Sanders, 322.
McCurdy, Charles W., 331.
McDonald, Patrick, 355.
McFadden, Edward, 218.
McFadden, Mercer, 527.
McFadgen, Wilmer L., 531.
McFadien. John R., 533.
McFarland, George. 400.
McFarland, Harry J., 40S.

McNeil, Caleb F., 361.
McNeil, Charles I., 366.
Media Court House, 247.
Menagh, Joseph R., 197.
Mendenhall, Henry, 118.
Mendenhall, John H, 119.
Mendenhall, Joseph T., 552.
Mengel, Charles J., 327.
Mercur, James W., 54.
Meredith, Daniel 410.
Meredith, John, 416.
Messick, Joseph, 102.
Michener, Ellwood, 575.
Michener, Maurice C., 117.
Miles, The Family, 396.
Miles, Theodore, 396.
Miller, Harry J., 368.
Miller, Jesse, 588.
Miller, Lewis P., 532.
Miller, Newton, 420.
Miller, William H., 143.
Monaghan, Robert E., 339.
Monhollend, W. J., 409.
Mooney, John A., 493.
Moore, Charles, 124.
Moore, Daniel F., 584.
Moore, Francis J., 435.
Moore, George, 374.
Moore, Nathan B., 257.
Moore, Philip, 257.
Moore, Robert F., 417.
Moore, Samuel H., 258.
Moore, Thomas E., 45S.
Moore, The Family, 256.
Moore, William A., 457.
Moorhead, Mary F., 221.
Morris, Charles E., 106.
Mosteller, Joseph, 354.
Mosteller, Park V., 500.
Mullin, Thomas E., 581.
Murray, John S., 204.
Myers, Walter S., 524.
Neal, Samuel H, 79.
Nields, Henry C, 339.
Notable Buildings, 5.
Oliver, Edmund, 83.
Palmer, Charles, 71.
Palmer, Marshall, 490.
Pancoast, Thomas, 278.
Parke, Agnes G., 317.
Parker, William M., 272.
Parkinson, Thomas W., 220.
Paschall, 276.
Paschall, Joseph H., 277.
Passmore, Benjamin J., 413.
Passmore, Oscar F., • 369.
Patchel, George G., 206.
Patchel, George S., 242.
Patchel, James, 207.
Pechin, Peter, 203.
Peck, David Y., 333.
Peirce, Albert G., 560.
Pejrson, David Y, 590.
Pendleton, Garnett, 37.
Pennington, Chandler, 536.
Pennock, Abraham L., 577.
Pennock, Caspar, 577.
Pennock, Joseph L., 579.
Pennock, Samuel J'., 486.
Peters, Harriet P., 80.
Philips, David, 518.
Philips, Edwin S., 548.
Philips, Samuel J., SS3-

Phillips, John M., 563.
Phillips, William H, 562.
Pierson, -David T., 523.
Pinkerton, Samuel S., 198.
Place, Benjamin F., 444.
Piatt, John, 146.
Pond, Joseph E., 223.
Potts, Charles, 124.
Powel, William M., 86.
Powell, Elizabeth, 230.
Powell, Elwood G., 230.
Powell, Hibbard, 193.
Powell, Vernon, 440.
Powell, Walter C, 187.
Pratt, David, 206.
Pratt, Henry B., 289.
Pratt, Nathan L., 287.
Pratt, Trimble, 146.
Prendergast, John F., 566.
Prizer, Granville, 455.
Pugh, Caleb, 378.
Pugh, Tryon J., 400.
Pusey, Edwin, 376.
Pusey, J. Howard, 486.
Pusey, Joel B., 385.
Pusey, Joshua B., 392.
Pusey, Philip C, 373.
Pusey, The House, 10.
Pusey, William J., 383.
Pyle, J. Atwood, 418.
Pyle, Robert, 394.
Pyle, Samuel S., 450.
Quarll, Joseph S., 542.
Quay, George W., 464.
Quay, Rees J., 453.
Quigley, Joseph L., 255.
Ralston, H. F., 478.
Ralston, John B., 349.
Ramsay, James P., 522.
Ramsey, Robert E., 407.
Ranck, Jacob, 422.
Rapp, Joseph P., 357.
Rapp, U. S. Grant, 498.
Read, Thomas B., 323.
Rapp, William, 467.
Reece, J. Coulson, 528.
Rennard, Jacob, 423.
Rhoads, William, 246.
Rice, Edmund T., 205.
Richey, Thomas H., Jr., 534.
Rigby, J. Lord, 125.
Rigby, William H., 120.
Ring, Caleb, B., 434.
Ristine, George C, 173.
Ritter, Samuel M., 288.
Roach, John B., 31.
Robb, William, 431.
Roberts, Charles W., 475.
Robinson, John, 397.
Robinson, The Family, 397.
Rogers, John T., 229.
Rogers, Moses E., 299.
Rogers, Sarah M., 229.
Root,. Isaac K, 345.
Rose. David, 73.
Rossiter, Mahlon, 592.
Rubincam, Barclay, 410.
Rush, George, 282.
Savage, Hugh, 210.
Savery, Stephen W., 382.
Scatchard. John, 300.
Schaffer, William I., 313.
Schleichter, Webster, 509.

VI

INDEX.

Schofield, Harry, 249.
Scott, Amos G., 481.
Scott, H. H., 278.
Scott, Israel R., 281.
Selby, Fred, 88.
Serrill, Joseph L., 243.
Shafer, Lavinia W., 384.
Sharpless, Isaac, 170.
Sharpless, John P., 491.
Shaw, Hugh, 60.
Shaw, John, 86.
Sheneman, Augustus P., 435.
Shepherd, John, Jr., 412.
Shillingford, Annie C., 270.
Shimer, William, 458.
Shipleys' The Misses School, 186.
Shoch, Samuel B., 535.
Shoemaker, Anna M., 188.
Shoffner, Isaac N., 328.
Shoffner, Levi, 468.
Shortlidge, Joseph, 116.
Shortlidge, Swithin, 581.
Shupert, Millard F., 332.
Siter, William, 230.'
Skelton, Lewis, 594.
Skelton, Lewis M., 555.
Skelton, Lydia C, 554.
Slack, Norris B., 521.
Smedley, Ellwood, 544.
Smiley, George B. McC, 327.
Smith, A. G. C, 164.
Smith, Edward W., 225.
Smith, John L., 464.
Smith, John W., 66.
Smith, R. Penn, 411.
Smith, Robert G., 404.
Snyder, William, 468.
Snyder, William H., 321.
Snyder, William H, 467.
Snyder, William P., 469.
Sparks, Hickman W., 449.
Spencer, Eugene C, 296.
Spencer, Evan, 392.
Spencer, George W., 535.
Spencer, Harvey, 450.
Spencer, Pennock, 290.
Spencer, Samuel P., 375.
Sproul, 350.
Sproul, William C, 351.
Sproul, William H, 350.
Stackhouse, Amos, 15.
Stackhouse, The Family, 14.
Stafford, C. E., 134.
Starr, Charles T., 572.
Starr, The Family, 570.
Stauffer, Henry P., 360.
Stauffer, John B., 508.
Stiteler, David H, 196.
Stoever, Henry VonH., 98.
Strahorn, Robert, 394.
Strickland, Joseph R., 476.
Strickland, Nimrod, 564.
Strieby, Jacob P., 156.
Stubbs, Theodore K., 302.
Styer, Stephen, 442.
Suplee, Nathan, 390.
Swain, Joseph, 152.

Swarthmore College, 149.
Swarthmore Preparatory School, 162.
Swayne, Evan T., 514.
Swayne, George, 219.
Swayne, Isaac W. 487.
Sweney, John R., 49.
Swinehart, William, 346.
Taylor, Bayard, 546.
Taylor, Henry W., 547.
Taylor, Herbert T., 331.
Taylor, James I., 38.
Taylor, Thomas, 427.
Temple, Charles, 259.
Thatcher, Thomas H, 279.
Thomas, Albert H., 544.
Thomas, Benjamin F., 424.
Thomas, John H., 329.
Thompson, John W., 408.
Thompson, Joseph M., -361.
Thornburg, John P., 398.
Thornbury, Augustus M., 534.
Timmins, James, 107.
Tinglev, Daniel L., 384.
Titus, John H., 308.
Tomlinson, Arthur H., 163.
Townsend, James, Jr., 271.
Townsend, Thomas C, 378.
Townsend, Washington, 334.
Trainer, Edward E., 112.
Trainer Thomas W., 90.
Trimble, Edward H, 462.
Trimble, Samuel, 250.
Tully, David, 123.
Turner, Wright, 278.
Tyler, Ann (Painter), 77.
Tyson, James H., 282.
Tyson, The Family, 282.
Ullman, Uriah C, 588.
Ulrich, William B., 74.
Urian, George W., 268.
Vahle, Henry, 191.
Vansant, John C, 517.
Verner, James, 261.
Walker, Swithin C, 289.
Wallace, John A., 540.
Wallace, John A., 69.
Wallace, Thomas, 291.
Walter, Charles T, 390.
Walter, Edward, 472.
Walter, Joseph J., 551.
Walton, William M., 580.
Ward, John M. B., 98.
Ward, William, 97.
Warner, Charles A., 226.
Warner, Gardiner L., 171.
Warner, Isaac, 226.
Washabaugh, Perry M., 42.
Watkin, William, 260.
Watson, J. Morris, 377.
Watt, Samuel G., 245.
Way, Ellen P., 447.
Way, James W., 303.

Way, The Family, 400.
Way, William, 499.
Webb, Samuel P., 318.
Webster, Ezra J., 576.
Webster, Howard C, 301.
Webster, Pennell L., 122.
Welles, Charles S., 251.
Wells, W. Henry, 465.
Wells, William, 572.
West, Joseph G., 297.
West, The Family, 10.
Weston, Henry G., 4.
Wetherill, Richard, 39.
White, Henry C, 563.
White, John T., 521.
Wickersham, Benjamin F., 550.
Wickersham, Caleb P., 596.
Wickersham, Enos T., 485.
Wickersham, Rebecca, 380.
Wickersham, Samuel, 576.
Wiegand, George, 103.
Wilds, John, 203.
Wilkinson, John M., 592.
Willard, William,- 299.
Williams, Abram S., 569.
Williams, Howard S., 582.
Williamson, Charles R., 132.
Williamson, Forrest F., 145.
Williamson, George C, 172.
Williamson, William E., 133.
Willis, Christopher D., 85.
Willits, Francis P., 285.
Wilson, Frederick, 420.
Wilson, John N., 99.
Wilson, John W., 493.
Wilson, Lewis, 513.
Wolfenden, Jonathan, 208.
Wollaston, Pusey P., 579.
Wollaston, T. Elwood, 573.
Wood, Benjamin L., 374.
Wood, Emnor B., 389.
Woodbridge, Jonathan E., 309.
Woodward, George, 315.
Woodward, Owen L., 353.
Worrall, James M., 560.
Worrall, John E., 552.
Worrell, Edwin E., 145.
Worrell, Elwood M., 474.
Worth, Marshall, 387.
Worth, Paschall, 397.
Worth, Samuel E., 387.
Worth, Thomas P., 407.
Worthington, John, 104.
Worthington, Wilmer, 340.
Wright's. Miss School for Girls, 192.
Wyers, William F., 565.
Yarnall, Lydia, 113.
Yarnall, Truman, 504.
Yarnall, Ann L., 504.
Yeatman, Arthur P., 539.
Yeatman, John C, 538.
Yocum, A. Duncan, 67.
Young, Charles, 444.
Young, Wilson B., 221.
Yunkin, Edward, 396.
Yunkin, The Family, 396.

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CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES

PENNSYLVANIA

CROZER THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY.
The history of this excellent institution is of pecu
liar interest, and affords an eloquent illustration of
the value of a useful human life as a stimulus to
beneficent works by others, and of the great ends
which may be attained through improvement of
opportunity. The Baptists of Pennsylvania and New Jer
sey had long felt the great need of a school for the
thorough training of their ministers, when (in
1855) the theological department of Lewisburg
(now Bucknell) University was opened under
the auspices of their denomination. This depart
ment was, however, without a separate endow
ment, and, while it sent out a considerable number
of young men well equipped for the ministry, it
did not fully meet the needs of Baptists, nor did
it secure their heart sympathy and aid. Whether
it would have ever come to fill the place which was
desired for it, is now a mere matter of speculation.
Opportunity came for a younger and more effi
cient institution, and the Crozer Theological
Seminary had its birth.
In 1866 occurred the death of John P. Crozer,
a sincere Christian and a liberal practical philan
thropist, the story of whose life is written on
other pages of this work. Suffice it here to say
that he gave liberally to many religious and chari
table causes, but for many years he had cherished
a purpose to devote a portion of his large means
to some large public benefaction which should be
of permanent usefulness. He finally determined
upon the creation of. an educational institution —
not a college, but a school of academic grade with
a normal department, having chiefly in his mind
what he conceived to be the needs of the poorer
children of the neighborhood who could not go
to a distant academy or college. Mr. Crozer
accordingly selected a beautiful elevation at Up
land, in the suburbs of the city of Chester, over
looking the Delaware river, and upon this he built
1 x

a substantial stone edifice, which was opened in
1858. It is pathetic to note that he was disap
pointed in his every expectation. From the first,
failure was written against hisN plans. At the out
set, there was difficulty in finding suitable teach
ers, and, when a capable corps had been found, the
school was disrupted by a succession of visitations
of epidemic disease. But the greatest grief that
came to Mr. Crozer was the fact that, while
parents in comfortable circumstances availed
themselves of the opportunity of securing for their
children a liberal education at a nominal outlay,
those whom he was most desirous of aiding, the
poorer children, came to the school in meagre
numbers. About the time of the opening of the
Civil war the school was closed, never to be re
opened under the patronage of Mr. Crozer. Dur
ing the war the building was used as a military
hospital, and for some time afterward private
parties conducted in it a military school.
After the death of Mr. Crozer, his heirs were
confronted with the question : What should be done
with the academy property, and how could the
heart's desire of the husband and father be most
fittingly accomplished? From one of the family
came the happy thought, "Why not establish a
school for the training of ministers?" Had an
inspiration come to the questioner from him who
had passed, away ? While a lad, Mr. Crozer had
received baptism at the hands of the Rev. Dr.
William Staughton, then pastor of the First Bap
tist church of Philadelphia, and that eminent cler
gyman was he who in 1807 had begun to give
private instruction, in his own house, to a number
of candidates for the ministry, and later (in 1812)
became tutor of a theological school opened under
the auspices of the Baptist Educational Society
of the Middle States. To dispose of this topic,
it is to be said that in coure of time Dr. Staugh-
ton's school was transferred to the Columbian
University at Washington, and the Baptist young

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

men of Pennsylvania were left without theological
instruction in their own state until the opening of
Lewisburg Seminary, before mentioned.
The family of Mr. Crozer were favorably
disposed to the proposal made by one of their
number for the founding of a theological semi
nary, but it was necessary to ascertain whether
the plan would have the approval of the Baptists
of the state, and if it could be carried out without
aggrieving the friends of Lewisburg Seminary,
which was yet struggling to maintain itself. To
answer these questions, conferences were held
with leading Baptists in and near Philadelphia,
and they were found to be in hearty accord with
the plans proposed, and, in course of time, when
similar approval came from other influential de
nominational quarters the Lewisburg University
took action looking to the closing of its theological
department, conditioned upon the hopeful estab
lishment of the new institution. With the way
thus prepared, the family of Mr. Crozer deter
mined to found a theological seminary, which was
to bear his name in reverence of his memory.
The Crozer family at this time consisted of the
widow, of Mr. Crozer, Sallie Knowles Crozer;
his sons, Samuel A., J. Lewis, George K., and
Robert H. Crozer ; and his daughters, Mrs. Eliza
beth Griffith, Mrs. Margaret Bucknell, and
Emma, now Mrs. Knowles. Accordingly, on
November 2, 1866, they jointly endowed the new
seminary with land, buildings and invested funds
amounting in value to two hundred and seventy-
five thousand dollars. To use the expression of
the author of the "Historical Sketch of Crozer
Theological Seminary ; Souvenir of the Thirtieth
Anniversary," "this was a princely gift; no one
of the Baptist theological schools had begun its
career with an endowment so large; at that time
there was no Baptist seminary that owned so val
uable a property." April 4, 1867, the legis
lature of Pennsylvania incorporated the board of
trustees of the Crozer Theological Seminary, of
which Mr. Samuel A. Crozer has been president
to the present time. The seminary now had a
legal existence, a building and beautiful campus,
but was without faculty or students.
The trustees began by electing a president,
and their choice fell upon Henry G. Weston,
D. D., LL. D., nor could a more fortunate one
have been made. He had shown his great ability
as an organizer and director in both the west and
the east, and his tact and skill in the manage
ment of men and his successful direction of
church affairs, had made him a marked man
among the pastors of the city of New York. Un
der his pastorate, his church there had become the
leader in denominational enterprises of various
kinds, and was known as "the banner church"
in its contributions to home and foreign missions
and other worthy objects. His gifts found full

scope for their exercise in the work upon which
he entered in 1868. There were many adverse
things to contend with, and one of less tact than
Dr. Weston would have embroiled the infant
school with other Pennsylvania institutions, and
made its establishment a failure from the out
set. It is only when such probabilities are con
sidered that the great value of Dr. Weston's serv
ice clearly appears, for during his presidency he
has been noted for entire avoidance of antago
nisms, and for so conciliating all with whom he
has had to deal that, soon after his inauguration,
he had brought the seminary into entire harmony
with all other institutions in the state, and gained
for it a warm place in the hearts of the Baptists
of Pennsylvania, not to mention those of New
Jersey and Delaware and of regions yet more
distant. While Dr. Weston has been an active
minister for more than a half century, presi
dent of the Seminary for the long period of
thirty-five years, and has reached the venerable
age of eighty-three years, he discharges his offi
cial duties and teaches practical theology with no
abatement of interest or diminution of mental
vigor. Truly a remarkable and remarkably useful
career, and, as has been said by another who has
been previously quoted, "there is no younger man
of his years anywhere living, and there is no
friend of the institution who does not devoutly
pray that his life may be spared for many years
to come." With Dr. Weston as president was associated
a small faculty. The Rev. G. D. B. Pepper, D. D.,
a graduate of Amherst, as professor of Christian
Theology, took high rank as an inspiring teacher,
a broad scholar and deep thinker; and the
Rev. Howard Osgood, D. D., a graduate
of Harvard, became professor of Hebrew
and church history. With these instruc
tors the Seminary was opened on October 2,
1868. The first annual catalogue contained the
names of twenty students, the following year
there were thirty-six, and at the first commence
ment, in June, 1870, eight students were grad
uated. In 1872 the Rev. Lemuel Moss, D. D.,
was. added to the faculty as professor of inter
pretation of the New Testament. The four de
partments established -by the trustees at the outset
were now fully organized. In 1874 the faculty
was almost entirely reorganized, only Drs.
Weston and Pepper remaining. The Rev. George
R. Bliss, D. D., who since 1849 had occupied the
chair of Greek in the University of Lewisburg,
became professor of Biblical Interpretation. Of
him it is said that "to listen to his English was
to take a course in rhetoric, for his diction was
as chaste as his life ; to hear him read the Bible
was a drill in exegesis, for his artless elocution
made God's word intelligible." In the autumn
of 1875, the Rev. John C. Long, D. D., took the

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

chair of church history. He was a profound
scholar and a most capable teacher. The faculty
consisted of the four members named until 1877,
when the Rev. Barnard C. Taylor, a graduate of
the preceding year, became instructor in Hebrew.
In 1880 he was advanced to the assistant profes
sorship, and in 1883 he was made . professor
of Old Testament Exegesis. After President
Weston, he is the senior member of the present
faculty. In 1882 the Rev. Elias H. Johnson,
D. D., was elected to the chair of Systematic
Theology to succeed Professor Pepper, who had
resigned to accept the presidency of Colby Uni
versity, and the Rev. James M. Stifler, D. D.,
was elected to fill the newly established chair of
New Testament Exegesis. In 1889 the Rev.
Ezekiel G. Robinson, D. D., LL. D., was ap
pointed special lecturer in Apologetics and Evi
dences of Christianity, and held this position until
his death, in 1894. In 1890 Dr. Bliss was trans
ferred to the newly established chair of Biblical
Theology, and a recent graduate of the Seminary,
the Rev. Milton G. Evans, was appointed instruc
tor in Hebrew. Dr. Bliss died in 1893, and Mr.
Evans (who received the degree of Doctor of Di
vinity a year later) was advanced to the chair
thus vacated. In the same year the Rev. A. W.
Reynolds, Ph. D., of Yale University, became
instructor in Hebrew and cognate languages, and
Mr. Robert P. Bliss, a son of Dr. Bliss, was ap
pointed librarian of the Seminary. Dr. Long
died in the summer of 1895, and Mr. Henry C.
Vedder, senior editor of the Examiner, was ap
pointed to the chair of church history. Dr.
Reynolds withdrew from the faculty in 1899, and
the Rev. John W. Davis, a graduate of the pre
ceding year, was called to succeed him. In 1900
a new chair was established, that pf interpretation
of the English New Testament, and the Rev.
Alvah S. Hobart, D. D., became its first incum
bent. The sudden death of Dr. Stifler, in De
cember, 1902, made another vacancy in the fac
ulty, which was filled by the election, in June,
1903, of Eugene E. Ayres, D. D., professor of
Philosophy in Georgetown College, Kentucky.
At the same time, Oliver Chace Horsman, a re
cent graduate, was appointed instructor in
Hebrew and Greek.
The course of study has been remodeled sev
eral times, and now three distinct courses are
offered: The Regular course, including the
study of the Scriptures in both Hebrew and
Greek, and two years in Systematic Theology;
the Greek course, which is identical with the
Regular, except that the student substitutes En
glish for Hebrew in the study of the Old Testa
ment; and the English course, in which the
English Bible only is studied, and a shorter
course of one year in Systematic Theology is
taken. While students are encouraged to come

with ample educational qualifications, collegiate
or academical, a diploma or its equivalent has
never been required for admission to the Semi
nary. The management of the institution is con
ducted with sagacity and dignity. The internal
conduct rests entirely with the president and
faculty, who alone directs the instruction and
discipline. The trustees charge themselves entire
ly with the care of the property, and the Seminary
has suffered the humiliation of having its presi
dent pose as a financial agent and solicitor for
funds or pupils. The founders of the institu
tion have at various times made substantial addi
tions to the original endowment of $184,006,
which has grown to the sum of $462,500. In
cluded in this is the amount of fifty thousand
dollars, given by her children after the death of
Mrs. John Crozer, to endow in her name the
chair of Preaching and Pastoral Duties. The net
income amounts to about twenty-six thousand
dollars. The number of students has been, steadily
increased. For several years the catalogue con
tained about forty-six names, which were in
creased in 1886 to fifty-six. The increase was
steadily maintained, and in 1895 one hundred
and three were catalogued. The school has
given instruction to about two thousand Baptist
ministers, of whom some six hundred hold its
diploma. Its graduates hold their place by the
side of those from her four older sister institutions,
and some of the most active and successful pas
tors in leading cities — New York, Boston, Brook
lyn, Cleveland, Toledo, and others — are her sons.
The Seminary occupies a campus of twenty-
five acres, and with its noble native trees, beauti
ful shrubbery and flower beds, its well kept lawns
and drives, its handsome buildings, is unsur
passed, if, indeed, it is equalled, among the theo
logical schools of the United States. The main
building, with its frontage of two hundred feet,
is an admirable example of substantial colonial
architecture, and is excellently adapted to the
comfort of students. The rooms are neatly and
tastily furnished, and are steam-heated. Grouped
about the building are Pearl Hall, a fine hall for
commencement exercises, and six residences for
faculty members. Pearl Hall is a large fire-proof
library building, erected by the late William
Bucknell, Esq., in memory of his deceased wife.
The cost was nearly thirty thousand dollars, and
the donor also gave a sum of twenty-five thou
sand dollars for the immediate purchase of books,
and an added ten thousand dollars for an invested
fund. The library now contains about sixteen
thousand volumes, with a great number of val
uable pamphlets, selected with great care in
Europe and the United States, with special refer
ence to the wants of theological students.

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

In the words of an annalist of the Seminary,
"no one who visits it fails to be impressed by the
beauty and peacefulness of the spot, and almost
every one who comes goes away with the con
viction that it is an ideal place to lead the life of
a scholar. Its nearness to the great city of Phila
delphia — it is only a half-hour's journey by rail —
keeps students and professors alike in touch with
the great currents of life and thought, and they
are brought into constant contact with surround
ing churches, and are an integral part of the
denominational life of the state. There is no
cloister life at Crozer, quiet and 'far from the
mad'ning crowd,' as it seems to the transient visi
tor to be." A single justification of this state
ment, of many that might be given : Missions
have been begun from time to time in the sur
rounding towns by Crozer students, as a result
of which flourishing churches have been estab
lished, which to-day own fully one hundred thou
sand dollars' worth of property.
The subjoined excellent sketch of the life and
services of Dr. Weston from the pen of E. H.
Johnson, appeared in the "Bibliotheca Sacra"
(Oberlin, Ohio), in 1900:
Henry G. Weston, D. D., LL. D., was born
in Lynn, Massachusetts, September 11, 1820.
His father, the Rev. John E. Weston, in partner
ship with Mr. Benjamin True, founded, in 18 19,
at Boston, the first Baptist weekly in America,
The Christian Watchman, now The Watchman,
and was its first editor. He was drowned when
Henry was eleven years old, but he had already
grounded his little son in Latin, Greek and
Hebrew. Indeed, Dr. Weston can not remember
when he could not recite the Greek alphabet.
After preparing for college in the Lynn Academy,
he entered Brown University, graduating in 1840.
He passed at once to Newton Theological Institu
tion, but ill health broke off his studies before the
end of the second year. Hemorrhages from the
lungs threatened him with the disorder which
proved fatal to his mother and to all his brothers
and sisters, but he deliberately began to spend
from half an hour to an hour and a half daily
in deep breathing, mostly out of doors, and to this
custom, followed for forty years, and to prudent
habits, he no doubt owes the extraordinary fresh
ness and vigor of his later life. Compelled to
seek a favorable climate, he was ordained at
Frankfort, Kentucky, in 1843, and spent the next
three years as a missionary at his own charges in
Illinois. From 1846 to 1859 he was pastor of the
Baptist church in Peoria, and from 1859 to 1868
pastor of the Oliver Street, later the Madison
Avenue, Baptist church in New York city. His
pastorates were highly successful, and from the
last mentioned he was called to Crozer Theologi
cal Seminary, of which he has been president
from its foundation in 1868. Here he took the

chair of Preaching and Pastoral Duties; he also
lectures on the Characteristics and Relations of
the New Testament Writings.
Dr. Weston has .been twice married, first
to Miss Enda Chambers Van Meter, by whom
he had two sons and two daughters; second, to
Miss Mary Lovitt Peters, who died in 1894. The
degree of Doctor of Divinity was conferred on
him by the University of Rochester in 1859, and
subsequently that of Doctor of Laws by four
institutions — Brown, Bucknell, Denison and the
Southwestern University. The latter fact inti
mates the fitness for college presidencies which
was recognized in the Crozer president, a recogni
tion which led to repeated and urgent calls.
Nature equipped Dr. Weston for a great
preacher. Of somewhat grim countenance and
impressive presence, with a voice at once power
ful and sympathetic, and a bearing both familiar
and earnest, his mental correspond to his bodily
endowments. His horizon is wide, his observa
tion close, his sagacity almost infallible, his emo
tions quick and strong, his will and his geniality
alike masterful, his humor lively but reverent,
his memory prompt with illustrations from ex
perience, and, what is of supreme importance in
a preacher, the real affectionateness of his spirit
as much in evidence as its forceful and even
formidable masculinity. These gifts of nature
were developed by an experience which has
brought to him a varied and deep acquaintance
with both God and men. He is an insatiable
reader of the best books, and crowns his learn
ing with a study of the Bible most rare. Every
month for many years he has read the New Testa
ment through with watchful and loving attentive-
ness. As a result, his knowledge of the book and
his breadth of sympathy keep him still in con
stant demand as a preacher, and he has been as
valued a lecturer among the devoted people of
Northfield as in theological circles or with his
students at home. ' All the qualifications for the
pulpit were as eminently serviceable in pastoral
relations, and if one attempted to describe how
fit he is for the chair of instruction and the re
sponsibility of a seminary presidency, it would be
hard to do more than point out what any one can
see for himself, how these same characteristics,
native and acquired, necessarily made him what
has grown so rare, an old-time president, the dear
friend of his colleagues, the revered father of his
students, the trusted counsellor of his alumni, the
far-seeing, tactful, informing soul of the Semi
nary. He has led it for more than thirty years to
a place among the best schools of divinity, and
now, in _ his eighty- fourth year, he is as bright,
stimulating and instructive as ever, while his en
riched spirituality makes his hold gentler but
surer, and his presence more indispensable than it
could appear in years less ripe. When he is

C^/l*4«,£fo

7

'£J4jrrzs.

Washington House, Chester.

City Hall, Chester.

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

present in chapel, as he almost invariably is, the
room seems full, and when he is away the place
seems uncomfortably void. And so his position
is almost, if not quite, unique, as that of such a
man in such relations must necessarily be. What
it is was partly illustrated in the preparations for
commencement a year ago. Some of the grad
uating class were asking for a change of plans,
and he said : "You do not seem to be afraid of
me, gentlemen." To which a member of the class
had the wit and the good heart to reply: "You
know, Doctor, that perfect love casteth out fear."

NOTABLE BUILDINGS. The City Hall
of Chester bears an eloquent witness to the an
tiquity of tbe city. It was erected long before
the foundations were laid for Independence Hall,
in Philadelphia, and its history is concisely given
in an inscription upon a bronze tablet on the front
of the edifice, placed by Delaware County Chap
ter, Daughters of the American Revolution. The
following is the inscription:
This building was erected in 1724 during
the reign of George I, of England. It was the
court house of Chester county, 1724- 1786. The
court house of Delaware county, 1 789-1 851. Hall
of Chester borough, 185 1- 1866. Hall of Chester
city since 1866. In 1739 England declared war
against Spain, and soldiers were here enlisted for
an expedition to Cuba. Here Anthony Wayne
rallied and drilled his troops, January, 1776. In
1824 Lafayette, as guest of the nation, was enter
tained in this building.
The Washington House, originally known as
the Pennsylvania Arms, was erected in I747> built
of brick brought from England, and is preserved
in its original form and material, the only mod
ernization being such as has been necessary to
preserve it and make it of presentable appearance.
DELAWARE COUNTY CHAPTER
Daughters of the
AMERICAN REVOLUTION
mark this house
as the place where washington
wrote at midnight the only report
of the Battle of Brandywine,
September 11, 1777.
Here Washington also received the
Congratulations of the People of
Chester upon his election as the
First President of the United States,
April 20, 1789.
The title to the property is direct from William
Penn, and the original grant was made May 31,
1686. As was written in the Centennial Souvenir,
published by the West Chester Daily Local News,

1899' "Among the old buildings in Chester city
or Delaware county, there is none that has been
as prominent as this one." It was at this house
that the discussions for and against the removal
of the county seat to West Chester took place,
and later the organization of the county of Dela
ware was formed from part of Chester county.
General Washington often, in passing throu'gh
Chester on his way to and from Mt. Vernon to
the seat of government in New. York and Phila
delphia, stopped at this hotel. The ancient ma
hogany chairs which stood in the room occupied
by the first president, during these visits, are still
preserved by the descendants of William Kerlin.
It was in this house that William Henry Harri
son, after having received the Whig nomination
for the presidency, in 1840, and was returning
from Washington, stopped for dinner and re
ceived the congratulations of the citizens of Ches
ter. After dinner had been served wine, as usual
on such occasions, was placed on the table. It
was observed that Harrison drank water. Upon
being pressed to take wine he rose and said :
"Gentlemen, I have refused twice to partake
of the wine cup ; that should have been sufficient.
Though you press the cup to my lips, not a drop
shall pass their portals. I made a resolve when
I started in life that I would avoid strong drink,
and I have never broken it."

CROZER FAMILY. The Crozer family in
America was planted by five brothers — James,
Samuel, John, Robert and Andrew, — who emi
grated from the north of Ireland early in the
eighteenth century. They were of Huguenot ex
traction and had been driven out from France
by the revocation of the edict of Nantes.
James Crozer, after his arrival, about 1720, mar
ried a member of the Gleave family, of English
descent, residing in Springfield, Pennsylvania,
and these were the parents of John Crozer.
John Crozer was a man of strong character, in
attainments and purposes far in advance of the
generality of the men of his clay. He was a car
penter and builder by occupation, and he followed
his calling in Philadelphia until after his marriage,
and also built in Upland, Delaware county. Not
withstanding his humble trade, he was a man
of excellent education, a good Latin scholar and
familiar with the classic authors. He was not
attached to any church, but he inclined to the
doctrines of the Society of Friends. He married
Sarah Price, a daughter of John Price, of Mar
cus Hook, Delaware county, of English descent.
She had been brought up in the Church of Eng
land, as it was known in America until after
the Revolution. She regarded a written creed
as of little efficacy in the formation of charac
ter or in the government of individual life. She

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

was, however, a firm believer in practical Chris
tianity, and gave an exemplification of her faith
in the beauty of her own character, and in the
influence which she exerted by precept and con
duct. The two, husband and wife, were sin
cerely in accord in all things, and they were
true helpmeets in the rearing of their children,
upon whom they impressed their own personal
ity in marked degree. These were Elizabeth,
who became the wife of John Lewis ; James ;
Sarah, who became the wife of Samuel V. Camp
bell ; John Price ; and Samuel. During the early
days of their married life, John Crozer and his
wife made their home on a farm belonging to
the estate of John Knowles, of which Mr. Crozer
was the executor. This was not for long, how
ever, for he soon purchased the farm at Spring
field which afterward became the property of
Swarthmore College. Here was born his sec
ond son and fifth child, John Price Crozer, Jan
uary 13, 1793, and it is worthy of remark that
in the same house was born, more than a half
century before, one of the most celebrated of
American painters in the person of Benjamin
West. The name of John P. Crozer will ever hold
an honored place in the history of Pennsylvania,
and more especially in that of Delaware county.
A man of great nobility of character, he was
wonderfully useful in his day. His activities
were not circumscribed, but extended to every
line of effort which could add to the well being
of the community and of the state. A man
of splendid abilities, without seeking fame, he
made himself famous as a captain of in
dustry before that now hackneyed term was
known. But he was more than this : he
was humanitarian and philanthropist, and he
so disposed of his means as to conduce to
the moral as well as the material advance
ment of the people, not only in his own day,
but in after time, through works which do of
a certainty live after him. There was that in
his character which would seem to afford sup
port to the views of those who hold to the
theory of heredity. In his veins was the blood
of the ruggedly framed and conscientiously
minded Scotch convenanters, and also of the
persistent but more elastic English. These
virile streams blended more freely under the
freer air of America than on the parent soil of
either race, and the product comprised what
was best of either.
His educational advantages were exceedingly
meagre. When six years old he began attending
a little stone schoolhouse nearly a mile from his
home, and here were spent all his school days
except during a period of three months when he
attended a somewhat more pretentious school
about two miles distant. But the curriculum

afforded by either went little if any beyond the
rudimentary branches, or, as they have been
called, "the three R's — readin', 'ritin', and 'rithme-
tic." But the young student was ambitious, and
he made the best possible use of such advantages
as were afforded him. He had other advantages,
however. His home contained a small but care
fully selected stock of books, and his parents
afforded him the aid of their knowledge and
encouragement, and he studied at home, so that
he eventually acquired a broader education than
was attained by the generality of the young peo
ple of that time in that region. And so, under
the tender watchcare of his parents, was young
Crozer reared and in greater part educated, and
so was his character formed. And, also in his
boyhood, when he was but fourteen years of age,
he professed religion under the ministrations of
the Rev. Dr. Staughton, of Philadelphia, of
whose church (the First Baptist) he became a
member, and from that day throughout his life
he was the sincere Christian, free from fault and
exemplary in all things.
From his early boyhood he had been ac
customed to perform such share of the farm labor
as his strength would admit, and when he was
seventeen years of age the care of its manage
ment was devolved almost entirely upon him.
On his coming of age, his father, in considera
tion of his previous service, gave him a one-
third interest in the profits. But this ar
rangement was not of long continuance. Two
years later (in 1816) his father died, and
his mother survived her bereavement only
one year. Young Crozer was now twenty-four
years old. He was desirous of keeping the farm,
but finding this impracticable he leased it, pend
ing the sale, and (in 1820) made a journey as
far westward as Illinois, making the distance
there and back, about two thousand seven hun
dred miles, almost entirely on horseback, and
occupying a period of about seven months. On
his return he found that the farm had been sold.
His share amounted to about $2,400, and this,
added to his savings, made him about $3,400 as
his capital upon which to really begin life.
His first venture in business was operating
a saw and grist mill at Leipersville, Delaware
county, in partnership with its owner, Judge G. G.
Leiper, who was his partner in the business. The
two contributed an equal amount of capital, and
Mr. Crozer set off his personal services against Mr.
Leiper's rent account for the use of the mill.
Somewhat later this partnership was dissolved,
and he engaged in cotton manufacturing in
Leiper's mill on Brown creek. At the beginning
the business was small, but it developed gradual
ly, and soon into great proportions under the
masterly direction of Mr. Crozer, who now as
sumed its entire direction.

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CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

7

In 1825 Mr. Crozer bought the Mattson
paper mill, on the west branch of Chester creek,
which he altered and to which he removed his
cotton machinery. In 1845 the noted old Ches
ter mills, which provided foodstuffs for the pa
triot army during the Revolutionary war, were
brought to sale in the orphans' court, and were
sold to John W. Ashmead, who sold them, to
gether with a land tract of upwards of sixty
acres, to Mr. Crozer. The next year Mr. Crozer
built on the Chester mills grounds the cotton mill
known as No. 1, a stone structure of five stories,
one hundred and thirty-eight feet long by fifty
feet wide, and also a number of stone dwellings
for the workmen. In 1847 the factory contained
one hundred and fifty power looms, and six
thousand spindles, and there were forty-six tene
ments on the property. In 1852 Mr. Crozer built
mill No. 2, somewhat larger than No. 1, and
containing one hundred and fifty looms and
seven thousand spindles. In 1863 he erected
mill No. 3, two hundred and twenty-two feet by
fifty-two feet, four stories in height, and contain
ing one hundred and fifty looms and six thousand
spindles. These combined mills would work up
ninety bales of cotton weekly, and their producing
capacity was eighty-two cases of goods weekly-
After the death of Mr. Crozer, in 1866, the mills
were divided among his sons, Samuel A. Crozer
taking No. 2, and Nos. 1 and 3 being operated
by the three other brothers — -J. Lewis, George
K. and Robert H. Crozer — under the firm name
of J. P. Crozer's Sons.
While Mr. Crozer was thus building up a
gigantic industrial and mercantile establishment
— a monument to his own sagacity, industry and
enterprise, and a boon to his fellow men who
derived their support from the employment he
afforded them, — he was also extending his tire
less energies into fields which were to prove as
fruitful in moral and social ways as that was
in material ways. And here he was to have as
helpmeet a noble Christian woman animated by
sentiments entirely in harmony with his own.
Mr. Crozer was married, March 12, 1825,
to Miss Sallie L. Knowles, the daughter of James
Knowles, who had been neighbor of his parents.
She was a woman of such disposition as was his
own mother, and was highly educated. Mr. and
Mrs. Crozer made their home at West Branch
until April 19, 1847, when they removed to the
Flower estate, about two miles from Chester,
which Mr. Crozer had purchased in 1845, and t0
which he gave the name of Upland. Here he
erected a splendid mansion which became noted
as a seat of culture, hospitality and benevolence.
It witnessed, in all probability, in intercourse
between husband and wife, the inception of each
one of the many benevolent and charitable en
terprises which its master instituted. Among the

earlier of these was school establishment. Up
land was without a school until 1849, and the
children in the neighborhood were obliged to go
considerable distances to the schools at Sneath's
Corner, or Cartertown. In the winter season,
the roads were frequently in such bad condi
tion that children were unable to attend for days
at a time. In the year named Mr. Crozer erected
a school building entirely at his own expense,
and this was used by the directors for a period
of nine years, and until larger buildings were
provided at public expense.
Mr. Crozer was founder of church as well
as school at Upland. As has been stated, he
was a Baptist in religion, and he provided for
religious services in a building adjoining his
factory. In 185 1 he began the erection of a
church edifice, and this was completed Novem
ber 17, 1852, when it was publicly recognized
as a Baptist house of worship, several prominent
clergymen of that denomination taking part in
the ceremonies. In i860 an addition was built,
and in 1873 a further enlargement was made at
a cost of fourteen thousand dollars. In 1855 Mr.
Crozer built a substantial brick parsonage. From
its beginning the church performed a highly use
ful work, and from it has grown four other
churches in the neighborhood as population has
increased from time to time.
In 1857 Mr. Crozer, ever interested in edu
cation, entered .upon the work of establishing
a normal school, and to this end he expended
forty-five thousand dollars, in the erection of
what is the main building of the present Crozer
Theological Seminary. In the following year
it was opened as a high-grade academy, and was
continued as such until the breaking out of the
Civil war, which closed so many institutions of
learning. But during that tremendous conflict,
the academy building, as it was then known,
served a most useful purpose. Intensely patriotic
and tenderly humane, Mr. Crozer was among the
first to urge the organization of that beneficent
organization known as the Christian Commis
sion, and he, with Mr. George H. Stuart, rep
resented the city of Philadelphia in the meeting
in New York city, on November 14, 1861, when
that body had its origin. The summer of 1862
found the land deluged in blood, every train and
vessel from the southern states bringing north
ward its burden of wounded soldiers. In this
extremity Mr. Crozer tendered to the govern
ment the use of the academy building free of
expense, conditioning only that the property
should come back to him in as good order as
when it left his control. The offer was accepted,
necessary interior changes were made, and on
June 18, 1862, the building was opened as a
hospital. On the same day the ladies of Up
land and neighborhood formed the Soldiers'

8

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

Relief Association, of which Mrs. Samuel A.
Crozer was the first directress, Mrs. J. Lewis
Crozer assistant secretary and Mrs. John Crozer
treasurer ; the lady last named was the wife of
Mr. Crozer, and the two others were his daugh
ters-in-law. The other officers were Mrs. Abby
Kerlin, assistant directress, and Mrs. Samuel
Arthur, secretary. For some time the hospital
patients were supplied entirely by this associa
tion with those delicacies which were so well
suited to their condition. The hospital contained
a thousand beds, and also' afforded accommoda
tions for about three hundred nurses, attendants
and guards. The patients were almost exclus
ively Union soldiers until after the battle of
Gettysburg, in July, 1863, when the great num
ber of wounded and sick left by General Lee
made it necessary for particular provision for
the Confederates, and the Chester Hospital was
designated for that purpose. During the war
more than six thousand patients were provided
for. When peace was restored in 1865, the build
ing was repossessed by Mr. Crozer, who leased
it to Colonel Theodore Hyatt.
Mr. Crozer closed his remarkably useful and
eventful life on March 11, 1866, and his death
was deplored as a personal bereavement by the
entire community, while throughout the state
the press and associational bodies gave expres
sion to the common grief at the passing away of
one who was loved and revered as a model Chris
tian gentleman and public benefactor. Shortly
afterward his widow and children, as a memorial
to the husband and father, set apart the academy
land and building for a particular educational
purpose, to be known as the Crozer Theological
Seminary, placing it under Baptist control, and
the formal dedication took place October 2, j868.
The Theological department of the Lewisburg
University was removed here and added to it.
Mrs. Crozer died August 3, 1882, aged eighty-
two years, leaving a beautiful memory for her
loveliness of character and her countless bene
factions. In the year of her decease, her chil
dren devoted fifty thousand dollars to the en-
downment of a professorship as a memorial to her.
The family name is further associated with the
Seminary in the beautiful building known as
Pearl Hall, founded by Mr. William Bucknell
in memory of his deceased wife, who was a
daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Crozer ; her name was
Margaret, of which Pearl is the Latin equivalent.
At a later day Mr. Bucknell gave a sum of ten
thousand dollars for the purchase of books for
the Pearl Hall Library, conditioned upon the
library being perpetually free to the young men
of Delaware county.
To Mr. and Mrs. John P. Crozer were born
nine children: Samuel A.; Margaret, who be
came the wife of Mr. William Bucknell, and who

died in March, 1870; Elizabeth; J. Lewis; Sallie
K., who died in August, 1852; James, who died
October 25, 1838; George K.; Robert H. ; and
Emma Crozer.

SAMUEL ALDRICH CROZER, eldest son
of John Price and Sallie L. (Knowles) Crozer,
was born at West Branch, Aston township, Dela
ware county, December 25, 1825. There, the
year before, his father had purchased the old
Mattson paper mill, then dilapidated, which he
had changed into a cotton mill, giving to the
locality the name "West Branch," from its situa
tion on the west branch of Chester creek, and
there he laid the foundation of the enormous
fortune he subsequently acquired. The son re
ceived his primary education in the country
school in the neighborhood, but in his home life
he was peculiarly fortunate, for his mother was
a cultured, refined, gentle woman, the influence
of whose teachings and example exerted an in
fluence that has continued .throughout all his
well-rounded useful career as a business man
and exemplary citizen. His father, although de
nied the advantages of a liberal education in
youth, devoted much of his spare time in man
hood to reading and study of carefully selected
instructive books. The diary which John P.
Crozer kept during a large part of his life indi
cates the thoroughness with which he pursued
these volumes, which gave to him precision in
expression, and a forceful, easy style in writing.
Hence the atmosphere of Samuel A. Crozer's
early life was conducive to the upbuilding and
development of a well-rounded, strong character
in the lad who was reared amid such environ
ments. When of an age to leave home, he was placed
at a boarding school at Wilmington, Delaware,
and later was sent to a similar institution in
Philadelphia. In February, 1843, when Samuel
A. Crozer was but a few weeks over seventeen,
his father was thrown from a sleigh, resulting
in a fracture of the thigh. In the emergency
occasioned by that accident, the lad was sum
moned home and given charge of the financial
and office department of the manufacturing busi
ness conducted by his father, which by that
time had grown to enormous proportions. With
such ability had the son discharged the duties
so unexpectedly cast upon him that his father,
after his recovery from his injuries, continued
Samuel in absolute control of that branch of the
business. In August of that year occurred the great
flood that will ever be remembered in this sec
tion. The elder Crozer dispatched his son to the
West Branch mill to direct the operations there
designed to save that establishment from total

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES,

destruction, and, while that was only partially
accomplished, Samuel continued at his post, even
when more than half the factory had been un
dermined by water and had fallen into the angry
flood. In 1845 John P. Crozer purchased the noted
Chester mills, near Upland, and began the erec
tion there of a cotton factory, afterwards known
as mill No. 1. When the building was com
pleted, to his son Samuel was intrusted the en
tire supervision of placing the machinery, and in
1846, when the mill at Upland was started, Sam
uel had control and direction of this factory.
Throughout the diary of John P. Crozer con
stant mention is made of his son, upon whose
advice and assistance he frequently found he
was unconsciously leaning. On January 1,
1847, when Samuel A. Crozer had attained his
majority, his father admitted him into partner
ship in the business, and the firm remained John
P. Crozer & Son until March n, 1866, when, by
the death of John P. Crozer, the partnership
terminated. On June 14, 1854, Samuel A.' Crozer mar
ried Miss Abigail Cheney, at Lowell, Massa
chusetts. Mrs. Crozer was a native of Manches
ter, New Hampshire, descended from the sturdy
Mayflower stock of the Bay state. Not only was
she widely known for her proficiency in music, but
she was an accomplished linguist. A number of
her translations from German authors have been
printed, among which may be mentioned Paul
Heyse's "La Rabbiata" in her minor works,
while in ' 1881 she published a translation of
Otto Roquette's novel "Conrad Hogen's Mis
takes," which was widely read. The profits from
the sale of this book, which amounted to a con
siderable sum, was donated by Mrs. Crozer to
the "Home for Destitute Children." For many
years Mrs. Crozer conducted a singing school
at Upland, which, while open to all the people
of the village, was for a long period a feature of
the local life of the borough. Mrs. Crozer, dur
ing the, war of the rebellion, was president of
the Soldiers' Relief Association of Delaware
county, and that organization of good women not .
only ministered to the needs of the wounded
Union troops, but contributed to the relief of
the Confederate soldiers, in numbers amounting
into the thousands, who were brought to the
Crozer Military Hospital, .now the Crozer Theo
logical Seminary, at Upland, during that san
guinary struggle. Mrs. Crozer died, July 21,
1890. After the death of John P. Crozer, the three
factories at Upland were divided among his sons.
Samuel A. Crozer at that time began business
on his own account, which he conducted until
1 88 1, when his son, John Price Crozer, was
admitted into the firm, which became Samuel

A. Crozer & Son, and still continues under that
title. While Mr. Crozer is identified with the
history of Delaware county as a successful cot
ton manufacturer, he has large interests else
where, for instance, the Crozer Steel and Iron
Company, of Roanoke, Virginia, the Upland Coal
Company, of Elkhorn, West Virginia, in all of
which enterprises Samuel A. Crozer owns con
trolling interests. His real estate holdings are
large and exceedingly valuable, and are scat
tered in many states, noticeably in Roanoke City,
Virginia ; in the business heart of Chicago ; the
Crozer building, on Chestnut street, Philadel
phia ; and in Delaware county, particularly in
the borough of Upland and the city of Chester.
In the philanthropic and religious field of ac
tivity, Mr. Crozer has been exceedingly prom
inent. In 1863 he became the president of the
National Baptist Convention for Missionary
Purposes, for more than forty years he has been
one of the managers of the Training School for
Feeble Minded Children, at Elwyn, and for some
years he has been president of the board, a posi
tion that his father held at the time of his death.
He is president of the Baptist Publication So
ciety, located in Philadelphia, and for more than
forty years he has been one of the managers of
the Deaf and Dumb Asylum in Philadelphia.
Since the Crozer family endowed the Crozer
Theological Seminary in 1868 as a school for
training clergymen for the Baptist ministry, Mr.
Crozer has been the president of the board of
trustees. He is a manager in a number of vari
ous Baptist missionary and other organizations.
At his personal cost, Mr. Crozer erected the
South Chester Baptist church, the Leipersville
Baptist church, and recently built the New Eman
uel Baptist church at Fifteenth and Potter
streets, Chester, as a memorial to his wife. He
has been a liberal contributor to the Chester Hos
pital, the Chester Free Library and Pennsyl
vania Hospital, and similar organizations, and
gave Crozer Park, a tract of thirty-five acres,
to the city of Chester.
While Mr. Crozer does not claim to be a pub
lic speaker, on several occasions he has delivered
addresses that are valuable contributions to the
local history of Delaware county, particularly
his address before the Delaware County His
torical Society, at Upland, June 22, 1899 (fully
reported in the proceedings of the organization)
oti "The Early Manufactures and Manufactur
ers of Delaware County," and his historical ad
dress at the semi-centennial of Upland Baptist
church. Mr. Crozer is also an extensive travel
er, having visited almost every section of the
globe, with the exception of China, Japan, and
India, and in so doing has crossed the Atlantic
nearly eighty times.
To the marriage of Samuel A. and Abigail

IO

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

Crozer were born six children, John P. Crozer;
Samuel A. Crozer, Jr., who died at Seine Port,
France; Edward Crozer; Sallie K. Crozer, who
married the late William H. Robinson; Mar
garet Crozer, who married Caleb Fox ; and Mary
Crozer, who married Lewis R. Page.

J. LEWIS CROZER was born at West
Branch, Delaware county, Pennsylvania. He was
the son of John P. and Sallie L. (Knowles)
Crozer. He grew up in West Branch, attended school
in Philadelphia, and when he was about twenty
years of age his parents moved to Upland, Dela
ware county, Pennsylvania, and engaged in the
manufacturing business, and young Crozer
learned the business with his father and continued
in that business practically all his life. A few
years before his death he withdrew from the
business. He was treasurer of the Crozer Seminary,
and gave much to the institution and was much
interested in its success. He suggested that it
should be a seminary, and interested the Crozer
family in it. Mr. Lewis Crozer left in his will
that a hospital should be built for incurables,
and five hundred thousand dollars was left by
him for that purpose ; also two hundred and fifty-
thousand dollars for -a library in Chester, Penn
sylvania. He was much interested in the Baptist
church, and contributed much to its support. He
was a Republican, and was a public-spirited man,
though very retiring in his habits.
In 1857 he married Mary A. Stotesbury, of
Philadelphia, a daughter of Richard G. and Mary
A. Turrey Stotesbury, both of that city. The
first Stotesbury came from England about 1621.
No children were born to Mr. and Mrs. J. Lewis
Crozer. Mr. Crozer died April 7, 1897.

EDWARD CROZER, son of Samuel A. and
Abigail (Cheney) Crozer, obtained a good and
thorough classical education at Haverford Col
lege, and after his graduation from this institu
tion was engaged in business with his father
for a short time. Since then he has devoted his
attention to the breeding and raising of thor
oughbred fox hounds and hunting horses. He
is an acknowledged judge of these animals, es
pecially hunters and jumpers, and his services as
judge are often called into requisition at the vari
ous first-class fashionable horse shows throughout
the country. In 1900 he was largely instru
mental in the organization of the Upland Hunt
Club, and was appointed master of the hounds.
He is also a member of the Radnor Hunt Club,

the Philadelphia Country Club, the Philadelphia
Gun Club and many others equally prominent.
Some years ago he purchased the old West prop
erty, and since that time has devoted considera
ble attention to its improvement, making it one
of the most handsome country seats in the beauti
ful residential region in the neighborhood of
Philadelphia. In 1902 Mr. Crozer married Florence Robin
son, the daughter of the late Mrs. John M. Rob
inson, of Baltimore, Maryland.

Pusey House, Upland.

THE PUSEY HOUSE, on the Crozer prop
erty, at Upland, is the most ancient building in the
state of Pennsylvania. It was built by Caleb Pusey,
on the north side of the mill-race, to the west
of the road leading to the bridge spanning Chester
creek, facing south. It is about thirty feet in
length, fifteen in breadth, and one story in height,
crowned with a hipped roof, giving it the appear
ance of a story and a half building. The walls
are unusually thick, and are of stone and brick.
It is evident that the brick portion of the wall
was set in to replace stones which had fallen
out of place. The floor is of broad solid oak,
and the heavy beams supporting the floor above
bear the marks of the broad-axe with which they
were hewn. The house has two doors and two
windows in the front, and a dormer window in
the roof.

WEST FAMILY. The West family, of
Pennsylvania, which has contributed notable
names to the history of the commonwealth and
whose members are now dispersed throughout
the United States, had for its founder John West,
a native of England, born in 1690. He was a son

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

1 1

of Thomas and Ann (Gilpin) West, and was of
the family of Lord Delaware.
Many valuable relics are carefully preserved
by members of the family now living, among
them being an ancient clock brought from Eng
land by an early ancestor ; the West family seal ;
an engraving of Benjamin West and his family,
John West, the emigrant, being one of the group ;
and a gold medallion portrait of Benjamin West,
presented by the painter himself to his nephew,
Samuel West, with the injunction that it be trans
mitted to sons only, in order to be always associ
ated with the family name. It is also to be said
that the old family homestead at Shepherd's
Plain, built in 1696, is yet standing and is in a
good state of preservation.
John West (1), named above, emigrated to
America in 1715, and settled in Chester county,
Pennsylvania. He married, about 1720, Sarah,
born 2 mo., 8, 1697, a daughter of Thomas and
Margery Pearson. Thomas Pearson was the
confidential friend of William Penn, with whom-
he came in the "Welcome," and it is said it was
at his suggestion that the name of Upland was
changed to Chester.
To John and Sarah (Pearson) West were
born four children: William, Samuel, Mary and
Benjamin. John West returned to England in
1765, and he died at Marlborough, Oxfordshire,
in 1776. The romantic story of his journeying to

House in which Benjamin West was Born
Drawn by John Sartain in 1837.

his native land as an escort to Elizabeth Shewell,
who was to become the wife of his son, Benjamin,
has been repeatedly told, but by none so interest
ingly as by Mr. H. W. O. Margery, in the fol
lowing narrative :
Benjamin West was born in Chester, Penn
sylvania, in 1738. His grandfather had been an

intimate friend of the celebrated John Hampton,
but subsequently became a Friend and threw his
lot with the' early settlers of Pennsylvania. All
his ancestors between his grandfather and little
Benjamin were sturdy, consistent Quakers.
How the gift of drawing came to him our
knowledge of the laws of heredity leaves unex
plained, but rare ability showed itself at a very
early age, one of the attempts being the sketch of
an infant niece, whom, as a boy, he had been set
to watch in its cradle. The child smiled in its
sleep, and the uncle, then but seven years of age,
seized by an impulse to produce the charming
picture, succeeded with pen and ink in making a
likeness that astonished the family and deter
mined his future. As the boy's genius became
more and more evident, it was the desire of his
father and mother to fit him worthily for an
artist's profession, but this involved the question
whether that would be consistent with the prin
ciples of the Society of Friends, and, before decid
ing, the counsel of weighty Friends was re
quested. It is related that John Williamson, a
respected minister, gave his judgment as fol
lows : He referred to the blameless reputation
of the parents, and how their children had been
brought up religiously by them. In this, their
youngest son, was a manifest inspiration for art,
and though by the Society its utility might be
questioned, it was so evidently in this case a di
vine gift as to render it sure there
must have been some wise purpose
in its bestowal, "so let us not (he
said) in our ignorance attempt to
cross divine counsels, but see in
this evident propensity of the young
man a pointing of the divine finger
toward some high and beneficent
end." And the Friends besought
the Lord "to verify in his life the
value of the gift which, despite of
their prepossessions, they had ac
knowledged." Thus his future was
settled, and the young artist rose
step by step, until he became the
successor of Sir Joshua Reynolds
as president of the British Royal
Academy, and intimate friend" of
the King of England. The King
maintained that Benjamin West's
adhesion to the principles of the
Quakers was a recommendation in
his favor. The King once re
marked in his presence, as a reproof to a bishop
who spoke slightingly of the Friends, "The
Quakers are a body of Christians for whom I
have a high respect. I love their peaceful tenets
and their benevolence one to another, and but for
the obligations of birth I would be a Quaker."
Benjamin West's romantic marriage is an

12

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

interesting episode in his eventful life. It can best
be given by copying a letter to the secretary of
the Historical Society of Pennsylvania.
'Elizabeth Shewell became acquainted with
Benjamin West, afterward .the celebrated artist,
and they fell in love with each other. West, at
that time, although descended from a good fam
ily, was poor and little known. Stephen Shewell
wished his sister to marry another ' suitor, which
she refused to do, in consequence of her attach
ment to West. The brother objected to West on
account of his poverty and obscurity, and he was
forbidden to come to the house. , Elizabeth
Shewell, however, continued to see him elsewhere,
and they became engaged to be married. West
then determined to go to Europe and prosecute his
studies and profession there, and Elizabeth
Shewell promised him that when he notified her
of his ability to maintain her, and of his wish
for her to come to him, she would proceed to join
him in any part of Europe and marry him. Her
brother was informed of her meetings with West
and of their engagement. So to prevent any
further intercourse between them, he confined
her to her chamber and kept her under lock and
key until after West's departure for Europe.
"He pursued his studies and profession for
some time in various places on the continent, and
finally settled at London, where he soon met
with sufficient patronage to justify him in calling
on Elizabeth Shewell to fulfill her promise. He
then made arrangements for her to come in the
same vessel that conveyed his request to her, and
also, that his father should accompany her on the
voyage. Upon the receipt of his message, Eliza
beth Shewell prepared for her departure, but her
brother was apprised of her intention and again
confined her to her chamber.
"Her engagement to West was well known in
Philadelphia, and her brother's tyrannical treat
ment of her excited great indignation against him
and strong sympathy for his sister. In this state
of things the late Bishop White, who was my
guest on his last patriarchal visit to Easton, told
us that he (then about eighteen years of age) and
Dr. Franklin (about fifty-nine years of age) and
Francis Hopkins (twenty-nine years of age),
when the vessel was ready to sail, procured a
rope ladder, went to the captain, engaged him to
set sail as soon as they brought a lady on board,
took John West to the ship, and went at midnight
to Stephen Shewell's house, attached the rope
ladder to a window in Elizabeth Shewell's cham
ber, and got her safely out and to the vessel, which
sailed a few minutes after she entered it. I ob
served to the Bishop that few persons who knew
him now would believe that he had once been
knight-errant, and liberated an imprisoned dam
sel. He replied that her case was a hard one, and
all her friends were indignant at the treatment

she had received, that he had done right, and,
he added with warmth, if it were needed, he
would do it again, for it was evident that God
intended that they should come together, and man
had no right to keep them asunder. They were
maried 9 mo., 2, 1765, and for fifty years their
lives were joined in kind and tender companion
ship, neither of them ever returning to this coun
try." There is one more scene, the closing one, of
interest to us. The Quaker artist was borne to
his final resting place in St. Paul's Cathedral. Born
in circumstances of extremest privacy and insig
nificance, he is honored with a public funeral, ac
companied with all the pomp and circumstance
the greatest country in the world could supply.
The pall is equally borne by English nobles, for
eign embassadors and Royal Academicians. His
sons anS grandsons are among the great mourn
ers. More than sixty carriages, containing the
great and noble of this world, closed the splendid
procession, and the mortal remains of Benjamin
West lie by those of Wren, Opie, Barry and Rey
nolds, in St. Paul's. There are many direct de
scendants of the great painter still living, though
none of them bear the name of West.
William West (2), eldest son of John and
Sarah (Pearson) West, was born in Delaware
county, Pennsylvania, in 1724, and died 12 mo.,
6, 1808, in his eighty-fourth year. He learned
the trade of oak cooper in Philadelphia, and con
tinued this business until his fortieth year (in
1765), when he purchased a tract of land of more
than one hundred acres in Upper Darby township,
Delaware county. Farming was an entirely new
occupation to him, but he proved successful and
even noted as an agriculturist, many of his meth
ods being original with himself. The Board of
Agriculture of England, having learned of his
superior farm management, elected him to an
honorary membership. He was an exemplary
member of the Society of Friends, a good and
helpful neighbor, of a cheerful disposition, and
he displayed considerable ability in writing verse.
Without solicitation upon his part, he was elected
to the state legislature, and by repeated re-elec
tions his service in that body was extended to the
period of five years. These and other facts in his
life are narrated in a printed copy of a "Eulogium
of William West," by James Mease, M. D., Feb
ruary 13, 1810.
William West was maried in 1767 to Hannah
Shaw, his second wife, a daughter of John and
Hannah (Passmore) Shaw. Her father died on
the voyage to America with his wife and their
three daughters, Hannah, Ann and Mary, and his
body was committed to the sea. The children of
William and Hannah West were Passmore, Sam
uel, Hannah and Sally.
Samuel West (3), second child and son of

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

13

William (2), was born in Upper Darby, 2 mo.,
13, 1771, and died on the eighty-second anni
versary of his birth, 2 mo., 13, 1853. Presumably
he learned the miller's trade. About 1796 or
earlier, his father purchased for him a farm of
about three hundred acres in Chester township,
naming it Shepherd's Plain, and upon this the
son became a successful farmer and shepherd for
the remainder of his life. He was an active
member- of the Society of Friends, and an elder
in the local meeting. He was a man of exemplary
character, an excellent neighbor and friend, and
dispensed a liberal hospitality. He was married,
5 mo., 20, 1792, in London Grove Meeting house,
to Mary Pusey,. a daughter of Joshua and Mary
(Miller) Pusey; she died 11 mo., 6, 1832. The
children of this marriage were Mary, Hannah,
William, Anne, Sarah Ann and Joshua.
Hannah, second child of Samuel (3) and
Mary (Pusey) West, was born in Chester town
ship, Chester county, October 31, 1796. She was
married, October 6, 18 19, to Dr. Robert Menden
hall Huston, who was born in Abingdon, Vir
ginia, May 19, 1795, a son of William and Eliza
beth (Mendenhall) Huston. When he was ten
years of age his parents removed to Pennsylvania
and settled in Chester county, where he attended
the neighborhood schools. At an early age he
obtained a position at a druggist's in Philadelphia,
and here began reading medicine ; he subsequently
completed his professional studies in a medical
college, and graduated with his degree of Doctor
of Medicine. In 1812 he was drafted for military
service, and was appointed assistant surgeon in
the army, although he was but seventeen years of
age. After the close of the war he located in
Philadelphia, where he entered upon a successful
career in the practice of his profession and also
as a teacher of medicine. He became Professor
of Materia Medica in the Jefferson Medical Col
lege of Philadelphia, and was for some time dean,
in both positions aiding greatly in the develop
ment of the institution. He was also prominent
in public affairs, and served as a member of the
city council and in other useful positions. He was
a man of the noblest personal character, and was
held in universal esteem. He continued in the
practice of his profession until his death, August
3, 1864, making his life a benediction upon all
who came under his professional care or within
the influence of his genial personality. His widow
survived him many years, dying in Philadelphia,
November 18, 1893, at the remarkable age of
ninety-seven years and some days. Dr. and Mrs.
Huston were the parents of seven children : 1 .
Samuel (deceased), who married Sarah Perot,
and to whom were born nine children, Robert,
William P., Mary P., Charles, Samuel W., Le-
titia P., Alfred, James and Hannah W. 2.
Charles (deceased), who was a manufacturer of

steel at Coatsville ; he married Isabella P. Lukens,
and their seven children were : C. Anna, Clara,
Abraham Francis, Alice R., Charles L., Mary W.
and Samuel Edward, the last named of whom
died in childhood. 3. Elizabeth, who died May
23, 1887. 4. Mary. 5. Hannah. 6. William,
who married Almira Rogers, and whose nine
children were Annie, Hannah, William, Frank,
Clinton, Almira, Albert (died in childhood),
Mabel and Charles. 7. Henry, who married
Mary Henry, and whose children are Henry W.
and Samuel Spencer.
William West (4), third child and eldest son
of Samuel (3) and Mary (Pusey) West, was
born at Shepherd's Plain, 9 mo., 12, 1798. He
inherited from his father the occupation of a
farmer. This was uncongenial, however, and his
fondness for tools and skill in their use led him
to give the greater portion of his time to the
making of useful articles, although he had not
learned any mechanical trade. He was educated
in the Friends boarding school in Birmingham,
Delaware county, and in Burlington, New Jersey.
He was a birthright member of the Society of
Friends, as were his ancestors. His life was quiet
and uneventful. He died 2 mo., 1885, in his
eighty-seventh year, in the house in which he was
born, and which was his home throughout his
long life. He was married, 1 mo., 1836, to his
second wife, Martha Dutton, born 3 mo., 7, 181 1,
in Upper Chichester. She was the eldest daugh
ter of Jonathan and Rachel Dutton, and a de
scendant of that John Dutton who came from
Cheshire, England, and purchased five hundred
acres of land in Aston township, in 1682.
The children of William (4) and Martha
(Dutton) West, all of whom were born at Shep
herd's Plain, are: 1. Samuel, born in 1836, died
in 1883, unmarried. 2. Jonathan Dutton, born in
1838, died in infancy. 3. William Pusey, born
in 1840. 4. Elias H., born in 1842. 5.
Rachel P., born in 1842. 6. Kate D., born in
1842. William Pusey West (5) was married in Phil
adelphia in 1866 to Margaret Pidgeon, and to
them were born Louise C, wife of Joseph
Swoyer; Helen Brinton, unmarried, and William
Benjamin, married to Gertrude Bremer.
Elias H. West (5) was married in 1878 to
Sarah J. Maddock. One child was born of this
marriage, Edith Maddock West, at this date
(1903) a student in Swarthmore College. Mrs.
West is a lineal descendant of Henry Maddock
( 1) , who came to America from Lune (or Loom)
Hall, Cheshire county, England, in 1681. He was
a Friend in religion, a man of ability, and served
in the general assembly from 1684 to 1686. He
and his brother-in-law, James Kennedy, pur
chased fifteen hundred acres of land in Springfield
township. Kennedy soon died, leaving his share

M

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

to Henry's son, Mordecai, who also received by
deed the share of his father, who returned to
England. Mordecai Maddock (2) came to America in
1 70 1, bringing letters from the Nottingham
monthly meeting for himself and wife, who died
soon after their arrival. He was active in the
establishment of a meeting in Chester, and was a
speaker therein. Jane Maddock, who married
George Maris, was either his sister or daughter.
He married in the old Concord (Delaware
county) meeting house, November 8, 1733, Dor
othy Roman, of Chichester. His son John (3)
bought three hundred acres of land in Chichester
township, and this he afterward transferred to
his brother James ; this was the tract upon which
stood the house where Benjamin West was born.
James (3) and his wife Susannah were the par
ents of Henry, William, Rebecca, Isaac and Jacob.
William (4) was commissioned captain of a com
pany in the Third Battalion, under Colonel Caleb
Davis, May 12, 1777; he died in 1800. He mar
ried Isabella Cahoon, January 5, 1762, and their
children were Thomas, Jesse, James and William.
James (5), with one Mcllvaine, operated a saw
mill on the creek at Leipersville. In 1817 he
bought the farm on which Crum Lynne Station is
now located, and part of which is still in the pos
session of a great-grandson. He died in 1848,
in Chester, and is buried in the southwest corner
of the old Episcopal burying ground there. He
married, April 17, 1802, Rebecca Morton, who
died, leaving a daughter Sarah. He afterwards
married Mary, sister of his first wife, and their
children were Mordecai, James, Mary, Israel, and
William. Israel (6), who is written of in the
sketch of Israel Morton Maddock, in this work,
married Margaret McCoy, a daughter of Robert
(2) and Mary (Deleplaine) McCoy. She was
born at Carterville, Chester township, July 16,
1817. Her grandfather, Robert McCoy, whose
wife was Rachel Collett, was a private in Captain
David Cowpland's company of Chester county
militia in the Revolutionary war. He was after
wards a lieutenant in the Pennsylvania militia,
May 1, 1789. He was a deacon in the Brandy-
wine Baptist church, Concord township, from
1810 to 1823. He was buried near the church
when it was enlarged, and the graves of himself
and wife were covered by it. William, great
grandfather of Margaret (McCoy) Maddock,
was a son of Robert, who died in New Castle,
Delaware, prior to 1794. On the maternal side
she descended from Nicholas De La Plaine, a
Huguenot who came from France to New York
in 1657. He married a daughter of Pierre Cres-
son, and they became the parents of nine children.
A portrait of the father of Nicholas De La Plane
was owned by Mrs. W. H. Fisher, of New York
city, as late as 1882. According to Alden's

"American Epitaphs," he died in France at the
age of one hundred and five years.
Rachel P. West (5) was married at Shep
herd's Plain, in 1867, to James Farquharson Leys
born near Glasgow, Scotland, 12 mo., 25, 1835,
a son of William and Hannah (Wilson) Leys.
He was engaged in mercantile business in Phila
delphia. He died 10 mo.,' 1867, a little less than
a year after his marriage.
James Farquharson Leys, son of James Far
quharson and Rachel P. (West) Leys, and in the
maternal line sixth in descent from John West
(1), was born 12 mo., 26, 1867. He was edu
cated in the Friends' schools in Philadelphia,
graduating from the Central school in 1884. In
1890 he received his medical degree from the
University of Pennsylvania. He further pursued
his professional studies in Gottingen and Vienna
in 1890-91. He afterward served as interne in
the Philadelphia hospital, and in the state hospital
at Hazleton, Pennsylvania. In 1893 he was com
missioned assistant surgeon in the United States
navy. He served throughout the Spanish war as
a medical officer on the dynamite cruiser
Vesuvius. In due course he was promoted to full
surgeon and at this date (1903) is on duty in
Guam, Ladrone islands. He was married in New
York city in 1897 to Gwendoleyne Mary Wigley,
of Spencer House, Basseterre, St. Kitts, British
West Indies. Of this marriage were born two
children : Katharine Mary, born in Jacksonville,
Florida, 1898, and James Farquharson Leys,
born in Newport, Rhode Island, in 1901.

THE STACKHOUSE FAMILY. The an
cestry of the Stackhouse family is traced back
in England to the year 1086, and in America
to the year 1682, when Thomas Stackhouse, an
uncle of Thomas Stackhouse, the pioneer an
cestor of the branch of the family to which be
longs Amos Stackhouse, a prominent resident of
Stackhouse, North Carolina, came to this coun
try and was a fellow passenger with William
Penn aboard the ship Welcome. Thomas Stack-
house (uncle) was born at Stackhouse, a village
near Settle, Yorkshire, England, about the year
1635 ; he and his wife, Margery (Heahurst)
Stackhouse, who accompanied him from Eng
land, arrived at New Castle, Delaware, 10 mo.,
27, 1682, and settled on a tract of land on the
Neshaminy creek, in the section now known as
Langhorne, Middletown township, Bucks county,
Pennsylvania. His wife died 11 mo., 15, 1682,
a short time after her arrival at their new home,
and was one of the first burials at Middletown.
Thomas Stackhouse married for his second wife
Margaret Atkinson, widow of Christopher At
kinson, at Middletown meeting, 1 mo., 1702, and

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

15

settled at Bensalem township, where he died in
1706 in his seventy-first year. Plis will was
proved 9 mo., 2, 1706, and as he mentioned no
child or children, it is presumed he left none
surviving. He was a grandson of Benjamin
Stackhouse, who wrote the Stackhouse Bible in
1617. Thomas Stackhouse, Jr., according to suppo
sition, was twenty-one years of age when he ar
rived in this country, presumably in the year
1682. He represented Bucks county in the colonial
assembly of the province in the years 1711, 1713
and 17 1 5, and was re-elected the following year
but refused to serve. Mr. Stackhouse married,
7 mo., 27, 1688, at Middletown Meeting, Grace
Heaton, born 1 mo., T4, 1667, daughter of Robert
and Alice Heaton. Their children were Samuel,
John, Robert, Henry, Grace, Alice, Thomas, Jo
seph and Benjamin; the mother of these chil
dren died 8 mo., 8, 1708, and her remains were
interred at Middletown. Mr. Stackhouse then
married, 1 mo., 1, 171 1, at Falls Meeting, Ann,
widow of Edward Mayos. Their children were
Isaac, Jacob, Ann, Sarah and Isaac. The mother
of these children died 5 mo., 6, 1724. Mr. Stack-
house then married, 8 mo., 1725, at Wrightstown
Meeting, Dorothy, widow of Zebulon Heston,
who survived him. There was no issue of this
marriage. Thomas Stackhouse died 4 mo., 26,
1744, and was' buried at Middletown.
Robert Stackhouse, third son of Thomas and
Grace (Heaton) Stackhouse, was born 9 mo.,
8, 1692, married Margaret Stone, and the issue
of this union were the following named children :
Thomas, Joseph, James, Grace, Benjamin, Alice,
William and Robert, the last named being
killed by a fail from his horse in the year 1788,
he being then forty-eight years of age. Robert
Stackhouse, father of the above named children,
removed his family to Berwick, on the Susque
hanna river, Pennsylvania, where he resided up
to the time of his death in 1788, at the advanced
age of ninety-six years.
James Stackhouse, third son of Robert and
Margaret (Stone) Stackhouse, was born 11 mo.,
11, 1725 or 1726, married, 10 mo., 13, 1750,
Martha Hastings, born 4 mo., 27, 1722, daughter
of Samuel and Mary Hastings. Their children
were Margaret, Hastings, Mary, Amos, Amos,
Martha, James and William. James Stackhouse,
father of these children, died 5 mo., 16, 1759, and
his remains were interred at Arch Street cem
etery; his wife, Martha (Hastings) Stackhouse,
died 6 mo., 24, 1806. The Hastings family trace
their ancestry back to the year 843, when "Hast
ings the First," a sea king or pirate Norman
chieftain, invaded France and after plundering
the provinces of the Louvre, returned to Denmark
or. Norway. The following year he entered the
Seme, approached as far as Paris, and returned to
2 x

his own country laden with the spoils. In the year
893 he appeared off the county of Kent, England,
and entered the Thames, but was defeated by
Alfred the Great, who made prisoners of his wife
and two sons and only restored them to him
upon condition that he depart the kingdom. It
is claimed by the author of "Pictures of Hast
ings" that the town of Hastings, near the sea.
coast, where the battle of Hastings occurred, was
named in honor of this Danish pirate. In the
year 1200, Henry, Lord Hastings, married
Adama, daughter of David, Earl of Huntington,.
and brother of William, King of Scotland, who,.
dying without issue, John Hastings, son of Henry
Hastings, became a competitor for that crown with-
John Battoir and Robert Bruce. In the early
records of Chester county, Pennsylvania, the
name of Henry Hastings as a juror is found as-
early as September 13, 1681, and as the ship-
John and Sarah from London, and Factor from
Bristol, did not arrive until the twelfth of the
fourth month following, it is supposed that the
Hastings family, who owned a large tract of land
on the Delaware river between Chester and
Marcus Hook, were a part of the New Haven
colony that settled on the Delaware about the
year 1640. Joshua Hastings, supposed to be a
son of Henry Hastings, resided in the neighbor
hood of Chester, represented the county in the
colonial assembly, and removed to Philadelphia
about the year 1700. Two sons survived him,
John and Samuel ; John married' Grace Stack-
house, daughter of Robert Stackhouse, and their
son Samuel Hastings married Mary Hill, who-
bore him a daughter, Martha, who became the
wife of James Stackhouse.
Amos Stackhouse, third son of James and
Martha (Hastings) Stackhouse, was born 5 mo.,
4, 1757, married, 1 mo., 14, 1779, Mary Powell,
born 7 mo., 9, 1763, daughter of John and Su
sanna Powell. Their children were Susanna,
Hastings, Martha, Powell, Esther, Martha,
James, Samuel, Amos, Robert, Robert, Mary,
and John. Amos Stackhouse, father of these
children, died 4 mo., 5, 1825, and his wife, Mary
(Powell) Stackhouse, died 7 mo., 15, 1841. The
earliest ancestor of the Powell family of whom
there is any authentic record was William
Powell, who signed with John Woolston and two
hundred and ten other Friends the Yearly Meet
ings' epistle of the 7 mo., 1692, against George
Keith. Robert Powell, presumably a brother of
William Powell, came in the ship Kent, 6 mo.,
16, 1677 O. S., and settled near Burlington, West
Jersey. Among the children born to Robert and
his wife Prudence Powell was a son, John Powell,
who married Elizabeth Woolston. They were the
parents of six children, the youngest of whom was
Isaac Powell, who married Elizabeth Purdey, and
their eldest son, John Powell, by his marriage to-

i6

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

Susanna Bryan, became the father of four chil
dren, the eldest of whom was Mary, who became
the wife of Amos Stackhouse.
Powell Stackhouse, second son of Amos and
Mary (Powell) Stackhouse, was born 3 mo., 21,
1785, at Mt. Holly, New Jersey, married 1 mo.,
31, 1809, Edith Dilworth, daughter of Charles
and Mary Dilworth. Their children were Charles
D„ Emlen, Joseph D., Sarah D., Amos, Susanna,
Anna, Powell, Powell, Dilworth and Llwellyn.
Powell Stackhouse, father of these children, died
12 mo., 27, 1863; his wife, Edith (Dilworth)
Stackhouse, who was born 1 mo., 16, 1787, died 11
mo., 1, 1865. James Dilworth, the pioneer ancest
or of the Dilworth family, was a minister, and ac
companied by his wife, Ann (Wain) Dilworth,
their son William and a servant man by the name
¦of Stephen Sands, came from Thornley in Lan-
castershire, England, in the ship Lamle of Liver
pool, Captain John Teach, and arrived in the
Delaware river in the 8 mo., 1682. He settled
in Bucks county, Pennsylvania, and his death
occurred 1 mo., 3, 1698. William Dilworth, son
of James and Ann Dilworth, married Sarah
Webb, daughter of Richard and Elizabeth Webb,
and their eldest son, James Dilworth, married
Lydia Martin, daughter of George and Lydia
Martin. Among the children born of this union
was a son, Charles Dilworth, who married, 1 mo.,
27, 1765, at Trinity Episcopal church, Oxford
township, Mary Taylor, daughter of John and
Sarah Taylor. Eight children were the issue of
this union, one of whom, Edith Dilworth, became
the wife of Powell Stackhouse.
Charles D. Stackhouse, eldest son of Powell
and Edith (Dilworth) Stackhouse, was born No
vember 1, 1809, and chose for his wife Alice
Meredith, the ceremony being performed No
vember 27, 1834, and five children were the issue
of this union — Joseph M., born November
28, 1835, died January 18, 1901 ; Dilworth, born
November 12, 1837, now residing on the old
home place ; Pennell, mentioned at length herein
after ; Kate M., born April 5, 1846, died April
16, 1882; Charles D., born May 6, 1850, died
December 8, 1876.
Emlen Stackhouse, second son of Powell and
Edith, married Catharine Meredith, and had the
following children: Edith, Sarah, Martha,
Alice, Meredith, Anna, Ellen, Susan, Emlen and
Mary. Joseph D. Stackhouse, third son of Powell
and Edith, married Sarah Shaw, and had the
following children: Powell, Rebecca and Alex
ander. Sarah D. Stackhouse, daughter of Powell and
Edith, married Franklin Townsend, son of David
Townsend, of West Chester, Pennsylvania, and
married her second husband, Abram Vander-

voort, of Williamsburg, New York, and had one
son, Abram.
Susan L. Stackhouse, second daughter of
Powell and Edith, married Daniel J. Morrell, and
had one daughter, Anna S.
Anna D. Stackhouse, third daughter of
Powell and Edith, did not marry.
Powell Stackhouse, Jr., fifth son of Powell
and Edith, married Emily Townsend, and had
the following children : Myra, Julia W., Samuel
T., Clara and Edith D.
Amos Stackhouse, fourth son of Powell and
Edith (Dilworth) Stackhouse, was born March
31, 1819, in the city of Philadelphia, Pennsyl
vania, was educated at the Friends' School, and
for twelve years after the completion of his studies
was in partnership with his brother in the stove
and machine iron foundry, a business from which
his father retired in 1840. In 1850 Amos Stack-
house removed to Richmond, Indiana, where he
was successfully engaged in business pursuits
for several years, later settled at Fort Recovery,
Ohio, whence he removed to Jacksonville, Flor
ida, remaining four years, and then finally set
tled at Stackhouse, Madison county, North Caro
lina, where he is at the present time ( 1903) con
ducting a lucrative lumber and milling business,
the active management of which is in the hands
of his two sons. He has served the village of
Stackhouse in the capacity of school director and
postmaster for the long period of thirty years.
Throughout his long and useful life Mr. Stack-.
house has been upright and honorable in all his
transactions, active and zealous in advancing the
welfare anad material growth of the community
in which he resides, and a firm adherent of the
doctrines of the Society of Friends.
At Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, July 11, 1843,
Amos Stackhouse married Rebecca Shaw, daugh
ter of Alexander Shaw, and she bore him one
son, Ellison, born October 19, 1845, at Philadel
phia, and is now a well known druggist of that
city; in 1874 he married Ella Walton, and they
are the parents of Laura N., Ellison D., Mary
S. and Rebecca S. Amos Stackhouse married
for his second wife, at Philadelphia, Pennsyl
vania, July 25, 1849, Anna Williamson, daughter
of Thomas Williamson, and the following named
children were born to them: Elizabeth, born
March 13. 1850, at Philadelphia; Rebecca, born
July 27, 1854, at Fort Recovery, Ohio, became the
wife of Henry Halderman ; Anna Mary, born
November 25, 1856, at Fort Recovery, Ohio;
and Thomas W., born May 18, 1858, at Phila
delphia, Pennsylvania. Amos Stackhouse mar
ried for his third wife, at Jacksonville, Florida,
February 2, 1871, Anna Myers, daughter of
Henry Meyers. Their children are : 1. Amos, born
at Warm Springs, North Carolina, February 2,

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

'7

1873, educated at the College of Tennessee, mar
ried at Greenwich, Tennessee, May 6, 1894, Hes
ter Honeycutt, daughter of James and Angelina
(Gilbert) Honeycutt, and her birth occurred in
North Carolina, June 19, 1877; they are the par
ents of two children, both of whom were born at
Stackhouse, North Carolina ; Amos, born Novem
ber 13, 1896, and Ernest Matlack, born January
30, 1900. 2. Charles, born September 15, 1877,
was educated at Asheville, North Carolina, and
Is unmarried. Both Amos and Charles are ac
tively interested in the lumber and milling busi
ness established by their father at Stackhouse,
North Carolina.
Pennell Stackhouse, third child of Charles D.
and Alice (Meredith) Stackhouse, was born at
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, December 17, 1839,
his birthplace being on Market, below Tenth,
street. He acquired his early education at the
old Hancock school, which he attended until his
•eleventh year, when his parents removed to Dela
ware county, and his education was completed
at the Big Edgemont school, at Howellville, now
known as Gradyville. At the age of eighteen
years he went to the city of Philadelphia, where
he was employed by Rowland & Ervien in their
steam flour mills on Broad and Vine streets until
August, 1862. On August 1st of that year,
-when the Union required the services of her faith
ful sons, Mr. Stackhouse enlisted as a private in
the One Hundred and Twenty-fourth Regiment,
Pennsylvania Volunteers, Company D, under
Captain Yarnall, recruited at Media, Pennsyl
vania, for nine months' service. During his mil
itary career he participated in the memorable
battle of Antietam, September 17, 1862, also in
the Chancellorsville engagement under General
Kane, and served in the Army of the Potomac
as a scout from General Kane's headquarters.
On June 29, 1863, at Westchester, Pennsylvania,
he re-enlisted as a veteran volunteer in Captain
Benjamin Green's Company, and served on de
tached duty about three months as second ser
geant. At the termination of hostilities he re
turned to his home and engaged in agricultural
pursuits with his father in Edgemont, Delaware
county, there remaining until his marriage. He
removed from there to Concord, where he re
sumed his former employment, and during the
intervening years between 1875 and 1892 success
fully managed several farms. In the latter named
year he purchased his present homestead from
Emeline Dunn, it being formerly a portion of the
old Thomas Pratt estate. The farm consists of
seventy-nine acres of rich and productive soil,
devoted to general farming products, and is sit
uated in Middletown township, on the Edgemont
road, in close proximity to the. town of Lima.
For a number of years he was the incumbent of
the office of town clerk and supervisor of Edge

mont township. He holds pleasant relations with
his old army comrades by membership in Brad
bury Post, No. 149, G. A. R. Although not
a member of any church, his preference is with
the Society of Friends, the religious faith of his
forefathers, and his political affiliations are with
the Republican party.
On March 18, 1875, Mr. Stackhouse married
Emma Smedley, widow of Joseph Pennell Smed-
ley, and daughter of John and Mary (Vander-
slice) Winner. By her marriage to Joseph Pen
nell Smedley, who was a descendant of Samuel
(5), William (4), William (3), George (2),
George (1), who founded the family in Middle-
town township in 1682, one daughter was born,
Hannah Smedley, whose birth occurred Febru
ary 10, 1870; she attended Westtown Boarding
School, and graduated from the Friends' Select
School at Sixteenth and Race streets, Philadel
phia. The following named children were born
to Mr. and Mrs. Stackhouse: Edward Penrose
Howard, born January 18, 1876, died September
3, 1876; Alice Meredith, born August 12, 1877,
educated at Darlington Seminary, West Chester,
now at home with her parents ; Emma Pennell,
born July 16, 1880, educated at West Chester
Normal School, now residing with her parents;
and Charles Dilworth, born June 23, 1886, died
September 11, 1886.

WILLIAM SHALER JOHNSON was born
in Hoboken, New Jersey, November 23, 1836.
He was the son of the Hon. Edwin Ferry John
son, one of the earliest and most prominent rail
way engineers of the United States. His father
was a descendant of the Woburn and Andover
Johnsons of Massachusetts.
John Johnson, the first in this country, came
from Hern Hill, near Canterbury, Kent county,
England. He and his wife Susanna came over
with Captain Edward Johnson, also of Hern Hill,
in Governor Winthrop's fleet in 1630. He settled
in Agawam, afterward Ipswich, in 1632, where
his name appears in the list of first settlers and
land proprietors. When Andover was settled he
removed to that town, and there his wife died in
1683, and he probably soon after. (II) Timothy,
son of John, was born in 1644, and died in 1688.
In 1692 his widow was among the number of
those accused of witchcraft, but acquitted. His
house was raided by the Indians in 1698, and
Penelope, a daughter of his brother Thomas John
son, was killed by them at the age of nineteen.
(Ill) Timothy, son of Timothy, was born in
1679, and died in 1771. He was a captain in the
French and Indian war, nine years selectman of
Andover, and three years a member of the gen
eral court of Massachusetts. His son Timothy
was also an officer, and died before Louisburg

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

in 1746. His third son Samuel was colonel of
the Fourth Massachusetts Regiment during the
Revolution, was present at the battle of Still
water and the surrender of Burgoyne, was three
years representative in the general court, and
after the war assisted in the quelling of Shay's
rebellion. Samuel, his son, was a captain in
his father's regiment, and promoted to major.
(IV) Asa, son of Timothy 2d, was born in 17 16
and died in 1759. Of his six sons, James, Ben
jamin and William served in the army during
the Revolution. James, with his cousins John
and Joshua, were of the party of sixteen who
captured a British schooner in the Mystic river
in May, 1775. William was a captain. His son
William (grandson of Asa) was a member of
the Massachusetts legislature, both in house and
senate. Benjamin served in Colonel Stickney's
New Hampshire regiment, was at the battle of
Bennington, and was commended by General
Stark for conduct and bravery.
Nineteen Andover Johnsons served in the
French and Indian and Revolutionary wars, of
whom eleven were officers. The arms borne by
the Johnsons of Hern Hill are, however, very
peaceful emblems. They were granted to Will
iam Johnson, a bachelor of divinity, but whether
a churchman or, like his namesake Samuel John
son, a Puritan, does not appear. They are thus de
scribed : "Ar. a Chef az. betw. three pheons ru.
On a chief of the second an open book repre
senting the Holy Bible ppr., edged and sealed or,
thereon inscribed Proverbs chap. 22 ; verse 6,
betw. two crosses flory of the last. Crest — a Pheon
as in the arms surmounted by a star of eight
points or." Peaceful emblems enough, especially
as the pheon, the only warlike sign, is reversed;
but in the days of the English civil war the clergy
on both sides not seldom joined actively in the
strife and sometimes ' led their flocks to battle.
(V) Benjamin, son of Asa,. was born in 1744,
moved to Canterbury, New Hampshire, and then
to Limerick, Maine, where he died in 1832. (VI)"
John Johnson, son of Benjamin, was born in
1771 ; married (1st) Rachel, daughter of Daniel
and Eleanor Ferry, of Granby, Massachusetts,
and (2d) Lurinda, daughter of Colonel Ezra and
Elizabeth (Coan) Smith, of Vermont.
(The ancestors of the Ferry family were
Huguenots. Three brothers came to this coun
try sometime between 1650 and 1675, from Hol
land. One settled in New York, one in Connec
ticut and one in Massachusetts. The son of the
latter, Charles Ferry, lived in or near Springfield.
His son Noah settled in Granby, then South
Hadley. Daniel, the second son of Noah, was
born in 1742. His daughter Rachel married John
Johnson as above.)
John Johnson was by trade a millwright, and
became a land-surveyor and designer of bridges,

dams, mills, etc. He settled first in Essex, Ver
mont, but removed to Burlington in 1810. He
furnished the government with valuable maps
and information in the war of 1812-15, and in
the latter year was appointed United States com
missioner for the settlement of claims growing
out of the war. He was appointed a master in
chancery by the judges of the supreme court of
Vermont in 18 13, and surveyor general of the
state the same year, holding the latter position
for ten years. He was selected by the commis
sioners under the treaty of Ghent to take charge
of the survey of the northeastern boundary, on-
the part of the United States government, in
which he was engaged from 1817 to 1819, and his
final report was the basis of the treaty. He died
in 1842. (VII) -Edwin Ferry Johnson, son of John
and Rachel (Ferry) Johnson, was born in Essex,
Vermont, May 23, 1803. He took charge of
his father's business and began land surveying
in 1817 at the age of fourteen; was on north
eastern boundary survey with his father in i8i8p
aided his father in the reconstruction of the mill,. .
and built a new dam at Hubbell's Falls, 1819;
engaged with his father in furnishing large quan
tities of lumber to the Quebec market, took a
large raft of lumber from the Missisquoi river
through the St. Johns, the Chambly rapids, Lake-
St. Peter and the St. Lawrence, to Quebec, 1821 ;
took charge of the mill at Hubbell's Falls, made
land surveys, looked after the farm, and devoted'
every spare hour to study, 1822 ; instructor in Mil
itary Academy, Norwich, Vermont, 1823 ; instruct
or in geometery and surveying, same, 1824 ; in Bur
lington, studied practical mechanics, drilled com
pany to act as escort to General Lafayette, made
mineralogical tour of Lake Champlain, 1825 ; in
structor in civil engineering, mathematics and '
tactics, Military Academy (then located at Mid
dletown, Connecticut), 1826-1827; commandant.
same, 1828 ; engaged in survey of land lines
Erie and Champlain canals, advocated the rail
way, outlined the course of a great western rail
road (the basis of the Erie road afterward built),
1829; assistant engineer Catskill and Canajoharie
railroad, 1831 ; resident engineer same, 1831-1832 ; .
resident engineer Chenango canal, 1833 ; resident
engineer Utica and Schenectady railroad, 1834;
chief engineer Auburn and Syracuse rail
road, 1835 ; same New York and Erie railroad,
1837; same Ogdensburg and Champlain rail
road, 1838; president Stevens Joint Stock Co.,
Hoboken, New Jersey, 1839 ; chief engineer New
York and Albany railroad, 1840; same Syracuse-
and Oswego, 1846; same New York and Boston
railroad, 1847 ; examined the ground and pre
pared and published plans for the Vermont and"
Canada railroad and the St. Lawrence and Cham
plain canal, 1848; appointed chief engineer Rock"

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

•9

IRiver Valley Union railroad (Illinois and Wiscon
sin), completed first practical essay on Northern
Pacific railroad, 1850 ; chief engineer Illinois and
Wisconsin railroad, 1852; published his work
entitled "Railway to the Pacific, Northern
Route," 1854; superintended surveys for Oswego
and Troy railroad, 1854; organized, with others,
the Central Bank, Middletown, Connecticut,
1 851; mayor of Middletown, 1856; state senator,
1857; president and treasurer Shaler and Hall
"Quarry Co., 1858-1866; called to Washington to
-consult on plans for prosecution of war, offered
-rarik of major general and command in South
west, declined; offered position as assistant sec
retary of war, declined ; requested by war de
partment to put in writing his plan for prosecu
tion of war and did so; (this was afterward
-pirated by one who had access to the files of the
• department ; it contained the outline of the
"March to the Sea"), 1862; furnished the
war department with plans for coast defense,
1863 ; made surveys for marine railway around
Niagara Falls, and was in Washington in the inter
est of the Panama Ship Canal, 1865-1866; chief
-engineer Northern Pacific railroad, 1866; con
sulting engineer Lake Ontario Shore railroad,
1868; consulting engineer Northern Pacific rail
road, 1871, until his death in 1872. Had he lived
:five years longer he would have seen the metals
laid upon practically his own lines from the At
lantic to the Pacific. He employed his leisure
in the preparation and publication of numerous
professional, scientific, philosophical and politi
cal papers and contributions to reviews and jour
nals. He was a trustee of Norwich University
from 1834 to 1846, and the degree of A. M. was
•conferred upon him by his alma mater and by
the University of Vermont. In addition to his
professional reports and works Mr. Johnson pub
lished the following: "A Treatise on Survey
ing;" "Journal of March of Cadets to Platts-
burgh, to Washington, to Niagara ;" "The New-
ellian Sphere;" 'Land Surveys;" "A project for
a Great Western Railway, New York to the Mis
sissippi Valley," 1829 ; "Method of Conducting
Oanal Surveys;" "The Epicycloid;" "Cubical
'Quantities, Railroad and Canal;" "Mountains of
New York ;" "Tables of Quantities for Tracing
Railroad Curves ;" "Railroad System of New
York ;" "Gauge of Railways ;" "Railroad to the
Pacific, Northern Route, General Characteristics,
'Relative Merits, etc." with illustrations and ap
proximate profile, 1850 ; "General Plan of Military
¦Operations, Civil War," by request of Secretary
of War ; "Report on Northeastern Coast Defense,"
to the secretary of war; "Caesar's Bridge;"
"Ship Canal and Marine Railway;" "First
Meridian;" "Words for the People;" "The
Reciprocity Treaty ;" "Navigation of the Lakes ;"
-"Niagara;" "Water Supply of New York;"

"Transcontinental Railways ;" "Historical Sketch
of Early Norse Settlements and the Newport
Tower;" "Banking and Currency," etc.
He married Charlotte Shaler, daughter of Na
thaniel Shaler, merchant, of New York and Mid
dletown. Thomas Shaler came to this country
from Stratford-on-Avon, England, about 1660.
He was one of the first proprietors of Haddam,
Connecticut, where he is mentioned in 1662 as
one of a party of twenty-eight men from Hart
ford, Windsor and Wethersfield who began a
settlement there. His wife was Alice Brooks,
widow of Thomas Brooks and daughter of Gar
rard Spencer.
(Garrard Spencer, son of Jarrard Spencer,
was born in England, came to this country in
1634, and settled in Cambrdige, then Newe Towne,
Massachusetts. Removed to Lynn, 1636; was
granted the "fferry" there, and was ensign of
train bands, 1638; removed to Haddam about
1660; was deputy to the general court at Hart
ford, 1674, 1678, 1679, 1680 and 1683 and to
the special session of same 1675 ; died in 1685.)
(II) Abel Shaler, son of Thomas, born 1673,
died 1744. (Ill) Reuben Shaler, son of Abel,
was born in Haddam, 171 1 ; was a shipmaster
and owner ; removed to Middletown, Connecticut,
in 1 741 ; married Abigail Stow in 1741.
(John Stow came probably from Maidstone
or Cranbrook, Kent county, England, with his
wife and six children, in 1634, and settled in
Roxbury, Massachusetts. He and his son Thomas
joined the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Com
pany of Massachusetts in 1638. He represented
Roxbury in the general court, 1639; sold his
property in Roxbury and removed to Concord
in 1648, and died there. Rev. John Eliot says
of Elizabeth Stow, his wife, that she was a godly
matron, a blessing to her family and to the church.
Thomas Stow, son of John, born in England,
1617, came to this country with his father and
preceded him a few years in Concord. He moved
to Middletown (Upper Houses, now Cromwell),
Connecticut, 1669. Thomas Stow, son of
Thomas, was born in Concord, 1650; removed
with his father to Middletown, 1669; was made
ensign "of the north company or train band pn
the south side the ferry river in the town of
Middletown," 1717; commissioned lieutenant in
the third company in the town of Middletown,
1723; died in 1730. He married Bethia Hop
kins Stocking, granddaughter of George Stock
ing, a man of good family from the west of Eng
land, who came over with his family in or about
1630. Samuel Stow, son of Thomas 2d, and
Bethia (Stocking) Stow, born 1681, died 1741.
He was the father of Abigail Stow, who married
Captain Reuben Shaler.)
The Shalers, like many other inhabitants
of Haddam, were a family of sailors, "long voy-

20

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

age men" as they were called then and later.
Thomas Shaler was a sailor, and his grandson
Reuben followed the sea. Captain Shaler, as he
was called in Middletown, accumulated quite a
good property, for those times, before his death.
He sailed on his last voyage in 1749, was spoken
in the Gulf of Mexico during a hard gale, and
never heard of afterwards. The house and about
an acre of ground which he owned in Middletown
were in the possession of the family for 127
years. The house is still standing, being now
about 170 years old. Mrs. Shaler's married life
was short, lasting but eight years. No certain
news of her lost sailor husband ever reached her.
Day after day she is said to have sat in the door
way with her spinning wheel, waiting and watch
ing for his return. Captain Reuben Shaler left
two sons — Reuben, who died in 1765, and Na
thaniel, the father of Mrs. Edwin F. Johnson
and grandfather of Wm. Shaler Johnson.
(IV) Nathaniel Shaler, son of Reuben, was
born in 1747. "Curiously enough," as Mr. Mac-
donough says in his article on Mr. Shaler, "the
only description we have of Mr. Shaler is left
us by John Adams, second President of the United
States. In June, 1771, Mr. Adams visited Middle-
town on his way through to New York and Wash
ington, and stayed at the house of Mrs. Shaler,
Nathaniel's mother. He mentions that she 'has an
only son, and she is very fond and very proud
of him. He lives with a merchant ; is now twen
ty-five or twenty-six, and contents himself still
to keep that merchant's books, without any in
clination to set up for himself; is a great pro
ficient in music, plays upon the flute, fife, harpsi
chord, spinet, etc. ; associates with the young and
the gay, and is a very fine Connecticut young
gentleman.' "
In another place Mr. Adams notices the re
serve of the Widow Shaler and her son. It is evi
dent that he only saw one side of Mr. Shaler's
character. Even then he had business interests of
his own, and when he died he left, for those
times, a fair fortune. He seems to have had mil
itary aspirations. In 1774 he was commissioned
lieutenant in the Third Company, Sixth Regi
ment, Light Infantry of the Colony, and in May,
1776, was made captain. He was throughout
his life, however, a staunch loyalist, and
when his company was ordered to New York
for active service against the King, flatly
refused tb go. For this he was arrested,
taken before the general assembly, and after
trial, deprived of his command, debarred from
holding any civil or military position thereafter,
and obliged to pay the cost of his trial. Then
he gathered together his movable possessions,
placed them and himself aboard a ship, and left
the country, to which he did not return until
after the Revolution. Of this incident he thus

writes to a friend: "In the winter of 1777 I
sailed in a Brigg from Brantford bound for St-
Croix, but to my very great misfortune was
taken and carried into St. Christopher, and my
property in her lost, and I did not return to my
native place, Middletown, until the fall of 1783,
when I stayed but a few days, and have not from
the time I left it in 1777 pretended to make it
my place of residence. Until August, 1785, I
hardly called on any person whatever among my
numerous debtors for any kind of settlement.
In that year I stayed about six weeks in Middle-
town on that business." From 1783 to 1790
he was in New York, where he entered into a
business partnership with Jacob Sebor and Fred
erick W. Geyser. He married, in 1773, Hannah,
daughter of Rowland Allen. She and her child-
died in 1775. He married (2d) Lucretia Ann,.
eldest daughter of William and Sarah (Hawx-
hurst) Denning.
(The Dennings came probably from Devon
shire, England ; at least there are still a number
of that name in the old county. Many of them-
seem to have emigrated to the Island of Antigua.
William Denning came from that island to New
York about 1760. He seems from his coming-
to have taken a prominent position in the infant
city in business, politics and socially. He en
tered the mercantile house of which Wm, Hawx-
hurst was the head, but in 1765 seems to have-
been in business for himself, as he styles him
self "merchant." Mr. Macdonough says that "his
well known views on the rights of the colonies-
and his open sympathy with the principles ad
vocated by them caused him to be identified with
the very first concerted movement in be
half of liberty." He was elected one of the-
committee of sixty to carry out the purpose of the
association of 1774 as to non-importation
and non-consumption of all articles supplied
by English markets. In 1775 he was elected
a member of the committee of one hundred which
superseded the former, and was active on both-
committees. He was a member of the New York-
Provincial Congress in 1775. This year the city
was divided into "beats," or districts, and a mil
itary company was formed for the protection of
each. Mr. Denning received a commission as
second lieutenant of the 15th Beat Company of
"Independents." He represented the city and
county of New York in the second and third
New York Provincial Congress and was a mem
ber of the committee of safety. Pie had acted'
as one of the auditors in the settlement of the
accounts of New York and to make distinction-
between provincial and continental charges ; was
on the marine committee, and appointed by the-
Continental Congress one of the three commis
sioners to settle the accounts of the army under
Washington.in New York and New Jersey, 1776-

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

2 I

1777; was one of the four commissioners to meet,
at the joint convention at New Haven, the com
missioners from New Hampshire, Massachusetts,
Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Jersey, Penn
sylvania and Delaware, to consider and regulate
the industrial interests of the country, the con
vention having been called at the suggestion of
Congress, and was appointed by Congress one
of the commissioners of accounts of the board of
treasury, 1778. The latter position he held until
1779, when Congress appointed him one of the
commissioners of the board of treasury, which he
held until September, 1781, when Mr. Morris
took charge. In 1782 Mr. Denning was appoint
ed commissioner of accounts of the quartermas
ter's department. These accounts had been
allowed to accumulate for six years, and, with
the fluctuations in the value of currency and other
complications, required infinite patience and more
than ordinary ability. Tn 1784, Mr. Morris re
signing the control of the treasury, Congress re
established the board of treasury and elected Mr.
Denning a member, which he declined, being at
the time a member of the New York general as
sembly. Before the Revolution Mr. Denning re
sided in Wall street but at the breaking out of
the war he moved his family to a house he had
purchased a few miles back of Newburgh, which
he called Salisburgh, and where General and Mrs.
Washington, Lafayette and Alexander and Mrs.
Hamilton were frequent and welcome visitors.
After the war he returned to the city, residing
at 341 Broadway, where in 1819 he died, and
was buried in St. Paul churchyard. Mr. Den
ning "married twice (1st) Sarah, daughter of
William and Annie Hawxhurst, in 1765; and
(2d) Amy, youngest sister of the above and
widow of Phineas Mcintosh, merchant. Lucretia
Ann, the eldest child of his first wife, married
Nathaniel Shaler. Another daughter married
William Henderson, of New York. Of the
children of his second wife, Amy married
> James Gillespie, merchant ; Hannah married
William Duer, son of Col. William Duer. In
one of his letters Mr. Denning writes: "In the
gloomy part of our revolution, General Wash-
¦ ington told myself and Judge Fell that all would
end well; we should beat our enemy, but God
only knew how." This trust was perhaps the
great secret of Washington's serene confidence
in the darkest hours.)
As Mr. Shaler was a Tory and Mr. Denning
a staunch Whig, it would not have been strange
had the "course of true love" run a little rough,
especially as the wooing took place so soon after
the Revolution, when the bitter feelings engen
dered by fhe war could not have subsided to any
great extent. "Mr. Shaler's estimable qualities
and the fact that his sentiments had not led him

to take an active part in the war, removed what
ever objection there might have been on Mr.
Denning's part, and his letters to his daughter
after her marriage contain many expressions of
respect and esteem for her husband." It may
be added that these same estimable qualities af
fected others, and Mr. Shaler was received very
kindly on his return to this country, after the
war, by his old Whig friends. He had many
and varied business interests in Middletown,
and held much real estate at the time of his death,
and, as has been said, left a fair fortune. He
died in 1817, two years before his father-in-law,
Mr. Denning.
Of Mr. Shaler's children, Charles, born in
1789, who graduated at Union College in 1812,
moved shortly after to Pittsburg, Pennsylvania,
where he resided for over half a century. He
was an eminent lawyer and jurist and a man of
prominence in the State of his adoption and in
national affairs. He died in 1869. Lucy, born
in 1790, married Lieutenant (afterwards Com
modore) McDonough, whose victory over a su
perior English fleet in the battle of Plattsburgh
Bay, Lake Champlain, September 11, 1814, was
the turning point in the war of 1812, and in its
results probably the most important action of
that war. October 9, 1814, Mr. William Denning
wrote as follows : "Captain McDonough is prob
ably with you at this moment. His country will
bear him in respectful remembrance, and I most
sincerely do. We have already been acquainted
and he was on my list of modest, unassuming,
worthy men. Tell him he has much to encounter
in the universal applause of his country, but he
must submit because he has brought it upon
himself." Aside from the fact that the victory
on Lake Champlain not only destroyed the Brit
ish control of the lake, and checked and turned
back the march of a strong and well disciplined
and well provided army by the only route of in
vasion from Canada, it had a 'direct effect upon
the negotiations being carried on at the time af
Ghent. "England had submitted a proposition
which involved the acquisition of considerable
new territory, containing several strategic points.
This proposition was promptly rejected by the
American commission, and the negotiations
came to an abrupt halt." Then came the news
of the victory of McDonough. The English
government wrote to the Duke of Wellington for
advice, who in answer wrote "I confess that I
think you have no right, from the state of the
war, to demand any concession of territory from
America * * * from particular circumstan
ces, such as the want of the naval superiority on
the lakes, you have not been able to carry it into
the enemy's territory * * * and have not
even cleared your own territory on the point of

22

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

attack. You cannot then, on any principle of
equality in negotiation, claim accession of ter
ritory.-" The government took his advice.
(James McDonough, the ancestor of the
Delaware line, was the son of Thomas and Jane
(Coyle) McDonough. He was born in the dis
trict known as Salmon Leap, on the river Liffey,
county Kildare, Ireland, and came to this coun
try with his brother John, about 1730. He set
tled in St. George's Hundred, New Castle coun
ty, Delaware, at the place then called the Trap,
but to which the name McDonough was after
wards given. James was a man of considerable
means and is said to have been a physician, a
man of education and of importance in the coun
ty. When the Revolutionary war broke out he
was sixty-four years old, but he armed his two
sons, Thomas and James, and sent them to the
front. James died in the service, but Thomas
returned after a period of honorable service.
James, the elder, died in 1792 at the age of eighty.
Thomas, son of James, the father of the commo
dore, was born in 1747. He was educated as
a physician. March 20, 1776, he was appointed
major in the Delaware Battalion. He served ac
tively until 1777, when the battalion was dis
banded and he was honorably discharged. He
was at once appointed colonel of the new bat
talion being raised, but for family and business
reasons declined. He also served as one of the
judges of the court of common pleas of the
State of Delaware.)
Another daughter of Nathanaiel Shaler mar
ried Lieutenant H. B. Sawyer, of the navy, and
still another the Rev. Edward Rutledge, of South
Carolina. His daughter Charlotte married the
Hon. Edwin Ferry Johnson.
(VIII) William Shaler Johnson, son of Ed
win Ferry and Charlotte (Shaler) Johnson, was
born, as noted, in 1836. He received his early
education in private schools and was fitted for
college at the academy in Burlington, Vermont.
He was with his father in the survey of the Mid
dletown and Berlin Branch Railroad in 1848, and
the Rock River Valley Union Railroad in Wis
consin, in 185 1. He entered the University of
Vermont in 1854, in the class of '58, but left at
the end of his sophomore year with the intention
of entering Yale, an intention which, however,
he did not carry out. From 1858 to 1862 he was
in the employ of the Shaler and Hall Quarry
Company, of Portland, Connecticut, as clerk,
bookkeeper and agent. In the latter year he
made application for an appointment in the sig
nal corps of the army, but at the time it was
not a separate organization, its members being
taken from the commissioned, non-commissioned
and privates of the army. When it was organized
as a separate corps he went to Washington and
passed the necessary examinations successfully,

but family reasons made his presence at home
necessary and his name was withdrawn, greatly
to his disappointment. He was assistant engineer
on the Lake Ontario Shore Line Railroad in 1867-
1868; assistant engineer Northern Pacific Rail
road, 1868-1870; resident engineer Northern Pa
cific Railroad, 1870-1872. His father's death at
this time recalled him to his home, and from that
time until 1876 he was employed in land-survey
ing and managing his father's estate. He was a
teacher from 1876 to 1878; editorial writer,
"Chester Evening News," 1877-1879; editor and
reporter, etc., same, 1879-1882; editor of "Hart
ford Herald" and other papers, 1883-1885 ; su
perintendent Chester Water Works, 1885-1889;
secretary and treasurer of the Steel Castings
Manufacturers' Association, 1893-1896, when it
was dissolved by mutual consent journalist, writer
and accountant, 1896. He was a member of the
Scientific Institute of Middletown, Connecticut,
and one of the founders of the Scientific Insti
tute of Chester, Pennsylvania; is one of the in
corporators of the Chester Free Library, and a
charter member of the Delaware County Histori
cal Society. He has been a member and lay-
reader of Saint Paul's church since he came to
the city in 1876, and since 1888 its senior warden.
He has at different times in his life been offered
public position but has declined, except in the
^case of the board of education, of which he was
a member from 1896 to 1900. He has furnished
many papers of interest and value to the organiza
tions with which he has been associated, and has
written largely on scientific, historical and hy
gienic subjects.
In 1869, while connected with the Northern
Pacific Railroad, he was detailed to assist in the
general reconnaissance of the mountain passes, as
geologist under Colonel W. Milnor Roberts, one
of the most noted engineers of the day. At the
close of the reconnaissance, September 9, 1869,
Colonel Roberts wrote to him as follows : *
* * Personally, my dear sir, you will carry with
you my highest esteem and a friendship which
I hope will continue through life. Our agreeable
intimate intercourse of several months will always
remain in my memory a very pleasant series of
recollections." Mr. Johnson married, in 1876, Charlotte
Goodrich, daughter of the Rev. Dr. John J. and
Julia Ann (Henshaw) Robertson.
(The Robertson family, from which Mrs.
Johnson is descended on her father's side, is one
of the oldest in Scotland and this country. The
first of the family of whom we have historical
knowledge was Andrew de Atholia. W. H.
Skene, in his "History of Ancient Alban," (Vol.
Ill, p. 288) says, "The reign of Alexander II
(about 1200) witnessed the termination of the
line of Celtic earls of Atholl and Angus. * * *

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

23

T3ut while the earldom (of Atholl) passed into
the hands of a succession of foreign earls, a
family bearing the name of de Atholia continued
to possess a great part of the earldom, and were
-probably the descendants of the older Celtic
earls. The Gaelic population of the whole of the
northwestern portion of Atholl, bounded on the
•east by the river Garry and on the south by the
Timmel, remained intact under them (the de
Atholias)." Duncan, son of Andrew de Atholia
and first baron of Strowan, was a loyal follower
-•of "the Bruce" and received from him large
-additions to his inheritance. The clan was then
-called "Clan Donnochie," or sons of Duncan.
Duncan was succeeded by his son Duncan, and
he, in turn, by his son Robert. This Robert
'Duncan, 3d, Baron Strowan, was a man of cour
age and resolution. When King James I was
-murdered and a bloody civil war seemed inevit
able, Robert pursued the murderers so quickly
and with such vigor that he came up with them
within two miles of Blair castle, the seat of the
then earl of Athole, in whose favor the con
spiracy had been planned, and seized not only
the murderer, Robert Graham, but arrested the
•earl of Athole himself. The little stream near
which Robert overtook and captured the con
spirators is known to this day as "Graham's
Burn." For this service he refused all reward
-except to have his large possessions confirmed to
"himself and his heirs. The King, however,
added to Robert's armorial bearings, for crest, a
dexter hand supporting an imperial crown, with
the motto "Virtutis gloria merces," and below the
-escutcheon a man in chains in place of a com
partment. So from father to son in the old
Strowan MSS. the line is traced to Alexander,
thirteenth baron, when the male line of the barons
of Strowan ended and the lands went to the
descendants of Duncan Robertson, of Druma-
¦chine, third son of Robert Robertson, tenth
ibaron, and his wife, Agnes MacDonald, of Kip-
poch. Duncan Robertson, great-grandson of
Duncan, of Drumachine, succeeded Alexander
as fourteenth baron of Strowan. He was suc
ceeded by his son Alexander, who died unmar
ried in 1822, and the lands would have passed
to the descendants of Patrick, the fourth son
of Duncan of Drumachine, had they not been
devisable by will. Patrick Robertson, son of
the Patrick named above, came to this country
in 1739. His son John, born about 1760, mar
ried first Maria Sperry and second Catherine
Prentiss. The eldest son of John Robertson, by
"his first wife, was the Rev. Dr. Robertson, who
was born in 1797. He graduated at Columbia
•College at the age of nineteen, and after two
trips abroad, during one of wh,ich he spent some
time with the then Alexander of Strowan, he
studied for the ministry and was ordained deacon

in 1820 and priest in 1822. He was professor of
languages in the University of Vermont in 1824
and in 1830 went tp Greece as the first foreign
missionary of the Church in the United States.
In 1 84 1 he returned to this country, where he
spent the remainder of a long life, by far the
larger part of which was passed in two parishes,
at Fishkill and at Saugerties, on the Hudson
river. The Robertsons were noted in earlier days
and in the old country for their staunch loyalty.
They were devoted adherents of the Stuart fam
ily, with whom indeed they were allied by mar
riage, and suffered severely in the civil war, and
in the risings of 1715 and 1745 for that ill-fated
house. The story of Margaret Robertson equals
in interest and exceeds in purpose and self-sac
rifice that of her cousin Flora MacDonald. In
this country they have been equally loyal to the
land of their adoption, were represented in both
army and navy during the Revolution and one,
an officer under Paul Jones., fell in the action
between the "Bon Homme Richard" and the
"Serapis." One branch of the family, descendants
of Patrick, settled in Virginia. William Robert
son, of that State, while on a visit to England
and Scotland, was given one of the eleven
stone cannon balls fired from Loch Leven castle
at the boat in which Queen Mary was escaping,
and which was found, with the others, when the
lake was drained, very nearly where Walter
Scott said they would be found. He presented
it to the Philosophical Society of the United
States at Philadelphia, and it is still in their pos
session or in that of the Historical Society. The
arms of the Robertsons are thus described:
"Gules, three wolves' heads erazed, argent,
armed and langued, azure. Crest — a dexter hand
holding up an imperial crown proper, with a
man in chains lying extended below the escutch
eon of the arms. Motto, "Virtutis .gloria
merces." "The chief seats were the Castle of
Grath, Innerwick, Mt. Alexander and others."
On her mother's side also, Mrs. Johnson
comes of an old and noted family, the Henshaws.
The member of the Heronshaw, Hernshaw or
Henshaw family from whom this branch of the
Henshaws are descended was Thomas Hen
shaw, of London, England, son of Robert Hen
shaw, of Drees (sometimes written Dresby, and
in the printed genealogy of the Recestor written
"Derby" by Thomas Dale Richmond, Herald).
He was a captain in the service of James I who,
for his "faithful and able service" granted him
the arms which had been borne by the family
before, and added a crest which is thus described
in the warrant: "Upon a wreathe of his Collers,
Argent and Sable, a Falcone seasing on a Wing,
gould with a Crown about the Neck, Gules
Beake and Legs Sables, with Belles of the first."
And more particularly specified in the margin

24

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

"Mantled Gules Rumbled Silver." The- birds in
the arms were heathcocks. Thomas died in
1639, leaving a large estate. He was succeeded
by his son Thomas, who had also granted him
a crest representing a griffin's head quartered on
the arms of his father. Some branches of the
family have the eagle, the crest of the Stanleys
of Derby and Man. The Henshaws intermar
ried with the Stanleys and the name "Margaret
Stanley" is common in the family, appearing in
nearly every generation since. Sir Evan Haugh-
ton married Margaret Stanley, daughter of the
earl of Derby and Charlotte de Tremouille, and
their daughter, Margaret Stanley Haughton, mar
ried Sir Joshua Henshaw. Joshua Henshaw, son
of Thomas Henshaw second, came to this coun
try. His son Joshua was born in 1672. Daniel,
son of Joshua second, was born in 1701 and died
in 1781. Benjamin, son of Daniel, was born
in 1729 and died in 1793. He settled in Middle-
town, Connecticut, where the old Henshaw house
still stands in a good state of preservation.
Daniel, son of Benjamin, was born in 1762 and
died in 1825. He lived for a time in Middle-
town, and then removed to Middlebury, Ver
mont. Of his children, Sarah married Charles
H. Richards, of New York, and her daughter
married the artist, Daniel Huntington. Julia
Ann Henshaw married the Rev. Dr. Robertson,
and was the mother of Mrs. Johnson. Daniel
Henshaw's oldest son was John P. K. Henshaw.
He entered the ministry and became Bishop of
Rhode. Island.
The Henshaws were well represented in the
war of the Revolution. Mrs. Johnson's great
grandfather, Benjamin Henshaw, was a lieuten
ant colonel in the Continental army. His brother
William was a colonel, and his brother David a
captain. His brother Joseph was a member of
a patriotic association composed of Samuel
Adams, James and Joseph Warren, John Adams,
Josiah Quincey, Joseph and Joshua Henshaw and
William Mollineaux. Benjamin's sister married
Colonel Samuel Denny, and his daughter Captain
John Meigs, both of the army. All were dis
tinguished for conduct and ability.)
Mr. and Mrs. Johnson have made their home
in Chester for the past twenty-eight years. They
have two children, Julia Theodora, born June 27,
1878, and Charlotte Shaler, born July 4, 1884.
Much of Mr. Johnson's time has been devoted
to literary work, and he has shown fair ability in
this line, both in prose and verse, but he has never
made it his life work, and it has rather been the
recreation of leisure hours than a serious occu
pation. (As journalist and magazine and news
paper contributor this work has been necessarily
ephemeral. Among other publications are : "A
Memoir of Edwin Ferry Johnson, Civil Engi

neer," "Memoir of John A. Robertson ;" "History
ot Saint Paul's Church, Chester, Pennsylvania";
"The Old Graveyard"; "Heirlooms of Saint
Paul's"; "The Nation's Centennial, 1876" p
"Water Supply of Chester" ; "Memoirs of John B-
Hinkson, Jurist"; Bi-centennial Souvenir Saint
Paul's Church," etc.).

THE KENT FAMILY. The Kent family
of Delaware county, Pennsylvania, are descended
from Thomas Kent, who lived a life of rare
usefulness and reared a most excellent family-
He settled in Upper Darby township, in the por
tion now known as Clifton, in the year 1839. In
the days when only wild woodland and larger
farms covered, this section of the county; when.
the only communication with Philadelphia was-
one stage in twenty-four hours, and the city hadi
not extended beyond the western banks of the
Schuylkill river ; at the point on the Baltimore
Pike, where the six mile stone marks the distance-
from the Schuylkill at Market street bridge, and
along the borders of Darby creek, he purchased
land and established his home and the business in.
which he was active for nearly a half century,.
and which is now carried on by his children. A..
man whose life was dedicated to use, of high*
principle and lofty thinking, retiring in disposi
tion, he was yet a leader in all he undertook ; a.
deep student, and a great lover of home and chil
dren, he was not widely known outside of his-
home and business circles.
The thirteenth child of Josiah and Hannah:
Lightfoot Kent, he was born in Middleton, Lan
cashire, England, March 27, 1813. His mother's
family were from Cheshire and of the Church of"
England, and his father was a Dissenter. His
educational advantages were limited, but he ac
quired habits of thought and observation whichs
afforded him an ample equipment for his future
life. Industry was one of his marked traits-
Taking employment in a cotton mill, he became-
so proficient as a weaver that when he was only
sixteen years of age he was made foreman. He-
filled that position most acceptably for three-
years, when he learned the higher art of silk:
weaving, and was employed in that work until he-
emigrated to the United States. '
Very early in life he became interested in re
ligious subjects, and was made a class leader ra
the chapel of the village. Grouping for fuller
light on Biblical texts and questions which seemed'
obscure, as if by an answered prayer, he became
acquainted with the writings of Emanuel Sweden-
borg, published in Latin in the later years of the-
eighteenth century, and translated by the Rev-
John Clowes, of St. John's church, Manchester^
who preached and taught in this parish for over-

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

25

sixty years this explanation of the internal sense
of the Sacred Scriptures.
"That all religion has relation to life, and that
the life of religion is to do good," was one of the
truths which Mr. Kent endeavored to carry out in
all relations of life. Those who knew him best
can testify that in all his career, in whatever crises
and trials he passed through, in a life of con
tinuous activity, a frail body was filled with cour
age and ever upborne by his absolute faith in that
Divine Providence which looks not to temporal
ends. After becoming interested in New Church
teachings, Mr. Kent walked twenty miles each
Sabbath, and attended three services conducted
by Rev. Dr. Bayley, a talented writer and elo
quent preacher. At these services he sang in the
choir, having a rich tenor voice.
After the death of his mother in 1838, his own
health failing so that physicians gave him but a
year to live, Mr. Kent resolved to visit his elder
sister, Sarah, the wife of James Wilde, who had
been for some time in America. Mr. Wilde was
then engaged in manufacturing on Darby creek,
in Delaware county, Pennsylvania. Sailing from
Liverpool in August, 1839, Mr. Kent arrived in
Philadelphia after a stormy voyage of six weeks,
on Sunday afternoon, the last day in September.
His health having greatly improved on the voy
age, he soon began to look about for some occu
pation. He spent his first winter in America in
the study of law in Philadelphia, boarding at the
southwest corner of Broad and Chestnut streets.
Finding himself, however, unable to endure the
close confinement of student life, he looked about
for other openings, always with the feeling that
in whatever he undertook he must be his own
master. An opportunity now came for him to secure
a mill on Darby creek, which he rented from
Thomas Garrett, and he there began a business in
woolen yarns. He had made a successful be
ginning when the great freshet of August 5, 1843,
historic in the annals of Delaware county, washed
away all his possessions. Undaunted by this
catastrophe, he rented from Thomas Garrett in
1844, and purchased in April, 1845, tne miU
property on the site of the present Rockbourne
mill. November 16, 1846, he purchased of James
Wilde a mill on the site of the present Union
mill. This he leased to his brother-in-law until
Mr. Wilde's death in 1867, when it was rebuilt
and added to his other plant. At the outbreak of
the Civil war these mills were exclusively devoted
to the making of uniform cloth for the United
States army, and from that time to the present
they have continued largely on government work.
It is doubtful if any other mills in the country can
show such a long record of unbroken activity
through hard times and good."
After the death of Thomas Kent, October 5,

1887, the business was carried on by his estate
until May 5, 1890, when was organized a corpo
ration called the Thomas Kent Manufacturing
Company, the stock being equally divided be
tween his five children. In 1898 his son Samuel
Leonard sold out his interest. The present own
ers of the business are Henry Thomas Kent,
Hannah Kent Schoff, Louise Kent Keay, and
Mary Augusta Kent. The business of the
Thomas Kent Manufacturing Company has been
greatly enlarged by its present owners. In 1899.
a tract of twenty acres at the junction of the
Pennsylvania Railroad and Darby creek, Clifton
Heights, was purchased, and a very large brick
mill erected thereon, for the manufacture of fine
worsted yarns. This is considered one of the
finest and most complete mills of its kind in the
United States. During the war with Spain, the
various mills of the company were operated day
and night, and furnished the government with
more than two million dollars' worth of goods-
The material used is almost exclusively Ameri
can-grown wool, many millions of pounds being
purchased annually.
In 1845 Mr. Kent became a citizen of the
United States, and never failed to take an active
interest in national politics. He was an ardent
lover of his adopted country and of its institu
tions and opportunities. Too delicate in health,.
and also past the age for active service during the
war, he yet served the Union in many quiet ways.
Though very feeble physically, during the last
year of his life, Mr. Kent continued an active
supervision of his business to the day of his death-
He had bidden farewell to his native land in early
manhood, with the prediction that his life was to-
be measured by a few months at most, yet he
lived to the ripe age of seventy-five years, with
never an illness sufficiently serious to incapacitate
him. His strong will power and faith supported
him through the many difficulties and discourage
ments of life, and in all his dealings the true
spirit of altruism was ever supreme. He en
joyed thinking of his business primarily as a
power for good to others, and with great earnest
ness he enjoined these principles upon those who-
were to succeed him.
On May 13, 1852, Mr. Kent was married by
the Rev. James Seddon of Frankford, Pennsyl
vania, to Fanny Leonard, the daughter of Simeon
and Boadicea (Thompson) Leonard, of Bridge-
water, Massachusetts. Fanny Leonard was born
March 19, 1821, on the original grant of land
owned by her ancestor, Solomon Leonard, who
was one of fifty men, including Miles Standish,.
who purchased the town of Bridgewater from
Massasoit in 1647. The Leonard family own
ed all the property along the main street and the
Taunton river, in what is now the central por
tion of the town. From one of the family, a.

S6

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

prominent merchant, Leonard street in New
York received its name and numerous others have
-filled positions of national importance, in pub
lic affairs, in industries of various sorts and in
¦literature. Conspicuous among these is our pre
sent secretary of state, Hon. John Hay, who has
Accomplished so much for the advancement of
American interests, at home and abroad.
The English history of the Leonards, in pos
session of the family, dates back to William the
Conqueror. Mrs. Kent was a lineal descendant
•of five of the Mayflower passengers who set
tled Plymouth, Massachusetts, in 1620, — namely,
Edward Winslow, governor of the province, Su
sanna Fuller, Isaac Allerton, Remember Allerton
and Francis Cooke, and was also of lineal de
scent from many of the best families of the Mas
sachusetts Bay colony who came to Boston
from 1630 to 1635, and settled at Cambridge,
Watertown and Lexington. Many of these pio
neers distinguished themselves in church and state,
notably the Shepards, Parkers, Stearns, Stones
and Hosmers. Ancestors of Mrs. Kent served
during King Philip's war in 1675, and were at
the siege of Louisburg in 1745, and her two
grandfathers and great-grandfathers fought at
Lexington, Bunker Hill, and throughout the Rev
olutionary war.
Mrs. Kent entered the first class of the first
normal school in the' country, established and
fostered by Horace Mann. Even while so young
she showed great talent and intellectual ability,
and throughout her life was conspicuously active
and earnest in the cause of education. In later
years, in her adopted home, she wrote and strove
continually toward greater perfection in the
school system and the more intelligent training
•of children. She was brought up in the New
Church, of which her parents were members,
and was a woman of strong character and most
capable in all ways. She died at her home in
Clifton Heights, July 29, 1901. The children
-of Thomas and Fanny Kent, all born in Upper
Darby, Pennsylvania, were: 1. Hannah, born
June 3, 1853 ; 2. Henry Thomas, born November
4, 1854 ; 3. Louise, born April 13, 1856 ; 4. Frances
Leonard, born August 1, 1858, died March 1,
1859 ; 5. Samuel Leonard, born August 24, 1859 ;
•6. Mary Augusta, born June 22, 1861.
Hannah Kent married Frederic Schoff of
Massachusetts, October 23, 1873. Their home
since 1877 has been in Philadelphia, where Mr.
Schoff has carried on a successful bnsiness.
Mr. Schoff has been active in educational and
progressive work, and is president of the Na
tional Congress of Mothers, and took a leading
part in interesting the Pennsylvania legislature
in the juvenile court bill recently passed. The
children of Frederic and Hannah (Kent) Schoff
were. Wilfred Harvey, born November 27,

1874, married June 20, 1899, Ethel wyn Mc-
George, and there children are : Muriel and Wil-
mot; Edith Gertrude, born May 15, 1877; Lou
ise, born December 19, 1880; Leonard Hastings,
born November 7, 1884 ; Harold Kent, born Sep
tember 13, 1886 ; Eunice Margaret, born June 27,
1890 ; Albert Lawrence, born March 18, 1894.
Henry Thomas Kent, president and treasurer
of the Thomas Kent Manufacturing Company,
was educated in private schools of Philadelphia
and at Cornell University, Ithaca, New York. He
was one of the organizers of the First National
Bank, of Clifton Heights, and its president. He
is a member of the Union League of Philadelphia,
the Pennsylvania Historical Society, the New
England Society of Pennsylvania, the Sons of
the Revolution and the Society of Mayflower de-
scendents. October 1, 1885, he married Louise
Leonard, daughter of Captain Nahum and Phebe
Jane (Cowing) Leonard, of Massachusetts. Her
father, an attorney at law, was a Civil war veter
an, who was a captain in the Fifty-eighth Regi
ment, Massachusetts Volunteers, and served
throughout the war, and afterwards represented
Plymouth county in the Massachusetts legisla
ture. Mrs. Kent is a direct descendant of John
and Priscilla (Mullens) Alden, the Pilgrims of
Plymouth, Massachusetts. She is a member of
the Daughters of the Revolution, and the Society
of Mayflower descendants. The children of Mr.
and Mrs. Henry T. Kent, all born in Upper Dar
by, Pennsylvania, are: Henry Thomas, born
July 16, 1887; Everett Leonard, born June 25,
1889; Russell Hathaway, born August 31, 1891 ;
Evelyn, born November 9, 1892 ; Warren Thomp
son, born May 19, 1894; Rosamond Kingman,
born March 29, 1901.
Louise Kent became the wife of Nathaniel
Seaver Keay, of Bridgewater, Massachusetts, on
November 23, 1887. Mr. Keay was born in
Springvale, Maine, May 4, 1847, anc* came to
Pennsylvania in 1889. His parents were Na
thaniel Washburn and Susan Woodworth (Sea
ver) Keay. The Keay family was of English
origin, and members of it were among the first
settlers of Maine, the "Keay Garrison" near Ber
wick being famous during the French and Indian
war, and also during the Revolution. The Seav-
ers came to Boston in 1630, and the original
homestead on Seaver street, Roxbury, is still in
possession of the family. The name Nathaniel
Seaver has been handed down for many genera
tions. Mr. Keay's grandfather, Dr. Nathaniel
Seaver, was a prominent physician in Maine. His
great-grandfather, Captain Nathaniel Seaver,
served in the Revolutionary war, and another
ancestor of the name was a captain in King
Philip's war, and was killed in the Sudbury fight.
Mr. Keay's mother died in his early childhood.
His father being called to South America on busi-

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

2 7'

ness, he left his two sons with relatives, expecting
that at the completion of their education they
would join him in Bolivia and assist in his large
interests in the development of the country. This
consisted of irrigation, road-building and cultiva
tion of the land. It is said that in his lifetime he
accomplished more for the development of Bolivia
than any other man. He died suddenly in Cocha
Bamba, Bolivia, in 1881. Mr. Keay is secretary
of the Thomas Kent Manufacturing Company,
and a member of the Sons of the Revolution and
the New England Society.
The children of Nathaniel Seaver and Louise
(Kent) Keay are: Alan Kent, born May 25,
1889; Gladys, born April 19, 1891 ; Louise Na
thalie, born March 11, 1893; Carol Seaver, born
October 28, 1895 ; Louis Kent, born December
19, 1897; Edythe Leonard, born October 10,
1902. Mrs. Keay has served as regent of the Penn
sylvania Society, Daughters of the Revolution,
since its organization in 1894, and also as vice-
president and director of the National Society for
a number of years. She was chairman and treas
urer of the Valley Forge Memorial Committee,
of the Daughters of the Revolution, who erected
at Valley Forge the first monument to the mem
ory of Washington and his army. She is a mem
ber of various historical and colonial societies,
and is active in club work. She owns and occu
pies the homestead on Baltimore avenue, Clifton
Heights, which was built by her father in i860.
Samuel Leonard Kent married Annie Jose
phine Ahrens, May 21, 1885, and they reside at
Lansdowne, Pennsylvania. Their children are :
Frances, born March 7, 1886; Eleanor, born Jan
uary 16, 1888; Samuel Leonard, born February
16, 1890; Donald, born July 25, 1893; Margaret,
born March 26, 1898. Mr. Kent is a member of
the Union League, of Philadelphia, the Sons of
the Revolution, the Corinthian Yacht Club, etc.
Mary Augusta Kent lives at Clifton Heights,
Pennsylvania, where she has erected a beautiful
home on a portion of her father's estate. Her
executive ability and services have been sought by
many of the societies of which she is a member.
She has been an officer of the Pennsylvania So
ciety of the Daughters of the Revolution since its
organization, and has also been an officer and
member of the board of the National Society for
a number of years. She holds membership in
other historical and colonial societies.

BONSALL. Richard Bonsall, from Mould-
ridge, in, the county of Derby, England, was
among those who settled in Darby township, Del
aware county, Pennsylvania, in the year 1683.
He produced the following certificate from
Friends in his native place :

This is to Certifie all whom itt May Concern,
That Richard Bonsall, the bearer hereof, Is and
hath Been since he Came amongst ffriends, of
Honest Life and Conversation and In vnity with
friends and doth now Remove Himself e Into.
America with his whole family with ye Consent
of friends, Being Clear from Debts and other
things in Relation to his Testimony in the world.
From our Monthly Meeting att Ashford;
The 22th Day of ye 12th Month, 1682.
John Sikes Bridgett Johnson
John Gratton Mary ffallowes
Jervase Gent Alice Woodward
William Bunting Mary Stevenson
Anthony Woodward John Sikes
ffrancis Bently Edward Booth.
Jonathan ffisher John Bunting
Samuel Johnson ffrancis ffallowes-
His wife Mary was the daughter of George-
and Hannah Wood, who had come from Bonsall
in the county of Derby in the preceding year. He-
became the owner of two hundred acres of land
on the east side of Darby creek, including the
present Kellyville, in Upper Darby. His wife
died 6 mo., 24, 1698, and he on 7 mo., 13, 1699.
Obediah Bonsall, also a settler in Darby, was.
a brother to Richard Bonsall, and his mother, a
sister to Richard's wife, was the Elizabeth Bonsall
who became the second wife of James Hunt, of
Kingsessing, at a meeting at the house of John
Blunston, in Darby, 9 mo. (Nov.) 10, 1686..
Obediah was married 1 mo., 26, 1702, at Darby
Meeting, to Sarah Bethel, daughter of John and
Frances Bethel, of Darby. He died 10 mo.,
5, 1732, and his wife, 7 mo., 7, 1743. They had
ten children : Joseph, born 3 mo., 25, 1703, died;
12 mo., 13, 1763, married Hannah Lea; Elizabeth^
born 7 mo., 2, 1705; Mary, born 12 mo., 21,
1707-8, died 8 mo., 10, 1777, married Jacob Light
foot; Obediah, born 12 mo., 12, 1709-10, died
1795, married Rebecca Scott; Hannah, born 7
mo., 9, 1712, married Obadiah Elliot; Rose, born
10 mo., 7, 1714, died 3 mo., 6, 1793, married
Thomas Pilkinton; Sarah, born 9 mo., 25, 1717,"
died 1 mo., 30, 1727, unmarried; Vincent, born
6 mo., 23, 1720, died 1 mo., 10, 1796, married
Grace and Sarah (Vernon) Yarnall; Samuel^
bprn 10 mo., 25, 1722, died 10 mo., 1725; Re-
beckah, born 1 mo., 30, 1725-6.
The children of Richard and Mary Bonsall,
so far as known, were these:' 1. Rachel, married
8 mo. (Oct.), 6, 1697, Daniel Hibberd. 2. Abi
gail, married 8 mo., 1702, Joseph Rhoads. 3.
Ann, married 9 mo. (Nov.), 9, 1702, Josiah Hib->
berd. 4. Jacob, born 10 mo., 9, 1684, died 5 mo.,
10, 1739, married Martha Hood. 5. Benjamin^
born 11 mo., 3, 1687, died 1 mo., 6, 1752, married
Martha Fisher. 6. Enoch, born 11 mo., 2, 1692^
died 5 mo., 6, 1769, married Ann Hood. 7. Elea-.

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

tfior, born 9 mo., 8, 1694, married 6 mo., 23, 1718,
Isaac James.
Jacob Bonsall (4) was married 3 mo., 16,
1716, at Darby Meeting, to Martha Hood, born
10 mo., 29, 1699, died 6 mo., 13, 1735, daughter
of Thomas and Sarah (Blankley) Hood, of
Darby. He lived at the homestead in Darby,
where he owned two hundred and forty-five acres
of land beside some meadow in Kingsessing; all
which he divided between his sons by will. His
-children were these : 8. Abraham, born 3 mo., 29,
1717, died 5 mo., 30, 1784, married Sarah Lewis
and Mary Hinde. 9. Mary, born 6 mo., 13, 1719,
married John Rudolph. 10. Thomas, born 10
mo., 16, 1722, died 1745, married Esther Lewis.
11. Jacob, born 2 mo., 15, 1724, died 5 mo., 9,
1739. 12. Moses, born 3 mo., 15, 1726, died in his
-minority, 9 mo., 18, 1745. 13. Martha, born 11
mo., 17, 1728, died 1 mo., 12, 1734. 14. Jesse,
born 1 mo., 2, 1730-31, died 1 mo., 6, 1785, mar
ried Ruth Fordham. 15. Lydia, married Decem
ber 7, 1758, her cousin Joseph Bonsall (30).
Benjamin Bonsall (5) was married by Friend
ceremony, before William Carter, Esq., at the
house of the said Benjamin Bonsall, in Kingsess
ing, to Martha Fisher, daughter of John Fisher,
blacksmith, 9 mo., 27, 1712. They made an ac
knowledgment for their marriage out of meet
ing and continued in membership. He was mar
ried a second time, 4 mo., 8, 1737, at Darby
Meeting, to Elizabeth Horn, of Darby. By both
wives he had eight children: 16. Richard, born
_5 mo., 13, 1714, married 7 mo., 14, 1737, Sarah
Horn. 17. John, born 8 mo., 28, 1716, married
Phoebe Wilcox, 10 mo., 23, 1753. 18. Sarah, born
1 mo., 9, 1720, married 5 mo., 16, 1753, Peter
Elliot. 19. James, born 6 mo., 18, 1725, died 3
mo., 1765. 20. Benjamin, born 2 mo., 4, 1728,
-married 12 mo., 17, 1755, Mary Bartram. 21.
Hannah, born 11 mo., 18, 1730, married 5 mo.,
13, 1752, Philip Price. 22. Martha, born 6 mo.,
2., 1733. 23. Nathan, born 1 mo., 12, 1739, died
1807. Enoch Bonsall (6) was married 4 mo., 26,
1717, at Darby Meeting, to Ann Hood, born 10
mo., 30, 1695, died 10 mo., 20, 1759, daughter of
Thomas and Sarah Hood, of Darby. They re
sided in Darby township and had eleven chil
dren : 24. Isaac, born 2 mo., 3, 1718, died 8 mo.,
6, 1766, married Hannah Powell. 25. Sarah,
born 2 mo., 10, 1720, died after 1790, unmarried.
26. William, born 3 mo., 25, 1722, died 9 mo.,
10, 1742. 27. Benjamin, born 1 mo., 31, 1724,
died 12 mo., 24, 1807. 28. Hannah, born 12 mo.,
7, 1725, died 9 mo., 2, 1790, unmarried. 29.
Enoch, born 1 mo., 5, 1727-28, died 8 mo., 18,
1785, married Rachel Coulton. 30. Joseph, born
12 mo., 23, 1729-30, died 1803, married Lydia
Bonsall (15). 31. Joshua, born 6 mo., 9, 1732,
died 9 mo., 1, 1784, married Margaret Hall.

32. Jonathan, born 3 mo., 7, 1734, died 12 mo.,
14, 1736-7. 33. David, born 3 mo., 11, 1736,
died 2 mo., 5, 1778, unmarried. 34. Jonathan,
born 9 mo., 3, 1738, died 4 mo., 1814, married
Elizabeth Evans and Margaret Crozier.
Benjamin Bonsall (27-), son of Enoch and
Ann (Hood) Bonsall, married Elizabeth Hib
berd, and to them were born six children:
Thomas, born 5 mo., 31, 1750; Esther, born 2
mo., 9, 175 1, died 9 mo., 28, 1835 ; Hannah, born
10 mo., 13, 1754, died 2 mo., 27, 1775 ; Elizabeth,
born 5 mo., 21, 1757, died 1 mo., 5, 1777; Ann,
born 12 mo., 5, 1759; Benjamin, born 8 mo., 14,
1764, died 10 mo., 23, 1835.
Benjamin Bonsall, son of Benjamin and
Elizabeth (Hibberd) Bonsall married Elizabeth
Cripps, of Manningtonville, Salem county, New
Jersey, in 1800, and their son Benjamin C., born
8 mo., 2, 1805, was killed by lightning, 5 mo.,
3, 1828. The mother died 10 mo., 25, 1814, and
Benjamin Bonsall married (second) Annie Hea-
cock, of Haverford township, Delaware county,
Pennsylvania, a daughter of Jonathan and Han
nah (Davis) Heacock, and their children were
Elizabeth H., born 8 mo., 7, 1819, died 6 mo.,
17, 1829; Joseph H., born 1 mo., 12, 1822, died
10 mo., 13, 1826; Jesse Davis, born 4 mo., 29,
1826, died 1 mo., 19, 1842; Amos, born 1 mo.,
21, 1830.
Amos Bonsall, son of Benjamin and Annie
l, Heacock) Bonsall, was born in the old Bonsall
homestead near Fernwood, in Upper Darby. He
began his education in the common schools, and
attended the school of Joseph Fell, at Bucking
ham, Bucks county, Pennsylvania, and when fif
teen years of age entered Anthony Bolmar's
school in West Chester, Pennsylvania, and at
the age of eighteen entered the medical depart
ment of the University of Pennsylvania, but after
studying there for a year was obliged to with
draw on account of failing eyesight. At the age
of twenty he received a warrant as master's mate
in the United States navy, and three years later
was appointed second officer on a vessel of Dr.
Elisha Kane's Arctic expedition, which was of
two years' duration and during which he par
ticipated in the notable boat journey made by
Dr. Isaac I. Hayes. He married, in Upper
Darby, December 4, 1856, Anna W. Wagner,
daughter of Ferdinand ahd Sarah (Woodward)
Wagner, of Easton, Pennsylvania. Four chil
dren were born of this union— Ethel, Sarah W.,
Elizabeth F. and Mary W. The mother of this
family died April 11, 1900.
In 1863 Mr. Bonsall was commissioned cap
tain of Company K, Seventeenth Regiment,
Pennsylvania Volunteers, Colonel Joseph Wilcox,
and bore an honorable part in defeating the in
vading rebel army of General Robert E. Lee. In
1868 Mr. Bonsall was made director of the Penn-

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

29

sylvania School for Feebleminded Children at
Elwyn, and in 1878 a director of the Philadelphia
House of Refuge for Boys. He is president of
the Fernwood Cemetery Association of Upper
Darby, Delaware county.
Enoch Bonsall (29) was married 5 mo., 24,
1758, at Darby Meeting, to Rachel Coulton,
daughter of William Coulton, of Blockley town
ship, Philadelphia. They had six children :
35. William, born 2 mo., 25, 1759. 36. Ann,
"born 9 mo., 24, 1760. 37. Enoch, born 1 mo., 2,
1763 (see below). 38. Moses, born 11 mo., 26,
1765, married Mary Fowler (see forward). 39.
Rachel, born 9 mo., 6, 1768. 40. Samuel, born
10 mo., 19, 1772, married Elizabeth Fowler.
Enoch Bonsall (37) married Susan Crozer,
hy whom he had children, Betsy, Enoch, Thomas,
.Rachel and William. The last named married
Phebe Peck. She died in Upper Darby about
1890, aged about ninety years. He resided in
Upper Darby, where he was the victim of a most
wanton murder, May 22, 1824. Four men having
obtained admission to the dwelling in the even
ing, under pretense of being acquaintances, bound
him to a chair, and having ransacked the house,
one of their number, without provocation, stabbed
him in the abdomen, from which death ensued the
following morning. The villains were subse
quently arrested and one of them was executed
. for the murder. William Bonsall left a son, Char
les, who was born in Upper Darby, August 19,
1822. Charles Bonsall received his early education in
the public schools of his native township. About
the age of seventeen he went to Paschall, where
he served a long and faithful apprenticeship to a
carpenter, and gained a thorough knowledge of
-every department of the building trade. On at
taining his majority he set out as a journeyman,
:and finally located in Darby, where he entered
-upon a business as contract builder on his own ac
count. Having developed excellent business qual
ifications, he was not only successful in his per
sonal affairs, but lie rendered a most useful
service to the community in building up its ma
terial interests. At the same time he commanded
the confidence of the people to such a degree that
"he was called to various positions of honor and
trust. Active in borough affairs, he was many
years a representative in the council, and for five
years he was a justice of the peace. In 1887,
having reached the age of sixty-five years, after
an industrious business career of nearly fifty
3'ears, he retired from active concerns and took
tip his residence in a beautiful home of his own
building at Sharon Hill.
March 29, 1849, Mr. Bonsall was married
to Miss Susan Shaw, a daughter of John and
Elizabeth Shaw, of Darby township. She was a
-woman of noble character and her death (in 1893)

was sincerely deplored by all who knew her. On
March 19, 1900, Mr. Bonsall was married to
Mary Jane Davis, widow of Morris Davis, de
ceased, and a daughter of William and Blanche
(Russell) Peters. Her father was a prominent
and highly respected citizen of Philadelphia,
who took an active interest in public affairs and
was for many years a justice of the peace. His
ancestors were of leading families in England and
Wales. Mrs. Bonsall was liberally educated in
Philadelphia and came to Sharon Hill in girl
hood. She is possessed of all womanly attributes,
and in her home dispenses a gracious hospitality
to large circles bf appreciative friends.
Moses Bonsall (38) married Mary Fowler,
daughter of Maurice and Catharine Fowler,
and had children, Samuel, born 1792 ; David,
born 1794; Benjamin, born 1 mo., 8, 1796; Mary,
born 1799; Rachel, born 1801.
Benjamin Bonsall, son of Moses and Mary
(Fowler) Bonsall, married Sarah Watkins, born
2 mo., 12, 1806, died 9 mo., 15, 1895, daughter of
Enoch and Hannah Watkin. They had twelve
children, Elmira, born 6 mo., 21, 1825, living with
her brother Moses; Moses, born 12 mo., 3, 1826;
Mary Ann, born 11 mo., 9, 1828; Lewis Knoll,
born 5 mo., 30, 1830; William, born 8 mo., 13,
1832; Enoch, born 1 mo., 6, 1835; Hannah Wat-
kin, born 9 mo., 25, 1836; Benjamin Warner,
born 5 mo., 23, 1839; Charles, born 12 mo., 16,
1841 ; Henry, born 7 mo., 24, 1843 ; Sarah Knoll,
born 8 mo., 29, 1845 ; Rachel Elizabeth, born 9
mo., 20, 1847. Of these Hannah married Mor
decai Shaw ; Rachel married Humphrey Mar
shall, and Sarah married Frank Malin.
Moses Bonsall, son of Benjamin and Sarah
(Watkin) Bonsall, was born at Yeadon, Darby
township, Delaware county, Pennsylvania, De
cember 3, 1826. He was educated in the public
schools of his native township, and after leaving
school became apprenticed to a stonemason. Af
ter the expiration of his term of service he en
gaged in bricklaying, and he followed that em
ployment industriously during the greater part
of his life, and bore a full share in the upbuilding
of the village and surrounding country. He re
tired in 1895 to enjoy the rest and quietude well
earned by a life of active labor. He was reared
in the faith of his fathers, and was averse to all
connection with public affairs. He has ever
been highly regarded in the community for his ex
cellence of character and for the family whom he
has reared.
Mr. Bonsall married Anna Maria, a daughter
of Joshua and Elizabeth (Wise) Bonsall, who
were for many years residents of Yeadon. Born
of this marriage were the following children :
Ellen, who married Theodore Patterson, and who
resides near Clifton, Delaware county; and Ida,
who married Samuel C. Malin, of Delaware coun-

30

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

ty. The mother of these children died, and Mr.
Bonsall married Margaret E., a daughter of Jo
seph C. and Lydia (Carr) Bonsall, and of this
marriage were born- the following children : Louis
C, who married Mary Boyd, of Delaware coun
ty ; Laura, who is living at home, and Jacob and
Anna Maria, who both died young.
Samuel Bonsall (40) married Elizabeth Fow
ler, daughter of Maurice and Catharine Fowler,
and had children : Martha, born 7 mo., 14, 1795 ;
Ann, born 9 mo., 7, 1797; Joseph Coulton, born
5 mo., 30, 1800; Maurice Fowler, born 10 mo., 11,
1802; Phebe, born 4 mo., 30, 1805; Jacob War
ner, born 8 mo., 3, 1807; Joshua, born 2 mo., 6,
1810; Hannah Fowler, born 8 mo., 30, 1813;
Samuel, born 6 mo., 29, 1816 ; Elizabeth E., born
12 mo., 26, 1818. Of these, Joseph C. married
Lydia Carr, and Joshua married Elizabeth Wise.
The children of Joseph and Lydia Bonsall (30
and 15) were Margaret, Martha, married to
Moses Wells, James, Susannah, Lydia, married
to Aaron Palmer, Sarah, married to John Mar
shall, and Joseph. The sons left no descendants.
Moses and Martha Wells had a daughter Martha,
who became the mother of Lydia Carr, wife of
Joseph C. Bonsall.
Jonathan Bonsall (34), son of Enoch and
Ann, of Darby, was married 3 mo., 9, 1763, at
Merion Meeting, to Elizabeth Evans, daughter of
John Evans, late of Merion. By her he had
eight children; Caleb, born 2 mo., 25, 1764, died
4 mo., 2, 1833 ; John, born 10 mo., 19, 1765 ; Levi,
born 11 mo., 5, 1767; Isaac, born 9 mo., 29, 1769;
Jonathan, born 12 mo., 30, 1770; Evan, born 10
mo., 5, 1772; Reuben, born 6 mo., 10, 1774, died
4 mo., 1847, and Jesse, born 2 mo., 25, 1776.
Jonathan married for his second wife Margaret
Crozier, who bore children, Charles (1) and
Charles (2), and daughters, Elizabeth, born 6
mo., 27, 1781, died same year, and Ann, born 7
mo., 2, 1786, died 7 mo., 1816.
Caleb Bonsall, eldest son of Jonathan, was
married 6 mo., 16, 1788, to Mary Noblitt, daugh
ter of John and Elizabeth Noblitt. Her death
occurred 4 mo., 13, 1829. Their children were
John; Israel, born 11 mo., 28, 1790; Jonathan S.,
Mary Ann, Elizabeth, Caleb, born 2 mo., 7, 1799;
Mary, born 2 mo., 14, 1801 ; Amy, born 2 mo., 10,
1803 ; and Reuben, born 1 mo., 28, 1805.
Caleb Bonsall, Jr., born 2 mo., 7, 1799, was
married 6 mo., 5, 1822, to Margaret Waddell,
born 10 mo., 8, 1799, died 12 mo., 19, 1877,
daughter of John and Hannah Waddell. To them
were born the following children : John W., born
7 mo., 25, 1823, died unmarried ; Reuben F., born
10 mo., 17, 1824, married Elizabeth Bonsall; Job
T., born 9 mo., 11, 1827, married Hannah Wad
dell and Elizabeth Bullock ; Caleb B., see below ;
Mary Ann, born 2 mo., 24, 1832, married Joseph
Wells, of Concord; William B., born 4 mo., 3,

1834, married Katherine Connell; Harlan T.,
born 4 mo., 6, 1836; Ann Eliza, born 3 mo., 5,
1838. Caleb B. Bonsall, fourth child in the family
last named, was born in Ridley township, Dela
ware county, 12 mo., 18, 1829, and received his
education in the public schools of the neighbor
hood. He engaged with his father on the home
stead farm until his marriage, when he removed
to his present place of residence, in Yeadon.
Successful in his calling, he was at the same time
a public-spirited citizen, and \bore a full share
in community affairs. He was a leader in pro
moting all public enterprises, and was particu
larly active in promoting the construction.
and maintenance of good roads, his efforts
in this direction dating from a time when
comparatively little attention was given to
this important subject, and when progress-
was dependent upon unceasing agitation. He
was for many years a prominent member of Or
phans' Rest Lodge, No. 132, I. O. O. F., at:
Darby, and he was one of but a few whose ser
vices in behalf of the lodge were so conspicu
ously useful as to merit the reward of a gold.
medal. For some years past, Mr. Bonsall has
been living in comparative retirement, resting;
after a life of arduous labor in the enjoyment
of a delightful home and secure in the affection-
of a host of friends who hold him in regard for "
his geniality of disposition and his neighborly
sympathy. Mr. Bonsall married Sarah Bonsall, a daugh
ter of Joseph C. and Lydia (Carr) Bonsall, old'
and highly respected citizens of Delaware county.
The children born to this marriage were: 1...
Emma Josephine ; 2. James Harvey, who mar
ried Ellen Boyd ; 3. Reuben F., who married^
Mary Smith, of Delaware county; 4. John Law
rence, who married Fanny Jones; 5. Margaret:
E., who married Arlington C. Frasier, of Peters
burg, Kent county, Delaware.

HON. SAMUEL EDWARDS. The fol
lowing account of the life of this distinguished'
man is taken from an address delivered by Hon.
John "B. Hinkson before the Delaware County
Historical Society, at a meeting held in Media,.
September 26, 1898.
Samuel Edwards was born in Delaware coun
ty on March 12, 1785. He died in the city (then-
borough) of Chester, on November 21, 1850.
He was of Welsh descent. His father's
name was Abner. He read law with William
Graham, at Chester, and was admitted to the bar
of Delaware county on April 30, 1806. He de
voted his time to his profession, but did not neg
lect those duties which every citizen owes to his-
fellows. He was not a politician by profession^

j 'he I £i.ms J~'*aI hshint? . Co

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

3'

nor did he make public preferment his chief aim,
but when entering into public affairs seemed
to be his duty he was not disobedient to the peo
ple's call and gave to the community the benefit
of those sterling qualities which he evidenced
in his profession and in his private life. Though
he was opposed to the beginning of the war of
1812, yet, when the war was begun, his love of
country induced him not only to support the
government by his words, but constrained him
to enter into the contest personally. And in
this he evinced that character of retirement and
modesty which was noticeable in him all through
his life. Seeking no prominence, but only desir
ing to perform his duty, he became a private in
the Sixteenth Company, of Mifflin Guards, of
which Samuel Anderson was captain, and was
in active service during the latter part of 18 14.
In politics he was a Democrat and was elected
to the state legislature in 1814, while he was
away in the military service. He served during
the sessions of 1814 and 1815 and was re-elected
for the sessions of 1815 and 1816. He was a
member of Congress from Delaware county
during the term 1 8 19- 1 821 and again during the
term 1825-1827. His services in Congress were
of such a character as to bring him into much
public notice, and his advice and counsel on pub
lic affairs were thereafter much sought and he
was credited with having great influence with
several subsequent administrations. Prominent
men in National affairs were visitors to his home
in Chester. He was one of the committee ap
pointed to receive General Lafayette on his visit
here in 1825. In 1831 he was chief burgess of
Chester. From 1838 until his death Mr. Ed
wards was a director of the Bank of Delaware
County; he was also a director of the Delaware
County Mutual Insurance Company. From
1838 to 1842 he was inspector of customs at
Chester. The Chester Republican, in commenting upon
the death of Mr. Edwards, said : "Few men liv
ing possessed in so eminent degree the exalted
and ennobling qualities of the soul. Whether
looked upon as a private or a public citizen, or
as a professional gentleman, equability of tem
perament, ingenuousness, sincerity and strict in
tegrity distinguished his earthly pathway." A
writer of the time in speaking of Mr. Edwards
says: "The temperament of Mr. Ewards was
such that he could not attain a position amongst
his fellow men which he did not deserve. Un
assuming, indisposed to push himself forward,
shrinking from personal conflict with those around
him, he was rather of those wbo live and died in
the bosom of their families, and, unless possessed
of more than ordinary talents, are little known
beyond the domestic circle. The attainment _ of
position by such men is a sure proof of ability.
3 x

They are never overrated." Speaking of his
younger days the same writer says, "Those who
knew him at that age describe him as a young
man of good abilities and attainments, but diffi
dent to a fault ; so much so, that for a long while
he was unable to appear as an advocate. Per
severance and a consciousness of his powers of
mind, however, soon enabled him to take a stand
amongst his professional competitors, second to
few. This was one of his marked characteristics
through life." And again, he says, "As a coun
sellor, Mr. Edwards was prudent and cautious.
In addressing a jury, his language was chaste
and unaffected. He was not eloquent, he used no
redundancy of expression, made no effort at dis
play ; but by the simplicity and aptness of his
remarks, by his strict regard for truth, which he
never lost sight of even in the most exciting
contents, he exercised an influence over those
who heard him, which many a more eloquent
man would have been glad to attain." "To his
fellow-members of the bar, most of whom had
been his students, his behavior was uniformly
kind and courteous. In the most warmly con
tested causes he never suffered a harsh word to
escape him. He was a man of amiable manners,
of strict integrity, faithful to the numerous trusts
reposed in him, and one whose place in the com
munity will not be easily filled."

JOHN B. ROACH. When the annals of the
American republic come to be fully written, the
achievements of the great captains of industry
who have organized and conducted the mighty
manufacturing establishments which have been
the most pronounced development of the last cen
tury will come in for a large share of attention.
The men who by their skill and ability have
paved the way for the great material wealth of
the nation and the pre-eminence of American in
dustrial activity, will come to be reckoned as the
peers of the statesmen and warriors and schol
ars of the times in the records of the American
people. The name of Roach is so essentially connected
with ship-building in the United States that no
history of this important industry could well be
written without recounting the work of the fa
ther and son who have had so much to do with
the inception and construction of the American
navy and merchant marine. Indeed, for more
than a third of a century, the record of ship
construction on this side of the Atlantic has been
largely the history of the Roach firm.
The story of the life of the elder Roach,
reading like a chapter from fiction, is widely
known. The history of the Irish lad, who came
here seeking for work, and, little by little, ac
cumulated experience, wealth and reputation until

32

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

at the time he was stricken down, the victim
of a persecution inspired by political malice, he
was the leading shipbuilder and one of the largest
employers of labor on this continent, has been
told by nearly every writer upon the men of
achievement of the nineteenth century, and has
furnished a favorite topic for those who would'
point out the marvelous possibilities of our land.
John Roach's fame as a great organizer and exec
utive, as a thinker and writer upon subjects relat
ing to his business and the economics of trade and
transportation, with especial relation to shipping
and the maintenance of navies, is secure. History
also gives him credit for the manly qualities of
mind and heart which made him a faithful friend
and an exemplary employer as well as a citizen
of the highest value. John B. Roach, the son,
has followed in his father's footsteps, and the
honor which surrounds the family name has
been augmented and maintained by the efforts
of the son who, trained in his father's policies,
has worthily carried on his work.
John Baker Roach was born in the city of
New York on December 7, 1839. He was sec
ond in a family of seven sons and two daughters.
His father, born in 1813, on Christmas day,
had come to the United States from his home in
Mitchelstown, county Cork, Ireland, in 183 1, and
while a workman at the Allaire Works, Howell,
New Jersey, had married Emeline Johnson, the
daughter of a worthy family in Monmouth county.
The Roche family was a prominent one in Ire
land, for the name is. correctly, Roche, and the
elder Roach was the son of a merchant, his peo
ple being well-to-do for the time and locality.
John B. Roach's boyhood was spent in and
about New York. His father, already in suc
cession an employing founder, an engine builder
and a contractor for large engineering projects,
gave him the advantages of education which
were at the time readily accessible, and after a
course at a good academic institution in Green
county, New York, the young man went into the
office of a merchant to get business experience.
His health failing, he was obliged, about the
time he became of age, to leave the city, and
several of the best years of his life were spent
on a farm in Dutchess county, New York. He
was married in 1861 to Mary Caroline Wallace,
the daughter of David and Gertrude Wallace, of
Staatsburg, New York, and then was begun a
happy association which has done much, undoubt
edly', to round out symmetrically John B. Roach's
tiseful life.
The business of the firm of John Roach & Son,
which had absorbed several old-established foun
dry and machine concerns in New York, had
grown in 1868 to such an extent that the Mor
gan Iron Works, at the foot of East Ninth street,
in New York citv, had been added. This was one

of the largest and most complete plants of the
kind in the business at the time, and its acquisi
tion placed the Roach firm in the front ranks
of engineering contractors. John B. Roach, al
ways his father's confidential associate, had kept
in close touch with the affairs of the firm, and
when, in 1871, the shipyard at Chester, Penn
sylvania, was purchased, and the preparations
were under way to establish the business which
has made the Roach name most famous, it was
decided that the younger Mr. Roach should as
sume the active direction of matters at the works.
So, in the fall of 1871, John B. Roach moved
his family to Chester, and there, in the old city
on the Delaware, which he has seen grow by
leaps and bounds from a sleepy river town to
one of the most noted industrial centers in the
country, he has done his life's work.
The Reaney, Son & Archbold shipyard at
Chester, which had been purchased by the firm
of John Roach & Son, was reorganized into the
Delaware River Iron Shipbuilding and Engine
Works, with John Roach as president and John
B. Roach as secretary of the corporation and the
personal representative of his father, the owner,
upon the ground. John Roach rarely came to
Chester more frequently than once a week, so
that the active direction of matters at the ship
building plant at once devolved upon the son.
The Chester yard was already a fairly well
equipped shipyard, having been founded in i860
as a building and repair yard, and a number
of vessels had been constructed there, including
several monitors and other ships for the govern
ment. The yard has a river frontage of about
a quarter of a mile on the widest and deepest
portion of the Delaware river channel, and is
one of the finest natural sites for a shipyard
that is to be found in the world. Immediately
upon the purchase of the property, the Roach
firm set out to build iron steamships upon a
scale theretofore unheard of in the United States;
New steamship lines were established and the
old ones encouraged to add to their fleets the
new iron ships which the old shipmasters, wedded
to their bulky wooden hulls, were wont to sneer-
ingly speak of as "tin boats." One after another
almost all of the steamship companies operating
under the American flag placed orders for Roach
ships, and in three years the force of workmen
had increased to nearly two thousand, while in
the New York works and the affiliated industries
engaged in supplying materials for the opera
tions of the shipyard, as many more were en
gaged. Here, for a third of a century, the great
foundries, forges and shops have turned out iron
and steel steamships which have included among
their number many of the most noted vessels
which have flown the American flag. At the

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

33

time the business was started under the Roach
name, the number of American-built iron vessels
could almost be counted upon the fingers of the
hands, so that in building up its business the
Roach yard had to blaze the way in an almost
unknown direction. During the past thirty-two
years, however, no fewer than 104 first-class
steamships for merchant service, ten vessels for
the United States navy and forty-seven other
craft, including steamboats, ferry-boats, yachts
and other vessels for various purposes have been
contracted for and completed by the Roach Com
pany. The aggregate value of this work is in
the neighborhood of fifty millions of dollars, and
about half of this immense sum has been dis
tributed in wages in Chester as a result of the
shipyard operations. The great works have edu
cated one of the finest bodies of mechanics to
be found in any industry in the world, and Ches
ter's ship artisans are to be found in every ship
yard on this continent, in leading positions of
trust and skill. During all these years, too, al
though outside agitators have often endeavored
to spread dissatisfaction among the workingmen,
the plant has never been closed by a strike, it
having been Mr. Roach's policy to deal with his
operatives directly and to listen in person to
every legitimate complaint.
John B. Roach has been personally familiar
with the details of the construction of every ves
sel which has been laid down in the yard, and
few men in any business have the grasp of a
complicated industry that he has of the shipyard,
with its score of trades so different in their
natures. The benders and punchers and fitters-
up and riveters and chippers and caulkers who
erect the steel body of the ship ; the boilermakers,
blacksmiths, molders, machinists, engineers,
coppersmiths, sheet-iron workers and pipe
fitters, who fashion and install the power
and machinery ; the ship-carpenters ' who prepare
the ship's berth and lay her decks and rails and
finally send her down the ways into the element
that is to be her home ; the carpenters and joiners
and carvers and polishers and painters and dec
orators and upholsters who build the cabins and
finish them for palatial occupation, the riggers
who fit out the ship with her equipment ready for
sea, with their other affiliated trades, all of which
are carried on in this big establishment, recognize
Mr. Roach as a critical judge of their handiwork
and respect his knowledge of all their intricate
duties. And. one of the best evidences that he
knows and requires good iivorkmanslfip is the rec
ord of the Roach ships,; ahd the fact that whole
lines of vessels have been built by him, the owners
returning for new vessels, as needed, to the build
ers of their earlier ships. The first ship under
taken by the Roach firm was the "City of San
Antonio," a small vessel, which, after thirty-one

years of service, is still in good condition, staunch
and seaworthy. This vessel was for the Mallory
line, or the New York and Texas Steamship
Company, and at this writing the "San Jacinto,"
a magnificent twin-screw steamship of nearly
6.000 tons, the finest coasting steamer ever con
structed, is being completed for the same line.
During its more than three decades of work,
the Roach shipyard has, iii hewing out the way
for the progress of American shipbuilding, built
the first large iron steamship ever turned out
in the United States, which was the Pacific Mail
Steamship "City of Peking," launched March 18,
1874, and which was at the time of her comple
tion, the largest ship in the world, with the sole
exception of the misfit "Great Eastern." The
"City of Peking" now, after twenty-eight years
of continuous service, during which time she has
made scores of roundtrips across the Pacific
Ocean, is still a leading ship of her line, and her
machinery is as good as the day it was installed.
The Roach yard built the first compound engines
ever built in this country, the first iron sailing
ship and the first steel vessels, the splendid "Chi
cago," "Boston," "Atlanta" and "Dolphin," the be
ginning of our new navy. The largest steamboat,
the splendid "Priscilla," of the Fall River Line, is
also a Roach product, while the noble ships of
the Mallory Line, the New York and Cuba Mail,
the Panama Line, the Pacific Mail, the Ameri
can-Hawaiian, the Maine Steamship Company,
the Savannah Line, the Old Dominion Line, the
Pacific Coast Steamship Company and numerous
other corporations have been built in the Chester
yard. The work is being vigorously pushed for
ward now, and it looks as though John B. Roach
might complete an even greater number and ton
nage of ships during his presidency of the com
pany than were built during the time that his
father was in supreme command. Upon the
death pf John Roach, in 1887, John B. Roach
was elected president of the Delaware River Iron
Shipbuilding and Engine Works, and he has
since had complete charge of the entire business.
Although his work in connection with the
shipyard occupies him very completely, John
B. Roach finds time to cultivate the social side
of life. He is, however, very domestic in his
tastes, and the family home at Eighth and Ker-
lin streets, in Chester, seldom misses him after
nightfall. Mr. Roach is a member of the Union
League, of Philadelphia, the Engineers' Club, of
New York, and the Penn Club, of Chester, but
his principal pleasure and... relaxation is in his
home. He is also a member of the New York
Chamber of Commerce, and is a. director in
the Seaboard Steel Casting Company, the Ches
ter National Bank and the Cambridge Trust
Company, besides being identified with various
other corporations in different lines of business.

34

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

Mr. and Mrs. Roach have had eleven chil
dren, five of whom grew to maturity. The eldest,
Sarah E., became the wife of Charles E. Schuy
ler, of New York, but died in 1893, leaving no
surviving child; the second, Emeline Wallace,
married, in 1892, William C. Sproul, of Chester,
now president of the senate of Pennsylvania, and
has two children, Dorothy Wallace Sproul and
John Roach Sproul; the third, Mary Garretta,
married, in 1893, Dr. Frederick Farwell Long,
of Chester, and has two children, Sarah Schuy
ler Long and Frederick Farwell Long; Jr. ; the
fourth, John, married, in 1899, Hortense Moller,
of Hoboken, New Jersey, and resides in New
York ; and the fifth, William McPherson, is un
married and resides at home.

ISRAEL MORTON MADDOCK, de
ceased, for many years a prominent factor in the
agricultural interests of Chester township, was
born December 12, 181 1, in Ridley township, near
where Eddystone is now located. He is a descend
ant of Henry Maddock, who came to this coun
try from Cheshire, England, in 1681. He and
his brother-in-law, James Kenerly, purchased fif
teen hundred acres of land in Springfield town
ship. He was elected a member of the assembly

and served from 1684 to 1686, and in 1690 Mr.
Maddock returned to England. In 1701 his son,
Mordecai Maddock, settled in Pennsylvania and
became a resident of the town of Springfield. He
brought with hirri from Great Britain letters from-
the Nottingham Monthly Meeting for himself and
wife Sarah ; she died soon after their arrival here.
He was one of the speakers in the Friends' meet
ing and was active in having the meeting estab
lished in Chester, his name being associated with
Caleb Pusey in some business transactions con
cerning it. There is no record of his death. His-
sister or his daughter Jane, married George Maris,
and his son Mordecai married, November 8,.
1733, at Concord, Dorothy Roman, of Chiches
ter, and the witnesses to the ceremony were
Henry, John, Benjamin, James and Elizabeth
Maddock. Both he and his father were mem
bers of the Friends' meeting.
Another son, John Maddock, bought three
hundred acres of land in Springfield township,
September 28, 1733. This is the land on which
the old West house was built in 1725. It was
afterwards transferred to his brother James,
whose wife was Susanna; they were the parents
of Henry, who died in 1765 unmarried; William;
Rebecca; Isaac; Jacob and Jesse.
William Maddock, grandfather of Israel Mor-

¦&#*¦¦

First Meeting House at Chester, built 1693.
This, the first meeting house in Chester, was doubtless completed in 1693. The picture is taken from Dr. Smith's "History of
Delaware County." In 1736 a larger meeting house was built on another lot, and this property was sold to Edward Russell, who prob
ably added an attic story and the back building of brick, in order to adapt it to use as a dwelling house.

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

35

-ton Maddock, served in the capacity of captain
during the progress of the Revolutionary war,
and was the owner of the old West property in
Swarthmore, Delaware county, where Swarth
more College is now situated, and the original
-deeds and transfer have been presented to the
college. The main document is a grant by Will
iam Penn to Henry Maddock and James Kenerly
of fifteen hundred acres of land located in the
province pf Pennsylvania. It bears the date pf
1681 and the signature of the founder of the
state; it was recorded at the "Rolls Office," of
Philadelphia, on the fourth day of ninth month,
1687. The second document is a transfer by
Henry Maddock of his interest in the grant to his
son, and is dated August 29, 1701 ; it mentions
as a consideration the sum of twenty shillings,
good and lawful money of England. William
Maddock married Isabella Cahoon, January 5,
1762, in Springfield. On August 26, 1774, he
executed a mortgage on ninety-seven acres of
ground in Springfield to James Crozer, which he
afterward sold to him. Henry conveyed his
property in 1765 to William. William was com
missioned on May 12, 1777, captain of a company
in the Third Battalion under Colonel Caleb
Davis. He died intestate, and letters of adminis
tration were granted to his son Thomas, March
18, 1800. His children were Thomas, Jesse,
James and William. His brother married Eu
nice Worrell July 5, 1786, and he died in 1821.
His son Jesse married a Miss Lewis and lived
in Springfield. He had one daughter, Sally
Shearer; she had two daughters, but no grand
children. Thomas and William settled in Phila
delphia. Thomas had one daughter, Anne, who
married Caleb Dobbins, and had several sons.
William left one daughter, Isabella, who mar
ried Randolph Eyre.
James Maddock, son of William Maddock,
was born in Springfield, Pennsylvania, and ac
quired his education in the common schools of
the district. He married Rebecca Morton, who
died leaving one daughter, Sarah, who married
Daniel Worrell, and had two daughters, Sarah
and Rebecca, who married the Jefferis brothers.
Sarah was born May 4, 1797, and is the grand
mother of Dr. D. W. Jefferis, ex-mayor of
Chester, and his cousin, State Senator Plummer
E. Jefferis, of West Chester. His second wife
was Mary Morton, whom he married April 17,
1802, in Philadelphia. She was a sister of his
first wife and a daughter of Israel Morton,
whose son, Israel Morton, served in the war of
1812 and died shortly after, unmarried." Israel
Morton, first named, was a son of Tobias Mor
ton, a first cousin of John Morton, the signer of
the Declaration of Independence. Tobias Morton
was a son of Lawrence (died 1718) and Bre-
geta Morton; he lived on King's Highway, in

what is now Sharon borough ; he died in 1769.
James Maddock first located where Eddy-
stone is now located. He and Mr. Mcllvaine
had a sawmill on Ridley creek, where the mill
now stands at Leipersville. In 1817 he pur
chased the farm, on a part of which the station
of Crum Lynn,e is now situated, and a part is
now in the possession of a great-grandson. He
and a number of others were instrumental in hav
ing, a stone school-house built there, there being
no schools in that vicinity, and he was a trustee
up to the time of his death. Before his death
he divided his property and gave it to his chil
dren, and built for himself the frame house on
the ridge between Crum Lynne and Leipersville,
which he left to his son Thomas and where he
died October 7, 1848. He is buried in the old
Episcopal graveyard in Chester. His children
were Mordecai, James, Mary, Israel, William
and Thomas. James and Mary died young.
Mordecai married Catherine Longacre; both are
buried in Baltimore. William married Hanna
Lownes, and built the stone house in Crum
Lynne, on the property left by his father in 1844,
and died February 29, 1884; he is buried in the
Media cemetery. His wife died May, 1896, and
left one son, Lownes.
Israel M. Maddock, son of James and Mary
Maddock, attended the common schools of the
neighborhood, and later was a pupil in the schools
of Chester. Early in life he evinced a fondness
for reading good literature, which was stimulated
and encouraged by one of his teachers, Samuel
Lytle, who collected a primitive circulating
library by having each scholar contribute a book.
A few years before marriage his father settled
him on the Stone Creek farm, just opposite
Swarthmore avenue, Ridley Park. After mar
riage they lived on the farm until February,
1865, when he purchased the homestead farm
and one hundred acres of land from Robert
McCay, his father-in-law. In February, 1865,
he removed tb Carterville, where for many years
he devoted his attention to the duties that de
volved upon him in the successful management
of his farm; he also took an active interest in
politics, having served one term as school director
and one as supervisor of Chester township. In
1871 he had a severe illness which left him an
invalid, but although he regained his strength
in a measure he never again resumed active pur
suits. October 31, 1839, Mr. Maddock married Miss
Margaret McCay, daughter of Robert McCay,
of Carterville, Pennsylvania. She was born in
Carterville, Chester township, July 16, 1817. Her
grandfather, Robert McCay (son of William \
whose wife was Rachel Collett, was born July
14, 1753. He was a private in Captain David
Cowpland's company of Chester county militia

36

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

in the Revolutionary war. (See Pennsylvania
archives, second series, X, 14, 72.) After the
war (May 1, 1789) he was commissioned a lieu
tenant in the Pennsylvania military, his commis
sion signed by Governor Thomas Mifflin. He
was a deacon in the Brandywine Baptist church,
Concord township, from 1810 to 1823. He was
buried so near the church that when it was en
larged the graves of himself and wife were cov
ered by it. His children were William, James,
Robert (2d), Margaret, Rachel, Rebecca and
Eliza. Robert (2d), born July 10, 1783, married
Mary Delaplaine June 11, 1807, and died July
24, 1864. Their children were Rachel, James,
Mary, Robert, Margaret, Rebecca, Jane, William
and John.
William, great-grandfather of Margaret
(McCay) Maddock, was a son of Robert, who
died in New Castle, Delaware, prior to 1794.
William was enrolled as a private in the Fourth
Company, Pennsylvania Regiment, Continental
Infantry, as may be seen by reference to volume
1, page 387, Pennsylvania archives, edition of
1895. On the maternal side Margaret McCay
was a descendant of Nicholas De la Plaine, a
Huguenot, who came in 1657 from France to
New York, married a daughter of Pierre Cres-
son, and they were the parents of nine children.
Pierre Cresson built his residence in what is now
the Bowery, New York, and raised many beauti
ful flowers in his yard, to such an extent that
his neighbors emulated his example and the
street was known as the "Bower" and later
called the Bowery. A portrait of the father of
Nicholas De la Plaine was in the possession of
Mrs. H. W. Fisher, of New York city, as late
as 1882. According to Al den's "American
Epitaphs" he died in France at the extreme age
of one hundred and five years. James De la
Plaine, son of Nicolas De la Plaine, lived in
Germantown, Pennsylvania, and his wife was
Hanna. Their son James was born in New Cas
tle in 1695, and married Ann Jones in 1737.
Their son Nehemiah was an officer in the Revo
lutionary war, and there is in the record and
pension office in Washington the name of Cap
tain Delaplaine, First Battalion Delaware Troops,
New Castle Company, Revolution. Nehemiah
De la Plaine married Mary Marshall at Old
Swedes church, Philadelphia, October 14, 1755,
and settled at Newport, Delaware, and he sur
vived his two sons, dying in 1802. His sons
were James and Samuel. James, born July 19,
1756, married Mary Kirk and they were the
parents of Mary Delaplaine McCay.
The children of Israel M. and Margaret
(McCay) Maddock are: 1. Mary C. ; 2. Sarah
Jane, wife of Elias H. West ; they were married
December 19, 1878, by Friends' ceremony at
home in Chester township, and are the parents

of one child, Edith N. West; 3. James D., who
is a farmer in Middletown township ; he married
Sarah Wooley, of West Chester, March 23-
1880, in West Chester, by Friends' ceremony,
and the following named children were born to
them — Roland, Frank, deceased, and Norman
Maddock; 4. Robert M., who died at the age
of eight years ; 5. Margaret Anne, wife of James
Gamble, of Chester, married December 28, 1871,
at the home by Dr. James M. Pendleton, and
their children are Ella, Anna and John Gamble;
6. Caroline H. ; 7. Kate L., wife of Horace W.
Fairlamb, married September 15, 1875, at home,
by Dr. James M. Pendleton, and they are the par
ents of four children — Walter, deceased, Caroline,
Margaret and Horace Fairlamb; 8. Alfred M.,
who is a hardware merchant, a member of the
firm of Powell & Maddock, of Philadelphia; he-
married, October 26, 1882, Eliza Garrett, of West
Philadelphia, and their children are Henry and
Percy Maddock; 9. William W., who is a drug
gist. On October 31, 1889, Mr. Maddock and his
wife celebrated their golden wedding, in the
presence of seventy-five guests, in the same room
in which they were married, and in the same-
house in which his wife was born and which
her father built in 1817. Seven years later they
celebrated their fifty-seventh anniversary in the
same place. Mr. Maddock died January 7,
1898, and was interred in the Chester Rural
.cemetery. He was the last trustee of the old
school at Crum Lynne. He was survived by
his widow, who is still living and very active,
and although now (1903) in her eighty-fifth
year, she manages the farm of one hundred
acres very successfully. By his will Mr. Mad
dock left all his property to his wife as long-
as she should live.
Thomas H. Maddock, deceased, a brother of
Israel M. Maddock, was a worthy descendant of
an old and honored English ancestry. He was
born May 15, 1820, in Delaware county, Penn
sylvania. His preliminary education was ac
quired in the district school, after which he pur
sued a course of study in the profession of law
at Media, Delaware county, Pennsylvania, where
in 1855 he was chosen to represent the town in
the state legislature.
April 18, 1850, Mr. Maddock married Miss
Rebecca T. Perce, a daughter of John and Re
becca Morton Perce, and a great-granddaughter
of John S. Morton, one of the signers of the Dec
laration of Independence. Their children are:
Henry, born June 3, 185 1, in Delaware county,
Pennsylvania, married March 16, 1881, Anne-
Catherine Loag, and they have three children;
William W., born January 5, 1853, in Delaware
county, died in October, 1854, aged twenty-one-
months ; Charlton, born in Harrisburg, Pennsyl-

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

17

vania, March io, 1855 ; and Thomas Edgar,
born in Delaware county, May 25, 1864. The
father of these children died December 15, 1883,
in Osborn county, Kanasas, where he is buried.

GARNETT PENDLETON. The Pendletons
were originally ' from Manchester, England,
where the name was well known, some of them
being in public life as early as the reign of Henry
VIII. Philip Pendleton, the progenitor of the Vir
ginia family, was born in Norwich in 1650, and
settled in the colony in 1674. While of Cavalier
extraction, the family espoused the partiot cause
iri the Revolution. Edmund Pendleton, the most
distinguished of the name, was a member of the
first continental congress and attended the ses
sions of that body in company with Washington,
Peyton Randolph, Patrick Henry, Benjamin
Harrison and Richard Henry Lee. He presided
over the Virginia convention which ratified the
constitution of the United States in 1788, and his
masterly advocacy of the document gained him
the encomium from Jefferson, "Taken all in all,
he was the ablest man in debate that I ever met
with." In July of 1774, Henry Pendleton, the great
grandfather of the subject of this sketch, was
chairman of a meeting of the freeholders of
Clupeper county which condemned the imposi
tion of a tea tax upon the colonies by parlia
ment, and extended sympathy to the sister col
ony of Massachusetts Bay. Henry Pendleton
was a patriot soldier in the Revolutionary war,
and was with General Greene in his campaigns
in Georgia and the Carolinas.
John Pendleton, son of Henry, having mar
ried Frances J. Thompson (afterward aunt of
Richard W. Thompson, secretary of the navy
under President Hayes), emigrated to Kentucky
in 1812. He was for several terms a member
of the Kentucky legislature, as was Richard Gar
nett, whose daughter, Catharine Stockton, was
married to James M. Pendleton (son of John)
in 1838. Robert Stockton, the grandfather of
Catharine Garnett, was also in the patriot army
and fought at the battle of the Brandywine.
Prior to the Revolution he went from New Jer
sey to Virginia, and was one of the Baptist min
isters imprisoned for preaching without having
taken Episcopal orders.
Dr. James M. Pendleton was for sixty years
a prominent Baptist minister, filling pastorates
in Kentucky, Tennessee, Ohio and Pennsylvania.
He was driven north in 1862 because of his un
compromising Union principles. He was the au
thor of numerous treatises on theological topics,
and was a frequent contributor to the denomina
tional press.

Garnett Pendleton, son of the Rev. James M.
and Catharine (Garnett) Pendleton, was born May
24, 1855, at Bowling Green, Kentucky. When
he was two years of age his parents removed to
Murfreesboro, Tennessee, and five years later
they went to Ohio, whence they removed in 1865
to Upland, Delaware county, Pennsylvania,
which was thenceforward their home. Until he
was fifteen years old young Pendleton was in
structed by his parents. He then entered Mt.
Holly (New Jersey) Academy, where he passed
a year in preparatory studies, and was then ad
mitted to the Rochester (New York) Univers
ity, from which he was graduated in 1875 with
the degree of Bachelor of Arts, and from which
he received the degree of Master of Arts in 1878.
For three years beginning in the fall of 1875,
he read law in the office of E. Coppee Mitchell
(Philadelphia), dean of the law school of the
University of Pennsylvania, and afterward served
one year- as clerk. In June, 1878, he received
the degree of Bachelor of Laws from the Uni
versity of Pennsylvania, and the same month was
admitted to the bar of Philadelphia county. In
July, 1879, he was admitted to the bar of Dela
ware county, and in 1881 entered upon practice
in the city of Chester. His tastes and acquire
ments have led him into civil law practice almost
altogether, although at times he has appeared in a
criminal case, as in the notable Pfitzenmeyer homi
cide trial, in which he was one of the counsel for
the defense. He made the opening address in the
habeas corpus proceedings, and his clear and for
cible presentation of the case won the commenda
tion of both bench and bar. His plea before the
jury in the trial which followed was character
ized by a capable critic as the most logical and
finished argument of that exceptionally able and
brilliant defense. Mr. Pendleton has, however,
given his principal attention to proceedings in
the civil courts, and to equity, real estate and or
phans' court business. His methodical habits,
close accuracy and deep conscientiousness have
brought him a reputation which has, in turn, in
creased his practice in these lines to great pro
portions. For many years he served as solicitor
of the borough of Upland. He made various ¦
valuable contributions to the literature of the pro
fession, the most important being a volume of
great value, "Debtor's Exemption in Pennsyl
vania," published in 1886, which is a recognized
text-book in general use by the bench and bar
of the state.
Mr. Pendleton has been a consistent and use
ful member of the Upland Baptist church since
1869. His activities extend to various lines of
religious and charitable work. His political affil
iations have always been with the Republican
party, and he has long been recognized as a leader
in political affairs. He has frequently served as

3»

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES. ,

a member of the Republican county committee;
has often appeared as a delegate in county con
ventions and has frequently taken the stump in
advocacy of the principles of the party. He is
an orator of fine ability, forceful and eloquent,
with excellent command of language, and an
intense earnestness that carries full assurance
ot his sincerity and fair-mindedness. A careful
and discriminating reader, he is a man of broad
information and well trained literary tastes, and
he has appeared to excellent advantage on the
lecture platform and as a writer on literary topics.
The most notable of his recent addresses are
"The Present, the Child of the Past," and "The
War of 1812," delivered before the Historical
Society of Delaware county, and "The Landing
of William Penn," before the Pennsylvania So
ciety of Colonial Dames.
Mr. Pendleton was married, December 30,
1879, to Miss Helena Ward, daughter of Dr.
William Ward, missionary to Assam.
He is president of the Cambridge Trust
Company of Chester ; and is a charter and prom
inent member of the Penn Club, a social organ
ization comprising the leading professional and
business men of the community.

JAMES IRVIN TAYLOR. The Taylor fam
ily, from which is descended James Irvin Tay
lor, of Chester, Pennsylvania, was planted in
America by Robert Taylor, who came to this
country from Little Leigh, Cheshire, England.
On March 3, 1681, he purchased one thousand
acres of land in Chester county, Pennsylvania,
of which six hundred were in the neighborhood
of the present village of Broomall, and four hun
dred were south of the Springfield water basin,
and all was conveyed to him under an original
grant from William Penn, on March 3, 1681, and
he had a survey made of the ground on Novem
ber 11, 1682. He was a member of the Friends,
or Quakers. He reared a large family of chil
dren, and from his first son descended the de
lightful author and poet, Bayard Taylor, while his
seventh son became the progenitor of the branch
to which James Irvin Taylor belongs.
The line of descent from Robert Taylor is
as follows : Thomas Taylor, who married Mary
Howell, and his first son, Thomas Taylor, Jr.,
married Mary Adams, and his first son, Robert
Taylor married for his first wife Mrs. Mary Huel-
ings, nee Empson, and later married Catherine
McCloskey, and their first son, Robert Taylor,
married Catherine Cummings, of Scotch descent,
and their second son, William Taylor, married
Jane Boyd, and their second son, Robert Taylor,
married Lydia E. Howard, and their first son is
James Irvin Taylor. Robert Taylor, great-great
grandfather of James Irvin Taylor, participated

in the Revolutionary war, also James Cummings,
who was the father of Catherine (Cummings)
Taylor, wife of Robert Taylor.
William Taylor, grandfather of J. Irvin
Taylor, was born in Chester county, Pennsyl
vania, March 1, 1815. He was a Methodist in
religion, and a Republican in politics until his
later years, when he became a zealous Prohibi
tionist. In 1836 he married Jane Boyd, and the
pair celebrated their golden wedding fifty years
later, surrounded by a large number of their
children and grandchildren. They were the par
ents of seven children; the first three were sons,
James W., Robert and Henry, and the others were
daughters, Eliza, Mary, Kate and Hannah.
Robert Taylor, father of James Irvin Tay
lor, was born in 1838, in New London, Chester
county, Pennsylvania. He received an ordinary
English education in Delaware county. For
some years he was engaged in farming, and he
subsequently took up contracting and building.
In 1884 he removed to the city of Chester, where
he continued in the latter pursuit industriously
and successfully, erecting in the one year prior
to his demise buildings to the value of nearly one
hundred thousand dollars. A man of excellent
business qualifications, he was also highly es
teemed for his moral worth. A member of the
Methodist church from, his sixteenth year, he was
throughout his life a devout Christian and a most
active supporter of the church and its allied in
stitutions. He was for many years a trustee of
Trinity church, in Chester, and superintendent of
its Sunday-school. He was a strong advocate
of temperance, and adhered to the Prohibition
party. He was deeply interested in education,
and rendered excellent service as a school direc
tor in Aston township. He was a member of
Benevolent Lodge, No. 50, Independent Order
of Odd Fellows, but would never accept from it
the pecuniary benefits to which he was entitled
at various times.
In 1862 Mr. Taylor was married to Lydia E.
Howard, of English descent, a daughter of Ben
jamin and Henrietta (Miller) Howard; Mrs.
Howard was a daughter of Daniel Miller, and he
was a son of Daniel Miller, who participated in
the Revolutionary war. To them were born
five children; James Irvin, William H., How
ard D., Ruth W. and Charles W. Taylor, all of
whom are living. The father of these children
died in March, 1891, deeply regretted by all
classes of the community, and particularly so by
his church, which adopted resolutions expressive
of their deep respect and tender affection for
him as a man, a neighbor and a Christian. His
widow is yet living (1902) at the age of sixty-
two years.
James Irvin Taylor, eldest son of Robert and
L.ydia E. Taylor, was born August 6, 1863, in

Tne Items J?ubU&hincj Co

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

39

Middletown township, Delaware county, Penn
sylvania. He began his education in the public
school, and subsequently took instruction for
one term in the West Chester State Normal
School. He learned the trade of a carpenter,
and after his three years' apprenticeship he worked
in the residential districts of Philadelphia un
til his father had established himself in the build
ing business in Chester, when the two became as
sociated. In 1890 he engaged in contracting on
his own account. After the death of his father
he formed a partnership with his younger brother,
Howard D. Taylor, under the firm name of J. I.
Taylor & Brother, and they erected twenty-two
edifices during the first year. He then resumed
business on his own account, and has prosecuted
contracting and building with great success to
the present time, having during his career been
the builder of over four hundred houses ; one hun
dred and sixty-one of these Mr. Taylor erected
for himself, and up to the present time (1902)
he has disposed of ninety-nine of them. Many
of these buildings were for business and public
purposes, and a great number were beautiful resi
dences. He was also a contractor for the large
car barn of the Union Traction Company in Ches
ter, Pennsylvania. His working force usually
numbered about fourteen skilled workmen, and
a number of ordinary laborers.
While he has been thus active in the building
up of the city in the lines of his calling, he has
rendered valued service to the community in a
public capacity, having served for four years as
a member of the city council, and he is now a
member of the school board. Mr. Taylor has
been instrumental in having the Ninth Street
bridge built over Chester creek, and in the build
ing up of West Ninth street, Spruce street, Du-
pont street, Barclay street, Penn street,Fifth
street, and Taylor Terrace, and on' the latter nam
ed street he is the owner of forty houses. He is
a member of the Madison Street Methodist Epis
copal church, and in politics is a Republican,
casting his votes for such candidates as he deems
most worthy of confidence. Mr. Taylor is a
member of Leipersville Lodge, No. 263, Inde
pendent Order of Odd Fellows, a member of
Chester Lodge, No. 236, Free and Accepted
Masons, of Chester Chapter, No. 258, Royal Arch
Masons, of Chester Commandery, No. 66,
Knights Templar,Lulu Shrine of Philadelphia,
and of the Benevolent and Protective Order of
Elks, No. 488. Mr. Taylor is a man of broad in
telligence, and has kept well abreast of the times
in the fields of literature and investigation. In
his early manhood he became interested in the
science of phrenology, and in 1886 he took a
course in the American Institute of Phrenology in
New York city, from which he received a di
ploma as a graduate. He has never cared to

utilize his knowledge by professional use of it,
preferring to devote his attention to his business,
but he has kept himself well read in all advance
ments of the science and has derived much
pleasure from the exercise of his fine talents as a
practical amateur phrenologist. In all the rela
tions of life he enjoys the esteem of the commun
ity, among whom he is accounted as one of the
most worthy and useful of its members.
On October 5, 1887, Mr. Taylor married Em
ma Beaumont, at the Calvary Episcopal church, at
Rockdale, the ceremony being performed by the
Rev. James Walker. Mrs. Taylor is a daughter
of Richard and Hannah (Mills) Beaumont, both
of whom were born in Huddersfield, Yorkshire,
England. The children born to Mr. and Mrs.
Taylor are : Robert Leslie, Helen Beaumont, Paul
I., deceased, Emma Marguerite, Charles, James
Irvin, Frank Howard and Frederick Chester Tay
lor.

RICHARD WETHERILL. But few per
sons in the United States can claim family asso
ciation with a particular locality to the like extent
as that which is presented in the instance of
Richard Wetherill. In the ninth generation he
is a descendant of Joran Kyn (George ' Keen)
to whom the Swedish crown, in 1644, patented
the territory upon which the colonial part of the
present city of Chester is situated, and whose
history has its beginning in that grant to Rich
ard Wetherill's ancestor, the handsome guards
man to Governor Printz. In the same degree he
is a lineal descendant from Christopher Taylor,
who two centuries and a half ago suffered in the
cause of freedom of speech and religious tolera
tion in the mother country. A man of letters and
refinement, who, before Penn's coming, sought
that liberty of act and thought that were denied
to him in the country of his birth; a man whom
Proud, the historian, terms "one of the first and
principal settlers in the province under William
Penn ;" who served as a member of the first legis
lative assembly in the colony, and was a member
of Penn's first council, the advisory body to the
proprietary in government affairs. Christopher
Taylor owned and resided at Tinicum Island,
now Tinicum township, Delaware county. In
the eighth generation he is descended from James
Sandelands, a cadet of the proud Scottish fam
ily of Sandelands. It was in his house where the
first assembly convened at Chester, in 1682.
His many personal acts are interwoven and enter
into the story of English colonization on the Dela
ware, or South, river. In the sixth generation he
traces descent from Anthony Sharp, of Dublin,
a man of large means, who has made a lasting
impression upon the annals of his adopted city,
for he was of English birth, and who, as one of

40

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

the owners of West New Jersey, enters largely
into the colonial history of that commonwealth
in whose early settlement he played no inconsider
able part.
In the maternal line he traces descent from
the West family of Long Crendon, Buckingham
shire, England, to which the title Lord De la
Ware appertains, and is a scion of the Delanys
of Bally Fine, Queen's county, Ireland. His
great-grandfather, Dr. William Delany, served
in the Revolutionary army for seven years, while
his great-great-uncle, Colonel Sharp Delany, who
took part in that struggle, was a personal friend
of Washington and a constant associate of "Mad
Anthony" Wayne, who made Colonel Delany one
of the executors of his will. In the Price line he
comes from a sturdy Welsh race who settled in
what is now Delaware county two centuries ago.
His great-grandfather, John Price, was a soldier
in the Pennsylvania Continental Line, whose
health yielded to the severe privations to which
he was subject in his several years of active mil-

Sanuet.and's Ruins
itary life, and whose death in 1783 was the result
of his devotion to the cause of American inde
pendence. His great-grandfather, Richard Weth
erill, born in 1788, at Rich Hill, county Armagh,
was the child of English parents who had re
moved from Yorkshire to Ireland. That Rich
ard Wetherill, hardly beyond his majority, in 1810
embarked in the manufacture of woolen fabrics
in Concord township, Delaware county, when
the industrial development of the section was in

its infancy. For two and a half centuries Rich
ard Wetherill, the subject of this sketch, and his
ancestors, have been prominently identified with
the county of Delaware, which has been the thea
ter of his active business career.
Richard Wetherill, the third son of Robert
and Phoebe Ann (Delany) Wetherill, was born
in Lower Merion township, Montgomery county,
Pennsylvania, September 28, 1850. His father
at that time owned and operated the three
Wetherill woolen mills, at Manayunk, which,
prior to the disastrous panic, were among the
first successful woolen manufacturing enterprises
in the commonwealth. The boy attended the
public schools in Philadelphia, but on the death
of his father in the late summer of 1861 the
mother removed with her family to Delaware
county, and Richard Wetherill became a student
at the Chester Academy. At an early age he be
came a junior clerk in a drug store, but subse
quently secured a clerical position with the Phila-
clelphi?, Wilmington & Baltimore Railway Com
pany, and part of the
time while in that em
ployment he was sta
tioned at Wilming
ton, Delaware. Soon
after attaining his ma
jority, on January 1,
1872, he entered into
partnership with his
brother, Robert Weth
erill, in the building
of Corliss engines and
boilers and the foun
dry business, and
young as he was, in
the allotment of the
duties devolving upon
the partners, to Rich
ard Wetherill fell the
management of the-
financial affairs of the
firm. This distribu
tion of responsibilities
in the conduct of the
business of the firm
of Robert Wetherill
& Company, culmin
ated in the most satis
factory results, until from small beginnings
and the command of meager capital the works
under such direction have become one of the
leading industries in the United States, whpse
product has been distributed in every state and
territory in this country, and found sales in
Canada, Cuba, Mexico and in far-away China.
Richard Wetherill was one of the organizers of
the Chester National Bank and was chosen a mem
ber of its first board of directors, a position to

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

4i

which he has since been annually re-elected. He is
a director of the Chester Street Railway Company
of Chester, was treasurer and vice-president of
the Standard Steel Casting Company, and was
president of the Chester Gas Company until the
Philadelphia Suburban Gas Company secured
ownership of that plant. He is a member of the
board of trustees of the Pennsylvania Military
College, and director in several of the successful
textile industries of Chester. He and his brother
Robert are interested in a number of electric rail
ways and industrial enterprises in other locali
ties, all of which are dividend-paying invest
ments. The residences of Richard and Robert
Wetherill are among the finest private dwellings
in this section of the state.
On December 3, 1878,. Richard Wetherill
married Ella Larkin, youngest daughter of the
late Hon. John Larkin, the first mayor of Ches
ter, and one of the men to whom that city
owes its great growth and development. Mrs.
Wetherill, as in the case of her husband, traces
descent from many of the early settlers of this
part of Pennsylvania, who were active in their
day and generation. Through several of these
Mrs. Wetherill has entered the Society of
Colonial Dames of America. To this marriage
were born two sons and two daughters.
Note. — The Sandelands house was described
as follows in a paper read by Mr. H. G. Ash-
mead before the Delaware County Historical So
ciety, at Media, September 26, 1901 :
In the early part of the eighteenth century
on the west side of Edgmont avenue below Third
street, in the city of Chester, could be seen the
foundations of an old building, which, in the
period associated with Penn, was known as James
Sandeland's double house. It was the most im
posing building in Upland and therein Penn con
vened the first general assembly that ever sat
in the province of Pennsylvania. The house had
been built' with mortar made of oyster shell lime,
which proved so utterly worthless, probably be
cause of defective burning, that in the course
of twenty odd years the structure showed such
signs of decay that it became untenatable, fell
into ruins, and gradually the materials used in
its construction were removed. Shortly after
1800, even the foundations were buried in the
accumulation of soil that has taken place during
a century. In time its very existence was for
gotten, hence tradition for many years gave
credit to the Friends' old meeting house which
stood on the adjoining lot as the place where
the first assembly met.
On July 14, 1893, while excavations were
being made for the cellars of a row of commis
sion stores, the foundations of Sandeland's
double house were unearthed. An accurate sur

vey of them was made by Walter Wood, assist
ant city engineer, giving the precise size of the
old structure and the distance from the inter
section of Third and Edgmont streets. William
B. Broomall, Esq., had Mr. Nymetz take a photo
graph of the unearthed walls for which act he
will receive the thanks of coming generations.
In this double house in its pristine glory
James Sandelands kept tavern, for the preten
tious word hotel had not then found its way
into the English language.

CAPTAIN THOMAS J. HOUSTON, de
ceased, of Chester, Pennsylvania, came from
Scotch-Irish ancestry, and had for a remote pro
genitor Sir Hugh Padvinon, who removed from
Scotland to the north of Ireland, where he built
upon his estate a -village, to which he gave the
name of Hughstown and this appellation was
changed in time to the form of Houston and
was adopted by his descendants. From this an
cestor came John Houston, who was born and
reared in the north of Ireland. His parents
were people of culture and means, and they af
forded him an excellent practical education. In
his young manhood he made a visit to the United
States, where he remained for some years, thence
returning to his native land. There he married
Elizabeth Boone, also of Scotch-Irish parentage,
and a woman of education and deeply religious
character, and member of the United Presby
terian church. In 1834 John Houston and his
wife, with four children, came to the United
States and settled in Lancaster county, Pennsyl
vania, which was destined to be their permanent
home. Mr. Houston gave his attention to farm
ing and stock dealing and accumulated large
means. He was a man of most exemplary char
acter, and an earnest member of the United
Presbyterian church. He was originally a Demo
crat in politics, but his conscience rebelled against
the position of that party with regard to human
slavery, and he attached himself to the Republi
can party in the year of its formation. He died
in 1877, at the home of his son, Dr. John Hous
ton, in Philadelphia, surviving his wife, who
had died in 1868.
Thomas J. Houston, the first child of John
and Elizabeth (Boone) Houston, was born in
the United States, his birth occurring January
25, 1836, in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania. He
was reared upon the parental farm, and began
his education in the public schools, supplement
ing this instruction with an advanced course in
the State Normal School at Millersville. At the
age of fifteen he entered a foundry and learned
iron moulding, but a year after completing his-

-42

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

apprenticeship was obliged to relinquish that
severe employment on account of his health. For
a time he served as clerk in a blast furnace in
Robesonia, but his feelings of patriotism moved
him to resign and enter the service of his coun
try when in 1863 the rebel general Lee was pre
paring to invade the state. Recruiting a com
pany for the Forty-seventh Pennsylvania Emer
gency Regiment, he was commissioned captain,
and commanded it during its term of service,
nearly a year, serving in the operations which
culminated in the battle of Gettysburg, and in
the subsequent pursuit of the rebel arm)-.
After being honorably discharged from the
army Captain Houston entered the employ
of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company, but
resigned after a few months to take charge of
a blast furnace in Columbia, Pennsylvania.
From 1865 to 1869 he had charge of a furnace
and ore mines in Dutchess county, New York.
In the latter year he was given leave of absence
to erect a steam bloomery furnace for Philadel
phia capitalists at Greensboro, North Carolina.
Upon the successful completion of this task he
resumed his former position in Dutchess county,
New York, in which he remained until early in
1873. In that year, in the capacity of general
manager, he took charge of the works and prop
erty of the Iron Cliffs Company, at Negaunee,
Michigan, comprising fifty-five thousand acres
of land, three blast furnaces and extensive ore
mines on Lake Superior. He remained in charge
until 1880, when he removed to Chester, Penn
sylvania, and became interested with his brother,
Charles B. Houston, in the Chester Rolling Mills,
and was general manager of the works until they
were sold in 189 1. In 1889 Captain Houston
was called to Roanoke, Virginia, to take charge
of the affairs of the Crozer Iron & Steel Com
pany, in which he was a stockholder and director.
He remained in charge of the business until
December 1st of the same year, when illness
¦obliged him to relinquish his tasks and return
home. There he lived a practically retired life
in his elegant home at Eighth and Kerlin streets,
in Chester, but maintaining oversight of his large
mining and other enterprises in various portions
of the country. Notwithstanding the large busi
ness affairs which demanded his unremitting at
tention, Captain Houston found time to perform
the full duty of a public spirited citizen in com-.
munity affairs and in forwarding enterprises for
the common good. While a resident of Negau
nee, Michigan, he served a term as mayor. For
six years he was a member of the city council
of Chester, Pennsylvania, and was president of
that body for three years of the time. He was
chairman of the building committee charged with
the erection of the Chester Hospital in 1893. In
religious faith he was a Quaker and an admirable

representative of the body to which he adhered.
His political affiliations were with the Republican
party, and he was an earnest and enthusiastic
advocate of its principles, being frequently a dele
gate to its state and national conventions.
Captain Houston was married, September 26,
1866, to Miss Susan Slokom, a lady of excellent
education and beautiful character, who endeared
herself to the community in which she and her
husband lived so long through her kindness of
disposition and many benefactions. She was a
daughter of Samuel Slokom, who was a native
of Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, and was born
in 1817 and died in 1889. He was of English
extraction, and a member of the Society of
Friends. For nearly thirty years he was justice
of the peace, and he also served as county com
missioner. He was a man of very large means,
and was for many years president of the Chris
tiana Bank.
Captain Houston died September 2, 1895.
His death occasioned deep sorrow throughout
the entire community, and upon the occasion of
his funeral business was practically suspended,
all the principal men of affairs halting to pay the
last tribute of affectionate regard to one who had
been endeared to them through the practice of
all those virtues which mark the model Christian
neighbor and friend. Mrs. Houston yet survives
him.

COLONEL PERRY M. WASHABAUGH,
a leading member of the Chester bar and a gen
tleman of excellent literary attainments, was born
in the town of Bedford, Pennsylvania, July 4,
1847, a descendant on the paternal side from Ger
man ancestry who settled in the state of Penn
sylvania prior to the Revolutionary war, in which
they participated, and they have always evinced
a military and patriotic spirit. Henry Washa-
baugh, great-grandfather of Perry M.- Washa-
baugh, came from Germany to this country
about the year 1760, and settled in that part of
Pennsylvania now known as Franklin county,
where he purchased a large tract of land. He
served as a captain of volunteers in the Conti
nental army during the struggle for independ
ence, and after the termination of the war re
turned to his agricultural pursuits.
David Washabaugh, grandfather of Perry M.
Washabaugh, was born on the ancestral farm
in 1770, and after acquiring his education in the
district school he also followed the occupation
of farming, becoming in time the owner of one
of the best cultivated farms in the county, ad
joining the town of Chambersburg. He was
elected to fill the position of high sheriff of the
county when that office was considered one of
the most dignified and important positions a

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

43

citizen could hold, and he was also entrusted
with other offices of trust and responsibility. Mr.
Washabaugh was among the first to organize
troops for the defense of the country during the
war of 1 812.
Daniel Washabaugh, father of Perry M.
Washabaugh, was born October 17, 1803, and his
educational advantages were obtained at Cham-
bersburg, a town always noted for its excellent
schools. Wishing to lead a military life, Mr.
Washabaugh secured through his own efforts
an appointment to the United States Military
Academy at West Point, but as his father re
quired his services on the farm he was unable
to enter until he became of age. During the
Mexican war of 1847 and T848 and for years
afterward, he held the office of brigade inspector
of the military district consisting of five adjoin
ing counties, with the rank of major. Being
a strict disciplinarian, a handsome man of pleas
ing address, passionately fond of good horses
and always superbly mounted and equipped, he
was considered one of the finest officers in the
state. Although Major Washabaugh was quite
advanced in years during the war of the rebellion
he was offered and accepted the colonelcy of a
fine regiment of volunteers, but before his de
parture for the scene of battle he was induced
by his old friend, Governor Andrew G. Curtin,
to accept the position of assistant adjutant-gen
eral on his staff. This position he filled accept
ably during the whole eight years of the old war
governor's administration, and it was under his
personal supervision that nearly all the vast army
of Pennsylvania volunteers were organized,
armed and equipped.
In September, 1826, Major Washabaugh mar
ried Sarah McLaughlin, daughter of Henry Mc
Laughlin, a wealthy planter and slave-owner
whose extensive plantation was situated at State
Line, Washington county, Maryland. There
were twelve children born to them, three of
whom died in early childhood, and the other
eight children, six girls and two boys, are all
residents of different sections in the United
States. Both Major Washabaugh and his wife
were active and consistent members of the Pres
byterian church at Bedford from the time they
came to the town and after their marriage, and
he served in the capacity of ruling elder for over
half a century. In September, 1876, they cele
brated their golden wedding, surrounded by
forty-four children and grandchildren, and ten
years later the sixtieth anniversary was cele
brated at the home of their youngest daughter,
Mrs. W. P. Barndollar, in the city of Baltimore.
Mrs. Washabaugh died October 31, 1889, at the
advanced age of eighty-three years, survived by
her husband and children.
Perry M. Washabaugh, second son of Major

and Mrs. Washabaugh, commenced his studies
in 1858 in the schools of Baltimore, where he
remained until the war broke out, when he was
sent home. He remained in Bedford, attending
school at intervals, when not campaigning with
the volunteer troops in that part of the country.
After the battle of Gettysburg his father found
him with the First New York Cavalry Regiment
in the town of Chambersburg ; he immediately
placed him in charge of Colonel Theodore Hyatt,
president of the Pennsylvania Military Academy,
and after pursuing the regular course in that in
stitution he graduated with honors in 1865.
During the same year the academy was removecf
from West Chester to Chester, when he was ap
pointed an instructor and remained there until
1869. While engaged in this occupation he
studied law under the Hon. John B. Hinkson,
a leading and eminent practitioner at the bar.
In June, 1869, he appeared before the board of
examiners, consisting of the Hon. William Ward,
John Hibbert and R. E. Hannum, and although
not having attained his majority he passed a
very creditable examination, but was unable to.
be sworn in until the next term of court. He
then located at Parker City, Armstrong county,
Pennsylvania, where he enjoyed a large and
profitable practice. He was a resident of that
city during the time when oil was first discovered
there, and in the fall of 1873, when all the ex
citement was over, he returned to Chester, where
he has since been actively engaged in the prac
tice of his profession in the orphans' and common
pleas court. In 1891 he was private counsel for
the defense in the celebrated Fitzmeyer murder
case; he attended all the preliminary hearings
and managed and arranged every detail for the
defense, though he took no active part in the
trial in court. There were two lives at stake
on the issue, and Colonel Washabaugh, by his
untiring energy and able management of the case,
with his very able and learned associates at the
trial in court, cleared his clients and established
a reputation for himself as an expert criminal
lawyer second only to his previous .standing as
a civil practitioner. In 1885 Colonel Washa
baugh associated Garnett Pendleton in partner
ship with himself, under the style of Washa
baugh & Pendleton, and during the years of
their association they demonstrated their ability
to cope successfully with the intricate problems
of jurisprudence. In June, 1892, Colonel Wash
abaugh was sent to England to settle a large
estate, and after successfully attending to that
business he spent several months traveling
through England and on the continent ; this was
his second trip to Europe, he having visited the
Paris Exposition in 1889.
Colonel Washabaugh, ever since his early
youth, has always taken a deep interest in mil-

44

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES,

itary matters, and in May, 1876, was elected
captain of Company B, Eleventh Regiment In
fantry, National Guard of Pennsylvania ; the fol
lowing year was elected major, and served with
his regiment during the Pittsburg labor riots of
that year. In 1881 he was elected lieutenant-
colonel of the Sixth Regiment Infantry, and was
re-elected in 1886 and again in 1891, and on the
23d day of June, 1894, was elected colonel of
the Sixth Regiment Infantry, which during his
command reached the highest state of efficiency
it has ever attained. He resigned that office May
13, 1898. The same year he organized the Cam
bridge Savings Bank, which proved so success
ful that out of it, and through the management
of Colonel Washabaugh, the present Cambridge
Trust Company, one of the most flourishing and
successful financial institutions of the city, was
organized. He was elected third vice-president,
treasurer and trust officer, which position he
now occupies.
In politics Major Washabaugh is an ardent
Republican, always taking an active interest, and
for years he has served as a member of the coun
cil, besides holding other positions of trust and
responsibility in the community. Fraternally he
is a member and past master of L. H. Scott
Lodge, No. 352, Free and Accepted Masons,
and of Chester Holy Royal Arch Chapter, No.
258. In religious faith he is a Presbyterian,
having been a member since 1864, and a ruling
elder in the First Presbyterian church of Ches
ter since 1885.
On November 29, 1869, Colonel Washabaugh
married Miss Laura H. Walter, daughter of the
Hon. Y. S. Walter, of Chester. To them have
been born four children : Walter, a graduate of
the Pennsylvania Military Academy in the class
of 1889, and major of the Sixth Regiment, Penn-
slyvania National Guards; Fannie, a graduate
from Wilson College, Chambersburg ; and Frank
and Albert Washabaugh.

HON. THOMAS V. COOPER, of Media,
Delaware county, Pennsylvania, a veteran jour
nalist, Civil war soldier and one who has rendered
useful service to his state and to the nation in
various elective and appointive positions of honor
and trust during the past third of a century, is
a descendant of a splendid New England an
cestry. The family was founded in America
by William Cooper, who came from England and
was identified with the Massachusetts Bay Col
ony. He took part in King Philip's war, and
for his service received a large land grant in
New Jersey, upon a part of which now stands
the city of Camden. His seven sons settled in
New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland and Geor
gia, and among them was the grandfather of

the novelist, James Fenimore Cooper. Hon.
Thomas V. Cooper's great-grandfather, settled
at Fort Duquesne (Pittsburg), where his son
James was born. He served as an orderly under
Washington, was subsequently promoted to lieu
tenant, and it was his distinction to be the oldest
Revolutionary soldier present at the welcome
given to Lafayette when that distinguished sol
dier visited Pittsburg in 1824. James Cooper
lived to the phenomenal age of ninety-nine years.
His eldest son, Major Samuel Cooper, almost
equalled him in longevity, living to the age of
ninety-seven years, and entering the military serv
ice of the country during the Civil war period
when seventy-seven years old. Major Cooper
was the author of the Scott-Cooper military drill
known by his name, and long in vogue in the
United States army.
Dr. J. W. Cooper, a son of James Cooper,
was born in Pennsylvania. He was a physician,
and resided at different times in York, Philadel
phia and West Chester, and in the place last
named for more than a half century. He was
for a brief period a dweller in Ohio, where
Thomas V. Cooper was born. The Doctor was
captain commanding a company of militia, . the
Pennsylvania Blues, which took an active part
in suppressing the anti-Catholic riots in Phila
delphia in 1844. He married Henrietta Fields,
of Hagerstown, Maryland, and to them were
born seven children.
Thomas V. Cooper, a son of Dr. J. W. and
Henrietta Cooper, was born in Cadiz, Ohio, Jan
uary 16, 1835. Having learned the art of print
ing, in 1855, when twenty years of age, he became
associated with Dr. D. A. Vernon in the founding
of the "Media Advertiser," which in 1856 became
the "Media Advertiser and Delaware County
America," and in 1859 the "Delaware • County
American," its present title, and of this Mr.
Cooper has been one of the editors from the
initial issue of the parent journal to the present
time, the Civil war period excepted. He is one
of the very few editors in the state if, indeed, there
be another, who with his pen and types aided in
the first campaign of the Republican party, in
1856, and who has continued to support its prin
ciples and candidates, practically without cessa
tion, to the present time. He was alternate dele
gate in the national Republican convention in
Chicago in i860, and carried the delegates from
his congressional district for Abraham Lincoln.
When that sterling character, General Cameron,
went out of the contest all of his votes were
thrown to Mr. Lincoln and in this way he was
nominated. Mr. Cooper was now fully prepared
to uphold as a soldier the cause which he had
advocated as a journalist. April 19, 1861, the
Twenty-sixth Pennsylvania Regiment, while pro
ceeding to the relief of the national capital, was

? 'f^7t>crpi

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

45

assaulted by a mob in the streets of Baltimore.
Shortly afterward Mr. Cooper enlisted in Com
pany C of this regiment, and with it performed
the full duty of a soldier for a term of three
years and until it was mustered out of service,
June 18, 1864, in front of Independence Hall,
Philadelphia. During its term of enlistment this
noble regiment participated in the siege of York-
town and the battles of Williamsburg, Seven
Pines, Savage Station, White Oak Swamp, Mal
vern Hill, Second Bull Run, Fredericksburg,
Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, the Wilderness and
Spottsylvania Court House. It lost one hundred
men at Chancellorsville, and two hundred and
sixteen at Gettysburg, where it withstood a des
perate rebel charge, and it captured two pieces
•of artillery at Spottsylvania.
After the disbandment of his regiment Mr.
Cooper repurchased his former interest in the
''American," and from that day has directed its
editorial management. As his sons came of age,
respectively, they became associated with him,
and the business is now conducted under the firm
name of T. V. Cooper & Sons. The "American"
is recognized as the largest and mechanically the
most perfect county weekly in the state, and it
enjoys a phenomenal patronage, entering nearly
every home in one of the richest counties border
ing Philadelphia. From early after the close of
the Civil war down to the present time Mr.
Cooper has been almost continuously in the public
service of the state or nation. In 1869 he was
elected to the Pennsylvania house of assembly,
was defeated in 1871 and was re-elected in 1872.
In 1873 he was elected to the state senate, to
which body he was returned at each election until
1889, and in 1878 he was president. His conduct
as a legislator was characterized by a broad in
telligence and a lofty spirit of devotion to public
interests, and as a presiding officer he won the
admiration of the entire body over which he sat.
On retiring from the senate in 1889, Mr. Cooper
was appointed by President Harrison to the post
of collector of the port of Philadelphia. His
service covered a period of four and one-half
vears, six months beyond the term for which he
was commissioned, and he collected for the gov
ernment, without, the loss of a single dollar, the
immense sum of eighty million dollars. In
1900 he was again elected to the house of as
sembly, was re-elected in 1902, and during the
ensuing session served upon various important
committees. Mr. Cooper has exerted a broad
personal influence in political affairs, and has
been for many years a strong figure in the con
ventions of his party. From 1881 to 1889 he
was chairman of the Republican state central
committee, and in 1902 was treasurer of that
"body. In religion he inclines to Methodism, and
his family to Episcopalianism. He is a member

of George W. Bartram Lodge, F. A. M., and of
Bradbury Post, G. A. R.
Mr. Cooper was married, in 1858, to Miss
Ada F. Turner, a daughter of Mr. Frederick
Turner, a well known publisher of Philadelphia.
She died in 1901, leaving six children — Frederick
T., Thomas V., Percival V., Ada S., who is the
wife of Dr. William T. Dickenson, of Media;
Nina A., who is the wife of William Ashmead
Dyer ; and Susan Cooper.

DAVID MARSHALL JOHNSON, of Ches
ter, Delaware county, Pennsylvania, was born
June 4, 1841, on the old Johnson homestead, at
Trainer, which was erected in 1766. He is the
youngest son of Benjamin Ford and Mary Ann
(Entriken) Johnson. The father was born in
the same dwelling, October 31, 1792, and during
his entire manhood was prominent in the south
eastern section of Delaware county. He had
hardly attained majority when he was commis
sioned captain of a company of Pennsylvania
militia, called into service of the United States
during the war of 1812. Subsequently he held
rank of major and lieutenant-colonel in the mil
itary organization of the state. Originally a
Federalist, then a Whig and a Republican, he
was first commissioned by a Democratic gov
ernor as justice of the peace for Lower Chiches
ter, and by re-appointment and election held that
office continuously for a period of forty-five years,
when on account of advancing years he declined
longer to serve in this capacity. In 1845 he was
elected county treasurer, and for many years held
various township offices which were wholly un
solicited by him. He died November 9, 1871.
He was prominently identified with St. Martin's
Episcopal church, Marcus Hook, and was one
of its vestrymen for nearly sixty years. His
remains lie with those of a long line of ancestry
in the churchyard of the venerable parish. Mrs.
Mary Ann Johnson, who traced her ancestry to
the Grubb family, the Swedish family of Cock,
Marshall and Entriken, all prominent as early
settlers of Delaware county, was a well educated,
cultured lady who devoted largely of her time
to the intellectual training of her sons and
daughters. Of the children born to Benjamin
F. and Mary A. Johnson, R. Morgan Johnson
became an accomplished scholar and a writer of
ability, many of his lyric effusions finding place
in standard collections of poetry. Mary E.
Johnson is the author of "T'other Day Papers,"
which attracted wide attention when published
from time to time, while her historical articles
show research, correctness of statement and
lucidity of style. Benjamin D. Johnson made
special study of historical and geographical sub-

46

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

jects, and in this line was a recognized authority.
He was a musician of rare merit.
David M. Johnson attended the public schools
of Lower Chichester, and was later a student at
the Chester Academy, of which the Rev. Isaac
Gray was principal. At eighteen he entered the
office, of Hon. John M. Broomall, and was ad
mitted to the bar of Delaware county, on June
23, 1862. He remained with his preceptor for
four years, until in 1867 he became a member of
the law firm of William Ward & Company, com
posed of William Ward, David M. Johnson and
William B. Broomall. The following year Mr.
Johnson severed his connection with the firm. In
1872 he was nominated by the Republican party
as district attorney, and, the Democrats having
made no nomination, he was elected without op
position. He served in that office for three years
and was not a candidate to succeed himself. In
1 88 1 he was elected a member of the council of
the city of Chester, and was twice re-elected,
serving for a period of eight years, when he de
clined re- nomination. As chairman of the ways
and means committee of the council he disposed
of four per cent city bonds at a premium, the first
time in the history of Chester when the credit
of the city reached this standard. The year be
fore, bonds of this character were disposed of
at a discount of three per cent. Mr. Johnson's
practice has been largely of an advisory char
acter, in the direction of estates, examinations
of title to realty, and in the conduct of building
associations. In the latter branch of legal
knowledge Mr. Johnson is recognized as of dis
tinguished authority, not only in Pennsylvania
but in other states. He was counsel in the Pen
nell Street Bridge case, in which Mr. Johnson
appeared for the city, basing his arguments up
on general principles of law and the fundamental
doctrine that a preceding council cannot by
agreement tie the hands of a subsequent council
on the question of establishing or changing the
grade of a street. O. B. Dickinson, the master,
and subsequently Judge Clayton sustained Mr.
Johnson's views, but the supreme court on appeal
overrode the general principle and held that a
special act making such agreements between
municipalities and railroads binding for all time
was conclusive against such municipalities. Mr.
Johnson was one of the counsel in the applica
tion for an injunction to restrain the New Ches
ter Water Company from interfering with the
work of the South Ward Water Works. The
preliminary injunction was refused by the court
below, and on appeal the supreme court sustained
the decision of the inferior court. When in the
first instance the application for the preliminary
injunction was presented to Judge Clayton at
Chambers, as the meeting is related by Mr. John
son, the judge looked the bill over and said,

"Oh, gentlemen, I can't do this. There is no
sufficient ground here upon which an injunction
can be granted." "All right, Judge," they said,
"We will present the bill to you, and you cannot
do more than refuse it." "Well," replied the
Judge, while the bright light of the shrewd law
yer gleamed in his eye, "You may give them a
black eye." That was enough. From that mo
ment they fought to give them the black eye,
and did it so well that the people of the south
ward, now sixth, seventh and eighth wards,
came off better than if the South Ward Water
Company had never been interfered with by the
new company. By the compromise the new com
pany purchased the franchises and property of
the old company for three hundred and thirty
thousand dollars, representing the outstanding
indebtedness of the old company, and relieved
the people of the south ward from the cost of
the main water pipes in front of their properties,
and from liability to be taxed to pay the debt
of three hundred and thirty thousand dollars.
Mr. Johnson was also one of the counsel in Ew-
ings' appeal, which settled the law in Pennsyl
vania that a man may prefer any creditor in a
judgment, and that such a judgment is in no
sense an assignment for the benefit of creditors.
When Lee invaded Maryland in 1862, Mr.
Johnson served in the militia called into service
by the state of Pennsylvania, and in 1863, when
Lee invaded Pennsylvania to meet defeat at
Gettysburg, Mr. Johnson served as a corporal in
Captain William Fricks' Company, Thirty-sev
enth Regiment, Pennsylvania Emergency Mili
tia. Mr. Johnson is a member of Wilde Post
No. 25, G. A. R.
For a number of years he has been a liberal
contributor to the local press and to the columns
of the leading daily newspapers of New York
and Philadelphia. He occasionally tempts the
poetic muse, his best known efforts being a poem
"To Thomas Moore's Seventieth Birthday," one
on ex-Mayor Larkin's ninety-first birthday, and
an ode to Admiral Schley. In an article that
appeared in the "Delaware County Advocate,"
July 4, 1897, he foretold some of the future
events of the coming Spanish-American war,
declaring that Cuba, Hawaii and the uttermost
isles of the sea are holding out their hands to
America, and at a time when few had accurate
knowledge of even the location of the Philippine
Islands. Among valuable permanent contribu
tions to our local annals, Mr. Johnson prepared
a sketch of Judge Frederick J. Hinkson, bio
graphical and genealogical, which is published
in the proceedings of the Delaware County His
torical Society, in which organization Mr. John
son holds office as its second vice-president. He
has also prepared a succinct history of the bench
and bar of Delaware county which will appear in

, 7k/,

/?z-/gJ-#~?zj

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

47

the forthcoming history of the "Bench and Bar
of Pennsylvania," in course of publication by
H. C. Cooper, Brother & Company, of Chicago.
May 16, 1871, David M. Johnson married
Margaret Woodland Brown, daughter of the
Rev. Henry and Margaret Brown. . Mrs. John
son's father was rector of St. Paul's Protestant
Episcopal church at Chester for a period of thirty
years, and for over five years was its rector
emeritus. The large, beautiful stained glass
window in the chancel, representing the conver
sion of St. Paul, was placed by the congregation
in the chancel of St. Paul's church in 1903 as
a memorial to Mr. Brown. The children now
living born to David M. and Margaret W. John
son are May Johnson, who on January 31, 1894,
became the wife of Herbert Groby Catrow;
David Marshall Johnson, Jr., a successful prac
titioner at the bar of Delaware county, who on
April 20, 1903, married Beatrice Roberts Tyson;
and Anna Elizabeth Johnson.

HENRY M. HINKSON. For a century and
a half the Hinkson family have been an important
and influential factor in the history of the south
ern section of the territory now comprising Dela
ware county. Tradition asserts that early in the
Seventeenth century several brothers named Han
sen emigrated from Hanover, in the north of
Germany, to county Cavan, in the north of Ire
land, where the name underwent a change, taking
the present form of Hinkson, which is wholly
of Saxon-English origin.
Prior to 1750, John and Jane (Morrow)
Hinkson, with an infant son, Thomas, emigrated
from county Cavan to the province of Pennsyl
vania. During the voyage to their new home in the
colonies was born at sea to the young couple an
infant son who was called John, after the father.
The emigrant ancestor settled in Upper Provi
dence, where he prospered. As early as 1770,
John, the son mentioned, was operating a saw mill
in Nether Providence, on Vernon's run. James
Hinkson, the third son born in the colony, and
the great-uncle of Henry M. Hinkson, prior to
1790 purchased several tracts of land in Nether
Providence, where the Providence great road and
the Wallingford road cross each other. The eld
est son, Thomas, acquired other lands, abutting
upon the road, hence that locality, in a descrip
tive sense, was known as "Hinkspn's Corners,"
a name which is still applied to it.
John Hinkson, third, second son of John and
Abigail (Engle) Hinkson, was born in Nether
Providence, July 27, 1792. He received an or
dinary education of a well-to-do farmer's son of
those times, particular care being given to pen
manship, in which the boy displayed aptitude, and
in after life he was noted for his handwriting,
4X

which has been likened to copper-plate. Until
twenty-two John Hinkson had remained on the
ancestral farm, but when, in the summer of 1814,
the militia of the state was called into service
to repel the threatened attack by Admiral Cock-
burn's fleet and the British army under General
Ross, he held rank as sergeant in the Delaware
County Troop of Horse, and in 1820, when the
troop was reorganized, he became its captain. In
1 8 16 he married Jemima Worrell, a daughter of
Joseph Worrell, of Upper Providence, and the
couple resided at the court house, the young hus
band having received the appointment of steward.
There, the following year, their eldest child^
Joseph H. Hinkson, was born, hence the latter
was wont to declare that he "was born in the
work house and brought up in the jail," for in
1825 his father was elected sheriff, and the
office required that the incumbent should reside
in the borough of Chester in the dwelling part
of the jail. In 1834 John Hinkson was elected
prothonotary, clerk of the orphans'- court, re
corder of deeds and register of wills. In 1836V
or 1837 he represented Delaware county in the
legislature, a position he filled with credit to his
constituency and himself, but he declined a re-
nomination. Although still active in public affairs,.
Mr. Hinkson retired to his farm in Chester town
ship, where his health gradually failing, he died,
on July 30, 1844, aged fifty-two. To his first mar
riage were born two sons and one daughter. He
married, second, Orpha, daughter of Joseph and
Alice Neide, to which union were born three sons
and one daughter. The latter, Sarah, became the
wife of Ellis Smedley. The other children were
Henry M.,' the subject of this sketch ; William,
who married Annie, daughter of Edward Engle,
to which marriage were born four sons and four
daughters, and his second wife was Susan,
daughter of Samuel Black, of Chester ; Frederick
Hinkson married Annie Hansell, and to the union
were born two sons and five daughters.
Henry M. Hinkson, eldest son, was born June
14, 1829, at the old Hinkson homestead, near
Sneath's corner, Chester township. The lad,
who was fifteen when his father died, attended the
schools in the neighborhood and in the borough
of Chester. In his eighteenth year he entered
the store of George Baker, a cousin, who then
conducted in Chester a large general mercantile
business. For one year he continued in that em
ployment, when he decided to take up higher
branches of classical and mathematical studies
than those in which he had been instructed, and
with that end in view became a student in a noted
academy in Norristown, where he remained for
several years. On his return home he managed
with profit one of the ancestral farms. By this
time Chester had begun to develop rapidly, and
much ground which had been used in grazing

48

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

was laid out with streets and avenues. Mr.
Hinkson, who was possessed of considerable
means, purchased lots in growing localities and
engaged in real estate enterprises, in association
with his nephew, the late Hon. John B. Hink
son. While, not a speculator, he was quick to
see and appreciate the causes which would lead
to enhancing of values of lots in certain local
ities, and subsequent events proved the accuracy
of his judgment.. Mr. Hinkson was a man of
striking appearance, cultured in address and bear
ing. So natural was this that he was popularly
known as "Gentleman Harry." Although fre
quently solicited to accept nominations for city
and county offices, he refused except in one in
stance, in 1867, when he was elected alderman
of the middle ward, a position he held for five
years, making a record as one of the best ad
ministrators in the history of the office. In 1888
the Penn street planing mills, which he owned,
became vacant, and as no tenant applied for the
plant he successfully conducted the business until
his death, although he had no practical experi
ence theretofore in that branch of industrial
activity. Mr. Hinkson died at Chester, May 17, 1890,
aged sixty. Midway of the east transept of St.
Paul's Protestant Episcopal church in Chester is
a three panelled stained glass window, rich in
colorings and beautiful in detail, representing
the Crucifixion, which is in loving memory of
him. October 10, 1872, Mr. Hinkson married
Katherine R. Taylor, daughter of Joseph and
Hannah (Berdett) Taylor, who are probably in
the Taylor line descendants of Christopher Tay-
lar, one of William Penn's provincial council and
president judge of the court of Chester in 1684.
Mrs. Hinkson's grandfather on the paternal side
was Israel Taylor, of Aston, who married Ann
Malin, of Upper Providence, where her father
was born. The young couple shortly afterwards
removed to the ancestral estates in Aston. Her
maternal grandfather was Joseph Taylor, of
Upper Providence, a soldier of the Revolution,
who was captured by the British, and with other
prisoners of war was transported to St. Johns,
New Brunswick, where he was held awaiting
exchange until the close of the war brought him
release. He married Esther Hewes, of St. Johns,
whose father, Joseph Taylor, was a noted sur
veyor and mathematician. In 1844 he was elect
ed prothonotary, recorder and register of Dela
ware county, which necessitated his removal to
Chester, then the county seat. On the expira
tion of his official term he resumed the practice
of his profession. For the late Hon. John Locker,
Jr., he platted most of the present second, fourth
and fifth wards, and when the city was incor
porated he became the first surveyor, an office
he held for a number of years. He was also sur

veyor for the county of Delaware and the borough
of Darby, and laid out the Chester Rural Cem
etery, of which he was one of the projectors.
Joseph Taylor died February 27, 1884, in his
eighty-second year. One child was born to Mr,
and Mrs. Henry M. Hinkson, Alice N., who died
in infancy. Mrs. Henry M. Hinkson is an active
member of St. Paul's Protestant Episcopal church,
treasurer of its Dorcas Society, and a director
of the J. Lewis Crozer Home for Incurables.
She is also active in Charitable work, and is one
of the early members of the New Century Club
of Chester.

GEORGE BROOKE LINDSAY, a leading
lawyer and influential citizen of Chester, Pennsyl
vania, is a representative of a Scottish family,
which has been for a century and a half resident
in that state. John Lindsay, great-grandfather of
George Brooke Lindsay, was born in Scotland
and was a member of the Clan Lindsay. He emi
grated to America before the Revolutionary war,
and settled in Delaware county, Pennsylvania.
John Lindsay, son of John Lindsay, founder of
the American branch of the family, was born in
Haverford, Delaware county, and married Sarah
Brooke, a daughter of General William Brooke,
an officer in the patriot army of the Revolution.
For many years John Lindsay was a leading and
prosperous farmer, and was also active in the
political affairs of the community, being what is
known as an old-line Whig. In 1830 and 1831
he represented Delaware county in the state legis
lature. He was active in the Presbyterian church.
Mr. and Mrs. Lindsay were the parents of seven
children. The Brooke family, to which Mrs.
Lindsay belonged, came from England early in
the seventeenth century. Mr. Lindsay died in
Haverford in i860, at the advanced age of eighty-
eight. John C. Lindsay, son of John and Sarah
(Brooke) Lindsay, was born in 1817, on the old
homestead in Haverford. Like his father, he
followed for many years the occupation of a
farmer, residing from 1863 to :885 in Nether
Providence township, and subsequently, on his .
retirement from active business, removing to
Chester. He was a member of the Presbyterian
church. Mr. Lindsay married Catherine A.,
daughter of William V. Black, of Delaware
county, a prominent citizen, and one of the origi
nal directors of the First National Bank of Media.
He died in 1883, at the age of eighty-two. The
family of Mr. and Mrs. Lindsay consisted of six
children : William R., now engaged in gold-
mining in Idaho ; John, who is a resident of Ches
ter, Pennsylvania; George Brooke, mentioned at
length hereinafter ; J. Walter : Laura, who became
the wife of Captain Charles W Kedin, of Wash-

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

49

ington, District of Columbia; and Maria B., de
ceased. Mr. Lindsay died in 1898, and his wife
survives him, being now eighty-three years of
age. George Brooke Lindsay, son of John C. and
Catherine A. (Black) Lindsay, was born August
5, 1852, in Haverford, Delaware county, Pennsyl
vania, and received his primary education in the
local schools, later attending the Chester Acad
emy, and studying in a private school taught by
the Rev. James W. Dale, in Media, Pennsylvania.
He studied law in the office of Ward & Broomall,
and in 1874 was admitted to the bar of Delaware
county. He remained with the firm of Ward &
Broomall until 1878, when he was admitted to
practice in the supreme court of Pennsylvania.
Since that time he has engaged in the practice
of his profession on his own account, having been
admitted in 1880 to all the courts of Philadelphia
and of Chester county. He has an extensive gen
eral practice, representing many large corpora
tions, and has conducted a number of important
cases. He enjoys in a high degree the esteem and
confidence of his clients and of the community in
.general, convincing evidence of this being found
in the fact that he has acted as trustee for many
large estates, has held a number of offices of a
fiduciary nature, and is attorney for several lead
ing corporations in other states. In 1886 Mr.
Lindsay tried a case before a jury of expert
mechanical engineers in Cincinnati, Ohio, their
award to be final, in which he secured a verdict
against that city for over fifty thousand dollars.
His activities are not limited by the sphere of his
profession, but he takes a practical interest in
everything pertaining to the welfare and advance
ment of the city in which he resides, having filled
for four years the office of president of the Ches
ter Street Railroad Company, and is at the pres
ent time treasurer of the Delaware County Law
Library Association, and president Pf the Chester
Free Library.
In politics Mr. Lindsay is an active member of
the Republican party, having served for twenty
years continuously as solicitor for the borough of
South Chester, was also solicitor for the borough
of North Chester, and president of the Veteran
Republican Club of the city of Chester. His
gifts as a public speaker are exercised for the
benefit of his party during political campaigns.
Mr. Lindsay is one of the directors of the Chester
National Bank, and also of the Chester Street
Railway Company and the Chester & Media
Electric Railway Company. Mr. Lindsay pos
sesses a cultivated taste for art, and is prominent
in the social circles of Chester and Philadelphia.
He is a member of the Union League Club and of
the Art Club, both of the last named city, and
also belongs to the Penn Club, of Chester. He is
also a member of Clan Lindsay Society of Scot

land, and his country place near Chester is called
Edzell, after the name of the old Castle of the
family in Forfarshire, Scotland.

PROF. JOHN R. SWENEY. The Sweney
family of Pennsylvania is descended from Scotch-
Irish ancestors who came to America in the early
part of the last century, settling in Pennsylvania.
The traits of the virile race from. which it sprung
found transmission in the succeeding generations
on American soil, and two of the name, father
and son, came to be conspicuous, the one in music
and the other in arms. John H. Sweney, the
father of Professor John R. Sweney, passed the
greater part of his life in West Chester, Pennsyl
vania, where he was successsfully engaged in the
grocery business. He was a man of most ex
emplary character and a devoted member of the
Methodist Episcopal church. He died in 1883,
at the advanced age of seventy-eight years.
John R. Sweney, son of John H. Sweney, was
born in 1837, in West Chester, where he was
reared and educated. From his earliest youth he
gave evidence of an ardent love for music, and
delighted his parents and friends with his child
hood songs, veritable heart notes, as natural as
the strain of the lark. He was soon placed under
such instructors as the village could command,
and made such advancement that his talents
found appreciation in the estimation of his fel
low pupils, to whom he became a most capable
teacher. He subsequently studied under two
celebrated professors, Theodore Bauer and Pro
fessor Barilli, the latter named of whom was also
the instructor of that queen of song, Mme. Patti.
In time Professor Sweney's abilities as a teacher
and composer found high recognition, and he
received in turn the degrees of Bachelor of Music
and Doctor of Music.
Having entered upon music as his life work,
Professor Sweney was teaching in Dover, Dela
ware, when the Civil war opened, and he at once
went to the front as the leader of the band of
the Third Regiment of Delaware Volunteers, and
while in service he made his band one of the most
famous musical bodies in all the great Army of
the Potomac. On many review occasions it was
the most proficient on the ground, and received
warm praise from General McClellan and many
of his subordinate generals. On one occasion, at
least, he led his band when the great war presi
dent, Lincoln, saw the troops pass before him.
After the war Professor Sweney became pro
fessor of music in the Pennsylvania Military'
Academy at West Chester, and he maintained his
connection with that institution during the re
mainder of his life. Besides possessing all the
qualifications of the highly trained teacher, he

5°

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

had a special aptitude for leading large bodies of
singers, and his vacations were habitually de
voted to conducting the music at some of the
most famous summer gatherings in the country
— at Ocean Grove, New Jersey, at Round Lake,
New York, at Old Orchard, Maine, at the
Thousand Islands, at Lake Bluff, Illinois, and at
New Albany, Indiana. On all such occasions a
delightful feature of these great events was his
own solo singing, and he won national fame for
those of his own composition. He was an indus
trious author, and during his career wrote a
score of books of songs and three volumes of
anthems for choir use. His titles contained in
these, with others given in sheet form, numbered
about one thousand. All were characterized by
the loftiest tone in sentiment as well as musically
in song, which appealed to or expressed the sen
timents of the heart. Many of these, such as
"Beulah Land" and "The New Song" have long
been known the world over, and are destined to
live to delight the children and grandchildren of
those who first learned them.
It is impossible 'to trace the wide-spread in
fluence of this gifted man, whose high talents
were throughout his life consecrated to the service
of the Master and to the happiness of his fellows
by inspiring them to the good and beautiful. His
career was unblemished by a fault. His life was
in his music, and was music in itself — melodious
and harmonious — the constant expression of a
devotional heart, filled with reverence for his God
and affection for all humanity. Professor Sweney
was a Presbyterian in religion, and one of the
most active members of his church. In politics
he was a Republican. His death occurred April
io, 1899. He left to survive him his widow, who
was Miss Lizzie E. Hinkson, a daughter of
Joseph H. Hinkson, and a daughter by her, Miss
Josephine Hinkson Sweney, and two sons, Frank
G. and B. Hillard Sweney.
Frank G. Sweney, the eldest son, a resident
of Chester, is a civil engineer by profession, and
has long been prominently identified with real
estate, insurance and electric light and power
affairs. He has also been long connected with
the National Guard of Pennsylvania, and has held
various important positions, among them that of
inspector on the staff of Generals Robert P. Deck-
ert and John W. Scholl, and inspector general on
the staff of Governors Hastings, Stone and Pen-
nypacker.

HON. ROBERT CHADWICK. Hon. Rob
ert Chadwick, recently deceased, whose virile
energies were devoted to the interests of the
city of Chester and the county of Delaware for
upwards of one-third of a century, came from
an English family which was of French origin.

His remote ancestors migrated more than three
centuries ago from France to England. Of a
recent generation was Thomas Chadwick, who-
was born in England, where he conducted a
mercantile business until 1847, when he came to-
the United States, bringing with him his little
family, his wife having been in maidenhood Miss
Sarah Crabtree. He settled in Upland, Dela
ware county, Pennsylvania, where his wife died
August 8, 1852, and eight days later he himself
came to his death by accidental drowning in
Chester creek. He was a man of excellent char
acter and great industry.
Robert Chadwick, one of the four children
born to Thomas and Sarah (Crabtree) Chad
wick, was born at Rochdale, England, November
23, J833- He was fourteen years of age when his
parents came to Upland, and there he obtained
his education in the public schools. When seven
teen years old he went to Frankford, Philadel
phia county, where he learned wheelwrighting,
and he there followed his trade until the outbreak
of the Civil war. Foreign born though he was,.
he was altogether American in sentiment and
principle, and his patriotic spirit moved him to
devote his services to his adopted country. En
listing in the One Hundred and Fourteenth Reg
iment, Pennsylvania Volunteers, known as the
Collis Zouaves, he participated with that com
mand in all the arduous campaigns and many of"
the most desperate battles of the Army of the
Potomac from the summer of 1862 until peace
was restored in 1865, a period of three years.
After the war Mr. Chadwick took up his
residence in Chester, Pennsylvania, where he-
opened a wagon factory and blacksmith shop. In
dustry and ability brought their reward, and he
built up an extensive business which he prose
cuted most successfully during the remainder of
his life. Mr. Chadwick's interests in community
affairs, and his intense devotion to Republican
principles, soon brought him into public life in
positions which he adorned with signal ability
and unassailable integrity. He was twice elected'
to the city council, and served six years in that
body. In 1880 he was elected to the state as
sembly, and his services were of such conspicu
ous usefulness that by successive re-elections his
term was extended to the unusual period of eight
years, during which time he served upon a
number of the most important committees, and
aided in the formulation and enactment of many
salutary measures. For two years he was a
member of the board of trustees of the Soldiers'
Home at Erie, Pennsylvania, by legislative ap
pointment. In December, 1889. he was ap
pointed postmaster at Chester by President Har
rison, and during his four years' term discharged !
the duties of the office with a degree of ability
which greatly promoted its efficiency, winning the-

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

5i

¦Cordial approval of the community, without re
gard to party, and the commendation of the
departmental authorities at Washington.
Mr. Chadwick was one of the earliest mem
bers of the Grany Army of the Republic, having
become a member of Wilde Post, No. 25, in 1866,
the year of the foundation of the order, and he
served in various post stations, and has beeen a
representative in state and national encampments.
In Masonry he was a past master in Chester
Lodge, No. 236, F. and A. M., and a member of
Chester Chapter, No. 258, R. A. M., and St.
John's Commandery, No. 4, K. T., of Philadel
phia. He was also an Odd Fellow, and a member
of the American Veteran Legion.
Mr. Chadwick was married September 9,
1857, to Miss Louisa J. Gardner, a native of Jer
sey City, and a daughter of Henry M. Gardner
of London, England. Of this marriage were
born six children, of whom four are living,
named as follows : Henry G, who was reared in
the business founded by his father, and suc
ceeded to it at his death. He married Miss Annie
Kirk, and to them were born seven children, (1)
Robert; (2) Hattie, who is dead; (3) Walter,
(4) Louise; (5) Anna; (6) Helen; (7) Mad
eline. 2. Susie C. became the wife of Charles S.
Worrell, of Chester, and to whom were born two
children, Henry Chadwick and Robert C. Wor
rell. 3. Sarah Louise became the wife of John
Kirk, of Chester, and has one child, Huldah J. 4.
John, M. D., of Buffalo, New York, married
Kathryn Cutler, and has one child, Doris.
Mr. Chadwick died April 21, 1902. The sad
-event was sincerely deplored by the entire com
munity and the people, with large numbers of
prominent men from all portions of the state,
assembled on the day of the funeral to pay the
last tribute of respect to one whom they had long
known as a model citizen, faithful public official
and gallant soldier. The funeral services were
conducted by the Rev. J. M. T. Childrey, pastor
-of the First Baptist church, with which the de
ceased and his family were connected, and the
remains were committed to the grave with the
"beautiful and impressive ceremonies prescribed
in the ritual of the Masonic brotherhood.

WILLIAM H. GREEN, Sr., founder of the
Vulcan Works of Chester, and a pioneer in the
industrial development of South Chester, who
by his wonderful ability, clear foresight and in
domitable energy created the first great industry
-of that borough and guided it to assured success,
was born at Stockport, Cheshire, England, Au
gust 3, 1 83 1, eldest son of Moses and Jane
(Campbell) Green. The family from which he
was descended is of English lineage. His pater
nal grandfather, George Green, was a native and

a life-long resident of Stockport, England, and
a well known professor and teacher of music.
Of his twelve children, Moses Green, father, was
born at Stockport in 1805, and after attaining
manhood married Jane Campbell, whose parents
were Joseph and Mary Campbell, of the same
town. The children of Moses and Jane Green
were: William H., Sarah, John, James, Jane,
Mary, Sarah (2), Moses and Henry. Moses
Green came with his family to America in 1847,
and followed his trade of engineering in this
country until his death, which occurred in Oc
tober, 1879, in the seventy-sixth year of his age.
William H. Green, Sr., received a good common-
school education, and at the age of sixteen years
went to Manchester, where he learned the trade
of machinist and engineer. In that city he re
mained working at his trade until 1850, when
he bade farewell to his native land and sailed
for America. Arriving in this country he settled
first at Philadelphia, where he remained three
years, and then removed to Richmond, Virginia,
to assume the management of the engine depart
ment of the Tredegar Iron Works of that city.
In 1857 he resigned that position to become
superintendent of construction and repairs on
machinery used in fitting out steam vessels for
the government at Boston, Massachusetts. In
1 86 1 he was commissioned by the government
as chief engineer at Boston navy yard, but re
signed that place in 1863 to assume charge of the
Globe Iron Works in that city, which were then
principally engaged in turning out machinery for
the United States government, and there Mr.
Green had ample opportunity to demonstrate his
thoroughness as a practical machinist and his fine
ability as an engineer.
In 1864 he came to Chester, Delaware county,
Pennsylvania, and at once perceiving the oppor
tunities which South Chester presented as a man
ufacturing locality, he purchased land on Dela
ware avenue and Reaney street and directed the
Vulcan works. This was six years before public
attention was drawn to the availability of that
borough as a superior seat for manufacturing
enterprises, and to Mr. Green belongs the credit
of paving the way for that industrial growth which
has transformed the quiet village into a manu
facturing center of great importance during the
last twenty years, and filled the streets of the town
with the hum of increasing activity. The Vulcan
'works began operation in a building forty by
one hundred and twenty feet in dimensions,
which was afterward enlarged to a- handsome
brick structure one hundred and forty by two
hundred and fifty feet. The output of the works
consisted of manufactured articles of brass, steel
and iron, and Mr. Green made a specialty of brass
valves and cocks. In 1883 he manufactured sev
eral six-ton valves for the water department of

52

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

the city of Philadelphia, which are believed to be
the largest valves ever made in the world. The
Vulcan works owed their inception and success
primarily to the energy and good management of
Mr. Green, and not to any combination of capi
tal and associated interests. In the conspicuous
success which was achieved by him, he fully
illustrated what may be accomplished by first
thoroughly mastering a business and then intel
ligently using the knowledge thus obtained.
In his political sentiments Mr. Green was a
conservative Democrat, voting for men of ability
and who understood the business necessities of
the country rather than for theorists or politicians.
He was elected and served as the first burgess of
South Chester, and later was for several years
a member of the borough council and of the
school board, over which he presided for a time.
He was a Knight Templar in Masonry, and a
member and warden of St. Luke's Episcopal
church of the city of Chester. In every relation of
life he faithfully discharged the duties incumbent
upon him, and won the regard of all who knew
him. Eminently successful in business, he made
good use of the means thus acquired, and in many
ways assisted those less fortunate than himself,
providing imployment for large numbers of men
and answering the calls of charity with a liberal
hand up to the time of his death, which occurred
at his home in Chester, May i, 1893.
In 1857 Mr. Green was united in marriage to
Miss Elizabeth Chalmers McKenzie, a daughter
of John McKenzie, of Edinburgh, Scotland, and
to them were born seven children : William H.
Jr., Margaret Jane, Mary Campbell, Alfred Ten
nyson, Laura Christina, Lillie Christina and
Thomas R. List Green.

WILLIAM H. GREEN, Jr., a leading man
pf affairs of Chester, Pennsylvania, belongs to a
family of English origin which for two genera
tions has been prominent in Delaware county.
George Green, great-grandfather of William H.
Green, Jr., was born in Stockport, Cheshire, Eng
land, and throughout his life was a resident of
his birthplace, where he was a well known pro
fessor and teacher of music. The name of his
wife is not stated. He was the father of a family
of twelve children. Moses Green, son of George
Green, was born at Stockport, in 1805. He mar
ried Jane, daughter of Joseph and Mary Camp
bell, of Stockport, and had the following chil
dren : William H., Sr., Sarah, John, James, Jane,
Mary, Sarah (second), Moses and Henry. In
1847 Mr. Green, with his whole family, emigrated
to the United States, where he followed the call
ing of an engineer, which had been his occupation
in England. Mr. Green continued in active busi

ness life until his death, which took place in Oc
tober, 1879.
William H. Green, Sr., son of Moses and Jane
(Campbell) Green, was born at Stockport, Che
shire, England, August 3, 1831, and after receiv
ing a good common school education went at
the age of sixteen to Manchester, where he
learned the trade of machinist and engineer. It
was at the time of his leaving home that his
father emigrated to the United States, this one
son alone remaining behind. In 1850 Mr. Green
came to this country and settled in Philadelphia,
where for three years he pursued his trade, re
moving at the end of that time to Richmond, Vir
ginia, where he filled the position of superintend
ent of the machine and engine department of the
Tredegar Iron works of that city. Mr. Green's
marked ability as a machinist and engineer could
not fail of recognition, and in 1857 he was assign
ed by the burean of steam engineering at Washing
ton, to the Boston navy yard, where he acted
as superintendent of the construction and repair
ing of the machinery used in the fitting out of
all government steam vessels at that port. He
was commissioned in 1861 as chief engineer of
the Boston navy yard, which position he re
signed in 1863 in order to assume charge of the
Globe Iron Works in that city. In this position
Mr. Green enjoyed the advantage of a wide and
conspicuous field for the exercise of his abilities,
the works being mainly occupied at that time in
working for the United States government, and
during his short stay there he fully demonstrated
his exceptional thoroughness and skill.
In 1864 Mr. Green removed to Chester, Dela
ware county, Pennsylvania, where he at once per
ceived the remarkable facilities offered by South
Chester for the development of manufacturing
interests. He purchased land on Delaware ave
nue and Reaney street, where he erected the now
clebrated Vulcan Works, and established an ex
tensive business in brass and iron, valves and
cocks of the former material being a specialty.
In 1883 Mr. Green manufactured for the water
department of Philadelphia several six-ton
valves, which are believed to be the largest ever
made in the world. In establishing the Vulcan
Works Mr. Green played the part of a pioneer,
being the first to realize the availability of the
borough for manufacturing enterprises, and to
the fact that he led the way in this direction
may be largely attributed the transformation of
the place from a quiet village into a manufactur
ing center. The original buildings of the works
were subsequently enlarged into a fine brick
structure, one hundred and forty by two hundred
and fifty feet. Mr. Green took an active inter
est in all the affairs of the community, in politics
being a conservative Democrat, and voting for
men of ability and character irrespective of party-

^^^2>^f^i£^<^^

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

53

He was elected the first burgess of the borough
of South Chester, and also served as a member
of the council. His best efforts were devoted
to advancing the cause of education, in the in
terests of which he consented to serve as a mem
ber of the bpard pf education and to act for a
time as president of that body. Mr. Green was
active in Masonic circles, holding the rank of
Knight Templar. He was a member of St.
Luke's Protestant Episcopal church, in which he
served as warden.
Mr. Green married, in 1857, Elizabeth Chal
mers McKenzie, daughter of John McKenzie, of
Edinburgh, Scotland, and was the father of
seven children: William H., Jr., Margaret
Jane, Mary Campbell, Alfred Tennyson, Laura
Christina, Lillie Christina and Thomas R. List.
Mr. Green died at his home in Chester, May 1,
1893, leaving behind him the reputation of a
man faithful to every duty, who had turned to
the best account the success which this fidelity
to obligation, joined to his fine abilities, had
brought him, and who was ever ready to extend
a helping hand to those less favored than him
self. William H. Green, Jr., son of William H.
Sr., and Eliazbeth Chalmers (McKenzie) Green,
was born January 29, 1859, at Charlestown, Mas
sachusetts. When he was five years old his fa
ther removed to Chester, Pennsylvania, and there
Mr. Green received his primary education in the
public schools of that place, later attending the
old Chester Academy, after which he took a
commercial course at Pierce's Business College.
At the age of fifteen he began his business career
by assisting his father in the capacity of a clerk,
and also superintending outside transactions, be
coming in the course of years more intimately
identified with the management of the works.
In November, 1892, the Vulcan Works were
incorporated as a joint stock company, of which
William H. Green, Sr., was elected president, the
junior bearer of the name becoming vice-presi
dent, who, upon the death of his father, became
president. Mr. Green possesses all the assiduity
and ability as a business man which distinguished
his father, and under his skillful and far-sighted
management the Vulcan Works have maintained
a course of uninterrupted prosperity. This es
tablishment enjoys the distinction of being the
only manufacturing business in South Chester
which has never, since it was founded, shut down
for a single day. Like his father, Mr. Green
is a Democrat in politics, acting with his party
on national and state issues, but in local matters
inclining toward independence. Owing to the
absorbing nature of his duties as a leading man
of affairs, he has had little time for active par
ticipation in political contests. He is a mem
ber of St. Luke's Protestant Episcopal church,

and for twenty years acted as librarian of the
Sunday school. He holds membership in the
society of the Sons of St. George, of Philadel
phia, a very ancient organization, having been
founded one hundred and thirty-six years ago.
Mr. Green married, November 5, 1882, Emma
Hamor Taylor, daughter of William Taylor, then
cashier of the First National Bank of Chester.
Mr. and Mrs. Green became the parents of five
children : Ellwood Garrett ; Margaret H. ; Will
iam H., who died February 7, 1901 ; Harry B.,
deceased ; and Malcolm McKenzie.

WALTER J. ARNOLD, who for the past
nineteen years has been connected with the First
National Bank of Chester, Pennsylvania, in the
capacity of bookkeeper, was born in Bedford,
Pennsylvania, January 29, 1832, a grandson of
John Arnold, a native of Germany, and a large
land owner in Bedford, Pennsylvania.
Captain John Arnold, father of Walter J.
Arnold, was a prosperous and well known builder
and contractor of Bedford, where he took a
prominent part in political, military and social
matters, being the commander for a number of
years of a company of militia. He married Miss
Julia Margaret Walter, daughter of Captain
Peter Walter, of New York, a soldier of the Rev
olution, who was formerly a shipping merchant
of Philadelphia. He and his wife were taken.
prisoners by pirates during one of his
cruises. He lost nearly all by French spoliation,
three of his vessels having ben captured by that
nation. He was an active participant in the
war of 1812, and was the first man in America
to suggest the enlistment of colored soldiers dur
ing that struggle. His remains are interred in
Trinity cemetery, New York. The following
children were born to Captain artd Mrs. Arnold:
Abraham K., who received a military education
at West Point, New York, participated in the
Spanish-American war in the capacity of briga
dier-general, after which he was retired, his death
occurred shortly after. Humphrey enlisted as a
drummer boy during the progress of the Civil
war, having run away from home twice in order
to join the troops ; Elizabeth C. ; Julia W. ; and
Walter J. Arnold. The father of these children
died in 1882, and his wife passed away in 1896.
Walter J. Arnold spent the early years of his
life in Bedford, where an excellent education was
offered him by attending the common schools
of the town. In 1845, having attained the age
of thirteen years, he located in the city of Ches
ter, and was employed by his uncle, Y. S. Walter,
in the printing office of the Delaware county
"Republican." In 1861 Mr. Arnold joined the
Chester Independent Company of the Pennsyl
vania militia, was ordered to Chambersburg and

54

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

later was appointed to the rank of brigade in
spector; subsequently he was removed to Balti
more, where he was placed iii charge of the trans
portation facilities on the Northern Central Rail
road, and for three years he gave transportation
tb the United States troops. Later he ' was
located in Washington, D. C, where he was en-.
gaged in the capacity of passenger agent on the
Northern Central & Pennsylvania Railroad for
three years, and the following five years he was
.an employe of the Custom House in Philadel
phia. He then became actively interested in the
Philadelphia and Reading Railroad, which posi
tion he retained for two years, and then for a
-short period of time he was the editor of "Life,"
a Philadelphia newspaper. Nineteen years ago
he accepted the position of bookkeeper for the
First National Bank of Chester, Pennsylvania,
and has ever since faithfully and conscientiously
performed the duties attached to the office.
Mr. Arnold married Miss Margaret Lane,
daughter of F. A. Lane, and four children were
born to them, three of whom are living : Walter
C, John O. D. and Fred L., the last named a
member of Company C, Sixth Pennsylvania In
fantry.

JAMES WATTS MERCUR, of Walling-
ford, Delaware county, Pennsylvania, is descend
ed from a family which has long been repre
sented in the Keystone state, and in each gen
eration has given useful and valued citizens to
the community.
The family tradition is that a Mercur died
at Klagenfurth, Austria, about 1775, leaving con
siderable property, both real and personal, and
two sons, Hugh and Henry. The former mar
ried a Protestant and the latter a Catholic. This
caused some feeling between the wives, although
the brothers remained friendly, and Henry sug
gested that Hugh take the personal property and
go to America, while he would remain at home.
Hugh, agreeing to this, came to the United
States about the end of the Revolutionary war,
and settled in Salisbury township, Lancaster
county, Pennsylvania, where a son was born Sep
tember 20, 1786, and named after his uncle
Henry, in Austria. In 1799 Henry Mercur was
sent to Vienna, to be educated at the university
there, and remained eight years, returning home
in 1807. He witnessed the entry of Napoleon's
army into Vienna in 1805. Upon his return
home he found his father and mother both dead,
not having heard from them for two years. He
gathered up what little remained of their estate,
and having no acquaintance among his neighbors
nor any tastes in common with them, commenced
traveling over the United States. He subse
quently learned the hatter's trade, and in 1809

settled in "what is now Towanda, Pennsylvania,1
where he was interested in lands, and also car
ried on the hatter's business, until about 1845,
when he sold his interests there and moved to
Illinois, where he took up large tracts of land and
remained until about 1865, when he returned to
Towanda. Henry Mercur had one brother and'
one sister, both of whom died in infancy. He
was highly educated, and the "History of To
wanda" says that when he went to that section
of the state he was probably the most highly
educated man there : "He was not only a scien
tific scholar, but a linguist, and knew consider
able of the Arabic and Sanscrit." "Indeed,"
said one capable of judging, "he was the only
thoroughly educated man I ever knew." From
the character of his education it is thought that
he was intended for the church, but concluding
not to became a priest, became estranged from
his relatives in Austria, for he was never known
by his children to have any correspondence with
them, and always manifested a strong prejudice
against Catholics. It is thought that his father
came to America either with or through Fred
erick Eugene, Baron de Beelen Bertholff, the first
Austrian minister to this country, for the rea
son that, at the time the former settled in Lan
caster county, Baron de Beelen Bertholff took
up large tracts of land in the same township,
and the Austrians who came to this country at
that time were few. It does not appear by the
records that any one by the name of Mercur
ever owned lands in Lancaster county, but the
father must have been a man of education and
means, for the reason that he said, "the schools
here were poor, and not the place to educate a
gentleman's son," and so sent Henry to Vienna
to be educated.
Henry Mercur married, first, September 10,
1810, Mary Watts, resided at what is now To
wanda, Pennsylvania, and died there, September
6, 1868. As the name of Hugh Mercur's wife
is not known, and as all the Mercurs in • the
United States are descended from Henry Mercur,
he may be said to be the founder of the family
in the United States. Mary Watts, mentioned
above as the wife of Henry Mercur, was born in
1790, at what is now Towanda, Pennsylvania,
and died December 14, 1839. She was the daugh
ter of Francis and Jane (Means) Watts. The
former was a private in the Fourth Regiment of
the Light Dragoons, Colonel Stephen Moylan,
Continental army; second lieutenant in Colonel
Arthur Buchanan's Battalion, Cumberland Coun
ty Pennsylvania Militia, 1777; captured by the
Indians in their attack upon Fort Freeland, July
28, 1779, but escaped the same day. Francis
Watts went from Cumberland to Northumber
land county, and then to what is now Towanda,
Pennsylvania, about the end of the Revolutionary

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

5 5

war. He married Jane Means there, and died
about 1808. He was the son of James and Ann
(Walker) Watts. The former was sergeant in
the Second Company, Captain Arthur Taggart's
Second Battalion, Colonel James M. Murray's
Northumberland County (Pennsylvania) Militia,
May 3, 1878; tomahawked and put to death by
the Indians in their attack upon Fort Freeland,
July 28, 1779. James Watts was undoubtedly
a brother of General Frederick Watts, of Cum
berland county, Pennsylvania, who was prom
inent in the Revolutionary war, for the reason
that James went from Cumberland county to
Northumberland county, and the Watts family
of Carlisle, or those of Cumberland county
and those of Bradford county, in which Towanda
is situated, always claimed relationship one with
the other. James was probably the elder, and
presumably came to this country with his brother
Frederick in 1760.
Jane Means, mentioned above as the wife of
Francis Watts, was the daughter of Samuel
Means. The latter, a soldier of the Revolution,
and supposed to have been killed in the Wyoming
Massacre, was the son of Samuel and Grizzle
(Stephen) Means. This last-named Samuel
was Scotch-Irish, and settled at Paxtang, Lan
caster county, Pennsylvania, as early as 1722.
He died there, February, 1746-7, and his wife,
who was the daughter of Andrew Stephen, Sr.,
died in November of the same year. Mary
Watts, daughter of Francis and Jane (Means)
Watts, and wife of Henry Mercur, was descend
ed from William Clark, a member of Penn's first
¦council, and chief justice of the Lower Counties.
Ulysses Mercur, son of Henry and Mary
(Watts) Mercur, was born at Towanda, Penn
sylvania, August 18, 18 18, and in 1848 graduated
with honors from Jefferson College. He studied
law and practiced his profession at Towanda,
Pennsylvania, until 1861, when, in the place of
Judge David Wilmot, who resigned in order to
take his seat in Congress, where he became
famous as the author of the Wilmot Proviso,
he was appointed president judge of the thir
teenth judicial district. He retained this posi
tion till 1864, when he resigned and accepted a
unanimous nomination for Congress in order to
harmonize jarring party interests. He was elect
ed as a Republican, and continued in Congress
till 1872, when he resigned, having been elected
to the supreme bench of Pennsylvania in that
year, to succeed Chief Justice Thompson. On
January 1, 1888, by seniority of commission, he
became chief justice, and held this office at the
time of his death. Prior to his going to the bench
he was an active Republican, and was a member
of the first Republican convention held in Pitts
burg, in 1856. During his eight years in Con-
egress, at a very important and critical period of

the nation's history, he was recognized as a use
ful and influential member of that body. He was
a member of the Episcopal church, and every
Sunday was to be found attending service.
As to his position upon the supreme bench,
at a bar meeting held in Pittsburg in his memory,
one of the speakers said: "In connection with
this office nothing can be said of him that is not
to his honor. There is no taint on the purity of
his ermine, the hot breath of calumny has never
touched him and no question was ever made of
the integrity of his life. His daily walk and
conversation were pure and without reproach.
He was distinguished by a saving common sense.
His opinions have been accepted by the judg
ment of the profession as sound. They are clear
ly expressed, without meretricious ornament or
affectation. They are consistent with the char
acter of the man, showing his industry, his up
rightness, his straightforwardness, his ambition
to do right, and are expressed in clear, simple,
pure English. They will remain while the com
monwealth lasts, an enduring monument to his
honor." Chief Justice Mercur married, June 12, 1850,
at Davisville, Bucks county, Pennsylvania, Sarah
Simpson Davis. His death toook place June 6,
1887, at the residence of his son, James Watts
Mercur, at Wallingford, Delaware county, Penn
sylvania. His wife, who was born November
10, 1822, at Davisville, Bucks county, Pennsyl
vania, died April 20, 1896, at Towanda, Penn
sylvania. Sarah Simpson Davis was the daugh
ter of General John Davis, of Bucks county,
Pennsylvania, born August 7, 1788, died April
1, 1878, and Amy Hart, his wife, born June 20,
1784, died August 17, 1847. They were married
March 23, 1813. General John Davis was the son
of John Davis, born September 6, 1760, died
January 25, 1832, and Ann Simpson, his wife,
born December 24, 1764, died June, 1851. They
were married June 6, 1783. General John Davis
was in the war of 1812, being ensign of Captain
Purdy's company, which was the Ninth Company
of the First Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteer
Riflemen, commanded by Colonel Thomas
Humphrey. This regiment formed part of the
advance light brigade, commanded by Brigadier-
General Thomas Cadwallader. His experience in
the war developed a strong taste for military
affairs, and he shortly after entered the volunteer
militia, became active therein, and was in con
stant commission thirty-four years. During that
period he held in succession the commissions of
captain, brigade inspector, colonel and was three
times elected major-general of the divisions com
posed of the counties of Bucks and Montgomery.
When a colonel, in 1824, it was arranged that
his regiment should meet General Lafayette, then
on -a visit to this country, at Morrisville, and es-

56

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

cort him through Bucks county to Philadelphia.
When Colonel Davis was presented to the Gen
eral, he reminded him that his father, a soldier
in the Pennsylvania Line, had assisted in carry
ing the General to a place of safety on the field
of Brandywine. General Lafayette remembered
the circumstances, and embraced the Colonel,
saying, "The two soldiers handled me like a
child." In 1833 Governor Wolf appointed Gen
eral Davis a member of the board of appraisers
for the public works, an office which he held for
three years. He was elected to the twenty-sixth
Congress as a Democrat, and served one term.
He was twice renominated for Congress, but
defeated at the polls by a small majority, because
of some disaffection in the Democratic ranks.
He was active in county, state and federal politics
and enjoyed the confidence and esteem of Presi
dent Van Buren, John C. Calhoun, Thomas H.
Benton, James Buchanan and others. He was
active in securing the election of President Polk,
and was appointed by him, in 1845, surveyor of
the port of Philadelphia, which office he held
for four years, discharging the duties in the
most satisfactory manner. While surveyor he
made John W. Forney his deputy. Up to the
time of his death he continued to be a stanch and
active Democrat, though he strongly upheld the
Civil war and was always interested in a politi
cal discussion. He had a strong constitution,
and until one year before his death he made it a
rule to walk one mile from his house, two miles
in all, in both summer and winter, before sunrise.
He was a strong Baptist, and was always active
and prominent in the affairs of that church.
Ann Simpson, the mother of General John
Davis, was the daughter of William Simpson,
Sr., and Nancy Hines. The former, who was
born in 1732, came to this country about 1748,
and died in 1816. He, also, was a Revolutionary
soldier, being a private in a Buckingham town
ship company, Captain John Lacey, Second Bat
talion, Colonel Dr. John Beatty, Bucks County
(Pennsylvania) Associators, 1775. John Davis,
father of General John Davis, was the son
of William Davis, who came to America about
1740, died about 1799, and Sarah Burley, born
1735, died May 10, 1819, daughter of John Bur-
ley, of Makefield township, who died in 1748.
They were married in 1756. John Davis, born
1760, was a private in Captain William Hart's
Company, Bucks County (Pennsylvania) Bat
talion of the "Flying' Camp," Colonel Joseph
Hart, 1776; private in Captain Thomas Butler's
Company, Third Regiment, 1777 ; transferred
to Captain Joseph McClellan's Company, Ninth
Regiment, 1780 ; transferred to the Second Regi
ment, 1781, Pennsylvania Line; ensign, Second
Battalion, Bucks County (Pennsylvania) Militia;
at Trenton, Paoli, Brandywine, Germantown,

Valley Forge, Monmouth, Stony Point and York-
town; wounded at the Block House, New Jer
sey, July 21, 1780. This is a record of which
any one may well be proud, considering that John
Davis went into the army at sixteen years of age.
He was one of the two soldiers who carried Gen
eral Lafayette off the field of Brandywine, and
also one of the guard around Andre when that
officer was hanged. In speaking of the latter
event he said, "It made me shed tears to see so
handsome a man cut down in his youth." Will
iam Davis, the father, was also a Revolutionary
soldier, being a private in an Upper Makefield
township company, Second Battalion, Colonel
Dr. John Beatty, Bucks County (Pennsylvania)
Associators, 1775.
Amy Hart, wife of General John Davis, was
the daughter of Colonel Josiah Hart, born July
17, 1749, died December 25, 1800, and Ann
Watts, his wife, born October 5, 1759, died
March 2, 1815. They were married January 11,
1776. Colonel Josiah Hart was captain of the
Philadelphia County Pennsylvania Associators;
colonel of the Second Battalion of Philadelphia
County Pennsylvania Associators, 1776; dele
gate to the military convention held at Lancaster,.
Pennsylvania, July 4, 1776, to choose brigadier-
generals for the Associated Battalions of Penn
sylvania ; captain of the Second Company, Fourth'
Battalion, Colonel William Dean, Philadelphia.
County Pennsylvania .Militia, 1777. Colonel Jo
siah Hart was the son of Colonel Joseph Hart,
born September 1, 1715, died February 25, 1788,
and Elizabeth Collet, born May 14, 1714, died
February 19, 1788. They were first cousins, and-
were married October 9, 1740. Colonel Joseph
Hart was chairman of the committee of safety
and correspondence, Bucks county, Pennsyl
vania, 1774-1776; delegate to the conference held
in Carpenters' Hall, July 15, 1774, and chairman
of the committee which recommended that "a
Congress of deputies from the several colonies
be immediately assembled to consult together;"'
vice-president of the provincial conference of
Pennsylvania, held in Carpenters' Hall, June 18,
1776; delegate to the Pennsylvania constitutional'
convention of 1776 ; member of the supreme exec
utive council of Pennsylvania, July 23, 1777;
member of the council of safety of Pennsylvania,
1777 ; colonel of the Bucks County Pennsylvania
Battalion of the "Flying Camp," July 9, 1776;
lieutenant of Bucks county, Pennsylvania, March
26, 1780; member of the council of censors,
Bucks county, Pennsylvania, October 30, 1783.
Besides the above Revolutionary record, Joseph-
Hart was commissioned by Governor Hamilton,.
in 1749, sheriff of Bucks county; again commis
sioned in 1750 and 1751 ; was appointed justice
of the peace in 1747, and in 1764 was commis
sioned justice of the quarter sessions and com-

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

57

mon pleas. He was always active in military
affairs, and in 1747 was chosen ensign of Cap
tain Kroesen's company of "Associators of
Bucks County," in the regiment commanded by
Colonel Alexander Grayden. After the defeat
of General Braddock, in 1755, the assembly of
Pennsylvania passed an act for the "better or
dering and regulating" the militia of the prov
ince, under which law the Governor commis
sioned Joseph Hart a captain. Afterward,
when in 1756 the militia of Pennsylvania were
embodied for the defense of the province, he was
again commissioned captain of the Bucks county
company. Ann Watts, the wife of Colonel Josiah Hart,
was the daughter of Arthur Watts, born Octo
ber 29, 1733, died October 19, 1809, and Sarah
Folwell, his wife, born January 14, 1734, died
February 3, 1798. They were married December
24, 1758. Arthur Watts was also a Revolution
ary soldier. He was a private in the company
of his brother-in-law, Captain John Folwell, First
Battalion, Colonel Joseph Kirkbride, Bucks
County (Pennsylvania) Associators, August 19,
1775. He was a member of the committee of
safety and correspondence, of Bucks county,
Pennsylvania, 1775-1776, and delegate to the
military convention held at Lancaster, Pennsyl
vania, July 4, 1776, to choose brigadier-generals
for the Associated Battalions of Pennsylvania.
He was the son of Stephen Watts, born Decem
ber 6, 1700-1, died 1783, and Elizabeth Melchior,
his wife, born 1707, died March 16, 1794, and
grandson of the Rev. John Watts, born in Leeds,
England, November 3, 1661, died August 27,
1702, and Sarah Eaton, his wife, born 1655, died
June 27, 1723. They were married February 23,
1687. The Rev. John Watts was the rector of
the Pennypack Baptist church in Philadelphia,
from 1686 till the time of his death. He was
descended from Sir John Watts, high sheriff of
London in 1596, and Lord Mayor in 1604. He was
a member of the Clothworkers' Guild. Sarah
Folwell, the wife of Arthur Watts, was the
daughter of William Folwell, born at Burlington,
New Jersey, 1704, died June 4, 1776, and Anne
Potts, his wife, born August, 1707, died Febru
ary 20, 1788. They were married December
6, 1727. William Folwell was the son of Nathan
Folwell, who died at Burlington, New Jersey,
1710, and his wife Hope.
Colonel Joseph Hart was the son of John
Hart, born July 15, 1684, died March 23,
1763, and Eleanor Crispin, his wife, Born
July 11, 1687, died October 29, 1754. They
were married November 23, 1708. John Hart
was a man of wealth for the times, and occupied
a corresponding position of influence among his
fellow citizens in Bucks county. He was one
of the twp justices returned fpr sheriff of the

county as early as 1726; and was afterward re
turned in the years 1731, '32, '33, '35 and '37,
but he was not commissioned until 1738, and af
terward in 1739, '40, '44, '45, '48 and '49. He
was commissioned coroner on the 12th of Octo
ber, 1 74 1, and again in 1742. He was repeatedly
appointed and commissioned justice of the peace,
and was still on the list in 1757, having been
commissioned the last time the 9th of June,
1752. John Hart, born 1684, was the son of
John Hart, born in Whitney, Oxfordshire, Eng
land, November 16, 165 1, came to America in
1682, died September, 1714, and Susannah Rush,
his wife, born December 26, 1656, died February
27, 1725. They were married in England in
1 68 1. John Hart, who was born in Whitney,
and came to this country with his wife in 1682,
was the son of Christopher and Mary Hart.
The family was one of note, education and con
siderable wealth. They were members of the
Society of Friends. On the nth day of July,
1 68 1, John Hart, with others, entered into an
agreement with William Penn to purchase lands
of him, situate in the colony, afterward called
Pennsylvania. On the 12th of October follow
ing, William Penn conveyed to him one thousand
acres. John Hart and his wife came over either
with William Penn or earlier, with Captain
Thomas Holme. He was a member of the first
grand jury in the state, for the court held at Up
land, September 12, 1682. He settled in Byberry,
Philadelphia county, by the close of the year,
,for he was chosen a member of the assembly
for that county, about the latter part of December
or the beginning of January, which is shown by
the fact that he took his seat in that body at its
first session. His name is attached to the first
charter of the government, dated at Philadel
phia, the 2d of February, 1683. John Hart was
also a member of the assembly in 1684. He was
a prominent Friend, and the first meeting of the
Society in Byberry was held at his house. The
meetings were frequently held there in 1683,
'84, '85 and '86. He was active as a member
and minister of the Society of Friends until-
about 1691, when the unfortunate schism of
George Keith rent the society asunder, and he
went off with Keith and preached to a society
of Keithians till 1702, when he joined the Penne-
pack Baptish church. He was then appointed
assistant minister at Pennepack, and continued
as such till his death in 1714. He was never
ordained, but was considered a pious man and
esteemed as a good preacher. In Proud's "His
tory of Pennsylvania" he is described as a man
"of rank, character and reputation" and a "great
preacher." Elizabeth Collet, the wife of Colonel Joseph
Hart, was the daughter of John Collet, who died
1725, and Mary Crispin, his wife, born August,

58

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

1686, died 1762. Her paternal grandparents
were Richard, who died 1717, and Elizabeth
Rush, born July 16, 1649, died 1717. They were
married May 27, 1680. Her grandparents on
the maternal side were Silas Crispin, who died
May 31, 171 1, and Hester Holme, who died
April 17, 1696. They were married in 1683.
Eleanor Crispin, the mother of Colonel Jo
seph Hart, and the wife of John Hart, born 1684,
was the daughter of Silas Crispin and Hester
Holme. The maternal grandmother of Colonel
Joseph Hart, Susannah Rush, was the sister of
Elizabeth Rush, above. Joseph Hart and his
wife Elizabeth Collet, were, therefore, not only
first cousins through their mothers, but were
first cousins once removed, through their
fathers. Elizabeth and Susannah Rush were
the daughters of Captain John Rush and
Susannah Lucas. The former was an officer of
the Parliamentary army in England, commanding
a troop of horse. He married Susannah Lucas
at Harton, Oxfordshire, June 8, 1648, came to
this country in 1683, and had a plantation in
Byberry, Philadelphia county.
The father of Hester Holme was Thomas
Holme, born in 1624. He was a captain under
Cromwell, and later an officer in the Hispaniola
•expedition in 1654, either under Admiral Penn
or General Venables. On April 18, 1682, he
was appointed by William Penn, surveyor gen
eral of the province, and sailed for Pennsylvania
in the "Amity," which left the Downs on April
23, 1682. He was a member of the Free Society.
-of Traders, and one of that society's committee
of twelve to reside in Pennsylvania. It is said
that he was appointed one of the committee for
settling the colony, in place of William Crispin,
deceased; and while no commission to him as
such is extant to prove the statement, the fact
remains that he acted with the other commission
ers in forwarding the settlement. As surveyor
general he laid out the city of Philadelphia.
Thomas Holme was present at the making of
most of the Indian treaties, and had an important
part in some of them. He was a member of the
first assembly of the province, which began its
sessions at Upland, December 4, 1682, Penn pre
siding. He was elected to represent Philadelphia
county in the provincial council for one term
of three years, 1683, 1684 and 1685, and took
a prominent part in its transactions, serving on
several important committees. In January, 1683,
he was a member of a joint committee of the
council and assembly to draw up the new char
ter or frame of government, which was passed
and signed on February 2. In 1683 Penn ap
pointed him, with others, commissioners in his
name, as governors, etc., to treat with the gov
ernor and council of West Jersey, concerning the
-satisfaction he demanded of them, for wrongs

and injustice done him and his province by some
of the inhabitants of their colony. In 1684 he
was appointed with Lloyd and William Welch,
a committee, by Penn, to look into the actions of
Lord Baltimore. In the last year of his term,
1685, the president of the council was absent a
large part of the time, and Holme was elected
to act as president in his place, which he did at
twenty-seven of the fifty meetings held that year,
and by so doing acted at those times as governor
of the colony. During this time he was also
surveyor general. On October 14, 1688, Penn
issued to him a new commission as surveyor gen
eral of Pennsylvania, and the annexed counties,
New Castle, Kent and Sussex, for life, his office
in Philadelphia to be. an office of record. He
continued to be selected when it was necessary
to treat with the Indians. In 1694 he was ap
pointed one of the commissioners of property,
which position he held until his death in the
following year. He was a prominent Friend,
and was one of the committee of three appointed
to select a site for the first meeting-house.
Silas Crispin, the father of Mary and Eleanor
Crispin, was first cousin to William Penn, his
mother being Anne Jasper, daughter of John
Jasper, a merchant of Rotterdam, Holland, and
sister of Margaret Jasper, the mother of William
Penn. He came to Pennsylvania with Captain
Thomas Holme, and subsequently married his
daughter Hester. He was the son of Captain
William Crispin, who was born in England,
about 1610, and died at sea, on his way to Amer
ica, in 1681. The latter was the first named of
the three commissioners appointed by Penn to
settle the province of Pennsylvania, and was
also appointed by Penn chief justice. He was
rear admiral in the British navy, and served in
command of the frigate "Assistance," one hun
dred and eighty men and forty guns, with Sir
William Penn in the first Dutch war. He also
served in command of the frigate "Laurel," one
hundred and sixty men, thirty soldiers, forty
guns, with Sir William Penn in the expedition
against the Spanish possessions in the West In
dies. Silas Crispin was a member of the Free
Society of Traders in Pennsylvania. The Cris
pins were Normans and came to England with
William the Conqueror, one of them serving as
an officer under his command in the battle of
Hastings, 1066.
James Watts Marcur, son of Ulysses and
Sarah Simpson (Davis) Mercur, was born in
Towanda, Bradford county, Pennsylvania, De
cember 3, 1856, and attended private schools
at his birthplace until reaching the age of four
teen, when he went to Phillips Exeter Academy,
Exeter, New Hampshire. There and at Andover,
where he remained for a short time, he was pre
pared for Harvard University, which he entered

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

59

in 1874, graduating in 1878 with the degree of
Bachelor of Arts. He was a student at Harvard
contemporaneously with President Roosevelt,
though not in the same class. Upon graduation
he entered the law office of his brother, Rodney
A. Mercur, Esq., at Towanda, Pennsylvania, and
commenced the study of law. As he had de
voted some time while in college to this study,
he was admitted to the bar of Bradford county,
December 2, 1879. The same month he was
admitted to the, several courts of Philadelphia
county, and practiced law in that city for about
twenty years. He was admitted to the Delaware
county bar about 1886. For the last two years
he has had his office at Media.
Mr. Mercur belongs to no secret societies,
but is a member of the Pennsylvania Historical
Society, the Pennsylvania Genealogical Society,
the Society of Colonial Wars, the Sons of the
Revolution, and the Society of the War of 1812,
being a member of the executive committe of the
last named. He is also a member of the Dela
ware County Historical Society. Politically he
is Republican, and has always been active and
interested in that party. He has never held
office, but has several times been a delegate to
the Republican state convention, and often to
the county conventions. He is a member of the
Protestant Episcopal church, and was a vestry
man of Christ's church, Media, Pennsylvania,
for some ten years, having been rector's warden
for about six years, but has recently resigned
from the vestry.
Mr. Mercur married, March 1, 1881, Marietta
Elizabeth Honore Denis. The ceremony was
performed in Holy Trinity church, Philadelphia,
by the Rt. Rev. "William Bacon Stevens, Bishop
of Pennsylvania, the Rev. W. Nelson McVickar,
now Bishop of Rhode Island, assisting. They
have four children : Marie Denis, born January
n, 1882, in Philadelphia; Sarah Davis, born
September 2, 1886, at Wallingford, Pennsyl
vania, as were the two younger children; James
Watts, Jr., born July 8, 1891 ; and Denise
Honore, born June 1, 1897. Marie Denis, the ¦
eldest of these children, married, July 29, 1902,
Thomas Cahall, only child of Dr. Thomas Vick-
ery Cahall and Ella West, his wife, of Frederica,
Delaware. Thomas Cahall graduated at Swarth
more College and the law department of the Uni
versity of Pennsylvania, and is a practicing at
torney in the city of Philadelphia, residing at
Wallingford, Delaware county, Pennsylvania.
Mrs. Mercur belongs to the New Century Club
and the Daughters of the Revolution. She was
the founder and the first regent of the Delaware
County Chapter of this society.
Marietta Elizabeth Honore Denis, wife of
James Watts Mercur, was educated at the Mo
ravian Seminary, South Bethlehem, Pennsyl

vania, Brooke Hall, Media, Pennsylvania, and at
Miss Anna Mary Longstreth's school in Philadel
phia. Her father was Narcisse Francois Honore
Denis, born at Guiprez, France, February 9,
1799, son of Pierre Geffroy Denis, born in 1757,
died April 4, 1829, and Henriette Jeanne Georg-
ine Maubec. His paternal grandparents were
Geffroy Denis and Anne Guichard. His maternal
grandmother was an Honore. He was educated
for a surgeon, but was unable to stand the sight
of blood, and so took up the study of chemistry
and became very expert. For some years he
was with one of the largest chemists in Paris,.
namely, the firm of Duval & Robiquet. He came
to Philadelphia about 1832, at once began the
manufacture of chemicals and in 1834 formed a
partnership with. George D. Rosengarten for the
manufacture of chemicals and drugs. In 1856-
he retired from business, having accumulated a
competence. He is described in Scharf & West-
cott's "History of Philadelphia" as a "chemist of
great ability."
The mother of Marietta Elizabeth Honore
Denis was Marietta Randolph, born November
24, 1818, died July 2, 1901. Her maternal grand
father was William Randolph, born July 3, 1794,
died in 1861. He was in the war of 1812. The
two maternal great-grandfathers were Samuel
F. Randolph, born May 2, 1762, died about 1800,
and Peter Tharp, born in 1757, died in 1823.
They were both in the Revolutionary war, the
former being a minute man of New Jersey and
belonging to that class of the militia which was
called out at various times during the war for
tours of duty and was assigned to any company
or regiment that needed a complement. Peter
Tharp enlisted June 20, 1777, and served as a
private in Captain William Gordon's company,
Colonel Elias Dayton's Third New Jersey Regi
ment. Shortly after the surrender at Yorktown-
he was transferred to Captain Mitchell's com
pany of the same regiment, having rendered about
two years' actual service.
Mrs. Mercur, through her mother, is descend
ed from Adam Berkhoven, who came from Co
logne to New Amsterdam in 1642; he married,
March 19, 1645, in New Amsterdam, Magda-
lena Jacobs Verdan ; his will is dated January 22,
1691-2, probated March 21, 1692,' and from
Edward Fitz Randolph and Elizabeth Blossom,
of Barnstable, Massachusetts, who were married
May 10, 1637.
William Simpson, Sr., the grandfather of
General John Davis, was an ancestor of President
Ulysses Simpson Grant. It will be noticed that
President Grant's christian name was the same as
that of Chief Justice Mercur, and his middle
name that of Mrs. Mercur. President Grant,
on several occasions spoke of this fact. It is
thought that Jefferson Davis, the president of"

6o

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

the Confederacy, was descended from a brother
of William Davis, above, who came here about
1740. He, Jefferson Davis, in conversation with
General W. W. H. Davis, a son of General
John Davis, in 1856, said that he had no doubt
of the fact. William Davis had a brother who
went south when he came to Pennsylvania. As
an interesting fact to show the change of names,
Adam Berkhoven was a brewer, and he fre
quently signed his name "Adam Berkhoven,
Brouwer." His son Nicholas, born 1682, after
a while dropped out the name "Berkhoven"
and signed his name "Nicholas Brouwer." Most
or many of the latter name in this country, and
also of the name of "Brewer" are descended from
Adam Berkhoven.

 *—* 
HUGH SHAW, who was for many years
numbered among the leading manufacturers and
most highly respected citizens of Chester, Penn
sylvania, belonged to a family which had been
mill workers for at least two generations. The
home of the paternal grandfather of Hugh Shaw
was at Grotten Head, Yorkshire, England, where
he followed very successfully the trade of a
weaver. His children were James, Alice, Betty
and Ann.
James Shaw, father of Hugh Shaw, was born
at Saddleworth, Yorkshire, England, in the year
1800, and learned the trade of a spinner, at which
he worked during the greater part of his life.
He married Betty, daughter of Daniel Andrew,
of Shelderslow, Saddleworth, Yorkshire, and was
the father of the following named children :
Samuel, Hugh, William, John, Andrew, James
and Elizabeth.
Hugh Shaw, son of James and Betty (An
drew) Shaw, was born Decefnber 2, 1823, in
Lees, near Oldham, Lancashire, England. At
the age of seven he went to work in the mills.
It might be supposed that under these circum
stances the very little learning acquired in his
early childhood would mark the limit of his edu
cational attainments, but such was his ambition
that, although working in the mills during the
day, he attended school at night, and by this
means, joined to habits of close observation and
diligent investigation, became possessed of a gen
erous fund of information. He followed the oc-
capation of a spinner until 1843, when he emi
grated to the United States, where he was em
ployed by William T. Crooks at what was known
as Crooksville, and later Todmorton. After the
failure of Mr. Crooks he went to farming. In
1863 Mr. Shaw entered into partnership with
David Reese Esrey, rented the mills belonging to
Patrick Kelly, at Bridgewater, and there they
began the manufacture of cotton and woolen
jeans. In 1866 land was purchased at Powhatan,

near Chester, on which the firm erected a building
with new machinery, changing the name of the
works from the Pennellton mills to the PowEatan
mills. In 1871 the increase of business war
ranted the -building of another mill, and in 1877
a third was erected, to be used exclusively for
the manufacture of a finer class of goods. In
January, 1878, the firm of Shaw & Esrey was
changed by act of assembly to a limited com
pany, of which Mr. Shaw was one of the most
prominent and influential members. The mills
were in every respect perfectly equipped for the
purpose for which they were designed, the spa
cious and commodious buildings being provided
with every appointment which could in any way
facilitate labor and insure safety in case of fire.
Employment was provided for three hundred
hands, in the welfare of whom the firm rriani-
fested a benevolent interest, having erected in
connection with the mills comfortable dwelling
houses, many of which came in time to be owned
by the operatives, the company always lending
their aid and encouragement to that end. Mr.
Shaw's business record was not only that of a
successful manufacturer but of a practical philan
thropist. In addition to the labors involved in
the proprietorship of these mills, Mr. Shaw was
a stockholder in the Glenmore Worsted Mills of
Philadelphia, vice-president of the Lincoln Manu
factory of Chester, a director of the Chester
National Bank, and also vice-president of the
Chester Street Railroad Company.
Mr. Shaw was always greatly interested in
public affairs, affiliating with the ¦ Republican
party. He was a burgess of North Chester, and
a member of the first select council of the city.
He was active in the Masonic order, in which
he was a member of high degree, holding the
rank of Knight Templar. He was a trustee of
the First Presbyterian church and was especially
active in helping to raise the debt of the church,
also was liberal in aiding hospitals and charitable
organizations. Mr*. Shaw married early in life, Hannah Sykes,
¦of Lancashire, England. Of their children only
one is now living, Elizabeth, who became the wife
of Samuel Crowther, of Chester, in 1866, and
was the mother of six children, only one of whom, .
a daughter named Bessie, is now living. After
the death of his wife Mr. Shaw married, in 1853,
Ann, daughter of James Boaz, of Moxley, Eng
land. His second family consisted of three chil
dren : William H., deceased ; Mary B., a director
of the New Century Club and of Chester Hos
pital ; and Hannah C, who is the wife of J. Max
Bernard, of Chester. Mrs. Shaw died in 1891.
Throughout his life Mr. Shaw continued in busi
ness, maintaining the various activities in which
he had taken a prominent part for so many years.
His death occurred August 30, 1894, in the seven-

¦Ety fi/AH.nitcUe

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

ty-first year of his age, and was felt to be a loss
not only to his family and near friends, but to
the community in which for more than a quarter
of a century he had faithfully discharged the
duties of an able and energetic business man
and a public-spirited citizen. Amid all his great
and deserved prosperity, he had always preserved
his simplicity of character and manners, always
remained emphatically a man of the people, mani
festing a true spirit of benevolence, ever ready
to extend a helping hand to those less fortunate
than himself.

FREDERICK AYDELOTTE and WIL
LIAM E. HOWARD. These two brothers,
leading business men of Chester, Delawaic
county, Pennsylvania, are representatives of one
of the oldest families in the state of Delaware,
being descended from one of two brothers who
emigrated from England in the early part of the
seventeenth century. The ancestor of the Dela
ware branch of the Howards received from the
proprietary a large land grant in Sussex county,
which was the homestead of his descendants foi
two centuries. Prominent among the names of
those members of the family who have figured
largely in the colonial and national history of the
state is that of John Eager Howard, conspicuous
in the annals of the Revolution.
William Howard, son of Neamiah Howard,
and grandfather of Frederick Aydelotte and Wil
liam E. Howard, was born in Baltimore Hundred,
Sussex county, Delaware, where he was a large
planter and the owner of many slaves. He be
longed to the Democratic party and was a man of
great political influence. He is entitled to the
distinction of being classed among the pioneers
in the anti -slavery cause, having become during
the latter part of his life so profoundly convinced
of 'the error of the system that before his death
he emancipated all his slaves. Mr. Howard was
three times married, and was the father of ten
children. His third wife was Rhoda Wharton,
nee Aydelotte, widow of Aaron Wharton. Mr.
Howard died in 1831, at the age of sixty-five, and
his wife survived him thirty-five years, dying in
her eightieth year.
George Washington Howard, son of William
and Rhoda Aydelotte (Wharton) Howard, was
born on the homestead, February 20, 1818. After
a comm- m-school education he settled as a farmer
on one of the plantations included in his ancestral
acres, where he remained for a number of years,
removing in i860 to Berlin, Worcester count)'',
Maryland, in order that his children might enjoy
greater facilities for education. In his new home
he engaged in wa?on-building and in the manu
facture of agricultural implements. In 1869 he
removed to Chester, Delaware county, Pennsyl

vania, where he established himself in the grocery
business. In politics Mr. Howard was an old-
line Whig, identifying himself in after years with
the Republican party. It is recorded to his honor
that at the outbreak of the Civil war he was one
of the only five men in Berlin, Maryland, who
adhered to the Federal cause, and who had the
courage to raise the national flag at that initial
period. This incident in his life, though' con
spicuously notable, is not exceptional in char
acter, being simply in accordance with the un
flinching fidelity to principle which he displayed
throughout his career in all matters, great and
small. Mr. Howard married Leah Cannon,
daughter of Gilbert Tennent Poole, of Milton,
Delaware, principal of one of the leading acade
mies of that state. The family of the Pooles is
nearly related to those of the Cannons and
Waples, both prominent in Delaware from an
early period, the latter family dating its Ameri
can origin from 1640. Mr. and Mrs. Howard
were the parents of six children : Clara Tennent,
who became the wife of W. V. Harper, of Phila
delphia ; Mary Anne ; George Washington, Jr. ;
Frederick Aydelotte, mentioned at length herein
after; Rhoda Ester, who married Dr. George D.
Cross, of Chester; and William Edward, also
mentioned at length hereinafter. Mr. Howard
died in Chester, in 1881, at the age of sixty-three.
His wife survives him, being still a resident of
the city which has been her home for so many
years. Frederick Aydelotte Howard, son of George
Washington and Leah Cannon (Poole) Howard,
was born October 20, 1855, in Baltimore Hun
dred, Sussex county, Delaware, and received his
primary education in the academy at Berlin.
Maryland, afterward taking a limited course in
the grammar school at Chester, Pennsylvania,
and at the age of sixteen becoming a student in
Bryant & Stratton's business college in Phila
delphia. On finally leaving school, he served for
a time as clerk in the post office at Chester, Penn
sylvania, and at the age of eighteen engaged in
the retail grocery and commission business with
his father and brother, under the firm name of
G. W. Howard & Sons. The business riot meet
ing with a full measure of success, the partner
ship was dissolved in 1876, and Mr. Howard
spent some time in traveling in the southwest,
hunting, fishing and camping out, after which,
in conjunction with a Canadian friend, he pur
chased a boat, in which they floated twelve hun
dred miles clown the Red river, to Shrevesport,
Louisiana, thence by steamer to New Orleans,
whence they proceeded by boat to Cincinnati,
Ohio. After this extended trip Mr. Howard re
turned home in 1877, and engaged in business
with his brother. George Washington Howard,
under the firm name of Howard Brothers. As

62

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

commission merchants and wholesale grocers the
firm was successful from the first, conducting
business in a store which they erected on the site
of their present building, on the northwest corner
of Sixth and Welsh streets. To the firm of
Howard Brothers belongs the distinction of hav
ing been the founders of the commission busi
ness in Chester, where they were also pioneers
in the wholesale trade. In 1889 George Washing
ton Howard withdrew from the firm for the pur
pose of engaging in another line of business, his
place being filled by the youngest brother, Wil
liam Edward Howard, who has ever since main
tained his connection with the firm as an equal
partner. The business has been gradually en
larged and extended, having connections in Penn
sylvania, Delaware and Maryland, where six
commercial travelers are kept constantly on the
road. The two-story brick building which stands
on the site of their old store is forty by one hun
dred and fifty feet in dimensions, with a com
modious store room in the basement, and an addi
tion of fifty by fifty feet in size. The establish
ment in all its appointments is arranged with a
view to the complete and satisfactory conduct of
the business, and gives employment to a force of
twelve assistants. The firm of Howard Brothers
is to-day doing the largest wholesale grocery busi
ness of any wholesale house, with one exception,
between Philadelphia and Baltimore. This suc
cess has been achieved no less by the reputation
which the firm has established for honorable
dealing than by their executive ability and appli
cation to business. In addition to the revenues
derived from their wholesale grocery business,
Howard Brothers are the possessors of valuable
lands included within the city limits of Chester.
Frederick A. Howard is a member of the Re
publican party, with which he has been identified
from his early youth, and takes an earnest inter
est in the advancement of measures advocated b\
his political organization, but without any trace
of partisanship. He. is and has been president of
the board of park commissioners since its in-
cipiency and is a director in the First National
Bank of Chester.
Mr. Howard married, June 1, 1882, Besse
Dunn, daughter of the Rev. John J. Pearce, a
member of the Central Pennsylvania Conference
of the Methodist Episcopal church. Mr. and Mrs.
Howard have a family of five children: John
Pearce ; Mary Anna ; Frederick A., Jr. ; William
E. and Besse Dunn. Mrs. Howard is a lineal
descendant in the sixth generation of John Alden,
of Mayflower fame. Her father, the Rev. Mr.
Pearce, was a representative from the Lock
Haven district in Congress, just before the out
break of the Civil war, and, with one exception,
was the youngest member of that Congress, be
ing only twenty-nine years of age. Mrs. How

ard's uncle, the Hon. Stewart Pearce, was the
historian of Luzerne county, Pennsylvania.
William Edward Howard, son of George
Washington and Leah Cannon (Poole) Howard,
is the junior member of the firm of Howard
Brothers, and is also associated with his brother,
Frederick Aydelotte Howard, in his real-estate
interests, being known as one of the most enter
prising, honorable and successful business men in
the community. William E. Howard was elected
sheriff of Delaware county in October, 1902, and
is now serving in that office. Since he became
sheriff the first hanging in fifty-three years has
taken place, and three more are to be performed.
True to the traditions of his family for two gen
erations, he is a Republican, and has taken an
active part in politics ever since he became of
age. He is a member of thirteen Republican
clubs, including all of that party in Delaware
county, and wields a potent influence.
June 23, 1903, Mr. Howard married Miss
Margaret Fulton Walker, of Ambler, Pennsyl
vania, a daughter of Mrs. Phoebe Walker. Mr.
and Mrs. Howard reside in their beautiful home
at Park Place, Chester.

BENJAMIN GARTSIDE. Benjamin Gart
side, a leading man of affairs of Chester, Penn
sylvania, is a representative of a family of noted
manufacturers, the founder of the race in
America having been the pioneer in the woolen
industries of Chester. Benjamin Gartside,
grandfather of the present bearer of the name,
was born May 26, 1794, in Rochdale, Lancashire,
England, and after a limited education learned
the trade of hand-loom weaving, which he pur
sued until his emigration to the United States in
1 83 1. Choosing Philadelphia as his place of
abode, he found work at the Blockley Mills,
where he remained until 1833, when he removed
to Manayunk and entered the employ of Joseph
Ripka. In 1838 his circumstances were such as
to justify him in engaging in business on his own
account, in which enterprise he used at first but
one hand-loom, but afterward, as he prospered,
introduced four power-looms. In 1840, having
rented a mill on the Wissahickon creek, he fitted
it with suitable machinery and power-looms, and
conducted the business successsfully until 1843,
when he removed to Cardington, Delaware
county, and there leased a mill for nine years.
Here, having introduced a new and complete set
of machinery, before long- he found himself at
the head of a flourishing business, and removed
at the expiration of his lease to Chester, where
in 1852 he built a factory, which was at the
time one of the most complete establishments in
the country. This factory, now known as the
Keokuk Mills, is situated at the foot of Fulton

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

03

street, having been enlarged since its establish
ment by the purchase of additional land and the
erection of more buildings. The works cover
over two acres of ground, comprising the square
between Front street and the Delaware river and
Parker and Fulton streets, and the mill is
equipped with all the latest improved machinery.
January 1, 1857, the firm name became B. Gart
side & Sons. Mr. Gartside was closely identified
with every movement for advancing the growth
and prosperity of the city in which he resided,
serving for many years as councilman of the
borough, and filling various other positions of
trust. He was the originator of the First Na
tional Bank of Chester, and was one of the
directors of the Chester Mutual Insurance Com
pany. He took a prominent part in the projec
tion of the Chester Rural Cemetery. During the
early period of his residence in this country Mr.
Gartside was an old-line Whig, but later be
came a Republican. In religious belief he af
filiated with the Baptists, being one of the oldest
deacons in period of service in the church of
which he was a member. In 181 5 Mr. Gartside
married Miss Elizabeth Kershaw, of Rochdale.
England, and was the father of eight children:
Enoch ; Robert ; Mary, who became the wife of
John Kershaw ; John ; James : Ann, who married
Jonathan Grant ; Amos, and Joseph. In 1857
James and Amos Gartside were taken into part
nership by their father.
John Gartside, son of Benjamin and Eliza
beth (Kershaw) Gartside, was born October 25,
1821, in Rochdale, Lancashire, England, and
after a brief period at school was apprenticed to
the "piecing" business. In 183 1 he accompanied
his parents to the United States, and at once
found employment in the Blockley Mills in Phil
adelphia; where he remained until 1835, when
the family removed to Manayunk. In 1838 he
became an employe in his father's mills, where
he remained until 1850, when he removed to
Chester and formed a co-partnership with Sam
uel Cliff, under the firm name of Cliff & Gart
side, engaging in the dyeing business. In 1852,
his father having erected the Keokuk Mills, he
rented a room in the building in order that he
might follow his legitimate trade. During the
Civil war Mr. Gartside served as one of the
emergency recruits in the Gettysburg campaign,
returning to business at the expiration of his
period of service. He died in June, 1887. Mr.
Gartside was for many years one pf the directors
of the First National Bank of Chester, and occu
pied a prominent position in commercial circles.
He married, in 1846, Margaret, daughter of
Joseph Smith, of Blockley. His family con
sisted of five children: Enoch, deceased; Benja
min, mentioned at length hereinafter; Eliza, de
ceased; Laura; and Joseph, deceased.
5 x

Benjamin Gartside, son of John and Mar
garet (Smith) Gartside, was born February 4,
1855, in Chester, Pennsylvania, where he re
ceived his education in the local schools, after
which he assisted his father in the mill until
1895, when he became secretary to the Johnston
Railroad Frog & Switch Company.
Mr. Gartside married, February 2, 1876,
Mary, daughter of Miller Cox, and has four
children: George, Margaret, Ida and Mary. Mrs.
Gartside died in 1898. Mr. Gartside has in all
respects played the part of a useful and honor
able citizen, showing the same traits of character
which insured to the former generations of his
family their remarkable success.

JAMES GARTSIDE, deceased, of Ches
ter, Pennsylvania, for many years an ac
tive partner in the firm of B. Gartside & Sons,
was born in Rochdale, England, October 20,
1823, a son of Benjamin and Elizabeth K. Gart
side. Benjamin Gartside was born in Rochdale,
Lancashire, England, May 26, 1794, and after
acquiring a limited education in the public schools
of his native county he learned the trade of hand-
loom weaving. This occupation he followed in
England until 1831, when he came to this coun
try and settled in Philadelphia, securing employ
ment in the Blockley Mills, where he remained
for two years. Mr. Gartside then removed to
Manayunk, where for a number of years Joseph
Ripka was his employer. In 1838 he engaged in
business on his own account, first using but one
hand-loom, but as his business prospered he in
creased his facilities, and in 1840 rented a mill
on the Wissahickon creek, furnished it with suitr
able machinery and power-looms, and conducted
the business until 1843, when he removed to
Cardington, Delaware county, and there leased a
mill for nine years. He was very successful in
his management of this enterprise, owing to th*r
fact that he introduced a new and complete set
of machinery, making it in every way adapted to
his business. In 1852 he built a factory in Ches
ter, whither he removed, and through his techni
cal knowledge of the business, together with great
industry and strict integrity, he enjoyed a career
of remarkable prosperity.
On January 1, 1857, Mr. Gartside admitted
his sons, Amos and James, into partnership,
under the style of Benjamin Gartside & Sons, and
during his residence in Chester Mr. Benjamin
Gartside was actively identified with its growth
and prosperity. He was formerly an old-line
Whig in politics, but on the fprmation of the
Republican party joined its ranks and was elected
to fill the office of councilman of the borough.
Mr. Gartside was the originator of the First Na
tional Bank of Chester, director of the Chester

64

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

Mutual Insurance Company, and a projector of
the Chester Rural cemetery. In his religion he
Was a Baptist, and one of the oldest deacons in
period of service in the church of which he was
a member. In 1815 Mr. Gartside was united in
marriage to Miss Elizabeth Kershaw, of Roch
dale, England, and their children were: Enoch,
Robert, Mary, John, James, Ann, Amos and
Joseph Gartside.
James Gartside, fourth son of Benjamin and
Elizabeth Gartside, acquired a very limited edu
cation in the public schools of his native country,
from which he emigrated in company with his
parents in 1831, being then only eight years of
age. Shortly after his parents settled in Phila
delphia young James entered the mill conducted
by his uncle, James Kershaw, where he learned
the trade of a spinner upon throstles, and after his
removal to Manayunk he continued in the same
line of trade, being employed by Joseph Ripley.
His father having started a milling business at
Blockley, Mr. Gartside resigned from his posi
tion and entered the mill, where he thoroughly
familiarized himself with all the details and
took such an interest in the work that he was
admitted into partnership in 1857. He continued
his connection with the firm until the time of his
decease, only being absent from his business for a
short time when he participated in the battle of
Gettysburg, having previously joined the emer
gency recruits. In his political affiliations Mr.
Gartside was a staunch supporter of the principles
•of the Republican party, but never sought or
desired public office.
On August 17, 1 85 1, Mr. Gartside married
Miss Elizabeth Smith, a daughter of Joseph T.
and Susannah Smith, of Blockley, now a part
of the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Both
Mr. and Mrs. Gartside were consistent attendants
of the Baptist church of Chester.

THE DESHONG FAMILY. For three
generations the name of Deshong has been prom
inent in Delaware county, while in the maternal
line the present family trace descent from Joran
Kvn (George Keen) the original Swedish settler
who located on the site of the present city of Ches
ter, two hundred and sixty years ago.
Peter Deshong, originally Peire De Shaw,
the great-grandfather of the present Deshong
family of Chester, was of Huguenot descent, who
as a young man located in Philadelphia several
years prior to the Revolution, and on December
iq, 1774. married Susanna Oilman. Their son,
Peter Deshong, was born in Philadelphia in
1781, and when a voting man came to Chester,
where he engaged in merchandising- and became
one of the leaders in the affair* of the borough.
For twenty years he was one of the vestrymen of

St. Paul's Episcopal church, and was one of the
organizers of the Delaware (National) Bank, one
of its first directors, and continued on its board
until his death, December 26, 1827. His widow,
Mary Odenheimer Deshong, was appointed post
mistress of Chester, a position she held for eight
years, when she refused to accept a reappoint
ment to the office. She died in December, 1869,
in her ninetieth year. She was a daughter of
John Odenheimer, born at Mayence-on-the-Rhine,
in 1723, came to Philadelphia prior to the middle
of the eighteenth century, where, being pos
sessed of considerable means, he became a lead
ing dealer and shipper of flour, in which occupa
tion he was very successful. September 17, 1761.
John Odenheimer married Mary, daughter of
John Henry Kippele, whose descendants inter
married with the Biddells and the Merrideths.
Hon. William M. Merrideth, secretary of the
treasury, traces descent in that line. In 1771 John
Odenheimer purchased a farm in Chester town
ship, lying along Ridley creek, and after 1793
resided there permanently until his death in 1807.
He and his son John, twice sheriff of Delaware
county, lived in the style the family had been ac
customed to maintain in the fatherland. Hock
wines of their own importation were in daily
use, and a large silver punch bowl, filled to the
brim, goblets and ladle ever handy, stood con
stantly on a table in the hall, to regale those
friends who chanced to drop in for a brief call.
To the marriage of John and Mary (Oden
heimer) Deshong were born two sons and one
daughter — John Odenheimer Deshong, of whom
more hereafter; Maurice W. Deshong, born De
cember 14, 1808, and died in Philadelphia, Oc
tober 9, 1876; and Louisa Deshong, born in 1815,
and died in 1884.
John Odenheimer Deshong, Sr., was born in
Chester, September 6, 1807. He was educated in
the private school in that borough, and in 1828,
when he attained his majority, he embarked in a
general merchandising business in Chester, by
which he accumulated wealth rapidly. In 1843
he engaged in the lumber trade, and with such
success that in six years he retired from active
business. Possessed of abundant means, he de
voted his attention to financial affairs, dealing
largely in commercial paper, an occupation in
which his confidence in his own opinions, de
cision, insight as to the motives and capacity of
men, together with his clear judgment and ability
to weigh the possibilities of success in a business
venture, served him well. Tn 184^ he was elected
a director of the Bank of Delaware County, a
position he held in the Delaware County National
Bank until his death, covering a period of nearlv
forty years. He was for a nuarter of a centurv
n director of the Chester Gas Company. Al
though often solicited, he would never accept

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

65

political place, although his opinions were fre
quently sought in the management of campaigns
in which public feeling was excited. He died
May 28, 1881. He married, December 6, 1836,
Emmaline L., daughter of Dr. Job H. Terrill.
Her father was born near New Brunswick, New
Jersey, November 18, 1785, and graduated in
medicine at the college in his native place. Chance
led him to Chester, where he located and soon
acquired a lucrative practice. WP died June 20,
1844. In 1806 he married Margaret Smith,
daughter of Thomas Smith and granddaughter
of William Smith, who married Rachel Sandi-
lands, the granddaughter of James Sandilands
and great-great-granddaughter of Joran Kyn, the
original settler of Upland, now Chester. Mrs.
Deshong was born September 20, 1810, and died
April 26, 1897, in her eighty-seventh year. To
this union were born seven children, five of
whom attained adult age. The eldest, Alfred
Odenheimer Deshong, was born September 30,
1837. He was educated in the schools of his
native place. In 1865 he and his brother, John
O. Deshong, Jr., entered into copartnership in
working what was known as the Deshong quar
ries in Ridley township. For more than thirty
years the copartnership existed, terminated only
on the death of John O. Deshong, Jr., when Al
fred O. Deshong abandoned the business, his
multifarious interests forbidding him to give it
that attention which he had heretofore done.
Mr. Deshong, in 1895, was elected a director of
the Delaware County National Bank, a position
he is still filling.
John O. Deshong, Jr., born April 30, 1841,
and died November 1, 1895, aged fifty-four
years, was educated partly in the schools at Ches
ter, graduating from the Central High School,
Philadelphia. A gentleman of fine address,
varied accomplishments and a conversationalist
of rare ability, he soon became noted in the fin
ancial world for his excellent judgment in mone
tary affairs. In 1865 he was elected secretary
and treasurer of the Chester Gas Company, a
position he retained until 1892, when he declined
re-election. In 1881 he was elected a director
of the Delaware County National Bank, and
was a member of the board until his death in
1895. In 1868 he was elected a member of the
council of the city of Chester, representing the
old north ward, comprising the present fourth,
fifth, and part of the second wards. He was re
elected in 1872 and again in 1875, covering a
period of ten years' service, when he declined the
re-election which was tendered him.
Louise Deshong born in February, 1848, be
came the wife of Jonathan Edwards Woodbridge,
Mav 21, 1876.
Clarence Deshong, the youngest son, was
born in Chester, December 25, 1850. He was the

owner of "The Island Farm" in Ridley township,
which he has made, in its various appointments,
as commodious buildings, its fine grade of stock
and high bred harness driving horses, noted in
eastern Pennsylvania as a model in all that has
relation to the objects to which it is devoted.
In that respect Clarence Deshong is regarded as
an authority, as his brother Alfred O. Deshong
is in reference to art.
The two brothers reside in the spacious man
sion erected by John O. Deshong, Sr., in 1850,
located on Edgemont avenue, Chester, the plat
extending from Ninth to Twelfth streets, contain
ing twenty-two acres, shade and forest trees, in
the heart of the busy city. Within the mansion
are gathered paintings, many of which have been
prize winners in the Paris salon and other art
centers, and each one the finest production of the
artist's brush, for that is the standard which
alone will secure for them admission to the
Deshong collection. The articles of bronze, each
with its history, have been the medal winners
at some of the great world's fairs during the last
quarter of a century, while some are peerless in
their class. The ivory carvings are inimitable;
many are reputed to be unequalled in the world,
while in cloisonne, enamel and lacquer examples
the collection is not surpassed in this country.
The furnishings, rugs, drapery, and all the ac
cessories which go to make "the house beautiful,"
are found in the Deshong mansion, where open
handed hospitality reigns. Few private resi
dences in eastern Pennsylvania have received ns
guests so many distinguished men of the army
and navy, in public life, in literature, in art,
financial and professional circles, as has the
Deshong mansion. In a like way, all worthy
public charities have ever received due consider
ation at the hands of these gentlemen. Recently
one of the wards of the Chester Hospital, in
volving the expenditure of a large sum of money,
was erected and outfitted at the personal cost of
Alfred O. Deshong.

EDWARD SHIMER HICKMAN was born
in Thornbury, Delaware county, Pennsylvania,
June 24, 1856. His parents were Jesse J. and An
nie M. (Shimer) Hickman. His father, Jesse J.,
was born at Thornbury. June 12, 1832, and his
parents were Benjamin and Susan (Tames) Hick
man. The father of Benjamin was Thomas Hick
man, who was also born on the old homestead.
Edward S. Hickman lived at his father's
home in Thornbury until 1873. and when seven
teen years old he went to Media, Delaware
county, and became an apprentice to Thomas V.
Cooper in the Delaware Countv American print
ing office, where he spent four years in master
ing the printer's trade. At the end of that time

66

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

he returned to the farm for five years, and dur
ing the following five years lived in Warren
county, Pennsylvania. For a short period of
time he resided in Edgmont, Delaware county,
and in 1888 removed to Cheyney, and succeded
George S. Cheyney in a mercantile business, in
which he is still engaged. Although his early
education was not directly in that line, he has
shown business talent, and is considered an ex
pert in financial matters. He is conversant with
politics, and is up to date in all current events.
He is a Republican, and stands well in the es
timation of his fellow townsmen, as is evinced by
their united support in electing him to various
public offices. For many years he was collector
of taxes, and has been the county treasurer since
1899. Mr. Hickman was married September 22,
1882, to Miss Belle D. Larkin, a daughter of
John Larkin, of Bethel, Delaware county. They
have tour children, Jesse J., Edward S., Helen
and Margaret Hickman.

JOHN W. SMITH,. a leading business man
of Chester, Pennsylvania, belongs to an English
family which possesses large landed estates in
Great Britain. John W. Smith was born in
Manchester, England, and received his education
at the Queen Elizabeth grammar school at Mans
field, near Nottingham. In 1888, being then in
the employ of T. I. Birkin & Company, Mr.
Smith came to the United States as the repre
sentative of the firm in their New York office.
He remained in that city until 1896, when the
firm opened a manufactory in Philadelphia. The
entire charge of this establishment was placed
in the hands of Mr. Smith, and when in 1898
they removed to Chester, Pennsylvania, he was
continued in the same position which he still
holds. His business activities, great as they are,
do not occupy his time and thoughts to the ex
clusion of other interests. He is prominent in
Masonic circles, being a member of high degree,
is on the board of management of the Chester
Hospital and takes an active part in social or
ganizations, holding membership in the Keystone
Club and filling the office of president in the
Highland Club, of which he was one of the or
ganizers. Mr. Smith married, in 1888, Julia, daughter
of A. Collier, of England, and has four children :
Edith Melanie, Charles Adolph, William Alfred
Hall and Frank Stanley.

JOHN L. HAWTHORNE, deputy collector
of customs of Chester, Pennsylvania, is a de
scendant of John Hawthorne, who was born in
England and lived in the north of Ireland for
a few years before coming to this country, about

1740. His sons William and Thomas participated
in the war of 18 12, where they displayed marked
ability and heroism on the field of battle.
William Hawthorne, grandfather of J. L.
Hawthorne, was born in Newcastle, Delaware,
where he was engaged in agricultural pursuits
all his life. His wife was a member of a highly
respected Scotch family who came to this coun
try before the arrival" of William Penn. The-.
celebrated author Nathaniel Hawthorne, was ai
member of this family, born at Salem, Massachu- -
setts, in 1804. He wrote a number of stories-
for the journals, which he afterward collected'
in 1837, and published under the title of "Twice-
told Tales," a second volume of which appeared '.
in 185 1. In 1842 he published "The Liberty
Tree," and in 1845 "The Journal of an African,
Cruiser;" "The Scarlet Letter" appeared in 1851,
and was received with universal approbation, as
was also "The House of the Seven Gables" and
"Mosses from an Old Manse." He was also-
the author of "Blithedale Romance" and "The
Marble Faun," which is regarded by some as the
best of his works. His death occurred at Plym
outh, New Hampshire, in 1864.
William M. Hawthorne, the father of John
L. Hawthorne, was born March 3, 1833, in New
castle, Delaware, where he obtained a common-
school education. He chose the occupation off
farmihg for his vocation in life, which he pur
sued in his native town for a number of years-
In 1881 he removed to Chester, Pennsylvania,
where he devoted his time and attention to the-
same line of trade. He is a consistent member-
of the Third Presbyterian church, of which he-
has been for many years and is still an elder. He
was united in marriage to Miss Emma B. Short,
daughter of James Short, of Delaware, who was-
a descendant on both the paternal and maternal'
sides from noted and wealthy families of Dela
ware. Eight children were born of this union,
two of whom; are living at the present timer-
Lizzie D. and J. L. Hawthorne. Mrs. William
M. Hawthorne died January 17, 1878.
John L. Hawthorne was born in Newcastle
county, Delaware, March 4, 1861, and acquired.
his education at the academy in Newark, Dela
ware, and later was a student in the Delaware
college. Shortly after his graduation he re
moved with his parents to Chester, Pennsylvania,
where he was engaged as a clerk in a store until
1883. He then, entered the wholesale commis
sion business, and the success he attained in this
line of trade is indeed creditable, as it was ac
quired through persistent, honorable effort and
splendid business ability. He also devoted some
of his time to the reading of law, and having
prepared himself for that profession on June 1,
1893, he_ retired from the commission business.
In his political affiliations, Mr. Hawthorne

^^^rc^-^.

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

67

~was an ardent advocate of Republican measures,
-and in- 1887 joined the Young Men's Republican
Club, being its president in 1890. In 1889 he
was appointed a delegate to the League of Re
publican Clubs. In 1892 he was a candidate for
the legislature, but withdrew two weeks before
the convention; in 1893 he was appointed a mem
ber of the state committee, arid was also a can-
¦ didate for the office of city comptroller. He was
elected by the city council to fill an unexpired
term, and in 1893 was re-elected comptroller,
which position he filled for six years altogether.
In 1894 he was a candidate for the office of re-
-cprder of deeds; he was one of six candidates
for the office, and in the election came next to
the successful contestant. In 1896 he was re
elected to the office of city comptroller, and the
following year was a candidate for the position
•of postmaster of the city of Chester. In 1899
Mr. Hawthorne was appointed deputy collector
¦of customs, his continuance in the office standing
in evidence of his fidelity to his obligations. Mr.
Hawthorne has been appointed a delegate to
Estate "and county conventions, was chairman of
the city committee, and a prominent member of
the Media Republican Club. He is also one of
the charter members of the Elks, and he holds
membership in many other orders. He was one
of the first trustees of the Cambridge Savings
Trust Company.
On December 29, 1883, Mr. Hawthorne mar-
Tied Miss Eva A. Perkins, daughter of William
Perkins, a member of an old and honored family
•of Maryland. Six children were born to them,
'five of whom are now living, Nellie Grant, Bes
sie D., William' M., Ethel M., Marion E. and
John L. Hawthorne, Jr. The family are earnest
and faithful members of the Madison Street
'Methodist Episcopal church, of which Mr. Haw
thorne is a trustee.

A. DUNCAN YOCUM, M. D. The name
-of Dr. A. Duncan Yocum, superintendent of
public schools of Chester, Pennsylvania, is
well known in educational circles; and al
though a comparatively young man, he is
recognized as one of the most able educators
of the state. He is a descendant on the
paternal side of one of the first families of
Swedes that settled in Pennsylvania in 1638,
-the earliest settler of the name being entered in
Penn's census as "Peter Yocum, Gentleman,"
and recorded as a member of the first jury' em
paneled in the colony. On his mother's side
'he is directly descended from Jonathan Gere of
Heavytree, Derbyshire, whose two sons, one of
whom, George, being the immigrant ancestor,
'were kidnapped in 1632' by their guardian, an
uincle, put on board a ship bound for Boston, and

left to shift for themselves at the tender ages
of eleven and nine. The Revolution put a stop
to the litigation by which their descendants were
endeavoring to regain the property from which
they had been thus defrauded. James Gere,
great-grandson of George, and great-grandfather
of the subject of this sketch, was high sheriff
of Massachusetts under George III. His son mar
ried a sister of Ethan Allen, and his grandson,
a niece of Jane McCray.
Rev. A. Duncan Yocum, father of Dr. Yo
cum, was born in York, Pennsylvania, in 1832.
His maternal grandfather, Andrew Duncan, was
sheriff of York county, a general of militia, and
later one of the first settlers of Ohio. He was edu
cated at York Academy and Westminster College.
At the outbreak of the Civil war he served in the
quartermaster's department, and later as lieu
tenant of volunteers. Through one of the family
divisions common to the period, his uncles, Gen
eral J. K. and Colonel Patterson Duncan,- cast
their fortunes with the south, the former being
in command of Forts Jackson and St. Philip
when Farragut forced the defenses of New Or
leans. At the close of the war, he pursued a
theological course and became a prominent min
ister of the Central Presbyterian conference of the
Methodist Episcopal church. In 1868 he married
Laura M. Gere, daughter of the Rev. Dr. John A.
and Sarah (Neal) Gere, the latter a sister, of the
mother of Grover Cleveland. Three children
were born of this union, Albert Duncan, Sarah
Gere and Alverda M. (Mrs. George E. Barton).
Rev. Mr. Yocum died in 1889, but. his wife, is
still living.
Dr. A. Duncan Yocum was born in Yqrk,
Pennsylvania, July 22, 1869. He graduated frpm
Dickinson College in 1889, before he had com
pleted his nineteenth year. While in college he
was editor of the "Dickinsonian," president of
the Belles Lettres Literary Society, president of
the Athletic Association, class historian and a
member of the Beta Theta Psi fraternity. From
1889 to 1890 he was an instructor in the Chester
high school; 1890-1895, supervising principal of
public schools in Smyrna, Delaware; and from
1895 to 1900, superintendent of schools in Mill-
ville, New Jersey. While a resident of the state
of Delaware he was one of the founders and
the first president of the State Principals' Asso
ciation, and a main organizer of the summer
schools for teachers, which have done so much to
raise the standard of educatipni in that state.
In 1900 he received the degree pf Ph. D. from
the University of Pennsylvania, after four years
of resident work as a graduate student, carried
on while he was in charge of Millville schools.
Later in the same year he was appointed to his
present position, as superintendent of schools in
Chester, Pennsylvania. Dr. Yocum's thesis.

6i

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

"An Inquiry into the Teaching of Addition and
Subtraction," published for the University of
Pennsylvania, has attracted much favorable at
tention from school men and received high praise
from the educational press. Besides being a
frequent contributor to professional periodicals,
and a prominent worker in . educational associa
tions and societies, he is a member of the Masonic
fraternity, the Penn Club of Chester and various
beneficial societies.
In 1891 Dr. Yocum married Miss May Tur
ner, daughter of Richard E. Turner, of Chester,
Pennsylvania. They have one child, Arnott Dun
can Yocum, born in Smyrna, Delaware, May 3,
1892.

J. FRANK BLACK, president of the Ches
ter National Bank, of Chester, Pennsylvania,
is descended from Scotch-Irish ancestors who
were among the early settlers of Pennsyl
vania. Samuel Black, his paternal grandfather,
was a pioneer settler in Marple township, Dela
ware county. There he married Catherine Van
Leer, and they became the parents of six chil
dren — Joseph, Samuel, William V., Ann, Cather
ine V. and John. William V., third child in this
family, was born at the family homestead, Au
gust 22, 1796. In his early life he was a farmer
and accumulated considerable means, to which
lie added while following a mercantile career.
His later years were passed in the city of Chester,
where he died November 24, 1883, at the vener
able age of eighty-seven years. His wife was
Maria Cochran, a daughter of Isaac Cochran, of
Delaware county, and of this marriage were born
nihe children — Catherine J., who became the wife
of J. C. Lindsay ; Isaac C., Samuel G., Elizabeth
Jane, William,. Hannah Maria, Susannah, Henry
B. and J. Frank Black.
J. Frank Black, youngest child in the family
last named, was born October 16, 1839, in Upper
Darby township, Delaware county, Pennsylvania.
He began his education in the public schools at
Haverford, and took an advanced course in
Galey's Academy at Media, to which village his
parents removed when he was fourteen years
of age. After leaving school he entered his fa
ther's general store, where he was engaged as
salesman and clerk until he attained his majority,
when he formed a partnership with his elder
brother, Henry B. Black, and the two succeeded
to the business which their parent had conducted.
In 1862 J. Frank Black, impelled by patriotic
feeling, enlisted in Company D, One Hundred
and Twenty-fourth Regiment, Pennsylvania Vol
unteers, and was at once appointed to a ser-
geantcy. The term of the regiment was for nine
months, but the exigencies of the times protracted
its service to ten months, druing which time it

was engaged in one of the most eventful cam
paigns of the Army of the Potomac and bore a
gallant part in the desperate and bloody battles
of Antietam and Chancellorsville and a number
of minor engagements.
Honorably discharged from the army, Mr.
Black returned to Media and resumed the busi
ness which he had temporarily abandoned. In
1865 he located in Chester, where he engaged
in lumber, coal, saw and planing-mill business in
association with his father-in-law, C. P. Morton,
under the firm name of Morton & Black. Six
months later, Henry B. Black was admitted to
the firm, which now became Morton, Black &
Brother; in 1879 Henry B. Black retired, and
the firm resumed its former title of Morton &
Black. Later, Crosby M. Black, son of J. Frank
Black, was admitted to the firm, which now was-
styled Morton, Black & Son, a name which was
afterward changed to that of J. Frank Black &
Son. In 1891 the firm was merged into the
Chester Lumber & Coal Company, with J. Frank
Black as president and Crosby M. Black as treas
urer and general manager, and the corporation-
has long been known as one of the most important
of its class in the state.
A man of great energy and boundless enter
prise, Mr. Black has also given his service to
many other financial and business concerns in
the capacity of stockholder and director. He
is president of the Thacker Coal & Coke Com
pany of Virginia. For eighteen years he has
been connected with the Chester Freight Line,
operating steamboats between Chester and Phila
delphia, and for sixteen years of this time he
has been the president of the company. His-
principal personal interests, however, are with-
the Chester National Bank, with which he has
been connected since its founding, in which he-
aided, and in which he was one of the original'
directors. In April, 1893, he was elected president,
and he has continued in that position to the pres
ent time. It is not too much to say that the-
splendid development of this substantial institu
tion has been largely due to his tireless energy-
and masterly management. In 1899 the director
ate erected a new bank building, which is a beauti
ful ornament to the city — a detached stone, one-
story edifice of composite architecture, some
what after the Egyptian type, with a deep portal,.
arch-crowned and displaying two massive Cor
inthian columns on either side. The interior,.
with its connecting room, directors' room and safe-
deposit vault, in beauty and utility would easily
disparage the great majority of banking houses
in the country, even in the metropolis itself. The
cost of building was seventy-five thousand dol
lars, and expert builders aver that it could not
be duplicated at the present time for less than
one hundred thousand dollars. The extent to

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

69

which the bank contributes to the business of
Chester may be discerned from the fact that on
September 15, 1902, its resources amounted to
$iv6t,559-9i, an increase of $478,479.35 over
February 4, 1899. The capital stock is $300,000,
and the outstanding issue is $146,500. The di
rectorate comprises some of the largest men of
affairs in the city— John B. Roach, Richard
Wetherill, Charles B. Houston, H. B. Black, Will
iam S. Blakely, Joseph Deering, George C. Het-
zel, George B. Lindsay and J. Frank Black.
Mr. Black has performed valuable service in
the city council, of which he was a member for
six terms, and during two of which he was
president of the select council. In religious faith
he is a Presbyterian, and for a number of years
he has served as ruling elder in the Third church.
His political affiliations are with the Republican
party, and he has frequently been a delegate to
county and state conventions.
Mr. Black was married, February 16, 1865,
to Miss Sue C. Morton, only child of Crosby
P. Morton, of Chester, formerly a resident of
Philadelphia. She was of splendid Revolution
ary stock. Her great-grandfather was John Mor
ton, of Pennsylvania, who occupied many im
portant positions under the colonial government
and was judge of the provincial supreme court.
He was a member of the First Stamp Act Con
gress in 1765, and of the First and Second Con
tinental Congresses. It is narrated of him that,
in order to attend the last named body, which
was to take action upon the adoption of the Dec
laration of Independence, he took his horse out
of the plow to set out on his journey. He was
the first of the signers of the Declaration who
died, and on one side of the monument erected
to him in St. Paul's burying ground at Chester
is the following inscription: "In voting by
states upon the question of the Independence of
the American Colonies, there was a tie until the
vote of Pennsylvania was given, two members
of which voted in the affirmative, and two in
the negative. The tie continued until the vote
of the last member, John Morton, decided the
promulgation of the glorious Diploma of American
Freedom." Mrs. Black is a cultured and highly
educated woman, and her life has abounded in
deeds which have endeared her to the community.
She is active in church work and in aid of the
enterprises of the Young Men's Christian Asso
ciation. Her most conspicuous effort has been
in connection with the Chester Hospital, of which
she is president, and for which she has erected a
very complete building for nurses. Of her mar
riage with Mr. Black have been born three chil
dren, of whom two survive — Crosby M., who
married Mary E. Chambers, and to whom were
born two children, Sue M. and J. Frank; and
Sarah C, who resides with her parents.

JOHN A. WALLACE. A well merited suc
cess has crowned the capably directed business
efforts of John A. Wallace, whose advancement
financially is due entirely to his own resources
and ability. The family of which John A. Wal
lace is a member is of Scotch origin, and is one
of the oldest and most respected in New York,
as some of the ancestors settled there at an early
day. John Wallace, grandfather of John A.
Wallace, was a native of Dutchess count)-, New
York, where he passed his entire life engaged in
the occupation of farming. His death occurred
about the year 1842.
David Wallace, father of John A. Wallace,
was born in 1810, on the old homestead in Dutch
ess county, New York. He followed shipbuild
ing and contracting in New York city during
most of his active life, and having secured a
comfortable competency he retired from the ac
tive duties of a business career, for a number
of years enjoying the peace and quiet of his home
farm in Dutchess county. Politically he was a
member of the Whig party until 1856, when he
joined the ranks of the Republicans and ever
since supported the men and measures of that
party. In 1838 Mr. Wallace married Miss
Gertrude Paulding, a daughter of Levi Paulding,
a native of Dutchess county, who was of Ger
man descent, and a brother of Major John Paul
ding, of Revolutionary fame; he was also con
nected with the Paulding family of which Major
Paulding was a member, who with two other
Continental soldiers, captured Major Andre
upon his attempt to regain the British lines after
his interview with Benedict Arnold. Four chil
dren were born to Mr. and Mrs. Wallace, a son,,
John A., and three daughters.
John A. Wallace, only son of David and
Gertrude Wallace, was born in Hyde Park,
Dutchess county, New York, February 11, 1842.
He acquired his elementary education in the
public schools of New York city, after which he
entered the Stratford (Connecticut) Academy,
and at the age of eighteen years became a
student of Williams College, Williamstown, Mas
sachusetts, where he pursued the collegiate
course until the breaking out of the Civil war.
He then severed his connection with the college
and enlisted as a private in the One Hundred
and Fiftieth Regiment, New York Infantry,
and later served with the Sixty-sixth Regiment,
New York Veteran Volunteers. After his re
turn from the war he was engaged in teaching
for two years in Dutchess county, and then re
moved to' New York city, where he had been
offered a position in the county clerk's office.
After serving in this capacity for a short period
he was offered a more lucrative appointment
in the chief engineer's office at the Brooklyn
navy yard, where he was soon afterward pro~

7o

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

moted to the post of chief clerk. In 1873 ne
resigned this position and removed to Chester,
Pennsylvania, to accept a responsible position in
the ship-yard of John Roach, the eminent ship
builder who constructed many of the war ves
sels for the United States government.
Mr. Wallace became interested in journalism
in 1882, when he organized the Chester Times
Publishing Company, being elected secretary
and treasurer of the company and editor of
the paper. After various changes in the organ
ization Mr. Wallace purchased the entire busi
ness, and successfully conducted "The Times"
alone until 1892, when, on account of failing
health, superinduced by too close application to
business, he disposed of one-half of the establish
ment to William C. Sproul, with whom he has
ever since been associated in the ownership and
-management of the Chester Times. Their
newspaper plant is located in one of the finest
buildings devoted to the publishing business in
this country, and it is equipped with the most
modern machinery. His ability as an editor is
recognized by the newspaper fraternity through
out the state, and "The Times" is universally
conceded to be one of the brightest, newsiest
and best papers printed in America. In its
editorials he has always been outspoken and fear
less, ready to give credit where it is due and also
ready to denounce the wrong, whether in social
or political affairs. Mr. Wallace was appointed
postmaster of the city of Chester by President
Arthur, and served as such until removed by
President Cleveland in 1885 ; in July, 1902, he
was again appointed postmaster and is serving
in that capacity at the present time. He is presi
dent of the Board of Trade of Chester, Pennsyl
vania, and also a director in the Cambridge Trust
Company of Chester. He is a prominent member
of Chester Lodge, No. 236, Free and Accepted
Masons ; Chester Chapter, No. 258, Royal Arch
Masons; Chester Commandery, No. 66, Knights
Templar; Wilde Post, No. 25, G. A. R. ; and
Chester Lodge, No. 92, Independent Order of
Odd Fellows. He also holds membership in the
Chi Psi fraternity of Williams College.
For more than a quarter of a century Mr.
Wallace has been a prominent and consistent
member of Trinity Methodist Episcopal church,
Chester, and for many years has been the presi
dent of its board of trustees. He is also super
intendent of the Sunday-school connected with
the church. He is now vice-president of the
Chester Heights Camp Meeting Association, and
also a trustee in the Methodist Episcopal Hos
pital of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
On May 20, 1864, Mr. Wallace married Miss
Emma Coyle, a daughter of Cornelius Coyle, of
Rhinebeck, New York. Five of their children
are still living: Frank, who is foreman in the

government printing office at Washington ; Kate,
wife of J. Frank Kitts, of the Merchants' Na
tional Bank of Philadelphia ; Robert, Sarah Ger
trude and Anna Wallace.

DAVID REESE ESREY, deceased, was
numbered among the most successful and highly
esteemd residents of Chester, Delaware county,
Pennsylvania, where his life industry and useful
ness and his record for integrity gave him a firm
hold upon the regard and confidence of the com
munity. Joseph Esrey, grandfather of David R. Esrey,
was a descendant of an old English ancestry. He
was a prominent resident of Radnor township,
Delaware county, Pennsylvania, being actively in
terested in the industrial, political and social af
fairs. He married Miss Hannah Haley, of Ches
ter county, Pennsylvania, and the following
named children were born to them: John, Wil
liam, Joseph,- Jonathan, Richard, Margaret, Eliza
beth, Mary, Ann and Sydney Esrey. Jonathan
Esrey, father of David R. Esrey, was born in
Delaware county Pennsylvania, in 1791, and re
sided in that neighborhood all his life. He was
prominently identified with the commercial and
political life of the county, being chosen by his
fellow citizens to serve in the capacity of sheriff,
and he was the incumbent of that office at the
time of his death, which occurred in 1851. Mr.
Esrey was twice married, his first wife having
been Margaret Newlin, and by this marriage one
son was born, Edmund Esrey. His second wife
was Jane Hawkins, a daughter of William and
Sarah Hawkins, and their children were: Sarah,
Eliza Ann, George W., David R., Lydia, Henry
F., Mary E., William, Jonathan, Jane and Syd
ney Esrey.
David R. Esrey, son of Jonathan and Jane
Esrey, was born December 4, 1825, in Ridley
township, Pennsylvania, and at an early age re
moved to Wallingford, Nether Providence, where
his youth was occcupied in various, industrious
pursuits or in attendance at the village school. In
1844, having attained the age of eighteen years,
he entered upon his business career in the capacity
of clerk in a store at Brook Haven, Chester town
ship, which position he retained for six years. He
then purchased the stock of the owner, and for
sixteen years successfully conducted the busi
ness. In December, 1863, discerning a profitable
field in the business of a manufacturer, he entered
into partnership with Mr. Hugh Shaw, and pur
chased of Patrick Kelly, Esq., of Aston township,
his interest in the Pennellton Mills, with the
right to manufacture Powhattan jeans. The firm
was known as Shaw & Esrey, and in 1865 tnev
purchased a plot of ground on Green street,
Chester, with the intention of erecting a mill

-'V ?''tyA.H.FutcU<i

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

7i

thereon, but early in the spring of 1866 Mr. Esrey
purchased six acres of ground and the mansion on
the Engle property at Powhattan, near Chester,
-after which the firm purchased three acres more.
On this plot they erected Powhattan Mill No. 1,
to which they removed the machinery of the old
mill and added a new set of woolen machinery;
they also erected four tenement houses for the
nse of their employes. In 1871 the business had
so increased that, to keep pace with the demand
for their goods, another lot of ground was pur
chased and Mill No. 2 was erected. In the
spring of 1877 they decided to erect a third mill
to be used exclusively for the manufacture of a
finer class of goods. In January, 1878, the firm
•of Shaw & Esrey was changed under the act of
assembly to a limited company, which consisted
of Hugh Shaw, David Reese Esrey, John Shaw,
H. C. Esrey and William H. Shaw ; the following-
year the stock of H. C. Esrey, deceased, was
transferred to C. S. Esrey, and he was admitted
to the company. At that time the property owned
"by the company consisted of three ¦ mills, out
building and machinery, fourteen dwelling
nouses, and a tract of land, with a capital of three
"hundred thousand dollars, . The goods -manufac
tured in these mills were known in the market as
Powhattans, Covingtons, Provident, and all wool
jeans. In addition to the numerous duties which
devolved upon him as a member of this company,
Mr. Esrey served as a director of the Delaware
County National Bank. In his political affilia
tions he was formerly an old-line Whig, but later
joined the Republican party, being elected on
that ticket to serve in various township offices.
On April 25, 1850, Mr. Esrey married Mar
garet Marker, daughter of Jonathan M.
Marker,, of Upper Darby. Their children
were: Jonathan, deceased; Henry C, deceased;
•Charles S. ; William H.; and Mary Ella,
who died in infancy. Mrs. Esrey died in
¦1886. Subsequently Mr. Esrey married Sarah
*E. Blakely, a daughter of Abraham Blakely, a
noted manufacturer of Chester. Mr. Esrey was
a member of the Methodist Episcopal church of
Chester and president of its board of trustees up
ito the time of his death, which occurred April
11, 1897. Mrs. Esrey is actively interested in the
-work of the various societies connected with the
Madison Methodist Episcopal church, and also
serves as one of the managers of the Chester
^Hospital.

CHARLES PALMER. Among the mem
bers of the legal profession in the city of Chester,
Pennsylvania, who have demonstrated their abil
ity to cope successfully with the ' intricate prob
lems of jurisprudence and whose futures are
bright with promise, is Charles Palmer, descen

dant of John Palmer, who in 1688 purchased one
hundred acres of land in Concord township, part
of which has remained in the possession of his
descendants to the present time. John Palmer
was united in marriage to Mary Southery, and the
line of descent is as follows : John Palmer, son of
John and Mary Palmer, married Martha Years-
ley; their son Moses Palmer married Abigail
Newlin, whose son, John, born in 1745, married
Hannah Martin, daughter of Abram Martin, of
Aston, and ten children were born to them, among
whom was John, born in 1788, who married Beu-
lah Walter, a daughter of William Walter, of
Centreville, Delaware, and their children were;
Lewis, William W., John, Rachel, Charles, Han
nah, Lydia and Beulah Palmer.
Charles Palmer, grandfather of ; Charles
Palmer, was born September 16, 181 1, in Con
cord township, and the early years of his life
were spent in that vicinity. At the age of six
teen years he removed to Wilmington1, Delaware,
where he was engaged as a clerk for a number
of years in a mercantile establishment. He then
located in Chester, Pennsylvania, and acted in the
same capacity for J. P. & William Eyre until
1833, when he engaged in mercantile pursuits at
Beaver Valley, Delaware, but finding that no
trade could there be successfully conducted with
out the sale of liquor, he abandoned this enter
prise and engaged in agricultural pursuits. In
politics he was formerly a Whig, but later, an
adherent of the Republican party, and in 1842
was appointed steward of the Delaware county
alms-house, which position he held for twelve
years, and he was also supervisor for a term of
years, being largely instrumental in the improve
ment of the roads of the township. He was one
of the directors of the First National Bank of
Media for several years, and of the Delaware
County Mutual Insurance Company from its or
ganization. Mr. Palmer was a member of the
Society of Friends, and a regular attendant of the
Friends' Meeting at Concordville. He married
Deborah Pitman, a daughter of Benjamin and
Mary Pitman, of Monmouth county. New Jersey,
and their children were : Mary F., Lewis, James,
Edwin H. and Hannah Ann. The mother of
these children died November 1, 1870, and four
years later Mr. Palmer married Anna Stoll, of
Concord. His death occurred April 12, 1876,
in the sixty-fourth year of his age.
Lewis Palmer, father of Charles Palmer, was
born October 2, 1837, in Concord township, and
in early life removed to the present site of the
borough of Media, where he remained until he
was sixteen years old. The greater part of his
educatipn was acquired at the schpol of S. M.
Janriey, of Loudoun county, Virginia, and in
Chester county, Pennsylvania, and upon complet
ing his studies he returned to the farm and cui-

72

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

tivated the land on shares for his father. At the
death of his father he inherited the paternal es
tate and devoted his attention principally to the
manufacture of butter for the Chester market, in
which occupation he met with a large degree of
success. In his political affiliations Mr. Palmer
formerly lent his support to the men and measures
of the Republican party but later became identi
fied with the Prohibition party. He was elected
to the office of school director for two terms, and
was a prominent factor in the erection of commo
dious school buildings in Concord township. He
has always been an earnest advocate of the cause
of temperance in all its phases. In religion he is
a member' of the Society of Friends; but his
views on the subject are liberal; and he is an
acknowledged minister of the Concord meeting.
Mr. Palmer served as member of the Delaware
County Institute of Science, corresponding mem
ber of the Historical Society of the State of Dela
ware, and also president and director of the
Farmers' Market of Chester, for which he now
acts in the capacity of superintendent. In 1862
Mr. Palmer married Hannah H. Pancoast,
daughter of Joseph and Susan Pancoast, of Salem
county, New Jersey, and their children are:
Charles, Joseph P., Mary D., Anna T., Edwin L.
and Samuel C. Palmer. Mary D. and Anna T.
are now deceased.
Charles Palmer, eldest son of Lewis and
Hannah H. Palmer, was born in Concord town
ship, Delaware county, Pennsylvania, July 9,
1863. His preliminary education was obtained
in the local schools, after which he pursued a
course of study at Swarthmore College, from
which he was graduated with honor in 1882.
Duding the following five years he was engaged
in teaching school in Pennsylvania, New York
and Maryland. In 1887 he located in Chester,
Pennsylvania, and took up the study of law with
Edmund Jones and was admitted to the Delaware
county bar April 7, 1890, and has since been ad
mitted to practice in the supreme court of Penn
sylvania and the United States district court. He
has now a large general practice, and has won
and maintains a position of prestige as a repre
sentative of the legal profession. He takes great
interest in building associations, and holds posi
tions as secretary of the Pennsylvania Savings,
Loan and Building Association, solicitor of the
Franklin Building and Loan Association, and di
rector of the Industrial Building and Loan Asso
ciation. Mr. Palmer is also collector of Chester
Council, Royal Arcanum, and clerk of Chester
Monthly Meeting of the Society of Friends, of
which organization he is an earnest member, and
he is a charter member of the Delaware County
Historical Society. Mr. Palmer has always been
actively connected with the Prohibition party,
has been several times appointed chairman of the

county convention, and in 1894 was a candidate
on the State Prohibition ticket for auditor gen
eral. On June 24, 1897, Mr. Palmer married Arietta
Cutler, a daughter of David and Caroline V. Cut
ler, of Ontario, Canada, and their children are:
Edgar Z., C. Mervin, and Thompson Palmer.

RUFUS W. GOUGH, a prominent man of
affairs of Chester, Pennsylvania, belongs to a
family which has been for generations identified
with manufacturing interests both in England
and America.
John B. Gough, father of Rufus W. Gough,.
was born in Manchester, England, where his
family were leading manufacturers. At six years
of age he was brought to the United States,
where after reaching manhood he followed his
hereditary occupation. In Philadelphia he en
gaged in the manufacture of cotton and woolen-
goods, being for many years the proprietor of
a large and flourishing business. He married
Sarah Elizabeth Brown, and was the father of
four children. Mrs. Gough died in 1879, and
the death of Mr. Gough took place in 1902, when:
he had attained the age of eighty-three.
Rufus W. Gough, son of John B. and Sarah:
Elizabeth (Brown) Gough, was born in Phila
delphia, where he received his education in the
local schools. At an early age he went to work
in a mill, advancing by dint of ability and in
dustry until in 1876 he went to Louisville, Ken
tucky, in order to assume the position of man
ager of a mill in that city. After remaining-
twenty years in business in Louisville, in 1896V-
Mr. Gough went to Chester, where he filled the
position of president and general manager of
the Delaware County Telephone Company, which
he organized. After disposing of his interest in
this concern, Mr. Gough engaged in real estate-
enterprises, also formed connections with life,
fire and accident insurance companies, and estab
lished offices in the Cambridge building in May,.
1 90 1. In 1 89 1 he organized the Cambridge
Mutual Benefit Association, of which he became
president, an office which he still holds. Under-
his leadership, enforced by the labors of his able
coadjutors, the enterprise has been extremely suc
cessful, the exceptional advantages offered by the-
association to its members having met with the
fullest appreciation. Both in the real estate field
and in the insurance business Mr. Gough is-
recognized as a leader and an authority.
Although an earnest member of the Republi
can party, the engrossing nature of Mr. Gough's
large commercial and financial interests prevents
him from taking an active part in politics. He is
a Mason of thirty-five years' standing, and also-
belongs to the order of Elks. He is a member of

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

73

the Providence Avenue Methodist Episcopal
church, in which he fills the positions of president
of the board of trustees and superintendent of
the Sunday-school.
Mr. Gough married, in November, 1865,
Emma, daughter of James Jackson. Their fam
ily consists of two children: Sylvania B., and
Rufus J., who is superintendent of a mill in
Louisville, Kentucky.

DR. DAVID ROSE, deceased, for many
years a prominent and eminent physician of
Delaware county, Pennsylvania, was born at
Brandywine Hundred, October 7, 1821, a de
scendant of a family who came to this country
from England in company with William Penn.
He was a grandson of David Rose, who acted
in the capaix^y of quarantine officer for the gov
ernment, and who by faithfully performing all
the duties attached to the office retained the posi
tion for many years ; he was also vestryman of
St. Paul's Episcopal church for a number of
years. David Rose, father of Dr. David Rose,
possessed an excellent literary education and
was well qualified both by natural aptitude and
careful preparation for the position of school
teacher, which occupation he followed for many
years, while later he was successfully engaged in
agricultural pursuits.
Dr. David Rose acquired a good common
school education in the local schools of his native
town and Philadelphia, and after completing his
literary education he decided to enter upon a pro
fessional career. He commenced the study of
medicine with Dr. Griffith, of Ridley township,
Delaware county, as preceptor, and after complet
ing the regular course of instruction at Pennsyl
vania College, graduating in 1848, he was well
qualified to practice his profession. In 1848 he
opened an office in Rockdale, where he rapidly
built up a large general practice. He possessed
many of the leading characteristics of the ideal
physician, and in the success which he attained he
fully demonstrated the value of his careful pre
paration. During the Civil war Dr. Rose did not
accept any remuneration for his services from the
families of the soldiers who participated in that
great struggle. Fraternally Dr. Rose was a
prominent member of the order of Odd Fellows,
and was a vestryman of the Protestant Episcopal
church. On November 1, 1849, Dr. Rose was united in
marriage to miss Sarah Ovenshine Rutt'er, daugh
ter of Dr. Thomas Rutter, of Pottstown, Mont
gomery county, Pennsylvania, and a first cousin of
Major General Brooke. Her ancestors were
largely interested in the iron business, and during
the Revolutionary war they supplied the Conti
nental army with cannons and balls. Four chil

dren were born of this union, one of whom is
now living, David F. Rose. Dr. Rose died De
cember 9, 1891, survived by his widow, who is
still enjoying excellent health, although she has
attained her seventy-first year.
David F. Rose, only surviving child of Dr.
David and Sarah Rose, was born in Rockdale,
Delaware county, Pennsylvania, in 1850, and his
preliminary education was obtained at home. This
was supplemented by a thorough course in Haver
ford College, after which he entered the law de
partment of the University of Pennsylvania, from
which institution he was graduated in 1874. He
at once entered upon a general practice, in which
he became useful and successful, winning well
deserved recognition as a capable and conscien
tious practititioner, and after more than a quarter
of a century of active employment he is yet en
gaged in professional labor in Chester, Pennsyl
vania. In his political affiliations he is a firm and
staunch Republican, has served as a member of
the school board for four years and is secretary
of that body.
In January, 1892, Mr. Rose married Miss
Florence Worrell, a daughter of Edward S.
Worrell, of Chester, and the following named
children were born to them: Sarah R., David,
Florence and Rebecca Rose.

DR. SAMUEL R. CROTHERS, actively en
gaged in the practice of medicine and surgery
in the city of Chester, Pennsylvania, is a descend
ant of two of the oldest families of Cecil county,
Maryland, both of whom were planted there in
the early pioneer days of that section, taking up
land when it was yet free to all comers. The
paternal grandfather of Dr. Crothers was an ex
tensive farmer of that county, and was an active
participant in the war of 18 12.
Jonathan L. Crothers, father of Dr. Samuel
R. Crothers, was born in Cecil county, Mary
land, and after finishing his education he learned
the trade of contracting and building, to which
occupation he devoted a number of years. Sub
sequently he purchased a large and finely im
proved farm, where he conducted agricultural
pursuits on an extensive scale. In his political
affiliations he was an ardent supporter of the
principles of the Republican party. He was
united in marriage to Miss Margaret Mearns,
a daughter of Andrew Mearns, one of the leading
farmers of Cecil county, and a descendant of an
old pioneer family. Both Mr. and Mrs. Crothers
were consistent members of the Methodist Epis
copal church of Cecil county. Mr. Crothers died
in 1898. Dr. Samuel R. Crothers, son of Jonathan and
Margaret Crothers, was born in Cecil county,
Maryland, February 29, 1864, and his boyhood

.74

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

-days were spent on his father's farm. His edu
cation was acquired in the public schools and at
Churchside Seminary, in Cecil county, Mary
land, after which he learned the drug business
with Joseph M. Fulton, of New London,
Pennsylvania, and later entering the Phila
delphia College of Pharmacy, from which in
stitution he was graduated in the spring
of 1885. Shortly after his graduation he
accepted a position in a large drug store in Phila
delphia, where he remained for two years, and
¦ during this period of time he read medicine under
the supervision of Dr. J. Howard Beck, of that
city. He then matriculated in the medical de
partment of the University of Pennsylvania,
where he pursued a full course of reading in
medicine and was duly graduated in 1889, with
the degree of Doctor of Medicine. He immedi
ately secured the position of assistant physician
in St. Joseph's Hospital, Reading, Pennsylvania,
where he remained one year, after which, in 1890,
he located in the city of Chester for the regular
practice of his profession. Dr. Crothers met
with appreciation and encouragement from the
beginning, and his practice has increased as the
years have gone by, until now it ranks with the
most important in the city of Chester. He is in
clined to make a specialty of surgery, in which he
is very successful and to which he gives much at
tention, having been chosen to fill the position of
surgeon of the Chester City Hospital. He is a
member of the Delaware County Medical So
ciety, of the American Medical Society, the state
and county medical societies, and he is also a
member of Chester Lodge, Free and Accepted
Masons; Ledger Lodge, and Knights of Pythias.
Politically Dr. Crothers is an ardent Republican,
and has served the borough of South Chester in
the capacity of assistant- burgess.
On October 24, 1894, he married Mary D.
Jones, of Philadelphia, and a child, William J.,
was born September 21, 1898, to them.

DR. WILLIAM BAGGS ULRICH, of Ches
ter, Pennsylvania, who for more than one-half of
a century, has been recognized as a skillful and
progressive physician and a leading and influential
-citizen, belongs to a German family which for
three generations has been represented in Penn
sylvania. John Ulrich, grandfather of William
Baggs Ulrich, was born in Germany during the
-latter half of the eighteenth century, and at
the age of twenty-five came to America and set
tled in Philadelphia, where he married Mary
Kline. Samuel Ulrich, son of John Ulrich, was born
in 1802, in Philadelphia, where he received his
education and passed the years of his early man
hood, removing in 1834 to Chester, Delaware

county. He enjoyed in a high degree the esteem
and confidence of his neighbors, filling for many
years the office of justice of the peace, a position
for which he was peculiarly fitted both by his
knowledge of law and his natural fairmindedness.
For a long time he acted as notary public, and
his friends and neighbors were in the habit of
resorting to him not only for the services usually
rendered by such an official, but for advice on
various questions of law. In youth Mr. Ulrich
was an admirer arid' political follower of Andrew
Jackson, but in after years experienced a change
of convictions, becoming a Whig, and finally a
Republican. Mr. Ulrich married, in 1828, Cath
arine H., daughter of William and Rachel Baggs,
of Chester, and was the father of nine children.
Mr. Ulrich died at his home in Chester, Decem
ber 6, 1 87 1. His wife, who was a woman of re
markable intelligence and great kindness of heart,
survived him a number of years, dying at Ches
ter December 1, 1885, at the age of seventy-
eight. William Baggs Ulrich, son of Samuel and
Catharine H. (Baggs) Ulrich, was born May 4,
1829, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and was
taken by his parents to Chester when five years
of age. He received his elementary education in
the public schools of that city, afterwards becom
ing a student at Jonathan Gause's boarding-
school, at Unionville, Chester county, and on
leaving school filled the position of clerk in a durg
store in Philadelphia. Dr. Ulrich's spirit of
thoroughness and investigation were not satisfied
with the degree of knowledge necessary for the
discharge of his duties, but while serving in the
store he attended the college of pharmacy, and
thus became complete' master of the business. In
1845 ne matriculated at the Philadelphia College
of Medicine, although obliged to divide his time
between attending lectures and his duties as a
druggist. Under these circumstances, which
might have shaken the resolution of any one not
possessed of the strong determination and pro
fessional enthusiasm which then as in after years
were characteristic of Dr. Ulrich, he pursued his
studies, and in 1850 was duly graduated. In the
autumn of that year, in response to an advanta
geous offer from a firm at Natchez, Mississippi,
requesting him to take charge of a drug store
in that city, he removed to Mississippi, making
the journey in the style of more than half a
century ago, namely, going by rail to the foot
of the Alleghenies, and then traveling by stage
over the mountains to Brownsville, by boat to
Pittsburg and thence to Natchez. Dr. Ulrich
was not disappointed in his hope that the south
would afford a good field for the practice of his
profession, and after one year in the drug store
he removed to Concordia parish, Louisiana,
where in a short time he built up a large and

lV(\{y(ya<vv<!k cwA.

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

75

profitable practice. During his residence in the
south, Dr. Ulrich witnessed four epidemics of
yellow fever, and in consequence of this experi
ence he became peculiarly skillful in the manage
ment of the disease. In 1865 Dr. Ulrich took a
special post-graduate course in the New Orleans
School of Medicine, graduating in 1866. During
a visit which he made to Chester in 1870, the
yellow fever made its appearance at the Lazaretta
quarantine, in Delaware county, When in spite
of all efforts the disease appeared outside that
institution, Dr. Ulrich was summoned as an ex
pert to take charge of the cases, three of which
had occurred in Chester. In recognition of his
successful treatment of these cases, and of his
efforts in protecting the city from the disease,
the city council of Chester tendered him a unan
imous vote of thanks. About this time, in con
sequence of some criticisms on the management
of the Philadelphia board of health, Dr. Ulrich
was involved in an animated newspaper contro
versy, in which he showed himself as thorough
an expert in wielding the pen as in controlling
the ravages of disease. Influenced in part by the
fact that his father was in failing health and
in part by the urgency of friends, Dr. Ulrich
decided to remain in Chester, where he soon had
a large and growing practice. He is frequently
called in consultation to distant points, the repu
tation of his skill being wide-spread. He is also
much interested in stock-raising, being the pos
sessor of a stock farm at Newark, Delaware, on
which are to be found some fine specimens of
standard bred trotters.
In 1872 Dr. Ulrich was appointed surgeon for
the Pennsylvania Military College at Chester,
which he resigned two years ago, having served
twenty-eight years. In the same year he be
came lecturer on hygiene in the same institution.
The same year he received the appointment of
official surgeon of the Philadelphia, Wilmington
& Baltimore Railroad, now the Philadelphia, Bal
timore & Wilmington Railroad, a part of the
Pennsylvania system, with which he still main
tains his connection. He is a member of the
Delaware County Medical Society, of which he
has been several times president; the Pennsyl
vania State Medical Society, in which he has
filled the office of first vice-president, and in
1903 was elected its president ; and the American
Medical Association, of whose judicial council
he was for several years a member. He is an
honorary member of the Delaware State Medr-
cal Society, and has served as a delegate to many
of the state medical conventions of Pennsyl
vania and other states, and also as a delegate from
the American Medical Association to the Medi
cal Association of Canada. By reason of the
fact that Dr. Ulrich is a forcible speaker as well
as a learned physician, he has always taken a

leading part in the discussions which have oc
curred at the meetings of these societies, on whose
official action he has exerted great influence.
Dr. Ulrich is an ardent member of the Demo
cratic party, and has exercised his eloquence and
influence with scarcely less warmth and earnest
ness in behalf of his political organization than*
in defense of his professional opinions. Such is
his popularity that without the slightest effort on •
his own part he was nominated by the Democrats
of Chester for the state senate, although, of
course, unable to contend at the polls with the
large majority of his political opponents. He
has always taken a great interest in educational
matters, having served for many years on the
school board in Louisiana, and having for several
years filled a similar position in Chester.
Dr. Ulrich married, May 4, 1854, Eliza L.,
daughter of David F. Miller, a large cotton
planter of Louisiana, and is the father of three
sons : Samuel B., William R., David M., and one
daughter, Mary. During his residence in Ches
ter, by the able and conscientious discharge of
his duties as a physician and a citizen, Dr. Ulrich •
has earned the respect and gratitude pf the com-
munity, while his kindness of heart and genial
manners have endeared him to a large circle of
patrons and friends.

ARCHIBALD A. COCHRAN, a respected"
and well-known lawyer and influential citizen
of Chester, Pennsylvania, belongs to a Scotch-
Irish family which for three generations has
been numbered among the useful and hon
ored citizens of Delaware county. John Coch
ran, grandfather pf Archibald A. Cochran, .
was born in the north of Ireland, and in early
manhood emigrated to the United States and set
tled in Delaware county, where he purchased a
large tract of land, a part of which is now in
cluded in the city limits of Chester. On this es
tate he resided until his death, which took place
at an advanced age. He married Abigail Engle,
and had by her three children, — John, Elizabeth
and Margaret.
John Cochran, eldest child of John and Abi
gail (Engle) Cochran, was born in 1825, in Del
aware county. He resides in Chester, and was
until 1902 engaged in the real estate and mort
gage brokerage business in Philadelphia, but is
now retired. He is a staunch member of the Re
publican party, and takes an active part in public
affairs. He is a devoted member of the Presby
terian church, and is much interested in relig
ious matters. Mr. Cochran married, in 1849,
Catharine Johnson, daughter of Samuel Johnson,
and granddaughter of the famous astronomer of"
the same name. Mr. and Mrs. Cochran were the
parents of ten children, seven of whom are living r

76

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

I. Engle Cochran, Jr. ; Samuel J. Cochran ; Nellie,
who became the wife of Frank S. Martin ; Mary
J. Cochran, M. D. ; Anna Cochran; J. Howard
Cochran; and Archibald A., mentioned at length
hereinafter. Mrs. Cochran, who was a member
of the Presbyterian church, died in 1875, at the
age of forty-six.
Archibald A. Cochran, youngest child of John
and Catharine (Johnson) Cochran, was born No
vember 21, 1865, in Chester, Pennsylvania, where
he was educated in the public schools and Gil
bert's Academy, after which he entered the law
office of O. B. Dickinson and pursued a course
of legal study. After passing his examination
with honor he was admitted to the bar, May 2,
1887, and began the practice of his profession in
his native city, where he has built up a large and
constantly increasing practice. In addition to his
professional duties Mr. Cochran is secretary of
the Franklin Building and Loan Association of
Chester. Mr. Cochran takes an active interest in
all public affairs, and from September 14, 1892,
until May 1, 1894, served as assistant city solici
tor of Chester, while from that date to the pres
ent has been city solicitor.
Mr. Cochran is a Republican by conviction,
thoroughly informed as to the principles of the
party, and staunch in his adherence to them.
He is a member and trustee of the First Pres
byterian church.
Mr. Cochran married, May 31, 1893, Jennie,
youngest daughter of E. T. Robb, of Chester,
and has two children, Archibald Robb and Don
ald Robb. He is regarded as a man of much busi
ness aptitude and marked ability in his profes
sion, in the ranks of which he has already earned
for himself an honorable place.

WALLACE B. JOHNSTON, who is
secretary and treasurer of the Tidewater
Steel Company of Chester, Pennsylvania,
and was for many years prominently iden
tified with railroad interests in different sections
of the United States, was born in North Am
herst, Ohio, December 15, 1865. F. H. Johnston,
father of W. B. Johnston, was also a native of the
state of Ohio, and he received a practical edu
cation in the schools of his native town. Later
he was engaged in a stone quarry, and by dis
playing great industry, energy and perseverance
won his employer's confidence and respect and
was finally appointed superintendent of the works.
He was very conscientious and just in his deal
ings with the men under his charge, and was
always ready to encourage and aid those who
wished to secure advancement through fidelity to
duty. He was united in marriage to Miss Edna
Shattuc, daughter of S. M. Shattuc, of New York
state and three children were born to them:

Charles E., Wallace B. and Nina. Mr. Johnston-
met with a very untimely death, being killed in
the year 1895.
Wallace B. Johnston was indebted to the pub
lic schools and colleges of Oberlin, Ohio, for his
literary education. In 1883, after completing his
studies, he removed to Youngstown, Ohio, and
was engaged as clerk in the freight office of the
New York, Pennsylvania and Ohio Railroad, re
maining in their employ for six years and serv
ing in various capacities. At the expiration of
that period of time he was appointed agent of
the Erie Express at Youngstown, Ohio. The
following year he located in Pittsburg, Pennsyl
vania, where he was retained as agent for the
Wells, Fargo Express , Company, which pur
chased the Erie Express business and moved to
Pittsburg. This position he retained until 1893,
when the Pittsburg office was abandoned and ht
accepted the position of secretary to the general
superintendent of the Illinois Steel Company.
Later he acted in the same capacity to the general
manager, and subsequently was appointed secre
tary to the first vice-president of the corporation.
Thus for eight consecutive years he filled the
office of secretary, discharging his duties with
marked aptitude and faithfulness and giving the
fullest satisfaction to his employers. In 1902 Mr.
Johnston removed to Chester, Pennsylvania, and
assumed the position of assistant to the presi
dent of the Tidewater Steel Company of that city,
and in October of 1892 was elected secretary and
treasurer of that concern.
On February 23, 1887, Mr. Johnston married
Miss Anna Waugh Morton, daughter of James
A. Morton, of Mercer county, Pennsylvania.
Their children are: Gladys M. and Wallace
DeWitt Johnston.

DANIEL PARISH MADDUX, M. D.,
of Chester Pennsylvania, is of Welsh or
igin, and his ancestors came to America
about two hundred years ago, settling in Mary
land, whence their descendants spread into Penn
sylvania. Of a comparatively recent generation
was the Rev. John B. Maddux, who was pastoi
of the Madison Street Methodist Episcopal
church when the building of its splendid new edi
fice was begun, 1872-1874, which replaced the his
toric old structure erected in 1830. He married
Mary C. Parish, a daughter of the Rev. Daniel
Parish, who was also a native of Maryland and
a minister of the Methodist Episcopal church.
Mr. Maddux died in 1881.
Daniel Parish Maddux, son of the Rev. Tohn
B. and Mary C. (Parish) Maddux, was born
April 26, 1862, in the city of Columbia. Lan
caster county, Pennsylvania. He acquired his ele
mentary education in the public schools and in

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

77

Pennington Seminary, New Jersey, and subse
quently entered Dickinson College. He pursued
his professional studies in the Hahnemann Col
lege of Philadelphia, and was graduated from that
institution in 1883, the year of attaining his ma
jority. For two years he was engaged in hos
pital positions in New York city, being connected
with the staff of the Ward's Island Hospital, and
with the Cumberland Street Hospital in Brook
lyn. This period was most profitably employed,
affording him a broader field of observation than
is open to the practitioner in a smaller place.
In 1885 Dr. Maddux located in Chestei,
Pennsylvania, where he has since been usefully
and profitably employed in general medical and
surgical practice, his patrons comprising a large
part of the best element of the community. He
is a member of various leading medical associa
tions, and has been connected with important hos
pitals in the state. He is a member of the Homoe
opathic Medical Society of Delaware County,
of the American Institute of Homoeopathy,
of the Homoeopathic Medical Society of
Chester, Delaware and Montgomery Counties, of
the Homoeopathic Medical Society of the State of
Pennsylvania, member and treasurer of the Sur
gical and Gynaecological Society, and a member
of the American Institute of Homoeopathy. He
is senior surgeon to the J. Lewis Crozer Hospital,
and president of the Alumni Association of
Hahnemann Medical College, Philadelphia. He
was also one of the organizers of the Organon
Medical Club of Chester, and has been its secre
tary since its establishment in 1887. A signifi
cant evidence of his character and high profes
sional standing is found in the fact that in 1896
he was appointed by President McKinley to mem
bership on the Chester Board of United States
Pension Examiners and in 1903 by Governor
Pennypacker, of Pennsylvania, as a member of
the State Board of Medical Examiners.

ANN (PAINTER) TYLER. This name
will recall to old residents of Delaware county a
flood of interesting recollections. The lady who
bears it is the last of one of the most noted fami
lies of the county, and her residence is a kind of
mecca for all who take an interest in historic
relics and antique reminders of the distant past.
At the hospitable home of Mrs. Tyler may be
found furniture which dates back to the seven
teenth century and which is carefully and tenderly
cared for bv the owner as reminders of her
happy childhood and fond memories of dear ones
who have long since passed away. Something
mav be seen here seldom found in this country of
rapid and restless changes. There has been no
public sale of furniture at this ancestral home
¦since 1682, all of it hiving been handed down by

inheritance from generation to generation until it
reached the possession of the lady who now cher
ishes it with such loving care. There are articles
here manufactured when the house of Stewart
was still reigning in England; before William
Penn set foot on the soil of Pennsylvania; long
before George Washington was born and when
the American colonies had scarcely yet begun to
exist much less to dream of freedom. Hard by
the residence where Mrs. Taylor dispenses such
kindly hospitality were to be seen in the early
decades of the nineteenth century the last sur
vivors of the most interesting of our aboriginal
races. Two solitary members of the Lenni Lenape
tribe, described with such splendor and pathos by
Cooper in his famous story "The Last of the
Mohicans," still lingered in a cave on the Tvlei
homestead and were allowed to eke out their
existence undisturbed by hunting and fishing on
the place. But all are now gone, the Indians and
all the original owners and residents of this his
toric homestead, all save the present occupant
alone, and it is now a pleasant duty to tell the
reader something more definite about this lady
and her long line of patriotic ancestry.
Samuel Painter, the emigrant founder of the
American branch of his name, came from Eng
land to Pennsylvania prior to 1700 and settled in
Birmingham, Chester county, Pennsylvania. He
was one of a numerous progeny who figured with
more or less prominence in the formative period
of the colony and state, but for the purposes of
this sketch the family history will only be traced
from Enos Painter, a direct descendant of Sam
uel, who was born during the latter half of the
eighteenth century and followed the trade of a
hatter in connection with farming. At that time
there lived in Middletown a family named Min-
shall, who were people of importance and wealth
with an interesting history. Thomas Minshall,
the emigrant founder, came from Cheshire, Eng
land, in 1682 with other Quakers, and bought
from William Penn eight hundred acres of land
in Middletown township. About 1700 a son of
Thomas built a home on the eastern end of this
land, near Sycamore Mills, which is still stand
ing in a good state of preservation. According
to the custom of those days, brought over by the
emigrants from Great Britain and still prevalent
in Cheshire, the first floor was made of stone
slabs laid on the earth. About 1740 a grandsori
of the original emigrant erected the stone house on
the western end of this tract of land which is now
occupied bv Mrs. Ann Tyler, and is the residence
alluded to in the introductory remarks as of such
historic interest. In addition to this land in
Middletown, Thomas Minshall bought one
thousand acres in Providence, where Wallingford
is now located, but this he sold at a later period.
About the time that Enos Painter reached his ma-

78

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

jority, which was in 1800, he fell in love with
and married Hannah Minshall, great-grand
daughter of Thomas, the emigrant. As Hannah
was the only child of her parents she inherited a
large part of the eight hundred acres granted to
her forefathers in Middletown, and in the an
cestral homestead on this tract she and her hus
band took up their abode immediately after mar
riage. They became the parents of seven chil
dren, three sons and four daughters, several of
whom displayed varied talents along high lines in
after life. Minshall Painter, the eldest, was born
in 1 80 1, and lived unmarried, but before his
death in 1873 had done much to make his family
name conspicuous. His tastes led him into scien
tific reading and research, and he became quite
prominent in the circles devoted to this line of
learning. He excelled in knowledge of the local
history of Delaware county and was a recog
nized authority on all matters relating to this
subject. Especially fond also of botany, he de
veloped this taste both theoretically and prac
tically with such effect that the old Minshall
homestead where he lived was converted into a
veritable botanical garden. He was active in
securing the removal of the county seat of Dela
ware from Chester to Media, and he it was who
suggested this classical name for the new capital.
He was a member of the American Scientific As
sociation, and one of the founders of the Delaware
Institute at Media.
James Painter, the second son, became the
owner of the tract of land in Birmingham, Ches
ter county, now in the possession of Charles
Mathers. He married Betsy Thatcher, and had
five children. Jacob Painter, the third son of this
interesting family, was also a man of fine tastes
and talents, but of somewhat eccentric turn of
mind. He lived with his brother Minshall, whose
tastes for scientific pursuits he shared, and in ad
dition possessed literary talents of a high degree.
He wrote with remarkable facility both in prose
and poetry, and good judges pronounced some of
his metrical compositions equal to the best of
Whittier. But the writer made no effort to pub
lish his effusions, being seemingly oblivious to
all desire for fame, and so "many a gem of purest
ray serene" was allowed to remain in the darkness
of his desk. He died in 1876, unmarried, but
long before the final summons had carefully de
signed his own tomb. He also composed his own
epitaph in poetry and this, cut on each panel,
may now be read on the mortuary marble as it
stands in Cumberland cemetery. Sarah Painter,
eldest daughter in this family galaxy, married
Eusebias Barnard, a farmer of Pocopson, but
both have passed away. Hannah, the second
daughter, married John Barnard, of Doe Run,
Chester county, but they too are dead. Sidney,
the third daughter, married John Sharpless, a

farmer of Concord, and had a large family, but.
both parents are deceased.
Ann Painter, fourth daughter and youngest
child, was born in 181 8, on the old homestead in
Delaware county, Pennsylvania, which as pre
viously stated, has been in the possession of her
maternal ancestry for over two centuries and is
now owned by herself. She spent her early life
amid the delightful surroundings of this lovely
home, where she acquired a love for flowers and
all other beautiful things associated with her
talented brothers. Her education was received at
the Western Friends Boarding School and the
Kimberton Academy, and after completing her
studies was given the benefit of an extensive trip,
which proved highly instructive as well as en
joyable. Her journey took her through the
boundless west when traveling was quite a dif
ferent thing from what it is to-day, and among
other noted localities visited was Nauvoo, the-
famous birthplace of Mormonism. In 1847 sne
married William Tyler, a leather merchant and
manufacturer of Philadelphia, whose family his
tory deserves more than a passing notice. Among"
the peaceful Quakers who had to undergo unjust
persecution in England during the bad days at the
close of the seventeenth century was William-
Tyler, of Walton, in Somersetshire. His brother
Philip had been imprisoned and fined and himself
and others so badly abused that he determined to-
abandon forever this abode of bigots and seek a
refuge in the wilds of the new world. So he
crossed the ocean, bought two thousand acres of
fine meadow land on Alloways creek in Salem
county, New Jersey, imported English brick and-'
built what was then quite a handsome residence
and which is still in a good state of preservation.
William Tyler was interested in tanning leather,.,
and this industry, coupled with farming, has af
forded occupation to four generations of his de
scendants.. By her marriage to a descendant of
the old New Jersey Quaker emigrant, Mrs Ann
(Painter) Tyler had two children, both sons.
William,' the eldest, died in 1873, when twenty-
five years old. John J. Tyler, the second child,
has had the management of the home farm since
his father's death, and from all accounts is such
a son as such a mother deserves to have. Mrs.
Tyler has outlived her husband, her parents and
her six brothers and sisters, and now, with her"
son, as stated above, is the sole occupant of the
historic old homestead. Born and bred a Quaker,
she has remained a steadfast adherent of this-
simple faith, her membership being at present
with the Philadelphia meeting at Fifteenth and"'
Race streets. It is needless to add that Mrs.
Tyler is much attached to her home, and ex
pends much time in caring for its treasures, both-
within and without. The ancient furniture needs-
much repairing to preserve it from the remorse-

i^z?

(j^Uxs:

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

79

less hand of time, and the other rare antiques,
some of which are of priceless value as relics,
deserve every effort to avoid loss or injury. One
of the chief pleasures of the owner is to greet her
acquaintances and relatives in her ancestral halls
and recall the pleasures of the past while inspect
ing the ancient curiosities with which she is sur
rounded. Among other things exhibited are
baskets made by the Lenni Lenapes before the
last of these poor Indians departed for their
"Happy Hunting Grounds," leaving these sole
and mournful reminders of the once proud and
mighty tribe of the Delawares. Mrs. Tyler's
place is, surrounded and its beauty greatly en
hanced by an arboretum containing all varieties
of shrubs and trees indigenous to this climate. It
represents the botannical collection made during
his life time by her talented brother Minshall,
from whom she inherited the property, and at one
time contained six thousand specimens. But
enough has been said to make every reader of this
memoir desire to visit the ancestral home of the
Painters and Minshalls and enjoy the acquain
tance and hospitality of its latest but not least
worthy occupant.

EDWARD BLAINE, one of the prominent
citizens of Chester, Pennsylvania, was born in
Philadelphia April 13, 1839. In consequence of
the early death of both his parents he was taken
to Delaware county, where he was brought up
by a farmer in Middletown township. At the
age of fourteen he went to work in Samuel Rid
dle's mill, at Glen Riddle, where he remained until
he was seventeen, when he apprenticed himself
to learn the plasterer's trade, at which he worked
in Media' and Philadelphia. In 1861 he was in
charge of the plastering in the Pennsylvania
Training School for Feeble Minded Children,
near Elwyn, in Delaware county, but on the out
break of the Civil war abandoned his trade in
order to respond to the call to arms. June 4,
1861, he enlisted in Company A, First Regiment,
Pennsylvania Reserves, for a term of three years.
At the battle of Antietam he was seriously in
jured by a minie ball which passed through his
left leg, inflicting a wound which compelled him
to remain in the military hospital for three
months. At the close of his term of service he
was mustered out in the city of Philadelphia,
after which he settled in Chester and engaged
in business as a plasterer, in which he was very
successful, employing many men. He combined
with the occupation of plasterer that of builder,
taking large contracts and erecting a number of
buildings and he has been director in many build
ing associations. In 1880 Mr. Blaine was elected
by the Republican party recorder of deeds for
Delaware county, and entered upon the discharge
6 x

of his official duties January 1, 1881. For a
period of nine years he served acceptably in this
office, being three times re-elected to succeed him
self. In 1890 he retired from office with the well-
earned reputation of having been one of the most
efficient and capable recorders the " county has
ever had. From 1890 to 1896 Mr. Blaine filled
the office of county commissioner with such
marked ability and sound judgment that the debt
of the county, which had amounted to four hun
dred thousand dollars, was through his efforts re
funded, he having established a sinking fund for
that purpose. During recent years Mr. Blaine
has devoted his attention mainly to the building;
of houses and to dealing in real estate.
In politics Mr. Blaine is a staunch Republi
can, having taken an active interest in political
affairs ever since the war. He has served many
times as a delegate to state and county conven
tions, and as a member of the Republican execu
tive committee of Delaware county. He is a
member of Wilde Post, No. 25, G. A. R., which
he represented in the national encampment at:
Columbus, Ohio, in 1888. He belongs to Ches
ter Lodge, No. 236, F. and A. M. ; Larkin Lodge,.
No. 78, Knights of Pvthias; and the Improved
Order of Red Men.
Mr. Blaine married, April 11, 1863, Elizabeth
Duncan, daughter of Samuel and Jeannette V.
Duncan, of Middletown, Delaware county. Mr.
Blaine regularly attends and liberally contributes-
to the Protestant Episcopal church, of which his
wife has been for over eighteen years an active
member. They reside in one of the houses built
by Mr. Blaine soon after his coming to Chester.
Their family consists of four children, three of
whom are living : Jeannette V., wife of Dr.
George B. Wix, died August 15, 1897; May M. ;
Roselyn W. ; Bessie B., who married Dr. Harry
E. Taylor, of Chester.
For a considerable period Mr. Blaine's health
has been so much impaired as to cause him to lay
aside the many duties and interests in which
he has been so long and so usefully employed.
In his retirement, however, he can look back on
a well-spent life, a life devoted to his family, his
friends, his country, and the best interests of
the community in which he resides. Although
retired from active service, he is reaping the re
ward of his many labors and sacrifices in the
service of his country and his fellow citizens,
in the respect, affection and gratitude inspired
by his fearless devotion to principle, his unques
tioned integrity, and his kindly and benevolent
disposition.

SAMUEL H. NEAL, M. D., a practicing
physician of Chester, Pennsylvania, belongs to a
family which has been for three generations resi-

8o

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

dent in Delaware county. John Neal, his pa
ternal grandfather, was a native of Ireland,
whence he emigrated early in life to the United
States. He followed the profession of teaching,
and was for many years a resident of Chester.
John B. Neal, son of John Neal, came to Chester
in 1884, where he engaged in the grocery busi
ness and was for a time employed in the custom
house. He married Amelia Gillet, and was the
father of three children : Samuel H., mentioned
at length hereinafter, Alice and Annie. Mrs.
Neal died in 1886, and Mr. Neal is still living, at
the age of fifty-five.
Samuel H. Neal, son of John B. and Amelia
(Gillet) Neal, was born April 13, 1871, in Aston
township, Delaware county, Pennsylvania, and re
ceived his education in the South Chester high
school. Having selected for his life work the
practice of medicine, he matriculated in the
Medico-Chirugical College of Philadelphia, from
which institution he graduated in the class of
1895. By his assiduous devotion to his profes
sional duties he has attracted a desirable patron
age, and earned for himself a good position in
the ranks of the medical profession. Dr. Neal
is active in the duties of a citizen, as well as in
those of a medical practitioner, and for three
years filled the position of clerk of council of
South Chester. He now holds the office of oil
inspector for Delaware county, being charged
with the inspection of the product of several re
fineries, and is a member of the staff of Chester
Hospital. He is an active member of the Re
publican party. He belongs to the Delaware
County Medical Association, and also affiliates
with fraternal orders, being a member of the As
sociation of American Mechanics, the Masonic
order, the Foresters of America and the Fraternal
Order of Eagles.

B. T. HALL, cashier of the Delaware Coun
ty National Bank of Chester, Pennsylvania, was
born in Delaware county, in 1845, a son of
Stephen Hall, who was in turn a son of George
Hall, a native of the same county. Stephen Hall
was born in Concord, Delaware county, Pennsyl
vania, where after securing an excellent educa
tion in the district schools he learned the trade of
shoemaker, which occupation he successfully fol
lowed for many years at Village Green. In poli
tics he was a firm adherent of the principles of
the Republican party, and in religion was active
in the work connected with the Methodist Epis
copal church. He was united in marriage to
Miss Sarah Cloud and five children were born
to them. B. T. Hall, son of Stephen and Sarah Hall,
acquired his literary education in the public
schools of Delaware county, and when ready to

enter upon a business career obtained employ
ment in the Midvale Steel Works at Philadelphia,
in the capacity of clerk. He retained this posi
tion until 1873, when he settled in Chester and
occupied a similar position in the Delaware Coun
ty National Bank, and by his systematic and
thorough method of work and his reputation for
honesty and integrity he was promoted from a
clerkship to the responsible duties of cashier.
Since his connection with the bank the business
has increased wonderfully, and it is now conduct
ing double the amount of work. The Delaware
County Bank was chartered under the act of
March 21, 1814, then popularly known as the
"Omnibus Bank Act," and is one of the most
substantial and trusted organizations in the state
of Pennsylvania. Mr. Hall is prominently affil
iated with the Masonic and Odd Fellows orders,
in which he takes a deep and active interest.
Mr. Hall was united in marriage to Miss Jen
nie C. McCall, a daughter of George McCall, of
Chester, Pennsylvania. Mrs. Hall is a consistent
member of the Presbyterian church of Chester,
and takes an active interest in all the societies
connected with it. Personally Mr. Hall is a man
of strong friendships and true manhood, quick to
respond to any demands upon his means or at
tention that promise to redound to the benefit of
the community and is devotedly attached to his
home.

MRS. HARRIET PARKER (FELTON)
PETERS, daughter of Samuel Morse and Maria
Low (Lippitt) Felton, was born in Philadelphia,
August 16, 185 1. Her girlhood days were
passed at the Felton homestead, Chester, near
what is now Felton Station, on the Baltimore
& Ohio Railroad. She was educated at a female
academy conducted by the Rev. George Hood,
in Chester, and later was a student at Brooke
Hall, Media, Pennsylvania, where she was a class
mate of Miss Mary Saxton, who was a younger
sister of the wife of William McKinley, after
ward the President of the United States.
On June 30, 1874, she was married to Rich
ard Peters, Jr., of Atlanta, Georgia, and accom
panied her husband south, where the young cou
ple resided upon a large plantation owned by the
groom's father, which was then used as the largest
fine grade stock farm in the Southern Atlantic
and Gulf states. In 1881 the family returned
north, when Mr. Peters identified himself with
many public projects which have culminated in
rapid trolley transportation, electric lighting, and
other benefits to the city of Chester. Mrs. Peters
is well known in the higher social circles of
Philadelphia, where the family reside in the win
ter season. She is a member of the Pennsyl
vania Society of Colonial Dames, and is a mem-

^ j\aa, 'fdbc^

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

-ber of its board of directors, a member of the
New Century Club of Philadelphia, a member
of the Alumni Association of Brooke Hall, and
is also a member of the Pennsylvania Society
of New England Women. In 1902 she held the
vice-presidency of the Associate Committee of
Women of Industrial Art, and is now vice-presi
dent and for many years has been regent of the
Delaware County Chapter of the Daughters of
the American Revolution. During her adminis
tration in one year the Chapter marked two
historical buildings in Chester with handsome
"bronze tablets, a record which exceeds that of
any other Chapter of the Daughters of the Amer-
• ican Revolution in the United States.
Few persons in the United States trace an
cestry in so many lines to remote progenitors as
Mrs. Peters. In Germany it is held that ten gen
erations are required to sustain a claim to gentle
birth. In the paternal line she is entitled to en
rollment in the Colonial Dames in three descents,
while in the maternal, Lippitt line, she traces
thirty-two ancestors, giving her the right of
admission to the Society. Much of the
history of her family in its various ramifi
cations has been traced to England for a
period of well nigh four hundred years, while
many of her forefathers were among those
.sturdy men and women who planted Anglo-
Saxon civilization in New England, planting the
.seeds of liberty which, in development, has ad
vanced the United States to the forefront of
all nations. Among her ancestry is found John
Perkins, who in 1631 came to Boston a passenger
in the "Lyons," whose daughter Mary, born in
England, the wife of Thomas Bradbury, when
a woman of seventy odd years, in 1692, was
condemned as a witch during the Salem persecu
tion, but was not executed. Lucy Cromwell, one
¦of Mrs. Peters' great-grandmothers, was of the
Cromwell family which produced the greatest
of England's rulers, for the name Crowell was
adopted by the family to avoid the persecution
instituted by the loyalists after the restoration of
the Stewarts. In the tenth generation she is a
descendant from Roger Williams, who in 1636,
founded the colony of Rhode Island. In the
¦eleventh generation she is a descendant of John
Felton, who was thrice bailiff of Great Britain,
and represented the borough in the Parliament
¦of 344 (1592) at the 38th Elizabeth (1596), and
whose son Nicholas, Bishop of Ely, was one
of the translators of the King James Bible, 1604-
1611. Samuel Morse Felton, Mrs. Peters' father,
was born in West Newbury, July 17, 1809, grad
uated in the class of 1833 from Harvard Col
lege and subsequently became a noted civil en
gineer. In 184 1 he built a railroad from Boston
to Cambridge, and in 1845 was appointed super

intendent of the Fitchburg Railroad, where his
executive ability attracted wide attention. The
stock of the Philadelphia, Wilmington & Bal
timore Railway was largely controlled by
Boston capitalists, who, dissatisfied with its
management, in 185 1 elected Mr. Felton to
the presidency of the company. Under his
administration the track, rolling stock and
real estate of the road were relaid, increas
ed and improved, while the debt was prac
tically extinguished. The road was conceded to
be the best conducted in the United States. The
stock rose in value rapidly, and when the death
of the owner threw some shares on the market
they found ready purchasers at a premium. In
1 86 1, when it was apprehended that a plot ex
isted to assassinate Lincoln while enroute to the
capital, Mr. Felton gave his personal charge
to the transportation of the President to Wash
ington. The great responsibility of transporting
millions of soldiers and enormous freights over
the line during the Civil war, taxed Mr. Felton
physically to such an extent that he was obliged
to relinquish all active business, and with that
in view he resigned the presidency of the P. W.
& B. Railroad in 1865. As a testimonial of the
great service he had rendered the company he
was presented with a working model in gold and
silver of an engine and tender, complete in all
its parts, valued at several thousand dollars, also
a silver service. A few months of rest completely
restored Mr. Felton's health, when he ac
cepted the presidency of the Pennsylvania Steel
Company, a position he filled until his death in
Philadelphia, January 24, 1889. In 1869 Presi
dent Grant appointed Mr. Felton, representing
the United States, as inspector of the Union Pa
cific Railroad. He was also a director of the
Pennsylvania Railroad Company, and a member
of the board of finance of the Centennial Exposi
tion at Philadelphia. Mr. Felton was twice mar
ried, his first wife being Eleanor Stetson, and
the second Maria Low Lippitt.
Richard Peters, born at Atlanta, Georgia, No
vember 2, 1848, is a son of Richard and Man-
Jane (Thompson) Peters. In the latter part of
1864, when he had scarcely reached his sixteenth
year, he ran the blockade from Wilmington,
North Carolina, safely reaching England, where
he attended school for a period of two years. Re
turning to the United States at the conclusion of
the Civil war, he was employed as a rodman
and levelman in the engineering corps of the Le
high Valley Railroad from 1868 to 1869, when he
entered the Polytechnic Institute at Troy, New
York. In 1869 he returned south, where he prac
ticed engineering on several new lines of rail
roads, in charge of construction work as well
as locating, until 1874. He took charge of a
large stock farm owned by his father, a wealthy

82

CHESTER AND DELAWARE. COUNTIES.

railroad magnate, who bred superior Jersey cat
tle, horses and Angora goats, designed to intro
duce in the south a better line of live stock than
was raised in that section prior to the war. In
1875 he was appointed by President U. S. Grant
as commissioner from Georgia to the Centennial
Exposition of 1876. In 1881 Richard Peters re
moved to the Felton homestead in Chester, near
the present Felton Station on the Baltimore &
Ohio Railway, and took an active interest in the
affairs of the city. When the Felton Fire Com
pany No. 3 — named for Samuel M. Felton — was
incorporated, December 27, 1882, Mr. Peters was
one of its charter members and its first president.
The prize billiard table owned by the company
was the gift of Samuel M. Felton. Richard
Peters was one of the organizers of the Chester
Traction Company and its first president, an or
ganizer of the Chester Electric Light Company
arid its first president, a director of the Chester
Creek Railroad Company, and a director of the
First National Bank, positions he still fills on the
board of the last named corporation. He was
secretary of the Chester Rolling Mills, which sub
sequently became the Wellman Iron & Steel Com
pany and is now the Tide Water Steel Company.
Fbr a number of years he has been the Philadel
phia sales agent of the Pennsylvania Steel Com
pany. His father, Richard Peters, Sr., died at At
lanta, Georgia, February 6, 1889. He was the
eldest son of Ralph Peters, born at Belmont Man
sion, Fairmount Park, Philadelphia, November
28, 1777, and died in Columbia county Novem
ber 11, 1842. His great-grandfather was Rich
ard Peters, who was born in Blockley township,
Philadelphia, June 22, 1744, was a celebrated wit
of his day and an active man in the Revolution
ary struggle, commanding a company of foot in
1775 ; secretary of the Continental board of war
and ordnance in 1776; member of the board of
war, 1777 ; secretary of war of the United States,
1 78 1 ; member from Pennsylvania to the Conti
nental Congress pf 1782-1783; member of the
Presbyterian assembly, 1789-90, and twice speaker
of the house. In 1792 he was appointed by Presi
dent Washington to be judge of the district court
of the United States for Pennsylvania, a position
he retained until his death, August 22, 1828.
Judge Peters' wife was Sarah Robinson, a noted
beauty, a daughter of Thomas Robinson, a
wealthy shipping merchant of colonial Philadel
phia, and one of the signers of the non-importa
tion resolution of October 25, 1765; Her father
was the owner of large estates upon the ridge
back of Marcus Hook, in Lower Chichester, Dela
ware county, and her brother Thomas was lieu
tenant-colonel of the Fifth Pennsylvania Line,
serving through the war of the Revolution.
Judge Peters was the son of William Peters,

born in England, where his father, Ralph Peters',.
was town clerk to the borough of Liverpool.
William Peters emigrated to Pennsylvania prior
t° 1735 ; in T755 was secretary of the provincial
council, in 1756 military secretary to Governor
Morris; in 1757 took part in the Indian treaty
at Easton, Pennsylvania ; in 1750 was secretary
of council; and in 1761 was appointed to ad
minister the oath of office to all civil and military
in Philadelphia. Richard Peters' grandmother
in the paternal line was a daughter of David
Hayfield Conyngham, who served as a private -
in the noted Philadelphia Troop of Horse from-
1779 to 1781.
Richard Peters is a member of the Society of
the Sons of the Revolution, through the services
of his great-grandfathers, Richard Peters and
David Hayfield Conyngham, and a member of
the Society of Colonial Wars, through the ser
vices of his great-great-grandfather, William/
Peters, and also through Judge Richard Peters..
To Richard Peters and Harriet Parker Fel
ton were born two sons and three daughters::
Edith MacCausland Peters, Ethel Conyngham,.
Richard Peters, Jr., Samuel Morris Felton and
Hope Peters.

LEVI G. JAMES. For over half a century
Levi G. James has been a prominent figure in.
commercial circles in the city of Chester, Penn
sylvania, where he is known as a progressive and'.
thoroughly reliable business man. The pro
genitor of the American branch of the James;
family was Aaron James, a native of England,.
who came to this country in company with Will
iam Penn on his second visit to his colony on'
the banks of the Delaware. Aaron James located"
in Westtown township, in Chester county, where-
he purchased from William Penn a tract of land
consisting of six hundred acres which was de
voted to general farming. Mr. James had thir
teen children, twelve sons and one daughter.
One of his sons located in Vermont, two in North
Carolina, several removed to other states and the-
remainder stayed in Chester county, and retained
the homestead for many years.
Caleb James, great-grandfather of Levi G.
James, was born and reared on the old homestead
and • his entire life was devoted to farming in
terests. In politics he was an old-line Whig, and
in his religion was a member of the Society of
Friends. He married and reared a family of
four children: Caleb, Jr., Joseph, Lydia and
Aaron James. The father of these children died
in 1835 at tne °ld homestead where he had re
sided all his life; he had attained the extreme
old age of one hundred years. Caleb James,
grandfather of Levi G. James, was also born on
the old homestead, where he remained and en-

oC^r' , 4/, 6%

&tsy-*^*-f

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

»3

-gaged in the cultivation of a general line of gar
den produce. In his political affiliations he was
a Whig, and in his religious faith was a Quaker.
He was united in marriage to Miss Mary Years-
ley, and the following named children were born
to them: Susanna, Eber, Esther, Asenath, wife
of Sharpless Lewis, and Mary James. Mr.
James died in the year 1816, at the age of forty
. years. Eber James, father of Levi G. James, was
reared on his father's farm, and after his educa
tion was completed at the district school he
learned the trade of potter at Westtown, Chester
county, which he followed in his native township
until April, 1830, when he removed to Radnor
"township, Delaware county, and continued in the
same line of trade there. He was a Whig politi
cally, was elected to a number of township offi
ces and always took an active interest in political
affairs. He was a Quaker in religion. Mr.
James married Miss Sarah Garrett, a daughter
of Levi Garrett, of Willistown, Chester county.
To them were born twelve children : Caleb, Gar
rett, Levi G., Emeline, Mary A., Baldwin, Edwin,
Elizabeth Hughes, Eber, Wilmer, Sarah Lear
and Marshall James. Mr. James' death occurred
in 1846, when he was in the forty-sixth year of
his age ; his wife lived to be sixty-six years old,
dying in 1871.
Levi G. James, third son of Eber and Sarah
James, was born at Downingtown, Chester coun
ty, Pennsylvania, September 5, 1827. Although a
native of Chester county yet his early youth was
^spent in Delaware county, where he received his
•education in the common schools and the well
"known Castleton Academy of Vermont. Upon
the completion of his academical course he en
gaged in the pottery business in Radnor township,
but soon abandoned that line of work to engage
in merchandising, which he followed successfully
in various parts of the state for nineteen years.
In 187 1 he located in Chester, where he purchased
a lot and erected the postoffice building
on Fifth and Edgemont avenue, and also built
-extensive livery stables, where he conducts a large
sale and exchange business in horses. During
the intervening years his success has been phe-
-nomenal, owing to the fact that he displays judg
ment, prudence, honesty and foresight in the con
duct of his business.
Mr. James was a member of the school board
at Upper Providence, Pennsylvania, for eleven
years, and district superintendent of the same for
about nine years. He was also school director
in Chester, Pennsylvania, for six years, and a
member of the board of revision of taxes for four
years. In 1848 Mr. James married Miss Sarah Wor-
-rall, daughter of Elisha and Mary Marshall Wor
d-all, of Delaware county. Their children are:

Anna Delia Tritt; Calista Sharp; Emerett, wife
of W. H. Farley; Carleton, who married Laura
Larkin ; and Razell, who married Nellie Birtwell,
and was engaged in ¦ business with his father
under the style of L. G. James & Son. The
mother of these children died in 1883, and three
years later Mr. James married Miss Mary Co-
burn, of Chester, Pennsylvania.

EDMUND OLIVER was born in Donegal
county, Ireland, May 1, 1859. He was a son bf
Edmund and Mary (Davis) Oliver, both of Irish
extraction. Edmund Oliver, Sr., was -born in
Ireland in 1813. He brought his family to Amer
ica in 1865, at the beginning of the reconstruction
period that followed the close of the Civil war.
He made a home in Chester, Delaware county,
Pennsylvania, and began the life of an Ameri
can business man as a contractor and stone mason.
He was an adept in his trade, and his skillful
workmanship soon brought him profitable custom.
He built many public buildings and private dwell
ings in the vicinity of Chester, and many of these
structures still attest to the permanency and thor
oughness of his work. He died in 1879, leaving
a family of nine children : Henry, John, Thomas,
Fanny, Joseph, Mary Jane, Annie, Hannah,
Elizabeth, (who died in infancy) and Edmund. >
Edmund Oliver was brought to America by
his parents when but six years of age, and re
ceived all his education in this country. In 1867
the department of education became a separate
part of the state government in Pennsylvania.
The state was divided into districts, each of which
maintained a normal school where young men and
women were fitted to teach in the public schools,
and young Oliver obtained all the advantages
accruing from a well organized public school sys
tem. After he left the Chester high school, he
and his brothers succeeded to their father's busi
ness, establishing the firm of Oliver Brothers,
which has sustained its early reputation, and
is well and favorably known in that part of the
state. Among the most important edifices con
structed by them are the Hospital and Crozer
House for Incurables, and the building for the
Pennsylvania Steel Casting Company.
Mr. Oliver has been prominent in the city
government of Chester, and was a member of the
council for a year. He was appointed commis
sioner of highways by Mayor Black, and held
the position for three years. In 1900 he was
elected sheriff of Delaware county by the Re
publicans, and served until 1903. He is a mem
ber of the Masonic order, affiliated with the Blue
Lodge, with Chester Chapter, R. A. M., and
Chester Commandery, K. T., and is a Noble of
the Mystic Shrine of Philadelphia, also a mem
ber of Chester Lodge of Elks, No. 88, and of the

84

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

Order of Odd Fellows, Red Men and Knights
of the Golden Eagle. He is an active and popu
lar member of the various political clubs which
advocate Republican Measures, and he is a loyal
supporter of the Republican party. He has spent
much thought on the questions relative to labor
and capital, and is a fair and impartial judge
where the rights of the working man are con
cerned, as he proved by becoming one of the
founders of the International Bricklayers' Union
of Chester. He is now the proprietor of the
Pennsylvania Hotel at Penn avenue and Market
street, Chester.
Mr. Oliver was married in 1886 to Miss Rose
F. Biggins, a daughter of the late Michael Big
gins, a merchant tailor of Chester. They have
three children : Maud D., Edmund H. and Eliza
beth B. The family attends the Episcopal church.

Miss Anna M. Pyle, a daughter of Henry Pyle,.
and the following named children were born to
them : Harry H., Ruth A. and Helen P. Battin.

THOMAS F. BATTIN, for fifteen years ac
tively connected with the business interests of
the city of Chester, Pennsylvania, and who has
attained a high degree of success during that
period, was born in Chester county, Pennsylvania,
August 7, 1864, a descendant of ancestors who
having resided in that county for many gen
erations and whose names have been promi
nent identified with every effort that has
been made to improve and advance its in
terests. He is a son of Isaac T. Battin, who
was a millwright by trade ; during the progress
of the Civil war he enlisted as a private, and in
the discharge of his duties he contracted a sick
ness from the effects of which his death occurred
on August 12, 1869. He was survived by his
widow, who is still living; her maiden name was
Catherine Lilly.
In 1874 Thomas F. Battin took up his resi
dence in Chester, where for a number of years he
was a pupil in the public schools. Upon the
completion of his studies he learned the trade of
butcher, which occupation he followed until
1887, when he went into business on his own ac
count in the same line of trade. By strict at
tention to business and just regards for the wants
and wishes of his customers he soon built up a
large and remunerative trade which claims not
only his own attention, but also that of four em
ployes who are constantly employed in the busi
ness. Thus by honesty and upright dealings
he has wrought out financial success for himself,
and has won a place among the leading business
men of the city. In politics Mr. Battin is a stal
wart Republican, but has never sought the honors
or emoluments of public office, and in his fra
ternal affiliations he is a member of the Masonic
order. On February 7, 1889, Mr. Battin married

HENRY A. EISENBISE, a highly esteemed
citizen of Chester, Pennsylvania, is descended on
his father's side from German ancestors, who
emigrated to America at a comparatively early
period, his paternal grandfather, Alexander
Eisenbise, having served in the Revolutionary
army. Henry Eisenbise, son of Alexander Eisen
bise, was by trade a cabinet-maker. The fact
that he filled the office of justice of the peace-
shows that he was a man of some standing in the
community, and enjoyed the respect and esteem
of his neighbors. He married Jane Eliza Mc-
Carty, whose father, Edward McCarty, had
served as sheriff of the county, and who held a
commission as captain in the war of 1812. In
1846 Mr. Eisenbise was bereaved of his wife,.
by death, and in 1848 he also passed away.
Henry A. Eisenbise, son of Henry and Jane-
Eliza (McCarty) Eisenbise, was born January-
31, 1833, in Lewistown, Mifflin county, Pennsyl
vania, and was educated in the public schools
of the town, after which he learned the trade of
a tinsmith. At the outbreak of the Civil war
Mr. Eisenbise enlisted at Lewistown, April 16,-
1861, in the Logan Guards, called "The First
Defenders," with the rank of third sergeant.
The company was assigned as Company E to
the Twenty-fifth Regiment, Pennsylvania Vol
unteer Infantry. He was mustered into service
April 18, at Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and the
same day moved to Washington, the Logan
Guards being one of the first five companies to-
march to the relief of the capital. He was pro
moted May 28, 1861, to the rank of second lieu
tenant, and was mustered out at Harrisburg, .
Pennsylvania, August 1, 1861, at the expiration-
of his term of service. September 2, 1861, he
re-enlisted, with the rank of first lieutenant, in'
Company A, Forty-sixth Regiment, Pennsyl
vania Volunteer Infantry, was made captain Sep
tember 27, 1861, and served in Gordon's Brigade,.
Banks' Division, Army of the Potomac, until"
April, 1862, from which time he served in Craw
ford's Brigade, Williams's Division, Department
of the Shenandoah, until June, 1862. During-
the period of service above outlined, Captain'
Eisenbise did duty in various parts of the state-
of Virginia. From October, 1861, to March,
1862, on the upper Potomac ; in the Shenandoah-
Valley from March 29 to June 27, 1862 ; took part
in a skirmish on the Harrisonburg road, April"
26, 1862; during Banks's retreat, on May 24-
and 25, was at Newtown on the former date,
and also on the Bartonsville road; on the latter

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

35

date he participated in the battle of Winchester;
assisted in reconnoitering for the purpose of sur
veying the valley, from June 19 to June 30;
from that time served in First Brigade, First
Division, Second Army Corps, Army of Virginia,
until August 9, 1862, when at the battle of Cedar
Mountain he was wounded and captured, and
remained in Libby prison until released on parole,
November 10, 1862. In December, 1862, Captain
Eisenbise returned to his regiment arid served
in the First Brigade, First Division, Twelfth
Army Corps, being one of those who participated
in Burnside's "muddy march." February 11,
1863, Captain Eisenbise resigned and was hon
orably discharged. June 29, 1863, he re-enlisted,
with the rank of captain, in Company A, Thirty-
sixth Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry,
and was mustered out at Harrisburg, August
n, 1863, at the expiration of his term of service.
Nothing daunted by the hardships which had
hitherto fallen to his lot, Captain Eisenbise once
more re-enlisted, September 11, 1863, as a veteran
volunteer in Company G, Fifty-fifth Regiment,
Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, Third Brigade,
Third Division, Tenth Army Corps, in which he
served until April, 1864, and after that in the
First Brigade, Second Division, Eighteenth
Army Corps, Army of the James. Captain Eisen
bise was in action at Swift's Creek, Virginia,
May 9 and 10, and at Proctor's Creek, May 13
and 15, 1864, the following day participating in
the battle of Drury's Bluff. From the 1st to the
12th of June, Captain Eisenbise was engaged in
the battle of Cold Harbor, and on June 15 took
part in the assault on Baylor's Farm, after which
he was present at the siege of Petersburg from
the 16th to the 27th of June, and at the assault
upon Harrison's Creek, June 18. On July 1,
Captain Eisenbise was made sergeant, and on
the 30th of that month he was with the reserve
force at the explosion of the great fort near
Petersburg. He participated in the battle of
Chapin's Farm, September 29, where he was
again wounded and captured, and passed several
months in the prisons of Libby, Belle Island and
Salisbury. March 1, 1865, he was released on
parole, and after six weeks' absence returned fo
his company at Richmond. May 1, 1865, Cap
tain Eisenbise was made first sergeant, and on
June 1 he was promoted to the rank of second
lieutenant. He was assigned to duty as assist
ant commissary, at Amelia Court House, Vir
ginia, in which capacity he served until August,
1865, when the regiment was sent to Harris
burg and was mustered out by reason of the close
of the war, his services being no longer needed.
He re-enlisted September 21, 1865, as a private in
the United States army and was assigned to the
permanent party on Governor's Island. He was
afterward transferred to Company G, Nineteenth

United States Infantry, and was sent to Indian
Territory, where, as well as in Arkansas, he did
duty against Indians and outlaws, being on one
occasion captured by a band of desperadoes led
by Clynch West, a noted outlaw. Captain Eisen-
bise's services were also called into requisition
in Arkansas during the time of agitation and
transition known as the reconstruction period.
During this term of service in the West, Captain
Eisenbise's rank was that of sergeant. Septem
ber 21, 1868, he was mustered out at Fort Smith,
Arkansas, by reason of the expiration of his
term of service. This account of Captain Eisen
bise's long and faithful military service is neces
sarily fragmentary and unsatisfactory, the full
details of this eventful and interesting period of
his life being sufficient to fill a volume.
On his return to civil life, Captain Eisenbise
settled in Chester, where he engaged in business
as a tinsmith, and also opened a hardware store,
and has proved as assiduous in the calling of a
business man as he was in the discharge of his
duties as a soldier. He has repeatedly served as
delegate to the department encampments and
has served as an aid on the department staff of
the G. A. R. He is also a companion in the
military order of the Loyal Legion of the United
States. Captain Eisenbise married, in 1872, Anna
Rittenhouse, daughter of Lorenzo Dewey, of Erie,
Pennsylvania, a connection of the well known
Dewey family. Mrs. Eisenbise's great-grandfa
ther served seven years on land and sea in the
Revolutionary war, her grandfather served in the
war of 1812, and her uncles served in the Civil
war. .She is also descended from Revolutionary
stock on the maternal side. Captain and Mrs.
Eisenbise have no children.

CHRISTOPHER D. WILLIS, president of
the common council of Chester, Pennsylvania,
and also one of the prominent manufacturers of
the town, was born February 14, 1856, in Media,
Delaware county, Pennsylvania.
James M. Willis, father of Christopher D.
"Willis, was born on the eastern shore of Alary-
land, and after acquiring the education afforded
by the district schools of his neighborhood he
began his business career by driving a stage
coach, being one of the earliest stage drivers
of Delaware county. When the Civil war
broke out, Mr. Willis enlisted in the Third
Regiment, Pennsylvania Cavalry, and for three
years and six months he was an active partici
pant in that terrible struggle, and was captured
and confined in the notorious Libby prison for
nine months. Mr. Willis was united in marriage
to Miss Alice Dobson, daughter of Christopher
Dobson, of England. Mr. Willis died in July,

86

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

1877, survived by his widow, who is now in her
seventy-fifth year.
Christopher D. Willis grew to manhood under
the parental roof. He acquired a good education
in the common branches, which he reinforced in
after years by broad reading and deep thinking.
At the age of ten, in 1866, he removed to Ches
ter, where he attended school and later learned
the trade of wheelwright. In 1881 he established
a business on his own account, and meeting with
a fair amount of success in the beginning he has
continued in it until the present time, when he now
enjoys a wide reputation and an extensive trade.
Mr. Willis is a Republican in politics, and was
elected to serve as a member of the common coun
cil in 1888; he filled this office for three years
and was re-elected in 1897, serving at the present
time as president of the common council, having
been elected to that office in April, 1892. Mr.
Willis takes a deep interest in every movement
that tends to improve and beautify the city of
Chester, and it was largely through his instru
mentality that the streets have been paved and
put in such excellent condition. He is prom
inently affiliated with the Masonic order, being
a member of the Blue Lodge, Chapter and Com-
mandery of Knights Templar, and also of Lu
Lu Temple, Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, of Phil
adelphia. He is also a member of the Young
Men's Republican Club, and has served twice in
the capacity of president.
On November 6, 1882, Mr. Willis married Miss
Eva D. Ellis, of Johnstown, Pennsylvania, daughter
of Charles B. Ellis, who was one of the early
settlers of that city, who died when he had at
tained the extreme old age of ninety-four- years.
Mr. and Mrs. Willis are the parents of one child,
Ross Ellis Willis.

WILLIAM M. POWEL, a leading business
man of Chester, Pennsylvania, is descended from
Egnlish ancestors who settled first in New York,
and subsequently removed to Philadelphia.
Franklin Powel, father of William M. Powel,
adopted for his calling the practice of medi
cine, and in 1884 became a citizen of Chester,
where he has been for many years in the enjoy
ment of a large and lucrative practice. Dr.
Powel is a member of the Masonic order and is
active in the First Presbyterian church, in which
he holds the office of trustee. He married Ella,
daughter of William C. Muzzey.
William M. Powel, son of Franklin and Ella
(Muzzey) Powel, was born March 29, 1876, in
Philadelphia, where he received his primary edu
cation in the local schools, afterward becoming
a student at Princeton University. In 1897 he
established himself in the grain business at Port
Kennedy, and for two years was in possession of

a flourishing trade. In 1899- he moved the busi
ness to Chester, where he has very extensive con
nections. He is the owner of flour mills at
Knowlton, Pennsylvania, and now is secretary
and treasurer of the Chester Milling Company
of Chester, Pennsylvania.
Like his father, Mr. Powel is a member of
the Masonic order. He is prominent in fraternal
circles, affiliating likewise with the Benevolent
Protective Order of Elks.
Mr. Powel married, February 17, 1897, Bes
sie, daughter of H. B. Black. Their family of
two children are Catherine and William, Jr.
Mr. and Mrs. Powel are active in the social cir
cles of Chester, where they are both extremely
popular.

JOHN SHAW. After an honorable and ac
tive business career, Mr. Shaw is now resting
from his labors and is regarded as one of the
most highly respected citizens of Chester, Penn
sylvania. He is a descendant of an old and hon
orable English ancestry. His paternal grand
father was a resident of Grotten Head, Yorkshire,
England, where he was successfully engaged in
the occupation of weaving. His children were
James, Alice, Betty and Ann Shaw.
James Shaw, father of John Shaw, Was born
in the year 1800, in Saddleworth, Yorkshire, Eng
land, and learned the trade of spinner, which he
followed for many years in England and this
country, whither he removed in 1866. He was
united in marriage to Miss Betty Andrew, daugh
ter of Daniel Andrew, of Shelderslow, Saddle
worth, Yorkshire, and the following named chil
dren were born to them : Samuel, Hugh, William,
John, Andrew, James and Elizabeth Shaw. The
father of these children died in the year 1868.
His wife died in 1865.
John Shaw, fourth son of James and Betty
Shaw, was born in Lancastershire, England, Oc
tober 26, 1827, and his educational advantages
were necessarily limited, owing to the fact that
he educated himself, not having the privilege to
attend any school. At a very early age he entered
a mill where he learned the trade of cotton spin
ner, and was engaged in this occupation until
May 12, 1865, when he came to this country and
settled in Chester,. Pennsylvania. He was then
employed by his brother Hugh Shaw, who. was a
member of the firm of Shaw & Esrey, which was
established in the year 1863. They' were manu
facturers of cotton and woolen jeans and all wool
jeans, and in 1871 the business had so increased
that to keep pace with the demand for their goods
it was found necessary to build a second mill, of
which Mr. John Shaw was made manager. This
mill was one hundred and fifteen feet in length by
fifty-eight feet in width, three stories in height.

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

37

To it are attached an engine, boiler, dry and dye
houses, forming a wing one hundred and fifty
by thirty-three feet, and directly at the other end
of the building is a weave shed, one hundred and
sixteen by forty feet, one story in height. The
goods manufactured in these mills were known
in the market as Powhattans, Covington, Provi
dent and all-wool jeans. In the spring of 1877
the firm decided to erect a third mill to be used
-exclusively for the manufacture of a finer class
of goods, and Mr. John Shaw was given complete
control of the three mills, which position he re
tained until the death of Mr. Esrey, when the firm
was incorporated in January, 1878, under the
Act of Assembly, to a limited company. Mr.
Shaw was an expert workman, as well as an up
right conscientious business man and in the sixty
years of his active career he was always at his
post of duty in the mill at seven o'clock in the
morning. In 185 1 Mr. Shaw married Miss Mary Buck
ley, daughter of Thomas and Hannah Buckley,
and eight children were born to them, six of
whom are living at the present time (1902) :
Sarah Jane, wife of Nathaniel Hardy, deceased ;
Hannah, wife of Charles W. Andrews ; Thomas
B. ; Elizabeth, wife of O. P. Hooper ; James ;
Ann, wife of Milton M. Allen; Nellie, wife of
E. E. Price ; and an infant, who died in England.

EDWARD STANTON FRY, a well known
business man and enterprising citizen of Chester.
Pennsylvania, is the bearer of the name which has
long been a familiar one to residents of that city.
"His father, Franklin Fry, was born in
Bucks county, Pennsylvania, and went to Ches
ter in 1876. His occupation was that of an iron
worker. He married Harriet Kutz. Both Mr.
and Mrs. Fry are living, the former having
reached the age of sixty-eight years.
Edward Stanton Fry, son of Franklin and
Harriet (Kutz) Fry, was born February 11, 1872,
in Reading, Pennsylvania. He was educated in
the public schools, and at the age of sixteen be
gan working in a roller mill. In 1892 he began
to learn the undertaking business in Chester,
Pennsylvania, in which he has been extremely suc
cessful. He began business at 214 Morton street,
and having succeeded to an extent he located at
22 1 1 Third street, for one year, and in June, 1-90 1,
lie purchased the ground and built his present
beautiful brick block at 212 1 Third street. Mr.
Fry started without any means and to-day has
fine property and a fine business. His establish
ment, in its accommodations and equipments, is
first-class, the business being conducted accord
ing to the latest improved methods. He is the
owner of a hearse which took first prize at the
'World's Fair.

Mr. Fry is active in politics. He was elected
to the office of coroner, and at the expiration of
his term was re-elected by a large majority, being
the only coroner in twenty years who has served
two terms. He is well known in fraternal orders,
affiliating with the Benevolent Protective Order
of Elks and the Independent Order of Red Men.
He further manifests his public spirit as a citi
zen by his connection with the Felton Fire Com
pany. He belongs to the Methodist Episcopal
church. Mr. Fry married, September 3, 1891, Emma,
daughter of Thomas Mitchell. Their family con
sists of four children, three of whom are living :
Ethel, Emma and Dorothy.

JOHN HAMILTON, a prominent manu
facturer of Chester, Pennsylvania, is a native
of Ireland, born in Ulster, Tyrone county,
November 21, 1832. The father, Thomas
Hamilton, was a native of England, a farmer
by occupation, and his death occurred in
1 86 1. The mother was born in Scotland. Both
were of strong character, industrious and frugal,
and gave careful rearing to their family.
John Hamilton was nearly twenty-one years
of age when he came to the United States. He
possessed a fair English education, sufficient to
enable him to acquit himself creditably in all the
duties of life. In 1853 he located in Philadelphia,
where he learned box making, and where, after-
mastering his trade, he conducted a business on
his own account. In 1874 he removed to Chester,
Pennsylvania, which has since been his place of
residence and the scene of his busy effort. He
•began by making boxes for the mills, having at
the outset a modest plant where for the first few
months he did all the work himself, and which for
some time thereafter required the labor of but
three men — himself, his son and another work
man. Through unflagging industry and appli
cation, Mr. Hamilton steadily increased his busi
ness to considerable dimensions, and for some
years past he has been a manufacturer of doors
and blinds, as well as of boxes, and has a com
pletely equipped steam plant employing some
thirty workmen, the product of whose labor
reaches the principal industrial centers of the
state. To this business Mr. Hamilton has given
his close personal attention, and it stands as a
monument to his industry and perseverance. In
the summer of 1902 he experienced an accident
which has necessitated the development of a por
tion of the management upon a son. In all the
relations of life, as man of affairs, citizen and
neighbor Mr. Hamilton has ever enjoyed the
esteem and fullest confidence of the community
whose interests have ever been promoted through
his effort.

88

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

Mr. Hamilton was married, April n, 1855, to
Miss Margaret Armstrong, a native of the north
of Ireland. Born of this marriage were six chil
dren — Alexander R., of Norfolk, Virginia, who
died May 11, 1903; Thomas M., engaged in the
Delaware County National Bank; James M., who
is associated with his father in business; Eliza
beth J., who became the wife of Charles T.
Vance, of Chester; Sarah, who is engaged as a
teacher ; and Margaret C, who is the wife of John
M. Broomall (3d), a leading lawyer of Media,
Pennsylvania.

FRED SELBY. One of the important in
dustrial interests of Chester, Pennsylvania, is the
Keystone Plaster Company, of which Mr. Selby
has acted in the capacity of superintendent for
the past fifteen years. He was born in England
in 1850, a son of Richard Selby, who came to
this country in 1865 and for many years was a
prominent figure in the commercial circles of
New York, where he was engaged in the occu
pation of provision merchant; his decease oc
curred in the year 1892.
Mr. Fred Selby acquired his literary education
in the public schools of England, after which
he was employed for a short period of time in an
architect's office, but not finding this work con
genial to his tastes or inclinations he learned the
electric business, which he successfully followed
for a number of years. In 1888 Mr. Selby ac
cepted the position of superintendent of the Key
stone Plaster Company, the plant at that time
being in Philadelphia ; some years later the com
pany removed to Chester and Mr. Selby then took
up his residence in that city and still retained his
connection with the corporation. He is a man of
indefatigable industry, enterprise and fertility of
resource, and he also possesses a native sagacity,
a far-seeing judgment and a fidelity of purpose
that commands the respect of the employes who
are placed under his charge. Mr. Selby is a
prominent member of the Masonic fraternity, and
an active and consistent member of the Methodist
Episcopal church of Chester, of which he acts in
the capacity of trustee.
On September 19, 1882, Mr. Selby was united
in marriage to Miss Mary A. MacArthur, a
daughter of James MacArthur, and eight children
were born to them, four of whom are living at the
present time (1902) : George W., Ada F., Fred
C, and William Selby.

GEORGE C. HETZEL, the founder and pre
sent head of the extensive manufacturing corpor
ation, the "George C. Hetzel Company," of Ches
ter, Pennsylvania, is familiarly known in all parts

of the United States in connection with the man
ufacture of worsted and woolen goods for men's
wear. He was born in Philadelphia, Pennsyl
vania, January 3, 1858, the eldest son of John
G. and Caroline Hetzel. His father was born
in 1830, in the town of Wurtemberg, Germany,.
where he was reared and acquired a common-
school education. Upon attaining young man
hood he came to this country and settled in Phil
adelphia, Pennsylvania, where he continued to-
reside for the remainder of his life. Politically
he was a firm adherent of the Democratic party,
and in his religious views was a loyal supporter
of the tenets of the Lutheran church. In 1856"
he married Miss Caroline Naegele, a native of
Germanv, and four sons and two daughters
were born to them. Mr. Hetzel's death occurred
in the forty-sixth year of his age.
George C. Hetzel attended the public schools
of Philadelphia, where he obtained a good practi
cal education. Upon reaching the age of sixteen?
years he left school in order to accept a clerk
ship in the office of the United States Plate Glass
Insurance Company at Philadelphia, and he re
mained an employe of that corporation for five-
years. In 1879 he entered into partnership with
B. W. Greer in his present manufacturing busi
ness, under the style of B. W. Greer & HetzeL
and the plant, which consisted of thirty-two^
Bridesburg looms on which ginghams and shirt
ing cheviots were woven, was located at Sixteenth
and Reed streets, Philadelphia. Their business
increased so rapidly that in 1881 it was found
necessary to increase their facilities, and they re
moved to Eighteenth street and Washington!
avenue, added extra looms, and began the manu
facture of the finest shirtings and madras cloth-
at that time made in this country. This branch.1
of the business proving very remunerative, it
was again found necessary to increase the size-
of their plant, and in 1883 they removed their
equipment to the new mill just then completed-
by William Arrott, at Thirteenth and Carpenter
streets, and purchased more machinery, making-
in all one hundred and thirty-two looms. After-
a varied experience in producing all kinds of cot
ton goods the business was gradually changed'
to the manufacture of men's wear, worsteds and
wpplens. In order to manufacture these articles-
they had to dispose of their old machinery, and.
purchased Knowles' fancy looms, to which were
added the necessary finishing and dyeing machin
ery. In 1888 Mr. Hetzel 'purchased his partner's
share of the business, and shortly afterward ad
mitted Job Smith and George W. Atherholt into
partnership, under the firm name of George C.
Hetzel & Co. Both the new partners had beenr.
employes of the old firm, and under the new-
arrangement Mr. Smith superintended the worksv

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

89

and Mr. Atherholt acted in the capacity of book
keeper. In 1890 Charles G. Hetzel and a few
years later William E. Hetzel were admitted to
the firm. In 1890 the firm removed their plant
to the new mills erected for them at the corner
of Front and Broomall streets, in the city of
Chester, where they occupy an entire square.
The main building, which is three stories high,
fifty by one hundred and ninety-two feet, contains
the warp dressing, designing, winding, spooling
and finishing departments, the offices and pack
ing rooms ; they have also dye houses one hun
dred and thirty-two by fifty-three feet and sixty-
four by fifty-three feet ; boiler and engine houses,
fifty-four by sixty feet; machine shop, seventeen
by seventeen feet; dryer house, sixteen by sixty-
two feet; a drug house, eighteen by thirty-six
feet, and a one story weave shed, one hundred
and eighty-six by one hundred and eight feet
in dimensions, with a glass roof. These buildings
are built of brick, furnished throughout with
automatic sprinklers, electric lighting, water
filters, and supplied with all the requisite modern
improvements. The power for running the ma
chinery is supplied by a two hundred and fifty
horse power Green automatic cut-off engine and
four one hundred horse power horizontal boilers,
and one two hundred and fifty horse power
Berry upright boiler. The goods manufactured
by the present firm in 1879 aggregated twenty
thousand dollars in value, but under their effi
cient management and their upright and con
scientious business dealings, the yearly product
of their mills has steadily increased until it now
amounts to over one million dollars annually.
The mills are in constant operation, and give
employment to between three and four hundred
people in the manufacture of fancy worsted
men's suitings and trouserings and women's
suitings and cloakings. In February, 1901, the
business was incorporated under the laws of the
state of Pennsylvania as the "George C. Hetzel
Company." In addition to this extensive manufacturing
business Mr. Hetzel is also actively interested
in many other enterprises both in the city and
elsewhere. He is a director of the Chester Na
tional Bank, and a member of the council of the
borough of Ridley Park, and was chief burgess
for three years ended March 1, 1903. He was one
of the incorporators and served as director in
the Philadelphia Bourse, and he is a member of
the Union League Club and the Art Club of
Philadelphia. In his politics he is a staunch ad
herent of the policy of the Republican party,
and in his religion he adheres to the doctrines
of the Presbyterian church, being a member of
the board of trustees of the church of that de
nomination in Ridley Park, where he has made
his home for many years.

SAMUEL R. BELL, of Chester, Pennsyl
vania, where he is one of the recognized
leaders in the building business, belongs to
a family which has been for three genera
tions represented in Delaware county. His
grandfather, Robert Bell, was a native of the
north of Ireland, but emigrated to the United
States nearly a century ago, and served in the
army during the war of 1812. He was a well-
known resident of Delaware county, where he
took an active part in local affairs, filling for
some time the office of supervisor.
Samuel Bell, son of Robert Bell, is a native of
Delaware county. He followed the occupation
of a builder, in which, for more than half a cen
tury, he has been prominent in the county. Since
1845 he has been a resident of Upland, and since
1850 he has been employed by the Crozer firm as
their builder. Mr. Bell, at the age of seventy-two-
years, is still actively engaged in business.
Samuel R. Bell, son of Samuel Bell, was born-
September 7, 1863, in Upland, Delaware county,
Pennsylvania, where he received his education in
the local schools, after which he learned the build
ing business under the direction of his father. In
1888 he engaged in business for himsellf, suc
ceeding his father as proprietor of the establish
ment. His contracts have been very large. In
1902 he purchased North Chester Borough Hall,
and tore it down and built twelve modern houses
on the site, as well as thirty-one houses in Fifth
and Parker streets and Fifth and Fulton streets.
In 1903 he purchased the old Stotesburg mill and
tore it down and erected twenty-five houses on the
site. Mr. Bell's contracts have not been limited to-
the erection of buildings, but in some instances he
has also been employed in the purchase of the
ground on which they were to be erected. He has
recently finished the building of a handsome resi
dence for Edward Crozer. In addition to the
care of his extensive building interests, Mr. Bell
acts as agent for Mrs. M. S. Crozer. In 1902 he
was elected to the board of revision of taxes.
Mr. Bell is ever ready to aid to the utmost of
his power any cause having for its object the ad
vancement of the public good, and gives a due
portion of his attention, notwithstanding the en
grossing nature of his occupations, to the duties
of a citizen. He is a member of the Baptist
church. Mr. Bell married, December 17, 1896, Belle
H., daughter of John Hanna, and is the father of
three children ; Emma H. and Samuel R., Jr., and
Hannah D. Bell.

DAVID APPLEBY, now living a retired
life in the city of Chester, Pennsylvania, is
a man who in early years with full strength,
purpose, ambition and hope, prepared for

90

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

work, in the mature power of his manhood
carried forward the enterprises with which he had
become associated, and by improving his oppor
tunities and exercising judgment in the selection
of his vocation won a sufficient competence to
enable him to put aside the arduous cares and
responsibilities of business life and enjoy a well
earned rest.
William Appleby, father of David Appleby,
was born in Hull, England, and when he had at
tained young manhood came to this country. In,
1830 he located in Delaware and for a number of
years was engaged in the occupation of farming.
Subsequently he purchased a hotel at Marcus
Hook, Delaware county, Pennsylvania, and being
an enterprising and energetic business man who
possessed a genial and hospitable disposition, the
success of his enterprise was an assured fact
from the beginning. He was united in marriage
to Miss Elizabeth Wilson, also a native of Eng
land, and six children were born to them, two bf
whom are living at the present time (1902),
namely: David, and Mary Appleby. Mrs. Ap
pleby passed away in the year 1886, at the age of
forty-five years.
David Appleby was born in the state of Dela
ware August 5, 1839, and acquired his literary
education in the local schools. Upon the comple
tion of his studies he commenced his business
career in a store in his native town, and faithfully
discharged his duties for four years. Later he
entered into partnership with his brother, Thomas
Appleby, and for many years they conducted a
large hotel in Chester, where the Cambridge
Office Building now stands. They were very suc
cessful in their conduct of the hotel, and it be
came a favorite resort with the traveling public
on account of the excellent treatment which they
received there. The hosts were always jovial
and obliging, and well deserved the large patron
age accorded them. In 1863 Mr. Appleby en
listed as a private in the One Hundred and
Thirty-seventh Pennsylvania Regiment, and
served in defense of his country for three months.
He retired from the active duties of a business
career in 1882, and since then he has enjoyed the
fruits of his long life of toil.
Thomas Appleby, a brotner of David Appleby,
acted in the capacity of city treasurer, a position
which he filled for four terms, and he was also
for many years a director of the Delaware County
National Bank, which was chartered under the
act of March 21, 1814, it being then known as
the Delaware County Bank. His death occurred
.September 3, 1891.
William Appleby, another brother of David
Appleby, was a prominent director of the Chester
National Bank, which was chartered as a national
bank on March 1, 1884. The banking house is
located on West Third street near Market Square,

a handsome granite building, which was erected
by Samuel A. Dyer and William Appleby in
1873, to which afterward large additions and im
provements were made. In 1875 William Ap
pleby retired from the firm, and the business was
continued by Colonel Dyer until it was finally
merged into the Chester National Bank. He
died December 10, 1897.

THOMAS WOODWARD TRAINER,
treasurer and general manager of the Standard
Spinning Company of Chester, Pennsylvania, is
a descendant of a sturdy old English ancestry
which crossed the Atlantic and settled in what is
now known as the state of Pennsylvania, two
years before the coming of William Penn.
The progenitor of the American branch of
the family was David Trainer, an English Quaker
who left his native land in order to escape from
the religious persecution which they suffered in
those days. In 1771 he settled on what is now
known as Ridley Park, Delaware county, Penn
sylvania, where he received a large tract of land,
and the various branches of the family have re
sided in that vicinity for many generations. He
was the father of four sons and three daughters.
David Trainer, eldest son of David Trainer,
and great-grandfather of Thomas Woodward
Trainer, was a prominent resident of Ridley Park.
He married Mrs. Sarah Smith, nee Newlin, who
was noted for her remarkable beauty and refine
ment of character, and who was honored by be
ing selected as one of the bridesmaids to Dolly
Madison when she was married to President
James Madison. Mrs. Trainer was a Quakeress
of the olden type, and a very accomplished and
estimable lady. Five children were born to them,
namely: Sarah M. Walker, William, Josiah B.,
Mary Smith, and David Trainer. After the
death of his wife Mr. Trainer was united in mar
riage to Mrs. Mary Balfour, nee Leiper, who was
a descendant of good old Revolutionary stock,
a leader in woman's work for the betterment of
humanity, and a liberal and earnest worker in
the church. Mr. Trainer died February 29, 1846,
at the age of seventy years.
David Trainer, youngest son of David and
Sarah Trainer, and grandfather of Thomas
Woodward Trainer, was born July 9, 1814, in
Chester, Delaware county, Pennsylvania, where
he acquired a good practical education in the
common schools. After attaining his majority he
became one of the pioneer cotton manufacturers
of Delaware county, and it was largely through
his instrumentality that the industrial interests of
the town progressed so rapidly. For forty years
he was engaged in the manufacture of cotton
fabrics at Linwood, later known as Trainer, in
Delaware county, and during this time he im-

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

9 im

proved the methods in use and the character of
the finished product. Later he admitted his son
into partnership, under the firm name of D.
Trainer & Son, and this was afterward changed
to D. Trainer & Sons Manufacturing Company,
of which organization he was made president, and
continued to serve as such for the remainder of
his life. He was also the organizer of the three
large cotton factories known as the Trainer Mills,
situated at Trainer Station, and the Patterson
Cotton Mills, now operated by the Patterson Mills
Company, and numerous other enterprises. Po
litically he was a Whig and afterwards a Repub
lican, and in his religion he was a consistent mem
ber of the Episcopal church. Mr. Trainer mar
ried Miss Ellen Eyre, a daughter of William
Eyre, of Chester, and the following named chil
dren were born to them: Sarah, Susan, Annie
E., wife of Thomas M. Kerr, J. Newlin, Cath
erine N., wife of Mahlon D. Marshall, and Ed
ward E. Trainer. The father of these children
died April 7, 1890, in the seventy-sixth year of
his age, and his wife passed away in March, 1872.
Thomas Woodward Trainer, son of Edward
E. Trainer, was born at Trainer, Pennsylvania,
March 7, 1878, and acquired an excellent educa
tion in the public schools of his native village and
in Philadelphia. After completing his studies he
was employed in a mill operated by his father at
Trainer, Pennsylvania, where he thorougrily
learned all the details of the business and familiar
ized himself with the work in general, so that in
1896 he was fully competent to accept the prof-
ferred position of assistant to the manager of the
cotton mills in Birmingham, Alabama. He re
mained in this position until the breaking out of
the war with Spain, when he went out into the
mountains of Alabama and recruited fifty-eight
men whom he brought in, and they formed part
of the Fifth United States Regiment of Im-
rtiunes. On July 14, 1898, he was appointed sec
ond lieutenant, and on August 6, 1898, the regi
ment was ordered to Savannah, Georgia, and
later was sent to Santiago, Cuba. For three
months he was in command of forty-two men who
were sent to man the Socoppia battery across
from Moro Castle. The regiment had no physi
cian or chaplain, five men died from homesick
ness, and Mr. Trainer lost twenty-two pounds in
weight in the ten days he remained in Santiago.
After the termination of hostilities between
the United States and Spain, Mr. Trainer re
turned to Chester, where he remained until Feb
ruary 19, 1900, when he remold to Chattanooga,
Tennessee, and for a short period of time was
engaged in mercantile pursuits there. He then
returned to the city of Chester and assumed the
general management of the Standard Spinning.
Company, for which he. also acts in. the capacity
of. treasurer. Mr. Trainer is also the owner of

the entire estate known as the D. Trainer & Sons -
Manufacturing Company at Trainer, Pennsyl
vania, which he purchased March 6, 1902. He
was one of the organizers of Camp Henry W.
Lawton, Spanish American War Veterans, and
served as their first commander; he is also the
Inspector General of the State National Associa
tion. He is a member of Lucius H. Scott Lodge-
No. 352, F. and A. M., of Chester.
On December 11, 1901, Mr. Trainer married:
Miss Mary Gray Wetherill, eldest daughter, of
Robert Wetherill, a native of the city of Chester,.
and they are the parents of a daughter, Lena
Woodward Trainer, born October 13, 1902.
Both Mr. Trainer and his wife are members of
the Protestant Episcopal church of Chester,..
Pennsylvania.

HORACE W. FAIRLAMB, for many-
years actively associated with the business and'
political interests of the city of Chester, Penn
sylvania, was born in Middletown, Delaware
county, Pennsylvania, November 14, 1853.
Nathaniel W. Fairlamb, father of Horace W.
Fairlamb, was also born in Middletown, where he
was reared to manhood and acquired a practical.
education in the district schools. In 1852 he es
tablished the undertaking business in his native-
town, but two years later he removed to Chester,
where he continued in the same line of trade for-
the remainder of his life. He filled the office of
burgess of Chester, and he was also a member pf"
the city council for many years. Although elected
on the Democratic ticket, his moderation and
ability commended him so warmly to the general
public that he frequently received the undivided
Republican support also. In his religion Mr.
Fairlamb was a member of the Society of Friends,
and in his fraternal relations he was a member of
the Masonic Order. He was united in riiarriage
to Miss Sarah Marshall, a daughter of Thomas
Marshall, of Upper Chichester. Four children
were born to them, three of whom are still living.
Mr. Fairlamb died December 18, 1891, survived
by his widow. Mrs. Fairlamb died June 25, 1903.
Horace W. Fairlamb pursued a thorough
course of literary instruction in the Chester Acad
emy, and upon reaching his majority, in 1874, he
was admitted into partnership with his father in
the undertaking business, and after the death of
the latter he continued the business on his own
account. The success which has attended his
efforts .is the result of industry, perseverance
and close attention to business, which character
istics are important features in his nature and
have descended to him from an honorable ances
try. Politically Mr. Fairlamb is a firm adherent
to the Republican party, and he has served in the
capacity of coroner of Delaware county for three-

92

-CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

terms, or a period of nine years. He is promi
nently affiliated with the Masonic and Odd Fel
lows Orders, having attained to high positions
in both organizations.
On September 15, 1875, Mr. Fairlamb married
Miss Kate L. Maddock, daughter of Israel Mad
dock, a descendant of an old Delaware county
family. Five children were born of this union,
three of whom are still living: Carrie M., Mar
garet H. and Horace W., Jr.

FREDERICK BALDT, a prominent man of
affairs of Chester, Delaware county, Pennsyl
vania, comes of German stock, being descended
through both his parents from ancestors who
emigrated from the fatherland during the latter
part of the eighteenth century. Frederick Baldt,
grandfather of the present bearer of the name,
was born in Germany and there received his edu
cation, coming to America while yet a young man.
He settled in Philadelphia, where he followed the
occupation of a market gardener, in which he was
remarkably successful, becoming the owner of
a considerable amount of property. He gave to
the country of his adoption a devoted allegiance,
serving in the army during the war of 1812.
He married Christian Wolfe, and was the father
of nirie children. His death took place in his
home in Philadelphia, about the year 1857, when
he was eighty-eight years of age.
William Baldt, son of Frederick and Chris-
tain (Wolfe) Baldt, was born in Philadelphia,
where he learned the trade of house carpenter,
which he followed with great success during the
most of his life. In politics he was a Democrat.
He married Elizabeth, daughter of Peter Painter,
of Philadelphia. Mr. Painter was a native of
Germany, whose arrival in the United States
had been contemporaneous with that of Frederick
Baldt, with whose career his own had possessed
points of resemblance, he having also engaged in
market gardening, and served as a soldier during
the war of 1812. Mr. and Mrs. Baldt were the
parents of seven children: Christian, William,
Henry, Mary, Anna, John and Frederick, men
tioned at length hereinafter. Mrs. Baldt died in
1866 of cholera, in the seventy-first year of her
age, and Mr. Baldt in 1883, at the age of eighty-
two, both expiring in their native city of Phila
delphia. Frederick Baldt, son of William and Elizabeth
(Painter) Baldt, was born June 17, 1841, in
Philadelphia, and received his education in the
public schools of that city, where, on leaving
school, he was apprenticed to the trade of a
molder in the Penn works of Reaney, Neafie &
Levy. Mr. Baldt acquired his trade with thor
oughness and rapidity, bringing to it, as he did,
previous preference and natural aptitude, en

forced by intelligence and application. His
knowledge of the business, which was theoreti
cal as well as practical, was such that in 1864
he was intrusted with the management of the
foundry which had then been recently established
in Chester by Reaney, Son & Archibald. He
remained in this position until 1870, when the
foundry was sold to the late John Roach, the
famous shipbuilder, for whom he acted for a
brief period as manager, returning to Philadel
phia in October, 1870, for the purpose of taking
charge of the People's Foundry. There he re
mained until January, 187 1, when he again be
came a resident of Chester, being placed in charge
of the works of the Chester Steel Casting Com
pany. These works had hitherto been unsuccess
ful in the manufacture of steel castings, but Mr.
Baldt was speedily successful in developing their
possibilities in this direction, causing them to
produce standard steel, and rendering them
financially flourishing. In 1875 Mr. Baldt or
ganized the Eureka Cast Steel Company of
Chester, of which he was elected general man
ager, in which position he remained until March,
1886, during, which time the company became
one of the most prosperous and scientifically con
ducted establishments of the kind in the state. .
By this time Mr. Baldt's abilities in his chosen
calling were so well known and so universally
recognized that when the Standard Steel Cast
ing Company of Thurlow, Delaware, failed in
the manufacture of steel castings, he was solicit
ed by the president of the company, Mr. Robert
Wetherill, to take charge of its plant. This posi
tion he assumed in March, 1886, and it was not
long before the works had earned a national rep
utation by reason of the high-class character of
their manufactures. During his connection with
this company Mr. Baldt made for the United
States government the first six-inch high pressure
rifled cannon which had ever stood the required
test, and these works also manufactured the cast
ings for the government cruisers, including the
hull and engine castings for the steamships Balti
more, Philadelphia, Newark, Petrel, Vesuvius,
Maine, Texas, Birmingham and Concord, as well
as part of the castings of the New York. The
superiority of these castings to anything of the
kind hitherto manufactured was universally ac
knowledged both in this country and in Europe.
In January, 1891, Mr. Baldt resigned his position,
and passed a year in Maryland, on a farm which
he possessed in that state. In 1892 he returned
to Chester, where he was instrumental in or
ganizing the Penn Steel Casting and Machine
Company, of which he was made general man
ager. The company is now in possession of one
of the largest works of this kind in Pennsylvania,
having bought the plant of the old Chester
Foundry and Machine Company, at the corner

The Lewis Publishing Co

W.T.Bafier.

sA.s\ pjdC /o?0^trt^r-

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

93

of Front and Penn streets, which they have so
enlarged and improved that in its accommodations
and equipments it is without a rival, possessing
a capacity for producing the largest steel castings
ever made or used in the world, the superiority
of its manufactures being admitted on both con
tinents. In his business career Mr. Baldt has
achieved a series of triumphs, and has earned
for himself a place in the very highest rank of his
profession, wherever, the world over, the possi
bilities of steel machinery are recognized.
In the sphere of politics Mr. Baldt, like his
father, has always been connected with the Demo
cratic party. He is a Mason of long standing,
affiliating with Chester Lodge, No. 236, F. and
A. M.

COL. JAMES A. G. CAMPBELL. The
high rank among representative men of Dela
ware county, which is accorded to Colonel James
A. G. Campbell, president of the Delaware County
Trust, Safe Deposit and Title Insurance Com
pany, is the outgrowth of his own personal ac
tivity, business forethought and executive ability.
His career emphasizes the declarative of Sallust,
that "every man is the architect of his own for
tune." While in the paternal line he is the grand
son of Joseph and Mary (Dodge) Campbell, of
Stockport, England, and on the maternal side is
a grandson of John and Mary (Turner) Garsed,
of Swift Place Mills, Yorkshire, England, a
family whose name is conspicuously associated
with the history of cotton manufacture in Great
Britain and this country. Colonel Campbell was
compelled to rely wholly upon his. individual
capacities to make his way and win honors in the
battle of life in which all men must take part.
James A. G. Campbell is the youngest son of
James and Angelina (Garsed) Campbell. His
father, James Campbell, a native of Stockport,
England, as a young man came to the United
States, locating in Delaware county, where he sub
sequently won a lasting place in the industrial
history of this section. To him above all other
men is due the credit of establishing the first cot
ton mill in the borough, now city of Chester, ap
propriately called the "Pioneer Mills." It was
through his personal endeavors that other enter
prises were located in the town, making the be
ginning of that industrial development which has
advanced Chester to one of the busy centers of
manufacturing activity in the United States.
While James Campbell, by reason of the failure
of firm and individuals with whom he had .busi
ness relations, was himself financially ruined dur
ing the panic of 1857, his name will retain prom
inence in the annals of the city, because it was
through his endeavors that Chester first attracted

consideration as a place of manufacturing im
portance. James A. G. Campbell was born February
19, 1858, in Chester, Pennsylvania, and with the
exception of six weeks devoted to special study
at the Chester Academy was educated in the pub
lic schools of his native city. Leaving school at
the age of sixteen years, he immediately entered
the express office of Headley & Mahon, where he
was employed in the capacity of clerk until the
spring of 1876; for several months in the latter
part of the same year he was express manager
between Chester and Philadelphia; then a clerk
in the real estate office of John Cochran in the
latter city. He resigned from this position in
order to accept that of book-keeper for Dutton
& Anderson, lumber and coal merchants of Ches
ter, and subsequently held a similar position in the
planing mills of John H. Stroud & Co. On No
vember 10, 1879, Mr. Campbell was engaged in
the banking and brokerage house of Elliott, Sons
& Co., where he remained until 1884, when, after
the death of the senior members, he became book
keeper for L. H. Taylor & Co., a stock brokerage
firm. He retained this position until the organi
zation of the Chester Bank and Saving Fund, of
which he was chosen receiving teller, and secre
tary of the Delaware County Trust, Safe Deposit
and Title Insurance Company. These institutions
began business August 26, 1885. On February
23, 1886, when only twenty-eight years of age, he
was elected cashier of the bank, and when the two
organizations were consolidated May 17, 1889,
he was elected treasurer ; on May 20, 1892, vice-
president, and on June 8, 1899, was elected presi
dent of the Delaware County Trust, Safe De
posit and Title Insurance Company, a position he
still holds. On May 17, 1893, he organized and
started the clearing house for the banks of the
city of Chester and was appointed its first
manager. For two years from 1890 to 1892 he
acted in the capacity of secretary and treasurer of
the Standard Spinning Company, manufacturers
of spinning yarns in Chester.
Mr. Campbell was one of the original mem
bers of Company B, Eleventh Regiment, now the
Sixth National Guard of Pennsylvania, enlisting
as a private on March 30, 1881. He was ap
pointed June 6, 1881, second sergeant; July 29,
1 88 1, first sergeant; elected first lieutenant Janu
ary 8, 1883, a position he resigned March 30,
1886. He was appointed May 11, 1887, by Colo
nel John W. Schall, first lieutenant and inspector
of rifle practice for his old regiment, the Sixth.
On July 20 of the same year he was appointed
aide-de-camp by Brigadier General George R.
Snowden, with the rank of captain, on the staff
of the first brigade, and he acted as assistant ad
jutant general of that brigade from June 4, 1890,

94

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

until November n, 1890. After the death of
General Hartranft, General Snowden became
major-general. The latter appointed Captain
Campbell aide-de-camp with the rank of major, thus
elevating him to the division staff, and subse
quently he was promoted to division inspector
with the rank of lieutenant-colonel. During his
military career Colonel Campbell participated in
the inaugural parades of President Cleveland in
1885, of President Harrison in 1889, and in that
of President Cleveland in 1893, as also in the
Constitutional Centennial parade in Philadelphia
in 1888, the Presidential Centennial in New York
in 1889, and the Columbian Dedicatory parade in
Chicago in 1892. He was on duty with General
Snowden at Homestead during the exciting riots
at that place in the summer of 1892. When Con
gress, on April 19, 1898, declared that Cuba was
an independent nation and authorized President
McKinley forcibly to intervene to relieve the
people of the island from Spanish misrule, the
authorities of Pennsylvania, for several weeks
after the President had made requisition for
troops, strove to have the United States accept
the uniformed National Guard of the state as a
whole, with Major General Snowden in com
mand. Had the proposition been accepted. Col.
Campbell would have retained his position in the
military family of General Snowden. When it
became evident that the national government
would not accede to that suggestion, Colonel
Campbell tendered his resignation as a staff officer
and was appointed to the adjutancy of the Second
Battalion of the Second Regiment, Pennsylvania
Infantry, with the rank of second lieutenant, being
enrolled May 12, 1898, and the following day
was mustered into the military service of the
United States. The patriotic action on the part
of Colonel Campbell in resigning high rank to
accept the commission of a second lieutenant in a
volunteer regiment which at the time expected to
be ordered immediately to the front, was made a
feature in General Snowden's annual report of
1898, in which lie officially commended Colonel
Campbell for his act. At that time grave fears
were entertained that a plan existed among Span
ish hirelings to cripple the United States by the
destruction of the powder mills in this country.
To frustrate that design the War Department or
dered that such establishments should be placed
under military guard and for that purpose the
Second Battalion of the Second Pennsylvania
Regiment was ordered to Pompton Lake, New
Jersey and subsequently to Pennsgrove, New Jer
sey, where large mills were actively engaged in
furnishing powder to the Federal government.
The brief period covered by active hostilities ren
dered the forwarding of additional troops to
Cuba unnecessary, hence, under the general orders
of the President, Adjutant Campbell was honor

ably discharged on October 25, 1898, when the
regiment was mustered out of the service of the
United States. Colonel Campbell is a member
of the Society of Veterans of the Spanish Ameri
can War.
In his political affiliations Colonel Campbell is
a firm supporter of the principles of the Republi
can party, and during the Cleveland and Harrison
campaign of 1888 was in command of a battalion
of four companies of young men of that party
formed to take part in parades ; during the
municipal contest of 1893 he was a member of the
Citizens' Committee of fifty which aided materi
ally in the election of John B. Hinkson, the Demo
cratic candidate, for mayor of Chester. In 1896*
Colonel Campbell was appointed by Mayor Blade
a member of the first board of park commis
sioners ; when that body was organized, he was
elected its first secretary, an official position he
still retains. He was elected April 18, 1892, a
vestryman of St. Paul's Episcopal church. He,
was a member and treasurer of the building com
mittee under whose supervision the recent church
edifice at Broad and Madison streets was erected.
On November 26, 1889, Colonel CampbelL
married Miss Elizabeth Hubley Mowry, daughter
of the Rev. Dr. Philip H. and the late Katharine
(Richardson) Mowry. They have two children,
a daughter, Margaret Mowry Campbell, and a
son, James A. G. Campbell, Jr.

JACOB CRAIG, Jr., treasurer of the city
of Chester, Pennsylvania, is a son of Jacob-
and Esther (Lamborn) Craig and was born
near Hockessin, New Castle county, Delaware,
July 13, 1851. His parents on his paternal'
side are of Scotch descent, John Craig, with
his parents, emigrating from Scotland in-
1687 and located in Chester county, near what is
now Fairville. The direct descendants of John'
Craig who was the first of the family to marry
in this country were Walter, whose son Jacob,
whose son William was the grandfather of the
subject of this sketch. Jacob, above referred to,
married Mary West, a close relative to Benjamin
West, the famous painter, and their son John was
a colonel of a Pennsylvania regiment in the war"
for independence and was taken prisoner at the
battle of Brandywine. William Craig married
Hannah Nethery, his first cousin, whose father,
Robert Nethery, was also an emigrant from Scot
land and located near what is now Hammerton,
Chester county, and to this union was born seven-
children : Walter, Marv (Stern), Ann, Jacob,
Obediah, Nelson and Hannah J. (Sharpless).
Jacob Craig, fourth son of William and Han
nah (Nethery) Craig, was born near Kennett
Square, Chester county, Pennsylvania, January
28, 1820. He learned the trade of shoemaker, and'

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

95

followed this occupation most of his life. He lo
cated at Hockessin, Delaware, served in the war
of the Rebellion in the Fifth Delaware Regiment,
was for three terms a school director, and was a
man of considerable ability. He married Esther
Lamborn, a member of Hockessin Friends Meet
ing, in 1842. Esther Lamborn Craig was a direct
descendant of George and Jane Chandler, who
came from England in 1687. In 1887 more than
fifteen hundred of their descendants, from all
parts of the country, held a bi-centennial anniver
sary celebration of the settlement made by their
ancestors on the original family home tract, at
Chadd's Ford, in Delaware county. She was the
daughter of. Levis and Phcebe (Chandler) Lam
born, a descendant of Robert Lamborn, a native of
Berkshire, England, who, in 1713, when a young
men left his Hempstead home in quest of his
sweetheart, Sarah Swayne, who had sailed, with her
father, Francis Swayne, for America two years
before. Robert did not know where the Swayne
family had located, but fortunately upon reaching
Philadelphia, he accidentally met Mr. Swayne on
the street and he was gladly escorted to the
Swayne home, near what is now London Grove,
Chester county, where soon after he married the
lady he had traveled so far to make his wife.
Jacob Craig died July 14, 1878, aged fifty-eight
years, long surviving his wife, who died April
2, 1853, aged thirty-six years.' They were the
parents of six children : Lamborn, Dewesse,
Levis, Wilson, Jacob, Jr. and Chandler.
J. Craig, Jr., of the family last named began
his education in the schools of his native village,
and then entered the Delaware State Normal
Academy at Wilmington, Delaware, from which
he was graduated in 187 1. He taught for a time
in the common schools of Delaware, and then in
the Academy of which he was a graduate, for
three years, when he resigned to enter upon the
principalship of Felton Seminary, in Kent county,
Delaware. He proved successful as a teacher,
but he felt inclined to journalism, and after a year
he went to Wilmington to enter upon a reportorial
engagement on the Morning News. In 1876
he removed to Chester, Pennsylvania, to enter
upon similar work on the Chester Times, which
he afterward purchased, but soon sold. He con
tinued on the reportorial staff of the Times and
the Advocate from 1877 to 1886, when he was
elected superintendent of the Chester Freight
Line, now Chester Shipping Company, a position
which he continues to occupy and in which he has
developed genuine managerial ability. He is also
interested in other enterprises which form an im
portant part of the commercial life of Chester —
the Delaware County Subway Company, of which
he is president ; and a director of the Cambridge
Trust Company, the Delaware County Building
Association and president of the Chester Ice Com-
7 x

pany, also a member of the executive committee
of the Philadelphia Steam Vessel Owners' Asso
ciation. His activities extend to all movements
conducive to the prosperity and prestige of his
city, and he has devoted much time to public con
cerns. In 1890 he was elected to the select coun
cil from the Fourth ward, and at the expiration
of his term he was re-elected. In 1896 he was
elected city treasurer for a term of three years,
and he was twice re-elected without opposition — •
an eloquent attestation of his ability and integrity.
He entered upon the office to find its affairs in
confusion, and he established an adequate system,
and instituted reform by the curtailment of expend
ditures, which soon bore its fruit in- improving the
public credit, and bringing the municipal bonds
to a premium. In 1882 Mr. Craig was secretary
of the Bi-Centennial Committee of Chester,
formed to commemorate the landing of William
Penn in Pennsylvania. This was one of the most
memoraable celebrations in the history of the
state, and in its inception and conduct Mr. Craig
was a principal agent.
Mr. Craig is a Republican in politics, and a
leader in the counsels of the party. He has served
as president of the Chester Republican Club, and
at various times he has been a delegate in local
and state conventions of the party. He is a mem
ber of various fraternal and social bodies — L. H,
Scott Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons, Ches
ter Lodge of Benevolent Order of Elks, the Royal
Arcanum, the Supreme Conclave of the Improved
Order of Heptasophs, and the State and National
Councils of the Junior Order of American
Mechanics. Mr. Craig was married December 28, 1875, to
Miss Amelia Hibshman, daughter of John and
Magdalene (Adkins) Hibshman, of Ephrata,
Lancaster county, Pennsylvania ; her parents were
natives of Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, among
the oldest and most thrifty of the locality, and
were of German extraction. Three children were
born of this marriage: Walter HJ John Percy
and Norman Chandler Craig. Walter H. Craig
married Etta James, of an old Delaware county
family, on June 5, 1902.
Throughout his career, Mr. Craig has devel
oped ability for affairs of constantly increasing
importance, and his success has been attained
solely through his own ability and force of char
acter.

WILLIAM H. BERRY. Two residents of
Chester, Pennsylvania, father and son, in! the
persons of B. D. and \v . H. Berry, have achieved
well deserved reputation for inventions of great
usefulness. B. D. Berry was a native of Illinois, residing
in Edwardsville, a short distance from the city of

96

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

St. Louis. He was a carriage maker by trade,
but his attention was directed to brick making,
and he devised a machine for making brick from
the dry clay, and upon this basis has been estab
lished a large brick making industry, while other
large manufacturing establishments have sprung
up about it. Mr. Berry is yet living, at the ad
vanced age of eighty-four years, and has but
recently received a patent covering a unique
window fixture of his invention.
William H. Berry, son of B. D. Berry, was
born in Edwardsville, Illinois, September 9, 1852.
He received a thorough common school education,
and developed a fondness for learning which
would doubtless have led him to a professional
life had not his tastes for mechanics, inherited
from his father, predominated and led him into
another career. He learned the trade of a ma
chinist in one of the mammoth establishments of
Buffalo, New York, and he subsequently took a
scientific mechanical course in the Mechanics'
Institute in the same city. In 1873, on attaining
his majority, he removed to Chester, Pennsyl
vania, where he had charge of the brick yard of
the Eddystone Manufacturing Company. At a
later period he was appointed master mechanic for
the company, and he held this position for the
long term of seventeen years.
During all his active life Mr. Berry has been
busied in the field of invention, and he has con
tributed to mechanics and agriculture numerous
labor-saving devices of the highest utility. One
of the most ingenious and mechanically perfect of
his inventions was his device for a harvester,
which substituted straw for twine 'in binding the
bundles. This achieved a high degree of ex
cellence, but was financially unprofitable. An
other of Mr. Berry's inventions, the steam boiler
known by his name, has been termed, by com
petent machinists, the best in use. His inventive
faculty is continually active, and he is now su
perintending the manufacture of about a dozen
of his inventions from which he reaps substantial
royalties. In 1903 Mr. Berry established a fac
tory in Chester, called the Berry Engineering
Company, which manufactures steam appliances
of his own invention and which is now in oper
ation. Mr. Berry is not devoted solely to mechanics,
but maintains a deep interest in religious, politi
cal and social affairs, and makes his influence
deeply felt along all these lines. He has been a
member of the Madison Street Methodist Epis
copal church since 1876, and is a local preacher in
his denomination. In politics he is a Democrat
and a radical bimetalist, contending that indus
trial freedom is impossible from the scant supply
of money obtained from gold alone. He has
vigorously defended this theory in this and other
states of the union. Mr. Berry considers this the

best work of his life. He was twice a candidate
for congress. He is an ardent Prohibitionist, and
was a candidate for state treasurer on the ticket
of that party.
Mr. Berry was married in 1879, to Miss Susie
Scofield, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and four
children have been born of this union — Benjamin,
William Jr., Paul and Homer Berry.

DAVID S. BUNTING, a successful busi
ness man of Chester, Pennsylvania, is a de
scendant of a family of English extraction
who came from England to America about
the middle of the seventeenth century. The
first representatives in this country were three
brothers, one of whom settled at Crosswicks,
New Jersey, another in Bucks county, Penn
sylvania, and the third, Samuel by name, set
tled at Darby, now Delaware county. From
the latter named David S. Bunting is a lineal
descendant. Samuel Bunting married a grand
daughter of John Blunston, who emigrated from
England in 1682 and settled in Darby, where he
took up a large tract of land ; he was a member
of the Provincial Assembly for thirteen years, and
several times held the position of speaker of that
body. Mr. Blunston was also appointed by Will
iam Penn as a member of the council of state and
a justice of court, and frequently acted as attor
ney for the people in England who held land in
Pennsylvania. Josiah Bunting, grandfather of
David S. Bunting, was a native of Darby, Dela
ware county, where he resided all his life engaged
in agricultural pursuits. He was a consistent
member of the Society of Friends.
Josiah Bunting, father of David S. Bunting,
was born and reared at Darby, and upon attain
ing young manhood he removed to Philadelphia,
entered into partnership with Joseph Watson,
who for five years served as mayor of that city,
and engaged in the lumber business, under the
firm name of Watson & Bunting; Mr. Bunting
remained in the firm until 1832, when he disposed
of his interest in the business and purchased the
old Bunting homestead at Darby, to which he
removed in the autumn of that year. In 1814 he
was united in marriage to Miss Sarah Sellers, a
daughter of David Sellers, then residing in Phil
adelphia, though a native of Upper Darby, Dela
ware county. Seven children were born to them,
namely : Rachel Sellers, . Elizabeth, David Sel
lers, Sarah Hunt, Josiah, Samuel Sellers, and
Joseph Bunting. The father of these children
was a life-long member of the Society of Friends,
and his death occurred in 1863, in the ninety-
first year of his age ; his wife, who was born in
Philadelphia, died at her home in Darby, in 1850,
aged sixty-two years.
The Sellers family, of which the mother of

*^VT /c$A4^t-i2^z

7

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

97

David S. Bunting was a member, is also one of
the oldest in Pennsylvania, having been founded
-here by Samuel Sellers, a native of Derbyshire,
England, who, in 1682, settled at Darby, then
•Chester, now Delaware, county. In June, 1684,
he married Miss Anna Gibbons, also from Derby
shire, England, they being the first couple ever
married in the Darby Meeting of the Society of
Friends. They had six children born to them,
the third, Samuel, being born December 3, 1690,
married August 12, 1712, to Miss Sarah Smith,
also of English descent. To them were born
seven children, of whom the youngest was John
Sellers, the maternal great-grandfather of David
S. Bunting, who was born September 19, 1728,
died February 2, 1804. His father having erect
ed the first twisting mill in Pennsylvania, he
learned the trade of weaver, but, possessing a
marked mechanical genius, he invented the first
wire rolling screens and sieves for cleaning grain
ever made on this continent. The first wire store
in America was in Philadelphia. This invention
proved such a success that he abandoned the
manufacture of textile fabrics and devoted his
attention to wire weaving. He was one of the
prominent men of the town, and was elected to
.serve in the assembly in 1767, holding the office
for five terms. On February 26, 1749, he married
Miss Ann Gibbons, and the following named
¦children were born to them : Nathan, David,
John and George Sellers. David Sellers, mater
nal grandfather of David S. Bunting, was a na
tive of Upper Darby, and after completing his
education, he learned the trade of wire worker
in Philadelphia, where he erected the first wire-
working establishment ever operated in America.
His death occurred in 1813, at the age of fifty-
six years.
David S. Bunting, son of Josiah and Sarah
Bunting, was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,
September 23, 1820, He was reared on the old
Bunting homestead at Darby, Delaware county, to
which his parents removed when he was a young
child. He obtained his education in the Friends'
School at Darby, a boarding school at West Ches
ter, and this was supplemented by a course of
study at a college in Wilmington, Delaware.
Shortly after completing his studies he was en
gaged in farming and dairying at Upper Darby,
meeting with so large a degree of success in
this enterprise that he remained there for eight
years. He then purchased a farm on Chester
creek, and pursued the same line of trade until
1862, when he sold his property, located in the
city of Chester, and engaged in the lumber busi
ness in partnership with Joseph H. Hinkson.
This connection continued until the death of Mr.
Hinkson two years later, since which time Mr.
Bunting has carried on the lumber and coal busi
ness alone. He has the most extensive lumber

trade in the city of Chester, and carries constantly
in stock the largest assortment of rough and
dressed lumber to be found in the locality. He
has always been regarded as a careful, conserva
tive business man, whose plans and operations
are based upon mature judgment and strict in
tegrity, and his commendable methods have been
rewarded with conspicuous and well merited suc
cess. Mr. Bunting is an ardent Republican in
politics, and has been several times elected a
member of the city council, and his services in
that body were recognized as useful and im
portant. On March 9, 1843, Mr. Bunting married Miss
Hannah P. Serrill, a daughter of Benjamin Ser-
rill, a grazier of Darby, Delaware county. Their
children are : Sidney P., wife of Joseph W.
Sharp, president of the National Bank at Berwyn,
Chester county, Pennsylvania; Elizabeth, wife
of J. Charles Andrews, of Darby; and Sarah S.,
now deceased, who was the wife of Josiah Bunt
ing, chief of the dress goods department of John
Wanamaker's store in Philadelphia, and who at
her death, in 1888, left three sons, Joseph S.,
Sydney S., deceased, and Aubrey R. Bunting.
Personally Mr. Bunting is genial and affable, is
very popular with the residents of the community
in which he has resided for so many years, and is
rightly called one of Chester's foremost citizens.

HON. WILLIAM WARD, an eminent mem
ber of the legal profession and also an ex-con
gressman of Chester, Pennsylvania, was born in
Philadelphia, February 2, 1837, a son of M. and
Margaret Ward, who came from Ireland, and
was a descendant of an honored family who pos
sessed large landed interests in that country, and
his death occurred when William was only six
months old.
At the age of six years young William entered
the Stephen Girard College in Philadelphia, be
ing one of the first boys to become a student in
that institution. After completing his education
he served a four years apprenticeship in the art
of printing in the office of the "Delaware County
Republican," then edited by Mr. Walters. After
the expiration of this period of time, he studied
law with John M. Broomall, and was admitted
to the bar in August, 1859, after which he prac
ticed his profession in partnership with his pre
ceptor. He was actively connected with various
land enterprises and public improvements in
Chester and vicinity, to which he added the busi
ness of banking in 1868, being a member of the
firm of Ward & Baker. Five years later he re
tired from the banking business and since that
time devoted his attention to legal affairs. In
all his professional effort he enjoyed the respect
and esteem of his colleagues at the bar and the

98

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

confidence of his clients, and being possessed of
considerable wit and humor he was often chosen
as a platform orator, as well as an after-dinner
speaker. Mr. Ward served for many years as city so
licitor, secretary and treasurer of the Chester
Improvement Company, was a director of the
First National Bank, treasurer of the South Ward
Water Board and secretary of the Chester Creek
& Delaware River Railroad Companies. In poli
tics Mr. Ward was a Republican, but never held
any purely political office until 1876, when he
was elected a member of the forty-fifth Congress.
His services in that body were so appreciated by
his constituents that he was returned to the forty-
sixth Congress, and afterward was honored with
a third term by his party, which made his tenure
of the office of congressman continue until 1888,
after which he declined all further political nomi
nations in order to give needed attention to his
business affairs. He also served in the capacity
of president of the city council for many years,
was head of the Water Works Company, and
filled other local offices.
On February 2, 1862, Mr. Ward married Miss
Clara Ecker Ulrich, daughter of Samuel Ulrich,
a member of an old and honored family. Their
children are : Samuel, a resident of Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania; Dr. John M. B., deceased, who re
sided at Marcus Hook; William, a citizen of
Chester; Renee U., Clara N., Margaret D. and
George E. Ward. Both Mr. and Mrs. Ward were
active and zealous members of the Protestant
Episcopal church of Chester, Pennsylvania. Mr.
Ward's decease occurred February 27, 1895.

JOHN M. B. WARD, M. D., deceased, late
quarantine officer of Marcus Hook, Delaware
county, Pennsylvania, was born in Chester, Penn
sylvania, August 5, 1863, a son of the Hon. Will
iam and Clara (Ecker) Ward.
Dr. Ward acquired his primary education
with Miss Crosby, of Chester; later he enrolled
as a pupil in the Burlington Military Academy,
where he remained two years. After the comple
tion of his academic studies he entered the durg
store of G. Banks Wilson, and later began a
course of pharmacy at the Philadelphia College,
from which institution he was graduated in 1884.
He then accepted a position with Carpenter, Hen-
zey & Co., wholesale druggists of Philadelphia,
after which he was appointed chemist of the
United States Marine Hospital in the same city,
where he remained for a period of three years.
He then matriculated in the Jefferson Medical
College for the purpose of perfecting his study of
medicine, and was duly graduated from that in
stitution in the spring of 1891 with the degree

of Doctor of Medicine. He immediately returned
to Chester and began the practice of his profes
sion in partnership with his uncle, Dr. Ulrich,.
and this connection continued until March, 1893,,.
when Dr. Ward opened an office on his own ac
count. In the summer of 1891 Dr. Ward was-
appointed United States quarantine officer at
Cape Charles, and he also served in the capacity
of visiting surgeon to the Chester Hospital. The
following year he was chosen deputy quarantine
officer of the Lazaretto, a hospital, the station be
ing changed to Marcus Hook in the fall of the
same year.
Dr. Ward was the first man that was enlisted
and commissioned in the Sixth Pennsylvania Vol
unteer Infantry during the Spanish-American
war, being appointed first lieutenant and assistant
surgeon; he was executive officer and had com
plete charge of the Second Brigade, Second Di
vision, at Camp Alger, Virginia. Later on he
was a member of the staff of the chief surgeon of
the Second Army Corps, and subsequently was
placed in command of the reserve ambulance-
corps until his regiment was mustered out from
Camp Meade. Dr. Ward had in his possession
quite a number of commendatory letters which
he received from his superior officers. After the
close of the war Dr. Ward returned to Marcui-
Hook and resumed his duties as quarantine offi
cer until his death, January 21, 1903. In addi
tion to these duties he has served as major sur
geon in the medical corps of the Pennsylvania
militia, assigned to duty as chief surgeon of the
Sixth Pennsylvania Regiment. Dr. Ward was-
a member of the Delaware County Medical So
ciety and the J. N. Da Costa Medical Society of
Philadelphia. Socially he was a member of the-
Alpha Boat Club, and fraternally . he affiliated
with the Knights of Honor, the order of the Elks,
and was a member of the Lulu Temple, Mystic-
Shrine, Philadelphia.
On December 31, 1890, Dr. Ward married.
Miss Elizabeth J. Walsh, daughter of Robert F.
Walsh, and their children are : Jane N. and Will
iam Ward.

HENRY VON HOFF STOEVER, M. D.„
a highly esteemed physician of Chester, Pennsyl
vania, belongs to a German family which has
been for nearly three centuries represented in the
United States. The name is one distinguished in
the annals of the Fatherland, as that of a friend
and advisor of Martin Luther, the hero of the
German reformation. It is from this brave fel
low-laborer of the monk of Wittenberg that the
Stoever family trace their descent. In 1728 John
Casper _ Stoever emigrated to America, bringing
with him the faith for which his ancestors had'.
braved the perils of excommunication and mar-

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

99

tyrdom. He was a pioneer in the New World
¦of the doctrines of German Protestantism, being
the builder of the first Lutheran church in Amer
ica. The record of the family since the period
-of their emigration shows them to have been
animated by the same fearless and devoted spirit
which characterized them in their native Ger
many, ever ready to take up arms in defense of
the country of their adoption. In all our wars,
both colonial and national, the Stoevers have
served, attesting by their gallant conduct on many
¦-a battlefield, the sincerity of their allegiance.
Jacob M. Stoever, father of Dr. Henry von
Hoff Stoever, was born in Milton, Pennsylvania,
and was engaged in the iron and steel business.
A.t the outbreak of the Civil war he enlisted in
the Fifty-sixth Regiment, Pennsylvania Volun
teers, serving to the termination of the conflict.
From 1871 to 1897 he resided in Chester, where
he was active in politics and in local affairs, serv
ing on the school board. He married Pleasance
-S. Bickhead, and was the father of four sons. Mr.
and Mrs. Stoever are both living, the former be
ing sixty-three years of age.
Henry von Hoff Stoever, son of Jacob M.
-and Pleasance S. (Bickhead) Stoever, was born
March 23, 1869, in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania,
where he received his primary education in the
public schools. He afterward graduated at the
Philadelphia College of Pharmacy, and having
•decided to devote himself for life to the practice
of medicine, he matriculated in the medical de
partment of the University of Pennsylvania, from
which he graduated in the class of 1891. His
practice was large and steadily increasing and his
professional standing was unquestioned. He was
a member of the visiting staff of the Chester Hos
pital. In addition to his revenues as a medical
practitioner, he has several business interests in
Philadelphia. These interests he still retains, but
in consequence of impaired health, has been com
pelled to resign the practice of his profession.
Dr. Stoever is the possessor of a large and valua
ble collection of Indian blankets, weapons and
curios, brought from the west and abounding in
unterest for all who have in any way made a
study of the history and manners of the abo
rigines. Dr. Stoever is a member of all the medical as
sociations, both of the county and state, and in
1893 held the office of president of the County
Medical Society. He belongs to the Penn Club
-of Chester. Although obliged, by reason of fail
ing health, to retire from the active duties of his
-profession, Dr. Stoever retains the position which
he has for some time held on the visiting staff of
-the Chester Hospital, and is frequently solicited to
act as an adviser in cases of peculiar moment.
Dr. Stoever married. October 19, 1894, Miria
33., daughter of John N. Wilson, a prominent

citizen of Chester. Dr. and Mrs. Stoever are
the parents of two children: J. Wilson, and
Pleasance L. Stoever.

JOHN NEVIUS WILSON, of Chester,
Delaware county, Pennsylvania, belongs to an
ancient family of Irish origin, the name of which
is very famous in the annals of the American
Revolution, and traces its genealogy through the
following generations :
James Wilson (1) came with his son Samuel
(2) from the north of Ireland, and settled in
Derry, Lancaster county. ¦ James (3), son of
Samuel (2), was one of the illustrious band of
the signers of the Declaration of Independence.
He married Martha Sterrette. Their son, Will
iam (4), born in 1743, married Elizabeth Robin
son, and they were the parents of Samuel (5),
who was born in Union county, followed the oc
cupation of a farmer, and served in. the patriot
army during the war of 1812. He was born
April 7, 1790, and on December 12, 1816, married
Elizabeth Nevius, who was descended from an old
family which originated in Holland, and presents
the following record :
Johannes Nevius (1) came from Amsterdam
in 1650, and settled in New York, or as it was
then called New Amsterdam, being a Dutch Col
ony. It was thus naturally the place of all others
in the New World which Johannes Nevius or
Neiff, as the name was then spelled, would make
his home, as he would there find himself among
his countrymen. He afterward removed to New
Jersey. He married, November 18, 1653, Ad
riaenty Bleych.
Peter Nevius (2), son of Johannes (1) and
Adriaenty (Bleych) Nevius, was born February
4, 1663, married January 22, 1684, Janetze
Schenck, and died April 29, 1740. Their son
.Roeloff Nevyus (3), as the name was at that time
spelled, was born in 1687, lived in Raritan, New
Jersey, and married, May 3, 1712, Catheynthe
Lucane Van Voorhees. Their son, Peter (4), was
born in 1727, lived at Clover Hill,. New Jersey,
married, in 175 1, Maria Van Doren, born in
1727, and died in 1800. Their son Christopher,
or Christian (5), was born November 1, 1759,
in Bedminster township, Somerset county, New
Jersey, married, November 16, 1789, Lucretia,
daughter of William and Elizabeth Chamberlain,
and died November 1, 181 5. Their daughter,
Elizabeth (6), married Samuel Wilson, Decem
ber 12, 1816. Samuel Wilson died January 16,
1843. John Nevius Wilson, son of Samuel and
Elizabeth (Nevius) Wilson, was born Septem
ber 2"], 1834, near Lewisburg, Union county,
Pennsylvania, and was educated in the public
schools of Kelly township, and at John Ran-

IOO

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

dolph's Academy in Lewisburg. On leaving
school in 1855 he took charge of his father's farm,
which he afterward purchased in connection with
bis brother Thomas. In the autumn of 1856 he
went to Minnesota, and in the following year
purchased a section of land there. In the autumn
of 1857 he returned to Pennsylvania, and in tha
ensuing spring traveled extensively in the west
for the furtherance of certain business enter
prises, returning to Pennsylvania after an absence
of six months. In the spring of 1861, on the out
break of the Civil war, he enlisted in Company
G, Fourth Pennsylvania Regiment, with the rank
of sergeant. He took part in the defense of
Washington, and was honorably discharged at
the expiration of his term of service. In April,
1863, he went to Chester, as a member of the firm
of Frick & Co., builders of canal boats. In 1881
he became connected with the Arasapha Manu
facturing Company, of which in the course of
time he was made president. This office he held
for ten years, until January, 1901, when he re
signed and passed the winter in California. Mr.
Wilson takes an active interest in whatever tends
to promote the welfare of the community in which
he resides, and five years ago, when the park
commission of the city of Chester was organized,
he became one of its members, a position which
he has since continued to hold. He belongs to
the board of directors of The Jordan Manufac
turing Company. In politics Mr. Wilson has
always been a Republican, his first vote having
been cast for Abraham Lincoln. He is a mem
ber of the Madison Street Methodist Episcopal
church, in which for seven years he has held the
office of president of the board of trustees.
Mr. Wilson married, October 19, 1865, Sophie
Dupont Blakeley, daughter of Abraham Blake-
ley. They are the parents of the following chil
dren : Frank Blakeley, born June 25, 1867, died
November 12, 1869; Ralph Norton, born May
14, 1869, died June 7, 1872 ; Maria Blakeley, born
January 27, 1871, married, October 19, 1893, Dr.
Henry Von Hoff Stover; Abraham Blakeley,
born September 30, 1874, died July 28, 1875;
Edith Norton, born September 27, 1876, married,
June 30, 1898, the Rev. Malcolm James McLeod,
D. D. ; and John Nevius, born August 17, 1886,
died July 30, 1900.

JOHN M. MARIS, for many years a suc
cessful business man and respected citizen of
Philadelphia, was descended from George Maris,
who, with his wife, Alice, and their children,
emigrated from Worcestershire, England, to the
Provirice of Pennsylvania, in 1683, driven thither
by the persecutions to which Friends were sub
jected in England at that period. His descend
ants became very numerous in Delaware and

Chester counties, and on 10 mo., 4, 1815, Jesse
J. Maris, of the latter county, married according;
to the custom of Friends, Mary West, born 7
mo., 11, 1795, daughter of Samuel and Mary
(Pusey) West. Samuel West was the son of"
William, and a member of the old Pennsylvania
family which produced the celebrated painter,
Benjamin West. Hannah, another daughter of
Samuel and Mary (Pusey) West, married Robert
M. Huston, a physician of Philadelphia. Jesse
J. Maris and his wife were the parents of the
following children :
1. Hannah, born 9 mo., 18, 1816, married
6 mo., 8, 1864, John Stokes, a widower, and died
4 mo., 6, 1887.
2. John Mcllvain, mentioned at length here
inafter. 3. Samuel West, born 7 mo., 17, 1821, mar
ried, 10 mo., 8, 1845, Sarah Wetherill, and their
children were: Mary Anna, born 8 mo., 30,
1846, married Stephen, son of Dr. Stephen and.
Catherine (Murray) Wood, of New York; Em
ily E., born 2 mo., 11, 1848, married William Par
ker, of Washington; Jesse Jonathan, born 7 mo.,.
3, 1850, died without issue 12 mo., 20, 1871 'r
Sarah Wetherill, born 9 mo., 21, 1852; Frances,.
born 11 mo., 13, 1854; and Richard WetherilL
born 3 mo., 15, 1857.
4. William, born 11 mo., 11, 1823, married-
12 mo., 26, 1883, Lilian Hart, of Chester, and.
they have one child, Alice.
5. Jesse Emlen, born 11 mo., 6, 1825, mar
ried Mary C. Gaskill, 4 mo., 6, 1856, and their
children are: Caroline, Franklin, Charles and
Mary H.
6. Sarah Ann, born 4 mo., 15, 1828, died 4
mo., 21, 1871.
7. Edward, born 3 mo., 15, 1832, became a
physician, and married Eleanor K. Wood, daugh
ter of Dr. Stephen and Catharine (Murray)
Wood, of New York, 10 mo., 14, 1857. His wife
died 4 mo., 14, 1871, and he married 6 mo., 5,
1873, Rachel Scattergood, daughter of Joseph and.
Mary (McCollin) Scattergood. Dr. Edward"
Maris died 6 mo., 13, 1900, and his widow ex
pired 1 mo., 5, 1903. His children, who were all
by his first wife, were: Howard, born 8 mo.,.
16, 1858, died 1 mo., 31, 1879; Alfred Edward,.
born 2 mo., 4, 1862, married Maud Nichols;.
Robert Wood, born 8 mo., 14, 1866, married Elma
Branson, 9 mo., 7,-1892, and their children arer
Albert Branson, born 12 mo., 19, 1893; 2. Elea
nor Wood, born 8 mo., 23, 1895 ; 3. Arthur Stan
ley, born 10 mo., 29, 1896. Robert Wood Maris,.
the father of these children, died 3 mo., 19, 1900.
Mary Eleanor, born 8 mo., 3, 1870, married 9-
mo., 26, 1894, George Y. Wood, of Philadelphia.
They have one child, Eleanor Maris, born 11 mo.,.
8, 1900. 8. Mary West, born 9 mo., 1, 1835, married;

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

lOE

io mo., 3, 1866, George Sellers Garrett, of Lans-
downe. Mary (West) Maris, widow of Jesse J. Maris,
the mother of this family, died 10 mo., 9, 1878,
her husband having passed away 12 mo., 15,
i860. John Mcllvaine Maris, second child and eldest
•son of Jesse J. Maris and Mary (West) Maris,
was born 9 mo., 20, 1818, in Ridley township,
Delaware county, died 4 mo., 23, 1892, in Phila
delphia. He received his education in the West-
town Boarding School. He taught the first pub
lic school in the district in which his father re
sided, and in 1836 he removed to Wilmington,
Delaware, where he was assistant teacher in the
school of the late John Bullock. In 1836 he went
to Philadelphia and engaged in business. He
soon entered the wholesale drug trade, and for
many years had his place of business at No. 711
Market street. His sons, Henry J. and Theodore
Maris, have for years conducted the business un
der the old firm name of John M. Maris & Com
pany. Mr. Maris was one of the best known mer
chants in Philadelphia, continuing actively in busi
ness until about five years before his death. He
was one of the organizers of the Drug Exchange,
of which he was the first president. In 1859 he
was appointed one of the guardians of the poor,
being elected in i860 to the presidency of the
board. During his administration of affairs at
the Almshouse, great reforms were instituted in
the medical service of the hospital. The staff
of physicians was organized, and some of the
leading doctors of the city were associated with
the medical service of the institution. After a brief
rest from public labor, Mr. Maris was in 1871
appointed an inspector of the Eastern Peniten
tiary, continuing in that position until 1891, when
he resigned. During part of this time he was
treasurer of the board. Mr. Maris was an ardent
Methodist, working earnestly for the success of
the churches, and contributing liberally to chari
ties and missions. He assisted in the organiza
tion and building of the Methodist Episcopal
church at the corner of Broad and Arch streets,
of which he was a trustee from the day of its
foundation until his death.
John M. Maris married 10 mo., 14, 1846, S.
Louisa Wainwright, the eldest child of William
Wainwright, of Philadelphia, who was a promi
nent business man, and for years was president of
the Commercial National Bank of Philadelphia,
and his wife Mary Wood Reeves, of Woodbury,
New Jersey, and the following named children
were born to them.
1. William Wainwright Maris, born 9 mo.,
22, 1848 ; he married 10 mo., 12, 1876, Anne,
daughter of Dr. William and Annie Gerhard,
and to them were born the following children :

Anne Gerhard, born 7 mo., 26, 1878; John Mc
llvaine, born 8 mo., 26, 1879.
2. Henry Jesse Maris, born 6 mo., 18, 1850;
he was married 4 mo., 14, 1880, to Susan, daughter
of Robert and Susan D. Bryson, of Harrisburg,
Pennsylvania, and to them were born the follow
ing children : Dorothy Wainwright, born 4 mo.,
30, 1883; Henry Mcllvaine, born 1 mo., 13, 1889;
Louis Bryson, born 3 mo., 11, 1894, died 5 mo.,
21, 1900.
3. John Mcllvaine Maris, Jr., born 1 mo., 6,
1854; was married 6 mo., 17, 1880, to Eleanor,
daughter of Colonel and Ellie (Bowman) Mus-
ser, and his children by this union are: 1. Lou
isa Wainwright, born 5 mo., 5, 1881 ; 2. Mont
gomery, born 1 mo., 14, 1883, died 5 mo., 21,
1885 ; 3. James Montgomery, born 1 mo., 10,
1885 ; 4. Arthur, born 1 1 mo., 9, 1886. The
mother of these children died, and Mr. Maris
married secondly Adelaide Lamareaux, of New
York. 4. George, born 11 mo., 7, 1855, died 1 mo.,
11, 1890.
5. Theodore, born 9 mo., 6, 1864, unmarried.
6. Mary Louisa, born 4 mo., 11, 1866, mar
ried 12 mo., 12, 1899, I. Roberts, son of Dr. Na
thaniel and Martha (Bacon) Newkirk, and they
have one child, Louisa Maris, born 1 mo., 23,
1 901.

EDWARD MARIS, M. D., was the seventh
child in order of birth of Jesse Jonathan and
Mary (West)- Maris. He was born at the
family home at Upland, Delaware county, Penn
sylvania, 3 mo., 15, 1832. His elementary
education was obtained in the schools of the
neighborhood, and while in his fourteenth year
he entered the Westtown Boarding School,
in Chester county, and after graduating from this
institution he became connected with Haverford
College, where he was for some time instructor
in mathematics. Having decided to take up the
study of medicine, he entered the office of his un
cle, Dr. Robert M. Houston, of Philadelphia,
who was a professor of Jefferson Medical Col
lege, and of whom a sketch appears elsewhere in
this work. After attending a full course of
lectures in this famous old institution, the young
student was graduated, with the degree of Doc
tor of Medicine, and at once took up the practice
of his profession near Whitford Station, in West
Whiteland township, Chester county. About
1859, Dr. Maris removed to Philadelphia, where
he became the resident physician of the Phila
delphia Dispensary, located at 127 South Fifth
street, where he remained for some sixteen years.
He subsequently engaged in general practice, in
which he was conspicuously successful. During

102

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

the many years of his professional career, Dr.
Maris became widely and favorably known for
many deeds of kindness and charity which he ren
dered to the poor and needy wherever met, and,
indeed, it can be said that much of the time dur
ing the latter years of his life was devoted to re
lieving distress and suffering among the poor and
those needing help.
In addition to his philanthropic work, Dr.
Maris was much interested in educational in
terests. He was for many years a member of
the board of managers of the Friends Select
School, of Philadelphia, and was also for many
years treasurer of the board. His active and use
ful career ended with his death, which occurred
6 mo., 13, 1900.
Dr. Edward Maris was twice married. His
first union was with Eleanor K. Wood, who was 0
daughter of Dr. Stephen and Catharine (King)
Wood and by whom he had the following children :
1. Howard, born 8 mo., 16, 1858, died 1 mo., 31,
1879. 2. Alfred Edward, born 2 mo., 4, 1862;
he married Maud Nichols, a daughter of Egbert
K. and Elizabeth (Baugh) Nichols. 3. Robert
Wood, born 8 mo., 14, 1866; he married Elma
Branson, 9 mo., 7, 1892, and their children were
Albert Branson, born 12 mo., 19, 1893; Eleanor
Wood, born 8 mo., 23, 1895 ; Arthur Stanley,
born 10 mo., 29, 1896. Robert Wood Maris,
the father of these children, died 3 mo., 19, 1900.
The fourth child of Dr. Edward and Eleanor
(Wood) Maris was Mary Eleanor, born 8 mo.,
3, 1870; she married, 9 mo., 26, 1894, George Y.
Wood, of Philadelphia.
The mother, Eleanor K. (Wood) Maris, died
4 mo., 14, 1871, and Dr. Edward Maris married
(second) 6 mo., 5, 1873, Rachel Scattergood,
daughter of Joseph and Mary (Mrs. Collin)
Scattergood. She died 1 mo., 5, 1903.

JOSEPH MESSICK, a leading man of af
fairs of Chester, Pennsylvania, represents the
German element which from an early period has
been an important factor in the history and de
velopment of the Keystone state.
George Messick, father of Joseph Messick,
Was born at Friedberg, Baden, Germany, and was
by trade a butcher. In 185 1 he emigrated to
America and settled at Wilmington, Delaware,
removing later to New Castle. He affiliated with
the Democratic party, and was a member of the
Roman Catholic church. He married Madeline
Hauck, a native of Friedberg, Baden, Germany,
and was the father of four children : Joseph,
Linus, Katharine, and Mary Messick. In 1857
Mr. Messick died in New Castle, at the age of
forty-two, and his widow returned to Wilming
ton, where she resided until her death.
Joseph Messick, son of George and Madeline

(Hauck) Messick, was born February 15, 1846,
at Friedberg, Baden, Germany, and at five years
of age was brought to America by his parents.
His education was received at the public schools
at New Castle and at St. Peter's parochial school
in Wilmington, Delaware. At the age of twelve
years he went to work for a furniture dealer, with
whom he remained for a year and a half. In the
latter part of 1859 he obtained a position in a car
riage factory in Wilmington, where his work was
to operate a sawing machine, and in the following
summer he entered another shop to learn carriage
trimming, but in the following year owing to the
outbreak of the Civil war, the business was dis
organized and he was thrown out of employment.
In September, 1861, he went to Philadelphia and
obtained work in a factory which was engaged in
making knapsacks for the United States govern
ment, but at the end of a year returned to Wil
mington and finished learning the trade of car
riage maker. Later he went again to Philadelphia
where he worked as a journeyman until 1865,
when he returned once more to Wilmington and
worked, at his trade for nine months with John
Merrick. At the end of that time he was placed
in charge of the trimming department of Gregg &
Bowe's carriage factory in that city, which posi
tion he retained until 1874. In that year he went
to Chester and engaged on his own account in the
furniture business, in which he was very success
ful and in which he remained until 1886, when he
sold out. He then entered into partnership with
D. H. Daley, in conjunction with whom he built
the Grove Mills at the corner of Rose and Walnut
streets, and began the manufacture of all kinds
of worsted yarns. This enterprise was extremely
successful, the mills being equipped in all re
spects in the most improved manner, and the ar
ticles produced being of a superior order. A force
of one hundred hands was constantly employed,
and the receipts were large and steadily increas
ing. This success was largely due to the practi
cal knowledge and business ability of Mr. Mes
sick, who over and above the onerous duties in
volved in his position as a millowner is obliged to
devote a portion of his time to the care of his large
property interests. He was one of the original
stockholders and is now a director in the Dela
ware County Trust, Safe Deposit and Title Insur
ance Company of Chester, and was one of the
organizers of the Chester Electric Light & Power
Company, in whose board of directors he has also
served. In 1889 Mr. Messick became president
of the Franklin Building and Loan Association, in
which position he has rendered efficient aid alike
to the success of the business and to the interests
of the members of the association. He is also
president and treasurer of the New Farson Man
ufacturing Company of Chester, Pennsylvania, is
first vice-president of the Delaware County Trust,

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

103

Safe Deposit and Title Insurance Company and
president of the Chester Worsted Company.
In politics Mr. Messick is independent, being
bound to no party but advocating the cause of
whichever candidate commends itself to his judg
ment as most likely to advance the welfare of the
community. He is a member of St. Michael's
Roman Catholic church.
Mr. Messick married, July 7, 1867, Hannah,
daughter of Mrs. Mary Dougherty, of Wilming
ton, Delaware. Of the twelve children who have
been born to Mr. and Mrs. Messick, nine are now
living: George F., now in business in Chester,
Mary, Madeline, Annie, Joseph, Jr., also engaged
in business in Chester, Pennsylvania, Laura,
Elizabeth, Nellie and Stephen Messick.

JOSEPH H. EVANS. The fitting reward of
a life well spent is an honorable retirement from
labor. When one has devoted many years to ac
tive business pursuits it is meet that, in the even
ing of life, rest should crown his toil and a com
fortable competence gained in former years
-should supply him with all that goes to make life
worth living. Such is the case with Joseph H.
Evans, who was born near Chester, Pennsylvania,
July 27, 1836, a son of Jacob and Orphie (Hink
son) Evans. Jacob Evans was born in this coun
try, a descendant of an honored Welsh ancestry ;
by occupation he was a farmer and butcher, and
for many years successfully conducted both enter
prises. He was united in marriage to Miss Orphie
"Hinkson, and eight children were born to them ;
bis decease occurred in the year 1861, and his wife
passed away in 1852.
Joseph H. Evans, son of Jacob and Orphie
Evans, attended the local schools in the vicinity
•of Chester, where he obtained a good practical
-education. Upon completing his studies he
learned the trade of plasterer, which he followed
for many years. He was industrious, possessed
good judgment in the carrying on of his labors,
and by, working conscientiously always found
•employment ; the large amount of property owned
by Mr. Evans has been gained entirely through
"bis toil, aided by the good management of his
wife, to whom he gives much credit for her share
¦of the labor. In addition to his active business
pursuits, Mr. Evans acted for many years in the
¦capacity of president of the Franklin Building
Association. He is also an active member of the
"Madison Street Methodist Episcopal church of
-Chester, in which he has served as steward for
about thirty years. He is a Democrat, as were his
-ancestors. In 1862 Mr. Evans married Miss Mary M.
Gore, daughter of Jesse Gore, a descendant of
an old Maryland family. Six children have been
Iborn to them, four of who are now living: Dr.

Frank J. Evans, Dr. Fred H. Evans, both of
whom are graduates of the University of Penn
sylvania, and are now in the active practice of
their profession in Chester; Mary M. and Kate
F. Evans. Mr. Evans is a man of sterling worth
and strict integrity, alike true to every public and
private trust ; he has been the architect of his own
fortune, and has buillt wisely and well, gaining
for himself a position among the substantial
residents of the city of Chester.

GEORGE WIEGAND, a prominent con
tractor and builder of Chester, Pennsylvania, and
who also acts in the capacity of school and coun
ty tax collector, was born in Prussia, January
9, 1843, a son °f Christian and Martha C. Wieg-
and, both natives of Germany where the former
named died in the year 1854.
George Wiegand acquired an excellent liter
ary education in the common schools of his native
town and this country, to which he emigrated in
1853, being then only ten years of age; he was
accompanied on the voyage by his elder brother,
John Wiegand. George first settled at Palmers
Corner, Pennsylvania, and for a few years his
time was devoted to attendance at the village
school, after which he worked upon a farm for
two years. He then removed to Chester and from
1859 to 1861 was engaged in learning the trade
of brick layer. It was just at this time that the
Civil war broke out and Mr. Wiegand enlisted
on April 14, 1861, at Chester, in the Union Blues,
Company I, Ninth Regiment Pennsylvania Vol
unteer Infantry, and at the expiration of his term
of service re-enlisted on September 16, 1861, in
the Third Pennsylvania Cavalry and served in
that company until February, 1865. He partici
pated in all the leading battles in which his regi
ment was engaged, being taken prisoner October
6, 1863, at Bristow station, near Culpeper Court
house, Virginia. For a period of fifteen months
Mr. Wiegand remained in the hands of the
enemy, being confined in Libby, Salisbury, An-
dersonville, Savannah and Miligan Prisons,
where the prisoners were treated with the utmost
brutality and neglect. After peace was declared
he returned to Chester and finished learning his
trade, which he successfully pursued for a num
ber of years. In 1870 he engaged in the con
tracting and building business on his own ac
count, and by careful and conscientious devo
tion to his work he is now at the head of a large
and lucrative business, and enjoys an enviable
reputation among business men of the city. In
addition to his extensive building interests Mr.
Wiegand served in the capacity of director of the
Keystone Brick Company of Chester, and he was
also its general manager for two years as well

104

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

as a large stockholder in the corporation. He is
the owner of considerable real estate in the city.
Mr. Wiegand has always taken an active in
terest in politics, being a firm adherent of the
Republican party. In 1870 he was elected a
m'ember of the city council in which he served
for twenty years, being a representative from
seven wards, and for the past four years he has
cheditably filled the office of school and county
tax collector. He is a prominent member of
Wilde Post, No. 25, Grand Army of the Repub
lic, and he also holds membership with the
Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks.
On October 29, 1865, Mr. Wiegand married
Miss Mary Gibbons, a daughter of William Gib
bons, of Northumberland county, Pennsylvania,
and their children are: Mary, wife of William
Neal; Gertrude, widow of Frank Carey; Flor
ence; and Curtis Wiegand. The career of Mr.
Wiegand fully demonstrates what energy, per
severance and honorable business methods can ac
complish for a man, and it should act as a stim
ulus to every boy who has ambition to rise in the
world and make the most he can of himself.

JOHN WORTHINGTON, a prosperous and
enterprising citizen of Chester, Pennsylvania,
belongs to a family who are old residents of
Delaware county, his grandfather, Isaac Worth
ington, having been born there more than a cent
ury ago.
Seth Worthington, father of John Worth
ington, was born in Chester, where he followed
the occupation of a baker. He was a Republican
in politics, and was active in the affairs of the
township. He married Mary, daughter of James
Sherry, and was the father of four children, three
of whom are living. Mr. Worthington died in
1850, and his wife passed away thirty-five years
since. John Worthington, son of Seth and Mary
(Sherry) Worthington, was born August 26,
1849, at Kenneth Station, Delaware county,
Pennsylvania, and was educated in the local
schools. At the age of nine years, he worked
in a mill at Upland and later filled the posi
tion of coachman for the Crozer family. In
1892 he established himself in the livery busi
ness, which he has made signally successful.
The patronage he enjoys is of the most desirable.
character, and is also very extensive. He is the
proprietor of one of the finest establishments of
the kind in the country, perfect in its manage
ment and appointments. His horses are very
fine and are kept in the best manner, and the
wagons and various other vehicles which he sup
plies are all of the best and most improved make.
Mr. Worthington is purely a self-made man,
and the ability, enterprise, thoroughness and

strict integrity which have enabled him to reach
his present position can scarcely be too highly-
commended. Mr. Worthington married, in 1872, Charlotte,
daughter of John Gilson, of Upland. Their fam
ily consists of two sons, both of whom are in.
business with their father: George and John
Worthington.

THE REV. HENRY ENGARD GILROY,
who was for many years a highly respected min
ister of the Presbyterian church, was born in.
January, 1822. He was educated in the public:
schools of Philadelphia, and in his youth de
cided to study for the ministry of the Presby
terian church, and was for many years a faith
ful and beloved pastor.
Mr. Gilroy married Eliza Graham Blakely,.
daughter of Abraham Blakely, a sketch of whom
may be found elsewhere in this volume. Mr.
and Mrs. Gilroy were the parents of two daugh
ters : Emily, who became the wife of A. F^
Damon, of Darby, Pennsylvania ; and Alice B„
Gilroy. During the latter part of his life Mr. Gilrov
retired from active duties of the ministry, fol
lowed by the blessings of those among whom he
had labored for so long a period. His death
occurred June 19, 1896, in the seventy-fifth year
of his age. He was deeply and sincerely-
mourned by his family and near friends, the large
circle of his former parishioners, to whom he had
ever been an affectionate, faithful and devoted
pastor, and by the community among whom he
had lived so long as an earnest, honorable and
truly good man.

HIBBERD. The settlers of Darby township
were nearly all from the adjoining counties of
Derby, Leicester and Nottingham, and the Hib-
berds mv have come from any part of England.
Daniel Hibberd came in 1682 or 1683 from Wales
as a servant in order to obtain the fifty acres of
land offered by William Penn to such as came in
that capacity. He was married in the 8th month,-
1697, to Rachel Bonsall, daughter of Richard and
Mary Bonsall, of Darby, and afterward resided
in that township. He is believed to have had the
following children : Mary, born 5 mo., 22, 1698,.
married John David, of Radnor, 1718; Aaron,.
born 2 mo., 1, 1700, married Elizabeth  ;.
Moses, born 2 mo., 14, 1702, married Sarah Brad-
shaw, 1732, and died 1762; Phebe, born 12 mo.,
28, 1703; Hannah, married in 1729 to Thomas
Hall, of Philadelphia; Martha, married (by li
cense dated March 19, 1730,) to Joseph Lees, of
Darby; Rachel, married (by license dated July
30, 1735,) to John Pearson, of Darby. A DanieE

Xm
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>r

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CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

105

Hibberd, perhaps the father, died 2 mo., 24,
1740. Moses Hibberd left a daughter Mary,
wife of John Palmer, and a daughter Hannah,
wife of Abel Moore, but the writer is not aware
of any descendants from Daniel bearing the name
of Hibberd. 1. Josiah Hibberd, perhaps a brother to Dan
iel, was in Darby as early as 1092, and in 1698
was a suitor for the hand of Ann Bonsall, a sister
of the wife of Daniel Hibberd. Her father op
posed the union, and at the monthly meeting, 8
mo., 5, 1698, John Hallowell and Michael Blun
ston were appointed to speak to Richard Bonsall
to know what reason he could show for not allow
ing Josiah Hibberd to marry his daughter Ann.
In that day Friends would not permit marriages
to be accomplished in meeting without the con
sent of parents, and, as the father was unyielding
in this case, the young couple went to the house
of John Blunston, Esq., arid were married on the
9th of 9th mo. (November), 1698, and the cer
tificate was recorded in our oldest deed-book.
Josiah Hibberd purchased 100 acres of land near
Fernwood, from Anthony Morgan, by deed of
IO mo., 7, 1692. This he conveyed to Josiah
Fearne, 3 mo., 1, 171 1, having purchased 250
acres west of Kellyville June 30, 1710. In addi
tion to his lands in Darby he bought 500 acres in
Willistown, from Martha Barker, of London, by
deeds of lease and release dated May 16 and 17,
1722. He died intestate 6 mo., 16, 1744, and, hav
ing conveyed his Willistown lands to his sons
John and Benjamin by deeds of gift, the admin
istrators found difficulty in trying to do justice
to the other heirs. His widow survived him just
five years. The children were these :
2. John, b. 11 mo., 18, 1699; d. 9 mo., 25,
1766; m. Deborah Lewis, Mary Mendenhall and
Margaret Havard.
3. Joseph, b. 11 mo., 20, 1700; d. 6 mo., 11,
1737 ; m. Elizabeth Fearne and Elizabeth Garrett.
4. Josiah, b. 7 mo., 28, 1701 ; d. 11 mo., 13,
1727-8, unmarried.
5. Abraham, b. 9 mo., 28, 1703 ; died young or
unmarried. 6. Mary, b. 6 mo., 29, 1705 ; d. 12 mo., 12,
1782; m. Benjamin Lobb.
7. Benjamin, b. 2 mo., 27, 1707; d. 1783; m.
Phebe Sharpless.
8. Elizabeth, b. 12 mo., 11, 1708-9; d. 3 mo.,
19, 1738, unmarried.
9. Sarah, b. 3 mo., 19, 171 1 ; d. 2 mo., 24,
1795 ; m. Samuel Garrett.
1,0. Isaac, b. 1 mo., 16, 1712-3; d. about
1797; m. Mary Lownes.
11. Ann, b. 3 mo., 12, 1715 ; m. John Ash,
of Darby, 1744.
12. Jacob, b. 2 mo., 21, 1718 ; d. 1750; m. Jane
Garrett. They had one child, Esther, who mar
ried her cousin, Isaac Lobb, in 1762.

Joseph Hibberd (3) was first married, 8 mo.,
16, 1723, at Darby Meeting, to Elizabeth Fearne,
daughter of Josiah and Sarah Fearne, of that
township. She died 1 mo., 11, 1725-6, leaving
an infant daughter. He was again married, 11
mo., 26, 1731, to Elizabeth Garrett, daughter of
William and Mary Garrett, of Darby. After his
death, she married, in 1756, Stephen Hoopes,
of Westtown. Joseph Hibberd left three chil
dren: 13. Elizabeth, b. 12 mo., 20, 1725 ; m. Benja
min Bonsall.
14. Hezekiah, see below.
15. Mary, d. 5 mo., 18, 1742.
Hezekiah Hibberd (14) was born in Darby,
7 mo., 28, 1735, and married Mary Holloway,
born in Newton township "(now) Camden county,
New Jersey, 10 mo., (Dec.) 16, 1733; died in
Darby 1 mo., 8, 1795 ; daughter of Tobias Hol
loway, from Bristol, England, 1714, and Mary
(Griscom ?) his wife, married in New Jersey, 1732.
Hezekiah and wife resided in Philadelphia for
several years, but returned to Darby in 1778 and
there died. He was buried at Darby Meeting,
4 mo., 1, 1806. Besides a son Hezekiah, who died
in 1765, aged four years, they had three children,
who came with them to Darby, viz. :
16. John, b. 10 mo., 14, 1763 ; d. 6 mo., 1,
1790 ; m. Rebecca Davis.
17. Joseph, b. 5 mo., 12, 1765 ; see below.
18. Elizabeth, b. 1 mo., 26, 1773 ; supposed to
have died unmarried.
Joseph Hibberd (17), born in Philadelphia,
was married 12 mo., 9, 1790, at Darby Meeting,
to Hannah Bonsall, born 3 mo., 13, 1771, daugh
ter of Abraham and Mary (Hinde) Bonsall, of
Darby. They resided in Upper Darby and had
five children :
19. John, b. 3 mo., 22, 1796; d. 1 mo., 23,
1866 ; see below.
20. Joseph, m. Emily Levis, daughter of Sam
uel Levis, upper Darby, and had Samuel Levis,
William, and Margaret. Samuel Levis Hibberd
was born in Upper Darby, 4 mo., 13, 1835, and
was reared to manhood on the homestead, being-
educated in the neighborhood schools. He was a
farmer until 1880, when he retired from agri
cultural pursuits,' and in recent years has resided'
in Lansdowne. He was married in Chicago,
6 mo., 1, 1862, to Novella R. Small, daughter of
Dr. A. E. and Martha M. (Sloan) Small, and has
children: 1. Talbot L. 5 mo., 5, 1864, who mar
ried Elizabeth Webb and has children, Harriet,
Novella and Levis. 2. Sloan E., b. 2 mo., 2..
1867. 3. Emily L., born 7 mo., 11, 1877. 4.
Samuel L., Jr., b. 2 mo., 14, 1880.
21. Elizabeth, m. 12 mo., 7, 1820, Abram
Powell, of Upper Darby.
22. Hannah, m. Charles Garrett, 3 mo., 14,.
1811.

io6

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

23. Rebecca, m. Thomas Powell, but had no
children.
John Hibberd (19) was married 11 mo., 17,
1825, at Springfield Meeting, to Henrietta Levis,
"born in Springfield, 5 mo., 15, 1805; died 5 mo.,
-21, 1885 ; daughter of John Levis, born 3 mo.,
19, 1767; died 5 mo., 11, 1839, and Mary Levis,
born 6 mo., 20, 1778; died 8 mo., 28, 1827. John
and Henrietta Hibberd had six children :
24. John L., b. 12 mo., 14, 1827; d. 6 mo.,
-25, 1867; m. Elizabeth Parry, 9 mo., 8, 1855.
25. Joseph H., b. 7 mo., 11, 1829; d. 2 mo.,
-15, 1879, unmarried.
26. Samuel H., b. 7 mo., 3, 1833 ; see forward.
27. Abram B., b. 7 mo., 13, 183 1 ; d. 3 mo.,
.30, 1 89 1 ; m. Mary Entriken, daughter pf John
Entriken, near West Chester.
28. Hannah B., b. 8 mo., 22, 1835; m.
Thomas Reed of Upper Darby.
29. Thomas Henry, b. 10 mo., 4, 1837; a-
12 mo., 15, 1875, unmarried.
Samuel Hezekiah Hibberd (26), born in Up
per Darby, was educated in the public schools
of Haverford and became a farmer in that town
ship, but retired from the business in 1886. Like
bis ancestors, he is a Friend, and a member of the
Hicksite branch of the society. He was married
in Philadelphia, by Mayor Henry, 12 mo., 19,
i860, to Margaret Jones Cooper, born 8 mo., 19,
1837; educated in the public schools of Haver
ford, and died ii mo., 21, 1902. Her father was
Townsend Cooper, carpenter and farmer (son of
Joseph Cooper and Sarah Townsend), and her
mother was Mary R. Lukens, daughter of Levi
and Mary Lukens, of Haverford. Samuel Hib-
berd's address is Manoa, Pennsylvania, and he
has two children.
30. Mary Cooper, b. 1 mo., 26, 1864 ; m. 10
mo.', 22, 1884, George C. Dickinson, b. 1 mo., 5,
1853 ; son of Charles and Elizabeth (Rose) Dick
inson, of Haverford, and grandson of George and
Hannah (Leedom) Dickinson. She was educated
at Swarthmore College ; her husband is engaged
with Strawbridge, & Clothier, Philadelphia, with
residence at Manoa, and they have three children,
Charles Rose, b. 4 mo., 14, 1889; Margaret Hib
berd, b. 3 mo., 24, 1891, and Marion Cooper, b.
3 mo., 22, 1898.
31. John Henry, b. 6 mo., 17, 1867; m. 11
mo., 8, 1893, Sarah L. Hagey, b. 5 mo., 22, 1871 ;
daughter of Jacob Robinson Hagey (b. 1 mo., 3,
1831 ; d. 1 mo., 3, 1883) and Sarah Ann Ott (b. 9
mo., 25, 1841 ; d. 4 mo., 5, 1893) both from Lower
Merion. John Henry was educated at Friends'
-Central School, Philadelphia, is engaged in farm
ing, and has four children: Mildred Lillian, b.
¦8 mo., 31, 1894; Anita Hagey, b. 12 mo., 14,
1895 ; Samuel Hezekiah, b. 8 mo., 4, 1897; Mary
Jane, b. n mo., 25, 1900.

CHARLES E. MORRIS. In no country in
the world can men depend upon their individual
efforts to attain success to the like extent as in
the United States, where labor is held supreme,
and indolence, in every station, is regarded with
disfavor. The story of every man who sur
mounts the difficulties and obstacles of his early
environments teaches the lesson that persistent
labor and well directed energy will command
position and influence in the community in which
it is exercised.
Charles E. Morris, of Chester, has been the
architect of his own fortune. His father, Charles
J. Morris, born at Seaford, Delaware, in 1833,
was a posthumous child, his father having died
two months before his son's birth. He later
learned the trade of sailmaking, and established
himself in that business in Boston, Massachu
setts, where he married Almira Josephine
Gardner, of Machias, Maine, who was connected
with the Gardner family of the Bay state, con
spicuous in the Revolution, some of whom united
their fortunes with the Whigs, while some held
allegiance to the crown, losing their all in their
fidelity to the King.
To the young couple a son, Charles, was
born in Boston, May 8, 1856, and when an infant
of one year his parents removed to South Bos
ton, two years later to Machias, Maine, and when
the lad was less than four located at Leipsic,
Delaware. Business opportunities which proved
fallacious induced the father to return to Boston
and later to Machias, where the family remained
for two years, and there the boy was placed in a
primary school. Again business conditions caused
the removal of the family to Charlestown, and
subsequently to East Boston, Chelsea, Massa
chusetts, and finally in November, 1867, to Ches
ter, Pennsylvania, where the elder Morris es
tablished a sail loft. Later he transferred this
business to Philadelphia, retaining his residence
in Chester until his death, in 1885, at the age
of fifty-five years, the mother lived until 1902,
and died aged sixty-nine years.
In addition to maintaining a sail loft, the
elder Morris established a restaurant in Ches
ter, where during 1870 and 1871 the son Charles
assisted as best he could in the support of the
family. When a lad of twelve he hired as cook
for a number of fishermen who lived during the
season in a cabin on the shores of Delaware Bay.
He remained with these men for one month,
but as the catch was light his employers were
without means to pay his wages, and at the end
of one month he returned home penniless. The
following spring he aided fishermen from time
to time when a crew chanced to be short handed.
In December, 1871, young Morris found em
ployment as helper in John Roach's shipyard,

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

107

where he remained until early in the following
March, when he shipped on the United States
revenue cutter "Colfax," and later was trans
ferred to the "Hamilton," In the fall of 1872,
then but sixteen, the lad was away, and upon
returning from a day's shooting of reed birds
on Chester Island, was apprehended by the
United States authorities, and when the facts
were presented to the department he was dis
charged from service in December. On his re
turn he attended the bar in his father's restaurant
until the summer of 1874, when he established
a refreshment stand at the Market street wharf at
Chester. When the season closed he shipped as
cook ori the revenue cutter "Seward" and sailed
in that vessel to New York, where after ten
days the crew of a cutter which had been lost
on the lakes was prdered to man the "Seward,"
when its crew was discharged from the service.
Returning to Chester he found employment with
the Irving & Leiper Manufacturing Company,
leaving there to act as barkeeper at Henry Goff's
hotel, where he remained until 1878, when he
secured work in the folding department of the
Eddystone Print Works, for which he was paid
six dollars a week.
In the meantime he had become enamored of
Ellen I. P. Stewart, daughter of John and Mary
Stewart. The young couple were married Jan
uary 20, 1879, an act which their friends deemed
unwise, for when the groom paid the clergyman
two dollars as a fee, he then had but two dollars
in the world. To this day the husband and wife
regard their marriage as the one fortunate inci
dent in their lives. The wife proved herself a
helpmate and not a hindrance to her husband's
advancement, accepting willingly her share in the
battle of life, in which, with united efforts, they
won abundant success. The six dollars a week
hardly paid the board of the young couple, but
the husband gave every spare moment to labor
in order that his slender income might be in
creased by the money he earned outside of his
daily occupation. In March, 1881, Captain
Homar Jardella was charting the Delaware river
and bay for the United States coast survey, and
he employed Morris upon the road at forty dol
lars a month, and he remained in that employment
until September, when the work was suspended
for the season. Mr. Morris secured a place
at Roach's shipyard, where during the winter,
when outside work was not attempted, the young
man gunned for ducks, often making in one day
as much as a half week returned him at his usual
occupation. In May, 1882, hearing that Henry Abbott,
Jr., the proprietor of the Washington House,
was seeking a bartender, Mr. Morris applied for
the place and was engaged at twelve dollars a
week on a three weeks' trial, which extended

over a period of more than ten years. When
Mr. Abbott was appointed assistant sergeant-at-
arms of the House of Representatives, at Harris
burg, Pennsylvania, Mr. Morris became manager
of the hotel and practically a partner in the en
terprise. On December 13, 1894, Mr. Morris-
entered into an agreement with Henry Abbott
to purchase the Washington House at a valua
tion of $57,000, and in February, 1895, Mr.
Morris became absolute proprietor of the hotel,
upon which from time to time he has since ex
pended extensive and costly improvements which
has increased his investment until now it exceeds
$70,000. The Washington House is a pre-Revolution-
ary hostelry, and has associated with it an in
teresting history in connection with the war of
Independence. In April, 1902, the Delaware
county chapter of Daughters of the American
Revolution placed a bronze tablet upon the ex
terior wall of the hotel, in commemoration of the
facts that it was there, at midnight, September
11, 1777, that. Washington wrote the only report
of the battle of Brandywine, and that it yvas
there that, on April 20, 1789, he received the
congratulations of the people of Chester uponi
his election as the President of the United
States. To the marriage of Charles E. and Ellen I. P.
(Stewart) Morris were born two sons. The
eldest, Frank S. Morris, now a member of the
Delaware county bar, was born January 21,.
1880, and Herman Jardella Morris was born' Oc
tober 13, 1881; and was named in honor of his
father's friend, Captain Jardella, of the coast
survey. The child died in his eighth year, May
12, 1889.

THE REV. FATHER JAMES TIMMINS,
rector of St. Michael's Roman Catholic church
of Chester, Pennsylvania, was born in Easton,
Pennsylvania, July 12, 1847, tne son °f Thomas
Timmins, who was born in the north of Ire
land, emigrated to this country in the year 1840,
settled in Philadelphia and became one of the
prominent and successful merchants of that city,
moving in 1845 to Easton, where he died in
1875- The Rev. Father Timmins acquired his liter
ary education in the schools of Easton, New
York and Philadelphia, finally completing his
course at Fordham College, New York, from-
which he was graduated in 1866. Realizing that
God wished him to labor in his vineyard, he-
began the study of theology, and the same suc
cess and thoroughness which distinguished his
collegiate course were noted here, and July 6,
1871, he was raised to the ineffable dignity of
the priesthood.

io8

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

On July 12, 1878, Father Timmins was called
to the rectorship of St. Michael the Archangel,
and to this parish and its devoted people he
brought the zeal and love for souls which has
characterized his entire work there. The impos
ing church edifice is the second one erected on
the site, and the church organization extends
backward in the history of the city over fifty-
eight years. In 1842 a number of Catholics re
siding in the neighborhood determined to estab
lish a church in the borough, and application was
made to_ the Right Rev. Francis Patrick Ken-
drick, Bishop of Philadelphia, for permission to
organize a congregation and erect a church in
Chester. Permission being given, on July 12,
1842, a lot was purchased on Edgemont Road,
and September 29 of the same year the corner
stone was laid by Bishop Kendrick. June 25,
1843, tne church was dedicated to Almighty God
under the patronage of St. Michael the Archan
gel, the Right Rev. Dr. Moriarty preaching the
dedicatory sermon. In 1854 the parsonage adjoin
ing the sanctuary was erected, and on July 29,
1874, the old church building was demolished in
order to erect a more commodious structure which
would accommodate the enlarged congregation.
The corner-stone ' of the new church was laid
November 1, 1874, by the Right Rev. Bishop
Wood, and on October 3, 1880, during the pas
torate of Father Timmins, the ceremony of bless
ing the cross which surmounts the center tower
of the church was performed by Archbishop
Wood, over two thousand persons being present
on this memorable occasion, and on Sunday, No
vember 5, 1882, the church was dedicated with
appropriate ceremonies by the Right Rev. Bishop
Shanahan, of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. A
very large and commodious school building,
finished in 1890, has been added to the parish
property. During the year 1901-02 a new rectory
in keeping with the other stone structures was
built with a beautiful lawn surrounding it on
all sides, and which is now completed and occu
pied. From the moment Father Timmins came
to St. Michael's to the present time, his one
thought has been to advance spiritual interests
of his flock, and that his efforts have not been
fruitless there is abundant testimony.

ALBERT G. LORENZ, secretary and
director of the Chester Steel Casting Com
pany of Chester, Pennsylvania, was born in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, August 17, 1865,
a son of Fred Lorenz, who came from Prussia to
this country about the year 1840 : he was a man
ufacturer of trunks, bags, and other articles of
like description. He was a capable, thorough
going business man, and his careful management,
attention to the details of his business, and his

straightforward dealings brought to him a well
earned success. He was united in marriage to
Miss Marie Lepple, and seven children were born
to them, all of whom are now living. Mr. Lorenz
was a resident of the city of Philadelphia, Penn
sylvania, where he enjoyed the fruits of his
many years of toil. He was eighty years of age
at the time of his death; his wife passed away
in 1901. Albert G. Lorenz attended the public schools
of Philadelphia until he was thirteeen years of
age; he then entered the Philadelphia office of
the Chester Steel Casting Company and fami-
iarized himself with the details of the business
and acquired that practical knowledge of affairs
which qualified him for the success he has since
attained. From time to time he was promoted
until in 1885 he was appointed secretary of the
company, in which capacity he has since served,
and at which time he was transferred to the
main office in Chester, Pennsylvania, where he
has since occupied the responsible position of sec
retary and director. In business he has demon
strated the possession of fine executive ability,
and being careful and accommodating in all his
transactions he soon became popular and well
known. The company's trade has grown to man-
moth proportions in recent years, and their plant
has been greatly enlarged and improved, and
some of the credit is due to Mr. Lorenz's man
agement of affairs.
On March 26, 1889, Mr. Lorenz married
Miss Fredericka Lutz, a daughter of Fred Lutz.
Their children are: A. Walter, Fred R., and
Emily R. Lorenz. The family are earnest mem
bers and attendants of the Lutheran church of
Chester, Pennsylvania.

ROBERT F. ASH. The annals of the Ash
family are particularly interesting to the student
of history, marking as they do the steady progress
of events in state and country.
Its English founder, Matthew Ash, came to
America in 1720, and, locating in Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania, found a colony of thirty-seven
years' growth, already enjoying commercial and
financial prosperity. The population at that time
was mainly English and Welsh. As time went on
he saw the immigration of Germans and Scotch-
Irish, who were destined to play an important
part in the history of this section of the country.
Year by year he saw the colony flourish until its
growth reacted on the surrounding towns. This
rapid growth of the colonies terminated eventual
ly in the Revolutionary war, some fifty-seven
years later, in which his grandson participated.
His family consisted of a wife and six children —
Sarah, born in 1708; Joshua, born in 1710; John,
born in 1712; Mary, born in 1715 ; Edward, born

^l^W^^ e^oV,

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

109

in 1718, who served in the English army; and
Elizabeth, who was born on board the ship which
brought them to America.
Joshua, the oldest son of Matthew Ash, re
sided in Philadelphia, but was also the owner of
property in Delaware county. He married Alice
AVoodward, the daughter of Richard and Mary
Woodward. They had six children — Joshua,
born in 1743; Caleb, born in 1744; Samuel, born
in 1748, who was a soldier in the Revolutionary
war and fought in the battle of Brandywine in
1777; John, born in 1751 ; Sarah, born in 1753;
and Matthew, born in 1758.
Matthew Ash, the youngest child of Joshua
and Alice (Woodward) Ash, married Mary Gib
bons, the daughter of Joseph and Marjory Gib
bons. Their children were: Jane, born in 1786;
Hannah, born in 1788; Mary, born in 1790; Eliz
abeth, born in 1791 ; John, born in 1793; Hum
phrey, born in 1795; Joseph, born in 1796; Mar
garet, born in 1797; Matthew, born in 1799;
Caleb, born in 1800; James, born in 1803 ; Robert,
born in 1805; Ann, born in 1807; and George,
born in 1808.
Matthew Ash, the son of Matthew and Mary
(Gibbins) Ash, learned the miller's trade in
Darby, Pennsylvania, and followed it in Darby
and Concord for twenty-five years. He gave up
the business for farm life jn Middletown, finally
removing to Media, Pennsylvania, where he spent
his last days. He was a man noted for his in
tegrity and uprightness. In business and poli
tics his fair and impartial dealings won for him
the confidence of his fellow citizens, and he was
appointed inspector of elections from year to
year. In 1832 he married Mary Fairlamb, who
was born in Middletown in 1803, and who was a
daughter of Robert and Mary (Harry) Fair
lamb. Their children were Elizabeth, who died
in infancy; Alice H., Robert, and Henry, who
died unmarried. Mrs. Ash died in 1865, while
Mr. Ash died thirty years later.
In 1836, during another epoch, when events
following on the development of the states were
leading up to the Civil war, which was to be an
inevitable result, Robert F. Ash, son of Matthew
and Mary (Fairlamb) Ash, was born in Upper
Darby, Delaware county, Pennsylvania. He
lived a quiet, uneventful life on his father's farm
^mtil 1861, when he enlisted in Company H, Sixth
Regiment Pennsylvania Cavalry, known as Rushe's
Lancers, which was attached to the cavalry corps
of the Army of the Potomac. He was in the thick
of the fight, taking part in the famous seven days'
battle at Gaines' Mill, Malvern Hill and other
points. He also displayed great heroism at An
tietam, Gettysburg, the Wilderness and Spott
sylvania. He received an honorable discharge
December 3, 1864. After the close of the war
be engaged in farming until he lost his eyesight,

which, owing to exposure on the battlefield, had
been gradually failing. He is now totally blind.
Mr. Ash is a member of the Sixth Pennsylvania
Volunteer Association, the Grand Army of the
Republic, and the Masonic fraternity, in which
he has taken the chapter degrees. He has con
scientiously performed the duties of citizenship,
and at different times has been called upon to
serve as justice of the peace, auditor, assessor of
taxes, and he has been a member of the school
committee. He has always belonged to the
Republican party, and has served its interests in
many ways.
Mr. Ash was married December 14, 1881, to
Miss Kate Yearsby, daughter of Humphrey
Yearsby. They have one daughter, Mary.

WILLIAM J. McCLURE. Among those
who have wielded a definite influence in the busi
ness and political affairs of the city of Chester,
Pennsylvania, is William J. McClure, who was
born in Lower Chichester township, Delaware
county, Pennsylvania, June 20, 1854, a grand
son of John and Sarah (Oliver) McClure, na
tives of county Donegal, Ireland.
John McClure, father of William J. McClure,
was born in county Donegal, Ireland, in the year
1816. He obtained a good practical education in
his native county, after which he learned the trade
of carpenter. In 1840 he came to this country
and soon afterward engaged in railroad con
struction work, becoming foreman of a number
of men when only twenty-one years of age; he
followed this line of work for a period of eight
een years, and during this time performed many
difficult tasks. He laid the tracks on ice over the
Susquehanna river for the P. W. & B. R. R.
Being very industrious and economical, he man
aged to save sufficient means from his earnings
to purchase a farm of fifty-five acres in Lower
Chichester township, Delaware county, Pennsyl
vania, upon which he resided for nearly thirty
years. In 1877 Mr. McClure located in Chester,
and the remainder of his life was spent in ease
and comfort, and he enjoyed to the full the fruits
of a successful life whose activities extended over
more than forty years. Although never taking
an active part in political affairs, he always sup
ported the men and measures advocated by the
Republican party. He was an active and con
sistent member of the Second Presbyterian
church of Chester. On July 22, 1852, Mr.
McClure married Miss Fannie M. Williams,
daughter of James Williams, of Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania, and the following named children
were born to them: John C, William J., Oliver
C, George W., John A., Robert G., and David
B. McClure. On February 6, 1870, Mrs. McClure
passed away from this life, and in 1877 Mr.

I IO

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

McClure married for his second wife, Miss Anna
Likens, a daughter of Daniel Likens, a native of
Delaware county. Mr. McClure's decease oc
curred in the year 1896.
William J. McClure, second son of John and
Fannie McClure, obtained his preliminary edu
cation in the public schools of Chester, later he
entered the Chester Academy, and after his
graduation from that institution he pursued a
regular course in the Business College. He com
menced his active business career in the grocery
business, where he remained for a short period
of time, after which he was employed for one
year in the ship yard of John B. Roach. On
February 4, 1874, Mr. McClure established a
small cigar store in Chester, and by directing his
thoughts and devoting his energies to this line of
trade he has made it one of the largest stores in
the city. Mr. McClure is also interested in
various businesss enterprises, being president of
the Consumers' Ice Company, secretary and
treasurer of the Chester Brewing Company, di
rector of the Delaware County Trust Company,
and he also acts in the same capacity for the
Chester Shipping Company. Mr. McClure takes
an active part in the political life of Chester, is
an adherent of the Republican party and was the
first incumbent of the office of city comptroller,
being the only candidate that ever carried each
and every precinct. In the discharge of the im
portant responsibilities of this office he gave an
efficient, capable and strong administration, dis
playing an executive ability of a high order. He
has also been elected a member of the Republican
State Committee. Mr. McClure is prominently
identified with the Elks Lodge No. 488, the Ma
sonic fraternity and the Knights of the Eagle ; he
is a member of numerous Republican clubs, and
the McClure Gun Club, a noted outing club of
the city of Chester, was named in honor of him.
On June 21, 1877, Mr. McClure married Miss
Sabina McClay, a daughter of James McClay,
and three children have been born — Fannie M.,
Wm. J., Jr., and John J. McClure. The first two
are deceased.

JOHN M. CALLANAN, a prominent busi
ness man of Chester, Pennsylvania, is a repre
sentative of an old family of Bucks county, Penn
sylvania. George Callanan, father of John M. Callanan,
was a successful business man and followed the
occupation of a contractor. He married Rosa
Ann Mar j arum. Mr. Callanan is living at the
present time (1903), having attained the ad
vanced age of seventy-nine years. Mrs. Cal
lanan died February 20, 1903.
John M. Callanan, son of George and Rosa
Ann ( Mar j arum) Callanan, was born November

7, 185 1, in Bucks county, Pennsylvania, and was
educated in the common and private schools of
Philadelphia. He engaged in the stationery busi
ness in Bristol, Pennsylvania, and also in the
seed business in the same place. In 1890 he went
to Chester in order to assume the position of
bookkeeper for the Delaware County Gas Com
pany. Mr. Callanan not only discharged the du
ties' of this position in a satisfactory manner,
but gave such proofs of his abilities as a business
man that in September, 1897, he was made
superintendent of the company. The record
which he has made for himself in the office has
more than justified the high estimate formed of
his talents, he having within the last five years
built up the system from 12,000,000 to 67,000,000
cubic feet of gas per year.
Notwithstanding the absorbing nature of Mr.
Callanan's duties as a business man, they are
not allowed to consume all of his time, as his
connection with fraternal and social orders testi
fies. He is one of the charter members of the
American Mechanics and Odd Fellows, and
also belongs to the Penn Club. He is an active
member of the Methodist Episcopal church.
Mr. Callanan married, in August, 1873, Isa
bella, daughter of Sommers Warwick, and has a
family of four children, three of whom are liv
ing: Rosabella W., Matilda A., and Ernest S-
Callanan.

GREEN. On the 5th mo., 11, 1686, there ar
rived from Bristol, England, the ship "Dela
ware," with Thomas Green and Margaret, his
wife, their sons Thomas and John, and daughter
Mary, with her husband, Richard Moore. The
first location of the family in America is un
known, but in 1689 Richard Moore, then de
scribed as an inhabitant of West Jersey, bought
200 acres of land in Concord township, Chester
county, Pennsylvania, and on 6 mo. 8, Thomas
Green, the elder, described as of Lower Hook, in
the Province of West Jersey, purchased of
Dennis Rochford 400 acres of land in Concord'
township, on which he and his family settled.
John, one of the sons, died there unmarried in or
about 1695. Thomas, the remaining son, died in
1 7 12, leaving widow Sarah and children: John,
Robert, Henry, Edward, Thomas, Samuel, Abel,
Margaret, and Sarah.
Robert, son of Thomas and Sarah, born in
1695, married 9 mo., 14, 1724, Rachel, daughter
of John and Sarah (Pyle) Vernon, at Concord
Meeting. Their marriage certificate is in pos
session of a descendant. Rachel was born in
Bethel 9 mo., 27, 1704, and died 2 mo., 17, 1751,
Robert died 3 mo., 20, 1779. They resided in
Birmingham township after their marriage, and'
both are undoubtedly interred in the old Concord'

Springfield Meeting House.
Erected 1738. Taken down 1851.

Middletown Meeting House, 1900.
Erected about 1770.

8 X

¦112

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

Meeting burying ground. They left children :
Daniel, Robert, Rachel (Prickett), Rebecca
(Register), Margaret (Chalfant), and Sarah
{Neilds). Daniel, son of Robert and Rachel, was born
'9 mo., 23, 1746, and married August 27, 1768,
Mary Chamberlain, daughter of Robert and Ann
Chamberlain of Birmingham. Daniel died April
1, 1815, and Mary a few days later, on 6th of
same month, and both were buried at Concord.
They had children: Joseph, Elizabeth, Thomas,
Ann, Lydia, Amor, Isaac, Mary, Daniel and
Rachel. Isaac, son of Daniel and Mary, born about
1780, in Concord township, married in 1805.
Elizabeth, daughter of Peter and Keziah
(Parker) Wickersham of Unionville. Isaac died
in October, 183 1, and Elizabeth, December 28,
1857. They are buried at Concord. Their chil
dren were : Esther, Parker, Eli, Peter W., Isaac,
Rachel, Lewis and Phoebe.
Peter W., son of Isaac and Elizabeth, born
February 12, 181 1, married February 25, 1836,
Rachel (born April 30, 1808), daughter of Rob
ert and Mary McCay, of Chester township. After
1845 they resided on a farm on the Concord road,
near Upland, and had children: Mary J., John
A., Robert M., William W., George W., and
James D. Rachel died November 14, 1886,
and Peter.. April .15^.1898. _. They, are buried in
the cemetery adjoining the Baptist church at-
Upland. Robert M., son of Peter and Rachel, was
born in Chichester, Delaware county, March 26,
1842. At the age of seventeen he was appren
ticed to a local builder, and was an architect and
builder at Chester until the Civil war broke out,
when he enlisted in the One Hundred and Twen
ty-fourth Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteers, m
August, 1862. He was discharged on surgeon's
certificate of disability after four months in mili
tary hospitals. Lie re-entered the building busi
ness, but in 1871, while residing in Washington,
D. C., became interested in the manufacture of
soda water apparatus, and removed to Philadel
phia for the purpose of embarking in the busi
ness of manufacturing such apparatus, which
were then made in a very crude way, and in
which he forsaw large possibilities. His inven
tions and improvements have practically reorgan
ized this business, which is now one of the lead
ing industries of the country, and his firm (Rob
ert M. Green & Sons) has a magnificent plant
and make and ship fountains to all parts of the
world. Mr. Green married, May 27, 1869, Louisa
B., daughter of John and Sarah (Lee) Gelston,
of Chester, and they have had children : Frank
D., Robert M., Jr.. Louis G, Edgar L, Mary D.
(deceased), and Helen. The sons are associated
in the firm of Robert M. Green & Sons.

Frank D., eldest son of Robert and Louisa,
born May 19, 1870, married October 27, 1891,
Freda B. Goldsmith, and has children: Louisa,
Nettie, Marie and Dorothy (deceased).
Robert M., Jr., second son of Robert and
Louisa, married April 22, 1896, Nettie M. Powell,
and has children: Elizabeth, Ruth, Eleanor and
John.

EDWARD EYRE TRAINER. The Trainer
family, whose members have included those who
were pioneers in one of the great manufacturing
industries of Chester, is of old and honorable
lineage, having for its American ancestor David
Trainer, one of those gentlefolk who left his
home in England to escape the persecutions
which were visited upon his sect, and who in the
new land whither he came practiced those vir
tues which have made the name of Quaker (or
Friend) the synonym for all which is beautiful
in personal life. In 1771 he settled on the pres
ent site of Ridley Park, Delaware county, where
he received the grant of a large tract of land
and near where the different branches of the
family resided for many generations. He was
the father of seven children, four sons and three
daughters. David Trainer, grandfather of Edward Eyre
Trainer, was a prominent resident of the town of
Ridley Park, and was united in marriage to Mrs.
Sarah Smith, nee Newlin, who was noted for the
beauty of her features and refinement of her char
acter ; she was a Quakeress of the olden type, and
had the honor of standing as bridesmaid to Dolly
Madison when she was married to President
James Madison. They were the parents of five
children — Sarah M. Walker, William, Josiah B.,
Mary Smith, and David Trainer. Mr. Trainer
died February 29, 1846, having attained the age
of seventy years.
David Trainer, father of Edward Eyre
Trainer, was born in Chester, Delaware county,
Pennsylvania, July 9, 1814, and after acquiring
an excellent literary education in the village
schools he commenced his business career by be
coming one of the pioneer cotton manufacturers
of the county. This enterprise proved very suc
cessful, owing to the fact that Mr. Trainer was a
thorough business man, honorable in all his trans
actions, and one who never believed in making
an agreement that he was not able to fulfill. He
conducted the business for fifty-three years, and
during that time he was instrumental in improv
ing the methods in use and the character of the
finished product. In his later years he admitted
his sons into partnership under the firm name
of D. Trainer & Sons, and later this was changed
to the D. Trainer & Sons Manufacturing Com
pany, in which he served in the capacity of presi-

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

U3

dent until his death. He was also the founder
of the three large cotton factories known as the
Trainer Mills, which were situated at Trainer,
Nos. 1, 2 and 3. This was in 1837. In
politics he was formerly a Whig, but upon fhe
organization of the Republican party he joined
the ranks of that body. In his religion he was a
devout believer in the doctrines of the Episcopal
church, being the senior warden of St. Martin's
church, in Marcus Hook, which is two hundred
years old and the second oldest in the state of
Pennsylvania. He married Miss Ellen Eyre,
daughter of William Eyre, of Chester, and seven
children were born to them, four of whom are
living at the present time (1903) : J. Newlin, a
resident of New York; William E., who resides
at Trainer ; Catherine N., wife of Mahlon D.
Marshall, of Marcus Hook ; and Edward Eyre
Trainer. After the death of his wife, which oc
curred March 13, 1872, Mr. Trainer married
Mrs. Mary Balfour, nee Leiper, who was a de
scendant of old and honored Revolutionary stock
and a leader in work for the betterment of hu
manity, also a liberal contributor and consistent
worker in the church. Mr. Trainer died April
7, 1890, aged seventy-five years.
Edward Eyre Trainer, youngest son of David
and Ellen Trainer, was born at Trainer, Penn
sylvania, November 27, 1850. His literary edu
cational advantages were obtained in the Penn
Central School at Philadelphia, and later this
was supplemented by a course in the Chester
Military College. At the age of eighteen years
he entered the cotton mill then owned and oper
ated by his father, where he familiarized himself
with the business in all its details, being employed
in all the different branches of the trade, so that
when he attained his majority he was well quali
fied to become a member of the firm. He contin
ued in this relation until June 8, 1901, when he
became actively interested in the Standard Spin
ning Company of Chester, for which he acts in
the capacity of president. For many years Mr.
Trainer served as treasurer for the Chester Hos
pital (and still holds that office), of which organ
ization his father was one of the charter mem
bers. Mr. Trainer is of a domestic nature, active
in charity, affable and pleasant in manner, and of
undoubted integrity in business affairs.
Mr. Trainer was married twice, his first wife
having been Miss Lena Woodward, daughter of
Thomas Woodward, and five children were born
to them, three of whom are living: Thomas W.,
Archibald, and Malcolm E. Trainer. On April
23, 1890, Mr. Trainer contracted an alliance with
Miss Hannah D. Rogers, daughter of William
B. Rogers, of New Jersey; they have one son,
Rogers E. Trainer. Both Mr. Trainer and his
wife are faithful and loyal members of the Epis
copal church of Marcus Hook, and he has served

as junior warden of St. Martin's church for
twenty years, and his wife also took an active
part in all the work connected with it.

LYDIA YARNALL. The Yarnall family,
who have been prominently associated with the
various interests of Delaware and Chester coun
ties, Pennsylvania, for many generations, claim
for their pioneer ancestor, Francis Yarnall, who
accompanied by his brother, Phillip Yarnall,
came from Cloynes, in Worcestershire, England.
They first settled in Springfield township, ad
joining the property of George Maris, and about
a mile from Springfield Friends' meeting-house.
This land was conveyed to Francis Yarnall, Oc
tober 17, 1683, and for several years they were
members of the Darby Monthly Meeting of
Friends. In 1686 Francis Yarnall married Han
nah Baker, and their children were : Sarah, John,
Peter, Moses, Francis, Joseph, Amos, Daniel,
and Mordecai Yarnall. Francis Yarnall, father
of these children, died in Willistown township,
in 1721. Amos Yarnall, great-great-grandfather of
Lydia Yarnall, was born March 28, 1700, and
was the sixth son born to Francis and Hannah
Yarnall. He was united in marriage May 18,
1727, to Mary Ashbridge, who was born in Janu
ary, 1710 or 171 1, a daughter of George and
Mary (Malin) Ashbridge, the former named
having arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,
July 5, 1698, this fact being recorded in the
family Bible which is now in the Friends' Li
brary in the city of Philadelphia. George Ash
bridge was married at Providence Meeting, Oc
tober 23, 1 701, to Mary Malin, who was prob-
-ably the daughter of Randall Malin, of Upper
Providence, coming to this section of the state
-from Great Barrum, in Cheshire, England. Amos
Yarnall died February 4, 1789, and his wife,
Mary (Ashbridge) Yarnall, died January 20,
1745- Amos Yarnall, great-grandfather of Lydia
Yarnall, was. a son of Amos and Mary (Ash
bridge) Yarnall, and his birth occurred October
28, 1730. He subsequently settled on a farm in
Willistown township, Chester county, and by his
integrity of character and public spiritedness was
highly esteemed in the community. He married
July 17, 1753, at Goshen Meeting, Jane Hibberd,
who was born in Willistown, February 23, 1734
or 1735, a daughter of Benjamin and Phoebe
(Sharpies) Hibberd, the former named having
been born April 27, 1707, died about 1785, and
the latter was born January 9, 1701 or 1702, and
died in Willistown township, May 29, 1772.
Their children were: Phoebe, Ezra, Caleb, Ben
jamin, Hannah, Amos, Jane, Jesse, and Ezra

H4

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

Yarnall. Amos Yarnall died August 26, 1818,
and his wife passed away December 28, 1778.
Caleb Yarnall, grandfather of Lydia Yarnall,
was born January 25, 1759, the second son of
Amos and Jane Yarnall, and his early life was
spent in acquiring an education in the common
schools of his birth place, the township of Wil
listown. Later he followed agricultural pursuits
on his father's farm in Edgemont, Delaware
county, and his name was respected by all for
the many estimable characteristics which he dis
played. He married Phoebe Minshall. Mr.
Yarnall died November 4, 1849.
John Yarnall, father of Lydia Yarnall, was
the son of Caleb and Phoebe Yarnall, and his'
birth occurred November 24, 1776. After ob
taining a common school education he devoted
his energies to farming, which he conducted on
the property formerly owned by his father and
grandfather, which was situated in the town
ship of Edgemont. He was united in marriage
March 2, 1812, at Middletown Meeting, to
Phoebe Sharpless, who was born April 15, 1785,
a daughter of Joseph and Mary Sharpless. Their
children were: Sidney, born January 25, 1813;
his death occurred in Media, Pennsylvania ; Han
nah, born April 28, 1815, died December 24,
1875 ; Eliza, born May 4, 1819, died April 2,
1843; Caleb, born August 15, 1821, died in
Media, March 4, 1886; Mary S., born July 19,
1823, died August 6, 1826, and Lydia, born No
vember 27, 1825. All of these children were un
married. Mr. Yarnall, the father of these chil
dren, died April 27, 1843, survived by his widow,
whose death occurred in Edgemont, July 16,
1870. Lydia Yarnall, youngest child of John and
Phoebe Yarnall, was born November 27, 1825,
in Edgemont township, Delaware county, Penn
sylvania. She acquired a liberal education in
the Edgemont schools and also at Darby, Dela
ware county, where she completed her studies.
She now resides quietly in a beautiful home at
Media, Pennsylvania, where her time is fully
occupied with her household duties and the per
formance of philanthropic deeds among the poor
and suffering. She is a pleasant, courteous and
accomplished woman, and stands high in the
Society of Friends, of which she has been a life
long member. She is unmarried.

latter was a native of Delaware county, Penn
sylvania. John R. Flower was born January 13, 1852,
in Felton, Chester township, Delaware county,
Pennsylvania, and was educated in the local
schools. Like his brother, Charles Flower, a
man of unquestioned standing in the county, he
has made general farming and horse raising the
business of his life, and in both these occupations
has been very successful. The esteem and confi
dence with which he is regarded by his neigh
bors are attested by the fact that he was elected
to fill the office of supervisor for two terms, the-
duties of which he discharged in a manner which
proved him to be a public-spirited citizen. He is
unmarried.

JOHN R. FLOWER, known and esteemed
in Delaware county, both as a farmer and citizen,
is descended from ancestors who were among
the early settlers of Pennsylvania, and members
of the Society of Friends. His grandfather was
Richard, and his father, William G. Flower. The

H. G. INGRAM, for many years prominently
connected with the business and social interests
of the city of Wallingford, Delaware county,,
Pennsylvania, was born in 1862, in Lower Provi
dence, Montgomery county, Pennsylvania, the
son of Rufus M. Ingram, whose father was Will
iam Ingram, a descendant of an old and honored.
English family.
Rufus M. Ingrain, father of H. G. Ingram,
was born in Chester county, Pennsylvania, and
his educational advantages were obtained in the
district schools of his native town. He then
learned the trade of millwright, and his natural
genius, supplemented by an energy that enabled
him to make the best use of all opportunities that
came in his way, served him to accomplish satis
factory results in this vocation, so that now in
his old age he can enjoy the fruits of his long
years of toil.. He 'was united in marriage to Miss
Barbara N. Miller, daughter of Valentine Miller,
and nine children were born to them. Both Mr.
and Mrs. Ingram are still living, he having at
tained the age of eighty years.
H. G. Ingram, son of Rufus M. and Barbara.
Ingram, acquired' his education in the public
schools of Lower Providence, and the early years
of his life were spent in that vicinity. At the
age of sixteen years he entered a blacksmith
shop, and in due course of time became thor
oughly familiar and proficient in all the details
of that trade ; he also learned the trade of wagon
making and in 1886 established the shop which '
he is now conducting in Wallingford. He is a
man of great energy, endowed with good judg
ment and fine business ability, and his patronage-
has steadily increased from year to year until
now he enjoys one of the largest and most profit
able trades in the city. Mr. Ingram is prom
inently affiliated with the Masonic fraternity, and
he also takes an active and keen interest in the
social life of the city.

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

i'5

MAPLEWOOD INSTITUTE, situated at
Concordville, Delaware county, Pennsylvania,
was founded in 1862 by Professor Joseph Short
lidge, A. M., from Yale University. The institu
tion was originally conducted as a school for both
sexes, and consisted of a single brick building,
fifty by eighty feet. It was later changed to a
fitting school for college or business for boys and
young men. The success of the school was as
sured from the beginning, and after a few years
the increasing demand for larger facilities neces
sitated the addition of a large wing to the main
building containing sleeping rooms, scientific
laboratory, class rooms, principal's office, etc. In
1870 the institution was chartered by act of the
legislature and empowered to grant degrees to its
graduates. After several years of growth and activity, in

cnce, a series of extensive improvements was be
gun in order to keep the school in a high state of
efficiency and thoroughly abreast with modern
ideas and conditions. A complete plant for fur
nishing an abundant supply of pure spring water
throughout the buildings was installed, followed
later by an efficient hot water heating system. Up
to this time the school had been lighted by coal oil
lamps, but following out the general plan of ex
pansion and improvement, the management
caused the buildings to be lighted with acetylene
gas, the new illuminant, which, by reason of its
brilliancy, perfect whiteness, and safety make it
an ideal light for the student and teacher. The
interior of the buildings was also refitted with
modern furnishings and appointments.
Previous to these changes, a frame gymna
sium had been erected for physical training and

Maplewood Institute.

1879 a general reunion of all the former students
of the school was held on the spacious and well
shaded grounds of the institution. The clay was
devoted to addresses by former students and in
renewing old acquaintances.
In 1898, in the thirty-sixth year of its exist-

for recreation in inclement weather. As it was
eventuality found to be inadequate for the increas
ing demands of athletic sports in the modern sys
tem of education, it was torn down, as well as
other buildings near it, and on the site was
erected a commodious brick gymnasium, seventy-

n6

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

two by forty-five feet. The main floor is devoted
to basket ball and kindred sports. It presents an
unobstructed floor space seventy by forty-three
feet, giving excellent facilities for practice in all
modern games. The basement contains shower
baths, toilet rooms, lockers, base ball cage, bowl
ing alley, etc.
Maplewood was originally patronized largely
by students from the rural sections of the sur
rounding counties. The rapid growth of the
state normal schools, however, which by reason
of their large state appropriations could offer ex
cellent advantages at very low rates, and the
rapacity with which they sought for students re
gardless of whether they expected to become
teachers or not, changed materially the status of
private educational institutions of the common
wealth. During these years of usefulness, Maple-
wood had become favorably and widely known,
especially in the larger cities of the East, as a
safe home school for boys and young men, and,
as a result, the rural patronage was gradually
supplanted by students from the larger cities
whose parents desired their sons to receive more
personal and interested attention than was
possible in the overcrowded public schools of
the cities and in the exceedingly large
secondary schools. The beautiful and health
ful situation of the school, its freedom from
harmful surroundings and its wholesome moral
atmosphere have contributed in no small degree
to the continued success of the institution.
For a number of years the buildings were util
ized during the vacation period as a summer
boarding house. During the summer of 1903,
however, a summer school was organized, in
which a limited amount of instruction and abun
dant wholesome recreation were so combined as
to keep students and teachers alike in good physi
cal condition for the more arduous labors of the
regular winter session. Students, whose parents
so desire, may now remain for the entire year
under the care and instruction of the institution.
Former students of Maplewood are filling im
portant and responsible positions in agricultural,
mercantile and professional life. Some have been
elected to the legislatures of their respective
states, and one is at present a member of the
United States senate.
The school is self supporting and non-sec
tarian, and although organized in 1862 during the
Civil war, by its improvements and additions it
is to-day, as at the beginning, a thoroughly pro
gressive and modern institution.

PROFESSOR JOSEPH SHORTLIDGE,
M. A., founder and principal of Maplewood In
stitute, is of Scotch-English ancestry. On the
paternal side he is a descendant of the Chandlers

and Gawthrops, and on the maternal side of
the Huttons and Pughs, all prominent families
in Delaware and adjacent counties. Through the
Chandlers he traces his line to the Norman
French of England, and he is related to the Kirk,
Stubbs, Trimble, Parrish and other highly re
spected Pennsylvania families. The American
branch of the Shortlidge family was planted by-
James Shortlidge, who came from England about
the time of the Revolution and settled in Chester
county, Pennsylvania. His son, Swithin Short
lidge, was born in the county named, lived the
life of a farmer, and was a member of the So
ciety of Friends. George Shortlidge, son of
Swithin, was born in the same place in 1800. He
was a prosperous farmer ; in religion was a Friend
and his political affiliations were with the Demo
cratic party until the founding of the Republi
can party in 1856, when on account of his anti-
slavery sentiments he allied himself with that
body. He married Martha Pugh Hutton, of New
Garden township, Chester county, Pennsylvania,
a daughter of Hyatt and Sarah (Pugh) Hutton,.
who was a relative of tue distinguished English
mathematician, Charles Hutton. Of this union
were born four sons and two daughters, — Will
iam, who engaged in mercantile pursuits in Belle-
fonte, Pennsylvania; Joseph, who is further re
ferred to in this sketch; Anna P., who became
the wife of William H. Walker, of New Castle
county, Delaware; Lydia H., who became the
wife of Prof. Augustus C. Norris, deceased, who
was principal of the Woodstown Academy, New
Jersey; Swithin C, who became the principal"
of Media Academy ; and Evan G., who became a
physician and settled in Wilmington, Delaware,
of which city he was at one time mayor.
Joseph Shortlidge, second child of George
and Martha (Hutton) Shortlidge, was born
August 1, 1832, on the family homestead in New
Garden township, where his father was born in
1800. The old farm, which is now owned by
Thomas Jeffries, lies north of and adjoins the
Walnut Run school house. Joseph Shortlidge
acquired a broad education, completing courses.
of study in Jonathan Cause's Greenwood Del!
Academy, in Chester county, in the Williams
Chemical Laboratory in Philadelphia, and in
the Fort Edward (New York) Institute, be
fore entering Yale College. He entered col
lege in 1859, but his eyesight becoming im
paired during the latter part of his freshman-
year from his being obliged to recite his.
lessons by gas light at six o'clock in the
morning, he was forced for a time to give up
his studies. He made up the requirements of the
course, however, and received the degree of
Master of Arts. Upon Lee's invasion of Pennsyl
vania in 1863, he responded to the call of Presi
dent Lincoln for an additional force of one hun-

(tadUv Mv?-ri&Zf*->

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

117

dred thousand men for six months' service. He
enlisted in a company of which he was elected
sergeant, and which, as a part of Major Short's
battalion, participated in the defense of the state,
and in the subsequent operations of that portion
of the army.
Even while obtaining his education, Prof.
Shortlidge was performing useful and credita
ble work as a teacher. He began as a public
school teacher at Concordville, Pennsylvania, in
1852, where he still pursued his studies, often
walking to West Chester, a distance of eight
and one-half miles, to take French lessons. As
early as 1856 he began teaching in Greenwood
Dell. The following year he was principal of
Putnam (New York) Academy, and he was then
for two years principal of Fairville Institute, in
Chester county, Pennsylvania. In 1862 he pur
chased a tract of land near the Friends' Meeting
House in Concordville, and built the school known
as Maplewood Institute, with which his name has
since been inseparably associated. He was prin
cipal of this institution until 1880, when he re
signed in order to accept the presidency of the
Pennsylvania State College, near Bellefonte, Center
county. During his administration of State Col
lege he made strenuous efforts to establish certain
changes and reforms necessary for the success
of the college as an educational institution. Fail
ing in this, he resigned and returned to Maple
wood Institute, with which his connection has
since been unbroken. The value of Maplewood
Institute and Professor Shortlidge's great useful
ness as a principal and instructor, are attested
by the great number of students, from the best
families, who have come under his charge during
the fifty years of his service, many of whom have
risen to eminence in the professions, in commer
cial life, and in public place. Among them are
prominent lawyers, physicians and others who
have become conspicuous in state and national
affairs. Exacting as are his duties as an instructor,
Professor Shortlidge has not failed in his duties
as a citizen, and has rendered to the public valu
able service in various responsible positions. For
a number of years he served as school director.
In 1887 he was appointed by Governor Beaver
to fill an unexpired term of a deceased justice
of the peace, Darwin Painter, and was after
ward elected and re-elected to the same office,
which he still holds. He is a Friend in religion,
as have been his ancestors for several generations.
In politics he is a staunch adherent of the Re
publican party. He is a highly regarded com
rade in Bradbury Post, G. A. R., of Media.
Professor Shortlidge was married, May 24,
1865, to Miss Caroline B. Gause, a highly edu
cated lady, daughter of Jonathan and Eliza
(Bailey) Gause. Jonathan Gause was one of the

most prominent educators of his day, and Pro
fessor Shortlidge was a student of his in his early
school days in Greenwood Dell Academy. Mrs.
Shortlidge died May 23, 1874, leaving three chil
dren : Marian E., who become the wife of Jared
Darlington, of Delaware county, and to whom were
born three children — Mary Edna, Charles Joseph
and Caroline S. ; Charles B., who was for a time
a teacher in the Maplewood Institute, and after
ward became a practicing physician at Elbon,
Pennsylvania, married Josephine M. Showers, of
St. Marys, Pennsylvania, November 7, 1901 ; and
J. Chauncey, a graduate of Harvard, who is pro
fessor of Latin, Greek, physics and chemistry
in Maplewood Institute.
December 21, 1893, Professor Shortlidge was
married to Miss Isabel Gawthrop Shortlidge.
She is a lady of fine literary attainments and a
forceful platform speaker. During Mr. McKin-
ley's first presidential candidacy, she attracted
much attention and received much commendation
for her addresses in his behalf.
Now in his seventy-second year, Professor
Shortlidge maintains a splendid physique, and
his mental powers are at their best. He gives
close oversight to all pertaining to the Institute,
as well as personal instruction in Greek and the
higher mathematics. His fiftieth year as a
teacher was recently celebrated at the Institute,
on June 4, 1902, and was a notable reunion. All
old pupils and friends of the school who could
possibly be there, came to renew old acquaintance
and do honor to the veteran teacher. The high
and picturesque grounds of the Institute and a
beautiful day contributed to the fullest enjoyment
of the occasion. The arrangements were in
charge of a competent committee, who met the
heartiest co-operation of the townspeople in
caring for the visitors. Carriages were furnished
for conveying guests from both the special and
regular trains to the scene of the day's festivity.
After a reception during the morning hours by
Professor and Mrs. Shortlidge, the guests listened
to a literary program, consisting of speeches,
reminiscent and congratulatory, and the personal
tribute of a poem by Professor Leggett, of Con
cordville. Among the speakers was Dr. King,
president of Fort Edward Institute, New York.
A fine gold watch bearing a suitable inscription
was presented to Professor Shortlidge by his old
pupils. The day will long be remembered as a
pleasurable social occasion, and as one giving to
Maplewood Institute new impetus for usefulness.

MAURICE C. MICHENER, an enterprising
manufacturer of Delaware county, is a representa
tive of one of the oldest families of Chester coun
ty, where he was born December 21, 1868, a soil
of Courtland and Catherine (Tussey) Michener.

n8

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

His boyhood was passed on the paternal
farm, and he received his education at the State
Normal School at West Chester and the Mar-
ton Academy at Kennett Square. After leav
ing school he entered the employ of the Avon-
dale Stone and Lime Company, of Chester coun
ty, and later became the treasurer of the company.
In 1888 they retired from business, and Mr.
Michener then went to Media, where he was
for seven years engaged in clerical work. April
1, 1896, he established the first ice manufacturing
plant in Media, and from a small beginning his
output has now grown to twenty tons per day,
with a limited capacity for cold storage. In con
nection with this business Mr. Michener also
cultivates a large farm in Newtown township.
In politics Mr. Michener is a Republican. He
belongs to the Media Club, and is a member of
the Society of Friends.
Mr. Michener married, in 1897, Hannah M.
Haines, who was born in Montgomery county,
but reared in Newtown, Delaware county, and
is a daughter of Amos and Martha (Williams)
Haines.

HENRY MENDENHALL, a resident of
Media, and active in community interests, is a
descendant of old and honorable Pennsylvania
families which date back to colonial times.
His grandfather, John Mendenhall, son of
Robert and Phebe Mendenhall, who was the first
of the family to settle at Edgemont, was one of
the most active members of the Society of
Friends. He was a tailor by trade and followed
that occupation until he was able to purchase the
parental home, which thenceforward came to be
known as the Mendenhall homestead. John Men
denhall lived to the advanced age of eighty-nine
years, and his wife, Tabitha Newlin, died a few
years afterward. She was a member of an old
and influential family in Chester county. Their
children were: 1. Cyrus, born December 12, 1781 ;
2. Martha, born August 18, 1784; 3. Esther, born
June 5, 1786; 4. Annie, born December 23, 1789;
5. John, born August 27, 1793.
John (2) youngest child and one of the two
sons of John (1) and Tabitha (Newlin) Men
denhall, after obtaining a good practical educa
tion in the Friends Schools, engaged in farming
on the paternal homestead upon which he was
reared. He married Hannah, daughter of Daniel
and Sarah Sharpless. She. was a descendant of
that Sharpless family who settled in 1682 at
Waterville, on Ridley creek. Here an ancestor
lived on a cove on the side of the bluff for
twenty years, when a son, Joseph, who was a car
penter, built on the hill above a house which is
yet standing and is now owned by a member of
the Garrett family. John and Sarah (Sharp

less) Mendenhall were the parents of three chil
dren: Rebecca, born February 14, 1822, died
March 24, 1882, and two sons, Henry and Joseph.
John Mendenhall died in 1882.
Henry Mendenhall, born in Edgemont, Dela
ware county, August 31, 1824, began life with
much in his favor, preceded as he was by three
generations of good American stock which had
that Quaker origin that so largely modified the
early government of Pennsylvania, for the simple
dignity and the uncompromising conscientious
ness of the early Quakers could not but leave its
impress on every descendant however remote.
He was sent at an early age to a private school
conducted by the Friends, later to the public
schools and to Westtown. He lived on the old
homestead until he was twenty-one years of age,
then he worked five years more on the Howell
farm which his father had previously purchased.
He afterwards purchased the farm himself, and
was a successful farmer for forty years. In
1883 he removed to Media, Delaware county,
where he has since resided. He is a member of
the Society of Friends, and is a respected and
honored member of the community. He shows
his interest in all matters of general concern by
an active participation in educational and other
community affairs. He has served on the school
board for a long period. He is a director of the
Delaware Mutual Fire Insurance Company. He
is decided in his political sentiments and his
opinions incline him to favor the Republican
party. In 1856 he was married to Deborah Ann
Passmore, a native of Cecil county, Maryland,
born in Little Britain, Lancaster county, Penn
sylvania, June 10, 1826, a daughter of Abijah
and Naomi Passmore, who was a member of an
old Pennsylvania family. They had six children,
Mary Ella, born September 11, 1858, who mar
ried George S. Yarnell, of Media ; Llannah S.,
born February 28, i860, who died October 8,
1 86 1 ; William, born June 26, 1862, who died
February 19, 1865 ; J. Howard, born July 25,
1864, married Annie Baker ; and Walter P., born
January 18, 1866, now living in Philadelphia, and
Anna R., born December 8, 1868, who married
W. Horace Long.
Joseph, youngest son of John and Sarah
(Sharpless) Mendenhall, was born November 1,
1829. After obtaining an education similar to
that of his brother Henry, he went to Missouri
where he engaged in a furniture business, which
he abandoned at the opening of the Civil war
and returned to Pennsylvania. After peace was
restored, he again sought his fortune in the West,
going to Lawrence, Kansas, where he found an
excellent opportunity to establish the furniture
and undertaking business and was as successful
in his new enterprise as he had been in his former

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

119

occupation. He was well informed upon the
political questions of his time, and was a member
of the old Whig party as it was known in Jack
son's time, having been formed in opposition to
the Democratic party. As a Whig he favored a
protective tariff, so in later years from principle
he became a member of the Republican party.
He was always interested in the development and
progress of education, and was regarded as a
public, spirited and enterprising citizen. He is
unmarried.  ¦+-+-¦+ 
JOHN PIOWARD MENDENHALL, a
successful stock raiser of Gradyville, as well as
one of the town's most influential citizens, was
born July 26, 1864, a son of Henry and Debo
rah Ann (Passmore) Mendenhall. He is the
sixth generation of the name, being a direct de
scendant from Benjamin, who, with his broth
ers John and George Mendenhall, came to this
country from England in 1682 in compnay with
William Penn. John Mendenhall settled in Ches
ter county, and Benjamin took up his residence
in Delaware county, while George, after a brief
stay, returned to England. Benjamin married
Ann Pennell, of Delaware county; they had two-
sons, Robert and Benjamin. Robert was born in
1719; he married Phoebe Taylor, by whom he
had a family of thirteen children, among them
being John, the great-grandfather of John How
ard Mendenhall. John married Tabitha New
lin, and their five children were Cyrus, Martha,
Esther, John and Anne. John was born May 27,
1793, in Edgemont; his marriage took place in
1 82 1 to Hannah Sharpless, daughter of Daniel and
Sarah Sharpless, of Chester township, Dela
ware county; their children were Rebecca (de
ceased), Henry and Joseph; the latter went to
Kansas, where for many years he was actively
engaged in business pursuits. Henry Menden
hall (father of John Howard Mendenhall),
married Deborah Passmore, of Chester county,
by whom he had four children, namely: Mary
Ella, wife of George S. Yarnall; John Howard,
Walter P., unmarried, and Anna R., wife of W.
Horace Long.
John Howard Mendenhall received his pre
liminary education in the Friends' School of his
native town, which was later supplemented by
three terms spent at the Westtown Friends'
School, after which he returned to assist his fa
ther about the farm. He was but eighteen years
of age when, determining to start out in life
on his own responsibility, he rented his father's
farm of one hundred and forty-three acres and
conducted every detail of the work thereon for
several years. At first his attention was given
to a general line of farming, but as time wore
on he thought he saw a greater opportunity for

development and success in the breeding of
horses and in cattle raising. This he concen
trated his attention upon, and time has demon
strated the wisdom of his foresight, for he has
been most successful in the undertaking. Aside
from his fine horses, which are a source of pride
as well as profit, his cows afford him an output
of about two hundred and fifty quarts of milk
per day. Besides this, his regular products of
grain, hay and vegetables find a ready market.
Politically Mr. Mendenhall is a Republican,
and a charter member, director and active worker
in the Media Republican Club. In town politics
he has figured quite conspicuously, having filled
the position of justice of the peace for many-
years, and for fifteen years having been on the
election board. He is also a member of various
secret organizations, among them being the
Knights of Pythias, the Red Men, the Junior Or
der of American Mechanics, and the Patrons of
Husbandry ; in the three latter societies he occupies
one of the past offices, having filled all the chairs.
In religious life he and his family, as in genera
tions past, are consistent members of the Society
of Friends. Mr. Mendenhall was married on May 6, 1886,
to Aimee Baker, a daughter of Jackson and Erne-
line (Mercer) Baker, of Edgemont; their four
children are: Emma Baker, born July 8, 1887;
Joseph Harlan, born August 3, 1890; Marie
Howard, born November 11, 1894, and Walter
Paul, born June 2, 1902.

WILLIAM IRWIN CHEYNEY. The old
est known ancestor of the Cheyney family was
the Sir Thomas Cheyney, who by reason of his
knight service to the crown held many large
estates in Kent, England, and his death is re
corded in 1559. One of his descendants was
John Cheyney, who was an emigrant from Eng
land and settled in Middletown, Chester county,
Pennsylvania, and by his will, made on Octo
ber 30, 1722, he gave his property to his sons
John and Thomas. More about these brothers
and their family history will be found in the
sketch of George Spangler Cheyney, but it is
sufficient here to mention that John married Ann
Hickman, by whom he had five children, one be
ing the celebrated Squire Cheyney of Revolu
tionary fame ; but the descent is carried clown
through the son Richard, who married Mary
Hannum. William, the son of the last union,
married Catherine Spangler, and their son, Will
iam Hannum Cheyney, became the husband of
Ann Scott Sharpless.
Charles Henry Cheyney was the son of the
last mentioned couple, and was born in Middle-
town township, Delaware county, Pennsylvania,
June 23, 1830, being the son of a school teacher.

120

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

When he was six years old his family brought
him to Thornbury township, where he grew up
and received his education in the public schools.
He was but eighteen years old when he first
entered into mercantile business in Thornbury,
and he was so engaged there till 1857, at which
time he moved to Wawa and farmed for two
years. Then moving to Cheyney, he was ap
pointed postmaster in 1859 and held the office
until 1864, when he resigned and again took up
farming, this time in Bucks county, near Quaker-
town, but in the following year he returned to
Cheyney, where he has made his residence to
this time. He was in business with his brother,
George S. Cheyney, until 1880, when he took
charge of the Cheyney station for the Pennsyl
vania Railroad, holding that position until 1901,
when he retired on account of ill health. He
has been a Whig and Republican in political
matters, in 1866 was assistant revenue assessor,
and has held various town offices in Thornbury,
being secretary of the school board for twenty-
one years, having been town clerk for thirty
years, which position he still holds, and he is
now justice of the peace. He has been a member
of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and
although not a member of any church, he has
been interested in building and maintaining the
Union church at Cheyney. On November 8,
1855, he was married to Elizabeth Mary Chey
ney, a distant relative, born November 9, 1835,
and the daughter of Joseph and Mary (John
son) Cheyney. There were seven children born,
and five are still living: Henry Clay, born Sep
tember 3, 1856, lives in Omaha, Nebraska; he
married Mary Crowell, and they have two chil
dren, Charles and Henry Clay, Jr. The second
in the family was Arthur Stotesbury, who was
born July 12, 1858, and died September 1, 1863.
Mary Ella, who was born October 2, i860, died
August 19, 1863. William Irwin is the fourth
in order of birth. George Spangler, born July
5, 1863, is unmarried and lives at home. Anna
Cornelia, born September 8, 1864, married Will
iam Abner Garrett, and they live at Wyncote,
Pennsylvania, and have three children, Hibbard,
Elizabeth Cheyney and Catherine. The seventh
is Horace Lincoln, born February 27, 1866, who
is a practicing attorney in Philadelphia, and is
unmarried. It is to William Irwin Cheyney that this
biography is specially devoted. He was born in
Cheyney, Thornbury township, Delaware county,
Pennsylvania, November 30, 1861. He was edu
cated in the public schools of Thornbury and at
Professor McClellan's private school in West
Chester. He was only fifteen years old when
he began work in the store of his uncle at Chey
ney, where he remained until 1881. In this
year he took a position with File, Deer, Haney

& Company, wholesale notion dealers in Phila
delphia, with whom he remained until 1888. He
branched out into a new line when he engaged
with Thomas H. Dallett & Company, Philadel
phia, with whom he learned the machinery and
electrical apparatus business. He was with this
firm for seven years and in 1895 he began busi
ness in Philadelphia for himself, dealing in elec
trical machinery and as consulting enigneer.
This is his present enterprise, and he enjoys an
extensive and increasing business. He has made
his residence since April 10, 1898, in Media,
Pennsylvania. Mr. Cheyney is a Republican, is a member
of Phenix Lodge No. 130, A. F. & A. M., in
Philadelphia, and of Harmony Chapter No. 52,
R. A. M.
On April 8, 1898, he was married to Miss
Edith Worrall Lewis, who was born March 9,
1873, the daughter of Isaac and Susannah (Mor
ton) Lewis. On the Morton side her great-
great-grandfather, John Morton, was one of the
signers of the Declaration of Independence, and
her grandfather was Sketchley Morton ; on the
Lewis side her grandparents were Mordecai and
Sarah Pennock (Miller) Lewis. One child is
the result of the union of Mr. Cheyney and Miss
Lewis, William Irwin, Jr., who was born May
8, 1 901. Mrs. Cheyney is a member of the Hicks-
ite Friends meeting, and both she and her hus
band enjoy excellent standing in society.

WILLIAM H. RIGBY, a well known citizen
of Concord, Delaware county, Pennsylvania, is
a representative of an honored English lineage,
who at an early day were largely instrumental
in the settlement and building up of Concord
township, Delaware county, Pennsylvania.
The progenitor of the American branch of
the family was James Rigby, an Englishman who
came to America some time before the Revolu
tionary war. He settled about a quarter of a
mile from a place then called Seven Starrs
Tavern, now Village Green, and lived there
and taught school until a short time before his
death. During the retreat of the Continental
army from the battle of Brandywine and past
the Seven Starrs, he dismissed his school and
watched the retreating army. (From History
of United States, and also family tradition;.
Pie married a Miss Brown (probably Rachel) ;
she was an aunt to Jeremiah Brown, of Chiches
ter, Delaware county. They had children — sons,
John, Rodney, Seth, Eli ; daughters, Sidney,
Rachel, and another daughter who married a
Flounders. Sidney married a Williamson and
Rachel married a Burk.
Eli, son of the original James Rigby, married
Elizabeth Harlan, daughter of George Harlan,

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

121

of Doe Run, then the owner of the Doe Run
Iron Works. Their children were James, Will
iam, Seth, Elizabeth, George, Eli, Eber and
Harlan. George W. Rigby, son of Eli and Elizabeth
(Harlan) Rigby, was born, reared, educated and
spent the greater part of his business career in
Concord township, Delaware county, having
been a potent factor in the various enterprises that
conduced the maternal growth and welfare of
that section of the state. He was united in mar
riage to Ann Vernon, of Hinkson's Corners,
Providence township ; she was a daughter of
Woodward and Hannah (Vernon) Vernon. Her
parents had three other children — Graham, Jona
than (at one time sheriff of Delaware county),
and Moses Vernon. Two children were born to
George and Ann (Harlan) Ribgy — Hannah Ann
and George H. Rigby.
Hannah Rigby became the wife of William
H. Osburn, who was born in the vicinity of
Chester, Delaware county, in November, 1838,
a son of Antrim and Isabel (Barass) Osburn.
William H. Osburn was a manufacturer of
woolen goods, and about the year i860 located
at Rose Valley, erected a mill for the manu
facture of both woolen and cotton goods, and
this he successfully operated until 1882 in part
nership with his father ; during that year the
mill was destroyed by fire, and after rebuilding
on the same site they rented the premises to other
parties who operated the plant for many years.
William H. Osburn, who died in 1898, and his
wife, Hannah (Rigby) Osburn, were the parents
of two children — Dr. Albert E. Osburn, of West
Chester, and Emma E., who died at the age of
eighteen years. Albert E. Osburn was born No
vember 3, 1869; he attended the schools of
Wallingford, the Philadelphia College of Phar
macy, from which he was graduated in
1893, and the University of Pennsylvania,
from which he was graduated with the
degree of Doctor of Medicine in 1897. He be
gan his professional career as the resident phy
sician in the Odd Fellows' Home at Thermalito,
California, but after remaining there for one
year he returned to West Chester and has since
been engaged in active practice. He is a member
of the A. M. P. O. of his university, a member
of the Methodist Episcopal church, and a Repub
lican in politics. He married Carrie M. Prentiss,
daughter of Charles and Ella (Knox) Prentiss,
of Boston, Massachusetts, and one child is the
issue of this union — Margaret Ellis Osburn.
Since the death of her husband, Mrs. Osburn
is residing with her son, Dr. Albert E. Osburn,
in West Chester, Pennsylvania.
George H. Rigby, son of George W. and
Ann (Vernon) Rigby, was born October 10,
1837, on the old homestead in Lower Providence

township, and passed his life on a farm until he
went to Wilmington, Delaware, to learn the cabi
net-maker's trade. In 1857 he came to Media,
where he established himself in business as a
cabinetmaker and undertaker, occupations which
he followed successfully the remainder of his life.
He was a member of the Independent Order of
Odd Fellows, the Independent Order of Red
Men, and the Knights of Pythias. His politics'
were those of the Republican party. He was
a member of the Methodist Episcopal church.
He married Elizabeth M., daughter of Nichols
Spencer, of Wilmington, Delaware, and they
were the parents of two children, Frank S., who
died at the age of five years ; and William H.,
mentioned at length hereinafter. Mr. Rigby died
August 9, 1881, and his wife passed away De
cember 18, 1890.
William H. Rigby, son of George H. and
Elizabeth M. (Spencer) Rigby, was born De
cember 24, 1859, in Media, Pennsylvania, and
was educated in the public schools of his native
town. After completing his course of study he
became associated in business with his father,
and, on the death of the latter, succeeded to the
proprietorship of the establishment, which he has
conducted successfully for many years. He is
a member of George W. Bertram Lodge, No.
298, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, and
Media Chapter No. 234, Royal Arch Masons.
In politics he is a Republican, and the confidence
with which he is regarded by his townsmen is
best indicated by the fact that he is now serv
ing his second term as a member of the city coun
cil. He and his family attend the Protestant
Episcopal church.
Mr. Rigby married, October 20, 1881, Ara
bella, daughter of Amos and Susan (Worrell)
Bond, of Marple. The following children have
been born to them : Bessie, deceased ; George
H., who is in business with his father; Helen,
deceased ; James ; Nelson ; Jennie, deceased, and
Esther Rigby. Mr. Rigby resides in the house
in which he was born.

SAMUEL R. HUNTER. The Hunter fam
ily of Delaware county, Pennsylvania, of which
Samuel R. Hunter, a retired agriculturist, is
a member, were of Scotch-Irish descent and were
early settlers in Delaware county, where they pur
chased a large estate in Newtown township. His
great-grandfather, James Hunter, married
Martha Levis, of Springfield township, and their
children were : Samuel, J. Morgan, Peter, Han
nah, Martha, Rachel, Mary, Sydney, Ann, and
Sarah Hunter.
Samuel Hunter, grandfather of Samuel R.
Hunter, was born in Radnor township, Delaware
county, where his entire life was spent in the

122

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

occupation of fanning, in which pursuit he was
eminently successful. He married Hannah Ed
wards, and two children were born to them,
namely: Elizabeth and J. Morgan. Elizabeth
became the wife of Edward Tomlinson, and their
children were : Rachel, who is still living ; and J.
Morgan, who enlisted at the outbreak of the Civil
war, and during an engagement was so seriously
wounded that he died from the effects of the
hurt. Mr. Hunter died in 1802, after a brief but
useful life, survived by his widow, who passed
away at the extreme old age of ninety-four years.
J. Morgan Hunter, father of Samuel R.
Hunter, was born March 26, 1801, in Radnor
township, and very early in life found a home
with his paternal grandfather. At the age of
seven he removed to Newtown township, and
remained with an uncle, John Hunter, until six
teen years of age, when he learned the trade of
blacksmith in Chester county. He continued ac
tively employed at his trade until 1828, when he
removed to Marple township and engaged in
farming on land belonging to his wife. In 1852
he settled in Upper Providence, purchased a
farm, and ten years later (1862) erected a spa
cious and handsome residence in which the re
maining years of his life were spent, free from
the cares of active business pursuits. In politics
he was formerly an old-line Whig, but later was
a strong adherent of the Republican party. Mr.
Hunter married Eliza Rhoades, a daughter of
John and Rachel Rhoades ; she was born Janu
ary 21, 1799, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Their children are : Rachel and Hannah, twins ;
Rachel became the wife of Nathan H. Yarnall,
both now deceased, and they were the parents of
one son, J. Morgan, who married Ida Baley, and
they had one son ; Hannah became the wife of
Richard Baldwin, and their children are : Frank -
lyn, Richard and William ; Samuel R., mentioned
hereinafter; Emily, wife of Isaac S. Cassin, and
their children are : Eliza, John, Isaac and Emily ;
Sarah Jane, wife of Dr. James Hoey, of Phila
delphia, and they are the parents of four living
children: Samuel H., Robert, James and Olita,
wife of Dr. Duffield, of Camden. The father of
these children died in December, 1886, his wife
having previously- died in 1874.
Samuel R. Hunter, only son of J. Morgan
and Eliza Hunter, was born in Springfield town
ship, Delaware county, Pennsylvania, January
27, 1827. His early life was spent in attendance
at the village school, where he acquired a practi
cal education, and in assisting his father with the
work upon the farm. Upon attaining young man
hood he devoted his attention to agricultural pur
suits which he followed ever since, meeting
with a marked degree of success so that of late
years he has been enabled to live in retirement and
enjoy the fruits of his many years of toil.

On March 3, 1853, Mr. Hunter married Caro
line Williamson, a daughter of Adam B. and
Sarah (Phillips) Williamson, of Newtown,
Pennsylvania. Their children are: Annie C,
wife of Dillwyn Lewis, and their two sons are:
D. Hunter and Horace M. Lewis; Lizzie H.,
wife of Joseph S. Keller, of Philadelphia, Penn
sylvania, and three children have been born to
them : J. Walter, Albert S., and Elizabeth Keller.

PENNELL LARKIN WEBSTER. Wil
liam Webster, founder of the Webster family in
Delaware county, Pennsylvania, was twice mar
ried, his second wife being Agnes Yarnell. They
had two sons and two daughters, Caleb, William,
Phoebe, and Ruth.
William Webster, son of William artd Agnes
(Yarnell) Webster, was born at Middletown,
Delaware county, Pennsylvania, in 1815. From
his Quaker parentage he inherited the love of
quiet pursuits, and never entered into the activi
ties of the business and political world, preferring
rather the uneventful farm life to which he had
been bred. He inherited also that love of books
that caused his Quaker ancestors to found schools
throughout all the country districts of Pennsyl
vania, and which laid the foundation for a higher
education resulting later in the colleges in Bryn
Mawr, Haverford and Swarthmore. It has been
claimed that in the time of the Revolution as
many as fifty elementary schools had been or
ganized, and that illiterate Quakers were un
known. Educated at Westtown, Chester county, Wil
liam became an efficient and successful school
teacher, only leaving this occupation to enter
upon that of farming, for which he always had a
preference. About this time he married Eliza
beth, daughter of Salkeld and Mary (Pennell)
Larkin, of Delaware. They had eleven children,
Hannah, who married Samuel Moore, who had
been the husband of her sister Ruth Anna ; Sarah
L., who married Joseph W. Jones ; Nathan and
Rebecca, who died in childhood ; Edward, who
married Emma England: Ruth Anna, who was
Mrs. Samuel Moore and died in 1880, leaving two
children, Plannah and Elizabeth ; William, who
married Cynthia D. Kester; Pennell Larkin;
Owen Y., who married Clara England; Eliza
beth; and Richard G., who married Annie Hut
ton, daughter of William Hutton. Of these only
Sarah, William, Pennell, Owen, Elizabeth and
Richard are living. Mr. Webster always at
tended the Friends' Meeting. Although not par
ticularly active in politics, yet he believed that
man's welfare depended on the enactment and
enforcement of certain laws by civil government.
With this conviction, he always gave his indi
vidual support by his vote, and was a firm adher-

aC/a^o~\rd^ dtAAn*fo

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

123

ent of the Republican party. He died in 1891,
his Wife having died in 1877.
Pennell Larkin Webster, son of William and
Elizabeth (Larkin) Webster, was born at Mid
dletown, Delaware county, Pennsylvania, July 9,
1853. In early childhood he attended the public
schools of Middletown, and when sufficiently ad
vanced in his studies he became a student in the
Friends' Boarding School at Westtown, Chester
county, Pennsylvania. He resided on his father's
farm during his school days, until 1878,
when he engaged in farming on his own account,
then took up the creamery business in Chester
county, where he followed this occupation for
two years. In 1883 he opened a creamery which
he retained until 1899, when he established a
milk depot in Media in which he is still inter
ested. He has always been affiliated with the
Quakers, and is treasurer of the Monthly Meet
ing, which is the executive body of that district.
He has always maintained an interest in educa
tional affairs, and is a member of the school
committee. In 1878 Mr. Webster married Mary Y. Yar
nell, and they lived for some time on the old Yar
nell homestead, well-known in that section. They
have two children; I. Herbert, born May 8, 1879,
and who was educated at Westtown, completing
his studies at Haverford; he is at present assist
ant treasurer of the Philadelphia Pneumatic Tube
Company; he married Miss Mary K. Hacken-
sack. His sister, Anna Grace, born February 13,
1880, was also educated at Westtown, and is a
teacher at the Friends' School in Philadelphia.

DAVID TULLY, D. D., of Media, Pennsyl
vania, was born August 29, 1818, in Birgham,
Scotland, and is a son of Andrew and Catherine
(Dickey) Tully. In 1829 they came to
Canada, and settled in Peterboro county,
Ontario, where Andrew Tully engaged in
agricultural pursuits, in which he combin
ed thorough knowledge with great practical
skill. He and his wife were the parents of
eight children, including David. The names of
the others are : John, a farmer residing in Can
ada; Andrew, a graduate of the second class of
Lafayette College, who entered the ministry, and
died in Portland, Pennsylvania ; William, a farm
er in Canada ; Margaret, who married Hugh Mc
Afee ; George, a farmer of Iowa ; Mary, ¦ who
died in 1847 I and Robert, who lives as a farmer
on the old homestead. The family were devoted
Presbyterians. Andrew Tully, the father, died
in the ninetieth year of his age, and his wife
passed away at seventy, from the effects of a fall.
Dr. Tully was educated in the United States.
In 1847 he graduated from Union College,
Schenectady, New York, being at the same time

an alumnus of Lafayette College, of Pennsyl
vania. In 1850 he graduated from Princeton
Theological Seminary, and the same year was
ordained pastor of the Presbyterian church,
Princetown, New York. After a successful pas
torate of five years he was called to the Presby
terian church of Ballston Spa, New York, where
he remained eleven years. Shortly after the
breaking out of the Civil war Dr. Tully was elect
ed chaplain of the Seventy-seventh New York
Volunteers, by popular vote of the members. His
church gave him leave of absence, and he went
through the campaign of the Peninsula under
McClellan, was at the siege of Yorktown, the
battle of Williamsburg, and the seven days' bat
tle. In 1866 he was called to the First Presby
terian church of Belvidere, New Jersey, whence
he was summoned in 1872, after an extremely
fruitful pastorate, to take charge of the First
Presbyterian church of Oswego, New York.
The fourteen years which he spent there were
years of much spiritual growth, and the church
was in a most flourishing condition when in 1886,
he was induced to become the pastor of the Me
dia Presbyterian church, where he has since re
mained. His pastorate has been marked by much
prosperity, both spiritual and material. The
church has been beautified and improved, a pipe-
organ has taken the place of the old parlor organ,
and other improvements have been made. Dr.
Tully has travelled extensively, has crossed the
continent several times, has been in Canada, Mex
ico, the West Indies, the British Isles, and has
traversed the continent of Europe and visited
Palestine. Of his powers of observation and of
relating what he has seen, his interesting lec
tures on Syria, Constantinople, and the Turks
have given abundant proof. In June, 1900, oc
curred the fiftieth anniversary of Dr. Tully's
ordination to the ministry. This was made the
occasion of a celebration by his church in Media,
the members of which united with his brethern
in the ministry in expressing their affection for
Dr. Tully, and their heartfelt appreciation of
the faithful service which he has rendered among
them. In addition to many letters of congratu
lation from personal friends, words of loving
and grateful remembrance were received from
each of the churches of which he had formerly
been pastor. Among the reminiscences natur
ally evoked by the occasion was the memory of
the time when in 1848 Dr. Tully labored in Al
bany, New York, among the seamen and boat
men for the Bethel Society of that city, and dur
ing the cholera epidemic in 1849. He has since
resigned the pulpit and the church elected him
pastor emeritus.
Dr. Tully is a life director of the American
Bible Society, a life member of the American
Board of Foreign Missions, the American Tract

124

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

Society, and both the Foreign and Home Mission
Boards of the Presbyterian church. He has
represented his Presbytery at the General As
sembly eight times, and was a member of the As
sembly at the re-union of the Old and New
School bodies, and the representative of the
church at the first General Assembly of the Ca
nadian church in Toronto in 1870. In 1886 he
received from Kings College, Bristol, Tennes
see, the degree of Doctor of Divinity. He
is chaplain of the G. A. R. Post of Media,
is also a member of the Loyal Legion Com
mander)- of Pennsylvania, and holds the nominal
office of chaplain of the Media Fire Department.

CHARLES POTTS, of Media, Pennsyl
vania, the son of Joseph K. and Sidney (Bonsall)
Potts, was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,
December 9, 1825. His great-grandfather was
John Potts, who was born at Germantown,
Pennsylvania, in 1710. He married Ruth Savage
in 1734, and died January 7, 1786.
Joseph Potts, the son of John and Ruth
(Savage) Potts, was born March 12, 1742. He
was a merchant in Philadelphia and well known
in business circles. He was noted for his liber-
¦ ality in contributing to philanthropic and charita
ble objects, and in 1768 he gave one hundred
pounds to the Philadelphia Hospital. He
-married Mary Morris, and they had one son,
Joseph K. Potts, who was born in Philadelphia,
April 20, 1789. He received a business educa
tion, and early in life engaged in a mercantile
enterprise, subsequently acting as clerk in the
¦United States Bank until 1840. For the follow
ing ten years he lived in the country, afterwards
-returning to Philadelphia, where he resided dur
ing the remainder of his life.
He was married at Frankford, Pennsylvania,
January 11, 1822, to Sidney, daughter of Isaac
and Mercy (Millhouse) Bonsall. Isaac Bonsall,
a son of Edward Bonsall, was at one time su
perintendent of the Insane Asylum at Frankford.
Sidney Bonsall, the wife of Joseph K. Potts,
was born in Chester county, Pennsylvania, Sep
tember 9, 1799. Mr. and Mrs. Potts had a family
of eight children whose names were as follows :
1. Mary, born January 24, 1824; 2. Charles,
born December 9, 1825 ; 3. Anna, born October
27, 1827; 4. Edward, born December 19, 1829;
5. Frances, born July 28, 1832 ; 6. Joseph, born
November 4, 1834; 7. William, born May 5,
1838; 8. Elizabeth, born June 25, 1841. Mr.
Potts was of Quaker descent and a member of
the Society of Friends. In political affairs he
was allied with the Whig faction. He died in
1861 ; his wife died in 1883.
Charles Potts, their oldest son, attended the
Friends' School in Philadelphia, and on complet

ing his studies there spent two years at West-
town. After leaving school he adopted the oc
cupation of farming, following this pursuit in
the valley between Penningtonville, now Atglen,
and Parkesburg for two years, after which he
worked for his father for some time. In 1848
he was engaged as a teacher in the English
department of the Westtown school, filling this
position for three years. At the end of this
period he returned to his former employment of
farming for a few years, then again accepted
the position of teacher in the Westtown school
where he remained for twenty-five years. In
1887, he became the owner of a farm near Media,
Pennsylvania, residing there until 1893, when
he retired from all active work and settled in
Media, where he still lives a somewhat secluded
life. He is an overseer of the Meeting of the
Society of Friends. He is a member of council
of the Delaware Valley Naturalists' Union, of
council of the Pennsylvania Forestry Associa
tion, and of the Delaware County Institute of
Sciences, of which he is vice-president.
He was married in 185 1, to Anna A., daughter
of Thomas and Sarah (Garrett) McCullom;
they have one son, Franklin M., born in 1855,
who is president of the Pennsylvania Warehouse
Company of Philadelphia. Philip Garrett,
maternal grandfather of Mrs. Potts, was an ex
tensive manufacturer of locomotives and sent
-men to Russia to start the plant for the Czar.
Edward Potts, brother of, Charles Potts, is a
well known scientist and a specialist on sponges,
having a variety named after him in Europe,
he being: the discoverer of the same.

CHARLES MOORE, a successful farmer of
Upper Providence, Delaware county, Pennsyl
vania, is the oldest living male descendant of
Charles Moore, who emigrated to America in
1682. Charles Moore, the present bearer of the
name, was born September 21, 1839, on the old
homestead, and is the son of Philip and Hannah
(Hale) Moore. His boyhood was passed on the
farm and at the age of sixteen he entered mer
cantile life, in which he was engaged at the open
ing of the Civil war. He enlisted, August 19,
1862, in Company D, One Hundred and Twenty-
fourth Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteer In
fantry. He was attached to the Army of the
Potomac, and participated in all the engagements
in which his regiment took part, until the ex
piration of his term of service. After the war
he remained with his father until 1870, resid
ing for a few years thereafter in various places.
In 1879 he purchased the Pratt-Bishop farm of
one hundred and five acres in Upper Provi-

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

125

-dence, which he has since made his home. The
estate is under careful cultivation and is especially
devoted to the purposes of milk dairying, in which
the owner has engaged with marked success.
In politics Mr. Moore is a Republican.
On March 24, 1870, Mr. Moore married Pris
cilla P., daughter of Pratt and Mathilda (Yar-
nold) Bishop. The former was the son of
Emery and Jane (Marlin) Bishop. Emery, who
was the son of Thomas Bishop, established a
rolling mill on his own land, and was the first
man to use coal for the purpose of melting iron.
Pratt Bishop was the father of nine daughters :
Margaret ; Priscilla, mentioned above as the wife
of Charles Moore; Debbie, Emma, Mathilda,
Ida, Hannah and Alice. Mr. and Mrs. Moore
are the parents of two children: Alice B., who
is the wife of Walter Wood ; and Philip, who is
a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania,
and holds a position in the First National Bank
of Media.

WILLIAM C. ALEXANDER, a member
of the Delaware county bar, was born at Thorn
ton, Delaware county, Pennsylvania, November
.12, 1870. He is a son of Thomas B. and Maggie
C. Alexander, and his father was killed in an
accident on the Philadelphia & Reading Rail
road when the child was but five years old. His
sister Bertha, aged seven months, died a month
prior to the death of the father. Mrs. Alexander
became a nurse in order to support herself and
.her son. She sent the boy to school until he was
eleven years old, when by reason of declining
health Mrs. Alexander was compelled to give
up nursing, and he went to live with an uncle,
G. Pearson Cloud, a farmer, in East Goshen
township, Chester county. Here he earned his
board and clothes and attended the country
school. One of his teachers at Rocky Hill was
W. Roger Fronefield, now a prominent member
of the Media bar, with whom he afterward read
law, and to whom he is indebted for much of the
best formative influence of his life.
Mr. Alexander was for a time a student at
the West Chester Normal School, and after
ward taught for two terms in Kennet township.
He then entered Prickett's Business College in
Philadelphia, and finishing a course there was
employed as shipping clerk by the John M.
Rowe Son & Company. This position he ga*e
up to enter the employ of the Pennsylvania Rail
road, where he remained for six years as clerk
in the transportation department at the Broad
street station. During this time he gave his
evenings to the study of law with his old teacher,
Roger Fronefield. As his reading progressed, he
gave up his position in the railroad office and
became assistant to the recorder of deeds of

Delaware county, Dr. Thomas Young, where
the work was more in line with his ambition,
and afforded him opportunity for study. His
persistence was rewarded, when in March, 1897,
he was admitted on examination to the Delaware
county bar. Since then he has had an office in
Media, where his thorough preparation and habit
of work have brought him an increasing client
age. He is now solicitor for the directors of
the poor, of Delaware county. Mr. Alexander
is a Republican, and stumped the county for
Governor Stone during his campaign.
On May 7, 1892, Mr. Alexander married
Mae F., the daughter of John D. Erisman, a
florist of Kennet Square, and Mary E., his wife.
One child, Beatrice Zadie, was born to Mr. and
Mrs. Alexander, November 22, 1893.

J. LORD RIGBY. Among the prominent
business men of Delaware county who take an
active interest in the public affairs and general
¦welfare of the community is J. Lord Rigby, the
efficient manager of the Land Title Trust Com
pany, of Philadelphia. His father was James
P. Rigby, who came to this country from Stock
port, England, in 1854, and took up his abode in
Wilmington, Delaware. On his arrival there he
engaged in the manufacture of woolen goods,
and in his business ventures he achieved marked
success. His wife bore the maiden name of
Elizabeth R. Scanlan, she being a daughter of
John Scanlan, of Paoli, Chester county, Penn
sylvania, and he was engaged in the lime-burn
ing business at Christiana, Lancaster county, this
state. The following children were born of this
-union: Mary H., who became the wife of John
MeGraw, and they have four children : Annie
E., the wife of George Standring and the mother
of one child; Edward H., who married Elsie
Snyder, by whom he has one child ; Harry H.,
who is still with his parents in Media ; Margaret
H., also at home; and J. Lord, whose name in
troduces this review.
J. Lord Rigby is a native son of Delaware
county, Pennsylvania, where his birth- occurred
on the 4th of August, 1864. His elementary
education was received in the public schools of
his native locality, and this was later supple
mented by a course in the College of Commerce
at Philadelphia, where he enjoyed superior ad
vantages. Desiring then to gain a knowledge of
the legal profession, he accordingly began the
study of law under the preceptorship of E. A.
Price, of Media, thus continuing for four years,
but he has never entered the legal arena as a
practitioner. On the expiration of his four years
of study Mr. Rigby accepted a position with the
Land Title Trust Company, of Philadelphia, and
so well did he perform the duties devolving upon

126

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

him therein that he rose to the office of manager,
of which he is the present incumbent. He has
won prosperity in the business world, and by his
good fellowship, genial disposition and true
worth of character has become popular with a
large circle of acquaintances.
Mr. Rigby was united in marriage to Miss
Annie, a daughter of William Hurlow, a coal
merchant of Mount Carmel, Northumberland
county, Pennsylvania. Two children have been
born to brighten and bless their home, Hurlow
and Renee. In political matters Mr. Rigby gives
an unfaltering allegiance to the principles of the
Republican party, and, being a forceful and en
tertaining speaker, has many times occupied the
platform in state and national controversies.
His fraternal relations connect him with the Ma
sonic order, and in his social relations he is a
member of the Keystone Club, of Chester, Penn
sylvania, the Radnor Republican Club, the Young-
Men's Republican Club, the Fernwood Repub
lican Club, the Media Social Club, and is serv
ing as president of the last named society. Dur
ing his life he has been an extensive traveler,
visiting the many points of interest in both this
country and Canada, and has thus gained that
knowledge which travel alone can bring. The
family occupy a beautiful home in Media, sur
rounded by all the comforts and many of the
luxuries of life, and in this city the parents of
Mr. Rigby also reside.

HON. JOHN M. BROOMALL, deceased,
was during a long and active career one of the
most able and conspicuously useful men of his
day. A distinguished member of the Pennsyl
vania bar, his career as a lawyer covered the
phenomenal period of more than a half -century.
For nearly the same period he was a prominent
political leader, first in the Whig party, and, after
its dissolution, in the Republican party, which he
aided in founding. His activities were not con
fined to those fields in which he won for himself
a nation-wide fame, but extended to local affairs,
and he was a prime factor in promoting the in
terests of his home community along commercial,
educational and other lines.
Mr. Broomall was of English Quaker descent,
and the family from which he sprang was planted
in Pennsylvania in the early colonial days of Wil
liam Penn. His immigrant ancestor, John
Broomall (i), came about 1682 or 1684, and ob
tained land in what is now East Bradford, Chester
county, and in the old county records of 1710
his name appears as a land holder in West
Chester. He subsequently settled in Nether
Providence, Delaware county. He died 6mo., 23,
1729, and his will dated, 4 mo., 29, 1729;
and proved 8 mo., 21, 1729, makes his wife

Mary executor of his estate, and names his chil
dren — John, Lydia, Ellen, Mary and Jane.
John (2), only son of John Broomall (1),
was born prior to 1700, and was the first of the
family born in America. He died at his farm in
East Howellsville, in 1730, from injuries received
in falling from a load of hay. He married 8 mo.,
12, 1720, Anne Lewis, who was borri in Phila
delphia. Their children were Daniel and David.
Daniel (3), son of John (2) and Anne
(Lewis) Broomall, was born in 1728, and died
4 mo., 2, 1817, at the advanced age of eighty-
nine years. He was owner of a large farm in
Chester Creek, in Thornbury township, which
was until a recent date in the ownership of his
grandsons Abraham and Daniel. He married, in
1751, Martha, who died 5 mo., 3, 1812, daughter
of Joseph and Hannah Talbot, and great-great-
granddaughter of George and Alice Maris, of
Springfield township, Delaware county. They
were the parents of the following named children :
1. Hannah, married John Smith; 2. John; 3.
Daniel, married Sarah Worrall; 4. Nehemiah,
married Mary Robinson; 5. Isaac, married Lydia
Neal; 6. James, married Hannah Dutton; 7.
Jacob, married Phcebe Broomall ; 8. Rachel, mar
ried Caleb Tefnple ; 9. David ; 10. Elizabeth, mar
ried Isaac Frame; 11. Nathan, married Hannah
G. Connor, and they were the godparents of the
wife of Judge Pennypacker; 12. Joseph, married
Elizabeth Yeats, and (second) Phoebe Brown.
John (4), second child and eldest son of
Daniel and Martha (Talbot) Broomall, was born
11 mo., 8, 1760. He spent his youth on the pater
nal farm in Thornbury township. He was four
times married. He married, according to the
discipline of Friends' at Concord Meeting, 1 mo.,
4, 1796, Susanna, daughter of Thomas and Ruth
Wilson. She died without issue, 12 mo., 19,
1798. John Broomall married (second) 6 mo.,
7, 1804, Sarah, buried 6 mo., 15, 1806, daughter
of Joseph and Mary Sharpless. For his third
wife John Broomall married. 3 mo., 14, 181 1,
Sarah, daughter of George and Elizabeth
(Reynolds) Martin. She died, 4 mo., 12, 1819,
leaving four children — George, Elizabeth and
John M. (twins), and Martha, who died at the
age of nine years. John Broomall married
(fourth) 7 mo., 4, 1822, Ann, daughter of Samuel
and Sarah Townsend, of Newtown, New Jersey.
She died in 1836, and her husband lived a
widower twelve years, dying 3 mo., 6, 1848, aged
nearly eighty-eight years, and was buried in the
burying ground at Chichester Meeting House.
John Martin Broomall (5) son of John and
Sarah (Martin) Broomall, was born January 19,
1816, in Upper Chichester township, Delaware
county, Pennsylvania. He was reared upon the
home farm and was educated in the schools of
the Society of Friends and in Samuel Smith's

'^ZaxyHjhCo BvLi&^to*-

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

127

boarding school in Wilmington, Delaware, and
he was for a time a teacher in the last named in
stitution. He began his legal studies in Phila
delphia under the preceptorship of the eminent
legist, jurist and author, John Bouvier, and com
pleted them under Samuel Edwards, a leading
lawyer of Delaware county. Mr. Broomall was
admitted to the bar on August 24, 1840, and at
once entered upon the profession in which he soon
gained an advanced position and to which he de
voted himself with unabated zeal and ability un
til his last illness. It was his great distinction
from a midway point in his career until its close,
to enjoy recognition among his professional col
leagues as the foremost of them all, and it was
no uncommon expression among suitors to say
that, with Mr. Broomall against them, their case
was half lost before the trial had begun. He
was a close and logical reasoner upon legal topics,
and was often powerful before the court in his
discussion of principles and precedents, but he
was at his best before the jury. His deep know
ledge of human nature made him all-powerful in
his persuasive advocacy. He was a legal strate
gist. His cases were often won by fixing upon
some particularly strong point, and by keeping
it continually before the jury. He was spoken of
as "an uncurable competitor," and he had the
faculty of introducing some favorable feature of
his case, regardless of the restrictions of the laws
of evidence. While his profound knowledge of
law made him a master in all its various fields,
he was particularly renowned in criminal law,
and during almost his entire career appeared for
the defense in cases of homicide, and in nearly
all obtaining either entire acquittal or acquittal
of first-degree murder. His zealous interest in
such cases was not due to his desire for gain, for
he was rarely paid for his services, but was
prompted 'by an inveterate hostility to capital
punishment. This opposition probably having its
foundation in his Quaker heredity, manifested
itself in him early in his youth, and gradually in
tensified throughout his life, until he would go
to almost any extreme to save a fellow creature
from the gallows. The court records and the
journals of the days contain many narratives of
cases in which he achieved notable success, but
for these there is no space in these pages. When
Delaware county became a separate judicial dis
trict, the bar made unanimous recommendation
of Mr. Broomall for the position of president
judge, to which he was appointed by the gov
ernor. He was commissioned early in 1874, and
served until January 1, 1875. Of the cases tried
before him, only about a half dozen were appealed,
and all of these were sustained upon review. Un
doubtedly Judge Broomall would have attained
to a high position upon the bench, had not the
loeic of events thrown him into another field.
g 9X

Judge Broomall, from his earliest life, was a
determined opponent of human slavery, and he
came to be numbered among the most aggressive
in the movements for its overthrow. Allied with
the Whig party, the time came when its younger
element in the county, in casting about for a
leader, selected Mr. Broomall, whose prominence
at the bar and forcefulness as a speaker were
already established. He was nominated for the
legislature, and was elected, and served most
creditably in the sessions of 185 1 and 1852, tak
ing a prominent part in state legislation. He
declined to again become a candidate, and he also
refused the nomination of the Whig party for a
seat in congress, declining in favor of William
Everhart, of Chester county. He accepted the
candidacy in 1854, but was defeated by the
Democratic candidate, John Hickman, Mr..
Broomall having made opponents of many of
those who desired to support him, by his refusal,.
out of conscientious objection to affiliation witb
secret orders or parties, to connect himself with
the Know Nothings.
Mr. Broomall aided in the organization of
the new Republican party in Delaware county,
in 1856, and the same year was nominated by
the Republicans of the county for a seat in con
gress. In the other county in the district
(Chester) Mr. Bowan was nominated, and, rather
than divide the party in its initial campaign, Mr.
Broomall withdrew. In 1858 he was again nomi
nated in Delaware county and also in Chester
county. Mr. Hickman, who had been elected at
the previous election, now appeared as an inde
pendent candidate and received many Republican
votes because of his break with President
Buchanan, and was elected. In i860 Mr. Hick
man, having now fully renounced the Democratic
party, was nominated for congress by the Repub
licans in both counties, and received Mr. Broom-
all's cordial support.
Mr. Broomall's political career had a new be
ginning in 1862. In that year' he was nominated
by the Republicans in both the counties of Dela
ware and Chester, and was elected, being re
turned to his seat by two successive re-elections.
He entered upon his duties at a crucial period of
the Civil war, and until the close of that momen
tous struggle he took an able part in all military
and financial legislation, and he was a potent
factor in the moulding of the legislation which
conferred full civil and political rights upon the
black as well as the white man. During his en
tire congressional service he was a member of
the committee on accounts and the committee on
expenditures, and was chairman of the latter body
in his last term, and in his second term he was a
member of a special committee (and for a con
siderable time its chairman) sent to Memphis to
investigate the riots in that city. He was among

128

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

the foremost of his party in struggling for the
abolition of slavery, and he took a very active
part in all debates upon slavery, finance and other
leading issues. On February 7, 1865, he deliv
ered a masterly speech on civil rights, which Mr.
Blaine (in his "Twenty Years of Congress") said
was "the .finest specimen of terse and strong Eng
lish known to the American Congress," and the
same high authority testified of Mr. Broomall
that he was "an independent thinker, a keen de
bater, inflexible in principle, untiring in effort."
During all the time of his congressional service
Mr. Broomall was closely associated with the
foremost men of the times — Blaine, Stevens, Gar
field, Butler, and others and he possessed the
intimate friendship of the great Lincoln. His
high abilities were warmly appreciated by these
eminent statesmen, and his ability and sagacity
commanded the plaudits of his opponents, as Mr.
Randall, a Democratic leader, who said of him
that he was one to whom recourse was generally
had for any ingenious and skillful management
of the course of legislation, and that, when his
plans were once adopted, Stevens, Butler, Blaine
and others were sent to the front to do the pon
derous hitting. Mr. Broomall was an ardent ad
mirer and warm friend of Thaddeus Stevens, and,
as his eulogist upon the occasion of the memorial
proceedings in congress after his death, paid a
glowing tribute to his services in behalf of the
colored race.
Mr. Broomall's patriotism was not of a type
which would permit him to confine his effort to
the halls of legislation. Twice during the period
of his service as a congressman, he also per
formed the duty of a soldier. In 1862, when Lee's
army threatened Washington with capture and
Pennsylvania with invasion, he took the field as
captain commanding Company C, Sixteenth Regi
ment, Pennsylvania Militia, and in the following
year, previous to the battle of Gettysburg, he
served from June 19 to August 1st in command
of Company C, Twenty-ninth Regiment Emer
gency Men.
In the field of politics proper, Mr. Broomall
kept an unspotted record. In his campaigns in
his district, during which he delivered a greater
number of speeches than any other speaker, he
never used money nor ever made or promised an
appointment to office to further his own interests.
He held others to the same standard which he
set for himself, and contended for honesty at all
times and in all places. Thus, while a member
of the legislature, he was a determined opponent
of the influence on state politics and legislation
exercised by powerful corporations, particularly
the Pennsylvania Railroad. Out of such consid
erations, also, in the first national Republican
convention in Chicago, in i860, in which he was
a delegate, he declined to be a follower of General

Cameron, and was one of three men of the Penn
sylvania delegation who from the first cast their
votes for Abraham Lincoln, thus leading the
break which resulted in his nomination. Mr.
Broomall was a member of the electoral college
in i860 and again in 1872, when his votes were
cast for Lincoln and Grant respectively.
Mr. Broomall performed highly useful service
as a member of the Pennsylvania Constitutional
Convention of 1874. He was a member of the
two most important committees, the committee
on judiciary and committee on taxation, and was
chairman of the last named. He took a diligent
part in all the transactions of the convention.
Holding advanced ground upon all questions of
organic law, he ably advocated, but unsuccess
fully, the incorporation in the constitution of a
provision against capital punishment, and an
other for the extension of political rights to
women. Mr. Broomall was a charming personality, a
rare compound of womanly tenderness and self-
assertive virility. He could rise to a height of
aggressiveness almost passionate, but it was ever
in defense of the wronged. He was endowed with
ready sympathy for his fellow man, particularly
the poor and afflicted, and he viewed the criminal
with pitying compassion, deeming him rather the
victim of circumstances, the creature of heredity
and environment, and contending that he should
be corrected by reformation rather than visited
with severe penalties. He was touchingly fond
of children, and strenuously opposed their pun
ishment lest they might misunderstand it
and be incited to rebellion against the exer
cise of power. In brief, his personal life
bore ample evidence of his Quaker birth and
rearing. It is curious and interesting to note
that while he had been disowned by the So
ciety of Friends because of his first marriage
being "out of meeting," he never bore enmity
towards that people, was a constant attendant at
their meetings and frequently a speaker at the
Providence meeting in Media, and yet resisted
all solicitations to resume his formal member
ship. His intellectual faculties were strong, and
he was a powerful analytical reasoner. He was
eloquent in speech, yet simple in language, con
fining himself as far as possible to the unstilted,
vigorous, deep meaning words of the English
Bible and Shakespeare. He delighted in music
and poetry, and would for hours recite for his
own amusement, or in the social circle, verses
from his favorite British and American poets.
Mr. Broomall was twice married. His first
wife, to whom he was wed October 14, 1841, was
Elizabeth, a daughter of Joseph and Martha
Booth, who died March 19, 1848, leaving to her
husband two children, William B. and Anna E.,
another, Joseph J., having died. September 29,

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

129

1853, Mr. Broomall married Caroline L., daugh
ter of John Larkin, Jr., of Chester, and to them
were born five children — John L., John M., Jr.,
Henry L., Caroline L, and Carolus M., of whom
Henry L. and Carolus M. survive.
Mr. Broomall resided in Media from i860
until his death. He was of frail constitution and
in youth held out little hope of extending his
life to more than the scriptural limit of three
score years and ten. But his nervous activity de
veloped an energy which rendered him untiring
in effort, and conquered every physical weakness.
His health did not suffer serious impairment until
December, 1893, when he was attacked with
pneumonia, which left him with an enfeebled heart,
and death came to him on June 3, 1894. His death
was a deep sorrow to the entire community, and
all classes united in paying respect to the memory
of a loved friend. The Delaware County Institute
of Science, of which the deceased was an
active member, and, for many years and to the
time of his death the president, held a special
meeting. Mr. Charles Potts, who presided, paid
a glowing tribute to the illustrious dead. Various
members read papers descriptive of the leading
characteristics of Mr. Broomall — Thomas V.
Cooper, on "The Political Career of Hon. John
M. Broomall;" Miss Graceanna Lewis on "Mr.
Broomall as a Philanthropist;" and Benjamin C.
Potts on "Mr. Broomall as President of the Insti
tute." Extemporaneous remarks were made by
Captain Isaac Johnson, on the life and public
services of Mr. Broomall ; the Rev. S. A. Heilner
on his life from a religious standpoint ; and Dr.
Brinton on his usefulness to science and scientists.
The papers read, with an excellent biographical
history from the pen pf Mr. William B. Broomall,
son of the deceased, were printed in a memorial
pamphlet.  ¦+-*+ 
WILLIAM BOOTH BROOMALL traces
his descent from an ancestry remarkable because
of its association with the early settlement and
colonial development of the southwestern section
of Delaware county, and in all the lines in which
he derives descent his forebears have resided
within six miles of the place of his birth, except
ing in the one instance of the Dilworths, who
were located in Birmingham. It was at Dilworth-
town, named from the Dilworths, that General
Greene made his masterly stand which saved the
American army from destruction at the disastrous
battlefield of the Brandywine. In the paternal
line he represents in the fifth generation descent
from Anna Lewis ; in the sixth from John Talbot,
Margaret Battan and Elizabeth Acton; while in
the seventh, Margery Mendenhall, John Worre-
low, Thomas Marten, James Dilworth, Anna
Wain, Richard Webb, Henry Reynolds, Lewis
Davis, Florence Jones, Rebecca Hinde and Joseph

Baker. The eighth gives his descent from Will
iam Clayton, who settled at Marcus Hook before
the grant of the province to Penn, and, when.
Governor Markham formed his cabinet, Clayton
was one who took the oath of office, August 3,
1681. During 1683-84-85 he was a member of
Penn's provincial council. In the same genera
tion Mr. Broomall is descended from George
Maris, the first settler in Springfield, who gave
to that township the name it still bears.
In the maternal line he is in the fourth gen
eration from William Hoskins; in the fifth from
John Smith; sixth from Robert Booth, Betty
Caston, William Cloud, Robert Shelly and John
Davis; in the. seventh from William Buzby,
Elizabeth Acton, Joseph Niels and Rebecca
Hinde; while in the eighth from John Dutton,
Henry Reynolds and John Kingsman. In the
ninth he descends from John Simcock, who in
1688, during the quarrel between Penn and the
assembly, was commissioned by Penn as one of
his deputies or "Leiftenants." To John Simcock,
Penn patented more than half of the present
township of Ridley. Hence, in Mr. Broomall's
case is exemplified Deborah Logan's declaration
showing "in a good degree the advantages of
stability which a family acquires by being fixed
in its place of residence."
William Booth Broomall, the eldest son of Hon.
John M. and Elizabeth (Booth) Broomall, was
born January 30, 1843, m tne house still standing
at the northeast corner of Market Square and
Third street. His father, one of the eminent men
of Pennsylvania, when his son was two years old,
purchased a farm in Upper Chichester, near the
present Boothwyn, which he tilled until 1848,
when he returned to Chester and resumed the
practice of law. The lad was placed in the school
conducted by Joseph Taylor, in the second story
of the Penn buildings, Market Square, and later
was instructed in the classics and higher mathe
matics by James G. Riddle, a learned but eccen
tric resident of Chester. In September, 1856,
Mr. Broomall entered Haverford College, gradu
ating therefrom in July, 1861. Judge Broomall
had in the meanwhile removed to Media, where
his son entered the father's office. Among his
fellow students at law was Hon. James Barton,
Jr., and Hon. John B. Hinkson, both of whom
later filled the position of mayor of Chester.
When nineteen, W. B. Broomall enlisted in
Company D (Gideon's Band), Captain Norris
L. Yarnall, One Hundred and Twenty-fourth
Pennsylvania Infantry, and August 11, 1862,
was mustered into the service of the United
States with the rank of sergeant. A month later
(September 16), after a hard day's march, the
regiment, which had been without food for nearly
twenty-four hours, was ordered to take part in
the battle of Antietam, and from early light until

130

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

three o'clock in the afternoon of the following
day, held its position at the close of the engage
ment, although several times compelled to re
capture the ground, as the battle ebbed and
flowed. In the disastrous Chancellorsville cam
paign, the One Hundred and Twenty-fourth,
with other regiments, was thrown to the front
when the Eleventh Corps became panic stricken,
and for five hours held the Confederate veterans
in check, until, being outflanked, the line was
compelled to retire. In all the service of his regi
ment in the field, Mr. Broomall took active part,
although he was scarcely twenty, until his regi
ment was honorably discharged at Philadelphia,
on May 9, 1863.
He thereupon resumed the reading of law in
Broomall & Ward's office in Chester, and was
admitted to the bar of Delaware county, Febru
ary 28, 1864. By a strange error in the minutes
of court, his admission appears as of December
28, 1863. For more than three years he remained
in the office of his preceptors without seeking to
build up an individual practice. In January,
1867, a partnership was formed for one year,
comprising Hon. William Ward, David M. John
son and William B. Broomall. At the expiration
of this period Mr. Johnson withdrew, and the
firm became Ward & Broomall, which continued
until 1878, when Mr. Broomall withdrew. Up
to that time he seldom appeared in court in the
trial of cases, but so quickly did he attract pub
lic attention by his advocacy, exact reasoning
and profound knowledge of law, that in less than
two years he became the recognized leader of the
bar of Delaware county. In the spring of 1882
he was elected to the council of Chester, repre
senting what is now the sixth, seventh and eighth
wards. He was re-elected in 1884, but in the
fall of that year he resigned to accept the so-
licitorship of the Baltimore & Philadelphia Rail
road Company for this district.
From the time Mr. Broomall began individual
practice, there has rarely been a case involving
nice questions of law, or in which large amounts
were in litigation, in which he has not been en
gaged. In 1889, after the Union Railway Com
pany was authorized to lay tracks upon desig
nated streets, the Chester Street Railway Com
pany, represented by John G. Johnston, Esq.,
sought to restrain the former corporation from
the use of the streets of the city, but at the hear
ing Mr. Broomall so ably represented the facts
and law that the court sustained his contention,
with the result that the Union Railway Company
purchased the equipment of the Chester Street
Railway Company, miles of track were laid, and
the present system of street railway communica
tion was inaugurated. In the case, Swarthmore
& Morton Railway vs. the Chester Traction
Company, Mr. Broomall's argument, which was

followed by the supreme court in its opinion,
settled the question that one railway company,
in the exercise of eminent domain, cannot con
demn the road of another company for its own
purposes. In 1901 Mr. Broomall was the lead
ing counsel in the noted Robinson will case, a
litigation which attracted the attention of the
public throughout the state. Mr. Broomall has
rarely appeared in the criminal side of the courts,
but in the Pfitzenmeyer homicide proceedings,
the most dramatic and sensational trial in the an
nals of Delaware county, he was the leading coun
sel for Caroline Schmidt, indicted in 1891 for the
murder of her sister Emma Pfitzenmeyer. The
prosecution hinged largely upon medical expert
testimony, the witnesses for the state asserting
that both the carotid arteries had been cut, which,
if true, absolutely destroyed the theory of suicide,
the hypothesis upon whicn the defense was found
ed. Mr. Broomall produced the neck of the
dead woman before the jury, absolutely refuting
the testimony of the commonwealth's experts.
Since the Colt case, tried in New York, in 1841,
when the head of the murdered man was pro
duced at the trail, there had been no incident in
a criminal trial in the United States where such
proof had been introduced in court. The jury,
after a few minutes' deliberation, acquitted the
prisoner. In 1892 Mr. Broomall was leading
counsel in the William Brown homicide case,
where during a strike at the Standard Steel
Works, one of the strikers, attempting to intimi
date other workmen, was killed. The accused
parties were acquitted.
Mr. Broomall has been prominent in Masonic
circles for a score of years. He is past master
of Chester Lodge, No. 236, and for fifteen years
has been deputy grand master representing the
grand lodge in Delaware and Chester counties.
Since the organization of the Penn Club, in 1896,
he has been its presiding officer. In 1874 he
visited Europe, and since then has twice spent
his vacations abroad. In the western continent
he has traveled extensively in the United States,
Mexico and Canada, frequently in the interests
of clients as well as for pleasant recreation. He
has given considerable of his leisure to histori
cal investigation. His papers on William Lewis,
an old time leader of the Pennsylvania bar, and
on William Ward, read before the Delaware
County Historical Society, are valuable contri
butions to the annals of the state.
October 17, 1876, Mr. Broomall married Anna
M. Hinkson. A peculiar incident associated with
his marriage is that the wedding took place in
the same house where he was born thirty-three
years before, the property having passed through
many owners in the meanwhile. Mrs. Broomall
is a daughter of Joseph Engle and Anna (Black)
Hinkson, her mother being a daughter of Sam-

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

131

uel Black. Her grandparents were John and Abi
gail — daughter of Frederick and Abigail (Ver
non) Engle — Hinkson. Her great-grandpar
ents were John and Jane ( Morrow "I Hinkson,
who, prior to 1750 emigrated from county
Cavan, Ireland, and settled in Upper Providence
in Chester (now Delaware) county.

Margaret, born December 6, 1894, William B.,
Jr., born August 29, 1896, Virginia, born March
26, 1898, and Dorothy, born July 16, 1903.

HENRY L. BROOMALL, of English
Quaker descent, is a son of the Honorable John
M. Broomall, a complete sketch of whose life
appears on foregoing pages of this work, and
Caroline L. (Larkin) Broomall, and his birth oc
curred in Chester, Pennsylvania, April 12, i860.
Henry L. Broomall acquired an excellent
education by attendance at Swarthmore College
and under the preceptorship of private tutors.
From 1877 to 1880 he reported stenographically
all the important cases in the Delaware county
courts, and during the years 1879 and 1880
served in the capacity of instructor in stenogra
phy at Shortlidge's Academy in Media, Pennsyl
vania. Deciding to lead a professional life, he
began the study of law under his father, Hon.
John M. Broomall, and after passing a credia-
able examination he was admitted to the Dela
ware county bar, February 6, 1882, and to the
supreme court of the state two years later. Sub
sequently he practiced law with his brother, Wil
liam B. Broomall, in the city of Chester, and
with his father, Hon. John M. Broomall, in
Media, Pennsylvania, and, in 1894, he estab
lished his present law office in the latter named
borough where he now has an extensive and se
lect clientage. Mr. Broomall is serving as solici
tor for the Delaware county prison inspectors,
is also one of the directors of the Charter Na
tional Bank, and a potent factor in promoting
the scientific, professional and educational in
terests of the town in which he resides. He is
a member of the Academy of Natural Science of
Philadelphia, vice-president of the Delaware
County Institute of Science, a member of the
County Historical Society and the Media Club.
He adheres to the religious faith of his fore
fathers, that of the Quaker, and his political
affiliations are with the Republican party. He
has contributed many valuable articles to scien
tific periodicals on the subjects of anthropology
and linguistics and occasionally lectures on these
subjects before local organizations. From 1884
to 1888 Mr. Broomall devoted considerable time
to sea voyaging along the Atlantic coast, the
Gulf of Mexico and the West Indies.
On June 8, 1893, Mr. Broomall married Vir
ginia Snowden, daughter of Henry C. and Mary
E. (Brenner) Snowden. Their children are —

HARRY J. MAKIVER, since 1896 a success
ful and eminent member of the Delaware county
bar, also serving in the capacity of county so
licitor, is a progressive and public-spirited citi
zen, who is thoroughly in touch with modern ad
vancement and is a close student of all questions
which concern the public welfare.
He was born at Mortonville, Chester county,
Pennsylvania, February 3, 1871, a son of John
D. and Susen B. (Clark) Makiver, who now
reside at Russellville, Chester county, Pennsyl
vania. His preliminary education was acquired
at the Maplewood Institute, Concordville, Dela
ware county, and this was supplemented by at
tendance at the Ward Academy, the West Ches
ter State Normal School, the Easton Academy,
from which institution he was graduated in
1889, and Lafayette College, from which he was
graduated in 1893 with the degree of Bachelor
of Philosophy, receiving the degree of Master
of Science from the same institution in 1896.
In 1895 he graduated from the University of
¦Michigan, Ann Arbor, with the degree of Bach
elor of Laws. He then entered upon the actiye
practice of his profession in Media, Delaware
county, connecting himself with the prominent and
distinguished lawyer, V. Gilpin Robinson. Mr.
Makiver has been called upon to serve in a num
ber of cases which have been famous in the
annals of the state, and has won prominence for
himself by bringing to bear all the powers of
his strong mind and his comprehensive knowl
edge of the law. He is a forceful speaker, and
his arguments are characterized by logic, plain
statement and clear appeals to the intelligence of
his hearers.Mr. Makiver ably supports the principles of
the Republican party, and was an active partici
pant in the campaign at the time of President
McKinley's election, and in the bitter contest
over the election of Governor Stone. He is now
the incumbent of the office of county solicitor,
and is a very promising candidate for the office
of district attorney. He is a member of the
Masonic fraternity, of the Independent Order
of Odd Fellows, and holds membership in sev
eral athletic clubs, being very active in those
sports during his college days.
On October 24, 1901, Mr. Makiver married
Margaret Pennock, a daughter of John Pennock,
who was engaged in the meat business at Coch-
ranville, Chester county, Pennsylvania. In
public life Mr. Makiver has won the approval
of his friends and clients, and in private life he

132

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

has always manifested those traits of character
which make the home all that it should be. He
resides in a beautiful, modern house in Media,
Delaware county, which is equipped with all the
appliances for comfort and ease.

WILLIAM H. WOOD, a prominent en
gineer and designer of special machinery of
Media, Delaware county, Pennsylvania, was born
November 26, 1844, in Stockport, Cheshire,
England, and is a son of James and Elizabeth
Wood. He was educated at Stockport and in
Derbyshire, and studied and learned his trade
under his father, James Wood, who was a promi
nent engineer and manager of large engineering
works in his native country (and who was the
inventor of compressing by heavy pressure fluid
copper in moulds for making copper rollers solid
for engraving for calico and other printing, as
well as other metals, in advance of Sir Joseph
Whitworth), where he followed it and became
prominently known as a designer of large hoist
ing engines for coal mines; also for hydraulic
and other machinery. On coming to this country,
he settled at 176 Broadway, New York, as a
consulting engineer, where he was well known
by reputation, and his connection with a large
number of American engineering works. While
there he designed large air compressors for the
Nevada mines; also large pumping and other
machinery in connection with the mines. He also
invented refrigerating and ice making machinery,
the last of which was built for the Lancaster
Brewing Company. All this machinery is suc
cessfully working at the present day. From
New York he went to Philadelphia, and in 1892
established himself in Media, as a hydraulic en
gineer and builder of special machinery. The
superiority of the machinery constructed by him
is best attested by the fact that he enjoys the
patronage of the leading manufacturers of the
country, as well as the United States Government,
among whom may be mentioned the following:
The Waterous Engine Works Co., Ltd., Brant-
ford, Ontario, Canada; Fox Solid Pressed Steel
Co., Joliet ; Tobin & Hamler Manufacturing Co.,
Chicago, Illinois; Franklin Boiler Works Co.,
Troy; Farrar *& Trefts, Buffalo; Thompson
Kingsford Boiler & Machine Works, Oswego;
Ames Iron Works, Oswego, New York ; Thomas
McNeill & Bro., Pittsburgh; James Lappan &
Company, Pittsburgh; Erie City Iron Works,
Erie; Dickson Manufacturing Co., Scranton;
Chas. H. Cramp Shipbuilding Co., Kensington
Ship Yard, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Wm.
Allen & Sons, Worcester; Coglan's Holyoke
Steam Boiler Works, Holyoke, Massachusetts;
H. B. Beach & Sons Boiler & Machine Works,
Hartford; Berlin Bridge Co., East Berlin, Con

necticut; Cooke Locomotive & Machine Works,
Paterson ; The New Jersey Steel & Iron Co.,
forming part of the American Bridge Company's
Plant at Trenton, New Jersey; Gaar, Scott &
Co., Manufacturers Agricultural Engines &
Boilers, Richmond, Indiana; The C. H. Dutton
Co., Kalamazoo, Michigan; Kewanee Boiler Co.,
Kewanee, Illinois ; S. Freeman & Sons, Racine,
Wisconsin ; Chicago & Northwestern Railway
Co., Chicago, Illinois ; Chicago, Burlington &
Quincy Railway Co., Burlington, Iowa; Ana
conda Copper Mining Company, Anaconda,
Montana; Union Iron Works, San Francisco,
California; the Honolulu Iron Works, Honolulu,
Hawaiian Islands ; The Walsh & Weidner Boiler
Co., Chattanooga, Tennessee ; Birmingham Boiler
Works, Birmingham ; Hartley Boiler Works,
Montgomery, Alabama ; The Aultman & Tay
lor Machinery "Co., Mansfield, Ohio; De Fries
& Co., Dusseldorf, Germany, and others.
Mr. Wood is the inventor of a hydraulic
riveting machine, the patent for which was se
cured November 28, 1893, and also the patentee
of a hydraulic automatic safety valve, as well as
a patent circular flanging machine, which inven
tion was patented July 2, 1895, as well as a patent
for an improved hydraulic adjusting valve for
adjusting the pressure on the rivet to suit the
thickness of plates being riveted. He also has
patents for the guides for improvements on his
Single Standard Steam Hammers.
In addition to supplying the machinery for
the firms mentioned and others, Mr. Wood is the
builder of the hydraulic riveters and cranes for
the United States government Boston and New
York navy yards. He is connected with works
at Reading, Pennsylvania, where all his ma
chinery is manufactured, notwithstanding all his
machinery bears the name of "W. H. WOOD,
ENGINEER, MEDIA, PA." which is cast
on it. Mr. Wood married, in 1884, Miss Bertha A.
Crane, of Trumansburg, and a resident of Elmira.
New York.

CHARLES RUDOLPH WILLIAMSON,
of Media, Pennsylvania, who during a long and
active life has been a potent factor in the indus
trial and financial concerns of Delaware county,
comes of ancestors who were equally useful in
their day. His paternal grandfather, Jesse
Williamson, resided near the present site of the
city of Media, where he established and operated
a paper manufactory, turning out his product
through the tedious and laborious hand process
which was in vogue before the davs of labor-
saving machinery and when rags were the sole
material. Charles Williamson, son of the pioneer paper

s&. & fyMuvr**^

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

'33

manufacturer, was born in Springfield township.
He learned shoe manufacturing, and he subse
quently established a factory in the neighbor
hood, believing that the facilities afforded by the
Philadelphia & West Chester Railroad would
make it a favorable location for such an industry.
He afterwards removed the business to Providence
township, where he set up a large manufactory
which supplied shoes to the merchants of Ches
ter and Delaware counties, and afforded em
ployment to a large proportion of the people in
the immediate vicinage. His success was marked
and in a twofold degree, for he carried on a large
business for many years, and afforded a pres
tige to the place which largely increased its
consequence. Aside from his business proper,
Mr. Williamson was a man of foresight and en
terprise, and he took an active and useful part
in the affairs of the community and county. At
that time Chester was the shire town of Dela
ware county. It was the oldest town in the
state, dating from the Swedish establishment in
1643, and its status was apparently fixed for all
time. But a project to make Media the county
seat was broached, and Mr. Williamson took an
active part in accomplishing the removal. He
was a member of the first municipal council of
Media, notwithstanding he was not an actual
resident of the borough, and his broad intelli
gence and force of character gave great weight
to his propositions and argument. He was deep
ly interested in educational and religious affairs,
was among the foremost in establishing and
maintaining schools, and he was one of the or
ganizers of the Media Methodist church and a
member of its original board of trustees.
He married Sarah Rudolph, daughter of
Thomas Rudolph, a descendant of an old Spring
field family. Mr. Rudolph was one of the first
to engage in the anthracite coal operations at
Mount Carbon, a borough of Schuylkill county,
on the Philadelphia & Reading Railroad, and
which is connected with Minersville, the central
point of the coal region, by the People's Rail
road, six miles in length.
The children of Charles and Sarah (Ru
dolph) Williamson were John P., Charles Ru
dolph and Sarah Rudolph Williamson. The
mother died about twelve years after her mar
riage, and her husband remained a widower for
some years, and then married Sidney Burk. He
died in 1855, and his widow survived him until
1899, and died in her ninety-fifth year.
Charles Rudolph Williamson, second child of
Charles and Sarah (Rudolph) Williamson, was
born in Springfield township, October 12, 1823.
The instruction which he received in the public
schools was supplemented by a course in the
Friends' School in Wilmington, Delaware, which
afforded what was equivalent to that of an acad

emy. In 1850 he succeeded to the shoe manufact-
ing business established by his father, which he re
moved in the following year to Media.. There
his operations were quite successful, and during
the continuance of the Civil war his establish
ment was devoted to furnishing shoes to the
government, under contract, and during this
period he employed about seventy-five men. This
business necessarily ceased with the close of the
war, and Mr. Williamson sold his manufactory
and engaged in a coal and lumber business. The
conditions were most favorable for this enterprise,
which he conducted with success until 1887,
when he sold out to his sons and retired from
active business.
In addition to his manufacturing and com
mercial interests, Mr. Williamson has been
habitually connected with various financial as
sociations. Since 1864 he has been a director in
the First National Bank of Media, of which he
was one of the incorporators, and he was chair
man of the committee to whom was committed
the building of the bank edifice. For twenty
years he was president of the Media Loan and
Security Association, and for a number of years
he has been president of the Delaware Mutual
Insurance Company. At various times he has
been called to positions of honor and trust. He
was a member of the town council for thirty
years, and for more than twenty years he was
president of that body. He served as postmaster
under the administration of President Pierce,
and until 1857, when he was elected county treas
urer. In all official positions his duties have
been discharged with signal ability and scrupu
lous integrity, while his public spirit has been
manifested in his deep interest in educational
and church affairs. He is a member of Bartram
Lodge, A. F. and A. M„ in which he has sat as
master. Mr. Williamson was married, February 4,
1845, to Miss Mary R. Eves, who was born at
Wallingford, Delaware county, a daughter of
William and Sarah (Hawkins) Eves. Her fa
ther was of English ancestry, a descendant of
Sir George Eves, and was born in Aston, in Dela
ware county. To Mr. and Mrs. Williamson were
born five children. Two sons, William E. and C.
Frank, are engaged in the coal and lumber busi
ness which was derived from their father. Two
daughters, Sarah R. and Mary E., are living, and
a third, Lucy, died at the age of twenty years.

WILLIAM EVES WILLIAMSON was
born in Lower Providence township, Dela
ware county, Pennsylvania, November 29,
1845. His parents were Charles R. and
Mary R. (Eves) Williamson. For more
than three generations the Williamson family

134

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

have held a prominent position in the local af
fairs of this part of the state. Charles R., the
father of William, was highly respected and es
teemed in business, official and social circles. Like
his father and ' grandfather he enjoyed a large
measure of the public confidence, being chosen
to fill various offices, all the duties of which he
performed in the most creditable manner. An ac
count of his life and ancestry has been given in a
separate sketch, in which were noted his efforts
to build up and to increase the prosperity of his
native town.
His son, William Eves Williamson, after a
course of study in the private schools of Media,
and Wilmington, Delaware, followed by special
instruction at the Central High School in Phila
delphia, was fitted for the business life which he
contemplated entering, at Bryant & Stratton's
Commercial College, taking the regular course,
and after that a post-graduate course. He first
made a practical use of his education as a clerk
in a mercantile concern at Media. Having gained
some business experience here and desiring to
add to this, he went to Philadelphia as book
keeper for Williams & Dodd, afterwards leav
ing the firm to take a position as head bookkeeper
in Harding Williams' wholesale fruit and fancy
grocery store. After remaining here for some
time he returned to Media, entering into business
relations with his father in the shoe manufactur
ing trade ; then, when familiar with the general
details of the business, he became a member of
the firm of Lott, Roberts & Co., shoe jobbers,
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. When his father
decided to retire from the coal and lumber trade,
which he had successfully conducted after leaving
the shoe business, William succeeded him, and
showed his power of adapting himself to an en
tirely different line of trade. He formed a part
nership with his brother under the firm name of
C. R. Williamson's Sons, which continued until
he transferred his part of the business to Rose-
mont, Montgomery county, Pennsylvania. For
five years he remained there, actively associating
himself with the business interests of the place,
and building up an extensive trade. Afterwards
circumstances favored his removal to Philadel
phia, where he continued the lumber business
until 1901, when his failing health compelled him
to retire. His early life was associated with the
stirring events of the Civil war, in which he saw
active service. It was in July, 1863, when the
memorable battle of Gettysburg was fought, in
which the army of the Potomac under the dis
tinguished leadership of General Meade, of Penn
sylvania, defeated the Confederates under Gen
eral Lee. This was felt to be the crisis of the
war, and Pennsylvania sacrificed many of her
bravest citizens to the cause. Among the younger
volunteers was William Eves Williamson, who

at this critical period in his country's history, and
when not yet eighteen years of age, enlisted in
Company I, Twenty-ninth Pennsylvania Emer
gency Regiment, as a drummer, and was soon
transferred to the regimental quartermaster's de
partment as clerk, subsequently being sworn into
the United States service, and serving as clerk
of the regiment until it was mustered out. His
efficiency and capability in the performance of
public duties were recognized by various ap
pointments to public service. For seventeen years
he was a creditable member of the board of
prison inspectors of Delaware county, a position
which his father had previously filled. He is a
member of Bradbury Post No. 149, G. A. R.,
George W. Bartram Lodge No. 298, A. F. and A.
M., of which he is a past master, and of which he
has been treasurer for the past eighteen years. He
is past high priest of Media Chapter, R. A. M.,
a trustee of St. Alban's Commandery, K. T., of
Philadelphia, and until 1895 was secretary of
the Media Club, of which he was one of the or
ganizers. He takes an active interest in politics
and belongs to the Republican party.
In 1870 he was married to Miss Jemima
Elizabeth Brooke, a daughter of Mark Brooke,
of Radnor, Delaware county, Pennsylvania. They
have five children, Mark Brooke, born December
21, 1871 ; Mary Eves, born December 3, 1872,
who married Captain Charles. E. Tayman, U. S.
A.; Esther Lewis, born March 1, 1874, wife of
Janes Bradshaw Moss, of Chester, Pennsylvania;
Charles Rudolph, born May 3, 1878 ; and Francis
Victor, born January 4, 1882.

C. E. STAFFORD. This is an age when
energies are directed in a special line of investi
gation. The man in professional or industrial
life, after gaining a varied knowledge of the
basic principles of the calling to which he has
consecrated his time, afterward gives his thought
and effort to perfecting himself in his chosen
department, thereby gaining a proficiency and
prominence which he could otherwise not attain
if his labors were spread over a wider field. It
is in this way that C. E. Stafford, president of
the Tidewater Steel Company of Chester, Penn
sylvania, is prominent in the development of the
open-hearth process in the United States.
C. E. Stafford was born in Plymouth, New
Hampshire, January 31, 1854, a descendant of
an old and honored English family, one of the
members having served as a general during the
Revolutionary war. Mr. Stafford acquired a
thorough education in the Boston Latin School,
after which he entered the Massachusetts In
stitute of Technology, from which he was
graduated in 1873 with the degree of Bachelor
of Science in the department of mining and

The Lewis Pullis'toni? Co

'^^^

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

'35

metallurgy. The year following his graduation
he was engaged as instructor in the metallurgi
cal laboratories of the same institute; later he
acted as chemist for several mining companies
at Wyandotte, Michigan, and during the year
1875 acted in the capacity of chemist for the
Pennsylvania Steel Works, and subsequently
was placed in charge of the open-hearth depart
ment. He improved the design of the open-
hearth furnaces which soon became a universal
feature in American open-hearth furnaces. In
1880 he designed and placed in operation two
thirty-ton furnaces, which were at that time the
largest in the world; the removable or portable
parts were originated by Mr. 'Stafford, and they
were remarkable for extremely low oxidation of
the charge. In 1880 Mr. Stafford was appointed
superintendent of the Bessemer converting de
partment, and to him is due the honor of mak
ing the first basic or Thomas Bessemer steel
ingots in this country. He retained this posi
tion until the year 1885, when he resigned in
order to accept a position with the Shoenberger
Steel Company of Pittsburg, Pennsylvania,
where he remained until 1901. He designed and
built the Bessemer converting plant of that com
pany, and in 1896 he removed to the South
Chicago plant of the Illinois Steel Company
(now owned by the United States Steel Cor
poration), where he was placed in complete
charge of the open-hearth, plate and slabbing
departments, which under his competent man
agement developed in a most wonderful manner.
In July, 1901, Mr. Stafford was chosen to act in
the capacity of president of the Tidewater Steel
Company, of Chester, Pennsylvania, which has
become a strong factor in the plate trade of the
eastern coast. He is a prominent member of the
American Institute of Mining and Engineering,
having joined in 1873; a member of the college
Chi-Phi Society ; a member of the Chicago Club,
the Manufacturers Club of Philadelphia, the
Harrisburg Club, the Pittsburg Club, and Penn
Club of Chester, Pennsylvania.
On April 27, 1877, Mr. Stafford married
Miss Mary Louise Hammill, daughter of Caleb
Hammill, of Chicago, Illinois, and granddaugh
ter of Judge Robert Hammill, one of the earliest
settlers of Chicago. Their children are: Frank
lin Hammill and Elizabeth Hammill Stafford.
Both Mr. Stafford and his wife are active and
consistent members of the Episcopal church of
Chester, Pennsylvania.

CHARLES FLOWER. The Flower fam
ily of Delaware county, Pennsylvania, dates its
origin from the Norman Conquest. Playfair, in
his "Noble Families of England," states that
Hu°n, one of the adventurers gathered under the

standard of the Duke of Normandy, was noted
for his personal beauty. His valor at Hastings
earned for him from William the name Le Fleur,
which in the course of time became translated
into the corresponding English name Flower.
The earliest mention of the name in connec
tion with the Delaware river settlements, was at
Salem, New Jersey, 1686, when a warrant was
issued to the surveyor-general to lay out cer
tain lands to William Flower, who was one of
Fenwick's colonists. Prior to 1692 he located
at Marcus Hook, Chester (now Delaware)
county, where he died in 1717. His daughter
Mary married John Flower, a distant relative,
who came of the branch of the family settled in
New England years before William Flower left
his native land. Richard Flower, grandson of
John and Mary, was born at Marcus Hook, 1759,
and when a lad of sixteen, in December, 1774, was
named as one of the committee of safety for the
county of Chester. Being a good penman, he
wrote much of the necessary correspondence with
the central organization in Philadelphia, although
the letters are signed by the older members of the
committee. On September 8, 1785, he married
Henrietta, daughter of Hon. Henry Hale Gra
ham,- afterwards the first president judge of the
courts of Delaware county. Richard Flower was
by occupation a miller, and at the time of his
marriage operated the Lapidea Mills on Crum
Creek, but in 1789 he purchased the noted Ches
ter Mills on Chester Creek, now Upland, which
he operated until 1824, when he leased them to
his son, William Graham Flower. Richard
Flower died July 24, 1843, aged eighty-four.
William Graham Flower was born at Chester
Mills, November 28, 1794. By occupation he
was a miller, and when of age leased the mills
which he conducted from 1824 to 1845, when the
property was sold in settling Richard Flower's
estate. During the great freshet of August 5,
1843, Mr. Flower was on the meadow near his
mills when the flood, swollen by the breaking of
several dams further up the creek, rushed down
in great waves said to be four feet in height.
He was carried into the mill race, when, catch
ing a grapevine as he was swept along, he drew
himself into a tree, but, soon after, the tree was
torn from the earth and borne rapidly down the
creek. For a time his life was in great peril,
for the stream was filled with floating timbers
and debris of habitations whirled onward by the
surging waters. Finally he succeeded in grasp
ing the branch of a tree still standing, and drew
himself to a place of safety. Several hours later,
when the waters had subsided, he was rescued.
Mr. Flower, although a man of prominence
and frequently solicited to be a candidate for
office, always refused, except during the Anti-
Masonic campaign he allowed his name to go

136

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

on the. Anti-Masonic ticket for county auditor,
and, to his surprise, he was elected. He was a
director of the Bank of Delaware County from
1834 to 1839, and again in 1843-44.
William G. Flower married Susan Bratton,
daughter of William and Sarah (Smith) Bratton.
William G. Flower died August 21, 1865. He
was the brother of Reese Wall Flower, who died
in 1875, leaving his entire estate to the Uni
versity of Pennsylvania for the establishment
and maintenance of the Flower observatory, and
he was the great-nephew of Dr. Jonas Preston,
who at his death left nearly half a million dol
lars to establish the Preston Retreat in Philadel
phia, a maternity hospital "for the relief of indi
gent married women of good character." Wil
liam G. Flower left a large estate to his family.
Chester Flower, son of William G. and Susan
(Bratton) Flower, was born in Chester town
ship, Delaware county, May 31, 1847. In the
seventh generation he is descended from Wil
liam Flower, the original settler at Marcus
Hook; in the tenth generation he is descended
from Henry Grubb, member of Parliament from
Devizes, Wiltshire, in 1571 (14th Elizabeth) ;
in the eighteenth generation in the Graham line
from Robert II of Scotland 1 ; in the eighth gen
eration from Henry Hale, of Hornton, a nephew
of Sir Mathew Hale; in the seventh generation
from Robert Pennell, of Baldeston, Nottingham
shire, England, who settled in Middletown,
Delaware county, in 1686; in the like generation
from Thomas Mercer, of Ayro-on-the-Hill, Not
tinghamshire, who settled in Thornbury, Dela
ware county, prior to 1700; in the like genera
tion from Philip Yarnall, of Cleyness, Worces
tershire, England, who settled in Edgemont,
Delaware county, prior to 1690; in the eighth
generation from John Baker, of Edgemond,
Shropshire, England, who settled in Edgemont,
Delaware county, prior to 1685 ; and in the
seventh generation from William Clayton, a
member of Penn's council, who settled at Mar
cus Hook, Delaware county, in 1679.
Charles Flower was educated in the public
schools of Chester township and at Norristown.
His father died while his son was still in his
minority, and when he attained his majority he
devoted his energies to tilling and conducting
a dairy upon the farm which had come to him
as part of his inheritance of the paternal estate.
A man of inventive turn, several labor-saving
contrivances of his own design are used in the
conduct of his business, and his farms and build
ings are models for the purposes to which they
are applied. His cattle are of highbred milk-
producing strains, and, a lover of fine horses,
(1) See "Americans of Royal Descent" (Ped
igree No. 12).

he has raised a number of registered speedy
colts, several of which he has sold at consider
able profit. He has been one of those farmers
who has succeeded in making two blades of
grass grow where but one grew before, and
hence, to that extent, benefited his neighbor and
himself alike. Mr. Flower has served as school
director of the township, and was an ardent ad
vocate of the good road agitation in Delaware
county. He is a member of the Penn Club of
Chester.

FIRST NATIONAL BANK OF MEDIA.
The new building owned and occupied by the
First National Bank of Media is one of the most
strikingly beautiful and substantial bank struc
tures in eastern Pennsylvania, and is perhaps,
unexcelled in the country. It is entirely sub
stantial, and interior and exterior alike are highly
ornamental. It is provided with the most ap
proved burglar and fire-proof vaults for the

First National Bank of Media.
bank's funds and records, as well as for the safe
keeping of valuable papers belonging to its
patrons. The First National Bank of Media is num
bered among the first half-hundred national
banks in the United states, according to the scale
of merit adopted by the United States treasury
department. The initial organization was ef
fected in February, 1864, with a capital of
$65,000, which was increased the same year to

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

137

$100,000. Until May, 1885, the semi-annual
dividends were five per cent, and since then they
have been six per cent. In thirty-nine years the
bank returned to its stockholders nearly seven
times its total capital.
Isaac Haldeman, the first president, died in
1878, and was succeeded by his son, Thomas J.
Haldeman, who died in 1894, and was succeeded
by Colonel Joseph W. Hawley. The bank began
business in the Haldeman building, which was
occupied until 1871, when it removed to the
John M. Hall building at the corner of State
street and South avenue, where it remained until
it finally removed to its present splendid edifice,
in 1901.

COLONEL JOSEPH WILLIAMSON
HAWLEY, president of the First National
Bank of Media, Pennsylvania, and a veteran of
the Civil war, son of Joel and Catherine B.
(Williamson) Hawley, was born in Lionville,
Chester county, July 14, 1836. His early life
was passed in the public schools and in the
country store owned by his father. His further
education was received in the schools of Jona
than Gause and Dr. Franklin Taylor, and at the
West Chester Academy, then under the charge
of Professor William F. Wyers, Mr. Hawley
spending one year at each of these schools, and
in the interim teaching two years in the public
schools. At the close of the term with Professor
Wyers, the latter named offered him the posi
tion of assistant teacher, which was' accepted, and
he remained in that institution until i860, when
he received the appointment of paying teller in
the National Bank of Chester County, and at
once entered upon the duties of that position.
He was thus engaged in the early part of the
Civil war, when President Lincoln called for
troops to repel the rebel army which, under Gen
eral Lee, was advancing into Pennsylvania. His
patriotism aroused, he obtained permission from
the board of directors to recruit a company of
soldiers to aid in the protection of the state. In
ten days the required number, one hundred men,
were enlisted, met at Downingtown, and organ
ized by the election of Joseph W. Hawley as
captain, Allen M. Davis as first lieutenant, and
Charles W. Roberts as second lieutenant, and
immediately afterward took train for Camp Cur-
tin, at Harrisburg, where Captain Hawley and
the other officers received their commissions
August 12, 1862, from Governor A. G. Curtin.
Captain Hawley's campany was one of the
first ten to arrive at Harrisburg, and these were
formed into the One Hundred and Twenty-
fourth Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteers. The
regiment, under command of Captain Hawley,
was transported to Washington, where it became

a part of the Army of the Potomac, then in mo
tion to meet General Lee's army moving north
ward. On August 16, Captain Hawley received
from Governor Curtin his commission as colonel,
and he led his regiment into the battle Pf Antie
tam on September 17, 1862, being placed in
position on the extreme right of the line. By
nine o'clock in the morning the regiment was
under a heavy fire in what is known as the
"Bloody Cornfield," where it lost many killed and
wounded. Among the latter was Colonel Haw
ley, who received a bullet in his neck and was
carried off the field to the Miller house, but, as
that building was within range of the enemy's
heavy guns, the wounded were carried back into
the woods arid finally conveyed to Hagerstown.
After being sufficiently recovered, Colonel Haw
ley was removed to his home in Lionville. The
bullet at this date (1903), still remains embedded
in one of the bones of his neck. Upon recovery,
Colonel Hawley rejoined the regiment at Har
per's Ferry, and served with it until it was
honorably discharged, May 17, 1863.
Returning to his duties with the Bank of
Chester County, Colonel Hawley remained but
one day, when the governor of the state called
for additional troops to repel a second invasion
which General Lee was then projecting north
ward. In one day one thousand troops were
raised in Chester county and forwarded to Har
risburg the same night. The TWenty-ninth
Emergency Regiment was formed partly from
Chester county troops and partly from Delaware
county men, and on June 19, 1863, Colonel Haw
ley was again cortimissioned colonel. He was
assigned to the command of a brigade consisting
of his own and two New York regiments, and to
him General Couch committed the protection of
the bridges of the Pennsylvania Railroad against
their threatened destruction. Upon the retreat
of Lee from Gettysburg, Colonel Hawley was
ordered to follow and harass his rear, and he
moved with such celerity that he reached the
Potomac the day previous to Lee's crossing, and
his troops engaged in a slight skirmish at Clear
Spring. Returning to his home, Colonel Hawley re
sumed his duties in the bank, where he remained
until January 1, 1864. On that date the First
National Bank of West Chester was organized,
and, being offered a more liberal salary he ac
cepted a similar position in this. On February
ist he was invited to assist in the organization
of the First National Bank of Media, which was
opened March 21, 1864, with Colonel Hawley as
cashier, a position which he held until the death
of its president, Thomas J. Haldeman, in 1894,
when he was elected to fill the vacancy.
The name of Colonel Hawley appears among
the directors of various other institutions which

138

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

need not be enumerated here. One of his fav
orite fields of usefulness is the House of Refuge,
at Glen Mills, of which he has been a director
and one of the most liberal and zealous patrons
and friends for many years.
Colonel Hawley was married October 6, 1864,
to Miss Anna Miller, daughter of Levis and
Ann (Mcllvain) Miller, of Media. Their daugh
ter and only child, Mary Miller Hawley, born
April 14, 1868, was married November 15, 1893,
to Justice M. Thompson, of Philadelphia.

HENRY GRAHAM ASHMEAD, of Ches
ter, Pennsylvania, is a descendant of John Ash-
mead, who was born at Cheltenham, county of
Gloucester, England, October 14, 1648, and emi
grated to Pennsylvania in 1682, accompanied by
his mother, Mary Ashme'ad, his wife and two
children. Ashmead and his brother-in-law, Toby Leach,
had purchased from William Penn a large tract
of land in what is now Cheltenham township,
Montgomery county, then included in Philadel
phia, where they settled, giving to the township
the name Cheltenham, a reminder of their old
home in the motherland. John Ashmead died
there, December 21, 1688, and his wife the fol
lowing day. The shock of her husband's death
(the result of an accident) was fatal to her. She
was a daughter of William Currier, of Chelten
ham, England, where she was married, October
14, 1677.
The eldest child, John Ashmead, was born at
Cheltenham, England, July 12, 1679, and when
at the age of nine years, five months and ten
days, on the death of his parents, the second
John Ashmead became the head of the family in
the new world.
This John(second) married, October 12, 1703,

Note. — "There is an ancient family in Spain
named Ashmede, as I believe the name is spelled
there, which is thought by some to be of Moorish
origin. Some one had said the name possibly came
from Achmet. However this may be, certain
it is that a wanderer of the Germantown race of
Ashmeads, it may be with this Moorish blood in
his veins, found in England a bride in the Bar
oness Burdett Courts." — "The Germantown Road
and its Associations," in Penn. Mag. of History,
vol. vi, p. 377.
The Ashmede family of Granada, Spain, as
well as' the branches of that family in Mexico,
Brazil, and other South American countries, as
sert that the Ashmeads of Pennsylvania are of
the same lines as themselves, and that the original
emigrant to England was banished among the
Moriscoes expelled, from Spain, by the edict of
Philip III, in 1611.

at Darby Meeting, Sarah Sellers, born at Darby,
July 13, 1685, a daughter of Samuel Sellers,
of Derbyshire, England, who settled in Upper
Darby, Chester county (now Delaware), Pennsyl
vania, in 1682, and his wife Ann, daughter of
Henry and Helen Gibbons, formerly of Pari-
ridge, England. John Ashmead died at German-
town, October 7, 1742. To the marriage of
John (second) and Sarah Sellers was born, May
12, 1706, John Ashmead (3), who on August
23, 1734, married Ann Rush, born October 25,
1716. She was the great-granddaughter of Cap
tain John Rush, an officer in Cromwell's army,
whose sword and watch are now in the museum
in the old State House (Independence Hall),
Philadelphia. Ann Rush was an aunt of Dr.
Benjamin Rush, the signer of the Declaration of
Independence. John Ashmead (3) died July 30,
1750. His widow married Samuel Potts, and
became the mother of Major James Potts, of the
Revolutionary army. To the marriage of John
Ashmead (3) and Ann Rush was born at Ger
mantown, September 29, 1738, John Ashmead
(4), who became a noted sea captain.
He was appointed naval constructor by the
Continental Congress in 1776, and captain of the
ship "Mars," the brig "Eagle," and other vessels
of the Pennsylvania navy, 1777-82, and was en
gaged in action with various British privateers
in 1779. In his later years Captain Ashmead,
who was senior warden of the port of Phila
delphia, wrote an account of his voyages and
adventures between the years 1758 and 1782,
which have been privately printed. Thomas
Twining, in his travels in America in 1795-6,
makes numerous references to the Captain, in
whose vessel he was a passenger from India to
Philadelphia. Captain Ashmead, on January 28,
1761, married Mary Mifflin, daughter of Benja
min Mifflin, and niece of Major General Thomas
Mifflin, of the Revolutionary army, and first
governor of Pennsylvania. His wife died May
18, 1814, and Captain Ashmead died June 6,
i8i8.(*) William Ashmead, fourth son and fifth child
of Captain John and Mary Ashmead, was born
April 24, 1776. When a lad of seventeen he mar
ried Margaret McKinley, daughter of William
McKinley, of Delaware, and of the family from
which President McKinley was descended. Her
mother was Margaret Wayne, daughter of John
Wayne, and granddaughter of Captain Anthony
Wayne, who commanded four troops of horse in
the army of William III, at the battle of the
Boyne. She and "Mad Anthony" Wayne were
first cousins. To this marriage eight children

(*) Sir Ellis Ashmead Bartlett and William
Ashmead Bartlett, now Burdett-Coutts, are great-
great-grandsons of Captain John Ashmead.

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

139

were born, of whom four reached adult age ; the
eldest son was the distinguished Rev. William
Ashmead, and the youngest was the father of
Henry Graham Ashmead.
John Wayne Ashmead, son of William apd
Mary (McKinley) Ashmead, was born in Phila
delphia, May 16, 1806. His parents died when
he was hardly more than an infant. He was
reared by his three maternal aunts, and at fifteen
years of age was apprenticed to Isaac Ashmead
to learn painting. His inclination was for the
law, and entering the office of Archibald Randall,
afterward judge of the United States district
court, he worked at his trade by day and read law
by night. He was admitted to the Philadelphia
bar, May 5, 1827. He was elected a member of
the legislature in 1832, and was deputy attorney-
general for Philadelphia under attorneys General
George M. Dallas and Ellis Lewis. In 1849 ne
was appointed by President Taylor district attor
ney for the eastern district of Pennsylvania, and
was continued in the same office by President
Fillmore, and held the position for one year under
President Pierce. While in the discharge of his
duties in that office, he conducted on behalf of the
United States, in November, 185 1, the noted
proceedings against Castner Hanway, indicted
for treason in resisting the enforcement of the
fugitive slave law, which Colonel McClure, in
his "Recollections," declares was the opening-
struggle to the Civil war.
In 1856 John W. Ashmead removed to New
York, where he was engaged in a number of
celebrated cases. In March, 1859, he defended
James Stevens in the leading trial of arsenical
poisoning in this country. In 1866 he defended
Captain Richard W. Meade, tried before a naval
court martial for the loss of the United States
steamer "San Jacinto," on the Bahama Banks,
January 1, 1865, and was counsel for James Mur
phy in his claim against the Republic of Chili
for the seizure of the brig "Townsend Jones''
and her cargo at Valparaiso, in April, 1859.
John W. Ashmead was the author of Ash-
mead's "Reports of Decisions of the Court of
Common Pleas of Philadelphia." He died April
7, 1868, at his country seat, Clinton Place, near
Newark, New Jersey. (*)
John W. Ashmead married Henrietta Gra
ham Flower, daughter of Richard and Henrietta
(Graham) Flower, November 29, 1829; she

(*) An account of John Wayne Ashmead
will be found in Martin's "History of Chester,"
p. 440; as also in Thomson Westcott's "Rich
Men of Philadelphia Forty Years Ago," a series
of papers published in the "Philadelphia Sunday
Republic," which Westcott, who died in i?0<'
did not live to complete.

was born June 20, 1809, and died at Chester,
Pennsylvania, February 20, 1879.
The Flower Line. — The Flower family first
appears in the history of Chester county in 1685,
when William Flower, who had been one of
Fenwick's colonists in New Jersey, settled at
Marcus Hook, where his daughter Mary became
the wife of John Flower, of the Connecticut
branch. A son of that marriage, Richard Flower,
born in 1724, and who died January 25, 1763,
married Hannah Grubb in 1746. Her grand
father, John Grubb, who settled at Upland, now
Chester, prior to 1677, was the great-great-
grandson of Henry Grubb, member of Parliament
from Devizes, Wiltshire, 1571, and whose death
occurred in 1581.
Richard Flower, second son of Richard and
Hannah (Grubb) Flower, was born at Marcus
Hook in 1759. When only a few months over
sixteen, he was appointed one of the committee
of correspondence for Chester county, and under
the supervision of Richard Riley, his first cousin,
the young man was active in collecting intelli
gence of the movements of the enemy in the
southeastern section of the county. He was a
miller by occupation, and in 1789 purchased the
noted Chester Mills, where is now Upland
borough, then owned by his father-in-law.
Richard Flower retired from busines in 1824,
and died at Lamokin Hall, his plantation near
Chester, August 24, 1843. He married Hen
rietta, daughter of Henry Hale Graham, Septem
ber 8, 1785. She was born April 27, 1768, and
died October 6, 1841. Her father, Henry Hale
Graham (a nephew of George Graham, the in
ventor of the chronometer, for which the English
nation gave his remains interment in Westmin
ster Abbey), was born in London, England,
July 1, 1 73 1. His father, William Graham, born
April 25, 1692, on December 31, 1729, married
Eleanor Wyatt, daughter of Zedekiah Wyatt.
Henry Hale Graham was named for his great-
great-grandfather, Henry Hale, of Horton, Wor
cestershire, England, whose granddaughter,
Alice Hale, became the wife of George Graham
and they were the grandparents of Henry Hale
Graham.* The latter, Henry Hale Graham, when a child
of three years, came with his parents to the colony,
and when eighteen he became deputy prothono-
tary of Chester county under Joseph Parker,
and in 1765, was appointed prothonotary and
deputy register-general, a position he held
until 1777. November 7, 1789, he was ap
pointed president judge of the then newly created
Delaware county, and died in Philadelphia,
January 24, 1790, where he was attending as a

(*) For line of Graham, see Pedigree xii,
"Americans of Royal Descent."

140

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

delegate the proceedings of the state constitu
tional convention of that year.
Judge Graham married, July 1, 1760, Abigail
Pennell, half-sister of Dr. Jonas Preston (the
founder of Preston Retreat, a maternity hospi
tal in Philadelphia) ; a great-granddaughter of
Robert Pennell, who settled in Middletown, Dela
ware county, 1685; granddaughter of Thomas
Mercer, an early settler at Thornbury; a like
descendant of David Williamson, who settled in
Pennsylvania in 1682, and who died in 1727,
while attending the session of the assembly, of
which he was a member. She was also a grand
daughter of Philip Yarnall, of Edgemont, and
great-great-granddaughter of John Baker, of
Edgemont, where he died in 1685. He named the
township for his natal place, Edgmond, Shrop
shire, England.
Henry Graham Ashmead, son of John Wayne
and Henrietta Graham (Flower) Ashmead, was
born at Philadelphia, June 30, 1838. He was
educated at the Chester Academy at West Ches
ter, Pennsylvania, of which the Rev. James
Crowell was principal, and at the Saunders Insti
tute, West Philadelphia, Hon. Samuel W. Penny-
packer, governor of Pennsylvania, the distin
guished surgeon, William W. Keen, Professor
Gregory B. Keen, the curator of the Pennsyl
vania Historical Society, being among his fellow
students. He read law in his father's office, and was ad
mitted to the bar in New York on November 29,
1859, and entered into partnership with Leon
Abbett, afterwards twice governor of New Jer
sey, in the practice of his profession, but, his
health failing him, by advice of physicians he
abandoned the active pursuit of the law. While
in New Orleans in 1863, a friend who was cor
respondent of one of the leading New York
dailies became ill with typhoid fever. Mr. Ash
mead acted in his stead for a period covering
several months, during which time he had oppor
tunity of seeing much of the active campaigning
in the department of the Gulf. On the death
of his father, in 1868, the following year the
family removed to Chester, Pennsylvania.
In June, 1872, when the "Chester Evening
News" was established by F. Stanhope Hill, he
became first reporter and local editor of that daily
paper, and in 1874 held a like position on the
"Delaware County Republican," at which time
the late Y. S. Walter was the editor and pro
prietor. In the fall of that year he edited "The
Campaign," a political sheet designed to ad
vocate the election of Thomas J. Clayton as judge
of the Delaware county courts, one of the inci
dents in Mr. Ashmead's life which he views with
regret. From this time on, Mr. Ashmead was a busy
writer. In 1876 he wrote the "Sketch of Dela

ware County" published in Eagle's "History of
Pennsylvania." He was appointed in 1882 cor
responding secretary of the Bi-Centennial Asso
ciation of Chester, and he wrote "Historical
Sketches of Chester-on-Delaware," William
Shaler Johnson furnishing the account of the
Bi-Centennial exercises, the work of the com
mittee, the celebration, and other interesting mat
ter which forms a part of that volume.*
In 1884 Mr. Ashmead wrote "A History of
Delaware county, Pennsylvania," a volume of
permanent value, and involving much diligent
labor. August 3, 1885, President Cleveland ap
pointed Mr. Ashmead postmaster at Chester, and
during his administration (on June 6, 1886),
the special delivery service was instituted, and
July 1, 1887, he organized the free mail delivery
by carriers and put it into active operation on the
date mentioned. In the spring of that year a
committee was appointed to urge upon Congress
an appropriation for a United States post-office
building in Chester, and, at the request of the
committe, Mr. Ashmead prepared a pamphlet
entitled "Chester and Its Suburbs," which in a
compact form presented the industrial features
of the city of that day, and its importance as a
commercial center as an adjunct to the port of
Philadelphia. This pamplet was distributed to
the senate and house of representatives, and from
the data therein contained the subsequent re
ports of the committees of both houses were
founded, and upon which a favorable report was
made. In 1889 he collected and wrote the greater
part of the pamphlet published by the Board of
Trade, entitled "Chester, Pennsylvania ; a History
of its Industrial Progress and its Advantages for
Large Manufacturing," but did not supervise the
final form in which it was given publication.
In 1890-91 Mr. Ashmead was in Colorado
with an invalid son, who had gone there in search
of health. From 1895 to 1900 he was editorial
writer on the Chester Morning Republican.
In 1897 he wrote the text of the "Art Works
of Delaware County." In 1902 he prepared a
genealogical sketch tracing the descent of the
children of Robert and Phoebe Ann (De Laney)
Wetherill through the Sharp, Keen, Sandelands
and other families, which was printed in book
form for private distribution.
In the same year he wrote the plays, "Mistress
Nancy," "The Captain's Ward," and "Miss De

( *) Thomson Westcott, in writing of John W.
Ashmead, makes this allusion to his son, H. G.
Ashmead. "He is distinguished for his literary
abilities, and published a few years ago an ex-
cedingly interesting book entitled "An Historical
Sketch of Chester."

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

141

Courcy." In the following year (1903) he wrote
other plays — "The Matchmakers," "The Silent
Witness," "By Order of the Czarina," "In
Troublous Times," and "A Hallowe'en Tangle."
In the same year he wrote, "The History of
Chester," and was also associated editor of
"Pennsylvania, Colonial and Federal," a history
of the commonwealth. His fugitive contribu
tions to the periodical and newspaper press, upon
historical subjects, are numerous, far exceeding,
if gathered into volumes, his publications in book
form. He now has in preparation for publica
tion "The Story of Lapidea Farm," the country
seat of Hon. William C. Sproul, and "The His
tory of the Bank of Delaware County, and its
successor, the Delaware County National Bank."
In 1897 Mr. Ashmead read before the Dela
ware County Historical Society a paper entitled
"Chester Street Nomenclature," and in 1901
"The Man in Leather Stockings," "Noted Trials
in Early Colonial Days," and "Some Ghosts and
Haunted Places in Delaware County." Al
though not posing as a public speaker, Mr. Ash
mead has at various times delivered addresses
which were heard with deep interest. He was
called upon to make historical remarks at the un
veiling of the tablets placed by the Delaware
county chapter of the Daughters of the American
Revolution on the Washington House, April 20,
1902, and on the City Hall April 19, 1903. Again
on June 27, 1903, at a meeting of the Society of
the War of 1812, he delivered the historical ad
dress, taking for his theme the story of Camp
Gaines. It may be permitted to the writer of this
sketch, during a long and busy life time engaged
in work somewhat similar to that performed
by the Ashmead, yet not so long acquainted
with him as to make personal bias the main
spring of his remarks, to pass a verdict upon his
performances. His writings have ever been
characterized by that which is approved by the
highest standards — clearness of style and smooth
ly flowing diction. It is to be said in all truth
fulness that his pen has never been used in an
unwprthy cause. Whether as editor, writer or
speaker, his one object has been the exploitation,
forcefully, yet never outside the bounds of
truthfulness, the accomplishments of those "men
of the past and of the present, too, who have
stood for the best that there is in citizenship in
their devotion to public interests and worthy
causes, and all that goes to the establishment and
development of an ideal community. To_ his
tasks he has brought a wide range of abilities.
A deep student of books, a close observer of
events and a rare judge of men, and unitingthe
knowledge of the historian, the wise discrimina
tion of the critic, and the well tempered judg
ment of the philosopher. He has through a

long and peculiarly useful life, endowed himself
with all the equipment necessary for his labors
in promoting the upbuilding of the historic city
and county in which he takes a genuinely hearty
pride. To this narrative may be added a pleasant in
cident which was written of in the following
from the "Chester Times," in the autumn of
1902: Henry Graham Ashmead, the Delaware coun
ty historian, may be said to have been nur
tured in the cradle of literature, and has all his
lifetime wielded the pen with a masterly effect.
His literary researches and labors have naturally
brought him into contact with many of the dis
tinguished writers, but one of the pleasantest
recollections of such intercourse, dates back to
1849, when he was a lad of ten years. His home
was then in Philadelphia, opposite Washington
Square, a few doors below Seventh street.
John Sartain, the distinguished mezzotint en
graver, who was United States commissioner of
fine arts at the Centennial exposition, and Wil
liam H. Sloanaker, then naval officer of the port,
were publishing "Sartain's Magazine." Both
of these gentlemen were clients of Graham's
father, John Wayne Ashmead, the United States
district attorney for the eastern district of Penn
sylvania. The boy was privileged to frequent
the office of the Magazine at Third and Chestnut
streets, and inspect at will a number of port
folios containing fine imported steel prints, of
which, from time to time, selections were made
for reproduction in the monthly.
On one of these occasions, when the noon
hour arrived, Graham was about to leave for
home, when a seedily attired gentleman, who had
been conversing with the editor, Prof. John S.
Hart, asked him which way he was going. When
informed of the route, the gentleman replied:
"I am going that way, and will walk with you,
my lad." The two proceeded up Chestnut street
to Sixth and thence to Walnut, the boy being
¦attracted toward the stranger and charmed by
his delightful conversation, until they separated
at the corner of Seventh and Walnut streets.
That afternoon a lady calling upon Mrs. Ash
mead chanced to remark that she had seen her
son walking with a person evidently in needy
circumstances, whom she thought was scarcely
a proper companion for a child of his age. The
boy did not know the name of his chance com
panion. In the evening Mr. Sartain and Sloan
aker visited the house, and Mrs. Ashmead in
quired of them who the stranger was. She was
informed that he was no less a personage than
Edgar Allan Poe, conceded to be the most origi
nal of American poets, and classed by the ma
jority of European critics as the greatest of all
American authors.

142

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

When quite a young man, Mr. Ashmead was
well acquainted with Frank R. Stockton, the
author, who died last spring. There was a dif
ference of only five years in their ages. Some
fifteen years ago, at a chance meeting, Ashmead
jocularly remarked to Stockton that the names
he gave to some of his characters were notice
ably ugly.
"So you object to the names I have selected
for some of my heroes?" interrogated Stockton.
"Yes," was the reply, "they are in some in
stances just ugly, lacking that attractiveness
which not unfrequently accompanies certain
types of ugliness."
"Well," said Stockton, "the next story I
write I will give my hero a name to which you
cannot object."
Shortly afterwards this celebrated author
published a Christmas love story entitled "Major
Pendallas," in which the hero is styled "Henry
G. Ashmead," an artist. Several years subse
quent to the appearance of this story, Stockton
and Ashmead again met, and in the course of
their conversation "Major Pendallas" was men
tioned, Ashmead remarking:
"Stockton, you failed to remember that I am
always called by my middle name, Graham."
"So you still object to the names of my
heroes," laughed the author.
Mr. Ashmead was at one time exceedingly
active in Masonic circles, having attained to the
thirty-second degree, Scottish Rite.
Mr. Ashmead has been twice married — first,
September 2, 1872, to Miss Rebecca Frances
Warner, daughter of Captain Richard N. War
ner, of Alexandria, Virginia, and (second)
October 26, 1881, to Miss Emma Campbell,
daughter of James and Angelina (Garsed)
Campbell. Her , father, James Campbell, is
prominently identified with the history of Chester
as its first manufacturer who was instrumental in
giving it its industrial incentive. To the first
marriage of Mr. Ashmead was born, August 27,
1873, a son, John Wayne Ashmead, who, when.
a young man of exceeding promise, died Novem
ber 30, 1 89 1.
F. Y. Hedley.

J. ENGLE EVANS is a member of
a sterling old family of the Keystone state,
and is a son of Nathan Evans, who was
born on the 7th of March, 1797. The latter
was a son of Benjamin and Mary Evans, and his
death occurred on the 2d of May, 1869. On the
26th of March, 1844, he was united in marriage
to Emma W. Thomas, who was born December
31, 1807, and died on the 16th of February, 1883.
She was a daughter of Joseph and Mary Wor
rell, and at the time of her marriage to Mr.

Evans was the widow of Isaac Thomas. The
children of Nathan and Emma Evans were as
follows : William Henry, who was born May 3,
1845, is married, and resides on the old home
stead in Upper Providence township, Delaware
county; Reece T., who was born July 13, 1847,
died on the 17th of May, 1864; and John Engle,
the subject of this review.
John Engle Evans was born on the old home
stead in Upper Providence township, Delaware
county, Pennsylvania, September 19, 185 1. Leav
ing the school room at the age of sixteen years,
he then learned the printer's trade in the Dela
ware County American office, of Media, Pennsyl
vania, where he remained for about twenty-five
years. On the expiration of this period he en
tered the office of the Delaware County Record,
also in Media, there remaining for several years.
Throughout nearly the entire period of his busi
ness career he has been identified with the print
ing business, but in connection therewith he has
been interested in outside ventures, buying, im
proving, handling and speculating in real estate,
in which he has been quite successful. During
the past three or four years Mr. Evans has also
devoted a portion of his time and attention to
agricultural pursuits, being the owner of two
farms, one of which, consisting of sixteen and a
half acres, is located near Lima, in Middletown
township, and there he now resides. The other
is a tract of forty acres in Bethel. In political
matters he gives a stanch support to the princi
ples of the Republican party, but has never been
a seeker for public honors, preferring rather to
give his undivided time to his extensive businesss
affairs. He was reared in the Quaker faith, his
parents having been members of that religious
sect, but he has never identified himself with any
church or meeting. Most of his life has been
spent in the borough of Media, and he has been
prominent in its development and maintenance,
always being safely counted upon to indorse and
support to the extent of his ability every good
work, movement and enterprise.
Mr. Evans has been twice married, his first
wife having been Georgie Anna Baldwin, who
died on the 26th of September, 1894. She was
a daugher of George and Mary Baldwin, of Fair-
ville, Chester county, the former of whom
passed away on the 19th of May, 1884,
and in November, 1899, his wife joined him in
the spirit world. The children born unto Mr. and
Mrs. Evans were as follows : Edward Everett,
who was born in Upper Providence township July
1, 1878, is still at home; William Nathan Earle,
who was born in Media, May 1, 1882, was
drowned on the 17th of April, 1896; Thomas
Baldwin, who was born in East Media, Novem
ber 3, 1884, is also at home; Ernest Dudley, born
in Media, February 23, 1887, died January 23,

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

i43

1890; Marian Kent, born in Media, October 26,
1888, died of diphtheria at Lima, Pennsylvania,
September 6, 1899; and Rebecca Allen, born in
Media, August 16, 1891, died August 23, of the
same year. Fpr his second wife Mr. Evans chose
Ada Quimby, she being a daughter of John and
Jennie Quimby, of New London, Chester county,
Pennsylvania. Four children have been born to
bless this union: Anna Q., who was born in
Media, October 24, 1898, and died on the 14th of
October, 1899 ; Emma J., who was born May 19,
1900, in Middletown; John C, who was born
February 22, 1902, and died on the 23d of July
of the same year, and the baby, Roy, born in
Middletown June 30, 1903.

_ WILLIAM H. MILLER, one of the enter
prising and prominent citizen of Media, Penn
sylvania, was born in 1837, a son of John Miller,
who was born in Upper Providence township,
Delaware county, Pennsylvania, in October,
1799. The early years of John Miller's life were
spent' in securing an education in the common
schools of the neighborhood, and at Westtown
Boarding School and in acquiring a thorough
knowledge of agricultural pursuits. Upon at
taining young manhood he settled on one of the
farms belonging to his father and which had
been in the possession of the family since 1714.
He took a prominent part in the affairs of the
town, and was an active and consistent member
of the Society of Friends. In October, 1836,
Mr. Miller married Hannah Moore, who was
born in 1802, a daughter of William and Mary
(Massey) Moore, of Springfield township. Will
iam Moore, was the son of William and Mary
Moore; and William was the son of Philip
Moore, who was in turn a son of Charles Moore,
the progenitor of the family in this country.
The following named children were born to Mr.
and Mrs. Miller: William H.; Mary Elizabeth,
widow of Capt. Charles H. Roberts; and Isaac
Levis Miller. The father' of these children died
in December, 1855, and his wife passed away
December 23, 1890.
William H. Miller, eldest son of John and
Hannah Miller, acquired his preliminary educa
tion in the common schools of his birth place, and
this was supplemented by a thorough course in
Haverford College, from which institution he was
graduated. On November 20, 1861, Mr. Miller was
united in marriage to Miss Sarah Wistar Pen
nock, a daughter of Dr. Caspar Wistar and Caro
line (Morris.) Pennock, of Delaware county,
Pennsylvania. Dr. Pennock was born in Phila
delphia, Pennsylvania, a son of George and Sarah
(Wistar) Pennock; George Pennock was a son
10 x

of Joseph and Sarah (Taylor) Pennock; Joseph
Pennock was a son of Joseph and Mary (Levis)
Pennock, and he was a son of Joseph and Mary
(Collett) Pennock. Two children have been
born to Mr. and Mrs. Miller, namely: Caroline,
and Caspar Wistar, and the last named is a
prominent medical practitioner of Delaware
county.

EDWARD CAREY was born in Springfield,
Delaware county, Pennsylvania, October 13,
1820. Charles Carey, his grandfather, was born
in Delaware county, and was a well-known farm
er in that region. His children were John, who
went to Baltimore, and having learned the trade
of cabinet maker, remained there and went into
business; Elizabeth, and Charles, father of Ed
ward Carey, who assisted his father on the farm
until he had an opportunity of taking up the
lumber business in Philadelphia. In after years
he returned to the old homestead where he spent
his last days in farming.
He married Beulah, the daughter of William
Tyson, a resident of Cecil county, who had pre
viously lived in Delaware county. Their chil
dren were William, who after he married Eliza
beth Robinson, went to Clark county, remaining
there until his death; Elizabeth, who died when
young; Martha, who married George Caldwell;
Edward, whom we shall mention later, and Mat
thew, who was a mute and was educated at the
Asylum for Deaf Mutes in Philadelphia, and
who married Emma Wade. Mr. and Mrs. Carey
both died at the old home in Delaware county,
at the age of eighty-two years.
Edward Carey was educated in the public
schools of his native county, and on reaching
manhood exhibited more of a business spirit than
his ancestors had shown. He bought a farm in
Upper Providence, Delaware county, and raised
produce for the Philadelphia market, delivering
it himself by making two journeys each week.
In this manner by long and tedious labor, work
ing early and late, he established a flourishing
business long before the days of easy and rapid
transportation, and during a period of forty years
he never failed in his undertaking. He still has
a large and well cultivated farm of fifty acres
in the vicinity pf Media. Althpugh especially
adapted for agricultural pursuits, yet he also
shows much interest in town matters, and
has filled several local offices to the satisfaction
of those who elected him. His experiences in a
political line date from the days of the United
Whig party, of which he was a member, as were
most of the Quakers of that time. He has since
been a zealous Republican. He was a member
of the Society of Friends in his early life.
In 1840 he married Miss Jane Moore, a daugh-

Concord Meeting House, about 1870.
Rebuilt 1788.

Providence Meeting House, Media.
Rebuilt 1815.

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

i45

ter of James and Rachel (Worrell) Moore, of
Middletown, Delaware county. They had six
children, three of whom are dead. The three
surviving members of the family are, Mary
Amanda, Elwood S., and Martha Jane, who is
the wife of the Rev. W. R. Patton, and whose
children are Mabel, William and Harold Patton.
Mrs. Carey died April 19, 1901, after more than
.sixty years of married life.

FORREST FLAVILL WILLIAMSON,
the son of Thomas Mathews and Elizabeth
(Lloyd) Williamson, was born in Lower Provi
dence, Delaware county, Pennsylvania, October
1, 1845. Thomas Mathews Williamson, the son of
George and Rebecca (Johnson) Williamson, was
born in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania. In his youth
he was apprenticed to a shoemaker, and after
serving for the required time and having learned
the trade, he became a journeyman for a short
period, soon establishing a permanent business of
"his own as a manufacturer of shoes, to which he
added a retail shoe store, conducting both
branches of the business as long as he lived. He
received and held the appointment of postmaster
of Media, Pennsylvania, under the administration
of President Buchanan.
He married the daughter of John and Ann
(Carler) Lloyd of Chester, Pennsylvania. Their
f afriily. consisted .of the following children : For
rest Flavill ; ' Jesse, who died 'in infancy; Anna,
who' died ¦ young ; Emma, now the , widow of
Lewis'Hartman, and Kate B., the wife of Samuel
Kitts. Mr. Williamson and. his wife both died
some time ago.
Forrest Flavill Williamson was the oldest
child of Thomas M. and Elizabeth L. Williamson.
He attended the schools of Delaware county, and
having finished his studies acquired a thorough
knowledge of the drug business, which enabled
Turn to open a drug store in Philadelphia. He re
moved the business to Bryn Mawr, somewhat
later, and continued the drug trade for eighteen
years. He also established a cigar business in
Media, which he conducted for some time. He
was elected to fill many town offices to the satis
faction of his fellow townsmen. He was ap
pointed justice of the peace by the late Governor
Hastings of Pennsylvania, April 9, 1898, and was
reappointed to the same office in 1899, for a term
of five years. He has also served as jury commis
sioner. He is a member of the I. O. O. F. He is
somewhat interested in politics, and belongs to
the Republican party. .
He was married, March 28, 1895, to Hattie
Armstrong Rogers, daughter of Benjamin Rog
ers, of Upper Providence, Pennsylvania.

EDWIN E. WORRELL. This well known
agriculturist and highly esteemed citizen of Dela
ware county is a worthy representative of one of
the pioneer families of the locality. He was born
in Radnor, this county, on the 21st of September,
1833, being a son of Lewis L. and Matilda
(Eachus) Worrell. The former was born in
Haverford, Pennsylvania, and was a son of Maris
Worrell, who was a miller at that place, he having
followed that occupation throughout his entire
business career, and the mill property was owned
by the family for many years.
Lewis L. Worrell, the father of our subject,
was early in life engaged in the milling business
with his father, but later for some time gave his
attention to agricultural pursuits, after which he
again resumed the milling business. He was
united in marriage to Matilda, a daughter of
Evan Eachus, who was born on the present site
of Westchester, being a son of Enoch Eachus,
who removed from the present site of Media to
Chester county, Pennsylvania, prior to the war of
the Revolution. He lived to the age of ninety
years. Unto Lewis and Matilda Worrell were
born three children, two of whom died in child-
hPod, and our subject is now the only survivor.
For his second wife Lewis Worrell chose Re
becca Pyle, by whom he had three children,
namely: J. Leedon, a resident of Philadelphia;
Dr. J. Pyle, of Terre Haute, Indiana ; and Hib-
bard E., who is engaged in the real-estate busi
ness in Philadelphia. The father was a member
of the Society of Friends, and in that religious
faith he passed to his final reward when he had
reached the age of seventy-five years.
Edwin E. Worrell, the immediate subject of
this review, received his education in the schools
of Blue Hill, Delaware county. For a period of
seven years he served as postmaster of Upper
Providence, and during "that time was also en
gaged in the mercantile business. Since that
period he has given his attention to agricultural
pursuits, being the owner of one hundred and
twenty acres of land, and in this vocation his
efforts are attended with a high degree of suc
cess. His marriage was celebrated in 1865, when
Miss Margaret E. Bishop became his wife. She
was born on the 17th of October, 1840, and is a
daughter of Pratt Bishop, whose birth occurred
on the old Bishop homestead in Upper Provi
dence township, Delaware county. His parents
were Emory and Jane (Mahn) Bishop, while the
former was a son of Thomas Bishop and a grand
son of Joseph Bishop, the latter being the first
settler of that township. Emory Bishop was a
miller bv occupation, and as early as 18 12 estab
lished a rolling mill in Upper Providence, and
he was the first man in this country to success
fully fuse iron with coal. In this occupation he
was succeeded by his son Pratt, who was reared

146

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

on the pld hpmestead, and was married to Ma
tilda Yarnall, they becoming the parents of nine
daughters, as follows : Margaret, who became the
wife of Edwin Worrell; Priscilla, the wife of
Charles Moore; Debby, who married Passmore
Howard, a farmer of Glen Mills, Delaware coun
ty; Emma, a successful school teacher; Ellen
W., the wife of Frank Yarnall, an agriculturist;
Matilda, who was engaged in teaching but is now
deceased ; Ida, the wife of Edgar Pierce, a farmer
of Delaware county ; Hannah, the wife of Arthur
B. Adams, a prominent educator in Philadelphia ;
and Alice, the wife of Nelson Strong, who is en
gaged in the real estate business in Philadelphia.
Mr. Bishop served in various township offices,
and for many years was a school director. His
death occurred when he had reached the seventy-
eighth milestone on the journey of life.
Mrs. Worrell began her education in the
schools of Lancaster county, and later became a
student in the Crozer Theological Seminary of
Delaware county. By her marriage to Mr. Wor
rell she has become the mother of three children,
namely: Channing, who is engaged in mercantile
pursuits in the store adjoining the home prop
erty ; David Yarnall, who was born in 1873, and
is a farmer at home ; he married Etta Longshore,
and they have a daughter Emma ; and Pratt Bis
hop, who is an employe of the Pennsylvania Rail
road Company in Philadelphia. The eldest son,
Channing, married Clara Meridith, and they have
one child, Howard. Wherever known Mr. Wor
rell is held in high regard, and those who know
him best are numbered among his warmest
friends.

TRIMBLE PRATT, M. D., of Media, Penn
sylvania, was born in Goshen, Chester county,
Pennsylvania, May 27, 1844, and is the son
of Enos Lewis and Lydia (Trimble) Pratt.
The former, who belonged to one of the
old families of Chester county, was educated
in the public schools and the select school of
West Chester. He began his business life as
a clerk and later established himself as a merchant
at Rocky Hill, where he remained for a few years.
He then went to West Goshen, became a farmer,
and devoted himself to agricultural pursuits for
the remainder of his life. His wife was a daugh
ter of Isaac Trimble. Mr. and Mrs. Pratt are
the parents of the following children: Anna
Mary, who married Hubbard B. Garrett; Trim
ble, mentioned at length hereinafter; Hettie,
who became the wife of Jesse P. Thatcher, of
West Chester ; Orpha E. ; Elizabeth T. ; E. Ran
dall; and Henry E. Pratt. Mr. Pratt is still
living at the age of eighty-five.
Trimble Pratt was educated in the public
schools and at Wyers Academy, at West Ches

ter. He took up the study of medicine at Hahne--
mann's Medical College, Philadelphia, where he
graduated in 1870. He settled in Media, where
for many years he has been in possession of a
large and successful practice. He is a member
of the American Institute of Homeopathy, the
Pennsylvania State Homeopathic Medical So
ciety, the Medical Spciety of Chester, Dela
ware and Mpntgpmery cpunties, the Delaware
Cpunty Medical Society, and the Medical Club
of Chester, of which he was one of the organiz
ers. He is a member of the Society of Friends.
Dr. Pratt married, in 1889, Elizabeth Lewis,.
daughter of the late J. Henry Ogden.

JOHN EVANS, deceased, was for many
years widely and favorably knpwn in the busi
ness circles of Media, Delaware county, Penn
sylvania, and his success came as the reward.
of strong purpose, energy and capable manage
ment. He was born January 19, 1825, the son of
Jacob Evans, and he in turn was the son of Wil
liam Evans.
John Evans was reared and received a prac
tical education in his native county, and after at
taining young manhood devoted all his energies
to agricultural pursuits and the vocation of un
dertaker, meeting with a large degree of success
in both these enterprises. He had excellent equip
ments for conducting the former business after
the most approved methods, and was recognized
as one of the most progressive and successful
farmers of the community. Mr. Evans was
prominently affiliated with the Independent Order
of Odd Fellows. He was a cousin of Mayor Wil
liam Evans and of Miller Evans, a prominent at
torney of Reading, Pennsylvania.
On January 19, 1865, Mr. Evans married
Sarah Love, born in 1842, daughter of Charles
B. Love, of Rockdale, Delaware county, Penn
sylvania. Their children are: Virginia L., wife
of Samuel Harrison, an agriculturist; Louis M.,
engaged in farming pursuits, who married Grace
Robinson; Mabel Hinkson, wife of William Al
len; Charles L., who married Grace E. Pennell,
and is now engaged as a clerk in the Pennsylvania
Railroad office; Sara L. (Mrs. Tyler); Harry
Hinkson, employed as a clerk in the grocery busi
ness at Media, Pennsylvania; Elizabeth L., a
school teacher, who devotes much time to music,
and Helen Bonner Evans, residing at home. Mr.
Evans's death occurred September 17, 1883.

JOHN PLATT. Enterprise, energy and
honesty in business, combined with a marked
fidelity to every duty of public and private life,
are the characteristics that have guided and con
trolled the career of John Piatt, of Media, Penn-

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

'47

¦sylvania, and given him rank among the substan
tial and valued citizens of Delaware county.
John Piatt was born March 18, 1865. He is
the adopted son of Casper Rudolph, and was only
three years of age when admitted as a member of
:the Rudolph family, in which he made his home
for thirty-five years. He was alwavs treated as
their own child, and upon the death of Mr. Ru
dolph all the money and vast estates in Delaware
county owned by that gentleman were deeded to
Mr. Piatt. He is the owner of a farm of thirty-
four acres, devoted to the production of a gen
eral line of garden truck, and, his methods being
progressive and systematical, he has won fair
success in his undertaking. Mr. Piatt is a prom
inent member of Rose Tree Lodge, Independent
-Order of Odd Fellows.
Mr. Piatt was united

was united in marriage to
Miss Emily Brinton, a daughter of Elwood
and Rachel Brinton, of Chester, Pennsyl
vania. Their children are: Ervin, ten years
of age; Albert, nine years of age; John, five
years of age, and Dpnald Piatt, two years old.
Both Mr. Piatt and his wife are earnest and con
sistent members of the First Baptist church of
Media, Pennsylvania.
Elwood Brinton, father of Mrs. Piatt, is a
•descendant of Robert de Brinton, who received
a manor in Shropshire, England, from King
Henry II, about 1160. His lineal descendants
removed to Staffordshire about 1450, and from
that county came William Brinton in 1684 and
settled in the township since called Birmingham,
Chester county, Pennsylvania. As his home in
England was near that town, it is supposed that
"he gave the name to the township. He had a son,
William Brinton, who was a Quaker, and had
-suffered persecution on that account in England.
William married Jane Thatcher, and had two
sons, Joseph and Edward, who were prominent
and active citizens, and from them has descended
the numerous Brinton family of this country,
among whom have been many men of marked in
dividuality and great force of character. William
Brinton, grandfather of Elwood Brinton, was a
prominent Quaker of Birmingham township, and
"kept the church records for many years. He was
a farmer by occupation, and his residence, which
is still standing, was built directly on the ground
made famous by the battle between General
Washington and General Howe, which was
fought September 11, 1777. He was a Federal
ist in politics, and died at his home in 1812, at
the extreme old age of ninety-two years.
Joseph Brinton, father of Elwood Brinton,
was born in 1786, on the old homestead, where
riis entire life was spent in agricultural pursuits.
He was very prosperous in his undertakings, and
Tbecame the owner of a large amount of property.
He died in 1865, iii the eighty-first year of his

age. His son, Elwood Brinton, served in the
capacity of lieutenant in Company C, Indepen
dent Battery, during the progress of the Civil
war. Three of his brothers also served in the
war, Alfred being a member of Company M, One
Hundred and Eighty-first Pennsylvania Infantry,
and afterward re-enlisting in Company G, Twen
tieth Cavalry, and participating in the campaign
through the valley of Virginia, while David R.
P. and Levis Brinton were members of Company
A, First Regiment Pennsylvania Reserves. David
was severely wounded while on picket duty in
Virginia.  *-»-? 

SAMUEL CALEY. Samuel Caley (4), de
ceased, who was for many years a well known
and highly respected citizen of Newtown, was a
descendant of one of the most ancient and hon
ored families of Delaware county. The progen
itor of the family in America was Samuel Caley
(1), who came from the Isle of Man, England,
and settled at Newtown Square, on a farm which
has remained in the possession of his descendants
for six generations, in each of which his chris
tian name has been perpetuated. He built a
stone house which stood in its original form and
dimensions until Samuel Caley (3) was fifteen
years old, when it was enlarged, and it was again
remodeled when Samuel Caley (4) had reached
the same age.
Samuel Caley (1) married Ann Free. Their
son, Samuel (2), married Jennis Thomas, in
1768, and of this marriage was born a daughter,
Honoriah, who died at the age of fifteen years.
The mother died in 1783 and Samuel Caley (2)
married, May 1, 1785, Hannah Reece. The chil
dren born of this marriage were: 1. Mary, who
married Phineas Lewis. 2. Ann, who married
Philip Conner. 3. Samuel.
Samuel Caley (3), youngest child of Samuel
(2) and Hannah (Reece) Caley, was born Oc
tober 1, 1790, and died August 29, 1870. He mar
ried, in 1814, Ann Phillips, born March 6, 1794,
a daughter of David and Margaret Phillips, of
Radnor, and their children were: 1. Samuel (4),
further referred to below ; 2. Margaret, born Jan
uary 26, 1817, who married Jonathan Richards,
3, 29, 1838. 3. Hannah, born February 28, 1819,
who married Walter W. Green, 12, 14, 1848. 4. •
Mary, born April 22, 1821, who married Amos
Lukens, 10, 9, 1850, and (2d) Thomas P. Baynes,
10, 18, 1883. 5. David P., born February 27,
1824, who married Margaret B. Matlack, 3, 6,
1850. 6. Ann, born October 16, 1826. 7. Sarah
G, born January 5, 1829, who married Harvey
Gillam, 10, 23, 1862. 8. George P., born July 17,
183 1, who married Hannah Lewis, 2, 24, 1859,
and (2d) Rachel W. Kelley, 3, 19, 1886. 9. Wil
liam R., who married Sabina Bishop, 3, 3, 1859.

148

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

io. Annie, who married Edward H. Dorland, 6,
15, 1882. 11. Elizabeth, born July 10, 1841. The
mother of these children died December 5, 1844,
and Samuel Caley (3) then married (ist) Mary
Rowland, of Philadelphia, and (2d) Esther Hib
berd Pratt, of Marple.
Samuel Caley (4), eldest child of Samuel (3)
and Ann Phillips (Caley), was born March 24,
18 1 5, in the Caley homestead, near Newtown
Square, Delaware county. He was the fourth
of his christian name in lineal descent. He was
educated in the common schools in Newtown
Square, and, in course of time succeeded to the
possession of the homestead, where he led the
life of a farmer as his ancestors had done, resid
ing in the house in which he had lived since the
age of fifteen, when it was rebuilt by his father
to replace the old original dwelling. In June,
1886, he sold his farm to the Pennsylvania Hos-
pital Company, and on November 30, of the
same year, in the seventy-second year of his age,
passed peacefully away, leaving to his family the
precious legacy of a useful and well-spent life
and an unsullied character. In all the relations
of life he was a fine type of the Christian gentle
man, who discharged with fidelity every duty de
volving upon him, and rendered aid to the suf
fering and distressed with kindly sympathy and
characteristic modesty.
Mr. Caley was married to Miss Lucy
Cheyney Hickman, born 2, 20, 1819, a daugh
ter of Cyrus and Phoebe (Matlack) Hickman,
of Westtown, Chester county. The follow
ing named children were born of this mar
riage. 1. Cyrus Hickman Caley, born 2, 11, 1841,
and who is a farmer in Montgomery county. He
married, 3, 16, 1865, Annie L. Beidler, and their
children were :
(a) Harry T., born 12, 11, 1865, died 4, 13,
1867; (b) Sarah Lucy, born 5, 11, 1868; (c) Ella
B., born 12, 14, 1869, married William Frederick,
and their children are Anna and Frances; (d)
Laura M., born 12, 6, 1873, married William
Moore, and to them were born a child, Cyrus
Norman; (e) J. Oswald, born 4, 4, 1876, mar
ried Lillian Moore; (f) Jonathan R., born 3, 8,
1878; (g) David Ashmore, born 8, 21, 1880,
married Katharine Moyer; (h) Hannah M., born
5. 4, 1883.
2. Samuel Caley (5), a practicing physician at
Mt. Holly, New Jersey, born 6, 14, 1844, and died
7, 16, 1901. He married, 3, 25, 1868, Mary H.
Yarnall, and their children were: (a) Bertha,
born 1, 11, 1869; died 9, 19, 1879; (b) Herman
W., bprn 6, 14, 1873, died 2, 18, 1874; (c) Sam
uel (6), born 7, 13, 1875, died 10, 25, 1882; (d)
M. Prances, born 9, 7, 1882.
3. Anna Phillips Caley born 11, 20, 1848, died
10, 4, 1852.

4. William Hickman Caley born December 27,.
185 1, a merchant in Boothwyn, Delaware county;
he married, 2, 5, 1878, Miriam H. Bowker, who
died 1, 25, 1893. They were the parents of a
child, Howard B. Caley, born 10, 15, 1884, died
1, 12, IQ03. Mr. Caley married 5, 30, 1894, Anna
V. Mulford. 5. Elizabeth Hickman Caley, born August 13,.
1854. 6. Hannah Reece Caley, born November 18,.
l&57, who married (June 6, 1889) Empson
Haines Garwood, of Newtown Square.
7. Margaret Richards Caley, born November
25, i860.
In the spring following the death of her hus
band, Mrs. Lucy C. H. Caley and her three-
daughters removed to Media. There Miss Eliza
beth H. Caley established, in 1887, a kindergar
ten class which she conducted for four years, and"
at the end of that time, encouraged by the suc
cess which had attended her efforts, in associa
tion with her sisters, Mrs. Garwood and Miss-
Margaret R. Caley, she organized the Caley
School, with its more advanced classes, and?
which has acquired a deservedly wide and favor
able reputation. In the summer of 1894, Mrs.
Caley built a beautiful and commodious home on
North Monroe street, Media, where she resided?
until her useful and beautiful life closed by death,
April 13, 1900. Her remains were interred in
the Friends' burial ground at Newtown Square,
Pennsylvania, the resting place of the five gen
erations of the Caley ancestors, and in close
proximity to the farm where the first Samuel
Caley made his home when he came from Eng
land, known as the Caley homestead.

ALLEN C. W. MATHUES, of Media, Penn
sylvania, where he is recpgnized as a leading and
progressive citizen, was born January 7, 1870, in-
Aston township, Delaware county, Pennsylvania,.
and is a son of the late William F. Mathues.
Mr. Mathues was educated in the public-
schools of Chelsea and at Media High School.
He served an apprenticeship of five years to the
printer's trade in the office of The Delaware'
County American, and subsequently worked as a
journeyman for nine years. For nine months-
he was employed in the office of The Chester
News, and for a time worked in the government
printing office in Washington city. In 1902, un
der the administration of President Roosevelt,.
Mr. Mathues was appointed postmaster of Media.
The manner in which he has discharged the du
ties of this office proves that the confidence re
posed in him by the post office department of the
United States government was not misplaced,.
and the esteem and friendship accorded him bjr
his fellow townsmen testify to the regard ini

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

149

which he is held as a citizen and neighbor. In
politics he is a Republican, and he is a member
of the Young Men's Republican Club, the Media
Club, the American Mechanics, and the Media
Athletic Association.
Mr. Mathues married, May 5, 1892, Mary,
daughter of the late Joseph T. Blythe, of Media.
Five children have been born to them: Mabel,
Mary Elizabeth, Leroy, Harvey Fronfield, and
Allen Randall.

SWARTHMORE COLLEGE. This insti
tution, situated near Media, in Delaware county,
Pennsylvania, is the only educational institution
of the college grade that is under the care of
members of what is sometimes called the Hick-
site branch of the religious Society of Friends.
Friends were, at an early day, even in the time
of George Fox, the founder of their society, much

lish their first college took definite form early in
the second half of the nineteenth century, and the
funds for this purpose were raised by private
subscriptions. The institution was to have a stock
basis, and a charter was drawn restricting its
control and direction to members of the religious
Society of Friends. Delaware county was se
lected for the locality of the new college, as being
quite central for the largest bodies of our Friends,
the three cities of Philadelphia, New York and
Baltimore, with one of our Yearly Meetings in
each, furnishing the most of the funds and the
largest number of students. Although a stock
institution in one sense, the Friends' democratic
idea of individual responsibility prevailed in the
management, and the votes of the stockholders
were individual votes, not being in the least in
fluenced by the amount of stock held.
The site having been selected, commanding
a fine view of the valley of the Delaware from

Swarthmore College.

interested in the education and proper training
of their children ; and some of the early Friends,
like Penn and Barclay, were themselves well
educated men and women for the day in which
they lived. But, being an eminently practical peo
ple, the Friends, in the early days and even down
to our own times, were disposed to give their
children only a training in the essentials, and in
this country the idea of a college education for
them received very little consideration until the
middle of the century just passed. The other
branch of the society moved in this matter rather
earlier, and they have now several colleges under
their care in various parts of the United States.
The movement among our Friends to estab-

Philadelphia to Wilmington, the work of erecting
the main building, called later Parrish Hall, after
the name of the first president, was entered upon
in good earnest, and completed and ready for
students in the autumn of 1869, about four years
having been spent on the building; for Friends,
with their usual care and foresight, did the work
no faster than the funds were raised, and hence
stopped several times for want of funds, and re
newed the work only when the funds actually
in hand would warrant it. The new building was
erected near the center of a tract of land of about
three hundred and sixty-five acres, which was
purchased for the purpose of giving ample
grounds for the various open air exercises and a

15°

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

farm, the produce of which should go toward the
supply of the boarding department.
Both sexes were from the first admitted to
the college on entire equality, and there was no
restriction as to sex in the make up of the several
•classes. Friends recognized early the entire
equality of the sexes in all educational matters.
This was on the same principle as that on which
their meetings were established, in which it was
always understood that the positions of men and
woman were equal, both in the exercise of the
gift of the ministry and in the management of
the business matters of the church.
The family life was organized in the institu
tion at its first opening, in the autumn of 1869,
and now for the past thirty-four years the insti
tution has been managed upon that basis with
entire success. Men and women have also been
on the board of management in equal numbers
and with equal powers from the beginning.
More and more, in these later years, other educa
tional institutions have been following success
fully the good example of Swarthmore in this
important respect.
Friends were not generally prepared to pat
ronize a college in 1869. The years that had been
spent in the construction of the main college build
ing were devoted to making a home for faculty and
students, and furnishing all necessary rooms for
college work, for a college of about three hundred
students, as was estimated at that time. Further
experience and more modern needs have shown
that two hundred instead of three hundred would
have been a large estimate. At the time of this
writing, another large building, at some distance
from the first, intended for the accommodation
of the young men only, is in process of erection,
and is to be called Wharton Hall, after Joseph
Wharton, of Philadelphia, one of the large con
tributors to the college, and the second president
its board of managers. The use of the original'
Parrish Hall is to be given up to the young
women and to the various class and lecture rooms
of the college, where the young men and young
women are to be taught in mixed classes as from
the beginning.
The amount spent on Parrish Hall was about
two hundred and thirty thousand dollars. The
bills and vouchers, as presented by the early and
most efficient chairman of our building commit
tee, Hugh B. Mcllvain, amounted to about two
hundred and twenty-five thousand dollars, when
the formal exercises were held and the keys
passed over to Samuel Willets, our largest early
contributor and the first president of the board
of managers. But a good deal of work was then
unfinished, and in the end the full amount for
the first building was but little short of a quarter
of a million dollars.
The evidence that Friends had not yet turned

their attention fully to the idea of a college in 1869
is, that of the one hundred and thirty-eight
students who first presented themselves only
about twenty were prepared to enter the fresh
man class, and none could go higher, all the rest
having to enter a preparatory department, which
continued for a number of years to far outnum
ber the students of the college classes. But now,
for a number of years, the preparatory depart
ment has been given up, and the institution, like
most of our colleges in good standing, contains
college classes only.
Plans were formed early for courses of study
in the college leading to the various degrees then
conferred, i. e. : Classical, Literary and Scien
tific, the third being subdivided into the general
Scientific and the Engineering Degree. In con
ferring this last, as part of a college course,
Swarthmore was among the pioneers, and that
degree was early accepted as equalling in honor
and real scholarship any of the rest. Now, after
the lapse of a third of a century, Swarthmore is
no longer peculiar in this respect.
The college has also, quite recently, under the
lead of its present most efficient and successful
president, Joseph Swain, adopted the practice
now coming into general favor, of conferring the
same degree upon all, whatever one of the courses
offered has been successfully pursued to the end
of the course. The college is, in other words,
like other leading educational institutions, recog
nizing the fact that, to be well educated and
scholarly, it is no longer necessary, as in the earl
ier days, to be well trained in the classical lan
guages, so called, but that modern literature and
modern science, in its now varied and complete
forms, may all be regarded as an evidence of
true culture, and equally worthy of an honorable
degree. The organization of the colleges, and constant
conference and comparison with one another, has
done much to bring about this result. This began
in the New England states, but within the past
two decades it has made rapid growth throughout
other parts of the country, and Swarthmore was
one of the very few colleges that first united un
der the name of "The College Association of
Pennsylvania," which name was later changed
to "The College Association of the Middle States
and Maryland," and still later, recognizing the
necessary bond between the colleges and pre
paratory schools, the organization assumed its
present name of "The Association of the Colleges
and Preparatory Schools of the Middle States
and Maryland," which, instead of being one of
the smallest, as fifteen years ago, is to-day the
next to the largest of the educational organiza
tions in the United States.
Another good result has grown out of this
movement, and that is the establishment bf a

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

151

general examining board, and the establishing of
a definite standard of admission to the various
colleges, a certificate from the general examining
board admitting a student to any of the colleges
which constitute this college union.
Thus, in these modern days, in educational
:as in other matters, great oragnizations working
in harmony are taking the place of competitive
individual effort. In this work, it will be remem
bered, Swarthmore was active and efficient from
the beginning.
In another line of progress which is character
istic of these twentieth century times, Swarth
more can take a leading place. This is not merely
the coeducation of the sexes, so called, but com
bining wisely and well the home life, the family
life, with the work of a great educational institu
tion. Attempts to do this are now growing more
numerous every year, but nowhere can it be said
to have been so successfully done as at Swarth
more, and this has come from constant and vigil
ant care and oversight, wisely combined with
trust and confidence, making the students feel
that they are to be in a way self-governed, and
that the responsibility of this must be largely
-shared by them, working in harmony with those
-entrusted with the management. In this success
Swarthmore can well be pointed out as a model
for certainly the last two decades. To witness
its working in the fine results thus produced,
visitors have been with good reason attracted to
Swarthmore from both sides of the ocean.
Opening thirty-four years ago as a large pre
paratory school, with but one small college class,
the college has long since outgrown that pre
liminary stage, and now numbers over two hun
dred students, with college classes only, and in
-.grade among the colleges of the state it stands un
questionably with the best. Indeed, it compares
not at all unfavorably with colleges of our country
which reckon their ages in centuries instead of
a few decades. Its classes in art, letters, science,
engineering, architecture, are all open to inspec
tion; visitors are gladly welcomed at any time,
and its religious meetings are so conducted as
to be acceptable to all Christian people, and pain
ful or offensive to none; and whoever is inter
ested in the important and far reaching work now
-progressing in our little Delaware county, within
-an hour's ride bvrail from Philadelphia, are most
-cordially invited to go and see for themselves,
and all will see that the picture is neither ex
aggerated nor overdrawn. Besides the. large
grounds, buildings and necessary equipments for
the varied departments pf college work, all of
which holdings are without mortgage, the gen
eral endowment fund of the college has now
-reached the sum of eight hundred and fifty thou
sand dollars, and it is to be made a million before
tthe commencement of 1905.

The limit of this article prevents any special
reference to the individual members of the board
or the faculty, whose labors in these few decades
have produced the results referred to. It has
been suggested that the article close with a list
of those who have filled the office of president of
the board of managers and president of the col
lege from the opening of the college to the pres
ent time. They are as follows :
PRESIDENTS OF THE BOARD OF MANAGERS.
Samuel Willets, of New York, 1869 to 1883.
Joseph Wharton, of Philadelphia, 1863 to
the present time.
PRESDENTS OF THE COLLEGE.
Edward Parrish, 1869 to 1870.
Edward H. Magill, 1870 to 1890.
William Hyde Appleton, 1890 to 1891.
Charles De Garmo, 1891 to 1898.
William W. Birdsall, 1898 to 1902.
Joseph Swain, 1902 to the present time.

EDWARD HICKS MAGILL, LL. D. The
conspicuous position which Dr. Magill has occu
pied for so long a period in the educational
world, and his identification with Swarthmore
College for so many years, render him a most
interesting subject for biographical record. As
may be expected, we find in him the ripe scholar,
a man of wide culture, enlightened views and
trained intellect, a man of pronounced personality
and strength, one equally at home in the class
room, the library, on the lecture platform and in
pleasant social life.
Edward Hicks Magill was born in 1825, in
Solebury, Bucks county, Pennsylvania. His
early education was obtained in the local schools,
and he was fourteen years old when he entered
the Friends' Boarding School at Westtown, Ches
ter county, Pennsylvania, where he was grad
uated in 1841. His choice of profession was
made very early, as in his sixteenth year he began
teaching school, and he continued to teach both in
public and private schools during the winter sea
sons for the following eight years, his summers be
ing occupied in work upon his father's farm. The
year 1849-50 was spent at Willistown Seminary,
at East Hampton, Massachusetts, in preparation
for college, and in the latter year he was able
to enter Yale College without a condition. Here
he soon made himself noted, as he easily carried
off the prize in mathematics, in his freshman
year, sharing with Dr. Eastman.
In 1 85 1 a pamphlet issued by Dr. Francis
Wayland on a new system of degrees, attracted

152

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

the young student's attention, and resulted in a
change being made from Yale to Brown Uni
versity. Here, under Dr. Wayland, he took a
selected course and in 1852 received from Brown
University the degree of Bachelor of Arts. From
1852 to 1859 he served as principal of the classi
cal department of the Providence High School,
meantime continuing his studies at Brown and
reciting once a day. His examination in 1855
secured him a degree of Master of Arts. In
1859 he was invited to take the sub-mastership
in the Boston Latin School under Dr. Francis
Gardner, and here Dr. Magill remained until
1867, instructing in Latin, Greek, French and
mathematics, preparing students for Harvard
University. In 1867 he received from Edward
Parrish, of Philadelphia, an urgent invitation to
accept the position of principal of the preparatory
department of Swarthmore College. The accept
ance of this position was deferred until 1869,
the intervening years being passed by Dr. Magill
in study at the Sarbonne and the University of
Paris. Upon his return from abroad in Decem
ber, 1869, he entered upon his duties at Swarth
more. One year later he was appointed president
of that institution, a position for which he was
eminently fitted and which he occupied for nine
teen years. The duties of the position pressing
heavily upon him, and desiring rest and recrea
tion, Dr. Magill resigned in 1889. The board
reluctantly accepted it, to take effect one year
later, and during the intermediate time he was
continued in the position with the same generous
salary. This second trip abroad was enjoyed
in literary and scientific study. Upon his return,
in 1890, he accepted the chair of French in
Swarthmore and filled it for the succeeding ten
years, resigning at this time, and becoming pro
fessor-emeritus. Since that date Dr. Magill has
belonged to the college faculty as a lecturer
on French literature. Dr. Magill has been
honored in many ways. His degree of Doctor
of Laws was conferred upon him by Haver
ford College, as a recognition of his efforts
in the founding of the great institution of learn
ing with which his name must ever be indis-
solubly associated.
In the world of literature Dr. Magill is also
well known. His first text book was issued during
the period of his connection with the Latin school.
It was an introduction to a French reader, with
a volume of prose and poetry. Since entering
upon his duties at Swarthmore he has followed
with a French grammar, and a series of French
readers, in four volumes. A work to which he
has given much attention, is a history of Swarth
more College from its founding. A very com
prehensive work, which his friends venture to
hope is in a measure an autobiography, is now
in course of preparation, bearing the title, "Sixty

years in the Life of a Teacher." He is also now
engaged upon a series of works entitled, "French
Dramatic Master Pieces, Translated in English
Verse, of the Same Metre as the Originals."
These are to include Victor Hugo; Corneille;.
Racine ; Moliere ; Rostand ; and perhaps others-
Hugo's Hemani is now finished, and is expected
to appear the coming spring. The series will"
appear in small, neat volumes, each containing-
but one work of the author. He has been a con
tributor to many journals, his essays and literary-
criticisms meeting with approbation on many-
sides, from the cultivated classes for which they
are intended.
During the past few years Dr. Magill has oc
cupied a very congenial position, being chairman
of the National Committees Association on Mod
ern Languages in America, an international cor
respondence between students and teachers of
France, Germany, Italy and Spain. During this-
period it has been his pleasant privilege to place-
thcusands of students in international corre
spondence. As president of Swarthmore College he was
recognized as a man of unusual executive ability
and exhibited a breadth of culture, and through
his fidelity and perseverance did more than any-
other to place this institution of learning on a
par with many which have the halo of years be
hind them.

JOSEPH SWAIN, M. A., LL. D., president
of Swarthmore College, is a native of Indiana,.
to which state his father, Woolston Swain, born
and reared in Pennsylvania, removed when about:
twenty years of age.
Woolston Swain was destitute of means, but
his energy and determination proved an abundant
capital. He made his journey on foot as far as
Pittsburg, whence he traveled by boat to Cin
cinnati, and on foot again to Indianapolis. He-
went to the neighborhood of Pendleton, and there
cleared off a tract of land out of the primitive
forest. In time, through persistent industry and
economy, he had become the owner of an excel
lent farm and a comfortable home, and lived a.
most exemplary life, and was recognized as a
leader in the community which gathered about
him. He married Mary Ann (Thomas) Swain,
who was born in the state of New York, daugh
ter of a missionary who had long labored there-
among the Indians. In her girlhood her parents
removed to Indiana, and settled near the place
which became the scene of her married life. To-
the Swain pair were born five children, all of
whom were reared in the Society of Friends, to
which the parents also adhered.
Their son, Joseph Swain, was born June 16,.
1857. He began his education in the district

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

iS3

schools of his native village, Pendleton, and then
completed a course in the high school, where his
studious habits so commended him to his in
structors that they urged him to extend his
studies into a broader field. He accordingly en
tered the Indiana State University at Blooming-
ton, in 1879, and was graduated therefrom in
1883, when twenty-six years of age. These
dates are of interest, and may prove a stimulus
to some to follow after his example — that of en
tering upon a high scholastic life much later
than is usual. While a college student, Mr.
Swain devoted special attention to mathematics
and the natural sciences, and he had as instructors
in these branches, respectively, two eminent pro
fessors, Dr. Daniel Kirkwood and Dr. David
Starr Jordan, and the potency of their influence
in determining his future career can now be dis
cerned. The University at that time conferred
no honors, but Mr. Swain led all his class in
the credits given him for excellence in his studies.
While on intimate terms with his associate
students, he persistently declined to attach him
self to any of the college fraternities, a notable
exception to the rule.
Doctor Swain entered upon the labors of a
teacher in the same year in which he was grad
uated from the University, and in that institution,
and from that time to the present his connection
with establishments has been uninterrupted, while
he has been advanced from time to time to larger
fields of usefulness and influence. His first ap
pointment was as an instructor in mathematics.
During the following summer vacation he was en
gaged with the United States Fish Commission,
to make collections in the southern states. In
the next University term he was made instructor
in the natural sciences as well as in mathematics,
and at the commencement following, in 1885, the
degree of Master of Science was conferred upon
him and he was appointed associate professor
of mathematics. He was at the same time given
a leave of absence for one year to enable him' to
prosecute advanced studies in the University of
Edinburgh, Scotland. Upon his return home,
in 1886, Dr. Kirkwood had resigned the chair of
mathematics, and Dr. Swain was elected to suc-
seed him, and proved a most worthy successor
for a period of five years. At the expiration of
that time, in 1891, Dr. Jordan was chosen to the
presidency of Stanford University, and Dr. Swain
to the position of professor of mathematics in the
same institution, his appointment being one of the
first made.
In 1893, ten years after his graduation from
the State University of Indiana, Professor Swain
was called to the presidency of that institution as
successor to Dr. Coulter, who had resigned. In
the same year Wabash College conferred upon
him the degree of Doctor of Laws. His connec

tion with the University of Indiana was main
tained until June, 1902, when he accepted a call
to the presidency of Swarthmore College, and en
tered upon his duties at the beginning of the next
ensuing scholastic term. It is not to be ques
tioned that the appointment was most gratifying
to him, for it brought him into close relation with
a people with whom he was in entire sympathy,
and to whose service he felt obligated in a peculiar
degree. Doctor Swain has habitually displayed an un
usual power of reaching students and of con
trolling them, not through the exercise of author
ity, but by a genial influence which commands
their affection and keeps alive their enthusiasm.
As was said of him by Dr. David Starr Jordan,
President of Stanford University, "he is a man
of very large ability, particularly in the manage
ment of men and in the training of students. He-
is a man of most genial disposition and cheery
but refined manners. He is in the prime of physi
cal health, and is of heroic stature, standing six
feet four inches in height, and weighing two
hundred and sixty pounds.
While, as has been shown in this narrative,.
Dr. Swain has been busily engaged as a teacher
in the class room and as the head of a large in
stitution of learning, his effort has been freely
extended to other instructional work. During;
the term of his presidency of the University of
Indiana, he delivered educational addresses in
every county in the state, and to his labors is to-
be ascribed in large degree the increased number
of students, from 702 to 1,302. His high standing
throughout the state is further affirmed by the
fact that he was a member of the state board of
education during all the period of his presidency
of the University of Indiana, and that his reputa
tion was not merely local is shown by his election
as president of the higher education section of
the National Teachers' Association in 1897. For
a number of years he has been a member of the
National Convention of Educators.
Doctor Swain has performed a great amount
of excellent scientific work in which he has been
faithful and thorough rather than brilliant. He
has written numerous papers upon scientific
topics, several of which have been published in.
the reports of the Smithsonian Institution, and he
has also written many papers and delivered many
addresses upon educational and kindred subjects.
He has travelled extensively, and has made five
journeys to Europe, where he spent one year,.
four summers, devoting his time to visiting such
places and institutions as would enlarge his views
and add to his store of knowledge. On three oc
casions he conducted parties to Europe, and was-
their genial and interesting guide to many cities-
and edifices of great historic interest.
Doctor Swain was married, September 22,.

^54

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

1885, to Miss Frances Hannah Morgan, who has
proved a most efficient aid to her talented husband.
She has shown a deep interest in the young women
students of Swarthmore College, and was the or
ganizer of the Woman's League of Indiana Uni
versity, which has proven a most serviceable ad
junct to it, and she was for one year the presi
dent of the Indiana Literary Clubs Union.
Mrs. Swain is a daughter of Charles Dayton
and Alvira H. (Woods) Morgan, who were mar
ried November 13, 1856. Her father was born
in Richmond, Indiana, July 31, 1829, son of Na
than Morgan, a farmer and cabinet maker, who
settled for life at Richmond, where he died.
Charles D. Morgan received a common school
education, and then entered upon the study of law
in the office of William H. Beckle, and afterwards
in that of Judge James Perry, at Richmond,
where he was admitted to the bar in 1850. In
1852 he removed to Knightstown, Indiana, where
he was engaged in practice until 1865. In that
year he became connected with the First National
Bank of Knightstown, with which he was con
nected during the remainder of his life, either
in the capacity of cashier or president. He was
a Republican in politics, and in 1862 he was
elected to the legislature. It was during the
Civil war, and the session was an extremely
stormy one. A bill was introduced providing
for the reorganization of the state militia, and
Mr. Morgan was one of thirty-four opponents
who left the hall and thus rendered impossible
the passage of the measure. His religious associa
tions were with the Society of Friends. Eor
thirty years he was a member of the Brotherhood
of Odd Fellows. His wife, Alvira (Woods)
Morgan, bore him six children, of whom three
died quite young. Those who came to maturity
were Frances Hannah, who became the wife of
Dr. Swain, Raymond C. and Eric C. Morgan.
After the decease of the mother of these chil
dren, Mr. Morgan married Rebecca Gray, a
daughter of William Gray, of Knightstown,
Indiana.

WILLIAM I. HULL, Ph. D., professor
of history and political economy in Swarthmore
College, is a native of Maryland, born in Balti
more. His parents were Thomas B. and Mary Dixon
Hull. His father, Judge Hull, was born in Milton,
Dutchess county, New York. Mrs. Hull was a
native of Maryland, and a daughter of Isaac F.
Dixon, a prominent citizen of Baltimore. Two of
the sons of Judge Hull became identified with
Swarthmore College, at Swarthmore, Pennsyl
vania. William I. Hull, son of Judge Thomas B.
-and Mary Dixon Hull, was born in Baltimore,

Maryland, in 1868. He graduated from Johns
Hopkins University in 1889, receiving the de
gree- of Bachelor of Arts, and in 1892 he received
the degree of Doctor of Philosophy from the same
institution, having meantime (in 1891) pursued
special studies in the University of Berlin. In
1892 he was called to the Joseph Wharton Chair
of History and Political Economy in Swarthmore
College, a position which he has occupied most
usefully and creditably to the present time. The
group of studies included in his department are
history, politics, economics and social science,
fitting the student for the duties and responsibili
ties of citizenship, and affording special training
for the public service, and for law and journalism.
Professor Hull is a man of peculiar magnetic
force in the class room, and his department is one
of the strongest in the college.
Professor Hull is the author of various literary
productions of an important character from an
educational standpoint. He made an auspicious
beginning as a writer, when he took his degree
in philosophy, with his thesis on "The Influence
of Maryland Upon the Adoption of the Articles
of Confederation," and this was so meritorious
that it was published by the Maryland Historical
Society. Professor Hull is also joint author of
a "Handbook of Sociology," and of a "History
of Higher Education in Pennsylvania." He has
also written various articles upon historical and
economic topics which have found publication in
leading magazines and newspapers. He has
added to his attainments as a student by two
summers passed in travel in Europe, where he
visited and studied with discrimination and en
thusiasm in various centers of science and art.
Professor Hull was married to Miss Hannah,
a daughter of Isaac H. Clothier, one of the most
prominent business men of Philadelphia. Pro
fessor Hull and family reside in a beautiful home
near the campus of Swarthmore College.

MISS SUSAN J. CUNNINGHAM, Sc. D.
Edward H. Magill, professor of mathematics and
astronomy in Swarthmore College, Swarthmore,
Pennsylvania, is a member of an old Pennsylvania
Quaker family, the Hallingsworth, who came over
in the time of William Penn, and settled in New
Castle county, Delaware, then Penn, and founded
by Valentine Hallingsworth, from whom she is
a descendant, and probably in the seventh genera
tion. She was born in Pennsylvania March 23,
1842. She began her education in a Friends'
School in her native state, and in early life de
veloped a taste and aptitude for educational work.
She pursued a special course in Vassar College,
and advanced studies at Cambridge, Massachu
setts, and Cambridge, England.
Miss Cunningham has been identified with

£$& €<rtf r^<^£^^

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

'5 5,

Swarthmore College from its opening in 1869,
and in all the years from then until the present
she has been constantly at her post of duty. She
was at first assistant professor of mathematics,
and after a few months she was' advanced to the
full professorship, to which was subsequently
attached the department of astronomy. In ad^
dition to giving faithful and capable discharge
to her duties as a teacher, her personality has been
felt in all stages of the growth and development
of the institution, to which all her mature years
have been devoted. The college is written of at
length elsewhere in this work.

JAMES D. HULL, superintendent of Swarth
more college, was born in Baltimore, Maryland,
October 9, 1872, a son of Judge T. Burling and
Mary Dixon Hull, and a brother of Professor
William I. Hull. He was educated at public
schools of Baltimore. He entered upon his busi
ness career in 1887 with B. F. Starr & Co., mill
furnishers of Baltimore.
For the past five years he has occupied the
position of confidential clerk to the firm of Brig-
ham Hopkins Company, of Baltimore, the most
extensive manufacturers of straw hats in the
world. In 1901, Mr. Hull accepted appointment to
the position of superintendent of Swarthmore
College. A man of excellent business ability
and clear foresight, he also cherishes a sentimental
regard for the institution, and he has served with
great usefulness in safeguarding its various in
terests. Mr. Hull was married in June, 1902, to Miss
Miss Mary E. Broomell, a daughter of Seneca P.
Broomell, one of the best known authorities in
the fertilizer trade.

JACOB HIBBERD, one of the leading
agriculturists of Delaware county, Pennsyl
vania, is a lineal descendant of Josiah and
Ann (Bonsall) Hibberd, the former named
having been a member of the Society of Friends,
emigrated to this country from England, and set
tled in Pennsylvania soon after William Penn
arrived in the province. The family have always
been large land owners.
The eldest son of Josiah and Ann was John,
who married twice, his first marriage being
with Deborah Lewis and the number of children
five. His second marriage was with Mary Men
denhall and their children were, Deborah, Lydia,
Mary, Jacob, Martha, Amos and Abraham. Ja
cob was born 3 mo., 10, 1752, and died 9 mo., 13,

1827. He married Sarah Dutton, sister of-
Thomas Dutton, the centenarian of Aston, Del
aware county.
Samuel Hibberd, father of Jacob, was the son,
of aforesaid Jacob and Sarah. He was born int
Middletown township, Delaware county, follow
ed the occupation of a farmer and was one of
the early sheriffs of the county. He married ,(
Lydia Reece, a daughter of Jesse and Elizabeth ,
(Davis) Reece, whose ancestor was George -
Smedley, who probably came from Derbyshire,
England, about the year 1682. Their children
were : Jacob, mentioned at length hereinafter,
Jesse, Mary, Elizabeth R., and John. Samuel
Hibberd died in 1866, and his wife survived un
til 1893. Samuel Hibberd was one of a family,
of eight children, as follows : John, Thomas,
Abram, Samuel, Mary, Hannah, Sarah and Su-.
sanna Hibberd.
John Hibberd, eldest son of Jacob and Sarah,
(Dutton) Hibberd, was born in Middletown,
Delaware county, Pennsylvania, the 4th of ist
mo., 1783. He was married the 16th of 5th mo.,
18 16, to Amy (Lobb) Thomas, who died in 1836.
He again married on the 28th of nth mo., 1839,
Rebecca Maris, daughter of George and Eliza--
beth Maris, of Pikeland, Chester county, Penn-,
sylvania, who died in 1845. They were the par
ents of one child, Amy Ann, who died at the age
of eight years. John Hibberd was a brush block
maker and followed the trade on the farm of his.
father in Middletown, and also in the adjoining.
village of Lima, until the 29th of 10 mo., 1817,
when he purchased at sheriff's sale, the property
now occupied by his nephew, Jacob Hibberd, in.
Nether Providence. This property was a part-
of a tract owned by John Worrall, and John Hib-.
berd was to pay an annual interest to Rebecca,
Meitchener, widow of John Worrall, and at her-
death the amount was to be paid to Mahlon Par
sons and Zebulan Worrall. John Hibberd died
6th of 1 2th mo., 1857, and his nephew, Jacob,,
Hibberd, came to reside with him the 25th of 3rd
mo., of the same year.
Jacob Hibberd, son of Samuel and Lydia
(Reece) Hibberd, was born in Middletown
township, Delaware county, Pennsylvania, De
cember n, 1829, and was named in memory of
his grandfather, Jacob Hibberd. He was edu
cated in the local schools, and his business career
has been devoted to agricultural pursuits. In
1858 he came into possession of the farm on
which he npw resides, this being pne pf the best
cultivated and most productive in this section of
the county and the residence upon it was erected;
more than a century ago. Mr. Hibberd is a
man of influence in the county and has held at
various times the offices of supervisor, auditor-
and school director, being the incumbent of the.

156

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

latter named office for twenty consecutive years.
In religion he is a Friend, as have been all his
ancestors for more than two centuries, and in
politics a loyal Republican.
Jacob Hibberd married, December 31, 1863,
Sarah R. Worrall, daughter of Richard Thatch
er and Mary Ann (Wilson) Worrall, and they
are the parents of the following children: Ber
tha, who resides at home, is a member of the Del
aware County Historical Society; John W., who
resides at home; and Elwood W., who died at
the age of four years.
Sarah R. (Worrall) Hibberd, wife of Jacob
Hibberd, was born on the property adjoining the
one which was to be her future home, the 3d of
6th mo., 1833, one °f Ave children bprn to Rich
ard T. and Mary Ann Worrall, namely : Hannah
A., Sarah R., Thomas Wilson, Anna Eliza, and
John Ell wood. Her childhood was spent in the
home of her parents and she attended the Provi
dence Friends' School, adjacent to her home,
taught by her father, and later the school of Sam
uel Martin of Kennett Square, Chester county.
The death of the father occurred when the chil
dren were small. The home was inherited by her
father from his father, John Worrall, who mar
ried Hannah Thatcher the 12th of 4th mo., 1780.
John was a son of Peter Worrall, a twin, who
married Abigail Pyle. Peter was the son of John
Worrall, a Friend, who emigrated from Dare,
Berkshire, England, in 1682, and finally settled
in Edgmont, Delaware county, Pennsylvania.
His certificate was removed from Parish of
Llandewi, Brefi, in Cardiganshire, Wales,; 25th
of 12 mo., 1708, to Chester Monthly Meeting.
His second wife, Sarah (Gopdwin) Worrall, a
recommended minister of Chester Monthly Meet
ing of the Religious Society of Friends, 24th of
12th mo., 1723, was the mother of Peter Wor
rall, aforementioned. On the maternal ' side
Sarah R. Hibberd is descended from Thomas
Stackhouse, Jr., who was a resident of Penn
sylvania in 1682. He is supppsed to have come
from the village of Stackhouse, near Settle,
Yorkshire, England. He represented Bucks
county, Pennsylvania, in the Colonial Assembly
of the Province from 171^01715. He married
ist of 7th mo., 1688, at Middletown Meeting,
Bucks county, Pennsylvania, Grace Heaton,
daughter of Robert and Alice Heaton. Their
daughter, Grace Stackhouse, married David Wil
son, the 31st of ist mo., 17 19. Among their chil
dren was a son, Jonathan Wilson, whose wife,
Sarah Wilson, bore him a son, Thomas Wilson,
who married Ann Neeld, daughter of Eli and
Martha (Brelsford) Neeld, of Bucks county,
Pennsylvania. They were the parents of Mary
Ann Wilson, who married Richard Thatcher
Worrall, and this couple were the parents of
Sarah R. Hibberd.

JACOB P. STRIEBY, M. D., of Swarth
more, Pennsylvania, is of German extraction,
and the original form of the family name
is supposed to have been Streby. His great
grandfather in the paternal line was probably
a resident of Philadelphia, whence he removed
to Northmampton county, Pennsylvania, where
Jacob Strieby, son of him last named, was
probably born, and where he certainly lived.
Jacob Strieby removed to Lycoming county about
1820 or soon thereafter, when that region was an
utter wilderness. He was a cooper by trade, but
he bought and cleared off a farm tract near Wil-
liamsport. He was a Lutheran in religion, and
was supposedly a Democrat in politics. He mar
ried Sarah Keiser, daughter of a tanner who lived
at or near Easton. Their children were Jonas,
Jesse, Joseph, Catherine, William and Sarah.
Joseph, third child and son in the family last
named, was born in 181 7, in Upper Mount Bethel
township, Northampton county. By occupation
he was a farmer. His education was limited, on
account of poor school facilities in those pioneer
days, but he was a man of native ability, as was
attested by his being called to various township
offices. He married Margaret Follmer, who was
born in Loyalsock township, Lycoming county, in
1819. Her father was Jonathan Follmer, who
was probably born near Milton, in Northumber
land county. Her mother was Mary Buser, or
Bucer, daughter of Bernard Bucer, who emi
grated from Switzerland when Mary was about
twelve years old. One of the same family name
(Bucer), according to a church history, was a .
prominent .Reformed Minister who about 1530
was sent to Rome on a special mission. Thechil- .
dren of Joseph and Margaret (Follmer) Strieby
were: A. Lewis, Jacob Peter, Jonathan Follmer,
Mary Rebecca, Joseph Welker and Catherine.
Jacob P. Strieby, second son and child in the
family last named, was born April 9, 1848, in
Loyalsock township, Lycoming county, Pennsyl
vania, about a half-mile from Williamsport. He
was well educated for those days, having supple
mented the common school instruction with ad
vanced instruction in the Lycoming Normal
School. He performed farm labor until he was
of age, and for eight years thereafter he was a
teacher in the public schools. In that calling he
acquitted himself most creditably, and he had
every encouragement to continue it, but he had
contemplated the practice of medicine, and in
1875 he began a course of study under the pre-
ceptorship of Dr. Crawford, of Williamsport.
After a year necessity obliged him to turn aside
to other pursuits, and he bought an interest in a
small tannery near Mortonsville. In 1878 he dis
posed of that venture and purchased a large farm
near Martinsburg, in West Virginia. This he
sold soon afterward, and in 1881 he bought a

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

157

flouring mill near Newville, Cumberland county,
Pennsylvania, which he sold in 1883. Meantime
he had been engaged in the sale of farm imple
ments, fertilizers, etc., and he now bought an in
terest in a planing mill in Williamsport. This
business proved unfortunate, resulting in his en
tire loss of means, and he again returned to the
sale of implements, etc., with C. F. Follmer &
Co., of Williamsport. In 1886 he returned to
teaching, and in 1888 he was again enabled to
take up the study of medicine, under the instruc
tion of Dr. C. B. Kinkle, of Mortonville. He
then matriculated in the Jefferson Medical Col
lege, at Philadelphia, from which he was gradu
ated in 1891. He at once entered upon the prac
tice of his profession in Philadelphia, at No.
2606 Montgomery avenue, whence he removed,
in October following, to No. 1305 South Sixth
street. In 1895 he located in Swarthmore, where
he has established, himself in an excellent prac
tice. It is not often that a professional man
makes so late a beginning in life, for he was
forty-three years of age when he assumed the
active duties of a physician. But it is to be re
membered that he made his first medical studies
in his youth, and he never ceased to pursue such
reading as would be to his advantage when he
should be able to resume them, and when he re
turned to his text books it was in one of the very
first medical colleges in the land, where he was,
in his mature years, afforded the most perfect in
structional advantages known to the profession.
And, again, he came from college with an en
thusiasm for professional knowledge which has
served to keep him continually abreast with all
new discoveries and methods.
In the year of his coming to Swarthmore, Dr.
Strieby was made secretary of. the Swarthmore
Board of Health, a position which he has occu
pied to the present time, and he is also medical
examiner for the Fidelity Mutual Insurance Com
pany, and the Manhattan Insurance Company.
He was never a candidate for any local or politi
cal office, but has been called by appointment to
the position of township auditor for a term of two
years. He is an independent Democrat in poli
tics. In religion he is a Baptist, and he yet retains
nis membership in the Olivet church, at Sixth
and Federal streets, Philadelphia, in which he
was a deacon previous to his removal to Swarth

more.

Dr. Strieby was married in 1878 to Mary
Hepburn Bear, a daughter of John J. and Emily
(Hepburn) Bear, of Montgomery, Pennsylvania.
Her death occurrred at Newville, May 2, 1882.
May 31, 1894, Dr. Strieby was married, in-Phila-
•delphia, to Miss Emily Thomas Staunton, a na
tive of that city, born January 1, 1865, and who
received her education in the Philadelphia high
school. She was of excellent family, a daughter

of Col. Richard M. and Ellen Prouty (Curry)
Staunton. Colonel Staunton was a native of Phil
adelphia, and was a man of great prominence in
his day. He was a hatter by trade, but was soon
called into the customs service, first in the cash
ier's department and then as an inspector. As a
member of the Black Hussars he served under
General Patterson during the riots of 1844. In
1856 he was made a lieutenant-colonel on the
staff of Governor Pollock, which position he re
signed to command a detachment of custom house
employes' which marched under Colonel Thomas
to the defense of the southern border of the state
against General Lee's invasion in 1863. He after
wards served in municipal positions, and was em
ployed in the mint during the administration of
President Harrison. He was a prominent mem
ber of various military and civic societies.. His
parents were Richard and Mary (DeGroot)
Staunton, the former a native of Scotland and
the latter of France, a granddaughter of a French
ambassador bearing her maiden family name.
Colonel Staunton's wife was the daughter of
George and Margaret (Johnson) Curry. Her
father was born in 1795, probably in England,
and died in 1829 in Philadelphia ; during the war
of 18 12 he was (the captain being ill) first
lieutenant commanding the Washington Blues of
Philadelphia in the engagement with the British
which preceded the capture of Washington ; his
father, Christopher Curry, came from England,
died in Philadelphia, and he was buried in Christ
church graveyard in that city. Margaret John
son, wife of George Curry, was born in England
in 1796. The children of Dr. Jacob P. and Emily
Thomas (Staunton) Strieby are Malcolm Staun
ton Strieby, born Sunday, September 26, 1897,
and Emily May Strieby, born Sunday, July 22,
'1900.

ELIZABETH JANE HOFFMAN. Mrs.
Elizabeth Jane Hoffman, of Swarthmore, Penn
sylvania, belongs to a branch of the Hood family
which has been for a considerable period, resident
in this country. Samuel Hood, who was born
December 26, 1826, in Washington county, Penn
sylvania, married, April 14, 1859, Mary Jane
McBride, born October 10, 1838, in Allegheny
county, Pennsylvania, and they were the parents
of the following children: Elizabeth Jane, men
tioned hereinafter; William McBride, born Feb
ruary 26, i860, in Washington county, Pennsyl
vania, now living with his sister, Elizabeth Jane ;
James Patterson, born August 30, 1865, in Wash
ington county, Pennsylvania, died July 4, 1884, at
Swarthmore, Delaware county, Pennsylvania;
and Margaret Getty, born October 25, 1866, in
Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, died August 4,

158

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

1867, in Allegheny county, Pennsylvania. Mr.
Hood, the father of these children, died Septem
ber 18, 1887, and his wife passed away February
8, 1894. They were both residents of Swarth
more, Delaware county, Pennsylvania.
Elizabeth Jane Hood, daughter of Samuel
and Mary Jane (McBride) Hood, was born June
8, 1863, in Washington county, Pennsylvania, and
was married to John Henry Hoffman, born Sep
tember 20, 1865, in Maryland, son of Daniel and
Elizabeth Hoffman, of that state. The follow
ing children were born to them : William Daniel,
who was born December 26, 1891, and is receiv
ing his education at the Swarthmore School ; and
Earl Louis, born March 24, 1895, died April 7,
1895.

HORACE P. GREEN. While it is an estab
lished fact that the Greens in America are of
English ancestry, but little is definitely known of
their early history in that country. It is certain,
however, that the Green family in England (pre
sumably the ancestors of the early settlers in
America) were of social prominence and wealth.
This is apparent from the following letter which
appeared in The Nation, published in Boston in
October, 1888:
To the Editor of The Nation:
Sir — I may perhaps be trespassing on your
space if Task you to publish the following "Sim
ple Tale."
I happen to be a rector of the parish of
Green's Norton, Northamptonshire, England. In
the parish church are several mutilated tombs be
longing to the family of "Green," who for six
generations betweeen the fourteenth and fifteenth
centuries were the lords of this manor. The
first Sir Henry Green was Lord Chief Justice of
England about the end of the 13th century; the
last Sir Thomas Green was the gather of Maud
Green, who married Sir Thomas Parr, of Kendal,
Westmoreland, and was mother of Kate Parr,
Queen of England by marriage with Henry VIII.
The only information I can arrive at by in
quiry from the oldest inhabitant of this parish
about the descendants of the Green family is
that many years ago a gentleman from America
(my informant mentions Boston doubtfully)
came to this church, presumably to inspect the
beautiful tombs and brasses belonging to the
Green family.
We are about to undertake the re-arrange
ment of the church. I write to you to know if it
is within the limits of your rules as editor to
allow this letter to appear in your columns, as
perhaps some member of the family of Green
would wish to have a voice in the disposal of the

effigies which still remain as witnesses of their
wealth and position.
I may only add that I am "a constant reader"
of your paper, and an occasional contributor
thereto. Yours sincerely,
S. Beal, D. C. L.
The Rectory, Green's Norton, Towchester,.
England, September 29, 1888.
In the "Book of Arrivals" in the Pennsyl
vania Historical Society of Philadelphia, Penn
sylvania, there is contained this entry :
"The ship 'Delaware,' from Bristol, in Old
England, John Moore, Commander, arrived here
the nth of the 5th mo., 1686. Thomas Green,
husbandman, and Margaret, his wife, Thomas-
and John Green, his sons, Mary Guest, his ser
vant, for seven years to come the third day of
May, 1686. Richard Moore, Brickmaker, and
Mary, his wife, and Mary, his daughter."
The above named Thomas Green (1) and
Margaret, his wife, are believed to be the pio
neers of the Green family in America, and they
appear to have settled upon a tract of four hun
dred acres in Concord township, purchased 8th'
mo., 6th, 1691. Richard Moore and Mary, his-
wife, the latter being the daughter of Thomas
Green, appear to have settled in Radnor town
ship about the same time.
The second son, Thomas Green (2), the an
cestor of the subject of this sketch, died in 1713,-
and his will, dated February 17, 1712, is on
file at Philadelphia. He mentions his children,.
Thomas, John, Robert, Henry, Edward, Samuel,.
Abel, Margaret and Sarah. We know but little
of him otherwise, excepting that his wife's name
was Sarah, and that the "History of Chester
County" says she obtained a warrant for twenty-
five acres of land, June 24, 1713.
Abel (3), the son of the last named Thomas -
Green (2), and the ancestor of the subject of
this sketch, was married to Jane William
son (born 6 mo., 30, 1725, died November 17,.
1797), who had been previously married to Robert
Regester, 9 mo., 9, 1743, and the issue of this-
marriage were: 1. Abigail, born May 15, 1755.
2 and 3. Margaret and Esther, twins, born Jan
uary 10, 1757, and died, respectively, 2, 16,
1815, and 3, 27, 1812. Margaret married Isaac-
Burns, and Esther married Daniel Megowen.
4. Abel, born October 10, 1759, died 1, 31, 1829;.
he married Prudence Sidwell. 5. Robert, born
December 4, 1761, died 10, 20, 1841 ; he married'
Hannah Williamson. 6. George, born Novem
ber 14, 1763, died 10, 9, 1844; he married Pris
cilla Smedley, and (second) Mary Cheney.
7. Jane, born November 27, 1765, died 6, 25,
1835 ; she married Edward Baker. 8. Sarah, born
December 30, 1767; she married Caleb Smedley.

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

i59

Abel Green (3), by deed of December 28
and 29, 1735, purchased 276^ acres of land in
Thornbury township, being a part of 500 acres
formerly of William Bostock ; of this he sold 100
acres to Stephen Ogden, January 30, 1736. By
deed dated February' 9, 1742, he purchased from
Thomas Williamson 109 acres and 115 perches
in Edgmont, where he continued to live until the
time of his death in 1788. He was not in mem
bership with the Friends, though he probably
attended their meetings. He was buried in Mid
dletown Friends' Graveyard, December 3, 1788.
George Green (4), son of Abel (3), and an
cestor of the subject of this sketch, was twice
married. His first wife was Priscilla Smedley,
born October 2, 1763, died March 5, 1797, and
the issue of this marriage was as follows: 1.
Smedley Green, born May 30, 1787, died Sep
tember 8, 1861 ; 2. Abel Green, born January
22, 1789, died April 24, 1828; 3. Hannah Green
(afterwards Bishop), born October 2, 1790, died
October 7, 1859; 4. George Green, born March
7, I793» died June 16, 1843; 5- Sally Green
(afterwards Sill), born September 13, 1795, died
December 26, i860.
The second wife of George Green (4) was
Mary Cheney, born September 6, 1772, and died
June 21, 1852. The issue of this marriage was
as follows: 1. Cheney Green, born February
15, 1798, died July 18, 1837; 2. Edith C. Green,
born July 7, 1799, died May 10, 1882 ; 3. John
Green, born July 16, 1801, died September 10,
1875; 4. Isaac Green, born August 11, 1804, died
July 18, 1877; 5. Jesse Green, born October 11,
1806, died May 6, 1873 ; 6. Hiram Green, born
August 11, 1809, died January 18, 1858; 7. Mary
Ann Green, born October 5, 1813, died May 31,
1890. George Green was a prominent character in
the early history of Delaware county, was a
thrifty, prosperous farmer, and acquired a large
fortune for men of that day, being the owner of
some nine or ten farms in Delaware and Chester
counties at the time of his death. He was for
several years one of the county commissioners,
and at a time when fitness, honesty and business
capacity were the qualities that fixed the stand
ard for selection. He died October 9, 1844,
aged eighty-one years. He lived in Edgemont
his entire life.
Isaac Green (5), son of George (4) and
Mary (Cheney) Green, married Phoebe H.
Plankinton, the daughter of Samuel and Sarah
(Robbins) Plankinton, January 8, 1835. These
were the parents of the subject of this sketch.
Horace Plankinton Green (6), of Media,
was born in Edgemont township, Delaware
county, Pennsylvania, in 1854. He received his
early education in the public schools, and pur
sued advanced studies in the West Chester State
11 x

Normal School and the Maplewood Institute at
Concordville, Pennsylvania. In 1877 he entered
upon the study of law under the masterly pre-
ceptorship of Hon. John M. Broomall, of Media,
and two years later he passed a creditable exam
ination and was admitted to the bar of Delaware
county in June, 1879, and at once entered upon
the practice of his profession. In 1883 he formed
a copartnership with V. Gilpin Robinson, Esq.,
and the firm of Robinson & Green enjoyed a large
and lucrative practice until 1892, when the part
nership was dissolved, each member of the firm
opening a separate office. For many years past
that of Mr. Green has been on the corner of
South avenue and Front street, opposite the
court house.
During the past twenty-four years that Mr.
Green has followed his profession, he has been
known and recognized as one of the most capa
ble and trustworthy members of the bar, so dig
nifying his calling that from the first he has en
joyed the patronage of the more conservative
element who prefer to have their differences
settled rather than to engage in litigation. He
has achieved great success in the conduct of
many important cases, involving perplexing law
points, in settlement of which he avoided the
vexations and great expense attendant upon
long drawn out court proceedings. In the course
of his practice Mr. Green has acted as guardian,
executor, administrator, trustee and assignee of
many large estates and other valuable properties.
In this important department of his profession,
which, while not demanding the aggressiveness
or oratorical arts of the jury pleader, requires a
thorough knowledge of the common and statute
laws, and the high qualities of industry and clear
ness of discernment in the analysis and prepara
tion of all descriptions of legal papers confer
ring or affecting title or contract rights, and in
his unswerving fidelity to the interests of his
clients, Mr. Green has won an enviable reputa
tion. In no case were his tactful abilities more
manifest than in the noted Robinson will case,
in which he was counsel for the contestants.
This was one of the most important and bitterly
contested civil cases ever tried in the county,
consuming five weeks in trial, and resulting in
a victory for the clients of Mr. Green, with
whom was associated his former partner, V. Gil
pin Robinson, Esq.
During the twenty-six years of his residence
in Media, Mr. Green has not only been indus
trious in his profession, but he has been an earn
est and intelligent factor in promoting the inter
ests of the town, and has contributed largely to
its development and prosperity during that pe
riod. For six years he was a member of the bor
ough council, a part of which time he was pres
ident of that body. As a member he was an earn-

i6o

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

est advocate of all meritorious measures, and as
a presiding officer, he was fair and impartial
and a skillful parliamentarian. For the past six
years he has been a member of the Media Board
of Education and is now president of that body.
An earnest friend of education, he has afforded
substantial aid to the schools, and their present
advanced condition is in no small degree due to
his efforts. He was one of the organizers of the
Charter National Bank, in which he was a direc
tor and vice-president until the time of his resig
nation. He was also one of the organizers of
the Media Title and Trust Company, and for sev
eral years past he has been a director and vice-
president of that corporation. He is also a direc
tor and an officer in several other important finan
cial institutions. He is a prominent member of
the Masonic order, and is a past master of George
W. Bartram Lodge, No. 298, F. A; M., and past
high priest of Media Chapter, No. 234, R. A. M.
In all his personal relations he is courteous and
warm-hearted, and holds a firm place in the affec
tions of his fellow-citizens, in every walk of life.
Mr. Green was married, October 7, 1880, to
Miss Ida Virginia, daughter of John and Mary
P. Beatty, of Chester township. One child of
this union, Ernest LeRoy Green, was born Au
gust 4, 1 88 1.

JAMES C. JACKSON has reached the
eighty-seventh milestone on life's journey, apd
represents one of the distinguished families
of this section of the country. He was born
July 13, 1816, in Hockessin township, New
Castle county, Delaware. Hockessin is an Indian
name, signifying a good bark hill. The ancestry
of the family can be traced back to Isaac Jackson,
who was born in Ballytore, in the county of Kil-
dare, Ireland, January 13, 1715. Desiring to make
a home in the 'new world, he crossed the Atlantic
to America and settled upon a farm in West
Grove, Chester county, Pennsylvania. There was
a remarkable coincidence connected with this set
tlement, for, while upon the voyage, Mr. Jack
son dreamed of the place in which he located, see
ing it so clearly that when he came to the locality
he was able to identify the farm with the place
of his dreams. He had come to America with
two brothers, one of whom took up his abode in
New York, the other in South Carolina, but it is
from the Pennsylvania branch of the family that
our subject is descended. The ancestral history
also shows connection with the family to which
Andrew and "Stonewall" Jackson belonged. The
grandfather of our subject bore the name of
James Jackson, while the father was Thomas
Jackson, and was born in Hockessin, in the state
of Delaware, and from his father inherited a farm
of two hundred acres of valuable land.

James C. Jackson obtained his early educa
tion in the township in which his birth occurred,
attending the subscription schools conducted by
the Society of Friends and later becoming a stu
dent in the Westtown Boarding School, from
which he was graduated on the completion of the
regular course. A man of strong mentality and
scholarly attainments, after completing his own
education he continued in the Westtown Board
ing School as a teacher for a number of years.
From there he went to the home of his father in
Hockessin, Delaware, and assisted in the work
of the farm and in caring for the fruit trees, for
in those days fruit growing in Delaware was
considered an art. There he remained for sev
eral years.
It was in 1844 that James C. Jackson was
united in marriage to Miss Amelia Spencer, a
daughter of Jesse Spencer of Gwynedd township,
Montgomery county, Pennsylvania. Their
daughter, Alice W. Jackson, who was born July
12, 1863, pursued her education in the prepara
tory school in Swarthmore and in Swarthmore
College, where she was graduated with the class
of 1883 and she is now a teacher in A. H. Tomlin-
son's Preparatory School of Swarthmore.

JOHN G. JACKSON. One of the noble fig
ures of the history of Wilmington, Delaware,
was a brother of James C. Jackson, John G. Jack
son, who won distinction as an astronomer, civil
engineer and surveyor. He passed away at his
home, Sunset Cottage, in Hockessin, March 12,
1898, at the age of eighty years. In "The Times"
of Philadelphia appeared the following record of
his life:
"John G. Jackson, surveyor, civil engineer
and astronomer, has occupied a unique position
in the community, for more than a quarter of a
century. Born in New Castle county on Sep
tember 8, 1818, he was descended from English
ancestry of much distinction and integrity, his
parents being Thomas and Jane Jackson. The
latter was a daughter of John Griffith, and was
of almost pure Welsh ancestry, descending di
rectly from Llewellyn Griffith, said to have been
one of the last native princes of Wales and oc
cupying a castle on the coast of Cardiganshire.
"Mr. Jackson, while not a devout follower of
the tenets of Fox, still admired the simplicity of
the lives of the Quakers, together with their in
tegrity of character, sterling worth and sincerity
of purpose. According to his own admission,
his ambition lay in his desire to be known as a
member of the 'great human brotherhood,' a
searcher after truth in all its highest and purest
manifestations. He was a Spiritualist in every
sense of the word, and advocated seeking salva
tion by acquiring a knowledge of and yielding

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

161

due obedience to the divine and inexorable laws
of one's being, rather than worshipping accord
ing to the teachings of what he regarded as in
ventions of a more 'barbarous age' than his.
"After an early education in the public
schools, he attended the Westtown Boarding
School, under the tuition of Enoch Lewis, a noted
mathematician and philosopher of his time.
Young Jackson first became a teacher and then a
lecturer on astronomy and other branches of
natural philosophy. Finally, about 1838, with
the aid of the best tables of the planet Venus then
accessible, he made the needful calculations for
the projection of the transit of that planet across
the sun's disc to occur in 1882, forty-five years
thereafter. This had last been observed in the
United States by David Rittenhouse in 1769.
"Relinquishing his position at Westtown, ow
ing to failing health, young Jackson then took
up the business of a surveyor with Thomas Wil
liamson, a Philadelphia conveyancer. He fol
lowed this occupation for a number of years, dur
ing which time he made many important surveys,
among which was the survey for the Delaware &
Western Railroad, having been elected a director
and afterwards chief engineer of the road. He
assisted in its organization with the late Joshua
T. Heald. "He served successively as notary public, jus
tice of the peace, representative to the general
assembly and state senator and when in the fall
of 1878 an effort was made to organize the Green
back party in Delaware, he consented to allow
his name to be placed on the ticket for represen
tative in Congress. There being no Republican
candidate in the field that year he received one-
fourth of the vote of the state. Had he con
sented to make an active canvass his friends ad
mit that he might have been elected to the office.
"Though retired from active life for several
years prior to his death, Mr. John G. Jackson has
spent much of his time in his astronomical obser
vations. In 1882 he observed the transit of
Venus, co-operating with other astronomers and
being assisted bv Professor Harkness, of the
Washington Naval Observatory, who was then
president of the transit commission. He has also
written a number of poems, has contributed to
current literature, and among his papers are
prose writings upon the topics of the day."

EDWIN J. DURNALL, who resides at
Swarthmore, Delaware county, was born in East
Bradford township, Chester county, Pennsyl
vania, on the ist of October, 1847. His father,
Joseph Durnall, was also a native of that local
ity born in 1813, and after arriving at years of
maturity he wedded Sarah Bailey, whose birth
occurred in 18 18, and who was a daughter of

Reuben Bailey. In the maternal line Mr. Durnall
is descended from Sarah P. Bailey, a descendant
of John Jackson, the founder of that family, and
he is also a descendant of John Bartram. Among
their children was Edwin J. Durnall, who was
reared under the parental roof and pursued his
education in the public schools. He engaged in
teaching school for a number of years, following
that profession successfully in Chester county,
but on account of ill health he was obliged to
abandon the duties of the school room and take
up a work that would give him outdoor exercise.
Therefore, he turned his attention to farming
which he followed for some time at East Go
shen, Chester county. For thirteen years he de
voted his labors to the improvement of his prop
erty there and then accepted the position of su
perintendent of the farm connected with the
Swarthmore College. He wedded Sydney Cox, a
daughter of Caleb H. and Mary H. Cox of
Chester county.
Unto Mr. and Mrs. Durnall have been born '
the following children: Gertrude, who became
the wife of Joseph Lewis Baldwin and they are
the parents of one child, Edwin Durnall Bald
win, aged four years ; J. Dellwyn, who, after leav
ing the public schools, spent two years in a pre
paratory school and is now engaged in the hard
ware business in Philadelphia and is twenty-five
years of age; Charles R., twenty-three years of
age, is living at home, having spent two years in
a preparatory school and two years in college;
Walter, who is twenty-one years of age and who
spent two years in a preparatory school, is now
employed in the office of the Pennsylvania Rail
road Company at Philadelphia; Pauline M., a
maiden of twelve summers, is attending the high
school at Swarthmore.
Mr. Durnall holds high rank in the Masonic
fraternity and is a worthy exemplar of the craft,
being very familiar with its tenets and teachings
and in his life following closely its principles of
brotherly kindness and helpfulness. He is also
connected with the Odd Fellows Society, and is
a member of the Patrons of Husbandry and
master of Ponoma Grange, of Chester and Dela
ware counties.

FRANCIS LOWNES. Upon the old fariuTy
homestead of his father, George B. Lownes, the
subject of this review was born July 6, 1863, and
there the days of his boyhood and youth were
passed, his time being largely devoted to the ac
quirement of an education. At the age of six
years he entered the public schools of Springfield
township, where he remained a student until
1874. In that year he entered the Friends' Select
School in Philadelphia, where he remained until
1879. Through the succeeding five years he

l62

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

worked upon the home farm, assisting his father
in the labors of fields and meadows and in 1895
he built a palatial residence of stone upon a tract
of land adjoining his father's farm in Springfield
township, Delaware county, and here he engaged
in the milk business, supplying the trade of
Swarthmore. In the year 1902, however, he re
moved to that village, where he continued in the
dairy business, establishing a trade of his own
there. In 1896 Mr. Lownes was united in marriage
to Miss Eliza Florence Rogers, the wedding be
ing celebrated on the 21st of October of that
year. She is a daughter of John S. Rogers, and
by her marriage has become the mother of two
children. The elder, Sarah Margaret, was born
June 5, 1898, and the son, John Rogers, on May
24, 1899. Mr. Lownes is a member of the So
ciety of Friends, while his wife belongs to the
Presbyterian church of Swarthmore. Both are
well known in Delaware county, where they have
always resided, and Mr. Lownes is regarded as a
representative business man whose energy and
enterprise have gained for him a handsome com
petence.

SWARTHMORE PREPARATORY
SCHOOL. Early in the year 1891 the possibility
of a good private school at Swarthmore, Penn
sylvania, was conceived by Professor Arthur H.
Tomlinson, and in September, 1892, Swarthmore

Grammar School was founded. It was established
strictly as a home school where children might
receive careful attention and would be urged to
develop those traits of character so much admired
in our best citizens.
Two cottages were secured for the boarding
department, and a frame school house for reci
tations was erected. The school opened with a
faculty of five teachers, which since has grown to
fourteen teachers and three matrons. The num
ber of students enrolled has grown rapidly, in
creasing from forty in the fall of the first year to
over one hundred and eighty in the fall of the
tenth year.
As the school grew in numbers each year,
new buildings and improvements were needed.
In the spring of 1896 the first steps were taken
towards a change of site, and the entire school
now stands about one square from the station.
Since the erection of the first building here, a
recitation hall, two dormitories — one for boys
and one for girls — and a gymnasium have been
built, and the athletic grounds greatly enlarged
and improved by the addition of a fine quarter-
mile running track and a foot ball field. The
grounds now have a frontage on Chester Road of
over four hundred feet, and a depth of six hun
dred and fifty feet. All the buildings are of gray
stone, and present a fine appearance.
Three departments have been established —
primary, intermediate and academic. The stu
dents are prepared to enter the leading colleges

S»8& ¦ Sam
'-'¦¦ '$'- S :''¦*'£?<*'
p:'-^'-' -\ -;"*»

¦ '¦'- "¦¦'¦:..

Gymnasium. Recitation Hall. Principal's Cottage.
View From Girls-' Campus.

Vice-Principal's Cottage.

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

'63

of the east, and graduates have already entered
Cornell, Princeton, the University of Pennsyl
vania, and Swarthmore, where they have brought
credit to themselves and school.
The name of the school caused many to mis
take its real character, and it was finally decided
to change the name to Swarthmore Preparatory
School. In the school life are found exercises such as
are necessary to well developed preparatory
courses. A literary society, debating club, chess
club, camera club and school paper, are all in
flourishing condition and keep the students well
informed in current events.
Athletics and gymnasium work are under the
care of skillful directors, and care is taken to see
that these are carried on strictly in accordance
with the rules of health, and honor of both school
and individual.
The faculty at present is as follows : Principal
• — Arthur H. Tomlinson, geometry; vice princi
pals — Hanna T. Mitchell, reading and grammar ;
Samuel C. Palmer, algebra and Greek; instruc
tors—Alice W. Jackson, English; Harold C.
Sprague, physics and chemistry ; Mary L. Haines,
drawing and painting; Amy A. Way, primary;
Mary A. Wollaston, intermediate and physical
culture for girls; Ethel Beardsley, Latin and
French; Charles O. Appleman, physical direc
tor for boys; E. R. B. Willis, Latin; Amos M.
Cassel, arithmetic; Eleanor M. Hartman, music;
Julia Ball, music, French and German; Ralph
J. Herkimer, superintendent.

ARTHUR HIBBS TOMLINSON. Prof.
Arthur H. Tomlinson, founder and to the pres
ent time principal of the Swarthmore Prepara
tory School, at Swarthmore, and widely known
as a successful educator, comes from an excellent
English family which made an early settlement in
New Jersey, where his paternal grandfather, Ben
jamin P. Tomlinson, was born and reared.
In his young manhood, Benjamin P. Tomlin
son removed to Bucks county, Pennsylvania,
where he passed a long and useful life, and where
he died in 1857, aged seventy years. He was a
farmer and miller by occupation, and a Quaker in
religion. While he took little interest in politi
cal affairs, he was an ardent opponent of slavery.
His wife was Hannah Knowles, who bore him
three sons and as many daughters.
Robert Knowles Tomlinson, a son of the par
ents named, was born in 1831, in Bucks county,
where has been his home during his entire life.
He began his education in the common schools,
and afterwards attended an academy at Westtown
and Benjamin Hallow ell's excellent school at
Alexandria. He engaged in farming, which he
pursued with abundant success. A man of broad

intelligence and well poised mind, he exerted a
wide influence through his writings in local and
class journals upon agricultural, educational and
economic questions. He is a member of the
Hicksite branch of the Society of Friends, and a
Prohibitionist in politics. He married, in 1855,
Mary Hibbs, of a well known Quaker family,
and a woman whose life reflected all the Chris
tian graces. She died in 1890, at the age of
fifty-seven years. She was the mother of seven
children— Arthur H., Edith, Walter H., Alvan
H., Ernest H., Benjamin P. and William H.
Tomlinson. Arthur H. Tomlinson, eldest child in the family
named, was born January 20, 1856, in Upper Make
field township, Bucks county, was reared upon
the paternal farm and acquired an excellent Eng
lish education in the public schools. When nine
teen years old he was competent to teach, and for
two years following he had charge of a school.
He had developed a special aptitude for educa
tional work, and he now devoted his effort to
qualifying himself for more advanced effort. He
took a course in the State Normal School at West
Chester, and was graduated from its elementary
department in 1877. He then went to Cecil
county, Maryland, where he opened a Friends'
school which he conducted with marked success
for four years. Returning to his native state, he
opened a Friends' select school at Oxford, which
he conducted for two years. He was meantime
pursuing his studies, and in 1883 was graduated
from the Scientific Department of the West
Chester State Normal School. Immediately after
wards he took a post graduate course in the Uni
versity of Michigan, at Ann Arbor, and it was his-
distinction at entrance to be one of a remarkably
small number admitted on a normal school' dip
loma. In 1884 he became principal of the
Friends' Academy at Locust Valley, New York,
which he conducted with gratifying success for
a period of three years and until 1887, when he
was called to Jenkintown, Montgomery county,
Pennsylvania, to establish a Friends' boarding
school. He opened this school under the most
favorable auspices, his reputation as an educator
being well known in the neighborhood, and en
listing the hearty co-operation of the people and
the interest of their children. This school Prof.
Tomlinson. conducted with entire success and
added credit to himself for a period of five years,
when (in 1892) he resigned.
His retirement from the school at Jenkin
town was an event deeply regretted by the people
of that village. But Professor Tomlinson had
become impressed with the great necessity for
an adequate preparatory school at Swarthmore
which should afford proper preparation to young
men and women desiring to enter the college
there. His efforts were warmly seconded by the

164

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

people into whose midst he came, and he was en7
abled to open the Swarthmore Grammar School
on September 12 of the same year. To this ben
eficent institution, now known as the Swarth
more Preparatory School, which had its incep
tion in him, he has given his conscientious and
intelligent effort to the present time. From a
small beginning it has grown to important pro
portions, and its future is bright with promise.
The teaching faculty is headed by Professor
Tomlinson, an experienced and successful edu
cator, who has devoted the best years of life to
the school providing for the community an
agency for good which is of incalculable worth.
Professsor Tomlinson was married, August
6, 1886, to Miss Emma Pyle, a daughter of Wil
liam H. Pyle, of West Chester. Four children
have been born of this marriage : Willard, Helen,
Albert H., and Dorothy.

A. G. CRISWELL SMITH, of Media, Penn
sylvania, favorably known to the teaching profes
sion of the state at large as an accomplished
educator, was born near Cochranville, Chester
county, September 16, 1853. His parents were
Jesse Jackson and Mary M. Smith, both of whom
are deceased.
He was educated in the public schools of
West Fallowfield township, Chester county, and
in a private school known as Hebron Hall, in
Cochranville, and in a private school in his fath
er's house, locally known as Smithsonian Insti
tute. In the fall of 1873 he taught his first school
in Sadsbury township, Lancaster county. De
sirous, however, of fitting himself more fully for
the profession upon which he had entered, and
for which he had developed a genuine aptitude,
he resigned his position in March of the fol
lowing year to enter the Millersville State Nor
mal School, from which he was graduated in June,
1876. The next year he taught a school in East
Donegal township, Lancaster county. The fol
lowing two years he taught in the public schools
of Highland township, Chester county, but re
signed before the close of the spring term of
1879 to enter upon a larger field as principal
df the Lansford borough public schools in Carbon
county. He served most usefully and accepta
bly in this position until the summer of 1881,
when he removed to Media to become principal
of the public schools of that city. After occupy
ing that position for four years, he was elected
in the fall of 1885 to the principalship of the
Lower Chichester public schools, in Delaware
county. While here occupied in teaching he was
called to a position of great importance, that of
superintendent of public schools for Delaware
county, to which he was elected in May, 1887,
and his excellent conduct of the educational af

fairs of the county has found abundant recogni
tion in his re-election triennially since that time,
his period of service thus extending over the
unusual period of six consecutive terms.
Following his profession out of ardent love
for his calling and not simply as a means of live
lihood, Mr. Smith has at all times taken a deep
interest in general educational affairs, as desirous
of attaining broader knowledge and greater effi
ciency as a teacher, as he has been to afford his
aid to other educators. He has been for many
years prominent in educational bodies, and he
has seen long service as a member of the Pennsyl
vania State Educational Association, and at the
annual meeting held in Mt. Gretna, in July, 1895,
he was unanimously elected to the presidency
of that body, and in that capacity presided at the
annual meeting held in Bloomsburg in. the ensu
ing year. He has also attended numerous ses
sions of the National Educational Association,
among them those held in Saratoga Springs,
New York, San Francisco, California, Washing
ton City, and Ocean Grove, New Jersey. In all
these various bodies he has been known as a
most capable and practical exponent of educa
tional interests and methods, while in his county
he is held in affection and gratitude for the incal
culable benefits he has conferred upon it in the ad
vancement of its public school system and the
impress of his personality upon its teachers and
youth. Mr. Smith has ever taken a deep interest in
the religious, social and commercial interests
of the community with which he resides. He has
been for a number of years a director of the Sec
ond Media Loan and Savings Association, and
for a time served as its treasurer. He is a mem
ber of the Media Club, -and for three years was
its treasurer and a member of its board of gov
ernors. He is also a member of the Media Fire
Company, with which he has performed active
service. He was one of the organizers of the
Delaware County Historical Society, of which
he is the first vice-president. In February, 1903,
he was elected chief burgess of Media. He has
attained to high rank in the Masonic order, and
is affiliated with George W. Bartram Lodge, F. A.
M., in which he was made a Mason in February,
1882, and in which he is a past master; and a
past high priest of Media Chapter, R. A. M. ; a
past thrice illustrious grand master of Philadel
phia Council, No. 11, R. and S. M. ; a past most
puissant grand master of the Grand Council of
Pennsylvania; a past commander of St. Alban
Commandery, No. 47, K. T., of Philadelphia, and
holds elective offices in Philadelphia Lodge of
Perfection, 14th degree, Dejoinville Council,
Princes of Jerusalem, 16th degree, and Philadel
phia Consistory, S. P. R. S., 32d degree. In
1903 he 'was honored at the annual session of the.

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

16;

Supreme Council, 33d degree, held in Boston,
September 16, 1903, by being elected to receive
the 33d degree, the last of the Ancient Accepted
Scottish Rite — a distinction never before con
ferred upon a Delaware county Mason. He is
also a member of the Order of Odd Fellows and
is past noble grand of Kossuth Lodge of several
years standing.
Mr. Smith has ever devoted himself to Sab
bath-school and church work. Early in life he
connected himself with the Faggs Manor Presby
terian church in Chester county, and he is now
a member of the Media Presbyterian church, in
which he is a member of the board of trustees,
and was for a time treasurer, a member of the
session, clerk of the congregation and superin
tendent of the Sabbath school. He has twice been
elected commissioner to the Synod of Pennsyl
vania and once to the General Assembly, and at
tended the session of that body at Pittsburg. He
has been identified with the County Sabbath-
school Association work for a number of years,
serving upon the executive committee.
Mr. Smith was married, September 9, 1879,
to Miss Ada M. Davis, daughter of John and
Hannah E. Davis, near Homeville, Chester county.
Of this union were born in Media two sons : Nor
man Davis Smith, born April 1, 1882, who is
now teaching in Radnor township, and H. Ross
Smith, born September 6, 1884, who is now at
tending Lafayette College. The mother of these
children died in August, 1885. December 8,
1887, Mr, Smith was married to Miss Alice A.
Green, of Media, daughter of Isaac and Phebe
Green, of Edgemont, Delaware county.

SIMMONS KENT, who died at Swarth
more, Pennsylvania, October 19, 1895, was for
many years an active merchant of Philadelphia.
He is counted among those of Chester county
birth who have achieved success in the larger
world. He was born near West Grove, Pennsylvania,
8 mo., 7, 1847, of a family long resident in Ches
ter county. He was a son of Benjamin and Han
nah (Simmons) Kent. His father was a farmer
who well sustained a wprthy line, and whp gave
to his son all the advantages within his means.
The boy attended the country school, and after
ward went to the high school at Kennett Square.
He worked on the farm for a few years, but his
mind reached out to the larger possibilities that
the city offered, and in 1870 he went to Phila
delphia, where he secured a clerkship at three
dollars a week with Norcroff & Sheets, lumber
merchants. To say that he finally succeeded them
in business is to tell in brief a story of hard work,
perseverance and sagacity. He had that com
prehensive grasp of affairs and the instant deci

sion that mark the successful merchant every
where in the intense competition of these times.
He was a man of democratic sympathies, and
earnestly desired to help, in so far as one man
may, toward the betterment of the common lot.
He came to believe that intemperance is the di
rect cause of most of the misery, vice and squalor
that make our cities the awful problem they are
to the humanitarian and the sociologist. He gave
his support unreservedly to the party of practical
temperance reform, for he believed that to remove
temptation is the only way to give to the weak
and the debased a chance for the growth of that
self-respect that leads to self-mastery. Mr. Kent
was a protectionist, and was in sympathy with the
Republican party on tariff issues. In 1891 he
was a nominee for congress on the Prohibition
ticket, and a candidate for state treasurer in
1893. He was a delegate to the national con
vention of 1892, and was in every state and
county convention of his party after its organi
zation. In 1872 Mr. Kent married Mary L., daughter
of William and Sarah (Lukens) Webster, of
Chester county. Mrs. Kent was born at Bart,
Lancaster county, September 22, 1848. Her
parents were natives of that county, and the
daughter was educated at Unionville and Kennett
Square Academy. Mr. Kent made his home in
Philadelphia until 1884, when he removed to
Swarthmore, where his family still live. Six
children were born, all but one of whom survive.
They are : 1. Harriet M., born 7 mo., 7, 1873, who
is now the wife of Arthur D. Hilton, pastor of
the First Baptist church of Hatboro, Pennsyl
vania; 2. J. Norcross, born 6 mo., 6, 1876, now
in Cornell University ; 3. Arthur W., born 9 mo.,
18, 1879; now in Swarthmore College; 4. Vir
ginia, born 12 mo., 11, 1882, and who died 3 mo.,
25, 1884; 5. Homer S., born 1 mo., 31, 1885; 6.
Ralph W., born 7 mo., 10, 1887.

JAMES ESREY, of Haverford, Deleware
county, Pennsylvania, was born on the 3d of
November, 1850, near Manoa, Delaware county,
Pennsylvania. He is a son of Joseph and Han
nah (Bittle) Esrey. His father, Joseph, was a
prosperous farmer of Delaware county. He was
a birthright member of the Society of Friends,
and his wife was of the Lutheran faith. They
reared a family of seven children, namely: 1. Dr.
Louis K. Esrey, who is a graduate of the Hahne
mann Medical College of Philadelphia: he mar
ried Cecilia Lindsay, and they had four children ;
the wife died and Dr. Esrey married, secondly,
Clara Elliot. 2. Rebecca, who is Mrs. James Wor
rell ; 3. William died in early manhood ; 4. Na
than, who married Annie Martin; no issue; 5.
James, our subject; 6. Sarah (Mrs. Howard

1 66

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

Vandegrift, of Rosemont, Delaware county) ;
7. Hannah' (Mrs. Walter Hood), of Ardmore,
Montgomery county. Joseph Esrey, the father
of this family, died in 1886, and his wife died in
1876. James Esrey received his early education in
the public schopls of Delaware county; he com
pleted his studies by taking a course at Bryant &
Stratton's Business College of Philadelphia, from
which institution he was graduated. Returning
to the farm in Delaware county, he began his
career as an auctioneer, in which line of business
he has forged ahead until he is now well known
in this capacity throughout the county.
Mr. Esrey married Ella Virginia McAfee, a
daughter of John and Margaret M. (Heden)
McAfee, on February 24, 1881. Their children
are as follows : John M., bom February 14, 1882 ;
2. Horace J., born February 25, 1884: 3. Anna
Margaret, born May 13, 1886; 4. James Leroy,
born March 27, 1890; 5. Ruthella May, born May
24, 1893 ; 6. Lucy Campbell, born November 6,
1896.

' DR. J. FOSTER FLAGG. During the first
half of the last century one of the most prom
inent physicians .who practiced in the city of
, Providence, Rhode Island, was Dr. J. F. B.
Flagg, who was a native of Boston and had
gained a most enviable reputation in his chosen
profession. He married Miss Mary Watterman
•Jackson, a daughter of Richard Jackson, and to
this union there was born in October, 1828, a
son whom they named J. Foster, and whose
career forms the basis of this brief biography.
Providence was the scene of his youthful activity,
and it was in the brick school on College street,
an institution that fitted boys for Brown Univer
sity, that he first displayed that acuteness of in
tellect which afterward made him one of the lead
ers in his life pursuit.
In 1849 young Flagg, who attained his ma
jority that year, became one of the pioneer trav
elers to California, to which he journeyed by
water,, via Cape Horn. He was there until 1853,
and, having decided upon dental surgery as his
choice of occupations, he matriculated in the Phil
adelphia College of Dental Surgery, from which
he was graduated in 1856. He had shown such a
thorough grasp of his subject in all its branches
that seven years later, in 1863, he was called to
accept a professorship in the Philadelphia Dental
College, a position which he held, with some in
terims when he was in practice for himself, for
thirty-three years, and in that period many of the
foremost dentists of the country received instruc
tion from him. He was one of the most popular
lecturers, and was often inclined to be humorous
with his class. One incident related of this dis

position is that one day, after he had explained
at length the work of another bright scholar, he
exclaimed to his assembled class, "Gentlemen,
do you all thoroughly understand what I have
explained?" and on receiving an emphatic and
unanimous "yes," he cried "God be thanked, —
I don't." After serving for this long period as
profesor, in 1886, Dr. Flagg was asked to take
the office of dean of the school, but he declined.
In the following year he retired to the beautiful
Philadelphia suburb of Swarthmore, where he
erected a nice home and established a laboratory
in which he spends his leisure hours in making
dental supplies. Although this employment is
merely an avocation, it has been the source pf
considerable profit to him, for he disposes of all
his products to a reputable Philadelphia firm.
In 1 86 1 Dr. Flagg was united in marriage to
Miss Mary Craft, the daughter of George Craft,
whose wife was a Miss Bassett. Of the children of
Dr. Flagg, George Flagg, who was born in 1862,
died young. Maria, born in 1863, married James
D. Price, of Delaware county, and they have
three children, J. Foster, Mary and James Gar-
retson. The third child of the union was Lydia,
who was born at Woodbury, New Jersey, in
1866, and married Prof. Henry V. Gummere, a
son of John and the grandson of John Gummere,
the celebrated educator and mathematician of the
early part of the last century; of this marriage
one son was born in July, 1901, named John
Flagg Gummere. This brief sketch is sufficient
to indicate the prominent position which Dr.
Flagg holds in scientific and professional circles.
Like all men who have devoted a great part of
their time to the instruction of others, the value
of his services to his own profession and to hu
manity in gerteral can never be rightly estimated.

GEORGE DRAYTON, who has been for
many years one of the leading financiers of
Delaware county, Pennsylvania, was born April
9, 1818, in England, and is the son of John and
Harriet (Bullivant) Drayton, and the grandson of
George Drayton, a contractor and builder. In
1 8 19 John Drayton came to America and settled in
Philadelphia, where he worked at his trade, which
was that of ladies' shoemaker, as foreman in the
shop of De Grasse and Samuel Beans, continuing
in that position until his death, which occurred in
February, 1832. His wife had died about 1823.
George was their only child.
Mr. Drayton was, at the age of two years,
brought to this country by his mother, who came
hither to join her husband. At ten years of age
he went to live with Richard Timple, a farmer
in Marple township, where, until reaching the
age of sixteen, he worked for his board and cloth
ing. During the six years he spent on the farm

w2^^>€2^

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

167

he was given two months' schooling in each of
three winters. He next worked on the farm of
Jehu Jones, receiving five dollars a month during
the summer. During the autumn and winter he
cared for twelve cows and three horses, and cut
the wood for the family for his board. He also
attended school three months in the winter, pay
ing his own tuition. He remained with Mr.
Jones two years, and for the next three years
was employed by a farmer named David Wor
rell, receiving ten dollars a month. At the end
of the first year he took charge of Mrs. Kenney's
farm (Avhere Lansdowne is now situated), re
ceiving eleven dollars a month for his services.
He held this position until his marriage, after
which he settled near Springfield meeting house,
and worked on the farm of Jehu Jones, his former
employer, walking a distance of two miles night
and morning, to and from his work. In 1846
he engaged with James Ogden, with whom he
remained one year, working for half a dollar a
day, and supporting a wife and two children.
After working two years for George B. Lownes,
he took charge of the farm of Christopher Fal
lon, where he remained nine years, during the
whole of this time, in addition to his other work,
superintending the erection of the buildings on
the place. At the end of nine years he moved to
Thornbury township and purchased the farm at
Leedom's Mills, the first land he possessed being
the acres now owned by Farnum. He also bought
what was known as the " Mendenhall place,"
where he engaged in farming, trading and the
real estate business, acting as an auctioneer. He
laid out the town of South Media, and became
interested in real estate in Chestnut street, Phila
delphia. In this city he opened an office, and did
a large and successful business. He also opened
coal and lumber yards in Chester Heights, and
in this enterprise was attended by his accustomed
success. In 1887 his diversified business inter
ests were such that he withdrew from the coal
and lumber trade. At the breaking out of the
Civil war he was appointed marshal to take the
roll of Concord township, and, at President Lin
coln's second call for troops, although over age,
and holding a public office, he enlisted in Captain
B. T. Green's Delaware County Guards, and was
made quartermaster-sergeant of his regiment,
in which capacity he served until his term of en
listment expired, doing guard or patrol duty near
Antietam. He was one of the organizers and also
the first president of the Charter National Bank
of Media, which was opened for business in April,
1887. He served as president of this bank until
January, 1894, when he declined re-election.
He was one of the organizers of the Media Title
and Trust Company, which was incorporated un
der the laws of the State of Pennsylvania, Jan
uary 15, 1 89 1. The company engages in a

general trust business, deals in real estate, makes
loans, receives deposits on interest, and trans
acts all other kinds of business in its line. It has
burglar-proof steel vaults, and occupies a fine
building. Mr. Drayton is president of the com
pany, and under his careful management the
bank has become one of the strong financial insti
tutions of Delaware county.
In politics Mr. Drayton was formerly an old
line Whig, and cast his first vote for General
William Henry Harrison. Later he became a
Republican, but has been for a number of years
identified with the Prohibition party. In 1863 he
was elected county commissioner, in which capac
ity he served for three years. In 1891 he was the
Prohibition candidate for state treasurer, and re
ceived in Philadelphia the highest vote cast there
for any candidate in that year on the Prohibition
ticket for Congress. He is a member of Bradbury
Post, No. 149, G. A. R. He is a member of the
Baptist church, and assisted largely in building
the church of that denomination at Brandywine.
Mr. Drayton married January 29, 1840, Ju
dith, daughter of James Flounders, of Spring
field. He and his wife were the parents of chil
dren: Elizabeth, who married the late Smith
Sharpless, and had one child; Mary, who mar
ried Perry C. Clark, and was the mother of two
children, Helen and Ethel, and is now deceased.
The other children of Mr. and Mrs. Drayton
were: Hannah, who died in 1896, unmarried;
and John, who died at five years of age. The
married life of Mr. and Mrs. Drayton extended
over a half century, being terminated by the death
of Mrs. Drayton, who passed away November
1, 1890. Mr. Drayton married, February 22,
1898, Lottie, daughter of Thomas W. Johnson,
of Concord township. Notwithstanding the ad
vanced age to which Mr. Drayton has attained,
he is still vigorous, a blessing which he ascribes
largely to the fact of his life-long and total ab
stinence, not only from intoxicating drinks but
from the use of tobacco in any form.
On April 9, 1898, Mr. Drayton was the hon
ored guest upon a really remarkable occasion.
On the evening of that day some one hundred
and fifty men of prominence — clergymen,
judges, lawyers, legislators, physicians, bankers,
editors, merchants and public officials — gave him
a banquest at the Media Club House. It was a
splendid tribute to a noble life, and was an occa
sion without a counterpart in the history of the
county, or perhaps, of the state. The floral and
flag decorations were of much beauty, and most
conspicuous was a fine portrait of the guest,
wreathed in the national colors. An orchestra
from Philadelphia discoursed sweet music while
a bounteous repast was partaken of, and at inter
vals between the speeches. Horace P. Green, as
toastmaster, made an opening address in which

i68

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

he summarized Mr. Drayton's life work, saying
that "whatever he has undertaken to do, he has
tried with all his heart to do well, and his whole
life has been characterized by the most thorough,
sincere earnestness." Captain Isaac Johnson
said: "His object was to benefit his fellowman.
Many a poor fellow on his downward road has
been halted and turned back in the right way by
George Drayton." Ex-Senator. Cooper said of
him that his motto was "to do right under all
circumstances." John B. Rhodes said his life
had been a pure and open one, and remarks of
similar purport were made by V. Gilpin Robin
son, Professor Joseph Shortlidge and Samuel
Greenwood. Dr. George W. Smith, of Phila
delphia, read an original poem on "Our Honored
Guest," in which Mr. Drayton's entire career
was pleasantly and melodiously told, closing with
the lines —
"A county that can proudly boast
Of great names all along its line,
And high among this honored host
George Drayton's name shall ever shine."
None of the speakers said better of Mr. Dray
ton than he said of himself, but with such sin
cerity and modesty that he probably did not have
a full conception of his own weighty meaning:
"I don't think I deserve any great credit. I owed
it to God and my fellow man to do what was
right." The writer of these pages esteems it a high
privilege to thus briefly recount the honors paid
to a man of rare nobility of character. The tell
ing of the story is of infinite value in the inspira
tion it affords to the young to emulate so beauti
ful a life. For exemplary conduct does beget
good deeds by others, and so do the good man's
works live after him in following generations.

HAVERFORD COLLEGE was originated
in 1830 by a committee of Friends in Philadelphia
and another in New York, who expressed a de
sire to found an institution where Friends' chil
dren could have a "guarded education in the
higher branches of learning combining the requis
ite literary instructions with a religious care over
their morals and manners." It was thus in
tended as a purely sectarian institution for
Friends only, and its grade was to be that of a
high school. Within a dozen years it was prac
tically doing under-graduate Work on an equal
footing with the college department of the Uni
versity of Pennsylvania. In 1856 it received the
name of college, and was chartered by the legis
lature to grant degrees. In 1861 its preparatory
department was abolished and since that time it
has done exclusively college work. About the

same time the restrictions, as to membership in
the Society of Friends were withdrawn, and in
this respect it is an undenominational college. Its
growth has been slow, because it preferred to fur
nish ample resources and to exercise care over
the individual student. Originally it bought a
farm of about 200 acres on the line of the then
new Pennsylvania Railroad, nine miles from the
heart of Philadelphia. This has been increased by
other purchases, and a large number of buildings
have been erected. The country around has been
developed rapidly so that the tract is now in a
village of suburban homes as fine as any in the
vicinity of Philadelphia. Starting with a faculty
of four men, the number has been increased to
twenty, and the number of students to about one
hundred and twenty-five. The college furnishes
residence and board as well as instruction, the
combined cost to the student being about $500.
There are 40,000 volumes in the library and its
scientific equipment is large and valuable. Found
ers' Hall, as the original building is called, stands
in the midst of a number of newer ones, and is
used for the scientific laboratories and certain
general purposes of the college. The next build
ing erected was Alumni Hall, which was origin
ally used for the combined purposes of a library
and a lecture room, but is now much enlarged
and is occupied for library purposes alone. The
books are open to the use of the students all the
day; hundreds of periodicals are subscribed for,
and abundant facilities are offered in the way of
reference books and reading rooms.
The students are housed principally in Barclay
and Lloyd Halls, the one built in 1877 and the
other in 1898. The favorite method of living is
for two students to occupy a suite of rooms con
sisting of two bed rooms and a study. The rooms
in Lloyd Hall are more modern and more costly,
and furnish most attractive quarters for student
house-keeping. Chase Hall is used exclusively for recitation
purposes. Whitall Hall is a machine shop and
drawing room. While the fundamental purposes
of Haverford are general rather than technical,
opportunity is given for a limited number of
students to take mechanical and electrical en
gineering, and a costly equipment of this sort
has been gathered in Whitall Hall and adjacent
buildings. The gymnasium is probably the finest college
gymnasium in the state, and was built by sub
scription, and was finished in 1901. The main
room is sixty by ninety feet, and adjoining this
are rooms for the director, the trophy room,
where the numerous marks of success which have
attended athletic contests are preserved, and a
reading room for lighter literature than is usually
found in a library. In the basement are lockers,
a swimming pool, and a bowling alley. The

Haverford College.

170

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

whole constitutes a grand recreation place for
students when off duty.
At the time of writing, a new hall is in pro
cess of erection, which will contain fire proof
rooms for the valuable autograph collection of
letters made by the late Charles Roberts, and a
large auditorium capable of holding one thousand
people. There is also an astronomical observatory
with considerable equipment, and a cricket shed
where the elements of that peculiarly Haver-
fordian game are taught to the freshmen. The
grounds around the buildings are very fine. They
were planted at the time of the starting of the
college, hence the old trees have a growth of
about seventy years. Some of them are on the
decline, but it has been the intention to plant a
number of trees each year, so that the quality of
the lawn may not deteriorate. On one side is
the skating pond, which is largely patronized in
winter. Close by is the cricket field, which is a
brilliant object in the spring months, and in an
other part is the foot ball field where great crowds
collect in the fall to witness games with other
colleges. This is surrounded by a running track,
and tennis courts are near by.
The faculty is a learned body of skillful teach
ers. Seventeen of them have received their Doc
tor's degree from reputable institutions, and the
publication of books and learned papers each year
fill a page or two of the annual reports.
The college has adopted a policy of guarding
with jealous care the morals and quality of the
student body, thus fulfilling the purposes of its
original founders. They are subject to no restric
tions but such as are necessary to secure regular
attendance, but are expected to develop their
better qualities in a favoring atmosphere. Their
success in many walks of professional and busi
ness life attest the excellence of the instruction,
and their qualifications as students the character
of the influences by which they have been sur
rounded.

ISAAC SHARPLESS, Sc. D., LL. D., presi
dent of Haverford College, is from an old family
of Friends which has contributed many of its
members to useful educational labor. His father
was Aaron Sharpless, who married Susanna,
daughter of Thomas Kite, an esteemed minister
in the Society of Friends. The children born of
this marriage were Edith, Thomas and Elizabeth.
Aaron Sharpless took for his second wife, Su
sanna, daughter of James and Ann (Truman)
Forsythe, and they for some years filled the posi
tions of superintendent and matron, respectively,
of the Westtown Boarding School, and, after the
death of her husband, the widow filled positions

similar to that which she had occupied with him.
Mr. Sharpless filled the positions of clerk, over
seer and elder for several years, and at the time
of his death was a member of the "Meeting for
Sufferings," or representative committee of Phil
adelphia Yearly Meeting, "while his sound judg
ment was recognized in frequent appointments as
arbitrator in neighboring disputes." — Cope.
The children of Aaron and Susanna (For
sythe) Sharpless were Isaac, who is further writ
ten of below ; Ann, who became a teacher in the
Westtown Boarding School; James F., who died
in youth; William T., who became a physician
in West Chester, Pennsylvania; and Susanna,
who as a member of the Yearly Meeting Commit
tee, was given oversight of the Westtown Board
ing School.
Isaac Sharpless, eldest child in the family, last
named, was born 12 mo., 16, 1848. He received
his early education in the school with which his
parents were connected, Westtown Boarding
School, from which he was graduated in 1867,
when eighteen years of age. He then entered the
Lawrence Scientific School of Harvard Univer
sity, from which he was graduated in 1873, with
the degree of Bachelor of Science in civil en
gineering. He began his career as a' teacher in
the Westtown Boarding School, whence he was
called after two years, to the position of instruc
tor in mathematics in Haverford College. He
was appointed successively to the positions of
professor of mathematics and of dean of the col
lege, and in 1887 to that of president, in which
capacity he now (1903) continues to act. He re
ceived the degree of Doctor of Science from the
University of Pennsylvania, in 1883, and that of
Doctor of Laws from Swarthmore College in
1887. Dr. Sharpless is the author of text books
on geometry and astronomy, and "An Account of
the English Educational System," which is one
of the volumes of the International Educational
series; He has also written "Quaker Experiment
in Government," being an account of the early his
tory of Pennsylvania, and "Two Centuries of
Pennsylvania History" in Lippincott's Educa
tional Series.
Dr. Sharpless was married 8 mo., 10, 1876, at
West Chester Meeting, to Miss Lydia Trimble
Cope, born in West Chester, 2 mo., 13, 1857,
daughter of Paschall and Amy A. (Baily) Cope.
The children born of this marriage were as fol
lows: 1. Helen, born in Haverford, 7 mo., 25,
1877, who graduated from Drexel Institute, and
is now assistant in the Library of Congress,
Washington, D. C. ; 2. Amy C, born 1 mo., 12,
1879, who is a student in art ; 3, Frederic C, born
10 mo., 1, 1880, who graduated from Haverford
College in 1900, and in 1903 from the medical
department of the University of Pennsylvania;

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

171

4. Edith F., born 11 mo., 1, 1883; 5. Lydia T.,
born 10 mo., 10, 1885 ; 6. Katherine T., born 10
mo., 17, 1896.

WALTER S. BITTLE, one of the lead
ing dairy farmers of Delaware county, is
descended from old residents of that county.
His great-grandfather, William Bittle, a
farmer, who built in 181 1 what is now known
as the "old Eagle Hotel," on the West Chester
pike. His son, also named William, was the
father of two children Hannah, who married
Joseph Esrey; and a son, who was born Decem
ber 26, 18 16, in Haverford township, and re
ceived the ancestral name of William.
This last William, the third of the name, suc
ceeded his grandfather as proprietor of the hotel,
and later engaged in farming. He was a man of
standing in the community, serving as school
director, tax collector and holding other town
ship offices. In politics he was a Republican. He
attended the Friends' Meeting. He married Jane
G., daughter of David and Sarah (Gibbons)
Worrell, and they were the parents of ten chil
dren : Sarah, who became the wife of John Kirk,
of Darby township ; William was born at the old
Eagle Hotel, on the West Chester pike, in Haver
ford township August 23, 1843; his educational
training was obtained in the schools of the neigh
borhood and when he had attained his majority he
engaged in the grocery trade in Philadelphia,
where he was also for some time engaged in the
wholesale and retail produce trade and met with
a well merited degree of success. In 1902 he
retired from active business pursuits. He was
married in Philadelphia February 12, 1868, to
America Jane Werner, daughter of Henry and
Eliza (Stewart) Werner, of Duncannon, Penn
sylvania, and had born to him one son, William,
whowas born March 19, 1869, and died in August,
1869 ; Jennie, who lives in Haverford township ;
Hannah, who married William V. Carter, of Ard
more ; Lydia, who is the wife of John E. Stanley,
of Haverford ; Joseph, Howard and Rebecca, all
of whom died in infancy; Lizzie M., who mar
ried William Steward, of Haverford ; and Walter
S., mentioned at length hereinafter. Mrs. Bittle,
the mother of this family, died in June, 1861, and
Mr. Bittle passed away May 3, 1891, on the old
homestead where he had been born and had al
ways lived
Walter S. Bittle, son of William and Jane
(Worrell) Bittle, was born April 17, 1861, on
the old homestead in Haverford township, Dela
ware county, and passed his boyhood on the an
cestral farm. He was educated at John M. Lock's
school, at Norristown, and after completing his
education settled on the homestead, and devoted
.himself to agricultural pursuits. His farm con

tains thirty-three acres of fine land, in the culti
vation of which he employs all the modern ap
pliances. He makes a specialty of dairying, in
which he is very successful. Politically he is a
Republican. He and all his family attend the
Friends' Meeting.
Mr. Bittle married, October 27, 1885, Emily,
daughter of the late Daniel' and Mary (Wynn)
Hagy, the former named having been an exten
sive farmer and paper manufacturer of Mont
gomery county, and a son of Benjamin and Eliz
abeth Hagy. Mr. and Mrs. Bittle are the parents
of three children: Henry H., born January 1,
1888; Helen, born July 15, 1890; and Emily,
born March 6, 1901.

GARDINER L. WARNER, one of the
prominent and esteemed citizens of Lower Merion
township, Montgomery county, Pennsylvania,
was born in that neighborhood February 1, 1835,
the son of Isaac and Jane (Latch) Warner, the
former named being a son of Anthony and Ra
chel (Evans) Warner, and Anthony Warner was
in turn a son of Isaac and Elizabeth (Lewis)
Warner. Isaac Warner, father of Gardiner L. Warner,
was a master carpenter by occupation and con
ducted a flourishing business for many years in
Lower Merion township, where he not only
gained a handsome competence but also secured
the confidence and respect of the business world
by his honorable and thoroughly reliable methods.
He was a veteran of the war of 1812, having
served with distinction under the command of
Captain Mathews. Mr. Warner was united in
marriage to Miss Jane Latch, and the following
named children were born to them: 1. Hamill,
deceased ; 2. Lewis, deceased ; 3. Jacob, deceased ;
4. Eliza, deceased; 5. Levi E., deceased; 6 and
7. Isaac and Jacob (2d) twins, deceased; 8. Re
becca J., wife of Charles J. Arthur; 9. Penrose
E. ; 10. Charles Anderson, a prominent resident
of Ardmore, Pennsylvania; 11. Gardiner L.
Mrs. Warner is a daughter of Jacob and Jane
(Rose) Latch.
Gardiner L. Warner was a student in the
public schools of Quinwood, a suburb of Phila
delphia, where he acquired an excellent literary
education, after which he pursued a course in
the civil engineering department of a private
school in Philadelphia, completing his studies
about the year 1863. For several years he was
engaged in the capacity of assistant surveyor in
and around Delaware county, Pennsylvania, but
subsequently resigned from this position in order
to return to his home and to assume charge of
his father's property and business interests.
Since then he has fully demonstrated his ability
to manage the same with rare tact and business

172

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

foresight, so that a good income is realized
therefrom. Mr. Warner is respected by all who
have the honor of his acquaintance for his many
excellent qualities, his business honor, his fidelity
to duty, and his devotion to any cause which he
champions. In 1875, Mr. Warner married Miss Jane Mc-
Connell, a daughter of Cunningham and Cather
ine (Dunne) McConnell. Their children are:
Jacob L. ; Elizabeth G., deceased ; Arthur, Re
becca J., Mildred, Margaretta, Clarence G., and
Genevieve L. Warner. The mother of this fam
ily, Jane (McConnell) Warner, died April 7,
1889.

THOMAS D. LAWRENCE, deceased,
for many years was a progressive and prosper
ous agriculturist of Haverford township, Dela
ware county, Pennsylvania. His birth occurred
in the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 6 mo.,
24, 1800, the son of Henry and Mary (Pennell)
Lawrence, and he was a man of honorable busi
ness principles, his name having been synonmous
with truth and integrity.
Henry Lawrence, father of Thomas D. Law
rence, was born 8 mo., 26, 1763. He was a resi
dent of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where for
many years he engaged in mercantile business
which- proved very successful. Later he pur
chased considerable land in Haverford and
Marple townships, Delaware county, Pennsyl
vania, selecting the former named township for
his residence. In 1795, Mr. Lawrence married
Mary Pennell, a daughter of William and Mary
Pennell, and three children were born to them:
William, a resident of Philadelphia, where he is
engaged as a banker ; Thomas D., and Mordecai.
Upon the death of Mr. Lawrence, which oc
curred at his home in Haverford township, 10
mo., 11, 1810, his property was equally divided
between his three sons. His widow, Mary (Pen
nell) Lawrence, subsequently became the wife of
Reese Heacock; her death occurred 8 mo., 6,
i860. Thomas D. Lawrence, second son of Henry
and Mary Lawrence, after completing his educa
tion, made good use of the land he inherited from
his father. He became thoroughly proficient in
that line of industry and his highly cultivated
fields and substantial out buildings gave ample
proof of his thrift and careful management. He
was of Quaker descent and a prominent member
of the Society of Friends. He was a man of
strong political opinions, and an active member
of the Republican party.
Mr. Lawrence was united in marriage to Mary
A. Lewis, daughter of Jesse and Amelia ( Speak-
man) Lewis, and the following named children
were born to them: 1. Amelia, born 7 mo., 24,

1826, died 3 mo., 29, 1898; 2. Henry, born 3 mo.,
28, 1827; 3. William, . born 11 mo., 16, 1828,
married Jane Koause, and they are the , parents
of one daughter, Anna Mary Lawrence ; 4. Clem
ent, born 9 mo., 8, 1830, married Eliza Stanley,
and their children are : Martha Emily, Irene, and
William Stanley Lawrence; 5. Abraham, born
8 mo., 15, 1832, died in 1853 ; 6. Thomas, born
5 mo., 4, 1834, died 11 mo., 6. 1859; 7. Mary
Lavinia, born 11 mo., 27, 1838, died 8 mo., 2,
1892; 8. Jesse Lewis, born 12 mo., 22, 1840; 9.
Mordecai, born 5 mo., 7, 1842; 10. Elizabeth,
born 2 mo.,. 2, 1845. Thomas D. Lawrence, the
father of these children, died 5 mo., 13, 1885, and
his wife, Mary Ann (Lewis) Lawrence, passed
away 12 mo., 12, 1861.

GEORGE C. WILLIAMSON, of Haverford,
Delaware county, Pennsylvania, was born March
2, 1848. His early ancestors were James and
Patience (Gray) Williamson, who were the first
memhers of the Williamson' family of whom we
have direct information. They, were descendents
of the Quakers who settled in Delaware county
and to whom the prosperity of the county is
chiefly due. James and Patience Williamson had
two children, Mary, who married Davis Heacock,
a native of Indiana, and James who was born
4 mo., 11, 1810, learned the trades of wheelwright
and millwright, and who followed these callings
for a number of years. After he had acquired
a competence, he bought property in Haver
ford, where he built a residence in 1876,
and engaged in the cultivation of the land
he had purchased, residing there for the re
mainder of his life. The superior judgment
he displayed in the management' of his own af
fairs attracted the attention of his fellow citi
zens, and he was elected supervisor of Haverford,
holding the office for many years. He was a
worthy member of the Society of Friends, and
always kept the faith of his ancestors. He mar
ried Elizabeth Cornog, born August 21, 1810,
daughter of Isaac and Margaret Cornog, of Hav
erford. Their only child was George C. Williamson,
who was brought up on the farm in Haverford
where he was born, and who succeeded to the
estate of his father after the death of the latter,
November 19, 1893. Mr. Williamson is a pros
perous farmer, but also has some practical knowl
edge of the different trades, and is a member
of the Junior Order of American Mechanics As
sociation. He realizes that education is an im
portant agency in making good citizens, and that
good schools are therefore good investments. To
this end he has been actively concerned in the ad
vancement of the Haverford public schools. He
is interested in local politics, and votes the Re-

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

173

publican ticket. He follows the trend of his an
cestors' belief, and is a member of the Society of
Friends. He was married April 22, 1880, to Miss Emily
W. Jpnes, whp was bprn February 17, 1856, a
resident of Montgomery county, and a daughter
of Davis and Hannah (Price) Jones, who were of
Welsh descent. They had two sons and three
daughters, Mary Emily, born March 30, 1881 ;
William Jones, born October 25, 1882 (he died
May 31, 1899) ; George Cornog, born November
26, 1884 ; Ida Boulton, born March 1, 1889, and
lone Clara, born January 27, 1896.

FRANK A. HOWER, deceased, for a quar
ter of a century the popular and efficient editor
and publisher of "The Home News," a weekly
paper of Bryn Mawr, Montgomery county,
Pennsylvania, was born February 29, 1848, in
Lancaster, Pennsylvania, one of four sons born
to Dr. Joseph B. and Margaret E. (McNaughton)
Hower. The early childhood days of Frank A. Hower
were spent in Lancaster city, where he acquired
his education, graduating from the public schools
at the age of fourteen years. Shortly afterward
he entered the printing office of "The Lancaster
Examiner" to learn the printing trade, where he
remained until May 26, 1864, when he enlisted
in Company K, Ninety-second Regiment of
Pennsylvania Volunteers, then the Ninth Regi
ment Cavalry, as a bugler, and was mustered
out with the company at Lexington, North Car
olina, July 18, 1865. During one engagement
he was shot in the calf of the right leg, and
up to the time of his death the bullet was still
imbedded in the fleshy part of the limb; he
also lost the partial hearing of the left ear. At
the close of the war Mr. Hower returned to
Lancaster and resumed work at his trade; from
there he went to Reading and worked on one
of the papers in the capacity of compositor,
and later went to Coatesville, Chester county,
Pennsylvania, where in partnership with Dr.
William George, he started the publication of
the "Coatesville Times" which is still published
in that town. After the paper had been in ex
istence fpr a short period of time he disposed
of it, being actively connected with the publi
cation of the Rochester, New York, "Herald,"
and the Sunbury, Pennsylvania, Express. In
1876 Mr. Hower removed to Philadelphia, and
being aware of the fact that Bryn Mawr was
going to grow into a thickly populated center,
located there and on June 1, 1877, established
the Home News, a weekly paper. His publi
cation office at that time was in a cottage on the
grounds where at present stands the Bryn Mawr
Hospital. At first he had no printing material,

type or presses, but gathered the local and other
news of interest and had the typesetting and
presswork done at Parkesburg, by William F.
'Potts. Several years later Mr. Hower fitted
out a printing office in a building that stood on
the ground owned by the Humphrey estate,
opposite Dr. Charles T. Goentner's property, on
Lancaster avenue, Bryn Mawr. After conduct
ing business here for about two years, he sold
the paper to Samuel A. Black, and on July 1,
1 88 1, established The News, a weekly publica
tion, in a building situated north of Lancaster
avenue on Robert's Road, where he remained
until January, 1883, when the office was removed
to the "Old Temperance Hall," Lancaster ave
nue and Buck Road. The business was con
ducted in that building for nineteen years, but
when about to issue the silver anniversary edi
tion of the paper, on May 22, 1902, the building
was destroyed by fire. After this catastrophe
the type was set in the parlor of the residence
and the presswork was done in Philadelphia,
until a suitable location could be secured. On
August 8, 1890, Mr. Hower again purchased the
Home News from the heirs of Samuel A. Black,
and consolidated it with The News, afterward
calling the paper The News and Ho'me News.
On August 18, 1902, the office of the paper, as
well as the residence, was moved to its present
location, on Lancaster pike, a short distance east
of the Bryn Mawr depot.
In politics Mr. Hower was always an ad
herent of the principles of the Republican party,
and whenever an election was about to be held
he was found working for the entire Republican
ticket, whether local or national, using the col
umns of his paper to further their election.
Senator Matthew Stanley Quay and Seneator
Boise Penrose often consulted him upon matters
of vital interest to the party, counting him as one
of the best co-workers in the political arena. His
political acumen was recognized at numerous
times by being called upon to officiate at confer
ences of the state and national leaders of the
Republican party, and whenever his party con
trolled the apportionment of offices he was fore
most in the ranks to plead the cause of some
friend for official appointment, notwithstanding
that he had been earnestly solicited at various
times to become a candidate for at least some
county office. In 1889, when Haverford district
was created by the division of the Bryn Mawr
district, he was elected committeeman and con
tinued in that office until 1901. For a number of
years Mr. Hower was a member of the Knights
Templar, Knights of the Golden Eagle, Junior
Order of United American Mechanics, Typo
graphical Union, but as his business enterprise
occupied all of his time, he allowed himself to
run out in the orders. At the time of his death

174

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

he was a member of Colonel Owen Jones Post,
No. 591, Grand Army of the Republic, being one
of its charter members. He was also a member
of the Bucks-Montgomery Press League, the
State Editorial Association, and the Pen and
Pencil Club.
On July 4, 1879, Mr. Hower married Miss
Anna M. Grubb, daughter of William B. and
Catharine E. (Hagarty) Grubb, at the home of the
parents, 2205 Spruce street, Philadelphia, Penn
sylvania. Their children were: William G.,
Frank A., Charles M., James S., Thomas, Harry
V., Catherine M., Anna M., and Mary M. Hower.
Mr. Hower died October 23, 1902, and the funeral
services were conducted at his late residence on
Lancaster avenue, Bryn Mawr, by the Rev. James
Houghton, pastor of the Church of the Redeemer.
He was buried in his soldier's uniform, and the
casket was draped in the American flag according
to a desire often expressed by him. The inter
ment was made at Mount Moriah cemetery, Phil
adelphia, Pennsylvania.

THOMAS HUGHES is a representative
of industrial interest of Lansdowne, where he
is_ now engaged in carriage making. Al
though he is one of the adopted sons of this
portion of Pennsylvania, there is no more
loyal citizen in Delaware county than is Thomas
Hughes. He was born in Ireland in November,
1836, one of a family of seven children. His
parents were John and Ann (McHugh) Hughes.
He spent the first fourteen years of his life on the
Emerald Isle, and then accompanied his parents
as they crossed the broad Atlantic to the new
world, settling in Kelleyville, Delaware county,
Pennsylvania. For some time thereafter the son,
Thomas, assisted at farm work and then went to
the city in order to learn the carriage making
trade. He also mastered the business of shoeing
horses and of painting and decorating fine car
riages as well as building them. He was em
ployed by T. B. Parker, with whom he remained
for three years, after which he went to New York
city, where he spent a similar period. On the
expiration of that time he returned to Philadel
phia, where he was employed as a journeyman,
and at Wilmington, Delaware, his attention being
given to his trade until the inauguration of the
Civil war.
Mr. Hughes had watched with interest the
' progress of events in the South, had noted the
threatening attitude of the southern states and
had resolved that if a blow was struck to over
throw the Union he would aid in its defense.
Accordingly, on the 12th of August, 1861, he
donned the blue uniform and became a member of
the Third Pennsylvania Cavalry, which was at
tached to the Army of the Potomac, and partici

pated in all of the engagements of that great mil
itary organization, numbering altogether forty-
two battles and skirmishes. On one occasion
General Heintzelman had to send some retreat
orders to General Averill, and Mr. Hughes and
a companion were selected to carry these orders
on account of the superiority of the horses which
they rode, as speed was a very necessary item in
the movement. On the way, his companion's
horse became exhausted and the two men sepa
rated, so Mr. Hughes never saw his companion
again. However, he pushed resolutely forward,
urging his horse on to its utmost speed, and as
he reached the lines his horse dropped dead from
exhaustion. He was immediately furnished with
another which had been captured from the First
North Carolina regiment, and thus he finished
the journey and delivered the orders so that the
retreat took place as had been planned. After
this Mr. Hughes was confined to his tent for three
weeks on account of illness brought on by expo
sure at Harrison's Landing, but on his release
from the doctor's care he immediately resumed
his active duties in the field, remaining with his
regiment in its varied service until after the bat
tle of Fredericksburg, when he received an hon
orable discharge and then went to Washington,
D. C, and was, for some time, in the govern
ment employ there and in Virginia until the close
of the war, and returned to his home. His mili
tary record is certainly a creditable one, for at
all times he was found loyal to his duty, whether
it led him into the thickest of the fight or caused
him to march on the lonely picket line.
Mr. Hughes next went to Philadelphia, where
for a year he worked at his trade, and then came
to Upper Darby, establishing business on his own
account where Bartram's Lumber Yard had been
located. In 1893 he purchased the property he
now occupies, and removing his business to this
place, he has one of the best equipped shops in
the state for his line of work. For thirty-seven
years he has carried on business on his own ac
count, and it is probable that his sons will con
tinue as his successors for many years. His ex
cellent understanding of the work in every de
partment enables him to superintend the labors
of those who serve under him, and anything
sent out from the Hughes' shops is noted for its
excellent workmanship. In business affairs Mr.
Hughes is notably prompt and reliable, and in
all mattters is thoroughly trustworthy.
In 1865 occurred the marriage of Thomas
Hughes and Miss Catherine Kelley, of Kelley
ville, a daughter of William and Catherine Kelley.
They have seven children who are yet living:
Catherine C, who has taken the veil in the Con
vent of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Villa
Marie, Westchester, Chester county, Pennsylva
nia, and is now known as Sister M. Sulpicius ¦

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

175-

William F., who wedded Mary Morris and has
two children, Miriam and Francis J.; Thomas
I., who married Ella M. Cavanaugh; Joseph A.,
Charles V., John F., and Mary T., who are all
yet. at home. Mr. Hughes and his family are
communicants of St. Philomena Roman Catholic
church and have done much for the growth and
advancement of the church, and of its work.
The cause of temperance finds in him a warm
friend, and the Total Abstinence Society of Kel-
leyville, was organized in his house. He also
belongs to St. Mary's Benefit Society and to the
Knights of Columbus. He maintains pleasant re
lations with his old army comrades through his
membership in the Third Pennsylvania Cavalry
Association, which holds a meeting every year in
the old state house in Philadelphia, and during
the Centennial in 1876, this historic spot was the
headquarters for the association which kept open
house for all. Mr. Hughes likewise belongs to
the Veteran Association of Clifton Heights, and
of all these organizations he is a worthy and
valued representative.

JOSEPH _ THOMAS McCLELLAN, a
prominent business man of Bryn Mawr, Penn
sylvania, was born January 23, 1833, in Upper
Darby township, Delaware county, and is a son
of Samuel and Elizabeth (Thomas) McClellan,
and a grandson of Robert and Ann (Thomas)
McClellan, of Upper Darby, Delaware county,
Pennsylvania. Samuel McClellan was twice
married, and by his first wife he had five children
— Maria, Samuel, Mary, John and Elizabeth. The
mother of these children died, and Mr. McClel
lan married Elizabeth Thomas, who became the
mother of the following children — Ann T., Joseph
T., and Robert. Samuel McClellan died in De
cember, 1847, and his wife Elizabeth died in 1848
or 1849. Joseph Thomas McClellan was the second
child and first son of Samuel McClellan and his
second wife, Elizabeth Thomas. He was edu
cated in Delaware county, and after leaving
school entered a blacksmith shop at Fitzwater-
town, near Germantown, Montgomery county,
Pennsylvania. Here he learned his trade, serv
ing four years and nine months, and afterward
accepted a position in Philadelphia as journey
man. This position he held a short time and then
settled at what is now Lancaster Pike and Penn
street, Bryn Mawr, in Haverford township, where
he opened a carriage factory and blacksmith shop.
Having acquired a practical knowledge as a vet
erinarian under the preceptorship of Dr. Robert
McClure, of Philadelphia, he began practice as a.
veterinary surgeon, at the same timcattending to
his factory and shops. The business grew in time
to demand his whole attention, and he was obliged
12 x

to abandon his professional work for the manage
ment of the carriage factory. Since 1856 he has
been a member of the United American Mechan
ics, and he also belongs to the Masonic Order,
affiliating with Cassia Lodge No. 273, Free and
Accepted Masons, of which he is a past master.
He is past high priest of Montgomery Chapter
No. 262, R. A. M., and he was for twenty-seven
years a member of St. John's Commandery, K. T.,
from which he holds a demit. He is past grand
and past district deputy grand master of Banyan
Tree Lodge, No. 378, Independent Order of Odd
Fellows. Mr. McClellan married, December 18, 1856,
Christiana M., daughter of Jacob and Catherine
(Fredricks) Ristine, the father being a native
of Germany. Jacob and Catherine Ristine were-
married December 31, 1813, and became the par
ents of the following children : John A., born April
19, 1816; Sarah Jane, born January 16, 1818;
William, born November 12, 1819 ; Jacob, born
January 27, 1822; Catharine F., February 17,
1824; Philip, born in April 20, 1827; James, born
December 4, 1834; Rebecca, born October 4,
1829 ; George C, born April 12, 1838 ; and Chris
tiana, born March 4, 1836, wife of Joseph
Thomas McClellan. The children of Mr. and:
Mrs. McClellan were: George R., born Novem
ber 1, 1857 ; Katie, who was born September 14,.
i860, and died in August, 1865 ; Elizabeth, who
was born June 23, 1865, and married, April 22,
1896, Dr. Herbert T. Ziebarth, a graduate of the
Chirurgical Medical College of Philadelphia, has
one child, Christine McClellan, born May 16,
1897; Henry Joseph, who was born February 6,
1867, now a practicing physician and a graduate
of Baltimore University, married Lillian G.
Metzger of Jeffersonville, New York; Emma
May, who was born April 16, 1869, and died May
13, 1876; Frank E., born April 29, 1871, who
married Mary L. Moore of Haverford, has one
child, Francis Moore"; William J., born May 25,
1876, married Mary B. Hoyer of Philadelphia,
and has one child, Laura Sparks, born March
9, 1902.

GEORGE C. RISTINE, a well known and
successful business man of Bryn Mawr, Mont
gomery county, was born April 12, 1838, in
Lower Merion township, in the same county.
His parents were Jacob and Catharine (Fred
erick) Ristine. Jacob Ristine came from the
Fatherland with his parents, while an infant. He
was reared to manhood in the vicinity of Phila
delphia; the earlier years of his manhood were
spent driving a mail stage coach between various
points on the Lancaster turnpike. His latter
years were spent in the employ of the Pennsyl
vania Railroad. He died in March, 1872, and his

176

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

wife Catharine (Frederick) Ristine, died in
1859. George C. Ristine was educated in the public
schools, and, when a lad began to learn the car
penter's trade. After finishing his apprentice
ship, he worked as a journeyman in Montgomery
county until the opening of the Civil war, when
he enlisted in Battery L, Second Pennsylvania
Artillery, under Captain Paul Jones. He wit
nessed hard fighting, and participated in the en
gagement at Petersburg. After the close of the
war he settled at Bryn Mawr, where for many
years he has done an extensive business as a con
tractor and builder, being known throughout the
county as a man of enterprise and integrity.
Mr. Ristine married, September 8, 1865,
Susan, born February 1, 1846, a daughter of
Benjamin and Mary (McClellan) Shank, of Lan
caster. The following children have been born to
them: 1. Anna, born October 10, 1866, who mar
ried Samuel, son of Joseph L. and Mary (Simes)
Richards, and has three children; Joseph, Cyrus
and George R. 2. George Howard, born Oc
tober 10, 1868; 3. Frederick P., born November
10, 1871 ; 4. Florence E., born August 4, 1875 ;
5. Mary Elizabeth, born September 8, 1879; 6.
Helen P., born January 26, 1882; 7. Miriam V.,
born April 9, 1885 ; 8. Charles S., born Febru
ary 11, 1887.

ROBERT N. LEE, a venerable and highly
respected citizen of Bryn Mawr, Delaware
county, Pennsylvania, where he has contributed
much towards the material advancement pf the
neighborhood in which he has resided for nearly
forty years, is a native of Zanesville, Ohio, where
he was born January 27, 1825, a son of William
H. and Susan (Umstead) Lee.
William H. Lee was a native of Baltimore
county, Maryland, where he was born in 1786,
and was there educated and reared to manhood.
During the war of 1812, he was loyal to his
country's cause and served as a private soldier
during the attack on Baltimore by the English.
Soon after the cessation of hostilities, with others,
he emigrated westward into Ohio, making the
journey with a wagon and team of horses. After
a tedious journey fraught with perils and hard
ships, he finally settled and took up lands by
purchase, where the city of Zanesvillle now
stands. He afterwards sold part of his lands to
his brother, who in turn laid out the tract into
building lots which have become an important
part of the city of Zanesville, opposite the new
concrete Y bridge. Mr. Lee was a man of strict
integrity and reliability, and was for some time
employed by the Bank of Zanesville as messenger
to carry remittances to and from Cincinnati, the
bank officials having placed so much confidence

in his honesty that they would not require from
him a bond of security as was usual in such cases.
His son, Robert N. Lee, recalls an incident on
one of the trips. His father was carrying the
sum of fifty thousand dollars in silver in his
wagon, when one of the wheels broke down. The
son, Robert, was left entirely alone as guardian
over the treasure, while the father carried the
wheel to the nearest shop to have it repaired.
Mr. Lee was united in marriage to Miss Susan
Umstead, and to them were born the following
children: 1. Margaretta, who became the wife of
George Brenholtz ; 2. Elizabeth, who married
Wesley Ebert; 3. Ellen, who married Jacob
Kircher; 4. Josephine, who became the wife of
Charles Brenholtz ; 5. Harriet, whose first hus
band was a Mr. Moore, and her second husband
was John Ford ; 6. Francis, unmarried ; 7. Emma ;
8. William, who married and resided at Zanes
ville, Ohio ; 9. Robert N. Lee.
Robert N. Lee, youngest child of William H.
and Susan (Umstead) Lee, was reared to man
hood and acquired his education in the public
schools of Zanesville, Ohio, and in the fall of
185 1 removed to Pennsylvania, settling in Phila
delphia, where in partnership with John Bancroft
he established a wholesale notion business. Their
enterprise, good management and systematic
methods commended them to the public confi
dence and support, and they met with a large de
gree of success in their undertaking which they
continued for a number of years. In 1863 Mr.
Lee purchased a tract of land in Haverford town
ship. A part of this land he afterwards sold for
building purposes, thereby contributing in large
degree to the growth and development of the
neighborhood. He retired from active business
pursuits in 1868. While a resident of Zanesville,
Mr. Lee was a member of good standing in the
order of Odd Fellows, but shortly after his re
moval to Pennsylvania he joined the Masonic
order, affiliated with Cassia Lodge, No. 262, at
Ardmore. Politically he is a staunch supporter
of the principles of the Democratic party, was for
twenty-five years a member of the Haverford town
ship school board and served as president of the
board for a number of years, an active member
of the Lower Merion Baptist church, in which
he has served as deacon for a number of years;
he is also a member of the board of trustees, and
has served as its president for some time.
About 1845, Mr. Lee married Miss Sarah
Evaline Arter, daughter of William Henry and
Sarah Arter. Their children are: 1. Henry A.,
who married Eugenia Harnish ; 2. Ellen Clara,
now the wife of Charles Hill Anderson, a son of
the Rev. George W. and Maria Frances (Hill)
Anderson ; .they had one child, Charles Lee An
derson; 3. Eva Randolph, now the wife of
Fletcher Randolph, a son of the Rev. Warren

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

177

and Malvina (Dunn) Randolph; their children
are : Robert Lee, Frederick Warrren, and Norman
Randolph ; 4. Susan J., unmarried ; 5. Ida Alice,
who died in 1870 ; 6. Emma, the wife of William
H. Turton of Brooklyn, New York; she died in
1886; 7. Charles Robert, who married Jeanetta
Drysdale of Philadelphia, daughter of Dr.
Thomas and Mary C. (Arter) Drysdale; they
have one child, Jeanetta D. Lee; and 8. William
F. Lee, who married Carrie M. Butler of Bryn
Mawr, a daughter of J. E. Butler ; they have one
daughter, Frances B. Lee. The mother of this
family, Sarah Evaline (Arter) Lee, died August
24, 1870. She was a most estimable lady of the
old school type, was possessed of many excellen
cies of character, and was respected and esteemed
by all who knew her.

JACOB ROBERTS ELFRETH. Josiah
Elfreth came from England in 1682, about the
time of William Penn. His wife was Hester
Boyer, whp, with their twp sons, Henry and Jere
miah, came with him; the latter named soon
after returned to England. Henry Elfreth mar
ried Sarah, daughter of John Gilbert, a mer
chant of Philadelphia. He was a ship builder by
trade and is mentioned in Watson's "Annals of
Philadelphia," in connection with some building
transactions at Dock Creek.
His son Jeremiah was born in 1690, and was
a blacksmith by trade, his place of business being
on Front street, above Arch, at the corner of
an alley or street running through to Second
street, called Elfreth's Alley. He appears to have
been a man of prominence both in civil and re
ligious affairs, for Watson mentions the freedom
of the city having been voted him. He was an
elder in the Society of Friends (of which he was
a member) for many years. He was married
five times, his first wife being Sarah Oldman, to
whom he was married at the Friends' Meeting
House, southwest corner Indiana and Market
streets, 4 mo., 12, 1716. He afterwards married
Letitia Richardson, at the same place 5 mo., 8,
1 73 1, then Elizabeth Massey, Rachel _ Seaman,
and Mary Wells, none of whom survived him.
He died in 1772. His daughter Mary married
Josiah Dawson.
His son, Jeremiah Elfreth, was born in 1720.
He was a silversmith, and married Hannah Trot
ter, 8 mo., 25, 1752, a daughter of Joseph and
Dinah Trotter, the former a merchant of Phila
delphia. He deceased 2 mo., 10, 1765, leaving a
widow, who died in 1791, and two sons — Jere
miah, born 8, 2, 1754, and Josiah, born 5, 2, 1759,
married Rachel Cathrall, sister of Dr. Cathrall;
the former died in 1793 at the time of the yellow
fever, which almost' depopulated Philadelphia.
9 mo., 8, the day of his death, he was visited by

his brother Jeremiah, and as he arose to leave
him he got up, and sat on the side of the bed,
and taking his brother by the hand said, "Brother,
farewell, I am going to that land where none of
the inhabitants thereof can say T am sick.' "
This was at 3 o'clock in the afternoon, and before
8 o'clock that evening he was in the ground. As
soon as the breath left the body, and often before,
the dying were buried; it is believed that hun
dreds were buried before they were dead. It
was indeed a dreadful time; many as soon as
stricken with the fever were deserted by their
relatives, parents leaving children, children leav
ing parents, and husbands and wives leaving each
other to the mercy of strangers, many of them
hard and unkind.
He left two sons, John and Isaac, who were
engaged in the East India trade, the former dy
ing in Canton. His brother Jeremiah went to
Haddonfield, New Jersey, in early life, where he
carried on the cabinet trade as cabinet maker and
joiner, as they were styled in early times; he
also carried on farming. He was married in 1775
to Mary Taylor, a daughter of Jacob and Han
nah Roberts, and had ten children: Joseph T.,
Josiah, Hannah, Mary, Sarah, Jeremiah, Eliza
beth, Jeremiah (the first having deceased), Jacob
R., and John.
During the Revolutionary war, in 1777, the
British army passed through Haddonfield with
a detachment of Hessians, and many of the in
habitants suffered from' them. Jeremiah Elfreth
was one of these. Being a member of the Society
of Friends he could not engage in war, though
his sympathies were with the Colonists. All who
were suspected of sympathy with them were
pointed out as the army passed along and their
stock was taken and their property destroyed. A
number of soldiers entered his house. His wife
had jusj: taken the baby from the cradle when one
of them ran his bayonet through the cradle to the
floor. They then began breaking the furniture.
One of them went to the china cupboard, and
running his hand back on each shelf swept the
dishes to the floor, remarking, as he did so,
"Well, my lady, this is what George Washing
ton has done for you." The presence of an of
ficer, who came in that moment saved her from
further harm, the soldiers going out the back
door. The officer asked for something to eat,
which she gave him. He told her they intended
to remain in the place till the next day, and asked
if she could lodge them, to which she consented.
After eating and sitting awhile writing, he arose
to go, remarking that he would soon be back. She
told him that she was afraid of her life, should
the soldiers return. He replied, "While I am
here no harm shall come to you," and unbuckling
his sword from his side he laid it on the table
saying, "You need now have no fear," and then

i78

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

went out. Several times during his absence the
door was opened by soldiers, who looked in, and
seeing the sword, immediately departed. The
officer returned about ten o'clock, remained all
night, got his breakfast, and on leaving paid her
in gold for his accommodation with many thanks
for her kindnesss. In after years, in referring to
that awful night, she would speak with much
feeling of the loving kindness of her Heavenly
Father in protecting her and her child from
harm. She was a minister in the Society of
Friends, and greatly beloved by friends and
neighbors ; she deceased in 1813. Jeremiah, who
had taken refuge in the hay-mow in the barn,
was discovered by some soldiers who were get
ting hay for their horses, and was taken pris
oner and confined in the guard house with a
number of others until the next day, when they
were released. Jeremiah deceased in 1825, aged
seventy-one years.
The babe, who was in his mother's arms, was
Joseph, and grew to manhood without much love
for the English, and on the breaking out of the
war of 1812 he departed from the peace prin
ciples of the Society and joined the army, being
an officer in one of the New Jersey regiments.
He married Mary Thackary, in 1797, and had
two children, Jeremiah and Hannah. In 1809
he married Elizabeth Denny, by whom he had
four children — Samuel, Josiah, John and Mary,
all of whom married and had families. Josiah
went to New Orleans in early life, where he mar
ried Anna Lockbridge, whose father was a
wealthy planter about one hundred miles above
New Orleans, where he had a large plantation
and many slaves. At the breaking out of the
Civil war, Josiah's sympathies were with the
south, and two of his sons were in the Rebel army,
one with the rank of colonel. His sister Mary's
son was in the Union army, was taken prisoner,
and was fifteen months in Andersonville. When
released at the close of the war, he weighed but
seventy-five pounds. Thousands of Union men
were starved to death in that horrible pen.
Jeremiah's daughter Hannah married Joshua
Brick, of Egg Harbor, New Jersey, 3 mo., 23,
1806. They had two children, Hannah E., and
Joshua, both of whom married and have families.
Her sister Mary married Samuel Allen, of Salem,
New Jersey, 11 mo., 23, 1809, and had eight chil
dren — David, Mary, Samuel, Jeremiah, Rebecca,
Edward, Joseph and Hannah. A number of
these married and had families.
Jacob R. Elfreth, son of Jeremiah Elfreth,
who was born 3 mo., 8, 1789, was a notable char
acter of his day. He was one of the first pupils
of the Westtown Friends' School, when it was
opened in 1799, and many years of his life were
devoted to the interests of this institution in of
ficial capacities. In early life he was apprenticed

to learn the hardware trade, but soon abandoned
this to become a teacher in New Jersey. From'
there he came to the Westtown school, which he
taught for some years and of which during 1814-
and 1816, he acted both as teacher and librarian.
At a later period he became bookkeeper for the
Lehigh Navigation Company, and remained with
this company until his retirement from active
business a few years before his death in 1870.
Jacob R. Elfreth married Abigail Pierce,
daughter of Caleb and Jane Peirce, 8 mo., 25,
1 82 1. Her father was a hardware merchant on
Market street, above Second, in Philadelphia,
and was a grandson of Caleb Peirce, who came
over with William Penn and settled in Thorn
bury, Chester county, Pennsylvania. Jacob R.
and Abigail Elfreth had ten children, viz : Joseph j
Jane, who died aged three months ; Jane P., Caleb.
P., Sarah (deceased) ; James, Rebecca P., Jacob.
R, Mary and Robert M.
Joseph Elfreth married Hannah, daughter of
John and Esther Hill, in 185 1, and settled in Had
donfield; they had three children — Florence,.
John, Esther; the eldest, married Samuel Red
man, in 1876, and had three children — Florence,.
Harriet and Hannah. Florence married J. Lin
ton Engle, and they have one son, Joseph Red
man. Jane P. Elfreth married Dr. James Morris-
Corse, in 1858, and had two children, Margaret
and James M. ; the former married Andrew J.
Ayers, in 1894; they had six children — Margaret,
Ruth, Dorothy, Roger, Donald and Theodore.
Caleb P. Elfreth married Annie M. Shepherd,.
in 1855 ; they had seven children — Jacob R.,
Annie M., Rebecca P., Caleb P., Elizabeth B.,
Robert M. and Gustavus A., all of whom mar
ried and have families except Rebecca P., who
died in early life. Jacob R., married Alice
DuBois in 1882 ; their children are Harold, Caleb-
P., Randolph and Alice. Annie M., married
Frederick Starling, in 1890; they had three chil
dren, of whom only one is now living, Frederick.
Elizabeth married Mitchell B. Brooks, in 1883;
they have one child, Annie M. Caleb P. Elfreth,
Jr., married Sarah Lanning, in 1892 ; they have
one child, Henry. Robert M. Elfreth married
Mary Clothier, in 1893 ; they have one child,
Mary. Gustavus A. Elfreth married Charlotta
Lanning, in 1894; they have four children.
James Elfreth married Ann, daughter of John
and Phoebe Benington, in 1857; her father died
recently in Media, aged one hundred years; to
James and Ann Elfreth were born seven chil
dren, all of whom died in early life excepting
John Bennington and Miriam. John Bennington
Elfreth married Virginia Miller, in 1879; they
had four children, William Henry, Anna, John
Bennington and Edith.
The other children of Jacob R. and Abigail

ISAAC T. JONES, Sr.

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

179

^Elfreth were Rebecca P. ; Jacob Roberts ; Mary,
deceased; and Robert Mendenhall, deceased.
Jacpb Rpberts Elfreth, eighth child in the last
mentipned family, was bprn at Philadelphia, 10
mo., 22, 1837. He attended the school taught
¦by Lydia Reeves, and finished his education in
the Friends' Select School at Philadelphia. In
1854 he was apprenticed to the wholesale dry
goods firm of J. R. Sower & Company, with
whom he remained five years, and then joined his
brother James in establishing a retail carpet
business. They remained together until 1862,
when James retired and Jacob, after continuing
the business until 1870, also closed his mercan
tile career by retirement. Shortly afterward he
went to Darby, where he lived until 1901, and
then removed to his present location in Lans-
¦downe. While engaged in merchandising he had
been appointed trustee and executor to settle
many estates, and this led him indirectly to deal
ing in real estate, which he followed to a consid
erable extent. While in Darby in 1876 he was
elected a member of the school board, and three
years later was elected to the office of secretary
of the board, which position he held until 1898,
the longest continuous service in that capacity of
any incumbent. Mr. Elfreth is one of the trustees
of the Friends' Meeting at Lansdowne as well
as one of the overseers, and throughout life has
been an earnest as well as efficient factor in the
cause of education. His political affiliations have
-always been with the Republican party.

ISAAC T. JONES, Sr. The Jones family
in Eastern Pennsylvania, and of which the sub
ject of this review is a descendant, has for many
generations, been prominently connected with the
social and material interests of this section of the
state. The first ancestor of whom we have any
information was Paul Jones, who was among the
early colonists who came to this part of what was
then the Province of Pennsylvania. He married
Phoebe  , and among his children was a
¦son who bore his father's name, Paul (2), who
married Tacy Davis, and among their children
was a son, Isaac T. Jones.
Paul Jones (2) was born in what is now
Lower Merion township, Montgomery county,
Pennsylvania, 6 mo., 27, 1776, and here he fol
lowed farming. He married Tacy Davis, who
was born 9 mo., 16, 1777, and to this union were
born the following children:
1. Mary Ann, born 12 mo., 31, 1799. She
married Isaac Heston, who resided at Hestonville,
formerly a suburb of Philadelphia.
2. William D., born 8 mo., 3, 1802. He mar
ried Frances Lloyd, and to them was born one
-child, Susan Lloyd, now Mrs. Joel J. Baily, of
Darby, Delaware county.

3. Susan D., born 3 mo., 31, 1804. She mar
ried Jacob Fry.
4. Isaac T., born 5 mo., 20, 1806, who is the
subject of this memoir.
5. Esther F., born 4 mo., 11, 1810. She
married Lewis Yerkes.
6. J. Davis, born 5 mo., 20, 1812, who mar
ried Hannah R. Price, daughter of Edward and
Hannah (Jones) Price. Of this union were born
the following children: (1). Amanda P., born
1837, married Reuben Baily; (2). William D.,
born 1839, he married Louisa Baily; (3) Mary
Y., born 1841 ; she married William F. Davis;
(4). Lydia W., born in 1843; she died unmar
ried in 1876; (5). Paul, born in 1845 ; he married
Ella Wilkinson; (6). Edward P., born in 1847;
he married Elizabeth Fornance; (7). Susan F.,
born in 1849; she died unmarried; (8). Isaac T.,
born 12 mo., 28, 1851; he married Mary E. H.
Eastwick; (9). Emily W., born in 1854; she
married George Williamson.
7. Justus P., born 5 mo., 15, 1814. He
married Margaretta Erben, and after her death
married Margaret Yerkes.
8. Emily, born 6 mo., 9, 1816. She married
William Warner Roberts.
9. Elizabeth, born 2 mo., 21, 1819, who died
6 mo. 24, 1819.
Tacy Davis Jones, the mother of this family,
died 10 mo., 13, 1847, and her husband, Paul
Jones, died 9 mo., 11, 1857. Both were emi
nently respectable people, and were consistent
members of the Society of Friends.
Isaac T. Jones, the fourth child of Paul and
Tacy ' (Davis) Jones, was born at the Jones
homestead, in Lower Merion township, nearly
opposite Manayunk, and here the lad attended
the schools of the neighborhood. He did not
take kindly to rural life and the routine of farm
work, and came to Philadelphia, where he en
gaged in a mercantile business with his brother,
William D. Jones. During the Civil war period
they carried on a very large trade, and when it
closed the members of the firm were compara
tively wealthy.
It was in October, i860, that Mr. Jones be
came a resident of Darby and entered upon that
connection with its affairs which proved of such
great usefulness to the community. For a year
he occupied the home at the corner of Chester
and Hook roads, and in August of 1861, he
bought from John D. Bartram, a residence on
Lansdowne avenue, one unsurpassable for beauty
and desirability of location, and which was thence
forth his home and the scene of the latter years
of his married life, and after the death of his
children and his wife, here, with another loved
companion he passed his later years, dispensing
a gracious and abundant hospitality. As was
said of him by an admiring friend, -he approached

i8o

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

more nearly a good old country squire than any
one of the excellent community among which
he dwelt. He was noted for his openhanded be
nevolence. He did not care to increase his wealth
but expended a generous share of his ample in
come in providing for the necessity of the sick
and poor. Many families in Darby lived entirely,
or in part upon the bounty which he afforded
them in person, and he called to his aid three
worthy women who were commissioned to dis
cover ' deserving cases and draw upon him for
means as they found advisable. One small item
of expense which he assumed was the annual
purcase of considerable quantities of coal. His
aid was also freely extended to aiding worthy
men in the establishment of business and home
making, and every good act of his life was per
formed with a hearty cheerfulness and lack of
ostentation which proclaimed the fact that he
took a genuine delight in contributing to the well-
being of his fellows.
In public affairs he ever manifested a lively
interest, and was among the foremost in advanc
ing whatever was promising of advantage to the
community in material and moral ways. A man
of excellent judgment ' and accurate business
methods, he was frequently called upon to man
age and close up estates, and in discharge of such
trusts guarded the interests of the widow and
orphan with the same fidelity that he would his
own. He was deeply interested in the Darby
Library Association, of which he was president
for several years preceding his death, and he
contributed in larger degree than did any other
to the procurement of the fund for the erection
of the handsome library building. He was chief
burgess in 1869 and again in 1873, and was a
member of the council in 1864-65. He was an
ideal public servant, caring for community inter
ests as religiously as he did for his own family
and for his church. In religion he was a com
municant of St. James church, Protestant Epis
copal, in which he was a vestryman for twenty-
four years, and a warden for fourteen years.
Mr. ¦ Jones was married 3 mo., 6, 1834, to
Mary P. Bowen, a daughter of Daniel and Mary
R. (Paine) Bowen, of Boston. Three children
were born to them: 1. William B., born 12 mo.,
22, 1834, who died 8 mo., -, 1836 ; 2. Margaretta
B., born 7 mo., 1, 1837, who died 9 mo., 4, 1838;
3. Charles B., born 4 mo., 11, 1840, who died
3 mo., 3, 1863. The mother of these children
died 1 mo., 20, 1857. Mr. Jones married 12 mo.,
3, 1863, Louisa Castner, who was born 10 mo.,
14, 1812, a daughter of Jacob and Hannah Cast
ner, of White Hall. This union was childless,
and the pair made their home a delightful place
of visitation by the young of the neighborhood,
into whose enjoyments they entered with parental
delight. i Mrs. Jones died 1 mo., 29, 1888, and

her husband survived her less than two months,
dying the following 3 mo., 1. He maintained
his physical and mental faculties to almost the
very last, and was at the age of eighty-two, as
quick in movement and discernment as a lad. In
the ending of his long, useful and unselfish life
he left a vacancy in the community such as there
was none to fill.

ISAAC T. JONES, Jr., of Lansdowne,
Upper Darby township, Delaware county, Penn
sylvania, was born 12 mo., 28, 1851, in Lower
Merion township, Montgomery county, nearly
opposite Manayunk. His parents were Joel
Davis and Hannah R. (Price) Jones, who have
been written of in a preceding sketch.
His preliminary education was obtained in
the schools in the neighborhood where he was
born. When he was about twelve years of age
he, went to live with his uncle, the late Isaac T.
Jones, Sr., of Lansdowne, Delaware county, and
that estimable man, with his family, bestowed
upon the lad the most affectionate care. While
with them he attended the Friends' School in Dar
by for a time, and then became a student in the
Friends' Central School in Philadelphia, from
which he was graduated with credit. He then
entered the wholesale dry goods house of J. B.
Kempton & Company, in Philadelphia, and his
connection with this firm was pleasantly and use
fully maintained for a period of about ten years.
In 1881 he went west, and was for three years
engaged in a dry goods trade in Colorado
Springs, Colorado, in partnership with Edward
Ferris. He relinquished this business in 1884,
and took up his residence in Lansdowne, Penn
sylvania. He soon engaged in business pursuits
to which he devoted himself with great activity,
so long as his health would permit. He was an
active partner in the Warner H. Jenkins Com
pany, of Philadelphia, a firm which transacted a
large business as paving contractors in the city
and its suburbs, and he was a special partner 'in
the firm of William B. Riley & Company, manu
facturers of horse goods. He was also a direc
tor in the Citizens' Electric Light and Power
Company of Clifton Heights, and he was for sev
eral years a member of the Darby Borough Coun
cil. In all these various relations he displayed
business qualities of a high order, and a com
mendable public spirit, while his integrity was
unimpeachable. He was a communicant and a
vestryman of St. James church (Protestant Epis
copal) of Kingsessing, and a liberal patron of the
Home for Children, maintained in Angora by this-.
denomination. He was, in 1902, vice-president
of the Lansdowne Cricket Club, and he was re
elected in 1903, but declined to serve on account
of declining health.

ISAAC T. JONES, Jr.

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

181

Mr. Jones was married April 12, 1882 to
Miss Mary E. H. Eastwick, a daughter of An
drew M. and Lydia A. Eastwick, of Philadel
phia. Four children were born of this marriage •
Katharine E., born April 3, 1885; Isaac T
born September 3, 1888; Arthur- K., born Oc
tober 20, 1889, and Horace D., born December
12, 1893.
For several of his later years Mr. Jones had
been in poor health. In January, 1895, he voy
aged to the Bermudas, where he sojourned for a
time, finding some improvement, but he soon be
gan to again decline, and died of Bright's disease
May 20, 1895, at his beautiful home,. "Elms-
croft," on Lansdowne avenue. The funeral serv
ices were held in his home, according to the beau
tiful and time honored ritual of the Protestant
Episcopal faith. The officiating clergymen were the
Rev. Dr. Maison, a former rector, the Rev. Mr.
Gilberson, his successor, and- the Rev. Dr. Keefer,
who was formerly rector at Colorado Springs,
Colorado, and who journeyed from Pittsburg to
pay his last and fervent tribute to his departed
friend and former parishioner. The remains were
then tenderly laid awav in a flower-filled grave
in West Laurel Hill cemetery.
The death of Mr. Jones was sincerely de
plored throughout the community, both in Lans
downe and in Darby. A gentleman, in all the
fullness pf meaning of the words, he had endeared
himself to all through his beauty of character
and his helpfulness to all sorrowful or suffering
ones. He was zealous in the cause of true char
ity, and obeyed the scriptural mandate to do
good without display. His benefactions were
always cheerfully bestowed, and none really needy
ever came to him in vain. His home life was one
of ideal domestic happiness, and the admiration
pf a charming circle of friends.
Among the many beautiful tributes paid to
the memory of Mr. Jones, the resolutions adopted
by the vestry of St. James church were peculiarly
touching, and were as follows :
Whereas, It has pleased an All Wise Prov
idence to remove from our midst, one of our ves
trymen, Isaac T. Jones ; be it therefore
Resolved, That we bow in humble submis
sion to the decree, knowing that He who protects
and looks over us all, does not afflict only for the
well-being of his people.
That the church and vestry do recognize in
the death of our late associate and esteemed fel
low member, the loss of one of its most active
and useful members, steadfast in the belief, be
nevolent, and loving, and earnestly interested
in all matters concerning its welfare. Be it
further Resolved, That we desire to extend to his
bereaved family our sincere condolence in their

hour of sorrow, and that a copy of these resolu
tions be presented to the family, and also spread
upon our minutes.

LEVI LUKENS. The Lukens family is one
of the old and substantial ones of Pennsylvania,
and numbers among its representatives some of
the leading lights of the state. Levi Lukens,
grandfather of our subject, came to Delaware
county from Plymouth, Montgomery county. He
embarked in the business of tanning and curry
ing on the Seller's property on West Chester
road, which he carried on for many years. He
then bought the Ashurst property on the Line
road, and operated it as a farm. Levi Lukens
married Mary Jones, and they had a family of
thirteen children, as follows
1. Elizabeth, born 8 mo., 3, 1788, married
Townsend Cooper and their children . are — Jo
seph, Sarah, Levi, Mary and Joanna H. Cooper ;
2. Sarah, born 3 mo., 4, 1790, married Benjamin
Pauling and their children are — Jesse, Elizabeth,
Maggie and Mary Pauling, who lived to quite
an old age; 3. Nathan, born 11 mo., 27,' 1791,
married Sarah Naylor Lincoln and two children
were born to them — Levi and Elizabeth L. 4.
Ann, born 1 mo., 26, 1794; 5. Hannah, born 12
mo., 25, 1795, married William Bryan and they
are the parents of three children — Elizabeth,
Mary Ann and Lewis Bryan; 6. Norris, born 6
mo., 26, 1798, was unmarried and died in an ac
cident ; 7. Margaret, born 4 mo., 5, 1800, became
the wife of Jehu Jones, no issue ; 8. Clement, born
3 mo., 31, 1802, married Pauline  , no
issue; 9. Lewis, born 3 mo., 15, 1804, married
Ann Smith and they were the parents of three
children — Norris Jones, Elizabeth Moore and
Mary Jane; 10. Gibson I., born 3 mo., 2, 1807;
11. Mary R, born 5 mo., 15, 1809, became the
wife of Townsend Cooper, who was formerly the
husband of her deceased sister, Elizabeth; they
were the parents of six children, four of whom
died when but a few weeks old, and the surviv
ing members of the family were — Elizabeth and
Margaret; 12. Sarah, born 1 mo., 20, 1811; it is
hardly probable that this daughter was named
Sarah, as the first Sarah was yet living ; 13. Abra
ham, born 4 mo., 11, 1814.
Levi Lukens, the subject of this sketch, and
the eldest in the family of Nathan Lukens, was
born on the old Butler place in Upper Darby and
attended school at the old Stone school for a
short time, after which he went to a private school
at Norristown, and still later to the Pine Grove
School at West Chester. When he arrived at
the age of twenty-one years, his father turned
the farm over to him and he commenced farming

182

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

on a property of one hundred and seventy-five
acres, later developing his dairy and making a
specialty of dairy products. For many years he
furnished milk, cream and butter to a large terri
tory, but at present, while he operates his farm,
the other part of the business has been given to
the charge of his son, John S. Lukens, who is
recognized as one of the best business men in
the county. The residence is one of the finest in
this locality, thoroughly fitted with modern con
veniences, and the entire farm is first class in
every particular.
Mr. Lukens married Mary E. Shaffner, who
is a daughter of John and Mary E. (Metzger)
Shaffner of Lancaster City, Pennsylvania. The
¦children of Levi and Mary E. (Shaffner) Lukens
are as follows: I. Laura, born December 31,-
1860; 2. Nathan, born May 28, 1862; he mar
ried a Miss Vandever and has children : Shaffner,
born June 12, 1897; Nathan, born September,
1898 ; Donald, born June, 1900 ; 3. Mary, born
June 24, 1864; 4. John S. Shaffner, born Janu
ary 29, 1867 ; he married Elizabeth Courtney, and
has children, Mary Lindell, born July 13, 1897,
Levi Courtney, born July 24, 1899, Elizabeth,
born November 12, 1902. 5. George, born Janu
ary 17, 1869. 6. Kate Estelle, born February 27,
i875- While the life of Levi Lukens has been an un
eventful one, he has always carried out any duty
imposed upon him, and, while not desiring politi
cal preferment, served for nine years as assessor
of the township. In 1863 he assisted in raising a
company of infantry and was out for six weeks,
being attached to the Sixteenth Regiment, Penn
sylvania Volunteer Infantry, taking an active
part in the battle of Antietam. He was made
second lieutenant of this company under Cap
tain Amos Bonsall of Upper Darby. Upon his
return Mr. Lukens resumed his life of farming,
and is -one of the most highly respected men of
his township.

ARCHIBALD ANDERSON, one of the
leading florists of Lansdowne, Delaware county,
Pennsylvania, and a respected citizen of the bor
ough, was born in Ireland, December 10, 1832,
and there received his education- and grew to
manhood. About 1850 he emigrated to America
and began work in the home of his adoption as a
gardener, his ambition being to accumulate suf
ficient money to engage in a milk business.
After several years he found himself in a po
sition where such was possible, and he began
business for himself as a milkman, and followed
this calling for twenty-six years. During this
entire time, however, his tastes led him to experi
ment in various horticultural lines, and finally
(in 1887) he embarked as a florist, making a

specialty of growing the finest strains of roses.
As soon as this business was well established, he
disposed of his other interests and devoted him
self exclusively to his new enterprise. His houses
cover half an acre, and all of his product is sent
to a wholesale- house in Philadelphia, although
if he desired a local trade he would have more
customers than his establishment could supply.
His plant consists of five large houses and a com
plete steam heating apparatus, including a 50-
horse-power boiler, and he is contemplating add
ing to his present space, the demands of his mar
ket being already too large for his capacity. He
purchased this property from Robert Smith, in
1868, and it then consisted of twenty-one acres.
This property he has been improving ever since,
and he now produces three hundred roses per
day. By nature Mr. Anderson is a florist, and
his success is largely due to his love for his call
ing and his thorough understanding of all its re
quirements. Mr. Anderson was married to Mary Black
burn, who was born October 2, 1834. The chil
dren born to them are as follows : Kathryn, who
married Edward Reed, and they have two chil
dren, Helen and Lloyd; James, who married
Elizabeth Reed, who died leaving one child,
James, Jr. ; David, who married Mattie Runyon,
and has two children, Pauline and Harold ; Mary
who is unmarried ; Archie and Martha, twins,
who are unmarried ; William, who married Bessie
R. Lindsay, and they have two children, Russell
and David ; and Anna C, who is unmarried.
In politics Mr. Anderson is a Republican,
but while interested in local affairs, he has been
too much absorbed in his business to take an ac
tive part in such matters. Religiously he is a con
sistent Presbyterian, and gives liberally to the
support of that denomination.

SAMUEL D. LOCKE, of Lansdowne, Del
aware county, Pennsylvania, was born in Cam
den, New Jersey, August 22, 1837. He is the
son of David and Beulah (Cranmer) Locke. His
mother was a daughter of Hezekiah and Hannah
(Willis) Cranmer. On her death her husband,
David L., married Eliza Crispin, who was a
direct descendant of William Crispin, who was
William Penn's first commissioner in the Prov
ince of Pennsylvania.
Samuel D. Locke received his education in the
public schools of Camden, and upon completing
his studies entered the employ of John and Ed
ward Reed of Camden, New Jersey, to learn the
retail wall paper trade; there he remained until
1866, when he went to Philadelphia where, with
Charles D. Middleton as a partner, he engaged
in the wall paper business for himself. His un
dertaking proved very successful and he car-

C/?1^77^X<Otrzi^-

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

183

ried on the business until 1900, when he retired
from active connection with it.
Politically Mr. Locke has always been iden
tified with the Republican party, and has taken
an active part in town affairs, and always with
an eye to the beneficial effect pf a prpppsed
measure pn the community at large. His relig
ious affiliations have ever been with the Baptist
•church. On December 24, 1866, Mr. Locke married
Jennie Louise Orangee, a daughter of Robert
-and Hannah Louise Orangee, by whom he has
had a family of four children, namely: Caroline
Howe, born November 19, 1867 ; Charles Mid-
•dleton, born August 8, 1870, now deceased;
Jennie Louise, born December 13, 1872; Wil
liam Ellwood, born November 3, 1875 ; Beulah
•Cranmer and Ethel Custis, both deceased; and
Florence Barrick, born March 6, 1883.
Robert Orangee, father of Mrs. Locke, was
born in Lyons, France. He came to this coun
try and married Hannah Louise Gascoigne, in
New York city, about 1840. His wife, Hannah,
was the daughter of George Gascoigne, who was
a son of George, a prominent French Huguenot.
A paternal relation of Mrs. Orangee, in the per
son of one Sarah Gascoigne, came to this country
from London and settled in Troy, New York,
where she married one Charles Hall. Her daugh
ter Louisa Hall married William T. Powers, who
was afterwards made mayor of Grand Rapids,
Michigan.  4 » » 
MORGAN R. DAVIS, a successful and pro
gressive citizen of Haverford, Delaware county,
Pennsylvania, was born in the county of Phila
delphia, December 7, 1830. He is of Welsh de
scent, his grandfather, a native of Wales, being
the first of the family to come to the United
States. He married and had sons, among whom
was Err, who presumably was born in the State
of Maryland, from whence he came and took
up his abode in the vicinity of Philadelphia. He
was married at Downingtown, Chester county,
Pennsylvania, to Mary Pawling, a daughter of
Isaac and Barbara (Wampole) Pawling, and of
this marriage were born twelve children as fol
lows: 1. Elijah P., who married Ellen Young;
.2. Morgan Reese, to be further referred to in this
narrative; 3. Barbara (Mrs. William Morgan);
.4. Mersey A. (Mrs. Daniel Shupert) ; 5. Isaac,
who settled in Arkansas, where he married; 6.
Emily, who did not marry ; 7. John, who died in
-childhood; 8. Rebecca, (Mrs. Wesley Smith) ; 9.
Annie, who did not marry ; 10. Err, Jr., who went
west and has not been heard of for many years ;
n. Joseph L., who died in childhood; 12. one
not named, who died in infancy. Both the par
ents of this family died in West Chester, Chester

county, Pennsylvania, the father in January,
1885, and the mother two years later.
Morgan Reese Davis acquired his educational
training in the schools of the neighborhood of his
birth place, and when he attained young man
hood set out to make his own way in the world
and took up the tilling of the soil for his life
work. By industry and frugality he accumulated
sufficient capital to purchase a farm for himself
and in 1867 he came to Haverford township, and
here purchased the old Squire Samuel Davis
farm near Llanerch, where he has since resided,
and has by his thrift and enterprise contributed
materially to the progress and advancement of
the neighborhood.
Mr. Davis was married in Philadelphia coun
ty, November 22, i860, to Eliza B. Roberts, who
was born April 11, 1841, a daughter of William
and Hannah (Wilson) Roberts. Of this mar
riage have been born the following children: 1.
Irwin, born August 15, 1862, died March 8,
1863; 2. Clara L., born August 16, 1864; died
September. 12, 1897; 3. William R., born April
22, 1866; he married Elizabeth Jones, a daugh
ter of William and Elizabeth (Davis) Jones; 4.
Harry M., of whom a sketch appears in this
work; 5. Sarah, born June 4, 1869; 6. Nellie,
born June 15, 1874 (Mrs. Dr. Francis Clemens)
of Philadelphia; 7. Cresson R., born October 14,
1877; he married Margaret Johnson, daughter of
Alexander and Sophia (Moore) Johnson; 8.
John H., born August 6, 1879 > 9- Morgan Reese,
Jr., born June 3, 1881.
Both Mr. and Mrs. Davis are highly esteemed
and respected for their genuine worth and ex
cellent neighborly qualities.

HARRY MORGAN DAVIS was born in
Haverford, Pennsylvania, February 28, 1868,
and is a son of Morgan Reese and Eliza (Rob
erts) Davis. His paternal grandparents were
Err and Elizabeth (Pawling) Davis, while on
the maternal side the grandparents were Will
iam and Hannah (Wilson) Roberts. Unto the
marriage of Morgan R. and Eliza Davis were
born nine children, namely: Err and Clara
Louise, both deceased ; William Robert, who mar
ried Lizzie Jones ; Henry Morgan, of this re
view, who wedded Emily R. Johnson, and has
one child, Clara Louise ; Sarah, who is a resident
of Llanerch; Cresson Reese, who married Mar
garet Johnson; Nellie, who is the widow of
Francis Clemens; John Hall; and Morgan R.
Davis. Harry M. Davis, whose name introduces this
record, obtained his early education in the public
school, and afterward became a student in a pri
vate school conducted by Rachel Emma Bond, at
Upper Darby, Pennsylvania. Subsequently he

184

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

entered the Hotchkins School at Marple, and next
went to the West Chester Normal School, while
later he became a student in the Millersville State
Normal, after which he prepared for his busi
ness career by matriculating in the Philadelphia
College of Pharmacy, completing its regular
course and graduating in 1892. Mr. Davis then
entered the store of John P. Frey as manager, oc
cupying that position for a short time, after which
he went to Ardmore, Pennsylvania, to take charge
of the store owned by Mrs. S. F. Sattleman. In
November, 1896, he arrived in Lansdowne,
where he began business for himself, and since
that time he has purchased the property he now
occupies, its former owner having been Henry
C. Statsall. It was known as the Pennock corner,
and Mr. Davis has a fine building here, it being
one of the pleasing architectural features of the
town. It is splendidly equipped for the purpose
used, and in it he has a large and well selected
stock of general druggist goods, medicines,
toilet articles, and in fact everything found in a
first class establishment of the kind. At the
present writing, in 1903, he is erecting a fine
business block at East Lansdowne, where he in
tends to open another store. In his mercantile
career he has been very successful, and his en
terprise and industry are salient features in his
business life. He carefully prepared for the
work which he undertook, and as soon as his
labors had brought him a sufficient capital he em
barked in business on his own account, and has
since steadily progressed until he is now num
bered among the representative merchants of
Lansdowne. Mr. Davis is also active in matters of citizen
ship contributing to the general good, and at
the present time is serving as a member of the
board of health of Lansdowne, having been ap
pointed in 1902. Socially he is connected with
Cassia Lodge, No. 273, F. & A. M., at Ardmore.
In his political views he is a stalwart Republican,
while in religious faith he is a Presbyterian.
His marked industry, keen business discernment
and enterprise have been potent factors in win
ning him prosperity, and his deference for the
opinion of others, his kindness and geniality,
have gained for him the friendship and favor of
many with whom he has been brought in contact.

HENRY MIDDLETON HOFFNER. This
gentleman is one of the best known dairy farmers
in Upper Darby township, Delaware county,
Pennsylvania, and may be said to have passed a
model life in different branches of activity, such
as the world brings to the ordinary man. His
parents, Samuel and Sarah (Elfry) Hoffner had
nine children, as follows: Catherine, who died
young; Henry M., to be mentioned in the fol

lowing paragraph ; Phillip Elfry, who died young ;
Edward Morris, who married Sarah Rankin;
Mary, the wife of Andrew Rex ; Anna Margaret,
the wife of Samuel Root, and they have one child,
Lena; Samuel D., single; George W., deceased;
Albert W., deceased.
Henry Middleton Hoffner was born in what
is known as Old Philadelphia, on November 21,
1839. When he was in the period when the mod
ern boy passes his time in the attendance of
school and in the countless diversions and sports
of youth, life had a somewhat sterner hue, and he
was able to attend the district school only during
the limited winter season, and in the summer was
compelled to assist the other members of the
family in eking a living from the farm. He be
gan his education in the Landreth schpol, and one
of his schoolmates was the "later famous Phila
delphia merchant, John Wanamaker. He later
attended the Girard school and at fourteen years
of age attended the Weccaco Grammar School,
and then the Buckroads, which ended his funda
mental training. He decided to learn the car
penter's trade, and for this purpose he appren
ticed himself to Henry Barry and Riego Taylor.
During the time of apprenticeship he received
the munificent wage of two dollars and a half a
week, and with this he had to provide all the
necessaries for himself. But the many men who
have had this same experience agree that by it
they laid the foundation for their future success
in the care which they were compelled to exer
cise in regard to expenditures. When he was of
age he ended his novitiate with them, and for a
time went back and worked on the farm, but in
1862 he engaged in carpentry. One of the first
pieces of work on which he was employed was the
Satterlee Hospital, and from then on to the close
of the war he was employed in shipbuilding for
the government. He then followed his trade con
tinuously until 1876, after which he engaged in
the sash and door business for a short time. He
had moved to Upper Darby in 1873, and in
1885, when he closed out his business, he bought
the Powell place of seven and a half acres, on
which he started a dairy farm. He is now en
gaged in this most pleasant and profitable branch'
of farming, and one for which Delaware county
is noted, and he disposes of all his products to
his son Harry, who has one of the best paying,
routes for dairy produce in the township.
Mr. Hoffner was married to Eliza Fryburg,.
who was the daughter of John L. and Eliza.
(Phillips) Fryburg, and five children have been;
born to them : Emma Mason is single ; Sarah,
Eliza and Ida all died young; Harry married
¦Elizabeth Atkins, a daughter of Harry and Eliza
beth Atkins, and they have one child, Emma
May. Mr. Hoffner was made a Mason in 1868 ;, andi

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

185

later was one of the charter members of Fern
wood Lodge No. 543, of which he was elected
treasurer in 1884 and has held the office ever
since. He joined the West Philadelphia Lodge
No. 572, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, in
1865, and has been a member since that time.
There is no stancher Republican in the township
than Mr. Hoffner, and he has voted for every
presidential candidate from Lincoln to McKin
ley. In 1894 he was elected to the office of town
ship supervisor and served three consecutive
terms.

4 ¦ »

JAMES EDMUND GARRETSON, M. D.,
son of Jacob M. and Mary Powell Garretson,
was born in Wilmington, Delaware, October 28,
1828, where his early boyhood was passed. His
thoughts turning to a professional life, he re
moved to Philadelphia and pursued a course in
dentistry at the Pennsylvania College of Dental
Surgery, from which he was graduated in 1857.
Desiring also to become a graduate of medicine,
he entered the University of Pennsylvania from
which he obtained the degree of Doctor of Med
icine in 1859. For some years after his gradua
tion he practiced dentistry, and at the same time
he became more interested in surgery. He grad
ually became a specialist in the line of oral sur
gery, and was recognized throughout the United
States an accepted authority on diseases of the
mouth, jaw, face and associate parts. He intro
duced the use of the surgical engine, a plan of
operating which has worked a revolution in the
methods of operations upon the bony, system.
Against opposition he successfully demonstrated
the cure of epithilial cancer by means of what
is professionally known as the "flap transfer,"
an operation now generally in favor among
skilled practitioners. Dr. Garretson invented
many operations which attracted widespread at
tention both in this country and abroad ; and op
erations without resultant scars are results for
which much credit is due to him in the surgical
world. An operation designed and practiced by
him, and conceded to be one of the high refine
ments of surgery, is the removal of the inferior
maxillary nerve, as it lies in its canal, without dis
figuring the face. In 1861 he was associated with
Dr. D. Hayes Agnew in the Philadelphia School
of Anatomy, and in 1878 he was called to' the
chair of Anatomy and Oral Surgery in the Phil
adelphia Dental College. He had been an in
structor for a short time some years before in the
same institution, but had resigned in order to
accept a similar position in the Philadelphia
School of Anatomy. Again becoming a mem
ber of the faculty of the Philadelphia Dental Col
lege, he was shortly after appointed to the re
sponsible position of dean of the college, which

position he filled until his deaih. Apart from his
anatomical lectures, Dr. Garretson delivered
every winter for a number of years a series of
philosophical lectures before an association of
young people composed for the most part of the
students of the colleges with which he was con
nected. They called themselves the Garretson-
ian Society, the object of which was. a seeking
after the deeper truths of living. In 1884 he ac
cepted a chair in the Medico-Chirurgical College,
and later became president of the same instituti-
tion. The founding of a hospital had long been a
cherished scheme of his, and in a very small' way
an oral hospital had already been started, but see
ing an opportunity for a larger work in that direc
tion, he gained the co-operation of his colleagues
and a few friends, and the Medico-Chirurgical
Hospital was founded. Under his able leader
ship, for he was chosen president of it, the work
grew with surprising rapidity, and established
for itself a firm foundation and an assured posi-
tipn among institutions of its kind. During all
these years of ceaseless activity, Dr. Garretson
found time, by economizing the minutes, to be
come a successful literary man ; his writings with
the exception of professional articles and a vol
ume on oral surgery, which later became the ac
cepted text book on that subject, and which had
a large sale in America, England and through
out the entire civilized world, are all of a phil
osophic nature. In his profession he was an
energetic busy man, and in the library an earnest
searcher after truth, a dreamy thinker. As a
humanitarian and a philosopher he was less
widely known than as a surgeon, and the former
phase of his character he would be the last to
desire to have made known. His love for hu
manity and his desire to aid was such that he felt
the whole world his brother ; none were too poor
or sinful but they might claim a brother's loving
sympathy and help. Only those, and they are
many, to whom his hand had been stretched forth,
will ever know how much he was able to do for
suffering mankind ; as a physician he healed their
bodies — as a friend their souls. He was a free
thinker in the real meaning of the term, inasmuch
as his philosophy was broad enough to embrace
the whole world, regardless of creed and belief.
There is good in all things and all men, was one
of his favorite sayings, and one which will throw
a light upon the way in which he looked upon
mankind was this Braminical salutation "To the
divinity that is within you I do homage." For
those having been reared in a belief their growing
intelligence could not altogether sanction, he had
the most profound pity ; it was one of the strong
est feelings of his life that they must be helped
to a clearer and fuller meaning of life and living.
A belief once destroyed is infinitely harder to

-186

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

•cope with than where there was disbelief from
the beginning. It was for these people he la
bored so long and earnestly and for whom his
hooks were written, and not for those whose be
lief in the goodness of God was unshaken; they
were not in need of his ministrations, but for
those who doubted the existence of a God did his
whole soul go out in pity and a strong desire to
lielp them to a knowledge of the Creator. Com
ing in touch with so many students in his pro
fessional life as a teacher, he very soon came to
see that a sad state of what might be termed ir-
religion existed among them. Medical students,
as a class, have come to be looked upon as a set
of Atheists, but from the very nature of their
work in the dissecting room it is perhaps natural
that they should come to look upon life lightly,
and, as is too apt to be the case, one idea shaken,
they indulge in violent extremes. To give them
something else — to make them comprehend the
utter disassociation of the individuality and its
hodily environments, was his great object in life,
and this he was able to do to a very great extent.
Many a life has been made brighter and been
brought to a wider knowledge of life and living
Decause of his teachings and example.
On November io, 1859, Dr. Garretson mar-
Tied Miss Beulah Craft, daughter of George and
Mary Craft, and their children are: Mary, wife
of Frank Davenport Cook, and Beulah Craft Gar
retson, unmarried. Mrs. Cook has one child,
Edmund Garretson Cook, born November 9,
1885. Dr. Garretson passed on to that other
world which his philosophy told him was only a
putting off of the old and a taking on of the
new life with its wider opportunities and grander
possibilities on October 26, 1895. He felt there
was no death — only a going to sleep and an
-awakening amid a new environment.

ALFRED HENRY MATTHEWS, one of
the prominent and well known citizens of Lans
downe, Pennsylvania, now living retired from ac
tive life, was born in Upper Darby, December 25,
1830, and is a son of Thomas and Martha B.
(Fowler) Matthews, and grandson of John and
Mary (Dilworth) Matthews.
John Matthews came to America from Exeter,
England, while yet in his teens, locating in Phila
delphia, where he made his home, and at one time
he served as city clerk. Later he became a director
in sveral banks, and was very prominent in finan
cial circles. In 1799, he purchased the property
which is now owned by Alfred Henry Matthews,
from Morris Trueman, who in turn secured it
from Cruikshank and Freeman, and there he
built a summer residence, and also a paper mill
on the creek which flowed through the grounds,

the ruins of which are still to be seen. In this
mill he manufactured only a high grade of writ
ing paper, and some of his product is still in the
possession of our subject. One of the old land
marks of Delaware county is the old log cabin, a
survival of the early days of this country, which
was standing when the property passed into the
hands of Mr. Matthews, and which he preserves
in memory of the energetic old man who founded
his family in America.
Thomas and Martha Matthews had two chil
dren, viz : Mary D., deceased, and Alfred Henry,
The latter named received his early education in
the Friends' Central School at Darby, after which
he went to Philadelphia to learn the trade of sil
versmith. This he followed many years, and then
embarked in the manufacture of bronze hard
ware, and was thus engaged until 1898, when he
retired, and has since then lived away from ac
tive business strife, surrounded by the comforts
of life, provided by ample means. Mr. Matthews
married Emma Pullium of Asheville, North Car
olina and they have one child — Edna D., born
June 21, 1888.

THE MISSES SHIPLEYS' SCHOOL is at
Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, and is situated oppo
site the entrance to Bryn Mawr College.
In many ways the founders of the school were
peculiarly fitted for their task. Descended on
both sides of the house from generations who
had been, members of the Society of Friends, the
Misses Shipley were entirely in sympathy with a
college built upon the principles of the Society.
The family had been prominent in assisting to
organize benevolent and philanthropic work both
in New York and Cincinnati.
Miss Hannah Shipley, whose early education
was received in private schools of Cincinnati and
Philadelphia, had afterwards studied abroad, in
Germany, Paris and Cambridge, and had also
traveled extensively. Miss Elizabeth Shipley was
educated at private schools in Cincinnati and in
England, and later studied in Germany and
France. Miss Katharine Shipley was one of the
first to enter Bryn Mawr College, graduating in
1890, and taking the European fellowship. She
spent the two following years studing in France,
Germany and England.
With the co-operation and endorsement of
Bryn Mawr College, these three sisters opened
their school in a rented house, opposite the col
lege grounds, in 1894-95 with four pupils.
Before the end of the first year, they leased
the adjoining property ; the second year had two
houses, having bought the property, and built a
house particularly for school purposes. Every
year since has seen some enlargement of the
school, or some improvement of its buildings.

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

187

There is now :
I. A boarding department, for pupils who
come from a distance.
2. A day department for those who live
nearby. 3. A college preparatory department with
high standard of scholarship.
4. A department for such pupils as do not
care to prepare for a regular college course.
5. A primary and elementary department for
girls as young as six years of age.
The school has always stood for interested
personal oversight of pupils, and development of
the individual. Because of this, the number of
pupils received is, and will continue to be, limited.
It is not possible to admit all who apply — the
number turned away each year would increase the
school beyond its usefulness.
Gentleness, refinement and "old time" courtesy
mark the tone of the Misses Shipleys' School.
One cannot be in the school for a day without
learning that its highest aim, even above the ex-
pansipn and training of young minds, is the
fullest development of Christian gentlewomen.

WASHINGTON W. JAMES is numbered
among the native sons of Delaware county,
Pennsylvania, his birth having occurred in
Edgemont, July 8, 1840. He was one of a
family of twelve children born to Morris
and Sarah (Ritner) James. The father was a
son of Joseph and Ann (Morris) James, and the
mother of our subject was a lineal descendant of
Governor Ritner. To Morris and Sarah (Rit
ner) James were born the following named:
John Ritner, who is now deceased ; William Mor
ris, who married Anna Frances, and has one
daughter, Mary; Mary Ritner, who became the
wife of Thomas Beaumont, by whom she has
two children : Edward Jones, who married Eliza
beth Rodney, and has three daughters; Ellwood
H., who wedded Hannah Malin and has one child,
Washington W. ; Alfred ; Margaret, who is the
wife of Frank Epright, by whom she has two
children; Sarah Elizabeth, who married Henry
Hoskins, and has four children; Henry B., who
married Abby Sill, and has two children; Anna,
at home; and Eva, the wife of Thomas Roden-
baugh, by whom she has two children.
Of this family, Washington William James
was married in 1866 to Miss Rebecca M. Dutton,
who is a direct descendant of the Sharpless fam
ily of Delaware and Chester counties, a daughter
of Joseph and Sarah Dutton. In his early life
Mr. James attended the public schools, and during
much of his youth made his home with the uncle
for whpm he was named, at Nether Providence,
Delaware cpunty. He remained with him until he
was sixteen years pf age, and then entered uppn

an apprenticeship to the cabinet maker's and un
dertaking trade, his employer being Enoch Otty,
at Willistown, Chester county, Pennsylvania.
Mr. James remained with him until after the
beginning of the Civil War, when prompted by
a spirit of patriotism, he enlisted on the 30th of
September, 1861, becoming a private of the
Ninety-seventh Regiment, Pennsylvania Infantry,
under Colonel Guss. This regiment was attached
to the Army of the South, and saw some of the
most active service of the war, taking part in all.
of the noted battles of the Peninsular campaign.
Mr. James served for four years and eleven.
months, and was finally mustered out on the 28th
of August, 1865, at Weldon, North Carolina,.
with the rank of captain, having been promoted
in recognition of his meritorious conduct on the
field of battle. In January, 1864, the Ninety-
seventh Pennsylvania Regiment had been trans
ferred to the Army of the James, with which he
was connected until the cessation of hostilities.
When the country no longer needed his serv
ices Mr. James returned to the north and resumed
the trade of carpentering which he followed for
a year and a half in the employ of others. He
then began business on his own account as an
undertaker at Clifton Heights, where he located
in 1 87 1, remaining there until 1873, when he
purchased his present home in Darby. At this
place he has since carried on business and is the
only undertaker here. Mr. James was always a
Democrat until after the nomination of William J.
Bryan for the presidency, when he beecame an
advocate of the Republican party, and has since
voted the ticket. For twenty-five years he served
as a justice of the peace in the borough of Darby,
has been a member of the school board, served
as a member of the town council and has also
been tax collector. He is now serving his sixth
consecutive term of five years as justice of the
peace. Mr. James was for a number of years
a member of Saunders Post No. 21, G. A. R.,
West Philadelphia, and at present is a member
of General Leiper Post of Norwood, Delaware
county.

WALTER C. POWELL, a successful mer
chant of Lansdowne, was born October 10, 1865,
and is a son of Thomas and Sarah M. (Trimnall)
Powell. He obtained his early education in the
Friends' School of Darby, and supplemented his
early privileges by study in the Pierce Business
College of Philadelphia, where he was fitted for
life's practical and responsible duties that come
with a business career. When he had completed
his education he became an active factor in com
mercial life by accepting a clerkship in the store
of the Biddle Hardware Cpmpany, wholesale
merchants. There he learned the business, re-

188

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

maining with that company for nine years, during
which time his faithfulness and capability won
him promotion on many different occasions.
In 1892 Mr. Powell came to Lansdowne,
where he embarked in merchandising on his own
account, establishing a small hardware and house
furnishing store. He remained at his first lo
cation for five years, and in the meantime his
trade increased in volume and importance so that
it was necessary for him to seek larger quarters,
and he removed to the new granite store which
he now occupies, and in which he is carrying a
complete line of everything pertaining to house
furnishing, to building, and to the hardware trade.
His store would be a credit to a city of much
greater size than Lansdowne. He carries a
large, new and complete stock; his store is neat
and attractive in its appointments and equip
ments; and his business methods are honorable,
being such as neither seek nor require disguise,
but will bear the closest investigation and scru
tiny. Mr. Powell is recognized as a man of ex
cellent business ability, and executive force, car
rying forward to successful completion whatever
he undertakes, and brooking no obstacle that can
be overcome by strong purpose, honorable effort
and unfaltering determination.
On the 15th of October, 1892, was celebrated
the marriage of Walter C. Powell and Margaret
E. Hallowell, of Maryland. Unto them have
ben born four children, namely : Helen Elizabeth,
bprn November 4, 1893 ; Charles Hallowell, born
November 27, 1895 ; Margaret Elgar, born May
4, 1897; and Edward Townsend, born Septem
ber 9, 1901. The family is well known in Lans
downe and the household is celebrated for its
gracious and pleasing hospitality, while in busi
ness circles Mr. Powell sustains an unassailable
reputation as a self-made and trustworthy man
who well merits the prosperity that has come to
him.

MRS. ANNA M. SHOEMAKER. In the
year 1696 Edward and Eleanor Foulke came to
the new world, and making their way tP Penn
sylvania they secured as a homestead a tract of
land which they purchased from William Penn.
This remained in the family through successive
generations, and at length was sold by the father
of Mrs. Shoemaker to Clarke Wharton. It now
belongs to his estate and is occupied by the
Country Club.
From Edward and Eleanor Foulke the line
of descent is traced down through Thomas (first),
William, Levi, William (second) and William
(third) to Mrs. Shoemaker. Her father, Will
iam Foulke, was united in marriage to Susanna
Conard, a daughter of Jonathan Conard and a
granddaughter of Dennis Conard. The faith of

the Foulke family from the .establishment of the
family in America down to the present time has
been that of the Society of Friends.
Anna M. Foulke, after arriving at years of
maturity, gave her hand in marriage to Charles
Bird Shoemaker, and to them were born the fol
lowing children : Charles Frances, who was born
October 1, 1856, and died in March, 1876, at the
age of twenty years; William Foulke, who was
born February 1, 1858, and died August 13, 1885,
at the age of twenty-seven years; Amelia Bird,
who was born April 20, 1861, and died October
26, 1862; Benjamin H., born November 30, 1865 ;
Lewis Foulke, who was born July 1, 1868, and
married Lucretia Mcllvain, by whom he has two
children, Helen and Lewis, Jr. ; and Ella Foulke
Shoemaker, who was born July 11, 1874, and is
the wife of Thomas C. Satterthwait, a son of
George and Sarah Satterthwait, by whom she has
one son, Charles Shoemaker Satterthwait.

GEORGE DAVIS EVANS. No name is
better or more favorably known in Lansdowne
and vicinity than that of the Evans family. For
generations, even before the Revolutionary war,
their old homestead has stood, a monument of
solidity and strength as a historical landmark in
the township of Upper Darby, about a mile from
Lansdowne. Few such structures remain to re
mind us of the grandeur of the old colonial days,
and it may be interesting to our readers to know
that this old country residence was built about
the year 1693 ; the exact date is unknown, the
records being somewhat obscure on this point.
It has been occupied for five generations contin
uously from 1723 to the present time, embracing
a period of 182 years, by the ancestors and de
scendants of the Evans family, the same now be
ing occupied by the surviving children of Jona
than Evans, to whom the property descended in
direct line as follows :
The original patent was granted by William
Penn, Juy 30, 1684, to Joshua Fearne, for two
hundred acres. Joshua Fearne, by deed dated De
cember 12, 1692, conveyed to his brother, Josiah
Fearne, one hundred acres, part of the two hun
dred and ninety acres recorded at Chester, Penn
sylvania, Book A, Volume 1, page 69. Josiah
Fearne, by deed dated December 27, 1717, con
veyed the said one hundred acres with other land
to Samuel Garrett in fee. Samuel Garrett, by
deed dated September 5, 1723, conveyed to
Joseph Kirk and Ann (Hood) Kirk, his wife,
eighty-six acres, being part of the said one hun
dred acres. Joseph Kirk by will dated Novem
ber 6, 1771, devised to his son-in-law Jonathan
Evans, and his daughter Sarah (wife of Jona
than) forty acres, being part of said eighty-six
acres. On the death of Sarah, her surviving hus-

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

189

band Jonathan became heir to the land in fee.
Jonathan Evans (1) by will dated March 26,
1807, devised twenty acres, part of said forty
acres, to his son William Evans and Lydia
(Hoopes) Evans, his wife, and the remaining
twenty acres to his son, Jonathan Evans (2).
Jonathan Evans (2) and Elizabeth, his wife, by
deed granted the said twenty acres (devised to
him as aforesaid) to his brother, the said Wil
liam Evans in fee. William Evans and Lydia
his wife, thus became possessed of the forty acres
in fee devised by Joseph Kirk. After their death,
their son Jonathan Evans (3) took the property
at appraised value and held it in fee until his
death. Joseph Kirk and Ann (Hood) Kirk, who
were the first in the line of ancestry to occupy the
premises, were married about the year 1720, and
moved to the old homestead in September, 1723,
the year of the purchase. Sarah Kirk, daughter
of Joseph and Ann (Hood) Kirk, was born in
1 74 1, and was married about the year 1770 to
Jonathan Evans (1), who died in 1817. Wil
liam Evans, son of Jonathan (1) and Sarah
(Kirk") Evans, was born October 20, 1776 and
died October 17, 1826. He married Lydia
Hoopes, November 24, 1803 ; they were members
of the Society of Friends, as were most of their
ancestors. Lydia (Hoopes) Evans was born
January 31, 1785, and died December 15, 1834.
The children of William and Lydia (Hoopes)
Evans were as follows : Phoebe, born May 17,
1805, died March 26, 1828; Sarah, born March
23, 1807, died March 10, 1859; Thomas S., born
March 10, 1809, died April 10, 1841 ; Elizabeth,
born October 2, 181 1, died July 19, 1875; Sus
anna, born June 29, 1813, died November 14,
1840; Lydia, born November 19, died March
24, 1867; William H., born April 4, 1817, died
April 22, 1842; Jonathan, born May 9, 1819,
died December 29, 1896; John, born August 5,
1821, died January .7, 1867; George, born Oc
tober 4, 1824, died February 4, 1859. All of
these children were born in the old homestead,
and most of them were buried from there.
From the above record it will be seen that
Jonathan survived all the other members of the
family of his generation by many years. It has
been said that no tribute written to his memory
eould sufficiently commend his sterling worth as
a man and as an example of Christian upright
ness of character. No man exerted a more help
ful influence among his fellowmen while living,
and none have left behind them such pleasant
memories in the minds of those among whom his
life was passed. His memory is still cherished
and revered by those who walked with him along
life's path, and their acquaintance with him will
ever remain a pleasurable page in their experi
ence. He was twice married, his first wife being

Christiana Fimple, to whom he was united on
June 15, 1843. She was born July 18, 1822, and
died May 14, 1856. Their four children were:
1. William Evans, born July 28, 1844, and died
March 8, 1845 J 2- Eleanor F., born December 2,
1846, died September 3, 1848; 3. Joseph A., born
October 6, 1850, died February 13, 1899; he
married Mary Roberts, and had three children,
namely, Walter C, Jeannette and Mary, all un
married; Mary, his wife, died April 9, 1887.
Their fourth child was Annie Evans, born March
1, 1853, unmarried, and now living in the old
homestead. The second wife of Jonathan Evans was Eliza
Valentine, a daughter of Robert and Susanna
(Latch) Valentine. Susanna was the daughter
of Jacob and Jane Latch. Robert and Susanna
Valentine had a family of nine children as fol
lows : Caroline, wife of Simeon Leany ; Mary ;
Sarah, wife of James Edwards ; Hannah, wife of
Michael Isard; Eliza, wife of Jonathan Evans;
Jane, wife of Robert Fielding; David, who mar
ried Sarah Roberts ; Robert and Susanna.
The children of Jonathan Evans by his second
wife, Eliza Valentine Evans, were George Davis
Evans and Emma Isard Evans, twins, born Au
gust 27, 1862. Emma died September 27, 1862.
George Davis Evans, his mother and half-sister
Annie, still occupy the old place, 'and give their
attention to market gardening and the raising of
fruits for the early city markets.
The first impression of the visitor at the old
homestead is one of delight at the peaceful quiet
ude of the place; then gradually the eye begins
to take in the beauties of the surroundings — the
evidence of careful attention on every hand — the
solidity of the old structure, which in its massive
strength gives no evidence of the many years it
has stood in all its dignity, impervious to wind or
weather — the great trees spreading out their giant
arms toward the house as if to protect and screen
it as best they can from the destructive forces
of the elements. A grand old home — well, be
loved for old associations sake — well cared for —
imposing and beautiful.

HENRY CLAY BARTLESON, M. D., who
is succesfully engaged in the practice of medicine
at Lansdowne, was born in Radnor, Pennsyl
vania, January 23, 1844, and is a son of Mark
and Mary (McKnight) Bartleson. His mother
was a distant relative of the old and distinguished
Evan Evans family. Her father purchased the
old Fox Tavern on the Lancaster pike, twelve
miles from Philadelphia, and there he reared his
family and later the old home became the birth
place of our subject.
The paternal grandparents of our subject
were Bartle and Ann (Powell) Bartleson. By

190

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

the marriage of Mark and Mary (McKnight)
Bartleson eight children were born. Edward
Evans, the eldest, married Sarah Norris, of Paoli,
Pennsylvania, and had six children: Hibbard
Evans, who married and has one child; Mark
B. ; Ella; Susan; Edward, who married Jennie
Lees and has three children ; and Randall. Lewis,
the second son of Mr. Bartleson, married Eliza
beth Beckley, and they have two children, Mark
and William, both of whom are now married.
Samuel Powell Bartleson, the third of the family,
married Ruth Leedom and they have four chil
dren — Charles L., Harry C, Mary L. and Hettie.
Of this number Charles is married and has three
children ; and Mary L. is the wife of Samuel D.
Rhoads and they have one child. William D.,
the fourth member of the Bartleson family, mar
ried Caroline Twining, and they have three chil
dren — Annie, Martha and William. The daugh
ters have married and each has two children.
Mary Louise is the wife of Robert Ambler, and
their children are Horace, Mark B. and Mary.
The son, Mark B., wedded Annie Ambler, and
has two children. Evan Evans, the sixth mem
ber of the Bartleson family, is unmarried. Henry
C, the next, married Clara Virginia Thompson,
of Philadelphia, a daughter of Isaac and Mary A.
Thompson, and they have no children — Evan
Evans, who is cashier of the Clifton Heights Na
tional Bank; and Isaac T. B., who is employed
in the Centennial Bank of Philadelphia. Zachary
Taylor, the eighth member of the Bartleson fam
ily, married Beulah Hill, and they have two
children, Bertha and Mary.
When Dr. Bartleson of this review was but
nine years of age, his father removed to Harford
county, Maryland, where he attended the public
schools until he was seventeen years of age. At
that time, on the 14th of August, 1862, he re
sponded to President Lincoln's call for troops to
aid in the preservation of the Union, and joined
the Eighth Regiment Maryland Volunteers as a
private for three years' service. That he was
brave and loyal is indicated by the fact that when
he was mustered out on the expiration of his term
he was holding the rank of captain, having been
promoted until he had attained to that position.
His regiment was attached to the First Army
Corps until after the battle of Gettysburg, and
subsequently to the Fifth Army Corps. From
the time of the first battle of the Wilderness until
the close of the war, the Eighth Maryland was
always at the front, participating in almost every
engagement in which the Army of the Potomac
took part. Dr. Bartleson was always found at his
post of duty, faithfully defending the old flag and
the cause it represented, and with a most credit
able military record he returned home.
In October, 1865, Dr. Bartleson became a
student in the Millersville Normal School, from

which he was graduated with the class of 1868,
and then, with a good literary education to serve
as the foundation upon which to rear the super
structure of professional knowledge, he entered
the Jefferson Medical College of Philadelphia,
and on the completion of a regular course in med
icine was graduated with the class of 1870. Im
mediately afterward he took up his abode at
Upper Darby, within a mile of his present resi
dence, and entered upon the practice of medicine
and surgery, which he has followed until the
present time. He has been a close, earnest and
discriminating student of his profession, and any
thing which tends to bring to man the key to that
complex mystery which we call life elicits his
earnest study. His patronage has steadily grown
in volume and importance, and in fact, is too-
great to allow him to accept any of the town of
fices which have been tendered him. In politics
he is a Republican and socially is a member of
the Heptasophs. In the line of his profession he
is connected with the State Medical Society and
also with the County Medical Society.

MARTHA WILLIAMS ALDEN, principal'
of Maplewood School at Lansdowne, Pennsyl
vania, is a native of Bridgewater, Massachusetts,
a direct descendant from John Alden, and is in
the eighth generation. Miss Alden received her
early education in the schools of her native place,
after which her studies were pursued at the State
Normal School, where she fitted herself for a
teacher, being graduated from that institution in
1887. After her graduation, Miss Alden went to-
Kingston, Massachusetts, where she taught for
three years, after which for eight years she was a
teacher at the normal school.
At the normal school she met her present part
ner, Miss Mabel Starbuck Jones, a native of Nan
tucket, Massachusetts, who like Miss Alden had
fitted herself for the professipn of teaching in the
Bridgewater Normal, and was graduated in 1896.
After her graduation Miss Jones went to New
Haven, Vermont, and taught one year when she
removed to Pennsylvania and taught in The
Overbrook School. On September 27, 1900,
Miss Alden and Miss Jones opened the Maple
wood school. The first year they started with
seventeen pupils ; the second year, having added'
a music class of both instrumental and vocal1
music, the number was increased to twenty-five
before the close of the year, and then opened their
year of 1902-3 with an enrollment of twenty-
seven pupils, with promises of several more in
the immediate future. This year they have added'
language to their already long list of studies, and
employ special French and drawing teachers.
It is the intention of these ladies to make their
school a thorough preparatory one for both boys

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

191

and girls, and second to none which has for its
object fitting girls for college. In September,
1903, Miss Alden and Miss Jones will add a
kindergarten to the school. The success which
has attended these ladies is largely due to their
thorough understanding of the science of teach
ing and their deep love for their work. Not only
are the pupils placed in their charge given instruc
tions, but are also taught to glean knowledge for
themselves and to enjoy their studies. The
gentle womanly influence which pervades the
school is of inestimable benefit to the young peo
ple, and its power for good is recognized by their
parents, who are anxious to provide not only ex
cellent instruction, but also wise training during
a period when characters are being formed and
after, destinies worked out.

WILLIAM DYSON KENNEDY, M. D.,
engaged in the practice of medicine in Lans
downe, was born in 1856, and is a son of William
and Sarah (Quillan) Kennedy. His paternal
grandparents were James and Mary Kennedy,
and his maternal grandparents were Nathan and
Mary (Dixon) Quillan. Dr. Kennedy was one
of a family of six children, namely: Mary, the
wife of Joel P. Conard; Rachel, the wife of R.
A. Gould; Marian, the wife of S: C. Delap, by
whom she has two children, Charles D. and Har
old; Terza E., the wife of A. H. Eavenson, by
whom she has three children, Edgar, William
and George ; Sarah, the wife of J. H. Yocum, by
whom she has one child, Velma; and William
Dyson, who married Katharine Seymour Arm
strong, a daughter of C. S. and Emily S. Arm
strong. Three surviving children have been born
unto our subject and his wife: Katherine E.,
born February 24, 1886; Dyson Armstrong, born
July 8, 1890 ; and James Henry, born February
8, 1893. .
In early life Dr. Kennedy was a student in the
academy at New London, Chester county, Penn
sylvania, and afterward went to the west, enter
ing the nomal school at Emporia, Kansas. When
his literary education was completed he began
preparation for the profession which he had de
termined to make his life work, and entered upon
a three years' course of study in the Chicago
Medical Cpllege, frpm which he was graduated
in the class of 1884. The west attracted him and
he proceeded to Colorado where he entered upon
the practice of his chosen profession, remaining
there for two years. At the end of that time, de
siring to further perfect himself for his chosen
calling, he returned to Philadelphia and pursued
a post graduate course in the Polyclinic Hospital
and College. Subsequent to this time he removed
to the town of Clifton Heights, Delaware county,
where he opened an office and began the practice
13 x

of medicine and surgery, there remaining until
1892, when he came to Lansdowne, where he has
since made his home and through the eleven years
that have passed he has been widely recognized
as one of the most successful practitioners of this
part of the county. Dr. Kennedy is a student
Who reads broadly and thinks deeply, keeping
abreast with the progress of the times, especially
in the line of his chosen profession. His skill
and ability are widely recognized and have re
ceived the public endorsement of a large and
growing patronage. He is a member of the Del
aware County, the Philadelphia County and the
Tri-County Medical Societies, and thus he keeps
in touch with the advanced thought and knowl
edge of his fellow practitioners through the ex
change of ideas in those organizations. A Re
publican in political views, he strongly endorses.
the principles of the party yet has never been an
aspirant for office ; he is a member of the Presby
terian church.

HENRY VAHLE, a resident of Clifton
Heights, well known in connection with banking
interests, was born in Germany, February 29,
i860, and is a son of Henry William and Johanna
(Busch) Vahle. The father came to this country
in 1869, accompanied by his family, and settled
in Philadelphia. He then began working at his
trade in the employ of C. F. Rumf & Company,
manufacturers of pocketbooks. He remained
in their employ for two years, and then began
dealing in birds, importing, buying and selling all
kinds of birds, and to' that enterprise he devoted
his time and energy until his death. In his fam
ily were eight children, of whom Henry Vahle is
the eldest, the others being Ernest C, Otto F.,
Frank F., Sophia, Minnie, William and Albert,
who is the youngest.
Henry Vahle of this review was only abotf
nine years of age when with his parents he came
to America, and he acquired his education in the
public schools. Upon putting aside his textbooks
he began learning the baker's trade under the
direction and in the employ of Leon Symonety,
at No. 1018 Walnut street, Philadelphia, re
maining for three years in his employ, during
which time he gained a mastery of the business
and then accepted the position of foreman for Mr.
Harkinson at Seventeenth and Arch streets,
Philadelphia, with whom he remained for four
years. He next entered the employ of Charles
Holzherr, at Seventeenth and Brandywine streets,
Philadelphia, with whom he was associated for
three years and then began business on his own ac
count at 513 South Front street, Philadelphia.
Later he came to Clifton Heights and purchased
a banking business of J. M. Geckeler, to whom he
paid $16,000. This was in 1889, and during the

(92

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

first year after the transfer of the property Mr.
Vahle did a business which amounted to the sum
he had paid for it. By close application, energy,
strong determination and honorable business
methods, and also by placing good products upon
the market, he has steadily increased his business
until his annual sales have now reached the large
figure of $85,000. He manufactures bread, cake
and ice cream, handles the best line of confec
tionery, and it requires fifteen or more teams in
order to deliver his products.
Mr. Vahle is a man of resourceful business
ability, energetic and progressive and quick to
note opportunity. He has not only been a prom
inent factor in commercial circles in Clifton
Heights, but it also a worthy representative of its
financial interests and was the organizer of the
Clifton Bank. This filled a long felt need in the
community, and he has continued his efforts in
behalf of the institution until it is now one of the
best financial concerns in this part of Pennsyl
vania, conducting an extensive and profitable
banking business.
In his political views Mr. Vahle is an inde
pendent Democrat. He has steadily refused to
accept nominations for local offices that have
been tendered him, save that for seven consecutive
years he served as borough treasurer. Frater
nally he is a member of the Masonic order, the
Knights of Pythias and the Foresters of America.
Mr. Vahle certainly deserves great credit for
what he has accomplished, as he entered upon
his business career without capital, and has stead
ily worked his way upward to a prominent posi
tion in trade circles, controlling enterprises of
magnitude that not only return to him success,
but also promote the general prosperity of the
community. Mr. Vahle is a member of the Pres
byterian church at Clifton Heights.
On the 24th of November, 1885, Mr. Vahle
was united in marriage to Mary Oeken, of Phila
delphia, a daughter of Louis and Catherine
Oeken. They now have five children : Catherine,
born August 17, 1886; Johanna, born August
17, 1889; Henry W., born December 17, 1894;
Mary, born August 30, 1896; and Henry, born
July 4, 1899.

MISS WRIGHT'S SCHOOL FOR GIRLS.
Among the most useful and highly reputed
preparatory schools for young ladies is Miss
Wright's School for Girls, an institution which
has for its primary object the preparation of
students for admission to Bryn Mawr College.
The school is situated at Bryn Mawr, on the main
line of the Pennsylvania Railroad, ten miles from
Philadelphia. The location is healthy and at
tractive, and the building is lighted by electricity
and heated by steam.

The course, for pupils to be fitted for college,
is of at least two years duration, unless special
proficiency renders this period unnecessary. A
finishing course is provided for such as do not
intend to enter college. The design of the school
is to combine the best of the so-called "old-
fashioned" methods with the most approved and
modern progressive ideas. In addition to the
regular class room work, instruction is given in
cookery, and plain and fancy sewing. Instruc
tion in instrumental and vocal music, drawing
and painting, is provided when desired.
Intelligent and liberal provision is made for
physical development and recreation. Two hours
each week are devoted to gymnastic exercises,
and lessons in fencing are given during this time.
Out-door sports are encouraged, the ample
grounds affording room for tennis and basket
ball, and lessons in riding are also provided for.
The school life is interspersed with hours for
culture and social intercourse With the teachers,
and the advantages of lectures, concerts and art
exhibitions in the city of Philadelphia (only ten
miles distant) are open to the pupils.
The school is in charge of Miss Lila M.
Wright, an accomplished educator. She was for
several years a pupil of Miss Catharine Aiken,
the talented author of the Catharine Aiken
Methods of Mind Training for the cultivation of
attention, concentration and memory, and this
system is followed with great success by Miss
Wright. Mrs. Florence Scott Wright, asso
ciate principal, is a graduate of Brook Hall.
Other teachers have been connected with Bryn
Mawr College, and are especially qualified for the
preparatory work leading to that institution.

JOHN MILTON LUTZ. Adam Lutz, a
resident of Pennsylvania, married a Miss Bisbing,
and they had a family of five children, namely:
Hiram, George M., Albert, Mary and Hannah.
Of this number George Mahlon Lutz, the second
in order of birth, was united in marriage to
Mary Martha Collom, a daughter of Clement
Collom and Lavinia Collom, in whose family
were six children, . namely : Edward, Alfred,
Charles, John, Mary and Melinda. The mar
riage of George Mahlon and Mary Martha (Col
lom) Lutz was blessed with three children : John
Milton, Charles Hiram and Philip Melancthon.
The second son married Hettie Dermond and
they have one child, Myrtle Lutz.
John Milton Lutz, the eldest, was born in
Threetuns, Montgomery county, Pennsylvania,
October 18, 1857, and obtained his early educa
tion in the schools of West Philadelphia and at
Hestonville. During the period of his youth he
also assisted his father, who was engaged in the
butchering business in Upper Darby, and when he

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

•93

left school he devoted his time so well to this en
terprise that when his father removed to the city
in 1882 he was well equipped to carry on the
trade, and, becoming his father's successor, he
was connected with the meat business in Upper
Darby until January 1, 1899, when he sold out
and. for a time lived a retired life. In June, 1902,
however, he became connected with banking in
terests, joining Henry Vahle, Henry J. Kent, H.
H. Haines, Joseph T. Richards, W. Frank Eng
lish, Arthur H. Eyles, Frederick Schoff, Joseph K.
Sommers, David M. Taylor, John Wolfenden
and Thomas T. Wolfenden in obtaining a charter
and establishing what is now the Clifton Heights
National Bank. This was capitalized for $50,000,
and the bank has a beautiful building well
equipped and furnished with the special view to
carrying on the business. This bank now has on
hand deposits to the amount of $92,000 from in
dividual depositors, $50,000 of United States gov
ernment deposits, and has accumulated a surplus
fund of $3,000.
Mr. Lutz has served for eighteen years on the
school board of Upper Darby, and for seven years
was its treasurer, while for the past four years he
has been its secretary. In his political views he
has always been an earnest Republican, and in
his religious faith and membership he is a Bap
tist. He is a valued representative of many secret
and fraternal organizations, and has filled many
offices in these. He belongs to the Blue Lodge
of Masons, is secretary of University Chapter,
No. 256, Royal Arch Masons, of Philadelphia,
and has also taken the Knight Templar degrees,
and is a member of the Independent Order of
Odd Fellows.
Mr. Lutz was married, April 25, 1883, to
Mary Jane Dermond, daughter of Patrick and
Esther (Chambers) Dermond, and they have
three children — Lavinia M., Howard M., and
Mary M. Lutz.

WILLIAM ALBERT JOHNSON. The
above named gentleman is quite well known in
the agricultural circles of Delaware county,
where he has been farming for more than a quar
ter of a century. He was born in Haverford,
Delaware county, Pennsylvania, October 13,
1850, his parents being Charles and Sarah
(Hood) Johnson, old residents of the county.
He had the benefit of a good education in
youth, as besides the usual common-school
routine, he studied under the preceptorship of
Warren Poland, at Westchester, and afterward
attended a business college in Philadelphia. With
this equipment he returned home and assisted
his father on the farm for several years, but
eventually rented and in 1877 purchased the
farm which he now occupies in Lansdowne. The

place consists of about one hundred and fifteen
acres, which Mr. Johnson has been operating
with success and carrying on a general farming
business. Though a Republican in his general
views, Mr. Johnson is quite independent, and
does not hesitate to "cross his ticket" when he
thinks the right kind of men have not been nom
inated by the party conventions. While not an
office seeker, he has consented to serve his town
ship as a member of the school board and has
been auditor for two terms.
November 27, 1872, occurred the nuptials of
William Albert Johnson and Hannah, daughter
of John and Emily (Dickerson) Lobb. The
two children of this union are: Lemuel Lobb
Johnson, born in August, 1874, and now a wid
ower; and Emily Lobb Johnson, born in April,
1876, and married to Harry M. Davis, by whom
she has one child, Clara Davis.

HIBBARD POWELL. The above named
gentleman is quite well known at Lansdowne
and vicinity as the conductor of a popular dairy
and daily dispenser of milk to a large list of
patrons. He is one of the old residents of the
county, and has been connected with its farm
ing and stock interests for fully half a century.
He was born at Upper Darby, Delaware
county, Pennsylvania, February 22, 1831, his
parents being Abram and Elizabeth (Hibbard)
Powell. They lived on a farm, and their son as
sisted in the work as he grew up, attending
school during the winter sessions in a somewhat
irregular way, as was then the custom in the
rural districts. This routine continued until he
had reached the twentieth year of his age, when
he made a venture in the world of trade as a
buyer and seller of live stock of all kinds. He
continued this about five years with more or less
success, and in 1856 engaged in farming on a
rented place, but at the end of five years (in 1861)
purchased the place which he now occupies. This
tract, consisting of thirty acres, is conducted
principally as a dairy farm and a specialty is
made of supplying the retail milk trade. Mr.
Powell has found time from his own business to
serve the township as a member of the board of
assessors, and he has been one of the auditors for
ten years.
In 1 86 1 Mr. Powell was united in marriage
with Elizabeth, daughter of George and Elmira
(Hoofstitler) Powell, and by this union had born
to him seven children, in order of birth as fol
lows : 1. William Henry, who is engaged in the
retail milk business at Lansdowne; he married
Jean M. Wilson, and has children, Dorothy,
John W., Eugene H., Eleanor McKenzie and
Helen W. 2. Albert E. married Alice Wolfe, and
has three children, Henry Hibbard, Cecil and

194

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

Theodore Spencer; 3. G. Edgar, died at seven
teen years of age; 4. Samuel Hibbard; 5. Elmira;
6. Marion L., both of whom are single ; 7. Edith
H., who is the youngest of this family, married
Frank Davis; they have no children.

ROBERT GREEN, of Darby, was born in
Edgemont, Delaware county, Pennsylvania, Sep-
temper 14, 1833, his parents being James and
Orpha (Malin) Green. His paternal grandpar
ents were Robert and Hannah (Williamson)
Green, while his maternal grandfather was
George Malin. The parents of our subject had a
family of eleven children: 1. Rebecca, who be
came the wife of William Pinkerton, and has
nine children; 2. Mary Ann, who is the wife of
Lewis Slawter, by whom she has four children;
3. Benjamin, who married Ann Eliza White,
and has seven children; 4. Orpha Ann, the wife
of William Green, and the mother of eleven chil
dren ; 5. David R., who married Miss Callahan ;
6. Mahala E., the wife of Eli Yarnall ; 7. Robert,
of this review; 8. Hannah W., wife of Jesse
Baker, and the mother of seven children; 9.
Sarah, the wife of Minshall P. Sharpless, and
the mother of seven children; 10. James, who
married Miss Wright and had nine children; 11.
George, who wedded Miss Anderson and after
her death married Bell Scherff.
Of the family Robert Green was the seventh
in order of birth. He was married July 16, 1857,
to Letitia G. Afflick, of Upper Providence, a
daughter of John and Johanna (Malin) Afflick,
and their children are as follows : Mahala E.,
the wife of Harry F. Singles, by whom she has
five sons — Walter, who is now a student in West
Point; Robert, Harry, Frank and Charles;
Harry, who married Louise Folk and has one
child, Hubert; Robert, who wedded Linda
Craner and has two children, Irene and Nellie ;
Sarah M., who is at home; David R., who mar
ried Rebecca Wiser and has two children, Bera
and Myrtle; Mary Emma, who has passed
away ; Ellen, the wife of Charles Cattell, by whom
she has three children, Raymond, Russell and
Franklin; Mahlan H., who married Jessie Nor
ton and has one daughter, Helen Mae; Letitia
G, who is at home; Elizabeth M., the wife of
Stanley Norris, by whom she has one daughter,
Mary Elizabeth ; George Fernley Pierson, who is
also under the parental roof; and Florence, the
wife of Harry Batty.
In taking up the personal history of Robert
Green we note that in his boyhood he worked in
the fields during the summer months, in fact
from the time of early spring planting until
crops were harvested in the autumn, and then
was accorded the privilege of attending the pub
lic schools during the three months' winter

term'. He was thus engaged until eleven years
of age, when he began earning his own living
by working as a farm boy for William Sill,
with whom he remained for about a year. He
was afterward employed by different farmers of
the neighborhood until he was about seventeen
years of age, when he began butchering, and
with his brother followed that pursuit until the
inauguration of the Civil war. During that
period he was drafted for service, but not wish
ing to leave home at that time he sent a substi
tute. His attention was given to the buying and
selling of cattle, which he followed until 1865,
when he embarked in the express business,
which he carried on with good success until
1898. He then sold out to his son, who con
tinues it to the present time. During the years
in which he was engaged in the express business
he also had other business interests, and for two
years was proprietor of the Buttonwood Hotel,
which was conducted without a bar, as the town
had voted for no license. On his retirement from
the hotel business he removed to the farm, which
he conducted for six years, subsequent to which
time he took up his residence at his present
home in Darby, where he . is conducting a real
estate agency, negotiating many important
realty transfers.
He was for some time connected with the
Twenty-seventh Ward Land Association of
Philadelphia, of which he was one of the direct
ors, and for several years he was president of
the corporation. He was also more or less identi
fied with other enterprises.
In politics Mr. Green is a Democrat, and in
town offices he has faithfully discharged his
duties in behalf of the public, serving as a mem
ber of the council and of the school board, and
as assessor.

DANIEL C. ABRAHAM, a venerable and
respected citizen of Radnor township, Delaware
county, Pennsylvania, is descended from an
cestors who, in the different generations, have
rendered faithful service to the state and na
tional government.
The patriarch and founder of the family in
this country was Sarah Abraham, who was a
widow and came from Wales, with her three sons,
James, Enoch and Noah, also a daughter, Keziah,
during the latter part of the seventeenth century,
and settled with other members of the Society of
Friends in what was then the Province of Penn
sylvania. From the two sons, James and Noah
Abraham, are descended the families of that name
now scattered throughout the different states of
the Union, and they are numbered among the
leading citizens of their respective localities.
James Abraham, one of the emigrant brothers,

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

195

settled in what is now Upper Merion township,
Montgomery county, where he came in possession
of a tract of land through his mother's estate,
purchased from Lucretia Penn, in 1730, it being
a portion of the Penn Manor, and a part of this
same property is still in the possession of some
of the descendants of the family. Enoch Abraham,
another of the emigrant brothers, also settled
in Upper Merion township, Montgomery county ;
he was united in marriage to Mrs. Roberts, who
was a widow, but there were no children born of
this union. Noah Abraham, brother to James
and Enoch Abraham, settled in what is now
known as Uwchlan township, Chester county,
¦ Pennsylvania ; he married and reared a family
of sons and daughters, and many of li;,, descend
ants now reside throughout the ..crth western
states. Keziah Abraham, the only daughter of
the founder of the family, was united in mar
riage to Mr. Phillips, who was also a descend
ant of Welsh ancestors, and a prominent and re
spected citizen of Upper Merion township.
James Abraham, eldest son of the patriarch
of the family, married Margaret Davis, and
among his children was a son, Isaac Abraham,
who was born 4 mo. 28th, 17 17, and about the
year 1750 married Dinah Havard, of Chester
county, Pennsylvania. Isaac and Dinah (Havard)
Abraham had also two daughters as follows :
Dinah, Mrs. Cornog, and Hannah, who married
Peter Supples. He settled in what is now Radnor
township, Delaware county, where he acquired
considerable land and engaged in farming. He
became well and favorably known as a man of
affairs in his time. The second child of James
and Margaret (Davis) Abraham was Ezekiel.
The next in order of birth was Elizabeth, who
married Joseph Walker; Keziah married Samuel
Philips; Marion and Heriah, of this family, did
not marry. Abigail married Jonathan Moore.
Isaac and Dinah (Havard) Abraham had by
their marriage a son, James, born in 1751, who
married Hannah George, and by their marriage
had two sons and two daughters. John, who
did not marry and died in early manhood ; Joseph
who married Anne Davis, and by this marriage
had a family of ten children, two of whom died
in childhood. The others all attained years of
maturity, and were as follows : Hannah, Sarah,
James; Benjamin D., George D., Thomas D.,
Eliza and Emma, all' of whom married and had
children and -their descendants now reside in var
ious states of the Union. Catherine Abraham,
one of the two daughters of James and Hannah
(George) Abraham, married Jonathan Moore, of
Haverford, Delaware county, Pennsylvania, and
by her marriage had two sons and two daughters,
James A., John, Rachel, who married David Siter
and died two weeks after her union ; Eliza, mar
ried Robert Craig, of Delaware county, Pennsyl

vania, and has two children, James and Catherine.
About the year 1778, Mr. Abraham married
Jane Cornog, daughter of Abraham Cornog, of
Chester county, Pennsylvania, and their children
were: 1. Enoch, born in 1779, died in 1827; he
married Hannah Jones, and their children were
Jane, Sarah, Christiana, Eliza, Isaac and Nathan
iel J. Abraham. 2. Daniel, born in 1781, was
the father of Daniel C. Abraham, whose name
introduces this review. 3. David, born in 1783,
died in 1813, unmarried. 4. Sarah, born in 1786,
became the wife of Lemuel George, a resident
of Radnor township, and her death occurred in
1866. Daniel Abraham, second child and second
son of Isaac and Jane (Cornog) Abraham, was
born January 11, 1781, upon the farm at
Wayne, which had been purchased about 1750,
by his grandfather, Isaac Abraham. Daniel was
appointed first lieutenant of the Chester and Del
aware county troops, and served in the capac
ity of escort to General Lafayette, in the city of
Philadelphia, during the latter's visit to this
country in 1824. Daniel Abraham married in
1807, Eliza Phillips, daughter of Deacon Jona
than Phillips, of Montgomery county, who was
of Welsh descent. Their children were: 1.
Martha D., who died unmarried, in 1878. 2.
Mary P., who married Jacob Printup, resided
near Schenectady, New York, and died in 1843.
3. Jane A., who became the wife of David Siter,
of Delaware county, and died in 1861. 4. Sarah
C, who married Nathan Stetson, of East Bridge-
water, Massachusetts, and died June 9, 1870.
5. David, resided near Centreville, Chester
county, Pennsylvania, and died February 23,
1897. 6. Jonathan P., who was a member of the
state legislature, from Delaware county, later
removed to Minnesota, where he also served in
the legislature. He married Sarah S. Thomas,
of Newtown, Delaware county, and his death oc
curred at St. Peter, Minnesota, in December,
1880. Of this marriage were born the following
children: Mary T., David T., Eliza A., Francis
R., George W., R. Harvey and Sarah T. One
of the sons, George W., while only in his eight
eenth year, endured all the hardships and pri
vations incident to a soldier's life, and died in
Andersonville prison, after refusing liberty at
the price of enlistment in the Confederate serv
ice. 7. Phineas P., who died in 1836, at the age
of eighteen, while a student in Haddington Col
lege. 8. Elizabeth D., who died, unmarried, in
1845, near Centreville. 9. Samuel P., who mar
ried Elizabeth Evans, of Radnor township, and
died March 28, 1878, in Norristown, Mont
gomery county. 10. Daniel C. 11. Anna T.,
who married the Rev. James F. Brown, of Mullica
Hill, New Jersey, and died there, December 23,
1880. Daniel Abraham, the father of this family,

196

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

died in 1861, in his eighty-first year, and his
wife, Eliza (Phillips) Abraham, died in October,
1848. Daniel C. Abraham, tenth child and fifth son
of Daniel and Eliza (Phillips) Abraham, was
born February 1, 1823, in Radnor township,
Delaware county, and received his early edu
cation in the common schools of that vicinity,
and in Tredyffrin township, Chester county; in
1835-6 he was a student in the academic depart
ment of Haddington College. For. a short time
he was in business in Blair county, Pennsylvania,
and also spent some time in Georgia (from 1844
to 1846) when he was employed as conductor
on the Georgia Railroad under J. Edgar Thomp
son, who was the first president of the Pennsyl
vania Railroad. During the Civil war he was
appointed by Captain Brooks to recruit a com
pany, which he accordingly accomplished. Sub
sequently he joined the first Delaware county
troops, of which he was orderly sergeant, and
remained with them until the close of the war.
During the latter part of the war he was ap
pointed by the provost marshal to correct the
draft list of soldiers in Radnor township, Dela
ware county, Pennsylvania, and also the quota
of the township for the navy and marine service.
Mr. Abraham is one of the committee appointed
by the county commissioners to provide for the
proper burial of indigent soldiers of the Civil
war. Mr. Abraham, for the greater part of his life,
has resided in Delaware county, his occupation
having been almost exclusively that of an agri
culturist. Upon the death of his father he suc
ceeded to the possession of the farm, from the
active management of which he retired in 1903.
In 1873 he was appointed justice of the peace,
an office which might almost be said to be he
reditary in the family, having been held by three
generations, and Mr. Abraham finished his last
term of office in 1893, having faithfully and suc
cessfully served several terms. He has also
filled the position of school director and treas
urer of the school fund. In 1882 he was a mem
ber of the finance committee of the Bi-Centen
nial Association of Delaware County, which was
organized for the celebration of the two hundreth
anniversary of the landing of William Penn in
Chester, Pennsylvania. Mr. Abraham, acting
for his district of Radnor, by his energy raised
and paid a larger amount of money than was
received from any other district in the county.
He was a contributor toward the building and
endowment of the Lewisburg University, and
is a life member of the Delaware County Insti
tute of Science.
Mr. Abraham is a staunch adherent of the
political principles advocated and upheld by the
Republican party. He is a member of the Bap

tist church, and for a number of years held the
office of president of the board of trustees of the
Great Valley Baptist church in Chester county,
his father having filled the same position for
several years. He was extremely active in 1871
in promoting the remodeling of this church,
which was then made one of the finest in the
neighborhood. The family of which Mr. Abra
ham is a representative have always been large
land owners, and among the real estate of which
he is now the possessor, is the old residence sit
uated on the edge of Chester county, which was
known in Revolutionary times as the headquarters
of General Andrew Porter, who was the grand
father of General Horace Porter, the present
ambassador to France.

DAVID H. STITELER. Among the
brave boys in blue that Pennsylvania sent to the
south in defense of the Union was David Hick
man Stiteler, who was born in Milltown, Ches
ter county, this state, on the 12th of February,
1840, and is a son of David and Lydia Ann
(McCarrier) Stiteler. In the family were seven
children, of whom four are yet living, Ellwood,
Mary Elizabeth and Lydia Ann all having
passed away. Those who still survive are Jacob
Ellwood, who married Rebecca Davis, by whom
he has five children : David Hickman ; George
J., who married Mrs. Elizabeth Carr, a widow,
by whom he has three children; and Emeline,
the wife of J. Wesley Pyle, by whom she has
one child.
During the early boyhood of our subject his
parents removed to Lionville, and there he' be
gan his education in the public schools under
the guidance of Charles Moore. His father for
many years carried on blacksmithing and also
worked at the wheelwright's trade and when
the son of David had completed his education he,
too, was prepared for a business carper by learn
ing a trade, being bound out for three years to
a harness maker. During the term of his ap
prenticeship he had the misfortune to lose one
of his sisters who passed away after a severe
illness. He went home to attend the funeral,
being absent from his work for three days, and
the character of his employer is shown by the
fact that when his three years' term of service
had expired he was obliged to make up the three
days which he had lost by attending the funeral.
However, he mastered the business and was thus
well equipped for earning his living. In 1861
he put aside his business and personal interests
and responded to President Lincoln's call for
troops to serve for nine months, was among the
first to offer his services to the government and
succeeded in getting about twenty men to join
the army, becoming a member of Company A,

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

197

One Hundred and Twenty-fourth Pennsylvania
Infantry. When they were mustered in Mr.
Stiteler was appointed to the position of corporal
of that company. He was in active service with
the regiment and participated in the battle of
Antietam, on the 17th of September, 1862, at
which time he was wounded, although he
did not retire from the field. Again he was
wounded at the battle of Chancellorsville and
at that place he was promoted to the rank of
sergeant of the company, in which position he
was serving at the time the company was mus
tered out.
On the 14th of November, 1865, Mr. Stiteler
was united in marriage to Rebecca Hamlin, a
daughter of Henry and Sarah Hamlin. Their
union has been blessed with eight children:
William Lincoln, who was born August 17,
1866, and married Minnie Magnin, by whom
' he has eight children; Walden John, who was
born March 23, 1868, married Martha Chritzh-
field, by whom he has five children; Burton
Matthew, born August 30, 1870 ; Lydia Ann, born
August 29, 1872; Georgie E., born March 8,
1877 ; Edwin Hickman, born April 8, 1879 > Ben-
jamin James, born November 27, 1882; and Erne-
line, born January 27, 1888.
An earnest Republican, Mr. Stiteler has al
ways voted for the candidates of the Republi
can party at state elections with one exception
and has always supported the presidential nom
inees of the organization. At local elections,
however, he has been independent, giving his
allegiance to the candidates whom he believed
would best care for the business affairs of town
or county. His fellow townsmen, recognizing
his worth and ability, have frequently called him
to positions of public trust and for fourteen con
secutive years has filled the office of supervisor
while for fourteen years he was road commis
sioner. He was also a member of the school
board for three years, and no trust reposed in
him has ever been betrayed in the slightest de
gree for he is loyal and earnest in behalf of
every movement or measure which he believes
will contribute to the general good, and puts
forth every effort in his power for the public
progress and welfare.

4 ¦ *¦

JOSEPH R. MENAGH. In colonial days.
the farm upon which Joseph R. Menagh, of
Edgemont, Delaware county, Pennsylvania, now
resides, became the property of William Penn,
who in 1786 deeded it to Richard Scott, in whose
possession it remained for about thirty years,
when in 1816 it passed into the ownership of
William Menagh, who came to America from
Ireland and established his home in Pennsyl
vania. He was a cabinet maker by trade and

carried on that business for some time in con
nection with agricultural pursuits. Eventually
he deeded the farm to his son Joseph, and thus
it came into the possession of the latter's son,
Joseph Ritner Menagh, of this review. It will
thus be seen that our subject is the possessor
of one of the old farming properties of this
portion of the state, and in managing his place
he has kept abreast with the progressive spirit
of the times.
He was born here September 25, 1835, his
parents being Joseph and Phebe Ann (Sharp)
Menagh, while his paternal grandparents were
William and Wilannah (Bomen) Menagh. In
the family of the grandparents were seven chil
dren, as follows : Jane, born April 5, 1793 ;
John B., born June 16, 1795; Sarah, born De
cember 25, 1.797; Joseph, born May 25, 1800;
Hannah, born June 18, 1803; William, born
May 11, 1806; and Mary, born July 31, 1808.
Reared upon the old family homestead, Joseph
Menagh, Sr., became familiar with all the work
of the farm and in course of time assumed the
management of the property. He wedded
Phebe Ann Sharp and upon the old home place
they reared their family of seven children, name
ly: Bomen, Sarah, Mary, Hannah, Rebecca,
John and Joseph Ritner Menagh.
Quietly has the life of Joseph R. Menagh
been passed. He was reared under the parental
roof, early becoming familiar with the labors of
field and meadow, and throughout his entire life
he has carried on a dairy and butchering busi
ness, taking his own products to the market.
He made a specialty of supplying dairy
products to various families in this portion of
the state and many of his customers have been
his patrons for years, a fact which is indicative
of the excellence of his dairy products and of
his honorable business dealing. His education
was obtained in the public schools and he re
mained with his father until seventeen years of
age, when he entered upon an apprenticeship to
learn the miller's trade which he followed for six
years. On the expiration of that period, how
ever, he assumed control of the old home farm
and has continuously given his time and atten
tion to its work throughout the intervening
period. Mr. Menagh has been twice married. On
the 18th of January, 1859, he wedded Sarah
Ann Cornett, a daughter of William and Mary
(Ruth) Cornett. Two children were born of
this union, the elder being William Henry, who
was born November 11, 1859, and married Lauia
Lentz, of Philadelphia, a daughter of Joseph
Lentz. They now have three children, Joseph
Ritner, Hazel and Emma Cornett. Ida, the
daughter of Joseph R. and Sarah A. Menagh,
was born March 14, 1861, and on the 8th of No-

198

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

vember, 1892, gave her hand in marriage to
Ellis L. Brous, a son of Franklin and Jane Brous.
They have one child, Anita May, born December
19, 1893. In 1865 Mr. Menagh was called upon
to mourn the loss of his wife who passed away
on the 25th of May of that year. On the 8th of
September, 1869, our subject was again mar
ried, his second union being with Naomi Bail,
of Chester county, Pennsylvania, a daughter of
John and Rachel Ann (Register) Bail. Her fa
ther was a son of John and Naomi (Stuart)
Bail, while her mother was a daughter of Dan
iel and Rebecca (Wilson) Register. Mrs. Me
nagh was one of seven children: Nathan, Will
iam, Phebe Anne, Naomi, Hannah, John and
John Daniel.
In matters of citizenship Mr. Menagh is pub
lic spirited and progressive and his support is
given to the Republican party on questipns of
political importance. He has served as auditor
and school director, proving a capable, prompt
and efficient officer, and to every cause calculated
to advance the general welfare he gives his earn
est support and co-operation.

ALFRED JAMES. One of the strongest
proofs of the attractiveness of Pennsylvania as
a place of residence is the fact that so many of
its native sons remain within its borders. A
representative of this class is Alfred James, of
Edgemont, who was here born March 20, 1842,
his parents being Maurice and Sarah (Ritner)
James. The ancestral history of the family can be
traced back on the paternal side to Joseph and
Ann (Morris) James, who came to America
from the little rock-ribbed country of Wales, be
lieving that they might have better business op
portunities and superior advantages for securing
a home if they came to the new world. In the
maternal line the ancestry is traced back through
John and Elizabeth Ritner to Governor Ritner,
one of the chief executives of the state. Mrs.
James, the mother of our subject, is a direct
descendant of the governor and is still living,
enjoying comparatively good health, at the ad
vanced age of ninety-one years. By her mar
riage she became the mother of twelve children,
namely: 1. John, who was born October 1, 1831,
and was killed by accident in California, Feb
ruary 25, 1856; 2. William M., who was born
August 2, 1833, and married Anna Frances, by
whom he has one daughter; 3. Mary R., who
was born July 9, 1835, and is the wife of Thomas
Beaumont; 4. Edward J., who was born Sep
tember 20, 1836, and married Elizabeth Rodney ;
5. Elwood, who was born August 23, 1838, and
married Hannah Malin, by whom he has one
child; 6. Washington, who was born July 13,

1840, and wedded Rebecca Dutton; 7: Alfred,
whose name introduces this review ; 8. Margaret,
who was born July 18, 1844, and married Frank
lin Epright, by whom she has two children; 9.
Sarah E., who was born May 2, 1846, is the
wife of Henry Hoskins and the mother of iour
children; 10. Henry, who was born June 20,
1848, and married Abbie Sill, by whom he has
two children; 11. Anna, born February 3, 1851 ;
12. Eva, born April 23, 1853, and now the wife
of Thomas Rhodenhoh, by whom she has two
children. At the usual age Alfred James entered the
public schools near his home, and when he had ac
quired a good literary education, fitting him for
life's practical duties, he further prepared for busi
ness life by entering the Fairbanks Commercial
College at Philadelphia, from which he was grad
uated with honors. His father at that time was
operating a tract of land of about sixty acres
and carrying on a general farming business, and
after completing his education Alfred James re
turned to the old home farm and assisted in its
work until his father's death, which occurred in
1887. Since that time he has conducted the
farm and his thorough understanding of the
work both in principle and detail, his careful
supervision and his unfaltering energy, .have
enabled him to continue the business in a man
ner to make it profitable. In politics he has ever
been an advocate of the Democracy, and was
called by his fellow townsmen to the office of
supervisor of his town, in which position he
served for one term.

SAMUEL S. PINKERTON, a representa
tive of the farming interests of Delaware county,
Pennsylvania, was born in Edgemont, October
31, 1859, and is a son of William and Rebecca
(Green) Pinkerton. The father was born No
vember 28, 18 14, and his parents were John and
Sarah Pinkerton. After arriving at years of
maturity he wedded Rebecca Green, whose birth
occurred on the 22d of November, 1821, and
they became the parents of ten children, namely :
1. William Henry, who was born March 12,
1842, and died on the 18th of the same month;
2. John Wesley, who was born June 4", 1843,
and wedded Mary Pyle, by whom he had a fam
ily of nine children; 3. James Henry, who was
born April 27, 1845, and was twice married, his
first union being with Lizzie Davis, by whom he
had four children, and after her death he wedded
Clara Kesst, by whom he had five children; 4.
Mary Jane, who was born March 10, 1848, and
is the wife of Calvin Jones, by whom she has six
children ; 5. Hannah Yarnall, who was born
March 8, 1851, died November 11, 1856; 6.
William A., who was born Deecember 23, 1854,

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

199

married Sally Lamiborn, bv whom he had one
child, while for his second wife he chose Ma
hala Eaches, by whom he had five children; 7.
Eli Yarnall, who was born April 27, 1857, died
January 4, 1866; 8. Samuel S., whose name in
troduces this review; 9. Theodosia, who was
born October 17, 1862, died January 20, 1865;
10. Casper Pennock, who was born September
16, 1864, died November 13, 1866.
In early life Samuel Smedley Pinkerton, the
subject of this review, assisted his father in the
work of the farm from the time of the early
spring planting and through the hot months of
summer, until the crops were harvested in the late
autumn. He then had the privilege of attend
ing the public schools, wherein he acquired a
good, practical education. He remained upon
the home farm until 1881, when at the age of
twenty-two years he started out in life for him
self, following the occupation to which he was
reared. He first rented the old Smedley prop
erty of one hundred and twenty-five acres, and
this he continued to cultivate and improve until
he purchased of Rebecca E. Baker a farm
at Tanguy, whereon he resided for thir
teen years, devoting his attention to agricultural
pursuits. On the expiration of that period he pur
chased the property which he now owns at Edge
mont. This was a part of the Franklin Baker
estate, and comprises one hundred and thirty-
three acres of rich land which he has placed
under a high state of cultivation and which is
improved with modern equipments. In addition
to general farming he is engaged extensively
in the dairy business, and has upon his place ail
the accessories needful for carrying on this
work. He keeps a large herd of milch cows, and
everything about his place is neat in appearance,
indicating his careful supervision. He started
with a horse power thresher in 1885, and in 1890,
he, in company with Daniel Green, entered into
the steam thresher business, which they are con
ducting at the present time (1903), supplying
steam outfits.
On the 15th of July, 1886, Mr. Pinkerton was
united in marriage to Miss Anna Smedley
Baker, a daughter of Franklin and Mary
(Baker) Baker, in whose family were three
children, the others being Anthony, who was
born March 13, 1871, and Mary, born March
19, 1880. Mr. and Mrs. Pinkerton have a most
interesting family, noted for their good looks,
and they are certainly fprtunate in that the fam
ily circle still remains unbroken by the hand of
death. There are three sons and five daughters,
as follows : Samuel Lewis, born July 24, 1887 ;
Franklin B., born November 3, 1888; Grace
Emma, born July 8, 1891 ; Natalie R., born Sep
tember 29, 1893; Clarence, born April 6, 1896;
Ethel May, born July 26, 1899; Sarah Mildred,

born November 26, 1900, and Elsie Florence,
born December 22, 1901.
In his political views Mr. Pinkerton has ever
been an advocate of the principles which form
the platform of the Democratic party, and al
ways votes for the candidates upon the state
and national tickets. In town affairs he is more
independent, and does not consider himself
bound by party ties. He has served as a member
of the board of education, and the schools have
found in him a warm friend, for he recognizes
that universal education is one of the strong bul
warks of the nation, and that upon this largely
rests good citizenship. He has, therefore, been
earnest in behalf of the advancement of the
schools, and is also found as a co-operant factor
in all of the work of progress and improvement
calculated to benefit this portion of the Keystone
state.

DANIEL HOWARD GREEN, of Grady-
ville, Pennsylvania, was born in Edgemont
township, August 15, 1863. He is a son of
Smedley and Elizabeth (McBride) Green, the
others of whose family are as follows : Win-
field Scott; William E., who married Celia
Drennen; Elmer Ellsworth; Susanna, deceased;
Olive and Edward S. Green. Smedley Green,
the father of the above family was the son of
Smedley and Phoebe (Bishop) Green, being one
of a family of eight children as follows : George,
deceased; Bishop, who married Jane Thornton,
by whom he had four children; Sarah, wife
of Pierce King, has a family of five children;
William, who married Orltry Green, has a fam
ily of eleven children: Hammel married Eliza
beth Wood, and has one child; Smedley (2d),
father of Daniel Howard; Priscilla, wife of
Thomas Mincher; and Phoebe Ann, deceased
wife of Dutton Worrall, who left one child.
Smedley Green (1), grandfather of Daniel
Howard Green, was a son of George and Re
becca (Smedley) Green, and was one of the
earliest farmers of Edgemont township.
Elizabeth (McBride) Green, the mother of
Daniel Howard Green, was a daughter of Dan
iel McBride and Jane (Long) McBride, and was
one of a family of twelve children whose names
are as follows : Mary, wife of John Taylor, has
eight children; Jane, wife of James Blyler,
ten children; Daniel married Martha Maxwell
and has six children; Christie Ann, wife of
George Stuart, has a family of four children;
Rachel; Sarah, married Josiah Miller, and has a
family of four children; Joseph M., who died
aged twenty-two months ; Josephine, who married
James Lewis, has a family of five children ; Eliza
beth, married Smedley Green (2d), has a fam
ily of seven children as above; Susanna, wife of

200

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

David R. Cofrode, and has a family of three
children; Lydia, single; George, married Re
becca Palmer, and has eight children.
Daniel Howard Green received his education
in the public schools of his birth place, which
he attended as he could be spared from his
duties about his father's farm. His early career
having laid the foundation for a farmer's life,
young Green adopted it as the most promising
business in which he could engage. Later for-
seeing an opportunity for extension along similar
lines, he purchased the necessary machinery and
established a plant for threshing and baling,
which he carried on in connection with the many
duties devolving upon him as his father's as
sistant, doing his work for neighboring farmers
round about. From the money realized through
this medium, Mr. Green was in 1896 enabled to
purchase the property known as the old Green
Homestead, consisting of seventy-two acres, and
which is now considered one of the best farms
in the township.
Politically Mr. Green is a Republican. In
town affairs he has ever interested himself on
the side of whatever measure appealed to him
as likely to result in the greatest good to the
greatest number. Mr. Green is unmarried.

CAMPBELL MacPHERSON. The family
history of Campbell MacPherson, with his de
scendants and his connections by marriage, shows
this to be one of the best known families in
Delaware county, Pennsylvania, and one well
worthy of preservation in historical form. John
and Mary (Campbell) MacPherson, as the name
implies, were Scottish people, and emigrated
to America and settled in Chester county, Penn
sylvania. On February 22, 1826, there was born
to them in that county, at Mount Pleasant, the
son Campbell. At the age of seven he was
taken by his parents to Radnor township, Dela
ware county, where he resided the remainder
of his life. He attended the schools of that town
ship and in what is now Wayne, and being reared
on a farm he took to that pursuit and followed
it until his death, which occurred September 7,
1878. Elizabeth Jane Moore, who became the wife
of Mr. MacPherson on February 10, 1858, sur
vived him and resided on the old place in Rad
nor township, until her death, March 9, 1903.
She has a long line of descent from one of the
earliest pioneers of this country. This settler
was John Hunter, whose son James married
Hannah Morgan, and their daughter Mary Hun
ter became the wife of Captain Hugh Jones,
these last being the maternal grandparents of
Mrs. MacPherson, inasmuch as their daughter
Elizabeth Jones married John M. Moore, and by

this marriage eleven children were born, of
whom her sister Phoebe, is now the only sur
vivor; the others were Philip, Mary, William,
Charles, John Morris, Hannah, Hugh Jones,
James Hunter and Margret Brooks.
The children born of the union of Campbell
MacPherson and Elizabeth Jane Moore were:
Mary Elizabeth, who was born January 3, 1859;
John Campbell, born July 30, 1864, was married
February 25, 1890, to Jennette Havard, who
claims descent through the following ancestors:
Her grandparents were David and Mary (Rein-
hart) Havard, whose son Benjamin Franklin
Havard married Annie Righter, the daughter of
George and Hannah (Hunter) Righter, and, on
the maternal side, the granddaughter of Wiliiarn
and Hannah (Ralston) Hunter, of Scotch de
scent; Jennette Havard was the daughter of this
last marriage. By her marriage to John Camp
bell MacPherson she became the mother of John
Havard, on February 25, 1894, and of Campbell
Hunter, on May 26, 1897.

JOHN CONNER a well known citizen of
Radnor township, Delaware county, Pennsyl
vania, is a native of that township, born Novem
ber 24, 1825, son of Philip and Ann (Caley)
Conner. His father, Philip Conner, emigrated
to this country from Ireland; his mother was
a resident of Newtown, Chester county, Penn
sylvania. John Conner received his education in Rad
nor township, and at Ithan, Delaware county,
Pennsylvania. His marriage to Martha B. Ram
sey took place on March 24, 1858 ; she is a daugh
ter of Isaac and Martha (Biddle) Ramsey.
Their children are as follows: 1. Anna Gert
rude, who is the wife of Horace F. Weeks, son
of John Hart and Lydia (Atkinson) Weeks;
their children are Francis E. and Harry C.
2. I. Walter Conner, born January 9, 1863,
in Radnor township. His early mental train
ing was acquired at home, and later at Philadel
phia. Upon completing his studies he entered
the hardware business in Philadelphia, and aft
erwards took up his residence in Wayne, Penn
sylvania. Here he became quite prominent in
town affairs and for many years held the offices
of tax collector and assessor. He became in
terested in the coal and lumber trade at Wayne,
and in this line has established a successful busi
ness. He is well identified with the town's
growth and development, and is a member in
good standing in Masonic circles, being a char
ter member of Wayne Lodge, No. 531 of Wayne.
August 28, 1888, he married Pauline N. Lynch,
a daughter pf Joseph C. and Elizabeth (McFall)
Lynch. They have three children, Martha, born

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

201

July 18, 1889, Anna, born January 25, 1893,
and I. Walter, Jr., born April 7, 1903.
3. Harry P. Conner, born in 1866, married
Anna Harshberger.
John R. Conner, fourth child of John Con
ner, was born in 1869. Early in life he de
veloped quite a taste for learning, and has
sought every advantage to perfect himself in
the higher branches of study. He attended the
Academy of Fine Arts in Philadelphia and won
the medal which was offered to the student
standing highest in his studies, the conferring
of which honor also entitled him to a free pass
age to Europe with $800 in cash to be expended
on further researches and study in France along
the lines that claimed his interest. Upon com
pleting his course he returned to the homestead
in Radnor township, and continues in the pur
suit of his profession.
The father of the above named children died
February 22, 1903. He was a worthy and highly
respected citizen, and at the time of his death
was sincerely mourned by those who knew him
best in life.

JOSEPH H. CHILDS, Sr., is one of the
prominent citizens of Radnor township, Delaware
county, Pennsylvania, having resided there for
over half a century, and his career and family
history form an important portion of the county
records. He is the son of Jesse and Rebecca
(Harding) Childs, whose marriage occurred in
Philadelphia on October 23, 1828. Their chil
dren were: Joseph H. and Emmor, the latter
named being now deceased. Mr. Childs' death
occurred 12 mo., 5, 1829. Rebecca Harding was
the granddaughter of Henry and Mary Hard
ing, and daughter of Abraham and Esther
(Bond) Harding, whose children were: 1. Mary,
born May 29, 1782; 2. Susannah, born Septem
ber 1, 1783; 3. Rachel, born June 19, 1785;
4. Elizabeth, born August 5, 1787; 5. Sarah,
born October 20, 1789; 6. Anna, born October
22, 1 79 1 ; 7. Esther, born January 11, 1794; 8.
Isaac, born August 23, 1796; 9. Joseph B., born
November 23, 1798; 10. Rebecca, born April 13,
1801; 11. John, born February 7, 1803. Esther
(Bond) Harding who was born 10 mo., 5, 1759,
died 9 mo., 14, 1824.
The birth of Joseph H. Childs occurred 9
mo., 13, 1829, in a house in Philadelphia which
covered the spot where the Broad street station
now stands. He was three years of age when
his parents removed to Radnor township, Dela
ware county, and he obtained his education in
the common schools of that township and in a
Chester county boarding school. After com
pleting his studies he began farming and he has
been a successful and enterprising agricultur

ist ever since, being highly esteemed in business
circles for his sterling worth of character which
commands respect everywhere. During the Civil
war, owing to the press of business affairs, he
was obliged to hire a substitute for the army.
During his boyhood Mr. Childs attended the
Friends Meeting, but since arriving at manhood
he has adhered to the doctrines of the Baptist
denomination. January 16, 1853, Mr. Childs married Sarah
J. Miller, a daughter of Christian and Margaret
(Spear) Miller, of Radnor township. Their
children are: 1. Harry Newton, December 8,
1853 ; he married Ellen Corona Moore, the daugh
ter of James and Eliza (Lindsay) Moore; their
children are: Joseph Walter, Lillian Moore,
and Clarence Lindsay Childs, all of whom reside
in Radnor township with their parents. 2. Re
becca Elian, born October 28, 1855, became the
wife of Howard J. Matthias, the son of George
and Mary Matthias; they have two sons, How
ard Childs and Norman Matthias. 3. Lizzie
Gertrude, born March 14, 1858, wife of Philip
Moore, of Marple township, a sketch of whom
appears elsewhere in this work. 4. Annie Hobbs,
born January 5, i860, became the wife of Dr.
Charles Terry Goentner, of Montgomery coun
ty, April 11, 1894. 5. Norwood Harding, born
April 10, 1862, died April 28, 1865. 6. Cordilla
Bender, born April 13, 1864, unmarried and
residing at home. 7. Joseph Harding, born Sep
tember 16, 1866, married, in .1894, Anna Cather
ine Warner, of Devon, Chester county. 8.
Marion Moore, born January .19, 1874, attended
the Radnor township schools and graduated from
the Hillcroft Academy at Marple. The mother
of this family died September 2, 1898.
Dr. Charles Terry Goentner, son-in-law of
Joseph H. Childs, was born at Hatboro, Mont
gomery county, Pennsylvania, February 2, 1852,
the son of William Krider and Sarah Terry
( Beans) Goentner. He acquired his literary edu
cation in the public schools of Montgomery
county, and later attended the School of Medi
cine at the University of the State of New York,
from which institution he was graduated, in 1881,
with the degree of Doctor of Veterinary Sur
gery. In the same year he established an office
for active practice in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania,
which he successfully conducted up to the year
1902, when he was obliged to abandon his pro
fession on account of failing health, which was
the sequel of a severe attack of sickness. He
then accepted the presidency of the Bryn Mawr
National Bank, in which capacity he still serves,
and for the past fourteen years he has been a
director of the board of the bank.
Dr. Goentner was one of the organizers of the
Keystone Veterinary Medical Association, being
still a charter member of that body, which was

202

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

the first association in America composed of
veterinary graduates only. Since 1881 he has been
a member of the American Veterinary Medical
Association, and in 1886 he was chosen to rep
resent the state of Pennsylvania in the Sanitary
Science Association, which had for its object the
establishment of quarantine rules and regulations
for the preservation of health. Dr. Goentner is
a Mason of high standing, being affiliated with
Cassia Lodge, No. 273, Free and Accepted
Masons of which he is past master, Montgomery
chapter No. 262, Royal Arch Masons, and Mary
Commandery, No. 36, Knights Templar.

CHARLES LEEDOM, of Ridley Park, Del
aware county, widely known as a successful busi
ness man, was born February 17, 1826, on Lan
caster turnpike, six miles from Philadelphia, in
Montgomery county, and is a son of Charles
and Susanna (Roberts) Leedom. The latter, at
the time of her death, had reached the advanced
age of ninety-eight.
Mr. Leedom was educated in Montgomery
county, and after leaving school remained on the
farm with his father until arriving at the age
of eighteen, when feeling a preference for mer
cantile over agricultural pursuits he entered a
mill in his native county with the ' intention of
learning the business. After remaining there
more than a year, he bought his grandfather's
farm and carried on farming. In 1864 he sold
the farm, and in 1865, feeling a renewed inclina
tion for a business career, he went to Oil City,
having nothing definite in view in regard to
occupation. On his arrival he engaged in the oil
business in which he met with signal success, his
efforts resulting in financial prosperity, and m
the establishment of a name for himself as an
enterprising and sagacious business man.
Mr. Leedom married, in 1866, Sara J., a
daughter of John S. and Rebecca (Miller)
Hayes, of Ohio. The following children were
born to them. 1. Susanna, born in 1869, in Oil
City ; in 1896 she married John Savin Hoff ecker,
of Wilmington, and they have one child, Sara
Louisa Hoffecker. 2. Charles, who died in 1873.
3. Harriet R., who was born in Franklin, Penn
sylvania, and married D. B. Andrews, a son of
Charles and Lillian (Bunting) Andrews, of
Darby. Both the Andrews and Bunting families are
among the old residents of Delaware county,
and have belonged from an early period to the
Society of Friends. James Andrews, a prominent
citizen of Darby, was for fifteen years associate
judge of Delaware county, serving until the age
of seventy, when he declined a re-election. The
Bunting family is of English extraction and
was transplanted from Europe to America about

the middle of the seventeenth century by three
brothers, one of whom settled at Crosswicks,
New Jersey, and two in Pennsylvania, one in
Bucks county, and the third, Samuel, at Darby.
From the last named are descended the Buntings
of Delaware county. Samuel Bunting married
a daughter of John Blunston, who emigrated
from England in 1682 and took up a large tract
of land in Darby. He belonged for thirteen years
to the provincial assembly, and several times
held the position of speaker of that body. He
was also appointed by William Penn a member
of the council of state and a justice of court,
and frequently acted as attorney for people in
England who owned land in Pennsylvania.
Josiah Bunting, a lineal descendant of Samuel,
was a prosperous farmer of Darby, and his son,
also named Josiah, was for many years extensive
ly engaged in the lumber business in Philadel
phia. He married Sarah, daughter of David
Sellers, a lineal descendant of Samuel Sellers,
who came from Derbyshire, England, in 1682,
and settled at Darby. In June, 1684, he married
Anna Gibbons, also from Derbyshire, they being
the first couple ever married in Darby Meeting.
Of their six children, the third, Samuel, married
Sarah Smith, also of English descent, and erected
the first twisting mill in Pennsylvania. His
youngest child John learned the trade of a weaver
but early displayed great mechanical skill and
invented the first wire rolling screens and sieves
for cleaning grain ever made on this continent.
In consequence of the success of this invention he
abandoned the manufacture of textile fabrics and
devoted his attention to wire weaving. In 1767
he was elected to the assembly and served five
terms, in addition to holding many other posi
tions of honor and trust. He married Ann Gib
bons, and was the father of a large family. One
of his sons, David, erected in Philadelphia the
fiirst wire-working establishment ever operated
in America, becoming widelv known, and ac
cumulating what in those days was considered a
large fortune. He was the father of Sarah, who
became the wife of Josiah Bunting (2), men
tioned above. Their son, David Sellers, was for
many years a leading farmer of Delaware coun
ty, and subsequently engaged very successfully
in the coal and lumber business in Chester. He
was a man who was universally respected, and
was several times elected a member of the city
council. He married Hannah P., daughter of
Benjamin Serrill, of Darby. Of their three daugh
ters, Lillian married Charles Andrews, of Darby,
and they were the parents of D. B. Andrews,
mentioned above as the husband of Harriet R.,
daughter of Charles and Sara J. (Hayes)
Leedom. Mr. and Mrs. Andrews have two children :
David Bunting, and Charles Leedom.

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

203

JAMES FREEBORN, a resident of Haver
ford township, Delaware county, Pennsylvania,
comes of sturdy, long lived line of Irish ancestors,
his paternal grandfather and grandmother hav
ing attained the remarkable age of one hundred
and seven and one hundred and eight years re
spectively. The grandfather, James Freeborn,
married twice and was the father of twenty-four
children. Among the children of his first union
were Thomas, James, William, Andrew, Bridget
and Bessie, all of whom attained years of ma
turity. After the death of his first wife, he mar
ried Margaret Spence, who, after the death of her
husband came to America and spent the remain
ing years of her life here.
James Freeborn, grandson of the James
Freeborn before mentioned, and the subject of
this sketch, was born in county Donegal, Ire
land, in 1824, a son of Andrew and Margaret
Freeborn. When only fifteen years of age,
young Freeborn came to America, having con
cluded, like many others of his native land, that
in the new world there was greater promise for
growth and development than the land of his
birth afforded. Arriving here he located in Phil
adelphia where he was employed at trunk mak
ing. For some time, however, he had acknowl
edged the fact that all his inclinations were urg
ing him to seek the quiet of country life. He
therefore relinquished his employment in Phila
delphia and engaged at farm work in Haverford
township, where it was his purpose to live the
rest of his days.
While still a very young man in 1844 Mr.
Freeborn assumed the obligations of married life,
wedding Miss J-ine Watson, who bore him a
family of eight children as follows : James, who
married Josephine Moore, of Marple, Pennsyl
vania; Isabella, wife of Mark Baker, of Middle-
town, Pennsylvania; Mary, deceased; Hannah,
deceased ; Annie, wife of Frank Lowrie ; Andrew,
who married Maggie Freeborn; Mordecai and
Margaret. The mother of the foregoing named
children died in April, 1876, and Mr. Freeborn
took as his second wife, on November 27, 1879,
Ellen Miller, a daughter of Thomas and Ser-
mares (Taylor) Miller. Mr. Freeborn enjoys
the respect and good will of his neighbors
throughout his section of the country.

JOHN WILDS, the son of John and Hannah
(Byerley) Wilds, and a well known and respect
ed citizen of Chester county, Pennsylvania, was
born in Tredyffrin township, February 16, .1821.
He is a descendant of an old and prominent Eng
lish family, his grandfather James Wilds having
emigated from Lancaster, England, when young,
and having settled in Tredyffrin township, Ches
ter county, Pennsylvania. He was a weaver by

trade, and was a member of the Church of Eng
land. He married Barbara Wesiey, of Chester
county, and they had four children.
The younger son of James and Barbara
(Wesley) Wilds, John Wilds, Sr., was born in
Tredyffrin, in 1794. He occupied a prominent
position in the life and growth of the colony,
and was conspicuous as a soldier in the war of
1812, being stationed at Marcus Hook. In 1819
he married Hannah Byerley, daughter of John
Byerley. Their children were fourteen in num
ber: Emily, James, John, Mary Ann, Elijah,
Elizabeth, Sarah Jane, Edward, Alice, Mahlon,
Stephen, William, Joseph, who served in the Civil
war and was seriously wounded; and Hannah.
John Wilds, the second son of John and Han
nah (Byerley) Wilds, was educated at the Epis
copal school of Radnor, in Delaware county,
where some of his ancestors had located in the
early days of that section. At the expiration of
his school life he made farming his occupation,
and soon purchased a farm of twenty-one acres,
near Strafford, Chester county, in the vicinity of
Wayne, where he located permanently, and where
he still resides with his son. He is a loyal sup
porter of the Republican party, and a member
of the Baptist church.
He was married, March 22, 1855, to Rachel
Famous, a daughter of George Famous, who
belonged to a well known family of Chester coun
ty. Their family consists of two children:
1. Isaac R. Wilds, born in 1857, in Chester coun
ty, near Wayne, who married Mary Zimmer
man and has one child surviving, James Wilds.
2. Mary Wilds, who married Joseph Dyson, of
Delaware county, who is a contractor and build
er ; they have two surviving children, Elmer and
Marietta Dyson. Rachel (Famous) Wilds died
October 12, 1892.

PETER PECHIN, of Radnor, Pennsyl
vania, son of Edward and Ann (Wagner)
Pechin, was born in Delaware county, December
16, 1824. Edward Pechin was a son of Peter
and Rebecca (Hunter) Pechin. The ancestors of
the Pechin family were French Huguenots, and
came to America in early times, settling in
Pennsylvania, where many of their race had found
a home. Edward Perchin, the son of Peter and Re
becca (Hunter) Pechin, was a farmer and owned
property in Delaware county, where his son
Peter Pechin received his early education. He
completed his studies in Radnor township, and
after he left school assisted his father in farm
work, continuing this occupation until 1895,
when he retired from the active duties of farm
life. He married Mary Jane Holmes, a daughter

204

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

of Joseph and Mary (Pettit) Holmes. Their
children were as follows : ( i ) Sarah Emily,
(2) Edward, both of whom died when young;
(3) Annie, who also died in childhood; (4) Ida,
who lives at home; (5) Jeannette, who married
Frank Hoy, a son of James and Madeline
(Boucot) Hoy; (6) Annie, who married Horace
Brooke,' a son of Jesse and Sarah (Moore)
Brooke, and whose children were Mary, Jesse,
Ida, Albert and Mildred. (7) Charles, who
married Lillie Hickman, a daughter of James and
Annie Hickman, and are the parents of Douglas,
Frank, Marion and Horace. (8) Elizabeth, who
lives at home; (9) Nathan, also living at home.
The mother of the above named children, Mary
Jane (Holmes) Pechin, died June 5, 1886.

cated at Pierce's Business College, and John S.,
born in 1887, obtained his education at the Rad
nor public schools.

JOHN S. MURRAY. For many years Mr.
Murray has been engaged in the carpentering
business in Radnor township, and is imbued with
a spirit of enterprise that makes him an active
factor in commercial circles. He was born in
Tredyffrin township, Chester county, Pennsyl
vania, in 1842, a son of George W. and Elizabeth
(Supplee) Murray. Elizabeth Supplee was born
in Chester county, her family being descended
from French Huguenots who came to America
during the religious troubles in France. George
W. Murray was the son of Jacob Murray, who
was an active participant in the Revolutionary
war under General Green, and who served in the
regular army under the command of Anthony
Wayne. John S. Murray attended the common schools
of Chester county, where he obtained a practical
education which fully qualified him for the duties
of life. After completing his studies he entered
a carpenter shop, where he familiarized himself
with all the details of the business and became a
thorough master of the trade. He has followed
this line of work all his life, discharging his
duties with marked promptness and fidelity, and
in this manner has won the confidence and respect
of his neighbors and friends.
In May, 1875, Mr. Murray married Annie
R. Dillin, a daughter of Charles and Margaret
(Sidener) Dillin, of Montgomery county. Their
children are: Elizabeth V., born in 1876, ac
quired an excellent literary education and
was graduated from the Philadelphia School
of Design for Women, afterward attend
ing for three years the Pennsylvania Acad
emy of Fine Arts; Charles H., born in 1877,
is a graduate from Pierce's Business College
in Philadelphia; Oscar A., born in 1879, ob
tained his education in the public schools of
Radnor; George W., born in 1883; was eclu-

THE ARMITAGE PREPARATORY AND
FINISHING SCHOOL is a favorite institution
which has been accorded the patronage of many
of the best families in Pennsylvania and adjoin
ing states. It enjoys an ideal situation on the
main line of the Pennsylvania Railroad in Wayne,
which is regarded as the most healthful and at
tractive among the many suburbs of Philadelphia.
The elevation is four hundred feet above sea level,
and artesian wells provide water of absolute
purity. The main building occupied by the school was
the famous Louella Mansion, and was purchased
from the Drexel estate by Miss Harriet Clare
Armitage, who has equipped and improved it for
the purpose to which it is now devoted. The
grounds comprise twelve acres, with beautifully
parked rose gardens in the front, basket-ball field
and tennis courts in the rear and a planked walk
leading directly to the suburban station. The
principal building is of granite, with a wide
veranda on all sides, and is screened from view
of the street by stately old pines. The interior
is beautifully furnished, and the students rooms
are provided with all modern aids to health and
comfort. Three courses of instruction are provided — •
college preparatory, general and special. The
college preparatory course comprises such
branches as are requisite for admission to Bryn
Mawr and other high class collegiate institutions.
The general course comprises an ample high-
grade academical curriculum, and the special
course affords, in its two divisions, a liberal
literary training for such collegiate work as the
student desires to undertake without entering a
college. The faculty comprises Harriet Clare Armi
tage, principal and instructor in literature ; Laura
K. Snyder, B. A. (Woman's College of Balti
more and Oxford University, England), history
and English; Lucile Matthews, B. A., (Rock-
ford College), Latin and mathematics; Rosa
Marie Thieme (Royal Teachers' College at Dres
den, 1882-1888, Royal Conservatory for Music
at Dresden, 1895-1897, University of Geneva,
Switzerland, 1898- 1899), French and German;
Edith Potter Mcllhenney (Drexel Institute).
art; Edwin Atlee Brill (Henry Schradieck,
Springer College of Music, Ohio, 1886) , violin ;
Mrs. A. T. Abbott, vocal music ; Mr. Carl Sidney
Abbott, piano; H. A. Clark, musical director
(Chair of Music at University of Pennsylvania),

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

205

harmony; Laura Louise Angle, secretary; Eliza
Criswell (Bryn Mawr), science and gymnastics;
Bertha Cornelia Norris (Bryn Mawr), Greek;
F. Eyre Miller, trained nurse.

ROBERT WALTER BEATTY, deceased;
for many years a well known and influential resi
dent of Collingdale, and up to the time of his
decease a valued and trusted employe pf the cus
toms department of the United States government
at Chester, Pennsylvania, was born at the Beatty
homestead in Chester township, Delaware county,
Pennsylvania. He was the youngest of a family
of nine children, born to John and Mary (Mad
dock) Beatty, whose names are as follows : 1.
Harriet, wife of John Dutton, of Chester, Penn
sylvania ; 2. Charles, who never married ; he was
born June 1, 1835 ; he was a jeweler in Augusta,
Georgia; just after the Civil war he was on his
way home to visit his sister, Ida, and died while
on his journey, in 1865, or 1866; 3. George; 4.
Edward; 5. Sarah, wife of Townsend Green, of
Media, Pennsylvania; 6. Ida, wife of Horace P.
Green, of Media, Pennsylvania; 7. Ellen, a twin
sister of Ida, who died in childhood; 8. John;
9. Robert Walter Beatty.
Robert W. Beatty attended the common
schools adjacent to his home, and this was sup
plemented by attendance at the Gilbert Academy
in Chester, Pennsylvania. For a short time after
his graduation he taught school, spending his
leisure time at the old homestead, and in 1886
he passed a civil service examination and was
appointed to the customs department in the city
of Philadelphia. He was the incumbent of this
office until 1894, when he was stationed at Ches
ter, Pennsylvania, and this position he retained
up to the time of his death, which occurred De
cember 25, 1902. Mr. Beatty evinced a keen
interest along educational lines, was a member
ber of the school committee of his township, and
for a number of years served in the capacity of
secretary of the board. His political affiliations
were with the Democratic party, and he was
an honored member of L. H. Scott Lodge, Free
and Accepted Masons, at Chester, Pennsylvania.
On June 3, 1890, Mr. Beatty married Hettie
G. Bonsall, who was born March 19, 1865, in
Upper Darby township, Delaware county, Penn
sylvania, a daughter of Lewis Knoll and Mary
Ann (Alexander) Bonsall, who were married
June 8, 1864. Lewis Knoll Bonsall, born
May 15, 1830, and his wife, Mary Ann (Alex
ander) Bonsall, daughter of John and Ellen
(Flood) Alexander, of England, were the parents
of the following named children: Hettie, Gar
rett, widow of Robert W. Beatty; Harry Knoll,
born August 2, 1867, who married Lillian Loyd,
a daughter of William and Williamina Loyd, of

Sharon Hill, Delaware county; Hannah, born
February 18, 1870, died August 6, 1876; Ellen
Jane, born September 6, 1872; and Elmira, born
August 23, 1875. The following named children
were born to Mr. and Mrs. Beatty — Lewis Bon
sall, born February 18, 1892 ; Robert Walter, Jr.,
born June 23, 1894; Edward Fell, born Novem
ber 13, 1897; Dorothy, born September 26, 1900.

EDMUND T. RICE was born near Glen
Olden, in Ridley township, Delaware county ,
September 5, 1839. He was educated in the
public schools and afterward devoted himself to
agricultural pursuits, and with a fair measure of
success. However, during the last ten years of
his life, he was in the service of an insurance
company, and also, during a still longer period,
was known for his unselfish interest in public
affairs and his earnest support of all measures
which had for their end the welfare of the bor
ough and its people. He was the son of Jacob
and Zaidee (Taylor) Rice, his father having been
a farmer of Delaware county.
Mr. Rice died August 13, 1901. His wife,
whom he married December 24, 1868, was Maria
Fairlamb, daughter of Thomas and Margaret
(Patterson) Fairlamb, of Media, her father at
one time being an owner of a large tract of land
near Chester, at the place known as Eddystone.
Mrs. Rice's grandparents were, on the paternal
side, Joseph and Sidney (Vernon) Fairlamb, and
on the maternal side, William and Susan (Trim
ble) Patterson. The parents of Susan Patter
son, great-grandparents of Mrs. Rice, were Ab
raham and Lydia Trimble. All of these family
names represent elements of substantial early set
tlement, and for many years have been synony
mous with entire respectability and straightfor
ward honesty.
The children born of this marriage of Ed
mund T. and Maria (Fairlamb) Rice were as
follows : William F. Rice, born March 16, 1871,
and now cashier of the West Philadelphia First
National Bank; Jacob, born August 31, 1872,
died August 27, 190 1 ; Robert Pennell, born April
28, 1874; Mary P., born September 27, 1877,
died September 6, 1901 ; Susan T., born January
10, 1879 ; Edmund T., born November 10, 1880 ;
Elsie Z., born June 14, 1882; Charles P., born
June 8, 1884; and Frank, born October 29, 1890..

JOSEPH LOWNES was born in Springfield
township, Delaware county, on the 12th of Oc
tober, 1827, and is still living in the same town
ship, being now in his seventy-sixth year. He is
a son of Joseph Lownes, and he attended the
Friends' school of his home locality until four
teen years of age, after which he spent two years

206

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

as a student in the Orthodox Friends' Boarding
School at Westtown. He is a birthright member
of the Society of Friends, and has always ad
hered closely to its teachings and principles.
In 1853 Mr. Lownes was united in marriage
in Pensbury township, Chester county, to Miss
Minerva Webb, a daughter of Alban and Han
nah Webb. In the year of their marriage they
settled near Marple, in Springfield township,
where Mr. Lownes purchased a farm whereon
he has since made his home, devoting his entire
life to agricultural interests. His has been a use
ful, busy and upright career, commending him
to the confidence and regard of all with whom he
has come in contact. He long served as an ac
tive member of the school board of Springfield
township, and was also a member of the Spring
field Free Fountain Society, and contributed gen
erously of his means to the work of that organi
zation. In business affairs he has ever been
straightforward and reliable in his dealings, and
in matters of citizenship public spirited and pro
gressive,' so that he is numbered among the valued
residents of the community in which his entire
life has been passed.

JONATHAN HEACOCK, a farmer now re
tired from active pursuits and living at Sharon
Hill, Delaware county, Pennsylvania, was born
in Darby township, April 3, 1840, a son and one
of eight children of Jpnathan and Rebecca (Rob
erts) Heacock. Jonathan, the father, was the son
of Joseph and Mary Heacock, who were among
the early settlers in that region, although not
pioneers. Joseph died in 1843, and his wife Mary
in 1846. The children of Jonathan and Rebecca (Rob
erts) Heacock were: Margaret, born in 1826;
Mary, born in 1830, married William P. Yarnall,
and died in 1885 ; Joseph, born in 1832, married
Elizabeth Serrill, and died in 1859; Edward R.,
born in 1834, married for his first wife, Sarah
Dickinson, and for his second wife Elizabeth
Lewis; James H., born in 1838; Jonathan, born
in 1840; Rebecca, born in 1842, died in 1884;
and Samuel, born in 1847, married Elizabeth
Bonsall, daughter of Samuel and granddaughter
of David Bonsall, of Delaware county.
Jonathan Heacock, son of Jonathan and Re
becca, was brought up to farm work and acquired
his early education in the Friends' school at Dar
by. He lived at home until about twenty years
old and then set out to travel, which he did ex
tensively for several years, visiting various places
of interest, from all of which he was materially
benefitted without losing any of his native love of
home and kindred. He returned to Pennsylvania
about the time of the outbreak of the Civil war,
and in 1862 he enlisted in one of the companies

comprising the regiment commanded by Colonel
J. W. Hawley, of Media.
In 1868, March 10th, Mr. Heacock married
Rebecca Evenson, daughter of James and Jane
(Reimer) Evenson, and after this event he de
voted his attention to farming pursuits ; and be
ing industrious, thrifty and progressive, he
achieved and earned a fair measure of success;
and more, he has won the confidence and regard
of a wide circle of friends and acquaintances. The
children born to Jonathan and Rebecca Heacock
have been two sons, Thomas Wilson and Howard
Heacock; and two daughters, Margaret, and
Helen V. ; Margaret is now the wife of William
Vollmer, of Sharon Hill, the latter the son of
John and Mary Helen Vollmer; Helen V. Hea
cock is unmarried.

GEORGE G. PATCHEL, a well known
citizen of Darby, Delaware county, Pennsyl
vania, who has been honored by his townsmen
with offices of trust, was born in Darby town
ship, March 8, 1857, and is a son of George
S. and Elizabeth (Lor en) Patchel.
In early life Mr. Patchel learned the printer's
trade, but subsequently mastered the art of te
legraphy, which he followed for five years. He
then engaged in the business of metal roofing,
and in company with his brother, T. T. Patchel,
organized a firm which dealt extensively in heat
ers and ranges, and continued in business for
fifteen years. Mr. Patchel was appointed by
President Harrison as postmaster of Darby, an
office which he held for four years, and in 1898
he was elected register of wills for Delaware
county, being re-elected in 1900. He is also
clerk of the orphans' court of Delaware county.
The manner in which Mr. Patchel has discharged
the duties of these responsible positions fully
justifies the trust resposed in him both by the
United States government and by his fellow citi
zens. Politically he is a Republican. He is a
member of the society of Elks, and the order of
Odd Fellows.
Mr. Patchel married January 31, 1884, Ade
line Verlenden, a native of Darby, and daughter
of Enos and Mary (Hirst) Verlenden. They
have one son: Leroy S., born January 21, 1885.

DAVID PRATT. The Pratt family of New
town Square, Pennsylvania, of whom David
Pratt is a worthy representative, trace their an
cestry back to Abraham De Pratt, who came from
France to America, obtained a deed of land in
Dublin, Pennsylvania, where he settled. His
death occurred in 1709, and he left a will that
was recorded October 24, 1709, bequeathing his
property to his son.

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

207

Joseph Pratt, son of Abraham De Pratt, seems
to have dropped the prefix which his father used,
for the family name has been henceforth known
as Pratt. He purchased a farm in Edgemont,
Delaware county, on which he erected the Pratt
homestead, which at his death was bequeathed
to his son. On May 9, 1717, he married Sarah
Edwards, a daughter of William Edwards, of
Middletown, Pennsylvania. Their children were :
Alice, Ann, Sarah, Rose, Priscilla, and Joseph
Pratt. Joseph Pratt, only son of Joseph and Sarah
Pratt, in 1767 purchased two hundred and fifty
acres of land in Marple, for which he paid forty-
one pounds, seven shillings and two pence, and
to which he gave the name of Springtown. He
married Jane Davis, daughter of David and Jane
(Jones) Davis, and granddaughter of Ellis
Davis. The following named children were born
to them: Abraham, Sarah, Jane, Joseph, David,
Mary, Priscilla and Thomas Pratt.
David Pratt, son of Joseph and Jane Pratt,
was born June 12, 1756, and after his father's
death, he settled on the Springtown property,
and changed the name to Springton. He devoted
his entire time and attention to the improvement
and cultivation of the land. In his religious belief
he was an earnest follower of the tenets of the
Quaker faith, being an elder in the Newtown
Friends' Meeting. He was united in marriage
to Lydia Hooper, daughter of John and Christina
(Reynolds) Hooper, of West Chester, Pennsyl
vania. Their children were : John, David, Joseph,
Jane, Abraham, Jeremiah, Henry, Lydia, Chris
tina, Sophia, Randall and David Pratt.
David Pratt, son of David and Lydia Pratt,
was born, in Marple township, February 20, 1809,
and reared upon the old homestead. He fol
lowed the usual customs of the young men of
that time, attending school and assisting with the
work upon the farm, and subsequently settled
upon a portion of his father's farm in Newtown,
which he cultivated to a high state of perfection.
He married Tamer Lewis, daughter of John
Lewis; she was born January 26, 1810. Their
children were: John L., born November 13, 1837,
died July 9, 1884 ; David, born November 7, 1840,
and Ruth A. T. Mr. Pratt died February 20,
1882, his wife having died January 26, of the
same year.
David Pratt, son pf David and Tamer Pratt,
was bprn in Newtown, Pennsylvania, Npvember
7, 1840, and after attending the village school, he
pursued a course of study at Foulk's Boarding
School, and completed his education at the Nor
mal Schools in Millersville and West Chester.
After completing his studies he returned to his
father's farm and assisted with the work until
1869, when he started marketing for himself; he
followed this occupation for fifteen years, or until
14 x

1884, when he disposed of the old property
which had come to him by inheritance on the
death of his father in 1882. At that time he
inherited through his grandfather, John Lewis, a
part of the William Lewis homestead, which in
cluded the farm sold to William Marks in 1891,
and Mr. Pratt's present farm in Central Square,
which consists of sixty acres of ground, where he
has since continued to raise a general line of gar
den produce. The old home was the headquarters
of Washington at one time, and the old place
standing at the cross roads Pn the farm, was an
early tavern from which it is said that Sandy
Flash once escaped when pursued by twenty men.
Mr. Pratt has always taken an active interest
in town affairs, and has served nearly twenty
years as auditor, always refusing all other offices..
In state politics he has always voted a Repub
lican ticket, but he is also a strong Prohibition
ist, having devoted considerable time to the ad-
vocacy of the cause of temperance. In his re
ligion he is an earnest and consistent member
of the Friends' Meeting. .
On October 15, 1872, Mr. Pratt married Sarah
Ann Jones, a daughter of Benjamin and Sarah A..
(Esbin) Jones, whose children were Jesse E., de
ceased ; Anna M. ; Chalkley, deceased ; Benjamin,.
deceased ; Edwin ; Sarah A. ; Esther H., de
ceased ; John Sharpless, and Emma F.
The children of David and Sarah A. ( Jones )>
Pratt are John Walter, born August 30, 1873,
died January 23, 1890; Ruth A. T., born March
31, 1878.

JAMES PATCHEL, a well known citizen
of Gradyville, Pennsylvania, was born in Lower
Merion, January 28, 1845. He was the first of
seven children born to James and Elizabeth
(Gravel) Patchel, the others being as follows:
William H., deceased; George M., who married-
Portia Pennington, by whom he has two children •.
Ellen, wife of Joseph Blythe, who is the mother
of four children ; Mary, wife of William Supplee ;
Annie, wife of Rinewalt Supplee, by whom she
has had three children ; Rebecca, unmarried.
James Patchel acquired his education in the-
public schools at Radnor. For ten years he lived
on the Tryon Lewis farm, and then removed to
Edgemont, his father's place, and went to the
Friends' School at Sugartown. After completing
his studies he assisted his father about the farm
until his marriage, when he went to Radnor,.
where he remained only one year on David Abra
ham's place. He then rented two farms, consist
ing of two hundred and thirty-five acres, of
Joseph Taylor, which he cultivated for six years;
from here he went to Willistown, renting a farm
of one hundred and twenty acres belonging to
Joseph Roberts. Here he remained a short timev

208

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

and then went to Newtown, on the Milton Lewis
farm, where he remained for two years. His
next move was to Easttown, Chester county,
where he spent another year, and from there re
turned to Edgemont and purchased one of the
farms belonging to Joseph Taylor, consisting of
one hundred and twenty acres, and which he had
previously occupied. This property he still
operates, carrying on general farming, and doing
a thriving business in dairy produce, making
about one hundred pounds of butter weekly.
Politically Mr. Patchel has always been a
staunch adherent of the Democratic party, and
while he takes a keen interest in matters of public
interest, national, state and local, he has never oc
cupied public office, having no desire for political
prominence. Mr. Patchel has been twice married, his first
wife having been Sallie Cloud, a daughter of
William and Annie (Pearson) Cloud, whom he
married on February 17, 1870; her death oc
curred June 9, 1888 ; she left a family of five chil
dren: Lizzie'P., born June 1, 1871, wife of Hor
ace Bishop, by whom she had one child, Oscar
Bishop; William H., born December 23, 1873;
Ellwood, born March 19, 1879, married Eva
Baker; Anna Cloud, born December 10, 1881,
and James, born June 19, 1883. His second
marriage occurred on November 28, 1891, to
Lydia H. Thomas, daughter of Emmor and Han
nah (Fairlamb) Thomas, of Goshen, Chester
county. She was one of a family of five children,
the others being Isaac, who married Anna Rus
sell; Mary F. ; Anna T., who married David
Windle, and has six children; and Susan H.
Thomas, who married Samuel Reno, and has a
family of six children.

ALEXANDER JOHNSON, the son of
Alexander and Sarah P. (Esery) Johnson, was
born in Montgomery county, Pennsylvania, Sep
tember 27, 1844. Alexander Johnson, Sr., was
a son of Aaron Johnson, one of the early resi
dents of Pennsylvania.
Alexander Johnson, Jr., was brought up on
his father's farm, and during his early life at
tended the common schools. He lived in Mont
gomery county until his marriage in 1867, to
Sophia, daughter of Philip Moore, of Marple,
Pennsylvania. After his marriage, he lived one
year in Philadelphia county, then removed to
Concord township, Delaware county, where he
remained seventeen years. He bought the old
Fawks Homestead at Marple in 1884, and re
sided there until his death, which occurred Oc
tober 18, 1899. The farm he purchased con
tained more than one hundred acres which he
cultivated and improved. He was one of the
most prosperous farmers in that vicinity, having

had long experience in agriculture. He was a
member of George Bartram Lodge, A. F. and
A. M., of Media, Pennsylvania.
The children of Alexander and Sophia
(Moore) Johnson were named as follows:
Mary, Sarah, Annie, who married George Esery,
and whose two children are Joseph and Alexan
der, Hannah, Margaret, the wife of C. R. Davis,
and Gertrude Johnson.

JONATHAN WOLFENDEN. The Wolf
enden family of Cardington, in Upper Darby
township, Delaware county, originated in Royton,
a village near Oldham, in Lancashire, England.
The progenitor of the American branch of the
family was James Wolfenden, who married Mary
Taylor of Royton, near Oldham, where all their
nine children were born. James Wolfenden (1),
born August 12, 1795, had learned the art of
weaving cloth, which he pursued for some time
in England in connection with his farming inter
ests. Some time before the demise of his wife,
who died at Royton, December 22, 1848, in her
fifty-second year, he emigrated to the United
States in company with his son Jonathan, and
after, a brief period he returned to England. In
185 1 he returned to the United States and settled
at Avondale, Delaware county, where he resided
for some time, then removing to Cardington,
where he spent the remaining years of his life
with his children, and passed away November 1,
1868. He was a conscientious and just man in
all his affairs, and at the time of his death it was
justly said that he bore the ill-will of none, and
enjoyed the respect of all who knew him. His
wife was Mary Taylor, a daughter of John and
Esther (Park) Taylor, both natives of England,
the former of Royton, Lancashire, and the latter
of Yorkshire. John Taylor had learned the vari
ous arts entering into the manufacture of cloths,
and was engaged in the manufacturing business
in his native town, and he was the first to invent
and perfect the picker now used in the looms in
connection with the shuttle, for weaving cloth.
Of the marriage of James and Mary (Taylor)
Wolfenden were born nine children who at
tained years of maturity, and all came to the
United States. They were as follows :
1. Thomas, born May 13, 1818, and died July
T7< T&75 ; he married Ellen Mnsker, daughter of
John and Ann Musker, and their children were:
John, who died at Darby ; James, who died in
England ; Jonathan ; Mary Alice ; Isaiah, who
died at Avondale, Delaware county ; and Thomas
T. Wolfenden. The mother of this family, Ellen
(Musker) . Wolfenden, was born in 1822, and
died January 30, 1884. 2. Esther Park, born
May 12, 1821, and died March 31, 1900 ; she mar
ried William Baldwin, a native of England, who

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

209

died April 23, 1903 ; they had no issue. 3. Mally,
who married Oliver Holt, of Springfield town
ship ; she died in childbirth with her first born ;
4. Jonathan, whose name introduces this narra
tive; 5. Betty, who married Thomas Marshall, a
native of Royton, England ; she died leaving four
children — John, Mary, Jonathan and Taylor; 6.
Grace, who married John Normington, a native
of England, and has five children : Mary ; Horace,
deceased; Elizabeth and Emily, both deceased,
and Sarah. 7. James, born September 21, 1835
and died December 26, 1889, married Mary
Shore, who was a daughter of Thomas and Mary
(Brierley) Shore, and his children are: Hannah,
(Mrs. Charles Shurtleff, of Philadelphia, who
has three children) ; Mary, (Mrs. David Cott-
rell, of Hammonton, New Jersey) ; and John
Taylor, who married Pherenna Boyer. James
Wolfenden, who was born September 21, 1835,
died December 26, 1889, and his wife, Mary
(Shore) Wolfenden, survives him. Mr. Wolf
enden was connected with the firm of Wolfenden,
Shore & Co., until the time of his death. 8. Han
nah, who married Joseph Holt, who was a na
tive of England, and to them were born two chil
dren: Ann Graham, who married Willie Law,
and Mary Emily, who died aged six years. 9.
Taylor Wolfenden, who married Jane Moore-
house, and had seven children : Mary Ann and
Sarah, both deceased ; Mary Taylor, Emma Jane,
Floretta and Esther. The father of this family
died July 26, 1892, and his widow still survives
him. Jonathan Wolfenden, the fourth child and
second son of James and Mary (Taylor) Wolfen
den, was born at the village of Royton, near
Oldham, Lancashire, England, October 16, 1827.
He had learned the art of spinning yarns and
weaving cloth during his boyhood years, and pur
sued that line of work in the land of his nativity
until 1848, when, at the age of twenty-one years,
he decided to come to America, hoping to find a
broader field for his skill and labor. He accord
ingly embarked from Liverpool in company with
his father on the good ship "Saranac," and after a
voyage of five weeks landed in Philadelphia.
Finding themselves in a strange land, without
friends and but little capital, the son at once
sought for employment, but did not meet with
immediate success, owing to the depression in
business which prevailed at that time, and the fact
that many of the troops returning from the Mexi
can war at that time were given preference by
many of the leading employers in Philadelphia
and vicinity. The young man was not to be dis
couraged, however, and was undaunted in his de
termination to succeed. He made his way on foot
to Pottsville, Schuylkill county, Pennsylvania,
but there his hopes for securing employment
were not realized, and he finally returned to Phila

delphia, fatigued and crestfallen, but none the less
determined to find employment, which he finally
secured in a cloth mill at Mill Creek, Montgom
ery county. He worked there for some time
under adverse conditions, and finally wishing to
improve his opportunities, he came to Chester,
Delaware county, where he obtained permanent
employment with Mr. Simeon Lord, at Avondale,
in the same county. Here the young weaver met
and later married' his wife, and here also were
born his sons, Taylor, Thomas and John. Upon
the closing down of Simeon Lord's mill, owing to
business failure, Mr. Wolfenden found employ
ment at the Oliver Holt mill, in Springfield town
ship. In 1855 he went to Parksburg, Chester
county, where he was employed by Charles Shore,
an uncle of his wife.
In 1856 Mr. Wolfenden, with his brother
James and his brother-in-law Jesse Shore, came
to Cardington, and here with their united effort
they engaged in the manufacture of woolen yarns
under the firm name of Wolfenden, Shore &
Company. The combined capital of the firm
being limited, they were only able to purchase
one set of carding machines, one spinning mule
and one picking machine, and with this equip
ment and a stock of one bag of wool, they began
business. From this humble beginning these
pioneer spinners and weavers, by their united and
well directed efforts, succeeded in building up one
of the most important enterprises of its kind in
Delaware county, furnishing employment to an
aggregate of four hundred skilled operatives. The
establishment proved of vast benefit to the vil
lage and neighborhood, and, indeed, it may be said
in all truthfulness that the village of Cardington
owes its growth and development to the enter
prise and progressiveness of the founders of the
firm of Wolfenden, Shore & Company. It is
furthermore to be stated that Jonathan Wolfen
den, the senior member of the firm, contributed
in so small degree, by his indefatigable energy and
perseverance to the successful establishment and
conduct of the manufactory with which he has
been connected from its inception, and of which
he has long been president. While he has been
thus vastly serviceable to the community, he has
also contributed to its prosperity by his intelligent
and public-spirited effort along all material and
moral lines, and has liberaly aided every laudable
effort and enterprise. In 1888, after the death of
Jesse Shore, which occurred in March, 1887, the
firm became and has since been known as Wolf
enden, Shore & Company, Limited, and is now
being conducted by the descendants of the orig
inal founders.
Mr. Wolfenden was married, at Chester, to
Sarah Shore, daughter of Thomas and Mary
(Brierley) Shore. Of this union have been born
the following children: 1. Taylor, born March 5,

2IO

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

1850 ; he married Emma Cottrell, and their chil
dren are Mary A. ; Jonathan, who died in child
hood ; and Jonathan Lincoln Elmer ; 2. Thomas,
born January 10, 1851, died May 9, 1868, at the
age of seventeen years; 3. John, born May 12,
1852 ; he married Anna S. Cottrell and his chil
dren are Bertha and Sarah. 4. Mary Shore, born
February 19, 1858; she married David Henry,
and to them was born a son, Harry Lincoln, born
January 22, 1883 ; her husband died April 7, 1890,
and she married, (secondly) Thomas T. Wolf en-
den. 5. Jonathan Lincoln, born May 12, 1861 ; he
married Martha Robinson, and to them were
born two children, Mary Shore, and Taylor, who
died aged six years.
Sarah (Shore) Wolfenden, the mother of this
family was born July 31, 1829, and died Septem
ber 14, 1888. She was a most estimable lady of
the old school type, possessed of those ex
cellences of character which mark the real wife
and mother. Her death was deeply deplored, and
among her sincere mourners were many who had
been the recipients of her liberal but unostenta
tious bounty in times of sorrow and need.

JOSEPH LEEDOM, the son of Joseph B.
and Mary Maris (Worrell) Leedom, was born
in Upper Darby, Delaware county, Pennsyl
vania, January 2, 1827. His grandfather, John
Leedom was a native of Bucks county, Penn
sylvania, and his two brothers, Daniel and Ed
ward, settled in Delaware county, founding a
homestead in Upper Darby. John Leedom, the
grandfather of Joseph Leedom, settled in Merion
township, Montgomery county. Pennsylvania,
where he followed farming and spent the re
maining years of his life and died in 1842. He
married Miss Bond, and they had seven children,
Charles, Joseph B., John, Elizabeth, Samuel,
Esther and Ruth Anna.
Joseph B., the son of John Leedom, was born
in Montgomery county, Pennsylvania, in March,
1796. He was brought up on a farm, and from
1828 until his death, which occurred in March,
1864, he engaged in the miller's trade, having
operated a grist and saw mill on Darby creek
in Haverford township. He was of Quaker de
scent, and was an elder in the meeting of the
Society of Friends. He was interested in pol
itics to some extent, and was an old time Whig,
afterward joining the Republican party. He
married Mary Maris Worrell, a daughter of
Elisha Worrell, of Springfield township, Dela
ware county, Pennsylvania. Their children were
Mira W., who married Charles Worrell, and
who died some years later; John, deceased;
Maris W., deceased; and Joseph. The mother
of this family, Mary M. (Worrell) Leedom, died
in August, 1865, m her eightieth year.

Joseph Leedom, the youngest child of Joseph
B. and Mary Maris (Worrell) Leedom, spent his
boyhood years under the parental roof in Haver
ford township, Delaware county. His education
was obtained in the public schools and at Joseph
Faulk's Friends' school in Montgomery county.
He learned themiller's trade and succeeded his fa
ther in the business, being in partnership with
his brothers. Subsequently, he carried on the
grist mill alone. In 1868 he purchased a farm
near Manoa, Haverford township, and has made- <
farming his business up to the present time. He
has held numerous county and town offices, hav
ing been secretary and treasurer of the West.
Chester Pike for several years, director of the
poor for thirteen years, and a school director for
a long period. He was brought up in the Quaker
faith, and is an elder in the Society of Friends.
He was married in 1852 to Emily, daughter
of Jonathan and Naoma (Parsons) Pyle, of
Delaware county. They have had six children:
1. Amanda R., who died at the age of twenty-two-
years; 2. William P., of Haverford, Delaware
county, who married Louisiana Enoch, and they
are the parents of two sons: Harry T. and El
wood B., deceased; 3. Joseph B., who married
Emma Tyson, and their children are: Mary
Ethel, Joseph and Ira, deceased; 4. George
Towman, who died aged sixteen years; 5. John
L., who resides at home ; 6. L. Walter, who mar
ried S. Zaidee Thornbury, and they have one
child, Emily Prudence Leedom.

HUGH SAVAGE, of Manoa, Pennsylvania,
was born in county Antrim, Ireland, April 3,
1846. His parents were Hugh and Margaret
(McCandless) Savage, and his mother was a
daughter of Thomas and Jane McCandless, who
were of Scotch ancestry. The father was a
son of Hugh and Jane (Mitchell) Savage,.
natives of county Derry, Ireland.
The parents of Hugh Savage came to this
country soon after he had settled here, about
1874, bringing with them the six remaining chil
dren. They had born to them in all twelve chil
dren, viz: 1. Hugh, who is hereinafter writ
ten of; 2. Jane, who was married to James P.
Gallagher ; 3. Alexander, unmarried, who was
graduated from the Reform Presbyterian Sem
inary of Philadelphia, and is now a pastor at
Darlington, Beaver county, Pennsylvania; 4. .
Martha, who married John Parkhill; 5-6. Will
iam George and Thomas Henry, who were twins ; .
William George married Elizabeth McClure,
and Thomas Henry died unmarried, November
2, 1881 ; 7. James Lyle, who is single; 8. Mar
garet, who married William Wilkins ; 9. Mary, .
who became the wife of Charles Hunter; 10.
Hannah, now the wife of James Anderson; 11. .

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

211

Ttachel, who married Samuel P. Cosgrove; 12.
John W. Savage, unmarried.
The Savage family settled in Pennsylvania,
where they lived without being separated until
the death of the father. He was a just and
-conscientious man and was held in high esteem
in the neighborhood. He was survived by his
wife, who is now residing in Philadelphia, Penn
sylvania, and by eleven of the children, who are
living in different parts of Pennsylvania and
New Jersey.
Hugh Savage, the eldest of the children 01
.Hugh and Margaret (McCandless) Savage,
eame to America from Ireland and landed in
Philadelphia, May 14, 1865, being the second
member of the family to emigrate, his sister
Jane having come in August, 1864. He en
tered the employ of Robert Craig, at Upper
Darby, Delaware county, Pennsylvania, and for
three years was engaged in the milk business,
becoming so familiar with its details that he
bought the route and continued the business for
twenty-three years, and was entirely successful
in his undertaking. By strict attention to busi
ness he has increased his trade and has accumul
ated considerable property. In 1879 he pur
chased the farm at Manoa where he now resides.
Through his business relations he has become
well known in that section, and he has been of
-practical service to the community, taking an
-active interest in all measures calculated to ad
vance the cause of education and other important
¦community interests: He served for three years
as supervisor of the township, and discharged
the duties of the position with signal ability
-and strict fidelity to the trusts committed to him.
He has given to political affairs the attention
which a true citizen should, and his affiliations
have been with the Republican party. He is a
•member of the Presbyterian church.
Mr. Savage was married, November 25,
1868, to Elizabeth Jane, daughter of Andrew
and Jane (Ramsey) Lockhart. They have seven
children: 1. Andrew, born April 16, 1870, and
died April 27, following ; 2.' Hugh, born October
2, 1871; he married Mary W. McAllister, and
they have one child, Hugh Gilmore, born July
4, 1902; 3. Alexander, born September 18, 1873,
who married M. Olive Collins, and has three
-children, viz : Alexander, born April 16, 1900 ;
Anna May, born May 24, 1901, and Samuel
•George, born November 14, 1902; 4. Jane R.,
"born September 14, 1875 ; 5. John L., born Sep
tember 17, 1877; 6. Thomas H., born March 3,
1880; 7. Elizabeth, born April 29, 1882; 8. Anna
E., born September 7, 1884, who is a graduate
¦of the West Chester State Normal School and
is teaching at Norwood, Delaware county, Penn
sylvania.

JOHN REESE LEWIS, who was for many
years a leading manufacturer of Delaware coun
ty, was a representative of a family which had
been for several generations closely identified
with the agricultural and manufacturing inter
ests of the county. His great-grandfather was
William Lewis, whose son, John, married Jane
Farh. Edward Lewis, son of John and Jane (Farh)
Lewis, was born in Haverford township, where
he was reared to the milling business and later
removed to Springfield, where he engaged in the
manufacture of paper, naming the place Wall
ingford. After conducting this business for
some time he removed to what is known as the
Ashbridge mills, where he remained until the
death of his father-in-law, Isaac Levis, after
which event he returned to the Levis homestead,
which contained many mill sites on Ridley creek.
Here he conducted the milling business on an
extensive scale with his brother-in-law, Seth
Levis, until the freshet of August, 1843, in which
his whole milling property was washed away.
This great disaster failed, to discourage the en
terprising and persevering spirit of Mr. Lewis,
who straightway applied himself to the task, of
rebuilding his saw and grist mills. These he
conducted in connection with farming the re
mainder of his days. In politics Mr. Lewis was
an old-line Whig. He served as county com
missioner and director of the poor, and was a
member of the Hicksite branch of the Society
of Friends. Mr. Lewis married Esther, daughter of Isaac
and Esther (Pancoast) Levis, and they were the
parents of the following children: Isaac L.,
Hannah A., William L., John Reese, mentioned
at length hereinafter, Phcebe Ann and Edward,
Jr. Mr. Lewis died at the age of eighty, in 1850.
John Reese Lewis, son of Edward and Esther
(Levis) Lewis, was born in 1799, in Middle-
town township, Delaware county, and was edu
cated in the Friends' School. On reaching man
hood he became associated with his father and
brothers in their business of paper manufactur
ing, at Ridley creek and settled on Crum creek
after his marriage. Later he took charge of the
paper mills on Ridley creek, with his brother,
which they conducted until 1843, after which he
engaged in the saw mill business in association
with his brothers William and Edward. On the
death of the father in 1850, Mr. Lewis came into
possession of a share of the paternal estate, on
which he built in 1850 the house in which his
children 'now live, and where he lived until his
death. Here he passed the remainder of his
days, in the enjoyment of the affection of his
family, and the well merited esteem and confi
dence of his neighbors.

21 2

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

Mr. Lewis married, in 1832, Hannah, daugh
ter of Levi and Ellen H. (Meredith) Wells, of
Chester Valley, Chester county. Their eldest
child, Isaac L., was born in 1834, educated in
the public schools, and in Mr. Parker's private
school, and was afterward employed for some
years in a clerical capacity by the Pennsylvania
Railroad. In 1879 he entered the employ of the
Denver & Rio Grande Railroad, in Colorado,
located at Denver, there remained for four years,
and on his return settled on the old homestead.
The other children of Mr. and Mrs. Lewis are :
Ellen Meredith, Esther Levis, Sarah Fallon,
Mary Passmore and Christopher Fallon, who
leads the life of a farmer on the homestead.
The family attend the meetings of the Society
of Friends. Mrs. Lewis died in September,
1875, and her husband passed away in May,
1879. Both left the memory of long, useful and
beneficent lives, and died rich in the affection
and esteem of a large circle of friends.

JOSEPH GIBBONS, for many years a lead
ing farmer and prominent citizen of Delaware
county, belonged to a family of English origin,
which for more than two centuries has been rep
resented in the counties of Chester and Delaware.
His grandfather and his father both bore the
name of Joseph. The latter, who was born in
1770 on the homestead which is now the property
of his grandson, followed the occupation of a
farmer, making a specialty of stock grazing. He
was a man of rare judgment and was frequently
placed by his townsmen in positions calling for
the exercise of clerical duties. He was a member.
of the Society of Friends. He married Lydia
Dicks, of Providence township, and was the
father of the following children : John, George,
James, Humhprey, William, Ann, who became
the wife of Edward Fell, Jane, Sarah, who mar
ried David Worrell, Elizabeth, who was the wife
of Frederick Faieland, Lydia, who married Mor
ris Roberts, and Joseph, mentioned hereinafter.
Mr. Gibbons died in 1853.
Joseph Gibbons, Jr., son of Joseph and Lydia
(Dicks) Gibbons, was born August 20, 1799, on
the homestead in Springfield township, and was
educated in the Friends' Select School. From
early life he assisted in the labor of the paternal
farm, subsequently cultivating the land on shares
until the death of his father, when the estate be
came his by inheritance. He devoted himself
mainly, as his father had done, to cattle grazing.
Though devoting his life to the labors of an ag
riculturist, Mr. Gibbons was a man of much busi
ness ability and in all commercial transactions
in which he was concerned was not less known
for integrity and scrupulous honesty, than for
executive sagacity and soundness of judgment.

His thorough acquaintance with all matters per
taining to agricultural science, together with his
practical knowledge, combined to make him one
of the most successful farmers in the county. He
was one of the directors of the Delaware County
Bank, of Chester. In politics he was a Whig, and
later a Republican, and filled at various times, ow
ing to the solicitation of his neighbors, a number
of township offices. In religious matters he ad
hered to the faith of his ancestors, which was that
of the Society of Friends.
Mr. Gibbons married Hananh B., daughter of
Joseph and Elizabeth Powell, of Springfield.
Eight children were born to them: Joseph P.,
who resides on the homestead, and is a prom
inent business man in the financial affairs 01 Dela
ware county ; John, deceased ; George, deceased ;
William, deceased; Lydia; Mary E. ; Sally P.;.
and Emma. Mr. Gibbons was no less beloved
for his generous instincts, his judicious liberality,
and his genial and kindly nature than he was re
spected for his strict integrity and unswerving-
honesty. His death occurred December 1, 1882,
and his wife passed away one year, four months
and twenty-one days later.

MAURICE M. DICKINSON, a leading
farmer of Delaware county, is the bearer of
a name celebrated in the annals of Pennsyl
vania as that of a Revolutionary patriot, and
the founder of Dickinson College. William
Dickinson, father of Maurice M. Dickinson,
was born in Delaware county, and whv.n a
boy learned the wheelwright's trade. In 1855
he went to Marple, where he followed his trade
for many years, making his home in Broomall,
and purchased the farm where his son, Maurice,
was born. He was a Republican in politics, and
for many years filled the office of school director. •
He married Louisa Mattsinger, and was the
father of eleven children, nine of whom are
still living: Eliza, who married George Shelling-
ford, and is now deceased; Mary, who is the
wife of A. C. Sloane ; John, who is a resident of
Broomall; William, who resides in Springfield;
Annie, who is the wife of Maurice Morris, of
Fernwood ; Ida,^ who married Sharpless Novell,
and is now deceased; Hannah, who is the wife
of Josiah Longstreth, of Norristown; Charles,
who resides in Broomall ; Maurice, mentioned at
length hereinafter; Walter, who lives at Marple
Glen, Montgomery county; and Howard, who
resides in Broomall. William Dickinson, the
father of this family, died in 1889.
Maurice M. Dickinson, ninth child of William
and Louisa (Mattsinger) Dickinson, was born
November 25, i860, in Marple township, and
passed his boyhood on the farm where, with the
exception of a few years, he has always resided^

C*f%- -\

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

213

This farm, where he makes a specialty of dairy
ing, consists of forty-eight acres, and is one of
the most flourishing dairy farms in the county.
In politics, Mr. Dickinson adheres to the Repub
lican party, and since 1894 has served as school
director. Mr. Dickinson married, December 14, 1882,
Anna, daughter of Samuel and Margaret How
ard, of Milton, Chittenden county, Vermont. Mr.
and Mrs. Dickinson are the parents of two chil
dren: Josephine, born October 21, 1885; and
William M., born January 21, 1891.

GEORGE F. BLACK was born in Marple,
Delaware county, Pennsylvania, July 20, 1839.
His parents were Samuel V. and Elizabeth T.
(Horton) Black. Samuel V. Black was born on
the old Black homestead in 1801, being descended
on his father's side from an old Pennsylvania
family. He worked on his father's farm until
1827, when he married Miss Elizabeth T. Horton
who was born in Newtown, Pennsylvania. Her
father was John Horton who was a descendant
of Barnabas Horton, one of the earliest inhabi
tants of Southold, Long Island.
After their marriage, Samuel Black and his
wife moved to Marple, where they soon became
prominent in the social life of the place. Mr.
Black was a farmer but had time and inclination
for many interests outside of agriculture. He
was an honored and respected member of the
community, and always aided and encouraged
every good cause. He was one of the founders
of the Marple Presbyterian church, and was one
of its most active workers until his death which
occurred in 1851. His family consisted of eight
children, named as follows :
1. John Horton, the oldest son, now living in
Philadelphia, married Hannah Moore of Rad
nor, Delaware county, Pennsylvania; they had
three children, Emma, Eliza, and Samuel Sher
wood, who died when twenty-one year of age.
2. Catherine, who married Lewis Morris Lewis,
and they were the parents of two children, one
of whom died in infancy. 3. William V., who al
ways lived on the Black homestead, and died at
the age of sixty-three years. 4. Samuel V., who en
listed in the Civil war, serving as captain in the
Ninety-seventh Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry.
He was at one time a prisoner in Andersonville
prison. He remained in the army until the close
of the war, when he was discharged, having won
an honorable record for long and valuable service.
After the war was over he like many others was
attracted to the west. In 1869 the Pacific Rail
road was opened, forming a connecting link be
tween the east and west, and this in itself was a
sufficient inducement for many to develop western
industries and resources. Samuel Black never

returned to the east, but engaged in western trade
until his death which occurred December 27,
1900. 5. Henry H., of Glen Olden, Delaware
county, married Helen Lawrence. They had two
children, Elizabeth who became the wife of Mr.
Gershon, and Florence who married Dr. Gal
lagher of Glen Olden. Henry H. Black was a
member of the One Hundred and Twenty-fourth
Regiment under Colonel Hawley, which was or
ganized to repel the threatened invasion of Gen
eral Lee. 6. George F., mentioned hereinafter.
7. Elizabeth, who married Charles J. Esrey ; they
had a daughter Margaret, and a son George, who
married Ann Johnson, and their two children
were Joseph and Alexander. Mrs. Esrey died
some time ago. 8. Bernard, who was the youngest
child of the family.
George F. Black, the fifth son of Samuel V.
and Elizabeth T. Black, lived on the farm in
Marple until 1862, when he served for one year
in the Civil war, being enrolled in the Twenty-
eighth Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry. He
fought in the battle of Gettysburg which took
place in July, 1863, and his performance of all
military duties gained for him honorable men
tion when he received his discharge in September
of that year. He was married, in 1867, to Miss
Sarah Elizabeth Moore, who was the daughter of
Philip Moore, a resident of Marple. For nine
years after his marriage he lived in Concord,
Pennsylvania. On the death of his mother in
1876, he bought the homestead in Marple, where
he has since resided. He has been prosperous
in his chosen occupation, and is known as a
successful agriculurist throughout that part of the
state. He is a regular attendant of the Presbyterian
church, and is interested in promoting its many
schemes for usefulness that originated in his
father's time. His wife died in 1893 at their
home in Marple, Pennsylvania.

WILLIAM COATES CONRAD. In the
early settlement and subsequent history of Penn
sylvania the ancestors of William C. Conrad
were prominent. His paternal grandfather,
Matthew Conrad, from small beginnings in the
boot and shoe business built up a large whole
sale trade, which he carried on at Strawberry and
Market streets, Philadelphia, and at the time of
his death was considered one of the wealthy
merchants of that city. His business became
very extensive during the Civil war. Matthew
and Martha Conrad were the parents of the fol
lowing children : William, deceased ; Sarah, the
wife of William Edwards ; Mary, the wife of
Henry Hoppin; Caroline, who became the wife
of William Potter and is now deceased; Eliza
beth, the deceased wife of William Wells; and

214

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

George Washington. The last named, who be
came the father of our subject, was born in Phila
delphia, and eventually succeeded to the whole
sale shoe business of his father, which he carried
on successfully, for many years. His death oc
curred on the 28th of February, 1868.
For his wife George W. Conrad chose Sarah
Ann Fackney, who was also born in Philadelphia,
on the 1 6th of July, 1824, and her death occurred
February 19, 1902. Her grandfather came to
this country during the Revolutionary war. He
was a native of Scotland, where he was a very
wealthy man and vessel owner, and the voyage to
this country was made in one of his own ships,
which he took up the Sassafras river. During the
Revolutionary war his sympathies were with the
colonists, and, wishing to join their army, he
abandoned and scuttled his ship, and in order to
conceal his identity from the British and protect
his property interests in Scotland he assumed the
name of John Fackney. What his rightful name
was is not known to his descendants. After the
close of the war he located in Cecil county, Mary
land, where the grandfather of our subject was
born. He also bore the name of John Fackney,
and by his marriage to Margaret Kohn became
the father of five children, as follows : Mary, who
became the wife of William Emhart, and is now
deceased; Sarah Ann, the mother of our subject;
Celeste, the deceased wife of William Edgar;
Margaret Jane, who married John C. Beatty, and
has also passed away; and William M., who
served as a soldier in Anderson's Cavalry during
the Civil war, and is still unmarried. Unto
George Washington and Sarah Ann (Fackney)
Conrad were born six children, namely : Sarah,
who died in childhood; Mathew, who married
Annie Kater, by whom he had two children,
Frederick and Mary Ann, and the parents and
children are all deceased, the father dying when
forty-two years of age ; Sally, who is still unmar
ried, and makes her home in Virginia ; George
Washington, who died in childhood ; Lillian, who
also died in childhood ; and William Coates,
whose name introduces this review.
William Coates Conrad was born in Elwyn,
Pennsylvania, in the house in which he now re
sides, on the 21st of September, 1865. His ele
mentary education was received in a private
school at Media, Pennsylvania, after which he
matriculated in Shortlidge's Academy, also of
that borough, and later entered the Lawrenceville
classical and commercial high school. Return
ing thence to his home, he there remained until
his marriage, when he removed to an adjoining
farm, of which he then became owner, and on
which he remained for nine years, returning on
the expiration of that period to his old home and
birthplace, where he still resides. The tilling of
the soil has been his life occupation, and in this

line he has met with a high degree of success.
His political affiliations are with the Republican
party, and for one year he served as a school
director. In his social- relations he is a member
of the Patrons of Husbandry, and at the present
time is serving as master of Brookhaven Grange,
No. 1 173, of Media, Pennsylvania. Although
not a member of any religious denomination his
sympathies are with the Episcopal church.
The marriage of Mr. Conrad was celebrated
on the ist of March, 1892, by the Rev. C. H.
Hibbard, when Edith May Hergesheimer became
his wife. She was born in Germantown, Penn
sylvania, October 7, 1870. Her paternal grand
parents were William Henry and Hannah
(Stout) Hergesheimer, and they had three chil
dren, all now living: William Henry, the father
of Mrs. Conrad; Mary Hinkle, who married
James Gosline, and had seven children, four
now living; and Susan, who is unmarried. On
the 27th of February, 1868, William Henry
Hergesheimer, Jr., married Anna Cass, and they
had three children, namely: Hannah Mary, who
was born March 31, 1869, and died in infancy;
Edith May, the wife of our subject ; and Flor
ence Taylor, who was born January 28, 1875. The
father of this family served throughout the period
of the Civil war in Anderson's Cavalry, having
enlisted for service in Pennsylvania. The ma
ternal grandfather of Mrs. Conrad was Moses
Taylor Cass, who was born in Concord, New
Hampshire, July 29, 1821, a son of Burrack and
Ruth Cass, and his death occurred January 23,
1888. On the 13th of August, 1845, he was
united in marriage to Mary Springer Pierce, who
was born June 9, 1823, and was a daughter of
George and Catherine Pierce. Four children
were born of this union, as follows : George Cass,
who was born May 10, 1847, and died August
17, 1895, after becoming the father of three chil
dren, two now living; Anna, the mother of Mrs.
Conrad, and who was born April 23, 1849, and
died March 29, 1897; Jesse, who was born July
31, 1851, and died October 25, 1873, unmarried;
and Jennie Chipman, who was born January 13,
1855, and died October 30, 1878. Thus it will
be seen that the ancestors of both Mr. and Mrs.
Conrad have long been identified with the inter
ests of the Keystone state, and they are worthy
representatives of honored old families.

JOSEPH BISHOP. As one reviews the
history of the county and looks into the past
to see who were prominent in its early develop
ment, he will find that almost throughout the
entire century the name of Bishop has been
closely connected with the progress and advance
ment of this section. For the long period of

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

215

seventy-nine years, Joseph Bishop has been a
resident of Delaware cpunty, and during all
these years he has been prominently identified
with the history of this section, and now in his
declining years he is practically living retired,
¦crowned with the veneration and respect which
should ever be accorded an honorable old age.
Mr. Bishop was born in the old Bishop
homestead in Upper Providence township, Del
aware county, on the 6th of October, 1823. His
father, Randal Bishop, was a leader and an active
worker in the Society of Friends, and much of
his life was given to the advancement of Chris
tianity among men. He married Maria Massie,
-of Chester county, Pennsylvania, and they became
the parents of seven children, namely: Sarah
P., deceased; Lydia M., who became the wife
-of Maris E. Taylor ; Elizabeth L., wife of Pres
ton P. Hill; Priscilla P., deceased; Emma
Bishop, at home; Susanna, who is also living
at home; and Joseph; the subject of this review.
The last named obtained his elementary educa
tion in the public schools of his native locality,
-and later matriculated in the Westtown School,
in Chester county. Throughout the period of
his active business career he has given his atten
tion to the tilling of the soil, and until recently
was the owner of forty acres on the border of
Springfield township, near Clifton Heights.
Although at all times an active and public-
spirited citizen, he has never been an -aspirant
for political honors, but has been a member of
Springfield township school board since 1865
to the present time without intermission. He
is an active worker in the Society of Friends,
-and is an earnest Christian gentleman.
In 1853 occurred the marriage of Mr. Bishop
and Miss Martha Stokes, the lady being a daugh
ter of Hezekiah and Frances Stokes, of New
Jersey. Their children are as follows: Edgar
T., a prominent contractor and builder of Lans
downe; he married Mary Louise Worrell, and
they are the parents of one daughter, Mary
Bishop; Maria, who became the wife of Penrose
D. Curtis, of Marple; Randal, who follows his
trade of carpenter in Rutledge, Delaware coun
ty; he married Mary Vallmer, and their chil-
•dren are : R. Morton and Martha Clara Bishop ;
Joel, a miller by trade, married Othelia Miller,
and they are now residing in Minnesota ; Albert,
who- died in infancy; and J. Stokes, who follows
"his trade of carpenter in Darby township, was
united in marriage to Viola Vallmer, and one
•child has been born to them, Maria C. Bishop.
No one in the community enjoys a better repu
tation than Mr. Bishop, and when a man stands
high in the estimation of the people who have
known him during his entire life no greater tes
timonial to his worth can be given.

EDWIN E. EACHUS, one of the leading
citizens of Thornbury township, Delaware coun
ty, Pennsylvania, as well as a successful farmer
and carpenter, was born May 4, 1852, in tnat
same township, and he is a son of Samuel G.
Eachus, and a grandson of Homer Eachus, Sr.,
and his wife, Lydia M. (Greene) Eachus.
Edwin E. Eachus received his education in
the schools of his native township, and remained
upon the homestead until he was seventeen years
of age, at which time he secured a position in
the store of Henry Ogden in Oakdale, Spring
field township, Pennsylvania, but after two years
he went into the employ of T. J. Haldeman, and
six months later being offered a similar posi
tion in Philadelphia, he accepted it and remained
in that city until 1870, when he began an ap
prenticeship with a carpenter and three years
later was able to undertake business for him
self. In 1874 Mr. Eachus was married to Annie
E. Crowthers, a daughter of John and Alice
Crothers, and she was born in Oldom, England,
February 8, 1846. The following children were
born to this marriage, namely: Alice G., born
May 25, 1875; Samuel S. G, born March 12,
1877, educated in schools of Morton, learned the
trade of carpenter, and is now assisting his fa
ther, a bright promising young man; Oliver H.,
born January 11, 1879, married Annie M. Gal-
lager, of Philadelphia, now living at Thompson
Bridge; Mary E., born March 24, 1881, educated
in Morton schools as were all the children ; Althea
B., born July 5, 1883 ; Hannah G, born Septem
ber 19, 1886, died in infancy; Sadie Castilia,
born August 31, 1888, now attending Media
high school.
The grandfather of our subject, Homer
Eachus, Sr., was born July 15, 1792, and was
one of the early settlers of Delaware county,
where he owned a large tract of land. He mar
ried Lydia M. Greene, born September 12, 1790,
and died July 15, 1871, while her husband died
December 8, 1869. Their children were as fol
lows : Robert G, born July 8, 1815, died July
11, 1 81 5; Hannah G, born June 27, 18 16, died
February 24, 1885 ; Samuel S. G., born March
1, 1818, died April 16, 1889; Elizabeth, born
January 29, 1820, died August 13, 1829; Homer,
Jr., born November 23, 1821, died July 27, 1893;
Lydia M., born February 20, 1824, died July 15,
1871 ; Obed, born December 13, 1825 ; Virgil,
born February 21, 1827, died July 28, 1829;
Jane S., born December 28, 1829, died January
10, 1854; Joseph, born April 24, 1831, died April
24, 1831; George V., born March 29, 1832;
James B., born June 9, 1834, died April 24,
1837 ; Edward G, born July 23, 1836, died Sep
tember 15, 185 1. George W. is still living, re-

2l6

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

siding in Media, and he married Miss Anna
Calahan.
The father of our subject, Samuel Smith
Green Eachus, was a wealthy farmer, owning
a large tract of land in Thornbury township, but
retired from an agricultural life in 1863 to
Media, and there resided until his death. His
children were as follows : Alfred E., born No
vember 1, 1844, married Anna Millen, and lives
at Phoenixville, Chester county, Pennsylvania;
Mary E., born April 14, 1848, is unmarried, and
she resides at Media ; Edwin E.,- who is our sub
ject. The children born to the parents of Mrs.
Edwin E. Eachus were as follows : William,
married Sallie Bennett, of Delaware county,
Pennsylvania; Benjamin, married Anna Scollin;
Harry fnarried Emma Boyer; Edward Farrand,
a half brother, married Margrette Beaty, and
Mrs. Eachus, whose. birth is already given.
During his boyhood days Mr. Eachus was
extremely fond of hunting and was one of tne
best marksmen in his locality, but since attaining
to manhood's estate, business cares have en
grossed his time and attention to the exclusion
of many other matters. He is one of the sub
stantial men of his township and enjoys the re
spect and confidence of all who know him.

JOHN MARSHALL, a respected and influ
ential citizen of Llanwellan, Delaware county, is
the great-grandson of Benjamin Marshall, who
landed in Pennsylvania in 1682, the year of the
arrival of William Penn, from whom he re
ceived a grant of land. His son John married
Elizabeth Evans, and, after her death, Sarah Bon
sall. Charles, the son of John, married Phoebe
Swayne, and the following children were born to
them: George, Charles, who died young; Sarah,
Humphries, Samuel, Thomas S., John, mentioned
at length hereinafter ; Elizabeth S., deceased, and
Ann L.
John Marshall, son of Charles and Phoebe
(Swayne) Marshall, was born March 10, 1828,
in Darby township, and received his education at
the old oak school house in his native place. He
afterward settled on the farm with his father,
remaining there until his marriage. During his
stay in the township of Darby he was very active
in lpcal affairs, holding the offices of township
auditor and township clerk, and for six years has
served as a member of the school board.
Mr. Marshall married April 29, 1857, Martha
M., daughter of Henry and Lydia (Price) Flood.
The latter was the daughter of an English Friend,
who came to this country and settled in Delaware
county, Pennsylvania. Mr. and Mrs. Marshall
are the parents of the following children: 1.
Emma E., who was born September 21, 1858, and
married Frederic, son of Frank and Matilda

(Freihart) Rupertus; they have one son, Ebeit
B. Rupertus, born in 1900. 2. Charles Henry, who
was born in i860, and married Margaret daugh
ter of Jacob and Margaret (Pabstl Kohler; they
have three children : Harold, Lydia, and Kohler.
3. T. Humphries, who was born in 1863 and has
served as one term as sheriff of Delaware
county ; he married Sophia, daughter of Carl and
Caroline (Pabst) Mass, and they are the par
ents of the following children : Clarence, J. Hum
phries, Martha Caroline, Margaret Clara, Phoebe,
Sophia, and Carl. 4- Isaac Hibberd, who was
born in 1866, and married Anna, daughter of
Cooper and Elizabeth Waples; their chfldren
are : Emma May, Edna and Miriam. 5. Lydia F.,
who died at three vears of age. 6. U. S. Grant,
who was born in '1871, and is living at home
with his parents.  4 « » 
RICHARD HOLMES, deceased, who for
many years was actively identified with the agri
cultural, political and social interests of Ridley
township and throughout his long and useful
career commanded the respect of all who had
the honor of his acquaintance, was born in the
township of Ridley, Delaware county, Pennsyl
vania, February 14, 1805.
He was the son of Richard Holmes, who emi
grated to this country from the north of Ireland,
where his ancestors had fled from Scotland dur
ing the persecutions of the Covenanters. Richard
Holmes, the emigrant, took passage on a sail
ing vessel that was three months in crossing-
the Atlantic, and in the course of the voyage made
the acquaintance of a fellow passenger, Margaret
Holmes, from the south of Ireland, who after
wards became his wife. It is not thought that
there was any blood relationship between the
couple, but they were both of Scottish Covenanter
stock, transplanted to Irish soil, and by a strange
coincidence each had sisters, Mary, Martha and'
Eleanor. Margaret Holmes had a half-sister,
Betty, and a half-brother, William, who died of"
yellow fever, leaving an estate in Tennessee.
Richard Holmes was enlisted as a soldier of the
Revolutionary war, though he was not called into
active service, and he was enrolled with the mili
tia and reported at Chester for duty for a long
time after the declaration of peace. He was a
stone-mason, and the Munckinapawtus bridge, on
the Chester pike, below Norwood, was built, by
him. He met his death in a piece of woods near
his home as he was returning one night on horse
back, and it is believed that the was murdered.
His daughter, Mary, then twelve years old,.
whose habit it was to meet her father for a ride
to the house, saw him fall and a man on horse
back ride rapidly away, though she saw no blow
struck. He recognized his daughter, but died!

ELIZABETH M. HOLMES.

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

217

almost immediately after she reached him, speak
ing only her name. It was thought that the mur
der was a part of a plot to secure money, and
through false swearing the plot was successfully
carried out. The tree under which he fell was in
Winona avenue, Norwood, and it was. suggested
that he might have struck a projecting limb. It
is said that in a short time this tree was girdled
and that it soon died. The shoot that sprang up
from the root became a large tree, which was
killed in the same way.
The educational advantages enjoyed by Rich
ard Holmes were obtained in the public schools
of Ridley township, and after completing his
studies he located on a farm which was situated
a short distance from Glenolden. Here he made
his home for the remainder of his life, and by his
energy and perseverance the farm became one of
the best cultivated in that section of the state.
Later the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad laid their
tracks through the property, and named the sta
tion which they erected, Holmes, in his honor. In
his political views he was a Republican, and being
a man of much force of character and sterling
worth, enjoyed the confidence and regard of both
parties as was evidenced by the fact that he was
elected to the office of supervisor of roads by the
Democratic party, being the incumbent of that
position for many years. Mr. Holmes took an
active interest in all matters that tended toward
the growth and improvement of Ridley township
and the adjacent neighborhood.
In 1834 Mr. Holmes was united in marriage
to Miss Elizabeth M. Reynolds, who was de
scended from some of the early settlers of this
country and was the daughter of Thomas' and
Phebe (Moore) Reynolds, of Allentown, New
Jersey. Their children are : Sarah Rhile, wife of
Thomas Johnson, and the following named chil
dren were born to them : Thomas D., Elizabeth
Holmes, Harry Eugene, Dr. Frank, Clara Emily,
Dr. Walter Scott, and Richard P. Johnson ; Mary
R., unmarried and now dead; Martha, wife of
Bethel M. Custer (both now dead), a prominent
farmer of Ridley township, and Margaret Holmes
unmarried, who has always remained at home
and taken much interest in the management of her
father's estate.

JOHN H. DUFFEE, a leading citizen of
Norwood, Pennsylvania, was born December 27,
1845, in Aston township, Delaware county, and
is the son of Neal and Lydia Ann (Trites) Duf
fee. The former had four sisters, Susan, Han
nah, Mary and Eveline, and the latter was the
daughter of William and Lydia (Trainer) Trites.
Neal Duffee was a well known teacher in the pub
lic schools of Ridley township. The children
born to Mr. and Mrs. Duffee, in addition to their

son John H., were as follows : William A., Mary
Eliza, Georgina, all of whom are deceased; and
George W., a well known farmer of Norwood,
whose children, Lizzie, Frank N., Eva May, and
Anna Lydia, were educated in the common
schools of Ridley township.
When John H. Duffee was but eighteen
months old his father purchased a farm in Rid
ley township, whither he removed his family, and
it was there that the son received his education,
finishing at Bucknell College. In 1864 Mr. Duf
fee enlisted in Company B, Two Hundred and
Third Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteers, and
was present at the battle of Fort Fisher, where
he received a wound which well nigh resulted in
scalping him. He was taken to the hospital,
whence he was subsequently removed to the Up
land (Delaware County) Hospital, where he re
mained for some time. On being discharged he
returned to his father's farm, on a portion of
which he built himself a home. He has since
erected in the township seventeen houses at an
average cost of between five and nine thousand
dollars each. Before the organization of the
borough, Mr. Duffee had named his little village
Duffwyn, the place being pleasingly situated on
an elevation between the main line of the Penn
sylvania Railroad and the Baltimore and Ohio
Railroad, and on the opposite side of the line
which separated it from the town of Norwood.
Since the organization of the borough of Nor
wood, Duffwyn is included under that designa
tion. It is also known as "the four hundreds," in
consequence of the fact that, whenever a lot was
sold from a farm, it was stipulated by a specifica
tion in the lease that no house or factory should
be erected on the ground at a cost of less than
four thousand dollars.
Mr. Duffee married, in 1874, Elnora, daugh
ter of Mr. Hodskins of Boston. A son who was
born to Mr. and Mrs. Duffee in 1875 died a year
later, and Mrs. Duffee passed away in February,
1876. In 1877 Mr. Duffee married Naomi M.
Morris, daughter of George and Elizabeth Mor
ris, of Ridley township, and their children are:
John H. Jr., aged twenty-one, who is now attend
ing a business college in Philadelphia ; Harold N.,
aged eighteen, who is now at school ; and Lottie
U., aged twelve. Blanche Lydia died July 23,
1888, aged nine months, and Lauretta died July
12, 1900 aged nine months.

GEORGE J. JOHNSTON. This gentleman
was born to Samuel J. and Catherine (Kane)
Johnston on September 15, 1862, on a farm near
Chester, Pennsylvania. His early life was passed
on the farm in Springfield township, Delaware
county, where his father is still farming, and his
education was obtained at St. Charles school at

218

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

Keltyville. As usual with farmer boys, he left
the school room at a rather early age, and be
gan farming with his father. About the time
he arrived at maturity he discovered an exten
sive belt of stone on the farm, and he and his
father at once began to develop it and open a
quarry, in a short time receiving contracts from
all the neighboring towns for the stone, which
was of an excellent quality. His father dropped
out of this branch of the business, and he has
since carried it on alone, deriving a comfortable
revenue from his sales.
When Mr. Johnston had gained a position of
independence in business, he looked around for
a companion and in 1892 was married to Miss
Annie E. McCloskie, who was born June 10,
1862, and has an interesting family history of
her own. Her paternal grandparents were Mich
ael and Catherine (Kane) McCloskie, natives
¦of Ireland, the former of whom died in 1841, and
the latter in 1879 ; on the maternal side she is
the granddaughter of Nathan and Mary (Bar
rett) Durney, of Ireland. Charles and Eleanor
(Durney) McCloskie, the parents of Mrs. John
ston, were born in Derry, Ireland, crossed the
Atlantic and located in Wilmington, Delaware,
in 1826; in 1842 the former formed the com
pany of McCloskie Brothers, contractors and
huilders, the firm consisting of himself, Francis
and Daniel, who were builders, John and Peter
A., who were bricklayers, and Joseph, who was
a painter. Eleanor, who was born to Mr. and Mrs. Johnr
ston on March 14, 1894, is the oldest of their
four children; Samuel J., deceased; Charles,
born February 1, 1898; and Catherine came into
their home on December 5, 1902. In connec
tion with his business Mr. Johnston found time
to perform the duties of the supervisor of Spring
field township for two terms, which office was
pressed upon him by his fellow citizens. He
was also the Democratic candidate for sheriff
in 1896 and made a good campaign in face of
a strong opposition in a staunch Republican
county. He has served as a councilman in the
borough of Morton, and is now a justice of the
peace in Morton. He is one of the stanch Demo
crats of the county and a member in good stand
ing of the Knights of Columbus — certainly a
mpdel citizen and well worthy of the regard in
which he is uniformly held by all.

EDWARD McFADDEN. There are few
-old residents of Pennsylvania not familiar with
the name of the "Black Horse Tavern," one of
the features and landmarks of Delaware county.
This ancient hostelry has been a licensed public
Tiouse continuously since 1739, or more than one
(hundred and sixty-three years, and has a history

calculated to delight lovers of legends and stories
of the "old times entombed." It would be curi
ous to know the names of the eminent men who
have procured entertainment at this remarkable
establishment. What delightful dinners must
have been served there in the far distant past;
what gatherings there must have been before the
old fashioned fireside and what "Tales of a
Traveler" to charm the listening ear. It is safe
to say that some of the greatest men of Penn
sylvania, possessing names of historic interest,
have found lodgment in the warm feather-beds
of the "Black Horse Tavern." Politicians doubt
less have often made it their headquarters, and
over the cheering mugs of Mine Host concocted
schemes of great moment to the state. But this
is all mere idle speculation now, as the events
connected with the old inn during the best part
of two centuries have been lost forever for lack
of a local historian to preserve the chronicles.
But coming down to the living present, it is pos
sible to tell something about the present owner
of the noted old hostelry and that it is the main
object of this writing.
It would probably not require a prophet or
clairvoyant to hazard a guess that the McFadden
family originated in Ireland, as the very name
smacks of the flavor of the "old sod." Neil
McFadden, the founder of the American branch,
was born in Ireland during the latter part of the
eighteenth century, married Ellen Mclntyre in
early life, and came to the United States about
1830. He settled in Delaware county, Pennsyl
vania, where he led a quiet but industrious life
and reared his family to imitate his example.
John, his eldest son, who was about one year
old when his parents left the old country, married
Susanna Haston, by whom he had five children
and is now deceased. William, the third child,
who was born after the settlement in Delaware
county, has also passed away. Mary, the fourth
child, who is now also dead, became the wife of
James McGlynchey and had four children. James,
the youngest of the family, is unmarried and re
sides at Clifton Heights.
Edward McFadden, third 'in the above list
of children, was born at Shoemakerville, Penn
sylvania, December 25, 1835, and has spent the
larger portion of his time in Delaware county.
After he grew up he spent fifteen years in busi
ness in Clifton Heights, but since March, 1895,
up to the time of his death was the landlord
of the famous Black Horse Tavern spoken of
in the introductory remarks. Besides the hotel,
of which he was sole owner, Mr. McFadden also
owned a farm, consisting of fifty-five acres which
is situated in Middletown township. He was
successful in business and did especially well
after he took charge of the popular house of
entertainment. Guests who enjoyed the hos-

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

2191

pitality of this place were enthusiastic in praise
of its accommodations and speak of Mr. Mc
Fadden as a model landlord. Besides possessing
that rare talent of knowing how to run a hotel,
his genial disposition, accommodating spirit and
tact in welcoming as well as speeding the part
ing guest commended him to all callers as a
typical Boniface.
About 1858 Mr. McFadden married Annie,
daughter of Andrew and Mary Ryan, of Clifton
Heights. Mrs. McFadden, who is living at the
present time (1903), was the mother of thirteen
children, of whom only four are living, and are
named as follows : Annie, born August 6, i860 ;
Neil, born May 3, 1872; Charles Edward, born
June 28, 1881 ; Charlotte, born August 7, 1882.
The names of the deceased children are: Mary
Ellen, Catherine, Jennie, Alice, Edward, Wal
ter, Warren, Alice and Margaret. Annie
McFadden, the eldest child, was married
in 1879 to William J. Kelly, a son of Fran
cis and Mary (McFadden) Kelly, and they live
at Clifton Heights, where Mr. Kelly is engaged
in the hotel business. Their living children are:
Elsie, Eva, Blanche, Edward and Nellie. Mr.
McFadden was a member of the Roman Catholic
church and took little or no interest in. politics,
having had his hands full in looking after his
hotel and seeing that the traveling public got
satisfactory service. Mr. McFadden died on
January 24, 1903.

lives at home on the farm, unmarried; Victor,
also living pn the farm ; and Daisy, whp married
Archie Knptt pf Lynwpod, Delaware county, a
son of Archie Knott.

DAVID IRVIN HENDERSON, a veteran
farmer and respected citizen of Ridley township,
Delaware county, Pennsylvania, was born in 1823,
in the place where he now resides, and is a son
of Matthew and Sarah (Irvin) Henderson.
His early education was obtained in the schools
of his native place, and he afterward finished
his course of study at Reading, where he spent
two years. He then returned to his father's farm,
to the ownership of which he in time succeeded.
He has passed his life in agricultural pursuits,
and in the management of his estate, which con
sists of seventy-three acres.
Mr. Henderson married Amanda, daughter of
Thomas and Charlotte (Byerley) Brown, and their
.children are: Mary B., who was born in Ridley
township, where she received her education in
the public schools; Sarah, who married Frank
Bonsall, of Upper Darby township, son of Sam
uel Bonsall, of Darby and has children, Frank
aged fourteen years, and Florence, aged eleven
years ; Horace, who married Martha, daughter of
Thomas Scofield, of Philadelphia ; and their chil
dren are: Walter, aged ten; Jennie, aged eight;
Olive, aged six and Anna, aged three. Florence,
who is the wife of William Reed of Essingtbn,
Pennsylvania, son of William Reed; Irvin, who

GEORGE SWAYNE, a prominent and en
terprising agriculturist of Darby township, Del
aware county, Pennsylvania, is a descendant of
William Swayne, of Ockingham, Liberty of
Wilts, Berkshire, England, who died in 1693,
leaving two sons and one daughter — Francis,
Judith and William. Francis Swayne married
Elizabeth Milton, and their son, William Swayne,
born in the Parish of Bienfield, England, Jan
uary 30, 1689, sailed from Bristol when about
eighteen years of age, and after a voyage of five
weeks landed at Philadelphia, October 15, 1708.
About a year and a half later his father and
mother with their remaining children came to
this country, landed at New Castle, on the Dela
ware, where they were met and welcomed by
their son, William Swayne.
George Swayne was born in the township of
Darby, Delaware county, June 23, 1814, the son
of Thomas and Elizabeth (Noblet) Swayne, the
former named being a son of George Swayne,
who was considered a very wealthy farmer in his
day, and the latter a daughter of John and Mary
(Boon) Noblet, of Chester county, Pennsyl
vania. George Swayne enjoyed the educational
advantages afforded by the public schools of his
locality, and after completing his studies he
located on a farm at a place known as Folcroft,
Darby township, where he has since remained,
devoting his time and energy to agricultural'
pursuits. He was a just and honorable man in
all his transactions in life and was respected and
esteemed by all who knew him.
In 1845 Mr. Swayne married Miss Sarah
Grover, a daughter of Joseph and Elizabeth
(Porter) Grover, of Delaware county, Pennsyl
vania. Their children are: 1. Elmira, born Oc
tober 9, 1845 > 2- Virginia, born August 6, 1847 >.
3. Mary Eliza, born December 10, 1852, wife
of John Ruch, of Sharron Hill, and their children
are: Jennie, wife of John Young, of Darby;
J. Harry, and Mamie Ruch; 4. John, born Au
gust 15, 1854, married Rebecca Lincoln, a daugh
ter of Jacob and Mary Lincoln, of Delaware
county ; their children are : Susie V. L. and Stan
ley Swayne; 5. George Grover, born September
20, 1858, died in childhood; 6. Elizabeth, born
November 22, i860, wife of John Kyle, of
Haverford township; they were married April
26, 1893, and their children are: Wesley, who
died in infancy, and Warren, who was born Jan
uary 9, 1898.
Sarah (Grover) Swayne, the mother of this
family, died April 1, 1903. She was a most.

220

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

worthy lady of the old school type, possessed of
many excellencies of character, and was beloved
and esteemed by all who knew her.

THOMAS W. PARKINSON, a well known
and popular citizen of Norwood, Pennsylvania,
was born August i, 1871, in Philadelphia, and
obtained his education in the Jackson School of
that city. He also took a course of study at the
Industrial Art School, situated at the corner of
Broad and Pine streets, Philadelphia, and gradu
ated from this institution as a professional textile
designer. For some years Mr. Parkinson followed this
business in Philadelphia, and subsequently moved
to Norwood, where he opened a grocery store. In
this enterprise he was successsful, and his father,
who is now the proprietor of the store, carries on
a very large business. Mr. Parkinson has since
established another grocery store opposite the one
presided over by his. father, this later venture
having also resulted favorably. In 1897 Mr.
Parkinson was appointed postmaster of Norwood,
a position which he now holds, and the duties of
which -he discharges in a manner alike creditable
to himself and satisfactory to the government and
to his neighbors.
Mr. Parkinson married, in 1901, Eva, daugh
ter of Thomas J. and Mary (Stoopes) Clinger, of
Delaware. They have a son, Ralph W., born
April 7, 1903.

WILLIAM CALHOUN, a prominent citi
zen of Norwood, Pennsylvania, was born January
14, 1834, in Philadelphia, and received his edu
cation in his native. city. For many years he fol
lowed successfully the business of a butcher, and
enjoyed in a high degree the esteem of his fel
low citizens, as was proved by the fact that he
held the office of councilman for eight years, that
of regulator of weights and measures for seven
years, and that of fire commissioner for three
years. He removed to Norwood, June 2, 1877. In
his new place of abode he bought a lot, built for
himself a home, and entered into the real estate
business. From 1877 to the present time he has
built no fewer than thirty-two houses in the
boroughs of Norwood and Moores. He has been
a member of the Masonic order since i860, and
was one of the founders of the first lodge ever
organized in Moores.- He has travelled exten
sively, having visited all of the United States,
Canada, and the principal cities of Europe.
Mr. Calhoun married, June 2, 1853, Elizabeth,
daughter of David and Betsey Applegate, and by
this marriage became the father of one child,
Margaret Morrison, who died at the age of eleven

months. Mrs. Calhoun died in 1863 of consump
tion. One year later Mr. Calhoun married
Sophia, daughter of Joseph and Anna (Stins-
man) Hoe. To Mr. and Mrs. Calhoun the follow
ing children have been born: Mary A., now liv
ing in Philadelphia ; Sophia, who died at twenty
months old; William, Jr., who established a
plumbing business in Philadelphia, at 703 Walnut
street ; he married Clara McFarland, of Norwood,
and three children have been born to them, only
one of whom, Mary A., is living; his wife died in
June, 1903; Joseph, who died in infancy; and
Joseph Hoe, who married Agnes, daughter of
John Dukes, of Norwood.
Through the agency of a Philadelphia news
paper, Mr. Calhoun adopted a child of seventeen
months old, whose name was Louisa Steel, and
who remained a member of his family until reach
ing the age of twenty-five, when she became the
wife of Joseph Lewis. They had several chil
dren, two of whom were sons, Charles and
Joseph, who, through the influence of Mr. Cal
houn, were received as students in Girard Col
lege. Upon the death of Mr. Lewis, Mr. Calhoun
secured for his widow a position as police ma
tron of the first ward of the city of Philadelphia.

JOHN HIBBERD, a farmer well known in
the counties of Delaware and Chester, is a de
scendant of old residents. Jacob and Sarah
(Dutton) Hibberd, the latter a native of Aston
township, were the parents of the following chil
dren: Jacob, Thomas, John, Samuel, mentioned
hereinafter; Jesse, Hannah, Mary and Sarah and
Susanna, twins.
Samuel Hibberd, son of Jacob and Sarah
(Dutton) Hibberd, married Lydia, daughter of
Jesse and Elizabeth (Davis) Reece; whose other
children were named respectively : Davis,
Thomas, Eli, Elizabeth, and Sydney. The chil
dren of Mr. and Mrs. Hibberd are: 1. Jacob, who
married Sarah Worrall, daughter of Richard and
Mary Ann (Wilson) Worall, and has two chil
dren, Bertha and John. 2. John, mentioned at
length hereinafter. 3. Jesse, who married Mary
Ann Levis, and has one son, Samuel. 4. Mary;
5. Elizabeth. The two last named are iiving in
Westchester, unmarried.
John Hibberd, son of Samuel and Lydia
(Reece) Hibberd, was born June 17, 1841, in
Middletown township, and was educated at his
birthplace, and at Richards' Private School, Had
donfield, New Jersey, completing his course of
study at a boarding school kept by Mr. Joseph
Folke at Gwynedd, Montgomery county, Penn
sylvania, from which institution he graduated in
1861. He then returned to the homestead, where
he led the life of a farmer until 1892, when he
went to Chester county in order to superintend

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

221

a farm of six hundred acres owned by the Penn
sylvania Lime Company.
Mr. Hibberd married, May 3, 1876, Mary E.
Hall, born July 3, 1843, died January 26, 1892,
daughter of Samuel and Lydia Hall, of Village
Green, Delaware county, Pennsylvania. Mr. and
Mrs. Hibberd are the parents of three children:
Lydia Hall, who was born in May, 1878, and
resides at home; Carrie Jackson, born in May,
1879, who also resides at home, and Devis Reece,
who was born in October, 1880, married Mag
gie, daughter of Ezekiel Mann, of Coatesville,
Chester county, and has one child, Lydia M.

SAMUEL T. CARR was born in Ridley
township, Delaware county, Pennsylvania, May
9, 1836, the son of Barney F. and Mary (John
son) Carr, who were also the parents of Amos J.
Carr, who was united in marriage to Rebecca
Rudolph, and is now a prominent resident of
Darby, Pennsylvania.
The educational advantages enjoyed by Sam
uel T. Carr were obtained in the common schools
of Ridley township, and after completing his
studies he decided to follow the vocation of farm
ing. He was trained to that occupation in his
early youth, and his entire business career has
been devoted to the supervision and active work
of the ancestral farm. His methods have been
progressive and practical, and his well tilled fields
yielded a golden harvest for the care and labor
bestowed upon them. In all business transactions
he is straightforward and honorable, and thus he
has gained a comfortable competence.
October 3, 1864, Mr. Carr married Miss Cath
erine Ward, daughter of William G. and Cath
erine (Seary) Ward. Their children are: Emma,
born in 1865, married Charles W. Jackson, of
Washington, and their children are: Willis, died
aged three and one-half months, and Adele Mae ;
Elizabeth, born in 1867, became the wife of
George Grant Miller of Lancaster county, Penn
sylvania, and has three children, Alma C, J.
Raymond and G. Clifford ; Catherine, born in
1870, died at the age of nine years; E. Celeste,
born in 1872, who became of. the wife of J. G.
Schnerring, of Pottsville, Pennsylvania.

MARY FRANCES MOORHEAD, of Rid
ley township, Delaware county, is descended from
families which have been for several generations
resident in the county.
Alexander Moorhead, son of William and
Margaret Moorhead, was born May 8, 1801, and
married, in 1835, Rachel Noble, daughter of
Christopher and Rachel (Worrall) Noble, the
former of whom died April 27, 1846, and the
latter March 9, 1838. The following children

were born to Alexander Moorhead and his wife :
Christopher Noble, born October 14, 1836, died
September 28, 1901 ; Mary Frances, mentioned at
length hereinafter; William, born April 15, 1842,
died August 6, 1901 ; and Annie, born October 26,
1847. Mrs. Moorhead, the mother of these chil
dren, died November 1, 1866, and the father of
the family passed away September 15, 1870.
Mary Frances Moorhead, daughter of Alex
ander and Rachel (Noble) Moorhead, was born
May 12, 1840, in Ridley township, Delaware
county, Pennsylvania. Her early education was
obtained in the schools of her native place, and
was completed at the West Chester Boarding
School, where she was for a few years a pupil.
Her entire life has been spent on the homestead,
where she resides with her sister, Annie, who
assists her in the care and management of all
things pertaining to the large estate.

WILSON B. YOUNG, one of the leading
business men of Rutledge, and one who enjoys the
unlimited respect and confidence of his fellow-
townsmen, was born January 27, i860, at Phila
delphia, where he lived until five years of age,
when his father brought him to Morton, Dela
ware county, Pennsylvania, and there he attended
public school, and later enjoyed the advantage of
a course at Chester Military Academy, at Chester,
from which he was graduated as civil engineer
in 1880, although he has never used his knowl
edge of this professsion. Until 1885 he remained
with his father, but at that time a good opportun
ity offered, and he embarked in a grocery business
in Philadelphia at Fifteenth and Pine streets.
For five years he successfully carried on his busi
ness, but then disposed of his interests and re
moved to Rutledge, where he engaged in the
same line and developed a fine trade. His stock
is one of the largest in the city, and the services
rendered are prompt and efficient.
In 1892 Mr. Young was married to Elizabeth
R. Craig, a daughter of James and Elizabeth
(Lotta) Craig, and she was born in Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania, November 4, 1865. Julia Ralston,
born January 3, 1896, daughter of Mr. and Mrs.
Young, was educated in the public schools of
Rutledge, and she is fitting herself for Swarth
more College.
Wilson B. Young is a son of Richard and Wil-
hemia Young, the former being a wealthy retired
business man of Morton. The children of Mr.
and Mrs. Richard Young are as follows : Wilson
B. ; Randolph S., who married Bertha Robinson,
a resident of Lansdowne ; Harry P., living at
Atlantic City with his brother, Randolph,
unmarried; Lewis, married and residing at
Germantown, Pennsylvania ; Stella, who mar
ried William H. Farrand, of Morton, Penn-

222

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

sylvania, for a long time engaged in the
lumber business at Morton; Janette, who
married Henry H. Bryan, a clergyman of the
Episcopal church at Garden City, Long Island;
Mary, who married William H. Smith, of Mor
ton, who is engaged in business in Philadelphia.
Mr. and Mrs. Wilson B. Young are highly es
teemed in Rutledge, where they have made many
friends, and where Mr. Young is accounted one
of the substantial men of the place.

MAXIMILLIAN F. LaROCHE. The
name of LaRoche is of French origin, and the
early ancestors of the family for a number of
years were prominent in the social and civil af
fairs of Paris preceding the period of the insur
rection. They were the founders of the town of
La Rochelle, situated not far from Paris.
The Marquis De LaRoche, a prominent mem
ber of this family, came to America and founded
a French colony on Sable Island, on the Virginia
coast, in 1598. The Marquis did not, however,
remain long with the settlement, being compelled
to return to France owing to the condition of his
health, and financial adversity which overtook
his interests at home. His remaining years were
passed in his native land.
Among his descendants were four brothers,
two of whom had become followers of Martin
Luther, and, in consequence, during the insur
rection were ostracized and fled across the Rhine.
settling in the Kingdom of Wurtemberg. One
of these two brothers married a German peasant
who was of the Protestant faith; and for this
cause he was disowned by his father and disin
herited from his share of the family estate. His
independence and dignity did not forsake him,
and he took up his abode on a large estate at
Schloss-Staeten, where he was given the responsi
ble position of court marshal and general mana
ger pf the castle and the estate of his titled em
ployer. Notwithstanding his loss of family rec
ognition and of property rights, he lived a happy
and contented life with his German wife, and the
pair reared an excellent family of fourteen chil
dren, to whom they transmitted the honored an
cestral name of LaRoche.
Charles LaRoche, one of the sons of the fam
ily last named, was reared and educated in Ger
many, where he married Sophia Steg, and they
became the parents of children named as follows :
Maximillian F., the subject of this sketch; Caro
line, who married Joseph Blachonski, and set
tled at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania ; Bertha, who
married Balthaser Stahle, and settled in Phila
delphia, Pennsylvania ; Frederick A., who mar
ried Julia Miller, of Philadelphia, and resides in
New York city; Charles, who married and set

tled at St. Paul, Minnesota ; and Julia, who mar
ried Jacob E. Eisele, of Riverton, New Jersey.
In 1862 Charles LaRoche decided to emigrate
to the United States, and upon his arrival he set
tled in New York city, where he became engaged
in the floricultural and horticultural business.
About a year after his arrival, his wife, accord
ing to previous arrangements, followed her hus-
bnd, bringing with her the family of four chil
dren, among whom was Maximillian F. LaRoche.
The mother of this family, Sophia (Steg) La-
Roche, died in July, 1892.
Maximillian LaRoche obtained the rudiments
of his education in the schools of his native place,.
and he completed his studies in the schools of
New York city, and there also he acquired his
first business experience. In 1877 he located in
Sharon Hill, Delaware county, Pennsylvania,.
where he resided for some time. He subsequently
purchased a tract of land at Collingdale, where he
now resides, and where, by his thrift and enter
prise, he has contributed much toward the growth.
and development of the borough, having erected
many residences and built up many attractive and.
comfortable homes. He also built a number of
greenhouses provided with all the accessories
and conveniences pertaining to a first-class es
tablishment, and now conducts an extensive retail-
and wholesale business as a florist. ¦
Having been one of the first to take up resi
dence in Collingdale, Mr. LaRoche's interest was
at once naturally enlisted in all proposed plans for
the development of the borough, and he afforded
valuable assistance in the work of organization,.
and in the carrying out the necessary measures..
His earnest efforts earned for him the apprecia
tive recognition of his fellow citizens, which re
sulted in his being elected as the first burgess of
the borough, which office he held for three terms.
In 1900 he was appointed justice of the peace by
the governor of the state, and in 1902 he was-
elected by the people to the same office for a
term of five years. Politically Mr. LaRoche allies-
himself with the Republican party, and in re
ligion he and his wife are communicants of the
Lutheran church. Mr. LaRoche is a member
of Ivanhoe Lodge No. 449, F. & A. M., of Phil-
delphia; St. Johns Royal Arch Chapter, No. 232,.
of Philadelphia; Chester Commandery, No. 66,-.
K. T., of Chester, Pennsylvania; Philadelphia
Consistory, Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite, of"
Philadelphia, and Lu Lu Temple, Ancient Arabic
Order of the Mystic Shrine, of Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania. Mr. LaRoche was married June 1, 1882, to-
Miss Amelia A. J. Pabst, of Germantown, Phila
delphia, a daughter of John and Christine
(Yaeger) Pabst. Of this union have been born
the following named children: Maximillian T.,
born November 19, 1886. Albert S., born July

7?z. &. <^c9\^X

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

223:

14, 1888. Arthur W., born September 14, 1890.
Frederick A., born February 3, 1893. Irma C,
born December 28, 1894. Charles H., born Janu
ary 15, 1897, and William J., born September 3,
1900. The three eldest sons are engaged in the
higher branches of study at the Darby high
school. The parents of Mrs. LaRoche, John and
Christine (Yaeger) Pabst, were the parents of
nine children: Charles, John, William, Adolph
and Albert, all of whom are deceased; Caroline
became the wife of Charles Moss ; Margaret the
wife of Jacob Kohler, of Philadelphia; Sophia,
the wife pf Otto Wand, of Philadelphia, and
Amelia A. J., born October 6, 1856, now the wife
of Maximillian F. LaRoche.

CAPT. FREEMAN J. GEISSINGER was
born in Hellertown, Northampton county, Penn
sylvania, in 1834, and obtained his education in
his home neighborhood until he had mastered the
elementary principles of learning, after which he
entered the Fremont Seminary at Norristown,
where he was graduated. On the completion of
his school life he turned his attention to the bus
iness of burning lime, sawing wood and milling
and in these departments of business activity he
met with a creditable and gratifying degree of
success. In 1862, following the outbreak of the
Civil war, he went to the front with a company
which he commanded as its captain until 1864.
This company was organized in Bucks county,
and every man of the company marched with him
through Maryland, Virginia, North and South
Carolina to the borders of Georgia, and returned
with him, all in good health, not a man missing.
In 1856 Captain Geisssinger was united in mar
riage to Sarah O. Booz, a daughter of William
and Mary Booz of Norristown, Pennsylvania. In
the family are the following children: Ada Vir
ginia, who married Dr. Griffith, of Chester county,
Pennsylvania, who is living retired in Phil
adelphia; Walter H., who was graduated on the
completion of a course of architecture in a busi
ness college in Philadelphia and married a daugh
ter of John Conn, of that city ; Edwin J., who re
ceived a college education and is at present a suc-
cesssful mechanic living in New Jersey with his
family; Harry G, M. D., who has completed a
course in medicine and surgery and is now acting
as surgeon on board the steamship "Zealand;"
Mary Lulu, the wife of A. W. Harried, who is
superintendent of the New Shortline Railroad
from Chicago to New York city, in Ohio ; George
Eugene, who married Mary Seaman, of Wil
mington, Delaware, and is engaged in architec
tural work in Philadelphia.
In his home Captain Geissinger has a very
valuable collection of antique articles which are
15X

extremely interesting. These include a testa
ment of German wood type, printed in 1527,.
with the Revelations of St. John illustrated. This
is a very rare piece of work for a book of that
order. He also has a gun which was broken over
the head of one of his ancestors one hundred and
forty years ago, while the ancestor was wrest
ling with a burglar who was attempting to steal
the money, amounting to $15,000, which had
been hidden between the rafters of the kitchen
and the bedroom floor. He also has a collection
of old furniture, including clocks, tables and
other articles indicative of the styles of many,
years ago.

MRS. ELIZABETH LOGAN was born in
Springfield township, Delaware county, in 1823,
and is a daughter of Moses and Judith (Floun
ders) Wells. She is also a sister of Moses J.
Welis, who is represented on another page of this
work. Her paternal grandparents were Moses
and Martha (Bonsall) Wells, and the latter was-
a daughter of Joseph Bonsall, who in turn was a
son of Richard Bonsall, who settled in Pennsyl
vania at an early day, coming to this country from
Derby, England. The place Darby, in Pennsyl
vania, took its name from the town in which the
ancestors of Mrs. Logan once lived.
Mrs. Logan obtained her education in the
Springfield Central school until twelve years of
age, when she became a student in Darby, Dela
ware county. She was born upon the old home
stead in Springfield township now occupied by
John Shillingford. There she remained during
her girlhood days, but in 1845 she gave her hand
in marriage to Jabez Logan. Their children are
James, who was born in 1848, and married Mary
Jane Mitchell, of Philadelphia; George, who was
born in 1849, and died the same year ; and Sarah
W., who was born in 185 1, and became the wife
of William H. Black, who died in 1899.

JOSEPH ELLWOOD POND, for over half
a century a resident of Delaware county, and since
1865 actively engaged in business in Philadel
phia, was born in East Goshen, Chester county,
Pennsylvania, May 25, 1848, the son of Thomas
and Hannah R. Pond. Thomas Pond was born
March 6, 1812, in Delaware county, Pennsyl
vania, and died July 4, 1890. In his religious
views he believed in the doctrines of the Meth
odist church, and politically he was formerly
a Whig, but upon the formation of the Republican
party joined their ranks. His wife, Hannah R.
Pond, was born January 19, 1815, in Delaware
county, Pennsylvania, and died April 7, 1884.
She was a member of the Methodist church.
Joseph E. Pond received his education in the:

224

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

common schools of the county of Delaware, in
cluding the first Media Grammar School, when
Joseph Ad. Thomson was the teacher, and a
collegiate course in Philadelphia. He graduated
in penmanship under the special instruction of
Boston's accomplished penman, Prof. A. R.
Dunton, a member of the firm of Payson, Dunton
& Scribner. Mr. Pond began his business career
in the capacity of accountant, in Philadelphia, in
1865, first being engaged in the Fairmount Park
Commissioners' office, then with Harrison Bros.
& Co., and for the past twenty-five years with a
large wholesale marble company.
In addition to the duties of this office, Mr.
Pond serves as a member of the board of directors
of the Morton Building and Loan Association,
and and is an occasional contributor, to county
papers, of articles on local history, his long resi
dence in Springfield township, Delaware county
making him an authority on that subject. In his
political affiliations he is a staunch supporter of
the principles of the Republican party, and served,
for two terms, as auditor of Springfield township.
In religious matters he is non-sectarian, attend
ing the services of the Presbyterian and Meth
odist churches. In social and business circles he
is highly esteemed for that sterling worth which
everywhere commands respect, and his public and
private life are alike above reproach.

EDWIN H. BEATTY. The Beatty family,
prominent in the industrial and political affairs of
the town of Morton, Delaware county, Pennsyl
vania, is of Scotch-Irish origin, claiming as their
pioneer ancestor Thomas Beatty, a native of
county Tyrone, Ireland, who came to this country
in early life and settled in Delaware county.
William Beatty, grandfather of Edwin H.
Beatty, was a son of Thomas Beatty, the immi
grant ancestor, and his birth occurred in Dela
ware county, Pennsylvania. He began his busi
ness career as a farmer, but later discovered the
process of manufacturing and tempering edge
tools, his method of tempering being the only one
in use at that time in the country. In partner
ship with his father, Thomas Beatty, Mr. Beatty
rented a tilt-mill from Edward Lewis, this being '
situated in Middletown township, and here they
successfully manufactured edge tools until 1828,
when they removed their plant to Springfield, on
Crum Creek. William Beatty served with distinc
tion and bravery during the war of 1812, was an
active and public-spirited citizen, and a consistent
member of the Presbyterian church of Middle-
town, Delaware county, Pennsylvania. His
death occurred in the year 1842.
William P. Beatty, father of Edwin H. Beatty,
was born on the old homestead in Springfield

township in 1828 and after obtaining a common
school education he succeeded his father in the
business of manufacturing edge tools, the plant
being situated on the borders of Crum Creek. In
1843 the mill was washed away by the flood which
occurred in the month of August, but it was
speedily rebuilt. By hard labor, careful manage
ment, and strict attention to business, his patron
age steadily increased and it soon became one
of the leading industries in the township. Politi
cally Mr. Beatty was an adherent of the principles
advocated by Jackson, and was elected by the
Democrats of the township to serve as school di
rector for one term. In 1852 Mr. Beatty married
Martha Hannum, a daughter of Edwin Hannum,
a resident of Delaware county, Pennsylvania,
and a descendant of one of the oldest families of
that section. Four children were born to them,
namely Ella M., John F., William P., and Edwin
H. Beatty. The death of Mr. Beatty occurred in
February, 1878, in the fiftieth year of his age.
Edwin H. Beatty, youngest son of William
P. and Martha Beatty, was born in Springfield
township, Delaware county, Pennsylvania, De
cember 23, 1863. His education was obtained at
the Springfield Western School and at a private
school in the town of Media, Pennsylvania. At an
early age he entered trte employ of his brother, J.
Franklin Beatty, who was engaged in the coal and
feed business at Morton, Delaware county, and
he has continued at this occupation up to the pres
ent time (1903), making his home with his sister,
Ella M. Beatty, in the town of Morton. He is a
staunch Democrat, being recognized as one of the
active and influential supporters of that party,
and he has served as justice of the peace of
the borough of Morton for several years. He is
a member of the Knights of Pythias. As a man
Mr. Beatty stands high in the estimation of his
neighbors, and as a citizen is full of ¦public spirit
and ever anxious to advance the general welfare
of his town and county.

WALTER BIDDLE LOWRY. One of the
active workers in the cause of Christianity, Wal
ter B. Lowry has devoted many years of his life
in spreading the gospel among men. His in
fluence is ever found on the side of progress, :>f
liberty and of right, and the effect of his labors
has been far reaching. He is now an honored
resident of Morton, where he is the loved rector
of the Episcopal church. A native son of Phil
adelphia, Pennsylvania, his birth occurred on the
7th of November, 1868, and his father, George
Lowry, was born in Ireland. His wife, who
bore the maiden name of Frances Wallace, was
also a native of the Emerald Isle, and this
worthy couple became the parents of eleven chil-

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

225

dren. After coming to the United States, George
Lowry engaged in contracting and building in
Philadelphia, and his death occurred in that
•city in 1875, while his wife survived until 1883,
when she joined him in the spirit world. The
paternal grandparents of our subject were natives
of Scotland. Walter B. Lowry received his elementary edu
cation in the Episcopal Academy of Philadelphia,
and later became a student in the University of
Pennsylvania, graduating in the last named in
stitution with the class 01 1887. During the fol
lowing three years he was a student in the Gen
eral Seminary in New York, being a graduate
of the latter institution in 1890, and on June 1,
of the same year he was ordained in Calvary
church of New York city by Bishop Potter. Re
turning thence to Philadelphia, he accepted a
junior assistantship in St. Peter's church, at
Third and Pine streets, and from there went to
Buffalo as assistant in Trinity church, where he
spent the following two years. In 1891, in Buf
falo, he was ordained to the priesthood, and from
that time until 1900 he served as rector of Em
manuel church at Corry, Pennsylvania. Going
thence to the Calvary Monumental church at
Philadelphia, he there remained as the loved
rector until 1902, and on the ist of January of
that year he accepted a charge in the Episcopal
church at Morton. He is thoroughly earnest and
sincere in all his thoughts, words and deeds,
and his noble, manly life has won for him the
love and respect of his friends and associates.
In his fraternal relations Mr. Lowry is a
member of Lodge No. 444, F. & A. M., of Penn
sylvania, and also of the Independent Order of
Odd Fellows. During the Spanish-American
war he went to Porto Rico as chaplain and cap
tain in the Sixteenth Pennsylvania Volunteers,
and remained in service until the close of the
war, when he was mustered out of volunteer
service. He is now a member of the Naval and
Military Order of the Spanish-American War, an
order that was organized by President Roosevelt
and only includes officers that served in the late
war. He is also a member of the Military Order
of Foreign Wars of the United States, Pennsyl
vania Commandery. socially he is a member of
the Delta Psi. As a minister his efforts have
been far-reaching and effective, and at all times
he is active in promoting the general good along
many lines of progress.
January 3, 1894, Mr. Lowry was united in
marriage to Helen L., a daughter of James A.
and Mary D. (Cowan) Moore, the former a
native of Brantford, and the latter of Princeton,
Canada. Mrs. Lowry received her education in
St. Margaret's school, a Protestant Episcopal
institution of Buffalo, New York, where she

graduated. By her marriage she has become
the mother of one son, Walter Barclay Lowry,
who was born December 11, 1895.

ELLA MARIA BEATTY. Among the
prominent residents of Morton, Pennsylvania, is
the lady whose name heads this biograpny, who
was born November 28, 1854, in Springfield
township, Delaware county, Pennsylvania. She
is a daughter of William P. and Martha
Ann (Hannum) Beatty, the former of whom
was born in 1828, and the latter on Decem
ber 29, 1831. William P. is a son of Will
iam and Deborah Beatty, and his wife is a daugh
ter of Edwin and Maria Hannum. Four chil
dren were born to these parents, J. Frank, Ed
win H., William Penrose, who was born August
6, 1861, and who married Helen Matthews; and
Miss Ella Maria.
After completing a public school course, Miss
Beatty attended Swarthmore College for two
years. A highly educated lady, she takes a deep
interest in educational matters, and has a dis
criminating taste for literature. For twenty-five
years she remained on the homestead farm with
her father, at the edge tool works in Springfield
township. This factory was built by the early
settlers of Beatty's, and at the time of its erection
was the only one in which was understood the
process of tempering of cast steel for tools.
Same years ago Miss Beatty built a pleasant
house in Morton, where she makes her home with
her brother Edwin H., surrounded with the com
forts of life and enjoying the companionship of
her many acquaintances, to whom she has proven
herself a kind neighbor and tried friend.

- EDWARD W. SMITH. Young in years,
Mr. Edward W. Smith, of Morton, Delaware
county, Pennsylvania, is a veteran in the field of
journalism, and is also numbered among the
leaders in all public movements which result in
permanent advantage to a community and are
prime factors in its development.
He was born in Delaware City, Delaware,
March 11, 1854. His education may be said to
have been gained in one of the best of prac
tical schools, the printing office. He was
only fifteen years of age when he re
moved to Norristown, Pennsylvania, where
he entered the employ of Ashenfelter & Mc-
Clennan, book and job printers, as an appren
tice. He had previously obtained a rudimentary
knowledge of language and the common branches,
but his principal source of information were the
journals and books which he read in the intervals
of his work in the printing office, after the man-

226

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

ner of many famous newspaper men in years
before him, representatives of a class which in this
day has practically disappeared. He finished a
five years apprenticeship in the office to which he
first came, and left it a master workman, capable
of performing all description of work pertaining
to his craft. For a short time afterwards he
worked in the offices of the Republican and the
Advocate, in Chester, and then went to Philadel
phia, where he remained for several years, con
stantly employed in large job houses or on the
morning newspapers.
In 1880 Mr. John H. Irwin, the wealthy in
ventor and manufacturer, who had large interests
at Morton, was casting about for a medium to
add prestige to the village, and determined upon
the establishment of a newspaper. He learned of
Mr. Smith, and having satisfied himself of his
ability and integrity, sought him out and per
suaded him to essay the undertaking he had at
heart. Mr. Smith consented, and Mr. Irwin pro
vided means for the purchase of a small printing
outfit from which was produced, on June 17,
1880, the first issue of the Morton Chronicle. For
two years the young publisher prosecuted his
work under considerable disadvantage. The
office building was a one story shell, ten by twelve
feet, which had been used as a coal office. Mr.
Smith performed nearly all the type-setting and
press work, edited his paper, was newsgatherer
for it, as well as solicitor and collector. But his
perseverance was unflagging, and he gradually
drew patronage and increased his facilities until,
in October, 1882, little more than two years after
he entered upon his venture, his office and equip
ment occupied four rooms in a new building. In
all the years since, the business has shown a
healthy and steady increase, and the Morton
Chronicle is known among newspaper men the
state over as a model local newspaper, while at ,
home its merits are warmly appreciated as an ex
ponent and advocate of all that is to the advantage
of a community.
Mr. Smith has not confined his effort in behalf
of his town to the exhortatory tasks, but he has
borne a full share in forwarding all worthy pro
jects, various of them being of his own sugges
tion. He^aided in founding the Morton Public
Library Association, and he has been its presi
dent for several years. He was also one of the
organizers of the Morton Building and Loan As
sociation, and he has long been a member of its
directorate. In brief, he is known as an ener
getic, conscientious public-spirited citizen, whose
first thought and whose continual effort is for the
betterment of the material and moral conditipn of
the town in which his lot has been cast. His
political affiliations are with the Democratic party.
He is treasurer of the borough, and a member of

the school board. For eighteen years past he has-
been engaged in a real estate business, in addition*
to conducting his newspaper.

CHARLES ANDERSON WARNER, of
Ardmore, Montgomery county, Pennsylvania, is-
a well known representative of the ancient fam
ily which traces its descent from Captain William
Warner, who was baptized July 8, 1627, in the
parish of Blockley, Worcestershire, England. He
was the son of John Warner, of Draycot, and,
according to tradition, was one of those who
served in the parliamentary army and were
forced to leave England soon after the death of"
the Lord Protector. He filled various positions
of honor and responsibility in the Province of
Pennsylvania, of which he became a resident
many years before the arrival of the proprietor
from whom it derives its name. He purchased'
large tracts of land from the Indians, and gave
to his large plantation on the west bank of the
Schuylkill river, the name of Blockley, after the
parish in England in which he had been born.
The name of his wife, whom he probably married
in England, was Anne, and they had a family of
several sons and daughters. Captain William
Warner died on his plantation in Lower Merion
township in October, 1706, his will being proved
in Philadelphia on the 18th of the same month.
By its provisions the estate passed to his eldest
son, who was, in turn, to leave it to his eldest son.
Isaac Warner, eldest son of Captain William-
and Anne Warner, married, November 30, 1692,.
Ann Craven, and died in April 1727, in which-
year and month his will was proved in Philadel
phia. He was succeeded in the possession of the
estate by his eldest son, William, known in his
tory as "Baron" Warner.. He was one of the
founders in 1732 of the "State on Schuylkill"
Fishing Company, the old hall of the company
being erected upon his property. He died in
September, 1766, as is shown by the fact that his
will was then proved in Philadelphia. His eld
est son, Isaac, served during the Revolutionary
war, first as lieutenant-colonel, and afterward
as colonel of the Seventh Battalion, Philadel
phia county militia. He married in 1757, Lydia
Coulton, and died in November, 1794, leaving
a large number of descendants.
Isaac Warner, son of Anthony and Rachel
(Evans) Warner, was born July 24, 1780, and
engaged in business as a carpenter and builder,
being well known throughout the counties of
Montgomery and Delaware. During the war of
1812 he enlisted under Captain Matthews, and
served until the restoration of peace. He then
settled in Lower Merion, Montgomery county,

ISAAC WARNER.

JANE WARNER.

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

227

--at a place known as Haverford, where he lived
for the remainder of his life. He married De
cember 1, 1808, Jane Latch, born April 10, 1790,
-daughter of Jacob and Jane (Rose) Latch, and
their children were : Hammil, born September 10,
1809, married Mary Roland, who died January
25, 1848, and himself deceased January 19, 1873 ;
-Lewis,born January 20, i8i2,married Margaretta
Underwood, and died April. 19, 1872, his widow
surviving until March 14, 1891 ; Jacob, born No
vember 26, 1814, died August 23, 1817; Eliza
Ann, born October 7, 1817; died September 6,
1875; Levi Evans, born October 27, 1820, and
died in May, 1880; Isaac and Jacob L., twins,
born December 9, 1823, the latter of whom mar
ried Emily Shur, who died August 23, 1875 ;
• and Isaac married Mary Roland; Rebecca, born
March 27, 1826; Penrose Evans, born December
11, 1828; Charles Anderson, mentioned at length
hereinafter; and Gardiner L., born February 1,
1835. Isaac Warner, the father of this family,
died January 3, 1864, and his wife passed away
^about 1882, at the advanced age of ninety- three.
Charles Anderson Warner, son of Isaac and
Jane (Latch) Warner, was born March 10, 1832,
in Lower Merion township, Montgomery county,
and received his education at Winwood, near
Philadelphia. He took a private course in engi
neering architecture, and was graduated about
1849. He at once engaged in business for him
self and has done much building in different parts
of the country. About 1862 he remodeled a fine
mansion in Ardmore, and has since made it his
Iiome. Mr. Warner married Margaret, daughter of
Norris and Sarah (Ott) Hansell, and they were
the parents of the following children: Emily S.,
horn June 16, 1867; Charles Arthur, born March
.3, 1870; Robley A., born November 1, 1873; and
Albert and Oscar, twins, born April 1, 1879, who
died in infancy. Mrs. Warner died April 1, 1879,
and some time after Mr. Warner married his
sister-in-law, Anna C. Hansell. Of Mr. Warner's
children it may be remarked that his daughter,
Emily S., possesses much artistic ability. She
was educated at the Hagerstown Female Semi
nary, from which she graduated about 1889, and
in 1890 went abroad in order to pursue the study
of art, in which her attainments are of a high
order, as the specimens of her work by which
"her home is adorned bear witness. Charles Ar
thur, the elder son of Mr. Warner, has inherited
the mechanical genius of his father, and has
opened a wide field for his efforts in the building
"business. Robley A., the younger son, has
adopted the profession of civil engineering, in
which he holds a high position.
While Mr. Warner's mother attained a high
degree of longevity, it is shown, by the family
records, that length of life was an inherited char

acteristic of the race, the maternal grandfather
of Mr. Warner having died in 1803, at the age
of eighty-seven, his wife Jane (Rose) Latch,
passing away aged ninety-six years.

ISAAC W. LEAMEY, a highly respected
citizen of Morton, Delaware county, Pennsyl
vania, is a native of the state, and was born at
Reeceville, now Berwyn, in Chester county, De
cember 31, 1844. His parents were Stephen M.
and Elizabeth (Pawling) Leamey. The father,
who was a son of John Leamey, was born in 1801,
in the same village which was the birthplace of
his son. Stephen M. Leamey was a man of in
dustry and enterprise, became owner of a consid
erable farm and other realty. At his death his
surviving children received substantial legacies
from his estate. His children were: John W.,
who married Amanda Reeves, and resided in
Philadelphia ; both are deceased, the husband dy
ing at the age of sixty-three years ; Nathan P.,
who married Sarah Waters, and who is living at
Berwyn, at the age of sixty-one years; Morgan,
who died aged six years ; Mary, who died unmar
ried, at the age of fifty-two years ; Hannah Pawl
ing, who married John Potter, bore him a son
William, now aged twenty-six years, and died in
her fiftieth year ; Anna, who died at the age of fif
teen years ; and Isaac W. Leamey.
Isaac W. Leamey received his education in
the Glassley and Lepord schools in his native
county. On leaving school he engaged with his
father in conducting the home farm. During the
latter part of the Civil war period he enlisted in
Company G, Twenty-eighth Regiment Pennsyl
vania Militia, and served in the defense of the
state against rebel invasion for about two months,
when his command was honorably mustered out
of service. He then returned and settled in
Springfield township, and built the pleasant farm
home which he now occupies, and where he has
since passed his life pleasantly and usefully, es
teemed throughout the community for his ex
cellent qualities. He is a member of the Patriotic
Order of Sons of America, and of the Springfield
Free Fountain Society.
Mr. Leamey was married, December 13, 1871,
to Miss Sallie T. Myers, a daughter of John .and
Margaret (Thompson) Myers. She was one of a
family of seven children, those beside herself be
ing as follows: George, who married Mary
Shroder, of Willistown, and whose children are
Charles and Edith; Lewis, who is living in Da
kota, is married, and has a son Edgar ; John, who
married Kattie Chettick, and whose children are
Irwin and May; Hunter, who married Mary
Bancroft, and whose children are George and
Charles ; Margaret, who married Frank P. Carr,

228

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

of Springfield township, and who is mentioned
more fully an another page ; and Lydia, who died
at the age of eighteen years.
The children of Isaac W. and Sallie (Myers)
Leamey were as follows : W. Walter Leamey,
who is further mentioned elsewhere; John P.,
who was born at Hestonville, Philadelphia county,
August 2, 1882, and who is a graduate of the
Philadelphia Business College ; and Ada F., who
was born December 6, 1885, in Springfield town
ship, and who was educated in the schools there
and at Media.

W. WALTER LEAMEY, an enterprising
business man and public-spirited citizen of Mor
ton, in Springfield township, Delaware county,
Pennsylvania, is the eldest child of Isaac W. and
Sallie (Myers) Leamey, whose family history
appears in the sketch of the father, at another
place in this volume.
He was born December 12, 1872, at Berwyn,
in Chester county. He began his education in the
schools at Hestonville, Philadelphia county, and
pursued advanced studies in the central school in
Springfield township, Delaware county, to which
his parents had removed. Soon after leaving
school he established a milk route through
Springfield township, and succeeded in building
up so profitable a business that he disposed of it
to good advantage. The pursuit was congenial,
however, and he soon afterward established a
new route covering a larger territory, and he is
now giving it his attention, constantly adding to
the number of his customers and friends. In all
his dealings with others, whether in business or
in social relations, he commands the respect and
confidence of all.
Mr. Leamey is an esteemed member of the
Patriotic Order of Sons of America, the Knights
of Pythias and the Knights of Malta. His politi
cal affiliations are with the Republican party, and
he is a staunch advocate of the principles and
policies of that organization.

GEORGE YERKES EDWARDS, a well
known farmer and honored citizen of Delaware
county, Pennsylvania, has throughout nearly his
active business career been prominently identified
with the agricultural interests of this section, and
for a number of years has resided on his present
farm. His birth occurred in Bucks county, Penn
sylvania, March 27, 1839, his parents being Al
fred and Mary (Hall) Edwards, the former of
whom was born in 181 1, while the latter, who
was a daughter of Catherine Hall, was born in
1812. George Y. Edwards received his education at
Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, and after putting

aside his text books to engage in the active battle
of life for himself, he chose the vocation of farm
ing, which with the exception of a few years
when he was engaged in the milling business has
continued to be his life work. His homestead
which consists of sixty-four acres of rich and
productive land is located near Morton, Delaware
county, and there he devotes his attention to gen
eral farming. He commands the respect of his
fellow men by his sterling worth, and Pennsyl
vania numbers him among her honored sons.
Mr. Edwards married Maggie A. Crothers,.
who was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,
April 21, 1840, a daughter of Margaret Ann
Crothers. They are the parents of the following
named children: Alfred, born in Philadelphia,
December 17, 1861 ; Augustus, born in Ridley,
Delaware county, February 21, 1865 ; Ella, born
in Hog Island, Tinicum township, Delaware
county, August 21, 1868; Mary J., born in Phila
delphia, September 21, 1872; Nellie G, born in
Darby, Delaware county, March 1, 1874; Samuel
C, born in Darby, Delaware county, September
16, 1876 ; Clara D., born in Philadelphia, May 16,
1879; J°hn H., born in Philadelphia, December
20, 1881 ; and Harry C, born in Philadelphia,
June 21, 1884.

FRANKLIN PARSONS CARR was born in
Delaware county, in the year 1855, and now re
sides in Springfield township, near Morton. He
is connected with building interests, and is also
the owner of one of the beautiful residences
of this portion of the state. He is a son of
William and Mary Carr, and in his youth he-
attended a number of schools in Delaware county,
thus acquiring a good education. After arriving-
at years of maturity, he was married, on the
23d of October, 1884, to Miss Margaret Ella
Myers, a daughter of John and Margaret Myers,.
of Easttown, Chester county, Pennsylvania.
Their children are Bessie, who is seventeen
years of age; Edith, who is fourteen years of"
age; Elsie, a maiden of eleven summers; and
Frank, who is a little lad of three years.
Mr. Carr is living in his own home, which
stands upon a part of the old family homestead
in Springfield township, which has long been in
possession of the Carrs. He did much of the car
penter work upon the old home. His early youth
was devoted to agricultural pursuits, but later he
entered upon an aprenticeship to the carpenter's-
trade, and has since been identified with the build
ing interests of Delaware county, covering a per
iod of twenty-three years. His home is upon a
tract of land in the midst of which stands a
beautiful residence surrounded by a well kept
lawn. Everything about the home is neat and at
tractive in appearance, and it is one of the pleas-

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

229

ing features of the landscape. Mr. Carr is a man
of fine physique, strong and robust. His many
excellent traits of character have gained for him
warm friends throughout this portion of the
county, and he is widely known. In matters of
citizenship he is progressive and enterprising, and
in the line of his business his efforts have proven
of marked value in the community. Mr. Carr
has back of him an ancestry honorable and dis
tinguished, and one of close connection with the
history of eastern Pennsylvania. He now has in
his possession a number of valuable heirlooms,
including a watch chain that was woven by Wil
liam Penn, in Delaware county, when the founder
of the state was in the prime of life. His brother,
William Henry Carr, is the possesor of the watch
to which this chain was once attached, and his
mother has a felt hat that was worn by William
Penn.

WILLIAM HENRY CARR, at present a
resident of Springfield township, near the vil
lage of Morton, has spent his whole life in
this vicinity, which is the locality of his birth,
his rearing and his education. His father,
William Carr, was born in 1810, and mar
ried Mary Ann Parsons, whose birth occurred in
1816, and while she is still living her husband
passed away some years ago. Their son, William
Henry Carr, was born on his father's homestead
in Springfield township, Delaware county, Penn
sylvania in 1846. He began attending the
Springfield Central public school in 1852, and fin
ished his education in 1864, after which he en
gaged in farming for awhile and then became ap
prenticed to the carpenter's trade. After mas
tering the details of this handicraft he did con
tract work as a carpenter, and in this pursuit ac
cumulated sufficient capital to purchase the small
house in which he resides near Morton. Mr. Carr
has devoted considerable time to the social and
fraternal life of his community and borne a full
share in all the obligations of good citizenship.
For seventeen years he has served as superin
tendent of the Springfield Sunday-school, and is
secretary and director of the Public Library Asso
ciation at Morton. He is a member of the P. O.
S. of A. Lodge and of the J. O. U. R. A, M.
Mr. Carr married Mary Ann, daughter of
Richard and Julia Frank, of West Philadelphia,
by whom he has had four children: Bessie B.,
born in 1874, now deceased ; Lillian May, born in
1876; Emma Matilda, born in 1878; and Clara
S., born in 1880.

county, Pennsylvania, was born on November 10,
1842, in Philadelphia, and her husband was born
on March 26, 1840. The early life of John Rogers
was spent upon his father's farm, where he ac
quired the habits of industry and economy which
made his after efforts so successsful. For a
number of years prior to his death he conducted a
flourishing milk business, his route being in
Philadelphia, where he lived until his removal to
the farm. Earlier in life he was prison inspector
for a number of years, and both in public and
private life he discharged every duty assigned
him with characteristic faithfulness and ability.
Fraternally Mr. Rogers was a member of the
Masonic order in which he took an active part
and he was a man who made many friends. In
his death, which occurred November 21, 1900,
the community lost one of its best citizens, and
his memory is tenderly cherished by many out
side his home circle.
To the marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Rogers the
following children were born, viz : Samuel B.,
born October 10, 1865, died July 6, 1866; John
Thomas, born November 27, 1866; Anna Laura,
born November 17, 1868, died May 18, 1888;
Guielma, born December 18, 1874, who resides
with her mother ; she is a charming young lady,
highly accomplished, and was educated at the
Friends' select school at Media, Pennsylvania;
Li da Florence, born March 6, 1877, was educated
at Wilson colllege, Chambersburg, Pennsylvania,
and she married Francis, a son of George B.
Lownes. The other children were educated at
private schools, and given many advantages, and
all were born in West Philadelphia.
After the death of her husband, Mrs. Rogers
retired from her farm to Morton, where she has
since resided. She is a lady whose kind and
gentle disposition has won for her many friends,
her life being spent in carrrying out her charit
able ideas, many of which are never known to
the public, and in making her home one of the
most pleasant in Morton.

MRS. SARAH M. ROGERS, widow of the
late John S. Rogers, one of the highly esteemed
residents of Springfield township, Delaware

JOHN T. ROGERS. Among those who have
achieved unusual success in the commercial cir
cles of Morton, Delaware county, Pennsylvania,
may be mentioned the name of John T. Rogers, a
highly respected and progressive citizen of that
town, who is extensively engaged in agricultural
pursuits, making a specialty of dairying.
John T. Rogers was born in West Philadel
phia, Pennsylvania, November 27, 1866, the son
of John S. and Sarah M. Rogers, who are de
scendants of an old and honorable ancestry. He
obtained a practical education in the public
schools of the neighborhood, and after the death
of his father, which occurred November 21, 1901,
he took up his residence on his present farm.

230

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

which consists of 165 acres, and since then has
devoted his time and attention to farming in
terests. He has met with remarkable success in
this undertaking, becoming widely known for the
superiority of his dairy products, which are in
great demand in the city of Philadelphia.
On October 23, 1890, Mr. Rogers was united
in marriage to Miss Fanny Allyn, a member of
the distinguished Allyn family of Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania. They are the parents of one
ehild, Allyn Rogers, born May 1, 1892.

MRS. ELIZABETH POWELL is a repre
sentative of one of the old families of Pennsyl
vania, her home being at Marple. She was born
in 1817, in Delaware county, a daughter of
Charles and Mary H. Garrett. After arriving at
years of maturity she gave her hand in marriage
to George S. Powell, who was born in 1809, in
Delaware county. Carrying on agricultural pur
suits many years, he became a very wealthy
farmer, possessing extensive interests at the time
of his death, which was caused by a rupture of a
blood vessel. Thus he died suddenly, in 1871.
He left two sons, Charles and Elwood G. An
other child, William, died in infancy.
Mrs. Powell resides with her eldest son,
Charles, and is now in her eighty-sixth year, but
is a very active lady for one of her age, retaining
her mental and physical faculties unimpaired.
She is a devoted member and zealous adherent of
the Society of Friends, to which her husband also
belonged. Her son Charles was united in mar
riage to Emma J. Worrall, a daughter of John
and Sarah P. (Levis) Worrall, in whose family
were fifteen children. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Charles
Powell have been born twelve children: Frank
W., who married Sydney Burke; Preston W.,
who wedded Mattie Taggart; Joseph M., who
married Nelly Arundt; George; Elizabeth, who
is the wife of William Bowman ; Walter C, who
married Mabel Worrell: William; Jennie W. ;
Carrie L., the wife of Charles Katz ; Lucy M. ;
Mary F. ; and Charles H. Powell.

ELWOOD G. POWELL, an honorable and
highly esteemed representative of the agricultural
interests of Delaware county, Pennsylvania, was
born on the old homestead in 1850, the son of
George S. and Elizabeth H. (Garrett) Powell.
Elwood G. Powell acquired his early educa
tion in the common schools of the neighborhood,
and later was a student at the Millersville State
Normal School for two terms. Being reared upon
a farm, his time was occupied with the duties in
cident to such a life, and at a very early age he
manifested that spirit of progressiveness and en
terprise that has characterized his later years. He

is now the owner of a farm which consists of
seventy acres, and here he puts to a practical use
the knowledge gained in his boyhood.
On January 8, 1873, Mr. Powell was united
in marriage to' Miss Hannah Porter, daughter of
Edwin Davis and Mary (Hays) Porter. Their
children are: George Howard, aged twenty-one
years, and Mary Powell, born in 1875. Both chil
dren enjoyed the educational advantages afforded
by the public and private schools of Delaware
county. Mrs. Powell's ancestors were highly cul
tured people, and were among the first settlers
of Delaware county. Her mother, Mary Porter,
was a daughter of John and Catherine Hays, the'
former named being one of the first three teach
ers who secured positions in Delaware county,
Pennsvlvania.

WILLIAM SITER, deceased. The first
ancestor of the Siter family of whom there
is any authentic information was Adam Siter,
who was of Welsh descent, and family tradition
says he, for some time, resided in what is now
Radnor township, Delaware county, Pennsylva
nia. He married, and among his children was a
son, William, who married Mary Taylor, and by
their union were born the following children: 1.
David; 2. John; 3-4. William and Adam, who
were twins; 5. Anna, who became the wife of
Enoch Davis ; and 6. Elizabeth, who married
John Yocum. David, the eldest child of this
family, married, and for some time kept store at
the old Eagle house on the Lancaster turnpike.
John married and settled in Radnor twonship,
near the village of Ithan, where he followed
farming. Adam and William, the twin brothers
(born December 8, 1798), received, under their
father's will, a tract of land containing 192 acres
where South Wayne now stands, and here they
conducted farming. When Adam married, he
sold his interest to his brother, William, who .con
tinued the cultivation of the farm and the old
Siter saw and grist mill, which stood upon the
property, and he was so occupied until death,
which occurred July 24, 1857.
Adam Siter married Margaret Brooke, and
by his marriage had two sons, Reese and Brooke
Siter, neither of whom married.
The other twin brother, William Siter, mar
ried Emily Worthington, born July 10, 1800,
who was a daughter of Eber Worthington, oi
West Chester, Chester county, Pennsylvania.
To this marriage were born the following chil
dren: I. Harriet Sarah, who died in childhood;
2. Wilmer, who married Annie Bradley; 3.
Lucy, who married John West ; 4. John, who
married Sarah Garrett; 5. Mary, who married
John Reed; 6. Eber, who married Caroline

EMILY WORTHINGTON SITER.

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

231

Crox; 7. William, whose name introduces this
review; 8. Emily, who became the wife of the
Rev. George Holman; 9. Malinda, who married
John Boyd. Emily (Worthington) Siter, the
mother of these chilldren, died April 7, 1878.
She was born July 10, 1800. She was a devout
•and earnest Christian woman, while her husband,
who was a very energetic and worthy man in ali
the affairs of life, did not attend any church, and'
gave little heed to the observances of the Sab
bath day, continuing without interruption his
daily routine of toil and business. This indiffer-
enceto the Sabbath day on the part of the husband
gave his good wife no little worry or concern,
and she resolved that she should rescue him from
his ways of error. Upon one occasion she ap
pealed in prayer to the Almighty Lord to shield
and save her erring husband. Hearing her sup
plication, the strong man of iron nerve could no
longer resist, and at once went to the side of his
wife and promised to accompany her and the
children to church that same Sunday morning,
and from that day until the time of his death he
was a regular attendant at religious services,
and was ever after known as a devout and con
sistent Christian man. He had been, previous to
his conversion to the Christian faith, for a num
ber of years a member of the Musical Fund Hall,
an organization for social amusement. His in
terest in Christianity and the religious welfare
¦•of the neighborhood had now become so earnest
that he purchased the interests of the Music
Fund Hall and with others organized the Radnor
Hall Baptist church, which organization later
"became the first Baptist church of Wayne, and
here himself and family were regular attendants
•during the remaining years of their lives. Will
iam Siter died July 24, 1857, and his wife and
their dead descendants are all buried in the
cemetery of the First Baptist church at Wayne,
which William Siter, upon his conversion to the
•church, helped to organize and establish.
William Siter, son of William and Emily
(Worthington) Siter, was born March 16, 1838.
He was married October 31, 1878, to Sarah Mar
tin, daughter of Richard and Hannah (Moore)
Martin. Both her parents were natives of Eng
land. The children of their marriage were: 1.
Annie M., born August 9, 1879, died September
19, 1879; 2. George Martin, born February 5,
1887; 3. Mary Emily Worthington, born April
15, 1890. The father of the family died Decem
ber 6, 1902, esteemed by all who knew him.

JACOB BOON, M. D., deceased, for many
-years a well known and eminent general practi
tioner of Darby township, was born October 9,
1837, at Glenolden, Darby township, Delaware
county, Pennsylvania. The Boon family is of

Swedish origin and claims the distinction of be
ing one of the oldest in the state of Pennsylvania,
its progenitors, who were Swedes and Fins, hav
ing settled along Darby creek as early as 1637.
The first of the name of whom there is any record
were three brothers, Peter, Hans and Swan, the
latter named being the great-great-grandfather
of Dr. Boon. They were all large landowners in
what is now known as Delaware county, and a
portion of the estate owned by Hans Boon was
later the property of Dr. Boon. He is also a de
scendant of Daniel Boone, the celebrated Ken
tucky frontiersman.
Andrew Boon, great-grandfather of Dr. Boon,
followed the vocation of his forefathers, that of
farming, in the township of Darby, where he re
sided all his life. He married and reared a family
of children, one of whom was Abram Boon
(grandfather of Dr. Boon) who was born in
Darby township about the year 1776, and also
engaged in the occupation of farming. He was
an anti-federalist in politics, and an active member
of the Methodist Episcopal church in Darby vil
lage. He was the father of the following named
children: Andrew, Marcus, Joel, William, Chris
tina, Susan, Lydia and Elizabeth Boon. His
death occurred about the year 1840, aged sixty-
five years.
Andrew Boon, father of Dr. Boon, was born
in an old log house in the township of Darby in
1803, and after acquiring a practical education in
the common schools of the neighborhood he de
voted his attention to farming interests, which
vocation he followed during his entire life. Politi
cally he was a supporter of the principles of the
Democratic party, taking a keen interest in all
local matters that pertained to the growth and de
velopment of Marcus Hook and Ridley town
ship, where he was the owner of large tracts of
land. He was a member of the Methodist Epis
copal church of Darby, to the support of which
he contributed liberally both of his time and
money. Mr. Boon married Anna Foulke, a na
tive of Delaware county, and a daughter of
George Foulke. Their children were: Susan,
wife of William Rudolph ; Ellen, who died at the
age of twenty-two years ; Jacob ; James, died in
his twenty-second year; Emily, wife of George
Hedrick ; Daniel ; Ann ; Martha and Mariah, the
two latter named being twins. Mr. Boon died in
the year 1871, aged seventy-two years, and his
wife passed away in the eighty-third year of her
age. Dr. Jacob Boon was reared and obtained his
literary education in the township of Darby,
after which he taught school for seven terms in
that township and Montgomery county. In 1862
he decided to take up the profession of medicine,
and after pursuing a course of medical reading
for one year he entered Jefferson Medical College,

232

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

where he continued his studies for more than a
year. Before completing his course he enlisted
for ninety days in Company A, Thirty-seventh
Regiment of emergency men, stationed at Green-
castle, but after one month's service was dis
charged. Dr. Boon then went to Philadelphia
and enlisted in Company B, Two Hundred and
Third Pennsylvania Regiment Infantry, joining
the main army in front of Petersburg. His regi
ment was sent to reinforce the troops at Deep
Bottom, but arrived too late to take an active
part in that engagement. After several minor
battles he participated in the historical struggle
at Fort Fisher, and was with General Terry at
the capture of that stronghold. The regiment
was camped on the old York road in front of
Richmond, and subsequently skirmished along
the coast line toward Raleigh, North Carolina,
and joined in besieging that city.
After his return from the war, Dr. Boon re
sumed his occupation of teaching for a short
period of time, after which he again took up his
medical studies at Jefferson College, from which
well known institution he was graduated in 1867.
He immediately commenced the practice of his
profession in Darby township, and meeting with
appreciation and encouragement from the be
ginning he soon had a large patronage which in
creased with the passing years, until it ranked
with the most important in the county. He was
an active member of the Delaware County Medi
cal Society. Dr. Boon was also actively interested
in other enterprises, having been one of the lar
gest real estate owners in that part of Pennsyl
vania. He owned valuable property at Glenolden,
Ridley Park, Chester, Lansdowne, and Boon Sta
tion, and in association with Fred Vogel was in
strumental in the development of Lansdowne
Heights and West Folsom. At the latter named
place he purchased fifty-four acres of land which
he laid out into building lots, and gave it the name
of Oakland; in 1888 he disposed of this property
to James Mornan, but subsequently became the
owner of it again. In 1889 he and Mr. Vogel
purchased two tracts containing one hundred and
ninety-five acres, named the place Lansdowne
Heights, and spent much time and attention in
the improvement and development of the prop
erty. In 1886 Dr. Boon purchased fifteen acres
of ground, erected fifteen residences, and derived
a goodly income from the rental of the same. He
was also the promoter and main owner of the vil
lage of Boon, and was largely instrumental in the
building up and improving of Glenolden, Folsom
and West Folsom. He was one of the promoters
of the Darby & Chester pike, and his influence
was felt in nearly all the public enterprises of
this section of the state. In political sentiment he
was a Democrat, and was elected by that party to
serve as auditor, school director and to fill other

official positions. For many years he was a mem
ber of the Odd Fellow Society, served in all the
chairs of his lodge, and afterward became con
nected with the encampment.
On May 10, 1872, Dr. Boon married Elizabeth
F. Lawrence, a daughter of J.Warren and Martha
(Holland) Lawrence, of Springfield township,.
Delaware county, Pennsylvania. Mrs. Boon is a
sister of Jennie, wife of Charles Evans, of Spring
field township, and Helen Lawrence, wife of
Harry Black, of Marple township, a son of Sam
uel Black. Dr. Boon died at his residence in
Ridley township July 17, 1898, survived by his-
widow.

SAMUEL CONARD. In June, 1683, thir
teen families of colonists from Crefeld on the
Rhine bade farewell to their fatherland and set
out for America, whither they had been preceded
by Francis Daniel Pastorius, who had been
charged with the duty of finding home lands for
them within the 'province lately granted by the
English sovereign to William Penn. On July 24,
these colonists embarked at London in the ship-
"Concord," five hundred tons burthen, William
Jeffries, Master, and after a voyage of seventy-
four days landed on Pennsylvania soil at Phila
delphia, on October 6, 1683.
In early Pennsylvania history this historic
party became known as the "Germantown Colon^-
ists," for through the offices of their agent, Pas
torius, the latter had procured for them a large-
tract not far from Penn's seat of government,.
and to which was given the name of Germantown
— a name known even to the present day although
the region many years ago was included within
the corporate limits of the greater city of Phila
delphia. Among these families of German colonists
was one whose name is variously written in pub
lic and family records, but which was written by
himself as both Kunders and Kunrad, and is-
mentioned in Penn's charter of Germantown,
signed and granted August 12, 1689, as Dennis-
Conrad, for then he was one of the first burgesses
of Germantown, as well as one of the founders ;
in later years he was one of its most worthy in
habitants and the progenitor of a most worthy
line of descendants. It may be said, however,
that Dennis Conrad was also known as Thones
Kunders, in the Westphalian, and became Dennis
Kunrade, or Conrad, in the Saxon (Proud). A
more recent genealogist of the family says that
Thones Kunders "was frequently known as Den
nis Conrad, or Conrades" ; and, further, that
"after his time the name Kunders fell altogether
its disuse, his descendants calling themselves, in
differently, Cunrads, Conrads, Cunnard, Cunard,
Conrods, Conard and Conrad." Many later-day;

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

233

generations of the family have used the surname
Conard. The children of Thones Kunders were : Cun-
rad, born in Crefeld, Germany, May 17, 1678,
married, first, Anna Klincken, May 31, 1704,
married second, (unknown) and died in 1747;
Matthias, born in Crefeld, November 25, 1679-
80; John, born in Crefeld, June 3, 1681, died
probably in 1765 ; Ann, born in Germantown May
4, 1684 (probably the first child born in the set
tlement) married Leonard Streepers, July 29,
1715; Agnes, born in Germantown, September
28, 1686, married Samuel Powell, October 29,
1709 ; Henry, born in Germantown, December 16,
1688-9, married Catharine Streepers June 28,
1710; Elizabeth, born in Germantown February
30, 1 69 1, married Griffith Jones, November 30,
1709. Matthias Cunard, second child of Thones,
married May 29, 1705, Barbara Tyson, who sur
vived him; he died in 1726, leaving children:
Anthony, Margaret, Cornelius, Magdalin, Wil
liam, John and Matthias, all of whom adopted the
family name of Conard. Says a chronicler of
family history : "The above named Cornelius Con
ard married, March 29, 1732, Priscilla Bolton,
daughter of Eberhard and Mary Bolton. He was
then living at Horsham and is described as 'yeo
man.' In 1737 he is described as 'weaver,' and
in 1742 we find him described as of 'German
township yeoman.' He died in 1 770. He seems
to have adopted and kept the spelling 'Conard.'
This Cornelius must not be confounded with an
other of the same name, also of 'German town
ship,' and also a 'weaver.' The children of Cor
nelius Conard were: Susannah, married October
13, 1773, Samuel Carew; Samuel, of Horsham,
yeoman, married November 16, 1772, Hannah,
widow of Jacob Kinderdine; John; Matthew, of
Cheltenham, a miller, who married April 13,
1760, Mary Roberts; Everard; Joseph; Mary,
married May 25, 1762, Jacob Watson. Everard
Conard, fifth child and fourth son of Cornelius
Conard and Priscilla Bolton, was by trade a
wheelwright, and he married, June 18, 1761, Mar
garet Cadwallader, a daughter of Isaac Cada-
wallader, late of Waeminster township, Philadel
phia county." The foregoing is a brief genealogi
cal record of one of the oldest and in many re
spects one of the most prominent families of east
ern Pennsylvania, and one whose descendants are
still known as factors in the civil and business
history of that region.
The late Samuel Conard, formerly a merchant
of Philadelphia, was a descendant in direct line
of Thone Kunders and one of the best representa
tives of the old or the adopted surnames. He was
born at Lampeter, Lancaster county, October 4,
1830, and received his early education at public
and private schools in the counties of Lancaster

and Chester, afterwards entering the school of
Benjamin Hallowell, at Sandy Spring, Mary
land, when he also taught in the school. He de
veloped a taste for meteorology, and a decided
ability for mathematics, the latter qualification
enabling him to be the financial head of the busi
ness concern, which made his name to be greatly
respected by all who had dealings with him. His
straightforward and conscientious principles giv
ing him a name more than respected among men.
In 1876 he purchased a farm at Sharon Hill, Del
aware county, and occupied it as a residence and
home after 1877. His efforts in life were re
warded with success and he enjoyed the respect
of all who were acquainted with him either in
business or social relation. Mr. Conard married
Mary B. Clayton, daughter of Jacob E. and Han
nah. Littler (Yerkes) Clayton, of Montgomery
county. The children of this marriage are : Caro
line C. born August 31, 1861, and died young;
Francis Paxon born June 2, 1864 ; Helen Clayton,
born November 4, 1865, married Robert C. Bid
dle, Jr., son of Clement M. and Lydia C. Biddle
of Philadelphia; Henry Norman, born June 25,
1869, unmarried ; Mary L. Conard, born June 10,
1873, died young; and Sarah Emlen Conard, born
June 11, 1878.
Jacob E. Clayton, father of Mary B. (Clay
ton) Conard, was the son of John and Elizabeth
(Norman) Clayton, the latter being of Welsh
descent; and Hannah Littler (Yerkes) Clayton,
her mother was a daughter of Anthony and
Susan (Canby) Yerkes, the former a descendant
of the prominent old Yerkes family of Montgom
ery county, Pennsylvania, and the latter of a well
known and respected family of Baltimore, Mary
land. All of these families were closely associated
with the best sides of civil and social life in their
respective localities, and among them were sev
eral persons who attained to positions of influ
ence and public affairs.

THE CALDWELLS OF MORTON. Miss
Beulah and Charles Caldwell, who reside on the
old homestead in Ridley township, Delaware
county, Pennsylvania, where they were born, are
children of George W. and Martha (Carey)
Caldwell. Their father removed in 1843 to Rid
ley township, Delaware county, Pennsylvania,
where he purchased a farm consisting of thirty-
five acres and was engaged in agricultural pur
suits up to the time ef his death, which was in
1884, when the property was willed to his wife,
and after her death, which occurred in 1891, de
scended to their three children, Hannah, Beulah and
Charles Caldwell. Another daughter, Catharine,
died in 1890, and Hannah died in 1897. Their
mother, Martha (Carey) Caldwell, was a daugh
ter pf Charles and Beulah (Tyson) Carey.

234

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

Charles Carey, father of Mrs. Caldwell, spent
the early years of his life in assisting his father
with the work on the farm. He afterward en
gaged in the lumber business in Philadelphia,
and after being thus employed during the greater
part of his active career, returned to the old
homestead and resumed farming. He married
Buelah Tyson, daughter of William Tyson, a
citizen of Cecil county, Maryland, who was for
merly a resident of Delaware county. Their
children were: i. William, who married Eliza
beth Robinson, removed to Clark county, Ohio,
and remained there until his death; 2. Elizabeth,
who died in early life ; 3. Martha, wife of George
W. Caldwell and mother of Beulah and Charles
Caldwell; 4. Edward, who after completing his
education, purchased a farm in Upper Provi
dence, Delaware county, where he was a market
gardener, who disposed of his products in the
Philadelphia market, making two journeys each
week for a period of forty years. He is now
the owner of a large and well cultivated farm of
fifty acres in the vicinity of Media, Pennsylvania,
where he has creditably and efficiently filled vari
ous important political positions. He married
Miss Jane Moore, a daughter of James and
Rachel (Worrell) Moore, of Middletown, Dela
ware county, and six children were the issue
of this marriage. Mattnias, the fifth child, was
a mute and acquired his education at the Asylum
for Deaf Mutes in the city of Philadelphia;
he was united in marriage to Emma Wade. Two
daughters of Charles and Beulah (Tyson) Carey
are deceased: Jane and Elizabeth. Charles and
Beulah Carey, the parents of these children, died
at the old home in Delaware county, Pennsyl
vania, both of them having attained the extreme
old age of eighty-two years.

CONRAD K. DOLBEY, a prominent busi
ness rtian of Morton, Delaware county, Pennsyl
vania, is descended, from a family of Welsh
origin, which was planted in America by Thomas
Dolbey, who left his native land about 1788, and
settled in Uwchlan township, Chester county,
where he passed the remainder of his life as a
farmer. He had two sons, Lewis and Abraham,
the first named of whom left no descendants.
Abraham Dolbey, son of Thomas, was born
in 1789, oh the homestead in Uwchlan, Chester
¦county. His life was entirely devoted to agri
cultural pursuits in which he was very successful.
In politics he was a Jacksonian Democrat, and
in religious preferences a Baptist, being for many
years a member of the church of that denomina
tion near his home. In 181 1 he married Catherine
King, a native of the same township, and a
daughter of Conrad King, who had a family of
•seven children. Mr. Dolbey died on the home

stead at the age of ninety years. Abraham and
Catherine (King) Dolbey were the parents of
eleven children, named as follows :
1. Able E., born August 31, 1812, died Au
gust, 1889, single. ,
2. Newlin, born October 22, 1814, died
September 23, 1891 ; he married Sarah A. Phipps,
and to them were born seven children.
3. Sarah, still living, who was born April
6, 18.17; she married George Scofield, and to
them were born two children, Seceha J., and
Ida M.
4. Catherine King, a twin with Sarah, died
January 12, 1899; married Mifflin L. Palmer, to
whom she bore these children : Rebecca W., Se-
linda C, Eliza Evans, Alphonse Morris, Sarah
Buthulah, Laura Irene, and Esther.
5. Eliza Evans, born December 31, 1819,
died January 6, 1881. She married Abner J.
Huzzard, and to them were born five children:
Cathrine Myra, Gertrude Dolbey, Rhudolph, La-
vina and Ella M.
6. Selinda, born October 10, 1822, who is
living. She married Benjamin Jacobs, January
20, 1848, and to them were born six children:
Brinton, Mary Emma, Laura J., Ella Rassetta,
Selinda, Nettie.
7. Lewis, born June 14, 1825, died January
20, 1903. He married Mary Dixey, and to them
were born these children: Lancing Boroughs,
Howard, Malcome, Lizzie Fletcher, Caddie Lane.
8. Thomas, born August 29, 1828; died in
infancy. 9. Melvina, born December 20, 1830. She
married Peter Davis, March 13, 1862. No chil
dren were born of this marriage.
10. Conrad K., who is referred to at length
hereinafter. 11. Emma Margaret, born May 6, 1836,
died May 23, 1871. She married John Davis,
November 4, 1857, and to them were born two
children: Kate and George Brinton McClelland
Davis. Conrad K. Dolbey, son of Abraham and Cathe
rine King Dolbey, was born February 16, 1834,
on the homestead in Chester county, where he
passed his boyhood, attending the public schools
of the neighborhood. At the age of seventeen he
went to Philadelphia, where he learned the car
penter's trade, to which he served an apprentice
ship of four years. He afterward worked for
some time as a journeyman, and later engaged
independently in the contracting and building
business. In 1868 he embarked in mercantile
business in West Philadelphia, and after two years
moved to Angora, Philadelphia county, where
for some years he conducted a prosperous trade.
He then moved to Delaware county and opened
a store at Darby Creek, where he remained until
1876, when he took up his abode in his present

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

235

home at Morton. Here, from the beginning, he
met with gratifying success, and now has a flour
ishing business, being the owner of a handsome
store which contains a large stock of general
merchandise. He is also engaged in the real
estate and fire insurance business, being the
representative of a number of leading insurance
companies of Philadelphia. He has negotiated
some important transactions in realty. He is
the owner of a large amount of real estate, both
in Morton and in Philadelphia. For several
years he has been connected as a stockholder
with the Faraday Heat, Power & Light Company,
of Morton, and was at one time its treasurer. He
is also a stockholder in the Media Title and Trust
Company of Media, Delaware county, Pennsyl
vania. For nearly thirty-five years he has been
prominently identified with the building associa
tions of this part of the country, having been in
strumental in the organization of the Morton
Building and Loan Association, in which he is a
stockholder. He also took part in organizing a
similar association at Folson, Delaware coun
ty, in which he now holds the office of treas
urer. Politically, Mr. Dolbey is strictly independ
ent, voting for the men and measures that, in his
opinion, are most likely to promote the public
welfare. For two years he served as school di
rector in Upper Darby township, and for ten
years held the office of postmaster at Morton.
He is a member of Hamilton Lodge, No. 274, F.
and A. M., of Philadelphia, and is Past High
Priest of Media Chapter No. 234, R. A. M., of
Media. He is treasurer and deacon of the Ridley
Park Baptist church, adhering to the denomina
tion with which his father was prominently iden
tified. In recent years he has travelled much,
having visited all but six of the States and terri
tories of the Union, thus making himself famil
iar with all sections of his native land.
Mr. Dolbey married, December 8, 1859, Mary
Elizabeth Lewis, born January 24, 1836, a daugh
ter of Thomas B. Lewis, of West Philadelphia.
Of this marriage was born a daughter, Ada
lone, September 1, 1863, in Lower Uwchlan
township, Chester county, Pennsylvania. She
received her primary education in the public
schools of Morton, and graduated in Philadelphia
from the Grammar school on the corner of Thir
ty-Eighth and Spruce streets. For three years
she devoted herself to teaching in the schools
of Morton, and for two years in those of Oak-
dale. She married, June 15, 1898, Simeon M.
Brinton, of Thorndale township, Delaware
county, who was for some years a clerk in Mr.
Dolbey's store. They now reside in Bryn Mawr,
Montgomery county, where Mr. Brinton conducts
a large mercantile business.

JAMES F. KROMER, well known not only
throughout Northampton county, Pennsylvania,
' but throughout that entire section of country,
as a connoisseur of high bred horses, of which
he has several superior specimens in his stables,
was born in the county named, February 18,
1846. He is a son of Andrew and Salome (Fry)
Kromer, his father being of the same county
and his mother of Lehigh county.
Andrew Kromer was a son of Andrew-
Kromer, who married a Miss Schaffer, of North
ampton county, Pennsylvania, and his father was
Andrew Kromer, who was a stone mason by
trade, and was for many years a preacher of
local reputation, and was respected and esteemed
by all who knew him. Andrew Kromer the
second, was the father of the following named
children : Abraham, Charles, Joseph, Jacob, An
drew and John, and Mrs. Kester, Mrs. Snyder,
Mrs. Seigfried, and Mrs. Rogers, all of whom,
lived to be over three score years. The only
surviving one is Mrs. Seigfried at Coplay, Lehigh,
county, Pennsylvania.
Andrew Kromer, of the family last named,.
married Salome Fry. She died November 4, 1866,.
and her husband died in 1890, and they are buried
at St. John's Reformed Lutheran cemetery, at
Howerton, Northampton county, Pennsylvania.
They were consistent Christians of the Lutheran,
faith. They were the parents of ten children :
1. Sarah Jane (Mrs. Eliza Sager) ; 2. James F. ;
3. William H., who lost his life by drowning
in the Lehigh river during the freshet of 1862,
•aged fourteen years, four months and four-
days; 4. Adaline (Mrs. Charles Hill); 5. Lu
anda (Mrs. John Bruck) ; 6. Samuel A.; 7..
Alfred E., who married Dean Rager ; 8. Edward
Alexander, who married and resides at Allen-
town, Lehigh county, Pennsylvania; 9. John A.,
died September 28, 1903, who married in Phila
delphia; 10. Harrison J., who married and re
sides at Narberth, Montgomery county, Penn-.
sylvania. James Franklin Kromer, second child and
eldest son of Andrew and Salome (Fry) Kromer,
very early in life devloped a marked fondness
for horses, so it was not remarkable that later,
after completing his schooling, he turned his
attention toward the goal of his ambition. His
keen business instinct pointed out Berwyn, Ches
ter county, Pennsylvania, as a good starting
point, and leaving the old homestead he began
the upward climb toward success. In 1880 with
but little money he established himself at Berwyn
in the livery business. With limited capital this
road was anything but a smooth one, but being
abundantly endowed with energy and persever
ance, he made up his mind to conquer in the
struggle to overcome adverse circumstances..

236

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

Step by step he gained the mastery, and within
two years he found himself in a position to pur
chase a desirable site for the location of a larger
and more commodious stable in a prominent part
of the town, thus increasing his facilities for
handling his rapidly growing trade. So well
and satisfactorily had he supplied his patrons
when the road was all up-hill work, that it did
not take long for his increased facilities to be
taxed to the utmost, as people began to seek
the accommodations of his well-filled and well
kept stables from far and near.
Having compassed the livery question at
Berwyn, Mr. Kromer began to look about for
fresh fields in which to develop, and this time
his business foresight pointed to Wayne, Dela
ware county, Pennsylvania, as promising good
results, for there he found a company engaged
in the business which was meeting with scant
success. This company he bought out, and im
mediately began to improve the property and put
into execution his many practical ideas, acquired
through years of experience and careful study.
A livery stable is not generally considered a de
sirable acquisition, so far as appearance goes,
in any community, but the property under the
improved conditions, is now greeted as a bene
fit in that it adds greatly to the beauty of the
town. He anticipates that the property will be
ready for business this spring (1903), and every
thing points to future success under his capable
management. Being so fond of horses, it is not
to be wondered at that among the many, Mr.
Kromer has selected three of the finest stock, in
which he takes peculiar pride. He has experi
enced keen enjoyment in driving them about
through the counties of Chester and Delaware,
and has had the gratification as well of leaving
many race tracks the proud possessor of the
highest honors they had to dispense.
Mr. Kromer married Catherine Bauchman,
May 16, 1869, daughter of Charles Bauchman,
by whom he had one son, Elwood Franklin
Kromer, born December 13, 1870. His wife,
Catherine, died in 1893, and he again married,
this time, Elizabeth Fields, a Philadelphian,
Mr. Kromer has taken his son Elwood into part
nership, and he ably assists his father in the
management of their extensive business. Young
Kromer is also a great lover of horses, and is
endowed with his father's energy and ambition.
He married Miss Emma Strohl, and two chil
dren, James Franklin, Jr., and Ralph, have been
born to them.
Samuel A. Kromer, sixth child and second
son of Andrew and Salome (Fry) Kromer, was
born January 15, 1854. He was educated in the
public schools in Lehigh county, and became a
telegrapher when almost eighteen years of age.
An accomplished operator, he was called to a

position with the Central Railroad of New Jer
sey, which he relinquished after two years to
enter the employ of the Pennsylvania Railroad
Company at Berwyn, Chester county. He has
taken an active interest in community affairs,
and was postmaster during President Cleveland's
first term, and he served for a number of years
as school director. He was married to Miss
Ellen Jane Peters, daughter of David and Caro
line Peters, and to them were born the following
children : Calvin A., Howard S., Franklin P.,
William H. and Grover C. Kromer.

HENRY HIPPLE, deceased, for many years
a prominent and influential farmer of the town
ship of Marple, Delaware county, Pennsylvania,
was born on the Hippie homestead in Chester
county, Pennsylvania, in 18 16. His ancestors
were of German origin, but took up their resi
dence in this country at an early day, the major
ity of them settling in Pennsylvania.
His father, Henry Hippie, was born in Ches
ter county, Pennsylvania, where his boyhood was
spent in attendance at the district school and in
mastering the details of life upon a farm. His
entire life was passed in this locality where he
was recognized as a prosperous and methodical
agriculturist. In his religious beliefs he was a
Quaker, attending the regular meetings of that
organization. He was united in marriage to Jane
Garrett, by whom he had a family of eight chil
dren. His death occurred about the year 1864,
in the eighty- fourth year of his age.
Henry Hippie, son of Henry and Jane Hippie,
grew to manhood, received a good common
school education, and resided in Chester county
until after their marriage. He then removed to
Delaware county, settling in the township of
Marple, where he devoted his attention to the
cultivation of his farm of one hundred and fifty-
six acres, which was located between Marple
and Media, and which soon became one of the
most valuable and finely improved farms in that
section of the state.
In 1840, Mr. Hippie married Rachel Roberts,
who was born January 1, 1815, in Montgomery
county, Pennsylvania, a daughter of Amos and
Mary (Ellis) Roberts. Their children were:
Mary J., Margaretta, Elizabeth, Jesse, who mar
ried Fannie E. Hannum in 1876, and Rebecca
Maris in 1896; Harry, born December 14, 1856;
Annaretta, and William, who married Hannah
M. Bartram, and is now a resident of Media,
Pennsylvania, where he is engaged in the ca
pacity of county commissioner of Delaware coun
ty. Mr. Hippie died in 1878,- at the age of sixty-
three years, survived by his widow, who resides
on the old homestead in Marple township. The

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

237

grandparents of Mrs. Hippie were Moses and
Sarah (Ellis) Roberts, and their children were:
Mary Ellis, mother of Rachel Hippie, born Au
gust 21, 1777; Lydia, born August 30, 1780;
Isaac Ellis, born May 30, 1783 ; Hephzibah, born
July 27, 1785, died April 24, 1834, and William,
born April 11, 1788, died August 23, 1834. Sarah
Ellis, wife of William Ellis, Sr., died April 28,
1837, and the deaths of their children were as
follows: Lydia, died October 10, 1850; Mary
Roberts, died September 10, 1862 ; Isaac, died
July 15, 1867, and Margaret, wife of Isaac Ellis,
died December 12, 1871. The parents of Mrs.
Hippie were Amos and Mary (Ellis) Roberts,
the former named being a native of Montgomery
county ; he died in the year 1827, and was buried
at Gwined, Montgomery county, Pennsylvania.
Their children were: William, who married
Hannah Wilson; he died in the year 1870, and
his widow is now residing at Overbrook; Isaac.
who died at the age of twenty-eight years; Jo
seph, who married Adaline Heycock ; Joseph, who
died in the year 1880, and left surviving a widow
and five children: Jesse, Isaac, Penrose, Joseph
and William Roberts; Sarah, born in 1803, died
at the age of seventeen years ; Jane, born in 1808,
died January 8, 1888; Lydia, born in 181 1, died
in June, 1899; she was the wife of William
Dickinson; Mary, born in 1820, who married
Peter Gilbert, of Montgomery county, Pennsyl
vania, who died April 19, 1901, aged eighty-five
years; and Rachel, born January 1, 1815, who
acquired her education in the common schools
of Montgomery and Delaware counties, and is
now the widow of Henry Hippie.

WILLIAM H. LOWNES. The Lownes
family of which William H. Lownes, a prominent
argiculturist of Morton, Pennsylvania, is a repre
sentative, trace their origin to Hugh Lownes, who
was born near Chester, England, and suffered im
prisonment on account of his religious belief.
After his release he emigrated to the United
States, accompanied by his wife, Jane, also a
native of Chester, England, but died on the voy
age of a disease contracted while in prison, and
was buried at sea. His widow, with her four
children, settled in 1685 in Springfield township,
Delaware county, Pennsylvania, where she be
came the possessor of a large tract of land which
is still in the possession of the family. They took
up their residence in a cave, where they remained
until the erection of a log house, which was situ
ated between what is now Woodland Avenue and
the present home of Joseph Lownes, Sr., and this
property has never been out of the possession of
the family. The cave is marked by a stone bear
ing the inscription, "Jane Lownes, her cave and
dwelling, 1685."

Joseph Lownes, grandfather of William H.
Lownes, was the son of Hugh and Rebecca
(Rhoades) Lownes. He was born in 1786 and
became a man of great influence in the commun
ity, his advice being often sought in the settlement
of disputes among his neighbors. He was at one
time engaged as a teacher in the Springfield Cen
tral School, served in the capacity of school di
rector for several terms, was auditor for the town
ship, and in 1824 acted as supervisor. He was
twice married, his first wife having been Rachel
Massey, and his second wife, Priscilla Pratt." His
death occurred in 1872.
George B. Lownes, father of William H.
Lownes, was born in 1825, and on January 11,
1849, was united in marriage to Rebecca Webb,
the daughter of Alban Webb. Their children are :
William, George Bolton, Mary Moore, Hannah
Darlington, Joseph, Edward, Francis, Minerva,
and Jane Carpenter Lownes.
William H. Lownes, eldest child of George B.
and Rebecca Lownes, was born in the township of
Springfield, Pennsylvania, January 9, 1850, and
his education was acquired in the common schools
of the neighborhood. After laying aside his text
books he turned his attention to agricultural pur
suits on the old homestead, and has continuously
followed this line of industry up to the present
time (1903). He is a man of wide acquaintance,
and his life of industry and usefulness and his
record for integrity has given him a firm hold
upon the regard and confidence of his friends.
On December 10, 1881, Mr. Lownes married
Florence Thayer, born July 11, 1854, a daughter
of Nathan Thayer, who was deputy collector of
the Port of Boston for many years. Their chil
dren are: Nathan Thayer, born March 16, 1883;
Rebecca, born August 26, 1884; Emily, born
June 20, 1887, and Charlotte, born September 1,
1890.

MRS. REBECCA J. ARTHUR, of Rose
mont, Delaware county, Pennsylvania, is a repre
sentative of the old and distinguished Warner
family, which was founded in America by Capt.
William Warner, who was born at Draycot, in the
parish of Blockley, in Worcestershire, England.
He was the son of John Warner, of Draycot, and
was baptized in the parish church of Blockley,
July 8, 1627. He was a captain in the body guard
of Oliver Cromwell, and left England about 1658.
This seems not improbable in view of the fact
that a very large number of men holding com
missions under Cromwell were, after the restora
tion, forced to leave England, in order not only to
save their estates from confiscation but themselves
from transportation as convicts. It also appears
not unlikely that Capt. William Warner came first
to New England, and removed thence to Penn-

238

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

sylvania. It is certain that he was in the prov
ince years before William Penn acquired a title
to it, and that therefore he must have been among
the very earliest settlers in this region.
He purchased most of his land direct from the
Indians, with whom he appears to have been on
excellent terms, speaking their language, and
trading with them in a way satisfactory, appar
ently, to the tribes. At a court held at Upland
(Chester, Delaware county), April 3, 1678, Wil
liam Warner had a grant of forty acres of land on
the west bank of the Schuylkill. June, 1681, he
made an application to purchase land from the
Indians, and the same day he had a grant to take
up four hundred acres. His purchase from the
Indians was probably in common with others, for
the court required that a proportion of the 335
guilders (Dutch money) to be paid to the In
dians should be paid by him separately. In 1681
William Warner was appointed a member of
Deputy Governor Markham's council, and the
oath of office subscribed by him, August 3, 1681,
is extant. A facsimile of it is to be found in an
edition of "The Duke of York's Laws," published
by the state of Pennsylvania in 1869. September
13, 1681, he was appointed one of the nine judges
under Governor Markham, his appointment be
ing approved at the sessions of November 30 of
the same year. He was elected a member of the
first Assembly of Pennsylvania, convened at Phil
adelphia, March 10, 1683. His plantation ex-
tened from the west bank of the Schuylkill river
to above Hestonville, or the present Fifty-second
street station, on the Pennsylvania Railroad, and
adjoined the line of Lower Merion township.
This plantation he named Blockley, after the
parish in England of which he was a native, and
Blockley township was so called after it.
William Warner's wife was named Anne, and
he married her, doubtless, in England. They
were the parents of several sons and daughters.
One of his daughters married James Kite, who
lived afterward in Lower Merion. Captain
Warner died upon his plantation on the Lower
Merion line, in a house yet standing, near Fifty-
second street, in October, 1706, his will being
dated September 8, 1703, and proved at Philadel
phia, October 18, 1706. In this will he mentions
estates in Draycot, Blockley, England.
Isaac Warner, eldest son of Captain William
and Anne Warner, by the provisions of his father's
will inherited the plantation on the Schuylkill
river, which he was to possess for the term of his
natural life, and upon his death it was to pass to
his eldest son. He married, November 30, 1692,
Ann Craven, and died in April, 1727. His will is
dated April 6 of that year, and was proved in
Philadelphia on the 26th of the same year and
month. William Warner, eldest son of Isaac and Ann

Warner, lived upon the ancestral plantation in
Blockley township. He is known in history as
"Baron" Warner, and was one of the founders in
1732 of the "State on Schuylkill" Fishing Com
pany, the old hall of the company being erected
upon his property. He died in September, 1766,
in which month and year, his will was proved in
Philadelphia. Isaac Warner, eldest son of "Baron" William
Warner, served, during the war of the Revolution,
first as lieutenant-colonel and afterward as colo
nel of the Seventh Battalion, Philadelphia County
Militia. When he received his commission as
colonel, his son-in-law, Algernon Roberts, was
made Heutenant-colonei. He married, in 1757,
Lydia Coulton, and died in November, 1794, leav
ing a large number of descendants. Anthony
Warner, a brother of Colonel Isaac Warner, also
served in the Continental Army and was with his
company at Valley Forge, and while there the-
Hessians visited his home at Rosemont and car
ried away seventeen cows, as well as supplies
from the house, including a silk quilt which was
given to Mrs. Warner on her wedding day. She-
appealed to the British officer and it was restored
to her. Isaac Warner, son of Anthony Warner,
married Jane Latch, and the following named
children were born to them : Hamil, Lewis, Jacob,
Eliza, Levi, Isaac and Jacob, twins, Rebecca J.,
Penrose C, Anderson and Gardner L. Warner.
Rebecca J. Warner, daughter of Isaac and'
Jane (Latch) Warner, was born March 27, 1826,
in Lower Merion township, Montgomery county,
Pennsylvania. She married April 22, 1852,
Charles J., born July 11, 1824, son of Robert and'
Catherine (Wolbert) Arthur, of Philadelphia.
Mr. Arthur was a well known farmer. During:
the Civil war, although unable to serve in the
army by reason of having passed the age limit,
he became widely and honorably known for his
liberal contributions to the relief of the wants of
the soldiers in the field. He died June 13, 1877..
Mr. and Mrs. Arthur were the parents of the fol
lowing children: 1. I. Warner, born January 9,
1854, who married Annie W. Miller, of Lehigh'
county, Pennsylvania. 2. Jennie, born August 20,
1856, married Edwin Parsons, who came from
Halifax, England ; their children are : Edwin
Arthur, Meredith, and Wolbert. 3. Margareta,
born December 24, 1858. 4. Charles, who was
born March 2, 1861, married Jeannette, daughter
of Alexander and Annie Maxwell, who came
from England and settled in Philadelphia, and
they have one child, Doris. 5. R. Frances, who
was born February 20, 1867, graduated in 1889
from the Hagarstown Female Seminary.
The present representatives of the Warner
family are extremely numerous. It has been es
timated that the posterity of Captain William
Warner, the emigrant ancestor, now number at

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

239

least five thousand, and several hundred of whom
reside in Lower Merion township, the majority
being inhabitants of Ardmore and Bryn Mawr.
Jacob Latch, the maternal grandfather of Mrs.
Arthur, died at the advanced age of eighty-seven.
He also served in the Continental army and was
commissioned major.

JESSE HIPPLE. The Hippie family, of
which Jesse Hippie is a worthy representative,
are of German extraction but have been residents
of the state of Pennsylvania since an early day.
Henry Hippie, grandfather of Jesse Hippie, was
a native of Chester county, Pennsylvania, where
he was successfully engaged in farming pursuits.
He was a member of the Society of Friends, con
tributing both liberally of his time and money to
further the cause. He married Jane Garrett, and
eight children were born to them. Mr. Hippie
died in the year 1864, at the advanced age of
eighty-three years.
Henry Hippie, father of Jesse Hippie, was
born on the old homestead in Chester county,
Pennsylvania, in 1815, acquired his education in
the district schools and remained a resident of
that county until after attaining young manhood.
He then located in the township of Marple, Dela
ware county, purchased a large and valuable
farm, and by his industry and good management
became one of the prosperous and influential ag
riculturists of that section of the state. In poli
tics he was a Republican, and for many years
served in the capacity of school director of the
township. In religion he followed the teachings
of the Quakers, being a regular attendant of the
meetings of the Society of Friends. In 1840 Mr.
Hippie married Rachel Roberts, born in 181 5, a
native of Montgomery county, and a daughter of
Amos and Mary Roberts ; she was also a member
of the Society of Friends. Their children were :
Lydia Dickinson, Rachel, Mary Gilbert, Joseph,
Sarah, Isaac, William and Jane Roberts. Mr.
Hippie died in Marple township, in 1878, in the
sixty-fourth year of his age.
Jesse Hippie was born on the homestead in
Marple township, Delaware county, Pennsyl
vania, July 9, 1847. He obtained his education
in the Cedar Grove public school, the Newtown
public school, and at Shortlidge's private school
at Kennett Square, Pennsylvania. During his
boyhood and up' to the time of his marriage, Mr.
Hippie assisted his father with the work on the
farm which consisted of one hundred and sixty-
five acres of well-cultivated land, and since then
he has been engaged in farming in the county.
Mr. Hippie has been twice married, his first
wife having been Fannie E. Hannum, daughter
of Philip Hannum, of Missouri. The ceremony
was performed March 8, 1876, and the following
16 x

named children were born to them: Harry H.,
born December 2, 1876, attended the public
schools of Springfield township and completed his
education at the West Chester school, taking a
two years course; Leroy C, born February 9,
1880, acquired his education in the public schools
of Delaware county ; and Rachel M., born Febru
ary 11, 1882, was a pupil in the public schools of
Delaware county, and graduated from the West
chester Normal school; subsequently she took up
the study of shorthand, and now commands an
excellent position. Mrs. Hippie died in 1887, and
on June 4, 1894, Mr. Hippie was united in mar
riage to Rebecca Maris, a daughter of George
Maris, of Springfield township, Delaware county,
Pennsylvania. Their children are: George M.,
born April 26, 1895, and Emma Hippie, born
January 12, 1897, both of whom reside at home
with their parents.

SAMUEL SELLERS BUNTING, a man of
most exemplary character, and for many years
prominently identified with the Philadelphia ColL
lege of Pharmacy, was a representative of a
family which was among the early Quaker set
tlers of Pennsylvania, who, from the time of their
coming from England, have been during several
generations residents and landowners near Darby,
in Delaware county.
His father, Josiah Bunting, was for many
years engaged in the lumber business in Phila
delphia, as a member of the firm of Bunting &
Watson, and his partner was at one time mayor of
the city. Josiah Bunting, after a prosperous
commercial life, removed to the old family home
at Darby. He married Sarah Sellers, a descend
ant of the Delaware county family of that name
and whose father was one of the early wire manu
facturers of Philadelphia. The children born
of this marriage were: David S., who is the
only surviving child; he married Hannah P.
Serrill ; Rachel, who married William P. Serrill ;
Elizabeth; Sarah; Josiah, who came to his death
by drowning; Samuel S., who is referred to at
length below; and Joseph, who married Eliza
beth Spencer Miller.
Samuel Sellers Bunting, sixth child in the
family last named, was born in Philadelphia,
April 23, 1828. It was during his infancy that
his father retired to the family home at Darby,
and there the son received an elementary educa
tion in the Friends' Monthly Meeting School, and
this instruction was supplemented with lectures
on chemistry and astronomy, given by John Jack
son, a capable teacher who was in charge of the
Sharon Academy for Girls. When about seven
teen years of age he went to Philadelphia to
became an apprentice in the drug and
apothecary establishment of Joseph C. Turn--

240

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

penny, a leading house in its line, situated at the
northeast corner of Tenth and Spruce streets.
He was diligent in acquainting hirhself with the
business in which he had engaged, and he was
graduated from the Philadelphia College of
Pharmacy with the class of 1849-50. About 1857
he became a partner in business with Mr. Turn
penny, and in 1864 he purchased the interest of
his partner and conducted the business alone
until June, 1886, when he retired to enjoy a well
earned season of repose. For many years he had
been sadly inconvenienced through an accident
which had occurred in the summer of i860. The
sudden displacement of the stopper of a large
bottle of concentrated ammonia had thrown into
his face a portion of the liquid, which produced
injuries threatening him with loss of sight, im
paired his vision for the remainder of his life,
and produced a nervous shock which told upon
his constitutional vigor during all his remaining
days. Owing to these conditions, his successful
conduct of his business and the discharge of other
duties he had assumed were only performed
through the stimulus of an inflexible determina
tion. During all his active years, Mr. Bunting de
voted himself zealously to advancing the inter
ests and promoting the usefulness of the College
of Pharmacy. He became a member of the
College in 1855, and in March, 1856, he was
elected a member of its board of trustees and he
served in that capacity up to the time of his
death. In September, 1871, he was chosen treas
urer, and he served as such until 1889, when
failing health admonished him to withdraw from
the position by resignation.
The death of Mr. Bunting occurred at the
family home in Upper Darby, now Secane, on
August 15, 1890, in the sixty-third year of his
age. He had endeared himself to all with whom
he had come into association, whether in busi
ness, college or social life, and his character was
briefly but touchingly depicted in the tribute paid
to his memory by Mr. Charles Bullock, a co
worker in the College of Pharmacy, in the fol
lowing sentences which he gave to a public jour
nal :"Mr. Bunting was a man of unassuming man
ner, his diffidence and modesty obscuring his
real worth to those not well acquainted with
him. His sterling integrity and the faithful per
formance of his duties have left their - record
with all who have had relations with him. The
quiet and even tenor of his life, in its simplicity,
has left with us a pleasant memorial of one
of the old, useful and valued members of this
college." Mr. Bunting was married, in 1857, in Upper
Darby, in the house in which he subsequently
resided and which was the scene of his death,

to Miss Anne H. Hibberd, daughter pf Isaac
and Susan (Fairlamb) Hibberd. Of this mar
riage were bprn pne son and three daughters —
Joseph T. ; Mary H., who became the wife of
Hugh Mcllvaine, and of which marriage were
born two children, Edna B., and Mary B. ; Susan,
who became the wife of James A. Bunting; and
Sarah Sellers Bunting. All these children, with
the mother, have survived the beloved husband
and father.

BALDWIN HOWARD, who died in Media in
1892, was one of the most worthy and substantial
citizens of Edgemont township, Delaware county,
Pennsylvania. He was a man of unbiased views
and forceful character, who stood uncompromis
ingly for the right as it was given him to see the
right. He was interested in all things that tend
to make life fuller or freer, and in local matters
of public policy he made himself felt as a sane
and enlightened influence. Especially did his
sympathies go out to any individual or class
oppressed or handicapped beyond the common
lot. This branch of the Howard family count as
the first ancestor of whom they have record,
Henry Howard, whose wife was Hannah Sharp
less. James, a son of this couple, came to Dela
ware county and settled on the farm on Crum
creek which is now in possession of his descend
ants. He was twice married, his first wife being
Alice Passmore, and the second Hannah Jones.
William P., a son of James Howard and his first
wife, Alice Passmore, married Rebecca Bald
win. Of Baldwin, a son of this last marriage,
mention has already been made.
Baldwin "Howard was born in Concord town
ship, Delaware county, Pennsylvania, 10 mo.,
15, 1803. He was a farmer all his life, and was
a man who dignified his calling. He came into
possession of the farm cleared by his grandfather,
James Howard, and to him it represented more
than the means of a livelihood. He gave up
active work in 1878 and moved to Media, leav
ing the ancestral farm in the hands of his son
Lewis. The schools of the township owe much
to his efforts. He was trustee under the old
pay system, and was directly instrumental in
bringing about the change to the present system
of public charge. For two terms he was director
of the poor. He was never bound by party lines,
but gave his political support according to the
best light he could get on constantly changing
conditions. In early life he was a Democrat,
but he became a Free Soiler, and his was one
of the two votes cast in his county for James G.
Birney, the anti-slavery candidate for president,
in 1848. In 1856 he aided in organizing the
Republican party in Delaware county. To this

-^fe^c j&, ^c*

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

241

party he gave allegiance until late in life, when
the Prohibition party won him to its support.
He always attended the meetings of the Society
of Friends.
He married Sarah Ann, a daughter of Jesse
and Mary (Matlack) Smedley, who was born
6 mo., 3, 1809, and died 4 mo., 7, 1876. Nine
children were born of this marriage: 1. William
L., born 11 mo., 18, 1829, who married Eliza
beth H. Cassino and had children, Edgar, and
T. Reese, who died 4 mo., 28, 1880; 2. Hannah,
who died in 1833; 3. Charles, who died in 1840;
4. Jesse, who died in 1846; 5. Passmore, now liv
ing at Gradyville ; 6. Mary Rebecca, who died in
1845 ; 7- Henry, born 8 mo., 19, 1846, now living
in Seattle, Washington; his wife was Elizabeth
Bromall, and he has five children, Anna, William
S., George B., Grace and Henry ; 8. Lewis, born
9 mo., 5, 1849, wh° is now living on the home
place; he married Hannah M. Hunter, and four
children, Irene E., Walter L., Elwood, and
Bertha have been born ; 9. Anna L., who became
the wife of Dr. Joseph Rowland, now deceased.
Passmore Howard, fifth child of Baldwin and
Sarah Ann (Smedley) Howard, was born on the
old farm, 10 mo., 29, 1840. He remained at
home until his twenty-sixth year, when' he oc
cupied the old Preston farm at Newton Square,
which belonged to his father. He stayed here
for three years, until 1870, when he bought the
farm of one hundred and ninety-three acres
which he still owns. For several years he gave
his attention to a general line of farm produce;
in 1885 he worked out a plan he had long held,
by opening a creamery, which he now success
fully carries on in connection with his farm.
Passmore Howard was married, February
13, 1867, to Debbie R., daughter of Pratt and
Matilda (Yarnall) Bishop. Pratt Bishop was
the son of Amor and Jane (Malin) Bishop, and
Amor was the son of Thomas and Priscilla
Bishop. Mr. and Mrs. Howard's three chil
dren are as follows: Emma B., born January
13, 1868, wife of Edgar M. Smedley, and mother
of two children, Edgar Howard and Edith B.;
Harvey P., born May 9, 1872; Leonard B., born
March 27, 1875, and died February 22, 1885.

ADAM C. ECKFELDT, for many years a
prominent and highly respected citizen of Dela
ware county, Pennsylvania, belonged to a German
family which for two generations prior to his
birth had been recognized as leaders in the busi
ness circles of Philadelphia.
John Jacob, grandfather of Adam C. Eck
feldt was born in Germany and emigrated with
his wife about 1765 from Nuremberg. He set
tled in Philadelphia, and during the struggle for

independence served as a soldier in the field, and
also manufactured bayonets for the army.
Adam, son of John Jacob Eckfeldt, was born
in Philadelphia in 1769. He learned the trade of
machinist, and established a factory for the manu
facture of wrought iron nails. Later, he received
large contracts from the United States govern
ment for the construction of machinery for the
United States mint, with which he was closely
identified from its establishment in 1793, first as
assistant coiner and afterward as chief coiner,
which position he filled until his resignation in
1848. He married Margaretta Bausch, of Phila
delphia, and was the father of the following
named children : Sarah, Jacob R., Elias B., Mag-
dalena, Susannah, Adam C. and Margaretta.
Adam C, son of Adam and Margaretta
(Bausch) Eckfeldt, was born August 26, 1812,
in Philadelphia. He received his primary educa
tion in the schools of his native city, and after
wards attended school at Doylestown, Pennsyl
vania. He engaged for a short time in the com
mission business in his native city, but in conse
quence of failing health removed to Haverford
township, Delaware county, where he became
interested in agricultural pursuits. Here he re
sided for many years, devoting himself to the
care of his estate in the most thorough, practical
and scientific manner, introducing all the mod
ern appliances and improvements. From 1865
until 1868 he resided in Philadelphia and then
purchased the residence in Chester, at Twentieth
street and Providence avenue, where he resided
for the remainder of his life.
Early in life Mr. Eckfeldt was an old line
Whig, and became an ardent member of the Re
publican party on its organization. He refused
all solicitations to stand as a candidate for various
offices, but consented to act as justice of the
peace, which position he filled in the most satis
factory manner for ten years in Haverford town
ship. He was one of the first members of the
Marple Presbyterian church, and an elder for
many years. For several years he was an active
member of the First Presbyterian church of
Chester, and later of the Third church of the
same place, in which he served as an elder until
his death, being foremost in all benevolent and
charitable enterprises of the church.
Mr. Eckfeldt married, in 1839, Rebecca,
daughter of Jacob Sulger, of Philadelphia. They
had three children : Elias B., deceased ; Anna S.,
and Margaretta, deceased. The son, Elias B.,
was lost at the battle of Antietam, during the
Civil war, having enlisted in Company D, One
Hundred and Twenty-fourth Regiment, Penn
sylvania Volunteers, for a service of nine months.
Mrs. Eckfeldt died in 1846, and on May 21, 1851,
Mr. Eckfeldt married Martha Ann, widow of
Adam Carter, and daughter of John M. Camp-

242

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

bell. Of this marriage was born one daughter,
Sarah E., who became the wife of Charles W.
Perkins, M. D., of Chester, Pennsylvania. The
death of Mrs. Eckfeldt took place in 1894.
Mr. Eckfeldt died on the fourth of June, 1890,
at his home in Chester, deeply and sincerely la
mented by his family and immediate circle of
friends and also by the community, in which for
many years he had set the example of an honor
able and public-spirited citizen, and an upright,
earnest and benevolent man.

WILLIAM HARLAN BAKER, of Grady-
ville, Pennsylvania, is a descendant of Joseph
Baker, one of three brothers (Aaron, Thomas and
Joseph), who came to America from Yorkshire,
England, in company with William Penn, in the
year 1682. Previous to their going to Yorkshire,
the brothers, in about the year 1642, lived in Car-
rickfergus, Ireland.
After coming to Pennsylvania, Joseph settled
in Edgemont, Thomas in Darby, and Aaron in
Chester county. Joseph's son, Aaron, married
Elizabeth Register, who had a son Joseph, who
married Hannah Reece, and their son Aaron,
born in 1795, was the grandfather of William H.
Baker, he having married Amy Carter, by whom
he had a son Jackson Baker, the father of Wil
liam H. Baker. Jackson Baker married Emeline
M. Mercer, by whom he had two children, Wil
liam Harlan, born in Howellville, Chester county,
Pennsylvania, September 26, 1858, and Amy, the
wife of J. Howard Mendenhall, a sketch of whom
appears elsewhere in this work.
Emeline Levis (Mercer) Baker, the wife of
Jackson Baker, and mother of William Harlan
Baker, was the daughter of Harlan W. and Mary
Ann (Levis) Mercer. Harlan W. Mercer was
the son of Thomas H. Mercer, the fourth, who
was married twice, his second wife, Mary Ann
(Harlan) Mercer, being the mother of Harlan W.
Mercer. Thomas H. Mercer, the fourth, was the
son of Thomas the third, he the son of Thomas
the second, and he the son of Thomas Mercer, the
founder of the family in this country.
William Harlan Baker received his early
training in the public schools of his birthplace,
Howellville, and he completed his education at the
Friends' School, the Maplewood Institute, which
was at that time under the management of Joseph
Shortlidge. After finishing his educational
course he returned to his father's house and as
sisted with the work upon the farm. The farrm
consisting of fifty-two acres, has been in the Baker
family since the first settlement in 1685. This
land he has brought to a high state of cultivation
in the raising of a general line of farm produce.
In state pontics Mr. Baker is a Democrat, but
in local affairs he votes for the candidate who in

his judgment will bring the greatest good' to the
greatest number.
On May 12, 1886, Mr. Baker was united in;
marriage to Alwilda M. Baker, a daughter of
William S. and Amy (Johnson) Baker. William
S. Baker, the father of Alwilda, was the son of
Abel and Ann (Sill) Baker. Abel was the son-
of Edward and Jane (Green) Baker, and Edward
was the son of Aaron and Elizabeth (Register)
Baker. Aaron was the son of Joseph, one of the-
three brothers who founded the Baker family in*
Pennsylvania. Mr. and Mrs. William Harlan Baker have a
family of three children, namely: Amy Mercer,.
born February 15, 1887, Anna Mary, born Au
gust 11, 1888, and Emma Levis, born September
16, 1889.

GEORGE SHAW PATCHEL. The first
ancestor of the Patchel family in America of
whom we have any authentic information was
George Patchel, who was of Scotch-Irish ances
try, and came from Ireland, with his wife and a
family ofchildren about the year 1806. He landed in
Philadelphia, and finally took up his abode in the
valley of the Brandywine, near West Chester,
Chester county. He followed the tilling of the soil,
and was known to be a just and upright man
in all the affairs of life, and lived to be more than
four score and ten years of age. He married
Nancy Patterson, and both he and his wife are
buried near where they settled in the Brandy
wine valley. This worthy old couple had in-
their family three sons, Thomas, Oswald and
John. Thomas and John both married and set
tled in Philadelphia, where they spent their re
maining years of life, and many of their descend
ants are now residents of that city.
Oswald Patchel, second son of the patriarch.
of the family, was born in Londonderry, Ireland,
and came with his parents to this country when
about twelve years of age. He settled with the
family in the historic valley of the Brandywine,
where he followed in the footsteps of his father
and for many years pursued farming. He
emulated the worthy example of his sire, and
became well and favorably known as a most
useful and upright man. He took an important
part in the social as well as in the moral inter
ests of the community in which he resided, and
became well known as a local exhorter in the
Methodist Episcopal church.
Oswald Patchel married Hannah Shaw, who
was a daughter of Samuel and Margaret (Geu-
ber) Shaw, and to this union were born the
following children: 1. George S., to be further
mentioned below ; 2. Mary, born May 26, 1825 ;
she married James Patchel, who was a remote kins
man ; 3. Margaret, born January 14, 1827, and

y^t?€. ^sSsic^zg

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

243

died February 12, 1827; 4. Oswald, Jr., served
three years in the Civil war; he married Anna
Elizabeth Souder, a daughter of John and Eliza
(Smith) Souder, of Bridgeton, Cumberland coun
ty, New Jersey; the children of this union are: 1.
Lizzie (Mrs. John H. Lewis) ; 2. Kate; 3. Clara;
4. Florence (Mrs. Harry W. Doak) ; 5. Harry,
who died aged two years ; 6. Francis E., who
married Maria Sell ; 7. Herbert O., who married
Elizabeth Coe ; 8. Lewis A. ; 9. Horace E.
Patchel. The mother of this family died about
1834. Oswald Patchel, Sr., subsequently mar
ried Rebecca Long, who bore him one son, Sam
uel, born April 29, 1838, and who married Jenny
Hickey, and to whom was born one son, Noble
Patchel. Oswald Patchel, Sr., died February
27, 1898.
George Shaw Patchel, eldest son of Oswald
and Hannah (Shaw) Patchel, was born in
Darby township, near the borough of Llanwellyn,
April 24, 1824. His educational training was
obtained in the schools of the neighborhood, as
was the custom for farmers' sons in those days.
He remained under the parental roof until his
early manhood years; and then went to Phila
delphia, where he learned the carpenter's trade,
which he later followed for about three years
in that city. He then returned home and worked
at his trade as a journeyman for some time, and
then decided to begin business on his own ac
count, which he finally accomplished through
his economy and perseverance. He began con
tracting and building, and in this undertaking
he met with a well merited degree of success.
His undertakings were varied and numerous as
a builder, and in many places are seen the evi
dences of his skill. The Methodist Episcopal
church at Darby and that at Morton, and the
African Methodist Episcopal church at Paschall-
ville were erected by him. In all these long
years of active effort he has been known
as an honorable and upright man, and
has, at various times, been called to im
portant positions by his fellow townsmen. He
has served as burgess of Darby borough, a mem
ber of the council, and of the board of education,
and also! as justice of the peace. Politically
he has always allied himself with the Republi
can party. He was for many years one of the
leading members of the Sharon Building and
Loan Association of Darby, which organization
Tie served as treasurer for a number of years.
He also took an active interest in other enter
prises which had for their object the welfare of
the community.
George S. Patchel was united in marriage,
November 29, 1848, to Elizabeth Sorin, a daugh
ter of Charles and Susan (Longacre) Sorin, and
to this union were born five children, as follows :

1. Charles, born April 4, 1850. He married
Eveline Trivett, and their children are May,
Helen (Mrs. George Slick), Alice and Charles.
2. Mary, born January 18, 1852. She mar
ried Amor Anderson, and to them were born
four children : Walter, who married Emma
Blythe, and to whom' was born one child, Eliza
beth Sorin; and Howard, who married Mary R.
Beaumont; Charles, who died at the age of six
years ; and Ralph, who died aged eleven months.
3. Anne R., born August 11, 1854, and died
June 5, 1868.
4. George G, born March 8, 1857. He
married Adalaide Verlenden, and to them was
born one son, LeRoy.
5. Thomas T., born September 12, 1862.
He married Elizabeth McGee, and to them were
born the following children: Katie, George,
Mabel, Thomas, William, Reva, Mary and
Tracy. Elizabeth (Sorin) Patchel, the mother of
this family, died December 2, 1891. She was a
most estimable lady of the old school type, and
was possessed of many excellencies of character.
She was a consistent member of the Methodist
Episcopal church, in which she was an ardent
worker. She was generous and charitable to the
sick and poor, who were ever the recipients of
her generous benefactions.

JOSEPH L. SERRILL. As long ago as
1750 the Serrill family lived in Darby, Pennsyl
vania, where Jacob Serrill was born in that year.
He married Hannah Pierson, the daughter of
Thomas Pierson, in 1772. Their son Benjamin
married Sidney Penneli, a daughter of Dill and
Hannah (Hill) Pennell. They had four chil
dren, namely: William Pennell, Thomas Sid
ney, Hannah and Benjamin.
William Pennell Serrill was born in Darby,
December 6, 1814, and married Rachel Sellars
Bunting, of Darby, March 5, 1840; their chil
dren were Josiah B. Serrill, born December 28,
1840, and Sally B. Serrill, born January 15,
1844. Josiah B. Serrill began his education in the
Friends' schools of Darby, completing his studies
at Bolmar's boarding school at West Chester.
He then located in Easttown, now Devon, Ches
ter county, afterwards removing to Norristown,
Pennsylvania. In 1880 he purchased of Joseph
Lewis, Jr., the place now occupied by his family.
This was the old Speakman property, formerly
known as the Thomas homestead. Mr. Serrill
engaged extensively in the raising and training
of thoroughbred trotting horses, and gained a
wide reputation as a careful and competent man
in the handling of animals of unquestionable pedi-

244

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

gree. To facilitate his work of training, Mr.
Serrill constructed one of the finest half-mile
courses on any private estate in eastern Pennsyl
vania, and this he conducted up to the time of
his death, which pccurred February 22, 1902,
since which date it has been carried Pn by his
spn, Joseph L. Serrill. Mr. Serrill was married
on September 27, 1865, to Hannabell Lewis;
their family consisted of four children, as fol
lows : Edwin L., born November 19, 1866, died
October 9, 1879; Sally B., born September 21,
1868, wife of James P. Calvert, and they have
one child, Elizabeth S. Calvert; Joseph Lewis
born October 25, 1876, who became successor
to his father's business; and Elizabeth Bunting,
born August 20, 1879.
Hannabell (Lewis) Serrill, wife of Josiah
B. Serrill, was the daughter of Joseph and Eliza
beth Steel Hoopes Lewis, and one of a. family
of eight children, namely: 1. Edwin R., born Sep
tember 16, 1832, died December 28, 1890; 2.
Joseph, born January 1, 1835, died April 25,
1888; 3. Emma A., born March 17, 1837; wife
of Caleb Baldwin, whom she married in October,
1866 — their two children are John and Joseph
Lewis Baldwin; 4. Daniel H., born November
9, 1838, married Laura Hood, of Christiana,
Pennsylvania, and whose second wife was Mar
tha Thomas, of West Chester; he died in Feb
ruary, 1892; 5. Hannabell, born September 29,
1842; 6. Susanna E., born May 31, 1845, wi£e
of E. Evan Dunwoodie, of Minnesota; 7. Laura
C, born May 29, 1849, wife °f William H. Fus-
sell, whose children are Howard and Willis Fus-
sell; their mother died in July, 1899, and their
father in November, 1901 ; 8. Helen M., born
November 11, 1858, died March 15, 1889.
The progenitor of the Lewis family in Amer
ica was William Lewis, who came here with his
wife Ann from Glan Morganshire, South Wales,
in 1686; he had a son Evan, who in turn called
his son Evan, one of whose sons was Joseph
Lewis, the father of Hannabell (Lewis) Serrill.

ENOS LEWIS BAKER, a prominent citi
zen of Edgemont township, Delaware county,
Pennsylvania, was born March 14, 1826, the son
of Anthony and Hannah (Williamson) Baker.
Anthony Baker was born February 20, 1788, and
died February 14, 1875. Hannah, his wife, was
born December 4, 1798, and died March 30,
1870. They were married December 23, 1819,
and had a family of eight children, namely: 1.
Williamson Baker, born February 19, 1821, died
February 20, 1821 ; 2. Sarah W., born July 30,
1822 ; 3. Lydia, born April 2, 1824, who became
the wife of Homer Eachus, and whose family
consists of eight children; 4. Enos Lewis, born
March 14, 1826; 5. Anna, born May 13, 1828,

who became the wife of Edwin A. Hoopes, and
died August 5, 1894, leaving her surviving five
children; 6. Anthony Walter, born October 1,
1832, who married Margaret McCloskey, and
who have two children; 7. Esther Jane, born
January 7, 1836, who became the wife of William
Henry Ashbridge, bore a family of twelve chil
dren, died August 12, 1899; 8. Mary, born
March 25, 1839, who became the wife of Frank
lin Baker and had three children.
Enos L. Baker, fourth child in order of birth
of Anthony and Hannah Baker, obtained the
foundation of his education in the pay schools
of his native place. It did not take him long
to grow restive under the restrictions of this
tuition, he being of a spirited and energetic na
ture, and to meet the demands of his broadening
views he went to a boarding school in Vermont,
which it was thought would meet the require
ments of the case. This, however, did not re
sult as anticipated, for young Baker, who felt
a strong inclination to see something of the
great country in which he lived, could not over
come the desire, and finally, having no money
to gratify his wish, started on a tour of investi
gation on foot. Notwithstanding the difficulties
he must have encountered, he managed by his
indomitable will to visit the principal cities in
Vermont and New Hampshire, and one day
when about one hundred and fifty-five miles from
Boston, he determined to make that city his ob
jective point, and within four and one-half days
had covered the distance, in one day walking
fifty-five miles. From Boston he started west,
visiting in his travels all the larger cities of that
day, and made several trips up and down the
Mississippi river. In traveling about in this
way, he spent about four years. By this time
he considered his education about complete, in
so far as experience of the world is concerned,
and thereupon determined to return to his father's
home in Edgemont. During his travels he had
acquired the miller's trade, and upon his reach
ing home he took charge of the mill on his fa
ther's place, which he successfully conducted
for thirty-two years. In 1880 he took up his
residence in the old homestead where he was
born, and at the death of his father he purchased
the property of the heirs. This place consists
of one hundred and forty-seven acres, which Mr.
Baker operates with the assistance of his two
sons, carrying on a general farming business.
Mr. Baker has always been a hard worker in the
cause of Republicanism, both in matters of state
and in town affairs. For nine years he was a
member of the school directorate.
On November 29, 1855, Mr. Baker- married
Mary Vernon Shimer, a daughter of Edward and
Hannah (Jones) Shimer, of Thornbury, Chester
county. She was one of a family of eight chil-

^2^-7/^7.

¦*t*4 -4 naMr

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

24S

dren, as follows: i. Elizabeth, born April 3,
1824; 2. William, born June 9, 1827; 3. Alice,
born December 12, 1828; 4. Phcebe, born No
vember 12, 1830; 5. Mary Vernon, born March
26, 1832; 6. Sarah, born in October, 1835; 7.
Annie, born in May, 1837; 8. Amy, born March
17, 1839.
Mr. and Mrs. Baker's family consists of seven
children, namely: 1. Hannah S., born Novem
ber 9, 1856; 2. Anthony Howard, born January
12, i860; 3. Lizzie D., born December 13, 1861,
who is the wife of Milton S. Garrett, who have
two children, Enos L. and Ralph P. Garrett;
4-5. Enos L. and Mary V., twins, born July 28,
1864, died August 2, 1864; 6. Alice S., born
March 6, 1866; 7. George E., born December
10, 1872.

SAMUEL GEORGE WATT, who conducts
one of the oldest milk routes in Upper Darby, and
one of the leading citizens of Llanerch, was born
in Ireland, County Donegal, August 12, 1854,
a son of John and Mary Ann (Rankin) Watt.
John was a son of John, Sr., of County Fawn,
Ireland, and Mary Ann was a daughter of James
Rankin, County Boncrannon, Ireland. Nothing
further is known of the ancestral history.
John and Mary Ann (Rankin) Watt were
the parents of ten children, surviving, the ma
jority of whom are living in America today.
These children are as follows : Elizabeth, mar
ried George Brown and has two children ; Mary,
unmarried, now dead ; David, unmarried ; Robert,
married Tillie McCartel, and has seven children;
Alexander, married a Miss Chambers, no issue;
Samuel G., married for his first wife Caroline
Transue, and had four children: Mary, Bertha,
Ellwood and Sylvester, and his second wife was
Jennie Warwick, of Newtown Square, and she
is a daughter of Joseph and Elizabeth (Hillpot)
Warwick, and they have two children: Willie
and Jennie, and she came of a family of five chil
dren: Annie, William, Greer and Grace, all
single; Joseph, unmarried; John, unmarried;
Annie, married William Bogg, no issue; James,
unmarried. Samuel George Watt emigrated to America
in 1872, having obtained his education in his na
tive land. He began working upon a farm in Hav
erford township. For some time he continued
in this way, accumulating money and increasing
his fund of information, until he had sufficient
means to purchase a milk business. At that time
he came to Upper Darby, in the early seventies
and has continued on the same route, and many
of his first customers still buy their milk of him.
In 1885 he purchased the farm owned by John
Smith, of twenty acres, and he now operates it
as a dairy farm, delivering his milk himself,

and practicing the same honest methods which
won him business in the beginning of his career.
In politics he is a Republican, and he supports
the candidates of the party upon all occasions.
His religious belief makes him a Presbyterian,
and he gives liberally to the church. Hardwork
ing, thrifty and honest, Mr. Watt has steadily
worked his way upward, and is respected in his
community by the many friends he has won
through his excellent traits of character.

HARRY SHERWOOD BAKER, a descend
ant of an old Pennsylvania family by that name,
was born in Crozierville, Delaware county, Penn
sylvania, October 1, 1854, the son of William Sill
and Aimee (Johnson) Baker. William Sill
Baker was one of a family of eleven children born
to Abel and Ann (Sill) Baker, who married on
January 1, 1820, said children being as follows:
Benjamin Franklin, born March 4, 1821 ; Mary
D., born April 30, 1822; William S'., born June
21, 1823; Sarah born October 3, 1824;
Thomas Jefferson, born August 21, 1826; Anna
Maria, born July 29, 1828; Stephen Gerard, born
September 19, 1830; Edward D., born July 16,
1832 ; Jane, born January 14, 1835 ; Louise E.,
born January 8, 1837; Francis, born August 20,
1840. William Sill and Aimee (Johnson) Baker
were the parents of three children, namely: Ed
ward N., Harry Sherwood, and Alwilda M.
Baker. Harry Sherwood Baker, as was the custom
in those days, assisted his father in the work upon
the farm, between times attending the district
schools, in which his education was acquired.
When he was quite a small boy, his father took
up his residence at Edgemont, on his father's old
place, which is the same property now occupied
by Harry S. Baker, where his agricultural pur
suits were carried on. As soon as Harry Sher
wood was in a position to do so, he took the farm
and operated it on his own account, conducting
a successful dairy business in connection with
his stock farm, besides raising a general line of
produce, in which he was also remarkably suc
cessful. In 1892 he purchased the general store
of Wilbur Yearsley, at Westtown, whence he
removed and conducted the business about seven
years, when he sold out to Miller M. Boyd, He
then returned to the farm, where he has since
remained. Mr. Baker has always been a Republican in
state politics, and in town affairs takes a keen
interest in the educational problems. He has for
many years been a member of the school board,
and has also occupied the position of tax collec
tor and assessor. He is thoroughly alive to those
things which tend toward the improvement of
his town, and is ever ready and willing to advo-

246

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

cate such measures as will redound to the great
est good.
On December 23, 1880, Mr. Baker married
Sally M. Frame, a daughter of Joseph E. and
Hannah (Taylor) Frame. Joseph E. Frame
was the son of Robert and Martha (Phillips)
Frame; he was one of a family of ten children,
namely : John Taylor, deceased'; Sally Miles ;
.Martha Phillips ; Elbridge M.., deceased ; Phocion
Lewis; Robert Marion; Emma Josephine; Han-
mah H., and Isaac Halderman Frame. Mr. and
Mrs. Harry S. Baker have two children, namely:
Harry Franklin, born April 24, 1882, and Helen
Augusta, born June 6, ii

WILLIAM RHOADS, who died March 17,
"1903, and was a prominent man of affairs of
Newtown Square, Delaware county, Pennsylvania,
came of an old time Pennsylvania family, he be
ing the sixth generation in direct line of descent.
The progenitor of the family in this country was
John Rhoads, a native of Winegroves, Derby
shire, England, who, after the death of his wife,
Elizabeth, came to America in 1684 ; he purchased
land at Darby, Pennsylvania, where he lived un
til his death, which occurred on August 27, 1701.
His wife, Elizabeth, bore him nine children, Jo
seph being the ninth child in order of birth.
Joseph Rhoads, upon attaining his majority,
became the owner of a fine place at Marple,
where he established a tannery, enlarging the
estate from time to time by the purchase of an
additional two hundred and fifty acres lying be
tween the original property and Crum Creek.
He married July 2, 1702, Abigail Bonsall, daugh
ter of Richard Bonsall, and they became the par
ents of four sons and three daughters, of whom
James was the youngest. Joseph Rhoads died in
1732, at the age of fifty-two years ; his wife sur
vived him eighteen years, passing away Novem
ber 9, 1750.
James Rhoads was born, reared and spent
"his entire life upon his father's estate in Marple,
and at the age of twenty-eight years became sole
owner of that splendid property, which he con
tinued to improve and extend by acquiring addi
tional land. His was a refined and gentle nature,
he was loving and generous in his domestic re
lations, and, like most men who have followed
the plan of doing unto others as they would be
done by, he was successful in his business under
takings. His wife, to whom he was married in
1745, was Elizabeth Owen, daughter of John and
Hannah Owen; she was born November 20,
1722. Their family consisted of eight children, of
whom Joseph (grandfather of William Rhoads)
was the second in order of birth. James Rhoads,
died in 1798, and his wife, Elizabeth, in 1795.
Joseph Rhoads was born in Marple, Decem

ber 3, 1748 ; he married Mary Ashbridge in 1779 ;
she was born in 1758, and died in 1830. Joseph
died in 1809. Of their seven children, William
(father of William Rhoads) was the youngest.
William Rhoads, Sr., was born in Marple
township, April 2, 1797. His education was ac
quired in the boarding schools at Burlington
and Westtown. Upon finishing his education
he engaged actively in farm pursuits, which he
carried on throughout his entire life. In 1822
he took up his residence in Newtown township,
where he became actively interested in all mat
ters pertaining to the welfare and advancement
of his town. In politics he was an old line Whig,
and later became an adherent of the Republican
party; as such he had many important public
offices conferred upon him, but cared very little
for the excitement of political life, yet he filled
these positions of trust with interested fidelity,
as a citizen thoroughly alive to the needs of his
township, and as one capable of carrying out
plans for its improvement. His reputation as
a man of honesty, good judgment and intelligence,
won for him considerable influence in the town
ship. He acted in the capacity of president,
from the date of its construction until his death,
of the West Chester & Philadelphia Turnpike
Company. Mr. Rhoads was always a consistent
member of the Orthodox Society of Friends.
His marriage occurred March 14, 1822, to Annie
P. Levis, daughter of William and Esther Levis,
of Springfield township. Their children were:
George, William, Esther L., wife, of Nathan Gar
rett, Phobe, Mary Ashbridge, wife of Hibbard
Yarnall, Anna and Elizabeth L. Rhoads.
William Rhoads was born in Newtown, Au
gust 4, 1824. His early education was acquired
in the public schools, and he also enjoyed the ad
vantages of private school instruction. When
his studies were completed his attention was re
quired on the old homestead farm, of which fine
property he became possessed at his father's
death. He had so far won the confidence of his
townspeople that upon the death of his father
he was elected to succeed him as president of the
West Chester & Philadelphia Turnpike Road
Company, which position he held until 1879,
when the company was merged into the present
trolley company. He also took an active part in
the Harvest Home Company. He has served
two years as supervisor, and one term as town
auditor. Like his father he has always been a
staunch adherent of the Republican party, and a
member of the Orthodox Society of Friends.
About twenty years ago Mr. Rhoads dis
posed of his farm property, containing one hun
dred and ninety-two acres, to the Pennsylvania
Hospital, he remaining on the place in the capac
ity of superintendent and general manager. Since
purchasing the land the hospital authorities have

248

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

continued to add to the property, until it now
comprises three hundred acres.
Mr. Rhoads's first wife was Mary R. Evans,
of Delaware county, granddaughter of Jonathan
Evans, and daughter of Joel and Hannah
(Rhoads) Evans. She bore him one child, Mary,
born in 1850 and died in 1867. Mrs. Rhoads
died in 1850.
Mr. Rhoads afterward married Hannah Scat
tergood, of West Chester, granddaughter of
Thomas Scattergood, and daughter of William
and Elizabeth (Comfort) Scattergood. She died
about 1875, leaving no children.
Mr. Rhoads married his present wife, Miss
Susanna S. C. Culin, of Philadelphia, October
27, 1886. She is a daughter of George and Re
becca (Hatch) Culin. They have no family.

JAMES ERSKINE, for many years one of
the most respected citizens of Delaware county,
was descended from a Scottish family, many of
the members of which have been noted in the
annals of their native country. John Erskine,
father of James, was born in Scotland, and with
his mother, brother and sister, came to America
and settled in Philadelphia, William Erskine
subsequently removing to Wheeling, West Vir
ginia. His sister Unity married Samuel Bush-
field. John finally settled, in 18 18, in Ridley
township, Delaware county, Pennsylvania, where
he purchased seventy-two acres of land which
he divided into lots which now form the borough
of Ridley Park. He married Margaret Eleanor
Trainer, and was the father of ten children:
Robert Erskine, son of John Erskine, married
Molly Bottomly, of Chester, Delaware county.
William Erskine married Mary Mace, of Ross
county, Ohio. John Erskine married Sarah
Schooly, of Ross county, Ohio. David Erskine,
M. D., died unmarried, in 1864. Samuel Erskine
married Sarah Bunn, of Ross county, Ohio.
Thomas Erskine married Margaret Griffith, of
Ridley, Delaware county, Pennsylvania. George
Erskine died unmarried. James, mentioned at
length hereinafter ; and Ebenezer, also mentioned
at length hereinafter. Margaret married Nathan
Steel, of Marple, Delaware county, and had six
children — Thomas, died in infancy; Margaret
Erskine ; John, who died at the age of six years ;
William, who died at eight years of age; Isaac
Perry, now living in Laurelville, Ohio ; and James,
died in infancy. Mr. Steel had by his second
marriage eight children ; Jonah, Mary Abbie,
Emma, George, Samuel, Elwood, Nathan and
Lizzie. Mr. Steel died in Charlestown, Mary
land. James Erskine, son of John and Margaret
(Trainer) Erskine, was born July 12, 1818,
in Ridley township, Delaware county, Pennsyl

vania, and passed his entire life in his native
county. In 1846 he purchased the farm in
Haverford, on which he resided until his
death. He married Mary, daughter of David
Henderson, by whom he had one child, who died
in infancy. Mrs. Erskine died in 1844, and
March 4, 1847, Mr- Erskine married L. Stack-
house, daughter of Asaph Stackhouse, of East
Goshen, Chester county, and by this union had one
child, who died in infancy. Mrs. Erskine died
December 14, 1891, in the eighty-second year of
her age, and the death of Mr. Erskine took place
December 1, 1903.
The Rev. Ebenezer Erskine, who was for
more than a quarter of a century an honored
citizen of Cumberland county, was descended
from ancestors who were prominent figures in
the history of Scotland, to whom the clan Er
skine has furnished many nobles, warriors, states
men and theologians. Two of Dr. Erskine's an
cestors, Ralph and Ebenezer, were among the
most noted ministers in the Scotch Presbyterian
church. Ebenezer Erskine, son of John and Margaret
Eleanor (Trainer) Erskine, was born January
31, 1 82 1, at Ridley Park, near Chester. In 1843.
he graduated from Jefferson College, and in 1848-
from the Princeton Theological Seminary. At
the time of his death he was the last surviving
member of this class. His first pastorate was in
Philadelphia, from 1849 t0 I^5I> when he was
called to the church at Columbia, where he re
mained until 1857. During his residence in
Columbia that town was visited by an epidemic
of cholera from which great numbers of the
inhabitants fled. Dr. Erskine and a Roman Cath
olic priest, however, remained at their posts and"
heroically ministered to the sick and dying
throughout the whole period of the terrible vis
itation. In 1858 Dr. Erskine accepted a call
from Sterling, Illinois, where he. remained until
1864, when he removed to Chicago and became
editor of the Northwestern Presbyterian. In No
vember, 1869, he became pastor of the Big Spring
church at Newville, where he remained until;
his death. The same year the degree of Doctor
of Divinity was conferred upon him by Central!
College. From 1864 to 1869 he was a director
in the McCormick Theological Seminary in Chi
cago, and at the time of his death was the senior
trustee of Princeton Theological Seminary, hav
ing been on that board since 1878. In 1873 he
was a member of the committee on conference
with the Presbyterian church, South, the object
being to unite the two bodies. In matters of
doctrine he was a firm upholder of the Old
School, and was strongly opposed to the agitated
revision of the Westminster Confession of Faith.
In the general assembly of 1890 he was chairman
of the committee on revision, and was a member

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

249

of the permanent committee which held its ses
sions in Washington from 1890 to 1893. At
the last meeting of the assembly in Philadelphia
he was the only speaker allowed to exceed the
time limit, owing to the fact that he was regarded
as the one best informed on the subject. The
synod of Harrisburg honored him by making him
its moderator, and wnen it was merged in the
larger synod of Pennsylvania he was chosen to
preside over that body. He was moderator of
the Presbytery of Carlisle, and a frequent com
missioner from that body to the general assembly
of the church. The biographical part of the sec
ond volume of the "Centennial Memorial of the
Carlisle Presbytery" was written by Dr. Erskine,
the work being edited by Dr. George Norcross.
In the establishment of the Pennsylvania Scotch-
Irish Society he was much interested, and was
among its earliest members. In 1899 occurred the
fiftieth anniversary of his ordination to the minis
try and the thirtieth anniversary of his pastorate
in the Big Spring Presbyterian church, both oc
casions being fittingly and appreciatively ob
served. Dr. Erskine married, in 1874, Helen, daugh
ter of James and Margaret (Sharp) McKuhan,
of Cincinnati. They were the parents of two
daughters. The death of Dr. Erskine, which
occurred November 24, 1902, was lamented not
only as an irreparable ioss to his family and near
friends, and as a grief to his parishioners, but
as causing a vacancy in the ranks of the Pres
byterian ministry which will not soon be filled.
He was deservedly respected and esteemed by
his brethren in the Presbytery, and was regarded
as one of the ablest preachers and theologians
in the Presbyterian church.

HARRY SCHOFIELD. A native son of
the old Keystone state, Mr. Schofield has
throughout his entire business career been iden
tified with its business interests, and for many
years he was one of the well known agricultur
ists of Delaware county. He is a grandson of
James arid Hannah (Walker) Schofield, who
came to this country from England in 1827,
taking up their abode in Delaware county, Penn
sylvania. Four children were born to this worthy
couple, as follows : Hiram, who became the fa
ther of our subject;. Mary Ann, who was born
in England May 2, 1822, and became the wife of
John Pitt Smith, by whom she had three chil
dren ; her death occurred on the 17th of De
cember, 1893; and John and Robert, deceased.
Hiram Schofield was born in England, No
vember 8, 1820, and seven years later, in 1827,
he accpmpanied his parents on their emigration
to America, their first location being in Aston
township, Delaware county, Pennsylvania, where

he attended the public and private schools. His
father was both a manufacturer and farmer, and
he assisted him in his operations until his mar
riage, when he removed to Elwyn, Pennsylvania,
and there he still resides. He has always fol
lowed the tilling of the soil as a life occupation,
and his homestead originally consisted of one
hundred and twenty acres, but he has since sold
seventy-eight acres of the tract to the William
son school. In political matters he is independ
ent, and the only office which he has been pre
vailed upon to accept is that of school director.
In his fraternal relations he is a member of
Benevolent Lodge, No. 40, I. O. O. F., in which
he has passed all of the chairs, and he is also
a member of Chester Lodge, No. 235, A. F. &
A. M.
May 20, 1844, Mr. Schofield was united in
marriage to Esther Burke, who was born in Au
gust, 1822, the daughter of William and Martha
(Cooper) Burke. Her death occurred on the
12th of July, 1902, after becoming the mother
of eleven children, five of whom, Frank, Orion,
Mary Elizabeth, Nellie and Scott, are deceased.
Those living are: James, who was born Feb
ruary 27, 1845, and was married to Mary Pear
son, by whom he has two children : Martha,
who was born November 26, 1847, and is at
home; Thomas, born May 19, 1854, and is also
at home; Harry, the subject of this review;
Hiram, who was born May 8, i860, and married
Maud Crout, by whom he has one child, and they
reside at Germantown, Pennsylvania ; and Emma,
who was born November 30, 1862, and married
David Wilmot, by whom she has three children,.
and the family reside in Chester, Pennsylvania.
Harry Schofield, whose name introduces this-
review, was born at Elwyn, Pennsylvania, on
the 12th of July, 1856, and to its public school
system he is indebted for the educational privi
leges which he received in his youth. When the
time came for him to engage in the active battle
of life for himself, he chose the vocation of
farming, and that continued to be his occupation
until 1901, since which time he has been em
ployed as iron inspector for the Testing Lab
oratory, limited. In political matters he is in
dependent, but his preference is for the princi
ples embraced in the Democracy, and religiously
he is identified with the Episcopal church.
On the 27th of September, 1882, occurred
the marriage of Mr. Schofield and Miss Ella
Hudson. She was born November 26, 1857, and
is a daughter of William and Hannah (Lister)
Hudson, the former of whom was born on the
4th of January, 1824, and died in August, 1895,
while the latter was born December 29, 1819.
Three children have been born unto the union
of Mr. and Mrs. Schofield, namely: Grace
Lister, who was born November 21, 1883, and

250

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

died January 23, 1897; Marion Bettie, who was
born July 28, 1886, and died on the 30th of Au
gust of the same year; and Mary Lillian, born
February 26, 1889.

SAMUEL TRIMBLE. The Trimble geo
logical tree is of great length, but, as it is im
portant to preserve the records of our old fami
lies, no apology is made for presenting the rec
ord in somewhat elaborate form. John Palmer,
the first maternal ancestor, came to Pennsylva
nia from England in the ship "Providence,"
about 1674, and four years later was married to
Mary Southery. William Trimble, first direct
paternal ancestor in this country, was born in
county Antrim, Ireland, in 1705, arrived in
America in June, 1719, with several of his broth
ers, was married September 13, 1734, to Ann,
daughter of John and Mary (Southers) Palmer,
died August 5, 1795, and was buried at the Con
cord Friends' grounds. The children of William
Trimble, all of whom were born in Chester (now
Delaware) county, Pennsylvania, are thus record-
- ed in the family register: 1. John, born June 24,
1735, and died June 25, 1772, was married No
vember 24, 1762, to Lydia, daughter of Richard
and Phebe (Ashbridge) Thomas, who was born
December 4, 1740, and died in November, 1780;
2. William, born September 19, 1737, and died
February 6, 1821, was married September 11,
1766, to Grace Thomas, sister to Lydia, who
died September 14, 1781 ; William married his
second wife, Ann Taylor, June 27, 1785,
she being the widow of Benjamin Taylor and
daughter of George and Ann Edge, and was
born December 26, 1748; 3. Joseph, born Au
gust 17, 1739, and died October 16, 1824,
was married May 14, 1783, in Concord Meeting
House, to Hannah Thomas, sister of Lydia and
Grace, who was born May 15, 1749, and died May
2, 1829; 4. Samuel, born July 17, 1741, and died
July 13, 1818, was married April 15, 1767, in
Concord Meeting House, to Esther, daughter of
John and Margaret (Williamson) Brinton, who
was born in 1742, and died May 30, 1821 ; 5.
Hannah, born July 22, 1743, and died May 8,
1834, was married September 18, 1766, to Isaac,
-son of John Jacobs, who was born April 13,
1741, and died March 3, 1815 ; 6. Daniel, born
January 17, 1745, and died February 2, 1807,
was first married June 20, 1776, to Mary, daugh
ter of Richard and Mary (Edge) Downing, who
was born July 31, 1752, and died January 30,
1779. Daniel's second wife was Phebe Jones,
horn March 5, 1759, and died August 12, 1786.
The third wife was Ann Warner, born January
30, 1758; 7. Rachel, born April 11, 1748, and
died September 27, 1832, was married March

21, 1787, to Amos, son of Isaac Garrett; 8. Ann,
born January 19, 1752, and died September 30,
1827, was married May 20, 1789, to Joshua, son
of Benjamin and Martha (Mendenhall) Sharp
less, she being his second wife.
The children of Samuel Trimble, fourth son
of William and Esther (Brinton) Trimble, were
as follows :• 1. Margaret, born June 8, 1769, and
died April 30, 1850, was married March 18,
1794, in Concord Meeting House, to Thomas
ninth child of Caleb and Ann (Mendenhall)
Peirce, who was born September 5, 1770, and
died November 1, 1826; 2. Ann, born July 16,
1771, and died October 16, 1857, was married
April 10, 181 1, to George, son of Hezekiah and
Grace Williams, who died in 1850, in his eighty-
sixth year. 3. John, born July 29, 1773, died
young. 4. Joseph, born December 4, 1775, and
died July 19, 1840, was rnarried October 22, 1801,
to Jane H., daughter of George and Christiana
(Hill) Bririton, who was born September 19,
1780, and died May 29, 1854. 5. Samuel, born
October 27, 1782, and died April 1, 1843, was
married to Rebecca, daughter of Stephen and
Margaret (Farlow) Mendenhall.
The children of Samuel and Rebecca (Men
denhall) Trimble, are as follows : 1. John B.,
born February 23, 1809, and died October 29,
1809. 2. Stephen M., born April 10, 1810, and
died September 12, 1898, was married November
9, 1836, to Lydia, daughter of John and Ruth
(Martin) Sharpless, born January 2, 1812, and
died October 16, 1891. 3. Samuel, born
March 19, 1812, and died September 17,
1824. 4. Esther, born May 14, 1814, died
September 29, 1824. 5. Margaret M., born
July 31, 18 18, died January 9, 1854. 6. George
W., born December 14, 1820, died July 12, 1846.
7. Samuel, born March 5, 1825, died December
17, 1854. 8. Ann, born August 25, 1827, and
died August 14, 1890, was married February 6,
1850, to George Martin, M. D., son of George
and Edith (Sharpless) Martin, born April 29,
1827, and died October 28, 1886.
The children of Stephen Mendenhall and
Lydia (Sharpless) Trimble are as follows: 1.
John, born May 6, 1838, spent all his adult life
in Concordville, and died July 31, 1886, at Lima,
Pennsylvania. 2. Rebecca, born May 22, 1840,
was married March 3, 1869, to Samuel Benning
ton, a farmer who resides near Chariton, Iowa.
3. Samuel, the subject of this sketch, is noticed
fully below. 4. George, born July 12, 1845, and
died June 10, 1889, unmarried. 5. William, born
August 19, 1847, was married May 4, 1887, in
Concprd Meeting Hpuse, to Jane Mendenhall,
and they reside at Concord, Pennsylvania. 6.
Ann, born January 25, 185 1, is unmarried and
resides at the old homestead in Chester township.
7. Henry, born May 22, 1853, and died August

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

251

24, 1898, at St. David's, Pennsylvania, married
Mary Jenkins Warrington and had three chil
dren: He was professor of analytical chemis
try at the College of Pharmacy in Philadelphia.
His widow lives at Moylan, Pennsylvania. 8.
Ruth Anna, born September 8, 1855, died un
married February 27, 1876. 9. Joseph, born
July 12, 1857, was married September 18, 1889,
to Emma Forsythe, who was born Deceriiber 20,
1858, and died November 12, 1895 ; issue three
children. Samuel Trimble, M. D., third child of Stephen
M. and Lydia Trimble, was born near Chester,
Pennsylvania, February 26, 1843, and received
his early education at Westtown school. After
finishing in 1863, he began the study of medi
cine with Dr. George Martin as his preceptor, and
entered the University of Pennsylvania, and re
ceived his diploma as doctor of medicine with
the class of 1867. Immediately thereafter he
began the practice of his profession at Lima and
has pursued it steadily from that day to this. He
has an extensive patronage and is highly esteemed
by his patients and neighbors. Dr. Trimble is
. an ardent scholar, well informed on almost ev
ery subject, and possess a library whose contents
are very select and valuable. Aside from his
profession his talents have led him into botani
cal research, in which science he possesses prac
tical skill, allied with much theoretical knowl
edge. In fact it is seldom one meets in private
life one so well informed on such a variety of
subjects as Dr. Trimble.
He married Mary L. Evans, who is a descend
ant in direct line from William and Ann (Pal
mer) Trimble, her ancestry being traced as fol
lows : William Trimble, second son of the above
mentioned William and Ann Trimble, married
Grace Thomas, and his daughter Grace, who was
born December 24, 1789, and died August 17,
1867, married Joseph, son of Jonathan and
Hannah (Bacon) Evans, who was born Septem
ber 28, 1789, and died February 10, 1871. Ann
C. Evans, daughter of Grace (Trimble) and Jo
seph Evans, born March 21, 1815, and died Sep
tember 30, 1888, was married May 6, 1847, to
Isaac C, son of Isaac and Mary (Conard) Ev
ans, of Lampeter, Lancaster county, Pennsylva-
¦ nia, born March 23, 1818, and now, residing in
Media,' Pennsylvania. Mrs. Mary L. Evans
(Trimble), wife of Dr. Trimble, is the eldest
daughter of the last mentioned couple.
Dr. Trimble and wife have had four children,
whose vital and mortuary records are as follows :
1. Joseph Evans, born at Lima, March 3, 1871,
and died unmarried April 5, 1896. 2. John, born
April 2, 1877, is at present settled on a farm in
Newton township and is unmarried. 3. Grace,
born March 14, 1881, died March 17, 1881. 4.

George Martin, born April 11, 1883, is living on
a farm in West Bradford, Pennsylvania.
The family, like their ancestry before them
for many generations, are affiliated with the Or
thodox Friends Society. Dr. Trimble has always
been a member of the Republican party and a
warm advocate of its leading principles.

CHARLES SALTER WELLES, of Elwyn,
Pennsylvania, is a representative of the American
branch of the ancient De Welles family, of Lin
colnshire, England, which traces its origin from
the French house of Vaux, one of the most
illustrious in history. The record of the family
begins in 794, from which period they held tne
highest rank, personally and by royal intermar
riages. The name ramifies in many directions and
among many different families, some of its forms
being: Vallibus, Welles, Lee, Millburn, Mol-
beck, Mollineaux (or Miller), D'Everaux,
Wassa, Washbourn (afterward Washington),
Burn, Hurtburn, Heburn, Waterton, Waters,
and Beck. These are only a few of the forms
of the same name, many of which have become
historical. Following the genealogy of the Eng
lish branches of the Vaux family mention may be
made of Bertrand de Vaux: Harold de Vaux;
Baron Hubert de Vallibus, born 1090; Baron,
Robert de Vallibus, born 11 15; Baron William
de Vallibus, born 1120; Robert de Welles, eldest
son of above, born 1 145 ; Simon de Welles, born
1 145, Crusader, 1191; Thomas de Welles, born
1 1 75; Henry de Welles, born 1200; Thomas de
Welles, born 1240; Walter de Welles, born 1270,
whose estate passed to his daughter, etc.
Of the Lincolnshire branch of this dis
tinguished family were the two eminent prelates,
Bishop Hugo de Welles of Lincoln, and Bishop
Joscelin de Welles, of Bath and Glastonbury,
who obtained the signature of King John to
Magna Charta, June 15, 1215, the seals of both
being affixed to the great charter of British
freedom. The founder of the Welles family in Amer
ica was Thomas Welles, fourth governor of Con
necticut, born in 1598, in Essex county, England,
a lineal descendant of the Welles family in that
country. He came to Connecticut in 1636, as
private secretary to Lord Saye and Sele. From
the first he was prominent in the affairs of the
colony, holding various offices, and was deputy
governor and governor for a period of five years
— from 1655 to 1659, inclusive.
John Welles (2), second child of Thomas (1),
was born in 1621, in Northamptonshire, Eng
land, and came to America with his father in
1636, landing at Saybrook, and thence removing
to Hartford. In 1645 he went to Stratford,

-252

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

Fairfield county, Connecticut, where he resided
until his death in 1659. The generations during
the next two centuries may be briefly mentioned :
Captain Robert Welles (3), son of John (2),
was born in 1651, at Stratford, Connecticut, and
died at Wethersfield, in the same state, June 27,
1 7 14. Captain Gideon Welles (4), son of Robert
(3), was born in 1686, at Wethersfield, and died
there March 28, 1740.
Solomon Welles (5), son of Gideon (4), was
born October 6, 1721, and was of the class of
1739, Yale. He died at Wethersfield in 1802.
General Roger Welles (6), of Revolutionary
memory, son of Solomon (5), was born Decem
ber 29, 1753, at Wethersfield, and was of the
class of 1775, Yale. He resided at Newington,
Connecticut, where he died May 27, 1795.
Hon. Martin Welles (7), son of Roger (6),
was born December 7, 1787, at Newington, and
was of the class of 1806, Yale. He was a mem
ber of the legislature of Connecticut, serving in
both the senate and house of representatives,
and also acting as speaker of the house. He
was associate judge on the bench of the Hartford
county court with the Hon. Thomas Day and the
Hon. John M. Niles. He married Fannie Norton,
of Farmington, Connecticut, who was born Jan
uary 18, 1790, and died October 2, 1875. Mr.
Welles died January 18, 1863, at Martin, Ohio.
Charles Roger Welles (8), son of Martin
(7), was born August 26, 18 12, at Farming-
ton, Connecticut, and was of the class of 1834,
Yale. He was a highly esteemed member of the
bar of the Sangamon circuit, Springfield, Illi
nois. He married Mary Louisa Salter, July 8,
1841, and they were the parents of six children:
Julia Norton, born May 30, 1842, died January
22, 1857; Thomas Mather, born June 17, 1844,
died August 31, 1845; Charles Salter, mentioned
at length hereinafter; Mary Frances, born Jan
uary 4, 1849, died January 28, 1857; Helen
Susan, born February 8, 1851, died January 11,
1857; John Martin, born February 4, 1853, died
August 22, 1854. Three of these children died
in January, 1857, within seventeen days, of scar
let fever. Charles Roger Welles, the father of the
family, died July 23, 1854. At a meeting of
the court held in November of the same year,
and presided over by Judge Davis, the following
named were appointed a committee to draft reso
lutions of respect to his memory: James C.
Conkling, John T. Stewart and Abraham Lin
coln. Mary Louisa (Salter) Welles (twin With
Julia R.), mentioned above as the wife of Charles
Roger Welles, the daughter of Cleveland Jarman
and Susan Clarinda ( Benham t Salter, was born
in New Haven, Conn., February 24, 1819, and
died March 7, 1900. The former, who was the son

of Daniel Salter, was born in New Haven, Con
necticut, and died January 27, 1878. Daniel,
who was the son of a wealthy London banker,
was born in Honiton, Devonshire, England, and
in 1794 came to New Haven, Connecticut, with
his wife and two children, John and Rebecca.
His wife, whom he had married December
9, 1785, was Sarah Davey, born September 13,
1761, daughter of John Davey, mayor of Tiv
erton, whose wife was a daughter of Sir
Thomas Wynne, the lord of a manor in Wales.
Her brother was Thomas Davey, who entered the
British navy, and became governor of Van
Dieman's Land.
Susan Clarinda Benham was born Febru
ary 11, 1796, died October 14, 1820, and was
the daughter of Eliakim and Susannah (Bon-
tecou) Benham. The latter was a descendant
in direct line from Pierre Bontecou, a tiuguenot
fugitive, who, in 1684, fled with his wife and
five children from the Isle of Re, going first
to England, and thence, in 1689, to New York.
His wife was Marguerite Collinot, and their
descendants may be briefly traced : Timothy
Bontecou, son of Pierre and Marguerite (Colli
not) Bontecou, born January 17, 1693, in New
York, died in New Haven, February 14, 1784;
Timothy Bontecou, Jr., son of Timothy and
Mary Bontecou, born in 1723, died in May,
1789; Timothy Prout Bontecou, son of Timothy,
Jr., and Susannah (Prout) Bontecou, born Au
gust 20, 1748, died November 28, 1785 ; Susan
nah Bontecou, daughter of Timothy Prout and
Elizabeth (Upson) Bontecou, born January 24,
1774, died May 11, 1848.
Charles Salter Weiles (9), son of Charles
Roger (8) and Mary Louisa (Salter) Welles,
was born September 13, 1846, at Springfield, Illi
nois, and was educated principally in New Haven,
Connecticut. He was a student at Yale, but by
reason of impaired health, occasioned by a se
vere attack of typhoid fever, took an honorable
dismissal during his second term as sophomore.
On June 5, 1869, he took up his abode in Media,
Pennsylvania, and, with the exception of two
years passed in Burlington, New Jersey, resided
there until 1881. In that year he moved to a
farm in Elwyn, Pennsylvania, which he had pur
chased in 1871, and where he now resides. His
property interests in various parts of the country
require a large part of his time and attention in
a business way, in addition to his farm, which
is devoted to stock and general farming.
Mr. Welles is a life member of the Academy
of Natural Sciences, the Pennsylvania Historical
Society, and the Pennsylvania Forestry Asso
ciation, to the council of which he belongs it
the present time. He is a member of the Dela
ware County Historical Society, the Delaware
County Institute of Sciences, and the Yale

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

253

Alumni Association of Philadelphia. His politi
cal affiliations are Republican. He is a member
of the Presbyterian church, and has always taken
an active interest in benevolent and church work.
During his residence in Media, he was, for a
number of years, an elder in the Presbyterian
church of that place, and now holds the same
office in the Middletown Presbyterian church.
Mr. Welles married, October 19, 1871, at
Media, Pennsylvania, Susie Parrish, born Feb
ruary 17, 1850, daughter of Dr. Joseph Parrish,
of Philadelphia, born November 11, 18 18, died
January 15, 1891, and Lydia (Gaskill) Parrish,
born September 4, 1820, died May 21, 1885. Dr.
Joseph Parrish was a son of "the famous
Quaker surgeon," of the same name and city,
born September 2, 1779, died March 18, 1840,
and Susannah (Cox) Parrish, the only daugh
ter of John Cox, a prominent minister of the
Society of Friends. Dr. Parrish was an author
ity upon the subjects of imbecility and inebriety,
and was often called upon to give his opinion
in cases of insanity and nervous diseases. He,
together with Dr. D. G. Dodge, of Binghamton,
New York, upon the solicitation of the Hon.
Dr. Donald Dalrymple, M. P., and F. R. G. S.,
of England, appeared before parliament in 1872
to give evidence upon the subject of inebriety.
Mr. and Mrs. Welles were the parents of one
child: Susie Homes, who was born January 1,
1881, and lives at home. Mrs. Welles died
March 4, 1883, and on October 7, 1885, Mr.
Welles married Maria H. Pancoast, born July
18, 1859, daughter of Thomas Pancoast, born
June 1, 1825, and Susan Pennell (Hannum)
Pancoast, born November 7, 1829. Mr. and Mrs.
Welles have had two children: Helen Pancoast,
born August 29, 1890, died August 29, 1890;
and Louise Ives, born February 16, 1895.
Thomas Pancoast traced his descent from
Bartholomew Coppock, Sr., who, with his wife
Margaret and family, came from Cheshire, Eng
land, to Delaware county, Pennsylvania. He
settled at Springfield in 1685, and two years
later purchased of John Nixon four hundred
and forty-eight acres of land in Marple town
ship. For the tract he received a deed from
William Penn, with the great seal of the province
affixed, and bearing the signatures of his com
missioners, — Edward Shippen, Griffith Owen,
Thomas Story, and James Logan — the conditions
of this grant being tnat the borough of Ches
ter, on the first day of the first month in every
year, pay to the heirs of William Penn, for each
and every year, the sum of four English shillings
and threepence, or value thereof in coin cur
rent, to such person or persons as shall be ap
pointed to receive the same. This deed, in ex
cellent preservation, is still in possession of the
Pancoast family. Bartholomew Coppock, Sr.,

resided on this land until his death in 1719, when
his son, Bartholomew Coppock, Jr., to whom he
had deeded the estate, came into possession of
it, and in 1732 built a brick house, which is a
part of the present edifice, and the Springfield
Friends' meeting was regularly held at this house
until a meeting house was erected in 1738, on
two acres deeded by him for the purpose in 1703.
Bartholomew Coppock was for many years a
member of the provincial council, and frequently
represented Chester- county in the assembly. He
married, in 1710, Phcebe, daughter of Robert
Taylor, of Springfield, and one of their daugh
ters, Esther, married, in 1741, Seth, son of Will
iam and Hannah Pancoast, of Mansfield, Bur
lington county, West Jersey. Their son, Sam
uel, who inherited the homestead, married Mary,
daughter of John and Rebecca (Davis) Levis,
and they were the parents of a son, also named
Samuel, who married Tamar, daughter of Jo
seph and Sarah Bishop, of Upper Providence
township, Delaware county. One of their twelve
children was Thomas, mentioned above as the
father of Mrs. Welles. He and his wife were
also the parents of a son, Edwin H.

GEORGE W. BROWN, a highly respected
citizen of Wayne, Delaware county, Pennsylva
nia, belongs to one of the oldest families of the
Keystone . state, a family which for more than
two centuries has been numbered among the use
ful and honored citizens of the youngest but one
of the thirteen original colonies.
The founder of the Brown family in Amer
ica was connected with the family of William
Penn, the "courtly Quaker," whose record as
the founder and governor of the colony of Penn
sylvania places him among the benefactors of
the human race. The Browns are also connected
with the family of "Randolph of Roanoke," that
brilliant and in many respects paradoxical states
man, who boasted that in his veins flowed the
blood of the Indian princess, Pocahontas. The
Brown family, in the earlier generations, were
large- land owners in Philadelphia, one of its
members being also at one time the proprietor of
a saddlery shop in Market street, near Second.
George W. Brown, father of George W.
Brown, of Wayne, Delaware county, Pennsylva
nia, followed the trade of a shoemaker in Darby,
Pennsylvania, and numbered among his patrons
Stephen Girard, who was for many years the
richest, and perhaps the most eccentric man in
the United States. A sufficient proof of his con
tradictory character (although many more might
be cited) is furnished by the fact that in provid
ing for the founding of Girard College, an insti
tution the benevolent work of which can hardly
be measured, he stipulated that no ecclesiastic,

254

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

irrespective of denomination, should, while the
college remained in existence, be admitted under
any pretext whatever within its walls. In poli
tics Mr. Brown was a zealous and active Demo
crat, exerting himself greatly in the interests of
his party. He was a prominent member of
the Methodist Episcopal church, in which he was
a class leader. He married Elizabeth Kates, and
was the father of five children, two of whom are
living: Thomas Howard, and George W., men
tioned at length hereinafter. The immediate
cause of Mr. Brown's death, which occurred in
1845, was a sudden and violent fit of excitement
which, in his weakened physical condition, he
was unable to endure.
George W. Brown, son of George W. and
Elizabeth (Kates) Brown, was born May 27,
1843, hi Darby, Pennsylvania, and while still very
young, engaged in the trade of a butcher, but
did not follow it long owing to the outbreak of
the Civil war. It was in Philadelphia that Mr.
Brown followed his trade, and it was in that city
that he enlisted, July 4, 1861, in the Twenty-
ninth Pennsylvania Regiment. During his period
of military service Mr. Brown took part in no
fewer than fifty engagements, one of the most no
table being the battle of Lookout Mountain,
' where his regiment was the first to open the fight
and ascended the mountain to a greater height
than any other body of troops engaged in the
conflict. At Gettysburg, he had a narrow escape
from capture. Sergeant-major William Letfort
had been shot in both legs and was unable to
move. Mr. Brown was helping him from the
field, and his enforced retirement from the scene
of action took place just in time to prevent his
being made prisoner. The achievements of the
regiment to which Mr. Brown belonged, in this
battle, have been commemorated by the erection
of two granite tablets, Mr. Brown having served
as a member of the committee authorized to pur
chase them. In December, 1863, Mr. Brown re-
enlisted, his regiment having been the first to re
spond to the president's call for troops to re-en
list as veterans. ' At Resaca, Georgia, Mr.
Brown was shot three times and sustained the
loss of an arm.
After the war Mr. Brown returned to busi
ness, and his old employer offered to establish
him in the trade of a butcher, but was deterred
by the fear that the loss of Mr. Brown's arm
would render it impossible for him to perform
the duties which would be required of him. It
was soon proved, however, that Mr. Brown's en
ergy and ability were sufficient to compensate
for the physical loss which he had sustained. For
having obtained work at the Philadelphia navy-
yard, he was reported and censured by super
iors for performing an excess of work. June 1,
1869, Mr. Brown was appointed gatekeeper at

the Philadelphia mint, where he was afterward
made head doorkeeper. Itn 1885 he went to re
side in Wayne, Pennsylvania, and in 1888 pur
chased the Wayne Times, which he has since
edited, publishing it simultaneously at the three
places, Wayne, Berwin and Ardmore, all of Penn
sylvania. A striking evidence of the high esteem in
which Mr. Brown is held in the community was
given when he applied for the office of postmas
ter, his petition being signed by ninety per cent.
of his fellow citizens. He received his first ap
pointment to the office in November, 1897, and
on January 10, 1902, was appointed for the third
time. When his third application was presented
two thousand four hundred out of two thousand
five hundred people signed the petition.
Mr. Brown holds the office of recording sec
retary in the military organization to which he
belongs. He takes a practical interest in every
thing which effects the welfare of the community,
having been the chief organizer of the Wayne
Public Safety Association. Although distin
guished by his public-spirited earnestness as a.
citizen, Mr. Brown could never be induced to
accept office, believing that he could better dis
charge of his duties untrammeled by political oh?
ligations. He was one of the founders of St.
Mary's Protestant Episcopal church, of which he
is an active member.
Mr. Brown married, December 24, 1865, Anna
West Dubersee, both of whose parents were na
tives of Wales. Mr. and Mrs. Brown are the
parents of two children: William T., who mar
ried Carrie Davis, of Wayne, and has two chil
dren, viz: William and Eugenia; and Annie E.
Brown.

ISAAC BRIGGS, of Broomall, Pennsylvania,
is the representative of a family that has long
been connected with this section of the State,
and whose interests have been interwoven with
the development and progress of the county.
The first ancestor to settle here was Richard
Briggs, who came to this country from Ireland,
settled near Media, and for the greater part of
his life was engaged in the occupation of farm
ing. He was also an active participant during the
progress of the Revolutionary war. He was
united in marriage to Miss Jones.
Richard Briggs, grandfather of Isaac Briggs,
was born near Media, Delaware county, Penn
sylvania, and after his education was completed,
he devoted his time and attention to the cultiva
tion of the soil. He enlisted as a private in the
war of 1812, and displayed great bravery on the
field of battle. He was united in marriage to>
Miss Amy Morrall, and the following named chil
dren were born to them : Isaac, Richard, William,

<^

AttcZCLIL.

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

255,

Emily, Jane, Mary, and Amelia Briggs. The
father of these children lived to a mature old
age. William Briggs, father of Isaac Briggs, was
also born in Delaware county, Pennsylvania, and
his boyhood days were spent in attendance at the
village school, and in assisting his father with
the management of his estate. When quite a
young boy he learned the stone mason trade,
which he followed for a number of years ; later
he purchased property near Media, engaged in
mercantile business and by his ability and in
dustry gained an enviable reputation as a pro
gressive and reliable merchant. Honor and in
tegrity were synonymous with his name, and he
enjoyed the respect, confidence and high regard
of all who knew him. He married Miss Hannah
Morrall, daughter of Abel Morrall, of Marple,
Pennsylvania, and their children were: Isaac,
Richard, Rachel, Amy, William, Hannah and
Mary Briggs. Mr. Briggs died at the age of sixty
years, and his wife passed away in 1898, at the
age of eighty years.

Home of Isaac Briggs.
Isaac Briggs, eldest son of William and Han
nah Briggs, was born near Media, Pennsylvania,
February 2, 1833. He acquired his education
in the common schools of the town which he at
tended until he was sixteen years of age, after
which he learned the trade of mason. He worked
at his occupation for a number of years in his
native town, and in 1861 he located on a farm in
Newtown, where he remained until 1865, when
he purchased his present farm, which consists
of one hundred and fourteen acres which he has
cultivated to a high state of perfection and sup
plied with commodious farm buildings. In his
political affiliations, Mr. Briggs is a firm sup
porter of the measures adopted by the Republican
party, and he has faithfully served the township
l7X

in the capacity of auditor for a number of years.
He is a director of the Charter National Bank
of Media, and also of the Delaware Trust and
Savings Association.
On May 5, 1858, Mr. Briggs married Miss
Sarah C. Morrall, who was born in Media, Penn
sylvania, September 13, 1834, a daughter of Will
iam Morrall, and their children are : Susan Elva,
born March 9, 1859, died March 7, 1870; Alice
W., born August 12, i860, became the wife of
William M. Power, and their children are : Susan
W., Sarah B., and Isaac B. Power; Morrall,
born February 3, 1862, died in infancy ; Penrose,
born August 13, 1864, died March 2, 1872; Sally
R., born January 5, 1867, became the wife of
Charles Coppel, of Media, and their children are :
Alice B., and Isaac Coppel; Oscar B., born
September 12, 1870, died in 1872 ; and Maud
Ella, born July 3, 1875, died October 17, 1875.
Mr. Briggs is upright and honorable in all his
transactions, easily wins the confidence and.
friendship of those with whom he is brought in:
contact, and no man in the community is held.
in higher regard or more richly deserves the es
teem of his fellow townsmen.

JOSEPH L. QUIGLEY, justice of the peace
of Concord township, Delaware county, Penn
sylvania, and a well known representative of its
agricultural interests, was born in that township,
February 6, 1855.
Louis Quigley, father of Joseph L. Quigley,
was born in the township of Bethel, Delaware
county, Pennsylvania, November 11, 1825. In
the schools near his home Mr. Quigley obtained
a good practical education, and at an early age re
moved to Concord township where he learned the
trade of shoemaker. He continued working at
this occupation until 1870, when he turned his at
tention to agricultural pursuits in which he was
very successful, possessing a good knowledge of
everything essential for success in the tilling of
the soil. Mr. Quigley's interests in the affairs
of the town were of that practical character that
prompted him to put forth every effort for the
good of the community and for the adoption of
measures which would lead to its upbuilding and
substantial improvement. He was united in mar
riage to Eliza A. Fisher, daughter of Joseph
Fisher of Chester county, Pennsylvania, the cere
mony being performed in 1849. Their children
were : William H., died in childhood ; Martha W.,
wife of George Paling; they are the parents of
two children ; Annie, wife of Lorenzo T. Hunter,
who have one child; Frank H., married Annie
Potter and three children have been born to them ;
Mary E., deceased, was the wife of James Hughes
and mother of two children ; Wesley H. married
married Rose Devonshire, and they have one:

256

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

child ; Beulah E., wife of George T. Aikens, and
two children have been born to them ; Robert C,
married Gretta Perry; Edward I. married Mary
Miller, and they are the parents of two children ;
Howard W.,_ married Josephine Welsh; and
Joseph L. Quigley.
Joseph L. Quigley attended the public schools
of the neighborhood, and through the summer
months assisted in the development and cultiva
tion of his father's farm, so that when he began
farming on his own account he was well qualified
for the work by practical experience. He is the
owner of a fine farm of ninety acres in Concord
township and also owns the old Quigley home
stead in Concord township, which has been in
the possession of the family since its original pur
chase from William Penn. He has a dairy of
twenty-five cows ; his place is well improved, neat
and thrifty in appearance and is furnished with
all modern conveniences and accessories. He is
widely known throughout the county and enjoys
the respect and consideration that are merited
by every man of worth and integrity. In poli
tics Mr. Quigley is a staunch Republican, and
has served his township in the capacity of school
director, auditor, constable and supervisor, and
at the present time (1903) is the incumbent of
the office of justice of the peace. He is actively
affiliated with the Junior Order of United Ameri
can Mechanics and the Grange.
On December 21, 1881, Mr. Quigley married
Elizabeth Place, daughter of John B. Place, who
is engaged in farming interests near West Ches
ter, Pennsylvania, and by this union the follow
ing named children were born: Mary J. and
Elizabeth Quigley, who reside with their par
ents. The parents of this family are faithful
members of the Methodist Episcopal church of
Concord township, Delaware county, Pennsyl

vania.

CHARLES C. BILES, an experienced and
prosperous farmer and highly respected citizen
of New London township, Chester county, is
a grandson of Charles Biles, who was born in
Bucks county, where he was educated in the
common schools, and then engaged in farming.
Subsequently he moved to Chester county, where
he settled in New London township, on a tract
of land which is still in the possession of his
descendants. His marriage took place after his
arrival in Chester county.
Samuel Biles, son of Charles Biles, was born
in 1804, on the homestead, and received his edu
cation in the common schools. His life was
passed on the home farm, where from early
youth he was constantly engaged in agricultural
pursuits. His character was such a^s to command
the highest respect of his townsmen, by whom he
was several times elected to fill the office of

supervisor. In politics he was a Republican. He
married Ann, daughter of John Clawson, a
farmer of Bucks county, and they were the pa
rents of the following children : Pamela J.,
who died unmarried; Sarah F., who married
Davis Spencer, and was the mother of seven
children; John P., who married Phoebe Spencer,
and has three children; Amos T., who married
Rebecca Kennedy, who has since died, leaving
one child; Charles C, mentioned at length here
inafter; and Anna M. Biles. Mrs. Biles, the
mother of this family, died in 1887, and her hus
band survived her two years, passing away in
1889. Charles C. Biles, son of Samuel and Ann
(Clawson) Biles, was born in 1839, on the home
stead. He received his primary education in
the public schools, afterward attending the New
London Academy. After leaving school, being
convinced that the life of a farmer for which he
possessed an inherited taste, would be more
congenial to him than any other, he settled on
the homestead where he has since remained.
His knowledge of agriculture, joined to many
years of practical experience, has caused him to
be regarded as an authority among the farmers
of the township. Although constantly mindful
of the duties of a good citizen, and ever ready to
aid to the utmost of his ability any project which
in his judgment has a tendency to promote the
welfare of the community, Mr. Biles has always
steadily refused to accept any of the various
offices which he has been urged by his neighbors
to assume. His political principles are those of
a sincere and earnest Republican.
Mr. Biles is unmarried. His sister, Miss
Anna M. Biles, shares his home, and presides
over the household.

MOORE FAMILY. The progenitor of the
American branch of the Moore family was
Charles Moore, who emigrated to this country
from England in 1682, and was granted a tract
of land in what is now known as Marple town
ship, Delaware county, Pennsylvania, by Will
iam Penn, the founder of that state. Here he
established a home, in which members of the
Moore family have since resided, the sixth gen
eration now occupying the homestead. Charles
Moore was united in marriage to Miss Elizabeth
Baker, and they are the parents of the following
named children: William, born January 1, 1739,
died in September, 1768; Hannah, born Feb
ruary 24, 1 741, became the wife of Mr. God
frey; Margaret, born June 4, 1744, became the
wife of William Brooks; Rachel, born August
4, 1746, became the wife of Mr. Halstine.
Philip Moore, son of Charles and Elizabeth
Moore, was born March 18, 1749, and was united

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

257

in marriage to Miss Mary Morris, and their
children were : Hannah; Elizabeth, who married
Joseph Vodg; William, united in marriage to
Miss Mary Massey; Jane; John M., and Phoebe
Moore, who became the wife of John Worth
ington. After the death of his wife Mr. Moore
contracted an alliance with Miss Mary Jones,
and their son, Alexander H., was born January
22, 1805, died September 8, 1807.
John M. Moore, son of Philip and Mary
Moore, was born February 26, 1781, and married
Miss Elizabeth Jones, who was born May 25,
1790, a daughter of Hugh Jones. Their mar
riage was solemnized November 12, 1807, and
their children were : Philip, born February 27,
1808; Charles, born February 11, 1810; Mary,
born August 16, 1812; William, born February
27, 1815; Phcebe M., born March 3, 1817; John
M., M. D., born July 9, 1819; Hannah, born
February 9, 1822; H. Jones, born February 7,
1824; J. Hunter, born April 22, 1826; Elizabeth
J., born May 22, 1828; 'and Margaret B., born
December 5, 1830. Of these children Phcebe
M. and Elizabeth J. still survive. John M.
Moore died March 18, 1865, in the eighty-fifth
year of his age. After his death the homestead
reverted to his eldest son, Philip Moore.
Philip Moore, eldest son of John M. and
Elizabeth Moore, was born February 27, 1808,
and married Miss Hannah Hale, who was born
October 8, 1817, a daughter of Samuel Hale,
who was a native of New Jersey. Their chil
dren were: Sarah Jane, born September 11,
1837, and in 1867 was united in marriage to
George F. Black; her decease occurred in 1893;
Charles, born September 21, 1839; Sophia Hale,
born November 6, 1841, now the widow of Alex
ander Johnson; John Morris, born February 9,
1844, died July 25, .1882; Samuel Hale, born
November 7, 1847 ; Philip, born March 27, 1852 ;
George William, born September 10, 1855 ; James
Hunter, born July 24, 1858. The father of these
children died in 1892 ; his wife died the same
week and year, and they were both interred in
the same grave.
Philip Moore, son of Philip and Hannah
Moore, was born March 27, 1852, reared on a
farm and resided there until 1872, when he en
gaged as clerk in the store of Ebenezer W. Curtis,
of Maple, where he remained until March 21,
1875. The following three years were spent on
the old homestead, and then in partnership with
his brother, Samuel H. Moore, established a gen
eral store at Broomall. This connection con
tinued until 1881, when Philip purchased his
brother's interest in the store and has since con
ducted it alone. He is an enterprising, pro
gressive man, possessing determined energy and
resolute will, and he carries forward to success
ful completion whatever he undertakes. He was

appointed postmaster of the town of Broomall
in the spring of 1878, and so faithfully has he
performed his duties that he is still the incumbent
of the office. He also served as town clerk from
1878 to 1902. He is courteous, genial and oblig
ing, these qualities render him popular, and
therefore his circle of friends is very extensive.
On March 21, 1879, Mr. Moore married Miss
Lizzie Gertrude Childs, who was born March 14,
1858, where Wayne is now situated, in Radnor
township. Three children were born to them:
Helen Gertrude, Philip and Helen Ray, the two
former named having died in infancy.

NATHAN BROOKE MOORE, a prom
inent resident of Broomall, Pennsylvania, was
born November 29, 1868, a son of Hugh Jones
Moore, who was a son of John M. and Elizabeth
(Jones) Moore; John M. was a son of Philip
and Mary (Morris) Moore, and Philip in turn
was a son of Charles Moore.
Hugh Jones Moore, father of Nathan Brooke
Moore, was born in Marple township, February
7, 1824. He was reared upon a farm and re
sided with his parents; his education was ac
quired in the common schools of the vicinity,
and after completing his studies he settled on a
portion of the old homestead where he followed
agricultural pursuits and erected a commodious
residence. On January 7, 1868, Mr. Moore was
united in marriage to Miss Anna Rebecca Brooke,
daughter of Benjamin and Sabilla (Adams)
Brooke, natives of Montgomery county, and
direct descendants of an old and respected Penn
sylvania family. Their children are : Nathan
Brooke, born November 29, 1868 ; Sabilla Phebe,
born February 25, 1870, became the wife of John
F. T. Lewis on December 15, 1892, and their
children are : Benjamin Jones and Andrew
Lindsay Lewis; Anna Mary, born March 20,
1872, and October 14, 1896, she became the wife
of Dr. Warren L. Rhodes, D. V. S., of Lans
downe, Pennsylvania ; they had three children,
Nathan Brooke, died in infancy, Catherine Ott,
and Owen Brooke Rhodes ; Hannah Brooke, born
March 7, 1874. The father of these children died
September 11, 1896, and his death was mourned
by a host of friends who had known him in
life and esteemed him for his sterling worth,
his fidelity to duty and adherence to principle.
James Hunter Moore, brother of Hugh Jones
Moore, was born April 20, 1826, and acquired
an excellent education in the common schools
of his native town. In later years he made his
home with Hugh Jones Moore, the two brothers
being almost inseparable companions. He took
a prominent part in all matters that pertained
to the welfare and advancement of his town, and
his influence had been felt as a strong steady

258

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

force in the social, moral and industrial move
ments of the community and he was an important
factor in the life of Broomall, Pennsylvania. His
death occurred May 16, 1902.

SAMUEL HALE MOORE, of Manoa,
Pennsylvania, the third son of the late Philip
and Hannah (Hale) Moore, was born in Marple
township, Delaware county, Pennsylvania, No
vember 7, 1847. He received a good education
in the public schools of his native town and after
he had finished his studies, he went to Concord,
Delaware county, Pennsylvania, and in connec
tion with his brother-in-law began farm work
and continued this occupation for nine years.
In 1879 he went to Broomall, and became asso
ciated with his brother Philip in mercantile
business, remaining there until 1881, when he
sold his interests in the business to his brother
and removed to Manoa, Haverford township,
Delaware county, Pennsylvania, where he bought
a store, and soon secured a lucrative trade.
His success in all business ventures has en
titled him to the respect and confidence of his
fellow citizens who have elected him to many
important offices. He is a director of the West
Chester Turnpike and is also a director of the
First National Bank of Media. He has served
as auditor of the township, and in 1881 received
the appointment of postmaster at Manoa, which
office he has held since that date.
He was married February 22, 1883, to Mary,
the daughter of John and Hannah (Worrell)
Leedom. They have two children, J. Leedom,
born April 19, 1884, and Marion S., born Oc
tober 1, 1889.

J. HUNTER EWING, a leading business
man of Philadelphia, residing in Radnor town
ship, Delaware county, Pennsylvania, belongs to
one of the old families of the state, the founder
of the American branch having emigrated from
Scotland in the year 17 16. It is possible that the
reason of this ancestor for leaving his native
land lay in the fact that he was one of the adher
ents of the unfortunate house of Stuart, whose
disastrous attempt, in 1715, under the leadership
of the Pretender (or James the Third, as he
was styled by his followers), to regain possession
of the British throne, resulted in the loss of many
valuable lives and the banishment or voluntary
exile of some of the best families in the Kingdom.
The emigrant ancestor of the Hunter family set
tled at Villa Nova, Delaware county, Pennsyl
vania. The house built by himself is the home
of the present representative of the family, whose
grandmother was Jane Hunter, and her father

bought and settled on the place at Villa Nova ini
1753- Maskell Ewing, the grandfather of J. Hunter
Ewing, was a well known lawyer who, for years,
filled the office of mayor of Trenton, and was also ¦
for a considerable period a member of the New
Jersey legislature.
Maskell Ewing, father of J. Hunter Ewing,
graduated from West Point in the class of 1831,.
and was an officer in the United States artillery.
He was also a noted engineer officer, being one
of those who built the aqueduct at Washington,
in 1840. He married Cornelia Lansdale, of
Havre de Grace, Maryland, whose mother was
a daughter of General Moylan, a major-general
in the Revolutionary war, and who served on.
Washington's staff. Maskell Ewing died in 1850,
and his widow is still living at the age of eighty-
three years.
J. Hunter Ewing, son of Maskell and Cornelia
(Lansdale) Ewing, was born in Alexandria,
Virginia, and lives in' the house in which
four generations of his ancestors had first
seen the light, and which is now his own-
residence. He attended school for six years
in West Chester, and was also a student at
the Polytechnic College. Early in his business
career he formed a connection with the old-es
tablished firm of Townsend, Whelen & Co., bank
ers and stock brokers of Philadelphia, and has
maintained this connection for twenty years,
having been for the last sixteen years a member
of the firm. Mr. Ewing is not only prominent
in the business circles of Philadelphia, but is ac
tive in the affairs of Radnor township, having
served for six years on the school board. He is
a member of the Protestant Episcopal church, in
which he holds the office of warden.
Mr. Ewing married in December, 1880, Han
nah C, daughter of Henry Whelen. One child1
has been born to them, a daughter named Amy.

JACOB EBRIGHT, prominently identified
with the agricultural and political interests of
the town of Cartertown, Delaware county, Penn
sylvania, was born May 20, 1825, in the town of
Villagegreen, Pennsylvania, a son of Jacob and
Elizabeth Ebright.
Jacob Ebright, father of Jacob Ebright, was
a native of New Jersey, and acquired his educa
tional advantages in the common schools of his -
neighborhood. After attaining young manhood
he removed his place of residence to Marcus
Hook, Pennsylvania, purchased a farm and the
remainder of his life was devoted to the cultiva
tion of the same. He was an active participant
of the war of 1812, and served his country with
bravery and loyalty. He was united in marriage

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

259

"to Miss Elizabeth Mace, and eight children were
born to them, three of whom are now living. Mr.
Ebright died in 1843, and his wife also passed
away in the same year.
Jacob Ebright was a student in the local
schools of Villagegreen, where he acquired an
excellent literary education, and his youth and
early manhood were spent in the occupation of
farming. In 1858 he purchased his present farm
which consists of fifty-two acres, and the success
which has attended his efforts is due to his thor
ough experience of the vocation, and his energy,
ability and good management. His well culti
vated farm with its ample and commodious build
ings stands as an excellent monument to his per
severance and thrift. In his political views he
adheres to the Democratic party and is an earnest
advocate of its distinctive principles. On this
ticket he was elected school director of the town
and for eighteen years was the incumbent of that
position; he also acted in the capacity of super
visor and president for a period of eight years,
and has always taken a keen and active interest
in all worthy enterprises.
Mr. Ebright was united in marriage to Miss
Mary Ann Ward, a daughter of Elijah Ward,
and the following named children were born to
them: Joseph W., associated with his father in
the management of the farm; Abraham; Mary
Ann; Manda and Frank Ebright. The mother
of these children died in 1880, survived by her
husband, who is in the enjoyment of excellent
health, notwithstanding his advanced years.

JOHN S. FREEMANN,a well known lawyer
of Philadelphia, residing in Wayne, Delaware
county, belongs to a German family which has'
been for more than half a century represented in
the United States.
John Freemann, father of John S. Freemann,
was born in Frankfort-on-Main, Germany, and
came to America in 1848, that year so memora
ble for revolutions on the continent of Europe.
He settled in Montgomery county, Pennsylvania,
where he followed the occupation of a farmer.
He was a member of the Lutheran church. His
death took place in 1891.
John S. Freemann, son of John Freemann,
was born in Montgomery county, Pennsylvania,
where he was educated in the local schools, sub
sequently becoming a student in Lafayette Col
lege, from which he graduated in the class of
1876. He selected for his profession the prac
tice of the law, and was admitted to the bar
in Philadelphia in 1881. He is also a member of
the bar of Montgomery and Delaware counties.
He was engaged in general practice until several
years ago, when he devoted his entire time to

the business of several large corporations for
whom he was general counsel.
For a period of eleven years Mr. Freemann
has been an active member of the Wayne Pres
byterian church. He is ever ready to devote him
self to the utmost of ms power to the advance
ment of the public welfare, having been for six
years president of the Wayne Public Safety As
sociation. *
Mr. Freemann married, in 1876, Mary,
daughter of the Rev. Henry Graybill, of Mont
gomery county, Pennsylvania. Their family con
sists of four children : Edith G, Anna M., Buena
V. and J. Edward.

CHARLES TEMPLE, deceased, for many
years a prominent factor in the agricultural and
political affairs of Concord township, Delaware
county, Pennsylvania, where he was the owner
of a large and well cultivated farm of one hun
dred and twelve acres, was born in Pennsbury
township, Chester county, Pennsylvania, 4 mo.,
1, 1836, and is a son of Norris and Susan L.
(Smith) Temple.
Norris Temple, father of Charles Temple,
was a son of Edward and Sidney Hill Temple.
Edward Temple was a farmer in Pennsbury
township, was a consistent member of the So
ciety of Friends, and of good social and moral
character. He had by his union in marriage an
only child, Norris Temple, who was born and
reared to manhood on the Temple homestead
in Pennsbury township. He was born 5 mo., 2,
1808, and died 3 mo., 23, 1872. His wife, Susan
L. (Smith) Temple, was born 11 mo., 12, 1806,
and died 11 mo., 13, 1891. They were the par
ents of six children, namely : Edward, who mar
ried Mary Gunton ; Charles; George B., who
married Lydia Marshall ; Sidney ; Mary A. ; and
Jane B. Temple ; neither of the three last named
had married. . Norris Temple was a farmer by
occupation. Both he and his wife were members
of the Society of Friends.
Charles Temple obtained his educational ad
vantages in the Westtown boarding school, and
after completing his studies he turned his atten
tion to farming. Subsequently he purchased a
tract of land in Concord township, which he de
voted to general farming and dairying and his
well cultivated fields and dairy of forty cows
yielded him a handsome income. In his politi
cal affiliations Mr. Temple was a Republican,
broad and liberal in his views, and for a number
of years served his township in the capacity of
supervisor, performing the duties of the office
in such a manner as to win the approval and
approbation of the citizens of the community.
In his religious belief he Was a member of the
Society of Friends.

260

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

On 3 mo, 4, 1869, Mr. Temple married Phi-
lena Marshall, daughter of Thomas and Emily
(Paxson) Marshall, th: former being a na
tive of Concord township, Delaware county,
where he was engaged in agricultural pursuits.
Mr. Marshall and his wife, Emily (Paxson)
Marshall, a daughter of Jacob and Mary Pax
son, of Montgomery county, Pennsylvania, were
the parents of two children: Philena, widow of
Charles Temple ; and Mary, wife of Alban Har
vey and mother of three children : Evans, Emily,
and Edmund S. Harvey. Mr. and Mrs. Temple
were the parents of the following named chil
dren: 1. Mary M., born. 3 mo., 28, 1870, died
4 mo., 6, 1870; 2. Edward Brinton, born 8 mo.,
28, 1871, married Lucy F. Bartram on 10 mo.,
l7> !895, and they have one child, Charles, born
11 mo., 17, 1896; 3. William Paxson, born 6
mo., 15, 1873; 4. Horace, born 11 mo., 10, 1874;
5. Jacob Paxson, born 11 mo., 18, 1880, married,
5 mo., 10, 1902, Ada Underhill. Charles Temple,
father of these children, died in the year 1892,
survived by his widow, who resides on the old
homestead in the township of Concord, respected
and esteemed by all who have the honor of her
acquaintance.

WILLIAM WATKIN. The Watkin family
has been long established in the historic old
county of Delaware, Pennsylvania, and its mem
bers are well known and highly respected citi
zens. For the purpose of this biography we shall
begin with Lewis Knoll, who was the maternal
great-grandfather of our subject, and Enoch Wat
kin, who was the grandfather of our subject. The
latter married Hannah Knoll, and their son, Lewis
Watkin, was born in Haverford township, Dela
ware county, Pennsylvania. He learned the mill
ing trade on the Wissahickon creek, near Phila
delphia, with Jacob Wise, and about 1826 he came
to Upper Darby township. Here he purchased
the old Nathan Sellers mill property, and for a
number of years conducted a successful trade.
He died March 9, 1870. His wife, Rachel
(Moore) Watkin, daughter of William Moore,
died in 1872. During the latter years of their
lives they were regular attendants of the Swe-
denborgian church. The last named parents had
two children, Mary, who died at an early age,
and William.
William Watkin, was born in Upper Darby,
March 21, 1833, and after the usual preliminary
preparation in the public schools began to learn
the business of a miller with his father. He
worked in this under-capacity until he became of
age, and then on the retirement of his father he
assumed entire control of the mill. He was very
successful in his business transactions, but close
attention to work impaired his health so that in

1870 he was forced to lease his mill and retire
from active life. Previous to this he had bought
a nice farm property, consisting of a portion of
the old Sellers place, and he has since found
enough to do in the management of this to es
cape the tedium of idleness, which is abhorrent
to one of his disposition.
Mr. Watkins was first married to Miss Mary
Shoester, a daughter of Jacob and Phebe Shoes-
ter, by whom he had four children : Mary Emma
married Frank T. Johnston, and their two chil
dren are Sally and Mary; Sally P., the wife of
Harry Dubbs, had three children, Clara, Bertha,
and Fanny; an only surviving son of this union
was Lewis K., who married Alverda Lister, to
whom were born William and Harry; dara
married Lewis W. Zell, and Anna E. and Maud
are their children. For his second helpmate on
life's journey Mr. Watkin chose a sister of his
first wife, Phebe, and Frank Garfield Watkin is
the only one born of this union.
Mr. Watkin has been particularly interested
in the progress of education in his township,
and with the exception of one year has had a con
tinuous term of thirty years on the board of edu
cation of Upper Darby township. He is one of
the few surviving charter members of the Senior
Order of the United American Mechanics, No.
204. In politics he is a Republican, and in re
ligion he is an adherent of the comforting and
ennobling doctrines of the Swedenborgian church.

JOHN WESLEY CLYMER, retired farmer
and prominent citizen of Llanerch, Delaware
county, was born in Doylestown township, Bucks
county, Pennsylvania, June 8, 1838, and the son
of Henry and Hester (Meredith) Clymer. He
received his education in the public schools of the
neighborhood, at the same time assisting upon
the farm until his marriage.
At the time he came to Upper Darby, Dela
ware county, and February 18, 1865, he enlisted
for a year in the Second Regiment, Pennsylvania
Cavalry, with which he served until the close of
the war, being honorably discharged May 23,
of that same year. During the time he was in the
army he was stationed at Camp Cadwalader, and
was detailed to act as nurse in one of the hos
pitals, being in full charge of the ward. One of
the sad recollections of that sorrowful time which
refnains with Mr. Clymer is of one week when he
buried twenty-one pf his men who died of what
was called spotted fever. On his return from
service he engaged in the milk business and later
commenced dairy farming at Llanerch, contin
uing it with marked success until 1900, when he
sold his interest to his son-in-law. In 1895 he
erected his present residence at Llanerch, and
has one of the most attractive places on the

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

261

Darby and Radnor road. Fraternally he belongs
to the orders of Odd Fellows and United Amer
ican Mechanics, and is senior of the Golden
Eagles. In politics he is a staunch Republican,
and his religious affiliations are with the Metho
dist church. His standing is of the very best in
the community in which he has made his home
for so many years, and he has many friends
among the residents of this county.
On January 16, 1861, Mr. Clymer was mar
ried to Miss Sarah W. Wagner, born December
6, 1840, a daughter of William and Mary (Will
iams) Wagner. One child was born of this
union, Mary Emma, born February 18, 1862;
she married Wilmer J. Fielding, and has three
children, Howard, Elsie and Emma. Mrs. Cly
mer was one in a family of seven children,
namely: Sarah W., Emma, Elizabeth, Amanda,
Catherine, Lottie and Henry.
Henry Clymer, father of our subject, was a
son of John and Rebecca (Wilgus) Clymer, and
one in a family of ten children, namely: Mary,
Elizabeth, Margorie, Sarah, Jacob, Benjamin,
Henry, Martha, Richard and Thomas. Hester
Clymer, the mother of our subject, is a daughter
of Hugh and Phcebe (Bradshaw) Meredith, and
one of a family of six children, namely : Moses,
Aaron, Simon, Harriet, Hester and Hannah.
Henry and Hester Clymer had eight children,
as follows : Mary, who married Tobias Durney,
and to whom were born four children ; Sarah who
married John Jacoby, and to whom were born
two children; Meredith, who married Elizabeth
Stagner, and to whom were born three children;
Harriet, unmarried, who died at the age of twen
ty-eight years; John Wesley, who is our subject;
Matilda, who married John Wilkinson, and to
whom were born five children ; Sophia, who mar
ried Ira Hyde, and to whom was born one son;
Alfred, who was killed at the battle of Fair Oaks,
Virginia, during the Civil war, and is buried at
Arlington Heights cemetery.

JAMES VERNER, one of the highly re
spected citizens of Garretford, Delaware county,
Pennsylvania, was born in county Tyrone, Ire
land, September 22, 1848, and is a son of Mat
thew and Jane (Young) Verner.
In 1874 Mr. Verner emigrated to this coun
try, landing in Philadelphia, where he secured a
position in the zoological gardens as gardener,
and where he remained for six years, studying
the customs of his new home, and adding to the
knowledge he had acquired in his native land.
Owing to his original ideas and natural taste
for landscape gardening, Mr. Verner's skill has
always been in demand, and after he left his first
position until 1886, he was employed by several
of the leading citizens of Philadelphia, to beau

tify their grounds and attend to their green
houses. In 1886 he went with the late A. J. Drexel
to take care of his summer home Runnymeade,
at Lansdowne, in the township of Upper Darby,
remaining with him until 1895, when he pur
chased his present property of the Leighton heirs.
This consisted of one acre, one-half of which he
now has under glass, divided into four houses,
which he devotes exclusively to the propagation
of roses. In 1902 Mr. Verner added two acres
more land to his original purchase, which he
proposes to use with his establishment. This
plant is thoroughly equipped with steam heat
ing appliance of fifty-horse power, and as he
grows only rare and very desirable varieties,
which he places upon the market at reasonable
prices, the demand for his product is steady and
increasing in volume.
Mr. Verner was married to Maggie Crozier,
daughter of John and Mary (Rowland) Crozier,
of Ireland, and they have two living children :
James Alexander and Daisy. Mr. Verner is a
first-class example of what can be accomplished
through energy and thrift, combined with a nat
ural taste for the business in question, and his
success is well merited. He stands very well in
the community, and has made many friends who
esteem him for his numerous excellent qualities.

RICHARD LLOYD JONES, JR., one of the
prosperous men of Upper Darby township, Dela
ware county, Pennsylvania, was born January
6, 1852, and is a son of the venerable Richard
Lloyd Jones, of Upper Darby township, the latter
of whom was was born in Darby, September 22,
1820, and he in turn is a son of William and
Martha (Lloyd) Jones. William Jones is a son
of Robert E. and Ann (Garrett) Jones, and
Martha Lloyd is a daughter of Robert Lloyd.
William and Martha Jones had a family of eight
children, as follows : Anna, deceased ; Mary ;
Elizabeth; Martha, deceased; William, deceased;
Richard L., Sr., Robert and Marshall, deceased.
Richard L. Jones, Sr., was educated in the
public and private schools of Darby and Upper
Darby, after which he engaged in farming on his
father's farm, remaining at home until he was
twenty-one years of age, when with his brother,
William, he went to Montgomery county, and
commenced farming for himself. After a year,
still in partnership, they took charge of another
farm and continued their operations together for
four years, and then dissolved their partnership.
In 1847 he took charge of the old Jones home
stead and operated it as a general farm until 1886,
when he turned the property over to his son,
Richard Lloyd Jones, Jr., and located at Spring-
ton on a much smaller farm, starting in the dairy

262

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

business. In 1900 he retired from all business
and now enjoys a well earned competence.
' Richard Lloyd Jones, Sr., married Mary Fry
burg, of Delaware county, a daughter of John
and Eliza (Phillips) Fryburg, and eight chil
dren were born of this union, namely: 1.
Martha, who married Van Leer E. Bond, and
they have four children, Elizabeth L., Richard
J., Van Leer E., and Marion B.; 2. William H.,
single; 3. Richard L., Jr., our subject; 4. Eliza
F., unmarried; 5. J. Walter, who married Agnes
McLeod, and they have four children; Elsie Rus
sell, J. Walter, Mildred M., and R. Lloyd; 6.
Howard Erwin, married Georgie A. Muth, and
they have three children, Willie H., Anna Ger
trude and Howard E. ; 7. Mary A., deceased ; 8.
Marshall, unmarried.
During the Civil war the father enlisted in
the Sixteenth Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteer
Infantry, and was under Colonel Wilcox and in
Captain Amos Bonsall's company. While only
out for six weeks, the company took an active
part in the battle of Antietam. In politics he has
always been a staunch Republican and Prohibi
tionist, and by birthright is a member of the So
ciety of Friends. Although somewhat advanced
in years, he is in full possession of his faculties
and is a bright and pleasing conversationalist.
Richard Lloyd Jones, Jr., married Sophia
Amanda Owen, a daughter of Jones and Sarah
(Bowen) Owen, who were the parents of ten
children, namely: 1. Mary, married William H.
H. Garrett; 2. Rachel, married George McDer-
mond ; 3. Samuel, married Sarah Harris ; 4. Re
becca, married William Snyte; 5. Sophia, mar
ried Richard L. Jones, Jr. ; 6. Sarah Jane, mar
ried Jesse Able ; 7. Elizabeth, unmarried ; 8. Jo
seph, unmarried ; 9. Hannah, married William H.
Swain; 10. Penelope, deceased.
The children born to Mr. and Mrs. Richard
Lloyd Jones, Jr., are as follows : Mary Fryburg,
born December 22, 1876; Sarah Jennie Jones,
born August 7, 1879 ; William Henry Jones, born
January 28, 1881, now deceased, and Richard
Lloyd Jones (3), born January 29, 1884; Eliza
Fryburg Jones, born April 3, 1888 ; and Elwood
Owen Jones, born Deecmber 10, 1889.
Mr. Jones is one of the prosperous farmers
of this locality, and enjoys the respect and esteem
of a wide circle of friends. His life has been
spent in farming, and he brings to bear upon his
operations a thorough knowledge of all the de
tails of the work, combined with a genuine liking
for his calling, and with these two qualifications
success has attended his efforts.

HORACE S. GRIFFITH. The record of
Mr. Griffith is that of a man who has worked
his way upward to a position among the substan

tial men of the community in which he lives. His
life has been one of industry and perseverance,
and the systematic and honorable methods he
has followed have won him the support and con
fidence of many.
His father, Hayes P. Griffith, was born at
Wawa, Delaware county, Pennsylvania, in June,
1829. After obtaining a common school educa
tion he went to work in the woolen mills at Rock
dale, where, as the result of his efficient service,
he was promoted to various positions until he
eventually became one of the superintendents of
the works. At the present time, he is quietly
living retired from the active cares of life, sur
rounded by the comforts that earnest labor has
brought to him. When the Civil war swept
over the land, Mr. Griffith nobly offered his serv
ices to the Union cause, and in 1861 entered the
Pennsylvania Reserves, from which, after a five
months' service, he was discharged on account
of lung trouble. Shortly after his return to his
home, however, the Rebels threatened an inva
sion in this section, and Mr. Griffith mustered
together a company of sixty men, which he took
to Media, where they were joined by forty more
volunteers, and the company went out for five
months' service. In his fraternal relations he
is a prominent member of the Masonic order. His
wife bore the maiden name of Elizabeth France,
she being a native of Glen Riddle, Delaware
county, Pennsylvania, and a daughter of William
and Dorinda France, a prominent mill owner.
This union resulted in the birth of fifteen chil
dren, but six of the number died in infancy. Those
living are: 1. Dorinda, who became the wife of
E. F. Pierson, and they have had five children;
2. J. Frank, who married Mary Andrews and
has five children; 3. George, who married Mary
Marshall, by whom he has two children ; 4.
Richard, who married Annie Gunning, by whom
he has two children; 5. Hayes P., who married
Irene Stringfield and has four children; 6. Will
iam E., who married Mary Yost, by whom he
has three children ; 7. Bessie, the wife of Frank
E. Lees ; 8. Charles, who married Isabella Web
ster ; and 9. Horace S. Griffith.
Horace S. Griffith, of the last named family,
was born in Aston township, Delaware county,
February 24, 1855. His educational privileges
during his youth were extremely limited, for at
the early age of nine years he was obliged to en
ter the woolen mills, as his father was then absent
in the defense of his country, and it was neces
sary for the son to assist in his own maintenance.
Later, however, he was enabled to enter a school
in Philadelphia, and on his return to his home
he engaged in the weaving business, soon rising
to the position of loom superintendent. In 1884
he purchased a paper route, which, under his
careful management steadily grew in size, but

/^M^LL£,

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

263

eventually he abandoned that occupation and en
gaged in the sale of stoves and furniture, this
still continuing to occupy his time and attention.
He has, however, added many other lines to this
industry, and is now the owner of a large ware
house, and in company with his son is engaged
in the undertaking business. In 1903 Mr. Griffith
became a member of a corporation, organized
for the purpose of manufacturing tapestries, ta
ble covers, etc., under the name of the Penn
Tapestry Company, at Glen Riddle, and is now
engaged in that pursuit, giving employment
to about fifty skilled operatives. Mr. Griffith
occupies an enviable position among the men of
prominence in the county of his nativity, and
in political, social and business circles he is
widely and favorably known, his salient charac
teristics being such as to command confidence
and respect, and awaken the favorable considera
tion of all with whom he comes in contact. He
gives his political allegiance to the principles of
Democracy, and has been honored with the posi
tion of school director and tax collector. He
is a member of Concord Lodge, F. & A. M. ;
Benevolent Lodge, I. O. O. F. ; Lenni Tribe of
Red Men ; Chester Castle, Knights of the Golden
Eagle, and Rockdale Council, Jr. Order of United
American Mechanics.
Mr. and Mrs. Griffith are consistent members
•of Cavalry Protestant Episcopal church at Rock
dale, which. Mr. Griffith has served as rector's
warden for a number of years.
In 1877 Mr. Griffith was united in marriage
to Miss Mary F. Bennett, a daughter of Elisha
I. and Rachel (Hyde) Bennett, the former a
-native of Chester county, Pennsylvania. The
-children of this union are : Horace B., now mar
ried to Miss Ella Bishop ; they have one child,
Anna Florence; 2. William E., who is founder
;and editor of the "Rockdale Herald;" he mar
ried Ida M. Null, and they have one child, Sarah
Stinson; 3. Harry B., who died in infancy; 4.
Arthur Brown; 5. Mary Florence; 6. Richard
Ingram; 7. Rachel; 8. Atwood, died in infancy;
•9. Herbert H. Griffith.

WALTER T. HIBBERD, one of the leading
young business men of Ward, Delaware county,
Pennsylvania, is a representative member of a
family whose settlement in Chester county an
tedates by some months the arrival of William
Penn. The pioneer ancestor of the family was
Josiah Hibberd, a native of England, who pur
chased an extensive tract of land in Pennsylvania
April 5, 1682, took up his residence in Darby
township, Delaware county, married, November
9, 1698, Ann Bonsall, and they are the ancestors
of nearly if not all the Hibberds in the United

States, some families of whom spell the name
Hibbard. Thomas F. Hibberd, father of Walter T. Hib
berd, was born in Delaware county, Pennsyl
vania, near White Hall, now Bryn Mawr, Sep
tember 21, 1829, the son of Benjamin Hibberd,
a millwright of that locality, who died early in life,
leaving a widow and four small children. Thomas
F. Hibberd obtained a practical education in the
common schools adjacent to his home in Spring
field, and after laying aside his text books learned
the trade of butcher. He followed this occupation
for a short period of time, after which he turned
his attention to farming interests, which proved
a profitable source of income. He was a self-
made man, beginning life on the farm of his
relative, Samuel Johnson, at an early age, and by
good habits, perseverance and pluck won for him
self an enviable position among the residents of
the community in which he resided. He was
united in marriage to Elizabeth Thomson, who
was born in 1830, a daughter of Joseph and Jane
Thomson, of Willistown township, Chester coun
ty, Pennsylvania. Their children were: 1. John
H., born in 1854, married Susan Twaddell and
five children have been born to them; 2. Mary,
born in 1855, who became the wife of Hiram
Twaddell, and is now the mother of two chil
dren; 3. William, born in 1857, married Adele
Haswell, and they are the parents of two chil
dren ; 4. Norris, born in i860, married Cather
ine Watkins, and two children are the issue of
this union; 5. Walter,1 mentioned hereinafter;
6. Laura, born in 1864, unmarried, and resides
in Media, Delaware county; 7. Thomas B., born
in 1866, married for his first wife, Elizabeth
Poole, and one child was born to them ; two
children have been born of his marriage to his
second wife, Minnie (Horner) Hibberd. It
is worthy of mention here that the five sons above
mentioned weigh in the aggregate over one thou
sand pounds. Mr. and Mrs. Hibberd were mem
bers of the Baptist church, the former named
having served as deacon in that faith for a quar
ter of a century. Mr. Hibberd died in 1901,
having survived his wife several years, her death
occurring in 1892.
Walter T. Hibberd, fourth son of Thomas F.
and Elizabeth Hibberd, was born in Easttown
township, Chester county, Pennsylvania, in 1862.
He received the educational advantages afforded
by the common schools of the neighborhood, and
since attaining young manhood has taken an ac
tive interest in the commercial affairs of his town
ship, being recognized as one of the prominent
and public-spirited citizens of the community.
Politically he is a staunch Republican, and has
been the incumbent of several of the local offices,
In religious sentiment he adheres to the doctrines
of the Baptist church, and in fraternal matters

264

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

he is an honored member of the Order of Patrons
of Husbandry.
On March 23, 1893, Mr. Hibberd married
Hattie B. Poole, of Bethel township, Delaware
county, Pennsylvania, who was born February
22, 1868, a daughter of C. Wesley and Mary
Poole.

CHARLES PLUMMER GRANT was born
in Morton, Delaware county, Pennsylvania, June
6, 1827, the son of William and Susanna (Wor
rall) Grant, whose family consisted of the follow
ing children: James Grant, unmarried; William,
who married a Miss Horn; Hannah, married
Thomas Pond ; Ann, wife of William Wershing ;
Elizabeth, wife of Isaac Lincoln; Charles Plum-
mer, to be further mentioned below ; Sarah (Mrs.
Schapley) ; Susan, wife of Lewis Free ; Phcebe,
unmarried; Frederick, who married Esther
Moore and Joseph, unmarried.
Charles Plummer Grant, a member of the
above family, received his education in the public
schools of Morton, and upon finishing his studies
he entered the employ of the Rev. Dr. Griffith,
with whom he remained until old enough to
learn a trade, when he was apprenticed to a Mr.
Bonsall, of Darby, Delaware county, Pennsyl
vania, under whose instruction he became pro
ficient in all branches of blacksmithing. Upon
mastering his trade, young Grant returned to
Morton, where he established business on his
own account; here he remained for two years,
and in 1843 removed his business to Upper
Darby. In 1851 he purchased the property he
had up to this time rented, at Llanerch and con
tinued his business with marked success until
1 87 1. He had carried on this one line of trade
for so many years that he began to feel rather
tired of wielding the hammer, and he looked
about for some other occupation which would
prove more congenial. He thereupon went to
Germantown, where he opened a grocery store
which he conducted for two years, at the end of
which time he disposed of his interests and re
turned to Upper Darby, where he bought a farm
of sixty-four acres, then owned by Hannah
Bacon, and tried his hand at farming. This he
carried on until 1881, when he closed it out and
retired from active business pursuits. In politics
- Mr. Grant's views were enlisted on the side of
the Republican party. He always attended the
Presbyterian church. Mr. Grant's blacksmith
establishment is still conducted at the old stand
in Llanerch by his son-in-law.
Mr. Grant's wife, Mary Jane (Litzenberg)
Grant, was the daughter of Vincent L. and Lydia
(Soleyl Litzenberg; her father was the son of
Jacob L. and Margaret Litzenberg, who had a
family of eight children, as follows: John Lit

zenberg, who married Ellen Thomas and had
three children, Vincent, who died in infancy,
Vincent (2) and Roland; Ann, wife of Charles
Hatcher, whose family consisted of eight chil
dren: John, M. Force, Sarah, Roxanna, Lillie,
Thomas, Jennie and Edward; Sarah, wife of
Jonathan Suydam had four children — Lillie,
Frank, Eugene and Josephine; Vincent and
Eliza, twins; Vincent died in childhood, and
Eliza married Sydney Suydam, and had two chil
dren, Mary and Charles ; James, unmarried ; and
Edward, who married Susan Litzenberg, and up
on her death married Annie Robertson. By his
first wife he had one cnild, John, who died in
childhood. The children of Charles Plummer Grant and
Mary Jane, his wife, are as follows : Eliza Ann,
who married William Morad ; they have no fam
ily; Vincent L. died at the age of twenty-nine
years; Hannah Elizabeth, wife of David Brooke,
has three children — James, and Lida and Annie,
twins ; Charles Anderson married Rebecca Car
penter, and has two children, William N. and
Kate ; Charles Anderson, the father, died in his
twenty-ninth year ; Leonia, died in infancy ; and
Gurdon Hotchkin. Charles P. Grant, the father
of this family, died January 1, 1889.
Gurdon H. Grant, of Llanerch, Pennsylvania,
was educated in the public schools of his native
town. He married Mary Corlies, daughter of
Thomas and Rachel (Newlin) Corlies, by whom
he has three children — Mary Gertrude, William
Charles and Corlies.

PATRICK JOSEPH KELLY, one of the
leading milkmen of Upper Darby township, Del
aware county, Pennsylvania,, and a hignly re
spected citizen, was born in county Galway, Ire
land, March 13, 1854, and is a son of William and
Mary (Lannahan) Kelly, who had a family as
follows : Annie, who married Richard Brogan
and has six children; Catharine, who married
John Kenna, and has two children ; Martin, de
ceased; Nora, who married Daniel Carlin, and
has five children; John, who married Ellen Cul-
linan, and has four children; Maria, unmarried;
William, who married Marie Kinney, and they
have five children; and Patrick J., who married
Sally L. Rigney, wlio is a daughter of John and
Mary (Travers) Rigney, and they have these
children, all living, as follows : Mary E., Will
iam A., Helen L., Gertrude P., Ignatius B.. E.
Milton, Aline, John J., Richard, and one child,.
Pauline, who died in childhood. Mrs. Kelly is
one of a family of three children, namely : Kate,.
unmarried ; Mary Ellen, who married John
French and has seven children ; and Mrs. Kelly.
Patrick Joseph Kelly emigrated to America-
in November, 1870, and started to work for Johns

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

265,

Lannahan, with whom he remained two years,
and then he removed to Conshohocken, Mont-
gpmery county, Pennsylvania, engaging in a
rolling mill. Tiring of the confinement of this
business, he returned to farming, engaging with
Nicholas Hart, but in 1875 he started a milk
route, in which he is still employed, owning from
thirty to thirty-five cows, and selling in the neigh
borhood of two hundred quarts daily to private
patrons. When he first started in the business
he rented a farm, but in 1887 he purchased his
present home from Catherine Kelly, since which
time his business has increased very materially.
He has one of the best routes in this part of the
township, and all of his time and energy is de
voted to his business, so that while he is a good
citizen he has not had an opportunity to give
much thought to political -questions. Mr. Kelly
and his family are communicants of the Roman
Catholic church, attending services at Haver
ford. A straightforward business man, honor
able in his dealings and hardworking and thrifty,
he has steadily advanced in his business and
firmly established himself in the confidence of
the community, holding his customers for years.

WILLIAM COWAN CLARK, one of the
leading grocers of Garrettford, Delaware county,
Pennsylvania, and one of the successful busi
ness men of . the village, was born in Clifton
September 2, 1837, a son of Robert and Chris
tina (Cowan) Clark, and the latter is a daugh
ter of Jonas Cowan.
Robert Clark had the misfortune to lose his
parents when he was only seven years of age,
and he was bound out tb a man in Reading,
Pennsylvania, with whom he was to live until
he was twenty-one years. During the time of his
service the war of 18 12 broke out, and Robert's
employer was drafted. x\s he did not wish to
go, he offered the boy his freedom and one hun
dred dollars in money if he would enlist in his
stead, and Robert eagerly embraced the chance
and served bravely through the war and ac
quitted himself with honor. Robert Clark had
a family of six children, as follows: Morton,
John, Charles, Robert, all deceased; Mary, who
married George Hoffstitler, and they had two
children, viz: Charles, who married Annie
Gprmly and had np family, and Mary Ann, who
married Samuel Griffith and they have five chil
dren; and William Cowan Clark.
William Cowan Clark received his early edu
cation in the public schools of Darby township
and Upper Darby, and at the close of his school
days he went to work for Dr. Anderson, with
whom he remained three years. At the expira
tion of that time he engaged with John L. Force,
with whom he learned the trade of custom shoe

making, and there remained four years and nine
months. His next location was in West Phila
delphia, where he remained until 1862. He then
resided in Reading, Pennsylvania, a short time,
later returned to Philadelphia and in 1864 came
to Garrettford, Delaware county, where he has
since resided the greater part of the time. He
was a manufacturer of custom made boots and
shoes until 1888, when he embarked in his pres
ent enterprise, in which he has met with unqual
ified success, having one of the leading grocery
establishments in the village.
Mr. Clark was married to Bettie Groves,
daughter of George and Mary Ann Groves, on
January 1, i860, and they have four children, as
follows: Frank, who married Barbara Ehin-
ger, and they have five children — William, Ed
ward, Frank, Russell and Emma ; Ella, who mar
ried Fred Gretz, and they have four children — -
Henry, Herbert, Fred and Etna; Mary, who
married Harry Snape, and they have one child,
Leroy; Maggie, who married Thomas Wooding
and they had one child, Clark Wooding. While
Mr. Clark has never had sufficient time to take
any active part in local politics, in national mat
ters he supports the candidates of the Republi
can party. Both he and his wife are highly es
teemed in the community in which they make
their home and are excellent representatives of
the best interests of Garrettford.

RICHARD LLOYD JONES, Sr., now liv
ing retired, and one of the substantial citizens of
Upper Darby township, was born in Darby town
ship September 28, 1820, a son of William and
Martha (Lloyd) Jones, and a grandson of Rob
ert E. and Ann (Garrett) Jones and Richard
Lloyd. William and Martha Jones had a family
of eight children as follows : 1. William, who-
is deceased; 2. Richard, who is our subject; 3.
Robert E. ; 4. Annie, who is deceased ; 5. Mary,.
L; 6. Elizabeth G. ; 7. Marshall L., who is de
ceased ; and 8. Martha W., who is deceased.
Richard L. Jones was educated in the public
and private schools of Darby and Upper Darby,
after which he engaged in farming on his father's
farm, remaining at home until he was twenty-one
years old, when with his brother William he went
to Montgomery and commenced farming for him
self. After a year, still in partnership, they took
charge of another farm and continued their oper
ations together for four years, then dissolved
their partnership. In 1847 Richard L. Jones took
charge of the old Jones homestead and operated
it as a general farm until 1886, when he turned
the property over to his son Richard L., Jr., and
located at Springton on a much smaller farm,.
conducting the dairy business. In 1900 he re-

.266

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

tired from active business and now enjoys a
well earned competence.
Richard Lloyd Jones married Mary Fryburg,
of Delaware county, Pennsylvania, a daughter of
John and Eliza ' (Phillips) Fryburg, and eight
children were born of this union, namely:
Martha, married Van Leer E. Bond, and they
have four children, viz — Elizabeth L., Richard J.,
Van Leer E. and Marion E. ; William H.,
single; Richard Lloyd, Jr., who married So
phia Owen, and they have five children, viz —
Mary F., S. Jennie, Richard Lloyd (3), Lidie F.
and Ellwood; Eliza F., unmarried; J. Wal
ter, who married Agnes McLeod, and they have
four children, viz— Elsie Russell, J. Walter,
Mildred M. and R. Lloyd; Howard Erwin mar
ried Georgie A. Muth and they have three chil
dren, viz — Willie H., Anna Gertrude and How
ard E. ; Mary A., deceased, the seventh child in
order of birth ; Marshall is unmarried. The faith
ful wife and mother of these children died April
24, 1900.
During the Civil war Richard L. Jones enlisted
in the Sixteenth Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry
and was under Col. Wilcox and in Capt. Amos
Bonsall's company. While only out for six weeks,
the company took an active part in the battle
of Antietam. In politics he has always been a
staunch Republican and by birthright is a mem
ber of the Society of Friends. Although some
what advanced in years, he is in full possession
of his faculties and is a bright and pleasing
conversationalist. Throughout the entire com
munity he occupies a high place in the confidence
and respect of the people and is a representative
of the best interests of the county.

MICHAEL BURNLEY, a prominent agri
culturist of Garrettford, Pennsylvania, was born
December 2, 1859, "i Tuscarora, Upper Darby,
Delaware county, Pennsylvania, the grandson of
John and Mary Burnley, who were from York
shire, England, where the former named was
engaged in a blanket manufactory.
George Burnley, father of Michael Burnley,
was born December 28, 1804, in Littletown,
near Leeds, Yorkshire, England, where his youth
was spent. After receiving a limited education in
the district school, at an early age he entered a
neighboring factory, and after acquiring a thor
ough knowledge of the business of a manufac
turer, came to this country in 1825, and at once
located in Montgomery county, Pennsylvania.
He then entered into the manufacture of carpets
in Philadelphia, but this enterprise not proving
Very successful, he removed to Haverford, rented
a mill on Cobb's creek, and began the manufac
ture of cotton goods. In 1844 he removed to
Darby Creek, in Upper Darby township, and

erected the Tuscarora Mills, in which he manu
factured cotton goods and also spun yarn. Mr.
Burnley continued in this line of business until
1 86 1, when, having accumulated a sufficient com
petence from his many years of labor, he retired
from its active management, and was succeeded
by his brothers, John and Charles, and his son,
George E. Burnley. In politics Mr. Burnley
was formerly a Whig, but upon the formation
of the Republican party he cast his vote with that
body. In religion he was a Swedenborgian, be
ing a member and trustee of that church. On De
cember 31, 1838, he was united in marriage to
Miss Hannah Lomas, daughter of James Lomas,
of England. Ten children were born to them,
five of whom are now living.
1. George E. Burnley, born February 9, 1840,
attended the public schools of his native town,
and subsequently went to a private school in Me
dia, conducted by Thomas Griffith, where he
completed his education. He then assisted his
father in the management of his mill, remain
ing, with him until his retirement from business
in 1 86 1 ; he then continued with his two uncles
for a short period of time, and upon their retire
ment he continued the business alone until 1868,
when he closed the mill and purchased the farm
portion of the property, consisting of twenty-
seven acres, on which he now resides. He rep
resents the Delaware County Mutual Fire Insur
ance Company, also the Penn Mutual Fire Insur
ance Company of West Chester, Chester county,
Pennsylvania. He- is a Republican in politics,
and has served as school director for twenty-
three years, and as justice of the peace for eleven
years. He married Sarah A. Wilkes, a daugh
ter of the Rev. Thomas Wilkes, of Swansea,
Wales. 2. Rev. Charles W. Burnley, married for his
first wife, Annie Corson, and they had one son,
George Corson Burnley; he was then united in
marriage to Miss Updegraph, and three chil
dren have been born to them : Lucy, Cloyd and
Charles Burnley.
3. Washington Burnley, a resident of Dela
ware county, Pennsylvania, married for his first
wife Anna Rively, and for his second wife he
chose Anna Chitick.
4. Michael Burnley, and 5. Alice, wife of Dr.
W. A. Fries, of Philadelphia, where she now re
sides. The father of these children died August
9, 1864, in the sixtieth year of his age.
John Burnley, uncle of Michael Burnley, was
born in Littletown, Yorkshire, England, May 14,
1820. After completing his studies he learned
the trade of spinner, and on September 12, 1838,
left his native country to seek a larger field of la
bor in America. His first employment was with
his brother, George, in the manufactory at Cobb's
Creek, Montgomery county, Pennsylvania, where

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

he remained until May 2, 1844, when he removed
to Darby Creek, Delaware county, and became a
partner with his brother in the manufacture of
jeans. He then entered into business relations
with George Mallison and George Gladhill, un
der the firm name of Burnley & Co., removed to
Lenni, rented the Parkmount Mills, and began
the manufacture of cotton and woolen goods.
In 1870 he retired from the active pursuits of a
business life, but two years later, together with
George Mallison and Francis Butterworth, re
sumed his business relations under the styie of
Burnley & Co., which, in July, 1878, was changed
to the "Parkmount Cotton and Woolen Com
pany, Limited." Mr. Burnley acted in the ca
pacity of secretary and treasurer of the company
until his death, which occurred November 26,
1883. Mr. Burnley was twice married, his first
wife having been Mary Lomas, daughter of James
and Mary Lomas. Mrs. Burnley died August 1,
1881, and Mr. Burnley then married Alice Lomas,
sister of his first wife, the ceremony being per
formed March 1, 1883.
Charles Burnley, uncle of Michael Burnley,
was born in Levisage, in the West Riding of York
shire, England, June 21, 1808. He obtained his
literary education in the common schools of his vi
cinity, and later entered a blanket manufactory,
where he learned the trade of spinner. He de-
devoted his attention to this line of business in
his native country until 1842, when he came to
this country and at once settled in Montgomery
county, Pennsylvania. For two years he was
engaged in spinning with his brother, John, af
ter which he removed to Upper Darby and pur
sued his vocation in connection with his brother,
George. At a later date the three brothers,
George, John and Charles, formed a co-partner
ship for the manufacture of cotton goods, which
was continued until 1865, when Charles purchased
a farm in Middletown township, to which he de
voted his entire attention. Mr. Burnley was an
earnest member of the Methodist Episcopal
church, and interested in all movements for the
advancement and spiritual growth of the com
munity. In 1838 he married Miss -Susanna
Woodcock, a daughter of James and Mary Wood
cock, of Hightown, in the West Riding of York
shire, England. Mr. Burnley died October 13,
1881, aged seventy-four years.
Michael Burnley, son of George and Hannah
(Lomas) Burnley, obtained his preliminary ed
ucation in the public schools of his native town,
and this was supplemented by a three years' course
in Swarthmore College, but owing to ill health
he was forced to return home. He then attended
the West Chester Normal School, and for two
seasons was a student at the Bryant and Strat-
ton Commercial School in Philadelphia. Upon
the completion of his studies he returned home,

and in 1882 purchased the property known as
the Marker farm, which consisted of sixty acres
of well cultivated ground. Since that time he has
devoted his attention to the dairy, having an
output of from one hundred and fifty to two hun
dred quarts of milk a day, for which he always-
finds a ready market. Like his ancestors, Mr.
Burnley is a staunch supporter of the principles
of the Republican party, and he was elected on
that ticket to serve in the capacity of supervisor
of roads, which position he has filled for three
years. Mr. Burnley was united in marriage to Anna
Snape, by whom he had one child, Anna Burnley.
Mrs. Burnley died December 13, 1882, and he
then married a sister of his former wife, Jane
Ellen Snape, and their children are: George
Michael, Elsie Dinsmore and Michael Clarence
Burnley.

WILLIAM ' DAVIS JONES, a successful",
farmer and one of the leading men of Garrett
ford, Delaware county, Pennsylvania, was born,
in Lower Merion, Montgomery county, Pennsyl
vania, September 16, 1838, and is a son of Joel
and Hannah (Price) Jones, and grandson of Paul
and Tacie (Roberts) Jones.
Hannah (Price) Jones was the daughter of
Thomas and  (Jones) Price. Paul
Jones had a family of eight children, as follows :
Tacie, who married Isaac Heston, and they had
nine children ; Esther, who married Lewis Yerkes,
and they had four children ; Susan, who married
Paul Frye, and they had three children; Emily,
who married William Warner Roberts, and they
had one child ; William Davis, who married Fran
ces Lockwood Lloyd, and they had one child;
Isaac T., who married Mary Bowen, and they
had one child; Justis P., who married twice, his.
first wife being Mary Irving, by whom he had
one child, and his second wife was Margaret
Yerkes, no issue.
Joel Davis Jones, son of Paul and Tacie
(Roberts) Jones, and the father of our subject,
married and had these children, viz: Amanda
Price, who married Reuben Baily, no family;
William D., our subject; Mary Thompson, who
married William Francis Davis, and they had
two children; Lydia Warner, deceased; Isaac
Thomas, who married Mary Eastwick, and they
have two children; Emily, who married George
Williamson, and they have four children; Paul,
who married Mary Williamson, and they have
three children; Edward, who married Elizabeth
Fornance, and they had four children.
William Davis Jones received his early edu
cation in the Lower Merion Academy, and later
learned much in the school of life. After his school
life was finished, he located upon the farm with

268

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

his father and learned to be a practical farmer.
In 1861 he came to Delaware county and rented
a farm of sixty-five acres, which he operated
for himself for seven years, devoting it to gen
eral farming.. His next change was made to the
Abraham L. Pennock property, which he rented
for twelve years, and still later he bought the
Joseph Allen farm of sixty acres, which he how
occupies, and successfully operates. In politics
he is a staunch Republican, and for twenty-one
years he acted as town auditor, discharging the
duties of that office with faithfulness and strict
est integrity. In religious connections Mr. Jones
belongs to the Society of Friends.
William D. Jones married Ann Louise Baily,
daughter of Joel J. Baily, and they have two
children, viz : Joel B., who married Jane P. Alex
ander, and they have one child, Ann Louise ; and
William D. Jones, Jr. The Jones family stand
very high in the community, their word being
considered as good as their bond, and they are
always to be depended upon to support all meas
ures tending toward the advancement of the in
terests of the public at large. Of this family,
William Davis Jones is an excellent representa
tive, and both as a private citizen and public of
ficial he has done his full duty, and has many
friends not only in the township, but throughout
the county as well.

GEORGE W. URIAN. Enterprise, energy,
and honesty in business, patriotic devotion to
country and fidelity to every duty of public and
private life, these are the distinguishing char
acteristics of George W. Urian, of Sharon Hill,
that have guided and controlled his destiny and
given him rank among the substantial and valued
citizens of Delaware county, Pennsylvania.
The progenitor of the American branch of
the family was Urian, who settled in Pennsyl
vania about the year 1682 and obtained a large
tract of land by virtue of grant from William
Penn, the founder of that colony. His son, Israel
Urian, who was the grandfather of George W.
Urian, married Jemima Plumley, a descendant
of a New Jersey family, and their son, George
Urian, father of George W. Urian, _ was the
owner of an extensive tract of land in Darby
township, where he engaged in agricultural pur
suits during the active years of his life. He
took a prominent part in the local affairs of the
township. George Urian was united in marriage
to Phebe Reed, and ten children were born to
them, namely: Andrew, who married Abbie
King; Austin, who married Margaret Vautier;
William, who married Mary Ann McCollough;
Harry, who married Sallie Maxwell ; Lewis, who
married Ella Porter; Abbie, wife of John F.
Gaul; Rebecca, wife of William McKissick;

Eliza, wife of James Marshall; Rachel, wife of
Newkirk Boyer, and George W. Urian.
George W. Urian was born in Darby town
ship September 30, 1838. He acquired a prac
tical education in the common schools of the
neighborhood, after which he assisted his father
with the management of the home farm, remain
ing there until 1878. In tnat year he was offered
a position with the Turnpike Company of Dela
ware county, which he accepted, and has both
creditably and acceptably filled up to the present
time ( 1903 ) . He was stationed at Sharon Hill, and
having resided in this locality for so many years
he has become quite familiar with the history of
the borough of Sharon Hill and Ridley township,
being recognized as an authority on this sub
ject. Mr. Urian is well informed on the issues
of the day, and takes an active and personal
interest in all borough affairs that have for their
object the advancement and improvement of the
community in which rte resides.
On June 14, 1871, Mr. Urian married Sallie
J. Rively, daughter of Frederick and Emeline
(Price) Rively, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Their children were: Emma, who died in child
hood; Elizabeth K., who is now the wife of
William Richardson, a son of William and Sarah
(Wiser) Richardson, of Chester county, Penn
sylvania, and who have one son, George W.
Richardson. The youngest child of this union
was Phcebe Urian, who died in childhood. The
mother of this family, Sallie J. (Rively) Urian,
died April 18, 1902.

ALLAN McCULLOUGH, a leading farmer
of Marple, Delaware county, Pennsylvania, is
of Scotch-Irish ancestry, his grandfather, Allan
McCullough, having emigrated from Scotland
to Ireland, where he settled on a farm which was
inherited by his eldest son, James McCullough.
Allan McCullough, son of James and Eliza
beth (Glenney) McCullough, was born May 8,
1834, in county Armaugh, Ireland, and passed his
early life on the homestead. In 1857 he emi
grated to America, coming on the old ship "Co
lumbia," which made the voyage in five weeks,
a long time even for those days. He had an uncle,
Robert Glenney, in Philadelphia, and through
him was brought to the notice of Eli Lewis, of
Newtown, for whom he engaged to work for one
year, at eleven dollars a month. After remaining
nearly two years in this position, he contracted
to work for Milton Lewis, a brother of his former
employer, retaining this place for a period of
seven years. He then engaged in the milk busi
ness, building up a route in serving which he
disposed of three hundred quarts per day. About
this time he had a severe illness, and after re
covering he engaged for a time in the manu-

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

269

facture of sausage and scrapple. Deciding to
return to the agricultural pursuits in which his
youth had been spent, he rented a farm in Rad
nor township for one year, and at the expiration
of that time hired the old Crossley farm near
Media cemetery for another year. His third
change of abode was to the farm known as the
"old George Lobb estate." This he rented for
one year with the refusal of four additional years.
He managed the farm successfully until the
death of Mr. Lobb, when he came into posses
sion of the estate which comprises one hundred
and sixty acres. Owing to the skillful manage
ment of Mr. McCullough, this land is maintained
in a high state of cultivation, the owner making
a specialty of dairying, a department of agri
cultural industry which is conducted by him in
the most efficient manner and according to the
most improved methods. In politics Mr. McCul
lough is a Republican. He holds the office of an
elder in the Presbyterian church at Broomall.
Mr. McCullough married, in 1864, Miss
Elizabeth Gordon, who was born in county Ty
rone, Ireland, and came to this country at the
age of sixteen. Mr. and Mrs. McCullough are the
parents of fifteen children, of whom twelve are
living : James, born in May, 1865, died in infancy ;
Elizabeth, born May 9, 1866, died at the age of
two years ; Sarah, born December 9, 1867, mar
ried James Boyd; Allan, born August 9, 1869,
at home with his parents ; Anna Mary, born May
10, 1 87 1, now engaged in teaching; Hannah,
born March 31, 1873, married George Watson;
Emma, born February 17, 1875, died at two
years old; George L., born November 19, 1877,
now at home; Emma, born October 5, 1879;
Lydia, born December 5, 1880; Milton, born No
vember 8, 1882; Margie, born November 19,
1884; John Thomas, born May 31, 1887; Edith,
born January 15, 1889; and Louisa, born No
vember 29, 1892.

HARRY L. HIPPLE, a prosperous and pop
ular agriculturist of Marple township, Delaware
county, Pennsylvania, was born in that town in
1856, a descendant of Henry Hippie, a native of
Germany. Henry Hippie, grandfather of Harry L. Hip
pie, was born in Germany and acquired his edu
cation in the common schools. After attaining
young manhood he came to this country, ac
companied by his two brothers, and settled in
Chester county, where he purchased a farm and
spent all his life in the cultivation of the soil.
He also took a prominent part in the public
affairs of the town and served in several of the
local offices. He was united in marriage to Miss
Jane Garrett, a member of an old and respected
Chester county family, and the following named

children were born to them: Elijah; Elizabeth,
wife of Samuel Able; Lawrence, Margaret,
Jesse, Henry, George, Sarah, wife of Enos Gar
rett; and Garrett, who died in childhood. In
his early life Mr. Hippie was a member of the
Presbyterian church, but, his wife being a mem
ber of the Society of Friends, he attended the
services of that church with her. His deatn oc
curred at the age of eighty-five years, and his
wife lived to the mature old age of ninety-two
years. Henry Hippie, father of Harry L. Hippie,
was born in Chester county, Pennsylvania, in
1816, and was reared upon the paternal farm.
His early life was spent in attendance at the
village school and assisting his father in the
work upon the farm, where he remained until
he had attained his majority, when he purchased
the farm on which Harry L. Hippie now resides.
This he carefully cultivated and supplied with
commodious farm buildings and all necessary
improved machinery, and his efforts were well
repaid by the excellent crops he obtained. For
many years he served the town in the capacity
of school director. He married Miss Rachel
Roberts, daughter of Amos and Mary (Ellis)
Roberts. Amos Roberts was born in Montgom
ery county, a son of Moses and Ellen (Lee)
Roberts, the latter named being a native of .cng-
land. The following named children were born
to Mr. and Mrs. Roberts: William, Sarah,
Lydia, Rachel, Jane, Joseph, Mary and Isaac
Roberts. The father of these children died at the
age of fifty years, and his wife passed away at
the age of eighty-six years. Seven children were
born to Mr. and Mrs. Hippie, namely: Mary
J., Margarett, Elizabeth E., Jesse, A. Retta,
Harry L., and William P. Hippie. Mr. Hippie
and his family were consistent members of the
Society of Friends. His death occurred in the
year 1878.
Harry L. Hippie, son of Henry and Rachel
Hippie, acquired his preliminary education in
the common schools of Marple, and later pursued
the regular course of study in Swarthmore Col
lege. After completing his studies he settled up
on the homestead, which consists of one hundred
and fifty-six acres, and is situated in Marple
township, four miles from the town of Media.
He is engaged in the production of general farm
produce, but makes a specialty of dairying, at which
he has been eminently successful, there being al
ways a constant demand for these products. The
farm is celebrated for the superior quality of
spring water, which cannot be equalled in that
section of the state. In his political affiliations
Mr. Hippie is an adherent of the Republican
party, and in 1 890 was elected county commis
sioner. He performed the duties of this office
so faithfully that he was re-elected in 1893, serv-

270

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

ing two terms of three years each. At the pres
ent time (1902) he is serving in the capacity of
school director. William P. Hippie, brother of
Harry L. Hippie, was ' elected to the office of
county commissioner in 1899, after the term of
office held by Harry L. had expired. He married
Miss Hannah M. Bartram, daughter of William
Bartram, of Marple, and their children are:
Bartram and Henry Hippie. Jesse Hippie, an
other brother of Harry L. Hippie, married Miss
Fanny Hannum, and their children are: Harry,
Leroy and Rachel. After the death of his wife
he was united in marriage to Miss Rebecca
Maris, and two children were born to them :
George M. and Emma Hippie.

JACOB HABBERSETT. The Habbersett
family has long been established in Delaware
county. Isaac Habbersett, father of Jacob Hab
bersett, was born in Middletown township, Dela
ware county, September 19, 1810. He was a son
of Jacob and Susanna Habbersett. Jacob Hab
bersett was born in August, 1770, and of his mar
riage were born the following children: 1. Sarah,
born October 26, 1794; 2. William, born Novem
ber 23, 1796; he took up the study of medicine
and removed to Ohio, where he practiced his pro
fession; 3. John, born September 6, 1799; 4.
Mary, born June 14, 1803, and died January 11,
1806; 5. Susanna, born November 2, 1805; °-
Hannah, born September 20, 1808, died Decem
ber 10, 1808; 7. Isaac, who became the father of
Jacob Habbersett, the subject of this sketch. The
father of this family died July 24, 185 1, and his
wife died October 12, 1885.
Isaac Habbersett began his education in the
common schools. After putting aside his text
books he began learning the trade of a carpenter,
but did not follow that pursuit, turning his at
tention instead to farming. In his political affilia
tions he was a stalwart Democrat. He wedded
Priscilla Pyle, a daughter of Joshua and Susanna
Pyle, a farmer who came to Pennsylvania from
the state of Delaware. Their union was blessed
with the following named children : Joshua, born
November 12, 1835, who wedded Mary Der
rick; 2. Susanna, born May 11, 1837, the wife of
James W. Taylor, by whom she has two chil
dren ; 3. Mary, J., born March 22, 1839, the wife
of Wright Turner, by whom she has four chil
dren; 4. Sarah, born February 1, 1842, the wife
of George Faulkner, by whom she has six chil
dren; 5. Jacob, our subject; 6. Henry, born April
28, 1846; he died April 15, 1850 ; 7. Rebecca, born
April 26, 1848, who married Pratt Baldwin and
has two children ; 8. Martha E., born December
20, 1849 ; 9. Esmonde H., born October 19, 1853 ;
wedded Hannah Whittaker and has nine children.

Isaac Habbersett. died September 28, 1881, and
his wife Priscilla (Pyle) Habbersett, who was
born August 31, 1814, died July 25, 1903. Both
were most worthy people and bore the respect
and esteem of all who knew them.
Jacob Habbersett, fifth child and second son
of Isaac and Priscilla (Pyle) Habbersett, was
born in Middletown, Delaware county, Pennsyl
vania, August 18, 1844. After obtaining his edu
cation in the public schools he began farming,
which occupation he has followed continuously
since. Everything about his place is indicative
of the careful supervision of a practical and en
terprising owner. In politics he is a staunch
Democrat, doing everything in his power to pro
mote the success of the party and he has held the
office of supervisor and tax collector, acting in
the latter capacity at the present time. His
social relations connect him with the Knights of
the Golden Eagle and also the ladies' branch of
that organization. In his religious faith he is a
Methodist, and his religious belief permeates his
entire life and shapes his conduct toward his
fellow men.
Mr. Habbersett has been twice married, his
first wife having been Jane Booth, a daughter of
James and Jane Booth, of Delaware county. She
died October 18, 1885. Her children were Rob
ert, born February 11, 1878; and James, born
September 22, 1884; both of whom are unmar
ried; and Anna M., born September 15, 1874,
died December 12, 1875, and Annie S., born Sep
tember 14, 1881, died September 5, 1891. For
his second wife Mr. Habbersett married Zelda
Daniel, of West Chester, Pennsylvania, a daugh
ter of a prominent resident of that place. By this
marriage there is one son, Harry, born October
12, 1900.

ANNIE C. SHILLINGFORD, wife of John
H. ShiUingford, was born in Upper Providence
township, Delaware county, Pennsylvania, in
1847. She is a daughter of Luke and Beulah
(Palmer) Cassin. Her husband having died,
Mrs. Cassin was united in marriage to Judge
Thomas Reece, whose ancestors were of Welsh
origin, and were members of the colony who came
over with William Penn, in 1682. Thomas
Reece was born May 4, 181 1, in Middletown
township, Delaware county, where his youth, un
til his eleventh year, was spent. He then re
moved with his parents, to Upper Providence
township, where after limited educational advan
tages he learned the trade of mason and builder
which he pursued with vigor for several vears'
when, having inherited the paternal acres, he be
came an agriculturist and continued this vocation
until his removal to Media, in 1880, on retiring
from active business. Judge Reece was interested

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

271

in the political issues of the day, and was elected
on the Republican ticket in i860 as county com
missioner, which office he filled for one term. In
1866 he was the successful candidate for asso
ciate judge of Delaware county, and re-elected
in 1 87 1, serving a continuous term of ten years.
This official position obliged him to resign the
directorship of the First National Bank of Media,
with which he had for several years been con
nected. He was a faithful member of the Society
ot Friends, as was also his wife and daughter.
John H. ShiUingford, husband of Annie C.
ShiUingford, obtained a liberal education at the
Central School of Springfield township, and was
graduated from the private school conducted by
Joseph Shortlidge at Media, Pennsylvania. He
is a worthy descendant of an old and honored
Welsh ancestry. Mr. and Mrs. ShiUingford are
the owners of a well cultivated farm of forty-
five acres, which is located about four miles from
Philadelphia and about four hundred yards from
the Baltimore pike. Mr. ShiUingford is exten
sively engaged in the butchering of cattle, dis
posing of his supply in Philadelphia, to which city
he ships fresh meat daily. He conducts a large
and remunerative business, and is recognized
as one of the foremost men of his section of the
state, his success and prosperity being the re
sult of well applied effort. Mr. ShiUingford has
never taken an active interest in politics, but his
tendencies are all in favor of the principles of
the Republican party. He is a prominent mem
ber of the Knights of Pythias.
In 1884, Mr. ShiUingford married Annie C.
Cassin, and the following named children were
born to them : William Durall, Ella D., deceased,
Bessie R., Beulah P., and Edmond C. Shilling-
ford. The children are now acquiring their edu
cation in a private school.

JAMES TOWNSEND, Jr. He whose
name introduces this review is a son of James
Townsend, Sr. The father was born in Eng
land, and to the schools of that country he is
indebted for the educational privileges which he
enjoyed. Coming to this country he engaged in
the dyeing business, and worked his way upward
to the position of boss dyer in the Rhoades Woolen
Mills at Aston Mills, Delaware county, Pennsyl
vania. His wife was Jane Leach, a native of
England. Among his children was James Townsend, Jr.,
who was born November 28, 1868. He was
provided with liberal educational privileges,
spending some time as a student in Parkmount
school, in Delaware county, and then joined his
father in the mills in order to learn the dyeing
business. He has by his faithful work risen to
the position formerly occupied by his father, be-
18 x

ing now boss dyer in the Rhoades Mills. He has
the confidence and respect of his employers and
the esteem of those who work under him, and his
thorough understanding of the business and his
capability well qualify him for the position.
James Townsend, Jr., was united in marriage
to Hannah Monday, born in May, about 1871,
a daughter of Charles and Eliza Monday, who
were residents of Aston township, Delaware
county. By this marriage there were born two
children, but Charles, born March 15, 1886, died
October 21, 1886. The surviving son is Harold,
born March 17, 1898. Both Mr. and Mrs. Town-
send are well known in the locality in which they
make their home, and have many warm friends
here. In politics he is an earnest Republican who
does everything in his power to promote the
growth and insure the success of his party. A
member of the Methodist Episcopal church, he
is also loyal to its interests, and is an active and
valued member of the Order of Red Men.

C. J. ESSIG, D. D. S., for many years a
leading dentist of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,
was descended from a family which emigrated
to this country from Holland, the exact date of
their removal being uncertain.
Dr. Essig was born in 1841, in Philadelphia,
and was the son of C. S. Essig. His primary
education was received in the public schools of
his native city, and he afterward became a stu
dent in the Jefferson Medical College, from which
he graduated in 1876, having received in the den
tal department of the institution, a thorough
training for his future life-work. In his native
city of Philadelphia he entered upon a career of
active practice as a dentist. In 1878 he became
a demonstrator in mechanical dentistry at the
' Philadelphia Dental College, from which institu
tion he had received, in 1870, the degree of Doc
tor of Dental Surgery. In February, 1878, he or
ganized the department of dentistry for the Uni
versity of Pennsylvania, of which he was made
the first dean, filling that position until 1901,
when he resigned. His lectures were full of in
struction and inspiration for those privileged
to listen to them. He was thoroughly acquainted
with the subject which he taught, and was well
adapted, both by nature and training, for the work
of an educator, possessing, in addition to the ad
vantages of learning and experience, those im
parted by a commanding presence, dignity of
manner, and personal magnetism. As a dental
operator Dr. Essig was extremely successful,
enjoying the highest esteem of his clients. He
was honored by the dental fraternity for the dis
interested spirit by which he was animated in
the pursuit of his chosen calling. One notable
instance of this quality may be cited : He bought

272

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

a patent covering the method of attaching teeth
to metal plates. This he held in trust, and, at
his death, deeded to the public. This conspicu
ous example of benevolence well illustrates the
spirit by which he was animated throughout his
whole career. Dr. Essig's labors and influence
were not confined to his work as an educator and
operator, but he is widely known through his
contributions to dental literature. These com
prise not only papers for periodicals, but books
containing the results of his long and varied ex
perience in his profession.
Dr. Essig was secretary of the Association for
the Protection of the Rights of Dentists. He
possessed a cultivated taste for art, being a mem
ber of the Art Club and other similar organiza
tions. He belonged to the Masonic order, and
was 'a man of genial social nature. He resided
for a time in Media, where he was a vestryman
of Christ Protestant Episcopal church.
Dr. Essig married in 1868, Mary Augusta,
daughter of George and Mercy Sturgis, of Mary
land. Dr. and Mrs. Essig were the parents' of
two sons : Norman S. and George S., both of
whom are graduates of the University of Penn
sylvania. Mrs. Essig is a Daughter of the Amer
ican Revolution, and a member of the New Cen
tury Club of Chester, Pennsylvania.
In 1893 Dr. Essig became a resident of Wall
ingford, Delaware county, Pennsylvania, where
his death took place in December, 1901. He con
tinued in practice until the last of his life, and
his loss was keenly felt not only by his family and
near friends, but by the large circle of his clients,
the great number of those who had been privi
leged to enjoy his instructions, and the com
munity in general, by whom he was respected as
a public-spirited citizen, and an honorable and
kindhearted man.

DAVID E. LEWIS, formerly for several
years supervisor of Darby township, and for
many years an active figure in Republican poli
tical circles in that locality, was born in Phila
delphia, July 10, 1844, the son of Joseph and
Elizabeth (Pierce) Lewis, and the grandson of
Hugh and Mary Lewis. For many years both
of these family names, Lewis and Pierce, and
with them the Gauls, have been associated with
the best history and interests of this part of
Delaware county, and have always stood .for in
tegrity and honesty. The parents of Elizabeth
Pierce Lewis were Joseph Hugh and Mary
Pierce, both well known and highly respected
wherein their acquaintance extended.
The young life of David E. Lewis was spent
on his father's farm, and his early education was
obtained in the Friends' School at Darby, but
the young man apparently loved farm work as

well as he did the school room, for much of his
time was devoted to his father's service in con
ducting the dairy and in general agriculture pur
suits. In 1868 David E. Lewis married Harriet R.
Gaul, daughter of Adam and Harriet (Rothwall)
Gaul, both old and respected residents of the
locality. In Adam and Harriet R. Gaul's fam
ily were these children : Sarah, wife of Edward
Swain ; Joseph, who married Mary Free and now
lives in the west; John, who married Abbie
Urian and lives in Philadelphia; Elizabeth, wife
of Charles Hess, of Philadelphia; Emily, wife
of Joseph Mehan, of Germantown ; Adam, who
married Ruth Eckert, of Philadelphia; Harriet
R., wife of David E. Lewis ; Jacob, who married
Jean Wiley; Anna L., wife of Frederick Urian,
of Delaware county; Franklin Pierce, who mar
ried (1) Emma Krider, and (2) Alice Tudor;
and Laura, wife of John Wagenknight, of Phila
delphia. The children of David E. and Harriet R.
Lewis are : Joseph C, born September 18, 1869,
married Carherine Greene, of Darby, and their
children are Mary Jilizabeth and Joseph Elmer
Lewis ; Edward R., born February 10, 187 1, mar
ried Minnie A. Rice; William S., who married
Edna Greene, and their children are: Helen,
David and Ida; Sarah S., now living at home;
Elizabeth P., now dead; Harriet, wife of John
Craner, of Darby; and Annie G, now at home.

WILLIAM M. PARKER, for many years
prominently identified with the commercial and
political affairs of the township of Springfield,
Delaware county, Pennsylvania, was born in Co
lumbia county, Pennsylvania, in 1846, a son of
Joel and Anna Parker.
Joel Parker, father of William ' M. Parker,
was born in Columbia county, Pennsylvania, in
1816, a son of Thomas Parker, who came from
New Jersey to Columbia county, and established
a pottery. Mr. Parker was a very enterprising
and energetic man, quick to note and take ad
vantage of any opportunity in business, and
above all was thoroughly reliable and honorable
in all trade transactions, so that he won the
confidence as well as the patronage of the public.
After his death the business was conducted by
his sons ; Joel learned the trade of potter in his
father's manufactory, and after thoroughly ac
quiring all the details of the business he com
menced business on his own account, which he
conducted successfully up to the time of his
death. He was united in marriage to Miss Anna
Johnson, daughter of William and Jerusha
(Richart) Johnson, and the following named
children were born to them : Ira A., of Lycom-

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

273

ing county, who was formerly engaged in busi
ness in Delaware county; Mynerva May, de
ceased, who was the wife of Henry Cox, of New
Haven, Connecticut ; Grizzella, who died in child
hood; William M., and Margaret M., wife of
Davis Manning ; they reside on the old homestead
in Columbia county. The father of these chil
dren died in 1849, survived by his widow and
four small children. Mrs. Parker died March
15, 1900, at the age of eighty-two years. They
were both faithful and consistent members of the
Society of Friends. William Johnson, father of
Mrs. Parker, was born in the state of Pennsyl
vania; he was the son of a British soldier and
a member of the Hussars. Being convinced that
the cause of the colonists was just, he deserted
from his own company, was captured but es
caped and joined the colonial army. After the
Revolutionary war he settled in Columbia coun
ty, Pennsylvania, where he followed the trade of
tailor the remainder of his life.
William M. Parker, second son of Joel and
Anna Parker, obtained his elementary education
in various schools in the vicinity, and this was
supplemented by a complete course in the West-
town Friends' School. In 1866 he removed to
Marple and engaged in the manufacture of the
Darby Creek scythestones, which he continued
for many years in connection with agricultural
pursuits on his farm, which consisted of ninety-
two acres of valuable land. The firm of Parker
Brothers, which consisted of Ira J. and William
M'., succeeded to the business of Jonathan
Rhoads, who established the manufactory more
than a hundred years ago. The success which
the brothers attained was secured through per
sonal merit, honorable business methods, and by
their natural aptitude for their calling, and they
thus gained and retained the confidence and re
spect of all with whom they had business or so
cial intercourse. In his political belief and as
sociation Mr. Parker is a Republican, and held
the position of school director for thirty-one
years. He was also a director of the Spring
field Building and Loan Association for twenty
years, and a director of the Media Title and
Trust Company since its organization, and is a
director of the Delaware Mutual Insurance Com
pany. In his religious belief he is a firm advo
cate of the tenets of the Society of Friends.
On February 22, 1872, Mr. Parker married
Miss Gulielina Dunwoody, daughter of John and
Gulielina Dunwoody, late of Marple. Two chil
dren were born to them, but both died in infancy.

Delaware county, where he received his educa
tion and then learned the spinning and weaving
trade, which he pursued for a number of years.
William B. Drake entered the army as a drum
mer boy and served during the entire period of the
Civil war, and participated in the battles of Gaines
Hill, Antietam and Fredericksburg. December
13, 1868, Mr. Drake married Mary Ruffley, born
April 1, 1842, daughter of Francis and Ann
(Roberts) Ruffley, both natives of England, who
came to America in 1845. Mr. and Mrs. Drake
were the parents of the following named chil
dren : Frank M., mentioned at length herein
after; William P., born August 1, 1871, married
Annie Littleton ; and Robert S., born August 24,
1875, unmarried. William B. Drake, the father
of these children, died October 10, 1899.
Frank M. Drake, son of William B. and
Mary (Ruffley) Drake, was born November 6,
1869, at Rockdale, Aston township, Delaware
county, Pennsylvania. He received his primary
education in the public schools of his birthplace,
after which he attended school in Media, and
subsequently became a student at the Drexel
Business College in Philadelphia. After com
pleting his education he learned the trade of a
blacksmith, entered into business for himself, first
at Rockdale and afterward in Philadelphia. In
1900 he went to Village Green, where he has
since made his home and conducted a successful
business. He is a member of Benevolent Lodge,
No. 40, and the Chester Encampment, No. 99,
Independent Order of Odd Fellows. In the
sphere of politics he is an earnest worker, being
a staunch advocate of the doctrines of the Re
publican party. He and his family attend the
Protestant Episcopal church.
Mr. Drake married, November 24, 1897,
Sarah A., daughter of Isaac and Mary (Holt)
Wrigley, the former a weaver and spinner of
Springfield. The following children have been
born to Mr. and Mrs. Drake: Ralph W., born
October 8, 1898, and Frank M., born August 25,
1901. Mr. and Mrs. Drake are the possessors of
an extremely pretty and desirable home, and are
deservedly popular with all who have the pleas
ure of knowing them.

FRANK M. DRAKE, an enterprising citizen
of Village Green, Delaware county, is a son of
William B. and Mary (Ruffley) _ Drake, the
former named having been born in Rockdale,

CHARLES E. JOHNSON, a useful citizen
of Aston township, Delaware county, is a .de
scendant of Humphrey Johnson, an early resi
dent of Delaware county. Joseph, son of
Humphrey Johnson, married Amy Rodgers, and
they became the parents of ten children : Ann,
Humphrey, Robert R., Phineas, Abraham, Amy,
Mary, Jethro, Sarah and Hannah.
Humphrey, eldest son in the family, was a
carpenter in early life, and later removed to Cecil

274

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

county, Maryland, and became a prosperous
farmer. He married Mary, daughter of John
Slaughter, and to them were born Jamima (now
Mrs. Thos. Donega) Joseph, Charles, Anna M.,
(Mrs. I. P. Dutton) and Amy.
Charles, third child and second son of
Humphrey and Mary (Slaughter) Johnson, was
born in Cecil county, Maryland, November 9,
1817, and in early youth removed to Delaware
county, Pennsylvania, where he received his edu
cation in the district schools of the neighborhood.
On laying aside his text books he learned the
trade of a blacksmith, which he followed for
some time, and then turned his attention to the
tilling of the soil. He was originally a Whig,
and he connected himself with the Republican
party on its organization, and on its ticket he
was elected to many offices of trust and honor,
serving his county efficiently as treasurer and
as county commissioner. He adhered his life
through to the faith of the Friends, in which he
was reared. As a companion on the journey of
life he chose Mary S. Mancill, a daughter of
Joseph Mancill, a prominent farmer of Aston
township, Delaware county, Pennsylvania. The
following children were born of this union: 1.
Clementina, who married William H. Pratt, and
became the mother of four children, all living;
2. Anna M., who became the wife of Evans
Eachus, and to whom were born six children,
of whom four are deceased; 3. H. Winfield; 4.
L. Emma, who is unmarried ; 5. Charles E. ; 6.
William, deceased ; 7. Laura F., who married
Albert Ogden, and to whom were born two chil
dren. The father of this family died August 2,
1902, and his wife died March 19, 1901.
Charles E. Johnson, fifth child and second
son of Charles and Mary (Mancill) Johnson, was
born in Village Green, Aston township, Dela
ware county, April 6, 1854, and received his
elementary training in the schools of the neigh
borhood and the Friends' Central School in Phil
adelphia, and completed his education in the Nor
mal school. On completing his studies he took
up the life of a farmer, but subsequently (in
1878) engaged in milling at Camp Ground, and
industriously followed that business until the
spring of 1902. At the present time he is de
voting the greater part of his attention to the
raising of mushrooms, in which enterprise he
has been very successful. His capable manage
ment and enterprise, with well directed efforts
and honorable dealing, have been the important
factors in his business career and have brought
tp him a very handsome competence.
- Mr. Johnson was married on March 11, 1885,
to Sallie P. Bishop, daughter of Henry C. and
Mary (Plankington^ Bishop. Of this marriage
were born two children: Henry C, born Sep
tember 8, 1888, and Charles I., born December

2, 1896. The mother died October 24, 1900..
Mr. Johnson occupies a pleasant home at Camp-
Ground, in Aston township.

DANIEL LEES, .deceased, who was during-
a long and active career one of the most prom
inent of the early cotton manufacturers of Penn
sylvania, was a fine type of the old English-
weaver, industrious, persevering and absolutely
conscientious, and he was, besides, a man of ex
cellent business judgment.
He was born in Oldham, near Lancashire,
England, June 28, 1828. He received but limited-'
educational advantages, and in his youth began-
the earning of his own livelihood. He acquired
a practical knowledge of cotton spinning and.
weaving, and before he had attained to man's
estate he decided to come to the United States,
hoping here to find a broader field for his effort.
On his arrival here, he located at Springfield,
Delaware county, Pennsylvania, where he found
employment at his trade in the Lewis cotton
mills, and in which after two years he came to
the position of manager. He subsequently re
moved to Chester, Delaware county, where he
embarked for the first time in the weaving busi
ness for himself. He next spent some time in
Philadelphia, in the cotton goods manufacturing
line, but again returned to Delaware county,
where he pursued the yarn spinning business at
Carey's Bank for some time, and again at Chester
and Philadelphia. He finally established him
self at Leiperville, Delaware county, where he
remained fourteen years, part of the time in the
cotton spinning business, and later in the worsted
yarn business. He sold out his interests in 1883,
and removed to Philadelphia, where he was en
gaged for three years in the manufacture of
plush cloths. In 1885 Mr. Lees came to Lenni,
Delaware county, where he leased the present
establishment (now conducted by his heirs) from
the Ann Sellers estate, and entered upon a suc
cessful career in the manufacture of mohair and'
worsted yarns, velours and plush goods. This
enterprise, having had its inception in a modest
beginning, has attained large proportions. The
business constantly increased under Mr. Lees'
masterly management, and engaged his attention
until his death, May 30, 1901, when it passed
into the hands of his heirs. It is to be said in
entire truthfulness that Mr. Lees, during his
career as a manufacturer, accomplished much for
the material advancement and progress of Lenni
and other places where he resided. He was a
self-made man in the truest sense of the word,
and throughout his long and varied career his
name was everywhere regarded as a synonym
for honesty and straightforward business princi
ples and conduct.

%ifru<c&g oC&*£J

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

275

Mr. Lees married Sarah Greenwood, a daugh
ter of John and Bettie Greenwood, of Springfield,
Delaware county, Pennsylvania. The children
"horn of this marriage were Elizabeth, Alice, Han
nah (deceased), George (deceased), T. Frank
-and Mary J. Lees.
T. Frank Lees, only surviving son of Daniel
and Sarah (Greenwood) Lees, was born in Phil
adelphia, Pennsylvania, February 11, 1868. He
attended the Leiperville school of Delaware
county, and the Bryant & Stratton Business Col
lege of Philadelphia, and the advantages received
there prepared him for the active duties of a
business career. At an early age he entered his
father's mill at Leiperville, and by close and
steady application he soon became thoroughly
familiar with all the branches of the business.
The plant was disposed of in 1883, and the fol
lowing two years they were engaged in the
manufacturing of plush in Philadelphia ; after
the expiration of this period of time they returned
to Delaware county, and leased the mill at Lenni,
which is one of the landmarks of the county. It
was built about 1798, and an addition was made
to it in 1857, and during that time it was the
-property of several owners. After the death of
his father, T. Frank Lees assumed charge of the
plant, which affords employment to fifty skilled
-operatives, occupied in the manufacture of
velours, turning out ten thousand yards a week,
the product commanding a ready market in New
York City, Chicago, Boston and Cleveland. Mr.
Lees is a man of broad business ability, of untir
ing energy and sound judgment, and he has
-gained a prestige in commercial circles which is
-only accorded to those who have gained success
in an honorable manner. Politically he is a
staunch adherent of the Republican party, and
fraternally he is a prominent member of the Order
of Free and Accepted Masons. He has spent
some time in travel and has visited the various
-places of note and interest throughout the county.
Mr. Lees was united in marriage to Mary
Scott, daughter of Joseph U. and Martha Scott;
:a native of Delaware county, Pennsylvania.

ULYSSES G. CORNOGG, who has served
as supervisor of Concord township, Delaware
¦county, Pennsylvania, is a descendant on the pa
ternal side of the Cornogg family which first set
tled in Chester county, and is said to be of Welsh
descent. His grandfather was Isaac Cornogg, of
Haverford. His father, also Isaac Cornogg, was
born at Haverford, 6 mo., 26, 1816, but later re
sided in Concordville, Delaware county, and
eventually became one of the best known carriage
builders in the county. He married in Philadel
phia, 3 mo., 15/1853, Matilda Sharpless, born 3
-mo., 3, 1828, daughter of Samuel and Ruth (Idd-

ings) Sharpless, of Edgemont, and to them were
born eight children, namely: 1. Albert A., born
in Concordville, 7 mo., 20, 1856; married at West
Chester, 1881, Emma F. Henthorn, daughter of
Oscar and Rebecca (Pyle) Henthorn; children,
Rupert Morton, born 5 mo., 28, 1882; Duane
Henthorn, born 8 mo., 22, 1884. 2. Samuel S.,
unmarried. 3. Anna, born 11 mo., 23, 1858, de
ceased. 4. Margaret, born 12 mo., 20, 1859; 5.
Isaac, born 8 mo., 28, 1861 ; married Lillian Pat
ton, issue, two children, Isaac Clyde and Everett
Lindsay; 6. Fannie, born 11 mo., 14, 1863; mar
ried Samuel Smedley, issue, two children, Samuel
and Paul. 7. Ulysses G., further mentioned herein
after. 8. Bertha, born 9 mo., 2, 1868, married
Horace Darlington, and has children, Hannah
Worral and Dorothy Darlington. Isaac Cornogg,
Sr., died 7 mo., 3, 1882, at Concordville, where
his widow now resides.
The maternal grandfather of Ulysses Grant
Cornogg was Samuel Sharpless (5), son of Joel
(4), who was born in Middletown township,
Chester county, 11 mo., 14, 1785, and was a car
penter by trade as well as a farmer. He inherited
and lived upon the homestead of his father, which
was built on the tract of land bought by his grand
father early in the eighteenth century from one
Thomas Grisell, and which is now the residence
of Joel, the eldest son of Samuel. He married in
Philadelphia 1 mo., 5, 1807, his first cousin, Ruth
Iddings, born at Nantmeal, Chester county, _ 1
mo., 16, 1791, and to them were born twelve chil
dren, as follows: 1. Beulah, born 7 mo., 14, 1808,
married George Garrett; 2. Joel, born 3 mo., 9,
18 10, married Hannah Minshall and Ann Green;
3. Hannah, deceased; 4. Lydia, born 11 mo., 6,
1813, married James A. Bonsall; 5. William, de
ceased ; 6. Amy Darlington, born 1 mo., 8, 1818,
married Enos Edwards; 7. Sarah, born 11 mo.,
1, 1 819, who married William Green; 8. Thomas
Jefferson, born 12 mo., 18, 1821, who married
Susanna Plankinton; 9. Ruth Anna, born 12 mo.,
18, 1823, who married John Rogers ; 10. Tamzen,
born 12 mo., 26, 1825, who married Seneca W.
Ottey ; 11. Matilda, born 3 mo., 3, 1828, mother of
Ulysses G. ; 12. Samuel, born 3 mo., 27, 1830,
who married Sarah Jane Campbell. The death
of Samuel Sharpless (5) occurred at Edgemont, 4
mo., 21, 1866, and was the result of a fall from a
horse; he survived his wife, Ruth Iddings, by
twenty-five years, her decease having occurred
in the 6th mo, 22, 1841 ; they are both in
terred at Middletown.
Ulysses Grant Cornogg, the seventh child and
fourth son of Isaac and Matilda (Sharpless) Cor
nogg, was born in Concord township, Delaware
county, Pennsylvania, 11 mo., 12, 1865. When
through his education, which he obtained at the
public schools of the county, he turned his atten
tion to farming and owns a finely cultivated farm

276

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

in Concordville. Mr. Cornogg is an adherent of
the Republican party, an active member of the
order of Odd Fellows, and, as supervisor of his
township, is particularly alert to all its interests,
material and civic. He and his family are mem
bers of the Society of Friends.
Mr. Cornogg married Sarah D. Pyle, a de
scendant of the distinguished family of that name,
and daughter of Walter and Mary (Chetam)
Pyle; her father was a farmer of Thornbury
township, Delaware county. Mr. and Mrs. Cor
nogg are the parents of the following children:
Margaret C, born November 27, 1894; Adelaide
D., born May 2, 1897 ; Walter P., born Novem
ber 19, 1899; and Rebecca P., born November 19,
1901.

PASCHALL. Thomas Paschall, of Bristol,
England, "pewterer," was a purchaser of five
hundred acres of land from William Penn, by
deeds of lease and release, dated 26th and 27th of
September, 1681, and arrived in Philadelphia in
the 12th month, February, following. The name
of his wife was Joanna, and from a letter written
by her son in 1728 it appears that she was the
sister of one Simon Sloper, who, about twenty
years before that date, had written to Thomas
Paschall, Sr., stating that he had a son, William
Sloper, then living in London, who was pay
master-general to the Queen's foreign forces.
Thomas Paschall, Sr., died 7 mo., 15, 1718, aged
eighty-three years and four months. Joanna
Paschall, his wife, died 7 mo., 2, 1707, aged sev
enty-two years and nine months, according to en
tries made by their son in his Bible. Besides a
son Thomas they had a son William, who died in
1696, and a daughter Mary, who married Thomas
Say. Thomas Paschall, Jr., of Philadelphia county,
bachelor, and Margaret Jenkins, of Haverford, in
the county of Chester, were married 9 mo., 15,
1692, at Haverford Meeting. She was the eldest
child of William Jenkins, late of Tenby, in Pem
brokeshire, Wales, by his wife, Elizabeth, daugh
ter of Lewis Griffith, and was born in Wales 3
mo., 23, 1674. They settled in Blockley town
ship, Philadelphia county, where Margaret died
11 mo., 17, 1728, and about a year later Thomas
married Abigail Golden, a widow. She died 3
mo., 1, 1736, and he about 1743, the father of
eleven children :
1. Thomas, b. 7 mo., 22, 1693; m. Margaret
Jones, 10 mo., 6, 1716.
2. Joanna, b. 12 mo., 19, 1695; m. John Mar
shall, of Darby, 1716.
3. William, b. 1 mo., 8, 1697 ; m. Grace Hoopes
and Hannah Roberts.
4. Joseph, b. 1 mo., 23, 1699 ! m- Elizabeth
Coates, 1720.

5. Elizabeth, b. 2 mo., 19, 1701 ; m. Jacob
Jones, 1730.
6. Benjamin, b. 11 mo., 4, 1703; d. 2 mo., 12,
1707. 7. John, b. 9 mo., 5, 1706; d. 1779. See
below. 8. Benjamin, b. 2 mo., 16, 1709.
9. Samuel b. 5 mo., 2, 171 1; d. 12 mo., 11,
1728. 10. Stephen, b. 8 mo., 3, 1714; m. Martha.
Humphrey, 2 mo., 24, 1738.
11. Jonathan, b. 3 mo., 11, 1718; d. 2 mo., 3,
1782; m. Mary Fisher.
John Paschall (7) was married 2 mo., 25,
1728, to Frances Hodge, born 4 mo., 15, 1710;.
died 1 mo., 29, 1781 ; daughter of Henry and
Hannah Hodge and granddaughter of Christo
pher Knight, of the island of Antigua. They
settled in Darby township, where, in addition to
becoming possessed of considerable real estate,
he was extensively known as a medical practi
tioner. He was not regularly educated in the
profession, but (as a contemporary alleges) by
the superior powers of his mind and his own
application he acquired a medical and chemical
knowledge sufficient to render him conspicuous.
He was elected a member of the American Philo
sophical Society in 1768, and was a shareholder in
the Philadelphia Library. He prepared a popu
lar nostrum which he called "the Golden Elixir,"'
and which was widel"- known by advertisement
in the newspapers under the name of "Paschall's
Golden Drops." He had nine children :
12. Margaret, b. 6 mo., 28, 1731 ; d. 8 mo., 15,
1820; m. Ebenezer Worth, of East Bradford, but
left no children.
13. Mary, b. 11 mo., 9, 1732; m. James Pear
son, 10 mo., 1758.
14. Frances, b. 8 mo., 24, 1734; d. 6 mo., 1,
1739. 15. Elizabeth, b. 9 mo., 11, 1736; m. Richard
Armitt, 5 mo., 27, 1762.
16. John, b. 4 mo., 4, 1738 ; d. 1776.
17. Frances, b. 12 mo., 27, 1740; d. 5 mo., 2,
1812; m. 8 mo., 1761, at Darby Meeting, John
Ladd Howell. But it appears by records of St.
Michael's and Zion churches, Philadelphia, that
they had been secretly married March 1, 1761.
18. Ann, b. 11 mo., 26, 1742; d. 5 mo., 20,
1 781. 19. Benjamin, b. 11 mo., 25, 1744; d. 8 mo.,
10, 1818 ; m.  Rudolph.
20. Henry, b. 8 mo., 28, 1746; d. 5 mo, 13,
1835- Henry Paschall (20) was married 5 mo., 24,
1770, at Darby Meeting, to Ann Garrett, born 9
mo., 24, 1752: died 12 mo., 1, 1820; daughter of
Nathan and Ann (Knowles) Garrett, of Darby.
Like his father he was a physician. They appear
to have resided in Wilmington, Delaware, 1770-

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

277

1773, and 1 783- 1 790, after which they returned
to Darby. He was married a second time, 1 1 mo.,
1821, to Catharine Lincoln, born 9 mo., 5, 1*792;
died 3 mo., 23, 1876 ; daughter of Abraham and
Elizabeth (Shrum) Lincoln. By the first mar
riage he had eleven and by tne last two children :
21. Frances, b. 2 mo., 24, 1771 ; d. 8 mo., 27,
1857; m- Charles Lloyd.
22. Margaret, b. 9 mo., 13, 1772; d. 11 mo.,
22, 1 87 1 ; m. Robert Hopkins.
23. Mary, b. 12 mo., 3, 1775 ; d. 12 mo., 23,
1827, unmarried.
24. Ann, b. 12 mo., 7, 1777; d. 5 mo., 9, 1844;
unmarried. 25. Elizabeth, b. 1 mo., 11, 1780; d. 2 mo., 4,
1852 ; m. Gustavus Cox.
26. Hannah, b. 3 mo., 25, 1781 ; d. 9 mo., 14,
i860; m. Joseph Warner.
27. John, b. 4 mo., 7, 1783 ; d. 1 mo., 17, 1864;
m. Sarah Home.
28. Thomas G., b. 5 mo., 27, 1785 '; d. 9 mo.,
13, 1865 ; m. Elizabeth Scot.
29. Sarah, b. 7 mo., 14, 1787, d. 5 mo., 25,
l&73 ( ?) ; m. Moses Adams.
30. Martha, b. 10 mo., 27, 1789 ; d. 12 mo, 4,
1808, unmarried.
31. Beulah, b. 11 mo, 16, 1791 ; d. 2 mo., 28,
1866; m. Samuel Worth.
32. Joseph, p. 3 mo., 23, 1823; m. Eliza
Lincoln. 33. Henry L., b. 4 mo, 8, 1829.
Henry L. Paschall, last named, was born at
Paschallville, near Darby, and married Anna T.
Pancoast, of Philadelphia county, by whom he
had the following children: 1. Hannah B., mar
ried to Ellwood Hannum, has two children; 2.
Joseph, married to Laura Mattson; 3. Elizabeth,
married to Frank Willits, has two children; 4.
Catharine R. ; 5. Susan, who is unmarried.
Catharine R. Paschall was married 6 mo., 10,
1880, to Jacob J. Styer, of Montgomery county,
Pennsylvania, who was born 11 mo., 7, 1856,
and of this union were born five children : Eliza
beth, born 5 mo., 21, 1881 ; John F., born 9 mo.,
18, 1882, died 8 mo., 21, 1899; Henry Paschall,
born 3 mo., 12 1884, died 12 mo., 10, 1896-; Mil
dred, died 2 mo., 23, 1895; J. Franklin, born 11
mo., 27, 1900. Mr. and Mrs. Styer are members
of the Friends' Meeting.

JOSEPH H. PASCHALL, prominent among
the farmers of Delaware county, is a grandson of
Dr. Henry Paschall, who was for years a well
known and skillful practicing physician of Pas
challville. He married Ann Garrett, and, after
her death, Catharine Lincoln, a member of the
same family as the martyred President. Dr. and
Mrs. Paschall resided on the old homestead,

which is still standing in Paschallville, immediate
ly east of the Roman Catholic Institution.
Henry Lincoln Paschall, son of John and.
Catharine (Lincoln) Paschall, was born April 8,
1829, at Paschallville, Kingsessing township. He-
was by trade a carpenter, but in 1853 purchased
the old Hannum farm in Concord, Delaware-
county, and turned his attention to agriculture,
in which he was very successsful. He was inter
ested in the insurance business, serving for twen
ty-five years as a director of the Delaware County
Mutual Insurance Company. He took an active
part in local affairs, and several times held the
office of school director. He was a member of
St. John's Protestant Episcopal church. He mar
ried Anna T. Pancoast, a member of the well-
known Pancoast family of New Jersey, April 5,
1854. Mrs. Paschall was a member of the Society
of Friends. Mr. Paschall died on his farm, July
19, 1901, in the seventy-third year of his age.
Joseph H. Paschall, second child and only son
of Henry Lincoln and Anna T. (Pancoast) Pas
chall, was born July 5, 1856, in Concord town
ship, Delaware county. He was a student at
Maplewood Institute, and after completing his
education, was for some time a successful teacher.
He then took up his abode on the old homestead,
where he has since resided, devoting himself to-
agricultural pursuits. His farm consists of 200-
acres, and he has a dairy of sixty cows. His
land is kept in a high state of cultivation, and his
dairy furnishes butter to the Chester market.
He is possibly the best authority on fruit culture
in Delaware county. He is a prominent Granger,
filling many important offices in the order. He
was a member of the Good Templars, in which he
once held the office of district deputy. He is pres
ident of the Chester Market Company, and a
director in the Delaware County Mutual Fire
Insurance Company and the Media Rural Ceme
tery Company. It will be seen that Mr. Paschall
is a man whose range of interests is not bounded
by the duties and claims of his calling, notwith
standing the fact that these receive from him the
strictest attention, but that he is ever ready to bear
a part in whatever tends to promote the wel
fare of the community. In politics he is a Pro
hibitionist, and received from his party on one
occasion the nomination for Congress. He is an
earnest political worker, and has a well earned
reputation as a speaker at institutes. He is a
member of St. John's Protestant Episcopal
church, in which he holds the office of vestry
man. Mr. Paschall married, April 18, 1883, Laura
T., daughter of Peter W. and Evalina (Hannum)
Mattson, of Concord township. Mr. and Mrs.
Paschall are both active workers in the cause of
temperance. They have no children.

278

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

H. H. SCOTT. Joseph Scott was born in
Manchester, England, and, desiring to enjoy bet
ter advantages in the new world, he crossed the
Atlantic to America in 1850, settling in Upland,
Delaware county, Pennsylvania. He was edu
cated in his native country and after putting aside
his text books he learned the trade of a designer.
Ere he left England he was married to Martha
Howard and she accompanied him on the emi
gration to the new world. On coming to Upland
he began following the weaver's trade and was
made superintendent of the mills at Rockdale,
Delaware county, since which time he has been
well known as a representative of industrial in
terests here. In his political views he is a Re
publican and his fraternal relations connect him
with the Odd Fellows Society. The following
children were the issue of his marriage: Lewis,
who was born in England, wedded Agnes Sinex
and they have seven children; Elizabeth, who
was also born in the mother country; Benjamin,
who married Amy Thomson and they had a child
Mary, who became the wife of T. Frank Lees;
Charles, deceased ; and Martha completes the fam
ily with the exception of Harry H. Scott, who
was united in marriage to Elmira Ford, a daugh
ter of Neamiah and Martha (Husbands) Ford.
Unto this union have been born two daughters :
Nellie and Mary, who are at home; the mother
of these children, died December 12, 1892.
Harry H. Scott was born in Upland, Dela
ware county, November 12, 1863, and at the
usual age began his education as a student in
the public schools, while later he pursued his
studies in Chester Academy. He is now devoting
his time and energies to merchandising, having
a large store in Lenni, Delaware county, where
he is enjoying an extensive patronage that
is well deserved because of the carefully selected
line of goods which he carries and his honorable
business methods. Mr. Scott is a Republican in
his political views, strongly endorsing the prin
ciples of the party. He is recognized as a leader
of the local organization and has held the office
of school director, while for nine years he capably
filled the position of county auditor. He is a
member of the Junior Order of United American
Mechanics and the Knights of the Golden Eagle.

WRIGHT TURNER is a native of Aston
township, Delaware county Pennsylvania, where
he was born November 8, 1840, and where has
been his life-long residence.
Samuel Turner, father of Wright Turner,
was born in the northern part of England, but
came to this country when quite young; he ac
quired a fair education in the common schools
of his native land. Shortly after the completion
of his studies he learned the trade of weaving,

and followed that occupation for many years in
Aston township. He died in 1871, aged about
seventy-one years. He was united in marriage
to Ellen E. McCartney, daughter of William and
Ellen McCartney, and they became the parents
of the following named children: 1. James, who
was killed during the progress of the Civil war
in 1862; 2. Wright Turner; 3. Margaret A.,
widow of Isaac Dunn; 4. Samuel C, who mar
ried Alice Blagg; 5. Joseph R., who married
Hannah Ann Rhodes ; 6. Henry C, who married
Sarah A. Townsend ; 7. George, deceased, who
was survived by his widow, Jane (Faulkner)
Turner, and six children.
Wright Turner was reared in his native coun
ty and obtained a practical education in the com
mon schools, after which he followed the occu
pation of farming for several years. Later he
turned his attention to the weaving trade, having
for a number of years engaged as loom fixer and
weaver. He has always been an industrious
worker himself, giving close personal attention
to every duty in his work, thus insuring the best
service and rendering satisfaction to all his em
ployers. At the present time (1903) he is living
a retired life upon a fine farm of fifty-three acres
in Aston township, enjoying the fruits of his
many years of toil. In politics Mr. Turner has
always been an ardent Republican.
On July 3, 1861, Mr. Turner married Mary
J. Happersett, born March 22, 1839, daughter
of the late Isaac and Priscilla (Pyle) Happersett.
Her father was long prominent in the agricul
tural interests of Middletown township, Dela
ware county. Mr. and Mrs. Turner's children
were: Ella J., born August 10, 1862, wife of
R. C. Ormsby ; they are the parents of one child,
Ethel Turner ; James H., born February 5, 1866,
who married Lydia M. Daley, and one child has
been born to them, Ramond Daley ; Hiram E.,
born June 2, 1870, who married Laura West;
Marietta, born May 3, 1879, who resides with
her parents. Mr. Turner and his family are
earnest and loyal members of the Methodist
Episcopal church of Aston township.

THOMAS PANCOAST, prominently iden
tified with the agricultural, political and social
affairs of Aston township, Delaware county,
Pennsylvania, is a descendant of Seth Pancoast,
who married Esther Coppock, a daughter of Bar
tholomew Coppock, Jr., who was a son of Bar
tholomew and Margaret Coppock, who were among
the early settlers of Delaware county, emigrat
ing from Cheshire, England. Bartholomew
Coppock, Sr., settled in Springfield in 1685, and
two years later purchased four hundred and for
ty-eight acres of land in Marple township of
John Nixon; for the tract he received a deed

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

279

from William Penn, with the great seal of the
province affixed, and bearing the signature of his
commissioners, Edward Shippen, Griffith Owen,
Thomas Story and James Logan. The conditions
of this grant were that the borough of Chester on
the first day of the first month in every year, pay
to the heirs of William Penn, for each and every
year, the sum of four English shillings and three
pence, or value thereof in coin current, to such
person or persons as shall be appointed to receive
the same. The deed is still in the possession of
the Pancoast family.
On June 22, 1719, Mr. Coppock deeded the
tract of land to his son and heir, Bartholomew
Coppock, who erected a brick residence on it
in 1732. The Springfield Friends' Meeting was
regularly held at this house until a meeting house
was erected, in 1738, on two acres deeded by him
for the purpose in 1703. Mr. Coppock married
Phcebe Taylor, daughter of Robert Taylor, of
Springfield, and their daughter, Esther Cop
pock, was united in marriage to Seth Pancoast,
son of William and Hannah Pancoast, of
Mansfield, county of Burlington, West Jersey.
Seth Pancoast had all the plantation lying
and being in Marple township, containing one
hundred and eighty-eight acres, including the
"homestead, bequeathed to him by the will of his
father-in-law, Bartholomew Coppock. To Seth
and Esther Pancoast were born the following
named children: Sarah, Phcebe, Samuel and
Seth Pancoast. Samuel Pancoast, eldest son of
Seth and Esther Pancoast, inherited the home
stead upon the death of his father and became
•one of the prominent men of the community.
He was an elder of Springfield Particular and
Chester Monthly Meetings of Friends, and was
held in high esteem by the society. He married
Mary Levis, daughter of John and Rebecca
(Davis) Levis, and four sons and one daughter
were born to them.
Samuel Pancoast, son of Samuel and Mary
Pancoast, and father of Thomas Pancoast, was
horn July 12, 1787, on the homestead in Marple
township, where his entire life was spent. He
attended the common schools of the vicinity, and
¦during his leisure hours assisted his father in
the cultivation of the farm. On the death of his
father, in 1834, he became the owner of the es
tate, which he continued to cultivate up to the
time of his decease. In his political convictions
Mr. Pancoast was formerly a Whig, but later
"became a Republican. In his religious belief he
was a member of the Society of Friends, and a
regular attendant at the services at the Spring
field meeting house. Mr. Pancoast was au in
telligent reader and kept himself well informed
on the current events of the day; he was also
interested in the cause of education and served
in the capacity of school director. In 1817 he

married Tamar Bishop, daughter of Joseph and
Sarah Bishop, the former named being a prom
inent farmer of Upper Providence, Delaware
county. They were the parents of twelve chil
dren, nine of whom are living at the present time
(1903). Mr. Pancoast died May 23, 1873, sur
vived by his widow, who passed away September
28, 1877.
Thomas Pancoast, son of Samuel and Tamar
Pancoast, was born on the old homestead June
1, 1825. He acquired his preliminary educa
tion in the common schools of the township, and
this was supplemented by a course at the West-
town school. His entire business career has been
devoted to the cultivation of the soil, having
gained a thorough knowledge of that occupation
during his early life. His farm is situated in
Aston township, and is one of the most produc
tive in that section of the state. Mr. Pancoast
is a Republican in his political views, and has
been chosen by his fellow citizens to serve in the
offices of school director and town clerk.
On February 23, 1853, Mr. Pancoast married
Susan P. Hannum, a daughter of Edwin and
Maria (Miller) Hannum, the former named be
ing prominently connected with the agricultural
interests of Aston township, Delaware county.
Their children are: Edwin H., who married
Laura Dutton, and three children have been born
to them — Florence D., Mary L. and George;
and Maria Hand, wife of Charles S. Welles, to
whom were born two children — Helen Louise,
who died in infancy, and Louise J. Mr. Pan-
coast and his family are consistent members of
the Presbyterian church of Middletown, Dela
ware county, Pennsylvania.

THOMAS HOOPES THATCHER. The
ancestors of Thomas Hoopes Thatcher were in
timately and prominently identified with the
early history and settlement of the state of Penn
sylvania. He is in direct line of descent on both
sides of his house from the Thatcher and Sharp
less families, and his progenitors on the Sharp
less side were among those who received the
original grants of land, termed "first purchase,"
from William Penn.
His emigrant ancestor was Richard Thatcher
(1), who came from Uffington, in Berkshire,
about 1685, and settled in Pennsylvania with his
wife Jane and two children, Jonathan and Jane.
Jonathan (2) was born 12 mo, 15, 1677, and
died in 1750; he married Hannah, daughter of
Peter Dicks. They resided in Thornbury town
ship, and their children were Ann, Jane, Jona
than, Hannah, Esther, Richard, Mary, Martha,
Elizabeth and Deborah. Their sixth child,
Richard (3) married at Chichester Meeting, 11
mo., 25, 1734, Edith Grubb, daughter of Eman-

28o

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

uel Grubb, of Brandywine Hundred, New Castle
county, Delaware. He died in 1763, and his wife
in 1771. Their children were: Thomas, Will
iam, Ann, Hannah, Mary, Jonathan, Samuel,
Stephen, Sarah and Phebe, all of whom were
doubtless born in Thornbury.
William (4), .second son of Richard (3),
was born 12 mo., 7, 1736-7, and died 2 mo., 1,
1807. He married at Sadsbury, Montgomery
county, Sarah Dickinson, born 1 mo., 9, 1734,
died 8 mo., 7, 1817. She was a minister and a
daughter of Joseph and Elizabeth (Miller)
Dickinson, of Lancaster county, Pennsylvania.
The children of William Thatcher were: Eliza
beth, Hannah, Joseph, Edith, Richard, William,
Sarah and Phebe.
Joseph (5), third child and first son of Will
iam (4) was born 3 mo., 5, 1763, and died 4 mo.,
18, 1836. He was twice married, first to Abigail
Worrall, of Aston, and then to Mary Marshall.
William (6), son of Joseph and Abigail (Wor
rall) Thatcher, was born 9 mo., 20, 1789, and died
in Aston, 10 mo., 23, 1855, and was buried at
Chichester. He married Beulah, born 4 mo., 19,
1793, daughter of Daniel Sharpless (3) and
Hannah (Thomas) Sharpless; she died 3 mo.,
10, 1871, at West Chester, Pennsylvania. Her
father was Daniel Sharpless, a descendant of the
first Daniel Sharpless, whose family came to
America about the middle of the seventeenth
century and settled on the shores of Pennsyl
vania. The pioneer Sharpless family, composed
of John, his wife Jane and their seven children,
settled upon the banks of Ridley creek, two miles
north of the city of Chester, and made their first
home near a steep bluff known as "Sharpless
Rock." The name Sharpless (first spelled Sharp
ies), means "skilled in labor,'' and the most im
posing relic of the "Sharpies" handicraft is the
fine old mansion on the hill which was built
by the pioneer's youngest son Joseph, about the
year 1700. It is filled with curious old cupboards
and closets, and the floor is secured to the joists
by wooden pins. The wife of Daniel Sharpless
was a daughter of Isaac Thomas and Mary
(Townsend) Thomas, and her father was a cabi
net-maker, who manufactured old-fashioned long
eight-day clocks. ,
William Thatcher (6), settled in New Lon
don township, Chester county, but finally removed
to Birmingham, where all of his children were
born except the oldest and youngest. The chil
dren were: 1. Sarah, born 8 mo., 16, 1813;
married Joseph Dutton ; 2. John, born 5 mo.,
28, 1815; died May 31, 1815; 3. Phebe, born
4 mo, 30, 1816, died 5 mo., 3, 1816; 4. Daniel
S., born 2 mo., 25, 1818; 5. Edith, born 4 mo.,
7, 1820,, died 1 mo., 12, 1872, in Goshen, un
married; 6. Enos, born 8 mo., 7, 1822, died 12
mo., 22, 1 88 1 ; married Deborah G. Tyson ; 7.

Joseph, born 10 mo., 10, 1829, in Lower Oxford,
died 4 mo., 18, 1836.
Daniel S. Thatcher (7), second son and fourth
child of William (6) and Beulah Sharpless
Thatcher, at an early age came to Delaware
county and settled in Middletown. His educa
tion was received in the common schools of the
town and county and his vocation was that of a
farmer. He married, April 11, 1844, Mary
Hoopes, born September 11, 1820, daughter of"
Joseph Hoopes and Jane (Ferrel) Hoopes, of"
Chester county. Their children were :
1. Jennie H., born March 25, 1845, died at
Village Green, March 20, 1868; unmarried. 2.
Joseph, born April 29, 1849, died August 21,.
z853 ! 3- William P., born at Village Green, Feb
ruary 1, 1854, unmarried. 4. Thomas Hoopes,.
born February 1, 1854; 5. Edward, born Decem
ber 22, 1857, died January 27, 1862. The father
of this family, Daniel S. Thatcher, died Novem-
Per 26, 1901.
Thomas Hoopes Thatcher (8), son of Daniel.
S. and Mary (Hoopes) Thatcher, was educated:
in the public schools of the county and at Maple
wood Institute. He has always been a farmer,.
and owns a fine farm of one hundred and three
acres, and is interested in the Thatcher home
stead farm and one in Upper Chester of one
hundred and six acres, and owns a dairy of
seventeen cows. Like his father and forefathers,.
he is a member of the Society of Friends, is a
Republican in his political principles, and has
held local offices, among them that of town clerk.
Mr. Thatcher was married June 14, 1883, to
Susan B. Peters, daughter of William R. Peters,
a miller and farmer of Aston township, Delaware
county. They have two daughters, Mary F.r
born October 11, 1886, and Anna D., born Oc
tober 13, 1893, who are both unmarried, and
live with their oarents.

HENRY FAUCETT, prominently identified
with the agricultural, political and social inter
ests of the township of Birmingham, Delaware-
county, Pennsylvania, traces his origin to George
and Isabella Faucett, the former named being
probably the founder of the family in Pennsyl
vania. Henry Faucett, grandson of the above men
tioned George Faucett, and grandfather of Henry
Faucett, was a prominent citizen of the township-
of Westtown, Chester county, where the follow
ing named children were born to him by his
marriage with Hannah  : Ebenezer, born
January 28, 1783 ; Margaret, born October 17,
1784; George, born October 15, 1786; Rebecca,
born November 25, 1788; Sarah, born July 29,
1792; Hannah, born April 11, 1796; Anna, borro

HENRY FAUCETT.

PRUDENCE G. FAUCETT.

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

281

November 18, 1800, and Margaret, born No
vember 9, 1807.
George Faucett, second son of Henry and
Hannah Faucett, and father of Henry Faucett,
was born on the old homestead in Westtown
township, Chester county, Pennsylvania, Octo
ber 15, 1786. He was a farmer by occupation,
and resided in this vicinity during his entire life
time. He was united in marriage to Mary Years-
ley, and their children were: Nathan, born De
cember 27, 1823; Hannah N., born August 6,
1825; Henry, born January 12, 1828; George,
born August 1, 1830; Mary Jane, born Decem
ber 1, 1833; Ebenezer, born April 2, 1836; Jo
seph, born August 16, 1838, and Elizabeth, born
June 6, 1840. The five eldest children were born
in Westtown township, and the three younger
members of the family were born in Birmingham
township. Henry Faucett, son of George and Mary
(Yearsley) Faucett, was born January 12, 1828,
in the township of Westtown, Chester county,
and his education was acquired in the common
schools of the vicinity. After completing his
studies he. turned his attention to farming, which
occupation he has followed with a large degree of
success up to the present time. After his mar
riage, Mr. Faucett removed to Birmingham town
ship, Delaware county, and he is now the owner
of a fine farm of fifty-six acres, with dairy in
cluded. Politically Mr. Faucett is a staunch
Democrat. While he has been frequently solicited
to accept public office, he has always declined,
preferring to give his time to his private interests.
Mr. Faucett was united in marriage, Decem
ber 19, 1850, to Prudence G. Smith, a daughter
of Isaac and Annie (Grubb) Smith, a success
ful farmer of Newcastle county, Delaware. Their
children are: Sallie, born April 6, 1852, died
November 29, 1856 ; Henry Pudens, born August
21, 1862 ; he is associated with his father in the
management of the farm, and has on his father's
farm an extensive apiary, consisting of ninety-
five colonies of bees, the product of which is
shipped to all parts of the country; he married
Ida Mathues, daughter of Charles Wilson and
Mary Amanda (Graham) Mathues, residents of
Delaware county, March 16, 1898, and they have
one child, Henry M. Faucett, born January 2,
1899. Prudence G. (Smith) Faucett died No
vember 2, 1898.

ISRAEL R. SCOTT. The first ancestor of
the branch of the Scott family to which Israei
R. Scott, a prosperous agriculturist of Concord
township, Delaware county, Pennsylvania, be
longs, was Alexander Scott, who was born in
England, subsequently came to the United States
and settled at Gwynedd, Montgomery county,

Pennsylvania, where he was united in marriage
to Jane Evans, a native of that county. Mr.
Scott and his wife were members of the Society
of Friends. Israel Scott, son of Alexander and Jane
(Evans) Scott, married Edith Lukins, a descend
ant of Edward Foulke, who with his wife and nine
children emigrated from Wales and settled at
Gwynedd, Montgomery county, Pennsylvania, iu
1698. Edward Foulke was a descendant of the
twenty-sixth generation from King Alfred, and
one of his descendants, Matilda, of the eighth
generation, married Henry, first King of Eng
land, and the ancestry is traced thence through
the Royal line of the Plantagenets to Edward
First, King of England. Eleanor Foulke, daughter
of Edward Foulke, married Henri Count Dc
Barr, and Edward Foulke was a descendant of
theirs in the twelfth ¦ generation, all connecting
links of both sexes being on record. Edward
Foulke, a resident of Gwynedd, Pennsylvania,
was born in 1707, the son of Thomas and Geneve
Foulke, and was united in marriage to Gainor
Roberts, daughter of Edward Roberts, of
Gwynedd. Alexander Scott, son of Israel and Edith
Scott, was born in Worcester, Montgomery
county, Pennsylvania, August 15, 1815, followed
the occupation of farming during his active busi
ness career, was a Friend in religious sentiment,
and a Republican in his political affiliations. He
married Sarah Rhoads Jones, who was born in
Philadelphia county, Pennsylvania, September
13, 1 82 1, a daughter of Norris and Hannah
(Rhoads) Jones, and a descendant of John-
Blunston and his wife, Elinor (Brantmon)
Blunston, whose daughter, Katharine Blunston,
married Adam Rhoads. John Blunston held
several prominent offices, and was appointed a
member of the assembly of Pennsylvania by
William Penn, counsel of state for the govern
ment of Pennsylvania, and served in that capacity
from 1683 to 1 70 1. The children born to Mr.
and Mrs. Scott are: 1. Norris J., who married
Rebecca Smedley and two children have been
born to them, viz : Philena, who married Charles
Jacob and has one child, R. Hildegarde Jacob;
and Norris Alexander Scott; 2. Israel R, the
subject of this sketch; 3. Margaret J., unmarried.
Israel R. Scott, son of Alexander and Sarah
Rhoads (Jones) Scott, was born in Worcester,
Montgomery county, Pennsylvania, September
27, 1846, but at an early age accompanied his
parents to Delaware county, where his education
was acquired at the Westtown school. After
completing his studies he turned his attention to
agricultural pursuits, and is now the owner of
a farm of one hundred and thirty acres of pro
ductive land in the township of Concord, where
he resides with his sister, Margaret J. Scott..

282

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

Politically Mr. Scott is a firm advocate of the
principles of the Prohibition party, always tak
ing an active interest in the cause of temperance.
Both he and his sister are prominent members
•of the Society of Friends.

JAMES H. TYSON. The Tyson family of
Pennsylvania is of old Delaware county stock,
the first of the name being among the early set
tlers to establish homes in this part of Pennsyl
vania, and has a representative in the present
generation in the person of James H. Tyson, of
Aston township, Delaware county.
His great-grandparents were James and Mar
garet Tyson, the former born 4 mo., 4, 1738, and
the latter in 7 mo., 1741. James and Lydia
Tyson, the grandparents of James H. Tyson,
had by their marriage the following children:
James Shelly, born April 4, 1802; he married
Phcebe Mendenhall and (second) Hannah Dut
ton; 2. Lydia Ann, born April 9, 1804; she mar
ried Lewis Williams ; 3. Mary P., born March
12, 1806; she married Charles Heacock; 4. Isaac
H., born October 5, 1807; he married Lydia
Thomas; 5. Isabella S., born February 20, 1810;
she married David Craig; 6. Deborah G, born
March 18, 181 3 ; she married Enos Thatcher; 7.
Judge, who was the father of James H. Tyson,
of this review, and to be further mentioned; 8.
Elwood, born April 16, 1819; he married Eliza
beth Hannum.
Judge Tyson was born in Aston township, at
what is now called Aston Mills, September 22,
181 5. He was a birthright member of the So
ciety of Friends, and he pursued his studies in
the common schools of the district. On com
pleting his education he began farming in con
nection with his father, and followed that voca
tion throughout his entire life. He married Su-
zanna Patterson, born February 22, 1827, a
daughter of William and Suzanna (Trimble)
Patterson, her father being a cattle dealer of
Middletown township, Delaware county, and to
them were born the following children: I. Su
zanna, the wife of Levi Roberts, by whom
she has one child, Etta Marion ; 2. James
H., who resides on the homestead near Vil
lage Green, in Delaware county; 3. Mary E.,
the wife of Casper Faucett ; 4. Lydia E.,
who died unmarried ; 5. William F., deceased.
The father died February 15, 1897, and his
wife, Suzanna Patterson, died December 25,
1902. She was possessed of many excellen
cies of character and esteemed by all who knew
her for her benevolence and kindness ; she was
a consistent member of the old Middletown Pres
byterian church.
James H. Tyson was born in Aston township,
Delaware county, January 26, 1851, and was

educated at Chester and Concordville Academies.
From the beginning of his active career he has de
voted his energies to agricultural pursuits, being
well known as a progressive and enterprising
farmer. He is also a strong Republican in his
political affiliations, but has refused to become a
candidate for several township offices when-
solicited to do so by his fellow townsmen. He
occupies a beautiful home standing in the midst
of a valuable tract of land of ninety-eight acres.

GEORGE RUSH, a prominent business man
of Concord, Delaware county, Pennsylvania, and
for forty consecutive years the incumbent of the
office of postmaster of Concordville, was born in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, November 26, 1821,
the son of Stephen and Margaret M. (Printz)
Rush. Stephen Rush, father of George Rush, was
bornat Reading, Pennsylvania, in 1779. He was
related by cousinship to Dr. Benjamin Rush, a
signer of the Declaration of Independence, and
he was a descendant of Capt. John Rush, who
commanded a troop of horse in Cromwell's army.
Stephen Rush acquired a liberal education in a
private school of that city, and from the comple
tion of his studies up to the year 1810 he was en
gaged in the coal and lumber business near Read
ing. He then became the proprietor and owner
of the White Swan Tavern at Evansburg, Mont
gomery county, Pennsylvania, which he success
fully conducted for nine years, and at the expira
tion of this period of time he removed to Phila
delphia, leased the hotel, now torn down, known
as the "Sign of the Black Bear," which was situ
ated at Third and Willow streets. He continued
his management of this hotel up to the year
1822, when he leased another old landmark hotel.
known as "The Bull's Head," and under his ca
pable and efficient control this became one of the
leading and best patronized hotels in the city. In
1824 he returned to Evansburg where he contin
ued to reside until 1836, when he retired from ac
tive pursuits of a business life and took up his
residence in the city of Philadelphia. Politically
Mr. Rush has been a lifelong Republican, and has
been active in furthering the interests of his party
in the various cities in which he has resided.
In 1800 Mr. Rush married Margaret M.
Printz, daugher of John Printz, a prominent resi
dent of Reading, Pennsylvania, whose ancestry
dates back to Colonel John Printz, the first Swed
ish governor of New Sweden, on the Delaware
river. The children of Stephen and Margaret
(Printz) Rush were: 1. Catherine, deceased, was
the wife of William Sugden ; 2. Elizabeth, wife of
the Rev. Samuel Seibert, and mother of ten chil
dren; 3. Mary, wife of Jacob Drinkhouse and
they are the parents of ten children ; 4. Margaret,

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

283

united in marriage to Isaac Casselberry, and four
children have been born to them ; 5. Sarah, wife
of David Heebuer, and four children have been
born to them ; 6. Lydia, wife of Charles Zeigler ;
7. one unnamed who died in early childhood; 8.
John, who married Catharine Yeager, and they
are the parents of eight children ; 9. Stephen, who
married Miss Ketcham, and three children have
been born to them ; 10. Jacob, who married Sarah
Bullock, and they have seven children; 11.
George, further mentioned below ; 12. Henry, who
married Emma Moore and had sons and daugh
ters; 13. Samuel, who married Sarah Lane and
one child has been born to them. The father of
these children died in 1856, leaving an honorable
record and an untarnished name, and his wife,
Margaret M. (Printz) Rush, passed away in the
autumn of 1846.
George. Rush, eleventh child of Stephen and
Margaret M. (Printz) Rush, acquired his educa
tional advantages at the private schools in Mont
gomery county. He then served an apprentice
ship with his brother-in-law, Charles Zeigler, at
Dowingtown, Chester county, Pennsylvania, to
learn the harness-making trade. He pursued
his trade up to 1843, when he removed to Con
cordville, Delaware county, Pennsylvania, and
here continued in the same calling up to 1867,
when he established a general store and success
fully conducted the same up to 1892, when he
retired from mercantile business and at pres
ent is engaged at the harness-making trade. Dur
ing this period of three score years his name
has stood as a synonym for honesty and integrity,
and he has maintained the character of a saga
cious business man, being noted for the display of
judgment, prudence, honesty and foresight. In
politics he is an advocate of the Republican party.
He received the appointment of postmaster at
Concordville in 1844, under a Democratic admin
istration, and has heid the office for the long pe
riod of forty consecutive years, thus demonstrating
the esteem in which he was held by his friends
and neighbors.
On November 17, 1845, Mr. Rush married
Hannah (Wilkinson) Shee, born 10 mo., 1, 1820,
a native of Rose Valley, Delaware county, and a
daughter of Parke and Rachel (Wilkinson) Shee.
Her father was a well known paper manufacturer
of Delaware county. He was a son of Bertles
and Cecelia (Parke) Shee. Bertles Shee served
with high rank during the Revolutionary war and
Cecelia Parke was a sister of John and Daniel
Parke of Revolutionary fame. Daniel Parke,
mentioned above, had a son who married Martha
Dandridge, and after his death his widow mar
ried General George Washington. She had by
her first husband two children.
The children of George and Hannah L.
(Shee) Rush were: 1. Stephen Parke, born 9

mo., 29, 1847; he died 2 mo., 6, 1849; Charles
Zeigler, born 9 mo., 27, 1849; he died 8 mo., 17,
1852; George Parke, born 5 mo., 13, 1852; he
married Onida Hazelton, and resides in Chicago,
Illinois, and they have two children, June and
Hazel Rush; Henry Parke, born 4 mo., 9, 1854,
died 4 mo., 14, 1863 ; John Shee, born 6 mo., 24,
1856; he married Ida Carswell, and they have
two children, Natalie Carswell and John Shee
Rush, Jr.

ROLPH M. HARVEY, a well known resi
dent of Concord township, Delaware county,
Pennsylvania, who has been engaged in agricul
tural pursuits through his active business career,
was born in Birmingham township, Chester-
county, Pennsylvania, March 12, 1843, a son of
Evans and Hannah G. (Marsh) Harvey.
Evans Harvey (father) was born in Birming-*
ham township, Delaware county, Pennsylvania^
12 mo., 11, 1813, a son of Alban and Elizabeth
Harvey, of the above named township. He at
tended the district school, where he obtained a
good education which prepared him for the du
ties of life. He then engaged in farming on an
extensive scale, and being a man of good judg
ment and great energy of character, his labors.
met with abundant reward so that he was enabled
to accumulate a competency which he enjoyed in
later life. Mr. Harvey married, 4 mo., 5, 1837,.
Hannah G. Marsh, who was born 12 mo., 14,
1816, a daughter of Dr. Rolph C. and Deborah
(Hill) Marsh, of Concord township, and four
children were born to them: Elizabeth, wife of
Edward R. Gilpin, and they are the parents of
four children; Alban, who married Mary P.
Marshall, and two children have been born to
them; John M., who married Mary Hannum;
and Rolph M. Harvey. Evans Harvey died 10-
mo., 8, 1871, and his wife died 6 mo., 26, 1889.
Dr. Rolph C. Marsh, father of Mrs. Harvey, was
born 6 mo., 17, 1783, a son of Christopher and
Ann Marsh, was married at Friends' meeting
house, Middletown, Delaware county, Pennsyl
vania, 1 mo, 7, 1808, to Deborah Hill who was,
born 10 mo., 12, 1781, a daughter of John and
Mary (Gibbons) Hill. Dr. Marsh died 6 mo.,
13, 1872, and his wife died 9 mo., 18, 1853.
Rolph M. Harvey obtained a practical educa
tion in the common schools of Concord township
and after completing his course he devoted his
energies to farming, which occupation he has
continued up to the present time (1903). He
operates a well cultivated farm of two hundred
and fifteen acres, the estate of Ellis P. Marshall*
deceased, and owns a fine dairy of sixty-five cows,
from the proceeds pf which he derives a goodly
income. Mr. Harvey is energetic and capable in
management, conscientious and thorough in his.

284

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

business transactions, and he has obtained a large
share of the patronage in his line in that section
of the state. Politically Mr. Harvey is an Inde
pendent Republican and inclined to be liberal in
his views ; he takes little part in political matters,
preferring to devote his time and attention
strictly to business, but has served in the capacity
of school director.
On March 12, 1868, Mr. Harvey married
Anna P. Marshall, a daughter of Ellis P. and
Anna B. (Bartram) Marshall, the former named
having been a prosperous farmer of Delaware
county. The children born of this marriage are:
1. Dr. Ellis M., born February 5, 1869, a gradu
ate of -Swarthmore College and Pennsylvania
University ; he married Phcebe Scarlett, a daugh
ter of Joel and Jane Scarlett, and they are the par
ents of three children : Jane S., born November
17, 1896; Anna Bartram, born July 25, 1899; and
Ellis Marshall, born June 28, 1900; 2. Charles
E., born July 24, 1871, unmarried; 3. Bartram
R., born September 15, 1885, unmarried; both
Charles E. and Bartram R. Harvey reside at
home. Mr. Harvey and his family are regular
attendants at the meetings of the Society of
Friends, contributing liberally to its support. Mr.
Harvey has traveled quite extensively during the
past few years.

MARSHALL A. INGRAM. Among the
prominent and prosperous business men of Elam,
Concord township, Delaware county, Pennsyl
vania, may be mentioned the name of Marshall
A. Ingram, .who, in 1877, established his present
business, which has since grown to such an ex
tent that it is now recognized as the best in its
line in this section of the county. He was born
in Darby, Pennsylvania, in 1850, and is one of a
family of seven children born to Peter and Mary
(Atmore) Ingram, their names being as follows :
Sarah J., wife of Joseph R. Burner, and they are
the parents of three children — Mary, Joseph and
Sarah, all unmarried ; Annie C, unmarried ; J.
Taylor, married B. Ella Larkin, and they have
one child, Joseph T., now deceased; Joseph,
unmarried ; Letitia P., wife of Harry Gould, and
mother of three children — Joseph, Taylor and
Amy, are unmarried ; Harriet, deceased, and Mar
shall A. Ingram.
Marshall A. Ingram acquired a practical edu
cation in the public schools of Concord township,
whither his parents removed from Darby when
he was only six years of age. After laying aside
his school books he learned the trade of black
smith and wheelwright, which he continuously
followed up to the year 1877, when he engaged
in business on his own account in Elam, and from
the beginning met with a large degree of success.
Some years later he added carriage making to his

business, and now he is the proprietor of an ex
tensive establishment which is noted far and
near for the excellent quality of the work per
formed there and for the prompt manner in which
orders are executed.
Mr. Ingram is a man of high moral charac
ter, the strictest integrity and a large degree of
intelligence, and consequently his influence has
been felt in the community. His political pref
erences are in accord witn the principles of the
Democratic party, and he has been chosen to
serve in several local offices. He is a prominent
member of the Knights of Pythias, the Improved
Order of Red Men and the Senior Order of
United American Mechanics.
On May 7, 1884, Mr. Ingram was united in
marriage to Mary L. 'Pyle, daughter of Joseph
L. Pyle, who is engaged in the carpenter trade
in Elam, Concord township, Pennsylvania.
Three children have been born of this union,
namely: John, unmarried, Mary, unmarried,
and Katherine Ingram, who died in childhood.

JOHN W. CARTER, a veteran of the Civil
war, and serving in the capacity of supervisor
of the township of Concord, Delaware county,
Pennsylvania, was born in Dilworthtown, Ches
ter county, August 14, 1842, the son of Amos
P. and Ann Carter.
Amos P. Carter, father of John Carter, was
born in Chester county, Pennsylvania, in 1812,
educated in the common schools, and after com
pleting his studies learned the trade of stone
mason, which he followed for a number of years.
He then devoted his energies to farming, and be
ing an indefatigable worker met with gratify
ing success in this enterprise, and his careful
supervision of the place made it one of the most
thrifty and desirable farm properties in the local
ity. Mr. Carter married Anna Mershon, of Ches
ter county, Pennsylvania, and twenty-one children
were born to them, the • following named being
the surviving members of the family at the pres
ent time (1903) : Emma, wife of Eli Smith,
who have one child ; Mary, wife of Samuel Pyle,
who are the parents of three children ; De Maers,
wife of Andrew Mathews, whose family consists
of three children ; Amos, who married Lydia
Russ and four children have been born to them ;
Dilworth, who married Emma Branson, and they
have three children ; Joshua, who married Mary
Stuckles, and three children have been born to
them, and John W. Carter.
John W. Carter spent his boyhood days in
Dilworthtown, Chester county, and enjoyed such
educational advantages as the common schools
afforded. He then assisted his father with the
development and cultivation of the home farm
until 1861, when he enlisted in Company D,

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

285

Ninety-seventh Pennsylvania Regiment, and
served until' the close of the war in 1865. tie
was twice wounded while participating in vari
ous engagements, and for his brave and heroic
conduct at the battle of the Wilderness he was
promoted to the rank of corporal and performed
the duties of that position with credit and effi
ciency. After peace was declared, Mr. Carter
returned to his home in Chester county, but the
following year removed to Concord township,
Delaware county, purchased a tract of land from
his father and commenced farming operations on
his own account. He is now the owner of a well
cultivated farm of sixty acres devoted to the pro
duction of a general line of garden produce, for
which there is always a large and constant de
mand. In his political views Mr. Carter is a
Republican, and he was elected by that party to
serve as supervisor of the town, a position which
he is filling at the present time (1903). He is
an active member of the Grand Army of the
Republic, and the Junior Order of United Amer
ican Mechanics.
On January 6, 1869, Mr. Carter married
Lydia Cloud, daughter of Foulk and Margretta
.(Heacock) Cloud, and five children have been
born to them : Amos D. died in childhood ; Or
lando F. married Emma Hinkson, and they have
three children ; William L. married Laura Pyle,
and one child has been born to them; Margaret
C. died in early youth, and Anna M. also died
when quite young. Mr. Carter and his family
are consistent members of the Methodist Epis
copal church of Concord township, Delaware
county, Pennsylvania.

FRANCIS PARVIN WILLITS. Strong
of purpose, persevering in effort, honorable in
all business transactions, Francis P. Willits has
won and maintained a position of prestige as a
representative of the agricultural interests of
Concord township, Delaware county, Pennsyl
vania, and at the same time commands the un
qualified regard and confidence of those with
whom he has been associated. He was born in
Berks county, Pennsylvania, November 3, 1856,
the son of David and Charlotte (Parvin) Willits.
David Willits was born in Berks county,
Pennsylvania, November 12, 1827, and he en
joyed the educational advantages afforded by
the district schools of that vicinity. Subse
quently he turned his attention to agricultural
pursuits, continuing in this line of industry
throughout his entire business career which was
very successful. He was united in marriage to
Charlotte Parvin, born 7 mo., 1833, a daughter
of Francis Parvin, a practical and progressive
farmer of Berks county. The following named
children were born to this union : 1. William, born

10 mo., 4, 1852, married Amanda Yoder and
they became the parents of four children, two
of whom are now deceased ; 2. Ellen, born 2 mo.,
17, 1859, unmarried; 3. Sarah L., born 12 mo.,
4, 1861, who died in infancy; 4. Francis P. Wil
lits. The father of these children died at his
home in Berks county, Pennsylvania, 3 mo., 9,
1863, and his wife, Charlotte (Parvin) Willits,
died 1 mo., 29, 1863.
Francis P. Willits obtained his preliminary
education in the public schools of Lower Oxford
township, Pennsylvania, and this was supple
mented by a thorough course of study at the
Maplewood Institute, Delaware county, which
qualified him for the active duties of life. He
began his business career by conducting a store
in Berks county, but in 1885 abandoned this
enterprise and purchased a farm of ninety-five
acres in Concord township, Delaware county,
where he conducts general farming and dairy
ing, having for the latter purpose thirty-five cows
of a select breed. He is also interested in the
cultivation of mushrooms, furnishing the New
York markets with extensive shipments, and find
ing in this industry a very profitable source of
income. The products from his gardens are 01
such excellent quality that they always find a
ready sale, the fact that they came from his
farm being a guarantee. In politics Mr. Willits
is an Independent Republican, and has served in
the capacity of school director for a number of
years. He is an active member of the Independ
ent Order of Odd Fellows and of the Grange.
February 18, 1885, Mr. Willits married Eliza
beth Paschall, born February 19, 1859, a daugh
ter of Henry and Annie (Pancoast) Paschall, the
former named being a practical and successful
agriculturist of Concord township, Delaware
county. Their children are Paul Lincoln, born
March 23, 1887, and Joseph Henry, born June
16, 1889, both of whom reside at home with their
parents. The family are regular attendants of
the Episcopal church of Concord township, Mr.
Willits being a member of the vestry.

OSBORN BOOTH, a veteran of the Civil
war and one of the prominent citizens of Con
cord township, Delaware county, Pennsylvania,
traces his ancestry back to the year 1713 when,
if tradition be correct, two brothers of the Booth
family emigrated from England. One of them,
whose name was Robert Booth, married and
had among his children a son, Robert, who
settled in Bethel township. His son, Thomas
Booth, grandfather of Osborn Booth, was an
extensive land owner in what is now Bethel
township, Delaware county, where he resided
for many years. He rendered material serv
ice to the patriot army before and during the

286

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

battle of the Brandywine, having transported
supplies with his own teams for Washington's
army. He, however, took no aggressive part in
the campaign, owing to conscientious scruples,
but was zealously loyal to the cause of freedom.
He married Phcebe Cloud, and the following
named children were born to them: James,
Joseph, Robert, Nathaniel, Jemima, John and
Isaac Booth.
Isaac Booth, father of Osborn Booth, was
born in Bethel township, Delaware county, Penn
sylvania, in November, 1807. He, received his
early educational training in the schools of the
neighborhood and after completing a course in a
commercial school at Wilmington, Delaware, took
up the practical duties of life. His first under
taking was to erect a store at what became known
as Booth's Corner, of which he was the founder
and owner for many years, and he here con
ducted a mercantile business and became known
as a successful and enterprising merchant. He
afterwards taught school for some years in
Bethel township and was known as a useful and
valued citizen. He married Mary McCay,
of Concord township, Delaware county, a
daughter of James and Elizabeth McCay, and
five children were born to them : Phcebe A., who
became the wife ox Stephen Pierce, and nine
children have been born to them ; Elizabeth, died
in early childhood; Osborn, to be further men
tioned hereafter; Isaac Lee, who married Sarah
Davis and has seven children; William, who
married Mary Doyle, and they are the parents
of two children.
Osborn Booth was born in Bethel township,
Delaware county, Pennsylvania, March 13,
1837, and received his education in the common
schools of that vicinity. At an early age he be
gan learning the carpenter trade, and being en
dowed with a fine receptive mind and by giving
close attention to every detail he was soon master
of the art of carpentering, which occupation he
has followed with a large degree of success up
to the present time (1903). In 1863 Mr. Booth
enlisted in the One Hundred and Eighteenth
Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteers, otherwise
known as the Corn Exchange Regiment, which
was organized under the auspices of the
Corn Exchange of Philadelphia, Pennsyl
vania. He participated in all the battles
in which the regiment engaged, and was twice
slightly wounded but he did not absent himself
from duty in the service of his country. In
his political affiliations he is an adherent of the
principles and measures adopted by the Repub
lican party. He has refused several offers of
political positions, preferring to devote his time
and attention strictly to business.
March 13, 1861, Mr. Booth married Cather
ine Pierce, daughter of Joseph C. and Mary

W. (Donaldson) Pierce. Her father was a pros
perous farmer of Brandywine Hundred, New
Castle county, Delaware. The children born of
this marriage were: Mary, born August 28,
1862, who is the wife of W. H. Harrison, Jr.,
and they are the parents of three children:
Catharine L., Wilda H. and Freda B. ; Greta, born
August 7, 1866, now deceased, who was the wife
of Percy May; Elizabeth, born March 27, 1870,
who is unmarried, and Oda, born July 11, 1872,
wife of Dr. J. H. Fleming. Mr. Booth and his
family are regular attendants of the Protestant
Episcopal church of Concord township, Dela
ware county, Pennsylvania.

HOWARD TAYLOR MARVEL, a man of
enterprise and ability, whose successful career
in business has been characterized by abundant
energy and sound judgment, traces his ancestry
to Josiah Marvel, who was an esteemed and
prominent resident of Sussex county, Delaware,
where he reared a family of four children, who
were born to him by his. first wife — Raymond,
Nutter, Peter P., and one name unknown.
Peter P. Marvel, son of Josiah Marvel, was
born January 6, 1805, in Sussex county, Dela
ware. His boyhood and early manhood were
spent in that state, from whence he removed to
New Garden township, Chester county, Penn
sylvania, where he became a useful and active
citizen. He married Mary Vernon, daughter of
Mordecai and Deborah Vernon, and the follow
ing named children were born to them: Josiah,
born in 1831 ; Thomas, born September 10, 1833,
died October 3, r863 ; Henry Vernon (father),
born in 1834; and Rebecca, born in 1839, died
October 17, 1903, who became the wife of John
Wilson, and they became the parents of one child,
Mary Wilson, deceased. Peter P. Marvel, father
of these children, died at the age of eighty-eight
years. Mordecai Vernon, father of Mrs. Marvel,
settled in Marlborough township, Chester county,
Pennsylvania, and his death occurred about the
year 1792. He was a son of Thomas Vernon,
who in turn was a son of Thomas Vernon, who
was a resident of "Stanthorne," county Palatine
of Chester, England, from whence he came to this
country in 1682, and settled in Nether Provi
dence. The monthly meetings of the Society of
Friends were held at his residence, he being one
of the prominent members of that organization.
He served as juror at the first court held for the
county of Chester.
Henry Vernon Marvel, son of Peter P. and
Mary Marvel, was born in New Garden town
ship, Chester county, Pennsylvania, in 1834. He
was united in marriage to Rebecca Hoopes, a
native of York county, Pennsylvania, and a de
scendant of one of the oldest and most honored

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

287

families in the state. They were the parents of
two children, namely : Howard Taylor and Mary
Marvel. Howard T. Marvel, only son of Henry Ver
non and Rebecca Marvel, was born in New Gar
den township, Chester county, Pennsylvania.
His father died when he was four years of age,
and he then resided with his grandfather, Peter
P. Marvel, until the death of the latter. He at
tended the common schools of Chester county,
and acquired a good English education which
prepared him for the responsible duties of man
hood. In the spring of 1885 he settled on his
present farm, which was known as the old Jones
tarm, situated near Chesterville, Franklin town
ship; this property consists of one hundred and
five acres of improved land, whereon Mr. Marvel
conducts a general farming business, which has
provided a profitable source of income. In pol
itics Mr. Marvel is a Republican, and always
gives his party an earnest and hearty support.
In religion he adheres to the. tenets of the Pres
byterian faith," holding membership and serving
in the capacity of elder in the Presbyterian church
of Avondale. Mr. Marvel was united in marriage, March
30, 1886, to Maggie J. McAllister, a native of
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and a daughter of
James and Martha (Kay) McAllister, formerly
of York county, Pennsylvania. Their children
are: J. Ralph, born in 1887; William T., born
in 1889 ; and Helen M., born in 1895.

NATHAN L. PRATT. Abraham De Pratt
came from France in the early part of the eight
eenth century. He obtained a deed of land in
Dublin, Pennsylvania, where he settled. Noth
ing more with reference to him is narrated ex
cept the fact that he died in 1709, leaving a will
which was recorded October 24, of that year,
and in which are mentioned his wife, Jane, and
children — Thomas, Joseph, John, Jeremiah and
Elizabeth. Joseph Pratt, son of Abraham De Pratt, seems
to have dropped the prefix which his father used,
for the family name from his time appears as
Pratt. May 9, 1717, he married Sarah Edwards,
who was a daughter of William Edwards, of Mid
dletown, Pennsylvania. They had six children,
Alice, Ann, Sarah, Rose, Priscilla and Joseph.
He bought a farm in Edgemont, Delaware
county, and there established the Pratt homestead
which at his death he bequeathed to his son.
This property remained in the Pratt family to
the fourth Joseph, when it was sold to James
Davis. Joseph Pratt, the only son of Joseph and
Sarah (Edwards) Pratt, married Jane Davis, the
19 x

daughter of David and Jane (Jones) Davis, and
granddaughter of Ellis Davis, and brought her to
Edgemont homestead. They had nine children :
Abraham, Sarah, who died when six months
old, Jane, Joseph, David, Mary, Priscilla, Thomas
and Sarah (2). In 1768 Joseph Pratt bought at
sheriff's sale two hundred and fifty acres of land
in Marple, the property of Joshua Pennell, Jr.,
which he willed to his sons, David and Thomas.
This property was a part of the section of land
that William Penn called "Manor of Spring-
town," and David's portion was afterward named
"Springton Farm." He died at his old home
in Edgemont. David Pratt, son of Joseph and Jane (Davis)
Pratt, was born June 12, 1756. After his fa
ther's death, he settled on the Springtown home
stead and changed the name to Springton. He
laid out an extensive farm, and devoted his time
to the improvement and cultivation of the land.
He belonged to the Quaker element of that sec
tion, and was an elder in the Newtown Friends'
Meeting. He married Lydia Hoopes, daughter
of John and Christina (Reynolds) Hoopes, of
Goshen, now West Chester, Pennsylvania. They
had eleven children: 1. John, born December 6,
1779, died March 1, 1837; 2. David, born De
cember 9, 1780, died October 26, 1823 ; 3. Jo
seph, born February 18, 1783, died February 1,
1835 ; 4. Jane, born March 5, 1785, died March
19, 1856; she married Nathan Garrett, and to
them were born two children — Lydia, who be
came the second wife of George Allen, and Na
than, who married Esther, daughter of William
Rhoads; 5. Abraham, born February 24, 1787,
died October 12, 1858; he married Esther Hib
bard; 6. Jeremiah, born May 18, 1789, died Au
gust 22, 1881 ; 7. Henry, born September rr
1791, died March 4, 1866; 8. Lydia, born May
28, 1794, died September 28, 1877; she married.
(first) John Roberts, and (second) Paul Jones,.
both of whom had been married previously ; 9.
Christina, born August 30, 1796, died September
17, 1828; 10. Orpha, born December 4, 1798,..
died August 24, 1856 ; Christina, Orpha and Da
vid died single. 11. Randal, born September 30,,
1 80 1. David Pratt died February 20, 1844.
Randal Pratt, youngest child of David and
Lydia (Hoopes) Pratt, was born on the Marple
homestead and attended school in the neighbor
hood during his boyhood. He was, however, in
a large measure, a self-educated man and devel
oped a taste for scientific study which he put
to practical use in many ways, the most important
of which perhaps was that of inventing the first
steel spring-tooth horse hay rake that was gen
erally adopted by farmers in all parts of the
country. He was a man of retiring and unob
trusive nature, and was never ambitious to be
come widely known as an inventor. He was a

288

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

trustee of the Newtown Friends' Meeting for
several years. He died April 3, 1866. He was
married April 5, 1837, to Mary G. Lewis, a
daughter of Nathan and Hannah (Goodwin)
Lewis. The Lewis family was of Welsh origin,
and could trace its genealogy back for several
generations. Nathan, a son of Didymus and
Phebe (Matlack) Lewis, was born in 1782, and
died in 1868. Didymus, the son of Nathan and
Margaret (Thomas) Lewis, was born in 1748,
and died in 181 1. Nathan, who was born in
1705, and died in 1788, was the son of William
Lewis, born in Wales in 1682, and who died in
1 73 1 ; William was a son of William and Ann
Lewis, who were the first ancestors of the Amer
ican branch of the Lewis family of which we
have any authentic account.
To Randal and Mary G. (Lewis) Pratt were
born the following named children : 1. Hannah
L., born January 23, 1838, died November 8,
1840; 2. David, born April 8, 1839, died Octo-
her 29, 1840; 3. Nathan L., born March 1, 1841 ;
4. Lydia, born February 3, 1843 ; 5. Randal H.,
iborn April 18, 1845, and died August 22, 1861 ;
6, Anna M., born March 15, 1847, died August
8, 1847; 7. Mary L., born October 27, 1848; 8.
Margaret, born April 26, 1853. Of these chil
dren, Lydia married, in 1867, T. Dillwyn Dutton,
born January 10, 1842, and died August 2, 1878.
He was a son of Edmund and Tacy (Matlack)
Dutton, and grandson of Thomas Dutton, the
centenarian of Delaware county. Of this mar^
riage were born three children : Randal P., born
;March 15, 1869; Edmund N., born February
.24, I&77, and Mary T., born July 20, 1878. The
.eldest of these three children, Randal P. Dutton,
owns the Rockwood truck farm in Newtown
township. May 24, 1894, he married Elizabeth
L., daughter of George and Anna (Thomas)
Paschall, and to them were born two children :
T. Dillwyn, December 24, 1896, and Edna L.,
November 28, 1901.
Nathan L. Pratt, son of Randal and Mary G.
(Lewis) Pratt, was born and brought up on the
Marple homestead that had been in the family
for seventy-four years. He was educated at the
Friends' Central School in Philadelphia, and on
leaving school he returned to the farm in Marple.
On his father's side, Mr. Pratt can claim as an
cestors the Huguenots, whose illustrious descend
ants bore a conspicuous part in the early govern
ment of the Republic, for three of the presidents
who were at the head of the Congress of Phila
delphia during the Revolution were of Hugue
not parentage. On his mother's side he is de
scended in a direct line from the Welsh who orig
inated from the Britons, and who in the early
days of the Pennsylvania colony were prominent
in many industrial enterprises. His wife was
Phebe L. Bartram, daughter of Israel L. and

Mary Ann Bartram, and they had one son who
died in infancy. Mrs. Pratt died January 17,
1898. The mother of Mr. Pratt is still living, and at
the advanced age of eighty-eight years is a re
markable example of the well-preserved woman
of a past generation.

SAMUEL M. RITTER. The career of Sam
uel M. Ritter, a prominent agriculturist of the
township of Concord, Delaware county, Pennsyl
vania, stands in evidence of the fact that farm
ing, if properly conducted, can be classed among
the occupations that bring success to those who
follow it. He was born in Baltimore county,
Maryland, September 23, 1854, the son of George
W. and Eliza (Wallace) -Ritter.
George W. Ritter, father of Samuel M. Ritter,
also claimed the state of Maryland as his birth
place, having been born in Baltimore county in
1809. After receiving a rudimentary English
education he devoted a brief period of time to
farming, and then learned the trade of black
smith, which he continued to follow during his
active years. He was united in marriage to Eliza
Wallace, a native of Baltimore county, Mary
land, and the following named children were
born to them: Annie M., wife of Jarett Lee;
George H., who married Louise Hollbrook, and
they are the parents of one child; Rebecca J.,
who is the wife of John L. Tucker and they have a
family of six children; John S., who married
Rebecca Armstrong, and three children have
been born to them ; William W., who died, aged
nineteen; Mary L., who is the wife of Isaac
Hollbrook; Samuel M., the subject of this review,
and Millard Fillmore, the youngest of this family.
The father of these children died December 31,
1882, and his wife, Eliza Wallace, about 1868.
Samuel M. Ritter, second youngest son of
George W. and Eliza (Wallace),1 Ritter, was
educated in the public schools of Baltimore
county, Maryland, and after completing his stud
ies began life as a farmer in his native county. In
1880 he removed to Concord township, Delaware
county, Pennsylvania, where he continued to fol
low the congenial pursuits to which his early life
was devoted. He is the owner of a well culti
vated farm of fifty-five acres and a dairy of
twenty head of animals, and by giving his per
sonal supervision to the work is able to realize a
goodly income from his labor. In his political
convictions Mr. Ritter is an adherent of the prin
ciples of the Republican party. He has served
his township in the capacity of school director
for three years. He is prominently affiliated with
the Knights of Malta, the Knights of Pythias, the
Patrons of Husbandry and the Junior Order of
United American Mechanics.

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

289

On January 31, 1882 Mr. Ritter married Rosa
A. Place, born November 23, 1853, a daughter of
John and Jane (De Ruis) Place. Her father was
for many years a resident of Chester county,
Pennsylvania. The children of this marriage are :
Howard Wallace, born January 9, 1883 ; Jennie
A., born March 4, 1884, and Katharine L., born
May 14, 1889. The family attend the Methodist
Episcopal church.

HENRY B. PRATT, an intelligent, success
ful and highly respected citizen of Concord town
ship, Delaware county, Pennsylvania, and a
worthy representative of a family whose history
dates back to colonial days, was born in Thorn
bury, October 7, 1832.
Joseph Pratt, grandfather of Henry B. Pratt,
was born July 14, 1779, and received his educa
tion in the country schools of the neighborhood.
He learned the trade of carpenter with his cousin
Jesse Reece, and continued at this occupation for
a number of years in Middletown, but later in
life removed to New London township, where he
was engaged in agricultural pursuits. He was
twice married, his first wife having been Pris
cilla Calvert, who was born December 15, 1781,
daughter of Nathaniel and Mary (Worrall) Cal
vert, residents of Upper Providence, Delaware
county, Pennsylvania. Their children were:
Nathaniel, born September 28, 1803, died Sep
tember 17, 1882; Daniel L., born January 21,
1805, died April 9, 1891 ; Esther, born December
31, 1806, died April 16, 1841 ; Lydia, born Jan
uary 26, 1809, died March 5, 1894; John, born
April 15, 1812, died June 12, 1832; Abraham,
born November 25, 1814, died in childhood;
Mary C, born January 10, 1816, long a resident
of West Chester, Pennsylvania, and now de
ceased; and George, born March 29, 1818, who
died in 1901. Mr. Pratt, with his wife and six
minor children, were admitted into membership at
the Goshen Monthly Meeting, January 28, 1818.
Mrs. Pratt died September 25, 1820, and was
buried at Middletown Meeting. On March 7,
1821, Mr. Pratt married Ruth Logan, who was
born September 2, 1795, daughter of William
and Jane (Way) Logan, and her death occurred
in Kemblesville, Chester county, Pennsylvania,
October 31, 1878.
Nathaniel Pratt, father of Henry B. Pratt,
was born in the township of Edgemont, Delaware
county, Pennsylvania, September 28, 1803, and
was reared and received his education in the dis
trict school of that locality. He learned the trade
of blacksmith which he followed at Chelsea,
Bethel township, until' the year 1851, when he
removed to Concord and turned his attention to
farming interests. During the Civil war he
served as president of the board of county com

missioners, and in this capacity carried as much
as fifty thousand dollars to the front to pay sol
diers' bounties. In 1866 he was a candidate for
congress, but was defeated by his opponent, John
M. Broomall. He was united in marriage to
Susanna Baker, born in Middletown, March 23,
1805, daughter of Henry and Susanna (Fox)
Baker. Their children were: Henry B., born Oc
tober 7, 1832, and Joseph, born September 24,
1834. Mr. Pratt died in the town of Thornbury,
September 17, 1882, survived by his widow who
passed away at Concord, December 9, 1893.
Henry B. Pratt, eldest son of Nathaniel and
Susanna (Baker) Pratt, was educated in the
common schools and the academy of Unionville,
Chester county, and subsequently took up differ
ent branches of mechanics, being at the present
time (1903) well versed in this lore. For a
number of years he was the proprietor of a store
in Avondale, Chester county, but of late years he
has given his entire time to the cultivation and'
improvement of his farm of sixty acres and
dairy of twenty head, which is situated in Con
cord township. He is an interested observer of
events, an independent thinker, for many years
was a great reader and writer, and has traveled
extensively throughout the United States. In
politics he is an Independent ; he has persistently
refused to accept the local offices which have
been tendered to him.
In Middletown, Delaware county, Pennsyl
vania, on March 16, 1859, Mr. Pratt married
Amy Darlington, who was born in Middletown,
February 20, 1837, daughter of Jared and Mary
(Dutton) Darlington, of Middletown. Their
children are : Susanna, born April 1, i860, became
the wife of Charles Stiles and they are now the
parents of six children ; Mary D., born August
2, 1861, became the wife of John Rhodes and they
have three children; Sarah D., born December 1,
1863, wife of Chauncey J. Buckley and mother of
seven children ; Emily, born September 19, 1865,
died September 21, 1865 '< Albert Darlington, born
May 3, 1867, unmarried, and Nathaniel Calvert,
born August 26, 1872, unmarried.

SWITHIN CHANDLER WALKER, a
well-established business man of Pennsburyr town
ship, Chester county, Pennsylvania, is known
throughout the section as a dealer in wagons, car
riages and agricultural implements. He was born
in Newcastle county, Delaware, January 21, 1871,
a son of William H. and Annie P. (Shortlidge)
Walker. William H. Walker (father) was born in
Newcastle county, Delaware, March 21. 1828,
the son of John arid Edith (Sharpless) Walker,
the former named having been born in Chester
county, Pennsylvania, in 1773, and died in i860

290

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

at the advanced age of eighty-seven years, and the
latter was born in 1790, and died in 1869 aged
seventy-nine years. William H. Walker was
educated in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, and
since attaining manhood has been recognized as
one of the most substantial citizens of the com
munity in which he resides, and stands for the
most progressive methods in agriculture. In
1858 Mr. Walker married Annie P. Shortlidge,
who was born in Chester county, Pennsylvania,
April 10, 1834, a daughter of George and Martha
(Hutton) Shortlidge, of Chester county, Penn
sylvania. George Shortlidge was born in 1800,
and died in 1874 in the seventy-fifth year of his
age; his wife, Martha (Hutton) Shortlidge, was
born in 1802, and died in 1886 aged eighty- four
years. Mr. and Mrs. William H. Walker are
the parents of nine children: 1. Edith, who be
came the wife of Henry Thompson of Wilming
ton, Delaware, and died November 25, 1898, leav
ing two children — Harold E. and) Henry H.
Thompson; 2. Professor J. Eugene, of Media,
Pennsylvania, who married Eva Hannum, and
they are the parents of one child' — Evelyn
Walker; 3. Phcebe, who became the wife of Wil
son Barnard, and their family consists of four
children — J. Chandler, Eugenia, Anna and Julian
Barnard; they reside in Bryn Mawr, Pennsyl
vania; 4. John S., a resident of Belief onte, Penn
sylvania, who married Elizabeth Shortlidge, and
they are the parents of one child — Robert M.
Walker; 5. Julian C, an attorney-at-law of Wil
mington, Delaware ; 6. William H., Jr., a resi
dent of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; 7. Swithin
Chandler, mentioned hereinafter; 8. Elizabeth
H., who resides in Hockessin, Delaware; 9.
Sharpless, an attorney-at-law of Miles City,
Montana. Mr. and Mrs. Walker are members of
the Society of Friends.
Swithin C. Walker, seventh child and fifth
son of William H. and Annie P. (Shortlidge)
Walker, was educated at Shortlidge's Academy, a
well known school of Media, Pennsylvania, from
which he was graduated in 1891. His first op
portunity in the way of employment was in the
lumber business in Florida. He did not, how
ever, remain long in the south and upon returning
home he became a boookkeeper with A. & W.
Bernard at Chadds Ford Junction. In 1896 he
purchased the establishment and has since con
doned it under the name of S. C. Walker & Co.,
achieving a fair degree of success in the manage
ment of the same. He deals largely in wagons,
carriages, harness, agricultural implements, lum
ber, coal, grain, hay, feed, plaster and cement.
While not an active politician, Mr. Walker is
interested in the success of the Republican party
and an advocate of its principles. He bears his
part in local public affairs, and is now serving a
second term as justice ofthe peace in Delaware

county, where he resides. He is an honored mem
ber of the Grange.
Mr. Walker married, June 20, 1900, Esther
Collins Davis, who was born in Delaware county,
Pennsylvania, July 4, 1878, a daughter of Charles
and Mary (Coulter) Davis, the former named be
ing a retired gentleman of Chadds Ford, Dela
ware county, Pennsylvania. Mrs. Walker ac
quired her education at Darlington Seminary,
from which institution she was graduated in
1897, and she is now a member of a valued
worker in the Protestant Episcopal church of
Chadds Ford, Delaware county, Pennsylvania.

PENNOCK SPENCER, a leading farmer of
Franklin township, Chester county, Pennsylvania,
is the descendant of an old and honored family
who have occupied the original home for several
generations. Samuel Spencer, his great-grandfather, born
about the middle of the eighteenth century, came
from Montgomery county, Pennsylvania, at some
time during the latter part of this period, and
settled on a six hundred acre tract of land in
New London township, now Franklin township.
Here in 1802 he built the home which is still
standing in a good state of preservation, and is
occupied by the great-grandson, Pennock Spen
cer. Samuel Spencer had one son, Jonathan, born
February 20, 1778, in Chester county, Pennsyl
vania. He was a member of the Society of
Friends. He married Lydia Michner, daughter
of Mordecai Michner. She was born November
12, 1788, and died June 25, 1868, having long
survived her husband, who passed away Decem
ber 29, 1841. They were the parents of the fol
lowing named children: Alice, born November
22, 1815; died in childhood; Samuel, born Au
gust 4, 1816; Phebe, born August 6, 1818, died
young ; Jesse, born July 22, 1820, died in child
hood ; Sidney, born October 13, 1822, died in
childhood; Jesse, born October 2, 1824; Rachel,
born October 15, 1826; Alice, born September 1,
1829; David, born August 29, 1831 ; Phebe, born
August 7, 1834.
Samuel, first son and second child of Jona
than and Lydia (Michner) Spencer, received his
education in the public schools. He inherited the
homestead from his father, and he followed
farming during his life. Like his father his re
ligious views were those of the Quakers, and he
was an elder in the West Grove Friends' meet
ing. In politics he belonged to the Whig and
Republican party, and served in many of the
local offices of the township. His wife was the
daughter of Nathaniel and Ruth (Woodrow)
Pennock, and their children were: Jonathan,
born January 7, 1842, died in childhood; Ruth

-W<H^l

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

291

Anna, born August 29, 1843, who resides at the
old homestead ; Pennock, born February 6, 1845 ;
Lydia, born August 30, 1846, on the homestead;
Joel, born March 30, 1848, residing in Lenni,
Delaware county, Pennsylvania; Emma, born
June, 4, 1850, died at three years of age. Mr.
Spencer died May 22, 1890, several years after
his wife, who passed away January 1, 1882.
Pennock Spencer, second son and third child
of Samuel (2) and Phebe (Pennock) Spencer,
was born February 6, 1845. He was educated at
the public schools of his native township, and at
Kennett Square. He resides on the old home
stead in the house built by his great-grandfather,
Samuel Spencer, in 1802. Mr. Spencer, while
actively engaged in agriculture, has also taken
considerable interest in politics, having held many
of the local offices in the township under the Re
publican party. He is also an elder and overseer
in the West Grove Friends' meeting. He was
first married October 4, 1873, to Susan B. Wool
ston, a daughter of Thomas Woolston, of Ches
ter county, Pennsylvania. She died in January,
1875. He married again, April 3, 1884, Susan
Way, daughter of William and Mary A. Way,
of New London township. There was born to
them a son named De Leon, January 28, 1885,
who is at home. This second wife died Jan
uary 8, 1887. His third wife was Elizabeth Bar
ber, daughter of William Barber, of Camden,
New Jersey. They were married March 23,
1892.

THOMAS WALLACE. The first ancestor
of the Wallace family of whom there is any
authentic information was Thomas Wallace, who
emigrated from Scotland with his wife Eliza
beth soon after the year 1800. They settled in
the district known as Germantown, Philadel
phia, and here they reared their family of six
children who were as follows : 1. William Henry,
who married Katherine Kaiser; 2. Thomas, who
was the father of the subject of this sketch ; 3.
Elizabeth, 4. Anne, 5. Mary, all unmarried ; 6.
Susan, who married Crawford Dawes, of Phila
delphia. The mother of these children, Eliza
beth Wallace, was the first of the parents to die,
and she is buried with her husband, Thomas Wal
lace, in the family plot in Woodlands Cemetery,
Philadelphia. Thomas, second child and second son of
Thomas and Elizabeth Wallace, was born in Phil
adelphia in 1817, where he received a good educa
tion in the public schools. He went into the dry
goods business in that city and was a well known
merchant for many years. He was twice married,
the first wife being Elizabeth McClure, whose
children were: 1. Frank, who died in infancy; 2.
Charles, who also died in infancy ; 3. Laura, who

married E. W. Keene, and had one child, Edward,
who died in early life ; 4. Elizabeth, who died in
1884, married Albert F. Tenney and had two
children, Frank and Laura, of whom the former
is now deceased; 5. Stuart, who died in 1892,
married Ella Foazer and had one son Frank;
6. Thomas, whose name appears at the head of
this article. The mother of this family, Eliza
beth (McClure) Wallace, died August 20, i860,
and Thomas Wallace married Emily Bodine, who
is still living. Three children were born of the
second marriage, namely : Isabel and Emily, both
deceased, and Bodine. Thomas Wallace died in
1877. He was known as a just and conscientious
man in all the affairs of life, and it has been truly
said that he bore the ill-will of no man.
Thomas, Jr., was born in Philadelphia, March
22, 1854, and attended the Germantown Academy,
where he gained a thorough fundamental train
ing. On leaving school he learned telegraphy,
and on showing his proficiency in this line was
given a position by the Pennsylvania Railroad.
He was a trustworthy and efficient employe, and
he soon won_ promotion, and in 1884 he was
given charge of the railroad station of the com
pany at Chaddsford, the duties of which he has
faithfully discharged up to the present time. But
he has also shown himself to be a man of varied
capability, and his popularity was recognized in
1885 by his selection for the office of postmaster
of the town, and for eighteen years he has been
the capable servant of Uncle Sam as well as the
worker for the railroad corporation.
Mr. Wallace married, April 7, 1888, Miss
Annie D. Laferty, born December 24, 1864, the
daughter of Lewis and Mary (Dickinson) Laf
erty, a farmer of Uwchlan township, Chester
county, Pennsylvania, and four children were
born to the union : Arthur P., born February 19,
1889. Thomas Lewis, born May 10, 1891.
Mary, born Julv 2, 1893. Emily B., born March
18, 1896.
The family are members of the Baptist church
and are well liked in social circles. Mr. Wallace
has voted the Republican ticket and shows his
interest in education by serving on the school
board.

HARRY K. GALLAGHER, prominent
among the younger business men of Chadds Ford,
Delaware county, Pennsylvania, is proprietor of
one of the largest general merchandise stores in
the town. He is active in all public concerns of
the village, and a popular member of various
fraternal orders.
His father, George C. Gallagher, was born in
Maryland, where he grew up and was educated
in the public schools. He began the mercantile
business as a clerk, afterward engaging in busi-

292

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

ness independently at Avondale and at Tough
kenamon,. in Chester county, Pennsylvania. He
was diligent and foresighted, and prospered as a
merchant, and it was with him that his son, Harry
K., received his training in business. George C.
Gallagher married Phcebe, H., daughter of
Thomas and Martha Humes, of Franklin town
ship, Chester county, Pennsylvania. Mr. and
Mrs. Gallagher were members of the Presbyterian
church of Avondale, and Mrs. Gallagher espe
cially was an earnest worker in all church and
charitable undertakings. She was instrumental
in establishing the Presbyterian church at
Toughkenamon, and since her death her interest
and enthusiasm have been greatly missed among
her co-workers. The children of Mr. and Mrs.
Gallagher were as follows : Harry Kirk, who has
already been mentioned; Bertha E., who mar
ried William Pierson ; Mabel H., who became the
wife of Harry Mock; Raymond T., who is mar
ried; Ethel M., who married George Kirby; and
Paul, who is single.
Harry K. Gallagher, oldest child of George
C. and Martha (Humes) Gallagher, was born at
Toughkenamon, New • Garden township, 5 mo.,
2, 1869, and educated in the public schools of the
village, taking a later course in Miss Hannah M.
Cope's academy at the same place. After leaving
school he was employed as a salesman at various
places up to 1901, when he felt that his experi
ence warranted him in establishing himself in
business. He opened the store at Chadds Ford,
and the venture has proved successful. In his
business career he has been dependent on his own
efforts from the beginning, and his energy and
prompt response to all demands have brought
him a gratifying share of the public patronage.
He is a member of Concord Lodge No. 625, Free
and Accepted Masons, Birmingham Lodge No.
940, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and
Winona Tribe, No. 75, Improved Order of Red
Men. Harry K. Gallagher and Nellie G. Arment
were married 4 mo., 24, 1895. Mrs. Gallagher was
a daughter of John and Elizabeth J. (Crossgrove)
Arment. One child, Curtis H., was born to Mr.
and Mrs. Gallagher, 1 mo., 20, iS

CHEYNEY. John Cheyney was a resident
in Middletown township, Delaware county, Penn
sylvania as early as 171 5. He died near the close
of the year 1722 and by will devised all his es
tate to his two sons, John and Thomas, except
£5, which was to be paid to Cheyney Waldron, in
England. The sons soon after this returned to
England, presumably to their native parish, and
on January 16, 1724, John Bellers, of London,
merchant, conveyed to John Cheyney and Thomas
Chevnev, late of Middletown, in the county of

Chester, in Pennsylvania, but now of Upper
Lamborne, in the parish of Chipping Lamborne,
county of Berks, England, 1500 acres of land
in Pennsylvania, for £360. This land had been
purchased from William Penn, perhaps as a
speculation, but the owner had never come to
settle thereon. It was located in Thornbury
township, at and near the present Cheyney Sta
tion. The new purchasers returned to Pennsyl
vania to occupy the land, and early in 1726
Thomas Cheyney married Elizabeth Hickman,
daughter of Benjamin and Ann (Buffington)
Hickman, of Westtown. He died in August,
1728, leaving two daughters, Mary and Ann. The
latter married James Jefferis, and they with
their children were living at Jefferis Ford, on the
east branch of Brandywine, at the time of the
Revolution. Elizabeth Cheyney, the widow,
was married April 20, 1730, to Jacob Vernon, of
Thornbury, by whom she had children, Abraham,
Lydia, Elizabeth; Phebe, who became the wife
of Major John Harper, and Jacob Vernon, Junior.
John Cheyney, Jr., was married at Christ
church, Philadelphia, November .3, 1730, to Ann
Hickman, born February 14, 1713, daughter of
Benjamin and Ann Hickman, of Westtown. They
settled on a part of the Cheyney tract in Thorn
bury, where he died in 1745. The Hickman
women were members of Concord Friends' Meet
ing, and were disowned for marriage by a min
ister to those not Friends. After John's death his
widow made an acknowledgment for her offense
and was received into membership again, 9 mo.,
6, 1749. Her son John Cheyney was also ad
mitted 3 mo., 5, 176.1, and continued in member
ship until his death. The children of John and
Ann Cheyney were five in number, all young at
their father's death, as follows :
Thomas, b. December 12, 1731 ; d. January 12,
181 1 ; see below.
John, b. June 20, 1733; d. October 8, 1806;
m. 5 mo., 20, 1761, Deborah Townsend, widow
of John Townsend and daughter of Richard Jones.
Joseph, b. January 12, 1735; d. August 10,
1794; m. Edith Mendenhall and had fourteen
children, Lydia, Samuel, Esther, Jesse, Marv,
Joseph, Anne, Curtis, Abel, Jane, Elizabeth, Han
nah, Phebe, Waldron.
Mary, b. February 1, 1737; d. September 30,
1820; m. Richard Riley, Esq., March 18, 1757.
Richard, b. March 23, 1739; d. June 17, 1791 ;
m. September 16, 1765, Mary Hannum, and had
children, John H., William, Charles, Jane, Eliza
beth and Mary.
Thomas Cheyney, the eldest son, married, De
cember 26, 1755, Mary Taylor, widow of Philip
Taylor and daughter of John and Margaret Riley,
of Marcus Hook, formerly from England. She
died in 1766, a few hours after the birth of her
son John, and in 1769 Thomas married Mary

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

293

Vernon, widow of his cousin Abraham Vernon,
and daughter of William and Deborah (Wood
ward) Bennett, of East Bradford. She was born
8 mo., 24, 1731, and died 7 mo., 9, 1819 ; buried in
the Cheyney family burial ground, established by
her husband. By bpth wives he had nine chil
dren: Ann, b. March 29, 1756; d. September 30,
1829, unmarried.
Lucy, b. October 2, 1757 ; d. January 25, 1802 ;
m. Benjamin Hickman.
Richard, b. January 16, 1759; d. 1825 ; m. and
settled in Redstone.
Thomas, b. January 7, 1762 ; d. July 23, 1809 ;
m. Ann Wilson.
Mary, b. 1763 ; m. Abraham Johnson and re
moved to Virginia.
John, b. June 2, 1766; removed to Redstone;
m. Tacy Graves.
Alice, b. October 28, 1769; d. April 10, 1855;
m. Francis Hickman.
Elizabeth, b. October, 1771 ; d. April 18, 1847;
m. James Hickman.
William, b. November 18, 1773 ; d. May 1,
183 1 ; see below.
Thus, at the outbreak of the Revolutionary
war, Thomas Cheyney was a man of about forty
five years of age, with a large family of eleven
children, and some of them quite young. The fol
lowing anecdote has been preserved in history,
but at what time it was first committed to paper
is unknown to the writer:
"While Washington was in a state of painful
uncertainty respecting the movements of the Brit
ish army on the morning of the day of the battle
of Brandywine, Squire Thomas Cheyney, a citi
zen of Thornbury township, rode up to the forces
under Sullivan with intelligence that the main
body of the British army had crossed the Brandy
wine and was already at hand, approaching from
the north; and, being uncourteously received by
that General, demanded to be led to the com
mander-in-chief. This was done, and, although
Washington was at first disposed to doubt the
correctness of the information, he was at length
convinced of its truth, and immediately disposed
of his troops to meet the emergency. It is said
that some of the General's staff spoke rather
sneeringly of the rustic Squire's information,
which roused his temper. 'If you doubt my word,'
said he to the commander-in-chief, 'put me under
guard until you can ask Anthony Wayne or
Persie Frazer if I am a man to be believed,' and
then, turning to the General's attendants, he in
dignantly exclaimed, T would have you to know
that I have this day's work as much at heart as
e'er a blood of you !' "
It was doubtless this incident that brought
him into public notice, and we find that a little
more than a month after this event he was ap

pointed a sub-lieutenant for Chester county, Oc
tober 16, 1777, and in that capacity he was ac
tive in organizing and equipping the militia for
defense. On the same date, in supreme execu
tive council, "An order was drawn on David
Rittenhouse, Esq., treasurer of the state, in favor
of Col. Thomas Cheyney, sub-lieutenant of the
county of Chester, for the sum of two thousand
dollars, to be charged to Colonel Smith, lieutenant
of the said county, for the purpose of paying sub
stitutes and purchasing blankets, for which sum
he is to account." (Coloniel Records, xi, 321.)
On October 21, 1777, he was appointed a com
missioner to seize the personal property of those
supposed to be unfriendly to the American cause
(xi, 329)-
October 24, 1777, it is represented that he
and Colonel William Gibbons had written to
council respecting Jonathan Hunter and George
Hunter, who were suspected of loyalty to King
George (xi, 360).
October 31, 1777, President Wharton wrote
to Colonels Cheyney and Gronow, urging them
"to take all prudent & effectual measures to
form three of four Troops of Light Horse out of
your Militia ; taking herein the advice & direc
tion of General Potter, on whom they greatly rely.
These you are to put under his direction, subor
dinate however to the Comr-in-Chief and Gen.
Armstrong." (Archives, v. 732.)
December 16, 1777, Thomas Cheyney was
appointed, with others, to take subscriptions for
the Continental Loan. (2d Archives, iii, 711.)
May 6, 1778, he was appointed an agent for
forfeited estates, to seize and dispose of the real
estate of perons attainted of" treason to the colon
ies. (Colonial Records, xi, 503; 2d Archives, iii,
737.) In Council, June 4, 1778, the following
letter was read : "June ye 2d, 1778.
"To the Honorable the Executive Council of the
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Humbly
Sheweth :
"Whereas the Enerhy in their Rout from the
Head of Elk to Philadelphia Committed Many
Robefies and Plundering on the Inhabitants of
they several Townships in my District as they
Pass'd through, (To Wit:) the Townships of
Newgarden, Kennett, Newlin Town, Pennsbor-
ough, East and West Bradford, Burmingham,
Concord, Ashtown, Middletown, Edgmont,
Thornbury, West Town, seizing Horses, Cattle,
Sheep & Swine, and Goods, Grain & Provisions of
all kinds, and in many Places What they Could
not Carry off they wantingly Destroyed, Which
has Greatly Distressed said Inhabitants : There
fore, as the Law is silent in Respect to the Inhabi
tants Under the above Circumstances, it would be
Granting a Particular favor to your Humble

294

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

servent if your sentiments Upon the above Per-
ticulars Could be made known to me.
"Thomas Cheyney."
(2d Archives, iii, 201.)
On the same day, in council, it is noted that
"Colo. Hannum & Colo. Cheyney having repre
sented that they are very confident that the Guard
of Men ordered on the 22nd ultimo, is necessary
for the purpose of Collecting the fines due for
non-service in the Classes of Militia called out by
order of Council in the County of Chester, and
as the difficulties attending that duty is evidently
greatly lessened by the preparations made by the
Enemy for leaving the City of Philadelphia," it is
therefore ordered that this guard do proceed to
camp with the classes from which they were to
be drawn. (Colonial Records, xi, 507.)
March 30, 1780, Thomas Cheyney was again
commissioned a sub-lieutenant for Chester
county, and as such signed the returns of officers
for some of the battalions, May 10, 1780. (2d
Archives, iii, 736, xiv, 93, 120.) He was ap
pointed a Justice of the Peace on October 9, 1784,
and commissioned a Judge of the Common Pleas,
October 13, 1784. (2d Archives, iii, 733.)
In an alphabetical list of Revolutionary Sol
diers (2d Archives, xiii, 35) we find the names
of Richard Cheyney and Thomas Cheyney. It
appears that Richard was in the Seventh battalion
of lighthorse, Col. George Pierce, 1780-1. (2d
Archives, xiv, 127.) Richard Riley, who married
the only sister of Thomas Cheyney, took an ac
tive part in the cause of independence, being a
deputy to the provincial convention, July 15,
1774, and a member of the Provincial conven
tion, July 15, 1774, and a member of the Provin
cial Conference, June 18, 1775. (Hist. Chester
County, 711; 2d Archives, iii, 678.)
About 1793 a correspondence was revived be
tween Thomas Cheyney and relatives in Eng
land, and several letters or copies of letters writ
ten by him are among the possessions of the
Pennsylvania Historical Society. Their rustic,
jovial style would indicate a mind on good terms
with his surroundings, and the use of the plain
language shows the influence of Quaker associa
tions. His principal correspondent was Ann (or
Nancy) Westbury, whose grandmother was
Elizabeth Waldron, perhaps a sister to the first
John Cheyney, as she named her son Cheyney
Waldron. Her other children were Thomas,
William, Elizabeth and Ann, of whom Elizabeth
married Richard Pinnell and was the mother of
Ann Westbury. In one of his letters Thomas
Cheyney writes thus : "Thee tells me if thee hadst
the advantage of the feather's race thee should
direct thy Corse this way. My dear Nancy, if
thee was Drest in Feathers thee wouldst make a
Drole appearance indeed. The whiggs some

years ago used to dress the Torys in feathers with
the addition of Tar. They would make them
Look Prity slick, quick time, but that is Gone
quite out of fashion."
William Cheyney, youngest son of Thomas
and Mary, married Elizabeth Jones, born 1772;
died 9 mo, 2, 1850; daughter of Richard and
Hannah (Harper) Jones. He inherited the
homestead with 150 acres of land and was called
farmer William to distinguish him from another
of the same name. His children who lived to
marry were four in number :
Rufus T., d. July 3, 1841. See below.
Alice, m. February 23, 1832, Nathan Gheen,
and October 31, 1839, Garrett Scott. She died
February 9, 1872.
Maria, m. to William Haines, of New London,
had fourteen children.
Thomas W., b. March 10, 1814; d. June 1,
1866; m. Jane B. Ashbridge. Like his grand
father he was known as Squire Cheyney. He
was collector of internal revenue for the U. S.
government and died suddenly, sitting in his
office, in West Chester, leaving several children.
Rufus T. Cheyney, son of William and Eliza
beth, was married February 23, 1832, to Sarah
Gheen, daughter of Joseph and Hannah (Os
borne) Gheen, and sister to Nathan Gheen, who
married his sister Alice. The two couples were
married on the same day. He died of consump
tion and his widow was buried by his side, Octo
ber 22, 1843, at the family burial ground in
Thornbury. William G. Cheyney, son of Rufus T. and
Sarah, was born in Thornbury, Chester county,
November 8, 1832 ; was educated at the public
schools and at Jonathan Gause's famous board
ing school, in this county. He then entered ' a
flour and grist mill in Westtown township, but
after working here for twenty-seven months he
took up the trade of painting, which he has since
followed. He was married at Media, August 21,
1856, to Louisa E. Baker, born in Edgemont,
January 8, 1837; daughter of Abel and Ann
(Sill) Baker, of the latter place, and they have
had eleven children: 1. Sarah Jane, died in in
fancy; 2. Abel, married Mary Hippie, and has
two children ; 3. Rufus Clifton, unmarried ; 4.
Anna Louisa, married John Hippie, and has five
children; 5. Hannah Ann, died in infancy; 6.
Harvey, died in infancy; 7. Samuel S., married
Anna Brinton, and has three children; 8. Jacob
Berstler, married Mary Getty, and has one child ;
9. Effie Florence, unmarried; 10. Wellington
Hickman, unmarried; 11. Clifford, unmarried.
William G. Cheyney- is a Democrat in politics,
and has served in the offices of school director,
justice of the peace and constable. He is a mem
ber of the Red Men, and of the Junior Order
United American Mechanics. His business is

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

295

now conducted by his sons, and he lives quietly
in a beautiful home in Thornbury, Delaware
county.

ROBERT HENRY HODGSON. A notable
event in the history of New London township,
Chester county, Pennsylvania, was a centennial
family reunion, held September 7, 1892, at the
residence of Robert Henry Hodgson, at Pleas
ant Garden Tract. Upon that occasion Mr.
Hodgson, in referring to his family estate, re
marked that "this land is an old patent tract taken
up by our forefathers, and never since has it
been owned out of the name of Hodgson. My
father was born here, and here we have been
permitted to remain." A history of the Hodgson
family was read by Ellis P. Hodgson, and from
it is drawn what follows.
The history of the Hodgson family in America
begins in 1665, the year following the assertion
of English authority under Sir Richard Nicolls.
In that year Robert Hodgson landed in New Am
sterdam, now New York. He was an English
man and a Quaker, and, according to a story of
the day, he was, on account of his religion, tied
to a darkey and flogged, by order of Peter
Stuyvesant, the governor during the brief Dutch
rule. Traditions as to his later settlement differ
somewhat. The Virginia branch of the family
contend that he settled at Philadelphia, while
members of the Hodgsons of Pennsylvania assert
that he settled at or near Chester, on the Delaware
river. The records of Chester county show that'
in 1692, prior to its division, Thomas Bright as
signed to Robert Hudgeson fifty acres in Concord
township, and little doubt is entertained of this
being the immigrant Robert Hodgson, the name,
as others, frequently appearing in different forms.
Five years later he bought fifty acres in Spring
field, which he sold in 1699, and the deed shows
him to be of Chester. In 17 14 Robert Hodgson
was a taxpayer in Chester ; he moved away, and
a certificate was granted him and his wife Sarah
and their family, dated 8 mo., 28, 1717, and di
rected to Newark monthly meeting. This Robert
is thoroughly accounted for from 17 14 until his
death in 1733, and the question has been raised,
was he the immigrant Robert, or his son? The
family historian (Ellis P. Hodgson), after care
ful study and research, is convinced that he was
the former.
Robert Hodgson became an extensive land
owner. December 14, 1714, he patented a tract
of two thousand acres, and on the next day, with
James Hendricks, another of one thousand five
hundred acres, both in old Chester county, on
Conestoga creek, and both under Penn patents.
In 171 5 a two hundred and fifty acre tract in
East Nottingham township was patented, and

was known as "Hodgson's Choice," and in 1728
another patent was granted for a tract of six
hundred and sixty acres called "Pleasant Garden."
Family tradition asserts that Robert Hodgson,
after leaving Chester, settled on the Conestoga
tract, which he abandoned on account of trouble
with the Indians, and located pn Bohemia Manor,
in Maryland. The latter region was fertile but
malarial, and he again moved to Pleasant Garden,
which, as has been heretofore observed, has been
since uninterruptedly in possession of his descend
ants, and is now the home of Robert H. Hodg
son. It is curious to not that this tract was ob
tained under a Maryland patent, and was held
to be in Cecil county in that province.
Robert Hodgson would appear to have died
at about the age of eighty-nine years. His will,
made in 1732, was proven November 28, 1773.
In it he names his wife Sarah, and the following
children: Joseph, John, David, Richard, Phin-
eas, Matthew, Rachel Scptt, Sarah Hodgson,
Jona and Robert. To Phineas he gave two hun
dred acres on the south side of Pleasant Gar
den, and the undisposed of remainder to Joseph.
Joseph conveyed his interest, December 9, ,1745,
to Phineas, who died intestate, leaving three sons,
the older of whom, Robert, inherited the property.
Robert settled in Frederick county, Virginia,
about 1745. In 1771 he gave one hundred and
thirty acres of Pleasant Garden to his brother
John, who sold it in 1773 to William Shearer.
In 1771 Robert, with his wife and mother, deeded
another one hundred and thirty acres of Pleas
ant Garden to his youngest brother Abel. Two
years later, Abel bought of Jonathan Hodgson,
of Philadelphia (his cousin, and a grandson of
Robert, of Cecil county) the two hundred and fifty
acres known as "Hodgson's Choice." The will
of Robert, brother of Abel, shows that the one
hundred and thirty acres of Pleasant Garden
deeded to Abel was the northeast part of the
tract situated in New London township, Chester
county, and it is that portion which is now oc
cupied by his great-grandson, Robert Henry-
Hodgson. Abel Hodgson was the father of two sons,
Robert and James ; and three daughters, Mary,
Elizabeth and Hannah. From the sons came
numerous descendants. Robert, the eldest, mar
ried, January 3, 1793, Sarah Alexander, and to
them were born eight children — Mark, born Oc
tober 5, 1793; Elizabeth, 1795; James, 1797;
Harriet, 1799; Robert, 1803; Sarah, 1806;
Henry, 18 10; Alexander, 18 14. The father mar
ried (second) Catherine Evans, March 24,
1 83 1. James, second son of Abel Hodgson,
married (1798) Margaret, a daughter of Judge
James Boyd, and her grandchildren now oc
cupy the old Boyd homestead. To them were
born five children — 1. James B., died 1838; 2.

296

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

Judge Joseph Hodgson, of Elk View, who be
came an associate judge, and was a man of great
mental vigor and sterling integrity; and daugh
ters Eliza, Jane and Mary.
James, third child and second son of Robert
and Sarah (Alexander) Hodgson, was born Au
gust 5, 1797, and died December 17, 1880. He
married, February 8, 1827, Elizabeth E. Gilles
pie, born in October, 1797, and died April 18,
1845. Their children were: Sarah Alexander,
born November 3, 1827; Mary Evans, born Aprii
21, 1829; Robert Henry, born October 31, 1830;
Elizabeth Gillespie, born July 12, 1832; George
Gillespie, born September 19, 1834; Matilda
Brown, born August 21, 1836; James Wallace,
born June 11, 1838; Norris Kirkwood, born
April 10, 1842.
Robert Henry Hodgson, third child and eld
est son of James and Elizabeth E. (Gillespie)
Hodgson, owns and cultivates the ancestral
Pleasant Garden property, upon which he yet
resides. He married, October 7, 1856, Maggie
A. Sproul, and their children were: 1. Annie
Sproul, born January 1, i860, married (May
24, 1884) Robert D. Morrow, and to them were
born Nellie H., March 12, 1885; Herbert S.,
born December 15, 1887; Robert Hodgson, born
July 29, 1890. 2. Bessie Gillespie, born May 25,
1862, died September 2, 1883; 3. Charles S.,
born August 29, 1864.
Elizabeth G., daughter of James and Eliza
beth E. (Gillespie) Hodgson, married (Novem
ber 12, 1857) Robert M. Pierce, and to them
were born: George Hodgson, July 30, 1859;
Norris Appleton, born December 28, 1861 ;
James Hodgson, born May 2, 1864-; Sarah E.,
born August 24, 1867; Bessie Gillespie, born
July 21, 1872.
Matilda B., daughter of James and Eliza
beth (Gillespie) Hodgson, married (November,
1862) Thomas Budd, and their children were:
May Hodgson, born January 13, 1864; William,
Trites, born May 31, 1865; Bessie Gillespie,
born July 9, 1867; died August 19, 1887; Lillian
Hodgson, born June 17, 1870; Helen Johnson,
born June 9, 1872, died May 27, 1886; John
Thomas, born December 7, 1875, died July 21,
1889; Henry Garrison, born February 23, 1877.
Mr. Hodgson, his wife and children are mem
bers of Rock Presbyterian church, Mr. Hodgson
being an elder for forty years, and in 1903 he
represented New Castle Presbytery at the gen
eral assembly at Los Angeles, California.

EUGENE C. SPENCER, an industrious
and highly respected citizen of Franklin town
ship, Chester county, Pennsylvania, where
he was actively engaged in agricultural pur

suits, is a descendant of Samuel Spencer, who
was born about the middle of the eighteenth cent
ury in Montgomery county, Pennsylvania, from
whence he removed to Franklin township, and
settled on a six-hundred-acre tract of land, where
on in 1802 he erected a house which is still stand
ing in a good state of preservation, and is occu
pied by his great-grandson, Pennock Spencer.
Jonathan Spencer, son of Samuel Spencer,
was born February 20, 1778, in Chester county,
Pennsylvania. He spent his entire life in this
vicinity, and was prominently and actively inter
ested in its various interests, and was a prominent
member of the Society oc Friends. He married
Lydia Michner, who was born November 12,
1788, a daughter of Mordecai Michner. They
were the parents of the following named chil
dren: Alice, born November 22, 18 15, died in
childhood; Samuel, born August 4, 1816; Phebe,
born August 6, 1818, died in early life; Jesse,
born July 22, 1820, died in childhood; Sidney,
born October 13, 1822, died in childhood; Jesse,
born October 2, 1824; Rachel, born October 15,
1826; Alice, born September 1, 1829; Davis,
born August 29, 1831, and Phebe Spencer, born
August 7, 1834. Jonathan Spencer, father of
these children, died December 29, 1841, and his
wife, who survived him for many years, passed
away June 25, 1868.
Jesse Spencer, fourth son of Jonathan and
Lydia Spencer, was born in Franklin township,
Chester county, Pennsylvania, October 2, 1824.
He was reared on his father's farm, educated in
the common schools of the neighborhood, and up
to the time of his marriage, in 1850, to Mar
garet Chalfant, a daughter of William Chalfant,
of Penn township, Chester county, Pennsylvania,
he resided with his brother. Shortly after his
marriage he located on a farm in his native town
ship, and being an industrious and reliable man,
was enabled to secure a comfortable home for
his family, which consisted of four children, John,
Eugene C, Minnie, and Elwood Spencer. He
adhered to the religious faith of his forefathers,
that of Quaker, and for many years was a member
of the Society of Friends. His death occurred
March 1, 1902.
Eugene C. Spencer, second son of Jesse and
Margaret Spencer, was born on the old Spencer
homestead in Franklin township, Chester county,
November 26, 1855. His early education was
obtained in the public schools of Franklin town
ship, and this was supplemented by attendance at
the New London Academy. For a number of
years he assisted with the work on the home farm,
but later he purchased a ninety-seven-acre tract
of land upon which he has resided ever since.
The ground is under a high state of cultivation,
and is considered one of the best and most pro
ductive pieces of property in that section of the

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

297

state. Mr. Spencer succeeded his father to the
office of school director of Franklin township,
in which capacity he is serving at the present
time (1903). He is a Republican in politics,
and a believer in the doctrines of the Quaker
faith, of which Society he and his family attend.
On March 6, 1884, Mr. Spencer married Kate
A. Moore, daughter of William Moore, born
February 27, 1815, and Katherine (Steel) Moore,
and one child has been the issue of this union,
namely: Jesse Harlan Spencer.
William Moore, father of Mrs. Spencer, is
a descendant of Charles Moore, who emigrated
to this country from England in 1682, was grant
ed a tract of land in what is now known as Marple
township, Delaware county, Pennsylvania, by
William Penn, and here he established a home in
which members of the Moore family have since
resided, the sixth generation now occupying the
homestead.

JOSEPH GHEEN WEST, M. D., now re
tired from the active practice of his profession,
which he successfully followed in the town of
Kemblesville, Franklin township, Chester county,
Pennsylvania, from i860, the year of his gradua
tion, until 1889, was born in East Pikeland town
ship, Chester county, May 2, 1834, a son of David
and Elizabeth (Gheen) West, and grandson of
David and Margaret (Brinton) West.
David West (grandfather), was for many
years a prominent resident of Wilmington, Del
aware, where he spent his declining years. He
was a blacksmith by trade, and pursued that oc
cupation during his residence in both states. He
was married to Annie Pierce, by whom he had
one son, David West, Jr., born January 1, 1802.
Mr. West died when his son was a young child,
and his widow subsequently* married Thomas
Gheen. David West, Jr., (father) was born in Wil
mington, Delaware, January 1, 1802. He acquired
a good English education in the schools of that
early day, and by a judicious course of. reading
became one of the most intelligent men of the
community, being well informed on almost any
subject. Upon attaining young manhood he
engaged in farming in Goshen township, where
he resided until 1828, when he purchased a farm
in Pikeland township, which he cultivated until
the spring of 185 1, when he left the management
of the property to his two sons. He then pur
chased a farm in East Vincent township, con
sisting of one hundred and forty-two acres of
rich and arable land, and here he continued oper
ations up to the time of his decease. He was a
Democrat in early life, but upon the formation of
the Republican party he changed his views and
thereafter strictly adhered to the principles of

that organization. He served as justice of the
peace for a number of years in East Pikeland
township, also as school director and being a man
of strong will and good judgment he was called
upon to serve as administrator of many estates
and guardian for children, and in addition to
these duties he performed a large amount of
clerical work for his neighbors. He was an ac
tive and influential member of the Society of
Friends. In 1820 Mr. West married Elizabeth Gheen,
a daughter of Thomas Gheen, his stepfather, and
the following named children were born to them :
Anna Mary, who died the wife of Levi Penny-
packer; Thomas Gheen, who married Edith
Green. She is; now deceased; Joshua Pierce,
deceased, who was a farmer and justice of the
peace in Chester county ; William, who died at
the age of two and a half years ; Wilmar Worth
ington, a prominent farmer of Sheeder, ,and Dr.
Joseph Gheen West. The father of these chil
dren died January 1, 1869, aged sixty-seven
years, and his wife passed away in the year 1871.
Joseph G. West, youngest son of David and
Elizabeth West, attended the common schools of
the neighborhood, the private school of Joseph
Strobe, and Oakdale Seminary, where he com
pleted his literary education. He then taught
school for one winter in Lebanon county, after
which he took up the study of medicine with Dr.
Maurice Fussell, of Chester Springs. Subse
quently he matriculated in the Medical Depart
ment of the University of Pennsylvania, from
which institution he was graduated in i860 with
the degree of Doctor of Medicine. He located at
Kemblesville, Chester county, in the fall of i860,
and at once entered upon the active practice of
his profession. In addition to the duties of his
extensive and lucrative patronage, Dr. West es
tablished a drug store which he conducted until
1889, when he retired from active business pur
suits and was succeeded by his son, Dr. Frederick
West. Dr. Joseph G. West is a Republican in politics
and in 1862 was appointed postmaster of Kem
blesville, which office he held for twenty-five
years, and, with the exception of President Cleve
land's administration, he and his son, who is the
present postmaster, have been the incumbents of
the office. In 1890 he was elected by the Repub
licans of Chester county as a member of the
house of representatives of Pennsylvania, and was
re-elected in 1892 without any effort on his part,
running ahead of his ticket.
While Dr. West was a member of the house
of representatives he was ever looking and acting
for the best interest of his. constituents and the
public generally. He was especially interested in
securing the passage of the compulsory school
attendance bill, as well as the free text books

298

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

bill, and was instrumental in the defeat of
the book bill, providing for a uniform series
by a state compiling and publishing board,
which was intended simply as an opportunity for
jobbery. He served on the following committees :
Health and sanitation, military, printing, vice
and immorality, and fish and game, and was the
chairman of that last named.
On January 9, 1862, Dr. West married Ella
Maria Haines, a daughter of William E. and
Maria (Cheney) Haines, of Franklin township,
Their children were : Maurice Fussell, born Jan
uary 19, 1863, a druggist of Newark, Delaware;
Frederick B., born July 31, 1866, a physician at
Kemblesville, and Ida, born February 25, 1875,
died June 15, 1875. Dr. and Mrs. West adopted
Eva L. Kemble, when a child, whom they reared
and -educated as their own child; she is now the
wife of Wilber P. Watson, of Avondale, Penn
sylvania. Mrs. West, mother of these children,
died in 1891. On October 11, 1897, Dr. West
was united in marriage to Mrs. Mary S. Mercer,
of New Garden township, Chester county, Penn
sylvania, a daughter of Caleb and Martha Stack-
house.

JAMES FULTON, M. D., a well known and
skillful physician of New London township,
Chester county, Pennsylvania, where he enjoys
in an eminent degree the confidence of the com
munity and the esteem of the medical profession,
is a lineal descendant of John Fulton, a native
of Lanarkshire, Scotland, the year of his birth
being 1713. His marriage occurred in 1743 and
his wife, Eleanor Fulton, bore him six children —
Mary ; Elizabeth ; James ; John ; Jane ; and Susan
Fulton. The three eldest children were born in
Scotland, and in the year 1753, when Mary was
eight years old, Elizabeth five years old and James
two years old, their parents set sail from Glas
gow, Scotland, for this country. Tradition has
it that the family landed at New Castle, Delaware,
or Baltimore, Maryland, but in 1762 they removed
to Chester county, Pennsylvania, where he pur
chased a two hundred and sixty acre tract of
land. He was one of the elders of the Oxford
Associate Presbyterian church, having donated
a portion of the ground on which it was located.
His death occurred March 20, 1796.
James Fulton (grandfather) was born Feb
ruary 2, 1 75 1, in Lanarkshire, Scotland, but was
reared and educated in this country. On No
vember 25, 1781, he married Margaret Miller,
who was born January 20, 1757, and the issue
of this union was six children — John, born March
23, 1783, died in Petersburg, Virginia, in 1854;
Rachel, born April 9, 1787, died March 15, 1864;
Joseph, born March 3, 1785, married, March 2,
1809, Martha Watt, and his death occurred De

cember 27, 1844; Eleanor M., born November 23,
I793, became the wife of Fulton Hutchison ;
Miller, born December 13, 1797, died September
16, 1859; James Jefferson, born February 18,
1801, mentioned at length hereinafter. James
Fulton, father of these children, died February
r5i *833, aged eighty-two years ; his wife, Mar
garet (Miller) Fulton, died July 20, 1816.
James J. Fulton (father) was born February
18, 1801, and for a number of years was a prom
inent resident of Bartville, Lancaster county,
Pennsylvania. He was united in marriage June
7, 1827, to Nancy Ann Ramsey, who was born Au
gust 22, 1802, and they became the parents of six
children— Rachel Maria, born March 30, 1828,
died in Lancaster, June 19, 1832 ; Margaret Jane,
born October 1, 1830, died in Lancaster August
16, 1831 ; James, born November 12, 1832, men
tioned at length in the following paragraph ; Will
iam Thompson, born February 27, 1835, married,
April 5, 1865, Hannah A. Kirk ; his second mar
riage occurred October 19, 1876, to Annie E.
Neeper; Joseph Miller, born January 11, 1840,
married Sarah Anna Brown, and his death oc
curred February 21, 1892; and Hugh Ramsey,
born November 16, 1843, married November 15,
1871, Sallie Thompson Kerr. James J. Fulton,
father of these children, died April 28, 1864, aged
sixty-three years; his wife, Nancy A. (Ramsey)
Fulton, died January 7, 1870, in the sixty-ninth
year of her age.
James Fulton, eldest son of James J. and
Nancy A. Fulton, was born in Bartville, Lancas
ter county, Pennsylvania, November 12, 1832.
His educational advantages were obtained at the
public schools of the neighborhood, at the aca
demy of Evan Pugh, at Delaware College, in
Newark, Delaware, and at Jefferson Medical Col
lege, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In 1855 he en
tered the office of Dr. Thomas H. Thompson, of
Chester county, pursued a four years' course of
medical reading with that eminent physician, and
in 1859 was graduated from that office with the
degree of Doctor of Medicine. He immediately
began the active practice of his profession at-Jen-
nersville, Penn township, Chester county, but
two years later went into the army in the capacity
of assistant surgeon of the One Hundred and
Forty-third Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteers,
which position he held until his resignation, April
4, 1864. He was captured at the battle of Get
tysburg, in the first day's fight, when the Union
forces were driven back through the town, and
reported to General A. P. Hill, who directed him
to go back to the hospital and do the best he could
for the sick and wounded. This was a difficult
proposition as the wounded soldiers were within
the enemy's lines, and the trains with the provi
sions far to the south of the town. He tried to
procure food for the soldiers by begging from

tsf^Q^ut^

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CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

299

house to house, but this was a slow operation ; he
was then advised to visit General Ewall, a rebel
officer, who promised a supply of flour but in
stead of keeping his word he sent the flour to
Virginia as fast as the rebel teams could take it.
He finally found a baker who furnished him six
teen barrels of crackers, which Dr. Fulton distri
buted to the different hospitals and these served
the purpose until the enemy retreated.
Dr. Fulton now resides in New, London town
ship, Chester county, attends to the wants of a
large and select practice, and ranks among the
representative members of the medical profession
in that section of the county. He was the ex
amining surgeon of the government for the Pen
sion Department in Chester county, for sixteen
years, is a member of the Oxford Medical Society,
and president of the Chester County Medical So
ciety. Fraternally he is an honored member of
the Free and Accepted Masons, Independent
Order of Odd Fellows and Grand Army of the
Republic, in all of which he has taken a prominent
part. On May 16, 1861, Dr. Fulton married Anna
M. Johnson, daughter of Hoopes Johnson, a well
known hotel proprietor of Jennersville, Chester
county. The following named children were born
to them — Rebecca, wife of Charles E. McKillips ;
they are the parents of three children ; James, de
ceased; Mary, unmarried, resides at home with
her parents ; Caroline, unmarried ; William, un
married, and Gertrude, unmarried.

WILLIAM WILLARD, for the past twen
ty-five years successfully engaged in business
pursuits in the town of Kemblesville, Chester
county, Pennsylvania, where he has occupied a
number of positions of responsibility and trust,
was born in London, Britain township, Chester
county, May 6, 1852, a son of Benjamin F. and
Mary Willard.
Benjamin F. Willard (father) was a native
of New Garden township, Chester county, Penn
sylvania, his birth having occurred there in the
year 1817. He was reared in his native township
and during his boyhood attended the common
schools, where he obtained a good English edu
cation. Subsequently he turned his attention to
the trade of carpenter and after becoming pro
ficient in that branch of industry, he established
a business which he followed in that section of
the country for many years. Mr. Willard was
united in marriage to Mary Ginlan, and the issue
of this union was eight sons and three daughters,
namely: Nathan, deceased; Elizabeth; Benja
min F., Jr., Henry, deceased; Daniel, deceased;
Susan, deceased ; William and John, twins ;
Lewis ; Nevin, and orte child who died in in
fancy. Mr. Willard died April 19, 1869; his

widow survived him for many years, her death
occurring in February, 1889, at the age of sev
enty-five years.
The boyhood and early youth of William Wil
lard, one of the twin sons of Benjamin F. and
Mary Willard, was spent on a farm in Franklin
township and his educational advantages were
obtained in the common schools of the vicinitv.
At the age of sixteen years, having decided to
follow the occupation of carpenter, he became an
apprentice and after continuing in this capacity
for five years, he was thoroughly qualified to
establish a business on his own account. He ac
cordingly located at Kemblesville, Chester county,
and his business abilities have been demonstrated
by the fact that his trade has constantly increased
during the past twenty-five years, and he is now
classed among the successful business men of the
town. Mr. Willard was largely instrumental in
the organization of the National bank of Avon-
dale, which has been a valuable acquisition to
the town, and he has served on the board of
directors from its organization up to the present
time (1903). Politically Mr. Willard is a
staunch Democrat and an earnest worker for the
success of his party, and he has acceptably filled
a number of local offices.
On February 7, 1877, Mr. Willard married
Laura S. Kennedy, a daughter of Robert Ken
nedy, of Kemblesville, Chester county. Their
children are : Clarence R., a carpenter by trade ;
Mamie E., wife of Arnold Hewing; Maggie;
and Helen Willard. The family are active mem
bers of the Methodist Episcopal church, Mr. Wil
lard acting in the capacity of trustee for many
years.

MOSES E. ROGERS, a prominent citizen
of Franklin township, Chester, county, Pennsyl
vania, was born in Harford county, Maryland,
December 26, 1844. His parents were Elisha
Hartshorn and A. Pennock Rogers. His grand
father, Levi Rogers, was a pump manufacturer,
and he spent his life in Maryland.
Elisha H. Rogers, father of Moses Rogers,
was born in Cecil county, Maryland, in 1818,
and he was engaged in the manufacture of shoes.
He married the daughter of Solomon Pennock,
of Cecil county, Maryland. There were six
children born to them, five of whom lived to be
grown, namely : William Pennock, Moses Evans,
Solomon T., Ruben Pusey, and Maria Cloud,
who died at the age of seven years. The father,
Elisha H., died when he was seventy-two years
old, and his wife passed away at the advanced
age of eighty-three years.
Moses Evans learned the trade of a carriage
maker, and worked as a journeyman for twenty-
seven years in Cecil county, Maryland. In 1889

3oo

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

he came to Chester county, Pennsylvania, and
settled on a part of the old Pennock homestead,
in Franklin township. Here he has been engaged
in the cultivation of his land, an honored and re
spected citizen. On March 13, 1889, he married
Margaret B. Pennock, daughter of Joseph E.
and Sarah Pennock. Mrs. Rogers died May
30, 1902.

_ MARSHALL S. CROSSAN, an estimable
citizen of Franklin township, Chester county, is
a descendant of William Crossan, who was a
resident of Landenburg, Lower Britain township,
Chester, and who was a man of means and
unusual ability, an extensive and prosperous
farmer, general merchant and freighter of mer
chandise between Landenburg and Wilmington
and Baltimore.
Kennedy Crossan, son of William and Mar
garet Crossan, was born in the homestead farm,
December 24, 1815. In his young manhood he
assisted his father in the freighting business, and
subsequently engaged in farming on the fine,
tract just south of that upon which his son,
Thomas E. Crossan, now resides. Kennedy
Crossan served as township supervisor and in
other local offices. He passed his last days with
his son, and died August 17, 1898. Not a church
member, he was a man of exemplary character,
and worshipped with the Presbyterians. In poli
tics he was a Democrat. April 18, 1844, he mar
ried Margaret Nichols, who was born January
8, 1822, a daughter of Thomas and Mary Nichols,
of Landenburg. The children born of this mar
riage were: 1. Samuel D., born March 2, 1845,
who resides in Wilmington, Delaware; 2. Mary
E., born October 10, 1846, now deceased; 3.
Thomas Edmund, born February 4, 1848, who
is a prosperous farmer at Landenburg; 4. Phebe
¦ Ann, born March 31, 1851, now deceased; 5.
Kennedy, born May 25, 1852, who resides in
Philadelphia, where he conducts an extensive
contracting business ; 6. Calvin J., born July 2,
1854, who is a farmer residing in London, Britain
township; 7. William H., born July 28, 1856,
who is a farmer and resides in Franklin town
ship ; 8. Marshall S., who is to be written of
hereinafter; 9. Margaret E., born June 22, 1861,
who became the wife of George Smith, and they
reside upon the Crossan homestead, and with
them the widowed mother of Mrs. Smith.
Marshall S. Crossan, eighth child and sixth
son of William and Margaret (Nichols) Crossan,
was born on the homestead farm, December 29,
1858. He was educated in the common schools,
and was engaged in farming on the home place
for five years, when he removed to Virginia.
After a brief sojourn in that state, he returned
to Pennsylvania and took up his residence on

the home place for nine years, and then took up
his abode upon the place where he now resides,
and where he has passed a successful and useful
life. With his family he attends the Presbyterian
church, and his political affiliations are with the
Democratic party. He has occupied several local
offices, to the duties of which he has given most
capable attention.
Mr. Crossan was married, November 22,
1886, to Miss Margaret Greenwalt, born in 1866,
a daughter of William and Sarah (Hallet)
Greenwalt ; her father was a native of Delaware,
and a farmer by occupation. The children born
of this marriage were : Kennedy, born 1887 ;
Harvey, born 1889; Pearl, born 1893; Irvin, born
1894; Rena, born 1895; Lawrence, born 1896;
Sarah, born 1901, died 1902.

JOHN SCATCHARD, a substantial and
prosperous agriculturist of New London town
ship, Chester county, Pennsylvania, where he has
served in various important political offices, and
is a highly esteemed and useful citizen, was born
in Yorkshire county, England, in 1835, the son
of Joseph B. and Betty (Heap) Scatchard.
Joseph B. Scatchard (father) was also a
native of England, his birth occurring there in
the year 1808. After obtaining a practical edu
cation in the common schools of his native
county, Mr. Scatchard entered a woolen goods
manufactory where he thoroughly acquired the
trade in all its branches. In 1841, having decided
that the new world offered better opportunities
for a successful business career, he emigrated
from his native land, and two years later his
family set sail on the ship "Hibernia." He
took up his residence in Trenton, New Jersey,
engaged in the manufacturing business, but the
same year decided to remove to Brandywine
township, Chester county, Pennsylvania, where
he entered an extensive woolen mili. He operated
there until 1850, when he rented the Rhinehart
Woolen Mills in East Coventry township, Chester
county, which he conducted for three years. At
the expiration of this period of time he located
in Lower Merion township, Montgomery county,
Pennsylvania, where he engaged in the same line
of industry until 1855, when he purchased the
Rhinehart Woolen Mills which he operated until
1865, when he purchased the Germantown
Woolen Mills, and he remained proprietor of this
plant up to the time of his decease, which oc
curred in 1872.
In 1827 Joseph B. Scatchard was united in
marriage to Betty Heap, a native of Yorkshire
county, England, and the following named chil
dren were born to them: William, who married
Mary Ann Rhinehart, and they are the parents
of two children. Benjamin died in early life.

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

301

George, who married Anna Whitehead, and
four children have been the issue of this union.
Elizabeth, wife of Hiram Hoffman, and one
child has been born to them. Joseph B., Jr., who
married Annie Ladley, and they are the parents
of four children. Henry F., who married Lucy
Bouncer, and five children have been born to them.
Sarah A., who died in early life. Anna, wife of
Robert Cartlidge, and mother of six children.
Ellen, wife of George Grayson. Lydia, de
ceased, was the wife of George Grayson, and had
six children. John, our subject, and four other
children, all of whom died in infancy. The
mother of these children survived her husband
six years, her death occurring in the year 1878.
The educational advantages enjoyed by John
Scatchard were obtained partly in the schools
of his native county of Yorkshire, Eng
land, and partly in East Coventry township,
Chester county, Pennsylvania, whither his pa
rents removed when he was a young boy. His
early business career was spent in the various
manufactories operated by his father; later he
learned the engraving trade and after becoming
efficient in this branch of industry, he secured
employment in the city of Philadelphia, where
he remained for five years. In 1878 Mr. Scat
chard purchased his present home in New Lon
don township, Chester county, consisting of one
hundred and one acres of productive land, a
portion of the Conard estate, where he now con
ducts a general dairy farm of twenty head of
carefully selected cows. By closely adhering to
legitimate business methods, Mr. Scatchard has
achieved a large degree of success in this under
taking and has acquired a comfortable compe
tence for his declining years. He has always
been loyal to the interests of his adopted country,
enlisting in the One Hundred and Twenty-
fourth Volunteer Pennsylvania Regiment, which
was under the command of Colonel Alex Mc
Clure, in 1863. His regiment was not called to
the front but served on picket duty at Gettys
burg, and the same year of his enlistment he re
ceived an honorable discharge from the service
of the United States. Mr. Scatchard is a Repub
lican in politics, and has served his township in
the capacity of judge, supervisor, school director
and auditor. He is a member of the Masonic
Order of Pottstown, the Independent Order of
Odd Fellows, and the Knights of the Golden
Eagle. In 1863 was solemnized the marriage of John
Scatchard and Lydia Ann Brooke, a daughter of
William and Lydia (Boreman) Brooke, of Mont
gomery county, Pennsylvania, Their children
are : J. Burdette, who married Elizabeth Jacobs ;
W. Brooke, died in childhood; Grant, died in
early life ; Garfield, died in childhood ; Ellen,
died at an early age; Edwin N., who married

Florence Pennock; Elizabeth, wife of Elmer G.
Pierce and they are the parents of one child ;
Alice, unmarried ; J. Brooke, unmarried ; May,
wife of Howard Morris and mother of one child ;
and Hiram, who died at an early age. Mr.
Scatchard and his family are members of the
Baptist church, and they take a deep and active
interest in the work of the various societies con
nected with it.

HOWARD C. WEBSTER. Energy, deter
mination and thrift have been the chief charac
teristics in the business career of Howard C.
Webster, a prosperous agriculturist of New Lon
don township, Chester county, Pennsylvania,
who has gained prominence and success in his vo
cation by means of exercising his practical and
progressive ideas in the cultivation and improve
ment of his estate. He was born in Sadsbury
township, Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, in
i860, a son of Daniel and Beulah (Moore) Web
ster and grandson of Jesse Webster, who was
also a native of Lancaster county, Pennsylvania,
a farmer by occupation, and a man of integrity
and honor whose influence had always been used
for the advancement and well being of the citi
zens of his community.
Daniel Webster (father) was born in the
vicinity of Bird in Hand, Lancaster county,
Pennsylvania, in 1831. He obtained an excel
lent English education at Unionville Academy in
Chester county, and after completing the course
there he returned to Lancaster county. His
tastes and inclinations led him to choose the quiet
but useful calling of agriculture, which line of
business he successfully pursued in the township
of Sadsbury. He was an industrious and re
liable man, and was considered one of the best
farmers in that section of the county. In 1857
he married Beulah Moore, daughter of Joseph
Moore, a farmer,- who resided near Bird in Hand,
Lancaster county, Pennsylvania. The issue of
this union was the following named children:
Cnanning, who married Maryetta Fell, and they
are the parents of two children; Florence, wife
of John Janney, and one child has been born to
them; J. Harold, who married Mary Roher;
Walter, who married Lillian Long ; Lorena, wife
of Jason Moore ; and Howard C. Webster. Dan
iel Webster, father of these children, died in
1899, survived by his wife, Beulah (Moore)
Webster, who is living at the present time
(i9°3)- Howard C. Webster received his educational
training at the famous Ercildoun Academy, which
is situated in the village of Ercildoun, Highland
township, Chester county, and has an enviable
reputation among the institutions of learning in
that county. He began his active career by as-

302

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

sisting with the work on the old homestead,
where he remained for a short period of time,
later becoming the owner of a farm located near
Five Points, Lancaster county, where he con
ducted extensive and profitable operations for
five years. In 1899 he removed to his present
farm in New London township, Chester county,
which consists of forty-two acres of fertile and
arable land and was formerly the property of Mr.
Russell. Mr. Webster firmly believes in the
policy and principles of the Prohibition party, to
which he gives an active and loyal support. He
is a birthright member of the Society of Friends,
also a member of the Order of Good Templars.
In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, March 24,
1892, Mr. Webster married Anna Moore, born
August 16, 1852, daughter of Walker and Anna
(Smedley) Moore, the former named having
been born January 14, 1810, died September 29,
1890, and the latter was born September 4,
1818, died January 13, 1876. Mr. Moore learned
the trade of carpenter, but for many years was
engaged in farming in Lancaster county, Penn
sylvania. Mrs. Webster was educated in the
schools of Westtown; her religious sentiments
are in accord with the tenets of the Society Pf
Orthodox Friends.
The mother of Mrs. Webster, Mrs. Anna
(Smedley) Moore, was born in Little Britain
township, Lancaster county, a daughter of Joseph
and Rachael (Ballance) Smedley. The grand
father, Joseph Smedley, was a blacksmith and
farmer, at which he was employed during his
active life in Little Britain township, Lancaster
county, Pennsylvania, and he belonged to the
Society of Friends. Mr. and Mrs. Smedley were
the parents of two children: Anna, mother of
Mrs. Howard C. Webster, and Joseph ; the latter
was a farmer of Little .Britain township, in early
life, later removed to Iowa, town of Lewis. He
married Ann Buckman, and they had the fol
lowing ¦ children : Hording B., Mercy B.,
Rachael, Edward, Benjamin, and Anna Mary
Smedley.

TION. THEODORE KIRK STUBBS, bur
gess of the borough of Oxford, Chester county,
Pennsylvania, and a representative member of
its legal profession, who served as a member of
the state legislature from 1881 to 1886, and en
joys the distinction of being the first man in the
history of the county to be re-elected to that po
sition for three successive terms, is the eldest
sOn of Daniel and Rachel A. (Kirk) Stubbs,
and was born in East Nottingham, Chester
county, Pennsylvania, June 8, 1847.
The family is of Scotch extraction, and the
earliest ancestor of whom there is any record was

Isaac Stubbs (grandfather), a son of Daniel
Stubbs (great-grandfather). Isaac Stubbs was
a native of Scotland, acquired his education in
the schools of that country, and after attaining
young manhood decided to locate in the United
States. After a long and tedious voyage across
the Atlantic ocean in a sailing vessel, he settled
in Chester county, Pennsylvania, where the re
mainder of his life was spent in following the
occupation of farmer. By his marriage to Han
nah Brown, daughter of Judge Jeremiah Brown,
nine children were born, all of whom were reared
to lead lives of usefulness and activity. Mr.
Stubbs died in 1832, at the advanced age of
seventy-five years.
Daniel Stubbs (father), was born on the old
homestead in East Nottingham township, Ches
ter county, Pennsylvania, July 17, 1812. He ac
quired a liberal education at the private schools
and an academy in Chester county, and after
completing his studies, he engaged in general
merchandising in Lancaster county, but later re
turned to Nottingham township, where he estab
lished a general merchandise store, his stock con
sisting of dry goods, groceries and various
other lines of trade, and in addition to this enter
prise he was actively interested in a grain, lum
ber and coal warehouse, and also in the operation
of an extensive flour and feed mill. These var
ious pursuits proved a profitable source of income
for a number of years, after which he disposed of
the business to his sons, Theodore Kirk and Isaac
Franklin. He was a thorough-going business
man and conducted his extensive operations on
a sound and practical basis. Mr. Stubbs was
one of the first directors and also served as treas
urer of the Baltimore Central Railroad Company,
a projector of the first steam railroad in his sec
tion of the county, a director of the Oxford
National Bank, and also filled a similar position
in the Oxford Fire Insurance Company. For
many years he served as a director of public
schools, and was a stanch supporter of all meas
ures advocated for higher education and more
high schools in the community. He was a con
sistent member of the Society of Friends, and in
politics was formerly an adherent of the old line
Whig party, but later became an enthusistic Re
publican. On October 3, 1844, Mr. Stubbs married
Rachel A. Kirk, and the issue of this union was
the following named children: Theodore Kirk,
born June 8, 1847; Isaac F., born December 29,
1848, died February 27, 1877; Phoebe M., born
July 1, 1850, died January 22, 1875 ; she was the
wife of the late Gilpin Reynolds ; Daniel A., born
June 29, 1852, married Anna McHenry, and they
are the parents of one child ; and Ida E., born Oc
tober 23, 1853. Mr. Stubbs died April 29, 1869, ¦

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

303

in the fifty-seventh year of his age; his widow,
Rachel A. (Kirk) Stubbs, was born July 21,
1818, and died June 4, 1871.
Josiah Kirk, father of Mrs. Stubbs, was born
in Chester county, August 17, 1784, and died Sep
tember 8, 1 82 1, at the early age of thirty-seven
years. He was a farmer by. occupation and also
owned and operated flour and paper mills. His
wife, Phoebe (Passmore) Kirk, bore him a family
of four children, three sons and one daughter.
Captain Roger Kirk, father of Josiah Kirk, was
a prominent merchant and miller, served with
distinction in the Revolutionary war and was
elected and served as a member of the State As
sembly at Philadelphia, representing Chester
county. He was re-elected at the close of his first
term, and secured among other enactments the
passage of a bill to locate and grade the old State
road, known as the Christianna or "Christeen"
road. Roger Kirk was a son of Timothy Kirk,
who in turn was a son of Roger Kirk, who was
born in the north of Ireland, and settled in
East Nottingham, Chester county, Pennsylvania.
Theodore K. Stubbs, eldest son of Daniel and
Rachel A. Stubbs, pursued his studies at the pub
lic schools of Oxford, Oxford Academy, Wyer's
Military Academy, at West Chester, and the Uni
versity of Michigan, where he began the study
of law. He continued his legal studies in the
office of the late Judge J. Smith Futhey, at West
Chester, Chester county, passed a creditable ex
amination, and was admitted to the Chester coun
ty bar in the year 1875. He at once established
an office in Oxford, Pennsylvania, for the active
practice of his profession, and now enjoys the
patronage of an extensive and select clientele. As
a successful jury lawyer he is without a peer; he
is forceful, eloquent, logical and convincing in
statements, and possesses a comprehensive under
standing of a wide scope of legal principles and
technicalities. Mr. Stubbs was one of the pro
moters of the Institutes and Lyceums in southern
Chester county, also of several railroads and man
ufacturing plants which have added considerably
to the growth and development of the borough of
Oxford, and giving employment to a large num
ber of its residents. He is a director of the Ma
son Multiple Plate Washer Company.
Mr. Stubbs is active and influential in the
ranks of the Republican party. He served in the
capacity of a member of the State legislature for
three terms, and in recognition of his industry
and ability was appointed a member on nearly all
the important committees, including those on ap
propriations, judiciary, labor, industry, corpora
tions and apportionment. He had charge of the
temperance education bill in the house, introduced
the normal school bill, and was an active suppor
ter of the anti-oleomargerine bill and that for the
equilization of taxation. He also introduced and
20 x

championed several other general bills, and a
number of local bills in the interest of his county
and constituents. He was the leader of the dele
gation from Chester county to the house of rep
resentatives. He has served as postmaster,
auditor and at the present time (1903) is serving
his second term as burgess of Oxford.
Mr. Stubbs is a member of the Society of
Friends, a member of the Bible class of the First
Presbyterian church of Oxford, president of the
Funeral Benefit Association, for twelve years the
efficient secretary of the Oxford Agricultural
Society, and secretary of the Oxford Board of
Trade. He is also a leader of an orchestra. Mr..
Stubbs is the Grand Chief Templar of the Penn
sylvania Grand Lodge, Independent Order of
Good Templars ; a member and councilor of the
Junior Order of United American Machanics;
president of the Citizens' Corps, Grand Army of
the Republic ; and a member of the Pennsylvania
Society, Sons of the Revolution. He is a promi
nent campaign speaker, debater and platform lect
urer, and while serving in these capacities has
traveled from the Atlantic to the Pacific coast,
Canada and Europe.

JAMES W. WAY, of New London town
ship, Chester county, Pennsylvania, well known
as a successful farmer and public-spirited citi
zen, is descended from ancestors who were re
sident in the county before the Revolutionary
war. William Way was born in 1769, in Ken
nett township, where he was educated in the
common schools, and then engaged in farming,
an occupation which he followed all his life. He
married Elizabeth Millhouse, also of Kennett
township, and they were the parents of a num
ber of children.
William Way, Jr., son of William and Eliza
beth (Millhouse) Way, was born in 1797 on the
homestead, received his education in Kennett
township, and then learned the carpenter's trade,
which he followed for some time. In 1839 he
moved to New London township, and purchased
160 acres of land, which is still in the possession
of his descendants. He was much respected by
his townsmen, by whom he was at different
times elected supervisor and school director. In
politics he supported the doctrines and measures
upheld by the Republican party. He married
Mary Ann Heald, of Hockessin, Delaware, and
they were the parents of two children: Susan,
who married Pennock Spencer, and is now de
ceased ; and James W., mentioned at length here
inafter. Mr. Way, the father, died in 1881,
leaving the memory of a man upright and con
scientious in all the relations of life.
James W. Way, son of William Jr. and Mary
Ann (Heald) Way, was born in 1842, in New

3°4

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

London township. He received his education in
the common schools of his birthplace, and at
Kennett Square, and on leaving school he de
cided without hesitation to follow the calling of
his ancestors, and therefore remained on the
homestead, where his entire life thus far has
been passed in agricultural pursuits. His land,
by the high state of cultivation in which it is
maintained, testifies to his ability as a farmer,
and his activity in local affairs bears witness to
his zeal as a citizen, as does also the fact that at
one time he held the office of school director.
He is a member of the Grange, and active in
the order of the Good Templars. In politics he
is a Prohibitionist. He and his family are mem
bers of the Baptist church.
Mr. Way married, in 1868, Emma, daughter
of John and Philena Bing, the former a farmer
of East Fairfield township. Mr. and Mrs. Way-
are the parents of two daughters: Florence B.,
who lives in Paris, as assistant to her uncle, Dr.
Bing, the famous dentist ; and Marian G, who is
the wife of Dr. Cortland F. Quimby, and has
one child, Cortland, Jr., of West Grove, where he
enjoys a lucrative practice. The eldest daughter,
Florence B., is a graduate of West Chester Nor
mal, taught school three years, has crossed
the ocean thirteen times, and is now in Paris,
France.

HERBERT D. FELL was born on the old
homestead in New London township, Chester
county, Pennsylvania, in 1872, this being the
birth place of his ancestors for many generations,
and his entire life has been spent in this com
munity where he has gained and retained the
confidence and esteem of his fellow citizens.
David Fell, grandfather of Herbert D. Fell,
•was born on the old homestead in the township
'¦of New London, Chester county, in 1792, and
after acquiring the educational advantages af
forded bv the common schools of that day he
turned his attention to the quiet but useful calling
of agriculture. He was united in marriage to
Sarah Moore, a native of New London township,
Chester county, her birth occurring there in the
year 1792. Several children were the issue of
this union, among whom was a son, David
Fell, Jr.
David Fell, Jr., father of Herbert D. Fell,
claims the township of New London, Chester
county, Pennsylvania, as his birth place, and the
date September 11, 1829. He received an ex
cellent literary education in the New London
Academy, and for a number of years after the
completion of his studies he was engaged as a
teacher in the various schools of the neighbor
hood. Later he established a nursery business
near the town of West Grove, Chester county,

which proved an agreeable and profitable source
of income, but the latter years of his life were
spent in the cultivation and improvement of the
ancestral estate. His political support was given
to the candidates of the Republican party, and
his religious views were in sympathy with the
Society of Friends. In 1857 Mr. Fell married
Amy Hicks, a daughter of Thomas and Rachel
(Hillis) Hicks, the former named being the son
of Edward and Hannah Hicks. Thomas Hicks
was born May 9, 1793, was a farmer of London
Grove township, Chester county, Pennsylvania,
married Amy Wilkinson, and after her death,
Rachel Hillis. Mr. and Mrs. Fell were the pa
rents of five children, namely : Hannah M., died
unmarried; Rachel S., who became the wife of
Chester Fell, and two children have been born
to them ; Anna S. unmarried ; Thomas H., who
married Harriet Palmer, and Herbert D. Fell.
The father of these children died in 1883 ; his
widow survived him several years, her death oc
curring in the year 1890.
In the common schools of New London
township, Chester county, Herbert D. Fell ob
tained an education which has qualified him for
the responsible duties of active life. He is now
engaged in farming pursuits on the old home
stead, which consists of sixty acres of valuable
farm land,' with dairy attached. He is a man
of broad business ability and untiring energy,
and by the exercise of these qualities has gained
a prestige in the community which is only ac
corded the man who is honorably successful.
Politically he is a staunch Republican, and at the
present time (1903) is serving in the capacity of
school director and secretary of the board.
Socially he is a member of the Heptasophs and
the Roosevelt Club of West Grove, Chester
county, and his religious affiliations are with the
Presbyterian church, in the work and services
of which organization he takes a deep and abid
ing interest. Mr. Fell is unmarried.

THOMAS P. CONARD, a representative
agriculturist of New London township, Chester
county, Pennsylvania, who has achieved financial
success in various enterprises, is a lineal descend
ant of Dennis Conard, who was a native of
Crefeld on the Rhine, Germany, from whence he
came to America and settled at Germantown,
Pennsylvania, in 1683. His second son, Mat
thias Conard, was the father of Cornelius Conard,
of Horsham, and he was the father of Everard
Conard, who married Margaret Cadwalader, ana
about the year 1784, removed to New London
township, where he purchased three hundred
acres of land. The children born to Everard and
Margaret Conard were : Tsaac, Cornelius, Abra-

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

305

ham, Everard, Jesse, Sarah, Mary, and Margaret
Conard. Everard Conard, grandfather of Thomas P.
Conard, was born and reared on the old home
stead in New London township, Chester county.
The early years of his life were spent in attend
ance at the New London Academy where he ob
tained an excellent English education, and in ac
quiring a thorough knowledge of the many details
of farm work. He followed the occupations of
farmer and miller throughout his entire business
career. He married Ann Steele, and amongst the
children born to this union was a son, Edwin
Conard. Edwin Conard, father of Thomas P. Conard,
was a native of New London township, Chester
county, his birth occurring on the old homestead
in 1818. He received a practical education at the
New London Academy, and from boyhood up
was inured to the varied and arduous tasks con
nected with farm life. Upon attaining young
manhood he chose that occupation for his voca
tion in life, and throughout his active career de
voted his best energies to it. He was a Republi
can in politics, was offered several township
offices but always refused the honor, preferring
to devote his time to business pursuits. In 1849
he married Phoebe Phillips, daughter of Thomas
and Edith Phillips, who were prominent residents
of New London township, Chester county, where
Mr. Phillips was engaged in farming. Their
children were : Mary, unmarried ; Emma, unmar
ried ; Everard, married Emma Good, and Thomas
P. Conard. Edwin Conard, father of these chil
dren, died in 1900.
Thomas P. Conard, son of Edwin and Phoe
be Conard, was born on the ancestral estate in
New London township, Chester county, Pennsyl
vania, in 1852. His early education was acquired
at the schools of Wilmington, Delaware, and at
New London Academy, and this instruction was
supplemented by a regular course at the West
Chester State Normal School. The following two
years he engaged in farming on the home farm,
after which he removed to Wickerton, Chester
county, where he followed the same occupation
for three years. He then located in West Grove,
Chester county, and for a number of years was
employed in the creamery business, and after
abandoning this line of trade he changed his place
of residence to Philadelphia, where he was inter
ested in the express business. He then returned
to his old pursuit of farming, conducting his oper
ations in Lansdowne until 1892, when he returned
to New London township, and purchased the old
Jackson farm consisting of one hundred and
sixty-six acres of rich and arable land, where he
is now conducting general farming with a fine
dairy attached, equipped with well selected cows.
Politically Mr. Conard is a Republican, and holds

the office of school director. Fraternally he is a
member of the Patrons of Husbandry.
In 1880 Mr. Conard married Mary Ella Mer
cer, daughter of Thomas and Margaret Mercer,
the former named being a farmer of Kennett
township, Chester county. Their children arc :
Helen P., Gula M., Walter T., Horace, Roland,
Marion, and Philip Conard. Mr. Conard and his
family are consistent members of the Society of
Friends.

WILLIAM S. CALDWELL, a well known
resident of New London township, Chester
county, Pennsylvania, where he has been suc
cessfully engaged in agricultural pursuits for
over twenty years, was born in Farmington,
Maryland, in 1858, the son of John W. and Eliza
beth Caldwell.
Robert Caldwell, grandfather of William S.
Caldwell, was also a native of Maryland, and his
educational advantages were obtained in the pub
lic schools of that state. He was a farmer by
occupation, and in all his business transactions
he displayed great judgment, prudence, honesty
and foresight. He married and reared a family
of children, all of whom became useful citizens.
The death of Mr. Caldwell occurred in his native
John W. Caldwell, father of William S. Cald
well, was born on the old homestead in Mary
land, acquired his education in the public schools,
and subsequently devoted his attention to the call
ing of his forefathers, that of agriculture. Later
he changed his residence to Farmington, Mary
land, where he established a general store
which he conducted for many years, and
finally he located in the state of Virginia, re
maining there until his death in June, 1902.
In his political affiliations he was a Democrat,
and an earnest and indefatigable worker for the
advancement of the interests of his party. Mr.
Caldwell was married twice, his first wife having
been Elizabeth Dance, a native of New London
township, Chester county, and the following
named children were born to them: Mary, wife
of Charles Chandler, and they are the parents
of three children, and William S. Caldwell. For
his second wife Mr. Caldwell chose Anna Dim-
mick, a native of New York, and their children
are: Carroll, unmarried, and Robert, also un
married. William S. Caldwell received a practical edu
cation in the public schools of Farmington, Mary
land, and the New London Academy, Chester
county, Pennsylvania. In 1879, having attained
his nineteenth year, Mr. Caldwell went to Cali
fornia and after being a resident of that state for
two years, he returned to New London township
and purchased a farm of one hundred and twen-

306

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

ty-three acres, with a dairy of twenty head at
tached. He is practical and progressive in his
ideas and by keeping a careful supervision over
his entire estate, he reaps a fair return from his
arduous labors. He is widely and universally
esteemed in the community for his many ex
cellent characteristics, has held the office of jus
tice of the peace for twelve years, and also that
of school director for a number of years. Politi
cally he is a Democrat, and fraternally he is a
member of the Masonic Order, New London
Lodge, No. 545.
In 1884 occurred the marriage of William S.
Caldwell and Ella Dance, a daughter of Isaac
Dance, a prominent agriculturist of London
Grove township, Chester county, Pennsylvania.
Their children are: Florence D., Sarah E.,
Mary L., J. Harold, Anna M., and Ella M. Cald
well, all of whom are unmarried. Mr. Caldwell
and the members of his family attend the Pres
byterian church, and give an earnest and loyal
support to the work of the various societies con
nected with it.

CAPTAIN ALEXANDER H. INGRAM, a
prominent citizen of Oxford, Chester county,
Pennsylvania, is one whose varied career, with
its many thrilling incidents, would be a proper
theme for the pen of a Maryatt or a Lever.
He is Irish by nativity and ancestry, and was
born in county Donegal, Province of Ulster, No
vember 1, 1841. His father, Richard Ingram, a
native of the same county with himself, left Ire
land in 1856, settling in Oxford, Pennsylvania.
He was a farmer by occupation, an exemplary
Presbyterian in religion, and a Republican in
politics. He died in April, 1887, at the advanced
age of eighty-six years. He was married in 1828
to Anna Irwin, also a native of Ireland, and to
them were born, all in Ireland, seven children : 1 .
Ellen, deceased ; 2. Elizabeth, who married Rich
ard Scott, of Philadelphia; 3. Thomas, who be
came an engineer on the Baltimore & Ohio Rail
road, and made his home in . Parkersburg, West
Virginia ; 4. Jane, who married Thomas Settle, of
Frankford, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania ; 5. Mary,
who married Charles Adams, of Philadelphia;
6. Alexander H., of whom further mention herein
after ; 7. Margaret, deceased. The mother of this
family, Anna (Irwin) Ingram, died at Oxford,
Pennsylvania. Four of the children, Elizabeth,
Alexander, Thomas and Jane, came to the United
States before their parents.
Alexander H. Ingram, sixth child and second
son of the parents named, received a common
school education. He early evinced a liking for
adventure, and when twelve years old, without
asking consent or giving his parents knowledge

of his intention, left home- and articled himself
as a cabin boy on a ship sailing from Glasgow,
Scotland. His first voyage lasted a year, during
which time he visited Liverpool, Havre and other
ports. In 1854, when he was fourteen years
old, he sailed for America in the ship "Superior,"
and landed in New York. Thence he went direct
to Oxford, Chester county, Pennsylvania, where
he worked upon a farm for one year. He then
went to Philadelphia, where he entered the law
office of Constance Gilleon, with whom he re
mained for eighteen months. He then went to
Sussex county, Delaware, where he bound him
self to a farmer. His connection with his new
employer lasted only until the following year,
when he was refused a much needed pair of
shoes, whereupon he terminated his contract with
out formality and returned to Oxford. There
he became a painter apprentice to William Smith,
in whose employ he stayed until all business was
practically suspended owing to the panic of 1857,
and this marked the beginning of his military
career. Enlisting in the United States army, he was
sent to Governor's Island, in New York Harbor,
and thence, in turn, to Fort Leavenworth, Kan
sas, and Santa Fe, New Mexico. At the last
named post he was assigned to Company D,
Third Regiment United States Infantry, which
was dispatched to the Rio Grande. In 1858, at
the breaking Out of the so-called Mormon war,
his regiment was ordered to join General Loring,
in Utah, and he participated in that famous
march from Northern Mexico, a distance of one
thousand one hundred miles, which was ac
complished in the marvelously short space of forty
days, an average of nearly twenty-eight miles a
day. The site of the present magnificent city
of Denver, over which the troops passed, was then
a waste of sand without a sign of human habita
tion. It was upon this expedition that gold was
first discovered in Colorado. After the Utah dif
ficulty had been adjusted, the troops returned to
New Mexico, where Mr. Ingrain was assigned
to duty in the transportation department. He
performed duty in the south until the second year
of the Civil war (1862), when he was ordered
east, and there joined the New Orleans expedi
tion under General N. P. Banks. On arriving
in New Orleans he was appointed chief of
transportation of the Nineteenth Army Corps,
and performed arduous duty in moving troops
and supplies up the Mississippi river and else
where. After participating in the battles about
Port Hudson, Louisiana, he was captured by a
band of guerrillas and was taken to the horrible
prison pen of Andersonville. He was there held
for ten months, during which period he escaped
three times, each time being recaptured, and was
finally paroled at Savannah, Georgia, and taken

1<WZ7^L^ 

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

307

to the parole camp at Annapolis, Maryland. Aft
er a sojourn there of six weeks he was furloughed
and returned to Oxford, Pennsylvania. On the
expiration of his furlough he returned south and
at Baton Rouge, Louisiana, joined the troops then
enroute for Pensacola Bay, Florida, to prepare for
the campaign against Mobile. He was engaged
in the operations against that famous stronghold,
and after its fall he was with the military expedi
tion sent to the Mexican frontier under General
Phil H. Sheridan, to circumvent the Emperor
Napoleon in his endeavor to erect a monarchy in
Mexico, and served there until this design was
frustrated and Maximilian came to his unhappy
death. Captain Ingram had now been a soldier
for nine years, covering the most eventful period
of the nation's history, and he had borne his part
as a faithful and gallant soldier in some of the
. most arduous and momentous campaigns and
battles of the country. Peace was now reigning,
at home and abroad. To sit down in a quiet gar
rison with no duty but to guard stores, was not
suitable to him after serving amid stirring scenes,
and he took an honorable discharge from the
army. In 1866 Captain Ingram returned to Oxford,
Pennsylvania, where his parents resided, and re
sumed his former trade as a painter, and a year
later entered upon a contracting business, which
led (in 1880) to his being given the painting for
the Pennsylvania Railroad Company, of which
he had charge for several years. He had at the
same time a paint and wall-paper store, which he
conducted until he removed to his farm near
Oxford. A man of marked force of character and
enterprise, he has taken an active part in advanc
ing the interests of the community along various
lines. In 1877, at the time of the great riots in
Pittsburg, he accepted the command of the Ox
ford military company which aided in quelling the
disturbance. A Republican in politics, he was
elected sheriff in 1893 and discharged the duties
of the office with ability and integrity. In re
ligion he is a Presbyterian, a member of the
First Church of Oxford. He. is prominent in
Masonic circles, having held the highest position
in Oxford Lodge, No. 353, F. & A. M., and Ox
ford Chapter, No. 223, R. A. M., and he has at
tained to the thirty-second degree, Scottish Rite.
He is also a member of Lulu Temple, Mystic
Shrine, and of the Knights of the Golden Eagle.
He is a member and past commander of Thomp
son Post, No. 132, Grand Army of the Republic,
and an aide on the staff of General Stuart, com
mander of the Department of Pennsylvania. In
1903 he was chief marshal of the Pennsylvania
division in the parade of the Grand Army of
the Republic at San Francisco, California.
Captain Ingram was married December 5,
1866, to Miss Anna Clark, a daughter of James

and Margaret (Harvey) Clark, her father being
a farmer of Lower Oxford township. Her death
occurred July 17, 1903.

WILLIAM D. EVES. Among the leading
agriculturists of New London township, Chester
county, Pennsylvania, who have gained an honest
and profitable livelihood from the cultivation of
their estates, may be mentioned the name of Will
iam D. Eves, a native of that township, his birth
having occurred in the year 1845. He is the son
of James Eves and grandson of William D. Eves,
being also a namesake of the latter named.
William D. Eves (grandfather) was born
in New Castle county, Delaware, and his educa
tional advantages were obtained in the common
schools of that vicinity. He learned the trade of
tanner which he followed to some extent, but the
greater part of his business career was devoted to
agricultural pursuits. He came to New London
township, Chester county, about 1820, spent a
number of years there, and about 1861 removed
to Wilmington, Delaware, where he died. His
wife, Bertha (Ferris) Eves, a native of New Cas
tle county, Delaware, bore him a number of chil
dren, all of whom were reared to lead lives of
usefulness and to become good citizens of the
United States.
James Eves (father) was born on the old
homestead in New Castle county, Delaware, in
1818. He was a student at the old New London
Academy, and upon the completion of his studies
learned the trade of tanner with his father, and re
mained in that line of business until 1844. In
that year he changed his residence to New London
township, Chester county, Pennsylvania, purchased
a farm, and the remainder of his days were de
voted to the management and cultivation of the
same. His political views were in accord with
those advocated by the Republican party, and he
was chosen to serve in several minor offices in the
township. In his religious belief he adhered to
the Presbyterian doctrines, holding membership
with that body for many years.
In 1844 occurred the marriage of James Eves
and Martha Strawbridge, a daughter of Joseph
Strawbridge, a farmer residing near Elk View,
Chester county, Pennsylvania. The following
named children were born to them: Dr. James
S., who married Margaret Hutchison, and they
are the parents of three children ; Albert A., de
ceased ; and William D. Eves. The death of Mr.
Eves occurred in 1890 ; he was survived two years
by his widow.
William D. Eves, eldest son of James and
Martha Eves, acquired an excellent literary edu
cation at New London Academy and Wyers Aca
demy, in West Chester, Pennsylvania, and after
his graduation from the latter named institution

308

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

he returned to the old homestead in New London
township. The old farm consists of one hundred
and fifty acres of rich and arable soil, with a dairy
of twenty-five head of well selected cattle attached
and being a man of considerable experience and
progressive ideas, he has managed his affairs in
such a manner that they yield him a profitable
source of income. Mr. Eves is a Republican in
politics, and for many years was the incumbent
of the offices of school director and auditor, ful
filling the duties of the positions with credit and
efficiency. He is a valued member of the "Hep-
tasophs." Mr. Eves was united in marriage, in 1876, to
Anna Hutchison, who was born in New London
township, Chester county, in 1855. Their chil
dren are: James F., unmarried; Madge D., wife
of Malcolm Chambers ; and Anna H., unmarried.
Mr. Eves and his family are earnest and consist
ent members of the Presbyterian church, and in
the social events of the community they take an
active and leading part.

JOHN H. TITUS. Among the representa
tive citizens and agriculturists of Chester county,
Pennsylvania, may be mentioned the name of
John H. Titus, a native of Trenton, New Jersey,
his birth having occurred on the old homestead
in the year 1845.
George B. Titus, father of John H. Titus, was
also born on the old homestead which was located
in Trenton, New Jersey, the year of his birth be
ing 1 82 1. He obtained a practical education in
the public schools of New Jersey, after which he
chose the quiet but useful calling of agriculture
for his life work, and this occupation he followed
both in his native township and also in New Lon
don township, Chester county, Pennsylvania,
whither he removed in 1876. He is a stanch and
loyal adherent of the principles of the Republican
party, and during his many years residence in
Trenton, New Jersey, he was the incumbent of
several minor township offices. Mr. Titus mar
ried Sarah Primer, a native of Trenton, New Jer
sey, and by this union the following named chil
dren were born : Mary ; Sarah, who was united
in marriage to Hiram Clements, and one child
was born to them ; after the death of Mr. Clem
ents his widow married Henry McVeagh ; and
John H. Titus. The death of Mrs. Titus occurred
in 1902, and since that date Mr. Titus has re
sided with his son, John H. Titus, in New Lon
don township, Chester county.
The educational advantages enjoyed by John
H. Titus were acquired at private schools in Ches
ter county, and he then pursued a business course
at Poughkeepsie, New York. He located in Elk
township, Chester county, where he conducted
extensive agricultural operations for eight years;

and in 1876 he changed his place of residence to
New London township, Chester county, where he
purchased a fine farm of one hundred and fifty
acres of rich and arable land with a dairy attached.
Mr. Titus is a thoroughgoing farmer, pract
ical and progressive in his ideas, attending to
every detail of the business in a careful and meth
odical manner, and thus he has achieved remark
able success in his chosen line of calling. He is
a Republican in politics, and is serving his town
ship in the capacity of school director.
On February 23, 1870, Mr. Titus was united
in marriage to Emma Windle, daughter of Will
iam and Sarah Windle, the former named a pros
perous farmer of New London township. The
family hold membership in the New London
Methodist church, Mr. Titus being a member of
the board of trustees.

JAMES N. HUTCHISON. The Hutchi
son family, prominent in the agricultural, politi
cal and social interests of Chester county, Penn
sylvania, James M. Hutchison being one of its
representative members, was established in this
state by James Hutchison (grandfather), who
was a practical and successful farmer of Notting
ham township, Chester county. By his marriage
to Miss Watt, a native of Nottingham township,
several children were born and reared to man
hood and womanhood, leading lives of usefulness
and activity.
J. Hervey Hutchison (father), a son of James
Hutchison, was born in East Nottingham town
ship, Chester county, Pennsylvania, in 1818. He
acquired an excellent education at the New Lon
don Academy which qualified him for the posi
tion of teacher in the common schools of his na
tive township, in which capacity he served for
several years after his graduation. He then
turned his attention to agricultural pursuits in the
township of New London, whither he removed at
an early age, and this line of industry he followed
up to a few years prior to his decease, which oc
curred in 1888. Politically he was an adher
ent of the principles of the Republican party, and
for a number of years was the incumbent of the
office of school director. Mr. Hutchison married
Nancy Dickey, a daughter of John Dickey, now
deceased, for many years a prominent citi
zen of Oxford, Pennsylvania. The following
named children were born to this union:
Elizabeth, deceased, was the wife of the late
Dr. Patterson ; Jennie died unmarried ; Su
san, died unmarried ; Margaret D., wife of Dr.
Eaves, and mother of three children ; Annie, wife
of William Eaves, and they are the parents of
three children; Ida, unmarried, and James M.
Hutchison. The mother of these children died
in 1891.

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

309

James M. Hutchison, only son of J. Hervey
and Nancy Hutchison, was born in New London
township, Chester county, Pennsylvania, in 1852.
He was reared on the old homestead and his edu
cational advantages were obtained at the public
schools and New London Academy. During his
boyhood he thoroughly learned the varied and
arduous duties pertaining to farm life, and upon
the completion of his studies chose that occupa
tion for his business career. He has conducted
his operations on the home farm, which is culti
vated to a high state of perfection, and under his
excellent management his broad acres yield a
plentiful harvest which amply repays him for his
labor. In politics Mr. Hutchison casts his vote
with the Republican party, and has served his
township in the capacity of supervisor and
auditor. In 1880 Mr. Hutchison was united in mar
riage to Dora S. Gibson, a daughter of William
and Elizabeth Gibson, the former named -being
engaged in agricultural pursuits in New London
township, Chester county. Their children are :
J. Hervey, William G, J. Melville, and Helen W.,
all of whom are unmarried. Mr. Hutchison and
his family are consistent members of the Presby
terian church, and take an active part in the social
affairs of the community.

JONATHAN E. WOODBRIDGE. While
Rev. Timothy Woodbridge, D. D., in his "Auto
biography of a Blind Preacher," states that a
genealogist of distinguished reputation has as
serted that the family is descended from the
great Earl of Warwick, "the King Maker," the
hero of Bulwer's "Last of the Barons," the New
England family finds as its first representative
the Rev. John Woodbridge, of Stanton, Wilt
shire, England, whose wife was a daughter of
Rev. Robert Parker.
Their son John Woodbridge, born at Stanton,
1613, when he attained manhood in 1634, emi
grated to the colonies, locating at Newbury,
Massachusetts, and in 1638 married Mercy Dud
ley, daughter of Thomas and Dorothy Dudley,
the father having served three terms as governor
and a like number of terms as deputy governor
of the colony. John Woodbridge • entered Har
vard University, and graduated therefrom with
honors. For a number of years he was a justice
of the peace, and elected repeatedly first magis
trate of the colony. He died in March, 1695.
To John and Mercy (Dudley) Woodbridge,
among other children, was born John Wood-
bridge, the third, and to John (3) was born a
son John (4), and to the latter (John 4) was born
a son, Jahleel Woodbridge.
Hon. Jahleel Woodbridge graduated from
Princeton College, New Jersey, in 1761, located

at Stockbridge, Massachusetts, where he became
a man of position, serving in both houses of the
legislature, was a captain in the Revolutionary
struggle, an associate judge, and afterward presi
dent judge of the court of common pleas, and
for many years held the office of judge of probate
for the county of Berkshire.1 While a student
at Princeton he became enamored with Lucy-
Edwards, daughter of Dr. Jonathan Edwards,
president of Princeton College, who was then a
young lady in her twenty-fifth year. She was
born August 31, 1736, and died in October,
1786. They were married in June, 1764. The
eldest son of that marriage was Jonathan Wood-
bridge. Jonathan Woodbridge was born at Stock-
bridge, Massachusetts, in 1766, and married
Sarah Meach. He was a man of affairs in his
native place, and was brigadier general of the
militia of the state. He died in 1808. His son
Rev. George Woodbridge, was born in
Worthington, Massachusetts, in 1804, his father
dying when his son was an infant of only-
four years. When about sixteen, George
Woodbridge was admitted to the United States
Military Academy at West Point, and grad
uated therefrom the sixth in the fourteenth
class sent forth from that institution July 1,
1822. He was breveted second lieutenant in
the First Artillery; July 1, 1826, he was com
missioned second lieutenant, Third Artillery;
resigned from the service June 30, 1828.2 He
studied theology, received holy orders, and was
rector of Monumental church, at Richmond, Vir
ginia, for forty-five years. Rev. Dr. Woodbridge
was one of the trustees of William and Mary
College, was one of the examiners of the Alex
andria Theological Seminary and president of
the Virginia Bible Society. The degree of Doctor
of Divinity was conferred upon him by William
and Mary College. Rev. George Woodbridge
died February 14, 1878. He married Rebecca
Nicolson, and among the children born to that

*Edward. Bellamy, in his novel, "The Duke of
Stockbridge," describes the two-story red house
of Squire Jahleel Woodbridge (the great-grand
father of J. Edwards Woodbridge, of Chester,
Pennsylvania), and gives him prominence in the
story, as he also does to Timothy Edwards, Aaron
Burr, Justice Elijah Dwight and other historical
characters, whose lines of ancestry are those of
J. Edwards Woodbridge. William Woodbridge,
the second governor of Michigan, runs in the
main the same ancestral descent.

2See Heitman's "Historical Register and
Dictionary of United States Army," Vol. I, p.
1056.

3io

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

union was Jonathan Edwards Woodbridge, of
Chester, Pennsylvania.
The Dudley line is one that extends back into
the Saxon period of English history. The family
is said to trace descent from King Athelstan, the
grandson of Alfred the Great, who was also
known as "Dudo," hence Dudley Castle, built by
him early in the ninth century, the oldest ruins
in Great Britain, was so called because located at
Dudo's lea or leigh, which finally assumed the
name Dudley, and became the surname of the
branch of his descendants to whom that estate
belonged. The title is the Earldom of Leicester.
It was Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, who
entertained Queen Elizabeth at Kenilworth, as
related by Sir Walter Scott in his famous novel
of that name. Captain Roger Dudley, a Hugue
not adherent, was slain in France in an engage
ment antedating the battle of Ivry seven years.
His son Thomas Dudley was born in Northamp
tonshire, in 1576. The latter and his wife
Dorothy Dudley were passengers on the ship
"Arbella," landing at Salem, Massachusetts, June
12, 1630. He settled at Newtown, afterwards
known as Cambridge. From him Oliver Wendell
Holmes is descended. Governor Dudley's daugh
ter Ann married Governor Simon Bradstreet, and
she holds place in our literature as the first
American poetess. Mercy, another daughter, be
came the wife of John Woodbridge as already
stated. Governor Thomas Dudley died July 31,
1654, aged seventy-seven years.
The Edwards family is of Welsh origin. The
first of the name known in that line is the Rev.
Richard Edwards, D. D., of London, whose widow
Ann married James Coles, and with her husband,
accompanied by William Edwards, then a young
mart, her son by her first husband, emigrated to
the colonies, settling in Hartford, Connecticut,
in 1645. William Edwards married, in 1645,
Agnes Spencer. But one child was born to the
marriage, Richard Edwards, whose birth occurred
in May, 1647. He was a merchant in Hartford.
Their son Richard was twice married, first to
Elizabeth, daughter of William and Elizabeth
Tuttle, of New Haven, and (second) to Mary
Talcott, of Hartford. Richard Edwards died
April 20, 1718, in his seventy-first year. Among
the children born to the first marriage was Tim
othy Edwards, who married Esther Stoddard, of
Northampton, Massachusetts, November 6, 1694.
He graduated at Harvard in 1691, became a
clergyman, settled at East Windsor, Connecticut,
in 1694, and continued in one pastorate for over
sixty years. He died January 27, 1758, aged
eighty-nine years, and his wife on January 19,
1770, aged ninety-eight years. To that marriage
was born ten daughters and one son, the latter
being Jonathan Edwards, who Dr. Chalmers, Sir

James Mackintosh and Dugal Stewart unite in
declaring the most eminent metaphysician Amer
ica has ever produced, a rank that is still accorded
him. Jonathan Edwards was born October 5, 1703,
at East Windsor, Connecticut. He began the
study of Latin when a child of six years. He
graduated at Yale College in 1720, and before
he was twenty years old he was assistant pastor
of a Presbyterian church at Northampton, Mas
sachusetts, of which his grandfather, Rev. Mr.
Stoddard, was in charge. He subsequently was
pastor, but gave the congregation offense, for
which he was dismissed. He then became a mis
sionary among the Stockbridge Indians, and
while so employed prepared his treatise on "The
Freedom of the Will," which Mackintosh asserts
is the greatest metaphysical work in any language.
Mr. Edwards married, July 28, 1727, Sarah
Pierrepont, of New Haven. He was inaugurated
third president of Princeton College, New Jer
sey, February 16, 1758, and died from smallpox,
March 22 of the same year. His fourth daugh
ter, Lucy, married Jahleel Woodbridge, as be
fore stated.
In the Stoddard line J. E. Woodbridge is
descended from. Anthony Stoddard, who came
from the west of England, locating in Boston.
He had four wives, the first being Mary Down
ing, a sister of Sir George Downing. To that
marriage was born in 1643 a son> ^-ev- Solomon
Stoddard, who, succeeding to the church of which
Mr. Mathers had been pastor, married his pred
ecessor's widow, Esther Mathers, the daughter
of Rev. John Warham. To that marriage was
born Esther Stoddard, who in 1694 became the
wife of Timothy Edwards, and mother of the
distinguished Jonathan Edwards.
Mrs. Rebecca Woodbridge, mother of Jona
than Edwards Woodbridge, was a daughter of
Andrew Nicolson, of Richmond, Virginia,
owner of the Clover Hills Coal Pits in Chester
field county, Virginia, whose wife, Judith Diggs,
was the granddaughter of Dudley Diggs, of
Bellefield, a member of the house of burgesses,
and who held many places of trust and honor in
colonial Virginia. Dudley Diggs was a grand
son of Edward Diggs. (See genealogical sketch
accompanying this.)
Jonathan Edwards Wodbridge, son of Rev.
George and Rebecca (Nicolson) Woodbridge,
was born in Richmond, Virginia, January 16,
1844, and when seventeen, in 1861, entered as
a cadet the Virginia Military Institute at Lex
ington, from which he graduated in the class of
1865. While in attendance there, the cadets were
called to the field by President Davis, to repel
the advance of General Sigel up the valley of
the Shenandoah, and were ordered to join the

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

3n

column commanded by General John C. Brecken-
ridge. At the battle of New Market, young
Woodbridge, who was sergeant major of the Bat
talion of Cadets of the Virginia Military Insti
tute, exhibited conspicuous gallantry.1 The
cadets, who fought with the utmost bravery,
capturing a Union battery in a splendid dash in
which they lost heavily, were complimented by
General Breckenridge, while the veteran soldiers
of the South cheered "the baby boys," as the bat
talion had been termed when it first reported for
duty in actual war. The cadets served during
the remainder of that struggle, taking part in
several engagements, and were the last troops
withdrawn from the fortifications below Rich
mond when that city was evacuated by the Con
federate forces, Sunday night, April 2, 1865. Dur
ing the entire campaign Mr. Woodbridge was in
active service and took part in every battle in
which the battalion was engaged. After gradua
tion Mr. Woodbridge removed to Chester, Penn
sylvania, where he entered the drafting department
of the shipbuilding yards of Raney, Son & Archi
bald, and continued in the same employment after
the plant was purchased by the late John Roach,
when it obtained world-wide reputation as the
Delaware River Iron Shipbuilding and Engine
Works, in all covering twenty years. In 1885 Mr.
Woodbridge entered the U. S. government service
in civil capacity and was employed at the noted
Cramp shipbuilding establishment in Philadelphia.
For nearly forty years he has been employed as
a naval architect and mechanical engineer, dur
ing which time he has been engaged in the con
struction of many of the largest and finest ves
sels in the American merchant marine, as well
as most of the great fighting ships of the United
States navy.
May, 1876, Mr. Woodbridge married Louise,
only daughter of John Odenheimer Deshong, an
influential and wealthy citizen of Chester. The
private residence of Mr. Woodbridge is by many
persons regarded as the best specimen of modern
house architecture in the city.
THE DIGGS LINE. Edward Diggs, a de
scendant of one of the most ancient and dis
tinguished families of English gentry, and son
of Sir Dudley Diggs, of Chilham, Kent, Master

^John S. Wise gave this account of the inci
dent: "At-ten-tion-n-n ! Battalion forward!
Guide center-r-r ! shouted Shipp, and up the slope
we started. From the left of the line, Sergeant
Major Woodbridge ran out and posted himself
forty paces in advance of the colors as directing
guide, as if it had been upon the drill grounds.
That boy would have remained there, had not
Shipp ordered him back to his post, for this was
no dress parade."- — "The End of an Era," p. 298.

of the Rolls, was bred to the bar, being admitted
to Gray's Inn on May 19, 1637, and came to Vir
ginia in or before 1654, and November 22 of that
year was chosen a member of the Council, the
House of Burgesses declaring that he had "given
signal testimony of his fidelity to this Colony and
the Commonwealth of England." On March 30,
1655, he was elected governor, and served until
March 13, 1658, when he was sent to England as
one of the agents of the colony. In a letter to
Cromwell the assembly praised him for the
"moderation, prudence and justice with which
he had conducted the government." The restora
tion did not affect his position, for he remained
a member of the council until his death. In
1664 he was again one of the agents of Virginia
in England, and in 1670, when a vacancy occurred
he was appointed auditor general, the reversion
of which he had been long before granted. He
was active in promoting the prosperity of the
colony, and was especially interested in the silk
culture, "importing two Armenians who were
skilled in the business." He lived at Bellefield,
York county, where his tomb remains. He mar
ried Elizabeth Page. Colonel John Page in his
will names his sister Elizabeth Diggs.
The eldest son William, after being a member
of the Virginia House of Burgesses, removed to
Maryland and became a prominent member of
the council of that colony, while a younger son,
Dudley Diggs (1663-1710) inherited Bellefield,
and was appointed a member of the council in
1698, and auditor and surveyor-general in 1705.
By his wife Susanna, daughter of Colonel Will
iam Cole, of "Bolthorpe," Warwick county, he
had a son Cole Diggs, of "Bellefield" (died
1744), who was appointed to the Council in 1719,
and became president of that body.
His son, Dudley Diggs, of York county and
Williamsburg, was one of the leading men dur
ing the Revolutionary period in Virginia. He
was a member of the House of Burgesses from
York county from 1753 to 1772, continuously;
member of the conventions of 1775 and 1776; of
the committes of safety and correspondence; and
elected to the first state council, a member of
which he remained during the war. He married
Martha Armstead, and was the father of Martha,
born August 10, 1757, who married Captain Na
thaniel Burwell.
Dudley Diggs married twice ; his second wife
was Judith Wormley, of Rosegill. Judith Diggs,
daughter of Dudley Diggs and Judith Wormley,
married Andrew Nicolson. The third daughter
of Andrew Nicolson and Judith (Wormley)
Nicolson was Rebecca Nicolson, who married the
Rev. George Woodbridge, the parents of Jona
than Edwards Woodbridge, of Chester, Penn
sylvania, their fourth child.

3'2

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

WILLIAM ARCHER IRVING, prominently
identified with the commercial and social inter
ests of Chester, Pennsylvania, was born on the
old homestead near the site of his present exten
sive manufactory in 1856, a grandson of John
and Jeannie B. Irving, who emigrated from Glas
gow, Scotland, and settled in this section of the
state in the year 181 1. John Irving was an
uncle of Washington Irving, the distinguished
American author, who was born in the city of
New York, April 3, 1783, the son of William I.
Irving, who emigrated from Scotland and set
tled in New York, where he was engaged as a
merchant before the Revolutionary war. At the
age of sixteen years, Washington Irving entered
a law office, but not having an inclination for the
art he soon abandoned the idea of becoming
a lawyer; in 1804 he traveled extensively in Eu
rope, returned in 1807, and contributed a series
of genial and humorous essays to a periodical
called "Salmagundi." In 1809 he wrote "A His
tory of New York, from the Beginning of the
World to the End of the Dutch Dynasty, by
Diedrick Knickerbocker," and in 1813 edited the
"Analectic Magazine" in Philadelphia. He was
also the author of "History of the Life and Voy
ages of Columbus," "Voyages of the Compan
ions of Columbus," "The Conquest of Granada,"
"The Life of Goldsmith," and "The Life of
Washington." He died at Sleepy Hollow, on
the banks of the Hudson, near Tarrytown, No
vember 28, 1859.
James Irving, father of William Archer Ir
ving, was born in 1817, in New York, but subse
quently removed with his parents to Montgomery
county, Pennsylvania, where he was apprenticed
to Bethel Moore, then one of the largest woolen
manufacturers in the state; and with him learned
the trade. In 1845 ^r- Irving removed to Dela
ware county and established woolen mills at
Irvington, in connection with his brother David
Irving, under the firm name of J. & D. Irving.
This partnership continued until the death of
David Irving, which occurred in 1862 ; previous
to this the two brothers, in partnership with
Thomas I. Leiper, established in Chester, Penn
sylvania, a mill for the manufacture of cotton
yarns, under the firm name of Irving & Leiper,
which later was known as the Irving & Leiper
Manufacturing Company. In his political affilia
tions Mr. Irving was formerly a Henry Clay
Whig, and actively participated in the political
issues of the day ; later he became a conservative
Republican. He acted in the capacity of director
of the First National Bank of Chester, and for
a number of years was an active trustee of the
University of Lewisburg, Union county, Penn
sylvania. In his religious views he was a devout
adherent of the tenets of the Baptist church, being
a member of the North Chester Baptist church.

In May, 1839, Mr. Irving married Miss Chris-
tiann Berry, daughter of John Berry, of Chester
county, Pennsylvania, and their children are :
M. Jeannette, wife of Hugh Lloyd, of Darby,
Pennsylvania; E. Matilda, wife of W. H. Star-
buck, of New York city, William A., and D.
Edward Irving.
William A. Irving, eldest son of James and
Christiann Irving, acquired his preliminary edu
cation in a private school of Philadelphia, and
this was supplemented by a three years' course
in the University of Pennsylvania. Upon the
completion of his studies he entered the mill at
Irvington, then owned and operated by his father,
and in due course of time became thoroughly
familiar with all the branches and details of the
business. In 1878 he was admitted as a partner
in the business, and this high position was secured
through personal merit, honorable business
methods and a natural aptitude for the work.
Since his connection with the firm the business
has steadily increased from year to year, the
goods manufactured being woolen cassimeres.
Mr. Irving is also a director of the First Na
tional Bank of Chester, holds a similar position
in the Chester Shipping Company, is president
of the Irving & Leiper Manufacturing Com
pany, treasurer of the James Irving & Soiv
(Limited) and a large stockholder in many other
corporations. He is a prominent member of the
Union League Club of Philadelphia, Pennsyl
vania. On January 12, 1881, Mr. Irving married
Miss Ella Lloyd, daughter of Samuel Lloyd, of
Philadelphia, and two children have been born
to them : S. Lloyd and C. Jeannette Irving.

MRS. MARY J. HUNT. Since her hus
band's death the lady above mentioned has car
ried on the farming operations on her place in
West Brandywine township, and has shown her
self fully equal to all tasks imposed. She comes
of a family originally of German descent, which
has long been resident in Chester county, and her
people have figured creditably in the business and
agricultural development of this productive por
tion of Pennsylvania.
George Jasinsky, grandfather of Mrs. Hunt,
was an old resident of West Cain township and
a farmer by occupation. He married Rachel,
daughter of Daniel Schrack, and reared a fam
ily of six children: Frederick, the eldest, mar
ried a Miss Maclntyre; Susan, wife of Aaron
Davis, of West Chester, has three children :
Rachel, who married Daniel Clark, has seven
children; Maria, wife of Samuel Matthews, has
six children; Elizabeth married Wilson Mau-
land. William Jasinsky, whose name is necessary
to complete the list of his father's six children.

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

313

was born in West Cain township, educated in the
usual way and trained to farm work. Later in
life he was engaged in agricultural pursuits on
his own account in West Cain township. He
married Mary, daughter of Captain John Powell,
who fought in the war of 1812 and lived on Dove
Run in Chester county. The children bv this
marriage were: Mary; Preston, who married
Mary Stevens and has three children ; and Will
iam, who is single.
Mary Jasinsky, the eldest of her father's three
children, was born on the homestead in West Cain
township, Chester county, Pennsylvania, and
educated after the usual manner of young ladies
in her walk of life. In 1882 she was united in
marriage with Hiram Hunt, son of a man of the
same name who resided at Green Hill, in Chester
county. Mr. Hunt was a well known resident of
West Chester, where he had lived for fifty years,
was Democratic in his political affiliations, and
altogether a citizen without reproach. His death
occurred in 1896, and his mortal remains were
laid in the old manor church graveyard in the
presence of many sincere mourners. Mr. and
Mrs. Hunt had four children, but two of them
died while young, the survivors being Hiram and
Mabel, both of whom are attending school. As
previously stated the widow is residing upon and
managing the farm, consisting of one hundred
acres and situated in West Brandywine township..

CHARLES RAMSAY LONG, an enterpris
ing business man of Chester, Pennsylvania, comes
of Scotch-Irish ancestory, the family having been
founded in .America by Kennedy Long, who emi
grated from northern Ireland to America in the
eighteenth century. Kennedy Long was the eld
est son of William Long, who married Mary Ken
nedy, a member of the Kennedy family, a family
of note in the north of Ireland. He was gradu
ated for the Presbyterian ministry, but established
himself in the soap business in Baltimore, and
met with marked success. About the year 1791
he sent for his youngest brother, Henry Long,
from whom Charles R. Long traces his descent.
Jesse Green Long, father of Charles R. Long,
was born in 1823, in Baltimore, Maryland, and
was the eldest son of Henry Long, aforemen
tioned. Charles R. Long, son of Jesse G. Long, was
born November 4, 1872, in Pike county, Illinois,
and was graduated from the public schools of
Pittsfield, in that state. He removed to Chester in
1890. For two years he studied civil engineering
under private tuition, and in August, 1892, formed
a connection with the "Times," the leading
journal of that city. His ability and faithfulness
in the discharge of his duties met with deserved
recognition, and in 1896 he was made business

manager. In this important position he has ac
quitted himself in such a manner as materially
to advance the interests of the paper. Mr. Long
is a member of the Penn Club.
December 5, 1895, Mr. Long married Hannah
H., daughter of Charles Hinkson, of Chester.
Mr. and Mrs. Long are the parents of two chil
dren : Caroline H., and Frederick R. Long.

WILLIAM I. SCHAFFER. Among those
who have attained to positions of distinctive pre
ferment in connection with the practice of law,
is William I. Schaffer, who is recognized as one
of the foremost and distinguished lawyers of
Chester, Delaware county, Pennsylvania. He has
ever been an earnest and discriminating student,
and holds a position of due relative precedence
among the legal representatives in the county.
William I. Schaffer, son of George A. and
Mary H. (Irwin) Schaffer, was born February
11, 1867, in Germantown, Pennsylvania. In 1874
the family removed to Chester, Delaware county,
where William I. passed his boyhood clays and
received his elementary education in the public
schools. Upon leaving school he became a clerk
in a store and while filling this position he thought
of studying medicine, but abandoned the idea
from lack of means sufficient to pass through a
standard medical college. A vacancy occurring
in the law office of William B. Broomall, and his
application for the position proving successful, he
decided to qualify himself for the profession of
law. During his first year with Mr. Broomall. he
studied shorthand, became a very expert stenog
rapher, and reported many important trials. At
the age of seventeen years he passed successfully
a rigid preliminary law examination, after which
he read for four years with Mr. Broomall. On
February 11, 1888, he was admitted to the bar
of Delaware county, having passed his examina
tion with great credit, and one year later was
admitted to practice in the supreme court of
Pennsylvania, being one of the youngest attorneys
ever admitted. He became first assistant to Mr.
Broomall in his large law practice, and this asso
ciation was maintained for many years, during
which time he had excellent opportunities to fa
miliarize himself with the law in almost all its
branches. Mr. Schaffer first came into prominence
as a trial lawyer in the famous "Firebug" trial,
in which he was one of the counsel for the defense.
Since that time he has figured in many prominent
cases, both civil and criminal, and is noted for his
consummate skill and admirable tact in the pres
entation to the jury. He now holds the position
of reporter of the supreme court of Pennsylvania,
and is editor of the Pennsylvania State Reports.
In politics Mr. Schaffer is a staunch Republi
can, and at an early age his services as an organ-

314

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

izer and speaker were in demand by his party.
He served at different times as a member of the
county committee and as its chairman, and dele
gate to county conventions, and he was elected a
delegate to the gubernatorial convention of 1890.
In this convention he supported General Hastings
for governor, and seconded his nomination in a
speech that won golden encomiums throughout the
state. In the Scranton convention, and in the
convention at Williamsport he placed Hon. John
B. Robinson in nomination for president of the
State League of Clubs, and at the Harrisburg
convention of 1894 for lieutenant governor and
in the convention of 1903 nominated William L.
Mathues for state treasurer. In the state con
vention of 1 89 1 he was nominated for one of the
delegates-at-large to the constitutional conven
tion, and, although the convention was voted
down, was elected throughout the state by the
full Republican majority. From January 1,
1894, to January 1, 1900, a period of six years, he
filled the office of district attorney of Delaware
county with singular efficiency and success, his
energy, sound judgment and legal talent, joined
to his abilities as a speaker, fitting him in a pecul
iar manner for the duties of the office. His tal
ents as an orator are frequently called into req
uisition during political campaigns, not only in
Pennsylvania, but also in other states. He is a
member of the Masonic Order and of the Union
League Club of Philadelphia.
Mr. Schaffer married, December 23, 1893, Su
san A. Cross, daughter of Charles F. Cross, of
Towanda, Pennsylvania.

JOHN FRANK CHALLENGER, a well
known business man of Chester, Delaware coun
ty, Pennsylvania, is the son of S. M. Challenger,
who was born in England, and was the son of S.
M. Challenger, a mill-owner. The junior bearer
of the name, when an infant, was brought by his
parents to the United States, and in 1886 settled
in Chester, where he opened a gentleman's furn
ishing store, which he still conducts. For three
years he heid the office of county treasurer, and
is active in Trinity Methodist Episcopal church,
serving as treasurer and superintendent of the
Sunday school. He is a member of the Masonic
fraternity. He married Jennie, daughter of John
Campbell, who is now deceased. They were the
parents of three children, two of whom are living :
John Frank, mentioned at length hereinafter ; and
Ella, who is the wife of the Rev. Horace Story.
John Frank Challenger, son of S. M. and
Jennie (Campbell) Challenger, was born May
25, 1873, and was educated in the schools of the
neighborhood. At the age of fourteen he entered
the employ of the Delaware County Trust Com
pany, as an errand boy, and by industry, assi

duity and ability, combined with scrupulous hon
esty and devotion to the interests of his employ
ers, steadily advanced until in 1900 he was made
secretary of the company. He belongs to the
Masonic order, the Society of Elks, the Penn
Club, and the Keystone Club.
Mr. Challenger married, June 9, 1896, Helen
S., daughter of A. H. Tyson, of Delaware county.
They have three children : John F., Jr., Barclay
R., and Elizabeth T. Mrs. Challenger is a mem
ber of the New Century Club.

MISS BALDWIN'S SCHOOL FOR
GIRLS. Among the many excellent educational
institutions near to Philadelphia, is Miss Bald
win's Day and Boarding School for Girls, Prepar
atory to Bryn Mawr College. It is of nation
wide fame, and its graduates, occupying high
positions in educational institutions and in society,
are to be found in almost all the more important
cities in the country.
The school is situated in one of the most at
tractive and healthful suburbs of Philadelphia,
and is surrounded by a beautiful, rolling country.
It is easily reached from the city, as it is distant
but a half-hour's ride by the local trains of the
Pennsylvania Railroad, which leave Broad street
station every half hour during the day. The
.building occupied by the advanced classes and the
boarding department is a fine gray stone building,
surrounded by twenty-five acres of lawn. It is
thoroughly fire-proof, heated by steam, lighted by
electricity, and connected with the Waring sub
surface system of drainage.
Water is supplied from deep artesian wells.
Spacious halls, well-lighted assembly rooms, and
large gymnasium, attractive studio and recitation
rooms with open fire places, offer unusual advant
ages for a delightful school life, full of healthy
activity of mind and body. The large grounds
afford ample space for tennis, basket ball, golf,
and all out-door sports, and the wide veran
das around three sides of the building give an op
portunity for exercise even in stormy weather.
The building directly opposite, on Morris ave
nue, is occupied by the primary and intermediate
grades. It contains pleasant, well-lighted reci
tation and study rooms with open fire places, a
studio and a gymnasium. Both buildings are
within five minutes' walk of the station.
The school offers a course of study designed
for pupils who do not intend to go to college, as
well as for those who are preparing for college
examinations. The same course of study is pur
sued by all students until the fifth year. The col
lege preparatory course has been arranged with
special reference to the entrance examination of
Bryn Mawr College, and within eleven years
more than one hundred and forty-five pupils from

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

3i5

this school have been admitted to the college.
The general course is designed for those
who do not intend to go to college. It offers
two languages instead of three, and the time
devoted in the college preparatory course to
a third language is here given to a more ex
tended study of French and German, of English
literature, and of history, including the history
of art. The two courses represent the same
amount of work, and the school diploma is grant
ed upon the completion of either.
In addition, special instruction is. given in
French, German, art and music. In the latter
department unusual advantages are offered. The
head of the department was formerly the assist
ant of Herr Robert Teichmiiller, now of the Leip-
sic (Royal) Conservatory, and uses his methods
of instrumental instruction. The pupil is made to
feel that a firm, solid touch, soft and yet capable
of being moulded, is a requisite for producing a
pleasant tone. The chief aim of the course is to
develop a pure, singing tone, artistic playing and
technique ; to educate the ear and brain as well as
the fingers.
Primary and intermediate departments are
also maintained, and are conducted with as great
diligence and thorough conscientiousness as are
the higher departments.
The underlying idea of the school is the mu
tual good understanding and sympathy between
teacher and scholar which can arise only through
personal knowledge and intercourse. Every ef
fort is made to provide a sensible and happy life
for girls who are doing a proper amount of study
without overworking, but neither the home life
nor the school curriculum is designed for girls
who are below the average in health or in ability.
Parents are therefore advised not to make applica
tion for the admission of a girl who from lack
of health or mental ability cannot perform the
full duties of the school. The healthfulness of
the location and of the mode of life in the school
is shown by the fact that the girls usually gain in
health while in residence. Daily walks and prac
tice in the gymnasium are required of all pupils
except those excused upon a physician's certificate
stating that such exercise would be injurious. The
gymnasium is in charge of an experienced and
thoroughly trained instructor, and the work is
carefully adjusted to the individual needs of the
girls. Since experience shows that it is necessary
both to arouse enthusiasm in outdoor sports and
to check immoderate exercises, the director of the
gymnasium has the general oversight of the ath
letics of the school.
The infirmary is in charge of a trained nurse
who has the general oversight of the health of the
girls. The school building is absolutely fireproof,
and is furnished throughout with every conven

ience for comfort and health ; the most careful at
tention has been paid to the sanitary arrangement.
A special feature of the building is the main hall,
into which the entrance hall of the rotunda opens ;
hospitable open fireplaces and attractive furnish
ings make it a delightful gathering place for the
girls. Leading from this hall is a broad stairway,
beautifully lighted by large windows on the first
landing. The dining hall, reception and reading
rooms have open fireplaces. The bed rooms are
all of good size, and are completely and comfort
ably furnished; each occupant has her own bed
and bureau.
Miss Baldwin and Miss Brownell, the associ
ate principal, reside in the school and have the
general supervision of all the departments. Miss
Evelena W. Morford has charge of the girls in
their home life. Her assistants are Mrs. H. L.
Morris, Miss Susan Morford and Miss Laurie
Harriss. The nurse in residence is Miss Anne
Yewens. The teaching corps numbers thirty-two.

GEORGE WOODWARD, an old and
highly respected citizen of New London town
ship, belongs to a family of English descent
which has been identified with the history
of Chester county from early colonial times.
Richard and Robert Woodward, who were broth
ers, were residents of the county as early as 1687,
and from them are descended all the old families
of their name, and Dr. Lewis Woodward, of Car
roll county, Maryland, writing in 1888, estimated
that the descendants of the two brothers named,
nearly as could be ascertained, then numbered ¦
974, extending through eight generations and
scattered throughout nearly all the state of the
union. Richard, son of Richard^ previously men
tioned, in 1695 married Esther Davis, who bore
him twelve children. Their son William married
Eliza Marshall, and they reared a family of six
children, among whom was a son William, born
August 8, 1743. He was a country merchant,
and eventually became a farmer in West Brad
ford township, near Marshalltown, where he died
in 1825. Of this stock was James Woodward, who was
born in West Bradford township, in 1798. He
was educated in the common schools, and learned
carpentering, which trade he pursued for some
years, then abandoning it to engage in farming,
an occupation to which he devoted himself during
the remainder of his life. He married Mary
Price, a daughter of Jacob Price, who was a
farmer. Of this marriage were born four chil
dren — Eber (deceased), William, Elizabeth and
George. George' Woodward, son of James and Mary
(Price) Woodward, was born on the ancestral

3i6

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

homestead in West Bradford township, in 1827.
He received his early education in the common
schools of Marshalltown, and afterwards came
under the excellent instruction given by the re
vered Jonathan Gause, at Unionville. At the age
of nineteen and after leaving school he engaged
in blacksmithing in West Bradford, and labored
in that calling for a period of. four years. He
then worked at his trade for a time in Kennett
Square and Unionville, and subsequently opened
a business of his own at New Garden. He thence
removed after a time to Avondale, where he suc
cessfully pursued his calling for thirteen years.
After subsequent residence at New London and
Kelton, he retired from active pursuits, in 1891,
and took up his residence on the old Ford farm
in New London township, which he had purchased
and where he resided during the remainder of
his life. With his family, Mr. Woodward at
tends the Presbyterian church. He is an Inde
pendent in politics, and a member of the fratern
ity of Odd Fellows.
Mr. Woodward was married, in 1850, to Miss
Lydia Nichols, who was born in East Marl
borough township, in 1827, a daughter of William
and Susan Nichols. Her father was a prosper
ous farmer. Of her marriage were born the
following- children: 1. Sarah, who became the
wife of Lewis Smith, and to whom were born
seven children ; 2. Anna, who became the wife of
Turner Kennedy, and to whom were born eight
children; 3. Augustus, who died young; 4. Har
mony, who died young ; 5. Clara ; 6. Eva, who is
a teacher ; 7. Etta, who became the wife of Rod
man Lovett, and to whom were born four
children.

THOMAS E. AGNEW. of New London
township, Chester county, Pennsylvania, comes
of substantial farming stock, and in his own call
ing has held to the family traditions. He is well
known in political circles in his community, and
well-liked as a member of various fraternal or
ganizations. He is a native of Kennett township,
where his father and grandfather were also born.
John Agnew (grandfather) was educated in
the public schools and made farming his life in
terest. He was a man of energy and character
and raised the standard of his calling. He mar
ried, and among the children born to him was
Lewis Agnew.
Lewis Agnew (father) was born on the old
homestead farm in Kennett township, Chester
county, in 1832. He obtained his education in
the common schools of the town, and then took
up farming as his occupation. After an active
and laborious life, he retired to enjoy the fruits
of his well spent -years in Kennett borough, Ches
ter county, where he now resides. Pie was twice

married, the first wife being Louise Taylor,
daughter of Neilson and Sarah Taylor, a farmer
of Kennett township, Chester county. From the
marriage came the following children : 1. Mary,
who married Charles Bower, and had one child ;
Ellen, who became the wife of Moses Johnson
(deceased) and is the mother of two children ; 3.
Martha, who married Henry McMullen, but has
no children ; 4. Thomas E., into whose life we
enter in some detail hereinafter. For his second
wife, Lewis. Agnew married Lydia Walter, who
is still living, as is the one child, Martha, who
was born to them.
Thomas E. Agnew, the fourth child and first
son of Lewis and Louise (Taylor) Agnew, was
born in the home of his father in 1862. After
gaining his education in the public schools of
Kennett borough, he went back to till the paren
tal acres. He continued farming here until 1890,
when he bought a farm in New London, where he
now resides. He is an enthusiastic member of
the Masonic fraternity, the Order of Odd Fel
lows, the Junior Order of United American Me
chanics, and the Heptasophs. He is an ardent
Republican, and takes the liveliest interest in local
politics as well as in the national issues of the
party. In 1890, Mr. Agnew married Ellen Hanson,
daughter of William and Elizabeth Hanson, the
former named having been a merchant of Phila
delphia-, Pennsylvania, and the following children
resulted from the marriage : Louis, Hanson,
Thomas, Jr. (deceased), Elizabeth and Sidney.
None of the children are married.

MISS LETITIA JACKSON, an estimable
lady of rare good sense and judgment, beloved by
all who have the honor of her acquaintance for
the many excellent characteristics which she dis
plays in her every day life, was born in New Lon
don township, Chester county, Pennsylvania, Au
gust 22, 1837.
The earliest ancestor of the family to reside
in this country was David Jackson, great-grand
father of Letitia A. Jackson. He was born in the
north of Ireland, county Antrim, came to this
country, and after marrying Elizabeth Reed here,
returned to Ireland, remaining there some years.
He returned to this country with his wife and
four children — Mary, Hugh, Robert and James —
and settled on a farm near Ed en ton, Chester
county, Pennsylvania. He was a soldier in the
Revolutionary war, and lost one arm in the battle
of Trenton. His wife having died in 1767, he
made his home with his youngest son James, of
Coleraine, Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, who
was the grandfather of Letitia Jackson.
James Jackson received his education in the
common schools of his county. He became well

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

3i7

and favorably known in the community, stood
high in the regard of his many friends, and was
the first and for many years the only elder of
the Union Presbyterian church of Colerain, Lan
caster county, Pennsylvania. James Jackson and
his estimable wife, Rachel (McCalmant) Jack
son, were the parents of the following named chil
dren — David, Samuel, Ebenezer, Hugh, James,
Robert, Mary and Elizabeth Jackson.
Hugh Jackson, father of Letitia Jackson, was
born in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, July 27,
1 80 1. He received a common school education
and upon leaving school learned (die trade of
blacksmith, which he followed for a number of
years prior to his removal to New London town
ship, Chester county, which occurred in the year
1 83 1. From that date up to the time of his de
cease on October 1, 1883, he devoted his attention
to farming, which under his careful and judicious
management proved a profitable source of income.
He was a strong adherent of the principles of De
mocracy, and his religious affiliations were with
the Presbyterian church, in which he held mem
bership for many years. He was faithful in the
discharge of his duties, and in all relations of life
commanded the confidence and esteem of all with
whom he was brought in contact.
In November, 1827, Mr. Jackson married
Mary J. Wilson, who was born September 10,
1808, and died in October, 1891, having attained
the extreme old age of eighty-three years. She
was a daughter of James and Isabella (Patter
son) Wilson, of Lower Oxford township, Chester
county, Pennsylvania. The children born to Mr.
and Mrs. Jackson were: 1. James P., died May
9, 1903, in his seventy-fifth year ; 2. Ebenezer,
died in early life ; 3. William W., also died in
early life ; 4. David, married Clara J. Marshall,
and their children are — Hugh M., Mary L., and
Letitia J., all of whom are unmarried ; 5. Letitia ;
6. Rachel F. ; 7. Samuel W., died in childhood ;
8. Mary E., died in 1896; she was the wife of
Joseph S. Wilson and mother or four children —
William C, Frank J.. Harry, and Mary B., of
whom the second and fourth are living; 9. Har
riet R., died March 12, 1881 : 10. Nancy E. ; 11.
Isabella W., died in 1902 ; she was the wife of
James W. McFadden, and their family consisted
of two children, George J. and Mary J.

CONARD FAMILY. The ancestors of the
Conards stand among the best of the old families
in the important part the Friends have borne in
the history of Pennsylvania. Those early genera
tions, steadfast in the self-denying effort to at
tain the realities of life, have left a goodly poster
ity that is a foe of all pretense.
David Conard was born in New London
township, in 1804, on a farm enriched by the

labor of his ancestors. He was educated in the
common schools, and took up farming on the
old place. Later on he opened and operated a
saw-mill which is still standing. He was a mem
ber of the Society of Friends, and a most worthy
citizen. He was a Republican, and actively in
terested in the affairs of his party.. He married
Mary Speakman, daughter of a farmer living
near Chatham, Chester county, Pennsylvania. Of
this marriage were born Ann H., Susanna Eliza
beth and Mary W., all of whom are unmarried;
Emarine, who married William Power, and be
came the mother of three children, all of whom
are now deceased ; Lydia, deceased ; Amos, de
ceased ; and Joel P. Conard.
Joel P. Conard, third child and second son of
David and Mary (Speakman) Conard, was born
at the old homestead in New London township,
May 6, 1834. He was educated at the old Ercil
doun Academy, conducted at that time by the
Hon. Smedley Darlington. On leaving school his
inclinations led him back to the old farm, which
his father had purchased in 1849. He took
charge of the mill which his father had operated,
but the business of the farm has not obscured his
interest in outside affairs. He served as secretary
and treasurer of the New London Detective As
sociation for twenty years, served as first lieu
tenant in the Home Guard, served as justice of
the peace for the unusual period of thirty years,
and as school director for fifteen years. He is
a member of the Presbyterian church at New
London, serving in the capacity of elder for more
than twenty years, and he has represented his
church at the Synod and General Assembly. In
politics he stands with the Republican party on
the larger issues.
Mr. Conard has been twice married. His
first wife was Emma Wherry of Maryland, born
in 1834 and died in 1883. The following chil
dren were born of the marriage: 1. Estelle, un
married, resides at Altoona, Pennsylvania ; 2.
Corinne, deceased ; 3. Myra, deceased ; 4. Mar
garet, who married William Henry Johnson and
became the mother of two children — Marriott
Conard and Alexander Shand; they reside in Al
toona, Pennsylvania. The second wife of Joel P.
Conard was Mary S. Kennedy, whom he married
in 1889. She was born in 1841, a daughter of
William and Sarah (Quillin) Kennedy, the for
mer named being a farmer and mechanic of New
London township. No children were born of this
marriage.

AGNES G. PARKE. The lady whose name
introduces this sketch is a granddaughter of
Thomas and Elizabeth (Bowen) Parke, in whose
family were the following children : Robert T.,
who married Henrietta Huling; Mary Ann, who

318

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

became the wife of William Miller and had one
child; Sarah, Elizabeth and Jane, who all died
unmarried ; Harriet, who wedded James McCon
nell and had six children, i. Ellen, 2. Emma,
3. Edward, 4. Mary, 5. Laura, 6. Florence; and
Richard B., the father of our subject.
Richard B. Parke was born in Downingtown,
Pennsylvania, and during his boyhood acquired
a good practical education in the common schools.
By occupation he was a farmer, and was a man
of retiring disposition. As a companion and
helpmate on life's journey he married Miss
Ellouisa Grier, a daughter of Rev. J. N. C. Grier,
and the children born of this union were as
follows : A. G. B., who is a physician and mar
ried Mary L. Black ; John G, who married Helen
I. Black and has four children; T. Henry, who
wedded Mary Jane Liggett and has three chil
dren; R. Baxter, who married M. Annie Wise
and has eight children ; Jane the wife of Charles
Kennedy ; and Agnes G., of this review.
Agnes G. Parke attended the public schools
near her childhood home and never left the pa
rental roof but still lives on the old homestead
in West Brandywine township, which comprises
upwards of one hundred acres of rich and arable
land under a high state of cultivation. She is
a devout and active member of the Presbyterian
church, taking a great interest in the different
missionary societies connected with it, and is a
most estimable lady whose circle of friends and
acquaintances is extensive.

SAMUEL PASCHALL WEBB. The earl
iest ancestor of the Webb family of whom there is
any authentic record was Richard Webb, who
came from the city of Gloucester to Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania, in 1700, and four years later be
came one of the pioneer settlers of the township
of Birmingham. His wife, Elizabeth, a noted
minister, had visited this country in 1697 and
1698, and in the year 1710 paid a religious visit
to her native land. Richard Webb was an active,
public-spirited citizen, served as justice of the
peace, and his death occurred in 17 19. Their chil
dren were: William, Mary, Esther, Sarah, Dan
iel, Benjamin, Elizabeth and James Webb.
William Webb, great-grandfather of Samuel
P. Webb, was born December 23, 1738, obtained
a common school education, and later became in
terested in the various pursuits of his native town
ship. He was united in marriage to Hannah Har
lan, who was born January 1, 1747, the daughter
of Isaac and Hannah Harlan.
Stephen Webb, grandfather of Samuel P,
Webb, was born November 29, 1776, and after
acquiring a practical education at the village
school, devoted his attention to industrial pursuits.
He married Mary Harvey, born September 12,

1779, a daughter of Amos and Hannah Harvey,
and among their children was a son, Stephen
Webb, Jr.
Stephen A. Webb, father of Samuel P. Webb,
was born June 18, 18 15, educated at the common
schools of Westtown, and his business career
was devoted to agricultural pursuits. He was
one of the prominent and respected citizens of
the township, was frequently chosen to serve as
executor and administrator of estates, and guar
dian for minor children, performing these trusts
with scrupulous fidelity. He was united in mar
riage to Margaretta P. Worth, daughter of Sam
uel Worth, on September 20, 1838, and his death
occurred April 6, 1884. His wife, Margaretta P.
(Worth) Webb, died March 14, 1881.
Samuel P. Webb, son of Stephen and Mar
garetta (Worth) Webb, was born July 18, 1839,
reared on a farm near Parkersville, Chester
county, Pennsylvania, and his education was ac
quired at the Westtown school. In i860 Mr.
Webb went west, settled in the state of Michigan,
and up to the year 1876 was engaged in the lum
ber business. After the expiration of this period
of time, he returned to the Webb home farm, in
Pennsbury township, Chester county, Pennsyl
vania, and the remainder of his life was devoted
to the cultivation and improvement of the same.
On October 20, 1863, Mr. Webb married Cor
nelia A. Kent, a daughter of Julius and Martha
(Bentley) Kent, of Chagrin Falls, Ohio. Their
children are: 1. Bentley Kent, born January 26,
1866, in Chester county, Pennsylvania, acquired
his education at the Normal School, Hillsdale Col
lege, which he attended for one year, and Over
land College. He is now engaged in the whole
sale commission business in the city of Philadel
phia, where he resides with his wife, Ada P.
(Sager) Webb, a daughter of John and Kasiah
Sager. Their children are : Harry S., born Decem
ber 21, 1889; Bertha K., born February 1, 1893;
Winifred B., born April 11, 1899; Samuel B.,
born March 11, 1901. 2. Harry Stephen, born
December 25, 1868, died August 6, 1871 ; 3. A
son, who died in infancy ; 4. A daughter, who died
in infancy; 5. Samuel Archie, born August 20,
1875, obtained an excellent education at the
Friends' high school, and at the present time
(1903) is engaged in the occupation of farming.
6. Charles Bentley, born August 14, 1879, ac_
quired his preliminary education at the Friends'
high school, and this was supplemented by a
course at a business college in Philadelphia. He is
now engaged in the commission business with his
brother, Bentley Kent Webb. The father of
these children died December 4, 1895, leaving
surviving his widow and three sons. Mr. Webb
was a progressive and enterprising citizen; he
took an active interest in educational affairs and
served on the school board of Pennsbury town-

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

3i9

ship. He was a just and conscientious man in
all his business transactions, was a good citizen,
an indulgent father and loving husband, and a
consistent Christian. He was a member of the
Presbyterian church, as is also his wife. He was
a birthright member of the Society of Friends.

MAJOR WILLIAM THOMPSON FUL
TON. The Fulton family of Chester county,
Pennsylvania, members of which have distin
guished themselves by their bravery and devo
tion to their country during the Revolutionary
and Civil war periods, also in religious, political
and commercial affairs, is of Scotch extraction,
and their crest taken from Fairbarne's Book of
Crests of Great Britain and Ireland, found in the
State Library at Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, con
sists of a stag lodged on a mount, regardant,
resting, yet watchfully looking around; and the
legend, "Things which we ourselves have done",
and the motto, "Rest is attained by labor." —
suggestive of laborious watchful industry, and of
safe escape from the hounds of the enemy. A
work on Heraldry in America, by Engene Zer-
ber, claims that the fact that arms were borne
here in Colonial times creates of them American
arms, and that fact is a sufficient authority for
their use by descendants of the old families. An
other writer, Cussans, remarks that "It is no mat
ter of surprise that Americans, particularly those
in the eastern states, with all their veneration for
republican principles, should be desirous of trac
ing their origin to the early settlers and of prov
ing their descent from these single-hearted God
fearing men who sought in a foreign land that
religious liberty which was denied them at home."
John Fulton, the pioneer ancestor of the fam
ily, was born in Lanarkshire, Scotland, in 1713.
He was reared, educated and married in his na
tive country, and, prior to the year 1753, John
Fulton and his wife Eleanore Fulton were the
parents of three children — Mary, born in 1745 ;
Elizabeth, born in 1748 ; and James, born Febru
ary 2, 1 75 1. It is probable that John Fulton and
his family, in the year 1753, set sail from the
seaport town of Glasgow, Scotland, and landed
either at New Castle, Delaware, or Baltimore,
Maryland. In 1762 he removed from the latter
named state to Chester county, Pennsylvania,
and purchased a tract of two hundred and sixty
acres of land from John Hawthorn, for fifty-five
pounds, which was located on the Big Elk creek
and the Oxford and New London road. Here
he erected a fulling and paper mill, several farm
buildings, and reared a family of six children,
three of whom were born in Scotland and three
in America. He was one of the elders of the
Oxford Associate Presbyterian church, being also
one of the donors of the ground on which it was
21 x

erected. His will, of which his sons James and
John Fulton were the executors, was dated Feb
ruary 6, 1796, and proven at West Chester,
March 24, 1796.
The children of John and Eleanor Fulton, the
pioneer ancestors, were : Mary, born in 1745,
who became the wife of the Rev. James Proudfit,
of Salem, New York; Elizabeth, born in 1748,
who became the wife of James Hutchison in
1767, and died June 12, 1812 ; James, born in
1751, died February 15, 1833, aged eighty-two
years ; he married Margaret Miller, who was
born January 20, 1757, and died July 20, 18 16;
John, who married Margaret Dickey for his first
wife, and for his second wife chose Esther
Cooper; Jane, became the wife of Matthew Wil
son, August 27, 1792, and died January 19,
• 1797; and Susan, born in 1760, who became the
wife of the Rev. James Clarkson, of York
county, and her death occurred at Troy, New
York. James Fulton, eldest son of John and Eleanor
Fulton, was born February 2, 1751, in Scotland.
In 1776 he entered the Colonial army, and on
July 3rd of that year was commissioned by John
Morton, speaker of the house of representatives
of Pennsylvania, as lieutenant of militia for two
months' service, in the company commanded by
Captain Joseph Gardner, in the regiment of
.Colonel William Montgomery, Lieutenant Colonel
Evan Evans, of Chester county, Pennsylvania.
The regiment joined General Washington in New
Jersey, marched to Trenton, to Princeton, to New
Brunswick, to Perth Amboy, and thence to
Woodbridge. In December, 1776, he was mus
tered into service as a lieutenant under General
Putnam, about Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was
on duty at Burlington and Crosswicks, and in
the battle of Trenton, New Jersey, in the bat
talion of Colonel Evan Evans. On October 1,
1777, he was appointed lieutenant, acting as cap
tain of the company, under General Potter, and
served at Reading and Philadelphia. Mr. Ful
ton was an excellent scholar, an active and pub
lic-spirited citizen, and was a member of the
political organization known in his time as the
Republican party. In 1802 they adopted the
name of Republican Democrats, but the prefix
was finally abandoned, and those of their politi
cal faith are now the Democratic party. In his
fall of 1802 he was elected to the legislature of
Pennsylvania, which held its sessions in the old
court house, Penn Square, Lancaster ; he was also
re-elected by a strong vote to the succeeding
sessions of 1803 and 1804, and again in 1804 and
1805. During his incumbency of office he was
active and aggressive, and was elected to serve
on several important committees.
On November 25, 1781, James Fulton mar
ried Margaret Miller, daughter of Colonel Jo-

320

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

seph Miller, of Bartville, Lancaster county, Penn
sylvania. Their children were: John, born
March. 23, 1783, unmarried, died at Petersburg,
Virginia, in 1854; Rachel, born April 9, 1787,
unmarried, died March 15, 1864; Joseph, born
March 3, 1785, died December 27, 1844; on
March 2, 1809, he married Martha Watt, born
January 15, 1786, died December 4, 1869, aged
eighty-four years ; Eleanor M., born November
23, 1793, became the wife of Fulton Hutchison;
Miller, born December 13, 1797, unmarried,
died September 16, 1859, in the sixty-second
year of his age; James Jefferson, mentioned at
length in the following paragraph. James Ful
ton, father of these children, died February 15,
I833, aged eighty-two years; his wife passed
away July 20, 1816, aged fifty-nine years.
James Jefferson Fulton, fourth son of James
and Margaret Fulton, was born February 18,
1 80 1, on the old homestead located on Big Elk
creek, Pennsylvania. He received a common
school education, and in early life learned the
trade of paper making. For four years, from
1823 to 1827, James J. and his brother, Miller
Fulton, were in partnership in the operation of
the fulling mill and paper mill on Big Elk creek.
James J. continued to manufacture paper at Elk
mills, McCrery's mill, and Eshleman's mill in
Lancaster county. During the years 183 1, 1832
and 1833, James J. Fulton and Samuel Bahill
were partners in the management of a paper
making business, and occupied a two-story frame
building which stood on the corner of East King
and Duke streets, Lancaster, the present site
of the court house. Mr. Fulton possessed more
than the ordinary natural talent, had a wonder
fully retentive memory, and his powers as a his
torian were unequalled. While residing in Lan
caster, Mr. Fulton and his wife, Nancy Ann
(Ramsey) Fulton, born August 22, 1802, were
members of the Presbyterian church and later of
the West Nottingham Presbyterian church, of
which Mr. Fulton was a trustee and elder for
twenty-five years, and during this long period
was always attentive and consistent in the per
formance of his duties. Both Mr. and Mrs.
Fulton were active and zealous in their denuncia
tion of intemperance, gambling and slavery, Mrs.
Fulton holding many heated discussions about
the time of the breaking out of the Rebellion with
her lady acquaintances of pro-slavery and seces
sion ideas on the border lands. Their residence
was within half a mile of Mason and Dixon's
line. The children born to James J. and Nancy
Ann Fulton are as follows : Rachel Maria,
born March 30, 1828, died in Lancaster, June
19, 1832, in the fifth year of her age ; Margaret
Jane, born October 1, 1830, died in Lancaster,
August 16, 1831 ; James, born November 12,

1832, married, May 16, 1861, Anna M. John
son, and became a noted medical practitioner;
William Thompson, mentioned at length here
inafter; Joseph Mifler, born January 11, 1840,
married Sarah Anna Brown, born December 3.
1845, and his death occurred February 21, 1892;
Hugh Ramsey, born November 16, 1843, mar
ried, November 15, 1871, Sallie Thompson Kerr.
James J. Fulton, father of these children, died
April 28, 1864, aged sixty-three years; his wife
passed away January 7 1870, in the sixty-ninth
year of her age.
William T. Fulton, second son of James J.
and Nancy A. Fulton, was born in West Not
tingham, Chester county, Pennsylvania, Febru
ary 27, 1835. He pursued his studies at the pub
lic schools of the neighborhood and at Jordan
Bank Academy, conducted by Dr. Evan Pugh,
late president of the Pennsylvania State College.
He imbibed the sentiment from his preceptor
that every boy should learn a trade, and accord
ingly served an apprenticeship with a black
smith. He then established a business at Hila-
mans, in East Nottingham, which he successfully
conducted for a period of almost two years.
Finding, however, that increasing business al
lowed him but very little time for reading and
study, which was his ambition, and having a de
sire to become a member of the legal profession,
he resolved to apply himself to teaching and
study. After passing a creditable examination,
Dr. Franklin Taylor, the county superintendent
at that time, gave him a teacher's certificate. He
was appointed to a school in his native township,
where he taught for two years, and during this
period he utilized his spare time by a systematic
review of his former studies, mathematics and
English classics, with the addition of the Latin
and French languages. He then registered as
a law student with the late Hon. Thaddeus Stevens
of Lancaster, and when Mr. Stevens was elected
to Congress, Mr. Fulton entered the office of the
Hon. J. Smith Futhey, where he completed his
law studies, and was admitted to the West Ches
ter bar in 1861. He established a law office at
Oxford, Pennsylvania, and since then has given
his undivided attention to the practice of his
profession, in which he has achieved a large de
gree of success. He is a public-spirited citizen
and an influential factor in all measures advo
cated for the public welfare and advancement of
the community in which he resides.
In August and September, 1861, Mr. Fulton
was instrumental in aiding the organization of
Company E, Purnell Legion, Maryland Infantry,
composed of bordermen of Pennsylvania and
Maryland, and he was chosen captain of the com
pany. After about a year's service he was pro
moted to the rank of major of the regiment, but
the many hard marches and great exposures of

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

321

the campaigns of 1861 and 1862, and particu
larly those incident to the rebel invasion of Mary
land and the battle of Antietam, brought on a
fever which disabled him for active service. He
continued at his duties for several months, but
was finally ordered before a board of surgeons,
examined and discharged. General Lee's inva
sion of Pennsylvania and the battle of Gettys
burg found Major Fulton again in the field as
a member of Company C, Twenty-ninth Regi
ment of Pennsylvania Militia. He was elected
a justice of the peace in 1863, re-elected in 1868
and again in 1873, resigning November 1, 1876,
to accept a seat in the legislature, to which he
was that year elected, and he was re-elected in
1878. In the legislature he was a member of the
general and local judiciary committees and chair
man of the federal relations committee. In re
ligion he adhers to the tenets of the Presby
terian church, and in politics is an earnest and
active Republican, having cast his vote for Abra
ham Lincoln, the first Republican president of
the United States. He is also an earnest ad
vocate of the cause of temperance. He is a mem
ber of Fairview Lodge, No. 334, Independent
Order of Odd Fellows ; a past commander of
Thompson Post, Grand Army of the Republic;
a director in the Oxford National Bank and was
associate counsel of the Philadelphia and Balti
more Central Railroad for a number of years.
April 5, 1865, Major Fulton married Han
nah A. Kirk, daughter of Joseph and Elizabeth
(Scott) Kirk, of West Nottingham, and two
children were the issue of this union: Kirk,
born August 25, 1866, married; March 25, 1891,
Sarah Kimble, born September 3, 1870, and his
children are : H. Jeannette, Robert, Hugh Hodge,
Florence M. and William F. ; Annie E., born
June 15, 1873. The mother of these children
died April 12, 1875.
On October 19, 1876, Major Fulton married
for his second wife Annie E. Neeper, daughter
of Samuel and Eliza (Clark) Neeper, of Ox
ford, and they are the parents of one daughter,
Eleanor Jane, born August 28, 1877. The mother
Annie E. (Neeper) Fulton, died April 10, 1902.

PROFESSOR WILLIAM H. SNYDER,
an accomplished educator, whose success in his
calling is attested by his occupancy of the posi
tion of principal of the public schools of Oxford,
Chester county, Pennsylvania, for the unusual
period of thirty years, is a native of the state,
and a descendant of an honored family of colonial
times. His ancestors came from Germany, and
among their descendants were three brothers,
Casper, John and Peter, who were living in

Pikeland, Chester county, during the Revolu
tionary war. Peter, his great-grandfather, was
father of Henry, who was born in 1785 in East
Pikeland, where he was reared. He was a farmer
and blacksmith, a capable mechanic, and an in
dustrious and upright man. Pie sold his farm
and removed to Valley Forge, and thence, about
1830, to Norristown, Montgomery county, where
he died at an advanced age. He was a member
of the German Reformed church, and a Demo
crat in politics. His wife was Catharine Carl, of
Chester county, and to them were born eight
children. Abraham Snyder, second son of Henry and
Catharine (Carl) Snyder, was born near Zion
Lutheran church, in East Pikeland, February
15, 1812. His parents removed, while he was a
boy, to Norristown, where his active life was
passed. He learned blacksmithing, and followed
his trade until advanced age obliged him to retire
from active labors. He was a man of excellent
ability, and an exemplary member of the Pres
byterian church. He was a Democrat until the
formation of the Republican party, to which he
attached himself, voting for its first presidential
candidate, John C. Fremont, and giving it his
support throughout his life. His wife was Cath
erine Wolmer, of Montgomery county, and to
them were born eight children.
William Henry Snyder, eldest son of Abra
ham and Catherine (Wolmer) Snyder, was born
in Norriton township, Montgomery county, May
16, 1839. He began his education in the public
schools, and was preparing for college at the
Washington Hall Institute, at Trappe, Montgom
ery county, conducted by Professor Abel Rambo,
at the outbreak of the rebellion. Animated by
patriotic spirit, he dropped his text books and en
listed as a member of the. regimental band of the
Second Regiment Pennsylvania Reserves, in the
splendid division commanded by General McCall.
With this command he participated in the famous
Peninsular campaign under General George B.
McClellan, including the bloody seven days bat
tles beginning with that at Mechanicsville, or
Ellison's Mills, and ending with historic Mal
vern Hill. A month later (August, 1862), regi
mental bands were discontinued by Act of Con
gress, and young Snyder received an honorable
discharge. Later the same year, when the rebel
General Lee attempted a northern invasion, Mr.
Snyder volunteered for the defence of his state,
and was commissioned second lieutenant in the
Seventeenth Regiment State Defenders, and in
1863, when Lee marched to Gettysburg, he was
commissioned first lieutenant of Company C,
Thirty-fourth Regiment Pennsylvania Militia,
but served during the greater portion of his term
as adjutant of the regiment.
In 1863 Mr. Snyder was appointed deputy

322

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

collector of internal revenue at Norristown, by
Collector David Newport, and he was re-ap
pointed to the position in 1865 by Collector Ben
jamin Hancock, father of General W. S. Han
cock. He subsequently retired from this position
to become editor of the "Norristown Independ
ent," in which he held an interest for a short
time. It is to be here noted that while thus en
gaged he displayed such excellent journalistic
ability as to afford assurance of his success in
the newspaper field had he chosen it for his life
work. He was determined, however, upon an
educational career. In 1867 he resumed teaching,
and in 1870 he was appointed an instructor in
the academical department of Ursinus College, at
Collegeville, in which station he acquitted himself
most creditably for three years, and until 1873.
In that year he was appointed principal of the
public schools of Oxford, Chester county, Penn
sylvania. In this position he developed his
powers so constantly and broadly that through
successive re-appointments his term of service
has been extended to the present time (1903),
covering a period of thirty years. This splendid
success has been due to no fortuitous circum
stance, but has been achieved through persistent
industry and a genuine talent for educational
work. So long as Professor Snyder has been a
teacher, he has also been a student, constantly-
advancing himself beyond the requirements of
whatever position he occupied at the time. Thus,
after coming to the principalship of the Oxford
schools, he pursued advanced studies, including
a vacation course in the West Chester State
Norman School, and in 1877 he passed the exami
nation of the state board of examiners at that in
stitution and received a state' certificate. While
he has brought the Oxford schools to a leading
place among those of Pennsylvania, keeping them
entirely modernized, and inspiring his teachers
and pupils alike with his own enthusiasm, he has
also gained the hearty recognition of educators
throughout the state, and is frequently called
upon to speak before bodies of teachers upon
topics relating. to their profession.
Professor Snyder is a Presbyterian in reli
gion, and has been an elder in the church at
Oxford for twenty-two years,and superintendent
of its Sunday school for twenty-six years. He is a
talented musician, and for thirteen years past the
music of both church and school have been under
his direction. In politics he is a Republican.
Professor Snyder was married, September
7, 1864, to Miss Martha A. Bevan, born Febru
ary 28, 1842, a native of Delaware county, eldest
daughter of Jackson and Serena (Malin) Bevan,
who were then living in Montgomery county. Of
this marriage was born November 29, 1865, a
daughter, Bella B., who, May 20, 1891, became

the wife of Wilmer K. Bird, of Rising Sun,.
Maryland, and to whom was born, September 12,.
1895, a daughter, Malva Snyder Bird.

SANDERS McCULLOUGH, deceased, whose
many years of active business life were de
voted exclusively to the useful calling of agri
culture, was a man of exemplary Christian char
acter and his death which occurred at his home
in Oxford borough, Chester county, Pennsyl-
vaia, June 26, 1885, was sincerely deplored by
a large circle of friends and acquaintances. He
was a native of Lancaster county, Pennsylvania,.
born in 1809, a son of Hugh and Grace (Bell)
McCullough. Hugh McCullough (father) was born in
Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, and remained a
life-long resident of that section of the state.
He acquired a practical education at the public
schools of the neighborhood, and throughout the
many yeears of his active life he farmed on the
old homestead. He conducted his operations on
an extensive scale, and by exercising prudence
and industry his efforts were eminently suc
cessful and profitable. He was a firm adherent
of the principles of Democracy as advocatd by
Thomals Jefferson, and from young manhood
gave that party his active support. Mr. Mc
Cullough was united in marriage to Grace Bell,.
a native of Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, and
the following named children were born to them
— Jane, who became the wife of Samuel Max
well ; Grace, who was united in marriage to
Thomas Collins ; Margaret L., who became the
wife of James Long ; Amelia, who married James
McSparran; and Sanders, mentioned at length
hereinafter. Mr. McCullough, the father of
these children, died at his home in Lancaster
county, Pennsylvania, May 3, 1848.
Sanders McCullough was reared to manhood
on his father's farm in Lancaster county, and the
early years of his life were spent in obtaining
a liberal education which was acquired at the
public and private schools of Lancaster county.
For a number of years he assisted with the culti
vation and management of the old homestead,
and thus gained a thorough knowledge of agri
cultural pursuits which proved of great benefit
to him in the operation of his own farm. He
was the owner of a fine piece of property in his
native county where he conducted general farm
ing pursuits until April, 1874, when he removed
to Oxford, Chester county, where he resided
until his death. He was practical and progres
sive in his ideas and methods of conducting
work, energetic and persevering in the carrying
out of plans, and therefore his business efforts
were crowned with a large measure of success.

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

323

During the latter years of his life he was en
abled to live in retirement from active duties and
to enjoy the rest and quiet which was a fitting
sequel to his many years of activity and useful
ness. Mr. McCullough was an active worker in
the ranks of the Democratic party, but stead
fastly declined to accept the offices of trust and
responsibility which were tendered to him, pre
ferring to devote his entire time to the manage
ment of his private affairs.
Mr. McCullough was married twice. His
first union was to Sarah Marid Rowlands, who
died leaving no issue. He then married Jean
nette Smith King, who was born in Lancaster
county, Pennsylvania, February 11, 1828, a
¦daughter of John and Isabella (McSparran)
King, prominent residents of Lancaster county.
Both Mr. McCullough and his wife held mem-
"bership in the Presbyterian church of Chestnut
Level, Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, he being
a ruling elder for many years. Mrs. McCuf-
lough resides in a handsome and commodious
house in Oxford borough, and is surrounded
with all the comforts and luxuries of life. She
is a regular attendant at the services of the Pres-
"byterian church, takes a keen and active interest
in the temperance cause, and is greatly beloved
and esteemed for the many acts of benevolence
which she performs in an unostentatious manner.

THOMAS BUCHANAN READ, one of
America's most famous poets and painters, was
born March 12, 1822, in what is now East Bran
dywine township, Chester county, Pennsylvania.
He was left fatherless at a tender age, and his
widowed mother apprenticed him to a tailor.
The occupation proving uncongenial to the lad,
he ran away to Philadelphia, where he became a
cigar-maker. At the age of fifteen he left that
city for Cincinnati, Ohio, where he was taken in
to the home of the sculptor, Clevenger, under
whose instruction he learned sign and portrait
painting. He was occupied in such work for
about nine years, during the same period adding
to his income by contributing to different news
papers. In 1846, when twenty-four years old, he
opened a portrait studio in Philadelphia. In
1850 and again in 1853 he visited Europe, and
he subsequently took up his residence in Rome,
returning to the United States occasionally for
brief visits, and it was on one of these that his
death occurred, in New York city, May 11, 1872.
Perhaps his best known literary composition is
"Sheridan's Ride," written shortly after the in
cident depicted, and which he himself recited
on various occasions, and once (as was witnessed
by the writer of this sketch), in presence of
Sheridan himself, with Grant, Sherman, Logan,

Birthplace of Thomas B. Read.

324

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

and other gallant leaders of the Union army,
about him. Other writings of Mr. Read were
"Poems," "Female Poets of America," "The
House by the Sea," and "The Wagoner of the
Alleghanies." His best known paintings were
"The Spirit of the Waterfall," "The Lost Pleiad,"
and "Sheridan and His Horse." His only piece
of sculpture was a bust of General Sheridan,
which attracted much attention. His poetry is
marked by a fervent spirit of patriotism, and by
artistic power and fidelity in the description of
American scenery and rural life. His paintings
are full of poetic and graceful fancy, but show
somewhat careless technical treatment. His
friend, Henry C. Townsend, in writing of him,
said: "The distinguishing characteristics of
Read's nature were purity of thought, refinement
of feeling, gentleness of manner, generosity of
disposition, geniality, and unselfish devotion to
others."

MARY JANE DORLAN. The homestead
in West Brandywine township where Miss Dor-
Ian lives has been in the possession of her family
since 183 1. It is a valuable farm, consisting of
one hundred acres, and has been the scene of
the trials and successes, joys and sorrows of
several generations of the Dorians who have gone
forth at various periods to fight the battle of the
world. Most of the older generation have passed
away, but there are many of the younger still
living and established in business in various parts
of the county. It is not too much to say that the
Dorians have constituted a worthy part of the
citizenship of "Old Chester," and the members
of this social connection have always borne well
their parts in the growth, progress and develop
ment of the county. George Dorian, grandfather
of Miss Mary Jane, was a man of more than
usual strength of character, who deserved well
of his day and generation. In politics he was a
staunch Whig of the old-line, and served with
credit during the war of 1812. His occupation
was that of a farmer, but he took a deep interest
in public affairs, and was usually found at the
front when any move was on for the betterment of
state, county or nation. This old patriot mar
ried Elizabeth Nesbit, of West Nantmeal town
ship, and had the following named children:
Nathan, who married Sarah Lewis, of West
Brandywine ; John, who married Rachel Horner,
of Philadelphia; Thomas and George, who died
unmarried; Katherine, who lived single; and
James. James Dorian, the last mentioned in the above
list of children, was originally a distiller, but
eventually gave up that business to become a
farmer. He was educated in the Manor school
of West Brandywine township, and spent several

years of his early life in teaching in various-
parts of Chester county. This occupation gave
place to milling, and finally Mr. Dorian estab
lished himself on the farm which has ever since
been the homestead of his family. He married
Susana, daughter of Peter and Mary Wagner, of
West Cain township, and became the father of
seven children, of whom four are living. Rob
ert married Anna Chambers and died leaving
six children ; John A. married Rebecca Freeman
and has two children ; Elizabeth married Thomas-
Doan and died leaving four children ; Mary Jane,
Frances and Maria Louisa are living on the old
home farm; and George is numbered among the
deceased. Near by the farm house is the manor
church graveyard, and in this cemetery all the
dead of the Dorian family have been buried for
generations. The Dorian sisters dispense old-
time hospitality at the ancestral home of their
family, and enjoy general respect as representa
tive women of the county. They are members
of the Presbyterian church, have long been in
terested in religious and charitable work, and it
is safe to say that no worthy applicant is turned
away from their door unrelieved.

THE EPRIGHT FAMILY of Pennsylvania,.
which has as a representative Hannah Epright,
principal of the high and grammar school in
Berwyn, had as its founder in the United States^
so far as known, Philip Epright, who came to
America prior to 1763, and was a landowner in
Tredyffrin township, Chester county, in. 1774.
He was a Saxon, who came with his wife Sarah
in a redemptioner ship, and they served. for five
years to repay their passage money, he as a farm
hand and she in a kitchen. They had brought
some money with them, which they kept se
creted, and with it, at the end of their servitude,.
they bought the farm (near Diamond Rock)
upon which they had labored. They afterwards-
removed to Montgomery county. They-, were
Lutherans in religion.
The children of Philip and Sarah Epright
were Henry, John, Jacob, Rudolph, Sarah,.
Christian, Mary, and another daughter, name un
known, who married one Fimple, and • went to
Western Virginia. They left a daughter,; Mar
garet, who was adopted by her uncle Henry
Epright, and married Johathan Crozier, a soldier
of the war of 1812, and this couple became the
ancestors of the Dewees family, in Chester Val
ley. All the children of Henry Epright, with the
exception of the one named and two others, were
farm people who brought up families and died
in Chester, Delaware and Montgomery counties ;
the two remaining exceptions were Sarah, who-
married Zachariah Long, and removed to

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

325

Northampton county, and Mary, who died un
married in 1848.
Henry, the eldest child of Philip and Sarah
Epright, was born August 27, 1763. February
5, 1793, he married Frances Fimple, who was
born September 22, 1768, daughter of John Fim
ple, who, with his brothers Michael and Richard,
served in the colonial wars, and are buried in the
old Lutheran cemetery in Ardmore. Four of
the Epright family, two males and two females,
married four of the Fimple family, and from them
are descended all of the Fimple name in Ches
ter and Delaware counties. The family record
beginning in 1761, written in German, is Jn
possession of Miss Hannah Epright.
Henry Epright and his wife removed to Ger
mantown. Their children were Samuel, born April
29, 1794; Mary, born October 27, 1795, who mar
ried William Schofield; Catherine, born March
2, 1798, who married John McClelland, of Dela
ware; Juliann, born March 26, 1800, who mar
ried Archibald Gray; Rudolph, born February
24, 1802, who married Damaris Frederic of
Bryn Mawr; Sarah, born March 6, 1804, who
married Henry McConnell, (all five sons of the
last named couple lost their lives during the
Civil war) ; Henry, born April 12, 1806, who
died in infancy and was buried in the old Eagle
graveyard ; and Charles, born December 26, 1807,
who married Anne Jacobs.
Samuel, eldest child of Henry and Frances
(Fimple) Epright, was born in Germantown,
and was stolen by the Indians while a child, and
was afterwards restored to his people. He ac
quired a common school education, was a farmer
by occupation, a Lutheran in religion and a
Democrat in politics. He was a man of ex
emplary habits and much force of character. He
served in the war of 1812. As a member of the
Pennsylvania Guards he was present at the un
veiling of the first monument at Paoli, in 18 17,
and he also attended the unveiling of the second
monument sixty years afterwards, in 1877. He
died August 17, 1883. He had lived under every
president from Washington to Arthur, and cast
his last vote for R. E. Pattison for governor.
He distinctly remembered the death of Washing
ton, and for three months wore crape for him.
Samuel Epright married Hannah Neilley,
who was born March 31, 1801, at Berwyn. She
was the daughter of John and Esther (Downey)
Neilley. John Neilley was born on the day of
the battle of Brandywine; he served in the war
of 181 2, and was fifer on the_day of General
Wayne's funeral. His parents were James and
Mary (Roberts) Neilley. James Neilley was
born in the county Antrim, in the north of Ire
land, in 1750, came to America in 1768, and set
up weaving in Berwyn in 1775. He espoused
the cause of the Revolution, and it was his boast

that, unaided, he took prisoner four British sol
diers and marched them to Washington's camp
at Valley Forge and received the commendation
of his General, who said, "You did well." When
asked how he did it, he would modestly reply,
"While they were stealing the chickens I sur
rounded their guns." James Neilley aided in
burying the dead at Paoli, the morning after the
massacre, his wife cutting up her linen sheets to
cover their faces, and all through the winter of
1777 the two, husband and wife, fed the soldiers
from Valley Forge with mush and cider, which
they carried down to the cellar, that they might
eat in safety. The house is yet standing. Esther
Downey, wife of John Neilley, was born in 1768.
he traced her ancestry through the MacDowneys'
MacDonoughs and Marshalls to Scotch-Irish
who fought in the battle of the Boyne. Her
father and mother, John and Mary Downey, are
buried in the old Seceder graveyard at Brandy
wine Manor. Her nephew, William Marshall,
was one of the very early publishers of the
"American Republican," while one of his
brothers, John, was a soldier in the United
States regular army and saw the national flag
raised over the soil of Louisiana when that great
domain passed out of the possession of France.
The ancestral stock of this family were linen
weavers and fine mechanics.
The children of Samuel and Hannah
(Neilley) Epright were John, Henry, James,
Robert, Esther, Samuel, William, Hannah, Mary
and Robert.
Hannah Epright, daughter of the parents
last named, was born July 23, 1841, at Gulf
Mills, in Montgomery county, Pennsylvania, and
was educated in the common schools there and
in an academy in Chester county. She began
teaching in the public schools of Chester county
at Ship school, in West Whiteland, in i860,
receiving her first teacher's certificate (and the
first which he issued) from Superintendent W.
W. Woodruff, at Kimberton, on June 9th of that
year. She commenced to teach in Easttown
township, at the Ogden school, in 1875, and in
March of the following year she received her
permanent certificate as a teacher. In 1883 she
began her engagement with the Glassley school.
When the "Daily Local News" offered a library
of twenty-four volumes as a prize for the best
map and history of Chester county, this school
received the award. Subsequently, when came
opportunity to Hon. Smedley Darlington, mem
ber of Congress, to nominate a candidate for a
scholarship in the United States Naval Academy
at Annapolis, he signified his intention of naming
him after an open competitive examination.
Two pupils of the Glassley school entered the
contest, Howard Huffington and Harry E. Pen
nell, and they passed the examination as first and

326

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

second, respectively, and the former named re
ceived the appointment. In this examination
were pupils from high and select schools. It
took place in West Chester, in April, 1888, and
the late J. Hunter Worrall was one of the
examiners. Miss Epright -was the last teacher in the
Glassley school, in 1888, when it was removed
to Berwyn, and she was the first grammar school
teacher in the new building. She was one of the
originators of the graded school and of the graded
course of study in Easttown, and she was the first
to introduce the study of civil government in
that district. She was appointed principal of the
public school in Malvern in 1891, and at the
present time (1903) she is principal of the high
and grammar school. Widely known as a most
accomplished instructor, she is also honored for
her conscientious devotion to duty. She has
never been idle during a teaching term since she
entered upon her profession, and she has taught
as much as twenty years without missing a day.
Miss Epright became a member of the Bap
tist church in 1866, and it has been her remark
able experience to have been a Sunday school
teacher for thirty-four years, and a teacher in one
Sunday school, that of the Great Valley Baptist
church, for twenty-one years. For a number of
years she led the Junior Mission Band connected
with this church, and she has always been active
in home and foreign mission work.
The death of Miss Epright occurred Septem
ber 13, 1903, after the foregoing sketch had been
prepared. The funeral occurred on September
15th and was attended by a large concourse of
sorrowing friends, who held the deceased in
tender affection for her graces of character and
usefulness in life.

THOMAS WILSON EMERY, a success
ful business man and respected citizen pf West
Vincent township, Chester county, is a son of
Levi Emery, a native of West Pikeland, who
married Margaret, daughter of Thomas Wilson,
a farmer of West Vincent. The Wilson family
was represented in the army during the Civil
war by Addison Wilson, who served as a soldier
for a term of nine months. Mr. and Mrs. Emery
were the parents of the following children:
Preston, Rebecca, and Sarah, who all died in in
fancy ; Robinson, who is a carpenter in business
in Phoenixville ; Thomas Wilson, mentioned at
length hereinafter; Augustus, who is a laborer;
Matilda, who is the wife of Harman Friday, a
farmer of East Pikeland township. Mr. Emery,
the father, was a man who never enjoyed ro
bust health, and in consequence was to a cer
tain extent handicapped in the race of life.
Thomas Wilson Emery, son of Levi and Mar

garet (Wilson) Emery, was born April 12,
1854, in West Pikeland township, and obtained
his education in the public schools of West
Vincent township. He was afterward appren
ticed to Mr. Custor of Norristown, to learn the
trade of carriage-building, and after serving his
time engaged in business for himself in East
Vincent, where his success was such that he re
mained for ten years. At the end of that time
he moved to West Vincent, where for twenty-
five years he has conducted a flourishing busi
ness, building all kinds of light wagons and car
riages. His ability and worth have earned the
esteem and confidence of all who know him, and
his townsmen at one time intrusted him with the
office of school director. He is a member of the
Protective Order of Sons of America, Camp No.
275, of Chester Springs. His political princi
ples are those advocated and upheld by the
Democratic party, and he and his family are
members of the Baptist church.
Mr. Emery married Martha, daughter of
Joseph and Susan Sheeler, of Coventry. The
former, who was a saddler by trade, is now de
ceased. Mr. and Mrs. Emery are the parents
of five children : Harry, who resides at home,
and is engaged with his father in the carriage-
building business ; Mary Ella, who also lives at
home, where she devotes herself to the occupa
tion of a seamstress and dressmaker; Edith;
Lillian May, and William Park, an infant.

THOMAS W. JOHNSON. Among the rep
resentative agriculturists of Concord township,
Delaware county, Pennsylvania, may be men
tioned the name of Thomas W. Johnson, who is
progressive and enterprising in character, public-
spirited in his aims and patriotic in disposition.
He was born at Elam, Delaware county, Penn
sylvania, January 9, 1833, and is a son of William
and Eliza A. (Talley) Johnson. William Johnson,
father of Thomas W. Johnson, was a son of Rob
ert, whose father served in the patriot army and
was killed at the battle of White Plains, West
chester county, New York. Robert Johnson was
then but three or four years of age, and became
the ward of strangers. In that way much of
the family record has been lost sight of.
He began his education in the common schools
of his native township and then attended two
terms at Pine Grove Academy in Chester county,
and this was supplemented by a course of study
at Norristown and at the New York Conference
Seminary at Charlotteville, Schoharie county, New
York. He entered upon his active career as a
teacher in Wilmington, Delaware, and being well
qualified for this vocation he achieved gratifying
success in the discharge of his duties. In i860
he abandoned this occupation, and applied him-

'

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

327

^elf to that of farming at the old homestead in
Delaware county. This comprises one hundred
and seventeen acres of highly cultivated land with
dairy attached, containing twenty-five head of
carefully selected stock. He is the owner of
several other farms in the county, from which he
derives a handsome competence, and in the con
duct of his extensive enterprises he has given the
strongest evidence of unusual ability, which com
bined with his energy and probity has been the
factor of his success. In politics he is Independ
ent. An ardent friend of education, his inter
est and ability have found recognition in his
being retained in the position of school director
for the long period of thirty years. Always
ready and willing to promote the welfare and ad
vancement of the community, he has aided at all
times in advancing community interests. The
.grounds of the Brandywine Summit Camp-Meet
ing Association were located on the property of
Mr. Johnson, but in the summer of 1884 an as
sociation was formed and a charter granted by
the court of Delaware county. At the breaking
-out of the Civil war, Mr. Johnson offered his
services in defense of his country but was rejected
-on account of his impaired eyesight.
Mr. Johnson was united in marriage to Sarah
A. Pool, a daughter of Wesley and Mary (Wil
liams) Pool, a prosperous farmer of Delaware
county. Their children are : Mary E., wife of
Lewis C. Weldin, and they are the parents of
three children ; Harriet E., wife of John K. Hip
pie, and mother of one child. Lottie, wife of
George Drayton; Margaret A., wife of George
Palmer; two children have been born to them;
William, married Cornelia Watkins, and one
child has been born to them, who is now deceased ;
Laura, wife of the Rev. Dr. Baird ; Martha, wife
-of Howard Ely, and of the two children born to
them, one is now deceased; and Thomas W., Jr.,
unmarried, who possesses fine literary attain-
-ments. The latter named was formerly a resi
dent of Wilmington, Delaware, but at present
lives near Millington, Queen Anne county, Mary
land, where he occupies a responsible position in
a. cotton manufacturing establishment.

CHARLES JONATHAN MENGEL, an en
terprising and prosperous agriculturist of East
Pikeland, Chester county, Pennsylvania, was
"born in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, Novem
ber 8, 1866, the son of Henry Mengel and grand
son of Mathias Mengel, who for many years
was an eminent attorney-at-law, and also served
in the capacity of alderman for the city of Read
ing, Pennsylvania, for thirty years; he is now
living a retired life and enjoying the fruits of
his years of professional labor.
Charles J. Mengel acquired a practical educa

tion in the common schools of Berks county,
Pennsylvania, and this course of instruction
thoroughly qualified him for the active duties of
manhood. After laying aside his school books, he
assisted with the work on his father's farm, which
was located in Berks county, until about the year
1898 when he accepted a position as manager of
the farm he now owns and operates, which was
formerly the property of the Grimes family. The
farm consists of one hundred and thirty-seven
acres, which' is under a high state of cultivation,
and the neat and thrifty appearance of the entire
place gives ample evidence of the careful super
vision exercised in every detail of the work. In
addition to general farming, Mr. Mengel has a
dairy of ten head of cattle and the product of
this enterprise is readily disposed of to the various
creameries in the neighborhood. Mr. Mengel is a
man of unquestioned integrity and straightfor
ward business principles, and throughout the
community he is held in the highest esteem for
his fidelity to every duty of public and private
life. His fraternal affiliations are with the Royal
Arcanum Society, and his religious sympathies
are in accord with the doctrines of the Lutheran
church. On December 25, 1895, Mr. Mengel married
Catherine Walker, a daughter of David and
Rachel Walker, the former named being a de
scendant of Joseph Walker, the pioneer ancestor
of the family in the United States. The issue of
this marriage was two children, both of whom
died in early life. Mr. Walker conducted a farm
in East Vincent township for several years, after
which he pursued the occupation of a school
teacher at the old Christman School House, and
after resigning from that position he again turned
his attention to agricultural pursuits in East Vin
cent township, where the remainder of his life
was spent. The house in which Mr. and Mrs.
Mengel reside was purchased April 15, 1794, by
John Shurman ; the great-grandmother of Mrs.
Mengel was born in this house and her death also
occurred there, and the birth and death of six
generations of this family have also occurred
there. During the Revolutionary war the house
was used as a hospital for the sick and wounded
soldiers. In 1903 Mr. Mengel purchased the in
terests of all the heirs in the farm and he and
his wife now own and reside on the property.

GEORGE B. McCLELLAN. SMILEY, an
enterprising and successful business man of
West Vincent township, Chester county, is a
son of Samuel Smiley, who was born September
6, 1830, in Tredyffrin township. For a few years
he followed the trade of a blacksmith, but dur
ing the remainder of his life he engaged in
farming. He was drafted for service during the

328

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

Civil war, but owing to poor health he was
obliged to furnish a substitute. He married Mary
Ann, daughter of John Loomis, a farmer of
West Vincent township, and was the father of
the following children: Llewellyn, who is a
farmer of Douglassville, Berks county; John,
who is a clerk in the store of Elmer Heistand at
East Vincent ; Maggie, who is the wife of George
Gordon, a farmer of Uwchlan township; George
B. McClellan, mentioned at length hereinafter;
and Joseph, who is clerk in the store of F. Stieler,
having succeeded to the position formerly held
by his elder brother.
George B. McClellan Smiley, son of Samuel
and Mary Ann (Loomis) Smiley, was born July
26, 1866, in Wallace township, Chester county.
He was educated in the public schools, attending
the evening sessions as he grew older. After
leaving school he entered the stpre of F. Stieler
at Byers, Uwchlan township, where he remained
for twelve years, at the end of which time he
gave up his position to his brother Joseph to en
gage in business for himself. Mr. Smiley opened
a general store at Font, Chester county, where
for three years he conducted a flourishing busi
ness. In 1896 he came to Birchrunville and es
tablished himself in the building formerly owned
and occupied by T. B. DeWees, and the present
store, in its appointments and management, testi
fies to the business ability of the owner. To the
store is attached a creamery, known as the
"Excelsior Creamery" which bears out its name
in the superior quality of its products. In 1894
Mr. Smiley received from President Cleveland
the appointment as postmaster of Birchrunville,
and the fact that he still holds the office is the
best testimonial of the ability and fidelity with
which he has discharged the duties connected
with it. In politics he is a Democrat. He is a
member of Mt. Pickering Lodge, No. 446, Free
and Accepted Masons, and of Royal Arch Chap
ter, No. 198, of Pheonixville. He also belongs
to the Patriotic Order of Sons of America, No.
298, of Byers.
Mr. Smiley has been twice married, the first
wife being Florence M. Cook of East Nantmeal
township, to whom he was married December
22, 1887. Mrs. Smiley died July 22, 1895, and
George B. McC. Smiley and Cecelia' Pearce
were married January 12, 1899. Mrs. Smiley
is a daughter of Ephraim and Mary Louisa
(Buzzard) Pearce. Mr. Pearce is a farmer, who
finds sale for his products in the Philadelphia
market. He served during the Civil war in
Company I, One Hundred and Ninteenth Regi
ment, Pennsylvania Volunteers, in which he held
the rank of sergeant. Three of the brothers of
his wife served as Union soldiers, one of whom
was killed at the battle of Cold Harbor, Virginia.
Mrs. Smiley has one sister living, who is the wife

of Llewellyn Smiley, a brother of her husband.
Mr. Smiley had two children by his first mar
riage, John, born March 27, 1890, and Maurice,
born September 13, 1891. A daughter, Marion,.
was born to Mr. and Mrs. Smiley July 5, 1901.

ISAAC NEILER SHOFFNER, an experi
enced farmer and citizen of West Pikeland town
ship, Chester county, is a great-grandson of Mar
tin Shoffner, who was a native of Alsace, Ger
many, whence he emigrated in 1767 to America,
settling in Bucks county, and later moved to
Charlestown township, Chester county. Here he
bought a tract of land, and began his life in the
new world as a farmer. His son, John, was a
soldier in the war of 1812, serving at Marcus-
Hook. George Shoffner, son of John, was born in
West Pikeland township, on the homestead pur
chased by his father. He took an active part in
local affairs, holding the offices of supervisor and
school director. He married Esther, daughter
of Samuel S. Neiler, who belonged to a family
of Welsh origin, which traces its history through
several generations. In accordance with the tra
ditions of his ancestors, Mr. Neiler was at differ
ent periods of his life both a farmer and a miller,.
having been for many years engaged in the mill
ing business at Chester Springs, his transactions
being conducted on an extensive scale. Two
children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Shoffner r
Isaac Neiler, mentioned at length hereinafter;
and Ellen, who died at a very early age.
Isaac Neiler Shoffner, only son of George and
Esther (Neiler) Shoffner, was born July 8, 1837,
on the homestead, and received his primary edu
cation in the public schools of West Pikeland,
afterward spending two terms at the Oakdale
Seminary, and one term at the West Chester
Normal School. After finishing his course of"
study, he devoted himself for three terms to the
profession of teaching, two of these terms being
passed in West Pikeland, and one in East Vin
cent. Deciding to follow the example of his-
forefathers in making agricultural pursuits the
business of his life, he applied himself thence
forth to the labors of a farmer, in which he has-
been successful, and now resides with his mother-
on the old homestead. The estate consists of
forty-seven acres, having a dairy attached, in
which are maintained seven cows. A certain por
tion of his early life was spent in discharging the
duties of a soldier, he having served for a short
time during the Civil war as a member of the
company commanded by Captain George R. Guss,
of Chester county.
Mr. Shoffner does not allow his assiduous
attention to agricultural pursuits to render him
unmindful of the duties of a public-spirited citi-

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

329

zen, but takes an active interest in all that con
cerns the welfare of the community in which he
resides. His sterling traits of character are so
highly appreciated by his townsmen that he has
been more than once called upon to serve them
in positions of honor and trust. In 1892 he was
chosen justice of the peace and from that year
until 1897 held this office, and was supervisor
for one year. He was elected by the Republican
party, of which he is a member and with which
he is deservedly popular.

JOHN HARRISON THOMAS, an old resi
dent and highly respected citizen of West Vincent
township, belongs to a family of Welsh origin,
and is, tradition says, a direct descendant of one
of the early settlers of East Nantmeal township.
On the maternal side he somes of Revolutionary
stock. Jesse Thomas was a native of Chester county,
and was by trade a shoemaker, but during the
summers became, for lack of work, what was
then known as a mason tender. He married Su
sanna, daughter of Felix Christman, who was a
soldier in the Revolutionary army, and was one
of those who survived the terrible sufferings of
the winter at Valley Forge, when many of the
soldiers were without shoes, and their footsteps
could be tracked by blood-stains on the snow. In
after life Mr. Christman was wont to say that the
best meal of which he ever partook was composed
of the entrails of the beeves which the British had
killed and then used for food. He was among
those who marched from Valley Forge to Paoli,
where they encamped in a buckwheat field. On
the occasion of the massacre, he with two others
found a place of concealment in a chestnut tree,
and afterward escaped to Brandywine, there to
encounter new dangers. Mr. and Mrs. Thomas
were the parents of the following children : Mor
gan, who was a miller by trade, but is now en
gaged in farming ; Elizabeth, who became the wife
of Benjamin Haines, a farmer of Brichrunville ;
John Harrison, mentioned at length hereinafter;
James, who was a farmer and is now deceased;
Sarah, who married John Sturgis, a farmer of
West Vincent, and is now deceased ; Rachel, who
became the wife of Daniel S. Beeler, of West Vin
cent, who travelled extensively in the far west;
Deborah, who married Weaver Keller, a farmer
of West Vincent ; and Hugh, who is a farmer in
West Vincent.
John Harrison Thomas, son of Jesse and Su
sanna (Christman) Thomas, was born May 22,
1837, in East Nantmeal township, Chester county,
and received his education in the public schools of
Nantmeal village, after which he was apprenticed
to Mr. James Lumis for the purpose of learning
the blacksmith's trade. He served one year with

Mr. Lumis, and the remainder of the time with
Mr. Jonathan Snyder, finishing his apprentice
ship about the year 1857. Before coming of age,
he went to Birchrunville, and engaged in business
for himself, remaining ever since in the same
place, and conducting the same shop. April 1,
1903, he completed the forty-fifth year of his in
dependent business career. He has always pos
sessed in the highest degree the respect and con
fidence of his neighbors, who have intrusted him
from time to time with various township offices,
among them that of justice of the peace, to which
office he was several times elected. He is a mem
ber of the Improved Order of Red Men and the
Knights of Pythias Lodge, No. 232, of Birchrun
ville, also of the United American Mechanics.
Politically he is a Democrat, and his church affili
ations are with the Baptist denomination.
Mr. Thomas married Martha, daughter of
Daniel S. and Elizabeth Beeler, of East Coventry,
the former being by trade a journeyman carpen
ter. Mr. and Mrs. Thomas are the parents of
two daughters : Annie, who is the wife of Willis
Hofficker, a carpenter and wheelwright ; and Ella,
who married Wesley Cook, a farmer. Both Mr.
and Mrs. Cook are now deceased, as is also their
eldest child, Elsie. There are two younger chil
dren : Eva, who resides with her grandparents ;
and George Ralph, who is a student at Girard
College. Mr. Thomas is the possessor of some
very interesting and valuable Revolutionary relics,
transmitted to him by his maternal grandfather;
among them a steel which the soldiers used in
conjunction with the flint to light their fires. He
is also the owner of a powder mill which stands
on the site of the old mill in which powder was
made to supply the patriot army of the Revolu
tion. He also owns the burrs with which the
powder was ground.

JOHN CLARE FUNDERWHITE, a pros
perous and venerable citizen of Chester Springs,
Chester county, is the son of Frederick Funder-
white, who was born November 14, 1798, and for
many years led the life of a farmer in Chester
Valley, his services as superintendent of farming
being much in demand. He married Mary Clare,
who was born September 17, 1796, in Montgom
ery county, Pennsylvania. Mr. Funderwhite was
a man much respected both for ability and char
acter. John Clare Funderwhite, son of Frederick and'
Mary (Clare) Funderwhite, was born May 28,
1828, in Charlestown, Chester county, and re-
received his education in the public schools of his
native place. At fourteen years of age he found
employment as a driver of a team of six horses,
an occupation which he followed for a period of
four years, and at the age of eighteen purchased a

330

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

thrasher, which he worked by horse-power for
six years. At the end of that time, feeling that
this method of work was too primitive, he bought
a steam-thrasher, which he operated, successfully
for six years more. He was also employed on
the Chester Valley railroads. By dint of thrift
and industry he had by this time placed himself in
a position to enter upon the life of a farmer, for
which he had a decided preference, and thence
forth devoted himself to agricultural labors, com-
hining with these his business of thrashing. From
that time forth, until about nine years ago, when
he retired from active life, Mr. Funderwhite was
known as an enterprising and successful farmer.
He and his wife are members of the Pikeland
Lutheran church. '
Mr. Funderwhite married Martha J., daugh
ter of Charles and Jane Colter, the former a farm
er of Chester Valley. Mr. and Mrs. Funderwhite
are the parents of the following children : Frank,
who is a farmer in West Vincent; Mary Jane,
who is a graduate of the Valparaiso High School,
and now resides in New York city; it is rather
remarkable that' Miss Funderwhite should, in a
certain sense, belong to three sections of the
Union, having been born in Pennsylvania, edu
cated in Indiana, and being now a resident of New
York. The third child of Mr. and Mrs. Funder
white is William Lockwood, who is engaged in
farming with his brother Frank, in West Vincent
township; and the fourth and youngest is Ira L.
Sankey, who served three years in the United
States army, holding, during the latter part of his
term, the rank of corporal. He is now employed
in Pittsburg by the Penns'ylvaina Railroad Com
pany. After the death of his wife, Mr. Funder
white married Mary E., daughter of Mr. and
Mrs. Russell, of Philadelphia, both of whom are
natives of Chester county, the former, who is a
carpenter by trade, having followed the business
of a contractor in Coatesville.

CHARLES A. BROOME. Among the
substantial and highly respected citizens of Ches
ter county, Pennsylvania, may be mentioned the
name of Charles A. Broome, whose birth occurred
in Minersville, Schuylkill county, April 29, 1852,
the son of Charles M., who was also born in
Minersville, Schuylkill county, Pennsylvania, and
was a butcher by trade, and Annie (Kline)
Broome, who was born in New Castle, Schuylkill
county, Pennsylvania, in 1832, a daughter of
Reuben Kline, a lumberman of that county.
The greater part of Charles A. Broome's early
life was spent at the home of his grandparents,
and his education was acquired at the public
schools of his native city. He began his business
career in the Wolf Creek Diamond Coal Company
mines, where he remained for two years, after

which he was employed on various railroads that
were in course of construction at that period. He
followed this line of industry for seven years,
and during that time served in various capacities,
first as cart driver, then stableman, and finally-
time keeper. The following twelve years he was
employed with John Oberholtzen, in a general
store, groceries, grain and lumber, after which
he secured employment in the Pikeland Creamery,
with which enterprise he was actively interested
for nineteen years, twelve of which were spent
in the capacity of superintendent. After the ex
piration of this period of time, he removed to
Chester Springs, Chester county, and at the pres
ent time (1903) is engaged as superintendent of
the laundry department of the Soldiers' Orphans'
School, erected for the accommodation of the
orphans of the soldiers who risked their lives for
their country. Mr. Broome is widely known
throughout the section of the county where he re
sides, and enjoys that respect and consideration
that are merited by every man of worth and abil
ity. Politically he is an adherent of the princi
ples of the Republican party, and fraternally he is
a member of Mt. Pickering Blue Lodge, No. 446,
Free and Accepted Masons, Phoenix Chapter,
No. 75, Phoenix Council, No. 8, and Commandery,
Knights Templar, No. 15.
Mr. Broome was united in marriage to Lizzie
F. Knerr, a daughter of Peter and Mary Ann
Knerr, residents of the section known as the
Seven Stars, Chester county, Pennsylvania, where
Mr. Knerr conducts a successful wheelwright
business. Their children were: Mary L., born
February 19, 1873, died November 16, 1876, and
Annie Bell, born June 21, 1875, died of scarlet
fever on November 30, 1876.

THOMPSON M. CLOUD, a prominent
farmer and political leader of Kennett Square,
Chester county, Pennsylvania, is of ancient Eng
lish stock. His great-grandfather, Jesse Cloud,
was the first American ancestor. He settled in
Chester county, married there, and passed his life
there as a farmer. Among his children was
James, born in New Garden township, who fol
lowed the occupation of blacksmith and farmer.
He married Marjorie Mason, and had a son called
James, born in 1817, in Kennett township, Chester
county. James Cloud, son of James and Marjorie
(Mason) Cloud, was born in 1817. His educa
tion was acquired in the public schools, and was
as good as was afforded by the times. He turned
to farming as an occupation, which to him was a
field for much intelligent effort. He was a man
of decided views and strict principles, and en
joyed the confidence of his circle. He was a
member of the Society of Friends, and in poli-

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

33*

tics a Whig. His wife was Sarah Webb, a
daughter of Thomas and Esther (Paxson) Webb,
the former named a farmer of East Marlborough
township, Chester county. James Cloud died
May 8, 1899, and his wife died August 5, 1900.
The children born to them were as follows: 1.
Thomas A., who died unmarried; 2. Mary_ M.,
deceased, unmarried ; 3. William J., who married
Amanda H. Fulton, and had four children:
4. Thompson M. ; 5. Sarah A., died unmarried;
5. Edward P. married Roselda Kester, and has
three children; 7. Mary B., married Joseph P.
Cloud, and is the mother of two children.
Thompson Mason Cloud, son of James and
Sarah (Webb) Cloud, was born in Kennett town
ship, Chester county, November 11, 1850. He
was given the best school advantages of the sec
tion, his work in the public schools being supple
mented by instruction in the Swayne school at
Kennett Square. His active life was spent as a
farmer, and he brought to his work the energetic
business management essential to financial suc
cess. He holds to the ancestral tradition, and at
tends the Friends' Meeting. He is a prominent
Republican, and a member of the Knights of
Pythias. Mr. Cloud is unmarried.

HERBERT THOMAS TAYLOR, promi
nent among the citizens of Charlestown township,
Chester county, is the grandson, on the paternal
side, of an officer in the British army, whose son,
Thomas Taylor, was born in 1809, near Coventry,
England. He was a weaver by trade, and at one
time worked in a silk and ribbon factory. At the
time of his death he was conducting a flour and
feed business. The family to which he belonged
was of good standing, and Mr. Taylor, who took
an active part in public affairs, occupied a high
place in the esteem of his fellow townsmen. A
convincing proof of this is the fact that he once
rejected the nomination for mayor of Coventry.
It is possible that one reason for this action on
his part may have been that acceptance of the
office would have interfered with the indulgence
of his poetical tastes and inclinations, a feature
of his character which was very prominent, and
which made him the author of a number of poems
which were never given to the world in his life
time, but are now in the possession of his son, and
ready for publication. He married for his first
wife, Rose Compton, and they were the parents
of the following children: David, Thomas,
Charles, Caroline and Ann. After the death of
his first wife, Mr. Taylor married Mary Ann
daughter of John Morbey, by whom he was the
father of one son: Herbert Thomas, mentioned
at length hereinafter. The death of Mr. Taylor
took place in the year 1881.
Herbert Thomas Taylor, son of Thomas and

Mary Ann (Morbey) Taylor, was born January-
1, 1859, in Coventry, England, and received his
education in Manchester, after which he was ap
prenticed to learn the trade of a carpenter. After
serving seven years, he came in March, 1881, to
the United States, and settled in Wilmington,
Delaware, where he worked in the shops of Har
lan & Hollingsworth, and also in those of Jackson
Sharp. After remaining several years in Wilm
ington, he obtained a position as general carpenter
in the University of Pennsylvania, and for three -
terms during illness of the regular instructor,
taught the students in the principles of model
building. He then engaged in business for him
self as a contractor, and at the end of four years.
accepted the position of carpenter in Girard Col
lege, where he remained for seven years. In 1897
he came to Charlestown township, where he
bought the farm known as the "Nelson Peck
farm." At the end of three years he sold this
estate, and purchased the place known as the
"Sowden farm," consisting of eighty and one-half
acres. In connection with this valuable farm he
has a dairy of twenty-two head of cattle, and dis
poses of his very superior products in the Phila
delphia markets, where they command a ready
sale and high prices. Mr. Taylor, though never
found wanting in any of the qualities of a good
citizen, has had neither time nor inclination for
great activity in public matters. His politics are
those of the Republican party.
Mr. Taylor married Ellen Insley. and their
children are : Lillian, who is the wife of Herbert
Hopwood, living on the home place ; Herbert T.,
who is now deceased ; Howard L., who is at home
on the farm; Bertha and Mabel. The two last
"named are still attending school. Mrs. Taylor
is a daughter of Charles Insley, of Birmingham,
England, who conducted all his life the business
of a saddler and harness-maker. His family con
sisted of the following children: Clara; Maud;:
Ellen, mentioned above as the wife of Herbert
Thomas Taylor, Laura; Emma, and Louisa
Inslev.

CHARLES WESLEY McCURDY, who.
holds an honored place among the citizens of
Charlestown township, Chester county, is a repre
sentative of one of the oldest and most respected
families of the township. He is the grandson of"
Daniel McCurdy, a native of county Antrim, Ire
land, who emigrated to the United States at the
beginning of the nineteenth century, and served
in the war of 18 12, being among those who were
encamped at Marcus Hook. He took a leading
part in local affairs, holding the office of justice
of the peace for twenty years. He married Ann-
Wright, who was a descendant pf John Bartram,
a representative of the well-known historic family-

332

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

of that name. He organized the first Methodist
church in his locality, and was always an active
member. John W. McCurdy, only son of Daniel and
Ann (Wright) McCurdy, was born October 16,
1809, hi Stroudsburgh, Lancaster county, Penn
sylvania, and was a man of great prominence
in the community in which he resided. His busi
ness, which was that of a farm surveyor, he fol
lowed with signal success, and being possessed of
remarkable intelligence joined to an uncommonly
wide range of knowledge and much experience,
he was resorted to from all sides by his neighbors
for advice on a variety of subjects. He was con
sulted in regard to the settling of estates, and
other questions of a legal character. For twenty
years he held the office of justice of the peace.
He was also active in the church, being well
known as a local minister. He married Mag
dalene H., born April 26, 1812, daughter of John
and Susan (High) Latchow, of Pikeland town
ship. The Latchows were a prominent race of
farmers, and were supposed to be of Holland
descent, the family name in old deeds being
spelled Latcha. The Highs were an old and
respected family of Coventry township, Chester
county. The following children were born to Mr.
and Mrs. McCurdy: 1. Ann Elizabeth, who was
born December 20, 1839, and has always resided
at home. 2. Daniel W, born August 30, 1841,
who was an attorney of Clearfield county, and a
member of the law firm of McEnally & McCurdy,
a firm which was widely known throughout the
state and county for its great ability and un
doubted integrity. He married, May 18, 1875,
Miss Annie C. Paine of Carlisle, Pennsylvania,
and they are the parents of one son, John Paine.
Mr. McCurdy became a partner in the firm in
1872, although it was only since 1868 that he had
been a member of the bar, the senior partner
being Judge J. B. McEnally of Clearfield. Mr.
McCurdy was prominent in Masonic circles, serv
ing for twenty-five years as treasurer of the Blue
Lodge. He was very active in the church to
which he belonged, in which he held for twenty-
eight years the offices of treasurer and secretary,
serving for twenty-five years as superintendent of
the Sunday school. Mr. McCurdy, who is now
deceased, has left behind him the memory of an
able lawyer and a truly good man. 3. Susanna
L., who died, as she had always lived, at home.
4. John L., who took an active part in the affairs
of the township, and was also active in church
affairs. 5. Charles Wesley, mentioned at length
hereinafter. It will be seen at a glance, from this
brief mention, that the honorable reputation es
tablished by Daniel McCurdy has been worthily
sustained by his descendants.
Charles Wesley McCurdy, son of John W.
and Magdalene (Latchow) McCurdy, was born

on the homestead in Charlestown township,
where he has always continued to reside. This
estate, tradition says, has been in the possession
of the family since 1820. It is said that this
house was the scene of the first Methodist Episco
pal meetings ever- held in this neighborhood. His
political principles are those promulgated by the
Republican party, but he has always held aloof
from an active participation in public affairs.
Of unimpeachable integrity, cultivated tastes,
liberal sentiments, and social gifts of a high order,
Mr. Charles W. McCurdy is sincerely respected
and cordially liked as the worthy representative of
an old and honored family.

MILLARD FILLMORE SHUPERT, one
of the prosperous and energetic agriculturists of
Charlestown township, Chester county, Pennsyl
vania, has achieved that success, in his business ca
reer, which is the logical result of enterprise, sys
tematic effort, resolute purpose and straightfor
ward dealings. His birth occurred in Montgom
ery county, Pennsylvania, March 10, 1858, the son
of Daniel and Musey (Davis) Shupert, who were
the parents of the following named children:
Daniel, Jr., a milk dealer in the city of Philadel
phia; Sarah, unmarried, resides at Bryn Mawr,
Pennsylvania; Charles, a farmer of Haverford,
Pennsylvania ; Anna, unmarried, residing at Bryn
Mawr, Pennsylvania; William, a farmer and
dairyman; Florence, wife of Roger Burns, a
carpenter, and they are the parents of one child,
Roger S. Burns, and Millard Fillmore Shupert.
Daniel Shupert was born in Montgomery county,
Pennsylvania, and his death occurred in the year
l873- Millard F. Shupert acquired his preliminary
education at the public schools of Delaware coun
ty, and this was supplemented by attendance at
the Spring Garden Institute, located at Broad and
Springgarden streets, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
After completing his studies, Mr. Shupert accept
ed a position as superintendent of a high class
farm at Radnor, Pennsylvania, the property of
John K. Valentine, who was United States at
torney for the eastern district of Pennsylvania,
and served in this capacity for two years. He
then returned to Montgomery county and began
farming on his own account, first renting a farm
which he operated until the spring of 1892, when
he removed to Upper Darby township, again
renting a farm which he cultivated and improved
up to the year 1896, when he returned to John
K. Valentine, where he remained for eleven years.
After four years of farming, he purchased the
David Patrick farm, consisting of one hundred
and eleven acres. He makes a specialty of dairy
ing, having thirty-five head of cattle, many of
which are the famous Jersey and Guernsey breed,

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

333

and the products of this dairy, being of a superior
quailty, always find a ready market. He also
conducts general farming, his broad acres yield
ing a good harvest and fully repaying him for
the labor bestowed upon them.
Mr. Shupert was united in marriage to Sarah
N. Latch, a daughter of Charles and Mary Latch,
of Montgomery county, Pennsylvania, where the
former named was engaged in agricultural pur
suits. Mr. Shupert takes a deep interest in every
thing pertaining to the social, moral or material
welfare of the community and lends an active sup
port to all measures for the public good.

of the state. Mr. Stine was a mason by trade,
and was honored by his fellow citizens by
being chosen for the position of constable of
Charlestown, an office which he filled for many
years. Mr. and Mrs. Peck are the parents of
one son, Harry C. Peck, born December 12,
1885, who resides at the oid homestead.

DAVID Y. PECK, a business man of prac
tical ability and experience, who has success
fully conducted his affairs and gained the respect
and confidence of his business associates, was
born in Charlestown township, Chester county,
Pennsylvania, August 31, 1855, the son of Nelson
and Mary (Young) Peck.
He acquired a limited education at the public
schools of his native township, owing to the
fact that he was obliged to earn his own living
at an early age, but by careful observation and
reading he improved his mind and so overcame
this deficiency to a large extent, being now a
well-informed man on all subjects. He learned
the trade of carpenter, gaining a thorough
knowleedge of this trade with William Hughes,
a successful business man of Chester county, with
whom Mr. Peck was subsequently employed as a
journeyman for four years. After the expiration
of this period of time, Mr. Peck engaged in the
carpentering business for George W. Bavis
for about eight years. He then turned his at
tention to agricultural pursuits, conducting oper
ations on his father-in-law's farm until 1892,
when he purchased his present farm in Charles
town township, which was formerly the property
of George Fetters. This farm consists of one
hundred and seven acres of rich and arable land,
upon which he raises a general line of farm pro
duce which he disposes of in the near by markets.
He has also a dairy of twenty-two head of cattle,
and his products being of superior quality are
always purchased by the Pikeland Creamery.
Mr. Peck has always been prominently identified
with all measures that tend toward the progress
and material prosperity of his community, takes
an active interest in the primary elections of the
Republican party, and has served his township
in the capacity of constable for seven years, and
school director for three years.
In 1879 occurred the marriage of David Y.
Peck and Eliza Stine, a native of Charlestown
township, Chester county, and a daughter of
Christian and Emily Stine, representatives of
old and well known families of this section

JOHN FRANKLYN MARCH, prominently
and actively identified with the agricultural and
social interests of Charlestown township, Chester
county, Pennsylvania, is a native of East Pike
land township, his birth having occurred there
April 21, 1867.
John March, father of John F. March, was
a native of West Pikeland township, Chester
county, Pennsylvania, where his education was
acquired in the public schools, and where he fol
lowed the occupation of a farmer during his en
tire active career. He married Margaret Penny-
packer, a daughter of Joseph and Margaret Pen-
nypacker, the former named being a prosperous
farmer of Chester county. Their children were:
Joseph, now deceased, was a section foreman
for seven years and overseer for four years on
the North Pennsylvania Railroad ; Henrietta, wife
of George Deery, a farmer of East Pikeland town
ship ; Alice, wife of William Pennypacker, of
Berwyn, Pennsylvania, a plasterer by trade and
a noted contractor; Jane, wife of Addison Free,
of Morristown, Pennsylvania, engaged as freight
agent at that town; Clara, wife of Howard
Davies, of Charlestown township ; Orlando, mar
ried Sadie Moses, and is now engaged in farming
pursuits on the old homestead in East Pikeland
township, and John Franklyn March.
The early educational advantages enjoyed by
John F. March were obtained in the public
schools of his native township, after which he
pursued a course of study at the Morristown and
Chester Springs Academies, where he remained
for two years. Having decided to follow the
quiet but useful calling of agriculture, in 1882,
Mr. March began his operations in Schuylkill
township, remaining there for four years; he
then removed to East Pikeland township, suc
cessfully conducted operations there for two
years, and in 1890 he located on his present farm
in Charlestown township. This property which
consists of one hundred and twelve acres was
formerly owned by Mr. McBride, and is con
sidered one of the most productive in this section
of the county. Mr. March conducts general
farming and dairying, making a specialty of
peach growing, having many fine trees in his
extensive orchard. In his political affiliations
Mr. March adheres to the principles of the
Democratic party.
Mr. March married Mary Patrick, a daugh-

334

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

ter of Robert and Susan Patrick, the former be
ing an enterprising farmer of Charlestown town
ship. Their children are: Orville, born at
Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, in 1885, educated at
the Hopewell school, and now resides at home;
Mary, born in 1889, a student at the Phcenix-
ville school; Arthur, born in 1891, receiving his
education at the Hopewell school, and Vernia,
born in 1893, also attending the Hopewell school.

MAJOR-GENERAL GEORGE A. Mc-
CALL, a distinguished soldier of the Civil
war, was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,
March 16, 1802. He graduated from the
United States Military Academy at West
Point when twenty years of age. From 1831
to 1836 he served as aide-de-camp upon the
staff of General E. P. Gaines. He saw ser
vice in the Florida and Mexican wars, and re
ceived the brevets of major and lieutenant-colonel.
From 1850 to 1853 he was inspector-general of
the regular army. At the outbreak of the Civil
war he was a resident of Chester county, Penn
sylvania, occupying a country seat at West Go
shen, in the suburbs of West Chester. He ten
dered his services to Governor Curtin, who ap
pointed him major-general of militia, and as
signed him to the command of the Division of
Pennsylvania Reserves, and when this body was
mustered into the service of the United States
General McCall received from President Lincoln
the commission of brigadier-general of volunteers
and became its commander in the field. He com
manded in the battle of Mechanicsville, June 26,
1862, and repelled greatly superior forces. He
was taken prisoner shortly afterward, and was
confined for some weeks in Libby Prison, the im
prisonment resulting in such impairment of health
that he was obliged to resign shortly after his ex
change. He wrote (1868) "Letters from the
Frontier," based upon his military service in that
region. He died in West Chester, February 26,
1868, and his remains rest in Christ church bury
ing ground, Philadelphia. His grave is decor
ated every Decoration Day by comrades of Gen
eral George A. McCall Post No. 31, G. A. R., of
West Chester, which organization was named in
his honor.

HON. WASHINGTON TOWNSEND. The
Townsend family, one of the oldest in Chester
county, Pennsylvania, has been conspicuous in its
many generations for men of sterling character
and unusual capability, who have rendered
services of great usefulness to their community
and to the state.
Joseph Townsend (1), a son of William and
Mary Townsend, was born in Berkshire, Eng

land, November 18, 1684. He married Martha,.
daughter of Julian and Esther Wooderson, and
they received a certificate from Newbury Monthly
Meeting, November 15, 1711. In 1720 they re
moved to Chester. Joseph Townsend was a
weaver by trade. In 1725 he bought 800 acres of
land in East Bradford, Chester county, upon
which he settled at that time. He died April 9,
1766, and his wife died March 2, 1767; both were-
buried at Birmingham. Their children were
William, Mary, Joseph, John, Hannah, Martha,.
Richard and Esther.
Joseph (2), third child of Joseph (1), was
born April 8, 1715, and died October 3, 1749. He-
received a portion of the paternal estate, upon
which he built a house. He married Lydia Rey
nolds, and their children were : Francis, Benja
min, Esther, Joseph and Elizabeth.
Francis (3), eldest child of Joseph (2), mar
ried Rachel, daughter of Joseph and Hannah Tal
bot, of Middletown, and their children were-
Joseph, Samuel, David, Lydia, John, Benjamin,
Hannah, Jacob, Isaac, Talbot and Rachel.
Samuel (4), second child of Francis (3),
settled in Coventry. He was a justice of the
peace, and it was his constant effort to have
people adjust their differences privately and
avoid courts. He married Priscilla, daughter of
David and Sarah Yarnall, and their children were
David, Sarah, Rachel, Lydia, Priscilla, Franklin,
Jane, Susan, Eliza and Thomas.
David (5), eldest son of Samuel (4), was
born in Pughtown, December 13, 1787. He was
brought up on the paternal farm, and received a
common English education and some advanced
instruction in mathematics. He was a man of
great industry and ambition for learning, and he-
became one of the most intelligent and useful men
of his day. On account of his excellent penman
ship, when twenty-three years old he was appoint
ed to a clerkship in the office of the register and
recorder of Chester county, in West Chester,
which was thereafter (one year excepted) his
place of residence during the remainder of his
life. For a time he was a conveyancer and a mer
chant. In 1813 he was elected a county com
missioner, and at the expiration of his term he
was elected county treasurer. He was one of the-
first directors of the Bank of Chester county at
its organization in 1814, and during its first two-
years. October 1, 1817, he was appointed cash
ier, and he served as such for nearly a third of a
century, and resigned in 1849 on account of sus
taining a brain injury which disabled him and
materially shortened his life. Under his saga
cious management this institution enjoyed a phe
nomenal and uninterrupted prosperity. He was a
trustee of the West Chester Academy from 1821
to 1826, when he became treasurer and financier
of the board, and retired from the position in

GEORGE A. M'CALL.
WASHINGTON TOWNSEND.
JAMES BOWEN EVERHART.

ADDISON MAT.
ISAAC I. HATES.
HENRT CLAT NIELDS.

ROBERT E. MONAGHAN.
WILLIAM D. HARTMAN.
W1LMER WORTHINGTON.

22 X

336

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

1854, by which time he had fully extricated the
institution from all its financial embarrassments.
In 1827 he was appointed county prothonotary to
fill a vacancy, but he resigned within a fortnight
in order to give his attention solely to his bank
duties. Mr. Townsend left behind him two enduring
monuments to his love for the beautiful. The one
was the banking house, of fine classical design,
built in 1835-36, on plans drawn by Thomas U.
Walter, in which his fine architectural taste was
most manifest. The other was the Chester
County Cabinet of Natural Science.
As was said by his biographers (Messrs.
Futhey and Cope), "to unite the useful with the
agreeable was his constant aim. Trained in the
philanthropic tenets of the Society of Friends,
though without their exterior peculiarities, he was
a noble scion of that estimable stock." He aided
in the founding of the Cabinet of Natural Science,
was its secretary and treasurer from its inception
until the failure of his health, and was at all times
a liberal contributor to its support in money,
"books and museum material. About the time of
the organization of the Cabinet, his attention was
attracted to botany, and from that day he was
an enthusiastic and discriminating student of
flower and herb. He made familiar acquaintance
with the flora of Chester county, which he ar
ranged with great carefulness in his widely known
herbarium. In recognition of his industry and
exactness in identifying and arranging a genus
of plants allied to the asters, Sir William J.
'Hooker, in 1833, gave the series the name of
""Townsendia," in his monumental work, "Flora
•of North America," subjoining to his description
the remark that Mr. Townsend, out of an ardent
love of botany, had devoted his leisure hours to
the science with eminent success. After Mr.
Townsend retired from active business pursuits
he found congenial employment in the various
branches of horticulture, more particularly fruits
and ornamental plants. He died December 6,
1858, at the age of seventy-one years.
Mr. Townsend married, April 16, 1812, at
Birmingham Meeting, Rebecca Sharpless, born
June 9, 1789, died July 22, 1836, a daughter of
William and Ann Sharpless, oi West Chester. Of
this marriage the following named children were
born: Washington, Franklin, Priscilla Ann,
Gulielma Maria, Albert, Ann Eliza and oharp-
less. Washington Townsend, eldest child in the
family above named, was born in West Chester,
January 20, 1813. His education was principally
obtained in the West Chester Academy, then
under the charge of Jonathan Gause, an accom
plished teacher. At the age of fifteen he became
a bookkeeper in the Bank of Chester county, and
he subsequently was made teller. His service

with this institution continued for sixteen years,
and until 1844. In that year he completed his law
studies in his leisure and night hours, under the
preceptorship of William Darlington, and he was
now admitted to the bar. In 1848 he was ap
pointed prosecuting attorney by Attorney General
James Cooper, and was reappointed by Attorney
General Darragh. In 1849 Mr. Townsend with
drew from his profession to succeed his invalid
father in the cashiership of the Bank of Chester
County. The close confinement necessitated in
the latter position worked impairment of his
health, and in 1857 he resigned and returned to
the practice of law, in which he was thenceforth
busied during the remainder of his life. He was
a lawyer of great ability, and saw longer service
at the bar than any practitioner of his day, with a
single exception in the person of James H. Bull.
It was, in his public life, however, that Mr.
Townsend displayed his highest abilities and
gained his greatest fame. A Whig of the Henry
Clay school, he was a delegate in the last national
convention of the party, in Baltimore, in 1852. In
this body he strongly advocated the right of a
congressional district to express itself through
its delegates upon national questions, and he
steadfastly opposed an attempt to commit the
Pennsylvania delegation to a unanimous support
of the fugitive slave law, a measure which he un
sparingly condemned. Four years later he aided
in the organization of the Republican party, and
in i860 he was a delegate in the national conven
tion in Chicago, and in that body he antagonized a
movement to commit the state delegation to Cam
eron as the presidential nominee, and, with three
or four others, supported Lincoln from the first
ballot until the last. During the Civil war he was
an unflinching supporter of the national adminis
tration, and aided vigorously in providing men
and means for the suppression of the slaveholders'
rebellion. In 1868 Mr. Townsend was nominated for
congress after a determined struggle in which
he had a most resourceful opponent, Hon. Wayne
McVeagh. In the election he defeated Robert E.
Monaghan by a vote of 12,771 to 9,481. He was
three time re-elected, and his period of service
was co-extensive with the two presidential terms
of President Grant, whom he greatly admired and
with whom he was on the most friendly terms.
During his long continued service in congress Mr.
Townsend was most industrious and conscien
tious. He scrutinized closely every proposed en
actment, and favored or opposed it as his judg
ment warranted, with all his boundless energy
and pertinacity. He succeeded General John H.
Ketcham as chairman of the committee on public
lands, and in that capacity his conduct was splen
didly useful. He aided in formulating and he
supported various salutary homestead laws in the

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

337

interest of soldiers of the Civil war and of bona
fide agricultural settlers, and the legislation pro
viding for the construction of the Pacific railways,
and he was particularly instrumental in the set
ting apart of the Yellowstone region as a national
park. He was also a member of the committtee
on education and labor, on freedmen's affairs,
and on banking and currency, and he afforded
substantial aid in the formulation of the national
bank legislation. He made many speeches on all
the various topics above enumerated, and some
of these were given wide publicity through the
newspaper press or as campaign documents. His
unselfishness and integrity were unquestioned,
and it was no more than was expected of him
when he vigorously opposed the odious "back
salary grab bill," and, after its passage, he at
once refused to receive the amount voted to each
and every congressman. It was also worthy of
interest to record the fact that he would never
consent to use a railway pass, his fine sense of
honor forbidding that he should place himself
under a shadow of obligation to any corporation
which might desire the enactment or defeat of
laws at any time.
After returning to private life, Mr. Townsend
devoted himself almost entirely to local and per
sonal affairs. He was at once elected to the
presidency of the National Bank of Chester
County, the leading financial institution of the
county, and he occupied the position until his
death. At various times he served his fellow-
citizens in the capacity of assistant burgess, bor
ough treasurer and school director, was a mem
ber of the West Chester Fire Company. He was
always a student, with decided literary tastes. In
his youth he wrote verse of considerable merit,
and in his later years he gave to the press much
mattter upon financial and economic topics, in
which he was recognized as an excellent author
ity. An enthusiastic botanist, it was most natural
that he should be a useful member of the Ameri
can Philosophical Society and the Pennsylvania
Forestry Association.
Mr. Townsend was married in young man
hood to Miss Elizabeth B. Price, a niece of Major
Isaac D. Barnard, pf West Chester. Three chil
dren were born of this marriage : Rebecca, Frank
Evans, and Harriet Elizabeth. The mother of
these children having died, Mr. Townsend married
Miss Elizabeth Gibbons, daughter of Dr. Wil
liam Gibbons, of Wilmington, Delaware. Their
children were Margaret Gibbons, Elma Anita,
and Bertha Donaldson.
Of the children of Mr. Townsend, four are
now living. Franklin E., the only son, is in busi
ness in Philadelphia. Three daughters, Harriet
E., Marguerite G. and Bertha D. Townsend, re
side in the paternal homestead in West Chester,
a fine old edifice which contains the books, his

toric documents and works of art collected by
Mr. Townsend during his busy career.
Mr. Townsend died March 18, 1894, in his
eighty-second year. Despite his advanced age he
had kept closely in touch with the community
about him, and his demise was mourned as a
personal affliction to all, while some of the most
fervent tributes paid to his memory were uttered
or written by those who had been his political op
ponents. All bore testimony to his absolutely un
blemished character and to his many virtues. It
was said of him that his name was synonymous
with the graces of private integrity and public
spirit to a degree which ever commanded trust
and confidence. His one predominant trait was
his perfect integrity. He was a man of great
breadth of mental vision, a close thinker, and an
eminently practical advocate in all public affairs.
Vigorous in debate, no personalities crept into his
utterances, but he was at all times a dignified con
siderate gentleman in the full meaning of the
words. The prominence he gained in legislative
circles was due solely to his excellent qualities of
heart and mind, and no taint of self-seeking ever
attached to him. His intercourse with his fellows
was genial and sympathetic, based upon a convic
tion that all had come up over troublesome, if not
sorrowful, paths. He attained success through no
fortuitous chain of circumstances, but he had
made his own way by industry, thrift and probity.
He was never happier than when aiding those
who needed help or encouragement, and his
benevolences, bestowed simply and in secret, were
countless. And so he passed into his later years, -
loved and honored by all, and sincerely mourned
when the hour of his departure came.

JAMES BOWEN EVERHART, orator,
statesman and patriot, whose - distinguished
service in public life and in letters stamped him
as a man of high attainments and lofty purpose,
was born July 26, 1821, in West Whiteland town
ship, Chester county. His American ancestors
came from Germany in early colonial days. His
grandfather, James Everhart, served in the Revo
lutionary war. His father, William Everhart,
was a surveyor by profession ; and for forty years
was 'a merchant in West Chester ; he was a Whig,
and was elected to the thirty-third congress, in
which body he delivered an effective speech on
the Kansas-Nebraska bill; he married Hannah
Matlack, and they were the parents of James
B. Everhart. James B. Everhart was educated at Bolmar's
Academy and Princeton College, graduating from
that last named on attaining his majority. He
studied law in West Chester and at the Cam
bridge Law School, and was admitted to the
bar in 1845. Prior to entering upon practice he

338

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

took special law courses in the universities of
Edinburgh and Berlin. In 1862 he recruited
Company B, Tenth Regiment, Pennsylvania Mili
tia, which he commanded with ability, and he
displayed great courage at Antietam. When Lee
invaded the state in 1863, he served as major in
the Twenty-ninth Emergency Regiment. He
was a Republican in politics, and was state sena
tor from 1876 to 1882 ; in the latter year he was
elected to congress, and succeeded himself by re
election, serving in both sessions with great use
fulness. Mr. Everhart was referred to as "the courtly.
poet scholar," on account of the refinement of
his language in conversation, and his polished
diction as a writer. His eulogies upon Bayard
Taylor, William Penn and Anthony Wayne, pro
nounced in the state senate, are remembered as
the most splendid memorials ever delivered in
Pennsylvania. His speech in congress on the
River and Harbor bill attracted attention through
out the country. His "Fox Chase," miscella
neous poems and speeches are volumes of great
interest. He died August 22, 1888, and the press
and literateurs of the state paid due honor to "his
memory, which will be always held sacred in the
county of his birth."

ADDISON MAY, held in admiration for his
scholarly attainments and his nobility of char
acter, was born December 18, 181 1, in South Cov
entry township, Chester county, son of Robert
and Ruth (Potts) May. His father was a Penn
sylvania ironmaster of large means, owner of
several large works, and his maternal grandfather
was one of the first to develop the mineral inter
ests of the state.
When a year old, Addison May was made
fatherless, the elder May coming to death by
falling from his horse, and the mother of the lad
passed away when he was but seven years old.
He was now taken into the home of his eldest
sister, the wife of Governor Samuel Stevens, of
Maryland, a woman of cultivation and beauty of
character. At a proper age he entered Jefferson
College, in Western Pennsylvania, where he took
high rank in the classics. A year after his gradu
ation he began the study of law in the office of
William PI. Dillingham, of West Chester, and
after he was admitted to the bar entered upon
practice in Erie, Pennsylvania. Here he mar
ried Elizabeth Shafer, and removed to Norris
town, where he built up an excellent practice.
While located here he served upon the board of
education. His health failing, he and his wife
retired to the home of his father-in-law, Judge
Shafer, and while there he devoted himself to1
his books and to botanical studies, at the same
time gratuitously affording legal advice to the

people about him as they solicited him. After
the death of Judge Shafer, Mr. May removed to
West Chester, which was thereafter his home.
There he busied himself with public and humani
tarian affairs. For several years he was a school
director, and subsequently he served several years
as a trustee of the State Normal School. He was
a trustee of the State Hospital for the Insane at
Norristown, resigning after a time at the solici
tation of his family, but not before he had sug
gested and procured the appointment of a woman
physician to be given the charge of the female
patients. He was for several years an inspector
of the Chester county prison. In addition to
these many public trusts, he was frequently called
upon to act as guardian of orphans, and to man
age estate affairs. He was one of the organizers
of the West Chester Trust and Relief Society, and
was president until two years prior to his death,
when he resigned.
Mr. May was for many years a vestryman of
the Church of the Holy Trinity (Protestant
Episcopal) at West Chester, and when the new
edifice was erected he was treasurer of the build
ing fund, and contributed liberally to the build
ing fund. In politics he was originally a Whig,
and was afterwards a Republican. He possessed
rare social qualities, and attached to himself all
with whom he came in contact. He was a man
of fine literary tastes, and rarely read a translation
of a Latin author, preferring the original text.
He died January 8, 1892, surviving his wife, who
died in April, 1878. Their only child was a
daughter, Martha E., who became the wife of
Dr. Joseph T. Rothrock.

ISAAC I. HAYES. Among the many men
of high renown who are proudly claimed as na
tives of Chester county, none is more widely
known than Isaac Israel Hayes, scientist, author
and Arctic explorer. He was born March 5,
1832, son of Benjamin Hayes, of West Chester.
In the year of his attaining his majority he
was graduated from the Medical Department of
the University of Pennsylvania. In the same
year, in the capacity of surgeon, he accompanied
Dr. Elisha Kane on the second Grinnell expedi
tion in search of Sir John Franklin, and Dr.
Hayes was the first civilized man to put foot upon
Grinnell Land. In i860 he sailed in command of
the schooner "United States," and reached a
point nearer the North Pole than any previous
explorer. The Civil war in the United States
worked a cessation of exploration, and Dr. Hayes
entered the medical corps of the volunteer army
with the rank of major and surgeon, and was
brevetted lieutenant-colonel. To him was com
mitted the building and equipment of the great
army hospital in West Philadelphia, of which he

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

339

had charge until the restoration of peace. In
1869 he again entered the Arctic circle in the
"Panther." He was elected to the Assembly of
New York in 1876 and served until 1879, holding
place on important committees. He received gold
medals from the Geographical Societies of Lon
don and Paris. He published several works
which had a wide circulation — "An Arctic Boat
Journey," "The Open Polar Sea," "Cast Away in
the Cold;" "A Story of Arctic Adventure for
Boys," and "The Land of Desolation." He died
in New York city, December 17, 1881.

HENRY CLAY NIELDS, U. S. N., was one
who during the Civil war served in the navy of
the United States with conspicuous gallantry.
Born in 1839, he shipped as a boy on board a
merchant vessel, and rose to the position of mate.
He entered the navy in 1863, and served under
the eye of the great Farragut, who witnessed his
heroic deed following the blowing up of the
Union monitor "Tecumseh" by the explosion of a
torpedo. All on board the fated vessel were lost
excepting five, who owed their lives to Nields.
Lowering a boat, he rowed away to their rescue
as they were floating in the waters of Mobile
Bay, and the enemy was so filled with admiration
for his daring deed amid the storm of shot and
shell that they withheld their fire that he and
those whom he had rescued should not be further
imperilled. Admiral Farragut complimented
Nields in general orders and recommended his
promotion. He rose to the rank of lieutenant-
commander, and was serving as such at the time
of his death, in 1880. He was liberally educated
and had visited almost all maritime countries, and
wrote and conversed entertainingly of his adven
tures and experiences. He married Rebecca,
daughter of Samuel S. Heed.

ROBERT E. MONAGHAN, for many years
a leading lawyer and politician of Chester county,
was born in West Fallowfield township, July 24,
1822, son of James and Catherine (Streeper)
Monaghan. His father, a native of Ireland, was
engaged in the Irish rebellion led by Robert Em
met, and was secretary of one of the associations
of United Irishmen. When the rebellion failed,
Monaghan, then a youth of nineteen, came to
America, and landed at New Castle, Delaware, a
stranger and destitute of means. He was well
educated, and found employment as a school
teacher, both in Delaware and in Chester county,
Pennsylvania, to which he soon removed. He sub
sequently engaged in farming. He took an ac
tive part in public affairs, and was a pronounced
Democrat. He served for many years as a jus
tice of the peace", but was defeated as a legislative

candidate. He was twice married; first to Han
nah, a sister of Hon. William Jackson, and
(second) to Catherine Streeper, and reared a
large family.
Robert E. Monaghan was educated in the
schools and academies in the home neighborhood,
and was for some time a teacher. He took a posi
tion as canal collector at Liverpool, Pennsylvania,
and while so engaged read law under the precep-
torship of Hon. Hamilton Aldricks, of Harris
burg. On being admitted to the bar he entered
upon practice in West Chester. A Democrat in
politics, he soon came into prominence in his
party, and was at various times a delegate in state
and national conventions, was a member of the
state central committee in i860, and in 1880 was
an elector-at-large on the Hancock ticket. He
represented his county in the legislature in his
early years, and was a candidate for congress in
1868, but was defeated by Hon. Washington
Townsend after a canvass in "which they stumped
the district in joint discussion with equal credit.
He was defeated by Hon. Wayne McVeagh for
the district attorneyship. He was twice voted
for in the state convention for the gubernatorial
nomination.. In 1890 Governor Beaver appointed
him to membership on the joint commission from
Pennsylvania and Delaware to fix the boundaries
between the two states, and later Governor Patti-
son appointed him on the commission for the pro
motion of the uniformity of legislation in the
United States. He was for twelve years a trustee
of the West Chester State Normal School, and
during a part of the time was president of that
body. He was prominent in all local institutions.
He died in West Chester, in 1895.

WILLIAM D. HARTMAN, M. D., physician
and scientist, was born in East Pikeland, Decem
ber 24, 1817, son of George and Edith W.
(Weaver) Hartman. He was educated in the
local schools and studied for his profession in the
Medical Department of the University of Penn
sylvania, graduating in 1839, when he entered
upon practice in West Chester. While ranking
high as a physician, he achieved great distinction
as a scientist, especially in conchology, entomol
ogy, geology and mineralogy. His taste for this
pursuit came with his boyhood, and when he was
but seventeen Dr. William Darlington spoke of
him as "a zealous and promising young botanist."
His collection of partula and achinella exceeded
those of the British Museum and the Jardin des
Plantes of France, and he published bibliographic
and synonymic catalogues of his genera collec
tions. In 1874 Dr. Hartman and Dr. Ezra Mich
ener issued an illustrated treatise of the fresh
water and land shells of Chester county, under the
title "Conchologia Cestrica." Dr. Hartman made

34Q

CHESTER AND, DELAWARE COUNTIES.

numerous contributions to periodical literature,
and for many years maintained a correspondence
with leading scientists of Europe. Dr. Darwin,
in his "Descent of Man," quoted from Dr. Hart-
man's published observations on the cicada sep-
tendecim, or seventeen year locusts of America.
In his later years Dr. Hartman gave particular" at
tention to insect life, and communicated his ob
servations through the columns of the West
Chester Local News. He died in 1899. His wife
was Mary Jane Kabee, of Jefferson county, West
Virginia.

_ WILMER WORTHINGTON. The annals
of the great state of Pennsylvania contain no
more highly honored name than that of Wilmer
Worthington, physician, philanthropist and
statesman. The Worthington family originated in Lan
cashire, England. After the custom prevailing in
the long-ago, the name was derived from that of
the locality where the first known progenitor ap
peared. Etymologically, it is from three Saxon
words, Wreath-in-ton, or Farm-in-Town. About
a score of miles to the northeast of Liverpool, in
the hundred of Leyland and parish of Standish,
is the township of Worthington, where resided
for centuries the family of Worthington, and the
old ancestral hall known to have had an existence
for seven centuries, was razed only a few years
ago. The principal branch of the Worthington
family is traced to Worthington de Worthington,
in the reign of Henry III, anno 1236.
In 1699, about the time of William Penn's
second coming to America, a Worthington sailed
from England and died on the voyage. Three
sons came with him — -John, Samuel and Richard.
The last named settled in Maryland." John and
Samuel Worthington, both members of the So
ciety of Friends, settled in Byberry, Bucks county.
John was a farmer. He died January 14, 1777,
aged about eighty years. In 1719 he married-
Mary Walmsley, born July 12^1701, and died
February 12, 1754. She was a. daughter' of
Thomas and Mary (Paxson) Walmsley, and a
granddaughter of William Paxson, born in 1633,
who came from Buckinghamshire, England, in
the ship "Welcome." John and Mary {Walmsley)
Worthington were the parents of eleven children.
Their seventh child and fourth son
Isaac (2) was born June 13, 1735 and died in
1801.. He took up 217 acres of land in West
Goshen township, Chester county, April 1, 1783,
paying therefor £1,100. He was a farmer by oc
cupation. He married Martha Carver, a daugh
ter of John Carver, of Bucks county, and seven
children Were born to them. Their fourth child
and second son
Amos (3) was born September 2, 1773, artd

- died January 3, 1834. He was a farmer, and a
- man highly respected in the neighborhood. He
married Jane Taylor, who was born March 14,
1780; she survived her husband many years, and
died September 26, 1873, at the phenomenal age
of ninety-three years and six months. To Amos
and Jane (Taylor) Worthington were born eight
children, of whom Wilmer Worthington was the
third. Wilmer Worthington (4) was born in West
Goshen township, Chester county, Pennsylvania,
January 22, 1804. He began his education in the
public schools and completed a course in the
West Chester Academy. He read medicine under
the preceptorship of Dr. William Darlington, and
subsequently attended the Medical School of the
University of Pennsylvania, from which he was
graduated in 1825, the year of his attaining his
majority. He entered upon practice at Byberry,
but at the end of six months removed to West
Chester, where he resided until the close of his
life. It is to be said of him that he was a model
physician. Skillful, benevolent and sympathetic,
he was untiringly devoted to his patients, and re
gardless of personal discomfort, responded with
alacrity to whatever call, without regard to re
muneration. In 1863 his public duties so pressed
upon him that he relinquished much of his prac
tice, and in 1865 he abandoned it altogether.
His services in behalf of the general public
and his profession were of conspicuous useful
ness. For three years (1839-1841) he was physi
cian at the Lazaretto, under appointment by Gov
ernor Porter, and while occupying that position
almost forfeited his life from typhus fever con
tracted in the line of his duty. Df. Worthington
was a pioneer in the work of medical organiza
tion. He was- primarily the founder of the
Chester County Medical Society, which was or
ganized February 5, 1828, the first society formed
in the state looking to the general organization of
the profession, and he frequently presided over
the body, and on various occasions delivered be
fore it addresses replete with instruction. He
led the first movement toward the formation of a
State Medical Society by introducing before the
County Society (December 1, 1847) a resolution
calling for the holding of the convention which
procured the formation of the Medical Society
of the state of Pennsylvania. He also aided in
the organization of the American Medical Asso
ciation, and he was a delegate' to its initial meet
ing in Baltimore, in 1847. He was frequently a
delegate to both the state and the national socie
ties, and always took a prominent part in their
proceedings. He was president of the state so
ciety in 1850, and on his retirement from the po
sition he delivered an able address which was
published in the first volume 01 the "Transac
tions." In this he pleaded earnestly for a system-

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

34i

atic and thorough organization of the profession,
for a higher culture upon the part of those seek
ing to enter it, an extended term of study and a
higher standard of requirement for graduation.
He took an active part in enlisting the effort of
the County Medical Society to secure more ef
ficient medical attendance at the almshouse. The
humane measures contemplated were defeated,
but the effort bore fruit afterward in the institu-
ton of the Board of Pubic Charities, in the or
ganization of which Dr. Worthington took an ac
tive part. Dr. Worthington was one of the edi
tors of the Medical Reporter, a quarterly journal
published by the medical societies of Chester and
Delaware counties, during the three years of its
existence, and he contributed liberallly to its
pages. He was industrious in the work of pre
paring biographical matter concerning deceased
practitioners in Chester county, and his articles
were given to the public through the general and
professional press.
The public services of Dr. Worthington were
of conspicuous usefulness. He was an early trus
tee of the West Chester Academy, and one of the
organizers of the Chester County Academy of
Natural Sciences, of which he was a trustee dur
ing its entire existence, and he delivered a course
of lectures on chemistry before it during the
winters of 1835-36-37. He was a director in the
Bank of Chester County, and in the West Chester
and Philadelphia Railway Company, and he was
president of the Board of Managers of Oakland
cemetery. In 1833 Dr. Worthington was elected to the
lower house of the state legislature, and during
the ensuing term acquitted himself most credit
ably. He strongly advocated the new common
school law, and was influential in securing the
adoption of a measure which lies at the founda
tion of the present public school system. He
was also industrious in promoting the legislation
under which a geological survey of the state was
soon afterwards made. In 1863 he was elected
to the state senate, and he was re-elected in 1866,
serving six years in all, and as speaker in 1869.
He took his seat at the crucial period of the Civil
war. Previously a Democrat and a warm ad
mirer of Stephen A. Douglas, he was an .earnest
supporter of the national administration, and ren
dered splendid service in the work of recruiting
troops and providing for their equipment and in
caring for the families of volunteers. To his ef
fort was due the passage of a provision for the
Soldiers' Orphans' Schools after it had once been
defeated. Among the many beneficent measures
to which he afforded his earnest support were
the following : The law providing for the supply
of dissection material to medical colleges ; the law
providing for the proper treatment of the insane,
more especially the insane poor; and all measures

looking to the establishment and maintenance of
educational and charitable institutions. During
his entire senatorial term he served upon the edu
cational committee, was during a large portion of
the time its chairman, and he was conspicuously
instrumental in the establishment of State Nor
mal Schools. At the end of his legislative service
he received from his colleagues, without respect
to party, a handsome testimonial in token of their
appreciation of his services.
While serving as a senator, Dr. Worthington
was chairman of the senate committee appointed
to visit the charitable and penal institutions of
the state, and to enquire into the expediency of ap
pointing a board of public charities. The report
made by the committee was so clear and convinc
ing that the board was appointed the following
year (1870), and Dr. Worthington was appointed
a member, and soon afterwards he was made gen
eral agent and secretary of the body. During the
first year of his service in that capacity he trav
elled more than eleven thousand miles, and his
report at the end of the year was a remarkably
clear and comprehensive account of a majority of
the prisons and almshouses in the state. He was
actively engaged in this work until May, 1873,
when failing health compelled him to tender his
resignation. This was accepted by the board with
the utmost reluctancy, and the body adopted a
series of resolutions in which he was proclaimed
a faithful, conscientious and devoted servant in
the cause of humanity and practical reform.
Dr. Worthington was married, September 28,
1826, to Elizabeth, a daughter of William and
Ann (McClellan) Hemphill. Eight children
were born of this marriage: 1. William Hemp
hill, a physician, who was an army surgeon dur
ing the Civil war and died in 1865 ; he married
Phebe Gheen, and two children were born to
them ; 2. Ann Jane, who became the wife of Henry
B. Pepper, of Philadelphia; he died the year fol
lowing, leaving with her a son. Henry B., who is
deceased; she then married Elijah J. Dallett, of
Philadelphia, and to them were born five chil
dren ; 3. Amos Edward, who died young ; 4.
Emily Elizabeth, who married Charles A. Wood,
of Pittsburg, and to whom were born five chil
dren; 5. Antoinette Bolmar, who died young; 6.
Malinda Marshall, who married Abner Hoopes,
of West Chester; their children were: (a) Sarah
Andrews, who married Louis C. Baker, Jr., of
Philadelphia, and to whom were born six children,
all daughters ; and (b) Wilmer Worthington,
who is in business , with his father; he married
Martha Lippincottt; 7. Kate Dallett, who mar
ried Thomas W. Marshall,. pf West Chester; 8.
Caspar Pennock.
Dr. Worthington died .September 11, 1873,
in the sixty-ninth yea.r ofhis age, and his widow
died May 10, 1875, aged sixty-five years.

342

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

Notwithstanding Dr. Worthington displayed
wonderful activity and energy almost to the very
last, he could not be regarded as a rugged man,
and his accomplishments were only possible
through the display of an indomitable resolution.
Mention has been made of his serious illness while
physician at the Lazaretto. In 1826 he experi
enced a severe attack of dysentery, and in 1859
another attack of the same ailment was well nigh
fatal. In 1838 he was ill for several weeks with
inflammation of the brain. In 1864 he was
seized with chest pains, and a second attack in
1867-68 left him with a settled heart difficulty.
Early in 1873 he was taken with a violent par
oxysm of angina pectoris, and this finally resulted
in his death.
The Chester County Medical Society, in a
meeting held October 28, 1873, adopted suitable
resolutions and appointed Dr. Jacob Price, Dr.
John B. Brinton and Dr. Isaac Massey a com
mittee to prepare and publish a tribute to the
memory of their illustrious colleague and friend.
In this were epitomized the principal events of
his life, and a fervent eulogium closed with the
following well merited words :
"The life and character of Dr. Worthington
are worthy of our careful study, whether we
follow him as the child, honoring his parents ; as
the husband and father, meeting the trials and re
sponsibilities of domestic life; as the physician,
incurring the toils and anxieties of his arduous
profession ; as the citizen, striving to do his whole
duty to his neighbor ; as the legislator, mindful of
the rights of the weak, the sufferings of the dis
tressed, the training of the young, unscathed by
the corruptions of place; or as the Christian,
earnestly seeking to discharge every duty, we find
this good man, without pretention to genius, at
the insatiate Teachings of ambition, steadily do
ing the work he found for his hands to do, and
doing it so well that the world is wiser, better
and happier for his having lived."

EVAN HIGHLEY, an enterprising and
popular citizen of Charlestown township, Chester
county, is a son of Joshua K. Highley, who was
a native of Schuylkill township, and followed
until within a period of ten years the trade of a
blacksmith. Although taking the interest of a
good citizen in public affairs he could never be
induced to participate actively in politics. He
married Mary Ann, daughter of Evan Griffith,
a woodchopper of Chester county, and they were
the parents of fourteen children, seven of whom
are now living, scattered through different por
tions of Chester county, one living at the historic
Valley Forge, another at West Chester, a third
at Spring City, and the others at various places
in the county.

Evan Highley, son of Joshua K. and Mary
Ann (Griffith) Highley, was born November 16,
1863, in Schuylkill township, being one of the
large family of fourteen mentioned above. He
was educated in the public schools of Chester
county, and at Frogg College, and on leaving
school selected for his life work that of a farmer.
Throughout the agricultural season, he devoted
himself to his chosen calling, and during the
winters worked in the paper mills, holding for
six years the position of engineer. This course
of life he continued for fifteen years, and at the
end of that time reaped the reward of his industry
and perseverance in finding himself able to pur
chase the farm which is now his home, and on
which he can devote himself without interrup
tion to the work most congenial to his tastes.
In his preference for agriculture Mr. Highley
differs from most of the other male members of
his family, who are all engaged in the milling
business. Mr. Highley's estate was known, at
the time he purchased it, as the "James Ritchie
farm," and is maintained by its present owner
in a high state of cultivation. Mr. Highley's
extreme popularity is attested by the fact that
neighbors have repeatedly intrusted him with
posts of honor and responsibility. He has been
thrice elected supervisor, — in 1897, 1898 and
1 90 1, in addition to having served one term as
town clerk. He was once elected to the latter office
the same year that he was chosen supervisor, and
in order to serve in the last named capacity, re
signed the town clerkship. He is a member of
the Junior Order of United American Mechanics.
Politically he is a Republican.
Mr. Highley married Annie, daughter of
Phillips and Mary Hauck, of Vincent township.
The former was for many years a miner, being
actively engaged in his calling until a short time
previous to his death. Mr. and Mrs. Highley are
the parents of six children : Ida May, Frank,
Llewellyn, Grace, Norris and Evan. Of these,
all but two are attending school in Charlestown
township.

WILLIAM C. MACKEY, an enterprising
and prosperous business man of Chester county,
Pennsylvania, and the present justice of the peace
in the borough of Avondale is of Scotch-Irish
descent and traces his ancestry to three brothers
who came from Ireland, probably early in the
eighteenth century, one settling in Pennsylvania,
one in Maryland and the other in the western
section of the United States..
Squire David Mackey, great-grandfather of
William C. Mackey, was born in Chester county,
and subsequently served in the capacity of private
in the Revolutionary war. He was united in mar
riage to Agnes Curry, and the following named

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

343

children were born to them : Robert, married Jane
Kimball ; John ; Rachel, who became the wife of
John Fulton; Susan, married John Allison;
George; Mary; Elizabeth, who was united in
marriage to David Furey, and Letitia Mackey.
John Mackey, grandfather of William C.
Mackey, was actively identified with the various
interests of Chester county, where his marriage
to Amy Crooks occurred. Their children were:
I. David married Eliza Pyle, and their children
were : Joshua ; Amy, deceased ; Oliver, who mar
ried Amelia Broghan; and Mary, deceased. 2.
John married Amy McClenathon, and among
other children born to them were the following
named: Samuel, married Jane Myers, and Jane
Miller; Louisa; Mary; Horace, married Fanny
McClennon; Francis; Anna; and Belle, wife of
Newton Chambers. 3. Thomas, married Hannah
Hamill, and they were the parents of eleven chil
dren, namely : William, died in childhood ; James ;
William (II) ; Elisha and Robert, twins, the
former married Sarah McClenathon, and the lat
ter died in early life; Emma, wife of Thomas
Good; Clara; Edward, married Addie Brown;
Wilson, married Minnie Spencer ; and Lorena
Mackey. 4. James. 5. Margaret, wife of William
Thompson and their children are : John ; James ;
William, married for his first wife Lizzie Lyons,
and for his second wife Carrie Ramsey ; Samuel,
married Anna Wickersham; George, married
Anna Brown; and Ella, wife of John Going.
6. Amy, wife of Thomas Townsend, and the issue
to this marriage was: Sarah, wife of Joseph
Moore; John, married Grace Doren; Letitia;
Thomasj married Elizabeth Dance; and Francis
Townsend. James Mackey, father of William C. Mackey,
was born in Chester county, Pennsylvania, in
June, 1812. He received a good practical educa
tion and after arriving at manhood's estate de
voted his attention to farming interests in the
township of Penn. By his marriage to Eleanor
Kelton, who was born in London Grove township,
July 22,, 1821, a daughter of Squire John and
Elizabeth (Curry) Kelton, were born the follow
ing named children: Mary, born May 28, 1846;
James, born June 19, 1848 ; Josephine, born April
28, 1852 ; Robert, born March 29, 1856, and Wil
liam C, born October 9, 1857.
William C. Mackey, youngest son of James
and Eleanor Mackey, was born on the old home
stead in Jennersville, Chester county, Pennsyl
vania, October 9, 1857. He was reared to man
hood in his native township, his early education
was acquired at the common schools and this was
supplemented by a thorough course of study at
Cope's Seminary. He then learned the trade of
paniting and paper hanging in which he has been
interested up to the present time (1903), and be
ing an active and enterprising man, of sound

judgment and good business ability, he has suc
ceeded in building up a large and lucrative trade.
He is also the incumbent of the office of justice
of the peace for the borough of Avondale, dis
charging his duties in a highly creditable and
efficient manner. Mr. Mackey is unmarried.

DAVID RICKABAUGH HARTMAN, one
of the representative farmers and respected citi
zens of Charlestown township, Chester county,
Pennsylvania, is a native of what is known as
Valley Creek, East Whiteland township, Chester
county, his birth having occurred September 2,
1826. Peter Hartman, father of David R. Hart
man, was born in Pikeland, Chester county,
Pennsylvania, obtained a common school educa
tion, after which he learned the trade of shoe
maker. He followed this line of industry for
many years, but subsequently abandoned it and
turned his attention to farming pursuits, which
he conducted for the remainder of his life. Mr.
Hartman was united in marriage to Margaret
Fetters, a daughter of George and Margaret
Fetters, and the following named children were
born to them : Elizabeth, wife of John Gunkle ;
George Harman, deceased; Margaret, wife of
David Rickabaugh ; Sarah Walley, who resides
in Charlestown; Caroline, deceased; Mary and
Peter, twins, both deceased ; Kate, wife of Will
iam Sheldrake, formerly a resident of Charles
town, but now residing in Kent county, Dela
ware ; and David Rickabaugh Hartman.
David R. Hartman, youngest child of Peter
and Margaret Hartman, attended the public
schools of West Whiteland township, his first
teacher being Miss Mary Jones, and later he
completed his studies in the public schools of
Charlestown township. The first two years of
his business career were devoted to agricultural
pursuits ; the following two years he served as
a butcher in Charlestown township, and at the
expiration of this period of time he returned to
his former occupation, conducting operations in
the valley in West Whiteland township for two
years. In 1857 Mr. Hartman purchased his pres
ent farm, which is located in Charlestown town
ship, about one mile from the village of Charles
town, formerly known as the Peter Young farm.
The property consists of one hundred and forty-
two acres of ground, which is neat and thrifty
in appearance, and by using the latest improved
machinery the fields yield good harvests. Mr.
Hartman is a Democrat in politics, and has
served his township in the capacity of school
director for a number of years. He was chosen
president of the Montgomery and Chester Live
Stock Insurance Company, which office he has
filled for many years.

344

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

-On December 23, 1855, Mr. Hartman married
Francina Sheldrake, a daughter of John and
•Jane Sheldrake, of Philadelphia county, Penn
sylvania. Their children are : John S., engaged
in .farming pursuits; Charles C, also engaged in
farming; William, by profession a druggist,
having served in that capacity for a number of
years in the city of Philadelphia; Dr. George,
who graduated from the University of Philadel
phia in 1886, and at the present time is success
fully engaged in the practice of his profession at
Port Kennedy; Hiram, who married Louisa
Curry, and resides at home, assisting his father
with the work of the farm. The family are mem
bers of the Lutheran church.

ALEXANDER KELLY McCLURE, jour
nalist, and for many years prominent in public
affairs, is a native of Pennsylvania, born in Sher
man's Valley, Perry county, January 9, 1828.
He is of Scotch-Irish descent. He was reared
upon a farm and his education was limited to that
afforded by the neighborhood schools. He was
possessed of studious habits and an ambition for
learning, and became so well equipped that he
filled many useful places in life, and in 1888 re
ceived from Washington and Lee Universities
the honorary degree of Doctor of Laws in recog
nition of his learning and public services.
Early in life he served an apprenticeship to
a tanner and currier, but he soon forsook that
calling to engage in newspaper work, a field in
which he came to high prominence. In 1846,
when eighteen years of age, he became editor
and publisher of the "Mifflin Sentinel," which
he established, and he maintained his connection
with that journal until 1852, when he took charge
of the "Chambersburg Repository," which he
conducted until 1856. He had meanwhile studied
law under the preceptorship of William McLel-
lan, of Chambersburg, and in 1856 he was ad
mitted to the bar and entered into practice in
association with his preceptor. He soon, how
ever, withdrew from the law in order to give
his attention to journalism and official duties
committed to him, but returned to it later, and
practiced in Philadelphia from 1868 to 1873.
From 1862 to 1868 he again published the
"Chambersburg Repository." In 1875, in asso
ciation with Frank McLaughlin, he purchased
the "Philadelphia Age," then in its thirteenth
year, and founded the "Philadelphia Times,"
the first number of which appeared March 13,
The "Times" subsequently issued a daily, and in
1876 erected the fine Times Building on Chest
nut street. With this paper Mr. McClure was
immediately associated until 1901, and under his
management it attained a national prominence
and has long exerted a potent influence in the

country at large. A deep thinker and pungent
writer, Mr. McClure made his journal his first
care, but he has also contributed much matter
to the periodical press, and has written two
volumes of permanent value, "Life and Services
of Andrew G. Curtin," and "Our Presidents, and
How We Make Them."
Mr. McClure was originally a Whig in poli
tics, and in 1853 he was the candidate of his party
for auditor-general of Pennsylvania, but was de
feated by Ephraim Banks. Anticipating the
disruption pf the party through its inability to
grapple with the new anti-slavery extension issue,
he became one of the members of the Pittsburg
convention which organized the Republican party
in Pennsylvania in 1855, and he was a delegate
in the first Republican national convention which
nominated John C. Fremont for the presidency in
1856. He was chairman of the Republican state
committee in i860, and performed splendid serv
ice in organizing the Republican forces for the
campaign of that year which resulted in the elec
tion of Abraham Lincoln to the presidency.
In 1863 he declined the chairmanship of the
Republican central committee in order to give
his undivided effort toward the re-election of
Governor Curtin. In 1864 he was a delegate-at-
large in the Republican national convention, and
was solicited by three-fourths of the state central
committee to accept the chairmanship of that
body, but declined to enter upon what he deemed
a mote important service. He was chairman of
the Pennsylvania delegation in the Republican
national convention which nominated General
Ulysses S. Grant for the presidency in 1868, and
he delivered addresses in that campaign in Rhode
Island and Massachusetts at the solicitation of
the national Republican committee. In 1872 he
was chairman of the Liberal Republican state
committee, and he was also chairman of the
Pennsylvania delegation in the national conven
tion of that party which nominated Horace Gree
ley for the presidency. His subsequent affilia
tions were again with the Republican party.
Mr. McClure has been repeatedly called to
public positions, in various of which he per
formed services of peculiar usefulness. His
entrance upon official life was in 1850, when
he served as governmental census enum
erator. In 1853 he was the Whig candidate for
auditor-general of Pennsylvania, but was de
feated by Ephraim Banks. In 1855 he was ap
pointed by Governor Pollock as superintendent
of public printing, but resigned after having
served eight months. In 1856 he was appointed
by the same executive to the superintendency of
the Erie & Northeast Railway, with a view to
suppressing serious riots, and succeeded in
adjusting all difficulties. He was elected as a
Republican to the legislature in 1857, and in

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

345

1858, and in 1859 he was elected state senator,
taking his seat in i860. In the same *year he
declined to become a candidate for United States
senator, giving his support to Mr. Wilmot,
When the Civil war broke out, he was made
chairman of the senate committee on military
affairs, and rendered efficient aid in organizing
the military forces of the state. In 1862 he was
solicited by President Lincoln and Secretary of
War Stanton to supervise the draft in Pennsyl
vania, and in order to give him needed authority
he was commissioned assistant adjutant gen
eral of United States Volunteers. With the aid
of only two clerks he made a full enrollment of
the armsbearing population, adjusted credits on
quotas previously filled, and placed seventeen
regiments in the field within sixty days, resign
ing immediately after this highly important work
was accomplished. In 1864 he accepted the nom
ination for the legislature from a new and
strongly Democratic district, and was elected by
a majority of four hundred. In October follow
ing he went to Philadelphia at the request of
President Lincoln to further the organization of
the Union Party (Republican and War Demo
crats) for the presidential campaign, and he also
aided in the equipment of the state forces to repel
the rebel invasion at the time of the burning of
Chambersburg. Mr. McClure delights in rural life, and passes
his summers upon a beautiful farm near Walling
ford, Delaware county, Pennsylvania. He is a
member of various literary, political, scientific
and social organizations in Philadelphia.

ISAAC K. ROOT, of West Vincent town
ship, Chester county, standing high in the best
regards of his neighbors, both as farmer and citi
zen, is a representative of one of those old fami
lies which for generations have maintained the
agricultural interests of their native county.
David Root was born January 4, 1796, in
Chester county, and all his life labored with
credit to himself and advantage to the community
as an enterprising, successful farmer. He served
in the patriot army during the war of 1812, being
one of those encamped at Marcus Hook. For
many years he acted as supervisor of the town-
• ship, his neighbors feeling that their interests
could not be intrusted to better or more able hands.
He married Sarah Knerr, born August 21, 1803,
and their children were: 1. Catharine, who mar
ried Joshua Crater, a native of Chester county,
who moved in 1850 to Illinois, where he became
a farmer, and at his death was survived by his
widow and four children. 2. Rhziabeth, who
became the wife of John Emery, who spent his
life as a farmer in Spring City, and is now de

ceased. He is survived by his widow and three
children : Sarah Ellen, Hannah E. and David.
3. Isaac Knerr, mentioned at length hereinafter.
Mr. Root, the father of these children, died re
spected by all who knew him, ending his days on
the homestead, where he had passed his entire
-life. ; ,-,
Isaac K. Root, son of David and Sarah
(Knerr) Root, was born July 27, 1837, on the
homestead, in West Vincent township, and re
ceived his education in the schools of his native
township and in those of Chestnut Grove. He
afterward assisted his father in the labors of the
home farm, and at the age of twenty-two entered
upon an independent career as a farmer. In ad
dition to devoting himself with assiduous skill
and indefatigable industry to the work of gen
eral farming he conducts a dairy of fifteen head
of cattle, sending his produce to the Philadelphia
markets. He has been elected at various times
to the minor offices of the township, which he has
filled in such a manner as to justify the confi
dence reposed in him by his friends and neigh
bors. His political principles are those advo
cated and promulgated by the Democratic party,
and his church affiliations are with the Lutheran
denomination. Among the services rendered by
Mr. Root to the community in which he resides,
the marked interest which he has always -dis
played in the cause of education deserves special
mention. This interest he has ever manifested
in a practical manner, serving as a member of
the school board, and doing all in his power to
promote and facilitate the best means of instruc
tion, and the advancement in all useful knowledge
of the younger portion of the community, be
lieving that attention to these matters is likely
to insure the best and most satisfactory results
to society and to build up the fabric of the com
monwealth. Mr. Root married Hannah, daughter of John
and Maria Shick, of Chester county. The former
was a farmer and the owner of the property now
possessed by Mr. Root. The family of Mr.
and Mrs. Root consists of the following children :
1. John Warren, who is an enterprising business
man, being agent for a number of well known
companies, both in Philadelphia and Chester
county. He is also highly esteemed as a public-
spirited citizen, holding the offices of auditor and
justice of the peace. In the community in which
he resides he is respected as one who has al
ready achieved much, and is at the same time
looked to with expectation by those who regard
his past as giving promise of a still more note
worthy future. He is a member of the Masonic
fraternity, affiliating with Phcenixville Lodge. 2.
David Harris, who was employed in the planing
mill of the sash and blind works, and is now
deceased. 3. Clarence, who is with a firm at

346

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

Pottstown. He married Harriet, daughter of
Harry Hallman, of Spring City. They have no
children.

WILLIAM SWINEHART, of West Vin
cent township, Chester county, where he is re
spected and esteemed both as farmer and citi
zen, is descended, on the paternal side, from old
residents of the county, and numbers among his
ancestors men who did much for the upbuilding
of the community in which they lived.
John Swinehart was born in 1817, on the old
homestead, and followed through life the occu
pation of a farmer. He married Mary Jane,
daughter of John Patrick, a native of Ireland,
who emigrated early in life to the United States
and settled in Pennsylvania, finding a home in
Chester county. Mr. and Mrs. Swinehart were
the parents of eleven children, only four of whom
are now living : Josiah, who is a farmer on the
homestead; Foreman, who lives in Philadelphia,
and is a draughtsman in the service of the Read
ing Railroad Company; William, mentioned at
length hereinafter; and Emma, who is the wife
of Harry Fetters, of West Chester. It is
worthy of note that Mrs. Swinehart, though oof
Irish descent, was a native of Chester county,
having been born in 1819 in Charlestown town
ship. William Swinehart, son of John and Mary
Jane (Patrick) Swinehart, was born December
13, 1841, on the homestead in West Vincent
township, and has always followed his ancestral
calling of a farmer, in which he has met with
merited success. During the Civil war he was
among those drafted for military service, but
furnished a substitute, feeling that duty required
his presence at home. Although taking the in
terest of an intelligent citizen in public affairs,
he has never been willing to accept office, the de
mands of his chosen calling absorbing the greater
portion of his time and attention. His political
opinions are those advocated and upheld by the
Republican party. He and his family attend
the Methodist Episcopal church of Nantmeal vil
lage. Mr. Swinehart married Rebecca, daughter
of Francis and Ann Potts, and they have one
son, Robert, who lives with his parents and as
sists his father in the care and management of
the farm.

WILLIAM L. MATHUES, a public-spirited
and influential citizen of Media, Delaware coun
ty, Pennsylvania, is a lineal descendant of a fam
ily of German extraction who came to this coun
try and settled in the state of Pennsylvania prior
to the Revolutionary war, in which struggle the

paternal great-grandfather of William L. Mathues
took an active part.
William Mathues, grandfather of William L.
Mathues, was born in Baltimore county, Mary
land, in 1795, and when only eighteen years of
age enlisted in the American army and served
as a private during the war of 1812. After his
return from the war he removed to Chester coun
ty, Pennsylvania, where he resided for many-
years, and subsequently he located in Media,
Delaware county, where his death occurred in
1878, at the advanced age of eighty-three years.
He was united in marriage to Miss Susan Mc-
Henry, and seven sons and one daughter were
born to them.
William F. Mathues, father of William L.
Mathues, was born in Chester county, Pennsyl
vania, in 1825. He received a good common
school education, and after attaining young man
hood he removed to Delaware county, where
for a number of years he pursued his trade of
carpenter. He enlisted as a private in the Fifty-
fourth Regiment, Pennsylvania Infantry, later
was promoted to the position of hospital steward,
and for three years of the Civil war served his
country with credit and distinction. After his
return home he was elected treasurer of -Dela
ware county by the Republican party, and he dis
charged the duties of that responsible position
for two years. From 1885 to 1888 he served in
the capacity of sheriff of the county, and for a
number of years previous to his election to that
office served as deputy sheriff. He was a con
sistent member of the Methodist Episcopal
church, and he also held membership in Brad
bury Post, No. 149, Grand Army of the Re
public. In 1849 Mr. Mathues married Miss
Emeline Willis, who was born in Delaware coun
ty, Pennsylvania, in 1826, a daughter of Allen
Willis. The following named children were
born to them : William, Susanna, Mary J., Alice,
Emma K., William L, Charles W. and Allen
C. W. Mathues.
William L. Mathues, second son of William
F. and Emeline Mathues, was born March 24,
1862, in Middletown township, Delaware county,
Pennsylvania. He acquired an excellent educa
tion in the public schools of Media, and upon
attaining the age of eighteen years, in 1880, he
entered the law office of John M. Broomall, the
nestor of the bar of Delaware county, and pur
sued a course of study in order to prepare him
self for a professional career. In due course of
time he passed the usual examinations and was
admitted to practice in the courts of Delaware
county on November 10, 1884. The following
year he accepted the position of deputy sheriff
under his father, who was then acting as sheriff.
and he was the incumbent of that office for two
years. On January 1, 1887, he was appointed

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

347

deputy prothonotary and deputy clerk of the
courts of Delaware county, and served in that
capacity until the first Monday in January, 1892,
at which time he took the oath of office as pro
thonotary and clerk of the court of quarter ses
sions, having been elected thereto on the Republi
can ticket in the fall of 1891. He was re-elected
in 1894, 1897 and 1900, and was renominated
for a fifth term in 1903 without opposition,
but declined in order to accept the nomination
for state treasurer, to which responsible office
he was elected in the fall of 1903 by a majority
of 285,000, which was the largest majority ever
given a candidate for that office in Pennsylvania.
He assumed the duties of the office on May 1,
1904. At all times and in all these various posi
tions his official conduct has been blameless, and
he has acquitted himself with the highest capa
bility and conscientious devotion to his duties
and the trust reposed in him. He is also an ac
tive and prominent factor in every movement that
has for its object the material prosperity of the
people and the industrial development of the
county. He is affiliated with Lenni Tribe, No.
86, Improved Order of Red Men ; Chester Lodge
of Elks, No. 488; Aerie No. 159, Fraternal
Order of Eagles ; Media Lodge, No. 749, Junior
Order of United American Mechanics ; and Cap
tain Johnson Camp, No. 18, Sons of Veterans,
having served as captain in the latter named
organization. He is also a member of several
political associations, and he has served as aide
on the staff of the commander-in-chief of the
United States Sons of Veterans.
September 24, 1884, Mr. Mathues married
Miss Charlotte E. Goodiey, a daughter of Charles
Goodley, of Delaware county, Pennsylvania.
Their children are : William Franklin, born Oc
tober 29, 1885 ; Samuel G., born September 29,
1887; and Ernest P., born January 2, 1889. The
mother of these children died in 1891. May 17,
1893, Mr. Mathues married for his second wife
Miss Marguerite R. Louden, a daughter of P. B.
Louden, of Delaware county, Pennsylvania.
One son was the issue of this marriage, T. J.
Clayton, born May 4, 1897.

DAVIS E. ALLEN. Energy, enterprise and
perseverance have been the main attributes in
the success which has attended the well directed
efforts of Davis E. Allen, a prominent and re
spected citizen of London Grove- township, Ches
ter county, Pennsylvania, a son of William and
Ruth Ann Allen, and a descendant of a family
who have made their- home in that section of the
state for several generations.
Ellis Allen, grandfather of Davis E. Allen,
was born in London Grove township; Chester
county, July. 27, 1783, a son of William Allen,

a son of Isaac Allen. Ellis Allen acquired a good
English education and subsequently learned the
trade of wheelwright, which line of industry he
pursued for many years in connection with ex
tensive farming interests which he conducted in
New Garden township. He was united in mar
riage to Rebecca White, and five children were
born to them : Reuben, Ellis, Sarah, Hannah and
William Allen. Both Mr. Allen and his wife
were active members of the Society of Friends.
William Allen, father of Davis E. Allen, was
born in New Garden township, Chester county,
October 16, 1813. He was reared on his father's
farm, attended the common schools of the neigh
borhood, and after attaining his majority he
rented a farm adjoining the one owned by his
father. Here he successfully conducted a general
farming business for eight years, and after the
expiration of this period of time he settled on
a portion of the original Allen homestead and
after four years moved to Newlin township,
where he spent eight years. He then returned to
the homestead for four years, after which he
went to New Garden for seven years and then
moved to Londonderry township, where he died.
In politics he was formerly an old line Whig and
later an adherent of the Republican party, and
served his township in the capacity of school
director and supervisor. He was a member of
the Presbyterian church. Mr. Allen was married
three times, his first wife having been Ruth Ann
Passmore, a daughter of Levi and Hannah
(Woodward) Passmore, and six children were
the issue of this marriage: Hannah P., born
December 20, 1844, Rebecca W., born December
20, 1844, died at the age of six months; Davis
E., born February 14, 1846; Mary C, born Sep
tember 23, 1849; Sally D., born May 23, 185 1;
and Lydia R., born May 28, 1853, died January
21, 1869. Ruth Ann Allen, mother of these chil
dren, died October 21, 1854, and was buried at
Marlboroughville. Mr. Allen chose for his sec-
one wife, Phebe Hoopes, and after her decease,
which occurred in 1865, he married Lydia C.
Conner, and the following named children were
born to them: Caleb H., born August 31, 1868;
Anna J., born November 21, 1870; George T.,
born 'November 24, 1871 ; and James M., born
February 25, 1875. Mr. Allen's death occurred
June 7, 1897, and he was buried at London
Grove. Davis E. Allen, eldest son of William and
Ruth Ann Allen, was born in New Garden town
ship, Chester county, Pennsylvania, February
14, 1846. His boyhood was spent in attendance
at the public schools of the county, at the pri
vate school of Isaac Martin, then at Milton Dur-
nall's private academy at Unionville, later at Fair-
ville, and finished at West Chester, Professor
Worrall. He chose the quiet but useful calling of

348

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

agriculture for his vocation in life, and at the pres
ent time (1903) is conducting operations upon a
well cultivated farm in London Grove township.
He is widely known and respected in the com
munity, is a member of the Society of Friends
and also a member of the Patrons of Husbandry.
On March 6, 1877, occurred the marriage of
Davis E. Allen and Mary Wood, a daughter of
James and Mercy Wood, of Kirks Mills, Lancas
ter county, Pennsylvania. Her death occurred
December 21, 1877. In March, 1887, Mr. Allen
contracted an alliance with Elizabeth D. Gray,
only child of William and Mary Jane Gray, and
the issue of this marriage was : William G,
born June 28, 1888; Ellis P., born November
25, 1889; Jessie D., born May 9, 1891 ; Rebecca
E., born November 7, 1892 ; and Robert E., born
September 7, 1895, died at the age of nineteen
months. Mrs. Allen passed away September 17,
1895, sincerely mourned by a large circle of
friends and acquaintances.

JOSEPH BECKER. Among the prominent
farmers of' Kennett township, Chester county,
Pennsylvania, who have gained success in this
line of industry, may be mentioned the name of
Joseph Becker, who has spent his entire life in
this section of the state and is recognized as one
of its respected and esteemed citizens.
Melchoir Becker, father of Joseph Becker,
was born near the fortress city of Meinz, on the
historic river Rhine, in Germany, August 3,
1829, acquired an excellent education in the in
stitutions of that country, and in 1857, after
having decided in his own mind that there
were better opportunities for an active busi
ness career in the United States, he came to
this country and took up his residence in Phila
delphia, Pennsylvania, but later removed to Ken
nett township, Chester county. He was united
in marriage to Mary Corman, daughter of
Stephen Corman, of Philadelphia, and the fol
lowing named children were born to them: I.
Charles, who married Sophia Rotthouse, and four
children have been born to them: 2. William,
who married for his first wife Mary McFadden,
and orte child was born to them, and for his sec
ond wife he chose Louisa Daly; 3. Eugene, who
died in infancy; 4. John who married Augusta
Rotthouse, and they are the parents of five chli-
dren; 5. George, married Eva Hanna; 6. Theo
dore, married Anna Crook ; 7. Joseph ; 8. Mel
choir, Jr., unmarried; 9. Alfred, married Laura
Eastburn, and one child has been born to them.
Melchoir Becker, the father of this family, died
August 25, 1903.
Joseph Becker was born in Kennett township,
Chester county, Pennsylvania, October 27, 1872,
and was an attendant at the common schools of

the vicinity where he acquired a practical educa
tion. After leaving school he turned his atten
tion to milling, which occupation he pursued for
a number of years, but subsequently he devoted
his energies to agricultural pursuits, in which he
has been successful. He now owns a fine farm
containing one hundred and three acres of choice
land, all well improved and in the best state of
cultivation, and his farm buildings and residence
are substantial and pleasantly situated. Politi
cally Mr. Becker is a Republican, and gives his
party an earnest and steady support on all leading
questions. He is a prominent member of the In
dependent Order of Odd Fellows.
On September 9, 1896, Mr. Becker married
Mary S. Dixon, a daughter of Isaac and Susan
(Holmes) Dixon, a successful agriculturist of
Ashland, New Castle county, Delaware. Two
children have been born to them, Harriett G,
born May 8, 1897, and Florence P., born May 4,
1900, who died August 9, 1901. Both Mr.
Becker and his familly are attendants of the
Presbyterian church of Kennett township, and
contribute liberally to the support of its various
interests.

JOHN WASHINGTON FRIDAY, a well
known farmer and respected citizen of West
Vincent township, Chester county, is a son of
William Friday, who has all his . life been a
farmer in the county, and now cultivates an estate
in West Vincent township. He married Mary
A., daughter of William and Catharine Ortlips,
whose farm had, during the Revolutionary war,
been the scene of an encampment. It was situated
in Birchrunville, and remained for many years
in possession of the family. The children of Mr.
and Mrs. Friday were: John Washington, men
tioned at length hereinafter; William J., who. is
an agent for the Prudential Life Insurance Com
pany of Newark, New Jersey; Rebecca R., now
the wife of George W. Henwood, who is engaged
in the laundry business in Philadelphia; Joseph
R., who is a clerk in the store of Croft, of Phce-
nixville ; E. Watkins, who resides on the home
farm ; and Herman, who also lives on the home
stead. John Washington Friday, son of William and
Mary A. (Ortlips) Friday, was born March 10,
1863, in West Vincent township, in the house he
now owns and occupies. He was educated in the
Birchrunville public schools, never attending any
others, and after leaving school spent some years
in working for his father on the homestead. In
1888 he entered upon an independent career as a
farmer, and has since devoted himself to agricul
tural pursuits, with marked ability and success.
Since 1896 he has resided on the farm which he
now owns, and which under his cultivation has

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

349

yielded profitable results. He is a member of
no orders or societies of any kind. His political
connections are with the Democratic party, and
his religious affiliations are with the Lutheran
church. Mr. Friday married Rebecca R. Miller, a mem
ber of the well known family of that name.
They have no children. Mrs. Friday is a daugh
ter of Isaac and Teressa Miller, of West Vincent.
The former in his youth followed the carpenter's
trade, but later in life engaged in farming. He
has a military record, having served during the
Civil war in the Union army.

WILLIAM BINDER, a prosperous farmer
nrd highly esteemed citizen of West Vincent
township, Chester county, is a grandson of Mich
ael Binder, a native of Montgomery county, who,
tradition says, was a soldier in the Revolutionary
army. His son Jacob was born in Chester county,
and all his life followed agricultural pursuits.
He was a man much respected by his townsmen,
and for many years held the office of school di
rector. In 1855 he settled on the farm which has
since been in possession of his descendants. He
married Margaret Simms, and they were the par
ents of the following children : Moses, who is
now deceased ; Mary ; Sarah, who is the wife
of Lewis Piatt, a merchant of Springfield; Will
iam, mentioned at length hereinafter ; Jacob, who
was a carpenter, and died at the age of twenty-
orte ; Margaret, who married Bernard Neyman, a
carpenter, who is still working at his trade ; Ellen,
who became the wife of Nimrod Lumis, a black
smith, who is now deceased ; Reuben, who is a
farmer in Spring City ; Dallis, who is a farmer in
Berks county; and Clarissa, who is the wife of
George Evans, of Spring City. It is a noteworthy
fact that the mother of this family was also a
native of Chester county, having been born in
West Pikeland township.
William Binder, son of Jacob and Margaret
(Simms) Binder, was born June 25, 1833, in
West Vincent township, where he ' received his
education in St. Matthew's school, where the
course of instruction was so thorough as to render
attendance at any other school unnecessary. He
has made agriculture the business of his life, and
now lives on the homestead, reaping the reward
of his skillful labor and assiduous exertions in a
gratifying degree of material prosperity, and in
the appreciative regard of his neighbors, who
have further testified to their confidence and es
teem by electing him to the office of townsh.ip
assessor. His church connections are with the
Lutheran denomination.
Mr. Binder married Elmira Lumis, and the
following children have been born to them : Al
berta, who is unmarried, and resides at West

Chester; Lizzie May, who is the wife of Will
iam Kring, a farmer, and has two children, Ar
thur and Grayson ; Eva, who resides at home, and
is the wife of Maurice Mack, a farmer.
Mrs. Binder is the daughter of John Lumis,
of East Nantmeal township, who during the
greater part of his life followed the trade of a
blacksmith. He married Rebecca Davis, and
their family consisted of the following children:
Elmira, mentioned above as the wife of William
Binder; Nimrod, who is a blacksmith; Davis,
who was the prothonotary of West Chester and
is now deceased; Grace A., who is the wife of
Cyrus Keim, an undertaker and cabinetmaker;
Allen John, who is a blacksmith ; James Thomas,
who has recently become a farmer ; Charles . A.,
who is a carpenter; and Emma, who is now de
ceased.

JOHN BROWNBACK RALSTON, a vet
eran farmer and leading citizen of West Vin
cent township, Chester county, is the son of
George Ralston, who was also a farmer, and a
man who took a prominent part in local affairs ;
for some years he held the office of justice of
the peace, in addition to other minor offices of
the township. He adopted the profession of law,
which he practiced for many years in West Ches
ter, and at one time served as judge of the Ches
ter county court. His politics were Democratic.
He married Hannah, daughter of John Brown-
back, a farmer of West Vincent, and they were
the parents of three children: Delilah, who be
came the wife of Nathan McVeagh, who was a
teacher, and also a hotelkeeper at Phoenixville ;
John Brownback, mentioned at length herein
after, and Sarah, who became the wife of Louis
Woodward. The death of Mr. Ralston, the fa
ther, took place in 1873, at an advanced age.
John Brownback Ralston, son of George and
Hannah (Brownback) Ralston, was born June
14, 1828, on the homestead, and received his ed
ucation in the public schools of the township.
Deciding to make agriculture the business of his
life, he remained on the home farm, assisting his
father in the care of the estate, which in the
course of time he inherited, and on which he now
resides. Like his father, he holds to the polit
ical principles upheld by the Democratic party.
He has never desired office, but consented to
serve for a short time as school director.
Mr. Ralston married Mary Ann, daughter of
John Elsler Kraiser, a farmer of Glen More,
East Nantmeal township. Three children were
born to them: George, who resides in Norris
town ; Emma, who is now deceased ; and a child
who died in infancy. After the death of his wife,
Mr. Ralston married Rebecca Minerva Miller.
Mrs. Ralston belongs to a family distin-

35Q

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

guished in the annals 01 the Revolutionary war.
Her father was Levi Miller, who in early life
followed the carpenter's trade, but was for many
years engaged in business as an undertaker in
Chester county. He was highly esteemed by his
neighbors, and held a number of township of
fices. In politics he was a Republican, and in re
ligion a member of the Lutheran church, to
which his family also belonged. Mr. Miller's
wife was a daughter of a member of the well
known Chrisman family, and their children were :
Isaac, a carpenter by trade, who is how engaged
in business for himself in Philadelphia; and Re
becca Minerva, mentioned above as the wife of
John Brownback Ralston.

SPROUL. In this age of tremendous prog
ress, when each passing decade sees more
changes than a century would witness in any
other period of the world's history, the ver
satility of American men of affairs and their
capability of thought and action in many and dif
fering lines is an increasing characteristic of
the nation. In times not very remote, men of
achievement confined themselves closely to their
particular professions or avocations, and the lines
were closely drawn between the various call
ings. To-day, however, great lawyers are often
grea t business men ; bankers and merchants are
enlisted as leaders in the army of industry ; and
political and commercial affairs are guided by
men of varied trainings and diversified accom
plishments. Few men, however, in any community, have
attained successful rank in more numerous and
as important lines, especially while still far under
the prime of life, than William C. Sproul, of
Chester, president of the senate of Pennsylvania,
editor, manufacturer and business man, an active
leader, and a distinctive power in the political,
social and commercial affairs, not only of the
city of Chester and Delaware county, but of the
commonwealth. Senator Sproul comes of typical Pennsyl
vania stock, the blood of all three of the great race
factors which have built up this mighty state — •
the English Quaker, Scotch-Irish and German
elements — each being represented in his ancestry.
Charles Sproul, a farmer, residing on a com
fortable little farm near Castlederg, in the county
Tyrone, Ireland, and the great-grandfather of the
subject of this sketch, came to the United States
in 1786, bringing with him a demit from the
Royal Arch Chapter of Masons at Magheracreg-
gan, commending him to good and faithful breth
ren in all parts of the world. His family was a
prominent one in Ulster, and the oldest grave
stone in the cemetery about the ancient Presby
terian church in the village of Castlederg is

is above the remains of Robert Sproule, who emi
grated from Scotland, and died in 1680. Charles
Sproul lived in Montgomery and Chester coun
ties, Pennsylvania, and was engaged in farming
and in the operation of small iron forges. He
married Margaret Nelson, also of county Tyrone.
Their son, James Sproul, who was born in
Castlederg in 1780, came to this country with his
parents when six years old. He was well edu
cated and went early to work in the forges, and
became one of the more notable of the early
Pennsylvania iron founders. He was a man of
strong personality and excellent business ability,
and prospered greatly in his business. For many
years he carried on a chain of three forges and
a bloomery on the Octoraro creek, in Sadsbury
township, Lancaster county, and West Fallow-
field township, Chester county, and had a large
trade in finished iron, his principal store house
being in the city of Lancaster. He was one of
the wealthiest men in Lancaster county and one
of the largest landowners in the entire section.
He died suddenly on January 7, 1847. James
Sproul. had been twice married, his first wife, a
cousin, dying without issue. He was again mar
ried, in 1830, to Anne Johnson, the daughter of
Wilham and Nancy Dunlap Johnson, of Steele-
ville, Chester county, who likewise were of North
of Ireland stock. Left a widow in early life, with
a family of four boys and six girls to rear, Mrs.
Anne Sproul survived until December 21, 1889.
She was a woman of strong convictions and much
ability, and she handled her large property with
great judgment. Her dower rights, lasting for
nearly forty-three years after the death of her
husband, covered much real estate in the two
counties. She lived for more than thirty years
in the village of New London, Chester county.
William Hall Sproul, son of James and Anne
(Johnson) Sproul, was born at Sadsbury Forge,
November 6, 1837. He was educated in the pub
lic and private schools of the neighborhood, and
at White Hall Academy, near Harrisburg. Be
fore he was of age he went to Kansas, and re
mained in that section for some time, eventually
returning to Lancaster county, where he engaged
in. business in the town of Christiana, near his
old home. He moved in 1866 to a farm in Cole-
rain, an adjoining township, and remained there
until 1874, when he went to Negaunee, in the
Upper Peninsula of Michigan, where he was
connected in an executive position with a large
iron mining and smelting industry. In 1882 Mr.
Sproul returned to Pennsylvania and connected
himself with the Chester Rolling Mills. He re
tired from business a few years ago, and leads
a quiet life, giving his attention to various busi
ness and philanthropic concerns. He is a mem
ber of the Chester City Park Commission, a
member of the Board of Port Wardens of Phila-

iiillfj

il

,,i,

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

35^

delphia, chairman of the executive committee of
the Chester Hospital, a director in the Delaware
County National Bank, and a trustee of- the Sec
ond Presbyterian church.
He married, March 5, 1862, Deborah Dickinson
Slokom, daughter of Samuel and Mary Walker
Slokom, of Christiana. Samuel Slokom, who was
the son of Thomas and Susan Miller Slokom, was
born in Sadsbury, Lancaster county, in 1817.
He was a man of great force of character, and
in early life became a leader in his neighborhood.
He was a farmer, banker and capitalist, and at
tained an extraordinary position of influence in
the great county of Lancaster. He died Novem
ber 13, 1889, and at the time was reputed to be
the wealthiest individual in the county. His es
tate of several hundred thousands of dollars was
almost exclusively made up of mortgages and
judgments against property in the neighborhood
in which he lived. Samuel Slokom's father was
of English Quaker origin, his family, the Slokoms
and Slocombs having been ,early immigrants
among Penn's people. His mother was a Penn
sylvania German, her people coming here with
the Amish movement, about 1728. Samuel Slo
kom married, in 1837, Mary Walker, of Sads
bury, daughter of Isaac Walker and Anna Dick
inson, and a descendant of Andrew Moore, who
settled in Sadsbury in 1723. Mary Walker Slo
kom was of sturdy Quaker stock on both sides
of her family, and during her long life she was a
strong influence in the religious Society of
Friends and figured in the great reform agitation
which culminated in the abolition movement
prior to the Civil war. She died in Chester, April
20, 1893, aged eighty-seven years, and was laid
away in Old Sadsbury Friends' Burying Ground,
beside the unmarked graves of her plain Quaker
ancestors, and almost within sight of where she
and her people and her husband's people for gen
erations, and all her children and her grandchil
dren, had been born.
The three children of William H. and Deborah
D. Sproul were all sons. Samuel Everett was
born December 30, 1862, in Christiana; Charles,
born in 1865, died in infancy; and William Cam
eron Sproul, the subject of this sketch, was born
on the farm near the village of Octoraro, Cole-
rain township, Lancaster county, on September
16, 1870. In 1874 the family moved to the little
city of Negaunee, in the great iron range along
the southern shore of Lake Superior, in the
northern peninsula of. Michigan. So his early
boyhood was spent in the Northwest, and his
early schooling was in that energetic and pro
gressive section, where hustling activity seems to
be in the very air. Before his sixth birthday he
entered the private school of Mrs. Harris, in Ne
gaunee, and after a year went to the school con
ducted by Miss Louise N. Maclntyre, a young
23 X

woman who came to Negaunee from Saranac,
INew York, and who returned there to die several
years later, after having made a record as a re
markably successful teacher. To the excellent
beginnings made under Miss Maclntyre's direc
tion, Mr. Sproul says his subsequent desire for
a higher education were largely due. He entered
the Negaunee High School in 1881, at the age of
eleven, and remained there until the fall of 1882,
when his parents returned to Christiana, and a
winter was spent at the Christiana High School.
In March, 1883, the family moved to Chester,
and young Sproul immediately went into the pub
lic schools, and finished the course, graduating
from the Chester High School with the normal. or
teacher's degree of that excellent institution, in
the class of 1887.
William C. Sproul entered Swarthmore Col
lege in the fall of 1887, with the class of 1891,
and after four years graduated with commence
ment honors in June, 1891. His course in col
lege was of the greatest advantage to him, and
his career there, in the social and political life of
the institution and the affairs of its various or
ganizations, as well as the mind-training and
academic learning which he acquired, had much
to do in shaping his life's work. His studies,
embraced the full scientific course, and he took
the degree of bachelor of science, but with broad
classical electives. During his college days, Mr.
Sproul was editor of the "Swarthmore Phoenix,"
the very creditable publication of the students;
was editor of the college annual, the "Halcyon ;"
was a member of and manager of the successful
foot-ball team; was president of the Eunomian
Literary Society, and archon of the Phi Kappa
Psi Fraternity, a strong intercollegiate fraternal
organization, of the Swarthmore Chapter of
which he was a charter member. He was winner
of one of the oratorical prizes in the college, and
took part in all of the student movements.
Immediately upon leaving Swarthmore, Mr.
Sproul bought an interest in the Franklin Print
ing Company, associating himseif with his col
lege-mate, Edward Lawrence Fell, in that old-
established Philadelphia house. But his natural
bent was toward journalism, and a few months
later, in March, 1892, he acquired a one-half in
terest in the "Chester Times," then, as now, the
leading daily newspaper of Delaware county.
Young Sproul had early given evidence of his
liking for journalistic labors. In 1881, before he
was eleven years of age, he had formed a part
nership with Fred Dougherty, a schoolmate in
Negaunee, and, investing in a small printing
press, published for some time a little paper called
"The Amateur." The lads learned to set type and
do the work of getting out the paper, and their
afternoons and evenings were spent in printing
this sixteen-page monthly journal, with pages.

352

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

the size of a postal card. But "The Amateur"
earned money, and Mr. Sproul remembers to this
day the pride he and his partner felt when, in
counting the proceeds of their subscriptions and
advertising, they found that the cost of their
printing press and outfit had been earned, and
there was more than ten dollars beside to divide
as the result of the first six months' publication.
Later, in Chester, in 1883 and 1884, he published
"The Sun," an amateur paper, and belonged
to the Pennsylvania Amateur Press Association.
In 1884, while in his first year at the High
School, young Sproul began to do work for the
"Chester Times," of which he is now an owner,
and soon his work attracted the attention
of John A. Wallace, the' proprietor, who
decided that the boy should be encouraged
and offered to compensate him. Asked to fix
his own salary for work done after school and in
the evenings, Sproul suggested that twenty-five
cents a day would be about right, and so entered
upon his work in earnest. In the following year
he became the Chester correspondent for the
"Philadelphia Press," and Mr. R. E. A. Dorr,
then the news editor of that paper, and afterward
publisher of the "New York Mail and Express,"
loved to tell in later years how on one occasion,
in 1885, he sent for the Chester correspondent of
his paper to give him some instructions, and of
his surprise at seeing a fifteen-year-old boy come
into his office in answer to his summons. While
he was in college, Mr. Sproul kept up his jour
nalistic work on the college publications, and con
ducted the general college departments in several
of the metropolitan journals, earning what to a
college lad was a large monthly stipend. When
he acquired his interest in the "Times," and be
gan his partnership with his early friend and em
ployer, John A. Wallace, Mr. Sproul went into
the work with all his energy, and learned the bus
iness thoroughly, developing into a forceful
writer as well as a capable business manager.
Always inclined toward the study of politics,
and an active political worker and strong partisan
before he was of age, now, with the prestige of
his newspaper interests to aid him, Mr. Sproul
began to be talked of for political preferment, and
in 1895, just after passing his twenty-fifth year,
the constitutional limit for the office, was named
by the political organization within the Republi
can party in Delaware county, then dominated by
Hon. John B. Robinson, for the office of state
senator, to succeed Hon. Jesse M. Baker. Com
plications which threatened to precipitate a con
test for the nomination gradually cleared away,
and he was unanimously nominated by the con
vention in March, 1896, being elected in the fol
lowing November by a majority of almost ten
thousand votes. In the senate, although by far
the youngest man in that body, a distinction

which he held for six years, and inclined toward
independence of action, he soon attained promi
nence. -He was assigned to the more important
committees, and was connected with much nota
ble legislation. In 1900 he was renominated and
elected for a second term without serious oppo
sition. In the session of 1901 he took grounds
in strong opposition to the so-called "ripper" leg
islation for changing the form of government of
cities, and, though closely affiliated with the reg
ular Republican organization in the state, stren
uously labored to defeat the "Pittsburg ripper,"
which was the political sensation of that time.
In 1903 Senator Sproul, having devoted much
time and attention to the study of the question of
road improvement, drafted the bill for the gen
eral plan of state aid in highway construction,
which, combin-id with some features of a bill in
troduced by Senator A. B. Roberts, of Montgom
ery county, was passed in the session of 1903, and
forms the beginning of a movement which the
friends of highway improvement in Pennsylvania
believe will be the most important reform in
augurated in the state for many years. In April,
1903, Senator Sproul was the unanimous choice
of the Republican members of the senate for the
office of president, of that body, and was elected
on a party vote. He is unopposed for the nomi
nation for a third term in the senate, at the con
vention to be held in March, 1904.
In 1895 Mr. Sproul was elected a director in
the First National Bank of Chester, and in 1898
became vice-president of the Delaware River
Iron Shipbuilding and Engine Works, or Roach's
Shipyard, but resigned the position in 1899, and
immediately set to work to interest capital in the
organization of a large steel foundry, the result
of which was the incorporation of the Seaboard
Steel Casting Company, with a capital of a half
million dollars. Mr. Sproul became president of
the corporation, and during 1900 the extensive
plant was erected at the foot of Jeffrey street, in
the Tenth ward of Chester, and on December 31,
1900, the last day of the nineteenth century, the
first heat was poured from the furnaces. This
industry has been very successful under the man
agement of Senator Sproul and his brother, S.
Everett Sproul, who is the general manager, the
directors being Isaac H. Clothier, and Joseph
Wharton, of Philadelphia; John B. Roach, of
Chester; Senator J. Henry Cochran, of Williams
port; Thomas H. Savery, of Wilmington, Dela
ware; Morris L. Clothier, of Philadelphia and
Mr. Sproul. Joseph W. Cochran is treasurer,
and David G. Stokes comptroller. In 1900 Mr.
Sproul, associated with William J. McClure, W.
I. Schaffer, Josiah Smith and others, was instru
mental in organizing the Chester Shipping Com
pany, which operates a line of steamers on the
Delaware River very successfully, and is the

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

353

president pf that corporation, as well as of the
River Front Improvement Company and the
.Niagara Hydraulic Engine Company. He is
also vice-president of the Henry Roever Com
pany, a large glycerine and soap manufacturing
corporation in Chester, which he was largely in
strumental in organizing; is a director and mem
ber of the executive committee of the Mobile,
Jackson & Kansas City Railroad; is treasurer of
the Seaboard Fuel Company, of West Virginia;
a director in the Fayette Manufacturing Com
pany and the Delaware County Trust Company
of Chester, and the Franklin Printing Company,
and is interested in other business enterprises in
this and other states.
Senator Sproul is a member of the board of
managers of the Swarthmore College, his alma
mater, and in 1903 was elected president of the
Alumni Association of that institution. He Is
also a trustee of the Pennsylvania Training
School for Feeble Minded Children, at Elwyn,
¦and in the senate has given much time and
thought to the system of public aid for the vari
ous philanthropies. He is also identified with
many social organizations, being a member of
the Union League and the University Club of
Philadelphia; the Corinthian Yacht Club, of
Philadelphia ; the Rose Tree Fox Hunting Club ;
the New York Athletic Club and the Engineers'
Glub, of New York; the Harrisburg Club, and
was one of the organizers of the Penn Club, of
¦Chester, and the Springhaven Country Club, of
Delaware county. He belongs to a number of
the political organizations of the city and county.
On January 21, 1892, Senator Sproul was mar
ried to Emeline Roach, the daughter of John B.
Roach, the shipbuilder of Chester, and his wife,
Mary Caroline Wallace Roach. They have two
•children — Dorathy Wallace Sproul, born Novem
ber 4, 1892, and John Roach Sproul, born Janu
ary 30, 1895. Mr. and Mrs. Sproul live in a
handsome home at the corner of Ninth and Ker-
lin streets, in Chester, and in summer reside at
their country place, Lapidea Manor, a historic
and beautiful farm in Nether Providence town
ship, just beyond the city limits.

OWEN LEWIS WOODWARD. The
"Woodward family of Chester county, Pennsyl
vania, represented in the present generation by
H. Bell Woodward, who, since the death of her
father, Owen Lewis Woodward, which occurred
January 21, 1894, has successfully managed his
large estate which is located in West Vincent
township, trace their ancestory to Richard Wood
ward, son of Robert Woodward, of Rockland
Manor, New Castle county, Delaware, and Birm
ingham, Chester county, Pennsylvania, who mar

ried, in 1705, Mary Nayle, the only heir of Henry
Nayle of Thornbury, and they were the parents
of seven children — Henry, John, Richard,
Thomas, Deborah, Mary and Alice Woodward.
Thomas Woodward, fourth son of Richard
and Mary Woodward, was born in East Bradford
township, Chester county, November 7, 1722, or
1723. By deeds of conveyance he became the
owner of one hundred acres of land in the neigh
borhood of his birth place, resided on Street road,
and was engaged in bookbinding, also in survey
ing and conveyancing. He was the owner of a
large number of negro slaves, whom he liberated
after listening to an address of John Woolman,
a noted Quaker preacher and an anti-slavery ad
herent. Mr. Woodward was a member of Con
cord Monthly Meeting, and obtained his certifi
cate of removal to New Garden Monthly Meeting,
dated April 5, 1749, which was about the time he
settled in East Marlborough and became a mem
ber of Londongrove Particular Meeting. On
October 26, 1745, he married Elizabeth Jacobs,
widow of John Jacobs, and daughter of Roger
and Elizabeth (Richards) Kirk, the ceremony
being performed at East Nottingham Meeting.
Elizabeth Woodward was born February 15,
1 72 1 ; her father, Roger Kirk, a native of Lurgan,
North Ireland, was among the pioneers of Not
tingham, and located in East Nottingham as
early as 1712, where he purchased large tracts
of land. About 1714, Mr. Kirk married Eliza
beth Richards, daughter of Nathaniel and Mary
Richards, of Aston township, and granddaughter
of Joseph and Jane Richards, who came from
England and settled in Chichester township, now
Delaware county. The children born to Mr. and
Mrs. Woodward were — Rebecca, Elizabeth, Sam
uel, Thomas, Deborah, Timothy and Susanna
Woodward. The father of these children died
June 15, 1785; the mother passed away January
25, 1812.
Thomas Woodward, second son of Thomas
and Elizabeth Woodward, was born in East
Marlborough, March 17, 1753, acquired a com
mon school education, and his entire life time
was spent on the old homestead where he con
ducted general farming operations. Mr. Wood
ward married, October 15, 1777, at Londongrove,
Mary Pusey, who was born March 12, 1756, and
died August 16, 1838, a daughter of Ellis and
Susanna Pusey, of West Fallowfield. Their chil
dren were — Deborah, Susanna, Elizabeth, Ellis,
Thomas, Mary, Joshua, Ann and Lydia Wood
ward. The death of Mr. Woodward occurred
on the old homestead, June 2, 1837.
Joshua Woodward, third son of Thomas and
Mary Woodward, was born February 9, 1792,
was reared on his father's farm, and during the
early years of his life attended the district school..
On April 1, 1829, he removed to West Vincent

354

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

township, and purchased of Henry Kurtz a farm
containing one hundred and thirty-four acres, to
which he later added six acres, this being the
same property on which the widow and daughter
of Owen L. Woodward now reside. At London-
gr6ve, October 17, 182 1, Mr. Woodward mar
ried Rebecca Nutt, daughter of John and Mary
Nutt, and her death occurred December 17,
1822. His second wife was Rebecca Lewis, who
was born September 17, 1797, and died December
19, 1833, a daughter of Isaac and Sarah Lewis.
His third wife was Ellen Todd, who died Septem
ber 20, 1853. Three children were the issue of
these marriages — Mary, born December 8, 1822,
became the wife Caleb Wood, January 9, 1855;
Owen Lewis, mentioned at length hereinafter;
Sarah Ann, born October 26, 183 1, became the
wife of Nathan G. Buckwalter, son of Christo
pher and Mary Buckwalter, December 30, 1858.
Joshua Woodward, father of these children, died
December 30, 1852.
Owen Lewis Woodward, only son of Joshua
and Rebecca Woodward was born August 12,
1829, received a common school education, and
after laying aside his school books he chose the
occupation of a farmer. His operations were
conducted on an extensive scale, and the general
appearance of his broad acres and commodious
outbuildings indicated the careful supervision of
a practical and experienced man. He possessed
a large degree of sound judgment and ability, and
therefore was chosen as one of the directors in
the Farmers' and Mechanics' National Bank of
Phoenixville and for ten years also filled a simi
lar position in the Iron Bank of the same borough.
His political affiliations were with the Republican
party, and he served eight years on the executive
county committee.
On October 2, 1855, Mr. Woodward mar
ried Sarah Ralston, who was born February 13,
183 1, a daughter of George and Hannah Rals
ton, and granddaughter of John Ralston. One
child was the issue of this union — H. Bell, born
July 14, 1856. The family hold membership in St.
Andrew's Protestant Episcopal church of West
Vincent township. Miss Woodward was educated
at Oakland Seminary under the principalship of
Dr. Ralston, and since the death from heart
trouble of her father has managed the property,
which is now the estate of Owen L. Woodward,
and ministered to the wants and wishes of her
mother, who has been in ill health since the death
of her husband. They employ a man to work
the farm, and in addition to other improvements
made in recent years they have erected a new
dwelling house for the farm hand and his family.
The remains of Mr. Woodward were interred
in St. Andrews Protestant Episcopal cemetery
in West Vincent township.

JOSEPH MOSTELLER. The Mosteller-
family of which Joseph Mosteller, an enterpris
ing and successful business man, is a worthy
representative, is of German origin, but have
been residents of the United States since the
Revolutionary period, and of Chester county
Pennsylvania, for several generations.
The earliest ancestor of this family of whom
there is any record was Frederick Mosteller, who
followed the occupation of farming and was
supposed to have been a resident of Mayer
Town. He married Bessie E. Keeley, and they
were the parents of the following named chil
dren: Esther King; Mary, wife of the Rev.
J. B. Knipe, who was a minister of the Gospel
for fifty years, his faith being that of the German
Reformed church; and Frederick, grandfather
of Joseph Mosteller, who followed agricultural
pursuits in Pennsylvania.
Henry Mosteller, father of Joseph Mosteller,
was born in West Pikeland township, in 1796,
and after attaining man's estate located in West
Vincent township, devoted his attention to farm
ing, and in due course of time became one of the
large land-owners of the community. He was
a Democrat in politics, and took a keen and active
interest in all that pertained to the development
and material welfare of the section of the county
in which he resided. He was united in marriage
to Margaret Shenman, daughter of Benjamin
Shenman, and through this union there were born
eleven children, eight sons and three daughters —
Abram, a farmer and lumber dealer in West
Vincent township, who supplied at one time the
Phoenix Iron Company. John, who through the
loss of his eyesight was compelled to retire from ¦
active business pursuits. Burnham. Sarah A.,
wife of William Ralston, who conducted farm
ing at Ralston Corner, West Vincent township.
S. S., now deceased, was a resident of Ralston
Corner. Henry, deceased, followed agricultural "
pursuits during his entire business career. Jacob,
deceased, was a prosperous farmer in West Vin
cent township. Benjamin S., in early life was a
carpenter and merchant,, but the latter years of
life were devoted to farming. Joseph. Will
iam, a farmer in West Vincent township. Mar
garet E., unmarried. Henry Mosteller, father
of these children, died at his home in West Vin
cent township at an advanced age.
Joseph Mosteller, son of Henry and Margaret
Mosteller, was born in West Vincent township,
Chester county, Pennsylvania, May 6, 1838. He -
received an excellent English education in the
school at Freeland, Montgomery county, now
known as Collegeville, and at a private school
conducted by Mr. Allen. He gained his first
business experience in the store of his brother,
S. S. Mosteller, where he remained from 1856-

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

355

to 1862. He then entered the employ of Levi
Bingaman at Coventryyille, served in the capacity
of clerk for one year, after which he purchased
the business which he successfully conducted up
to 1866. He then purchased a store at Ludwigs
Corner, formerly the property of Samuel L.
Fertig, and from that date up to the present
time (1903) his trade has steadily increased in
volume and importance. He is a man of good
judgment and recognized business ability, active
and clear-headed in the carrying out of any en
terprise, and he has won an enviable reputation
among the business men of the community. Mr.
Mosteller firmly adheres to the principles of
Democracy, and has served his township in the
capacity of school director and auditor for a simi
lar period of time, almost twenty years. He is
an honored member of the order of Patrons of
Husbandry, and the Improved Order of Red
Men. On December 4, 1865, Mr. Mosteller married
Sarah E. Jones, daughter of David and May
(West) Jones. David Jones was a wheelwright
oy trade, and this occupation he followed for
many years in connection with farming at Guth-
rieville ; later he removed to West Vincent town
ship, where his death occurred in the eighty-
second year of his age. A brother of Mrs. Jones
was a soldier in the war of 1812, was honorably
•discharged from the service of his country, but
his death occurred shortly after his return home.
The following named children were born to Mr.
and Mrs. Mosteller: Allen Jones, engaged as a
brakeman and assistant conductor on the Reading
Railroad. Mary Elma, wife of David Hunthorn,
manager of the Craig Biddle farm located near
Wayne, Pennsylvania. Margaret E., a profes
sional nurse, was graduated from the Womans
"Hospital in Philadelphia in 1896, has filled several
important appointments in this country and is
now in Germany, attending the wife of Professor
Heiman. Lilian M., wife of H. C. Stauffer, of
Reading, Pennsylvania, who is employed as a
freighter on the Philadelphia and Reading Rail
road. Morris Fussell, a farmer, resides at home
with his parents. Herman J., engaged in farming
on the old homestead. Charles Raymond, em
ployed as clerk at Chester, Pennsylvania, for the
Reading Railroad Company. Sallie E., deceased.

PATRICK McDONALD, the assistant su-
-pervisor of the Baltimore Central Division of the
Pennsylvania Railroad Company, who has risen to
this responsible position from a very humble be
ginning, was born in Dublin county, parish of
Bray, Ireland, in 1845, the son of Peter Mc Don
ald, one of the prominent and honored citizens of
that section of the Emerald Isle.
After enjoying the educational a'dvantages af

forded by the schools in the vicinity of his birth
place, Mr. McDonald turned his attention to
farming but later engaged in mercantile pursuits
up to the year 1867, when he sailed on the steam
ship "Pennsylvania" for the United States, land
ing in New York. Shortly after his arrival he
located in Virginia, that section of the country,
at that time, was just recovering from the effects
of the Civil war, and assumed charge of the ex-
tentive estate of United States Senator Barber.
After remaining in that capacity for a short time
Mr. McDonald removed to Philadelphia, and
later to Chester creek, Delaware county, where
the Pennsylvania Railroad has just begun the
laying of their rails. He secured a position as
laborer on the road, and by faithfully and con
scientiously performing his daily work won the
approbation of the superintendent, who soon pro
moted him to the position of foreman of the force
of laborers. Then, step by step, he steadily ad
vanced until he was appointed to the office he
now fills, that of assistant supervisor of the whole
Baltimore Central Division, and in the discharge
of his duties he displays an executive ability of a
high order.
Although Mr. McDonald pays close attention
to his business interests, he is not unmindful of
his duties as a citizen, giving earnest and hearty
support to the candidates of the Democratic
party. He is also ready and willing to advance
the welfare and development of the town of
Avondale, where he is the owner of a beautiful
and modern residence equipped with all the ap
pliances for comfort and enjoyment. He is a
member of the Roman Catholic church of West
Grove, Chester county, Pennsylvania.
In 1866 Mr. McDonald married Mary A.
Grant, a native of Little Bray, Wicklow county,
Ireland, and the following named children have
been born to them : Mary, unmarried ; Margaret,
wife of Luke M. Flaherty, and they are the par
ents of one child, James Joseph ; Katherine, wife
of Edward J. Robinson ; Patrick, unmarried ;
Anna, unmarried ; James, unmarried ; Alice
McDonald, who died in childhood, and Peter J.,
who died in 1890, in the sixteenth year of his age.

CHRISTIAN FRIDAY, an experienced
farmer and highly esteemed citizen of West Vin
cent township, Chester county, traces his descent
from a German family, which has been for several
generations represented in Pennsylvania. The
orthography of the name has doubtless under
gone many alterations since the family left their
native land.
John Friday, a native of Lancaster county,
and a life-long farmer, removed at some time-
prior to 1835 to Chester county. He married
Magdalena, daughter of Mr. Yeager, by whom he

356

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

was the father of two children : Jacob, who died
young; and Elizabeth, who became the wife of
Owen Posey, a farmer of North Coventry. Af
ter the .death of his wife Mr. Friday married
Catherine, daughter of John Bush, a farmer,
whose wife, a native of Germany, had landed in
Philadelphia on November 26, 1793. Among
the sixteen children pf Mr. and Mrs. Bush may
be mentioned the following: Christian, Jacob,
Peter, William, Charles, Frederick, Philip, Cather
ine, mentioned above as tne wife of John Friday,
Maurice, Elizabeth, who became the wife of
Adam Stine, a shoemaker by trade, but in the
latter part of his life a farmer, and Mary, who
married Daniel Wunder, of Reading. The seven
sons all became farmers. The following chil
dren were born to Mr. and Mrs. Friday: 1.
Jacob, who was in youth a farmer, but after
ward engaged in teaching; subsequently he
graduated from Getty's College, and became a
minister in the Lutheran church. 2. John, who
engaged in farming, and died in the seven
teenth year of his age. 3. Christian, mentioned
at length herinafter. 4. Joseph, who was a
farmer. 5. William, also a farmer. 6. Davis,
who died at the age of seven years. 7. Annie,
who became the wife of Mr. Morris, a machinist.
8. Mary, who married George Eagley, a farmer.
9. Dorothy, who became the wife of George
Miller, a farmer, and was the mother of several
children, all of whom died young.
Christian Friday, son of John and Catherine
(Bush) Friday, was born August 16, 1835, in
Coventry township, and received his education
in the old Birchrunville schoolhouse. His youth
was spent in assisting his father on the home farm
in West Vincent township, where in 1859 he
became an independent farmer, and has since
devoted himself with zeal and energy to the
labors of his chosen calling. His assiduity, di
rected by a thorough knowledge of the best agri
cultural methods, has been crowned by success
ful results. Although keenly alive to everything
relating to the welfare of the community in
which he resides, and ever ready to lend his aid
to any worthy cause, Mr. Friday has judged it
best to remain aloof from the field of politics.
In matters of religious belief, he follows in the
footsteps of his ancestors, he and his family be
ing members of the Lutheran church.
Mr. Friday married Mary Jane, daughter of
David and Mary Edwards, the former an agri
culturist. The following children have been born
to Mr. and Mrs. Friday : Emma K., who is the
wife of John Moyer, of Nantmeal village, and
has two children: Mary Ella and Sophia, both
of whom are at home with their parents ; Lizzie
L., who is the wife of William Mosteller, a
farmer of West Vincent, and is the mother of
one child; Chester; and Laura Bell, who died

in infancy. Mrs. Friday died in 1878. In 1890
Mr. Friday married Mrs. Ella Keeley Hamor,
of Birchrunville, who was the mother of a son,
by her first husband, Sylvanus Hamor, by name,
who is a farmer in Chester county. The father
of Mrs. Ella Keeley (Hamor) Friday was a.
native of Reading, Pennsylvania.

EUGENE CLIFFORD EMERY, a sterling:
citizens of Chester county, Pennsylvania, be
longs to a well-known line of farmers who have
given an impetus to improved agricultural meth
ods in West Vincent township.
Jacob Emery, grandfather of Eugene Clif
ford, was born in Chester county, probably in*
East Pikeland, where he died in 1863. He was
a farmer of prominence, an active Democrat,.
and a member of the Lutheran church. He mar
ried Abby Sloyer, and reared a family of six
- children, three boys and three girls. Of these
children, Jacob was born in 1832. He attended
the country schools, and grew up in the life of
the farm. Becoming a farmer himself, he took
his father's place in the confidence and esteem-
of the community where both their lives had
been spent. He has held most of the local offices
within the gift of his townspeople, having served
twenty-three years as justice of the peace, and
ten years as school director, as well as a term as
supervisor of West Pikeland township. He-
married Annie Moses, daughter of John Moses
of West Pikeland township. Seven children re
sulted from this union, namely: Eugene Clif
ford, who receives fuller mention further on*
Keturah; Reuben; John; William, who became-
a school teacher, and afterward conducted a
shoe business in Spring City; Alda Irene, who
lives with her parents ; Clarence K., a book
keeper for the Standard Oil Company at Pitts
burg. Of this family, only Eugene Clifford,.
and the last two named, are still living.
Eugene Clifford, first child of Jacob and
Annie (Moses) Emery, was born in East Pike
land township, January 3, 1859. His early in
struction in the local public schools was supple
mented by a course in the Ivy Institute at
Phoenixville. But a part of the education of
a country boy that is not to be ignored is that
which he gains from the practical work and var
ious activities of the farm, and after finishing-
school he began work with his father on the home
place. He has made farming the occupation of"
his life, and energy and industry have brought
him a iarge measure of success and satisfaction-
in his work. He has held various local offices,.
having served for many years as school director..
The family are connected with the Lutheran
church, and like his father Mr. Emery is a Demo
crat.

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

357

He married Annie Ralston, daughter of Will
iam and Sarah (Mosteller) Ralston. She is a
lineal descendant of the Hon. John Ralston, a
prominent patriot of the Revolution, who was of
the second generation in this country of a family
that came originally from the north of Ireland.
He was in the military service both as captain
and as colonel, and at one time was a dependence
of General Washington. He was a magistrate
and an important personage in the local life of
Chester county. Hon. John Ralston had a son
Robert, born in West Vincent township, who
became the father of William, father of Annie
(Ralston) Emery. William Ralston was a
farmer, and his children were as follows : i.
H. Frank, a farmer, who represented the northern
district of Chester county in the state legislature
for one term, being elected on the fusion ticket,
and who also served four terms as school direc
tor; 2. Annie M., wife of E. C. Emery; 3. Will
iam E., a farmer who occupies the homestead.
In the family of his father, Robert Ralston,
were also the following named children: Eliza
beth, who died in infancy; George, a merchant
and farmer ; Maria, who became the wife of Hoy
Buckwalter, recorder of deeds of West Chester;
Sophia, who died young; John, a merchant and
farmer; Robert, a merchant and farmer; Cath
erine, wife of Issac Evans, a farmer. The fol
lowing children have been born to Mr. and Mrs.
Eugene Clifford Emery. Alda May, born May
29, 1883, single and at home; Florence Edna,
born March 7, 1889, died September 20. 1889.

JOSEPH P. RAPP, a member of the enter
prising and successful firm of G. W. Rapp &
Sons, conducting business in East Pikeland town
ship, Chester county, Pennsylvania, is a de
scendant of a family who have made their home
in the state of Pennsylvania since the early co
lonial days.
The earliest ancestor of the Rapp family of
whom there is any record was Barney Rapp,
great-grandfather of Joseph P. Rapp, whose
birth occurred near Valley Forge, in Schuylkill
township, where he was reeared and educated,
and followed his trade of blacksmith in con
nection with agricultural pursuits. He was a
prosperous and influential business man, and was
regarded as one of the foremost citizens of the
community. He was the father of a family of
seven children, namely: Barney, John, Joseph
H., Hannah, Esther, Rachel and Benjamin Rapp.
Joseph H. Rapp, grandfather of Joseph P.
Rapp, was born in Schuylkill township, Chester
county, Pennsylvania, January 19, 1803. His
boyhood was spent in obtaining an education in
the common schools of the vicinity, and subse
quently he learned the trade of coachmaker,

which he followed successively at Phoenixville,
Kimberton, and in the vicinity of the latter named
town. His political views were in harmony with
those of the old line Whig party, and his re
ligious belief was in accord, with the tenets of the
Baptist church, in which he held membership
and served as deacon for many years. He mar
ried Margaret Supplee, a daughter of Peter and
Hannah (Easton) Supplee. Their children
were: Benjamin F., Joseph E., George W., Silas
S., Peter S. and Eliza J. Townsend. Mr. Rapp
died at his home in Chester county, in March,
1883, aged eighty-two years.
George W. Rapp, father of Joseph P. Rapp,
was born on the present site of Phoenixville,
Chester county, Pennsylvania, March 31, 1837.
After obtaining a thorough practical education,
he removed to Kimberton, being then eighteen
years of age, and learned the trade of miller with
Benjamin Prizer. He was employed at his trade
in that vicinity for four years, after which he
spent several years in Canada, and upon his re
turn to his native state secured employment
with Joseph Fronfield, the proprietor of the mill
which subsequently became his own property.
He devoted four years of his life to farming,
then rented the mill from Mr. Snyder for twelve
years, and in 1880 purchased the property which
he now owns and operates. He immediately re
fitted and enlarged the mill, which is situated
on French creek, and has excellent water power.
It is four stories high, forty by fifty-five feet in
dimensions, and fully equipped with modern
machinery, its daily capacity being fifty barrels-.
He is a wholesale and retail dealer in and manu
facturer of roller flour and all kinds of feed,
runs a flour wagon to Spring City and Phoenix
ville, and ships constantly to Philadelphia, where
his brands are well known and in great demand.
His farm contains seventy-five acres of fertile
and well-watered land, French creek passing
directly through his property, thus making it one
of the most productive tracts of land in that
section of the county. In addition to his flouring
mill, Mr. Rapp is the proprietor of a wheelwright
shop, equipped with water power, whose base of
supply is French creek. Mr. Rapp is a Republi
can in politics.
On December 28, 1862, George W. Rapp
married Andora Yeager, daughter of Peter and
Barbara (Taney) Yeager. Their children are:
Joseph P. ; U. S. Grant, who married Mary
Detwiler, and is now engaged in farming in East
Pikeland township; Anna Margaretta, wife of
Irvin Moyer, a farmer of East Vincent township.
Peter Yeager, father of Mrs. Rapp, was a pros
perous farmer of East Pikeland, served as a
private in the war of 1812, and his widow, who
is living at the present time (1903), receives a
pension from the United States government.

358

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

Joseph P. Rapp, eldest son of George W. and
Andora Rapp, was born in East Pikeland town
ship, Chester county, Pennsylvania, January 27,
1864. He attended the public schools of his
native town and his education was completed at
the Phoenixville high school. He then entered
his father's mill where he became thoroughly
familiar with all the details of the trade, and from
that date up to the present time (1903) has con
tinued the same line of industry, being now a
member of the firm. He is a man of clear and
vigorous intellect, and possesses those charac
teristics which make the successful business man.
In politics he is a Republican, and in fraternal
matters he is a member of the Knights of the
Golden Eagle, Pheonix Lodge, No. 75, Chap
ter, No. 198, and Commandery, No. 15, Free and
Accepted Masons, and the Jerusalem Council,
No. 8, of Phoenixville.
In October, 1886, occurred the marriage of
Joseph P. Rapp and Mary E. Brower, who was
born April 9, 1867, a daughter of John H.' and
Eve Ann (Griffith) Brower. Three children
have been the issue of this union, namely:
George B., Grant S., and Ora E. Rapp. Mr.
Brower, father of Mrs. Rapp, was a native of
the state of Pennsylvania, and his wife was a
native of Chester county. He was a carpenter
by trade, and during the Civil war enlisted as a
private in Company F, Ninety-seventh Regiment,
Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, later being
promoted to the rank of lieutenant and regimen
tal quartermaster.

MORRIS FUSSELL GRIFFITH, a thriv
ing farmer and esteemed citizen of West Vincent
township, Chester county, is descended from a
family of Welsh origin, which was founded in
America by Stephen Griffith, who left his native
land, and made his home in Pennsylvania, set
tling in Chester county.
Stephen Griffith, son of Stephen, the emi
grant ancestor, was born April 1, 181 5, near
Chestnut Hill, Chester county. In early life
he followed the calling of a stone mason, and
subsequently turned his attention - to farming,
at the same time conducting a store. For twen
ty-three years during the latter part of his life,
he combined agricultural and mercantile busi
ness with what may be justly termed satisfac
tory results. He took an active part in local
affairs, holding at different times all the township
offices, among which may be especially mentioned
those of school director, constable, and super
visor, which last-named position he held fpr
many years. He was a life-long member of the
Democratic party. He married Anna, daughter
of Samuel and Mary A. Rhodes, of Lancaster
county, and they were the parents of ten chil

dren: Sarah R., born August 1, 1836; Rebecca
L., born October 23, 1837; Eliza E., born Oc
tober 21, 1839; Lewis, born August 12, 1841 ;
Davis, born April 3, 1843; Oliver, born May 11,
1845; George W., born September 11, 1847;
Sophia C, born August 30, 1850; Emma L.,
born June 3, 1853 ; and Morris Fussell, mentioned
at length hereinafter. Mr. Griffith, the father of
this large family, left behind him at his decease,
the memory of an upright citizen and an esti
mable man.
Morris Fussell Griffith, son of Stephen and
Anna (Rhodes) Griffith, was born April 12,
1855, in West Vincent township, and received
his early education in the public schools of Upper
Uwchlan township, afterward attending the
Edgefield Institute. After finishing his educa
tion he decided to become a farmer, and has thus
far spent his life in energetic and intelligent de
votion to his chosen calling. His efforts have
been crowned with success, and he is now the
owner of a desirable farm of two hundred and
seven acres in West Vincent township, which he
cultivates in a thoroughly scientific manner. He
also has a dairy of twenty-five head of cattle, and
his products always command ready sales and
high prices He is a director in the Fairmount
Creamery. He is ever ready to act the part of
a good citizen in public affairs, and his towns
men have testified to their appreciation of this
trait in his character by placing him for the last
eight years in the office of school director. His
politics, like those of his father, are Democratic.
He was, at one time, a member of the Protective
Order of Sons of America, Camp 298. He
is connected with the Lutheran church.
Mr. ' Griffith married Anna May, daughter of
Thomas and Margaret (Handwerk) Miller, the
latter a daughter of George Handwerk, a farmer
of West Nantmeal. Mr. and Mrs. Griffith are
the parents of the following children: Rose,
who is the wife of William Miller, a blacksmith ;
Oscar Stephen ; Maggie M. ; Emma May, who is
attending school ; as are all the younger members
of the family ; Morris Griffith ; Harris ; Cora
Malvina ; Mary Rebecca ; and William 1 M.
Griffith.

COOPER FAMILY. In the record book of
Darby township we find a list of the early set
tlers, with dates of arrival, and among them
"James Cooper from Bolton in the county of
Lancaster in 1675, and from Mayfield in the
county of Stafford in the year 1683." Whether
he came to this country in 1675 and returned to
England, or whether he removed from Bolton
to Mayfield in that year is matter for conjecture.
He probably married his first wife, Hannah,
about 1698, but her maiden name has not been

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

359

discovered. It appears they had both come to
this country as servants, doubtless for the pur
pose of obtaining the fifty acres each offered by
William Penn to those who came in that capacity.
In the minutes of the commissioners of property,
under date of n mo., 21, 1701, we find this entry:
"James Cooper, Hannah Cooper, Robert
Scothorn, Henry Giles, Francis Crompton, Dan'l
Hybert, John Marshall, Robert Smith, Jno. Kirk,
John Roads, Thomas Collier and John Ball, hav
ing all come in Serv'ts in the years 1682 and '83,
as by Certificates from Jno. Blunston, &c. Does
appear, Request their head Land according to
the Prop'rs Engagem't. Ordered to the first
six one Warr't and to the last six another for
300 Acres each, to be laid out in the Township
¦allotted for Servants."
There was no township actually allotted to
servants, and it has not been ascertained where
this land was surveyed, but in 1703 James Cooper
requested a patent for 300 acres, having pur
chased the interests of some of the others. A
warrant was also granted 1 mo., 7, 1701-2, for
the survey of 18,000 acres at Nottingham, to
head off the Maryland encroachments, and of
this James Cooper, of Darby, v/as to have 1,000
acres, at £8 per hundred. His first wife dying,
"he was married November 8, 1705, at St. Paul's
church, Chester, to Mary Ludwidge, whom the
court records show had been assigned to him as
a servant, by Jasper Yeates, August 28, 1705.
For this marriage he subsequently made an ac
knowledgement to Friends. He was a "cloth-
worker" or fuller by trade, and in 17 19 was
styled of Woodborough, in the county of New
.Castle, when he purchased a farm of 150 acres
on White Clay creek, called Musclecripple Plan
tation. He was alive in 1728, but probably died
soon after. Issue:
1. "Mary Cooper Daughter of James Cooper
& Hannah his wife was born the 3d day of ye
•oth month 1699." She married James Johnson,
-of New Garden, in 1721.
2. "William Cooper, son of James Cooper
and Hannah his wife was born the nth day of
the 5th month 1701." He married Mary Miller
in 1732, and settled in Kennett township. He
was a clothworker, as were his sons Robert and
William. 3. Calvin, probably son of Mary Ludwidge,
see below.
4. Hannah, married John Clark, 1 mo., 8,
1738, and had several children, of whom James
married Hannah Hayes, of E. Fallowfield, and
was the father of Hayes Clark and Abishai Clark.
Calvin Cooper (3) was married 4 mo., 29,
1732, to Phebe Hall, daughter of Samuel and
Anna Elizabeth Hall, of Kennett. They resided
at first in Birmingham, and he was one of the
overseers of the poor in 1734. On January 28,

1734-5, he obtained a deed for a farm of 150
acres in Sadsbury, Lancaster county, and re
moved thither, and soon after this united with
Friends. His wife died 6 mo, 18, 1757, and
about a year later he married a widow, Elizabeth
Jefferis. He was a fuller. In 1743 he and others
were appointed to divide the township of Sads
bury; he was elected to the Assembly 1749 to
1754"; was commissioned justice of the court of
common pleas in 1759; was a county commis
sioner in 1747, and in 1756 was appointed, with
others, by an Act of Assembly, to look after
the poor Acadians, who had been driven from
their homes and scattered through Pennsylvania
and other provinces. His death occurred 9 mo.,
I5> T779- He had eight children:
5. William, born 9 mo, 5, 1734; died 2 mo.,
20, 1 82 1 ; married Elizabeth Pyle.
6. George, born 2 mo., 28, 1737; died 1 mo.,
14, 1820; married Susanna Truman.
7. John, born 12 mo., 9, 1739; died 2 mo.,
25, 181 1. See forward.
8. Hannah, born 10 mo., 3, 1742; died young
or unmarried. 9. Mary, born 12 mo, 17, 1744; died 9 mo.,
18, 1806; married John Dixon and James Philips.
10. James, born 2 mo., 14, 1747; married
Rachel Moore and Catherine Powell.
11. Phebe, born 6 mo., 6, 1750; died young
or unmarried. 12. Sarah, born 12 mo., 12, 1753 ; married
Thomas Dixon.
John Cooper (7) was married 10 mo, 24,
1764, at Sadsbury Meeting, to Rebecca Moore,
born 2 mo., 16, 1744 ; died 2 mo., 18, 1813 ;
daughter of Jsmes and Ann (Starr) Moore, of
Sadsbury, Lancaster county. He owned a farm
at Cooperville, in Sadsbury, and also a fulling
mill, and kept two large wagons which were em
ployed in hauling goods to Pittsburg. Children:
13. James,' born 6 mo, 30, 1765 ; died 10 mo.,
25, 1817; see forward.
14. Calvin, born 12 mo., 13, 1766; died 10
mo., 19, 1820 ; married Sarah Paxson.
15. John, born 9 mo, 6, 1769; died 3 mo.,
3, 1852 ; married Jane Yarnali.
16. William, born 3 mo, 24, 1772; died 5
mo, 5, 1846; married Elizabeth Reece.
17. Ann, born 3 mo, 14,-1775; died 3 mo,
19, 1850; married James Jackson.
18. Rebecca, born 7 mo., 25, 1777 ; died 7 mo.,
29, 1852; married William Kirkwood.
19. Jeremiah, born 3 mo., 19, 1780; died 2
mo., 12, 1841 ; married Leah Morris.
20. Mary, born 9 mo., 12, 1784; died 10 mo.,
20, 1787.
James Cooper (13) was married 6 mo., 2,
1790, at Sadsbury Meeting, to Mary Paxson,
born 1 mo., 14, 1765, in Bucks county, Pennsyl
vania ; died 8 mo., 28, 1856 ; daughter of Joseph

36o

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

and Mary (Heston) Paxson, of Sadsbury, Ches
ter county, where they settled. He was a fuller
but later in life engaged in farming. They had
five children:
21. Joseph, born 9 mo., 17, 1791 ; died 7 mo.,
23, 1864; married Sarah Brinton.
22. Gulielma, born 2 mo, 16, 1794; died 12
mo., 29, 1879; married William Brinton.
24. Aaron, born 11 mo., 23, 1795; died 5 mo.,
8, 1852; see forward.
25. Cyrus, born 9 mo., 20, 1798; died 12 mo.,
20, 1857;- married Asenath Ann Cooper.
Aaron Cooper (24) was married 6 mo., 14,
1820, at Sadsbury Meeting, to Priscilla Rogers
Morris, born 2 mo., 21, 1799; died 5 mo., 14,
1884; daughter of John and Hannah (Rogers)
Morris, of Easttown township. She was born at
Newtown, Delaware county, and died at Tough
kenamon, Chester county. Aaron was a woolen
manufacturer in Sadsbury, Chester county, and
after his death his widow and two younger
daughters located in Parkersburg. About 1864
they removed to Philadelphia, and in 1867 to
Toughkenamon. Aaron and Priscilla had five
children :
26. James R., born 7 mo., 12, 1821 ; died
2 mo., 22, 1897; see forward.
27. Mary, born 8 mo, 3, 1823 ; died 1 mo.,
3, 1892 ; married Caleb Hoopes.
28. Charles, born 3 mo., 1, 1825; died 11, mo.,
18, 1899; married Phebe Hoopes.
29. Hanna M., born 9 mo., 2, 1827; died
8 mo., 9, 1900; married John Cope. She was
principal of a boarding and day school at Par
kersburg, 1853 to 1863, and again, in her widow
hood, at Toughkenamon, from 1867 to about
1893. No children. She died in West Chester.
30. Anne, born 3 mo., 30, 1830; lived with
her sister Hanna at various places, and now in
West Chester; unmarried.
James R. Cooper (26) was married 11 mo.,
23, 1843, at Bradford Meeting, to Elizabeth R.
Pennock, born 12 mo., 15, 1821 ; died 3 mo.,
3, 1897; daughter of Caleb and Mary (Dingee)
Pennock, of East Marlborough. He carried on
the fulling business in Sadsbury, Chester county,
for a few years ; then farmed in that township,
in West Cain, Londonderry, and lastly in New
Garden; and, like his forefathers, was a con
sistent member of the Society of Friends and
highly esteemed by all for his sound judgment,
kindliness and integrity. He had eight children:
31. Caleb Pennock, born 6 mo, 30, 1845;
married 3 mo, 10, 1870, to Sarah Moore, born
10 mo, 27, 1844; daughter of Sharpless and
Rachel (Roberts) Moore, of New Garden. He
was engaged in farming in New Garden, near
Avondale, for several years, but is now a dealer
in agricultural machinery at the latter place. No
children.

32. Anna Mary, born 10 mo., 20, 1846;
died 7 mo., 20, 1847.
33. Rebecca, born 6 mo, 24, 1848; married.
Thomas B. Hoopes, farmer of New Garden,
3 mo, 26, 1874; P. O., Landenberg, Pennsyl
vania. 34. Charles Parks, born 6 mo., 26, 1850^
died 4 mo., 12, 1872, unmarried.
35. Annie A., born 6 mo, 19, 1854; died
2 mo., 21, 1857.
36. J. Morris, carpenter and builder, born-
4 mo., 7, 1857; married 11 mo., 18, 1880, Emily-
Baily, daughter of Samuel and Mary (Whitson)
Baily, of New Garden. They reside at West-
Grove. 37. Hanna M., born 11 mo., 12, 1858; mar
ried 10 mo, 22, 1890, D. Thompson Mitchell, of
Mill Creek, Delaware. They reside at Lans
downe, Delaware county, Pennsylvania.
38. Edwin H., carpenter, born 3 mo., 30^
1861 ; married 1 mo., 23, 1890, Phebe J_
Thompson.

HENRY PENNYPACKER STAUFFER.
The Stauffer family of Chester county, Pennsyl
vania, of which Henry P. Stauffer is a worthy
representative, is one of the oldest and best-
known in that section of the state, many oLits
members having held high political positions and
been actively identified with various commercial1
interests. John Stauffer, father of Henry P. Stauffer,.
was born in Coventry township, Chester county y.
Pennsylvania, acquired a common school edu
cation, and subsequently chose agricultural pur
suits for his life work, which occupation he fol
lowed during his entire career in his native-
township. He was united in marriage to Hannah
Pennypacker, a daughter of Jacob Pennypacker,
a prominent resident of Coventry towjiship, and'
the following named children were born to them :
Jacob, who pursued the occupations of butcher
and carpenter ; Samuel, also engaged in the same
pursuits ; John, a successful agriculturist ; Will
iam, a prosperous farmer; Rudolph, a retired
farmer; Joseph, deceased; Catherine, deceased;.
Henry Pennypacker ; Margaret, unmarried ; Ben
jamin, manager of a farm in Tredyffin township,
Chester county; and Elizabeth, wife of Charles -
Keebler, a farmer, but at the present time (1903)
actively connected with the Spring City National'
Bank. Henry P. Stauffer, son of John and Hannah
Stauffer, .was born in East Coventry township,
Chester county, Pennsylvania, April 16, 1837,
and his education was obtained in the public
schools of the neighborhood. He began his
business career in the capacity of school teacher,
serving in the schools of North Coventry and

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

361

Berks counties for three terms. After resigning
from this position, Mr. Stauffer rented a farm
for fourteen years, and then purchased a farm in
East Pikeland township, consisting of fifty-eight
acres of rich and arable land, with a dairy at
tached, which is stocked with from eight to twelve
cows. To their care he gives his personal super
vision, the products are sold at wholesale to the
creamery, and his capable management and ex
cellent business ability have brought him good
financial returns. In politics Mr. Stauffer is a
staunch supporter of the Independent party, and
in religion an adherent of the Brethren church.
For one term he served in the capacity of school
director for the township of East Pikeland.
Mr. Stauffer was united in marriage to Re
becca Rinehart, a daughter of Abraham and
Mary (Reiff) Rinehart, and the issue of this
union was three children, namely: Martha R.,
deceased; Edwin R., manager of the packing de
partment of Clawson & Co., having under his
charge about thirty-five employees ; he was united
in marriage to Agnie Gilbert, daughter of John
and Anna Gilbert, and their children are : Ethel
and Edwin Gilbert Stauffer. Mr. Edwin R.
Stauffer resides at Merchantville, New Jersey.
Mr. Gilbert was formerly engaged as a dyer in
the paper mills, but at the present time (1903)
is engaged in the dyeing department of W. C.
Urner. Mary L., youngest child of Mr. and
Mrs. Stauffer, is unmarried and resides at home
with her father. The mother of these children
died March 17, 1900, after having spent a life
of usefulness . and activity.

CALEB FORREST McNEIL, extensively
engaged in dairy farming in London Grove town
ship, Chester county, Pennsylvania, also serving
in the capacity of agent for the Penn Mutual In
surance Company, was born in Christiana, Lan
caster county, Pennsylvania, April 4, 1863, a de
scendant of a family who has been actively asso
ciated with the various interests of Chester county
since an early period.
Samuel McNeil, father of Caleb F. McNeil,
was born in Chester county, Pennsylvania, in
1822, the son of William • McNeil, a native of
Chester county, where he was reared to manhood
and acquired his education in the common
schools. The educational advantages enjoyed by
Samuel McNeil were obtained in the district
schools, and after completing his studies his
tastes led him to follow the occupation of his
forefathers, that of farming, in which he was
eminently successful and which he conducted
both in his native county and also in York county,
to which locality he subsequently removed. He
married Sarah Brinton, a native of Pequa Valley,
Pennsylvania, and the following named children

were born to them : Nettie, who married Jor
dan McKinley, and three children have been
born to them; Margaret, wife of James Rey-
burn, they are the parents of two children ; Will
iam, died in young manhood ; Brinton, who mar
ried Ella Russell; Caleb Forrest, and Charles
A. McNeil, who married Flora White, and tour
children have been born to them. Mrs. McNeil,
mother of these children, died in 1895.
Caleb F. McNeil, third son of Samuel and
Sarah McNeil, grew to manhood on his father's
farm and received a good practical education in
the public schools of the neighborhood. He then
learned the trade of stone cutting, but after pur
suing this line of industry for a short period of
time he turned his attention to the creamery
business, locating first at Andrews Bridge,
Maryland, from there he removed to Upper Ox
ford township, Chester county, Pennsylvania,
where he engaged in farming for seven years
and, in 1900, finally settled at his present loca
tion in London Grove township. He is the
operator of a large creamery farm, and the prod
uct, which consists of fifty hundred quarts of
milk daily, finds a ready sale in the nearby mar
kets. Mr. McNeil closely adheres to honorable
business methods, and well merits the prosperity
which has come to him as the 1 esult of his efforts.
He is a member of the Knights of the Golden
Eagle, and the Knight Templars. In politics
he is an Independent Republican, casting his vote
for the candidate who in his estimation is best
qualified for the office.
On September 16, 1890, Mr. McNeil mar
ried Ida W. Bush, a daughter of Henry and
Sarah Bush, the former named being a promi
nent representative of the farming interests of
Ross's Fording, Chester county, Pennsylvania^
Their children are: Ralph W. and Henry O.,
both of whom are unmarried. Mr. McNeil and
his family are members of the Presbyterian
church at West Grove, Chester county, Pennsyl
vania.

JOSEPH M. THOMPSON, one of the en
terprising and successful citizens of London
Grove township, Chester county, Pennsylvania,
and widely known for his progressive methods of
conducting agricultural affairs in this section of
the state, was born on the ancestral estate in
Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, July 16, 1858..
John Watt Thompson, father of Joseph M.
Thompson, was born at Smyrna, Lancaster coun
ty, Pennsylvania, and is a son of Joseph M.
Thompson. John Watt Thompson attended the
common schools of his native township, and after
attaining young manhood devoted his time and
attention to agricultural and kindred pursuits
on the home farm, where he is now spending his

302

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

declining years in ease and comfort, free from
the cares and anxieties of a business career. He
married Sarah Jane Russell, a daughter of Jo
seph and Mary Russell, the former named being
a prosperous farmer of Lancaster county, Penn
sylvania. Their children were : William E.,
married Josephine McGowen; he is now de
ceased; John W., married Mary Cannon, and
three children have been born to them ; James F„
married Annie Greenleaf, and they are the pa
rents of two children ; George A. ; Hanford W.,
unmarried ; Martin L., married Belle Pickel ;
they have one child; William S., married Annie
Rice, and three children have been born to them ;
Elwood, unmarried, and Joseph M. Thompson.
Joseph M. Thompson received a common
school education and was reared upon his father's
farm, in the management of which he gave such
material assistance and upon which he continued
his operations until 1898, when he removed to
London Grove township, Chester county, and
purchased what is known as the Gray farm.
This property consisted of seventy-one acres of
productive farm land, and under his tireless and
efficient management the product of his labors
yield him a profitable source of income. He has
remodeled the residence and farm buildings
which were located on it, and it is now considered
one of the most productive and best equipped
farms in this section of the state. Mr. Thomp
son is a Republican in politics, and has been an
important factor in promoting those interests
which have led to the substantial development
and improvement of the community.
On December 21, 1881, was solemnized the
marriage of Joseph M. Thompson and Rebecca
Ann Bush, who was born December 25, 1854, a
daughter of the late Frederick, whose death oc
curred in 1899, and Rebecca A. (Sheeler) Bush,
of Lancaster county, Pennsylvania. Their chil
dren are: Joseph M., born May 28, 1884, and
Sarah Rebecca, born March 9, 1887.

FRANCIS WILKINSON HICKS. The
earliest ancestor of the Hicks family of whom
there" is any authentic record was Charles Hicks,
who married Mary Kimble, and among the chil
dren born to them was a son, Edward Hicks,
whose birth occurred December 25, 1744. On
November 8, 1769, Edward Hicks married Han
nah Rattew, a daughter of William and Rebecca
Rattew, and they resided on a farm in East Go
shen township, Chester county, Pennsylvania,
which was purchased from the Goodwins ; their
-children were : Sarah, William, Rebecca, Hannah,
Charles, Abigail and Thomas Hicks. The
mother of these children died May 21, 1835, at
the extreme old age of ninety-one years.
William Hicks, eldest son of Edward and

Hannah Hicks, and grandfather of Francis W.
Hicks, was born November 26, 1776, and subse
quently ranked among the most prosperous and
influential citizens and farmers of the township
of Goshen, being also a consistent member of the
Society of Friends. Mr. Hicks married, No
vember 6, 1801, at East Goshen Meeting, Abigail
Garrett, who was born September 26, 1776, a
daughter of Jesse and Abigail Garrett, of Willis
town, and the following named children were
born to them : Edward, born May 21, 1802 ; Jesse,
born April 22, 1806; William, Jr., born April 28,
1808, and John H., born January 26, 1813. Wil
liam Hicks, the father of these children, died at
his home in Willistown, August 18, 1850, in the
seventy-fifth year of his age.
William Hicks, third son of William and
Abigail Hicks, and father of Francis W. Hicks,
was born in East Goshen township, Chester
county, on what is now known as the Passmore
farm, April 28, 1808. His early life was spent
in acquiring a common school education and as
sisting with the duties of the home farm, upon
which he remained until 1837, the year of his
marriage, when he rented the Young farm, situ
ated near the town of Coatesville, whereon he
conducted extensive operations until the death of
his wife in 1842, when he returned to the old
homestead, which he rented from his father until
the death of the latter, and from that date up to
the time of his own decease, which occurred
August 15, 1878, he resided on the estate. On
December 13, 1837, Mr. Hicks married Mary
Wilkinson, a daughter of Francis and Phebe
(Pusey) Wilkinson, and a native of London
Grove township, Chester county, Pennsylvania.
They were the parents of three children, namely :
Jesse Garrett, who engaged in mercantile pur
suits ; Francis Wilkinson, and another child who
died in infancy.
Francis W. Hicks, second son of William and
Mary Hicks, was born near Coatesville, Chester
county, Pennsylvania, December 24, 1840. At the
death of his mother he as a child was taken to be
brought up by his grandparents, Francis W. and
Phebe P. Wilkinson on a farm close by Lam-
borntown, a village about three miles north of
Stone Bridge (now Avondale). When he was
thirteen years of age the grandfather died, and
the property passed into other hands, and a few
years were then devoted to working on neighbor
ing farms by the month in summer and attending
public school in winter. Finally as a finishing for
three years he was in attendance at academies in
Gwynedd, Montgomery county, and Attleboro,
Bucks county. In the fall of 1861 he took a clerk
ship in the general store of his brother Jesse G.,
at Chatham, Pennsylvania.
After three years service there he went to
Philadelphia and secured a position with Sausser

%

The. Lews PuMishina Cu

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

363l

Wagner & Co., manufacturers of ladies', misses'
and children's shoes, comparatively a new firm, at
Nos. 413, 415, 417 Arch street, Philadelphia.
Here he became especially successful in designing
styles and meeting the wants of shoe dealers, and
anticipating the wants of the trade in advance of
the season, From such a natural or acquired taste
and skill, the wants of the trade could be antici
pated, and large stocks of goods could be manu
factured in advance and stored for future orders.
Finally he became a leader in designing styles of
fine shoes for the firm. In 1866 the firm sent him
west, and after visiting most of the large cities
located an office in Chicago, which was ever_after-
wards a central point for mail orders for all
shipments of shoes direct from the factory. Four
years were devoted to this kind of work, establish
ing a roll of customers that ordered by mail and
in person, his sales alone amounting in some
years to one hundred and eighty thousand dol
lars, the largest sale of shoes by any one person
in the city at that date, in one year. Learning
that the Zions Co-operative Mercantile Institution
at Salt Lake City, Utah, had difficulty in getting
their women's and children's shoes made and
supplied satisfactorily, he went to them and se-r
cured their confidence and trade, and their pur
chases amounted to many thousands of dollars
annually, their efforts to make shoes for them
selves not having been successful. These trips to
the far west had been conducted in a spirit and
manner that had proved satisfactory to the firm,
and buyers alike, extending all the way to Cali
fornia, and to one large buyer in Honolulu, Ha
waii Islands. The sales and mail orders of the
firm's own manufacture of shoes reached one mil
lion dollars in 1871. During these years of in
tense business activities, he would return to the
factory twice each year and remain during the
months of June and December, designing styles.
The great fire in Chicago in 1871 (in which
he had to abandon all his baggage) had the effect
of creating within him a feeling of insecurity in
city life, the great risk in large cities, and the
great tendency to cultivate a desire for the things
of this world only. One month after- the fire was
extinguished and accounts were settled up as
secure as was possible at that period, he returned
to Philadelphia for rest and retrospect with his
employers, all of whom seemed to evince a feel
ing of "well done" and that a financial reverse
had been averted and all fire claims had been
made as secure as was possible. A large number of
buyers had come from other cities into the
stricken city. With these he had come in touch
with his pencil and the result was such that after
his letters were shown to the officers of the
bank with which they did business in Philadel
phia the firm's credit was extended and increased,
and the factory run day and night for some time.

About this time the farm (on which he now-
lives) was up at public sale, which he attended,
and purchased. The purchase of a block of
ground at Avondale, the nearest station, soon,
followed, having in view the building of homes.
for shoe workmen from the city. Ground onr
which to build a factory was to be secured near
the depot and plans generally were soon arranged1
at the city end to start during the following year.
Operators were to join the co-operative plan. Just
here a portion of the old firm protested, and would;
not submit to such a separation. A dissolution
of the old firm became apparent and inevitable,
and resulted in the withdrawing of J. T. Wag
ner, the practical man of the firm. After weigh-.
ing carefully the proposition from both factions.
he consented to give up his Avondale project and
join J. F. Wagner and stay in the city, but re
taining the farm for a home. The new Iron.
building, corner of Fourth and Cherry streets,
was leased for five years, with steam power and
heat furnished, at a rental of three thousand dol
lars per year. They formed a new co-partnership.
under the name of Wagner, Hicks & Company,
Mr. Wagner putting in fifty thousand dollars in
cash and Mr. Hicks five thousand dollars, and to
be equal partners. The senior partner was to re
ceive legal interest for his excess of capital from
the profits of the firm. Here the manufacturing-
of shoes was carried on successfully for five years,
shipping from mail orders, as a very large fol
lowing had been established and continued right
along. Three resident agents in the west trav
eled to some extent to look after changes needing
attention. In 1876 occurred his marriage, and he
began to long for country life. Mr. Wagner, who,
was beginning to feel the weight of years, desired
to withdraw and remain a silent partner. Mr,
Hicks succeeded in selling out his interest to Mr.
Wagner, obligating himself not to engage in op
position. This was in 1876, during the Centennial,
when his time during the year was divided be-.
tween the farm and factory. When his counsel
and services were especially needed, he would
serve Mr. Wagner for an hour or more a day.
After disposing of his interests in the firm Mr.
Hicks removed to his present farm, which is lo
cated in London Grove township, Chester county,
Pennsylvania, where he has since followed agri
cultural pursuits. In political sentiment Mr.
Hicks is an independent. However, the cause
of temperance and Prohibition receives his hearty
co-operation. In the Prohibition party he has
often served as delegate, and has also been se
lected as a candidate for various offices by that
party. He has been one of the main factors in
securing the abolition of the saloon from this part
of Chester county. In religious faith he is a
member of the Hicksite Friends' Meeting. In
social matters he is a member of the Patrons of

364

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

Husbandry and Farm Clubs, having been an ac
tive member of West Grove Farmers' Club for the
past quarter of a century. Since 1876 Mr. Hicks
has been one of the most active members of the
Patrons of Husbandry, filling various offices in
the organization, several times presiding officer,
and representative at state meetings.
Mr. Hicks was united in marriage, May 2, 1876,
to Margaret A. Hood, who was born in Lancaster
county, Pennsylvania, August 18, 1844, a daugh
ter of Joseph and Rebecca (Brinton) Hood. The
maternal grandfather of Mrs. Hicks, Caleb Brin
ton, of Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, was
among the first agitators of temperance and first
to abolish the custom of having a bottle passed
in harvest. Joseph Hood was a son of Thomas
Hood, who was a son of Joseph, a son of Thomas,
a son of John Hood, who came to the United
States in 1683, settled in Upper Darby, now Dela
ware county, in 1686, was a member of the As
sembly in 1684, and died in the year 1721.
Mr. and Mrs. Hicks are the parents of the
following named children : Joseph H., born Feb
ruary 28, 1877, died in infancy ; Mary R., born
January 28, 1878 ; Phebe, born July 25, 1879, died
in infancy; Laura L., born July 25, 1882, and
Alice F., born December 6, 1886. In 1886 Mrs.
Hicks was elected a member of the school board,
in which capacity she served for twelve years.
While Mrs. Hicks was a member of the school
board she injected many new ideas into the school
work in the way of reform, and three new school
buildings were erected while she was a member
of the board. She is also an active member of the
Woman's Christian Temperance Union. The
family ranks among the best in Chester county
and is widely known.

GEORGE L. BAKER, who for almost half
a century has followed the quiet but useful oc
cupation of agriculture, traces his ancestry to
Joseph Baker, a resident of Edgemont, who mar
ried Martha Wopdward, a daughter of Richard
and Jane Woodward, of Middletown, Pennsyl
vania. Among their chilren was a son named
Aaron Baker, who was born December 2, 1701,
married Mary Edwards, September 23, 1727,
and settled in West Marlborough; toward the
latter part of his life he removed to London
Grove township, where his death occurred about
the year 1783. Among his children was a son,
Aaron Baker, who married May 30, 1759, Sarah
Hayes, daughter of James and Mary Hayes, of
East Fallowfield, and their son, Aaron Baker,
born August 14, 1767, married Hannah Harlan,
a daughter of Michael and Susanna Harlan,
February 10, 1790, and the following named
children were born to them: Lewis, Reuben,

Susanna, George, Jacob, Thomas, Samuel,
Aaron, Hannah, and Harlan Baker.,
Jacob Baker, father of George L. Baker, was
the fourth son of Aaron and Hannah (Harlan)
Baker, and his birth occurred January 13, 1797,
at the old homestead in London Grove township,
Chester county, Pennsylvania. After complet
ing his education which was obtained in the com
mon schools of the vicinity, he turned his atten
tion to farming interests near the town of Coch
ranville, Chester county, where he made his
home for twenty-five years. In 1847 he returned
to his native township, and purchased what is
known as the old Morris farm, which consists
of one hundred and twelve acres of valuable
land, which he continued to cultivate and im
prove up to the time of his decease. In politics
he was a staunch supporter of the principles of
the Republican party, and in religion a firm ad
herent of the doctrines of the Society of Friends.
Mr. Baker was united in marriage to Lydia
Lamborn, a daughter of George and Martha
(Marshall) .Lamborn, the former named having
been born near Chadds' Ford,. Chester county,
where he learned the trade of blacksmith, but
later followed the occupation of farming in Mar-
tic township, Lancaster county, subsequently re
moving to the state of Ohio. The children born
of this marriage were: 1. Esther, wife of Ben
jamin West, and of the three children born to
them two are now deceased ; 2. Ruth, died in
early life; 3. Martin, died in childhood; 4. S.
Harvey, who was married twice, his first wife,
Anna (Jackson) Baker, bore him one child; his
second wife, Amanda (Mackey) Baker, bore
him four children, two of whom are now de
ceased ; 5. Hannah, who became the wife of
Enos John and three children were the issue of
this marriage; after his decease she married
Milton Michener, and one child was born to
them, now deceased; 6. Martha, wife of Norris
Barnard and mother of seven children, one of
whom is deceased; 7. Rebecca, died unmarried;
8. Reuben, married Jennie Fredd, and they are
the parents of nine children ; 9. Nellie, unmar
ried ; 10. Lewis, married Mary Evans ; 11. George
L. Baker. The father of these children died in
1879, having survived his wife for many years,
her death occurring in 1861.
George L. Baker, youngest son of Jacob and
Lydia Baker, was born in West Fallowfield
township, Chester county, Pennsylvania, October
18, 1841, and his education was acquired in the
schools of Fairville. In early life he became
thoroughly familiar with the routine work of a
farm, so that he was well qualified to take up
agricultural pursuits as a means of livelihood.
He has always conducted his operations at the
old home in London Grove township, which was
purchased by his father in 1847, and by his in-

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

365

<iustry, thrift and good management, he has suc
ceeded in making his property one of the most
-productive and best cultivated farms in that
vicinity. In his political affiliations he is an ar
dent advocate of the Prohibition party, and in
his fraternal relations he holds membership in
the Order of Good Templars.
In 1878, Mr. Baker married Amy Gawthrop,
a daughter of Thomas and Susanna Gawthrop,
who were residents of London Grove township,
Chester county, where they were interested in
-agricultural pursuits. Their children are:
Thomas, who married Florence Brosius, and one
child has been born to them; Lydia, unmarried,
and Helen, also unmarried. The mother of these
children died in 1900; she was a true and faith
ful woman and her death was deplored by all
who had the honor of her acquaintance. The
family are faithful and consistent members of
the Society of Friends.

LEWIS PALMER GOOD, a prosperous
farmer of London Grove township, Chester coun
ty, is a grandson of Thomas Good, who was a
farmer of West Grove township, and later moved
to Penn township, where his son, Francis Good,
Jr., was born in 1834. The latter was educated
at the Westtown Friends' School, and afterward
engaged in farming in West Fallowfield, where
he remained three years. He then bought the
"old Michener farm," which was included in
what is now West Grove village. It was through
the combined efforts of Mr. Good and Mr. Jo
seph Pyle that the village of West Grove was
established, the former being known as the
"Father of West Grove." He married Sarah,
daughter of Joel and Rachel (Spencer) Thomp
son, the former a farmer of Toughkenamon, and
by this union was the father of two children:
Lewis Palmer,' mentioned at length hereinafter;
and Ella, who married Solomon Pusey, and has
two children. Mr. Good died in 1902, and his
widow is still living.
Lewis Palmer Good, son of Francis, Jr., and
Sarah (Thompson) Good, was born in 1853, in
West Fallowfield township, and received his
education in the schools of Westtown and West
Grove. His early manhood was spent in assist
ing his father on the home farm, and in 1885 he
moved to London Grove, where he has since re
mained, devoting himself assiduously to agricul
tural pursuits, his industry and enterprise being
rewarded with very successful results. In politics
"Mr. Good adheres to the Republican party. He
and his family attend Friends' Meetings.
Mr. Good married, in 1885, Phoebe, daughter
of Benjamin and Esther (Baker) West, of Lon
don Grove township. The following children

have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Good : William,
Esther, Frances, Spencer, and one who died in
infancy.

HORACE H. LLOYD, prominent in Lon
don Grove township both as a farmer and a
citizen, is descended frpm an old family of Lan
caster county, Pennsylvania, where he was born
on the homestead, which was also the birthplace,
in 1833, of his father, David Lloyd. The latter
was educated in the common schools of the
county, and throughout life followed the occu
pation of a farmer. He was a Republican in
politics, and held several minor public offices,
being a man who enjoyed both popularity and
respect. He was twice married, his first wife
having been Hannah Truman, who lived near
Coatesville, Chester county. The children of
this marriage were: William, who married Ella
Mclntire, and was the father of two children,
both of whom are deceased; Truman, who mar
ried Mary Smith, and has a family of seven
children; Hannah, who became the wife of
Tryon Rodebaugh, had two children, and
died in 1895 ; and Horace H., mentioned
at length hereinafter. Mrs. Lloyd died in
i860, and some time after Mr. Lloyd mar
ried Elizabeth, daughter of George Cochran, a
farmer of Cochranville, Chester county. The
following children were born to Mr. and Mrs.
Lloyd : Alice, who is unmarried ; George, who
died young ; Catherine, who is also unmarried ;
and David, who married Mary E. McMichel,
and is now deceased. In 1898 Mr. Lloyd died
on vthe old homestead, where his life had been
passed. Horace H. Lloyd, son of David and Hannah
(Truman) Lloyd, was born in 1858, on the home
stead in Lancaster county, where he received his
education in the common schools, and then de
cided to devote himself to the ancestral calling
of agriculture. Until reaching the age of
twenty-three he assisted his father on the home
farm, and then removed to London Grove town
ship, where he purchased what was known as
the "Linvill farm," consisting of one hundred
and twenty-two acres, where he now resides.
As a farmer, Mr. Lloyd has been extremely suc
cessful, making a specialty of dairying, and he
has twenty head of cattle attached to the estate.
He takes a 'leading part in local affairs, and is
now serving as a member of the county com
mittee. His political opinions are those held by
the Republican party. He is a member of the
Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the
Junior Order of American Mechanics. He and
his family attend the Methodist church.
Mr. Lloyd married, in 1880, Emma, daugh
ter of James and Rebecca (Walker) Cochran,

366

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

of New London, Chester county, and they are
the parents of two children ; Frederick and Edna,
both of whom are unmarried, and live at home
on the farm.

CHARLES I. McNEIL, an intelligent, suc
cessful and highly respected farmer residing in
the township of London Grove, Chester county,
Pennsylvania, and a worthy representative of a
family whose residence in Chester county dates
back to the early part of the eighteenth century,
was born in York county, Pennsylvania, Septem
ber 5, 1872, the son of Samuel and Sarah McNeil,
and the grandson of William McNeil, who was
born and reared to manhood in Chester county,
Pennsylvania. Samuel McNeil, father of Charles I. McNeil,
was born in Chester county, Pennsylvania, in
1822. He obtained his educational advantages at
the common schools of the vicinity, and subse
quently engaged in farming, to which occupation
he devoted all the active years of his life. After
being a resident of his native county for many
years, he removed to York county, Pennsylvania.
He was united in marriage to Sarah Brinton, a
native of Pequa Valley, Pennsylvania, and their
children were : Nettie, wife of Jordan McKinley,
and mother of three children; Margaret, wife of
James Reyburn, and they are the parents of two
children; William, died in early manhood; Brin
ton, who was united in marriage to Ella Russell;
Caleb Forest, married Ida W. Bush, and two chil
dren have been born to them, and Charles I. Mc
Neil. The mother of these children passed away
in the year- 1895.
Charles I. McNeil, youngest son of Samuel
and Sarah McNeil, acquired his early education
in the public schools of York county, Pennsyl
vania, which he attended until he attained the age
of ten years ; his parents then removed to Chester
county, Pennsylvania, where his education was
completed. After attaining young manhood, he
changed his place of residence to Upper Oxford,
entered the employ of Mr. Joseph Brosius, the(
proprietor of an extensive creamery, and during
his connection with this establishment thoroughly
mastered all the details of the business, becoming
quite proficient in all of its branches. He subse
quently located in Delaware county, Pennsyl
vania, where he was in the employ of the cream
ery at Concord, which was the property of Pen
nock Sharpless, and after acting in this capacity
for one year he removed to Franklin township,
where he assumed full control of Mervell's Cream
ery for three years, then went to Strickersville,
and started a new creamery for C. C. Von
Rusen, and in 1897 moved to London Grove town
ship, Chester county. He rented a farm of one
hundred and sixty-five acres, which he has since

devoted to general dairy farming; the ground is
well improved and gives unmistakable evidence
in its productiveness of the care and skill with
which it is cultivated. Politically he is an In
dependent Republican, and fraternally he is a
member of the United Order of American Work
men, taking an active interest in the workings of
both organizations.
In 1895 Mr. McNeil married Flora White, a
daughter of Asa S. White, a prosperous agricul
turist of Franklin township, Pennsylvania. Their
children are: William, Samuel, Nettie and
George, all of whom are unmarried. Mr. McNeil
and his family are loyal and consistent members
of the Baptist church in London Grove township,.
Chester county, Pennsylvania.

DAVID J. CHAMBERS. (Fair View Farm) ,.
deceased, for many years successfully engaged
in the pursuit of agriculture on the old Chambers
homestead, which is situated in London Grove
township, Chester county, Pennsylvania, where
his birth occurred June 22, 1863, in the house
which was built in 1785, was a son of David P.
and Lydia Ann Chambers, and grandson of John
and Hannah (Dickinson) Chambers, the former
named having been born October 5, 1777, and the
latter on December 11, 1783, the daughter of
Joseph and Elizabeth Dickinson.
David P. Chambers, father of David J. Cham
bers, was born on the old homestead, December
17, 1820, pursued his studies in the common
schools of the neighborhood, and his business-
career was devoted to agricultural pursuits. Mr..
Chambers was twice married, his first wife hav
ing been Emma Barnard, who was born June 10,.
1826, and died March 4, 1854. His second wife,
Lydia Ann (Herford) Chambers, was a daugh
ter of Eber Herford, and the following nairted'
children were the issue of this marriage : Han
nah Emma, born September 7, 1857, wife of
Howard Pusey; Elizabeth, born July 9, i860,
died July 27, 1884 ; David J., born June 22, 1863,-
died January 29, 1902; Ella P., born March 24,
1866, died January 25, 1875 ; and Morris E., born
August 8, 1868. David P. Chambers, the father
of these children, died at his home in London
Grove township, June 22, 190 1.
David J. Chambers, eldest son of David P. and1
Lydia Ann Chambers, obtained his preliminary
education at the Friends' School in West Grove
township, and this was supplemented by a regu
lar course of study at Shortledge's Academy,
Concord, Delaware county, Pennsylvania. Upon
the completion of his studies he returned to the
old homestead, assisted with the work thereon for
several years, and subsequently succeeded to the
property which he cultivated to a high state of
perfection, and from the products of which lie

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

367

derived a handsome income. He was an earnest
and conscientious worker, and his careful super
vision of every detail made it one of the most
thrifty and desirable farm properties in the lo
cality. In politics Mr. Chambers was an indepen-
ent Republican, in religion an adherent of the
faith of the Society of Friends, and in social mat
ters a member of London Grove Grange, No. 63,
Patrons of Husbandry.
On June 8, 1891, Mr. Chambers married Anna
T. Lippincott, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, who
was born September 4, i868,a daughter of George
W. and Mary (Bell) Lippincott. Their children
are: Harold David, born July 24, 1892, and Sam
uel Lippincott,, born December 25, 1893. Mr.
Chambers passed away January 29, 1902, and in
his death the community lost a truly noble man
and valued citizen.

MORRIS EBER CHAMBERS, successfully
engaged in the quiet but useful calling of agri
culture in his native township, London Grove,
Chester county, Pennsylvania, is a man of unim
peachable integrity and honor and his influence
has always been exerted on the side of, morality
and truth. He is a son of David P. and Lydia
Ann (Herford) Chambers.
David P. Chambers (father) was born on
the old family estate in London Grove township,
Chester county, December 17, 1820, attended the
common schools, of the vicinity and upon reach
ing man's estate devoted his attention to farming
pursuits. He was a son of John H., born October
5> x777> and Hannah (Dickinson) Chambers,
born December 11, 1783, daughter of Joseph and
Elizabeth Dickinson. Mr. Chambers was united
in marriage to Emma Bernard, born June 10,
1826, and whose death occurred March 4, 1854.
He then married for his second wife, Lydia Ann
Herford, daughter of Eber Herford, and by this
union they became the parents of the following
named children— Hannah Emma, born Septem
ber 7, 1857, now the wife of Howard Pusey;
Elizabeth, born July 9, i860, died July 27, 1884 ;
David J., born June 22, 1862, died January 29,
1902; Ella P., born March 24, 1866, died January
25, 1875; and Morris E., born August 8, 1868.
David P. Chambers, father of these children, died
June 23, 1901, aged eighty-one years. He spent
a long and useful life and at the time of his de
cease bequeathed to his children the legacy of a
good name and untarnished reputation.
Morris E. Chambers, second son of David
P. and Lydia Ann Chambers, was born on the
ancestral estate, August 8, 1868. He pursued his
studies in the common schools of London Grove
township and Kennett Square Academy, and be
ing studious and attentive he acquired an excel
lent education which thoroughly equipped him
24 x

for an active and useful life. He assisted with
the work upon the home farm until 1900, when he
purchased what is known as the "Cook Farm" in
London Grove township, which consists of one
hundred and twenty-three acres of rich and pro
ductive land whereon he now conducts a flourish
ing dairy farm. Mr. Chambers is a birthright
member of the Society of Friends, a member of
the Patrons of Husbandry, and a Republican in
his political affiliations.
In 1901 occurred the marriage of Morris E.
Chambers and Mary Anna Clark, born in 1872,
daughter of Even and Phebe (Cooper) Clark, the
former named a miller of Londonderry township.
They are the parents of one child, David P.
Chambers, born June 27, 1902.

WILMER J. HAINES. The first ancestor
of this branch of the Haines family of whom
there is any authentic record was William E.
Haines, grandfather of Wilmer J. Haines, who
was engaged in farming in New London town
ship, Chester conuty, Pennsylvania, and being
thoroughly familiar with every detail and feature
of this important industry, his judgment and
counsel were often sought and he was regarded
as one of the substantial artd useful citizens of
the community.
Jesse Haines, father of Wilmer J. Haines,
was born in New London township, Chester
county, in 1824. He was a regular attendant
at the common schools of the neighborhood,
where he obtained a practical education which
prepared him for the active duties of after life.
He was a resident of his native township up
to the year 1856, when he purchased what was
known as the old Baker farm in London Grove
township, which consisted of seventy-one acres
of highly cultivated and productive land, and
this he operated up to. the time of his decease,
which occurred in 1891. He was united in mar
riage to Mary Springer, a daughter of the late
John Springer, who was engaged in farming in
the state of Delaware. Their children were:
Charles E., married Ella Hill, and four chil
dren were born to them ; Howell C, married Ida
Mills, and they are the parents of five children;
Willis, deceased; Calvin, unmarried; Wilmer J.,
mentioned hereinafter; and Elizabeth Haines.
Wilmer J. Haines, son of Jesse and Mary
Haines, was born on the old homestead in Lon
don Grove township, December 19, 1865, and his
educational adavntages were acquired at the com
mon schools of the vicinity, and at Fernwood
Academy, where he pursued a course of study
for one term. He then devoted his 'energies to
assisting his father with the management of
the home farm, where he has resided up to the
present time (1903), and in the cultivation of

368

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

the ground he uses the latest and most approved
methods known to agriculturists. He possesses
the characteristics of industry and thrift, and
bears an enviable reputation among the residents
of the community. In politics Mr. Haines is a
pronounced and leading Republican, and has been
chosen by his party to serve in several local
offices. He is a member of the Independent
Order of Odd Fellows, in which organization he
takes an active interest, and he is also a consist
ent member and contributor to the Society of
Friends. On January 31, 1894, occurred the marriage
of Wilmer J. Haines and Ella M. Cochran,
daughter of James and Rebecca (Walker) Coch
ran, of London Grove township, Chester county,
Pennsylvania. Their children are : J. Herman,
and W. Milan Haines, both of whom are unmar
ried.

HARRY JOHN MILLER, a well known citi
zen and leading man of affairs of Avondale, Ches
ter county, Pennsylvania, is the bearer of a name
which has been a familiar one in the county for
more than a century and a quarter, the members
of the family in the different generations having
done much, by diligence in their respective call
ings and fidelity in the duties of citizenship, for
the advancement and upbuilding of the com
munity in which they resided.
John Miller was born August 16, 1771, in New
Garden township, Chester county, Pennsylvania.
His education was of the quality usually re
ceived by farmers' sons in those days, when facili
ties for scholastic training were at the best scanty
and restricted. Farming was the business of his
life, and this he followed with industry and suc
cess in his native township. In politics he was
a Whig, and in religion a member of the So
ciety of Friends. He married, August 25, 1797,
Mary Webster, and their children were : Lewis,
born June 11, 1798, died September 5, 1885; Jo
seph, born October 3, 1799, died in 1880; James,
born May 31, 1801, died August 8, 1824; Alban,
born October 3, 1802, died October 8, 1867; Sam
uel, born September 28, 1803, deceased ; Rebecca,
born April 17, 1805, died June 17, 1805; Reuben,
born May 3, 1806, died July 27, 1824; John, Jr.,
born August 27, 1807, died December 31, 1895;
Mary, born November 17, 1808, deceased; Jane,
born September 18, 1809, died September 26,
1809; and William, born August 8, 1817, died
May 10, 1818. Mr. Miller, the father of this
family, died December 22, 1834, and was survived
many years by his wife, who passed away No
vember 9, 1862.
Lewis Miller, son of John and Mary (Web
ster) Miller, was born June 11, 1798, in New

Garden township, Chester county, Pennsylvania,
and received his education in the common schools
of his native township. He first learned the
trade of shoemaking, which he followed for sev
eral years, and then engaged in farming in New
Garden township, moving after a time to Penn
township, where he continued his labors as an
agriculturist. In politics he was first a Whig,
and later a Republican. He t married, June 1,
1821, Keziah Hutton, who was born December
15, 1800. The following children were born to
them: Lydia Ann, born June 16, 1822; Mary,
born March 22, 1824; Ruth Anne, born Decem
ber 17, 1826; William Lindley, born April 27,
1829; Robert Allison, born February 2, 1832;
Eli H., born November 12, 1834; and Keziah
Rebecca, born March 20, 1838. Mrs. Miller, the
mother of these children, died. May 6, 1838, and
on February 28, 1839, Mr. Miller married Mary
Ann Miller. Their children were: Keziah Jane,
born October 2, 1839; George McGraw, born No
vember 2, 1841 ; Sarah Elizabeth, born July 25,
1845; Ann Maria, born March 4, 1848; and Mil
ton H., born September 1, 1850. Mr. Miller, the
father of the family, died September 5, 1885, at
his home in Penn township.
John Miller, Jr., son of John and Mary (Web
ster) Miller, was born August 27, 1807, in New
Garden township, Chester county, Pennsylvania,
and married Lydia Orin, who was born April
2, 1804. They were the parents of the following
children : Mary Webster, born November 16,
1835; Susan, born June 6, 1838; Rebecca Jane,
born September 16, 1840; Sarah E., born May
21, 1843; and Benjamin H., born October 14,
1846. Mr. John Miller, Jr., died December 31,
1895, at the advanced age of eighty-eight.
William Lindley Miller, son of Lewis and •
Keziah (Hutton) Miller, was born April 27,
1829, in New Garden township, Chester county,
six miles and a half from Avondale, in the
same county. His education was received in the
district schools, and at the age of thirteen he
entered the employ of Mr. David Chambers, a
farmer, with whom he remained for three years.
On reaching the age of sixteen he entered the
shop of Mr. George Watson, at Strickersville, for
the purpose of learning the wheelwright's trade.
At the end of six months, however, in conse
quence of a change in his plan of life, he went to
Delaware, where he worked for two years at the
carpenter's trade. He then returned to Pennsyl
vania, and to his native Chester county, where he
settled near Avondale, and became a farmer.
From that time to the present he has been en
gaged in agricultural pursuits, and for over six
teen years has resided in Avondale. He is a
member of the I. O. O. F., affiliating with a lodge
at New London, Pennsylvania. Politically he is

CHESTER AND DELAWARE CQUNTIES.

369'

a Republican. He is a member of the Methodist
Episcopal church at Avondale. Mr. Miller mar
ried, May 13, 1857, Mary Webster, born Novem
ber 16, 1835, in New Garden township, Chester
county, Pennsylvania, daughter of John Jr., and
Lydia (Orin) Miller. Mr. and Mrs. Miller are
the parents of the following children: Ella Re-
Pecca, who was born December 27, 1858, and re
sides with her parents ; Harry John, who was
born April 22, i860, and is mentioned at length
hereinafter; and Elmer Eli, who was born Oc
tober 18, 1862.
The last-named child and younger son of Mr..
and Mrs. Miller married,- July 14, 1885, Mary
Elizabeth, born September 25, 1867, in Philadel
phia, daughter of William and Mary Grace (Ru
dolph) Greenfield. The children of Mr. and Mrs.
Miller are as follows : Mary Ethel, born October
_ 20, 1886 ; William Lindley, Jr., born May 5, 1888 ;
Ernest Elmer, born July 28, 1890 ; and Earl Gil
ford, born January 28, 1895. Mr. Miller and his
family reside in Avondale, Chester county.
Harry John Miller, son of William Lindley
and Mary Webster (Miller) Miller, was born
April 22, i860, in New Garden township, Chester
county, Pennsylvania. His education was received
in the public shchools, and he remained at home
with his parents until reaching the age of sixteen,
at which time he entered the service of Richard B.
Chambers & Brother, hardware merchants of
Avondale, Chester county, with whom he re
mained four years. He then entered the establish
ment of Cooper & Hill, machinists, also of Avon-
dale, by whom he was employed for one year. At
the end of that time he purchased the grocery
store which was then conducted by Mr. George
Dance of Avondale, and for several years con
tinued the business in the old quarters. Subse
quently he moved to the Watson Block, where he
remained until the memorable fire of Christmas,
1896, when his place of business was destroyed
by the flames. Undismayed by this disaster, Mr.
Miller purchased the old Avondale Bank build
ing, near the railroad station, which he converted
into a store, and in which he conducted for some
years a green grocery business in connection with
a restaurant. He still owns the property, but
since 1901 has rented it. Since 1900 he has been
the proprietor of the Avondale Hotel, which he
obtained by leasing that property of its owners.
The success which has attended him in all his en
terprises attests the energy, ability, and fidelity
with which his undertakings have been prose
cuted. In politics Mr. Miller is a Republican,
though the engrossing nature of his duties leaves
him little time for participation in public affairs.
Mr. Miller married, December 31, 1885, Mary
Letitia, who was born January 9, 1863, in Ches-
terville, Franklin township, Chester county,
daughter of Washington and Letitia S. (Galla

gher) Ewing. Mr: and Mrs. Miller are the par
ents of two children, both of whom were born
in Avondale, Chester county. Their names are:
Austin Ewing, who was born July 25, 1887; and
Ralph Graham, who was born January 12, 1893.
Mrs. Miller is a member of the Methodist Epis
copal church at Avondale, Chester county, Penn
sylvania.

OSCAR F. PASSMORE. The progenitors
of Oscar F. Passmore, were originally from the
parish of Husk, in Berkshire, England, and set
tled in Chester county early in the eighteenth cen
tury, becoming active participants in the adjust
ment of affairs relating to the Society of Friends,
and the early history of Chester county. Samuel
W. Passmore, the father of Oscar F., was born in
New London township, Chester county, in 1826,
receiving his education in the common schools of
the county, and later holding minor local offices
in the township and county. He was a Repub
lican, and held a birthright in the Society of
Friends, as one of his progenitors, Augustine
Passmore, had held a century before him. He
married Emmeline S. Stubbs, the daughter of
Isaac and Elizabeth Stubbs, of York county,
Pennsylvania, and they were the parents of ten
children, namely : G. Birdsell, who married Eliza
beth Preston, of Cecil county, Maryland, issue,
one child ; Mary, married to Newlin Mendenhall,
issue, two children ; Dora, unmarried ; Phebe,
married to Dr. William Taylor, issue four chil
dren ; Isaac, married to Annie Darlington, issue
three children ; Samuel, married to Mary Arm
strong; Benjamin, married to Margaret Trimble.
Melvina, died unmarried; Sarah, married Frank
Walter, and Oscar F., the subject of this sketch.
The decease of Mr. Samuel W. Passmore oc
curred in 1900.
Oscar F. Passmore was born in 1857, in East
Nottingham township, Chester county, and was
educated in the public schools of the township and
at the West Chester State Normal School. After
leaving the Normal School he taught school for
two years and then removed, in 1880, to his pres
ent home in London Grove township, where he
is largely engaged in the cultivation of carnations,
one of the noted industries of Chester county. He
has adhered to the political principles of his father
by his affiliation with the Republican party, and
has, like his ancestors, a birthright in the Society
of Friends. Mr. Passmore married, September 20, 1883,
Mary S. Pusey, a daughter of Jesse and Hannah
Pusey, of London Grove township, who was born
in i860, and is a descendant of that eminent
Quaker and early immigrant settler in Pennsyl
vania, Caleb Pusey, whose superior qualifications,
and indomitable spirit and energy made him a

370

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

leader in all the affairs, civil, religious and execu
tive, which related to the first settlement and
growth of a new country and a new home. It
was from Caleb Pusey, who emigrated to this
country in 1682, that Smith, the early historian of
Pennsylvania, obtained much of the material
which is found in his work. Two sons have been
born to Oscar F. and Mary S. (Pusey) Pass-
more ; Norris J., who was born in 1884, and is
unmarried, and Howard S., born in 1888, and
who is deceased.

CHARLES W. CHAMBERS. Among the
prominent and successful agriculturists of Lon
don Grove township, who have achieved finan
cial success through their own energy and per
severance, is Charles W. Chambers, whose an
cestors were among the pioneer settlers of Ches
ter county, Pennsylvania, their history being
closely interwoven with its industrial activities
and prosperity. He was born in West Bradford
township, March 24, 1843, a. son of Caleb Ji.
Chambers, whose birthplace was on the old
Chambers homestead in London Grove township.
Charles W. Chambers acquired his prelimin
ary education at Kennett Square public school
and this was supplemented by a thorough course
of instruction at the Millersville (Pennsylvania)
State Normal School. Upon the completion of
his studies he returned to the old farm and as
sisted his father for several years with the la
bor and management of the same, thereby gain
ing a thorough knowledge of agricultural pur
suits. He then located in what is now known
as Whitford, West Whiteland township, Chester
county, resided there for twenty-three years and
during this long period of time was actively en
gaged in the cattle business. This industry prov
ing a profitable means of livelihood, he continued
to pursue it in the towns of Downingtown and
Honeybrook in succession, being a resident of
those localities until the year 1899. He then
moved to Lenape, Pocopson township, spent
three years there, then located in London Grove
township and four years later purchased a sev
enty-five-acre farm which was formerly the prop
erty of Hannah Michener, whereon he has since
conducted an extensive and general farming busi
ness. That this enterprise has proved success
ful and remunerative is entirely due to the excel
lent preparation he acquired on his father's farm
in early life, and also to his own careful manage
ment and progressive business methods. Mr.
Chambers is a Republican in politics, and has
creditably filled the office of school director in
West Whiteland township for a number of years.
Mr. Chambers was married, at Thorndale,
Chester ' county, February 11, 1867, t0 Mary P.
Smedley, whp was born August 3, 1843, a daugh

ter of Ezra and Esther Ann (Pratt)' Smedley.
Ezra Smedley was born April 21, 1812, married,:
at Willistown Meeting, November 3, 1842, Esther
Ann Pratt, who was born at White Horse, Willis
town, July 12, 1819, a daughter of Joseph H. andl
Mary (Lewis) Pratt, of Willistown. Mr. Smed
ley died at Honeybrook, Chester county, Decem
ber 24, 1893, and his remains were interred at Go
shen Meeting. The following named children-
were born to Charles W. Chambers and his wife,
Mary P. Chambers: 1. Maurice L., born 2 mo.,.
21, 1868, married Alice E. Lloyd, and to them
were born the following named children — Lloyd,.
born 10 mo., 22, 1899; Charles, born 7 mo., 5,-
1901, died in 1902; and Mildred, born 12 mo, 5,.
1902. 2. Ezra S., born 1 mo., 12, 1870, died 7
mo., 3, 1886, and was buried at Friends' Ceme
tery at West Chester. 3. Eugene M., born 4 mo.,.
28, 1872, married, in 1898, Sarah Snowden Rum-
ford. 4. Caleb E., born 9 mo., 28, 1878, and upon
attaining young manhood was engaged by his fa
ther to cultivate and improve the farm adjoining
his property. Mr. Chambers and his family are
members of the Society of Friends, and are active-
and regular attendants at their meetings.

ROBERT HOPEWELL HEPBURN, of
Avondale, Pennsylvania, a prominent manufac
turer, is of excellent American stock which came
of blended Scotch and Huguenot blood. He has
also the unique and patriotic inheritance of three
of his four great-grandfathers, Thomas Huston,
William McMeens and Robert Ritchey, having
been captains in the Revolutionary army; one of
the three was also an officer in the French and
Indian war, and the fourth, James Hepburn, was
prominently identified with the Supreme Execu
tive Council bf Pennsylvania in relation to public
affairs in the West Branch Valley, the then fron
tier of Pennsylvania, during the Revolutionary
period. Both of his grandfathers saw service in-
the war of 18 12. In the Civil war his father re
sponded to his country's call, at the sacrifice of
health, if not really life, and his uncles, cousins
and other connections completed a phenomenally
large family quota. His maternal uncle, Robert
McMeens, a surgepn with the rank pf cplpnel, was
killed at the battle of Shiloh. To this splendid
record of patriotic service may be added men
tion of Robert H. Hepburn, the immediate sub
ject of this narrative, who, at the call for troops-
to protect Pennsylvania against invasion by Gen
eral Lee, immediately before the battle of Gettys
burg, ran away from home and passed some days-
(including his thirteenth birthday) with a com
pany at Harrisburg and Camp Curtin, and was
about to go to the front as a drummer boy when
his father came and took him home.
The founder of the American branch of the -

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

37i

Hepburn family was James • Hepburn, born in
Ireland, March 28, 1747. His ancestors were of
Scotch Hepburns, Lords of Hailes and Earls of
Bothwell. Samuel Hepburn, father of James
Hepburn, was born in East Lothian, Scotland.
He was out with "Prince Charlie," in 1745, fled
to Ireland on the failure of the "rising," and sub
sequently (May 16, 1773) sailed for America.
He died at Northumberland, Pennsylvania, Janu
ary 11, 1795, in the ninety-seventh year of his
-age. James, son of Samuel Hepburn, was twenty-
six years of age when he accompanied his family
to this country. After a temporary residence in
Philadelphia he located in Northumberland,
where he became a large landed proprietor, the
records showing that in 1796 he was assessed for
eight thousand acres of "unseated lands" alone.
With his brother, Colonel Hepburn, he obtained
the division of Northumberland county and the
-authorization of Lycoming county, Pennsylvania,
notwithstanding the opposition of Robert Morris,
""the financier of the Revolution," and other large
Philadelphia owners, and also founded Williams
port, where he owned nearly all the land now em
braced in the city limits proper. James Hepburn
was prominently associated with the Supreme
Executive Council of Pennsylvania during the
Revolutionary period, in connection with affairs
in the West Branch Valley. He was the first
elder of the First Presbyterian church built in
Northumberland, and was also largely its founder,
and he was one of the four elders participating in
the organization of Northumberland Presbytery.
He was a man of large knowledge, and was an
-intimate friend of Dr. Joseph Priestly, the dis
coverer of oxygen gas. He died in Northum
berland, January 4, 1817. His wife was Mary
. Hopewell, of Mount Holly, New Jersey, who was
born February 13, 1762, married December 27,
1781, and died March 2, 1826, at the home of her
youngest child and daughter, Mrs. Judge James
. Armstrong, in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. Her
mother, Mary Beckett Hopewell, was a great
-granddaughter of Andre de Normandie, of
¦Geneva, a descendant of the "princely family" of
that name in France. She was, therefore, of
Huguenot descent, and a Presbyterian. .
Andrew Doz Hepburn, son of James and
Mary (Hopewell) Hepburn, was born in North
umberland, Pennsylvania, March 10, 1784, and
-died in Williamsport, March 6, 1861. Meginnis,
the historian of the West Branch Valley, says of
'him : "A broad-minded liberal man, a great reader
and student. Early in life he made himself
familiar with both law and medicine, and always
¦_gave these sciences much study and thought.
People were in the habit of going to him, as long
-as he lived, for legal advice, and the afflicted often
•consulted him." In a new country this was in

valuable and true eminence. His personal activ
ities covered a broad field. He laid out "West"
Williamsport, sold the first saw mill sites there
from the Mount Joy tract inherited from his
father, and founded the lumber business there.
He was a large shipper of grain down the west
branch of the Susquehanna river and down that
stream in "arks" to Baltimore. He was brigade
major of the First Brigade, Tenth Division, Penn
sylvania Militia, under General John Cummings,
in 1812. He was the first elder of the First Pres
byterian church in Williamsport, donated its
building site, largely bore the expenses of the first
church edifice, and made provision in his will for
a parsonage; he was also the first superintendent
of the Sunday school. He married, in 1802,
Martha Huston, who died February 6, 1852. She
was a daughter of Thomas and Janet (Walker)
Huston, and sister of Charles Huston, the distin
guished jurist and justice of the Supreme Court
of Pennsylvania. Her father was a captain in the
Revolutionary war, and her mother was of the
famous legal family of Walkers in Ireland.
Andrew Hepburn, son of Andrew Doz and
Martha (Huston) Hepburn, was born in Wil
liamsport, December 15, 1814, and died June 18,
1872. He was a man of high character and ex
cellent attainments. He graduated from Dickin
son College, at Carlisle, Pennsylvania, and stud
ied for his profession under his brother, Dr. Wil
liam Hepburn, and at Jefferson Medical College,
Philadelphia, from which he was graduated in
1841. Soon after his marriage, in 1843, he lo
cated in Bellevue, Ohio, whence he soon removed
to Tiffin, at which place he practiced until 185 1.
During the cholera epidemic in Tiffin he was the
only physician who remained to minister to the
sorely stricken people: He abandoned a success
ful and lucrative practice to obey what he deemed
an imperative duty, when his father callled him
to return to Williamsport to care for his parents
in their declining days. It was with a similar
sense of duty that, at the call for surgeons after
the bloody battle of Bull Run, he arose from a
sick bed, went to Washington, and labored in the
' hospitals until the worst was over and an adequate
hospital service had been created, returning in
shattered health, never again to be a really well
man. He succeeded his father as elder and Sun
day school superintendent in what was then the
only Presbyterian church in Williamsport. His
wife was Elizabeth Sharon McMeens, a daughter
of Colonel John McMeens. Colonel McMeens
was commander of the First Brigade, Tenth Di
vision, Pennsylvania Militia, in 1812; state repre
sentative, 1814-18; state senator, 1819-23; and
voted for the manumission of slaves in Pennsyl
vania ; he was one of the commissioners ap
pointed to superintend the disbursement of the
money appropriated to improve navigation on the

372

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

Susquehanna river from Columbia to its mouth,
and, deciding the effort futile, with a strong sense
of integrity, difficult to appreciate in the present
day, returned the money to the public treasury. The
paternal grandfather of Mrs. Hepburn was Wil
liam McMeens, a native of South Carolina. He .
was an ensign (third lieutenant) in the command
of General Boupuet during the French and In
dian war, 1763, and was a captain in the Revolu
tionary war. He was one of the heads of the
famous Fair Play Association whose edicts
against injustice and wrong in property rights in
the West Branch Valley of Pennsylvania, by
wealthy land-grabbers, and whose physical sup
port of their decisions the Supreme Court of the
state afterwards approved and endorsed.
Robert Hopewell Hepburn, son of Andrew
and Elizabeth Sharon (McMeens) Hepburn, was
born in Tiffin, Ohio, July 2, 1850. He began his
education in private schools in Williamsport,
Pennsylvania, and was a student at Princeton
College, class of 1871. He was well up in schol
arship, and belonged to the Whig Literary So
ciety and Zeta Psi (Greek letter) fraternity. He
also excelled in athletics, and was noted for dar
ing. As a boy of nineteen he swam his horse
under saddle across Lycoming creek, above Wil
liamsport, during a flood, rather than take a long
ride to reach a bridge. While at college he played
on the football team and base ball nine; for sev
eral years he played on the Williamsport nine,
pulled in the racing crews of the four and eight-
oared shells of the Undine Boat Club of Philadel
phia, and took part in all the athletic diversions
-of the Fencing and Sparring Club of the same
city. From 1875 to 1883 he was abroad, engaged
in engineering and construction work. His first
trip was by way of the Isthmus of Panama, Cen
tral America and California to Japan and the
east. In 1877 he went to Europe and thence to
South America, traveling over the entire con
tinent and returning over the Isthmus of Panama
to New York. In 1878 he took the two tug boats
"Brazil" and "Juno" from Philadelphia to Para,
Brazil, via the islands of St. Thomas and Bar
bados, three thousand miles of ocean navigation.'
This was the first successful effort to sail such
craft over such an expanse of ocean, and was at
the outset pronounced reckless and hopeless even
by many sailors. He operated these tugs for
months in the dangerous and treacherous navi
gation of the Madeira river, when pilots, native
steamboatment and people along the banks de
clared that it was impossible to move vessels
drawing more than four and one-half feet of
water, while the draft of the audacious young
American's boats was nine and one-half and eight
feet respectively. Mr. Hepburn was in charge of
the surveys on the Madeira and upper rivers and
the transportation of materials and supplies from

Para, Brazil, in tows by his tug boats, enduring-
great hardships and the dangers incident to a
fever and reptile infested region, but his superh
physical strength, powers of endurance arid ambi
tion were equipment which enabled him to sur
mount every obstacle and pass through every ex
perience unscathed. After these experiences, in
connection with what is officially known as the
Collins Expedition, he again visited Europe, and!
in 1883 located in Avondale, Pennsylvania.
Mr. Hepburn, besides his engineering accom
plishments, had an excellent prior business ex
perience. He had served as teller in the Williams
port National Bank, and as cashier in a broker's
office in New York city. He now took charge
of the operating business of what afterward be
came famous as the Avondale Marble Company
quarries, and in the capacity of general manager
he conceived, explored, opened up and developed
the valuable fifty-foot vein of white marble under
lying this property, and won thirteen law-suits
( losing none) against conspirators in the Avon-
dale Marble Company litigation. He subse
quently came to his present position of president
of the corporation, whose most valuable proper
ties were of his own creation. He is also a director
in the Lycoming Mining Company, and he is
officially interested in various other enterprises.
Mr. Hepburn has long been actively connected
with the military establishment of the state. He-
was for several years an officer in the National
Guard, and served as lieutenant of Company I,.
Fourth Regiment, from the Lehigh Valley, dur
ing the riots of 1877, immediately after his re
turn from South America. He was at Cata-
sauqua when the troubles broke out, and, the
trains having stopped running, he was unable to
reach his own regiment, the Twelfth, and per
formed duty with the Fourth, which received .
high praise from Governor Hartranft for its gal
lantry in the fight in "the cut" at Reading, and
for its conduct at Allentown and its services in
guarding the arsenal at Harrisburg. Mr. Hep
burn is a valuable member of the Franklin Insti
tute of the State of Pennsylvania and of the Penn
sylvania Historical Society. He has attained
high rank in the Masonic fraternity, having-
passed all the stations in lodge, chapter and com-
mandery, and received the thirty-second degree
of the Scottish Rite. In religion he is a Presby
terian, and in politics a Republican.
Mr. Hepburn was married, October 3, 1877,.
at Catasauqua, Pennsylvania, to Miss Elizabeth
Hunt, and of this union were born the following-
children: 1. Gwenllian, born in Catasauqua, Sep-
temper 19, 1878, died February 1, 1898 ; 2. An
drew Hopewell, born at Catasauqua, March 6,
1880, who is now a senior, studying architecture,
in the Massachusetts Institute of Technology,
Boston; 3. George Hunt, born in Philadelphia,.

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

373

September 17, 1881, who is now assistant man
ager of a silver and lead mine near Bajan, state
of Coahuila, Mexico; 4. Joshua Hunt, born in
Avondale, August 28, 1889.
Mrs. Hepburn received a liberal education in
private schools in New England and Philadel
phia. Her parents were Joshua and Gwenllian
(Thomas) Hunt. The "old Hunt mansion" at
Downingtown, Pennsylvania, was the inherit
ance of Samuel Hunt, her paternal great-grand
father. Joshua Hunt was a very prominent iron
master, superintendent of the Crane Iron Com
pany, and largely interested in coal and mineral
operations in the Lehigh Valley, and was a
wealthy and influential citizen. He was captain
of a company of one hundred day emergency men
during the Civil war. He was an elder in the
Presbyterian church of Catasauqua. David
Thomas, maternal grandfather of Mrs. Hepburn,
was in his day the most prominent and success
ful ironmaster in the United States. He came
from Wales to experiment with the use of an
thracite coal in the production of pig iron, after
many had failed, and his success in face of what
appeared to he insuperable obstacles reads as a ro
mance of the Arabian Knights description. He
was affectionately called "Father Thomas," and
was known as "the father of the iron interests of
Pennsylvania." He was the first elder of the
First Presbyterian church built in Catasauqua,
and he was to a very considerable extent its
donor.

PHILIP C. PUSEY, one of the representa
tive farmers and respected citizens of London
Grove township, Chester county, Pennsylvania,
is a native of this township, his birth having oc
curred there September 7, 1870, he being a son of
Jesse D. and Hannah D. Pusey, and grandson of
Solomon and Sarah Pusey, the latter two named
having been born and reared in the same town
ship, where they resided during their entire life
time. Jesse D. Pusey, father of Philip C. Pusey, was
born on the old homestead in London Grove
township, July 6, 1830, and enjoyed the edu
cational advantages afforded by the common
schools of the neighborhood and at Swaynes
Academy, in London Grove township, Chester
county. After completing his studies he re
turned to the home farm, where until recently,
when he took up his residence with his son, Philip
C, he was engaged in the cultivation and im
provement of the land, in the management of
which he displayed a thorough knowledge of all
the details of the work. He has always taken a
deep interest in political questions, casts his vote
with the Republican party, and has aided in the

success of its measures to the best of his ability.
He is a member of the Society of Friends.
In 1859 Mr. Pusey married Hannah D. Yeat
man, a daughter of Marshall and Mary. Dixon
Yeatman, of Kennett township, Chester county.
Their children were: Mary S., born in i860,
wife of Oscar Passmore, and mother of one child ;
Solomon J., born in 1862, married Ella Good,
and two children have been born to them ; Mar
shall Y., born in 1864, married S. Emma Coates;
they have three children ; Sarah J., born in 1866,
now the widow of Edwin Livezey; they were
the parents of one child ; George W., born in
1868, married Florence Sharpless, and one child
has been born to them; Philip C, born in 1870;
Edgar L., born in 1872, died in childhood ; Morris,
born in 1874, also died in childhood; Elbert N.,
born in 1877, unmarried, and Anna L. Pusey,
born in 1880, unmarried. Mrs. Pusey, mother
of these children, died in 1895.
Philip C. Pusey, sixth child in order of birth
born to Jesse D. and Hannah D. Pusey, was a
pupils at the West Chester State Normal School,
and after leaving that institution he de
voted his energies to the work upon the old home
stead, where he has resided ever since. In ad
dition to general farming, Mr. Pusey is engaged
in dairying, keeping for this purpose thirty head
of fine select cows. The farm is one of the
most productive in this section of the state, and
the neat and thrifty appearance of the place in
dicates that it is under the personal supervision
of one who is accustomed to the routine labor
of agriculture. He is a Republican in politics,
an active member of the Patrons of Husbandry,
and holds a birthright membership in the Society
of Friends. In 1896 was celebrated the marriage of Mr.
Pusey and Hannah H. Pusey, who was born in
1873, a daughter of Henry and Amy (Hoopes)
Pusey, the former named having been an enter
prising agriculturist of West Marlborough, Ches
ter county, Pennsylvania, but now a resident of
Avondale, and a dealer in implements. Their
children are: Amy H., born in 1898, and Jesse
D. Pusey, Jr., born in 1902.

W. HARRY Le FEVRE, a prosperous
farmer of London Grove township, Chester coun
ty, was born in 1859, in Philadelphia, a son of
the late Peter Le Fevre, a merchant of that city.
The son received his education at the Friends'
School, on the corner of Fifteenth and Race
streets, Philadelphia, and on reaching manhood
chose for his business in life, the calling of an
agriculturist. In order to pursue this, he took
up his abode on a farm in London Grove, which
was then the property of his father. Here Mr.

374

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

Le Fevre has since resided, devoting himself
to the duties of his chosen calling. He is a mem
ber of the Masonic order, and in politics a Re
publican. He attends the Protestant Episcopal
church. '
Mr. Le Fevre married, in 1882, Gulielma
Penn, daughter of Thomas and Mary A. (Kelso)
Charlton, the former holding the office of county
commissioner at one time. Mr. and Mrs. Le
Fevre are the parents of the following children :
Thomas C, Catherine M., George L., William
H., deceased, Elmer P., also deceased, Elizabeth
C. and Frederic C. Le Fevre. All these chil
dren, including those who have attained maturity
and are unmarried, are still living at home.

GEORGE MOORE, a leading farmer and
citizen of London Grove township, Chester coun
ty, is a grandson of George Moore, who was
born in that part of Philadelphia county now
known as The Neck. He was a farmer, and
among his children was William, who was born
in 1815, at The Neck, and received his educa
tion in private schools. He began his life as
a farmer on the homestead, and then moved to
Darby township, Delaware county, and later
to Marple township, in both of which places
he engaged in farming. He finally took up
his abode -in London Grove township, where
he passed the remainder of his life in retirement.
He was a Republican in politics and a man who
enjoyed the confidence of his neighbors, being
intrusted with the office of school director. He
married Harriet Taylor, who was born in 1825,
in Philadelphia, and they were the parents of
the following children : Maria, who married
Frederick Ramm, and both are now deceased;
Mary, who became the wife of Charles Scott, and
has two children; Hannah, who married Joseph
Jenkins, and is the mother of one child ; George,
mentioned at length hereinafter; William; and
Martha, both of whom died in infancy. The
death of Mr. Moore took place in 1901, and his
widow is still living.
George Moore, son of William and Harriet
(Taylor) Moore, was born in 1848, at The Neck,
Philadelphia county, and at an early age moved
with his father to Paschallville and later to
Darby, Delaware county, where he received his
education. After assisting his father for a time
in the care and management of the homestead,
he served with the 100-day men in Company C,
One Hundred and Sixty-seventh Regiment,
Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, then went to
New Haven, Connecticut, where he learned the
trade of a machinist. At the end of four years
he returned to Darby, where he remained
for a time, then resided in Haverford,
Delaware county, until 1895, when he re

moved to his present home in London Grove
township. He conducts in the most skillful and
improved manner a flourishing farm, to which
is attached a dairy of fifty cows. In politics he
is an Independent Republican, and, by filling in
the most efficient manner the office of school di
rector, manifests the same interest in the cause
of education which characterized his father, who
so ably discharged the duties of that position.
He is a member of the Masonic 'order at Ard
more, Pennsylvania, Cassia Lodge, No. 273, and
also of the Junior Order of United American
Mechanics. He and his family attend the Pres
byterian church.
Mr. Moore married, in 1871, Hannah F.,
born in 1849, daughter of Charles and Rachel
Singles, the former a pump manufacturer of
Darby. Mrs. Singles died in 1884, and the death
of her husband occurred in 1899. The follow
ing children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Moore:
Clarence, born in 1872, married Maud Buchanan,
and has two children; George, Jr., born in 1873,
married May Brotherson; William, born in 1875,
married Bertha Jeffries, and is the father of one
child; Charles, born in 1877, unmarried; Daisy,
born in 1880, married William Davis; they have
one child; Parker, born in 1882; Aubrey, born
in 1884; Herbert, born in 1887; Helen, born in
1890; and J. Wesley, born in 1892. Of these
five, the eldest, who has attained man's estate,
is still a bachelor, and of the others, two are
entering upon the independent duties of life,
while the younger ones are still in the school
room.

BENJAMIN LADD WOOD, now retired
from the active pursuits of a business career and
in the full enjoyment of the ease and comfort
which should always follow years of ceaseless toil
and activity, belongs to that class of energetic
and industrious men who have left their impress
on the industrial history of their times. He was
born in Steelville, "West Fallowfield township,
Chester county, Pennsylvania, November 8, 1834,
a son of Thomas and Massey Wood.
Thomas Wood, father of Benjamin L. Wood,
was born about the year 1808, and was the son
of John Wood, who in turn was supposed to be
a son of Thomas Wood. Thomas Wood (father)
was reared and educated in his native .township,
and by his own ability and indomitable industry
made for hirnself a successful career and ac
cumulated a competence for his declining years.
He was the original shipper of the Chester White
pigs, delivering them to all parts of the country.
He was assisted by his son, Benjamin L. Wood.
He was twice married, his first wife having been
Massey Lamborn, to whom were born the fol
lowing named children: Dr. Eliza Jane, born

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

375

in 1832, became the wife of Henry Armitage,
a prominent resident of Damascus, Ohio; Ben
jamin Ladd, born in 1834, and Amos, who died
in childhood. After the decease of his first wife,
Mr. Wood married Sarah Coates, and their chil
dren were: 1. Lydia, wife of Jesse H. Brinton
and mother of four children, namely: Charles
M., Laura, Almatina C, and Estelle Brinton. 2.
Ellis P., married Rebecca W. Martin, and their
children are : Walter T., born in 1872, and Mary
E., born in 1876; 3. Eleanor, deceased; 4.
Philena C, wife of David W. Jackson, and they
are the parents of two children : Lindley C. and
Elizabeth Jackson. 5. Morris T., married Mar
garet Weldon, and their children are: Leila
M. and Elizabeth H. Wood.
Benjamin L. Wood, eldest son of Thomas
and Massey Wood, attended the common schools
of the neighborhood, where he acquired a practi
cal education, which prepared him for the ac
tivities of life. He was a farmer by occupation,
conducting his operations on an extensive scale,
and by careful management and giving personal
attention to every detail was enabled to derive
-a goodly income from his broad acres. His
first location after starting on his own account
was a farm of one hundred and ten acres, which
was located in West Fallowfield township, Ches
ter county, Pennsylvania, and which he purchased
from Jacob Good, Esquire. Here he erected a
complete set of buildings and operated same until
1865, when he removed to Doe Run. He was a
resident of that town until the spring of 1883,
when he removed to Cedar county, Iowa, and
from that year until 1899 was engaged in agricul
tural pursuits. He then returned to Chester
•county, Pennsylvania, and in 1902 erected a fine
-modern residence in Avondale, where he is now
residing. He is a member of London Grove
Grange, No. 63.
Mr. Wood has been married three times. His
first wife, Annie C. (Wilson) Wood, bore him
¦one child, Gertrude M. Wood; his second wife,
Louisa M. (Fawcett) Wood, a native of Ohio,
"bore him two children, Anna F. and Mabel S.
Wood ; his third wife was Mary Martin, a daugh
ter of Thomas and Hannah (Buffington) Mar
tin. The latter was born June 22, 1813, a daugh
ter of Joseph and Amy (Beaumont) Buffington,
the former named having been born August 19,
1783, a son of Joseph, born June 21, 1759, and
Hannah (Fling) Buffington, whose marriage oc
curred August 20, 1 78 1 ; the death of Joseph
Buffington occurred in July, 1841. The follow
ing named children were born tb Joseph and
Amy (Beaumont) Buffington: Hannah F., born
June 22, 1813; Elizabeth Gilpin, born January
19, 1815; Sarah T., born April 3, 1817; Joseph
M., born November 6, 1818; Ruth Anna, born
July 24, 1820, and Ann M., born July 31, 1822.

Mr. Wood is a birthright member of the Society
of Friends, in which organization he has always
taken a deep and abiding interest.

SAMUEL F. SPENCER, a son of Davis
and Sarah F. Spencer, was born in Franklin
township, Chester county, Pennsylvania, Decem
ber 19, 1863, and is now sucessfully engaged in
farming pursuits in London Grove township,
where he sustains a high reputation for reliabil
ity and enterprise.
His parents removed to London Grove town
ship during the early years of his life and there
fore his education was obtained in the public
schools of that township. His first business ex
perience was gained on the old homestead farm
and he continued his operations there until 1890,
when he purchased a seventy-six-acre farm in
London Grove township which was formerly the
property of Palmer Good. His land is improved
and highly cultivated, yields a goodly profit for
the labor bestowed upon it, and everything about
the premises indicate the watchful care and su
pervision of the owner. He conducts general
farming and his products, being of a high grade,
find a ready sale in the nearby markets. Mr.
Spencer is a Republican in politics, and takes
an active and intelligent interest in all questions
that effect the welfare of his community, state
and nation.
Mr. Spencer was united in marriage, January
23, 1890, to Mary Walton, born in New Garden
township, Chester county, Pennsylvania, Octo
ber 13, 1866, a daughter of Joel N. and Lydia
(Yetman) Walton. Three children were the is
sue of this union — Grace L., born July 3, 1891 ;
Norman D., born May 23, 1892 ; and Sarah Ann,
born July 18, 1893/ -Mr. Spencer and his fam
ily hold membership in the Society of Friends,
and are regular attendants at their meetings.

RICHARD BELL CHAMBERS, who has
for many years held a well recognized position
among the respected citizens of Chester county,
is descended from Joshua and Rebecca (Dicker-
son) Chambers, who were the parents of the fol
lowing children: Isaac, John, Lee, David, men
tioned hereinafter, Reuben, Patience and Re
becca. David Chambers, son of Joshua and Rebecca
(Dickerson) Chambers, married Phoebe Ann
Bell, who was born in 1804, and their children
were: 1. Richard Bell, mentioned at length here
inafter; 2. Lydia Ann, born in 1834; 3. Mary
Elizabeth, who married John W. Bernard, had
two children; Emma and Virginia, and is now de
ceased; 4. Joseph M., who married Isabel War
ren, was the father of three children, and is now

376

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

deceased; 5. Brinton Henderson, who born Sep
tember 9, 1842, in New Garden township, on the
old homestead. He married Sarah O., born Janu
ary 22, 1852, daughter of John and Margaret O.
Mitchell, of Manhasset, Long Island; 6. Melissa
R., who was born in 1848, married Abram Bell,
of Long Island, and they had the following chil
dren : William ; Brinton, who married Helen
Gillies ; Mary Christy ; Thomas Christy ; and Ed
gar Thompson Bell.
Richard Bell Chambers, son of David and
Phoebe Ann (Bell) Chambers, was born March
13, 1832, in London Grove township, Chester
county, Pennsylvania. He has all his life fol
lowed agricultural and mercantile pursuits, but
has now retired from active business. His neigh
bors, by several times electing him to fill various
township offices, have borne ample witness to the
respect and confidence with which his sterling
traits of character have inspired them. He is a
member of the Society of Friends.
Mr. Chambers married Susan W., born June
6, 1839, daughter of John and Lydia Miller, of-
New Garden township, the former a son of John
and Mary Miller. The Miller farm at one time
included the greater part of New Garden town
ship. Mr. and Mrs. Chambers have had the fol
lowing children: 1. R. Lawrence, who married
Sarah Holingsworth, and has had seven chil
dren ; 2. Eva L., who married Chandler B. Wal
ton, and to them the following children were
born: Philip C, born April 20, 1884, now de
ceased; Chalkley J., born May 2, 1885, also de
ceased; Richard C, born August 20, 1886; How
ell C, born February 6, 1890, now deceased ; and
Chandler B., born September 4, 1892. Mr. Wal
ton died March 3, 1893. 3. Mary Phoebe, who
became the wife of Crosby Black, ex-mayor of
Chester, Pennsylvania, and 'had four children,
Susan Morton, J. Frank, Margery and Crosby
M. 4. Clara Rebecca, who married Arthur T.
Park, of West Chester, Pennsylvania, and had
two children, Arthur T., Jr., and William E. 5.
Ethel Melissa, who is the wife of Harry B. Mc-
Vaugh, of Hockessin, Delaware, and has one
child, Harry. 6. Lillie Bell, who died in infancy.

EDWIN PUSEY. The Pusey family who
are actively associated with the industrial, politi
cal and social affairs of the borough of Avon-
dale, Chester county, Pennsylvania, claim rela
tionship with Caleb and Ann Pusey, who were
numbered among the early settlers of the state
of Pennsylvania, taking up their residence there
about the year 1682. He was a last-maker by
trade, and was largely instrumental in the estab
lishment and management of several mills which
were located at what was then known as "The
Chester Mills." He served his township in the

capacity^ of officer, juror, sheriff, justice of the
county court, a member of the provincial assem
bly and the executive council, and was one of
the prominent factors in the laying out of roads
and negotiating with the Indians. He was an-
adherent of the true Quaker doctrine, frequently
appearing in the ministry, and his pen was often
employed in . defence of the tenets of his sect.
About the year 171 7, Caleb Pusey and his family
removed to Marlborough, where his death oc
curred December 25, 1726 or 1727; his wife died
December 5, 1725 or 1726. They left no sons
to perpetuate the name.
The progenitor of the branch of the family
to which Edwin Pusey belongs was John Pusey,
supposed to have been a brother of Caleb Pusey,
who was a resident of London, England; he
purchased land in Pennsylvania, but never came
over to reside on it. William and Caleb Pusey,
sons of John and Frances Pusey, came to- this
country upon attaining young manhood and re
sided with Caleb Pusey at Chester, and from
these two are descended all the members of that
name who reside in that section of the state.
Joseph Pusey, father of Edwin Pusey, was
born in London Grove township, Chester county,.
Pennsylvania, a son of Jesse and Elizabeth Pusey.
He was reared to manhood in his native county ,.
and received a good common school education
which qualified him for the duties of an active
business career. He married Elizabeth Barnard,
and their children were: 1. Anna Mary, born-
in 1840, became the wife of Mahlon G. Brosius
and six children have been born to them, namely :
Willis, died in early life; Elizabeth; Charles;
Howard ; Emma L., wife of Thomas L. Pass-
more, and Edwin Brosius; 2. Edwin, subject of
sketch ; 3. Henry B., born in 1843, married for
his first wife Amy Hoopes and they were the
parents of four children ; after her death he mar
ried Annie T. Taylor; 4. Abigail B., born in
1845, wife of Harris Passmore, and their two-
children are: Benjamin and Pusey Passmore;
5. Howard J., born in 1848; 6. Philena S., born-
in 1851. Edwin Pusey, eldest son of Joseph and Eliza
beth Pusey, was born February 5, 1841, in the
township of West Marlborough, Chester county,.
Pennsylvania. He was a student in the common-
schools of the neighborhood, and from the com
pletion of his studies up to a few years previously,.
when he retired from the active duties of busi
ness life, his energies were devoted to farming,
stock raising and dairying, in which lines of
industry he met with a large degree of pros
perity. Mr. Pusey has always enjoyed the re
spect of his fellow townsmen, and bears the en
viable reputation of being a public-spirited and
useful citizen, honest and true in all relations.
of life.

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

377

On March 25, 1869, Mr. Pusey married Eliza
beth Hoopes, who was born December 15, 1841,
a daughter of Samuel and Hannah (Hicks)
Hoopes. Their children are: 1. William J.,
born April 6, '1870; 2. Amy J., born Novem
ber 15, 1 87 1, became the wife of Edwin Buffing
ton, October 21, 1897, 'and their children are:
E. Pusey, born December 12, 1899, and Eliza
beth F. Buffington, born December 11, 1901 ;
3. Samuel H., born October 3, 1873, married
Mary Wood, December 27, 1900; 4. Sue E.,
born November 11, 1877; 5. Helen, born Sep
tember 13, 1880; 6. Marion B., born April 24,
1882. Mr. Pusey is a member of the Society of
Friends, taking a keen and active interest in its
religious and business transactions.

J. HOWARD BROSIUS, now serving in
the capacity of cashier of the National Bank of
Avondale, Chester county, Pennsylvania, and a
birthright member of the Society of Friends,
was born in the township of West Marlborough,
Chester county, December 14, 1875, a son of
Mahlon G. and Anna Brosius.
Henry Brosius, the pioneer ancestor of the
family, accompanied his parents, when quite a
small boy, to the United States from Germany,
but after residing for a short period of time in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, his parents suc
cumbed to the epidemic of yellow fever which
prevailed in the city at that time. Henry Brosius
married Mary Roberts, a daughter of Issac
Roberts, a prominent resident of Bucks county.
In 1793 they settled in the vicinity of Bucks
county, but in 1805 removed to West Fallow
field where he purchased a large tract of land.
Their children were: Issac, born in 1794; Ben
jamin ; Mahlon ; William, born in 1798 ; Harper ;
Mary Ann; Henry; Joseph; Abner; Nathan L;
Sarah, born in 1808; Charles A.; Agnes; Amos,
and Ruth Ann Brosius.
Mahlon Brosius, third son of Henry and
Mary Brosius, was born in Bucks county, Penn
sylvania, and acquired a practical education in
the common schopls. Later in life he was a resi
dent of Londonderry, and subsequently removed
to Upper Oxford where he was a prominent and
active citizen. He married August 17, 1820,
Mary Kent and they were the parents of ten
children, namely: Clarkson, Daniel K., Edwin;
Esther Ann, John Conby, Joseph H., Ann Eliza
beth, Lucretia M., Mary Jane, and Mahlon G.
Brosius. Mahlon G. Brosius, youngest son of Mahlon
and Mary Brosius, was born in Chester county,'
Pennsylvania, in 1838. He obtained a common
school education, and during his entire career
has been recognized as a progressive and honor
able business man. He married Anna Pusey,

and they reared a family of six children: 1.
Elizabeth, born in 1867 ; 2. Charles, born in 1870,
married Emma Ramsay and their children were:
Sarah, born in 1896; Mahlon, born in 1898;
Marriott, born in 1901, died in infancy; 3. Emma,
born in 1872, wife of Thomas Passmore ; 4.
J. Howard, born in 1875; 5. Willis, born in 1880,
now deceased; 6. Edwin Brosius, born in 1884.
J. Howard Brosius, second son of Mahlon
G. and Anna Brosius, was born in West Marl
borough township, Chester county, Pennsylvania,
December 14, 1875. He obtained his literary
education at the public schools of the vicinity,
and since the completion of his studies has de
voted his energies to the marking out of a suc
cessful business career. He is now the popular
and efficient cashier of the National Bank of
Avondale, Chester county, Pennsylvania, and
much of the success and prosperity of this institu
tion is due to the ability and faithfulness of Mr.
Brosius. On June 20, 1901, Mr. Brosius married Alice
Brinton, who was born August 5, 1875, a daugh
ter of William P. and Mary (Cooper) Brinton,
of Christiana. They are the parents of two chil
dren, William Brosius, born May 29, 1902, and
Willis P. Brosius, born October 9, 1903.

J. MORRIS- WATSON, now deceased, for
many years one of the most enterprising, suc
cessful and useful citizens of Avondale, where
he served in the capacity of councilman from its
incorporation as a borough up to the time of his
death, was born December 14, 1837, in London
Grove township, Chester county, Pennsylvania,.
a son of James and Rebecca Watson, and grand
son of John Watson.
James Watson, father of J. Morris Watson,
was born February 22, 1816, in Chester county,
Pennsylvania, and was universally regarded as
one of the best, most public-spirited and useful
citizens of the community in which he resided.
On February 9, 1837, was celebrated the mar
riage of Mr. Watson and Rebecca James, and the
following named children were born to them:
J. Morris, born December 14, 1837; Mary Ann,
born July 25, 1839; Alice Jackson, born August
5, 1842; James B., born April 25, 1848, and
Herbert K., born June 7, 1850.
J. Morris Watson acquired a practical educa
tion at the public schools of -his native township,.
and after completing his studies turned his at
tention to agricultural pursuits. Later in life
he abandoned this occupation and engaged in
the meat business, gainirtg a large and lucrative
patronage by his uniform courtesy and prompt
attention to the wishes of his customers, and
this line of industry he continued up to the time
of his death. He took an active interest in the

37§

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

political affairs of the community, and at the
incorporation of the borough of Avondale was
chosen to serve as councilman, holding that office
up to the time of his decease.
Mr. Watson was united in marriage to Lydia
Phillips, who was born in London Grove, Chester
county, Pennsylvania, in 1837, a daughter of
Thomas and Edith (Chandler) Phillips, and a
descendant of a Scotch-Irish ancestry. Their
• children are: Mary Edith, born November 30,
1862, and Wilmer Phillips, born July 23, 1868,
married Eva West, a daughter of Dr. Joseph and
Ella West, of Kemblesville. They have one-
¦child, Hazel Lydia Watson, born September 9,
1898. Mr. Watson died June 29, 1900, survived
hy his widow and children, the former named
-acting in the capacity of school director, and
with the assistance of her son, Wilmer P. Wat-
•son, continues the business which was estab
lished by her late husband. She is a consistent
member of the Society of Friends.
Thomas Phillips, father of Mrs. Watson, was
born December 27, 1801, a son of John and
!Mary Phillips, and by his marriage to Edith
Chandler the following named children were
born: Phoebe, born November 15, 1820; John,
lorn August 26, 1822, died July 14, 1890; Han
nah, born September 3, 1825, died in infancy;
Mary, born September 4, 1828, died April 3,
1881 ; Chandler, born March 1, 1831, died in
1889 ; Anna, born July 16, 1833'; Margaret, born
May 16, 1835 ; Lydia, born September 29, 1837,
-and T. Chalkley, born March 26, 1840.

CALEB PUGH, who is one of the well-
to-do farmers of West Bradford town
ship, is a member of an old Quaker family that
"has been identified for many generations with
the history of Chester county. Only those who
are well informed in the history of Pennsylvania
know how much it has been indebted to the people
of this faith who settled the state in large numbers v
at an early period and afterward were influential
in controlling its domestic policy. The Quakers
were always found on the side of peace, sobriety,
-education and morality in its broadest sense, and
the country never had better citizens than the fol
lowers of Penn and their descendants. An exam
ination of the records will show that the Pugh
family had representatives in Chester county at an
-early period in the eighteenth century. Joshua
Pugh, who was born in the county in 1780, mar
ried Mary, daughter of a farmer named John
Churchman, and by her reared a large family of
children. Sarah, married John McBride, and be
came the mother of five children ; Jacob, married
Mary J. Corbett, and had six children ; Chandler,
remained single as far as known; Jane, de
ceased; Hannah, married Jesse Woodward, by

whom she had seven children; Merab, deceased;
Franklin, died in infancy; Joshua, married Mary
J. Conner, who bore him six children ; Mary, be
came the wife of Capt. Frank Guss, and they had
nine children. .
Caleb Pugh,. who completes the number of the
children above enumerated, was born near Ox
ford, Chester county, Pennsylvania, in 1825, and
it will be seen by this date that he is one of the
oldest residents. His education was obtained in
the schools of Lancaster county, and in early life
he learned the trade of carpentering, which fur
nished him occupation and a livelihood for a
number of years. Eventually, however, he be
came the owner of land in West Bradford town
ship, and has devoted the latter years of his life
to farming. He is a quiet, unobstrusive man who
attends strictly to his own business, is regardful
of the rights of others and fulfills conscientiously
every obligation which enters into the duty of a
good citizen. He has been connected with the
Republican party since its first formation as a
result of the slavery agitation, though never a
seeker after political honors, his only office being
that of supervisor of West Bradford township,
which he held for fourteen years. He has long
been a member of the Independent Order of Odd
Fellows, and has passed through all the chairs of
that honored fraternity;
Mr. Pugh was united in marriage with
Martha Ann, daughter of Tryon Rodeback, a con
tractor at Romansville, and has five children.
Their names are Mary, Maria, Tryon, who mar
ried Rachel Rodeback; Frank, who married An
nie Guthrie and has three children; and Elmer,
who remained single. Mr. Pugh's religious be
lief, like those of his ancestry for generations, is
summed up in the simple creed of the Quakers,
which embodies the Golden Rule as the prime
obligation for the guidance of men and inculcates
the duty of doing justice, practicing virtue and
abstaining from violence in all its forms.

THOMAS C. TOWNSEND is of English
Quaker ancestry, and is connected through the
different branches and generations of the Town-
send family with the early settlers of that name
in the state of Pennsylvania, among the first of
whom was the Richard Townsend, who came
over from England in the ship "Welcome," and
was one of those concerned in the erection of
the first mill at Chester, where he settled in the
seventeenth century. The descendants of Rich
ard were Joseph, David, John, William and Jo
seph. William Townsend, the great-grand
father of Thomas C, was born in Bucks county,
Pennsylvania, married Elizabeth Matson, and
both their deaths occurred in Upper Oxford.
William Townsend, the grandfather of Thomas

C1&^£^g <3Zy^

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

379

C, was bprn in 1777, in Bucks county, Penn
sylvania, and died in 1839. Thomas Fell, an
early ancestor of his paternal grandmother
Letitia Fell, was among the number of settlers
and inhabitants of Pennsylvania who signed
"The Petition of the People called Quakers," for
a settlement of the' border difficulties in 1732,
between Maryland and the "Province of Pensil-
vania," and which was addressed to "George the
Second, King of Great Britain." Among the
two hundred and one signers of this "Petition,"
the names of Joseph Sharpless, and Joseph Town-
send also appear. Through intermarriages, the
Townsend family is connected with the old Penn
sylvania families of Sharpless, Smedley and
Lockwood. Among the children born to William and
Letitia (Fell) Townsend was Thomas, the
father of Thomas C. He was born in December,
1804, in Upper Oxford township, Chester coun
ty, Pennsylvania, was educated in the common
schools of the county and later removed to Penn
township, Chester county, where he became a
farmer, and remained until his decease, Decem
ber 15, 1889. He was a Republican, and held
the local office of school director in the township.
He married Amy A. Mackey, daughter of David
Mackey, a farmer of Penn township, and they
were the parents of six children : Sarah W., born
in 1845, married Joseph G. Moore, had issue,
ten children, died in 1900 ; John W., born 1849,
married Grace Doran, and died in 1897; Letitia,
born 1850, unmarried; William F., born 1857,
died i860; Frank, born 1862, died 1885, and
Thomas C, born May 5, 1852, in Penn township.
Mr. T. C. Townsend has been a resident of
London Grove and identified with the interests
of the township since 1894, when he removed
from Centre county, Pennsylvania, where he had
been engaged in the milling business which he had
previously conducted at Phoenixville, Chester
county. Mr. Townsend was educated at the
common schools and at Wyers Academy, West
Chester. After he gave up the milling business
and came to London Grove to reside, he turned
his attention to farming, a vocation in which he
is still engaged, and for several years he attended
the Philadelphia market in connection with this
pursuit. He is connected with the Knights of the
Golden Eagle, and the Junior Order of Ameri
can Mechanics. He is also active in local politics,
and is a member of the West Grove Republican
Club. In 1875, Mr. Townsend married Elizabeth S.
Dance (born in 1849), a daughter of William S.
and Hannah (Strickland) Dance, of Lower Ox
ford, Chester county. They are the parents of
four children, the fifth, Lillian, who was born
in 1890, having died at the age of ten years, in
1900. The remaining children are: Florence

L., born in 1876, and married in 1900, to Mor
ton Ivison; William C, born in 1878, and who
is unmarried; and Francis R., born in 1888.
Mrs. Townsend is a member of the Methodist
Episcopal church, and her daughter, Florence
L., is a member of the United Presbyterian
church.

SAMUEL MORRIS JONES, extensively
engaged in farming interests in the township of
London Grove, Chester county, Pennsylvania, also
acting in the capacity of treasurer of the Conard &
Jones Company since its organization in 1897,
was born on the old homestead in Germantown,
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1857, a son °^
Charles and Ann (Megargee) Jpnes.
Charles Jpnes, father of S. Morris Jones, was
birn in Montgomery county, Pennsylvania, in
1 81 7. He acquired his early educational advan
tages at the Westtown school, and this was sup
plemented by attendance at Haverford College
where he completed a most thorough collegiate
course. After serving a short period of time
as teacher at Olney, Philadelphia county, he
established a private school at Germantown which
he conducted successfully for three years, and.
then accepted the principalship of the Friends
Select School of Philadelphia, which responsible-
position he acceptably filled for many years.
He then for a time devoted his attention to the
manufacture of gold pens in the city of Philadel
phia, but later engaged in a mercantile trade — •
that of stoves, heaters and furnaces — his store
being located near the corner of Second and Vine
streets, then the center of trade in Philadelphia.
He strictly adhered to legitimate business
methods and therefore well merited the pros
perity which attended his enterprise. Mr. Jones
was united in marriage to Ann Megargee, a
daughter of Thomas Megargee, of Germantown,
Pennsylvania, and the following named children
were born to them : Hannah M., unmarried ;
John Barclay, whp married Helen Hopkins, and
they are the parents of two children; Samuel
Morris, mentioned hereinafter; Edward M., un
married; Mary Anna, unmarried; and Jane S.,
unmarried. The family reside in one of the hand
some and mpdern houses in Germantown, a
suburb of the city of Philadelphia. The father
of these children died May 30, 1902, and his
wife passed away in 1895, after a long life of
usefulness and fidelity to duty.
S. Morris Jones, second son of Charles and
Ann Jones, attended the Germantown Friends
School and later was a student at the Westtpwn
Bparding School, where he completed his studies
in 1873. His first business experience was gained
in the capacity of bookkeeper in the city of Phila
delphia, and after resigning from this position.

38o

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

he learned a trade. He removed to Colora,
Maryland, where he followed agricultural pur
suits up to the year 1882, when he changed his
place of residence to London Grove township,
Chester county, Pennsylvania, where he has re
sided ever since. In connection with farming he
is the owner of an extensive creamery, which
is fully equipped with all modern machinery and
apphcances for the successful operation of this
particular branch of industry. Upon the forma
tion of The Conard & Jones Company, floral
nurserymen, Mr. Jones was elected treasurer
and is still serving in that capacity. The com
pany was established for the purpose of growing
roses and flowering plants, also bulbs and flower
seeds, and they are now the most extensive
growers of cannas in the United States, each
year producing some new varieties. The busi
ness is conducted largely through the mail, orders
being shipped to points as far as Australia, New
Zealand, Japan, China, India and in fact cover
ing the entire globe. Their plant covers thirty-
five acres of ground, two of which are under
glass, and by issuing annually a large illustrated
catalogue which is distributed throughout the
United States and various foreign countries,
they keep in touch with the public and their pat
rons in all parts of the globe. Mr. Jones has
been for years an active advocate of good roads,
and has used every effort in that direction to
bring about the desired result especially through
the election of men to office who will carry out
those principles. He is an Independent in poli
tics, and holds a birthright membership in the
Orthodox Society of Friends.
In 1880 was celebrated the marriage of S.
Morris Jones and Jane C. Balderston, who was
a daughter of Lloyd and Catherine (Canaby)
Balderston, of Colora, Cecil county, Maryland.
Their children are : Lloyd B., a member of the
class of 1904 at Cornell University, where he is
pursuing a course of mechanical engineering;
Catherine B., a student at Wellesley College;
Charles Barclay, a student at Westtown Boarding
School; Marion H., a student at Westtown
Boarding School, and Edward Morris, attending
Friends Preparatory School at West Grove. The
family are well and favorably known in the com
munity where they have resided for almost a
quarter of a century, and take an active part in
all its social interests.

REBECCA WICKERSHAM. The Wicker
sham family, many members of which have been
prominently and actively associated with the
various interests of Chester county, Pennsyl
vania, for several generations, claim as their
pioneer ancestor Thomas Wickersham, a native
of Bolney, Sussex, England, who came to Penn

sylvania in 1700, bringing a certificate from the
Monthly Meeting held at Horsham, Sussex
county, England, September 11, 1700.
Isaac Wickersham, grandfather of Rebecca
Wickersham, was born in New Garden township,
Chester county, Pennsylvania, and in the com
mon schools of that vicinity he acquired a practi
cal education. He engaged in agricultural pur
suits on the old homestead throughout his entire
active career, and during that time made im
provements on the farm and additipns to the
buildings. He was united in marriage to Phebe
Michener, and on the old homestead they reared
a family of children to live lives of honesty
and usefulness.
William Wickersham, father of Rebecca
Wickersham, was born on the old homestead in
New Garden township, Chester county, Decem
ber 3, 1830. After completing a common school
education he removed to Upper Oxford and de
voted his attention to farming there until 1883,
when he located in London Grove township, and
continued the same line of industry. The farm
was known as the "Moore Place" and consists
of fifty-four acres of well tilled land which is
devoted to general farming. Mr. Wickersham
is highly esteemed in the community for his in
tegrity, public spirit, and many estimable quali
ties which he displays in his daily life and conver
sation. In politics he adheres to the principles of
the Prohibition party, and in religion he conforms
to the tenets of the Society of Friends. On Feb
ruary 25, 1864, Mr. Wickersham married Rachel
Moore, who was born in Sadsbury, Pennsylvania,
August 7, 1841, a daughter of Walker and Anna
(Smedley) Moore, the former named being a
son of John and Mary (Walker) Moore, of
Sadsbury, Lancaster county, where his birth oc
curred January 14, 1810; he died at Christiana,
September 29, 1890. His wife, Anna (Smedley)
Moore, was born in Little Britain, Lancaster
county, September 4, 1818, and died January
13, 1876; she was a daughter of Joseph and
Rachel (Ballance) Smedley.
The children born to Mr. and Mrs. Wicker
sham were: 1. Isaac Walker, born August 10,
1865, in Upper Oxford township, was educated
in the public schools, and since completing his
studies has assisted his father with the work of
the farm. On December 15, 1899 he married
Martha K. Cope, who was born in East Bradford,
February. 5, 1875, a daughter of Nathan and E.
Elva (Kaler) Cope, and their children are:
Howard W., born February 13, 1900, and W.
Clifford, born March 31, 1902. 2. John M.,
born August 12, 1867, married at Oxford, Penn
sylvania, July 17, 1889, Eva L. Galloway, born
in Chester, Pennsylvania, July 4, 1868, a daugh
ter of William T. and Sarah S. (Miller) Gallo
way, of Oxford; their children are: John Hor-

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

33i

ace, born October 13, 1890, and William Q. Le
Roy, born June 3, 1897. 3. Joseph A., born
December 5, 1868, married at Chesterville, Ches
ter county, December 8, 1892, Emma L. Cullen,
born August 7, 1869, a. daughter of David and
Mary E. (Steel) Cullen, of Cecil county, Mary
land; they have one child, Leon M., born at
West Chester, September 26, 1893. 4. Phebe
A., born May 30, 1871, died December 15, 1873.
5. Mary A., born August 26, 1872, engaged as a
teacher in Philadelphia. 6. Rachel C, born
March 22, 1875, engaged in teaching in Phila
delphia, Pennsylvania. 7. Hanna A., born Octo
ber 27, i877,married at Old West Grove Friends'
Meeting House, October 16, 1902, John W.
Passmore of Chatham, Chester county, Pennsyl
vania, son of Lewis and Ellen (Cope) Passmore.
S. Rebecca E., born June 28, 1880, on the old
homestead in Upper Oxford, Chester county,
Pennsylvania, and in the schools of London
Grove township and Westtown Boarding School,
she received a good business education.
Miss Rebecca E. Wickersham is dignified in
bearing, refined in manner, intelligent and bright
in conversation, and is always ready to assist
heartily in any worthy or charitable enterprise
to the best of her ability. She resides with her
parents in their spacious and comfortable home
in London Grove township, Chester county,
Pennsylvania.

PENNOCK COOPER. Among the men
who have achieved success in the quiet but use
ful occupation of farming, may be mentioned
the name of Pennock Cooper, who is conducting
extensive operations along that line on his farm
in London Grove township, Chester county,
Pennsylvania. His birth occurred in this town
ship September 13, 1859. The pioneer ancestor
of the family in the United States is supposed
to have been James Cooper, a native of Lancas
ter, England, who removed to Mayfield, in the
county of Stafford, about 1674, and ten years
later came to Pennsylvania, settling in Darby
township. Truman Cooper, grandfather of Pennock Coop
er, was born in Lancaster county. Pennsylvania,
and his educational advantages were those afford
ed by the common schools of the neighborhood.
He. was a farmer by occupation and followed this
pursuit throughout his entire active career, which
was spent on the old homestead. He married
and reared a family of children, all of whom be
came prominent and law abiding citizens of this
section of the state.
Horatio G. Cooper, one of the children born
to Truman Cooper, was the father of Pennock
Cooper, and his birth occurred on the old home
stead in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, in 1818.

After completing his education, which was ob
tained in the public schools of the vicinity, he
entered a cabinet-making establishment where
he thoroughly mastered the trade in all its
branches, and for several years subsequent to
the completion of his apprenticeship he followed
that line of business, which proved both pleasant
and profitable. In 1842 he changed his place of
residence to London Grove township, Chester
county, and purchased a farm of sixty-five acres
of land which he cultivated and developed to a
high state of perfection, from the products of
which he derived a goodly income. In 1842 Mr.
Cooper married Elizabeth Hoopes, born in 1818,
a daughter of Benjamin and Phebe Hoopes,
residents of New Garden township, Chester
county, where they were engaged in farming in
terests. The issue of this marriage was three
daughters and one son — Rachel A., who was
the wife of Clarkson Moore, her death occurred
in 1874; Sylvania, the widow of Thompson
Frame; Lydia, unmarried; Pennock, mentioned
hereinafter. The death of Horatio G. Cooper
occurred in 1900, his wife having passed away
in 1895. Pennock Cooper, only son of Horatio G. and
Elizabeth Cooper, attended the private schools of
his native township and this was supplemented
by a course of study at the Westtown Boarding
School. His business career has been devoted
to agricultural pursuits on the old homestead,
where in addition to general farming he con
ducts a fine dairy of from fifteen to twenty cows,
which is attached to his farm. In all transac
tions he is prompt, accurate and reliable, and has
proven himself to be an intelligent man of busi
ness. In politics he is a Republican, and in re
ligion a birthright member of the Society of
Friends. On May 14, 1890, was celebrated the mar-
raige of Pennock Cooper and Deborah P. Cham
bers, who was born in 1853, a daughter of the
late Joseph P. and Jael C. Chambers, of New
Garden township, Chester county, Pennsylvania.
One child, who died in infancy, was born of
this union.

JOSEPH MARLEY, a prosperous farmer
of London Grove township, Chester county, was
born in 1852, in county Donegal, Ireland, the son
of a farmer who also bore the name of Joseph.
Mr. Marley was educated in his native place, and
assisted his father in the labors of the farm until
1871. In that year, haying attained his majority,
he came to the United States and settled at Doe
Run, Chester county, where he worked for seven
years on the farm of Enos Barnard. He then
took the adjoining property, which he cultivated
for thirteen years, and in 1893 purchased his

382

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

present home, known as the "Caleb Hoopes
farm," consisting of eighty acres. This estate
is managed by Mr. Marley as a general dairy
farm, and is maintained in a very flourishing
condition. Sixty head of cattle form a part of
the equipment of the farm. Politically Mr.
Marley is a Democrat. He is a member of the
West Grove Roman Catholic church.
Mr. Marley married, February 5, 1885, Mary,
born in 1855, daughter of Giles and Mary
(Twammey) Lahey. The former, who was a
farmer of West Grove, Chester county, died in
1887, his wife having passed away in 1881. The
following children were born to Mr. and Mrs.
Marley: Madge, who was born in 1886; Mary,
who was born In 1888; and Rose, who died
young.

MARCELLUS S. COOK. Prominent in
the local history of West Chester is the name of
Dr. Jesse W. Cook, the father of Mr. Marcellus
S. Cook, who is believed to have been the first
resident dentist in West Chester. He was also a
physician, and was born in Baltimore, Maryland,
but came in 1835, to West Chester, where he be
came active in his profession and as president of
the Young Ladies' Seminary. He eventually re
moved to Ohio, and his interest in the science of
dentistry was such that he was instrumental in
founding the College of Dental Surgery in Phil
adelphia, and possibly one at Cincinnati, Ohio.
Born in York county, August 29, 1823, and
having passed through Bolmar's Academy at
West Chester, Marcellus S. Cook first entered
upon the profession of his father, Dr. Jesse W.
Cook. Subsequent ill health forcing him to give
up dentistry, he went to Cincinnati, Ohio, and
was engaged for two years in the dry goods busi
ness. Not caring for a mercantile life, he next
went to Warren county, Ohio, and tried farming
for a period of four years, later traveling in the
sale of hydraulic rams and patent rights. Later
he moved to Indiana where he was engaged in
farming for three years. In 1858 he returned
east to Chester county, Pennsylvania, settling
near West Grove, and at this time he became
connected with Dingee & Conard's Nursery at
West Grove, remaining with them until 1861,
when he entered the nursery busines for himself
and continued it for ten years in the vicinity of
Avondale. Since this period he has been less act
ively engaged in business, and leads the life of
a retired farmer. He is an esteemed elder in the
Society of Friends Meeting, a strict Prohibition
ist, and a member of the Patrons of Husbandry
and Farmers' Club of West Grove.
Mr. Cook has been married three times. His
first wife, Harriet Whitaker, whom he married
in 1845, was the daughter of Aguilla and Ruth

Whitaker, of Ohio. She bore him two daugh
ters : Harriet, born in 1848, who married Frank
Schell, and became the mother of four children ;
and Esther J., born in 1846, who married Samuel
Smith, and became the mother of three children.
The decease of Harriet (Whitaker) Cook oc
curred in 1848, and Mr. Cook afterwards mar
ried his second wife, Eliza Branson (born 1826),
the daughter of .Thomas Branson, a farmer of
Greene county, Ohio. Of this union four chil
dren were the issue: Anna B., born in 185 1 ;
Hadley S., born in 1853 ; Elizabeth, born in 1857,
all of whom died young ; and Thamzine H., also
born in 1857, who married Eugene Lehman, and
had issue of three children.
The third wife of Marcellus Cook was Esther
Hollingshead, born in 1835. She was a daugh
ter of Charles Hollingshead (deceased), a farmer
of Medford, New Jersey. Two sons were born
of the marriage, viz: Harvey M., who married
Jennie Dance; and Nathan J., deceased.
Harvey M. Cook is one of the foremost busi
ness men of Avondale. He was the founder of
the water works in that village, and is president
of the same and a controlling stockholder. He
transacts a large insurance business. His two
sons are Everett and Irving.

STEPHEN W. SAVERY, one of the leading
farmers of Chester county, is descended on the
paternal side frpm ancestors who were residents
of Philadelphia, his grandfather, Thomas Sav-
ery, having been a carpenter and builder in that
city, and at the time of the yellow fever epidemic
he was one of the heroic few who were active in
caring for the sick. Thomas Savery was de
scended from a family of French extraction. In
1795 he married Rebecca Scattergood, and they
were the parents of the following children: 1.
Sarah, who died ypung; 2. William, who mar
ried Rebecca Cresson, of Philadelphia; 3. Mary,
who married Thomas Scattergood; 4. Thomas,
mentioned at length hereinafter; 5. Elizabeth.
Mr. Savery died in 1817, at the age of sixty-
seven years. His widow survived him nearly
forty years, dying in 1856, at an advanced age.
Thomas Savery, son of Thomas and Rebecca
(Scattergood) Savery, was reared to his father's
trade, but later engaged in the lumber business
with his brother William. This he followed suc
cessfully until 1845, when his health failed, and
he lived retired until 1854. He then removed
to a farm in Chester county, which came to his
wife from her father, Stephen Webb, and upon
which he spent the remainder of his days. He
was deeply interested in educational and religious
affairs, and was a member of the building com
mittee of the Westtown Boarding School, and

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

3»3

clerk of the Friends' Monthly Meeting in Phila
delphia and Kennett Monthly Meeting. He mar
ried Hannah H. Webb, born in 1810, daughter of
Stephen and Mary (Harvey) Webb, and their
family consisted of the following children:
Stephen, mentioned at length hereinafter;
Thomas; Sarah; Edward; William, deceased;
Mary, deceased; Charles, deceased; and Eliza
beth. Mr. Savery ended his long and useful life
in March, i860, and his wife survived him until
August, 1890.
Stephen W. Savery, eldest child of Thomas
and Hannah H. (Webb) Savery, was born
August 27, 1835, in Philadelphia, and was edu
cated in the schools of that city, and at West-
town Boarding School. He early evinced a pref
erence for agricultural pursuits, and at the age
of fifteen came to Chester county, to live with
his uncle, Stephen Webb, with whom he remained
three summers, and the fourth summer went to re
side in the family of his grandfather Webb, whom
he relieved of the responsibility and labor of farm
management. In 1853 the death of his grand
father made it necessary for him to retain the
charge of the Webb farm, and in 1854 his father,
Thomas Savery, moved from Philadelphia to the
farm, where he remained till he died in i860. In
1873 his mother and sister removed to West
Chester, and Mr. Savery continued to conduct the
farm until 1892, when he bought the farm upon
which he has since resided.
Mr. Savery was married, in 1873, to Miss
Susanna Forsythe, daughter of William and Eliz
abeth P. (Pusey) Forsythe. Mrs. Savery is a
lady of excellent attainments, and has for many
years been an active and influential leader in edu
cational and benevolent affairs, and her great
ability and usefulness find abundant attestation
in the numerous important positions to which she
has been called, and her long continuance therein.
She has served most acceptably in that of school
director for eight years, and her influence is
clearly discernable in the increased efficiency of
the schools since she first entered upon her duties.
For five years she has served as chairman of the
Chester County Women's Christian Temperance
League, and for a considerable period as honor1
ary president of the Chester County Needlework
Guild. She is also an active member of the Chil
dren's Aid Society, and is held in gratitude not
only .for her services in behalf of that beneficent
organization, but for her aid in other humani
tarian enterprises, and for her liberal personal
benefactions. Mr. and Mrs. Savery are the parents of six
children — Susanna, deceased ; Elizabeth, who is
the wife of Charles Roberts, of West Chester;
Charles W., who. is engaged in the lumber busi
ness in North Carolina ; Hannah E. ; Miriam F.,
and Walter Savery.^ 25X

WILLIAM J. PUSEY. In the township
of London Grove, Chester county, Pennsylvania,
where William J. Pusey was born April 6, 1870,
and where his name has long been associated
with its agricultural pursuits, has also been the
birthplace of his ancestors on the maternal side
for many generations, they having been the own
ers of a productive tract of land known as the
Locust Bank farm.
Joseph W. Pusey, grandfather of William
J. Pusey, was born on the old hofnestead in Lon
don Grove township, Chester county, and he ac
quired a practical education at the Unionville
Academy. Throughout the active years of his
life he engaged in farming on the ancestral es
tate, and by dint of thrift and industry was en
abled to provide a comfortable home for his wife,
Elizabeth (Barnard) Pusey, a native of London
Grove township, and their children, among whom
was a son, Edwin Pusey.
Edwin Pusey, father of William J. Pusey,
was born on the old homestead in the township
of West Marlborough, Chester county, in 1841,
and his educational advantages were obtained at
the Kennett Square Academy. He began the ac
tive business of life in the capacity of a farmer,
and the care and cultivation which he bestowed
upon his fields were rewarded by a plentiful and
remunerative harvest, which brought him in a
sufficient income to allow him to lay aside a
competence for his declining years. He is now
enjoying the same, having retired some years
ago from the activities of a business career. He
has always been an earnest advocate of the Re
publican party, but has never sought or desired
the honors of public office. He is a member of
the Society of Friends, taking a deep and abiding
interest in all the work connected with it. In
1869 he married Elizabeth Hoopes, who was born
in 1841, a daughter of Samuel and Hannah
Hoopes, residents of London Grove township,
where Mr. Hoopes is engaged in agricultural
pursuits. Six children have been born of this
marriage, namely : William J., born in 1870, un
married ; Amy, born in 187 1, wife of Edward Buf
fington and mother of one child ; Samuel H., born
in 1873, married Mary Wood, and they are the
parents of one child; Susan, born in 1875, un
married ; Helen C, born in 1881, unmarried, and
Marion B., born in 1882, also unmarried. Mrs.
Pusey, mother of these children, died in the year
1898, after having lived a useful and honorable
life of fifty-seven years.
William J. Pusey, eldest son of Edwin and
Elizabeth Pusey, first attended the common
schools of London ' Grove township, and later
was. a student at. Ercildoun and Kennett Square
Academies, where he obtained a liberal educa
tion. He subsequently located on his present
farm known as the "Meadow View Farm," which

3«4

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

consists of one hundred and three acres of highly
cultivated farm land, arid here he is extensively
engaged in general farming operations, having
every detail of the business under his personal
supervision. In politics he is an Independent Re
publican, and in religion a birthright member of
the Society of Friends, and he holds member
ship with the Patrons of Husbandry. Mr. Pu
sey is unmarried.

EDWIN GILBERT, a well-known farmer of
London Grove township, Chester county, is a
grandson of Daniel Gilbert, a native of Mont
gomery county, and for most of his life a farmer,
though for a short time he was a tavern keeper.
Among his children was a son, Peter H., born
in 1816 on the old homestead in Montgomery
county. He was educated in the public schools
there and became a farmer, living in Montgomery
county until 1854, when he moved to Chester
county, settling in West Goshen township. He
afterward moved to East Goshen township and
thence to Malvern, where he passed the remainder
of his life. He was a Whig in early life, but
became a Republican on the organiation of that
party, and he was a member of the Lutheran
church. In 1844 he married Mary Roberts, born
in 1820, daughter of Amos Roberts, a farmer
of Montgomery county. Mr. and Mrs. Gilbert
were the parents of the following children: 1.
Daniel, deceased, who married Rebecca John;
2. Lydia, who became the wife of William Hunt
and has three children; 3. Isaac, who married
Margaret Meredith; 4. Mary, who married M.
C. Cotton, and has one son; 5. Margaret, who
married William Garrett; 6. Edwin, mentioned
at length hereinafter; 7. Adeline, who died un
married; 8. Alice, who is the wife of Howard
Yearsley; 9. Ella (twin with Alice), who died in
childhood. Mr. Gilbert died April 19, 1901.
His wife, who survives him, makes her home with
her daughter Margaret.
Edwin Gilbert, sixth child and third son of
Peter H. and Mary (Roberts) Gilbert, was born
February 24, 1857, in East Goshen township,
Chester county, where he attended the common
schools. After finishing his education he became
a farmer at Malvern, at the same time engaging
in business as a butcher. In a few years, how
ever, he moved to East Brandywine township,,
where he turned his attention exclusively to
farming. In 1884 he moved to his present home
in London Grove township, where he carries on
a dairy farm, having a herd of seventeen cows.
Everything about the place is managed according
to the most approved methods and with very
satisfactory results. Mr. Gilbert has for the
past twenty years also operated a mill located
on his farm. He has improved and remodeled

it, fitting it up with modern machinery, and has
built up a large patronage. With the grist mill,
which has two runs of burrs, is included a saw
mill with both circular and upright saws, and a
cider mill of the most improved hydraulic pattern.
Both water power and a gasoline engine are
used in the operation of the mill. For a number
of years Mr. Gilbert has made a close study of
domestic animals in health and disease, and has
become something of ' an expert in veterinary
science. He is active in township affairs, being
at the present time auditor, an office he has held
for two terms, He is a Republican, and stands
high in the esteem of his party. He and his
family attend Friends' Meeting.
In 1 88 1, on May 4, Mr. Gilbert married
Lydia J. Cox, born in 1859, daughter of Thomas
S. and Mary W. Cox, her father being a farmer of
Willistown township, Chester county. Mrs. Gil
bert was educated in the public schools of Willis
town and in the Friends' Ladies' Seminary at
Malvern, where she remained for three years, fin
ishing her studies at the Friends' high school at
West Chester. She was a teacher prior to her
marriage, and has always taken a deep interest
in educational work. She has been a member
of the London Grove township school board since
1896, and for the past five years has been its
secretary. Mr. and Mrs. Gilbert are the parents
of two children, Abby W., born in 1883, and
Jesse D., born in 1884.

DANIEL LAMONT TINGLEY, a well
known resident of London Grove township, is
the son of Benjamin W. Tingley, who was born
in Delaware, in 1799. Benjamin Tingley re
ceived his education in the common schools of
his county, but while still a young man, went to
Philadelphia and entered into the commission
dry goods business. A short time after, however,
he turned his attention to banking, but finally
returned tp the commission dry goods business
and continued in that line until 1865, when he
retired. His death occurred in the year 1872.
He married Elizabeth, daughter of James Wilson,
a wholesale grocer of Philadelphia, Pennsyl
vania, and Elenpr Wilson ; they were the parents
of seven children : James, who died when young ;
Ellen, married to William B. Taylor, and they
were the parents of five children ; Clement, mar
ried to Louisa H. Scott, and they were the pa
rents of two children; Benjamin, married to
Lucy Hill, without issue; Elizabeth, married to
William W. Hansom, parents of two children;
Thomas R., who died unmarried, and Daniel L.,
the fourth and youngest son.
A native of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Mr.
Daniel L. Tingley, was born in the Quaker City
on November 8, 1837. He was educated at

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

385

various private schools, at the Polytechnic
School and the Episcopal Academy in Philadel
phia, and soon after he had finished his educa
tion, entered first the dry goods business, and
then the banking business, in which he was
associated with his father. Later on he became
interested in the iron ore business in Virginia, in
connection with ex-Governor John White Geary,
of Kansas, afterward governor of Pennsylvania
and major-general in the army; some time after
this venture, however, he became proprietor of
the Philadelphia shoe firm known as D. R. King
Wholesale Shoe Manufactory. In 1884, Mr.
Tingley came to Chester county and bought the
old Way Farm in London Grove township, where
he now resides with his family. Although he
did not see active service, Mr. Tingley enlisted
at the beginning of the Civil war in the Phila
delphia Gray Reserves, now known as the First
Regiment of Philadelphia. He is an adherent
of the tenets of the Republican party, a member
of the Presbyterian church, and an esteemed
citizen of the township in which he resides.
Mr. Tingley married Emily Worrell, daugh
ter of Albert Worrell, a prominent merchant and
importer of Philadelphia, and Elizabeth Worrell,
whose father, William Worrell, was also an
importer ; she is descended from one of the oldest
and best known families of Philadelphia, one of
her ancestors, John Worrell, a Friend; having
emigrated from Oare, Berkshire, England, in
1682, and who settled in Chester. Mr. and Mrs.
Tingley have been the parents of ten children,
all of whom are living but one, Albert W., who
died when ten years old. The children living
are: Elizabeth W., married to H.' M. Mackey;
Emily, unmarried; Daniel Lamont, Jr., unmar
ried; Edward W., married to Emma Still;
Caroline L., married to C. Sumner Pyle ; Gurney
P. ; Helen ; Jerome ; and Clementine W., all of
whom are unmarried.

JOEL B. PUSEY, an influential and re
spected citizen of Avondale borough, Chester
county, Pennsylvania, who in addition to the
operation of an extensive and flourishing dairy,
is a potent factor in several important enterprises
which have for their object the building up and
advancement of the community in which he re
sides, was born on the old homestead in London
Grove township, Chester county, Pennsylvania,
May 1, 1833, a son of Joshua B. and Maria
Pusey. The progenitor of the American branch of
the Pusey family was William Pusey, a native
of England, who came to America accompanied
bv his son Caleb Pusey in 1682; they settled in
Chester county, Pennsylvania, and their first oc
cupation was milling, which they later abandoned

in order to devote their entire attention to agri
cultural pursuits. The old homestead was pur
chased by William Pusey in 1714, and the resi
dence thereon was erected by Caleb Pusey in
1728. The majority of the mills in Chester coun
ty were doubtless erected by members of this
family. Joshua B. Pusey, father of Joel B. Pusey,
was born in East ' Marlborough township, Ches
ter county, May 18, 1806, a son of Joseph and
Sarah Ann (Bailey) Pusey. In early life
Joshua B. Pusey learned the trade of miller in
the mill owned and operated by his father, which
was located in the vicinity of Parkesburg, but'
later he inherited the old .homestead in London
Grove township, and the remainder of his days
were spent in its cultivation and improvement.
On December 30, 1830, Mr. Pusey married Maria
Spencer, born in Franklin township, Chester
county, in 1806, a daughter of Asa and Hannah
(Good) Spencer. Their children were: Lewis,
born December 10, 1831, died May 5, 1891 ;
Joel B., born May 1, 1833 ; Emily, born July 23,
1835; Sarah Ann, born December 1, 1838, died
December 23, 1861 ; Isaac, born October 25,
1841 ; Louisa, born July 16, 1844, died Septem
ber 7, 1852; Edith H., born March 15, 1848; and
William J., born September 6, 1851. Mr. Pusey
was an active member of the Society of Friends,
and served as overseer and elder at the London
Grove Meetings. He died at his residence in
Chester county, October 4, 1870 ; his widow died
June 23, 1883.
Joel B. Pusey, second son of Joshua B. and
Maria Pusey, was educated in the schools at
Westtown and the school near Jennersville,
Chester county, which was under the efficient
supervision of Thomas Harvey. For a number
of years after the completion of his studies he
assisted his father with the labor on the home
farm, and in 1861 began farming on rented
property and continued until 1868, when he re
moved to Avondale, engaged in the lumber busi
ness, and also coal yard, first in Avondale. Dur
ing the period that elapsed between 1868 and
1878, by industry and frugality, he was enabled
to accumulate sufficient money to purchase his
present farm in the same borough which con
sists of two hundred and twelve acres and is
known as the Ellicott farm. He has since sold
fifty-eight acres. Here he conducts an extensive
dairy of well selected stock and the proceeds from
this branch of industry, being of a superior
quality, are readily disposed of at a goodly profit.
For twenty-three consecutive years Mr. Pusey
served as president of the Building Loan Asso
ciation of Avondale, being one of the founders of
same, and for a number of years was a director of
the West Grove Bank. Mr. Pusey is a Republi
can in politics, and has always given his party

386

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

an active and loyal support. In 1894 he was
elected county treasurer, was a director of the
poor for three terms and served as president of
the school board for thirty-three years, which
position he still occupies.
Mr. Pusey was united in marriage, iri 1858,
to Matilda Wilkinson, daughter of Carver arid
Rachel (Mackey) Wilkinson, the former named
having been a prosperous farmer of Franklin
township, Chester county. Their children were:
Louisa, unmarried, resides at home ; James Car
ver, married Susan Conn and they are the pa
rents of one child, J. Carver Pusey; Mary H.,
wife of William B. Seal; Edward, deceased;
Charles, who is also unmarried and resides at
home ; and Maria, unmarried at home. Mr.
Pusey is a member of the Orthodox Friends.
Mrs. Pusey died May 13, 1900.

JOHN I. CARTER, a successful farmer and
highly respected citizen of London Grove town
ship, Chester county, is the grandson of John
Carter, a native of England, who on coming to
this country landed in Philadelphia. Later he
moved to Maryland, where he engaged in farm
ing. He was the father of two sons, John, Jr.,
and, Henry. The latter, who was born in 1804,
at Stafford Mills, Maryland, received his edu
cation at the Westtown Boarding School, and
then assisted his father in the care of the home
stead. He afterward bought a farm in Lancas
ter county, where he made his home. He was a
Republican in politics, and served prominently
in the constitutional convention. He married
Mary A. Jackson, born in 1803, in London Grove
township, daughter of Joel Jackson, a farmer of
that place. Mr. and Mrs. Carter were the pa
rents of the following named children : John I.,
mentioned at length hereinafter; Evan, who died
unmarried; Alice, who married Alfred Brown,
and has one child; Anna, who became the wife
of Cooper Stubbs, and has five children ; Harlan,
who remained single, and was killed while serv
ing in the army during the Civil war ; Edith,
who married Davis Scott, and has one child;
Joel, who married Susan Haines ; and Catharine,
who is unmarried. Mrs. Carter, the mother of
the family, died in 1895, and her husband passed
away in 1896, both haying attained the age of
ninety-two years.
John I. Carter, son of Henry and Mary A.
(Jackson) Carter, was born December 24, 1826,
on the old- homestead, in Lancaster county, arid
moved at an early age to Chester county, where
he was educated in Kennett Square. He engaged
in 'farming in Upper Oxford township until 1856,
when he 'moved to -London Grove township, and
there. conducted for eight years the State Experi-'
mental Farm. He then came to his present home,

in the same township, where he has since lived.
His fine abilities as an agriculturist are displayed
in the management of his extensive dairy farm
whereon he ' maintains fifty cows of superior
breed, and to which he has a creamery attached.
In politics he is an Independent Republican, and
has been called by his neighbors to fill the office
of county auditor. He is a member of the
Grange, and attends Friends' Meeting.
' Mr. Carter married Rachel Patterson, of
Lancaster county, and the following children
were born "to them : Mary, who married Howard
Johnson, and has three children; Willis, and
Charles who both died unmarried; and Eliza
beth, who became the wife of Ernest Brown, and
is the mother of two children. Mrs. Carter died
in i860, and in 1863 Mr. Carter married Caro
line, daughter of Abraham Rakestraw, a farmer
of Lancaster county. By his second marriage
Mr. Carter is the father of the following chil
dren, all of whom are unmarried : Alice, Harry,
Morris and Clarence.

AMOS S. BAKER, a, man of energy and
thorough business experience, who is successfully
engaged in agricultural pursuits in London
Grove township, Chester county, Pennsylvania,
was born in West Fallowfield township, June 16,
1851, the son of Mifflin and Hannah E. Baker.
Mifflin Baker, father of Amos S. Baker, was
born in Londonderry township, Chester county,
Pennsylvania, in 1821, and acquired the advan
tages afforded by the common schools of Ken
nett Square. He began his business career as a
farmer in West Fallowfield township, and being-
very successful in this undertaking he continued
to make it his chief industry throughout his life
time. In his political affiliations he adhered to
the principles of the Republican party, and in
religious matters he was a firm supporter of the
doctrines of the Society of Friends. In 1845 he
was united in marriage to Hannah E.. Speakman,
a daughter pf . Amos Speakman, who was en
gaged in farming pursuits in Londori Grove
township, Chester courtty. Their children are:
1. Eugene, who married Mary A. Pyle and two
children have been born to them ; 2. Amos Baker ;
3. Oliver, unmarried ; '4. Nettie, wife' of John
Harris and mother of four children. The" death
of Mr. Baker, which occurred in 1894, was oc
casioned by a tree falling upon him in West
London Grove township.
Amos S. Baker, second son of Mifflin and
Hannah E. Baker, attended the comrnon schools
of Unionville, .where he obtained a practical
education.' Later he adopted agriculture as his
life vocation, following this 611 the old homestead'
until the present. ' Pie purchased a farm in Lon
don Grove township, in partnership with his

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

387

brother, Eugene Baker, where the latter has
since been continuously engaged in the cultiva
tion and improvement of the ground, the in
spection and well being of the stock, and the con
dition and appearance of his residence and out
buildings. The life of Amos S. Baker has been
that of an industrious and progressive farmer,
unmarked by any great changes, and in his daily
intercourse with his fellow citizens he has always
proved himself to be an honest and public-spirited
man. Politically Mr. Baker follows the tradi
tions of his father and is a Republican, although
he has never taken any prominent part in local
affairs. He is a member of the Junior Order of
American Mechanics, and the Masonic Lodge at
Cochranville, Pennsylvania.
In 1891 Mr. Baker was united in marriage
to Mabel Pyle, a daughter of Martin Pyle, a
retired citizen of Kennett Square, Chester county,
Pennsylvania. Mr.. Baker, and his wife are regu
lar attendants of the Presbyterian church, taking
and active interest in the work of the various so
cieties connected with it.

SAMUEL E. W0RTH> extensively engaged
in farming interests in the township of London
Grove, Chester county, Pennsylvania, was born
March 24,' 1863, at Chatham, Chester county, and
traces his ancestry to Thomas Worth, a native
of England, who was born in 1 679, 'and 'emi
grated to this country about the. same time that
William Penn. made his first" voyage here.
Thomas Worth was united in marriage to Isa-
belle Davidson, and their children were ; John
Thomas, Samuel, and Sarah Worth,
Marshall Worth,. father of Samuel E. Worth,
was born in East Marlborough township, Chester
county, Pennsylvania, January 29,. 1 825. He was
a pupil in the common schools of the locality, and
after completing his education learned the trade
of blacksmith at Embreeville, under the efficient
direction of EHis Patterson. He followed this
line of industry for several years in his native
township, after which he removed to Kennett
Square and acquired the trade of carriage-maker.
He gave his entire attention to that business in
the new locality, where he remained up to the
year 1850, when he located in Chatham and es
tablished a carriage making business, which he
conducted up to a few years ago, when he retired
from active business pursuits. He was a man of
fine executive ability and a wonderful capacity
for looking after details, and these characteristics
were essential factors in the success which he
achieved in his business enterprises. In 1847 he
married Annie Snyder, a daughter of Fred and
Adeline Snyder, the former named being a pros
perous agriculturist of Lancaster county, 'Penn-
, sylvania. Their children were : George, de

ceased; Joseph, deceased; Emmor, deceased;
Adeline, wife of Eugene Acker and mother of
two children; and Samuel E. Worth.
Samuel E. Worth, only surviving son of
Marshall and Annie Worth, was reared to man
hood in his native township of Chatham, edu
cated in the common schools and subsequently
devoted his attention to the trade of carriage
painting, which he acquired under the personal
supervisiort of his father. He then entered into
partnership with Alfred McLear, at West Ches
ter, and for nine years they conducted a flourish
ing business which was the result of industry,
perseverance, skillful workmanship, and strictly
honorable business methods. After the expira
tion of this period he took up his residence in
London Grove township, where he now resides,
purchased a farm consisting of sixty-two acres
of productive land with dairy attached, arid up
"to the present time (1903) has been quietly and
industriously engaged in agricultural ' pursuits.
In politics' he is a stanch Republican, arid, while
never taking an active part in local affairs, yet
always gives deep and earnest consideration to the
great political questions of the day. In' fraternal
relations he is a prominent member ofthe Inde
pendent Order of Odd Fellows, taking a keen
and active interest in all the transactions of the
organization. In 1894, occurred the marriage of Mr. Worth
and Edith Story, daughter of Samuel and Emma
(Heston) Story, both- of whom are now deceased,
the former named having been a prosperous f af m-
] er of London Grove township. The following
named children have been born to Mr. and Mrs.
Worth: . Emmor,' Emma, Annie, and Joseph, all
of whom are unmarried. Mr.' Worth and the
members of his family are regular and consist-
'eht attendants of the Methodist -Episcopal church
of London Grove township.

REUBEN BERNARD. The family of
which Reuben Bernard is a worthy representative
claims one of the most ancient of surnames, it
being first taken from Roche-Bernard,' and old
fortified manor-house of Normandy, but it has
been in use as a baptismal nafne since the eighth
century; it was originally derived from northern
mythology, signifying boldness, literally, "bear's
heart," from Bern, the bear, and the "courage it
implies, and an early ancestor bore tipon his
shield a bear rampant.
The pioneer ancestor of the • families of this
name residing in Chester and Delaware counties,
was Richard Bernard, who was the owner of land
near Chester, Pennsylvania, as early as 1683,
served as a grand juror in the same town in 1686,
and died previous to May 5, 1698. His eldest son,
Richard Bernard, born in 1684, became the owner

388

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

by purchase, of more than four hundred acres
of the Simcock tract and, in 1726, purchased
about two hundred acres in Newlin, also a tract
.adjoining in the township of East Marlborough.
He married Ann Taylor, daughter of Abiah Tay
lor, about the year 171 5, and resided near Doe
Run, West Marlborough township, then known
as Hilltown. Richard Bernard, son of Richard and Ann
(Taylor) Bernard, and great-grandfather of Reu
ben Bernard, was a resident of the township of
Newlin. He married January 3, 1754, Susanna
Eckhoff, daughter of David and Winnifred Eck-
hoff, residents of the same township. Two chil
dren were born to them, Jeremiah, mentioned at
length hereinafter, and Rachel, who became the
wife of Joseph Reynolds, of Nottingham. After
the death of the mother of these children, Mr.
Bernard married, March 16, 1763, Lettice Baker,
daughter of Joseph and Mary Baker, of Goshen,
and ten children were born of this marriage.
Jeremiah Bernard, grandfather of Reuben
Bernard, was born December 2, 1754, in Newlin
township, Chester county, Pennsylvania, and his
entire life was spent in the vicinity of his birth
¦ place. He was united in marriage, at London
grove Meeting, October 25, 1780, to Elizabeth
Passmore, who was born March 13, 1759, daugh
ter of George and Margaret (Strode) Passmore,
of West Marlborough. Their children were: 1.
Susanna, born September 25, 1781, married Vin
cent Baily; 2. Jeremiah, born January 20, 1783;
3. George, born May 1, 1785 ; 4. Margaret, born
September 30, 1787; 5. Richard, born November
:3, 1789, died January 31, 1850; 6. Mary, born
January 31, 1792, married James M. Lewis ; 7.
Samuel, born May 13, 1794, died October 1,
1826; 8. Rachel, born August 5, 1796; 9. John,
born November 11, 1798, married first Hannah
Painter, second Lydia Ann Swayne, and third
Martha Stubbs, nee Pennock; 10. Elizabeth,
born June 26, 1801, became the wife of Nathan
Walton; 11. Anna, born June 9, 1803, became the
wife of Jacob' L. Brinton. Jeremiah Bernard's
death occurred January 27, 1837, and his widow
died October 13, 1847.
George Bernard, father of Reuben Bernard.
was born in West Marlborough township, Ches
ter county, Pennsylvania, May 1, 1785, and re-
reived a good common school education. Being
familiar with the routine work upon a farm, he
chose that occupation which he pursued during
his entire business career. He was very success
ful in his farming operations, which were con
ducted upon the old homestead of the Passmores,
and being a public-spirited citizen took an active
part in the local affairs of the township. In 1810
he married Susan Pennock, daughter of Samuel
and Elizabeth (Johnson) Pennock, of West Marl
borough township. Their children were: 1.

Samuel P., married Sarah G. McCay and one
child was born to them; 2. Vincent D. married
Amy Wade, and they became the parents of
three children, all of whom are now deceased; 3.
Eliza A. ..widow of Calvin Russell arid mother of
one child; 4. Levis P., married Eliza Mitchell,
they have one child; 5. Edith, born February 20,
1 82 1, resides with her brother Reuben Bernard;
6. Mary L., whose death occurred in 1855, was
the wife of Cyrus Hoopes and two children were
born of this marriage; 7. Reuben, subject of this
sketch; 8. Emeline, widow of Samuel Mitchell,
whose death occurred in 1867 ; three children
were born to them, U. Duffield Mitchell, only one
living, engaged in the practice of law. Mr. Bern
ard, father of these children, died November 23^
1841. Reuben Bernard, youngest son of George and
Susan (Pennock) Bernard, was born in West
Marlborough township, Chester county, Penn
sylvania, January 27, 1826. He spent his boy
hood, and Westtown Boarding School and up to
education in the public schools of the neighbor
hood, and Westtown boarding school, and up to
the year 1856 he assisted with the farm work.
The following two years were spent in the western
section of the United States, and after his return
east he located in West Chester and was a
resident of that city for twenty years, being
chosen to serve in various important local offices.
Mr. Bernard then went to Nova Scotia and, for
two years, was engaged in mining pursuits, but
at the expiration of this period of time he re
turned to the state of Pennsylvania, took up his
residence in London Grove township and pur
chased what was known as the "Old Pyle farm."
This property consists of one hundred acres of
valuable farm land, and having excellent equip
ments for conducting the latter after the most
approved methods, the estate is considered one
of the most productive and profitable in the
township. Politically Mr. Bernard supports the men and
measures advocated by the Republican party, and
while a resident of West Chester served in the
capacity of county treasurer for one term, deputy
sheriff for one term, and clerk to the county com
missioners for two years. He is a member of the
bociety of Friends, in which organization he takes
a deep and true, interest.

JAMES P. HOOD, an enterprising farmer
and well known citizen of London Grove town
ship, Chester county, is a son of James Hood,
who was born in 1810, in Sadsburyville, in the
same county. He was educated in the common
schools and afterward learned the shoemaker's
trade, at which he worked all his life in Parkes-
burg, Chester county. He went twice to the

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

389

west, his first visit being made before railroads
were known in that part of the country. He was
therefore obliged to travel on horseback, and this
journey through what was then in a great degree
an unexplored region, furnished him with a store
of recollections which became doubly interesting
as the progress of civilization caused a partial for-
getfulness of a more primative state of things.
Mr. Hood was twice married, his first wife having
been Martha Quinn, of Parkesburg, by whom he
was .the father of the following children : Sarah
C, who married James Ellis, and has two chil
dren; William T., who married Anna Williams,
and has one child; and James P., mentioned at
length hereinafter. Mrs. Hood died in 1849, and
some time after, Mr. Hood married Deborah,
daughter of Moses Windle, a farmer of High
land township, Chester county. The following
children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Hood:
Lydia, who died in 1880; Frank, who married
Margaret McGurk, and has five chlidren; Sam
uel, who married and resided in Philadelphia, he
died in 1892; and Even, who is now deceased.
Mrs. Hood died in 1885, and Mr. Hood passed
away in 1893.
James P. Hood, son of James and Martha
(Quinn) Hood, was born in 1849, at Parkes
burg, Chester county, and received his education
in the common schools of his native place. He
learned the trade of pumpmaking, which he fol
lowed in Oxford until 1876, when he turned his
attention to agriculture, rented a farm in Mont
gomery county, Pennsylvania, until 1881, then
bought a farm in Upper Oxford township, farm
ed there until 1888, and then purchased what
was known as the "State Experimental Farm," in
London Grove township. This farm which com
sists of one hundred and five acres was so called
because it was used by the state for the purpose
of testing the merits of different modes of farm
ing. Under the skillful management of the pres
ent owner it has been made very remunerative.
In connection with his farming he operates an
extensive dairy, keeping from thirty-eight to
forty cows and supplies milk to the residents of
West Grove. Mr. Hood is active in discharging
all the duties of a good citizen, and was at one
time intrusted by his neighbors with the office of
supervisor. His political sentiments are those held
by the Democratic party. He is a member of the
Heptasophs,and attended the Presbyterian church
Mr. Hood married, in September, 1873, Re
becca, daughter of William and Sarah McConnell,
the former a farmer in Upper Oxford, Chester
county. Mr- and Mrs. Hood were the parents
of two children, both of whom died young. Mrs.
Hood died in 1876, and in 1878 Mr. Hood mar
ried Anna L., daughter of Joseph Valentine, a
farmer of Schuylkill township, Chester county.
By this marriage Hr. Hood was the father of the

following children, all of whom with one excep
tion are unmarried : Rebecca R. ; Joseph B., who
married Annabel Pierson, and has one child,
Joseph B., Jr. ; Mary L. ; William T., and Roland.
In 1885, Mr. Hood and his children suffered the
severe bereavement in the death of the wife and
mother, who was deeply lamented, not only by
her immediate family, but by a large circle of
relatives and friends.

EMNOR B. WOOD, serving in the capacity
of director of the West Grove National Bank,
and for eighteen years actively engaged in mer
cantile pursuits in Avondale, Chester county,
Pennsylvania, is a direct lineal descendant of
Thomas Wood, who, accompanied by his wife
Mary and son William, came from Warwick
shire, England, and settled in Chester county,
Pennsylvania. A daughter was born to them on
the voyage, whom they named Richmonday.
Joseph Wood, grandfather of Emnor B.
Wood, was born in Barren Hill, Montgomery
county, Pennsylvania, March 1, 1789. He en
gaged in various pursuits, first following the
occupation of miller, later being the proprietor
of a hotel, and finally devoting his attention to
agricultural pursuits. He closely adhered to
legitimate business methods, and well merited the
success which attended his efforts. In the city
of Stanton, Delaware, Mr. Wood married Mary
Burn, who was born April 26, 1790, and their
children were: 1. John Milton, born October 25,
1815, died May 10, 1868, who married for his
first wife, Susan Underwood, and their children
were: Mary Elizabeth, Evan Henry, Alice and
Joseph Wood; by his second wife, Ruth Adams,
one child was born, Theresa Wood. 2. Dr. James
Bayard, born January 5, 1817, died June 14,
1889 ; he married Elizabeth Rogers, and their
children are: Henry Clay, born in 1844, and
Mary, who died in infancy. 3. Menander, born
January 15, 1819. 4. Ferdinand P., born No
vember 9, 1821, died in infancy. 5. Alfred, born
February 1, 1823, died April 11, 1898; he mar
ried Martha Crippin and their children were:
Mary, William and Margaret. 6. Hannah, born
April 24, 1826, died April 13, 1894; she was the
wife of William Rogers and they were the par
ents of four children, Frank W., Mary Rebecca,
Katherine and Sallie Rogers. 7. Ferdinand, born
August 15, 1828, married Elizabeth Sanders and
their children are: Millard Filmore, Joseph and
Henry Clay Wood. 8. Mary Jane, born July
30, 1832, unmarried. 9. Sarah S., born No
vember 1, 1834. Joseph Wood, father of these
children, died in Londonderry township, Sep
tember 27, 1856, and his wife passed away in
the same township, February 27, 1839. They
were interred at London Grove Meeting.

39Q

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

Menander Wood, father of Emnor B. Wood,
born January 15, 1819, acquired a common
"school education in his native county, and subse
quently took a prominent partTn its affairs. He
was twice married, his first wife having been
Lavina Keely, and his second wife, Anna Scheets.
The children born of his first marriage were:
Emma and Irene, twins, both of whom died in
infancy ; Emnor B., born December 14, 1853 ;
Morris M., born May 31, 1849, who married
Millie Young, and they are the parents of the
following named children: James Bayard, died
in infancy; Walter K., Frank and Lee Wood.
Menander Wood's death occurred September 3,
1897. Emnor B. Wood, eldest son of Menander and
Lavina Wood, was born in Philadelphia, Decem
ber 14, 1853, 'was reared there and acquired an
excellent education in the public schools. In
1884 he removed to Avondale, Chester county,
and at once established a coal and lumber busi
ness which steadily increased from year to year,
until now it has assumed extensive proportions,
this being the result of prudent management,
keen discrimination and well directed effort.
Mr. Wood is a progressive, straightforward
business man, and has been chosen to fill the
position of a director of the West Grove National
Bank. Mr. Wood was united in marriage to Nettie
Miller, who wag born. February 10, 1861, a daugh
ter of William and Lydia Miller. Their children
are : Warren W., born June 9, 1885 ; Herbert
H., born March 7, 1887; Linda B., born Septem
ber 7, 1890, and William M. Wood, born Novem
ber 9, 1899.

CHARLES T. WALTER,- an enterprising
and energetic agriculturists and public-spirited
citizen of London Grove township, Chester coun
ty, Pennsylvania, who has been prominently iden
tified with the material progress and prosperity
of that section of the state, is a son of Town-
send Walter, who is now retired from active busi
ness pursuits and resides at West Chester, Ches
ter county.
Charles T. Walter was born in New Garden
township, Chester county, Pennsylvania, in 1852,
and during his boyhood he attended the common
schools of the neighborhood. In 1871, the year of
the opening of the West Chester State Normal
School, with Ezekial H. Cook, a graduate of Bow-
doin College, as principal, and a strong faculty of
teachers, Charles T. became a student, and in this
noted institution he completed his education. His
- tastes and inclinations induced him to adopt agri-
1 cultural pursuits as his vocation in life, and this
line of ' industry ' he pursued in the following
named- places — Pocopson, the Johnson farm in

Birmingham township, and the old homestead in
Westtown township. The following two. years he
was engaged in the nursery business at Willow-
dale, but his former occupation being preferable
to this, in 1900 he located in London Grove town
ship on a sixty-four acre tract of the Swayne
estate. This piece of property, known as Hope
Glen Farm, is well improved and under a high
state of cultivation, and in addition to the produc
tion of a general line of farm products he operated
a dairy of twenty head of well selected stock. In
politics Mr. Walter is an independent Republican,
and he served as a member of the school board
of Westtown township. He is a member of the
Brandywine Grange and of the Order of Hep-
tasophs. In 1872, Mr. Walter married Margaret Barn
ard, daughter of Charles and Elizabeth (Swayne)
Barnard, of Newlin township, Chester county,
Pennsylvania. Three children have been born of
this union, all of whom reside at home with their
parents— Elizabeth, Mabel, and Townsend Wal
ter. Mr. Walter and his family attend the meet
ings of the Society of Friends, in which they take
an active and prominent part.

NATHAN SUPLEE. Among the men who
are prominently identified with the commercial
and political interests of Malvern, Chester county,
Pennsylvania, niay be mentioned the name df
Nathan Suplee, who was born in the township of
"Radnor, Delaware county, Pennsylvania, Decem
ber 10, 1862, the grandson of Nathan and Han
nah Suplee, of Philadelphia. His father, Wil
liam Suplee, was born in Philadelphia, January
13, 1834; and was united in marriage November
25, 1858, to Rebecca Green, who was born March
9, 1839, a daughter of Frazer and Lydia Greert,
of Delaware county, Pennsylvania. Their chil
dren were: Lydia Ann, born September 28, 1859,
in Marple, became the wife of Milton D. Lukens
on March 12, 1884; Nathan, born December 10,
1862; and William Frazer, born September 7,
1868. The father of these children died in the
township of Radnor, September 17, 1888, his
wife having passed away in the same township,
January 11, 1884. They were both interred in
the Newtown Baptist church cemetery.
Nathan Suplee attended the common schools
of Cedar Croft, Marple township, Delaware
county where he acquired a practical education.
Later he learned the milling business and fol
lowed this occupation until 1889, when he re
moved to Malvern and entered the- employ, of
Thomas & Haines, coal merchants, with whom he
remained for the following three years. After
the expiration of this period of time he located in
Philadelphia, and by securing employment in a
hardware store thoroughly mastered all the de-

^2^^^/^^^^ 

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

39i

tails of this business, after which he returned to
Malvern, in 1892, and established a hardware
store which he has continued to conduct up to the
present time (1903). During the passing years
he has built up an excellent trade, and his estab
lishment now ranks among the leading business
houses in the borough of Malvern. In his politi
cal preferences he is an ardent Republican, having
filled the office of burgess and he is now acting in
the capacity of councilman, being appointed to
that position seven years ago. He is prominently
affiliated with the Masonic fraternity and the
Knights of Pythias.
On February 28, 1884, Mr. Suplee married
Lydia A. Dutton, who was born April 16, 1853, a
daughter of Joseph and Sarah (Thatcher) Dut
ton. Their children are : Sara Thatcher, born in
Milltown, October 31, 1884; Horace Branson,
born in Willistown, February 23, 1887; Eliza
beth Deacon, born in Willistown, April 21, 1889;
Nathan Walter, born in Malvern, March 11,
1892, and Clarence Elbert, born in Malvern, June
4, 1895. Mr. Suplee and his family are members
of the Baptist church of Newtown, Delaware
county, Pennsylvania.

JOSEPH QUARLL MACKEY, a graduate
of the College of Pharmacy, Philadelphia, Penn
sylvania, and the proprietor of a large select drug
store at Avondale, Chester county, Pennsylvania,
was born in that township, August 23, 1875', and
is the representative of a family that has resided
in this section of the state since the early part
of the eighteenth century.
The earliest ancestor of whom there is- any
authentic record was John Mackey, son of
Robert Mackey. He was a native of Chester
county, -a farmer by occupation, served in the
capacity of lieutenant in the provincial forces
of 1747- 1 748, was a member of the constitutibnal
convention of July 15, 1776, a member of the
council of safety from October 17, 1777, to De
cember 4, 1777, a member of the supreme execu
tive council from November 21, 1777, to October
23> *779> and in March, 1777, was appointed a
justice of the peace. He was a resident of New
London township, and he left surviving him athis
death, which occurred in September, 1787, a wife,
Jane Mackey, and children: David, Robert,
John, Margaret, Rachel and Mary Mackey.
Squire David Mackey, eldest son of John and
Jane Mackey, was born in Chester county, and
served his country during the Revolutionary
period. By his marriage to Agnes Curry, they
became the parents of the following named chil
dren: Robert, who married. Jane Kimball;
John; Rachel, wife of John Fulton; Susan, wife
"of John Allison ; George ; Mary ; Elizabeth, wife
' of David' Furey, and Letitia Mackey.

John Mackey, second son of Squire David
and Agnes Mackey, was a prominent resident of
Chester county, in the development and improve
ment of which he took a keen and active inter
est. He was united in marriage to Amy Crooks,
and their children were: 1. David, married
Eliza Pyle, and they were the parents of four
children : Joshua ; Amy, deceased ; Oliver, who
married Amelia Broghan, and Mary, deceased.
2. John, married Amy McClenathon, and the sur
viving children born to them were : Samuel,
married Jane Myers for his first wife, and Jane
Miller for his second ; Louisa ; Mary ; Horace,
who married Fanny McClennon ; Francis ; Anna,
and Belle, wife of Newton Chambers. 3.
Thomas, married Hannah Hamill, and their chil
dren were : - William; died in childhood ; James ;
William - (2) ; Elisha and Robert, twins— the
former named married Sarah McClenathon, and
the latter died in childhood ; Emma," wife of
Thomas Good; Clara ;: Edward, married" 'Addie
Brown -; Wilson, married Minnie Spencer, and
Lorerta Mackey. 4. James. 5V Margaret, wife of
William Thompson and mother of John, James,
William, who was united in marriage to Lizzie
Lyons, and after her decease married Carrie
Ramsey; Samuel, who married Anna Wicker
sham ; George, who married Anna Brown, and
Ella, wife of John Going. 6. Amy, wife- of
Thofnas Townsend, and their children- - were :
Sarah, wife pf Joseph Moore ; John, who married
•Grate Doreri ; Letitia ; Thomas; who married
Elizabeth Dance, and Francis Townsend; -. *
Jarries Mackey, fourth son of John and Amy
Mackey, was born in Chester county/ Pennsyl
vania, in June, 1.8 12, and after acquiring; a com
mon school education/began his business career
as an agriculturist in the -township of Jenners-
ville, Chester county. He married Eleanor Kel
ton, who was born in the township of London
Grove, July 23, 1821, a daughter of Squire John
and Elizabeth (Curry) Kelton. Their children
were: Mary, born May 28, 1846; James, born
June 19, 1848; Josephine, born April 28, 1852;
Robert, born March 29, 1856, and William C,
born October 9, 1857.
James Mackey, eldest son of James and
Eleanor Mackey, was born on the old homestead
in Jennersville, Chester county, Pennsylvania,
June 19, 1848, and was a life-long resident of
that section of the state, being actively associated
with its material and social welfare. He married
Hanna Mary Quarll, who was born November
5, 1847, and one child was born to them, Joseph
Quarll Mackey. Mrs. Mackey was born on the
old homestead in London Grove township, Ches
ter county, Pennsylvania, a daughter of Joseph
S. and Sarah M., (Vanderveer) Quarll. Joseph
S. Quarll was born December 9, 1816, at Colum
bia, Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, a son of

392

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

William and Hannah (Sharp) Quarll, and the
former named was, in turn, a son of William
Quarll. William and Hannah (Sharp) Quarll
were the parents of the following named children :
Joseph, born December 9, 1816; Augustus, born
November 9, 1818, and Elizabeth, who died in
infancy. Joseph and Sarah (Vanderveer)
Quarll were the parents of twelve children,
namely: Hanna Mary, born November 5, 1847;
William Baker, born March 19, 1849; Alice Van-
derver, born March 31, 1851 ; Adelaide L., born
October 16, 1852; Jessie S., born April 7, 1854;
Oscar Thomas, born July 22, 1856; Sarah V.,
born December 5, 1857; Clarence H., born June
26, 1859, died in infancy; Josephine E., born
Feberuary 22, 1861 ; Lillian M., born October
11, 1862; Phcebe, born September 30, 1864, and
Ann Elizabeth Quarll, born November 9, 1865.
Joseph Q. Mackey, only child of James and
Hanna Mary (Quarll) Mackey, was reared to
manhood in the city of Philadelphia, Pennsyl
vania, acquired his preliminary education in the
common schools and this was supplemented by
attendance at the high school, from which insti
tution he was graduated in 1896. He was then
apprenticed to Lawrence C. Funk, and during
this period he pursued a course of pharmaceuti
cal study at the College of Pharmacy in Phila
delphia, graduating from that institution with
the degree of Doctor of Pharmacy, in 1900, and
passing the state board examination in 1901. In
October, 1902, Mr. Mackey established a drug
store at Avondale, Chester county, which he
stocked with the purest drugs and chemicals to
be used in the preparation of prescriptions, also
a large and carefully selected line of toilet articles
and perfumes, and he is now enjoying a large and
constantly increasing patronage.

EVAN SPENCER, a son of David Spencer,
actively and prominently identified with the agri
cultural interests of London Grove township,
Chester county, Pennsylvania, was born October
20, 1865, in Franklin township, Chester county.
His educational advantages were obtained in the
schools of New London, and his business career
has been devoted to agricultural pursuits, first on
the old homestead, where he remained until 1897,
and since that date on the old Bernard homestead,
which he purchased and on which he now con
ducts an extensive and profitable business. The
farm consists of one hundred and forty-four acres
of improved land, which is adapted to the produc
tion of a general line of garden produce, and
this he readily disposes of in the nearby markets.
In politics Mr. Spencer is a Republican, and
contributes all in his power to the advancement
and success of that party. In religion he adheres
to the doctrines of the Society of Friends, the

faith of his forefathers. In social matters he
holds membership in the Grange of the Patrons
of Husbandry. Mr. Spencer was united in marriage, Feb
ruary 25, 1897, to Ella Pyle, who was born in
London, Britain township, Chester county, No
vember 25, 1867, a daughter of Samuel and Ann
Pennock Pyle. Their children are: Viola, born
February 2, 1898; Cranston B., born February
3, 1900, and Lawrence Evan, born April 10,
1902. Mrs. Spencer traces her ancestry to Jacob
Pyle, whose son, Samuel Pyle, was born in New
Garden township, Chester county, in 1773, was
a stone-mason by trade, and a member of the
Society of Friends.- Samuel Pyle married Han
nah White, a daughter of George White, and
they were the parents of the following named
children: Lydia, Mary, Rebecca, Samuel and
Susan Pyle. Both Mr. and Mrs. Pyle died in
the same year, 1859. Samuel Pyle, Jr., father
of Mrs. Spencer, was born in New Garden town
ship, Chester county, May 29, 1815, and his entire
life was passed on the old homestead. In 1842
he was. united in marriage to Anna Pennock
Cravens, a daughter of William Cravens, of Del
aware, and eleven children were born of this
union, eight of whom still survive : Their chil
dren were: William C, Marshall J., Hannah
M., Susan E., Lydia E., Alice W., Samuel S.,
Ella F., Pennock, Edward, and one child who
died in infancy. Mrs. Pyle, mother of these chil
dren, died September 8, 1899.

JOSHUA B. PUSEY, deceased, for many
years a resident of the old Pusey homestead in
London Grove township, Chester county, Penn
sylvania, which he inherited, was a descendant
of William Pusey, who, accompanied by his
brother, Caleb Pusey, came to the United States
from England in 1682, settled in Chester county,
and engaged first in milling and later in farm
ing. William Pusey purchased the old homestead
in 1714, and the house in which the son and
daughter of Joshua B. Pusey now reside was
built by William Pusey in 1728. The children
of Joshua B. Pusey are of the sixth generation.
The members of this family were doubtless the
builders of more mills in Chester county than
any other family.
Joshua B. Pusey was born in East Marl
borough township, Chester county, Pennsylvania,
May 18, 1806, a son of Joseph and Sarah Ann
(Bailey) Pusey. He attended the common
schools of his neighborhood, and there acquired
an education which qualified him for the active
and responsible duties of life. In early life he
learned the trade of miller with his father, who
was then operating.a mill near the town of Parkes-
burg, Pennsylvania, and this line of industry he

CHESTER AND DELAWARE. COUNTIES.

393

followed until he became the owner of the old
homestead by inheritance. He then turned his
attention to agricultural pursuits, and in this new
enterprise achieved an unusual degree of success,
which was the result of careful and painstaking
labor, judicious management, and perseverance.
On December 30, 1830, Mr. Pusey was united
in marriage to Maria Spencer, who was born in
Franklin township, Chester county, Pennsylvania,
in 1806, a daughter of Asa and Hannah (Good)
Spencer. Their children were : Lewis, born
December 10, 1831, died May 5, 1891 ; Joel
Bailey, born May 1, 1833; Emily, born July 23,
1835; Sarah Ann, born December 1, 1838, died
December 23, 1861, on the old homestead; Isaac,
born October 25, 1841, resides on the old home
stead; Louisa, born July 16, 1844, died Septem
ber 7, 1852; Edith H., born March 15, 1848;
William J., born September 6, 1851,
Mr. Pusey was an overseer and elder in the
London Grove Friends' Meeting, and after a long
life of usefulness ¦ he died at his home, October
4, 1870, survived by his wife, whose death
occurred June 23, 1883.

JOHN HENRY HICKS is an enterprising
and successful business man of London Grove
township, Chester county, Pennsylvania, whose
birth occurred February 19, 1850, on the old
Hicks homestead in East Goshen township, Ches
ter county, where Edward Hicks, son of Charles
and Mary (Kimble) Hicks, purchased a tract of
land, in 1769, from Thomas Goodwin, this prop
erty having been in the possession of the family
ever since. Edward Hicks married, November
8, 1769, Hannah Rettew, a daughter of William
and Rebecca Rettew, and their children were :
Sarah, William, Rebecca, Hannah, Charles, Aba-
gail and Thomas Hicks.
Edward Hicks, father of John H. Hicks, was
a son of Charles, second son of Edward and Han
nah Hicks, and Mercy (Pickering) Hicks, and
his birth occurred May 14, 1820, on the old home
stead, where he passed his boyhood. He obtained
his education in the private school which was
under the personal supervision of Joseph Strode,
a most celebrated teacher. He was prominently
identified with the interests of the township, and
was a consistent member of the Society of
Friends, that being the faith of his forefathers.
He married Amy Marshall, and they reared a
family of eight children, namely : Charles, de
ceased; Kimball, decased; Edward, a resident of
East Goshen; John Henry, mentioned at length
hereinafter; Anna, who became the wife of
Edgar Tyler, and is now deceased; William H.,
a successful farmer of East Goshen ; Emma, who
became the wife of William Pratt, and is now
deceased ; and Lizzie, who died in early life.

Edward Hicks, father of these children, died in
October, 1889.
John H. . Hicks, fourth son of Edward and
Amy Hicks, acquired a good English education
in the public schools of East Goshen, Millers-
vile, Kennett Square, and West Chester, and after
laying aside his text books engaged in agricul
tural pursuits on the old homestead. After a
short space of time he secured employment as
a farmer on the extensive stock farm owned by
Captain Charles W. Roberts, and during his five
years' service there he made two trips to Hol
land and France for the purpose of purchasing
Norman horses and Holstein-Friesian cattle to
replenish the farm. In 1888 he purchased his
present farm in London Grove township, which
consists of seventy acres of rich and arable land,
a portion of the old Pusey estate, and this he
stocked with thoroughbred cattle which always
command their value on the market. In connec
tion with this extensive enterprise he owns and
conducts a saw and grist mill which is also a
profitable source of income. Mr. Hicks is a Re
publican in politics, and devotes considerable time
and attention to the temperance cause, which he
advocates at all times. He is a prominent mem
ber of the Patrons of Husbandry, having held
all the offices in the order.
On October 4, 1883, Mr. Hicks married
Rachel Lapp Price, a daughter of Paxon and
Jane (Jackman) Price, of West Chester, Ches
ter county, Pennsylvania. They are the parents
of one child, Philip Marshall Hicks, born April
27, 1885.

THOMAS CARNEY, an esteemed resident
of London Grove township, Chester county,
Pennsylvania, belongs to that class of America's
adopted citizens, who, seeking a home in the
New World, have adapted themselves to the
changed conditions and surroundings, and by the
exercise of native ability, untiring energy and
sound judginent have worked their way steadily
upward. His birth occurred in county Mayo, Ireland,
in 1838, and in the common schools of that
neighborhood he acquired a practical education
which prepared him for the active duties of life.
On February 2, 185 1, he left his native coun
try on the sailing vessel "Empire" and landed at
New York city, March 18, 1851. Shortly after
his arrival he located in New London township,
Chester county, Pennsylvania, where he en
gaged in farming pursuits until 1884, when
he purchased a tract of land consisting
of fifty-six acres in London Grove town
ship, which was formerly the property of Daniel
Lukens. All modern improvements and con
veniences have been added to the farm by Mr.

394

CHESTER AND DELAWARE - COUNTIES.

Carney, who is a most -progressive and practical
agriculturist, and as a natural sequence great
prosperity has attended his efforts. In politics
he is an ardent supporter of the principles of
Democracy, and in religion is an adherent Pf the
Roman Catholic faith, being one of the originators
of the Catholic church at West Grove, Chester
county, Pennsylvania, to the suppbrt of which
he contributes liberally.
In 1853 was solemnized the marriage - of
Thomas Carney and Mary McLaughlin, a daugh
ter of Francis McLaughlin, of county Galway,
Ireland. Mrs. Carney came to this country in
1850. The following named children were born
of this union : Thomas, Jr., died unmarried ;
Katherine, unmarried;' John, who was- united in
marriage -to Mary Mullin, and they became the
parents of two children; Williarn, unmarried;
Anna; unmarried, arid Mary; ¦ who became the
wife of Edward Kelly, and four children have
been the issue of this marriage.

ROBERT STRAHORN, a venerable ' and
highly' respected' citizen of Avondale, Chester
county; Pennsylvania, traces' his descent from
Robert Strahorn, a Scottish dissenter, who left
his native land in order to escape religious' per
secution, and landed in America in' April, • 1775,
about the time ofthe. outbreak of the Revolution
ary war. He enlisted - three' times in the Con
tinental army, serving through- the entire war,
and never receiving a wound. He participated
in some of the most memorable events which
marked the struggle for independence, and was
a sharer in many of the greatest of the hardships
which fell to the lot of the devoted patriot army.
He accompanied . Washington • when the latter,
on that never-to-be-forgotten Christmas night,
crossed the Delaware in order to surprise the
Hessians at Trenton, and he shared all the suffer
ings of the winter at Valley Forge.1
Samuel Strahorn, son of Robert, married
Hannah Gheen, and their children were: Jona
than, who married Martha Williamson ; Jane,
born January 1, 1801, married John Jacobs;
Joseph and Elizabeth (twins), born February 6,
1805; the former married Eliza Alcorn, and the
latter John Stephens; Hannah, born May 24,
1807, -maried Reuben Passmore; Samuel, born
April 26, 1809, married Amelia Hill; Mary, -born
October 21, 181 1, married Nelson Stephens; and
Robert, mentioned at length hereinafter. This
whole family, with the single exception of • the
youngest, are now deceased.
Robert Strahorn, son of Samuel and Hannah
(Gheen) Strahorn, was born January 4, 1815,
on the old homestead on Whitely creek; and, for
the greater part of his life has followed agricul
tural pursuits. He enjoys the distinction of hav

ing been the first circulating agent of the "West
Chester Local News." It is now some years
since he withdrew from active participation in
affairs and retired to spend the evening of his
days in the peaceful enjoyments of the family
circle and in the company pf his friends.
¦ Mr. Strahorn married Mary Ann, daughter
of David and Catherine Stephens, of London
Grove township, Chester countyi The following
children were born to them: 1. Thomas, who
married Margaret Brown, and had four chil
dren; Amy, who married Samuel Homes; Hallie,
who became the wife of Albert Stevenson;
Elinora, and Mary, who married Dr. Crosson.
2. Anna Mary, who married: Thomas: Bunting,
and had two children ; John, who married .Miss
Maggie Strickland; and Harry, who married
Lily Finley. 3. Catherine, single. 4. ' Samuel,
who married Elizabeth Elbright, and whose chil
dren are Edna and Robert; 5. Ruth Anna, who
became the wife of Washington Gray, who died
April 19, 1888, and had the following- children:
Joseph T., born January 13, 1875 ; Elizabeth,
born February 21, 1877; R. Warren, . born in
April, 1882 ; and W. Norman, born in October,
1885. 6. Emma, who married Charles Henry,
land is the mother of two children ; Mabel; born
April 12, 1881 ; and Arthur, born in 1883. The
first home dwelling, a .rough : structure of logs,
which was erected on the Strahorn homestead,
is" still standing, ' and forms • an interesting link
between the past iarid' present fortunes of the
-family: -Mrs. Strahorn' died June 1, 1893..- ' -;

? ?»

ROBERT PYLE: Joseph Pyle (7); son of
Robert and Ann Pyle, was born in Bethel town
ship, 11 mo., 5, 1692, and was first married, 4 mo:,
16, 1715, at Concord Meeting, to Sarah Dicks,
daughter of Peter Dicks, deceased, of Birming
ham, formerly of Cheshire, England. They settled
in Bethel township, where his wife died, leaving
children: Robert; Joseph, Ralph, Adam, Sarah
and Rachel. He was married again, 11 mo., 10,
1732, at Concord Meeting, to Sarah' Gibbons,
widow of John Gibbons, and daughter of John
and Mary Pennell, of Aston. She was the mother
of Isaac, Ann, Abraham, Hannah, Esther and
Martha Pyle.
Joseph Pyle removed from Bethel to Upper
Chichester between 1740 and 1747, and thence in
1752 to Concord township, where he died in 1754.
At the time of his death he was possessed of 354
acres of land in Bethel and in New Castle county,
which he devised to his sons Isaac and Adam.
To his son Joseph he gave £150 and some articles.
Joseph Pyle, Jr., was married 9 mo., 20, 1753,
at Lampeter Meeting, Lancaster county, to Alice
Smith, daughter of James and Alice, Smith, pf
Lampeter, from Ireland. They settled in West

-_^^^^^_^___^^^_^^^____^_

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

395

Marlborough township, near; London Grove Meet
ing, where he purchased 125 acres of land. He
was a joiner as well as a farmer. He was an
overseer of London Grove Meeting from 1772 to
I7^3> took an active part in the enlargement of
the meeting-house, and served on a committee to
relieve Friends who suffered on account of con
scientious scruples against war during the Rev
olution. He died in 181 1, and his widow 8 mo,
9, 1818. They had twelve children :
Alice, b. 11 mo., 21, 1754; d. 2 mo, 6, 1822;
m. Thomas Wilkinson.
Joseph, b. 7 mo., 17, 1756; d. 5 mo., 15, 1788,
unmarried. Sarah, b. 8 mo., 2, 1758; d. 12 mo., 25, 1834;
m. Allen Chandler.
Rachel, b. 11 mo., 9, 1760; d. 11 mo., 22, 1763.
Ann, b. 11 mo, 24, 1763; d. 8 mo, 1801 ; m.
Levi Baker.
James, b. 3 1110, 22, 1765; d. 3 mo., 1846; m.
Mary Bunnell.
Betty, b. 4 mo., 19, 1767; d. in Greene county,
Pennsylvania; m. John Thompson.
Rachel, b. 3 mo., 14, 1769 ; d. 12 mo., 31, 1774.
Jane, b. 12 mo., 13, 1771 ; d. 3 mo., 12, 1809;
m. Jehu John.
Robert, b. 4 mo., 22, 1774; d. 2 mo., 22, 1859;
see below.
Smith, b. 3 mo, 8, 1776; d. 5 mo., 21, 1801,
unmarried. Susanna, b. 2 mo, 6, 1779; d. 5 mo., 1818,
unmarried. Robert Pyle, son of Joseph and Alice, above,
was married November 28, 1797, by the rector of
the Old Swedes' church, Wilmington, to Hannah
Clark, born 7 mo, 22, 1778, died 1 mo, 13,
1863, daughter of Abraham and Hannah (Cham-
berlin) Clark. He inherited the homestead and
continued to reside thereon. His children were
thirteen in number :.
Joseph C, b. 5 mo, 18, 1799; d. 7 mo., 9,
1834; m. Eliza Woodward.
Sarah b. 11 mo., 22, 1800; d. 7 mo, 16, 1895 ;
in West Chester, unmarried.
Hannah, b. 11 mo., 18, 1802 ; d. 3 mo., 2, 1897 ;
m. Sharpless Taylor.
Alice, b 9 mo, 29, 1804; d. 1 mo, 6, 1884; m.
Palmer Chamberlin.
James, b. 3 mo., 26, 1807; d. 5 mo, 20, 1808.
Lydia Ann, b. 9 mo., 1, 1808, d. 4 mo, 29,
1884; m. Jesse Cloud.
Jane, b. 12 mo, 4, 1809; d. 2 mo, 24, 1875;
m. Henry M. Paxson.
Clark,' b. 10 mo., 22, 181 1; d. 6 mo., 30,
1825. Lewis, b. 4 mo., 4, 1813 ; d. 5 mo., 9, 1896; see
below. Ann Eliza, b. 3 mo, 22, 1815 ; d. 1 mo., 21,
1903 ; m. Pennock Mercer.
Matilda, b. 1 mo, 27, 1818; d. 5 mo., 21, 1879;
m. Thomas E. Bennett.

Susan, b. 9 mo., 12, 1819; m. Jesse Taylor,
now of West Chester.
Rachel, b. 6 1110., 19, 1821 ; d. 1 mo., 19, 1877;
m. Caleb H. Perdue.
Lewis Pyle, son of Robert and Hannah, above,
was married 11 mo., 15, 1838, at Hockess Meet
ing, to Orpha Heald, born 12 mo., 4, 1817,
daughter of Joseph and Hannah (Mendenhall)
Heald, of Mill Creek Hundred, Delaware. He
inherited the homestead in West Marlborough,
and his widow still survives. They had five chil
dren :
Joseph Haines, b. 7 mo, 29, 1840; m. Sallie
Sharpless. Robert Lewis, b. 1 mo., 29, 1842; see below.
Edward, b. 9 mo., 16, 1845 ; m- Josephine
Kimble. Hannah J., b. 12 mo, 6, 1847; m- Edwin
Buffington, 5 mo., 5, 1870.
Pennock M., b. 3 mo., 2, 185 1; m. Josephine
Lancaster. Robert L. Pyle, above named, was born in
the state of Delaware, where his father resided,
on the Heald homestead, for about eight years
after marriage. He completed his education at
Benjamin Swayne's School, London Grove town
ship, and engaged in storekeeping at the village
of that name. Through energetic efforts com
bined with careful management, his business has
increased until at present he ranks as one of the
leading merchants of Chester county, having four
large stores in the villages of London Grove,
Hamorton, Avondale and West Grove. He was
one of the organizers of the West Grove National
Bank, and is now president of that institution,
after having served six years as vice-president.
He has also taken a deep interest in the George
school, situated near Newtown, Pennsylvania. He
was chosen by the meeting as one of the commit
tee to select and secure a site for the same, and is
still a member of the committee on management.
Mr. Pyle was married 10 mo., 15, 1863, to
Elizabeth D. Walton, born 7 mo., 6, 1841, died 3
mo, 5, 1884, daughter of David and Eliza (Pusey)
Walton, of London Grove. He is a member of
the Friends' Meeting and in politics a Republi
can. His children are five in number, Jessie,
Frederick B., Ellen, Robert and Margery, of
whom the second married Ellen Passmore and
has two children, F. Lawrence and Elizabeth.

THE CLAYTON FAMILY. Among the
peaceful towns of Chester county, Pennsylvania,
there have lived for many decades the descendants
of the original Quaker settlements of the new
world, and among these worthy and ever re
spected people was the Clayton family, some of
whose representatives are to be given a place in
this sketch.
In was in 1794 that Uriah Clayton was born in

396

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

West Bradford township, and his wishes never
led him to stray from his native place. By trade
he was a hatter, btit in later life he followed
farming. His ancestors had all been Quakers,
and he was one of the devout followers of the
faith, attended meeting regularly and conformed
his life to his religion. It is remembered that he
was a regular pupil in the Friends' School of
the township, during his youth, that school house
is still standing, and he displayed there many
of the characteristics which adorned his life in
later years. He followed the general trend of
political belief enunciated by the Whig-Republi
can parties. His death occurred in 1869, and his
remains now rest in the Friends' burying ground.
He was twice married. His first wife was Ann
Fistler and the second was Sarah Woodward, a
daughter of Richard Woodward, of West Brad
ford. Of these marriages the following children
were born to him: 1. Emeline, the daughter of
his first wife, who was the only one who
lived to maturity,- is the wife of Alexander
Taggert, and the mother of six children;
2. Elizabeth A., who married Oliver P.
Edwards, and became the mother of eleven
children ; 3. Mary J., the wife of Charles Rubican,
to whom she bore two children ; 4. Albino, who
married Enoch.. Pennock and had five children;
5. The son Richard is deceased.
The youngest child in this family is Caroline,
and she has been one of the well known citizens
of West Bradford township for many years. She
was born in 1838, and for a time lived in Newlin
township, where she gained the large part of her
education, although she has been one of those
women who have always been interested in the
higher .things of life, and thus may be said to have
been a student all her life. She has remained
single and has devoted herself to the religious
work of the Society of Friends ; she is an earnest
speaker and has done much good. She is also
an active worker in the Woman's Christian Tem
perance Workers.

THE MILES FAMILY. ' The village of
Mortonville, a pleasant little place of about one
hundred and fifty inhabitants, situated about the
center of Chester county, enjoys the advantage of
the railroad, and is one of the supply places for
the agricultural community which surrounds it.
One of the progressive business men of this town,
and the dispenser of Uncle Sam's mail, is Mr.
Theodore F. Miles, who is popular with his cus
tomers and is much interested in all the affairs
of the vicinity.
His father was John D. Miles, a resident of
Newlin township, and he follows the trade of
plasterer. He believes in the principles of De
mocracy, and in fraternal relations is a member

of the Knights of the Golden Eagle of West
Chester and the Heptasophs. His wife was Kate
Rogers, whose father, Albert Rogers, was a mer
chant at Romansville and then a farmer of East
Fallowfield township. There were three sons
born of this marriage, and of these Roger and
William, both unmarried, learned the trade of
plasterer and worked with their father.
Theodore F. Miles has spent most of his life
in this county and was educated in the excellent
schools of West Chester. He early showed a
decided bent toward the mercantile life, and after
leaving school was a clerk in a West Chester
store for some time. Having gained considerable
experience he decided to make a start for him
self, and accordingly established a general store
in Mortonville, where the postoffice for the com
munity was also located. He devoted most of
his time to his business, but he is an interested
worker for the cause of temperance and is
prominent in the party representing that reform.
The name of his wife was Clara Shoemaker, a
daughter of Reuben Shoemaker,; who was engaged
in the occupation of mill worker in Harrisburg,
and died twenty-five years since. Mr. and Mrs.
Miles are attendants of the Baptist church, of
which they are active members, and she is a zeal
ous church worker.

THE YUNKIN FAMILY. The old soldiers
of the Rebellion are becoming daily more rare,
and soon the names of the last survivors of that
great struggle may be named almost in a breath.
But while we have them it should be the duty
of this generation to honor them as they deserve,
and one of these grand men of whom Newlin
township, Chester county, is proud to possess,
is Edward Yunkin. He is a native of this county,
and after finishing a course at the public schools
he took up the trade of shoemaker, but not hav
ing been altogether satisfied with this pursuit
after he had followed it for some time, he began
farming. He was diligently tilling the soil when
the Civil war turned the thoughts of the patriotic
from all such peaceful pursuits, and in 1862 he
enlisted in Company H, Forty-second Pennsyl
vania Regiment, commanded by Colonel Taylor,
of Kennett Square, Chester county. This regi
ment served throughout the war and won the
name of "Buck Tails," and its achievements are
now a part of history. Mr. Yunkin was present
in several battles, but in the engagement at
Fredericksburg he was in the heat of the conflict
and during a fierce charge was shot in the leg;
the bone was shattered and amputation was nec
essary to save the remainder of the limb. He
was compelled to endure a long siege of illness
in one of the army hospitals, and on his recovery
he was honorably discharged, at which he re-

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

397

turned to his farm and resumed the work where
he had left off.
Mr. Yunkin became the husband of Miss
Maggie Taylor, the daughter of a prosperous
farmer of West Marlboro. Their children are:
i. Ella, who is trained nurse, and her services
are in great demand in the county; 2. William,
who married Sallie Downing, and they are the
parents of three children; 3. Clara, who became
the wife of William H. Mount and two children
have been born to them. Both Mr. and Mrs.
Mount are members of the Methodist church.
The family live in a nice home in Mortonville.
Mr. Yunkin is an active worker in the ranks
of the Republican party, attends the Presbyter
ian church, of which both he and wife are active
members, is a member of the Grand Army of
the Republic, and receives a pension to partly
recompense him for his loss in the war.

PASCHALL WORTH. Ambition, industry
and perseverance have been the predominant
factors in the success which has attended the
well directed efforts of Paschall Worth, one of
the substantial citizens of East Bradford townr
ship, Chester county, Pennsylvania, where he has
resided since his birth. He is a son of John and
Hannah P. (Carpenter) Worth.
John Worth, Jr. (father) was one of the
representative citizens of East Bradford township,
Chester county, was the owner of an extensive
and highly cultivated farm upon which he re
sided throughout the many years of his active
and useful life, and on this estate he and his
wife, Hannah P. (Carpenter) Worth, daughter
of Francis and Sarah Carpenter, ' the former
named a well known hatter of East Bradford
township, reared a large family of children, most
of whom grew to years of maturity and are oc
cupying places of prominence in the various
walks of life. Their children were: Samuel,
who married Anne E. England; Francis, de
ceased ; Ebenezer, who married Mary Pyle, and
four children were the issue of this union, two
of whom are now deceased; they reside in the
state of Colorado ; and Paschall, mentioned at
length hereinafter.
Paschall Worth received a practical educa
tion at the Westtown Boarding School, and dur
ing his boyhood and early manhood became
thoroughly familiar with the work and duties
of farm life. He is now the owner of a fine farm
of one hundred and forty acres of highly culti
vated land in East Bradford township, which is
devoted to the production of the many staple
articles for which Chester county is noted, most
of which are readily disposed of to the Philadel
phia markets and being of a superior quality
they realize a good price. Mr. Worth is well in

formed on all the leading questions of the day,
and takes an active and keen interest in township
affairs and all enterprises that affect the ma-"
terial growth and advancement of the community
in which he resides.
Mr. Worth married Lydia D. 'Woodward,
daughter of William and Rachel Woodward, the
former named having been a prosperous mer
chant of West Bradford township. The follow
ing named children were born to this union:
1. Frances A., wife of Henry D. Allen, who
is an employee of a wholesale rubber house in
the city of Philadelphia ; 2. Moses B., unmarried,
assists his father in the management of the home
farm; 3. William, who died in the twenty-first
year of his age; 4. Bertha, wife of Franklin L.
Hall, a banker of Providence, Rhode Island;
they are the parents of two children; 5. Sarah C,
wife of Edgar M. Scattergood, who is engaged
in the wholesale boot and shoe business in the
city of Philadelphia ; their family consists of two
children; 6. Mary E., unmarried; 7. Armitt, un
married, is engaged in mercantile business in
Providence, Rhode Island; 8. Paschall Worth,
Jr., deceased.

THE ROBINSON FAMILY. The family
of Robinson has resided in Chester county for
many generations and has been identified with
much of its development. There is always much
interest attached to people who have thus re
mained in one locality and have become, as it
were, products of the soil. An examination into
the records of such a family usually reveals the
fact that the elements of stability and love of
established principle are thoroughly implanted in
their very natures, and all petty disturbances
which often threaten the corporate existence of
those less firmly rooted pass them by without
effect. So it is, probably, that this family of
whom we shall here give a brief biography has
come to be numbered among Chester county's
substantial citizens.
One of the members of this house is John
Robinson, who for many years maintained his
home in Newlin township and conducted a nice
farm until his death, which occurred April. 28,
1888. He was educated in the county public
schools, and was very young when he was mar
ried to Miss Elizabeth Cavanaugh, and by this
marriage the following children were born:
1. John, deceased; 2. Owen, who married Alice
Snyder, and they are the parents of two children ;
3. John T. ; 4. Anna M., unmarried, and resides
at home; 5. David, who married -Rachel Booth,
and they have two children ; 6. Edward, who mar
ried Catherine McDonald ; 7. William, who mar
ried Rose Gibson; 8. Joseph H. Rpbinspn, who
is npw residing pn the pld home farm, conducting

398

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

it according to his ideas of agricultural success.
He has always lived in this county and acquired
his education in the schools at Laurel. He is
classed among the leading Republicans of the
township, and his services in public matters are
highly esteemed. He is a member of the Cath
olic church.

THE FULTON FAMILY. During the past
century the United States has been taking a great
part of the best of the Irish emigrants and in this
land of opportunity they have become most loyal,
industrious and capable citizens. It is a his
torical fact that the younger and sturdier part
of the population, especially in the congested dis
tricts, of Ireland have made their way to Amer
ica, and the Fulton family is an example of such
people, and they are now numbered, among the
highly respected citizens of Chester county,
Pennsylvania. The date of the immigration of
the first member of the family was in 1817, when
John Fulton, Sr. crossed the Atlantic and settled
in Fallowfield township of this county. He after
ward moved to Newlin township and lived there
till his death. His first wife was Miss Jordan.
By his second wife, whose maiden name was
Mathilda Boyd, a daughter of Elizabeth Boyd
of this county, he had the following children:
William, John M., Mary Jane, Thomas Samuel.
John M. Fulton received his education in the
schools of Fallowfield township, and then took
up farming as a vocation. He resides on a valu
able farm of seventy-one acres in Newlin town
ship, and in addition to his general farming he
manages a dairy and thus adds his quota to the
products for which Chester county is noted. He
is a Republican in politics, and his earnest work
in his party's interest has made him a valued
member of the community. His church member
ship is with the Presbyterian church, in whose,
affairs he takes an active part. He was married
to Rhody Wilson, who is the daughter of Joshua
Wilson, a farmer in Fallowfield township.

THE HARLAN FAMILY. Chester coun
ty, Pennsylvania, is one of the places in the east
which abounds in historical associations. Amer
ica as a whole is much too young a country to
contain the reminiscences of the past that the
countries of the old world have, being more
favored in this respect. The farm which is the
property of Mr. Henry Harlan, located on the
southern boundry of the county and of the state,
contains a part of what is perhaps the most
famous line of survey in the world, and on ¦ the
place. is a stone marking the line which the sur
veyors, Mason and Dixon, made to designate
the point at which, the course started south, little

dreaming as they did so, that it would play so
prominent a part in the later history of the
country. Joel Harlan, the father of the owner of this
farm, grew up in Newlin township, was edu
cated in the public schools, and was then sent to
enjoy the privileges of that justly famous acad
emy at West Chester, established by Jonathan
Gause. He afterward made farming his set
tled occupation, and attained an unusual degree
of success in this calling. He accepted the Re
publican doctrine as his politics. He married
Margaretta A., the daughter of Abram Bailey,
a physician of Marshallton.
Henry was the son of these parents. He was
permitted to enjoy an excellent education, for
after he had completed his course in the common
school he went to Collegeville, in Montgomery
county, and attended the splendid institution in
that place. He made farming his vocation, and
at the present time operates the farm above men
tioned which consists of fifty-six acres, and he
also runs a profitable dairy. Mr. Harlan's first
wife was Rachel A. Worth, and for his second
helpmate he chose Miss Elizabeth, the daughter
of William Glendenning, of Lancaster county.
Three children were born of this union : John,
who married Lizzie Shaw, and they have one
child, Charles Henry; Mary, who married
Frank L. Markle, has one child, Frank
Harlan Markle ; and Annie, single. Mr.
Harlan is a Republican in political belief,
and his interest in educational matters is shown
by the fact that he has served for the past twenty
years as school director, and has also held the
office of secretary. He belongs to the Odd Fel
lows and the Masonic lodge, and holds to the
Quaker faith of his ancestors.

JOHN P. THORNBURG. The family of
this name has been connected with Chester county
for several generations during which time its
representatives have figured prominently in the
industrial and political life of their respective
communities. While mostly farmers, several of
them have been successful in the various mechani
cal arts and always ranked as industrious and
efficient workmen. Yearsley Thornburg will be
remembered by some of the older citizens in the
double capacity of farmer and stonemason, and
in both pursuits he proved a success. He was a
native of West Bradford township, and born there
early in the nineteenth century. Trained up and
educated in the usual way, he began in early man
hood to learn the stonemason's trade but later in
life followed farming also, to which occupation he
devoted much attention for many years. He mar
ried Phoebe Valentine, by whom. he reared six
children, and theylived happily until their respec-

S^cl^oJ^ CO 0^

^£&J

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

399

tive deaths, which occurred a number of years
ago. Thomas, their eldest son, married Mary
Price, but is now dead. Paschall, married a Miss
Patterson, and has one child. Elizabeth became
the wife of Joseph Mace, and had six children.
Phoebe, who married George Massey, had one
child, and Clarissa, the youngest daughter, re
mained single.
John P. Thornburg, sixth of the above en-
numerated children, was born in West Bradford
township, Chester county, Pennsylvania, in 1836,
and received his education in the neighborhood
schools. He engaged in farming upon arriving at
years of maturity and has achieved noteworthy
success in his ventures. At the present time he
owns a large farm, which he rents and he is en
gaged in an extensive butchering business. He
votes the Republican ticket, but is not especial
ly active in politics, his only office consisting of
membership on the school board and a term as
township auditor. In i860, Mr. Thornburg was
united in marriage with Prudence, daughter of
Washington Woodward, of Delaware, by whom
he had ten children, but two of these have passed
away. Those living are Thomas, who married
Adele Cobb, of Philadelphia, and has one child;
John, who is unmarried; Samuel, a dentist by
profession; Mary; Anna'Z. ; Clara, who married
William Jacqueettee ; Narciassa, a teacher, and
Sadie, who married Walter E. Leedom. Mr.
Thornburg is a member of the Presbyterian
church at West Chester, and lives the life of a
good and useful citizen and in consequence en
joys general esteem.

JACOB HAUSE DEWEES. The Dewees
family, of which Jacob H. Dewees, a prosperous
farmer and dairyman of Uwchlan township,
Chester county, is a representative in the present
generation, is of Welsh descent and they have
been residents of this state since the early days of
its history. The earliest ancestor of the family of whom
there is any authentic record was Waters Dewees,
a native of Chester county, whose early life was
spent in the vicinity of Doe Run, but later he re
moved to West Nantmeal township, where his
death occurred at an advanced age. He was
successful in his business undertakings, which
consisted of the management of a hotel and agri
cultural pursuits, the latter named industry being
conducted on the farm now known as the Marsh
property. He was a loyal supporter of the prin
ciples of the old line Whig party. Waters Dewees
and his wife, Ann (Bull) Dewees, were the par
ents of eight children — George, Edward, Thomas
D.; Sallie Clingan, Ann Wood, Rachel Roberts,
Elizabeth Fries, and Mary McLain. The mother
26 X

of these children attained the age of eighty-two
years. Thomas D. Dewees, father of Jacob H.
Dewees, was born in West Nantmeal township,
Chester county, in 1813, was reared on his
father's farm and attended the schools adjacent
to his home. He then engaged in farming and
marketing in West Vincent township, being the
owner of a farm of eighty acres of choice land.
During the early years of his manhood he gave
his political allegiance to the Whig party, but
later he advocated the principles of Republican
ism, taking a keen and active interest in all local
questions. Mr. Dewees was united in marriage,
in 1836, to Elizabeth Hause, daughter of Jacob
Hause, a prosperous merchant of East Nantmeal
township. Their children were — Anna, wife of
William Leonard of Philadelphia ; Jacob H., men
tioned at length hereinafter ; Sallie, wife of Pres
ton Mosteller, a farmer in West Pikeland town
ship ; Thomas B., a resident of Buckrunsville ;
William, deceased ; John, deceased ; Jesse H.,
married Emma Nichols ; Howard, deceased ; Ella,
wife of John Davis, for many years engaged in
the business of manufacturing Saratoga chips in
the city of Philadelphia, now deceased ; Ada, wife
of William Yeager, who is now living a retired
life; Hannah, deceased; and Harry C, who was
educated in the public schools of West Vincent
township and Norristown, and is now engaged in
farming pursuits. Thomas D. Dewees (father)
died at his home in West Vincent township,
March 5, 1876, in the sixty-fourth year of his age.
Jacob H. Dewees, son of Thomas D., and
Elizabeth Dewees, was born in West Nantmeal
township, Chester county, Pennsylvania, Febru
ary 5, 1837. His studies were pursued in the
public schools of the neighborhood and after
laying aside his books, he chose the occupation of
• agriculture for his life work: He is now the
owner of a one hundred and twenty-nine acre
farm in Upper Uwchlan township, on which he
resides, another in West Vincent township which
consists of one hundred and fifty-six acres of
productive land, and four acres of wood land on
Mill hill. He conducts extensive general opera
tions on both farms, and in addition he owns and
operates a dairy of from forty-five to fifty head
of cattle, disposing of the products in the city of
Philadelphia. Mr. Dewees is a practical and
progressive farmer, who has achieved prominence
and financial success in his business undertakings.
His church membership is with the Baptist de
nomination, and his political affiliations are with
the Republican party. In 1863 Mr. Dewees was
a member of an emergency regiment, which was
formed to repel the advances on northern terri
tory of General Lee's army.
Mr. Dewees married, December 13, 1866,
Sarah Stiteler, daughter of Henry and Peninah

400

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

Stiteler, the former named a practical agricul
turist of West Vincent township. Mrs. Dewees
was born January 20, 1842, and educated in the
public schools of West Vincent township. Their
children are — 1. Howard, who acquired his edu
cation in, the public , schools of Upper Uwchlan,
and since leaving school has been engaged in
farming on the old homestead ; he married May
Stietler, daughter of Elwood and Catherine Stiet-
ler of West Pikeland, and they are the parents of
three . children, among whom is J. Maurice
Dewees, now entering upon his educational ca
reer, George R. and Irvin S. Dewees. 2. George
S., a graduate of the West Chester State Normal
School and the law department of the University
of Pennsylvania, and now practicing his profes
sion in West Chester, Pennsylvania. 3. Rosa
lind, wife of James Mosteller, a farmer of West
Vincent township, and their family consists of
three, children — Dewees, Sarah, and Clinton Mos
teller.

THE WAY FAMILY. Mrs. Sarah Ellen
Way, whose life and that of her immediate rela
tives is the groundwork of this biography, is the
daughter of William Penn Baldwin and Martha
Emily Bane, the daughter of Eber Bane. The
first child born to this marriage was Sarah Ellen
who. married Emmor R. Way, and the children
born to them are as follows : Elva E., Mary J.
and one who died in childhood. Mr. Way was
educated at the Romansville public schools and
then learned the carpenter's trade. At present
they have a general store at the village of Ro
mansville, and the postoffice is located in the store.
He is .a strong Republican, attends the Friends'
Meeting, and is a member of the Red Men and
the Junior Order of United American Me
chanics.

TRYOX J. PUGH, who is successfully car
rying on agricultural pursuits in West Bradford
township, has spent almost his entire life in Ches
ter county, his birth having occurred in 1854, in
the township where he now lives. His father,
Caleb Pugh, is a retired and respected farmer of
West Bradford. Here our subject was
reared to habits of industry and honesty and was
educated in the public schools and the Normal
School. After laying aside his text books, Mr. Pugh
engaged in farming for a time, but subsequently
went to Colorado where he became interested in
gold mining and was quite successful in that ven
ture. On his return to Pennsylvania, he resumed
agriculture in West Bradford township, Chester
county, and to-day owns and operates a good
farm of sixty-six acres which yields to him a

golden tribute in return for the care and labor
bestowed upon it.
Politically Mr. Pugh is identified with the
Republican party and he has been honored with
various township offices, the duties of which he
has most capably and satisfactorily discharged.
He is a member of the Friends' Meeting, and is
also connected with Independent Order of Odd
Fellows and- the Junior Order of American Me
chanics. His life has ever been an upright and
honorable one, and he has the confidence and
respect of all who know him.
Mr. Pugh married Miss Rachel Rodeback, a
daughter of George Rodeback, who is also a farm
er of West Bradford township, and three children
were born to them, but two died when quite
young. The only survivor is a son, Norman,
who is with his father.

ALICE CHEYNEY. The family to which the
above named lady belongs is one that has been
long established in the county of Chester, Penn
sylvania. Her grandfather was named James
Woodward, and it is related that he was the first
person to build a stone house in the county. He
had taken land under the Penn Patent Land
Lease, thereby becoming the owner of one thou
sand acres of valuable land in the county. Her
father was James Woodward, Jr., and he had
been one of the successful farmers of West Brad
ford township.
Alice Woodward was the descendant of these
forefathers, and after she had grown to woman's
estate she became the wife of Thomas W. Chey
ney. He had learned the trade of shoemaker,
but after prosecuting this occupation for a time
he embarked in other pursuits and during the
last years of his life conducted a flour and feed
store at Marshallton. His death occurred in
1901, and his remains lie buried in the Marshall-
ton cemetery. He. had been a highly respected
citizen of the locality, and his demise was felt
to be a loss to the business and social affairs of
the village. Mrs. Cheyney makes her home in
Marshallton and is the owner of several houses,
which pay her good returns in rent. She is the
woman of earnest Christian character and takes
much interest in the work of the Methodist
church, of which she is a member.

GEORGE McFARLAND is a prominent and
influential citizen of West Bradford township,
Chester county, Pennsylvania, where he has made
his home since 1837, taking a very active part
in public affairs. He was born in New Lynn
township, Chester county. Pennsylvania, Octo
ber 17, 1820, and was educated in the public
schools and also attended Jonathan Gause's

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

401

school, which was one of the famous educational
institutions during his boyhood.
After reaching manhood Mr. McFarland was
united in marriage to Miss E. Pennypacker, a
daughter of John Pennypacker, of Virginia, and
they became the parents of seven children, name
ly : Harry J., the eldest, married Hannah Foster,
by whom he has four children. Egbert, married
Belle Buckes, and they have three children. Mary
P., is single. Edwin P., is deceased. Fred L.,
married Emily J. Speakman, and to them have
been born two children. George P., married
Marie Ferree, and they have one child. W. How
ard, the youngest of the family, is unmarried.
The wife and mother died January 30, 1895, and
was laid to rest in the Marshallton cemetery.
Since attaining his majority Mr. McFarland
has taken a very active and prominent part' in
political affairs and uses his right of franchise in
support of the Republican party and its principles.
He has done all in his power to promote its inter
ests, and his fellow citizens, recognizing his worth
and ability, have honored him with local office.
For fifteen years he acceptably served as super
visor of his township, and filled the office of audi
tor ten years to the entire satisfaction of all con
cerned. His religious faith is manifest by his
membership in the Methodist church, and for
half a century he has been a prominent member
of the Odd Fellows society, in which he has
passed through all the chairs.

GEORGE A. CUNNINGHAM. The fam
ily bearing this name have long been identified
with Chester county affairs and have done their
full share in helping along the development in
various lines. Some of them have been me
chanics, some farmers, but in whatever business
they, were found the Cunninghams always ranked
as good neighbors and good citizens generally.
It is men of this type, the solid yeomanry, who
give everv community its real strength and whose
absence makes progress impossible. While the
professions are well enough in their way they
are the products of advanced civilization and may
be dispensed with altogether in the pioneer period.
It is the man with the ax, the adz, the plow who
lays the first foundation, and it is the work of
this kind, enlarged and improved, that ultimately
build up the state and lay its foundations broad
and deep. Joseph E. Cunningham, who passed
his whole life in Chester county, was a carpenter
by trade, and in the line of his work made a
wide acquaintance. The highest compliment that
can be paid any man is to say that he did well
what was assigned him and what it was his duty
to do, and this praise was earned by Mr. Cunning
ham, who conscientiously carried out every obli
gation. His quiet and blameless life was termi

nated by death in 1894, and his remains interred
at West Grove, where repose those whom he had
loved in life. Joseph E. Cunningham in early
manhood was united in marriage with Lydia,
daughter of Samuel Cloud, of West Grove, by
whom he had nine children. The five of these
now living are : Anna M. ; James, who married
Lydia Lovell ; Joseph, Jr. ; Emmor L. ; and
George A.
George A. Cunningham, mentioned last in the
above' list, is a native of Chester county, and all
his time and energies have been expended within
her limits. For the last thirty-two years he has.
been a resident of West Bradford township,
where he has pursued his trade as a wheelwright.
He is a good workman as well as a good manager,
and conducts an extensive business. Aside from
his own affairs he finds time to take part in the
political and social life of his community. His
political affiliations are with the Democratic party,
but he is not ranked among the office seekers.
He is a member of the Masonic lodge at Kennett
Square, and is also a leading spirit in the Junior
Order of United American Mechanics. He is
a member of the Presbyterian church and
thoughtful in the performance of all duties which
devolve upon him as an integral part of a pop
ulous and progressive community.
George A. Cunningham was united in mar
riage ' to Caroline Gross, who was born in
Coatesville, Chester county, Pennsylvania, a
daughter of George" Gross, of- Lancaster county,
Pennsylvania, who was always a farmer. There
were three children born to Mr. and Mrs. Cun
ningham, namely: Valeria, born July 9, 1872,
wife of John Lilly; Clarence, born January 3,
1875, married and lives in West Chester, a mar
ble cutter by trade; and Eva, born January 6,
1876, is now employed as a stenographer.

JESSE JONES LATSHAW, a successful
farmer and highly respected citizen of West Vin
cent township, Chester county, Pennsylvania, is
a descendant on the paternal side of an honored
German lineage. Jacob Latshaw (great-grand
father) was an eye-witness of one of the most
thrilling episodes in our struggle for indepen
dence, having carried wheat to the starving
patriots at Valley Forge. John Latshaw (grand
father) was born March 26, 1785, married Su
sanna High, born in 1786, and they were the
parents of the following named children — 1.
Catherine, born January 20, 1810, was the wife
of Rudolph Reiff, and at her death left three
children; 2. Magdelene', born April 26, 1812, be
came the wife of John McCurdy and mother of
four children ; she is now residing at Devault,
Pennsylvania ; 3. Mary, born December 4, 1814,
became the wife of Israel Beidler, and their son

402

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

is Congressman Jacob Beidler of Ohio ; 4. Jacob
and 5. Susan, twins, born July 30, 1817; Jacob
married Sarah Pennypacker and after her death
married a sister to his first wife ; he had one child
by his first wife and six children by his second
wife; Susan married Rudolph Harley and is still
living; 6. John High, born June 30, 1820.
John High Latshaw (father) was born June
30, 1820. He taught school for a number of
years after attaining young manhood, and the
remainder of his business career was devoted to
agricultural pursuits. He married, August 5,
1851, Elizabeth F. Jones, who was born in the
house where Jesse J. Latshaw now resides, De
cember 4, 1826, and was a daughter of Jesse and
Elizabeth (Frick) Jones, the former named hav
ing been a cabinet maker and farmer during his
lifetime. The Jones family resided in that
vicinity, for several generations, as their grand
father was also born in the same house. Mr.
and Mrs. Jones were the parents of the follow
ing named children — 1. Enoch L., born January
9, 18 1 2, was a merchant at Altoona, Pennsyl
vania, died in February, 1901, leaving four chil
dren; 2. Hannah, born July 10, 1814, died in
infancy; 3. Mary C, born May 12, 1816, died in
infancy; 4. Catherine F., born July 22, 18 18,
died in early life; 5. Salinda, born April 7, 182 1,
died July 3, 1902; 6. Susan E., born December
2, 1823, died December 2, 1893, was the wife of
Edwin Miles, and four children survived her;
7. Jessie, born December 4, 1826, died November
5, 1902; 8. Elizabeth F., born December 4, 1826.
John High Latshaw, who died February 4, 1893,
and his wife, Elizabeth F. (Jones) Latshaw, who
died April 26, 1900, were the parents of two chil
dren — 1. Alice M., born September 11, 1852,
is the wife of Charles A. King, of Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania, and their two daughters — Mabel
and Jessie — reside with them ; Mabel King was
born June 10, 1872, and is the wife of Ralph
Henry Barbour of Cambridge, Massachusetts,
and Jessie King was born June 8, 1874. 2. Jesse
Jones Latshaw.
Jesse Jones Latshaw, son of John High and
Elizabeth F. (Jones) Latshaw, was born Febru
ary 9, 1857, on the old homestead. He received
his primary education in the public schools of
his native township, and subsequently attended
two private schools, one at Chester Springs, pre
sided over by Miss Ada Fussell and another at
Kimberton, of which the principal was Miss Lida
Wilson. He then spent two years at Tremont
Seminary, which was at that time under the able
leadership of Mr. John W. Loch. At the com
mencement of his business career, Mr. Latshaw
formed a partnership with Mr. Theodore Griffith
at Downingtown, Pennsylvania, under the firm
name of Griffith & Latshaw, dealers in hardware,
etc. At the expiration of two years, Mr. Latshaw

felt a desire for a wider field of action and dis-
posing of his interest in the business, he went to
Colorado where he had six years experience of
life on a ranch. During a portion of this period
he was in partnership with Mr. Charles A. King,
a brother-in-law, and their transactions were con
ducted on an extensive scale. He settled in
Philadelphia on his return to the east, was em
ployed for a time in the freight department of
the Reading Railroad, and later became book
keeper for Mr. O. W. White, then a commission.
merchant on Front street. After remaining
there seven years, he engaged in the wholesale
butter business at 920 Dauphin street, which fine
of trade he conducted successfully for six years
and then retired to Chester county, and in his
native township sought relaxation from the cares
of business in the life pf a farmer. In 1895 he
settled pn the hpmestead, where he devotes his
entire time to general farming and the manage
ment of a dairy of fifteen head of cattle, the prod
ucts from the latter named branch of the busi
ness finding a ready sale at the Pikeland
Creamery. He is a member of the Masonic fra
ternity, affiliating with Mt. Pickering Lodge, No.
446, and in politics he supports the measures and
principles advocated by the Republican party.
He and his family attend the Baptist church.
Mr. Latshaw married, in Philadelphia, Penn
sylvania, April 17, 1889, Frances Evans Sperry,
and their children are: Alice Elizabeth, born
December 29, 1890; John High, born October
17, 1893; Sarah Miles, born October 28, 1897;
and Christine Ashton, born December 24, 1902.
The two last named children were born on the
homestead which was the birthplace of three
preceding generations. Samuel Sperry, father
of Mrs. Latshaw, was in his youth a telegraph
operator and resided in the city of Philadelphia.
For a long period he held the position of man
ager for the Westingham Telegraph Company,
and for nine years was receiver for the Union
Traction Company. During the Civil war Mr.
Sperry served in the Union army, participated
in the battles of Fredericksburg and Gettysburg,.
received wounds in each battle, and in considera
tion of which he was the recipient of a govern
ment pension. Mr- Sperry married Christine
Ashton and they were the parents of two chil
dren : Frances Evans, wife of Jesse Jones Lat
shaw, and Walter Ashton, born April 3, 1876,
paymaster for the Boston and Philadelphia Steam
Ship Company.

JAMES G. FOX, one of the representatives
to the state legislature from Chester county,
Pennsylvania, has been an important figure for a
number of years in the annals of the county. He
has aided materially in its progress and welfare.

-t^ Ir^x-

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

403

been an active factor in administering the affairs
of the government in his own community, and is
widely recognized as a Republican leader who has
labored earnestly for the success of his party.
Close study has given him a keen insight into the
important political problems, and his interest in the
issues of the day that affect the national weal or
woe is of the highest. He was born in Hummels
town, Dauphin county, Pennsylvania, November
3, 1858, a son of Dr. Thomas G. and Dianah
(Hershey) Fox. His ancestry dates back to the
early part of the eighteenth century when George,
John and Thomas Fox came to this country from
England, and settled in this section of the state of
Pennsylvania where they became loyal and prom
inent citizens.
Dr. Thomas G. Fox (father) was a native of
Hummelstown, Dauphin county, Pennsylvania,
where his father, George Fox, resided for many
years, as did also his grandfather, George Fox,
who settled there in 1780, participated in the ca
pacity of drummer boy in the Revolutionary war,
and his occupations were those of farmer, hotel
keeper and merchant. Dr. Fox was for many
years the leading medical practitioner of his na
tive town, where he put to a practical test the
theoretical knowledge he acquired during his col
legiate course. He was a member of the state
legislature in 1861 and 1863 ; was elected in 1873
to the office of prothonotary of Dauphin county,
and at the expiration of his first term was elected
to a second ; was a member of the board of prison
inspectors of the county, serving at one time as
president of that body ; and for many years was
the incumbent of the office of school director. Dr.
Fox and his wife, Dianah (Hershey) Fox, were
the parents of the following named children :
1. L. Webster, who is a leading oculist in the city
of Philadelphia' and holds the chair of OphthaP
mology in the Medico-Chirurgical College; 2.
Elizabeth, who resides at home ; 3. Robert T., who
died in early life ; 4. James G, mentioned herein
after;' 5. John E., who is a leading attorney of
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and is filling a term
as state senator ; 6. Adelaide, wife of Jno. H. Gay,
a carpet manufacturer in Philadelphia, Pennsyl
vania. 7. Mary, also resides at home ; 8. Carrie,
Wife of J. P. Nissley, a banker of Hummelstown,
Dauphin county ; 9. George H., a prominent med
ical practitioner in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
James G. Fox was educated in the public
schools of Derry township, Dauphin county, and
at Hummelstown school, and after laying aside
his text books at the age of eighteen years he took
up farming, which vocation he has followed ever
since. He conducted his operations in Dauphin
county up to the year 1892, when he removed to
Chester county and assumed charge of the estate
of his cousin, George F. Fox, which he has man
aged successfully up to the present time (1903).

The property is known as "Fox Croft," is lo
cated in the vicinity of Downingtpwn, and is one
of the best estates in -the county. Mr. Fox is a
man of strong mentality, keen discernment, reso
lute will and perseverance, and is therefore en
titled to the prosperity which has attended his bus
iness efforts, and also to the distinction of being
classed among the leading agriculturists of Ches
ter county.
While a resident of Dauphin county he served
six years as school director, and after his removal
to Chester county he at once took an active part
in public affairs. In 1893 he was elected a mem
ber of the Republican county committee, and has
served continuously up to the present time. In
1898 he was a candidate to the state legislature,
but met with defeat owing to a fusion movement.
He was a nominee for the same office in 1900, was
elected by a substantial majority, and re-elected
in 1902. He was appointed the chairman of the
committee on public roads in session of 1901, and
served as a member of the railroad committee,
also forestry, military, new counties and county
seats. In the session of 1903 he served on the
committee on public roads in session of 190 1, and
agriculture. He introduced the bill asking for
two hundred and eighty thousand dollars for the
improvement of agriculture throughout the state,
and the bill was passed with an appropriation of
two hundred and thirty thousand dollars. He
also passed the bill granting a rebate on taxes
where wide tire wagons are used. He is a mem
ber and elder of the Lutheran church in Down-
ingtown, a member of the Downingtown Republi
can Club, the Roosevelt Club of West Grove, the
Patriotic Order of the Sons of America, which
he joined in 1877, the Williamson Lodge, No.
309, Free and Accepted Masons of Downingtown,
the Order of Elks, No. 854, of West Chester,
Knights of the Golden Eagle, Windsor Castle,
No. 92, Downingtown, the Patrons of Hus
bandry, and worthy master of Fox Croft Grange,
No. 1220.
On February 9, 1881, Mr. Fox married Emma
Strickler, a daughter of Adam and Sarah
(Brightbill) Strickler, of Swatara Station, Dau
phin county, Pennsylvania. They are the par
ents of the following narhed children : George F.,
born March 20, 1882, is now a cadet at West
Point, New York; Robert T., born August 30,
1883, a student in Lafayette College ; James W.,
born October 11, 1884, a student at West Ches
ter State Normal School ; Charles A., born March
27, 1886, a student in the Philadelphia Textile
School ; John E., born May 14, 1887 ; W. Webster,
born March 24, 1889, killed on the Pennsylvania
Railroad, August 6, 1903 ; M. Virginia, born June
29, 1891 ; Elizabeth, born October 19, 1893, died
in January, 1894; Thomas, born February 8,
1896; and Sarah D. Fox, born January 5, 1899.

404

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

The younger children attend the public schools
of Downingtown. Mr. Fox and his wife are
among the leading residents of that section of the
county, and enter heartily into the social inter
ests and life of the community in which they
have resided for so many years.

ROBERT G. SMITH, a representative of
one of the old and prominent families of Dela
ware county, Pennsylvania, now resides in New
lin township arid is distinguished as being the
owner of the oldest flouring mill in the state,
situated in the hamlet of Embreeville, on the
Wilmington & Northern Railroad. He is also
the owner of and holds in his possession a deed
dated 1759 in the thirty-second year of King
George II over Great Britain and made between
Charles Wilson, of Newlinton township, and Rob
ert Johnson of same township, giving title to
a shad fishery located on the Brandywine about
where his mill now stands. This fact proves
that there was not at that time a dam anywhere
in the stream.
Robert G. Smith was reared and educated
in Delaware county, residing there until 1876
when he removed to Unionville, Chester county.
He learned the trade of miller and this occupa
tion has proved a very profitable source of in
come up to the present time (1903). He is the
owner of thirty-eight acres of land surrounding
his mill at Embreeville. When Pennsylvania
sent forth a call for emergency troops, Mr. Smith
was one of the first men to enlist, and served in
a regiment of which Major Wilcox was in com
mand until the disturbances were quelled. In
politics he is an ardent Prohibitionist, doing all
in his power for the advancement of the cause of
temperance, and was recently nominated on the
Prohibition ticket to serve in the state legisla
ture. He is an esteemed member of the Inde
pendent Order of Odd Fellows and the Hep
tasophs. Mr. Smith was united in marriage to Mary
E. Sheward, a daughter of William and Diana
W. Sheward, the former named having died of
chronic diarrhea during his term of service
in the United States army in the Civil war, and
the latter named is now residing with her daugh
ter, Mrs. Smith, at Unionville. Although Mrs.
Sheward has attained the venerable age of ninety-
five years, her faculties are perfect and her health
excellent and she takes upon herself the daily
care of her own room, she also manifests as
much interest in the home and family affairs as
though they were her own. Mrs. Sheward is a
step-daughter of the leading character "Wilson"
in the story of Kennett which was written by
Bayard Taylor, and her daughter, Mrs. Smith,
still retains in her possession much of the cloth

ing which was worn by this character "Wilson"
as well as a number of the original paintings
made by Bayard Taylor while in Italy. Bayard
Taylor, during his entire lifetime, was a faith
ful friend of the Wilson family, which was Mrs.
Sheward's maiden name.
The following named children were born to
Mr. and Mrs. Smith — A. Lizzie, the wife of
Charles F. Cutler; Mary R., who became the
wife of Frank B. Chambers, and they are the
parents of two children, Robert B. and Dana E. ;
Isaac H., who married Bertha Mercer, who bore
him one child,Paul R. Smith; and Anna W., who
became the wife of Joseph J. Hoopes, and two
children were born of this union — Harold, who
died in infancy, and Mary Roberta, now living;
and Louis T., who died in his twentieth year,
Mr. Smith and family, excepting his daughter
Anna, who is a member of the Presbyterian
church, are active members of the Baptist church.
Mr. Smith is now a licensed minister of that de
nomination and officiates in the pulpit, at funerals
and whenever called upon. He has served in the
capacity of deacon in his church for thirty-two
consecutive years, as superintendent of the Green
Valley Sunday School for the past twenty-six
years, and has been superintendent of a Union
Sunday School held in the Presbyterian church
of Unionville, Pennsylvania, for the past three
years. The family reside in a beautiful and com
modious home in the borough of Unionville,
which has been the scene of much social activity.

WILLIAM JONES, a leading citizen ¦ of
Birmingham township, is descended from a fam
ily which has long been resident in the county,
having been planted there by William Jones, who
settled on a two-hundred-acre tract of land in
Birmingham township. It is probable that he
also erected the mansion, which was built about
the middle of the eighteenth century, and is still.
the residence of his descendants. He married
and was the father of the following children :
Phoebe, born May 5, 1739 ; Joseph, born June
25, 1741 ; Mary, born March 25, 1744; William,
born November 22, 1745 ; Thomas, born April
25, 1750; Joseph, born August 21, 1754; and
Samuel, who was born April 5, 1758, married
and was the father of three children ; Mary, who
was born May 19, 1795, and married Townsend
Sharpless ; Brinton, mentioned hereinafter ; Will
iam, who was born November 11, 1804, married,
and was the father of four children ; Harry,
Charles, Lydia, and Mary. Samuel Jones died in
1829. Brinton Jones, son of Samuel and Lydia
Jones, was born December 17, 1797, and in course
of time inherited the homestead. In 1858 he re
modeled the family mansion, raising it one story.

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

405

This historic structure is identified in an inter
esting manner with the struggle for independence.
During an engagement between the British and
Continental • forces previous to the battle of
Brandywine, the house was struck a glancing
blow by a British cannonball which left an in
dentation that is still plainly visible in the brick
wall. Brinton Jones married Mary Woodward,
and the following children were born to them:
Thomas, Anna, William, mentioned at length
hereinafter, . Samuel, Mary, and George. The
death of Brinton Jones occurred in January, 1863.
William Jones, son of Brinton and Mary
(Woodward) Jones, was born August 12, 1842,
on the homestead, to the ownership of which he
succeeded on the death of his father. He de
votes himself to agricultural pursuits, and his
neighbors and fellow citizens have several times
testified to the esteem in which they hold him by
electing him to local offices. He is a staunch
Republican; following in political matters the
traditions of his ancestors, who were ardent
Whigs. Mr. Jones married, in September, 1873, Mary,
daughter of James Painter, of Birmingham town
ship. Mrs. Jones died two months after giving
birth to a son, Harry Brinton, who is still un
married, and resides in Cleveland, Ohio, where
he is engaged in business as a florist.

GEORGE SPANGLER CHEYNEY It is
recorded on page 393 in Elton's Annals of Kent
that Sir Thomas Cheyney, an ancestor of the
family now under consideration, died in 1559,
the owner of very large estates in Kent, England,
the greater part of which he held by reason of
his knight service. The ancestor and founder
of the Pennsylvania branch of the family was
John Cheyney, who came from England and set
tled in Middletown, Chester county. His last
will and testament was made on October 30,1722,
giving and bequeathing his property to his sons,
John and Thomas. These sons went back to
England after their father's death, but returned
to Pennsylvania in 1724 and purchased of Rich
ard Bollars a large tract of land consisting of
fifteen hundred acres in Thornbury township,
Chester county, about twenty-eight acres of which
still remains in the possession of their descend
ants. Thomas, one of these sons, married Eliza
beth Hickman, and they had two children, Mary
and Ann, twins, born February 21, 1727-8, of
whom Ann was married to James Jeffers. John,
the other brother, married Ann Hickman, a sis
ter of his brother's wife ; she was the daughter of
Benjamin and Ann Hickman, and she died about
1745, having become the mother of five children,
as follows: Thomas, born December 12, 1731,
died January 12, 181 1, was the famous Squire

Cheyney of Revolutionary memory, who made
the celebrated ride at the battle of Brandywine
in order to convey information to General Sulli
van in regard to the movements of Cornwallis's
army; his remains now repose in the Cheyney
burying ground. The second child was John,
born June 20, 1733, and died October 8, 1806.
Joseph was born January 12, 1735, and died
August 10, 1794. Mary, born February 1, 1737,
died September 30, 1820. Richard, born March
23, 1739, died June 17, 1791. He was united in
marriage to Mary Hannum. Their son, William
Cheyney, married Catherine Spangler, and Will
iam Hannum Cheyney, the son of the last named
parents, married Ann Scott Sharpless, and their
four children were as follows :
Charles Henry, born June 23, 1830, is a re
tired business man of Cheyney, Pennsylvania.
He was married November 8, 1855, to Elizabeth
Mary Cheyney, a distant relative, born Novem
ber 9, 1835, and a descendant of Joseph Cheyney
and the daughter of Joseph Cheyney and Mary
Johnson. By this union there were born seven
children, of whom five are living: 1. Henry
Clay, born September 3, 1856, lives in Omaha,
Nebraska; he married Mary Crowell and they
have two children, Charles Crowell, born May
20, 1889, and Henry Clay, Jr., born May 6, 1895.
2. Arthur Stotesbury, born June' 12, 1858, and
died September 1, 1863. 3. Mary Ella, who was
born October 2, i860, died August 19, 1863. 4.
William Irwin, born November 30, 1861, a resi
dent of Media, Pennsylvania, married Edith
Worrall Lewis, daughter of Isaac Lewis and
Susannah Morton, and they have one child, Will
iam Irwin, Jr., born May 8, 1901. 5. George
Spangler, who was born July 5, 1863, is unmar
ried and lives at home. 6. Anna Cornelia, born
September 8, 1864, married William Abner Gar
rett, and they live at Wyncote, Pennsylvania,
and have three children, Hibbard, born Novem
ber 24, 1891, Elizabeth Cheyney, born March
17, 1893, and Catherine, born September 18,
1894. 7. Horace Lincoln, born February 27,
1866, is a practicing attorney in Philadelphia, and
is unmarried. The three remaining children of William
Hannum Cheyney are George Spangler, Anna
Catherine, and Mary Ann. George Spangler
Cheyney is the one whose name heads this sketch,
and he was born October 28, 1833, in Thornbury
township, Chester county. When he was three
years old his father moved to Thornbury town
ship, Delaware county, and it was here that he
received his education in the common schools.
In i860 he embarked in a general merchandise
business at Cheyney, which he continued till
1895, when he sold out to Edward S. Hickman.
He was appointed postmaster of 'the village in
1865 and has held the office for thirty-seven con-

406

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

secutive years. He is now also engaged in gen
eral farming and the coal business. He has been
a life-long Republican, and although not a mem
ber of any church, he helped build the Union
church at Cheyney. He did some military ser
vice in 1862, and in 1863 served in the Twenty-
ninth Pennsylvania Volunteer Emergency Regi
ment. He is now a member of Bradbury Post,
No. 149, Grand Army of the Republic, at Media,
Pennsylvania. Mr. Cheyney was married on
March 3, 1875, to Miss Mary W. Price, the
daughter of Paxson and Jane Price, and their
four children are all living at home : Mabel Ray
mond, born April 13, 1876; Helen, born Octo
ber 13, 1877; Georgianna, born April 30, 1880;
and Eugene Price, born June 17, 1889.

JOSEPH FULTON. The very mention of
this name will cause inquiry on the part of the
intelligent reader who will desire to know what,
if any, relationship it bears to the immortal in
ventor of the steamboat. The part of Pennsyl
vania with which these sketches are dealing was
the scene of the famous inventor's life as he was
born in Lancaster county in 1765. Little Britain
township, the place of his birth, was afterward
changed in his honor to Fulton township, and is
now so known. There are many persons bearing
this honored name in this section of the state and
other parts of the country, all descended from
three brothers who came from Kilkenny, Ireland,
in the early part of the eighteenth century and set
tled in Lancaster county. It is not necessary to
repeat here the story of Robert Fulton, which is
familiar to every schoolboy, further than to say
that the United States owes to him a debt of grati
tude which it can never repay. But for the steam
boat, the first rude sample of which was success
fully run by him on the Hudson river in 1807,
the settlement of the west must have been delayed
much longer. It was by means of steamboats
navigating great rivers like the Ohio, Mississippi,
Missouri and their thousands of tributaries that
the early pioneers were able to penetrate the in
terior long before railroads were constructed. For
this reason one naturally feels like taking off his
hat to a Fulton- as soon as it is ascertained that
the blood of the great inventor flows through his
veins. Among the descendants of one of the three
brothers mentioned who came to this section about
1747 was Joseph Fulton, who had three children,
— Ambrose, Edwin and Joseph. The latter mar
ried Annie Fulton, and his children were : Am
brose C, Mary Ann, who married Cyrus Hart
ley; Hannah, who became Mrs. Williamson by
marriage; and Ambrose. Ambrose Fulton is at
present a resident of Cain township, in Chester
county, where he owns a farm of one hundred and

twenty-five acres and is regarded as one of the
substantial citizens. He married Annie, daughter
of Townsend Moulder, ex-county commissioner
of Chester county, and their children are Joseph,
Fred, Edna, Ruth and Ambrose, Jr., all still at
home. Mr. Fulton is a member of the Baptist
church, and a school director of Cain township.
Mr. Fulton in politics is a Republican, having
filled the various township offices. He came from
one of the leading and oldest families in Chester
county.

MARGARETTA MARSHALL. As is well
known the Quakers were prominent from the be
ginning in Chester county, and how much they
have influenced its growth and development in
every respect is a matter of history. It was from
the silent meeting houses of these earnest people
that ideas and principles went forth which exer
cised a profound influence upon the public mind
and set in motion reforms that were destined to
influence the whole human race. They were the
inveterate foes of intemperance and slavery, and
the sturdy upholders of religious liberty, posi
tions which often brought them in conflict with
the "powers that be" and the ruling majority,
but as the snowflakes which drop so gently even
tually make an avalanche and the sunbeam, right
ly directed, will in time rend a mountain, so in the
end "the spirit moves" all men to do his bidding.
But it is not only in the great affairs of life that
the Quaker influence has been felt making for
righteousness. In the quiet social circle of the
neighborhood, in all that affects conduct and
morals in the relationship between man arid man,
in the sick-room, in times of trouble and in the
solemn hour of death, the faith of these people
taught them to act as aides and comforters. Thus
most of the good done by them is not heralded
to the world or written of in books; the only
witness is the recipient of the favor and the
only reward the consciousness of duty well per
formed. Thomas B. Marshall, father of Margaretta
Marshall, was born in West Bradford township,
Chester county, Pennsylvania, and was a repre
sentative of a family whose history was closely
interwoven with that of that section of the state
for many years. He was reared in that locality
and received a practical education in the schools
of the neighborhood, which thoroughly quali
fied him for a life of usefulness and activity.
In early manhood he was united in marriage to
Hannah Baily, daughter of Abram Baily, a well
known resident of West Bradford. Their chil
dren were Jacob B., deceased ; Joel C, deceased ;
Abraham, deceased : Richard, deceased, was the
husband of Susan Denny ; Emnor E., deceased ;
Thomas B., who married Elizabeth Cornete, and

&^ , /£. ct4<^SS

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

407

they are the parents of one child; and Margar
etta, who was born in Sadsbury township, reared
in the influences of a Christian home, and ac
quired her education in the common schools of
the township. She was formerly a regular at
tendant at the meetings of the Society of Friends.
Miss Marshall now resides in a comfortable and
pleasant home in Marshallton, West Bradford
township, Chester county, Pennsylvania.

THOMAS P. WORTH. West Bradford
township is one of the most fertile districts of
Chester county, and its farms situated on its
pleasant hills and valleys form one of the beauti
ful sections of the state, not only furnishing
sustenance for its inhabitants but exporting much
grain, cattle and other products to the neighbor
ing cities. One of the pretty farms of this town
ship is that of Thorrias P. Worth, who is es
teemed for his efforts in a public direction and
as a man who gives business-like attention to the
affairs of private life. He has been engaged in
farming for fourteen years, and the place con
sists of one hundred and sixty-seven acres, well
stocked with cattle.
Mr. Worth was educated at New Salem,
Massachusetts, and later at Martin's Academy
in Kennett Square, Chester county, Pennsylvania.
His marriage occurred in 1888, when he became
the husband of Ella Worrell, the daughter of
Elwood Worrell, a merchant of Kennett Square.
Mr. Worth is a very prominent Republican of the
county, and is at the present time the incumbent
of the office of auditor for his township. He
lias also served as school director and has made
educational matters an object of considerable
study. He and his wife are both attendants at
the Quaker meeting, and the doctrine of sim
plicity in all things has been characteristic of the
family for many generations.

JOHN M. BANE. The Bane family is one
well known in Chester county, and its members
have been noted for their upright character in
whatever fields of activity they have been found.
They have always adhered to the religious
teaching of the famous sect of which William
Penn is the most conspicuous example.
This brief biography has to deal with one of
the family who has been for the long period of
forty years engaged in the carpenter's trade.
But" he has taken advantage of the necessary
' lapses of continuous work in this line of industry
and has devoted himself to farming. Mr. Bane
has made a considerable success in this dual
occupation, and is highly deserving of a place
in a historical volume of the nature of this.
Eber Bane, his father, was a resident of West

Goshen township of this county. He was edu
cated in the Chester Creek school, was a farmer
by occupation, and was a scrupulous follower of
Quaker principles. When he passed away he
was laid to rest in the Hepsibah cemetery. He
married Eliza Price, and they were the parents
of ten children, two of whom died when young;
the living are : Martha E., who married William
Baldwin, and they have six children; Josephine,
the wife of John Walk and the mother of one
child; Frank, who married Esther Marshall, to
whom was born one child ; Edwin W., who mar
ried Anna Woodward, and to whom was born
one child; Annie, who married Ellis Gould, and
has two children ; Lauretta P., the wife of Will
iam McCorkle, by whom she had three children ;
Harry H., the husband of Laura Marshall, to
whom was born two children.
John M. Bane is the remaining one of the
eight living. He married Marietta Romans.
Her parents were Moses and Elizabeth G. Ro
mans, and the town of Romansville was named
after them. Mr. Bane remembers the old Five
Points schoolhouse as the place where he gained
his elementary schooling, and since leaving there
he has been engaged in the more real duties of
life. He attends the Quaker meeting, and his
pleasant home is situated on thirty acres of land
near Romansville.

ROBERT EMM.ETT RAMSEY. The fam
ily of this name has long been identified with
Chester county, resident for the most part in the
townships of Highland, West Bradford and the
two Fallowfields. They have figured in various
callings, as mechanics, tradesmen and farmers,
but chiefly in the latter capacity. Robert Ramsey,
a native of Highland township, was a wheel
wright by trade, but at a later period of his life
he engaged in farming and thereafter adhered to
that capacity. He was a good workman, a good
neighbor, a good citizen and a well informed
man who enjoys general confidence and esteem.
He married Margaret Reid of Philadelphia, who
bore him nine children of whom Hannah, Charles
P. and Annie are dead. The living are James,
who married Amy Woodward and has five chil
dren ; William R., who married Mary Binnix;
Lizzie J.; Ellen M. ; J. Frank, and the subject
of this sketch.
' Robert Emmett Ramsey was born in East
Fallowfield township. Chester county, Pennsyl
vania, and obtained his education in the public
schools and Unionville Academy. When he
reached the age of maturity he engaged in agri
cultural pursuits, and at the present time owns
a farm of one hundred and thirty acres which he
cultivates by modern and up-to-date methods.
He married Mary Elizabeth, daughter of Squire

408

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

David Young of East Fallowfield township, and
has an only son, named Henry V. Mr. Ramsey
has taken quite an active part in local politics
and is recognized as the anti-Republican leader
of the township. Being especially interested in
the cause of education, the people have several
times called upon him to serve as school director
and at the present time he is filling the office
of supervisor. He and his wife are members of
the Presbyterian church, the latter being quite
prominent in religious work. Mr. Ramsey is a
member of the Order of Odd Fellows, the Red
Men and the Junior Order of United American
Mechanics. No family stands higher in the com
munity and none enjoys a more general regard.

CHARLES DALE. Chester county is es
sentially an agricultural county, and all the
kindred pursuits thrive there. One of the most
important adjuncts to a farming community is
a blacksmith shop, and the blacksmith is almost
as necessary to the tiller of the soil as the man
who furnishes the supplies for his daily needs.
The member of the family whose biography i's
to be given here is the "village blacksmith" of
the town of Mortonville, and is a representative
of much of the social and industrial life of the
village and the surrounding country.
William Dale, his father, lived at Russellville
in the southern end of this county, and there fol
lowed butchering as a means of livelihood, but
later took up farming. He was twice married,
and his first wife was Mary Ann Hickman, the
sister of the late Hon. John B. Hickman, who
was known throughout the county and loved and
respected by all. He was married a second time.
Charles was the only child born of these
unions and was the son of the first wife. After
he had obtained his common school training he
apprenticed himself to a blacksmith and became
thoroughly versed in all the details of this trade.
He now has a large shop, and his business is
increasing so that he has a very good income.
The maiden name of his wife was Anna Mary
Simcox, who is the daughter of Addison Sim-
cox, a prominent farmer of Goshen township.
The one son born of this marriage, Plarry A.
Dale, is now employed in his father's large shop.
Mr. Dale is a very earnest and energetic
man, and has come deservedly by the success
which he is now reaping. He is one of the lead
ing workers for the Prohibition cause in the
county, and he was recently placed in nomination
by his party for the office of coroner. He be
lieves thoroughly in fraternal organization as a
means of social help, and he belongs to the Ma
sons, the Odd Fellows, the Junior Order of
United American Mechanics and the Heptasophs.
His religious faith is that of the Presbyterian

church. The pretty home in which the family
reside adjoins the place of business, and is a
model of neatness and housewifely care.

HARRY J. McFARLAND. In many of the
older countries of the world it has been a cus
tom which has become almost an unwritten law,
that the son should follow the trade of the father,
hence many families have known for many cen
turies only one pursuit, and have become known
to history by some name indicative of their pro
fession. This condition of affairs has not- pre
vailed altogether in the McFarland family, and
such a circumstance would hardly be possible in
this new and ever changing country of America,
but it is all the more a curious fact that for four
generations some members of this family have
been engaged in the manufacture of pumps.
And there is hardly a farm within the borders
of Chester county which does not bear evidence
of the handiwork of some enterprising member
of the house, and the old town pump, the farm
pump and many other well known instruments
of bringing water to the use of humanity have
borne the name of McFarland as the maker.
Harry J. McFarland is the member of the
present generation with whom this sketch has to
deal, and he has for a number of years prose
cuted the trade of pump making in the village
of Marshallton with great success. He was born
and reared in the county, and made use of the
township schools for the advantages of educa
tional training. He has been a Republican in
politics, and has held different township offices
in the gift of his party. The maiden name of
his wife was Hannah Foster, who is the daughter
of Frederick Foster, a prominent farmer in the
township. They had four children, Gertrude,
Marion, Warren and Carl, all of whom are single
and living at the home place. Mr. McFarland
and family are attendants of the Methodist
church at Marshallton, and his wife is prominent
in the work of the different societies of the
church. He stands high in the estimation of his
fellow mep, and especially as a member of the
fraternal organizations of the Odd Fellows and
the Junior Order of the United American
Mechanics.

JOHN W. THOMPSON. One of the dif
ferences between the- agricultural sections of the
east and the west which at once strikes the ob
server, is the small area of the farms of the east
as compared with those of the west, and yet on
the whole the farmers of the east are as pros
perous as those of the west. This is undoubtedly
due in large measure to the care and methodical
cultivation and the working of even the smallest

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

409

corners of the land, which is more prevalent
among eastern than western agriculturists. One
of the farms in Newlin township, Chester county,
is evidence of this fact, for while it contains only
fifty-four and one-half acres, it is one of the most
productive farms in tlie county, and with the
dairy is made to pay good returns to its owner,
Mr. Thompson.
John W. Thompson, Sr., the father of the
above mentioned gentleman, was a native of
Willistown township, this county, and after
gaining a common school education started at
an early age in the work of farming, He lived
during the times of the formation, of the political
parties of to-day, and he was a Whig and lived
to cast two presidential votes for the candidates
of the Republican party. His death occurred in
1861. He was twice married and by his second
wife had one child, John W. Thompson, Jr.
Mr. Thompson has followed farming all his
life and has made it a profitable occupation. For
many years he also attended the market located
at Second and Pine streets, Philadelphia, Penn
sylvania. Following the example of his father,
he votes the Republican ticket and has held the
office of school director in Newlin township for
some time. He is a member of the fraternal
Order of Heptasophs. He married Susanna
Tompkins, daugher of Peter Tompkins, who is
a farmer of Easttown township. Annie, the first
child born of this union, is the wife of Roland
P. Windle, and they have one child; Bertha,
married Clarence E. Copeland, and they are the
parents of one child ; Walter, is married and lives
on his father's farm adjoining; and the following
smaller children reside at home : Laura, Morton,
Charles, Harry, Ida, and Eugene; one by the
name of Florence died in childhood.

W. J. MONHOLLEND. One of the prin
cipal attractions of the village of Mortonville,
Chester county, Pennsylvania, is the old grist
mill. It has been in existence for many years,
and many are the historic associations connected
with it. It stands like a venerable monument
of the past, reminding the inhabitants of the
present of the flight of time, and affording a
link that binds them to the clays when the coun
try was new and the cultivation of the land was
not so peaceful as now. This mill has furnished
the material for the staff of life to thousands of
people in the county, and it still continues its
operations, unabated with age, under the control
of a member of the Monhollend family, a brief
mention of whose history it is deemed proper to
here insert.
Oliver, the father of the present operator
of the mill, was an industrious farmer living in
East Whiteland township of this county. In

youth he received a fair education and then
learned the trade of shoemaker, but never devoted
himself to its prosecution, for his attention was
rather attracted to the hardier pursuit of the
tiller of the soil. He married Leah, the daughter
of Mary Alexander, a retired lady living in East
Whiteland township. The children of this union
were: Samuel, who married Wilda Hoffman;
Sarah, who died in youth ; and W. J. Monhollend.
W. J. Monhollend was born and reared in
this county, and after the usual vacillations of
mind peculiar to youth, turned his attention to
milling, where he has found ample rewards of
his efforts. He has been married twice. By
his first wife, whose name was Sarah Morrison,
he had two children, Oliver and Jennie. His
second wife was Margaret Lily, a native of
Philadelphia, and one child was born to them,
Paul, who is unmarried and lives at home. Mr.
Monhollend plays a leading part in the Prohibi
tion party of the county and at a recent election
was the nominee on the ticket for the legislature.
He is a member of the Junior Order of United
American Mechanics, and in religion holds mem
bership with the Presbyterian church.

THE KEECH FAMILY. Hannums Keech
was for many years a familiar resident of East
Bradford township. From his youth he had
grown up in the pleasant community- of this
county and was allowed the privileges of a com
mon school education. He had always mani
fested a keen interest in horses, and was an ex
cellent judge of animals, and this led to his being
appointed by the state to haul cars on the railroad
before steam was introducted, and it is remem
bered that he exercised good judgment in this
capacity. He was a member of the Republican ,
party and held to the religious beliefs of the
Society of Friends. His death occurred in 1852.
His wife's maiden name was Sarah Young, and
she was the daughter of James Young, a pros
perous farmer of the county. Hannah, the first
child of this union, married Elwood Scott and
became the mother of six children ; Downing
died in his youth; Baldwin's first wife was Miss
England, and by his second wife, Caroline
Thomas, he had three children ; Milton married
Miss Martha Jones, and they have six children;
Margretta died young; and James, whose life
is deserving of particular notice.
James Keech is a native of this county and in
his youth enjoyed the advantages of the public
schools. He inherited some of his father's quali
ties as a judge of horses and when the Civil war
broke out he was appointed horse inspector at
Wheeling and rendered valuable service in that
position. He also took active part as a soldier
in several of the engagements of the war, one of

4io

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

these being the battle of Chancellorsville, under
the command of . General Kane, where he mani
fested his spirit of bravery. A call was sent out
asking for volunteers to form a company of
skirmishers to locate the rebels, and he was one of
the number that responded. This was a very
hazardous undertaking, and very few of that
intrepid body who went forth ever returned. Mr.
Keech received seven wounds in the performance
of this duty, but he finally reached the Union
lines. At the close of the war he returned and
took up the work of the farm, and he now oper
ates a fine place of one hundred acres and a first
class dairy, located in Newlin township. His
wife was Emily Webb, a native of this county,
and a daughter of Jesse and May Marshall Webb,
who were the parents of three daughters, of
whom Mrs. Keech was second in order of birth.
Mr. Webb was reared in Chester county and was
a carpenter by trade. The following named
¦children were born to Mr, and Mrs. Keech:
George B., born March 12, 1865, unmarried, in
business at Overbrook; Florence Jessie, born
May 27, 1871, the wife of William Passmore of
Embreeville, one child; Milton H., born March
14, 1874, unmarried, at home; Stella Webb,
born October 4, 1877, wife of Walter "C. Carroll
of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

BARCLAY RUBINCAM. Chester county,
Pennsylvania, is noted for its fine farms and its
enterprising and up-to-date farmers, and as one
rides through this prosperous section he is struck
by the evidence of thrift that prevails on every
side. One of the representative men of this
agricultural class is found in the person of Bar
clay Rubincam. He cultivates a most fertile
farm consisting of ninety-six acres and upon it
maintains an excellent dairy. Mr. Rubincam
was born in Newlin township of this county in
1858. His life went along in the customary
channels of the farmer lad, and he learned the
lessons taught in the neighborhood school, but
at the age of sixteen began the actual work of
life, assisting his father on the farm. He has
made farming his steady pursuit, and the fact
that he has never deviated from his first choice
is largely responsible for the success he has made,
for it has become almost a truism that persever
ance in one line of industry is always rewarded.
Mr. Rubincam was married in 1880 to Annie
M. Young, the daughter of Jacob Young, a
farmer of this township. One son, Jacob, was
born to them, and he is now at home with his
father. Although a loyal Democrat in politics,
Mr. Rubincam has not concerned himself enough
in such affairs to care for office, and has, in fact,
refused several proffers from his party. He

takes an active part in the Odd Fellows lodge,
and his religious tendencies are with the Society
of Friends. The family reside in a beautiful
home, and they command the respect of the entire
community. Jacob Young, father of Mrs. Annie
M. (Young) Rubincam, came from Wurtem-
berg, Germany, about the year 1855. He settled
in Chester county, where he followed farming
successfully until his demise in 1901. Mrs.
Rubincam was the only child born to Jacob
Young and his wife. Mrs. Young's death oc
curred two years before that of her husband.

DANIEL MEREDITH. The Meredith fam
ily of Chester county, represented in the present
generation by Daniel Meredith, of West "Cain
township, is of mingled Welsh and German blood.
His grandfather, Daniel Meredith, whose Welsh
ancestors came to Pennsylvania in colonial days
and were Friends, was born in the Chester Val
ley in 1745, and died in 1826. He married Mary
Brown, who was a native of Germany, and they
became the parents of five children: 1. George,
who married Hannah White ; 2. John, who mar
ried Hannah Sinquett, of Willistown township,
and to whom were born five children — Isaac,
George, John (deceased), Margaret and Ann; 3.
Joseph, who married and reared a family ; 4. Mar
garet, single; 5. Isaac.
Isaac, the father of our subject and the young
est child of Daniel and Mary (Brown) Meredith,
was born in 1775 and died in January, 1861. He
married Wylmuth Bayne, and to them were born
ten children: Daniel, Joseph, Mary, Hannah,
Isaac,' William Cooper, Margaret, David, Annie
and William (2), who died in youth.
Daniel, eldest child of Isaac and Wylmuth
(Bayne) Meredith, was born September 20, 1828,
in Whiteland township, Chester county. He was
educated in the neighborhood schools, and was
reared in the religion of his forefathers. The first
twenty-five years of his life. were passed on the
paternal farm with his parents. In 1858 he was
married to Margaret Lane, and for nineteen years
afterwards he cultivated farms in Cain and Val
ley townships. In 1890 he removed to West
Chester township, where he purchased the Sarah
Lewis property comprising about one hundred
and twenty-two acres, upon which he has since
resided, and which he has made an ideal farm
home. Mr. Meredith is a birthright member of
the Society of Friends. He is a Republican in
politics, but has never sought public office.
Mr. and Mrs. Meredith are the parents of ten
children — Helen, Frank, Alice, Harry, who was
married in June, 1902, to Miss Genevieve Spen
cer ; Grace, Jessie, Arthur, Wilbur, Mary and
Wylmouth. The two last named are deceased.

^^^^

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

411

ALEXANDER JOHNSTON CASSATT,
prominent in railroad affairs, and who maintains
a splendid estate at Berwyn, Pennsylvania, is a
native of the state, born in Pittsburg, December
8, 1839, a son of Robert S. Cassatt. The elder
Cassatt was for a number of years' closely identi
fied with the financial and industrial interests of
western Pennsylvania, and was first mayor of
Allegheny City.
Alexander J. Cassatt received his primary
education in the public schools in his native city.
While he was but a lad, his father sojourned in
Europe for some years, and the son obtained a
knowledge of modern languages in various con
tinental schools, among them the University of
Heidelberg. After returning home he attended
the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, from which
he was graduated in 1859, shortly before attain
ing his majority. With an excellent knowledge
of engineering, and a predisposition for railway
affairs, he was occupied for two years after his
graduation with a surveying corps in the location
of a route in Georgia. In 1861 he became con
nected with the engineering . department of the
Pennsylvania Railroad Company, in the capacity
of roadman. In 1864, after the Pennsylvania
had absorbed the Philadelphia & Erie Railroad,
Mr. Cassatt was at Renovo, as superintendent of
the Warren & Franklin Railroad, and with duties
as resident engineer of the middle division. In
April, 1866, he was transferred to Williamsport,
as superintendent of motive power and machinery
of the Philadelphia & Erie Railroad. In 1867
he was appointed to a similar position on the
Pennsylvania Railroad, with his offices at Altoona.
April 1, 1870, he succeeded Dr. Edward H. Will
iams as general superintendent of the Pennsyl
vania Railroad. Upon the leasing of the United
Railroads of New Jersey, in December, 1871, Mr.
Cassatt was made general manager, being the
first incumbent of that office. September 30, 1882,
he resigned in order to return to private life, but
his retirement was of brief duration. In Febru
ary, 1885, he was called to the presidency of the
New York, Philadelphia &¦ Norfolk Railroad, and
in 1899 he was elected president of the Pennsyl
vania Railroad Company, both of which positions
he has occupied to the present time. His emi
nent abilities in transportations concerns have
given him an international reputation, and his in
fluence has extended far beyond the vast proper
ties which he has under control. In the spring
of 1891, when the projected Inter-Continental
Railroad to connect North, Central and South
America received the approval of the International
American Conference, Mr. Cassatt was appointed
by President Harrison one of the three commis
sioners on the part of the United States, and he
was chosen president of the commission.
Mr. Cassatt makes his home and legal resi

dence in Lower Merion township, Montgomery
county, Pennsylvania, and has ever borne a full
share in promoting the interests of the neighbor
hood, and he has, through uninterrupted elec
tions, served in the position of supervisor since
1881. Near Berwyn, Chester county, he main
tains his famous Chesterbrook Farm of seven
hundred acres, devoted to the maintenance of
his many splendid carriage and saddle horses,
for which have been provided buildings almost
palatial in their appointments.

R. PENN SMITH, of Berwyn, Chester
county, Pennsylvania, manager of the famous
Chesterbrook Farm, the property of Mr. A. J.
Cassatt, president of the Pennsylvania Railroad,
was born in the city of Philadelphia, in 1865. He
is a grandson of William Moore, who was an
early county judge when the counties of Dela
ware and Chester were one. His parents were
R. Penn and Lucy P. (Woods) Smith. His
father was also born in Philadelphia, in 1823,
and was educated at Bolman's Academy, in West
Chester. After leaving school he removed to
New York city, where he engaged in a coal busi
ness which he conducted until his death, in 1889.
His wife was a daughter of John Woods, a re
tired gentleman of Pittsburg. Of their marriage
were born the following named children: 1.
Kittie, who became the wife of Barclay Warbur-
ton, and is now deceased. 2. Morton W., who
married Emma Janson, and to whom was born
a child. 3. Edward G. Smith. 4. R. Penn Smith.
R. Penn Smith, oldest child in the family
named, was educated in the schools of Bethle
hem, Pennsylvania. After completing his edu
cation he was associated with his father in the
coal business until 1893. In that year he accepted
the position of manager of the entire estates of
Mr. Alexander J. Cassatt, at Haverford and
Berwyn. These splendid properties comprise
one thousand acres of beautifully situated land.
The principal tract is the Chesterbrook Stock
Farm at Berwyn, consisting of seven hundred
acres, where are cared for all the fine horses be
longing to Mr. Cassatt. This stud has made a
marked impress upon the entire region, and two
of the animals particularly, the hackney horse
"Cadet" and the thoroughbred roadster "The
Bard," noted prize winners, have been of great
service in the improvement of the neighborhood
strains. In caring for the very extensive and
highly valuable property committed to him, Mr.
Smith has systematized his business so as to at
tain the best results, devoting to his responsible
duties not only the utmost fidelity but as real
enthusiam for the interests committed to him as
though he were himself the owner. It is to his
great credit, and affirms the value placed upon

412

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

his services, that the relations subsisting between
himself and Mr. Cassatt are far more intimate
than is usual between employer and employe,
and are of the nature of genuine friendship, in
mutual appreciation of each other's kindliness.
Mr. Smith is a recognized leader in the gen
teel sports of the Cheesbrough Farm region,
and is president of the Chester Valley Hunt, the
Devon Polo Club and a member of the Turf
Club, and during the past ten years he has figured
prominently in the New York Horse Shows,
where he has exhibited Mr. Cassatt's finest ani
mals. He is also active in the public affairs of
his township. He and his family are commu
nicants of the historic St. David's Protestant
Episcopal church, and his political affiliations are
with the Republican party.
Mr. , Smith married Mrs. Cora Hobson, a
daughter of A. H. Lazare. Two children have
been born of this marriage : Kittie W. and R.
Penn Smith.

JOHN SHEPHERD, Jr., the genial and pop
ular proprietor of one of the leading general gro
cery and meat establishments in Malvern, Ches
ter county, Pennsylvania, was born October 26,
1848, in the township of Easttown, Chester
county, Pennsylvania.
Richard M. Shepherd, father of John Shep
herd, was born in East Fallowfield township,
Chester county, Pennsylvania, attended the com
mon schools of the neighborhood, and, as was
the practice then, he was required to do chores
about the place in the hours not devoted to study.
In this way he became familiar with the duties
of farm life, which vocation he followed up to
the time of his death. He was united in marriage
to Minerva Ramsey, of Delaware county, now
deceased, and five children were born to them :
Mary, wife of William Hill, and they are the. pa
rents of five children; Benjamin R., married
Mary Hibberd, and two children have been born
to them ; Albert, deceased ; E.. Price, married
Mary Ross, and two children have been born to
them; and John Shepherd.
John Shepherd, Jr., obtained his education in
the public schools of Chester county, and after
laying aside his text books he assisted with the
work on his father's farm until he attained his
majority, when he went to Philadelphia and
learned the cabinet making trade. Owing to
impaired health he returned home and engaged
in the butchering trade for sometime. Later he
removed to West Chester and established a gro
cery and meat market on his own account. Being
very successful in this enterprise, he continued
to conduct the store until the year 1889, when he
changed his place of residence to Malvern, Penn
sylvania, where he opened a general grocery

and meat store which he has successfully con
ducted up to the present time (1903). Mr. Shep
herd has made several important improvements
to his property in recent years, and his estab
lishment now ranks second to none in the county.
His excellent business habits and honorable,
straighforward methods were soon recognized
by the public, who accordingly gave him a liberal
patronage. Mr. Shepherd is a Republican in
politics, has held several local offices and ever
uses his influence to further, those projects which
have for their aim the advancement and well be
ing of the town. He is an active member of the
Independent Order of Odd Fellows, American
Mechanics, and the Patriotic Order of the Sons
of America. On December 22, 1886, Mr. Shepherd mar
ried Almira Pechin, daughter of John A. and
Elizabeth (Gross) Pechin, her father being a
prosperous farmer of Chester Valley, Pennsyl
vania. Both Mr. and Mrs. Shepherd are regular
attendants at the services of the Methodist Epis
copal church of Malvern, to which he gives his
hearty co-operation and support.

PHINEAS LEWIS, deceased, for many
years actively engaged in business pursuits in the
Tredyffrin township, Chester county, Pennsyl
vania, traced his origin to an ancestry who were
born, reared, educated and conducted their busi
ness affairs in the same county for many genera
tions. He was born August 15, 1843, and was a
son of Evan and Priscilla (Eachus) Lewis. The
educational advantages enjoyed by Phineas
Lewis were obtained in the common schools of
Delaware county, and after completing 'his studies
he learned the butcher trade in his native county.
He continued in this same line of industry during
the greater part of his active life, and being a
man of sound business judgment, strict integrity,
and of an unimpeachable character soon made a
reputation for himself in the commercial circles
of Delaware county, which he retained during
his entire career. He served for three months
in the state militia, and was a prominent member
of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and
the Masonic fraternity, taking a keen and active
interest in both organizations. He died May
4, 1892. March 29, 1868, Mr. Lewis married Annie
H. White, daughter of Richard and Phoebe ^
(Worrell) White. Richard White was born in
1 83 1, educated in the common schools of Dela
ware county, Pennsylvania, and subsequently en
gaged in farming interests in Radnor township
where he was recognized as one of the prosperous
and progressive farmers ; he was united in mar
riage to Phoebe Worrell, a native of the town-

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

4i3

ship of Radnor, and the following named chil
dren were born to them : Sarah, wife of Samuel
Sutter, and mother of three children, and Annie
H., widow of Phineas Lewis. Mr. and Mrs.
Lewis became the parents of six children, two of
whom are living at the present time (1903).
The names of the surviving children are:
Harry, who married Anna Ottey, and two chil
dren have been born to them, viz : Enoch and
Harry Birdell Ottey and Pauline, wife of Charles
B. Zimmerling ; the names of the deceased, chil
dren were: William, Daniel, Phineas, Jr., and
Sarah Lewis. During his lifetime Mr. Lewis
was a prominent member of the Baptist church
of Malvern, and his family are also actively
associated with the same church. Mr. Lewis died
May 4, 1892, survived by his widow, who resides
in a handsome and commodious house pleasantly
situated in the select section of the borough of
Malvern, Chester county, Pennsylvania.

BENJAMIN J. PASSMORE. One of the
thoroughgoing business men of Malvern, Ches
ter county, Pennsylvania, who has climbed the
ladder of success and gathered the fruit of honor
able, earnest toil, is Benjamin J. Passmore, whose
name is prominently connected with the commer
cial interests of the town. The salient points in
his business career are resolute purpose, unflag
ging industry and unabating zeal, and to these
are attributable the prosperity which crowns his
work. Samuel W. Passmore, father of Benjamin J.
Passmore, was born in Chester county, Pennsyl
vania, June 18, 1824. His early education was
acquired in the common schools of his neighbor
hood, and supplemented by a course of study at
an academy near Wilmington, Delaware. He
subsequently removed to Chrome, Chester county,
Pennsylvania, pursued the occupation of farming
and by his well-directed efforts accumulated a
goodly competence. He was industrious and
energetic and his well tilled fields and carefully
repaired buildings indicated the oversight of a
thrifty and painstaking manager. He married
Emaline Stubbs, daughter of Isaac and Elizabeth
(Haines) Stubbs, an agriculturist of Chester and
York counties, Pennsylvania, and their children
were : G. Birdsall, married Elizabeth Preston,
and one child has been born to them; Oscar F.,
married Mary Pusey, and they have two children ;
Mary E., wife of Newlin Mendenhall; they are
the parents of two children; Dora, unmarried;
Phoebe/wife of Dr. W. S. Taylor; they are the
parents of four children ; Isaac, married Annie
Darlington ; they have four children ; Samuel,
married Mary Armstrong: Melvina, deceased;
Sarah, wife of Frank Walter, and Benjamin J.

Passmore. The father of these children died
April 27, 1900.
Benjamin J. Passmore, youngest son of Sam
uel W. and Emaline (Stubbs) Passmore, was
born at Chrome, Chester county, Pennsylvania,
November 17, 1870. He acquired an excellent
education at the Friends' School at Rising Sun,
Maryland, and also at the West Chester State
Normal School. In the early part of his business
career he entered the milling business at Oxford,
and continued this line of industry for several
years; later he changed his residence to Swarth
more, where he remained for four yars, and in.
1899, took up his residence in Malvern, where he
established a florist business. He erected a com
fortable brick dwelling house and also erected an
extensive glass greenhouse covering ten thousand
feet, splendidly adapted for the purpose, and his
fine plants, with their many colored blossoms,
present a most beautiful and delightful picture
for the eye to rest upon. During the passing
years he has succeeded in obtaining a liberal
patronage, and the business is bringing to him ex
cellent financial returns. In politics he is an ar
dent Republican, and in religion a faithful mem
ber of the Society of Friends. Mr. Passmore has
traveled extensively, visiting many places of in
terest both in his own and other states.
Mr. Passmore was married January 21, 1902,
to Miss Margaret B. Trimble, daughter of Thom
as D. and Sarah (Robinson) Trimble.

WESLEY M. GRAHAM, proprietor and
editor of the "Malvern Item," one of the weekly
papers of the borough of Malvern, Chester
county, Pennsylvania, was born at Ephrata, Lan
caster county, Pennsylvania, May 9, 1870, the son
of Richard and Clara (Gross) Graham.
Richard Graham, father of Wesley M. Gra
ham, was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,
April 23, 1843, and is a son of George and Jane
(Higgs) Graham, the former of Scottish lineage
and the latter of English descent, and received
his educational advantages in the public schools
of that city. He then turned his attention to tel
egraph operating, which art he soon became
thorough master of, and when the Civil war broke
out he entered the service of the United States
in the capacity of military operator. He con
tinued at this occupation during the entire period
of that terrible struggle, and was an employe
of the government for a number of years after
the war terminated. He then entered the em
ploy of the Reading Railroad Company and later
was associated with the Pullman Company, but
at the present time (1903) is assisting his son,
Wesley M. Graham, in the newspaper business
at Malvern, Chester county. Mr. Graham mar-

414

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

ried Clara Gross, daughter of Martin Gross, who
is now living a retired life in Lancaster county,
Pennsylvania. The following named children
were born of this marriage: William C, de
ceased; Jennie, deceased; Helen F., unmarried,
and Wesley M. Graham.
Wesley M. Graham obtained an excellent
literary education at the Friends' School, in West
Chester, and the Friends' Central High School in
Philadelphia, which prepared him for the active
duties of life. The first years of his business
career were spent in connection with the Phila
delphia Stock Exchange, after which he served
in the capacity of teller in a Philadelphia bank
for seven years, discharging the duties of that
responsible position with the utmost efficiency
and fidelity. In 1896 he took up his residence in
Malvern, Chester county, purchased the "Mal
vern Item," a weekly publication, from William
Matson, and since that date has devoted all his
energy and attention to making his paper the
brightest, newsiest and most reliable journal to be
found in that section of the state. In politics Mr.
Graham is a staunch Republican, and has been
honored by his fellow townsmen by being elected
to the office of justice of the peace, which posi
tion he is filling at the present time. He is a
prominent member of the Independent Order of
Odd Fellows, Brotherhood Protective Order of
Elks, and the Pen and Pencil Club of Philadel
phia. Mr. Graham has traveled extensively,
visiting the different places of note and interest,
and in this manner has gained much pleasure as
well as valuable information.
On October 19, 1893, Mr. Graham, married
Julia A. Kurtz, born June 24, 1871, daughter of
Milton and Elizabeth (Ruth) Kurtz, the former
named being engaged in agricultural pursuits
in the township of Easttown, Chester county.
Their children are: Marion H., Eleanor J.,
Dorothy G, and Louise E. Graham. The family
are active and consistent members of the Baptist
church of Malvern, Chester county, Pennsylvania.

PRESTON W. LOBB, who died November
25> T9°3» was for many years a prominent resi
dent of the borough of Berwyn, Chester county,
Pennsylvania, where from 1869 till his death, he
was engaged in mercantile pursuits. He was a
grandson of Asha Lobb, who was born in Scot
land but subsequently came to this country, set
tling in what is now Delaware county, where he
became the owner of a large amount of real es
tate, also a woolen and cotton mill. In politics
he was an old line Whig, and in religion he was
a member of the Friends' Society. He married
Catharine Cornog, and their children were : Wil
liam C, Horatio, Ethelbert and Maria Lobb. Mr.
Lobb's death occurred in the year 1842.

William C. Lobb, father of Preston W. Lobb,
was born in Clifton, Delaware county, Penn
sylvania, in 1804, and after completing his studies
in the common schools he accepted a position as
teacher in a school in Upper Darby, Delaware
county, where he was engaged for several terms.
He then devoted his attention to farming in the
township of Easttown, Chester county, and in
addition to the varied duties of this occupation he
engaged in real estate and broker transactions,
continuing in this line of industry up to the time
of his decease, which occurred in March, 1882.
In his political affiliations he was a staunch Re
publican, and in his religious sentiments he was a
Friend. Mr. Lobb married Elizabeth Levis,
daughter of John Levis, a prominent farmer of
Delaware county, Pennsylvania. Their children
were: John, married Elizabeth Cody; they have
two children; Clayton, married Elizabeth Heath,
and four children have been born to them ; Mary,
who married for her first husband Henry Fritz
and three children were born to them ; her second
husband was Hugh Steen and they are the parents
of one child ; Ethelbert A., married a Miss Mar
shall, and they have five children ; Margaret, wife
of Thomas Taylor; they have a family of three
children; Maria, wife of Edward Dutton, and
have eight children ; Eliza, wife of Thomas Clegg
and mother of four children ; Henry, who married
Sarah Leedom and three children have been born
to them ; Ida, wife of Charles Jones and mother of
one child ; Lewis, who married Mary Ottey and
they are the parents of six children, and Preston
W. Lobb.
Preston W. Lobb was born at what is now
Darby, Delaware county, Pennsylvania, March
1, 1844, and acquired a practical education in the
public schools of Easttown township. At an
early age he removed to the borough of Berwyn,
and after learning the trade of machinist in Phil
adelphia he continued at this occupation until
1869, when he embarked in the lumber business at
Berwyn. He successfully conducted this enter
prise up to the year 1886, when he disposed of it
to W. H. Fritz, and then established his business
of plumbing, stoves, tinware and tinsmithing. By
careful attention to business, reinforced by the
energy and enterprise necessary to success in any
undertaking, he built up an extensive and lucra
tive trade. Mr. Lobb voted the Republican ticket
after attaining his majority, and served in vari
ous township offices, the principal one being that
of auditor, which he filled for the past thirty
years. He was a prominent member of the Ma
sonic fraternity, being«a life member of Thatcher
Chapter in which he attained the thirty-second
degree. He was also prominently identified with
the Berwyn Social Club.
Mr. Lobb was a veteran of the Civil war, hav
ing enlisted on August 9, 1861, in an independent

(&iJj£^TjO.£&6-

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

4i5

battery of flying artillery, that by an act of con
gress became Battery F, of the Fifth United
States Artillery. He participated in seventeen
general engagements during his term of service,
and was also an active participant in the battle of
Ball's Bluff, Antietam, Gettysburg, and the Pen
insular campaign. His battery, which consisted
originally of two hundred and ninety-five men,
was so reduced in numbers by death and acci
dents that on the first day of the battle of Gettys
burg, under command of General Reynolds, it
did not number one hundred men, and when
Longstreet's great charge was over on the sec
ond day, the battery had suffered the loss of
thirty-five men and ninety-three horses. There
were only five men, including Mr. Lobb, of the
original organization, which terminated at Peters
burg, Virginia, August 9, 1864.
On February 22, 1876, Mr. Lobb married
Priscilla L. Barton, daughter of Alfred and Ruth
R. (Watkinson) Barton of Philadelphia, a news
paper correspondent, who was killed at the battle
of Antietam. Their children are : Caroline R.,
wife of Charles B. Shourds ; Arthur B. ; Preston
Ole ; Maurice K. ; and Corinne B. Lobb. Mr.
Lobb and all the members of his family were at
tendants of the Baptist church of Berwyn, Ches
ter county, Pennsylvania.

CHARLES E. HIRES, well known through
out the United States as the manufacturer of
Hires Root Beer, this industry being the most
important in the borough of Malvern, Chester
county, Pennsylvania, where he is at present
operating a two hundred and fifty thousand dol
lar plant, is a descendant of a family whose home
stead is situated near Shiloh, Cumberland county,
New Jersey.
The progenitor and founder of this family in
this country was John Hires, who in company
with his brother, Gunrod Hires, came from Ger
many some time prior to the Revolution. John
Hires settled near Shiloh, Cumberland county,
New Jersey, and there purchased a large tract
of land and pursued farming for a number of
years. He later removed to Salem county, New
Jersey, where he spent the remaining years of
his life and died aged ninety-eight years. He
had by his union in marriage a family of ten
children. John D. Hires, father of Charles E. Hires,
was born February 17, 1817, in Hopewell, Cum
berland county, New Jersey, where his father,
John Hires, engaged in agricultural pursuits and
was one of the early settlers of the vicinity.
John D. Hires acquired a common school educa
tion after which he turned his attention to farm
ing and the buying and selling of cattle and other
2 7X

stock on commission. For eleven years he was
a prominent resident of Salem county, but in
1862 he returned to Cumberland county and set
tled in Roadstown. He was a loyal adherent of
the principles of the Democratic party, being
chosen to serve in various important local offices,
among them being tax collector of Hopewell.
He was united in marriage to Mary Williams, a
native of Port Elizabeth, New Jersey, and ten
children were the issue of this union. Both Mr.
Hires and his wife were members of the Cohan-
sey Baptist church, taking an active interest in the
work connected with it, and for many years Mr
Hires served in the capacity of deacon. His death
occurred January 6, 1878, and his wife passed
away January 8, 1880.
Charles E. Hires, son of John D. and Mary
Hires, was born near Salem, Salem county, New
Jersey, August 19, 185 1, and his education was
acquired in the public schools. He gained his
first business experience while serving an appren
ticeship of four years in a drug establishment in
his native county, and after thoroughly learning
the details of the various branches of this pro
fession he located in the city of Philadelphia and
established a retail drug business which he con
ducted for seven years. After the expiration of
this period of time he established a wholesale
drug house on Market street, Philadelphia, where
in 1877 he commenced the manufacture of root
beer of a superior quality, this beverage having
since became famous all over the country. This
enterprise proving such a decided success, Mr.
Hires abandoned his drug business and devoted
his attention entirely to the new industry which
also included the manufacture of condensed milk.
Having decided that . the borough of Malvern,
Chester county, Pennsylvania, was a desirable
site for his manufacturing plant, Mr. Hires in
1900 erected buildings and plant at a cost of two
hundred and fifty thousand dollars, and at the
present time (1903) gives employment to several
hundred persons. The work is under the per
sonal supervision of Mr. Hires, whose know
ledge, experience, and natural fitness for the pro
duction of a pure and healthful beverage are of
untold value to his employes. Mr. Hires is a
director of the Merchants' Bank of Philadelphia,
ex-president of the Drug Exchange, and a mem
ber of the Manufacturers' Club. In politics he
is a firm supporter of the principles of the Repub
lican party, and in religion he is a strong ad
herent of the tenets of the Society of Friends.
On January 5, 1875, Mr. Hires married Clara
Smith, a daughter of Charles Sheppard and
Rebecca J. (Keyser) Smith, the former named be
ing a prominent Philadelphian, and the follow
ing named children have been born to them ;
Linda S., J. Edgar, Harrison S., Charles E., Jr.,
and Clara Hires.

416

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

JOHN MEREDITH. Among the old fam
ilies of Chester county few are of greater anti-
•quity than the Merediths, and none of more un-
•questioned respectability. They have ever been
identified with whatever made for the best in
terests of the community, and both by precept
and example have exerted an influence for good.
John Meredith, who for many years was an
honored representative of the family, was born
in 1788, in Chester county, and for a long time
was a resident of Uwchlan township. All his
life he belonged to that large agricultural class
which has done so much for the upbuilding and
prosperity of the county. In 1827 he moved to
Upper Uwchlan township, and settled on the
farm which is now in the possession of his de-

Smedley, representatives of two of the oldest
families, not only in Chester county, but in Penn
sylvania. Their respective founders, Samuel
Sharpless and George Smedley, emigrated to
America almost simultaneously, the former ar
riving in the company of William Penn, and the
latter making the voyage at nearly the same time.
Mr. and Mrs. Meredith were the parents of the
following children : Phoebe, who died at twen
ty-two years of age ; Lydia Smedley, who never
married, and is now deceased ; Peter, the only
son, who likewise never married, and passed his
life on the homestead ; and Alary Ann, who was
born December 11, 1822, in West Nantmeal
township. The death of Mr. Meredith, which occurred

Uwchlan Meeting Housk.

scendants. By virtue of his lineage he occupied
of necessity an influential position in the com
munity, being descended from distinguished an
cestry, not only on the paternal side, but also
through his mother, Elizabeth Kirk, who be
longed to one of the oldest families of the county.
The respect which was universally paid to Mr.
Meredith, was not, however, accorded to him sim
ply on.account of his inherited social status, but
was a tribute to his own strong and estimable
character and more than ordinary ability. Poli
tically- he was a staunch Republican, and his re
ligious faith, in accordance with the traditions of
his family, was that of the Society of Friends.
Mr. Meredith married Elizabeth, born in
1783, daughter of Peter and Phoebe (Sharpless)

in 1870, removed from the community, where
he had been so long a familiar figure, one who
had been for many years a recognized leader,
both in his chosen calling, and in the sphere of
public, affairs. An irreparable loss to his family,
he was mourned by all as an upright and worthy
citizen, and a truly good man.
The homestead is now the abode of Miss
Mary Ann Meredith, who is passing the evening
of her days amid the scenes endeared to her by
the recollections of three quarters of a century.
The old house, in addition to the store of asso
ciations which cluster around it, is the repository
of rare and valuable relics. Among these is a
clock which was the property of Miss Meredith's
great-great-grandfather, John Meredith. This

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

4i7

venerable timepiece is two hundred years- old,
and still more remarkable than its age .is the
fact that, during the lapse of two centuries, it
has never ceased to perform its functions, but
has faithfully recorded the passage of the hours.
Miss Meredith is also the owner of another
clock, still more ancient than the one just men
tioned, probably belonging to the period when
the art of making clocks and watches was in its
infancy, and when these articles were rare posses
sions, falling only to the lot of the favored few.
The Meredith house is one of those ancestral
dwellings around which lingers an atmosphere
of more than ordinary historic interest.

ROBERT FRANCIS MOORE, of Milford
Mills, Chester county, highly esteemed both as
farmer and citizen, is descended from the Rev.
Charles Moore, who during the latter part of
the eighteenth century was pastor of a Baptist
church in Vincent. He married Margaret Car
roll, by whom he was the father of a son, Robert,
born November 29, 1797. This son, in the early
part of his life, was an undertaker, but later,
developing a fondness for agriculture, he adopted
the calling of a farmer, which he followed to the
end of his days. He married Rachel Smedley,
who was born February 4, 1797, and they were
the parents of eight sons : Charles Carroll ;
Thomas Mercer, mentioned at length herein
after ; William, who died in childhood ; Lewis,
who died young ; Gideon S. ; Francis J. ; Leonard
K. ; and Joseph. Two of these sons, it will be
seen, died early in life, and the six who survived
all remained in their native county, where they
devoted themselves to agricultural pursuits. In
religious matters they adhered to the faith of
their maternal ancestors, who were all members
of the Society of Friends.
Thomas Mercer Moore, son of Robert and
Rachel (Smedley) Moore, was born July 1,
1823, and obtained his early education in the
public schools of his native place, afterward be
coming a pupil at the Unionville Academy, the
principal of which at that time was Jonathan
Gause, of honored memory. After completing
his education, Mr. Moore was for a time a
teacher, but in 1853 returned to the homestead,
and there spent the remainder of his life, dividing
his time between farming and the management
of a store which he conducted in Milford. He
married Charity M. Love, who was born March
16, 1827, in East Goshen, where she was edu
cated, being the daughter of Stephen and Han
nah (Johnson) Love, the former a farmer of
East Goshen. The family of Mr. and . Mrs.
Moore consisted of four sons and one daughter :
Stephen L. ; Robert Francis, mentioned at length
hereinafter; William Mason; Thomas Elsworth;

and Mary Ella. For several years previous to
the death of Mr. Moore, which occurred in 1898,
he had withdrawn to a great degree from the
activities of life.
Robert Francis Moore, son of Thomas Mer
cer and Charity M. (Love) Moore, was born
May 7, 1855, on the old homestead, and received
his early education in the public schools of his
birthplace, afterward attending the Edgefield
Institute, presided over by Captain Abram Fet
ters. At the close of his school life he began to
work on the home farm, and also learned the
trade of a painter, which he followed for four
years. In 1875 he entered his father's store at
Milford Mills, and there remained until 1899,
becoming proprietor of the business after the
death of his father. On retiring from mercan
tile life he bought the farm which is now his
home, known as the "old Andrew Buchanan
farm." This estate, which consists of one hundred
and thirty-five acres, is cultivated by Mr. Moore
in a thoroughly scientific manner, and with the
most satisfactory results, being conducted as a
dairy farm. Mr. Moore takes an active interest in
local affairs, and has received repeated proofs of
the confidence with which he is regarded by his
neighbors. From 1878 to 1902 he was postmaster
of Milford Mills, his long tenure of office prov
ing that the Federal Government recognized in
him the same traits of character which had
earned the esteem of his townsmen, who for the
last six years have intrusted him with the office
of school director, a position which he still holds.
In politics he is a Democrat, thus following the
traditions of his family. He is a member of
Lodge No. 446, F. and A. M. His church affilia
tions are with the Baptist denomination.
Mr. Moore married Mary E., daughter of
William and Susanna (Hartsell) Sheneman, the
former acknowledged to be among the best farm
ers of Upper Uwchlan. Mr. and Mrs. Moore
are the parents of the following children : Laura
Mabel, Albert Earl, Harry Calvin, Thomas Will
iam, Bessie May, and Susan Anna. The younger
members of the family are attending the public
schools of the township.

HORACE HAUSE, an energetic farmer and
esteemed citizen of Uwchlan township, Chester
county, belongs to an old family, both his pa
ternal and maternal ancestors having been resi
dent in the county since the Revolutionary period.
His grandfather, Jacob Hause, was a native of
Chester county, and was the father of a son,
John, who was born in West Vincent township,
and was a well-known farmer. He married
Louisa, born August 2, 1833, in Chester county,
daughter of Simon and Margaret Groff of
Birchrunville. The following children were

4i8

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

born to Mr. and Mrs. Hause: i. Margaret; 2.
Jacob Henry; 3. Anna Mary; 4. John; 5. Amos;
6. Mary Martha ; all of whom are deceased.
The other children were : 7. Susanna, who be
came the wife of Daniel Lachman, and is now
deceased; 8. Horace, mentioned at length here
inafter. Mr. Lachman is also deceased, and is
survived by his three children, all of whom re
side in Pottstown : Charles Evert, who is em
ployed in the Pottstown Bridge Works ; Ella
Ethel ; and Mary Edith Lachman.
Horace Hause, son of John and Louisa
(Groff) Hause, was born April 5, 1870, in
Vincent township, and received his education
in the public schools of Upper Uwchlan
township. He has adopted farming as the
business of his life and is now living on
the farm of his father-in-law. The knowledge
and ability with which he has applied him
self to his chosen calling, while resulting in a
gratifying measure of success, give promise of
still greater and more substantial returns in the
future. It is thought that Mr. Hause is rapidly
advancing to a place in the front ranks of the
agriculturists of the county. As a citizen Mr.
Hause is conscientious and fearless in acting
according to his convictions. In politics he is
identified with the Prohibition party. His church
connections are with the Baptist denomination.
Mr. Hause married, March 9, 1898, Anna
Margaret, daughter of Samuel and Anna Cornog,
of Upper Uwchlan township. The latter is de
scended from the deservedly distinguished Sup
plee family, which was represented in Chester
county during the colonial period, and some of
whose members took an active part in the ¦ Revo
lutionary struggle. Mr. and Mrs. Hause are
the parents of one child: Samuel Evertt, who,
inheriting as he does the traditions of a worthy
ancestry, will, it may reasonably be hoped, amply
fulfill the expectations justly founded on a
knowledge of his antecedents.

J. ATWOOD PYLE. After a life of unusual
activity and varied adventure, J. Atwood Pyle is
passing his later years in retirement as one of the
honored citizens of Franklin township, Chester
county, Pennsylvania. His family is of English
origin, he being of the third generation of his line
in America. PI is grandfather, John Pyle, was born in Eng
land and came to Delaware county, Pennsylvania,
where he made farming his occupation. He mar
ried Alice Crosley, daughter of John and Rebecca
Crosley of Aston. For being married by a Meth
odist preacher he was disowned bv Friends. He
lived after his marriage at Middletown, where his
fifteen children were born. They were as follows :
Israel, born 3 mo., 9, 1788, died 2 mo., 24, 1862,

whose line is traced in this history; Elizabeth,
born 1 mo., 21, 1790, died 2 mo., 11, 1863, was the
wife of James Atwood; Phebe, born 1 mo, 9,
1793, married Joseph Pilkington ; Rebecca, born
3 mo., 4, 1795, died 1 mo., 28, 1869, married Wil
liam Ingram; Maria, born 9 mo, 21, 1797, died
2 mo., 7, 1853, married Albin Pyle ; Lydia, born 7
mo., 1, 1800, died unmarried; Daniel, born 2 mo.,
22, 1803, died 8 mo, 15, 1881, married Cindey
Pyle; Charles, born 7 mo., 15, 1805, died 10 mo.,
26, 1868, married Abigail H. Smedley; Esther,
born 12 mo., 10, 1807, died 5 mo., 27, 1886, mar
ried Redman Ottey, 'Eliza Y.,born 7 nib., 21, 1810,
married Charles W. Carmell ; Walker, born 5,
mo., 15, 1813, died young; Samuel, born 6 mo.,
20, 1815, died young; John, twin with Samuel,
died in infancy; Crosley, born 9 mo, 18, 1816,
married Sarah Menagh ; John S., born 12 mo,
25, 1818, was twice married, the wives being re
spectively Martha Mercer, Martha McFadien.
Israel, oldest child of John and Alice (Cros
ley) Pyle, was born 3 mo., 9, 1788. Though his
educational advantages were not out of the com
mon, his natural gifts were. Farming was the
occupation of his life, but he had ability as a
public speaker and he was widely known in the
locality as a Methodist local preacher for fifty-
two years. He had a circuit of nine churches, and
he was one of the organizers of the Stony Bank
Methodist Episcopal church, as well as a trustee
of the church at Bethlehem. He married Annie
N. Dailey, born 8 mo., 8, 1789, daughter of Henry
and Hannah Dailey. He died in Thornbury,
Delaware county, 2 mo., 24, 1862, and his wife
died in West Nottingham 3 mo., 22, 1880. Their
children were as follows : John W., born 7 mo.,
11, 1809, died 2 mo., 24, 1838, unmarried; Wil
liam, born 4 mo., 2, 181 1, married Susan Bowers ;
Elizabeth A., born 8 mo., 28, 1813 ; died 9 mo., 4,
1881, married Jonathan B. Garrett; Mary A.,
born 1 mo., 10, 1816, married Wilson Marshall;
Sarah F., born 3 mo., 13, 1818, married John Eld-
ridge ; Sarah, with three sons, wife of one son and
two children were lost in the Johnstown flood;
Samuel, born 10 mo., 6, 1819, died 4 mo., 22,
1820; Israel, born 5 mo., 14, 1821, died 8 mo., 31,
1882 ; Casper S., born 5 mo, 25, 1823, died 9 1110.,
19, -1 84 1 ; Reece, born 8 mo., 2, 1825, married Ly
dia Ann Colley ; Phebe, born 9 1110., 5, 1827 ; died 8
mo., 22, 1855, married Joseph W. Towne ; James
Atwood, born 10 mo., 10, 1829, married Elizabeth
Hodgson; Charles C, born 12 mo, 30, 1831,
married Phebe A. Pyle.
J. Atwood, eleventh child and seventh son of
Israel and Annie (Dailey) Pyle, was born at Ivy
Mills, Delaware county, October 10, 1829. He
was educated in private schools in Philadelphia,
and learned daguerreotyping, the forerunner of
the modern art of photography. He learned this
business in Cincinnati, where he stayed for four

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

419

years. Afterward he spent three years in Indi
ana, in the same business, which brought him to
the beginning of the Civil war. He enlisted and
served as quartermaster sergeant in the Eight
eenth Regiment, ' Indiana Volunteers, com
manded by Colonel Robert E. Pattison. After
eight months he came to West Chester, Pennsyl
vania, and opened a shoe business. Pie remained
in West Chester for four years, and continued the
same line of business at Wilmington, Delaware,
and at Media, Pennsylvania, successively. In
1869, he moved to a farm near Oxford, Pennsyl
vania, where he lived for eight years. He then
went to West Grove, Pennsylvania, where for
eighteen years he made his home, conducting a
farm of forty acres. In 1895 he was appointed
postmaster at West Grove, and served for one
term. He then moved to his present home in
Franklin township, Chester county, where he is
held in high esteem. He attends the Presbyte
rian church, and is a Democrat, keenly interested
in the affairs of his party, as well as a member of
the Masonic fraternity, and being affiliated with
Aurora Lodge, No. 51, in Aurora," Indiana.
July 4. 1853, he married Elizabeth, daughter
of John Hodgson, a publisher of West Chester,
and Mary, his wife. To J. Atwood and Eliza
beth (Hodgson) Pyle, were born ten children,
namely: Anna L., born in 1854, who married
John W. Reburn, and had six children ; Charles,
born in 1856, who died unmarried in 1876;
George A., born in 1858, who married first, Mary
A. Carlisle and had one child ; second, Miss Linda
W. Miller; Elvena Viola, born in 1859, who is
unmarried; Elizabeth, born in 1863, who married
William Davis ; Harriet N., born in 1865 ; Mary
E., born in 1866, who died in childhood ; John H.,
born in 1868, married May Lamborn, and had
two children ; Sarah R., born in 1869, who died
young ; Williette, born in-1871, who died in child
hood. On Saturday, July 4, 1903, Mr. and Mrs. J.
Atwood Pyle celebrated the fiftieth anniversary
of their wedding at their handsome residence
"Highland Farm," which stands on an eminence a
little over a mile south of New London village.
The beautiful evening sunset and twilight which
clothed the surrounding landscape with a glow of
beauty seemed like the blessing of heaven on fifty
years of well spent life. Mr. and Mrs. Pyle ex
tended a warm welcome to their guests which
numbered about two hundred, and were gathered
from widely separated homes. The Rev. H. W.
Reiber, pastor of New London Presbyterian
church, in his remarks gave expression to the
feeling of good will that was shared by all pres
ent for the aged couple, and expressed tlie hope
that the happiness and prosperity which they had
enjoyed would continue with them to the end of
their lives. The Rev. T. S. Minker, pastor of the

Methodist Episcopal church of New London, led
in a beautiful and expressive prayer, and during
the evening an appropriate poem was read by M.
Jennie Murray, entitled "The Golden Wedding."
The five surviving children of the ten that were
born to them were present, as were also a number
of grandchildren and one great-grandchild, mak
ing four generations of the family. Mr. and Mrs.
Pyle are both well preserved and judging by
their appearance might live to see many more an
niversaries of their wedding.

GEORGE DOWNING BUTLER, a highly
esteemed farmer and citizen of Upper Uwchlan
township, Chester county, is a son of Joseph
Butler, who for many years followed the calling
of a farmer, and was known as a worthy citizen,
regarded with confidence by his neighbors, who
at one time elected him a member of the school
board. He married Martha Downing, and they
were the parents of the following children : 1.
William, who died in infancy. 2. Mary, who
died at the age of twenty-two years. 3. Emily
J., who became the wife of Joseph Downing, a
farmer, and died after their removal to the west.
4. Harvey, who is a farmer in Kansas, and mar
ried Henrietta Drey, of Schuylkill Haven. They
have six children : Mary, who is a trained nurse ;
Edgar, who is a farmer; Alice; James, who is
a merchant ; Joseph, who is at home on the farm ;
and George, who also resides at home. 5. George
Downing, mentioned at length hereinafter. Mr.
Butler, the father of the family, spent the latter
part of his life in West Chester, where he died
in 1900. his wife having passed away in 1897.
. George Downing Butler, son of Joseph and
Martha (Downing) Butler, was born February
6, 1855, in Upper Uwchlan township, where he
received his primary education in the public
schools, afterward attending the Edgefield Insti
tute at Fetters Farm, presided over by the well-
known educator, Mr. Abram Fetters. Subse
quently he spent some time at a manual school
in Lancaster county. After completing his edu
cation he passed six years in assisting his father
in the labors of the homestead, and then went to
reside on the farm which is now his home, and
which is situated near the Eage and Windsor
school and church. Here for fifteen years he
led the life of an energetic and successful farmer,
and then desiring to engage in commercial pur
suits removed to West Chester, where for two
years he conducted a grocery and meat business.
At the end of that time he returned to his farm
and his hereditary occupation of agriculture,
which he has since pursued with indefatigable
zeal and gratifying results. Mr. Butler has never
filled any office in the township or county, be
lieving that he can best discharge his duty as a .

420

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

citizen by giving his undivided attention to his
individual calling. His political affiliations are
with the Republicans, to whom, while declining
to accept public office, he extends his aid and
support. Mr. Butler married Catharine, daughter of
George and Rebecca (Davies) Llewellyn. The
former, who was descended from a Scotch-Irish
family which had been resident in this country
since an early period, was a landscape gardener.
He was an expert in his profession, being em
ployed by the city of Philadelphia. A short time
previous to his death, which occurred while he
was yet a young man, he had been admitted to
the bar. His. wife, who was the daughter of
George Davies, a British officer, belonged to a
family of unquestioned standing, several mem
bers of which had won distinction in the military
service. The daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Llew'-
ellyn, mentioned above as the wife of George
Downing Butler, would seem, judging by the
family names of both her parents, to be entitled
to claim Welsh ancestry. Mr. and Mrs. Butler
have no children.

NEWTON MILLER, well known as a leader
among the agriculturists of Uwchlan township,
Chester county, where he is also highly esteemed
as an earnest and upright citizen, is a son of
John Miller, a farmer, who successfully combined
with his agricultural labors the practice of the
carpenter's trade and the business of a contractor.
During the greater portion of his life he was a
resident of East Nantmeal township, where he
erected a number of buildings which are now
standing. He worked chiefly on farm buildings,
and it was under his superintendence that the
house now occupied by his son Newton was
erected. He was regarded as a man of sound
judgment in public affairs, and was elected by
his neighbors to the office of school director.
He married Hannah Christman, and they were
the parents of the following children : Sarah
A., who married Pitman Essick, a merchant in
one of the western states ; Newton, mentioned at
length hereinafter; Mary M., who is now de
ceased; John, who is also deceased; Harriet,
single, and makes her home with Lewis Miller;
and Lewis, who is a farmer, and married Elma,
daughter of Jesse E. Phillipps, who was county
treasurer at the time of the failure of the Brandy
wine Bank.
Newton Miller, son of John and Hannah
(Christman) Miller, was born April 5, 1834, in
East Nantmeal township, where he received his
primary education in the public school, after
ward attending the Fremont Academy, presided
over by Mr. Jesse E. Phillipps. After two years
devoted to teaching in Vincent and Uwchlan

townships, he decided to become a farmer, and
the scientific skill and practical ability which he
brought to the work which awaited him fully
demonstrated, as time passed, that he had made
no mistake in the selection Of an occupation.
He is now the owner of a farm of eighty-one
acres, having connected with it a fine dairy of
sixteen cows. The land testifies by its highly
cultivated condition to the excellent care be
stowed upon it by its owner, and the very superior
products of the dairy find a ready sale in the
markets of Philadelphia. In the sphere of public
affairs Mr. Miller is known as one whose sound
advice and efficient aid are ever at the service
of his townsmen, by whom he has been chosen
at different times to fill the offices of supervisor
and school director. In politics he affiliates with
the Republican party. He and his family are
members of the Lutheran church.
Mr. Miller married Julia Maria, daughter of
Dr. Jesse and Martha (Wollerton) Strickland.
The former was a graduate of the medical schools
of both Yale and Harvard Universities, and for
a number of years was a resident of Upper
Uwchlan township, remaining in active practice
until he had reached the age of seventy years.
Mrs. Strickland was a sister of Judge Wollerton
of West Chester. Mr. and Mrs. Miller are the
parents of one son : Edwin Francis, who grad
uated as a mechanical engineer from Lehigh
University, and is now employed in the Camden
Iron Works, in Camden, New Jersey. He mar
ried Martha, daughter of James and Agnes Dau-
man of Lionville, and the following children have
been born to them: Allen and Julian (twins),
who, although not yet ten years old, show great
dexterity in handling the implements of farming ;
Herbert, who is now deceased ; and William
Roland, who died at the age of four months.

FREDERICK WILSON, a leading farmer
of Lower Uwchlan township, Chester county, 's
a son of William Wilson, who was a native of
that county, where he passed his life as a farmer,
and was also engaged in business as an auc
tioneer. For many years he was the proprietor
of the Brandywine Hotel, which .was situated
above Coatesville. He married Amanda Bickens.
Mr. and Mrs. Wilson became the parents,
of the following children : Adelia, who mar
ried Lewis Hutton, who is now deceased;
Charles, who is a resident proprietor of a restau
rant in York, Pennsylvania, and married Sallie
Noud pf Coatesville ; Emma, who is the wife of
B. F. Merrills, a farmer in Pomeroy, near Coates
ville ; Frederick, mentioned at length hereinafter ;
and Frank, who was at one time engaged in the
restaurant business in Parkersburg, Pennsyl
vania.

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

421

Frederick Wilson, son of William and
Amanda (Bickens) Wilson, was born August
29, 1856, in Honeybrook, Chester county, and
received his primary education in the public
schools, subsequently . becoming a pupil at Mr.
Jacob- Harvey's school in Unionville. On leav
ing school, he decided to become a farmer, and
in pursuance of this resolution has since devoted
himself with marked success to agricultural pur
suits. He is now the owner of a farm of one
hundred and eighty acres in Lower Uwchlan
township. This estate, which is kept by him in
a high state of cultivation, is supplemented by
a dairy of thirty-five head of cattle. The very
superior products of this part of his establish
ment meet with a ready sale in the markets of
Philadelphia. Although taking an earnest in
terest in whatever concerns the welfare of the
community in which he resides, Mr. Wilson,
owing to the absorbing nature of his duties as an
agriculturist, takes no active part in public affairs.
Politically he is a Democrat. He and his family
attend St. Paul's Reformed church.
Mr. Wilson married Annie, daughter of
James Dunlap, of West Cain township, the
former being a farmer who combined with his
agricultural labors the trade of a shoemaker.
The following children have been born to Mr.
and Mrs. Wilson : William, Evans, Helen,
Clare, Eva, and Esther. All these children are
still at home with their parents, the sons acting
as the assistants of their father in the care and
management of the homestead.

JESSE BENNER EVANS, a prosperous
¦ farmer, who holds an honored place among the
leading citizens of Upper Uwchlan township,
Chester county, belongs to a family of Welsh
origin, which was founded in America by Lewis
Evans, who left his native land in or about the
year 1753, and settled in Pennsylvania, finding
a home in that part of Chester county now known
as East Vincent. He was accompanied by his
wife, Sarah, and their son, Daniel. The career
of Lewis Evans as a colonist was not a long one,
but after making a home for his family in the
New World, he died at a comparatively early age.
Daniel Evans, son of Lewis and Sarah Evans,
was born in Wales, about 1743, and was ten
years old when he crossed the sea with his. pa
rents to their new abode in the province of Penn
sylvania. He learned the business of a sur
veyor, and in company with Mr. McVey sur
veyed a great number of farms. Mr. McVey
afterward went to the west where he practiced
civil engineering. Daniel Evans served as a
soldier in the Revolutionary army, and was at
one time stationed at Jersey City. The record of
his services is preserved in Harrisburg. His

son Ezra, married, in 1822, Eliza, daughter of
Conrad King, of Uwchlan township, and their
children were : Newton, -who was a farmer, and
is now deceased ; and Jesse Benner, mentioned
at length hereinafter. Thus, it appears that from
the time of their immigration the family was
numbered among those that have contributed to
the welfare and advancement of the community
in which their lot was cast.
Jesse Benner Evans, son of Ezra and Eliza
(King) Evans, was born October 3, 1824, in
Uwchlan township, and obtained his education
in the public schools of the neighborhood. He
studied dentistry, which he practiced successfully
for many years in Phoenixville, and then feeling
disposed for a country life and having an in
herited taste for agriculture, he retired from busi
ness, and bought the farm which is now his
home. The estate consists of ninety-seven acres,
and has attached to it a dairy of sixteen head of
cattle. The products of the dairy, which are of
a very superior quality, are disposed of at the
Fairmount Creamery. Notwithstanding the fact
that Mr. Evans has never sought any public
office, preferring to devote himself without in
terruption to his chosen work, he has been twice
elected justice of the peace, and has filled the office
of school director for ten years. This record is
sufficient evidence of the high regard in which
Mr. Evans is held by his townsmen. In politics
he is a Prohibitionist, but gave his vote to place
Abraham Lincoln in the presidential chair. He
is a member of the Masonic fraternity. He and
his family belong to the Baptist denomination,
and Mr. Evans was for many years treasurer of
the church which they attend, in addition to
holding other offices, among them that of trustee.
Mr. Evans married Sarah Wagonseller, and
the following children were born to them: 1.
Frank, who lives in Harrisburg, where he holds
the office of timekeeper at the Capitol. He mar
ried Essie Guthrie, who was of Scotch parentage.
and they have three children : Clarence, who is
attending the State College; Bessie, who is a
typewriter at Atlantic City, New Jersey ; and
Gertie, who resides at home. 2. Eliza, who is
the wife of Clark Pierson, who was for twenty-
five years the publisher of the "Lambertville
(New Jersey) Record." They have two daugh
ters : Jessie, who is editor and manager of the
paper of which her father was publisher; and
Grace, who is a typewriter in the service of the
Lambertville Rubber Company. 3. Wilmer, who
is a typesetter on the "North American," one of
the leading papers of Philadelphia. He married
a woman of German descent, and one child is
living ; Edina G., who is now attending school.
4. Mattie, who became the wife of William Mc
Kinley, a farmer of Chester Valley, near Pike
land township. They had one child, who died when

422

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

eight years old, and Mrs. McKinley, also, is now-
deceased. 5. Abbie S., who died at the age of
twenty-one, unmarried. 6. Gertie, who is also
deceased. The three last-named all died within
six weeks. On July 16, 1903, Mr. and Mrs. Evans
celebrated the fifty-third anniversary of their mar
riage. The family to which Mrs. Evans belongs
is of German and Swiss extraction. Jacob
Wagonseller was a graduate of the University
of Pennsylvania, and for many years was a
practising physician in Pottstown. At the time
of his death he was a member of the state senate.
He married Mary Richter, and their children
were: 1. Richter, who was a practising physi
cian in LTnion county up to the time of his death.
2. Sarah, mentioned above as the wife of Jesse
Benner Evans. 3. Catharine, who died at three
years of age. 4. Mary, who became the wife of
Rev. Franklyn Gearhart, of the Methodist Epis
copal church, who died at Williamsport, Penn
sylvania. 5. Frank, who is a physician, practis
ing in Selin's Grove, Union county. 6. Catharine
(2), who became the wife of William W., son
of Frederick Hallman, of Chester Springs.
Mrs. Hallman, who is now deceased, left one son,
Jacob. 7. Martha, who married Lloyd Sharp
less, a merchant of Bloomsburgh, Columbia
county, Pennsylvania. 8. John, who followed
the occupation of a travelling salesman, and is
now deceased. Dr. Wagonseller, the father of
the family, ended his days in Union county,
leaving behind him a name honorably distin
guished in the ranks of the medical profession,
his reputation being ably sustained by the two
sons who adopted their father's calling.

JOHN JONES, a prosperous farmer and
worthy citizen of Uwchlan township, Chester
county, is a son of Abner Jones, who was born in
1812, in West Vincent township, and combined
the trade of a millwright with the labors of a
farmer. During the latter part of his life he was
for twenty years proprietor of the Lionville
Hotel, which he conducted successfully, at the
same time continuing his former occupations.
He married Elizabeth, daughter of Peter and
Catharine Irey, of East Nantmeal. The former,
Who was all his life engaged in agricultural pur
suits, served in the army during the war of 1812,
being one of the number stationed at Marcus
Hook. The following children were born to
Mr. and Mrs. Jones: Sarah Ann; Mary Ann,
who became the wife of H. C. Downing, a'farmer
of Lionville; John, mentioned at length herein
after; James; Catharine; Olivia; Benjamin; and
Ruth. All these children, with the exception of
John, the eldest son, are now deceased, as are,
also the father and mother of the family.
John Jones, son of Abner and Elizabeth

(Irey) Jones, was born October 6, 1843, m West
Pikeland township, where he received his educa
tion in the public schools. For twenty-eight years
he was engaged in business as a butcher in Lion
ville, and at the end of that time abandoned com
mercial pursuits in order to devote himself to
farming. This calling he has followed with
marked success for the last ten years, and his
land is cultivated for the purposes of general
farming. He also carries on a flourishing dairy
business, being the owner of eighteen head of
cows, and his products, which are of a very
superior quality, find a ready sale at Malvern.
Mr. Jones takes an active interest in public
affairs, and has at various times been called upon
by his neighbors to serve them in the minor
offices of the township. His political principles
and opinions are those of the Democratic party.
Mr. Jones married Deborah S., daughter of
John and Margaret Townsend, the former a
farmer of Upper Uwchlan. Mr. and Mrs. Jones
are the parents of two children : Lizzie, who is
the wife of John W. Mack, a farmer of West
Whiteland township ; and Walter, who is a grad
uate of the Uwchlan Academy, an institution of
which Mrs. Ella M. Gordon is principal. He is
now engaged in business as a butcher in Lion
ville. He married Ella, daughter of the late
George and Etta Piatt. He and his wife are the
parents of three children : Jerraldine, John Paul
and Rolland Jones.

JACOB RANCK, well known as one of the
leading farmers of Uwchlan township, Chester
county, is a son of Levi Ranck, who was: born
in Lancaster county, in or about the year 181 7.
For twenty-eight years he lived at Carnaevon,
combining the trade of a shoemaker with that
of a mason,' and during the latter portion of his
life he followed the occupation of a farmer. He
married Catharine, daughter of John Solen-
berger, who was descended from an old family
of German origin. According to tradition, one
of the ancestresses was born during the voyage
across the ocean. Ten children were born to
Mr. and Mrs. Ranck, of whom the following are
now living: Jacob, mentioned at length herein
after ; and Edward, who served in the army dur
ing the Civil war, though, as it happened, he did
not participate in any engagement. Pie was a good
scholar and a fine penman, and was a clerk in
the quartermaster's department.
Jacob Ranck, son of Levi and Catharine
(Solenberger) Ranck, was born November 25,
1845, m Carnaevon, Lancaster county, and re
ceived his education in the old Smoketown school-
house. At an early age he engaged in farming, and
when about twenty-four years of age began life
for himself. In 1875 he came to Chester county

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

423

and settled in Honeybrook township, where he
remained three years, steadily and energetically
devoting himself to his chosen calling. About
1899 he removed to his present home, where he
engages in general farming, and also conducts a
dairy -of twenty-three head of cows. The very
fine products of his dairy he disposes of to ad
vantage in the markets of Philadelphia. Al
though preferring not to mingle actively in pub
lic affairs, Mr. Ranck takes an interest in what
ever concerns the welfare of the community in
which he resides, and is faithful in all the duties
of a good citizen. His political affiliations are
with the Republican party. He and his wife are
members of the Lutheran church.
Mr. Ranck married Emma H., daughter of
William and Catharine (Gran) Doutrick. The
former was a farmer in Berks county, whence
he removed to Honeybrook, Chester county. Mr.
and Mrs. Ranck are the parents of the following
children : Lydia Ann, who resides at home ;
William, who is a farmer on the homestead;
Katie, who is the wife of L. Kaufroth, a farmer
in Chester county, and has two daughters ; Emma,
who married Harry Todd, who is employed on
the estate of Mrs. Dutton at Downingtown; and
they are the parents of one son ; Jacob ; Amanda ;
Sadie; Charlie; and Herbert. These last named
children all reside with their parents on the
homestead.

JACOB RENNARD, one of the substan
tial and progressive farmers of Lower Uwchlan
township, Chester county, Pennsylvania, where
he has resided for many years and taken an active
interest in its material growth and advancement,
was born in East Goshen township, in May,
1849, a descendant of a German lineage.
Jacob Rennard (grandfather) was a native
of Schuylkill township, Chester county, where
he spent a long and useful life devoted to agri
cultural pursuits. He was the owner of one
hundred acres of rich and arable land, and he
conducted his general farming operation on an
extensive scale. Politically he was an old line
Whig. Jacob Rennard and his wife, Mary
(Walters) Rennard, were the parents of eight
children — Joseph, Jacob, Adam, Mary, Rachel,
Susan, Rebecca and Henry Rennard.
Adam Rennard (father) was born in Chester
county, Pennsylvania, was a farmer by occupa
tion, and the owner of a large tract of land in
East Goshen township, where he served for
many years in the capacity of supervisor. The
success he attained in his undertaking was at
tributed to his owii energy and well directed
efforts. He was united in marriage to Susan
March, daughter of George and Catherine March,
the former named being a representative farmer

of Charlestown township, where the greater por
tion of his life is supposed to have been spent.
Their children were : George, a farmer of Ox
ford borough ; David, also a farmer, but during
his residence in Philadelphia served inthe capac
ity of clerk ; Aaron, now engaged in farming
on the old homestead in East Goshen township ;
Caroline, wife of Jacob Clemens, a prosperous
farmer of Tredyffrin township ; Emma, wife of
Charles Clemens, a farmer, and now engaged as
salesman for the Chase Nursery Company of
New York state ; Harriet, wife of John Z. Clark,
a native of West Chester, now engaged in the
butcher business at Coatesville ; Jacob ; Brinton
was a farmer, now deceased ; and William, a
farmer in Montgomery county. The father of
these children died at his home in East Goshen
township in the year 1877.
Jacob Rennard received his education in the
public schools of East Goshen township, and be
gan his business career as a farmer, which occu
pation he has followed ever since. He is now con
ducting general operations on a one hundred-
acre farm located in Uwchlan township, near the
Anselma post office, with a dairy of about eight
een head of cows attached, and the products from
this branch of the business are readily disposed
of at the creamery. In political faith he has
always been a Republican, and gives his party
a loyal support on all leading questions.
Mr. Rennard married Hannah Moore, daugh
ter of Eber and Elizabeth (Fritz) Moore, the two
latter named being the parents of seven children
— John G, deceased ; Mary J., is the wife of Will
iam Reed, a farmer of East Whiteland township ;
Margaret, wife of John R. Pierce, a resident of
Phcenixville, Pennsylvania, and an employe of
the United States government, serving in the
capacity of usher in the house of representa
tives at Washington, District of Columbia ; Har
riet, wife of Franklin Gottier, who was a butcher
by occupation ; he is now deceased and his widow
and six children reside at Landenburg, Penn
sylvania ; Hannah E., wife of Jacob Rennard ;
Annie L., wife of Theodore Llewlyn, who is en
gaged in the mining business in Chester county,
Pennsylvania ; Frank D. Moore, a painter by
trade, and a prominent resident of Media, Penn
sylvania. The following named children were
born to Mr. and Mrs. Rennard: Lillie M., wife
of Jones Stine, a farmer of West Pikeland town
ship, and their family consists of three children,
George, Hannah and Ralph Stine ; Arthur, a
farmer by occupation, married Susan McCluskey,
and they are the parents of six children, Ruth,
Edith, John, Josephine, and two who died in in
fancy; Lottie, wife of George Longacre, of
Montgomery county, Pennsylvania ; he is em
ployed in the phosphate works ; Cora, wife of
Lewis Deery, of East Pikeland township, where

424

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

he is engaged in farming pursuits; -their family
consists of three children: Rennard, Henry and
Lottie Deery ; Lacy, unmarried, resides at home
with his parents ; John, who married Bertha
Dutton, and also resides at home. Mr. Rennard
and his family hold membership in St. Paul's Re
formed church and are well and favorably
known.

BENJAMIN FRANKLIN THOMAS. The
family of which Benjamin F. Thomas, a success
ful and enterprising agriculturist of Westtown,
Pennsylvania, is a member, trace their origin to
Reese Thomas, paternal grandfather of Benjamin
F. Thomas, who married Elizabeth Lobb, and the
following named children were born to them :
Jane, Esther, Isaac, Richard, and Mary Ann
Thomas. His maternal grandparents were Jon
athan and Susannah (Smedley) Hood. The
former named was born October 17, 1777, and
died May 17, 1861 ; he was a son of Jonathan and
Mary (Fawkes)) Hood, of Newtown. Susannah
Smedley Hood was born November 11, 1779, and
died December 18, 1858. Their children were:
Lydia, Mary, Sarah C, Thomas, Joseph, Su
sanna, Edmund and Jonathan Hood.
Isaac Thomas, father of Benjamin F. Thomas,
was born November 16, 1804, and was united in
marriage at the Newtown Meeting House, Decem
ber 9, 1829, to Miss Lydia Hood, who was born in
Newtown, November 18, 1805. They were the
parents of the following named children : Isaac
Preston, born in 1830, married Elizabeth
Garrett; Susanna H., born December 28, 1831,
died in 1832; Jonathan, born January 10, 1833,
died October 15, 1873 ; he married Sarah A. Lee
dom; William P., born March 30, 1835, married
Sarah P. Bishop and Anna Matlack ; Elizabeth
L, born December 2/1836, unmarried; Richard
H., born October 3, 1838, married Eliza Bore-
man; Rebecca L., born October' 9, 1840, wife of
David Paiste ; they have three children ; Lydia
Ann, born February 19, 1843, wife of William
Evans; they have three children: Benjamin F.,
born June 27, 1845, unmarried ; Susanna PL, born
June 27, 1845, deceased. The father of these
children died in Newtown, August 10, 1854, and
his widow passed awav at West Chester, June
25, 1885.
Isaac Preston Thomas, eldest son of the
above named parents, and brother of Benjamin
F. Thomas, was born in 1830, in Newtown
Delaware county, Pennsylvania. His early edu
cation was acquired in the public schools
of Newtown, and this was supplemented by
a thorough course at Carleton Seminary, Rut
land county, Vermont. His entire business career
has been devoted to agricultural pursuits, and the
manufacture of fertilizers, which latter named

business he conducted in conjunction wifh farm
ing from 1868 to 1897, his plant being located
first in Pennsylvania,, and later at Panesborough,
New Jersey, where he carried on an extensive
trade until 1897, when he disposed of the busi
ness. In 1856 Mr. Thomas took up his residence
on Prospect Hill Farm, Thornbury township,
Delaware county, where he has since resided. In
recent years he has acquired other farms which
he now owns and operates in addition to his
Prospect Hill, which consists of one hundred and
sixty acres ; Hawthorne, which consists of one
hundred and ninety-seven acres ; Magnolia, which
consists of seventy acres, and Primrose, which
consists of two hundred and twenty-three acres.
The first three named are in Thornbury, Delaware
county, and the latter is in Westtown, Chester
county. His principal business is dairying, to
which he devotes the greater part of his time, be
ing the owner of a modern and commodious
creamery at Prospect Hill, which yields him a
goodly return for his labor. In his political
views Mr. Thomas was formerly an old line
Whig, but is now a supporter of the principles
of the Republican party, having been elected to
the office of school director on that ticket. He
is a prominent member of the Hicksite Friends
Meeting at Goshen, and a member of Brandy
wine Grange, No. 60, Patrons of Husbandry.
In 1858 Mr. Thomas married Elizabeth Gar
rett, born November 28, 1831, at Vincent, Ches
ter county, Pennsylvania, the daughter of Nathan
Lewis and Lydia (Cox) Garrett, and grand
daughter of Benjamin and Debbie (Lewis) Gar
rett. Their children were: Benjamin Franklin,
born September 29, 1858, died October 17, 1864;
Ella Velinda, born June 26, i860, died October
7, 1864; Isaac Byron, born April 24, 1862, died
November 13, 1891 ; he married' Mary Viola Law-
head, a graduate of Swarthmore College in the
class of 1881 ; their children are: Aubrey Lee,
and Isaac Preston Thomas ; Francis Garrett, born
June 23, 1865, is now a prominent resident of
Philadelphia, where he is engaged in the cream
ery business; he married Anna Fink, and two
children were born to them: Elma, who died at
the age of two and a half years, and Dorothy
Thomas ; Emma Elizabeth, born June 15, 1867,
died February 14, 1891 ; she was the wife of
Horace Roberts, and their children are : Emnor,
Preston Thomas and Byron Roberts.
Benjamin F. Thomas, youngest son of Isaac
and Lydia Thomas, was born in Newtown, Dela
ware county, Pennsylvania, June 27, 1845, at~
tended the public schools of his native town and
completed his education at Shortledge's Academy,
Kennett Square, Pennsylvania. He has always
been engaged in farming interests, for a number
of years devoting his attention principally to the
creamery business. For many years he resided

RESIDENCE OF B. F. THOMAS, WESTTOWN, CHESTER CO., PA.

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

425

in Newtown, but recently purchased the Hoopes
farm in Westtown, where in the management of
his business affairs he displays remarkable execu
tive ability, energy and enterprise. His land is
under a high state of cultivation and the im
provements upon the place are in keeping with
all those found upon a model farm of the twentieth
century-. He is a staunch adherent of the men
and measures advocated by the Republican party,
and in his religious views he follows the teach
ings of the Hicksite Friends Society. Mr. Thomas
is unmarried.

J. FRANK MARCH, an enterprising farmer
and esteemed citizen of Upper Uwchlan township,
Chester county, Pennsylvania, was born Julyi,
1856, on the farm which is now his home, a son
of Jerome and Matilda (Steitler) March, and
grandson of Henry and Elizabeth (Benner)
March. Henry March (grandfather) was a native of
Chester county, Pennsylvania. He resided in
West Vincent township a portion of his life,
after which he located on the farm in Uwchlan
township now owned by J. Frank March. He
was a carpenter and contractor, which business
he followed the greater portion of his life in Ches
ter county, but his declining years were devoted
to the cultivation and management of his farm.
He married Elizabeth Benner, a native of East
Pikeland township, and the following named
children were born to them : Catherine, who be
came the wife of Thomas Wilson; Eliza, unmar
ried ; Rebecca, who became the wife of John
Moses ; Jerome, mentioned hereinafter ; Sarah,
who became the wife of John Bringhurst, and
Mary, who became the wife of Jesse J. Rogers.
Jerome March (father) was a native of West
Vincent township, Chester county. In early life
he followed the trade of mason, but afterward
turned his attention to agriculture and ended his
days on the farm now owned and operated by
his son J. Frank March. He took an active part
in local affairs, and was much respected by his
neighbors, who elected him to the office of super
visor for two terms. He married Matilda Steit
ler, a daughter of David T. and Hannah (Still)
Steitler, the latter named having been a daugh
ter of Henry Still, and she was reared on the farm
now owned by J. Frank March. David T. and
Hannah (Still) Steitler were the parents of the
following named children: Rebecca, who be
came the wife of John March ; Washington, who
married Anna Keim ; Hannah, who became
the wife of Obadiah Shingle; Margaret,
who became the wife of Uhmstead Wells ; David,
who married Lydia McCarrar; Mary, who be
came the wife of Albert Trainer ; Matilda, afore
mentioned as the wife of Jerome March, and

George C. Steitler, who married Sarah Evans.
Jerome and Matilda (Steitler) March were the
parents of one son, J. Frank March.
J. Frank March received his early education
in the public school of the neighborhood, and sub
sequently was a student in the Edgefield Insti
tute, then presided over by Captain Abram Fet
ters. On leaving school he immediately devoted
himself to farming, which he has made the busi
ness of his life, and is now the owner of the
homestead, which consists of one hundred acres
of rich and arable land. He conducts a general
farming business, also a dairy of twenty head of
cows, and the products of the latter branch of
the industry find a ready sale in the markets of
Philadelphia. A sufficient evidence of the high
regard in which Mr. March is held by his towns
men is furnished by the fact that he has served
a term of six years as auditor of the township,
and for the last sixteen years as justice of the
peace. Politically he is a Democrat, and in relig
ious matters is connected with the Reformed
church. Mr. March married Tamzine L. Strickland,
and two sons were the issue of this union : The
elder, Edgar W., was educated in the public
schools, and married Elizabeth C. John, a daugh
ter of William H. and Abigail (Cox) John, the
former a farmer of Upper Uwchlan township, and
the latter the daughter of Franklin Cox, a miller
of West Goshen. Edgar W and Elizabeth C.
March are the parents of one daughter, Mary
Florence March. Chester S., the youger brother
of Edgar W., also received his education in the
public schools, is now a pupil in the West Ches
ter State Normal School, presided over by Mr.
G. M. Phillips, and is a member of the Patriotic
Order of the Sons of America. Both brothers
affiliate with the same political party as that to
which their father belongs.
Mrs. March, wife of J. Frank March, is a
daughter of John and Elizabeth (Loomis) Strick
land, the former a farmer of West Vincent town
ship. Their family consisted of thirteen chil
dren, the surviving members of which are as fol
lows : Hannah, wife of William H. Rettew, a
wheelwright by occupation; Sallie, wife of J. M.
Nyman, a cabinetmaker ; Tamzine L., mentioned
above as the wife of J. Frank March, and Mag
gie, wife of Walter Rhodes, who is employed as
dispatcher by the Union Traction Company of
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

COPE. According to researches made in
England by a member of the American branch
of the Cope family, the earliest known ancestor
was John Cope, Esquire of Denshanger, in the
county of Northampton, who was twice high
sheriff of the county and five times knight of the

426

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

shire in parliament; he espoused the cause of
Henry IV. and died in 1417. Joan, his widow,
died in 1435. Next in line comes William Cope,
Esq., who married a daughter of William Gos-
sage, of Spratton, and she was living in 1487.
Their son, Alexander Cope, was father to Sir
William Cope, of Hanwell, in Oxfordshire,
knight cofferer to Henry VH, buried at Banbury
in 1513. By his first wife, Agnes, daughter of Sir
Robert Plarcourt, he had one son, Stephen Cope,
of Bedhampton, county of Hants, Sergeant of the
Poultry to Henry VIII, and Edward VI, liv
ing in 1552. His wife was Anne, daughter of
William Saunders, of Banbury, by whom he had
a son, Sir Anthony Cope, of Bedhampton, knight,
living in 1573, while his widow, Anne, daughter
•of Sir Humphry Stafford, of Blatherwyke, sur
vived till 1613. Next came Edward Cope, whose
wife, Maud, was living in 1634. Their son, John
Cope, died at Marden, in Wiltshire, in 1656, and
Margaret, his widow, in 1670. This John Cope
survived his son of the same name, who died
at Chisledon, in Wiltshire, 1649, while Elizabeth,
his widow, was living in 1681 at Avebury, Wilt
shire. Oliver Cope, son of the last named
named John Cope, puchased two hudred and
fifty acres of land from William Penn in 1681,
and with his wife, Rebecca, came to Pennsyl
vania perhaps the next year. He settled on
Naaman's creek, near the Delaware river, and
there died in 1697, leaving four children :
1. William, b. about 1672, m. Mary 
and is supposed to have had a son Oliver, a
daughter Rebecca, and perhaps other children.
2. Elizabeth, m.  Foulk, and a sec
ond husband, Hugh Blackwell, of Bethel, and
died about 1765, leaving children by the first.
3. Ruth, m. Thomas Buffington, of Brad
ford, and died about 1728, leaving several chil
dren. 4. John, b. about 1691 ; d. 2 mo, 14, 1773.
John Cope, last named, purchased two hun
dred acres of land in East Bradford, in 1712,
and erected thereon a log house which stood for
one hundred and fifty years. He is said to have
married about this time but his wife did not long
survive and even her name is unknown. He was
again married, 9 mo., 30, 1721, at her father's
house, to Charity, widow of John Evans and
daughter of Robert and Jane (Chandler) Jef
feris of East Bradford. She was born 4 mo., 11,
1695, and died about 1743, after which John mar
ried 12 mo., 23, 1748, Elizabeth Fisher, widow
of Thomas Fisher, of East Cain. He appears
to have united with Friends after his second mar
riage, and he was an active member of Bradford
Monthly Meeting from the time it was estab
lished, in 1737, until his death. Beside farming
he appears to have carried on the manufacture

of malt. By his second wife he had eight chil
dren :
5. Hannah, b. 4 mo, 25, 1724; d. 10 mo., 10,
1817; m. John Carter.
6. Samuel, b. 1726; d. 9 mo, 15, 1817. See
forward. 7. Mary, b. 1728; d. 2 mo., 6, 1813, unmar
ried. 8. John, b. 1730; d. 7 mo, 31, 1812; m.
Grace Cloud and Mary Dickinson and had fif
teen children.
9. Nathan, b. 1733; d. 12 mo., 3, 1820; m.
Amy Bane.
10. Caleb, b. 11 mo., 4, 1736; d. 5 mo, 30,
1824; m. Mary Mendenhall. He was ancestor
of the shipping merchants of the name in Phil
adelphia. 11. Joshua, twin with Caleb, d. 1818; m.
Jane Brown.
12. Joseph, b. 6 mo, 1, 1740; d. 12 mo., 11,
1820; m. Ann Taylor.
Samuel Cope (6) was married 6 1110., 7, 1753,
at Bradford Meeting, to Deborah Parke, born
6 mo., 5, 1734; died 1 mo., 13, 1774; daughter of
Jonathan and Deborah (Taylor) Parke, of East
Bradford, and settled on the eastern half of his
father's farm. He also purchased other land in
the vicinity. He was married a second time,
6 mo., 21, 1781, to Margaret (Dickinson) Smith,
a widow who was buried 3 mo., 22, 1804. He
was an active member of Bradford and West
Chester Meetings, and by his first wife had ten
children :
13. Charity, b. 4 mo, 8, 1754; d. 8 mo., 29,
1840; m. Caleb Baldwin.
14. Jesse, b. 10 mo., 10, 1755 ; d. 10. mo., 18,
1755. 15. Samuel, b. 10 mo., 1, 1756; d . 2 mo., 28,
1837 ; m. Elizabeth Blackford.
16. Abiah, b. 3 mo, 22, 1759; d. 10 mo, 5,
1826; m. Jane Morris.
17. Rebecca, b. 12 mo., 23, 1760; d. 3 mo.,
5. 1764- 18. Jonathan, b. 12 mo., 22, 1762; d. 6 mo.,
10, 1840. See forward.
19. Deborah, b. 3 mo., 17, 1765; d. 9 mo.,
1770. 20. Mary, b. 3 mo., 15, 1767; d. 7 mo., 27,
1832 ; m. Jesse Green.
21. Sophia, b. 3 mo., 17, 1769; d. 11 mo., 13,
1776. 22. Deborah, b. 9 mo., 16, 1771 ; d. 8 mo.,
16, 1837.
Jonathan Cope (18) was first married to
Susanna Mercer, who died leaving one child;
married secondly, Zillah, daughter of John and
Esther (Dicks) Darlington, of East Bradford;
born 9 mo., 5, 1769; died 9 mo., 12, 1844. He set
tled a short distance northward from his
father, on Broad Run, in East Bradford, where

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

427

he owned one hundred and fifty acres of land.
He had learned the trade of a blacksmith and
edge-tool maker and established a tilt-mill on the
stream. His augers and gimlets had a wide rep
utation. Upon the establishment of a Friends'
meeting at West Chester he transferred his mem
bership from Bradford and occupied the posi
tion of overseer for some years. By both wives
he had twelve children :
23. Phebe, b. 4 mo, 28, 1790; d. 10 mo., 5,
1842; m. Joseph Gheen.
24. Elizabeth, b. 5 mo., 17, 1797; d. 3 mo.,
31, 1 8 19, unmarried.
25. Susan, b. 9 mo., 11, 1798; d. 1 mo., 11,
1846, unmarried.
26. Jesse, b. 12 mo, 31, 1799; d. 12 mo,
11, 1802.
27. John, b. 8 mo., 20, 1801 ; d. 9 mo, 14,
1884. See forward.
28. Margaret, b. 1 mo, 17, 1804; d. 11 mo,
24, 1848, unmarried.
29. Caleb B., b. 11 mo., 13, 1805; d. 1 mo,
27, 1872; m. Gulielma Maria Thomas.
30. Samuel, b. 6 mo, 12, 1807; d. 9 mo.,
10, 1813.
31. Deborah, b. 10 mo, 23, 1808; d. 2 mo,
7, 1887; m. Thomas Hatton.
32. Jonathan, b. 8 mo., 10, 1810; d. 11 mo.,
27, 1872 ; m. Gulielina Maria Thomas.
33. Chalkley, b. 6 mo., 10, 1813 ; d. 10 mo,
15. 1813.
34. Darlington, b. 6 mo, 13, 1815; d. 1 mo,
8, 1888; m. Sally Thomas and Ann Cope.
John Cope (27) married, in 1826, Hannah
Hayes, born 2 mo., 21, 1803 ; d. 11 1110, 26, 1882 ;
daughter of Eli and Sarah (Ward) Hayes, of
Newlin township. He took the farm of his
father, but about 1848 removed to a newer set
of buildings and there continued to reside. He
and his wife were members of West Chester
Meeting. Children :
35. Hayes, b. 12 mo, 27, 1826; d. 2 mo.,
I5> 1834.
36. Allen, b. 2 mo., 26, 1829; living at the
homestead, unmarried.
37. Thomas Savery, b. 6 mo., 11, 1831 ; m.
Hannah Carpenter.
38. Sarah H., b. 10 mo, 1, 1833 ; m. Robert
Garrett. 39. Jonathan, b. 12 mo., 15, 1835; d. 6 mo.,
20, 1849.
40. Eli H., b. 4 mo, 15, 1838; m. Lydia M.
Woodward. 41. Zillah M., b. 10 mo., 12, 1840; d. 9 1110,
15, 1844.
42. Hillborn, b. 11 mo, 1, 1842; d. 6 mo.,
20, 1844.
43. John G, b. 3 mo., 20, 1845; m- Sallie
A. Woodward.
44. Josiah, twin with John G.

Josiah Cope, the last named, was born in
East Bradford and educated in the public schools
of that township, after which he attended Prof.
Allen's school in West Chester and the State Nor
mal School at Mansfield, Pennsylvania. For a
few years he assisted his father on the farm, but
in 1868 entered into mercantile life at Oxford
and two years later engaged in the manufacture
of fertilizers at Lincoln University, which he
still conducts, having a branch store in Oxford.
He was married March 11, 1869, to Josephine
Sharpless, daughter of Joel and Sarah Ann
(Green) Sharpless, of Middletown, Delaware
county. They have no children.
In politics Mr. Cope has followed the exam
ple set by his forefathers, and is a Republican.
He has held the position of a school director for
twelve years and is a member of the Masonic
Order and of the G. A. R. In 1864 he enlisted
in the One Hundred and Ninety-Second Regi
ment at West Chester, under Captain Brooks,
and served on garrison duty in Maryland. He
and his wife attend the Presbyterian church.

THOMAS TAYLOR, an enterprising far
mer and worthy citizen of East Vincent town
ship, Chester county, is a grandson of Thomas
Taylor. Thomas, son of Thomas, was born
July 14, 1844, in Chester county, where he
passed his life as a farmer. He married Eliz
abeth, born January 5, 1847, hi Chester county,
daughter of John and Sarah (Funck)
Roberts, both of whom are deceased. The fol
lowing children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Tay
lor: Josiah, who was born April 10, 1871, and
is now a resident of Montgomery ; Thomas, men
tioned at length hereinafter, and Katie, who was
born October 10, 1875. The death of Mr. Tay
lor occurred September 11, 1897, and his widow
is still living.
Thomas Taylor, son of Thomas and Eliza
beth (Roberts) Taylor, was born January 11,
1873, in Chester county, as were also his brother
and sister. He was educated in the schools of
the township, and completed his course of study
at the age of eighteen. Deciding to adopt as his
life-work his father's occupation of agriculture,
he immediately applied himself to the labors of
that calling, which he prosecuted with such en
ergy and perseverance as to insure for him a
gratifying measure of success. As a citizen Mr.
Taylor is not unmindful of his duties. He takes
a sincere interest in whatever pertains to the pub
lic welfare, and his political obligations are dis
charged with a strict conscientiousness which
commands the respect of his neighbors, by whom
he is regarded as a representative of the younger
and more aggressive element in the agricultural
population, which has always been, and is still,

428

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

so important a factor in the prosperity and well-
being of his native county.
Mr. Taylor married, January 25, 1897, Laura,
daughter of Moses and Elmira (Schultz) Place
man, of Chester county. Mr. and Mrs. Taylor
are the parents of one child : Paul, who was
born June 21, 1898, in the county of his ances
tors. The family name of Mr. Taylor is, in one
sense, the most distinguished in Chester county,
being that of the world-renowned poet whose
birthplace and home both lie within her historic
boundaries.

ALFRED F. CONARD, senior member of
The Conard & Jones Company of West Grove,
Chester county, Pennsylvania, traces his an
cestry to Dennis Conard, of whose name in Ger
man a great many different versions are given,
who came from Crefield on the Rhine and settled
at Germantown, a suburb of Philadelphia, in
1683. The line of descent is as follows : Matthias
Conard, second son of Dennis Conard, was the
father of Cornelius Conard, of Horsham, and he
was the father of Everard Conard, who married
Margaret Cadwalader, and about the year 1784
removed to the township pf New London, where
he purchased 300 acres of land. One of his
sons, named Jesse Conard, married Ann Pen
nington, daughter of Thomas and Susana Pen
nington, and among his children was Thomas
Conard, father of Alfred F. Conard, who for
several years conducted a school in Philadelphia,
and later a boarding school at West Grove, Penn
sylvania. Alfred F. Conard, eldest son of Thomas and
Rebecca Shoemaker Conard, was born in the
year 1835, and obtained his education in his
father's school at West Grove and the Westtown
Boarding School. Subsequently he settled at
West Grove, Chester county, where he learned
the nursery business under the personal super
vision of Thomas M. Harvey. After acquiring
a thorough knowledge of this vocation, Mr.
Conard entered into partnership with Charles
Dingee, under the firm name of Dingee & Conard,
and devoted themselves to the culture of roses
on a large scale. From the beginning this enter
prise proved very successful. Mr. Conard was
largely instrumental in organizing the mail order
business, which subsequently extended all over
the United States, and established a national
reputation for the excellence of its famous roses
and other ornamental plants.
A few years ago Alfred F. Conard retired
from the Dingee & Conard Company, and estab
lished a new business at West Grove on the same
lines as before, under the style of The Conard
& Jones Company, for the special culture of roses,
plants, bulbs and flower seeds. Owing to Mr.

Conard's large experience and well known hon
orable methods, this enterprise soon became a
prominent and acknowledged leader, in its line,
and in addition to the duties of this large and
constantly increasing patronage, Mr. Conard has
for many years been a director in the National
Bank of West Grove. He is a Republican in poli
tics, and gives his suJDport to all measures which
tend towards the welfare and improvement of
his county and community.
In 1862 Mr. Conard was united in marriage
to Lydia C. Hughes, daughter of Samuel Hughes,
an enterprising and progressive agriculturist
of West Grove, Chester county, Pennsylvania.
Mr. Conard and his wife are regular attendants
of the meetings of the Society of Friends.

HOOPES MARSHALL. One of the highly
•cultivated and therefore most productive farms
for which Chester county, Pennsylvania, is noted,
located in the township of Westtown, is the prop
erty of Hoopes Marshall, who was born Octo
ber 11, 1827, in East Bradford township, now
named Pocopson. He is a son of David and
Hannah (Hoopes) Marshall. David Marshall
traces his ancestry to the founder of the well
known and prominent Marshall family, a full
account of whose history will be found elsewhere
in this work. The founder of the family was
Abraham Marshall, a native of Gratton, in
Derbyshire, England, who came to Chester coun
ty, Pennsylvania, in the year 1700, and seven
years later settled in what is now West Bradford
township, on Brandywine creek. Hannah
(Hoopes) Marshall, wife of David Marshall, was
the daughter of Stephen Hoopes, who was a
worthy descendant in the ninth generation from
Joshua Hoopes, the ancestor of the family in
Pennsylvania. Hoopes Marshall obtained a liberal education
in the public schools of Westtown township, and
being reared upon a farm he was thoroughly
familiar and inured to the duties of that occupa
tion, which he chose as his vocation in life and
which he has successfully followed up to the pres
ent time (1903). In 1836, when Hoopes Mar
shall was in his tenth year, his parents removed
to Westtown township and located upon the farm
where Mr. Marshall now resides, this estate hav
ing been the property of members of the Hoopes
family in whose possession it had remained for
several generations. Mr. Marshall has followed
general farming, cattle and stock dealing, and
being a man of practical business ability and
enterprise has gained a large degree of financial
success in his undertaking. His religious sym
pathies are in accord with the doctrines advo
cated by the Hicksite Friends, but he does not
hold membership in any meeting. His political

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

429

allegiance is given to the Democratic party, and
he has been the incumbent of the township offices
of supervisor and collector. His fraternal affilia
tions are with Westmont Lodge, No. 495, Knights
of Pythias and Tamennede Tribe^ No. 192, Im
proved Order of Red Men, both of Tanguy,
Pennsylvania. In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, December 25,
1861, Hoopes Marshall was united in marriage
to Sarah L. Regester, born in Thornbury, Ches
ter county, Pennsylvania, June 7, 1831, a daugh
ter of Abraham H. and Ursula (Marshall)
Regester, residents of Kennett township, Chester
county. Two children were born of this union,
both of whom are unmarried and reside at home
with their parents — J. Elden, born July 18, 1866,
and Ida Ursula, born December 7, 1867. Abra
ham Regester, father of Mrs. Marshall, was born
in Edgemont April 20, 1801, and married,. Jan
uary 2, 1823, Sarah Chalfant, who was born in
1804, and died January 9, 1829, a daughter of
John and Sarah Chalfant. On November 4,
1830, Mr. Regester married Ursula Marshall, a
daughter of James and Leah Marshall, and
her death occurred in Kennett township, Septem
ber 18, 1880. Mr. Regester and his wife were at
tendants of the Friends' Meetings. His death oc
curred at his home in Kennett township, June 19,
1873, and his remains were interred at Middle-
town, Chester county, Pennsylvania.

LAWRENCE FAMILY. Of Samuel Law
rence, founder of the Chester county branch of
the Lawrence family, all personal record has been
lost. It is only known of him that he came from
Wales some time prior to the war of the Revolu
tion and settled in Bucks county, Pennsylvania.
It is supposed that he afterward removed to
Chester county and settled in East Cain township,
as he was buried there in the Friends' burying
ground at Cain Meeting House. Nothing is
known of his family save one son, John, who
lived at Compass, West Cain township. That
John Lawrence was a man of unusual enterprise
is shown by the range of his activities. He owned
a farm and besides overseeing that, he was in
business as a carpenter and as an undertaker. He
was widely known, for his services as a builder
were in demand, and in the capacity of under
taker he was called upon throughout a radius of
many miles. He married Ann Buchanan, of Wil
mington, Delaware, and became the father of nine
children, as follows: 1. Samuel, of Honeybrook
township, who will be mentioned at greater
length ; 2. John, who married Ann Robinson, and
spent his life as a farmer in West Cain township ;
3. Jacob, well known throughout Chester county
as a Baptist minister, died at Springfield ; his wife
was Elizabeth Hoffman; 4. Ann, who ma'-ricd

Benjamin Supplee, lived and died in Honey
brook township ; 5. Elizabeth, who married James
Ottenkeck, died in Honeybrook township, as did
her husband; 6. Hannah, who married Matthew
Marple of Mount Joy, Lancaster county ; 7.
Mary, who married Benjamin Marple, died, with
her husband, in Maryland ; 8. Sarah, who became
the wife of Samuel Schrock, and lived and died
in West Cain township ; 9. Lydia, who married
Harmon Skiles, and passed her life in Sadsbury
township. Samuel, oldest child of John Lawrence, was
born in West Cain township in 1801. He
grew up on a farm and held to farming
as his lifetime occupation. He was a trusted
man in his community, and at different
times held most of the township offices. He
was supervisor of Honeybrook township for sev
eral terms, and served many years as school
director. A Whig in his earlier years, he became
a Republican after the organization of that party.
He married Rebecca, a daughter of Andrew
Brown, who came to West Cain township from
Ireland in the latter part of the eighteenth cen
tury. Samuel Lawrence died in Honeybrook
borough in 1880 and his wife died there in 1876.
They are both buried in the Honeybrook Presby
terian churchyard. The children of the couple
were as follows : 1. John, who became prominent
as a contractor and builder ; he married Ann Ash
and removed to Coatesville, where he was en
gaged in business and where he died ; 2. Mary,
who died at the age of seventeen ; 3. Andrew, who
became a farmer in the west, settling near Kan
sas' City, where he died; his wife was Theresa
Miller; 4. Samuel H., of West Cain, of whom
further mention is made in this article; 5. Mar
garet J., who married William Pimm, a stock
dealer of Chester county ; 6. Adley B., married
Mary Honimer and lives in Salt Lake City; 7.
Jacob, who was enlisted during the Civil war
with the Ninety-seventh Regiment, Pennsylvania
Volunteer Infantry, and died of typhoid fever
during military service; he was buried at North
Edisto, South Carolina ; 8. George, a farmer of
West Cain township, now deceased ; his wife was
Sarah Wright, and he served with the One Hun
dred and Twenty-fourth Regiment, Pennsylvania
Volunteer Infantry; 9. Benjamin, who died at
the age of ten.
Samuel H., fourth child and third son of
Samuel and Rebecca (Brown) Lawrence, was
born at the old homestead in West Ploneybrook
township, December 15, 1833. His schooling
was not extensive but his education was of the
best kind. The rigorous discipline of the old
fashioned district school, where he was well
grounded in the three R's, was supplemented by
the varied activities of the farm more efficiently
than it might have been in an expensively

43Q

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

equipped modern manual training school. He
had, moreover, inherited from his grandfather
mechanical tastes which made any kind of con
structive work a pleasure. He learned the car
penter's trade, and went into business with his
older brother, John, who had a leading position
as contractor and builder in Coatesville, Penn
sylvania. He remained with the firm for
five years, when he withdrew and in con
nection with Thomas H. Doan, he engaged
in business at Wilmington, Delaware. The
enterprise prospered highly, and Mr. Lawrence
was soon conspicuous for ability among men
of his craft. In 1874 he was called to Philadel
phia to superintend the construction of the gov
ernment building for the Centennial Exposition.
This work led to his recognition in Philadelphia,
where he was subsequently given important con
tracts. In 1877 he was engaged by James Smith
& Company to' superintend the construction of
a seven-story building at the corner of Crown and
Race streets. This structure, which was one hun
dred and sixty-five feet by two hundred and thirty
feet, was destroyed by fire in the same year it was
built, and Mr. Lawrence was called to supervise
its re-construction. In 1877 he retired from the
building business and bought a farm of one hun
dred and eight acres in West Cain township,
where he still lives. He finds great satisfaction
in the cultivation of his farm and the conduct
of his dairy according to the most approved
methods. He has a record as a soldier during
the Civil war, having served in Captain James
Eicholtz's Company, Twenty-ninth Regiment
Emergency Volunteers, when the corps was or
ganized to repel the advance of General Lee in
1863. Mr. Lawrence has always been identified
with the Republican party, and has filled various
local public offices. He was the first constable
elected after Coatesville was incorporated, and
he was at the same time a member of the coun
cil, he is a member of the Masonic Order, and
connected with Goddard Lodge at Coatesville.
He is a member of the Brandywine Presbyterian
church, of which he has been a trustee for nine
years. Samuel H. Lawrence married Rachel, daugh
ter of W. B. Maitland, of West Cain township.
Of the children born to Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence,
five died in infancy. The others are: 1. George,
now deceased ; 2.. Elizabeth, who became the wife
of John McMinn; 3. Clara, who married Robert
R. Galey, secretary of the Chinese branch of the
Young Men's Christian Association and is living
at Tientsin, China, with her husband ; 4. Anna,
who became the wife of Charles McConnell, a
farmer of Honeybrook township ; 5. Isabel, now
the wife of Brace Baxter, of Chester, Pennsyl
vania ; 6. Ida ; 7. Cora.

THOMAS KIRK, a prominent citizen and
landowner of Newtown Square, Pennsylvania,
was born in Upper Darby, Delaware county, No
vember 8, 1826, a great-grandson of Samuei Kirk,
whose son, Thomas, married Elizabeth Hannun,
and his son, John, became the father of Thomas
Kirk; he married Mary Ann Garrett, and the
following named children were born to them: 1.
Thomas ; 2. John, married Sarah W. Bittles, and
their children are : William, Garrett, Howard and
John ; their son Howard married and his children
are: Elmer, Howard, Jr., Clifford and Jacob
Earle; 3. Mary G, wife of Chalkley Duell; 4.
William, married Ellen E. Worrall, and they
have one child, Ethel; 5. Emma, wife of George
Horner, and their children are : George, Jr.,
Mary P., Lewis D., and Elmer. George, Jr.,
married Emma Pancoast and their children are :
Samuel, J. Kirk, Alice and Tacie; Samuel mar
ried Catherine Bond, and their children are : Har
mon and Elizabeth ; Mary P., became the wife of
Hiram P. Eaves, and their children are : William
and Elizabeth Kirk Eaves ; 6. Elizabeth ; 7.
Debby. Thomas Kirk, eldest son of John and Mary
A. Kirk, acquired his early education in the public
schools of his native town, and later he was a
pupil in the Strode school, then considered the
finest school in the county, where he took up the
higher branches of learning to round out his pre
liminary instruction. Like most boys brought up
on a farm it was necessary during vacation sea
sons to assist his father in the work,, and this
gave him the experience which made it possible
for him to depend upon his own resources quite
early in life. Upon finishing his studies he re
turned to his father's place at Upper Darby,
where he spent about one year, and on November
8, 1849, he took up his residence on a farm owned
by his father on the Darby road, which he culti
vated for eighteen years. In 1867 he purchased
from his father what was known as the William
son farm, containing ninety acres of fertile land
located at Newtown Square ; Mr. Kirk has since
made this his home, constantly improving both
buildings and land until now he is the proud
possessor of one of the finest farms in Delaware
countv. While devoting himself to farm pursuits, Mr.
Kirk has not been without prominence in the
political field and as a faithful adherent of the
Republican party lias been honored by election to
the board of school directors of Upper Darby, in
which capacity he served for eight years. He if; a
firm advocate of education as the best foundation
for a useful and successful career ; in his opin
ion nothing is of such vital importance in the
building up of human character in the best and
broadest sense than educational advantages prop-

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

43i

erly applied, and it is largely due to his instru
mentality that the public schools of his section are
so wisely and properly conducted. He was also
supervisor of Upper Darby for two years, and
since taking up his residence in Newtown Square
has served for ten years on the board of educa
tion, and is still holding that office. While Mr.
Kirk has given his interested attention to the du
ties incumbent upon these offices, he has never
sought political prominence, being in fact a man
of retiring disposition and greatly devoted to his
domestic interests.
On November 8, 1849, Mr. Kirk was united
in marriage to Miss Isabella B. Hannum, a
daughter of Edwin and Maria (Miller) Hannum,
the latter being a member of a family of ten chil
dren. Six children have been born to Mr. and
Mrs. Kirk, four boys and two girls. Edwin H.,
died at the age of twenty-five years ; Martha B.,
died at the age of twenty-three years ; John, died
in babyhood ; John, the second, unmarried ; Sam
uel married for his first wife, Abbie Garrett, and
after her decease married Kate Bond, of Willis-
ton, Chester county, a daughter of Harmon
Bond; they have three children, Harmon, Eliza
beth and Nelson Kirk; Mary C., the sixth and
last child of Mr. Kirk's family, resides with her
parents. The family are regular and faithful
members of the Friends Meeting House in New
town Square, Pennsylvania.

WILLIAM ROBB. Prominent among, the
old and honored families of Chester county,
Pennsylvania, is numbered that to which the sub
ject of this review belongs. His father, Arthur
Robb, made his home near Downingtown, this
county, and with the interests of that community
he was actively identified until his death, his re
mains being interred in the Grove church ceme
tery in this county. During his boyhood he at
tended the ¦ public schools near his home and
after completing his education took up farming,
an occupation which he continued to follow
throughout life. Politically he was an ardent
Republican, and socially was identified with the
Masonic order.
In early life Arthur Robb married Miss Mar
tha Chambers, whose girlhood was passed near
Downingtown, and by this marriage were born
the following children: James, who married
Martha Morrison, and has five children; Henry,
who married Sallie Hartman; John, who died
single ; and William, whose name introduces this
sketch. William Robb was born March 29, 1849,
and passed the days of his boyhood and youth
upon the home farm, early becoming familiar
with all the duties which fall to the lot of the
agriculturist. Since leaving school he has en-
28 X

gaged in farming quite successfully, and is to-dav
the owner of a beautiful farm in West Bradford
township, consisting of ninety-seven acres, which
he has placed under a high state of cultivation
and improved with good buildings.
In 1 873 Mr. Robb was united in marriage to
Miss Jennie Berstler, a daughter of Philip and
Mary Berstler, the wedding ceremony being per
formed by the Rev. Dr. Kessler. Her father
was a cabinet-maker by trade and a resident of
Coatesville, this county. Unto our subject and
his wife have been born three children, namely :
Arthur, who married Martha Lefevre and has
one child; and Charles and Anna, who are stilt
with their parents.
By his ballot Mr. Robb supports the men and
measures of the Republican party and is un
swerving in his allegiance to its principles. In
religious faith he is a Methodist, and holds mem
bership in the Grove church. Straightforward
in all his dealings and strictly honorable in all
things, he has won the entire confidence of those
with whom he has come in contact and has the
respect and esteem of his friends and neighbors.

EMBREE. Samuel Embree appears to have
settled on Long Island as early as 1671, accord
ing to the town records of Hempstead, which
begin in 1654. On page 198 of the oldest vol
ume preserved we find
"A Lott of Meadow Recorded for Samuel Em
bree. "Know all men by these Presents, That Tim
othy Halstead of Hempstead upon Long Island
Husbandman, for a valuable consideration to him
in hand already paid and received, and doth ac
knowledge therewith to bee satisfied & paid, And
doth acquit and discharge Samuel Embree of the
same place Husbandman, his Heirs and Assignes,
of and from the same, Have given, granted, Bar
gained and sold, and by these presents, doth give,
grant, bargaine and sell, unto Samuel Embree,
his Heires and Assignes, a certaine lot of
Meadow Ground and premisses, containing about
six Acres, be it more or less; Lying and being
upon a Leek of Nand belonging to the Towne,
commonly called and known by the name of Hay-
bridge Neck: Bounded to the westward with
Capt. John Seamons Meadow, and to the East
ward with the Meadow belonging to Abraham
Smith. To have and to hold the said Lott of
Meadow Ground and premises, unto the proper
use and behoofe of the said Samuel Embree, his
Heires and Assignes for ever.
"In witness whereof, the parties above men
tioned, have caused this Entry to be Recorded,
the 22d day of July, in Anno. 167 1.
"RICHARD CHARLTON CLAR."
"At the . .townd Meeting held at Hempstead

432

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

the 1 8 day of Eaprell in the yeare 1673 there was
severall Parsels of Medow an Land let out to hire'
for the insuing yeare as follows  To
Samuell Emory the haybridge for 00 : 14 :6."
"June the 5: 1678. Samuell Emorys Ere
mark is as followeth that is a crop on the Right
Ere and two Necks under the seame Ere."
"At a townd meting Held in Hempstead the
furst day of Eaperell in the yere of our Lord 1679
 Simon sirring and samuel Emory was
Chosen for Overseres."
On the 4th of March 1678-9 Richard Gilder-
sleeve, Jr., executed a conveyance to Samuell
Emery of Hempstead for a meadow lot at a
"Neck commonly called Coess Neck," containing
18 acres. On the 15th of January 1 780-1,
George Balding of Hempsted placed on record,
as a codicil to his will, that for "Severall good
Reasons moaveing mee thereto I see Cause to
Give unto my son Samuel Embrey of the same
place one halfe of my Commonage I say I freely
Give and make over to my above sd son in Law
Samuell halfe my Right of Comminage from mee
my Heires Executors administrators or as
signed," &c. The term son-in-law in that clay
included step-sons, so that we are not certain as
to the relationship.
"At a Jenerall townd Meting held in Hemp
sted the first day of November in the yere of our
Lord 1676," there was a distribution made of
town lots, and "To benjamen seamans and Solo
mon Semans and Thomas Semans an Jonathan
semans and Moses Emory and Joseph Baldin was
Given 3 akers of land a pese on the Est side of
Mr. Semansis lott." In 1679 mention is made of
land adjoining Moris Emry, probably meaning
Moses Embree; and on May 24, 1682, Moses
Emory appears in a list of those agreeing to sup
port the minister, Jeremy Hubard. Whether this
Moses' was a son or brother to Samuel is un
known. The family do not appear to have
been Friends in Long Island, yet they were in a
Quaker community. The name is believed to in
dicate a French Huguenot origin, and was orig
inally written Embre'.
Moses Embro and Mary his wife next make
their appearance at the Quaker settlement at Lit
tle Egg Harbor, New Jersey, a settlement largely
made up of Long Island families. Whether this
Moses was the son of Samuel or of another
Moses has not been determined, but as he named
his eldest son Samuel this would indicate the
truth of the first alternative. Pie was a repre
sentative to the Quarterly Meeting in 17 17, and
his children's births are to be found in the Egg
Harbor records. These were seven in number:
Abigail, b. 12 mo., 18, 1711; Martha, b. 12 mo.,
13, 1712; Sarah, b. 3 mo.. 11, 1715; Samuel b.
8 mo, 15, 1717; Moses, b. 11 mo., 26, 1719 (?) ;

John, b. 11 mo., 12, 1721 ; Elizabeth, b. 6 mo, 12,
1724. Moses Emmory and Mary, his wife, received
a certificate 4 mo., 10, 1725, in order to remove
into Pennsylvania, and the minutes of Abington
Monthly Meeting, 5 mo., 26, 1725, state that "A
certificate was .produced by Moses Embree and
wife from Little Egg Harbor, in order to settle
within the verge of this Monthly Meeting." On
1 mo., 30, 1731, "Oxford Friends having made
application for some relief for Moses Embree,
this meeting orders each Particular Meeting to
raise a collection for that purpose." 4 mo, 28,
1731 : "Paid to Moses Embree for the relief of
his family in the smallpox the sum of £4, 10s."
On the 29th of 3d mo., 1732, Moses Embree and
family received a certificate from Abington to
Haverford, and on the 13th of 10 mo., 1739, one
was granted for them to remove to Oley, or Ex
eter, m Berks county. Of their children, Abigail
married Charles Townsend, of Philadelphia, in
1730; Martha married Thomas Thomas in 1736,
and Sarah married John Hughes, of Merion, and
a second husband, Owen Humphrey, 1738.
Moses Embree, Jr., took a certificate from Abing
ton direct to Exeter, in 1745, married Margaret
Eleman in 1752, and removed to North Carolina
the next year. John Embree was living near
Wrightsborough, Ga., in 1778 and 1800.
Samuel Embree, son of Moses Embree, of
Robeson township, Lancaster (now Berks)
county, and Rachel Lewis, daughter of James
Lewis, of Cumru township, in same county, were
married 2 mo, 26, 1743, at Robeson Meeting.
They settled in Cumru township and had three
children: James, b. 4 mo., 10, 1744; d. 6 mo.,
12, 1746: Moses b. 4 mo., 8, 1746: James, 2d, b.
6 mo., 3, 1748; d. 8 mo., 5, 1815. Of these
Moses married Mary Richardson 7 mo., 7, 1773,
and in 1786 removed to Virginia with children,
Rachel, Moses and John. Samuel Embree died
2 mo., 24, 1777, and Rachel, his widow, 3 mo.,
[5. !779-
James Embree was married 5 mo., 15, 1771,
at Maiden Creek Meeting, Berks county, to
Phebe Starr, born 8 mo., 8, 1750; died 2 mo, 15,
1778; daughter of Merrick and Phebe (Pearson)
Starr, of Maiden Creek township, and grand
daughter of Moses and Deborah (King) Starr.
He was again married, 12 mo., 11, 1782, at Nant
meal Meeting, Chester county, to Rebecca Kirk,
born 2 mo, 3, 1758; died 9 mo., 7, 1808; daugh
ter of William and Sibbilla (Davies) Kirk, of
East Nantmeal township. He purchased a farm
in West Bradford, Chester county, about two
miles westward of Marshallton, in 1791, and re
moved thereto on 4th mo., ist, of that year.
Here he followed farming and making malt.
The family were members of Bradford Meeting,

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

433

of which James and his wife were both elders.
It has been said of him that "he was a dignified,
serious and earnest man, intelligent in business
and in mechanical inventions ; well informed and
faithfully practical in the affairs of religious so
ciety. The weight of these and the responsibility
of providing for fifteen children was a constant
pressure upon him." By his first wife he had
four children :
Samuel, b. 3 mo., 7, 1772; m. Hannah Rich
ardson and went to Ohio.
Merrick, b. 9 mo., 7, 1774; d. 9 mo., 30, 1855 =
See forward.
James, b. 7 mo, 5, 1776; d. 4 mo., 4, 1861 ; m.
Sarah Michener.
Phebe, b. 2 mo., 1, 1778; d. 10 mo., 10, 1814,
unmarried. By the second wife :
William, b. 9 mo., 16, 1783; d. 1 mo, 23, 1865;
¦ m. Sarah Jones.
Rachel, b. 8 1110., 15, 1785 ; d. 3 mo., 14, 1813,
unmarried. Davis, b. 6 mo., 9, 1787; m. Lydia Marsh and
went to Ohio.
Hannah, b. 9 mo., 19, 1788; d. 1 mo, 15, 1867
unmarried. Jesse, b. 1 mo., 2, 1790; d. 8 mo., 9, 1823; m
Mary Dickinson.
Daniel, b. 7 mo., 25, 1791 ; m. Sarah Dennis
died in Ohio.
Sibbilla, b. 4 mo, 1, 1793; d. 7 mo, 21, 1793
Sibbilla, b. 4 mo., 12, 1794; d. 4 mo., 30, 1873
unmarried. Rebecca, b. 1 mo., 31, 1796; d. 9 mo., 27, 1877
unmarried. Elisha, b. 4 mo., 25, 1797; 111. Lucy Jackson
and went westward.
Anne, b. 5 mo., 22, 1799; d. 6 mo., 4, 1862; m.
Eli K. Price.
Merrick Embree was married 5 mo, 7, 1801, at
Little Britain Meeting, Lancaster county, to
Lydia Brown, born 6 mo, 18, 1768; died 4 1110.,
3, 1837; daughter of Joshua and Zillah (Walker)
Brown, of Little Britain. He was a farmer and
nurseryman on the southern part of the Embree
homestead in West Bradford. It was said of the
children of his father's first wife that they were
constitutionally grave and correct. Merrick
Embree was an elder of Bradford Meeting, and
an obituary notice says of him, 'This dear Friend
was an example of upright walking and of
patience and innocence. He acceptably filled the
station of overseer for more than twenty years
successively, wherein he was careful to watch
over the flock, and to discharge his duty in the
important trust." He had six children :
Zillah, b. 3 mo., 11, 1802; ni. Joseph Ballance,
10 mo, 17, 1833.
Phebe, b. 6 mo, 28, 1803 ; m. Simeon Ballance,
5 mo., 24, 1832.

Beulah, b. 9 mo., 29, 1804; d. 5 mo., 5, 1880,
unmarried. Joshua, b. 8 mo., 14, 1806; d. 12 mo., 22, 1884
m. Sophia Glover.
James, .b. 11 mo., 15, 1809; d. 2. mo, 16, 1875
see below.
Lewis, b. 12 mo, 18, 1810; d. 7 mo., 18, 1890
m. Lydia Ann Hawley.
James Embree, son of Merrick and Lydia, was
born near Romansville and received his education
in the neighborhood schools, after which he
learned the trade of a wheelwright. He married
Eliza Glover, born in New Jersey, daughter of
William and Mary Glover. She died 7 mo, 7,
1880, in her 69th year. They resided in Marsh
allton, where, for several years, he manufactured
scythesnaths and grain cradles extensively; and
in connection with his business invented some
valuable appliances. With the general introduc
tion of mowing and reaping machines the de
mand for his wares declined and he purchased a
farm adjoining the village, a few years before his
death, and turned his attention to farming. He
and his wife were strictly conscientious in their
intercourse with others and earnestly endeavored
to maintain the ancient testimonies of their relig
ious society. They had six children: William
G., b. 4 mo., 3, 1839; m. Emma Doan: Lydia, b.
8 mo., 23, 1841 ; Mary, b. 7 mo., 30, 1843 ; d. 2
mo., 3, 1875, unmarried ; Sarah G, born 3 mo.,
12, 1847; Phebe S., b. 7 mo, 7, 1851; Adaline
Glover, twin with Phebe, d. 12 mo., 29, 1879, un
married. William G. Embree is a farmer and
dairyman in West Goshen, owning a milk route
in West Chester. He has no children. He and
his sisters were educated at the Friends' Board
ing School, Westtown, where also he was a
teacher for two years.
Lydia Embree and sisters possess the home
stead with about 65 acres of land, where they live
a quiet life and enjoy the respect and esteem of
, their neighbors.

THE KEENEN FAMILY. John Keenen,
who is the father of the gentleman whose life
forms the basis of this biography, is a native of
East Nantmeal township, Chester county. After
he had completed his preliminary training he
decided to make the trade of millwright his
'means of obtaining a livelihood, but he later took
a good position in a saw mill in Chester. He was
a hard worker and was always loyal to his family
and earnest in trying to rear them to be noble men
and women. His remains repose in Mt. Hope'
cemetery. He was a worker in the ranks of the
Republican party and served as school director.
His wife was Susan Worrilow, the daughter of
Benjamin Worrilow, of Village Green, Delaware
county, Pennsylvania. James, the first child,

434

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

married Annie Watkins, and they have three
children; Mattie S. is the wife of John Farrady,
and two children were born to them; Benjamin
married Sallie Elliott, who bore him two chil
dren; Annie is deceased; Emma married John
Remmick, and the one child born to them died;
Winfield is deceased.
William I. is the last member of the family
of the above parents. He was born in this
county, was educated in the township schools,
and then learned the trade of blacksmith. He has
become a master of this hardy pursuit and has
followed it for twenty-eight years. His shop is
in Marshallton, and is well patronized by the
citizens of the town and surrounding country,
who have canfidence in his skill. Mr. Keenen
married Miss Miss Ella Woodward, the daugh
ter of Samuel Woodard, a farmer of Modena,
Chester county. By this marriage they had the
following- children: Lester, who is an employee
of the Pennsylvania Railroad, being in the shops
of that company at Altoona, Pennsylvania; Ed
win, Nora, Winfield and Elizabeth are all living
at home and are unmarried. Mr. Keenen has
found the Republican party representative of his
views in political matters, and is an Odd Fellow
in good standing.

CALEB B. RING. The Ring family of
Pennsbury township, Chester county, Pennsyl
vania, of whom Caleb B. Ring was a- worthy rep
resentative, trace their ancestry to Nathaniel
Ring, who came to this country from England in
company with his cousin, Thomas Jennings, be-
for the time of William Penn. Nathaniel Ring
was a cabinet-maker and lived by his trade in his
native country, but on coming to America he
bought large tracts of land from the estate of
Peter Dix, lying on both sides of the Brandywine
creek, and became a farmer living in Birmingham
township. Later on he moved to London Grove
township, where he lived and kept an inn. His
wife, Elizabeth Vernon, died here, leaving two'
sons, Nathaniel and Benjamin. After her
death he went to live near Atglen, Chester county,
and a little later he bought a farm near West
Chester, where he married a widow McNeil,
who bore him two children, — a son and a daugh
ter. Nathaniel Ring and his wife, Elizabeth Ver
non, and his youngest son, are all buried in the
Presbyterian churchyard at Octoraro, Chester
county. After the death of Nathaniel, his two sons,
Benjamin and Nathaniel took possession of the
lands in Birmingham (now Delaware county).
Benjamin married a Miss James, and had a large
family. Nathaniel was twice married. Of the
first marriage there were two children, Nathaniel
and Elizabeth ; of the second marriage there were

no children. Elizabeth married a Chandler and
had one daughter, Elizabeth. •
Nathaniel Ring of the last named family, set
tled on his father's land in Birmingham township,
Delaware county. He married in June, 1767,
Hannah, daughter of James and Mary Brinton,
and they had a large family, among whom was
Caleb B. Ring, Sr., whose line is traced in this
article. Caleb B. Ring, Sr., son of Nathaniel and Han
nah (Brinton) Ring, was born February 7, 1782,
in Birmingham township, and grew up there, be
coming a representative citizen, largely concerned
in the industrial affairs of the township. Decem
ber 20, 1810, he married Lydia Brinton, daughter
of Edward and Latitia (Dilworth) Brinton, and
eleven children were born of the union, namely i
1. Phcebe Ann, who married Brinton Levis; 2.
Hannah B., who became the wife of Isaac Wat-
kins; 3. Jane, who died in childhood; 4. Caleb B.,
Jr., whose name appears at the beginning of this
article ; 5. Sarah B. ; 6. Nathaniel ; 7. Edward B. ;
8. Lydia Ann, who married Brinton King; 9.
Brinton J., who married Phcebe Brinton and set
tled in Illinois ; 10. Elias, who married Martha
M. Bailey; 11. Mary Jane, who died in infancy.
Caleb B., Jr., fourth child and first son of
Caleb and Lydia (Brinton) Ring, was born in
Pennsbury township, on the, Ring homestead,
April 16, 1817. He received his education in
the public schools of the neighborhood, with a
supplementary course at Strodes's Academy in
Chester county. . He returned home on the death
of his father and succeeded to the homestead.
Farming was the one gainful occupation of his
life, and in it he found scope for intelligent and
discriminating effort. He was a most exemplary
man in his private life, and he was recognized as
just and conscientious in business relations.
He married Martha Ann Worrell, a descend
ant of Peter Dix, who has already been men
tioned as an early landholder on the Brandywine.
His land extended for a long distance on either
side of the creek, and he opened and operated an
iron forge above Chadds Ford. The ore was car
ried to the forge in sacks on the backs of Indians,
and the smelted metal was carried by water to
another plant at Marcus Hook, on the Delaware
river, to be finished and put upon the market.
Peter Dix had a son Joseph who married Sarah
Vernon, daughter of a member of the English
House of Lords, and Ann, a daughter of this mar
riage, became the wife of Elisha Worrell, in 1776.
Frederick, a son of Elisha and Ann (Dix) Wor-
relll, born in 1777, married Sarah Hunter in 181 1,
and had the following family ; Elisha, born in
1812; William and his twin sister, Martha Ann,
wife of Caleb Ring, born in 1815 ; Joseph Levis,
born in 1818; J. Hunter, bom in 1822, deceased;
Elizabeth, born in 1826.

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

435

The children of Caleb B. and Martha Ann
(Worrell) Ring were the following: i. William
W., born in 1843, who married Esther W. Baker,
daughter of Elias and Lydia Ann (Bailey) Baker,
in 1875, and had four children, namely, Nathaniel
Stanton, born in 1877, Elizabeth, born in 1880,
Helen, born in 1883, and William Hunter, born
in 1890; 2. Sarah Louisa, who died in infancy;
3. Lydia Emma ; 4. Anna Mary ; 5. Martha An
nette, who married George Little; 6. Nathaniel,
who died in infancy. Caleb B. Ring died July 23,
1896.

AUGUSTUS PENROSE SHENEMAN.
Of the highly cultivated and productive farms in
Chester county, Pennsylvania, located in the
township of Uwchlan, is the property of Augus
tus P. Sheneman, a native of the township in
which he now resides, his birth having occurred
on a farm in the vicinity of Milford Mills, No
vember 16, 1855, a son of William and Susanna
(Hartzel) Sheneman.
William Sheneman (father) was a native of
West Pikeland township, Chester county, Penn
sylvania, and in this vicinity he was reared and
obtained a common school education. He was a
farmer by occupation and conducted his opera
tions both in his native township and also in
Uppper Uwchlan township, whither he removed
abotit the year 1848 and resided there for the
remainder of his life. He produced a general
line of staple articles, and was one of the first
agriculturists of the community to attend the
Philadelphia markets. He was respected and
esteemed in the neighborhood, served as school
director for many years, and was also the in
cumbent of several other township offices. Mr.
Sheneman and his wife, Susanna (Hartzel)
Sheneman, daughter of Henry and Sarah Hart
zel, the former named having been a farmer of
West Uikeland township, were the parents of the
following named children: John E., a farmer
by occupation, married Mary Park, a daughter
of John arid Elizabeth Park, of West Cain, and
through this union we find four living children —
Augustus, Lucy, Park and John Sheneman; G.
Frank, a farmer of Upper Uwchlan township,
married Martha Glover, a teacher of Morristown,
New Jersey, and their children are : Jesse, who
is now a teacher, and Emma, now attending Mil
lersville Normal School. This family are mem
bers of the Methodist Episcopal church; and
Augustus Penrose Sheneman.
Augustus P. Sheneman acquired a thorough
knowledge of the rudiments of education in the
public schools of Uwchlan township, and subse
quently graduated from the Edgefield Institute,
or the Abram Fetters School, as it was often
called. His tastes and inclinations led him to

adopt the vocation of farming for his life work,
and he has since devoted his entire attention to
agricultural pursuits and the operation of a dairy
of twelve head of well selected cows, disposing
of the products of both branches of industry in
the markets of Philadelphia. Mr. Sheneman is
practical and progressive in his ideas, ready and
willing to advance and aid all measures that con
duce to the welfare of the community, and in
every sense of the word a public-spirited and ac
tive citizen. For two years he served as -assessor
of Upper Uwchlan township, and is now school
director in Uwchlan township, having held office
for twelve consecutive years. Politically he is
a Democrat, and fraternally a member of Mt.
Pickering Lodge, No. 446, Free and Accepted
Masons. Mr. Sheneman married Rachel Cooper,
daughter of John and Mary Ann (Coulter)
Cooper. Their children are: Naomi M., who
holds a certificate as teacher in Chester county,
Pennsylvania, and is now engaged as a teacher
in the White School, Uwchlan township ; M.
Erma, a graduate of the West Chester Normal
School, where she has been- preparing for the
position of teacher ; Charles H. ; and Anna I., a
graduate of the public schools of Uwchlan town
ship. John Cooper, father of Mrs. Sheneman,
was a shoemaker by trade and followed that
pursuit for many years in connection with farm
ing in the township of Birmingham, near West
Chester, Pennsylvania. He served for several
years in the capacity of supervisor and constable
of the township. His wife, Mary Ann (Coulter)
Cooper, was born in East Whiteland township,
and they are both representatives of old and
prominent families of Chester county, Pennsyl
vania. Mr. Sheneman and his family are active
and consistent members of St. Paul's German Re
formed church.

FRANCIS JAMES MOORE, an experi
enced farmer and worthy citizen of Uwchlan
township, Chester county, is descended from a
family which has for more than a century and
a quarter been honorably represented in the
county. His grandfather, Charles Moore, was
pastor of a Baptist church in Vincent, and mar
ried Margaret Carroll, -whose ancestors, like his
own, were among the early settlers.
Robert Moore, son of Charles and Margaret
(Carroll) Moore, was born November 29, 1797,
at Chadds Ford, and in his youth was engaged
in business as an undertaker, but abandoned that
calling in order to devote himself to agriculture.
During the remainder of his life he was a suc
cessful farmer. He married Rachel Smedley, a
member of the ancient family which was founded
in this country by George. Smedley, who emi-

436

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

grated to Pennsylvania about the time of the
arrival of William Penn. 'Rachel Smedley, who
was born February 4, 1797, was married to Rob
ert Moore, in 1821, and the following children
were born to them: George, Charles Carroll,
Thomas M., William, who died in childhood,
Lewis, who died young, Gideon S., Francis
James, mentioned at length hereinafter, Leonard
K. and Joseph. The reputation of the family
as notable farmers was well sustained by these
sons, who all passed their lives as husbandmen
in their native county of Chester. Their relig
ious belief was that of their mother's family
who were all, from the time of the founder, mem
bers of the Society of Friends, and always fig
ured prominently in the proceedings of the de
nomination. Francis James Moore, son of Robert and
Rachel (Smedley) Moore, was born November
23, 1834, in Uwchlan township, where he re
ceived his primary education in the public schools,
afterward attending the school of which Jonathan
Gause was principal, and later it was under the
principalship of Dr. Frank Taylor. After
six years spent in assisting in the labors of the
home farm he entered upon the independent
practice of his ancestral calling, in which he
has ever since been engaged, the suc
cessful results of his labors testifying to the
energy and ability with which he has prosecuted
them. While preferring not to take an active
part iri public affairs, he has never been unmind
ful of the obligations of a conscientious citizen.
Mr. Moore married Sarah Walker Penny-
packer, who was born November 8, 1836, in West
Pikeland, and they were the parents of two
children : 1. Warren, who was born October
17, 1869, is a farmer, and married February 21,
1895, Phcebe Rourke, who was born October 9.
1868. They are parents of two children : Edith
Pennypacker and Dorothy Mercer. 2. Mary,
who became the wife of Cecil McMichael,. and
was the mother of one child, who is now deceased,
as is also Mrs. McMichael. Mrs. Moore, the
mother of these children, died October 17, 1884,
that day being the fifteenth anniversary of her
son Warren's birthday.

JAMES GIVEN BUFFINGTON, for many
years a well-known and highly respected citizen
of Uwchlan township, Chester county, was a rep
resentative of one of the oldest families, not only
of that county, but also of Pennsylvania, the race
having been transplanted to the New World sev
eral years previous to the arrival of William
Penn. The emigrant ancestor was Richard Buf
fington, who was born about 1654, in Great
Marie upon Thames, Buckinghamshire, and in
early manhood sought a home in the American

colonies. It is recorded that, in 1679, Richard
Buffington and John Grubb purchased a tract of
land west of Chester creek, and above Chester,
and that they named this land, which they thus
possessed in common, "Plopewell of Kent."
Subsequently Richard Buffington became the
owner of land in other parts of the county. He
was thrice married ; his first wife being Ann, last
name unknown, his second, Frances Grubb,
widow of John, presumably mentioned above, and
his third, Alice Palmer, who survived him. His
eldest son was the first born of English descent in
the Province of Pennsylvania, where the founder
of the Buffington family appears to have been a
man of prominence. "The Pennsylvania Ga
zette," in one of its issues for 1739, publishes an
account of a reunion of the descendants of Rich
ard Buffington, the total number of his children,
grandchildren, and great-grandchildren (all of
whom were present), amounting to one hundred
and fifteen. This family gathering was held at
the homestead in Chester county, May 30,
1739, the venerable head of the house, then about
eighty-five years of age, being described as active,
hearty, and of perfect memory." Richard Buf
fington survived this memorable occasion a
number of years, passing away in January or
February, 1748, when he had attained his ninety-
fourth year. He left a legacy of £20 to the Bap
tist Society which met at John Bentley's, in New
lin township. The history of the Buffingtons is ¦
closely connected with that of many, other old
families of Chester county, with whom they have
from time to time intermarried.
James Given Buffington, one of. the numerous
descendants of the pioneer ancestor, was born
September 10, 1805, and received his education
in private schools. He was a farmer, devoting
himself to the duties of his calling with skill and
assiduity, but was also possessed of commercial
tastes and abilities. These traits in his character
found exercise in the extensive transactions in
timber-dealing which he energetically conducted
in connection with his agricultural pursuits.
His life, though perhaps uneventful in the ordi
nary sense of the word, appears to have been one
of activity and usefulness, and if we may judge
from the fact that he was elected to the offices of
supervisor and constable, that of a man faithful
to the duties of citizenship, and possessing the
confidence of his townsmen. In politics he was
a Republican, supporting to the best of his ability
the men and measures advocated by that party.
His church connections were with the Baptist de
nomination, in whose doctrines he was a firm be
liever. Mr. Buffington married Mary Lightfoot, and
after her death, Theresa Anna Long. He was
without children by both marriages. The death
of Mr. Buffington, which took place August 17,

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

437

1889, removed from the community in which he
had long -been a familiar figure, an upright and
conscientious citizen, and a man admirable in all
the relations of social and domestic life.
Mrs. Theresa Anna Buffington, who survives
her husband, is a granddaughter of Jacob Long,
who was a native of Wallace township, and a life
long fanner. He married Mary Miller, and the
following children were born to them : 1 . Eliza
beth, who married Adam Fisher, a farmer. 2.
Mary, who became the wife of William Fleming,
and had six children, who all died young. After
the death of her husband she became the wife of
Mathew Ramsey, a mason. 3. Hannah, who
married Robert Paterson, a farmer. 4. Jacob,
who was a farmer and weaver, married Mrs.
Sarah Walker Gray, and had six children — Eliz
abeth, Mary, William, Hannah, Sarah, and Mar
garet — all of whom are deceased. 5-. Levi, who
was a weaver, married Elizabeth Barrett, and
was the father of three children, all of whom are
deceased. 6. William, who was a farmer and
- blacksmith. 7. Isaac, mentioned at length
hereinafter. 8. Joseph, who was a blacksmith.
9. Sarah, who became the wife of Hugh Blake
ly, a farmer.
Isaac Long, son of Jacob and Mary (Miller)
Long, was born February 16, 1808, in Uwchlan
township, and followed. the trade of a blacksmith.
He married Sarah, daughter of Daniel Clower,
who was the son of a Revolutionary soldier, and
himself served in the war of 1812. Daniel
Clower was a farmer in Chester county, and also
a competent builder, having erected a nail factory
which was the first structure of consequence ever
reared in Phoenixville. In one of the houses
which he built he placed a secret vault, designed
for the concealment of money during the war of
1812. He died in 1872, at the advanced age of
ninety years. Mr. and Mrs. Long were the par
ents of two daughters, one of whom, Mary Eliz
abeth, married Richard Manley, and was the
mother of four children — Ellen, Maggie, Caro
line, and Theresa — all of whom are living.
Maggie is the wife of Frederick Blake, and has
three children. The other daughter of Mr. and
Mrs. Long is Theresa Anna, who was born Feb
ruary 17, 1835, in East Brandywine, received
her education in the public schools, and became
the wife of James Given Buffington, as mentioned
above.

JAMES BUTLER, a veteran farmer and hon
ored citizen of Upper Uwchlan township, Chester
county, is descended from one of the oldest fam
ilies in the county. Noble Butler, the progenitor
of the race in America, came from Bristol, Eng
land, and received from William Penn a grant of
one thousand acres of land which remained for

generations in the possession of his descendants.
This emigrant ancestor was the father of the fol
lowing children : John, who married Elizabeth
Samuel, of Reading, Pennsylvania ; Enoch, who
married Deborah Swayne; Bathsheba, who be
came the wife of John McOwen, and removed to
the Shenandoah Valley; William, mentioned at
length hereinafter; Benjamin, who settled on the
farm now owned by the present representative of
the family; and Noble, who married a daughter
of William Beale, and moved to Kentucky-
William Butler, son of Noble, the founder of
the family, was born 4 mo., 12, 1738, and fol
lowed the occupation of a farmer. Being a man
of retiring habits, he preferred to keep aloof from
public affairs and therefore never held any office.
He married 4 mo., 20, 1762, Jane, born 8 mo,
30, 1738, daughter of James and Ann P.
Woodward, of West Bradford. Their children
were : Samuel, James, mentioned at length here
inafter ; Amos,. Ann, Rachel, Sarah, and William.
William Butler, the father of the family, died 7
mo, 1, 1814.
James Butler, son of William and Jane
(Woodward) Butler, was born 7 mo, 5, 1767,
and married, 11 mo, -19, 1812, Mary, daughter
of Jonathan and Mary Phipps. The Phipps /
family is quite as ancient as that of the Butlers,
the founder, William, having received from Will
iam Penn a grant of land which was conferred
about the same time as that bestowed on Noble
Butler. Mr. and Mrs. Butler were the parents
of the following children : Jane, William, Jona
than, Joseph, and James, ' mentioned at length
hereinafter. The death of Mr. Butler occurred
June 27, 1837, when he had reached the age of
threescore and ten.
James Butler, son of James and Mary
(Phipps) Butler, was born 12 mo., 10, 1827, on
the homestead, and received his education at the
Orthodox Friends' School in Westtown. He
spent some years, during the earlier portion of his
life, in the West, engaged in real estate transac
tions, and, while there, became quite famous for
his achievements as an equestrian traveller. He
made the journey on horseback from St. Paul,
Minnesota, to his present home, when he entered
into the iron business, which he successfully con
ducted for a term of five years at Isabella Fur
nace. During this time he was also engaged in
buying and selling farms in Pennsylvania, in
which -business he was also successful. After
selling his iron business he was married, and
moved upon a farm in Nantmeal township, where
he resided, superintending his property and
buying and selling farms for about twenty-
five years. He then sold his home farm and
bought the old Benjamin Butler farm, on which
he resided, superintending his property
of one hundred and seventy-three acres, and he

438

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

has three hundred and sixty-one acres in another
farm in West Nantmeal township, and one in
East Nantmeal, of one hundred and thirty-six
acres, and another in West Nantmeal of one hun
dred and thirty-six acres, and sixty acres of wood
land. All of these farm lands are farmed under
his supervision, he owning one-half of the live
stock, consisting of thirty-three cows on the
home place, and an average of sixteen on each
of the other farms. The products are marketed
in Philadelphia and other places. In addition to
the dairy business, he manages on these farms
the raising and marketing of general farm prod
ucts. He also owns valuable residence property
in Philadelphia. His politics are those of an In
dependent Republican, but it has always been
his choice to take no active part in public affairs. '
The earlier generations of the Butlers were mem
bers of the Society of Friends, but the present
church connections of the family are with the
Presbyterian denomination. The children lean
toward the Unitarian belief.
Mr. Butler married Rachel James, daughter
of Jesse and Margaret (Allen) James, of West
Nantmeal, and their children are : Margaret F.,
professor of physiology and otology in the
Woman's Medical College of Philadelphia, now in
Europe completing her studies ; Charles Noble,
attorney-at-law, practicing in Philadelphia, and
very active in politics as an ardent Republican ;
Mary, single, in Philadelphia, an artist; Jessie,
who is the wife of Dr. E. T. Pugh, a surgeon at
Lancaster city, . Pennsylvania, and has one child,
Rachel, born December 2, 1899; Elizabeth Rob
erts, who is a writer of magazine articles ; Ralph,
who is a graduate of the Universities of Penn
sylvania and Vienna, and is now practicing in
Philadelphia as a specialist in diseases of the
nose and throat; James Edgar, who is an at
torney-at-law and also corporation counsel in
Philadelphia. It will be that all the children of
Mr. and Mrs. Butler, with one exception, are
residents of Philadelphia. In addition to the
grandchild already mentioned, they have two
others, who are the children of their son, Charles
Noble, and are named as follows : Marian, born
June 1, 1898; and James Noble, born December
27, 1899.

J. DAVIS ASHBRIDGE, a well known and
highly respected citizen of West Goshen, Chester
county, belongs to a family which is of English-
Welsh extraction, and is among the oldest in
Pennsylvania, having been founded in this coun
try in 1698, by George Ashbridge, who in that
year purchased a grant of land from William
Penn. He came from England and settled in
Philadelphia, later removing to Edgemont, then
Chester, now Delaware county. He married, Au

gust 23, 1701, at Providence Meeting, Mary Ma
lin, and the following children were born to them :
John, George, Jonathan, Mary, Elizabeth, Aaron,
Hannah, Phoebe, Lydia and Joseph. Mrs. Ash
bridge died February 15, 1728, and Mr. Ash
bridge married, January 5, 1730, Mrs. Margaret
Paschall. His death occurred at Chester in 1748.
George Ashbridge, second son of George and
Mary (Malin) Ashbridge, was born December
19, 1704, and in 1732 came to Goshen township,
Chester county, and took possession of the farm
purchased for him by his father. In 1743 he was
elected to the Assembly, and continued to be re
elected annually during the remainder of his life.
In 1730 he married Jane Hoopes, and their chil
dren were: Mary, George, William, Susanna,
Phoebe, Jane, Daniel, Joshua, and Lydia. Mr.
Ashbridge died March 6, 1773.
Joshua Ashbridge, eighth child and fourth son
of George and Jane (Hoopes) Ashbridge, was
born on the homestead, September 17, 1746. He
was one of the viewers who selected the site for
the present almshouse of Chester county. He
married, November 4, 1773, Jane Davis, and five
children were born to them : Daniel, Joseph,
Thomas, Lydia, and Hannah. Both Mr. and
Mrs. Ashbridge were members of the Society of
Friends. His death occurred September 4, 1820,
at the age of seventy-four.
Joseph Ashbridge, second son of Joshua and
Jane (Davis) Ashbridge, was born September 5,
1777, on the homestead, and was educated in the
common schools of the neighborhood. He fol
lowed the occupation of a farmer, and for more
than sixty years disposed of his produce in the
market at Philadelphia, taking the goods there
with a wagon and a team of horses. He was a
prominent member of the community, and was
chosen to serve in various town offices, which he
filled both creditably and acceptably. He was a
member of the Society of Friends. He married
Mary, daughter of Edward Baker, of Edgemont,
and their children were: Jane, Susan, William,
Mary Ann, Edward Baker, J. Davis, mentioned at
length hereinafter ; Henry C„ and Anna. Of this
family Edward B. and J. Davis are the only sur
vivors. Mr. Ashbridge died May 10, 1847.
J. Davis Ashbridge, sixth child and third son
of Joseph and Mary (Baker) Ashbridge, was
born July 16, 1830, in East Goshen township,
Chester county, was reared on the paternal farm,
and educated at the schools kept by Joseph Stroud
and Jonathan Gause. At the age of sixteen he
went, to Goshenville to learn the wheelwright's
trade, serving an apprenticeship until he attained
his majority. For one year he worked as a car
penter in Delaware county, and then returned to
his own trade. In February, 1861, he purchased
the place in West Goshen called "The Bird in the
Hand," consisting of a wheelwright's shop and

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

439

thirty-three acres of land. Here he has since con
ducted his business in connection with farming.
He takes an active interest in local affairs, and his
.neighbors have given repeated proofs of the re
spect with which they regard him and fhe con
fidence with which his sterling worth of character
has inspired them. He has served as supervisor,
school director and tax collector, and belongs to
the county Republican committee. He is a mem
ber of the Improved Order of Red Men.
Mr. Ashbridge married, January 23, 1867,
Sarah A. Aitken, born in Edgemont, Delaware
county, a daughter of Dr. James and Mary (Ba
ker) Aitken. They have four children: Mary
Ella, born May 20, 1868, who married Harry
Smith, of Milltown, Chester county; Alice C,
born January 11, 1870, who is the wife of Harvey
Smedley, of West Chester ; Lucy H., born April
11, 1874, who is engaged in teaching; and J. Ben
ton, born March 31, 1878.

JOHN PHILIP FISHER, a veteran farmer
and highly respected citizen of Upper Uwchlan
township, Chester county, is a son of Adam
Fisher, who married Mrs. Roberts, by whom he
had two children. After the death of his wife
Mr. Fisher married Hannah, daughter of Jacob
and Elizabeth Long, who were also the parents
of a son, William, who is now deceased. Mr.
and Mrs. John F. Fisher were the parents of the
following children: James, who was a farmer;
Mary, who married Amos McFarland ; Vernon,
who was a farmer; Levi, who was likewise a
farmer, and is now deceased; John and Benja
min, who were killed by the falling of a bank;
Malinda, who became the wife of John Hoffman,
who resides in West Chester; Benjamin, who is
now deceased; Lida, who married George Hart
zel, a farmer ; Naomi, who became the wife of
Leonard Moore, a farmer ; George V. Hoffman,
who was a farmer, married Susan Price, and is
now deceased; and Jefferson, who died in in
fancy. John Philip Fisher, son of Adam and Eliza
beth (Long) Fisher, was born May 16, 1822, and
received his early education in the public schooL
After completing his education he worked on the
homestead as the assistant of his father until the
death of the latter, when he became the owner of
the estate, which has been in the possession of
the family for several generations. While de
voted to his duties as an agriculturist, Mr. Fisher
participates actively in the affairs of the township,
and during that portion of his life which was
spent in the political arena was frequently placed
by the votes of his townsmen in positions of trust.
For seven years he held the office of school
director, and for three years that of supervisor.

Previous to the Civil war Mr. Fisher was a mem
ber of the Republican party, but since that epoch
in our national history has been identified with
the Democrats. He attends the Methodist Epis
copal church.
Mr. Fisher married Eliza, daughter of George
Hoffman. Mrs. Fisher was born August 12,
183 1, and was educated in the public schools.
The following children were born to Mr. and
Mrs. Fisher : Benjamin John, who was born
July 24, 1854, is a farmer, married Mary E.
Rorke, and has three children, all of whom are
living; Frank, who was born December 2, 1856,
is a farmer, and married Mary E. Gilbert ; George
Hoffman, who was born October 23, 1858, is a car
penter and contractor in Downingtown, married
Elizabeth Baldwin, and is the father of two chil
dren, both of whom are living ; John Brownback ;
Vernon Lewis, who was born December 23,
1863, was a farmer, married Maria E. Taylor,
and is now deceased ; Mary Valiria, who was born
August 2, 1867, and is the wife of John H.
Brownback, a contractor on the railroad; and
Everett P., who was born March 5, 1874, is clerk
in a bank at Downingtown, and resides at home.
Mrs. Fisher, the mother of this family, died De
cember 12, 1890. Everett P. Fisher married Miss
May Plank, and they have one child.

DAVIS GRIFFITH, a substantial farmer and
respected citizen of Upper Uwchlan township,
Chester county, is a grandson of Stephen Griffith,
who came to the United States from Wales, and
settled in Pennsylvania, making his home in
Chester county, where his descendants still reside.
Stephen Griffith, son of Stephen, the emigrant
ancestor, was born April 1, 1815, near Chestnut
Hill, Chester county. He learned the trade of a
stone mason, which he followed for some years,
but later became a farmer, and at the same time
the proprietor of a store. During twenty-three
years of the later portion of his life, he was
equally successful both as a farmer and mer
chant, and also took an active part in the affairs
of the township, holding at different times all the
offices. Among the more important of these
were those of supervisor, constable, and school
director. The position of supervisor he held for
many years. Throughout life he was a Demo
crat in politics. He married Anna, daughter of
Samuel and Mary A. Rhodes, of Lancaster
county, and they were the parents of ten child
ren; Sarah R., born August 1, 1836; Rebecca
L., born October 23, 1837; Eliza E., born Oc
tober 21, 1839; Lewis, born August 12, 1841 ;
Davis, mentioned at length hereinafter ; Oliver,
born May 11, 1845; George W., born Septem
ber 11, 1847; Sophia C, born August 30,

440

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

1850; Emma L., born June 3, 1853; and Mor
ris Fussell, born April 1, 1855. Mr. Griffith,
the father of these ten children, left to them at his
death the inestimable possession of an honorable
name. Davis Griffith, son of Stephen and Anna
(Rhodes) Griffith, was born April 3, 1843, in
West Vincent township, and received his early
education in Upper Uwchlan township, after
ward attending- the Pughtown Seminary, and
Clark & Nelson's Business College in Reading,
Pennsylvania. After completing his education
he turned his attention to agriculture, which he
has made the business of his life, and in which
he has met with well-merited success. His farm,
which consists of 200 acres, is managed accord
ing to the most improved methods, and^ he has
connected with it a flourishing dairy of twenty-
five head of cattle. Although taking an intelli
gent interest in the affairs of the community in
which he resides, he has preferred not to partici
pate actively in public matters, and therefore has
never accepted any office. His political princi
ples are those of the Democratic party. His
church connections are with the Lutheran denom
ination. Mr. Griffith married Melvina Wiand, daughter
of Samuel and Margaret (Price) Wiand, the
former a well-known farmer. Mr. and Mrs.
Griffith have no children.

VERNON POWELL, an enterprising and
popular citizen of Uwchlan township, Chester
county, is a grandson of Isaac Powell, who was
a farmer, and married Elizabeth Arters. Their
children were : Lewis, who is a member of the
police force in Philadelphia, and married Sophia
Lamborn ; William B., who also resides in Phila
delphia, where he is employed as a watchman ;
T. Griffith, mentioned at length hereinafter ; Mary
Jane, who married William Ray, a carpenter;
Hannah, who became the wife of Robert Harris,
• a millwright. T. Griffith Powell, son of Isaac and Elizabeth
(Arters) Powell, was born September 25, 1841,
in Brandywine, received his education in the pub
lic schools, and at an early age, engaged in farm
ing, an occupation which he has steadily followed
ever since. Pie has also taken a keen interest in
local affairs ; and, for four years, was placed
by the votes of his townsmen in the office of su
pervisor. He married first, Mary Jane Brown,
a daughter of John Brown, who had but two
children — Samuel, who is a gas fitter in Down
ingtown, and Mary Jane, mother of our subject.
Mary Jane, mentioned above as having be
come the wife of T. Griffith Powell, was born
August 20, 1842, in Brandywine. Mr. and Mrs.
Powell were the parents of the following chil

dren : Lizzie B., who was born November 19,
1868, and married C. D. Smedley, a farmer; Ada,
who was born August 26, 1870, and became the
wife of William Eber Frame, a farmer who has
filled the office of supervisor; Havard, who was
born March 7, 1872, is a farmer, and married
Lydia Maxton ; Frank, who was born December
26, 1873, and is a United States engineer in Phila
delphia ; Vernon, mentioned at length hereinafter ;
Lucy, who was born December 14, 1877, and is
the wife of Robert McClintock, a farmer ; Emily,
who was born February 20, 1880, and married
Samuel Copeland ; Isaac, who was born February
26, 1882, and is a machinist in Philadelphia;
and John, who was born September 20, 1884,
and died in the nineteenth year of his age.
Vernon Powell, son of T. Griffith and Mary
Jane (Brown) Powell, was born January 29,
1876, in Brandywine township, where he was
educated in the public schools. After finishing
his course of study he was employed for a time
on the Pinkerton farm, and subsequently spent
one year in Philadelphia. At the end of that
time he returned to his home in Uwchlan town
ship, where he has since remained, choosing to
make his permanent dwelling place amid the
familiar scenes of his boyhood. One of his
marked characteristics is the earnestness and zeal
with which he has lent his aid to whatever project
seemed likely to advance, in any way, the pros
perity and well being of the community, and so
highly do his townsmen appreciate this trait in
his character that he has been elected by them to
the office of supervisor. His political affiliations
are with the Democratic party, and his church
connections are with the Methodist denomination.
He is a member of Lodge No. 298, Patriotic Sons
of America. Mr. Powell's career, thus far, is re
garded by all who know him as giving promise
of greater distinction in the future, and it is
thought by many that he possesses the elements
of a successful political leader.

HORACE ACKER FETTERS. The family
of which Horace A. Fetters, a prominent resident
of Uwchlan township, Chester county, Pennsyl
vania, is a representative, is of German descent,
and was founded in Pennsylvania during its early
Colonial days. Their history is closely inter
woven with that of the state, and their useful and
industrious lives have furnished an example well
worthy of emulation.
George Fetters, great-grandfather of Horace
A. Fetters, was born in the city of Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania, about 1760, and being deprived by
death of both parents when quite young, he re
sided with; relatives in Germantown and was
reared to manhood in that locality. At the com-

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

441

mencement of the Revolutionary war, he enlisted
in the Continental army and served in the capacity
of a private, discharging his duties with credit
and distinction. After the term of his enlistment
expired, he purchased a farm in Pikeland town
ship, Chester county, and the remainder of his
life was devoted to agricultural pursuits. In 1784
he married Margaret Smith, daughter of John
and Sarah Smith, and they were the parents of
the following named children, in addition to four
who died in early life: Mary, Margaret, Susan,
Sarah, John, Abraham, Samuel and George Fet
ters. The father of these children died December
25, 1836, survived by his widow, who passed
away in February, 1847. Their remains were in
terred in the cemetery of the Pikeland Reformed
church. Samuel Fetters, grandfather of Horace A.
Fetters, was a native of Charlestown township,
Chester county, Pennsylvania, his birth having
occurred there about the year 1798. Being reared
¦upon a farm and therefore inured to the manifold
and arduous duties and responsibilities of that
line of industry, he chose that vocation for his
active career upon attaining the age when it was
necessary to make a selection. He purchased a
farm in Uwchlan township, Chester county,
whereon he conducted extensive operations up to
the time of his death, which occurred in 1857.
Mr. Fetters married Mary Acker, daughter of
John and Catherine Acker, and six children were
the issue of this union — John, Abraham, Isaac,
Mary, Elizabeth and Samuel Fetters.
Abraham Fetters, father of Horace A. Fet
ters, was born September 17, 1828, in Uwchlan
township, Chester county, Pennsylvania. In
1832, when only four years of age, he took up his
residence in the home of his maternal grand
father, John Acker, in East Whiteland township,
and there remained until he attained the age of
sixteen years, when he returned to the home of
his father in Uwchlan township. He attended
the Valley creek common school in East White-
land, and later was a pupil at Prospect Hill
Academy, in East Bradford township, which was
under the personal superintendence of Professor
Benjamin Price. He was industrious and studi
ous, possessed of a keen and receptive mind, and
early in life evinced a special fondness and apti
tude for mathematical and historical studies. In
1846 he gained his first great business experience
as a teacher at Hopewell school in Charlestown
township, this being a position he was well quali
fied to fill, as he had the ability to teach in such
a manner as to make study easy and pleasant, and
also to maintain the utmost discipline among his
pupils. He also taught three terms at Hopewell
school, Charlestown township, nine terms at the
White school, in Uwchlan township, three terms
at Franklin Hall, in West Pikeland, and three

terms at school No. 1, in Birmingham. For two
years he assumed the management of the primary
department of West Chester Academy, when it
was under the principalship of Professor Wyers,
and during this period and also during the entire
forty years of his services as a teacher, he exerted
a powerful and beneficent influence over the
pupils that were placed in his charge.
In 1868 Mr. Fetters established a school at his
residence in Upper Uwchlan township, which
became widely known as "Edgefield Institute,"
and this enterprise he successfully conducted until
1886. He taught for forty terms, and during this
long period not less than eighteen hundred pupils
have come under his care, many of whom now
occupy honorable and influential positions in life
and admit that their success is due to the training
and inspiration received from Mr. Fetters. He
was instrumental in introducing the public school
library into Chester county, and it is presumed
that he was the first one to use vocal music as a
school exercise. In the spring of 1866 Mr. Fet
ters purchased a farm in the vicinity of the
Uwchlan postoffice, whereon he conducted agri
cultural pursuits in addition to his educational
work. He left an estate of about five hundred
and fifty acres of choice land in Chester county, on
which is located a handsome and commodious
residence in which he lived. He was a member
of St. Matthews Reformed Church, in which he
had served as trustee for over thirty years. He
was also a director of Ursineus College, and one
of the trustees of the Philadelphia classes of the
Reformed Church of the United States. He was
the author of a number of valuable papers on
various subjects of interest, the principal one
being a "History of the Reformed Churches of
Chester County." Mr. Fetters also served as a
director of the National Bank of Phoenixville, and
the Dime Savings Bank of West Chester. Politi
cally he was a Democrat, served as a jury com
missioner for three years, and was frequently
solicited to become a candidate for county com
missioner and other offices, but always declined
the honor. He was a member and also served
as master of Upper Uwchlan Grange, No. 53,
Patrons of Husbandry. In 1862 Mr. Fetters was
appointed captain of Company G, Twelfth Penn
sylvania Militia, and the following year was ap
pointed first sergeant of Company A, Forty-third
Regiment. On December 25, 1866, Mr. Fetters married
Rebecca K. Brownback, daughter of John and
Hannah Brownback, -of Upper Uwchlan town
ship, Chester county. Two children were the
issue of this union — John B., died in 1885, aged
eighteen years, and Horace Acker, mentioned
hereinafter. Horace A. Fetters was born in 1871, acquired
an excellent education at Ursineus College, and

442

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

was graduated from this institution in June, 1892.
In the following year his father died, and he im
mediately assumed the management of the estate.
He farms the home place which consists of
about one hundred acres, superintends the bal
ance of the farm which is divided up into about
four equal parts, and in addition to general farm
ing operations he conducts an extensive dairy,
the products of which are marketed in Philadel
phia and the Fairmount creamery, which is lo
cated convenient to his farms. He is also the
proprietor of what is known as the Downingtown
Farmer's Bazaar, handling on quite a large scale
farming implements, all kinds of horse vehicles
and furnishings and fertilizers, seeds, and in fact
practically everything required to equip a farm.
He is a director in the Farmers' and Mechanics'
National Bank of Phoenixville. He is an active
and staunch Republican in politics, and has held
the majority of township offices. Fraternally he
is affiliated with Mt. Pickering Lodge, No. 446,
of which he is now Past Master.
On April 26, 1899, Mr. Fetters married Ida
Entriken, of West Chester, Pennsylvania, whose
father was a native of the same, place, and her
mother, Susan (Wetherill) Entriken, was a na
tive of Chester county. One child was the issue
of this union, Edith Rebecca Fetters, born De
cember 28, 1901. Both Mr. and Mrs. Fetters
hold membership in St. Matthew's Reformed
church, and Mr. Fetters is also a member of the
board of trustees.

JESSE PUSEY JEFFERIS, a well known
farmer of Chester county, was born January 4,
1855, in Kennett Square, Chester county, and
is a son of Pusey and Hannah H. (Harvey) Jef
feris. On the paternal side he belongs to one of
the oldest families in Chester county, the first
ancestor whose name is preserved in the annals
of the county being Robert Jefferis, of whom
mention is made in the court records of Chester
for 1685. The earlier generations of the family-
were members of the Society of Friends.
Mr. Jefferis was brought up on the paternal
farm, and at an early age he and his brother de
cided to devote themselves independently to agri
cultural pursuits. After remaining for some time
in Chester county, Mr. Jefferis removed to Con
cord, in the neighboring- county of Delaware,
where he lived for fourteen years. In 1892 he
purchased the old Plaines farm, situated about
a mile and a half from West Chester, on the
Philadelphia road. . This farm contains thirty-
four acres, which are kept in a state of thorough
cultivation and devoted to the purpose of general
farming. Politically Mr. Jefferis is a Republican.
He and his family attend the Baptist church.
Mr. Jefferis married, January 22, 1879, Annie

M., born January 22, 1857, daughter of Davis and
Miriam (Swayn) Richards, of Concord township,
Delaware county. Three children have been born
to them: Laura M., born February 26, 1880,
who is the wife of Howard Suplee, of
Chester county, and has one daughter, Mir
iam E., born May 17, 1903; Jonathan H., born
November 6, 1881, who is a clerk in West Ches
ter ; and Jesse, born January 9, 1889. The family
name is variously spelled in the different branches
but the orthography used by those of, the race
resident in Chester county is Jefferis.

STEPHEN STYER, a prosperous farmer
and worthy citizen of Upper Uwchlan township,
Chester county, is a grandson of Stephen Styer,
who was a life-long resident of Montgomery
county, where his son Rufus was born July 17,
1826. He was a farmer and school teacher all
his life, first in his native place, arid afterward in
Chester county, whither he removed in 1856, set
tling near Phoenixville. After remaining there
about twenty-six years, Mr. Styer took up his
abode on the farm now owned by his son Stephen,
where he passed the remainder of his days. He
was a man of some prominence in the community,
and for many years held the office of school direc
tor. He married Anna Louisa, born January 23,
1827, daughter of William Zimmerman, a native
of Fairview village, Montgomery county. Mr.
Zimmerman was a director in the Montgomery
County National Bank of Norristown, and for
many years held the offices of justice of the peace
and tax collector. His father Christopher Zim
merman, also a native of Fairview village, died
at his birthplace the night on which his grand
daughter, Anna Louisa, was born. The following
children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Styer:
Stephen, mentioned at length hereinafter ; Henry,
who was born March 27, 1856, and is a farmer
in East Vincent township ; William, who was
born August 28, 1859, and is engaged in farming
in the same township ; Rufus, who was born De
cember 20, 1861, is the third in this trio of
East Vincent farmers ; and John Howard, who
was born December 19, 1864, completed the
family. This last-named son is a mail carrier in
Phoenixville, having held the position ever since
the establishment of the free delivery system in
that place. Mr. Styer, the father of the family,
died in 1890, leaving behind him the memory of
an upright citizen and an estimable man.
Stephen Styer, son of Rufus and Anna Louisa
(Zimmerman) Styer, was born February 8, 1853,
in Lower Providence township, Montgomery,
county, and received his education in the public
schools of East Vincent, and at the private school
in Phoenixville, presided over by Mr. H. Page
Davidson. On completing his education he im-

j$Um£

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

443

mediately applied himself to farming, to which
he has ever since devoted himself with a zeal and
energy which have reaped, in the course of time,
their due reward. His farm, which consists of
one hundred and twenty-eight acres, has attached
to it a dairy of fifteen head of cattle, and the milk
is advantageously disposed of at the Fairmount
creamery. In politics Mr. Styer affiliates with
the Prohibition party. He and his family attend
the Baptist church.
Mr. Styer married Ida M., daughter of Will
iam and Mary Guthrie, the former a farmer of
Wallace township. Mr. and Mrs. Styer are the
parents of the following children : William
Ernest, who was born in 1883, and is engaged in
farming ; Oscar Harry, who was born October 7,
1884, and resides on the homestead ; May
Blanche, who was born May 3, 1886, and is
engaged in business as a dressmaker in Spring
City; Rufus Rosco, who was born January 20,
1888, and is at home on the farm ; Jonathan Pen
rose, who was born February 13, 1890; Tacy
Bertha, who was born March 2, 1892 ; Ida Lorena,
who was born January 6, 1894; Elma Guthrie,
who was bom September 29, 1896; Stephen
Parke, who was born November 2, 1897 ; and Ella
Bell, who was born May 10, 1899.

HENRY HOWARD HOOPES, a leading
farmer and well-known citizen of Chester county,
is descended through both his parents from some
of the oldest families of the county. He traces
his descent from Joshua Hoopes, who, with his
wife, Isabel, and their three children, came from
Cleveland, Yorkshire, England, and settled - in
Bucks county in 1683. About 1696 their sOn,
Daniel, removed to Westtown township, Chester
county. He married Jane, daughter of Thomas
and Jane Worrilow, of Edgemont, and was the
father of a large family from whom have sprung
the many branches of this numerous race. Ed
win A. Hoopes was born in Westtown, March 1,
1824, son of Ezra and Rebecca (Atherton)
Hoopes, of West Chester and Westtown. He
married, in Philadelphia, December 14, 1848,
Anna Baker, who was descended from an old
Pennsylvania family.
The Bakers of Edgemont trace their descent
from John Baker, Sr., of Shropshire, England,
who died there, at a place called Edgmont, Feb
ruary 25, 1672, as recorded by the Friends' Meet
ing of that place. It is supposed that his chil
dren emigrated to Pennsylvania in 1684. One
of his sons, Joseph, who married Mary, in
England, settled in Edgemont township, where
he became a large landholder, and probably sug
gested the name for that township. He was a
man of prominence in the community, filling vari
ous offices. Joseph Baker, Jr., who is believed

to have been his nephew, married Martha, daugh
ter of Richard and Jane Woodward, of Middle-
town, and Richard, the eldest son of their nu
merous family, married Elizabeth, daughter of
Alexander and Hannah Hunter, of Middletown.
Their son, Aaron, married Mary  , and
they were the parents, among other children, of
Edward, who married Jane, daughter of Abel
and Jane (Williamson) Green, both of whom
were the descendants of old settlers, the latter,
whose first husband was Robert Regester, being
the daughter of Jane Williamson and the grand
daughter of Sarah Smedley, whose father, George
Smedley, of Derbyshire, England, was the foun
der of that family in America. One of the sons
of Edward and Jane (Green) Baker, was An
thony, who married Hannah Williamson, and
they were the parents of the following children:
r. An infant, buried at Middletown. 2. Sarah
W., living in Media, Pennsylvania, unmarried.
3. Lydia B., who married Homer Eachus, Jr.
4. Enos L., who married Mary Shimer, and lives
on a farm in Edgemont. 5. Anna, born May 13,
1828, mentioned above as the wife of Edwin A.
Hoopes. 6. Anthony Walter, who married Mar
garet McClaskey, and resides on a farm in Thorn
bury, Delaware county. 7. Esther Jane, who
maried Henry Ashbridge, and is now deceased.
8. Mary, who married Franklin Baker. Anthony-
Baker, the father of this family, was a large land
holder and justice of the peace. He died Feb
ruary 14, 1875, his wife having passed away
March 30, 1870.
Edwin A. and Anna (Baker) Hoopes were
the parents of the following children: 1. Henry
Howard, mentioned at length hereinafter. 2.
Franklin B., born March 25, 185 1, died Novem
ber 6, 185 1. 3. H. Elizabeth, born May 9, 1852,
died February 22, 1882, unmarried. 4. Caroline
R., born April 4, 1855, married Edward M. Hicks.
son of Edward and Amy Ann (Marshall) Hicks.
5. Sallie W., born June 7, 1857, living with her
father in West Chester. 6. William E., born
November 29, 1858, married Mary J., daughter
of Irani and Melvina F. (Jones) Hinshaw, of
Snow Hill, Indiana. Since 1895 Mr. Hoopes,
the parent of these children, has been a resident
of West Chester, his home having previously
been in Westtown. The mother -died June 5,
1894, at the home farm.
Henry Howard Hoopes, son of Edwin A. and
Anna (Baker) Hoopes, was born November 17,
1849, on the Hoopes homestead, in Westtown,
Chester county, Pennsylvania. He was educated
in the public schools of his native place and at
Quaker Hill, Westchester. He has always lived
on the homestead, which has been in the posses
sion of the family for two hundred years, and
where he devotes himself to general farming
and dairying. In politics he is ' a Republican.

.444

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

He has held various town offices, having served
for three years as supervisor, and is at present
a. member of the school board, a position which
he has held for twelve years. He is a member
of Thompson Lodge, No. 340, A. F. and A. M.,
Greentree, and of Westmont Lodge, No. 495'
Knights of Pythias, Tanguy, in which organiza
tion he has passed the chairs. He is a member
of no church, but attends the Hicksite Friends'
Meeting. Mr. Hoopes married, in Philadelphia, Novem
ber 19, 1896, Anna D. Stackhouse, born in Edge
mont, January 11, 1850, daughter of Emlen and
Catherine W. (Meredith) Stackhouse, both being
representatives of old Pennsylvania families. The
former traces his descent from Thomas Stack-
house, who, in 1682, in company with William
Penn, came to America from Yorkshire, England,
and settled in Bucks county, Pennsylvania.

BENJAMIN F. PLACE, for many years
actively connected with the agricultural interests
of East Bradford township, Chester county,
Pennsylvania, is a man of excellent business abil
ity, positive character and sterling worth, whose
commendable life has won for him the regard of
all with whom he comes in contact. He was
born in Newtown township, Delaware county,
December 2, 1848.
Joseph Place, grandfather of Benjamin F.
Place, was a native of Montgomery county, Penn-
sylvania, and his entire life was spent in this
neighborhood. He followed the occupation of a
stone mason, and in all his business relations he
was strictly honorable and upright, commanding
the respect and confidence of his employers. He
married Margaret Buttesswa, and six children
were born to them, namely : Elizabeth, Ann,
Margaret, Benjamin, Charles, and John Place.
Mr. Place and his wife were members of the
German Reformed church, taking an active inter
est in all the work connected with it, and through
out the community in which they resided so many
years they shared in the confidence and good wiil
of their neighbors.
John Place, father of Benjamin F. Place, was
born in Montgomery county, Pennsylvania, De
cember 28, 1 80 1, educated in the common schools
of the district, and during his early life followed
various occupations on the home farm. Later he
was engaged in the freighting business, and rail
roads not being so much in evidence in those days
as they are at the present time, Mr. Place trans
ported the goods entrusted to his care by horse
and wagon to Pittsburg, taking six weeks to
make the journey. After remaining in this line
of trade for several years, he purchased a farm in
Newtown township, Delaware county, and fol
lowed agricultural pursuits during the remainder

of his life. Mr. Place married Jane Doras,
daughter of James and Jane (Wright) Doras, of
Marple, Delaware county. Their children were :
Elizabeth, wife of Joseph S. Quigley, of Concord,
Delaware county; Joseph, died at the age of
seventeen years; Benjamin F. ; Rosa E., wife of
Samuel Ritter; John Brook, died at the age of
seven years, and Jennie Place. In his political
affiliations Mr. Place was a firm advocate of the
principles of the Democratic party, and in reli
gion both he and his wife believed in the doctrines
of the Presbyterian church, of which they were
active and consistent members. Mr. Place's death
occurred in May, 1875 ; he was survived by his
widow, who passed away in 1899.
Benjamin F. Place was reared on his father's
farm, and acquired a practical education in the
district schools of the neighborhood. After
thoroughly learning all the particulars and details
of the farming industry, Mr. Place, in April,
1883, purchased the old Cope farm in East Brad
ford township, Chester county, and has ever
since devoted his attention to the production of a
general line of garden truck, for which there is a
large and constant demand. He casts his vote
with the Democratic party and is well informed
on the issues of the day, which thus enables him
to give an intelligent support to the cause which
he advocates.

CHARLES YOUNG, one of the enterpris
ing young farmers of Willistown Inn, Pennsyl
vania, was born January 3, 1865, on his present
homestead, Westtown township, and he is a son
of John and Catherine G. (Maag) Young. John
Young was born- May 12, 1825, on the Girard
homestead, Second street, Philadelphia, died
April 10, 1897, and he was a son of John and
Hannah (Adams) Young, of German descent.
John was reared a gardener, as was John his
father, and always folowed that calling. In 1863
he moved from Philadelphia to the homestead
bearing his name in Westtown. On February
19, 1849, he married Catherine G. Maag, who
was born June 5, 1825, in Philadelphia, and who,
although a lady of advanced years, is still living.
She is a daughter of Philip and Rebecca (Gettz)'
Maag, who were of German and English-Quaker
descent. Mr. and Mrs. John Young had ten
children, as follows. 1. John, born November 28,
1849, who married Mary Jane Scott, and had
two children — Rebecca Lavina and William
Henry. 2. Rebecca, born August 20, 1852, died
October 1, i860. 3. Philip, born January 2, 1855,
married Jane Fulmer, and has two children —
Philip Elwood and Ida May, and the latter mar
ried Stewart T. White, and they have one child —
Beatrice Ruth White. 4. George, born Novem
ber 4, 1856, died May 29, 1899, married Ida

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

445

Vaughn Zell, and they had three children — Mary
Catherine, John Zell and Ellen, and the first
named married Henry Able, and have one child —
Craleton Henry Able. 5. William, born Febru
ary 7, 1859, married Laura Trainer, and they
have four children — Irwin Crowther, Raymond,
Annie Martha and Carleton. 6. Henry, born
October 28, i860, died May 9, 1862. 7. Edward,
born January 31, 1863, married Lizzie Steele,
arid they had one child — John Edward. 8.
Charles, our subject. 9. Hannah, born June 17,
1866, died December 27, 1874. 10. Catherine,
born May 15, 1868, unmarried.
Charles Young, our subject, was educated in
in the public schools of his neighborhood, and
upon attaining to manhood's estate he turned
his attention to farming and has been engaged
in that line ever since. Mr. Young operates the
homestead farm with his mother, and has one of
the finest pieces of property in the township, tak
ing a great pride in his success. His political
affiliations are with the Democratic party. Fra
ternally he is a member of Westmont Lodge, No.
495, Knights of Pythias, Tanguy, Pennsylvania,
and one of Goshon Council, No. 607, Junior Or
der of American Mechanics.-
Mr. Young married Maud Battin, and they
have one child — Cloud Earl, who was born Sep
tember 15, 1 901. Mrs. Young is a daughter of
Harry and Emma (Edwards) Battin, the latter
being now deceased. The paternal grandparents
were Cloud Baldwin and Annie (Brown) Battin,
of whom the grandmother is deceased. On the
maternal side the grandparents were Alfred and
Mary (Hall) Edwards, both deceased. Mrs.
Young was- born in Westtown, July 3, 1880, and
is a most charming and accomplished lady. Both
Mr. and Mrs. Young are highly esteemed in the
community in which they make their home, and
they are important factors in the social life of
their township.

WILLIAM B. EWING, M. D., a graduate
of the medical department of the University
of Pennsylvania, and at the present time
(1903) serving in the capacity of phy
sician for the Pennsylvania Railroad Company,
on the Baltimore Central Division of the road,
was born in the borough of West Grove, Chester
county, Pennsylvania, November 7, 1875, a de
scendant of a family of Irish extraction.
The earliest ancestor of the Ewing family of
whom there is any authentic record was Alexan
der Ewing, grandfather of Dr. Ewing, who was
a native of Drumore township, Lancaster county,
Pennsylvania, that being the locality in which
the emigrant ancestors settled upon their arrival
in this country from Ireland. He obtained a
common school education and from the comple

tion of his studies up to the time of his death he
was engaged in farming pursuits. Mr. Ewing
was twice married, his first wife having been
Mary Black, daughter of James Black, a farmer
of Lancaster county, and one child was the issue
of this union, Robert B. Ewing. After the death
of his wife, Mr. Ewing contracted an alliance
with Mary Latta, a native of Sadsbury township,
Chester county, Pennsylvania.
Robert B. Ewing, father of Dr. Ewing, was
born in Drumore township, Lancaster county,
Pennsylvania, September 6, 1841. He received
a liberal education, being a student first at the
common schools of the neighborhood, then at
North Wilmington College, which is located in
the western portion of the state, and subsequently
at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia,
which he entered in 1862' and was graduated
from the Medical Department in 1865. Shortly
after receiving his diploma he removed to West
Grove, Chester county, engaged in the active
practice of his profession and from that date
up to the time of his death, which occurred in
1903, was one of the representative physicians
of that borough. In addition to his private prac
tice, Dr. Ewing served as physician for the Penn
sylvania Railroad Company for twenty-five years,
being employed on the Baltimore Central Divis
ion, and as pension examiner for the United
States government. He was a member of the
Presbyterian church, a Republican in politics,
and his fraternal affiliations were with the Ma
sonic Order. In 1865 Dr. Ewing married Mary
A. Ross, born in 1841, a daughter of Joseph and
Sophia (Moffett) Ross, residents of Hopewell
borough, Chester county. Their children were —
John R., born in November, 1866, married Mary
Hamilton, and their family consists of five chil
dren ; Alexander, born in December, 1869, died
in 1896; Sophia M., born Janaury 1, 1872, mar
ried John Remson, and they are the parents of
one child; Robert W., born in June, 1873, mar
ried Bertha Stephenson, and two children were
the issue of this' union; William B., born No
vember .7, 1875 ; Jane E., born in April, 1880,
unmarried; and Charles A., born in November,
1888, unmarried, a graduate of dentistry, Uni
versity of Pennsylvania. The mother of these
children survived her husband, residing at the
present time (1903) at West Grove, Pennsyl
vania. William B. Ewing, fourth son born to Dr.
Robert B. and Mary A. Ewing, pursued his
studies at the West Chester State Normal School
and the University of Pennsylvania in the city
of Philadelphia, graduating from the Medical De
partment of the latter named institution in the
class of 1900. After some special work in Phila
delphia, he returned to West Grove and estab
lished an office where he has since put to a prac-

446

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

tical test the theoretical knowledge he acquired
during his collegiate course. Although but a
short time in active practice, Dr. Ewing has
gained many friends among his patients and is
always willing and ready to offer whatever serv
ice lies in his power to aid and alleviate the suf
ferings of the needy. Surgery is a special feature
of his practice. In 1903 he received the appoint
ment to succeed his father as railroad physician,
has also received an appointment as a member
of the board of health, Chester Comity Medical
Society, and is an examiner for six leading life
insurance companies.
Dr. Ewing was united in marriage, in 1902,
to Mary Hughes, a daughter of Mark, a pros
perous farmer of London Grove township, Ches
ter county, and Priscilla (Hoopes) Hughes.
They are the parents of one child, Margaret
Ewing, born in 1902.

GEORGE LITTLE, a well known and highly-
esteemed citizen of East Bradford township,
Chester county, Pennsylvania, has accomplished a
most satisfactory work as a farmer and has suc
ceeded in accumulating a valuable estate. His
grandfather, Roger Martin Little, came from
England to the United States in the latter part
of the eighteenth century, and settled in Charles
town township, Chester county, where he engaged
in agricultural pursuits. He was a consistent
member of the Episcopal church, to the support
of which he contributed liberally. Politically he
was an old line Whig. He was united in mar
riage to Mary Martin, and the following named
children were born to them : William, John,
Major, George, and Rebecca Little, who became
the wife of Jesse Pennypacker.
William Little, father of George Little, was
born in Charlestown township, Chester county,
in 1800, was reared to rural life and obtained his
education in the common schools of the neighbor
hood. Throughout his entire business career he
engaged in farming and in breeding and selling
live stock, following the latter named occupation
in the township of East Bradford, where he re
sided from 1858 up to the time of his decease.
Mr. Little was elected to serve in the various local
offices of the town, and was an active and valued
member of the Episcopal church. He married
Ann Christman, and four children were born to
them, namely: Martha, deceased, was the wife
of Samuel Fetters, of Chester Valley; George;
Mary Jane, deceased; and William R., M. D.,
who was educated at Lafayette College, later
entered the Medical Department of the Univer
sity of Pennsylvania, and for a number of years
practiced his profession in New Jersey, where his
death occurred in 1893. Mr. Little died in 1879,
and his wife passed away in September, 1880.

George Little was born in Charlestown town
ship, March 2, 1844, obtained his early education
in the public schools of the locality, and this was
supplemented by a thorough course, of study in
the Normal School at Chester, Delaware county,
Pennsylvania. Since attaining young manhood
he has engaged in agricultural pursuits on the
home farm which consists of two hundred and
thirty acres of valuable land, most of which is
under a high state of cultivation and well im
proved. In connection with general farming he
makes a specialty of dairy products, having
shipped his goods to a certain party in Philadel
phia for twenty-three 'years. He has been affili
ated with the Masonic fraternity since attaining
his majority, and is now a member of Westches
ter Lodge, No. 322, and the Brandywine Grange,
No. 60. He has always cast his vote with the Re
publican party.
On November 18, 1874, Mr. Little married
Miss M. Annette Ring, a daughter of the late Ca
leb and Martha Ann (Worrall) Ring, of Chadd-
ford, Chester county. Four children have been
born to them, three of whom are living at the
present time (1903). Wayne Ring, secretary of
the Patrons of Husbandry, W. Hunter, Madeline
Christman and Josephine, who died at the age of
fourteen years. The family are members of the
Episcopal church of East Bradford, Pennsylva

nia.

REUBEN HIESTAND. The Hiestand fam
ily of Chester county, Pennsylvania, was founded
in America by John Hiestand, who, accompanied
by his brother, Jacob Hiestand, landed at Phila
delphia, Pennsylvania, October 16, 1727. It is
a peculiar fact that two passengers on a vessel
coming to America in 1727 were named John
and Jacob Hiestand, and that the same vessel
in the year 173 1 brought over two passengers
named John and Jacob Hiestand.
John Hiestand, the pioneer ancestor, and his
brother Jacob removed to the vicinity of Potts
town, where Jacob Hiestand became the owner
of land and settled there. John Hiestand, by
virtue of a warrant dated December 4, 1740, had
surveyed to him almost one hundred and twenty-
five acres, and by another warrant dated March
15, 1743, thirty-seven acres and one hundred and
thirty-eight perches more in Upper Milford town
ship, Northampton (now Lehigh) county, Penn
sylvania. On April 17, 1759, he removed to this
property and received a patent for both 'tracts
in consideration of twenty-five pounds, four shill
ings, and eight pence, June 30, 1762. He held
the title until November 20, 1775, when for seven
hundred pounds (or one thousand eight hundred
and sixty-six and two-thirds dollars) he conveyed
it to his son, John W. John Hiestand married

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

447

Barbara Wanger, daughter of Henry Wanger,
who came from Switzerland in 1717, and bought
and settled on land which is now withing the
limits of the borough of Pottstown.
David Hiestand, tenth child of John and Bar
bara (Wanger) Hiestand, was born August 31,
1755, and died December 27, 1846, his remains
being interred at the Mennonite church cemetery
near Spring City, Pennsylvania. He was for
many years a prominent citizen of Chester county,
Pennsylvania. Mr. Hiestand married Elizabeth
Bechtel, who was born October 11, 1764, and died
February 4, 1855.
Henry Hiestand, tenth child of David and
Elizabeth (Bechtel) Hiestand, was born near
Kimberton, Chester county, Pennsylvania, No
vember 14, 1809. In early life he removed to
Bucks county, where he remained until 1850, and
in that year he returned to Chester county and
purchased a farm in East Vincent township, near
Spring City, the greater portion of which is now
the property of his son, Reuben Hiestand. He
was a zealous member of the Mennonite church,
and his political affiliations were with the Re
publican party. Mr. Hiestand married Catherine
Shelly, who was born March 10, 1817, a de
scendant of an old and honored family of Bucks
county, Pennsylvania. Their children are —
Daniel, who married Eliza Auman; David, un
married; Mary, who became the wife of Lewis
W. Rinehart ; Reuben, mentioned at length in the
following paragraph ; Harry, who married Anna
M. Brownback; and Amos, who married Clara
Brownback. Henry Hiestand, father of these
children, died at his home in the vicinity of
Spring City, June 16, 1892 ; his wife died Febru
ary 1, 1900, and their remains were interred at
the cemetery adjoining the Mennonite church.
Reuben Hiestand, fourth child of Henry and
Catherine (Shelly) Hiestand, was born in Bucks
county, Pennsylvania, May 4, 1849, and obtained
a good English education in the common schools
adjacent to his home. He resided on the old
homestead until he was twenty-three years of
age, and having been reared on the farm he was
able to render considerable assistance to his father
in the management and cultivation of the estate.
In 1872 he engaged in mercantile trade at Vin
cent, Chester county, and continued until 1891.
•In 1886 he built and operated until 1899 a cream
ery, and since that date has devoted his attention
exclusively to conducting operations on his farm
near Spring City, which was formerly the prop
erty of his father. During the administration of
Ulysses S. Grant as president of the United
States, Mr. Hiestand was appointed postmaster
of Vincent, and by his faithful and efficient per
formance of the duties attached to the office he
remained the incumbent during the administra
tion of Presidents Garfield and Arthur and part
2 9X

of President Cleveland's term, covering a period
of twelve years. Since attaining his majority Mr.
Hiestand has cast his vote with the Republican
party. On June 15, 1876, occurred the marriage of
Reuben Hiestand and Ida Catherine Miller, who
was born May 3, 1853, a daughter of Benjamin
D. Miller, of East Coventry township, and the
issue of this union was one child, Mary Catherine,
born July 26, 1885. Mr. Hiestand is a practical
business man, honest and conscientious in the
management of affairs, and is highly esteemed in
the community as a public-spirited citizen of in
tegrity and honor.

ELLEN P. WAY, who resides with her
mother, Mrs. Sarah Thompson, an aged and
highly esteemed resident of West Grove, Chester
county, Pennsylvania, is a lineal descendant of an
old and prominent Chester county family whose
commercial, political and social interests have
been closely interwoven with those of that section
of the state.
The earliest ancestor of the Way family of
whom there is any authentic record was Robert
Way whose name appears as a witness at Chester
Court, 10 mo, 1686. Five years later he pur
chased a large tract of land on the Brandywine,
in Kennett, now Pennsbury township, which con
sisted of one hundred and fifty acres of land which
he cultivated to a high state of perfection and
operated extensively, and on which he resided up
to the time of his decease, which occurred in the
year 1725. Robert Way and his wife, Hannah
Way, who was a daughter of Francis and Eliza
beth Hickman, were the parents of the following
named children : John, Robert, Joseph, Jacob,
Elizabeth, Francis, Caleb, Joshua, James and
Benjamin Way.
John Way, eldest son of Robert and Hannah
Way, was born in Chester county, Pennsylvania,
September 15, 1694. He spent his early life in
attending the village school and assisting his
father with the work on the homestead ; later
became a farmer by occupation and settled on a
tract of land in the vicinity of the property owned
by his father. He married Ann Hannum, daugh
ter of John and Margery Hannum, of Concord.
Twelve children were the issue of this union:
Robert, Sarah, Betty, John, Ruth, Caleb, Re
becca, Jacob, Lydia, Ann, Rachel and Benjamin
Way. John Way, father of these children, died
August 21, 1797.
Jacob Way, fourth son of John and Ann Way,
was born on the homestead in Pennsbury town
ship, Chester county, October 19, 1737. He re
ceived a common school education, and upon the
completion of his studies turned his attention to'
farming on the old ancestral estate, where he.

44»

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

remained during his entire life time. He was an
active and industrious man, and noted in the com
munity for his integrity and usefulness as a citi
zen. He was united in marriage to Phcebe Pen
nock, a native of the same township, and theii
children were : Alice, William, Ann, John,
Lydia, Sarah, Moses, Jacob, Phoebe, Samuel and
Ruth Way.
Moses Way, the seventh child of Joseph and
Phcebe Way, was born and bred in Pennsbury
township, Chester county, where he spent his
business career as a farmer. He was active and
energetic, practical and progressive in his ideas,
and therefore he realized a goodly income from
his labors. He married Susanna Wilkinson, who
bore him the following named children : Francis,
Milton, Sarah, Israel, Jacob, Phoebe, Moses, Jas
per, Susanna and Mary, the latter named being
the only survivor at the present time (1903).
Israel Way, fourth child of Moses and Su
sanna Way, was born on his father's farm in
Pennsbury township, Chester county, in the year
1812. His educational advantages were those
afforded by the common schools of that dav,
and his occupation throughout the many years
of his active and useful life was farming. He
was remarkably successful in his undertaking,
followed the most improved methods, and ranked
among the representative agriculturists of the
township. In 1854, Mr. Way married Sarah
Matlack, born in 1830, a daughter of Seth and
Sarah (Glover) Matlack, the former named hav
ing been a prominent citizen of Haddenfield, New
Jersey. One child was born of this union, Ellen
P., who is unmarried and resides in a comfortable
home with her mother in the borough of West
Grove, Chester county, Pennsylvania. After the
death of Israel Way, which occurred in 1856,
his widow married Richard Barnard, a lumber
merchant of Philadelphia, that being his native
city, and there he conducted an extensive busi
ness up to the year of his decease, 1862. Mrs.
Barnard then became the wife of George Thomp
son, a native of Delaware, and his business career
was devoted to agricultural pursuits. He died
in 1801.

ISAAC FRANKLIN CHANDLER, who for
the past nine years has been acting in the capacity
of supervisor of the township of New Garden,
Chester county, Pennsylvania, was born Sep
tember 4, 1852, at Concordsville, Delaware coun
ty, the son of the late William Chandler, Jr., who
was a descendant of George Chandler, the pro
genitor of the' American branch of the family.
George Chandler left his home at Greathodge, in
Wiltshire, England, in 1687, accompanied by his
wife, Jane Chandler, and the following named
children : Jane, George, Thomas; Swithin, Will

iam, Charity and Ann Chandler, but on Decem
ber 13, 1687, died at sea. John Chandler, a
brother of George Chandler, came to this coun
try, about the same time; but there is no record
of his having any family ; his home was in Oare,
in the parish of Wilcott, England, and the early
records show that the Chandlers were an old
ramify there.
Isaac Franklin Chandler obtained his educa
tion at Shortledge's Academy in Kennett Square
and at the State Normal School in Millersville,
and after his graduation from the latter named
institution he engaged in the occupation of teach
ing school, continuing this for three years. After
the expiration of this period of time he located on
the farm of ninety acres of choice land in New
Garden township, where he resides at the pres
ent time (1903). He has one of the best im
proved farms in this section of the county, and
by following the most progressive and advanced
methods has made it a profitable souree of in
come. In his political views Mr. Chandler is
an independent Republican and has been honored
with a number of local offices, having served as
supervisor of the township for nine years at one
continuous service, and is now filling that office,
also the office of school director. Pie is promi
nently affiliated with the Masonic order and
Grange of London Grove township.
Mr. Chandler was united in marriage to
Emilie Cope, daughter of Jonathan Cope, pro
prietor of a general store at Rocky Hill, Ches
ter county, Pennsylvania. Their children are :
Howard L., Sarah A., and Mary S. Chandler,
all of whom reside at home with their parents.
Mr. Chandler and his family are regular attend
ants at the Meetings of the Society of Friends.

JOHN W. KENNADY. As a man of pro
gressive ideas, enterprising spirit and laudable
ambition, John W. Kennady is, accordingly,
a 'valued addition to the business circles of Kem
blesville, Chester county, Pennsylvania, where
he has been engaged since 1864 in general mer
chandising. His birth occurred in London Brit
ain township, Chester county, Pennsylvania,
April 5, 1833, his parents being Robert and
Lydia A. (Stintson) Kennady.
Robert Kennady, grandfather of John W.
Kennady, was a native of Ireland, and accom
panied by his wife,' Rebecca Kennady, emigrated
to this country before the period of the Revolu
tionary war, in which struggle he took an active
part. He settled in Chester county, Pennsyl
vania, where he successfully followed his trade
of tailor, and being a thoroughly reliable busi
ness man, he fully deserved the liberal patron
age he received. Mr. and Mrs. Kennady were
the parents of the followihg named children:

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

449

Robert, John, William, Hannah, Rebecca and
Mary Kennady. The family were active and
consistent .members of the Methodist Episcopal
church. Mr. Kennady's death occurred in the
year 1840, having attained the extreme old age
of ninety years.
Robert Kennady, father of John W. Kennady,
was born in London Britain township, Chester
county, Pennsylvania, in 1797, and his entire life
was spent on a farm where he was born. He was
a valued and useful citizen of the community,
• served in the various township offices, and was
a member and trustee of the New London Pres
byterian church. He was a firm supporter of the
principles of the Democratic party, and aided
in its advancement and success. He was united
in marriage to Lydia A. Stintson, a daughter of
William Stintson, who settled in Chester county
at an early period, having emigrated from Scot
land, his native land. Their children were :
Anna Maria, John W., Martha Jane, Rebecca and
William S. Kennady. The death of Mr. Kennady
and his wife occurred in the same year, 1878.
The educational advantages enjoyed by John
W. Kennady, eldest son of Robert and Lydia A.
Kennady, were obtained under the personal in
struction of Thomas Harvey. He began his busi
ness career by farming on the old homestead,
remaining at this occupation until 1864, when he
located in Kemblesville and purchased a mercan
tile establishment, which he has conducted up
to the present time (1903). He has always fol
lowed the most advanced and progressive
methods in the management of his business, and
his name in commercial circles is synonymous
with honorable and straightforward dealing. In
politics he is a Democrat, following in the foot
steps of his father, and he has been the incumbent
of several local offices. In religion he is a mem
ber of the Presbyterian church, and has served
in the capacity of elder for many years.
Mr. Kennady married, in 1864, Elizabeth
Smith, a daughter of William Smith, of Dela
ware. They have an adopted son, William J.
Kennady, whom they have assumed charge of
since he was six years of age.

HICKMAN W. SPARKS, an enterprising
business man and well known citizen of West
Grove township, Chester county, Pennsylvania,
was born in 1848,. in Salem county, New Jersey,
and in i860 removed to Wilmington, Delaware,
where he received his education.
On leaving school he engaged in the carriage-
making business, in which he continued for six
teen years in Wilmington, and in 1885 came to
West Grove, where he has since resided. In
politics he is a Democrat, and has taken an ac
tive part in public affairs, having, while a resi-

ednt of Wilmington, served on the board of
health. Since taking up his abode in West Grove
he has been no less earnest in the attention which
he has given to political matters, and was one
of the first councilmen in the borough of West
Grove, a position which he held until quite re
cently. He is a trustee of the Presbyterian
church, which he and his family attend. He is
a self-made man, and has won the respect of all
who have been associated with him, either in
business or social relations.
Mr. Sparks married, in 1872, Clara, daugh
ter of Naltran Moore, a shipbuilder of Wilming
ton. Mr. and Mrs. Sparks have no children.

ISAAC MARTIN is a man of splendid busi
ness ability, positive character and sterling worth,
who has been prominently connected with various
commercial enterprises in Chester county, Penn
sylvania, where his ancestors resided as early as
1685, when the pioneer ancestor of the family,
Thomas Martin, accompanied by his wife, came
from Bedwin Magna, in Wiltshire, England.
The line of ancestry is traced through George
Martin, a son of Thomas Martin, to his son,
George Martin, Jr., who was the father of six
children, among whom was George Martin,
grandfather of Isaac Martin, who was born July
12, 1763, and by his marriage became the father
of eight children, among whom was a son,
Thomas Martin, father of Isaac Martin.
Isaac Martin, son of Thomas and Hannah
(Buffington) Martin, was born in Valley towns-
ship, Chester county, Pennsylvania, in 1854.
His educational advantages were obtained in the
common schools of Coatesville, which was locat
ed near the center of the township and was incor
porated as a borough in the year 1867. He be
gan his business career 'ry learning the trade of
miller in Gum Tree and after a residence of three
years in that section, he located in London Bri
tain township, where he continued his milling op
erations for two years. In 1879 he removed to
West Grove, Chester county, where he continued
the same line of industry for seven years, all told
for fifteen years, after which he established a coal
and lumber business which steadily increased in
size and volume until it became one of the leading
industries of that thriving town. In addition to
the management of this enterprise Mr. Martin
was the incumbent of the office of postmaster of
West Grove, being appointed to that position by
the late President McKinley, in 1899, and by his
creditable and efficient administration won the
approval and commendation of the residents of
the borough. Mr. Martin is a Republican,
served two terms as transcribing clerk in the
State Senate and at the present time (1903) is a
member of the Council of West Grove. He is a

450

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

member of the Masonic order and the Roosevelt
Club of West Grove, of which latter named or
ganization he is the secretary.
On March 23, 1882, Mr. Martin married Ella
V. Pyle, a daughter of William Pyle, a prosper
ous agriculturist of Highland township, Chester
county, Pennsylvania. Their children are :
Leila, who was engaged in the vocation of teach
ing, Willis, and Virginia, all of whom are unmar
ried. The family are loyal and consistent mem
bers of the Presbyterian church at West Grove,
taking an active interest in the work of the var
ious societies connected with it. Throughout
the community in which they have made their
home for so many years they command the re
spect and esteem of all by their uniform courtesy
and kindliness of manner.

HARVEY SPENCER. Among the progres
sive and prosperous agriculturists of Londonderry
township, Chester county, Pennsylvania, may be
mentioned the name of Harvey Spencer, a lineal
descendant of Ace Spencer, who, accompanied by
two brothers, came from Bucks county and set
tled at Kemblesville, Chester county, at an early-
period in its history.
Ace Spencer, grandfather of Harvey Spencer,
purchased property near Hickory Hill, Elk town
ship, Chester county, which he cultivated and im
proved and in this vicinity he spent the greater
part of his active business career. This township
was the scene of his marriage to Ann Mercer, and
here they reared a family of five daughters and
two sons, namely : Elizabeth, wife of Linton
Stevens ; Hannah, wife of Richard White ; Mary,
wife of Jesse Stevens ; Miranda, wife of James
Hutton; Aaron, mentioned at length hereinafter;
David, who was united in marriage to Miranda
Chalfant, and Susan, wife of James Taylor.
Aaron Spencer, father of Harvey Spencer,
was the eldest son of Ace and Ann Spencer, and
his birth occurred in 1840, in Elk township,
Chester county. He was reared to manhood and
acquired a common school education in the vicin
ity of Chesterville, and upon the death of his fa
ther he inherited the old homestead, upon which
he continued to reside. He was identified with
the various interests of the community, and being
a man of great energy of character, he achieved
a large degree of prosperity in his business trans
actions. He was united in marriage to Leah
Crowl, a daughter of James Crowl, and the fol
lowing named children were born to them : 1 .
Harvey, mentioned at length in the following par
agraph ; 2. C. Baker married Lena Shakespeare,
and one child has been born to them, Harlan
Spencer ; 3. George W., married Jane Robinson,
daughter of Robert Robinson, and their children
are : Earl and Marion Spencer ; 4. J. Marshall,

married Ruth Gallager, a daughter of Joseph
Gallager; 5. Amos C. Spencer.
Harvey Spencer, eldest son of Aaron and Leah
Spencer, was born in Elk township, Chester coun
ty, Pennsylvania, January 8, 1859. He obtained
a practical education in the local schools which
qualified him for the active duties of a business
life, which has been devoted to farming interests.
In 1893 he purchased his present farm, which is
located in Londonderry township, and since that
date he has conducted general farming and stock
raising, both these occupations yielding him a
fair return for the care and labor bestowed upon
them. Although the duties of the farm occupy
most of his time, yet he is not unmindful of his
obligations as a citizen and at the present time
(1903) is serving his township in the capacity of
school director. He adheres to the faith of his
ancestors, that of the Quakers, his father being a
birthright member of the Society of Friends.
Mr. Spencer was united in marriage to Louisa
Scott, who was born, reared and educated in East
Nottingham township, a daughter of Amos and
Amanda (Greer) Scott. Their children are:
Mary, born January 25, 1889; Helen, born July
22, 1892; Norman, born April 7, 1895, and Alma,
born March 6, 1897.

SAMUEL S. PYLE, successfully engaged in
business pursuits in Toughkenamon Village,
Chester county, Pennsylvania, claims as his pio
neer ancestors, Robert and Ann Pyle, who were
among the early settlers of this section of the
state. The exact time of their migration to this
country from the parish of Bishops Canning,
Wiltshire, England, is not known but they were
residents of Bethel as early as 1684.
Samuel S. Pyle, son of Samuel and Ann P.
Pyle, was born October 16, 1864, in New Gar
den township, Chester county, Pennsylvania, and
in the common schools of that neighborhood he
acquired his early education, which was supple
mented by attendance at Martin Academy. After
his graduation from this institution he located in
Minneapolis, Minnesota, where for twelve years
he and his brother, Ellis W. Pyle, successfully
conducted a large and select grocery store.
Among his customers were some of the best fam
ilies in the city, and by prompt and courteous at
tention to their wishes and desires he held their
patronage from year to year. After the expira
tion of this period of time he returned to Chester
county and, in 1896, erected extensive green
houses in the village of Toughkenamon which he
is operating at the present time (1903), meeting
with a large degree of prosperity in this new en
terprise. His greenhouses are under fifty-five
hundred feet of glass and here he raises a variety
of products which he readily disposes of in the

'-^K

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

45'

markets of Chester county. His business is
marked by a steady annual increase, and the pres
ent success which Mr. Pyle enjoys augurs well
for the future. In politics Mr. Pyle is a Repub
lican. He has traveled considerably throughout
his own and adjoining states, and in this manner
has gained much useful knowledge and informa
tion which has a tendency to broaden and elevate
the mind of all who can enjoy this privilege. He
is a member of the Independent Order of Odd
Fellows, and also holds membership in the So
ciety of Friends, to which organization his ances
tors pledged their faith.
Mr. Pyle was united in marriage to Elizabeth
Swayne, a daughter of Charles and Mary
Swayne, the former named being a prosperous
farmer of West Marlborough, . Pennsylvania.
One child has been born of this union, Dorothy
A. Pyle, whose1 birth occurred December 12,
1896.

LEWIS FORSYTHE, a venerable and es
teemed citizen of West Grove, Chester county,
Pennsylvania, is now leading a retired life which
is a fitting sequel to his many years of usefulness
and activity. He is a native of East Bradford
township, now Birmingham, Chester county,
Pennsyh ania, his birth having occurred on the
old farm April 3, 1825.
John Forsythe (grandfather) was born in Ire
land in 1754. He received a good English edu
cation in the schools of his native country and
also became an expert performer on the violin,
having been endowed with a fine musical taste.
At the age of nineteen years he migrated to this
country and settled in East Bradford township,
Chester county, Pennsylvania, where he soon
adopted the views and principles of the Society of
Friends. In 1776 he removed to the neighbor
hood of Birmingham and became the teacher of
the school at Birmingham Meeting House, which
was conducted under the auspices of the Concord
Monthly Meeting, and here he diligently applied
himself to his arduous duties for twenty years.
When the noble Quaker institution at Westtown,
Chester county, was erected near the close of the
eighteenth century, his skill and experience were
put in requisition until that seminary was fairly
inaugurated, after which he retired to his farm
in East Bradford and there superintended agri
cultural pursuits until his death, which occurred
in the eighty-seventh year of his age. He pre
sided at the first meeting, held in 181 1, to pro
mote the establishment of the West Chester
Academy, and was one of the generous contribu
tors to that enterprise. On April 12, 1781, at
Birmingham Meeting, Mr. Forsythe married
Hannah Carter, daughter of John and Hannah

Carter, of East Bradford. Their children were
— John, James, and Hannah.
James Forsythe (father) was born on the old
homestead in East Bradford township, Chester
county, Pennsylvania, July 1, 1785. He ac
quired a liberal education at the Westtown
Boarding School, and having been reared upon a
farm his tastes and inclinations led him to adopt
that occupation for his life's work. He conduct
ed his extensive operations on the home farm,
and was considered one of the practical and pro
gressive farmers of the community. In religion
he adhered to the faith of his forefathers and be
came a member of the Society of Friends ; in
politics he was a Republican but took no active
part in the management of affairs. Mr. For
sythe was united in marriage to Ann Truman,
daughter of William and Susan Truman, the
former named a representative farmer of Cain
township, Chester county, and the following
named children were born to them — William,
married Elizabeth Pusey; Susan, became the
wife of Aaron Sharpless; John, married Mary
Smith ; Elizabeth, unmarried ; and Lewis For
sythe. James Forsythe, father of these children,
died March 9, 185 1; his wife passed away in
1846. Lewis Forsythe, son of James and Ann For
sythe, pursued his studies at the Westtown
Boarding School, and his first business experi
ence was gained in the capacity of book-keeper
at the school. He then engaged in agricultural
pursuits on the old homestead, which he contin
ued until 1879, and during this period by dint of
thrift and industry he accumulated a sufficient
competence to allow him to enjoy a life of ease
and comfort in his declining years. Since 1879
he has been a resident of West Grove, Chester
county, and has always manifested a deep inter
est in its welfare and development. He holds a
birthright membership in the Society of Friends,
and is an adherent of the principles of the Repub
lican party.
In 1854 Mr. Forsythe married Mary A.
Hoopes, daughter of Davis and Sarah Hoopes, of
East Cain township, Chester county, where Mr.
Hoopes was engaged in farming pursuits. Their
children are — Charles, married Caroline Hayes,
and they are the parents of three children ; Hen
ry, married Maud Couchman, and one child has
been born of this union; Davis H., unmarried;
Mary D., unmarried; Frances, wife of William
B. Harvey ; and Susan S., unmarried.

HON. HOWARD H. HOUSTON. The
ancestral history of Hon. Howard H. Houston
runs back into the age of chivalry, when Sir
William Wallace and Robert Bruce battled

452

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

sturdily for the independence of Scotland. A
Lowland clan of the south, as were the Wallaces,
in all that period of trial and suffering the Pad-
vinan family fought valiantly under the standard
of the Caledonian heroes. One of the young sons
of the head of the house, early in the seventeenth
century, for services rendered the crown, received
knighthood and a grant of lands in county An
trim, Ireland. Sir Hugh Padvian, as is ever the
custom, was usually spoken of as Sir Hugh. A
man of enterprise and wealth, he built a town
upon his estate near the mansion house, and
gradually the locality became known as Hugh's
Town, "the family at Hugh's Town," and finally
the name Houston was adopted as the family
name, Padvinan gradually going out of use. All
the Houstons in the United States trace descent
from Hugh Padvinan. It is so of the Houstons
of Virginia, Tennessee and Pennsylvania, where
some of the name made permanent lodgment in
Lancaster county prior to 1730. General Sam
Houston, president and liberator of Texas, and
subsequently United States senator from the
"Lone Star state," was a descendant of the
Scotch-Irish family to which reference is made
above. The grandfather of Mayor Houston, John
Houston, was born in the north of Ireland, and
as his parents were well-to-do, he received an
excellent education. In early manhood he visited
the United States, where he remained several
years. Returning to Ireland, he married Eliza
beth Boone, who was also of Scotch-Irish birth,
and her parents' people of considerable means.
In 1834, when four children had been born to the
young couple, John Houston determined to settle
permanently in the new world, and accompanied
by his wife and offspring, in that year came to
Pennsylvania, where he purchased a plantation
in Lancaster county, which for over thirty years
he farmed and grazed with marked success. A
short time prior to his death — his wife was then
dead — John Houston made his home with his
son, Dr. John Houston, in Philadelphia, where
he died in 1877.
Charles Boone Houston, father of the mayor,
was born near Belfast, county Antrim, Ireland,
December 16, 1832. He was not two years old
when his parents sought a new home beyond the
sea. His education was received in the schools
of the neighborhood of his father's farm, and
completed at the Normal School at Millersville,
Pennsylvania. Shortly afterward, with his
cousin, Samuel J. Boone, he embarked in general
merchandising at Gap, Lancaster county. On
January 26, i860, Charles B. Houston married
Margaret Hull Hathaway, of English ancestry,
a daughter of Philip Hathaway, of Lancaster
county. When the Civil war broke upon the
nation his partner, Samuel J. Boone, was com

missioned captain in the Seventy-ninth Regiment,
Pennsylvania Infantry (he was killed in the bat
tle of Chaplin Hill, in 1863), and Mr. Houston
became agent for the Pennsylvania Railroad
Company at Christiana, Lancaster county, where
he continued until 1869, when he resigned and
joined his brother, Captain Thomas J. Houston,
in the construction of a steam blooming furnace
at Greensboro, North Carolina, in which a num
ber of Philadelphia capitalists were financially
interested. For nearly two years he was con
nected with that enterprise, when he entered the
employ of McCormick & Company, operating
large iron works at Harrisburg. In 1874, in
partnership with the late John Roach, he built the
Chester Rolling Mill, which Mr. Houston con
ducted for nearly a year, when the plant was pur
chased by an incorporated company, and for six
teen years was managed by Mr. Houston, under
whose direction it doubled in size and output.
Mr. Houston disposed of his holdings when the
plant was purchased by the Wellman Steel &
Iron Company, and devoted his energies to the
supervision of his large coal and iron industries
in Virginia and West Virginia. Charles B.
Houston was a director of the Chester National
Bank, the Delaware River Iron Shipbuilding
Company, the Crozer Steel & Iron Company of
Roanoke, the Edith Iron & Mining Company of
Virginia, the Twelve Pole Coal & Lumber Com
pany, the Roanoke Coal & Lumber Company,
and the Mate Creek Coal & Lumber Company,
all of West Virginia. With members of his fam
ily he owned a half-interest in the business and
property of the Houston Coal & Iron Company
at Elkhorn, West Virginia. Mr. Houston died
at Chester, Pennsylvania, November 28, 1902,
aged seventy years.
Howard H. Houston was born at Christiana,
Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, February 16,
1861. He was educated at the public schools in
his native place; Hamberg-Seiter Academy,
Greensboro, North Carolina ; Chester ( Pennsyl
vania) Academy and Chester Grammar School,
and completed his studies at the Normal School,
West Chester, in 1881. Shortly after graduating
he was employed in the office of the Chester
Rolling Mills, and in order to train himself
to a practical knowledge of the business he
entered the mechanical department of the works,
familiarizing .himself with the details of
every branch of the industry, which covered a
period of thirteen years. In 1892 Charles B.
Houston, Howard H. Houston' and J. Max
Barnard entered into a co-partnership in the iron,
coal and coke business in Philadelphia, under the
title of C. B. Houston & Company. Upon the
death of his father. Mayor Houston became
senior member of the firm. Since 1892 he has
been actively engaged in mining and operating

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

453

coal deposits in West Virginia and Pocahontas
fields. He is vice-president of the Houston Coke
& Coal Company, a director of the .Chester Na
tional Bank, holds the same relation with the
Cambridge Trust Company, the Chester Hospital
and the Chester Free Library, and is officially
connected with several corporations in West Vir
ginia. Howard H. Houston early in life entered the
political arena, and while a recognized power in
the councils of the Republican party in this sec
tion, repeatedly refused to permit his name to be
placed in nomination for official place. In Jan
uary, .1887, when the borough of South Chester
was annexed to the city, and the territory taken
into the larger municipality had not been divided
into wards, he was elected to represent the late
borough in its entirety in common council, and
in February of the succeeding year was elected
a member of select council from the Eleventh
ward for a period covering four years, and was
re-elected to the same position. While serving
in that capacity, in 1902, he was nominated on
the Republican ticket for mayor, and was elected
by the largest majority ever given for any candi
date for that office.
On October 3, 1888, Howard H. Houston
married Nellie Maitland, of Negaunee, Michigan,
and one son has been born to them, namely,
Charles B. Houston, Jr.

REES J. QUAY, a public-spirited and influen
tial citizen of Chester county, Pennsylvania, who
has creditably and efficiently served his township
for the past twenty-four years in the various ca
pacities of constable, tax collector, assessor and
supervisor, retiring from office in the spring- of
1903, is a descendant of one of the oldest and best
known families of this county, the male members
of which have all followed the quiet but useful
calling of agriculture. He was born in East
Pikeland township, Chester county, January
18, 1839, a son of Thomas, born in the state of
Pennsylvania, March 20, 1806, and Rebecca M.
Quay, born in West Pikeland township, Chester
county, January 24, 1818. Rees J. Quay's
father was a cousin of Senator Matthew Stanley
Quay, who in 1887 was elected state treasurer
of Pennsylvania, which position he resigned on
being chosen United States senator.
Rees J. Quay was a student in the common
schools "of East Whiteland township, where he
acquired a practical education which prepared
him for a life of activity and usefulness. On at
taining young manhood he turned his attention
to farming, and this occupation has proved a
pleasant and profitable means of livelihood
throughout the intervening years. He has al
ways manifested a keen and active interest in the

welfare and material growth of the community in
which he resides, and during his tenure of public
office which began in the year 1879, when he was
first elected to the position of constable, until the
spring of 1903 when he retired from public life,
his administration was marked by the utmost fi
delity and loyalty to the interests of the people.
In politics Mr. Quay is a Democrat.
Mr. Quay was united in marriage, March 4,
i860, to Miss Mary S. Smith, a daughter of Isaac
Smith, and the following named children were
the issue of this union — 1. Evan F., born April 7,
1862, died of sunstroke August 6, 1896, leaving
a widow and seven children who reside at the
present time (1903) in West Chester, Chester
county. 2. Lewis T., born September 6,
1864, married, March 28, 1889, Addie Allison,
who is deceased; they were the parents of one
child, Edward Russell Quay, born March 27,
1892. In May, 1899, Lewis T, Quay married for
his second wife, Nellie M. Cornwall. 3. How
ard B-, born March 28, 1867, unmarried, was
accidentally killed while in the discharge of his
duties on the railroad at Downingtown. 4.
Elizabeth J., born February 15, 1870, became
the wife of Harry J. Griffith, a carpenter by trade
and now employed in a planing mill at West
Chester ; they are the parents of two children, a
boy and a girl. 5. Stephen G, born March
26, 1872, unmarried, is a commission merchant
and resides in the state of Illinois. 6. Harry
L., born April 26, 1873, unmarried, resides at
home and is engaged in farming pursuits. 7.
Frederick Y., born March 26, 1878, resides at
home. 8. Etta M., born March 16, 1880, be
came the wife of William Cornell, who conducts
a laundry at West Chester ; one child was born to
them, who is now deceased. 9. Albert E., born
August 6, 1883, resides at home. 10. Edith
Violet, born October 28, 1886, resides at home.

JOHN P. CHEYNEY, known as one of the
public-spirited citizens of West Grove, Chester
county, Pennsylvania, is the son of Moses Chey
ney, who was born in 1793, in Concord, Delaware
county, and received his education in the common
schools of his native place, also attending a pri
vate school in Burlington, New Jersey. After
finishing his course of study he was for some
time a schoolmaster in Bradford township, Ches
ter county, subsequently removing to Lancaster
county, and later to Columbia, Pennsylvania, and
teaching in both places. At Columbia he became
engaged in the lumber business, in which he con
tinued for some time, and then went to Chester
county, where he bought a farm at Doe Run
which he cultivated during the remainder of his
life. He married Margaret, daughter of John
and Ann Pyle, the former being a farmer of Lon-

454

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

don Grove, Chester county. Mr. and Mrs.
Cheyney were the parents of the following child
ren: Eliphaz, who married Eliza Hayes, and
Eliza Passmore, and was the father of eight
children; William H., whose wife was Philena
Webb, and whose family consisted of four child
ren; Anna, who died single; John P., mentioned
at length hereinafter ; and one child who died in
infancy. The death of Mr. Cheyney took place in
1863. • John P. Cheyney, son of Moses and Margaret
(Pyle) Cheyney, was born in 1825, in Lancaster
county, and obtained his education, partly at
home, under the tuition of his father, and partly
at Westtown Boarding School. He adopted as
his calling the profession of teaching, and labored
as an educator in York, Pennsylvania, and also
in Delaware. After some years he returned to
Doe Run, where he undertook the management
of his father's farm. In the course of time he re
linquished this responsibility, and moved to West
Grove, where, he has since led a retired life. In
politics he is a staunch supporter of the principles
advocated and upheld by the Republican party,
and it is a sufficient proof of the regard in which
he is held by his fellow citizens to say that he was
by them accorded the honor of being elected the
first burgess of West Grove. He has also served
as a member of the council, and has been a prime
mover in various enterprises which have accrued
to the benefit of the town. He is a member of
the Society of Friends.
Mr. Cheyney married Hannah C. Walton, and
by this union became the father of the following
children : Joseph, who died single ; Morris, who
married Anna Hadley, and has two children;
Anna, who died young. After the death of his
wife Mr. Cheyney married Laura M., daughter
of Benjamin Hobson, a farmer of Penn township,
Chester county, Pennsylvania.

JEREMIAH BARNARD, an enterprising
and successful business man of West Marlbor
ough township, Chester county, Pennsylvania, is a
lineal descendant of Richard Barnard, who it is
supposed emigrated to this country when a young
man from Sheffield, Yorkshire, England. The
name Barnard or Bernard is one of the most an
cient of surnames, being first taken from Roche-
Bernard, an old fortified manor-house of Nor
mandy, France, but it has been in use, however, as
a baptismal name since the eighth century, and was
originally derived from northern mythology, sig
nifying boldness. Richard Barnard owned land
near Chester, Pennsylvania, as early as 1683,
served as a grand juror at Chester in 1686, and
in this vicinity he and his wife, Frances Barnard,
reared a family of seven children, as follows :

Richard, Thomas, Sarah, Mary, Lucy, Lydia and
Rebecca Barnard.
The line of descent from Richard Barnard, the
founder of the family, to Jeremiah Barnard is as
follows : Richard Barnard, born in 1684, mar
ried, about the year 1715, Ann Taylor, daughter
of Abiah Taylor, and settled on a large tract of
land near Doe Run, West Marlborough township ;
subsequently he purchased about two hundred
acres in Newlin and also a tract adjoining in the
township of East Marlborough. His death oc
curred in 1767.
Richard Barnard, son of Richard and Ann
(Taylor) Barnard, of Newlin, was born in 1723,
was the owner of large tracts of land in East
and West Marlborough, Newlin, Nottingham,
and in Lancaster county, besides some in Dela
ware county. He suffered severe losses from pil
lage of both armies during the Revolutionary war.
On January 3, 1754, Mr. Barnard married Su
sanna Eckhoff, daughter of David and Winnifred
Eckhoff, of Newlin, and at the time of her de
cease she was survived by her husband and two
children, Jeremiah and Rachel, the latter named
being the wife of Joseph Reynolds, of Notting
ham. On 16, 1763, Mr. Barnard was united in
marriage to Lettice Baker, daughter of Joseph
anrl Mary Baker, of Goshen, by whom he had ten
children. His death occurred in 1813.
Jeremiah Barnard, son of Richard and Su
sanna (Eckhoff) Barnard, was born December 2,
1754, married October 25, 1780, at Londongrove
meeting, Elizabeth Passmore, who was born
March 13, 1759, daughter of George and Mar
garet (Strode) Passmore, of West Marlborough.
The issue of this marriage was eleven children,
namely: Susanna, Jeremiah, George, Margaret,
Richard, Mary, Samuel, Rachel, John, Elizabeth
and Anna Barnard. Jeremiah Barnard, father of
these children, died January 27, 1837, survived by
his widow, who passed away October 13, 1847.
Jeremiah Barnard, Jr., eldest son of Jere
miah and Elizabeth (Passmore) Barnard, was
born January 20, 1783. On April 11, 1804, he
was united in marriage to Abigail Pusey, born
April 6, 1784, daughter of Ellis and Abigail
(Brinton) Pusey, of Londongrove, and the fol
lowing named children were born to them :
Joshua ; Ellis ; Lydia, who became the wife of
Pratt Hoopes ; James, father of Jeremiah Barn
ard ; Pusey, whose first wife was Phebe Coates
and his second wife was Susan Pownall; Eliza
beth, who became the wife of Joseph Pusey;
Susan, who married Joseph Pennock ; and Phi
lena Barnard.
James Barnard, third son of Jeremiah and
Abigail (Pusey) Barnard, was born in East
Marlborough township, Chester county, Pennsyl
vania, December 12, 1808. On December 14,
1842, he married Mary Hicks, born April 24,

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

455

1818, daughter of Thomas and Amy Hicks, of
Londongrove, Chester county. Their children
were : Jeremiah ; Amy J., whose death occurred in
1870 ; and Elizabeth H., wife of Joseph Cranston,
and they are the parents of two children, Mary
and Barnard Cranston.
Jeremiah Barnard, only son of James and
Mary (Hicks) Barnard, was born on the old
homestead in West Marlborough township, Ches
ter county, Pennsylvania, January 11, 1846. He
obtained his preliminary education in the local
schools, later was a student at Unionville under
the tuition of William Durnall, and concluded his
studies at Concordville under the preceptorship of
Joseph Shortlidge. He gained his first business
experience in the coal and lumber trade, but after
conducting this line of industry for a number of
years he turned his attention to general farming,
and this occupation has engrossed his entire at
tention up to the present time (1903). Politically
Mr. Barnard is a Republican, and has served his
township in the capacity of president of the school
board for five years, and religiously he is a birth
right member of the Society of Friends.
Mr. Barnard married Ida Barton, who was
born in the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,
April 4, 1850, reared partly in New Garden and
partly in West Marlborough townships, educated
in the local schools, a daughter of James and Car
oline Barton, the former named having been born
in England in 181 1. Their children are: 1. Wal
ter J., born June 24, 1874, was educated at the
school of George Moore and at West Chester
State Normal School, and subsequently married
Marie Faddis. 2. M. Florence, born February
20, 1876, was educated in the schools of Phila
delphia and at George School, Bucks county. 3.
James, born December 27, 1878, acquired his edu
cation at George Moore's School, at Ercildoun,
and at West Chester State Normal School. 4.
Norris, born June 20, 1880, obtained his education
at Ercildoun, State Normal School, and at
Pierce's Business College, Philadelphia, Penn
sylvania.

DR. GRANVILLE PRIZER, actively en
gaged in the practice of his chosen profession in
the town of Lionville, Chester county, Pennsyl
vania, and a graduate from the Medical Depart
ment of the University of Pennsylvania, is a de
scendant on both the paternal and maternal side
of the Benner and Hartman families, several
members of each having gained considerable
prominence and distinction during the Revolu
tionary period. Henry Benner was an active
Whig of the Revolution, was captured by the ene
my, and by personal observation learned the in
terior economy of a British prison ; his son,
Philip Benner, then a youth, took up arms under

General Wayne, but before he went forth to the
field his patriotic mother quilted in the back of
his vest several guineas, as a provision in case he
should be taken prisoner. The Hartman family
was represented by Peter Hartman, who served
as an officer in the Continental army and from
the commencement of the war was an ardent and
active patriot ; his son, George Hartman, received
the appointment of drum-major, and was taken
by his father through his military campaigns.
During the winter of 1777 both father and son
went on a tour among the farmers and collected
edibles, clothing and straw for which services
they received the thanks 01 General Washington.
George Hartman, Jr., was the first drill-officer of
the "American Grays ;" later he was appointed to
the rank of orderly sergeant of the Great Valley
Light Infantry ; was elected captain of the second
company of the Sixty-fifth Pennsylvania Militia
Regiment ; was commissioned colonel of the Fif
ty-seventh Regiment Militia; was elected briga
dier-general of the First Brigade, Third Division,
and later was elected and commissioned major-
general of the Third Division.
Levi Prizer, father of Dr. Prizer, was a son of
John and Elizabeth Prizer, of Montgomery
county, Pennsylvania. He received his early ed
ucation by attending night school in the neigh
borhood where he was born, learned the miller's
trade, and afterward purchased a farm in Chester
county. Was justice of the peace for twenty
years continuously, was also school director for
many years, and to these offices he was elected
term after term in a township that was over
whelmingly Democratic, although he was an
active Republican; was elected as a member of
the legislature in 1871-72-73 on the Republican
ticket. He died in 1875.
His brother, Henry Prizer, who was a cripple,
got his education also by attending night school
and became a school teacher. He opened the
first boarding school in eastern Pennsylvania, at
Trapp, Montgomery county, which school he
kept and was the principal of during all of his
life, after which it went into other hands.
Granville Prizer, one of a family of seven
children born to Levi and Rebecca Hartman
Prizer, claims Schuylkill township, Chester county,
Pennsylvania, as his birthplace and the date of
his birth is November 6, 1845. His prelimin
ary education was obtained in a school in West
Pikeland township, which he attended until he
attained the age of fourteen years, and this was
supplemented by a two years' course at Freeland
Seminary in the town of Collegeville, which was
conducted by Henry A. Unsicker. The follow
ing two years he was engaged in the capacity of
teacher in the schools of Montgomery county,
Pennsylvania, after which he returned home and
was employed on the farm and in the ore mines

456

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

which were located in the neighborhood. In the
fall of 1865 he entered Bucknell Academy and at
the same time pursued a course of medical read
ing in the office of Dr. Maurice Fussell, remain
ing the required time of three years, and also at
tended a course in the. medical department of the
University of Pennsylvania, from which institu
tion he was graduated, in 1868, with the degree
of Doctor of Medicine.
Dr. Prizer established an office for the active
practice of his profession at Norritonville, Mont
gomery county, but after a residence of six
months in that town he removed to Lionville,
Chester county, where he has since been continu
ously engaged in attending to the demands of an
extensive and lucrative patronage. Although
the duties of his profession have monopolized the
greater part of his time and attention, yet Dr.
Prizer has not forgotten his obligations as a citi
zen of this great Republic. His political alleg
iance is given to the Republican party, and he
was elected on that ticket to serve one term of
five years as justice of the peace; he has also
served as a member of the school board for twen
ty-four consecutive years, was appointed by the
government during President McKinley's ad
ministration to the office of pension examiner,
which position he resigned in order to accept that
of register of wills.
In 1875 Dr. Prizer married Catherine H. Ken-
ney, daughter of Alex and Lydia Kenney of
Charlestown township, Chester county, the
former named being a successful farmer and
commission man in the market, and the latter one
of a family of five daughters. Two children
have been the issue of this marriage — J. Warren,
born October 24, 1879, unmarried, engaged in
farming pursuits; Bessie K., born March 3,
1882, a graduate of the State Normal School at
West Chester, and for the past two years success
fully engaged in teaching school. Dr. Prizer's
family hold membership in the Lionville Luth
eran Church.

GEORGE GOOD, a well known and respected
citizen of Chester county, Pennsylvania, and a
representative of that class of men known as in
dependent farmers, was born December 6,
1869, in West Whiteland township, Chester
county, his parents being also natives of this sec
tion of the state of Pennsylvania.
His grandfather, a native of Chester
county, was a stone mason and resided the great
er part of his life in East Bradford, Pennsyl
vania, where he followed his trade. He married
Miss Wickersham, and eight children were the
result of the union, seven of whom are living.
The father of George Good was the oldest of the
children, born in 1840. He was a farmer, but

has now retired from active life and is living in
Downingtown. He married Miss Amanda Sel
lers in Cain township and they had five children,
of whom George was the oldest, 2. Richard
Downing, born in 1871, married, and has one
child, and is now conducting a milk business in
Philadelphia. 3. Henry, Jr., born in 1873, sin
gle. 4. John E., born in 1875. 5. Mary,
died in infancy.
The educational advantages enjoyed by
George Good were obtained at what is known as >
Bell School in East Cain township, Chester
county, and since the completion of his studies he
has been continuously engaged in farming pur
suits in his native township. His farm of fifty-
two acres is well improved and very productive,
and he also operates a dairy of eleven head of
well selected stock. He is a careful and success
ful farmer, and has achieved financial success by
his progressive and practical ideas of the man
agement of affairs.
On March 31, 1897, occurred the marriage
of George Good and Sarah D. McClinltock,
daughter of Robert and Ann (Ballentine) Mc
Clinltock, both of whom claim Ireland as their
birthplace. Mr. McClinltock came to the United
States in 1839, settled in Chester county, Penn
sylvania, and his first occupation was that of
farming. Later he learned the trade of black
smith with John Pollack in East Bradford town
ship at "Old Scalp Level," and this line of trade
he successfully pursued for the remainder of
his active career. In Downingtown, Chester
county, October 6, 1859. Mr. McClinltock mar
ried Ann Ballentine and they took up their resi
dence in the Grove at West Whiteland township,
Chester county. Seven children, five girls and
two boys, were the issue of this union, the eldest
and youngest being now deceased — the remain
ing members of the family are — Sarah D., born
February 26, 1862; Ida, born June 30, 1864;
Anna M., born May 15, 1867: Robert, Jr., born
September 23, 1870; and James Alexander,
born April 28, 1873. Mr. McClinltock, father
of these children, is deceased ; the mother is still
living and resides part of the year with her
daughter, Mrs. Good, and, the remainder of the
year with her other married daughter in the city
of Philadelphia. Mr. and Mrs. Good are well
known and respected in the community where
they reside, and possess the good will and esteem
of a large circle of friends and acquaintances.

WILLIAM EBER FRAME, an enterprising
farmer and public-spirited citizen of Upper Uwch
lan township, Chester county, is a son of Isaac D.
Frame, who was born in West Brandywine town
ship in 1840, and was by trade a wheelwright.
He married Elizabeth Warfel, a native of Lan-

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

457

caster county, and the following children were
born to them : Walter, who was employed on
the Reading Railroad, and married Elizabeth
Sheitz ; Sallie, who is now deceased ; William
Eber, mentioned at length hereinafter ; Anna
May, who became the wife of Abram Mosteller,
a farmer; and Ester Elizabeth, who resides at
home. William Eber Frame, son of Isaac D. and Eliz
abeth (Warfel) Frame, was born December
17, 1866, in Lionville, where he received his
primary education in the public schools, after
ward attending the well-known private school pre
sided over by Captain Abram Fetters. His first at
tempt at farming was made in the service of
Leonard Moore, on whose farm he was for a time
employed. After gaining further experience on
the farm of Holland Brownback, he changed his
course of life by entering the store of Jesse Ran
som, and remaining there as a clerk for two
years. At the end of that time, feeling that his
true calling was that of a farmer, he settled on
the farm which is now his home, and which he
manages in a way which proves that he has not
mistaken his vocation. He takes an active part
in the affairs of the township, and held at one
time the office of inspector of election. In addi
tion to affording Mr. Frame this marked proof
of the confidence with which they regard him,
his neighbors elected him three years ago to the
office of supervisor, a position which he still
holds. He is an advocate and supporter of the
doctrines of the Democratic party, and his church
affiliations are with the Baptist denomination.
Mr. Frame married Adda Powell, and their
children are: Frank Powell, born September
22, 1893; Leroy, born May 3, 1895; and
Lewis Willard, born December 15, 1899. Mrs.
Frame is a daughter of T. Griffith Powell, who
was born September 25, 1841, in East Brandy
wine, and has always been a farmer. He mar
ried Mary Jane Brown, who was born August
20, 1842, and they are the parents of the fol
lowing children : Lizzie B., who was born No
vember 19, 1868, and married Clinton Smed
ley, a farmer ; Adda, who was born May 26,
1870, in East Brandywine, and became the wife
of William Eber Frame, as mentioned above;
Havard L., who was born March 7, 1872, and
married Eliza Maxton; Frank S., who was born
December 26, 1873, and is an engineer at Ox
ford market, Philadelphia ; Vernon C, who was
born January 29, 1876, holds the office of
supervisor, and resides with his parents ; Lucy,
who was born December 14, 1877, and is the
wife of Robert McClintock, a farmer; Emily,
who was born February 20, 1880, and married
Samuel Copeland ; Bowen I., who was born Feb
ruary 26, 1882, and is a machinist in Philadel
phia ; and John, who is now deceased. Mr. Pow

ell has two brothers still living: William B.,
who is employed as a watchman in Philadelphia,
is married, and has five children ; and Lewis, who
also resides in Philadelphia, and is a member of
the police force of that city. He is married, and
is the father of two children.

WILLIAM. ASA MOORE, a prosperous
farmer of Milford Mills, Chester county, traces
his descent from the Rev. Charles Moore, who
officiated more than a century ago as the pastor
of a Baptist church in Vincent. He married Mar
garet Carroll, and they were the parents of a son,
Robert, who was born November 29, 1797, and in
his youth was engaged in business as an under
taker. Subsequently, in consequence of a prefer
ence for the life of a farmer, he devoted himself
for the remainder of his life to agricultural pur
suits. He married Rachel Smedley, born Febru
ary 4, 1797, by whom he was the father of the
following children : Charles ; Thomas Mercer,
mentioned at length hereinafter ; William, who
died in childhood ; Lewis, who died young ; Gid
eon S. ; Francis J. ; Leonard K. ; and Joseph. The
six sons who grew to manhood all led the lives of
farmers in their native county of Chester. Be
ing descended on the maternal side from the well-
known Smedley family, the members of which
from the earliest generations belonged to the So
ciety of Friends, these brothers adopted, as their
religious belief, the faith of that denomination.
Thomas Mercer Moore, son of Robert and
Rachel (Smedley) Moore, was born July 1,
1825, and received his primary education in the
public schools of the township, subsequently- at
tending the Unionville Academy, where he en
joyed the instructions of the revered and beloved
Jonathan Gause. In early life he followed the
profession of teaching, but in 1853 settled on a
portion of the old homestead, where he passed
the remainder of his life as a farmer. For sev
eral years he was the proprietor of a store in Mil
ford. He married Charity Ann, daughter of
Stephen and Hannah (Johnson) Love, the
former a farmer of East Goshen, where his
daughter, who was born March 16, 1828, re
ceived her education. Four sons and one daugh
ter were born to Mr. and Mrs. Moore ; Stephen
L. ; Robert Francis ; William Asa, men
tioned at length hereinafter ; Thomas Elsworth ;
and Mary Ella. The death of Mr. Moore, the
father of the family, occurred on April 1, 1900.
William Asa Moore, son of Thomas Mercer
and Charity Ann (Love) Moore, was born April
12, 1858, on the homestead, and until reaching
the age of fourteen attended the public schools
of the neighborhood. He then spent five years
at the Edgefield Institute, under the tuition of
Captain Abram Fetters. After leaving school he

458

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

returned to the homestead, where he remained,
assisting his father in the care and labors of the
farm. The latter, several years before his death,
withdrew from active participation in the man
agement of the estate, of which Mr. Moore is
now manager, having succeeded to the manage
ment of the property at the decease of his father.
The farm consists of 143 acres, which are kept by
Mr. Moore in a high state of cultivation, and de
voted to the purposes of general farming. A
dairy containing twenty-five cows 'is also a fruit
ful source of revenue. Since 1898 Mr. Moore
has held the position of director in the Fairmount
Creamery Association. He has never filled any
township office, the duties of his chosen calling
being of too absorbing a nature to admit of his
giving a larger portion of his time to public af
fairs than is necessary for the discharge of the
essential demands of good citizenship. Politi
cally he is a Democrat, upholding both in theory
and practice the principles advocated by that or
ganization. Mr. Moore married Hannah Margaret, daugh
ter of James and Elizabeth (Feltters) Loomas,
both members of old families. The former was
a farmer,, and also followed the trade of black
smith. Three children were born to Mr. and
Mrs. Moore : James Howard, who was educat
ed in the public schools, and resides at home ;
Elizabeth Florence, deceased, and Anna Loomis
Moore.

THOMAS ELLSWORTH MOORE, a suc
cessful farmer and leading citizen of Milford
Mills, Chester county, is a great-grandson of
Charles Moore, who was pastor of a Baptist
church in Vincent, and married Margaret Car
roll. Their son, Robert, born November 29,
1797, was in his early manhood an undertaker,
but later turned his attention to agriculture, and
passed the remainder of his life as a farmer. He
married Rachel Smedley, who was born February
4, 1797, and they were the parents of the fol
lowing children: Charles Carroll; Thomas
Mercer, mentioned at length hereinafter; Will
iam, who died in childhood; Lewis, who died
young ; Gideon S. ; Francis J. ; Leonard K. ; and
Joseph. Of this family of eight sons, the five
who reached maturity all lived as farmers in
Chester county. Their religious belief was that
of the Society of Friends, to which their mother
belonged, being descended from one of the lead
ing families of Chester county Friends.
Thomas Mercer Moore, son of Robert and
Rachel (Smedley) Moore, was born July 1,
1825, and was educated in the public schools of
the township, and at the Unionville Academy,,
presided over by the noted instructor, Jonathan
Gause. In his youth, he was for a time a

teacher, but made farming the business of his
life, with the exception of a few years, during
which he conducted a store in Milford. He
married Charity A., daughter of Stephen and
Hannah (Johnson) Love, the former a stone
mason of East Goshen, where his daughter, who
was born March 16, 1827, received her educa
tion. Mr. and Mrs. Moore were the parents of
four sons : Stephen Love ; Robert Francis ;
William Asa; and Thomas Ellsworth, mentioned
at length hereinafter. For several years previ
ous to his death, Mr. Moore, the father, had re
tired from active life.
Thomas Ellsworth Moore, son of Thomas
Mercer and Charity A. (Love) Moore, was born
August 24, 1 86 1, on the homestead, in Upper
Uwchlan township, and received his primary ed
ucation in the public schools of the neighborhood,
subsequently attending the Edgefield Academy
and the West Chester State Normal School. His
occupation in life has been that of an agricultur
ist, the farm on which he now lives consisting of
seventy-one acres, and he also owns a farm of
ninety-four acres which he has cultivated. While
giving skillful and assiduous attention to his du
ties as a supervising agriculturist he finds time
fill the position of bookkeeper at the Fairmount
Creamery, and also bestows a due share of his
thought and effort in matters which relate to the
welfare of the community in which, he resides.
That this last-named trait in his character is ap
preciated by his townsmen is shown by the fact
that for five years he has held the office of justice
of the peace. He is also an able surveyor. He
is a member of Lindell Grange, No. 11 79, in poli
tics he is a strong upholder of Democratic doc
trines, and his religious affiliations are with the
German Reformed church.
Mr. Moore married Florence Augusta, born
February 22, 1863, daughter of Jonah and
Mary (Ralston) McAfee. The former, who is
a farmer in Vincent, was formerly a- resident - of
East Nantmeal township, his daughter graduat
ing from the West Chester State Normal School.

WILLIAM SHIMER. Among the success
ful and enterprising agriculturists of Chester
county, Pennsylvania, who have been life-long
residents of that section of the state, is William
Shimer, who was born in the year 1827, in the
vicinity of Grove, Chester county, a son of Ed
ward and Hannah (Jones) Shimer.
William Shimer pursued his studies in the
common schools adjacent to his home and after
completing his education he chose the occupation
of farmer, and has since devoted his entire time
to that branch of industry, becoming the owner
of his present farm in' Pennsbury township. He
conducts his operations on an extensive scale, is

C/j^^u^ L/Q &

OArazAct)

Cg^/LO^ L& eVLsrT^A^s

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

459

practical and progressive in his methods of man
agement and cultivation, and his labor has been
attended with a fair degree of success. Although
his time has been so completely occupied with the
management of his estate, Mr. Shimer has not
been neglectful of his duties as a citizen. Since
attaining his majority he has always cast his vote
for the candidate who in his opinion is best suited
for the office, and has also served the townships
of Thornbury and Pennsbury in the capacity of
school director for twenty-five years.
In 1858 Mr. Shimer married Mary J. Faucett,
who died November 18, i860. They were the
parents of one child, Hannah, who became the
wife of William F. Davis, and their family con
sists of three children — Edgar, Lizzie, and Annie
Davis. Mr. Shimer chose for his second wife
Mary J. Summons, a native of East Nantmeal
township, and the marriage ceremony was per
formed in 1862. One child was the issue of this
union, Edward J., who was born in 1865, ac
quired his education at the Concordville Acade
my, married Asinth Biker, • daughter of Joseph
Biker, and now resides with his father on the
farm, which is located in the township of Penns
bury, Chester county, Pennsylvania. Mary J.
(Summons) Shimer died 2 mo., 28, 1897.

EUSEBIUS RICHARD BARNARD, prom
inently identified with the agricultural, political
and social interests of Pocopson township, Ches
ter county, Pennsylvania, is a representative of a
family which derived its name from Roche-Ber
nard, an ancient fortified manor-house of Nor
mandy, France, in which country Barnard has
been a baptismal name since the eighth century,
having been taken from northern mythology, sig
nifying boldness. The progenitor of the Ameri
can branch of the family was Richard Barnard,
who permanently settled in Chester county prior
to the year 1686.
Richard Barnard (grandfather) is supposed
to have been a son of Richard and Susanna (Eck
hoff) Barnard, of Newlin township, Chester
county, the former named being a son of Richard
Barnard, the pioneer ancestor of the family. Rich
ard Barnard (grandfather) and his wife, Sarah
(Chambers) Barnard, were the parents of the
following named children: 1. Joseph, who mar
ried Phoebe Williams, and one son was born of
this union; 2. Elihu, who married Mary Will
iams, and their children were Emma, wife of
David Chambers; Norris, who married Martha
Baker; Elizabeth, deceased; Richard, who mar
ried Mrs. Way; John, who married Miss Cham
bers ; and Phoebe, wife of William Lewis Lam
born and mother of three children — Ilena, Edage,
and Jesse Wynona Lamborn : 3. Amos, who mar
ried Miss Wilson, and two children were the is

sue of this union — Joseph and Wilson Barnard;
4. William, whose first wife was Ruth (Stubbs)
Barnard, who bore him five children; his second
wife was Mary (Lundy) Barnard, who bore him
two children ; Mary Lundy was the sister of the
American abolitionist of note, Benjamin Lundy,
who was born in New Jersey in 1789 and died in
the year 1839; Eusebius, mentioned at length in
the following paragraph ; 6. Cyrus, who married
and to whom was born three children; 7. Eliza
beth, who died in early life.
Eusebius Barnard (father) was born in Ches
ter county, Pennsylvania, in July, 1802. He at
tended the Westtown Boarding School, and being
of a studious and attentive disposition he ad
vanced rapidly in his studies and was one of the
foremost scholars in the school. Joseph Barnard,
brother of Eusebius Barnard, was teaching school
at Locust Grove, and finding his classes in ad
vance of his education called upon Eusebius, who
was but thirteen years of age at that time and a
student at the school in Westtown, to take charge
of these advanced students temporarily. At the
expiration of this term of employment, other du
ties devolved upon him which prevented his re
turn to school, so that he never completed the reg
ular course of instruction as was intended he
should do. He was a man of exemplary character
and great mental force, and took an active and
conspicuous part in the anti-slavery question, his
home being an extension for the "underground
railroad." He was a strong advocate for tem
perance reform, and for a number of years served
as a minister in the Society of Friends. He was
united in marriage to Sarah Painter, daughter of
Enos and Hannah (Minshall) Painter. Their
children were : Elizabeth, Minerva, Hannah, Mi
nerva (2), Enos, Anna, Eusebius R., and Enos
P. (2). Eusebius R. Barnard, second son of Eusebius
and Sarah Barnard, was born on the old home
stead in Pocopson township, Chester county,
Pennsylvania, November 2, 1840. He obtained
a practical education at the district schools, and
his business career has been devoted to the culti
vation and improvement of the ancestral estate
upon which he now resides. He is a man of up
right and unimpeachable character, wields consid
erable power and influence in the community,
takes an active part in public affairs and has been
chosen by his fellow-citizens to serve in various
important township offices.
Mr. Barnard married Alta J. Downing, who
was born in Downingtown, Chester county, Penn
sylvania, reared there and acquired her education
in the local schools. She is a daughter of Eugene
and Mary J. Downing, the former named being a
carpenter by trade, but of late years has turned
his attention to farming interests. The follow
ing named children were born to Mr. and Mrs.

460

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

Barnard: Ida Mary, born February 4, 1879, be
came the wife of Abram Williamson Baily in
1901, and their child, James W. Baily, was
born February 16, 1902 ; Charles Downing,
born July 19, 1880 ; and Ann Tyler, born Novem
ber 16, 1889, died August 21, 1895. Mr. Barnard
adheres to the faith of his forefathers in his re
ligious views, and holds membership in the Soci
ety of Friends ; his wife is a consistent member of
the Protestant Episcopal church of Downing
town.

HENRY FUNK, an enterprising and substan
tial citizen of Spring City, Chester county, Penn
sylvania, is engaged in agricultural pursuits on
the farm adjoining the one on which he was born,
November 5, 1835. The Funk family are of
German extraction and the earliest ancestor of
whom there is any authentic information was
Henry Funk (great-grandfather), who about the
year 1786 settled in Buckingham county, Vir
ginia, where he resided up to the time of his de
cease. His wife, Barbara (Showalter) Funk, a
native of Germany, who died in 1824, bore him
the following named children — Jacob, Christian,
John, Henry, Daniel, Joseph, Susan, Elizabeth,
Hester, Samuel, and Catherine Funk.
Rev. Jacob Funk (grandfather) was born May
30, 1 76 1, in Lehigh county, Pennsylvania, from
whence he removed in early manhood to East
Vincent township, Chester county, in which vi
cinity the remainder of his days were spent. He
was a minister of the Mennonite church, and his
death occurred July 22, 1817, in the fifty-sev
enth year of his age, while preaching a sermon in
the pulpit of his own church. His first wife,
Mary (Shelley) Funk, who died April 27,
1809, bore him a family of nine children, all of
whom became active and faithful members of the
Mennonite church. There were no children
born of the second marriage.
Jacob Funk (father) was a native of Bucks
county, Pennsylvania, in early life learned the
trade of wheelwright and conducted this line of
industry very successfully for a number of years,
and in 1825 removed to East Vincent township
and purchased a one hundred acre tract of land
which was located on the present site of Spring
City. His religious views were in accord with
those advocated by the Mennonite church, in
which body he was an officer for many years, a
liberal contributor to its support and very aggres-
ive in the various departments of work connected
with it. Mr. Funk was united in marriage to
Anna Hiestand, daughter of David Hiestand, a
representative of a family who were among the
early settlers of Chester county; one hundred
years ago David Hiestand erected the barn which
is still standing on the farm now owned and op

erated by U. S; G. Rapp. Mr. Funk died in
1885, aged eighty-seven years, and his wife
passed away in the seventy-sixth year of her age.
Mrs. Funk also traced her ancestry to an old and
honored German lineage.
Henry Funk was reared and educated in East
Vincent township, and since attaining man's es
tate has been interested in a number of enter
prises. For ten years he was actively engaged in
the slate quarry and jobbing business, and during
this period was awarded the contract for roofing
the extensive mills at Phoenixville. For a num
ber of years he conducted a profitable business in
buying and selling horses and cattle, and of recent
years he has conducted general farming opera
tions on his farm in Spring City. In religion he
adheres to the faith of his forefathers, and holds
membership in the Mennonite church.
In 1857 Mr. Funk married Mary Detwiler,
daughter of Henry and Catherine (Latshaw)
Detwiler, who reared a family of twelve children
— Jacob, Catherine, Isaac, Elizabeth, Mary, Sar
ah, Susan, Henry, John, Abraham, David and
Magdalene Detwiler. The following named
children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Funk — Cath
erine D., wife of Frederick Staufer, a farmer of
East Vincent township; Anna D., wife of Irvin
L. Force, engaged in agricultural pursuits on Mr.
Funk's farm; Elizabeth D., is the wife of Will
iam A. Francis, who is engaged in farming on
the old homestead; Sarah, died at the age of
twelve years ; Mary Jane, died at the age of two
years ; and Wilmer, who died at the age of twen
ty-three years; he was engaged in the creamery
business.

JAHN E. FINKBINER, who was for many
years numbered among the leading farmers and
respected citizens of East Vincent township,
Chester county, was descended on the paternal
side from German ancestry, while through his
mother, he was of Swedish extraction. Both
families were among the early settlers of this
region. Jacob Finkbiner was born in Chester county,
and inherited from his mother the homestead
which has now been in the possession of the fam
ily for nearly one hundred years. All his life he
followed agricultural pursuits, with the steady
success which is insured by skill and integrity.
Mr. Finkbiner was an active member of the
Lutheran church. He married Margaret
Rambo, who traced her descent from one of the
old families of Montgomery county.
Jahn E. Finkbiner, son of Jacob and Margaret
(Rambo) Finkbiner, was born December 1,
1841, on the homestead in East Vincent town
ship. His home throughout life was the house
in which he was born, and his best energies were

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

461

devoted to the cultivation of the paternal acres.
His diligence and capability as a farmer not only
brought him a fair measure of financial prosper-
. ity, but earned for him among his neighbors the
reputation of an able agriculturist. In his politi
cal principles and sympathies he was a Republi
can. He was a member of Zion (Lutheran)
church, in which for many years he served as an
officer, quietly zealous in the fulfillment of every
duty and ever ready in his response to an appeal
in behalf of- any worthy cause.
Mr. Finkbiner married, December 3, 1867,
Catherine K., born November 18, 1849, daugh
ter of John F. and Catherine (Kulp) Halteman,
the former a farmer and weaver of North Coven
try township. Mr. Halteman was a native of
East Vincent, Chester county, and his wife was
born in Montgomery county. They were Men-
nonites in their religious belief. The following
children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Finkbiner :
John H., who was born December 16, 1870,
and lives on the homestead as a farmer and car
penter; Mary Eliza, who was born September
24, 1872, and is the wife of William Nyman, a
butcher of East Vincent; Jacob Clayton, who
was born June 2, 1875, is a butcher, and mar
ried Elizabeth Knauer; Eber W., who was born
February 13, 1877, is a machinist and
draughtsman, and married Catherine Llewellyn
of Phoenixville ; Daniel R., who was born March
12, 1879, and is a carpenter and architect in
Philadelphia; Samuel S., who was born March
16, 1 88 1, is a machinist in Philadelphia, and
married Mrs. Jennie March August 1, 1903 ;
and Sarah E., who was born December 31,
1885, unmarried, and resides at home.
The death of Mr. Finkbiner, which occurred
October 6, 1900, was lamented as that of so
good a man and upright a citizen deserved to be,
his family having the sympathy of all their neigh
bors in their great affliction, while the church to
which he had for so many years belonged
mourned him as one of her chief mainstays.

AMOS HIESTAND, a successful farmer and
truck gardener conducting extensive operations
on the farm in East Vincent township, Chester
county, Pennsylvania,- where he was born May
21, 1855, a son of Henry and Catherine
(Shelly) Hiestand, is a lineal descendant of
John Hiestand, who emigrated to this country
with his brother, Jacob Hiestand, landing at Phil
adelphia. Pennsylvania, October 16, 1727, the
latter named becoming the owner of a tract of
land in the vicinity of Pottstown, Pennsylvania.
He then removed to Lehigh county where he re
sided for the remainder of his life.
John Hiestand, the emigrant ancestor, resided
for a number of years in the neighborhood of

Pottstown, and by virtue of a warrant dated De
cember 4, 1740, had surveyed to him almost one
hundred and twenty-five acres, and by another
warrant dated March 15, 1743, thirty-seven
acres and one hundred and thirty-eight perches
in Upper Milford township, Northampton (now
Lehigh) county, Pennsylvania, and in considera
tion of twenty-five pounds, four shillings, and
eight pence he received a patent for both tracts
on June 30, 1762. He settled on this property
April 17, 1759, and held title until November
20, 1775, when for seven hundred pounds (or
one thousand eight hundred and sixty-six and
two-thirds dollars) he conveyed it to his son.
John Hiestand and his wife, Barbara (Wanger)
Hiestand, daughter of Henry Wanger, a native
of Switzerland, who in 1717 purchased and set
tled on land which is now within the limits of the
borough of Pottstown, reared a large family of
children, many of whom attained years of ma
turity and held responsible positions.
David Hiestand, tenth child of John and Bar
bara (Wanger) Hiestand, was born August 31st,
1755, and resided for the greater part of his life
in Chester county, Pennsylvania, where he was re
garded as an active and public-spirited citizen.
His death occurred December 27, 1846, and his
remains were interred at the Mennonite church
cemetery, near Spring City, Pennsylvania. His
wife, Elizabeth (Bechtel) Hiestand, was born
October 11, 1764, and died February 4, 1855.
Henry Hiestand, tenth child of David and
Elizabeth (Bechtel) Hiestand, was a native of
Chester county, Pensylvania, having been born in
the neighborhood of Kimberton November 14,
1809. He was reared and educated in
the vicinity of his birthplace; removing later to
Bucks county where he resided until 1850, when
he returned to Chester county and purchased a
farm in East Vincent township, near Spring City,
which he cultivated to a high state of perfection
and on which he resided for the remainder of his
life. This property is still in the possession of the
family, a portion of it being owned by Reuben
Hiestand and the remainder by Amos Hiestand.
Mr. Hiestand was an earnest and consistent
member of the Mennonite church, and his politi
cal allegiance was given to the Republican party.
Henry Hiestand and his wife, Catherine (Shel
ly) Hiestand, who was born March 10, 1817, a
representative of an old and prominent Bucks
county family, were the parents of the following
named children: 1. Daniel, who married Eliza
Auman ; 2. David, unmarried ; 3. Mary, who be
came the wife of Lewis W. Rinehart ; 4. Reuben,
who married Ida Catherine Miller, and they are
the parents of one child, Mary Catherine Hie
stand; 5. Harry D., who married Anna M.
Brownback; 6. Amos, mentioned at length here
inafter. Henry Hiestand, father of these chil-

462

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

dren, died June 16, 1892 ; his wife passed away
February 1, 1900, and their remains were in
terred at the Mennonite church cemetery.
Amos Hiestand, youngest child of Henry and
Catherine (Shelly) Hiestand, was reared on the
old homestead and pursued his studies at the
public schools adjacent to his home. The first
seven years of his active career were spent in the
capacity of clerk in a general mercantile estab
lishment conducted by his brother, Reuben Hie
stand, at Vincent, Chester county, after which
he was admitted as a partner, and this connection
continued for eight years. He then purchased his
brother's interest in the business and the follow
ing two years was the sole proprietor, but at the
expiration of this period of time he disposed
of the entire stock and since then has engaged in
farming pursuits. He is a Republican in pol
itics, served his township as postmaster for one
term, was the incumbent of several other offices,
and at the present time (1903) is filling the posi
tion of auditor.
Mr. Hiestand was united in marriage April
23, 1885, to Clara E. Brownback, a daughter
of Jesse and Sarah A. (Keeley) Brownback, the
former named a representative farmer of East
Vincent township, Chester county, Pennsylvania.

ISAAC P. DAVIS, a successful farmer and
worthy citizen of East Vincent township, Chester
county, is descended from old settlers of the
county, where his father, Isaac Davis, was born
about the beginning of the nineteenth century.
He was a life-long farmer and a man who took an
active part in township affairs, his neighbors tes
tifying to their confidence in his character and
ability by electing him to several offices. Politi
cally he was a Democrat. He married Abbie
Cheevers, who like himself was a descendant of
early settlers. Mr. Davis died October 27,
1866, at the age of sixty-five, and his wife passed
away in 1881, being then sixty-eight years old.
Isaac P. Davis, son of Isaac and Abbie
(Cheevers) Davis, was born April 5, 1837, near
Paoli Parade-Ground, Chester county, and re
ceived his education in the public schools of the
township. Farming has been the business of his
life, although for five years he was engaged in
mercantile pursuits at Pughtown. He is now the
proprietor of the Seven Stars Hotel, which he
conducts in connection with his agricultural
labors, thus giving evidence of remarkable exec
utive ability. He is assiduous in the discharge of
his obligations as a citizen, his sound judgment
and public spirit causing him to be held in such
high regard by his townsmen that they have
chosen him at different times to fill the offices of
supervisor, assessor, school director and auditor.
He now holds the position of town clerk.

Mr. Davis married, December 24, 1863, Re
becca J., born February 13, 1839, daughter of
John and Sarah (Morrison) Green. The former,
who was a farmer, was born in Delaware county,
his wife being a native of Wilmington, Delaware.
Mr. and Mrs. Davis are the parents of the follow
ing children : Emma B., who was born January
8, 1865, and is the wife of Morris Strickland, a
blacksmith of Nantmeal village; Isaac Norton,
who was born December 2, 1867, followed the
trade of a moulder at Rogers Ford, and is at
present proprietor of a hotel in Kimberton, Penn
sylvania; John G, who was born October 11,
1868, and is deceased; Edgar L., who was born
August 18, 1 87 1, and is a farmer and market-
gardener at Birchrunville; Sarah C, who was
born January 15, 1875, and is the wife of Will
iam Neyman, a farmer and market-gardener of
East Vincent ; Joseph, who died in infancy ; Anna
May E., who was born January 10, 1878;
Maud L., who died in childhood ; and Leah, who
died in infancy.

EDWARD H. TRIMBLE. The Trimble
family, of which Edward H. Trimble, a prosper
ous agriculturist of Pocopson township, Chester
county, Pennsylvania, is a representative member,
claim for their pioneer ancestor James Trimble,
who was born in Ireland on Midsummer Eve,
June 24, 1707, and subsequently emigrated to
America, arriving in Philadelphia in August,
1 7 19. Later he became one of the prominent citi
zens of West Bradford, Chester county, where
he reared a family of seven children who were
born to him by his marriage to Mary Palmer, a
daughter of John and Martha Palmer, of Con
cord, Pennsylvania. The death of James Trim
ble occurred January 21, 1792, and his remains
were interred in the Friends' graveyard at Mar
shallton. James Trimble, second son of James and
Mary (Palmer) Trimble, was born February 28,
1739, and his entire life was spent on the old
homestead at Trimble's Mills, now called Trim-
bleville, in West Bradford, Chester county. He
married Mary Sellers, a daughter of Samuel and
Jane Sellers, and their children were: James,
Mary, Samuel, Jacob, Isaac, Lydia, John, Phcebe
and Joseph Trimble. The marriage of James and
Mary Trimble was celebrated January 1, 1770.
Mr. Trimble died September 16, 1819.
Isaac Trimble, fourth son of James and Mary
Trimble, and grandfather of Edward H. Trim
ble, was born January 7, 1781, on the old
homestead where, he continued to reside during
his entire lifetime. On July 29, 1814, he married
Anna Jefferis and their children were : 1. Mary
married John Massey. 2. Charity Ann mar
ried John Speakman. 3. Lydia ; married Enos

CbcluJ-OsrcL Pb. kVl^Vt^fe/ ¥" \V^_y%

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

4°$

L. Pratt. 4. Phoebe H., wife of Joel Woodward.
5. Jacob. 6. John, married Anna Mary Matlack.
7. Elizabeth, wife of Edward Martin. 8. Anna,
wife of Jonathan Speakman. 9. Isaac, who mar
ried Emma Hongler. Isaac Trimble, father of
these children, died May 31, i860.
Jacob Trimble, eldest son of Isaac and Anna
Trimble, and father of Edward H. Trimble, was
born May 5, 1824, reared on the old homestead
and received his education in the country schools.
He was a farmer by occupation and conducted
his operations on an extensive scale in the town
ship of Pocopson, Chester county. He married
Celia Hicks and they were the parents of the
following named children: 1. M. Helen, born
August 17, 1850, was united in marriage January
28, 1875, to John M. Pierce, now deceased, and
three children were born to them : Howard, de
ceased; Clarence, deceased, and Fred, deceased.
2. Anna F., born November 1, 185 1. 3. Sarah
J., born February 26, 1853 ; married October 2,
1879, Jesse Taylor, and their children are Paul
Willard and Francis Taylor. 4. Francis H.,
born February 22, 1856, deceased. 5. Lydia
P., born March 3, 1858, deceased. 6. Emma
P., born February 19, 1859, wife of Hilborn
D. Thatcher and mother of one child, Rus
sell Thatcher. 7. Edward H., born March
6, 1861. 8. John F., born July 31, 1863.
Edward H. Trimble, seventh child of Jacob
and Celia Trimble, was born in the old ancestral
residence in Pocopson township, Chester county,
Pennsylvania, March 6, 1861. This house was
erected in 1800 by Thomas Hickman, the former
owner of the property, from whom it was pur
chased by Isaac Trimble, grandfather of Edawrd
H. Trimble. The educational advantages which
Edward H. Trimble enjoyed were obtained at the
local schools, and at Marlborough and Unionville
Academies. Shortly after attaining his majority
he inherited a tract of land from his mother,
where he has since conducted farming operations,
making a specialty of dairy products and the
raising of bees, obtaining from the latter named
industry a large quantity of honey, for which
there is always a great demand. Mr. Trimble
has always taken a keen interest in all affairs of
a public nature, and has used his influence to
further those projects which have for their aim
the advancement and well being of the commu
nity; at the present time (1903) he is serving in
the capacity of school director.
Mr. Trimble married Mary M. Trimble, who
was born in Bradford township, Chester county,
Pennsylvania, April 22, 1868, reared in her na
tive county and obtained her education in the lo
cal schools and the West Chester State Normal
School ; she is a daughter of John and Anna Mary
' (Matlack) Trimble. Their children were : Flor
ence, born January 15, 1888; Carl, born February
30 x

1, 1891 ; Frederick, born December 8, 1892, and!
Roscoe Trimble, born May 7, 1898, died Octo
ber 2, 1898.

DANIEL B. LATSHAW, a prosperous-
farmer and highly esteemed citizen of East Vin
cent township, Chester county, traces his descent:
on both sides from old families of the county, his-
paternal ancestors having been French, while his
maternal progenitors were German. The family
of the Latshaws originated in Alsace, France,
and was founded in Pennsylvania at an early
period. Abram Latshaw, a farmer of Boyertown,
Berks county, where his son Daniel was born,
moved during the boyhood of the latter to Ches
ter county. Daniel Latshaw married Esther Hie
stand, who belonged to a family of old settlers.
Daniel B. Latshaw, son of Daniel and Esther
(Hiestand) Latshaw, was born February 18,
1830, in East Vincent township, on a farm ad
joining the one which is now his home. All
his life he has been engaged in agricultural pur
suits, his energetic and well directed efforts being
followed by a success which is self-evident and
therefore beyond dispute. Prompted by a spirit
of enterprise which is one of his most marked
characteristics, he engaged in 1853 in the nursery
business, having his grounds near Spring City.
The undertaking proved successful, and for half
a century Mr. Latshaw has been a nurseryman
as well as a farmer. To the indispensable quali
fications of scientific knowledge and practical
skill he adds a rare degree of executive ability.
This peculiarly fortunate combination of charac
teristics, while insuring financial success, has also-
gained for him a reputation, which joined to his
wealth of experience causes him to be regarded as
an authority in all matters pertaining to both
branches of his calling. Great as is Mr. Lat-
shaw's devotion to his duties as an agriculturist,
it has ever rendered him unmindful of his ob
ligations as a citizen. Notwithstanding the fact
that he is the owner of two exceptionally fine
farms, upon one of which he resides, and to the
care and management of which he gives his
closest attention, he yet finds time for the exer
cise of his abilities as a financier, and that, too, in
a field of great inportance, holding as he does
the position of vice-president in the Spring City
National Bank. His interest in local affairs is ac
tive and unceasing, and his readiness to lend his
aid to any enterprise which in his judgment tends
to promote the welfare of the community, is a
trait much appreciated by his townsmen, who have
several times elected him to office. His manner
of discharging the duties of the various posi
tions in which he has been placed has more than
justified his neighbors in the confidence which
they have reposed in him. In the sphere of pol—

464

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

itics he has always supported the men and meas
ures advocated and upheld by the Republican
party. Mr. Latshaw married, September 3, 1853,
.'Sarah G, daughter of Henry and Judith (Ger-
-horst) Swartz, the former a merchant of Butler
county, Pennsylvania. The following children
were born to Mr. and Airs. Latshaw: Mary L.,
who is the wife of Harry Clevenstine, of West
Vincent ; Esther, who married John D. Hiestand,
a farmer of East Vincent; Ada E., who is the
wife of. John B. Reiff, the proprietor of a green
house in Spring City ; Horace D., who is a
-farmer on the homestead, and married Alary,
.-daughter of Davis Knaur ; and Bertha, who is the
wife of Charles Millard, a farmer. On October
J28, 1902, Mr. Latshaw and his children sustained
an irreparable loss in the death of the wife and
mother, who passed away lamented not only by
her immediate family, but by a large circle of
relatives and also by the many friends to whom
her estimable qualities had' greatly endeared her.

GEORGE WASHINGTON QUAY, an en
ergetic and prosperous farmer of West Pikeland
township, Chester County, is a grandson of Will
iam Quay, .who was. born October 26, 1771, and
'.his wife Sarah Quay, who was born January 9,
.1777, bore him the following named children :
Mary, Samuel, Hannah, Thomas, mentioned at
length hereinafter, Singleton, John J., Phcebe,
Ruth, Sarah, William and Ellen (twins), and
David. The only one of these children now liv
ing is Ellen, who has reached the age of eighty-
six years. The male members of the family were
farmers and masons, most of the stone buildings
in West Pikeland having been built by them.
Thomas Quay, son of William and Sarah
'Quay, was born March 20, 1806, and was all his
life engaged in the labors of a farmer and drover.
.Although a man of good natural abilities and one
who enjoyed the esteem and confidence of his
neighbors he could never be persuaded to enter
politics, preferring to limit the sphere of his en
deavors to the strict discharge of his duties as
an agriculturist, and of his social obligations as
a neighbor. He married Rebecca, a daughter
of Abraham and Alargaret Shoffner, the
former a farmer of West Pikeland. Air. and
Airs. Quay were the parents of the following
•children : Mary E., Rees John, William Harri-
ison, Abraham Fetters, Benjamin Franklin, John
Fetters, Levi Fetters, George Washington, men
tioned at length hereinafter, Joseph Thomas,
James Elwood, Lydia Ann and Jesse Hippie.
George Washington Quay, son of Thomas
and Rebecca (Shoffner) Quay, was born July
26, 1852, in East Whiteland township, and re
ceived his education in the public schools of

Spring Mills. He served an apprenticeship to
the trade of a blacksmith, but did not follow it
as a means of livelihood, preferring to engage in
farming. In this chosen calling, his persever
ance and energy were such that he is now the
owner of an estate in West Pikeland known as the
"Isaiah Alarch place." This farm which con
sists of forty-eight acres, testifies by its high
state of cultivation to the ability and industry of
its possessor. Mr. Quay has attached to his farm
a flourishing dairy, of which he makes a specialty,
conducting it will the same thoroughness and sue1
cess which mark his care of the acres under his
control. His political affiliations are with the
Democratic party. He and his family are mem
bers of the Lutheran church.
Mr. Quay married Rebecca, daughter of
David and Elizabeth (Shoffner) Quay, and the
following children were born to them : Carrie,
K, who resides at home; Ella E., who is de
ceased ; Orpha R., who is also deceased ; Sarah
Ann, who is the wife of B. Frank Gundey, and
has one child, Orpha I. ; Nellie L., who is de
ceased ; Walter L., who is at home on the farm;
David Herbert, who is deceased ; Laura I., who
resides at home ; Olive M., who is also at home ;
and Lottie E., who is deceased. Mr. Quay and his
surviving children recently sustained a severe be
reavement in the death of the wife and mother,
who passed away December 26, 1902, at the age
of fifty-four years and five months, her loss being
sincerely mourned not by her immediate family
alone, but by a large circle of relatives and
friends.

JOHN L. SMITH, a leading man of affairs
of Chester Springs, Pennsylvania, is a son of
Jacob Smith, a native of Juniata county, in that
state. Air. Smith, who was a farmer, in connec
tion with his agricultural labors, connected the
business of a tanner, achieving success in both
spheres of endeavor. He was remarkable for his
public spirit, and, in April, 1866, took charge of
the Macallisterville School for Soldiers' Or
phans, where he remained many years. He was
at one time one of the associate judges of the
county. He married Margaret Lover, who was
born in Perry county, Pennsylvania.
John L. Smith, son of Jacob and Alargaret
(Lover) Smith, was born December 25, 1850,
in Greenwood township, Perry county, and re-,
ceived his primary education in the common
schools, afterward attending the Macallisterville
(Juniata county) Academy. When but fifteen
years of age he became the manager of his fa
ther's large farm, and filled this responsible posi
tion for five years. At the age of twenty he went
on June 2, 1870, to Chester Springs, where he
has since lived. Here for fifteen years he held,

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

465

a position on the administrative force of the In
stitution for Soldiers' Orphans, and then, desir
ing to enter commercial life, purchased an inter
est in a lumber and feed business. At the end of
three years, owing to a change of plans, he dis
posed of his interest and withdrew from the
connection. In the spring of 1893 he was ap
pointed an agent of the Chester County Mutual
Fire Insurance Company, and also became one
of the directors of the organization. Air. Smith,
in the course of his business career has charge of
a number of estates of non-residents and business
affairs of others who are his neighbors. He
holds the office of director of the poor of the
county, and is assiduous in fulfilling all the obli
gations of a citizen. His home is conceded to be
one of the most finely situated and attractive in
the township of West Pikeland.
Mr. Smith married, February 24, 1876, Alice
A., bom November 18, 1855, daughter of Perry
O. and Caroline (Shock) Catherman, the former
a farmer of Evandale, Juniata county. Mr. and
Mrs. Smith are the parents of two daughters :
Mabel E., who was born December 10, 1877,
graduated from the West Chester Normal
School, and is the wife of John H. Voorhees, a
merchant of Kennett Square ; and Mary A., who
was born June 17, 1883, is also a graduate of the
West Chester Normal School, and is now en
gaged in teaching. Mr. Smith is of an eminently
¦domestic and social nature, and while devoted to
his family and home, and delighting in the so
ciety of their large circle of friends, his social
sympathies find still further expression in Ala-
sonic affiliations and in a membership which he
holds in the Patriotic Sons of America.

WILLIAM LATTA DAVIS, a veteran
farmer and highly respected citizen of Charles
town, Chester county, is a representative of a
family of Welsh origin, which was founded in
Pennsylvania at a very early period in the history
of the province.
John S. Davis, son of Llewellyn and Rebecca
(Shannon) Davis, was born December 12, 1784,
in Charlestown, and all his life followed the call
ing of a farmer. In 1819 he purchased of his
uncle, Isaac Davis, a farm of one hundred and
two acres, and moved thither with his family.
This property is still in the possession of his
descendants. Mr. Davis was a man greatly re
spected by his neighbors, who elected him to the
office of supervisor. He was identified with the
Democratic party. In the state militia, of which
he was a member, he rose to the rank of major
and later to that of colonel. He married Mary
. Pawling, and they were the parents of the fol
lowing named children: Benjamin, died at
seventy- four years -of age; Llwllyn, born in

1814, died in 1858; John A., born October 26,
1822, died August 9, 1848; Jesse, born April 13,
1829, died August 5, 1887. His death occurred
at an advanced age.
William Latta Davis, son of John S. and
Mary (Pawling) Davis, was born August 7,
18 16, in Charlestown, where he has passed his
entire life in the invigorating labors and simple
enjoyments of a successful and energetic farmer.
Although passed amid rural scenes, his life has
been an active and busy one.. His interest in local
affairs has always been great, and his penetration,
soundness of judgment and sterling character
have made him a man of influence in the com
munity. In politics he has always adhered to the
principles and measures promulgated by the
Democratic party.
Mr. Davis married, January 1, 1853, Mary
Ann, born October 28, 1827, a daughter of John
and Hannah (Roberts) Rapp, of Charlestown,
who were the parents of the following children :
David, born February 28, 1825, died January 21,
1872; Mary A., born October 28, 1827, wife of
William Latta Davis; Barnett Robert, born Jan
uary 19, 1829; and Stephen H., born January 4,
1832, died January 21, 1900. Mr. and Mrs. Davis
have no children. The grandfather of Mrs.
Davis, who bequeathed a homestead to his de
scendants, lived at Valley Forge at the time of
the Revolutionary war. Mrs. Davis' brother,
Barnett Robert Rapp, who resides in West Ches
ter, served in the Union army during the Civil
war. Mr. Davis resides on the homestead, en
joying in the evening of his days the fruits of
a long and useful life. His ancestral dwelling
is • rich in historical associations. His grand
uncle, Isaac Davis, mentioned -above, built on
the farm before the Revolutionary war, a barn
which is still standing. This barn was at one
time during the war the headquarters of General
Washington, the patriot army being encamped
on the farm.

W. HENRY WELLS, an experienced farmer
and respected citizen of Charlestown township,
Chester county, belongs to a family of Welsh ex
traction. His grandfather was Isaac Wells, a
farmer, whose industrious application to the
duties of his calling did not prevent him from
participating actively in the affairs of. the town
ship in which he resided, and in which he was a
man of some influence.
William S. Wells, son of Isaac Wells, was a
farmer who combined with his, agricultural
labors the trade of a carpenter. Like his father.
he was active in local affairs, and for several
years was supervisor of Tredyffrin. Politically
he was a Republican. He married Julia, daugh
ter of Josiah Burnett. Air. Wells possessed the

466

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

cordial respect of his townsmen as an honorable
man and a conscientious citizen.
W. Henry Wells, son of William S. and Julia
(Burnett) Wells, was born October 24, 1843,
in Bradford, Chester county, and is now the
owner of one of the finest farms in the township
in which he resides. This estate, which consists
of seventy-five acres, gives evidence, both in the
methods of its cultivation and in its general man
agement, of the fact that its owner stands in the
front rank of the farmers of the county. A'Ir.
Wells, by his active interest in public affairs, and
his efforts to advance whatever in his judgment
will promote the welfare of the community, has
fully earned the right to the title of a public-
spirited citizen. His townsmen have testified to
their confidence in him by electing him to the
offices of supervisor and " school director. His
political principles are those of the Republican
party. He and all of his family, excepting two
sons, are members of the Baptist church.
Mr. Wells married Louisa Supplee, and they
are the parents of the following children, all of
whom attended the schools of Phoenixville : Leila
S., who was born October 24, 1870, and resides
at home ; William E., who was born April 7,
1872, and is a farmer; Harry Peter, who was
born May 14, 1875, is a clerk in the office of the
Phcenix Iron Company, and married Lura Prizer,
of Phoenixville ; Howard Kennedy, who was born
February 9, 1879, graduated from the Potts
town Business College, and is a farmer on the
homestead ; and Clarence Garfield, who was born
February 16, 1884, and is employed as a clerk
in a store in Phcenixville.
Mr. Wells belongs on the paternal side to a
family of French origin. She is a great-grand
daughter of Hans Supplee, who built the house
which is still standing on the family homestead.
During the month of October, 1777, the army of
Washington was twice encamped on this land,
the house being the headquarters of the general
himself. September 12, 1777, Plans Supplee en
listed as a private soldier in the Continental army,
serving in a Philadelphia company. He was
among those who were encamped the following
winter at Valley Forge, where he died, January.
24, 1778, falling a victim to the many hardships
and privations of that terrible season. He is in
terred in Bethel cemetery, in ground given by
himself, lying five miles north of Norristown.
The descendants of Hans Supplee have con
tributed funds and caused a monument to be
erected in his memory at Bethel cemetery, Alont-
gomery county, which was unveiled on Saturday,
November 21, 1903. During the period of Hans
Supplee's military service his son Peter was also
a soldier in the Continental army. Peter Sup
plee was the father of a son, also named Peter,
who married Elizabeth Kennedy, a descendant

of Irish ancestry. Mr. and Mrs. Supplee were
the parents of a daughter : Louisa, who was
born April 20, 1847, and became the wife of W.
Henry Wells, as mentioned above. The old
homestead of the Supplees, which is invested,
year by year, with increasing interest, by reason
of its historic association, is situated in Schuyl
kill.

MARSHALL B. HICKMAN, prominently
identified with the agricultural interests of Pocop
son township, Chester county, Pennsylvania,
where his birth occurred January 22, 1870, is a
son of William B. and Ellen B. (Carpenter)
Hickman, and grandson of Thomas and Jane
Hickman. William Hickman was born February
14, 1825, and by his marriage to Ellen Carpenter,
the following named children were born : 1.
Mary. 2. Annie, wife of George Worst, and
they are the parents of two children, namely,
Caroline and Kelso Worst. 3. Joseph, who was
united in marriage to Caroline Lamborn. 4.
William. 5. Louisa, wife of Charles G. Gaw
throp, and their children are : Harold, Mary and
James Gawthrop, deceased. 6. Marshall. 7.
Jane, wife of Edwin J. Chalfant, and their chil
dren are : Helen and Katherine Chalfant.
Marshall Hickman, youngest son of William
and Ellen Hickman, was reared and acquired his
preliminary education in the township of Pocop
son, and the instruction he received there was
supplemented by a complete course of study at
the West Chester State Normal School. Since
attaining young manhood he has given his entire
attention to the management of his farm, which
is located in his native township, making a spe
cialty of dairy products. His land is of good
quality and therefore highly productive, and he
derives a goodly income from the fruits of his
industry, capable management and business abil
ity. Politically Mr. Hickman is a staunch Re
publican, giving an active and earnest support
to his party on all important questions, but pre
ferring to devote his time to business pursuits
in preference to politics.
On February 23, 1898, Mr. Hickman married
Florence H. Parker, who was born at Parkers-
ville, Chester county, Pennsylvania, and was
reared there and educated at West Chester, a
daughter of James G. and Sallie P. (Hoskins)
Parker. Their children are : James P., born
April 16, 1899, and William B., born October
22, 1901.
James G. Parker, father of Mrs. Hickman,
was born in Pocopson township, Chester county,
Pennsylvania, June 12, 1847, and is a descendant
of English lineage, the name being found at an
early period in the civil and religious records of
the countv. He was a son of Thomas W. and

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

467

Rachel (Gawthrop) Parker, and after engaging
in farming and general business pursuits for
many years, was appointed deputy sheriff on Jan
uary 1, .1887, but three years later assumed
charge of the office of sheriff. He married Sallie
P. Hoskins, daughter of Dr. John R. Hoskins,
and their children are: Ella T., Florence H.,
wife of Marshall Hickman; Hannah M. and
Ethel S. Parker.

WILLIAM H. SNYDER, a successful farm
er and public-spirited citizen of Charlestown,
Chester county, is a descendant of ancestors who
were among the earliest settlers of that region,
and who, as their name indicates, came originally
from Germany.
Joseph Snyder, who was a native of Charles
town township, was a - farmer, and a man who
stood high in the esteem of his neighbors, holding
for many years the offices of supervisor and school
director. In politics he was first a Whig, and
later a Republican. He married Elizabeth Jacobs,
who was a native of the same township, and the
following children were born to them : Caroline,
who married John Pierce, of Philadelphia; J.
Wesley, who is a resident of Charlestown ; Han
nah, who is the wife of William Rapp, of Charles
town; Isaiah J., who is deceased; William H.,
mentioned at length hereinafter ; Stephen O, who
is president of a mining company at Salt Lake
City; Joseph W., who lives in West Pikeland;
Benjamin J., who is a resident of Colorado ; and
Mary, who is the wife .of Hosea Moses of West
Pikeland. Mr. Sndyer, the father of the family,
died November 16, 1876, and his wife, by a re
markable coincidence, expired exactly twenty
vears later, her death occurring November 16,
1896. William H. Snyder, son of Joseph and Eliza
beth (Jacobs) Snyder, was born August 28, 1846,
on the homestead, in Charlestown township, and
received his education in the common schools.
From early manhood he has been engaged in
farming, and is also the proprietor of a market
stall situated on the corner of Nineteenth and
Market streets, Philadelphia. His well-directed
efforts in both these lines of endeavor have been
attended with gratifying results. From a very
early period of life he has taken a keen interest in
local affairs, and since reaching manhood has
been almost constantly in office. Among the posi
tions which he has held are those of school direc
tor and assessor. He has been at different times
identified with the Republicans, and also with the
Prohibitionists. Mr. Sndyer married, January 28, 1872, Vic-
torine, daughter of Daniel and Martha (Talley)
Himes, of West Pikeland. Air. and Mrs. Snyder
were the parents of one daughter : Carrie Alfie,

who was born February 2, 1873, and is the wife
of Richard C. Loos, an architect of Philadelphia.
After the death of his wife, Mr. Snyder married,
October 19, 1896, Hettie E., daughter of John Z.
and Rebecca (Speakman) Wilson, the former a
native of New Garden, and the latter of London
Grove. Three sons have been born to Mr. and
Mrs. Snyder, two of whom are deceased. The
surviving member of the family, Joseph, was born
August 12, 1900, and it is hoped he will inherit
the estimable traits of the grandfather whose
name he bears, and whose worth has been repeat
ed in the character of his son.

WILLIAM RAPP, for many years a resi
dent of Charlestown township, Chester county,
Pennsylvania, and an intelligent, enterprising,
progressive and popular citizen, was born De
cember 29, 1844, in Tredyffrin township, a son of
Benjamin and Eliza (Wisner) Rapp, and grand
son of Barnet Rapp, who was born near Valley
Forge, Schuylkill township, Pennsylvania, March
27, 1761, a descendant of a German ancestry.
Barnet Rapp followed his trade of blacksmith in
connection with the work upon his farm, and in
both enterprises achieved great financial success.
He married and reared a family of seven chil
dren, namely : Barnet, John, Joseph, Hannah
Bane, Esther, Rachel Boyer and Benjamin Rapp.
Benjamin Rapp, father of William Rapp, was
born in Schuylkill township, Chester county,
Pennsylvania, September 16, 1808. He attended
the common schools of the neighborhood and
subsequently learned the trade of saddler and
harness maker, to which occupations he gave his
unremitting attention during his entire business
career. He was united in marriage to Eliza
Wisner, who was born August 14, 1812, a daugh
ter of Jacob and Sarah (Olwine) Wisner, and
they were the parents of the following named
children : Sarah, born December 29, 1830, died
in childhood; Lewis M., born October 26, 1838,
died in childhood; Henry M., born January 17,
1841, died August 15, 1841 ; Esther A., born June
19, 1842, died January 15, 1844; William, born
December 29, 1844; Mary E., born January 24,
1847, died September 10, 1849; Joseph W., born
March 30, 1849, is engaged in mercantile pur
suits at West Pikeland, Pennsylvania ; and Hana-
nah E., born July 18, 1852, died October 25,
1857. Mr. Rapp was an old line Whig in politics
until the formation of the Republican party,
after which he gave his loyal support to that
body. In religious matters both he and his wife
held membership in the Pikeland Reformed
church. Mr. Rapp died at his home in Charles
town township, Chester county, September 2,
1896, his wife having passed away February 25,
1885. Mr. Wisner, father of Mrs. Rapp, was

468

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

born Alay 27, 1761, was a successful farmer and
owned the property on which William Rapp now
resides ; he also took an active part' in the Revolu
tionary war and was present at the Paoli massa
cre, escaping from the scene of destruction in the
darkness of the night.
William Rapp, third son of Benjamin and
Eliza Rapp, was reared to manhood on his fa
ther's farm and acquired a practical education at
the common schools of Hopewell. Being inured
to the labors of farm life, he chose that occupa
tion for his life work and his earnest and per
sistent efforts have -met with a large degree of
success. He is a Republican in politics and has
served his township in the capacity of supervisor
for six years, auditor for three years, and school
director for one year.
On September 4, 1877, occurred the marriage
of William Rapp and Hannah Snyder, who was
born August. 23, 1842, a daughter of Joseph
Snyder, a prominent resident of Charlestown
township, Chester county. They are the parents
of one son, Benjamin Rapp, born June 18, 1878,
who is a graduate of the public school, and is
now serving as engineer at the "Graphic" in West
Pikeland, Chester county, Pennsylvania. The
family are consistent members of St. Peter's Re
formed church of Pikeland, taking an active and
leading part in the work of the various societies
connected with it.

LEVI SPIOFFNER, of Charlestown town
ship, Chester county, a citizen of honorable re
pute and assured standing, is descended from old
settlers of the county, being of German extraction
on the paternal - side, while through his mother,
he conies of French and Scotch ancestry. About
seventy years ago James Shoffner, a farmer of
Pikeland township, married Elizabeth Dellinger,
and the following children were born to them:
Mary Jane, who died in childhood ; Ami Levina,
who became the wife of Alban Pennypacker;
Levi, mentioned at length hereinafter, and Will
iam, who died at the age of eleven years.
Levi Shoffner, son of James and Elizabeth
(Dellinger) Shoffner, was born April 24, 1837,
in Pikeland township, where he was educated in
the common schools. He learned the carpenter's
trade, but had not followed it long as a means of
livelihood when the country was agitated by the
outbreak of the Civil war. At the call to arms
Mr. Shoffner, like many others at that crisis in
our national history, left the work shop for the
camp. He enlisted August 27, 1862, in Company
I, Sixty-eighth Regiment, Pennsylvania Volun
teer Infantry, known as the "Scotch Legions."
During the period cf his military service Mr.
Shoffner participated in the following battles:
Fredericksburg, December 13, 1862; Chancellors

ville, Alay 14, 1863; Gettysburg, July 1-3, 1863;
Wapping Heights, August 21, 1863; Auburn, Oc
tober 14, 1863 ; Kellysford, November 7, 1863 ; Lo
cust Grove, November 27, 1863; Mill Run, No
vember 28, 1863; and Gwynedd Station. He was
detailed as a guard at General Meade's headquar
ters, was among those who went in pursuit of
Lee's- army, and was present at Appomattox,
April 9, 1865. He was honorably discharged at
Hart's Island, New York, June 9, 1865. Mr.
Shoffner draws a pension by reason of the fact
that at the battle of Chancellorsville his hearing
was partially destroyed by the bursting of a shell,
and he also received an injury in the right side.
After his return to civil life Mr. Shoffner re
sumed the practice of his trade, which he fol
lowed very successfully for many- years, having
erected a large number of buildings iii the town
ship. Some time since he retired from business
and became the owner of the farm which is now
his home. This estate which is known as the
¦'old Calligan place" is maintained in fine condi-1
tion, and in this rural abode Air. Shoffner, as
the result of well-earned financial success, leads
the life of an independent farmer. He is active
in the discharge of the duties of citizenship, and
has been elected to various township offices,
among them that of school director. Politically
he is an earnest Democrat.
Air. Shoffner married, August 30, 1862, Alar-
garet A., daughter of Isaac and Catherine
(Smith) McAfee, who both trace their descent
from old settlers of the county. Mr. and Airs.
AlcAfee were residents of West Vincent,
the former being a farmer. Their daughter,
Alargaret A., was born August 13, 1840. Air.
and Airs. Shoffner are the parents of the following
children, all the sons being carpenters at Norris
town : John E. ; Kate, who married Aloses Quay,
a carpenter in Pikeland; Lizzie, who is the wife
of William Snyder, of Chester county ; Hannah,
who -resides at home ; Isaac, lives at Norristown,
Alontgomery county ; Emma, who married Hosea
McBride, a blacksmith of Pikeland ; and William,
also a resident of Norristown.

WILLIAAI SNYDER, whose name is famil
iar to the residents of Charlestown, Chester coun
ty, as that of a worthy farmer and citizen, whose
neighbors have many times made him the incum
bent of township offices, belongs to a family of
German extraction which has been long resident
in the township. His grandfather, John Snyder,
moved thither from East Pikeland, in 1800, and
settled on a farm which was for a long period in
the possession of his descendants. Here, as in
his former place of abode, he devoted himself to
agricultural pursuits. His wife, Susannah Snyder,
was descended from German ancestors, who were

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

409>

among the early settlers of that part of the county.
Mr. and Mrs. Snyder were the parents of a num
erous family, the members of which became good
and useful citizens. The father and mother who
lived to old age, are buried in the old Pikeland
church cemetery.
John Snyder, son of John and Susannah Sny
der, was a farmer as his father had been before
him, and was to the close of his life actively en
gaged in the duties of his calling, and in participa
tion in local affairs. He was much respected by
his neighbors, and held for many years the office
of supervisor. He married Hannah, daughter of
John Funderwhite, whose family, of German
origin, had been settled in the county since an
early period. The death of Air. Snyder occurred
in 1861, and that of his wife in 1872.
William Snyder, son of John and Hannah
(Funderwhite) Snyder, was born January 22,
1832, on the homestead, and received his early
education in the common schools, afterward at
tending the Fremon Academy, at East Nantmeal.
For several years after completing his education,
he taught school and then engaged in farming.
In 1858 he purchased of his father the farm which
is now his home, and which adjoins the home
stead. Here for well-nigh half a century he has
followed agricultural pursuits, in which he has
met with marked success, engaging largely in
marketing. Like his father he has always been
active in the sphere of politics, his affiliations
being with the Republican party. The high re
gard in which he is held and also the popularity
which he enjoys, may be inferred from the num
ber of offices with which he has been intrusted.
He has served as school director and assessor, was
county auditor for one term, and is now serving
his fifth term as justice of the peace. At one
time he held no fewer than four offices at once.
During the Civil war he was among those drafted
for military service, but feeling that duty required
him to remain at home, obtained a substitute. For
fifty years he has been identified with the Inde
pendent Order of Odd Fellows. He is a member
of the Reformed church.
Mr. Snyder married, December 26, 1857, Eliz
abeth Jones, and the issue of this union was the
following children : Martha, who was born
March 20, 1859, and is the widow of James
Reese; Thomas W., who was born August 13,
1861, and is employed by the Phoenixville Elec
tric Light Company ; John S., who was born Oc
tober 31, 1864, and' died June 4, 1893; Susan G,
who was born December 8, 1868; Henry, who
was born December 25, 1871, and is in the service
of the Phoenixville Electric Light Company ; S.
Jones, who was born March 21, 1877, and is now
deceased; and Ruth A., who was born in June,
1879, and died in infancy. Airs. Snyder, . the
mother of this family, died July 19, 1897, and on

December 27, 1900, Air. Snyder married Lizzie
M., daughter of Levi and Margaret (McAfee)
Schoffner, of Charlestown. Mrs. Snyder is a
member of the Lutheran church.

HON. WILLIAM PRESTON SNYDER,
M. D., of Spring City, Chester county, Pennsyl
vania, an accomplished physician, and favorably
known throughout the state for his valuable pub
lic services, is a native of the county named," and
comes of an old and honored family.
His ancestors were natives of Germany, and
his American progenitor settled prior to the Revo-
lutonary war in Chester county. His grandfather,
John Snyder, was for many years a resident of
that county, and died in East Vincent township.
He was a man of broad intelligence and strong-
traits of character. He was a teacher in his early
life, and he afterward engaged in farming, which
occupied his attention during the remainder of his
life. He was a Democrat in politics.
George Snyder, son of John Snyder, was born
April 21, 1821, in East Pikeland township, where
he was reared and edcated in the common schools.
He learned the trade of stone mason, and worked
for some years in that calling. He then engaged
in farming, and subsequently removed to Spring
City, where he engaged in brickmaking, an indus
try which he followed with great success during
the remainder of his life. He was an exemplary
member of the Reformed church. In politics he
was a Whig until the dissolution of that party,
and he was one of the original Republicans who
voted for their first presidential candidate, John
C. Fremont, in 1856. His wife was Alaria Shen-
kel, a daughter of Samuel Shenkel, who was also
of German lineage, born in 1790, in North Coven
try township, and died in East Vincent township,
March to, 1858, at the advanced age of sixty-
eight years.
William Preston Snyder, son of George and
Maria (Shenkel) Snyder, was born in East Vin
cent township, Chester county, October 7, 1851,
and was reared on. the paternal farm. He ac
quired a liberal education, attending in turn the
common schools, the Alillersville State Normal
school, and Ursineus College, at Collegeville,
Montgomery county. He was a teacher in the
common schools for one year after completing his
education, and he then entered upon his profes
sional studies. After a preliminary course of
reading under the office tutorship of Dr. F. W.
Heckel, of East Vincent township, he entered the
medical department of the University of Pennsyl
vania, from which he was graduated March 13,
1873, shortly after attaining his majority. He at
once began practice in Spring City, and continued
it with abundant success for thirteen years and
until 1886. In February of that year he was ap-

470

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

pointed medical examiner for the Schuylkill dis
trict of the Pennsylvania Railroad, and which he
occupied until December, 1887, when he resigned
to enter upon the duties of prothonotary of Ches
ter county, to which position he had been elected
in the November previous. He acquitted himself .
in his new station with a high degree of ability,
and meantime so gained the regard of the people
that before the expiration of his official term he
received from the Republican party a nomination
for member of the Pennsylvania house of repre
sentatives, and was elected by a highly compli
mentary majority, nearly 3,000. His services in
the legislature were highly useful and entirely
creditable to himself, and included arduous labor
upon various important positions. From 1883 to
1885 he was postmaster of Spring City. He has
always been active in advancing the public inter
ests of his village and county, aiding liberally with
his personal effort and means in the promotion
of the commercial, educational and other material
concerns. Dr. Snyder has always been associated with
the Republican party, and has ever been promi
nent and useful in its councils. He was chairman
of the Republican county committee in 1890, and
resigned that position on the day of his nomina
tion for the legislature, and was a delegate in the
Republican state convention of 1878 which nomi
nated General Hoyt for the gubernatorial office
and of that of 1882 which named General Beaver
for the same high position. He is a prominent
member of the Masonic order, affiliated with
Spring City Lodge, No. 553, E. & A. AL ; Phoenix
Chapter, No. 198, R. A. AL, and Jerusalem Com-
mandery, No. 15, Knights Templar, of Phoenix
ville. Mr. Snyder married, September 5, 1876, Aliss
Elizabeth Fridy, daughter of John Fridy, of Lan
caster county, and of this marriage was born a
son, Thomas B., January 16, 1882.

THOMAS MORGAN ALDRED. One of
the highly cultivated and therefore productive
farms of Uwchlan township, Chester county,
Pennsylvania, is the property of Thomas M. Al-
dred, a recognized leader among the agricultur
ists of that section of the state, who was born
in Cain township on March 8, 1858.
Thomas J. Aldred (grandfather) was at one
time engaged in mercantile pursuits in the town
of Wilmington, Delaware, and being a man of
honorable principles wielded a powerful influ
ence for good in the community in which he re
sided. By his marriage he became the father of
the following named children : Sarah, who be
came the wife of George W. Lybrand, both of
whom are now deceased ; William R., who served
in the army during the Civil war, and during his

term of enlistment died from exposure to the
heat; John F., mentioned at length hereinafter;
Lydia, unmarried, living at the present time
(1903) ; Edward, a minister of the Gospel for a
number of years, now living in the city of Phila
delphia; Joseph, deceased, who was a carriage
trimmer by trade, and followed this occupation
in Wilmington, Delaware; Thomas Cooper, who
also served in the army, was wounded near Wash
ington by a sharpshooter, and now resides in
Philadelphia; Hannah; Mary, wife of DeWitt
Clinton Scott, and George W., a resident of Phil
adelphia. Thus it will be seen that Mr. Aldred
(grandfather) is worthy of note, not only as
having been a useful and respected citizen, but
as one who gave three of his six sons to the serv
ice of their country in its hour of need.
John F. Aldred (father) was a man who stood
high in the esteem of his fellow citizens, by whom
he was elected to various minor offices of the
township, among them those of supervisor and
school director. He was an active participant in
the Civil war, enlisting twice in different Pennsyl
vania regiments. He was a zealous church worker,
served for a number of years as superintendent
of a Sunday-school in Downingtown, and was
class leader, exhorter and steward of the Grove
Methodist Episcopal church, of which he was one
of the chief promoters and one of the most liberal
contributors to the building fund. He married
Sarah Jane Massey, of East Whiteland township,
and their children are : Hannah, who is the wife
of Benjamin Gray, a farmer living on the old
homestead in East Cain township ; Henry Clay,
who is a farmer, is unmarried, and resides with
his mother in West Chester; Thomas Morgan,
mentioned hereinafter ; Bertha L., unmarried,
and resides at home, and Amy AL, who is the
wife of Frank F. Gray, a carpenter in West
Chester. Mr. Aldred, the father of the family,
died April 11, 1898, deeply mourned by his fam
ily and friends, and regretted by all who knew
him. Thomas M. Aldred, son of John F. and Sarah
Jane Aldred, received his education in the public
schools and high school of Downingtown.
He decided without hesitation that his occupation
in life should be that of a farmer, and until
reaching the age of thirty years he assisted in
the care and management of the homestead. He
then settled on the farm which is now his home,
and which testifies by its flourishing condition
to the unwearied attention and scientific care
which it receives from its owner. Mr. Aldred
is one of the directors of the Pikeland Creamery.
The regard in which he is held by his neighbors
may be inferred from the fact that in East Cain
township he filled for a number of years the offices
of constable and assessor, and that he has served
as auditor in Uwchlan township. Politically he

/$-< 7?rrlh^-*r^

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

47i

is a Prohibitionist. He and all his family are mem
bers of the Methodist Episcopal church, in which
he holds the offices of trustee and steward. He
is also a classleader, and at various times fills the
pulpit as a local preacher.
Mr. Aldred married Emma Kenny, a daugh
ter of Alexander and Lydia Kenny, the former
named a prosperous agriculturist of .Charlestown
township. No children have been born to this
union.

WILLIAM BROWER, M. D, whose ability
and skill in professional matters has gained for
him an enviable, reputation among the medical
fraternity of Chester county, Pennsylvania, is a
resident of Spring City where he has engaged in
active practice for more than thirty-five consecu
tive years. He is a son of Gilbert and Lydia
(Urner) Brower, and was born in East Coventry
township, Chester county, Pennsylvania, Febru
ary 25, 1842.
The Brower family is possibly of Holland ex
traction, although the pass in possession of the
family shows that Hubert Brower and his wife
Ann, with three sons and two daughters, emi
grated from Nenwild, in the Palatinate, May 4,
1726. Henry Brower, youngest son of Hubert
Bower, born February 14, 1726, settled upon the
banks of the river Schuylkill, in what is now East
Coventry as early as 1742. He was twice married
and seven children were the issue of these marri
ages. His eldest son, Abraham Brower, born
April 1, 1745, died October 21, 1805, was a farm
er by occupation and held membership in the
Mennonite church ; he married and reared a fam
ily of ten children. Henry Brower, son of Abra
ham Brower, was born September 29, 1785, mar
ried and reared a family of seven children, and his
death occurred April 23, 1833.
Gilbert Brower (father), son of Henry Brow
er, was born on the old homestead in East Coven
try township, February 5, 1815. During his
early manhood he resided in Berks county, Penn
sylvania, for a few years but subsequently 1-
turned to the neighborhood of his birthplace and
followed the vocation of his forefathers, that of
agriculture. Prior to the formation of the Repub
lican party, Mr. Brower was an old line Whig in
politics but during the early days of the slavery
agitation and the latter years of his life strongly
advocated the principles of the Abolitionist party.
His religious convictions were in harmony with
those of the Brethren's church. Mr. Brower mar
ried Lydia Urner, who was born December 20,
18 18, a daughter of John and Elizabeth (Grubb)
Urner, and a descendant of Ulrich Urner, a mem
ber of the well known and noted Urner family of
Canton Uri, in Switzerland. He was driven
thence by religious persecution, settled in the

province of Alsace, France, and about the year
1708 his three sons, John, Bishop Martin and
Jacob came to this country and settled in Penn
sylvania. The following named children were
born to Mr. and Mrs. Brower — Harrison, who
died February 15, 1877; William, mentioned at
length hereinafter; Rev. Isaac U., born January
7, 1844, a minister of the German Baptist or
Brethren church; Sallie, who died June 29, 1888;
and Elizabeth, who died in early childhood. Gil
bert Brower, father of these children, died Decem
ber 18, 1890; his wife died December 28, 1881.
William Brower, second son of Gilbert and
Lydia Brower, spent his early childhood upon his
father's farm and his literary education was ob
tained at Oakdale and Freeland Seminaries, and
the Millersville State Normal School, being a
member of the senior class of that institution dur
ing the years 1862 and 1863. He began his busi
ness career as a school teacher, serving in that
capacity for six terms, and in the spring of 1865
having decided to lead a professional life he
pursued a course of medical readirtg with Dr. A.
R. Savidge, of Parker Ford, after which he en
tered Jefferson Medical College of Philadelphia,
from which institution he was graduated March
9, 1867. He thereupon established an office in
Spring City, where in due course of time he built
up a large and lucrative practice which he has
retained ever since. He has always, taken an
active part in school matters, has served continu
ously as a member of the school board for thirty-
five years, most of that period as president or
secretary, and his labors in behalf of the public
school system have been crowned with success as
the schools of Spring City are among the best in
the county. He has served as a director of the
National Bank of Spring City, president of the
Spring City Foundry Association, president of
Oak Grove Cemetery Association, president of
the Spring City Building and Loan Association,
president of the board of health since its organi
zation eight years ago, and. has been frequently
called upon to act as administrator and executor
in the settlement of estates. Dr. Brower holds
membership in the Brethren's church, and his po
litical allegiance is given to the Prohibitionist
party. Dr. Brower was united in marriage, Septem
ber 18, 1869, to Sallie AL Kendall, daughter of
Joseph and Elizabeth Kendall, of Linfield, Mont
gomery county, Pennsylvania. They are the par
ents of one child, Blanche Brower, born March
9, 1872.  ? « » 
ROBERT BYERS, a well known resident of
East Goshen township, Chester county, Pennsyl
vania, was born Alarch 21, 1846, in Thornbury
township, in the same county, and is a son of

472

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

Stepheri and Ann (Ecte) Byers. The former was
born in Philadelphia, and is now a resident of
North Brandywine Summit, Delaware county.
Air. Byers was brought up on a farm, obtain
ing his education in the public schools of the
neighborhood and at the Sugartown high school.
Until his marriage he remained on the farm with
his brother, Samuel, and afterward resided for
three years on the estate known as the "Theodosia
Morgan farm," in Delaware county. After re
maining for another three years in Birmingham
township, Chester county, he removed to Darling
ton Corners, where he iived nine years. He then
resided for a time in East Bradford and subse
quently in Willistown. In. 1902 he settled in East
Goshen, where his estimable traits of character
both as a man and a citizen have already won full
recognition, as the fact that he holds the offices of
school director and assessor testify. In politics
he affiliates with the Democratic party.
Air. Byers married, August 29, 1871, Anna
E., daughter of Daniel and Sarah (Bullock)
Megowen of Edgemont township, Delaware
county. They are the parents of five children :
Emma, who is the wife of William S. Scattergood
and has two children, Beatrice and Sarah ; Han
nah AP, Fannie R., Ross W., and Sarah M. Air.
Byers is regarded as a type of the enterprising
citizen; whose restless energy, while accomplish
ing much -in the present, constantly looks forward
to greater achievements in the future, and is a
potent factor in every phase of our national pros
perity.

ISAAC DETWILER, one of the leading
farmers of Charlestown township, is descended
from German ancestry. Jacob Detwiler, who was
a native of ATontgomery county, purchased a
large tract of land in Tredyffrin township, Ches
ter county, where he devoted himself to farming
during the remainder of his life. He married
Elizabeth Hunsickes, and they were the parents
of the following children : Henry, mentioned at
length hereinafter, Isaac, Elizabeth, Mary, and
Sarah. Air. and Mrs. Detwiler were members of
the Mennonite church.
Henry Detwiler, son of Jacob and Elizabeth
(Hunsickes) Detwiler, was born in 1790, in
Tredyffrin township, and passed his boyhood on a
farm, obtaining his education in the schools of
that period. He settled on a farm in West Pike
land township, but afterward returned to the
homestead, subsequently making his home in
Cedar Hollow. In politics he was an old line
Whig, but later became a Republican. His reli
gious belief was that held by the Mennonite
church, in which he served as a deacon. He mar
ried Catherine, born in East Vincent township,
daughter of Abraham Latchaw, and the following

children were born to them: Jacob, Catherine,
Isaac, mentioned at length hereinafter, Elizabeth,
Mary, Sarah, Susan, Henry, John, Abraham,
David, and Alagdalene. The death of Air. Det
wiler took place in 1873, when he had reached his
eighty-third year.
Isaac Detwiler, son of Henry and Catherine
(Latchaw) .Detwiler, was born September 14,
1826, in-West- Pikeland,- where he was brought up
on a farm and educated in the common schools.
Until reaching the age of thirty years he resided
with his father, and then settled on a farm in
Tredyffrin township. In 1866 he purchased a
farm of one hundred and twenty-five acres in
Charleston township. In addition to this estate
on which he resides, he owns one hundred acres
in the same township, and devotes himself assidu
ously to the care and cultivation of his land. He
also takes an active interest in local affairs, and
has been more than once called upon by his neigh
bors to serve them in positions of trust, having
filled the offices of school director and supervisor.
He has been a director in the Farmers' and Me
chanics' National Bank at Phoenixville since
about 1888. Politically he is a Republican. He
belongs to the Atethodist Episcopal church, in
which he serves both as trustee and steward.
Mr. Detwiler married, January 5, 1858, Mary
A., daughter of Rudolph and Alagdelene (East)
Rife, of North Coventry township, Chester coun
ty. Mr. and Mrs. Detwiler are the parents of five
children : Henry, who died at eight years of age ;
Willie, who died at the age of four ; Kate, who is
the Wife of S. W. Coffman, artd has had two chil
dren, E. Foster and Delia May, who died at the
age of twenty-two months ; Elwood, who married
Olive M. Prizer, and has five children, Russell,
Eva May, Isaac, Earl, and one who died in in
fancy ; and Harvey, who married Agnes Wells,
and has one child, Agnes Catherine Detwiler.

EDWARD WALTER. It is refreshing
and ennobling to find, but a short remove from
the busy marts of trade and from artificial life,
such spots as there are in eastern Pennsylvania,
where rural life still exists in its highest forms
— where nature's full blessings are well dis
pensed, where the green earth sends its incense
up, and where the human heart may find pleasure
in the sight of the noblest animals, whose con
tentment would shame the restless heart of man.
And, as a model of such a spot, one of the hand
somest adornments of the far-famed Chester
valley, is the beautiful and well appointed Eureka
Stock Farm of Edward Walter, in West Goshen
township, near West Chester, Pennsylvania.
Mr. Walter is a native of the county, born in
Kennett Square, May 4, 1840, a son of Town-
send Walter, an old and honored resident of

CHESTER ANP DELAWARE COUNTIES.

473

Chester county. He acquired an excellent liter
ary education in Wyer's Academy in West Ches
ter, and entered upon the active duties of life
in Lenape, Pocopson township, devoting his at
tention to the breeding and shipping of cattle.
In 1871 he removed to Kennett Square, where
he was similarly occupied for eight years, then
removing to Westtown, where he followed the
same pursuit. In these various changes he made
constant advancement, increasing his means, and
in 1886 he purchased the old Matlock homestead,
in West Goshen township, which he has made
famous as the Eureka Stock Farm.
Upon this handsome property, with its spa
cious expanse of rich meadow land, and contain
ing commodious barns and sheds cleanly enough
for human habitation, Mr. Walter has brought
the breeding and raising of high-grade domestic
animals to an unsurpassable degree of perfection.
His magnificently bred Jersey cattle are known
in all parts of the United States, and the writer
of this narrative has seen their product proudly
displayed in Ohio, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota and
Missouri. Among the heads of the present herd
is Othello Augerez Pogis, 50,978, whose sire and
dam were Drummer Angelo Pogis, 25,150, and
Augerez Fancy 3d, 38,227 — a splendid animal,
strong in St. Lambert blood, and others of Pedro
and Combination strains.
The sheepfolds are of equal merit, as is at
tested by the fact that among the customers of
Mr. Walter are those who have established herds
of their own from breeding stock purchased from
him nearly thirty years ago. Among his herds
are the Lincoln sheep, imported by him from
Lincolnshire, England, a strain universally known
as the wool sheep of the world. Of long-wool
breeds, they stand at the head, the product being
superior to all long-wool breeds in fineness and
weight of fleece, hardnes and vitality, clipping
sixteen pounds each on an average, and in some
instances, as much as twenty- to twenty-three
pounds. The imported bucks at the head of
the flock— Bourne, General, Colonel, Wilton,
Royal, Pat and Abe — are unsurpassable animals,
with weight of two hundred and eighty to three
hundred and fifty pounds each. Animals from
these flocks have taken the first premium over all
other long-wool breeds at the Chester County
Fair ever since Mr. Walter first exhibited them,
and have also taken first premium at the Penn
sylvania and other state fairs. Of Hampshire-
downs, Mr. Walter has a superb flock, and they
have proven the finest mutton sheep he ever bred.
The Shropshire flock is headed by the fine-breed
ing buck Highlander, 437, sired by a buck owned
by the Earl of Strathmore, in Scotland, and win
ner of the second prize at the Highland Show in
1883, and whose dam was bred by Henry Lovett,
the noted Shropshire breeder of England. High

lander had the high distinction of taking the first
prize at both the New York and Pennsylvania
State Fairs in 1885. The Shropshire ewes were
sired by Prince of Alontford, bred by Henry Lee
& Son, in Shropshire, England ; he was sired by
Royal Persevere, the winner at the Carlisle Royal
Agricultural Show in England, and which was
sold for four hundred and twenty dollars. In
addition to these flocks, Mr. Walter has a large
flock of the old standard Southdowns.
Mr. Walter's hog-pens contain fine specimens
of leading breeds. Various of his Chester Whites
trace directly to the boar and sow exhibited at
the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia in
1876. One of the sows, since beginning to far
row, has never failed to produce two litters a
year, and has farrowed eighty-five pigs, out of
which she lost only six. The pigs from these
pens have reached a weight of one hundred and
fifty to two hundred pounds at six months old,
and of three hundred and fifty to four hundred
pounds at ten months old. The Poland-Chinas
are bred from the best families in the country,
as are the Berkshires. The various breeds are
kept on different farms, ensuring absolute purity
of blood. As an adjunct to his sheep folds, Mr. Walter
has long made a specialty of the breeding of
Scotch Collie dogs, an animal of prime necessity
to the sheep owner: Of this breed he has three
pure bred registered stud dogs and sixteen sluts,
most of which are registered.
The poultry yards of the Eureka Stock Farm
are also objects of much interest. The turkey
yards contain the Bronze and White Holland,
both splendid birds. Of the duck family there
are the Imperial Pekin and the Rouen, and of
chickens the Light Brahmas, Dark Brahfnas,
American Rose Comb, Dominique, Plymouth
Rocks and Brown Leghorns.
To such busines as this Mr. Walter has de
voted his attention throughout his life. His use
fulness may be measured in some degree by the
success which has attended him. It need scarcely
be said that he has given himself to its conduct
in a high spirit of conscientiousness that stands
far above mere commercialism. He treats his
animals as familiar friends, whom he would send
out as useful servitors. Were a key to his char
acter needed, it would be found in his paramount
affection for his collie dogs — the most intelligent
as well as the most companionable of their kind,
"the rich man's guardian and the poor man's
friend" — in whose interest (unthinking what
praise it would bring him from an animal lover
like himself) , he devotes a page of his farm cata
logue to bespeak for them humane treatment and
careful training.
Possessed of a wide circle of friends in all
parts of the country, Mr. Walter is held in un-

474

CHESTER ANDV DELAWARE COUNTIES.

alloyed regard for his excellences of personal
character and his unimpeachable integrity. He
has long been a prominent member of the Pa
trons of Husbandry, affiliated with Brandywine
Grange, No. 60. He has frequently sat as a
delegate in the State Grange, and in that body,
as well as in others of agriculturists and stock
breeders, he has afforded largely to the aid of
the important interests represented by them. He
has at various times occupied nearly all the pub
lic township offices, in which he acquitted him
self with the same ability and integrity which
characte -izes him in his personal conduct. Mr.
Walter s a member of Kennett Square Lodge,
No. 475 F. & A. M. His political affiliations are
with th( Republican party.
Air. Walter was married, January 31, 1866,
to Miss Ellen R. Baker, daughter of Stephen and
Louisa (Sharp) Baker, a granddaughter of the
late well known Judge Sharp. The following
children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Walter: 1.
A. Louise, born February 23, 1867, who became
the wife of A. Elwin Strode, and to whom were
born : Ellen Elizabeth, born June 18, 1893 ;
Phebe Louisa, June 1, 1901. 2. Horace T. Walter,
born August 3, 1868, and who is associated in
business "with his father. 3. Anna M. Walter,
born Septertiber 27, 1873. 4- Lenora B. Walter,
born October 4, 1875. The mother, a devoted
wife and mother, after giving careful rearing to
the children named, died so recently as December
16, 1902, widely mourned in the neighborhood
for her amiability of character and kindness of-
disposition.

WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON DAVIS,
whose connection with the agricultural interests
of East Bradford township, Chester county, has
been both profitable and honorable, is a descend
ant of a family who have long been prominently
identified with the farming interests of the_ county.
Jesse Davis, great-grandfather of William H.
H. Davis, was reared in this neighborhood and
was about twelve years of age when the battle
of Brandywine, one of the prominent battles of
the Revolutionary war, was fought. His son,
Samuel Davis, grandfather of William H. H.
Davis, was united in marriage to Sarah Davies,
and was one of the prominent and successful citi
zens of Chester county.
Benjamin Davis, father of William H. H.
Davis, was born on the old Davis homestead in
West Bradford township, February 20, 1822,
and his educational advantages were obtained in
the common schools of the vicinity. Subsequently
he settled on the home farm and manifested great
care and industry in the cultivation and improve
ment of his land. ATr. Davis always gave his
support to the Democratic party, and was a faith

ful and consistent member of the Society of
Friends ; his wife was a member of the Presby
terian church. He was united in marriage to
Rachel B. Rogers, daughter of William Rogers.
Their children were : Samuel AL, of West Ches
ter ; Sarah J., wife of William Hughes, of West
Chester; William H. H.; Ruth A., wife of El
wood Woodward, of Coatesville; Thomas J., of
Downington ; Frank, of Downington, and Mat
thew R., of Kennett Square.
William H. H. Davis was born in West Brad
ford township, Chester county, Pennsylvania,
September 29, 1850, and his literary education
was obtained in the public schools of his native
town and in the Downington Academy. After
completing his studies he learned the machinist's
trade, serving nearly five years as an apprentice,
and the following six years he worked as a jour
neyman machinist in various cities in the western
section of the United States. He acted in the
capacity of machinist for the Wilmington &
Northern Railroad at Coatesville for three years,
but seeing a more advantageous opening in the
farming industry, in the spring of 1878 he pur
chased and settled on the old Jefferis farm in East
Bradford township, which consists of one hun
dred and nine acres of finely improved land, and
has ever since directed his energies with a cer
tain degree of success in that line of work. In
his entire business course he has ever been hon
orable and reliable, and his success is the well
merited reward of his own efforts. In his politi
cal preferences Mr. Davis is a Democrat, his
judgment sanctioning his principles and policies.
On September 2, 1874, Mr. Davis married
Miss Ruth H. Young, daughter of Milton Young,
of West Bradford township, and granddaughter
of James Young. Their children are: Ruth,
who received her education in the West Chester
Normal School, and is now engaged as a teacher
in Downington ; Rachel B., educated at the Nor
mal School at West Chester, and now employed
in teaching school at West Goshen; Milton Y.,
and Benjamin M. Davis. Mr. Davis and his fam
ily are earnest and active members of the. Presby
terian church of West Chester.

ELLWOOD M. WORRELL, proprietor of
the Strode Mill in East Bradford township, Ches
ter county, Pennsylvania, and a leading business
man, was born in Upper Providence, Delaware
county, Pennsylvania, April 30, 1842, the son of
Joseph W. Worrell, who was born in Upper
Providence township in 1817, and followed the
occupation of farming in that vicinity all his life.
He was united in marriage to Miss Catherine S.
Palmer, and nine children were born to them,
namely : A. Palmer, deceased ; Ellwood M.,
Mary Ann ; Leedon, deceased ; Rebecca, deceased ;

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

475

Albert B. ; John G. ; Sarah P. ; and Frank Wor
rell. The father of these children died in 1900,
survived by his widow, who resides at the present
time in Media, Pennsylvania. Mr. Worrell was
a son of Joseph W. Worrell.
Elwood M. Worrell's boyhood was spent in
attending the villiage school and assisting his fa
ther in the work upon the home farm, where he re
sided until he reached his majority. He then
went to Glen Mills, and began his business career
by learning the milling business with his brother,
A. Palmer Worrell, with whom he remained two
and a half years. After the expiration of this
period of time he went to Chicago, Illinois, but
soon returning to his native state, he rented the
Lewis Palmer Mill at Media, which he conducted
for two and a half years. Disposing of this busi
ness, Mr. Worrell then purchased the Jesse Brook
Mill property at Radnor, and after operating this
for one year and three months he sold the plant
to his father, and on May 14, 1893, purchased the
Strode Mill in East Bradford township, which he
has continued to operate up to the present time
(1903). Mr. Worrell is a man of superior intel
ligence, keen discrimination and sound business
acumen, and his success in the commercial field
is the logical result of carefully applied industry
and laudable ambitions. In his political affiliations
he is a Republican, and has been an earnest advo
cate of all measures which have contributed to
the general good and promoted the material and
moral welfare of the community in which he re
sides. On May 25, 1871, Mr. Worrell married Sarah
J. Worrell, widow of his brother, A. Palmer Wor
rell, and daughter of James and Mary (Litle)
Dick. She had three children by her first mar
riage, Addie, wife of Frank B. Strode; Laura,
wife of B. R. Shaner, and Palmer, deceased. Mr.
and Mrs. Worrell are the parents of three chil
dren, namely: Kate, wife of Edwin Rulon, of
Camden county, New Jersey; Joseph W., asso^
ciated with his father in business, and Ethel
Worrell.

CHARLES WILSON ROBERTS, deceased,
a veteran of the Civil war and for many years
an important factor in the industrial and educa
tional affairs of East Bradford, Pennsylvania,
was born in East Goshen township, Chester
county, in 1838. He was a descendant of Robert
Roberts, who came to this country from Wales
during the latter part of the seventeenth century,
and was the father of two sons, Robert and
David, the latter named being the progenitor
of the branch of the family to which Charles
W. Roberts belonged.
Robert Roberts, son of David Roberts, and
grandfather of Charles W. Roberts, was born on

the old Roberts estate in Alontgomery county,
Pennsylvania. He married Sarah Pratt, daugh
ter of Abraham and Sarah (Williamson) Pratt,
and their children were : George W., who died
young; Sarah, who married Curlis Hoopes, of
West Goshen township, and Pratt Roberts.
Pratt Roberts, father of Charles W. Roberts,
was born in East Goshen township, Chester
county, in 1805, reared by his grandparents,
Abraham and Sarah Pratt, and educated at a
private school at Sugartown, Willistown town
ship. Later he became one of the representative
citizens of East Goshen, Chester county, where
the greater part of his life was spent. Mr. Rob
erts was united in marriage in Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania, in 1829, to Miss Ann Wilson, who
was born in 1804, a daughter of Charles and
Ruth (Taylor) Wilson, the former named hav
ing come to the United States from Ireland,
where he was registered as an Irish Gentleman.
Their children were: Henrietta, who died in
early childhood ; Josephine, died at an early age ;
Ada, who died in infancy ; George W. ; Charles
Wilson Roberts, and George W., born in 1833,
graduated from Yale College and at the break
ing out of the Civil war was commissioned as
colonel of the Forty-second Regiment, Illinois
Volunteer Infantry, but acted in the capacity of
brigadier-general from the beginning, and his
commission to that office was in transmission to
him at the time he was killed at the battle of
Stone River, in 1862.
Charles W. Roberts acquired his early edu
cation in the public schools of West Chester, and
this was supplemented by a thorough course in
the Delaware State College, from which insti
tution he was graduated. During the progress
of the Civil war he enlisted as lieutenant in Com
pany A, One Hundred and Twenty-fourth Regi
ment, Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, shortly
-afterwards was promoted to the rank of captain
and subsequently was assigned to duty as aide-
de-camp, and he served in this capacity until his
term of enlistment expired. After his return
from the service of his country he settled on the
old historic farm in East Bradford, and devoted
his entire attention to agricultural pursuits and
the importing of Holstein cattle. He was the
owner of three large farms, and by his judicious
and careful management was enabled to acquire
a competence worthy of the labor that was be
stowed upon them. Mr. Roberts was a prominent
and influential citizen of West Chester, was a
member of the Board of Trade, a trustee of the
Pennsylvania State College, having taken an ac
tive part in the building of the institution ; a
trustee of the Delaware State College, and a
trustee of the State Normal School at West Ches
ter. He was prominently identified with the
Masonic order and the Independent Order of

476

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

Odd Fellows, and was an active member of the
Patrons of Husbandry. He, was also a loyal and
consistent member of the Society of Friends, and
did all in his power for the promotion of Chris
tian principles among his fellow men.
In 1864 Mr. Roberts married Miss Mary E.
Miller, a daughter of John and Hannah (Adoore)
Miller. She was born in Upper Providence,
Delaware county, in 1843, and their children are:
George Williamson, born in 1865, and Josephine,
born in 1871, both of whom reside on the old
homestead in Goshen township, Pennsylvania.
Mr. Miller, father of Airs. Roberts, was born in
Upper Providence township, Delaware county,
in October, 1799. Upon attaining young man
hood he settled on a farm which had formerly
been owned by his great-grandfather, and which
has been in the possesison of the family - ever
since. He was prominently identified with the
political affairs of the town, and was an active
member of the 'Society of Friends. In October,
1836, he married Hannah Moore, born in 1802,
a daughter of William and Mary (Massey)
Moore, of Springfield township. William Moore
was the son of William and Mary Moore; Will-
jam was the son of Philip Moore, and he in turn
was the son of Charles Moore, the progenitor
of the American branch of the family. Mr. Mil
ler died in December, 1855, and his wife died
December 23, 1890.

JOSEPH R. STRICKLAND. The marked
business and executive ability of Joseph R.
Strickland enables him to fill a responsible and
important position in the commercial circles of
the borough of Oxford, Chester county, Penn
sylvania, and his bravery and loyalty enabled him
to win fame and honor in the military history
of our country. He was born in Lower Oxford
township, Chester county, Pennsylvania, August
7, 1845, a son of John and Ann Sterritt (Ruther
ford) Strickland.
The progenitor of the American branch of
the Strickland family was Joseph Strickland
(grandfather), who was born in Wakefield town
ship, Bucks county, Pennsylvania, July 2, 1767.
He was a farmer by occupation and was known
as a man of excellent probity of character; he
removed from his native county and settled in
Londonderry township, Chester county, where
he purchased in 1818 a tract of land consisting
of thirty-six acres from the James Cochran es
tate, whereon he conducted extensive operations
up to the time of his decease. He married Han
nah Tomlinson, who was born in 1767, in Wake
field township, Bucks county, Pennsylvania,
where her mother, Margaret Tomlinson, was for
many years a prominent preacher among the

Society of Friends. Their, children were: 1.
Joseph, born January 19, 1791, married Sarah
Ortlip; 2. Amos, born September 23, 1793, mar
ried , Margaret Cochran ; 3. John, mentioned
hereinafter; 4/ William, born March 19, 1799,
married for his first wife Maria Anderson and
for his second wife Jane Wilson; 5. Phebe Van
Sant, born September 9, 1801, became the wife
of John Cochran ; 6. Margaret C, born  ¦
 , became the wife of  Falls ; 7.
Hannah Tomlinson, born September 15, 1807,
who became the wife of Joseph Smith Riale.
Both Mr. and Airs. Strickland lived in conform
ity to the customs of the Society of Friends.
Their deaths occurred respectively October 5,
1826, and February 8, 1838, and their remains
are interred at Faggs Manor, Chester county,
Pennsylvania. John Strickland (father) was born in Wake
field township, Bucks county, Pennsylvania, Sep
tember 10, 1796. He was educated in the schools
of the neighborhood, and accompanied his par
ents on their removal to Londonderry township,
Chester county, where he engaged in farming
pursuits. After the death of his father he pur
chased the home farm and resided thereon until
1839, when he removed to Lower Oxford town
ship, purchased a farm, and spent the remaining
years of his life. He was energetic and success
ful in the management of his business affairs,
and was esteemed by all who had the honor of
his acquaintance. In January, 1822, he was
united in marriage to Ann Sterritt Rutherford,
a daughter of Robert and Hannah (Sterritt)
Rutherford, and they -were the parents of the
following named children : 1. Hannah Elizabeth,
born September 20, 1822, became the wife of
William Dance ; 2. Margaret Ann, born Septem
ber 22, 1824, became the wife of Edward Barry;
3. John Rutherford, born January 3, 1827, mar
ried Sarah Emma Smith; 4. Phcebe, born July
27, 1829, became the wife of Joseph W. Wilson;
5. Sarah Maria, born July 25, 1831, became' the
wife of Thomas Johnson; 6. James, born July
23, 1833, married Mary Ann' Smith ; 7. Anna
Hayes, born January 3, 1836, became the wife of
Thomas Mahan ; 8. David Hayes, born December
4, 1838, married for his first wife Letitia Patter
son and for his second wife Emma Gunnison ; 9.
William Van Sant, born February 8, 1840, mar
ried Maria  ; 10. Joseph R., born May
8, 1842, died Alay 11, 1844; 11. Joseph R. (2),
mentioned hereinafter. John Strickland, father
of these children, died June 16, 1879, and his wife
Ann S. Strickland, passed away July 25, 1850
The former was buried at Oxford, Chester coun
ty, and the latter at Faggs Alanor, Pennsylvania.
Joseph R. Strickland attended the common
¦schools of Lower Oxford township, Hopewell
Academy, and in the class of 1862 completed his

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

477

studies at Oxford Academy. When the United
States was engaged in the Civil war and required
the services. of her loyal sons, Mr. Strickland,
then a youth of seventeen years, enlisted in Com
pany I, One Hundred and Twenty-fourth Regi
ment, Pennsylvania Volunteers, which was com
manded by Captain Hinkson, of West Chester,
Pennsylvania. The regiment participated in the
battles of Antietam and Chancellorsville, and
other engagements, and was mustered out of the
government service in May, 1863. He re-enlisted
in the Forty-third Regiment, Pennsylvania Vol
unteers, and by meritorious and faithful conduct
was promoted to the rank of first lieutenant in
a company of which his brother, William V.
Strickland, was captain. The work of the regi
ment was mostly confined to garrison duty, and
they were mustered out of service in 1864. In
the fall of the same year he re-enlisted in the
Eighty-eighth Regiment, Pennsylvania Volun
teers, and served with them until Petersburg was
taken, and while in the performance of his duties
at that engagement was severely wounded. He
was sent to Jarvis- Hospital, Baltimore, in order
to obtain the proper treatment and upon his re
covery was detailed as clerk to the chief sur
geon, in which capacity he served until the close
of the war. For a number of years subsequent
to his return from the war he engaged in a gen
eral merchandise business at Hayesville and
in the- borough of Oxford; later, he accepted
a position as clerk in an extensive estab-
ment in the city of Philadelphia, where he re
mained for a long period of time, and he is now
conducting a successful -market business in Ox
ford and Philadelphia. He is a thoroughgoing
and practical man of affairs, and prompt and re
liable in all his transactions. He has held the
office of school director, served one term in the
borough council, was secretary to the board of
health for seven years, and at the present time
(1903) is still secretary of the Oxford board of
health. Politically he is a Democrat, and fra
ternally he is affiliated with the Grand. Army of
the Republic, and Pennsylvania Council, No. 342,
of the Royal Arcanum.
Mr. Strickland was married, October 16,
1866, to Margaret Ann Sloan, a daughter of
Hugh and Margaret (AlcCoy) Sloan, of Wash
ington county, Pennsylvania. The children are:
1. Mary Lorena, born at Hayesville, Chester
county, now engaged in teaching school; 2.
Harry Van Sant, born at Oxford, married Carrie
B. Groff, and they are the parents of two chil
dren — Alildred Groff and Dorothy Graham
Strickland; 3. Alargaret Vinetta; 4. Bessie Gra
ham, 5. Helen Rutherford. Mr. and Mrs. Strick
land and their daughters are active and consistent
members of the Oxford Presbyterian church.

DAVID A1ACKEY, AL D. The Alackey fam
ily of which David Mackey, of Elk township,
Chester county, is a representative in the present
generation, originated in Cecil county, Alaryland,
where was born John Mackey, great-grandfather
of John Alackey. The John Alackey first named
was educated in the common schools of his na
tive county, and was a farmer throughout his
life. He married Elizabeth Hodgson, and their
children were : John, Jr., who married Cather
ine Andrew ; Eliza, who married John Pitt ;
Martha, who married William Sherer ; Mary,
who died single ; and David.
David Mackey was born on the parental farm
in Cecil county, Maryland, in 181 1, and died in
1864. He was educated in the common schools',
and was a farmer who afterwards operated a
grist mill. He moved to Franklin township,
Chester county, Pennsylvania, where he married
Emma Perry, who died in 1844, and of this
union were born the following children : John
B. Mackey and Elizabeth.
John B. Mackey, oldest child of David and
Emma (Perry) Mackey, was born in Franklin
township, Chester county, in 1838. He was edu
cated in the common schools and Hopewell
Academy, and engaged in farming on the fine
farm tract upon which he now resides. He has
borne a full share of public duties, having served
as school director, auditor and supervisor. He
and his family attend the Presbyterian church,
and his political affiliations are with the Demo
cratic party. In i860 he married Mary T. Scott,
born in 1839, a daughter of Thomas and Mary
Scott, her father being a farmer of Franklin
township. The children of this marriage were:
Ada E., who married Samuel G. Bye, and to them
were born three children ; Mary T., who married
George H. Pierce, and to whom were born two
children ; Thomas T., who married Laura Scot-
ten, and to whom were born two children ; Helen
and Emma L., who are single, and David.
Dr. David Mackey, son of John B. and Mary
T. (Scott) Mackey, was born at the old family
homestead in Franklin township, in October,
1865. He received an excellent education in the
public schools and in the West Chester State
Normal School, where he completed what was
equivalent to a liberal academical course. He
then entered the Medical Department of the Uni
versity of Pennsylvania at Philadelphia, from
which he was graduated in 1888. He practiced
his profession for two years in Delaware, and
then removed to his present home in Elk town
ship, Chester county, Pennsylvania, where he
has built up an excellent practice, and where he
is known as a most capable and conscientious
practitioner. He is a member of various profes
sional societies, of the Association of the Alumni

478

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

of the University of Pennsylvania, and of the
Order of Modern Woodmen. In religion he is
a Presbyterian and a Democrat in politics.
Dr. Alackey was married, in 1893, to Miss
Emma Levis, a daughter of Joseph K. and Anna
M. Levis, of Cecil county, Maryland. Three chil
dren have been born of this marriage — David L.,
Barton H. and Emma L. Mackey.

HENRY CLAY GREENFIELD, justice of
the peace for the town of Kimblesville, Franklin
township, and a man whose successful career in
business has been characterized by abundant
energy and sound judgment, was born in Frank
lin township, Chester county, Pennsylvania, Au
gust 8, 1834.
Aaron Greenfield, grandfather of Henry C.
Greenfield, was a prominent and respected citiz-
zen of Franklin township, Chester county, a
farmer by occupation, and an upright, conscien
tious man who performed all the duties of hus
band, father and citizen in a highly commenda
ble manner. He married Elizabeth Swayne, a
native of New Garden township, Chester county,
Pennsylvania, and among the children born to
them was a son, Jesse Greenfield.
Jesse Greenfield, father of Henry C. Green
field, was born in London township, Chester
county, Pennsylvania. His educational ad
vantages were those afforded by the common
schools of the day, after which he learned the
trade of stone mason, and this proved a profita
ble means of livelihood for many years. Later
he engaged in the contracting business, and se
cured many of the large contracts for the Balti
more & Ohio Railroad and the Pennsylvania
Railroad. He was the owner of a farm in Frank
lin township, which he cultivated and improved,
and on which he resided at the time of his death,
he being then only forty years of age. He was
a member of the Society of Friends, and also
of the Order of Free and Accepted Masons. Mr.
Greenfield was married twice, his second mar
riage was to Ellen Thompson, daughter of Will
iam Thompson, of Frederick county, Maryland.
Their children were : Anna E., deceased ; Henry
Clay, mentioned at length hereinafter; Ellen, de
ceased ; Anna, wife of Henry Willard ; Ellen, de
ceased, who was the wife of Peter L. Quette.
The mother of these children died at the age of
seventy-three years.
Henry C. Greenfield, only son of Jesse and
Ellen Greenfield, received an excellent English
education at the Thomas P. Conard boarding
school at London Grove and the Unionville Acad
emy at Unionville. The three years following the
completion of his studies he served in the capac
ity of school teacher, and afterwards was em
ployed as a brakeman and conductor on the Bal

timore & Ohio Railroad. He was also largely
interested in agricultural pursuits and an exten
sive dealer in cattle, both of which enterprises
proved successful and remunerative. Politically,
Mr. Greenfield adheres to the gold standard ele
ment of the Democratic party. He has served
his township as school director, and at the pres
ent time (1903) is serving his fifth term as
justice of the peace, having been the incumbent
of that office for twenty-two years. He is an
honored member of the Society of Friends. Mr.
Greenfield has resided for many years in the vil
lage of Kimblesville, where he is regarded as one
of the leading and substantial citizens.
Mr. Greenfield married, December 13, 1855,
Margaret Phillip, born in London Grove town
ship, Chester county, May, 16, 1835, daughter of
Thomas and Edith (Chandler) Phillip. They are
the parents of one child, Ida Margaret, born in
London Grove, Chester county, Pennsylvania,
November 10, 1856 ; she is now the wife of Albert
G. Negley and they reside in Plainfield, New,
Jersey.

HON. H. F. RALSTON, a progressive and
prosperous agriculturist of Matthews, Chester
county, Pennsylvania, who has gained a reputa
tion as a man of energy, enterprise and thorough-
business experience, traces his ancestry to John
Ralston, a native of the northern section of Ire
land, who was an active participant in the battle
of Boyne Water, under King William, July 1,
1690. In 1728 John Ralston, accompanied by his
son, Robert Ralston, who was born in Ireland
October 3, 1722, emigrated to America and set
tled in Pikeland, now West Pikeland township,
Chester comity. Robert Ralston became a promi
nent factor in the political affairs of the county,
served several years as a member of the state
legislature, and died at his home in Pikeland
township February 19, 1814.
Hon. John Ralston, son of Robert Ralston,
was born in Vincent, now West Vincent town
ship, Chester county, November 4, 1744. At the
commencement of the Revolutionary war he en
listed his services in the Continental army, and
served first in the capacity of captain, and later as
colonel of a regiment. At the time of the removal
of General Washington and his army from his
headquarters at Yellow Springs to Reading,
General Washington sent for Captain Ralston,
who was at home on a furlough, and requested
him to pilot the command part of the way, which
he accordingly did, as far the falls of French
creek, when they procured another pilot and Cap-
ton Ralston was free to return home. During the
many years that the struggle between England
and America existed, Captain Ralston's house
was burned by the British scouts and he was three

Jti* z?! /Zc^tdJ^yx^O

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

479

times compelled to secrete himself in a barn to
avoid being captured by the enemy. His political
affiliations were Democratic, and for forty-one
years he faithfully and conscientiously performed
the duties of the office of justice of the peace.
In November, 1784, he was appointed a member
of the county court and continuously occupied
that position until the constitution of 1790 went
into effect. On August 26, 1791, he was again
commissioned a justice of the peace by Governor
Mifflin, and on April 7, 1802, he was appointed
an associate judge of the courts of Chester
county, performing the duties of said office dur
ing the last twenty-three years of his life ; he was
appointed to fill this high and important position
by Governor McKean.
Hon. John Ralston was united in marriage to
Catharine Miller, and they became the parents of
five sons and two daughters — Robert, William,
John, James, Mary, Catharine and George. Mr.
Ralston died at his home in West Vincent town
ship, Chester county, September. 1, 1825, aged
eighty years, and his remains were interred at
St. Peter's church in Chester Valley.
Robert Ralston, eldest son of Hon. John
and Catharine Ralston, was born on the an
cestral estate in West Vincent township,
Chester county, April 19, 1778. He received
the educational advantages that were afforded
by the common schools of the day, and upon
reaching man's estate chose the occupation
of farming, which he continued throughout his
active career and proved a profitable means of
livelihood. In addition to this industry he en
gaged in distilling and in various other enter
prises, which added considerably to his income.
He was a loyal adherent of the principles of the
Democratic party, and gave an active support
to the candidates and measures advocated by that
body. Mr. Ralston married Catharine Christ-
man, a daughter of George Christman, a promi
nent resident of Pikeland, and the following
named children were born to them : George,
John, Robert, William, Elizabeth, Mariah,
Sophia, and Catharine Ralston.
William Ralston, son of Robert and Cathar
ine Ralston, is a native of West Vincent township,
Chester county, where he was born August 20,
1820. He was reared to manhood on the home
farm, attended the public schools of the neighbor
hood, where he obtained a practical education,
and subsequently turned his attention to agricul
tural pursuits. He is the owner a two-hundred-
and-fifty-acre farm, the majority of which is un
der cultivation, and during the many years of
his management of this estate he met with re
markable success. The buildings on his farm
. are substantial and commodious, and his broad
acres attest what results can be accomplished
by intelligent labor and improved methods. Since
31 X

attaining his majority Mr. Ralston has always
cast his vote with the Democratic party. He is
an excellent farmer, a reliable citizen, and a man
who has gained and retained the utmost respect
of the community.
On January 16, 185 1, occurred the marriage
of William Ralston and Sarah Mosteller, who
was born January 18, 1826, a daughter of Henry
Mosteller, a prosperous farmer of West Vincent
township, Chester county. Their children are:
1. Hon. H. F., mentioned hereinafter. 2. Annie,
wife of Clifford Emery, who is engaged in agri
cultural pursuits in West Vincent township.
3. William E., who resides at home and operates
the feed and saw mill owned by his father. Mrs.
Sarah (Mosteller) Ralston died March 14, 1896,
and was interred in St. Andrew's cemetery, West
Vincent township.
Hon. H. F. Ralston was born January 18,
1853, and after early instruction in the public
schools of his township, he attended for two
terms the Edgefield Academy, of Upper Uwchlan
township, taught by Abraham Fetters, now de
ceased. He then returned to his father's farm,
'which he has managed for twenty-eight years
with conspicuous success. He raises a general
line of crops, in addition to which the farm sup
ports a dairy herd of forty cows. Philadelphia
furnishes a ready market for his dairy products,
and the beef from his stall-fed cattle has a repu
tation with the best dealers of the city. Mr.
Ralston is a significant factor in public issues,
and is looked to as a leader by the Democrats in
his locality. He represented his township on the
county committee for twelve consecutive years,
and was a member of the state legislature of
1899-1900, being elected on a fusion ticket, and
being, probably, the only Democrat to represent
the northern district of Chester county in the
legislature for the past fifty years. He has been
township auditor and inspector for several terms,
and has also served for a number of years on the
school board, being president during nearly the
whole period of his membership. For the past
eleven years he has been a director of the Far
mers' and Mechanics' National Bank of Phcenix-
ville, and is a trustee and treasurer of the St.
Matthews' Reformed church, of which he is an
active member.
Air. Ralston was married December 15, 1874,
to Ella Paul, a daughter of Jacob and Mary
(King) Paul, natives and lifelong residents of
Chester county. Mrs. Ralston was born Septem
ber 21, 1854, and five children have been born to
her, namely: Mary, born April 29, 1876, who
is now the wife of B. Frank Hoffman and the
mother of one child, and lives iri Upper Uwchlan
township; Sarah Edna, born May 16, 1877, is
unmarried and lives at home; J. Bayard, born
April 8, 1879, deceased; George Harold, borm

^4§o

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

, March 20, 1881, assists in the management of
the farm ; Willie C, born September 22, 1887,
iis attending school in West Vincent township.
-All the family with the exception of the youngest
son, are members of St. Matthews Reformed
- ^.church. Air. Ralston is recognized as one of the
. most successful and intelligent farmers in the
county, and one who raises the standard of his
. calling. In every relation of life he has mani-
; tested the personal qualities and the adaptability
that make a man trusted and valued by his asso
ciates.

JEROME BETHEL GRAY, deceased, was
the eighth in line of descent from John Gray, the
„ original pilgrim of this branch of the Gray family,
who came to the United States from England,
where he had served in the British navy, lost an
arm in the service of his country, and was a
1 pensioner on half pay. His son, John Gray (2),
: was born in the eastern portion of New England
about the year 1680, and on April 28, 1704, was
united in marriage to Ruth Hebbard.
John Gray (3), son of John and Ruth (Heb
bard) Gray, was born in Beverly, Alassachusetts,
May 17, 1707, and after acquiring an education
in the common schools of the neighborhood fol
lowed the occupation of farming. In 1755 he
- became a member of Captain William's company
. and served in defense of the frontier settlements
at Fort Massachusetts, Pittsfield, Berkshire coun
ty, Massachusetts. He was twice married, being
united to his first wife, Anne Hebbard, at Wind
ham, Connecticut, February 26, 1728. Her death
occurred May 28, 1746. Mr. Gray married for
his second wife Catherine Gardner, widow of one
Gardner. He died in 1761.
Joseph Gray (4), son of John and Anne (Heb-
i bard) Gray, was born in Windham, Connecticut,
June 12, 1732, and his educational advantages
were those which were afforded in the common
¦schools of that period. Plis death occurred March
29, 1796, in Greene, Chenango county, New York,
. and he left surviving him two sons, Jeduthan and
Amos Gray.
Jeduthan Gray (5), son of Joseph Gray, was
horn in 1756, acquired a common school educa
tion, and subsequently enlisted in the Revolution-
, ary army. He served in the capacity of sergeant
in Captain Wheeler's company, Colonel Hopkins
New York Regiment, and was honorably men
tioned for the courage and bravery he displayed
at the battle fought near Fort Independence, in
, the vicinity of Peekskill, New York, in 1777- In
. later years he became prominent as an. elder and
, preacher in the Baptist denomination, doing all in
; his power to promote the cause of righteousness
: and Christianity in his community. He was
1 united in .marriage September. 14, 1779, at Sha

ron, Connecticut, to Anna Warren, the ceremony
being performed by the Rev. Cotton Alather
Smith. Bethel Gray (6), son of Jeduthan and Anna
(Warren) Gray, was born in Great Barrington,
Massachusetts, January 24, 1787, attended the
common schools, where he obtained a practical
education, and upon attaining young manhood
removed to Chenango county, New York, and
later to Broome county, New York. He was a
man of strict integrity and many noble traits of
character, and his advice and counsel on various
subjects was often sought and followed by his
friends and neighbors. On May 24, 181 1, Mr.
Gray married Cornelia Carter, who was born
January 22, 1794, and died July 7, 1869, having
survived her husband a few years, his death hav
ing occurred February 4, 1866.
Hiram T. Gray (7), son of Bethel and Cor
nelia (Carter) Gray, was born January 21, 1818,
and was a student in the common schools of his
native county. Subsequently he became promi
nently identified with the industrial and social
interests of the town of Jersey Shore, Pennsylva
nia, where his marriage to Susanna Minsker
occurred October 1, 1843.
Jerome Bethel Gray (8), son of Hiram T. and
Susanna (Minsker) Gray, was born at Jersey
Shore, Pennsylvania, September 27, 1848. His
preliminary education was acquired in the public
schools of his native town, and this was supple
mented by a course at the West. Chester Academy,
which was then under the personal supervision of
William F. Wyers. From 1872 to 1875 he was
engaged in the lumber business in Youngwomans-
town and later at Williamsport, Pennsylvania, and
in the latter year removed to West Chester and
purchased an interest in the firm of Hoopes
Bros. & Darlington, spoke and wheel manufact
urers, of which he was treasurer for many years.
Later he became interested in the manufacture of
steam traps, in Philadelphia, and up to the time
of his decease acted in the capacity of treasurer
for the William S. Haines company, of Phila
delphia, Pennsylvania. In his business life Mr.
Gray was energetic, successful and thorough-go
ing; he was a man of excellent literary attain
ments, possessed a wide range of general inform
ation, and was well informed on all current topics.
He was a Republican in politics, and was always
actively interested in local public affairs. He was
one of the early members of the Union League
Club of Philadelphia and of the Manufacturers
Club. He was also a member of the Academy of
Natural Sciences and of the Sons of the Revo
lution. Mr. Gray married at West Chester, Pennsyl
vania, February 6, 1873, Catharine Mary Darl
ington, who was born May 20, 1850, at West
Chester, a daughter of Hon. William and Cathar-

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

481

ine (Paxson) Darlington. Their children are:
Norman Darlington (9), born May 16, 1874, Isa
bella, born May 1, 1879, died Alay 8, 1879;
Charles Paxson, born July 4, 1880, now an artist
residing in New York city ; and Bethel, born
April 5, 1885. Mr. Gray, father of these children,
died October 19, 1901, survived by his widow and
children. Norman Darlington Gray, eldest son of Jer
ome B. and Catharine D. Gray, was born at West
Chester, Pennsylvania, and his education was
acquired at the Friends' school at West Chester,
the Hill school at Pottstown, Cornell University,
and at the University of Pennsylvania. His first
business experience was as book reviewer on the
"Philadelphia Record," and at the present time
(1903) he holds the position of First Assistant
State Librarian at Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. On
May 10, 1898, he enlisted in Company I, Sixth
Pennsylvania Regmient, United States Volunteer
Infantry, and served during the entire period of
the Spanish-American war. He holds member
ship in the organization of the Sons of the Revo
lution. He is an enthusiastic collector of rare
books, and is much interested in literary mat
ters. He is a member of the Philobiblion Club
of Philadelphia, and of the Bibliophile Society
of Boston. Mr. Gray married, July 5, 1898, Alice Wills
Hoopes, who was born September 19, 1874, a
daughter of George Rand and Florence (Wills)
Hoopes, of West Chester. They are the parents
of one child, Jerome Bethel Gray 2d, who was
born at Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, July 18, 1899.

AMOS G. SCOTT, of Elk township, Chester
county, Pennsylvania, is a descendant of an old
family which originated in Cecil county, Mary
land, where his paternal grandfather, James
Scott, was born and reared. He was a farmer by
occupation. James, a son of James Scott last named, was
born on the family homestead in Maryland in
1812. He was educated in the common schools,
and when thirteen years old entered upon the
earning of his livelihood as a farmer, a pursuit
in which he has been successfully engaged to the
present time. He was held in high esteem in the
community, and was called to various local offices,
the duties of which he discharged with ability
and integrity. His wife was Alary Garrett, a
daughter of Thomas and Mary (Scott) Garrett,
of Cecil county, Maryland. She died in 1888,
having been the mother of the following named
children: 1. Edward F., who married Elizabeth
Wherry, to whom were born six children; 2.
Owen R., who married Sarah Brown, and to
whom were born two children; 3. Hannah E.,
who married David Dickey, and they were the

parents of three children ; 4. Margaret A., single ;
5. John D., who married Elizabeth Watson, and
to them were born two children ; 6. Jane, who
married James Dougherty, and to them were
born four children; 7. Gilbert B., who married
Ellen Gallagher, and they were the parents 0/
ten children; 8. Georgianna, who married John
Blest, and to them were born three children ; 9.
Amos G. Scott.
Amos G. Scott, son of James and Mary (Gar
rett) Scott, was born in Elk township, in 1850.
He was educated in the public schools, and for
thirty years was busily engaged as a wagoner,
During recent years he has led a retired life.
For nine years he acceptably discharged the im
portant duties of a school director. He and his
family attend the A'lethodist Episcopal church.
His political affiliations are with the Democratic
party ,and he is a member of the orders of Red
Men and Knights of Pythias.
Mr. Scott was married in 1880 to Aliss Lillie
Hughes, a daughter of Joseph and Martha (John
son) Hughes ; her father was a prosperous
farmer of Wilmington, Delaware. Of her mar
riage were born two children, Cora and James.

JOHN ANDREWS LINDECAA1P, actively
associated with the agricultural, political and soc
ial interests of Londonderry township, Chester
county, Pennsylvania, where he has made his
home since 1883, was born in Sadsbury township,
Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, February 16,
1848. John C. Lindecamp, father of John A. Linde-
camp, was born' on the old homestead in Sadsbury
township, and his educational advantages were
those afforded by the common schools of that day.
Upon attaining young manhood he" chose farming
as an occupation, and being energetic and perse
vering, these qualities contributed largely to his
success in life. In his political convictions Mr.
Lindecamp has always adhered to the principles
of 'the Republican party. He was united in mar
riage to Alargaret Rowensky, and six children
were the issue of this union : Lewis, who mar
ried Emma McLaughlin, and they were the par
ents of eight children. Anna E., wife of Samuel
Slaymaker ; they have a family of eight children.
John Andrews. George, who married Emeline
Witmer, and eight children were born to them,
one of whom is now deceased. Mary, wife of
Amos Graff, and mother of six children. Jacob
R., who married Belle Pinkerton; four children
have been the issue of this mariage, two of whom
died in infancy.
John A. Lindecamp, second son of John C.
and Margaret Lindecamp, was reared and attend
ed the common schools of Lancaster county, Penn
sylvania. His first business experience was

482

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

gained by working on his father's farm where he
continued his operations until 1883, when he re
moved to Londonderry township, Chester county,
and purchased what is known as the "Farr
Farm," which consists of thirty-two acres. He
has devoted his attention to general farming, and
being exceedingly energetic and practical, never
losing an opportunity for advantage, he realizes
good financial returns for his labors. He is deep
ly interested in the general welfare and improve
ment of- the township, in which he has served as
school director and supervisor, being chosen to
fill these offices by the supporters of the Republi
can party. Air. Lindecamp is a prominent mem
ber of the Junior Order of United American Me
chanics. In 1871 was solemnized the marriage of Mr.
Lindecamp and Elizabeth Fiester, who was born
in Sadsbury township, Lancaster county, Pennsyl
vania, in 1850. Their children are : 1. Newton,
died at twelve years of age. 2. Ada, wife of Isaac
Baker, and their children are : Earl, born in
1896, died in early life, and John Herman Baker,
born July 14, 190 1. 3. Clara E., wife of An-
gustus Speakman. 4. Grace E. 5. Harlan, and
two other children who died in infancy. The
family are attendants of the Presbyterian church
at Faggs Manor, to the support of which they
contribute liberally.

, DR. EDWARD J. HADFIELD, of Phcenix-
ville, Pennsylvania, is not one of the oldest or
one of the longest established physicians of the
place. But his life has been an eventful one, and
he has put into it an amount of effort, and drawn
from it a fund of experience that would stand
well to the account of a man twice his years.
He is of English descent, and comes of strong,
pioneering stock. His paternal grandfather came
to this country early in the nineteenth century,
when good agricultural lands were to be had for
the taking in the west, and settled in Wisconsin.
His son, the father of Dr. Hadfield, was also
engaged in farming, and had manufacturing in
terests as well.
The parents of Edward J. Hadfield died when
he was but a child. He was born at Oshkosh, Wis
consin, February 11, 1868, and when only six
teen years old came to Philadelphia. Here he
found employment as clerk in a drug store, arid
from the beginning he worked consistently for
his advancement. He obtained a degree from
the College of Pharmacy, Philadelphia, but he had
now become ambitious to take a medical course.
And to such good purpose did he apply himself
that he qualified for his degree and was graduated
from the Jefferson Medical College in 1890. He
opened an office in Philadelphia, but the strain
which he had put upon his health during his

preparatory work now began to tell seriously. He
was obliged to give up professional work for the
time being, and he left Philadelphia for good.
During the next seven years he went about in
various parts of the west, in search of health,
and with an eye to a permanent location. He
went first to Iowa, then spent a season in Col
orado Springs, and finally made his way to Cali
fornia. But he returned to Pennsylvania, and in
1897 took up his residence in Phcenixville, where
his professional skill has met with gratifying
recognition. He has identified himself with the
life of the town, is a member of the Masonic fra
ternity, and gives his political support to the
Republican party.
Dr. Hadfield married Miss Flaharty, of Lan
caster county, and has one son, Homer Hugo,

HENRY C. DARLINGTON. Among the
many families of prominence whose names are
inseparably connected and associated with the
history of Chester county, Pennsylvania, is the
Darlington family, many members of which have
occupied eminent social and political positions,
being public-spirited men of sterling probity and
integrity. The progenitors of the American
branch of the family were Abraham and John
Darlington, sons of Job and Mary Darlington, of
Darnhall, Cheshire, England, who emigrated to
America prior to 171 1, and settled near the town
of Chester, in what is now Delaware county.
Abel Darlington, father of Henry C. Darling
ton, was born in Westtown township, ' Chester
county, in 1817, this being also the birth place of
his father, Benedict Darlington, grandfather of
Henry C. Darlington, who after completing his
education in the common schools pursued the
occupation of farming. The boyhood and early
youth of Abel Darlington was spent in attending
the district school, where he obtained a practical
education , and assisting his father with the duties
of the home farm where he acquired a thorough
knowledge of that useful calling. Subsequently
he removed to Cecil county, Maryland, but after
a residence of five years in that section of the
country, during which time he followed agricul
tural pursuits, he returned to Chester county, set
tled in Londonderry township and there spent the
remainder of his days. In politics Mr. Darling
ton was a Republican, giving an earnest and ac
tive support to the candidates of that party, and
for many years he served his township in the ca
pacity of justice of the peace.
Mr. Darlington was twice married, his first
wife having been Mary Neilds, a daughter of
Cheney Neilds, a merchant of West Chester,
Pennsylvania. His second wife was Margaret
Burns, a daughter of William Burns, of Upper
Oxford, Chester county, Pennsylvania. The fol-

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

4»3

lowing named children were born to Mr. Darling
ton by his first wife : Rachel, wife of John Burns ;
four children have been born of this marriage.
Susan, wife of Caleb Pierce; they have a family
of four children. Angeline, wife of William
Pyle, and mother of two children. Hannah, wife
ot Jeremiah Underwood; they are the parents of
four children. Caroline, wife of Lindley Way,
and one child has been the issue of this marriage.
' Sarah, who died in infancy. Harriet, wife of
Maris Pierce, and mother of four children. Eva,
¦ died in early life. Josephine, wife of William
McCollough. Benedict, married Susan Lund,
and four children have been the issue of this un
ion. Otley, married Marion Coulter. Henry
C. Darlington. Henry C. Darlington, youngest child of Abel
and Mary Darlington, was born in Cecil county,
Maryland, in 1845. His preliminary education
was obtained at the common schools of the neigh
borhood, and later he was a student at the Un
ionville Academy in West Marlborough township,
where he completed his studies. He began his
business career as a farmer and, with the excep
tion of a few years when he conducted a coal
trade, he has followed' that line of industry up to
the present time (1903). In 1898 he purchased
his present home in Londonderry township, the
farm consisting of twelve acres of productive
land, and here he is enjoying the ease and com
fort of a retired life. In his political views Air.
Darlington is a Republican, and has been called
to a number of public positions by his fellow
townsmen, who recognized his worth and ability.
When the emergency call for troops was made
during the progress of the Civil war, Mr. Dar
lington was among the first to respond, and for
several months performed garrison duty.
In 1864 occurred the marriage of Mr. Dar
lington and Anna J. McCollough, born in Upper
Oxford township, Chester county, Pennsylvania,
in 1845, the daughter of the late John S. and
Maria (Hays) McCollough, the former named
having been engaged in farming pursuits in Up
per Oxford township. Two children were born
of this union, namely : William R., born in 1865,
married Minnie Feagley, and Mary N. Darling
ton, born in 1866. The family are earnest and con
sistent _ members of Fagg's Manor Presbyterian
Church, and in the locality where they reside they
have a large circle of friends and acquaintances.

JOHN P. BAKER. The ancestry of John
P. Baker, the present justice of the peace of
Londonderry township, Chester county, can be
traced back through three centuries to the first
of his name, John Baker, of Edgemont, who
came from Shropshire, England, early in the
seventeenth century and settled in the state of

Pennsylvania. His descendants were numerous,
intermarrying, and settling in the different town
ships and counties of the state, one of whom,
Aaron Baker, settled in Chester county, and who
is the progenitor of the family in that county.
The present John Baker, is of the fifth generation
of Bakers, many of whom have held high official
positions in the county and state, and whose ca
reers have been distinguished by a marked ability
and fitness for the important offices which they
have been called upon to fill. His great-great
grandfather, Samuel Baker, was the father of
Joseph Baker, his great-grandfather, who was
the father of Elijah Baker, his grandfather, the
father of Wilson Baker, of whom John P. Baker
is the son. Elijah Baker, the grandfather of
John P., was born in 1804, and married Sarah H.
Clayton, a descendant of the first of her name in
this country, William Clayton, who presided at
the first court held in Pensylvania under the pro
prietary government, and whose decease occurred
in 1869. Elijah Baker and Sarah (Clayton)
Baker, had issue as follows : 1. Isaac, born 1832 ;
he married Jennie Moulten, and they were the
parents of seven children; Chauncey, deceased;
Leslie, married Amy Hushner; Howard, de
ceased; Mary, Sarah, Stella and Clayton. 2.
Hannah, born in 1837 ; 3. Wilson, further named
below; 4. Mahlon (1), deceased; 5. Mahlon (2),
born in 1840, married Alice Underwood, and had
issue; Eva, Carrie. Avarilla, Viola, Oscar and
Ada and four children who died in childhood.
6. Annie M., born 1849.
Wilson Baker, third child and second son of
Elijah Baker, was born July 31, 1836, and
married Mary B. Pyle, a descendant of one
of the oldest and most distinguished families
among the Quakers of Chester county; a near
progenitor, Zeba Pyle, having been known
throughout the State of Pennsylvania as a man
of superior legal skill and profound learning in the
law, and who was for many years solicitor of the
Bank of Chester County, and a commissioner un
der the bankrupt law of 1841. Wilson Baker and
Mary ( Pyle) Baker were the parents of five child
ren; 1. Ida T., born March 17, 1862, who mar
ried Josephus N. Cox ; they have been the parents
of two children, S. Beatrice, born March 9, 1889,
and Olive, born December 2, 1896. 2. Gertrude
H., born November 25, 1863 ; 3. John P- further
named below; 4. Harry E., born April 19, 1869,
married Sarah Hutton, and had issue ; Roland
E., born July 9, 1897, and Francis A., born May
30, 1902.
John P. Baker, third child and eldest son of
Elijah and Mary (Pyle) Baker was born June
20, 1866, at the old Pyle homestead in London
derry township, was reared and educated there,
and has always been identified with the interests
of the township and county, and is an active

4»4

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

member of the order of Odd Fellows, and of the
Junior Order of the United American Alechanics.
Descended from a long line of able and distin
guished ancestors, and connected with the oldest
and most prominent families of the Quaker ele
ment in the state of Pennsylvania, Mr. John P.
Baker is eminently fitted to hold any public office
and trust to which, he might be further called,
having satisfactorily discharged the duties of the
numerous local offices he has heretofore so effic
iently held.
Air. Baker married Florence K. Hutton,
daughter of Evan and Katherine (Sipple) Hut
ton, of Lancaster county, Pennsylvania. Flor
ence K, was born in Kirkwood, Colerain town
ship, Lancaster county, but was reared and edu
cated in Chester county, and is a probable de
scendant of the Hutton family which settled in
New Garden early in the eighteenth century, the
progenitors of whom were Joseph and Nehemiah
Hutton, of Ireland.

WALTER M. CLARK, one of the represent
ative farmers and respected citizens of London
derry township, Chester county, Pennsylvania, is
a native of this township and the date of his birth
was May 28, 1865, he being a son of Joseph B.
and Martha Clark, and grandson of Jehu and
Ann Clark.
Joseph B. Clark, father of Walter M. Clark,
was born in Londonderry township, Chester
county, Pennsylvania, in 1830, the son of Jehu
and Ann (Edwards) Clark. Being thoroughly
qualified, both by a liberal education and years of
experience, to serve in the capacity of school
teacher, Mr. Clark followed that vocation for a
number of years previous to engaging in agricul
tural pursuits in the vicinity of his birthplace. He
was respected by all who knew him for his many
excellent qualities, his business honor, fidelity to
duty, and devotion to any cause which he advo
cated. In 185 1 he married Martha Keylor, a
daughter of Henry and Eliza (Swisher) Keylor
and seven children were the issue of this mar
riage. Henry K., who married May Hamill, and
they are the parents of three children ; 2. Harlan,
who married Elizabeth Mendenhall, and five
children were the issue of this union; 3. Jane AL,
wife of Elwood Wollaston; 4. Curtin, died in
early life ; 5. Elmer, died in childhood ; 6. Walter
M. ; 7. Oscar, who married Belle Criswell and
they are the parents of one child. Oscar died on
February 27, 1896 ; he was a physician at Russell-
ville. Joseph B. Clark, father of these children,
died December 12, 1887.
Walter M. Clark, during the early years of his
life, attended the public schools of Londonderry
township and the knowledge thus gained was
supplemented by a course of study at Fernwood

Academy. After completing his studies at the
latter named institution he decided to devote his
energies to one of the most important of all occu
pations, that of agriculture, and accordingly he
purchased a farm in the township of London
derry, which consists of seventy-five acres of rich
and fertile soil. The prosperous and thrifty ap
pearance of the entire premises indicate the care
ful and efficient supervision of a progressive and
capable agriculturist. His farm is stocked with
twelve head of well and carefully selected cattle.
Mr. Clark is a prominent member of the Knights
of Maccabees, in which organization he has al
ways taken a deep interest.
In 1895 Air. Clark married Elizabeth Cris
well a daughter of James and Caroline (Baily)
Criswell, and they are the parents of one child,
James B. Clark, born November 11, 1901.

GEORGE COATES. The Coates family of
Chester county, Pennsylvania, of which George
Coates is a worthy representative, have been noted
for their enterprise, energy and honesty in busi
ness, patriotic devotion to country, and fidelity
to every duty of public and private life.
The earliest ancestor of whom we have any
record was Thomas Coates, grandfather of
George Coates, a resident of Chester county,
Pennsylvania, where his marriage occurred and
where the following named children were born;
Warwick, who after the death of his first wife,
married Hannah Darlington; Levi; Richard;
George ; Dr. Joseph, who died in early manhood,
and Sarah, wife of Asa I. Walker.
Levi Coates, father of George Coates, and
second son in order of birth of the children born
to Thomas Coates, was a prominent and success
ful business man of Chester county, being en
gaged for many years in the pottery trade. In
1818 he purchased a large tract of land in Lon
donderry township, Chester county, where he
made his home for many years. Mr. Coates was
twice married, his first wife having been Mary
Truman, and the three children born of this union
are now all deceased. He chose for his second
wife, Ann Smith, and the following named child
ren were born to them: 1. Joseph, died in early
life; 2. Mary, deceased, was the wife of Dr.
Coates Preston; 3. Amos, married Sarah Peirce
and their children are: Anna, Mary, John, and
Irea Coates ; 4. James, married Lydia Ann More,
a daughter of Joseph Alore, and their children
are: Charles, died in early life, Virginia, died in
childhood, Leora, Cornelia, and Elizabeth Coates ;
5. Elizabeth ; 6. Ellen, wife of Isaac Jackson and
mother of two children, Laura and William E,
Jackson ; 7. George Coates.
George Coates, youngest son of Levi and Ann
(Smith) Coates, was born on the old homestead

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

485

in Chester county, Pennsylvania, October 2, 1830.
He was reared in the home in which he was born,
and acquired a practical education at the local
schools and at Blair Hall, Faggs Manor, after
which he began working upon his father's farm.
This property consists of one hundred and seven
teen acres, two acres having been added to it
since the original purchase was made in 1818.
Upon the death of his father George Coates in
herited this property, and his entire business ca
reer has been devoted to its cultivation and im
provement. His political affiliations are with the
Prohibition party, but he casts his vote for the
candidate who in his estimation is best qualified
to hold office. He has been the incumbent of sev
eral township offices, among them being that of
school director in which capacity he served for
nine years.
Mr. Coates was united in marriage to Sarah
B. Clark, who was born and reared in Highland
township, Chester county, Pennsylvania, and her
education was acquired at Martins Academy ; she
is a daughter of Joseph Clark, of Highland town
ship, Chester county, Pennsylvania. Their
children are : Charles S. ; William Lincoln ;
Mary, wife of Clarence Moore ; Joseph ; Mignon
ette, wife of Elwood Pusey, and Benjamin, who
married Nellie Whiteside, of Christiana, Lancas
ter county, Pennsylvania, and they are the par
ents of two children. Mr. Coates and his family
attend the meetings of the Society of Friends, in
which organization he holds a birthright mem
bership.

ENOS T. WICKERSHAM, one of the well
known farmers of Chester county, comes of the
Quaker stock which colonized the state of Penn
sylvania, and- largely determined its character and
history. His father, Isaac Wickersham, married
Julia Swayne, and they were the parents of the
following children: 1. Elizabeth, born Decem
ber 23, 1823, died April 8, 1840. 2. Jacob S.,
born October 29, 1825, married Elizabeth Worth,
had a son, Howard, who is now deceased, and a
daughter, Belle, and died in 1876. 3. Philena S.,
born October 6, 1828. 4. Rebecca C, born Feb
ruary 3, 1831, married John Green, and, among
other children, had the following: Elizabeth,
Lilian, Anna, and Howard Green. 5. Enos T.,
mentioned at length hereinafter. 6. Isaac, born
September 26, 1836, went to California. He mar
ried Sallie Baker, and had two children ; Howard
and Elizabeth.
Enos T. Wickersham, son of Isaac and Julia
(Swayne) Wickersham, was born March 28,
x833, in Newlin township, and attended the local
schools of his birthplace. He was also a pupil
at the school which was presided over by the
well-remembered Jonathan Gause. On reaching

manhood, Mr. Wickersham followed for a time
the business of a miller, but ultimately became a
farmer, and has for many years devoted himself
to agricultural pursuits. In accordance with the
traditions of his ancestors, he is a regular attend
ant at Friends' Meeting.
In 1856 Mr. Wickersham married Hannah,
born in 1833, daughter of Edwin and Mary Ann
(Taylor) Wollaston. Their children are: 1.
Caroline P., born November 6, 1857, married
William P. Cloud. 2. Elsie J., born February
11, 1861, married William McNeil, and was the
mother of two children : Mary, born November
28, 1886, and Grace, born September 25, 1889,
died November 26, 1897. After the death of her
husband, Airs. AlcNeil became the wife of Smith
Barclay. 3. Edward G, born February 10, 1862,
married Elizabeth, daughter of Jeffers and Mar
garet (Miller) Woodward, of West Marlbor
ough township, and they have the following
children: Edith M., born June 21, 1894; Elsie
C, born December 16, 1895 ; Helen S., born Oc
tober 7, 1897; and Marion, born November 11,
1900. Mrs. Wickersham, the mother and grand
mother of the family, died June 1, 1893.

J. WHITTIER FULTON, who enjoys the
respect and esteem of the residents of West
Marlborough, Chester county, in which vicinity
he has resided for the past thirteen years, and who
is an enterprising and successful agriculturist,
was born February 25, 1843, m East Fallowfield
township, Chester county, Pennsylvania, a son of
Joshua and Mary D. (Thorne) Fulton, and •
grandson of Thomas and Ann Fulton.
Thomas and Ann Fulton (grandparents) reared
the following named children, all of whom lived
to years of maturity and occupied responsible
positions in the various walks of life ; James, who •
married Ann Pyle; Joseph, who married Miss
Copperthwaite ; John ; Mary, who became the wife
of Vincent Wiley; Joshua (father of J. Whittier,
Fulton), who married Mary D. Thorne, and two
children were the issue of this union — Thomas,
born December 25, 1840; and J. Whittier,
born February 25, 1843 '> Elizabeth, youngest child
of Thomas and Ann Fulton, became the wife of
Harlan Meredith.
The public schools of East Fallowfield town
ship afforded J. Whittier Fulton, youngest son of
Joshua and Mary D. Fulton, an excellent educa
tion which prepared him for the active duties of
manhood. He then engaged in farming in his
native township, which line of industry he suc
cessfully followed until 1890, removing in that
year to West Marlborough, Chester county, where
his attention has since been exclusively devoted to
the same line of business. Mr. Fulton is an in
telligent and well informed man, having received >

436

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

in addition to his common school education, a
large amount of useful and valuable instruction
from Professor Gilbert. He takes a keen interest
in the leading political questions of the day, and
also evinces a decided interest in township affairs.
Mr. Fulton was united in marriage to Lucinda
Phipps, daughter of Caleb and Hannah (Bailey)
Phipps, who was born in Highland township,
Chester county, Pennsylvania, December 18, 1848,
and died October 9, 1881. Their children are:
1. Howard Gilbert, born November 28, 1876, mar
ried Alinerva Boyer, and they are the parents of
two children — Harriet, born March 4, 1900, and
Howard Gilbert, Jr., born January 2, 1902; 2.
Isabel P., born June 1, 1878; 3. Caleb P., born
October 9, 1881.

J. HOWARD PUSEY. In the township of
West Alarlborough, Chester county, Pennsylvania,
occurred the birth of J. Howard Pusey, one of the
distinctively representative and well known citi
zens of the community, January 5, 1853, the son
of Joseph and Elizabeth Pusey, and the lineal de
scendants of one of the oldest and most honored
families in this section of the state, who claim the
distinction of having built more mills in Chester
county than any other family.
Joseph Pusey (father) was a son of Joseph
or Jesse Pusey, and during his entire life was rec
ognized and honored as an upright, public-spirited
citizen, who performed his daily duties in an un
ostentatious manner which could not fail to leave
its impress upon his descendants. He was unit
ed in marriage to Elizabeth Barnard, and thty
were the parents of the following named children :
I.Anna M.,wife of Mahlon Brosius ;their children
are Charles, Elizabeth, Emma, J. Howard, Willis,
and Edwin Brosius ; 2. Edwin ; 3. Abbie B., wife
of Haines Passmore, and their children are:
Pusey, Benjamin, who died in infancy, and Ben
jamin Passmore; 4. James, who died in early life;
5. Henry R., who married Amy Hoopes, and they
were the parents of four children : Hannah, wife
of Philip Pusey; Mary, wife of Walter Wood;
Elizabeth, and Norman Pusey. After the death
of his first wife, Henry R. Pusey married Annie
Taylor, and the issue of this union was one child,
Sarah Pusey; 6. Philena; 7. J. Howard, men
tioned hereinafter.
J. Howard Pusey, youngest son of Joseph and
Elizabeth Pusey, was reared on the paternal
homestead in West Marlborough township, and
while an inmate there he learned the first princi
ples of industry and gained his first ideas of the
perseverance by means of which he has in the
main accomplished success in life. His early ed
ucation was obtained at the local schools, and this
was supplemented by attendance at the schools of
Concordville, and at the West Chester State Nor

mal School, where he completed his studies. He
at once turned his attention to agricultural pur
suits, purchasing his present farm in 1893, and
since that date has been extensively engaged in a
general farming and dairying business which
yields him good returns for the care and labor be
stowed upon it. Mr. Pusey is thoroughly in
touch with modern advancement and a close stud
ent of all questions which concern the public
welfare. He is a staunch advocate of the prin
ciples of Republicanism, and has been elected by
that party to fill several local offices. He is a con
sistent member of the Society of Friends.
Mr. Pusey married H. Emma Chambers, who
was born, reared and educated in London Grove
township, Chester county, her birth occurring
September 7, 1857; she is a daughter of David P.
and Lydia Ann (Hurford) Chambers. Their
children are: Anna L, born December 14, 1891,
and Florence E., born April 6, 1898.

SAMUEL J. PENNOCK, a representative of
the dairying interests of West Marlborough town
ship, Chester county, Pennsylvania, is a member
of one of the old families of Pennsylvania. Tradi
tion has it that Christopher Pennock came to this
country from Cornwall in 1696, and settled on a
tract of two thousand acres of land deeded to him
by George Collett, his father-in-law. Christopher
died in Philadelphia in 1701, and his wife re
turned to her former home in Ireland. Subse
quently her eldest son, Joseph Pennock, came to
Philadelphia and resided there until 1713.
From this ancestral line is supposed to have
come James Pennock, whose wife was Amy
Thomas. Their, son, Levis B. Pennock, was born
October 17, 1830, and married Annie Hadley.
She was a daughter of John and Ann (Pennock)
Hadley, and was born March 22, 1834, in East
Marlborough township, near Kennett Square.
She was educated at Eaton Academy and at
Smedley Darlington's school at Ercildown. The
children of Levis B. and Annie (Hadley) Pen
nock were as follows: 1. James L., born June
22, 1861 ; 2. Samuel J., born October 28, 1863,
and of whom a fuller account will appear ; 3. An
na E., born July 22, 1865, who married Samuel
Wilson, and became the mother of one child,
Charles J.', born March 6; 1889 ; 4. Jane T., born
August 22, 1858, who married Arthur P. Yeat
man, and to whom have been born two children,
Raymond, born March 13, 1895, and Clarence,
born July 18, 1897.
Samuel J. Pennock, second of the two sons of
Levis B. and Annie (Hadley) Pennock, was born
at the family homestead October 28, 1863. He
was educated at Kennett Square and at Maple
wood Institute, in Delaware county. He adopt
ed farming as his occupation, and made a spec-

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

487

ialty of the dairy industry in which he has proven
most successful. He is also interested in various
local enterprises, and is a director of the West
Grove National Bank. By birthright he is a
member of the Society of Friends, and politically
his sympathies are with the Republican party.
Mr. Pennock married Elizabeth T., daughter
of George and Mary (BelD Lippincott. She was
born in Philadelphia, August 12, 1863, and was
educated at the Friends' School in that city. The
children of Samuel J. and Elizabeth (Lippincott)
Pennock are the following: Blanche L., born
April 3, 1893 ; Chester L., born January 13, 1895 ;
Mary Bell, born September 19, 1902.

WILLIAM P. CLOUD, a prosperous farmer
of Chester county, Pennsylvania, is a representa
tive of an old family, and a native of the county
in which he resides, having been born August 29,
1851, in East Marlborough township. He is a
son of Pusey and Hannah (Gatchel) Cloud, who
lived on the old Cloud homestead, which was the
birthplace of their son, William P. Cloud.
Mr. Cloud was brought up and educated in
East Marlborough, coming to West Marlborough
in 1883. In 1887 he purchased from George
Pyle the farm which is now his home. In addi
tion to the management of his estate he is interest
ed in finance, being one of the directors of the
Avondale Bank. He enjoys in a high degree the
esteem and confidence of his neighbors, and has
held various local offices, among them those of
school director, treasurer of the school board and
supervisor. Mr. Cloud married Carrie P., born November
26, 1857, near Unionville, East Marlborough
township, Chester county, daughter of Enos and
Hannah (Wollaston) Wickersham. Air. and
Mrs. Cloud are the parents of three children :
Hannah AL, born December 24, 1882; Elsie K.,
born May 26, 1885 ; and Emma W., born July
21, 1889.

ISAAC W. SWAYNE, a leading farmer and
respected citizen of West Marlborough township,
Chester county, Pennsylvania, is a representative
of an old family, tracing his descent from Francis
Swayne (1), who was 'born in 1650, married
Elizabeth Nulton, and died September 30, 1721.
William Swayne (2), son of Francis (1) and
Elizabeth (Nulton) Swayne, was born January
30, 1689, married, July 29, 1720, Elizabeth Dell,
and was the father of the following children :
William, Jr., born April 11, 1721, died January
27, 1828; Francis, born December 18, 1722, died
March 23, 1791 ; John, born August 27, 1724;
Thomas, born September 19, 1726; Nathan, born
February- 4, 1728, died, 1842; Mary, born August

22, 1729 ; Samuel, mentioned at length hereinaf
ter ; and Hannah. Mrs. Swayne, the mother of
this family, died in 1734, and shortly after Mr.
Swayne married again and among the children
born of this union was Ann, born March 17, 1735.
Samuel Swayne (3), son of William (2) and
Elizabeth (Dell) Swayne, was born December
:3> !730, married Hannah Hayes, and had elev
en children : Jacob, mentioned at length herein
after ; Stephen, born October 9, 1758, died August
31, 1759; John, born September 20, 1760, died
August 18, 1765 ; David, born October 17, 1762,
died August 12, 1765; Rachel, born January 2,
1765, died March 21, 1815; Samuel, born July
11, 1767, died July 20, 1845; Sarah, born No
vember 8, 1769, died September 1, 1821 ; Hannah,
born July 26, 1772, died April 9, 1839; William,
born April 30, 1775, died January 27, 1828; Na
than, born February 4, 1778, died March 2, 1843 >
and Lydia, born September 3, 1780, died January
8, 1877. Mr. Swayne, the father of these child
ren, died July 20, 1808.
Jacob Swayne (4), son of Samuel (3) and
Hannah (Hayes) Swayne, was born Alarch 29,
1757, and married Phoebe Milbourn. They were
the parents of the following children : Deborah,
born February 9, 1782, died in 1853; David,
born April 30, 1783; Isaiah, born January 23,
1784; Thomas and Jonathan (twins), born July
22, 1785. After the death of his wife Mr.
Swayne married Elizabeth Gray Herter, and the
following children were born to them : Jacob,
born September 11, 1796, died October 20, 1815;
Julia, born February 7, 1798, died April 13, 1857;
Enoch, mentioned at length hereinafter ; Samuel,
born November 23, 1802, died August 18, 1845 '.
Elizabeth, born September 5, 1805, died June 7,
185 1 ; Rachel, born June 29, 1808, died March
18, 1883.
Enoch Swayne (5), son of Jacob (4) and
Elizabeth Gray (Herter) Swayne, was born June
29, 1800, married Elizabeth Chambers, and was
the father of the following children : Hannah
C, born September 18, 1828; Deborah D., born
August 13, 1830; David C, mentioned at length
hereinafter; Jacob, born September 10, 1834;
Elmira, born May 2, 1837; William, born June
9, 1840; Elizabeth, born August 3, 1843; Edwin,
born March 8, 1847. Mr. Swayne expired Feb
ruary 28, 1885, in the eighty-fifth year of his
age. David C. Swayne (6), son of Enoch (5) and
Elizabeth (Chambers) Swayne, was born August
1, 1832, and married Emmeline R. Walton. Their
children were: Isaac W., mentioned at length
hereinafter ; Marshall, born February 24, 1863 ;
and Anna, born January 24, 1870.
Isaac W. Swayne (7), son of David C. (6)
and Emmeline R. (Walton) Swayne, was born
April 26, i860, at Willowdale, East Marlborough

488

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

township, Chester county, Pennsylvania, and re
ceived his education at the Friends' School in
London Grove. His calling is that of an agricul
turist, and both as a farmer and citizen he stands
high in the esteem of his neighbors and fellow
townsmen. A sufficient proof of this is furnished
by the fact that for ten years he has filled the
'office of supervisor.
Air. Swayne married Elizabeth, born October
4, 1859, daughter of Levi P. and Hannah (Bald
win) Conner. Mrs. Swayne was brought up in
Unionville, East Marlborough township, receiv
ing her education in the local schools and at
Jacob Harvey's Academy, a seat of instruction
well known to all those familiar with the educa
tional institutions of Chester county. The
Swayne family is remarkable for longevity, some
of its members having attained to the dignity of
centenarians.

EDWARD LANGLEY, who has ranked for
a number of years among the well known farmers
and citizens of West Marlborough township,
Chester county, Pennsylvania, is of English
birth, and is a son of William and Ann Langley,
who were the parents of the following children :
1. Edward, mentioned at length hereinafter; 2.
George, superintendent of St. George's Schools,
London ; 3. William, now deceased ; 4. Alice, be
came the wife of Mr. Triseatt, a stone mason;
5. Mary Jane, became the wife of W. Adams;
6. Ann, became the wife of C. Sperring.
Edward Langley, son of William and Ann
Langley, was born April 24, 1855, in Somerset
shire, England, and came to this country in 1872,
settling first in Glen Mill, Delaware county,
Pennsylvania, and afterward moving to West
Alarlborough, Chester county, in the same state
in 1901. His calling is that of an agriculturist,
and the farm on which he now resides and which
he cultivates in the best manner was purchased
from Samuel W. Cope. Air. Langley is regarded
as in all respects a representative citizen. He is
a member of the Protestant Episcopal church.
Mr. Langley merried Lillian Florence, born
January 4, 1862, in Philadelphia, daughter of
Charles and Sarah (Denegre) Stein. Mr. and
Airs. Langley have had six children: George,
who was born August 24, 1883, and died young;
Sarah D., who was born April 10, 1885 ; Edward
W., who was born January 4, 1887 ; Florence M.,
who was born June 15, 1889; Ethel C, who was
born May 16, 1895 ; and Charles S., who was
born August 18, 1897. Mrs. Langley, whose
death occurred on January 18, 1901, belonged
on the paternal side to a family of German origin,
while through her mother she was descended
from a French ancestry.

COL. HAAIILTON H. GILKYSON, a lead
ing member of the Chester county bar, and a rep
resentative of that class of men whose executive
ability and strict integrity would win honor and
success in any vocation in life, is a descendant
. on the paternal side of a family of Irish extrac
tion, who ranked among the oldest and most hon
ored in Bucks county, Pennsylvania. On the ma
ternal side he descended from an old and distin
guished family of Germantown, Pennsylvania,
his grandmother, whose maiden name was Eliza
Neal, was a celebrated beauty of her day and her
portrait, painted by Sully, was on exhibition at
the centennial in 1876. Hamilton H. Gilkyson
was born at Doylestown, Bucks county, Pennsyl
vania, in December, 1848, a son of James and
Anna (Henry) Gilkyson.
James Gilkyson (father) claimed Bucks
county, Pennsylvania, as his birthplace and the
public schools of that section of the state afforded
him a practical education. Subsequently he took
up the study of law, and after passing a credita
ble examination was admitted to the Bucks
county bar, where his practice was extensive and
remunerative, the majority of it being in the
orphans' court. During the year 1862 he com
manded a regiment of men who answered the
three-months' emergency call at the time of Gen
eral Lee's invasion of Pennsylvania. Air. Gil
kyson was an active worker in the ranks of the
Republican party, served for a number of years
as district attorney for Bucks county, and was a
candidate for state senatorial honors, but the
county being largely Democratic he was defeated.
In 1848 he married Anna Henry, a native of Ger
mantown, Pennsylvania, who died in August,
1884, aged fifty-six years ; they were the parents
of six children. Both Air. and Mrs. Gilkyson
held membership in the Protestant Episcopal
church at Doylestown, Air. Gilkyson being one
of its founders and a member of its vestry, and
Mrs. Gilkyson, who possessed great musical tal
ents, was for many years the organist and leader
of the choir.
Hamilton H. Gilkyson was reared to man
hood at Doylestown, Bucks county, attended the
private schools of that town and later was a
student at Pennington's Seminary in New Jer
sey, from which institution he was graduated in
1864. Shortly after his graduation he settled in
the western section of the United States and en
gaged in mercantile pursuits and teaching. After
a short period of time he returned to Pennsyl
vania and began the reading of law under the
personal supervision of his father, and after pass
ing an examination was regularly admitted to the
bar in 1872. He immediately established a law
office in Phoenixville, Chester county, and by his
energy and ability soon gained a successful prac-

Zt^c^M^r^Z--

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

489

tice, not only in his own county, but also in Mont
gomery county and in the city of Philadelphia.
He is noted for the care and thoroughness with
which he prepares his cases and the ability with
which he presents them in court.
Colonel Gilkyson has always taken a keen
and active interest in the political affairs of the
Republican party, being a member and founder
of the Everhart wing, which was formed in 1884,
when James B. Everhart was elected to Congress
from that district over Air. Darlington. He was
also active in the Independent Republican cam
paign of 1898-99, and was also prominently
identified with the Urflon party of Pennsylvania
in 1901. He would never allow the use of his
name as a candidate for any political office, al
though no man worked harder or with greater
ability to advance the cause of his party and se
cure success at the polls. He has served as bor
ough solicitor for fifteen years. Was one of the
founders and is at present a member of the board
of directors of the Chester County Trust Com
pany. Is president of the Phcenixville Publish
ing Company, which company is the owner and'
publisher of the only daily newspaper in the bor
ough of Phcenixville, and was a member and
president of the Phcenixville school board. For
many years he was connected with the State Na
tional Guards, and during the labor riots of 1877
was stationed at Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, where
he was made assistant adjutant-general of the
Ninth Division, with the rank of colonel.
On March 4, 1880, Colonel Gilkyson married
Nellie H. Trego, daughter of Thomas W. Trego,
of Doylestown, Bucks county. Four children have
been the issue of this union : T. Walter, Ham
ilton IL, Jr., James and Anna Gilkyson.

P. ALLEN CLOUD, a successful farmer
and public-spirited citizen of West Marlborough
township, Chester county, is descended from old
colonial stock. William Cloud, from whom the
different branches of the family trace their de
scent, married Mary, whose surname appears to
have been Pence, and among their other chil
dren were two sons, Jesse, mentioned hereinafter,
and Joshua.
Jesse Cloud, son of William and Mary
(probably Pence) Cloud, married Mary Allen.
Their children were : Jane, born June 29, 1770,
married Air. Baldwin; Mary, born October 18,
1772, died young; William A. and Ann (twins),
born June 23, 1776; the former is mentioned
hereinafter, and the latter died young; James,
born February 21, 1778, married Alargery Ma
son; Jeremiah, born January 2, 1781; Phcebe,
born October 1, 1784, married Mr. AIcFarland;
Hannah, born January 4, 1786, married Air.
Ashton; Orpha, born Alay 20, 1789, married Air.

Williamson ; and Alary Ann, born August 2,
1793, married Mr. Pierson.
William A. Cloud, son of Jesse and Alary
(Allen) Cloud, was born June 23, 1776, and
married Hannah Wickersham, who was born
October 23, 1779. They were the parents of the
following children : Elizabeth, born September
7, 1809, died September 3, i860; Jesse, born
Alarch 17, 181 1, died February 23, 1887; James,
born December 14, 1812, died in 1902; Alary,
born July 2, 1814, died October 2, 1879 ; Rachel
born September 1, 1816, died July 21, 1887;
Pusey, mentioned hereinafter ; Enoch, born
Alarch 3, 1821 ; and Hannah, born June 4, 1822,
died May 31, 1898. William A. Cloud, the father
of the family, died November. 2, 1861, and his
widow passed away April 19, 1865, both having
reached the age of eighty-five years.
Pusey Cloud, son of William A. and Hannah
(Wickersham) Cloud, was born June 26, 1818,
on the old homestead, in East Marlborough town
ship, Chester county, married Hannah Gatchel,
and their children were: 1. Elisha G., born
March 5, 1844, a sketch of whom appears else
where in this work ; 2. Abbie K. ( 1 ) , born Alarch
25, 1845, died young; 3. George Martin, born
September 24, 1847, married Rachel Ann Pyle,
and has three children: Alary R., born Feb
ruary 9, 1882; Pusey, born June 26, 1886; and
Samuel P., born October 6, 1888. 4. Abbie K.
(2), born February 24, 1849. 5- William P.,
born August 29, 185 1, married Carrie Wicker
sham, born November 6, 1857, and has the fol
lowing children : Hannah AL, born December
24, 1882 ; Elsie K., born May 26, 1885 ; and
Emma W., born July 21, 1889. 6. Jesse, born
June 8, 1854. 7. P. Allen, mentioned at length
hereinafter. 8. Elizabeth, born March 28, 1861.
9. Charles B., born September 9, 1862, married
Emma Moyer. 10. Sarah E., born January 4,
1865. 11. Wendell P., born January 25, 1867,
married Anna E. Wickersham. Mr. Cloud, the
father of these eleven children, died October 14,
1867. P. Allen Cloud, son of Pusey and Hannah
(Gatchel) Cloud, was born December 2, 1859,
on the old homestead, in East Marlborough town
ship, Chester county, Pennsylvania, and received
his education in the schools of the neighborhood,
and at the State Normal School in West Chester,
Pennsylvania. He has made general farming tlie
business of his life, but the circle of his interests
is not limited to the duties of his calling. He
is active in local affairs and takes a prominent
part in every undertaking having for its object
the advancement of the public' welfare. He was
formerly a director of the Kennett Square Build
ing and Loan Association, and is at present a
director of a similar association, The London
Grove Building and Loan Association at Avon-

490

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

dale. In religion he is a Friend, adhering to the
doctrines for which his ancestors were, in former
times, sometimes obliged to contend. His
mother, Hannah Cloud, was disowned by the
Hicksite Friends for assisting in the organiza
tion of the Longwood Meeting, and an anecdote
is related which illustrates the courageous spirit by
which she was animated in what she felt to be a
righteous cause. At one time, when the feeling
was very strong against the Longwood Friends,
the doors of their former meeting were closed
against them, but at the suggestion of Mrs. Cloud
a man climbed through one of the windows and
threw the doors wide open. It is pleasant to
relate that the Friends thus at variance arrived
at an amicable settlement of their differences of
opinion, and that Mrs. Cloud was requested to
return to her former place in the society.
Mr. P. Allen Cloud married, March 26, 1885,
Tillie, daughter of Ezekiel and Margaret (Cros
ley) Bailey. The former was born August 25,
1840, and was a son of Ezekiel and Margaret
Bailey. Airs. Cloud was born April 16, 1862,
in Delaware, but was brought up and educated
in Chester county. ~ Mr. and Airs. Cloud are the
parents of two children: Jesse, born August
2"/, 1886; and Elizabeth, born July 30, ii

MARSHALL PALMER. The name of
Marshall Palmer has been actively and prom
inently associated with the farming interests of
West Alarlborough township, Chester county,
Pennsylvania, since the year 1866, when he re
moved to that vicinity from Centerville, New
Castle county, Delaware, where his birth occurred
December 12, 1837.
Marshall Palmer is a descendant of John
Palmer, who emigrated to this country from Eng
land, settled in Pennsylvania shortly after the
organization of Chester county, and purchased
by patent a hundred acres' of iand in Concord
township, now Delaware county, July 26, 1688.
Shortly afterward he was united in marriage to
Mary Southery, daughter of Robert Southery,
a fuller by trade, and formerly a resident of
Westbury, county of Wilts, Great Britain. The
line of descent from John and Mary Palmer is
as follows : John Palmer, who married Martha
Yearsley, April 9, 1714; John Palmer, born Au
gust 1, 1736, married Hannah Pyle, and died
in April, 1793; Asher, born in 1759, married
Alice Malin, and died Alay 2, 1817; Joseph, born
February 4, 1785, married Mary Hall, who was
born in 1809, and his death occurred September
7, 1842; their children were: Morris, born Au
gust 11, 1810; Robert H., born March 11, 1812;
Sally Ann, born April 18, 1814; Lydia, born
January 24, 1816; Asher, born April 23, 1818;

William AL, born January 22, 1820, and Susanna,
born January 14, 1822.
Morris Palmer, father of Marshall Palmer,
was born August 11, 18 10, received the educa
tional advantages afforded by the district schools
of that day, and subsequently became one of the
representative citizens of Newcastle county, Del
aware. He was united in marriage to Alargaret
Marshall, and their children were: 1. Samuel,
born July 14, 1835 ; 2. Marshall, born December
28, 1837; 3. Mary, born October 9, 1840, now
deceased, became the wife of Jacob Southwaite,
Jr., and their children were : Morris P., born
January 2, 1861, married Mary Baker, and
Emma, born January 26, 1863, wife of Marshall
Walton and mother of Bertha, Percy, Maud
Dorothy and Morris Walton ; 4. Elwood, born
October 24, 1843, married Hannah L. Short-
ledge, and their children are: Katherine, born
5 mo, 2, 1871 ; Morris, born May 2, 1871 ; Alice;
Howard ; and Anna Palmer ; 5. J. Howard, born
April 19, 1846, married Alice H. Wears, and they
are the parents of three children, Bessie, born
March 4, 1872, wife of Robert McWynn ; Charles,
born February 23, 1874, and Helen Palmer; 6.
Philena, 7. Franklin, twins, born May 6, 1849;
Philena became the wife of Charles Paschall,
and their children are : Franklin, born June 29,
1869, and Henry Morris, born November 15,
1872, married Katherine Schoop ; 8. Elizabeth,
born January 11, 1852, wife of Joseph Nichols,
and two children were born to them, Anna and
Eli, both of whom are living ; 9. Morris, born Au
gust 13, 1855, married Helen Mears, and their
children are : Alargaret and Lucille Palmer.
Mr. Palmer, father of these children, died De
cember 23, 1873.
Marshall Palmer, second son of Morris and
Margaret Palmer, was reared to manhood at
Centerville, Newcastle county, Delaware, and
obtained a practical education in the public
schools in the neighborhood. He followed farm
ing as an occupation, remaining upon the parental
estate until December 13, 1866, when he removed
•to West Marlborough township, Chester county,
Pennsylvania, and since that date has resided on
the old Baily homestead, being extensively en
gaged in agricultural pursuits. In his business
dealings he is honorable and reliable, and well
merits the success which has attended his well
directed efforts.
Mr. Palmer was united in marriage Decem
ber 13, 1865, to Anna Pennock, daughter of
Marshall and Rachel (Humes) Pennock. Their
children are : Howard M., born January 8,
1868, died September 18, 1885 ; Frederick J.,
born June 24, "1869; Rachel L., born November
14, 1871, and Abby Palmer, born Alarch 3, 1878,
married, June 20, 1903, to George B. Passmore,
of Oxford, Pennsylvania.

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

491

JOHN P. SHARPLESS, for many years ac
tively and prominently identified with the agri
cultural interests of West Marlborough town
ship, Chester county, Pennsylvania, is a lineal
descendant of John Sharpies, the founder of the
family in America, a native of England, who
landed in Chester, Pennsylvania, 6 mo., 14, 1682,
accompanied by his wife, Jane (Moor) Shar
pies, and seven children.
John Sharpies, the immigrant ancestor, was
the second son of Geoffrey and Margaret Shar
pies, of Wybunbury, Cheshire, England, and was
baptized August 15, 1624. He was a resident of
the towns of Mearemore, Blakenhall, and Hather-
ton, was one of the early converts to the religious
faith of the Quakers, and on account of his faith
fulness to the principles of this sect he suffered
severe persecution at the hands of their enemies.
On April 5, 1682, shortly previous to his removal
from his native country, John Sharpies received
a grant of land from William Penn and after
his arrival in Pennsylvania he became the owner
of land in and adjoining the township of Provi
dence. John and jane (Moor) Sharpies were the
parents of the following named children : Phebe,
born 10 mo., 20, 1663, died near Chester, Penn
sylvania, 4 mo, 2, 1685; John, born 11 mo, 16,
1666, married Hannah Pennell; Thomas, born
11 mo., 2, 1668, died at sea 5 mo, 17, 1682;
James, born 1 mo, 5, 1670 or 1671, married
Mary Edge and for his second wife, Mary
Lewis; Caleb, born 2 mo, 22, 1673, died near
Chester, Pennsylvania, 7 mo., 17, 1686, from the
bite of a snake ; Jane, born 6 mo., 13, 1676, died
near Chester, Pennsylvania, 3 mo, 28, 1685 ; Jo
seph, born 9 mo., 28, 1678, married Lydia Lewis.
John Sharpies, father of these children, died at
his home near Chester, Pennsylvania, 4 mo., 11,
1685, and his wife, Jane (Moor) Sharpies, born
in 1638, died 9 mo., 1, 1722.
Joseph Sharpies, youngest son of John and
Jane (Moor) Sharpies, was born at Hatherton,
Cheshire, England, 9 mo., 28, 1678, married, 3
mo, 31, 1704, at Haverford Meeting, Lydia
Lewis, born in Glamorganshire, Wales, 3 mo.,
8, 1683, a sister to the wife of his brother, James
Sharpies. Their children were: Susanna, born
12 mo., 18, 1705, married Joseph Chamberlin;
Joseph, born 7 mo, 8, 1707, married Mary Pyle,
and his death occurred 1 mo, 4, 1769'; Benjamin,
born 11 mo, 26, 1708, married first Edith
Broome and later Martha Mendenhall, and his
death occurred 3 mo., 16, 1785 ; Samuel, born 12
mo., 7, 1710 or 171 1, married Jane Newlin, and
died 11 mo., 24, 1790; Lydia, born 3 mo., 7,
1713, became the wife of John Martin, and
her death occurred in 1741 ; Nathan, born
9 mo., 12, 1715, married Hannah Town-
send, and died in 1755 ; Jane, born 12
mo, 4, 1 7 18, became the wife of Jacob Pyle,

and her death occurred in 1775 ; Abraham, born
5 mo., 7, 1720, died in 1784; Jacob, born 10 mo.,
14, 1722, married Ann Blakey, died 7 mo, 19,
1775; William, born 3 mo, 31, 1725, married
Abigail Sharp, died 5 mo., 4, 1751. Joseph Shar
pies, father of these children, died in Middle-
town, Chester county, now Delaware county, in
1757, and his wife's death occurred in 1763.
Benjamin Sharpies, eldest son of Joseph and
Lydia (Lewis) Sharpies, was born in Nether
Providence, Pennsylvania, 11 mo., 26, 1709, mar
ried Edith Broome, whose death occurred 6 mo.,
13, 1744, in the twenty-sixth year of her age;
she was survived by her husband and three chil
dren, their names being : Joseph, born 12 mo,
:9> I737 or 1738, died 9 mo, 1, 1763 ; Benjamin,
born 10 mo, 26, 1740, died 6 mo., 18, 1780;
and Edith, born 10 mo, 30, 1742, became the
wife of Ziba Ferris, and her death occurred 2
mo., 8, 1815. Air. Sharpies married for his sec
ond wife, 3 mo, 21, 1746, at Concord, Martha
Mendenhall, born 12 mo, 8, 1724, daughter of
Benjamin and Lydia Alendenhall, of Concord.
Their children were : Joshua, born 12 mo, 28,
1746 or 1747, married Edith Yarnall, died 9 mo,
21, 1826; Isaac, born 5 mo, 16, 1748, married
Eliza Talbot, died 1 mo., 23, 1780; Rebecca,
born 10 mo., 29, 1749, died 2 mo., 9, 1780; Mar
tha, born 10 mo., 28, 1751, died 9 mo., 7, 1763;
Ann, born 7 mo, 1, 1754, died 9 mo, 4, 1763;
Aaron, born 8 mo, 26, 1756, married Mary El
wood, died 8 mo, 25, 1798; Amy, born 11 mo.,
I7, I7S8, died 7 mo, 3, 1831 ; Enoch, born 9
mo, 15, 1760, died 9 mo., 15, 1763 ; Hannah, born
4 mo, 9, 1765, died 4 mo., 11, 1795; Esther,
born 5 mo., 21, 1767, died 7 mo, 24, 1865 ; Sarah,
born 9 mo., 21, 1769, died 9 mo, 13, 1823; Sam
uel, born 11 mo., 25, 1770, died 9 mo., 8, 1796.
Benjamin Sharpies, father of these children, died
at Middletown, 3 mo, 16, 1785 ; his wife, Martha
(Mendenhall) Sharpies, died 10 mo., 20, 1812.
Joshua Sharpies, eldest son of Benjamin and
Martha (Mendenhall) Sharpies, was born in Mid
dletown, Pennsylvania, 12 mo., 28, 1746 or 1747,
married Edith Yarnall, born 3 mo., 13, 1743,
daughter of Nathan and Rachel Yarnall. Their
children were: Benjamin, born 8 mo., 24, 1769,
was united in marriage to Abigail Cope and Sid
ney Hoopes, and his death occurred 2 mo., 1,
1852; Rachel, born 5 mo., 3, 1771, became the
wife of Benjamin Cope, died 8 mo., 10, 1807;
Nathan, born 12 mo, 18, 1772, married Lydia
Painter, died 4 mo, 11, 1863; Martha, born
4 mo., 27, 1775, became the wife of Cheyney
Jefferis, and her death occurred 4 mo, 30,' 1854;
Edith, born 6 mo., 15, 1777, became the wife of
Thomas Kite, died 1 mo, 24, 1861 ; Joshua, born
8 mo., 12, 1779, married Philadelphia Drinker,
died 12 mo., 21, i860; Isaac, born 9 mo., 28,
1 78 1, married Sarah Garrett and after her de-

492

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

cease married Alary Ellis; his death occurred n
mo., 12, 1822; Eli, born 12 mo., 30, 1783, died
9 mo, 12, 1789. Joshua Sharpies, father of these
children, married for his second wife, Ann Trim
ble, born 1 mo, 9, 1752, and the issue of this
union was two children — William, born 1 mo.,
15, 1791, died 3 mo., 5, 1793; and Phebe, born
3 mo., 22, 1793, became the wife of Nathan Mid-
dleton, and died 4 mo., 30, 1850. Mr. Sharpies
died at his home in Aliddletown, 9 mo, 21, 1826.
Joshua Sharpies, third son of Joshua and
Edith (Yarnall) Sharpies, was born 8 mo., 12,
1779, died 12 mo, 21, i860; married, in 1808,
in the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Phila
delphia Drinker, born 12 mo., 1777, died 10 mo,
4, 1870, daughter of Joseph and Hannah (Hart)
Drinker. In early life he learned the trade of
carpenter and followed this occupation for a
number of years in what is now known as West
Philadelphia. In 1823 he removed to Chester
county, and six years later settled on a farm in
London Britain. Their children were : George,
born 5 mo, 5, 1809, married Amy Chambers;
Edward, born 1 mo, 3, 181 1, married Ellen Pax
son, and his death occurred 8 mo., 31, 1857;
Hannah, born 11 mo, 9, 1812, wife of Caleb
Cope; Mary, born 1 mo., 10, 1815; Benjamin,
born 2 mo., 3, 1817, married Sarah Cook ; Charles,
born 2 mo., 22, 1819, married Mary Ann Pass-
more. Joshua Sharpies, father of these children,
died in London Britain township, 12 mo., 21,
i860, and his widow died at the residence of her
daughter, Hannah Cope, near Willow Grove,
Montgomery county; their remains were interred
at London Britain Meeting.
George Sharpless, eldest son of Joshua and
Philadelphia (Drinker) Sharpies, was born 5 mo.,
5, 1809, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; after at
taining to man's estate he followed the quiet but
useful calling of agriculture in West Marlborough
township, Chester county. Mr. Sharpless was
united in marriage, 10 mo., 13, 1841, at New
Garden Meeting, to Amy Chambers, born 9 mo,
5, 181 1, near Stanton, Delaware, daughter of
Joseph and Deborah (Phillips) Chambers, of
New Garden township, Chester county. Their
children were: Deborah, born 8 mo., 15, 1842,
died 2 mo, 6, 1843; Joshua, born 11 mo, 11,
1843; Lydia, born 8 mo, 10, 1845, and Mary,
twin with Lydia; Joseph, born 12 mo., 21, 1847;
Edith, born 4 mo, 3, 1850; John P., born 11
mo., 15, 1851. George Sharpless (father) died
3 mo, 12, 1897; his wife died 3 mo., 11, 1888.
John P. Sharpless, youngest son of George
and "Amy (Chambers) Sharpless, was born in
London Britain township, Chester county, Penn
sylvania, 11 mo., 15, 185 1. The early days of his
life were spent in the same manner as the lives of
most Of the farmer's sons — in acquiring a good
English education and assisting with the duties

of the farm. His business career has been de
voted practically to the cultivation and improve
ment of his farm, which is located in the town
ship of West Alarlborough, Chester county. He
is a prominent member and attendant of the
Meetings of the Society of Friends, that being
the religious faith of his forefathers.
On 10 mo., 15, 1884, at London Grove Meet
ing, Mr. Sharpless married Hannah Alaule,
daughter of Benjamin and Margaret (Evans)
Maule, of West Marlborough township, Chester
county; Pennsylvania.

LEWIS WOODWARD CARR, a prosper
ous farmer and esteemed citizen of West Vincent
township, Chester county, is a son of Alexander
Carr, who was born in 1812, in Tredyffrin town
ship, and in early life followed the trade of an au-
germaker, afterward engaging in farming, in
which occupation he continued for the remainder
of his days. He married Sarah Blake, and they
were the parents of the following children : 1 .
Woodward, deceased. 2. John Danfield, who was
a farmer. 3. Isabella demons, who married Ste
phen Cloud, a butcher. 4. Sarah Jane, deceased. 5.
Martha, deceased. 6. James Polk, who was a
carpenter arid married Sallie Bear. 7. Harry
Stiteler, deceased. 8. Sallie Woodward, who re
sides at home. 9. Lewis Woodward, mentioned
hereinafter. 10. James, who was an augermaker,
married Martha Clemons, and is now deceased,
leaving six children. 11 Alorton, who was a
farmer. 12. Isaac, who married Mrs. Ideline
Wright. 13. Bush, deceased. After the death of
his wife Mr. Carr married Martha Clemons, by
whom he was the father of two daughters : Caro
line, who became the wife of Mr. Jackson Lanny,
and Josephine, deceased.
Lewis Woodward Carr, son of Alexander and
Sarah (Blake) Carr, was born February 28, 1845,
in West Vincent township, and received his edu
cation in the public schools of the neighborhood.
For the purpose of learning the carpenter's trade
he was apprenticed to Mr. John R. Dolby, with
whom he remained three years, and at the end of
that time he entered upon the independent prac
tice of his trade, which he followed successfully
for ten or eleven years. He then abandoned his
calling in order to work on the home farm, having
a preference for agricultural pursuits, and in the
course of time became the owner of the estate
which is now his home. He is cordially liked by
his neighbors, who once elected him to the office
of inspector. Politically he is- an Independent,
and is connected with the Lutheran church.
Mr. Carr married Sarah Amanda Dolby, born
July. 4, 1843, and educated in the public schools
of West Vincent. She is a daughter of Joseph
Dolby, and his other children were : Mary, who

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

493

married Alonroe Miller, a carpenter and contrac
tor, who is now deceased ; Lewis, who enlisted in
the army during the Civil war, and died in the
service ; Wheelen, who is a carpenter and contrac
tor, and married Ella Woodruff; and Martha,
who became the wife of David Cloud, who is now
deceased.

JOHN ANDREW MOONEY, who was for
many years a successful farmer and esteemed citi
zen of West Vincent township, Chester county,
was a son of John Mooney, who was born in
Philadelphia, and for a long period led the life
of a farmer in Lower Merion township, Mont
gomery county. He married Mary Mitchell and
they were the parents of two sons : William, who
served in the army during the Civil war, and lost
his life in the battle of Antietam; and John An
drew, mentioned at length hereinafter. John
Mooney, the father, died in Schuylkill township,
John Andrew Mooney, son of John and Alary
(Alitchell) Mooney, was born June 7, 1843, m
Lower Merion township, Montgomery county,
where he obtained his education in the public
schools. After working for a time as the assistant
of his father on the home farm, he moved to West
Vincent, where he lived on his own property. His
farm, both from an agricultural and a financial
point of view, was maintained in a flourishing
condition, the result of the constant and skillful
attention which he bestowed upon it and the
energetic efforts which he made for its improve
ment. In consequence of his strict application to
his duties as a farmer, he had little time or oppor
tunity for participation in public affairs beyond
the discharge of the essential obligations of a
. good citizen. His political affiliations were with
the Democratic party, and his church connections
were with the Lutheran denomination.
Mr. Alooney married Mary A. Clevenstine,
and the following children were born to them:
Laura, who died at the age of seven years ; Her
bert, who is a blacksmith at Williams' Corner,
and married Ellen Roland ; John Henry, who died
at an early age; Martin Luther, who is a farmer
and resides on the homestead ; Mary, who is now
deceased; Maella Elva, who married Albert
Strough, a bridge worker; Effie Lucretia, who
resides at home; and Joseph Adolph, who is a
journeyman blacksmith. The death of Mr.
Mooney, which took place in February, 1896, was
sincerely lamented not only by his immediate
family and close friends, but by all who had ever
been associated with him in neighborly or church
relations and who regarded him as, in all respects,
a truly estimable man and an honest citizen.
Airs. Mooney is a granddaughter of John
Clevenstine, who came from Berks county, to
Chester county, where he engaged in farming in

East Pikeland township. He was a man of some
influence in the community, and held the office of
school director. His son, Henry, who was also a
farmer, married Mary, daughter of Benjamin
Emery, and they were the parents of the following
children: Aaron, who was a farmer in Chester
county, and married Cynthia Bisson; Elizabeth,
who married Henry Waleigh, a farmer in East
Pikeland; Mary A., who was educated in the
public schools of West Vincent and at the Iron-
dale Seminary, and became the wife of John
Andrew Mooney, as mentioned above; Hannah
E., who married Robb Aloses, a farmer of West
Vincent ; Johanna, who died unmarried at the age
of forty-eight ; John, who is a farmer ; and Henry,
who is a farmer near the old home.

JOHN W. WILSON, a recognized leader
among the younger farmers of West Vincent
township, Chester county, belongs to a family
which has long been residents in this township,
being a son of Addison Wilson, a native of West
Vincent, where he was born December 5, 1840.
After leaving the public schools, where he re
ceived his education, he engaged in farming and
devoted himself all his life to that occupation.
Commanding as he did by ability and strength of
character, the respect of his neighbors, he took
a prominent part in local affairs, holding the
office of supervisor for one year, and that of
school director for the unusually long period of
eighteen years. He married Rebecca Shick. The
following children were born to Air. and Mrs.
Wilson: Edward, who is employed as an engin
eer on the Pennsylvania Railroad ; Raymond, who
died in infancy ; Clarence, who was educated in
the public schools, and resides at home ; and John
W., mentioned at length hereinafter. Air. Wilson,
the father of the family, expired August 10, 1902,
his death being a great bereavement to his family
and a cause of sincere regret to all who knew him.
John W. Wilson, son of Addison and Rebecca
(Shick) Wilson, was born January 18, 1876, in
West Vincent, his education being acquired in the
public schools of the township. Since leaving
school he has applied himself with assiduity and
energy to the labors of a farmer, with results
which have afforded ample evidence of his talents
as an agriculturist, and have advanced him to the
influential position which he occupies in the ranks
of the younger generation of the Chester county
farmers. While not lacking the interest of a good
citizen in all that concerns the public welfare, he
does not participate actively in politics. He is a
member of the Lutheran church.
The Wilson family has been and is still repre
sented in various walks of life, by the brothers and
sisters of Air. Addison Wilson, whose names are
as follows : John, who is an engineer on the Phil-

494

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

adelphia & Reading Railroad ; Mary, who became
the wife of Edward Williams ; Ellen, whose hus
band, George Christman, was a carpenter, and
served six months in the army during the Civil
war; Sophia, who is the wife of Levi Rettew, a
carpenter, living in Spring City.

HENRY CLEVENSTINE, a prosperous
farmer and esteemed citizen of Chester township,
Chester county, is a grandson of John Cleven
stine, who in connection with the labors of a
farmer followed the trade of a blacksmith, and
also that of a wheelwright, in addition to carrying
on the business of a contractor. This ancestor, so
remarkable for the versatility of his talents, mar
ried Elizabeth Deary, and they were the parents
of a son, Henry, who was born July 12, 1812, in
Berks county, and in early life. followed the trade
of a blacksmith, but later became a farmer. He
married Mary, daughter of Benjamin Emery,
and they were the parents of the following chil
dren : 1. Aaron, who was a farmer, married
Cynthia Bisson, and was the father of nine chil
dren, four of whom are living. 2. Elizabeth,
who married Henry Walleigh, a farmer, and had
seven children, all of whom are living. 3. Alary
Ann, who became the wife of John Andrew
Mooney, a farmer, and was the mother of seven
children, five of whom are living. 4. Hannah,
who married Robert Moses, a farmer and market
trader, arid their family consisted of seven chil
dren, all of whom with the exception of one are
still living. 5. Joanna, who is now deceased. 6.
John, who was a farmer, and married Ella Det
wiler and they were the parents of five children,
all of whom are living. 7. Esther, who married
John Heistand, and was the mother of three chil
dren, all of whom are living. 8. Ada, who be
came the wife of John Reiff, a farmer and dealer
in nursery and greenhouse produce. 9. Henry,
mentioned at length hereinafter. 10. Horace Lat
shaw, who was the assistant of his father in the
management of the home farm, and married Mary
Kanower. 11. Bertha, who became the wife of
Charles Millard, who practiced the trade of a
moulder in Spring City.
Henry Clevenstine, son of Henry and Mary
(Emery) Clevenstine, was born April 8, 1853,
and received his education in the public schools.
Choosing to devote himself for life to agricultural
pursuits, he became a farmer at an early age and
is now by reason of the energy and assiduity with
which he has applied himself to the duties of his
calling, recognized as one of the leading agricul
turists of the county. He is a man of influence in
local affairs, and served for one year as judge of
election. His political principles are those ad
vanced and upheld by the Democratic party. He
and his family belong to the Lutheran church.

Mr. Clevenstine married Mary Lucretia,
daughter of Daniel Latshaw, of East Vincent.
Mrs. Clevenstine was born November 27, 1854,
and was educated in the public schools. Four
children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Clev
enstine: Milton, Edna, Horace and Erma. All
these children are still at home with their parents.
Mr. Clevenstine numbers among his immediate
relatives a martyr to the cause of freedom, his
cousin John, mentioned above, who served in the
army during the Civil war, having been killed by
the bursting of a shell.

THOA1AS B. DEWEES, merchant, capital
ist, and veteran of the Civil war, has been con
spicuous in the business and social life of Phce
nixville, Chester county, Pennsylvania, for more
than a decade. He comes of a line of French
Huguenots, for two centuries resident in Pennsyl
vania, that has been welded into American citi
zenship in the fire of our two great national
crises. The Dewees family in the United States have
descended from the two sons of a widow of that
name, who came to Pennsylvania from Holland
in 1703. The great-grandfather of Thomas B.
Dewees in the male line was born in Eastern
Pennsylvania, and was the owner of a large
flouring mill at Valley Forge at the beginning
of the Revolutionary war. He threw himself into
the struggle for independence and became a col
onel in the American army. His business being
ruined when peace was finally restored, he en
gaged in iron manufacturing, in which industry
he was a pioneer. He died about 1782, at an
advanced age.
Walter Dewees, son of Colonel. Dewees, was
born at Olney, Bucks county, and, following in
the line of his father's business, became an im
portant factor in developing the iron industry of
Pennsylvania. He was the owner of several ex
tensive plants — the Olney Iron Works, the Cata-
wissa iron furnace in Northumberland county,
and the Laurel iron furnaces of Chester county.
About 1840 he bought the Marsh Hotel pr'operty
in East Nantmeal township, Chester county, and
for a time made it his residence. He was a Whig,
a man of strong convictions and great decision
of character. He married a woman named Bull,
and reared a family. He lived to be eighty-two
years old, and died at his home in Philadelphia
in 1858. Thomas B. Dewees, son of Walter Dewees,
was born in 181 3 in Chester county, and lived
there all his life. He became a farmer of West
Vincent township, and brought to his calling en
terprise characteristic of his line. He was a Whig
and a Republican, and served his township for
many years as school director. With his family,

Zc^-^jL^.

MRS. THOMAS B. DEWEES.

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

495

he was an attendant of the Episcopal church.
His wife was Elizabeth Hause, daughter of Jacob
Hause, of East Nantriieal township, whom he
married in 1835. Twelve children were born to
the couple, and Mr. Dewees died at his home in
West Vincent township March 8, 1876, at the
age of sixty-three.
Among the children of Thomas B. and Eliza
beth (Hause) Dewees, was Thomas B., men
tioned at the beginning of this article. He was
born, on his father's farm February 28, 1844, and
received his primary education in the local
schools. Later on he was a student at the acad
emy at Freeland, Montgomery county, and at the
Tremont Seminary at Norristown. When only
sixteen he enlisted in Company F, Twelfth Regi
ment, Pennsylvania Militia of emergency men.
He became a good soldier, and again on March
10, 1864, he enlisted as first lieutenant of Com
pany E, Forty-fifth Regiment,United States Col
ored Infantry. With his command he was in the
battles before Petersburg, at Bermuda Hundred,
Strawberry Plains, Fort Fisher, Fair Oaks, and in
the battle on the Dutch Gap Canal, near Rich
mond. This regiment afterward saw service in
Texas. It was stationed at Sabine Pass, Jefferson
county, and also did duty on the Rio Grande. He
was honorably discharged from military duties
December 19, 1865, with a notable record of patri
otic service. He returned to Pennsylvania and
taught school for two years, when he opened a
grocery business in Philadelphia. After a few
months he disposed of this interest, but for the
remainder of his life he has been engaged in some
line of mercantile trade. He carried on a general
store at Birchrunville, West Vincent township,
and was postmaster there for ten years. For
about two years he conducted a men's furnishing
busines at West Chester. In 1889 he removed
to Phcenixville, and bought out Kennedy & Davis,
hardware merchants, and this business he en
larged and extended to embrace house furnishing
goods and marble and granite works. In 1896
Mr. Dewees sold this business to J. F. Yerkes
& Co., of Philadelphia. Upon the death of his
mother-in-law, Mrs. Margaret Templin, Mr. De
wees fell heir by will to her property at Birch
runville, to which place he removed April 1, 1897,
and again resumed business there, in the mean
time building a creamery, store building and pub-
lie hall. He was also again appointed postmas
ter on October 1, 1898, soon after which he sold
out his busines in Birchrunville to Smiley &
Davis, and rented to them his creamery, store
building and public hall, and resigned his posi
tion of postmaster in favor of George D. Smiley,
since which time he has lived a retired life.
Gifted with keen practical sense and executive
ability, Captain Dewees has prospered in his busi
ness ventures, and aside from his local concerns is
82 X

financially interested in several electric light
plants and other enterprises in the west. He has
traveled extensively in the west, and is thoroughly
in touch with business conditions in that section.
He is a Republican in politics, and a member of
Josiah White Post, No. 45, Grand Army of the
Republic. In 1874 he joined Saknack Tribe
Improved Order of Red Men, Mt. Pickering
Hall, which after several years' duration be-
cafne extinct, and on April 1, 1903, joined Gana-
noqua Tribe, No. 232, organized at Dewees' Hall,
Birchrunville. Captain Dewees has been twice married, his
first wife, Hannah Templin, of Birchrunville,
whom he married November 22, 1866, dying Oc
tober 12, 1882. February 26, 1885, he maried
Ida L. Knerr, of West Vincent township. The
following children were born to Mr. and Mrs.
(Knerr) Dewes : 1. Mabel E., born April 7, 1886,
who was educated in the public schools at Phce
nixville and Birchrunville, and is now attending.
the State Normal School at West Chester, Pa.,
with a view of becoming a teacher. 2. Walter R.
C, born April 10, 1888, died September 12, 1889.
3. Emma M., born September 17, 1890; now
attending the high school at Birchrunville.
4. Ella D., born December 3, 1892, now in the
public school. 5. Clara Knerr, born June 3, 1895.
6. H. Knight, born December 6, 1902. Mr. and
Mrs. Dewees and daughter Mabel are active
members of the Baptist church at Birchrunville.
In the summer of 1902 Mr. Dewees tore out, re
modeled and rebuilt his residence, which is now
completed. The house contains fifteen rooms,
supplied with modern conveniences of every char
acter, including an Edison electric light system
and hot-water heat in each room.

WILLIAM FRIDAY, a prosperous farmer
and respected citizen of West Vincent township,
Chester county, is descended from a well known
family of German origin. It seems probable that
the name has in the course of time been subjected
to various orthographic changes before assuming
its present form.
John Friday was a native of Lancaster county,
and all his life followed the occupation of a farm
er both in his birthplace and in Chester county,
whither he removed at some time prior to 1840.
He married Magdalena, daughter of John Yea
ger, by whom he was the father of two children :
Jacob, who died young; and Elizabeth, who be
came the wife of Owen Posey, a farmer of North
Coventry. After the death of his wife Mr. Friday
married Catherine Bush, daughter of John Bush,
a farmer, whose wife was a native of Germany
and landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, No
vember 26, 1793. The following named children
were born to Mr. and Mrs. Bush : Peter, a farm-

496

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

<er ; William, a farmer ; Henry, a farmer ; Jacob, a
-farmer; Mary, who became the wife of George
Eagly; Caroline, who became the wife of Will
iam Alorris ; infant, name unknown ; Charles, a
farmer; Annie, who became the wife of Samuel
Morris ; Catherine, who became the wife of
John Friday ; Frederick, a farmer ; Dorothy, who
became the wife of George Miller; Phillip a
farmer; infant, name unknown; Samuel, a farm
er; and John, who died in early life. Mr. and
Mrs. Friday were the parents of eight children,
their names being as follows : I. Jacob, who be
gan life as a farmer, but afterward earned his
livelihood as a teacher and in the1 course of time
graduated from Gettysburg College and became a
minister in the Lutheran church. 2. John, who
engaged in farming and died in the seventeenth
year of his age. 3. Christian, who was a farmer.
4. Joseph, also a farmer. 5. William, mentioned
hereinafter. 6. Davis, who died at the age of
seven years. 7. George Washington, a farmer
and merchant. 8. Mary C, the wife of Jacob
Keller. William Friday, son of John and Catherine
(Bush) Friday, was born July 20, 1840, in West
Vincent. He received his education in the public
schools, and his life has been devoted to agricul
tural pursuits, in which his well-directed efforts
guided as they have been by scientific knowledge
and practical ability have received their merited
reward. In politics the ancestors of Mr. Friday
supported the doctrines and measures of the
Democratic party, but his own tastes have never
inclined him to participate actively in public af
fairs. In accordance with the traditions of his
family he attends the Lutheran church.
Air. Friday married Mary A. Ortlip, who was
born February 23, 1841, in North Coventry town
ship, and the following named children have been
born to them : 1. John W., who married Rebecca
Miller, and is a farmer on the old homestead; 2.
William J., in his youth was a farmer, later served
in the capacity of clerk in a mercantile business,
for a period of time was the proprietor of a groc
ery store in West Philadelphia,but is now engaged
in the insurance business ; he married Lily A.
Dunning, of Philadelphia, and they are the par
ents of one child ; 3. Rebecca W., wife of George
W. Henwood, who is engaged in the laundry
business in Philadelphia ; 4. Joseph R., who mar
ried Anna Bryson, and they are the parents of
one child ; he is a clerk in a mercantile business in
Phoenixville; 5. E. S. Watkin, unmarried, resides
at home and assists his father with the work on
the farm; 6. Herman C, resides at home and
also assists his father with the work on the farm.
Mrs. Friday is a great-granddaughter of An
drew Ortlip, whose son Samuel Ortlip was the
father of William Ortlip, a miller by trade, but
his declining years were spent in farming on a

small scale. William Ortlip married Catherine
Fry, daughter of Peter Fry, a carpenter and farm
er, who built the old schoolhouse at Birchrun
ville. Peter Fry married Catherine Walt, a native
of Montgomery county, and they were the parents
of the following children : George, who was a
shoemaker and merchant ; Henry, who was the
partner of his brother in the latter's mercantile
business ; John, who was a farmer ; Elizabeth,
who became the wife of Samuel Hause, a farmer ;
and Catherine, who became the wife of William
Ortlip, as mentioned above. The following
named children were born to Air. and Airs. Sam
uel Ortlip : Anna, who became the wife of Will
iam Neyman, a farmer ; Samuel, who was a car
penter, and is now deceased ; Isaac, who was a
miller by trade ; Jefferson, who enlisted in the
army in 1861 ; Mahlon, now deceased; Mary, who
is the wife of James Henderson; John, deceased,
who was a miller by trade ; Sarah, who became the
wife of Abram Prizer, a wheelwright ; Oliver, de
ceased ; and Mariah, also deceased.

DAVID JONES BRUNER, an experienced
farmer and respected citizen of West Vincent
township, Chester county, belongs to a family,
which during two wars has contributed to the
number of its country's defenders. Abram Bru-
ner served in the army during the war of 1812,
and his brother John, who was a native of Berks
county, and afterward removed to Chester county,
was a farmer. The latter married Maria Jones,
who was born in Chester county, and was de
scended as the name indicates from a family of
Welsh origin. They were the parents of the fol
lowing children : William, who studied medicine
in France, graduated in Philadelphia, went to
California in 1849, and died August 10, 1886;
Isaac, who was a farmer, and is now deceased;
David Jones, mentioned at length hereinafter ;
Eliza, who married Scott Patton, a merchant of
Columbia ; Hannah, who became the wife of
Jacob Dampman, a farmer of Chester county ;
Rebecca Frances, who married L. C. Tompson,
a merchant of Pottsville ; and Emma Alargaret,
who became the wife of Elihu Griffith, a farmer.
David Jones Bruner, son of John and Maria
(Jones) Bruner, was born Alarch 19, 1834, in
Chester county, and received his primary educa
tion in the public schools. He afterward attended
a private school presided over by Mr. Jesse Phil
lips and Mr. John Ralston, in Rockville, Honey
brook township, and after completing his educa
tion spent some time in assisting his father in the
labors of the home farm. After an experience of
western life, gained through a year's residence in
Kansas, he returned home and settled on a farm
in Berks county. Subsequently he purchased a
farm in Chester county, which he cultivated sue--

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

497

cessfully for twenty years. At the end of that
time he moved to West Vincent township, and
took up his abode on the farm which is now his
home, and to the cultivation of which he devotes
himself With gratifying results. Mr. Bruner
numbers among the notable reminiscences of his
life a military experience, he having served dur
ing the Civil war in the Emergency Corps as a
member of Company F, commanded by Captain
Barclay and forming part of the Forty-second
Regiment. As a citizen Air. Bruner is faithful to
every duty, being animated by a sincere desire to
promote to the best of his ability the welfare of
the community in which he resides, and so
thoroughly do his townsmen appreciate this trait
in his character that they have elected him at
different times to all the minor offices of the town
ship. In politics he is a Republican, and his
church connections are with the Presbyterian de
nomination. Air. Bruner married Anna Mary Lewis, and
their children are : John Levis, Mary Elvina, and
Edwin Roland. All these children reside in the
homestead, the two sons assisting their father in
the care and management of the estate. Mrs.
Bruner is a daughter of Levis and Mary (James)
Lewis, both natives of Chester county, where the
former was born in 1809. They were the parents
of the following children: Elizabeth, Levina,
Emma, Margart, Darlington, Franklin, and Anna
Mary, who was born in May, 1842, in Philadel
phia, and became the wife of David Jones Bruner
as mentioned above.

CHARLES WEST DAVIS, of West Vin
cent township, Chester county, sagacious and en
terprising both as a farmer and citizen, is a son
of William Henry Harrison Davis, who was born
March 4, 1841, and was a leader in the milk
business. During the Civil war he served three
months in the army. He married Rebecca Ann
Frame, born March 17, 1841, and they were the
parents of the following children: 1. William,
Jr., who was born in Philadelphia, was engaged in
the milk business in Yeadon, Delaware county,
and married Belle Gaul, a native of that county.
2. Charles West, mentioned at length hereinafter.
3. Howard Milton, who was born in Darby, Del
aware county, was employed as a clerk in Mr. Joel
J. Baily's store, and then engaged in the milk
business in Yeadon. He married Laura Haney, a
native of Philadelphia. 4. Herman Allen, who
was also born in Darby, and was at first engaged
in the butter and egg business, but afterward re
turned to his trade, which was that of a machinist.
5. Ralph, died in infancy. 6. Edna Earle, who
was born in Delaware county. 7. Frederick Car
roll, who was born in Yeadon, Delaware county.
The death of Air. Davis, the father of the family,

occurred April 5, 1893, but his widow is still liv
ing and resides in Yeadon, Delaware county.
Charles West Davis, son of William Henry
Harrison and Rebecca Ann (Frame) Davis, was
born May 7, 1867, in Sharon Hill, Delaware
county, and obtained his early education in the
public schools, subsequently attending Bryant &
Stratton's Business College in Philadelphia. He
was for a time employed by Edgar H. Chew, an
upholsterer in Germantown, and then before he
had attained his majority, he went into the milk
business in Philadelphia and continued in that
occupation for two years. After spending the
same length of time as a clerk in the United States
postoffice, he returned to the milk business, in
which he met with such a measure of success as
warranted him at the end of eight years in dispos
ing of his interests and retiring to West Vincent
township, there to lead the life of an independent
farmer. In December, 1901, he assisted in the
organization of the Pickering Valley Alilk-ship-
pers' Union, and was elected its first president.
He is a member of Lodge No. 132, Independent
Order of Odd Fellows. In politics he supports
the measures advocated by the Republican party.
He is connected with the Protestant Episcopal
church. Mr. Davis married Katie Ulrick, and their
children were : Elsie May, born February 20,
1890; Ralph Clifford, born September 1, 1891,
and now deceased; and Aleta Ulrick, born April
22, 1894. Airs. Davis is a daughter of Jacob K.
Ulrick, who was born in October, 1825, in Dela
ware county, and followed the milk business con
tinuously for sixty-one years, with the single brief
exception of one year. He served the Children's
Hospital with milk from the foundation of the
institution until his death. At first they used but
one pint a day, but this amount was soon increas
ed until the demand was about one hundred and
twenty quarts per day. He married Elizabeth
Carsley, who was born December 15, 1825,' and
the following children were born to them:
Charles Carsley, who was engaged in the milk
business ; Elizabeth, who married George W.
Rose, a farmer ; Leonard Smith, who was a farm
er, and married Lavinia Helms ; Ida, who became
the wife of Wilson M. Leech, a farmer and milk-
dealer ; Thomas Lodge, who was a farmer, and
married Ida J. Custer ; and Katie, who was born
November 14, 1867, in Darby, Delaware county,
was educated in the public schools and at the
Friends' Central School, on Fifteenth and Race
streets, Philadelphia, and became the wife of
Charles West Davis, as mentioned above.

MORGAN HOFFMAN CLARK, of West
Vincent township, Chester county, a man of
varied experience and sound ability, is a son of

498

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

Richard Clark, who during a long life was a
leader among the farmers of the county. He
married Elizabeth Roberson, a native of the Val
ley, and the following children were born to them :
Martha, now deceased; John, who was until
twelve years ago engaged in farming, and then
began to follow the carpenter's trade; Morgan
Hoffman, mentioned at length hereinafter ; Rach
ael, now deceased ; Isaiah, who was a farmer, and
is now deceased; Alelinda, who married John
Schofner, a farmer and cattle-dealer, and after
his death became the wife of George Baker, who
is engaged in the real estate business. All these
children were born on the homestead. Mr.
Clark, the father, died at the venerable age of
ninety-one, honored by all who knew him both as
a man and a citizen. His widow also is remarka
ble for longevity, still surviving him, at ninety
years of age.
Morgan Hoffman Clark, son of Richard and
Elizabeth (Roberson) Clark, was born November
15, 1842, in Uwchlan township, where he was
educated in the public schools. Until reaching
the age of twenty-four, he was a farmer as his
father had been before him but then feeling a pre
ference for another line of endeavor he went to
Adamstown, Lancaster county, where he became
the proprietor of the American Eagle Hotel. His
success was such that he remained in this position
for twenty-one years. At the end of that time
he returned to the old homestead, and resumed
the agricultural pursuits which he had for so long
a period abandoned. He has since led the peace
ful life of a farmer, surrounded by the scenes
of his boyhood and youth, and tilling the land on
which he was born. He also takes an active inter
est in local affairs, and was placed by the vote of
his neighbors in the position of supervisor, an
office which he held for six years. In his poli
tical opinions he inclines to the point of view
taken by the Democratic party. He and his fam
ily belong to the Baptist church.
Mr. Clark married Ella, daughter of Alexan
der Carr, a native of West Vincent township.
Mrs. Carr was born in 1841, in West Vincent
township, where she received her education in the
public schools.

ISAIAH FETTERS, a venerable farmer and
citizen of West Vincent township, Chester county,
is a son of John Fetters, who was born in 1777, in
West Pikeland, and combined the lime-burning
industry with the labors of a farmer. He served
in the war of 1812, and was one of the number
stationed at Marcus Hook. He married Mary
Sloyer and they were the parents of the following
children: 1. Henry, who was born in White-
land. 2. George, w^o was born in the Valley, and
was a farmer all his life. 3. Isaiah, mentioned

hereinafter. 4. Elizabeth, who was born in West
Pikeland, as were nearly all the younger children ;
she married James Lumis, a merchant, who is now
deceased. Mrs. Lumis is now living in West
Chester. 5. Hannah, who married Albert Miss-
mer, a merchant of Pottstown, and is deceased.
6. Maragaret, who became the wife of Holland K.
Brownback, a farmer of Downingtown. 7. Anna
M., who married Frank Hallman, a farmer of
West Pikeland. 8. Mary Jane, who became the
the wife of Lewis H. Plett, a farmer, who after
ward engaged in mercantile business.
Isaiah Fetters, son of John and Mary (Sloy
er) Fetters, was born March 3, 1819, in White-
land township, and received his early education in
the public schools of Pikeland, after which he
assisted his father in the labors of the home farm.
On reaching his twenty-sixth year he went to
West Vincent township, where he engaged in
farming for himself and where he has since led
the life of an enterprising, successful agricultur
ist. He is connected with the Lutheran church,
in this particular following in the footsteps of his
forefathers, who were members of that denomi
nation. Mr. Fetters married Mary Ann, daughter of
Joseph and Hannah (Garret) Kulp. The former
was a farmer, and at the same time carried on the
business of a miller. He and his wife were the
parents of the following children, who were all
born in West Vincent : William, Elizabeth, Mar
garet, Joshua, who was a farmer, and was also
engaged in the lumber business, and is now living
in retirement in Royersford. Mary Ann, who was
born July 7, 1819, was educated in the public
schools of the neighborhood, and became the wife
of Isaiah Fetters, as mentioned above.

U. S. GRANT RAPP. The Rapp family, of
Chester county, Pennsylvania, whose representa
tives have been prominently and actively identified
with the commercial and agricultural interests
of that section of the state, is one of the oldest
and most honored, its earliest ancestor as far as
there is any authentic record having been Barney
Rapp, who was born near Valley Forge, in
Schuylkill township, where he followed his trade
of blacksmith in connection with farming pur
suits. He married and reared a family of seven
children, namelv: Barney, John, Joseph H.,
Hannah Bane, Esther, Rachel Boyer and Benja
min Rapp.
Joseph H. Rapp, third son of Barney Rapp,
and grandfather of U. S. Grant Rapp, was born
in Schuylkill township, Pennsylvania, in Janu
ary, 1801. In early life he learned the trade of
coachmaker, which he successfully pursued in the
towns of Phcenixville and Kimberton, and then in
the vicinity of the former town. In politics he

THE OLD WAY HOMESTEAD.
PROPERTY OF WILLIAM WAY; BEEN IN WAY FAMILY SINCE TIME OF WILLIAM PENN.

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

499

was an old line Whig, and in religion a member
of the Phoenix Baptist church, in which he served
for many years in the capacity of deacon. By his
union to Margaret Supplee, a daughter of Peter
and Hannah (Easton) Supplee, the following
named children were born: Benjamin Franklin,
Joseph E., George W., Silas S., Peter, and Eliza
J. Townsend. Joseph H. Rapp, father of these
children, died in March, 1883, aged eighty-two
years. George W. Rapp, third son of Joseph H. and
Margaret Rapp, and father of U. S. Grant Rapp,
was born on the present site of Phcenixville,
Chester county, Pennsylvania, March 31, 1837.
He attended the common schools of the neighbor
hood, and after completing his studies learned the
trade of miller with Benjamin Prizer. He fol
lowed his trade in the vicinity of Kimberton for
four years, after which he spent several years in
Canada, subsequently returning to his native
state. He was then ' employed by Joseph Fron-
field, the proprietor of a miil which later became
the property of Mr. Rapp. The following four
years were devoted to agricultural pursuits on a
farm consisting of seventy-five acres of fertile
and well-watered land, which he purchased in
1879. In fhe same year he purchased the mill
where he was formerly employed, which is situ
ated on French creek and has excellent water
power. He is now conducting a wholesale and
retail business in flour and all kinds of feed, un
der the firm name of G. W. Rapp & Sons, runs
a flour wagon to Spring City and Phcenixville,
and ships constantly to Philadelphia, where his
brands are well known and in good demand. On
December 28, 1862, Mr. Rapp married Andora
Yeager, daughter of Peter arid Barbara (Taney)
Yeager. Their children are: Joseph P., U. S.
Grant, and Anna Margaretta, wife of Irvin
Moyer, a farmer of East Vincent township. Mr.
Rapp is a Republican in politics.
U. S. Grant Rapp, second son of George W.
and Andora Rapp, was born November 11, 1865,
on the old homestead farm of his grandfather and
father, located east of Kimberton, now the prop
erty of Joshua Rhoades. His preliminary edu
cation was acquired at the common schools of his
native town, and this was supplemented by at
tendance at Pierces Business College in the city
of Philadelphia. His first business experience
was gained on his father's farm, later he was
employed in the capacity of salesman for supplies
in his father's mill, and in 1899 he located on the
farm where he now resides, which is the old
homestead of the Heistand family, who are re
lated to his father-in-law, and this property has
been in the possession of the family for over a
hundred years. He conducts a general farm and
dairy business, and during the passing years has
met with a large degree of success in this under

taking. Mr. Rapp is an Independent in politics,
and stands high in the community as an honora
ble and upright citizen.
Mr. Rapp was united in marriage May 31,
1890, to Mary E. Detwiler, who was born Sep
tember 1, 1869, a daughter of Abram Detwiler.
Their children are : Irma D., Irene Alay, Joseph
Howard, Warren, who died at the age of five
years, Vernon, and William Layton Rapp.

WILLIAM WAY, a prosperous farmer of
West Cain township, Chester county, Pennsyl
vania, was born in that township, August 21,
1864, and is a lineal descendant of Caleb and Re
becca (Mendenhall) Way, founders of the family
in America. Caleb Way was a son of William and Ann
Way, while his wife was a daughter of Robert
and Phoebe Mendenhall, and she was born Octo
ber 3, 1740, and their children were as follows:
James, born August 26, 1763 ; Phoebe, born Sep
tember 28, 1765 ; John, born November 17, 1766;
Caleb, born February 15, 1769; Robert, born No
vember 14, 1770; Joseph, born August 15, 1772;
Ann, born August 28, 1775 ; William, born No
vember 15, 1777; Jacob, born October 8, 1779;
Rebecca, born February 11, 1782; Mary, born
April 1, 1785.
Jacob Way, seventh in order of birth in the
above named family, married Catherine Hood,
and they were the grandparents of our subject.
Their children were as follows. Joseph, who
married Mary Reese, and they had one child —
Jacob, now deceased ; James ; Esther, who mar
ried David Williams, and died February 7, 1849,
having had three children — Joseph, Andrew Jack
son and Catherine.
James Way, of the above family and father
of our subject, was born November 20, 1813, in
West Cain township, while his wife, Sarah Jane
Way, is the daughter of Joseph and Ann Hughes,
of Wagontown. Joseph Hughes is a son of John
and Jane Hughes. James and Sarah Jane Way
purchased the Caleb Way homestead, on which
they made their home. Their family was as fol
lows, viz : Anna Mary, born August 20, 1848,
married Edward Grubb, and had one child, Gert
rude, and she married Harry E. Williams, Jr. ;
Caleb H., born July 14, 1850, died October 26,
1851 ; Catherine, born April 21, 1852, died Janu
ary 4, 1864; Howard, born August 10, 1854, mar
ried Emma Ash, and they had five children —
Horace, Ralph, Sarah, Marion and Charles, resi
dents of Downingtown, Pennsylvania; James,
born September 14, 1856, married Ida Jane
Whike, and they had four children, two living,
James and Laura, and they reside in Sadsbury-
ville; Sallie, born July 6, i860, died January 2,
1864; William Way, our subject; Florence, born

500

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

April 28, 1867, married Elmer E. Schrack, of
Wagontown, on April 26, 1893, and they have
three children — James, Henry and Ernest Way,
and one deceased.
William Way, the subject of this sketch, re
ceived an excellent education in the public schools
of his neighborhood and the Alaxwell Academy,
at Coatesville. In the fall of 1892 he purchased
the original Way homestead, which embraces one
hundred acres of highly cultivated land, and he
has been engaged in operating his property ever
since, meeting with unqualified success.
On March 2, 1892, he was married to Martha
Jobson Maris, of Delaware county, and they have
had two children, twins, — Sarah Elizabeth and
Clara Hoopes. Mrs. Way is a daughter of Ellis
and Hannah (Jobson) Maris. The maternal
great-grandparents of Mrs. Way were Samuel
and Martha Jobson, while the grandparents are
Joseph and Hannah Jobson. The Jobson family
is well known in Delaware county, Pennsylvania.
Five children were born to the- parents of Mrs.
Way, namely: Mrs. Way; Thomas H., who
married first, — Ella Greenwood, by whom he had
two children, (Ellis H. and William G.), and sec
ond, he married Bertha Alarch; Elizabeth B. is
unmarried ; Anna B., who married Daniel McLain
Emery ; Horace, who is unmarried.
In politics Mr. Way is a Democrat, but while
supporting the principles of his party he does not
take an active part in local affairs, preferring to
devote his time and attention to his farm.
Through industry and uprightness of living he
has gained the respect of the neighborhood, and
possesses many friends throughout Chester
county.

PARK VERNON MOSTELLER, who oc
cupies a leading place among the enterprising citi
zens of Birchrunville, Pennsylvania, is a grandson
of Henry Mosteller, who was the father of the
following children : Jesse, who was born in West
Vincent, and became a farmer; Albert, who was
also born in West Vincent, as were all the young
er children, led a roving life; Harry, who was a
farmer; Lillian; and Emma. The three last
named are all deceased. Another son, William,
was born February 5, 1846, and married Annie
Jones, a descendant in all probability of one of the
old Welsh families of Pennsylvania.
Park Vernon Mosteller, son of William and
Annie (Jones) Mosteller, was born May 15, 1870,
in West Vincent township, and obtained his edu
cation in the public schools of Kimberton, at the
same time assisting his father in the labors of the
farm. He was apprenticed to March & Brown
back for the purpose of learning the trade of a
stove moulder, working three years and a half as

an apprentice, and four years and a half as a
journeyman. He had always possessed great
taste for music and had availed himself of every
opportunity of receiving instruction in the art,
his teachers having been Aliss Ewing and Miss
Shaffer. Through all his changes of occupation
he had continued his music lessons and in spite pf
the many hindrances and disadvantages under
which he labored, his progress was such that he
was able after a time to become a teacher of music
in Pottstown. That the estimable qualities of
Mr. Mosteller are appreciated by his townsmen is
evident from the fact that he has held for a year
the office of school-tax collector. His political
principles are those promulgated and supported
by the Democratic party. He is a member of the
Lutheran church, where his musical abilities en
able him to render valuable service by acting as
leader of the choir.
Mr. Mosteller married Laura, born Alay 14,
1868, in Pottstown, a daughter of Henry Strougn,
also a native of Pottstown, where he was born
November 15, 1820. During the Civil war he
acted as a recruiting- officer, and drilled men for
the service. His brother, Samuel Strough,
served as a private in the army during the Alexi-
can war.

LAAIARTINE DARLINGTON, one of the
enterprising and scientific agriculturists of the
township of Pocopson, Chester county, Pennsyl
vania, traces his ancestry to Job and Alary Dar
lington, who were natives of Darnhall, Cheshire,
England, where the following named children
were born to them : Abraham, John, Joseph,
Alatthew, Jane and Alary, and of these children
Abraham and John came to Pennsylvania. The
father of these children was interred August 11,
1731, according to the records of Whitegate; his
wife passed away December 18, 1728.
Abraham Darlington, eldest son of Job and
Mary Darlington, was born in 1690, and was
bound apprentice to a saddler when he had attained
the age of eleven years. He pursued this occu
pation for a number of years in Aston township,
Delaware county, Pennsylvania, but in 1723, pur
chased a farm in Birmingham from the heirs of
John Fred. He was married in the Friends'
Meeting House, March, 1712, to Deborah Carter,
daughter of Joseph Carter. She died leaving no
children, and Air. Darlington married Elizabeth
Hillborn, daughter of Thomas and Elizabeth Hill-
born, of Bucks county. Their children were:
Mary, Deborah, Elizabeth, Abraham, Thomas,
John, Hannah, Rachel, Job and Rebecca. Mr.
Darlington's death occurred February 9, 1776,
and his wife died December 28, 1771.
Thomas Darlington, fifth child in order of
birth born to Abraham and Elizabeth Darlington,

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

501

was born April 25, 1754, and subsequently settled
on a farm, which consisted of one hundred acres,
in East Bradford; this property was purchased
by his father from John Strode in 1750. He mar
ried Hannah Brinton, daughter of Edward Brin
ton, of Birmingham, and their children were :
Edward, Abraham, Thomas, Jesse, Amos, George,
Stephen, Hannah, Elizabeth, Emanuel and Brin
ton Darlington.
George Darlington, sixth son of Thomas and
Hannah Darlington, was born August 22, 1766,
and was a farmer and miller by occupation and
trade, following the former named line of indus
try on a tract of land west of the Brandywine, on
the Pocopson stream. He was united in mar
riage to Lydia Barnard, daughter of Richard and
Lettice Barnard, and their children were : Rich
ard, Stephen, Cyrus, Joseph, Eliza, Lydia and
Hannah Darlington.
Stephen Darlington, second son of George and
Lydia Darlington, and father of Lamartine Dar
lington, was born in the township of Pocopson,
Chester county, Pennsylvania, October 28, 1799.
He acquired a common school education, but be
ing of a studious disposition he continued his
studies after leaving school, taking up the study
of mathematics and the languages, and he subse
quently became one of the finest French linguists
in the state of Pennsylvania. He settled on a
farm bordering the Brandywine, which was
formerly the property of Henry Hoopes, and by
his skillful treatment of the soil and his thorough
knowledge of agricultural affairs, soon had his
estate so it ranked among the most productive and
best cultivated in that section of the state He
also paid particular attention to his buildings and
fences, the latter being constructed of iron and
placed upon a stone basis so securely as to stand
the test of a century.
On September 15, 1825, Mr. Darlington mar
ried Ann Mendenhall, who was born October 27,
1804, a daughter of Aaron Mendenhall, who was
the owner of a fine farm in Pennsbury township
which had descended as a patrimonial estate from
his father, Isaac, who inherited it from his father,
Joseph, one of the sons of Benjamin Alendenhall,
who came to this country with his brother John,
about the year 1686, from Married Hill, Wilt
shire, England, and "settled in Pennsylvania. Five
children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Darlington :
1. Fenelon M., named in honor of Francis Fene-
lon,who was born in the chateau Fenelon, province
of Perigord, in 165 1 ; he was the author of many
valuable works, his first article being "On the
Education of Girls," which is still a standard au
thority, and the latest collected edition embraces
twenty octavo volumes, and includes every variety
of subjects — theology, philosophy, history, liter
ature, ancient and modern, oratory, especially the
eloquence of the pulpit, asceticism, and spiritual

ity in all its branches. His death occurred in
1715. Fenelon was born Alarch 27, 1827, and
died April 4, 1883;. 2. Sarah, born September 20,
1828; 3. Louise, born October 15, 1830; 4. Emma,
born September 16, 1833, and Lamartine, the
subject of the sketch, born June 22, 1849, and
named in honor of Alphonse Lamartine, who was
born at Macon, October 21, 1792, and who for
eighteen years devoted himself almost exclusively
to literary pursuits ; he was the author of "Mem
oirs of My Youth," in which he gives a touching
account of the hardships to which his family was
subjected during the Reign of Terror; he also
wrote a book entitled "History of the Revolution
of 1848," "History of the Restoration of Mon
archy in France," and History of Turkey;" his
death occurred in 1869.
Mr. and Mrs. Darlington celebrated their
golden wedding September 15, 1875, with appro
priate and interesting ceremonies, and the address
of welcome was a poetical effort on the part of
Stephen Darlington. His death occurred May 16,
1884, after a long and practically useful life, and
the following beautiful and well deserved tribute
was paid to his memory : "While Stephen Dar
lington was a model agriculturist, he was also a
constant student, a ripe scholar, and as a linguist
had few equals, if any, in his native state." Airs.
Darlington passed away Alarch 9, 1885, aged
eighty years.
Lamartine Darlington, youngest son of Ste
phen and Ann Darlington, was born on the old
homestead in Pocopson township, Chester county,
Pennsylvania, June 22, 1849. He was educated in
the local schools and the West Chester Academy,
and after laying aside his school books he devoteed
his attention to farming interests on the ancestral
estate, where he has resided up to the present time
(1903). Mr. Darlington was a consistent mem
ber of the Society of Friends, as were also his
parents, who uniformly attended their meetings
of worship and business.
Air. Darlington was united in marriage to
Sarah Ann Sharpless, the ceremony being per
formed at the Friends' Aleeting House in Middle-
town township, Delaware county, Pennsylvania,
March 13, 1879. A daughter of Joel and Sarah
Ann Sharpless.

EMLEN CLAYTON FAUCETT. The
Faucett family, prominently associated with the
development and progress of Chester county,
Pennsylvania, since the early part of the eight
eenth century, trace their origin to George and Is
abella Faucett who, according to supposition, are
the founders of the family name in the state of
Pennsylvania. In colonial times the family inhab
ited a log cabin in which they conducted a country
store, but this was subsequently demolished, and

502

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

in the remodeling of the mansion which suc
ceeded this place of abode, some of the timber of
the primitive log cabin was used as joists, being
as good as when hewn from the forest*
The line of descent is traced from the pioneer
ancestors, George and Isabella Faucett, to their
grandson, Henry Faucett, who was born in West-
town township, Chester county, where he resided
with his wife, Hannah Faucett, and reared a
family of eight children, namely: Ebenezer,
born January 28, 1783; Margaret, born October
17, 1784; George, born October 15, 1786; Re
becca, born November 25, 1788; Sarah, born July
29, 1792; Hannah, born April 11, 1796; Anna,
born November 18, 1800, and Margaret (2), born
November 9, 1807.
George Faucett, second son of Henry and
Hannah Faucett, was born on the old homestead
in Westtown township, Chester county, Pennsyl
vania, October 15, 1786. He was united in mar
riage to Mary Yearsley, and of their family of
eight children the first five were born in West-
town township and the birth of the three younger
members occurred in the township of Birming
ham. The family consisted of the following
named children : Nathan, born December 27,
1823 ; Hannah N., born August 6, 1825 ; Henry,
born January 12, 1828; George, born August 1,
1830; Mary Jane, born December 1, 1833; Eben
ezer, born April 2, 1836; Joseph, born August 16,
1838, and Elizabeth, born June 6, 1840.
Nathan Faucett, eldest son of George and
Mary Faucett, was also born on the old homestead
in Westtown township, Chester county, Decem
ber 27, 1823, but subsequently removed to Bir
mingham township, where he resides at the pres
ent time (1903). He was married three times,
his first wife having been Isabella Smith, who
bore him three children, namely : Anna Mary,
who became the wife of James Kirkpatrick,
George S., and Estella, who was united in mar
riage to Pennock Williamson. His second wife
was Elizabeth Taylor, and after her decease he
chose for his third wife Sadie Sharp, who is living
at the present time.
George S. Faucett, only son of Nathan and
Isabella Faucett, was born on the family estate in
Dilworthtown, Birmingham township, Chester
county, Pennsylvania, October 19, 1848, and ob
tained his education at the local schools and the
Military Academy at West Chester. He was an
enterprising and progressive farmer, and served
his township in the capacity of school director for
eighteen years, besides holding other local offices
of importance and trust. On September 22,
1869, he married Ada Clayton, who was born
December 2, 1845, a daughter of Harlan (born
October 17, 1809) and Elizabeth Clayton, and
granddaughter of James and Mary Clayton.
Their children are: Emlen Clayton, born Sep

tember 27, 1872; Elizabeth, born October 16,
1874, and Nathan Yearsley, born January 29,
1881. Emlen Clayton, eldest son of George S. and
Ada Faucett, was born in Dilworthtown, Bir
mingham township, Chester county, Pennsyl
vania, September 27, 1872. His early education
was acquired at the district school, and this was
supplemented by a course at the Friends' Graded
Academy at West Chester and Pritchetts College
at Philadelphia, where he was qualified to enter
upon the active duties of a business career. He
subsequently removed to Pocopsin township,
Chester county, where he has since followed agri
cultural pursuits, making a specialty of dairy
farming. His operations are conducted on an
extensive scale, and being a man of progressive
ideas and energetic will power, he is now in re
ceipt of a good income from his farm land. He
is well known in the community for his honesty
and enterprise, having discharged the duties in
all positions of life with promptness and fidelity.
On August 15, 1894, Mr. Faucett married
Aneta Regester, who was born September 6,
1874, a daughter of Courtland and Lavina (Co-
burn) Regester, of West Chester, Chester county,
Pennsylvania, the latter named being a daughter
of John W. and Susana Coburn. Four children
have been born to Air. and Mrs. Faucett, namely :
Ernest Clayton, born February 10, 1896; Herman
Regester, born November 4, 1897; James Elwin
and Nathan Cornell, twins, born May 11, 1901.

EBENEZER FAUCETT, 'a representative of
one of the oldest families of Chester county, and
serving in the capacity of school director of the
township of Pocopsin, which office he has cred
itably and efficiently filled for the past twelve
years, was born on a tarm in Birmingham town
ship, Chester county, Pennsylvania, April 2, 1836.
Henry Faucett, grandfather of Ebenezer Fau
cett, was born in Westtown township, Chester
county, October 15, 1786, a grandson of George
and Isabella Faucett, who were the pioneer an
cestors of the family. . Henry Faucett was a man
of energy and activity, taking interest and part in
every enterprise and movement calculated to im
prove the growth and development of the com
munity. The following named children were
born to Plenry Faucett and his wife, Hannah
Faucett; Ebenezer, born January 28, 1783; Mar
garet, born October 17, 1784; George, born Octo
ber 15, 1786; Rebecca, born November 25, 1788;
Sarah, born July 29, 1792; Hannah, born April
11, 1796; Anna, born November 18, 1800, and
Margaret (2), born November 9, 1807.
George' Faucett, father of Ebenezer Faucett,
and second son of Henry and Hannah Faucett,
was born October 15, 1786, in Chester county,

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

503

Pennsylvania. He was a prominent man of
affairs, and was actively associated with the ma
terial and social interests of the township in
which he resided. He was united in marriage to
Mary Yearsley, and they becariie the parents of
eight children, namely: 1. Nathan, born in
Westtown township, December 27, 1823, married
Isabella Smith, and three children were born to
them — Anna Mary, wife of James Kirkpatrick;
George S., who married Ada Clayton, and Es-
tella, wife of Pennock Williamson ; after the death
, of his wife, Nathan married Elizabeth Taylor,
and after her death he was united in marriage
to Sadie Sharp. 2. Hannah N., born in West-
town township, August 6, 1825 ; 3. Henry, born
in Westtown township, January 12, 1828;. 4.
George, born in the township of Westtown, Au
gust 1, 1830; 5. Mary Jane, born December 1,
1833, in Westtown township ; 6. Ebenezer, born
in Birmingham township, April 2, 1836; 7. Jos
eph, born August 16, 1838, in the township of
Birmingham; 8. Elizabeth, also born in the
same township, June 6, 1840.
Ebenezer Faucett, fourth son of George and
Mary Faucett, was reared and received his edu
cation in the common schools of Birmingham
township. After completing his studies, being
thoroughly familiar with the details of farm life,
he chose that occupation for his business career.
His operations were conducted in his native town
ship up to the year i860, when he purchased a
farm consisting of one hundred and twenty-eight
acres in Pocopsin township, where he has since
resided, making a specialty of dairy farming. In
addition to the interest he has always taken in
agricultural pursuits, Mr. Faucett has not neg
lected his political duties, but has taken a deep
interest in all local affairs. He has been the in
cumbent of many offices of trust, among which
has been that of school director, in which he is
serving at the present time (1903) and also has
served for twelve consecutive years.
On January 5, i860, Mr. Faucett married
Deborah Jane Kimble, who was born in Franklin
township, Chester county, Pennsylvania, January
5, 1835, a daughter of Amos and Letitia Kimble,
the former named being successfully engaged as
a drover and farmer in Franklin township. Their
children were : 1. Lizzie, born April 3,-1861, died
in infancy ; 2. Eber Osborne, born October 7,
1862, now a resident of Philadelphia, where he
is engaged in the grain and flour business ; he
married June 13, 1889, Ellen T. Morton, and
three children were born to them, namely: Eve-
lin S., born October 16, 1890, Alary L., born
April 16, 1892, and Florence, born August, 1894,
and died in infancy ; after the death of the mother
of these children, Eber Osborne married Jose
phine Haycock. 3. Eugene V., born December

10, 1876, now engaged in the capacity of mechan
ical engineer with the firm of Dupont De Morri
son Co., of Wilmington, Delaware. 4. Laura
May, born February 10, 1871, died June 25, 1898.
The old family mansion of the Faucett family
was built during the eighteenth century, near the
site of the old log cabin in which the family con
ducted a country store during colonial times.
This cabin was demolished many years since, and
some of the ti'mbers, whi.ch were hewn a century
before, were used as joists when the mansion was
remodeled.

ROBERT W. CALDWELL belongs to that
class of enterprising, progressive citizens to whom
the community owes its commercial activity and
business prosperity. He is the proprietor of a
large general establishment in the township of
Pocopson, Chester county, Pennsylvania, and also
serves in the capacity of postmaster, being ap
pointed the incumbent of that office under the ad
ministration of President Cleveland, the last week
of his administration. He is a nephew of the re
nowned Colonel John Caldwell, who served his
country with distinction and honor during the
trying period of the war of 1812.
John Gordon Caldwell, father of Robert W.
Caldwell, was born in January, 1799, and subse
quently became one of the successful and useful
citizens of the state of Delaware, being instru
mental in the progress and development of a sec
tion situated about twenty miles from the city of
Dover. He married Elizabeth Davis, and three
children were born to them : Robert W. ; John,
who married Christiana Record, and two
children have been born to them: Emily,
who was married ¦ first to Frank Mathews, and
after his decease to Mr. Fanstock; she is the
mother of one child, Frank. Louisa, second child
of John and Christiana Caldwell, married Rad-
cliff Mills. Sarah is the wife of Jacob Weldon
and their chilren are: Margaret, now deceased,
who was the wife of William Goodman, and
Mary Weldon.
Robert W. Caldwell, eldest son of John Gor
don and Elizabeth (Davis) Caldwell, was born
April 26, 1822, on the old homestead, which was
situated about twenty miles from the city of
Dover, Delaware, but was reared and acquired a
practical education in the public schools of Wil
mington, Delaware. In 1845 he removed to Lo
cust Grove, Pocopson township, Chester county,
acquired a piece of property from Samuel Martin,
of Kennett Square, and established a general
store which he has conducted ever since. He
has the confidence and good will of his customers
and always retains their patronage by reason of
his reliable business methods, his promptness and

5°4

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

his genial disposition. In addition to this busi
ness he serves in- the capacity of postmaster of
Locust Grove, filled the office of school director
for many years, and was the assessor and collector
of the township for eleven years. In politics, he
was first a Whig, and afterwards an ardent Re
publican, having cast his first vote for Henry Clay
when he was nominated for the presidency of the
United States.
Mr. Caldwell was united in marriage to Sarah
Mclntyre, of West Chester, Pennsylvania, who
was born in West Fallowfield township about the
year 1816. Their children were : Emily H.,
Annie AL, Sarah B. ; Edward, who died in 1903 ;
Joseph, who married Annie E. Pyle, a daughter of
Sheriff John Pyle of Wilmington, Delaware and
they have one child, Mary Caldwell; Frank, and
Henry Caldwell, the latter named being employed
by Litz Brothers, of Philadelphia. Mr. Caldwell
is well read and successful as a business man, ac
tive and influential in politics, and popular and
useful as a citizen.

TRUMAN YARNALL, for many years one
of the most highly respected citizens of Chester
county, Pennsylvania, was a representative of a
very numerous family which traced its descent
from Francis Yarnall, who came from England
in 1682, settled in Springfield, and in the 10th mo,
1683, had a tract of land surveyed to him. He
became a prominent man in the community, and
in 171 1 was a member of the provincial assembly.
He married, in Alarch, 1686, Hannah Baker, and
was the father of a large family of children. His
death took place in 1721.
Amos Yarnall, son of Francis and Hannah
(Baker) Yarnall, was born January 28, 1700, and
took up five hundred acres of land in Willistown
township. He married, March 18, 1727, Mary
Ashbridge, daughter of George and Mary Ash
bridge, and they were the parents of the following
named children: Daniel, born December 15,
1727 or 1728; Amos, mentioned at length herein
after; Mary, born January 28, 1734; Aaron, born
February 20, 1738, and George, born November
12, 1745. After the death of his wife, Amos
Yarnall married, December 28, 1750, Sarah Gar
rett, widow of Samuel Garrett.
Amos Yarnall, son of Amos and Mary (Ash
bridge) Yarnall, was born August 28, 1730, and
established a homestead on the five hundred acres
of land in Willistown township, which had been
previously taken up by his father. Pie married,
May 17, 1753, Jane Hibbard, born December 23,
1734, a daughter of Benjamin and Phcebe
(Sharpless) Hibbard. The former was a son of
Josiah and Ann (Bonsall) Hibbard, Ann Bonsall
being the daughter of Richard and Mary Bon

sall. Phoebe Sharpless was the daughter of John
and Hannah (Pennell) Sharpless, and John
Sharpless was the son of John and Jane (Aloore)
Sharpless, the former of the two last mentioned
being the son of Geoffrey and Alargaret (Ashley)
Sharpless. The children of Amos and Jane (Hib
bard) Yarnall were : Phcebe, born Alay 19, 1754 ',
Ezra, born January 13, 1756; Caleb, born Jan
uary 25, 1759; Benjamin, mentioned at length
hereinafter; Hannah, born October 5, 1762,
Amos, born March 17, 1767; Jane, born August
29, 1769, and Jesse, born September 27, 1774.
Benjamin Yarnall, son of Amos and Jane
(Hibbard) Yarnall, was born November 20,
1760, and was a leading man in the community,
being often called upon to perform clerical work
for his neighbors and to settle estates. He mar
ried, May 6, 1795, in Sadsbury Meeting, Susanna
Truman, daughter of John and Rachel (Aloore)
Truman, who were married in Sadsbury Aleeting
House on November 12, 1761. John Truman
was born August 26, 1736, died October 22, 1828,
and was a son of Thomas, born in 1705, died in
1788, and Ann (Holon) Truman, their marriage
ceremony having been performed at Sadsbury
Aleeting House. Benjamin Yarnall and his wife
were the parents of the following named children :
Rachel, born March 24, 1796, married in April
1839, at Sadsbury Meeting House, Joseph Pax-
ton and their daughter, Rachel Paxton, was born
May 25, 1840; Mrs. Paxon died August 24, 1840;
Jane, born January 22, 1799, died September 12,
1 805 ; Truman, mentioned at length hereinafter ;
Reuben, born September 20, 1805, died August
30, 1808; Amos, born March 26, 1809, married
March 18, 1847, Anna Leedom, who died March
24, 1878, and the death of Amos occurred Janu
ary 26, 1873 ; Rebecca, born April 17, 1812, died
July 30, 1815. Benjamin Yarnall, the father of
these children, died December 1, 1825, and his
wife passed away May 28, 1854.
Truman Yarnall, son of Benjamin and Su
sanna (Truman) Yarnall, was born Alarch 9,
1802, on the old homestead in Willistown, Ches
ter county, Pennsylvania, where he and his father
resided all their lives, this being a portion of the
land conveyed by Thomas Penn, Esq., one of the
proprietors of the Province of Pennsylvania, by
virtue of the power and authority to him granted
by John and Richard Penn, and of his own right
by a certain grant or patent under his hand and
the great seal of the said province bearing date
the 29th clay of the month called January A. D.,
1738, to Amos Yarnall and by him and "his wife
Sarah sold to their son, Amos Yarnall, father of
Benjamin and grandfather of Truman Yarnall,
December 28, 1753. After the completion of his
education in the Friends' School, Truman Yar
nall and his brother cleared up and improved

V

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

505

their farm, on which they raised- a large quantity
of general farm produce, and Truman became
noted for his skill. He was an expert marks
man, shooting a large number of hawks and other
game. In 1862 Air. Yarnall erected the residence
now standing on the farm. He was a worthy
Friend, a regular attendant of the meetings, and
held the position of elder and overseer. He was
a man of strict probity and exemplary character,
and was ever mindful of the duties incumbent
upon him as a good and public-spirited citizen.
Air. Yarnall married, May 8, 1845, Ann
Lewis Hicks, born June 19, 1806, widow of
Jesse G. Hicks, and daughter of Elijah and
Esther (Alassey) Lewis. One child was the
issue of this union, Susanna, born July 4, 1847,
who resides on the homestead and manages the
estate. Airs. Yarnall was a consistent Friend and
regular attendant of the meeting when her health
would permit, served as overseer and clerk of
Goshen Monthly Aleeting for several years, and
was an elder in the Monthly Aleeting at the time
of her death, May 16, 1890. She survived her
husband several years, the date of his death be
ing June 19, 1882. Both were sincerely and
deeply lamented by all who knew them for their
many estimable qualities.
Elijah Lewis, father of Mrs. Truman Yarnall,
was a descendent of Henry Lewis, who married,
January 12, 1670, Margaret Philpin, and they
with their son, Henry Lewis, came to America
from Pembrokeshire, Wales, in 1682, and at the
time of his decease in 1688 was the owner of a
house in Philadelphia, and a large tract of land
in Haverford, Delaware county. Henry Lewis,
son of Henry and Margaret (Philpin) Lewis,
was born October 26, 1671, married, October 20,
1692, Alary Taylor, a daughter of Robert, who
died in 1695, and Alary (Hays) Taylor, who died
in 1728. John Lewis, son of Henry and Mary
(Taylor) Lewis, was born March 23, 1697, and
died in 1780; he married, November 6, 1725,
Katharine Evans one record has it, and another
record has it Roberts, who died in 1781 ; she
owned half pf a farm of one hundred acres in
Radnor, Pennsylvania, and her husband, John
Lewis, purchased the other half of her sister, and
they resided there until their deaths. Evan Lewis,
son of John and Katharine Lewis, was born June
13, 1740, married, October 31, 1770, Esther Ma-
sey, who was born December 15, 1740 or 1741,
a daughter of Thomas and Sarah (Taylor) Alas
sey. After the death of his wife in 1773, Evan
Lewis married, December 20, 1775, Jane Mere
dith, born March 12, 1743, died June 5, 1814, a
daughter of John and. Grace (Williams) Mere
dith, the former named haying been born about
the year 1699 in Radnorshire, Wales, died in
1769, and the latter named was a daughter of

Lewis Williams, who settled in Goshen and was
for some time its only inhabitant. Evan Lewis
died March 1, 1808.
Elijah Lewis ,son of Evan and Jane (Alere-
dith) Lewis, was born May 2, 1778, settled on
a farm in Willistown, Chester county, Pennsyl
vania. Pie served his county two years in the state
legislature with marked and signal ability. Later
he was appointed justice of the peace for his town
ship by governor of the state, and after the office
became elective by the people of the township,
he was unanimously chosen until a few years
prior to his death, when at his earnest entreaty
he was allowed to resign from office. He united
many in the holy bonds of matrimony, and in the
settlement of estates he had few if any aquals.
He possessed the mathematical and analytical
turn of mind with which the family was endowed,
fathomed every subject that came before him
and took hold of it with a grasp of mind that
shone forth so clearly in his logical deductions
and demonstrations, that all selfishness, bitter
ness and prejudice had to yield to the convic
tions of truth and justice.
Elijah Lewis married, in Willistown Friends
Meeting House, September 19, 1799, Esther Alas
sey, who was born May 17, 1777, a daughter of
Thomas and Jane (Goodwin) Massey, whose
mrrrPge occurred December 22, 1774. Jane
(Goodwin) Massey died 5 mo, 28, 1813. Thomas
Massey was born February 7, 1735, and died in
1784; he was the son of Thomas and Sarah (Tay
lor) Massey, the former named having been born
November 21, 1701, married in 1725, Sarah
Taylor, born January 9, 1703, and her death
occurred in November, 1786. Thomas Alas
sey, Sr., was the son of Thomas and Phcebe
(Taylor) Massey ; Thomas was born in
Cheshire, England, in 1664, married in 1692,
and died September 18, 1708; Phoebe (Taylor)
Massey, died December 27, 1749 ; she was the
daughter of Robert, who died in 1695, and Alary
(Hayes) Taylor, who died in 1728. Sarah (Tay
lor) Massey, wife of Thomas Massey, was the
daughter of Isaac Taylor, son of Robert and Alary
(Hayes) Taylor, who married Sarah Bradwell
in 1689; Isaac died in 171 7, and Sarah (Brad-
well) Taylor died in November, 1748. Jane
(Goodwin) Massey, wife of Thomas Alassey, was
the daughter of Thomas Goodwin, born in 1694,
died April 16, 1775; he married, September 12,
1729, Ann Jones, who was the daughter of Rich
ard nnd Pne (Evans) Jones, who were united
in marriage April 6, 1705. Richard Jones was
born about the year 1679, died July 16, 1771.
The children of Elijah and Esther (Alassey)
Lewis are as follows: 1. Thomas Massey, born
July 8. t8oo. married, in 1830, Susanna W.
Davis, daughter of Joseph and Sarah (AlacAfee)

506

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

Davis; Susanna W. (Davis) Lewis was born in
Williston, Pennsylvania, September 3, 1810, died
in Chariton, Iowa, February 12, 1898 ; Thomas
Lewis also died in Chariton, Iowa, March 9, 1877.
2. Enos, born July 19, 1802, died September 20,
1804. 3. Richard, born August 3, 1804, died
October 22, 1804. 4. Ann, born June 19; 1806,
married, at Williston Meeting House, March 11,
1830, Jesse G. Hicks, born April 22, 1806, died
December 1, 1832, a son of William and Abi
gail Hicks ; for her second husband she married
Truman Yarnall. 5. Jane, born March 9, 1809,
became the wife of Nathan Garrett, March 11,
1830, at Williston Meeting House; Nathan Gar
rett, son of Nathan and Rebecca Garrett,
died March 28, 1881, and his wife passed
away March 31, 1862, 6. Sarah, born Feb
ruary 20, 181 2, became the wife of John
Smedley, son of John and Rebecca Smedley;
John Smedley was born January 11, 18 14,
died March 19, 1855 ; his wife, Sarah (Lewis)
Smedley, died September 22, 1887, at the resi
dence of her son, Thomas D. Smedley, in Brad
ford, Pennsylvania. 7. Enos Alontgomery, born
December 2, 1814, died October 11, 1820. Elijah
Lewis, father of these children, died September
2, 1861, and his wife,- Esther (Massey) Lewis,
who was an exemplary Friend and regular at
tendant of the meeting, also of a charitable and
philanthropic disposition, died November 4, 1853.

GEORGE COX, extensively engaged in farm
ing operations in the township of Pocopson, Ches
ter county, Pennsylvania, is a descendant of Rich
ard Cox, who is supposed to have been a son of
John and Rachel Cox, and received a certificate
from Newark, April 5, 1712, in order that he
might marry Margaret Potts, a member of Gwy
nedd Monthly Meeting, on May 26, 171 2. They
took up their residence in Kennett, but later re
moved to Gwynedd and from thence to Vincent
township, Chester county, where the death of
Richard Cox occurred about the year 1762. Their
children were : Anna, Sarah, Richard, Jonathan,
Joseph, Benjamin and John Cox.
Joseph Cox, third son of Richard and Marga
ret Cox, was born April 18, 1723, in Vincent
township, Chester county, Pennsylvania. He
was united in marriage to Catherine Watson, who
was born August 27, 1722, a daughter of William
and Hannah Watson. They were residents of
Vincent from 1754 to 1772, when they removed
to Willistown, where the remainder of their lives
were spent. Their children were : Hannah,
Hannah (2), Mary, William, Hannah (3), Mar
garet, Benjamin, Benjamin (2), Richard, and
Elizabeth Cox. Joseph Cox, father of these
children, died September 17, 1814, and his wife
died January 19, 1773.
Benjamin Cox, second son of Joseph and
Catherine Cox, was born September 8, 1758, and

Willistown Meeting House, Erected 1798

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

507

subsequently became one of the prominent citi
zens of Wiflistown, owning a farm of ninety-six
acres on which was erected a stone house and
spring house. He also acted in the capacity of
overseer of Willistown Meeting, being appointed
to fill the place of Aaron Garrett, on June 10,
1807. On July 10, 1780, at Goshen Meeting,
Mr. Cox married Hannah Smedley, who was
born in Willistown, December 2, 1758, a daugh
ter of George and Hannah (Matson) Smedley.
Their children were : George, Catherine, Han
nah, George (2), Jane, Joseph, Amy, William,
Joshua, Margaret, Jeffrey, Elizabeth, and Ben
jamin Cox. Benjamin Cox, father of these
children, died February 10, 1846, in Willistown
township, and his wife's death occurred in the
same township, May 2, 1827.
George Cox, second son of Benjamin and
Hannah Cox, was born August 18, 1785, in
Willistown, Pennsylvania, in which township he
was engaged in agricultural pursuits during the
active years of his life. On January 8, 1815, at
West Chester Meeting, occurred the marriage of
Mr. Cox and Ann Kerns (born in East Brad
ford, April 21, 1779), a daughter of Simon and
Mary (Morgan) Kerns. Their children were :
1. Joshua S., born October 19, 1816, married
Alice Lewis and their children are: Susan and
Georgiana Cox, deceased ; his death occurred Au
gust 24, 1877. 2. Caleb Hoopes, born September
24, 1818. 3. Jeffrey, born January 6, 1820, died
in childhood; 4. Hannah, born July 23, 1824, wife
of John Woodward and mother of the following
named children: George, Nelson, Harry, Nel
son, Joseph, Sarah, and Hannah, wife of Harry
Tomlinson. George Cox died September 9, 1834,
his wife having passed away July 27, 1832.
Caleb Hoopes Cox, second son of George and
Ann Cox, was born July 24, 18 18, in Willistown
township, Chester county, Pennsylvania. Here
he acquired his education and subsequently set
tled on a farm in East Goshen township, where
he resided up to the year 1843, when he removed
to Westtown, in which locality he made his home
for over forty years. On February 17, 1840, Mr.
Cox married Mary H. Minster, who was born
January 1, 1821, a daughter of Jacob and Sidney
(Hoopes) Minster, of East Goshen township.
Their children are : 1. Lydia Ann, born January
25, 1841, unmarried; 2. George, born August 22,
1844; 3. Sidney, born November 11, 1846, wife of
Edwin J. Durnall and their children are: Dil-
win, Charles, Walter, Gertrude, wife of Louis
Baldwin, and Pauline Durnall ; 4 and 5. Wilmer
M., and Selina, twins, born June 9, 1849; the
former named married Mary E. Pratt, and they
are the parents of two children, George Elwin
and Laura Cox ; Selina is the wife of Lewis B.
Smedley, and their children are: Loretta, wife
of John Dutton; Arthur, Anna, Clarence, and

Helen Smedley; 6. Alary Ella, born June 4, 1854,
wife of Morris Yearsley, and mother of the fol
lowing named children : Bertha, died in child
hood ; Willis ; Irwin, and Morris Yearsley.
Caleb H. Cox died at West Chester, Chester
county, November 1, 1886, survived by his wife,
who passed away Mareh 17, 1900.
George Cox, eldest son of Caleb H. and Mary
H. Cox, was born in Westtown township, Chester
county, Pennsylvania, August 22, 1844, and his
boyhood was spent in work upon the farm and in
attendance at the district school. His business ca
reer has been devoted to agricultural pursuits in
Pocopson township, and at the present time
(1903) he is making a specialty of dairy farming,
keeping a large number of carefully selected cows
for this purpose. His farm is well improved and
shows the constant personal supervision of a ca
pable and thoroughgoing business man. He has
always taken a deep interest in the political affairs
of the community, giving his support and alleg
iance to the Republican party. He is a member
of the Friends' Aleeting, this being the religious
faith of his forefathers.
Mr. Cox married Isabella Clark, who was born
at New Castle, Delaware, November 2, 1849, a
daughter of Jehu and Mary (Rice) Clark. Her
education was obtained in the schools' of that lo
cality and in Westtown township, Pennsylvania.
The children born to Mr. and Mrs. Cox are as
follows : Alary Lauretta, born September 18,
1 87 1, who is unmarried and at home; Ella Irene,
born May 20, 1875, who is a cashier and book
keeper in Philadelphia, and Elizabeth Hopwood;
born July 30, 1879, wife of Clarence Pennington
Fell, of Avondale, and who was married June
16, 1903. ¦  ¦*-+-*¦  : 
AlORRIS FUSSELL, M. D., who for many
years occupied a foremost place among the lead
ing physicians of Chester county, was descended
from a family which was for a century honorably
distinguished in the ranks of the medical profes
sion. Bartholomew Fussell was a native of Chester
county, and graduated in Baltimore, where he
received the degree of Doctor of Medicine, and
where for a time he practiced his profession.
Subsequently he removed to Pennsylvania, and
to his native county of Chester, where the greater
part of his life was passed at Kennett Square.
In both places his practice was large, and it was
while a resident of Baltimore that he conceived
the idea of founding the Female Medical Col
lege. It was chiefly owing to his efforts that
the design was executed, and thus to him be
longs the honor of instituting the first of the now
numerous female medical colleges. He married
Lyda Morris, and their children were: 1.

508

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

Joshua, who is employed by the United States
government in the department of forestry, and
now resides in Indiana. 2. Susan, who conducted
at her own expense the Orphans' School at Spice-
land, Indiana. 3. Morris, mentioned at length
hereinafter. 4. Ada L., who after the death of
her sister, mentioned above, who was the founder
of the Orphans' School, took charge of the in
stitution which is now conducted by the state.
5. Benjamin Lundy, who is a practicing physi
cian at Alarkleville, Indiana. Even from this
very brief and imperfect record of the life of Dr.
Fussell, it will readily be perceived that he was
a man of advanced ideas and benevolent dispo
sition. These traits of character were inherited
by his children, who carried them- into their dif
ferent fields of endeavor. It may be added that
the liberality of sentiment and kindness of feeling
displayed by this family have ever been charac
teristic of the Society of Friends, to which Dr.
Fussell belonged.
Alorris Fussell, son of Bartholomew and
Lyda (Alorris) Fussell, was born June 27, 1829,
at Kennett Square, and pursued his preparatory
medical studies under the guidance of his father.
After receiving from Jefferson Medical College
the degree of Doctor of Medicine, he entered upon
the practice of his profession in his native Chester
county, where for half a century he was a recog
nized leader in his chosen calling. He practiced
extensively in West Pikeland and West Vincent,
although his sphere of activity was not limited
to these townships, but included all the neighbor
ing region. In politics he was a Republican, but
owing to the absorbing nature of his professional
duties, took no active part in public affairs. In
religious matters he adhered to the faith of his
forefathers, and was a life-long member of the
Society of Friends.
Dr. Fussell married, in 1861, Airs. Sarah Mid-
dleton, of Chester county, and they were the par
ents of two daughters : 1. Susan F., who married
Thomas Bower, of Harrisburg, at one time a
resident of West Vincent township. Air. and
Mrs. Bower were the parents of one son : Ches
ter F., who is now at school. After the death
of Air. Bower his widow married Dr. George D.
Bailey, who is now practicing in a sanitarium
in Indiana. 2. Helen, who resides in New York,
and is engaged in literary work. After the death
of his wife Dr. Fussell married, in 1895, Esther
Anna Aloser, by whom he was the father of one
daughter; Ada Esther, who is now attending
school in West Vincent township.
Dr. Fussell continued in active practice until
almost the close of his life, and his death, which
occurred June 29, 1901. was deeply and sincerely
regretted not only by his family and near friends,
but by the large circle of those to whom he had
ministered and bv whom he was mourned no less

as a valued friend than as an able medical ad
visor. The family to which Airs. Fussell belongs is
one distinguished in the annals of the iron in
dustry, which was founded in Pottstown, Penn
sylvania, by Peter Aloser, and is now conducted
in the same place by Bailey & Shoemaker. Peter
Aloser married Anna Weaver, and their children
were: 1. Jacob, who is a farmer in Alontgomery
county. 2. William, who is an engineer on the
Bound Brook road in New Jersey. 3. Henry, who
is conductor for the Bound Brook Railroad, in
Philadelphia. 4. Samuel, deceased. 5. Hannah,
who is the wife of H. F. Mauger, a retired farmer,
living at Stowe, Pennsylvania. 6. Rebecca, who
married George W. Mauger, who was employed
in Philadelphia by the Reading Railroad Com
pany, and died in 1902, leaving a widow and one
son, Clyde A., who is in the service of a mercan
tile house in Philadelphia. 7. Amanda, who died
in early womanhood. 8. Sarah, who died at the
age of eleven years. 9. Esther Anna, who was
born on her father's farm, near Pottstown, and
became the wife of Dr. Morris Fussell, as men
tioned above.

JOHN BROWNBACK STAUFFER, an es
teemed farmer and respected citizen of West Vin
cent township, Chester county, is descended from
a family supposed to have been for a long period
resident in the county, the name seeming to in
dicate a German origin.
Samuel Stauffer was, according to tradition,
born on the homestead, and his life was passed
quietly and uneventfully among the scenes of his
birthplace. Although his solid abilities and un
pretending worth were recognized and appre
ciated by his townsmen, he could never over
come his reluctance to enter public life and so
could never be induced to accept office. He mar
ried Rebecca Brownback, a daughter of John
Brownback, a farmer of West Vincent township,
and a member of one of the old families of the
county. They were the parents of six children :
1. Mary C, who became the wife of Joseph Fri
day, and they reside in Downingtown ; for a num
ber of years he followed farming as an occupa
tion, then engaged in mercantile business but is
now leading a retired life. 2. Abram B., de
ceased ; he married Ella C. Shantz, and they
were the parents of one child, Katie May, de
ceased. After the death of his wife, Abram B.
Stauffer married Mary Ada Stauffer, a daugh
ter of John M. Stauffer, a farmer of East Cov
entry, and one daughter was born to them, Olive
R. P., who graduated from Spring City High
School, then learned the trade of dressmaker, and
is now the wife of Montgomery B. Fry, who is
a dealer in dairy and farm produce in Philadel-

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

509

phia. Air. and Airs. Fry are the parents of one
child, Olive Beatrice Fry. 3. Sara A., deceased.
4. John Brownback, mentioned hereinafter. 5.
Samuel B., a farmer of West Vincent township ;
he married Clementine Brownback, a farmer of
East Coventry township. 6. William B., who is
engaged in the stove and tinware business in
Downingtown; he married Clara Danman, a
daughter of Mr. Danman, a farmer of Brandy
wine, and the following named children have
been born to them : Edith J., Mabel R., Samuel
Earl, William D., Mary Emma, and Clara -Mil
dred. The three elder children attend the Down
ingtown High School, and the three younger are
students at the Downingtown public school.
John B. Stauffer, son of Samuel and Rebecca
(Brownback) Stauffer, was born November 11,
1840, on the homestead. He received his educa
tion in the common schools of West Vincent
township, and on reaching manhood he decided
to devote himself for life to agricultural pursuits.
He now resides on the homestead and cultivates
the land which became his by inheritance. The
. estate is situated near the boundary which con
stitutes the dividing line between the townships
of West Vincent and West Pikeland, and con
sists of one hundred and thirty-three acres which
are maintained in a flourishing condition. He is
also the owner of twenty-two head of cattle, and
conducts a fine dairy business. He is popular
with his townsmen as is evident from the fact
that he has been at different times both supervisor
arid school director, holding each office for three
years. His political sentiments are those of the
Democratic party. He is active in St. Matthew's
Reformed church, having been superintendent of
the Sunday school for thirty years.
Mr. Stauffer married Olivia W. Wynn, a
daughter, of Samuel and Ann Wynn, the former
named who is now deceased having been a farmer
of East Nantmeal, and for many years held the
offices of supervisor and school director. Mr. and
Mrs. Stauffer were the parents of five children,
two of whom are now living: J. Harwin, born
November 24, 1878, was educated in the schools
of Birchrunville, and is now living with his par
ents on the homestead; he is regarded by all who
know him as a young man of great promise and
brightest hopes are entertained for his future,
whatever may be his chosen sphere of activity.
The other surviving child, Lillian, received her
education in the schools of Birchrunville, and is
living on the home farm with her parents and
brother.

leading

WEBSTER SCHLEICHTER, a
farmer of East Vincent township, Chester county-
Pennsylvania, worthily sustains the tradition es
tablished by three former generations of his fam

ily who have been known to the locality as in
dustrious and upright citizens. He comes of Ger
man stock, and his great-grandfather, Alichael
Schleichter, was one of the early settlers of Ches
ter county. He took a farm in East Vincent town
ship and spent his "life in bringing it under culti
vation. He brought up a large family, of whom
his son Abram became in time the owner of
the farm, and' succeeded to his father's place
in the community.
Abram Schleichter married Sarah Hause,
who had been brought up in the same neighbor
hood as himself. The couple had six children,
namely : Isaac, who is in the line of this sketch ;
Abram, of East Vincent township; Kate; Mary;
Hettie, who married William Lukens ; Dessie,
who is the wife of Benjamin Boyer. Isaac, the
oldest child, was born in 1839, and continued
the family line on the homestead. On the basis
of the work that had been done before him, he
was enabled to bring the farm to a high state
of cultivation. He was known as one of the
substantial men of the community, ever ready
with his sympathy and practical support to
further any worthy cause. He was in religion a
Alennonite, and a Republican in politics. He
married Mary Kulp, daughter of John Kulp, a
farmer of East Vincent township, whose family
dates back to -Revolutionary times. Five children
were born to Isaac and Alary (Kulp) Schleich
ter, as follows : 1. Sarah, who married Harry
Stiles, by trade a wheelwright, but now a farmer,
two children, Webster and Mary, being born to
this union ; 2. John, a farmer, born at Kenilworth,
who married Kate Prizer, daughter of Herman
Prizer, of South Coventry, and is the father of
one child, Mary ; 3. Lizzie, who is unmarried and
lives in Pottstown ; 4. Edward R., a farmer of
East Vincent township ; 5. Webster, who is spoken
of at more length in the following paragraphs.
Webster, youngest child of Isaac and Alary
(Kulp) Schleichter, was born September' 17,
1862, in East Coventry township. He attended
the Locust Grove School during his boyhood,
¦filling in the vacations with work on the farm.
When his school days were ended, he began work
on the homestead with his father, with the inten
tion of making farming his occupation. He is
now the owner of the old place, and he has built
well on the foundation laid by the earlier gener
ations. He is interested in all new and scientific
methods as applied to agriculture, and makes a
special study of the nature and adaptability of
the soils on his farm. He works for the improve
ment, of the public schools, and for six years was
school director in his township. He is a member
of the Lutheran church, and a Republican.
Mr. Schleichter married Lily C. Finkbiner,
daughter of David and Margaret Finkbiner. Mr.
Finkbiner was engaged in various lines of busi-

5io

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

ness having learned the milling trade, but after
ward being connected with mercantile enterprises,
as well as the manufacture of bricks, and foundry
interests. Mr. and Mrs. Finkbiner were the par
ents of twelve children, only six of whom are
now living : i. Ida K., who married Max Keiser,
engaged in railroad business at Spring City, and
who has one child, Edith ; 2. Rosa W. deceased ;
3. Jesse, deceased ; 4. U. S. Grant, formerly cashier
of the Ford National Bank, now connected with
insurance and real estate business, whose first
wife was Mary, daughter of Ephraim Schleich
ter, her children being: David, Rachel and
Charles, and whose second wife was Sarah,
widow of George Kale, one child, Aaron, having
been born of this marriage; 5. Lily C, wife of
Webster Schleichter; 6. Walton, deceased; 7.
Clara V., deceased ; 8. Oliver, a clerk in the Spring
City Glass Works, who married Fanny DeHaven,
daughter of William DeHaven, of Spring City,
and has six children — Oliver, Jr., Rachel, Ida,
Earl, U. S. Grant and William D. ; 9. Minnie
Elsie, deceased ; 10. Sadie, a typewriter in Phila
delphia; 11. Edith Laura, deceased; 12. Edwin
Earl, engaged in the clothing business at Cole
Port, Clearfield county, whose wife was a daugh
ter of David Ames, and who has one child. Web
ster and Lily (Finkbiner) Schleichter are the
the parents of the following children: Walter
F., born December 27, 1890; Grant Burdette,
born March 5, 1892, died September 13, 1892;
Ralph F., born July 14, 1894; Lawrence F.,
born September 30, 1896; Raymond F., born J
August 1, 1898; Sadie Elma, born December 20,
1899.

THE HON. WILLIAM EVANS, who has
for many years played a prominent part in the
political history of Chester county, is a repre
sentative of one of the old families of the county.
He traces his descent from William Evans, who
was born in Wales in 1681, and in 171 1, emi
grated with his wife, Eleanor, to the province
of Pennsylvania, where they settled in Tredyffrin
township, on a tract of five hundred acres which
Mr. Evans had received by deed of transfer from
William Penn in 171 1. William Evans, the
founder of the family, was a member of the old
St. David's Protestant Episcopal church, and died
in 1734, leaving his family in charge of his
brother Richard, with a strong injunction that
his children be reared in the faith of the Protest
ant Episcopal church.
Joshua Evans, youngest son of William, the
founder, married and settled on a part of the
homestead tract, where he resided for several
years. He afterward built the Paoli hotel, which
his son Joshua, who was elected to Congress, in
herited, and also purchased a farm in Willistown'

township, where he died in 1817, in the eighty-
fifth year of his age. He reared a family of five
children, the eldest of whom, William, inherited
the Willistown property, and died in 1843, at
seventy-two years of age. His son, Joshua, born
in 1801, settled in Willistown township, where
he engaged in farming. He married Anna M.,
daughter of Thomas Tucker, and they had three
children: William, mentioned at length herein
after ; Margaretta, and Joshua. Mrs. Evans died
April 23, 1857, in the forty-sixth year of her
age, and her husband passed away March 26,
1867, at the age of sixty-six.
William Evans, son of Joshua and Anna M.
(Tucker) Evans, was born January 31, 1831,
on the farm on which he now resides, in Willis
town township, Chester county, Pennsylvania.
His boyhood was passed on the farm, and his
education was received in the public schools and
at Gause's Academy. Although he has been all
his life engaged in farming, he has not neglected
his duties as a citizen, having been foremost in
every movement having for its object the bene
fit of the comunity, and has responded readily,
at whatever inconvenience to himself, to the re
peated demands made by his fellow-citizens upon
his time and services. He is a Democrat in poli
tics, and served for twelve years as a member
and secretary of the township school board, and
for six years as township auditor. In 1886 he was
elected as one of the four members of the legis
lature from Chester county. He served credita
bly in the session of 1887-88, and was a member
of committees on accounts, comparison of bills,
and ways and means. His election, when he led
the Democratic ticket by nearly two thousand
votes, was an overwhelming testimony to his
popularity. Notwithstanding his agricultural
pursuits and the absorbing nature of his political
interests, Mr. Evans has engaged in various 'suc
cessful business enterprises. He is a director
in the Mutual Security Fire Insurance Company
of Chester county, and vice-president of the Mal
vern National Bank, of which he was one of the
founders. He was also one of the founders of
the Farmers' Market established at Twelfth and
Market streets, Philadelphia, in 1858. Mr. Evans
was among the first to recognize the need of con
certed action on the part of farmers to protect
them against the hostility of the victualers and
hucksters of the city who were seeking to pre
vent the farmers from marketing their own pro
duce. At the first meeting to consider the matter,
called by Mr. Evans, only five were present, but
public opinion was finally roused and an organiza
tion formed, and a house was erected containing
four hundred and eighty-eight stalls,- and which
prospered for thirty odd years. Mr. Evans was
made president, and he held the office for many
years. Another important service he rendered

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

511

the farming interests of the community was in
securing the location of the Hiers condensed milk
plant at Malvern. This enterprise makes market
for from' eight to thirty-eight thousand' quarts
of milk daily. Mr. Evans also called the first
meeting to consider the building of what is now
known as the Newtown Square Railroad, was one
of its organizers, and its president until the road
was absorbed by the Pennsylvania Railroad. Mr.
Evans now resides at Malvern borough, and is
president of the borough council.
Mr. Evans married, February 14, 1867, Lydia,
daughter of Isaac Thomas, of Delaware county,
They have three children: William, who was
educated at the State College and Pierce's Busi
ness College, Philadelphia, and is now engaged
in farming ; Anna, who was educated at the West
Chester Friends' School and Darlington Semin
ary, and Aida T., who is a graduate of Swarth
more College.

HORACE WILLIAM KEELEY, a repre
sentative agriculturist and public-spirited citizen
of East Vincent township, Chester county, Penn
sylvania, is a native of that section of the state,
the date of his birth being October 5, 1873.
Robert Rook Keeley, father of Horace W.
Keeley, was born in Chester county, Pennsyl
vania, January 6, 1833, received a practical edu
cation in the common schools of the neighbor
hood, and his occupation since attaining young
manhood up to the present time (1903) has been
that of carpentering. He has always been prompt
and energetic in business, honorable and con
scientious in the discharge of his duties, and thor
oughly reliable in every relation of life. He was
united in marriage to Catherine Plett, who was
born in Chester county, Pennsylvania, August
30, 1838, and the following named children were
the issue of this union : 1. Sallie, born in Chester
county, June 2, i860, became the wife of Jacob
Benner, ancj their family consists of four chil
dren — Howard, Bertie, Leroy and William, de
ceased. 2. Emma, born in Chester county, March
6, 1862, became the wife of William Brown. 3.
Murray, born in Chester county, December 2,
1865, married, in 1887, Bertha Sheeler, and they
are the parents of four children — Robert, Lena,
Erma and Ethel, all of whom were born in Ches
ter county. 4. Minerva, born in Chester county,
May 21, 1867, became the wife of Roland Smith
of Chester county, Pennsylvania. 5. Howard,
born in Chester county, February 25, 1869, mar
ried, in 1888, Cora Smith, and two children were
born of this union, Clarence and Carrie Keeley.
Mrs. Keeley died in 1899 and he chose for his
second wife, Ella Brown, the marriage ceremony
being performed April 22, 1902. 6. Horace Will
iam, born in Chester county, October 5, 1873.
33 x

Robert R. Keeley and his wife, Catherine (Plett)
Keeley, reside in Chester county, Pennsylvania,
and despite their advancing years they enjoy re
markably good health. John and George Keeley,
brothers of Robert R. Keeley, reside in the west
ern section of the United States.
Horace W. Keeley attended the township
schools and upon completing his education at
the age of seventeen years, he was employed as
a farm hand. This pursuit was so agreeable to
his taste and disposition that he determined to
make it his vocation throughout his active career,
which he has accordingly done. His farm con
sists of seventy-two acres of valuable land, which
is well improved and located in East Vincent
township. On November 24, 1897, occurred the marriage
of Horace W. Keeley and Mary Graham, the
latter named having been born in Chester county,
November 18, 1879, a daughter of the late John
and Maria (Leary) Graham. Their children are:
Russell, born in Chester county, May 18, 1898;
Paul and Ralph, twins, born in Chester county,
November 16, 1899; Elmer, born in Chester coun
ty, March 6, 1900; and Erma, born in Chester
county, August 6, 1903.

GEORGE S. FAUCETT, prominently asso
ciated with the industrial, political and social in
terests of Birmingham township, was born in the
old mansion which was erected in the middle of
the eighteenth century, remodeled some years
later, when some of the timbers of the old log
cabin which was built on the same site almost a
century before were used, and it was the head
quarters of General Cadwalader during the battle
of Brandywine. It was situated at Dilworth
town, Birmingham township, Chester county,
Pennsylvania, and here his birth occurred Octo
ber 19, 1848, a son of Nathan and Isabella
Faucett. George and Isabella Faucett, supposed to be
the founders of the family in the state of Penn
sylvania, were the grandparents of Henry Fau
cett, who was the great-grandfather of George S.
Faucett. Henry Faucett was a native and life
long resident of the township of Westtown, Ches
ter county, taking an active part in its various en
terprises and pursuits. Mr. Faucett and his wife,
Hannah, were the parents of the following named
children: Ebenezer, born January 28, 1783;
Alargaret, born October 17, 1784; George, born
October 15, 1786; Rebecca, born November 25,
1788; Sarah, born July 29, 1792; Hannah, born
April 11, 1796; Anna, born November 18, 1800,
and Margaret (2), born November 9, 1807.
George Faucett, grandfather of George S.
Faucett, was born October 15, 1786, and was
the third child in order of birth born to Henry-

512

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

and Hannah Faucett. He was reared on the old
homestead in Westtown township, Chester coun
ty, and obtained a practical education in the com-
anon schools of the neighborhood, subsequently
-becoming a prominent and successful man of af
fairs. He married Mary Yearsley and five of their
tchdidren were born while they resided in Westtown
township, the other three having been born after
their removal to the township of Birmingham.
Their children were : Nathan, born December
27, 1823 ; Hannah N., born August 6, 1825 ;
Henry, born January 12, 1828; George, born Au
gust 1, 1830; Mary Jane, born December 1, 1833;
Ebenezer, born April 2, 1836; Joseph, born Au
gust 16, 1838, and Elizabeth Faucett, born June
6, 1840. Nathan Faucett, father of George S. Faucett,
was born in Westtown, Chester county, Penn
sylvania, December 27, 1823, the eldest son of
George and Alary Faucett. He attended the com
mon schools of his native township, where he ob
tained a practical education which prepared him
for his subsequent career of usefulness and activ
ity, which was spent principally in the township
of Birmingham, where he now resides. He has
been married three times, • his first wife having
been Isabella Smith, to whom were born the fol
lowing named children : Anna Mary, wife of
James Kirkpatrick, . George S., and Estella, wife
of Pennock Williamson. After the death of his
wife, Air. Faucett was united in marriage • to
Elizabeth Taylor, and after her decease he chose
for his third wife, Sadie Sharp, who is living at
the present time (1903).
George S.- Faucett, only son of Nathan and
Isabella (Smith) Faucett, was reared on the old
homestead in Birmingham township, where he
now resides, and his educational adavntages were
acquired at the local schools and the Military
Academy at West Chester. Upon the comple
tion of his studies he chose the occupation of
farming for his life work, being inured to the
varied and arduous duties of that line of industry
from his boyhood. Air. Faucett is highly es
teemed in the community for his wonderful
energy, strict integrity, indomitable will and great
public spirit, these attributes of character being
made manifest during his tenure of several im
portant local offices, among which was that of
school director, in which capacity he served for
eighteen consecutive years.
On September 22, 1869, Mr. Faucett married
Ada E. Clayton, who was born December 2, 1845,
a daughter of Harlan and Elizabeth Clayton, the
former named being born October 17, 1809, a
son of James and Mary Clayton. The children
born to Mr. and Airs. Faucett are: Emlen Clay
ton (1), born September 27, 1872, married
August 15, 1895, Anita Regester, and their chil

dren are: Ernest, Herman, Chester, deceased,
Comelle and Elwin, twins ; Elizabeth ( 2) , de
ceased, born October 16, 1874, and Nathan
Yearsley, born January 29, 1881. In their re
ligious views the family are divided, but entirely
pleasantly, Mr. Faucett being a member of the
Episcopal church, while his wife adheres to the
faith of the Society of Friends.

TRUMAN B. LLOYD, a prominent farmer,
merchant and citizen of Lenape, Pocopson town
ship, Chester county, Pennsylvania, is esteemed
in his community for his many sterling qualities.
He is of Welsh descent, and inherits the strong
fibre of his race. The founder of the family in
America, who came to Pennsylvania in the eight
eenth century, and the generations that have suc
ceeded him, have left to the present representa
tives of the family the heritage of an honorable
name. Samuel Lloyd, great-grandfather of Truman
Lloyd, was the son of this pioneer, and was born
at Cochranville, Pennsylvania, some time in the
eighteenth century. He had a son Hiram, born
at the same place, where he was reared and edu
cated. He subsequently became one of the en
terprising and prosperous business men of the
community, and married Elizabeth Bass. This
couple were the parents of thirteen children,
namely : Samuel, William, Hiram, Esther, Wash
ington, John, Jane, David, James, Robert, Ala-
nassah, Ephraim and Lewis.
David Lloyd, eighth child and sixth son of
Hiram and Elizabeth (Bass) Lloyd, was born in
1829. He attended the common schools of his
birthplace, and in later life fulfilled all obliga
tions and duties in an exemplary manner. His '
first wife was Hannah Truman, whose children
were as follows: 1. William, born December 29,
1850, who married Ella Maclntyre ; 2. Truman,
born September 3, 1852 ; 3. Hannah, born June
12, 1857, who became the wife of Tryon Rode-
baugh, and the mother of two children, Howard
and Mabel ; 4. Horace, born December 1, 1859,
who married Emma Cochran, and has two chil
dren, Frederick and Edna. David Lloyd married
Elizabeth Corcoran as his second wife, and she
became the mother of four children.
Truman B., second son of David Lloyd by
his first marriage, was born September 3, 1852,
in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania. He at
tended the public schools, where he gained a
practical education. He began life as a farmer,
and he still manages his farm, and also conducts
a general store at Lenape, in the township of
Pocopson. He has prospered in all his enter
prises, and he has a grasp of affairs that enables
him to attend carefully to the multifarious details

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

5i3

of his business. He has lived a useful life in the
community, and is highly regarded as a neighbor
and citizen, for in the attainment of his own ends
he has ever had a thought for the welfare of
others. He has held a number of local offices,
and is now acting as school director.
On January 4, 1876, Mr. Lloyd married Alary
Smyth, a daughter of King Smyth, a prominent
resident of Lancaster county. The following
children were born of this marriage; 1. Alice,
born September 3, 1877, who is the wife of Mau
rice Chambers, and lives at Norristown, Penn
sylvania; she has three children, Lloyd Smedley,
born October 23, 1899, Charles Wilson, born
July 23, 1901, who died in infancy, and Mildred
Chambers, born December 5, 1902 ; 2. Lena, born
August 13, 1879; 3. David, born July 12, 1881 ;
4. John, born August 19, 1883 ; 5. Helen, born
March 29, 1886; 6. Anna, born August 26, 1889.

ENOS PAINTER BARNARD. The Barn
ard family of Pocopson township, Chester county,
Pennsylvania, of which Enos P. Barnard is a
worthy representative, as well as the fairiilies
of that name who reside in Delaware county,
trace their origin to Richard Barnard, who served
as a grand juror at Chester in 1686, and his
death occurred previous to May 5, 1698. The
name Barnard (or Bernard, as some spell it), is
a very ancient one, being first taken from Roche-
Barnard, an old fortified manor-house in Nor
mandy, France.
Richard Barnard, grandfather of Enos P.
Barnard, was probably the son of Richard and
Susanna (Eckhoff) Barnard, residents of New
lin township, Chester county, the former named
being the eldest son of the progenitor of the
American branch of the family. Richard Barnard
(grandfather) was united in marriage to Sarah
Chambers. Their children were : 1. Joseph, who
married Phcebe Williams and they had one son
born to them ; 2. Elihu, who married Alary Will
iams and they were the parents of six children,
namely : Emma, wife of David Chambers ; Nor
ris, married Martha Baker; Elizabeth, deceased;
Richard, who married Mrs. Way ; John, who mar
ried Miss Chambers; and Phoebe, wife of Will
iam Lewis Lamborn, and their children were :
Ilena, Edgar and Jesse Wynona Lamborn; 3.
Amos, who married Aliss Wilson, and two sons
were born to them, Joseph and Wilson Barnard ;
4. William, who married for his first wife Ruth
Stubbs, and they had five children; for his sec
ond wife he chose Mary Lundy, sister of the cel
ebrated abolitionist, Benjamin Lundy, who was
born in New Jersey in 1789, and died in 1839;
two children were the issue of this marriage,
Ella and Philena; 5. Eusebius, father of Enos P.
Barnard ; 6. Cyrus, who married and three chil

dren were born to him ; 7. Elizabeth Barnard,
who died in childhood.
Eusebius Barnard, father of Enos P. Barnard,
was born in July, 1802. His educational ad
vantages were obtained at the common schools
of the neighborhood, and subsequently he devoted
his energies to farming interests in Pocopson
township. He was widely and favorably known as
a strong abolitionist, earnestly advocated the cause
of temperance reform, and being a man of great
force of character and clearness of head his in
fluence was felt in the community. He also
served as a minister of the Society of Friends,
this being the religious faith of his forefathers.
Mr. Barnard married Sarah Painter, a daughter
of Enos and Hannah (Minshall) Painter, and the
following named children were born to them :
Elizabeth, Alinerva (1), Hannah, Alinerva (2),
Enos ( 1 ) , Anna, Eusebius Richard and Enos
Painter Barnard.
Enos P. Barnard, youngest son of Eusebius
and Sarah Barnard, was born on the old home
stead in Pocopson township, Chester county,
April 24, 1844. He obtained a good common
school education and was reared to manhood on
the farm, a part of which he now owns and
where he now resides, this property having been
bequeathed to him by his maternal grandfather,
Enos Painter, who purchased it from Absalom
Harry. His entire business career has been de
voted to the cultivation and improvement of this
estate, and by dint of industry, perseverance and
good management it has yielded him a fair in
come for his many years of toil. He has always
kept well informed on the issues of the day, has
filled several important local offices, and has
taken a deep interest in everything- pertaining to
the welfare of his community and its progress
along material, social, intellectual and moral
lines. November 19, 1868, Air. Barnard married
Abbie Steele, who was born September 18, 1842,
a daughter of Isaac and Henrietta (Paxton)
Steele. Their children were : Ethelbert, born
January 15, 1870, died February 15, 1892, and
Isaac, born January 26, 1874, who acquired his
education in the local schools and the State Nor
mal School at West Chester.

LEWIS WILSON, who occupies a leading
place both as farmer and citizen in West \1ncent
township, Chester county, is descended from a
well known family, from which the place called
Wilson's Corner derives its name. It was here
that Thomas Wilson was born Alarch 30, 181 1,
and it was in West Vincent township that he
spent his life as a farmer. He married Catharine,
born in 1812, in West Vincent township, daugh
ter of Henry and Elizabeth (Benner) Alarch.

514

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

The former was in his youth a carpenter, but sub
sequently engaged in farming, an occupation
which he followed for the remainder of his life..
The following children were born to Air. and
Mrs. Wilson : I . Lewis, mentioned at length
hereinafter ; 2. Elmira, who married Joseph Rich
ardson, a lumber dealer of Philadelphia, who is
now deceased. Their children are : Bertha, who
is the wife of Henry Baton, a contractor and
builder in Germantown; James R., who is clerk
in a lumber firm ; and Ernest, who is an engineer
in the service of an asphalt company in Philadel
phia. 3. Mark, now deceased. 4. Lida, who has
engaged in teaching in various places in Penn
sylvania. 5. Alary. Mr. Wilson, the father of
this family, died January 11, 1889, leaving to his
children the legacy of a well spent life and an
honorable name.
Lewis Wilson, son of Thomas and Catharine
(March) Wilson, was born October 6, 1838, near
the farm where he now lives in West Vincent
township, and he received his primary education
in the public schools, afterward attending a
school in Pughtown. The next few years were
spent in assisting his father in the labors of the
farm during the summers, and in teaching school
during the winters. He has for a considerable
period been the manager of the homestead, which
is maintained for the heirs, and under his skill
ful management it is now in a flourishing condi
tion. He has also, as becomes a good citizen,
taken an active part in the affairs of the town
ship, and has been placed by the votes of his
townsmen in the offices of auditor and school
director, discharging the duties of both positions
in a manner which justified their confidence in
him. In politics he is an Independent, and his
church connections are with the Lutheran de
nomination. Mr. Wilson married Amy Essick, and they
are the parents of two children: Reba, who is
the wife of Allen Henry, a miller of East Pike
land, and has no children; and Thomas Benton,
unmarried, who resides on the homestead and
assists his father in the care and management of
the farm. Mrs. Wilson is a daughter of Joseph
and Catharine (Davis) Essick, the latter being
a daughter of John and Catharine Davis. An
other daughter of Air. and Mrs. Essick is Annie,
who married Lewis Detwiler, a miller by trade
and a descendant of an old family. Their chil
dren are : John, a merchant ; Joseph, a carpenter
in Philadelphia ; Sarah, who is the wife of Willis
Huzzard, a sash and door maker ; and Ruth, who
resides at home.

EVAN THOMAS SWAYNE. The family
of which Evan T. Swayne, now deceased, was a
representative member, is one of the oldest in

Chester county, Pennsylvania, the patriarch of
the family having been Francis Swayne, who
in an old deed is styled a practitioner of
medicine. Francis Swayne was the son of
William Swayne, of Ockingham, Liberty of
Wilts, Berkshire, England, who died in 1693,
being survived by two sons and a daugh
ter. Francis Swayne married Elizabeth Alilton,
and among the children born to him was a son,
William Swayne (1), who married Elizabeth
Dell, and among his children was a son, William
Swayne (2), who married Ann Pusey, and they
reared a family of children, Caleb Swayne being
their first born. Caleb Swayne married Mary
Wood, and by this marriage were born the fol
lowing named children: Ann, Benjamin, Huson,
Caleb, Rest, and two children who died in early
childhood. Benjamin Swayne, father of Evan T. Swayne,
was born in East Marlboro township, Chester
county, Pennsylvania, August 13, 1791, and re
ceived his education in the common schools of
the neighborhood. He learned the trade of tan
ning leather, which in those days was an import
ant business throughout the part of the country
situated north of the Mason and Dixon line, and
for many years he conducted a tannery in Lon
don Grove township, Chester county. Air. Swayne
devoted the greater part of his leisure time to
the reading of good literature, took an active in
terest in the cause of education, and about the
year 1848 he established a boarding school at
London Grove, Chester county, which he success
fully conducted for nearly fifteen years, during
a portion of which time his son, Evan T. Swayne,
was one of the instructors.
Mr. Swayne married Sarah Phillips, daughter
of William and Mary (Marshall) Phillips, of
Hockessin, New Castle county, Delaware, her
birth having occurred there January 15, 1803.
Their children were: 1. Evan Thomas, born
September 13, 1824. 2. Edward, born January
15, 1826, died November 18, 1846. 3. Caleb,
born July 16, 1827, who was a graduate of Jeffer
son Medical College of Philadelphia, and prac
ticed his profession in London Grove, Chester
county, until his decease, which occurred Octo
ber 24, i860. 4. Mary, born March 28, 1828,
died September 14, 1866. 5. Jane T., born Au
gust 11, 1832, who became the wife of Joseph
W. Bernard, born November 29, 1832 or 1833,
died October 23, 1888 ; he was the son of Rich
ard Al. and Hannah (Wilson) Bernard, and was
for many years a successful practicing attorney
of West Chester, Chester county, Pennsylvania.
Benjamin Swayne, father of these children, died
January 17, 1873, survived by his widow, whose
death occurred at Kennett Square, Chester
county, January 16, 1890.
Evan T. Swayne, eldest son of Benjamin and

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

5'5

Sarah (Phillips) Swayne, was born at London
Grove, Chester county, Pennsylvania, September
13, 1824. He acquired his elementary education
in the schools of the neighborhood, and later at
tended the Academy of Kennett Square, Chester
county, where he qualified himself for teaching.
At the early age of seventeen he accepted a
position as teacher at the old Octagon school-
house in Birmingham township. After having
taught in his father's school at London Grove
and at other schools in Chester county, he took
up his residence in Kennett Square, in 1865, pur
chased the Eaton Institute from William Chand
ler, and here conducted what became known as
one of the leading educational institutions in
southern Chester county. In 1877 he abandoned
this occupation, and assumed the management of
his varied property interests and the affairs of
the Friends' Meetings, in which organization he
was a zealous worker. For many years he was
clerk of the quarterly meeting at London Grove,
was assistant clerk of the yearly meeting at Fif
teenth and Race streets, Philadelphia, and various
other charges connected with the Society of
Friends devolved upon him many onerous duties
and occupied most of his time during the latter
years of his life.
Air. Swayne married Sarah W. Pusey, born
at. Auburn, New Castle county, Delaware, Sep
tember 23, 1829, daughter of Jacob and Hannah
(Mendenhall) Pusey, the former named having
been a prominent manufacturer of Auburn, New
Castle county, Delaware. Their children were :
1. Edward, born in London Grove, Chester county,
June 20, 1853, married Mary D. Walton, of
Highland township, Chester county, and their
children are: Norman, born November 6,
1885; Edith, born October 20, 1887; Don
ald, born December 11, 1897. 2. Laura, born
February 23, 1857. 3. Anna Belle, born March
28, 1864. 4. Charles S., born October 27, 1870.
The family are birthright members of the So
ciety of Friends. For a number of years prior
to his decease, which occurred December 2, 1894,
Mr. Swayne and his family occupied a comfort
able and commodious residence in Kennett
Square, Chester county, and the declining years
of his life were spent in the full enjoyment of
the respect and esteem of a wide circle of stead
fast friends.

THOMAS WILSON GRIFFITH, justice
of the peace of West Vincent township, Chester
county, Pennsylvania, in which vicinity his birth
occurred June 20, 1844, is an honored and re
spected citizen, and throughout his active com
mercial career has always conducted his affairs

honorably and honestly and upon correct business
principles. The Griffith family is of Welsh origin, the
pioneer ancestors being Jediah and Ruth Griffith,
who came to this country during the early
colonial days. Their son, Ebenezer Griffith,
grandfather of Thomas W. Griffith, was born
November 2, 1792; he was a carpenter and
cabinet maker by trade, and his death oc
curred in 1823, he being then thirty-one years
of age. Connard Miller, grandfather of Thomas
W. Griffith, on the maternal side, dates his an
cestry back to an early period in the history of
the United States, and is a descendant of one
of the oldest families in this section of the state.
James Wilson Griffith, father of Thomas W.
Griffith, was born in West Pikeland, Chester
county, Pennsylvania, December 2, 181 8. He
attended the common schools of the neighbor
hood, after which he devoted seven years to learn
ing the various branches of the shoemaking
trade. The following five years he was employed
as a journeyman at his trade in his native town
ship, after which he located on a small tract of
land in Birchrunville, Chester county. In 1853
he became a minister of the gospel, and was
ordained pastor of the Windsor Baptist church,
in which capacity he served for four years. He
was then appointed to the pastorate of the East
Nantmeal Baptist church, and after seven years
of faithful labor with that people, he was placed
in charge of the Lawrenceville Baptist church.
He labored faithfully and earnestly in this field
for seven years, after which he was placed on the
superannuate list for the remainder of his life.
Mr. Griffith was a lifelong student, a clear thinker
and excellent speaker, and was greatly respected
and beloved by the parishoners of the various
fields in which he labored.
James W. Griffith was united in marriage to
Harriet Miller, a daughter of Samuel and Sarah
Miller, of West Vincent township, Birchrunville,
Pennsylvania. Their children are : Thomas
Wilson and Samuel Miller, the latter named being
a prominent merchant of Garrettford, Delaware
county, Pennsylvania. Mr. Miller, father of
Mrs. Griffith, was a blacksmith by trade, being
employed most of his time at cycle making ; in
his later years he turned his attention to agri
cultural pursuits. His death occurred in 1870,
having attained the age of seventy-three years,
five months and twenty days. Mr. Griffith de
parted this life in 1896, aged seventy-eight years.
Thomas W. Griffith, eldest son of James W.
and Harriet Griffith, acquired a practical educa
tion at the public schools of Birchrunville, Ches
ter county, and later he assisted his father in the
management of his farm. In December, i£

5i6

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

in partnership with his brother, Samuel Miller
Griffith, they established a grocery business at
3706 Market street, Philadelphia, but after con
ducting this enterprise for a short time they dis
posed of the business and Air. Griffith returned to
Birchrunville. He then took up the wheelwright
business, which he conducted for many years,
first at Glenmore and later at Ludwigs Corner;
in the former named place he established an ex
cellent business, and after conducting it for six
teen years he disposed of it and removed to Lud-
wig's Corner, where in addition to this trade he
conducted agricultural pursuits. Susbequently
he returned to Birchrunville, and being a natural
mechanic he was enabled to secure employment
as a journeyman in the carpentering trade, which
he conducted in addition to his farming inter
ests. In the fall of 1890 Mr. Griffith, in partner
ship with Margaret Templin, entered the general
merchandise business which they successfully
conducted for five and a half years. At the ex
piration of this period of time Airs. Templin
died, after which Mr. Griffith disposed of the
business and returned to the old homestead. The
following four years he assisted his father with
the work of the farm, and after the death of the
latter he returned to his former employment of
carpentering, which he followed up to the pres
ent year (1903).
Mr. Griffith is now devoting his attention to
agricultural pursuits on the old homestead, which
is located in a beautiful portion of West Vincent
township, known as Ralston Corners. Mr. Grif
fith has been associated with the United States
Coast -Survey among the islands of South Caro
lina, and has acted in the capacity of surveyor
of Beaufort and other islands. He is a Republi
can in politics, and has served in several township
offices, among them being justice of the peace
of West Vincent township, to which office he was
elected four years ago on the Republican ticket,
having also the support of the Democratic party.
He is a member of Alt. Picking Lodge, No. 446,
Free and Accepted Masons.
Air. Griffith was united in marriage to Sarah
Pennypacker, a daughter of Owen and Hannah
Pennypacker, of West Vincent township, repre
sentatives of one of -the oldest families in Chester
county, Pennsylvania; Mr. Pennypacker was a
farmer by occupation. One child was born of
this union, Annie, now deceased, whose birth oc
curred August 15, 1868. After the death of his
wife, Mr. Griffith married Mrs. Kate U. Ralston,
widow of William Ralston, of West Vincent, and
daughter of Samuel and Elsie (Carpenter) Rice.
Mr. Rice was a mason by occupation, which he
conducted in Roxborough, Pennsylvania, and
during the winter months he was employed at
the shoemaking trade, this trade having been
learned under the supervision of Mr. Griffith's

father. He was a son of John Rice, who was
born in Chester county, Pennsylvania, and his
entire business career was devoted to farming
pursuits. Charles Carpenter, the maternal grand
father of Airs. Griffith is supposed to have been
born in Roxborough, Pennsylvania, in early days,
and his entire life was spent in that town, where
he followed the occupation of cooper. Mrs.
Griffith has in her possession the old family Bible,
owned and handed down by the Ralston family,
which dates back as far as 1697, and was printed
by Charles Rice and the executrix of Thomas
Newcomb.

CAPTAIN LEWIS H. EVANS, of Upper
Uwchlan township, is an inheritor of virile Welsh
blood and good Quaker traditions ; and, as soldier,
legislator and man of affairs, he has well repre
sented the standards imposed by his ancestry.
The founder of the family in this country,
Evan Evans, of the parish of Treeglws, Mont
gomeryshire, Wales, landed in America in 1722.
He had been a felt-maker in his own country, but
in the autumn of 1722 he bought two hundred and
fifty acres of land in Chester county, in the vicinity
of Uwchlan Friends Meeting House, near the
present site of Lionville. Here he lived and culti
vated his land until his death in 1731. The children
of Evan Evans were : 1. Martha, who became the
wife of Stephen Hoopes ; 2. Alary, who first mar
ried William Clayton, and after his death' became
the wife of Isaac Marshall; 3. Margaret, who
married John Todhunter ; 4. Evan, who died un
married ; 5. Susanna, who married Isaac Sewell,
and at his death married Robert Carter ; 6.
Thomas, who married Eleanor Reese ; 7-8. Anna
and Edward, who died young; 9. Richey, who
married Phoebe Whelan in 1763, and with his
wife and five children afterward removed to
Hopewell, Virginia.
Thomas Evans, sixth child and second son of
Evan Evans, was born near Lionville, Chester
county, and died about 1807. He was a farmer,
and lived and died on the old homestead. August
17, 1748, he married Eleanor, a daughter of James
Reese, of Uwchlan, who bore him six children,
Evan, Ezekiel, Jessie, Isaac, Thomas and
Eleanor. Evan, oldest child of -Thomas and Eleanor
(Reese) Evans, was born in September, 1749, on
a farm in Upper Uwchlan township, near the' site
of the present Eagle Hotel property. Like his
father he was a farmer, a man of strong individu
ality, and conspicuous in local public affairs. He
was a Federalist, and was elected to the state as
sembly for 1782 and 1783. He married Jane
Owen, a daughter of William Owen, of Upper
Uwchlan township, February 16, 1780. She was
born Alarch 19, 1762, and died August 5, 1841,

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

5i7

and her husband died July 16, 1823. The chil
dren of this marriage were : Rebecca ; Owen,
who moved to Illinois with his family ; Eleanor,
who died young; Thomas, who died in 1823,
leaving a son named Boon ; Sarah, who married
William Dunwoody; Ezekiel, the father of Cap
tain Lewis H. Evans ; Margaret, who married
Benjamin Harly; William, who died young;
Richard ; Hannah, who married David Beidler ;
and Jane, who married Lewis Hurford.
Ezekiel, sixth child and third son of Evan and
Jane (Owen) Evans, was born June 24, 1791, in
Upper Uwchlan township. He passed his long
life of almost eighty years in the community
which his forefathers had borne a large part in
flourishing. Like those forefathers, he was a
Qauker. He was engaged in farming and stock
raising, but held his mind open to outside affairs.
A Whig in his earlier political views, he became
a Republican. He was' a justice of the peace in
his township for several years. He married
Eleanor, a daughter of John Beidler, of East
Pikeland township, about 18 18. Ten children
were born to this marriage : Thomas B., Hannah,
John B., Jane E., Mary Ann, Evan B., Lewis H.,
Rebecca, Anna and D. Webster. Ezekiel Evans
died May 29, 1870, and his wife died in Septem
ber of the same year.
Lewis H., seventh child and fourth son of
Ezekiel and Eleanor (Beidler) Evans, was born
July 1, 1832, in the township where three genera
tions of his family had lived before him. After
attending the public schools in the vicinity, he be
came a student at Professor Gause's seminary at
Marshalltown, Chester county. After leaving
school he occupied himself on the farm until the
outbreak of the Civil war. June 6, 1861, he en
listed for three years as a noncommissioned officer
in Company K, Fourth Regiment, Pennsylvania
Reserves. He served with distinction and was
made first lieutenant of his company in 1862. His
regiment was with the Army of the Potomac
until the spring of 1864, when, just before the
battle of the Wilderness, the command was . de
tached and sent into Western Virginia. After
having passed uninjured through the severe cam
paigning of the two previous years, Lieutenant
Evans received a wound in the arm which ser
iously disabled him, in an engagement at Cloyd
Alountain. The regiment was mustered out of
service July 17, 1864, and Lieutenant Evans was
honorably discharged with an unbroken record of
gallant service. He was commissioned captain
after the close of the war, by Governor Geary.
His first return to industrial pursuits after
the close of his life as a soldier, was in Lancaster
county, where he bought a farm which he con
ducted for three years. In 1870, however, he re
turned to his birthplace and bought the fine farm
which he now owns in Upper Uwchlan township.

His characteristic energy and industry have made
of it one of the best cultivated and best equipped
farms in the section. Captain Evans is a Repub
lican in politics, and in 1872 was made register
of wills for Chester county. He held this office
three years. In 1887 he was elected to the state
house of representatives, and served in the legis
lature during the sessions of 1887 and 1889, with
credit to himself and to the best interests of his
constituents. He has been a member of the
Forestry commission of the state of Pennsylvania.
He was one of the organizers of the Fairmount
Creamery Association, an enterprise vital to the
agricultural interests of his community. Captain
Evans is also a valued member of General George
A. McCall Post, No. 31, Grand Army of the
Republic.

JOHN C. VANSANT. The Vansant family
of Chester county, Pennsylvania, represented in
the present generation by John Clark Vansant, a
prominent business man of London Britia'n town
ship, and who has occupied many positions of
trust and responsibility, originated in Maryland.
John Clark Vansant, paternal grandfather of him
of the same name who is previously referred to,
was a son of John Clark and Mary Vansant, and
was born in Queen Anne' county, Maryland, De
cember 30, 1788. He was an extensive farmer
and stock breeder and dealer, and a most suc
cessful peach grower. He married, February 25,
1808, Ellen Kenny.
John Clark Vansant, son of the parents last
named, was born near Newark, Newcastle county,
Delaware, January 2, 1817. He followed farming
in the neighborhood in which he was born until
i860, when he removed to London Britian town
ship, Chester county, Pennsylvania, where he made
his home on a farm during the remainder of his
life. For three years of this time he was also en
gaged in a mercantile business. While a resident of
Delaware he held the office of road commissioner,
but after coming to Pennsylvania he held aloof
from public concerns. He was a man of excel
lent character, an attendant upon the services of
the Presbyterian church, and a Democrat in poli
tics. He married, Alarch 23, 1858, Alaria Jacobs.
John Clark Vansant, only son of John Clark
and Maria (Jacobs) Vansant, was born near
Newark, Newcastle county, Delaware, July 7,
1859. In his boyhood his parents removed to
London Britain township, Chester county, Penn
sylvania, and there he received his preparatory
education in the public schools, afterward attend
ing Prof. Alexander Terrell's academical school
in the same township. He has followed farming
during his mature life, and for twenty-two years
past he has also conducted an important mercan
tile business, as a dealer in agricultural imple-

5i8

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

ments, wagons, harness and fertilizers, in the vil
lage of Strickersville. He has also been traveling
salesman for the Deering Harvester Company, of
Chicago, covering the eastern shore of Alaryland
and Delaware and part of Chester county. A man
of excellent business abilities, and progressive and
public-spirited, he has long been a potent factor
in promoting the interests of the community, and
has rendered excellent service in various import
ant positions, including among others those of
supervisor, school director and tax collector. In
politics he is a Democrat. He is affiliated with
the Junior Order of American Mechanics and the
Improved Order of Red Men.
Mr. Vansant was married, February 3, 1881,
to Miss Mary Smith Montgomery, a daughter of
Robert and Sarah Montgomery. She was born in
Franklin township, near Kimbleville, November
8, 1856. With her husband she is a member of
the Flint Hill Methodist Episcopal church. Four
children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Vansant-: 1.
John Clark Vansant, Jr., born December 1, 1883 ;
He received his preparatory education in the
public school and then became a student at Goldey
College, Wilmington, Delaware ; he, however, has
finished his course and has accepted a position as
bookkeeper with H. K. Mulford Chemical Com
pany, of Philadelphia. 2. Gaylord M. K. Van
sant, born February 27, 1885, died August 8 of
the same year ; 3. George Montgomery Vansant,
born December 21, 1887, who was educated in the
public schools; 4. Nile Everett Vansant, born
December 24, 1896.

JOHN ELLIOTT, an enterprising and pros
perous agriculturist of London Britain township,
Chester county, Pennsylvania, where he has re
sided for the past twelve years, is a representative
of that class of men who have been born and rear
ed in foreign countries, but after making the
United States their home have adapted themselves
to its customs and methods and become true and
loyal citizens of our great and glorious country.
He is a son of Thomas and Elizabeth Elliott,
of Westogwall Parish, England, where his birth
occurred in the year 1824. His educational ad
vantages were obtained at the public schools of
the Parish, and after laying aside his school books
he began his business career by farming on the old
homestead. He continued at this occupation until
the year 185 1, when he left his ancestral home and
sought a wider field in which to conduct his opera
tions. Having decided that the United States
afforded the best opportunities for a successful
business life, he accordingly emigrated here,
landed in New York city, and later located in the
state of New Jersey, where for a short period of
time he engaged in farming. His next place of
residence was in Canada, where for fifteen

years he served in the capacity of salesman for
J. P. Wells, Esq., a dealer in potash and salts.
At the expiration of that period, Mr. Elliott
located in the state of Massachusetts, accepted
the superintendency of a mine, and for six years
filled that responsible position. For twenty-six
years he was engaged in mining corundum and
iron ore in Newlin township, Chester county,
Pennsylvania. In 1891 he finally settled in that
county, purchased a tract of farm land in London
Britain township, and since that date has con
ducted general farming operations. Politically
Mr. Elliott is a firm adherent of the principles of
the Republican party. He has declined the in
cumbency of several minor township offices, pre
ferring to devote his entire time to his business
interests. Mr. Elliott was united in marriage to Eliza
beth Machia, a native of Canada, now deceased,
and two children were born of this union — Cora
E. and Glover B. Elliott. Cora E. Elliott has
been teaching in the grammer school of Landen
burg for the past ten years, and is a success
ful and thorough instructress. Mr. Elliott and
his family attend the services of the Prsebyterian
church.

DAVID PHILIPS, for a period of almost
twenty years actively edentified with the manu
facture of road machinery at Kennett Square,
Chester county, Pennsylvania, where he enjoys
the reputation of being an upright and consci
entious business man, is a descendant of Joseph
and Mary Philips, natives of Wales, the former
named having been born in 17 16, and the latter
in 1710. In 1755, Joseph Philips, accompanied
by his wife, Mary, and their three sons, David,
John and Josiah, came to this country, the first
place of settlement being near the present site
of West Chester, but subsequently he purchased
a farm in Uwchlan, where he erected a two-
story log house. He was a weaver by occupation,
spoke his native language, Welsh, and he and
his family lived with the utmost simplicity. They
were faithful and consistent members of the
Vincent Baptist church, having formerly attended
the Great Valley- Baptist church, thirteen miles
distant from their home. Joseph Philips died
May 18, 1792, and his wife, Mary, died Decem
ber 26, 1792.
David and Joseph Philips, sons of Joseph and
Mary Philips, settled in the western part of Penn
sylvania, near Pittsburg, but David later removed
to Tennessee. John and Josiah Philips, also sons
of Joseph and Mary Philips, remained on the old
homestead near Chester Spring, John removing
subsequently to Atglen, Chester county.
Josiah Philips, grandfather of David Philips,
devoted his time and attention to the cultivation

£yz%stn.~#C^^?^£js^

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

519

and improvement of the 61d homestead in Uwch
lan, and being a man of great force of character
and deep piety, his influence for good was felt
in the community to a large extent. Air. Philips
was twice married, his' first wife having been
Martha Edwards and their children were : David,
John and Josiah. His second wife was Sarah
Thomas, and the following named children were
born to them: Joseph, Owen, Martha, Mary,
Sarah, arid Hannah, born March 6, 1802. The
father of these children died March 1, 1817, hav
ing attained the age of sixty-six years.
Owen Philips, father of David Philips, was
born September 7, 1789. He learned the trade
of weaving, which he pursued for some time, and
then followed the occupation of farming in East
Nantmeal, where he was one of the prominent
and influential citizens. He was a Republican
in politics and a Baptist in religion, being one of
the founders of the East Nantmeal Baptist
church, in which he filled the office of deacon
for a number of years. He was united in mar
riage to Rachel Evans, who was born June 24,
1792, a daughter of Jeremiah and Mary Evans.
Their children were: 1. Jesse, born January 4,
1816, who served one term as treasurer of Ches
ter county, and died in April, 1895. 2. Josiah,
born September 10, 1817, died February 8, 1889.
3. Milton, born September 25, 1819, died in early
youth. 4. Lewis, born February 27, 1822, en
gaged in farming interests in East Nantmeal
township. 5. David, born September 8, 1824.
6. Joseph, born September 25, 1827, died Jan
uary 2, 1901. 7. Charles M., born August 25,
1829. 8. Sarah Anna, born December 7, 1831.
9. Owen Thomas, born February 21, 1834. 10.
Abner E., born March 8, 1840.
David Philips, fifth son of Owen and Rachel
(Evans) Philips, was born in East Nantmeal,
Chester county, Pennsylvania, September 8, 1824,
and the educational advantages he enjoyed in
the common schools of his native township quali
fied him for the position of teacher, in which ca
pacity he served for ten years in the village of
Pughtown. In 1885 he removed to Kennett
Square and since that date has been engaged, in
association with his sons, in the manufacture of
road machinery, such as rock crushers and road
scrapers. By means of hard labor, careful man
agement and strict attention to business, they have
secured an extensive and profitable trade, and
the business is one of the leading industries in
the borough.
Mr. Philips married for his first wife, Tamsen
Morris, a daughter of William Morris, a success
ful manufacturer of scythes, near Pughtown, and
the issue of this marriage was : Arthur Allen,
died in childhood ; William Sumner, died in early
life, and S.. Jones, born July 26, ,1861, who mar
ried January 24, 1883, Martha Voorhees, and

their children are: Ralph, born January 14,
1884, died in infancy; D. Leon, born March 27,
1886, and Earl, born May 2, 1892. Tamsen
(Morris) Philips died August 4, 1861. Mr.
Philips married for his second wife, Sarah
Amole, born November 1, 1830, daughter of
George Amole, of Warwick township, and the
following children were born to them: 1. Ed
win Stanton, born January 14, 1864, married
October 5, 1892, Alartha Yost, and their chil
dren are: Roland and Ruth Philips. 2. Jessie
May, born June 13, 1866, became the wife of
Morris P. Smith, October 7, 189 1, and one child
has been born to them, Ralph P. Smith. 3. George
Owen, born September 14, 1868, now deceased.
4. Annie Tustin, born April 10, 1871, and was
united in marriage June 1, 1893, to Howard H.
Polk, son of Robert and Mary Polk; they are
the parents of one child, Howard Wayne Polk,
born October 8, 1898. Sarah (Amole) Philips
died April 9, 1900.
The Philips family have lately donated a me
morial window to the Vincent Baptist church
at Chester Springs, which was organized in 1771.
The family is noted for its many characteristics,
among them being its longevity, its strong re
ligious sentiment, many members of the family
being ministers of the Gospel, and its powerful
intellectual vigor, it being a race of teachers
from 1797 to the present time (1903).

THOA1AS EDMUND CROSSAN, a leading
farmer of London Britain township, Chester
county, and a man of influence in the community,
who has often rendered public service in various
elective offices, is a representative of an old and
highly respected family. His paternal grandfa
ther, William Crossan, resided near Landenburg,
in the township named, where he managed a
large and productive farm, and also conducted a
general store and freighted merchandise between
his place and Wilmington and Baltimore. He
was a man of strong character and great ability,
as is attested by the fact that he carved out his
own fortune through his own industry and per
sistency, and that he came to be recognized as
one of the prime leaders of the community.
William Crossan and his wife Margaret were
the parents of Kennedy Crossan, . who was born
on the homestead farm, December 24, 1815. He
was educated in the common neighborhood
schools, and, until he came of age, he remained
with his father, whom he assisted in the freight
ing business to Baltimore and Wilmington. He
subsequently settled in his native township upon
a farm immediately south of that upon which his
son, Thomas E. Crossan, now resides,* which he
cultivated, and upon which he lived until his de
clining days, when he made his home with the

520

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

son named until the time of his death, August 17,
1898. Air. Crossan was highly regarded by his
fellows, and was elected supervisor of the town
ship and served in various other local offices. He
affiliated with the Democratic party. He was not
a church member, but habitually worshipped with
the Presbyterians. He was married, April 18,
1844, to Margaret Nichols, who was born January
8, 1822, a daughter of Thomas and Mary Nichols,
of Landenburg. The children born of this mar
riage were : 1. Samuel D., born March 2, 1845, who
resides in Wilmington, Delaware ; 2. Mary E.,
born October 10, J846, now deceased; 3. Thomas
Edmund, to be written of hereinafter ; 4. Phebe
Ann, born March 31, 1851, now deceased; 5. Ken
nedy, born Alay 25, 1852, who resides in Philadel
phia, where he conducts an extensive contracting
business ; 6. Calvin J., born July 2, 1854, who is
a farmer residing in London Britain township ;
7. William H., born July 28, 1856, who is a farmer
and resides in Franklin township ; 8. Marshall S.,
born December 29, 1858, who is a farmer and re
sides near Chesterville, in Franklin township; 9.
Alargaret E., born June 22, 1861, who became the
wife of George Smith, and they reside upon the
Crossan homestead, and with them the widowed
mother of Mrs. Smith.
Thomas Edmund, third child and second son
of Kennedy and Margaret (Nichols) Crosson,
was born on the paternal homestead, February 4,
1848, and received his education in the public
schools. On attaining to manhood he purchased
the farm upon which he now resides, and which
he has industriously and successfully cultivated
to the present time. Enjoying the respect and
confidence of the people about him, he has been
called to public positions with unusual frequency.
He has served as supervisor, school director, as
sessor and constable, and in the two positions last
named, respectively, for the long period of four
teen and seventeen years, and he is now serving in
that of tax collector. He is a member of the
Junior Order of American Mechanics, and he and
his family attend the Alethodist Episcopal church.
Mr. Crossan was married, December 24, 1868,
to Miss Martha Jane, a daughter of William and
Amanda Gregg. She was born in Landenburg,
March 8, 1847. Of her marriage with Mr.
Crossan were born the following children :
1. Harry Hoopes Crossan, born in New Gar
den township, Chester county, September 22,
1869. He was educated in the public schools and
he married Anna B. Alahony ; they reside in New
Garden township. 2. Ida May Crossan, born
March 4, 1871, who became the wife of William
H. Lovett, and they reside in Franklin township ;
3. William G. Crossan, born May 7, 1873, who
married Grace Dripps, and they reside in Frank
lin township ; 4. Carrie C. L. Crossan, born Sep

tember 10, 1876, who became the wife of Andrew
Brandenberger, and they reside in New Garden
township.

CALVIN JACK CROSSAN, a successful
farmer and highly respected citizen of London
Britain township, Chester county, is a grandson of
William and Alargaret Crossan, and the sixth
child and fourth son of Kennedy and Alargaret
(Nichols) Crossan.
He was born at the ancestral homestead, in
London Britain township, Chester county, July 2,
1854. He received his education in the public
schools of his native place, and aided in the culti
vation of the paternal farm until he was nineteen
years of age. He then (in 1873) took up his
residence in Landenburg, where he had taken em
ployment in railroad work. At the expiration of
a year, he entered upon farming as a renter, first
on the Nivin farm for one year, then the Lewis
Passmore farm for one year, and then for three
years on the Samuel Davis farm, for an equal
term on the Charles Dunn farm, and then for a
year on the farm now owned by his brother
Thomas. In 1885 he located on the farm upon
which he now resides, then owned by his brother
Kennedy Crossan, from whom he purchased the
place in 1892. His long persisted-in industry and
ability as a tiller of the soil has gained its due
reward, and he now enjoys a fine farm home,
acquired by his own labor, and which he culti
vates after the most approved methods. Honored
for his worth and deservedness, Air. Crossan is
known as a progressive, public-spirited citizen,
and he has been called upon at various times
to occupy positions of honor and responsibility,
and he has served for four years as constable, and
for six years as supervisor, occupying the last
named position at the present time. In politics
he is a Democrat, and he is a member of the Junior
Order of American Alechanics. With his family
he attends the Methodist Episcopal church.
Mr. Crossan was married, on Christmas day,
1873, to Miss Anna M. Wiser, born in New Lon
don township, March 17, 1851, a daughter of
William and Elizabeth Wiser. Born of this mar
riage were the following named children : 1. Vir
ginia, born August 9, 1874, died September 21,
1880; 2-3. Margaret and Elizabeth, twins, born
August 18, 1876 ; they were educated in the public
schools, and Elizabeth attended the State Normal
school in West Chester ; Alargaret married, April
2, 1903, Delbert Pernan, and they reside on a
farm adjoining Mr. Crossan ; Elizabeth became
the wife of Robert AlcAlillian, March 30, 1899,
and they reside in Landenburg, and are the par
ents of one child, Herbert Wayne, born January
26, 1900. The other children of Air. and Airs.

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

521

Crossan are : 4. Clare E., born October 10, 1878,
who was educated in the public schools, and re
sides with his parents; 5. Beulah J., born Septem
ber 10, 1880, who was educated in the public
schools; 6. Viola P., born June 13, 1884, who was
educated in the public schools ; 7. Calvin Cleve
land, born February 10, 1886, died July 26, 1895;
8. Herbert Evan, born April 1, 1892, who is now
a student in the public schools. The family oc
cupy a most comfortable and attractive home, and
are firm in the affections of a large circle of
friends.

JOHN THOMAS WHITE, a worthy repre
sentative of that class of men known as independ
ent farmers, was born in Franklin township,
Chester county, Pennsylvania, May 24, 1841, a
son of Richard and Hannah C. White, and grand
son of John White, who located on a farm in the
vicinity of Avondale, London Grove township,
Chester county, where he followed agricultural
pursuits during his entire active career. In
politics he was an adherent of the old line Whig
party. Richard White (father) was born in Chester
county, Pennsylvania, in 1805, and his education
was obtained in the common schools of that coun
ty. During his young manhood days he learned
the trade of carpenter, at which he was employed
for a number of years, and then located on a
farm in Franklin township, Chester county,
whereon he conducted extensive operations up to
the time of his death, which occurred in 1886.
He was a Republican in politics, and gave the
candidates of his party an earnest and loyal sup
port. Mr. White was united in marriage to Han
nah C. Spencer, born in August, 1820, daughter
of Asa and Ann Spencer, of New London town
ship, Chester county. Mrs. White is living at
the present time (1903), and resides in Wil
mington, Delaware. Their children are : John
Thomas, mentioned at length hereinafter ; Philena
W., wife of Nathan Janney, who resides in Wil
mington, Delaware; Georgeanna, wife of Oliver
Russell, who resides in London Britain town
ship; Asa Spencer, who is married and lives at
Lincoln University; Edith, deceased; Magda
lene, wife of Swithin Shortledge, who resides in
New Garden township.
John T. White, eldest son of Richard and
Hannah C. White, obtained his early education at
the common schools of Franklin township, later
was a pupil at the school taught by Samuel Har
per, in London Britain township, and then at
tended the Eton Academy at Kennett Square.
For a short time after his graduation from the
latter named institution, Mr. White taught
school as a means of livelihood, a position for
which he was well qualified. In 1862 he located

on a farm in London Britain township, and since
that date to the present time (1903) has success
fully conducted general farming. He is a Re
publican in politics, has held the offices of con
stable and assessor, and is one of the substantial
and leading citizens of London Britain township.
During the Civil war he was a member of the
Union League.
In 1863 Mr. White married Elizabeth Gil
more, daughter of Robert Gilmore, of Franklin
township, Chester county. Mrs. White died in
August, 1865. On December 24, 1868, Air.
White married Maria Letitia Mackey, born in
1837, daughter of John K. and Rebecca Ann
Mackey, of London Britain township, Chester
county, and the issue of this marriage was one
child, Rebecca Ann, born May, 2"], 1873, died
August 6, 1894. Airs. White, mother of this
child, died in 1892. For his third wife Air. White
chose Margaret Ann (Kirk) Maccubbin, daugh
ter of Samuel and Sarah Kirk, the ceremony
being performed November 7, 1893.

NORRIS BARNARD SLACK. Business
ability, energy and enterprise have been the chief
characteristics in the career of Norris B. Slack,
a leading young business man of London Britian
township, who has gained an enviable reputation
in commercial circles and whose opinion in busi
ness affairs is eagerly sought after and highly
appreciated. Norris B. Slack was born at Lincoln (present
site) University, December 29, i860, and received
his education at the public schools and Newark
Academy, Newark, Delaware. His first business
experience was gained as a commercial traveler,
he having engaged in that occupation in 1882
and continued it for about three years. In 1885
he turned his attention to the sale of ag
ricultural implements to which he has since
added a large and select stock of carriages
and wagons, and this line of enterprise he is
successfully conducting at the present time
(1903). During the years 1886 and 1887, he was
engaged in the flour and feed business in the city
of Philadelphia, in addition to the management of
the aforesaid extensive enterprise. In 1900 Air.
Slack was instrumental in the incorporation of
the Wilmington (Delaware) Farm Supply Com
pany, of which he was secretary, treasurer and
manager until August, 1902, at which time he
resigned on account of ill health ; he still holds
his interest in the company and is one of its
present board of directors. He also owns and
operates a fine farm of sixty-seven acres adjacent
to the village of Strickersville, Pennsylvania.
Air. Slack is a member and trustee of the
Methodist Episcopal church at Kimbleville, Penn
sylvania, and serves in the capacity of superin-

522

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

tendent of its Sunday school. In politics he is
a staunch Democrat. He has filled the offices of
assessor, constable and school director for Lon
don Britain township, being the incumbent of
each position for a number of years. He is an
honored member of Kennett Lodge, No. 475,
Free and Accepted Masons ; of the Society of
Red Men at Newark, Delaware; the Junior Order
of American Mechanics ; of the Knights of
Pythias at Lewisville, Pennsylvania ; and is treas
urer of the Chester County Fraternal Benefit As
sociation, one of the managers of the Agricultural
Society located at Oxford, Pennsylvania, and a
directors of the Traveling Men's Association.
On February 16, 1887, Mr. Slack married
Mary B. Miller, daughter of the Rev. William T.
and Jane (McCullough) Miller, of Union, Cecil
county, Alaryland. Mrs. Slack was born October
12, 1866. Their children are Grace Jane, born
December 10, 1887; Thomas Miller, born March
29, 1888; Norris Harlan, born November 10,
1890; Eva Belle, born February 11, 1894; Loreta
Booth, born April 3, 1895 ; Robert Austin Bur
nett, born November 25, 1902.

WILLIAA1 STINSON KENNADY, a lead
ing citizen of London Britain township, is a
man who believes thoroughly in the advantages
of education and who assists to the best of his
ability in every work and enterprise which has
for its object the betterment and upbuilding of
mankind. His birth occurred in the township of
London Britain, Chester county, Pennsylvania,
September 25, 1839, a son of Robert and Lydia
Ann (Stinson) Kennady, and grandson of Rob
ert Kennady.Robert Kennady (father) was a native of
London Britain township, Chester county, hav
ing been born about the year 1800, on the farm
on which his son, William S. Kennady, now re
sides. He attended the common schools of the
neighborhood, and in early life chose the voca
tion of farming, which he conducted successfully
on the farm in London Britain township, which
was formerly the property of his father. He was
a Democrat in politics, and was elected by his
fellow citizens to serve in the capacity of town
ship supervisor and assessor. He was an ac
tive and consistent member of the New London
Presbyterian church. Mr. Kennady married
Lydia Ann Stinson, a native of London Britain
township, and their children were : Anna Maria,
deceased, who was the wife of Samuel Lindsey,
of Delaware ; Martha Jane, deceased, who was the
wife of Andrew James Mearns ; Rebecca K, de
ceased, who was the wife of Amos T. Biles ; John
W. ; and William Stinson Kennady. Robert Ken
nady died in 1883 ; his wife passed away March
9, 1878.

William S. Kennady was born and reared on
the farm in the township of London Britain,
where he now resides. His education was ob
tained at the boarding school conducted under
the thorough and competent instruction of Sam
uel Harper. Being inured to the varied and
arduous duties pertaining to a farm, he chose
that occupation for his life work, assisted his fa
ther with the management of the home place,
and in due course of time became the possessor
of the homestead, whereon he has conducted
general farming up to the present time. He has
always been practical and progressive in his
ideas, and the neat and thrifty appearance of his
property indicates unceasing labor and a care
ful oversight of all the details of the business.
Since attaining his majority, Air. Kennady has
voted the Democratic ticket. He has seryed in
various township offices, including those of
auditor, supervisor and school director.
On February 11, 1865,. Mr. Kennady married
Jane Elizabeth Conner, born in Cecil county,
Maryland, December 25, 1843, a daughter of
Joshua and Mary Ann (Underwood) Conner.
Their children are: Urie Rebecca, born Octo
ber 29, 1867, wife of Edgar E. Heston; they re
side in Cranford, Union county, New Jersey.
John W., born January 6, 1872; he received his
education at the Newark Academy and at the
Normal School at West Chester; he married
Mary E. Mendenhall, daughter of James Alen-
denhall, and one child has been born to them,
Clara Margaret Kennady; they reside at West
Grove, Chester county, Pennsylvania. William
Stinson, Jr., born June 24, 1883 ; he attended
the high school at Wilmington, Delaware, and
is now a student at Delaware College, Newark,
Delaware. The family holds membership in the
New London Presbyterian church, Mr. Kennady
being a member of the board of trustees and also
a member of the cemetery committee.

JAMES PATTERSON RAA1SAY. The old
homestead of the Ramsay family which was sit
uated in Lower Oxford township, Chester county,
Pennsylvania, was the scene of the birth of many
of the ancestors of James P. Ramsay, an enter
prising and prosperous agriculturist of Penn
township, his birth having also occurred there
on December 21, 1850.
John Ramsay, great-grandfather of James P.
Ramsay, was a native of Chester county, Penn
sylvania, and in this section of the state his entire
business career was spent. He married Mar
garet Cowan, and they reared a family of six chil
dren, namely : Hannah, wife of David Hayes ;
Joseph, who married Bethsheba Cochran ; Mary,
wife of James Walker ; John, who married Mar-

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

523

garet Walker ; Samuel, who married Mary
Adams ; and Jane, wife of Andrew Gibson.
Joseph Ramsay, a grandfather of James P.
Ramsay, was the eldest son of John and Mar
garet Ramsay, and his birth occurred January 4,
1789. He was a lifelong resident of Chester
county and was actively associated with its varied
enterprise and pursuits. He was united in mar
riage to Bethsheba Cochran, and their children
were: Robert Cochran, born January 21, 181 3,
died March 16, 1842'; John H., born January 6,
1815, died July 4, 1851 ; David, born November
7, 1816; Susan, born May 23, 1820, died March
25, 1894; Emnor, born December 17, 1822, died
June 1, 1863; James, born October 10, 1825, and
Margaret Ramsay, born February 12, 1828.
David Ramsay, father of James P. Ramsay,
was born on the old homestead, November 7,
1816, and was the third son in order of birth of
the children of Joseph and Bethsheba Ramsay.
He was a man of integrity and honor, and his
influence has always been on the side of morality
and right. By his marriage to Isabella Patter
son, the following named children were born :
James Patterson, William Howard, Alfred Coch
ran, Frank Gardner and Emma Bethsheba
Ramsay. James P. Ramsay, eldest son of David and
Isabella Ramsay, was reared in Lower Oxford
township and acquired his early education in the
local schools of that section and at Oxford bor
ough, supplementing this with attendance at
Union High School. After completing his studies
he devoted his attention to farming, thoroughly
mastering all the details of that industry, and
since the year 1880 has rented and managed the
Charlton farm, which consists of two hundred
acres, and was deeded to Thomas Charlton by
Christiana Gulielma Penn, a daughter of William
Penn, in 1758. He is a Republican in politics,
and has served his township in the capacity of
supervisor, school director- and county commit
teeman. On January 29, 1880, Mr. Ramsay married
Annie Harvey Charlton, who was born in Penn
township, Chester county, where she was reared
and obtained an excellent education in the private
schools. Five children were the issue of this
union, namely: Ada Bowen, born December 1,
1880; David, born March 12, 1883 ; Paul C, born
March 9, 1887 ; Marion P., born March 6, 1892,
and James, born April 23, 1894, died in infancy.
Mrs. Ramsay is the daughter of Thomas Mc
Clenathon and Mary Ann (Kelso) Charlton, the
former named having been born on January 24,
1827. The children born to Mr. and Mrs. Charl
ton were: 1. Annie Harvey; 2. Mary Nelson,
became the wife of Edward Fern, and their chil
dren are: Thomas C, born March 1, 1884;
Agnes AL, born June 2, 1888;' Edna T., born

August 4, 1892, and Helen Fern, born April
24, 1894; 3. Alonzo Potter, married March 28,
1883, Eva L. Underdown, and their children are :
William U., born December 18, 1884, and Thomas
M., born in January, 1888; after the decease of his
first wife he married Frances Isabel Knowlton, the
ceremony being performed January 5, 1897; 4.
Gulielma P., wife of W. Harry Lefevre and
mother of the following named children : Thomas
C, Katherine M., George Lennon, William
Henry, Elma Penn, Elizabeth C, and Frederick
C. Lefevre; 5. Elizabeth D., wife of William
Spear Huston; 6. Isabel, wife of James L. M.
Huston ; they are the parents of one child, Eliza
beth Huston, born April 3, 1893.
Thomas McClenathon Charlton, father of
Mrs. Ramsay, was the son of Thomas and Mary
Ann (Kearens) Charlton, the former named be
ing a son of Thomas Charlton, his birth occur
ring in 1766 and his death in 1848. The chil
dren born to Thomas and Mary Ann (Kearens)
Charlton were : Thomas McClenathon, men
tioned at length in the foregoing paragraph,
and Mary Ann, who was the wife of John D.
Nelson ; their children were : Thomas O, Will
iam D., Thomasine E., Martha K., Elizabeth M.,
Mary Ellen, Iola A., Lola F., Annie C, and Clara
E. Charlton.

DAVID T. PIERSON, a veteran of the Civil
war, and for many years actively associated with
various enterprises in Chester county, Pennsyl
vania, where by his indomitable energy, cease
less activity and honorable business methods, he
has attained a prominent position among the rep
resentative citizens of that section of the state.
He was born near Oxford, Chester county, Penn
sylvania, March 10, 1845, the son of William •
(deceased) and Ellen (Lewis) Pierson, who
were the parents of the following named chil
dren : 1. Samuel, who married and one child
was born of the union. 2. Elizabeth, wife of
Henry Derrickson, of Media, Delaware county,
and their children are: Harry, and Lucy, wife
of Charles Johnson. 3. William, deceased, who
was united in marriage to Elizabeth Ironside,
and their children are: Nora, wife of William
Leake, of Oxford; Jessie, wife of Mr. Bonsell,
and William, who married Bertha Gallager. 4.
David T., mentioned at length hereinafter. 5.
Matilda, deceased, who was the wife of John
Quinn, and after his decease married Brinton
Hampton and their children are : Zeda, Eliza
beth and Burton J. Hampton. George died in
early life.
David T. Pierson was reared near Oxford,
Chester county, Pennsylvania, and his educational
advantages were obtained in the public schools
of the neighborhood. He began his business

524

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

career by engaging in the painting and papering
trade, later he became proprietor of a restaurant
locating at first at Oxford and afterward at New
London, and in 1891 he purchased a farm of one
hundred and forty-two acres in Penn township,
Chester county, where he has since conducted
agricultural pursuits. His land is under a high
state of cultivation, and his carefully repaired
fences and out buildings indicate the oversight
of a thrifty and painstaking manager. Mr. Pier
son gives his political support to the Republican
party, and his religious affiliations are in accord
with the doctrines of the Methodist church, al
though his father was an Orthodox Friend.
During the Civil war he enlisted his services
in the Union army, served as a private for two
years and three months, and was honorably dis
charged at the end of the war.
On December 31, 1867, Air. Pierson married
Margaret Lemon, who was born near Gum Tree,
Fallowfield township, Chester county, February
23, 1845,, a daughter of Allen and Margaret
(McConnell) Lemon. Their children are: 1.
Ida Augusta, born Alarch 25, 1869, became the
wife of Edward W. Miller, of New London,
Chester county, and their children are: Lena
A., David P., Ida Lydia and Helen Bumgarden
Miller. 2. Walter Kelton, born July 25, 1873,
died December 19, 1876. 3. Ella May, born June
20, 1875, died August 7, 1875. 4. Tillie R., born
February 2, 1878, is the wife of Clifford R.
Brumfield, of Rising Sun, Maryland. 5. Bertha
E., born' October 5, 1881.

GEORGE T. BROWN was born in New
Garden township, Chester county, Pennsylvania,
August 31, 1836, and is a member of one of the
old families that have long been connected with
the history of this locality and have taken a prom
inent part in promoting the various measures put
forth for the advancement and improvement of
the county. The earliest ancestor of the family
of whom there is any authentic record was Will
iam Brown, who reared a family of four sons,
namely: Thomas, William, David and Eli
Brown. Thomas Brown, grandfather of George T.
Brown, was a prominent resident of Chester
county, Pennsylvania, and by enterprise and in
dustry his business interests were crowned with
a well merited prosperity. He married Sarah
Malone, and the following named children were
born to them: 1. William, who married Re
becca Walker and they are the parents of. two
children, William, and Ada, wife of Willis West-
lake. 2. Evan, father of George T. Brown. 3.
Sarah Ann, wife of Holiday Hoopes and mother
of three children, namely: Alargaret M., wife
of Thomas Mercer; Thomas, who married Re

becca Cooper, and Alary, .who died in early life.
4. Dav,id, who married Alice Tweed and their
children are : Anna, wife of William Kelton,
and Alary, who died in childhood. 5. Ruthanna,
who died young.
Evan Brown, father of George T. Brown, was
born April 12, 1808, in Chester county, Penn
sylvania, and by the marked aptitude and faith
fulness which he displayed in his public and pri
vate life, won the confidence and esteem of the
community. He was united in marriage to Jo
anna Taylor, and their children were: 1. Sarah,
wife of William Gawthrop, and their children
are: Evan, who married Bertha Conard; Alary,
unmarried; Ernest, who married a Pittsburg
lady, and Joanna, unmarried. 2. George T. 3.
Elizabeth, wife of Joseph Graham, and they are
the parents of one child, Florence Graham. 4.
Mary Ellen, wife of Joshua Sharpless, and their
children are: Evan, Walter, Bertha and Ro
land Sharpless. 5. Ruth Anna, wife of Lewis
Sharpless, and their children are : Herbert,
Charles, Elizabeth and Henry Sharpless.
George T. Brown, eldest son of Evan and Jo
anna Brown, was reared and acquired a prac
tical education in the common schools of New
Garden township, after which he chose the quiet
but useful calling of agriculture. In 1888 he
purchased his present farm in Penn township,
which under his able management produces
bountiful crops and from the sale of which he
derives a good income. In politics Mr. Brown
is an ardent Republican, and has served his
township in the capacity of school director and
supervisor for several terms, and in religion is a
faithful adherent of the Society of Friends.
Mr. Brown was united in marriage to Sarah
H. Haines, a daughter of Lewis and Sarah ( Hut
ton) Haines, and her birth occurred June 3, 1840,
at Quarryville, Eden township, Lancaster coun
ty, Pennsylvania ; she was reared and educated
in Fulton township, Lancaster county. Their
children are: Virginia T., born Alay 9, 1871 ;
Alary H., born January 5, . 1873, now the wife
of Wilmer AL Fell; Gertrude T., born June 15,
1874 ; Lewis PL, born December 27, 1875 ; Lillian,
born March 6, 1877 ; and William G, born Jan
uary 18, 1879.

WALTER S. MYERS, one of the representa
tive agriculturists and respected citizens of Penn
township, Chester county, Pennsylvania, is a de
scendant of a Scotch-Irish ancestry, who were
noted in the community for the honorable and
efficient manner in which they conducted all their
duties, both in public and private life.
Daniel Myers, father of Walter S. Myers, was
born in Chester county, Pennsylvania, February
19, 1819, died May 31, 1903. He was a son of

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

525

William Myers, who was the father of nine chil
dren, namely : Alichael, Henry, Peter, Jacob,
Alban, Elizabeth, Mary, Jane and Daniel Myers.
After attaining young manhood Daniel Alyers
was united in marriage to Adeline Hamil, born
October 31, 1821, and the children born to them
were as follows: 1. Rittenhouse, born April 3,
1843, married Mary Alackey, and they were the
parents of eleven children ; his death occurred July
26, 1888. 2. Jane, born September 1, 1845, died
June 21, 1878; she was the wife of Samuel
Mackey, and their children were : Amy, born
July 4, 1865, wife of Charles Ortlip, and mother
of one child, Samuel Ortlip; Harry, born April
10, 1867, married Lilly Tingley; Jamie, born
March 14, 1869; Ruth, born September 14, 1871,
now deceased, was the wife of Frank Christy,
and their children were : Bessie, Lulu, Charles,
Edna, Leslie and Frances Christy ; William, born
July 11, 1876. 3. Elizabeth, born March 22,
1848, died July 3, 1879, was the wife of George
Kimble ; they were the parents of one child, Frank
Kimble, born in April, 1876. 4. Robert PL, born
January 10, 1850, died March 7, 1879; he was
the husband of Ella Storey, and their children
were : Walter, born May 17, 1876, and Renie,
born in 1879, became the wife of Mr. Dickin
son, and one child was born to them. 5. Daniel,
Jr., born February 19, 1852, died February 1,
1897; he was united in marriage to Ella Mc
Clellan, a daughter of Pierce McClellan, and the
following named children were born to them :
Wilmina, born October 22, 1880 ; Robert P., born
December 17, 1882; Katherine E., born April 25,
1884; Minnie Ethelbert, born January 20, 1886,
and Frances McClellan, born March 24, 1888.
6. Charles D., born September 4, 1854, died No
vember 4, 1879. 7. Addie, born September 4,
1856, died October 9, 1871, was the wife of
Charles Phillips, and their child, Daniel M. Phil
lips, was born June 22, 1900. 8. Walter S., born
September 14, 1858. 9. Wilmina, born October
10, i860, died March 2, 1879. 10. Annie S.,
born October 29, 1862. 11. Mary W., born April
19, 1865, wife of Harry Hoopes; their children
are: Willard, bom March 17, 1893, and Owen
Hoopes, born in May, 1898.
Walter S. Myers, fifth son of Daniel and
Adeline Myers, was born at Doe Run, West
Alarlborough township, Chester county, Penn
sylvania, September 14, 1858. He was reared
and acquired a common school education in the
township of Penn, whither his parents removed
when he was a young child. In the management
of his farming pursuits Air. Myers has shown
remarkable ability, energy and perseverance; his
land is under a high state of cultivation and the
improvements upon the place are in keeping with
those found upon all model farms. He takes
a deep interest in political questions, and casts

his vote with the Republican party. In religion
he is an adherent of the faith laid down by the
Presbyterian church, and holds membership with
that denomination in his township.
On January 29, 1885, Air. Myers married
Melissa Guthrie, a daughter of Joshua arid Abi
gail Jane Guthrie; her birth occurred June 21,
1862, in West Fallowfield township, Chester
county, Pennsylvania, and in this vicinity she
was reared and acquired a common school edu
cation. Their children are : Harry H., born De
cember 13, 1885; Howard H., born December
22, 1887; Chester, born February 25, 1890;
Norma, born February 6, 1892 ; Annie, born Jan
uary 12, 1896, and Florence Myers, born August
12, 1900.  * » » 
WILLIAM S. MACKEY is a representa
tive member of a family who trace their origin
to threee brothers, natives of Ireland, who came
to the United States during the early part of the
eighteenth century; one located in Pennsylvania,
one took up his residence in Maryland, and the
other brother settled in one of the western states.
Squire David Alackey, great-grandfather of
William S. Alackey, was a prominent and influ
ential citizen of Chester county, Pennsylvania,
and won and retained the high regard of all with
whom he was brought in personal contact, either
in business or social life. He was united in mar
riage to Agnes Curry, and their children were:
Robert, who married Jane Kimball ; John ; Ra
chel, who was the wife of John Fulton ; Susan,
who married John Allison; George; Mary, who
became the wife of David Furey, and Letitia
Mackey. John Mackey, grandfather of William S.
Mackey, whose birth occurred in Chester county,
Pennsylvania, was the second son of Squire Da
vid and Agnes Mackey. He attended the com
mon schools of the neighborhood and subse
quently rendered valuable assistance in sustain
ing the various industries of his town. Six chil
dren were the issue of his marriage to Amy
Crooks, namely: 1. David, who married Eliza
Pyle, and their children were : Joshua ; Amy, de
ceased ; Oliver, who was united in marriage to
Amelia Broghan ; and Mary, deceased. 2. John,
who married Amy AlcClenathon, and among
•other children born to them were the following : .
Samuel, whose first wife was Jane Alyers and
his second wife Jane Miller; Louisa; Mary;
Horace, who married Fanny McClennon ; Fran
cis ; Anna ; Belle,' wife of Newton Chambers.
3. Thomas, father of William S. Mackey. 4.
James. 5. Margaret, wife of William Thompson,
and their children are: John; James; William,
whose first wife was Lizzie Lyons and his sec
ond wife Carrie Ramsey; Samuel, who married

526

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

Anna Wickersham; George, who married Anna
Brown ; Ella, wife of John Going. 6. Amy, wife
of Thomas Townsend and mother of the follow
ing named children: Sarah, wife of Joseph
Moore ; John, who married Grace Doren ; Letitia ;
Thomas, who married Elizabeth Dance; and
Francis Townsend.
Thomas Alackey, father of William S. Mac-
key, was the third son of John and Amy Mackey,
and his birth occurred in Chester county, Penn
sylvania, April 7, 1810. He acquired a practi
cal education in the local schools, and after at
taining manhood was actively interested in the
advancement and welfare of the community, and
was also an efficient factor in all local enterprises
in this direction. Mr. Alackey married Hannah
Hamil, and twelve children were born to them:
William, who died in childhood; an infant son,
deceased; James; Elisha and Robert, twins, Eli
sha married Sarah McClenathon, and Robert died
in early life; Emma, who became the wife of
Thomas Good; William; George F., deceased;
Clara ; Edward, who married Addie Brown ; Lo-
rena; and A. Wilson Mackey, who married Mi
nerva Spencer.
William S. Mackey was born in Penn town
ship, Chester county, Pennsylvania, December 6,
1843, was reared on the old family homestead,
and attended the local schools ; the knowledge
thus gained was supplemented by attendance at
schools in Cochranville which were under the
personal supervision of Mary Gray and Cochran
Hamil. After completing his education he en
gaged in agricultural pursuits, purchasing a
farm in 1879 from his father, where he has since
made a specialty of dairy farming. His farm
consists of rich and arable land, all under a high
state of cultivation, and his careful supervision
of details has made it one of the most desirable
farm properties in the locality. Mr. Mackey
has always taken an active part in the manage
ment of Democratic affairs in the township,
serving as supervisor for ten years and also be
ing the incumbent of the office of school di
rector. In his religious views he is an advocate
of the faith of the Presbyterian church.
Mr. Alackey was united in marriage to Emma
Brown, who was born on the old homestead in
Franklin township, Chester county, Pennsylvania,
May 14, 1847, the daughter of Lewis and Eliza
beth Brown, and granddaughter of William and
Ann Brown. The success in life which Mr.
Mackey enjoys is the logical result of applied in
dustry, executive ability and strict integrity of
character.

EDWIN A. CHANDLER, an old and hon
ored resident of New Garden township, Chester
county, Pennsylvania, is a descendant of one of

the prominent families of the county, some mem
bers of which came to the United States during
the latter part of the seventeenth century from
their home at Greathodge, in Wiltshire, England.
He is a son of William and Ruth Anna
(Davis) Chandler, his mother, who was born
8 mo., 11, 1801, and died 3 mo., 22, 1846, being
a daughter of Samuel and Sarah Davis. Wil
liam Chandler was born 1 mo., 14, 1787, at Wil
mington, Delaware, and was taken by his parents
to Kentucky, where he grew up. He died at the
Chandler homestead in New Garden township,
3 mo., 5, 1878. The children of William and
Ruth Anna (Davis) Chandler were as follows :
Sarah D., born 8 mo, 22, 1819; Mary M., born
11 mo, 18, 1820; Josephus, born 11 mo., 21,
1822; Edwin A., born 5 mo., 10, 1824, who re
ceives mention elsewhere in this article ; William
P., born 10 mo., 22, 1825 ; John L., born 8 mo.,
29, 1827; Anna, born 10 mo., 26, 1829; Esther
L., born 7 mo., 4, 1831 ; Samuel D., born 9 mo.,
26, 1835 ; Lewis B., born 9 mo, 19, 1840.
Edwin A. Chandler was born 5 mo., 10, 1824,
on the old homestead in New Garden township,
Chester county, and was educated in the public
schools of the vicinity. After he left school he
worked on the home farm until about 1848,
when he engaged in the mercantile business in
partnership with his brother William. Their first
location was in the village known as the Eagle,
in Uwchlan township, where they remained for
three years, when they removed the business to
Concordville, Delaware county. They conducted
a general store there for two years, when Edwin
A. disposed of his interest to his brother William
and bought a farm in West Marlborough town
ship, which he conducted successfully for twenty-
five years. In 1880 he bought the old Chandler
homestead in New Garden township, which is
now his home. Here he has made many improve
ments, having divided the original estate and
erected new buildings and greenhouses. Mr.
Chandler is a Republican, and formerly took an
active part in the work and councils of his party.
He served as supervisor for two terms of three
years each in West Marlborough township, and
was a prompt and thoroughly responsible official.
Mr. Chandler married Hannah Hatton Yar
nall, daughter of Ellis and Alary R. (Morgan)
Yarnall, 2 mo, 27, 1855. Ellis Yarnall was a
well-known and prosperous farmer of Concord
township, Delaware county. Mr. and Mrs.
Chandler have been lifelong members of the So
ciety of Friends, and active participants and ear
nest supporters in all affairs of the society. The
children born to them were: Elwood Wilkinson,
born 10 mo, 28, 1857, a"d died 2 mo., 17, 1876;
Howard Ellis, born 3 mo, 27, i860, who mar
ried Lizzie J. Jack, and has two daughters,
Alarion L., born 11 mo, 30, 1890, Edith H.,

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

527

born 1 mo, 1, 1893 ; Anna Mary, born 6 mo, 5,
1865, who is the wife of Louis B. Eastburn, and
the mother of four children — Hannah C, born
9 mo, 22, 1890, Edwin C, born 9 mo., 25, 1891,
Mary Elizabeth, born 7 mo, 25, 1893, and George
Washington, born 2 mo, 22, 1896.

A. WILSON MACKEY. One of the oldest
and most respected families of Chester county,
Pennsylvania, is represented by A. Wilson
Mackey, who was born on the old homestead in
Penn township, Chester county, in February,
1855. The original ancestors in America were
three brothers who came from Ireland, presuma
bly in the early part of the eighteenth century,
one settling in Pennsylvania, one in Maryland
and the other in the western section of the United
States. Squire Dayid Mackey, great-grandfather of
A. Wilson Mackey, was a native of Chester coun
ty, Pennsylvania, and in this vicinity his business
interests were centered. He was always ready
to respond to the call of duty and his loyalty to
his country caused him to enlist his services in the
Revolutionary war. He married Agnes Curry,
and they were the parents of eight children,
namely: Robert, who married Jane Kimball;
John; Rachel, wife of John Fulton; Susan, wife
of John Allison; George; Mary; Elizabeth, wife
of David Furey, and Letitia Mackey.
John. Mackey, grandfather of A. Wilson
Mackey, was the second son of Squire David
and Agnes Mackey, and his birth also occurred
in Chester county, Pennsylvania. He was prompt
and faithful in the discharge of all duties, and
was one of the progressive and substantial citi
zens of the community. He was united in mar
riage to Amy Crooks and their children were:
1. David, who married Eliza Pyle, and they were
the parents of the following named children:
Joshua; Amy, deceased;. Oliver, who married
Amelia Broghan ; Mary, deceased. 2. John, who
married Amy McClenathon, and the surviving
members of their family are : Samuel, who mar
ried for his first wife jane Myers, and after her
decease he married Jane Miller; Louisa; Mary;
Horace, who married Fanny McClellen ; Francis ;
Anna; Belle, wife of Newton Chambers. 3.
Thomas, father of A. Wilson Mackey. 4. James.
5. Margaret, who became the wife of William
Thompson, and their children are : John ; James ;
William, who married twice, his first wife hav
ing been Lizzie Lyons and his second Carrie
Ramsey ; Samuel, married Anna Wickersham ;
George, married Anna Brown ; Ella, wife of John
Going. 6. Amy, wife of Thomas Townsend,
and the issue to this marriage was : Srah, wife
of Joseph Moore ; John, married Grace Doren ;
34X

Letitia ; Thomas, married Elizabeth Dance ;
Francis Townsend.
Thomas Mackey, father of A. Wilson Alack
ey, was born in Chester county, Pennsylvania,
April 7, 1810, artd the duties of the school room
and farm claimed his attention during the early
period of his life. Later he was accorded a place
among the prominent citizens of the county, gain
ing success in busines through his persistent hon
orable efforts and strict integrity. Mr. Mackey
chose for his wife Hannah Hamil, and they be
came the parents of the following named chil
dren : William, who died in childhood ; an in
fant son, deceased ; James ; Elisha and Robert,
twins, Elisha married Sarah McClenathon, and
Robert died in early life ; Emma, who became the
wife of Thomas Good; William; George F., de
ceased ; Clara ; Edward, who married Addie-
Brown ; Lorena ; and A. Wilson Mackey, who-
married Minerva Spencer.
A. Wilson Mackey was reared on the old-
homestead in Penn township, attended the local
schools and completed his education in the aca
demic schools of Philadelphia. During the first
six years of his busines career he served in the
capacity of school teacher, being well qualified
to fill that responsible position, and since then
his attention has been directed to agricultural.
pursuits. In 1878 he became the owner of one-
hundred and fifty-two acres of productive land,.
but since that date he has disposed of fifty-two-
acres ; his present farm of one hundred acres is
well cultivated and by conducting his operations
on a solid business basis he is enabled to enjoy
a goodly income from his labors. Mr. Mackey
is a Democrat and has served in several prominent
political offices, among them being auditor of the
township, and school director for eleven years.
He is a member of Lodge No. 343, Free and Ac
cepted Masons of Cochranville, and a member
of the United Order of American Mechanics.
Mr. Mackey was united in marriage to Mi
nerva Spencer, born in Franklin township, Ches
ter county, Pennsylvania, November 1, 1859,
where she was reared and educated, a daughter
of Jesse and Margaretta Spencer. Their children
are Raymond S., born October 27, 1886; Jesse
H., born July 10, 1888; Margaret C, born De
cember 24, 1890, and Helen H. Mackey, born
December 16, 1896. The family are well known
and prominent in the social affairs of the commu
nity, and hold membership in the Presbyterian:
church of Faggs Manor, Chester county, Penn
sylvania.

MERCER McFADDEN. Among the prom
inent and influential citizens of Penn township,
Chester county, Pennsylvania, may be mentioned
the name of Mercer McFadden, who was born.

528

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

in Kennett township, Chester county, November
27, 1837, a son °f Israel and Esther McFadden,
-and grandson of Joseph and Rachel McFadden.
Joseph McFadden (grandfather) was born
In the year 1761. The name was probably origin
ally spelled AIcFadden, but several members of
the family at the present time (1903) spell it
either AIcFadin of AIcFadgen. Joseph McFad
den was united in marriage to Rachel Mercer,
who was born in 1774, and the following named
children were born to them: 1. Mercer, who
went out west at the age of nineteen and spent his
life, there ; 2. Jesse ; 3. James, who married Miss
Brown, and their children were: Benjamin, and
James McFadden ; 4. Thomas, who married
Alary Rigdon, and their children were : George,
deceased; Rachel, deceased; Sarah, deceased;
Alartha; and Elizabeth AIcFadden; 5. Israel,
who married Esther Young ; 6. John ; 7. Abner,
who married Ann Rigton, and their children
were: Alary Jane; Hannah Mercer; William
Catrell ; Joseph Boyd ; Alilton Stamp ; John R. ;
and Dorathea Urella AIcFadden ; 8. Martha, wife
•of Lee Nethery, and they are the parents of two
children, namely : Harriet and Lee Nethery.
Israel McFadden (father), fifth son of Jos
eph and Rachel AIcFadden, was born in Chester
county, Pennsylvania, and died in Georgetown,
Lancaster county, Pennsylvania. He was actively
identified with the industrial pursuits of Kennett
township, Chester county, in which vicinity he
resided for many years. Mr. McFadden and
his wife, Esther (Young) McFadden, were the
parents of seven children, all of whom were
reared to lead lives of usefulness and activity.
Their children were: 1. Rachel, now deceased;
2. Charles, who married Annie Ingram, and their
children are: Annie and Phebe McFadden;
3. Mercer, mentioned at length in the following
paragraph; 4. Jacob, who married an eastern
lady; 5. Henry; 6. Joseph, who married Annie
Brocow ,and they are the parents of one child,
Albert AIcFadden; 7. Annie, wife of George
Davis. Mercer AIcFadden, second son of Israel and
Esther McFadden, was reared and educated in
Kennett township, Chester county, his studies
having been pursued at Alartins Academy, Ken
nett Square. In his business career he has met
with a large degree of success, which is the re
sult of energy, natural ability, and perseverance.
He is a Republican in politics, serving at the
present time (1903) in the capacity of road su
pervisor. In religion he is an adherent of the
Baptist faith, having held membership in
that church for many years.
Air. McFadden was united in marriage to
Harriet Pennell, who was born in Lancaster
county, Pennsylvania, October 21, 1839, reared

and educated there, a daughter of Samuel and
Elizabeth Pennell. Their children are : H. Wil
lis, Orville S., Leta P., and Clarence AIcFadden.

J. COULSON REECE. Industry, energy
and perseverance have characterized the business
career of J. Coulson Reece, a progressive and
practical agriculturalist of Penn township, Ches
ter county, Pennsylvania, where his birth oc
curred on the old Reece homestead, December
4, 1861. Henry Reece, grandfather of J. Coulson
Reece, was united in marriage to Elizabeth Bech
tel, who was born January 16, 1773, a daughter
of Samuel and Margaret (Coulson) Bechtel.
Samuel Bechtel was born in 1741, a son of Alar-
tin Bechtel, and married, April 16, 1768, Alar
garet Coulson, who was born in March, 1744.
The following named children were born to Hen
ry and Elizabeth (Bechtel) Reece: 1. Mar
garet, who marrid William Edwards, and their
children were: Alargaret, Fracina, and Will
iam Henry Edwards. 2. Alary. 3. Henry Coul
son. 4. Jacob, who married for his first wife,
Fracina Dickey, and for his second wife, Al-
verda Maloney. 5. Samuel B., father of J. Coul
son Reece. 6. John Reece.
Samuel B. Reece, father of J. Coulson Reece,
was born in Penn township, Chester cqunty,
Pennsylvania, April 16, 1805. During his entire
business career he was actively identified with
the various interests of that section of the state,
and was recognized as one of its influential and
public-spirited citizens. On June 9, 1853, at
Faggs Manor church, Mr. Reece was united in
marriage to Alary Roney, who was born in
Franklin township, July 27, 1834, reared and
educated there, a daughter of William and Sarah
(Wood) Roney ; the ceremony was performed
by the pastor of the church, the Rev. Alfred
Hamilton. Their children were : Henry John,
born August 14, 1854, died September 4, 1859 ;
William, born October 4, 1857, died September
10, 1859; J. Coulson, born December 4, 1861 ;
and Sarah Elizabeth, born February 17, 1864,
became the wife of George M. Haney, and their
children are : James C, born July 29, 1892 ;
Ralph L., born December 5, 1895 ; and George
Ortlip Haney, born November 6, 1899.
The educational advantages enjoyed by J.
Coulson Reece, third son of Samuel B. and Alary
(Roney) Reece, were obtained in the public
schools of Penn township and at Fernwood Acad
emy. After completing his studies he devoted
his time and attention to farming on the old
homestead, which piece of property he inherited
on his father's death, which occurred in January,
1887, and since that date he has conducted exten-

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

529

sive operations thereon. For a number of years
he held the office of school director, and in the
spring of 1902 was elected justice of the peace
for Penn township. He was a member of the
county committee, and served as delegate at the
state convention, which was held at Harrisburg,
Pennsylvania, in August, 1901.
On December 19, 1888, occurred the marriage
of J. Coulson Reece and Margaret E. Elston, a
daughter of George and Rachel Elston. Mrs.
Reece was born in Highland township, January
2, 1866, reared there and educated in local schools
and at Fernwood Acadeniy in Penn township.
The children born to this union are : Mary R.,
born January 25, 1890; Cora P., born April 25,
1892 ; Bertha E., born March 6, 1896, Henry C,
born July 15, 1898, and Sarah H., born Alay 6,
1903. The family are well and favorably known
in the community where Mr. Reece has resided
during his entire lifetime ; they take an active in
terest in the work of the Presbyterian church at
Faggs Alanor, in which organization Mr. Reece
holds membership.

FRED T. MACKERETH, a prominent and
successful busines man of Elkview, Penn town
ship, Chester county, Pennsylvania, where he is
serving in the capacity of postmaster, being ap
pointed to that position by the late President Mc
Kinley, traces his origin to an old and honored
English ancestry, who were faithful and con
scientious in the performance of duties, both pub
lic and private.
John Mackereth, grandfather of Fred T.
Mackereth, was born in England about the year
1794, and his death occurred December 20, 1838.
He married Mary Dickson, and they were the
parents of the following named children : Ann,
born December 23, 1816, died March 9, 1837;
John, born May 3, 1819; Mary,. born January 25,
1822; William, born January 4, 1825; Jonathan,
born December 15, 1828; Joshua, born August
7, 1830, and Thomas, born December 28, 1833-
Jonathan Mackereth, father of Fred T. Mack
ereth, was .born in Westmoreland county, Eng
land, December 15, 1828. In January, 1852,
having decided that the United .States presented
better opportunities for a successful business ca
reer, he left his native country and upon his
arrival here settled at Lamborntown, Chester
county, Pennsylvania, where he resided until
March, 1894. He then removed to Avondale,
where he is now residing, and during his resi
dence in both towns he was engaged in the shoe
making business, whch he learned in his native
county in England. During the progress of the
Civil war, Mr. Mackereth offered his services
in defence of his adopted country and served
nine months in the Union forces, participating

in several battles. He was united in marriage
to Eliza Foster and seven children were the is
sue of this union, namely: 1. Mary Elizabeth,
born July 24, i860. 2. James F., born No
vember 15, 1862, married Annie Strahorn, and
their children are : Mary A., born December
19, 1898, and Joseph S., born February 13, 1901.
3. Annie Emma, born December 6, 1864, died
January 16, 1871. 4. Addie P., born October
12, 1866, a nurse by profession; served during
the Spanish-American war, being one of the first
ten volunteer nurses, five of whom, including
herself, went afterward to the Philippines where
they served two years. 5. William J., born Feb
ruary 12, 1869, died February 17, 1871. 6. John
C, born September 24, 1870, married Elizabeth
Kubler, and their children are : Chalkley B.,
born August 15, 1897, and Mary E., born July
23, 1899. 7. Fred T., mentioned at length in
the following paragraph. Mrs. Mackereth,
mother of these children, was born in Lanca
shire, England, in December, 1829, a daughter
of James and Mary (Thompson) Foster, the
former named having been born in 1788.
Fred T. Mackereth, youngest child of Jona
than and Eliza Mackereth, was born near Avoii-
dale, Chester county, Pennsylvania, November 4,
1872. He was reared in West Marlborough
township, Chester county, and acquired his edu
cation in the schools of that vicinity and at Mar
tin's Academy, Kennett Square. He began his
business career in the capacity of clerk for the
firm of Lamborn & Moore, at Avondale, Chester
county, and on February 1, 1899, he established
a mercantile business on his own account at Elk-
view, Penn township, where he is now conduct
ing a prosperous trade. While a resident of
Avondale, Mr. Alackereth took an active inter
est in the Presbyterian church and acted in the
capacity of superintendent of the Sunday school.
His political affiliations are in sympathy with
the principles of the Republican party.
Air. Alackereth was united in marriage to
Helen Crowl, a daughter of James and Alfaretta
Crowl, and they are the parents of one child,
Freda C, born January 31, 1900. Mrs. Macker-'
eth was reared in East Nottingham township, and
her education was acquired in the schools of Ox
ford borough, Pennsylvania.

ULYSSES G. BULLOCK belongs to the class
of enterprising, progressive citizens to whom the
community owes so much of its commercial ac
tivity and business prosperity. His birth occurred
in Toughkenamon, New Garden township, Ches
ter county, Pennsylvania, October 26, 1865, his
parents being Eli S. and Emily P. Bullock.
The progenitor of the American branch of
the family was Thomas Bullock, a native of Eng-

530

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

land, who accompanied by his brothers, Isaac and
John Bullock, came to this country and settled
on a fifty-acre tract of land in Concord township,
Delaware county, Pennsylvania. According to
tradition, Isaac Bullock returned to England,
leaving his family in Pennsylvania and was never
again heard from.
Thomas Bullock, son of the pioneer ances
tor, and great-grandfather to Ulysses G. Bullock,
, was united in marriage to Elizabeth Nelson, and
their children were: Thomas; Aaron; Robert,
who married Elizabeth Heyburn; Marjorie, wife
of William Hall; and Jane, wife of William
Smith. Thomas Bullock died April 26, 1824, and
his wife, Elizabeth (Nelson) Bullock, died Sep
tember 1, 1824.
Thomas Bullock, grandfather of Ulysses G.
Bullock, was born February 28, 1789, and mar
ried, November 25, 1813, Ann Heyburn, who
was born July 13, 1794, and they were the par
ents of the following named children: George
H., born August 26, 1814, died November 10,
1836; Cyrus, born May 7, 1818, died in May,
1892; Enos, born Alay 4, 1820, died June 10,
1861 ; Elizabeth, born May 5, 1822, died in 1894;
Isaac, born October 28, 1824, died in 1893 ; Eli,
born November 8, 1826; Robert Nelson, born
April 21, 1828, died August 21, 1839; Susan S.,
born September 14, 1830; Thomas B., born May
5, 1832, died in 1902; Sarah Ann, born March
27, 1834; Elwood, born November 23, 1836;
Preston, born January 18, 1838, died September
10, 1839. Thomas B., ninth child of Thomas and
Ann (Heyburn) Bullock, married Margaret
Twaddell, and their children are: Edward, and
Harriet, wife of Franklin Yarnall. Susan S.,
eighth child of Thomas and Ann (Heyburn)
Bullock, is the wife of Clarkson Cloud, and they
have one son, George H. W. Cloud.
Eli Bullock, father of Ulyses G Bullock, was
born in Lower Birmingham township, Chester
county, Pennsylvania, November 8, 1826. He was
educated at the common schools and Gawtrope's
Academy, Kennett. He engaged in mercantile
life at Darlington's Corner, three miles south of
West Chester, in 1850, and has led a continuous
business career as a merchant, with the exception
of three years. He also owns three good farms,
two in Delaware county, Pennsylvania. He was
for some years active in the Republican party as
one of the leaders in his locality. On Feb
ruary 15, 1855, he was united in marriage to
Emily P. Baily, a daughter of Isaac and
Susan Baily, and their children are : Isaac
Howard, born June 6, 1858, died February 11,
1880; Elma M., born September 28, i860, died
October 6, 1864; George M., born October 13,
1862, died October 22, 1864; Ulysses G, born
October 26, 1865, and Arthur B., born October

21, 1868, died June 24, 1903. Mr. Bullock and
his wife are Friends.
Ulysses G. Bullock, third son of Eli and Emily
P. Bullock, was reared at Kelton, Penn township,
Chester county, attended the common schools of
that neighborhood and completed his education
at the State Normal School, West Chester, Penn
sylvania. His business career has been devoted
to mercantile pursuits, at the present time (1903)
being in partnership with his father, Eli Bullock,
in the management of a general dry goods estab
lishment in Penn township. They are active and
progressive in their ideas, honorable in their
transactions, and the result of their well-directed
efforts is a large and lucrative trade. In politics
Mr. Bullock is a staunch Republican, and in re
ligion a prominent and active member of the Epis
copal church, in which organization he holds the
position of vestryman.
On February 18, 1901, Mr. Bullock married
Mary Anna White, who was born March 8, 1877,
reared and educated in Franklin township, Ches
ter county, Pennsylvania, a daughter of Asa and
Lydia Ann White. Their children are : Helen W.,
born September 3, 1901, and Edward R. Howard
Bullock, born November 14, 1902.

JOHN COX, deceased, was a man of strong
determination and resolute purpose, and these
characteristics were essential factors in his busi
ness career, which was passed in the township
of East Marlborough, Chester county, Pennsyl
vania. John Cox was born in East Goshen township,
Chester county, Pennsylvania, March 12, 1786.
He was reared in this vicinity and obtained a
practical education in the common schools. For
a number of years after the completion of his
studies he was employed at the trade of carpen
ter, but having a natural inclination and apti
tude for agricultural pursuits turned his atten
tion to that line of industry. He met with a large
degree of success in this new enterprise, and up
to the time of his decease maintained a position
among the leading and influential agriculturists
of his locality. He was highly respected by his
fellow citizens, who appreciated his worth and
ability by electing him to fill the offices of super
visor and school director. He was a Republi
can in his political views.
Mr. Cox was twice married, his first wife
having been Phcebe (Hall) Cox, of Willistown
township, and to them were born the following
named children : Thomas, deceased ; William,
deceased, and Alary H., unmarried. The mother
of these children, Phcebe (Hall) Cox, died June
24, 1817. His second wife was Hannah (Pierce)
Pennell, born November 12, 1797, daughter of

JOHN COX.

HANNAH PIERCE COX.

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

53i

Jacob and Hannah (Buffington) Pierce, the for
mer named having been a prominent farmer of
East Alarlborough. Their children were: 1.
Jacob P., married Hannah Bond, and their chil
dren are : Lucelia B. and Isabelle J. Cox. 2. Ly
dia E- 3- Anna R. 4. J. William, who married
Mary F. Smith, and they are the parents of
three children — Henry S., Russell S., and Percy
S. Cox. John and Hannah Cox were people of firm
convictions, and during the period when slavery
was advocated in the south as a "Divine Institu
tion," and apologized for in the north, they fre
quently refused to use the product of slave labor
and did all in their power, by word and deed, to
render aid to the escaping slave who sought safety-
north of the Mason and Dixon line, and not in
frequently they shielded and harbored the black
man. It may truthfully be said that few men and
women, who resided north of the Mason and
Dixon line, did more to assist in the abolishment
of slavery than did John and Hannah Cox. They
were also earnest advocates of the cause of tem
perance, and every social and moral reform,
and throughout the period of their long and
useful lives their earnest hope and purpose
was for the improvement of the social condition
and moral welfare of their fellow men. John
and Hannah Cox were both members of the So
ciety of Friends, attending Longwood Meeting.
They deeded the ground upon which the Long-
wood Aleeting is built, and the Longwood ceme
tery grounds were a part of the Cox farm.
On the eleventh day of the ninth month,
eighteen hundred and seventy-three, a number of
the relatives and friends of John and Hannah
Cox assembled at their homestead in Longwood,
Chester county, Pennsylvania, to celebrate the
fiftieth anniversary of their marriage. This was
the birthplace of the bride and twice had she
been married from its portals. Here they enter
tained many of the most prominent advocates of
the anti-slavery cause, and many also who were
listeners to these advocates, rather than expound
ers of the Gospel of Freedom, had partaken of
their hospitality. A large number of these anti-
slavery co-workers contributed their aid to make
this fiftieth anniversary a rare occasion. Letters
of congratulation, rejoicing and regrets at not
being able to be present were received from Wih~
iam Lloyd Garrison, John G. Whitier, Oliver
Johnson, Thomas and Mary Ann McClintock,
and others. Gifts of love and remembrance were
brought and sent, and flowers and wreaths
adorned the old mansion. The following is a
copy of the marriage certificate signed by sev
enty-nine of the members of the family and
friends present:
We, whose names are hereunto subscribed,
have assembled in this venerable homestead of the

Pierce family to commemorate the Golden Wed
ding of our friends, John and Hannah Cox,
where fifty years since they were united in a bond
that remains unbroken.
Through the changes and vicissitudes of this
long period, their united lives have had illustrated
the happiness and beauty of the faith then
pledged. Children and children's children rise
up to call them blessed, and sympathizing
friends, near and far, recall with emotion the
hospitable kindness that has gone hand-in-hand
with the high principles of their devoted lives.
Faithful and earnest workers in the dark
days of slavery, true supporters of progressive
thoughts, they live to rejoice in the emancipa
tion of the slave, and the enlargement of spir
itual freedom.
Longwood, ninth month, eleventh, eighteen
hundred and seventy-three.
Bayard Taylor, the American author and
traveler, who was an intimate friend of Lydia E.
and Anna R. Cox, daughters of John and Han
nah Cox, who reside in Kennett Square, Chester
county, and are highly respected for their Chris
tian characters and for the many acts of benevo
lence and charity performed in their daily lives,
wrote and sent to John and Hannah Cox, on the
occasion of the celebration of their golden wed
ding, ninth month, eleventh, eighteen hundred
and seventy-three, the following letter dated at,
Gotha, Germany, August 22, 1873 :
" Dear Friends :
"We can only be with you in spirit on the
eleventh of September, but we do not wish
to be forgotten or silent among the circle of old
and loving friends who will surround you on
that day. Take, therefore, our fullest and warm
est recognition of the intercourse of many years,
our congratulations that you have been spared
to celebrate the Golden Anniversary of your
united lives in a free land, and our prayers that
your remaining days may be further gladdened
with signs of promise for the whole human race.
"We have had a slight memento of the clay
prepared here, but since there is no opportunity
of sending it now, we must wait until we can give
it into your own hands, with true and affectionate
greetings, Your Friends,
"Bayarp Taylor.
"Marie Taylor.
"To John and Hannah Cox."
John Cox died February 22, 1880'; his wife,
Plannah (Pierce) Cox, died April 15, 1876.

WILMER L. McFADGEN, of Penn town
ship, Chester county, Pennsylvania, represents
one branch of a wide-spread family originally of
Scotch blood and Quaker traditions. The names

532

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

McFadien, AIcFadden, and AIcFadgen, doubtless
mark different lines of descent from the same
stock and are variations of AIcFadgen, the name
in its early form.
Joseph AIcFadgen, great-grandfather of Wil
mer L. AIcFadgen, was born in 1761 ; his wife
was Rachel Alercer, born in 1774. Eight chil
dren were born of this marriage, as follows : 1.
Mercer, who after the age of nineteen, went into
the then comparatively unknown west ; 2. Jesse ;
3. James, who married Rebecca Brown, and had
two sons, Benjamin and J. Jones; 4. Thomas,
whose wife was Mary Rigdon, and whose chil
dren were: George, Rachel, and Sarah, all de
ceased, Martha and Elizabeth ; 5. Israel, who
married Esther Young, and was the father of
Rachel (deceased), Charles, Mercer, Jacob, Hen
ry, Joseph, and Annie (McFadden), George and
Davis; 6. John; 7. Abner; 8. Martha, who mar
ried Air. Nethery, and became the mother of two
children, Harriet and Lea.
James, third child and third son of Joseph and
Rachel (Mercer) McFadgen, married Rebecca
Brown, and was the father of two sons /Benja
min, the elder, married Mary Moore, and had one
son, Wilmer, who will be spoken of at more
length ; J. Jones, the second son, was married
twice, the first time to Rachel Whitson and the
second time to Sarah Moore. The second wife
had no children, but to Rachel (Whitson) were
born, Elizabeth, Sarah, Phcebe, and Cyrus.
Wilmer L., only child of Benjamin and Mary
(Aloore) McFadgen, was born in Upper Ox
ford township, June 11, 1863. He was reared in
Penn township, Chester county, and educated at
Westtown Friends' School. His father was en
gaged in farming and stock raising, and the son,
who had always shown an aptitude and a liking
for the farm, took up his work there on leav
ing school. Afterward he went to Atlantic City,
where he was in the milk busines for four years.
He now manages his father's farm of fifty acres
in Penn township, and is a partner in his father's
dealings in live stock. They are accounted among
the largest dealers and best judges of cattle in
the section. Mr. McFadgen is a member of the
Society of Friends, as have been most of his
ancestors. He is interested in all national poli
tical issues, as well as in matters of local concern,
but has never taken a personal part in politics.
He votes with the Republican party.
Wilmer L. McFadgen married Elizabeth M.
Pyle, daughter of John Y. and Mary E. (Ried)
Pyle. She was born 12 mo, 24, 1864, seven
miles northwest of Grove village, where she was
brought up and educated. She died 1 mo, 9,
1896. Pier children are : Lawrence B., born 5
mo, 2, 1886; H. Afarion, born 10 mo, 13, 1887;
Mary Durose, born 9 mo., 14, 1889 ; Norman W.,
born. 4 mo, 26, 1891 ; Elizabeth P., born 8 mo,

8, 1892; Harlan J., born 9 mo., 19, 1894; S. Har
old, born 8 mo., 24, 1895, and died 9 1110, 16,
1895. On Alarch 7, 1901, Air. McFadgen married
Sallie A., daughter of John E. and Elma H,
(James) Alarshall. She was born in Y\ esttown
township, at Pothouse farm, the old James home
stead, and was educated in the local public
schools and in the Friends School at West
Chester.

LEWIS P. AIILLER, of Penn township,
comes of a family known to Chester county,
Pennsylvania, for five generations. It is a large
family, and has been an important factor in the
local development and progress of agriculture,
though it has its representatives in every calling.
The authentic record begins with John Aliller,
born August 16, 1771, in New Garden township,
Chester county. His father was a farmer, but
how long he lived in the township before his son
was born is not known. The son received the
efficient, if restricted, instruction of the old dis
trict school, and turned to farming for a liveli
hood. He became a man of consideration in the
section where he lived. He was known as a zeal
ous member of the Society of Friends, and a
Whig of uncompromising principles. August 25,
1797, he married Mary Webster, and the follow
ing children, none of whom are now living, were
born: 1. Lewis, born June 11, 1798, died Sep
tember 5, 1885 ; 2. Joseph, born October 3, 1799,
died in 1880; 3. James, born May 31, 1801, died
August 8, 1824; 4. Alban, born October 3, 1802,
died October 8, 1867; 5. Samuel, born September
28, 1803; 6. Rebecca, born May 3, 1806, died
July 27, 1824; 7. John, Jr., born August 27,
1807, died December 3, 1895 ; 8. Mary, born No
vember 17, 1808; 9. Jane, born September, 1809,
died September 26, 1809; 10. William, born Au
gust 8, 1817, died May 10, 1818. John Aliller,
father of these children, died December 22, 1834,
and his wife died November 9, 1862.
Joseph, second child and second son of John
and Alary (Webster) Miller, was born October 3,
1799. He became a farmer, and married Eliza
beth Kerns. This couple had thirteen children,
six of whom died young. The names of the
others follow: Reuben, who married Sarah M.
Michener, and was the father of William, How
ard, Pusey, Elmer, and Etta, deceased ; Webster ;
James, who married Adeline Sentman, of Dela
ware, and to whom were born, Anna, Alargaret,
Lewis, Ella, Lily, Nelson, and another son that
died in infancy ; John, who married Belle Rus
sell, had three daughters, Anna, Elizabeth, and
Jane, the first-born, a son, dying in infancy ;
Pusey, who married Emma Cox, and was the
father of four children : Elizabeth ; William W.,
whose line is further traced.

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

535

William W., son of Joseph and Elizabeth
(Kerns) Miller, was born in 1830. He took up
the work of a farmer in the energetic fashion of
his forefathers, and like them he prospered. He
married Hannah Hall, and their children, the first
born of whom was a daughter, that died in infan
cy, were as follows : Isaac, born July 9, 1852,
married Mary Cheney, and has six children — -
Charles, Lewis, Webster, Elizabeth and Howard
(twins), and Norval; Sarah Emma, who died
young; M. Ida, and Lewis P., who was men
tioned at the beginning of this article.
Lewis P., youngest child and second son of
William W. and Hannah (Hall) Miller, was born
in Franklin township, December 6, 1856. His
early life was spent partly in Fawn township,
York county, and partly in Chester county. He
was educated in the local schools of Penn town
ship. He began his life work as a farmer, but
is now engaged in the stock business. He has
been active in public affairs of the township, and
an interested observer of the trend of national
events. He has served a term of seventeen years
as constable, and has also been assessor and
school director. He is a member of Skerrett
Lodge, No. 343, Free and Accepted Masons,
of Cochranville, being affiliated with the Oxford
chapter. Mr. Miller was married December 20, 1888,
to Ida E., daughter of Ralph J. and Sarah Eliza
beth Grier. She was born at Harford, Mary
land, but was brought up and educated in Ches
ter county. The children of this marriage are :
Ralph Grier, born July 13, 1890; Edward Del-
mar, born December 7, 1893 ; and Clarence Ort
lip, born March 24, 1898.

JOHN R. McFADIEN, a veteran of the
Civil war, and one of the representative business
men of Penn township, Chester county, Pennsyl
vania, was born in the state of Delaware, Sep
tember 25, 1843, and is a worthy descendant of
a family who probably originally spelled the name
McFadden. Joseph McFadien, grandfather of John R.
McFadien, was born in 1761, and his wife, Rachel
(Mercer) McFadien, was born in 1774. They
were the parents of eight children, namely : Amer
cer, who, at the age of nineteen years, located
in the western part of the United States and spent
his life there. Jesse, James, who married Rebecca
Brown, and the issue of this union was two boys,
Benjamin and J. Jones McFadien. Thomas, who
married Mary Rigdon, and their children were :
George, deceased ; Rachel, deceased ; Sarah, de
ceased ; Martha, and Elizabeth McFadien. Israel,
who married Esther Young, and they were the
parents of the following named children : Rachel,
deceased ; Charles ; Mercer ; Jacob ; Henry ; Jos

eph; Annie (McFadien) Davis; George and
John. Abner, father of John R. McFadien.
Martha, wife of Lee Nethery, and mother of five
children, Alice, Harriet I., William H., David,
and Susan Nethery.
Abner McFadien, father of John R. McFad
ien, was born June 12, 1802. For many years
he was an active and useful citizen of the state
of Delaware, from whence he removed to Ches
ter county, Pennsylvania, where he resided up
to the time of his demise, which occurred in
the year 1890. On February 13, 1834, oc
curred the marriage of Abner McFadien and
Ann Rigdon, and the children born of this union
are as follows : 1. Mary Jane, became the wife
of Andrew W. Ried, November 18, 1858. 2.
Hannah Mercer, born Alarch 24, 1837. 3. Will
iam Catrell, born Alay 2, 1839, died June 15,
1894, married Mary Slack, and one son was born
to them, Ramsay Hayes McFadien. 4. Joseph
Boyd, born October 31, 1840, died June 14, 1896.
5. Milton Stamp, born March 21, 1842, married
Mary Wood, and died November 23, 1894. 6.
John R., born September 25, 1843. 7. Dorathea
Urella, born August 5, 1846, became the wife of
Thomas B. Hoskins, September 27, 1865.
John R. McFadien, fourth son of Abner and
Ann McFadien, was reared in Chester county,
Pennsylvania, whither his father removed from
the state of Delaware when he was three years
of age. His early education was acquired at the
local schools, and subsequently he became a stu
dent at the Oxford School with the express pur
pose of learning a profession. Shortly after his
entrance to this institution, in 1861, the Civil war
broke out and he enlisted in the One Hundred
and Twenty-fourth Pennsylvania Volunteers, and
during his nine months service with that regi
ment, he participated in the battles of Antietam
and Chancellorsville. After the term of his en
listment had expired, he re-enlisted on April 12,
1864, for three years, and during that period he
served his country, displaying great courage and
heroism in the discharge of his duties. After the
close of the war, Mr. McFadien returned to his
father's farm, upon which he conducted opera
tions until 1869, in which year he located in Ox
ford borough and engaged in the milk business
in addition to agricultural pursuits. In the spring
of 1888, he settled in Penn township and since
that date has taken an active interest in all that
pertains to the welfare and advancement of the
vicinity. He is a Republican in politics and holds
the office of auditor, performing the duties of the
same in a faithful and conscientious manner. Mr.
McFadien holds membership in the Methodist
Episcopal church.
Mr. McFadien married Mary Helen Smith,
a daughter of James and Sarah Smith, whose
birth occurred in Chester county, Pennsylvania,

534

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

February 21, 1844, where she was reared and
educated. Their children are : 1. Agnes Leona,
born April 11, 1871 ; became the wife of Girvin
Paxton Massey, and their children are : Emma,
born March 29, 1894; Samuel W., born Novem
ber 23, 1895 ; Mary, born January 23, 1898; Gir
vin, born September 17, 1899, and John Massey,
born June 3, 1902. 2. William Andrew, born
July 24, 1873. 3- Sarah May, born May 8, 1876.
4. Elwood Lafayette, born November 9, 1878.

THOMAS H. RICHEY, Jr., serving in the
capacity of postmaster at Jennersville, Penn town
ship, and one of the substantial business men of
Chester county, was born in Cecil county, Mary
land, September 17, 1872, the son of Thomas H.
and Sarah E. Richey, and grandson of Andrew
and Mary (Beoin) Richey, the latter named be
ing the parents of the following children: 1.
Elizabeth. 2. Thomas H., father of Thomas H.
Richey, Jr. 3. George, who married Martha
Guthrie, and they are the parents of the fol
lowing named children: James, who married
Jennie Cunningham, and the issue of this union
was three children, namely: May, George, and
Martha Richey ; Elizabeth, wife of Edward Arm
strong ; Martha, wife of Albert Goodwin, and
their children are : Mahlon, Elizabeth, Warren,
Courtlandt, William, Georgiana, unmarried,
Sarah, unmarried, and William Goodwin, who
was united in marriage to Irene Manning. 4.
Dr. Andrew, who served all through the Civil
war in the capacity of army surgeon.
Thomas H. Richey (father) was born May
.31, 1826, in Chester county, Pennsylvania, ac
quired a practical education in the . common
schools of that section of the state, and after at
taining young manhood located in Cecil county,
Maryland, where he engaged in business pursuits.
He was united in marriage to Sarah E. Irwin,
and they reared a family of five children, namely :
1. George, who married Eva Smith, and their
children are: Clyde, born in August, 1894;
George, born in October, 1895, and Helen Richey,
born in 1897. 2. Alary J. 3. Sarah, deceased.
4. Thomas PL, Jr. 5. Samuel J. Richey.
Thomas H. Richey, Jr., second son of Thomas
H. and Sarah E. Richey, was reared in Cecil
county, Alaryland, and in Chester county, Penn
sylvania, and his educational advantages were
obtained in the schools of the latter named county.
He began his busines career in the capacity of
clerk for Samuel Rhodes, at Cochranville, who
was engaged in an extensive general merchandise
trade there. Later he removed to Russellville and
clerked for H. P. Penny, and after dissolving his
connection there he took up his residence in
West Chester, where he engaged in the grocery
and meat business for a number of years. He

finally settled in Penn township, established a
general store at Jennersville, and this enterprise
proved very successful from the beginning, owing
to the fact that Air. Richey is a man of broad busi
ness ability, untiring energy, and sound judg
ment. Ever since attaining his majority, Mr.
Richey has adhered to the principles of the Dem
ocratic party, and was elected to the office of
postmaster at Jennersville, April 14, 1903. His
religious tenets are those of the Presbyterian
church. On December 20, 1894, Mr. Richey was united
in marriage by Rev. Dr. Polk, rector of
Faggs Manor Presbyterian church, to M. Effie
Dale, who was born in West Fallowfield, near
Cochranville, June 9, 1870, and one child was
the issue of this union, J. Dale Richey, born
in 1895, died October 3, 1895. Airs. Richey is
the daughter of Jacob and Elizabeth (Chamber-
lin) Dale, the former named having been born
April 22, 1846, the son of George and Margaret
(Fox) Dale. Mrs. Richey was reared in West
Fallowfield and Upper Oxford townships, ac
quired her early education in the local schools
of the latter named township, and completed her
education at Fernwood Academy.

AUGUSTUS M. THORNBURY, a highly
regarded citizen of Penn township, Chester coun
ty, Pennsylvania, is a capable and independent
farmer, who has contributed to the high stand
ard agriculture has attained in his county.
His father was Pascal Thornbury, a life-long
resident of Chester county. He was a farmer
during a part of his active life, and he also at one
time conducted a hotel at Marshallton, known
as the Stone Tavern. His wife was Sarah Ann
Davis, and he had a family of eight children, as
follows: 1. Augustus, whose name appears at
the beginning of this article ; 2. Ralph ; 3. Annie
R., who married Jordan Taylor, and became the
mother of four children: Mabel, James, Mar
garet, and Ralph; 4. Clementine, who married
Butler Robinson; 5. Emma; 6. Frank; 7. Eva;
8. Margaretta, who married William Hughes,
and is the mother of four children : Hubert,
Frank, Oscar, and an infant daughter.
Ausgustus M., oldest child and first-born son
of Pascal and Sarah Ann (Davis) Thornbury,
was born in the neighborhood of Romanville,
Chester county, Pennsylvania, November 23,
1847. He was reared near West Chester, and
educated in Newlin and Bradford townships. He
was brought up on a farm, and on leaving school
he adopted farming as a vocation. He spent some
years as a farmer in Highland township, where
he was recognized as a man open to new ideas,
and skillful in applying them. His industry and
integrity won for him general respect, as well as

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

535

substantial financial return. In 1894 he removed
to Penn township, where he conducts a large
farm along the lines of general produce. He be
longs to the Methodist church, and is a liberal
supporter of his denominational interests, as well
as a friend of every" worthy cause. In politics
he is a Democrat.
In 1871, Mr. Thornbury married Sarah R.
Massey, born in Highland township, Chester
county, December 14, 1845, where she was reared
and educated. She was a daughter of Isaac and
Hannah (Mulhouse) Massey, her father, who
was born about 1794, being of Welsh descent and
himself the son of Isaac Massey. He became a
miller by trade, though he bought a farm in High
land township, and spent most of his life there
as a farmer. He was reared in the doctrine of
the Society of Friends. The children of Augus
tus M. and Sarah R. (Massey) Thornbury, are
as follows : Sidney Gertrude, born May 20, 1871,
who married Eugene Emerson, and they are the
parents of one child, Delia A., born July 9, 1899 ;
and Norris Franklin, born November 5, 1881.

GEORGE W. SPENCER. During a resi
dence of ten years in Penn township, Chester
county, Pennsylvania, George W. Spencer has
gained distinctive recognition as one of the lead
ing men of that section of the state, owing to his
possession of those sterling qualities which every
where command respect — honesty in business,
justice in public life, and an unfailing courtesy
in social circles. He was born in Elk township,
Chester county, Pennsylvania, February 22, 1867,
a son of Aaron and Leah L. Spencer.
Asa Spencer, grandfather of George W. Spen
cer, accompanied by Jonathan and another
brother, came from Bucks county, Pennsylvania,
and settled in Kimblesville, Chester county. Sub-
suquently Asa Spencer purchased property in the
vicinity of Hicory Hill, Elk township, which he
cultivated and improved, and at the time of his
decease he bequeathed it to his son, Aaron Spen
cer. Asa Spencer was united in marriage to
Ann Mercer, and the following named children
were born to them, all of whom attained years
of maturity : Elizabeth, wife of Linton Stevens ;
Hannah, wife of Richard White ; Mary, wife of
Jesse Stevens ; Miranda, wife of James Hatton ;
Aaron, who married Leah L. Crowl ; David, who
married Miranda Chalfant, and Susan, wife of
James Taylor.
Aaron Spencer, father of George W. Spencer,
was born in Chester county, Pennsylvania, in
1840, and his boyhood and young manhood were
spent in the neighborhood of Chesterville. He
is a progressive and practical business man, true
to life's duties, meeting fully its responsibilities
and thus winning the esteem of all with whom

he comes in contact. He married Leah L. Crowl,
who was born in 1841, a daughter of James and
Jane (Whitcroft) Crowl, and they are the par
ents of the following named children: 1. Har
vey, who married Louisa Scott, a daughter of
Amos and Amanda Scott, and their children are :
Alary, born June 25, 1889; Helen born July 22,
1892 ; Norman, born April 7, 1895, and Alma,
born March 6, 1897. 2. C. Baker, who married
Lena Shakespeare, and they have one child, Har
lan Spencer. 3. William. 4. George W., men
tioned at length hereinafter. 5. J. Marshall, who
married Ruth Gallagher. 6. Amos C. Spencer.
George W. Spencer, fourth son of Aaron and
Leah Spencer, was reared in Elk township, Ches
ter county, and acquired a practical education
in the public schools of that vicinity. His entire
business career has been devoted to the cultiva
tion of the soil, first pursuing his operations in his
native township, and later in Penn township,
where he has continued to reside since his removal
there in 1893. His political support has ever
been given to the Republican partv. and he has
served his township in the capacity of school di
rector for six years, during which period he dis-
sharged his duties with promptness and fidelity.
Mr. Spencer holds membership in the Society of
Friends. On December 31, 1889, Mr. Spencer was
united in marriage to Eliza Jennie Robinson, who
was born in East Nottingham township, Chester
county, Pennsylvania, August 24, 1867, reared
and educated there, a daughter of Robert J. and
Ellen Robinson. Their children are : Earl, born
December 4, 1891, and Marion R., born August
15, 1896.

SAMUEL B. SHOCH, an energetic and en
terprising citizen of Penn township, Chester
county, Pennsylvania, who for many years has
been serving in the capacity of agent for the Deer
ing Harvester Company of Chicago, Illinois, was
born in Gloucester county, Virginia, November
14, i860, the son of John and Catherine Shoch,
and grandson of Sebastian and' Mary Shoch.
Sebastian Shoch, grandfather of Samuel B.
Shoch, was a native of Germany, and after his
marriage removed to the United States, taking
up his residence at Paradise, Lancaster county,
Pennsylvania. He was the father of a family of
four children, all of whom lived to years of ma
turity, namely: 1. Rosanna, who became the
wife of Robert Walkenshaw, and their children
were: .Alary Elizabeth, Margaret, and Fanny
Walkenshaw. 2. John, father of Samuel B.
Shoch. 3. Johanna, who became the wife of
John Burns, and among the children born of this
union were the following named : Mary, Jos
eph, Martha, Emma, Alice, David, Minnie,

536

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

and Mabel Burns. 4. Alary, who became the
wife of John Walkenshaw, and four children were
born to them, one daughter and three sons.
John Shoch, father of Samuel B. Shoch, was
born in Germany in September, 1830, but when
he attained the age of two years, he was brought
to the United States by his parents, who located
in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania. He acquired
a good English education in the common schools
of that county and after completing his studies
he turned his attention to agricultural pursuits.
During the Civil war he was a resident of the
state of Virginia, was impressed into the Con
federate service, but his sympathies being in favor
with the Union army, he escaped to the north
as soon as possible and by this move lost all his
property and personal effects. He located in Lan
caster county and secured employment on a farm,
later being engaged in a sawmill, and after the
close of the war he settled in Chester county.
In 1882, he purchased a farm in the vicinity of
Elkview, which he cultivated and improved and
on which he resided up to the time of his de
cease, which occurred July 11, 1902. He was
united in marriage to Catherine Buffenmyer, and
they became the perents of the following named
children: 1. Mary, born July 10, 1858, became
the wife of Thos. McKenna, and they are the
parents of six children, and now reside in the
state of Wisconsin. 2. Samuel B., mentioned at
length hereinafter. 3. John, born August 9,
1865, was killed, in 1870, in a runaway. 4. Frank,
born March 14, 1867, was united in marriage to
Sarah Armstrong. 5. Catherine, born October 4,
1873, became the wife of Harry McClemmens,
and their children are : John and Pusey McClem
mens. 6. Clara, born November 10, 1876, became
the wife of James PI. Reynolds, and they are the
parents of one child, Frank Reynolds, born June
24, 1 901.
Samuel B. Shoch, . eldest son of John and
Catherine Shoch, was reared in Lancaster and
Chester counties, and the educational advantages
he enjoyed were obtained in the, schools of the
latter named county. He began his active career in
the haypacking business, which proved so re
munerative that he continued his operations in
the same line of trade for twenty years. After
the expiration of this period of time he entered the
machine business of the Deering Harvester Com
pany, of Chicago, Illinois, and for many years he
has' been employed as their agent. In 1887 he
purchased a farm in Penn township, Chester
county, adding additional land to his estate in
I 901, and his property now consists of one hun
dred acres of rich and arable land. In politics he
is a Republican, and in religion an active and in
fluential member of the Episcopal church.
Mr. Shoch was united in marriage to Mary
Nelson, who was reared in Penn township and

educated at West Chester, graduating from the
State Normal School ; she is a daughter of John
and Mary (Charlton) Nelson. One child is the
issue of this marriage, William Shoch, born July
6, 1893. Throughout his entire business career
Mr. Shoch has conducted his affairs honorably
and honestly, and upon correct business principles.

CHANDLER PENNINGTON. The found
ers of the Pennington family, of which
Chandler Pennington, a retired agricultur
ist of Penn township, Chester county, Pennsyl
vania, is a representative, were three brothers who
came to this country from England, one settled in
New Jersey, one in Alaryland, and the other,
from which this branch of the family is descended,
in Bucks county, Pennsylvania.
Thomas Pennington, great-grandfather of
Chandler Pennington, in 1793, settled near Chat
ham, Chester county, Pennsylvania, and after
being a resident of that section for two years, he
removed to West Grove and purchased .a tract of
land consisting of one hundred acres, erecting
thereon a homestead, in 1798, which is still stand
ing at the present time (1903), but passed out of
the. possession of the family about the year 1836.
Thomas Pennington was married three times, his
first wife, Elizabeth Heaton Pennington, was the
mother of a number of children, among whom
were the following named : Daniel and Ann,
twins ; John, and Robert Pennington. His second
wife, Mary (Jones) Pennington, bore him no
children; his third wife, Lydia (Jackson)
Pennington, bore him several children.
John Pennington, grandfather of Chandler
Pennington, was born in Bucks county, Pennsyl
vania, but after attaining man's estate he located
near Parkesburg, Chester county, was actively
identified with its various interests, and taught
school for a number of years. He was united in
marriage to Lydia Taggert, and they were the
parents of the following named children: 1.
William, who married Eliza Van Zandt, and
seven children were the issue of this union. 2.
Daniel, who married Letitia Townsend, and they
were the parents of ten sons. 3. John, father of
Chandler Pennington. 4. Thomas, who was mar
ried twice, . his first wife having been Mary
Cowen, and his second wife, Susanna Ken-
zie. 5. Mary, wife of John Way, of Chatham,
Chester county, and their children are : Ellie,
Orphia, Mary, Phebe, Sarah, Mary, Howard, and
Pennington Way. 6. Elma, became the wife of
Edward Good, and they were the parents of one
child, Heaton Good, now deceased. 7. Alarga-
retta, wife of Parkson Phillips, and their children
are : Henry and Ella Phillips. 8. Sophia. 9.
Susanna, wife of Joseph Kenzie, and their chll-

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

537

dren are: Theodore, Howard, and Lydia Ann
Kenzie.
John Pennington, father of Chandler Penning
ton, was born near Parkesburg, Chester county,
Pennsylvania, in 1812. He acquired a practical
education in the common schools of the neighbor
hood, and later became a useful and active citi
zen of London Grove township, where his death
occurred in- the year 1886. The issue of his mar
riage to Alargaret Chandler is as follows : Enoch,
born February 25, 1837, died in early life ; Chan
dler, born April 21, 1838; Thomas, born Alarch
27, 1840, and Alargaret J. Pennington, born
September 14, 1843.
Chandler Pennington, second son of John and
Margaret Pennington, was born in West Grove,
London Grove township, Chester county, Penn
sylvania, April 21, 1838. He was reared in New
London and Penn townships, obtaining a good
English education in the public schools of the
latter named vicinity. The larger part of his busi
ness career has been devoted to agricultural pur
suits, which he conducted on a ninety-acre farm
in Penn township, on which he now resides in the
enjoyment of ease and comfort, having practically
retired from the active duties of business life.
He has always been a public-spirited and loyal
citizen, and during the Civil war contributed
financially to the northern cause. He has been
honored several times by election to fill responsi
ble local offices, such as school director for six
years, supervisor for a number of years, and tax
collector for eight years, being the incumbent of
the latter named position at the present time
(1903). He is a prominent member of the So
ciety of Friends, serving in the capacity of over
seer at their meetings.
On January .17, 1867, at Kennett Square,
Chester county, Pennsylvania, occurred the mar
riage of Chandler Pennington and Matilda W.
Eachus, daughter of Minshall and Hannah D.
(Haycock) Eachus. Mrs. Pennington was born
at Springfield, Delaware county, Pennsylvania,
July 20, 1843, and her early life was spent in that
vicinity and in London Grove township. She was
a student at a school in the latter named township,
which was under the personal instruction of Ben
jamin Swayne.  * . » 
FRANKLIN G. EVANS. The progenitor
of the American branch of the Evans family,
of which Franklin. G. Evans is a represent
ative, was Evan Evans, a native of the par
ish of Treeglws, in Montgomeryshire, Wales,
who came to this country in 1722,. and on
November 17 of that year purchased two hundred
and fifty acres of land adjoining Uwchlan Friends
meetinsr-house. Evan Evans and his wife, Alar
garet Evans, were the parents of the following

named children : Alartha, Alary, Alargaret,
Evan, Susanna, Thomas, Ann, Edward, and
Richard Evans.
Thomas Evans, second son of Evan and Mar
garet Evans, was reared and remained up to the
time of his death, which occurred about the year
1807, on the old homestead in Uwchlan. He mar
ried Eleanor Reese, a daughter of James Reese,
of Uwchlan, and their children were: Evan,
Ezekiel, Jesse, Isaac, Thomas, and Eleanor
Evans. Evan Evans, eldest son of Thomas and Elea
nor Evans, was born in September, 1749, became
one of the prominent men of the community and
was twice elected a member of the Assembly. He
married, February .16, 1780, Jane Owen, born
Alarch 19, 1762, a daughter of William and Re
becca Owen, of Uwchlan. Their children were :
Rebecca, Owen, Elinor, Thomas, Sarah, Ezekial,
Margaret, William, Richard, Hannah, and Jane
Evans. The death of Evan Evans occurred July
16, 1823, and his wife, Jane (Owen) Evans,
passed away August 5, 1841.
Ezekiel Evans, third son of Evan and Jane
Evans, was born 6 mo, 24, 1791, was an esteemed
and respected citizen of Upper Uwchlan, and
served in the capacity of justice of the peace for
several years. About the year 1818, Mr. Evans
was united in marriage to Eleanor Beitler, and
the. following named children were born to them :
Thomas B., who married Martha J. Chaney;
Hannah, who married Air. Rife ; John B. ; Jane
E., who married Charles Frick ; Alary Ann, who
married James Phipps ; Evan B. ; Lewis H., an
officer in the Civil war, who married Phebe Pen
nypacker; Rebecca; J. Anna; and D. Webster,
who married Elizabeth Wills. Ezekiel Evans,
father of these children, died at his home in
Upper Uwchlan, 5 mo., 29, 1870.
Evan Beitler Evans, third son of Ezekiel and
Eleanor Evans, was born December 26,
1830, in Upper Uwchlan township, Chester coun
ty, Pennsylvania, and during all the time that
he retained his home there was recognized as
one of the representative citizens of the com
munity. He married Anna R. Garrett and they
are the parents of two children, namely : Frank
lin G., and Walter B. Evans, who married, De
cember 18, 1902, Clara E. Nelson, who was born
October 4, 1870.
Franklin G. Evans, eldest son of Evan B.
and Anna R. Evans, was born in Upper Uwch
lan township, Chester county, Pennsylvania,
December 17, 1868. ihe early years of his life
were spent in Uwchlan and Penn townships, and
his educational advantages were acquired in the
local schools and at the Friends' School, Wilming
ton, Delaware. Air. Evans is the owner of a farm
consisting of ninety-nine acres of rich and arable
land in Penn township, Chester county, where he

530

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

conducts general farming and dairying, making a
specialty of the latter named industry. He is also
interested in the fertilizing business, and being a
man of business ability, untiring energy and sound
judgment, has made a success in both enter
prises. In politics he staunchly adheres to the
principles of the Republican party, and for six
years has held the office of scnool director.
On December 7, 1893, occurred the marriage
of Franklin G. Evans and Annie C. Nelson, who
was born July 9, 1868, in Penn township, Ches
ter county, Pennsylvania, where she was reared
and received her education in the local schools.
Mrs. Evans is a daughter of John D. and Mary
A. (Charlton) Nelson, the former named having
been born April 18, 1822, son of William and
Alary (Booth) Nelson. William Nelson came to
this country early in the nineteenth century from
county Down, Ireland, married Mary Booth, and
settled in Penn township, Chester county, where
he followed the occupation of farming.

JOHN C. YEATMAN. Thomas Yeatman
is said to have come from London, England,
about 1706-8, and after some years settled upon
a tract of land lying partly in Delaware and partly
in Pennsylvania, which he purchased from the
attorneys of Letitia Aubrey, the daughter
of William Penn. A portion of this land was
in possession of John M. Yeatman, a great-grand
son, in 1893, lying south of Norway Post Office,
in Kennett Township. Thomas Yeatman was
married March 6, 1722, to Sarah Bennett, born
April 1, 1701 ; died January 15, 1778;' daughter
of Edward and Sarah (Stanfield) Bennett, of
Thornbury. Her father was the son of John and
Margery Bennett, of Overly, in the county of
Worcester, England, and was baptized October
14, 1659. Francis Stanfield and Grace his wife,
late of Garton in Cheshire, came as passengers on
the Endeavour, of London, George Thorp, mas
ter, arriving in the Delaware 7 mo. 29, 1683, with
their children, James, Mary, Sarah, Elizabeth,
Grace, and Hannah, and eight servants. The
daughter Sarah married William Clues, of Bucks
county, and after his death became the wife of
Edward Bennett.
Thomas Yeatman died August 28, 1754, aged
61 years, and his will was proved October 10,
1754. His children were seven in number:
1. William, b. 4 mo. (June), 5, 1724; d. Jan
uary 15, 1747.
2. Mary, b. 7 mo. (September), 19, 1726;
d. October 18, 1767; m. Richard Woodward,
1746. 3. Sarah, b. 9 mo. (November) 28, 1728; d.
6 mo, 21, 1817; m. about 175 1 as his second
wife, John Painter, son of Samuel and Elizabeth
Painter, of Birmingham. She was admitted into

membership with Friends in 1771, and m. Rich
ard Parks, 12 mo, 16, 1772.
4. Thomas, b. 3 mo. (Alay), 27, 1731; d.
January 21, 1748.
5. Andrew, b. 7 mo., 14, 1733 ; d. 9 mo, 17,
1809. See forward.
6. Edith, b. 1 mo. (March), 24, 1734-5; d.
4 mo., 14, 1818; m. John Eves, from Ireland, a
member of the Society of Friends. They settled
in what is now Millville, Columbia county, Penn
sylvania, and after having their home destroyed
during the French and Indian war they succeeded
in founding a settlement since known as Mill
ville. They had seventeen children, and many
families in and about Millville and Williamsport
are descended from John and Edith Eves.
7. Elizabeth, b. 6 mo. (August), 3, 1738;
d. 4 mo, 2, 1823 ; m. John Garrett. Their chil
dren were Horatio Gates, a Revolutionary sol
dier ; Levi, whose sons, Walter and George, were
proprietors of the famous snuff mills ; Joseph,
and William, who died of yellow fever in 1798.
Andrew Yeatman (5) married first Sarah
Painter, about 1764, who died August 23, 1777,
aged thirty-one years; after which he married
Deborah Bennett, who died in 1801. When about
twenty years of age, at the breaking out of the
French and Indian war, Andrew went to sea in
the privateer service as second officer of a ves
sel, of which it is understood that he subsequent
ly became the commander, when he was captured
by the French and confined for some time as a
prisoner in the Bastile. The date of his capture
cannot be accurately fixed. Upon his release or
escape, he returned home after an absence of
seven years and inherited his father's estate. His
first wife was the daughter of John Painter, al
ready mentioned, by his first wife, Agnes Coburn,
daughter of Joseph and Sarah Coburn, of Aston.
By her he had six children :
8. Thomas, b. April 9, 1765; d. about 1824;
m. Sarah Beeson, 17 years of age, and had chil
dren, Andrew, John, William, Thomas, Samuel,
Milton, Eli, Sarah, Mary, Beeson, Levi, Hiram,
Elizabeth, Painter and Lydia Ann.
9. Lydia, b. September 4, 1767; d. August
30, 1777-
10. John, b. May 13, 1769; d. 3 mo., 6, 1842.
See forward.
11. Elizabeth, b. July 9, 1771 ; d. August
20, 1797; m. George Brinton, and had Caleb, Le
titia, Andrew, John, Thomas, and Sarah.
12. Samuel, b. May 15, 1774; d. August,
1774- 13. Andrew, b. August 21, 1776; d. August
25. V77-
John Yeatman (10) was admitted into
membership with Friends of Hockessin Meeting,
4 mo, 11, 1799, and married Hannah Marshall,
born 1 1110, 7, 1775 ; died 1 mo., 21, 1859; daugh-

^lC^uXs£?-rz.a^4-/

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

539

ter of John Marshall and his second wife, Su
sanna Lamborn, of Kennett township, where they
settled. They had ten children :
14. Marshall, b. 6 mo., 2, 1800; d. 8 mo.,
20, 1879. See forward.
15. Lydia, b. 2 mo., 6, 1802; d. 12 mo., 19,
1846, unmarried.
16. Susanna, b. 1 mo., 27, 1804; d. 6 mo.,
25, 1893 ; m. Job Taylor, son of William and Ann
(Mercer) Taylor. Their only child, John Yeat
man Taylor, m. 2 mo., 6, 1878, Sabella B. Bry
son, and has children, Charlotte B. and Andrew
B. Residence, Washington, D. C.
17. Sarah, b. 12 mo., 3, 1805 ; d. 4 mo., 14,
185 1 ; m. William Mendenhall.
18. Elizabeth, b. 9 mo., 7, 1807; m. William
M. Cloud. 19. Painter, b. 2 mo, 10, 1809; d. 9 mo.,
21, 1817.
20. Martha, b. 8 mo, 5, 1812; d. 10 mo, 25,
1878 ; m. Levis Walter.
21. John Marshall, b. 9 mo, 6, 1814; m. 1
mo, 29, 1846, Lavinia Passmore, daughter of
Carleton and Mary (Mather) Passmore, and
had Florence, Susanna, Sarah Eloise and John
M., who all died in infancy; Gheretein, m. Dr.
Joseph P. Pyle ; Mary, Florence and Susanna.
22. Hannah, b. 1 mo, 13, 1816; d. 6 mo,
12, 1872 ; m. Jesse Pennock.
23. William P., b. 1 mo., 29, 1819; d. 7 mo.,
28, 1820.
Marshall Yeatman (14) was married 11 mo,
20, 1828, at Hockessin Meeting, to Mary Dixon,
daughter of Jehu and Mary (Taylor) Dixon.
No issue. He married again, 11 mo, 5, 1832,
Mary D. Chandler, b. 2 mo, 20, 1814; d. 1 mo.,
20, 1 90 1 ; daughter of Philip and Hannah (Dix
on) Chandler, of Hockessin. He was a miller
in London Britain township from 1833 to i860,
when he moved to Wilmington and died there.
His widow died at her son Alarshall's, at Kennett
Square. They had four children :
24. John C, b., 8 mo., 30, 1833. See for
ward. 25. Hannah D., b. 8 mo, 10, 1835 ; m. Jesse
D. Pusey. 26. Lydia, b. 7 mo., 13, 1837; d. 8 mo., 20,
1873 ; m. Joel Walton.
27. Marshall P., b. 9 mo, 18, 1844; m. 2
mo, 15, 1866, S. Emma Pennock, b. 11 mo, 4,
1846; d. 1 mo., 4, 1884, leaving children, Arthur
P., Laura R., Walter M., Pennock J. and Emma
P. For second wife he m. 2 mo, 6, 1890, Abby
Q. Pennock, sister of his first wife. They now
reside at Kennett Square.
John C. Yeatman (24) was born in London
Britain township, educated in the public schools,
and engaged in the milling business with his
father, whom he succeeded. In 1882 he retired
from active business and has resided since then

in Kennett Square. In politics he is a Republi
can ; has held the office of councilman and school
director for some time, and is a Friend ; was mar
ried 4 mo., 16., 1863, to Margaret L. Roberts,
born 10 mo., 16, 1836; daughter of Joseph W.
and Sarah (Garrett) Roberts, of East Alarlbor
ough. They have had three children :
28. Joseph R., b. 4 mo, 17, 1864; d. 2 mo.,
7, 1885, unmarried.
29. Mary S., b. 12 mo., 8, 1868; m. William
J. Sharpless and has two children, Harold C. and
Margaret L.
30. Lydia J., b. 12 mo, 27, 1873; d. 11 mo.,
15, 1878.

ARTHUR P. YEATMAN, whose life has
been one of honorable and prominent identifica
tion with the agricultural interests of Chester
county, Pennsylvania, is an example of what de
termination and force, combined with strict in
tegrity and honorable business methods, can ac
complish for a man. His birth occurred on the
old homestead in London Grove township, Ches
ter county, Pennsylvania, September 24, 1867.
Marshall Yeatman, grandfather of Arthur P.
Yeatman, was born in Kennett township, Ches
ter county, Pennsylvania, educated in the dis
trict schools, and his entire business career was
devoted to that quiet but important calling, agri
culture. He was also active in the performance
of those duties that bring about the best develop
ment and the most substantial progress of the
community. He was united in marriage to Mary
Dixon Chandler, a native of Wilmington, Dela
ware, and four children were born to them, among
whom was a son named Marshall P. Yeatman.
Marshall P. Yeatman, father of Arthur P.
Yeatman, was born at what is known as Yeat-
man's Mill, London Britain township, Chester
county, Pennsylvania, September 18, 1844. He
acquired his preliminary education in the public
schools of the neighborhood, and this was supple
mented by attendance at a private school in
Wilmington, Delaware. He then learned the trade
of butcher, which occupation he continued to fol
low up to the year 1865, when he purchased the
farm in London Grove township, on which his
son, Arthur P., now resides. He continued his
farming operations until 1893, when he took up
his residence in Kennett Square, Chester county,
where he has since lived a retired life, having
accumulated a sufficient competence during his
many years of activity and toil. In his political
affiliations he is an adherent of the principles of
the Republican party, having held the office of
school director for many years, and having just
completed his tenure of the office of burgess of
Kennett Square. In 1866 Mr. Yeatman married
Sarah Emma Pennock, who was born November

540

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

4, 1846, a daughter of Alarshall L. and Rachel
Lamborn (Humes) Pennock. Alarshall L. Pen
nock was born in West Alarlborough, March 30,
1800, was a prosperous farmer of London Grove
township, and his death occurred there October
22, 1882; his wife, Rachel L. (Humes) Pennock,
was born June .6, 1818, a daughter of John, a
native of Ireland, and Hannah (Moore) Humes,
a native of London Grove township ; her death
occurred October 10, 1872. The children born to
Mr. and Mrs. Yeatman are: Arthur P., born
September 24, 1867 ; Laura R., born January 29,
1870, the wife of William P. Sharpless ; three
children have been born to them; Walter M.,
born September 8, 1874, unmarried ; Pennock J.,
born August 3, 1876, unmarried, and Emma P.,
born December 29, 1883, unmarried. After the
death of the mother of these children, Mr. Yeat
man married, in 1890, Abbey Pennock, a sister
of his first wife, who was born October 10, 1854.
Arthur P. Yeatman acquired his education in
the public schools of London Grove township and
the West Chester State Normal School, and upon
the completion of his studies returned to the old
homestead, where he has since been extensively
engaged in general farming. He is a man of
clear perception, solid judgment and unswerving
integrity, and has been prominent and useful in
the community, where he has resided for so
many years. In his political sentiments he is a
Republican, and in his religious views, a member
of the Society of Friends.
In 1893 Mr. Yeatman married Jane T. Pen
nock, a daughter of Levis and Annie W. Pen
nock, the former named being engaged in farm
ing interests in West Marlborough township,
Chester county, Pennsylvania. Their children
are: Raymond N., born March 3, 1895, and
Clarence P., born August 19, 1897.

JOHN A. WALLACE, whose connection
with the agricultural interests of Jennersville,
Penn township, Chester county, Pennsylvania,
during a period of fifty years has been both pro
fitable and honorable, was born in Upper Oxford
township, Chester county, October 7, 1822.
Charles Wallace, father of John A. Wallace,
came to this country from Ireland where he re
sided for a short time only, having removed there
from Scotland, his birthplace, where he had re
ceived liberal and excellent educational advant
ages. He took up his residence in Cecil county,
Maryland, where he engaged in the manufacture
of nails, but subsequently, upon the solicitation of
his neighbors wlio had discovered his scholarly
attainments, he abandoned this line of industry
and established a school which he conducted for
many years. Upon his retirement from' this posi
tion he located in Haysville, Chester county,

Pennsylvania, became the proprietor of a small
general store and as business increased from year
to year, he was enabled to accumulate sufficient
capital to purchase a farm. Being a man of sound
judgment, keen discretion and energy, he met
with success in this undertaking and later became
the owner of several tracts of land, which he cul
tivated and improved. He was united in mar
riage to Sarah Stinett and their children were:
I. Elizabeth, wife of Robert Pennock and mother
of one son, John, and two daughters. 2. Will
iam. 3. Sarah, wife of Dr. Worrall. 4. Mary
Ann, wife of William Rhoades. 5. John A. 6.
Margaret, wife of Albin Pennock and two chil
dren were born of this marriage, Emma Pennock
being the only one living at the present time. 7.
Susan, wife of Samuel Hottan. 8. Charles Wal
lace. John A. Wallace, second son of Charles and
Sarah Wallace, was reared in his parents' home
and his educational advantages were obtained at
the common schools of Upper Oxford township.
Subsequently he located in Jennersville, Penn
township, purchased two large farms consisting
of two hundred acres altogether, and the larger
part of this was devoted to the cultivation of hay.
His farm is equipped with all modern accessories
and conveniences, and his products being of ex
cellent quality find a ready sale on the market.
Mr. Wallace has been a life-long Republican, and
served his township in the capacity of supervisor
at various times. In everything that pertains to
the public welfare he is deeply interested, and is
a public-spirited and progressive citizen, an enter
prising and honorable business man and a faithful
friend in social life. He is also loyal to his coun
try, having contributed considerable money to
the Union cause during the Civil war. His
religious views are in sympathy with the Baptist
faith, as he was an attendant of that church dur
ing his early life.
Mr. Wallace married Eliza Ortlip, and the fol
lowing named children were born to them : Sarah
Anna, George Ortlip, Charles A., Anna Arabella,
and John Ormsbury, who married Letitia Patch-
ell, and one child was born to them, John Wallace,
now deceased.

HENRY BUSHONG. Jean Beauchamp, the
progenitor of the American branch of the
Bushong family, who changed the name from
Beauchamp to Bushong, which in pronunciation
has a somewhat similar sound to the original
French name, was a member of a Huguenot
family who probably fled from France to Hol
land to escape the religious persecution of that
country. In any event it was from Holland that
Jean Beauchamp sailed to. this .country, landing
in the year 1731. His marriage, which resulted

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

54i

in the birth of a son, Philip Beauchamp, prob
ably occurred in the United States.
Philip Beauchamp, son of Jean Beauchamp,
married Ann Eve, and their son, John Beau
champ, born 12 mo., 2, 1750, died 12 mo., 21,
183 1, married Eva Eckman Slaymaker, born
April 3, 1755, died August 19, 1819, and their
children were : Mary B., born October 13, 1778,
died July 10, i860; Elizabeth, born February
13, 1781, died November 9, 1866; Henry, born
March 5, 1783, died February 9, 1870; Barbara,
born November 12, 1785, died September 12,
1787; John, born April 10, 1788, died April 26,
1788; Jacob, born June 7, 1789, died November
25, 1871 ; John, born February 9, 1794, died June
12, 1869; Eve, born November 13, 1796. me
remains of all these children were interred at
Hellers churchyard in East Lampeter township,
Lancaster county, with the exception of Henry,
who was buried at Bart Meeting House, Lan
caster county, Pennsylvania.
Henry Bushong, eldest son of John and Eva
E. (Slaymaker) Bushong, was born March 5,
1783, married October 23, 1806, Sarah Gilbert
born November 21, 1787, and their children are:
1. Lydia, born September 4, 1807, became the wife
of ' Abraham Rakestraw. 2. John, born Febru
ary 9, 1809, married Elizabeth Walton, and their
children are: Sarah, wife of Benjamin Kirk;
Mary ; Anna ; and Elmira, wife of Walter Coates.
3. Jesse G, born October 22, 1810. 4. Jacob, born
July 9, 1813, father of Henry Bushong. 5.
Elizabeth, born June 25, 1817. 6. Caroline, born
November 30, 182 1, wife of Joseph Morrison,
and their children are Henry, and Emnor Morri
son, the latter named being married twice; his
first wife was Elizabeth Mercer, and their child,
Mary Alorrison, became the wife of Warren
Webster; Emnor Morrison's second wife was
Laura Alercer. After the death of his wife,
Sarah (Gilbert) Bushong, Henry Bushong mar
ried Esther Valentine Gilbert and they were the
parents of one child, Gilbert Bushong, born De
cember 2, 1836, married Edith K. Paxson, and
their . children were : Charles, married for his
first wife, Annie Keene, and for his second wife,
Nora Keene ; Franklin, died in early life ; Marion,
wife of Sartdefs Collins and mother of two chil
dren, Edith and Wallace Collins ; Marvin, mar
ried Lydia Rakestraw. Henry Bushong, father
of these children, died February 9, 1870. The
Gilbert family, of which Sarah (Gilbert)
Bushong, the first wife of Henry Bushong, was
a member, were taken prisoners during a raid
by the Indians, in 1780, and held in captivity for
several years before being finally rescued; they
are said to have suffered great hardships. The
story of their capture is the subject of a book,
entitled "Gilberts Narrative," a few copies of
which are still extant.

Jacob Bushong, third son of Henry and Sarah
(Gilbert) Bushong, was born July 9, 1813, mar
ried Alargaret Hobson, a daughter of Francis
and Ann (Johnson) Hobson, the former named
having been born February 14, 1768, and the
latter, December 15, 1775. Mr. and Mrs. Hob
son were the parents of the following named
children: Elizabeth, born March 17, 1799;
Martha, born November 20, 1800; Benjamin,
born April 17, 1803 ; Joseph, born December 22,
1805; Francis, born December 20, 1807, died
July 24, 1877; Jacob, born June 23, 1810;
Thomas, born January 8, 1814, died November
12, 1853, and Margaret, wife of Jacob Bushong,
born November 6, 1818. Two children were
born to Mr. and Mrs. Bushong: Henry, born
February 20, 1844, and Edwin, born March 27,
1848, married Emeline Valentine, and two sons
were born to them, Parke and George Bushong.
After the death of the mother of these children,
Edwin Bushong married Hannah Hoopergard-
ner, and one child has been born to them, Mar
garet Bushong.
Henry Bushong, eldest son of Jacob and Mar
garet (Hobson) Bushong, was born in Lancas
ter county, Pennsylvania, February 20, 1844.
He obtained his preliminary education in the
public schools of the neighborhood and later
he attended the schools of Chester county, pur
suing his studies under the supervision of Mil
ton Dumal and Henry Kent at Unionville, and
at the Millersville Normal School. After com
pleting his education he located in Penn town
ship, Chester county, purchased a farm of one
hundred and fourteen acres, eleven of which he
subsequently disposed of, and the remaining one
hundred and three acres he is now farming suc
cessfully. In politics Air. Bushong is a strong
advocate of Prohibition, and in religion is a birth
right member of the Society of Friends. He has
been the incumbent of the office of school director
of Penn township for nine years, and was re
elected to serve another term in 1902.
On November 15, 1866, Mr. Bushong mar
ried Irene Paxson, born April 22, 1845, daugh
ter of Elwood H. and Elizabeth M. (White)
Paxson, of Lancaster county, Pennsylvania. El
wood H. Paxson, father of Mrs. Bushong, was
born November 11, 181 1, a son of Joseph and
Sarah Paxson, married, July 25, 1833, Elizabeth
Al. White, born July 4, 1815, a daughter of Job
and Phebe H. White. Air. Paxson's death oc
curred February 2, 1858. Air. and Mrs. Bushong
were the parents of the following named chil
dren: Anna, born November 9, 1867, died Jan
uary 27, 1868; Caroline, born April 16, 1869,
died March 9, 1880; Elizabeth, born November
6, 1877; died April 2, 1890; Elwood H., born
October 9, 1873, died March 2, 1899 ; Jacob, born
November 8, 1876, married, and now resides in

542

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

Moline, Illinois; Jesse W., born November 19,
1878; and Morton, born September 10, 1881.
The mother of these children died December 10,
1890. On December 28, 1893, Mr. Bushong
chose for his second wife, Esther Gause Bach-
man, who was born in Bart township, Lancaster
county, Pennsylvania, January 5, 1849, a daugh
ter of Lee W. and Elizabeth (Whitson) Gause.
She was a graduate of the State Normal School
at Millersville, then taught school for a period
of almost eighteen years, after which she became
the wife of Jacob H. Bachman, now deceased, by
whom she had one son, Jacob H. Bachman, a
resident of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and em
ployed as a fireman on the Pennsylvania Rail
road. On the date above mentioned she became
the wife of Mr. Bushong. She was an active and
estimable lady, and for eleven years served as
president of the Woman's Christian Temperance
Union of Lancaster county, Pennsylvania. She
died on January 20, 1903.

JOSEPH SHARP QUARLL. The Quarll
family of Chester county, Pennsylvania, repre
sented so worthily by Joseph Sharp Quarll, now
leading a retired life in the village of Tough
kenamon, trace their ancestry to William Quarll,
who came to the United States from France in
the middle of the eighteenth century. Prior to
the year 1737 he settled in Radnor township,
Delaware county, Pennsylvania, where he pur
sued the trade of tailor. He was united in mar
riage to Lydia Maule.
William Quarll, father of Joseph S. Quarll,
was born February 26, 1788. He served as ma
jor in the war of 18 12, and his father partici
pated in the war of the Revolution. William
Quarll was united in marriage October 20, 181 5,
to Hannah Sharp. Their children were: Jo
seph Sharp, born December 9, 1816; Augustus,
born November 9, 1818; and Elizabeth, who
died in infancy. Mr. Quarll, father of these chil
dren, died November 11, 1824.
Joseph S. Quarll, eldest son of William and
Hannah Quarll, was born at Columbia, Lancas
ter county, Pennsylvania, December 9, 18 16, and
he obtained a practical education in the common
schools of the neighborhood. After completing
his studies he devoted his attention to acquiring
a thorough knowledge of the duties of farm life,
and he conducted extensive operations along that
line on the old homestead which he inherited from
his great-uncle, Joseph Sharp. For some forty
years Mr. Quarll practiced veterinary surgery in
connection with his farming, and by his thrift,
economy and good management accumulated a
comfortable competence, and is now enjoying a
life of ease and comfort. He served in the Civil
war, and toward the close of the struggle was

promoted to the rank of first lieutenant in the
Twenty-first Regiment, Whitely Creek Mudsills.
Air. Quarll was united in marriage to Sarah
Ann Vanderver, and the issue of this union was
the following named children: Hannah Mary,
born November 5, 1847, became the wife of
James K. Mackey, and they are the parents of
one child; William Baker, born March 19, 1849,
married Josephine Mackey, and their family con
sists of three children; Alice V., born Alarch 31,
185 1, became the wife of William Wherry, and
three children have been born to them; Adelaide
L., born October 16, 1852, became the wife of
Wilmer Nields, and they are the parents of three
children; Jessie, born April 7, 1854; Oscar T.,
born July 22, 1856, married Mary Dance, and
one child has been born to them; Sarah V., born
December 5, 1857, became the wife of Harvey
Doan, and she is the mother of four children;
Clarence H., born June 26, 1859 ; Josephine, born
February 22, 1861 ; Lillian M., born October 11,
1862; Phoebe, born September 30, 1864, became
the wife of Frank Swayne, and one child was the
issue of this union ; and Ann Elizabeth, born
November 9, 1865. As a man Mr. Quarll is re
spected for his courtesy and kindness, and "as a
citizen he has gained the good will and esteem
of his fellow-townsmen by. his patriotism and
loyalty.

ELIJAH G. HIPPLE, who is connected with
agricultural pursuits in Willistown township,
Chester county, Pennsylvania, being widely
known as a prosperous and progressive farmer
and respected citizen, was born September 4,
1825, the son of Henry and Jane (Garnett) Hip
pie. His birthplace was East Goshen township,
Chester county, Pennsylvania.
Henry Hippie was born in West Whiteland
township, Chester county, June 30, 1780, the son
of Lawrence and Margaret Hippie, the former
named having come to this country from Ger
many, settling first in Lancaster county, Penn
sylvania. He was accompanied by his three
brothers. Henry Hippie, after attaining young
manhood, removed to Goshen township, where
his attention was given almost exclusively to his
farming interests. He was twice married, his
first wife having been a Slonaker, and one child
was born of this union, Mary Hippie. His sec
ond wife was Jane Garrett, who was born No
vember 20, 1785, a daughter of George Garrett.
Their children were : Sarah G., born May 3, 1810 ;
Margaret, born November 11, 181 1 ; Garrett M.,
born June 16, 1813, died February 21, 1814;
Henry, born February 15, 1815, died December
24, 1878; Lawrence, born March 17, 1817, died
January 13, 1892; Elizabeth J., born May 13,
1819, died January 5, 1890; George G., born May

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

543

13, 1821, died February 27, 1889; Jesse AL, born
May 4 1823, deceased; and Elijah G. Hippie, the
only survivor of the family. Mr. Hippie and his
second wife were members of the Friends' Aleet
ing. Elijah G. Hippie attended the common schools
of his native county, where he acquired a prac
tical education, and since his boyhood days has
engaged in farming, being eminently success
ful in this occupation. In 1875 he moved to his
present farm in Willistown township, and his
attractive home surroundings are good evidence
of his thrift and industry. In politics Air. Hip
pie is a firm adherent of the principles of the
Democratic party, and in religion he adheres to
the doctrines of the Presbyterian denomination.
On January 16, 1867, Mr. Hippie married
Sarah Jane Hoopes, who was born in East White-
land township July 2, 1836, a daughter of John
T. and Rebecca PL (Stemple) Hoopes. Their
children are: Laura E., born December 9, 1867;
Clara Hoopes, born February 22, 1872, and Wil-
ford H., born January 22, 1878, died August
15, 1880. .

MORDECAI THOMAS BARTRAM, for
nearly a third of a century an active business
man of the village of White Horse, Willistown
township, Chester county, Pennsylvania, and one
whose activities have extended to various fields
of public usefulness, is a lineal descendant in
the eighth generation from Richard Bartram ( 1 ) ,
the original immigrant. See "Bartram Family"
on preceding pages.
Mordecai Thomas Bartram, fourth child and
third son of Israel L. (7) and Mary Ann (Thom
as) Bartram, was born February 27, 1843, on the
old family homestead near White Horse village.
He was reared on the paternal farm and received
a practical English education in public and pri
vate schools, among which were the Gwynedd
and Kennett Square Friends schools, which af
forded what was equivalent to a comprehensive
academical course. On attaining manhood he
took charge of the home farm, and was so occu
pied for four years. He was then appointed
post trader at the Nemaha Indian Agency, at
Nemaha, Nebraska, on the 'Missouri river. This
was then one of the most important positions of
its class, and he was brought into relations with
several tribes, some partly civilized, and more
who had made but little advancement, and could
only understand the military power of the whites
and the bounties which might be derived from
them. The Indians had long been outraged by
the rapacity and dishonesty of these agents of the
government who had been sent to contribute to
their wants. President Grant, out of his great
desire that honesty and justice should be prac-
35 x

ticed toward the Indians, adopted what was pop
ularly known as "Grant's Quaker Policy," and
he made various appointments of agents from
among the Friends, and Mr. Bartram was of this
number. Mr. Bartram occupied the position for
two years, during which time he instituted whole
sale reforms and gained the implicit confidence
and abiding respect of the untutored people
whom he served. Returning home in 1873, Mr.
Bartram opened a general store in his native;
village, which he has since conducted with grati
fying success. He was also otherwise busily oc
cupied, .being for some time associated with his
father-in-law, Thomas Smedley, in the farm im
plement business. Upon him also devolved the-
management of the home farm, this being ne
cessitated by the death of his brother Wilmer
in 1877 and the retirement of the father from.
active business life.
During his entire business life, Mr. Bartrairri
has also taken an active part in community af
fairs, and is recognized as one of its most use
ful and prominent citizens. For several years
he was auditor of the township. He has been
an active member of his church since early man
hood, and was superintendent of the Sunday-
school for a number of years, and is still active-
as assistant superintendent. He was a prime
mover in the organization of the Bartram Park
Association of Philadelphia, and is president of
that body.
Mr. Bartram was married September 30, 1874,.
to Rebecca G, daughter of Thomas G. and Eliza
beth (Garrett) Smedley. Four children were
born of this marriage : Alice C, October 24,
1876; Wilmer I., August 5, 1880; Helen, Sep
tember 22, 1884, who died at the age of eight
months; Thomas S., April 12, lE"

HENRY O. GARBER, of Berwyn, Chester
county, Pennsylvania, known alike as an active
and successful business man, an earnest pratici-
pant in public affairs and a popular member of
society, is a son of Phineas and Elizabeth (Ben-
singer) Garber.
Phineas Garber was born February 10, 1827,
in Schuylkill county, Pennsylvania, received his
education in the common schools, and then pur
sued the trade of a blacksmith. He subsequently
engaged in the carriage business which he con
ducted for the remainder of his life. He mar
ried Elizabeth, daughter of Lewis Bensinger, a
hotel-keeper of Schuylkill county, and was the
father of the following children: Sarah, who
married Dr. W. Ward, and has one child ; Emma,
who became the wife of H. J. McLees, and whose
family consists of three children; Minerva, who
married Samuel Young; Mary, who died Au
gust 6, 1899, was born August 20, 1870; and

544

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

Henry O., mentioned at length hereinafter. Mr.
Garber, the father of the family, died November
13, 1902; his wife, Elizabeth (Bensinger) Gar
ber, died June 23, 1880, born September 27, 1832.
Henry O. Garber, son of Phineas and Eliza
beth (Bensinger) Garber, was born December
12, 1862, in Mahanoy City, Schuylkill county,
Pennsylvania, and received his education in the
public schools of his birthplace. After leaving
school he learned telegraphy and when master of
the art, accepted a position in Philadelphia with
the Pennsylvania Railroad Company. In this
position which he held for eight years he served
both as operator and agent, and in 1893 removed
to Berwyn, where he opened a book-store, which
he still conducts. Politically he is a .Republican,
and has filled the office of school director and has
served for several years as notary public. He is
an effective and acceptable public speaker. He
is a Mason and Knight Templar, and is also a
member of the Junior Order of the United Amer
ican Alechanics. In all athletic -sports he takes
an active part, is a member of the Gun Club, and
for ten years has managed the base ball team of
Berwyn. He and his wife are regular attendants
at the Presbyterian church.
On December 17, 1885, Mr. Garber married
Mary, born June 16, 1863, daughter of Thomas
and Elizabeth (Groome) Patton, of Minersville,
Schuylkill county, Pennsylvania, and they are the
parents of two daughters : Edna, who was born
August 24, 1887, and at present is a student at
the West Chester State Normal School; and
Sarah Elizabeth, born March 2, 1901.

ALBERT H. THOMAS, one of the lead
ing farmers of Chester county, is descended from
Joseph Thomas, whose son Francis lived in Wil
listown township, where his calling was that of
a schoolmaster. When his son Reuben was eight
years old, Francis Thomas purchased the farm
where his great-grandson, Albert H. Thomas,
now lives. The name of his wife was Mary
Thompson. Francis Thomas died April 20,
1829.. Reuben Thomas, son of Francis and Mary
(Thompson) Thomas, was born in 1796, in
Edgemont township, Delaware county, and spent
his life as a farmer on the homestead. He mar
ried, in 1822, Elizabeth Van Meter, born in Sa
lem county, New Jersey,' a daughter of Isaac and
Sarah Van Aleter. Mr. and Mrs. Thomas were
the parents of four children: Lydia, born in
1824, married Oliver H. Parry, and died in
1854; Wesley P., mentioned at length herein
after; Frances, born July 27, 1829, died at the
age of seventy-two, October 19, 1899 ; and Anna
Statia, born in 1838, married William Evans, of
Willistown, Chester county, who is now deceased.

Airs. Thomas died in 1866, and her husband sur
vived until 1885, passing away at the advanced
age of eighty-nine years.
Wesley P. Thomas, son of Reuben and Eliza
beth (Van Meter) Thomas, was born in 1826
on the homestead in Willistown township, where
he passed his boyhood. He served an appren
ticeship to the cabinetmaking trade and then
went to Ohio, where he worked as a carpenter
until 1853. In that year he returned to Penn
sylvania and was engaged in farming until 1862,
when he again went to Ohio and followed his
trade for the remainder of his life. He married
Ann Eliza, daughter of William Sisson, of Co
lumbiana county, Ohio, and they were the par
ents of four children : Albert PL, mentioned at
length hereinafter; Elmira S., who was born in
Chester county, Pennsylvania, and married Alal-
comb Alarshall, of Ohio ; Thomas Jefferson, who
was born in Chester county, married Annie Alar
shall, and is now a resident of Ohio ; and Arthur,
who was born in Ohio, where he now lives. Mr.
Thomas died in 1884, while on a visit to his old
home in Willistown, and his wife passed away in
1901. Albert H. Thomas, son of Wesley P. and Ann
Eliza (Sisson) Thomas, was born November 4,
1852, in Columbiana county, Ohio, and was
brought up on a farm by his grandparents, re
ceiving his education in the common schools. He
devoted himself to agricultural pursuits and in
course of time succeeded to the possession of the
homestead in which he now resides. His farm
contains ninety-three acres of improved land,
which are kept in a high state of cultivation. He
is a member of Thomson Lodge, Ancient Free
and Accepted Masons ; Media Chapter, Royal
Arch Masons, and St. Albans Commandery,
Knights Templar. Politically he is a Democrat.
Mr. Thomas married, January 8, 1873, Sarah
Jane Regester, born Alarch 3, 185 1, in Edgemont
township, Delaware county, a daughter of Rob
ert and Emily (Verdreese) Regester. ' They have
six children: Charles Denny, born August 17,
1874, who is a machinist of Houston, Texas ;
Francis H., born May 20, 1876, who is a farmer;
Anna, born November 15, 1878; Albert W., born
November 19, 1883, who is employed by the
Pennsylvania Railroad Company ; Clifford, born
August 6, 1886; and Arthur, born March iq,
1891. Francis H. Thomas married Anna B.
Pinkerton, of Delaware county, and has a daugh
ter, Sarah Heller, born November 21, 1896.

ELLWOOD SMEDLEY, who was a highly
respected citizen of Willistown township, Chester
county, traces his descent from George Smedley,
who born in England, probably in Derbyshire,
and came to Pennsylvania about 1682. He set-

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

545

tied in Philadelphia, and later, in Chester county,
married Sarah Goodwin, widow of John Good
win and daughter of Thomas Kitchin, of Dublin
township, Philadelphia county. Their son,
Thomas, married Sarah Baker, born in England,
daughter of Joseph and Mary Baker, of Edge
mont township. They were the parents of John,
who married Susanna (Dawson) Cowgill, widow
of Thomas Cowgill and daughter of Benjamin
and Elizabeth (Fussell) Dawson, of Smyrna,
Delaware. Their son, also named John, inherited
the homestead, which had been in the possession
of the family since the time of the founder,
George, and married Rebecca, daughter of Na
than and Amy (Bane) Cope, of East Bradford
township. They were the parents of eleven chil
dren. John Smedley died October 15, 1825, and
his wife expired January 24, 1846. The whole
family, including the founder, George, have al
ways been members of the Society of Friends.
Ellwood Smedley, son of John and Rebecca
(Cope) Smedley, was born November 11, 1820,
on the homestead in Willistown township, Ches
ter county, and received his education in the pri
vate school of Joshua Hoopes at West Chester
and at Columbia. He served as schoolmaster at
Sugartown in 1839, and in 1842 inherited the
farm which he made his home up to the time
of his decease. This farm was the property of
his uncle, Thomas D. Smedley, who intended to
leave it to his nephew, Thomas, a brother of
Ellwood Smedley. This nephew, Thomas, how
ever, survived his uncle but a few years and died
unmarried. According to a provision of the un
cle's will, the farm then passed to Ellwood Smed
ley, who since coming into possession of it, de
voted himself to agricultural pursuits. Prior to
1856 he sent produce to the markets, but in that
year disposed of his dairy, and thereafter engaged
in the business of feeding cattle until he retired,
leaving the management of the farm in the hands
of his sons. Politically Mr. Smedley was form
erly an old-line Whig and later became a Repub
lican. The confidence with which he was re
garded by his neighbors is shown by the fact
that for thirty-seven years he served as school
director and has also filled the offices of super
visor and auditor. He was recorder and over
seer of the Friends' Meeting, both in Willistown
particular and Goshen Monthly Meeting. Mr.
Smedley had in his possession the marriage cer
tificates of his grandfather and great-grandfa
ther, together with the deed from Frances Bow-
ater to George Smedley for land in Willistown,
1706, and a patent to George and Thomas Smed
ley, 1713.
Mr. Smedley married, December 24, 1846,
at the residence of Levi Garrett, Willistown,
Marv Ann Massey, born in that place, February
23, 1825, daughter of Joseph and Rosanna (Ver-

dries) Massey, of that township. They were the
parents of four children: 1. Thomas D., born
November 11, 1847, died October 29, 1873, un~
married. 2. Lewis Verdries, born July 22, 1850,
was educated at the Friends' High School at
West Chester, and married, December 12, 1872,
Selina Cox, born June 9, 1849, a daughter of
Caleb H. Cox. They have five children : Lau
retta Thomas, Arthur Cox, Anna Lucretia, Lewis
Clarence and Helen. 3. Lydia, born July 5,
1853. 4. Wilmer E., born December 23, 1859,
was educated in the Normal School at West
Chester, and is now leading the life of a farmer
on the homestead. He married, January 5, 1882,
Mary Ella, daughter of the late Robert F. Davis,
and they have two children : Alice Edna and
Thomas D. Ellwood Smedley, the father of this
family, died November 1, 1903, and his wife,
who, like her husband, was a prominent member
of the Society of Friends, died July 25, 1901.

W. JOHN CAMPBELL, a well known citi
zen of Easttown township, Chester county, Penn
sylvania, was born of Scotch-Irish parentage, in
Howellville, Chester county, August 22, 1849.
His maternal grandparents, John and Mary
McPherson, came of Scottish parentage, though
born and reared in the north of Ireland. They
emigrated to America soon after they were mar
ried, and settled on a farm still in the family
at Radnor, Delaware county. They were mem
bers of the Great Valley Baptist church in
Tredyffrin, and their bodies are buried in the
cemetery surrounding that church. All of their
children were born in this country.
The parents of Thomas Campbell, father of
W. John Campbell, were natives of county
Argyle, Scotland, but like many other Scotch
people, they settled in the north of Ireland, in
county Antrim, six miles from the Giants' Cause
way, near the town of Coleraine, where Thomas
was born in 1814. His mother and father died
when he was quite young, and in the company
of an older sister, he came to this country when
but twelve years of age. He acquired a moderate
common school education here and began his
business career at an early age in the cattle trade
in which he continued until late in life, when
he became a farmer, locating near what is now
known as Strafford, in this county. He took a
lively interest in public -matters, was earnest and
honest in his opinions and in his dealings and
was unyielding when he believed he was right.
He married Eliza McPherson, daughter of John
ATcPherson, spoken of above, and three children
blessed their union, all of whom are still living.
They are : Virginia, wife of Adoniram Latch,
W. John, and Mary J., widow of Robert Glenn.
Thomas Campbell lived to the advanced age of

546

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

eighty-two years and died June 25, 1896. His
widow still survives him, aged seventy-nine
years. W. John Campbell, son of Thomas and Eliza
Campbell, received his education in the public
schools of his county and has, since he left
school, been engaged in mercantile and manufac
turing pursuits. He has traveled much, has an
extensive acquaintance, and possesses a gener
ous fund of knowledge in various fields. An
ardent friend of the public schools, "he believes
it not only the duty, but economy for the state
to provide each of its wards with the best possible
education free of cost," and he has rendered his
district useful service as secretary of its board
of education. Of the local history of his county
and the eastern end of his state — so rich in Rev
olutionary lore — Air. Campbell has been a close
student all of his days and he is to-day an au
thority in such matters. Naturally fond of lit
erature, he has been a wide reader and is himself
the author of a number of historical and other
interesting and instructive papers which have ap
peared in various journals and magazines. Mod
est and retiring in disposition, he is yet a grace
ful speaker, when occasion demands, and is in
frequent quest at society meetings, diners and
other social and political functions. He is a
member of the Alasonic fraternity and has at
tained to the degree of Knight Templar. His
political affiliations are with the Democratic par
ty, of which, without having held any office, he
is an active member, and his sense of justice and
fair play command the respect of his political
enemies who are compelled to admit that his De
mocracy "is of the kind that wears," though his
Scotch ancestry develops in the firmness with
which he holds to what he believes to be right
at any odds.
On Januarv 21, 1877, Air. Campbell married
Lucy S. Alorris, daughter of Jonathan T. Morris,
a prominent farmer of Easttown township. Their
children were: Morris T., born June 24, 1878,
died June 21, 1885 ; Eliza, born June 16, 187Q,
died August 1st of that year, and John T., born
September 28, 1880. the family are all members
of Old St. David's Episcopal church, Radnor,
of which Air. Campbell has been a vestryman
many years.  ¦+-*+¦ 
BAYARD TAYLOR, one of the most pro
lific and pleasing of American authors, was a
native of Chester county, Pennsylvania, born at
Kennett Square, January 25, 1825. He studied
under Jonathan Gause, at Unionville, and learned
the art of printing in the office of the "Village
Record," at West Chester, making his beginning"
at the age of seventeen. In 1844, when nineteen
years old, he published "Ximena, and Other

Poems." In the same year he sailed for Europe,
with his savings of a little more than one hundred
dollars, but having a congenial mission — that of
writing his experiences in travel for the "New,
York Tribune," "Saturday Evening Post," and
another journal. He spent two years in travel in
Great Britain and upon the continent, and that
he was well adapted for a traveler is evidenced
by the fact that his entire expenditures did not
exceed the sum of $500. His newspaper con
tributions were received with so much favor
that he was induced to tell of his pedestrian tour
in a volume published in 1846, "Views Afoot,
or, Europe Seen with Knapsack and Staff," which
had a wide popularity. He published a newspa
per at Phcenixville for a short time, but in 1847
accepted an invitation from Horace ¦ Greeley to
attach himself to the editorial staff of the "New
York Tribune." When the gold fever was at
its height he journeyed to California, acting as

Cedarcroft, Home of Bayard Tavlor,
Near Kennett Square.
correspondent of "The Tribune," and in 1850
he made his experiences the basis for "Eldorado,
or Adyentures in the Path of Empire," a volume
which had a phenomenal sale for the times, the
sales being ten thousand in the United States
and thirty thousand in Great Britain within a
fortnight after its appearance.
Somewhat of a dreamer, Taylor deemed him
self native to the east, and in 185 1 made a tour
of the Nile regions, and he stored his memory
with traditions and incidents which afforded the
basis of much of his verse. In 1852 he made a
voyage from England to Calcutta, and thence
to China, where he joined Commodore Perry's
expedition to Japan, and from these. travels he
drew material from which he wrote several vol
umes — "A Journey to Central Africa," "The
Land of the Saracens," and "A Visit to India,
China and Japan." Returning home in 1854,

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

547

he entered upon a very successful career as a
public lecturer, delivering addresses in the prin
cipal cities from New York to Wisconsin. After
being thus occupied for two years, he visited
northern Europe, with the principal purpose of
studying Swedish life, language and literature,
and out of this trip grew his long narrative poem,
"Lars," and his volume of "Northern Travel."
In 1857 Mr. Taylor married Maria Hansen,
daughter of a German astronomer. After trav
eling for a time in Greece, and afterwards in
America upon the Pacific slope, Mr. Taylor (in
1862) entered the diplomatic service in the ca
pacity of secretary of legation at St. Petersburg,
and in the following year he became charge
d'affaires at the Russian capital. In 1864 he re
turned to the United States, and for ten years
devoted himself industriously to literary pur
suits. It was during this period that he pro
duced his four novels, of which one possessed
a deep interst in his native county of Chester —
"The Story of Kennett," founded upon the do
ings, real and mythical, of James Fitzpatrick, a
noted desperado of the Revolutionary period. It
is to be said in all truth that Mr. Taylor was not
endowed with those qualities which make a really
masterly novelist, and his literary fame must rest
principally upon his volumes of travel and his
poetry. He visited Iceland in 1874, to take part
in the centennial celebration held that year. In
June, 1878, he was appointed United States min
ister to Germany, and died in Berlin, December
17, shortly after his arrival there.

HENRY WILLIS TAYLOR, now living a
retired life at his home in the township of Kennett
Square, Chester county, Pennsylvania, is a man
of good business qualifications, and during his
active career, which extended over a period of
more than a half a century, was engaged in vari
ous enterprises. He was born in East Marl
borough township, Chester county, Pennsylvania,
December 2, 1832, the grandson of John and Ann
(Boofer) Taylor, the former named having been
born in Kennett township and about the year 181 7
purchased the farm which was known as as the
old "Fairthorne" farm, described by Bayard Tay
lor, the American author and traveler, who was
born at Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, January
11, 1825, in his "Story of Kennett." Bayard Tay
lor was a cousin of Henry W. Taylor.
Joshua Taylor, father of Henry W. Taylor,
was born in 1778, acquired a practical education
at the common schools of the neighborhood and
the school conducted under the efficient precep-
torship of Jonathan Gause, and after completing
his studies learned the trade of stone mason. He
pursued this line of industry for a number of
years in Kennett Square and then followed farm

ing in East Marlborough township for a num
ber of years, and, in 1843, purchased the old
homestead, to the cultivation and improvement
of which he devoted his entire time and energy
up to the time of his decease. He was united in
marriage to Alary P. Dixon, daughter of William
and Susan (Pierson) Dixon, the former named a
successful agriculturist of New Castle county,
Delaware. Their children were : 1. Lydian, wife of
T. E. Sickels and mother of three children, Mary
E., Rosalie and Howard T. Sickels. 2. Henry
Willis. 3. Mary Ellen, unmarried, a resident of
Kennett Square. 4. Josephine, unmarried, whose
death occurred in 1843. 5- Susan D. Air. Tay
lor's death occurred January 27, 1873, in his
seventy-sixth year of age, and his wife, Alary
P. (Dixon) Taylor, died October 21, 1892.
Henry W. Taylor attended the common
schools of his native township, and the prac
tical education derived therefrom prepared him
for the active duties of life. In early life he
learned the trade of plasterer, and shortly after
acquiring this knowledge removed to Philadel
phia, where for three years he was engaged in
the dry goods business. From there he went out
west, settling in Indiana, and during his six
months' residence in that state devoted his at
tention to the same line of trade. In 1853 he
went across the plains to California, but the
following year he returned to his native town
ship where he remained for a short space of time.
He then took up his residence in the state of
Alissouri, and was engaged in the railroad
service for three years, after which he went up
the Hudson river and was employed by the
Knickerbocker Ice Company, building an inclined
plane over the Palisades to carry ice from Rock
land Lake to the Hudson river.
Upon the first call of President Lincoln
for men to enlist their services for the de
fense of the Union, Air. Taylor Joined the
Twenty-second Regiment, Light Guards, of
Philadelphia, and served in the capacity of
hospital steward for three months. At the
expiration of this period of time he enlisted
with the Emergency Corps ; he was thrown out
of a wagon, thereby sustaining injuries to his
head from the effects of which he still suffers.
After the termination of hostilities between the
North and South, he went to New Orleans, Lou
isiana, as agent for the New York Cotton Seed
Oil Company, and after retaining that position
for several years he returned to Kennett Square,
Pennsylvania. He again devoted his attention
to farming interests, but at the present time
(1903) is enjoying a life of retirement. In his
political affiliations Mr. Taylor is a staunch ad
vocate of the principles of the Republican party,
serving as councilman for twenty-five years and
he was also the incumbent of the office of burgess.

548

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

Air. Taylor was united in marriage at Kennett
Hotel, November 21, 1863, to Emma L. Jackson,
a daughter of Cyrus and Annie (Larkin) Jack
son, the former named a successful farmer of
Kennett township. Their children are : Marion,
wife of Alinford Levis ; they are the parents of
one child, Richard J. Levis ; Howard Victor, who
married Elizabeth Chandler, has two children,
Earl and Gerald Taylor ; and Frederick E.
Tavlor.

EDWIN STANTON PHILIPS, vice-pres
ident of the American Road Alachine Works at
Kennett Square, Chester county, Pennsylvania,
also consulting engineer to the Good Roads Ma
chine Company of the same city, was born at
Mahanoy City, Schuylkill county, Pennsylvania,
January 14, 1864, a descendant of a family many
members of which were noted for their patriotism
during the Revolutionary period.
The immigrant ancestors of the Philips fam
ily were Joseph and Alary Philips, natives, of
Wales, the birth of the former occurring in 17 16
and that of the latter in 1710. They emigrated
to this country in 1755, accompanied by their
three sons, David, John and Josiah, a fourth son,
Joseph, being born to them after their arrival.
They settled on a tract of land near the present
town of West Chester, but later purchased a
farm in Uwchlan, where Joseph Philips erected
a two-story log house. His occupation was that
of a weaver, which he learned in his native coun
try, and followed with a certain degree of success
in the land of his adoption. As his business en
larged, he increased his facilities until finally he
operated three shops, with three looms in each.
The family attended the Great Valley Baptist
church, thirteen miles distant from their home,
but in 1 77 1 the Vincent Baptist church was or
ganized, and they became members of that body.
Joseph' Philips died May 18, 1792, and his wife
died December 26, 1792.
Of their sons, David, the eldest, was a cap
tain during the Revolutionary war, and subse
quently took up his residence south of Pitts
burg; he was a Baptist clergyman and officiated
as such for forty years at Peter's Creek church.
He was the father of thirteen children, and his
descendants are located in western Pennsylvania,
Ohio, Tennessee and several of the western states.
His death occurred Alarch 5, 1829, at the age of
eighty-seven years. Joseph emigrated to the
western part of Pennsylvania, settling south of
Pittsburg, and here he became active and prom
inent, serving for many years as justice of the
peace. He reared a family of five children. He
died September 3, 1832, at the age of seventy-
eight years. John Philips settled on the old Lan
caster road, near Downingtown, where he reared

a family of seven children, three sons and four
daughters; his death occurred May 22, 1790,
aged forty-five years.
Josiah Philips, third son of Joseph and Alary
Philips, and great-grandfather of Edwin S. Phil
ips, remained on the old homestead in Uwchlan,
Pennsylvania, which he cultivated to a high state
of perfection. He was a man of deep religious
convictions, and by his exemplary life and char
acter won the commendation and trust of his fel
low townsmen. He was united in marriage to
Alartha Edwards, and they were the parents of
three sons, Davui, j ohn and Josiah Philips. After
the death of his first wife, Air. Philips married
Sarah Thomas, and their children were : Joseph,
Owen, Martha, Alary, Sarah, and Hannah, born
March 6, 1802. Josiah Philips, father of these
children, died March 1, 1817, aged sixty-six
years. Owen Philips, grandfather of Edwin S. Phil
ips, and second son of Josiah and Sarah Philips,
was born September 7, 1789, was a farmer by
occupation, and pursued that line of industry in
the township of East Nantmeal. In his political
convictions he was a Republican, and in his relig
ious views a Baptist, being one of the founders,
and also deacon for a number of years, of the East
Nantmeal Baptist church. He married Rachel
Evans, born June 24, 1792, and the following
named children were born to them : Jesse, born
January 4, 1816, served one term as treasurer
of Chester county, and died in April, 1895 ; Jo
siah, born September 10, 1817, died February
8, 1889 ; Milton, born September 25, 1819, died in
early 'youth; Lewis, born February 27, 1822;
David,' born September 8, 1824; Joseph, born
September 25, 1827, died January 2, 1901 ;
Charles AL, born August 25, 1829 ; Sarah Anna,
born December 7, 1831 ; Owen Thomas, born
February 21, 1834, and Abner E., born Alarch
8, 1840. David Philips, fifth son of Owen and Rachel
Philips, and father of Edwin S. Philips, was born
in East Nantmeal, Chester county, Pennsylvania,
September 8, 1824. After acquiring a practical
education,- in 1845, he began teaching at War
wick, in Warwick township, and taught until
1854, and during this time he taught about five
years at the school of his brother, Jesse. E. Phil
ips, in East Nantmeal township. In 1854 he es
tablished an academy in Pughtown, where he suc
cessfully taught until 1863, when he removed to
Alahanoy City, Schuylkill county, Pennsylvania,
where he engaged in the stationery trade and also
served as postmaster for ten years. After con
tinuing his business there until 1875, he removed
'with his family to North Wales, Montgomery
county, Pennsylvania, and there taught school
about three years. He next taught a commercial
academy at Providence, Rhode Island, for a

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

549

brief period. In 1880 he removed to Reading,
Pennsylvania, with his family, and there con
ducted an office for the sale of standard historical
works. In 1885 he removed to Kennett Square,
Chester county, and has been identified with his
sons, engaged in the manufacture of rock crush
ers, road scrapers, and other machinery used in
the making of roads. He has continued this bus
iness up to the present time (1903), and his long
years of persistent labor, have been crowned with
abundant success. Mr. Philips was married
twice, and his first wife, Tamsen (Morris) Phil
ips, bore him the following named children : Ar
thur Allen, died in childhood; William Sumner,
died in early life; and S. Jones, born July 26,
1861, who married, January 24, 1883, Martha
Voorhees, and their children are: Ralph, born-
January 14, 1884, died in infancy; D. Leon, born
March 27, 1886; and Earl, born May 2, 1892.
By his marriage to his second wife, Sarah
(Amole) Philips, born November 1, 1830, Mr.
Philips became the father of four children, name
ly: Edwin Stanton, born January 14, 1864; Jes
sie May, born June 13, 1866, who became the
wife of Morris P. Smith, October 7, 1891, and
they are the parents of one child, Ralph P. Smith ;
George Owen, born September 14, 1868, de
ceased; Annie Tustin, born April 10, 1871, mar
ried June 1, 1893, Howard H. Polk, son of Rob
ert and Alary Polk, and their child, Howard
Wayne Polk, was born October 8, 1898.
Edwin S. Philips, eldest son of David and
Sarah (Amole) Philips, was born at Mahanoy
City, Pennsylvania, where he was reared to the
age of eleven years, and where he attended
school. In 1875 he removed with his parents
to North Wales, Montgomery county, Pennsyl
vania, where he attended school during the first
four years. In 1879 he entered the office of the
"North Wales Record" to learn the printing
trade. In 1880 he removed with his parents to
Reading, Berks county, Pennsylvania, where he
became engaged with the Franklin Iron Works to
learn the trade of machinist, the purpose of
which had been his object in relinquishing the
printing trade. After remaining with the Frank
lin Iron Works for two years, by arrangement
with his employer, he engaged with the Scott
Works of the Reading Iron Company, where
he found better facilities and completed his
trade. During the entire four years term of his
apprenticeship, the diligent and ambitious young
mechanic attended the sessions of night school,
to learn mechanical drawing and engineering.
Upon completing his apprenticeship, he entered
the drafting department of the Baldwin Locomo
tive Works in Philadelphia, where he remained
until 1896, and while thus employed he continued
his studies, taking a special course in mechanical
engineering. In 1896 he accepted the superin-

tendency of the American Road Alachine Works
at Kennett Square, in which corporation he is
now acting in the capacity of vice-president. He
also holds the position of consulting engineer
to the Good Roads Machine Company, one of the
leading industries in the city. His thorough and
comprehensive knowledge of his business makes
him especially capable in this position, and he
fully merits the confidence and regard which
the company entertain for him. While a
resident of Philadelphia, Air. Philips was
prominent in musical circles, being instru
mental in the organization of several socie
ties, and also serving as the conductor of
orchestras and choruses, and since his re
moval to his present residence, Kennett Square,
his love for musical matters has not diminished
in the slightest degree.
On October 5, 1892, Mr. Philips married Mar
tha R. Yost, a daughter of Remendas and Sarah
A. (Rowland) Yost, of North Wales, Montgom
ery county, Pennsylvania. Their children are Row
land Stanton, born August 19, 1893, and Char
lotte Ruth, born September 24, 1895. The Phil
ips family have lately donated a memorial win
dow of exquisite design to the Vincent Baptist
church at Chester Springs, Pennsylvania, which
was organized in 1771, and of which their ances
tors were among the earliest members.

WILLI A Al CHALFANT, for many years a
prominent business man, who won high standing
in commercial circles for his strict integrity and
fidelity in all business transactions, was born
December 8, 18 14, a descendant of John Chal
fant, who obtained a warrant October 22, 1701,
for two hundred and fifty acres of land in Rock
land Manor, where he had settled two years pre
viously. The death of John Chalfant occurred in
August, 1725, leaving surviving him two sons,
John and Robert Chalfant. The line of descent
is traced through John, Jr., who died about the
year 1730, and who was survived by three sons,
John, Solomon and Robert. The latter named
son married Ann Bentley, daughter of John and
Alary Bentley, residents of Newlin. Their chil
dren were : John, Alary, Jane, Ann, Robert and
Elizabeth Chalfant.
Henry Chalfant, son of John Chalfant, was a
prominent citizen of West Marlborough town
ship, and his marriage occurred at London Grove
Aleeting, August 15, 1740; his wife, Elizabeth
Jackson, daughter of Thomas and Ann Jackson,
bore him the following named children : Jon
athan, Thomas, Henry, Ann, Elizabeth, Jacob,
Alary, Abner and Caleb Chalfant.
David Chalfant, son of Thomas and Phoebe
(Hayes) Chalfant, was born in 1760, and was
prominently identified with the various interests

S5o

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

of the township of Pennsbury. He married, Oc
tober 30, 1783, Frances Dowdall Goodwin, daugh
ter of John and Alary Goodwin, of Alarlbor
ough. One son was born to them, Goodwin
Chalfant. David Chalfant died in October, 1832,
aged seventy-two years, and his widow passed
away July 4, 1840, in the eighty-sixth year of
her age.
Goodwin Chalfant, only son of David and
Frances Chalfant, was born September 8, 1788,
and the greater part of his life was spent in East
Marlborough, Chester county, Pennsylvania. He
was united in marriage October 14, 1812, to
Hannah Windle, and the following named chil
dren were born to them: 1.' David W., married
Mary Ann Anderson, and two children were born
to them, Alary D. and David C. Chalfant; 2.
William, the subject of this sketch; 3. Sidney,
wife of Edwin James, of East Bradford; they
have one child, Edwin S. James ; 4, Jane, wife of
Joseph Dowdall and mother of four children,
namely: Joseph, William, Hannah and Lillian
Dowdall ; 5. Lydia, wife of Thomas Seal, of
Unionville. William Chalfant, son of Goodwin and Han
nah Chalfant, acquired a practical education in
the common schools of East Marlborough, and
subsequently began his business career as a farm
er. After following this occupation for a number
of years he turned his attention to commercial
pursuits, wherein he continued until his advanc
ing age rendered him unable for active exertion,
and he is now living a retired life at Kennett
Square. He was very successful in his business
enterprises, and accumulated a sufficient com
petence to provide for all the needs and comforts
-of this period of inactivity from, active pursuits.
Mr. Chalfant died March 27, 1903.
On April 26, 1854, Mr. Chalfant married
Sarah W. Marshall, who was born May 5, 1830,
a daughter of John W. and Edna (Webb) Mar
shall, the former named having been a son of
Jacob and Elizabeth Marshall. Their children
are: 1. Harry W., born January 29, 1855, mar
ried Alary Woodward and their children are:
Sarah W. ; William, Jr., who married Genevieve
Stackhouse, and one child was born to them, who
died in infancy; and Edwin, Jr., who married
Jennie Hickman, and their children are: Helen
H. and Catherine M. Chalfant; 2. Jane D., born
March 29, 1856; 3. William, Jr., born January
29, 1858; 4. John M., born December 4, 1859;
5. Edwin J., born June 11, 1866; 6. Thomas,
born June 11, 1874.

BENJAAIIN FRANKLIN WICKERSHAM.
The Wickersham family, of which B. Franklin
Wickersham, now living a retired life in
the borough of Kennett Square, Chester county,

Pennsylvania, is a representative member, is
a branch of the old and honorable Wickersham
family of Bolney, Sussex county, England, from
whence Thomas Wickersham came to this coun
try, settling on a large tract of land in East
Marlborough township about the year 1700.
Thomas Wickersham married for his first wife,
Ann  , and after her decease married
Alice Hogg. Their children were : Humphrey,
born in 1687 ; Thomas, born July 19, 1691, died
in 1726; John, born September 4, 1693; Ann,
born February 27, 1696; Alice, born July 14,
1700; Richard, born August 11, 1703; William,
born February 3, 1706; Elizabeth, born Novem
ber 13, 1708; James, born 1712, died April 12,
1804; Rebecca, born April 1, 1715, and Isaac,
born January 28, 1721. The father of these
children died in 1730.
The line of descent from Thomas Wicker
sham, the pioneer ancestor, down to B. Franklin
Wickersham is as follows : James Wickersham,
sixth son of Thomas and Alice Wickersham,
born in 1712, married February 22, 1736, Ann
Eachus, a daughter of Robert and Elizabeth
Eachus, of Springfield, Delaware county, Penn
sylvania. They inhabited the old homestead in
East Marlborough township, and there the fol
lowing named children were born to them : Abel ;
Enoch, who married Elizabeth Hurford; Jesse;
James ; John ; Thomas ; Samson, who married
Elizabeth Jackson ; Abner ; Priscilla, wife of Gid
eon Pierce ; Elizabeth, wife of  Pierce.
Abner Wickersham, eighth son of James and
Ann Wickersham, was a prominent and public-
spirited citizen of the township of East Marl
borough, where his business career was spent.
He married Mary Taylor and their children
were : Joseph, Ellis, Enoch and Ann Wicker
sham. Enoch Wickersham, third son of Abner and
Mary Wickersham, was born in East Marlbor
ough township, Chester county, Pennsylvania.
He was reared and educated in the vicinity of his
birthplace. He took an active part in every en
terprise calculated to increase the prosperity of
the community, and ranked high as a business
man and a citizen. He was united in marriage
to Ann Wickersham, and their children were:
Susan, born in 1817, married Evan Wickersham;
Newton, born in 1819, married Sarah Ann
Smith; Benjamin Franklin, born in 1821, mar
ried Alary Ann Pyle ; Joshua, who died in early-
childhood; Hannah, born in 1823, wife of How
ell Baily ; Esther Ann, who became the wife of
Joshua Cloud; Edith, wife of Milton Barnard,
and Caleb, who was twice married, his first wife
having been Sarah Barnard, and his second wife
Ruth Hannah Martin.
B. Franklin Wickersham, second son of
Enoch and Ann Wickersham, was born Novem-

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

55i

ber 9, 1821, in. the township of East Alarlbor
ough, Chester county, Pennsylvania. After
completing his education in the district schools
he engaged in the lumber business, and for the
greater part of his life continued these operations
in the state of. South Carolina. He was also
the proprietor of an extensive and highly suc
cessful store in Kennett Square, where he now
resides, which he conducted for many years. He
is a man of positive character and undoubted
ability, and these characteristics were essential
factors in the prosperity that attended his busi
ness undertakings. He is now enjoying the
fruits of a long life of constant Industry and
activity. On Alarch 1, 1849, Mr. Wickersham married
Mary Ann Pyle, a daughter of James and Mar
garet W. (Marshall) Pyle, of East Marlborough,
Chester county, Pennsylvania. Their children
were: 1. Edward P., died in childhood; 2. Clif
ton B., also died in childhood; 3. J. Leslie, born
April 25, 1855, married Jeanette E. Dickinson
on October 23, 1877 ; their children were : How
ard B., deceased; Morris D., born September 6,
1880; Edward P., born January 9, 1883; Helen
E., died in infancy; 4. Benjamin F., Jr., born
August 14, 1857, married Caretta AL Jamison;
they have one son, Jamison L. Wickersham; 5.
Margaret P., born September 16, 1859; °- Anna
E., born February 20, 1862; 7. William Freder
ick, born October 31, 1864; 8. Mary H., born
April 18, 1867. The mother of these children
died 10 mo., 24, 1896.

JOHN L. BALDERSTON. Among the
representative and well known citizens of the
township of Kennett, Chester county, Pennsyl
vania, who have been actively identified with its
agricultural interests for many years, may be
mentioned the name of John L. Balderston, who
was born in Cecil county, Maryland, 2 mo., 22,
1849, a son of Lloyd and Catherine (Canby)
Balderston, and grandson of Mark Balderston,
of Falls township, Bucks county, Pennsylvania.
Lloyd Balderston, father of John L. Balder
ston, was born in Falls township, Bucks county,
Pennsylvania, 7 mo., 1818. He was reared to
manhood years by his uncle, John Lloyd, who
was a resident of Montgomery county, Penn
sylvania, and upon leaving Harvard College he
engaged at teaching and pursued this vocation
for a short period of time in Moorestown, New
Jersey. In 1840 he located at Colora, Cecil
county, Maryland, and in this vicinity he and his
wife, whose maiden name was Catharine Canby
and who died 2 mo., 1884, reared a family of
nine children.
The educational advantages enjoyed by John
L. Balderston were obtained at Westtown Board

ing School. He began his active career in the
produce business at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,
residing at Colora, Cecil county, Alaryland,
where he continued until 1881. In that year he
changed his place of residence to Kennett town
ship, Chester county, Pennsylvania, where he
purchased a farm of one hundred and thirty-
six acres of rich and productive land, and since
then has been successfully engaged in farming
industries. By his integrity of chracter and high
standard of principles, he has gained the respect
and esteem of his fellow-citizens.
Air. Balderston was united in marriage, 3
mo., 17, 1881, to Anna E. Marshall, who was
born 3 mo., 25, 1856, a daughter of William
and Aiartha (Walter) Alarshall. Air. Alarshall
was a resident of Kennett township, engaged ex
tensively in agricultural pursuits, and his death
occurred 10 mo, 1883. The children born to
Mr. and Mrs. Balderston are : Robert W., born
6 mo, 25, 1882; C. Canby, born 2 mo, 1, 1897.
They are both unmarried and reside at home with
their parents. 1

JOSEPH J. WALTER, an energetic and
and public-spirited citizen of Kennett township,
Chester county, Pennsylvania, who has been
prominently identified during his entire business
career with the material progress and prosperity
of Kennett township, is a son of James and Re
becca (Taylor) Walter, and was born in Kennett
township, Chester county, July 11, 1843. James
Walter (father) was born in 1802, and died in
January, 1844; his wife, Rebecca (Taylor) Wal
ter, died in 1894, aged about eighty-one years.
Both were members of the Society of Friends,
and spent their lives in Kennett township.
Joseph J. Walter acquired his preliminary
education in the common schools of Kennett
Square, and subsequently entered Alyers Acad
emy at West Chester, from which he was grad
uated after pursuing the regular course of study.
Having decided to take up farming as his life
work, he purchased a farm of one hundred and
thirty-five acres of choice ground in the town
ship of Kennett, and has since devoted his time
and attention to the improvement and cultivation
of the same. In the management of his farm he
is practical and progressive, being what is termed
a model farmer, and his broad acres attest what
can be accomplished by intelligent and improved
methods. There are several fine greenhouses
erected on. his property, which are being con
ducted at the present time (1903) by his son,
Charles Walter. In politics Mr. Walter is a
strong Republican, and gives an active support
to his party on all the great political issues of the
day. He has refused several local offices, pre
ferring to devote his time strictly to his busi-

552

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

ness pursuits, which are both extensive and
profitable. Air. Walter was united in marriage, October
16, 1865, t° Miss Caroline Davis, born March
27, 1842, a daughter of Hibberd and Elizabeth
(Osborne) Davis, the former named a prosper
ous farmer of Chester county, Pennsylvania.
Their children are: 1. Elizabeth R., born Au
gust 4, 1867; she is a graduate of the State Nor
mal School of West Chester Pennsylvania, and
at present is engaged in teaching in Delavan,
Illinois; 2. James, born November 15, 1868,
married Aliss Ella Thompson, a daughter of
Joshua and Annie (Stackhouse) Thompson, and
their children are : Helen, Mary, Joseph, Anna,
Thompson and Phillips Walter ; 3. H. Davis,
born September 2, 1870, now a resident of Chi
cago, Illinois; 4. William O., born May 27, 1872;
5. Isabella S., born September 16, 1875 ; 6.
Charles D., born February 1, 1878; 7. John C,
born June 13, 1879; 8. Frank P., born March 7,
1881 ; 9. Chester A., born April 10, 1885. Mr.
and' Airs. Walter are birthright members of the
Friends Meeting.

JOHN ELLWOOD WORRALL, proprietor
of a large general establishment at Kennett
Square, Chester county, Pennsylvania, a son of
Richard and Mary Ann (Wilson) Worrall, was
born in Delaware county, Pennsylvania, May 2,
1 84 1. It is supposed that the name Worrall, or
Worrell, was originally spelled Warel, and that
those bearing it are descended from Sir Hubert de
Warel, whose three sons were killed at the bat
tle of Hastings, upon which spot William the
Conqueror first landed in England. Among the
early ancestors of the family were Richard and
John Worrall, doubtless relatives, who came to
America on the ship "Welcome/' from Oare,
Berkshire, England, in 1682, and arrived at Phil
adelphia a short time before the proprietary.
They were both members of the Society of
Friends, joined the same meeting in Philadelphia,
and Richard Worrall suffered some persecution
on account of his religion as early as the year
1670. John Worrall, grandfather of John Ellwood
Worrall, married for his first wife Eliza Pan-
coast, and after her decease was united in mar
riage to Hannah Thatcher, who bore him the fol
lowing named children : Peter ; Edith, who be
came the wife of George Lewis ; John, who mar
ried Sarah Lewis; Richard, who married Mary
Ann Wilson; Hannah, who was united in mar
riage to John Ogden ; Sarah, who was the wife
of Samuel Garrett ; Rachel, who married Levi
Garrett, and Abigail, who became the wife of
Lewis' Garrett.
Richard Worrall, father of John Ellwood

Worrall, and third son of John and Hannah
Worrall, was born about the year 1800. He was
a prominent citizen of Delaware county, Penn
sylvania, where he was actively associated with
the various enterprises that tended to, promote
the welfare and advancement of the community.
He married Alary Ann Wilson, daughter of
Thomas and Ann (Nield) Wilson, and they be
came the parents of five children, namely : Hana-
nah, born in 1830, wife of John Hill, Jr., and
three children were born to them : R. Worrall,
Alary, and Lewis, deceased. 2 Sarah, born
about the year 1832, became the wife of Jacob
Hibbard and motner of the following named
children : Bertha R., John and Elwood, deceased.
3. Wilson, born in 1835, married Nellie Budd.
4. Ann Eliza, born October 25, 1838, unmarried.
5. John Ellwood, born Alay 2, 1841.
John E. Worrall, youngest son of Richard
and Mary Ann (Wilson) Worrall, was reared
to manhood and acquired his education in the
common schools of Delaware county. He was
engaged in various pursuits in that section of
the state until 1881, when he removed to Kennett
Square, Chester county, purchased property from
his father-in-law, Sharpless Worrall, and estab
lished a general store which he is conducting at
the present time (1903). He has a large and
lucrative trade, retaining his customers from
year to year, and this fact is due to the uniform
kindness and courtesy extended to all the patrons
by Mr. Worrall and his employes. In the local
affairs of the township Air. Worrall is active
and influential, artd he also keeps in touch with
the political movements- of the day. He is a
prominent member of the (Hicksite) Society
of Friends. On September 10, 1863, Air. Worrall married
Anna Mary Worrall, who was born September
10, 1842, the daughter of Sharpless and Abigail
(Thatcher) Worrall. eir children are : Rich
ard T., born May 8, 1865, married April 29,
1902, Mary Wilkinson, of Philadelphia, and has
one child, Lillie Ella, born June 22, 1903 ; Ella
R., born April 7, 1867, became the wife of
Thomas T. Worth in 1869; Sharpless, born June
5, 1870, married April 4, 1895, Belle Farron,
and has one child, Anna Alary, born April 24,
1900; Howard W., born October 10, 1873; and
Ellwood P., born July 17, 1882. Anna Alary
Worrall, the mother of this family, died Sep
tember 19, 1899.

JOSEPH TOWNSEND AIENDENHALL,
deceased, who, during his entire business career,
was prominently identified with the agricultural
interests of Kennett township, Chester county,
Pennsylvania, was a lineal descendant of one of
three brothers, John, Benjamin and George

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

553

Alendenhall, who came from England with Will
iam Penn in 1682. After a brief sojourn in
this country, George returned to his native land,
John settled in Chester county, and Benjamin
took up his residence in Concord township, Dela
ware county. They came from Alildenhall, in
Wiltshire, England, which was formerly the
family name.
Joseph Townsend Mendenhall was born in
Kennett township, Chester county, Pennsyl
vania, August 31, 1852, a son of Joseph Robin
son and Hannah (Taylor) Alendenhall. The
father was a farmer by occupation, and spent
the active years of his life near Alendenhall Sta
tion, in Kennett township. He was a successful
farmer, and was a man of good reputation and
probity of character. He and his wife were
consistent members of the Society of Friends.
By their marriage they became the parents of
the following named children: 1. Priscilla, who
married Alfred Mendenhall ; 2. William 'Taylor,
who married Hannah Way; 3. Ann Eliza, who
married Milton Mendenhall; 4 and 5. Joseph
Townsend and Hannah Alary, who were twins ;
the latter married Isaac Webb and is at present
the only surviving member of these children,
and both parents are deceased, having died the
same year.
Joseph Townsend Mendenhall received his
educational advantages in the schools of Kennett
Square and the Millersville State Normal
School in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania. After
acquiring the excellent education afforded by
these institutions of learning, Mr. Mendenhall
devoted his attention to farming in his native
township and assiduously applied himself to this
industry up to the time of his death. His farm
consisted of eighty-five acres of rich, fertile land
devoted to the cultivation of a general line of
farming, and by his thrift, perseverance and care
ful management, he was enabled to leave his
family at the time of his decease (December
13, 1902), a comfortable home and a goodly
competence. Politically Mr. Mendenhall was an
adherent of the Republican party, and fraternally
he was affiliated with the Improved Order of Red
Men. During his life time Mr. Alendenhall held
the regard and esteem of the community, and his
demise was sincerely mourned by a large circle
of friends and acquaintances who had known him
from childhood to manhood.
Alay 30, 1872, Mr. Mendenhall married Lydia
Merrick, who was born February 6, 1853, a daugh
ter of Henderson and Eleanor (Graham) Aler-
rick, the former named being engaged as a
drover at Longwood, East Alarlborough town
ship, Chester county, Pennsylvania. The chil
dren of Joseph Townsend and Lydia (Aler-
rick) Alendenhall were: 1. Ellen H., born Feb
ruary 28, 1873; she -married Joseph Lancaster,

of Pennsbury township, Chester county, and has
children, Nathan Dallas, Lydia Eleanor, Fred
Alendenhall, Alary Adelaide, Anna and Joseph ;
2. Annie Elizabeth, born August 27, 1874; she is
at present a clerk in the Kennett Square Na
tional Bank ; 3. Robert Townsend, born Decem
ber 21, 1875; 4. William Alfred, born February
5, 1878; he died October 4 1895; 5. Alabel AP,
born Alarch 9, 1880 ; 6. Lillian Farrar, born June
23, 1882; 7. Henderson Alerrick, born July 19,
1885, now a student at the West Chester State
Normal School.

SAMUEL JONES PHILIPS, an energetic,
useful and public-spirited citizen of Kennett
Square, Chester county, Pennsylvania, where he
is actively associated with many of the leading
enterprises, was born July 26, 1861, and is the
only surviving son of David and Tamsen (Mor
ris) Philips.
The pioneer ancestor of the family was Joseph
Philips, who was born in Wales in 17 16, and emi
grated to this country in 1755,. accompanied by
his wife, Mary; who was born in 1710, and their
three children, David, John and Josiah. A fourth
child, Joseph, was born after their arrival in the
United States. Their first place of residence was
near the present town of West Chester, but they
subsequently removed to Uwchlan, where a farm
was purchased and a log house erected. Air.
Philips was a weaver by trade, and as his busi
ness increased he hired more room, until finally
he was the owner of three shops with three looms
in each shop. He was a man of medium height,
portly in appearance, spoke his native language,
Welsh, and lived with the simplicity which pre
vailed in those days. For many years he was a
member of the Great Valley Baptist church, thir
teen miles distant from his home, but in 1771 the
Vincent Baptist church was organized, and they
became members of that body. Of their children,
David and Joseph settled near Pittsburg, Penn
sylvania, David going later to Tennessee; John,
removed late in life to Atglen, Chester county,
and Josiah remained on the old homestead. Joseph
Philips, the father of these children, died Alay 18,
1792, and his wife, Alary Philips, died December
26, 1792.
Josiah Philips, great-grandfather of S. Jones
Philips, spent the early years of his life in attend
ance at the district schools and assisting with the
work upon the home farm at Uwchlan. Here he
remained after the death of -his parents, and con
tinued his connection with agricultural pursuits.
He was a man of deep piety and fidelity to con
victions, and by his exemplary life and character
won the esteem and good will of his friends and
neighbors. Mr. Philips was united in marriage
to Martha Edwards and their children were :

554

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

David, John and Josiah Philips. After the death
of the mother of these children, Air. Philips chose
for his second wife Sarah Thomas, and their chil
dren were : Joseph, Owen, Alartha, Mary, Sarah,
and Hannah, born March 6, 1802. Mr. Philips
died Alarch 1, 1817, aged sixty-six years.
Owen Philips, grandfather of S. Jones Philips,
born September 7, 1789, acquired a common
school education, and after reaching man's estate
engaged in farming in East Nantmeal. He took
a keen interest in political affairs, and was an ad
herent of the Republican party. He also devoted
considerable time and attention to religious mat
ters, being one of the organizers of the East
Nantmeal Baptist church, in which he served as a
member of the board of deacons for many years.
By his marriage to Rachel Evans, who was born
June 24, 1792, the following named children were
born: Jesse (1), born January 4, 1816, died
in April, 1895; Josiah (2), born September 10,
181 7, died February 8, 1889; Milton (3), born
September 25, 1819, died in early childhood;
Lewis (4), born February 27, 1822; David (5),
born September 8, 1824; Joseph (6), born Sep
tember 25, 1827, died January 2, 1901 ; Charles
M. (7), born August August 25, 1829; Sarah
Anna (8), born December 7, 1831; Owen
Thomas (9), born February 21, 1834, and Abner
E. (10), born March 8, 1840.
David Philips, father of S. Jones Philips, was
born in East Nantmeal, Chester county, Pennsyl
vania, September 8, 1824. He obtained his liter
ary education in the common schools of the neigh
borhood. In 1845 he began teaching at Warwick,
in Warwick township, and taught successfully
until 1854. During this time he taught about five
years at the school of his brother, Jesse E. Philips,
In East Nantmeal township. In 1854 he estab
lished an academy in Pughtown, where he suc
cessfully taught until 1863, when he removed to
Mahanoy City, Schuylkill county, Pennsylvania,
where he engaged in the stationery trade, and also
served as postmaster for ten years. After con
tinuing his business there until 1875, he removed
with his family to North Wales, Montgomery
county, Pennsylvania, and there taught school
about three years. He taught a commercial acad
emy at Providence, Rhode Island, for a brief
period. In 1880 he removed to Reading, Berks
county, Pennsylvania, and there conducted the
sate of standard historical works, residing there
until 1885, when he removed to Kennett Square,
where he has since been identified with his sons
in the manufacture of. road machinery, including
rock crushers and road scrapers. Mr. Philips
was twice married, his first wife having been
Tamsen Morris, and the children born of this
union were: Arthur Allen, who died in early
youth ; William Sumner, who died in childhood,
and Samuel Jones. Mr. Philips' second wife,

Sarah Amole, born November 1, 1830, bore him
the following named children: 1. Edwin Stan
ton, born January 14, 1864, married (October 5,
1892), Martha Yost, and their children are: Ro
land and Ruth Philips ; 2. Jessie May, born June
13, 1866, who became the wife of Morris P.
Smith, October 7, 1891 ; they have one child,
Ralph P. Smith; 3. George Owen, born Septem
ber 14, 1868, now deceased; 4. Annie Tustin,
born April 10, 1871, married (June 1, 1893),
Howard H. Polk, son of Robert and Mary Polk ;
they are the parents of one child, Howard Wayne
Polk, born October 8, 1898.
S. Jones Philips, only surviving child of
David and Tamsen (Morris) Philips, acquired a
practical education in the district schools, and
after completing his studies became interested in
several enterprises in Kennett Square. Since
1883 he has served in the capacity of secretary
and treasurer of the American Road Machine
Company, is treasurer of the Kennett But
ton Manufacturing Company, treasurer and
vice-president of the Kennett Advance Pub
lishing Company, manager and treasurer of
the Good Roads Machinery Company, and
he also served as director in each and all of these
companies. Mr. Philips is successful in all his
business transactions, active and influential in
political affairs, serving at the present time
(1903) as town councilman, and is popular and
useful as a citizen and a man.
On January 24, 1883, Mr. Philips married
Alartha Voorhees, born August 11, 1861, a
daughter of Jacob and Sarah E. Voorhees, the
former named being born . November 6, 1832.
Air. and Mrs. Voorhees are the parents of the fol
lowing named children : J. Frank, Martha, Eliza
beth, Laura, died in infancy; William E., Jane,
John H., Bertha, and Walter J. Voorhees. Three
children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Philips,
namely: Ralph J., born January 14, 1884, died
January 21, 1885; D. Leon, March 27, 1886, and
Earl S., born Alay 2, 1892.
Mr. Philips is a member of a family that has
been noted for many centuries for its longevity,
its deep religious sentiments, and its intellectual
attainments. From 1797 to the present time
(1903) it has been a race of teachers, having fur
nished college professors, principals of academies
and seminaries, and teachers of all grades. In
their religious sentiments they are almost all of
the Baptist faith and doctrines.

MISS LYDIA C. SKELTON. The Skel
ton family, prominently and actively associated
with the best interests of Kennett Square and
southern Chester county, Pennsylvania, trace
their ancestry back to Patrick and Alargaret (Mc-

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

555

Clane) Skelton, who resided near Downingtown,
Chester county, Pennsylvania. They were mar
ried December 13, 1737, and about June 15, 1744,
Patrick Skelton purchased a tract of land in East
Cain township, Chester county. He followed farm
ing as an occupation during the years of his ac
tive life. He died February 8, 1780, and his
wife, Margarett, died January 28, 1760. Alex
ander, a son of Patrick and Margaret Skelton,
who was born November 11, 1738,. married
Rachel Maris, August 17, 1761, a.t the old Swedes'
church, Wilmington, Delaware. Alexander
Skelton died Alarch 19, 1798, and his wife, who
was born April 7, 1739, died July 19, 1820. She
was the daughter of John and Katherine (Hay-
den) Alan's. Among the children of Alexander
and Rachel (Maris) Skelton, was a son, Aaron,
born October 8, 1767, through whose marriage
to Alary, daughter of Alichael and Susanna
(Carlton) Harlan, they became the parents of
the following named children : Thomas, born
October 10, 1794, died in infancy ; Lydia, born
September 9, 1796, married January 12, 1823,
John Commons, and her death occurred Novem
ber 9, 1825; Isaac, born April 6, 1799, married
Rebecca Davis in 1830; Eli, born August 14,
1802, died July 19, 1828; Lewis, born June 28,
1804, father of Lydia C. Skelton; Aaron, born
December 20, 1806, died in infancy ; Rachel, born
August 29, 1808, died in infancy ; Susanna, born
October 15, 1809, died May 22, 1847; Alary, born
November 27, 1812, died in infancy, and Ann,
born June 18, 1814, died June 18, 1834.
Lewis M. Skelton, father of Aliss Lydia C.
Skelton, and fourth son of Aaron and Mary
(Harlan) Skelton, was born June 28, 1804, and
married, January 14, 185 1, Hannah Baily Wicker
sham, who was born August 8, 1816, daughter
of Joel and Lydia (Pusey) Wickersham. They
took up their residence in New Garden township,
Chester county, where the following named chil
dren were born to them ; Lydia C, born December
8, 185 1, in New Garden township, Chester county,
unmarried; Lewis AL, Jr., born November 1,
1853, died September 8, 1870; and Edward W.,
born October 24, 1855, who married at Avon-
dale, Chester county, Alarch 26, 1879, Margaret
Brinton, who was born in Hartford county, Mary
land, March 17, i860, a daughter of Weldon and
Anna (Gilpin) Brinton. Their children are:
Lillian G, born March 8, 1880; Harry Lewis,
born March 30, 1882 ; Percy Brinton, born Octo
ber 17, 1891 ; Joel Wickersham, born April 28,
1896, and Ruth Catharine Skelton, born Decem
ber 7, 1898. Edward W. Skelton is engaged as
a farmer and florist at Avondale, Pennsylvania,
and is a member of the London Grove Aleeting.
Lewis Skelton, father of these children, passed
away December 6, 1857, survived by his widow
and children.

_ JOSHUA JEFFERIS. The Jefferis family
widely dispersed throughout the country, in its
various lines is represented by those who give
the name in the various forms of Jefferis, Jef-
feries, and Jeffreys. The first would appear to be
the original form, and is that preserved by the
Chester county line to the present day.
The progenitor of the Jefferis family in Amer
ica was Robert Jefferis, who is first mentioned as
witness in a court held in Chester in September,
1685. In 1691 he purchased sixty acres of land
near the middle of Upper Chichester township,
where he probably lived for some years, then sell
ing it and removed to East Bradford township,
where he had bought one hundred and sixty-nine
acres. In 1721 he bought also one hundred and
eighty-nine acres from William Buffington. In
1733 he conveyed the homestead to his son Ben
jamin, reserving a life estate, and divided his other
lands among his sons. He was twice married —
first, to Jane, daughter of George and Jane
Chandler, and (second) to Ann, whose family
name is unknown.
To Robert and Jane Jefferis were born the
following children: 1. Patience, who married
Henry Betterton ; 2. Charity, who married John
Evans, and (second) John Cope; 3. William,
who married Elizabeth (Ring) Neild; 4. James,
further referred to hereinafter ; 5. Robert, who
married Eleanor  , and (second) Elizabeth
Harper ; 6. George, who married Lydia

7. Jane, who married Joseph Skeen ; 8. Anne,
who married Alexander Duncan ; 9. Mary, who
married Thomas Temple; 10. Benjamin, who
married Elizabeth Carter; 11. Thomas; 12. John.
James (2) son of Robert (1) and Jane Jef
feris, married Elizabeth, widow of George Car
ter, of East Bradford, and settled on the Carter
homestead at Jefferis' Ford, on the west side of
the Brandywine. His father conveyed to him a
tract of land on the east side of the creek, and he
purchased of the Worth family one hundred and
fifty acres on the west side. He became a member
of Birmingham Meeting in 1738, and was ap
pointed an overseer in 1743. He died in 1745,
and his wife survived him many years. Their
children were James ; Abigail, who married
Thomas Williamson, and Emmor.
James (3), eldest son of James (2) and Eliza
beth Jefferis, was born November 20, 1728, and
died in 1807. He inherited his father's lands on
the east side of the Brandywine. He married,
December 23, 1749, Ann, daughter of Thomas
and Elizabeth Cheyney, of Thornbury; she was
born February 21, 1727-8, and died at upwards of
seventy-six years. Their children were: 1.
Mary, born 9 mo, 9, 1750, who married Thomas
Hickman; 2. Emmor, born 1 mo., 18, 1752, died
10 mo., 8, 1822; he married Rachel Grubb; 3.
Betty, born 3 mo., 17, 1755, died 1 mo., 5, 1838,

556

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

unmarried; 4. Hannah, born 10 mo., 19, 1757,
married Moses Hickman; 5. Jane, born 10 1110.,
7> I759» died 3 mo., 16, 1849 ! 6- Cheyney, further
named below ; 7. Jacob, born 9 mo, 26, 1764,
died 11 mo., 20, 1840; he married Elizabeth
Cope; 8. Ann, born 9 mo., 24, 1767, died 6 mo.,
5, 1768. Cheyney (4), son of James (3) and Elizabeth
Jefferis, was born 4 mo, 26, 1762, and died 4 mo.,
6, 1838. He learned the hatter's trade, but be
came a farmer. He purchased a farm adjoining
that of his father on the east. He married, 11
mo, .26, 1790, Mary Bennett, born 11 mo, 29,
1762, died 9 mo., 2, 1807, daughter of James and
Hannah Bennett, of Pennsbury. The children
born of this marriage were : Hannah, who mar
ried John James ; James ; Titus ; Cheyney ;
Mary, who married James Bennett ; and Edith.
Cheyney Jefferis (4) married (second) 3 mo.,
22, 1810, Alartha, born 4 mo., 27, 1775, died
4 mo., 30, 1854, daughter of Joshua and Edith
Sharpless. The children born of this marriage
were: Edith, 2 mo, 21, 181 1, died 4 mo, 14,
1843 : Ann, who married Moses Sheppard ; Lydia,
Martha, and Joshua.
Joshua (5), youngest and now the only sur
viving child of Cheyney (4) and Martha (Sharp
less) Jefferis, was born in East Bradford town
ship, March 30, 1820. He was educated in the
neighborhood schools, and soon after finishing
his studies he went to live with his uncle Benja
min Sharpless, with whom he resided almost five
years. In 1842 he settled in New Garden town
ship, where he purchased a farm upon which he
has since resided. By close observation 'of nature,
rational methods and persistent industry he has
made the property one of the most attractive and
productive tracts in the Chester valley. A man
of great energy and public spirit, during his long
and active life he has accomplished much for the
development and prosperity of the region. He
has rendered public service in various important
positions, and has held the offices of constable and
assessor. He was reared in the Society of
Friends, and has ever lived an irreproachable life,
but he was "read out of meeting" during the re
bellion for paying taxes for the prosecution of
the war. He was formerly a Whig and an anti-
slavery man, and became a Republican when
that party was formed. He is man of sterling
personal character, one of whom it has always
been truthfully said that "his word is as good
as a government bond." His sympathies for the
unfortunate and suffering are ever warm, and
his benevolences have been many and generous.
Mr. Jefferis was married, 5 mo., 11, 1842, at
Birmingham Meeting to Rachel Hoopes, born 3
mo., 3, 1814, a daughter of Abraham and Sidney
(Jones) Hoopes, of East Goshen township, and
the following named children were born to them :

1. Edward, born 7 mo., 11, 1843, and died 2
1110., 27, 1847.
2. William L, born 4 mo., 17, 1845. He mar
ried Mary Elizabeth Bullock, daughter of George
and Ruth Ann (Pyle) Bullock, and their children
were Bertha R. and Joseph B. Jefferis.
3. Thomas K., born 4 mo., 23, 1847, a former
in New Garden township. He married Ange
lina Thomas, daughter of John W. and Angelina
(Thompson) Thomas, and their children were
J. Walter, Ethel Philena and Homer Hoopes
Jefferis. 4. Charles S., born 11 mo, 23, 1849. He
married Anna C. Drake, and their children were
Edna, Percy, Noel, Ada and Marion.
5. Edwin, born 1 mo., 25, 1854, farmer of
New Garden township, who married Jennie
Hoopes. 6. Walker, born 4 mo, 16, 1858, who died a
few days after birth.
Thomas and Edwin Jefferis, who are farmers
of New Garden township, are both excellent, in
dustrious and progressive citizens, who strive to
be of benefit to the community in all ways con
ducive to the public good.

JOHN FAHEY, Jr. The career of John
Fahey, Jr., a representative citizen of Kennett
township, Chester county, Pennsylvania, stands
in evidence of the fact tnat he possesses all the
attributes that lead to success in the business
world — energy, strict integrity, exactness and
thoroughness. John Fahey, Jr., is a son of John B. and
Margaret (Burke) Fahey, both born in Ireland.
John B. Fahey came to America as a youth, and
found employment in Kennett township, where
he met his wife. Their children were : Edward,
who married Mary E. Gillen; John, Jr., men
tioned at the beginning of this article ; Thomas,
who died in childhood ; James H., who married
Catherine Kelleher ; Annie E., who married
Robert Craven ; Alary, who became the wife of
John Keating; Michael, who died at the age of
four years ; William J. ; Margaret, who died in
infancy. John Fahey, Jr., was born in Coatesville,
Chester county, Pennsylvania, in December,
1859, a"d obtained a practical education in the
public schools of Kennett township, having re
moved there with his parents about 1863. After
completing his educational training he pursued
farming up to 1883, when he became engaged
with his brother, James H. Fahey, in partnership
with Israel Durham in the operation of a flour
ing mill, and for several years applied himself
assiduously to the directing and managing of
this enterprise. In 1898 Mr. Fahey, in associa
tion with his brother, James Fahey, purchased the

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

557

mill which they now conduct, and by showing a
clear understanding of the details of the business
they have attined an enviable reputation in com
mercial circles and enjoy an extensive patronage.
The mill possesses an historic interest from the
fact that Bayard Taylor describes it in his story
of "Kennett" as the rendezvous of the famous
Sandy Flash. Politically Mr. Fahey is a firm
adherent of the principles of the Democratic
party, to which he has always given his hearty
support and co-operation. He is prominently
affiliated with the Ancient Order of Hibernians,
in which organization he takes a keen and active
interest. Mr. Fahey was united in marriage, April 18,
1900, to Elizabeth Dorsey, who was born No
vember 20, 1872, and is a daughter of Frank
and Bridget (Carroll) Dorsey, both natives of
Ireland. For a number of years they were resi
dents of West Chester, Pennsylvania, where they
were reared and educated. They became the par
ents of nine children: William T., Frank Em-
mett, Carroll A., Elizabeth A. (Mrs. John
Fahey), Lewis G, Archibald C, Florence M.,
Charles L, deceased, and Alfred A. Two chil
dren have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Fahey —
Florence M., born June 13, 1901, and Elizabeth,
born June 11, 1903. The family are devout
and consistent members of the Roman Catholic
church of Kennett township, and contribute
liberally to the support of the various societies
connected with it.

ISAAC D. JOHNSON, M. D., a well known
and eminent medical practitioner of Kennett
Square, Chester county, Pennsylvania, who was
engaged in active practice in that vicinity for
almost a half century, was born in Elkview, Ches
ter county, Pennsylvania, August 10, 1827, the
son of John P. and Hannah (Pillar) Johnson.
John Johnson, great-grandfather of Dr.
Isaac D. Johnson, traced his origin to an English
ancestry, but whether he was born in England
or America has never been fully established. The
first absolutely certain record in regard to him
was that as a resident of Buckinghom township,
Bucks county, Pennsylvania, "At a Monthly
Meeting held ye 7th of ye Mo., 1741, John John
son requested by an overseer that he might be
taken under the care of this meeting as a mem
ber therof, which said request this meeting takes
into consideration." The minutes of said meet
ing also show that "At a Monthly Aleeting held 2d
of ye 9th Mo., 1741, the request of John Johnson
by a former minute came under consideration and
things appearing well on his account, therefore
the meeting accepted of him as a member so far
as his life and conversation agree with the Truth
he makes profession of." The minutes of Buck

ingham Monthly Meeting further show that after
due formality said John Johnson and Lydia
Canby, daughter of Thomas Canby, both being
members of Buckingham Alonthly Meeting, were
married in said meeting on the 2 mo., 12, I754»
having a son Jonathan and a daughter Ann.
Lydia (Canby) Johnson was a daughter of
Thomas Canby, of Buckingham township, Bucks
county, Pennsylvania, and was the youngest
member of a family of seventeen children.
Thomas Canby was a son of Benjamin Canby, of
Thorn, Yorkshire, England. Thomas was a resi
dent of Walton, in Lancashire, England, and
came to this country with his uncle Henry Baker
and his family on the same ship in which Will
iam Penn made his second voyage to America,
The name of the ship was "Vine of Liverpool,"
and with William Preson as captain they sailed
from Dolgelly in Merionethshire, Wales, and ar
rived at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 7 mo, 17,
1683, this fact being recorded in the Library of
the Historical Society of Pennsylvania. Thomas
Canby was but sixteen years of age when he
came to this country, but he subsequently be
came one of the leading men of his day. He
founded the Buckingham Friends Meeting in
1701, and he and his descendants were the clerks
of said meeting for more than one hundred
years. He was a member of the colonial assembly
in 1721-22-30-33-38, and served as justice of the
peace and of the courts of Bucks county, Penn-
sydvania, being elected December 12, 1719, Jan
uary 4, 1722, May 12, 1725, each time for three
years. He was recommissioned September 13,
1725, September 13, 1726, September 12, 1727,
December 1, 1733, November 22, 1738, and
his having held said official positions renders
his male descendants eligible to membership in
the Society of Colonial Wars, and the female de
scendants to membership in tbe Society of Colon
ial Dames. Jonathan Johnson, only son of John and
Lydia Johnson, and grandfather of Dr. Isaac D.
Johnson, married Hannah Pickering, who was a
daughter of John Pickering . and granddaughter
of Samuel Pickering, in the Buckingham
Monthly Meeting on the 6 mo., 18, 1778, and their
four children were all members of the Society
of Friends. John Pickering Johnson, father of Dr. Isaac
D. Johnson, was born in Bucks county, Penn
sylvania, in 1797- He received his education in
the common schools of the vicinity, after which
he learned the trade of shoemaker. He was a
brithright member of the Society of Friends,
and politically he was an adherent of the Whig
party. During his residence in his native neigh
borhood of Buckingham he was elected to the
office of constable, and during his tenure of this
position he became addicted to the drink habit,

55»

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

which afterward ruined his prospects in life,
kept him in penury and precluded his children
from any educational advantages except those
of the most meagre description. In 1819 he
removed to New London, Chester county, where
he resided for the remainder of his life. He was
united in marriage to Hannah Pillar, daughter
of James Pillar, a prosperous agriculturist of
Bucks county. Their children were : Lydia,
wife of Stephen Townsend, of Penn township ;
Mary, wife of Euclides P. Skelton, of Bucks
county; Sarah, wife of John Holcomb, of Lan
caster county; Merab, wife of Samuel Aliller,
and Henry Paxson, of Lancaster county; Jona
than ; John ; Jesse, a resident of Cochranville ;
Phineas, a citizen of Oxford, Isaac D., a phy
sician of Kennett Square; Hannah, wife of Pier
son Holcomb Colerain, of Lancaster county, and
Henry H., of York, Pennsylvania.
Dr. Isaac D. Johnson attended the winter
sessions of the country district school until he
attained his eighteenth year, when he was ap
prenticed to Allen Gawthrop, who resided near
West Grove, to learn the trade of cabinet maker.
At the expiration of one year Mr. Gawthrop gave
up the cabinet business and engaged in the manu
facturing of hydraulic rams, and realizing that
young Isaac was somewhat of an expert with
tools he engaged him to assist in the new enter
prise. He worked at a lathe on piece work,
and by scrupulous economy was enabled to save
about two hundred dollars in the course of a
year. This he resolved to spend in procuring a
better education, and in the spring of 1847 he
entered Whitestown Seminary, Oneida county,
New York, where he remained for two years.
During the summer vacations he worked for the
farmers in the harvest field, mowing, making
hay, raking and binding wheat, and in this man
ner accumulated more capital to pay for his
tuition. While a student at this school an epi
demic of typhoid fever broke out, and Dr. John
son and Joseph Brosius, of Octoraro, Chester
county, Pennsylvania, went to the Graefensburg
Hydropathic Institution and offered their serv
ices in the nursing of the patients. While per
forming this work Mr. Johnson became much
interested in medicine, and decided to devote his
life to that calling; the head physician of that
institution was a representative of the then new
school of Homeopathy. In 1850 Mr. Johnson
went to Wilmington and read medicine with
Dr. Caleb Harlan and was graduated two years
later at the old Homeopathic Medical College
of Pennsylvania, which was situated in Filbert
street, Philadelphia. This course was pursued
under the most straightened economy; two small
rooms used for bedroom and study were rented
at a small figure and used in company with Smith
Armor, his life-long friend and now a prominent

physician of Columbia, Pennsylvania, and here
they lived on fifty-three cents each per week,
bread and molasses and roasted potatoes being
their principal diet ; but they made an occasional
visit to an eating house at Third and Market
streets, where roast beef with vegetables could
be had for twelve and one-half cents.
Directly after his graduation, Dr. Johnson
located for one year at Jennersville, after which
he practiced his profession for one year in Wil
mington, and on March 25, 1855, took up his
residence in Kennett Square, where he remained
in active practice until 1900. Being a homeo
pathic physician he met with much bitter oppo
sition at first, but after overcoming this prejudice
he built up an extensive practice covering a wide
territory and including a circuit of from fifteen
to twenty miles. He has always believed in the
"law of cure" laid down by Hahnemann, and has
been strictly averse to electricism in his prac
tice. For the medical fads of the past decade he
holds a genuine contempt, and early in his prac
tice he discarded the use of alcohol as a medicine,
maintaining that it is useless as a therapeutic
agent and productive of more evil than good.
Pie has always had a lifelong antipathy to the
use of liquors ; as a small boy, he recalls with
repugnance his having to go to "jug-town" to
procure drink for his father and then see him
sodden and irritable or abusive to his mother
and the children. So deep colored was this pic
ture upon his memory that when a mere child
of seven years he promised his mother that he
would never drink whiskey, and from that day
to this he has never tasted intoxicating liquor.
He is also opposed to the use of tobacco, and
wrote several essays showing its injurious effect
on mind and body, declaring that no one can be
at his best who uses this weed. Dr. Johnson is
a natural genius and "can make anything," as
he has often been heard to say, "in either wood
or iron." He has taken out several patents on
inventions, and is much interested in such me
chanical pursuits, but has never placed any of his
inventions upon the market. In 1871 he pub
lished a work on medical practice entitled "A
Therapeutic Key," which had a remarkable sale,
passing through sixteen editions ; the publishers,
Boericke & Tafel, of Philadelphia, claim it has
had a wider sale than any other book on their
shelves, and it is still on the market. "A Guide
to Homeopathic Practice" (a domestic work),
published in 1879, also met with wide demand
and it has been translated into French and Ger
man ; this book was pronounced by his late pre
ceptor, Dr. C. Plarlan, of Wilmington, Delaware,
to be the best work of its kind in homeopathic
literature. In 1889 he published "Counsel to
Parents," which is still on sale.
After a membership of twenty-five years in

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

559

the American Institute of Homeopathy, Dr. John
son was made an honorary member of the organ
ization. He is also a member of the Homeo
pathic Medical Society of Chester, Delaware and
Montgomery counties, but has not attended the
meetings for several years. Dr. Johnson cast
his first vote for John C. Fremont, and was an
ardent Republican up to the Benjamin Harrison
campaign, when he allied himself with the Pro
hibitionists, but, opposing the "one issue" plat
form of that party, he voted for William J.
Bryan in both campaigns under that standard
bearer, and has since been independent in his
political obligations.
On March 17, 1853, Dr. Johnson married
Susannah T. Walton, of Ercildoun, Chester coun
ty, Pennsylvania, daughter of Abner and Lydia
N. Walton, of Highland township. Mrs. John
son was educated in the public schools of her
native locality and afterward spent two or three
years at Whitestown Seminary, Oneida, New
York. She subsequently taught Naylor's Sys
tem of Geography in a number of places through
out Chester and Lancaster counties previous to
her marriage. Her death occurred December
3, 1895, at the age of sixty-eight years. Their
children are: Laura E., born in Kennett
Square, April 21, 1859, and Maude, born in Ken
nett Square, November 12, i860, wife of William
Davis, a native of Richmond, Virginia, but for
the past twenty years a resident of Kennett
Square, where he is engaged as a grape grower.

JOSEPH R. GAWTHROP, son of James
and Sarah R. (Ridgway; Gawthrop, is a de
scendant on both the paternal and maternal sides
from ancient and honorable; families, each of
whom possessed a coat-of-arms which are still
preserved and the authenticity attested by the
records in possession of the family in Chester
county, Pennsylvania. The Gawthrop family
trace their lineage to Lord Gawthrop, a native
of England, some of his descendants having ar
rived in Philadelphia early in the eighteenth
century, and subsequently settled in Chester
county. The Ridgway family are direct de
scendants of Sir Thomas Ridgway, of county
Down, Ireland, whose son, Sir Thomas, Knight,
founded the first Protestant colony in that coun
try. The second Sir Thomas Ridgway, who
was engaged in a military capacity under Queen
Elizabeth, was the first Earl of Londonderry,
and his descendant, Richard Ridgway, accom
panied by his wife and son Thomas Ridgway,
arrived in the Delaware river on board the ship
"Jacob and Mary" in July, 1679, and settled in
Bucks county, Pennsylvania.
James Gawthrop, father of Joseph R. Gaw-
36 x

throp, was born January 14, 1825, in Chester
county, Pennsylvania, a son of James and Han
nah (Marshall) Gawthrop. He acquired a
liberal education in that excellent institution of
learning, Jonathan Gause's Academy, and at
a seminary in New York state. He was prom
inently identified with various enterprises, being
first engaged in agricultural pursuits, later in the
buying and selling of live stock and finally as a.
manufacturer of fertilizer, the latter business.
being conducted at Kennett Square. His re
ligious sympathies were in accord with the faith
of the Hicksite Friends, and his political views
were in consonance with the principles of the
Republican party. On February 15, 1849, at
the home of the bride, corner of Tenth and
Arch streets, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Mr.
Gawthrop married Sarah Ridgway, who was
born in Philadelphia, October 20, 1826, a daugh
ter of Joseph and Esther (Coates) Ridgway,.
Sarah (Ridgway) Gawthrop died March 3,.
1883, and James Gawthrop died June 6, 1888.
The children of James and Sarah (Ridg
way) Gawthrop are as follows : Joseph R.,
whose name introduces this review ; Mary H.,.
born July 9, 185 1 ; she married William W. Gaw
throp, of Kennett Square; she died March 30,
1885, without issue; Harry J., born January 14,
1856; he married Alice Worrall and they have
children, Howard, Frederick, Norman and
Sarah; Charles G, born January 16, 1864; he
married Louisa Hickman, and has children sur
viving, Harold and Mary.
Joseph R. Gawthrop was born in Newlin
township, Chester county, Pennsylvania, May
16, 1850. His preliminary education was ob
tained in the public schools of Unionville and at
Shortlidge's Academy in Kennett Square, after
which he entered the Sheffield Scientific School.
of Yale College, from which institution he was,
graduated in 1872 with the degree of Bachelor
of Philosophy. He then pursued a civil engi
neering course, and after becoming thoroughly
qualified in this branch of study, served as a.
civil engineer for the city of New Haven, Con
necticut, for a number of years. In 1876 he
located in Kennett Square, Chester county, en
tered into business with his father in the manu
facture of fertilizer, and upon the death of the-
latter assumed the entire charge of the plant,
which he is successfully operating at the present
time (1903). Mr. Gawthrop is a thoroughly
progressive and enterprising man, and the liberal
patronage he enjoys is the well merited reward
of years and constant application to business.
Politically Mr. Gawthrop is a Republican,
having always advocated the principles of that
party, and he has served as a member of the
borough council. He is a prominent member ofj

560

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

the laie Alumni Association of Philadelphia
and the University Club of Philadelphia, taking-
an active interest in the transactions of both or
ganizations. Mr. Gawthrop was united in marriage Feb
ruary 20, 1879, to AIiss Hattie Mason, a daugh
ter of George William and Mary Elizabeth
(Howland) Mason, both of New Haven, Con
necticut. The children of their marriage are:
Ridgway AL, Elsie L., Lillian M. and Rosalie H.
Gawthrop. Mr. Gawthrop holds membership in
the Society of Friends.

ALBERT GREEN PEIRCE, one of the
leading and successful farmers of Westtown
township, who resides upon a farm which has
been in his family for one hundred years or since
1802, was born upon this property, December
14, 1854, and he is a son of Richardson and Sarah
(Bullock) Peirce.
The family ancestry is traced as follows : The
great-grandparents of our subject were Henry
and Mary Peirce and John and Hannah Richard
son. The first named had a son, William, and
he married Hannah Richardson May 9, 1793.
William Peirce was born July 11, 1765, and died
April 7, 1837, and his wife was born April 22,
1765,- and died April 7, 182 1. Their family was
as follows: Eliza Peirce, born June 3, 1794,
died September 4, 1865, married Thomas Hen
derson on May 16, 1822; Richardson, born De
cember 26, 1796, died April 7, 1875, married
Sarah Bullock, born February 3, 1812, died Oc
tober 4, 1901 ; Lewis, born October 4, 1799, died
April 10, 1844, married Cidney Faucett, March
3, 1825 ; Ruth, born April 7, 1802, died October
14, 1880 ; John R„ born May 27, 1805.
Richardson and Sarah (Bullock) Peirce, par
ents of our subject, had these children, viz.:
Ruthanna, born November 19, 1835, married,
February o, 1859, the Rev. Joseph S. Evans, and
they have 'had six children; Eliza Hannah, born
March 3, 1838, married January 15, 1857, Will
iam Underwood, and they have seven children;
William Bullock, born February 9, 1840, married,
December 25, 1875, Esther Woodward, who died
November 12, 1888, no issue; Lewis C, born
April 21, 1841, died July 2, 1862; Mary Jane,
born Alarch 11, 1843, died June 26, i860; John
R., born December 26, 1844, married, January
26, 1870, Alargaretta F. Moore, and they have
three children; Richardson H., born October 31,
1850, married, December 16, 1875, Rebecca Alat-
lack, and they have three children; Henry F.,
born August 23, 1852, lives at the homestead,
unmarried; Albert Green, subject of this sketch.
The maternal grandparents are Isaac Bullock,
born June 24, 1781, died January 31, 1857, and
Alary Green Bullock, born January 1, 1786, and

died March 10, 1830. The foundation of his
success was begun during the first sixteen years
upon the old home farm.
Albert Green Peirce was educated in the pub
lic schools of Westtown township, and after
wards learned the trade of tinsmith. In 188 1 he
engaged in general merchandising in Upper
Uwchlan, and thus continued for eight years, and
pursued the same line for three years in Wil
mington, Delaware. After his father's death in
1875, he spent the time until 1881 on the farm
learning the details of its management, and there
fore when he removed to the old homestead on
December 20, 1901, he was enabled to carry on
general farming and dairying intelligently and
successfully. For ten years prior to 1901, he was
employed by the Wilmington Abattoir & Cold
Storage Co., and in all of his undertakings he
has met with marked success.
On March 10, 1880, he married Ella Jose
phine Sharp, a daughter of James and Edith
(Watton) Sharp, and she was born December
4, 1855, at Dilworthtown, Pennsylvania. Air.
and Mrs. Peirce have had four children, as fol
lows : Ruth Ella, born at Byers Station, August
25, 1881, died June 26, 1899; Chester Morton,
born at Byers Station, July 9, 1883 ; William
Anna (daughter) born at Milford Mills, Septem
ber 25, 1885 ; Millard Osmore, born December
12, 1892, in Wilmington, Delaware.
The political affiliations of Air. Peirce are
with the Republican party, and he served as post
master at Upper Uwchlan from 1882 until 1885,
and he was also in the post office service at Mil
ford Mills for five years. He is a member of the
Fidelity Mutual Association of Philadelphia. Mr.
Peirce is a member of Bethany Baptist church of
Wilmington, Delaware, in which he was • a dea
con, and has taken an active interest in church
work. Both he and his wife are well and favor
ably known in their community, and have many
friends both in their church and social life.

JAMES AL WORRALL, who has served in
the capacity of . postmaster of Kennett Square,
Chester county, Pennsylvania, since 1895, also
actively and prominently identified with various
extensive enterprises in the city, is a descendant
of John Worrall, a native of Oare, Berkshire,
England, from whence he emigrated to this
country in 1682, settling first in Middletown and
later in Edgemont. In 1684 he married Frances,
widow of Thomas Taylor, and their only son,
John Worrall, died in early life. Mrs. Worrall
died in 1712, and two years later Mr. Worrall
married Sarah Goodwin, a daughter of Thomas
Goodwin, a prominent citizen of Edgemont.
iheir children were: Elizabeth, Alary, John,
Peter, Sarah, Thomas and Thomas 2d. The

^^^2^«__

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

501

father of these children died February 19, 1742,
in the eighty-fifth year of his age.
Peter Worrall, second son of John and Sarah
Worrall, was born August 26, 1719, and married
Abigail Pyle, a daughter of John and Rachel
Pyle, of Kennett, Chester county, Pennsylvania.
Their children were: John, Rachel, Sarah,
Rachel, Abigail, Alary and Elizabeth Worrall.
John Worrall, eldest son of Peter and Abigail
Worrall, was born January 31, 1758, and was
united in marriage April 12, 1780, to Hannah
Thatcher, who was born September 14, 1760,
a daughter of William and Sarah Thatcher, of
Thornbury. Their children were: Sarah,
Peter, Abigail, Edith, Hannah, Rachel, John and
Richard Thatcher Worrall.
Peter Worrall, eldest son of John and Han
nah Worrall, was born in Middletown, Chester
county, Pennsylvania, December 10, 1782, set
tled on his father's farm and was united in mar
riage about the year 181 1, to Alarv Sharpless,
born Alay 8, 1786, a daughter of Nathaniel and
Elizabeth (Wilkinson) Sharpless. Air. Wor
rall made acknowledgment November 25, 181 1,
to the Middletown Aleeting for his marriage
to a non-member, and on October 27, 1817, his
wife and children were admitted into member
ship ; five years later Air. Worrall was appointed
to the position of trustee of the Aleeting. Their
children were: John S., Nathaniel S., Hannah
T., Elizabeth S., Mary J., Hannah T., Edith L,
and Sarah P. Worrall.
Nathaniel S. Worrall, second son of Peter
and Mary Worrall, was born in Middletown,
Chester county, Pennsylvania, December 22,
1813, and his business career was devoted to the
occupations of farming and butchering. He was
a resident of Kennett Square. In the city of
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, September 5, 1843,
occurred the marriage of Air. Worrall and
Amanda Miles, who was born in Chester county,
Pennsylvania, August 1, 1824, a daughter of
James and Martha (Brown) Miles. Their chil
dren were : William Sharpless, born August 5,
1844, married Amanda Strong; Ruth Ann, born
November 6, 1846, wife of John Megilligan and
thein children are : Alary W., born April 3,
1882, and Sallie Heald, born May 17, 1884;
George, born March 8, 1850; Pierce, born Sep
tember 28, 1852, married Elizabeth Thompson.
James Miles, born February 12, 1855 ; Nathaniel
Sharpless, born October 24, 1858; Alary Eliza
beth, born March 12, 1864, died January 9, 1886,
and Edith Hannah, born February 14,1 1867,
wife of Frank Phillips.
James Miles Worrall, fourth son of Nathaniel
S. and Amanda Worrall, was born in Kennett
Square, Chester county, Pennsylvania, Febru
ary 12, 1855. He was reared and acquired his
preliminary education in the public schools in

the western section of the United States, and
these advantages were supplemented by a course
at the Dubuque Academy. He has held many
important political positions in Kennett Square,
among them being that of postmaster, to which
office he was appointed in 1895, and he is still
serving in that capacity. In addition to these
positions he is serving as president of the Ad
vance Publishing Company, president of the But
ton Factory, treasurer of the Electric Specialty
Company, and a director of the Fibre Works. The
success which has attended the efforts of Mr.
Worrall is due to his persistent energy,
quickness of decision, and close application to
the details of any business with which he is con
nected. On April 29, 1895, Mr. Worrall married
Sarah Miles, a daughter of William H. and
Emma (Roney) Miles, of Kennett Square, Ches
ter county, Pennsylvania. Their children are:
James G, born April 1, 1898, and Alary E.,
born August 19, 1901. Mrs. Worrall was born
April 28, 1875, and acquired her education in
the local schools and at Martin's Academy.

WILLIAM H. KNIGHT, V. S., for thirty-
six years actively engaged in the practice of his
profession in Kennett Square, Chester county,
Pennsylvania, where he is- also a member of the
board of health, was born October 18, 1840, at
Newtown, in Bucks county, Pennsylvania.
Jonathan Knight, grandfather of Dr. William
H. Knight, was born on the old homestead in
Southampton township, Bucks county, Pennsyl
vania, and his educational advantages were ob
tained in the common schools of the vicinity.
His entire business career was devoted to agri
cultural pursuits, and his life of industry and
usefulness gave him a firm hold upon the regard
and confidence of the community. In his re
ligious connections he was a prominent member
of the Baptist church, in which he served as
deacon for many years. His wife was a native
of New Jersey, and the following named children
were born to them : Martha, deceased, was the
wife of Daniel Rayner, and mother of three chil
dren : Henry, Alary (Airs. Abram Detweiler)
and Samuel Rayner; Charlotte, deceased, was
the wife of Watson Yerkes, and they were the
parents of two children : William and John
Yerkes ; Tacey, deceased, William, deceased, and
Charles Knight.
Charles Knight, father of Dr. William H.
Knight, was born in Southampton township,
Bucks county, Pennsylvania, in 1806, and there
he was reared, the common schools affording him
his educational privileges. He chose the occu
pation of farming for his life work, and being
an active, intelligent and successful man of affairs

562

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

achieved a large degree of prosperity in this un
dertaking. He was united in marriage January
8, 1829, to Alary Ann Cooper, who was an active
member of the Friends' Aleeting; she was born
in 1804, the daughter of John and Elizabeth
Cooper, the former named being prominently
identified with the farming interests of Bucks
county, Pennsylvania. Their children were: 1.
Elizabeth C, born October 17, 1829, and died
5 mo, 14, 1900; 2. George (now deceased), born
October 2, 1831, married Jane Cadwalader, and
three children have been born to them, Edward
C, Harry C. and William, all of whom reside
at Kalispell, Flathead county, Montana; 3. Al
fred, born January 17, 1835, died October 29,
1899, married Ruth Anna Allen, and they were
the parents of three children — Mary Ida, who
married Henry Kirk ; Eva, who married Albert
Preston, and Charles Allen, who married Alice
Watson; 4. William H., born October 18, 1840.
The parents of these children died in the same
year. 1873, the father on September 27, and the
mother on 8 mo, 11.
William H. Knight, of the family named
above, was a regular attendant at the common
schools of his birthplace, and after completing
his studies, being desirous of entering profes
sional life, he began the study of veterinary medi
cine under the tuition of Professor Robert Mc
Clure, of Scotland, and entered the Merchants'
Veterinary College of Philadelphia, from which
he graduated in 1866 with a high degree of
merit to his credit. He then located in Wilming
ton, Delaware, but after practicing his profes
sion there for a short period of time, removed
to Kennett Square, Pennsylvania. From the be
ginning, his efforts were attended with success,
and at the present time (1903) he is one of the
leading veterinarians of the borough, having
demonstrated his ability to successfully cope with
the difficult problems that arise in the career of
a practitioner. He is a member of the State
Veterinary Medical Association. In politics Dr.
Knight adheres to the principles of the Republi
can party, is a member of the city council and
also of the board of health. ^
On Alarch 14, 1889, occurred the marriage of
Dr. Knight and Catherine A. Donahue, who was
born February 25, 1853, the daughter of Patrick
and Catharine (Haley) Donahue. Her father
was a progressive agriculturist of Kennett town
ship. Dr. and Mrs. Knight have one child, Mary
Katharine Knight, born June 22, 1897. Dr.
Knight is a member of the Friends Meeting,
where his family also attend.

WILLIAM H. PHILLIPS, of Kennett
township, Chester county, Pennsylvania, who has
been actively associated with various enterprises

in that section of the state, was born in New
castle county, Delaware, March 21, 1842, the
son of Harvey and nannah (Taylor) Phillips.
Harvey Phillips, father of William H., was
born in Newcastle county, Delaware, in 1808, and
acquired a common school education in his native
Hundred and at Westtown Boarding School.
Upon leaving school he turned his attention to
farming, and after a few years engaged in the
saw mill business in connection with his farm
ing interests. During the later years of his ac
tive career he was also engaged in the milling
business in Kennett township. He was cautious
in business affairs, and possessed that untiring
energy which is always associated with success.
In politics he was formerly a Whig, but later
a Republican, and filled various offices in the
county in which he lived. Air. Phillips was
twice married. The first wife was Hannah S.,
daughter of Anthony and Edith Taylor, born in
Goshen township, Chester county, Pennsylvania,
11 mo., 4, 1809. Her father was a farmer living
near West Chester. The children born to Harvey
Phillips by his first marriage were as follows :
1. Edith, who married Lewis Pusey and became
the mother of six children; 2. Anthony, de
ceased ; 3. Edwin, who died in childhood ; 4. Wil
liam H., already mentioned at the beginning
of this sketch; 5. James, who died in early
life. The mother of this family, Hannah
(Taylor) Phillips, died 2 mo., 25, 1847, aged
thirty-seven years, three months, and twenty-one
days. The second wife of Harvey Phillips was
Annie, daughter of Richard Bailey, a prosperous
agriculturist of West Marlborough township.
Their children are: 1. Mary, who married Joel
Sharpless, and became the mother of five chil
dren ; 2. Phoebe, who married Frederick Phil
lips and has three children; 3. Evan, unmarried;
4. Nellie, who is the wife of Charles Pennock,
and mother of three children; 5. Dr. Richard,
who married Lydia Aleredith and had one child,
deceased ; 6. Annie, twin sister of Carrie, wife of
George Alartin, and the mother of four children;
7. Caroline, twin sister of Annie, wife of George
Bowman and mother of three children. Har
vey Phillips died in February, 1876, in Kennett
township. William H., next to the youngest child of
Harvey and Hannah (Taylor) Phillips, obtained
his early education in the public schools of his
neighborhood, and at the age of fourteen at
tended the Friends' School at West Chester. Af
terward he was a student for two years at the
Friends' School at Westtown and later he at
tended Wier's old West Chester Academy. Out
side of school he worked at home on the farm un
til he enlisted, at about the age of twenty-one, in
the Forty-third Regiment, Pennsylvania State
Militia, and for three months was in active serv-

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

5^3

ice, under command of Colonel Stott. When he
¦was discharged he returned home and engaged
in the milling business with his brother-in-law,
Lewis Pusey. He left the mill to take a position
in the store of Robert L. Pyle at London Grove,
and afterward entered into partnership with E.
P. Green in the management of a mercantile bus
iness at Kennett Square. Later on he was for
several years in the milling business. He then
located in West Chester, and iii association with
Marshall S. Way & Brother conducted a coal
and lumber trade. This partnership was con
tinued a little over one year, when Mr. Phillips
returned to Kennett. A few years after he
leased Clifton Mills, in Kennett township, which
he operated successfully up to 1887. In that year
he purchased the old paper mill property near
Kennett Square, in Kennett township, where, in
connection with the mill, he has erected on this
property modern and extensive greenhouses,
raising carnations, mushrooms and tomatoes, for
which there is a constant and large demand in
the nearby markets. He realizes a goodly in
come from this line of industry. He is favor
ably known in business circles as a man of strict
integrity, whose word is as good as his bond.
Since attaining his majority he has been a sup
porter of the principles of the Republican party,
and has filled with credit various offices in town
and township. He is a member of the Masonic
order and belongs to Kennett Lodge, No. 475.
William H. Phillips and Sarah J. Hicks were
married February 11, 1869. Mrs. Phillips was a
daughter of Elias and Annie (Scarlett) Hicks,
the father being a farmer of London Grove
township. Mr. and Mrs. Phillips are the parents
of three children, namely : Harry, born August
2, 1873, who died August 26, 1874; Annie H.,
born August 29, 1875, who is the wife of Ed
ward Ladley and the mother of one child, Helen
Leone; Helen J., born December 31, 1883. The
family are consistent members of the Society of
Friends.

JOHN MARSHALL PHILLIPS, a repre
sentative citizen of Kennett township, Chester
county, Pennsylvania, belongs to that class of
men who have achieved a competence through
their own efforts, and who by straightforward
dealing have won the confidence and respect Of
those with whom they have been thrown in con-'
tact. He was born February 18, 1836, at Hock
essin, Newcastle county, Delaware, the son of
William and Sarah W. (Craig) Phillips..
William Phillips, father of John AL Phillips,
was born in Hockessin, Newcastle county, Dela
ware, February 10, 1805, and received his edu
cation in the local schools. He became a farmer
on the homestead place, where he lived until

1857, when he removed to Chester county and
spent the remaining years of his life in the bor
ough of Kennett Square. He died in the au
tumn of 1886, and his wife died in 1888. He
was a man of unusual force of character, pos
sessed of great energy, and was always a lead
ing and influential citizen. He married Sarah
W. Craig, daughter of Jacob and Annie P. Craig,
of Hockessin, Newcastle county, Delaware. Mrs.
Craig was a native of Kennett township, Chester
county, Pennsylvania. The children of William
and Sarah W. (Craig) Phillips were as follows:
John M., who is mentioned at greater length in
a later paragraph; Anna M., wife of Jacob Pier
son and mother of four children; Robert J., de
ceased; Emma M., deceased; Sarah E., wife of
Hiram H. Story, and mother of three children :
Wilhelmina, whdj died in childhood; Lucretia,
wife of Thomas Megilligan, and mother of two
children. John M. Phillips, eldest child of William and
Sarah W. (Craig) Phillips, attended school in
Newcastle county, Delaware, where he was
born, and grew up to a knowledge of farming
through work with his father at home. He
spent a year in farm work at Oxford, Chester
county, Pennsylvania, returning to Hockessin in
1870, where he continued farming up to 1887.
At that time he moved to New Garden township,
Chester county, Pennsylvania, where he lived as
a farmer until 1890, when he bought his present
homestead in Kennett township. This farm
comprises seventy-two acres, and it is tilled with
intelligent care as to its adaptability. The most
improved machinery is found on the place, which
has the thrifty and well-kept appearance that be
tokens intensive agriculture. Mr. Phillips is a
Democrat, and follows the course of politics with
much interest. He is known throughout the
community as a man to whom no worthy cause
appeals in vain. He is a charter member, and
is now past master, of Kennett Lodge No. 475,
Free and Accepted Masons.
Mr. Phillips married Lydia A. Pierson,
March 17, 1869. She was a daughter of Thomas
Pierson, a prominent resident of Hockessin,
Newcastle county, Delaware, whose wife was
Martha Wilson. Mr. and Mrs. Phillips have
two children, Emma J., born February 19, 1870,
and Marshall, born May 18, 1876.

HENRY CLAY WHITE, a prominent con
tractor of Kennett Square, Chester county, Penn
sylvania", is a son of James and Ann (Taylor)
White. James White was born Alarch 21, 1809,
in Tredyffrin township, in the same county, and
received a common school education, afterward
learning the coachmaker's trade, which he made
the business of his life. In politics he was a

564

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

Republican, and in religion a birthright member
of the Society of Friends. In 1833 he married
Ann, daughter of John and Ann (Bucher) Tay
lor, of Kennett Square. She was born June 27,
1809, and was an aunt of the distinguished poet
and traveler, Bayard Taylor, and a descendant
of Robert Taylor, who came to Pennsylvania,
probably in '1682, from Little Leigh, county of
Chester, England. His wife and children fol
lowed the next year, and the family settled in
Springfield township, where Robert died in 1695.
His son Isaac, who died in 1716, married Sarah
Broadwell and had a son, Josiah, who married
Jane Stewart. Abraham, a son of the latter
marriage, married Rebecca Way, and became the
father of John. John and his wife, Ann Bucher,
were the parents of Ann, who became the wife
of James White. The following children were
born to Mr. and Airs. White : John, who died in
childhood ; Anna E., who died in childhood ; Ed
ward, deceased, who married Eva Hart; Henry
Clay, who has already been mentioned; John,
unmarried ; James, Emma, and Richard, all of
whom died before reaching majority.
Plenry Clay White, son of James and Ann
(Taylor) White, was born January 19, 1841, at
Kennett Square, Chester county, and was edu
cated in the public schools of his birthplace. He
learned the carpenter's trade, in which he gained
such proficiency that he is now doing a success
ful business as a contractor. He has erected one
hundred and twenty-five buildings in Kennett
Square, including the Bayard Taylor Library and
the Chalfant block. He has a military record as
a soldier of the Civil war, having enlisted in
Company H, known as the famous "Buck-tails,"
under Colonel Charles J. Biddle, in 1861. After
nine months of service he was honorably dis
charged, but enlisted again and served until 1863,
winning distinction at the battle of Antietam.
Politically he is a Republican, and he has held
the local offices of assessor and councilman. He
is regarded with confidence and esteem in the
community, and he is a man who gives his prac
tical support to every cause that appeals to him
as right. Mr. White marrieu Elizabeth, daughter of
Charles and Mary (Simmons) Ridgway. Mrs.
White is a member of the Episcopal church. Her
father is a merchant of Philadelphia.

HON. TOWNSEND HAINES, an eminent
lawyer and famed in public affairs, was born in
West Chester. January 7, 1792, son of Caleb and
Hannah (Ryant) Haines. He was educated at
the boarding" school of Enoch Lewis, at New Gar
den, and taught school for some years. He read
law with Isaac Darlington, and was admitted to

the bar in 1818, and became successful in his
profession. He was a Democrat in early life, and served
in the legislature in 1826-7. In 1840 he became
a Whig, and was for a time editor of the party
organ. For two years he was secretary of the
commonwealth, and in 1850 he was appointed
by President Taylor to the position of United
States treasurer. In 185 1 he resigned the latter
position, having been elected president judge for
the judicial district of Chester and Delaware
counties. At the expiration of his term he re
turned to his practice, to which he devoted him
self during the remainder- of his life. He had
a talent for poetry and wrote some pleasing
verses. He died in October, 1865, aged seventy-
two years. His wife was Anna Alary, daughter
of Philip and Sarah Derrick.

NIMROD STRICKLAND, a fine type of the
old-school journalist and politician, was born in
1807, in West Vincent, Chester county, Pennsyl
vania. He was a Democrat, and at an early age
was a man of some prominence in his party. He
was* recorder of deeds from 1830 to 1833; regis
ter of wills, 1832-1836; a clerk in the United
States treasury department for some years ; asso
ciate judge in Chester county, 1848-51 ; for some
time a canal commissioner ; warden of the Eastern
Penitentiary, 1854-55. He was editor of the
American Republica, and co-editor with Dr.
Alorwitz of the "Pennsylvanian." For forty-six
years he was a member of the Baptist church. He
was an active member of the order of Odd Fel
lows, and he was cared for by the fraternity in
his declining years. He was of kindly and gen
ial disposition and was held in high regard by
his fellows.

JOHN HICKMAN, whose strong mental
powers and brilliant oratory gave him a national
prominence during the burning days of the slav
ery agitation, was born September 11, 1810, in
Pocopson township, Chester county. His English
ancestors came to the county prior to 1685. His
parents were John and Sarah (Jefferis) Hickman.
He was educated at Brag Hill under a tutor
who was a graduate of the Edinburgh (Scotland)
University. He entered upon the study of medi
cine, but abandoned it on account of his repug
nance to the dissecting room. He then turned his
attention to the law, and after completing a course
of reading under Townsend Haines, was admitted
to the bar shortly after reaching manhood. He
served as district attorney for three terms. He
was a delegate in the national Democratic con
vention which nominated James K. Polk for the
presidency, in 1844. Pie was elected to congress

TOWNSEND HAINES.
NIMROD STRICKLAND.
JOHN HICKMAN.

ISAAC D. BARNARD.
ISAAC DARLINGTON.
ANTOINE BOLMAR.

WM. FREDERICK WYERS.
REV. JOHN F. PRENDERGAST.
SANFORD CULVER.

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

505

in 1854, and was re-elected to succeed himself
until and including i860, in which year he was
a prominent candidate for the vice-presidency.
Pie was a strong anti-slavery man and Unionist,
and his force of speech and keenness of satire
in debate made him the object of bitter taunts and
threats by southern congressmen. He voted
against the admission of Kansas under the fraud
ulent Lecompton constitution, ridiculed the dis
may caused in the south by the John Brown raid,
and gave hearty support to the administration of
Lincoln in making preparation for the war. He
declined a renomination to congress, but accepted
an election to the legislature, but refused to stand
for a re-election. He died at his home in West
Chester, March 23, 1875. His wife was Eunice
Phelps, of Guilford, Vermont; after her death
he married Airs. Alary A. Love, ncc Brown.

ISAAC D. BARNARD, soldier and states
man, was of that distinguished family which
originated in Normandy, France, and of which
a branch was planted in America prior to 1686.
He was born in 1791 in West Chester, where
he died, February 18, 1834. He studied for the
law, and was admitted to. the bar in 1816. He
had previously served with distinction in the war
of 18 12, showing conspicuous courage at Platts-
burg and Lyon Creek, and passing to the grades
of captain and major. After leaving tlie army,
he served successively as district attorney, state
senator and secretary of the commonwealth. He
was elected to the United States senate in 1827,
and resigned in 1831 on account of declining
health, and when he stood so well that the lead
ing journals of New York were urging him for
a seat in the president's cabinet. He declined the
judgeship of Chester county, and would have been
nominated for governor in 1829 but for a defec
tion in his own county. He organized the Repub
lican Artillerists, and was commissioned as major-
general of militia. He was instrumental in the
procurement of the Paoli battle ground, and in
the erection of the monument thereon. His re
mains were first interred in the Friends' burying
ground on North High street, in West Chester,
and they were removed twenty years later to
Oaklands cemetery. He was ever popular, his
boldness, dauntless character and great ability
ever commending him to his fellows. His wife
was Harriet, the eldest daughter of Isaac Dar
lington.

ISAAC DARLINGTON, an eminent jurist
and prominent in public affairs, was noted for
his great industry as a youth, and for his vigor
ous constitution and fine physique.
He was born in Westtown, Pennsylvania,

December 13, 1781, son of Abraham Darlington.
He was reared upon the paternal farm, and aided
his father in its cultivation and also in black-
smithing. He taught in the country schools for
a time, and read law under the elder Joseph
Hemphill. He was admitted to the bar before
he was twenty years of age. He was elected to
the legislature in 1807, 1808, and in 1816, and
also in the latter year to congress. He was ap
pointed deputy attorney general for Chester
county in 1820. During the war of 18 12 he served
as adjutant of the Second Regiment, Pennsyl
vania Volunteers. He was twice married; first
to Mary Peters, and second to Rebecca Fairlamb.
He left no descendants.

ANTOINE BOLMAR. Jean Claude An-
toine Brunin de Bolmar, who came to be known
as Antoine (or Anthony) Bolmar, was during a
long and active life one of the most useful citi
zens of Chester. He was born in 1797, in the
village of Bourbon Lancy, department of Saone-
et-Loire, Lower Burgundy, France. He was a
student in the Imperial Lyceum of Clermont-
Ferrand at the time of the downfall of Napoleon
I, in 1815, and went to Lyons, where he learned
silk weaving. When nearly of age he enlisted in
the army, in which he served for six years in the
war between France and Spain. In 1828 he came
to the United States, became a teacher of French
in Philadelphia, and published a number of lan
guage text-books. In 1832, when cholera visited
the States, he removed to West Chester to con
tinue his work on his school books, and was
so pleased with the village that he made it his
permanent place of residence. In . 1834 he be
came principal of the West Chester Academy,
and in 1840 he bought the building occupied
by Airs. Almira H. Lincoln's boarding school
for girls, and made it one of the most flourish
ing educational institutions in the state. As was
remarked ("Centennial Souvenir,") "he was a
public-spirited citizen and fine instructor, who
made the town celebrated for its schools, and
attracted many students from foreign countries,
and paved the way for greater triumphs for his
successors in the educational world." In 1859
he closed his school in order to revisit his native
land and on returning his impaired health forbade
his reopening it.

WILLIAM FREDERICK WYERS, an ac
complished educator, was of German origin, born
in 18 12, son of a Lutheran clergyman. He was
educated in the universities of Heidelberg and
Leipsic, and received the degrees of Alaster of
Arts and Doctor of Philosophy. At an early age
he was tutor in the family of a nobleman. In-

566

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

spired by his ideas of liberty, he wrote an article
for an obscure German newspaper, which came
to the attention of the government, and being re
garded as seditious, he was required to leave the
country within twenty-four hours. In 1842 he
landed in Baltimore, Maryland, almost penniless,
a stranger in a strange land. He soon found his
way to West Nottingham, Chester county, Penn
sylvania, where he took employment in the
chrome mines. Meantime he devoted himself
closely to the study of higher English, and to such
good purpose that he was appqinted a teacher
in the academy at New London, and in 1846 he
was advanced to the principalship of the institu
tion. In 1853 he accepted a position as teacher
in Air. Bolmar's school in West Chester, and be
came principal in 1855. In 1865 he purchased
Bolmar's Academy, afterwards Villa Maria. He
was elected president of the State Teachers' As
sociation in 1866. For many years he was ruling
elder in the First Presbyterian church of West
Chester.

THE REV. FATHER JOHN FRANCIS
PRENDERGAST, who was rector of Christ
(now St. Agnes) Roman Catholic church in
West Chester from his ordination in 1851 to the
time of his death in 1871, lived a- life of peculiar
usefulness. His parish included Downingtown,
Doe Run and Parkersburg, in Chester county,
and Drumore, in Lancaster county. He built the
church in Downingtown in 185 1; established the
Catholic cemetery at Oaklands (where his re
mains repose) in 1854; erected St. Agnes' church
in 1852 and reared its spire in 1856; built the
church in Parkesburg in 1854, and organized
two sodalities in 1857. He displayed a warm
patriotic spirit during the Civil war. At the be
ginning of hostilities he took a leading part in
the ceremonies at the raising of the national flag
in front of his church, and, in company with a
Protestant minister, the Rev. Dr. William E.
Moore, pastor of the First Presbyterian church,
he marched at the head of the Ninety-seventh
Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteers, when it was
passing through the town, en route for the seat
of war.

SANFORD CULVER, one of West Chester's
most capable teachers, was born in New England
and entered upon his career as an educator in
Delaware. In 1848 he took up his residence in
West Chester, Pennsylvania, where he was for
twelve years principal of the public schools, de
voted to his work, and held in affection by his
pupils. He was a licensed preacher in the Meth
odist Episcopal church, and was frequently a
speaker at religious meetings ; he was superintend

ent of the Methodist Sunday school during the
greater part of his residence in West Chester.
Following the death, of his first wife, he ceased
his connection with the West Chester schools,
and the populace showed its regard for him by
holding a public meeting in the court house, and
by a torchlight procession. He removed to Alill-
ville, New Jersey, where he served as principal
of the public schools, and where he died, sur
vived by his second wife.

J. ELI CROZIER. Among the citizens of
Kennett Square, Chester county, Pennsylvania,
who during a long and active business career
have been important factors in the development of
the industrial interests of the borough, stands
prominently Joseph E. Crozier, whose birth oc
curred in Kennett Square, August 29, 1847.
John M. Crozier, father of Joseph E. Crozier,
was born in Wilmington, Delaware, in 1813. He
was a man of good practical education and a tail
or by trade. He pursued this occupation up to
a few years prior to his death, when he retired
from business and his declining years were at
tended with the ease and comfort which should
always follow a career of toil and usefulness.
During the Civil war he acted in the capacity of
nurse in the famous Bucktail Regiment. He was
united in marriage to Rebecca Edwards, a
daughter of Joseph and Eliza (Marple) Edwards,
Her father was a prosperous agriculturist and
proprietor of the Anvil Hotel, on the state road,
in Chester county, Pennsylvania. Their chil
dren were : Ida, wife of James Ford and mother
of four children; Eliza, who married Theodore
Turner, and two children were born to them ;
James, who married Amanda Isaacs ; Mary A.,
wife of Charles Hasselbury, and they are the pa
rents of five children ; Morton P., who married
Molly Musser, and one child has been born to
them ; Josephine, deceased ; David, deceased ;
Samuel, deceased ; J. Eli, and four other children
who died in infancy. Mr. Crozier, father of
these children, died February 15, 1885.
J. Eli Crozier, son of John M. and Rebecca
(Edwards) Crozier, was reared and educated in
Kennett Square, being a regular attendant at the
public schools of the neighborhood. In early life
he learned the trade of iron moulding, and by
applying himself closely to his work soon mas
tered the business so thoroughly that after a few
years he was qualified to engage in the business
on his own account. He established the Kennett
Iron Foundry, which he conducts at the present
time (1903), giving employment to sixty skilled
mechanics and operatives who are engaged in
the manufacture of iron castings of all descrip
tions. Air. Crozier is recognized as a capable,
conscientious man, and his success is due to nat-

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

567

ural aptitude, as well as to his energy, determin
ation and close application to his business in
terests. On January 6, 1870, Miss Crozier married
Miss Indiana Richardson, daughter of William
and Mary Jane (Gerry) Richardson. Her fa
ther is actively associated with the agricultural
interests of Lancaster county, Pennsylvania. The
children of Mr. and Mrs. Crozier are : Mary E.,
wife of Charles H. Pyle, and John J. Crozier,
who is unmarried. All the members of the fam
ily are earnest and consistent members of the
Methodist Episcopal church of Kennett Square,
Pennsylvania.

, JOHN HIBBERD BARTRAM. One of the
highly cultivated and productive farms of Ches
ter county, Pennsylvania, consisting' of one hun
dred and forty acres of rich and arable land,
located in the vicinity of the West Chester &
Philadelphia Railroad and the old Westtown
Boarding School, is the property of J. Hibberd
Bartram, son of Israel L. and Mary Ann
(Thomas) Bartram, grandson of John and
Phcebe (Lobb) Bartram, and a lineal descendant
of Richard Bartram, a native of Derbyshire,
England, where he was educated, spent his entire
business career and died during the seventeenth
[century.1 Israel L. Bartram (father) was born in Darby-,
Pennsylvania, July 28, 1809, reared on a farm
(and acquired a practical education at the com-
¦mon schools adjacent to his home. For a number
jof years after attaining young manhood he re
sided in Upper Providence, but in the year 1839
removed to the Thomas homestead in Willistown,
jwhere he was the incumbent of various township
offices. He was a zealous member of the Willis-
¦ town Friends' Meeting, and active and public-
spirited citizen, and his services were often called
into requisition in the settlement of estates and
to serve as guardian for a number of children of
minor age. At Willistown Meeting, November
14, 1833, Mr. Bartram married Mafy Ann
Thomas, born October 30, 1809, died June 30,
1873, a daughter of Mordecai and Lydia
(Hoopes) Thomas, of Willistown. Their chil
dren were : J. Hibberd, George T., Phebe L.,
Alordecai T., and Wilmer I. Bartram. Israel
L. Bartram married for his second wife, Rebecca
H. Richards. His death occured March 20, 1900.
J. Hibberd Bartram, eldest son of Israel L.
and Alary A. Bartram, was born near the pres
ent village of Swarthmore, Delaware county,
Pennsylvania, January 24, 1835. He was edu
cated in the public schools of Willistown and
West Chester and at Daniel Foulk's Boarding

School in Montgomery county. In 1857 he
located on his present farm in Westtown town
ship, consisting of one hundred and forty acres,
which was purchased from Benjamin Seal and
was a portion of the old original Hickman tract.
Since that time, a period of almost half a century,
he has conducted farming operations on an ex
tensive scale, devoting his attention principally
to fruit and asparagus raising, trucking and dai
rying. His farm is one of the richest in fruit in
this section of the state, and the produce finds a
ready sale in the nearby markets. Mr. Bartram
conducted a stand in the old Farmer's Market
in the city of Philadelphia from the time of its
organization until it closed, and at one time
served in the capacity of director of the same.
He has always manifested a keen interest in pub
lic matters, has served as supervisor and filled
other township offices, and for forty consecu
tive years was a member of the Independent
School District, No. 2, serving as treasurer of
the board during a portion of this time. He is
a director of the Farmers' National Bank of West
Chester, and a member and overseer of the Hick
site Friends' Meeting, Goshen, Pennsylvania.
In 1857 Mr. Bartram married Elizabeth Mat-
lack Dutton, born December 12, 1835, a daughter
of Edmund and Tacy (Matlack) Dutton. Their
children were: 1. Anna D., born June 10, 1858,
died October 15, 1862. 2. Mary Thomas, born
October 2, 1862, died Alarch 6, 1895 ; she was the
wife of Benjamin K. Smedley, son of the late
Dr. Smedley, of West Chester, and they were
the parents of the following named children —
Rowena B., born August 11, 1887; Esther K.,
born in May, 1890, and Sara E., born October 4,
1893, died August 22, 1895. 3. Sarah D., born
March 9, 1864, died Alay 8, 1892; she was the
wife of William W. Kent and mother of the
following named children — Bartram S., born
11 mo, 28, 1886, and Byron H., born 9 mo,
4, 1889. 4- George . Hibberd, born July 28,
1869, resides in Birmingham township and owns
and operates a farm of one hundred and forty-
seven acres ; he married Ruth Henderson and
they are the parents of one child, G. Maurice,
born 9 mo. 8, 1895. 5. Ida Phebe, born
January 7, 1871, unmarried, resides in Wilming
ton with her brother-in-law and is engaged in
superintending the family of her deceased sister.
Mrs. Bartram, the mother of these children, died
August 8, 1895. Air. Bartram chose for his
second wife, Elma Garrett, daughter of Alaris
and Elizabeth (Kinzie) Garrett, and grand
daughter of George Garrett. They were an old
prominent Willistown township family, but Mrs.
Bartram spent the greater part of her life in the
city of Philadelphia. The marriage ceremony
was performed June 8, 1898.

568

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

JESSE J. HICKAIAN, an enterprising and
progressive agriculturist of Westtown township,
Chester county, Pennsylvania, is a descendant
of Francis Hickman, of Wiltshire, England, who
married Elizabeht Chamberlin, a widow with one
son, Robert Chamberlin, and some daughters.
Their children were : Joseph, Mary, Hannah,
and Benjamin. Mr. Hickman came to this coun
try and purchased land prior to November 27,
1685, the date of his will. His widow died in
Thornbury township in 1698. Benjamin Hick
man, youngest son of Francis Hickman, married
Ann, daughter of Richard Buffiington, in 1701,
and settled on a farm immediately east of the
Westtown Boarding School property, where the
site of their first dwelling, a cave, is marked by
an evergreen tree. Their children were : Mary,
Elizabeth, John, Francis, Benjamin, Ann and
Hannah. Air. Hickman died October 7, 1742.
Benjamin Hickman, Jr., was born September
18, 1 710, and in the year 1744 married Hannah
Trego, daughter of William and Margaret
(Aloore) Trego, of Goshen. They took up their
residence at the old homestead, and the following
named children were born to them : Ann, Lucy,
Benjamin, Francis, and Elisha. Benjamin Hick
man died in 1760, his wife having passed away
October 13, 1756. Benjamin Hickman (3) was
born July 27, 1749, married Lucy Cheyney, who
was born October 2, 1757, a daughter of Thomas
and Mary- (Riley) Cheyney, of Thornbury. Their
children were: Curtis, Mary, Benjamin, Han
nah, Thomas, Ann, Cyrus, Eber, Lydia, Eliza
beth, Francis, Rebecca, and Richard Riley Hick
man. The father of these children died March
25, 1826, and his wife's death occurred January
25. 1802. Upon the Hickman farm, now the
property of J. Hibbard Bartram, Westtown, is
a family graveyard, in which several of the name
have been buried. Thomas Hickman, grand
father of Jesse J. Hickman, married Alary Jef
feris, and resided for many years in Thornbury,
Chester county, Pennsylvania. His son, Benja
min Hickman, father of Jesse J. Hickman, was
born March 25, 1786, and was the owner of an
extensive farm in Thornbury, near Cheyney, where
for some years he was prominently known as a
breeder of hogs. He married Susanna Gilpin
James, who was born in Westtown township, De
cember 4, 1793 ; the marriage was performed No
vember 19, 181 2, and the following named chil
dren were born to them : Gilpin, born September
3, 1814, married Hannah B. Hicks, died August
11, 1852; Mary J., born August 4, 1816, married
Lewis Hoopes, died December 8, 1843 > Ruth
Ann (1), born May 27, 1818, died October 7,
1818; Passmore W', born July 25, 1819, died
February 20, 1822 ; Zillah J., born September 2,
1821, married William Ashbridge, died Alay 30,
1862; Ruth Ann (2), born January 27, 1830,

married Alfred A. Tanguy, died June 29, 1887;
Jesse J., born June 12, 1832, married Anne
Shimer and Annie AL Baker; and Susan G.,
born March 26, 1835, married Allen Speakman,
died July 26, 1892. Air. Hickman died Alarch
15, 1866, and his wife passed awav on Alay 18,
1866. Jesse James Hickman was born in Thorn
bury township, Chester county, Pennsylvania,
June 12, 1832, and acquired au excellent edu
cation in the public schools of his native town,
at Jonathan Gans School in West Bradford town
ship, and at the academy in West Chester con
ducted under the personal supervision of An
thony Bolmar. After completing his studies he
engaged in agricultural pursuits with his father
at the old homestead, where he contiued to reside
until 1894, when he disposed of the property,
and purchased a farm in Westtown township
from the heirs of Thomas Yearsley. Ever since
that date he has devoted his attention to farming
and dairying, and his straightforward dealing
and manifest desire to please his customers have
naturally brought to him an extensive and lucra-

The Hickman Homestead.
tive business, from which he derives a fair in
come. Mr. Hickman is a staunch advocate of
the principles of the Republican party, served a
term as register of wills of Chester county, was
the assistant assessor of internal revenue during
the progress of the Civil war, and at the present
time (1903) is serving in the capacity of post
master of Westtown post office, having been ap
pointed to that position in 1896, and county
commissioner of Chester county, having entered
upon the duties of that office in January, 1903. His
religious sympathies are with the Hicksite Friends,
of which organization his mother was a member,
but he does not hold membership in any meeting.
Air. Hickman is a prominent member of George

rytsisi^.- fY <%><: &7Z^<-sX^iJ

I"

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

569

W. Bartram Lodge, No. 298, Free and Accepted
Alasons of Media, a member of Concord Lodge,
Independent Order of Odd Fellows, a member
of Tamenende Tribe, no. 192, Independent Order
of Red Men, of Tanguy, Pennsylvania, in which
he has passed all the chairs, a member of West-
mont Lodge, No. 495, Knights of Pythias, Tan-
guy, and for many years was a member of Patrons
of Husbandry. On September 6, 1855, Air. Hickman married
Anne Shimer, daughter of Edward and Hannah
(Jones) Shinier, of Thornbury. Mrs. Hickman
died in Thornbury, June 25, 1856, and was buried
in Birmingham cemetery. For his second wife
he married, December 31, 1857, Annie M. Baker,
who was born in Edgemont, July 29, 1828, a
daughter of Abel and Ann (Sill) Baker, of Edge
mont. Their children are : Edward Shimer,
born June 24, 1856, married Isabella Larkin,
daughter of John and Emeline (Talley) Larkin,
of Bethel, Delaware county. Their children are :
Jesse J., Edward, Helen and Margaret Hickman.
Mifflin, born September 12, 1858, married Annie
E. Dilworth, and resides with his parents. They
have one child, Grace D. Hickman, born Octo
ber 28, 1885.

CASPER PENNOCK FAUCETT, a well-
known citizen of Westtown township, traces his
descent from George and Isabella Faucett, whose
grandson, Henry, resided, with his wife, Hannah,
in Westtown township. They were the parents
of the following children : Ebenezer, born Janu
ary 28, 1783; Alargaret, born October 17, 1784;
George, mentioned hereinafter; Rebecca, born
November 25, 1788; Sarah, born July 29, 1792;
Hannah, born April 11, 1796; Anna, born No
vember 18, 1800; and Margaret (2), born No
vember 9, 1807.
George Faucett, son of Henry and Hannah
Faucett, was born October 15, 1786, and mar
ried Mary Yearsley. They were the parents of
the following children, all of whom, with the
exception of the three last, were born in West-
town township: 1. Nathan, born December 27,
1823, married Isabella Smith, -and their children
were: Anna Mary, who married James Kirk-
patrick ; George S., who married Ada Clayton ;
and Estella, who became the wife of Penrtock
Williamson. The wife of Nathan Faucett hav
ing died, he married Elizabeth Taylor, and, after
her death, took for his third wife, Sadie Sharp.
2. Hannah N., born August 6, 1825; 3. Henry,
born January 12, 1828. 4. George, mentioned
hereinafter. 5. Mary Jane, born December 1,
1833. 6. Ebenezer, born April 2, 1836. 7. Jo
seph, born August 16, 1838; and 8. Elizabeth,
born June 6, 1840. The three last-named chil
dren were born in Birmingham township.

George Faucett, son of George and Mary
(Yearsley) Faucett, was born August 1, 1830,
and married Alargaretta C, daughter of Isaac
Smith. Two children were born to them : Cas
per Pennock, nemtioned at length hereinafter ;
and Alexis Smith, who was born April 8, 1859,
married Helen Noble, and resides in West Ches
ter. Casper Pennock Faucett, son of George and
Alargaretta C. (Smith) Faucett, was born Decem
ber 21, 1855, on tne homestead, in Westtown
township, where he spent his early life, receiving
his education in the public schools of the county,
and at West Chester Normal School. He now
resides on the homestead, in the old mansion
which was built some time during the eighteenth
century, but has since been remodeled. Not far
off, stood, in former years, a log cabin, in which,
in colonial times, the family conducted a coun
try store. When this cabin was demolished, many
years ago, some of the ancient timbers, being
found as good as when they had been first hewn,
over a century before, were used as joists in the
remodeling of the family mansion. In politics
Mr. Faucett adheres to the Democratic party.
He is a member of the Protestant Episcopal
church. Mr. Faucett married, December 18, 1895,
Maryetta, daughter of Judge and Susan (Patter
son) Tyson, of Delaware county. Mrs. Faucett
was educated at the West Chester State Normal
School.

. ABRAM SEAL WILLIAMS, a substantial
farmer of Westtown township, was born April
27, 1849, in East Bradford township, but when
he was three years of age his parents removed
with him to the present homestead, where he has
since resided. He was educated in the public
schools, at the Friends' high school, West Ches
ter, and at Professor Shortlidge's Academy in
Concord township. After completing his educa
tion he engaged in general farming and dairying>
and also operates a saw and grist mill. This farm
is the original Abraham Williams homestead of
his grandfather, for whom he is named, although
it is now written Abram. His political affiliations
are with the Republican party, and he has held
the position of school director in the township.
Being interested in agriculture, he has been ac
tive in the order of Patrons of Husbandry. His
religious sympathy is with the Hicksite Friends,
with which society all of his family is identified,
although he is not connected with any meeting.
April 15, 1886, Abram Seal Williams and
Annie Hall Bennett were married. She was born
September 29, 1858, in Birmingham township,
and she is a daughter of John and Jane (Hah)
Bennett. Four children have been born to this

570

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

marriage, as follows : Mabel Hall, born May 24,
1887, died in infancy; Jennie Bennett, born No
vember 11, 1888, died March 16, 1897; Ethel
Seal, born August 6, 1893, and Elizabeth Seal,
born August 6, 1899.
The ancestry of Abram Seal Williams is as
follows : The grandparents on the paternal side
were Abraham Williams, born December 26,
1783, died September 3, 1861, and Rachel
(White) Williams, born August 12, 1781, died
September 13, 1850, and they were married
March 14, 1804, and had five children, as fol
lows : Lewis W., born December 20, 1804, died
September 18, 1873; Hannah W., born August
11, 1807, died April 5, 1896, and she married
John T. Haines; Richard W., born July 31, 1809,
died February 1, 1890, and he married Martha
Good; Enoch T., born June 8, 1814, died Sep
tember 7, 1870, and he married Eliza Seal; Ann
T., born April 11, 1818. The maternal grand
parents were Jesse and Sarah (Sharpless) Seal.
The parents were as follows : Enoch T. and
Eliza (Seal) Williams. The former was born
June 8, 1 8 14, and died September 7, 1870, and
Eliza Williams was born May 25, 1815, and died
May 30, 1882. They had three children, as fol
lows : Sarah Ann Williams, born November 22,
1846, married Joseph G. Williams; Abram Seal,
our subject; Emma S., born October 24, 1851,
she married October 19, 1875, Mark H. Darling
ton, and they have three children, viz : Lewis,
born October 19, 1876; Isaac G., born May 10,
1882, and Norman W.,' born August 10, 1886.

STARR FAMILY. John Starr, according
to tradition, was the son of a captain of infantry
in the Parliament army and during the civil war in
England, a little before the middle of the seven
teenth century, who settled in Ireland after the
close of the war. They became members of the
Society of Friends and resided at Coot Hill, in
the province of, Ulster. The said John Starr
and Mary, his wife, had nine children:
1. John, born about the middle of 7 mo, 1674;
married Sarah Martin, 6 mo., 11, 1706; both be
ing of Ballyhaes Aleeting, Ireland.
2. James, born 10 mo., 28, 1676; married 6
mo, 22, 1705, Pachel Laybourne, born at Rames-
town, 8 mo., 7, 1686; daughter of Joseph Lay-
bourne, of Black Hadlelgh, county of Durham,
England, and of Rachel, his wife.
3. George, born 2 mo., 16, 1679; no further
record. 4. Mary, born 7 mo, 15, 1682; married 3
mo, 2, 1699, at her father's to A'lerrick King, of
Old Castle Meeting.
5. Elizabeth, born 9 mo., 12, 1684; married
12 mo., 24, 1702, at Killagh Meeting, to Richard
King, of Old Castle Meeting.

6. Susannah, born 9 mo, 23, 1686; married
7 mo., 10, 1710, at John Bell's, near Ballyhaes,
to Thomas Martin ; both of Ballyhaes Meeting.
7. Jeremiah, born 8 mo, 17, 1690; married
11 mo, 10, 1716, Rebecca, daughter of Isaac and
Ann (Evans) Jackson. See forward.
8. Moses, born 8 mo, 27, 1692; married 6
mo., 2, 1715, at Old Castle Meeting, Deborah
King, daughter of Merrick King, of Old Castle.
9. Isaac, born 9 mo, 23, 1697; married 12
mo, 20, 1723, at New Garden Aleeting, Penn
sylvania, Alargaret Lightfoot.
In the, marriage certificates of the children
the father's residence is given as at Old Castle,
in the county of Meath. James Starr came to
Pennsylvania in 1712 and settled in New Garden.
Ln. 1714 he was chosen clerk of the Newark
Monthly Meeting (now Kennett), and overseer
of New Garden Meeting. Upon the establish
ment of New Garden Monthly Meeting, in 1718,
he was chosen clerk and served till 1726. In
1731 he. removed to Charlestown township and
located at the present site of Phcenixville. Moses
Starr, his brother, came over in 1717 and after ¦
a time settled at Maiden Creek, Berks county,
of which he was the first, and for many years the
only -representative in the provincial assembly.
Isaac Starr, the youngest brother, settled in New
Garden township, but about 1731 removed to
Maiden Creek,, and in 1749 to Goshen township,
Chester county, where he died in. 1753.
Jeremiah Starr, with Rebecca his wife,
brought a certificate from Friends of the month
ly meeting of Carlow, in Ireland, which was re
ceived at New Garden 3 mo., 3, 1718, and set
tled in Londongrove township, a little northwest
of Avondale. After Rebecca's death he was mar
ried again, 10 mo., 11, 1746, at Londongrove
Meeting, to Margaret Hayes, daughter of Rich
ard Hayes, of West Marlborough. He removed
to Wilmington about 1763 and died prior to
1769, when his widow married John Jackson, of
East Marlborough. His children, by his first
wife, were these:
10. Anne, born 11 mo., 1, 1717 ; married James
Moore, 2 mo., 16, 1741.
11. John, died young.
12. Isaac, married Mary Flower, daughter
of Richard, about 1750.
13. Jeremiah, married Elizabeth Hiett, 1756,
and Rachel Moore, 1787.
14. Aloses, see forward.
15. Alice, married David Harlan, 12 mo.,
16, 1756.
16. Rebecca, born 4 mo., 23, 1737; married
Andrew Moore, 9 mo., 26, 1754.
17. Mary, married Thomas Baldwin, 8 mo,
9, W'
18. Susanna, died young.
19. Joshua, died young.

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

57i

By his second wife:
20. Phebe, married Henry Harlan, 3 mo.,
1770. 21. George.
Moses Starr (14) was married 3 mo., 19,
1760, at Londongrove Meeting, to Sarah Harlan,
daughter of Michael and Hannah (Maris) Plar-
lan, of Londongrove. In 1764 he was assessed
in New Garden with one hundred and forty acres
of land, and in Londongrove, 1774, with one hun
dred and seventy acres. In 1778 he removed to
Sadsbury, Lancaster county, and later to Bart
township, where he died prior to 1788: Sarah
died 3 mo, 5, 1815, aged about seventy-eight
years. They had four children :
22. Rebecca, died 7 mo., 15, 1819, in fifty-
ninth year; married Thomas Downing.
23. Jeremiah, born 9 mo., 10, 1762; died 3
mo, 12, 1816; see below.
24. Hannah, born 2 mo, 3, 1765 ; died 4 mo.,
20, 1836; married Thomas Whitson.
25. Sarah, died unmarried.
Jeremiah Starr (23) married Anna Whitson,
born 12 mo, 5, 1763 ; died 5 mo., 4, 1818; daugh
ter of Thomas and Elizabeth Whitson, of Sads
bury, Lancaster county. By the will of his uncle
Jeremiah Starr, who died in 1791, he inherited
one-half of the land of the latter, in New Garden,
or about ninety-three acres, on which he settled
about 1798. He had six children:
26. Deborah, born 3 mo., 11, 1789; died 5
mo, 1869; married Levi Keerans.
27. Moses, born 5 mo, 24, 1791 ; died 3 mo.,
16, 1874; married Rachel Pennington.
28. Samuel, born 5 mo., 14, 1793 ; died 8
mo, 26, 1822 ; married Hannah Gray.
29. Thomas, born 1795, died in infancy.
30. Jeremiah,' born 7 mo, 5, 1798; died 4
mo., 17, 1876. See below.
31. Marianna, born 5 mo, 19, 1805; mar
ried Samuel Moore and Samuel Pennington.
Jeremiah Starr (30) was married 10 mo, 11,
1827, at Spencer's Meeting, New London, to
Mary Thompson, born 5 mo., 15, 1810; died 9
mo, 3, 1882; daughter of Eli and Sarah (Scar
lett) Thompson, of Mill Creek Hundred, Dela
ware. He purchased a part of the homestead
from his brother Moses, in 1823, to which addi
tions were subsequently made, and by will de
vised his real estate to his wife. They had seven
children :
32. Sarah, born 10 mo., 23, 1828 ; died 6 mo,
28, 1875 ; married Robert L. Walter.
33. Jeremiah, born 4 mo, 27, 2830 ; married
Rebecca Hallowell.
34. Eli T., born 1 mo., 7, 1834; married
Carrie Jefferis.
35. Ann, born, 10 mo, 5, 1836; died 6 mo.,
24, 1842.

36. Samuel, born 7 mo, 22, 1839; married
Mary Dyer, 1 mo., 6, 1876.
37. Mary Anna, born 12 1110, 22, 1842; mar
ried William E. Haines.
38. Charles T., born 8 mo, 23, 1846; died
12 mo., 23, 1891.
Charles Thompson Starr, last named, was
born in New Garden township, and educated at
the public schools and Shortlidge's Academy,
Kennett Square. He began business as a farmer,
but having from early iife manifested a strong
love for flowers he turned to their cultivation,
and at the time of his death he was one of the
leading florists of the county. His zeal and in
dustry in his chosen pursuit were thought to
have overtaxed his strength and shortened his
life. He was a man of sterling worth, with strong
convictions for the right, from which he never
wavered. A Republican in politics, he held the
office of school director in his native township.
In 1876 he purchased from his mother the home
stead, and continued to reside thereon, a member
of New Garden Meeting. He was married 9 mo,
9, 1874, at her father's, to Emma F. Chandler,
born at Concordville, Delaware county, 2 mo., 21,
1854, a daughter of William L. and Sarah Anna
(Stiteler) Chandler, last of New Garden. They
had five children : William Chandler, born 8 mo.,
8, 1875 ; Lillian C, born 5 mo., 24, 1879 ; Chester
Thompson, born 11 mo., 6, 1880; Mary, born
3 mo, 3, 1882 ; Eli Thompson, born 1 mo., 25,
1885 ; all unmarried.
George Chandler, of Greathodge, in Wiltshire,
England, with Jane his wife and seven children
set sail for Pennsylvania in 1687, but the father
died at sea, 10 mo., 13, of that year, after which
his widow and children found a home in Chiches
ter township, (now) Delaware county. The
names of the children were John, who died young,
George, Swithin, Jane, William, Thomas, Char
ity and Ann.
William Chandler married in 17 12, Ann Bow-
ater, and settled in Londongrove township, about
a mile and a quarter south of the meeting house.
His children were Jane, Lydia, Samuel, William,
John, Anne, Thomas, Moses and Mary.
John Chandler, son of William and Ann, born
1 mo., 20, 1719-20; died about 1753; married, 2
mo, 8, 1741, at Londongrove Meeting, Susanna
Parks, of Londongrove, daughter of Richard
Parks. He inherited the homestead and left three
children, Samuel, John and William. After his
death his widow married John Wilson.
John Chandler, Jr., was married at Christ
church, Philadelphia, January 30, 1773, to Anna
Jones, daughter of John and Sarah (Taylor)
Jones, of East Bradford. He was a coachmaker,
and resided for a time in East Bradford; after
ward, 1783, in East Alarlborough, and subse-

572

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

quently removed to Harrison county, Kentucky.
He had children, Edmund, Rachel, Benjamin,
Jehu, William, John and Israel. His death oc
curred in Clermont county, Ohio, 6 mo., 13, 1835.
William Chandler, born 1 mo., 14, 1788, son
of John and Anna, came from Kentucky to live
with his uncle William Chandler, of New Gar
den, who had no children. He was admitted into
membership with Friends at Kennett Square
Aleeting, 1 mo, 6, 1818, and married there, 10
mo., 15, 1818, to Ruthanna Davis, born in
Charlestown township, 8 mo, 11, 1801 ; died 3,
mo., 22, 1846, daughter of Samuel and Sarah
(Leedom) Davis. He was a farmer in New
Garden, between Kennett Square and Toughkena
mon, and had children, Sarah D., Mary, Josephus
P., Edwin A., William L., John L., Anna, Esther,
Samuel D. and Lewis B. Chandler.
William L. Chandler, born 10 mo, 22, 1825 ;
died 1 1110., 23, 1882; married in 1851, Sarah
Anna Stiteler, of Uwchlan township. She died
about 1864 and he married a second wife, Susan
A. (Hoffman) Dorian, now living at Kennett
Square. He owned and resided on a farm, im
mediately south of Toughkenamon, in New Gar
den. By his first wife he had three children:
Isaac Franklin, born at Concordville, 9 mo., 4,
1852; married, 2 mo., 17, 1875, Emilie Cope, and
lives at the New Garden homestead.
Emma F., born 2 mo., 21, 1854; married
Charles T. Starr.
Charles W., born 1855 ; married 10 mo., 12,
1881, Alary A. Caldwell.

WILLIAA1 WELLS, one of the prosperous
farmers of Westtown township, was born in Sus
sex, England, and is a son of William and Mary
(Playfoot) Wells of that place. In the spring
of 1853 our subject emigrated from his native
land and located in Westchester, Chester county,
Pennsylvania, where he engaged at his trade of
carpenter, which he had learned from his father
in England. In the spring of 1859 he moved to Willis
town, still working at his trade, but in 1863 he
enlisted in the One Hundred and Seventy-fifth
Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, and
served as a private until the regiment was mus
tered out in Philadelphia. His service was in
North Carolina and Virginia. After his dis
charge, he continued to reside in Willistown un
til 1867, spending the last year upon a farm. In
that year he moved to West Goshen and contin
ued farming upon two different farms until the
spring- of 1875, when he settled in Easttown and
for one year more engaged in farming. The
next year he sold his interests and bought his
present homestead of one hundred and ten acres
in Westtown township, which is a portion of the

original estate of Thomas Henderson. Turn
ing over the management of the farm to his son,
Herbert, in 1882, he moved to the Chester Coun
ty Home, of which he took charge and managed
it as steward for four years, giving entire satis
faction. From there he went to Westchester and
was warden of the county jail for eight years,
when in 1894 he retired to his homestead and is
now enjoying the life of an agriculturist.
His political affiliations have always been
with the Republican party, and he has served as
supervisor of Westtown township. Fraternally
Air. Wells was for many years a member of the
order of Knights of Pythias.
On October 20, 1855, Mr. Wells was married
to Mary Mills, who was born in Sussex, Eng
land, June 16, 1833. Eight children were born
to them, but they lost three children within nine
days by diphtheria, and the others are as follows :
Harriet Jane, born July 19, 1856, married Rob
ert Walsh, lives in Coatesville, Pennsylvania, and
have one child, Earl Barton, born in 1898; Her
bert James, born March 9, 1858, married Alarch
9, 1881, Mary Dickerson, born February 5, 1858,
and she is the daughter of Joseph and Phoebe
Ann (Mercer) Dickerson, of West Goshen town
ship. Herbert manages the homestead, carrying
on general farming and dairying, and he and his
wife have an adopted child, Mildred Boyd Wells,
born June 3, 1890; Edward Thomas, born Sep
tember 18, i860, resides in East Chicago, was
married, March 9, 1880, to Elma L. Baily, by
whom he had one child who died in infancy and
one living, Walter Wells, . who married Jessie
Hardcastle; second, he married Mary Rambo,
and they have three children, Edna, Thorton and
Pearl; Henry Evans, born May 1, 1862, died of
diphtheria, May 24, 1875 ; Wilmer Baker, born
April 30, 1864, died May 15, 1875, of the same
disease; Elwood Smedley, born August 15, 1866,
married Luella Alitchell, no issue ; George
Downing, born May 20, 1871, died May 20,
1875, of the same disease; Warrington William,
born November 4, 1875, resides in Philadelphia,
and is employed in the office of the general man
ager of the Pennsylvania Railroad. He married
Bertha Potter, a daughter of Matthew and Ella
Potter of Valley township ; no issue.

ISAAC NEWTON HENDERSON, one of
the successful farmers of Westtown, Pennsyl
vania, was born October 1, 1852, on the original
Henderson homestead, where he now resides, and
which was purchased by his ancestor, James Hen
derson, from Isaac Covington, Alarch 8, 1818,
for four thousand one hundred and sixty-five
dollars. He was educated in the public schools
and at Wickersham Academy, Alarietta, Lancas
ter county, and he always followed the calling of

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

573

a farmer and dairyman. For a number of years
he has been one of the prominent Democrats of
his locality, and served his party and the commu
nity in various offices, at present being the effi
cient supervisor, as well as serving upon the
school board. Fraternally Air. Henderson has
been a member of the orders of Odd Fellows and
Red Aien for some years and is very popular in
both organizations, as well as throughout the
township where he has always made his home.
While not a member of any denomination, his
sympathies are with the Baptist church, whose
services he attends and gives liberally towards
its support. On December 25, 1877, he was married to
Ella Maria Cloud, and she was born August 3,
1858, and is a daughter of William Cloud and
his wife, Anna M. (Pearson) Cloud, of East
Goshen township. Nine children have been born
of this marriage, as follows : George W., born
February 27, 1879; Anna C, born November
27, 1880; Etta Jane, born October 29, 1882; Ar
thur C, born May 30, 1885, died August 26,
1885 ; Howard Pearson, born Alarch 10, 1888 ;
Katie, born January 25, 1891 ; Estella Grace,
born January 5, 1894; Charles LeRoy, born No
vember 26, 1895 ; William Cloud, born Septem
ber 26, 1897.
The ancestry of our subject begins with a
James Henderson, who died February 5, 1842,
when about seventy-seven years of age, and his
wife, Sarah Wain, to whom he was married De
cember 17, 1789, by John Bartholomew, J. P.
The wife died April 21, 1858, aged eighty-eight
years, six months and eight days. She was a
daughter of Samuel and Sarah (Steel, nee
Pierce) Wain. Mrs. Wain was the widow of
Andrew, Steel, to whom she had been married
April 1, 1758, and she was married to Samuel
Wain on November 6, 1767. Mr. and Mrs.
James Henderson had children as follows : John,
born September 9, 1790, died May 20, 1842;
Samuel, born April 13, 1793, died December 8,
1882; Eber, born December 19, 1795, died
March 5, 1873; Sidney (daughter), born Alay
14, 1798, died November 4, 1806; Joseph, born
August 23, 1804, died August 17, 1865, married
Eliza Ann, who died September 26, 1861, aged
fifty-eight years, and they had two children, viz :
Sidney, died in infancy, and George Washington,
born April 18, 1836.'
Of the above family Samuel Henderson mar
ried Susanna Faucett, who died March 14, 1835,
aged thirty-seven years, one month and seventeen
clays ; she was a daughter of John and Charity
Faucett. The children of Samuel and Susanna
Henderson were as follows: James W., born
September 23, 1818, died January 15, 1853, mar
ried Mary G. Fiss, and they had two children,
viz: Elery Channing, born September 21, 1848,

died January 29, 1856, and Samuel James Wain,
born January 30, 1853; John D. (father of our
subject) was born October 19, 1822, died April
11, 1862. He married Eliza Jane Burns, born
in 1822, and died January 8, 1890, and she was
the daughter of Alatthew Burns. The children of
John D. and Eliza Henderson were as follows :
Isaac Newton, subject, and Susanna, born De
cember 6, 1855, married G. Pearson Ootid.

T. ELWOOD WOLLASTON. By thrift,
frugality, energy and perseverance, T. Elwood
Wollaston, an esteemed and well known citizen
of New Garden township, Chester county, Penn
sylvania, has attained a prominent position among
the representative agriculturists of the community
and has achieved a remarkable degree of success
in all his enterprises. He is a son of Thomas
and Minerva Wollaston.
The common schools of New Garden town
ship and vicinity afforded T. Elwood Wollaston
a practical education which thoroughly qualified
him for a life of usefulness and activity. Shortly
after the completion of his studies he engaged in
farming pursuits, and this occupation has en
grossed his entire time and attention ever since.
His farm in New Garden township consists of
one hundred and forty-five acres of rich and ara
ble land, highly cultivated and improved, whereon
he conducts extensive and general farming oper
ations. Mr. Wollaston is upright and conscien
tious in all his business transactions, is a regular
attendant at the meetings of the Society of
Friends, and his political affiliations are with the
Independent Republican party.
Air. Wollaston was united in marriage to
Emma Cranston, daughter of Joseph Cranston,
of Delaware, and four children were born of this
union, all of whom are unmarried — Harvey, Wal
ter T., Percy E. and Howard C. Wollaston. The
mother of these children died in 1887. Mr.
Wollaston then chose for his second wife Jennie
Clark, daughter of the late Joseph Clark, who
was for many years a representative agricultur
ist of Londonderry township, Chester county,
Pennsylvania.

WILLIAAI N. KELTON. The Kelton fam
ily of Chester county, Pennsylvania, which num
bers among its members William N. Kelton, a
prosperous agriculturist of New Garden town
ship, is one of the earliest known in its history,
and in all its generations from the first to the
last it has had representatives who have been
prominent in everv useful and honorable walk
of life. The first American ancestor was James
Kelton, who was born in Scotland in 1695, came

574

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

to this country from the north of Ireland prior
to the year 1735, and took up his residence in New
London. Later he purchased five hundred acres
of land in Londongrove, near the site of the town
of West Grove, and erected a house in which
many of his descendants resided. His first wife,
Margaretta Kelton, born in Scotland in 1699,
died at West Grove, in the sixty-sixth year of
her age. When Air. Kelton attained the age of
seventy-five years, he married Mary Hackett,
aged eighteen years, a resident of New Garden,
near Avondale. They were the parents of two
children, James and Alargaret. Mr. Kelton died
in 1 78 1, and by his will he directed that his son
James should be taught Latin and Greek if he
desired it.
Hon, James Kelton, Jr., son of James and
Mary Kelton, was born in 1776, and was reared
and educated in his native county. He became
one of the prominent men of the community and
was the first incumbent of the office of postmaster
of West Grove, serving in that capacity for twenty
years ; was sheriff of the county for three years,
and served ten years in the assembly and four
in the state senate. For a number of years he
was a stockholder of the first, stage route in the
United States, which was operated between the
cities of Philadelphia and Baltimore. In his po
litical views he was a Democrat, and in religious
matters he was an adherent of the faith of the
Presbyterian church. On February 7, 1793, oc
curred the marriage of James Kelton, Jr., and
Agnes Mackey, daughter of David Mackey, Esq.,
and the following named children were born to
them : David, John M., James, Mary Jackson,
Robert, Joseph, Agnes Lambson, Margaretta,
George, Julia, and Rachel McClenahan. The
father of these children died November 25, 1844,
aged sixty-eight years; his wife passed away
May 16, 1823.
John M. Kelton, second son of Hon. James
and Agnes Kelton, and grandfather of William
N. Kelton, was born February 1, 1795, and sub
sequently became one of the leading and public-
spirited citizens of the township. He organized
and was commissioned captain of a company dur
ing the war of 1812, but owing to some reason it
was never called into active service. He was in
strumental in the organization of Lincoln, then
Ashton, University, and a promoter of the build
ing of the Philadelphia & Baltimore Central Rail
road. In his political affiliations he was a Re
publican, and was elected by that party to serve
as justice of the peace, and also director of the
poor of the county, holding the first named office
for forty years and the latter for twelve years.
On December 10, 1818, he married Elizabeth
Correy, and two children were born to them :
Robert C, and Ellen, who became the wife of
James Alackey, a resident of Penn township,

Chester county, Pennsylvania. Captain Kelton
died December 10, 1886, having attained the ad
vanced age of ninety-one years. His wife's death,
occurred August 7, 1872, in her seventy-ninth
year. Robert C. Kelton, only son of Captain John
M. and Elizabeth Kelton, and father of William
N. Kelton, was born at West Grove, Chester
county, Pennsylvania, November 3, 1819. Dur
ing his early youth he was a regular attendant at
the common and private schools of the neighbor
hood, and after laying aside his books pursued the
occupation of farming in his native township for
one year. He then located in Wilmington, Dela
ware, and engaged in the grocery business, but at
the expiration of four years he returned to the
state of Pennsylvania and settled in what is now
known as Kelton, the station being named in his
honor. He purchased a farm of seventy acres
which he cultivated and improved, making it a
profitable source of income, and in connection
with this industry he was the owner of a ware
house, which he erected on his property in 1868.
Like his father, he tendered his services in de
fense of his country, enlisting in 1863 in the Penn
sylvania militia, as a member of one of the regi
ments called out to defend the state against Gen
eral Lee's second northern invasion. Mr. Kelton
was formerly a Democrat, but for a number of
years has voted the Republican ticket. He was
appointed the first postmaster of Kelton, serving
from 1874 to 1889, and he also occupied the posi
tion of station agent of the same town for forty-
two years, and was then put on the pension roll
of the Pennsylvania Railway Company. He is
yet living, at the age of eighty-two years.
Air. Kelton was united in marriage, March 21,
1848, to Martha E. Nelson, a daughter of William
Nelson, of Penn township, Chester county, Penn
sylvania. Their children were : Mary, died in
childhood; May, also died in early life; William
N. ; John, married Elizabeth Barrett, of Arling
ton, Illinois ; and Ellie Kelton, who was manager
of the telegraph office at Kelton for eleven years
and then married James P. Evans, of Oxford,
Chester county, Pennsylvania.
William N. Kelton, eldest son of Robert C.
and Martha E. Kelton, was born in London Grove
township, Chester county, Pennsylvania, April
15. ^o- He acquired a practical education in
the common schools of the vicinity, which he at
tended until he attained the age of thirteen years,
when he removed with his parents to Kelton, and
his education was resumed in the schools there, aft
er which he was a pupil at Shortlidge's Academy.
in Kennett Square, and the New London Acad
emy, which he attended during the years 1866 and
1867. After his graduation from the latter named
institution he turned his attention to agricultural
pursuits, which occupation he has followed up to

S^tUxrtrvT^ JjjLstl*JtAA**r

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

575

the present time (1903), being the owner of a
productive farm of one hundred and thirty-five
acres, and an extensive and profitable dairy, lo
cated in the township of New Garden. Mr. Kel
ton is a Republican in politics, and keeps well in
formed on the important political questions of tne
day; being a man of more than ordinary ability
and judgment, he was chosen to serve in the
capacity of school director and auditor, which
offices he has filled for the past six years. He is
a prominent member of the Knights of Pythias
and of the Grange.
On December 5, 1883, Mr. Kelton married
Anna Brown, daughter of the late David M. and
Alice (Tweed) Brown, of New Garden township,
Chester county, Pennsylvania. Their children
are : Robert B. and Mary T. Kelton, both of
whom are unmarried. The family are earnest and
faithful members of the Presbyterian church of
New London, Chester county, Pennsylvania.

ELLWOOD MICHENER, during his life
one of the most worthy and highly respected citi
zens of New Garden township, Chester county,
Pennsylvania, was a descendant of a family
whose name occurs on the records of Philadel
phia, Pennsylvania, as early as 1686.
The first American ancestors of whom there
is any authentic record ¦ was John and Sarah
Michener, who removed to Abington, Pennsyl
vania, in 1 71 5, accompanied by their family
which consisted of six children. The line of de
scent from these ancestors is as follows.
William Michener, son of John and Sarah
Michener, was born in 1696, and subsequently
became one of the early settlers of Plumstead,
Bucks county, Pennsylvania, becoming the owner
of a tract of land which consisted of four hun
dred acres, in 1725. He was united in marriage
to Margery Kester and ten children were born
to them. His widow died February 15, 1821,
at the advanced age of ninety-three years.
Mordecai Michener, son of William and
Margery Michener, was born January 30, 1723,
and he was given a portion of his father's estate.
In 1784 he disposed of this property, which con
sisted of one hundred and thirty acres, and re
moved to a farm in Londongrove, near West
Grove Meeting House, where he resided for the
remainder of his life. In 1748 he married Sarah
Fisher, daughter of John and Elizabeth Fisher,
and the following named children were born to
them: John, Barak, Deborah, Mordecai, Eliza
beth, Robert, Catherine and Sarah Michener.
Mordecai Michener, son of Mordecai and
Sarah Michener, was born January 28, 1759, on
the old homestead near West Grove, Chester
county, which he retained possession of during
his entire life-time. He was united in marriage
37 x

to Alice Dunn, who was a native of Bucks coun
ty, but later removed to Chester county with her
parents, Ralph and Anna Dunn. Four children
were the issue of this marriage. Mr. Michener
died January 6, 1854, having attained the
extreme old age of ninety-five years; he sur
vived his wife for many years, her death having
occurred August 30, 1824, in the sixty-third year
of her age.
Dr. Ezra Michener, youngest son of Morde
cai and Alice Michener, and father of Ell
wood Michener, was born at West Grove,
Chester county, where he obtained a lib
eral education. Having decided to lead
a professional life, he took up the study of
medicine, and subsequently became one of the
most prominent and skillful medical practition
ers of West Grove. His practice was character
ized by that clear perception which passes for
intuition, and that care in diagnosis and treat
ment which insure thorough work and satis
factory results. He was one of the committee
appointed to prepare a constitution and by-laws
for the Chester County Medical Society, which
was founded in 1828. He was one of the pro
moters and most active members of the "Guardian
Society for Preventing Drunkenness," supposed
to have been the first temperance society organ
ized in Chester county. He was also the author
of several valuable works in relation to the
geography, conchology and zoology of Chester
county. He married Sarah Spencer, of Ches
ter county. They were the parents of several
children, two of whom attained years of maturity,
namely: Lea, who was killed while mining on
the railroad, and Ellwood, mentioned hereinafter.
Ellwood Michener, son of Dr. Ezra and
Sarah (Spencer) Michener, was born in West
Grove, Chester county, February 25, 1821, but
in his infancy his parents removed to New Gar
den township, and he acquired his education in
the common schools of that locality and at West
Chester. His business career was principally
devoted to agricultural pursuits, and in addition
to this vocation he performed considerable work
as a surveyor and conveyancer. He also served
in the capacity of director in the Kennett Bank
for twenty years, being one of the first to hold
that office. He was a man of sound business
qualifications and practical experience, which
well qualified him for the various local offices
to which he was elected by his fellow townsmen.
In politics he was an adherent of the Prohibition
party, and like his father, took a deep and abiding
interest in the cause of temperance. He was an
active member of Friends Meeting and was
clerk fbr many years.
On November 11, 1847, Mr. Michener mar
ried Ruthanna C. Gilpin, a daughter of George
F. and Elizabeth (Horlan) Gilpin, the former

576

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

named having been an enterprising and success
ful agriculturist of Birmingham, Chester county,
Pennsylvania. Air. Alichener's death occurred
February 8, 1902 ; he was survived by his widow,
a woman of rare intellectual gifts and excellent
traits of character, who is residing in quiet and
retirement in New Garden township, Chester
county.

SAAIUEL WICKERSHAAI, a well known
and prosperous agriculturist residing in the town
ship of. New Garden, Chester county, Pennsyl
vania, was born in that township, on the farm
where he now lives, July 26, 1845, the son of
Nathan and Eliza Townsend Wickersham.
He acquired his education in the common
schools pf his native county and in the. Millers
ville State Normal School, and turned to farming
as an occupation. He came into possession of
the farms comprising one hundred and twenty
acres of choice land, which, under his industry
and good management have come to be known
among the most productive in that section and
yield him a good return for his labor. In addi
tion to his farming interests Mr. Wickersham.
has served as president of the National Bank of
Avondale since its organization in 1891. He was
one of the first stockholders of the Building As
sociation of London Grove, and was early con
nected with its management. Some years after
the association was founded there was a tendency
among the membership to withdraw and the as
sociation go into liquidation, but largely through
his efforts the organization was kept intact, and
brought again to a prosperous condition. He has
always been a strong advocate of the saving fund
feature of the Building Association policy, and
time has shown .the wisdom of his counsel. Mr.
Wickersham is now secretary of the association,
and has been for many years. For twelve years
he filled the office of director of the poor in a
manner that won much commendation. He is
a Republican, though the public welfare as he
sees it is always paramount to party issues.
Mr. Wickersham married Mary J. Hoopes,
daughter of Isaac and Elizabeth Walker Hoopes,
of New Garden township, 2 mo, 12, 1873. Both
Mr, Wickersham and his wife are members of
the Society of Friends and contribute liberally
toward its' support, cherishing the traditions of
the sect to which they were born.

received his education in the common schools
and at the State Normal School at Millersville.
He was a farmer and followed agricultural pur
suits during all his life. In 1866 he was married
to Phcebe Michener, daughter of Dr. Ezra Mich
ener, of New Garden, Pennsylvania.
Ezra J. Webster, son of George and Phcebe
(Michener) Webster, was born in London Grove
township, January 9, 1871, and was educated at
Martin's Academy, and at the Friends School at
Jenkintown, near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
He is also a farmer and has a flourishing farm of
twenty-three acres, including a dairy of seven
teen selected head of cattle. In his political
affiliations he is a strong and independent Re
publican, and he is a worthy member of the
Society of Friends. He resides at New Garden.
Air. Webster married Elma Anna, daughter
of Ellwood and Anna (Cope) Cooper, on Sep
tember 6, 1893, at 117 Claymont street, Phila
delphia, Pennsylvania; she was born December
20, 1868. They are the parents of only one child,
a son, Ellwood Al. Webster.
Air. Webster's wife is also descended from
the Smedley family, her paternal grand
father having married Rebecca Ann Kirkwood, of
Philadelphia. On the maternal side, the grand
father of Elma A. Webster was Jonathan Cope,
who was born in East Bradford township, Au
gust 10, 1810, and died at East Goshen, Novem
ber 27, 1872; he was the son of Jonathan Cope
and Zillah (Darlington) Cope, and married
Gulielma Al. Thomas, October 6, 1842, at
Goshen Meeting; she was born in East Goshen
township March 26, 1813, and died there Febru
ary 16, 1854; they are both buried at Goshen
Meeting. Jonathan Cope, the grandfather, kept
a general store at Rocky Hill, in East Goshen,
for many years. Mr. Ellwood Cooper, father of
Mr. Ezra Webster's wife, Elma A., was born in
Lancaster county, September 27, 1841 ; he has
been married twice, his first wife (mother of
Elma A.), having died in Londongrove town
ship, March 29, 1870. He removed to Philadel
phia about 1880, and married January 4, 1882,
Rachel P. Wills, and is engaged in the wholesale
boot and shoe business in the Quaker city.

EZRA J. WEBSTER. The ancestry of Ezra
J. Webster may be traced back on both sides of
his house to the Smedley family of Chester coun
ty, Pennsylvania. His father, George Webster,
was born in 1835, near Christiana, Sadsbury
township, Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, and

EMMOR D. GAWTHROP, a prominent
citizen and enterprising agriculturist of New
Garden township, is a representative of a family
whose history is closely identified with that of
Chester county, Pennsylania, his ancestors, James
and George Gawthrop, making that vicinity their
home in the early part of the eighteenth century.
They were the sons of Thomas Gawthrop, a native
of England, who was born in 1709, married
Isabel Crossfield, and his death occurred in the

^u_./^L~~«d

The Lewis PiMishmg Co.

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

577

county of Westmoreland, England, September
29, 1780.
George Gawthrop, son of Thomas Gawthrop,
was united in marriage December 31, 1772, to
Jane Allen, a daughter of James and Jane Allen,
of East Marlborough, and shortly after their
union they took up their residence in London
Grove township, Chester county. Their son,
Thomas, married November 13, 1800, Elizabeth
Thompson, and the following named children
were born to them: Sarah, Ann, Daniel, Jane,
Allen, Lydia, Elizabeth and James Gawthrop.
Daniel Gawthrop, father of Emmor D. Gaw
throp, was born in London Grove township,
Chester county, Pennsylvania, in 1805, obtained
a common school education, and followed farm
ing as his vocation in life. He married Eliza
beth Mitchell, a daughter of Joseph Mitchell,
who was prominently identified with the agricul
tural interests of the state of Delaware. Their
children are : Sarah, wife of William H. Way,
and mother of four children; Lydia A., unmar
ried ; Amy, wife of Alexander Turner, and Em
mor D. Gawthrop. The death of Air. Gawthrop
occurred in 1837, he being then only thirty-two
years of age.
Emmor D. Gawthrop, only son of Daniel and
Elizabeth Gawthrop, was born on his father's
farm in London Grove township, Chester countyr,
in 1837. His preliminary education was acquired
in the public schools of the vicinity, and later
he was a pupil at Ercildoun Academy under the
competent preceptorship of Smedley Darling
ton. He subsequently devoted his attention to
agricultural pursuits in his native township, con
tinuing his operations until 1863, when he re-
. moved to his present home in New Garden town
ship, his farm consisting of one hundred and sev
enteen acres of rich and fertile soil, with a dairy
of thirty head attached. During his entire busi
ness career Mr. Gawthrop has displayed wonder
ful industry and a resolute purpose, and in the
management of his farm has met with gratify
ing success.
In 1863 Mr. Gawthrop responded to the call
of President Lincoln for an additional force of
one hundred thousand men, and enlisted in the
Eighty-seventh Pennsylvania Volunteers, under
the command of Colonel Murphy, his regiment
being ordered to perform garrison duty. In his
political convictions he is a Republican, having
served his township in the capacity of tax col
lector, constable and school director, being the
incumbent of the latter named office for nine
consecutive years. He was one of the originators
of the Order of Good Templars, and is also a
member of the Improved Order of Red Men. He
holds a birthright membership in the Society of
Friends, the principles of which he strictly ad
heres to.

In 1862 Mr. Gawthrop married Phcebe S.
Thompson, a daughter of Richard Thompson,
an enterprising and successful farmer of Chester
county, Pennsylvania.

ABRAHAAI L. PENNOCK and CASPAR
PENNOCK. The name oJ" Pennock is of Saxon
origin, and the earliest ancestor of the American
branch of the family was Christopher Pennock
( 1 ) , who was an officer in the military service of
William of Orange, whom he accompanied to
Ireland, and fought in the battle of the Boyne in
1690. He made his home in Cornwall, England,
and married Mary Collet, a daughter of George
Collet, of Clonmel, Tipperary county, Ireland,
and the following named children were born to
them : Nathaniel, Joseph and Annie Pennock.
He subsequently emigrated tp Pennsylvania,
where he died in 1701.
Joseph Pennock (2), son of Christopher and
Alary (Collet) Pennock, was born in 1677, in
Clonmel, Ireland. In one of his passages to this
country, in a letter of marque, he was captured by
a French ship of war and confined in France as
a prisoner upwards of a year, and endured much
hardship. In 1702 he settled in Philadelphia,
where he engaged in the mercantile business. In
about the year 1714 he removed to West Marl
borough, Chester county, and settled on a large
tract of land of which he became proprietor by
virtue of a grant from William Penn to the
Rogers brothers, and from them to George Collet,
his grandfather. He there, in 1738, erected a
large mansion. "Primitive Hall," in which he
died in 1771. The building material of Primitive
Hall was brought from England, as were also
all of the household goods. Joseph Pennock was
the father of twelve children, the seventh of whom
was named after himself, Joseph Pennock (3).
He also reared a large family, among whom was
a son, George Pennock (4).
Abraham L. Pennock (5), son of George Pen
nock (4), was born in Philadelphia, Pennsyl
vania, 8 1110., 7, 1786. For thirty years he resided
in that city, engaged in business first as a dry
goods merchant, the firm being Pennock & Rob-
bins, and afterwards in the wire business of the
firm of Sellers & Pennock. Here he was the
originator of the riveted hose, the superiority of
which over the sewed enabled the firm to bring
it into universal use, and caused the United
States government to enter its contract with them
for the making of all mail bags used in its service.
In 1840 he retired from business and moved to
Haverford township. Subsequently he undertook
the care of a number of estates. The exercise of
his accustomed foresight and good judgment
gained for him the love and approbation of those
for whom he labored. In the fall of 1845 he

578

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

moved to Upper Darby township, where he re
mained until his death, 5 mo, 12, 1868. He was
pre-eminently a man who had the courage of his
convictions, and when James G. Birney was
nominated by the Liberty party for president,
Mr. Pennock voted for him with the anticipa
tion that his vote would be (as it was in fact)
the only one cast for Mr. Birney in the township.
When slavery was advocated in the South, as "a
divine institution," and apologized for in the
North, he would neither use the products of slave
labor nor allow his family to do so, preferring
at greater expense and trouble to procure sugars
from small land holders, who were compensated
for their labor, and cotton, linen goods or pure
linens, in place of the cottons of the South. His
entire life was exemplified with high ideals, and
he was ever ready to aid the temperance cause
with purse or pen. He erected at his own expense
a Temperance Inn for the accommodation of
travelers, in order to forestall the building of one
already begun where liquors were to be sold.
The poet Whittier wrote of him: "He was my
friend and councillor in the dark and troubled
times of 1838-39 and '40, a man of antique
heroism, against whom the bitterest enemies of
freedom could find nothing to urge. I think
he came nearer to my ideal of a true Christian
gentleman than anyone I ever knew." How
much he did by tongue and purse and the
influence of his noble life and character for the
cause of freedom, only those who in those years
were closely associated with him could know. He
was a tower of strength to the Pennsylvania
Anti-Slavery Society, and in his death a righteous
cause was deprived of a most zealous advocate.
At Darby Meeting, 6 mo, 7, 1810, Mr. Pen
nock married Elizabeth Sellers, daughter of John
and Mary (Coleman) Sellers, of Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania. She was born 8 mo, 26, 1791,
in Philadelphia, and died 6 mo., 18, 1870, at Hood-
land, Upper Darby. She inherited this estate
from her father, it having had for its first owner
under William Penn, John Blunston, of Darby,
who sold the property to John Hood, from whom
the homestead takes its name.
Mary (Coleman) Sellers/wife of John Sellers,
was a victim to the terrible yellow fever scourge
of Philadelphia, which prevailed durinng the years
1793 and 1794, and at her death she was survived
by three small children — -John, Elizabeth and Ann.
John Sellers subsequently made his home with his
brother, Nathan Sellers, in Philadelphia, and he
was accompanied by his daughter Elizabeth, the
other two children, John and Ann, finding a
home with their grandparents, John and Ann
(Gibson) Sellers, at Sellers Hall, Upper Darby.
When ready to retire from business, John Sel
lers removed to Wayside, Upper Darby, which
he had inherited from his father, John Sellers

the first, it being formerly a portion of the Blun
ston or Hood tract.
While residing at Wayside, Elizabeth Sellers
became acquainted with her husband that was
to be. Riding by her father's door, young Mr.
Pennock was attracted by a lithe young figure
sliding on the ice at the road side ; an acquaintance
ensued, and this growing into friendship and
finally into that which was stronger, engage
ment and marriage followed, and the two became
loving husband and wife. It was a case where
true love ran smoothly, and they lived for many
years together a happy and devoted couple. Airs.
Pennock was a woman of engaging manners,
conscientious and faithful in the discharge of all
her duties, devoted to husband and children, and
in all respects was everything that a wife and
mother should be. She took an active and keen
interest in all measures tending to the betterment
and uplifting of humanity generally, and of the
colored race especially. She was thorough and
practical in the performance of her work, attended
to household matters most sedulously, and in
every respect was a helpmate to her husband. In
girlhood and young womanhood she was spright
ly and venturesome, but with matrimonial life
came a beautiful sedateness, and her attention to
family and friends was unremitting. To the
stranger she gave a hearty welcome and ready
sympathy, to each and every worthy person in
distress she extended a helping hand, and she
was considerate and thoughtful of the feelings
of all with whom she was brought in contact.
She was an intelligent reader of the daily journals
as also of other literature, and kept herself well
informed as to the passing events of the day,
more particularly those occurring in the political,
philanthropic and religious world.
To Abraham L. and Elizabeth (Sellers) Pen
nock were born the following named children:
George, Mary C, John S., Joseph L, Sarah,
Ann, Casper, Abraham L. and Isabella Pennock.
Abraham L. Pennock, fifth son of Abraham
L. and Elizabeth (Sellers) Pennock, first married
Abbie Jane Aldrich, by whom he had four chil
dren : Herbert, Caspar, Charles Earl, deceased,
and George L. Herbert A., the eldest of these,
married Susan Morton Brown, and their children
are: Abbie J., David B., Crosby and Nellie
Pennock. By his second marriage with Anna
M. Cadwallader, Abraham L. Pennock had seven
children : Aldrich J., Samuel S., Olivia C, Jo
seph L, Henry S., Anna L. and Elizabeth. Sam
uel S. married Alice Foster, of Westerly, Rhode
Island, and has two children : Charles F. and
Samuel S. Pennock. Olivia became the wife of
Frank Laird, and has one child, Anna Laird.
Caspar Pennock, second son of Abraham L.
and Abbie Jane (Aldrich) Pennock, was born at
Haverford, Delaware county, Pennsylvania, Feb-

J. LIDDON PENNOCK,

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

579

ruary 2, 1855. He was educated principally at
the Friends' Select School in Philadelphia, and
the institution at Westtown taught by David
Reese. At this time his father was engaged in
the nursery business, including the hothouse
cultivation of plants and flowers on the West
Chester road, and as soon as Caspar left school
he became an assistant in the establishment.
Under his father's skillful tutelage he mastered
the business of floriculture in all its details, and
after the former's retirement in 1893 he took
entire charge. Previous to this time, however,
the nursery feature had been abandoned with a
view to paying all attention to the cultivation of
roses. Caspar Pennock conducted the business
alone until 1898, when he formed a partnership
with his brother George L., and since then the
firm name has been C. & G. L. Pennock. They
make a specialty of the cultivation of roses, and
send the entire product to their brother Samuel,
who is conducting a wholesale business in Phila
delphia. Experts say that the Pennock Brothers
have one of the best equipped plants of this kind
in the country. At present they have more than
two acres of ground under glass, and contemplate
an addition which will double their space. The
heating plant, which is of the best modern con
struction, consists, of three large steam boilers,
with an aggregate capacity of two hundred horse
power. The ventilating plant, so indispensable
an adjunct of such an establishment, is also the
best that can be devised, and equal to any demands
made upon it for air distribution through the
various conservatories. The output of the firm
is eagerly sought after by all the dealers, and
readily commands the highest market prices ;
and it is needless to add that as the demand for
flowers in the large cities is very great, the Pen
nock Brothers have been conducting a profitable
and constantly increasing business. Mr. Pen
nock devotes the greater part of his time and at
tention to his extensive and exacting business,
in which he is regarded as an expert, and one of
the most successful propagators in the state.
Mr. Pennock married Hannah B. Levis,
daughter of J. Harrison and Sarah Crozer
(Longstreth) Levis, by whom he has two chil
dren — Laura Aldrich and Sarah Frances Pennock.

JOSEPH LIDDON PENNOCK, deceased,
was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 4 mo,
22, 1819, a son of Abraham L. and Elizabeth
(Sellers) Pennock. His early education was ob
tained in the schools of his native city, and this
was supplemented by attendance at Haverford
College, from which institution he was graduated.
For several years after the completion of his
studies he assisted with the work on his father's
farm, and resided under the parental roof. His

first business venture was in the coal and lumber
trade at Holmsburg, Philadelphia; later he was
engaged for a number of years in the horticul
tural business, and the latter years of his life
were spent at his home in Upper Darby township,
Delaware county, Pennsylvania. He was just
and conscientious in all the relations of life, was
interested in numerous enterprises leading toward
the social and moral improvement of society, and
like his illustrious father, was an earnest temper
ance worker and gave much of his time and
thought in support of the anti-slavery cause. He
was an ardent admirer and firm friend of John G.
Whittier, James Russell Lowell, Charles C. Bur
leigh, Lucretia Mott and others who were co
workers with his father in the cause of freedom
for the negro. In religion he followed the tra
ditions of his ancestors.
At East Goshen Meeting, Chester county,
Pennsylvania, 12 mo., 15, 1847, J. Liddon Pen
nock married Lydia Ann Eldridge, daughter of
Enos and Susanna (Hoopes) Eldridge, and to this
marriage was born the iollowing named children :
1. Sarah, born 2 mo., 3, 1849, became the wife of
Francis Cadwallader Biddte, and their children
are : Lydia Pennock and Mary Canby Biddle.
2. Anne, born 8 mo., 21, 1852, died 1 mo, 17,
J853. 3. Joseph Eidridge, born 12 mo, 25,
1853 J he married Mary Lippincott, and their chil
dren are: Pauline Scull and Margaret Liddon
Pennock. 4. Abraham Liddon, born 8 mo, 25,
1855 ; he married Ida V. Hay, and they are the
parents of one surviving child, Clara Hay Pennock.
5. Enos Eldridge, born 7 mo, 9, 1857 ; he married
Annie E. Smith, and the isuse of this marriage
was one son, Eldridge Liddon, who died in in
fancy. 6. Maria Eldridge, born 10 mo., 27, 1862,
became the wife of Walter South, and their chil
dren are : Helen Pennock and Edith Knight
South. J. Liddon Pennock, the father of these
children, died at Jacksonville, Florida, 11 mo, 18,
1870; he was survived by his wife, who resides
at 2146 Green street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

PUSEY P. WOLLASTON. The progenitor
of the Wollaston family in America was Jere
miah Wollaston, who was one of the two hundred
and one "Friends" who affixed their names to
a document which was prepared May 12, 1735,
at a Quarterly Meeting held at Concord, and sent
to George the Second, King of Great Britain,
praying for a settlement" of the border difficulties
and that they be allowed to exercise their former
liberty. The descendants of Jeremiah Wollaston
are numerous, and represent some of the most
prominent and influential families of Chester
county, Pennsylvania, the majority of them set
tling in New Garden township.
Pusey P. Wollaston, son of Thomas Wol-

580

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

laston, was born in New Garden township,
Chester county, Pennsylvania, June 2, 1848.
He acquired a practical education which
prepared him for the activities of life at
the schools of Fairyille, a suburb of Ken
nett Square, Pennsylvania, and subsequently
learned the trade of coach-maker and wheel
wright at Gum Tree, Chester county. After
thoroughly mastering the details of this busi
ness he removed to New London, then to
Avondale and later to Wilmington, and in all
these various localities he devoted his energy to
his chosen line of industry, that of coach-maker
and wheelwright. He then changed his place of
residence to North Carolina, where he spent
some eight months, after which he returned to
New Garden township, his birth place, and has
since conducted general farming. His ground is
well cultivated and therefore productive, and the
goodly income he derives from his products is
the result of diligence and perseverance. In his
political views Air. Wollaston adheres to the prin
ciples of the Prohibition party, being active and
earnest in the support of their candidates. In
his religious convictions he follows the faith of
his ancestors, who were all members of the So
ciety of Friends.
In 1873 Mf- Wollaston married Alary Cran
ston, a daughter of Joseph Cranston, a resident
of Delaware, and a farmer by occupation. The
issue of this marriage was one child, Louis A.,
whose death occurred at an early age. After the
death of his wife, which occurred in 1895, Air.
Wollaston was united in marriage to Elizabeth
Hollowell, a daughter of John Hollowell, a prom
inent citizen of Alontgomery county, Pennsyl
vania. They were the parents of one child, who
died in childhood. Mrs. Wollaston passed away
February 23, 1903.

JOHN HARPER, a well respected and es
teemed citizen of the township of New Garden,
Chester county, Pennsylvania, who has been for
many years actively and successfully engaged in
agricultural pursuits near Avondale, was born in
Strickersvillle, Chester county, Pennsylvania, in
1844, the son of Enoch and Sarah (Kennedy)
Harper. John Harper was reared and received a prac
tical education in the public schools of Strickers-
ville, Pennsylvania, but after attaining the age
of thirteen years his parents removed to Dela
ware and his education was completed _ in the
schools of that state. He commenced his busi
ness career by engaging in farming pursuits,
which line of industry he followed for a number
of vears, and then learned the trade of butcher.
After successfully following this occupation for
a number of years he returned to his former

labor, that of farming, and has continued his
operations up to the present time (1903). His
farm contains sixty-nine acres of ground, all of
which is under a high state of cultivation and
therfore very productive, and during the passing
years it has yielded him a fair income for the
amount of work bestowed upon it. In his politi
cal affiliations Air. Harper is a Republican, and
takes a keen interest in all local affairs ; in his
religious tendencies he is a firm believer in the
creed of the Society of Friends, and in fraternal
matters he is connected with the Grange and the
Knights of the Golden Eagle.
On January 29, 1874, occurred the marriage
of John Harper and Eliza Idall, the latter named
being a daughter of Amos Idall, an enterprising
and progressive farmer of New Garden town
ship, Chester county, Pennsylvania. Their chil
dren are:" Sarah E., wife of Howard Yarnall,
and mother of one child; Alary L, unmarried,
and John A. Harper, also unmarried.

WILLIAAI MARSHALL WALTON is a
representative of a family that has long been
identified with the interests of the township of
New Garden, Chester county, Pennsylvania,
where his birth occurred. He was a son of Joel
and Lydia (Yeatman) Walton.
William Walton, grandfather of William AL
Walton, was born on the old homestead in New
Garden township, Chester county, in 1780, and
after obtaining the limited educational advantages
afforded by the district schools of that day learned
the trade of shoemaker. This business he fol
lowed for a number of years, but later purchased
the old homestead and devoted his energies to
farming interests, and as enterprise, energy and
honorable dealing were the chief characteristics
of his life, his business career was attended with
a large degree of prosperity. He married Sarah
Humes, a daughter of John Humes, a farmer of
London Grove township, and their children were :
Chalkley J., who married Philena Chandler,
whose death occurred in 1892 ; they were the
parents of six children ; Reuben, who married
Ada Springer ; he is now deceased ; loel AL,
father of William Al. Walton. The father of
these children died in 1857, and the mother passed
away in 1893.
Joel AL Walton, father of William AL Wal
ton, was also born on the ancestral estate in New
Garden township, Chester county, in 1828. He
was educated in the common schools of the local
ity, and upon reaching man's estate became a
farmer butcher by occupation. In politics he was
an ardent Republican, and in religion a Friend.
He was twice married, his first wife having been
Lydia Yeatman, daughter of Alarshall Yeatman,
who was engaged in agricultural pursuits in L011-

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

581

don Grove township. Their children were :
Sarah, unmarried; Howard, married Amy
Larkin, and they are the parents of three chil
dren ; Mary, wife of Samuel Spencer, and mother
of three children, and William Alarshall Walton.
Air. Walton married for his second wife, Hannah
Michner, who is living at the present time ( 1903) .
William AL -Walton, eldest son of Joel M. and
Lydia Walton, received his educational ad
vantages in the schools of Kennett Square, and
from the close of his school days up to the pres
ent time (1903) has been engaged in agricultural
pursuits, carrying on general farming and dairy
ing. In his political sentiments he is an advocate
of the Prohibition party and his religious views
are in accord with the Society of Friends.
In 1883, Mr. Walton married Emma Satter
thwait, a daughter of Jacob and Alary (Palmer)
Satterthwait, the former named being superin
tendent of the Woolen Mills of Wilmington, Del
aware. Their children were : Percy J., unmar
ried ; Maud D., unmarried; Maurice AL, unmar
ried, and Bertha AL Walton, deceased.

SWITHIN SHORTLIDGE. The Short
lidge family of Chester county, Pennsylvania, one
of the most prominent in that section of the state,
is of Scotch-English ancestry and was founded in
America by James Shortlidge, a native of Eng
land, who settled in Chester county about the
time of the Revolutionary war. Many of his de
scendants still reside in that locality and occupy
prominent positions, political, educational and
social. Swithin Shortlidge, son of Evan and Sarah
(Hollen) Shortlidge, was born in New Garden
township, Chester county, Pennsylvania, Novem
ber 11, 185 1. He acquired the educational ad
vantages afforded by the common schools of the
neighborhood, and subsequently chose the occu
pation of farming for his life work. In 1873 he
changed his place of residence to the west, set
tling in Illinois, but after remaining in that sec
tion for a short period of time he returned to
New Garden township, Chester county, purchased
a farm of one hundred and thirty-five acres with
a dairy of twenty head of cattle attached, which
he has successfully operated ever since. His
land is highly cultivated, his stock in excellent
condition, and the whole appearance of the farm
indicates the careful supervision of an experienced
agriculturist. Politically Air. Shortlidge is a Re
publican, and has served his township in the capac
ity of supervisor for twelve years, performing the
duties of the. office in a highly commendatory
manner. His fraternal affiliations are with the
Alasonic Order and the Patrons of Husbandry.
On March 30, 1876, was solemnized the mar
riage of Air. Shortlidge and Alagdilene White,

daughter of Richard White, a prosperous farmer
of Franklin township, Chester county, Pennsyl
vania. Of this union were born six sons and
one daughter — Orville W., Harry, who died in
early life, E. Whorton, Harvey G, Ada D.,
Swithin, Jr., and Raymond Shortlidge. The sur
viving members of the family are all unmarried.
Mr. Shortlidge and his family attend the meet
ings of the Society of Friends, that being the
religious belief of his forefathers.

THOMAS E. MULLIN, who holds a promi
nent place among the leading citizens of Phcenix
ville, Pennsylvania, is a son of John Mullin, who
born about 1800, in county Londonderry, Ireland,
whence he emigrated in 1830 to the United States,
making the voyage in what now seems the incredi
ble long period of four weeks, but which was then
considered a quick passage. John Mullin sailed
to America in the "Seine," a three-hundred-ton
vessel, and preserved the announcement bill which
he took from the walls of Derry. Air. Alullin on
said bill has written the names of the other pas
sengers also. He landed in Philadelphia, where
he found employment at his trade of carriage-
building with Wilson & Childs, a well known
firm, with whom he remained for two years. It
is worthy of mention that carriage-builders were,
at that time, generally designated as wheel
wrights. During Mr. Muffin's stay in Philadel
phia, he saw the funeral of Stephen Girard.
Mr. Alullin, while a citizen of Philadelphia,
had an opportunity of witnessing one of the
most terrible of the epidemics of cholera which,
from that time until within a comparatively recent
period, visited this country. At the end of two
years Mr. Mullin removed to Schuylkill county.
He married, in 1836, Ann Walsh, whose parents
had emigrated from Ireland and settled in Tam-
aqua, Schuylkill county, Pennsylvania. Air. and
Mrs. Mullin were the parents of six children, one
of whom holds an especially high place in the
regard of the people of Chester county.
Thomas E. Mullin, son of John and Ann
(Walsh) Mullin, was born April 25, 1844, at
Lumberville, now known as Port Providence,
Alontgomery county, Pennsylvania, and received
a very thorough and excellent education, by virtue
of which, joined to a marked degree of executive
ability, he was enabled to teach successfully in the
public schools for a period of seven years. His
talents for commercial life were not inferior to
his qualifications for the profession of an educa
tor, as was proved by the fact that, for twenty-
five years, he successfully conducted .a general
store in Phcenixville, retiring from business in
1895, in the possession of more than a compe
tency. For thirteen years he held the position of
organist in St. Mary's (Roman Catholic) church,

582

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

being a thorough and enthusiastic musician. He
is deeply interested in the cause of temperance,
which he advocates both by precept and example,
being a total abstainer. When the Total Absti
nence Association was organized in Baltimore,
February 22, 1872, he was among those present.
He has been secretary of St. Mary's Total Absti
nence Society ever since its formation in early
October, 1872. He is faithful in all the duties of
a good citizen, and is ever ready to lend his aid
and influence to all projects which commend
themselves to his judgment and conscience, as
having for their object the advancement of so
ciety and the welfare of the community. He ad
heres to the Roman Catholic faith, and is devoted
to his church, but exercises, in his religious opin
ions, the same liberality which marks his senti
ments on other subjects.
Mr. Mullin has never married, but since his
retirement from business, has resided with his
sister, Miss Eliza Mullin, in his pleasant home at
the corner of High and Railroad streets. Miss
Mullin, who is a native of Phcenixville, and has
resided there all her life, is the center from which
radiates the influence which makes the home of
her brother so eminently a happy one. The fund
of information and wealth of experience pos
sessed by Mr. Alullin cause him to be regarded as
an authority on many questions. He is a man of
commanding appearance and strikingly intelligent
countenance. His integrity of character inspires
universal respect, and his winning personality-
has brought him the affection of a large circle of
friends. His nature is eminently social, and,
among his many attractive qualities, is a talent
for conversation, which he exercises with equal
facility on whatever subject happens to be under
discussion, and which renders him a delightful
entertainer. No one who enjoys the pleasure of
Mr. Mullin's acquaintance requires to be told
that he is extremely and deservedly popular.

HOWARD STEPHENS WILLIAMS. The
Williams family is one of the very oldest in
eastern Pennsylvania, and is of Welsh origin.
The founder of the American stock came as a
resident immigrant in 1698. Until 1726 he was
a member of the Great Valley Baptist church,
from which he withdrew to become one of the
organizers of the Seventh Day Baptist church in
Warwick township, with which he was actively
identified during the remainder of his life. He
died in Whiteland in 1735. His wife was Lettie
Perry. Howard Stephens Williams, of the sixth gen
eration from his immigrant ancestor, was born
in Schuylkill township, Chester county, Penn
sylvania, in 1874, son of Benjamin Frariklin and
Joseph (Stephens) Williams. Pie began his edu

cation in the public schools in his home neighbor
hood, and pursued advanced studies in the
Friends Central School in Philadelphia, an in
stitution which afforded what was equivalent to
an academical course, graduating from this
institution in 1893. Immediately after grad
uating he was employed by J. M. Pan & Son,
grain exporters, where he remained for two years.
He then came to Phcenixville and took the office
of Elijah Pennypacker and conducted a real estate
and conveyancing business. On attaining his
majority he was appointed magistrate for his na
tive township, to fill a vacancy, and at the en
suing election he was regularly eiected to the office,
which he has continued to the present time, and
which he has brought to large proportions. In
February, 1903, he was elected chief burgess of
Phcenixville for a term of three years. In all
his business relations, public and private, he is
known as entirely capable and far-sighted, and
he ' is universally esteemed for his public-spirit
and strict integrity.
Mr. Williams is active in the military affairs
of the state, and is senior first lieutenant of Bat
tery C, National Guard of Pennsylvania, and has
served with his command in all the recent coal
strikes in Pennsylvania when troops were re
quired. He is a member of the Masonic fra
ternity, and has attained to the chivalric degrees
of the Commandery of Knights Templar, and is
also a member of Lulu Shrine, Philadelphia. He
was married to Miss Lillian MacVeagh Alarch,
only daughter of the late J. Webster March, and
a niece of Hon. Wayne MacVeagh.

CHARLES H. HOWELL, for many years
prominent in industrial and public affairs in
Phcenixville, Chester county, Pennsylvania, comes
of sterling Welsh stock, and his ancestors were
among the earliest settlers of Gwynedd township,
Montgomery county, Pennsylvania.
The first of these American ancestors was
George Howell. His coming to this country, and
his life as a pioneer in the wilderness of Penn
sylvania, have been so obscured by the lapse of
time as to be mere matters of conjecture to his
descendants. It is known that his wife's name
was Margaret, and that a son Walter was born to
them, through whom Charles H. Howell, of
Phcenixville, traces his descent. Walter Plowell
was born October 9, 1734, and was the second
child of George and Margaret Howell. He was
a farmer and passed his life in the county of his
birth. He lived to a very old age, and his re
mains are buried in the Montgomery Baptist
churchyard in Montgomery township. He had a
son named Walter, born November 7, 1784, who
in early manhood removed to Chester county, and
there iived a long life and reared a numerous

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

583

family. He was a farmer, and a worthy and up
right man.
Among the children of the second Walter
Howell was Walter Jackson, born at Mt. Vernon,
Chester county> Pennsylvania, July 22, 1827.
Early in life he removed to Phcenixville, where
for many years he was in the employ of the
Phcenixville Iron Company, first as a nailer, later
as a heater and puddler, and he rendered the
company skillful and faithful service. He has an
excellent military record to his credit ; during the
¦early part of the Civil war he served in Company
K, First California Regiment, of which the la
mented E. D. Baker, a personal friend of Abra
ham Lincoln, was colonel, and he subsequently
served for a year and a half in the Seventy-first
Pennsylvania Infantry, under Colonel E. D.
Baker. He was a Republican who closely
watched the trend of political affairs. In 1849 he
married Maria Miller, of East Vincent township,
born July 21, 1829, a daughter of John Miller, one
of the early residents of Chester county, and to
this marriage were born six children. Mrs.
Howell is living at the present time (1903).
Charles H. Howell, one of the children of
Walter J. and Maria (Miller) Howell, was born
August 9, 1850, at Phcenixville, Chester county,
Pennsylvania. He attended the public schools of
the town until he was thirteen years old, at which
early age he entered the works of the Phoenix
Iron Company, where his father was employed.
He was trained in the works, and at the age of
twenty years he entered the machine shops as a
skilled mechanic. Here he remained for eight
years, developing and strengthening his mechani
cal ideas and gaining in practical manipulation.
In 1878 he was transferred to the rolling mill
and placed in charge of the machinery and belt
ing. He held this position for six years, fully
justifying the confidence of his employers in his
ability to handle complex mechanisms. In 1884
he resigned his connection with the Phcenix Iron
Company after being twenty-one years in its em
ploy. The same year he was elected justice of the
peace for the south district of the town, re-elected
from time to time, and is now serving his fourth
term, ending in 1904. In this connection the
writer of these pages has authority for the asser
tion that in the preparation of cases for court,
Alderman Howell is not surpassed in the county.
He is not only accurate, but his skillful penman
ship makes his papers a model of beauty. He also
served for some years as deputy coroner for the
northeastern portion of Chester county. He has
developed business ability and administrative
skill which he gained by his mechanical training,
making him a man of more than ordinary range
of ability. He is a Republican in politics and
affords his aid in supporting the principles of his
party. He is a talented musician, and was a mem-

bei of the Phcenix Alilitary Band for more than
twenty-eight years. He is a member also of
various societies, which have utilized his service in
the capacity of secretary, as for instance, for the
Junior Order of United American Mechanics,
Sons of Veterans, the Chamber of Commerce, and
th* Phcenixville Industrial Association the past
seven years. With his family he holds member
ship with the German Reformed church.
Mr. Howell married Mary A. Hill, a daughter
of Abraham D. and Margaret G. Hill, of Price-
town, Berks county, Pennsylvania. Mr. and Mrs.
Plowell are the parents of six children : Carrie
H., Harry M., Maude H., Walter A., Charles H.,
and Dorothy S. Howell. Carrie H., the eldest
child in this family, inherits the fine gifts of her
father in writing and drawing, and is an inval
uable assistant to him.

EDWARD D. DUNMORE, a man of great
energy and thorough business experience, and
prominent among the agriculturists of Charles
town township, Chester county, Pennsylvania, is
the son of Daniel and Elizabeth (Chaplain) Dun-
more, both of whom are natives of England, emi
grating to the United States after their marriage
and settling on a farm in Schuylkill township,
Chester county, where the mother died about thir
ty years ago, and where the father is residing at
the present time (1903). Eight children were
born to Daniel and Elizabeth Dunmore, the follow
ing named being the only surviving members of
the family : Robert S., a prominent citizen of
Chestnut Hill, Pennsylvania ; Elizabeth A., wife of
Ellwood Gill, who are now residing on the old
homestead farm, and Edward D. Dunmore.
Daniel Dunmore possesses the characteristics of
promptness, accuracy and reliability, as his suc
cessful business career has fully demonstrated.
The educational advantages enjoyed by Ed
ward D. Dunmore were obtained in the common
schools of the township, and after laying aside
his school books he engaged in farming pursuits.
In 1892 he purchased the old Anderson farm,
which is located in Charlestown township and
contains one hundred and two acres of highly
cultivated land, and since that date he has been
extensively engaged in farming and dairying,
keeping for the latter purpose twenty cows of
a fine breed. In politics Mr. Dunmore is a Dem
ocrat and has served his township in various ca
pacities, having been a member of the school
board for three years, supervisor for four years,
and at the present time (1903) is serving his
third term as auditor, all of which duties he has
discharged with the utmost promptness and fi
delity. He is a member of the Alasonic frater
nity, and" the American Order of Junior Me
chanics.

584

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

Air. Dunmore was united in marriage, March
21, 1883, to Annie Al. Clark, daughter of John
R. Clark, of Uwchlan township, Chester county,
who follows the trade of carpenter. Their chil
dren are : William Arthur, Helen Letitia, Eliza
beth Anderson, Ralph Edward, and John Clark
Dunmore.

MRS. LAVINIA W. SHAFER, a native and
a life-long resident of Phcenixville, Chester coun
ty, Pennsylvania, is of English descent. Her
great-grandfather came from England and set
tled in Village Green, now within the bounds of
Delaware county.
Mrs. Shafer was Lavina W. Day, a daughter
of Elias and Catherine Day, born May 29, 1837,
in a house on the north bank of French creek
that had been built more than a hundred years
before, in 1734. On the twenty-seventh of Janu
ary, 1839, this historic old house was swept away
in an ice freshet, and Mr. and Mrs. Day were
drowned in saving their family. Five children,
two girls and three boys, were left orphaned and
homeless. A committee of citizens, headed by
Dr. Isaac A. Pennypacker, appointed for the re
lief of those left destitute by the flood, took the
Day children in charge and ultimately found
homes for them. Lavinia, then less than two years
old, was adopted by Miss Sarah Coates, an esti
mable Quaker lady who lived with her mother,
Airs. Hannah Coates, on a fine farm a little out
from Phcenixville. In this home she was given the
best of care and training, as well as an affection
ate regard that left her no sense of her early-
loss. She was given a good education by her
foster mother, and in time became a teacher in
the public schools of Norristown, where she re
mained for several years.
In 1863, AIiss Day married Albert Shafer, a
native of Baltimore, who was at that time a clerk
in the employ of the Phcenix Iron Company.
Air. Shafer died in 1894, leaving his wife with
one son, Harry C. This son is now married, and
an employee of the Reading Railroad. He lives
in Norristown, but his mother prefers the home
of her childhood, where she is passing her later
years in great comfort, and in the serene faith
of her adopted home.

THOMAS F. BYRNE, one of the largest
real estate owners and business operators in Phce
nixville, Chester county, Pennsylvania, has built
up his success from very small beginnings. But
a sound heredity and good natural ability count
for more as an equipment in the competition of
modern life than those things usually esteemed
advantages. Mr. Byrne is of Irish parentage, and was

born in Ireland October 21, 1853. His father
was connected with railroad construction, and
his mother was the daughter of a landed proprie
tor. The marriage met with opposition, as there
was a difference in religion, the mother's family
being Protestant, while the father was a Catholic.
At the death of the wife, whose maiden name
was Annie Lynch, when her son Thomas Fran
cis was but five days old, the child was taken
in charge by her family. He was cared for by
them until he was seven years old, when his
father took him. Air. Byrne, the elder, came to
America soon after the death of his wife, but
he went back to Ireland for his young son, and
returned with him to Phoenixville, where his home
in this country had been. Thomas Francis Byrne
grew up in this manufacturing town, attending
the public schools during his boyhood, and after
ward learning the machinist's trade in the shops
of the Phcenix Iron Company. He served as an
apprentice until 1874, and worked as a journey
man for ten years thereafter. Then, in 1884, in
partnership with William H. Parsons, he made
an independent business venture, the outcome
of which is the present factory employing two
hundred and fifty operators, and of which Mr.
Byrne is sole proprietor. The beginning was made
in the hosiery knitting business, with three em
ployees. The line is now exclusively women's
underwear, and the high quality of the output
has given the factory a substantial reputation on
the market. Mr. Byrne is said to be the owner
of more dwelling houses than any other man in
his town.
He is a Catholic in religion, and a member
of the Democratic party, but his interpretation
of church and party lines is an unusually liberal
one. His wife was Alary E. McCann, and four
sons and two daughters have been born of the
marriage.

HON. DANIEL FOULKE MOORE. The
name of Hon. Daniel Foulke Moore, prominent
in the industrial affairs of Phcenixville, Chester
county, Pennsylvania, and a Civil war veteran,
indicates the mingling of two far-reaching lines
of ancestry. The Moores are an old Scotch fam
ily, who appear in the history of Pennsylvania
before the Revolutionary war, and have long been
residents of Montgomery county. The Foulke
family is of Welsh origin, and dates its beginning
in America from 1689. In that year Edward
Foulke came to Montgomery county, and the
Welsh name, Gwynedd, which he gave to the
settlement he founded, was afterward extended
to the township. Edward Foulke left records
in which he traced the family as far back as
Shirid Flaidd, a tribal leader of North Wales in
the twelfth century.

^fOcJ^l VauJJu. rtk.

JlrlA--

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

5»5

Richard Moore, grandfather of Hon. Daniel
Foulke Aloore, passed his life as a farmer in
Montgomery county. There his son Edwin was
born in 181 1. Edwin attended the common
schools of the day, and continued in the line of
his father's occupation. He was industrious
and energetic, and became a man of consequence
in the community. His farming was conducted
on an unusually extensive scale, and with sound
judgment and good business sense. He was presi
dent of the Montgomery County Agricultural So
ciety for several years, and he was also a member
and director of the Montgomery Fire Insurance
Company. He was interested in all matters of
public policy, especially in educational matters, and
served as school director in the township. A
member of the Society of Friends, ancestral tra
dition yielded to the necessity of the hour, and
he served with the emergency men at the battle
of Antietam. In 1834 he married Phcebe Foulke, of Gwynedd
township, Alontgomery county, a member of the
Society of Friends, and they became the parents
of five children, the mother dying in 1876, at the
age of sixty-five. The father of Airs. Edwin
Moore, Joseph Foulke, was born in about 1783,
fourth in line from Edward Foulke, the immi
grant of 1698. Joseph Foulke was a man of
note as an educator and preacher. He had an
active and original mind of unusual scope. He
founded a boarding school for boys at Gwynedd,
which he conducted for more than a score of
years. He was founder of the Friends Almanac,
and himself made the astronomical calculations
for that publication. The almanac, with calcu
lations, is now continued by his son, Dr. Joseph
Foulke, of Bucks county, who inherits his father's
mathematical ability. Joseph Foulke died in
1863, at the age of eighty years.
Daniel Foulke Moore, son of Edwin and
Phcebe (Foulke) Moore, was born upon the pa
ternal farm in Upper Merion township, Mont
gomery county, Pennsylvania, July 24, 1841. He
was educated in the public schools and in his
grandfather's private school for boys. When he
was twenty years old he became a telegraph oper
ator in the service of the Reading Railroad Com
pany. He was stationed at Reading and at Har
risburg, remaining with the company until 1862,
when he resigned to enlist as a private in Com
pany E, One Hundred and Twenty-Eighth Penn
sylvania Infantry, for nine months. He partici
pated in the battles of Antietam and Chancellors
ville and other engagements of minor importance.
At the expiration of his term of service, he again
enlisted in Company D, Thirty-first Pennsylvania
Guards, one of the famous emergency corps,
raised tp repel the invasion of General Lee. He
served with his company four months when, dur
ing 1863, he again entered the employ of the

Reading Railroad Company, being stationed at
Phcenixville as telegraph operator. He held this
position with credit to himself and satisfaction
to the company until 1870, when he resigned to
embark in the business venture which he has
since successfully followed. The firm of Caswell
& Moore, engaged in furnishing and putting on
tin, slate, and corrugated iron roofing, is the old
est in its line in Phcenixville, the business having
been founded in 1855 by the senior member of
the firm. While roofing is the main line, the
company is also engaged in plumbing, gas and
steam fitting and hardware dealing, and in all
these various branches the firm carries on an ex
tensive business. Mr. Aloore is a member of the
Society of Friends, and for the past two years
has been an acknowledged minister in that de
nomination. He has been burgess of the borough
of Phcenixville, and is a past commander of White
Post, No. 45, Grand Army of the Republic. On
the organization of the militia in Phcenixville, in
1871, he was made assistant adjutant-general,
with the rank of colonel, on the staff of Gen. J.
R. Dobson. Colonel Aloore is a Republican in
politics, with strongly independent . proclivities,
and has always been actively interested in politi
cal issues. In 1892 he was elected a member of
the state legislature and served as a member of
the house of representatives during the three ses
sion of 1893, 1895 and 1897.
In 1867 Colonel Aloore married Alelissa Con
ard, member of a well-known family of Upper
Merion township. Two years later Mrs. Aloore
died, leaving an infant son who lived only three
months. In 1877, Colonel Aloore married Emily
M., a daughter of Henry Ashenfelter, of Phcenix
ville. One daughter, Martha W., has been born
of this marriage.

NATHAN PENNYPACKER CRAGER.
As proprietor for ten years of the Pennsylvania
Hotel, Phcenixville, Mr. Nathan Pennypacker
Crager has gained a wide acquaintanceship with
the public of Chester county, Pennsylvania, with
whom he enjoys a deserved popularity.
Mr. Crager is of German stock, and it is
thought that the family name was originally
Greger. The grandfather of Mr. Crager was
the first of the line in this country. He settled
in Charlestown township, Chester county, Penn
sylvania, where his son Homer was born. This
son, brought up in the new environment, gladly
acknowledged his allegiance to the Union, and
enlisted with the Federal forces at the outbreak
of the Civil war. He served in Company K,
Fourth Regiment, Pennsylvania Reserves
throughout the struggle, and as a soldier he was
brave and ready. He carried these same qualities
into industrial life, taking up the saw-mill busi-

586

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

ness and lumber dealing after the restoration of
peace. Nathan Pennypacker, son of Homer and Ann
M. Crager, was born in Charlestown township,
Chester county, October 20, 1867. He attended
the local schools during his boyhood, and after
ward learned the blacksmith trade. He was also
engaged with his father in managing a saw-mill
and dealing in lumber; but on April 1, 1893, he
purchased the important hotel property in Phce
nixville which is still under his management.
For the past eighteen years he has been a member
of Battery C, National Guard, Pennsylvania,
where he has been advanced step by step through
regular order of promotion from the ranks to the
post of lieutenant quarter-master. He is active
in religious and social matters, being connected
with the Methodist church, and a member of the
Masonic fraternity. He is affiliated with Phcenix
Lodge, No. 75, Free and Accepted Masons, Phce
nix Chapter 198, Royal Arch Masons, Council
No. 8, and Jerusalem Commandery, Knights
Templar. Mr. Crager's wife was Ella M., daughter of
W. PL Speakman, who served in the Ninety-
seventh Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteers dur
ing the Rebellion. Two daughters have been
born to Mr. and Mr. Crager.

JOHN E. DEERY. The progenitor of the
American branch of the Deery family, prominent
representatives of the industrial interests of Ches
ter county, Pennsylvania, was George Deery,
who came to the United States with General La
fayette's army, in 1777, was an active partici
pant in the Revolutionary war and served in the
capacity of commissary. He was the owner of
a large tract of land in West Vincent town
ship where he was extensively engaged in agri
cultural pursuits, and this property is still in the
possession of the family, being owned by Abram
Deery. George Deery was united in marriage
to Anna Alaria Dierysen, nee Emery, and among
the children born to them was a son, Peter Deery.
Peter Deery, grandfather of John E. Deery,
was born in West Vincent township, Chester
county, Pennsylvania, and after completing his
education in the common schools of the neigh
borhood, learned the trade of saddler, which he
successfully followed in connection with farming
pursuits. He married Alary Hippie, and they
reared a family of children, all of whom lived
lives of usefulness and activity.
Peter E. Deery, son of Peter and Mary Deery,
and father of John E. Deery, was reared and edu
cated in East Vincent township, Chester county,
in which vicinity his birth occurred December
9, 1817. His business career, which was devoted
principally to farming interests, was attended

with that success which naturally follows well
systematized business operations. In 185 1 he re
moved to Charlestown township, in which lo
cality he spent the remainder of his life; he was
a Democrat in politics and took an active interest
in political affairs, local, state and national. He
was united in marriage to Eliza S. Emery, a rep
resentative of one of the oldest families of Ches
ter county, Pennsylvania, and a daughter of Jacob
and Abigail (Sloyer) Emery, who were descend
ants of a Holland Dutch ancestry. The surviv
ing children of this union are: John E., and
Anna D., wife of Theodore J. W. Crossman, a
prominent resident of East Pikeland township,
Chester county, Pennsylvania.
John E. Deery, son of Peter E. and Eliza S.
Deery, was born January 8, 1852, in the town
ship of Charlestown, Chester county, Pennsyl
vania. His early education was obtained in the
district schools and this was supplemented by
attendance at the Millersville Normal School and
at West Chester Normal School, of which latter
named institution he was a student in its first
session. During his early manhood he devoted
his attention to teaching, which vocation he was
well qualified for, both by educational training
and by natural inclination and characteristics,
but after abandoning this line of industry he
turned his attention to the cultivation of the home
farm, which is one of the finest in the township
and consists of one hundred and nine acres of
rich, productive land. Mr. Deery adheres to the
principles of the (gold) Democratic party, and
at the present time (1903) is serving his town
ship in the capacity of tax collector.
On March 15, 1877, Mr. Deery married Jen
nie E. Naginey, a daughter of John D. and Mary
Margaret (Mark) Naginey, the former named
being a successful farmer of Milroy, Mifflin coun
ty, Pennsylvania, and a veteran of the Civil war.
Mr. and Mrs. Deery are distantly related to each
other, as some of her ancestors were members
of the Emery family. Their children are : Alice
May, deceased; Mary E., wife of William T.
Senior, of Philadelphia, who is engaged as a con
tractor for the Baldwin Locomotive Works, and
John Clarence, who resides at home and assists
with the wark of the farm.

JOHN S. HARTMAN, an enterprising ag
riculturist of Charlestown township. Chester
county, Pennsylvania, who has achieved re
markable financial success in his undertakings
and is one of the prominent men of the commun
ity, is a son of David and Fannie (Sheldrake)
Hartman, the former named being successfully
engaged in agricultural pursuits on a tract.of land
in the township of Charlestown which was for
merly the property of John Sheldrake.

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

587

John S. Hartman attended the common schools
of his native township and acquired a practical
education which prepared him for the active
duties of a business career. After attaining
young manhood he located upon a farm in
Charlestown township, which was formerly
owned by his grandfather, John Sheldrake, and
this property, which consists of one hundred
and thirty-six acres of ground under a high state
of cultivation, is considered one of the finest and
most productive in this section of the county.
Here he conducts an extensive farm business,
keeping a dairy of from twenty to twenty-eight
cows of a fine breed, and the neat and thrifty ap
pearance of the entire farm gives evidence of the
supervision of an experienced and careful man
ager. Politically Mr. Hartman is an ardent
Democrat and always stands ready to do all in
his power to advance the great fundamental prin
ciples upon which his party is based. He has
served in several township offices, among them
being that of school director and judge of elec
tion, being the incumbent of the former for two
terms and the latter for three terms.
On December 30, 1879, occurred the marriage
pf John S. Hartman and Anna Hippie, of Phila
delphia, Pennsylvania, a daughter of Edward
Hippie, a prominent artist. The children of Mr.
and Mrs. Hartman are : 1. Frank, who assists on
the farm, and is now superintendent of the Sun
day school; he was married to Minerva Vail,
April 15, 1893 ; 2. Nellie, who was married on
June 3, 1903, to Howard, son of Harry Wells,
of this township, and are living on Mr. Wells's
home farm; 3. George Hartman. The family
are active and consistent members of the Luth
eran church of Middle Pikeland township, Ches
ter county, Pennsylvania. Mr. Hartman served
as deacon of the church for several years, and su
perintendent and treasurer of the Sunday school
for a long term of service, and Mrs. Hartman is
the organist and also serves in the capacity of cor
responding secretary of the Sunday school.

LEON E. HOLMAN. In the town of Phce
nixville, Chester county, Pennsylvania, there are
many representatives of agricultural life, and
among those who take a leading part in all pro
gressive measures tending toward the advance
ment of the material welfare of the community,
is Leon E. Holman, who was born in Chester
countv, Pennsylvania, September 13, 1875, a son
of Frederick William and Sallie K. (King) Hol
man, grandson of Captain Samuel Holman, and
a representative of an old and honored American
lineage. Frederick W. Holman (father) was born in
Chester county, Pennsylvania, in 1845, attended
the public schools adjacent to his home and sub

sequently graduated from the college at Pough-
keepsie, New York. He then returned to the
home of his father and assisted with the cultiva
tion and management of the farm until his mar
riage to Sallie K. King, which occurred in 1875,
after which he was actively associated with his
father-in-law in agricultural pursuits. Sallie K.
(King) Holman was born in 1853, and is a direct
descendant of Michael King, a native of Wetten-
berg, who was born in 1714, and was the son
of a baron in the Fatherland. He was among
the many emigrants to Pennsylvania between the
years 1735 and 1740, and purchased one hundred
and fifty acres in West Pikeland. In 1771 he
donated the land upon which the Pikeland Luth
eran church was established, and otherwise con
tributed most liberally to its construction. He was
an active patriot in the Revolutionary war, and
freely aided the colonists in their struggles for in
dependence. The ground on which this house was
located is now in the possession of Leon E. Hol
man and his grandmother, it having never been
owned by any but male descendants of the King
family since the year of the purchase.
Peter King, second son of Michael King, was
reared on the homestead farm, educated in the
common schools of the neighborhood, and sub
sequently became a subtantial farmer and a good
public-spirited citzen. He was often called upon
to fill positions of trust and honor, and served
as a squire for a period of almost thirty con
secutive years. He was united in marriage to his
cousin, Miss Margaret King, and five children were
the issue of this union. Aaron King, third child in
order of birth in the family of Peter King, was
born in 1826, educated in the public schools of
Chester county, Pennsylvania, worked on the farm
with his father until the year 1851, when he mar
ried Mary Mansell, who was born in 1830, a daugh
ter of David D. Mansell, a native of Delaware
county, Pennsylvania, which was also the birth
place of his father. Then his father purchased for
him a farm of one hundred and six acres of pro
ductive land which is now owned and managed
by Leon E. Holman. Aaron and Mary (Mansell)
King were the parents of one child, Sallie K.
King, who in 1875 became the wife of Frederick
W. Holman, and the issue of this union was one
son, Leon E. Holman. Mr. and Mrs. Holman
were killed in the Pickering -Valley wreck on Oc
tober 4, 1877.
The early educational advantages enjoyed by
Leon E. Holman were obtained in the public
schools of Chester county, and later he pursued
a course of study and graduated from the high
school at Phoenixville. Having been deprived
of his parents by death when only two years of
age, he was reared in the home of his maternal
grandparents, Aaron and Mary King, and to
their judicious and careful training in early life

588

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

is attributable a large degree of the success he has
achieved in his business career, which is devoted
to general farming and dairying.
On April 2, 1902, Air. Holman married Nel
lie U. Henderson, who was born in Dixon, Illi
nois, April 12, 1879, a daughter of the Rev. J.
W. and Jennie Letitia (Hare) Henderson. The
Rev. Air. Henderson was a native of Pennsyl
vania, a minister of the Lutheran church, re
moved to Iowa, where he remained for a number
of years, and then to Illinois, where he filled the
pulpit of his denomination until 1880, when he
moved to Blair county, Pennsylvania, and since
on account of old age has retired from active
ministerial work; his wife, Jennie L. (Hare)
Henderson, is a native of Crawford, Ohio; they
are both living at the present time (1903). Mr.
Holman and his wife are active members of the
East Pennsylvania Synod Lutheran church, and
they also hold membership in the West Pikeland
church, which is located on a portion of the old
King farm. On the books of the latter named
church may be found the record of the King and
Holman families as far back as there is any au
thentic history of the settlers of that community.

JESSE MILLER, a well known agriculturist
of East Pikeland township, and a highly esteemed
citizen of Chester county, is the son of Henry
and Mary A. Miller, and his birth occurred in
the neighborhood in which he now resides, July
12, 1859. He is a grandson of Henry Miller,
who was a prosperous farmer and the owner of
a portion of the farm which is now the property
of Jesse Miller, his grandson, the estate compris
ing several hundred acres. Henry Miller (fa
ther) was born on the old homestead farm, fol
lowed agricultural pursuits during his entire ac
tive career, and was one of the prominent and
influential residents of the community. He was
united in marriage to Mary A. Murray, and his
death occurred in the year 1898, aged sixty-two
years. He was a Democrat in politics.
Jesse Aliller received a good practical educa
tion in the common schools of his birth place,
and since the completion of his studies up to the
present time ( 1903) he has devoted his entire
energy to the cultivation of the soil. He is now
the owner of a farm which was formerly the
property of Thomas Snyder, upon which he con
ducts a general farm and dairy business, keep
ing ten head of carefully selected cows and the
milk derived from them is disposed of in the
town of Phoenixville. His ground is all im
proved and in a high state of cultivation, and
the proceeds from his abundant harvests have
placed him in comfortable circumstances. Polit
ically ATr. Miller is a Democrat, and has been
honored by his fellow citizens with election to the

office of supervisor of the township, at the pres
ent time (1903) serving his second term.
On October 30, 1878, Mr. Miller married
Hannah M. Trinley, a native of the township of
Coventry and daughter of John W. and Judah
(Mowrey) Trinley, both of whom are represen
tatives of old and honored families of Chester
county, Pennsylvania. Their children are:
Mary Judah, born January 30, 1879; Sarah Ali
nerva, born September 15, 1900; and Franklin,
born May 8, 1902.

URIAH C. ULLM AN, whose decease oc
curred September 30, 1900, and was sincerely
mourned by a wide circle of friends and ac
quaintances, was for many years a prominent
and esteemed resident of Phoenixville, Chester
county, Pennsylvania, and a worthy representa
tive of a family of German extraction. He was
born in Alontgomery county, Pennsylvania, Feb
ruary 17, 1837, a son of Lewis, for many years
the proprietor of the Phcenixville Hotel, and
Ellen (Vanderslice) Ullman, the latter named
being a native of Phoenixville, and a descendant
of the well known and honored Vanderslice fam
ily who emigrated to this country from Ger
many at an early period in its history.
On October 20, 1861, occurred the marriage
of Uriah C. Ullman and Cornelia M. Roberts,
• the latter named having been born in Schuyl
kill township, Chester county, Pennsylvania, Oc
tober 28, 1839, a daughter of Lewis W. and
Sarah P. (Maris) Roberts. Lewis W. Roberts
was a native of Schuylkill township, engaged in
agricultural pursuits, and was also the genial
and popular proprietor of Fountain Inn for a
number of years. He was a son of Joseph and
Mary (Walker) Roberts, the former named hav
ing been a farmer during the early years of his
life, but subsequently engaged in the coal busi
ness at Norristown, Pennsylvania, ; he was a
prominent member of the Society of Friends.
His wife, Mary (Walker) Roberts, was a rep
resentative of the branch of the family who re
sided in this vicinity of the state, and who traced
their ancestry back to the time of the arrival in
this country of William Penn, they being close
personal friends of the founder of the state of
Pennsylvania, and accompanied him on the voy
age. The following named children were born
to Mr. and Mrs. Ullman: 1. Lewis R., born
August 13, 1862, pursued his studies in public
schools of Phcenixville, was employed by the Penn
sylvania Railroad for a time, served an appren
ticeship as a butcher, which trade he is still fol
lowing, has a shop of his own in Phoenixville,
where he is conducting a satisfactory business ;
he married, in 1888, Miss Martha Bartch, and
they have two children. 2. Joseph, born April

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

589

8, 1868, educated at Phoenixville schools,
learned the trade of brick making, and died No
vember 25, 1891. 3. Howard Al., born August
22, 1873, and after completing his studies in
the public schools of Phoenixville, learned the
butcher's trade, and is now in partnership with
his brother, Lewis Ullman.

COLONEL NATHANIEL M. ELLIS, a
venerable and respected citizen of Phoenixville,
Chester county, Pennsylvania, who, for forty-
three consecutive years, was actively connected
with the Philadelphia & Reading Railroad Com
pany, serving with credit and acceptance in vari
ous capacities, was born at Pottstown, Alont-
gomery county, Pennsylvania, February 25, 1819.
The parents of Colonel Ellis were Christo
pher and Margaret (Missimer) Ellis, the former
of English and the latter of German descent.
Christopher Ellis was one of. the early settlers
of Pottstown, Montgomery county, Pennsyl
vania, where he followed the trade of shoemaker,
and by industry and perseverance was enabled to
maintain a comfortable home for his family. He
was a loyal adherent of the principles advocated
¦by the Democratic party, and served with credit
and distinction in the war of 1812. His death
occurred about the year 1850, he being then in
the sixty-fifth year of his age; his wife passed
away in 1824, aged thirty-one years.
Colonel Ellis acquired his preliminary edu
cation in the public schools of Pottstown, and
this wass supplemented by private tuition in the
city of Philadelphia. In 1833, when he had at
tained the age of fourteen years and was still a
student at the school in Pottstown, he was in
terviewed by Engineer Mifflin, whose headquar
ters were at Pottstown, and engaged by him to
assist the engineer corps who were locating the
lines of the Philadelphia & Reading Railroad.
His first duty was to take the cross-sections for
the road bed, his implements being a field book,
a slope level, and a sixteen-foot rod. He fol
lowed this occupation for some time, in addi
tion to office work, and thus the four years were
spent that witnessed the construction of the road
from Reading to Norristown. In the early part
of the year 1838 Colonel Ellis was detailed to
take temporary charge as agent of the Phoenix
ville station, the building, not being quite com
pleted at that time. After serving in that ca
pacity for almost a year, he pursued a one-year
course of study in the Academical Department
of the University of Pennsylvania, after which
he returned to Phoenixville and assumed per
manent charge of the station as agent, which, la
ter, as business increased and the town became
a prominent point, he was designated "General
Agent," serving in this capacity until 1876, a

period of forty-three years. Colonel Ellis is the
only survivor of the employees who were en
gaged by the company at that early period of
their history. He tendered his resignation to the
company during the administration, as president,
of the late F. B. Gowen, and was granted a pen
sion of six hundred dollars per annum, which
was annulled under the presidency of Air. Cor-
bin. The Philadelphia & Reading Railroad Com
pany was granted its charter by the legislature of
Pennsylvania in the year 1833, the same year that
Colonel Ellis became connected with it, the bill
being introduced by the late E. F. Pennypacker,
of Chester county, Pennsylvania. The personnel
of the engineer corps was as follows : Moncure
Robinson, consulting engineer ; his nephew,
Wert Robinson, chief engineer ; both of these
gentlemen were natives of Virginia; W. Al. C.
Fairfax, also a Virginian, principal assistant
engineer, West Division; W. Hazel Wilson, a
native of Chester county, Pennsylvania, princi
pal assistant, East Division. The field corps of
engineers were: Samuel W. Mifflin, the im
mediate superior of Colonel Ellis, was locating
engineer; the real estate agent, Henry Norris,
was a son of Robert Norris, one of the signers
of the Declaration of Independence. All of these
gentlemen are deceased. During Colonel Ellis's
connection with the company, it was under the
presidency of the following named gentlemen,
with all of whom he was- acquainted, and had
most pleasant intercourse with them : Mr.
Chauncey, Mr. Krider, Mr. Emline, Mr. Tucker,
Air. Cullen, Mr. Whitney, Air. Smith and Mr.
Gowen. The subsequent presidents have been :
Air. Keim, Mr. Corbin, Mr. McLeod, Mr. Har
ris, and the present incumbent, Mr. Baer. A
most important functionary of the Reading Com
pany, from the time of its organization until
his death, was Air. Samuel Bradford, who held
in combination the two important positions of
secretary and treasurer ; by birth he was a New
Englander, and a very affable and competent per
sonage. In addition to the multitudinous duties con
nected with the responsible position he held for
so many years, Colonel Ellis was also active in
the affairs of his township. He was prominent
in the effort to secure a borough charter, also in
the organization of the Phoenixville National
Bank, being one of its first directors while a state
institution, and also after it became a National
Bank. He was also an incorporator and director
of the Morris Cemetery Company and of the Ma
sonic Hall Association. In politics Colonel Ellis
has always been a Democrat, having cast his first
presidential vote for James K. Polk, of Tennes
see. In 1856 he supported Mr. Buchanan in his
contest with General Fremont, and in the mem-

590

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

orable campaign of i860 was a follower and ad
vocate of Stephen A. Douglas. He has served
as burgess of Phoenixville, as .a member of the
town council and the school board, having been
the president of the latter named body for sev
eral years. In 1900 he was unanimously chosen
by his party conventions of Chester and Dela
ware counties as their congressional standard
bearer in opposition to the Republican candidate,
Hon. Thomas S. Butler, and while his support
was exceedingly flattering, as a matter of course
in this district, he was not elected. In religious
belief he is a Baptist, and fraternally he is a mem
ber of Phoenix Lodge, No. 75, Free and Ac
cepted Masons.
When the storm of the rebellion swept over
this section in 1861, Colonel Ellis espoused the
cause of his country and became a war Democrat.
He was tendered by his friend, John W. Forney,
the famous editor, and John Hickman, congress
man of his district, a full commission as captain
of artillery in the regular army, which honor he
declined upon the advice of J. Dutton Steele,
chief engineer and vice-president of the Read
ing Railroad system, who claimed that Colonel
Ellis could serve his country better as agent al
the Phoenixville station than as an officer in the
army. When General Lee was approaching the
battlefield of Gettysburg and matters looked du
bious, General Patterson and General Cadwala-
der moved their commands of raw levies toward
that point. At that time Colonel Ellis was serv
ing in the capacity of burgess of Phoenixville,
and as such issued a proclamation calling a town
meeting for organization. The general govern
ment at that time took possession of the Reading
system and its collieries, and he was sworn in as
its agent at this point.
In February, 1842, Colonel Ellis was united
in marriage to Mary Morgan, daughter of the
Hon. John Morgan, of Phoenixville, Pennsyl
vania. Their children were: Mordecai, Mary,
wife of Dr. William T. Porter, and Sallie Ellis.

M. F. HACKETT, an enterprising and re
spected citizen of Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, is
a son of Patrick Hackett, a native of Ireland,
who in 1850 emigrated to the United States and
settled in Chester county. He entered the serv
ice of the Cedar Hollow Lime Company and
worked in the quarries for a period of forty-five
years, his activity remaining unimpaired until
within a. short time of his death. He married
Mary, daughter of John Flynn, a farmer in Ire
land, and they were the parents of twelve chil
dren. M. F. Hackett, son of Patrick and Mary
(Flynn) Hackett, was born February 8, 1866, in
Tredyffrin township, and received his education

in the public schools of Chester county. At the
age of twelve years he left school . and began
working for the farmers, but afterward found
employment at the blast furnaces in Phoenixville,
and later with the Cedar Hollow Lime Company,
where he become assistant foreman. He then
entered the service of the Cedar Hollow Lime
Company and for a number of years "worked in
the quarries. He then went to Phoenixville,
bought out an eating house and established him
self in the restaurant business. His success in
this enterprise was such that within a few years
he was able to purchase the Hotel Washington,
one of the leading hotels in Phoenixville, of which
he became the proprietor April 1, 1902. In con
sequence of the many improvements which he
has made in the establishment, he is now at the
head of one of the best equipped hotels in Phoe
nixville. Mr. Hackett's success as a landlord is
due no less to the genial and obliging disposi
tion which has rendered him so popular as a host,
than to the marked business ability which is one
of his distinguishing characteristics.
Mr. Hackett married Ella, daughter of Will
iam Dee, a native of county Waterford, Ireland,
and they have one daughter : Alice, who is now
attending a private school in Phoenixville. Mrs.
Hackett is a native of Chester county.

DAVID Y. PEIRSON, a respected citizen
of Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, and a veteran in
the iron industry, is the descendant of English
and Welsh ancestors. His father, William Peir-
son, was born in England, where he led the life
of a farmer. He emigrated to the United States,
and found a home in Schuylkill township, Ches
ter county, Pennsylvania, where he followed for
the remainder of his life the occupation of an
agriculturist. He married Anna F. Davis, who
was, presumably, of Welsh descent.
David Y. Peirson, son of William and Anna
F. (Davis) Peirson, was born May 22, 1830, in
Schuylkill township, where he received his edu
cation in the public schools. Until reaching the
age of eighteen years he assisted his father in
the labors of the farm, and then entered the serv
ice of the Phoenix Iron Company. His con
nection with this establishment proved to be a
lifelong one, inasmuch as he was. never thence
forth in the service of any other company or in
dividual. At the time he became connected with
the establishment the firm was that of Reeves &
Buck, and during his long period of service he
worked for the three generations of the Reeves
family. In ability, fidelity and length of service,
he ranks with such workers as Robert G. Hughes
and Nathan Broomall. At the end of forty-
eight years Mr. Peirson closed his long and hon
orable business career, and has since lived in re-

Headquarters Gen. Lafayette, Valley
Forge, 1777-78.
Then owned by Samuel Havard, now by Harry Wilson.
Original House.

Headquarters Gen. Knox, Valley Forge,
1777-78.
Then owned by Samuel Brown, now by estate ot E. L. Matthews.
Original House.

Headquarters Gen. Washington, Valley
Forge, 1777-78.
Then owned by Isaac Potts, now by Valley Forge Centennial
Association, Original House.

Headquarters Lord Sterling, Valley
Forge, 1777-78.
Original iHouse, and probably best preserved on the ground.
Owned shortly after the Revolution by the Rev, William Currie,
Rector of St. David's, and now by Henry L. Evans-

CO CO

592

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

tirement at his home in Phoenixville. He is a
member of Blue Lodge, No. 75, Free and Ac
cepted Masons. Although he has always taken
the interest of a good citizen in publfc affairs,
his participation in politics has not been active.
He has always affiliated with the Republican
party. He and his family are Episcopalians in
religious belief.
Mr. Peirson married Harriet, daughter of
Joshua and Hannah (Powers) Stackhouse. The
former was employed for sixty-two years by the
Phoenix Iron Company in the capacity of a
heater. He was a grandson of William Stack-
house, who was a baker in Washington's army at
Valley Forge. The Powers family came orig
inally from Holland. Mr. and Mrs. Peirson are
the parents of four children: John D., who is
.a machinist in the United States shipyard at
Elizabeth, New Jersey; Howard, who is an iron
contractor and builder in Philadelphia; Stanton,
who is now in Steubenville, Ohio, where he holds
the office of chief of police ; and Frank, who is
superintendent of Ball & Woods' Machine Works
in Elizabethport, New Jersey.

MAHLON ROSSITER, deceased, a well
known citizen of Chester county, was born Feb
ruary 14, 1828, in Plymouth township, Mont
gomery county, Pennsylvania. He was the son
of Daniel and Barbara (Lutz) Rossiter, the
former for many years identified with Montgom
ery county as a successful and enterprising citi
zen, was a stone mason and builder and owned
and conducted a farm.
Mahlon Rossiter received his early education
in Plymouth township. On attaining his six
teenth year he moved to a place near Wayne,
Chester county, where he later learned the stone
mason trade with his father and engaged in
business as a contractor. He continued in this
line during the active years of his life, meeting
with a marked degree of success.
He married, December 18, 1856, Emily S.
Morris, March 4, 1835, a daughter of Jonathan
and Martha (Harner) Morris. Jonathan Mor
ris was a son of George and Magdeline Morris,
the former was a native of Wales.
The children of Mahlon and Emily S. (Mor
ris) Rossiter are as follows : Ida, born October
7, 1857; William, born December 16, 1858; El
wood, born January 8, 1861, married Hannah M.
Martin, a daughter of William and Josephine
(Carr) Martin. They have the following fam
ily: Emily, born 1894; Mary, born 1895; An
nie, born 1898; Esther, born 1899; Hannah, born
1902, and William, an infant, 1903.
The fourth child of Mahlon Rossiter is Anna,
born July 3, 1865; fifth child, J. Morris, born
August 14, 1868, married Margaret Henry, a

daughter of John and Martha (Wiley) Henry.
Their children are : Mahlon, Dorothy and Ida.
The sixth child of Mahlon Rossiter is Mahlon,
Jr., born September 6, 1870, unmarried and liv
ing at home. Mahlon Rossiter, the father of this
family, died May 9, 1895.
The parents of Mrs. Mahlon Rossiter, Jon
athan and Martha Morris, had the following
family: 1. Emily S. (Mrs. Rossiter) ; 2. Rebec
ca, wife of Wells Wentz; 3. Sarah Jane, wife of
Daniel Lee ; 4. William, unmarried ; 5. Henry ;
6. Daniel ; 7. Elwood, who married first Marga
ret Grant and second Mary Carr; 8. Jacob Mor
ris, who married Phoebe Griffith; 9. Frank Mor
ris, who married Elizabeth Lynn, and 10. John,
who married Rebecca Steel.
The children of Daniel and Barbara (Lutz)
Rossiter are, namely: William, born February
15, 1810; he married Hannah McCarter. Sam
uel, born October 6, 181 1, who died in child
hood. Charles, born February 4, 1813 ; he died
from hydrophobia caused by the bite of a dog.
Ann, born June 14, 1815; she married Daniel
Everman. Elizabeth, born April 28, 1818. Re
becca, born August 31, 1822; she married Will
iam Cooper. Mary, born March 18, 1825.
Mahlon, the subject of this sketch. Mr. Rossiter
was a prosperous and enterprising man. He was
entensively engaged as a builder and erected the
first edifice of the Presbyterian church, the Lou-
ella mansion and a number of other modern build
ings which stand as evidences of his handicraft.
He was for a number of years a member of Cassia
Lodge of Ardmore and a charter member of
Wayne Lodge, F. & A. M.

JOHN M. WILKINSON. In the death of
John M. Wilkinson, which occurred August 14,
1902, the town of Phoenixville, Chester county,
Pennsylvania, lost one of its most enterprising
and progressive business men, a man noted for
his exemplary character, unflinching integrity
and generous hospitality and his long and active
life left an impress for good in the community
in which he resided during the greater part of
his business career.
John M. Wilkinson was born in Woodbury,
Bedford county, Pennsylvania, October 3, 1846,
a son of John H. and Ann (Atkinson) Wilkin
son, the former named having been a native of
England. John M. Wilkinson obtained the edu
cational advantages afforded by the common
schools adjacent to his home, and this was sup
plemented by knowledge acquired in the school
of experience. He located in Phoenixville, Ches
ter county, at the age of twenty-five years, and
shortly afterward engaged in the hardware busi
ness, which line of trade he successfully con
ducted up to the time of his death. He took a

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

593-

keen and intelligent interest in public affairs and
aided to the full extent of his power in promoting
the welfare and material growth of the town.
He was a member and trustee for many years in
the Baptist church, a loyal and staunch adherent
of the Republican party, and a member of the
Royal Arcanum.
On September 24, 1874, Mr. Wilkinson mar
ried Ada B. Baugh, who was born, reared
and educated in East Coventry, Chester
county, Pennsylvania, the only child of
Allen and Hannah (Towers) Baugh. One
child was born of this union, Ada R. Wilk
inson, now attending school at Phcenixville. Al
len Baugh, father of Mrs. Wilkinson, was born
in East Coventry township, Chester county,
Pennsylvania, June 5, 1827, eldest son of George
Baugh, who was born October 17, 1797, in what
is now East Coventry township, and was mar
ried, December 2, 1819, to Catherine Frick, born
August 14, 1798, a daughter of John and Cath
erine (Grumbacher) Frick. George Baugh was
the eldest son of John and Mary (Price) Baugh,
the former named having come to America from
Germany about the middle of the eighteenth
century, and he was a descendant of Johann Se
bastian Bach, a renowned musician and the
greatest musical genius of his day, who was born
at Eisenach, Upper Saxony, in 1685. Allen
Baugh died May 16, 1854, aged twenty-seven
years. The Baugh ramily resided for many years
in the vicinity of Pottstown, and several genera
tions of the family are interred in the Menice
cemetery near Pottstown, Pennsylvania. George
Baugh, grandfather of Mrs. Wilkinson, was a
pronounced temperance man, was equally noted
for his opposition to American negro slavery, and
often assisted colored people to gain their free
dom by aiding them on their journeys to the
Canadas and more northern climes.
Hannah (Towers) Baugh, mother of Mrs.
Wilkinson, was a daughter of Michael and Re
becca (Brook) Towers, granddaughter of Archi
bald and Elizabeth Towers, the former named
having been a nephew of Captain Robert Towers,
the founder of the first factory built at Manay
unk, Philadelphia county, Pennsylvania, and
chief commissary for the Pennsylvania Commit
tee of Safety during the Revolutionary war.
Michael Towers was born in Upper Providence
township, Montgomery county, Pennsylvania,
September 24, 1800, and in early life learned the
trade of carpenter, at which he worked for a
short period of time near New Orleans, Louisi
ana. In February, 1824, he returned to Pennsyl
vania and purchased his homestead farm in East
Vincent township, Chester county. Three years
later he was engaged by the Schuylkill Naviga
tion Company, and by his industry and ability he
won the- confidence of its officers and soon be

came prominent as a contractor and adviser in.
all their improvements. He was the first to in
troduce the plan of building dams on rock foun
dations, and during the years 1841 and 1843 was
ellgaged with Frederick Erdman in the recon
struction of the Fairmount dam, Philadelphia,
and in 1848 was engaged as a contractor in the
building of dams of cemented masonry on the
James river in Virginia, for the James River and
Kanawha Navigation Company — works of very
considerable magnitude and importance. Mr.
Towers married, January 6, 1824, Rebecca
Brook, daughter of James and Hannah Brook,.
the former named having owned and operated a
gun manufactory at Lawrenceville, and made
muskets for the United States in the war of
1812. Eleven children were born to Mr. and
Mrs. Towers. They celebrated their golden wed
ding, January 6, 1874, in the presence of a large-
number of their friends and acquaintances who-
gathered to offer their congratulations. Mr.
Towers died November 13, 1880. Mrs. Wilk
inson and her daughter reside in a commodious
and modern home located on Maine and Second
avenues, Phoenixville, Chester county, Pennsyl
vania.

ROBERT G. HUGHES, a well known and
highly respected business man of Phoenixville,.
Pennsylvania, is descended from a family which.
was founded in this country in or about the year
1787, by Griffith Hughes, who, with his wife-
and children, found a home in Charlestown town
ship, Chester county. The occupation of Griffith
Hughes was that of a wheelwright, and his-
children were : Robert, mentioned at . length
hereinafter; Ann Humphrey, Manasseh Ephraim.
and Mary.
Robert Hughes, son of Griffith Hughes, con
ducted a general store in Charlestown, at the
same time practicing his trade, which was that
of a tailor. He married Elizabeth, daughter of
John and Deborah Vanderslice, both being mem
bers of old and respected families of Chester
county. Mr. and Mrs. Hughes were the parents-
of ten children, seven of whom reached maturity :
John V.; Deborah; Elizabeth; Hannah; Sarah;
William, and Robert G, mentioned at length
hereinafter. The father and mother of these-
children both attained to an advanced age, and
their memory is cherished with affection and
gratitude by the surviving members of their
family. Robert G. Hughes, son of Robert and Eliza
beth (Vanderslice) Hughes, received his educa
tion in the schools of Chester county, first at
tending the public, or district schools, and finish
ing at the Strodes Mills Boarding School. His
first occupation, after completing his course of

594

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

study, was teaching, which he followed for two
winters in Charlestown, and, in 1848, entered the
office of Reeves, Buck & Company, at Phoenix
ville. For more than forty years he continued in
the service of this firm, and of their successors,
the Phoenix iron Company, with the trifling
exception of six months. In 1891 he resigned his
position, and retired from active business, after
an honorable career of nearly half a century. He
now resides in the seclusion of his beautiful home,
at the corner of Gay street and First avenue.
Mr. Hughes married Esther, daughter of
Robert and Mary McClure, of West Pikeland,
Chester county, where the McClures are recog
nized as an old family of good standing. The
children of Mr. and Mrs. Hughes were a son
and a daughter: William E. and Mary L. The
former graduated, in 1879, from the University
of Pennsylvania, as a Doctor of Medicine, and
is now practicing his profession at Fortieth and
Chestnut streets, Philadelphia. He married Sal
lie, daughter of Jacob B. and Anna Hileman, of
Altoona, Pennsylvania, and they have three chil
dren: Esther McClure, Anna E. and Cornelia
J., all of whom reside at home. The daughter
of Mr. and Mrs. Hughes is the wife of Samuel
J. Reeves, who is manager of the Minneapolis
Steel and Machinery Company at Minneapolis,
Minnesota. Mr. and Mrs. Reeves are the parents
of one son, Robert H., the namesake and only
grandson of his maternal grandfather, the name
being also that of his maternal great-grandfather,
the son of Griffith Hughes, the founder of the
family in America. Thus it will be seen that
this grandson is the third in line of direct descent
to bear the name of Robert Hughes, a fact which
imposes on him the obligation of carrying for
ward the honorable reputation which the family
has hitherto maintained.

JOSEPH W. HOLMAN, a leading and in
fluential citizen of Phoenixville, Chester county,
Pennsylvania, has gained the position he holds
through his own efforts. It may be that the
hardships of his early life developed the strong
fiber that has enabled him to attain a compe
tence in the face of modern competition.
Samuel Holman, father of Joseph W., a na
tive of Chester county, was a farmer born, but
left agriculture for the mines, working in the
iron mines at the time of his death. His wife
was Mary Richardson, born in Chester county,
the Richardsons as well as the Holmans being
an old family in the locality.
Joseph W. Holman was born' at Chester
Springs, April 10, 1861. His father died when
he was but eight years old, and the boy was put
out among strangers, living and working on

farms until he was twenty. His schooling was,
of necessity, limited. But he made the most of
his opportunities, not only in the way of books,
but in that unrestricted field of education that is
afforded by actual life. At- the age of twenty-
one, he engaged in farming on his own account,
and to such good purpose, that he is now the
owner of a fine farm, situated just west of Kim
berton in East Pikeland. Since 1891 he has car
ried on other lines of business in connection with
his farming. In that year he assumed the pro
prietorship of a hotel at Douglassville, and sub
sequently was proprietor of the Seven Stores
Hotel, and of the General Pike Hotel at Phoenix
ville. For two years following 1891 he was en
gaged in the wholesale liquor trade at Phoenix
ville, which he sold in 1893, and in the fall of
that year purchased the Coatesville House at
Coatesville, of which he is now the proprietor. He
is a Republican, was justice of the peace for one
term, and served as constable in East Pikeland
for ten years. He is a member of the Masonic
order, and has risen to the commandery de
grees ; he also belongs to the Independent Order
of Odd Fellows, and to the Patriotic Order of
Sons of America, and the American Eagles of
Coatesville. He was married, in 1881, on October 18,
to Ida M. Powell, daughter of Horatio and
Lydia (McAfee) Powell, residents of Chester
county. Two children have been born to Mr.
and Mrs. Holman, — Granville Warren and Lotta
May.

LEWIS SKELTON. There can be no kind
of doubt that for the origin of families bearing
the name of Skelton we must look to the north
of England — Yorkshire — (especially) Cumber
land and Lincolnshire, to which in the main they
appear to be confined. In Cumberland is the
parish of Skelton near Penrith. In Yorkshire
are these: East Riding, the township of Skel
ton, in the parish of Howden; North Riding,
the parish of Skelton-in-Cleveland ; West Rid
ing, the hamlet of Skelton, in the parish of
Leeds, and the township of Skelton, in the parish
of Ripon. In the Patent Roll of the years during
the thirteenth century, the names Christiana de
Skelton, William, son of Robert de Skelton,
Master John de Skelton, appear respecting the
possession of lands in Skelton.
Burke enumerates twelve coats-of-arms as
appertaining to Skeltons in various parts of the
Kingdom; the fess and the three fleurs-de-lis
appear in all, two only excepted. To Clement
de Skelton, in Cumberland, who represented the
county in several of the parliaments of Richard
the Second, he attributes az., a fess, gu., between

LEWIS SKELTON.

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

595

.three fleurs-de-lis, or and to Skeltons of York
shire the same, the tinctures alone being differ-
•ent. The Skeltons of England were essentially a
clerical race, and this is not without its bearing
upon the emigrant. Their record is truly re
markable, and such as few families can show,
beginning as it does. in the earlier part of the
sixteenth century, when the Anglican church was
still in communion with the Roman, and run
ning for upwards of one hundred and fifty years
until the eighteenth was near at hand. With the
¦exception only of William, the Austin Friar, all
the Lincolnshire Skeltons who were in orders
were graduates, and Cambridge was the Uni
versity of everyone, Samuel, the emigrant, in-
-cluded. It seems very possible he was born in
Yorkshire, but Samuel Skelton matriculated at
Clare Hall, Cambridge, as a sizar, July 7, 1608,
and took his B. A. 161 1. He proceeded M. A.
in 1615. He was in orders and was beneficed in
Lincolnshire. Samuel and Susanna (Travis) Skelton, ac
companied by one son and two daughters, came
•to New England in 1629. The name of a third
and younger daughter is also on the Salem rec
ords. Samuel Skelton, M. A., was ordained the
first minister of the first church in Salem, Mas
sachusetts, on August 6, 1629, and it is on record,
"Which day was . observed as a day of fasting
-and prayer." The above is noted from a com
munication published in 1898-99, in the "N. E.
Historical and Genealogical Register."
While the name of Skelton is not a common one
in America, we find people bearing that name
¦scattered over a vast area of her territory, and
from a very early period in her history. It is
thought the emigrant's son, on attaining his ma
jority, returned to England. We have record
-of a Skelton landholder in Gloucester county,
Virginia, in 1686, and another resident of the
name in Maryland, in the years 1678 and 1681.
We find the name in New Jersey in 1689, also
a landholder in Philadelphia in 1719, etc., etc.
While the writers do not consider the in
formation exhausted, we cannot at this time say
-when those of the name first became resident in
Delaware and Chester counties, Pennsylvania.
One John Skelton was taxed in Upper Darby,
"Chester (now Delaware) county, Pennsylvania,
in 1726. December, 1741, Richard Cox and
Mary, his wife, deeded two hundred acres of
land in London Grove township, Chester county,
Pennsylvania, to James Skelton, yeoman of same
place, etc., etc.

(Penn. Land Warrants, Department of the In
ferior, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.)
No. 77. Patrick Skelton, Survey 100-Acres,

Date Jan. 15, 1744. Returned Ap. 2, 1788,
140-As. Patented to John Hoopes, Jr. Vol. P., No.
14, p. 74, 100-acres, "between the lands of James
McFarlan, and Loughlin McClane, Situate in
East Cain Township."
Land in East Cain Township, since 1790 in
East Brandywine Township.
Patrick Skelton and Margarett McClane were
married December 13, 1737. Margarett Skelton
deceased January 28, 1760. Patrick Skelton de
ceased February 8, 1780. Their son was
Alexander Skelton, born November 11, 1738.
Married Rachel Maris, daughter of John and
Katharine (Hayden) Maris, on August 17, 1761,
at the Old Swedes church in Wilmington, Dela
ware. Issue ten children.
They purchased a farm in West Marlborough
township, Chester county, Pennsylvania, where
most, if not all, their children, one daughter and
six sons (three died in infancy) were born and
reared. The sons were well educated for a
'farmer's sons of that period; some of them be
came teachers. A grandnephew relates he 'had
heard his father remark of those six Skelton
uncles, "They were a fine looking set of men."
About 1816 William Skelton and wife went to
Stark county, Ohio, where he settled on a farm,
and which is yet (1904) in the name. Three of
the brothers — George, Isaac and Alexander —
went to Ohio also.
John Skelton, born November 19, 1765, mar
ried Phebe Hughes, daughter of Ellis and Han
nah (Yarnall) Hughes, issue, three children,
born in Chester county, Pennsylvania.
Aaron Skelton, born October 8, 1767. Mar
ried Mary Harlan, daughter of Michael and
Susanna (Carleton) Harlan. They became pos
sessors of the Harlan farm in West Marlborough
township, Chester county, Pennsylvania, where
six children were reared, and four dying in in
fancy. Lydia Skelton, born Setpember 9, 1796, mar
ried John Commons, left two sons.
Isaac Skelton, born April 6, 1799, married
Rebecca Davis. They had seven children; one
died in infancy. Isaac and family resided for
several years on the farm where he was born,
and now (1904) the farm is in possession of his
grandson. Lewis Skelton, the fifth child of Aaron and
Mary Skelton, was born June 28, 1804. Married
Hannah (Bailey) Wickersham, January 14,
1851, daughter of Joel and Lydia (Pusey)
Wickersham. About the time of his marriage
Lewis bought a farm in New Garden township,
Chester county, Pennsylvania, where the widow
and children remained about thirty years. They
had three children: Lydia C, Lewis M., Jr.,
deceased September 8, 1870, and Edward W.

596

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

Lewis Skelton, Sr., deceased December 6,
1857. By way of travel he crossed the Alle
ghanies several times. He was most hospitable
and kind, with a high sense of honor, a devoted
husband and father. Observing a strict integrity
in his business dealings, he held the confidence
and esteem of the community in which he lived.
In religion a "Friend," and in politics a Repub
lican.

CALEB PUSEY WICKERSHAM, A. M.,
the eldest of five children of Joel and Lydia
Pusey Wickersham, was born in East Marlbor
ough township, Chester county, Pennsylvania, on
December 12, 1814.
He was the fifth generation in descent of
Thomas Wickersham, who came from Bolney,
Sussex county, England, in 1700, and settled in
Chester county, Pennsylvania. His maternal
ancestor, also five generations back, was Caleb
Pusey, who was born in Berkshire, Eng
land, in 1689, and who, with his brother, Will
iam Pusey, came to Old Chester, Pennsyl
vania, when young, where lived Caleb Pusey,
Sr., who came to Pennsylvania, with William
Penn. About 1714 Caleb Pusey, Jr., prob
ably a nephew of Caleb, Sr., moved to a farm in
Marlborough, Chester county, Pennsylvania,
which he continued to occupy during life.
Caleb P. Wickersham early evinced an apti
tude for study, and was given the best education
the neighborhood afforded. The schools at that
time were termed subscription schools. The
winter of 1834-35 he spent at Joseph Foulkes'
School at Gwynedd, Montgomery county, Penn
sylvania, after which he began teaching, taking
the following recommendation from one of his
former preceptors :
"Caleb P. Wickersham, the bearer, has, by
attention and diligence in study, acquired a suffi
cient knowledge of Orthography, Reading,
Writing, English Grammar, Geography, Arith
metic, Algebra, Mensuration, Trigonometry,
Surveying, Astronomy and Botany to enable him
to give instruction therein to others.
"Saml. Martin.
"K. Square, 9 mo, 25th, 1835."
After several terms as teacher, desiring to
take a higher course, he entered the Wesleyan
Academy at Wilbraham, Massachusetts, and on
to the Wesleyan University at Middletown, Con
necticut, where he graduated in 1846, and also
received his A. M. degree at the same university.
Afterwards he gave instruction at the following
places, viz. :
1847 — Principal of Halls Creek Academy,
Calvert county, Maryland.
1848 — Teacher in Boarding School, Wilming
ton, Delaware.

1853 — Teacher in Seminary near Richmond,
Indiana. 1855 — Associate Principal of Academy,
Media, Delaware county, Pennsylvania.
1857 — Principal of Select School in Salem,
New Jersey.
i860 — Associate Principal of Unionville
Academy, Chester county, Pennsylvania.
1864 — Principal of Friends' Academy, Wil
mington, Delaware.
1870 — Associate Principal of West Chester
Academy, Pennsylvania.
Several of the latter years of his . life were
passed in Kennett Square, .Pennsylvania, about
two and one-half miles from the farm on which
he was born and reared. In 1873 he was auditor
of Chester county, Pennsylvania. About fifteen
years he was connected with the Kennett Square
borough school board, mostly as secretary. In
1879 he was elected justice ofthe peace, in which
he continued until his decease, September 12,
1888. He was a good mathematician, and did
considerable as a conveyancer and surveyor until
near the close of life.
"The mind, when united with the soul and
fully conversant with knowledge, embraces all
objects." He was an authority in botany,
mineralogy, ornithology, local history, genealogy,
etc. He never married. In religion he was a
"Friend." In politics he was a staunch Republi
can. At least forty-eight years of his life were
spent in getting knowledge and imparting the
same to others.

PAUL LAMORELLE, a man well known in
the business circles of Chester and Wayne, Dela
ware county, Pennsylvania, is a representative
of an ancient French family, tracing their origin
from one of the southern provinces of their native
country, whence they emigrated, at what period
is not certain, to the West Indies, where they
were planters, on the island of St. Thomas, own
ing large estates and a great number of slaves.,
In consequence of an insurrection of the negroes
the family were obliged to fly from their home
and to put to sea in small boats, being picked
up by a passing vessel and taken to Philadelphia,
which thenceforth became their home.
A. A. Lamorelle, father of Paul Lamorelle,
was born in Philadelphia, where he engaged in
the practice of the law. He married Margaret,
daughter of Jacob Moore, a leading jeweler of
Philadelphia. Mrs. Lamorelle died in 1884, and
her husband survived her only two, years, dying
in 1886. Paul Lamorelle, son of A. A. and Margaret
(Moore) Lamorrelle, was born February 11,
1861, in Philadelphia, and was educated in the
public schools of his native city. At the age of

L^^?^%^^Z/

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

597

eleven he began his business career as office boy
for an uncle who was treasurer of the Philadel
phia & Erie Railroad, and at sixteen entered a
bank as cashier, his competence for the duties of
the position, despite his youth, being sufficiently
proved by the fact that he remained in the office
for nine years. In 1886 he established himself on
his own account in the printing business. In 1890
he removed to Wayne, Delaware county, where
he became cashier of the Wayne Title and Trust
Company. In addition to the duties of this office
Mr. Lamorelle acted also as bookkeeper of the
Wayne estate, which position he resigned in 1893,
in order to become assistant to Mr. Frank Smith,
manager of the Wayne estate. Mr. Lamorelle's
thorough methods and versatile talents as a man
of affairs could not fail of meeting with merited
recognition, not only in the city where he resided,
but in the community at large, and in 1899 he
was offered the secretaryship of the Tidewater
Steel Company of Chester, by Mr. Evans R. Dick,
chairman of the finance committee and director
of the company. This offer Mr. Lamorelle ac
cepted, entering upon the duties of the position
June 1, 1899, and he maintains his connection
with the company to the present day. Mr. La
morelle's business interests are not limited to the
•two cities of Wayne and Chester, but extend to
Philadelphia, where he is one of the directors of
the Nero Centenary Rubber Company of that
city. In politics Mr. Lamorelle is a Republican,
and has filled the office of assessor of Radnor
township. In accordance with his family tradi
tions, he is a member of the Roman Catholic
church. Mr. Lamorelle married, July 22, 1885, Annie,
daughter of John T. Brislane, and has three chil
dren: Joseph F., Kathryn L. and Paul, Jr.

DAVID L. CALDWELL. The Caldwell
family of Springfield township, Delaware county,
Pennsylvania, trace their ancestry to William
Caldwell, who served in the capacity of constable
of Springfield township in 1745. Among the chil
dren of William Caldwell was'.a son, John Cald
well, who was a blacksmith by trade, and served as
overseer of the poor in 1757; he was united in
marriage to Mary Crozier, daughter of Richard
Crozier, in 1755, and their children were:
Elizabeth, born 9 mo., 24, 1756, died, un
married, in 1844.
William, born 5 mo., 19, 1759, married, about
the year 1799, Miss Bird. His death occurred
in 1814, and he was survived by his widow and
one son, Edmund Caldwell, who was born in
1802, and died in 1859. Edmund Caldwell left
his native county and went to the city of Philadel

phia, where he engaged in the selling of cloth.
He never married.
David was born in Springfield, about 1765. He
was a farmer by occupation, and served as over
seer of the poor during the years 1804, 1805
1806. He married Hannah Pyle, daughter of
Benjamin Pyle (4), who was a member of the
Spnngneld lueetmg of Orthodox Friends. He
died about the year 1814, and his wife Hannah
(Pyle) Caldwell died 2 mo., 27, 1848. Their
children were: Rachel, born 1 mo., 20, 1801,
died 3 mo., 18, 1873. She was a strict member of
Springfield Meeting, and after her removal to
Concord she united with that meeting. She be
came the wife of John Hill, of Nether Provi
dence, a farmer, in 1837, and their children were :
Hannah, born 4 mo., 25, 1838, died 7 mo., 21,
1838; George, born 11 mo, 23, 1839, diea- 5 mo.,
9, 1841 ; Samuel N., born 9 mo., 9, 1841, married
Isabella M. Hudson, daughter of Andrew Hudson.
James, mentioned hereinafter. George W., born
12 mo, 2, 1803, in Springfield, died in Ridley, 5
mo., 6, 1884, and was buried at the Friends'
Sprinfield Meeting grounds. He was a farmer by
occupation. He was united in marriage to Martha
Carey, daughter of Charles and Beulah (Tyson)
Carey, and they were the parents of four chil
dren: Hannah, born 4 mo., 26, 1848; Beulah,
born 8 mo., 31, 1853; Catherine, born 9 mo, 30,
1855; Charles, born 8 mo, 17, 1857; all of these
children are unmarried. Benjamin P., born 12
mo, 2, 1803, a twin brother of George W., was a
farmer by occupation and owned considerable
property in Ridley township. He was unmarried,
died in 1890 and his remains were interred at the
Friends' burying ground in Springfield. Sarah
Ann, born in Springfield, 11 mo, 17, 1808, died
in Springfield, 11 mo, 27, 1876. She was mar
ried in Philadelphia, 11 mo., 29, 1838, to Charles
ShiUingford, a blacksmith, and subsequently be
came the owner of a farm in Springfield. Their
children were: Davis, born 10 mo., 2, 1839, died
2 mo, 1903 ; Edward C, born 6 mo., 22, 1842,
unmarried; George W., born 11 mo., 16, 1849,
unmarried; John H., born 11 mo., 21, 1854, mar
ried. John, born about the year 1773, learned the
trade of shoemaker, which he followed in con
junction with agricultural pursuits, he having
held some ground in Springfield, whereon he
erected a house. About 1810 he was married to
Rebecca  , who bore him the following
named children: Charles Edward, born about
1812, died in 1840; William, born about 1814,
died in 1842 ; Mary, born about 1816, died in
1843; Catherine, born about 1818, died in 1845.
They were all unmarried. John Caldwell died
in Springfield in 1848, and his wife died in 1870,
and they with their children are buried at the
Friends' burying ground in Springfield.

598

CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUNTIES.

Sarah, born in Springfield, in 1780, never
married. She was the owner of a comfortable
home which she inherited from her mother's es
tate, and her death occurred in May, 1864. Her
remains were interred at Springfield.
James Caldwell, eldest son of David and
Hannah (Pyle) Caldwell, was born 6 mo, 14,
1802. In early life he learned the trade of car
penter, but the latter years of his life were de
voted to the tilling of the soil. He was one of
the supervisors of Springfield township in 1863,
and a prominent member of the Springfield.
Friends Meeting. On the 21st of February, 1839,
he was married to Susanna D. Seary, who was
born in Nether Providence, a daughter of James
and Margaretta (Brant) Seary, and a lifelong
member of the Ridley Baptist church, now known
as the Prospect Hill Baptist church. James Cald
well died 4 mo, 8, 1886, and his wife passed away
10 mo, 3, 1898. Their children were :
David L., born 2 mo, 7, 1840; unmarried.
He is a farmer by occupation, and resides upon
about thirty-five acres of the old Caldwell home
stead. He takes a keen and active interest in
township affairs ; for thirty-two consecutive years
was a director and officer of the Springfield Build
ing and Loan Association, and a memer of the
board of directors of the Springfield school dis
trict for nine years.
Mary G., born 3 mo, 4, 1842. Very early
in life she became a member of the Ridley Baptist
church, in which she still holds membership.
She was united in marriage to Edmund
Stewart, who was born in Ridley township in
1839, a son of Isaac and Rebecca (Berry) Stew
art, of Ridley Park. They were the parents of
five children.
Hannah P., born 2 mo., 14, 1845, died 4 mo,
22, 1898. She, like her sister, became a member
of the Ridley Baptist church during her youth
ful years. She was unmarried. Her remains
were buried with those of her parents in the Pros
pect Hill church cemetery at Ridley.
Anne E., born 12 mo, 25, 1850, died 7 mo.,
16, 185 1, and her twin brother, Charles E., died
7 mo, 19, 1851.
Mrs. Susanna D. (Seary) Caldwell traces her
ancestry to James Seary, who came from Ire
land about the year 1795 and settled in the city of
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. About 1799 he mar
ried Margaretta Brant, and they settled in Nether
Providence, in which township James Seary died
about 1817, and his wife died about 1823, and
their remains were interred at the Darby Friends'
burying ground at Darby, Pennsylvania. Their
children were:
Catharine, born 10 mo, 3, 1801, died 4 mo.,
27, 1887. About the year 1830 she became the

wife of William G. Ward, and the issue of this,-
union was four children: Ann Elizabeth; Ed
ward, who married Eliza Goskill about the year
1859; Catherine, who was united in marriage to-
Samuel Carr about 1864, and they are the parents-
of three children ; William G.
Patrick, born in Nether Providence, in 1802,.
died in 1865. About 1829 he married Susan
Hall, who died about 1868, and their remains
were buried at the Union Methodist Episcopal
churchyard at Hinkson Corner. Their children
were Elizabeth, born in 1831, died about 1858;.
she was the wife of James M. McMullen, and left
one son, Howard McMullen. Margaretta, born in
1832, died in 1859, unmarried. Anna, born in
1834, was the wife of Samuel Burk, of Ches
ter, Pennsylvania, now deceased, and they are
both buried in the Chester rural cemetery; they
were survived by one daughter. Louisa, born in
1836, died in 1899, was the wife of Harry Flavil,.
of Chester, and their children were : Jennie, who-
is married, and lives in New York; Sue, wife
of Frank Baker, of iNorth Ward, Chester, and
they are the parents of several children; Franks
is married, and resides in North Ward, Chester,
near the Baptist church; Annie, married, resides
m Chester; Lucy, married, resides in Chester.
James, born in 1838, died in 1894. He was a car
penter by trade, and when the Civil war broke
out he abandoned his business and enlisted in the
regiment under the command of Colonel Small,
and when his term of service expired he re-en
listed for three years more and returned home
with a captain's commission. He married Chris-
teen Notsend, daughter of Dr. Notsend, who sur
vived him, as did also a son and daughter. His
son has charge of the dispensary on Bainbridge
street, between Third and Fourth. Charles, born
in 1842, died in 1881. He studied medicine, was
for some time in one of the hospitals during the
war, and subsequently conducted a drug store-
in the city of "Philadelphia. He married Eliza
beth  about the year 1876, and they
were the parents of three children, two girls and
one boy. Edward died young.
John, born about 1805, died about 1876. He
was united in marriage, about 1837, to Elizabeth
Bonsall, and they resided for a number of years
on a farm in Ridley township, later removed to
Huntingdon county, where they resided for a few
years, and finally located in Iowa. Their chil
dren, both of whom are married and have fam
ilies, are: Thomas, born in 1839; and Anna,
born in 1842.
Susanna D., aforementioned as the wife of
James Caldwell and mother of David L. Cald
well, was born 10 mo, 4, 1815.

YALE UNIVERSITY

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